Feeling Rusty

After all the excitement from Shin, Guren paused. He had to think about how he was going to train the elements. He was thinking to deeply to even react to Shin's hilarious comment about being a mind reader. Shin hoped his enthusiasm wasn't intimating his friend. "No pressure," He added, hoping that in saying so Guren wouldn't feel pressured into training him too hard.

Shin saw as Guren snapped back to reality as a lightbulb went off in his mind. "Okay, my friend. I will teach you how I was taught." Shin pumped his elbows towards himself excitedly. "Yes!" He was excited to see how his new friend was going to teach him. This was the first teacher that he felt connected to. Before Guren, Shin learned his current techniques through bargaining and favours from Missing ninja that passed through the village. It wasn't easy and Shin wouldn't have much time to form any personal relationships with the ninja that he learned from. 

Guren would start the lesson with Water Release. He found a source of water, being two 3 foot fountain in the training field for when shinobi get scorched from all their training. He would lead Shin to the fountain and continue with the lesson.  "...Step into one of these fountains. I hope you don't mind getting your clothes a little wet." The Kaguya chuckled, peering into the fountain water and looking at his rippled reflection. He would remove his sandals and take a deep breath, preparing himself for the cold water. He reached his legs over the border of the fountain and stepped into the shin-deep level water. The frigid water would tingle his nerves up his spine. The water was kept cold for the shinobi, so it was no surprise how cold it was. "Ooo," Shin shivered, "I'm glad I live in a desert, the cold is not for me." It was a play for jokes but also a serious remark at the same time. His body was not used to colder environments. 

Shin's new friend would continue, "Now sit cross-legged in the water, it should only come up to about waist height when sitting. And when you sit, close your eyes and dull out all of your external influences except for the water itself and my voice. Do this to the point where you can only feel and sense the water around you. " Shin gulped nervously but obeyed, soaking his pants as well as everything in it in the process. When he closed his eyes and began to focus solely on the water, the cold didn't seem to bother him as much, able to feel everything else like the movement of the water circulating in the fountain, creating a satisfying spring trickle. "Its feel. Its movement. Sound, temperature, everything. Stretch out your senses until you can visualize and feel the water as being more than just a liquid, but see it as an extension of your chakra network. Imagine your own reserve of chakra blending with the pool of chakra you sit within...It should be calm, tranquil, yet kinetic, and strategic....Once you feel the water is an extension of yourself, you will begin to mould this water as you see fit. But it will take time, which is why you must meditate in this water-filled environment." Shin could feel his chakra reaching out the water, almost melding with it. Or perhaps it was just his legs going numb. Guren entered the fountain next to the one Shin was in and followed the same instructions. It was strange for Shin to see someone being so relaxed as they entered the bitter environment. 

He asked if Shin felt was he was describing. Shin nodded, closing his eyes once more. "I feel the cold water and my chakra melding. As if my chakra wants to join in the cycle with the water. It was to flow like you said it should..." Shin paused curiously. "Does... that mean I mastered water release?" Shin wasn't joking. He had never felt this sensation before, so he could easily mistake it as water release. 

WC: 683
TWC: 3106

While Shin attentively followed Guren's instructions, he reflected on what would be the next logical step in the process. Of course it would make sense to begin the exercise by submerging one's self into a body of water, but what should come next? He briefly meditated on the concept, generating ideas and throwing them out just as fast as he could think of them. Finally he landed upon several ideas, which he would revise depending on Shin's perception of the activity thus far. Guren opened his eyes and turned his gaze upon Shin, who sat with his eyes closed. As Guren inquired about how the process was so far, Shin's response was ideal. So far it seemed as if the lesson was fulfilling its purpose. Based upon Shin's comments, it sounded as if he was in the introductory phase. At this stage, he should merely be noting the calmness and stillness of the water. Additionally, he was detecting the temperature of the water and how he felt as if it wanted to allow itself to mesh with his own. 

"Good," Guren began, "but you are only familiarizing yourself with the nature of water at this moment. Mastery only comes with experience and time. Right now, we need to prioritize the introductory phase."

It was important for this statement to be made, as Guren didn't want to create a false sense of competence within his learning friend. Proper education comes in time, trial, and error. This one would be no different. And truthfully, not even Guren was a master of water release...

"The next step is for you to understand the push and pull nature of water. First, 'expel' or 'exert' chakra from your body. But do this in a concentrated way, such that each time you exhale a controlled surge of chakra radiates throughout the water. But be warned, when you go to focus your chakra outward, it will naturally want to leak from all parts of your body. It is similar to your resting chakra aura, which naturally emanates from your pores. However allowing that to happen will disturb the equilibrium which you reside in currently. Instead, you want to redirect this chakra to where the water is contacting your body. Once you successfully do this,you will be performing the "pushing" motion. The next step is to absorb the water chakra which you sit within. This will be done during each inhale you take. Allow these breaths to bring in your diaphragm, which is covered by water. This will symbolize the "pull". When you do so correctly, it should look something like this."

When he finished his description, he would wait for Shin to turn his attention towards Guren. As the Chinoike sat in the water, he took deep breaths. Each time he exhaled, a single and small concentric wave of water would originate from the point of contact the water made with his body and calmly pulsate outwards towards the rim of the pool. As he inhaled, a similar concentric wave of water would rush towards Guren in a controlled fashion. If Shin focused on the waves of water themselves, he would note that Guren was "pushing" and "pulling" through chakra control and breathing exercises. It was much easier said than done, but Guren's familiarity with this technique allowed him to do it on command. 

Guren would continue to do this without a word, and hope that Shin caught on that he should follow through with these steps. Whenever Shin got the hang of it and the sounds of each set of waves were in sync with Guren's, Guren would speak. "The beauty of this exercise lies within the energy of the waves. So many suiton techniques are centralized upon pushing and pulling motions. Being able to do this on a small level will provide you with a good foundation and understanding of actual jutsus." 

(WC = 647. Total: 3702)

The Chunin waded in the water, continuing to feel the coolness of the fountain. At this point, Shin had started to feel more relaxed with the water's temperature. He figured it was since he was able to meditate in the cold now. Something  It didn't feel like he was just sitting on a block of ice anymore, but more like a smooth river flow on a hot day like today. His chakra was continuing to feel out the water's movements, feeling the ripples, flows and waves. 

When he told Guren how the water felt, his friend would continue with the lesson. He also added, "Mastery only comes with experience and time. Right now, we need to prioritize the introductory phase." Shin felt silly for thinking it was already over. He had a problem with patience when he got excited. It took him a week to learn Rasengan from traveller because he was just too excited to learn the technique that he would rush things. He would need to practice to get total mastery of any art he did. 

It was time to continue. Guren started with, "The next step is for you to understand the push and pull nature of water. First, 'expel' or 'exert' chakra from your body. But do this in a concentrated way, such that each time you exhale a controlled surge of chakra radiates throughout the water. But be warned, when you go to focus your chakra outward, it will naturally want to leak from all parts of your body." Expelling chakra was easy for Shin, he had to do it every time he used a jutsu. However, the warning Gruen gave him confused him. Normally, when using a jutsu, there was a problem with chakra leaking out of control. Usually, it would just drain what is needed from the technique and not keep going. He explained further, "... Once you successfully do this, you will be performing the "pushing" motion. The next step is to absorb the water chakra which you sit within. This will be done during each inhale you take. Allow these breaths to bring in your diaphragm, which is covered by water. This will symbolize the "pull"." So what Shin understood was that he was pushing out his chakra and grabbing the water chakra to take it in. It was like fishing for water chakra. How fitting, Shin thought.

"When you do so correctly, it should look something like this." Shin would open his eyes to see what his friend was doing. Guren started with his breathing, taking in heavy amounts of air. Every inhale would pull waves inward towards him and every exhale would push out some wave. Guren made it seem so easy, probably due to his natural affinity towards water. Shin thought it was teaching the equivalent of breathing.

Now it was Shin's turn to try it out. He would close his eyes again, feeling the water temperature and the flow. Once he got that down, he would try pushing out his chakra into the water. This was like him casting the net around him. That part was easy. He would take a deep intake and then exhale his chakra out. The water around him started to ripple out from his body. But that quickly changed from ripples to splashes along with the fountain barriers. Droplets from the fountain hit his face. He quickly took shorter breaths and wiped off his face as a reflex. "Damn it," he laughed, his hair now a little wetter. "I think I pushed out a little too much." He lost focus and had to reorient himself. He would close his eyes and centre himself once more. This time, he would start out with much less charka when he exhaled. The waves returned, now really weak instead of before where it was too much. Now he needed to add a little bit more power before taking it in. The waves rippled more frequently and higher as his chakra expelled greater.

There wasn't a splash this time, so he felt it was time to reel the chakra in. This took some time. Shin would expel a lot of chakras but not gain much in return, making his net chakra negative. Shin started to feel fatigued as his chakra depleted further and further. He needed to get the hang of reeling it back in. 

After many hours of expending his chakra and focusing, the water finally started to look more and more like Guren's presentation. After another hour of a steady intake, Shin cut it off completely. "I think I got the hang of it." His eyes looked heavy from exhaustion but still held a light. He looked at Guren for any further instruction, ignoring his current state. 

WC: 792
TWC: 3898

As Shin followed Guren's instruction, Guren sat in the water in quiet. He always seemed to take the most comfort when surrounded by water. For this reason, it was a shame that his current whereabouts were within a desert. Nevertheless the fountain he sat within was a solid back up. The water felt invigorating. Perhaps Shin too could feel it. Guren would occasionally look over at Shin as he struggled with performing the technique Guren described. It was a bit amusing, yet simultaneously wholesome. It would seem as if Shin's pure determination was so intense that the wave of the water matched that fierceness. This was evident by the splashes that the water lashed out on him with. Yet Guren didn't laugh or find the training humorous at all. He was hopeful that Shin would be able to truly feel the nature of the water surrounding him, and would eventually blend his chakra with it. At that point, he would open up his suiton compatibility. All it would take was time. 

In the meanwhile, Guren rose from the water and performed several hand seals. As he would do so, all of the water from the moisture of his clothes would separate itself from the clothe in the form of needles. The needles would then direct themselves back into the fountain which soaked Guren, and as a result Guren's clothes would be completely dry. Almost as if he had not been sitting in a pool of water for an extended period of time. 

While he waited for Shin, he would sit in silence and observe him. At this point there was no more reason to lecture Shin, as he should be focusing his energy on performing the task. And after numerous tries, he finally got it. His eyes turned to Guren, clearly indicating the fatigue that his body bore within it. Guren smiled, he was happy for Shin.

"Good job," he began. "It seems like with just a little bit of practice your chakra nature began to accept the Suiton nature. And more importantly, the Suiton began to accept you. That's the basics of water release jutsu: push and pull. With time, you will learn and perform techniques that will remind you of the simplicity of the exercise you performed today."

With that, Guren narrowed his brow towards Shin and stood from his seat. "I would recommend doing a bit of research on water release techniques and see what type of jutsu may or may not interest you. From there, you could seek me out to assist you in learning it. That is, if I know how to perform it." Guren let out a friendly laugh as he finished his dialogue. At this point in the night, it was growing later and darker. And Guren was getting a bit tired. Yet he was willing to continue if there was anything else Shin required of him. "So...Is there anything else I can do for you, or do you want it call it a night? I should be in town for awhile so just look out for me if you need anything. Otherwise I can try to teach you something else if you'd like?"

(WC = 531. Total: 4233)

Guren's genuine smile affected Shin's mood; he was proud of himself. Guren congratulated the chunin on his skill but stated that he would still need to practice. Shin nodded and said, "Yeah, I'll make sure to keep it fresh."  He was good at practising his previous techniques after learning them initially. Shin was doing it earlier before Guren arrived with his wind release technique. His constant refreshing of techniques sharpened his skills with them. 

The Chinoke would continue, narrowing his stare to a more serious expression. He suggested that Shin do his research with Water Release to get techniques that would work for him. Shin would nod enthusiastically, "Oh definitely! But now that I've learned some of the basics, it'll make it much easier to learn techniques. I owe you!" Both Guren and Shin shared a gentle laugh. Shin was really glad to have met Guren as a friend and as a mentor. He hoped that he could return the favour to his friend someday when he needed it. However, Shin remembered that he was a missing ninja, so returning a favour would have to be with reason. 

The sky was beginning to show signs of the night with the air becoming cooler and the lightening beginning to dim. Guren asked Shin if there was anything else the chunin would like to learn. Shin wanted to see if Guren would also teach him Lighting Release to complete his collection. However, the fatigue reminded him that he had expended too much chakra already. Shin smiled and shook his head in response. "I've used a lot more chakra than I thought I would. I should probably head home and rest to restore my charka supply." He chuckled and added. "But we should do something like this again. It was really fun and you're an awesome person!" Shin would stand up in the fountain, the water pouring off his clothes and skin back into the fountain. The cold wind quickly hit Shin soon after. He stiffly got out of the fountain water into the sandy training field. The sand quickly clung to the wet skin in clumps. The Kaguya waddled over to his bag where he kept a towel for when he got extremely sweaty. He would wrap it around himself and whip of his skin as much of water as he could, not bothering with his clothes. Shin would then strain out his long hair of the water. It was going to take forever for the water to come out of his hair.

After wishing Guren a good night one last time, Shin would body flicker to his barracks where he had been sleeping for the past week with the new position. Once arriving at home, he quickly passed out on the bed after changing into something less wet, allowing his body to recover from the long.  As he slept, the young Kaguya dreamt of controlling the ocean with a simple thought. In his dream, he lifted it above his head and washed it through the streets of Suna. Kenshin watched from his office, clapping for him. 

WC: 515
TWC: 4413
EXIT
CLAIMING: 
76 ap 
Water Release (half off for being taught) (1500/1500)
Water Cutting Sword (2750/2750)
Damage Reduction Sheild (1129/2950

Guren completely understood the fatigue that Shin had. Learning new abilities, especially an entirely new element. Admittedly, Shin had learned this a lot quicker than what many others normally would. Perhaps this was a testament to his proficiency as a shinobi. Unfortunately in this encounter, neither of the two would be able to see what the other was truly capable of. But time would tell should the two ever fight alongside each other in a battlefield, or even against each other in friendly combat. Guren shook his head when Shin said he owed him, "Naw man, we're cool". He brushed this off lightly because it was simply a favor. He didn't want anyone to feel any type of debt to him, as that wasn't his style. 

"Sure, hit me up. I'll be around for awhile" Guren let out as Shin bid him farewell. With that, Shin would immediately speed off. He must have been in a hurry. Guren put his hands into his pocket and begun off on his stride. It was a long day for sure, yet somewhat productive. He explored Sunagakure more, met a friend, and assisted in some training. Even if it was something as novice as learning a new element without techniques, it was still helpful. Continuing his walk beneath the starlit sky, he began to wonder about his own abilities. Were they developed enough? Surely he was quite capable at Suiton techniques. Yet maybe his weakness was lightning style. There was definitely room for improvement.

These thoughts of self-growth haunted Guren's mind on his walk, as well as the conversation about dreams he had with Shin. But among all the uncertainty Guren had with either topic, he at least had a clearer view of what his immediate ambitions might be and how they would help him develop. 

~Exit~

(WC = 302, Total = 4535)
750 words to Impact Fluids, C Rank
750 words to Spirit Gun, C Rank
375 words to Bull Rush, D Rank
375 words to Bull Rush, C Rank
750 words to Deflect, C Rank
750 words to Battojutsu: Quickdraw, C Rank
375 words to Hidden Arms Technique, D Rank
375 words to Shadow Shuriken Technique, D Rank
35 words to the trash

Guren: Approved

Shin: You'll have to edit your claims a bit. I've noticed you C/P around 600 words Guren wrote so you can't claim those yourself and I believe Guren already mentioned this to you, so please edit accordingly.

Subtracted the accurate amount

This needs approval still

Approved