Ryu and Chidori

The night had just begun, the last light from the day's sun had left the earth and now only the reflections of the moonlit the mountainous area where Ryuzaki stood, he was breathless, bent double over, his hands on his knees, he had been training for the whole day, but he was not close to done yet.  Ryuzaki donned his usual attire, a pair of ninja tabi that covered bandages that wound around his feet and up his legs until they went under a pair of long shorts that stopped just below the knee, and met a pair of compression shorts. Strapped around his left leg was a long weapon pouch that housed half his kunai and shuriken, on his back right hip he wore a cloth weapon pouch that housed the rest of his kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, smoke bombs, and military ration pills. A belt wound around his waist, not to keep his shorts in place but to hold the hanging scabbard of his master's family heirloom, a katana. Ryuzaki wore a black, short-sleeved t-shirt, from just below his shoulders more bandages wound around his arms and his hands, doubling as hand wrapping for close-quarters combat. On Ryu's back two holsters crossed each other, both housing a tanto, their hilts pointing out and down from his back, so they could easily be drawn, his weaponry was mostly designed so that in the case of combat he could draw them while his enemy was caught in the shadow imitation jutsu, and if they had similar weapons they would not also draw them. Around his neck, he wore a simple silver chain, hanging from it was a simple gold ring with the Nara clan symbol etched into it, the only sign that he ever belonged to the clan.
 
Ryuzaki took off his shirt and jacket and let them sink to the floor next to him, Taco could be heard howling in the distance, it seemed he was searching for his own food again, he did not seem to like the dry food that Ryu had been getting from the village and preferred to hunt his own food. Taco was a ninja hound, he was well trained but he was not a pet in the normal sense of the word, through many interactions he had gotten used to the way Ryu treated him, but to outsiders, he was defiantly more like a monster than a pet. Ryu took on a healthy amount of water as he regained his breath, he would rest for a few minutes and then go again, he had been practicing his secret taijutsu was supposed to use only when absolutely necessary, but Ryu felt the need to practice the jutsu and honed its activation as well as get used to the extreme stress it put on his body. He had seen first-hand what would happen if he used this jutsu to the fullest of its ability, he watched his master after defeating around twenty former Rain ANBU operatives turn to dust from the sheer pressure is put on his body, his heart beating so fast that his blood literally boiled and evaporated from his body. Ryu could only use about a 1/8 of the power his master used, but the stress on his body was indescribable. Ryu believed that there would come a day when he would be able to open all eight of the inner gates like his master, he also believed that there would come a day where something mattered enough for him to make that sacrifice.

Ryu unbent his back and straightened up, he brought his hands up in front of him, his fists clenched. Chakra started to swell in his center, he pushed it out through his chakra network and towards his brain, directed at the left hemisphere, as the chakra reached his left temple he let out a scream as the power overflowed within him, his physical strength and speed would be increased around fifty percent. Ryuzaki felt the power well and resonate within him, but he had no outward appearance change. Ryu sprang forward, a small indent left in the space where he stood before, he bound forward, exceedingly small jumps leaving massive gaps between his steps. Approaching the nearest dead, blackened, and worn tree, Ryu dropped his weight to the floor and planted his right hand behind him to support his weight as he spans towards his right, his left leg extending and impacting the bottom of the tree trunk, Ryu’s foot making contact, where his leg touches the bark it cut through, the tree being disconnected from the base and its roots. The remaining part of the tree rose into the air. Ryu planted his left hand on the floor so that he had both hands planted and pushed upwards, his weight shifting so he was level with the tree. Spinning he made contact with the tree again with his left leg, cutting the tree again, as he spans round again his leg made contact with the upper half of the bark for the third time, there were now three equally chopped up parts of the tree. Ryu finished his third spin and then brought his left leg down directly and hitting the middle part of the tree with his heel, sending that part of the tree smashing into the ground. Falling to the ground Ryuzaki landed, the exhaustion of his training now setting in, he fell to his knees and propped himself up with his arms so that he was not entirely led on the floor.

Ryu allowed the gate of opening, the first of the eight gates, to drop. Ryuzaki twisted and let his arms fall from underneath him, he lay on his back staring up into the sky. Detecting a presence to his left he turned his head to see who it was, too tired to make a more aggressive reaction. Luckily, it was just Taco, he ran up to Ryu and started to lick his face and climb all over him, he must have sensed that Ryu’s effort was fading. Ryu pushed himself upwards so that he was in a seated position, he propped himself up with his arms and smiled at the dog “Don’t worry boy, I’m just resting”. Ryu began to imagine how the dog would probably revert to his baser instincts if he were to leave him as his master did, he would become more beast than pet again. Ryu’s body almost instinctively rose, his legs pushed him upwards and his body still lagged, rising over his hips, almost like a puppet he rose. Energy filled Ryu as he clasped his hands together again, this time he pushed his chakra from his center to his left and right hemisphere trying to open the second gate, the gate of Rest. Ryu activated the gate of Opening, it was easy, he had now done it hundreds of times in training, but for some reason, he could not activate the gate of Rest. The gate of Rest would revitalize his body and allow him to push on as if he were fresh, but it would not come to him.

A scowled came over his face, his smirk widened but was dark, he was more annoyed at his lack of ability, but it had the same effect that he was hoping to get from the gate of Rest. Revitalized, Ryu pushed forward, his hands coming apart. Bounding forward Ryu charged at the next tree, he gathered energy in his center once again, this time pushing it towards his hands and feet simultaneously. Blue energy started to appear from the edge of his hands, the energy resonates, beginning to hum the blue energy turned into lightning nature chakra. Ryu landed in front of his next target, once again a burnt, blackened, and dead tree. Ryu bent his knees, coiling his explosive energy into his knees, he then sprang upwards, his left fist extending out in front of him. Clenching his fist, he struck the tree in its center, a lightning natured uppercut. As he rose Ryu span to his left, bringing out his right leg and like an axe chopped at the tree, separating it in half. Ryu made sure that each of his next strikes kept the tree bark in front of him, he needed to not hit so hard that it would fly off, but he needs to put in enough effort that he would smash it to pieces. Ryu made sure to alternate his strikes so that as the bark went one way, he pushed its momentum back towards his other fist. Ryu struck the tree a further eight times, it broke apart, piece by piece with every strike. By the time he had finished his lightning uppercut combo the tree fell into small chunks to the floor. Ryu’s momentum faded and he dropped to the floor as he did he softened his landing by bending his knees at the appropriate time, he then sprang forward and extended his arms to handplant his momentum and flip over once again. Landing in front of his next target he brought his fist backward and once again brought chakra energy into his fist. Repeating the motion, he used his lightning uppercut combo on the tree again, this time with more precision and creating eight equal sections of the tree trunk. Ryu landed once again, this time the energy from the gate of Opening leaving his body “So this is the time limit I have, as well as still only being able to go to the first gate”. Ryuzaki cursed himself again, his end goal was to join the Storm Ops and protect his village, but he was not happy with the progression of his power to this point, he had managed to open the first gate in the eight inner gates formation, but, the gate of opening was only the first step, he needed more power.

Ryuzaki now started to practice handseals and push power to his left hand, as he did he held the wrist, he had read about this technique in a book recently, it was supposedly a step in the right way to change in chakra nature and form. Owing to his recent training in ninjutsu he was now able to perform the technique, or at least in theory. The Lightning nature energy reached his hand, his palm facing upward “Chidori” he said out loud as his hand buzzed with lightning natured chakra. Ryu burst forward, feeling his speed being boosted from the techniques lightning natured power, he struck a tree, this time it was less flashy then when he used his taijutsu on the tree, but the penetration and precision were many times higher. The destructive power of this jutsu was greater and was more suited for assassination or capture, this was a good development in Ryu’s arsenal, although it was still a close-range technique. Ryu collapsed backward once again, this time to more permanent rest, he had used most of his chakra and was exhausted, his eyes closed, as sleep took him. After an hour Ryu awoke, Taco laying directly next to him, and morning had come, it was time to head home and sleep in a more suitable place.

[Exit]
WC: 1880
Claiming 1875/1875 for Chidori, using the 25% max stat discount

Approved