The Wind Spirit [P]

The water to the pond was shallow and reflected the sky of kumogakure, it's white and blue pallet appearing on the water's surface. But the cloud's on the water were not like the one's in the sky, down on the ground the koy fish that inhabited the pond danced in the water, barely visible beneath the translucent surface of the water.

Ikigai never felt more at home than he did on water. Land, The academy, all that was secondary to this. It was where he was born to be. Ikigai stepped out into it, not bothering to use the surface walking technique, the water was shallow enough for him to stand at knee height and the water didn't bother him. Surface walking would be an unnecessary use of chakra, and as his feet parted the water the Koy fish would scatter in fear, timid creatures afraid of the half shark that had joined them.

He'd look back towards the voice that answered him.

"Good, than this should be easy."

His hand would rise and he'd gesture for Shien to follow.

"Get in, and don't even think of using that surface walking crap"

It probably sounded odd, but there was a method to his madness that Shien would soon learn, if the boy wished to tame water, it would do him no good to ignore it.

WC: 5167

Shien was a friend, but Ikigai did not see him as a rival. Not yet, he'd been given no reason after all they'd been on one mission and had hardly had time to display their talents. Although he did have a sneaking suspicion that he'd have to keep an eye on him and monitor his progress, if he wanted to ensure he stayed ahead. He and Shien were the two newest students at the academy barring Kay and she was hardly ever around.

Shien stepped in, clapped and asked what was next. Ikigai smiled at the eagerness of his friend before he pointed to his friends knees. "Notice how when you stepped in the water did not resist, it parted and moved aside" He'd say using the same method he had used to teach Kay. "It didn't fight you or prevent you from entering, it's in a completely passive state just waiting to be moved"

As he finished speaking a flash of his arm would send a stream of water spiraling towards shien, it was harmless and only a splash. "The only difference between ninjutsu and a splash is how we move it. A splash is made through physical contact, A ninjutsu is created through chakra control."

"You're in the water now Shien, tell me how it feels"

In order to control the water, ones chakra system needed to relate to it. He hoped to show Shien this, but he wasn't entirely sure he was ready. Kay had learned fast, but her chakra was raw untapped power. He had no idea if he was capable of teaching Shien, he suspected himself to be a better student than a tutor.

WC: 5446

As Ikigai began to explain the nature of water, Shien nodded firmly. It was nothing he didn’t already know, water was a flowing element, but the blue-skinned young man helped to set him in the proper mindset. The water was gentle, and one push from his legs send the echoes of energy ringing forward, slightly disturbing the glass-like surface as it grew weaker with distance. He swallowed, pursing his lips, one of his jagged teeth poking through. 

In a blur of motion, Ikigai sent his own splash spiraling toward Shien in a torrent, parting the Doku’s hair over his face like dripping mop. His pursed lips relaxed, replaced with clenched teeth and a small sneer that peaked through the shinobi’s mass of viridian hair. Raising his hand to brush the mass of hair over his head and from his eyes, Shien took a deep breath, clearing his throat before he spoke. “So I have to make my chakra like a hand to push the water? Something physical?” he asked, seeking to confirm his answers. It was a departure from the ninja’s primary element – fire. The destructive tool was forged from nothing, of his own creation. Water seemed to imply using one’s resources, something that already existed, and bending it to your will – like kneading clay in the hands. 

“Cold,” Shien answered bluntly, flaring his nostrils as he struggled to say something else. “Wet.” His eyes rose slightly as he thought, his mouth curling narrowly into a half-baked smile. “I guess it’s calming. Tranquil,” he said with emphasis, his smirk growing as he added goofy shaking of his head with the word. He raised his hands slightly, shrugging, then dipped them into the cool water, moving his fingers about as if he were playing an instrument. There was some resistance that grew with more pressure added to the liquid, but, moving slowly, it was if there was nothing – like it was air. 

Shien’s eyes narrowed, his head shifting into a slight bob, like a cork on the surface of water. “Ok, so, now what?”

WC: 10790

Ikigai listened as his friend thought the question over, waiting in honest wonder of what his friend had gathered from the brief exchange.

"Wet"

"Cold"

Neither of the observations where very insightful, but then again Shien had never been all that serious. A change in facial expression however, gave way to a more detailed answer. It was stated nonchalantly in typical Shien fashion, but there was thought behind it, a genuine attempt to understand the element behind its most basic attributes.

"That's good. Tranquil and Calming"

Ikigai would pause before he continued speaking, allowing his chakra to flow like a river throughout his body. It felt calming, and it felt tranquil. The power of the water element resided within him, and now he'd bestow it on his friend.

"Your chakra system should reflect that feeling. Let the charka run through you like water in a river"

His hands would move to form the tiger seal.

"From there, its just like any other jutsu"

A light mist would rise off of the pond, not high enough of thick enough to obscure vision. Ikigai had done this on purpose so he could still observer the boy in front of him. After all, what use was teaching someone through action if they could not see the action.

WC: 5663

Shien affirmatively nodded at the blue-skinned shinobi’s instructions. Tenderly pressing his teeth together, his lips glided over them, retreating to the right corner of his mouth in though. His thin eyes watched Ikigai intently, unmoving, taking everything within their scope in all at once. Little could have been done to break the Doku’s conversation.

The green-haired shinobi was not a visual learner. He instead came to understand through action – tactile work. Merely seeing something done was not enough for Shien to put it to use, least of all controlling an internal elemental nature that was, for all intents and purposes, invisible. He instead relied on feeling. Up until now, the only element Shien knew himself to possess was fire. It came naturally to him. It was destructive, powerful, and the chakra nature required little control in order to be effective. The Doku instead acted as the catalyst, a spark, for its creation - allowing it to act on its own once conjured.

Water, naturally, was different. Conjuring a jutsu and then releasing it was one thing, but water required an intense level of concentration. It already existed, and, as such, the element required the infusion of one’s own chakra, the maintaining of that chakra, and the successful, continual, manipulation of it. It was remarkably difficult, something bred out of Shien’s minimal effort, and Ikigai had done it with ease.

Tranquil and calming, Shien repeated, nodding softly to himself. He dipped his hands into the water one more, feeling the soft brush of the liquid against them. Tranquil and calming…

The Doku took a deep breath, calming his heart and slowing his breathing. He closed his eyes brining his palms together in the formation of the tiger seal. He stretched outward, releasing his chakra into the pool of water the pair stood within. It fell from his body like a floodgate, violently pouring outward. Shien clenched his teeth, focusing. Bubbles formed in the water, popping and foaming. He opened his eyes, almost panicked as vapor rose in spurts, booming as if small gunshots around the pair.

TRANQUIL AND CALMING.

TRANQUIL AND CALMING.

TRANQUIL AND CALMING.

The water began to roll, twisting and shifting. The once glass-like surface of the shallow pool faded into rapids, tugging at the Doku’s legs and pulling him outward with a current.

Shien’s passively clenched teeth hardened, the pressure filling his jaw in the tension of a rubber band on the verge of breaking. He closed his eyes, taking another deep breath, wishing for the water to calm itself. The bubbles grew larger, the vapor shaking violently. The water surged around the Doku in a sort of whirlpool, spinning around him, the shinobi at its center.

A heat spiraled up Shien’s spine and onto his neck. Sweltering embarrassment rose within him like an inferno.

Come on, Shien! He told himself, the water shaking, waves brushing outward.
The water fell from a roar to a growl. From growl to murmur.

With each breathe Shien took, the water quelled until there was nothing else but the soft trickle of the liquid against the sides of its borders. And then nothing.

Mist rose around Shien, wrapping around him in a light haze, like a translucent woman swirling around him and then fading. He smiled, his mouth gaping open, the Doku’s jagged teeth just peaking through his green lips.

He released his hands, the mist subsiding. He’d done it.

WC: 11,358

"You and Kay are like... Crazy good at this ninjutsu stuff"

Was all Ikigai could bring himself to say as the thing that had taken him weeks to master manifested around Shien, with little more than a few minutes of practice. Was he just a really good teacher, or where they just both talented in a way he could never understand. Ninjutsu had never been his strong suit, swordplay was all he had ever known and truth be told that weakness rarely bugged him. He preferred to play with his strengths rather than dabble in his weaknesses.

Looking across the pond towards his green skinned friend however, made him wonder if that was the best way to go about training. The boy was growing fast, and Ikigai wasn't sure if he could stay ahead much longer. Maybe it would be best to start learning some ninjutsu. After all, Shien seemed to be interested in training with both, why shouldn't he.

"So... What do you think? Got it down or do you wanna give it another go for good measure? His beady eyes would look to the sky as he watched daylight begin to fade. The boys had been together since morning, and their day had been long. Honestly, Ikigai was growing tired... But he wouldn't dare be the first one to show it.

WC: 5886

Shien scratched the back of his head, modestly smiling with his eyes closed. The chakra around him subsided, the water faltering and condensing back into the pond the pair stood in. “Oh well, yeah. My mother was a natural at it. Medical Ninjutsu, really. She was one of the best healers in our little community,” Shien remarked. He hadn’t opened up to anyone in quite some time, as little information as it was. The Doku was ultimately a very private person, however, and instead quickly changed the subject.

“I’m not really feeling anything else, tonight,” Shien yawned, stretching outward. “I need to go have a shower. And then sleep forever,” he chuckled, sighing as he made his way out of the pond, his legs sifting through the water. “I’ll see you when I get to smelling better and my eyes aren’t about to fall out of my skull, ok?” Shien smiled taking off his shoes as he reached the bank. He took a deep breath, turning toward the sky with a look of frustration. He pursed his lips, turning to Ikigai once more before he departed. “Let me know when you want to go out. It’ll have to be when Boru’s working. I’ll be waiting.”

With a soft nod and clasped lips, Shien departed, bound for warm water and lots of soap.

[EXIT]

WC: 11580

Claims:
2000 Ryo
47 stats
3000/3000 switch to wep spec
2000/2000 Venom Release
500/500 Hidden Mist (Taught)
4000/4000 A Rank Split Second
2080/4000 Dancing Blade Risk

Reading every sentence you wrote to make sure you're not breaking any laws here. Be back in 7 hours.

Kk, approved.