The Last Training... (Training Solo)

Zeo had finally found a place he could train in peace, without the prying eyes of the other shinobi striving to get stronger for the Shinobi Chunin exams. It was a big thing and now Zeo, while late to the preparation party, was now interested and calmly dedicated to doing his part for this exam. He was now in a dense woodland area within the nature preserve of the village. No one was around as far as he could tell or sense and he was using this time to polish his technique and master what moves he could for the exam. He had already come far and was just trying to use what time he had left to do his part and make sure he was ready.

He didn't need many tools, partly due to his jutsu involved forming objects from the water. He was well versed in many ninja tactics and intellectual endeavors. He was a primary student and had always hit the books. He had even studied even more that night before, brushing up on what he needed to know for the exam and the written portion. He was not about to do poorly, but the written portion was no doubt going to be a challenge for anyone. They were designed to be tricky and not straightforward. Even the smartest would find it challenging, so he had to open his mind to all possibilities what the exam might be. The last thing he wanted to do was fail that part just because he was too literal or not thinking the right way.

For now, his focus was to master the last bit of the exam-- the combat portion. He had read the rules and knew there were limits. Only certain categories of jutsu were allowed. Legendary or unique weapons were not allowed, no armor or anything out of the ordinary. No amplifiers or enhancers-- which ruled out Zeo's Soul Expulsion he had worked hard to learn, or Wind Style Rejuvenation to enhance his personal speed. The exam was meant to measure and evaluate your own personal skill. While it was a hindrance, he understood and worked to master what he could of his own techniques. Also, he was limited to certain types of jutsu. He couldn't use certain categories beyond his specialized field. While he was getting good at genjutsu, and wished he could show it off in the exam... he was far better suited to Ninjutsu and choose t hat avenue along with the extra part he was allowed to have.

What ultimately got the fire burning inside him, for a water user anyway, was the personal invite to participate by the Kage and Yasha -- and even the bestowing of a powerful jutsu from the village. A village forbidden jutsu, not meant for outsiders. And Zeo, a former outsider, was indeed selected to bear that jutsu to represent their village. At first, he was hesitant, even felt he was not worthy of such an honor or gift... but it was for the purpose to represent them proudly and for their standing among the ninja community worldwide. How could he say no?

Beyond that, despite the lack of confidence Zeo had first shown in this situation, he realized how important it was and not just about HIM. It was about the whole village. It was no different from any mission and the people it would help.

With renewed vigor to make his mark in the village, he formed hand signs to his jutsu-- and soon created water into his hands. They soon formed shuriken and he jumped high into the air among the trees. As he bent over, he spotted spots he wanted to hit, branches thin enough to slice through. With arms drawn back, he threw the shuriken in different directions, intending to strike the targets. The shuriken swished through and sliced right through each branch, causing the twigs to fall to the forest floor.

Zeo had gotten good to use the Suiton Water Shuriken, shortening his need for ninja tools and minimizing further surprising his enemies. He personally had always loved water style, even as a kid as he saw his father use it often, even for mere recreation.

He soon landed on the forest floor and watched as the fallen twigs clattered to the ground soundlessly, causing mere birds nearby to fly off in the distance, rattled by the disturbance.

He let out a deep breath to calm himself-- but soon felt the presence of another person behind him. Forming one single shuriken from the remaining water, he swung it in the direction of the intruder.

WC: 771

The shuriken struck a nearby tree-- of which a certain masked Shinobi leaned against with his arms folded, not even bothered as it came close. A smirk showed on his face. "You're senses are sharp, but you cannot take time to sense things while in the midsts of a battle or you leave yourself open," he said as he pulled himself up from the tree.

Zeo blinked in surprise, realizing he almost hit him. "M-Master Yasha! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..."

Yasha shook his head and held up his hands. "Relax. Trust me, had that come close enough I could have deflected it easily. I have seen worse," he assured as he approached with hands in his pockets in a relaxed position. "Getting as much under your belt as you can?"

Zeo paused as he looked away. "Yeah... I don't understand why I didn't think about this the same way before as I do now. Representing the village is important. I thought I was doing t he right thing stepping back." Zeo explained as he gave some serious thought. "I still have some preparing to do but I want to learn and improve what I can before the time comes.

Yasha smirked as he looked at his student. "It is important to not let pride and ego drive one's actions. It was good you had the wisdom to consider your limitations. Still, it would have been a mistake to pass up this opportunity," he explained. "You now have all the motivation and tools you need. Speaking of, have you tried out the new jutsu yet?"

Zeo paused again as he looked to his hand. "I Have but... it didn't manifest well at first. It's confusing..." he said, his hand trembling a bit. " When I used it, it felt like something overwritten my surroundings so much it felt like the world disappeared and went mute outside of it. I really don't know how to describe it. Space time... I never thought chakra could have that much effect on my surroundings like that."

Yasha's smile faded a bit, realizing Zeo was correct in his concern. "Space Time is a difficult jutsu to use, even for the simplest of people. The easiest thing for one to use is via summoning. Advance methods of it normally utilize summoning creatures or minor changes in the environment to suit one's needs. " he explained as he walked around Zeo. "That one, is indeed powerful by nature. What you describe is no surprise considering the chakra you use changes your very immediate surrounding to protect you."

"I'm not sure I really get it," Zeo said as he performed the hand signs for it, being careful how he manifested his chakra. "I can make it, but it doesn't form right. How would you suggest I go about it? " He soon held out a hand to project the 'sphere'. It started as a soft blackish aura around him, but soon didn't grow beyond it, not reaching out far enough to produce a solid shield.

As Yasha looked at it, he wasn't too disappointed. While Zeo was trying to cast a complete version, the 'aura' around Zeo was indeed stable and warped space enough to protect him, much like a membrane. He simply wasn't visualizing it. "Hmm... let me ask you this Zeo? What exactly do you do when you cast a Genjutsu?" he asked.

Zeo's focus faded at the question, causing the aura he was manipulating to fade. "Huh? Well..." he took a moment to look up, his head in his thoughts as he reviewed his general process of Genjutsu. "After I cast it via the sensory I target or specify, I project my chakra to the target, isolate the location of the sensation-- then just visualize and imagine to craft the effects of the genjutsu. " Zeo explained.

"The concept is very similar," Yasha explained to make his point. "You are using your chakra to project your intent and will but instead on a person's consciousness-- on the space your chakra occupies. "

A confused, baffled look came across Zeo. He knew chakra could indeed interact with the environment, but overwrite it like that? It didn't seem possible. He shook his head to try to wrap his head around it. "How can I even muster the same chakra or focus to impact REALITY on that level? Not to mention the detail to change space like that?"

Yasha rubbed his chin in thought. "You're simply applying too much thought to the goal. The chakra and jutsu does the work and you merely need to focus on one thing and one thing only. In this case, what is that?" he asked.

Zeo paused as he thought about the Twilight Sphere, and soon grasped what Yasha meant. He let out a breath, realizing his mistake. "To protect me from harm." he concluded.

The masked ninja nodded in agreement. "Now try again. This time, don't question it or be concerned with the 'how'. Justt focus.. repel the attack and protect yourself..." he said

Zeo took a deep breath as he soon raised his hands and made the signs again. Dog... Snake... Horse... Boar... Ram! With a final personal hand sign-- Zeo extended an outstretched arm, his right hand holding the wrist and other hand open wide in a 'halt'' gesture forward. As he did, the aura returned. It was black but specked with small bits of light, like stars. It soon streteched out, becoming sphere in shape, slowly but surely.

"Very good , " Yasha said with a smirk on his face. "Now just one last thing to see..."

While Zeo was focused on the jutsu, his mind on defense-- Yasha got crafty. With a swift gesture, water came to his hands, and soon shaprened into shuriken. The same water shuriken jutsu Zeo had! "THINK FAST!" he barked and threw them forward.

Zeo instinctively held his guard and hand out to stop it. The sphere sharpened in shape, becoming a perfect sphere in no wobble. The sphere met the shuriken thrown, and only then just topped in the air-- and fell to the ground with splashes of water. Zeo didn't even FEEL any resistance. There was no strain or give against his chakra control. It was almost as if nothing hit him at all.

Yasha smirked as he saw Zeo's defense hold. "See? The more direct your focus on what your goal is, the stronger the jutsu becomes. The power of the mind is the ultimate tool for space-time jutsus. Remember that." he stated sharply.

Zeo lowered his arm, and the sphere soon faded away. "I see... What if a space-time jutsu had certain principles? I cannot imagine it can be that simple for all such techniques," Zeo inquired.

"It varies on the jutsu. Twilight Sphere is very advance by nature. At its strongest form, it can even nullify enhancements on enemies that come into contact with it," he explained. "It won't help you well in the Chunin exam, but it is a formidable defense both there and in the future, so commit it to memory."

Zeo smiled a little, feeling more assured as he gripped his left fist-- the hand he used to cast the jutsu. "I will, Thank you master." he said.

A soft chuckle escaped Yasha as he turned away. "You need not address me so formally. True I am your sensei, but Master is a bit of a stretch," he said, "Besides thank me after you grow stronger. Had we more time, I would show you some truly impressive jutsu."

Zeo was now curious by the mysterious ninja. "Oh, like what?"

WC: 1269

Yasha looked to Zeo, realizing he indeed was a curious kid. "Patience, Zeo. I cannot go showing you all my secrets," he said with a sly smirk, "I'd lose my mysterious allure."

The teasing made Zeo frown. "Oh come on..."  he sighed, "I Mean your clearly a skilled shinobi but I have never seen you in the field. You must be capable of great things if you became a Jounin."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Yasha commented in mild jest but turned to look elsewhere in the woods. "Do not be in such a hurry to learn everything. You are good. You have learned many powerful techniques, those that suit you and not just because they are strong techniques." he explained. "Still it is better to master what skills you have than to merely keep learning new and better techniques. If you improve on what you have, you can do even more."

Zeo frowned, but understood as he glanced away. "You are right... " Zeo said as he put his hands into his kimono pocket. "I just... wanna learn more. I feel like I just barely really understood my strength as a shinobi. It's not like I am being greedy or anything, but it feels... unsatisfying, no matter what I learn. Do you know what I mean?" he asked.

Yasha glanced at Zeo, realizing the boy's thirst for knowledge. "I do," he said, "You are a bright kid, and long to learn as much as you can, because it was as if your eyes were just opened. I can understand that, but trust me when I say this... there will always be more to learn. More to explore. Even we as jounin are constantly learning new things. but there is no reason for you to rush. You are still young, and with plenty of time." he said assuringly with a smile. "In due time, you will see more than you can imagine. That much I am sure of. Just be patient," he said as he turned to return to the village.

"Master..." Zeo said in awe of him, realizing despite his chill persona, he was unusually caring.

Yasha waved with his back still turned. "Train hard and be ready. I will be looking forward to how you progress in the exams," he said as he vanished through the trees.

Zeo stayed there as the wind brushed by him. Taking a deep breath, he resumed his training for the remainder of the day.

The sun began to set lower and lower behind the trees as he practiced his own tactics. He knew his skills with a sword were poor but he held on to it for his own personal security and subjective jutsu just in case he had to fight in melee range. While he didn't know how much he could do, it was better than nothing. His personally created jutsu-- the river cutter was indeed a jutsu he personally help developed. That alone would be useful in future battles against swordsmen. Perhaps even that shinobi he saw at the institute. He clearly seemed to be one who favored bukujutsu in addition to other talents. That alone, he was sure to meet many new shinobi from other lands and with their own techniques. He would have to adapt, with what he had and what he learned on the way.

Swordsmanship aside, he also focused on the jutsu he did know-- the bubble jutsu being a big one. It was his preferred fighting style, but many others KNEW what he was capable with it. While he wished he had more time to learn other jutsu, water was his biggest benefit here. Not only was it rare, but he could do much more with it to better adapt and adjust to any situation. He already knew jutsu to change the terrain to his favor. If he had time, he would learn more wind-style jutsu or even try to learn lightning release, but that was not something he could do in the short time he had remaining. He only had one more day to cram in as much as he could, after all. Master Yasha was correct. He had to master and use the tools he had to the best of his ability. It was never about what you had, but how you used it to get the job done.

Had all jutsu been an option, Zeo felt he had all the tools he needed to come out ahead. He was versed in both melee combat via his limited swordplay and water style weaponry. He even was growing in genjutsu with one that even worked with his bubble style technique. While no skill in medical ninjutsu or fuinjutsu, he was indeed growing in his known fields to be suitable for any situation. Had he been in a legitimate squad, he could of probably adapted well with his comrades to be a reliable rear guard and tactician. Sadly that was not the case here. He would have to learn what he could do on his own and adapt, as he always did. Even without any of those things, he understood how they worked and how he could adjust to fight against it.

In the end a shinobi's greatest weapon was his head. All his techniques, even Twilight Sphere would be pointless if he couldn't use his abilities right. Calming the whirlwind in his mind and running scenarios in his head, he tried to focus on the talents he had and how to apply it. THe exam wasn't just about fighting and he couldn't just let it all go to waste.

By the time the sun set and dark fell, Zeo had lost track of time as he realized he spent the whole day training. He still had to study a bit for the written portion and refresh any tactical knowledge he would need for it. Worn out but satisfied, he decided to head home. As the stars and moon shined overhead, they lit his path home as he returned to the safety of the village hidden in the stars.

As he returned to the village, he was unaware of something in the shadows of the hill. Something he couldn't see or sense even with chakra sensory. In the shadow of the night and the moon's light, a black wolf watched over him. While seemingly grumpy, even perhaps ominous or hostile, the wolf continued to keep an eye on him attentively as if watching something curious to the wolf. It was unclear what this ghostly apperition wanted from Zeo or why it lingered witht him, but he continued to watch.

"You want me to keep an eye on this brat?" the wolf spoke to a figure even more obscured, hidden in the shadows and trees. "Why would you make me do such a thing?"

"Do you wanna bitch about it, puppy?" the voice said in mild humor. "He has potential and I believe he can go far. He is worth your protection. Unless.. you want to go against the pact for me and him?"

The wolf grumbled as he cast a growl at the shadowed figured. "The pup is barely wet behind the ears. A waste of my time." the wolf replied.

An ominous silence remained, but the wolf could tell the discontent of the other. Finally, the wolf gave in. "Alright... I can't do much. You know that. He can't even see or hear me. He seems like a dud to me." he barked.

"Just a late bloomer. He will awaken. If anything the events to come will definately make him see the world blind to his eyes..." the stranger said.

Though disagreeing with his 'contractor' the black wolf faded into the backdrop of the forest, and into the night itself as if he was a ghost. Though in disagreement he honored the pact and began to keep a safe distance but the observant distance to the young human who had caught his  eye. Though he would complain, the wolf couldn't help but smell the potential he had as well.

END.
WC: 1347.
TWC:3387

Jutsu Learned:
Mastery to Water Shuriken -- 1162 for 1/2 hand seals (-25% discount from max stats)
1125 WC to Learn Suiton Water Prison(-25% discount from max stats)
1125 WC to Learn Fuuton Wind Wall(-25% discount from max stats)

Remaining: 25  discard.

Approved