Poe Man's Dreams

Travin watched as Herozen pulled the chakra down through both his hands and channeled his lightning chakra into the palm of one of his hands. Thanks to his Sharingan he was able to easily see the flow of chakra and the color change within Herozen letting him know the jutsu that he was using. Travin made note of it and with the power of his Sharingan he would be able to duplicate it. With what he learned from watching Zo use the jutsu with the lightning element the first time, and then watching Herozen use it again correctly he felt like he not only got the feel for the lightning element, but also for the Thunderclap Arrow technique.

However, once Herozen attempted to perform the jutsu again with only one hand he failed. Travin watched once more as he performed the jutsu noting the differences. He performed the jutsu this time the same way he had before by channeling the chakra down both arms and while only trying to perform the handseals with a single hand the jutsu failed. Travin was pretty sure he knew what had gone wrong. After watching Zo channel the chakra down a single arm when performing the jutsu with only a single hand. He waited to see what Zo was going to tell his cousin, and he was not disappointed in fact he was impressed by Zo and his ability to teach someone.

Travin listened as Zo explained what was happening. He listened as not only did Zo explain what Herozen had done wrong but also how to fix it, he then pushed it a bit further. Having Herozen do a training exercise that not only would help him fix the problem that he had but also show him how to sense chakra as well. It was impressive, and it was something that Travin would remember. After all he knew that Zo was good and was strong from their previous encounter, but this was letting him get a bigger glimpse behind the curtain. Sitting back and leaning against the wall Travin was sure that he was getting the hang of everything that had been shown so far. Making him feel even more special as he had not performed a single thing or attempted anything, but thanks to his Sharingan. He had the unique ability to simply look at a jutsu or a skill and be able to duplicate it. It showed him even more why his clan was hunted for their eyes, and why his clan did everything in their power to keep the eyes out of non clan members' hands. Even now they still try, but it has gotten much harder with so many of their clan being in different villages and scattered around the world.

After Herozen followed Zo’s instructions and was successful or not. Travin would finally speak up “Why don’t you show him just what the element can do. Demonstrate a powerful A rank jutsu to give him something to work towards” Travin would have the same even tone as if he didn’t really care. However, he was really wanting to see a powerful jutsu from Zo so that he would be able to copy it as well.

WC-537 TWC- 1844
Stealing one handed seals from Zo, and  Thunderclap Arrow from Herozen

It took all of Herozen’s willpower not to show any form of excitement at Zo's compliment. Zo had a way with words that seemed to help Herozen grasp the skills he was trying to learn. He would hear the instruction to close his eyes, so he would and he would listen to the next instruction. He was coached to feel the chakra inside himself; he felt around momentarily, searching for the chakra within his body. It was loud as thunder and chaotic. Zo was telling Herozen it should be as swift as a bird. Herozen focused deeper, and he would feel it start to relax and pulse. He paid attention to Zo as he felt his chakra's current flow through his body's channels. He had to authorize the tide into his right arm. He could feel the control of the chakra and could see why he couldn’t perform his jutsu one-handed before.

With this newfound ability to control his chakra in this way. Herozen controlled the flow of chakra into his right arm as he formed Ram Ox and Snake with his right and pointed to the wall away from his cousin and newly found friend. The lightning chakra sprang from his arm and surged down his to the point of his finger and exploded toward the wall. Herozen felt pride in his training. He was able to pick up quickly what Zo was putting down. This would help Herozen reach his potential, and he was thankful to Zo for taking the time out of his day to help. He would take this training from today and use it always.

After Herozen was done, he looked around, and his eyes fell on Travin as he spoke. He was provoking Travin to show off a much more powerful jutsu to give him to strive towards. Herozen had to hide his emotions, and he felt like he was being used as a pawn for Travin. Herozen was aware that Travin could use his Sharingan to copy techniques with his advanced Sharingan. It made Herozen chuckle softly, and he didn’t want to alert Zo to Travin’s plan, especially if he was wrong. He wondered what else Zo had in store, but an A-ranked ninjutsu would be very impressive to witness.

Herozen would do a quick recap in his head about what he had been training with Zo. He had learned the Thunderclap arrow. That was the jutsu he would use from here on out. Learning how to perform jutsu one-handed would be effective in a fight; it would make him versatile, particularly if he could learn jutsu with his Sharingan. From there, he also started to sense the chakra not only in himself but also in the two shinobi next to him. This would help him in the future when he became a shinobi, and if Zo knew this much, he wondered how much more he had to teach. This motivated Herozen to pay as close attention to his seniors as possible.

Herozen was impressed by Travin’s tenacity to walk in and demand the whole room’s attention. Herozen felt like the pair of them could help bring the Uchiha clan back up to their original place amongst the top clans in the world. Herozen also wanted to work under Zo’s leadership someday. He seemed like a powerful jounin that knew how to get shit done. Herozen would await to see if Zo would perform the A-ranked jutsu like Travin wanted to see.

WC: 579
TWC: 3296

Zokuro's eyes would briefly pan over to Travin who seemed to be taking more of a spectator approach from his vantage point. It was strategically brilliant. In their previous encounter, Zo learned that Travin was blessed with the Sharingan. And from the little which the Gorilla knew of the dojutsu, he was able to infer that it had the potential to not only grant the user Chakra Vision but some level of enhanced perception. The man did not know the intricacies behind it, but he was sharp enough to deduce that this likely allowed Travin some form of advantage when it came to watching demonstrations. This did not bother Zokuro though, as he was keen on serving as an instructor for the next generation. Which was exactly why he was teaching Herozen today.

And Herozen's potential was vast.

With a miniscule amount of coaching, the man was able to make some adjustments to his form and perform an exemplary display of Thunderclap Arrow with just a single hand. A small smile crept upon the face of Zokuro, as he folded his arms across his chest and gave a quick nod of approval. "Excellent", was all that he would say. And should Herozen truly be heeding Zokuro's words, he'd likely begin to sense the chakra signatures of Zokuro himself and Travin within the room. It had been the perfect segue into the next lesson which the Gorilla sought to teach the student. 

However Travin seemed to want to elevate the lesson, and potentially exploit the innate benefits he got out of his eyes. And although Zokuro would have typically been indifferent about the request, he was specifically requested by an academy student to train him. So a lesson behind using an A rank jutsu would not be the most fruitful. Zokuro would offer a friendly yet stoic glance to Travin and say aloud, "Perhaps another time. I believe a jutsu of that caliber might not be appreciated in today's lesson. Even if you are ready to witness and learn something on that level, I think Herozen may benefit from keeping our lesson as focused as possible."

To which he would then turn his attention to Herozen. "Now that you are beginning to understand the basic of sensing chakra within yourself, I imagine that you are attempting to sense my own and Travin's chakra signatures as well. Close your eyes once more, but this time, really try to focus your concentration on Travin. Just as you looked within yourself to see the flow of your Raiton affinity, look within Travin and try to understand his own chakra flow. See if you can dedude what elements that Travin is capable of using."

WC = 449. TWC = 3272

Herozen didn’t mind being the new guy. It seemed like a lot more stress teaching stuff rather than learn it. All the stuff Zo had been teaching Herozen seemed pretty straight forward. Maybe being a shinobi was Herozen’s calling. In that regard Herozen was naturally good at almost everything he tried. He didn’t quit being an entrepreneur because his business was failing, he did it because the calling of the shinobi was too loud. These past couple of months of training were helping Herozen learn his true craft, helped him hone in on where home really was. Getting praise from guys like his cousin and Zo really bolstered Herozen’s confidence he had chosen the right career path. After today’s training Herozen would feel comfortable calling himself a shinobi. Listening to the two seniors in position talk about keeping things simple for Herozen both hurt his feelings, but also made sense for pragmatic reasons.  

Herozen being capable of sensing his lightning chakra would listen to Zo’s instructions. Zo said something about chakra signatures, this brought a little confusion that Herozen would have to comment on after he did as Zo would ask. Herozen would take the sensing his own chakra and try to push out with it, he would search with his own chakra as if they were antenna of an insect, at least that’s how he would imagine it, and feel towards his cousin, Travin. Immediately he was able to connect with his cousin and he was able to sense heat, like the heat of fire burning from Tavin’s chakra. As Herozen felt around he could also feel the familiar sensation of lightning like his own chakra was influenced by. “Okay, I think I get it, Travin’s chakra is fire and lightning. I think, if he has another one, I can’t sense it.” Herozen would say opening his eyes and giving Travin the look of, is this right? His cousin had been a shinobi longer than himself, so he could understand him having more than one to work with.

“What can I do with that information? You both have a better understanding of what I might be able to accomplish with these abilities.” Herozen would ask his senior in rank partners. At the moment Herozen found it hard to believe these skills could be used, well besides one handed seal, in a life or death situation. A little lesson on the application of these skills would be helpful for the newbie, and hopefully these guys would have the answer. Assuming one of them would tell Herozen the way to apply these skills he just learned in a combat situation. He would close his eyes and reach out feeling for Zokuro’s elemental affiliation. Upon doing so he felt all five elements flowing through him. This guy has all five elements? He had been told stories while he was at the academy about those who could use all five elements like a kekki genki. “Zokuro, I don’t know if I over stepped, but I did what I did to Travin, to you. Am I sensing all five elements in your chakra, or are you doing something to confuse me?” Herozen would ask, “Also what is a chakra signature?” He wondered if it was like a calling card, or if there were ways to track people down by knowing what their chakra was like.

Herozen was also excited to learn whatever else Zokuro or Travin wouldn’t mind teaching him. Having two strong shinobi’s share the training room with him left him motivated and ready to become a strong shinobi for the village of Kumogakure. Herozen often thought what he was learning now could defiantly help him in the future, but before he day dreamed, he was sure to focus on the lessons here and now. He was left with the feeling Travin might be trying to hijack the lesson, but as long as Herozen learned the skills and jutsu Zokuro told him he’d help him with, Herozen wouldn’t care, he could go off and train by himself, but having the help of two others made him feel better.

WC: 685
TWC: 3981

Zokuro offered Herozen a nod, particularly noting the excitement the student displayed in his line of questioning. Even if he had been confused and was looking for some further clarity across the subject matter, Zo was nevertheless impressed with the talent, pace, and dedication which Herozen was displaying today. And what was truly admirable was his patience, perhaps a reflection of his age and maturity rather than his rank. Oftentimes younger shinobi were more fiery, impatient, and boisterous leading to clouded judgement and difficulties when learning complex practices. In any case the Gorilla understood Herozen's ambitions as well as Travin's own for more refined techniques, but the man did not want to push the envelope. 

He'd turn to Herozen, speaking in a characteristically calm manner. 

"Seems like you're picking things up at a respectable pace. Good work. Wondering just how these lessons might apply to the field and combat specifically is natural. But recall that establishing a good foundation of abilities is paramount, especially for a more 'green' shinobi. You need to build upon that foundation, in order to develop a repertoire that is fluid and effective. Today, I am helping you with our foundation."

A brief pause would ensue.

"Chakra Signatures, for example, are key to understand. They are akin to one's own heartbeat, unique to each individual. They are essentially the profile of one's chakra reserves, suggesting how potent they are or what they just might make up. Depending on how thorough you are able to analyze it, you may just learn vital information about a target which might give you an advantage in a real battle. This information could mean the difference between life or death. Travin's chakra, for instance, does compose of both fire and lightning, which if you were to ever face him would let you know which of your own elements may or may not be most effective against him."

Pausing to glance over toward Travin in recognition of Herozen's questioning, Zokuro would eventually turn his attention back to the student. "Your senses are sharp as you are not mistaken. I do have control over all five main elements, as a result of many years of building upon my foundation, refining my abilities with my clan's proficiencies, and strenuous training."

His demeanor would relax now that his spiel had concluded, and he'd resultantly make his way over to the side of the room which shared a wall with the exit door. He'd prop his weight against the wall, and lower his tone along with a narrowed expression. "Patience is key when learning new skills. Now, what else are you interested in working on?"

WC = 439. TWC = 3711