Kotetsu's Training Montage

It is training time for Kotetsu. His parents told him that when you are fighting, speed is a valuable tool to have for a shinobi. Speed will help you outmaneuver your opponent. Therefore, speed is what Kotetsu will be striving to improve over the next week or so. The beach would be the best place to work. Sand and water are good natural resistors. Along with some weighted clothing, Kotetsu had everything he needed to start his training. He starts out by planning how he wants this training to go. ‘Some running along the sandbar to start.’ He thinks. ‘Followed by running along the sand that has contact with the water. That should be harder to move through for sure. After that, running through the water at an increasingly higher water level would offer additional resistance for sure. Slowly adding weights over the days will definitely help me as well, since I will undoubtedly find different parts easier over time.’ Now that he had his plan, it was time to convert it from theory to practice. Kotetsu would make his way to the beach every day, jogging to limber up his body in preparation for the more strenuous physical exertions to follow. Once he arrived at the beach he would sit down in the sand and admire his surroundings for a few minutes before standing up and focusing chakra into his legs. Not only would this help him work on chakra control, but it will also allow him to move his legs faster and get them used to having a buildup of chakra in them. So as not to overextend, he would ration it out over the day, a little more than he was used to. That would hopefully force him to build up his chakra reserves and his stamina at the same time. Once he had built up enough chakra, he would start running down the beach. Always striving to move faster each time. Most of the time he felt like he wasn’t making any progress, but one cannot expect success immediately. Every hour or so, Kotetsu would take a short break in order to rest his legs and allow himself to regain a little chakra. Replacing fluids and calories are important too, as he cannot grow if he doesn’t nourish himself properly. Running through the sand at first was a little challenging, the fact that it was soft and didn’t always hold up his weight made the running more difficult, which was exactly what Kotetsu was counting on. The resistance was what helped him to develop a little faster than if he was using a standard running track. The resistance was not enough to slow him significantly, but the sand did cause him to exert more effort in order to maintain a constant speed. In a way, it was helping him improve his physical endurance as well as his movement speed. Over the next few days running along the sand became somewhat easier. Not as easy as it would be on a street or paved road, but easier to where he can run at full speed and not tire as easily as he first did. Of course this is not something that he can just let slide once he gets to the speed he wants. He needs to keep working in order to keep the level of skill he strives for. Reaching this first milestone was an important one. It meant that his training plan works, and now he can focus on the next hurdle. Kotetsu spends another day or two running through the sand bar to plateau and use this to improve his speed and balance at that particular level of effort before moving onto the next step. ‘Well then..’ He thinks to himself. ‘Time to move on to the next step of my training…wet sand…’
 
Kotetsu’s first day running through wet sand, he could immediately tell the difference. The mud (because that’s what wet sand is essentially) had more give than the dry sand, and much more resistance, making the training that much more difficult. On the other side it means that overcoming this resistance will not only drastically improve Kotetsu’s land speed on solid ground, but it will also get him used to working in boggy terrain where footing is not always guaranteed. It will definitely take much longer and require much more chakra in order to achieve the improved level of speed that Kotetsu is going for in this changed environment. The challenge is important, it gives Kotetsu something to strive for, especially since Kotetsu’s mother told him that some of their clan’s Kekkei Genkai’s techniques require extreme speed. This is also where Kotetsu first experienced doubt in himself about the efficacy of his training regimen. Because he was not used to running at high speeds in that wet sand yet, he didn’t compensate enough and ended up falling, badly twisting his ankle. That set him back a few days while he recovered, which gave him some time to work on his chakra control, perhaps some basic ninjutsu as well. 
Kotetsu’s parents told him what’s required for him to graduate from the academy. ‘While I’m unable to actually train my body, I may as well work on one of the jutsu I need to master.’ He thinks to himself. He has two options, either the Clone jutsu or the Transformation jutsu. ‘I doubt I will be able to learn both in the time I’m out of action, but I can at least try to learn one of them…’ He decides to focus on the Clone Jutsu first. His parents went over the hand signs with him. “Ram…Snake…Tiger..” He says as he performs the hand signs and channels his chakra into the jutsu. “Clone..Jutsu!!” He exclaims as he releases his chakra…aaand unsurprisingly, it was a complete failure. Kotetsu grumbles at the failed attempt. ‘That’s not going to let me graduate when I join the Academy’ he thinks to himself. ‘I’ll need to try harder. Maybe I’m missing something…’ He tries again, another failure. Again with more chakra, still no good. Kotetsu becomes frustrated with himself that he’s not figuring this out. He’s not one to give up, but perhaps calling it day for now will do him some good. He can meditate on what he’s done so far and come back to it tomorrow. At the very least this was a good exercise for helping him build up his chakra. After a good night’s rest, Kotetsu gets right back on the horse. There’s still something missing because his next few attempts are abysmal failures as well…Then it dawns on him. ‘Of course..I’m not really focusing on what I want the clone to look like, just that I’m trying to create a clone…I need to focus on my own features, and project that look onto the clone… Why did I not think of that sooner..’ With that thought in mind, he tries again. Focusing his chakra, performing the hand signs, releasing the chakra…”Clone jutsu!!” …And he almost had it that time. It was there for a brief moment before disappearing… ‘Damn it…’ He thinks to himself. ‘I need to invest more chakra in order for this to work.’ Now that he has the concept down, it’s now a matter of using enough chakra. For now just to get one is enough. He can focus on creating multiple clones later. For the rest of day two he keeps using the Clone Jutsu, adding more chakra each time one fails until by the end of the night, he’s finally able to summon a clone that will last for a short period of time. Now that he can create one, it’s time to focus on building up his chakra reserves so that he can summon multiple clones, simply for the sake of being able to do it for now. The next day, Kotetsu spends the entire time working on improving the level of chakra he has in his body, trying to improve it and his control of chakra to the point where he can summon at least 2 clones. He won’t need to spend much more time on this technique as he has already reached the minimum requirement for graduation with this technique, and his ankle is essentially back to full strength. One last day to take it easy on his foot and then he should be back to improving his speed and stamina. The final “rest day” was spent working on his chakra, building it up as much as he can, and holding it for as long as he can. One day doesn’t do much, but progress is progress. At the end of that day, Kotetsu could confidently produce two clones, which definitely bodes well for him. Before going to bed, he takes off the bandage around his ankle and goes for a light jog outside to confirm his ankle was fine. It would seem that he can go right back to training.
 
Returning to the beach the following day, Kotetsu started with his usual warmups and then proceeded to run a few laps along the dry sand to ensure that he had not lost too much ground from the delay. If anything, those extra few days helped a little, since the chakra training meant he had a slightly larger pool to work with now, so he could use more chakra in his legs for longer now, allowing him  to move faster in the sand than he could before. After completing his test runs, he proceeded to the spot along the beach where the sand met the water and started running again. It was still hard going, but the extra chakra he could invest made it not as difficult as before. There wasn’t much of a difference, but it was one that Kotetsu could feel as he moved. Progress was slow, slower than Kotetsu had anticipated. Not only was the wet sand harder to move through, but the more he ran through it (since there wasn’t a whole lot of it), the more churned up it became. Before long the strip of wet sand along the beach was a quagmire that was even more hazardous than when Kotetsu injured himself before. A great deal more caution needed to be had. This had a side benefit though, it allowed Kotetsu to work on being more mindful of his surroundings without even realising it. He hadn’t made any progress with the first day because the setbacks he had not thought of in advance. Kotetsu went to sleep that night disappointed in himself. The next morning there was a silver lining. Overnight, the water washing over the area where Kotetsu was running had been smoothed out with more sand, almost as if the water knew what he was doing, and wished to assist him in becoming better than he was. His training would be like that every day for a couple weeks, with each day showing a little more progress. It was not an easy way to train. It was physically taxing, not only on his physical endurance, but on his chakra as well. However he could only hope to get stronger by pushing his body to its limits as often as possible. Doing so also helped Kotetsu learn about what his limits were and how to improve those limits, little by little. He still has a long way to go, but no more back steps, only moving forward. Eventually as the weeks passed, it became almost as easy for Kotetsu to run through this wet as it did for him to run through the dry sand. ‘It’s almost time to step things up again, so that I can keep getting faster.’ He thinks to himself after a particular successful set of laps. Another day or so of running along that wet, muddy sand and he decides it is time to move into the water, where the real challenge begins.
 
The water itself adds an extra layer of difficulty, because the sand underneath is not only more waterlogged, but the water itself acts as natural resistance. Kotetsu knew he was going to need to use all his skill to this point to move at a decent pace in the shin-deep water, let along running flat out. The first day was especially difficult. The water itself was on the cold side, so it also made it harder because it sapped his energy more. He had to take longer breaks every so often to lie in the sun and warm himself up before he could continue. Since needing to take breaks required him to be inactive in terms of moving for longer periods of time, Kotetsu decided he should try to at least learn the other jutsu required for graduation. Better to be safe than sorry, Kotetsu would spend the time in between his running to work on the Transformation jutsu, which would also help him in regards to building up and maintaining chakra. As with the Clone jutsu, he already knew the hand signs, he just needed to combine them with his chakra and it should work. One thing Kotetsu remembered from his attempts with the Clone jutsu is that he needed to visualise what he wanted to transform into. Inanimate objects would of course be easier since the details did not have to be flawless. Dog…Boar…Ram…”Transformation Jutsu!” Kotetsu tried for something simple the first time, a wooden training dummy. ‘It’s hard to tell if it’s working…’ Kotetsu thinks to himself as he looks down at his hands. ‘I think this would be better served if I practised in front of a mirror. I can see that some of it’s working, but I can’t see what my face looks like…’ Kotetsu shrugs and keeps practising in between runs. ‘At the very least if I get the chakra control going and actually using the jutsu, I can practice facial details when I get home.’ Some of the runs, Kotetsu decides to use the transformation jutsu at the same time, to get used to having to have it up for extended periods of time. He leaves the beach a little earlier than normal each day in order to practice the Transformation jutsu in the mirror. It is slow going. Inanimate objects were relatively simple; it is live people that are harder to copy. He has a sharp mind, but the fine details in disguising are difficult for him to master. It takes him almost no time at all to transform into the training dummy perfectly. Trying to duplicate his parents for example, proved much harder. It took him almost as long to master the Transformation jutsu as it did for him to reach the current level of skill with his speed training. It was probably for the best, since all of the added chakra use helped to build his chakra reserves. However, in the end Kotetsu was not to be denied his goal. It was after a particular difficult training day where he came home, drained from his exertions, went up to his room, and attempted to do the Transformation jutsu. After the smoke cleared, Kotetsu was looking at a mirror image of his father. As excited as he was, he kept calm and went back downstairs to where his parents were. His parents were watching the television, and his father chuckled when he noticed a copy of himself walking over and leaning against the television, small smile on his face. “I see your training is going well.” He says to his son, who releases the jutsu and returns to his normal expression. “Yes father.” Kotetsu says in response. “I believe I am close to meeting the graduation requirements for the Academy.” He says proudly. “I can be a shinobi soon like you.” His parents beam smiles at him. “And you’re going to be a powerful shinobi.” His mother says to him. “We are very proud of you and how far you’ve come in such a short time. Keep working hard and you’ll be able to surpass even your father and me.” Kotetsu bows to his parents and makes his way to bed for the night. It takes him almost a total of 5 weeks in order to make the running through water not as difficult. It was not as easy as running over sand, but it became easier than when he first started. In addition, his speed on solid ground had definitely improved. The use of chakra in his legs had an additional effect that he had not taken into account. His legs were stronger. The constant running had essentially turned all fat and flesh into solid muscle, which meant that not only would he be able to run faster, but kick harder, jump higher. It was a welcome realisation, because that will make training just a little bit easier. Assuming Kotetsu keeps himself in shape, which will definitely be happening. But the training will never stop. He can always improve himself, always find ways to get better, faster, stronger. As Kotetsu gets older, his body's limits will increase, allowing him to become that much better. And the more work he does now, the greater his potential will be down the road. A true shinobi never stops improving, so Kotetsu will not stop either. At least for now, he should have reached a point where he can graduate the ninja academy and officially begin his proper training. This was all kid stuff, for lack of a better word. There are lots of jutsu to master, especially when it comes to his Kekkei Genkai. That is where his true passion lies. To learn all he can about his clan's unique gift to help him accomplish his goals. But first, the first hurdle is the Genin exam. One test and his true journey will begin. Kotetsu makes his way home on his last day of training, to tell his parents that he is ready to graduate from the academy and start the path of the shinobi.


WC: 3001
Claiming: -Stats: 15 (10 speed, 2 Strength, 2 Chakra, 1 Stamina).

                 -Jutsu: Clone Jutsu + Transformation Jutsu

Approved

((Round two :P))

The Academy in Hoshigakure has way more scrolls on jutsu than Kotetsu thought possible. Scrolls on Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Fuinjutsu, you name it. So many jutsu to learn, so little time. Kotetsu was already ready to graduate, so he’ll take a little time and learn a couple more skills before he moves on to the actual Genin exam. There were a few techniques that really stood out to him. Mark Seal, Fuinjutsu Lock, Inside to Outside block, and Quiet Footsteps. There were plenty more, but those four stood out in particular to the academy student. Most were along the lines of what he wanted to specialise in. ‘Lets start with Quiet Footsteps’ Kotetsu thinks to himself. ‘It’ll be the first wind technique I will know, and it will be very handy if I want to move around quietly. Plus I can think of a couple ways to improve it as I get stronger.’ Reading over the scroll, it described what it was supposed to do, and what was needed to activate it. “Alright, lets try this out.” He says quietly to himself. Kotetsu makes his way out into the practice field and starts moving around paying close attention to the sounds that his feet make as they hit the ground. “There, now I have a control to note progress from.” With that, he starts to build up his chakra. Being a low-rank jutsu, the hand signs were not very complex. “Ram. Horse. Ox.” He then releases his chakra, “Wind Style: Quiet footsteps Jutsu.” He can see a very faint aura around his feet. As he starts to move, he can still hear his feet hit the ground, but it’s not as loud as they were without the jutsu. ‘Still a little work to do, but that’s what practice is for. And I have time after all.’ He thinks to himself after he releases the jutsu. There’s definitely room for improvement, but at the very least the jutsu did not fail right off the bat on him. That there shows some progress in regards to his skills improving. The more he practices the jutsu, the quieter and quieter his footsteps become. The process to actually learn the jutsu took significantly less time as well. It would seem the more jutsu he worked on, the less time it took for him to actually get the hang of it. It also could be that because it is a wind type jutsu, the act of using it came more naturally to Kotetsu, since he has a wind chakra nature. By the end of that day, he had all but mastered the technique. ‘One jutsu down, three more to go.’ He thinks to himself. ‘Now to decide which one to work on next. Perhaps I’ll work on the two fuinjutsu techniques, since they’re similar, I can try to work on both at the same time. It wouldn’t hurt to try at least.’ 

Kotetsu wakes up the next morning and heads back to the Academy’s library and dives right back into it. Reading further into them, Mark Seal and Fuinjutsu Lock while both being low tier Fuinjutsu have very differing styles in regards to function, design and what’s required to activate them. The Mark Seal is effectively a tracking technique that can be used for some summoning jutsu and other similar skills. Fuinjutsu Lock is essentially an additional way to prevent someone from opening something. Both are useful in their own rights. Fuinjutsu in general is a tad different from regular jutsu, which has always interested Kotetsu. It’s also a concept that Kotetsu was not familiar with, as no one in his family was not really proficient in Fuinjutsu. Kotetsu always accepted challenges head on, especially ones that challenged his mind. Kotetsu decides to work on the Mark Seal first, it looked to be the less complicated of the two. The overall design was simple enough, a tiny mark that could be applied to almost anything and anyone. For this technique, since Kotetsu was training by himself at this time, he would apply the seal to himself. Based on what he read in the scroll, he would not be able to actually track the movements of those that are wearing the seal (there is a separate jutsu for that), however at the very least, Kotetsu will know whether or not the seal is working, because the seal allows the user to feel when it is active or not. The primary thing Kotetsu needs to learn, is how to activate the jutsu, place the seal, and then find out how to determine whether the seal is active. The scroll went over the basics of how the Jutsu applied the seal. The user would focus chakra into a finger, no specific finger was required, and touch the target, imagining the mark (usually a small circle or simple symbol). The seal becomes active almost immediately. The target would not notice (unless they are skilled at detecting such things), as the application of the seal causes no pain or discomfort, and disappears from view within seconds. ‘Alright, I’m as ready as I’m going to be’ Kotetsu thinks to himself. ‘Lets try this out.’ Kotetsu then focuses chakra into his right index finger, says “Ninja Art: Seal Mark”, and touches the back of his hand. A small black circle appeared for a few seconds before vanishing. The only problem with this, is that Kotetsu could not tell if the seal was still active or not. ‘Maybe I’m missing something…’ He thinks as he keeps trying to play around with the process in his mind. After several attempts of trial and error he essentially stumbled over the answer. He wasn’t concentrating hard enough on the jutsu itself in his mind. He had no problem picturing the shape/size of the seal, it was the fact that he assumed that he would always feel whether the seal is active or not (and that him not feeling it just meant he failed at doing the technique properly). Concentrating on the seal itself, he could feel the seal, faintly at first, as if it was a pulse, beating, just at the point where he could feel it. The more he concentrated, the stronger it felt. Now that Kotetsu understood properly how the jutsu worked, he can work on it at his leisure to make it almost second nature. It gave him ideas on how to work on the other Fuinjutsu on his list, Fuinjutsu Lock. From the scroll he was reading, Fuinjutsu Lock is an added layer of security. As with the Seal Mark it does not require hand signs, however the design itself is quite specific in size in shape. The scroll outlined what it needed to look like. All Kotetsu needs to do is touch his index finger to the object he wants to seal with the Fuinjutsu Lock, and the diagram will inscribe itself there and will remain visible for as long as the seal is active. Because the lock does not require a constant supply of chakra (the seal will work using a small amount and will run indefinitely), it should take no time at all in order to learn the intricacies of the jutsu and master it at a basic level. The only thing he needed now, was a location to practice on, since Kotetsu does not know the jutsu to remove the seal. ‘Perhaps I’ll use a blank scroll and just seal it multiple times…’ He thinks to himself. ‘That would probably be the best way to do this.’ So that’s what Kotetsu does. He takes a blank scroll, infuses his finger with chakra, and tries to force the chakra into the shape of the diagram as he touches the rolled-up scroll. His first attempt does not go as well as he was expecting it to go. The seal did not set properly, so it fizzled and nothing happened. Kotetsu was not to be dissuaded though. He would continue to persevere, but for some reason, each time he would go to place the seal it would not work. The amount of chakra seemed correct, his finger glowed the way it was described in the scroll. He was picturing the seal’s design in his head each time he cast the fuinjutsu, but still no luck. ‘I have to be missing something…’ He thinks after another failed attempt. He goes back over the scroll, searching for something that he missed. Then it dawns on him. ‘I’m focusing on the design, but not as a specific size. Maybe that’s what the issue is.’ He muses, since the seal itself is only 6 inches in diameter. With that in mind, he focuses on the design, picturing it at the size as well as the shape itself. Focusing his chakra into this finger, touching the scroll, and releasing the chakra. The seal springs into place on the srcoll. Kotetsu grins and holds up the sealed scroll. “Now on to the last technique I wanted to work on.” He says as he puts the scroll in his bag and makes his way outside.

There weren’t many scrolls on different taijutsu styles in the Academy library that Kotetsu could learn at this time. But having at least one extra move would be useful. The scroll called it the Inside to Outside Block. This would require one of the training posts outside. Most taijutsu is not necessarily about striking your opponent first. It is mainly blocking their attacks, using their power against them, or diverting them in a way that leaves them open to counter-attack. This move is no different and would require him to practice open hand and closed fist strikes. The technique itself is not overly complicated. It’s more the physical effort to work on speed and power behind those strikes in order to make them more effective. After reading over the basics in the scroll, Kotetsu sets himself up at one of the training posts on the practice field and beings striking the post, pretending that the arms of the post are actually attacking him. Each strike, whether open hand or closed fist, he infuses his chakra into his hands to increase their speed as well as the stopping power, since that is also something he would need to work on to make this technique as effective as possible. Since the scroll also mentions that the technique can be used to set up grabs and throws, every so often Kotetsu will use one of the open hand strikes to grab the post he “deflected” to get into the habit of following up, potentially to disable the limb in question. This is not something Kotetsu is not satisfied by simply practicing the technique over the course of a day. This is a technique that will always require practice of some degree to remain effective, even if it is a low tier technique. It’s what opens the door to other skills that will be much more difficult, but will also benefit from having skill with this particular block learned. Kotetsu works tirelessly over several days to make sure that his strikes are precise, his technique is flawless, and that his speed and power are the highest he can provide. To make things a little more interesting and to help him work on something closer to what he will actually use the technique on, his parents help him by sparring occasionally when he comes home before he goes to sleep. While they go easy on him, they do not let him win. Fighting his parents also shows Kotetsu flashes of some of the more difficult taijutsu techniques that he will doubtlessly learn at some point. For now though, working on his inside to outside block is the best thing for him. Kotetsu definitely reaslises how much stronger he will need to get before he can be the great shinobi he wants to be. At the very least though he has some new techniques under his belt that can be of great benefit to him. With that in mind, Kotetsu feels he is ready to take the Genin exam and makes his way to the examination hall to find out if his intuition is correct.

[Exit]

WC: 2035
Claiming: -Stats: 10
                  -Jutsu: Wind Style: Quiet Footsteps, Inside to Outside Block, Fuinjutsu Lock, and Mark Seal.

Approved

Yay ty.