A Leaf's Growth [Training]

Trying his best to find a balance between work and free time, as things should be, Goto found himself at the Training Grounds. Keeping Ishimaru's words in mind, those of training the inexperienced Genin of the next generation, the Deputy made his way to the aforementioned location, hoping at least a couple of people would decide to show up. As he arrived at his destination the young Senju sat down by the lake, the gentle breeze blowing through his silver hair as the wind softly touched his skin. Before setting out for the day he had made sure to have a couple of Chuunin deliver messages to the ones in need of training, making them aware Konohagakure could finally begin its revival, not in the literal way of the word of course.

Assuming it wouldn't take too long for everyone to arrive Goto started taking deep breaths, allowing the chakra to flow through his body smoothly, heart beating steady. 

(WC: 159)

[This thread is for everyone to train and benefit from our Advanced Training Facility, my stat page can be found here in case you'd like to learn something from me]

Ryō grunted in dismay and frustration as he struck the make-shift dummy he had put up in one corner of the training fields. Although he had felt a shift in something recently that left him restless and strongly desiring to move beyond his present capabilities, Ryō was left disheartened when his requests for non-standard training were left unanswered or turned down for hazy reasons. Perhaps it was out of a fear that if someone like him, a genin on paper relatively few missions under his belt, abruptly rocked upwards in abilities and potential that perhaps Kirigakure would see that as a threat.

He didn't like the situation one bit, having half of his mission pay taken by the foreign shinobi village, but there was absolutely nothing to be done for it. He certainly had no positional authority to try and do anything about it, and no matter how much pluck and pure desire to make things better he might have, Ryō was under no delusions about what would happen if he tried to force something to happen on his own. No matter how personally distasteful he found it, Ryō was resigned to let things play out on their own and trust the Hokage to make things better. 

A flurry of palm strikes and sidekicks were interrupted when someone landed to his left. Ryō's eyes were instantly drawn to their headband and flak jacket; a Konoha chūnin. So it was official business then. Immediately, he broke off from his self-driven training and approached the other shinobi, a young woman with short black hair and clear green eyes. He noticed a  "Ryō Senju. The Deputy Kage has summoned you for training." 

Ryō stood there in stunned silence for a long moment, his mind still reeling and attempting to process what he had heard. He knew that he had pushed for more training beyond what middling efforts were previously offered to the genin, but he had never expected someone so high up on the food chain to take notice of him. "The Deputy Kage... wants to train... me?" Even as he said the words, he couldn't grasp the reality of them. There was something so utterly impossible about them that his mind simply refused to accept them, even when given by a fellow Leaf shinobi.

The young woman brought a hand up to her lips and laughed, a melodic sound that surprised the Senju, before shaking his head. "Maybe turn your expectations down a notch or two there, buddy. The Deputy Kage summoned quite a few other genin. He said it was time to begin training the next generation of Leaf shinobi and wanted to personally oversee that."  Despite obviously putting a hole or two in his dreams, her words weren't unkind and she kept smiling the entire time. 

Still, Ryō couldn't help but deflate slightly. Of course, it wasn't anything personal... but still. His chest puffed back up once he turned the thought over in his head some more. He was still getting what he wanted, and if others were summoned then he'd have a chance to meet some new friends and maybe find a training partner or two to fuel each other's progress and improvement. And even if it wasn't a personal training lesson per see, Ryō knew that the Deputy Kage, a cousin of sorts from within the Senju Clan, was one of those who could use Wood Release; that meant that he would have the time to see such techniques used up close and personal, and perhaps could even get some tutelage on them since he had recently discovered his own ability to do so. 

Gathering his things and giving proper thanks to the chūnin, Ryō quickly returned home to shower and put on a fresh set of clothes. It was a little silly, perhaps, but he wanted to make a good first impression with the Deputy Kage and the others. Taking the instructions that had been delivered to him, Ryō made for what was apparently some kind of secret, advanced training facility within the village. He had never heard of it before, but perhaps that was because this was a more recent addition to the village; something to facilitate the training of a new generation of genin.

Arriving at the outskirts of this advanced training facility, Ryō looked around to see if anyone else had yet arrived. There were a few that he could see here and there, but they seemed to be occupied with something else already. The instructions had indicated to meet in a group upon arrival. so it seemed unlikely that others had arrived and were engaged in training already. Looking around, his eyes eventually locked onto a young man with white hair. Knowing what he knew of the man as the Deputy Kage of the village, as well as a cousin, it could have only been one man. 

Approaching slowly, Ryō did his best to not let his emotions run wild. Past feelings of inadequacy and jealousy flared up but were just as abruptly squashed. He was too old to blame others for things they had no part in, and it was better to let such matters stay in the past. He was here to train and grow stronger, exactly what he wanted. It would be better to look forward in a positive light rather than dwell in the past and what should have been. Besides, not many genin could say they were personally taught by the Deputy Kage. Perhaps one day, he'd even get some training with the Lord Hokage himself.

"Good morning, Deputy Kage." Ryō couldn't help himself as he greeted the white-haired Senju rather formally; family instinct and clan tradition just weren't something to casually disregard. "I appreciate the chance you've given me. I'm hoping the training we do here today will be exactly what I need to better serve the village." Casting another glance around, Ryō finally slipped and couldn't help but wonder aloud, "Where the hell is everyone else? I didnt think I'd be last, but I definitely didn't think I'd be first..."

-----

WC: 1,010
TWC: 1,010

A few deep breaths were taken as his chakra ebbed and flowed within his room, small droplets of water began to drop off of him, it had been a couple of days since the transplant and even now he could feel the changes in his body. Everything had flowed so beautifully as if he was a tranquil river. He couldn't do much about the other abilities of the Hozuki but he had managed to find a book or two in the archives of the library that gave some small hints, beside what his brother gave to him. Since that day he had been trying to imitate the ability to transform himself into a source of water much like they could, but he only had a base level understanding of their techniques after all. With a small sigh he would give up for just a moment as he wiped his brow and looked over to a can that he had on his desk. Holding up his index finger he would focus his chakra toward his finger and mold it into a droplet of water, before compressing and firing it from a pore in his left index finger. The water bullet would fly true hitting the can and knocking it off of the desk, landing in the trash bin just beside it. At least he had found out how to use this simple technique from the books. Amazing how books were a good start for knowledge but actually trying it made it go smoother. He seriously needed to thank his brother again for this blessing, but for now it was food time.

Standing up he would grab his shirt and iconic hoodie, putting it on and heading downstairs to fix him some breakfast. Today was supposed to be a meeting of all of the genin for some big training, and while he wasn't in the training mood it would be nice to test out some of his new abilities and to also see where he stood. His breakfast was simple- eggs, toast and orange juice with a book. He always loved reading during breakfast because the food energized his body but the book energized his mind. Soft crunching from the toast could be heard in his apartment as he ate in silence, he didn't live with the family anymore after being a genin. Felt as if he could just do it on his own and he was doing quite a good job of it in fact. It did not take him long to finish his food and once he did, he would clean the dishes and head on out with his book. With a turn of the knob he would start off into the world on a new day, determined to make it a better one. Toshi wasn't one to be late to many things but he might have been running a little late to this grand meeting. Because of that he would pick up his pace only to get there where he could only see his big bro and another person. When the two were alone he addressed him as big bro, but in the view of other ninja he had to be more professional. Coming up he would give a small wave as he spoke." Good morning Gojo...I mean Deputy Hokage?," it was weird trying to call him by his official title when they were brothers, but it wasn't anything major to change how he spoke. With their being only two people here he would wait for the others to arrive and see where the day would go from here.

WC: 600

The sunrise from behind the mountains as the rays of light consume the darkness. The clear blue sky spread widely with no clouds to cover the magnificent view that the morning brought upon Konoha. With the change of scenario, the night guards changed with the morning guards as everyone began their morning routines. A peaceful morning was like no other, calming and tranquil Zunair couldn't ask for a better way to get his start. He walked towards his kitchen as he was wearing a dark, slightly turquoise-tinted uniform, the uniform has longer, looser sleeves that are more reminiscent of those of a kimono than of the standard cuffed uniform. Upon arrival in his kitchen, he turned off the stove letting the teapot calm down from its boiling point. Zunair looked around his cabinets until he found his teacup and a bag of apple tea. He poured the water into the cup ripping the plastic around the tea as he grabbed it by its string and began to dip it on his cup.

The mint-eyed Hyuuga then found himself in the wooded area outside the Hyuuga compound, he wasn't going to train as he wanted to have a calm and quiet morning. The good thing about this place was that it runs for miles and it is a good place to walk around when no one is around. Zunair decided to just have a lovely stroll as he took out a candy bar.

However, some movement caught his attention. His eyes refocused onto it as a figure emerged from the forest edge beside him. It took a moment for it to register, but the person was a chuunin ranked nin.

“Zunair Hyuuga, the deputy Kage has requested for your presence at the training facility,” the man said. Zunair stared blankly at him and then nodded. Hopefully, it was for good reason and not something like they were about to be invaded. Zunair shook his head, figuring he needed to be on his way, started heading towards the training facility through the wooded area, as it seemed quicker.

What seemed like an eternity for a walk inside the wooded area, he finally came to a clearing as the bushes, large trees, and the dirt path disappears while a new path formed by trees and grass would continue the rest of the way. Zunair looked around as small birds passed by flying from one tree to another while in the distance deers move farther and farther from Zunair’s presence. However, what caught his gaze, even more, was the presence of three males on his right side. That must be to deputy Kage from he could tell had white hair and the other one is Ryō, he hasn’t got the chance to meet the other white-haired nin yet but he seemed reminiscent of the deputy kage. So, Zunair made his way over to the trio.

“Hello, sir. Zunair Hyuuga here,” he said as he seemingly bowed his head to show respect to his commanding officer as he also then smiled towards the other members to show kindness. Zunair would then wait for further instructions.

WC: 520

Much to his relief Goto noticed how a handful of people had started to show up, one more familiar than the other. "Good morning Ryō, I'm glad you could join me today" the silver haired greeted his fellow clansman. Although the two of them didn't have the chance yet to talk before, the Deputy had more than enough information on the young Genin, perks of being the second in command if you will. "They probably need a little bit of time, considering the previous state of our village it's normal some are wary". It hardly surprised him, nor could he blame any of them, the past years didn't exactly give anyone reason to believe this time was going to be any different.

The second person to arrive was another familiar face, well it would be quite strange if it wasn't. "Hello little brother, I see you're slowly getting used to your big bro's position" Goto said with a smile as addressing Toshiro. After exchanging greetings between one another the oldest of the three found it rather funny to witness, those currently gathered all members of the prominent Senju clan. After a couple of minutes a fourth arrived at the Training Grounds, a third Genin that decided to participate in today's training. "Welcome Zunair, I'm glad you could make it" the silver haired replied with a friendly smile. Not much longer after the young Hyuuga arrived someone else found his way to the group as well, remaining at the side for now. "Ash, feel free to come and stand a little bit closer if you'd like", with a gentle smile the deputy would try to involve the Iburi in their meeting.

By then Goto had already stood up, allowing everyone a moment to introduce themselves to each other before he'd speak up once again. "I'm sure the others will join us when they get there, while we wait I'll take this time to explain the reason of why I invited each of you here". The Senju went on and informed the Genin he wanted to use the opportunity to train together and if needed teach a couple of them whatever they required. "For those who do not know me, I am Goto Senju, Deputy of Konohagakure. I'll be overseeing everyone's training and assist in any way possible". Using the knowledge he possessed on everyone present, granted to him by the personal information on the shinobi of the village, the silver haired already had an idea on how he would be able to help every single one of them. "Now, feel free to begin your training, I'll be around in case there are any questions". Clapping his hands together Goto officially gave the sign for them to start, standing tall as he waited for others to arrive.

(WC: 465, TWC: 624)

Ryō watched as others began to trickle in. First to arrive after himself was another Senju, though Ryō couldn't think of any pertinent details beyond that. It was heartening, however, to see more Senju around the village. When his branch of the family had retreated from the village, forcibly taking him with them, there had been some concern if those Senju who had remained within the village had survived. Those concerns had clearly been wasted, though there was a part of Ryō that was disquieted by rumors he'd heard of Senju who had defected and fled to other villages. Surely just rumor though...

The next two to arrive were complete mysteries to Ryō, though the one without the coverings obscuring his face seemed pleasant enough a person. He at least spoke and greeted the Deputy, whereas the other seemed content to merely stand to the side. Before Ryō could take any further offense to the lack of manners he perceived, the Deputy spoke. It was, as had been elaborated to him by the chūnin who had spoken to him earlier, a joint training session meant to fuel the growth of the genin of the village as a whole. Even if he had no reason to doubt those earlier words, Ryō had still quietly hoped that maybe something else would arise.

'No big deal,' he thought to himself. It was still a chance for more training, and perhaps a chance to help the village out as a whole. If he was lucky, he knew he'd get some insight into his own defects and help him fuel his growth without the threat of death. And with them being given a clean slate on how to proceed with the training, Ryō decided to take some initiative and do something to part of it closest to the lake. After all, while a clear field made for adequate training purposes, it didn't offer anything innate to work around or give the opportunity to shine and highlight potential. 

Slamming his hands against the ground, Ryō forged the ground into a series of walls; some were several meters tall while others were a scant meter tall - ideal for parkour or using as cover while attacking a target. Gathering more chakra, he performed another series of hand seals and again turn a hand against the ground to mold; this time, the ground erupted in a series of spikes that jutted upwards in a conical formation, never quite touching another and leaving gaps between them. It wasn't perfect, but it was another easy place to demonstrate agility and flexibility by weaving through the spears.

Satisfied with himself, and a bit winded from expending so much chakra so quickly, Ryō stood up and wiped his brow. Turning to the other genin, he simply grinned and decided that if there was training to be had under the watchful eye of the Deputy, it wouldn't hurt to start with what he knew and get some pointers to solidify the foundations of his ability before moving on to the theoretical and asking questions.

-----

@Toshiro Senju
@Zunair Hyuuga
@Ash Iburi
@Goto Senju

WC: 507
TWC: 1,517

Acclimating to the climate of the Village Hidden in the Leaves had been difficult, these last few days. After having been seen to an inn by the officials from the village gate, Kaneki had busied himself with as much odd jobs as he could possibly get his hands on. Tearing through the village like a particularly money hungry dust devil, he had collected enough money that he could probably handle the inn fees for at least the month. That was good, he figured, but he still needed to be able to send money back to his family. Still, he had to face the realities of the situation. His back hurt, his muscles ached. When was the last time he had gotten a full night’s rest? As much as the sunlight here was an absolute delight to nap beneath, he had yet to be fully able to enjoy such a moment. Today, and perhaps tomorrow, he would take a break from the constant cycle of work he had found himself into to decompress.

Perhaps he would take a visit to the offices? The shinobi who had helped him into the village ever so recently- Goro, he remembered- had left an open invitation for whenever they would discuss further stay within the village. While it partially was a chore and responsibility he understood would eventually need to be taken care of, there was a sentimental, silly part of him that simply wanted to meet the man again after their initial encounter. That sort of kindness and open welcome wasn’t something he was used to, after traveling from his everyday life in Earth Country. Maybe it was a fluke, maybe it wasn’t, but his curiosity wouldn’t be slaked until he had met the man once again.

And so when he was immediately flummoxed by the attendants at the administrative building, he wasn’t sure what to do. “Mr. Senju is currently out giving a seminar.” He had been told. “You could try the Advanced Training Facility, but it’s a hit or miss if he’s there or not.” Truth be told, he had never heard of such a building, and he certainly didn’t know how to arrive there. But, through a combination of equal parts providence and a few very helpful locals, he found himself in front of the odd structure. So these were the sorts of facilities that shinobi found themselves training within? He didn’t understand it quite as much as he felt he might have, but at a base level it had a certain level of sound logic to it. Why would a smith ply the basic practices of his craft anywhere but the forge? Having the right tools readily available turned ‘practice makes perfect’ into ‘perfect practice and perfect product’. Still, was he really allowed to be here? Everything about the area screamed ‘official’. Damn it, was this really how he would end up in irons? Trespassing?

Well, there was something to be said about nothing ventured, nothing gained. Moving further into the facility, he would wander lost for a few minutes before the sound of voices would eventually lead him to a small gathering of people. Three? No, five, by the looks of it. Four figures who he was fairly certain he had never seen before in his life, and one decidedly familiar by the shock of whitish silver hair. Huh. Thinking about it, there were two people with that same color of hair. Perhaps it was a more common color in this region? Granted, he couldn’t talk with his own natural ‘color palette’.

Listening from roughly twenty meters to the right of Goto’s position, he would eventually approach to within two meters of him with a slow, somewhat sheepish clip. It wasn’t as though he would have been hiding- rather, that would be difficult seeing as he was currently garbed in a combination of lavender hoodie and simple brown workman’s pants- but he felt like it was best to give the shinobi some degree of privacy. At least, he assumed they were shinobi. While he had rarely interacted with any even when the Village Hidden in Stones was still in operation, he had to admit one thing. They definitely had ‘the drip’.

“Heya, Goto.” Waving awkwardly, Kaneki would brush a stray lock of hair out of his eyes. “I tried to find you at your office and I ended up getting sent here. Am I interrupting something?” Looking around again, he would shift somewhat uncomfortably. “Because I can totally leave and, like, forget I saw anything if it’s important. No skin off my back. Promise.”

[765]

Before this day, Ryō had spent hours considering his own abilities, both current and aspiring. He knew that while he would need to achieve a great deal of proficiency with Wood Release, his natural aptitude for Earth Release was going to be the foundation for his personal combat style. To that end, he wanted to strengthen it first. As it was the first chakra nature that he had manifested, it was also the one easiest for him to perform. Hopefully, then all he would need was some quick pointers from his cousin, perhaps a demonstration or two, and he would be set.

To that end, he gathered his own chakra around him and, after a few quick hand seals, shifted its nature towards that of earth. Once that was done, he took a tentative breath and allowed himself to slip into the earth. He got more than halfway into the ground before he felt himself stop at the waist, his chakra briefly faltering and leaving him stuck.  He did his best to hide his embarrassment and redoubled his focus. After a moment, he felt himself shift and finally slip wholly under the earth. It was an odd sensation, but not an entirely unpleasant one.

He allowed himself to move to and fro while under the earth, experimenting some with his control of the technique and its limits. It wasn't a particularly difficult jutsu, once one got past the shielding their body in chakra to allow them to slide between the earth. After he decided that he had a solid grasp of the technique, Ryō allowed himself to drift towards the surface. Crawling out of a howl with only a minor struggle to free his right foot, Ryō took a moment and a steadying breath before he brought his hands together in those familiar hand seals.

With considerably more finesse, he slipped into the ground and soon after popped back out more than ten meters from where he had started. A grin split his lips and he allowed himself a quiet jig before he took out a notebook from one pocket and jotted down a quick note about his progress. Sliding the little pocket book away, Ryō turned to find a quiet section of the field to practice his next move. This one was going to be a bit more disruptive, and so did his best to ensure that no one else was impacted by his efforts.

This time it took Ryō some effort and a bit of time before he saw progress in his training. Although he knew his hand seals were right, rather than lower an entire section of the field at once by several meters, he only managed a few scattered areas by half a meter or so. It was agitating to struggle like this in something that was normally an easy matter to perform. Thinking perhaps it was a matter of not pushing enough chakra into the technique, Ryō tried again and was rewarded when the whole ten-by-ten meter area he had been attempting to push downward fell by more than three meters. It was progress. Perhaps Goto would be able to help him further.

-----

@Toshiro Senju
@Zunair Hyuuga
@Ash Iburi
@Goto Senju
@Kaneki Hiro

WC: 528
TWC: 2,045

Exit ~ No Claims