The Blood Ritual

[MedeaMoirae]

It was a miserable day, or at least that's what most would say. Ren wasn't entirely sure how people attributed moods and emotions to days, but somehow they did. She could remember on a rainy day just like this, one of her wards stating that it was a miserable day. Oh how they had giggled at the confused look on Ren's face. She just didn't understand. The weather, the day, it had no emotion or feelings, so how pointless was this exercise of assigning such thoughts to it? Oh well, she had shrugged it off then, and she shrugged it off now. Masami Ren lived it what was possibly the worst area of Kiri. The people here led their own way of life, and most of them lived in crap apartments much like her own. She knew that even these here spoke behind their hands about her, even as she walked up the rickety staircase she was certain she heard a neighbor whisper her name. She wished she could say it was whispered in fear, but no, really it was whispered as if she were a ghost, or a smear on the wall really. Her background, her life, as a slave had made it that many had a certain view of her, and she was treated like something on the bottom of their shoe.

She didn't much care. Around here everyone had a secret, or some horrible thing they were trying to hide. Granted, having the past of having been a slave was considered the worst, but she wasn't alone in being treated in such ways. If she was, then this place would be much emtier and she would have no neighbors. She didn't care how people saw her, yes she had been a slave, but she had gained her freedom.

As she got close to her apartment she noticed the door ws just barely cracked open again and she couldn't help but sigh. It wouldn't be the first time someone had broken into her place, though what they were looking for, she had no idea. She had no positions save what she carried with her really. She shook her head as she pushed the door open, glancing around and seeing nothing really all that out of order. She wandered to the kitchen and put down the small bag of groceries she had gotten before going back to shut the door and noticing the lock wasn't working properly. "Hm, guess they didn't need to break in." she muttered. She wasn't sure when the lock had quit working or broken, but obviously at some point it had and she just hadn't noticed. She merely shrugged and went back to her so-called kitchen to put her groceries away. There wasn't much, which was good, seeing as there wasn't much space anyway.

A couple times she thought she heard noise from one of the cabinets, but when she looked for the source, she found nothing, and shrugged it off as maybe she was just hearing things.

She didn't have much at home for entertainment purposes so she took her time, wandering back to her small bedroom to drop a couple layers of clothing. She dropped everything until she was down to her grey shorts and the sleeveless/strapless shirt she wore underneath it all. Wandering back to her small front room she sat down on the only couch in the room and stretched out, picking up a book from the ground and starting reading it. Truthfully, she found it rather boring, and before long she was asleep, dreaming of things she'd never known, and assumed she would never know nor understand.

When she woke up, she almost immediately flinched. Her door had cracked open again and the stream of light from the setting sun was directly in her eyes. Cursing at the broken lock she wandered over to the door and pushed it shut, dragging a box in front of the door to hold it in place as she wandered towards her room. She paused in the kitchen, glancing sideways at the cabinet and shrugging as she decided she really wasn't all that hungry.

However she was in for a bit of a surprise as she walked into her room, and realized her pile of clothes that she had dropped earlier was moving. With a very uncharacteristic yelp she stepped back onto her 'bed'. Not that that provided her much safety from whatever was hiding in her clothing, seeing as her 'bed' was just a matress on the floor. But as she was standing there staring at the moving and shifting clothing, a small reddish-pink head popped out of the sleeve of her jacket. For a moment Ren just stared at it. She could tell it was a snake, and frankly she wasn't scared of them, she was just aware that some were poisonous. With all her bright colors, this one had to be poisonous. But there was something cute about the snake's face, 'cute' being a word that Ren was not familiar with using every day.

She sat down on the edge of her mattress and looked at it as it looked at her before she finally reached out a hand. Her fingertips were probably two feet away from her, but the snake flicked her tongue back and forth as she 'sniffed' at Ren as if trying to figure out if this girl was a threat or not. The two probably sat like this, some strage kind of stalemate, for half an hour before the snake seemed to grow a bit bold. She slithered forward, slowly, before lifting her head. Her tongue flicked out a few times across Ren's fingers and Ren smiled just a little.

The snake seemed calm enough so Ren picked her up carefully and cradled her in one arm. It seemed she was just trying to get work as the snake sought out a place between her elbow and ribcage to get into to warm up. She couldn't help the smile that formed wtih her lips. It wasn't that it was such a foreign thing for the girl, it was just something that didn't happen often. But somehow she felt like this animal had sought her out, that it wanted company and had chosen her.

Carefully Ren laid her on the bed and she moved to get dressed again as her smile formed into a bit of a frown. She knew snakes were kept as pets sometimes, though she hadn't really seen anyone with one before. She needed to see if this snake was missing a home, or was missed. She couldn't be selfish and keep someone that had a home where it belonged. Once dressed she picked up the snake once more and held her up near her shoulder. The snake seemed to get the hint and her tongue flitted out and back and forth, sniffing as well as looking for a place to settle before slithering across Ren's shoulder to her hood and curling up in it. Someone could be looking right at it and not know it was there. Well, if she didn't move anyway.

With a heavy sigh Ren left the apartment with her new friend, fully expecting to have to give her up even though she really didn't want to. If she didn't know any better, the snake seemed happy where she was at too, her head now resting on Ren's shoulder though the rest of her body was in Ren's hood. As she walked, Ren was looking around, looking for any signs of someone who might be missing a snake. She asked a couple people and was directed behind the apartments where she found a group standing together talking. She almost froze in her tracks. These were slavers, not dissimilar to the types that had sold her. She really hoped this snake didn't belong to any one of them, but she had to ask, and ask she did.

The man she asked gave her an appraising look before looking at her shoulder where the snake had rest her little red head. Almost as soon as he spotted her though, she retreated into Ren's head fully. "Yeah, she's ours. Looks like she doesn't want to wander too far from you though." he commented, giving no hint to whether or not he even had missed her, or why he owned her.

Ren hated to think what purpose this man had for a snake such as this one, except to probably torture it and others with it. "Yes, well, I was hoping that I might purchase her from you." she stated. Though she felt timid of a sort, she did what she could to keep from letting on or letting others hear it in her voice.

The man raised a single eyebrow and looked at Ren for several moments before looking at her hood where the snake hid. "She's a pretty special snake, that one is. She wouldn't be cheap." he stated.

Ren suspected he was trying to make up reasons as to why the snake should be worth more than it was, but she didn't care. She wanted her, she wanted to free her after a fashion. "Name it."

The man named his price, and it certainly was high, but Ren had saved for some time. She would have to take a couple missions, and soon, to make up for the cost, but she didn't much care right now. She dug into her pockets and pulled out the money he had asked for, and left with her new friend. The snake came out again, lifting her head beside Ren's as if looking to see if the slavers were gone, before settling on the girl's shoulder once more as if content. "I think I'm gonna call you Airi." Ren commented with a light smile. Third smile that day, Ren felt like she was going for a record.

InformationShow

WC: 1651/1600 - Pet Payment

[MedeaMoirae]

Freedom was a strange thing, a thing that Ren was still adjusting to. Her former Master still found amusement in the things Ren would speak of or behaviors she would exhibit. But this entire concept of ‘doing whatever she wanted’ was still so very foreign. As she had walked into the book store, she had been half expecting to be chased out of it, or told that she couldn’t come in without the presence of her master or one of her wards. Yet there she was, browsing the book store by herself, receiving some glares, but no one stopped her. She had browsed the shelves for over an hour, looking for something that piqued her interest, and had left carrying a small book of Fuuinjutsu.

When she returned to her own apartment, she sat on the floor with some scratch paper and writing materials, opening the book to the first technique. She had to admit, she was overly curious about this sort of thing, a technique that allowed you to store items in a small design? She felt there might be potential for more complex techniques if she could just learn more about it.

The first design she came across appeared simple. She read about the purpose behind this ‘design’. It seemed to be a fake seal, used for two reasons. Primarily it was to train students in the use of fuuinjutsu, though she didn’t recall learning it in the academy herself. However it also seemed to be used as a way to make the enemy think there was something there that there wasn’t. The seal didn’t house anything at all it seemed, or at least this one.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about something that was specifically meant to fake out one’s enemy, but she also knew that in this village, one needed as many advantages as one could get. This village was not known for its mercy, and Ren knew she needed to put any thought of such things out of her mind. Blood was the only currency she needed to know in this place.

She picked up a writing utensil, ready to practice the technique, and carefully drew the design into the paper, allowing her own chakra to flow along with it. She found it somewhat enjoyable. As her wards might have told her, it was rather fun.

For several minutes she sat there, paper after paper, writing out the seal again and again, memorizing its design until she felt like she could write it out with her eyes closed.

Training InformationShow

WC: 424/400
*[Fake]
E-Ranked Fuuinjutsu
Normally a jutsu used to train academy students on how to place and remove seals, this fuuinjutsu can be applied in many ways, from scarring it into an object, writing it on a scroll, or other methods. This seal doesn't actually do anything, but to those not experienced in fuuinjutsu, it can appear as if it does.

[MedeaMoirae]

By now Ren had found herself sitting in an odd, but comfortable, position. Her apartment was sparsely furnished, but in the living room there was a couch, in the bedroom there was a bed, and that was about it. Right now Ren found herself laying on the floor, with her rear end up against the couch and her legs resting on the cushions as she held the book over her face and read about the next technique. To her left on the floor, by her elbow, was the stack of papers she had practiced the last technique on and from what she read and understood it seemed these papers would come in handy once more, even if the seal on them was ‘empty’ or ‘fake’.

”This is the first step to understanding what it is to unseal a fuuinjutsu seal. It is the weakest, but most important step.” Ren muttered as she read the passage out loud. It seemed simple enough in concept. As she read on she found that at this level she could only unseal fuuinjutsu seals that she herself had placed. She assumed that had to do with the chakra itself, a seal would have to be undone by the same chakra it was made with, or undone by chakra more powerful than it. At least that was her current assumption.

She rest the book on her chest, her hands folded over it as she ran through her mind over and over again the passage she had read. She reached over with her left hand and picked up a paper she had drawn a seal on before. But the position she was sitting on would create a problem. She turned and sat up, her back leaning against the couch and the book falling open on her lap she rest the paper on the book and formed the hand seal. She traced over the outline of the fuuinjutsu seal and watched it disappear. She blinked several times before grinning in satisfaction.

She was really liking these seals.

She set the paper aside and picked up another, forming the same hand seal once more before tracing over the seal on the paper with a single finger and watching, again, as it disappeared. She found it fascinating, she would’ve called it magic but from what she understood that was pretty much a synonym for what she already knew was ‘chakra’. Yet it still amazed her. Did her family know of this Chakra? Or did they live somewhere that it did not exist or was not taught?

The thought disappeared with the next seal as she practiced the move over and over again, almost as if that thought had never existed in the first place.

Training InformationShow

WC: 454/400
*[Remove Sealing: Miniscule]
E-Ranked Fuuinjutsu
By doing the needed handseal, the user traces the outline of an E ranked fuuinjutsu. After doing so, the user places their hand over the seal, removing the seal.

[MedeaMoirae]

By this point Ren had paper strewn all over her living room floor, fluttering in the breeze from time to time as her front door wasn’t completely closed. For the first time, possibly in her entire life, she found herself completely enthralled by this book and wanting to absorb as much information as she possibly could. Fuuinjutsu seals seemed like such a functionally important thing she couldn’t help but wonder why more ninja didn’t use them. As she read on she found a portion concerning the sealing of small weapons and she grinned from ear to ear. Though this only sealed smaller weapons such as kunai, she couldn’t help but think that with this, and maybe other seals, she could have an arsenal of weapons at her disposal. She would become a formidable opponent to any ninja. Of course there’d be much more work involved than merely learning this one seal, but this seal was the point from which it would all start.

Her excitement over the aspect of just how strong she could be with such tools at her fingertips had her nearly giddy, a feeling she was not entirely familiar with. Unless you counted watching her former ward, a young girl, getting giddy over candy the days Ren had had to escort her there.

She shook her head and tried to clear it, digging around in the messy piles of papers to find a blank piece that she might begin practicing this seal. This time though she didn’t go straight into drawing the seal itself, chakra and all. Instead she chose to practice the design first as it was a bit more complex than the last one she had learned. Yet she found herself liking the design, until she realized that she had written her first one wrong. She frowned, her forehead and nose wrinkling as she stared at the slightly curved corners she had drawn, curved corners that were supposed to be square. With a sound of frustration she wadded up the piece of paper and tossed it across the room, bouncing it off the wall and accidentally right out the open door. She stared at the door a moment, almost expecting someone to come in and yell at her for littering, people in this building were always looking for reasons to gripe at her for one thing or another, or reasons to chase her off. They weren’t fond of a slave living there, even if she had earned her freedom.

After a few moments of semi-silence, or at least the lack of an interruption, she went back to her work, this time constantly glancing back at the book as she drew the seal, still without chakra as she tried to get the design right. With a smug smile she stared at her results, having successfully drawn it this time. Yet there was the problem of how long it had taken her to do it.

She set the paper aside and took another piece of blank paper in front of her, starting to try and draw the seal with a quickness. It took at least three tries before the seal stopped looking sloppy from her rushing and started looking right. Each time she got a little better, and on her final try she decided to put her chakra into it. With a kunai in hand, she drew the seal, funneling her chakra into the seal, and the kunai and a moment later the kunai disappeared and the seal seemed to glow for a moment.

She couldn’t help but to squeal with joy.

Training InformationShow

WC: 595/550
*[Storage: Minor Weapon]
D-Ranked Fuuinjutsu
By writing out the needed fuuinjutsu on a scroll, the user is able to seal small weapons. These weapons are about the size of a kunai or a pocket knife. The size of the fuuinjutsu is directly equal to the object that is stored into it. Weapons can't be sealed this way in combat.

[MedeaMoirae]

Ren had a feeling she was going to be inside practicing these things all day. She simply couldn’t force herself to get her nose out of this book. As a slave, the time to read had been a luxury she didn’t have, though her master had taught her how that she might better look after his children and help them when they required it, she simply had never had the time to read for herself. Sitting here for hours on end, reading and training, was probably the most fun she’d had in a long time.

The next portion she came across in her book was the next step in learning how to unseal a fuuinjutsu seal. It seemed that the different ranked techniques went together, and the unsealings each coordinated with the rank of the seal it could undo. Part of her wondered if she would be able to unseal fuuinjutsu seals that she hadn’t sealed herself at some point but she forced herself to keep from reading ahead. No sense in ruining the ending after all, not until she got to it anyways.

It seemed that this unsealing was much like the last one, though it required a little more control, and a little more patience of course. Immediately and impatiently she picked up the paper she had sealed her kunai into, or she hoped it was the right one, to perform the technique. Fact was she had mixed up her papers that she had practiced the sealing technique on and wasn’t sure which was the real seal, and which was just the design. But she was certain she had the right one, as she had folded the corner of it to make sure she would remember which one it was after all.

She formed the appropriate hand seal after placing the paper on her lap over the book, focusing her chakra before placing her hand over the seal. Yet nothing happened. She frowned and looked over at her other papers to realize she had folded the corners on several of the papers, likely by accident, and now she actually wasn’t sure which was the right piece. Was she doing it wrong or was this the wrong paper? Figuring it was an excuse for more practice she set the paper aside and picked up the next one to try it. After all, it had to be one of them, and she’d get it eventually.

With a sigh she formed the hand seal once more, focusing the chakra into her hand before placing it over the seal to try and unseal it. Yet she had the same result as before, either she wasn’t doing this right, or it was the wrong paper. Wrinkling her nose in an expression of slight frustration she set the paper aside and picked up the next one. She was still trying to convince herself that this was all good practice, but fact was if it turned out she was just doing it wrong, then by time she got done with these papers she was going to be more than a little pissed off at herself.

She formed the hand seal again, closing her eyes as she placed her hand over the seal she was attempting to unseal and with a ‘poof’ it disappeared from the paper and the kunai was in her hand. She must’ve of stared at that kunai for several moments before letting out a sound of victory, and quickly covering her mouth hoping no one heard her.

Training InformationShow

WC: 585/550
*[Remove Sealing: Tiny]
D-Ranked Fuuinjutsu
Requirements: 3 control, *[Remove Sealing: Miniscule]
By doing the needed handseal, the user traces the outline of a D ranked fuuinjutsu. After doing so, the user places their hand over the seal, removing the seal.

[MedeaMoirae]

The further on she read, the more amazed Ren was by the amount of stuff someone could do with Fuuinjutsu. With every technique she read about, there were also paragraphs about the sorts of things one could store within the seals, or uses more notorious ninja had made of them in the past. Ren felt like she was almost drowning in the information but frankly she was loving it. The next technique she studied really got her mind going and she felt like something was pulling at the back of her mind, like the basis of an idea that just might be the most brilliant thought she’d had in a long time. But now it wasn’t fully formed, it was merely an idea at this point.

It wasn’t a technique she could necessarily practice at this time, but one she would have to study thoroughly that she might use it right when the time came. This particular technique was more than a mere Fuuinjutsu seal, it was a Fuuinjutsu seal that was put on the skin in the form of a tattoo. This passage spoke on the difference between sealing into a piece of paper or a scroll, or sealing into the flesh. Sealing into the flesh seemed much more complicated.

When sealing into the flesh of one’s self, it was a bit simpler but not by much. The chakra already matched and so the body wasn’t likely to fight the seal, or at least not as likely, but one still needed to be careful that they were sealing and not stabbing (in the case of weapons being sealed) or otherwise. Chakra had many uses and when you were looking at making changes to your own flesh with it, you entered an area that could be very dangerous if done wrong.

The idea of just what could go wrong caused a shiver to travel up and down Ren’s spine. Though the book gave no real examples, that just made it worse, as her imagination ran wild with the idea. But at the same time this seemed like a key jutsu. It could be the way to hide weapons on one’s self in case of capture and detainment, or hiding supplies in case you get stuck out in the wilderness for a long time. The possibilities were frankly endless. She was practically bouncing where she sat as she read it, she was simply getting so excited at the idea of everything she could do with this seemingly simple jutsu.

On and on she read, smiling as she thought about the types of things she could hide on herself, though at the same time it caused her pause. Scrolls can be made longer, or larger, to accompany certain seals, the flesh was a very finite amount of space. She knew this would mean she’d have to be very particular about what sort of seals she put on her own body, and immediately she decided she could not make a decision just yet as to what sorts of things to seal into herself.

Yet the last paragraph about the technique that she read caused her blood to run cold. She stopped her bouncing, stopped moving, and even held her breath as she read it. She swallowed hard as she remembering the fear in her own mind as she realized this technique, or something like it had been used on her before. Out of reflex her fingers touched the back of her own neck as she remembered the mark that had once been there. It had been a Fuuinjutsu seal, one that could have ended her very life.

Training InformationShow

WC: 604/550
*[Storage: Tattoo]
D-Ranked Fuuinjutsu
Because scrolls aren't always able to be used, this jutsu was developed by ninja. Instead of using ink and paper, they seal the items into tattoos over their body. These tattoos follow the same rules as the storage techniques that are used over it.

[MedeaMoirae]

She finally had to put her book down for a moment, but only a moment. After all, she couldn’t keep up with her work with all this paper strewn about her living room. She set to picking up the papers, stacking them as neatly as she could on the counter while she ran through her head everything she had learned so far and everything she had been reading. Most of it had been quite a bit of fun, though the last one had brought up a remembered fear, the fear that came from being a slave in Kiri. Once her cleaning had been done, she went back to the book, pacing back and forth as she read up on the next technique now. It had sounded fascinating and also opened up more doors and was giving her more ideas to be used at a later date.

As usual, the first thing she felt the need to do was to practice drawing the seal without the use of chakra. She wandered back over to the neat stack of papers she had made and rest a piece against the wall as she drew on it, comparing her image with the one in the book when she had finished it. She wanted to tell herself it was close, but fact was it was a mess and a bit sloppy. With a frown she flipped the paper over and tried again, this time looking at the book periodically and pausing as she drew to make sure she was getting it right, step by step.

As she started to draw it a third time she realized that actually practicing this jutsu was going to be easier said than done, but even as she finished it she realized she had the perfect idea for it, though it might be a bit of a challenge. She set the paper aside and went digging through her things looking for an actual scroll, coming out victorious back into the living room a few moments later. She unfurled up with a snap of her wrist and drew the seal on it perfectly, staring at it for several moments as she contemplated what she was about to do.

She pushed the couch back against the wall and set a stool in the middle of the room, driving her kunai into the top of it, just enough that it would stand on end. Scroll in one hand, she took a step back and stared down the kunai almost as if it had stolen from her. In reality she was just trying to remember what the book had said about what happens next. She formed the necessary hand seal to focus her chakra and whipped the scroll forward, intending to trap the kunai in the seal on it. Yet either she missed or messed it up instead because it went clattering across the room and against the wood of her kitchen cabinets. If anyone had been there to see it, Ren might have actually blushed in embarrassment. Though that embarrassment was sure to come when one of her neighbors would likely decide to come and yell at her for the noise she was making.

With a sigh she fetched the kunai and put the stool upright once more, putting it into place. She was going to try again, and hoped this time she’d have more success. She formed the single hand seal and swung the scroll forward so that the seal would touch the kunai and almost immediately the kunai was sucked into the seal. Even the stool was pulled up and then dropped to the ground when the kunai disappeared and Ren stared at it a moment. ”Guess that was stuck in there better than I thought.” she muttered.

Training InformationShow

WC: 627/550
*[Storage: Minor Weapon Defense]
D-Ranked Fuuinjutsu
Prerequisite: 5 Control
By having an empty, prewritten seal, the user is able to use the seal as a defensive measure. Holding a single, one-handed hand seal, the user attempts to block the incoming small sized weapon with the scroll. Right before contact is actually made, the weapon will be sealed into the seal. This prevents exploding tags from exploding right before they would explode, while also storing the projectile for later use.

[MedeaMoirae]

The sun was starting to set, but Ren had hardly noticed the passing of time at all. Completely absorbed into her book she was reading about another technique, always reading about these techniques. She felt like she was enjoying herself far too much, but at the same time she just couldn’t put the book down. So far the seals she had read about had been drawn, one of them had been tattooed. Now she was reading about a seal that would be engraved. Of the three it sounded like the most painful, and likely had its uses for more than just sealing.

As Ren read the description of what the jutsu did, she couldn’t help but think that this seal would be handy for a great many things, to include torture. Truthfully unless you were wanting to cause pain it seemed like a pretty useless technique, though as she looked around her home she realized the sort of uses that it would have for someone such as she. Her apartment was often broken into, though she had little of value for that very reason. Fact was she could use a jutsu such as this to put seals on the walls, maybe hidden when not activated and such, for hiding valuables and weapons. She nodded at the thought and moved on.

She cleared a space in the center of her floor, not particularly caring about any damage she might cause since her landlord hated her anyway, and she had a rug to cover any damages with. She held up her right hand and closed her eyes as she tried to focus chakra into her finger, holding it up and pointed towards the ceiling. Yet as she moved to mark the floor, instead of one line she had a few and quickly she lifted her hand with a frown. She had managed to focus the chakra into her hand, but not her finger.

She lifted her hand, finger pointed upward, as she tried to focus all her energy to the point of her finger. She spent longer trying to focus this time, imagining as if a blade were pointed out from her finger almost before opening her eyes and pointing her finger to the floor, moving as if to write across it. The chakra ‘point’ of her finger dragged across the ground leaving a thin line, however it was barely visible and wasn’t quite what she needed it to be.

She released the chakra and shook her hand to make sure there wasn’t any left. She felt as if maybe if she started from scratch she had a better chance of getting this one right. Once more she closed her eyes, concentrating her energy to her single finger and forming it to a point before turning her attention to the floor. This time the chakra was cutting deep enough for her purposes, the wood of the floor looked almost somewhere between a burn and a cut as she engraved designs into the floor, designs that she had seen in the book. She drew several ‘seals’, thinking that if all else failed she could use them later, for now she was practicing their shape.

She spent a good half an hour at this, drawing in total probably three medium sized ‘seals’ and four rather large ones in case she had something bigger. She was still learning and wasn’t sure what they’d be used for, but she felt more at ease just knowing they were there, even after she pulled the rug over them.

Training InformationShow

WC: 590/550
*[Finger Engraving Seal]
D-Ranked Fuuinjutsu
Prerequisite: 3 control
Concentrating chakra into their finger or a sharp point, the user is able to write seals on almost any surface. If used on a living target, it will cause a discomfort as the fuuinjutsu is scarred into their flesh. This can be used up to posts equal to the user's stamina.

[MedeaMoirae]

Ren’s door was wide open right now. She had very little light in her apartment, and really didn’t feel like messing with it, so she’d left the door ajar and allowed the full moon to do its job. Though it shone down through mist, it still worked like a charm and in some cases, better than any light Ren could have used herself. She had always preferred the light of the moon anyway. She looked over at her seals on the floor from practicing her last technique, and silently wondered if she had missed something.

She picked up her book again, pacing as she read its pages and found the next technique was exactly what she would need. It talked about how most seals, by nature, would remain active, but that in some cases the situation would call for the seals to be ‘turned off’ in a sense until they would need to be used. She looked over at the ‘seals’ on her floor after she had moved the rug again and wondered if that was what was nagging at her. Was it like leaving on a light? Would it nag at her until she took care of it? It was possible she supposed, and so she set to reading more about this technique.

It seemed like a rather handy technique, though she didn’t see anything about its limitations, if it could only turn seals off and on that were its own rank and lower or not. But she figured for her current purposes it would suit, and maybe she should learn it regardless. Never know when such a jutsu could come in handy.

She wandered over to where she had placed the seals on the floor and sat down in the middle of them, moving to one of the smaller ones first. She placed one hand over the fuuin and closed her eyes, focusing her chakra into her hand. The fuuin was empty, so she wasn’t sure if this would work, but she figured the practice itself could do no harm. She felt her own chakra funnel from her hand and into the fuuin and she felt as if something had changed. Exactly what that was, she couldn’t be entirely sure, but something had happened.

She moved to another seal and did the same thing. She reached out and held a hand over the fuuin, focusing the chakra to her hand. She felt the chakra flow from her hand and into the seal and again felt like something had changed. She didn’t think the fuuin she was messing with was considered ‘augmenting’ as stated in her book so it didn’t likely turn off. But the fact that she felt her chakra flow into it and cause a change, even if momentary, was enough for her to know she was performing the technique as necessary.

This time she decided to move on to another, though larger, fuuin. It was the same as the ones before, just the size of the surface she had carved was a bit bigger and as such she figured it would require a bit more chakra. She placed her hand directly over the fuuin and this time without closing her eyes she allowed her chakra to flow from her hand and into the seal to ‘disrupt’ it. She felt a significant change and smiled as she removed her hand. Satisfied that she had learned the technique, she decided it was time to put the book away and possibly get some sleep for the night.

Training InformationShow

WC: 588/550
*[Switch]
D-Ranked Fuuinjutsu
Because augmenting fuuinjutsu are not able to be turned off normally, this jutsu was developed in order to turn them off and on. By placing their hand over one of their own fuuinjutsu, the user channels their chakra to the fuuin, which renders it unusable. However, with either chakra kai or channeling chakra to the seal directly, they are then able to turn the seal on.

[MedeaMoirae]

The day had dawned beautifully, and Ren had been up to watch it, standing and staring out of a large window in the apartment she was staying in for the moment with her masochistic Aisu roommate. The entire situation had just felt odd to her, and she needed some time to mentally process what was going on. Above all, she needed to train. She had been born into the disadvantage of slavery, and found her way to becoming a ninja. But her initial disadvantage was still a problem, she was seen as weak, to be picked off at first opportunity by any ninja who thought her a disgrace. Staying with the Aisu would give her the advantage for a short time of being away from that pressure, away from a place where people died at random every day. But eventually she would have to go back, and she needed to be strong enough to defend herself.

She stood in the middle of an open training area, hands folded in the mist and eyes closed. Her mind was a swirling torrent, meditating on information she’d already learned, everything she already knew about Ninjutsu. She brought her folded hands into a single seal as she focused on herself and on her chakra, ready to perform whatever techniques would come to mind with the single goal of bettering herself in the art of Ninjutsu.

Her hands formed the seals deliberately, carefully making each one and mentally reminding herself why that particular seal was necessary to focus her chakra through. She even pronounced each one as she went. When she finished her string of seals, she brought her hands apart and water encased her right hand, moving outward and coiling slowly to form the whip. With a smile she moved that the whip would move out in front of her almost slowly, before yanking it back so that it would snap. She continued to maintain the technique as she spun the whip made of water over her head. This was one of her favorite Suiton techniques, though mostly as an intimidation tactic. She also found it cooled her off on hot days, when she encountered them. Spinning it over her head as she was doing now created a cool breeze from above her and periodically a single drop of water would land on her face.

When she finally dropped the technique once more she brought her hands in together, folded for a few moments before forming the first seal. Each seal was deliberate, it’s form as perfect as she could get it, and she would speak its name before moving onto the next. Her next technique was one of her least favorites, only because she hated that most Suiton techniques required the user to form the water in their mouth and expel it somehow. Even a former slave had some sense of propriety and this just didn’t mesh. Yet still she formed the seals and still she would perform the jutsu, completing the seals and bringing her hands together before pulling them against her stomach. She expelled a dense ball of water, about two feet in diameter, from her mouth and watched it fly forward. Once it was five meters away however it dropped rapidly and splashed to the ground, though Ren suspected that it might have landed in water as well. In mist such as this, it was difficult to tell.

Her hands moved in front of her once more, resting at a folded position with her eyes closed before slowly moving into the seals. Yet again each seal was formed deliberately and as perfectly as she could, constantly mentally reminding herself of the purpose of particular seals even as she pronounced their names out loud. As her sealing came to an end, she folded her hands in front of herself and pulled them back against her stomach. Water was expelled from her mouth to the ground before her, forming an umbrella shape that was concave to her and about two meters in diameter. Her hands were in front of her though she herself hadn’t immediately noticed when she’d done that, as if her hands had anything to do with its shape now. She could feel her hood shifting as Airi finally decided to peek her head out and rest it on her shoulder, watching Ren carefully as she worked, concentrating on her technique with everything in her. How long exactly she kept the technique up, Ren wasn’t sure, and frankly Airi didn’t seem to care much except for the fact that it had woken her up. Yet it was after some time that Ren released the technique and was breathing heavily. She was feeling tired already but had more she needed to get done, more that she wanted to get done before she could rest.

Her hands returned to a folded position before her. She took a deep breath, willing exhaustion and the desire to sleep away from her. If she was tired, and she was exhausted, she wouldn’t be able to do what she needed to do. Again she formed the seals carefully and deliberately, constantly mentally reminding herself why each seal was needed and what each seal did, even as she spoke their names aloud. As she completed the seals and moved her hands apart, a circular shape formed in her hand and, with chakra, she created a film of water to expand in the void between both hands. She smiled as she was able to look through this ‘lens’ of sorts to see a great distance in front of her. Turning with it she watched a few squirrels playing in a tree, and even found a nest of baby rabbits as they peeked their heads out to see if there were any dangers about. Yet in this mist, even as great as this jutsu was, it had its own limitations.

Though she could see a decent distance even at her level of ninjutsu knowledge, the mist still obscured her vision and there came a point where all she could were shapes and shadows moving in the mist. With a sigh she released the technique and reached up with a free hand to pet Airi.

SpoilerShow

WC: 1,035/1,000
Training: Ninjutsu

[MedeaMoirae]

Masami Ren had left the apartment early in search for her Kenjutsu sparring partner. The one thing that she probably couldn’t spar with Tenshi on was Kenjutsu, she was too worried that she might hurt him. He was far more proficient with Ninjutsu than she was but when it came to Kenjutsu she carried such an advantage she simply wasn’t comfortable with using it against him. Yet there was another option. Masami Daichi had been her Master once, and the first to teach her how to use a sword. To this day he was the one person she sparred with and learned from when it came to Kenjutsu. She had sent him a message the day before requesting permission to come by and was happy when she saw him standing outside waiting for her as she arrived at his home. They walked to the training ground together, both saying very little, and even after they arrived they were silent.

As always they took up positions a certain distance from one another and stared for moments that felt like forever. Ren was never the first to move, not against Daichi. His movement was fast and before she knew it he was on her. Her right hand went to the sword on her left hip, leaning back she pulled it up in front of her to block Daichi’s incoming blade using the Single Draw Block maneuver of the Eishin style. The swords rang and his bounced off of hers as she took a step back. Her sword snapped back into its sheath and his hesitation wasn’t even a second before his sword was coming for her again, singing its way to her.

This time Ren didn’t resort to the same move as before, but drew her sword horizontally, stopping the blade mid-draw in front of her. Pushing all her strength into it as the swords clashed once more, ringing out into the early morning hours, she managed to stop his sword but could not push him back. She was using the Drawing Clash maneuver also of the Eishin style against him, a move that requires having more strength than her opponent, which she knew she did not have. Though she also knew he wasn’t using his full strength against her, something made even more obvious by the fact that she had stopped his advance with such a simple technique. ”You’re holding back.” Ren commented calmly.

Daichi grinned as he held his blade against hers, keeping her from pushing him back. ”I’ll let you know when you’re ready for me to go full force. Right now? You’re not ready.” he replied.

A slight frown crossed Ren’s features at his words, she knew he was right, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. With a sound akin to a snarl she kicked him in the knee and pushed back, surprising Daichi and knocking him back a few steps. Her blade sheathed with a ringing sound and a click as she drew her other sword with her offhand, taking advantage of the simple ambidexterity technique she knew as well as moving into the Drawn Spiral maneuver. She would pivot on her heel as quickly as she could, holding her sword out as she spun and Daichi had been taking steps to get close to her once more. He ducked under her sword carefully and stood when she spun past him, bringing his own sword up to block hers when she followed up with a secondary slash in the opposite direction and back at him. He’d known it was coming of course because he had taught her.

”I wondered when you would actually learn what it is to get mad. Your calm always was a bit unnervering.” he quipped, a smile on his face. The man had been cruel as the master of a slave, but now he had turned almost fatherly towards Ren, something that had never bothered her before.

Yet now she found it did bother her. She wasn’t sure why, given the fact that she was now free she knew that his attitude towards her would change and she wasn’t exactly sure why it bothered her so much. She made a mental note to ask Tenshi about it, or maybe just mention it to him, when she was done with her training. Yet her thoughts were interrupted as he pushed her blade away and his fist came across her face in a hard right hook, dropping her to her knees. ”No more cheap shots.” he told her calmly.

Ren sheathed her sword while still on her knees before getting up to her feet and lifting a hand to check her lip, wiping away the blood. Her hand was shaking slightly, though she wasn’t entirely sure why, was this what her Master had meant by anger? She certainly could feel a heat crawling up the back of her neck.

Her next move came unpredicted, only because she hadn’t looked to be about to attack until she did it. She drew her sword with one hand and raised her other hand, literally ‘shooting’ her sword out of its sheath by hooking two fingers on the guard of the blade and snapping it up before catching it with her previously free hand. The draw was quick, one of the fasts of the Eishin techniques and known as the Ghost Draw. The moment the hilt of her weapon landed in her hand she was swinging it in a precise arc at her Master.

His swords sheathed he himself had to resort to the Single Draw Block to block the blade, his sword not completely out of its sheath before the sound of clashing swords rang out into the day. For a moment he actually appeared surprised before his normal calm demeanor took over and he looked over his own arm at Ren, staring at her evenly. ”Not bad.” he told her. They looked at one another like this for several moments before he completed the draw and pushed her sword away and she took a couple steps back. ”Maybe I shouldn’t be quite as easy on you.” he commented.
[WC: 1,024/1,000]

Jutsu UsedShow

*Eishin • Single Draw Block
D-Rank Kenjutsu
Prerequisite: 4 Taijutsu, 4 Strength
A basic Eishin technique that utilizes reactionary senses and is often taught to the point that it comes as second nature when intercepting attacks; by leaning back and yanking their hand up the user of this technique is able to use reflexes and speed to bring the edge of their blade up in front of an oncoming solid attack. This technique is often the preferred drawing motion of many Eishin practitioners allowing them to transition from defense to offense very quickly.

*Eishin • Drawing Clash
D-Rank Kenjutsu
Prerequisite: 4 Taijutsu, 4 Strength
Against an advancing target, the user quickly draws their sword horizontally, stopping the blade mid-draw in front of them. Then, placing their hand on the sword's hilt, they push forward. As the attack collides with the moving target, the techniques power will turn the opponent's own inertia against them, amplifying the damage. The user requires greater strength than the target's approaching speed to accomplish the effects sucessfully.

*Eishin • Drawn Spiral
D-Rank Kenjutsu
Prerequisite: 4 Taijutsu, 4 Strength
After drawing their blade, the user will quickly pivot on their heel as they hold the sword out, creating a spiral motion. The blade's angle and the centrifugal force of the pivot allow the user to cut a clean circle around them, often by followed up by a secondary slash pushed in the opposite direction.

*Eishin • Ghost Draw
C-Rank Kenjutsu
Prerequisite: 6 Taijutsu, 6 Strength
A feint technique requiring above average dexterity the user draws their sword with one hand and raises the other then literally 'shoots' his sword out of the sheath by hooking two fingers on the guard of the blade and snapping it up before catching it with the previously free hand. This draw happens in a matter of heartbeats and is considered the fastest drawing technique among Eishin users allowing them to not only confuse foes but immediately defend or switch to heavy offense depending on the situation.

*Ambidexterity
D - Ranked Taijutsu
Requires: 5 Taijutsu
After extensive practice and training the character has gained equal strength and skill between their two hands. This allows them to perform any action with either hand at exactly the same skill level and strength.

[MedeaMoirae]

Ren had always loved the way night fell in her Village hidden in the Mist. In most places she was sure the night caused the stars to shine, little points of light in the sky that brought hope to some. Yet Ren preferred the dark, even as she walked the streets from her home toward a training ground she looked up to see she could see no stars. She liked to think of herself as that mist, adding to the darkness of her enemies and making it that hope was so far out of sight and out of reach they would never get to it. And so on this night, when she couldn't sleep herself, she walked to the training ground that she might train to make her own dream, and other's nightmare, a reality. She wanted to be that nightmare to her and her village's enemies, to cause their blood to flow that she might feel alive within it.

It took only a second for her to focus her chakra. She had arrived at the training ground, more specifically the lake that was there, and stepped onto it as she had so many other times since becoming a ninja. The water fanned out from her foot with each step until she was standing in the middle of the pond. Tonight's training would be a bit more difficult than her usual ninjutsu training. All of her techniques that she would use she planned to perform on top of the water while focusing the chakra in her feet to keep herself standing there. It would take a different kind of focus, a split focus which could prove difficult. But her Master had always told her it was a great way to train anything.

She formed the hand seals slowly and carefully, pushing chakra through each and every one that she might perform the technique properly. As she pulled her hands apart, she put her right hand out from her side, water forming around that hand. As the water encased her right hand, it formed outward, making a whip long enough that it draped down from her hand to the water of the pond itself. She brought it up and snapped it in front of her, swinging it around over her head as she focused on both maintaining this technique and the water walking technique that she might stay on the water's surface. As she spun the whip she ran forward, doing a forward flip and landing on the water's surface, skidding across it with her forward momentum she had built up. Though she didn't do anything with the whip during this, she still maintained the technique as she did so.

She remained in the same crouched position she had landed in for several moments before she allowed the water whip to dissipate. When it did, it simply fell from her hand and to the water's surface with a splash. The moment the last bit of the water dropped to the water, Ren took off at a quick run across the water's surface, skidding to a stop. She formed the hand seals for her next technique as she came to a stop and straightened up, turning to face out across the water. The moment she finished her last hand seal she brought her hands down and pressed them against her belly. Her body buckled and bent and she expelled the water from her mouth.

The ball of water that flew from her mouth was two feet in diameter and flew forward about five meters before it dropped and fell apart across the water's surface. Keeping herself on the water's surface Ren watched it fall to pieces before her hands fell to seals once more. Before long the ball of water was flying from her mouth once more. Even as it splashed across the water’s surface, Ren was running after it. As it fell to pieces, the water splashed against her and she ran through it.

For the moment she started doing sprints across the water’s surface, from one end to the next, skidding to a stop before taking off again towards the other side. She felt like she just needed to run off some steam. Her life lately had changed, and not just because she was her own person now. She might not exactly remember every moment, but she knew what had happened between her and Tenshi. Yet she couldn’t get certain things out of her head. She was no longer a slave, that was true, but she was still seen as scum, and he was a member of a clan. She felt like she had no business at all being with him, even for that one night.

But what was bothering her most of all were her own emotions. Even now, as she was stone sober and running across the water’s surface she could feel them. Always she had kept her emotions locked away, and yet after one night she felt something she wasn’t sure she liked at all, an attachment. It wasn’t like the attachment or protectiveness she had felt over her wards who had been like siblings to her. She wanted to protect him, sure, she also wanted to be with him. He had seen her , known who and what she was and accepted her. He’d seen her scars, something she was ashamed of, and accepted them as a part of her.

She snarled under her breath, panting as she kept running. She could feel Airi stirring in her hood, the poor snake probably was confused as hell as to why Ren was suddenly exerting so much energy like this. Granted Ren wasn’t lazy or anything like that, but she hated doing unnecessary things, even when training. Of course Airi didn’t interrupt, she didn’t even come out of the hood, she simply tried to situate herself so she wasn’t getting bounced around so much in the process.

Ren didn’t stop. Her mind clouded, her chakra nearly exhausted, and before long she paid the price for not paying attention. The technique ended abruptly and she fell into the water, having to swim her way out.

Needless to say, Airi was not happy.

Training InformationShow

Ninjutsu; WC: 1,033

Jutsu UsedShow

*[Act of Water Surface Walking]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
A variation of the Act of Tree Climbing technique, this jutsu requires the user to focus a precise and balanced amount of charka into the soles of his/her feet. By doing so, the user is able to walk on the surface of water as though it were a solid surface. Users with low control 2 or lower are much more likely to fall through the surface of the water, while users with average control 3 or higher will be able to use this technique functionally. It lasts for a number of posts equal to the user's stamina stat times 3.

*Water Whip
D-Rank Suiton Ninjutsu
Water Whip is a technique that utilizes water to create a seven foot long whip. To do this, they must perform the needed seals and concentrate chakra in their hands. By placing them together and pulling them apart, the user will be able to form the whip, where the grip is simply a sphere of water that encases one of the user’s hands. The hand it surrounds is up to the user, but it cannot switch after the technique has been cast. If anything enters the water that is around the user’s hand, the whip will lose its form and splash onto the ground. The whip is about one inch in diameter and functions as a regular whip, delivering as much pain as a leather whip would. However, the whip is a little more durable, unable to be cut by strike from regular metal if attacked with a strength stat less than the user’s control. The whip lasts one post for every stamina point the user has.

*Dense Cannon
D-Rank Suiton Ninjutsu
Replacing speed for power, this technique creates a dense ball of water meant to cause heavy blunt damage. Once the seals are formed for this technique, the user will create a ball of water from within their body and will expel it through their mouth. The ball sits at about two feet in diameter. It will travel at a speed of three, up to five meters, but strikes with a force of four.

[MedeaMoirae]

”Are you sure you’re ready? I won’t teach you more until you, and I, know for sure.” Masami Daichi stood in the open space that was the backyard of his home. He wasn’t a large man, but he was leanly muscled, ideal for a Kenjutsu user such as himself. His arms were crossed as he stared at the girl that had once been his slave.

Ren herself was that girl, and was staring back at him, her arms loose at her sides, her body position suggesting a relaxed state even as she stood there. ”Of course I’m ready. You fought me just days ago! You know I’m ready to learn more!”

Daichi grinned. ”You know how to fight, but do you know how to evade? Today you will set aside your usual garb, your swords, and your snake, and the only thing I want you doing is dodging my attacks. You will not retaliate in any way, you will only dodge. You will not use any particular style of fighting to do this. Rely on instinct, and show me you’re ready to learn more by doing this, then I will teach you more Kenjutsu, more Taijutsu.”

Ren visibly frowned. This was not what she had expected, and certainly not what she wanted. She set aside her weapons, her jacket, until the only things she was wearing were her shoes, her shorts, and the sleeveless strapless shirt she often wore underneath it all. Her pale scars were evident in the sun, though Daichi would’ve hardly noticed them. She set everything aside, making sure Airi was comfortable even though she decided not to remain where Ren had left her. Instead the snake wandered off into the foliage to find a better hiding place.

No sooner had Ren turned towards Daichi, than was the sharp side of his katana flying at her face. She ducked under his swing, taking steps backwards to keep out of his reach. But she couldn’t go that far, behind her was a storage shed. He moved forward for a thrust just as she felt her back touch the wood and she spun out of the way. His blade sang as he maneuvered to keep from hitting the shed but maintained his momentum as he brought a downward strike from high towards her head. Again she side stepped.

Under normal circumstances Daichi would be much faster than she was and able to cut her down easily. Even as she stepped up on a short bench, jumping over his singing blade as it aimed for her ankles, she knew he was taking it easy on her and giving her a chance. She wasn’t sure why he needed her to dodge him continuously like this to prove she was ready to learn more, but she left it to him to decide such a thing. She was no longer his slave, but she still knew better than to disobey him or go against his wishes.

The bench brought her to the edge of the house and she reached up, grabbing the edge of the roof and pulling herself up to climb onto it as his sword barely missed her foot. Daichi was grinning as he jumped onto the bench and easily onto the roof. Ren frowned. He might have been making it easy on her in some respects, but in others, he was just plain showing off. Frankly it was kind of pissing her off. When he moved to attack her this time, she decided to go against his directions and make a simple move against him. She ducked under his blade that he had used in a side to side slash and slammed her body into his, knocking him off the room.

Daichi landed on his back and rolled to his feet with a laugh, watching as Ren jumped from the roof to the ground, rolling forward to avoid Daichi as he slashed at her again. ”What is the point in all this?” she yelled at him in frustration as she came up to her feet once more and she side-stepped to avoid an upward slash from Daichi.

Daichi grinned as he continued to make moves against her and she continued to avoid them. ”Easy. Taijutsu is more than just attack and defend, Ren. You have to be able to read and predict the movements of your opponent. You see without realizing it you’re doing exactly what I want. I told you to dodge, you could have easily just run and called that a task completed. But instead you’re sticking it out and avoiding my attacks.” When Ren tried to aim a spiteful punch for his face, he grabbed her by the wrist and wrenched her arm behind her back before pushing her forward and slashing at her backside. ”You’re reading what I’m doing like a book, and that’s what I need to see you doing.”

Ren spun away from his sword again but as he moved to cut her off, she stepped into him again. It brought her in so close he couldn’t get her with the blade and allowed her to literally bounce herself off him and keep moving. ”This doesn’t feel like a fight to me.” Ren said in almost a spiteful tone.

”That is because it isn’t. If you think of it as a fight, you’ll lose. It’s a dance, a dance with death and your life in the balance. Respect it, move with it, and you can win it.” He caught her by the arm, intending to bring her in close and end it, holding her in a position where one stab would have killed her if he had chosen, but as she was brought in close, Ren head-butted him hard enough to draw blood.

Daichi was laughing, blood running down his face as he swatted at her with the flat side of the blade, barely catching her on the leg. ”Bitch.”

Ren stuck her tongue out at him. ”Asshole.” she replied. Such interactions between the two of them, despite the former master and slave relationship, were rather common for them when they trained and sparred.

Training InformationShow

Taijutsu, WC: 1020/1000

[MedeaMoirae]

It had been a really long day. Masami Ren had taken some time away from Tenshi's home, not because he annoyed her or anything of the sort, but because her Master had asked a favor of her. Apparently one of her wards had taken to teasing those whose abilities were less than his own and Master Masami had asked Ren to stop by the home and teach the boy right since he and his sister had always listened to her. When she arrived she shouldn't have been surprised to find the older of the two siblings out front. He stood with his arms crossed, apparently seeing himself in a position of power over the fellow Genin who stood in front of him, practically quivering as young Daiki threatened him. With a sigh Ren looked over to see Mai, Daiki's sister, sitting on the porch with a look of serious disapproval. Ren nodded to her in greeting but paused to watch Daiki.

The boy was completely unaware of Ren's presence as he belittled and made fun of the kid in front of him. Yet as she watched, Ren had an idea. She remembered a technique she'd heard of before, the thousand years of death it was called, a technique usually used for practical jokes. Somehow Ren found it entirely appropriate for this situation, though before she'd been grossed out by the idea of using it on anyone. In this moment the boy needed to be put in his place, and so Ren figured she would do it herself. With the grin of the devil himself on her face she formed the hand seal of the tiger and rushed up behind Daiki, crying out, "Thousand Years of Death!"

Daiki had just enough time to turn his head and give Ren a horrified look before her fingers were jammed into his back side nethers. Cursing, screaming, and flailing, Daiki flew into the air while Ren stood up and rest her hands on her hips, watching with one eyebrow raised as Daiki landed. She turned and motioned Daiki's target away before turning to the boy. "How dare you." she said to him evenly as she walked towards him. "After your mother's death I protected you, I taught you, and I saved you from boys who would tease and ridicule you for having a slave as a protector. I have endured more than my fair share of violence for that same status and you dare to target a boy based on predispositions, and what? A sense of pride you don't deserve?!" This would only be the start.

Training InformationShow

~WC: 432/400

Jutsu Being TrainedShow

*One Thousand Years of Death
E-Ranked Taijutsu
Though its name is somewhat concerning, this technique finds its place in the realm of gags and abandons skill in order to deliver a shocking insult to the target. To prepare this technique, the user forms their hand in Tiger handseal formation and then jabs their fingers into the nether regions of their target. Most often, the desired effect of this technique is to make the target feel violated. In some cases, it will send the opponent into the air in order to stop the violation.

[MedeaMoirae]

The air smelled of damp earth and wet leaves, such a rich scent to fill the nostrils Kazuki couldn’t help but bury his nose in it before dropping his body to the ground and rolling to his back in it. Back and forth he wiggled, getting the dirt deep into his own fur and getting that itch on his back. The earth felt so cool against his own warm flesh that it was several minutes before he finally let himself fall to his side, panting as he looked around. It was a full moon tonight and that meant this place was especially suited for a wolf such as Kazuki. The light of the moon shown down into the mist creating this haze in the area that the wolf found he loved, even if it did dampen his fur. A night like this meant it was a great time for a run. The young wolf sprang to his feet and took off at a run in no particular direction. He was merely enjoying the feeling, the cool mist of the area spraying him in the face. It wasn’t until he heard noises that he came to a stop. Taking pause behind a bush, his bright yellow eyes peered through the branches as he tried to catch sight of the source of the noise.

It had been a rare night, and Masami Ren could not sleep. It had been a rare night as in she had actually had nightmares of times when she was a slave. Ren had spent most of her life as the silent pacifist of a slave, shoving all opinion, thought, and even pain into the darkest corners of her mind where it could not be reached. Even emotion had been abandoned for the peace she had found in acceptance. As a slave she had been molested, she had been beaten, she had been raped, and she had been abused near the point of death, but all of these things she had accepted and shoved away from herself, telling herself these things were merely part of the life of a slave. She told herself that because she was a slave these things were not only okay, they were acceptable.

Yet in the last days, maybe longer, she had been put in touch with her emotions once more. The things she was feeling when she was with Tenshi were simply overwhelming. Yet beyond that, she’d found that these emotions had awoken other feelings with in her, and those feelings had awoken nightmares. Tonight she hadn’t even slept before she’d had them, starting to fall asleep and suddenly it was as if she were reliving her worst moments, yet sleep she had never achieved. She had watched as Tenshi had slowly fallen asleep, and then gotten out of bed and come here, away from nearby homes and buildings, to let her emotions out as it were. The nightmares, and flashbacks as they truly were, had damaged her calm and brought back emotions she hadn’t realized she had even felt before.

And so here she was, in the light of the full moon and the coolness of the evening mist, her outer layers discarded for her simple shorts and no-sleeve, strapless, shirt. Her long hair was loose about her shoulders and one of her swords in hand, she moved as if battling the invisible mist in a fight for her life, her grunts and cries echoing into the night as her blade sang and the mist left her skin damp and glistening.

This was the sight Kazuki had stumbled upon. His yellow eyes were fixed on the human beast as she swung with her single claw at nothing before her. To most animals it might seem strange, yet Kazuki himself had observed such behaviors before. Just as Kazuki had once practiced battle with fellow wolves, so these animals did the same together. The only odd part about this to him was that this beast was doing it alone. He settled himself down in the bushes without a sound, his head resting on his paws as he watched her work.

Again and again she struck at the air, but having nothing on which to actually land a blow was making things all the more difficult. Striking at the air made her feel as if she herself had become hollow, leaving more and more space for these emotions to take up to the point where she couldn’t even push them away anymore. They had filled her, consumed her, and now they were crippling her. Her sword hit the ground with a clatter as she fell to her knees, her body shaking with sobs as the tears finally came. The young girl who had never existed within Ren was coming forth in almost a violent fashion as she reflected on everything that had happened to her. Her hands, her entire body for that matter, were severely scarred from her life. The scars were her shame, a shame that only Tenshi had seen with her permission. And yet as humiliated as she had been by that, he had not only accepted her for it, he seemed to love her despite it.

Struggling and with staggered breath she forced herself to stand, her hands reaching out for her sword to help her up. She stared at the weapon as more memories washed over her, the memory of first blood shed. She had killed the murderer of her Master’s wife without a second thought, and not for survival, but to protect the two children. At least that had been her original intent. It was as if she could almost still feel the blood slipping through her fingers, slick and warm, and yet the sensation that would scar most young women was actually causing her to smile. There was power in these scarred hands, that incident had shown that much at the very least.

The grin on her face was unnerving, if anyone save the spying wolf had been around to see it. In the eyes of the wolf it was a sign of strength, of a memory of a hunt she was savoring, even as her blade sang once more, sinking into the side of a post.

The feeling of the blade biting into the post was far more satisfying than even Ren had expected it to be. A couple of splinters flew, and though she knew the blade would be dulled for this sort of move, she found she needed to feel the release of it. She’d simply have to dedicate herself to re-sharpening the blade later. Again and again she struck the post, splinters flying here and there, scattering across the ground. Her grunts and cries of anguish turned to that of rage and a ferocity she had forgotten she possessed. The ferocity that had saved the lives of those two children, that had shed the blood of a murderer without hesitation. It increased with every strike, until the strike that was more than the post could handle. And yet she hadn’t expected the post to yield to her strength and rage so quickly. It split, the largest piece of it flying harmlessly to the side but her swing had been full enough that the blade caught her own calf, leaving a gash about three inches long and nearly an inch deep in the muscle.

Her scream echoed through the night, another sound the wolf was familiar with and one he could not ignore. This beast was ferocious, it was emotional, and it was alone as he had been. In a single night he had seen this beast go from one to the next, proving to him that she had long lived on her own and struggled in her own way against her own life. As she fell to her knees, her one claw skittering across the ground, he rushed forward and placed his body beneath her torso to keep her from meeting the ground completely.

Ren was surprised to find her fall broken by dark fur. Her hands grasped for the ground as she pushed herself up to the knees and it was in shock that she stared at the pair of bright yellow eyes to the point where she had forgotten the pain, at least until Kazuki reminded her of it. She sat back on her rear end and Kazuki walked over to the side of her leg, sniffing at it. Pain shot through Ren’s leg, even before the wolf licked at the wound, trying to clean it for her. Yet Ren was baffled. She had no idea how long the wolf had been near, no idea why he rushed to help her, why he cleaned her wound now and why he nudged her as if telling her to stand up.

After a few moments of staring at one another, Ren finally stood and pulled on her layers of clothing and checking to make sure everything was in place. Her leg was in serious pain and walking hurt like hell. Yet as she took steps towards home, the wolf walked alongside her. If she stopped to look at him, he stopped and looked back at her.

This was the start of a very odd partnership indeed.

~WC: 1,542/1,500

[MedeaMoirae]

Ren had just arrived at the hospital of Kirigakure No Sato. Today she was training, but had left both Kazuki and Airi at home, for this was not any kind of combat training. This was training in medical Ninjutsu, and Ren was admittedly feeling a bit uneasy about the entire thing. She had learned and been taught a great many things, but not healing. Yet she was convinced that learning Iijutsu would be a great benefit, not just when working in teams, but also an understanding of the human body could make learning other things much simpler, other things such as poisons.

She was introduced to a Jounin named Shiro who gave her a small book on basic techniques, but also took her back in an exam room with another ninja who would pose as the ‘patient’ in this case. ”Now Thermometer is just a simple technique to check someone’s temperature.” he told her, picking up what looked like a simple pick or dull toothpick. ”All you have to do is focus your chakra within an object, like this one, place it in the patient’s mouth, and the chakra’s reaction will tell you if the patient has an abnormal temperature. If it is above normal, the chakra will clump near the top of it, if it is below normal, it will clump and form down lower on the object. It’s very basic, and very simple. Ready to try?” He offered her the small stick and Ren took it, looking it over a moment in curiosity. It did seem simple enough after all.

She glanced over at the ninja who was playing patient, idly wondering why they were practicing this on someone who seemed perfectly healthy. Didn’t that mean that this jutsu was useless or might seem to just not work? With a sigh she decided to give it a try anyway, holding the stick between two fingers as she formed the single hand seal and focused her chakra into the small stick. Once she was certain she had done it correctly, she walked over and put it into her ‘patient’s’ mouth. To her surprise she could feel the chakra shift and gather at the top. She removed the stick and glanced at her ‘patient’ before looking at her instructor who seemed to chuckle a bit.

”He’s coming down with a fever as part of his body fighting against infection. We already treated the wound, but I figured it’d be a good opportunity for you to do this. Good news is you seem pretty adept with Ninjutsu, so you should pick up on most techniques pretty quick.”

~WC: 436/400

Jutsu TrainedShow

*Thermometer
E-Ranked Ninjutsu
This simple technique is utilized by medical-nin in place of traditional thermometers, although it is not as accurate. After forming a single handseal and focusing chakra into an object in his/her hand, the user can place it within the mouth (or rear) of the patient. If the patient's temperature is above normal body temperature, the chakra within the object will clump together near the top of it, while if the body temperature is below average, the chakra will form much lower down on the object. This technique can be held as long as the user has chakra.

[MedeaMoirae]

Before Ren knew it she was watching Shiro work on a ninja. In the middle of her training he'd been brought in from a mission and was pretty bad off, she'd gone to leave but Shiro had made her stay. She was watching him work and was surprised to find he was still talking to her. Though he was bent over a shinobi, doing everything he could to heal the man despite the blood covering his hands, he told her about the next technique he wanted her to train. "Chakra gloves is a necessary and very basic technique. It's one, I'm not sure if you observed, I already used. You never know what you're dealing with when trying to heal someone and the last thing you want to throw into the mix is the risk of infection to the patient or yourself. What you're going to do is cover your hands in a thin film of chakra to protect yourself from infection as well as protecting the patient. And you're going to use it." As he motioned Ren over, she felt a hesitation come over her, yet she did as she was told.

Ren approached and paused at the patient's side, forming a single hand seal to focus the chakra and to cover her hands in a thin layer. It seemed easy enough. Yet as she completed it, almost as soon as she did, Shiro reached out and grabbed her hands, putting them over a cloth on the man's wound and she couldn't help but look up at Shiro in shock.

The man simply grinned at her. "If you're going to learn Iijutsu, that makes you a medic, so act like one and get your hands dirty. Hold the technique and keep that cloth there while I get another ninja. I'm going to need all the help I can get healing him."

Ren was not feeling comfortable with this. Maintaining the technique was simple enough, but glancing down at the man wounded before her made her more uncomfortable than she thought possible. She had been around plenty of blood, but she had always been spilling it, one way or another. Never had she been expected to help heal someone. This was an entirely new thing, and she wasn't entirely sure that she was okay with it. She was definitely embarking on something completely different. She had wanted to learn Iijutsu as a way to learn more about how to torture and interrogate a target without killing them, knowing how to heal as you go would come in handy. But right now, this was just completely awkward.

Jutsu TrainedShow

*Chakra Gloves
E-Ranked Ninjutsu
When real latex gloves are not on hand, the Chakra Gloves technique comes in quite handy. After forming a single handseal, the user will focus chakra into his/her hands to form a thin layer of chakra around them. This chakra will help to protect other objects against the bacteria on the user's hands if sterilization is not an option before beginning a procedure. This technique can be held as long as the user has chakra.

~WC: 436/400

[MedeaMoirae]

”Training this next one is going to get interesting.” Shiro was telling Ren as he led her down the hall. When he stopped, they were standing outside the door to what Ren assumed was a small exam room and a couple of other ninja were standing there.

”Define interesting.” came Ren’s reply.

Shiro couldn’t seem to help the grin that crossed his face at the comment. ”Well this next technique is similar to chakra gloves, but you’ll be focusing the chakra over your mouth and nose, allowing you, if necessary, to work with a patient who is infectious and not risk yourself, yet still be able to breathe. Obviously this is best for situations where you don’t have access to proper gear, but it’s still handy. I simply have an interesting approach to training this one.”

Ren absorbed what he had to say, but didn’t like that he seemed to be behaving in an evasive manner. ”Define interesting.” she stated again.

Shiro opened the door, grabbed Ren by the arm, and pushed her in as his response. The slamming of the door behind her made her feel like she’d just been left to die, perhaps that was what he had meant by interesting. But the slamming door wasn’t the only thing that gave her a sinking feeling. Almost as soon as she heard that door shut she let out a breath and took in another, and almost immediately felt a sensation similar to needles in her lungs.

The room was full of poison.

She didn’t stop to wonder if it was mild or dangerous or if she was truly in danger, but her mind raced to when Shiro told her what the technique was. She tried to mentally set aside the pain in her lungs as she formed the hand seal, trying to focus the chakra around her nose and mouth. For a moment she thought she felt some relief from the poison and she dropped the seal, letting herself take a breath.

Taking another breath was a mistake, she could suddenly feel the technique wavering, holes in her chakra and the needles filling up her lungs again. Dropping to her knees, wheezing, she formed the seal again. Sometimes she forgot that the way to learn anything in this village was to put your life on the line. She had mistakenly assumed that medical ninja were different, she’d always seen them as weaker, perhaps this moment was her learning the hard way that even a ninja who specializes in saving lives, is capable of taking them just as quickly.

This time the jutsu formed and she was able to hold the technique. Standing on shaking legs, she turned to look at the door and Shiro beyond the window in it and nodded, letting him know that she had done it and was breathing normally now.

Jutsu TrainedShow

*Chakra Mask
E-Ranked Ninjutsu
Not unlike the Chakra Gloves technique, Chakra Mask shines when the real deal is not on hand. After forming a single handseal, the user will focus chakra into the area around his/her mouth and nose to form a thin layer of chakra around them. This chakra will help to keep the user from breathing bacteria onto a patient during procedures. This technique can be held as long as the user has chakra.

~WC: 475/400

[MedeaMoirae]

Ren had left Kazuki and Airi at home today, planning on spending some time at the hospital training further. There was so much she had left to learn, and she felt like she was losing time, despite the fact that Tenshi being away meant she had plenty of spare time. As such, here she was, walking into the hospital in her normal garb just for the chance to learn a bit more. She met Shiro at the front desk and he led her back to an empty exam room. ”It’s a slow day today, so we’ll finish up with the last of your most basic techniques now.” he told her.

”What I’m going to train you on now has a great many uses though it may seem like such a minor technique. This can be especially handy when you’re dealing with poisons or any form of fluid you need to draw out of your patient’s body. When you’re in the field you’re not always going to have all the supplies you need. Chakra Container is exactly what it sounds like and is perfect for most of your needs. Now it isn’t going to last forever, but it can hold about ten ounces of liquid. What you’ll do is you’ll form the hand seals I’m going to show you, and then make a cup shape with one of your hands, focusing your chakra in that hand. That concentration, with those seals, done properly you’ll be able to make a bowl purely out of chakra in your hand.”

Ren listened carefully, and watched as Shiro demonstrated the hand seals slowly. When he had finished explaining, and had demonstrated the seals, Ren moved through them, one at a time. She didn’t move onto the next until Shiro indicated she could and she had gotten each of them correct. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath before moving forward with the next step.

She formed each seal in quick succession and cupped her left hand to form a ‘bowl’, concentrating on the formation of the chakra. Shiro took a glass of water from the counter and walked over to Ren, pouring the water into her hand. For a moment it settled into a shape, but when it fell apart the water splashed across her hand and onto the floor. Shiro smiled and nodded to her that she should try it one more time.

She closed her eyes and tried it once more. This time when Shiro moved to pour the water into her hand, it didn’t leak out or splash about, it retained it’s shape and Ren simply smiled.

Training InformationShow

~WC: 436/400
*Chakra Container
E-Ranked Ninjutsu
Simple, effective and highly useful, the Chakra Container technique provides a small, makeshift storage when no others are on hand. After forming a short set of handseals, the user will make a cup with his/her hand and begin to focus chakra into it. A small, bowl-shaped mold of chakra will form which is capable of holding up to 10 ounces of liquid. This container lasts for six (6) posts before dissipating.

[MedeaMoirae]

Shiro tossed a book at Ren. It was well worn with a dark cover and it’s label indicated it was full of different types of Iijutsu, or at least theories of Iijutsu. As Ren looked through it, he went on to talk about the next technique. ”Probably one of the biggest challenges we face in field medicine is sterilization. People in general are walking diseases considering the amount of bacteria we carry, and none of it can you afford to get into an open wound.” he told her. He took the book back from her for a moment and flipped to a particular page, handing it back to her for her to read.

”This is one of the most important things you can learn. When tending to your fellow ninja, or anyone for that matter, you can save a life simply by sterilizing yourself or their wound. Just because we in this village are known for the bloodshed we cause doesn’t mean we can’t save lives. Of course the hardest part of this is being able to tell if it’s actually worked or not, and the fact is only you can really know for sure if it has. You have to use the chakra to feel the bacteria and wash it away or pull it away.”

Ren merely nodded, reading over the theory as it was presented in the book and part of her was somewhat surprised by something like this. It seemed like it’d be more difficult than the book described it as being, seeing as she’d have to clear her entire body of bacteria, though she did notice the amount of time the book warned her she would have to take.

Ren herself had been sitting as well, and as she read over this portion of the book she stood and started pacing. ”So the trick is what…?” she mused aloud. ”The level of this jutsu indicates it should be simple in theory, so washing away bacteria?” She closed her eyes and formed the hand seals that Shiro had shown her as he watched with a smile.

She formed the seals and literally let the chakra wash over her, washing away any bacteria as she felt it come into contact with it. She was surprised at the fact that it was indeed fairly simple, but at the same time it did require some concentration. Yet as she focused she could feel it all wash away, and with a smile she turned to look at Shiro and nod to indicate it had indeed worked.

Training InformationShow

~WC: 425/400
*Sterilization Technique
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
As sanitation cannot always be guaranteed in field operations, this technique provides a quick substitute to traditional sterilization methods. After focusing chakra into his/her hands, the user will channel the chakra throughout his/her upper body (torso, arms, hands, face). This chakra will chew away at harmful bacteria and other foreign bodies on the skin, cleansing it until it is thoroughly sterile. Of course, this takes both concentration and time, and in order to sterilize the entire upper body, it will take a duration of one (1) post. Users of this technique can also choose to sterilize certain parts of their upper body or the wounds of another person instead for a lesser concentration period. Once they are sanitized, they remain this way until coming in contact with more bacteria.

[MedeaMoirae]

Ren had come across something new. In her recent studies she had come across the ‘element’ known as Chiton. Studying it had proven quite the challenge and she had resorted to going through files at the Head Hunter’s Division in order to learn more about it. Yet at some point, study had to become action, and so she sat in her own living room with a bowl of water in front of her.

Chiton seemed like such a complicated thing, turning water into blood didn’t sound like a simple task. Even more so because everything she read indicated that the blood would essentially be hers. But the more she read on it, the simpler it seemed. Chakra was in her, in every part of her, that had to include the blood right?

She dropped her fingers into the water, moving her hands back and forth a bit as she felt it, sighed as she thought over what she needed to do. The seals were simple enough and she played them through her head as she considered the idea of using her own chakra to replicate her blood, to change this water into that blood.

Closing her eyes, she withdrew her hands from the water long enough to form the seals, carefully and meticulously, one after another. Each had to be formed just right, and the chakra forced through it just right.

Her hands dropped to the bowl, her hands out over the water and fingers barely touching the surface as she concentrated. She envisioned her own chakra investigating her blood, figuring out what made it exactly what it was and what made it hers. That same chakra she tried to imagine copying the blood and she concentrated on forcing it into the water.

She imagined the chakra filling the water and changing it. She opened her eyes to watch her work as she felt the chakra flowing from her hands into the water. It was strange to see, the water swirling just slightly with the movement of chakra, and soon that slight swirling was turning red as it moved. It was, of course, watered down at first and more of a shade of pick, but as the red spread it became darker and darker. Before long she could feel the thin water that barely touched her fingertips, changing in consistency and becoming thicker. As she stared down at what was now blood, she lifted her hands, watching it drip from her fingertips with a smile on her face.

Training InformationShow

~WC: 418/400
*Miracle Water
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the needed seals, the user will make contact with a body of water up to 10 pints large. After channelling Chiton chakra through the water, the user slowly converts the water into blood of their blood-type to use for other jutsu. In order to achieve the complete effects on a full body of water, the user must channel for a whole post. Smaller amounts require less channelling time, however.

[MedeaMoirae]

Today’s training found Ren at the hospital once more, but this time it wasn’t Iijutsu that she was training, or at least not necessarily. As part of her delving into Chiton and its uses, she had spoken to Shiro once more who had arranged a willing participant for her next piece of training. As cold as Ren could be, the entire thing made her nervous. Even as she entered the room and saw a fellow female ninja laying on the exam table, Shiro next to her, she found herself second guessing the wisdom in this training. Even though in this case her target, or patient as the case may be, was willing, considering it was her first time trying such a thing.

”She’s asleep.” Shiro told Ren in a flat tone as he walked over to stand behind the girl’s head and wait for Ren to do what she came to do.

As Ren approached, she ran the theories and her studies through her mind, hardly noticing as Shiro performed a simple jutsu to check the girl’s temperature. He would need the reading from immediately before Ren did her jutsu so that he could tell if it had worked.

With a sigh, she took her place beside the girl, the target of her training. She formed the hand seals slowly, focusing the chakra through each, a chakra that came from her own blood. As her seals completed, she laid her hands on the woman’s abdomen, forcing the Chiton chakra into the target. Normally her chakra would have to fight to infect, or affect, this girl’s blood, but since she was both asleep and willing, the struggle simply didn’t seem to be there, yet Ren felt like it wasn’t going right.

With a puzzled look on her face she withdrew her hands, and Shiro performed a jutsu again to check the girl’s temperature. ”You need to try harder, even though she’s willing it’s not going to just automatically or immediately happen for you, there’s still work required.”

Ren made a face in response to the chiding, but even so she knew he was right. She formed the seals, moving more easily from one into the next this time. As she laid her hands on the girl’s abdomen again and began forcing her Chiton chakra into her it felt a bit different. Ren could almost feel the girl’s body temperature within her as she willed it down. It wasn’t much but it had to be a start. She withdrew her hands and smiled as Shiro again checked the girl’s temperature, confirming that this time it had worked.

Training InformationShow

~WC: 435/400
*Endothermy
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the needed seals, the user will channel Chiton chakra into a subdued or willing body. By doing so, the user can slightly raise or lower the user's current blood pressure and blood flow to manipulate the temperature of the target's body by half a degree within their normal body temperature.

[MedeaMoirae]

As Ren sat in the living room of the home she currently shared with Tenshi, she couldn’t help but to think that today’s training was going to be less than fun in some ways. As a slave she had been accustomed to constant and daily pain. But ever since she had earned her freedom, despite her daily training, pain had become less familiar and in some ways that meant she could feel it even more. Yet her next technique would require pain, because it would require an open wound on herself. It didn’t help any either that Kazuki seemed to have a sense of these things. Ren had been fighting with him all morning before she’d finally convinced up to lay down on the floor nearby, instead of on her lap.

She took the kunai knife and drew the blade across her left arm. It made for a deep gash, but didn’t open any main arteries and so did not threat her life. Ren could hear Kazuki whine his disapproval from where he lay. Ren took a few controlled breaths as she lay the bloody kunai aside, watching the blood flow for a moment. It dripped lightly off her arm and onto her leg, serious enough to get the practice she needed but not serious enough that she’d have to rush to the hospital.

Her hands formed the seals, albeit slowly seeing as she hadn’t taken the pain of the wound into account when planning on this part. She let the chakra flow into the seals and her fingers even as she completed them, and her hand she rest over the wound as she let the chakra move into it. Naturally the wound wasn’t nearly as wide nor deep as the jutsu was capable of working with, but Ren was looking for practice, not an endgame of a hospital visit.

The chiton chakra almost felt soothing as it flowed into the wound and as the superficial blood clot began to form, an idea began to form in her mind as well. Was it possible to do this for the entire body? For lost limbs? If one could have complete control over their own blood, the possibilities suddenly became quite amazing, and quite enticing.

Her mind wandered over these thoughts and more as she looked down to see her own progress and she smiled a bit. Pulling her hand back she could see she had properly formed the clot and though she would have to properly bandage it still, it meant her training at least was successful.

Training InformationShow

~WC: 426/400
*Bold Clotting
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the needed seals, the user will place their hand over an open wound up to five inches wide and two inches deep. After channeling Chiton chakra for a full post, the user will form a superficial blood-clot covering over the wound to prevent further bloodflow from it. While this cover doesn't completely heal the wound, it allows the target's body to recover from the wound naturally without agitation.

[MedeaMoirae]

Ren made a face, staring down at her arm as she thought over the next technique she’d be trying. Technically it could require another wound, more pain, or she could transform some water into blood again. But staring at her arm and the wound she’d given herself in order to train her last technique she also realized there was a much simpler and much quicker way to get blood for this technique. She just wasn’t sure she wanted to do it. Yet with a sigh, and after fighting off and over protective Kazuki once more, she did what she had to do. With a grimace she broke the previously formed blood clot, allowing her arm to bleed once more.

She took a deep breath, willing her body to calm from the fresh wave of pain as she pressed over the wound with her palm, intentionally getting as much blood as she reasonably could on her hand. She smeared some on her face, and some up her arm to prepare for the new technique. Yeah, using water she’d converted to blood might have been smarter.

Ren formed the seals and concentrated on the chiton chakra within her blood, closing her eyes as she imagined the blood spreading across her arm, down her face and neck. She wanted to get it soaked into her clothes too but there wasn’t enough for something like that.

She opened her eyes as she broke her concentration to evaluate her own work. The blood had spread in streaks across her arm, almost as if she was covered in smaller gashes similar to an explosion. She had to actually get up and go into the bathroom to see her face and was surprised to see just how it actually looked. It was streaked across her face as well, though not covered. But she did she that she didn’t have any on her opposite arm.

She took her wounded arm and met it with her uninjured arm just to get blood on it. Forming the seals once more she concentrated on moving the blood and smearing it across her skin to get the desire effect. When she opened her arms again she found her other arm now streaked in blood and when she looked up in the mirror she realized just how terrible she looked, though terrible was the end goal after all. She looked like she might have been the target of a few explosive tags, and though she had used minimal blood, there was enough to make it seem as if she were seriously injured.

Training InformationShow

~WC: 429/400
*Bathed In
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the needed seals, the user will slather blood on their body. By concentrating Chiton chakra in the blood, the user thins it out, allow the user to spread it over a larger area on their body. As a result, the user will look much more wounded and bloodier as a means to trick the opponent.

[MedeaMoirae]

Ren was back at the hospital, asking Shiro for a favor, though this time she wouldn’t be dealing with a patient. She’d be dealing with a fairly fresh corpse. She followed him down the stairs into the basement of the hospital, a fittingly creepy location for a morgue, in many ways it was the best location. The room was cold and Ren was shown into a room where there were several exam tables, about seven of them, and three of them had ‘occupants’. All three of them were ninja. Some of the injuries were rather severe, one of the ninja was barely even recognizable. The sight actually caused Ren to pause. She had seen bodies before, but somehow she hadn’t been prepared for this.

She followed Shiro around to one of the tables and looked down at the young man, dead, in front of her. As per her instructions, she took a knife and made a cut, in doing so she could feel that he was still warm and it almost caused her to shudder. Fresh corpses were the worst. As part of her training she formed the seals and funneled her chakra appropriately, pushing a container with her foot into the appropriate place as she placed her hand just over the wound and funneled her chakra into it. It was an easy technique and before long the blood was dripping out. Yet it wasn’t steady, and it wasn’t a strong flow, Ren could only assume that her hesitancy considering the freshness of the corpse and the way it had startled her, was the reason behind her difficulty in doing this technique properly.

Once a pint of blood had been draw, Ren moved on to the next corpse, hoping this one would go quicker. On this corpse she didn’t have to make any kind of fresh cut, though in truth she wasn’t sure she needed to make one period. She formed the seals and moved the container in place, funneling her chiton chakra into the corpse and smiling as the blood poured out this time. She couldn’t help but think that such a thing could be a valuable asset in interrogation, draining your target of blood and being able to control the speed. She was getting the hang of it, and it occurred to her that she might have to speak to Maigo about this and get his opinion.

The third corpse would be the simplest and Ren’s mind hardly had to concentrate on the task this time as she drained what was needed, knowing the blood would have many uses, though she never asked what those uses might be.

Training InformationShow

~WC: 440/400
*Venipuncture
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the needed seals, the user will channel Chiton chakra into a subdued or willing body. As long as the target doesn't struggle, the user can draw up to a pint of blood from the target. This technique works best on recently deceased corpses as the user can draw out blood repeatedly from them to fuel their jutsu.

[MedeaMoirae]

The sun rose, and so did Ren. Today she left Kazuki behind and even Airi who was hiding in her pack which she had also left. Though she had recently been sparring with Ryoga and desperately wanted to look into learning another style of Kenjutsu, she also knew that she had a long ways to go with her Iijutsu. There was still much she needed to learn and while a new sword style would serve her well, it was likely that for the moment the Iijutsu would become the more important talent to learn.

Shiro was waiting for her when she arrived, hardly saying a word as he led her back to one of the exam rooms to get some privacy for her training. ”You’ve already learned how to sterilize yourself for Medical work in field operations, so this next one should be a good deal easier.” he told her as he shut the door. Today the exam table did not have a patient on it, but instead there were at least a dozen utensils laid out. None of them looked dirty at first glance, but none were sterile. There were small knives and scalpels, some tweezers, and suture needles. ”The main thing to remember is that you are not working with something that is attached to yourself, but you’re working with an item that is there in front of you. It will take a bit more work than sterilizing your own hands, but the technique is very similar.” As he spoke, he motioned to the table, indicating to Ren that she should get started.

Ren moved to the table and sighed as she picked up the first tool. It was a simple scalpel and reflected the light as she turned it over in her hand. After a moment of looking at it, and a sigh from her, Ren let the utensil sit flat in her hand as she focused her chakra into her hand. With her eyes closed she tries to picture the chakra she was focusing into it to be cleaning it, like several itty bitty sponges working around every inch of it. When she was done she looked at the utensil again, realizing she really didn’t like this technique, if only because she didn’t have an obvious way to see if she had done it right or not.

She moved on to the next utensil, a small suture needle, and focused her chakra on sterilizing it. She would move through each item, one at a time, until they had all been sterilized and Shiro told her that she seemed to have a good grasp on the technique.

Training InformationShow

~WC: 440/400
*Utensil Sterilization
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
Not unlike the Sterilization Technique, this jutsu focuses on sanitizing key instruments in many operations. However, rather than cleansing the body, it is used to cleanse utensils. After channeling chakra into a utensil in the user's hand, harmful bacteria and other foreign bodies that reside on its surface will be eaten away until it is thoroughly sterile. Depending on the size of the object being sterilized, this will take more or less concentration and time. These objects remain sterile until coming in contact with more bacteria.

[MedeaMoirae]

Shiro led Ren down the hall to the emergency area for her to learn her next technique. Sometimes that was the toughest part of training Iijutsu with Shiro, there were times where Ren couldn’t train the jutsu on someone who was well or conscious, she would have to be taken to an actual patient for her to properly try out new jutsu, learn them, and master them. Ren couldn’t help but to feel nervous as Shiro led her down the hall and into an open waiting room. They didn’t linger and made their way into an exam room where an unconscious patient lay.

If Ren was feeling nervous walking down the hallway, she was feeling even more nervous now, staring at the patient as Shiro began to explain what was going to happen. ”Sometimes your most vital function in the field can be keeping another ninja breathing so another medical ninja can heal them properly. Using the Iijutsu called ‘Oxygen Flow’ you can keep a patient breathing or maintain their oxygen levels in their blood. For more serious wounds it can become vital to have one medical ninja doing this while another addresses the wounds directly.” Shiro glanced over to see if she was absorbing the information at all and was glad to see she was listening. ”I’m going to be here with you for this one to help you out, but I’m afraid a live patient is the only way to do it. This person is unconscious and needs help breathing. You can tell by the tubes he’s set up by another means already, but I want you to manually help him stay oxygenated. I’ll be right beside you.”

Ren nodded and did indeed see that there were other means for him to breathe right now but she still needed to try this jutsu. She walked over to the man’s side and formed the seals as Shiro removed the tubes that had been by the man’s nose. Ren placed both of her hands over the patient’s chest closed her eyes as she concentrated on feeling the jutsu. She kept her eyes closed simply to stay focused on the task at hand, using her own chakra to keep oxygen in his lungs. She found it to be a bit more difficult than she had originally thought it would be. Not that the task itself was necessarily difficult, but she had to concentrate on the fact that she was trying to merge her chakra into something to benefit him. Of all the Iijutsu she had learned and would learn, this was the first time she truly understood why it was more difficult than the usual Ninjutsu.

It was several moments that she did this before Shiro finally replaced the man’s tubes and Ren was allowed to remove her hands. ”Not bad.” was the only praise she got from him.

Training InformationShow

~WC: 478/400
*Oxygen Flow
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
Simple in its form yet highly effective in practice, the Oxygen Flow technique allows its users to clear obstructed airways, to perform less extensive CPR, and to give cells the oxygen they crave. After focusing chakra into the hands, the user will place both over the target's chest (through the back works as well). By allowing the chakra to be channeled throughout the lungs and up through the air ways, any unseen, solid or liquid obstructions will be cleared from these passages and ejected through the mouth, allowing the patient to breathe more easily. Additionally, the hands can be placed over the heart to help oxygenate the body's cells. In this instance, users must be much more careful, as over-oxygenating cells can cause more harm than good. This technique takes the entirety of one post to perform.

[MedeaMoirae]

Ren followed Shiro to another exam room where she found a young genin boy seated on the exam table. The boy probably wasn’t older than thirteen, with a gash on his left arm that appeared to have been left by a kunai. It was a simple wound that would be easy to treat, but Shiro explained that it would also provide Ren an opportunity to train an important Iijutsu on a living patient, without any risk to the patient’s life.

”Now I understand that you’ve been making use of the Chiton element lately and I believe you’ve even learned something similar to this already. But now I’m going to ask that you intentionally separate yourself from using your chiton this time. While the two techniques are similar, if you really want to learn this one you need to learn to use it on its own.”

Ren sighed, she understood completely what she was being told but that was going to be a challenge for her. She was going to be working with blood without actually using blood, it could prove quite a challenge for her.

”Focus on him when you’re healing him. You’re trying to focus on getting his blood to bend to your will without the use of Chiton. It’s not as easy as Chiton, but just as necessary.”

Ren nodded, approaching the boy and giving him a reassuring smile as she explained to him what she was going to do and he willingly held out his arm. Ren formed the seals and focused chakra into her hands before reaching out and hovering her hands over his wound. She closed her eyes to concentrate on channeling her own chakra into his wound, specifically into the blood.

The hardest part of this jutsu was trying not to delve into her Chiton chakra. She had to constantly remind herself that she wasn’t using chiton to create a blood covering for the wound, she was using her own chakra in order to thicken the blood itself, to cause it to clot on its own.

After a few moments of concentrating on funneling the right kind of chakra into the wound, Ren opened her eyes as she used that chakra to thicken the blood and cause the clotting. It took a moment, but soon she was smiling as she could feel it working. The wound hadn’t seemed all that big at first, but as she felt it clotting now she realized it had been deeper than it had originally looked. More than likely the boy was going to have a scar.

A few more moments later and the task was complete, the boy had a clean bandage over the wound and he was well on his way to healing.

Training InformationShow

~WC: 456/400
*Blood Clot Technique
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
This highly useful field technique is applied to bleeding wounds to help encourage the coagulation of the blood. After focusing chakra into his/her hands, the user will hover them over the bleeding wound and begin to channel chakra through it. The chakra will began to thicken the blood, causing it to clot. Wounds must be dealt with one at a time, and the number of wounds that can be tended to within the three (3) posts that this technique lasts depends on their size. Small wounds take very little time to clot, while moderate wounds take one (1) post of concentration to clot, and large wounds take two (2) posts to clot. Although this technique stops the bleeding, the wound remains vulnerable and will require further care after this has been performed.[/color]

[MedeaMoirae]

There weren’t many things that made Ren cringe, or frightened her for that matter, but on the short list of things that did was the Morgue. Ren was accustomed to blood and gore and was prepared to turn any enemy of the village into a corpse when it was demanded of her, or if the situation required such a bloody ending. But to go down into a cold stone room like this for the sole purpose of being around dead bodies made her skin crawl. She never wanted the company of the dead, and today was no different. Still she had to follow Shiro in silence, though Ren herself wasn’t sure what the point was of learning this jutsu, she had no plans to perform any autopsies any time soon.

”This one is more difficult for most simply because it requires you to interact to the dead.” Shiro was saying as they walked up to an exam table and looked down at the corpse of a male ninja who had died on mission. ”But no matter who you are, if you are a medical ninja, there may be times where it is vital to learn cause of death either an opponent or an ally. I can’t really give any examples because it will depend entirely upon the situation you are in. What you’re going to do is channel chakra through the flesh, but you’re ultimate goal is to coax it underneath the skin itself and create a layer of chakra, very thin, between the muscle and flesh. In doing so you’ll be able to simply peel the skin right off and get a better look at the muscles and organs.” By time Shiro was done, he realized Ren had covered her mouth and was trying not to gag. The man couldn’t help but laugh as he motioned to the corpse in front of them, indicating it was time for her to try out the technique.

Ren shuddered as she formed the seals and held her hands out over the chest of the corpse, not too far from where incisions had already been made for the necessary v-shape to prepare for this. She felt like she was going to throw up already, even as she channeled her own chakra into the flesh, closing her eyes and tried to imagine this was a banana she was peeling, not a human being. The technique itself was easy enough, but she was biting her lip to keep from becoming ill as she finished and had to dig her fingers into the incision before peeling the skin back.

That was the most she could handle for now, she realized as she turned and threw up into a nearby waste can.

Jutsu InformationShow

~WC: 455/400
*Skin Separation
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
Typically used to make the autopsy process smoother, the Skin Separation technique separates the skin of the corpse from the underlying muscle. After focusing chakra into his/her hands, the user will slowly move them over the desired area, usually holding them about an inch away from the body itself. As the chakra is channeled through the flesh, it will slowly sink to the final layer of the skin and begin to form a new layer between the skin and the muscle beneath. After this layer has fully formed, the chakra will stay there for four (4) posts, allowing the user to easily separate the flesh and muscle. This non-combat technique cannot be used on living beings as the postmortem physiology is different from that of a living creature.

[Willoria]

It was a beautiful day. The village of Kirigakure had its own kind of beauty. Ren sat on the edge of a small pond, sweat already drenching her hair as she stared at the water. Well, at the chiton. The entirety of the little pond was blood now, all to help Ren to learn her next technique. Although now that she was staring at the pond, she had to admit, it felt more like a large puddle than a small pond. But really it didn’t matter, it was what she needed to learn her next technique. Of course, it had taken a decent amount of effort to turn that much water to blood, hence why she found the day so beautiful. The feel of the mist against her skin, cooling her off, felt amazing. But of course, she couldn’t sit here and do nothing, she had training to do.

Ren knelt next to the small body of water as she formed the hand seals. Each and every seal was formed deliberately, her eyes were closed, as she let the chakra flow through the seals and her body, funneling to her right hand even as she broke the final seal and reached out towards the water. Her fingertips were only inches from the blood as it was drawn to her hand. She brought the blood in front of her and with both hands she made a motion extending out to either side of her, the chiton stretching and forming between her hands. But when she opened her eyes she found the result was not what she had been wanting. Yes she had what almost looked like a staff of blood, but it was flat, it wasn’t cylindrical in the least and it certainly wasn’t sharp on the end. With a snarl her hands tensed and the blood fell to the ground with a light splash. Kazuki was several feet away, curled up under a tree, his ears barely twitching at the sound of his companion’s displeasure.

Ren would have to try again. And this time her eyes would remain open.

Again she formed the seals, letting her own chakra flow with every move and flexing muscle. This time she held the final seal for just a moment longer before breaking it to extend her right hand over the blood once more. The crimson fluid was drawn to her hand, which in turn brought it to rest between her two hands. Her dark blue eyes observed each and every movement of her own as she turned her hands that one hand was over the other, only the blood between them. She moved her right hand to her right while simultaneously moving her left hand to the left, extending and stretching the chiton out. She couldn’t help but smile at the fact that it actually looked like a staff this time. Granted, that wasn’t the full result she was going for, but it was progress.

Ren’s hands visibly relaxed and the blood fell away to the ground once more. She took a deep breath and sighed as she prepared herself to do it again. She felt like she needed to focus more, or maybe relax more? Focusing was great but if you couldn’t do something like this without putting all your energy into it, one could never fight.

Once more she formed the seals, this time her hands moving rapidly from one to the next as her chakra flowed through them. This time it was a more effortless feeling, her chakra gliding through her as it was meant to, and all she had to do was concentrate it in the right areas. The moment she had completed her final seal, her hand moved to the blood, barely hovering above it as she collected it in her hand. She brought the mass of blood to rest between her hands, rotating them so that her right was over her left with only the blood between them.

She extended her right hand out to her right and her left out to her left, extending the blood into a staff, but she wasn’t done there. She turned her left hand, rotating it a quarter of the way around the blood staff, effectively forming it into a spear with a point.

Ren couldn’t help but smile as she grasped the chiton spear and stood up straight, feeling the weight of it in her hand. It was a great weapon and it had her wondering if she should learn a few techniques for such a thing. But for now, as part of her little victory in finally learning the technique, she would throw it. She drew her right foot back and brought the spear back in her right hand, throwing it as far as she could. Though honestly, it wasn’t that far. It landed in the ground at an angle and again, Ren just smiled.

Training InformationShow

~WC: 816/800
*Impaler
C-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the needed seals, the user will draw out a quantity of blood and shape it with Chiton chakra. The quantity of blood will then stretch to form a long staff up to three meters long ending with a sharp spear head. The spear will lasts up to ten posts and will dissipate when canceled or broken by a hit of six or greater. After dissipating or breaking, the spear will reform and last up to three more posts before dissipating or breaking again.

[Willoria]

The training area for today’s exercises had been specifically set up for Ren, with Ryoga’s help of course. The ground was soaked, but it wasn’t water beneath Ren’s feet. It was the blood of her and Ryoga’s Chiton techniques. To most it would seem a gruesome sight, but for someone like Ren it actually brought a smile to her face. For today would be rough, she would be completely drained by time she was done, but if everything went well, she would end the day one step closer to achieving every goal she’d ever had.

Ren withdrew a small notebook from the top of her kimono which contained her notes on chiton and went over some of her ideas. The first technique was similar to one she already knew using Suiton. Putting the notebook away once more, Ren formed the seals one at a time, running through each to remember the technique by, paying careful attention to what changed to make this a chiton technique.

Satisfied that she had a good basis to start from, Ren ran through the seals, a bit quicker this time as she funneled her chakra through each seal and held her arm out to her right. The chiton blood gathered in her hand and formed a sphere which slowly encased her hand. From this sphere the chiton extended outward and to the ground, causing Ren to smile as she snapped the whip back and forth a couple of times, but on the third snap the technique fell apart and with a splash the chiton joined the rest of the blood upon the ground.

So then it seemed the technique had a good starting point, but she needed to prolong it a bit further. Ren took out her notebook once more and jotted a quick note before putting it away to return to her practice. She formed each seal again, slowly at first and without use of chakra, to memorize each seal while making a change to one of them that she hoped would further the technique a bit.

On her next time through the seals she moved much quicker, closing her eyes as to focus on her chakra as she formed each seal deliberately and extended her right arm out to her side and parallel to the ground. The chiton formed in her hand and soon swelled to form around her hand and encase it in the chiton itself before the whip began to extend outwards and drop towards the ground. Ren tested it out once more, snapping it back and forth before circling it over her head for additional momentum and snapping it at the ground once more. The continued presence of the jutsu and the satisfying sound of the snap brought a smile to the Jounin’s face.

Training InformationShow

WC: 464/400
Blood Whip
D-Rank Chiton Ninjutsu
Blood Whip is a technique that utilizes Chiton/Blood to create a five foot long whip. To do this, they must perform the needed seals and concentrate chakra in their hands. By placing them together and pulling them apart, the user will be able to form the whip, where the grip is simply a sphere of Chiton Blood that encases one of the user’s hands. The hand it surrounds is up to the user, but it cannot switch after the technique has been cast. If anything enters the blood that is around the user’s hand, the whip will lose its form and splash onto the ground. The whip is about one inch in diameter and functions as a regular whip, delivering as much pain as a leather whip would. However, the whip is a little more durable, unable to be cut by strike from regular metal if attacked with a strength stat less than the user’s control. The whip lasts one post for every stamina point the user has.

[Willoria]

Her day had barely begun, as had her training, but already Ren was feeling good about the day, smiling as she knew just how far she needed to go and how close she was to success. Ren bounced on the balls of her feet as she still stood on ground that was soaked in Chiton blood, smiling at the feeling of the blood splashing up on her legs. Another visual that to some would seem creepy but to Ren was almost comforting. Blood had become more than just normal to her, it was everything to her.

Ren pushed aside her thoughts of blood and the memories tied to it, instead taking a moment to form a single seal and focus her own chakra. She had always hated training one technique to move straight into another without taking a moment to focus her chakra. In her mind it was like clearing her mind of the other technique, just instead it was her chakra she was ‘clearing’ and ‘preparing’. Once she felt she had taken sufficient time to focus, she took the small notebook once again out of her kimono and glanced over her notes and tucked it away again.

Each seal was formed deliberately, one at a time, again a new technique that was inspired by a suiton technique that she already knew. The only seal that was different was the final one, one that would hopefully change it from a suiton technique to a chiton technique. Yet when Ren tried to do the technique for real, the only thing that happened was that the chiton blood ‘splashed’ up a bit and fell right back down. Ren frowned, staring at the Chiton before her as she thought about her notes on the technique and what she had done wrong. Perhaps it was the same thing as the last technique she trained? Bearing this in mind, Ren ran through the hand seals once more, one at a time, deliberately and tweaking the last hand seal a bit, making a small alteration to the sequence that it might change the jutsu just enough for her desired effect.

Once she had made the change, Ren ran herself through the seals one at a time again, still without chakra as she committed the seals to muscle memory. Once she felt ready she once more drew up the chakra within and moved through the seals, forming the chakra with every seal. Once the chakra was properly molded the chiton formed in front of her in an umbrella shape that was concave to herself. She maintained the technique for a few minutes before she let it fall with a smile across her face.

Training InformationShow

WC: 446/500
Blood Defense
D-Rank Suiton Ninjutsu
After performing a set of seals, the user will be able to create a solid, yet bloody defense. Once the seals are performed, the chiton on the ground forms an umbrella shape that is concave to the user and about two meters in diameter, within 2 meters of where the user is at. Once created, it lasts for three posts before falling lifelessly to the ground.

[Willoria]

As Ren prepared to learn her next jutsu she found herself a stump to sit on, for now abandoning her field soaked in chiton from the day’s work. Before doing anything she consulted her notes by taking that small notebook from her kimono again and looking them over, reading about her own poisons and which one she was to use when training this particular technique. Once it’d been ready she took out two things, a single kunai, and a vial full of a pale blue liquid which was her Nidoru poison. For several moments she only stared at the poison before shaking her head running the bladed edge of her kunai across the top that it might get a thin layer of the poison on the metal.

Ren was not looking forward to this part, even if it was her weaker poison.

She took the blade and dragged it across the top of her right forearm, sucking in air sharply at the feel of the metal and the pins and needles sensation that almost immediately began to flood her bloodstream in her arm. Ren had to take a couple deep breaths as she was startled by the sensation herself, this was her first time experiencing her own poison, but it was necessary for the next technique.

She moved through the seals rather quickly, forcing chakra through each form the first time around rather than taking the time to get to know the seals first, like she normally would. She found it was actually difficult to concentrate on the jutsu with the poison running through her blood, an irony since she had no choice but to do this while poisoned.

She tried desperately to focus on the poison and on her blood but it was as if she couldn’t ‘find’ it within herself as she tried to force it out of her. With a sigh Ren had to stop and let her mind think over what just happened. She had just rushed through learning the technique and was paying for it, considering it wasn’t working.

Ren closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she forced herself to focus. This time as she went through the seals she moved more slowly, carefully forming the chakra as she went along and this time as the move completed she felt the chakra gather around the wound and as she looked down she could see the light blue liquid seeping out of her arm as the feeling of pins and needles began to fade. She breathed a sigh of relief as she knew it was finally working.

Training InformationShow

WC: 434/400
Simple Cleanse
D-Rank Iijutsu
Using this Jutsu the user will form a few seals and force foreign substances from their body either out of already existing wounds or out of their pores, forcing small, non life-threatening, cuts to form in the skin. These foreign substances may range from a foreign antibody/blood type or poisons of equal rank or lower, or that were placed with jutsu of equal rank and lower.

[Willoria]

Ren put the kunai away and walked back onto the soggy ground, looking down at the puddles of chiton around her feet as she contemplated her next move. She opened her little notebook again and read from it. ’This technique can be performed by cutting one’s wrist and using the blood that will run as result. However it’s highly recommended to use this using chiton that is either already on the ground or on yourself as obviously cutting yourself puts you at risk for bleeding out.’ The notes were her own but Ren preferred to reread them before trying a new technique if only to refresh her memory.

Ren tucked the notebook away once more and went through the hand seals rather slowly in front of her and without the use of chakra just yet. These new techniques all had seals that Ren was familiar with, but that didn’t always mean she could perform them and get them right the first time. For this particular one, having not desire to cut herself when there was certainly plenty of blood on the ground and available for use, Ren knelt on the ground on her right knee and let her fingers rest in the blood a moment as she reminded herself of each and every seal mentally.

Ren took a deep breath and slowly formed each seal as she went along, smiling to herself as she felt the chakra build up within her and move down her arms. On that final seal she dropped her hand into a puddle of chiton blood. As she brought her hand up she held in her hand what were supposed to be three senbon, but really they looked like skinny little sticks.

Ren started laughing at the puny little sticks, shaking her head as she turned her hand over and dropped them back into the puddle. She formed the seals again with a smile plastered on her face. Sometimes even Ren couldn’t help but to find amusement in her own mistakes. The seals completed once more and Ren tiled a hand and dipped it into the chiton blood once more. As she lifted her hand to inspect what she had made she found three well formed senbon in her hands.

She reached up with her free hand as she clutched them and pricked her finger on one to test the durability. As she confirmed that the senbon were indeed sharp and well formed, she turned and threw all three towards a nearby tree where they slammed into it with a sound that made Ren smile again.

Training InformationShow

WC: 430/400
Blood Senbon
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the needed hand seals, the user will draw out a small amount of blood and shape it into three senbon with the use of Chiton chakra. The senbon are sharp, can be broken with a strength of 3, and last for up to three posts before dissipating.