Shinobi Salon [Open]

Creating a bond like this was something of importance that he shouldnt take lightly but honestly this fight had left him more tired physically and mentally than any other mission had thus far.

With the contract signed and his sword put away Mitsu heads on over to the rest of the group to spot what they were up to. Promptly getting doused by the healing rain of saya's summon but laughing it off. It was a little annoying but honestly after everything that he'd been through something this simple helped center him.

"So before I head out and collapse in bed from exhaustion I wanted to know if anyone could toss me pointers on the other elements? Specifically Futon and Suiton since I'd seen in a few of the scrolls that they'd be valuable with my jutsu. I do not need anything extensive but I'd like a start" He drops into one of the chairs by the rest of the group. Mind tired but wanting to get something more than just a contract out of it all.

[3112]

Approved Daiko exit

Keita watched as the fight finally came to an end, and it seemed like the genin were a bit downtrodden with the explanations that Travin was giving them on how well they did in the fight. Keita silently wondered why he gave such a high opinion of the smaller child genin, as in his opinion he did not do much, but a distraction in a fight, even a very minor one, would be useful, although the other two could not quite capitalize on it. In his opinion the younger one was a bit too enthusiastic on joining the fight when he had just graduated from the academy while the other two had obviously had some serious training under their belt. The disparity between the three’s abilities were too great to actually form a good synergy, not mentioning the strange jutsu that made their already less powerful bodies even weaker that Travin did. In his opinion, however, the two of them practiced different ways to get around such a debilitating effect, they just needed to find the proper jutsu, and so Keita would step in after they had been told what was wrong. “Excuse me for a moment miss Saya, I will give you a good fuuinjutsu technique to study in a moment.” Keita would say, as it seemed that Saya was very interested in the different methods that Fuuinjutsu had, and he was willing to teach her one of the most useful ones he knew. He would walk over to the sparring group, and start speaking. 

“It seemed that the genjutsu Mr. Rentei here used on you crippled the three of you far more than you anticipated, which caused too many mistakes. Aside from figuring out a genjutsu was cast and dispelling it as Mr. Rentei here demonstrated, Mitsu you are a Hyuuga, meaning you should learn how to utilize the chakra out of your Tenketsu to protect your chakra network and even potentially your body from the debilitating effects of the genjutsu. As for you, Kikuko, the art of Space Time can also bring about similar effects if you practice on either making a layer of space around your body that prevents such harmful effects from touching you, or focusing on the time aspect to speed up how long the jutsu could affect you. Either way, it seems like the three of you are lacking options when it comes to your arsenal. In my opinion, defensive options are more important than offensive options, as you never know when a single technique could be harmful enough to single handedly take you out of a fight.” Keita would explain, before looking towards the smallest one of the group, Hiroyuki. “As for you young man, it is fantastic that you made it out of the academy so early, but it also means that you were the most unprepared out of all of them. It is very hard to evaluate you because you showed nothing about your fighting style, nor do you have access to any tools. I would say that you did the best you could given the circumstances, just be diligent in future training.” 

Keita would then nod to them as he finished up his speech, before walking back over to Saya, and bidding a farewell to Daiko with a slight bow, as it seemed he had gotten what he wanted out of this training and left quickly. Keita was also going to tell him that he needed to be a Senju, or have access to their DNA through a medical transplant, to actually use the wood element, but he had left far too quickly for Keita to do so. After returning to the side of his whiteboards, Keita would then write down a particularly strange sealing formula, before rolling up his right sleeve, revealing a fuuinjutsu seal on his forearm. “So Miss Saya, this is one of the best utility seals that I know of, and demonstrates the power and utility of Fuuinjutsu quite well. It is the Seal of Absorption. This seal is placed on your skin somewhere, and activated later by running your chakra through it, meaning in combat situations it does not require any hand seals, a useful trait to have. After activation, it sends out an invisible field of chakra that locks on to a technique of your choice that is within it, and seals as much of it as it can into itself, before the seal dissipates. Usually this simply greatly weakens the opposing technique, but sometimes, if your chakra is particularly powerful, this can seal an entire technique into itself, dissipating it instantly. I would suggest learning this first, as not only is it one of the best seals I know, its functions open up more options once you understand each of its principles.” Keita was a bit more enthusiastic when speaking about fuuinjutsu, as it was his favorite ability, although he mostly trained ninjutsu. 

After explaining that to the bubbly girl, he would simply wait and see if anyone else had anything they wanted to learn from him.
-------------------
WC: 845

A more focused and relaxed shinobi would have stood quietly, waiting for their teacher to return to give them a bit of focus as they promised, but as we all know, Saya is neither a focused nor relaxed shinobi. It felt natural for her to simply follow Keita as he headed towards the group that had just tried out sparring. She expected it was half the groups first time, and they'd learned valuable lessons that the high ranked teacher was looking to expound upon. It says something about the girl that in a crowd with a jounin and an anbu member she felt at home enough to take up a position teaching the next generation instead of standing back. What it said probably had more to do with her own view of herself than her skill, but realistically she had both.

"ALSO!!! It is important when fighting with a team that you know how the team works together. Before that battle you should have at least discussed your individual skills and how they could have interlaced to protect one another. Allies whose ability is a surprise are not allies on the battlefield. If their specialization works in contrary to your own, then they can easily become a hinderance. One thing i've learned quickly, is that you should have techniques that can help you work with your friends to look out for one another. While I have the blessing of puppetry to aid in that, i actually have a full set of jutsu that are more specific to team combat than solo, and knowing which ones to use and when is like. SO important." Even as she walked, invisible threads floated from her fingers across the training area. Five moved towards her friend Kiku, latching on as she began speaking in a way she would be quite familiar with. Unless she was stopped, At the end of her explaination she would lift one arm up quickly. In emphasis to her point, Kiku's body would jump as the skillful achievement with a human body allowed her the increased movement of her chakra threads, doing a backflip before landing in the same spot. The higher speed and mimicry of Saya's hand movements she hoped would be enough to make clear what had just happened.

"oh! and al--" She was cut off. Boy did she hate when that happened, but honestly it was for the best.

"Nope. This is my area of expertise. Prepare to give aid. NOW, You've learned of the importance of the genjutsu release, which I would suggest all of you take the time to master quickly, but there is a short list of supplementary jutsus that I must insist you consider adding to your repertoire at your earliest convenience. There is the mark seal technique, body flicker, Storage displacement, the basic sealing technique and temporary paralysis, mark seal tracking, and summoning technique. Each of these are invaluable both in and out of combat in different ways. " Repertoire. WHEW! Pinochio was feeling bougie today. He took over the jutsu teaching portion of saya's speal, giving her time to look at the higher ranked keita with a bright smile that suggested she just couldn't help herself as he began speaking. One by one she'd perform the techniques as Pinochio named them, showing the hand seals and taking time to give a bit of a show of their effect--asside from paralysis technique. That would she would show the seals for, but not actually activate for very obvious reasons. She placed her palm on the puppets head to show the mark seal, summoned her void storage for a moment before pulling out an apple, sealed the apple in an empty plot convenient paper tag, shifted exactly two inches to her right at a blinding speed of two hundred and twenty, and... Well she searched for where pinochio was, but she couldn't exactly show that as mark seal tracking doesn't really have an obvious effect. With all of this done, she would follow Keita back to their training location.

"OOoooo That actually sounds like a really cool jutsu. " It would be uncomfortably seamless the way she simply formed the seals and placed the absorbtion seal on her forearm the moment the information was explained. sometimes even I, your third person omniscient narrator forget how easily things come to her.

(TWC 4109)

Koutaku was headed towards the Military Training facility, already quite satisfied with the first set of preparations that he’d made for the day. He’d bought a bundle of shrunken, makibishi spikes, and a single wakizashi which now hung from his belt, safely sheathed. As he headed in, finally feeling relatively well equipped, the genin checked over his gear as he retrieved some spare wire from the facility’s stores—carefully counting each piece of equipment before he entered the building proper. Glancing about, his pouches once more sealed, the Iouchiryo considered the various individuals present, all shinobi of course. From closed off rooms he could hear the sounds of techniques being utilized, of weapons clashing—dulled by chakra-infused glass or reinforced walls. In the main set of halls, which were more open concept, he watched as shinobi of all ages and ranks honed their individual crafts.


Puppet users, fellow Weaponry experts, and a wide variety of ninjutsu practitioners all did their due diligence to improve upon their skills, learn new talents, and familiarize themselves with different techniques. Several times, as he walked, Koutaku challenged himself by deliberately attempting to navigate dangerous areas.


One time he was almost clipped by a massive water dragon and the other shinobi gave him a glare, while some of Koutaku’s peers or the occasional academy student stared. Smiling to himself as he did what was what another might equivalently call an unnecessarily dangerous warm-up, Koutaku eventually reached the room he’d been intending to use on his lonesome. Blinking—for this particular unit wasn’t typically in use this time of day—the genin remained in place for a moment as he peered through the small window on the door and into the room.


As he scanned over the individuals—noting two more prominent shinobi in the village, both several ranks beyond him, and then another genin, Koutaku’s gaze froze in place as he noticed Saya. However, while he did for a moment experience an intense urge to be elsewhere, Koutaku ultimately decided that there was no point in avoiding the more experience kunoichi and so instead, he pushed the door open and entered.


Without a word of greeting, only giving the others a small nod of acknowledgement, Koutaku found a portion of the area to use for himself, at which point he took a deep breath—his back to the others. Focusing, the Iouchiryo twitched his fingers, almost instantly pulling two wire-bound shrunken into each hand. The wire itself found itself wrapped around some strips of cloth he’d brought from home in order to prevent what were easily his most important tools from cutting him.


Spinning one shuriken idly as he flicked his wrist once more, his fingers moving in a blur, Koutaku replaced the other length of wire and the attached shrunken to his pouches. Then he performed a series of handseals, specifically Tiger, Horse, Ram, and the Clone seal. With these prepared, the last held for a split second, two shadow clones exploded into existence, the ephemeral smoke of their creation quickly dissipating into nothing.


Immediately, as if cued into Koutaku’s intentions, the two clones struck at their creation, the first (Kou) drawing their wakizashi in a wicked attack, while the second (Taku) dashed backwards and away as he released a spray of shuriken down at its flesh-and-blood equivalent.


Acting partially on instinct Koutaku’s perception sped up, the world seeming as if it were slowing to a stand still in response. Taking in every detail, the young shinobi drew five wire bound shuriken with his right hand, even as his left went through handseals and used the storage technique to withdraw a single tool: A kunai. Swiftly, Koutaku whipped his five shuriken backwards, the wire catching them before they went too far, causing them to follow the arc of his arm’s movement. As such the tools struck aside the shuriken with ease even as Koutaku blocked the strike from Kou with his kunai, sliding back a step as he did so. Knowing that his counterpart would be attempting something, Koutaku performed the Ox, Dog, Rat, and Ram hand signs before clapping his free hand onto the one holding the kunai.




Not one to be caught idle, Kou narrowed his eyes and retreated in a jumping dash just as a wall of wind whipped into existence around the clone’s creator before expanding out to a radius of five meters, totally obscuring his adversary. The original having acted just in time as several more shuriken, these attached to wires, were struck aside by the whirling sphere of wind. Recovering its footing, the second clone, Taku, landed aground and began performing handseals of its own—Bird and Dragon specifically. With those performed, the clone crouched and then jumped into the air and when it was at the top of its arc, roughly 5 meters in the air, its technique activated.




As a result, rather than fall rapidly, Taku’s pace decreased drastically such that he was slowly drifting downwards towards the swiftly rotating wind.


Meanwhile, the first clone slid to a stop roughly 4 meters away from the perimeter of the defensive technique, brandishing his blade as he activated Chakra Infusion. Performing the Tiger and Boar handseals before clapping his hands, Kou activated Flying Swallow, further infusing his wakizashi with power.


Not satisfied even with that, Kou utilized another technique, channeling the three through eachother via Elemental Infusion.





Then, without hesitation, Kou dashed forwards, using a final set of handseals as he reached the barrier of wind. Infusing his clothing with chakra, he passed through the wind wall, taking minor damage, before his gaze flickered about to find their adversary.


There was nothing in sight…but only because within the eye of the storm, a smoke bomb had been detonated, totally blinding Kou to his surroundings. Meanwhile, outside the sphere, Taku used Hidden arms to draw forth one explosive tag, a shuriken, and some wire, having the tag wrapped within the hole, and the wire further affixing it in place. Spinning the implement for a moment, Taku performed several handseals and then threw the shuriken at the wind wall, infusing it with chakra as he did so. As the shuriken struck, its impact force equal to that of the wall, it was able to pass through, taking some damage in the process. Of course, this and the flare of chakra set off the explosive tag, inflaming the entire wind wall, but not destroying it. Taku prepared more shuriken, embedding one in the ground before dashing at the firestorm that the wind wall had become.


Koutaku himself was however prepared for everything except the flames that swiftly encapsulated the area and began to eat away at the oxygen. Swearing internally, he infused himself with chakra such that his movements and footsteps were silent, and then accelerated all at once, closing the one meter of distance between himself and the clone, Kou.


Kou, unable to see—or hear—and stunned by the sudden flames, didn’t notice until the last moment that he was being attacked and so promptly took a fatal blow to the throat, causing him to disperse. Koutaku himself, now facing only one adversary, used Hidden Arms to draw forth two wire-bound shuriken before taking a deep breath and focusing for a moment. A sensation spiked through him as he honed in on his awareness of his own body, then his chakra, and then in a snap that awareness expanded outwards all at once. Smirking, Koutaku noted the rapidly approaching clone and drew two more wire-bound shuriken, whirling them before throwing all four towards the wall of flame nearest the clone.

Taku, unaware of the new development, continued running only for his eyes to widen as the wall of flames suddenly bulged slightly in four locations. Swift to react, the clone slammed a foot down into the ground and activated a technique. Just barely in time, the clone shifted in form, becoming a rock only as big as a fist. The shuriken missed, the rock fell to the ground, rolling to one side, before reverting to a human form as Taku slashed. Cutting two of the wires, Taku dashed to the left even as a kunai emerged from the flames and narrowly missed as he arrested his momentum.

At least, it would have, if not for the fact that it turned midair and then struck straight through Taku's skull, causing him to disperse.

A moment later, the inflamed wind wall fell, and with it a small burst of wind chakra allowed the smoke to rapidly disperse as well. He'd have to replace that smoke bomb, but that was alright, it had been entirely worth it. Popping his neck, Koutaku twitched his wrists, recalling his shuriken as he walked over to the fallen kunai and plucked it from the ground. Slightly annoyed at the cut wire, Koutaku sighed and stowed each part of the severed material in a different pouch. He'd deal with that later.

Taking a moment to process the information he'd gained from his clones, Koutaku glanced over to the other shinobi sharing the training area with him, before turning away once more and walking over to a corner. He decided he was going to do a spot of meditation to focus on the new skill he'd been practicing. Sitting down with his back straight and against the wall, the genin took in a deep soothing breath and closed his eyes. At first there was only black, the backs of his eyelids, and the sound of his own breathing--the sensation of his heartbeat. He took these in and with time--even with the chattering voices of the other shinobi and the clashes of others still, he became aware of the faint sound of his own rushing blood. With this he began to visualize, and this he found rather difficult, frowning slightly as he attempted it. So, unsatisfied with that result he instead tapped into another scent, his hearing. At first there was nothing, and then his sense of touch was active as well and beyond the feeling of the floor or the air against his skin, he felt something. Like rushing water, but almost electric within him, Koutaku noticed in detail the flowing of his own chakra. Soon after, with greater focus, his senses expanded outwards and he could somehow hear and feel the exact location of the others in the room. Each of them was subtly different, their individual signatures holding a beautiful sort of nuance and intricacy. Still, that's not why he wanted to hone this ability, so he stretched further, feeling some of the other nearby shinobi who were outside their little training area, each doing their own forms of training.

Some moved in flowing or choppy kata, practicing tai or bukijutsu, whereas others released techniques which he felt spread out or erupt forth in an effect. Each manifestation of chakra was wholly unique, though the all held subtle similarities to each other that he kept in mind, pondering on them as even the feeling of his body began to fall away. His awareness drifting, Koutaku took in a broader view of things, seeing the big picture and from this he began to construct a sort of diagram in his mind. The layout of rooms nearby, based on the flowing of ambient energy within the facility and where it was redirected, the location of his fellow shinobi, in the room and otherwise. This sense of his it didn't stretch terribly far, but that wasn't a problem for him, it was enough. With it he could map out his surroundings and the longer he focused the more clear the exact nature of such became, he began to notice patterns in people's movement, in the flow of chakra in and around them--insofar as he could sense within them, which truly was far more limited than his own sense of himself. It was beautiful, but more importantly it was intensely interesting and eminently practical. Even with his reduced range he'd be able to precisely sense individuals nearby, that was unless they suppressed their chakra.

With this in mind, Koutaku turned his senses inwards once more and focused on the flow of his chakra--then on what small amount of it his body passively expelled. Gritting his teeth and swallowing hard he changed the pattern of his breathing and focused intently. Like a technique all its own, he altered the flow of his chakra and restricted what of it escaped or permeated his body. It was like trying to consciously dilate his pupils or cause goosebumps, or constrict blood vessels, and yet unlike those he managed it, his brow screwed up in a frown of intense concentration.

He kept it up for several minutes and the longer he held it, the easier it became. With the slowness of time he became proficient at the skill and eventually he was satisfied and so allowed his chakra network to return to its natural state. Surging forth, the network blossomed anew and for an instant he glowed brightly within his own chakra vision, which had become more clear as he'd focused on suppressing his own signature.

'Interesting,' he thought, noting the phenomena and realizing that he'd heard of a technique that did much the same. Understanding the principle he called upon the memory of said jutsu and attempted to do it intentionally, yet for some reason he couldn't manage it. Frowning he cast the idea away for the moment, vowing to come back to it at a later time, perhaps he'd need it some day to use as a signal.

Opening his eyes, the young genin reached to the side and then from thin air extracted a book, specifically an Encyclopedia of Jutsu, which he began to read, still seated in the lotus position against the wall. Glancing over its contents, his eyes scanning each page--every word and depiction taken in--Koutaku rapidly searched through its contents. There was so much within its pages, so much to learn, so much to decipher and take apart and the idea of such brought a smile to his face. He knew that one day, perhaps very soon, he'd have accrued enough knowledge to begin creating his own techniques, things that might one day be added to a tome like the encyclopedia.

The wind, earth, and lightning ninjutsu interested him in particular as well as the fuinjutsu that he found within. The discipline was absolutely fascinating if he was being honest. It was much like ninjutsu, but rather than utilizing one's own chakra system to mould chakra and create techniques, you used a set of formulae that could be placed essentially anywhere. Grinning at the thought, Koutaku decided then and there that he'd learn the art some day, if only because he felt it suited him.

Pausing in his deciphering of the book, Koutaku set it down beside him and stared up at the ceiling, allowing his mind to sort through the contents in the background as he considered the words of the nearby shinobi. Working as a team sounded...frustrating. So much communication before hand and likely even more training just to make sure that each member reached a certain degree of understanding with one another so that each could work off the other almost seamlessly. While he understood the benefits, Koutaku was glad to have the Shadow Clone technique, if only because it allowed him some of the benefits that a team provided, without all the hassle of the time and energy invested in syncing up with them. At that thought he considered something he'd read about recently: Living Clones. Perhaps that was the answer, a clone of oneself, even if they required training they'd be more in sync with the creator than any other person ever could be. Bringing his thumb up to his lips, Koutaku began to chew ever so gently on his nail as he considered this.

He knew that such a technique would require greater expertise than he possessed, but he also knew that it wasn't so far out of his reach that considering it now was pointless. The longer he pondered the idea, the more he liked it, that was until he considered the biggest flaw. The clone would still be another person separate from the self.... Fallible and it would be incredibly possible for their mindset, their personality to stray from the original and with that there came numerous other possible difficulties or consequences. What if the Living Clone decided it didn't want to be a clone anymore and so sought out its creator's demise? What if the clone decided its path differed from the creator's and they went on their own way, or what if they revealed the creator's secrets to others in the interest of its own self improvement. These thoughts brought Koutaku great unease, but he sat with them nonetheless, frowning down at the floor as he did so. Idly, one of his hands retrieved a kunai and began to cycled it between fingers rapidly. His other hand, more intentionally, moved the jutsu encyclopedia before him and he glanced down at it, slowly turning pages. He came to a set of fuinjutsu that brought him pause, and then he closed the book and stowed it away in the pocket dimension he'd had it in prior. Then he withdrew another book, this one on fuinjutsu, and set it before him, perusing this one more slowly.

Principle after principle he absorbed as he read it, each one crystallized his idea for a living clone more clearly, especially as he came to understand that indeed seals were essentially chakra moulding formulae. That meant that an individual, with enough effort, could create a living clone that was...beholden to its creator in certain ways. Interesting. Performing a few handseals, before pulling another book from his storage space, Koutaku opened it. He was glad for the library his family had back home--more glad that he'd set it up so he could draw books from it and through his storage to him. Scholars and specialists as they were--or once had been--they had a wide variety of tomes including some on living clones. This was one of those and he placed it beside his book on advanced fuinjutsu--and the principles in general--and began to scan through each. Eventually he grew tired of the confusing task and performed the seals for two shadow clones. They appeared immediately. He handed the books off to them and then extracted a third, this one on ninjutsu principles. Together, the three instances of Koutaku delved into the tomes, doing research rapidly to prepare for a day in the future when they'd certainly have some need of it.

So it was that in the course of ten or so minutes the trio managed to consume the contents of their individual books and then some, as Koutaku withdrew more specific tomes for him and his clones, pouring over those as well. Eventually however, Koutaku felt that it was time for his technique to expire, so he reached out for the books and they promptly retreated to his spatial pocket just as each clone dispersed into a puff of smoke. Satisfied for the moment, Koutaku brushed himself off, stowed the kunai he'd been fiddling with, and rose from his seated position. Stretching, as he'd been sitting for a good while, Koutaku limbered up in preparation for another bout of training.

However, bored with using his own shadow clones he sighed quietly and decided to approach the other shinobi. As he walked he considered how he'd address them, obviously he'd have to treat his elders with respect, but what about Saya? She was certainly his superior in rank and experience, but they were roughly of age with one another and if he was being honest she unsettled him slightly--as impressive as that was on its own. He figured that he may as well just be polite and so as he reached the small group, waiting for each to finish speaking, he gave them a smile and spoke up.

"I'm Koutaku by the way, though I'm sure Saya recognized me from the other day," he gave her a small wave, before turning his attention elsewhere, specifically to Keita and Hayashi. Regarding them a moment, he decided to speak up once more, "What exactly are the two of you teaching?"

That said he walked backward a few long strides and began to prepare some of his tools once more. He could do so swiftly, but this time he took his sweet time, tying off wire carefully as he affixed it to several shuriken, his eyes down on his work as he awaited the reply of the two senior shinobi. Of course, he was in no way beholden to them, so he decided to continue his training "Feel free to respond whenever, I'll just be training over here in the meantime. Only so much time in the day after all," he smiled, clearly meaning no offense by the words as he again summoned two shadow clones. It wasn't exactly the most engaging thing to fight yourself--especially considering he couldn't use his entire arsenal, but at least this way he'd have the distraction of some conversation.

Spoiler:

And. With the final lesson taught by saya and the rest. Mitsu resigns to go home and just fucking collapse.

Exit Claims
[3131]
Stats
+17 to Vigor [83 to 100]
+5 to Chakra [25 to 30]
-5 from Speed [125 to 120]


[75% learning Discount]
1000 wc to Water Release
250 wc to mark tracking
250 wc to summoning technique
125 wc to body flicker
125 wc to Storage displacement
125 wc to basic sealing technique
125 wc to temporary paralysis
62 wc to mark seal technique,
[Learning Discount Ends]

1042 towards Total Concentration Breathing [2500/2500]

Also claiming Snakes of Ryuchi Cave as Summon animal as per IC signing of the contract

(LET ME OUUUUUT)

Watching as the youngest of the group departed, seemingly exhausted, Koutaku shrugged to himself before he and his two clones spread out with several feet between them. Eyeing one another, the three began to walk in a gradual circle, with the two clones meeting eyes and making a silent agreement before their collective gaze fell on their creator and they began to circle in opposite directions. Smirking, Koutaku took a breath and focused, his sensory allowing him to detect both clones as they moved. Still, he wasn't the only one who had learned--after all, they shared the same knowledge--and so it was that one of the clones performed a set of handseals--Ox, Dog, Rat, and then a clap of his hands together.


Chuckling to himself as his clone deliberately used the technique to deprive him of it, Koutaku drew his wakizashi and used Hidden Arms to affix wire around the grip, binding it in place.

Kou, now surrounded by wind, called upon knowledge of the techniques they'd studied, and then rushed into action, practicing an old classic.


Rushing towards Koutaku at just beyond their natural max speed, the clone crossed the distance in an instant, drawing two shuriken to throw to either side, even as he drew a wakizashi to clash or strike his creator.

Meanwhile, the second clone (Taku) watched, waiting for an opening.

Koutaku himself watched as his clone approached and with his drawn wakizashi he performed the Dragon and Serpent handseals with one hand as he drew a kunai. Turning sideways, Koutaku blocked the oncoming strike from Kou with the kunai, which promptly altered its shape, curving into a hook shape that allowed the genin to--with a flick of his wrist and a jerk of his arm--disarm the clone completely and acquire his weapon before following up with a shuriken aimed for the clone's face.

Surprised, but not caught flatfooted, Kou reacted, twisting out of the shuriken's way before expanding his wind wall technique, striking Koutaku in the process. At least, he would have had Koutaku not raised his wakizashi before him, its shape rapidly altering as it spread out into something similar to a shield, causing him to instead be pushed upwards into the air by the rapidly expanding wall of wind. Rendered airborne, Koutaku attempted to use the handseals for Step on High Ladder, only for the technique to fail.

Narrowing his gaze he noted the silhouette of the second clone, Taku, finishing the handseals before he'd even begun them.

"Tsk."

Following up, Taku dashed forwards to begin closing the distance, throwing a spray of 6 shuriken into the air at his helpless creator. Of course, Koutaku was not one to be easily foiled, and so he maneuvered the shield midair, wire attached to it still, and then used the transformation technique to drastically reduce his body in size, allowing him to fully hide behind the shield. His strength not the least bit diminished, Koutaku threw wire bound shuriken down into the ground, and pulled, before swiveling the shield behind him and using it as a platform to push down and forwards at Taku. Still armed with the clone's wakizashi, Koutaku was well on his way to countering his clones once more.

To add insult to injury he performed the rat, boar, and dog handseals, storing a technique.


Of course, Taku was hardly one to remain idle and so seeing the change in circumstances, he reacted, weaving wire between his gloved fingers before throwing it forwards, creating a net with it in the air where his adversary was about to land. Having prepared, however, Koutaku released his technique, unleashing a small invisible disk of chakra that pressed down and forwards ahead of him, pushing the wires out of his way, before Koutaku's feet met the ground and he twisted on his heel, turning into a spinning slash that nearly took the head off the clone. Instead, Taku dodged with Split Second and dashed back 2 meters, throwing three wire bound shuriken as he did.

Koutaku performed four handseals: Tiger, Hare, Ram, and Horse.


Swiping his hand, a curved blade of wind was released, striking the shuriken downwards at the ground, as Koutaku raised his right arm and blocked the falling strike of a kunai. Kou had rejoined the fight. Following through, Kou stabbed at his creator with a second kunai, attempting to get past his guard, only for chakra to flow through some wire draped down the genin's back from wire, activating Chakra Infusion and Sakura: First Step as the kunai hit them. Twisting his blade to deflect the first kunai, Koutaku also maneuvered the wires, ensnaring the second kunai, before flicking his wrist to send it back at the upstart clone, forcing Kou to retreat. Gaze still locked on Taku, their creator rushed forwards at the clone, knowing that he was swiftly running out of techniques, but also that the same was true for the clones.

Of course, he had something of an advantage, for he'd put both clones on the back foot, meaning that Kou truly didn't see it coming as the transformed shield-wakizashi came barreling down out of the sky, manipulated by Koutaku's wires, and cut him summarily in half. Eyes widening, Taku drew his own wakizashi, two shuriken, and naturally an explosive tag. His creator merely smiled and threw two wire-bound shuriken at the copy.

Blocking effortlessly, the projectiles still kept him in a defensive position as Koutaku closed the remaining distance and struck. Off-balance, Taku blocked the first strike, stumbling back, only to realize his folly, he'd hit the shuriken downwards, and not realizing that they'd had wires on them, he'd inadvertently given his creator the opportunity to use Verdant Mountain Gale to alter their trajectory and create a wire just behind his feet, tripping him as he stumbled.

In full fall, Taku made a valiant effort, pushing one hand down into the earth, and kicking up at Koutaku's chest successfully delaying his creator's follow-up attack long enough for him to push from a handstand up and into the air. Koutaku, thinking his clone helpless, slashed horizontally with his wakizashi, only for Taku to smirk and twist his hands, wrapping wire around the blade and using his own weight and momentum to pull it from the original's hands.

"Well played," Koutaku said, the words quiet, clearly meant only for his ears, as the clone held his two blades. Koutaku, meanwhile, pulled his now normal wakizashi through the air and to his hand, catching it with a brief flourish and a smirk at his identical twin. The two began to circle one another, each considering their options and perhaps waiting for a technique or two to become usable once more. Taku was eyeing the various tools strewn around their small arena, searching for traps, while Koutaku did something strange and fully closed his eyes. Breathing deeply, he kept track of his surroundings with his chakra senses and so noticed immediately as Taku burst forth into an all-out rush. Stopping in place, Koutaku completed a single handseal, and so by the time Taku arrived, he'd transformed. It was one of the only techniques that had refreshed, but he used it expertly, the transformation causing him to grow an additional four arms, each of which drew kunai with Hidden arms. Opening his eyes at the last instant, Koutaku pushed off to full speed even as Taku attempted to change trajectory--perhaps in an attempt to use hit-and-run tactics. Thus, catching the clone still partially approaching, Koutaku blocked several weapons, and the two clashed several times--Taku regularly retreating and barely dodging as Koutaku used his many arms to continually pressure the clone back.

Finally, the clone--with a look of determination on its face, drew out its explosive tag and threw it. Koutaku wasted no time and threw his own kunai through it, the weapon flying further and piercing the clone through the eye. The explosion began but was never completed as the clone was immediately dispersed. Breathing hard, Koutaku dismissed the transformation technique, sheathed his blade, and then jerked his hands back towards him, using Mass Pull and wire to retrieve the tools that remained on the field once more. Stowing things away, Koutaku glanced over at the others once more, before turning back to his own business, he had a lot of work to do after all.

Considering his options, and the path forward, Koutaku realized he was lacking in several essential areas. He had little in the way of deleterious techniques—aside from those that simply dealt damage—and furthermore, he had nothing that allowed him to briefly increase his own potency. Worse though, he had pitiably little in regards to defensive jutsu and this bothered him most of all. Still, he would take things one step at a time, and with this in mind, he decided to focus on learning several defensive techniques and perhaps an enhancer or two.

So it was that he withdrew his encyclopedia again. Skimming through the tome, he eventually found two enhancers, one of which seemed to double as a defense against deleterious effects, if not damage. Furthermore, he came upon an interesting seal that served a similar purpose and a medical technique that could reduce the potency of some attacks. Taking several minutes—pacing as he did so—to study the various techniques in detail, Koutaku internalized the necessary principles and then memorized the execution of each before he stowed the book back in the pocket dimension that he’d created earlier that day.

Performing a swift series of handseals—Hare, Monkey, Dragon, Tiger—Koutaku managed to activate the first of the techniques he was planning to learn.


Swiftly his chakra welled up within him, pressing at the edges of his tenketsu, before expanding out in a burst of force, creating a rounded silhouette of energy around him. Intrigued, the genin focused on his sensory abilities, taking in every detail of the chakra and its properties as he could manage, his hands beginning the handseals for a second technique as he did so.

At first, his chakra responded, but for whatever reason, he couldn’t seem to get it to behave properly so experimenting, Koutaku deactivated his enhancer and then attempted the technique once more, reciting the handseals in his head as he guided his chakra through the necessary forms with slow deliberation.

'Monkey. Ox. Snake. Ram. Tiger. Dog.’

With those performed his chakra responded more readily, flowing out of his body in a flame-like aura of blue energy that wavered and danced about his form on all sides.

[

Smiling appreciatively as he looked himself over, the aura channeling around him, Koutaku wondered just how effective the technique was. After all, it was one thing to know theoretically how useful a technique was and another entirely to understand it on an intuitive experiential level. So, experimentally, he drew a kunai and then slid its edge down the length of his arm, all to no avail as it failed utterly to deal damage. Impressed, Koutaku did so several more times until the aura flickered, making him stop in response, a single tiny bead of blood dripping down his arm and to the ground. It seemed that was the limit to the damage that the medical technique could manage at this level. No worries, it would be useful all the same.

Switching Gears once more, Koutaku took in a slow, deep breath and focused his chakra, moulding it with his wind affinity as he did so. Then, when he felt that he was sufficiently prepared, Koutaku performed the seal of confrontation.

Immediately he felt wind tugging at his clothes and hair as it surged from his body and gently coiled about him in swift-moving currents.


Feeling invigorated, Koutaku hopped from foot to foot experimentally before pushing backward as if evading an opponent or attempting to create distance between them. Surprisingly, rather than moving at his usual 140 speed, he blasted backward at a tremendous 190 speed. Eyes widening, he barely managed to arrest his momentum before slamming straight into the wall that had before been several meters behind him. The shock of his speed didn’t last long, however, fading into the background as a small smirk worked its way onto his lips and a feeling of elation filled his chest. This was truly fantastic as if he recalled correctly the technique would also significantly enhance his ninjutsu capabilities while it remained active.

More than just pleased, Koutaku made the Tiger, Hare, Ram, and Horse seals before unleashing a blade of wind by swiping his arm towards the wall behind him. It came out far more powerful than normal and he couldn’t help but grin even wider before laughing to himself and dispersing the technique.

Surveying the damage with a pleased smirk, Koutaku noted that it had truly gouged a considerable hole into the wall, fully showcasing how useful techniques such as these could be. He vowed to make some of his own in the future, perhaps he’d even do some research on Beast Cloaks after all those were rather similar to a certain degree as far as he’d read.

Pondering next steps he began to pace, withdrawing his new wakizashi as he did so, considering the other new ways he could utilize the implement in combat situations. Beyond using simply as was intended, he knew that Sokumen Henkou afforded each of his weapons many other possible uses. He reveled in this fact and while the technique was an incredibly versatile tool in his arsenal, he decided that once his foundational skills had reached a certain point that he would do as his predecessors had done and innovate upon it. In a way that had always been his dream, to innovate, to make his mark, but the more he clawed his way out of his family’s shadow the more clear these things became. With every technique learned and every book read in the interest of furthering his knowledge and expertise he found that there was such a truly massive variance of techniques and skills the world over that another might never understand them all. Koutaku however, had a way with these things. He wasn’t sure if it was the training his family had almost ruthlessly drilled into him as he grew up. He’d loved it and he’d hated it, but all the while he’d noticed small details, principles, and trends of how things functioned. It was putting them back together that had been difficult for so long.

In a way it was like Koutaku was finally catching up to the expectations his family had set, the goalposts they had placed on what he’d once thought an impossible horizon—a distance he’d thought too far to ever cross. How wrong he had been. Still, it wasn’t as if he’d reached that goal yet, no it was just that now he could actually see its silhouette and similarly that each step forward didn’t feel like a titanic effort. Unsure what exactly had changed, Koutaku frowned slightly and sat back down, pondering the conundrum of his life, his experience. What had changed? His environment was much the same, his access got information was only ever-so-slightly improved, and though his repertoire had expanded drastically in the last while he didn’t feel as if his foundational knowledge had changed terribly. So, rather than look at differences, he turned his gaze backward through time, trying to find the through-line and it was there that he struck gold.

Always he’d easily picked up principles and concepts, individual and distinct disciplines on the small scale. As he’d realized before, he’d always had those, just now…he understood that part of himself better. Then he remembered something else, something about his clan that he’d never quite understood, never been able to relate to or find in himself.

His relatives each had told him stories and given him insight into what the Iouchiryo called Divine Inspiration. Some unknown capacity that only their clan held, a trait that made each of their members preternaturally good at something no matter how strange, niche, or wildly arcane it was.

Some had small talents, perhaps they were able to track the movement of air within a foot of their body or their natural flexibility was unmatched. Others could pick up any weapon as if it were an extension of themselves, wielding it as another digit or limb. Others still were limited in some way, they couldn’t learn some specific discipline or variety of technique, but in exchange…well, they had an extraordinary capacity of some kind. His elder sister, for example, was a bit strange, seemingly capable of taking incredibly foundational techniques and stretching them beyond their limits. Of course, that was just a side-effect, Kaiu had always told him, for the real secret was that her ability to mould chakra went above and beyond the norm.

She’d shown him once, in fact, took him out of the village and up a mountain when he’d been younger, not yet of a rank in the village. Just a brother going on an adventure with his sister. Once they were far away from things and tucked in an uninhabited cave, she’d taken a deep breath and really revealed to him what she could do. It was incredible. Formative even.

Perhaps some of the most beautiful manifestations of chakra that he’d ever seen, Kaiu had seemed to create a sort of center point around which chakra naturally gathered, coalescing into something like a hurricane, but in three dimensions, both spiral and sphere-like all at once. Artfully, Kaiu had moved the axis points about, creating intricate patterns, eddies as different rotations of chakra affected one another. Crystallized in his memory even more than what he’d seen though were the words he’d said and how his sister had responded.

Understanding only the most essential principles of chakra and its manipulations Koutaku had spoken up. Eyes glassy and flickering slightly almost as if dreaming--as Kaiu had told him--Koutaku exclaiming about the beauty of the technique she’d showed him and how impressive it was on a mechanical level. Bemused, Kaiu had asked what he meant, and in response, he had responded with an eerily detailed description of the technique’s inner workings, almost as if he might be capable of it himself.

Kaiu had been stunned, and faintly unsettled, but she’d not let Koutaku see that. No, he’d had to discover those facts through whispered conversations later that night, when the rest of the family thought he was sleeping. Strangely though, Koutaku didn’t remember being bothered by the words of his elders, his loved ones, but rather interested in why they felt the way they did. Perhaps even more intriguing, his mother had taken him aside a few days later and discussed--in great detail--the philosophy of their clan, and the nature of Divine Inspiration. At the time it’d meant nothing to him, but looking back on it now, in context? It was everything.

He could understand the mechanics that dwelled beneath the surface of techniques more easily than most, even without sensory. Older now, Koutaku still didn’t understand it, but at least now he knew what it was and why things had been so different since he’d made his breakthrough with Chakra Infusion. Something must have simply clicked in his mind, his experience of utilizing chakra finally falling in line with his innate understanding of it.

It brought a warm feeling to his chest, finally knowing his unique aspect, his Divine Inspiration.

[

Finally he had a name for it.

Jumping suddenly to his feet, tearing himself out of silent contemplation, Koutaku performed the seals for the Shadow Clone technique once more.


With those performed, smoke blossomed on either side of him and his two duplicates appeared once more in all their glory. This time they didn’t attack, nor did he strike them. For once, he simply spoke, giving them instructions.

“If I move more than 2 meters from my starting location in any direction, I lose.”

The clones nodded in unison and Koutaku continued.

“Work together this time, and do it properly. Similarly, don’t just use techniques to deprive me of them, remember that you’ll be depriving them to yourselves as well. It’s a waste on both ends and less applicable in combat situations. We’ve got a handle on dealing with being deprived of jutsu now. Let’s move on.”

The clones shared a look and shrugged, Kou speaking up "Very well,” before falling silent once more.

Nodding his head, satisfied, Koutaku shooed them away as he took his place in the center of the space he’d decided to use prior. The two clones, rather than circle from different angles as they had often done before, stuck together, watching their creator with equal parts wariness and interest. Koutaku on the other hand took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. Flexing his senses, Koutaku instantly became more aware of the two clones.

They didn’t act immediately, but they did start approaching him. He saw the faint movement as they likely drew weapons from pouches. Yet the sound of projectiles whistling through the air didn’t reach him. Nonetheless, Koutaku casually pulled a kunai out of each of his pouches and slid so that one foot was perpendicular to the other, his leading left foot aimed towards his clones, his body sideways. Bending his knees slightly, the genin used Hidden Arms as his clones had, throwing wire bound shuriken down into the floor, where they embedded themselves. The wires remained bound around his arms, but he let them hang with plenty of slack. Sufficiently Prepared, Koutaku took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Each clone was performing handseals as he did so, causing their creator to narrow his eyes.

Were those the handseals for his two enhancer techniques? ‘Shit,’ he thought, almost too late as he performed three handseals of his own. Tiger, Rat, and Ox.


The instant he activated, both of his clones flickered and then reappeared on either side of him, the attacks of each staggered such that he couldn’t block or dodge both due to the positioning and timing. His eyes meeting the one on his left, Taku, who was wreathed with swirling currents of wind, Koutaku smiled, his technique sending a cone forward to strike his duplicate. In the same instant, Koutaku whipped his right arm up, and spun out of the way, using Split Second to further adjust his reaction speed. He only moved a mere foot, evading the kick from Kou. The clone was perhaps even more disadvantaged as the wires encircled his leg and then pulled tight as Koutaku manipulated them. Following up immediately, Koutaku thrust his kunai at the back of the partially airborne Kou, only for him to transform, slightly to reposition his body and alter his momentum faintly mid-air. Koutaku, somewhat impressed, didn’t slow for he only had moments until Taku became a problem once more.

Thus he pulled down on the wires, forcing Kou’s leg downwards at a most uncomfortable angle, before he promptly slashed across it, cutting muscles and tendons. Kou yelped in pain and then shot away using the Jump Technique. In the same instant, Taku--sprawled on the ground--recovered and used body flicker to evade Koutaku’s strike, only to find three shuriken aimed his way as he reappeared. Having only moved 1 foot, however, he was able to bend backward and dodge the projectiles, before pushing back into a flip to avoid a slash from Koutaku’s wakizashi. Recovering swiftly, Kou pushed back at him just as his creator noticed a clone rushing at him once more, one of its legs bound in place with wire. Kou had likely used Chakra Anaesthetic to dull the pain, clever, but it wouldn’t last.

Intent to preserve his own well-being, each of Koutaku’s hands individually began going through handseals. In total, six of them, performing the Monkey, Dog, Ox, Snake, Ram, Tiger, and Dog handseals in swift succession before continuing on to more. Immediately an aura of almost fire-like chakra wreathed his body as he activated a medical ninjutsu.


Flicking his right wrist as he outright turned from the rapidly approaching Taku, the original drew his wakizashi, but not with his hand. Instead, a wire he’d affixed with Hidden Arms followed the flick of his wrist, drawing the blade at 140 speed as Koutaku finished performing the two handseals (Dragon and Serpent) for Sokumen Henkou.

Rapidly, the wakizashi expanded, in a familiar maneuver, becoming more shield-like as the blade widened to defend him. In the same instant, Koutaku grabbed the handle of the blade and used Chakra Infusion. At once, dealing with the oncoming Taku, the creator narrowed his eyes and threw five shuriken, which passed seamlessly through the clone, causing it to explode.

‘A diversion,’ he thought as he guided the transformation of the shuriken in his hand, lengthening it into something halfway between dagger and shortsword. That done, Koutaku attempted to begin more handseals only to realize his mistake.

A flare of chakra from behind the basic clone he’d dispersed revealed a rather deadly projectile heading his way. Forced to act quickly, Koutaku used Hidden arms to affix more wire to his shield-wakizashi and then activated the Jump Technique. Blasting backward, Koutaku forced himself parallel to the ground, bending his knees and craning his head back.

The Zephyr blade passed centimeters above him, shearing through the air rapidly. The wires he’d placed in the ground prevented him from going further than he’d like, so his momentum was arrested and he used Step-On-High-Ladder to regain control of his movement, using one hand to roll through the air, and the other hand to push himself to the side and back towards his former position, before deactivating the technique.

Taku’s blade stabbed into the ground where he’d just been and several shuriken flew past the second location Koutaku had inhabited. Koutaku rushed Kou, who stabbed at him faster than he could dodge only for the blade to strike briefly--doing no damage due to the original’s DR technique--before Koutaku slipped to the side allowing the blade to pass him by. As he passed Kou, the original threw wire bound shuriken, but the clone waved between them. Flicking his hand in either direction, his off-hand finishing handseals, Koutaku used Verdant Mountain Gale to redirect two of the shuriken, summarily entangling Kou’s neck with wire, which suddenly became sharp as the original used Sakura: First Step. Immediately the clone exploded into smoke.

Koutaku swiveled on a foot, stopping in place, and whipping his arms in the direction of the dispersed clone. Taku burst through the smoke, dispersing it and activating Wind Wall as Koutaku attempted to bring all the wire he’d prepared to bear. To no avail, the wind struck Koutaku and the wires, rebuffing the latter, while damaging the former. Wincing, Koutaku braced himself with one foot and performed handseals with both hands, faster than ever before.

Rat, Rabbit, Dog, Boar, Ram.

Exhaling with one tremendous breath, Koutaku unleashed a wind affinity technique.


Typically it could not have hit the clone, what with its enhanced speed, but as close as they were, and with the spread that the technique possessed, it landed, even piercing the Wind Wall.

Stunned, the clone had no time to react as tiny spheres of wind filled him with holes, before he promptly turned to smoke.

Breathing hard, having actually felt challenged that time, Koutaku fell to one knee. Slowly, he retrieved his equipment, reeling in wire and using Storage displacement to replace things either to his pouches or to his pocket dimension.

That done he sat down where he was and let the experience of using the two enhancer techniques wash over him. At once he would receive both valuable information regarding what it might be like to fight him, and what it would be like dealing with someone dramatically faster than himself.

Both were impossibly valuable pieces of experience and he planned to put them to use one day.

Spoiler:

As Koutaku considered the events of his recent practice session with the clones—his body in the lotus position and his eyes closed, his hands at rest on his knees—he realized that another realization had washed over him. He now knew what it felt like to move that fast, to deal with reacting at a speed the human body was not truly meant to reach. He understood it twice over, the experience from each clone’s technique giving him different insights into the process and also explaining why they’d seemed to have a measure of difficulty with the change in velocity. Cycling through their experiences—the memories and engraved sensations—Koutaku came to terms with the problems that they’d dealt with and vowed he would attempt to alleviate their influence on his performance in the future, or outright counter them entirely by learning better ways to deal with the enhanced speed and reaction time.

Taking another deep breath, Koutaku focused on his chakra and began to feel it cycling through his person, even noticing the two distinct affinities at his core. Wait…two? His brow screwing up in concentration, the young shinobi focused his intent harder, delving deeper with his senses until he more clearly envisioned the affinities gently swirling at his center. He felt them pulse and throb with the beat of his heart and as he watched them he noted that they felt incredibly different. One his native element of wind, embodying freedom and movement, and the other seeming more solid and reliable. His mind flashing through the basic affinities he quickly realized that his second affinity must be earth and so, with a smile he resolved that on another day he’d dedicate a training session to learning some techniques for that element. For now, Koutaku considered what he might use it for in the future, what techniques he might be capable of now that he had it.

Beyond those he had read about in his encyclopedia—the few he’d been shown by his family, and those that they had told him of—Koutaku had little experience with the Earth element. Of course, that didn’t mean that he hadn’t done research on each of the five basic affinities. After all, it was pivotal to know each of their strengths and weaknesses, both in comparison to one another and in isolation. Wind, he knew intimately, was an element of freedom, it was a gentle calming breeze or a torrential gale. It could carry you or dash you to pieces against a cliff. Further, when controlled with a sharply honed will, wind was easily the most precise scalpel or the farthest-reaching blade. However, there was more to each element even than their physical properties, for each was a physical embodiment of a natural phenomena, woven into being by the physical and spiritual aspects of the world. So many shinobi—even some members of his family—hinted, or theorized, that each element could be used in far more esoteric ways than one might think. With a skillful application of yin and yang chakra, any element could be rendered into a purer conceptual version of itself…and then once more made into a physical manifestation.

With these things in mind, Koutaku considered earth. It was solid, but it held within it a wide variety of substances. Crystals, igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic rock, and any huge variety of individual minerals and their combinations. Further, it was the element of mass, solidity, and weight. It held within it the essence of structure, creating durability, resilience, malleability, and fragility. Beyond that, it was plentiful, anywhere one went there would be some variety of earth, and as such a wielder of the affinity—like Wind, in most cases—would almost never be without it. Beyond this, it made up the very ground they stood upon and as a result, it was a tremendously powerful tool. After all, he who controls the battlefield, and the flow of a fight is often the victor.

Then, realizing he’d begun to lose himself in his considerations, Koutaku decided he’d had a long enough break. Gradually he evened his breathing out back to normal and let his awareness fall away from his chakra system, and expand back out into the environment. When he was finished he relaxed for a moment, then opened his eyes and began to stretch as he rose from his seated position in the middle of his area. Once he was standing he continued his routine, moving his neck from side to side, twisting his body, holding his arms above his head, and stretching down to his toes. He even did lunges to stretch his legs.

When he felt warmed up enough, Koutaku threw some jabs into the air experimentally and then spun into a kick. When his feet were once more firmly planted, the Iouchiryo assesses his physical condition mentally, going through a sort of internal checklist, before he nodded to himself and then extracted a kunai to spin on one finger as he approached the three remaining shinobi in the large training area. Leaving his little corner, he approached them, noting each and recalling in swift order their names--by reputation if nothing else in regards to Keita and Travin. Bowing shallowly, a sign of respect, but not overdue formality, Koutaku closed the distance between him and the three and then waved at Saya.

“Well, I’d say I’m warmed up and have had quite enough of training on my own. As I was meditating I took to wondering if perhaps there wasn’t more I could learn from you Saya.” He gave her a wide smile, before glancing between the two men.

“Of course, I’d be remiss not to ask either of you for some tutelage as well. Though...perhaps not much in the way of genjutsu…” he shuddered at the thought, unable to suppress the reaction. Moving on quickly he added, “However, any useful supplementary techniques and fuinjutsu would be endlessly useful to learn I’d say and I’ve heard that Keita at least is rather prolific in the latter of those two. Am I wrong?” He looked to the man, meeting his eyes. There was a strange confidence to Koutaku, it would be far more prevalent than when Saya had met him even just a day or so hence when they’d trained. Falling silent then, Koutaku awaited their responses, unwilling to totally dominate the conversation, if only out of a small sense of social decorum--he’d been researching that after all.

Apparently it was a valuable skill to have.

Spoiler:

Travin watched as the young man walked up to the three of them. He had noticed him doing some training off to the side while they all talked a bit, and Keita explained Fuinjutsu. A concept far outside of Travins expertise, but he always said that you can never beat something till you truly understand it. The young man walked up and asked if they could teach him some stuff and while he shuddered at the mention of genjutsu causing Travin to take an interest in him. It made him wonder just what could have happened to make him so scared of genjutsu. He had heard horror stories from people that got abused by the power offered by genjutsu, and his clan was not new to the arts of torture with it. 


“Well first off I’m Travin, what is your name.” Travin would wait for the boy to answer before moving on. He didn’t really like talking to people till he at least knew their name. Once the boy had answered “Well outside of genjutsu there is a few things I can show you pretty quick. Some are pretty easy to get the hang of and others not so much, and most of them are able to grow stronger as you do.” he would tell the boy before walking over to the training dummies making sure the boy was following before continuing. 


Once they had made it over to the training dummies Travin would pull out two kunai and allow Koutaku to see that they were just normal kunai before throwing one into the air followed quickly by the other. The two kunai would collide into each other and change directions coming back down into the heads of both of the training dummies. “This is a village jutsu called Bullseye. You simply do some mental math in your head and get the trajectory down for each thrown weapon and then hit your target by bouncing them off of each other, or walls, or really almost anything. It is a pretty powerful technique that can be used in a wide range of situations” Travin would explain to Koutaku. He would stick around and answer his question about the jutsu before moving on to the next one. 


Once Koutaku had successfully used the jutsu Travin would pull out his sword. A straight blue and black blade with a snake wrapping around the pommel of the blade. He would then channel some chakra into his body and move at increased speed towards the training dummy and slash down into the stationary target. Walking back out from behind the training dummy “That is called bull rush. It’s a high-speed attack that is used to close the distance between you and your opponent. The best part is that unlike the body flicker jutsu this jutsu does not limit how you move, you can still jump, turn, and deflect attacks coming at you as long as you don’t lose your momentum. If you know the body flicker jutsu this one should come pretty easy as it works very similarly, the only exception is that you can’t match the speed of the body flicker with this jutsu” he would explain. 

Once Koutaku was able to perform the jutsu. Travin would move on to the genjutsu release. "I’m going to place you within a genjutsu. Don’t worry it’s an easy one to figure out as it’s the one I use to teach people how to get out of genjutsu." Travin would make a few handseals and a water fall would appear to come out of the air about 10 meters up. Travin would then explain to Koutaku how to flush the foreign chakra out of his system to break the genjutsu. If Koutaku already knew it then Travin would explain how to take it a step further and perform it without the need for handseals. With the key simply being practice. Travin would stay and work with Koutaku as long as it took for him to get the jutsu down. Casting the genjutsu over and over each time it was broken if needed. Once Koutaku felt that he had gotten all he could out of it Travin would wish him well and head back over to both Keita and Saya. Giving each a nod of respect as he walked by. He had finished up for the day and most of the people had already left. As he walked out the door he would turn “Koutaku if you ever want to learn more about genjutsu, space-time, or weaponry attacks swing by the Rentei complex and we can work on it. I’m always looking for young talent to train after all it’s the only way the village will live on after we are all gone” he would give the others a smile as he shut the door behind him.


Travin would remove the helmet from his head as and stand up stretching for a bit before wiping the sweat from his brow and stepping outside of the room. Walking outside Travin would note the quick work the guards do cleaning up the rooms before heading out to go back home for the day.


WC-809 TWC-5833


Exit
claiming
25% discount 
3750 WC for Seigan Genjutsu S rank
2063 WC for Singularity A rank

rest of the WC vanishing into the abyss