More Training? (IO)

Gin would step out of the front door of a particular ashen haired girls abode. He was freshly showered and strangely energetic, one could only guess why. If the girl had stepped out with him he would walk forward to allow her to step out and close and lock the door behind her. As she stepped out he would turn toward her to ask “So, any particular training ground you wanna go to today?” He’d ask in curiosity. They had demolished the rest of the training dummies at the closest ground yesterday before coming back to her place for a rather, eventful night. It was certainly an enjoyable one and it was something they had been doing quite a bit lately. He wasn’t sure how she felt about it. He himself simply enjoyed the fun and having a training partner. Of course he kept his strongest abilities a secret, wanting to keep some things to himself should they end in a tournament or something. Or who knows, they were both genin, they could easily fight each other in the mission to battle two of your peers. It was hardly a secret in the village that the chunin hopefuls would have to fight each other after all.

If she did not decide to come with him, then this opening post was basically for nothing and would probably be either scrapped for a couple hundred words or reworked into a larger solo. He would course close the door behind him, as it would be quite rude to not do so before stepping off the stoop and going to find a training ground himself.

WC: 271

Saluluna would follow him with the widest smile on her face. Ah... Another day, another night with Gin... She seriously wasn't missing those nights where she slept alone. Having someone else there with you simply made it more... interesting she would say. No more sleeping to the fuzzy, poorly thought-out fantasies about this thing and that... No more nights spent reading badly-written media or predicting where she'd find more of those invasive christmas-popper things would appear before being bored enough to fall asleep. No, she would never be bored again, now would she?

"Oh... Where doesn't matter to me so long as you're there, lover-boy..." Sal snickered, flirting shamelessly with her partner. Was there any real shame between them at all at this point? She couldn't think of anything... "I'll let you lead the way, hon..." She wrapped her arm around his with a smile. She was ALL smiles with this kid. He was just so much of a hoot! The way he talked, the way he dressed, the way he carried himself all came together in the tall, adorable package he was... And the fun she was having with him seemed never ending. Even so, she knew very little about her friend here, nothing really beyond what she'd found out for herself on the surface. His past and personal life eluded her, not that she was trying to dig it up. He simply never mentioned it in all those wondrous adventures they had together. She found that... unusual. What kind of secrets was he keeping to himself...?

"So... Tell me something, cupcake..." She snickered, looking up at the boy whom which she clung. "What's your life like when we're not together?" She questioned. "What do you do for fun?"

Gin would honestly pause at that point, trying to figure out what to say the girl. That question he wasn’t expecting. How did he answer? He didn’t want to tell the girl about the fact that his old man beats him regularly. But he couldn’t just leave such a question unanswered. After all she told him about her eye, it would hardly be fair if he didn’t tell her something in return. But did he want to go so far as to tell her that though? He wasn’t quite sure. At her insistence to go toward whichever training ground he would like he would start leading her toward one that wasn’t too far away. It was large, open, and the silver haired genin wasn’t intending to do any of his personal training today. So he didn’t really care if anyone else saw him. After all a shinobi’s best tool is deception. So leading everyone on into only thinking he was a certain strength level in terms of power would be his best bet in terms of surprising everyone later on. As well as a way to have a trump card or two that no one would know about in case a situation arose. 

As they moved he would answer the girls question. “Well, I really only just train to be honest. I’m always striving to be faster, stronger, more powerful. It’s rather one dimensional I know, but when we’re not rolling between the sheets or training together that’s about what it is to be the honest.” He would tell the girl. He wasn’t lying, he was constantly training, after all it wasn’t like he sat still while his dad beat him to a pulp. He fought back or tried to get away each time. It’s just that he’d also end up getting himself caught or overpowered or outsmarted and then put into a position that he couldn’t escape from. Like pinned to a wall or something like that. 

“When it comes to fun then my time with you is legitimately the most fun I have.” He would say honestly. “I don’t really have anything else or any hobbies to be honest.” He would continue to say, after all when he wasn’t with her he was constantly striving to overpower his old man so he could put him in his place. Or earn his respect the hard way, that might cause the situation to end too. He also needed to prove that he could reach a respectable rank of shinobi. He would need to prove that he couldn’t be put down and forced to stay down. 

WC: 435
TWC: 706

Sal's eyes widened as did her smile as the boy admitted that pretty much the most fun he ever had was with her. Sure, he had no real life outside of training desperately for strength and power which made him substantially less interesting but hey... maybe she could give him one. She was already filling a void in his life he didn't have before with their "fun" so who's to say she couldn't help him fill another?

"You've got to be the sweetest thing..." Sal giggled, nuzzling his shoulder lightly. "I knew there was a reason I liked you so much...... Besides being whacked with a magic stick."

The pair of them arrived in the training grounds, a place as vast as it was empty, an area perfect for large-scale battles. Hmm... She wondered if his little training sessions were why she was constantly finding all those bruises and cuts along his skin every night... It seemed that every day they got together there'd be a new one for each one that healed... Perhaps she could encourage him to stop pushing himself too hard... After all, it would be a darn shame for him not to show up one night only to find him dead the next day. Who else would she find to replace such a wondrous fellow?

"If you mean that... I have a little offer for you, lover-boy... After we're done messing around here, we'll see what you think of it..." She turned to face her partner with a soft grin upon her lips, reaching up to gently take his cheek in her gloved hand. A comforting sign... Help him ease up a bit. The girl suspected... that there was something there she wasn't being told...

"So what do you wanna do today? Fire techniques? Sparring?"

"Oh... well that's a disappointment..." The girl sighed as the boy mentioned their goals for today and the rewards for winning the ending spar. "Looks like I'll be paying, huh? Good thing I sold some designs today..." Sal's pessimism was all in good fun, hardly caring one way or another. Her current income had been steady and good so she could afford losing if she had too. That... and she didn't see Gin as the guy to break open her wallet like some kind of shell-fish. With the start of her review, Saluluna would weave a few signs, her body beginning to warm up substantially as she'd prove by wrapping her arms around the boy's neck and giving him the softest of kisses, one that lasted only but a moment. Her lips would feel almost hot to him if he let her kiss him, a sign she had displayed her first technique with the utmost accuracy.

"That's one." She giggled before disengaging that technique before the heat started to make her sweat. The second one, fire-stream, was a more obvious form of pyrokinesis. Weaving another couple signs, the woman would turn away from her teacher and friend before taking in a breath and letting out a soft stream of flame from her mouth, displaying her mastery of the, you guessed it, Fire Stream technique. Completely simplistic and easy to use, hardly costing any stamina, let alone being dirt-easy to actually produce.

The third one she might actually have to try, however... Great Fireball... Much the same as before, Sal weaved a variety of hand-signs, Her chest puffing out as she took in a MUCH deeper breath than before... Holding it for but a second, she focused her chakra deep inside before letting all out in a MASSIVE bloom of fire from her lips, flame searing the grass and dirt before her with great and mighty power, a good bit hotter than the typical flames of a regular fireball...

With all this heavy breathing and fire-blowing completed, Sal would turn back to her quote-unquote "master" with a large smile on her face, slowing her breath in an effort to get it under control.

"So... How'd I do, teach?"

Gin would chuckle at the girls words, finding them amusing to him. Of course as mentioned he wouldn’t simply make her pay. His father wasn’t poor by any means, having gone in the merchant business when he quit being a shinobi. One of the few good things he actually DID get out of his living with the man. If he ever left he’d probably clean the bastard out. He had access to all of the accounts. His old man didn’t know it, but that didn’t matter. He would take notice of the girl performing a few seals before wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a light kiss. It would take him a moment a two to fully realize why she had chosen to do so in the middle of that before he realized the raised temperature of her lips. ‘Of course, I couldn’t know it had activated if she didn’t do that..I wonder how that would affect our play time..’ He would think before pushing that thought out of his head for now. Experimentation could come later after all. Well, more like could actually, but in the end that didn’t matter at all. 

At this point she would bring up a single half tiger seal before firing off a stream of fire about three meters long and three meters wide at its widest point. The silver haired genin would nod his head at the work. That was both jutsu, now they could work on a few others. Well, that thought came when he thought she was done. She however went on to prove that she knew even more by performing a couple of seals that the hazel eyed casanova knew all too well. ‘Wait, when did she learn?’ He would think before the large stream of fire would escape her lips, taking the form of a giant fiery orb at the end. Showcasing her progress thus far. Gin would look on with a raised eyebrow at the spectacle mildly impressed at her work thus far. “You learned one I didn’t know about, good job. However if you had worked on the D ranks first then you wouldn’t nearly be so out of breath. Remember, breath control is the foundation and key to a fire user. Without it you’ll burn yourself out, it’s even more important than chakra control for fire techniques that emanate from the users mouth.” He would say, moving around her in a small circle while he lectured before coming around and moving to try and capture her lips in a small kiss. If the kiss succeeded he would break it after a few moments smirking. “I am proud of you though, but I don’t want you to move on unprepared. If you were in live combat when you pulled that stunt and it didn’t work someone would have taken advantage at how out of breath you are.” He would say before moving to stand a few meters away from her, looking directly at her. 

“I’ll be showing you the D ranks now, then you can try the fireball again to see the difference.” He would say simply before turning to not fire the next technique at the girl standing just a few meters away. “This technique is versatile in the fact that it can be used from ones mouth, or their hands.” He would say before flipping through a few hand seals. Tiger - Ox - Rat- Bird - Tiger immediately afterward Gin would rapidly fire out four half meter large fireballs that flew toward a point ten meters away. The fireballs exploded in a two and half meter wide area before dissipating. “That’s one way.” He would say before flipping through the seals again, Tiger - Ox - Rat - Bird - Tiger. Immediately after finishing the last seal a spark would go off in his hand and he’d fling it out the fire off four more of the same sized fireballs. They would fly toward a different area before landing and spreading like a liquid, melting the ground as it did. “You can either fire it from your mouth, or your hands. Or you can make it explode, or act like napalm. You don’t have to fire it one way to get each effect. So I could expel the fireballs from my mouth to get the napalm effect if I wanted. The different ways the jutsu can be used  make this a fairly versatile technique to have in your arsenal. I want to see you use it in every combination before I consider you having it down. That means both the exploding version, and the napalm version from both your hand and your mouth. Fire four each time you use the jutsu. If you have the reserves for all four of them you’ll be able to pull it back to as few as one if you wanted. The control needed for this one isn’t exactly medical ninja level.” He would say with a small chuckle at the end before nodding his head at her to try and perform the technique as instructed. 

WC: 850
TWC: 1945

The boy circled Saluluna and she watched him eagerly, reminding her that breath control was a big thing, that people would exploit her if she wasn't careful, yada yada yada. Yes, she knew all of this already but it wasn't like there were any enemies around currently! She could afford to be a little reckless! Suddenly, the boy closed in, pulling her into another kiss, catching the one-eyed ninja by surprise. She quickly melted into it though with a muffled giggle, leaning into him and kissing Gin right back... right up until he ended it by pulling away.

She smiled brightly as the boy informed her that he was indeed proud, but then her expression numbed somewhat as he went on another warning tangent. For Kage's SAKE she got it already! Manage breath. Got it. She wondered why he was so invested with her safety... It was almost as if the poor child was emotionally invested in her or something. Was this a sign he wanted to start something with her or something...? Likely the next thing she'd know would be him on his knees, begging her to be his active, public girlfriend or something... The idea made her smile... Almost took all her willpower not to laugh in all honesty. It was a nice fantasy but if there was one thing the two of them made clear, it was that their relationship was purely for the funsies and wasn't for either of them to get attached. All their kisses, nights at her place, they were all to satisfy base urges in themselves, not to reach some "deep, heart-felt-connection" garbage that the elders would have you believe such actions were for. Ironically, this was one of the reasons she liked Gin so much... He seemed to understand her and respected her ways as unorthodox as they might be. He could be a little less nagging and maybe wear something less leathery from time to time but over all he was a solid companion in more ways than one. If she was one for emotional attraction, Sal might've actually felt something for him.

"Another D-rank, huh...?" Sal murmured, a tad dissatisfied but she was in no condition to complain. Look at him, mr. generous teaching her jutsu he didn't even know about... What kind of ungrateful person did she have to be to complain about free knowledge? As the boy explained the jutsu, the woman would nod every so often, following along as best she could. With all these different forms and uses for this technique, she wondered why it was considered a D-rank. Yeah yeah, it was probably weaker in raw power but didn't utility have a say when it came to ranking...? How DID ranking work anyway? And who determined the rank...? She'd have to find out when she didn't have anything better to do like... being with Gin or... Being with Gin.

Letting her take a stab at it, Saluluna stepped up to the challenge, the first form of this little number being the easiest in her mind. A simple 4 fireballs spat form her mouth, each one controlled in size and power by how much breath and chakra she put into them. Pretty easy right? Couldn't be any more difficult than the great-fireball. Weaving the signs, Saluluna spat out 4 good sized half-meter fireballs, each one striking the ground a good ways off with a nice searing burn-patch where they impacted. Like she thought: peace of cake.

The Second form, the fireballs coming out of her hands, would be a tad harder... While she could manifest balls of elemental chakra rather easily in her palms, she's never actually thrown it like a projectile... WELL! HERE'S TO SEE WHAT SHE COULD DO BY LOOKING! Saluluna weaved the signs again, this time focusing her energy into into her palms much as she would summoning a small ember, though with much more chakra to craft them with. In each hand, she had a small fireball, it's curious flames hovering just above her fair skin so not to burn it... Would you look at that... Now lets see if she could hurl it! Throwing her arm overhand, the one-eyed ninja would watch with a smile on her face as the orb flew like a baseball a good distance away before splatting into a flaming patch on the training-grounds... grounds, the second one being thrown soon after and landing nearby... SHE WAS A NATURAL! HA! It was almost like she'd forgotten just what level of jutsu she was working with here! She summoned two more and tossed them as well, feeling quite gratified as she did so.

Now how was she going to create napalm-fireballs...? Was there some kind of quirk to it...? Did she just will it to be? The only real hint she got was him mentioning that he could summon this variant if he "wanted". So... Did she just have to WANT this attack to happen and it'd happen...? What kind of world did they live in where that was a law of the universe? Letting out a sigh and shaking her head, Saluluna would begin weaving the signs once more wondering what she had to lose by trying out this highly improbable tactic. Much like before, Saluluna spat out for separate fireballs, but each one seemed more liquid-esk than gasseus.. When they struck the ground, they left a little puddle of burning fluid, much like the napalm Gin referenced. She really couldn't believe that worked.

Well... uh... Okay...?

For the last one, she did much the same as she did on the second time around, weaving signs before summoning up two balls of chakra, one in each hand. With a soft grunt, she threw each of them as well, a bit shorter than the rest so the effects of their hit with the ground were obvious.... And it worked... again... Wow... TRULY they live in a world on easy-mode sometimes... Again... if things were THIS easy... why wasn't every civilian required to know jutsu... If only she were Kage...

"So!" She chirped, turning back to her lover-boy with a wide grin on her face. "Do I get a kiss for a job well done?"

Gin would watch carefully as she performed each and every form of the technique on her first try without absolutely no trouble whatsoever. “If I wasn’t so confident in my abilities in my element I would think you’re trying to dethrone me as top fire using dog around here.” He’d say with a small wink as he moved over the ashen haired girl to give her a kiss for a job well done. I mean hey, if that’s what she wanted right? He did always aim to please. Now however it was time to teach her the next jutsu he intended to teach her. The other D rank ninjutsu he knew, well for the fire element anyway. “Alright, the next jutsu is more difficult for a few reasons.” He would start, turning toward her once more to show her that she had his full attention as her teacher at the moment. “The Piercing Darts technique manifests six one inch long darts of composed fire chakra up to a meter away from you. You can then change their target at will until you release them by just letting the technique go. Once you’ve fired them you have no control over the technique at all. This is a stepping stone toward fire techniques that form on the outside of the user’s body, rather than inside of it.”

He would stop a moment to make sure she followed him so far before continuing on. “It’ll also require you to practice your multitasking, if you’re not good at that already. As you’ll have to telepathically aim the darts, most times, in the midst of combat. Which as I’m sure you’re aware, can get fairly hectic. After you’ve aimed them it’s a simple matter of fire and forget. They’ll fly off toward your target to pierce them with fire.” He would nod as his finished his explanation before quickly forming a simple tiger seal. “Tiger is the only seal for this one.” He would say before the six darts formed around them. None more than a meter away, he would aim them all at a predesignated target, one of the scorch marks left behind the last jutsus practice to be specific. Then after making sure none of the them would pierce him trying to get there he would let the technique fly. The six darts would fly off toward the scorch mark, embedding themselves deep into the earth. “It’s important to note where you form the darts, and where you’re aiming them. You wouldn’t want to form one right behind your head and aim it at a target directly in front of you, then fire.” He would say with a shrug. “An obvious fact I know, but you’d be surprised how many people in the world don’t notice this shit.” He would say before stepping back and giver her the motion to give it a try. 

WC: 481
TWC: 2426

"Heh... As if I could be the best at anything." Saluluna chuckled before leaning in and receiving what she asked for. She kissed Gin softly, not going too whole-ham this time... She was going to savor her reward. Unfortunately, Gin seemed to be all business this training session, pulling away and returning to their training like it was more important... Damn... He really wasn't interested now, was he...? His behavior might've hurt if she had any attachment to him whatsoever... Very much indeed.

The technique she was learning now as already much like the lightning variant she was learning now but with FAR more balls at her beck and call, but also to control. This was likely going to be one of her most useful, but also most trying. Maintaining and controlling 6 spears of fire instead of like 3 orbs of lighting was going to be a big challenge...

But then... maybe not...? Since she already had experience with this kind of technique, it shouldn't be too difficult to replicate it again. Of course, then there was the fact that she'd actually have to use it in combat and that required some kind of multi-tasking but that was no trouble for her. She'd been known to knit, read and manipulate chakra ALL at once, granted with average results across the board. Manipulating 6 fireballs shouldn't be too much of a challenge... And only one seal too? Well GOODY! That made her life SO much easier now, didn't it?

"Well! Lets see what I can do, huh?" Sal remarked, slamming her hands into the tiger seal. Much as she did with her little lightning balls, Saluluna focused her chakra in on herself, imagining it stretching out into 6 separate points around her. Once enough chakra was in place to sustain each point, the tendrals of chakra would break off and burst to life, almost like lighting a match within them.

Suddenly, an arc of flame would burst to life all around the ninja, the flames dying away to reveal 6 small fire-darts hanging above her.

perfect.


With a mere snap of her fingers, all 6 darts shot towards a single point, BURNING the area to black, smoldering ash.... Maybe she really WAS on her way to dethroning him... Would be the first real title she earned that wasn't given to her by the state!

"Thank you sir, may I have another?" Sal snickered, rolling her eye. NEXT!