Poppin' Bands

Roy watched as the boy assessed the situation. He could tell he was hesitant about moving along with the technique because that meant he had to be used as a test dummy. Roy was fully aware of his role as he waited for the boy to enact his attempt on the Leaf Whirlwind. Once Zyxis was ready, he tensed his body up and prepared for the impact.

A step was taken by Zyxis and before the boy probably even knew it, he was dashing towards the Jounin. Roy smirked as this moment began to exhilarate him. The passion of passing things along even if you weren't the original owner was satisfying. Once Zyxis came in he threw a kick towards his head. This shit looked like the Sweet Chin Music. Anyway, Roy bent his neck backwards just enough for the foot to miss his face. He reverted back to his original position after Zyxis placed that foot back on the ground. Once the kick moved towards his bicep, Roy extended the opposite arm to grab him by the ankles at a speed of 120. If successful he would fully grasp the ankle and throw Zyxis back to his position while using his leg to flip him back to right side up. Unless Zyxis panicked, he should've landed on his feet. Whether he succeeded or not, he spoke.

"The first kick was beautiful but the second kick was little too high. You want the kicks to really vary in location for maximum effectiveness. Try aiming for the waist area. You weren't bad. It just wasn't perfect." Roy felt like his advice had been superb. All there was to do was wait for Zyxis to actually reenact his previous performance but better this time.

Zyxis blinked. Roy was really fast. He wondered if he would ever be able to go that fast. He landed on his feet and listened to the man's advice. He nodded his head, the other kick he felt as if he did wrong. He rushed forward and spun on his ankles, bringing his leg all the way up like he had last time.

This time, instead of aiming the second kick higher the first kick would be deflected and give him the momentum to spin around and throw his leg straight at the man's waist, aiming to hit him as hard as he could. Although he didn't expect to hit him, he followed all the way through with the kick.

Watching the boy perform the move, Roy did what he did previously and just slightly avoided each connecting hit to actually avoid being touched. Although he doubt it would hurt him at all, that's still a lot of messiness that could be avoided. It would've been nice to have a dummy here but he really didn't need to make contact to experience the full technique. Zyxis' second attempt was already sufficient. Once he performs it regularly then it will come natural. 

After Zyxis was complete with the move, Roy clapped quietly. Zyxis has done well so Royalty commended him. "Nice, nice. You see you really want your taijutsu to throw off an enemy before you actually go for official damage. It's better to strike when their body least prepares for it. That's the key." He figured giving an explanation to why he performed it wrong the first time would help him prepare. He turned it up. "Ready to learn something higher than the Leaf Whirlwind? Let's work on the Leaf Rising Wind."

Immediately after he spoke, he quickly dashed towards a tree at his 5 o'clock. With increasing speed, it looked as if he were going to ram head on into it. There had been a branch extended out from the tree about at a 5-foot height. Once within range, it was as if he slide into the tree but he really just bent back and raised his foot into the air. Using his back as a foundation for gravity he enhanced the force in his leg. When his foot had connected with the base of the branch, the connection started to severe as the branch flew off of the tree. The breach had been about 9 inches thick. It landed 3 feet behind him. Roy then put his foot back onto the ground and turned around to Zyxis.

"Okay.. come at me." Roy put his left arm extended to maximum length out to his side. It wasn't aligned with his own height but just 2 feet shorter at a height of 4 feet and 3 inches. "Kick me so hard that you raise my arm up."

Zyxis was fine with missing horribly, hell, he expected it. With using the full force of the attack, he used the momentum to spin backward in a flip and land without overextending anything or pulling muscles. He then jumped back as Royalty seemed to approve. A few more lessons about that jutsu were given and they moved on. He gave a quick bow, "Thanks." He knew that Royalty was a Jounin and was stronger, more experienced, and a higher rank

His quiet shtick wouldn't hold up in front of someone who was willingly trying to teach him, could murder him with the snap of a finger, and was of higher rank. If he said jump, Zyxis would ask how high. The boy moved back about five meters to give Royalty some distance to teach him something else. A more advanced technique? He could go with that.

Leaf Rising Wind, huh? He was happy with his sufficiency in the other jutsu, but now he was moving to a stronger one? Zyxis didn't really mind since he aimed to better himself, but he was troubled he wouldn't live up to the expectations of Royalty. His eyes widened as the tree branch went flying. Was this the power of a Jounin? Was he still holding back? He couldn't think of it now, he would be stalling.

Chakra surged throughout his body as he moved forward. Every step on the ground was charged with power, he could already feel the speed throughout his body had increased. He had reached Royalty in no time at all and did something similar to what he did. He increased the momentum and power of the attack as he stopped short and brought his right leg up at the same time. He leaned backward, putting all of his weight onto one leg as he brought the other one up towards his arm.

He had no worries that he would hurt Royalty. He really wanted the blow to connect. Hopefully, he wouldn't do a "Charlie Brown" and pull out the "football" from underneath him, as it would be hard for him to stop with all the power, speed, and force he had just put into the attack which he expected to hit.

Roy could tell in Zyxis' eye that he was astonished by the new teachings. Watching someone that is in a position in which you aspire to be like was always exhilarating. When the boy rushed towards him, Roy was nonetheless impressed by his determination and improvement in such a small amount of time. The Yuka could see a little bit of himself in the boy. It reminded him of the time his uncle has trained him in Kumo some 10 years ago. Those were fun but dark times. 

Caught in reminiscing about the past, the kick that Zyxis had delivered brought him back to reality. Zyxis had accomplished the task exceptionally well. Royalty's hand had been moved about 2 inches upwards until the resistance in his arm would strengthen. If Zyxis would continue to push forward, Roy would overpower the kick with his hand and push his feet down just hard enough for it to land back on the ground. Whether or not he collapsed was up to him. Roy then put his hands in his pocket and his head faced the ground. With his eyes closed, he gave his review.

"You're improving quickly. This is a good trait. Remember that taijutsu is mainly about feints and catching your opponent off guard. They also don't require as much spiritual energy as other jutsu. However, it can have devastating drawbacks on your body depending on how far you push yourself. Now let's resume." 

In front of the jounin had been a dense stone wall. The wall had been the boundary to the training ground. Royalty casually walked up to the wall and took a breath. In a flash he punched the wall with his right hand. A loud crash could be heard as his punch had went through the wall. The stone wall was still intact but with a huge indent that finished with a small hole on the opposite side. The entry wound was much larger than the exit wound. He turned around so that he may face Zyxis.


"This is the Arhat Fist - Gangeki. It's pretty simple, there isn't much to this. Just build up your strength and let's see how much power you have. Don't worry, I don't expect you to go as far as I have. You just need to practice as you progress further."

Zyxis knew that the kick wasn't perfect. He had tried his best and put as much power as he could into the blow, but it seemed as if he would have to practice it more if he really wanted to grasp it. Although it wasn't the perfect formation for a Taijutsu attack, a kick was still a kick. It had hit him, but once again the Jounin only pushed him back thanks to the difference in experience.

Zyxis stumbled back a bit but was able to catch himself before he fell on his butt. That would have been embarrassing if he were to fall. He nodded at Roy, "Thanks. You're a great teacher. I'm starting to grasp the concepts of attacks in general thanks to your advice and instructions."

In all honesty, the white-haired Genin was. He knew how to perform things well enough, where to attack, and how to do it correctly. Even if he decided not to specialize in Taijutsu later on in his career, he knew that he would still be able to fight efficiently in hand-to-hand combat. 

Zyxis smiled as Royalty reviewed his attack. It wasn't the greatest, but there were noticeable improvements. That was all he needed to be elated. They were moving onto the new jutsu, and that made Zyxis even more excited. He didn't know how he got so lucky to have a Jounin train him, he wanted to thank him once again. The jutsu he was learning would help him become a greater ninja.

He was really excited about the next one he was to learn. Arhat Fist was a simple move but contained destructive power in such a short punch. Supposedly, we had enough force to stop a rolling boulder by itself. It would have taken him a while to learn this if he didn't' have a teacher.

He closed his eyes and began to concentrate, almost the point of meditation. He focused all of his chakra into his fist. Usually, you wouldn't focus so much chakra into an attack, as you would need it for other jutsu. But since he was inexperienced and he wanted to learn it quicker, he decided to take the easy, more strenuous way out.

He looked towards a nearby tree. Royalty didn't give him the go to use the jutsu on him so he wouldn't try his luck. Although, he was aware that the Jounin would be able to handle it most likely. After he channeled more chakra into his fist, he decided to give it a go.

He ran forward, arm drawn back and a fierce look on his face. His fist smashed against the wood, causing the tree to shake. It slightly caved in, but not by as much as he would like to. He was aware that this was his first time attempting the jutsu, but he couldn't help but be disappointed.

He took a deep breath and tried again, focusing most of his chakra into his fist. Once again, he brought it down upon the innocent tree. Leaves fell as it quaked, but once again, nothing had shown that it would shatter it as he wanted.

He turned to Royalty, "Any tips or advice on this one?"

As Zyxis was ready to perform the jutsu, he noticed he'd rather do it on a tree. A first attempt on the stone wall might be more harmful than helpful. Roy had not taken this into account so he felt like Zyxis' way was fine. When the boy approached the tree, he prepared and took a deep breath. Once again he saw a little of himself in him. Easing your mind before expelling your chakra was always a great idea. It relaxed and prepared you. Think of it like stretching before you exercise.

Before Roy knew it, Zyxis had attempted the technique not once but twice. The impact wasn't too deep but he didn't expect it to be. As Zyxis turned around, he noticed the disappointment in his face. He wasn't surprised as it was his first time. Precise chakra control was hard at a young age and rank. Once he was asked for advice, Roy walked slowly towards the genin.

"You're doing a great job building up your chakra but you don't seem to be expelling it forward. It isn't as easy as it sounds either. You have to time it correctly. Do it too early and you lose the chakra that you've built up. If you do it too late, you'll be relying on your initial strength for the impact. So go ahead and try again. I believe you can do it."

Zyxis listened to every word that Royalty had said. He wasn't aware of the fact that you needed to expel the chakra as well. His thought process involved thinking about what needed to be done, using chakra, and then being able to do it. Sure, adding chakra to your fist and arm made it stronger, but the more you concentrated on it, the better. It wasn't some sort of magical enhancement - not the way he was doing it at least - but if he went to weaponize it, Arhat Fist was what it would look like.

He took a deep breath and turned back towards the tree. He kneeled into position bringing his arm straight back. Chakra began to be channeled through his arm and fist. This time, he really focused on each layer of it in and against his skin. It wasn't just his chakra either, he could feel his muscles bulging as he tensed up and prepared to perform the technique.

Something seemed to click as if the roaring waves of an ocean turned into a calm lake. He had the sudden urge to say "Smash!" or something along the lines of "One Punch!", or even "Jan Ken Pon (Rock, Paper, Scissors)!" None of that was said as his fist flew forward and hit the tree with all of its might. As soon as he felt the wood against his skin, he pushed his chakra forward. The lake then turned back into a raging torrent, slamming against the bark with enormous power.

His fist went about three inches into the tree before it seemed to creak dangerously. It swayed as if to say hello, and then began to fall towards him. He grinned and brought his arm back, jumping towards the falling trunk. He threw his arm forward once again in the form of Arhat Fist and hit it with lots of force. The tree missed him by a meter as it shattered in the middle and broke into two pieces from both of his punches.

His punch sent him back a bit, but he landed just fine. He walked towards Royalty, "I did it. At first, I didn't think I'd be able to, but it came to me really quickly. Thanks again. Do you want to eat lunch and take a break before the next jutsu? Luckily, we just acquired some firewood."

Zyxis scratched his head as he turned towards the uneven pieces of shattered bark. It definitely wasn't a clean cut like a blade could do, but it seemed to do its job. He turned towards Royalty, "By any chance could you show me how to make a fire?"

Sure, he practically knew how to do it. They taught it in the Academy, for sure. But there was never any hands-on stuff with learning survival tricks. He could try and fail, or have someone more experienced than him show him so that he wouldn't ever fail.

He obviously picked the latter.

Watching Zyxis display great power and chakra control filled his heart with thrill. There was nothing like unlocking some of the potential you have stored within yourself. Although he had no idea, Zyxis was an Uchiha. Members of that clan were known for being exceptionally well in picking things up quickly. His innate blood just boils with talent and intelligence. Royalty smiled and clapped as Zyxis had went way passed his expectations.

"Aye now, you didn't have to do that tree so dirty. It's just a tree, not your mortal enemy." Roy laughed a little. The replay of Zyxis damn near murdering the tree flashed through his brain. The boy really went all out. At this point, Zyxis wanted to take a lunch. It was getting dark out anyway. Many people that had been attending the training grounds had made their leave. Roy decided to call it a night.

"Actually, let's call it here. I have something important to do. I'll catch you some time around alright? The next time we see each other, I bet you'll be stronger than ever. Then maybe there will be even more stuff I have to teach you." With that Roy put out his hand to shake. Whether Zyxis shook it or not, Roy would begin exiting the training grounds. He left with a slight grin on his face. 

{EXIT}

(2,853) 

Zyxis would shake his hand, "Thank you so much for everything."

Zyxis headed home. He was tired and was going to get some sleep.


TWC: 3,085

Claims:
-Leaf Whirlwind, (625/625) Leaf Rising Wind (1,000/1,000), Genjutsu Release (250/250) Arhat Fist - Gangeki (1,050/1,050), Genjutsu Release (No Hand Seals Mastery) (160/500)
- 15 Stats