Shoto trains to gain Wood Style (nk, Jason Senju)

Shoto stepped onto the training field, confident in his ability to learn and grow, as he cracked his knuckles ready for another day of training. Today would be the day he worked his body into learning the element that was accustomed to his clan: Wood. He had already the elements of Earth under his beck and call but the element of wood required another element as well and he was here to teach his chakra to accept said change in chakra nature. To this end he stepped towards the field's river which ran through it's center and looked at his reflection.

He held many questions inside him which kept him still while gazing into the water: What did one do to learn another element? How would one go about attaining water? His thoughts ran through him and gave him pause as he felt he couldn't achieve the power of water without help. He felt that he'd instead warm up his body a bit and train it in order to strengthen his chakra. He took off his jacket and placed it on a nearby tree as he looked up to the sky and wondered what he'd do for his training regiment.

(WC 200)

It was warm today; warm and sunny. It had been mostly raining ever since Xyxer had brought his army to Konoha. He hadn't thought much of it before, but now he liked to think it was a reflection of the village's overall mood. Better yet, a reflection of his own mood. Jason had been spiraling into despair quickly since the death of Salzem, something that he had been forced to take part in. Now it was different; he was different. He wasn't going to just roll over and give up. He would use this as motivation to move forward, to grow stronger. It would be the fuel to the fire burning within him. One day he would take back his village. He would restore Konohagakure. He had to.

There were very few at the training grounds when he arrived. If he was being honest with himself, Jason had no idea what exactly he was planning on working on today; he just knew he needed to train. Soon after arriving, however, that was no longer a concern. Something else had piqued his interest. A boy, just a year older than he was, staring into the river that ran through the training grounds. Jason recognized the boy, a member of the Senju clan just as he was. "Shotomoru?" he whispered.

They never really met before, just saw each other in passing. Jason had entered into the ninja academy before Shoto, even though Shoto was older than he was. As far as he knew, Shoto hadn't been able to use their clan's wood release yet. Was that why he was here now? Had the invasion provoked his motivation the same as it had for Jason? He was going to find out. The Genin walked over and stopped at the other boy's side. "You're Shotomoru, right?" he asked.

(304)

Shoto was in the middle of reminiscing on happier times before he heard his name called as he turned to the one calling him and was met with a stranger. He had never met this one, he could certainly feel something different about them though, and he kept his cool as he watched them closely and carefully. He couldn't help but feel, however, that even though they had never met there was a certain familiarity between himself and the stranger. There was the possibility that they had met sometime long ago or even the possibility they were of the same clan but Shoto couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Yes?... I'm Shotomoru." He would keep his thoughts to himself for now as there was also always the possibility he was just being delusional with his suspicions. Therefore he kept his hands in his pocket as he watched this newcomer.

(WC 152)

The boy answered, questioningly. It seemed like he didn't recognize Jason. Not much of a surprise really, they only passed each other around the Senju district. Jason was just apparently better at remembering names and faces. "It's me, Jason. Jason Senju. We haven't officially met, but I've seen you around before. Anyway I saw you over here so I wanted to come and say hello," he replied, not having to force himself much to be friendly toward the boy. After all, members of their clan had to stick together and Jason liked other people....usually.


"I see you finally became a Genin. That's awesome! What made you finally decide to join the academy?" he would ask, genuinely curious. The question still remained on whether Shoto could use their clan's wood release yet, but Jason had a feeling it would be answered soon enough. For now, it was better to get more acquainted with each other. Hopefully the boy would be as friendly toward another member of the Senju clan as Jason was being with him.

(174)

Shoto didn't know exactly how to act at this new development. The kind stranger, named Jason, was saying they were of the Senju clan as he was. This revelation didn't cause Shoto to become any less suspicious of the boy but, being as they were acting nice upon first meeting, he felt it was only right to return a smile back. "I see... It's nice to meet you, Jason. It's just surprising that you know my name."

Shoto would continue to have thoughts of how Jason could possibly already know him to himself but for now he decided to continue with the conversation. "I wouldn't want to bore you with why I decided to join the academy. Let's just say I needed to stop feeling useless and have a purpose. Becoming a ninja just felt like the best answer." He would keep up the smile as he spoke so as not to be offensive. He still didn't completely trust the other ninja due to just meeting but that wasn't going to stop him from trying to get to at least know the guy. "I'm guessing you decided to come out and train for a bit?"

(WC 201)

Perhaps Jason wasn't as memorable as he liked to think he was. Surprising, considering he had the same name as the Sixth Hokage, but not entirely unexpected. After all, he did spend most of his time away from the Senju clan's district. Most of his time up until becoming a Genin was spent in the surrounding forest communing with nature or in the main part of the village helping out those in need, something he felt he should probably start doing again in the aftermath of Kirigakure's takeover. Undoubtedly the villagers would be having a hard time adjusting to the new regime. 

"I've seen you around our clan's district and heard your name in passing," he explained, trying not to interrupt the boy much. As he went on to explain he needed a purpose, a way to stop feeling so useless, Jason could completely empathize. It was exactly how he felt after the battle at the gates. Perhaps it was fate, some divine intervention, that led him to the training grounds today where he was able to speak with Shoto. Maybe not. Either way, it was a welcomed distraction from his own depressing thoughts, something he just couldn't manage to escape lately. "I completely understand what you mean. I've been feeling pretty useless myself lately to be honest," he said in a low whisper, his eyes trained on the ground in front of him, subconsciously avoiding his clansman's gaze. 

The disappointment he felt quickly subsided when he was asked about training. It was in fact his original reason for coming here today, but wasn't he just looking for an excuse to move forward? Wasn't training just another way of coping with the overwhelming weight he felt at the thought of Salzem's death? These thoughts escaped his mind as quickly as they had entered, the Genin deciding to focus on what was immediately in front of him instead of dwelling on the recent past. "Yea, actually. I didn't really have anything specific in mind though," he began, an idea starting to take shape as he did so, "maybe we could train together? I can help you get accustomed to using wood release, if you aren't already." There was a kind smile alongside his offer, a silent plea for companionship in the deep, dark abyss he was stuck in.

(387)

Shoto couldn't help but feel as though there was something the boy was in need of accomplishing as there seemed to be an air of loss and pain within the words he spoke. Could it be that the boy had also been put through something similar as Shoto or was there a possibility they went through something worse? He couldn't quite place his finger upon it but whatever it was it was clear to see it ate at the boy to where Shoto didn't feel as much of a twinge of distrust as he had before as he nodded his head to the boy's suggestion of training.

"If you so wish to, I'd appreciate the help. I'm in the process of gaining the element of water but I haven't done much in the way of research on how to go about obtaining another element. However wood style is indeed my ultimate goal so any help you can provide would be much appreciated." He looked out over the water and wondered if he possibly might be rushing things a bit to gather a new element. He, after all, had no knowledge of Earth jutsu just yet and he was already in pursuit of an element which required a high amount of chakra? This led him to only hope he could hone the powers of such an element in order to help grow as a ninja and he was completely entrusting his learning on a complete stranger. Hopefully they wouldn't disappoint and Shoto had no intention but to put his absolute best into the learning curve.

(WC 266)

The hesitation Shoto seemed to have lessened slightly, though Jason was unsure of the cause of that. His knack for reading people wasn't exactly at its peak right now; in fact, it hadn't been since his loss at the gates. He was too distracted, his negative thoughts and slight depression getting the better of him most days. Today was the same. Shoto accepting his offer to train together and supplying a subject was a welcome reprieve. 

"Of course! I'd love to help you with that," he said, a genuine smile crossing his face as he spoke. It was true, he was more than happy to help his clansman learn what he needed to in order to utilize wood release. "Water happens to my natural affinity, so I'm the most talented in that area. I can't tell you much in the way of acclimating your body to water specifically since I was born with it, but I know the basics for learning a new element so it should be fine. So, are you ready to start?"


(175)

Shoto couldn't help but notice how the young Genin seemingly brighten upon his words of accepting their help and was delighted to hear that their natural element happened to be water. This led him to believe that he may be able to learn the element a little bit easier as he nodded to them and cracked his knuckles.

"I am indeed ready to start. I made certain I came into this with a full supply of chakra so I should be aptly prepared to putting it through the rigors of training." He shrugged his shoulders, trying to roll them around to allow them to stretch and warm up, as he looked to the Genin on what to do next.

(WC 121)

Shotomoru sure was a strange one. So formal. It was kind of unnerving, the way the boy spoke. It also didn't help that Jason had never actually taught anyone anything before. In theory, he was sure he could do it, but putting that into practical application was something else entirely. Still, he had offered to help Shoto learn how to utilize the water element and so that's exactly what he was going to do. It was a good thing they were next to the river that ran through Konoha's training grounds.

"Alright. The first thing I want you to do is close your eyes and try to concentrate on the river in front of you, focus on the sound of flowing water and try to reach out with your own chakra to where it is. See what the water on your chakra feels like, and remember it." Jason would say, beginning to instruct his fellow clansman. "Once you think you've got that feeling memorized," he continued, "you can open your eyes and retreat your chakra back into yourself. Let me know when you've done so, and we will move on to the next step."

(194)