Dust to Dust

Rokku had awakened early in the morning to avoid the rest of his familys morning routines, preferring to slip out the door with as little hassle as possible. He often enjoyed the family routines and though he would only admit it begrudgingly, he enjoyed spending time with his younger siblings, despite the bickering and squabbling that often accompanied his younger twin sisters. He had been waiting for the days training for a while now and it felt like months had passed since he put in a request for an instructor to help teach him to use the dust element. After learning to use the sound element he had decided to seek out another advanced element that would utilize his chakra affinities and also packed a devastating punch.

Rokku was surprised to discover that there were dust users in the village and upon further discussion with his mother learned of its and destructive potential and requirements for precision and control. The challenge of learning the element appealed to Rokku and he enjoyed the idea of learning a technique that could disintegrate objects into dust and Rokku thought it would compliment his over techniques well if he was able to learn to correctly.
Rokku had sought out information on a potential instructor but had met with many dead ends whilst searching on his own. Eventually he chose to request help from the Sarutobi family, though he disliked having to do so greatly and made his feelings very vocal on the matter for several days. They seemed friendly enough and almost fell over themselves to assist when they discovered the purpose of his visit, no doubt considering the boon of having a young and gifted member of the clan bloodline learning the dust element as well as having learned the sound element was compelling to them.

Though there were many Sarutobi that could walk the heavens path there seemed not to be an abundance of users of the dust element within the village and the elders wished to correct this imbalance promptly. After a week or so of waiting he received word that an instructor had been found, supposedly a special jonin had agreed when asked by the village officials. Rokku did not question his luck and had assumed it would be much more difficult to convince and instructor to take the time to teach him once one had been discovered. He approached the training grounds and performed a few stretches and utilising a technique of each element he possessed for fire , earth and wind in order to ensure that he was comfortable switching the chakra natures sufficiently so as to more easily combine them. At least he hoped this was the case.

Rokku continued to stretch and prepare himself for session ahead and hoped to make a good impression on the special jonin that would be assisting him with his training. Rokku had learned that a good impression could pave the way for much greater respect and he knew that should the special jonin not view him favourably then they were just as likely to refuse to teach him as they seemingly were to assist him.

WC: 525 TWC: 525

Quinn awoke that morning with a new step in their shoe as they felt the new chakra that was injected into them had became tamed under the Forgemaster's will. It was a long day when it took place but it was definitely one that resulted in the long time between its marking and to now. They had grown and been spending more time in their role as a Special Jounin of the village. Quinn had been promoted not too long ago but it was wild to skip a whole rank with considering they only became a genin less than a year ago. Their progress from just a blacksmith to a vital part of the village of Otogakure was a baffling result to them.

They remained steady and actually were reached out to by some administration aids about a genin interested in learning more about the Dust Release. More than happy to help out with others' growth, the Forgemaster adorned their Special Jounin attire alongside their headband on their left upper arm as they departed from the forge. With Sen no Tama no Hakaimono on their back, their aim for the day was to teach a spunky new genin more about the Dust Release and to give them some insight into the style of techniques. Presumably, the genin was already aware of it in concept but perhaps it was best to showcase the concept better.

Arriving at the Training Facility of the village, Quinn gave a smile to the attendant at the front as they asked if Quinn was going to be using the batting cages and indicated they would not be using it but would require a different kind of training dummy for the showcase they were going to conduct. Waiting at the front for a moment a cart of punching bags was brought up at Quinn's request and they nodded as they simply grabbed the 5 bags by the chains before moving towards the designated training room where they were supposed to train the Genin in. As they entered the space, Quinn waved with their free hand toward Rokku. "Good to see you again." They plainly said before beginning to put up the punching bags at various distances around them. They did not skip any beats in the process as they walked in waiting to hear if Rokku had any thoughts or words for the Special Jounin now present.

WC: 400, TWC: 400

Rokku waited patiently, or at least patiently for him as he paced the room a little. When he heard  footstep approaching the room and the door open he swallowed a lump in his throat and stood in a posture that both conveyed his sincerity to train  whilst not being too rigid, trying and perhaps failing to convey a sense of nonchalance that the genin certainly did not feel. When Quinn walked in carrying several punching bags his mouth opened a little in a mixture of surprise and shock and his mouth moved with silent questions that died before fully forming and producing sound. His first thought was that it was a mistake, but he had not known Quinn to make mistakes, discipline and rigid perfectionism seemed to be their very essence as a person from what he had experienced.

He then considered it was joke but this was also quickly quashed in his mind. He did not think Quinn would joke about training and how would they even know about the special instructor in order to carry out the joke in the first place. His eyes flashed to their clothing and noted the rank of special jounin and his shock turned to a tiny barb of impish annoyance. “You were a jounin! I knew you weren’t a genin!” Another darker thought occurred to him, he had wondered if they had been spying on him with their sudden appearances before and this thought came back to him with great force. It would certainly be something the elders of the Sarutobi clan might do, send a jounin to watch and guide their newest potential genin to clip and prune like a carefully cultivated bonsai tree. Was Quinn's odd approach a carefully selected choice to drive him towards them and learn the dust element on the way?

Rokku did not want to believe that the meals and missions they had worked together on was just a cunning ploy but he was unable to remove the thought and possibility from swirling around his head no matter how he tried. He watched silently as Quinn set up the punching bags. “Do you work for….hey are you okay? I don’t remember seeing that mark last time?” He had interrupted himself mid sentence as he noticed the edges of some kind of marking poking out from beneath Quinn's eye patch. Rokku was unable to make out what it was exactly but he could not recall seeing it before and his voice switched from demanding accusation to genuine concern within a  few beats. He paused to allow Quinn to answer if they chose to. Quinn was enigmatic to Rokku and he realised he was on thin ice already and he had no right to know anything about a special jounin if they did not want to share personal information.

Rokku swiftly tried to switch gears and focus on the reason they were both there. “So you are my special instructor for the dust element huh? Well at least I don’t have to introduce myself again. I uh, know the basics, or at least the very very basic theory behind the dust element but I was told not to try anything without proper instruction. I hear it can be pretty tricky and that its easy to cause a lot of damage or even injure yourself accidentally.” His confidence faded gradually as he spoke and realised the futility of telling an instructor that the element they had mastered was dangerous. Who would know the dangers of the dust element more than a user that had mastered it?

Rokku forced a smile and shrugged with a sigh. “Well how should we start? I have practised combining the three chakra natures but only in tiny amounts and I haven’t been willing to expel or shape it.” Rokku paused again, struck by another thought that left his lips without thinking, having relaxed now that he didn’t have to put on a false face for his instructor. “How did you learn it?”

WC: 667 TWC: 1,192

Mid Thread Claim:
Claiming AP (Max stats and purchasing element so 2 per 100 wc): 22 bonus AP (bonus ap 467 -> 489)
Claiming 1,192 WC
Claiming AE Dust: 500/500 (75% discount due to ATF and being taught) - 500/1192
692 towards Extra Advanced Element [Incomplete] - 692/1,500 - 1192/1192

Rokku wrote:WC: 667 TWC: 1,192

Mid Thread Claim:
Claiming AP (Max stats and purchasing element so 2 per 100 wc): 22 bonus AP (bonus ap 467 -> 489)
Claiming 1,192 WC
Claiming AE Dust: 500/500 (75% discount due to ATF and being taught) - 500/1192
692 towards Extra Advanced Element [Incomplete] - 692/1,500 - 1192/1192

Approved!

Hearing Rokku's commentary, Quinn gave a slight nod before a hand-waving gesture, dismissing the concept. "I was a genin. Recently promoted." They stated in such a matter-of-fact, nonchalant manner that it would be difficult to disprove the genuineness of the comment. Once the setup was done and began to position themselves, Rokku spoke up once more asking a question before changing the prompt. Seeing the keen interest in Rokku's thoughts, Quinn with their hands free now, drew their rather large blunt-force tool before letting it rest on their shoulder leaving a hand free for them to gesture with now. With their right hand gripping the handle of the large weapon, their free hand put a thumb towards their chest indicating themselves.

"I work for my forge. Once my family's. Now it's mine." They declared with pride on their face as they moved their hand to the eyepatch pulling it and showing the full mark. "Recent development. Nothing to worry." They added in hoping to ease the young genin. From there it was a series of question involving the Dust element that Quinn had picked up and learned naturally themselves. As such they gave a light shrug to the final question, "I just did." They said as if it was not a huge deal. Not coming from a shinobi family, the concept of the advanced and rare elements was not something that weighed heavily on the Forgemaster's mind. "Let me show." They simply said as they focused their breathing, gaining total concentration, their weapon began to radiate a faint grayness to it, and their chakra began to focus on their distinct Dust Breathing style.

"Watch closely. Unorthodox." They simply stated as they maneuvered the training facility with one hand beginning to form a few handseals, Snake -> Hare -> Monkey -> Bird, as the chakra around their weapon flared a bit granting their strikes some attributes of the Dust Element. Striking the first training bag swiftly began to deteriorate rapidly from the strike and spread out from there before subsiding as Quinn moved to the next one. Quinn's grip on Senth was closer to the head of the weapon rather than the middle point, giving them more control on their swing as they showcased the destructive power of Dust. From there, Quinn swung once more at the 2nd bag in an upward swing leaving a straight line of damage up the side of the bag before positioning themselves in line with the remaining three.

Their focus flared as they loosened their grip on Senth letting their swing extend the Kanabo outward in an arc towards the three. From the weapon arced a fast and forceful technique of the Dust Breathing Style itself. It was not a traditional Dust technique but it was one that would help showcase the prowess and dangers of the element itself. The arc itself grew to only 2 meters in width and a meter in length but it was more than enough to show the dangers as it tore through the training bags without much effort as clean as a slice of a blade, but one distinct difference was the removal of substance where the strike went through the bags. Once it cleaved through the three, Quinn released their breathing before refocusing going over to the bags.

Picking up the substance on the ground to showcase the removal of the substance, Quinn lifted it to the severed portion hanging to show that they removed the material from the equation. There was nothing left but dust of the part that was destroyed. "Very dangerous. Nontraditional however. Weaponry typically not inclusive of such capacities." They began to explain to the genin before moving closer to him, putting Senth back upon their back, giving the genin a pat on the shoulder before gesturing towards the destruction they showcased. "Train and focus well. I believe you understand. Not great at explaining. Best to show." Quinn added before moving towards the entrance of the training room.

Without much more commentary, Quinn gave a wave saying goodbye to Rokku. They were busy and had other things to do so they came and departed as quickly as they arrived. "Best of luck. Much to do." Quinn quipped.

[Exit]

WC: 700, TWC: 1,100

WC Claims: 1,100 WC towards AP, 4 x 11 = 44 AP, from 868 to 912 / 1,000 AP

Quinn Foster wrote:
[Exit]

WC: 700, TWC: 1,100

WC Claims: 1,100 WC towards AP, 4 x 11 = 44 AP, from 868 to 912 / 1,000 AP

Approved!

Quinn mentioned the mark on their eye and told Rokku not to worry so he did not ask further questions. If Quinn wanted him to know they would tell him more. Instead he focused on the training session and the lessons from Quinn in regards to the dust element. He smiled awkwardly as Quinn explained that they just did learn the technique. It was perhaps the most Quinn style thing they had ever said and so he focused on their technique and chakra flow even more intently.

The genin watched as Quinn demonstrated their version of the technique and had been shocked it was applied to a weapon and watched as the tetsubo carved the arc through the training bags, disintegrating them once completed. He nodded and looked at the damaged tools, beginning to visualise the shapes required, picking a simple shape such as a square.
Rokku stood a little shocked, hearing of the techniques capabilities and witnessing it was humbling. He felt Quinns hand on his shoulder for a moment and nodded before replaying. “I will.”

Rokku was uncertain how many hours he spent in the training room that day and long into the night, merging the chakra natures and kneading into shape with excruciating care and precision until eventually he was able to create the smallest flash of an orb not two inches in diameter. He practiced replicating it and placed his hand on one of the training bags before moulding the chakra again and creating the small flash before examining the tiny spherical section that was missing.

Rokku glanced around and curiosity took hold of him as he moved to the wall and repeated the actions, eyes widening as he watched the small amount of dust trickle from the perfectly smooth spherical indent into the wall. Rokku wiped the sweat form his brow and yawned, deciding to try and learn a  technique before suing it again just to be certain he could control it safely and wary of his own curiosity, reigning it in.

WC: 336 TWC: 1528

[Exit]

Claiming WC: 336
Training bonus ap: 12 ap

Rokku wrote:
WC: 336 TWC: 1528

[Exit]

Claiming WC: 336
Training bonus ap: 12 ap

Approved!