Preparing for the Chuunin Exams (Culling Games)

Tatsuo set foot inside the village's advanced training grounds, looking around the place to familiarize himself. At only eight years old, he hadn't yet utilized everything the village had to offer by way of training tools - but he now had a reason. The Chunin Exams were fast approaching, and it was Tatsuo's goal to participate.

"You've been a Genin for less than two months," his father had said, when Tatsuo told him what he was planning to do. "Do you think you have the experience to become a Chunin? The strength and intelligence necessary to lead a team, to protect them from danger?" He remembered the skeptical look in his father's eyes. It only made Tatsuo's blaze brighter. "I want to try," he said, adamantly. "If I don't then... I don't know what my real limits are. I won't know how strong I really am unless I try."

In the end, his father had finally agreed to allow it. He could see that his son was eager to grow up, and in truth, he wouldn't be able to shelter him from experiences such as the ones that he would face in the exams. He was a shinobi, after all, no matter his age.

So now, Tatsuo had something to prove.

He had some idea of what he wanted to learn, but he knew that it would be a long road. Still, he was determined to stay until he’d mastered his new skills. He’d probably end up sleeping right here in the training grounds, if he had to. Tatsuo marched to the edge of the training grounds, where a shady tree sat. He first wanted to improve his fire style techniques, and so he decided to try and start with meditation.

He’d heard somewhere that the secret to fire style resided in the breath. Tatsuo knelt down and touched the cool grass, shifting to sit cross legged on his bottom and exhaling slowly. He brought his hands together in the seal of the tiger, then he closed his eyes, drawing his attention toward his breath. A breeze came by and ruffled his hair, flowing into his nostrils and filling his lungs as he inhaled deeply.

He remembered training with Zainketsu, on the lake docks in the Uchiha district. They were learning how to cast the great fireball jutsu, how to gather fire chakra in the bellies and breathe it out with enough power to burn their target to a cinder. They were boys who felt like dragons.

His chakra took the form of fire in his belly, and he felt it start to swirl and dance.

He was a real member of the Uchiha clan, he had thought when he had finally mastered the signature fireball technique. He could finally be recognized by his family and his clan, as a shinobi worthy of his name.

As he exhaled, Tatsuo felt the fiery chakra seep out from his belly, dancing through his veins and each of his limbs, through his very skull. He inhaled again. The flames along his chakra pathway burned brighter. Tatsuo opened his eyes, keenly aware of the vigor that coursed through him. Somehow he’d managed to unlock his fire nature chakra in such a way that he felt its raw power now coursing through his body.

Looking into the distance, Tatsuo suddenly took off at a sprint, feeling the wind rush over his body as his small legs raced across the earth. In record time, his hand touched the bark of the tree on the opposite end of the field, and he gasped, exhilarated. That had been at least sixty percent faster than his normal speed! Going over to a wooden stake in the ground, Tatsuo quickly weaved the signs for the great fireball technique, flames roaring to life as they exploded from his mouth, enveloping the post in its entirety and burning it to ash within seconds. As he let the technique die down, Tatsuo gazed awestruck at the pile of charcoal he had left behind. His fire techniques had never been that powerful before! Whatever trick he had learned, he was in love with it.
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WC: 690

While he still felt the fire energy pumping through his body, Tatsuo experimented further with his enhanced power. He ran fast laps around the training grounds, pushing himself, feeling his lungs channel his breath powerfully, the wind whipping at his clothes. When he stood still, it almost looked like the air surrounding his skin was shimmering, like a heat mirage in the desert. He needed to try more fire jutsu, he was sure that he’d be able to manage something more powerful than ever in this state.

Finding an open patch of ground, Tatsuo centered his stance, evening his breath as he began forming hand seals. Snake, Dragon, Rabbit, Tiger. He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs and expanding his belly with a large breath before compressing it and spewing out in a thin, concentrated stream. As the flames extended, they started to take a shape, and Tatsuo got excited, trying to complete the construct before his breath expired. While the flames burned hot, they failed to hold their shape, eventually dying down to a wisp as the stream ended. Tatsuo watched the fire dissipate, panting softly, his eyebrows knit together as he tried to work out how he could improve.

As he stood thinking, he noticed the fire that blazed through him had started to calm, and he no longer felt as though his natural energy reserves were being amplified in any way. It was back to just him and his guts, and he stood up a little straighter, knowing it meant he would have to work even harder from here on out. He wasn’t taking any shortcuts.

Lifting his hands again, Tatsuo took a deep breath and carefully formed the seals. He felt his chakra activate, though it was clearly less potent than before. Still, with all his might, the small boy blew out a thin stream of fire, focusing all his attention on altering the shape. He knew what it needed to be, he just had to make it obey.

A flash of a memory lit up in Tatsuo’s mind. He was four years old, nearly old enough to join the academy. His mother had made him a new shirt, dark blue with a brilliant red dragon embroidered on the back of it, outlined in shimmering golden threads. He was awestruck by the beauty of it, as his small fingers traced over each carefully stitched scale. “It’s perfect,” she had said when he tried it on, and even his father had looked pleased. “True to his namesake,” he’d said, with a proud look in his eyes. “My namesake?” Tatsuo had asked. He didn’t know what that meant, back then. “We named you Tatsuo. Do you know what it means?” His father had traced the dragon on his son’s back with one of his long fingers, making the small boy grin. “It means ‘Great Dragon’. It’s a powerful name, one that I’m sure you’ll live up to. One day, you’ll possess all the strength and ferocity of a great dragon, of that I have no doubt.”

That was it. The image of the dragon was clear in Tatsuo’s mind, and as the flames grew longer, they began to take shape again. The fire arced and twisted, the sheer density of the chakra becoming visible as it took the form of a mighty dragon head, breaking off and shooting twenty-five meters into the distance. Tatsuo watched as it collided with a tree, searing the wood to such a degree that there was a massive hole left in the trunk by the time the jutsu dissipated. Tatsuo collapsed onto his bottom, panting heavily. He’d never produced such a jutsu in his life! And without the enhancer… just how much more powerful could he make it if he amped himself up again?

He would find out a bit later. For now, the young Uchiha flops out on the ground, laying on his back and letting the breeze wick away the sweat on his brow. Just a little rest…
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WC: 666 / TWC: 1,356

A small white butterfly fluttered along with the breeze, landing delicately on Tatsuo’s nose. The boy’s nostrils twitched, and he inhaled rapidly, a loud sneeze jerking him awake. He sat up with a sniff and rubbed his nose, looking bleary eyed around the place. That’s right… he was training. By the look of it he hadn’t fallen asleep for too long, as the sun was still high in the sky. That suited him just fine. He slowly moved to a sitting position, taking a deep breath and filling his lungs.

He’d managed to activate his fire chakra in a unique way earlier, a way that had made him feel faster and stronger than ever. It didn’t last long though, and he still hadn’t figured out all that he could do in that heightened state. So, closing his eyes, he tried to find it again. He spent several minutes focusing on his breath, feeling out his fire chakra, letting it fill his belly and roar to life. With every breath he took, he felt more of it seeping into his limbs, lighting up  his chakra network until his whole body was thrumming with heat, his skin starting to take on an orangish glow.

Tatsuo opened his eyes. This was it, that same feeling. He stood to his feet, taking a deep inhale and once again sprinting around the course, letting his rhythmic breaths fuel his power. His speed was definitely enhanced, that wasn’t a fluke the first time. He was even more eager to try out more fire style jutsu. Finding another set of wooden posts, Tatsuo thought hard. He remembered it was a lot easier to activate his fire jutsu last time - it was really potent, and he was able to summon the chakra almost effortlessly. ‘I wonder,’ he thought, squaring his stance in preparation. If it had been that easy to activate his chakra, maybe he could perform a jutsu without using as many hand signs? He’d try it out on a jutsu he could perform well: The Great Fireball technique. Normally, he had to weave the signs of the Snake, Ram, Monkey, and Tiger. He would try to activate using just the first and last sign. If it didn’t work, then it didn’t work, and at least he would have learned something about his ability.

Lifting his hands, Tatsuo quickly formed the seals of Snake and Tiger, filling his belly with chakra and expelling it in a large blast, the flames taking the shape of a blazing ten meter sphere and rocketing out thirty meters into the distance, leaving a charred trail in its wake. As it reached the end of its range, it gradually dissipated into the wind. Tatsuo, watching his success, only grinned. That was incredible! If he had a trick like this up his sleeve, there was no way he was going down without a fight.

He still needed to try and perfect the dragon flame jutsu, though. He’d managed to construct a head once, but it had taken some time. Not only that, but comparing it to his Phoenix Flower jutsu, he wanted to try and create more than one head at a time. With his chakra blazing, now was the perfect time to try and get the hang of it.

Lifting his hands again, he wove the signs for the Great Dragon Flame - all of them this time, as he needed all the control of his chakra that he could get in order to master it. Snake, Dragon, Rabbit, Tiger. Fire shot out from his mouth as he expelled the chakra that surged inside him, the shape of a dragon’s head appearing more quickly this time before rocketing toward the posts and chomping down on one with dense, fiery jaws. But Tatsuo didn’t stop there. He quickly shot off a second stream to follow the first, this one stuttering a bit as it formed, seeming to be held together with a bit less structural integrity as it flew to follow the one before it, fizzling out before it reached the posts. Tatsuo frowned and grumbled. As much as he wanted to master this jutsu quickly, it was going to take practice, after all.

The invigorating chakra flowing through him was still present, but he could feel its power starting to wane. It had a time limit too, it seemed. Tatsuo closed his eyes, concentrating on his chakra. He had to push farther. He had to. With all his will, the small boy took another deep breath in, loading up his chakra as big and bright as he could muster and weaving the four signs quickly before spewing fire from his lips in a commanding breath. The first stream instantly manifested into the blazing head of a dragon, but Tatsuo didn’t let it get ten meters before launching another in its wake. To his relief, the second construct completed strongly, chasing after the first toward the target. But he couldn’t stop there. Squeezing out the last of his power, Tatsuo unleashed a third stream of fire, sweat dripping down his brow as he struggled, barely managing to give it shape before it tailed after the previous two strikes, leaving Tatsuo gasping for breath. In that moment, he felt his body cool, the invigorating fire finally dying out, letting his skin return to its usual state.

His knees a bit shaky, Tatsuo sat on the ground again, catching his breath and taking some time to think about his performance. It wasn’t bad… but he had a feeling he would need more tricks if he was gonna survive the upcoming exams.
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WC: 937 / TWC: 2,293

Tatsuo did have an idea. A wild, crazy idea. What if… he could hide in his own flames? His head cocked to one side in thought, his lips pursed inquisitively. Could he do it without getting burnt alive? Maybe if he could erect some kind of chakra barrier around himself… He sat up a bit, forming the sign of the ram to try and gather his chakra. He tried to shift its flow so that it built up on the surface of his skin, all over his body. His eyes were closed in concentration, and his brow twitched, blocking out all else except the movement of chakra.

It took some time, but he finally started to feel a thin layer of chakra forming over his skin. He wasn’t sure how potent it was though, or if it would even be a barrier to anything. He opened one eye, looking down at his knees curiously. Carefully, he wove the sign of the tiger, blowing out a small stream of fire toward his legs.

“OUCH!” he exclaimed, jumping up suddenly and prancing around, patting the flames from his shorts. “HOT HOT HOT!” When the flames were finally put out, Tatsuo slumped over, sighing with defeat. Well, he wasn’t sure what he had expected, honestly. He’d obviously have to throw something different into the mix…

“Your chakra can take on different properties depending on how you mold it. This is how different jutsu are made. Each hand sign molds your chakra a specific way, and the combination of these hand signs become the building blocks for how you want your jutsu to perform.” He remembered this from an academy lesson he’d had once, a day that felt so recent, yet strangely so long ago. It did give him an idea though. Based on other techniques he’d learned, maybe he could figure out a combination of hand signs that would allow his chakra to gain a barrier effect. There was no way to find out, except to try it.

He closed his eyes again, once more focusing on building up his chakra over every inch of his skin. His hands lifted, and carefully formed the seals of Horse, Ram, Monkey. With each sign, he felt his chakra shift, molding and hardening, until he could see a faint shimmer surrounding his body, clinging to his skin and clothes. He didn’t want to get burned again, but he still had to test it. Gathering his resolve, Tatsuo clenched his teeth with steel in his eyes as wove the sign of the Tiger, blowing out a thin stream of fire at his legs once more, bracing for the burn.

But it never came.

To his great surprise, the flames licked along his skin, seeming to burn brighter than ever, but Tatsuo couldn’t feel the heat at all. His eyes shone with excitement, and he quickly stood up, taking a moment to gather his courage. This was the moment of truth. He wove the signs of Snake, Ram, Monkey, and Tiger, blowing out a large fireball ten meters in diameter. As soon as it was formed, Tatsuo took a deep breath and ran forward, closing his eyes and jumping straight into the middle of the fireball, running inside of it as it traveled along its path. When he finally registered the fact that the flames weren’t burning him, he slowly opened his eyes with astonishment. He could see out in front of him as if it were a hazy window, though he could feel the flames burning brightly. He very much doubted that anyone on the outside could see him inside the fireball, for the intensity of the fire that shrouded him.

‘Seems handy,’ he thought as the fireball dissipated, standing and thinking about it for a moment before an excited grin broke across his face. No matter what the outcome, what he just did was freakin cool. He just hid inside his own fireball! Who can just be inside of fire like that?! Tatsuo was feeling quite pleased with himself, but he didn’t get to revel for too much longer, for he now saw someone familiar heading his way from the training grounds entrance.

“Mom?” he said, jogging over to meet her. Suzume carried with her a cloth bound package, and knelt down in front of Tatsuo with a smile. She saw how sweaty he’d become, and how ragged he was starting to look. “My, look at you, Tatsuo… You’re working very hard, aren’t you? I know you’ve been trying hard to prepare for the Chuunin Exams… here. I’ve brought you some lunch. Take a break and eat, won’t you? If you push yourself too hard, you’ll run out of strength for training.” She handed him the package, stroking his hair and smiling. “Do you mind if your mother sits with you?”

Tatsuo blushed slightly and took the box from his mother, shaking his head a bit. “No, I don’t mind..” He took the box over to a log, where he sat down and untied the cloth wrappings, cracking open the lid of the box and peeking inside. The box was packed full of fried rice and vegetables, as well as a large helping of beef skewers and dumplings. “Thanks mom, this looks great,” he said, smiling shyly and picking up his chopsticks, picking up a piece of meat and eating it experimentally. No sooner had the beef touched his tongue, than Tatsuo began shoveling his mouth full of every item he could reach, suddenly ravenous. Suzume laughed quietly.

“I thought you might be hungry… Seems I was right.” She tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear, watching her son thoughtfully. “... Tatsuo… Are you sure you want to take the exams? You’ve only just become a Genin, you could wait a few years, gain some more experience…” Tatsuo looked up, frowning with a bit of rice stuck to his face. “Of course I’m sure,” he muttered, returning his attention to his dumplings. “... It’s like I told Dad… I won’t know how strong I am unless I try. And I’m not gonna get experience unless I stand up and take action… right? I know it’s gonna be hard. But that’s why I gotta do it.”

Tatsu returned to eating quietly, and Suzume just watched him with a sad sort of smile. “You really are growing up much too quickly,” she said quietly, leaning over and brushing Tatsuo’s hair from his face. Then, reaching behind his head, she unknotted his headband, pulling it down and pressing her lips to his forehead gently. Tatsuo stopped eating, looking up at his mother a bit bashfully. “.. What was that for?” he asked, trying to sound disgruntled. Suzume only smiled and handed his headband back to him. “Just a good luck charm from your number one supporter.” She winked, then stood up and stretched a little. “Right.. I’ll leave you to your training, I need to head into the market to do some shopping. Oh! And before I forget, there’s an extra little treat for you in the bottom of your lunch box. Just don’t get a stomach ache.” Waving a little, Tatsuo’s mother turns and leaves the training area, leaving him looking at his lunchbox curiously.

Lifting off the top portion, Tatsuo revealed a hidden bottom chamber which held the most delicious looking piece of strawberry cake he’d ever laid eyes on. His eyes shone, and he picked it up, taking a bite off the corner and sighing happily. It was so light and fluffy, made with fresh cream and ripe, sweet strawberries that tasted as though they had just been picked. Though he was sure strawberries were out of season, he was grateful for whatever magic his mother had employed to get him such a nice piece of cake. It was just the pick me up he needed to dive right back into his training, and he did so without delay, leaving his lunch box open on the log.

Tatsuo decided to spend his time next, over at some of the more specialized apparatuses, walking along until he found one which launched projectiles at you. This one piqued his interest, as he watched a few other people doing reflex training on the same such mechanisms nearby. He wasn’t yet completely proficient using his sharingan… he wondered if reflex training like this might help him to hone his doujutsu skills, at least a little.

Walking up to the machine, Tatsuo carefully loaded in the blunted projectiles that were set aside for this kind of training, then stood back a ways and activated his red eyes. At once the machine started to chuck kunai and shuriken at him, and he tracked them closely, dodging and weaving as they were launched at various heights and angles. He wasn’t being pushed yet, though. These were still too easy. When that lot had finished, he returned to the machine, fiddling with the settings to make it launch the projectiles at an even faster pace.

This time, he actually had to concentrate. He tracked the trajectory of the weapons the best that he could, ducking and dodging, his heart beating quickly as several of them almost flew right into his face. As he stepped, one kunai caught his thigh and he hissed, rubbing at it. Even if they were blunted, they still bruised like mad. He took a little detour out of the way of the flying metal to check the damage, pulling up the leg on his shorts. There was a fat red mark right in the middle of his thigh, already swollen and beginning to darken. It had broken the skin, and a bit of blood was seeping through, but it was nothing serious. It just hurt like hell. Letting the leg of his shorts back down, he rubbed it again and grumbled. He knew by now that pain was part of his life, and he had to know how to push through it. Especially when the stakes were as high as they were now... He couldn't be seen looking weak. Setting his jaw, Tatsuo returned to the contraption, shaking off his limp.

Tatsuo continued this training for the next hour or two, reloading the machine each time it ran out, and gradually increasing the speed as he grew accustomed to reacting to the movements. As he trained, more and more subtlety fell into the range of his vision, and he found he was able to start predicting the trajectory before the weapons even reached him, allowing him more time to react. The sun had begun to set by the time he finally collapsed onto the ground, panting, dirty, and practically out of chakra. He’d probably have to stop training for today… Picking himself up off the ground with a groan, Tatsuo went back to the log and packed up his lunchbox, slinging it over his shoulder and walking wearily out of the training field. He’d get a good rest at home, while he still could.

The Chuunin Exams were coming.

[Exit]
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WC: 1,842 / TWC: 4,135 + Strawberry Cake = 8,135

WC Claims:
+60 Stats (35 Vigor, 25 Speed) > MAX Stats
+42 AP
2,872 WC for Sharingan 2 Tomoe (4,000/4,000) [Previous Claim] > 5,263 left
* 750 WC for Hiding in Fire (C) (750/750) > 4,513 left
* 1,312 WC for Great Dragon Flame (B) (1,312/1,312) > 3,201 left
* 1,312 WC for Lightning Beast Tracking Fang (B) (1,312/1,312) > 1,889 left
* 1,875 WC for Fire Style: Invigoration (A) (1,875/1,875) > 14 left, discarding remainder

* = 25% facility training discount

Tatsuo Uchiha wrote:

[Exit]
____________________________________________
WC: 1,842 / TWC: 4,135 + Strawberry Cake = 8,135

WC Claims:
+60 Stats (35 Vigor, 25 Speed) > MAX Stats
+42 AP
2,872 WC for Sharingan 2 Tomoe (4,000/4,000) [Previous Claim] > 5,263 left
* 750 WC for Hiding in Fire (C) (750/750) > 4,513 left
* 1,312 WC for Great Dragon Flame (B) (1,312/1,312) > 3,201 left
* 1,312 WC for Lightning Beast Tracking Fang (B) (1,312/1,312) > 1,889 left
* 1,875 WC for Fire Style: Invigoration (A) (1,875/1,875) > 14 left, discarding remainder

* = 25% facility training discount

Approved