Lets Play In The Rain ( Solo )

Furozan was no stranger to waking up early, however, waking up to train was not something he was particularly fond of or necessarily used to. When he was studying to become a scholar the prospect of long nights and early mornings had never really been an issue for him. In fact, he had relished in it. Hours spent studying, reading, taking notes, and pouring over data had always been somewhat of a passion of his. Now, however, he found himself dragging himself out of the bed with the intent to do the exact opposite of that. Sweat, work, put blisters on his hands as his father always said.

He quickly put on some lightweight clothing and made his way to the kitchen and put together a large, but, efficient breakfast. In his studies he had found that diet was a key to progress when it came to the improvement of his body. Due to his small nature, he would have to work double what a normal sized person would have to in order to keep his body in line with the right weight, speed, and power needed in order to be a functional ninja. That was no matter to him, however, as he had always been used to working harder than everyone else.

He quickly shoved the food into his mouth and then grabbed a backpack he had placed many heavy rocks into. This would weigh him down and, if his theory proved true, help to increase his speed when he was not wearing the backpack. As he opened the door, he let out a sigh as he was met by a cloudy and rainy scene outside. It was slightly windy as well which would prove to be helpful, he guessed, but he was not excited about being cold and wet.

None the less, he trudged out, and went into a light jog. The Kirigakure training center was about a 3-mile run and he did not plan on stopping until he got there. The morning streets were not very packed, a few morning workers here and there, and none of them paid him any mind. He wore the Kirigakure headband on his head and they knew better than to bother a Ninja in the middle of training. On top of that he did not where a very welcoming look upon his face as he ran the streets.

Puddles splashed up as he ran, and he began to get lost in his thoughts. He could not believe that this was who he had become. As a youth he remembered, so vividly, thinking that he would never follow in the footsteps of his brothers. How stubborn he had been as he sat to the side reading as his brothers trained nonstop throughout the days. The cold glares from his father, the sympathetic and almost pitying look of his mother, and the complete lack of care that his brothers had because they were too busy trying to impress their father.

He did not miss those days.

He did, however, miss his elder brothers. The death of Kumo, the eldest son, had been one of the worst times of his life. He was sure his mother had cried until there were physically no more tears left in her tear ducts. The complete lack of communication from his father had been much worse, though. The stone cold look forward was like that of a man who had suffered from severe shock. Kumo was his pride and joy, and now he was gone, and then it was followed very quickly by the disappearance of his second brother, Josui.

His father often talked about the curse of the Yuki clan. How the civil war had caused those with Kekkai Genkai to be hunted down mercilessly and how many members of the Yuki clan had to go into hiding. While they did not have to hide anymore, the stain of what happened during those years had forever cursed the family, and now it had evolved into what the elders of the clan called a curse. Furozan did not believe in curses, he believed in patterns, and he felt that the Yuki clan put themselves into difficult situations that often resulted in bad outcomes. But, bringing that up to superstitious old timers was not something he felt he needed to waste his time on. It was the youth’s responsibility to make the changes they wanted to see. You cannot teach an old dog new tricks.  

He had worked up quite a sweat by the time he finally reached the training center and his breathing was labored but not impossible to manage. In through the nose, out through the mouth, that was the old mantra that had been beat into every young person’s life when they were trying to improve their stamina. He was not sure exactly how effective the technique was, but it seemed to work and really that was all that mattered.

Letting the backpack slip from his shoulders, Furozan made his way into the training facility, and he was relieved to see that he was the first one there. He smiled and set the backpack down and he put his hands on his hips wondering what he should do first. One of the benefits that being a member of Kirigakure provided was that they took training very seriously. A ninja could, if they put their mind to it, train until their heart was content. Some did not take it seriously, but others like Furozan, had no other option. Not if they wanted to survive long enough to have children.

Since he had already started on his body training, he figured a little more strength training could not hurt so he made his way to the punch machines. In all honesty, if it came down to taijutsu, Furozan would be way out of his element. He was a ninjutsu specialist and if the battle came to fists, he was too small and frail to be much of a help. He was support and he had no problem playing that role.

Still, one had to practice, and he would not let his physical deficiencies hold him back. So, he practiced by mimicking the movements he had learned at the Academy. Jab, jab, uppercut. Jab, cross, hook. Repeatedly, until his knuckles hurt. His breath was even more labored now than when he had run. There was a distinct difference between just running and bouncing around throwing punches. The punches had weight and he had to practice the moves just right so that they were effective. But, after about an hour, he grew tired of the punching and decided it was time to practice some Jutsu.

One of the things he loved about the training facility was that it had a giant pool that the ninjas there could practice with. He wiped the sweat from his brow and made his way to the body of water so that he could get in some practice. The fact that he could only control water was an even further insult to who he was as a Yuki. The Kekkai Genkai was supposed to be what made them unique, however, he had not learned to use the Ice Element. Learned. As if he could gain control over it eventually. He was not sure if he would ever be able to do it, but he tried hard not to think about it.

The pool was large, and it had its own built wave generator, but right now it was sitting stagnant. There was a smell to the room that lingered in the air. Water had its own smell of which he could not quite put his finger on. When rain first started or you were around a large body of water, however, you knew exactly what it was.

He dipped his hand into the water and lifted it up and let the water slowly spill through his fingers and out of his hand. Taking a step back he quickly ran through the hand seals. Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog, Snake. Water replacement, a D Rank technique that was one of the first that were taught to Kirigakure students. With the amount of rain and bodies of water around Kirigakure it was an extremely helpful technique to know and practice. So, he did. Over and over he did the same technique. Faster each time he did the hand seals until it seemed second nature to him. That was one of the unexpected parts of being a ninja, memorizing all the hand seals, but being able to use them at the drop of a hat when in combat.

After about ten replacements he decided it was time to do something a little more advanced. Using the Tiger hand seal, he created a thick white mist and he skulked into the cover that it provided. This was an easy technique to employ, but, being able to navigate through it was a different story. One had to remain calm, use your ears, and become one with the mist. Silence. He practiced moving without creating any sound so that anyone trapped in this jutsu would have a harder time locating him. It was harder than it seemed, but continuous practice was how one became better.

Monkey, Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Horse, Dragon. Water Release: Snakes Mouth. A large column of water resembling a snake burst out in front of him and speared through the mist aiming at no one in particular. Controlling the jutsu was the hard part. He had to continually focus in order to make it go exactly where he wanted it to. After around 20 meters the water returned from where it came from, back into the pool at his feet. He preferred using the water source that was near him, but that would not be enough all the time.

He repeated the hand seals and this time he felt the chakra inside of his stomach. As he hit the second dragon seal, he took a deep breath and expelled the water from his mouth creating the same jutsu. The snake formed and burst forward threatening to envelop anyone who was in its path, but since he was training, there was no one there. This time he tried to be a little more advanced, making the snake turn on a dime, and come reeling back towards him. Before it could hit him, however, the jutsu dissipated and fell harmlessly into the pool.

He took a deep breath and felt his energy levels waning. Though he had larger than normal chakra reserves he was still not able to use techniques repeatedly. He could feel his energy draining but he was determined to get one more technique in. This one would surely be the last he could manage as it was not one he was fully capable of. The Water Trumpet technique was a more advanced Jutsu than he was accustomed to, but he could practice it.

Dragon, Tiger, Hare. He did the signs as quickly as he could and then felt the water building up in his stomach. Holding his feet steady he attempted to blow the powerful force of water out from his mouth, but something went wrong. He could feel it as he expelled the chakra. His knees buckled and for a moment he felt a wave of dread wash over him as he attempted to keep himself from passing out. “Too much…” He thought to himself as he bent over and slapped his hand on the ground to keep himself from falling on his face. He could barely control his breathing and his thoughts were all over the place as he struggled to regain control of his vision.


After a few minutes of struggling he finally found his footing and he realized that the mist had vanished. Wiping the sweat from his brow he stood, shakily, to his feet and he looked around the room. More and more people were beginning to come in which meant that he had been training for roughly four hours. It was time to take a break.


Gathering his backpack he walked out of the training grounds and back out into the rain. He stopped and looked up into the stormy clouds above him and let the water wash over his face. For a moment, he just stood lost in his own thoughts, feeling free as the water seemingly cleansed him. It was not meant to last, though, as he let out a sigh and then began his run back home.

After a quick jog he pushed the doors to his home open and was met by complete darkness. Strange. Usually his mother would have been doing something around this time. The strangeness was made even weirder by a figure sitting at the dinner table. For a moment, he felt panic wash over him, but after his eyes adjusted the figure became clear as his father. “You are wasting your time.” The man spoke matter of factly and with a coldness to his voice that was quite jarring.

Furozan did not say anything as he dropped his back pack to the ground and made his way towards the dinner table. “Isn’t this what you always wanted?” Furozan said quietly, but, sternly. He did not fear his father, but, he also was not ready to stand up to him in any way. “A family of ninja? Bringing fame to the Yuki clan as opposed to hatred?” Furozan stopped a few feet away from the table and noticed that his father was not even looking at him. He was staring at the wall.

“Your brothers were to do that,” He softly spoke the painful words as he lifted a cup of tea to his lips and took a sip. Furozan stood frozen, his eyes locked on the side of his fathers head, knowing full well that he would never be good enough for the man before him. “They were better than you and they are both gone.”

“Josui is listed as missing,” Furozan refused to believe that his second brother was dead. “I will find him and bring him back.”

His father chuckled at this and then turned his head and finally made eye contact with Furozan. He had always had a look to him. Stern but seasoned. Now, however, there was a desperation and insanity in his eyes. It nearly made Furozan take a step back, but, he held his ground. “You will die just as your brothers did. I have accepted that. I have failed as a father and I will suffer the consequences in the next life.” He took another sip of his tea.

“I earned my title as Genin! I am a ninja, and I am not bad at it, I have already completed a few missions and…. Father I hate it but I am good at it.” It was true. He did hate it. However, whether or not he was good at being a ninja was up for debate. He was, by all accounts, an average ninja. Another in the long line of Kirigakure shinobi.

“Genin….” He turned his head away and chuckled again under his breath. It was infuriating. “Your brothers were both Chuunin by the time they were fifteen years old. How old are you again?” His words were scathing, and he did not even have the decency to turn his head to ask the question.

“I began my shinobi career later. Plenty of…” He was cut off by the sound of his father slapping his hand on the table and shooting up straight.

“Enough!” He turned towards Furozan and approached him aggressively. He felt nine again as his father scolded him. He fought every urge in his body to not cower away in fear. “You are the last living heir to my name. The Yuki name! Our ancestors hid in the shadows and survived just so that I could give birth to you. The runt. I don’t know what I did to insult our gods, but, I know I must have. I will spend the rest of my days asking forgiveness for bringing you into this world and leaving the clan to the protection of a scared boy.”

The words were nothing new, but, there was something about the malice in his voice as he spoke. He stared at Furozan for a few more moments before his eyes darted away and he shoved passed him. Furozan listened as he left the house and he simply stood there with the pain of his fathers words lingering over him. What could he do to make the man believe that he was serious? That he was not a joke and that he could keep the village and his family safe? Probably nothing. If he was named the Mizukage he was sure his father would just believe that the entire village had grown too weak. He sighed and then took a seat at the table.

He put too much stock in the words of a man who had clearly been stricken with grief. He had lost the two most important people in his life so Furozan internalized his words and did not take them to heart. He did, however, consider for a moment what it would be like to be one of those most important people. To be someone who was so loved that his death would cause unfixable grief upon the people who loved him. He shook his head at those thoughts and then stood up to make himself some more food.

After a brief meal, and wondering if his father would return, Furozan began to clean up the kitchen and continued to wonder where his mother was. He did not give it much thought, she was probably out shopping or with one of her friends, but it was odd that she was gone. Once he was done, he decided it was time to revisit where his brother was last seen.

A short time later he found himself at the edge of the village where he had been multiple times before. He was never able to find anything important out here but maybe he had missed something. It was futile, he knew it, but deep down he wondered if he came back if maybe his brother would be there. Unfortunately, he was not, so he simply walked around searching for anything interesting to him. He leaped up into a tree and sat down, letting his feet dangle over the edge, and he stared up at the clouds again. His eyes closed and he felt the rain wash over his face.

“Prove yourself.” He uttered the mantra repeatedly. It was all he could do. He had to prove himself in order to get any sort of recognition and that all began now. This was the start of him becoming a shinobi worth his salt. To prove that members of the Yuki Clan were significant…. Important. How he was going to do that…. He did not know but it was not going to stop him. He would figure out a way.

Jumping down, he landed softly on the wet ground, and he slowly made his way back to his house. He had spent the day training and now it was time to do what he actually enjoyed: reading.  He had been reading a good book and he was interested in the ending. He figured after this non fiction book he would tend to a more studious book. He had been wasting too much time on non fiction. Maybe he would read some histories. He needed to bone up on the village history, after all.

TWC: 3,286
Total stats at 20% discount: 41. 20 Chakra, 11 stamina, 10 speed.
1,500 towards Water Release: Water Trumpet( B )
1,000 towards Water Release: Snakes Mouth ( C )
500 towards Hidden Mist Technique( D )
250 towards Genjutsu Release ( E )

Approved