Moving Earth (Taishi)

So it would seem that the grey brute wasn't opposed to teaching Levi some larger scale techniques that would hit multiple targets at the same time. Just like with every other technique that Taishi showed they would begin with one of the easier moves, a technique called Rock Pillar Spears. The name itself made it sound vicious, dangerous and even deadly. It would be the first time the young Nara would witness the destructive power of a spear since he never held one in his life before. Swords sure, but never a spear. he could only imagine how painful it was to get stabbed or skewered by one of those sharp tools. And now that it were going to be earth spears he figured it would only be worse. Since it was probably a technique that would make Levi able to take care of multiple people at once he couldn't wait to see and learn it himself. 

Levi would pay close attention when Taishi began his explanation about the required hand seal for the technique, how you needed to manipulate the earth beneath you, how you want to focus your chakra through the ground and try to lift up pillars of earth. All different factors he would have to keep in mind if he wanted to succeed in learning this jutsu. If he was able to master this technique he was sure it would help him out many times during a battle and it could make a difference between life or death. After watching how Taishi executed the Earth Spears technique it was now time for Levi to see if he would be able to get the hang of it. 

Repeating in his head the advice the brute had given him the young Nara started with focussing his chakra to form the bird seal. Once he was sure he was completely focussed he would then clap his hands and place them on the ground. While he was concentrating to let his chakra surge through the ground beneath him, Levi could feel something moving from underneath. It was probably the earth that started to shift as it felt like something would be coming up soon. Slow but steady he managed to lift up some pillars of earth. One, two, three, even four pillars were coming out of the earth! They didn't came as quick as they should and they weren't as sharp as he wanted them to be, but it was still a good sign that he was able to get so far nonetheless. Now that he got so far he wasn't planning on stopping. Levi would keep practicing until the pillars came faster and sharper, hoping he would be able to make up at least six of them.

When he finally got the hang of it he would listen as the grey brute started to talk about another technique he could learn, one that would be even harder to master since it was a pretty advanced technique that required a great deal of chakra control. "Great, I can't wait." Levi would say full of confidence. He was able to manage and learn all the other techniques so he would make sure to pull this one off as well no doubt. It was time for another step in the right direction. 

(WC: 550, TWC: 3900)

Taishi would nod as he watched the Nara utilize the techniques. They were still rough around the edges and could use some more practice before they were ready to be used in the field, but he caught on pretty quickly. While Levi was practicing the techniques, the brute would watch and try to see where he could improve his own capabilities. Small changes, but a bunch of small improvements could lead to a great end result. 

Not wanting to make Levi feel any envy towards the brutes natural affinities for Earth style ninjutsu, the brute would use this time to just work his own body out, lifting boulders like weights and doing squats and lunges around the area. It wasn't much, but he didn't want to sit around idly while the new guy did all the hard work. He had to break a sweat too, otherwise he would feel like this was a waste of his time and energy. 

Once Levi had felt like he really had Earth Spears down, he would ask to be shown an even more advanced technique. "Alright, I'll show you how to use Swamp of the Underworld. It only has two hand seals, so memorizing those ain't so bad. They are Boar, then Tiger" He would say as he slowly shows the two seals back to back. "Then you focus on a place and focus your chakra. Now I don't pretend to understand all the technical stuff behind how this works", Taishi would say, scratching his chin, "But your chakra turns the area into a swampy, earthy mess that sucks down the target. Now I want you to know, this technique is dangerous and can easily kill someone, including yourself if you are dumb about it." He would wait to see how Levi would react to this knowledge before continuing. 

If Levi still wanted to try it out, Taishi would crack a grin and point in the distance. "Then try it out. And keep it away from our training site, otherwise I'm gonna have to kick your ass." And with that he'd sit down on a nearby boulder and watch Levi try it out while gnawing on a piece of jerky.

While Levi was getting the hang of the Earth Spears technique the grey brute would have his own little workout doing some heavy lifting, squats, lunges and so on. It might become quite dull or even boring if he would just keep looking at how the Nara was practicing all the different jutsu he was shown by Taishi so he probably couldn't stay still and needed some exercise as well. It would be quite the view for some people if they would see the two of them working up a sweat in the middle of the Land of Iron. But for now it was just them using what little time they had to improve their skills before they would be summoned by Alice again. 

After a while Levi felt like he was getting the hang of the Earth Spears technique, granted he hadn't completely mastered it but he was getting there. So he thought time was right to move on to the next one, which would also seem to be the hardest to learn. 
Seemed like this one was called Swamp of the Underworld. "The underworld? Interesting name." He would say to his companion. The young Nara was already getting motivated after hearing its name and what it does. Being able to suck your target in and suffocate them is pretty dangerous and could lead to killing someone so he had to be careful when using it, just like Taishi said. 

The grey brute started to explain how he should begin his attempt of this jutsu. Luckily for him it only needed two hand seals. After forming those seals he would need to focus his chakra on a place which would then result in the area turning into some kind of swamp, hence the name Swamp of the Underworld. It didn't sound too hard but since it was a technique of high difficulty it would probably take him some time to successfully learn it. Taishi would then jokingly suggest him to try it out at a further distance than where they were training as the brute didn't want to get caught in it if it went wrong. So Levi took the advice to heart as he went to a location that was a couple of meters from where they were at while Taishi sat down eating a piece of meat while at the same time looking at how Levi would do trying to master the Swamp of the Underworld technique.

Now that he created a safe distance between himself and Taishi the short Nara was getting ready to give it a go. Centering at a point in front of him but making sure not too close to where he was standing he would first create a swamp by changing the ground into mud. Levi would then infuse the mud with chakra to make it sticky. Only it looked more like a puddle in stead of a swamp but still he got the idea of what he had to achieve. Now that he had somewhat figured out how it needed to look he picked up a couple of boulders he would throw across the area he was trying to use the technique on. Concentrating his chakra once again he started by changing the ground into mud with his chakra, as a result the mud started to get sticky turning the area slowly in a swamp. The following step would be pulling those boulders in, making them disappear into the so called underworld. One by one every single one of the boulders started to get sucked in by the swamp but it was far from how it eventually had to look, but so far Levi was happy with the result he got after only a few attempts. "It's harder than it looks" he would say smiling when looking over to Taishi who was still enjoying his piece of jerky on his rock.

(WC: 650, TWC: 4550)

Taishi watched as Levi managed to tackle yet another difficult technique and get down the basics of it fairly quickly. The brute was enjoying his little assignment to the Nara, as the guy wasn’t half bad for someone who came from the comforts of a village. Quick study, sharp wit, and a strong arm. His only concern was the boy’s hesitation and lack of determination and confidence in ones actions. Of course that came with time and experience, and out here seemed to all be different than what he had been used to.
 
Taishi would finish his snack and hop off the rock to approach Levi. “Alright, so you seem to have the basics down for all of them. Now we shall see if you can manage to show me everything you learned how to do today. I wanna see all of it to see just how well you retain all this information.” He would look around, hoping there was some sort of critter nearby to cook into a meal, but alas there were none.
 
“Well, what are you waiting for? Show me.” He’d say his tone slightly more aggressive than before. It wasn’t an issue with Levi, more an issue with his hunger starting to get the best of him. His supply of jerky was nearly gone, and it wasn’t holding off the pangs of his gut any longer now. If he didn’t find some food soon he was going to go crazy.

It seemed like his empty stomach started to get the better of Taishi as it was almost as if something had shifted in his personality. The normally easy going grey brute was losing his battle against hunger. With his mannerisms affected by the lack of decent nutrition he began to act differently towards the Nara. Where he was still calm when he made the suggestion for Levi to show him the fruits of his training the brute grew more impatient with every second until he reached the point of slight agression almost ordering the Nara to show him the results. Levi wouldn't mind showing everything he had learned so far, but he figured they should do something about hangry Taishi first. It then came to him that he would be able to kill two birds with one stone if he would provide for food by performing and using all the different kind of techniques he had mastered til this moment. "Why don't we get you something to eat while we're at it shall we?" That being said they started to make their move to find themselves something to eat.

Even though the young Nara wasn't sure what kind of species were residing in these parts he was hoping they would at least find something to fill their stomach. If that wasn't enough he also had to find a way to combine his training with the search for food as well. Thinking about all the types of jutsu he had been learning he started to figure out how to use them to find any kind of nutrients since he was sure the grey brute wouldn't be satisfied by some plants growing on the side of the road. Once they had reached some of the more snowy parts of the Iron Country they were able to spot what seemed to be the prints of a rabbit. "Over there" he would say to Taishi as he notified the brute of the presence of a little white rabbit. It was a rather cute looking animal so he was getting a bit overwhelmed by guilt for what he was about to do, but it was survival of the fittest after all. He picked up a large rock, let his chakra surge through it to make it lighter and aimed for the non suspecting rabbit over there while he threw the rock with considerable speed, hitting the little animal right in the head. With great efficiency and the sound of a crushing skull the rabbit's life had left its owner. Thanks to the Earth Release: Light Weight Rock Technique the short Nara was able to hit his target with much faster speed at such a distance. "Poor thing" he sighed before disappearing in a cloud of smoke only to reappear next to the lifeless body of the little rabbit. Picking up the dead animal he then formed the Ram hand seal so he once again vanished and ended up next to Taishi in what seemed to be only a second. This time he had established his mastery of the Body Flicked technique. "I hope you like rabbit."

He would leave it to the brute to carry their fresh catch while they continued their hunt for more food and preferably meat. After a bit of walking they had arrived at a path that lead to the mountains. Not sure what they would find there the Nara kept his eyes wide open at all costs. They were about to take the path to the mountains when Levi suddenly stopped and instructed Taishi to remain silent. Not far from where they were standing there was a mountain goat eating from the little grass that was left. Although skinny it would suffice for more meat than the little rabbit they had caught earlier. Levi started to flow his chakra into the surrounding earth turning it temporarily into fine sand. Following soon he began to sink into the ground which allowed him to travel through it. Thanks to this he was able to pinpoint where he was, despite being underground. He was also able to sense what was happening on the surface so he knew exactly where the goat was. Burrowing through the ground he was getting close to the animal. Now that he was at the same location of the goat he figured he should use the Headhunter Technique in combination with the Hiding Like a Mole Technique he just used to immobilize the animal. The Headhunter Technique allowed the Nara to grab the goat's legs from underground and to pull it down, only leaving its head above surface. Not long after, Levi snapped its neck as he felt the lifeless body of the animal in his arms. "This will fill our stomach a bit more don't you think?" he said while he returned to the grey brute.

A little bit of time had passed when both of them had finished their meals consisting of the rabbit and the goat. The Nara could notice that the grey brute still wasn't completely satisfied and Levi himself was feeling a bit hungry as well, so they decided to head out once again to find some more. It didn't take them too long to encounter a pair of wild boar. In contrary to the rabbit and goat from before they were looking bigger and thicker, just how he imagined Taishi would like his meat. Because of that Levi figured he would need to use a technique able to take down both boars at once. He remembered the Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spears he was taught by Taishi, he was sure that one would be of good use in this situation. Approximately 25 meters away from the two animals he formed the Bird hand seal, followed up by touching the ground. Six earth spears protruded out of the ground skewering both boars immediately. Due to his mastery of this technique not fully on point they didn't have the sharpness he wanted but they were still able to skewer the animals without a problem. "That's one each" he smiled at the grey brute before receiving his two catches.

With all these techniques being tested Levi was only left with one he hadn't used so far: Swamp of the Underworld. His stamina was rather on the lower side after all the different jutsu he had performed so he would have to focus every last bit of energy in his body to perform the Swamp of the Underworld technique. Luckily for him he could spot a deer not too far in their direction. "Save the best for last" he said while getting ready to use his final technique. After forming the hand seals of the boar and tiger Levi centered on the point where the deer was standing, soon after that a swamp started to take form, pulling in the scared and shocked animal while slowly suffocating it. "That's it, I'm done. You'll have to go and get it since I'm out of energy" he said to Taishi while rocking a smile.

(WC: 1175, TWC: 5725)

The brute would watch as Levi showcased everything he could do in order to catch them some food. He was impressed, and knowing a good meal was on the way helped a great deal towards improving his mood. They would feast like kings after they were all prepared up. 

Taishi would gather up any and all of the animals he needed to, dragging them all towards a spot to hang them in a nearby tree. Gutting them and removing the skins, the meat would then be cut up into much more reasonable bits. There was a lot of meat, and so the man would sharpen a long stick with his knife and use it to pierce through the various large chunks of the bigger animals. The rabbit and the goat were on the smaller side of things, so they could just be roasted whole, but the deer and the large boars would take a long while to fully cook using the same method. 

Taishi would pull out a special sack from his pouch, making sure to rub the meat down with it. "Just some salt. Need to restock my herbs and spices soon," He'd say with a grin as the scent of cooking meat soon filled the air. 

"You ain't so bad, Levi," the brute would state as he formed more Earth Tools to use as plates and cutlery for their meal. The brute was ecstatic, his mouth watering as the meal cooked. It might attract predators, but at this very moment he didn't even care. He would deal with them if needed. In reality, he honestly hoped that Alice didn't ruin the moment by summoning them before their meal. He might just freak out if that happened, though she couldn't be blamed for the timing since she wouldn't have known. Still....

Levi was relieved to see the joy on Taishi’s face when he had collected all the meat that the Nara had provided for. The grey brute had started to calm down now that his stomach would be filled with fresh meat again. Levi would look over in the direction of Taishi who had began preparing all the different kinds of food they would be able to enjoy thanks to their recent catches. After performing all the different types of techniques and with his chakra almost completely depleted the young Nara was looking forward to a decent meal as well.
 
The grey brute even found a moment to compliment Levi and how he appreciated his company. “Right back at you, Taishi.” After all, it was thanks to the brute his teachings that Levi was able to pull all of this off.
 
It was quite the entertaining view, the watering mouth of the brute looking at his meat he was ready to devour. After witnessing how much Taishi was looking forward to consume all of this, Levi felt it only right to start eating himself. Looking back to these last couple of days he realised that things turned out for the best with Taishi as his companion. Finding the time to train and connect their workout with gathering enough nutrients to get by smoothly, the two of them were having no trouble at all.
 
All that was left now for the two of them to do was to wait until they were summoned back by Alice. Yes, crazy Alice. The thought itself send shivers down his spain. It would be the moment their temporary peace would end.

(Exit)
(TWC: 6000)
Claims:
- 250/250 towards Body Flicker Technique (taught by Taishi)
- 250/250 towards Headhunter Technique (taught by Taishi)
- 500/500 towards Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spears (taught by Taishi)
- 500/500 towards Hiding Like a Mole Technique (taught by Taishi)
- 750/750 towards Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique (taught by Taishi)
- 1250/1250 towards Swamp of the Underworld (taught by Taishi)
- 2500/2500 towards Shadow Sewing Technique
- 30 stats (20 of them to get my chakra to 50, allowing me to learn A-rank techniques)

Approved unless interrupted Levi <3

The pleased warrior would nod, his mind more focused on the cooking of the meat. He was so hungry he considered taking a small bit and eating it now, but he knew that an undercooked meal could cause issues later. Stomach problems could end up striking at the worst time and end up killing the man, and he would be damned if he had to go down in history as the man who died because of some food poisoning.
 
It seemed like no predators would bother them, either they were too far out of the way or they simply knew better than to bother humans in this area at campsites. The animals likely get killed quickly, their hides used to make warm clothes for this harsh, cold land.
 
It didn’t take very long for the brute to devour his meal like he had never eaten before in his life. The meat came out perfect. Everything was succulent and juicy, and the grey man would toss the bones out into the wooded area for the local scavengers to gnaw on. Taishi would clean off his blade, removing the blood so that it doesn’t dry on the blade. It was honestly just easier that way.
 
The two would enjoy the peace and quiet of nature while resting off that huge feast. Worry struck his face, as he knew that once Alice summoned them back this would all be over and it would be back to work for the wandering warrior. Such was truly disheartening, but he tried to look at the upside. At least the pay was likely to be good... hope so...

---Exit---

TWC: 3675

Claims:

Using 1 of my Xmas 25% discount coupons

18 stats

1500 WC Towards Meijin Skill: Earth Defense (25% Coupon)
750 WC Towards Earth Release: Earth Spear [Meijin 2nd Stone Reduction (1000 cost), followed by 25% coupon]
1425 WC Towards Earth Release: Shadow Clone [Meijin 2nd Stone Reduction (1900 cost), followed by 25% coupon]

Coupon saved me 500+250+475 = 1225 wc total

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