Water user in the desert? (NK)

Sozin asked again for his name, getting so completely wrapped up in his spewing out all of the information from his past, he completely forgot to tell the child his name. He thought about telling him his whole name, until the memory of what Kenshin had said on these very training grounds about trust and telling people his last name. Taichi then looked toward the boy, and slowly walked up to him. When he was just over his arm's reach away, he told the boy his first name. "Sorry about that, name is Taichi. This beautiful girl right here is Honi. Some hunter brought her here, I assume to sell her in the market. But luckily I was here in time to save her." Taichi said as he rubbed his hands through her fur. 

"Water style? Perfect. That just so happens to be my specialty. It used to be fire, but I have had...Less than ideal outcomes with a heavy reliance on that element." Taichi's mind wandered to Hiroaki in Fang country. "As to when we start, we start right now." Taichi wanted to see just how quickly this child would think on his feet. 

Just as he finished the word now. Honi sprinted as fast as she could to get out of the way of what was to come. Taichi and Honi had quickly developed a telepathic bond between the two of them. The method of which they created it was still a mystery, but the point was, they had one. Taichi told Honi to run off as fast as she could, for the water was about to start flying. He needed no hand signs for his first technique. A sudden burst of water surged from his position. "This is called the Water Exploding Shockwave!" Taichi explained as the water would begin rushing in all directions by 15 meters. He decided to keep the range low so he would give the child a chance to escape the technique. 

If the child was to be swallowed by the water shockwave, he would allow him to get back to his feet and ready himself for him to take a shot at performing the technique. If he somehow dodged the attack, then he would still have him give it a shot with the same explanation he gave Hiroaki in Fang country.

"The goal to performing this technique is to focus in on your water. You want your chakra to go from being calm and dormant within your body. To suddenly unleashing the chakra within your body in the form a tidal wave of water to come from your body. Now go ahead and give it a shot." Taichi would then leap out of the way, being 30 meters away, he would give the child the go ahead to give it a shot. HE would be studying the child's every movement, intently studying him to see what the child would do.

WC:488
TWC: 2607

Teaching Sozin Suiton: Exploding Shock Wave

"Right now? Awesome! Let's do this Taichi Sensei!" Sozin shouted, his excitement overcoming him. He watched as the mad prepared the jutsu, declaring the name and prepared to unleash the technique. He watched as Honi darted away at top speed as if she was trying to avoid something. Sozin didn't think too much of it, instead choosing to focus his attention on his new teacher as he explained the technique.

Then it happened, with a shout of the name Taichi began to spue an immense amount of water from his mouth that began to rush around in all directions, including toward Sozin, at a great speed. Sozin attempted to move out of the way as quickly as possible, choosing to turn and dive out of the way. It was to no avail as the wave accelerated forward, swallowing him up under a giant collection of water. Sozin quickly sucked in as much air as he could before succumbing to the strength of the tidal wave. 

Sozin's ears and nose began to fill with water. His lungs began to burn a bit. It felt like he was underwater for an eternity. Sozin's vision blurred a bit. Then all of a sudden the water was gone. Sozin took in a large breath before coughing his brain out. His face turned red as he expelled the water from his body. After a few moments of getting himself together, all he could say was, "Awesome!"

Sozin stood up, emptying the water out of his ears and blowing water out of his nose. Sozin was soaked from his head to his toes. It was a great feeling after being in the blazing heat for so long. The cool feeling of evaporating water was indeed refreshing. Now it was his turn. Sozin figured the move used the basic ideas of Water Style to unleash a devastating wave, it was just a matter of figuring out how to apply the skills. Sozin closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he began to channel his chakra. He envisioned the end goal that he wanted, a devastating tidal wave similar to the one he had just seen. He released his breath forcefully but nothing came out but air. 

"Okay...I'll try it again" And he did inhaling, visualizing the results he wanted and unleashing his breath, and again nothing. "Wait...I can do this, I've just got to focus." He said not understanding why this wasn't working. Then it hit him, he wasn't manipulating preexisting water, he needed to create his own. It wasn't something he was use to doing.After all turning chakra into water was a skill that higher level ninja possessed. Hours of practice and going through the motions had passed as he studied Taichi's techniques and attempted to copy it.  Sozin remembered the idea of converting chakra into water from a lesson he learned from his father. Sozin closed his eyes and took one more deep breath. He imagined his chakra rushing out of him like a river. He released his breath and blow forward a blast of water, which turned into a small tidal wave rushing in all directions about 15 ft. While the current was not as strong as Taichi's had been, it was a decent size for his first one. Immediately after Sozin collapsed, He was drained, as if he had used all of his chakra on one move.  He fell to his hands and knees exhausted.

Word Count: 574
Total Word Count: 1905

Sozin was indeed thrown by the shock wave, the force of the water proving to be too much for his small body to handle. Taichi was sure this was going to be the result of the massive technique hitting the small child, although he did think that once he saw Honi leave as quickly as she did, he would have followed suit. But this child chose to instead trust in Taichi, first mistake. Taichi watched as the small child was thrown by the water completely submerged within. But the water quickly lowered, something he wished he could change about this particular technique. 

The child was able to survive the attack, which Taichi was also sure of. He got back to his feet, and after a few minutes of him gathering himself once again. The child then readied himself to perform the same technique that Taichi had just performed. He quickly gave him a reminder of what to visualize when he was about to perform the technique. "Remember Sozin. Visualize your chakra being as calm as a stream in the beginnings of the morning, when the sun is just rising high enough to slip above the mountain range, the sky being a gorgeous hue of gold as it sets across the plain and barren terrain that is this God forsaken desert. Then just as you have that visualization in your mind, picture that same stream connecting into a massive waterfall. Absolutely bursting at the seams as it falls to the floor and explodes upon impact with the river down below. That right there is what you are producing, the explosion when that waterfall collides with the river below, that is what comes out of you with your chakra." Taichi then waved him on to give the technique a try.

Upon his first try, the child was unable to perform the technique at all. Taichi hollered at him from a distance, leaning on Honi. "Remember the waterfall colliding with the waters below Sozin!" Taichi watched as he tried to perform the technique once again. He gathered his chakra once more, and he blew out a small gush of water, barely enough to call it a success. The child then fell to his knees, looking as though he would not be able to move on his own at the moment. The chakra control in this child was certainly lacking, but that was to be expected from one so early on in their journey of becoming a strong and capable ninja. 

Taichi walked up to the child, and he lifted him back onto his feet. The child looked barely strong enough to stand, this is exactly the time he needed to push his hardest. He looked the child in the eyes and stated firmly with a risen voice. "This is when you push, this is when you perform. It is when your body is tired that your soul may begin its work. Perform the technique again!" Taichi let the child go and distanced himself only 20 meters. "Do it!" He would beckon once more. 

He would stand there expectantly, waiting for the child to make his choice. 

WC:523
TWC:3130

Mid-thread claims:
Claiming 1000 word milestone with Honi for telepathic bond
Claiming 2000 word milestone for Honi memorizing the scent of Sozin Akowa
Leaving the WC to go towards techs due to both my customs being in limbo.

Mid thread claims for Taichi need to be redetermined since you are unable to claim words for that jutsu.

I have edited to just be milestones, not actual WC going towards anything.

Sozin shook his head in an attempt to snap himself back into coherence. He closed his eyes and began to visualize a giant waterfall crashing into solid rock.  The sound echoed in his mind, he attempted to engrain it there so he would never forget. He was so immersed he began to smell the freshness of the water. He slowly inhaled, taking this time to convert his chakra into water. Then it happened. He blew out, unleashing all the power he could muster. Water spue out of his mouth at a much higher velocity than before. The water rushed forward in all directions reaching out to about twenty meters.  Once the jutsu was done, Sozin fell backwards landing in a seated position.

Sozin sat astonished, He didn't expect the jutsu to be as successful as it was considering his past attempts.  His muscles were a bit tense from the many attempts at using the jutsu and the used of chakra without rest. He struggled to his feet, it was obvious he was satisfied with himself, despite his attempts to hide it. "Wow...I did it. I really did it! Taichi Sensei did you see it? I did it, twenty whole meters." The boy exclaimed, losing the ability to hide his joy. In tensed up a bit as he felt the pain of exhaustion shock through his veins.

One look at Sozin and it was clear he was tapped out, he didn't have much left to give except his joyful reaction. He pulled his flask from his backpack and began sipping water, it was important to stay hydrated in the burning heat of Suna. He looked up at his new Sensei, hoping that he had impressed his new sensei. It was strange to him, he hadn't sought another's approval in a while. Not since leaving home. Sozin waited patiently for Taichi's reaction as he drank water and rested for a moment.

Word Count:319
Total Word Count: 2224

The words that he spoke to Sozin obviously took, for he watched as the boy went from allowing his exhaustion to beat him, to pushing back against it. Sozin focused his mind, and Taichi distanced himself from the child, for he was sure that this was going to be a successful attempt. He stood there, focusing in on not only his chakra, that was very important, but on the visualization that would allow him to more easily get into the correct mindset to complete the technique. Even to this day, being that that move is one of his absolute favorite techniques early on in a fight, he still performed the same visualization every single time he would practice with the technique.  

He was finally prepared mentally and physically to complete the technique, he would push his body to force the water out of his mouth once again, only this time, it would be a massive success. While the range did not reach it's full potential, he knew that this child did in fact learn how to perform the shockwave technique and would now be able to perform the technique in battle. When the child was finished forcing the water out of his body, he fell to his knees. With excitement on his face, he still had the look as if he was about to pass out due to the exhaustion. The child then struggled to his feet and asked Taichi if he had seen the progress that the child had just made in the technique that Taichi was trying to teach him. 

Within his mind, he would be impressed, the small child was able to complete a higher level technique and learn how to perform it, albeit inefficiently, in a very short amount of time. He would be joyous with the child's performance, for he knew that that was an exhausting technique to perform, especially when the child's chakra potency was already so small and his stamina left a lot to be desired, so he cheered within his mind. On the exterior, he would show very little emotion. He did not want to have this child become over eager, much like he had when his team in Fang had come into contact with the bastard in the clearing. He himself got over eager and it cost the lives of both of his own teammates. 

He would look down upon the child, for the child was much shorter than Taichi was, and he would congratulate him on performing the technique, before going into the things that Sozin needed to improve upon if he was going to become a competent ninja. "Good job learning the technique, but there are many things that you will need to improve if you are to use that technique in combat. You have only performed the technique successfully twice and you are already exhausted. You will need to improve your stamina drastically if you are ever going to survive out here in the deserts of Suna, or anywhere in the continent for that matter. 

Also, your chakra potency, you will need to increase that if you are to be able to perform such techniques without them taking so much out of you. But these are things that will be learned in time. For now, revel in your victory, however small it may be. Then we shall meet once again to train even more. You only need to seek me out, I am sure you will find me. If not me, you will find my guardian Honi."

Taichi would then call for Honi to return to him and he would pet her fur. Taichi would have no issue teaching the child more techniques than what he had just learned, but he was unsure whether or not this child's stamina would be able to support such training, for he knew that the training he provided require determination and stamina. He would then wait for Sozin's response to what Taichi had said before either leaving back to the village to get himself a drink, or continuing their training right then and there.

WC:682
TWC: 3812

Sozin's face lit up. It was the first time in a long time he was complimented on anything. He hadn't even seen another human being for weeks, let alone been complimented by one. He took every one of Taichi's words to heart because he knew they were true. His chakra potency was lacking a lot, especially considering his reliance on ninjutsu as of late.

His second, and biggest, issue was obviously his stamina. Sozin seems easily winded, possibly due to his lack of training lately. Luckily for Sozin, he has the very useful skill of learning things quickly. He's always been seen as a bright kid, even in his academy days.

"Taichi Sensei, I'm going to work my hardest to improve my chakra reserves and my endurance. In just a few days I'll be able to rapid-fire these shock waves, just you wait and see!" Sozin said as he felt his confidence rise. He had a goal, and in his mind, there was no way he wasn't going to achieve it."

Sozin's gaze fell a bit, He had a question burning in his mind for a bit. Taichi was the first person to really so any interest in Sozin since he left home. The two had similar ideas, similar objectives, and even similar ninjutsu styles. Sozin twiddled his thumbs a bit, his timid side beginning to show again.

"Taichi Sensei..." Sozin started. Sozin took a moment to think about how to ask the question. He didn't want to sound to desperate, or dependent. Sozin took a deep breath and just let the words flow out.

"Would it be possible...to travel with you for a while? I mean I've been on my own for months now. It gets kinda lonely on the road you now? It would be nice to have someone like you and Honi to keep me company. You know...if your willing." Sozin said as he began to rub his arm. He looked up at Taichi, searching for some sort of response.

Word Count:333
Total Word Count 2557

Sozin looked Taichi in the eye, his face once again shifting from timid to content. He had been mentally prepared for the worst for a long time. Taichi was right. Sozin was why to weak as he is now to be much help if anything were to happen, however, he felt that he needed this more then anything right now. A real Sensei he can learn many things from. Not just fighting and jutsu, but how to live on when the world feels empty and cold. How to accept your own mistakes and flaws, and using them to better yourself.

"I know it's going to be a hard dangerous road, and I know I'm not that strong right now. I have a long way to go, physically, mentally, and emotionally, but I know that I'll be able to achieve that if I have someone like you to lead the way. With you as my sensei, I'll be capable of protecting myself in no time. " Sozin gave a smile of determination.

"So when you say that the road will be dangerous, I say bring on the danger. Bring on the adversity. Bring on the fire. Because I won't like it world to break me. I'' fight, I'll train my butt off, and I'll grow into the best shinobi possible. I promise you that.

Sozin wasn't sure where all this passion is coming from. In this moment, all he wanted was to get stronger and protect others. Sozin gave Taichi a big thumbs up and concluded his speech with this." And at the end of the road, when all is said and done. Your going to look me in my eyes, and your gonna realize that you've taught me everything that you could. You will realize that I've grown into a ninja you can be proud of."

That was the moment Sozin was tackled to the ground, being met by a flurry of happy and loving licks from Honi. Though Sozin wasn't as nervous as he used to be with Honi, however, the majestic creature would take some time getting used to.

Word Count: 350
Total Word Cound: 2907