Working Out Frustration (Open, NK)

The sun was nearing it's apex for the day as Kiryu ran another lap around the training grounds. He had been here since sunrise, training harder than he had ever trained before. It still wasn't enough. He knew it was foolish to expect some miraculous increase in ability in just a few hours, but his frustration didn't seem to care. If only I had been faster, he thought to himself as he pushed his body into a sprint. If only I had been stronger. Better. Maybe... Even in his head he was unable to finish the sentence. Maybe Takeshi would still be alive.

As he stopped to catch his breath, he wondered what Takeshi would think if he saw him now. He hadn't known the other shinobi for long, less than a day in fact, but it had been enough to form a bond with him. He hadn't even attended the funeral. How could he? If he had been better, he would have been able to help. The mission would have been a success. He knew deep down that Takeshi wouldn't have felt that way if he were still alive, but the anger and sadness in his heart refused to let him dwell on that for long. He would use that drive to grow stronger and he would never stand by and watch a friend die again. That was a promise.

Unfortunately, he still didn't really know how to get stronger. He had a relatively small assortment of jutsu at his disposal and no means to learn more. Perhaps the library would have answers for him, but he didn't even know where to begin. Besides, working on his physical condition was helping him to release a lot of the anger he felt in a non-dangerous way. Attempting to study for a long period of time wouldn't be productive in the state he was in now. Any improvement was better than nothing, so he would remain here until he was too tired to train any more.

[WC: 333]

Akaboshi was preparing himself to make his rounds for the day. It was pretty warm outside as the sun had reached its peak, a rather common occurence in Hoshigakure. He couldn't remember the last time it got cold or it had been snowing in Haven. Not that he would be waiting for something like that to happen, after all he preferred the warmth of the sun over anything. Since he wanted to enjoy the high temperature as much as possible, the red haired Uzumaki decided to dress accordingly. Usually he'd be wearing a black, leather jacket with a fur collar but this time he would just put on his Chuunin Flak Jacket with a white V-neck underneath, complemented by some dark blue, denim jeans. Can't go out without your pants. 

Putting on his black shoes to top off the rest of his outfit, Akaboshi was now ready to leave. Normally when the Chuunin was making his rounds he would always take the same route, but since the sun was out he decided to head over to the Training Grounds. Not to slack off or lay down against some tree, but he figured that would be the place where most people would have gathered to train. If time would allow it maybe even Akaboshi would try his hand at some exercise. Just because he reached the rank of Chuunin didn't mean he could abandon his training. Not that the redhead would allow that to happen, he was always looking at ways to improve.

The Uzumaki, having found his way to the Training Grounds, was looking around to see if there was anything unusual going on. Nothing out of the ordinary, a couple of young shinobi working up a sweat as they should be. The redhead wouldn't stand for anyone not taking their training seriously. Lately things seemed to have calmed down in the village, but they should always be prepared for the worst in case something were to happen. Amongst the many that were out, there was one standing out in particular. Skinny with white, spiky hair was a young teenage boy running around almost as if he was being chased by something. Akaboshi would walk over to see what it was about. "What's the matter kid? Something troubling you?" While he would wait for a response the Uzumaki reached into his pockets for a cigarette which he would light up soon after. 

(WC: 402)

It was only a few moments after he had managed to catch his breath when Kiryu was approached by a stranger. He glanced over the newcomer as he thought about how to respond. He looked to be a couple of years older than Kiryu and the jacket that he was wearing indicated that he outranked Kiryu as well. The red hair was also somewhat of an oddity in the village, which solidified his conclusion that he hadn’t met this shinobi before. If he had, the red hair certainly would have stuck out. He did grimace slightly as the older shinobi lit a cigarette. He hated the practice of smoking, but he wasn’t going to disrespect his superior by saying anything about it to him.
 
”Good morning, sir,” Kiryu said respectfully as he gave a slight bow. The sweat from his face dripped onto the ground at his feet as he did so. ”I…” he paused for a moment as he tried to determine how much to tell the newcomer. ”I need to get stronger,” he said weakly after a few seconds. He realized that wasn’t how he should be acting, however, as a member of Hoshigakure. ”My name is Kiryu Hikari,” he offered with a more upbeat voice. ”I don’t suppose you would happen to have any advice for me on training, would you?”
 
Kiryu felt a little embarrassed about throwing his request out like that, but he was desperate. ”I need to get stronger in order to protect the people in this village.” His voice was more sure of itself this time. He hoped that the older shinobi could see the righteous desire in his words. If he did, there was no way he wouldn’t offer his assistance. Right?

[WC: 290]
[TWC: 623]

Sir? Did he hear that right? Did he look that old to this boy? It must have been from his time at the Queensguard that people addressed him in such a formal manner. Akaboshi did like the sound of it. It had a nice ring to it, so for now he decided to play along. The Chuunin would give the teenager some time to catch his breath before he could listen to what he had to say. The redhead would then reply to the young boy's answer. "Don't we all?" Introducing himself as Kiryu Hikari he explained that he wanted to get stronger, how he was looking for advice to help him reach that goal. 

The Uzumaki would inhale the smoke of his cigaret once more before he'd exhale it through his nose. "At least you have chosen the right reason for wanting to become stronger, Kiryu." Akaboshi would then throw his cigaret on the ground before putting it out with the bottom of his shoe. "That's the first step." People always need a goal, to figure out why exactly they want to grow stronger. He wouldn't judge their reason, but he was glad to hear that the boy in front of him searched for power in order to protect the people of the village. The red haired Chuunin would take a look at Kiryu once more, wondering if he would be able to teach him.

Having made up his mind the Uzumaki had decided a little advice wouldn't hurt anyone. If all went well the boy with the spiky hair would be able to improve a great deal. And even in the worst case he would still have received some important tips and tricks. "Alright, first let me hear what you think you're lacking." It was important that he wanted to grow stronger, but even more important was knowing your weaknesses and what you have to improve. 

(WC: 318, TWC: 720)

Kiryu felt relieved that the Chuunin believed that he had chosen the right reason for desiring to grow stronger. That told him that he could be trusted, because he clearly also believed that protecting the village was a noble goal. The next question that he was asked gave him a few moments' pause. What I think I'm lacking? A better question would have been what areas he WASN'T lacking in, but it wouldn't do to come off as too unsure of himself.

Truth be told, he really was lacking in a multitude of areas. He was solid compared to an Academy Student, but he wouldn't be going up against students again. It was the real world now, and people died out in the real world. He wasn't particularly strong or sturdy, although he was reasonably fast. His chakra control was his only real advantage, at least in his own mind. That was something he felt proud of. Unfortunately, that didn't help much when his arsenal of jutsu was so small.

"Well," he said finally, "I think my two biggest weaknesses right now are a lack of physical conditioning and a small selection of jutsu. I've never really been someone who got into fights, I prefer to use my mind to avoid fighting. Obviously that's something that isn't going to be possible all the time, but from my experiences at the Academy I believe that I'm more suited to a chakra control specialist." In Kiryu's mind, he felt like he would rather draw on his strengths to offset his weaknesses, rather than improve his weaknesses and never truly reach his potential in the areas he was naturally talented in. 

"If you don't mind me asking..." he paused as he still didn't actually know the other shinobi's name, but he quickly recovered. "What sort of shinobi are you? Like, do you have any specializations or preferences?"

[WC: 312]
[TWC: 935]

Ichigo paid attention to Kiryu thinking about his weaknesses. Sometimes it would be easier to talk about what you're not good at than vice versa. It was important to know yourself, what you can or cannot do. There was no shame in admitting you're still lacking something, what mattered most was how you would plan to get better. After some time the white haired boy was able to come up with his two main weaknesses, physical conditioning and a small arsenal of techniques. "Good, that leaves more room for improvement." Nothing fun about working with an already finished product. This way they would be able to shape Kiryu into someone capable of achieving his goals.

The young boy then claimed he preferred using his mind rather than getting into a fight. Honorable, but even he was aware that such a thing wouldn't always be possible in the world they were living in. At a certain place at a certain time they would be forced to get involved in battles they would rather avoid. Regarding where his strengths were lying Kiryu explained he saw himself as someone who specialized in chakra control. "Control is good, not only for ninjutsu but other things as well." The red haired Uzumaki would reach for what looked like an ordinary piece of paper in his pockets. "Why don't we take a look at what your affinity is?" The Chuunin never thought he'd be needing it anymore but he was glad it could be of use. 

Being held in his hand was a piece of paper made from a special type of tree that is grown and fed with chakra. Exposed to even the slightest hint of chakra, it will react according to the chakra's latent element. And so he explained to Kiryu. "Fire: the paper will ignite and turn to ash. Wind: the paper will split in two. Lightning: the paper will wrinkle. Earth: the paper will turn to dirt and crumble away. Water: the paper will become wet/damp." Akaboshi would then hand the paper over to Kiryu in order to determine his affinity. "No stress, just hold it between your fingers and relax." The redhead remembered when he took the test, his piece of paper immediately started to wrinkle upon contact, indicating an affinity to Lightning.

Before the boy would begin the test Akaboshi still had to respond to his question. "Hm, I guess you could say I focus on using Ninjutsu with a bit of Space/Time as well." Even though he specialized in two different things the red haired Uzumaki knew he wasn't there yet. He still had to improve if he wanted to become stronger. 

(WC: 445, TWC: 1165)

A small grin broke through the cloud of anger and sadness that had been overhanging Kiryu for a while at the Chuunin's response about having room for improvement. He was starting to like the red-haired shinobi. When he mentioned checking for his affinity, Kiryu's ears perked up. He had heard mention of elemental affinities in the past, but he hadn't received any real sort of instruction on them. In fact, he had no idea what his own affinity even was. Before he could ask, however, the other shinobi was already pulling out a piece of paper.

Kiryu listened intently as the purpose of the paper was explained. So there were five different natures: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Lightning. He was already anxious to see which of them he would be most attuned to. As he grabbed the paper, he received an answer to his last question. So, he was a Ninjutsu specialist as well, with some... Space/Time? He hadn't really heard about that particular specialization, but it certainly sounded interesting. Something as powerful as that might be close to crossing the line into the domain of the gods, though. That was something that should be avoided. Still, he seemed like a good person and not someone who would be going against the will of the gods.

Turning his attention back to the paper in his hand, he grabbed it between his index and middle fingers. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and allowed his chakra to gather. He focused it in the way that he did when he meditated, allowing it to simply flow through him freely and naturally. A  slight noise caused him to open his eyes and he observed as half of the paper floated down to the ground. The other half was still between his fingers. "That means I have an affinity for air! Right?" He was somewhat surprised by the revelation, but he felt a sense of excitement. Air was the very breath of the gods, which meant that he must have been chosen to speak for them.

Kiryu looked up at the other shinobi. "Thank you," he said with a bow of respect. "Now I have something to go on for my training. I cannot express my appreciation." He cocked his head to the side slightly. "If I may, what is your name?" 

[WC: 389]
[TWC: 1,324]

The red haired Uzumaki would keep watch over Kiryu as the young boy accepted the special piece of paper given to him. Akaboshi was getting a little bit excited himself as he was about to witness the process of someone else finding out their affinity. He would look how the white haired boy grabbed the paper and placed it between his index and middle fingers. All that was left now was for Kiryu to focus and carefully let his chakra flow through the piece of paper. If what he said about his control was true then it would be a piece of cake for him to take the test.

As expected it wouldn't take long for a result to show. The sound of something ripping followed by the paper being split in two, which could only mean one thing. "Congratulations, your affinity is Wind." As one of the five basic nature transformations it was pretty strong as he would explain to Kiryu. "Wind Release is the rarest of the five nature transformations, but those who can use it are able to cut through anything. It can also be exhaled from the mouth, or generated with your hands. Wind Release is naturally strong against Lightning Release and weak against Fire Release. But I'm sure you'll be able to find out more along the road." 

Pleased with the outcome the young shinobi thanked the Chuunin for helping him out. "Glad to help." It was almost time for the two of them to part ways, but not before the redhead would give the young boy his name. "Akaboshi, Uzumaki Akaboshi." He would smile in a friendly manner as he officially introduced himself. Now that the white haired shinobi knew about his affinity for Wind Release, he would be able to start training. "This is just the beginning, make sure to keep up the hard work." The red haired Uzumaki would then say his goodbyes as he still had to continue making his rounds. "It was nice to meet you Kiryu, I'm sure I'll be seeing you around." And with that he took his leave, waving over his shoulder. 

(Exit)

(TWC: 1520)
Claims:
- 1500/1500 Shadow Clone
- 15 stats

Kiryu was excited as the older shinobi confirmed that he did indeed have a wind nature and began to explain a little about it. Apparently it was actually the rarest of the five natures, which only served to confirm that he had indeed been blessed by the gods. The ability to cut through anything? Using chakra? He felt a surge of satisfaction knowing that if he continued to train, he would certainly become a guardian of justice with the ability to enforce that justice.

"Akaboshi Uzumaki," he repeated under his breath as the Chuunin turned to walk away. "It was an honor to meet you as well, Akaboshi." He grinned at the over-the-shoulder wave and gave his own wave in response, even though he knew that he wouldn't be able to see it. The future was looking brighter now than it had a few hours ago. "Takeshi," he whispered, "I promise that your death won't have been in vain. I will take your place as a defender of the village and I will make you proud." With that, he turned back to continue his training. Tomorrow would be a new day for him to start fresh, armed with the knowledge of his own elemental affinity and a purpose ordained by the gods.

[exit]
[WC: 211]
[TWC: 1,535]

Claiming:
-15 stats (+3 chakra, +5 Stamina, +5 Speed, +2 strength)
-27 words toward Quiet Footsteps (250/250)
-1,000 words towards Great Breakthrough (1,000/1,000)
-500 words towards Wind Release: Jump (500/500)

Both approved.