A Little Leaf's Growth

Higuto woke up the next morning feeling better after all the training he had done the previous day. He slowly laid up in bed, feeling quite rested as his bones retaliated his movements, as he began stretching his body in order to get his body loose. He sat up in his bed and looked outside as the sun rose high over the horizon and he thought about what he'd to for the day. He looked at his hands and tested the bones in them by opening and closing as he could her the crack of his knuckles and the snap of his fingers, satisfied at them loosening up within his hands, as he stretched his arms behind his back in order to get his shoulders in check. He thought maybe he'd go for another spot of training today so that he could get a few more much needed techniques in order to make certain he was ready for the outside world. Such as chakra sensory. That was a skill that was much needed in the world of ninja and he wanted to make certain that he could get to where he needed to be. He thus got out of bed and hopped in place in order to make certain he was OK as he walked over into his nearby bathroom.

He went and took his morning shower in order to vitalize himself for what was about to come as he could feel within himself that he was getting to where he needed to be. He could feel the plateau within him getting close before he became one of the strongest Genin in the Leaf. He thought about how strong he currently was and whether or not he was doing good things by getting stronger day by day. He washed his body and scrubbed it to get the last of the sleep that he still had in his system as he took in the water into his being as he thought he'd get a bit of practice in the shower and he brought the Tiger seal up and mist began to form inside the bathroom due to the water. He was misting the small room as he chuckled at how it was quite easy for him to do and he turned the shower off and focused. He brought his hands up into the clone seal as he made a shadow clone and had him go out of the bathroom into his bedroom as he tried to focus and concentrate while trying to pick up his clone's chakra signature.

He sat on the bath floor as he tried to meditate and focus in trying to pick up his clone from afar as he was having trouble getting the right setting on everything. He was finding it extremely much more difficult than just trying to get his chakra high enough for it to pick up someone as he tried to grow his chakra to a point where it could branch out and go to where he thought the clone was. That proved to be wasteful as the thought that a ninja shouldn't need to know where the enemy is in order to pick up their chakra signatures. From what he had been demonstrated in terms of the skill Kinzoku and Allegro were both able to detect where others were at nearly all times as they could keep things afloat from knowing where the enemy was and even what they were doing or preparing to do. He thus decided to give up training it for now to wait until he got to the field before he went ahead with the training as he allowed his clone to disappear before he dried himself off and got out to get some clothes on.

He went to his wardrobe and pulled out his usual clothes, the shirt and jacket and shorts, as he walked over to his refrigerator and pulled out some ham, lettuce, and bread. He would enjoy himself a sandwich in order to get his strength up to be able to get through today's training and he hoped that he had the strength to be able to learn what he hoped to. He constructed his sandwich as he smiled at the smell that the ham gave off, his nose able to pick up the scent of the lettuce and mayo that he applied, as he went and brought everything over to his table and sat down to begin eating his creation. Thoughts of what he was going to do in order to get his strength up along with being able to detect chakra was growing within his mind as he ate his sandwich. He also felt that his sword work may have been in need of some work as he hadn't been training with it as much as he would've liked. He finished eating his sandwich as he decided that he'd need the help of a clone once again in order to get his desired results.

He got up from his table and walked out of his door and locked it as he hopped up to the rooftops and began to make his way over to the village gate as he brought his locket up and looked at it, wondering if it was going to be necessary, as he brought his hands up and formed the necessary hand seals to bring his sword out of storage displacement. He grabbed his sword as he hopped out of the village and began to hop along the branches of the trees all while keeping his sword handy. He hopped down to the ground and looked around while trying to find something that he could test his skills against all while keeping his cool and calm. He decided he'd go ahead and bring out his clone in order to get what he desired as he threw his sword into the air and brought his hands up to form the clone seal as a clone popped up from a puff of smoke and stood a ways away from Higuto as Higuto reached up and caught the hilt of his sword before getting into a fighting stance as his clone brought out a kunai and got into a fighting stance itself before Higuto noticed him flow chakra through the kunai and Higuto decided to do the same with his sword.

Higuto and the clone closed their eyes as they listened to the motion of the trees and the wind going through the leaves as Higuto tried to get a sense of his surroundings and tried to amplify them with his chakra in order to try and see if he could detect his clone's chakra. It was proving to be a useless endeavor as he was growing frustrated that he didn't do much in the way of research in order to know exactly what he was looking for. He was able to hear the rustling of two leaves as they floated gently to the ground and landed on top of each other a ways between the clone and himself. Higuto smiled and opened his eyes as he noticed so did the clone as the leaves acted like a signal for the two to start and charged forth towards each other, weapons drawn, as Higuto decided he'd use his speed to change his direction at the last minute as he was suddenly behind his clone.

He took a swing with his clone as the clone hopped up in order to avoid the sword as the clone whirled around in the air and let loose his kunai at Higuto. Higuto used his enhanced blade in order to slice the knife in half as he hopped towards the clone and brought his sword up. The clone brought his own sword up, chakra infused within the blade, as the two collided in midair as the two kicked out towards each other and propelled away as Higuto was the first to land and he rushed forth as the clone was still in the air from the kick. Higuto brought his hands up as he directed his insects to a specific point in the sky before jumping up after the clone once again all while more insects flew out of his jacket sleeve and rotated in the air around him. The clone noticed this, the insects getting close to him, as the clone made it's own clone and used it as a platform to hop off of in order to get additional air as the new clone was swarmed by the insects and it disappeared as a result.

The clone and Higuto landed in the training field as they got right back at it with their fight as Higuto jumped at it and got low on the ground before giving it a kick in the gut and caused it to fly towards the river as the clone flipped and landed in the water as it skidded along the surface to a stop. The clone brought it's hands up to form the Tiger seal as the water around him immediately began to sizzle into steam and formed a light mist around the clone before expanding out. The clone smirked as it sank into the mist as it grew outwards at a fleeting speed as Higuto watched and was enveloped into the mist himself. This was going to be a pain unless he was able to learn the chakra sensory as he hoped to accomplish. It was here that he suddenly heard a whoosh sound and could see a kunai near his arm at the last minute as he brought his hand up and caught the hilt before it could hit him. He heard another as he this time ducked to dodge the other perfectly aimed one as he was stunned and wondered how the clone was doing this.

Then it hit him: The clone somehow had gotten the upper hand yet again as it was capable of using the chakra sensory skill that Higuto was desperately after. Higuto didn't understand how the clone had done this as he jumped to the side in order to dodge yet another perfectly aimed kunai. He twirled in the air as he concentrated his body and mind in order to see if he could detect anything, even the smallest speck of chakra as he tried to find something to latch on and target on to as he brought his sword up and got low to the ground. He was frustrated to find that he still couldn't detect anything as he used his sword to block a kunai while quickly catching it in the air and throwing it back to the space that it was tossed from. He sat there in order to think, his chakra running frantically through his mind, as he thought about hopping out of the mist or casting a jutsu that could get rid of the mist so that he'd be able to draw the clone out of this frustrating situation.

He used his insects to branch out into the mist as he would use them to try and track the clone for him. After he then closed his eyes once more as images of what the clone might be doing to hide from him occupied his mind as he thought he was weaving through the mist, keeping track of Higuto, and dodging any attempts the clone felt Higuto might attack. Higuto then saw the image in his head suddenly make a movement as right at the next moment he heard a whoosh and opened his eyes to see a kunai soaring through the air at him. He started to wonder if his instincts on the clone was allowing him to predict what his clone would end up doing next before Higuto brought his hand up and caught the kunai within his hand and threw it back to the place where it was thrown. He wrote it off as a fluke as he closed his eyes once more and envisioned his clone's movements once again as he imagined him running around in the mist. He wrote off the first instance as to when he predicted his clone was going to throw as a fluke and he went back to trying to predict his movement again.

But then he saw the clone move once more followed by another swish through the air as Higuto jumped to the side. It was here that it dawned on him that it could no longer be a fluke as he was actually keeping track of the clone through the mist. Not only that but he knew where he was within the mist to and where he was heading as he threw right at where the clone was about to go. He then saw the clone jump up out of the mist as Higuto watched as the clone threw more kunai after him and Higuto hopped back in order to get out of the way. He decided enough was enough with the mist as he started to form the Rasengan and the mist began to dissipate as the rapid vortex of the ball of chakra caused the mist to surround him and get absorbed into the rapidly spinning sphere. The clone watched as it formed the necessary hand seals as Higuto watched the clone's chakra increase rapidly as he could see clouds forming above him. The clone wanted to make it rain for some reason as Higuto's Rasengan disappeared.

He watched the clone land just as rain was falling onto the field and charge at Higuto as he also charged forth. It was getting him excited as, even though he could clearly see his clone now, he was also able to feel the clone's chakra and energy. He had done it as he was able to keep track of the clone and his chakra as he could feel the flow of chakra even within his tiny insects as he focused on the ground and caused him to smile in happiness. He and the clone clashed once again as their swords clanged and the steel of the two blades stood taught and strong as Higuto and the clone looked into each other's eyes. Higuto tried to overpower his clone, thinking that his lessoned stamina would help him get the upper hand of the exchange as he was met with the clone pushing harder still as Higuto tried to dig his feet into the ground and give him just that much more of an edge.

Higuto and the clone hopped back from each other and charged back again as Higuto flipped his sword around and the two of them began to swing at each other with their blades with skill and grace. The two were swinging at each other in a wild yet controlled fashion as sparks flew from the steel and the rain was chopped in many different directions as the steel would slide and follow through with another hit after hit. Higuto brought his sword down onto the clone as it retaliated by bringing its sword up in such a way that it hit it with such force Higuto lost his grip. His speed was able to keep him on his toes, however, as he brought his hands up and formed a clone seal just as his clone was bringing his sword back around. An additional clone formed and grabbed the sword from above and brought it down on the first clone as it noticed and moved to block. As soon as the sword hit the clone's the newly made clone disappeared and the now loose sword was blown back into the air. The clone looked ready to continue but as soon as he looked back to Higuto he saw him coming at him with a Rasengan as it got implanted square within it's gut.

The clone was shocked as the Rasengan went to work at repelling the clone as it seemed to swell with more and more energy. It wasn't long before the clone was shoved away and driven through the field only to be stopped by a nearby rock. Higuto watched smoke billow forth and up into the sky as the rain continued to fall and he held his hand up as he caught the hilt of the sword that had flown into the air. He swiped it through the rain as he felt strong with his sword skills and he focused on the point where his clone was supposed to be lying. He could feel the clone's chakra signature where he had been shoved toward as he could feel that there was still a strong sense of the chakra signature which he could only take to mean that the clone was still ready to fight. Suddenly Higuto could feel the chakra signature start to rise rapidly as he blinked and suddenly felt a whoosh of air from behind as he was able to feel that the clone had moved and in an abnormal burst of speed he had gotten behind him from so far in a blur.

Higuto was barely able to get an arm up as he caught the swing of the clone's sword with his own and was pushed back by the shock of the blow. Higuto struggled as he felt that he didn't have a choice. If the clone was going to bring the power of the locket into this then he would retaliate and bring about the power of it himself. He pressed the button of his locket and a light formed around him as he felt stronger. The clone smirked and pointed his blade to Higuto as he brought up his other hand and gave Higuto a gesturing wave to taunt him to come get him. Higuto took a deep breath, twirling his sword to as he then held it with the blade behind him and he took a low crouch while getting his legs ready. The two stared down each other as they prepared for the next few minutes as they were going to prove the most hectic for the two Higutos. The clone charged as Higuto noticed and charged himself as the two cleared the gap between them seemingly in an instant.

The two's swords sang in the air as they were swinging at each other with more speed then they had displayed previously as the two had become blurs with how fast they were now going. Higuto brought around a roundhouse kick that caught the clone in the gut as he was sent flying toward the mountain side as it flipped through the air and caught the side with it's feet and hopped off back to Higuto with it's sword raised. Higuto would dodge the swing and flip to the river before standing on the surface and start infusing his chakra through the blade as the clone would follow his example and follow with it's own infused blade. The two would clash as Higuto grimaced from the strength that the clone displayed thanks to the locket before he'd smirk and cease the chakra flow going through his feet and sink into the river. He would come up with a way of getting around the clone in order to get the jump on it as he swam around and popped up from behind just as the clone brought it's hands up to form a few hand seals. Lightning formed within the clone's hand, it's enhanced chakra turning the color of the lightning to a purplish hue, as he bought the hand around to meet Higuto.

Higuto would respond by quickly dodging out of the way while forming another clone that jumped high into the air. Higuto then directed a strong upward punch to the clone as it was hit upward into the sky where the clone waited with a Rasengan as Higuto himself jumped into the sky. The clone caught the rising clone in the stomach with the spiraling blue ball of chakra and the clone was brought back down quickly to the ground with a crash. In the meantime Higuto was coming down with a Rasengan as well, his chakra infusing a very large amount of power into the sphere as it shown in a deep Sapphire bluish hue, as he brought the sphere down hard upon the clone. "Rasengan!!" The ground sandwiched the clone in between the rapidly spinning ball of destruction as both forces repelled against the clone. The light of the Rasengan slowly surrounded the clone and Higuto as it grew so bright the two were completely engulfed within it before the Rasengan finally gave way and a large explosion repelled Higuto off the target and flipping him through the air.

He landed on the ground, his sword held at the ready in case somehow the clone had made it through that, as he could feel his stamina being drained from the state he was in and he felt at a loss of breath and he felt he might collapse any moment. The smoke cleared as he could feel experience enter within him from an unknown source as he understood that to be the clone having been destroyed and the knowledge of the time that the clone had been through entered within his mind. He relaxed as he pressed the button of his locket again and the light aura around him faded as he was forced onto his knees and he coughed. He could feel that he had made progress as he had accomplished gaining more strength and skill with a blade as he felt that he only had a little bit more to learn before he could call himself a powerful ninja.

He got up to his feet, taking in a deep breath, as the rain had stopped due to the clone no longer having control over the weather. He smiled as he hopped up and down on the ground, getting feeling back into his legs, as he believed this was a good place to stop and call it a day as he walked off the field and brought his hands back up to form the necessary seals in order to place his sword back into his displaced storage. He walked through the rain dripping trees with his hands in his pockets as all the previous insects he had released previously flew back into him and he felt happy at his accomplishment of the day. He walked along the road to the village as he felt a huge hunger forming into the stomach as he wanted to get himself a good old bowl of ramen to end his day with. To that end he stopped by Ichiraku and had himself a good bowl or two as the heat of the noodles helped relax him and send a nice smooth feeling through his muscles in order to repair his stamina.

After eating his fill he exited the shop and made his way through the bustling streets of the village as he made his way to his home a ways off from the beaten path. The ramen he had gotten previously turned out so good that he had gotten himself an extra take out bowl of the ramen so that he could enjoy some either later on in the day or tomorrow for lunch. He made it home as he unlocked the door and entered the dimly lit house as he took in a breath of clean air as he usually liked to keep his house clean in case possible guests ever decided to come and visit him. He set the bowl of ramen into his refrigerator as he took all his clothes off and placed them in a wash so that he wouldn't end up with a cold later. He took himself a quick night shower to get the muck and mud of the field off of him as he stretched his body and felt strong for a child his age. He got into bed after preparing himself in his nightwear and thus went to sleep happy about the day that he had had.

{Exit}

(WC 4,014)

(Objective: Claiming Sword Mastery, Chakra Sensory, and 19 stats (Maxing out. ^^))

Approved