Mastery of Body (Training)

Mastery of Body

Raikou page

Life in the village hidden in the sand was rather lively than what Raikou had initially thought. He had found an inn near the edge of the town for him to stay at, and store his things-- not that he had much on him to consider he owned. He rarely traveled with anything and took what he needed, at least before he had to change his pace of things. He never understood the need for possession of you or items to show value or self-worth. Still, to have a roof over your head, you had to adjust. For now, Raikou had other more pressing topics he wanted to address.

When he was up in the mountains, he learned the nature of his bloodline-- how his body often resulted in driving him wild. In the past, he didn't mind. He just hated so much. He hated being alone, hated others who took advantage of him and hated people in general for having what he had not. He didn't care anymore. He was a beast, appropriate to his name on the wanted posters. He didn't deny it in the least, but to let it control him... that is what he hated about himself.

Right now he needed a proper outlet for his rage-- before it turned into senseless violence. Oddly, he still enjoyed fighting, to act on his impulses as Augus had always mentioned, but for him to control it and direct it to his abilities was the goal now. For him to control the rage in his blood, not the other way around.

So he found the training grounds, the ones allowed for him to work in. The training ground was anything but pleasant. Though one of five he was allowed to work in-- this way as bleak as the desert itself. He saw a series of sand dunes, like a large sandbox-- some were designed to cause you to sink if you stepped on them, but pillars of stones shot out from them, providing firm places to stand or fight on. Boulders also dotted the training ground, designed to keep the sand in the designated area and not to seep outside the perimeter. It was not the ideal place to find 'inner peace' but it was what was needed for Raikou to practice any kind of Jutsu.

When he left Augus on the mountain,  he promised him he would learn the powers of the mind, body and soul. Both by nature and by observation in the rings-- Raikou had specialized in Taijutsu. He used it to survive in the wilds long before he could truly remember. He had not learned it in detail but he knew he wanted to try it, as he learned Augus could use it as well. The power that dwelled inside everyone but hardly ever mastered.

The Inner Gates of Hachiman!

He wasn't completely sure how it worked but from what Augus showed him, despite his hedonistic and lay back attitude, was that it required inner awareness as well as physical training. With that, he would work to try and master this form of training with the guidelines he learned from him. WIth hope, it would help direct his more ... violent impulses to something beneficial.

WC: 542

Luckily for Raikou, there were no other people in this training area. He didn't care to have to share it with too many people, especially the younger genie. He hated the idea of having to cooperate with annoying little kids playing ninja. True they had to start somewhere, but still, he had no patience for children. Nor did he want to risk hurting any in the case he got a little too crazy. He recalled one time children ran for their lives during one of his rampages. He didn't intend to let that crap happen again... at least not without intent.

For now, he was alone and didn't have to worry so much about it. His mind was able to focus enough without distractions or issues. For the first moment, he cleared his mind and allowed it to be calm and peace with his surroundings. While it didn't pertain to his training in Taijutsu and his physical condition, it was something that kept his more impulsive tendencies in check. To breathe, to listen, to rest and allow his muscles to become less tense. That was opposed to the constant strain and tightness he endured. Clearing his mind, pushed his body-- removed the limitations his own head put on things, which was odd cause half the time he didn't think he was using such tricks. He never had a problem martial more of his body to move the way he wanted, or to use his full strength. He listened to his surroundings and breathed. No birds, no sounds of nature, the scruffle of people in the distance beyond the training grounds... and the hellish searing winds of the desert as he felt the sun beat its heat upon his shirtless form.

After a few minutes of clearing his mind and focus, he finally opened his eyes. With a swift move of his arms, he leaned forward and pressed them to the hard stone surface of the platform. With a grunt, he pushed himself up-- now fully upside-down. With his body rigid and feet up, he kept this position now, feeling the blood rush to his head and the muscles starting to tremble with his now different position. Despite it, he was holding his position and not letting go. Such a feat was child's play for him as he felt his body begin to burn a little-- but no different from the hot sun on him.

This was mere exercise for him, and stuff he done before long before he had formal training as a shinobi. He knew to keep in shape, hense his stern and muscular features. He barely grunted as he began to lower and bend his arms-- beginning to do stand-ups on his hands to keep up with his training. The only sweat he got was from the sun's heat and it was barely any amount. All the while his breath was relaxed and calm, but this was the beginning. He had begun to learn different methods and training regiments, along with the exercises he needed to put his unique traits under control.

WC: 515

He stood like that for five minutes, just on his hands and legs up doing push-ups with that level of control. Even as he felt his bloodlust start to flicker in his body, he still maintained control over himself to keep in position. It was one thing to allow himself to go off and wild, but another to do t his and keep his focus on what was important. The bloodlust didn't hold as much strain on him as it once had, but he still needed a proper outlet for his power.

He didn't understand it completely, but when he was in the mountains, Augus explained how his power worked. He was part of a clan-- one that had the ability to absorb energy from the environment. When that happened, it would build up in him and at times drive him into a frenzy. In Raikou's opinion-- it was bullshit. Nothing changed from when he lost control. If anything, he enjoyed it when he cut loose and got mad. It was like a drug-- but as Augus had explained after beating him several times, it blinded his own judgment too. As he hung upside down, the blood rushing to his head still that made his head woozy, he needed to control his inner beast than let it rule over him as well.

It didn't change the fact he had a sick sense of enjoyment from the carnage of it all.

After he finished his push-ups, he pushed hard and flipped in the air, returning to his feet. The impact left a tremor on the rock he was on, reminding him of the small space he had compared to his larger body. He flexed his shoulders a bit to loosen up and try to become more limber for his next exercise. He only wished he had some wild beast to fight on, but the training ground lacked such creatures. Unless there was some beast sleeping in the sand below-- it was a closed ecosystem and not likely someone would put a savage sand creature in a training ground, unless the rumors about the sand ninja's former sadistic traditions were possible. That thought did make Raikou grin a bit.

Putting that aside, he looked to a few of the training dummies that stood on the other nearby pillars of stone. With a single leap, he jumped clear across the sandpit and reached it. The pillar shook with his weight and force, causing the dummies to tremble a bit as most people did at the sight of him. To him, he felt a bit bored to fight an inanimate object, but the point was to practice the forms he learned from Augus-- and to attune his body's chakra to his muscles too. The method he wished to learn, the form that Augus also possessed, was the Inner Gates and it required his body to be in tune on all levels to access the inner gates.

Taking a fighting stance, Raikou growled as he pictured another foe in place of the stick-like training dummy made of wood and stone. The first strike he made was a swift blow to the head-- which he struck hard as a jab. He raised a brow at the feel he got from the training dummy-- as it jolted a bit and wobbled, but was still rigid. His single punch could clock a man and dislocate his jaw, but this actually was oddly stable and firm. Perhaps it was a Jutsu or some rare material to make it durable and strong, but he didn't complain. With a growl of excitement to exercise more of his strength, he continued by throwing a few more blows to it. Each strike he did, hitting specific places where he imagines a body had, caused a firm but considerable resistance to his overwhelming strength.

WC: 641

The training dummy was far more durable than he realized and he increased the attack with each blow. At first, his strings and blows were limited to the practice of position. He was aiming for the right spots and applied pressure. As time passed he began to repeat the same moves with faster success and more strength. Each punch now made the dummy vibrate and tremble as the metal took the impacts and into the stone. However, the stone now was starting to show the abuse Raikou was giving. Cracks formed on the stone where the dummy was positioned, and the dummy itself began to shake more as if it was on a spring rater than a steel rod.

The flurry of punches soon became a mix of kicks, strikes of the elbows, jumps and strikes, even flips and kicks upon it. The more he struck it, t he more cracks he struck into the stone below him. All the while he felt the burn in his body. He thought it was his own bloodlust, his desire to destroy and fight bubbling up. He loved it and didn't want it to stop, but he soon realized this was different. IT was a surge of his own chakra, now starting to push its way up through his body and circulate to add to his strength. Something inside just suddenly 'clicked' and it made everything else in his body start to buzz.

It took him a bit of time but he soon got it. It was his chakra, now unlocked by the inner gates. His blows to the center of t he dummy now was shaking and buzzing like a giant tuning fork, causing a ring to his ears. Finally, he growled and brought his fist back. This time, he wasn't going to just hit it, he wanted to put all his effort into it, including the new feeling he had. There was one thing he did know about his 'power' that Augus suggested he do. If he applied it as normal, it would give him a powerful boost-- but this 'nature energy' mixed with the taijutsu power of the 'inner gates'...

... he couldn't begin to imagine what it would cause.

He charged his fist, tightening it with all his might as he felt the surge of the gates-- and finally, applying the energy he got from his 'bloodlust'. A mighty roar came from his chest as he brought his fist forward and smashed it into the dummy with all his might!

WHAM!! KA-BOOOM!!

The impact was devastating, as the dummy no longer was as it had been. The dummy itself was still 'solid'-- due to whatever seal or Jutsu on it. However, the impact completely shattered the structure of the pillar and where the dummy had been nailed into. The punch was so hard the rock platform shattered and broke in half. The dummy and the platform erupted, causing them to go flying into pieces onto the sand several meters away. Half of the platform remained where Raikou stood, just barely as the rest was now crumbled below him, the dummy now seeming to give off smoke from the shock of the blow.

Raikou let out a series of breaths to calm down, not from physical exhaustion but shock to know he did that much damage-- and conscious of it this time. He had come out of his rage to see towns burned and destroyed, but this time, he saw a display of his own power. The power of the gates, and his bloodline, gave him a new sense of physical power. His hand trembled a bit... but no longer in shock or strain.

... it was rapture. He was thrilled to see what he was capable of, and that was just the first gate.

WC: 634

Ragged breaths escaped him, but the power he released didn't tax him. IT was more the sensation of having so much power in a single hit at one time. He had heard of a Jutsu that did that too. Using Chakra control, one could quadruple their individual strength in a single moment. They called it 'monster strength'. He took pride in calling himself a beast or monster, having no shame in it, but by comparison to those rumors, he was not near that level. The 'monster strength' was renown for shinobi of the leaf, specifically the power of the fabled 5th homage, Tsunade. A sheer punch from that could knock the top of a mountain off or even allow toe to toe with a tailed beast. Still, the power Raikou just displayed came very close.

As he looked upon the remains of the training dummy and platform, he had marshaled more energy in a punch he ever thought he could on his own.  He didn't fully grasp how far the inner gates method would take him, but his master did share with him there was great potential in it. He even added to it by applying his own energy into it, making it even deadlier. On a regular person, it probably would have killed them via the blunt trauma.

The tremble to his hand calm down, but he wanted to burst out laughing. Despite the edge of his desire to destroy things was ebbed for the moment, he was thrilled he could do this. The inner gates would give him new power to add to his own. Augus might have been an annoying old man at times, but his wisdom and advice were sound.

Once he got over the surprise of his strength, he backed off and this time resumed the practice of his katas. Now that he knew how to unlock the inner gates, he had to martial it. He needed to know how to control that power instead of it just bursting through his system like water in a dam. From what he knew, the gates were literally valves that moderated his chakra distribution. It was a mix of taijutsu and chakra that enhanced his body in different ways. If he used them correctly, he could awaken new power for each gate he unlocked and several at the same time. However...

He felt the energy surge, but also the strain on his body. He recovered fast. He wasn't afraid of straining himself too much, but the gates were a more strenuous form of power that taxed the human body, even for one as conditioned as he was. Because it overrides the natural chakra flow of the body by manipulating the limits of the gate, it begins to exhaust and puts a strain on the body.  It also made Raikou aware of one inescapable fact.

The more gates you opened, the stronger you get. In turn, the more damage your body would endure. And then came the final gate. As he practices his strings of attacks in the air alone, his mind lingered on that detail-- the Gate of Death. As the name bluntly stated, it was the final gate and the strongest gate. However, for its final level and supreme power--- the user would die the moment it would wear off.

As bloodthirsty and eager for a fight as Raikou was-- death wasn't an option he easily considered. He wouldn't risk his life for something as far as he knew, but as Augus taught him, he seemed certain something 'worth' his life would come around someday. Either way, the art of the inner gates felt like walking the dagger's edge-- something that made the man grin sadistically. It excited him more than it did to fear him his own power might kill him too... beyond just biting off more than he could chew. While dying wasn't a goal of his, to die on his own terms was.

"What the hell did this to the training ground?!" a voice shouted.

WC: 674
TWC: 3012

The voice of anger made Raikou pause as he realized he got caught in the midst of his destructive power. It probably was to be expected. He did crush a huge chunk of rock and the impact alone made a sound like an explosion. He really didn't know his own strength half of the time, including with his chakra added. He bit his lip and turned to the voice.

A grown chunin was there, wearing the usual sand uniform and headgear, the village headband clear on his head. He approached, with a grumpy look in his eye. "What the hell happened to the training ground? Did you do this?" he shouted.

The sound of the man's voice was starting to irk him up something serious. Rakou felt his blood boiled. The damage and destroyed training platform had took the edge of the fury in his blood, but he felt it start to bubble up again. The desire to fight, break, and kill things without control. His anger directed at him, pissed for breaking something, was rubbing Raikou the wrong way. That and he was half of Raikou's size. He could of been shut up so easily and hated this attitude.

He could picture it, he could split the man in half-- or down the middle. He looked flimsy physically and probably could---

No! No that wasn't him, it was his inner side wanting to. He wanted to, so badly, make him shut up, but he knew better now. It would only cause more problems and he wouldn't be able to stay in Suna anymore.

"Hello?! Do you hear me?! Did you-- "

"Yes," Raikou spoke, his tone sharp but firm as he continued, "I did break this. I hit it too strong and I apologize for that." he said, but all the while his gaze was steely. His very gaze would kill if he could, and even the man didn't appreciate it, but it did shut up his yelling.

A bit of sweat formed on the man, but it could of been from the desert sun. "Er, I see... well what happened?"

"I punched it. It went over... maybe the foundation got weaker over time..." Raikou lied.

He choose not to mention the power he had, but his taijutsu training clearly was over now. Even now, he still felt his bloodlust surge in him. His vision starting to go 'red' almost as he shook his head.

"Well, sounds like a simple accident, but I'd be more mindful of the equipment, okay?" he asked. "Normally, I'd ask you to repair it, but... I'll let it go this time. Just show a bit more restraint next time. "

Restraint? The idea really tested Raikou's limits as he grunted in disapproval. ANy more and it would push him over the edge. He gripped his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms to remind him to not fight back and just let it go. To fight a worm like him, wasn't worth the energy or time. "I... understand, he said firmly. "Excuse me. I need to be somewhere else. "

He pushed past the man with a mere brush but he had to leave, despite his damage. He felt that bloodlust start to get the better of him. If he didn't leave, it would go out of his control. He had to do something else. Train somewhere else, find a fight somewhere to participate in, or even find some 'other' form of entertainment back in his hotel room with someone. With the immediate need to remove himself from him gone, he looked for something to do to kill the urges. It was either that to feel tempted to murder the Suna instructor where he stood and enjoy the taste of his blood.

EXIT.
WC: 629
TWC: 3641

Stats: +10 to Speed , +10 to Chakra, +16 to Strengh
Jutsu Learned: Eight Inner Gates (Skill) (WC: 2000)
Katon: Hiding in Fire (WC: 1000)
Fuinjutsu Lock (D) (WC: 500)

Approved