Sweat of the Brow

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Post by Ducks » Sun May 04, 2014 6:30 pm

The last time Konoha’s Genin Team 19 had come together to train, Makoto had, by a series of unfortunate circumstances, been late. So it was that today he was out on the near deserted training grounds a full twenty minutes before the agreed upon time, one foot tucked into the knee of the opposite leg. His white eyes were tight shut, and his hands were stuck in a bird seal. To the ignorant bystander, it may have appeared that he was simply engaged in an oddly elaborate balancing act. In fact, he was warming up, performing a basic chakra flow technique taught to the youngest of Hyuuga trainees.

Begin Taijutsu Training

After a time, he exhaled deeply and quit the stance. Channeling chakra to his fingertips, he took a fighter’s stance and released two quick jabs, chest height. He repeated the move for a few minutes, then halted, extending both hands by his hips, palms downward, inhaling and exhaling deeply in turn. It was not a difficult exercise, and he would have had time to think, should he have wanted to. But he did not; thinking about his uncertain future, his unreadable teacher, the instability of the team’s composition, would only bother him.

And it was far too nice of a day to be bothered. A pink-orange sun peeked over the horizon, a few lazy clouds drifted through the powder blue sky, and the soft, indistinct jabbering of songbirds lilted over a light breeze. Makoto wasn’t exactly a tree hugger, but he could appreciate a nice day. And today was a nice day.

He resumed his initial stance, and began the exercise anew.

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Post by Mino » Sun May 04, 2014 7:04 pm

Minoru was always out and about. He had taken to sleeping in the older parts of the Awai training grounds any time his father actually came home from wherever it was he went for long periods on end. He avoided the house entirely if he detected Kau-- it had become a tracking exercise of sorts, Minoru figured his life may depend on knowing his father's mannerisms, movements, and habits. It was all training for a day yet to come. Until then, Minoru was simply a Konoha Genin and a fatherless child of the Awai.

Training was a lonely exercise, he'd had his share of exhausting and solitary training. Training with Takeo-Sensei really made him interested in combat beyond shadow-boxing. While he'd worked on his taijutsu until his bones ached and his muscled screamed for silence, his only friend was repetition. This meant he hadn't any experience in real combat situations- something that he assumed his partner Hyuuga Makoto had plenty of. Hyuuga fight in their sleep. Hyuuga taijutsu is among the most feared in all of Konoha.

Losing to him would teach Mino a lot.

Arriving at the training grounds, Minoru watched Makoto in silence a moment, wondering just how the young Hyuuga's body contorted, where his balance lay, and how steady he was in the pose. It didn't take long to assess- he already knew Makoto's prowess lay in his body control- wasn't that the basis of Taijutsu?

Purposely making a shuffling noise or two as he began to stretch and warm up (as to alert Makoto but not directly violate the Genin's pose) Mino began squatting, stretching the back of his legs. Once warm, he moved to his arms and then lower back. If Makoto took notice, he would greet his comrade with a formal toned "Good morning."

Awai Minoru Chunin of the Leaf. Holder of nothing.

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Post by Ducks » Sun May 04, 2014 9:02 pm

Continue Taijutsu Training

As he manipulated the chakra in his body in time with his biological rhythm, he became gradually aware of the presence of another near him, most likely a teammate. He did not, however, move to acknowledge the newcomer immediately. If the person (he suspected it was Minoru) needed his attention, he could demand it explicitly. Otherwise, he intended to finish his routine.

Breathe in. Life giving air rushed into his lungs, just as his chakra returned to his inner center. Breathe out. Spent air poured forth from his mouth, just as his chakra poured to every extremity in his body, refreshing, invigorating, sharpening. With every pulse, his body awakened a little from slumber, a little more ready for the trials of a new day. His eyes snapped open, and he began the jabs again. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Mino, and he tightened his form a little; his attacks became a little sharper, a little more regular. Makoto was hardly one to slack off, but having an audience usually helped push him to the top of his game.

Finishing up with a quick three jab, one palm combo, he straightened up, breathed deeply once more, and turned to his blonde compatriot. Good morning. His tone was likewise formal, though perhaps a measure warmer than normal. He did appreciate the Awai not barging in on his exercises, as some numbskull genin may have been possessed to do. However, he wasn’t quite sure what to do next. Normally, Takeo would be the one to take charge and order the pair around, but, well, he wasn’t there at the moment.

So, as he wasn’t quite sure what he ought to be doing next, Makoto continued his solo exercises. Lowering himself into a handstand, he held the position with two hands planted for a while, legs pointing directly at the sky. Then, with no little show of sweating and grunting on his part, he raised one hand from the ground and held it to the side, shifting the rest of his body weight to account for the shifting focal point. When he began to move his legs back and forth, however, the strain overcame his strength, and he lost his balance. He manage to fall stomach down, so that just before his chest hit the dirt his legs were able to swing in and stop his fall.

Doing his best to maintain an even pattern of breathing, he turned still crouching to Mino and spoke: “So, uh, what do you want to do?” It was a somewhat silly sounding question, spoken as if the two were children on the playground and not as one ninja to another, but Makoto wasn’t really used to training partners that didn’t boss him around all the time. This was going to take getting used to.

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Post by Mino » Mon May 05, 2014 6:16 am

He was poised. He was focused. Mino sorta envied his partner for this, but instead of hating him, watched Makoto's body control, and stored it for practice at another time. He could only imagine the grueling training he'd put himself through already.

What to do. "Your taijutsu skills are far beyond mine. You attack- I defend. Attacking you or anyone won't work unless I can keep myself from being hit. Lets start at 3/4 speed- no chakra fingers. Speed up as you warm up- don't tell me when, but give me a little to get into rhythm. I have to get used to fighting with my hands, and defending like-wise."

He settled into the stance Takeo-Sensei taught him, pulling his hands into a defensive position. Before he started second guessing himself, he hoped Makoto would just start attacking- if Mino had too much time to think, he'd start doubting himself, and everything would go downhill from there.

Trying to remember how Takeo-Sensei defended and deflected attacks, Mino tried to clear his mind and wait for Makoto- keeping his muscles loose enough to respond to the Hyuuga's movements.

"Lets Start."
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Post by Ducks » Mon May 05, 2014 11:33 am

Well, Mino certainly wasn’t lacking in humility. While the Hyuuga were by no means all big-headed, arrogant jerks, there was a certain amount of pride that one was expected to hold for oneself and one’s abilities. The other genin’s self deprecation was just another little reminder of the difference of their respective backgrounds. Makoto shifted, a little uncomfortably.

Continue Taijutsu Training

“Okay.” He replied simply. It was hardly the first time he had sparred, and although he was used to fighting other practitioners of the Gentle Fist, who could (and sometimes did) serve him up on a platter, he had a little experience with hand to hand with the common ninja (if any ninja was really common).

He took a fighter’s stance, slightly crouched, one side of the body tilted in front of the other. Chakra was already instinctually flowing to his hands when he remembered that Mino had specifically requested “no chakra fingers”. He supposed that made sense; most people that used taijutsu didn’t have zappy fingers, and working on one’s form against someone with zappy fingers wouldn’t be that helpful in perfecting one’s general form.

As a show of good faith, he left his Byakugan inactive, as the Hyuuga’s trademark nintaijutsu was almost worthless without it. He sized up Mino’s stance, and was a little surprised to see that it wasn’t half bad. Most genin who didn’t focus on taijutsu had pretty much no clue how to prepare for an attack, but Mino’s sessions with Takeo had clearly not been in vain. Even so, Makoto began slowly, clearly telegraphing his moves so as to see how Mino would respond to them.

First, he threw a wide, slow right hook, followed by similar, marginally weaker attack from his left. He would repeat the procedure a few more times, perhaps luring Mino into a feeling of routine, maybe even frustration at the easiness of the exercise. However, after the fifth right hook, his left arm performed a quick palm jab at the Awai’s chest. Regardless of whether the attack connecte or not, Makoto would take a moment to step back and give them both some breathing time before starting again.

This time, he began to attack a little more quickly, assaulting Mino with a series of quick, closed palm, chest-high jabs. As he went on, he began to go faster and introduce a few more complicated moves, including the occasional side kick and diagonal chop. After a time, he gave one last punch, full strength and directly on target, then stepped back and rubbed his knuckles, glad he had remembered to wrap his hands that morning. “Alright.” He said, managing to fit the word in between breaths of exertion. He was dextrous, and he was fast, but his physical stamina had always been a weak point for him.

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Post by Mino » Mon May 05, 2014 8:19 pm

(800-750)
Makoto moved with grace and power- something that Mino was completely prepared for. The first strikes were telegraphed, a quick handshake between friends. Minoru responded with all the attention and focus on form, using his body's posture and his rather limited knowledge on Makoto's posture to redirect the energy of his attacks, brushing them aside with as little a movement as possible.

The punches were met quickly, though still not at high speed, at Makoto's wrist. Mino tried to be careful not to brush the hands or fingers of the Hyuuga, not because there was anything to fear at that particular moment, but as a way to develop a habit. The wrist was what redirected the blow. Minoru used these slower attacks to get a feel for how Makoto threw a punch- what his shoulder looked like, how his hips determined the placement of his fist, how his entire body reacted to a slight (but consistent) redirection. Minoru moved his own hands across his body, ensuring that he moved in rotation with his opponent but did not give an inch of ground. Mino knew in a real battle situation he could not stand toe to toe like this, but it was important to develop the habit: constantly dodging and evading used much more precious energy than standing one's ground- especially when using taijutsu- and in the back of his mind he knew that in order for some of the Awai jutsu to be effective, he needed a captivated opponent- one who's eyes were focused on the young man. As a mid range jutsu user, toe to toe Taijustu was perfect to draw an enemy in, and control as much of the fight as possible. If Mino could hold himself at close range, then that would be a previous weakness eliminated.

Perhaps Makoto got tired of going easy.

The quick palm strike was barely deflected, and Mino had to turn his body to the left, putting a bit more force on the deflection to at least lessen the blow to his chest. Frustration was squashed ruthlessly as the young Awai cracked a smile. This is what he'd asked for. "If there was chakra on that hand, I might have been done for." His hand had made contact, but not fast enough to deflect the blow entirely. It was instinctual for Mino to turn away from the damage to lessen it- that wasn't taijutsu, that was "surviving Academy bullies One-Oh-One." That might have been the only class Mino paid attention in.

A few breaths were more than enough, and Mino was increasing speed alongside his partner, deflecting punches, crosses, jabs. Each time his arm followed the pattern he'd seen in his Sensei- no wasted movement, arm across chest, deflecting at the wrist or forearm for quicker attacks that made their way closer to Minoru's body. There was nearly no room for any sort of counter-offensive, though Minoru was learning to be a bit faster and anticipate the blows as he learned the ways of the young Hyuuga, Makoto. His breathing was steady and not labored- he was working and warm. He began to feel the elation of adrenaline coursing through him as he started to fall in the lull of training. Remain at center. Protect what will be hurt- follow the chest- the hips, the shoulders. The power comes from these places. Don't waste energy. No wasted movement. Survive.. last.. survive! As he began to master blocking the Hyuuga's speedy punches, Makoto, as if reading Minoru perfectly, began varying up the strikes- at first catching the Genin off guard. For a split second panic took his face over as he was slapped in the chest by a chop, but he did not break form, he pushed it's energy from him as best he could and kept on. The speed was nearly equal with his own speed- Mino was confident he could keep up with the Hyuuga now, but Makoto's technique far surpassed his own. He started focusing on keep his blocks strong and rigid, making sure his body repeated the same movements over and over for muscle memory's sake. Punches he deflected as Sensei taught. Arm to arm, hand to wrist. Each time the movement started from across Minoru's body, giving him enough power behind the block to knock Makoto's precise strikes off target. For the kicks he varied his movements- if the kick was high enough to be blocked with an arm, then so be it. Leg kicks were blocked with his shins (which he did not like) and often made him change posture. It was hardly a way to be fighting toe to toe, but Minoru figured getting bruised and beaten up wasn't an option at this point. The training had barely begun.

The punch made him want to go home.

Makoto caught MIno by surprise with a final burst of speed, catching the young Awai directly in the chest. Mino slid a bit with the force of the blow, but did not fall. It hurt. Bad. Fighting the urge to empty his breakfast, Minoru did not let up a second- turning back toward Makoto in stance just in time to hear him voice his wish to take a break. Though hurt, Minoru was ready to continue after just a few seconds of personal doctoring. "was that full speed?" His breath was labored, but in pain not in exhaustion. HIs hands did not shake, he was breathing quite a bit easier than he imagined after taking a hit from the Hyugga. The punch was enough to wake him up. The Hyuuga strength was not a lie- and Makoto was definitely heir to some of that. Minoru suppressed his urge to curl up and wish for better days. Instead he awaited Makoto's recovery (while ignoring his own) to at least appear as if he was unaffected.

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Redirect
D-Ranked Taijutsu
A basic skill for the Krav maga style, Parry is used mostly against stabbing attacks or straight on punches, though it can be employed against other types of attacks if need be, albeit with less expected success depending on the situation. When an attack comes close to the user, he will bring his arm across his body, aiming to connect his palm with the side of the attack, usually a wrist or the shaft of a spear or something of the like. Unless the opponent's strength is higher than the user's strength, the attack will be parried to the side, often opening the opponent up to attack.
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Post by Ducks » Tue May 06, 2014 10:02 pm

Honestly, that last punch had even hurt Makoto. With his fighting style he didn't often throw full strength punches, and the solid, unblocked contact on Mino's ribcage had been a bit of a shock. His whole skeleton felt rattled, like he'd been hit by a shockwave. Which, of course, meant Mino should be feeling a whole lot worse.

However, if he was, the Awai was making pains not to show it. A stagger, a grimace, and what seemed to be a witty rejoinder, and he was back in action, practically bouncing on his heels while he waited for Makoto to recover. He wasn’t the most dextrous or agile of his class, perhaps, but Mino was tough, and tough-spirited, “Uh, yeah.” He said, confirming that his attacks had been, while not his deadliest, among his fastest. “Sorry.” He added, rather shortly and suddenly. He wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for, whether for fighting at full speed, for hurting him, or maybe even for stopping. Makoto was a pretty poor judge of intent and emotion in most people, and Mino was not an exception.

He rolled his shoulders once, and bounced back and forth on his toes. “Okay, ready to go again? Or should we do something else?” He had not particularly enjoyed the prior exercise, and did not look forward to repeating it, but when training was actually fun, it usually wasn’t very good training.

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Post by Mino » Wed May 07, 2014 8:18 am

"Lets go again, full speed this time- I am feeling more warmed up. I am going to try and attack you back, no worries there, I have to learn to attack while defending. So try out some things, go wild-" Mino couldn't really believe what he was saying- he should be paralized in fear at the very prospect of facing the Hyuuga! He forced a rogueish grin: "Just promise to stop before you knock me out."

Makoto wasn't tired.. but it seemed the short exercise prompted him to recover. It was important to conserve stamina, true- but the Genin shouldn't have needed to recover at all from the exchange. He wasn't the one getting punched.. it made Minoru think. "Lets try to make it last as long as we can. Your hands are faster than mine, and the more I work with that, the faster I think I'll get. Don't hold back, I promise not too as well." Nodding with what he considered comradery, Minoru shifted back into his fighting stance, prepared for the Hyuuga's attack.
Awai Minoru Chunin of the Leaf. Holder of nothing.

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Post by Ducks » Thu May 08, 2014 12:33 am

So, Mino wanted to go another round, this time with the blows going both ways. By way of a response, Makoto merely grunted, nodded, and assumed a fighting position. The boy was modest, yes, but certainly not timid. Not weak, either, and a ninja who could operate at both short and long ranges was a dangerous thing.

Begin Ambidexterity Training

Mino’s defense was solid, to be sure. If Makoto was going to get around it, he would have to be a little unpredictable. He had used both arms to attack during the last bout, especially near the beginning, but as usual, he had led with his right. It had always annoyed his father; Jyuuken was supposed to be quick, unpredictable, and vicious, and attacking with only one hand practically cut one’s options in half. Mino would be a perfect partner for improving his left attacks; not strong enough to necessitate he perform at his highest level, nor so weak that sparring against him was a waste of time.

He closed his eyes, and pulsed chakra through his arms, tuning himself in to his own biological rhythms. Then, giving only the briefest of nods as warning to his opponent, he struck. The Hyuuga was moving more quickly this time than he had before, eschewing the more common punches and kicks for a series of quick, directed strikes, performing the same moves as he would in a real fight, except for the lack of biting chakra at his fingertips.

For his first attack, he moved, almost dashed, quickly into Makoto’s personal space. Attempting to brush away Mino’s more prominent hand with a glancing strike to the wrist, he thrust his other palm directly at the genin’s chest. He then quickly ducked and turned out of range of Mino, unless hit by a counterattack before he could react.

He did not make an immediate follow up attack, however. Instead, he held one hand in front of the other and circled around Mino, searching for an opportunity to strike. Then, just as before, he moved in quickly, attempted to neutralize one of Mino’s hands with a strike to the palm, allowing Makoto to strike him in the chest. This time, however, the process was mirrored from its previous iteration, so that Mino would have to keep on his toes if he wanted to fully block it. Also, Makoto did not immediately retreat, but followed up the attack with a low punch towards Mino’s gut. While the value of such an attack was obvious, it also left him open to attack, should it fail to connect.

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Post by Mino » Sun May 11, 2014 9:30 am

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Watching Makoto's movements was nearly hypnotic- the Hyuuga was expertly graceful and fast- a combination that confused the mind. Mino had to strain himself to remember that out of any of the slowly planned movements an explosion of speed and power could emerge: this was the essence of the Gentle Fist- the caress that destroyed.

Makoto's dash forward prompted Mino to move backward- an instinct he fought savagely: Stand your ground- even if you are hurt. Instead of dodging backward, the young Awai met the Hyuuga's brushing strike with his dominant hand, allowing it to be pushed aside, but keeping the momentum under his control. As Makoto's off hand struck at his chest Minoru attempted to turn his left shoulder into the blow, deflecting a small amount of force from the blow. If he could not entirely avoid Makoto's strikes, he could protect his vital areas and lessen the damage done to his person. The force of the blow was still felt, though pain shot through his arm and up into his neck rather than through his chest to his whole body. He grunted a bit, but remained standing leaving the pain to linger in his arm and shoulder. Makoto dashed back without hindrance- Mino froze a bit and before he knew it, the Hyuuga was out of reach.

He cursed a bit to himself- how to counter? How to turn defense to offense? The Genin didn't really have much a clue on this yet, however he knew that Makoto would never respect a teammate who could not make him sweat. Taking this as resolve, Minoru turned his position but stood his ground, keeping in front of his opponent while he circled. He remembered Takeo-Sensei the last time the team trained, before Makoto'd arrived. His harsh voice ordering Minrou to attack. The first few times Mino'd thrown a punch, Takeo simply shifted his weight, used the momentum of the blow and threw him. Mino remembered the feeling of helplessness he felt sailing through the air. It became clear in that moment what to do.

Makoto circling meant he was looking for an opportunity. After matching taijutusu with his companion he had come to the conclusion that Makoto was faster than he. Perhaps the Hyuuga always would be. Logically Minoru would have to out think the Hyuuga on some level to gain advantage, or at least fight on the same level. Anticipation would be the only tool Mino would be able to employ against the quick-handed Genin. Trying desperately to remember his Sensei's position, the way he shifted his hips and stance as Mino had come at him so haphazardly, Mino outlined a vague picture of sorts and decided, against better judgement, to go for broke. Without risks, learning could never be accomplished.

Watch his shoulders. Keep an eye the weak side. Assuming his opponent would be striking with his off hand was a risky move- and perhaps Minoru would not be perceptive enough to find something to exploit there. He decided not to plan further, remebering Takeo-Sensei's words "Adapt. React and adapt." At that moment, Makoto dashed in, forcing Minoru to resist the urge to retreat and accept his opponent's attempt at disarm. Mino focused on keeping control of his free hand, allowing Makoto's disorienting strike to hit him. This time it was his off-hand that brushed the Genin, so he knew the chest strike was coming faster and harder. Turning his entire body as if to deflect the chest blow, Mino closed the gap just a fraction and reached out with his free hand to catch Makoto's wrist as it flew toward his chest. Catching the Hyuuga's wrist took timing and anticipation, luckily he mirrored the same motion that he struck Mino with earlier. Careful not to touch the potentially chakra infused palm or fingertip, fear swelled in the young Awai. Mino felt the overwhelming urge to stop right there- to abandon this taijutsu stuff and return to his days of mediocrity. What if Makoto got angry? What if this failed, and he was hurt? Mino did not have time to question himself anymore. It was time for action- and the Awai vowed to himself that regardless of the consequences, he would walk- one foot in front of the other. Turning with the blow, Makoto would be forced to turn a bit with it, or his wrist would be in a vulnerable position. The two boys were locked together, Mino holding Makoto's wrist. From here he could use the momentum to send Makoto forward, or he could hold Makoto for a bit. He chose to use the momentum, as he wasn't sure he could stop Makoto's momentum if he tried. Pulling a bit on the caught wrist, Mino passed Makoto's arm across his body to his previously deflected hand and propped his other hand under Makoto's shoulder- raising Makoto's arm in line with his shoulder. From there, he dropped his body weight, hopefully using his strength and the momentum of Makoto's attack to pull the Hyuuga to the ground shoulder first.

What actually happened was quite a different story. Minoru hadn't exactly paid attention to his legs when he tried to use Makoto's momentum, and so while he held the Hyuuga's shoulder correctly, his footing wasn't enough to support his opponent's weight redirection. So instead of a throw, where Mino remained balanced, and Makoto was off balance, it was a fumbled attempt. Reality looked much more like Minoru was off balance, and because of his lack of control, both he and his opponent's weight were aimed at the ground.
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Throw
D-Ranked Taijutsu
This simple technique requires control of one of the opponents arms, then by placing himself in front of the opponent the user uses the leverage gained by the trapped arm to lift the opponent onto his back and flip them over his shoulder, causing them to slam into the ground. Often the user will secure his other hand somewhere on the opponents body in order to prevent them from side-stepping or sliding off of his back during the throw. Throughout the throw the user will keeps the trapped arm secure allowing him to easily follow up the move with an arm bar. This whole process has been drilled so many times that it literally takes less than a second to perform.
Awai Minoru Chunin of the Leaf. Holder of nothing.

Mentor to no one.

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Yamai, Toshiro Genin of the Mist

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Post by Ducks » Sun May 11, 2014 11:31 am

Continue Ambidexterity Training

Well, that was unexpected.

Mino’s move had been risky. Makoto was quick and strong, and it would have been all too easy to miss his wrist flying straight at the Awai’s exposed chest. If the grab had failed, Mino would have suffered the full force of the blow and been easy prey for follow up attacks.

But he didn’t, so he wasn’t. It was Makoto, instead, who became easy prey of sorts for him, for a few instants simply shocked that Mino had been able to pull it off. From an experienced ninja, skilled in taijutsu, he might have expected it, but he had underestimated Mino and over-telegraphed his moves (as Satomi had so often told him not to).

As soon as Mino grabbed him, moreover, he confirmed what he had been suspecting since the sparring had begun; Mino was stronger than him, or at least strong enough to make freeing himself with brute force impractical. So, as he felt Mino moving his body in preparation for some sort of maneuver, he did what any good Hyuuga would do; he struck quickly, and with precision. Even as his dominant right hand was gripped tightly by Mino, he struck three times; once at Mino’s right elbow bit, once at the right side of his ribcage, and once at Mino’s left forearm (although this blow was a glancing one and largely ineffectual.

Unfortunately, his attacks hadn’t quite freed him from Mino’s hold, and he felt himself grabbed tightly and thrown towards the ground. Thankfully, whether due to his own ineptness or Makoto’s attacks, Mino’s form was not as tight as it should have been, and the Hyuuga was able to catch himself with one arm just before his body hit the ground. Said arm, however, was outstretched and at an awkward angle, and so the maneuver did little more than minorly divert his momentum. He tumbled ingloriously to the side, coming to a stop a few yards away flat on his back. Almost immediately, he threw himself back on his feet, and turned to face Mino again. His face was stony, hiding his irritation with being caught in so simple of a technique, as well as the aches from his tumble. He held both arms with a right angle at his elbow, his right upper arm parallel to the ground, and his left hand held near his right elbow. He waited for Mino’s reaction to the circumstance. If the genin was not interested in continuing, he would pull up his guard. But if he was, Makoto would prepare to attack, this time with a little bit of fire in his blood.

(809/750)
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*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.

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Post by Mino » Sun May 11, 2014 12:37 pm

Makoto wasn't one to be trifled with. It showed just how inexpericed the Awai was that he hadn't guarded himself better. Makoto's three strikes were more effective than Mino would have liked to admit- and perhaps it would have been fatal if there was Chakra would have tipped the Hyuuga's fingers. Minoru grunted as he was struck, turning his elbow just a fraction to avoid it being broken. Brute strength won the day, in terms of the throw but Makoto's strikes were farm more dangerous than his off-balance throw. Once again he'd come out on bottom. So much for offense and defense. Exasperated, Mino hopped back to his feet, assuming another stance. Instead of expressing said frustration he forced a smile.

"Phew. I need to get better at this."

What was curious, was that while he was hurt in various places he was not crippled- he could keep going. He felt alive. Breathing through his nostrils, he began to circle a bit, hoping this time to strike first. To fight Makoto, he would either have to fight outside of Makoto's range, or somehow disable his hands. Either way, it would be interesting to continue this fight.

Nodding for Makoto to continue, Minoru prepared himself for the next onslaught- looking for another opening.
Awai Minoru Chunin of the Leaf. Holder of nothing.

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Post by Ducks » Sun May 11, 2014 9:01 pm

Begin Wit Training

Whatever he might have been feeling on the inside, to Makoto Mino seemed totally unfazed, cheerful even. It was strange. He was strange. Makoto didn’t really know how to respond; he had been trained to ignore pain, not hide it behind a grin. So, when Mino nodded him on, he simply nodded back and resumed his offensive.

As before, he began cautiously, circling Mino, looking for the chance to strike. As with Mino, his mind was not clear of hesitation. What if I mess up, and let him grab me again? Will he not respect me? Will he think I am weak? But what if I hurt him too badly? What if he refuses to work with me again? What if I get kicked off the team? Makoto bit his lip, refusing to let his thoughts intrude on his resolute countenance. It was bad enough when he lost his cool in front of his sister, who had known him for his entire life and seen far worse behavior out of him. But in front of Mino? He was from outside the clan, a peer, a teammate, to be treated as a fellow ninja. Nothing more, nothing less. He had asked for Makoto not to hold back, and it fell to Makoto to honor the request, to do his worst and let the results be what they would be.

Without using zappy fingers, of course.

Narrowing his eyes, he studied Mino closely. He noticed the way he held himself; confident and concentrated, ready to meet Makoto’s jabs. His legs were well spaced, lending him a stable, strong stance that would easily transition from defense to offense and back. Mino was also, as Makoto had noted with some dismay the first day, quite tall for his age, about half a foot taller than Makoto. To accompany this, he also probably weighed significantly more than his Hyuuga comrade, and, as Makoto had previously come to realize, he was also the stronger of the two. As such, his punches would naturally carry more weight than Makoto’s, and situations in which their strengths were directly pitted against each other, such as blocks or grabs, would naturally go in his opponent's favor. He would have to bypass Mino’s defenses to have any real result.

Thinking back to the initial exercise, in which he had solely attacked and Mino had solely defended, he recalled that his teammate had primarily blocked the punches by catching Makoto’s wrists with his own. A good trick, but one that required precision and skill. During the last exercise, Makoto’s downfall had been his predictability, repeating the same procedure twice and allowing Mino to pull off another move requiring a significant amount of precision. If I attack quickly, and erratically, he won’t be able to block everything I throw at him. Even if he blocks or grabs one hand, I can still hit him with the other, and I do not think he will be so eager for another set of point blank jabs.

One second, he was standing several feet from Mino, hands upheld in a neutral stance. The next, he had leapt forward at the Awai, beginning a series of lightning quick jabs almost immediately. First came a four finger strike directly to the left of Mino’s right shoulder, followed by a low jab just below his ribcage and a open handed attack direct straight at the left side of his jawline. If not blocked or incapacitated, he would move to take one quick step backward with his right foot, leaving his left foot forward as a sort of pivot. A second or two later, he would swing his right foot forward again, followed by the rest of his body. As he moved, he would clench the four fingers of his right hand together again, as if preparing to repeat the attack. However, before he could extend the arm in a proper attack, he let his right knee, which was just touching the ground, bend deeply, sending him into a sort of sprinter’s stretch, his head about level with Mino’s waist. Makoto would then throw both of his arms outward and upward, aiming to strike Mino on the interior side of both of his forearms. Finally, if not interrupted, he would spring forward and up, thrusting both palms straight at Mino’s chest region in one strong, unified attack.

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Post by Mino » Tue May 13, 2014 4:49 pm

So far, the training was going well. Mino had learned a lot- mostly that he was far from an equal to the Hyuuga in taijutsu alone. However, a few bumps and bruises gave him the satisfaction of battle: the contest between two men to prove dominance. Mino’d battled one or two people before in the academy and in his first mission (the war games were fun, but the battle that brought the games to a close was by far the most spectacular thing he’d ever done) but this was worlds above his previous experience. He was pitted against his teammate- there was no Jonin to oversee the match, and judging by his opponent’s stance and demeanor things had just escalated.

Makoto was serious.

It gave Mino a sense of pride that he’d pushed the Hyuuga, even if just enough to mildly anger him. Before training with Takeo sensei, it would have been laughable to think that Minoru would be capable of anything close to this. What was even more entertaining to the young Awai was his next line of thinking:

He wasn’t done growing yet.

It was possible that he’d never possess the taijutsu skills of the Hyuuga family- more than likely that was a certainty. However, he would grow stronger. He hadn’t reached his limit. Seeing Makoto’s stance and demeanor change let him know he had a teammate that would grow with him. Readying for the next attack he kept his eyes trained on Makoto an—
Like lightening the Hyuuga was on him, throwing a jab toward his shoulder which Mino blocked just barely by turning his shoulder. Expecting another strike to his head he pulled his left hand up to block it, and he was hit on his left side, in his ribcage.

It hurt.

Pain exploded in his side, and Minoru did his best to recover. Exhaling with the blow, Mino bent forward as if to double over and was clipped by Makoto’s next jab to his jaw. Luckily the Awai tucked his chin just enough not to be knocked out entirely- the punched definitely dazed him. He’s coming from everywhere! The thought was wild and unbidden. I have to pin him somehow As Makoto pivoted (or appeared to pivot) Minoru lunged forward, both hands grasping for Makoto’s lapels, trying to pull him into a hold. This would at least stop both hands, and give Mino a second to recover and establish control.
When he went to grab however, the Hyuuga had disappeared. He’d bent just at Mino’s waist and countered with a beautiful double palmed strike that lifted the Awai off his feet. All the air left Minoru’s lungs as Makoto struck true, and he tumbled backward to the ground after being airborne a few moments. He sat, frozen in pain a moment before he turned over and vomited rather violently.

Pulling sweet air back into his lungs, he fought off the nagging sensation that he ought to be asleep right now by pulling his legs under him. His ribs screamed against his movement and his arms and legs felt fifty pounds heavier. He had to stand up. Dizziness threatened to turn light to dark as his eyes fluttered a bit. Just get up, Mino. Focusing energy into his legs, slowly, staggeringly, painfully, he stood. Coughing a bit, he tried his best to take a deep breath and re-center himself, sending a mental check through his body to see if any chakra points were damaged, any major internal injuries suffered.

So far, none.

He smiled, acknowledging his defeat and held up a hand. ”You win, Makoto. You win.” He was going to ask for help walking, but thought against it. Instead he stood, swaying a bit, trying to collect himself enough to remember which leg went first. "I just need a second here.." He bent over, hands on knees and took some slow breaths, forcing pain out and sweet, lifegiving air in. For all he was concerned, he'd stay in this position forever.
Awai Minoru Chunin of the Leaf. Holder of nothing.

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Post by Ducks » Tue May 13, 2014 10:24 pm

One moment, his blood was pumping hot, his eyes were narrowed with exertion and concentration, and he’d been doing everything he could to put his teammate on the ground. The next, he stood silently, watching awkwardly as Mino sat on the ground, first vomiting then puffing for air. Even in his most aroused state, Makoto hadn’t really wanted to hurt his comrade. Hurting people made him uncomfortable, and the fact was that he just didn’t have very much experience with it. Typicall, either he was the one taking the hard knocks, or he was landing token blows on opponents much more experienced than him.

Now, he wasn’t quite sure what to do. It did not seem that Mino was greatly distressed or angry with him, though he could, of course, be hiding it. It occurred to Makoto that he ought to offer him a hand up (that was what buddies did, right?), but Mino had managed to bring himself to a stand, though he was still doubled over. “Um,” He said, somewhat unintelligently. He had been raised to speak well, and if any of his relations heard him say anything like what he had just said, he would be in for a stern reprimand. “It helps to hold your hands on your head, for, uh, breathing that is.” Not the most helpful advice in the world, but it was something, and something was better than nothing. Usually.

Makoto glanced uncomfortably around, not quite sure what he ought to be doing at the moment. When Mino had been given a little time to recover, he would ask: “Would you like to work on ninjutsu now?” In a non-violent capacity would be nice, but pacifism was a path too often denied to the shinobi.

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Post by Mino » Thu May 15, 2014 6:13 am

(1379/1350)

"We can work on that if you'd like." Mino had neglected ninjutsu since meeting with Takeo-Sensei and Makoto for the first time- focusing on taijutsu seemed appropriate for more than one reason: first to strengthen a weakness, but more importantly, to keep what he was decently skilled at hidden. The young Awai figured his enemy to be in the same predicament: if he believes taijutsu is Minoru's primary focus (or primary goal) then his style of combat will adapt to such. This makes ninjutsu more devastating, as the mid-range Hiton techniques Minoru has learned would be a surprising and disorienting addition to taijutsu skills. In order to effectively use chakra and ninjutsu in close to mid-range combat, Mino would have to master the collection, distribution and formation of Hiton rapidly. That, of course, meant practice. Forming Hiton was dangerous in a way- Light was ambient in the world, but harnessing chakra and converting it was no walk in the park. Minoru had his share of fumbles in his youth and would not revisit those days. Now that he was able to properly form the elusive chakra, it was time to test his limits. He knew just the technique for that.

Focusing on building and maintain chakra flow was very similar to trying to ignore the wincing pain inflicted on him by the skilled hands of the Hyuuga. Because of various past abuses Mino had become good at ignoring immediate pain for short durations- now if he could only accelerate his healing in the long run, he could deal with the stiffness, fatigue and soreness that washed over him at each day's end. However that task would be stalled to another time when Minoru wasn't in immediate combat. Luckily he was battling his teammate, and Makoto might allow him at least a small amount of time to focus and change from taijutsu mode to ninjutsu. With further training, that transition would be instant and seamless.

Feeling the chakra building from the toes, running through his muscles upward through his calf-muscles into his legs, Minoru let his eyes fall shut- pulling more of his focus from the lack of stimulus. Holding completely still he willed himself toward a meditative state, slowly and gently pulling chakra up into his thighs and through his midsection taking note the well of chakra in his core. After all, long ago Minoru learned the core is from whence all chakra comes. For a technique to be effective then, it must come from the core. Chakra use, bodily awareness, focus and medication all began with the core. Continued focus pulled the energy away from Minoru's arms, leaving them fully relaxed and without movement, feeding the chakra through his shoulder blades into the young Awai's chest. Parting his lips to Deepen his breath, Mino felt the chakra run up his neck and into his head. His body remained still with enough chakra in his extremities to function. However all chakra points pulled energy from his core to his head. Minoru felt his hearing increase slightly- the feeling of the wind blowing against his face seemed harsher, more real. Even the hairs on his head seemed weighted- the chakra collected there made his head a beacon of sensation. This sensation told the young Awai he was on the right path.

Now forging Hiton was next. This was the hard part.

Knowing the next few steps didn't make it much easier, but if there was any time to try this technique, it was now. Allowing his chakra to slowly churn in his head, Minoru pulled as much chakra as he could into each individual eye socket. The trick was taking chakra that was formless and could be molded into anything and crafting it into Hiton. It was automatic for certain things- making objects flash, collecting some Hiton into a ball or even making the light blade (something he'd started to learn in secret) required focus, but a relatively small amount of Hiton chakra. This next technique would require a rather large amount- all converted and balanced perfectly. Hiton was a combination of Raiton and Katon, neither of which he had affinity for at the moment. Creating Hiton was like building a wall. Each piece fit with the next, each step was methodically fused into the next step. Mino did not understand each tool he used, but that didn't matter at this point. The end result was always the familiar golden hue of light chakra. In this case, he had to ensure the steps were adhered to perfectly: he could not afford to miscalculate here and one mistake could mean his eyes. Minoru knew burning out his sockets would not go over well for the rest of his ninjutsu career.

Storing chakra in his eyes was finished. Now the daunting task remained to convert. The impressive thing about the Awai clan was their doujutsu, the Kussetsugan. These golden eyes were trained to see the curvature and bend in the natural light of this world. With training, the Kussetsugan could decode and manipulate that light- creating Hiton chakra. However, this process was not immediate at Genin level. For Minoru to accomplish such a feat, focus was needed. The basis of this Minoru had learned at a young age: to use his eyes to "take in" ambient light and to store said light as independent chakra. The next step however was to use his eyes to convert this ambient source of energy to his personal chakra: giving any Awai a map to recreating the chakra as needed for jutsu. Opening his eyes, he felt the warmth of the sun being pulled into him- felt the sensation of new chakra merging with his own and he promptly began the process of conversion. With a template to work with, the young Awai's job became much easier: this was the supreme gift of the Kussetsugan. Light was at his beck and call using the doujutsu- something his clan had developed over centuries. As he had been taught before even his academy days, Minoru imagined the blazing heat of the Sun. The golden rays that made plants bloom in the Spring, that scorched the earth in the dead of Summer, that shyly caressed the land in the Fall, and that distantly touched Konoha during the Winter. Those rays were light and elongated- Mino focused on stretching his chakra beyond his eyes and focusing his awareness on his mental picture of the Sun. The warmth of the Sun's rays became the warmth of his own chakra. He felt it grow in his mind from the distant touch of Winter through the caressing light of Fall, to the life giving blooms of Spring, to the scorch of Summer. The immediate area between Mino and Makoto darkened just a hair- more than enough for the Hyuuga's trained eyes to pick up. If nothing else, Makoto would know light was being taken in by the Awai Genin. A few seconds after that, Minoru's eyes began to glow a dull golden beneath his closed lids- he could feel the heat beginning to manifest itself into the real world. Another good sign the technique was working.

Now, the execution. Minoru had never practiced this before but strangely he was not hesitant. Pulling in a deep breath he prepared himself to expel the energy outward and toward Makoto, using his sight to direct the Hiton at the target. He imagined his vision to be tinted in golden hues, to add a magnificence to everything he saw as it bowed and bubbled under the strain of the Sun's energy. Expelling the breath with a powerful "Kaa" Minoru opened his eyes and allowed his stored chakra release through each eye socket.

It worked just as he planned. Minoru felt the expel of energy as he yelled. He saw the world in the most beautiful spectrum of colored hues. All pulling together under the golden tint of Mino's personal light. Mino turned his energy filled gaze to focus on Makoto who, standing as he was, seemed an unreal beacon of moving color. The energy itself moved in a straight line, and would burn what it touched- though it would not set flames. The young Awai felt strangely detached as the technique continued, if only for a few moments Mino felt the elation of success rather than the sting of failure- he figured Makoto, as agile as he was, could easily dodge this maneuver, but what Minoru was learning was simply that any technique, used at an opportune time, could be deadly. This meant the more he knew, the more he could open up times for himself to excel trick, or trap his opponent to where his jutsu would be effective. Open combat like this was not the time to be using such a technique, but showing the Hyuuga what he was capable of was an important task unto itself.

Satisfied with his display, Minoru blinked, shutting off the flow of chakra ending the jutsu and returning normal vision to the world. In some ways, it was an incredble loss for him no longer to feel the warmth of the Hiton Chakra filling and expelling from him. He'd never sustained that large an amount of chakra before and was pleased to note he was not exhausted. His body ached much more than before, but he could still stand, and focus, which meant he could still fight. Taking his mind of his mental check, he surveyed the damage before him, hoping only to have scorched the ground and a few rocks, sparing his friend. If Makoto was injured, Minoru didn't really know what he would do- for now he planed on the Hyuuga Genin dodging it, and preparing a counter attack, to which he would defend. Jumping backward a short distance after the technique, Mino mentally prepared himself for another chakra burst, this time defensively rather than offensively.
Jutsu TrainedShow
~Light Release • Blazing Vision Technique
B-Ranked Ninjutsu
Performing the hand seals and then opening both eyes wide, the user of this technique essentially 'sucks in' some of the light in the immediate area into their eyes, temporarily darkening the area around them, and then releases it from both eyes charged with chakra. Two beams of light shoot from both eyes at a target up to 35 feet away, starting at the size of a pupil but expanding as they travel to by up to as large as a fist. The beams move at a maximum speed of 7. Both beams are naturally as bright as a flash tag each and when the beams hit, they also explode with the force of 2 exploding tags each.
Awai Minoru Chunin of the Leaf. Holder of nothing.

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Post by Ducks » Thu May 15, 2014 10:54 pm

Mino agreed, and Makoto nodded, half to his partner, half to himself. Little puffs of dust rose from the ground as he began to bounce back and forth on his feet, allowing himself time to re-immerse in the spirit of combat. While his body was already aching with the stress of beating and being beaten, he knew he was going to have to shake it out. Up until now, they had been in Makoto’s world. Sure, he had stopped short of using his most deadly techniques on his fellow shinobi, but aside from the chakra fingers, he had left nothing on the field in their few mock duels. Now, it was Mino’s turn.

Makoto’s experience with and knowledge of the Awai was, as was the case with most of Konoha’s more common clans, anecdotal and limited in nature. The Hyuuga were, as even Makoto knew, a relatively self-absorbed clan, and their dealings with other clans was usually minimal, even a little unpleasant. Of course, Makoto knew the Awai could see in dim light, and could channel light itself into their techniques; Mino had given a brief demonstration of this at the lake. Beyond that, however, he had little idea of what the Awai were capable of, and so it was with no small amount of trepidation that he awaited Mino’s assault. His small, repetitive movements, back and forth, back and forth, were a direct result of said trepidation.

While he did not try to interrupt Mino’s preparations (it seemed rude), he studied his movements closely, trying to read his actions and predict what form his attack would take. First came hand seals, a lot of them; a quietly spoken word and a quick hand seal of his own, and the Hyuuga was tracking the chakra as it flowed through Mino’s body. However, instead of floating downward or outward to an arm or leg, it flowed upward, into Mino’s head, and finally his eyes. Then, the space between the two genin darkened ever so slightly, and for a split second, Makoto knew what was going to happen; roughly, anyway

It was a good thing, too; with the speed at which the hiton chakra travelled, Makoto just had enough time to spin out of the way and avoid damage to his person. His escape was little cause for celebration, however; he had awaited the attack, predicted it, and began dodging as soon as the beams formed, and even so he had felt the heat tan his skin as it missed by mere inches. Common or no, the Awai were clearly not to be trifled with. Neither, however, were the Hyuuga.

Pure, offensive, chakra based projectile attacks had never been forte. While he had excellent control over his chakra output, he lacked the pure chakra capacity and physical stamina required for brute force chakra blasting. As such, he tended to use such techniques sparingly and value precision over annihilation. There was one particular technique that he had been honing in solo training that he thought would be perfect for the occasion.

He reassumed an offensive pose; body tilted, arms out, eyes closed.. What just happened does not matter. All that matters is this. There is only myself. The whole universe is contained inside of me, and I in all of it. He drew breath noisily through his nose, but his eyes remained shut. He could not see his own chakra with his heritage, the famous all-seeing eye; he did not need to. To a shinobi, sight was a primitive sense. Vital, yes, but primitive, easily deceived and more easily misunderstood by even the most astute of observers. To feel, to know, to sense beyond sense, that was the way of the true ninja. All this and more had a young Makoto been taught.

And so he felt his chakra, battered and bruised by physical assault, dispelled and fractured by emotional and mental weakness, shudder, and reform. As is often true, the cure was more painful than the condition, and Makoto bit his lip as he felt a hundred little needles dancing through his veins and organs. Fortunately, the damage, was light, and soon the stinging sensation was replaced with a soothing one, as he found and focused on his chakra center. It was a pleasant feeling, to be sure, but not one to be lingered on.

From this wellspring of supernatural energy, he drew chakra to his right leg, planted firmly in the ground. The task proved somewhat more difficult than he had hoped. The hands were not only much more sensitive body parts than the feet, but were also the location to which Makoto was most used to funnelling chakra to. In comparison, his lower portions were difficult vessels. In order to properly channel chakra for jutsu techniques, one had to have a great amount of awareness concerning its presence in one’s body, and his legs were irritatingly opaque to his inner sight. However, they were also by far the physically strongest part of his body, and ignoring their use in ninjutsu and nintaijutsu completely would be folly.

Soon, he managed to get the chakra into a relatively stable, balanced state in his leg. The next step, then, was the wind energy. “Normal” chakra, such as it was, was very effective at close range, but tended to dissipate quickly when used in long range projectile attacks. Thankfully, fuuton chakra was, for lack of a better term, stickier, and better suited for the purpose. In an instant, this chakra wrapped around his right leg, causing a faint humming sound and a slight air disturbance around his leg, both of which Mino might catch if he paid close enough attention.

His body spun, and the chakra-infused leg swung outward and behind him, as both the audible and visible disturbances around it increased as it picked up momentum. Then, when he had spun 180 degrees, and his right kneecap directly faced Mino, he began to release the chakra, and would continue to do so as his leg completed one full semicircle arc in front of him. The humming noise culminated in a sharp thmp as the released chakra formed a perfectly horizontal wave of wind, a few feet in width and of negligible height. It would rush towards Mino, exploding if it struck a solid object, and dispersing if it did not.

Not quite happy with the shape of the projectile, Makoto quickly repeated the maneuver a few more times, at different angles and speeds. For a moment, he forgot he had a partner at all, so focused was he on the rhythmic movements and the flow of chakra from his body.

1111/1050
Jutsu TrainedShow
Wind Element • Acerbic Heel
C-Ranked Nintaijutsu
Makoto draws wind chakra to one of his legs and performs an arcing kick, releasing the pent up chakra over the duration of the kick. This chakra forms a small, arced wave about three inches in height and three feet in width, which shoots out at a speed of six. The wave continues on until it strikes a solid object, upon which it explodes with a strength of five. If it travels twenty five feet without hitting anything, it dissipates harmlessly. If an enemy is struck with the kick itself, it will suffer the damage inflicted by the kick and by propelled forward a few feet by the wind wave, after which the wave will explode as normal.

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Post by Mino » Fri May 16, 2014 6:33 am

(1119/1050) Makoto was resilient, and Mino began to truly respect the Genin as he watched just how artfully he spun away from the dangerously concentrated Hiton chakra. Mino took a second to measure Makoto's speed and the speed of the technique- he was pleased that it presented a problem in open combat. One of the reasons Minoru had used it against Makoto was the Hyuuga Genin's ability to predict and anticipate chakra bursts. Of course any ninja would expect the Hyuuga family nin to excel when it came to defense against ninjutsu, their doujutsu went hand and hand with accurate projectile prediction. Using his skills, Makoto could easily see where the attack was forming, how it was exiting Mino's body, and the path it was to take. The technique's speed however still made it difficult for Makoto to dodge. This discovery meant that strung alongside some other well placed techniques it could be a rather devastating last maneuver to bring a real opponent (not his teammate) to his knees. Mino wondered what would have happened if the technique was tried out on someone not able to predict it's course so easily.

While ninjutsu, both barrier and Hiton, was his "strong suit" in the Academy (meaning he did not fail miserably when using them) after working so hard on his taijutsu recently, Mino was worried about his neglected ninjutsu abilities. Prior to joining team nineteen, Mino imagined that he'd really developed an affinity for the mid-range fighter. Supporting a teammate with barriers, throwing opponents off with Hiton release techniques, helping track through the night on missions, a role emphasizing all that seemed very safe and comfortable for him. All that had changed when he met Takeo-Sensei and Makoto. Now, he wanted to be able to support Makoto from any position. Recent events taught the young Awai that regardless of contract thus far the only ninja that remained loyal to team 19, the only ninja Mino could only rely on was Makoto: the Awai felt obligated to return the same courtesy and wished to repay that sentiment.

Trainng was the best way to express unity between teammates. He'd learned that Makoto wouldn't hold back now- it meant the Hyuuga Genin respected Mino and his abilities thus far- respected enough not to cheat him out of a complete training experience. He also learned that double-palmed strikes make you vomit. Makoto had learned looking into the eyes of the Awai was dangerous. Mino was excited to see what he learned next from his partner. Knowing that one good turn deserves another, Minoru settled in and watched his partner's retort.

As Minoru expected, Makoto did not disappoint. Focusing himself in an offensive stance, Makoto regulated his breathing, closed his eyes, and settled a little deeper into his planted right leg. These behaviors suggested that he was concentrating chakra, and for the first time, Minoru wondered just what the Hyuuga doujutsu was like. It hadn't really occurred to him that he and Makoto both possessed valuable doujutsu: he was himself, and Makoto likewise. However it stood to reason that both families possessed a measure of power simply because their jutsu was accompanied by specific blood-line traits. Knowing that meant a certain amount of isolation. What would it be like to see chakra? Mino could only guess just how powerful a trait like that would be in the world of the ninja.

Watching Makoto, it was difficult (but not impossible) to see the disruption beginning to obscure his right leg, and to hear the faint humming that disruption omitted. It was not all that difficult, however, for Minoru to begin preparations for a defense. Training his mid-range skills meant being able to meet projectile attacks and taijutsu without hesitation. Minoru figured a barrier would work nicely against whatever Makoto's intention was with his stored chakra. Forming a barrier wasn't difficult at all- but in the spirit of learning new things, Minoru decided to take a risk- just as he had encouraged Makoto to do.

Stringing his hand seals together as he watched Makoto accumulate chakra wasn't difficult. Feeling his chakra (under a considerable amount of strain, it was possible that this next experiment would be his last for a while) welling up for another massive expulsion, Mino ended his seals with his hands in a square formation: this was the telltale sign for a barrier.

Funneling the last bits of precious chakra through his hands and in front of him, Minoru saw the light blue aura that all barriers he'd ever seen were made of- and was satisfied with his construct. It was a relatively mindless act to spread his hands, and allow the chakra to grow- to stretch a few feet in each direction before the young Genin. This act was textbook and not at all risky.

The next bit was new and experimental for the Awai.

Reflection was something Minoru had studied a time or two at home, and practiced in theory (which means, without a partner to test it's effectiveness) but in this combat situation the stakes were raised- Makoto was preparing something to release, and Mino had a few moments to create this barrier, align it correctly and then reinforce it with chakra so that it would not only withstand the blow it was to receive, but redirect it back at the caster. All this had to be done before Makoto was done, or else it didn't matter. Hastily funneling chakra into the barrier wasn't difficult at all for Mino, or any Genin exposed to the Barrier style. Ensuring the chakra spent on the barrier would be strong enough to reflect the attack itself was the tricky part.

Minoru grit his teeth as he worked to retain focus and channel strength in critical parts of the barrier. He imagined his barrier like a flat pane of glass, and in his mind's eye the young Awai smoothed and molded that glass- tempered it with harsh, unrefined chakra, stretched and added mass to the barrier where it seemed unsupported. He worked feverishly, finding an eerie calm wash over him in such stressful times- Mino wondered if this calm was what those ninja felt like moments before putting their lives on the line. If this technique did not work properly, it could mean the end of training for the day, or worse that Minoru would end up injured. This was the risk of training- the dangerous nature of being a ninja crept up in all aspects of a ninja's life- even a training Genin.

The sensation gave Mino a sense of companionship with his partner, Makoto, who he imagined felt something akin to this sensation when Minoru was preparing his attack. This was exactly what Genin teams were for. While Mino could have easily lamented of the absence of a third teammate, instead he felt that much more obligated to work hard alongside the Hyuuga to impress his Sensei. Together he and Makoto could accomplish what any three man team could just as well.

When Minoru saw Makoto's kick, he was confident he'd made the right decision. It was indeed a projectile, something that the shield was built especially for. The wind chakra traveled in a wave rather quickly toward the barrier as Mino finished adding his last bits of chakra. It was all up to fate now.

The wave made contact with the barrier and was repelled- just a few seconds before it exploded, the concussion aimed back at Makoto rather than engulfing Minoru. The force of the explosion propelled Mino backward some feet however, shattering the barrier and sending the Awai to the ground. All in all it wasn't the best move, but it did what it was created to do- and that's all the young Awai could hope for.

Mino lay quiet and still on the ground- any subsequent attacks sailed right over his head (if they were still present) and he fought to remain conscious. Rolling to his side, he cast a glance over at Makoto, trying once again to pull himself to his feet.
Jutsu trainedShow
*[Reflect]
C-Ranked Defensive Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: [Wall]
After doing the needed hand seals, which ends on the monkey seal, the user shifts their hands vertically, then draws them out forming a square with their index fingers and thumbs. Drawing them apart from each other, a flat barrier forms from this exact spot. The barrier then continues to grow an additional 5 feet in each direction. Whenever this barrier defends against an attack, if it is still survives, it will reflect the attack back in the direction that it came from, acting as if it was used from the spot of the barrier, with one less speed, to a minimum of one, then the barrier will shatter, powering the jutsu along. This barrier can be broken by a physical hit of 5 or higher, or if 5 posts pass.
Awai Minoru Chunin of the Leaf. Holder of nothing.

Mentor to no one.

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Yamai, Toshiro Genin of the Mist

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Post by Ducks » Fri May 16, 2014 11:17 am

Continue Wit Training

The next few moments were a bit of a blur to Makoto. He had expected Mino, given the long time he had to prepare, to dodge his attacks or at least try to move out of the way. Instead, the plucky genin had stood his ground, forming handseals even as Makoto had begun his attack. Just as the wind wave should have knocked Mino head over heels, however, there was a flash of light and chakra, and … Mino fell over anyway. However, Makoto’s teammate quickly became the second biggest threat on Makoto’s horizon, as the very same attack he had just used came flying back at him.

There was little time to think; he discontinued any further attack, and prepared to dodge. Unlike Mino, he had the advantage of knowing the fundamental properties of the attack; its speed, its behavior, and its behavior on impact. Unfortunately, as time ticked by in milliseconds, he noticed that the reflection had not been a clean one. Whether due to the imperfection of Mino’s block, or an angle imparted on the wave’s trajectory during Makoto’s creation of it, the wave was heading downward, set to plow into the ground just behind Makoto, if it didn’t crash into his shins first. His first instinct was to simply leap up and let the attack pass underneath him, but he knew that doing so would leave him vulnerable an explosion almost directly beneath him. Instead, he jumped forward and overthe wave, clearing it by a few inches. He hit the ground in a roll, and the attack plowed into the ground, its only fatality a stray dandelion.

However, as Makoto came to a stand and returned to an offensive stance, his right leg buckled beneath him, and he fell rather clumsily into kneeling position; apparently, the nintaijutsu had taken more out of him than he had realized. He looked over at Mino, who looked in no better shape than him. Breathing hard, he nodded wordlessly; it seemed time for a little break.

(1057/1000)

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Post by Mino » Fri May 16, 2014 8:06 pm

Pulling himself to his feet, Minoru found himself laughing. It was a genuine, gut laugh, reminding him with each chuckle the nagging pain in his ribs and the fatigue threatening to cripple him. He felt more alive in that moment than any before- the sun shone it's brightest golden hue, the trees were humming with verdant chakra, the fauna and flora seemed perfectly in balance. He lived. He was alive, and that in itself was cause for celebration.

Swaying a bit, he started toward his teammate, and held up his hand, signaling he was fine- asking if Makoto was the same. Each step was slightly shuffling, as if maybe he was protecting his foot or his ankle, or maybe the pain in his rib was worse than it had seemed. The boy was further elated he could still walk.

"How's that leg?" His tone wasn't mocking, it was genuine. The fight was over, and both boys had performed, without holding back, and yet without malice. Minoru felt connected- connected with Makoto, with the area around them, with the countless Genin who trained- before and after this team. This tradition was the strength of Konoha, and the cornerstone of the entire shinobi world.

This was what being a Leaf ninja was all about. "I'm hungry. Lets eat before we start back at it."
Awai Minoru Chunin of the Leaf. Holder of nothing.

Mentor to no one.

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Yamai, Toshiro Genin of the Mist

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Post by Izanagi » Sat May 17, 2014 1:58 pm

440/400

It seemed that team 19 was plagued with a chronic case of tardiness. And hypocritically it was now Takeo whom was running late. There were plenty of excuses; an early morning, a previous late night out with friends and the simple fact that the meeting had slipped his mind even after sleeping in past the rendezvous time. For a while he had even considered staying home, perhaps even using the excuse of a last minute mission or other such priority pulling himself away from his duties. Though alas Takeo was not a dishonest man and couldn’t bring himself to abandon his students. He didn’t rush however, taking his time to shower and dress and bring with him a bag of fruits, snacks and water to bring with him as sustenance for both himself and his students.

When he arrived at the edge of the field it was easy to spot his two students, already engaged in hand-to-hand combat. The man smirked, impressed to see Mino appearing to stand toe-to-toe against Makoto. And then an idea struck him, from his distance it would be difficult to spot him but nonetheless the man skirted closer to the trees, moving into the shadows offered by a copse of birches. He then formed seals, building chakra into his chest and converting the nature before spewing forth a sheet of water which hovered in the air before him. It was only about the size of his head, a simple technique though it would serve its purpose. Another set of seals were formed and now the water served as a lense, magnifying the man’s vision as he eyed his students to evaluate them as if he was standing beside them, despite the near 300 foot distance between them. He smirked noticing the way Mino replicated his own taijutsu style, Not bad, he has a keen eye he noted, impressed that he was able to incorporate the techniques after observing Takeo several days prior. Stepping back he formed hand seals for his jutsu once again, the genin seemed to be under control and an idea had come to him, rather than just creating a small amount of floating water he could create a large shield. And so without much difficulty a burst of water was spewed out, this time aimed behind himself. And sure enough a watery shield hung before him, shaped into a perfect half sphere. He waited only a few moments, making sure that it would hold in the air before allowing it to pour to the ground. After all he didn’t want to catch the eyes of his students, namely Makoto and his byakugan.

-Training end-
Jutsu TrainedShow
*Umbrella Defense
D-Rank Suiton Ninjutsu
After performing a set of seals, the user will be able to create a solid, yet watery defense. Once the seals are performed, the user will spray water created from the inside of their chest through their mouth. Once the water is expelled, it will form sort of an umbrella shape that is concave to the user and about two meters in diameter. This defense can be formed in any direction the user can spit, up to two meters away. Once created, it lasts for three posts before falling lifelessly to the ground.
Turning around once again however he noticed the battle had escalated. Minoru was struck in the ribs and dropped to the ground. The man nodded, He fought well but it was only a matter of time before Makoto got serious the Hyuuga boy truly was impressive in his taijutsu. Slowly Takeo began walking towards the genin, assuming that the match was now over. As he neared the Jounin was pleasantly surprised to see the blonde figure stand once more and even more surprising was the sudden dimming of light, visible even from a great distance. A grin formed across his face, the technique was instantly recognized by the Jounin and if it were any genin other than Makoto in the line of fire the man would have been worried, though he had faith in the Hyuuga and knew the linear nature of the attack as well as the compassion Minoru had for his fellow shinobi. He wouldn’t strike true, though nonetheless it was a marvel to witness the blinding golden beams of light blazing across the earth.

Takeo’s pace quickened into a jog as he moved to keep out of sight as he approached. He didn’t want them to stop, not yet though he realized now that is would be best to be in position in case the match escalated too far. He traveled quickly through the trees which bordered the field, emerging from the forest now within 50ft of the genin as their Makoto’s attack reflected off the barrier. Each boy fell and though battered it seemed there was no ill will between them, a combination which filled Takeo with pride. “So, this is what the two of you are capable of…I’m impressed” he added at the end, smiling as he unslung his bag, opening it and displaying the contents; apples, oranges, protein bars, trail mix and several water bottles. “Help yourself” he offered, holding it out between them.
Jutsu UsedShow
*Vision Modifier
D-Rank Suiton Ninjutsu
Meant as a supplementary technique, the user will use water as a medium to enhance their vision. After performing the needed seals, the user will create a circular shape with their hand. They will then generate chakra to create a film of water that expands in the void created by their hands and will increase the distance one can see comfortably, depending on the user’s control stat. The user is also able to use this as a magnifying lens, in the sense that they are able to adjust the distance to meet their wanted field of vision. This technique lasts for three posts before dissipating.
Control Stat – 1 to 2 – Able to see distances up to thirty feet as if they were at twenty feet.
Control Stat – 3 to 4 – Able to see distances up to one hundred feet as if they were at twenty feet.
Control Stat – 5 to 6 – Able to see distances up to two hundred feet as if they were at twenty feet.
Control Stat – 7+ – Able to see distances up to five hundred feet as if they were at twenty feet.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

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Post by Ducks » Sat May 17, 2014 4:46 pm

Mino brought himself to a stand, and Makoto rose as well, albeit a bit shakily; despite having taking significantly less punishment than his teammate, he seemed to be in a similarly weakened state. A slightly troubling fact, but worth noting for future encounters.

Then, to his not insignificant surprise, Mino began to laugh, moving a bit unsteadily as he crossed the green to Makoto’s position. Without situational context, he might have thought the Awai was intoxicated. Then again, he didn’t have much experience with laughter. It was something he had heard often from annoying children in the academy, but in his own home it was virtually nonexistent. From Mino, though, it wasn’t the meaningless noise of an empty headed child; it was different. He couldn’t quite tell how, but it was.

As for himself, Makoto couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, though not very loud or for very long. Mino asked about his leg and he gave a sort of wry smile, shaking the appendage in question a few times. “Not bad. Just overexerted it. Food sounds good.”

Then, as if summoned by the two hungry genin, food appeared; oh, and their sensei, too. It did not occur to Makoto to question Takeo’s lateness; after all, he was the master, and his time was more important than theirs. Doubtless his reasons were good, but even if they were not, it was still no business of the genin to question him. “Takeo-sensei.” Makoto bowed shortly, in one movement welcoming him, acknowledging the compliment, and thanking him for the refreshment. From the basket he retrieved an apple and a bottle of water; he was very thirsty. Alternating between a few sips from the bottle (he knew better than to guzzle) and a bite of the apple, he would respectfully wait for Takeo to give further analysis of their performance or tell them what to do next.

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Post by Mino » Sat May 17, 2014 4:55 pm

Seeing Takeo-Sensei on the scene was a curious thing. The young Awai had all but forgotten that he was supposed to be there. He was too wrapped up in the elation of team building to care about tardiness. Everyone was there. Team 19. "I can't believe that was us." Glancing around their battlefield, it was plain to see a struggle had taken place. Minoru struggled to keep his decisions and such in memory- it was important that he not distance himself from the progress he'd made, and the strengths he'd learned from his teammate. It would do no good to write this experience off.

Bowing to Takeo-Sensei as Makoto had, Minoru grabbed for the food a little less gracefully. He took a few bites of an apple and grabbed a protein bar to munch on. Lastly, he grabbed a water, sipping it in between continuous, small bites of the fruit and the bar. The food itself was a ready addition to Minoru's weakened body- invigorating his weary muscles, wiping away the fatigue of chakra exertion. With a little rest and a little more food, Mino was certain he could go another round.
Awai Minoru Chunin of the Leaf. Holder of nothing.

Mentor to no one.

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Yamai, Toshiro Genin of the Mist

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Post by Izanagi » Sun May 18, 2014 8:16 am

Takeo was glad that neither student questioned his late arrival. Though in truth he had hardly been late at all, instead opting to observe them throughout their match. And he would reward their trust in him shortly with his comments. He nodded to each of them in acknowledgment, “You two are improving quickly, I didn’t expect you to learn the blazing vision technique so young Mino, also excellent Taijutsu, your blocking has improved drastically. Be careful though not to rely too much on defense though, I know it’s easier said than done with Makoto’s speed and skill but keep in mind opportunities to attack and defend at the same time.” There were examples and demonstrations he could give if desired though that would have to wait until after he concluded his assessments.

“And Makoto, Your taijutsu is top notch as is your evasiveness but you’ll need to work on your stamina, chakra based techniques seem to wear you out quite quickly, if you increase your chakra pool and incorporate more of those Fuuton enhanced attacks you’ll be quite formidable even at a mid-range and even more deadly up close.” He hoped that the genin would heed his advice, they were each dutiful, that was certain, though at the same time Takeo also wished to see them forge their own paths and grow into the styles that suited them best. His advice was constructive though ultimately optional, a recommendation rather than a demand and he hoped that his tone was enough to convey that.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

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Post by Mino » Sun May 18, 2014 1:39 pm

Munching on the protein bar gave Minoru a way to listen and not speak back. Takeo-Sensei was always a step ahead- watching the pair of Genin as they trained. They'd been so engrossed in their own training that Takeo-Sensei could have easily snuck up on them both. It was an important lesson that Mino began to contemplate: he thought back to the battle with Makoto, thinking about how he was so consumed with the battle that at any time an outside force could have overtaken both Genin without much effort. Keeping his eyes peeled was an important part of "in the field" that Minoru hadn't really thought about. Leave it to Takeo to teach without teaching.

The Jonin's words were taken to heart as always- attacking and defending was next to impossible when it came to Makoto- however a few valuable lessons were learned- Minoru could take a few punches was first. Granted Mino was sure that the chakra infused hits Makoto would give if serious would be another problem entire, it was good to know that he could take some damage before it started to disrupt his performance. Making sure that his defense left him enough opening to attack was something he would have to work on. He had a few ideas about this, and decided to try them out in their next few taijutsu drills.

Minoru finished his bar and grabbed another, again slowly unwrapping and working on it. Addressing Takeo-Sensei directly, he nodded and offered a sturdy "Thank you, Sensei" before digging back into the food. Stretching while he stood after his second bar, Minoru took a few deep breaths, getting ready for a second go 'round.
Awai Minoru Chunin of the Leaf. Holder of nothing.

Mentor to no one.

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Post by Ducks » Sun May 18, 2014 5:52 pm

Looking over the minor disaster zone that had been their sparring arena, Makoto had to nod in agreement with Mino. It was a friendly duel, and no real harm was done, but the exchange of power was nonetheless formidable.

Takeo gave further analysis of their performances, both negative and positive, starting with Mino. The Hyuuga noted that Takeo knew Mino's technique by sight and gave it its proper name; the Blazing Vision technique. Perhaps, thought Makoto, I need to do a little research into my teammate's clan.

It was his turn next. Makoto was thankful that he was short on the praise; the Hyuuga was raised on a spare diet of the stuff, and disingenuous flattery did nobody any good. Unfortunately, his critique wasn't much help, either. Not to say, of course, that it was an invalid point. Quite the contrary, it was something Makoto had struggled with since his early years. Unfortunately, despite the rigorous training exercises he had been subjected to, at home, at school, and with personal trainers, he was always plagued by this weakness. He wasn't sickly or frail by any means, but he was below average, and for a shinobi whose fighting style involved placing oneself in easy reach of the enemy, unreliable stamina reserves were a dangerous fault.

He did not express this frustration, of course. He said "Yes, sensei," and nodded slightly, because that was the respectful thing to do.

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Post by Izanagi » Sun May 18, 2014 6:16 pm

1106/1050

Takeo looked over his two students, each respectful, skilled and eager to learn. It was truly a blessing to be assigned to this team. In his last batch only one had shown such potential and now, nearly 3 years later he had ascended to the rank of Jounin while the other two had faded in obscurity. While it would have been welcomed to have a Kunoichi on the squad he was more than satisfied with the two pupils he did have; each a member of a clan with their own unique skills to offer. Over time he hoped that they too would one day be regarded as friends, strengthening the Student-Sensei bond to reach that new level in the same way that it had with Yoru. I wonder how long until they’re Jounin too, the man pondered, certainly each had the potential, already they showed skills worthy of entering the Chunin exam.

Seeing them inspired him to reach his own potential; to be a worthy instructor to such talented students. A smirk crossed his face, “I think I’ll do a little training too, maybe make your next round a little more interesting for you” And with that he stepped backwards, surveying the terrain. It was rather plain, a simple large field, bordered on one side by a small forest. There were rows of shuriken targets and training posts lined up at various sections of the field and of course signs of spars; scorch marks, areas of erosion and pockmarked earth, even a muddy area from a water-logged trench that had been filled in with earth. In fact it had been Takeo who had created that trench not more than 2 weeks prior, though the man longed to perfect true groundbreaking techniques. Not simply marring the earth and creating an inconvenience but actually drastically changing the landscape to the likes that it would take an equally skilled individual to reverse the effects. And now that he was a Jounin Takeo had a reputation to fulfill. For many years the man had conserved his chakra in combat, focused on efficiency and capture but lately he had discovered a desire for true power and versatility, skills that could allow him to take on A-Rank missions and one day ascend to the rank of Bannin.

Ordinarily these types of techniques would be trained beyond the walls of Konoha, alone and with plenty of time to correct his failures and hone his skills. Lately however he had not had time for such things and accordingly he would have to fit his training in whenever he could. It was not his preferred style of teaching though this time around there was little he had to offer his Genin aside from advice for neither shared elemental affinities. What he could do however was prepare them for the sort of techniques they might face in a Doton or Suiton user and thus teach them to respect its power. And with that Takeo tossed aside the bag of food, continuing to walk backwards, chakra began “As I’ve mentioned before, it’s important to be able to adapt, but not just in regards to your opponent but also to your situation. The environment for example can play a large role, be aware of your surroundings and use them to your advantage" And with that Takeo tossed aside the bag of food, continuing to walk backwards, chakra began surging within his body. “Bear with me, I have some ideas but I haven’t used these techniques before” he prepared. And then to clarify he added, “You’ll be sparring with each other again but I’ll do my best to change up the landscape and keep you both on your toes” the prospect was exciting and Takeo breathed deeply, his cobalt eyes stared ahead intensely and his mouth tightened.

As he decided which hand seals he should use his chakra was already gathering, swirling powerfully inside his muscled body, throughout his body and then focused towards his legs, seeping into the earth and saturating the ground before him with chakra. And then his hands moved, slowly as they always did when first practicing a technique. Snake; the chakra continued to saturate, forming into the element of Doton, Dog; the mass of chakra stretched out in front of Takeo, invisible to the eye. Tiger; more chakra poured into the earth. Snake; the ground began to rumble and shake between the two genin, Horse; chakra surged into his hands to the point where it bristled his skin. And then finally the Jounin dropped into a crouch, slamming his hands into the earth, connecting himself with the ground and willing his chakra into two separate forces, pulling away from each other along the line of chakra he had formed.

Suddenly a crack formed a few feet in front of Takeo and with lightning speed it made its way between the two genin, splitting the earth along the way. It continued for 40ft and at first it seemed nothing more than a hairline crack though if Makoto had his Byakugan active he would notice that Takeo was continuing to mold chakra even after the surface crack halted its progress. Beneath the earth the fissure was continuing, splitting along the depth of the line, further and further down. It was slow, much slower than it would have to be in the future but Takeo had invested enough chakra in it and was methodical enough to not put the jutsu to waste. With one last sickening crack the ground rumbled again and the fissure burst open, separating to width of 15ft in less than a second. The canyon below was deep, slightly over 30ft deep to be precise and it would take quick thinking to save themselves from a painful fall if either had stuck around close enough to the fissure to find themselves falling into the canyon.

If nothing else, at least they should have had a few moments to realize what sort of technique Takeo had been planning and that was more than enough to rest Takeo’s conscious at ease. Even if both had avoided the fissure they would now have a rather large valley to incorporate in their match and Takeo was curious to see how their strategies would adapt to incorporate it. He stood now, satisfied with the end result of the technique. I just need to work on using my chakra more explosively from the start and then this jutsu will be battle ready, he reflected, already having ideas for how to incorporate the technique as well as what else he could come up with to further enhance the possibilities of their bout. “Have fun” he added with a smirk as he watched over the genin in anticipation.
Jutsu TrainedShow
Dividing Earth
B-Rank Ninjutsu
After forming the necessary hand seals Takeo will stomp his foot causing a designated area of earth to crack and split open. The fissure can be created from a distance of 20ft away and extends for a maximum of 50 feet, separating to a width of up to 15 feet and a depth of 40 feet. The earth separates at a speed of 8, making it quite capable of dropping people into the ravine and being especially useful for destroying or damaging structures and obstacles.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

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Post by Mino » Mon May 19, 2014 7:47 pm

Listening to his Sensei, Minoru was ready for the environment change that came. It was important to use this as an advantage- knowing full well that Makoto's strength lay in striking, Minoru instinctively wanted to go away from the Hyuuga- keeping away from his attacks, from the chakra- infused hands was his best bet. However, in order to train Taijutsu and to feel the terror and necessity of improvement and defense, Mino had to use the opportunity presented to him: to be the best, you must face the best. Mino couldn't imagine a better opponent than Makoto. Casting a nod toward the Hyuuga before he launched himself in the air away from the rumbling and changing landscape, Minoru called out to him. "All out! Don't hold back at all!" It was a stupid and risky move- but it was in the spirit of their earlier competition and in the back of his mind, he ached to actually fight with reckless abandon. He didn't want to hurt Makoto- who would want to hurt his teammate? But it wasn't about that.

Mino trusted Makoto more than any Genin his age thus far: he knew in his heart he would not hurt the Hyuuga genin because he acknowledged the Genin's strength. He also knew Makoto couldn't damage him irreparably- he was starting to have some faith in his own skills. Would he be beaten? Sure. Would that beating be his last? Not at all. Would he get up? Every time.

Once the fissure was complete and a part of their battlefield, Minoru started toward Makoto, collecting chakra in his throat and preparing for a mid range attack, lest the Genin close the distance between them with an attack of his own.
Awai Minoru Chunin of the Leaf. Holder of nothing.

Mentor to no one.

[color=#FFD69B]

Yamai, Toshiro Genin of the Mist

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Post by Ducks » Tue May 20, 2014 4:06 pm

Takeo smirked, and the bite if apple Makoto had been swallowing caught in his throat. It was not necessarily an unpleasant expression, but it was a meaningful one. The jounin was thinking of something, and that thing might not be terribly pleasant for the two genin. Takeo’s decision to make their next match “a little more interesting” did nothing to alleviate his apprehension.

Hand seals were made, and what had been a perfectly serviceable acre of the training grounds began to split cleanly in two, forming a small ravine that grew by the second. Mino dodged out of the way of the pit, as did Makoto, only to the opposite side of the ravine. His teammate called out, telling him not to hold back, and Makoto nodded, replying evenly: “And you also.” Despite his response, however, he did not rush into battle, as it seemed Mino was doing. While this was still a friendly bout, Makoto knew enough now to be wary of Mino’s abilities, at any range. It was better to go in with a measure of protection established, first.

He walked forward, toward the ravine, trusting that the pit would provide him at least a small time buffer for him to pull off a basic technique. While keeping track of Mino’s position, he walked forward, closing his eyes and focusing on his hands. His hands.

From the very day he had begin training to master his chakra, years before he even entered the academy, he had been taught to use his hands. For the Gentle Fist, the hands were the center of nearly every technique, rudimentary or advanced, hand-to-hand or projectile. They were the vessel into which the chakra was poured, and the conduit through which it was expelled. Working with fuuton chakra was a little bit different from working with pure chakra, but Makoto had trained long enough with his primary chakra infinity to grasp the incorporeal energy.

First, he focused a small amount of chakra in each of his hands, increasing the amount, focus, and intensity over a few seconds. In his rested, readied state, it was not a difficult task. However, instead of channeling all the energy directly into his fingertips or his palm, he spread it evenly over both hands from the wrist outward, cloaking them as with a glove. The energy hummed quietly and evenly, and he could have left the technique at that. However, maintaining a pure chakra construct required too much energy for a rudimentary defensive technique, at least Makoto and his limited chakra pool.

So he reached out with his chakra sense, and took hold of the air surrounding his hands. There was a small sound of rushing wind, as the air was drawn to his hands and quickly replaced by other diffusing air. The captured air swirled and danced around his hands, as if trying to escape his mental grasp. Makoto flinched in irritation and looked down at his hand; he would not have the time to battle rebellious chakra in a real combat situation, and he did not have it now. Mino had told him not to hold back, and he would rather fall into the ravine head first than let his teammate get the drop on him before he could even put up a simple defense.

With one more grunt of exertion, and a burst of irascible chakra, the energy about his hands steadied. The fuuton chakra hummed audibly, covering his hands with a nearly invisible green blue energy. He breathed out, and his gaze snapped directly forward. In a sudden, almost jerky movement, he brought his arms to a fighting stance, energy humming morosely as the wind on his hands cut through the light breeze in the air. Hummmm. Huuummm. The rather insubstantial energy coating wouldn’t be much help if it came to punches, but should Mino attempt a projectile attack, Makoto, with a little precision, would be able to bat it out of the air with ease. Of course, as Makoto knew well, battle with another shinobi was rarely easy, and never predictable. If he wanted to best Mino, he would have to skilled and clever, both in his selection of jutsu and his application of such. He began jogging towards the ravine, hands in front of him and eyes directly on his Awai compatriot.

(724/700)
Jutsu TrainedShow
Wind Element •Wind Guard
D-Ranked Nintaijutsu
Makoto channels wind chakra to both of his hands, forming protective gloves of rushing air from his fingertips to his wrist. These gloves provide modest protection to his hands, allowing him to strike incoming attacks from the side and send them off course. This technique only works against solid attacks and those composed of raiton chakra.

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Izanagi
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Post by Izanagi » Tue May 20, 2014 8:18 pm

891/1450

Takeo observed his students, as expected both had easily avoided the fissure and now stood on opposite sides, ready to continue their match. Luckily each were taking their time, preparing strategies likely and taking in their environment which their Sensei intended to continue to change. It would take time however, these were high level techniques, extremely chakra intensive and still in their trial stages. The man had no desire to waste chakra or create excessive and unnecessary additions to the battlefield. The way they stood opposite to each other reminded him of the Valley of the end; one of the landmark boundaries of fire country. Perhaps he could replicate something similar to that and for such a replication he needed a waterfall, though before that he needed a cliff for the ravine was too narrow to be enough space for an entire match to take place within. He would have to act fast, Minoru was already on the move and Makoto displayed yet another innovative Fuuton technique, Clever, he noted, observing the oscillating winds. The boy made excellent use of his element; that was to be sure. In fact it suited him perfectly, crisp and precise without squandering excess energy.

The man visualized his own technique to be. It would have to be large, much larger than any earthen construct he had created thus far. Am I even capable of that?, he wondered to himself apprehensively. It had only been in the last year that he had learned to use a large amount of chakra at once. The key was to be explosive, harness all of one’s energy and forcefully expel it, building until his body ached from exertion and pushing past his own limits. He remembered the last time he had trained solely on Ninjutsu. Roughly a year ago he made the breakthrough, utilizing his own earth dome technique and drastically increasing its scale. It will require a lot of hand seals, much more than most earth jutsu, although the shape manipulation is simple enough I’ll need a lot of focus on infusing the earth with my Doton chakra, probably will need at least two or three separate earth specific seals and then one or two solely for pumping out such a large amount of chakra It was fortunate the man so knowledgeable about hand signs and his own elements. He had been practicing for years, experimenting with hand signs and learning exactly how his chakra behaved when each were used. Even those that were associated with other elements could be used for varying effects. Of course while most of these such things were universal for shinobi there was always room for individual preference. Snake hand seals came the easiest to him, associated with Doton, then there was Rabbit for Suiton and Ram for control.

Takeo stood up once more, planting his feet securely and channeling the rigidity, strength and stability associated with Doton. Alright, I think I’ve got it, he decided, bringing his hands together for a dry run. It was a tactic used to conserve chakra and get a feel for a custom jutsu before actually attempted it and quite often it drastically increased his rate of success and the speed at which he learned techniques. Tiger-Snake-Tiger-Dog-Ram. It felt good. As usual Takeo made a point to use hand seals that felt comfortable and easily flowed into the next. Often this resulted in using similar combinations which made remembering his vast array of jutsu somewhat problematic though the glory of using mostly custom made techniques meant that he could often form the same result even if a sequence was performed slightly differently. In fact often over time hand seals were altered slightly as he found sequences that worked better or felt more natural. It was the simplicity of Doton that he admired the most, Suiton techniques often required a great deal of molding and control and others such as raiton and Fuuton utilized more complex hand seals and often times awkward chaining, at least from his perspective.

Takeo adjusted his footing once more and inhaled, feeling the earth as an extension of himself, his muscles tensed and his chakra began flowing into the ground once more. He formed the hand signs again, this time channeling his chakra actively, spreading it out in a line beneath him and to either side. He could feel his chakra merging with the earth and as he completely the seals he carved out the image of the shape he desired, visualizing it in his mind and feeling it come to form. His foot raised and slammed into the ground, not entirely necessary in truth but it was a habit and especially useful to act as an explosive outlet when using more powerful techniques. And the ground rumbled beneath his feet as it ascended from the ground, rising beneath him and cutting out the shape of the rampart, elevating the man into the sky. Unfortunately it seemed the jutsu wasn’t nearly complete. The wall was only a little over 3ft thick, 25ft long and 20ft high. A poor B-rank equivalent at best, though perhaps from the perspective of a genin it would still be impressive. Regardless Takeo would need a few moments to scrutinize his failure, at least in the meantime he was rewarded with an excellent vantage point of the skirmish before him.
Jutsu TrainingShow
[Earth Element • Earth Rampart]
A-Rank Ninjutsu
After forming the necessary seals Takeo will stomp on the ground causing a large rampart of earth to rise up at a speed of 10. The wall created is up to 70 feet wide, 70 feet high and 15 feet thick, often serving as a vantage point to stand upon as well as a defense with a strength of 9. Due its sheer size this jutsu is particularly chakra intensive.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

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Mino
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Post by Mino » Wed May 21, 2014 6:15 am

1155/1100
For the first time Mino absently wondered how much chakra Takeo-Sensei had to throw around. The man was moving mountains, literally, changing the landscape entire- something to be admired if not outright feared. Minoru wondered about other Jonin and their capabilities- he'd seen a handful in his lifetime and perhaps he was realizing how easy it was to underestimate a person. Upon meeting Takeo, Minoru would never have thought the man capable of so much- it inspired him to go even further in his own training. Even in this moment, Minoru could push himself. Half strength and pretty well beat up the young Awai believed that he could still surprise both Takeo and Makoto.

Sliding to a halt and watching what his companion was doing, Mino shook his head slightly, more to himself than to Makoto he knows the way I fight lets change things up. The Hyuuga was truly dangerous his doujutsu allowed him to anticipate and react much faster than most other of his level. He was prepared for Mid range attacks, and his dominance with taijutsu was nothing to be scoffed at. Save for long range tactics, which Minoru hadn't studied really, there was one thing that he hadn't really used on Makoto. The Hyuuga doujutsu was nearly perfect in it's defensive capabilities, the piercing eye that saw even the chakra in the hearts of their foes. Disabling that or using it to his advantage was the only way he could see standing toe to toe with Makoto.

Easier said than done.

To set things up, Mino would need defense, and hopefully to bait the Hyugga to come to him. Abandoning the chakra he'd begun molding in his throat, Minoru instead focused on constructing Hiton. After using the Blazing Vision technique, Hiton chakra residue provided him a template to force the rather dangerous and volatile fusion chakra. Admittedly, the sequence was coming easier to him, using his own family's doujutsu was becoming second-nature and this training would continue to make it easier for him to bend and create with Hiton.

Minoru started with what's familiar. Most Hiton techniques require the chakra to be molded from the core, and explled waist level via the hands. Letting chakra travel from the core was something the Young Awai had been training in since before the Academy, if there was an easier way, Minoru did not know it. Welling chakra up within his core, he slowly pushed it toward his hands, crafting Hiton using the doujutsu's affinity for light. Regulating his breath and feeling the heat of the newly formed chakra begin to expel from his hands, the outline of what appeared to be a barrier (luckily he had extensive experience with barriers, and thus molding one of Hiton and not his own chakra was not beyond his capabilities) began to form spreading downward from his hands toward the ground. Sustaining Hiton chakra felt different from simply molding it or discharging it as Mino was usually apt to try. This required much more focus and precision, something that the young Awai had a surprisingly large amount of confidence in.

In order to pull this off, Minoru would need to continually produce the chakra along a path at his opponent. If I mold the chakra and shoot it out, I can't control it once it leaves me. Makoto is agile, so I'll need my attacks to be unpredictable. That means I'll have to use a medium for my chakra to travel over. Sustaining the amount of chakra I want, and making it maneuverable means it'll have to act like.. that's it! Minoru couldn't help but smile. Why had he not thought of it before? The Nara were their ancestral root- the clan used shadows along the ground and it gave them supreme control and agility to their techniques. It wouldn't be such a stretch then to treat the Hiton chakra like that, and use the ground as a medium to keep the chakra formed correctly and able to change direction.

Feeling pretty satisfied with his assessment, Minoru decided once again to push himself to try something he'd never tried before. Training was becoming an addictive cycle: the more he trained, the more he succeeded, and thus the more he wanted to train and go beyond his expectations. If this technique worked, it would change the way the young Awai thought about Hiton chakra- and help him create an entire arsenal of techniques previously not thought of. Pulling his hands together in a series of rather complicated seals, Minoru held the final seal, (the monkey) and once the Hiton chakra made contact with the ground seemed to bound forward with a life all it's own, streaking along the ground slowly at first yet picking up speed (top speed 5) as it got further from Minoru's body. I can't believe it's working!

The tough part was over- now for some fun. Sending a mental check through his body whilst he expelled this chakra was easier than Mino thought: he was working, laboring pretty hard in fact, but his reserves were not depleted- it seemed the short rest and meal had done him very well. Perhaps also the presence of Takeo-Sensei had rejuvenated the young Awai: nothing like the pressure of your Sensei to push you just a little further. The chakra scorched a path along the ground, pulling itself along as fast as Mino could channel Hiton away from himself. Minoru had already figured what he would do when the chakra neared his opponent and figured adding to focus seals to the end of the jutsu would provide exactly the "explosive finish" Minoru was looking for. Figuring this technique could be rather dangerous when tinged with malice, Mino decided to showcase it- setting a perimeter, keeping Makoto guessing on how and where the attacks would come from, and setting the stage to quickly close the gap between them would all be possible without actually directing the attack at his companion. Going all out meant using all tools, Mino decided not killing his opponent.

With the focus and effort required, Minoru continually released Hiton as fast as he could forge it to add to the "surprise" he'd worked out for Makoto. Noting the Hyuuga had built a defense of sorts with his own Fuuton chakra, something that would be quite the problem when Mino got closer. Sadly, the young Awai hadn't worked the whole "in close fighting with the deadly Hyuuga going for broke" out yet. For now, this was all he had thought of. Beads of sweat stood out from the young Awai's brow as he added two more seals as the spike made it's way closer to Makoto, yet still no where near close enough to actually strike him. Both seals flooded the line with Hiton and a large cone shaped spike, the color of Minoru's eyes flashed from the ground upward at the Hyuuga, stopping well before it would hit him. The heat, however was a stark reminder of the damage Hiton chakra could do. I could see this being a bit more explosive, if I mold the chakra correctly, the spike could go longer, and the overall jutsu would be faster. Of course, this technique marked the beginning of Minoru's understanding of Hiton capabilities. The closer he studied the Nara clan techniques, Mino suspected, the more he would learn his own capabilities were not all that different.

Figuring this would either make Makoto respect the perimeter, or force him to close distance to gain the advantage with taijutsu Minoru broke the last seal as the spike reached it's height (about a meter, the max is 2) watching Makoto's reaction- what the Genin did next would control the balance of the fight. The technique was a success, and more importantly, Minoru had discovered the importance of having a medium to help with the agility and control of sustained jutsu. With training, that jutsu would move and strike with the flick of a hand, and the press of a seal. Suppressing the urge to cheer, Minoru instead assumed a fighting stance, careful not to show his fatigue to his opponent lest he open up a weakness for Makoto to exploit.
Jutsu TrainedShow

Hiton: Light Spikes
C-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing a sequence of hand-seals, the user will force Hiton chakra into the ground. This will create one single surge of light in the shape of a simple line of whatever color the user's Hiton chakra is. This line will travel through the floor and change direction 3 times according to the user's wishes at a speed equal to the user's Control up to 8. If it is to come close to its target, it will shoot off from the ground in the shape of a spike that may extend for two meters. This may "impale" the target, dealing second-degree burns to whatever superficial tissue it touches. Lastly, the user must hold a single-handed hand-seal to keep the technique up, and this surge may only travel up to five meters away before fading.
Awai Minoru Chunin of the Leaf. Holder of nothing.

Mentor to no one.

[color=#FFD69B]

Yamai, Toshiro Genin of the Mist

[color=skyblue]

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Ducks
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Post by Ducks » Wed May 21, 2014 12:55 pm

The sound of a great shifting of earth came from Makoto’s left, and the genin looked over to see a vast earthen plateau moving quickly upward. It quickly grew into an impressive rampart, although Makoto could still pick out the figure of Takeo standing atop it. Like Mino, he wondered just how much chakra their sensei was able to command, and what sort of things he could do in a no holds barred combat situation. He had never seen the jounin truly pushed to his limits; perhaps when Makoto was older, he would be able to accompany Takeo on a mission worthy of his teacher’s skills. Perhaps he would one day be strong enough to challenge the older ninja himself.

Makoto wrinkled his nose and shook his head briefly, clearing the thought from his head. Daydreaming was a waste of time and a distraction from reality, and now was no time to be … What is Mino doing? Previously, all of Mino’s hiton techniques had been projectiles in the strictest sense, fired and forgot about. This one, however, seemed different. Activating his Byakugan, Makoto turned his attention to Mino just in time to see the young Awai dump a large amount of chakra into the ground. It tore and twisted across the field, racing toward him at considerable speed. Glancing back at Mino, he noticed that the lightmeister had frozen on the last hand seal, and seemed to be focusing his chakra on something. Either he was preparing another attack, (possible, but unlikely given the pace of the battle), or he was channelling something (likely, given the fluid nature of the jutsu). Whatever this technique was, avoiding it wasn’t going to be as easy as side stepping.

However, instead of running away from the technique, as was instinctive, he ran toward it, in a line about 30 degrees right of the light’s antiparallel. While it seemed this strategy would make the technique more difficult to dodge, running at the attack gave the channeller less time and space to turn the attack and would put Makoto closer to allow for a counterattack. However, just before Makoto drew near the line, it exploded out of the ground, forming a dangerous looking spike. Because it exploded before it got close enough to him, he was able to easily circumvent it. He ran around it, slightly confused by the jutsu’s inaccuracy. Had Mino simply missed? Had he exhausted his energy supply? Or had he missed on purpose to spare Makoto the attack? The possibility of the last confused him. Had his teammate not told him to go all out? He narrowed his eyes; whatever the reason, Makoto wasn’t going to pull his punches.

It was clear that Mino and his hiton had the advantage at mid range; Makoto would have to get closer if he wanted to take full advantage of his nintaijutsu. There was, however, still the pit to be considered; simply jumping across it would leave him highly vulnerable to a projectile attack, and just running around would take too long. Just as he began to think his only option would be to descend into the ravine and hope that Mino would follow him down or could be avoided long enough for him to escape, he remembered another technique, one that he had been working on but hadn’t quite grasped yet. Today, however, was a day for daring, a day for experimentation. If he failed, all his failure would cost him would be a thirty foot or so drop onto the walls of the ravine, a painful tumble to the bottom, and whatever Mino decided to throw at him while he was vulnerable. Nothing too bad.

He ran towards Takeo’s fissure, making and holding a single hand seal as he did. Once again, he flowed chakra through his center and down to his legs. While still not as easy as molding chakra to be usedby the hands or arms, the process was noticeably easier this time, as his legs had been “warmed up” by the earlier chakra intensive attacks. This time, instead of channeling chakra to the entirety of a leg, he merely had to focus on forming a small concentration of chakra on the soles of his feet. It was an odd sensation, trying to gather chakra in a part of his body that was repeatedly striking the ground, but not enough to break his concentration. Just as he reached the edge of the cliff, he released the handseal and jumped, performing the basic High Style technique of the same name. He took off in an approximately 45 degree arc, moving quickly, but not quickly enough to clear the ravine. At his current trajectory, he would have an ungraceful collision-landing on the opposite side of the fissure, and painful roll down the bottom.

Fortunately for his dignity and his body, he wasn’t done yet. As soon as he had released the first burst of chakra, he had begun the channeling process anew, gathering chakra in his feet, as if he was about to jump a second time before he hit the ground. In fact, that was exactly what he intended to do.

Wind whipping his medium length dark brown hair, he closed his eyes for a moment, remembering back to the training session in which he had almost mastered the technique. His sister Satomi had, of course, been there, supervising, advising, and criticizing. At the end, she determined that his chakra control was not advanced enough, and he would have to improve his focus if he wanted to get the second jump off before he hit the ground. It had annoyed him at the time, and now, as he plunged to humiliation, it infuriated him. Satomi didn’t know him. She didn’t know his limits. He wasn’t just some academy kid any more; he had his team now, and he was going to show her what he thought of her presumptuous pronouncements.

As his blood pumped hot and his heart throbbed, he sent a fierce burst of chakra to his feet. It was unrefined, unshapely, and unsafe, and when he released it the energy practically exploded, reversing his downward momentum and sending him safely over the gap, even over Mino’s head. He only managed to pull off a partial Land technique before he hit the ground, so that he landed in a crouching position with one hand on the ground and slid several feet before coming to a stop. As soon as he did, he whipped around, adrenaline pumping, breath ragged, and leaped at his partner, drawing his palm to strike Mino with a basic Palm Bottom strike. If it connected, the Awai would feel the might of the Hyuuga for the first time.

(1126/1100)
Jutsu TrainedShow
*[Doubled Leap]
C-Ranked Nintaijutsu
Prerequisite:*[Jump]
This advanced form of the Jump technique presents the user with the ability to make a second jump while still in the air. After performing the necessary handseals and focusing chakra into the feet, the user will leap into the air. At the peak of the jump, the chakra will be released in a small burst, allowing the user to jump as though s/he were on solid ground. During this second jump, the user can change his/her direction while still airborne. Otherwise, this technique works much like the Jump technique, giving the user increased vertical height, while all horizontal range is determined on the amount of speed built up before jumping.
Jutsu UsedShow
*[Jump]
D-Ranked Nintaijutsu
The rudimentary technique of the High Style, Jump requires the user to first perform a single handseal, followed by focusing chakra into the feet. When the user jumps, be it at a standstill or with momentum, the chakra will release in a burst, sending him/her a distance that depends on the amount of chakra placed into the technique. This boost is purely in vertical distance; horizontal distance depends on the user's momentum when this technique is performed, meaning it causes higher jumps, not longer ones. The maximum height that can be gained using this technique, no matter that amount of chakra placed into it, is 30 feet, while the minimum is 5 feet. Each jump with this burst counts as a new use of this technique, and thus requires handseals to be reactivated.

*[Land]
D-Ranked Nintaijutsu
Another of the cornerstone techniques of this style, the Land technique requires the user to perform a single handseal and then focus chakra into their feet. As the user lands, this chakra will disperse, balancing his/her weight in the process, and creating a landing with a greatly softened impact. Users with less than 5 control will be provided with a safe landing from a maximum of a 60 foot drop. Users with more than 5 control will be able to drop from heights of 100 feet in addition to gaining the option of seamlessly transitioning into a sprint upon landing. This technique can be held dormant for a maximum of three (3) posts before it will dispel on its own.

~Palm Bottom
D-Ranked Nintaijutsu
This attack consists of a quick, precise thrust of the users' palm to an opponent's body. Though it causes internal damage like other Jyuuken techniques, its greatest asset lies in its ability to be fired off from just about any position and at any given point of the opponent's body.

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Izanagi
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Post by Izanagi » Wed May 21, 2014 6:24 pm

1665/1450

The man inhaled deeply, savoring the uplifting spring breeze. Higher in elevation the wind seemed stronger and more pure and for a moment Takeo felt the urge to simply watch the remainder of the bout from this newfound vantage point. It felt akin to royalty watching over a gladiator match from their cushioned balcony or perhaps a mountain lion staring down two sheep as they bashed their skulls against one another in a display of dominance. Though of course Minoru and Makoto were not the man’s minions nor were they his prey. They were his students; comrades and his place was with them, training and pushing his own limits as they did the same.

His intense blue eyes shot wide as he observed the Hiton flowing across the ground, unmistakably reminiscent of the Nara clans shadow manipulation. Amazing…they’re both quite innovative, I’ve never even heard of an Awai doing that before, he reflected proudly. For Takeo had befriended many Awai over the years; several Jounin and of course his current teammate Haru and yet none had thought to do such a thing. It was exactly the sort of edge one needed in combat, unique techniques to surprise opponents, even those whom might be familiar with their already rare clan abilities. Takeo of course had no such luxury of being a part of a clan though he was determined to prove his own worth and innovation.

There was a nod of approval, likely gone unseen and then another at Makoto’s impressive doubled leap over the ravine. And then Takeo formed seals, before leaping backwards off the rampart. In mid-air he inhaled deeply and then spewed forth a narrow stream of water cutting a clean horizontal line across the rock face. He landed gracefully and then jumped 15ft shoving hard against the top half of the rampart and causing it to topple over, crashing down across the ravine and creating a makeshift bridge. With any luck the two genin would have headed the man’s warning about remaining aware of their surroundings, if not there was potential for the two of them to be crushed by the massive slab of earth which would stick out for about 5ft on either side of the trench. The sound alone sent a tremendous thundering far beyond the training grounds, turning many head and drawing in quite a crowd. Wasting no time Takeo circled around to the left, first to make sure his students were unharmed and then to form seals once again, “When fighting in mountainous terrain often the environment can become disrupted and dangerous, these are things to be constantly wary of” he explained. “If you focus only on your opponent you become vulnerable to such things as well as ambushes from third parties” he further instructed, not as chastisement but simply as a lesson to keep in mind.

His hands were moving as he spoke and this time a new seal was added into the sequence. The boar hand sign, it was not one he used often due to the awkward hand positioning though it served well to control large amounts of Doton chakra and as such he realized it was the missing link of the chain. This time when his seals were completed he did not stomp the ground, it wasn’t necessary due to the sheer amount of chakra and moreover the earth being manipulated was not beneath him but in the distance, across the ravine and about 20ft behind the genin. The man’s breathing became strained as the earth rumbled aggressively. Already it was apparent that jutsu was on a much greater scale. And then with a deep breath and a clenched jaw the ground rose up. 60ft across, 50ft high and 10ft thick. Its scale was massive, even going as far as to uproot several trees that bordered its creation, roots hung from it and dirt poured from the displaced earth, one small tree even ascended with the wall, some of its roots hanging over the edge. Takeo grinned widely, it truly was an awe inspiring sight and those whose attention had been gathered by the earlier thud now closed in for a better look at the match that was taking place. “Better” he muttered to himself with a grin, his chest rose and fell with heavy breaths and he could feel his back growing slick with sweat. The rapid succession of powerful techniques was draining him much faster than he was used to, unfortunately his bag of food had ascended with the rampart, next to the tree that now towered overhead, barely in sight. As such he was forced to suffice with a few sips of water from the flask carried in his pouch.
Jutsu TrainedShow
[Earth Element • Earth Rampart]
A-Rank Ninjutsu
After forming the necessary seals Takeo will stomp on the ground causing a large rampart of earth to rise up at a speed of 10. The wall created is up to 70 feet wide, 70 feet high and 15 feet thick, often serving as a vantage point to stand upon as well as a defense with a strength of 9. Due its sheer size this jutsu is particularly chakra intensive.
Jutsu UsedShow
Pressure Cutter
A-Rank Suiton Ninjutsu
After forming the needed hand seals Takeo will fire a highly compressed one inch diameter stream of water from his mouth. The stream can travel up to 80 feet and moves at a speed equal to the users control with a maximum of 12. The water is so highly pressurized that is able to pierce and cut through stone and even steel with ease. This technique can be maintained for a maximum of two posts.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

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Mino
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Post by Mino » Wed May 21, 2014 8:40 pm

770/750
The technique Minoru used was impressive, even to him in the moment. What was more, Makoto displayed quiet the feat of acrobatics to get across the ravine- something Minoru took note of to learn later in his career. Something that he respected about his partner was the simple elegance to his style: which of course was at contrast with Minoru's more flashy (see what I did there?) set of techniques. Defeating Makoto would mean making him feel comfortable with this strengths, and beating him when he felt strongest. This meant luring him to taijutsu, and somehow counteracting his immense capabilities there with the only thing Makoto had not truly witnessed: the art of Flash.

The young Awai found himself excited watching Makoto make his way beyond the perimeter- watching intently as he began to close distance. He took up a fighting stance, light on his feet, ready to react to anything that may befall him at the hands of the quick moving Makoto. A few quick basic hand seals and the plan will can work. I just need to make sure that I am all set. Knowing Makoto, Mino's stoic and pragmatic companion would of course bring the fight to his strong suit, taijutsu. Minoru expected this, so baiting him with the large expulsion of Hiton prompted him to rush right in and take advantage of Mino's miss. It was entirely possible Makoto thought Minoru out of chakra, or even fatigued from their earlier bouts. All was going exactly according to plan.

In one more feat of acrobatic prowess, Makoto sprang over Minoru, who decided to use that second to form a basic series of hand seals while and turn to see Makoto pivot and spring forward: the taijutsu had begun, and Mino had to act fast in order for this to work.

The plan was in three phases: disrupt the attack- catch the attack, exploit the attack. In order to do this, Minoru had to ensure that Makoto was disrupted mid attack: something faster than his fist would have to disorient him. This, Mino thought ruthlessly is what Hiton does best.

Seeing the chakra outlining Makoto's outstretched palm, Mino focused a small amount of Hiton chakra from his arms, shoulders and chest outward- creating a flash worthy of disrupting vision around the training ground. Makoto was too close to redirect his strike now. Phase one was complete, the attack was successfully disrupted. Minoru could have struck Makoto then and there- or at least attempted with a strike of his own however Minoru took the few seconds the Hyuuga was blind and focused on remaining unharmed first- turning with the strike, raising his arm and positioning his body so Makoto's arm sailed right by his waist. Placing both hands on Makoto's outstretched arm, Mino was careful, ensuring the grab was on the wrist, and any and all pressure applied there. Placing his thumb in the crook of Makoto's downturned wrist, the Awai could easily turn the wrist and apply the aforementioned pressure. This would not do. Keeping Makoto's wrist secured, Minoru set himself to use his strength and control the Hyuuga's movements- bearing his weight down upon the smaller Genin. From this position, Mino remembered the training Takeo-Sensei had been performing with his elbows and knees- something he had been performing while the clone taught he, Makoto and Nagi some basic acrobatic techniques. He remembered the force at which each elbow and knee strike landed- enough to disable an opponent quickly. Minoru had decided to disable Makoto's arms- and thus clenching him and preventing him from using Gentle Fist techniques seemed a quick and simple way to gain leverage over Makoto's wild and unpredictable style. One well placed strike could change the entire flow of this match. Yet Minoru's ambition got the best of him again, as in this position he realized, to his extreme distaste he hadn't practiced the strikes well enough to trust he would not hurt himself alongside his target. A second of hesitation passed between the two while Minoru set himself. As a secondary plan he decided he was familiar with the throwing technique he'd botched earlier, and figured it would be a decent follow to the clench.

It was then he heard the boom. Minoru'd fallen prey to exactly what Takeo-Sensei spoke of after the rampart fell, and what's more he held Makoto in the line of fire. Luckily he already had ahold of the dazed Makoto, and so with some quick actions, Mino could ensure neither Genin would remain in harm's way. Taking a few steps, grabbing Makoto's lapels and lifting him, running as hard as he could from the falling rampart piece and planting his feet to dive forward, using the force of his jump to propel Makoto away from him (and danger) to ensure his opponent was far enough away before the rampart top crashed across the ravine. Sending a mental check through himself to ensure no real damage was taken from Takeo-sensei's insanely powerful and risky technique, Mino figured if Takeo could split the earth, and create mountains at will, believing he could fly, or stop time wasn't entirely impossible. The deafening crash filled Mino with a sense of satisfaction: he'd not been crushed- Makoto was safe enough, and he'd survived another few moments against the Hyuuga. Rolling and standing, Minoru shook his head, yelling "Yes Sensei" before he set himself for yet another round with the Hyuuga. Inside the Awai was berating himself for not seeing it earlier- to disorient his opponents, it's possible to disorient your friends as well. Makoto would have to know Minoru well enough to see when he is building chakra for flashes like this.
Jutsu usedShow
~Light Release • Bright Light Technique
D-Ranked Ninjutsu: The user makes a very short string of hand seals and then focuses, causing a bright light to 'explode' from their body. It is roughly the equal of two Flash Tags and though the flash only lasts a brief few moments, the vision of any afflicted by it is dampened and blurry for 1 post.
Jutsu trainedShow
Clench
D-Rank Taijutsu
As the user foresees an incoming strike from their opponent, they may step in beforehand to clutch whatever limb is available and wished for, catching it in a wrench lock. From this position, the user may proceed unto more directly damaging moves, such as strikes or submissions, as the opponent is left in a vulnerable state. However, if the opponent has a higher strength or taijutsu stat than the user, they may break free.
Awai Minoru Chunin of the Leaf. Holder of nothing.

Mentor to no one.

[color=#FFD69B]

Yamai, Toshiro Genin of the Mist

[color=skyblue]

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Ducks
Posts: 466
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Post by Ducks » Thu May 22, 2014 6:05 pm

Makoto had somewhat counted on surprising Mino with his unprecedented acrobatics, and hadn’t bothered to make his follow up attack a very subtle one. Obviously, this had been a mistake. If Mino had simply tried to block or dodge the attack, Makoto would have easily been able to halt or redirect his strike. Unfortunately, Mino was aiming a little higher than mere survival, and the Hyuuga stumbled right into his trap.

He was looking directly at the luminescent arm when the flash went off. His body attempted to recoil on instinct, but his stance and momentum prevented him from coming to a full stop. His left arm, which had been nearer his body, immediately flew to shield his eyes, although it was obviously too late to block the light. His right arm faltered a bit, the chakra draining from his palm, but he did not immediately draw it back to his body. Makoto, being half blinded, didn’t see what happened next, but felt a vice grip on his outstretched wrist and instantly knew what happened. It was a clever bait and smack, and if Makoto didn’t escape soon, the match was going to quickly become unpleasant.

Just as he was beginning to extract himself from Mino’s hold, there came a sharp, elongated crack from Takeo’s position. Glancing over, he heard a tremendous thud and saw through bleary eyes the outline of some massive shape, heading directly towards the two of them. Bother. However, Mino, ever the team thinker, turned his trap into a rescue, lifting Makoto unceremoniously and dashing out of harm’s way. At first, he struggled a bit, but quickly realized that in his present state it was best to let his
teammate have his way. While they were opponents for the time being, in the long term they were comrades, and the little Hyuuga was beginning to realize that he could trust Mino. He had quickly grown to rely on Takeo, as the jounin was, well, a jounin, and the leader of his squad. His teammates, he had been more wary of, but while the others had faded away, Minoru had stayed. That would have to be good enough for him.

By the time Mino had loosed his hold on him, he was sufficiently recovered to land borderline gracefully, rolling once before coming to a stand. He rubbed his eyes one last time, clearing them enough to carry on normally; even so, he would be seeing spots for another half hour at least. For the first time, he noticed the small crowd that had begun to gather, and frowned irritatedly; this was an exercise, not a sideshow. Be that as it might, they were here to watch, so he might as well give them something to look at.

Nodding once to Takeo, in acknowledgement of his words, and once to Mino, to acknowledge his skill as well as the small debt owed for the rescue, and returned to a fighting stance. The genin was breathing fairly hard at this point; internal exertion, combined with the continuous tossing and knocking about, was beginning to wear on him. Still, he was hardly going to let a little thing like that slow him down, especially not with such an audience.

He began forming hand seals deliberately, initially intending to attack with a Great Breakthrough technique. However, as he tried to draw the chakra and infuse it with wind, he felt an awful twinge. It was something he had felt before, in training sessions when he was struggling to learn a complicated new move, or at the end of fights he just couldn’t win; it was chakra exhaustion. He could fight through it, ignore it, persevere like a heroic knucklehead, but if he used chakra intensive techniques the fatigue would quickly catch up with him, perhaps even dropping him where he stood. He would have to use a different technique, a new one perhaps, that was more chakra efficient. Taking the chakra he had gathered in his throat for the Great Breakthrough, he transferred it down into his hands. Then, with a incredibly swift movement, he shot out his hand, palm first. A ball of loosely formed wind chakra shot out, aimed directly at Mino’s chest. It was hardly a perfected technique, but it would give Mino something to flinch at if it hit.

(724/1100)
Jutsu TrainingShow
Wind Element • Lurking Power
C-Ranked Nintaijutsu
Makoto forms a few hand seals, storing wind chakra in one hand. Some time in the next three posts, Makoto can make a quick movement with the hand, such as a punch or palm strike, and release the wind chakra in a small, dense ball. This ball is approximately a foot and a half in diameter, and flies with a speed of six. It will travel twenty feet; if it hits an solid object, it will explode with a strength of four, otherwise dissipating harmlessly at its maximum range. Up to three blasts can be stored at a time; two in one hand, one in another.

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Izanagi
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Post by Izanagi » Mon May 26, 2014 4:15 pm

1456/1450

The Jounin moved quickly around the half-wall, reaching out with his mind’s eye to keep tabs on his students as the stone slab moved down upon them. He stopped in his tracks at the corner, nodding in approval as Mino tackled Makoto out of the way. And then casually he gave his instructions. It was a relief to say the least to find that his prized students hadn’t been crushed by the massive slab of rock. The man was continually placing their skills in higher regard and had been confident that they could handle his intervention though there were always exceptions and even in training it was not unheard of for shinobi to be critically injured. The flash of light had been particularly ill-timed and if not for the Awai’s quick thinking one or both of the genin would have potentially been killed. Of course Takeo would have intervened if it was necessary, though even with all of his speed he wasn’t quite sure if he would have made it on time. Perhaps it would be best to be more careful in the future.

Slowly Takeo screwed the lid back on his flask and stored it away in his pouch once more. It was then that he noticed the clamor from behind him, a handful of genin and Chunin and even a Jounin or two all standing in awe of the spectacle before them; it was the scale of Takeo’s jutsu that had drawn them in though it was the raging battle between the two genin in the midst of everything that made them stay. At least that was the case for the younger onlookers, whose expressions seemed a combination of fear, awe and excitement. It was evident both combatants were nearing exhaustion and yet each pressed on, bringing pride to their respective clans were their innovative techniques and determination.

Honestly it made Takeo rather uncomfortable to have spectators, especially since they were watching from behind. They don’t have much left in them, he noted, observing the way Makoto’s chest heaved. Minoru was likely nearing his limit as well, the golden haired boy was much taller and sturdier than his Hyuuga companion though his techniques were also larger in scale and more taxing to utilize. This meant that Takeo would have to act quickly, there was one more technique he wished to develop and it would be best to complete it before their match had concluded. Though at this rate it might actually serve to knock both of them off their feet. He considered that possibility for a moment. No, it was best to not put them in danger again, at least not while they were nearing exhaustion.

With that in mind Takeo formed hand seals, calming himself with deep breaths as he focused on the leftmost section of the massive rampart. It had been his intend to create a torrent of water though much to his surprise at the culmination of his seals not even a single trickle emerged. Too far away maybe, he realized. The man frowned, wondering how it was done. He had seen shinobi create water from a fair distance though he had never done it himself. All of his current Suiton techniques either utilized a surrounding water source or were generated from his own body, often spewed out from his mouth. And unlike with Doton techniques it was not simply a matter of merging his chakra with the ground and channeling it through the substance. How then was he to create water without any medium to channel it through? It was something the man hadn’t truly considered. Perhaps then it was best to start with something more familiar and work his way towards the more advanced goal.

He could either create a third rampart beneath himself or cross the trench, ascend the full sized rampart and perform the technique from there. Initially it had been his plan to create two massive walls on opposing sides of the trench though now with the crowd gathered and his own fatigue Takeo opted for the latter option. Quickly Takeo skirted around the genin combatants, running horizontally along the half of the smaller rampart which still stood rather than crossing the ravine via the bridge. He didn’t want to get in their way after all. As he neared the edge of the wall Takeo ran to the top corner and jumped off, twisting his body in mid-air and adhering his feet to the larger wall which ran perpendicular to the first. Then without missing a stride he ascended the 60ft tall surface.

It took a moment to readjust after looking down from such a vantage point. It was rather unnerving actually for him to be so elevated, for as a Doton user he felt most comfortable being close to the ground. Of course he had experience rock-climbing or hiking mountains so the sensation was not foreign to him, certainly though it would serve better to eventually learn to utilize his techniques from a greater distance. For now however he would test the jutsu from a closer range. His hands moved once again, chakra welling inside his body and flowing down into his feet. He took a few steps back as he sealed and then flowed his chakra along the surface of the earth, choosing the rightmost section of earth for the chakra to accumulate over. And then he began to infuse the chakra with the Suiton nature. Suddenly his body began feeling colder and his mind crisp and alert and then with the last hand sign a torrent of water burst forth, flowing steadily along the rock-face. The waterfall spanned 15 feet across, churning violently and crashing down on the ground below with a thunderous roar as more water continued to emerge, obscuring a third of the Cliffside in a thick sheet of water. Takeo had made sure neither genin were directly under the waterfall when it had been created or else they surely would have been crushed to death with their bodies swept away into the ravine.

Once more Takeo formed the seals, this time channeling his chakra towards the section of cliff to his left. Again a torrent of water gushed forth, crashing over the edge and plummeting towards the ground below with great force and speed. This left only a 30ft wide by 20ft across area of available ground at the base of the cliff. This was the safe zone awarded to the two genin, for on either side were 15ft wide rivers that flowed to the edges of the ravine and down into the pit, steadily filling the large crevice with water. Of course there was the 50ft tall cliff to Mino’s back (should they still be in roughly the same position) and the bridge crossing the ravine to Makoto’s back. Takeo nodded, content as he overlooked the area. It was satisfying being able to alter the landscape in such a way and in fact if not for the intense skirmish below it would be a rather peaceful atmosphere.

Glancing once more over the edge Takeo turned towards the tree, its roots hanging over the back edge of the cliff and there next to its trunk was his satchel full of fruits and snacks. Finally he would be able to replenish some energy for even being a Jounin with especially vast chakra reserves the man had already depleted over a third of his supply, though given the rapid chaining of techniques he felt more exhausted than he was. With bag in hand he strode back to the ledge, hanging his legs over as he made short work of an apple and then an orange and then a protein bar, followed shortly after by some water. Some of the crowd had dissipated by now, most had been in awe of the large wall, some muttering about the identity of the Jounin responsible though save for the addition of the waterfall there was little more to gawk at, at least of anything Takeo could take credit for. Now the attention was soley on the two genin, enough at least to captivate several younger genin and academy students whom lingered around to see what two clan members were capable of. In fact it seemed they were making bets, most favored the Hyuuga due to the innate talent of his clan and the way he pressed the attack though others persisted that the Awai was clearly older and larger and would have the advantage. None seemed to consider the environment. Would the combatants? Regardless the man surmised the match would soon be over, at least he had completed his objectives and now he could finally relax and watch the culmination of the match before him.
Jutsu TrainedShow
Grand Waterfall
A-Rank Suiton Ninjutsu
After forming a long string of hand seals the user will focus on an area within 80ft causing a massive torrent of water to crash down from an elevated position with a strength of 9. The torrent of water continues to surge forth for 4 posts unless cancelled early and can quickly fill the battlefield with water. The maximum width of the waterfall is 30 feet.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

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Mino
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Post by Mino » Tue May 27, 2014 8:29 am

811/750 They were safe.

Makoto spared a moment to share a smile with Minoru, something he'd not seen the Hyuuga do often or at all. Perhaps he had earned some form of respect from the Hyuuga, which would have been quite a big deal if true. Perhaps the experience had brought the two Genin together- stranger things have happened, after all.

Taking a second to watch the Jonin change the landscape with his massive chakra, Minoru felt a little depressed about his own skill set. Would he ever make it that far in his training? I can make people squint! It was a bitter thought which he ignored. The landscape became more unpredictable with the addition of water, and giving the two Genin dangerous boundaries. In a real battle situation, this type of landscape effectively forced long range users to either think of other plans, or to brave the hazards outside of the arena for the distance they required for their techniques. However, in close combat it also provided a special type of danger, as throws, close range ninjutsu and explosive tags became more dangerous to use. Minoru would have to really focus on how and where to strike and take strikes as this training field became more and more dangerous. Stopping this train of thought before it got out of hand, Mino remind himself that what mattered much more than his philosophical questions was the problem of Hyuuga Makoto, weaving a string of hand signals and once again assailing the young Awai with a quick and precise attack.

Trying to react to Makoto's quick movements proved nearly impossible. Minoru imagined the attack would hit directly forcing his body to crumple to the ground or be flung into the waterfall's certain doom. The attack was too fast, and he was too tired to dodge the loosely constructed ball of wind: what other choice did the Genin have other than being thrown backward into the dangerous waters that now surrounded their battlefield? Suddenly it occurred to him: he could take the hit. He remembered Takeo-Sensei's demeanor when they'd first trained- how easily he had taken one of Minoru's kicks. It was disorienting, having his attack land so directly, yet do little to no damage to his opponent. Perhaps there was a lesson to be learned even in the smallest of things. Sometimes taking a hit can be less taxing than avoiding it. Sometimes the best way to turn the tide on an enemy is to let them think they've won. Mino decided there and then he couldn't go through life thinking that he would avoid damage in the world of the ninja. If he couldn't avoid damage, then he would work on not fearing it. "We hurt ourselves most when we are prisoner to fear of hurt." His first step at dispelling this fear starts today.

It was imperative that Mino learned not to be afraid. So much of his life was based around fear. Fear of his father, Kau, fear of others knowing his poverty, fear of inadequacy, fear of bullies in the Academy, fear of loneliness outside of it, fear of his new team, fear of going on missions, fear of confronting the ninja world, fear of falling by the wayside to other, important soon to be ninja.

That time was over, starting today.

No chakra. No barrier. Just me. Just me. He chanted to himself as Makoto released the ball. The ball was really moving at a speed Minoru couldn't match- there was no time to dodge, run or form the seals for a barrier anyway. Turning toward the attack, Mino relaxed his body, focusing on absorbing the majority of the blow with his arms crossed over to protect his head and chest. Setting his left foot forward, he prepared to absorb the blow. He felt his breathing regulate as a surge of Adrenaline prepared his muscles for the blow. He did not form or mold any chakra- his body would sustain the damage alone or destroy itself trying. Just me.. the ball was bearing down on him now- the wind chakra though loosely constructed packed quiet the push from Makoto's quick movements.

The ball hit with surprising force. Minoru was ready for it, keeping his back leg planted and his stance firm. Inside he was like cool water in a still lake. Taking damage, redirecting energy, all started with a calm inner peace- one that was born today of self appreciation and personal approval. The young Awai was taking yet another huge risk trusting himself here, but strangely enough it seemed today was the perfect day for such foolishness. Just...

The pain was substantial. Wind tore at his arms and core, pushing him backward toward the abyss of the water. He kept his muscles rigid but not tight- flexed himself toward the damage, and relaxed as it hit him, letting the force of the attack flow round and through him. He did not resist it- instead by surrendering just a fraction, he was able to redirect the force with his own body. The technique was far from perfect- but it was a building point for the future- giving Minoru another option when speed and cunning failed him. A primal noise rose from his mouth as he threw his arms to the side and bathed in the ecstasy of survival. It sounded a lot like,"Me!"

Falling to a knee directly before the edge of the arena (his back was to the cliff face not the water- though Mino didn't have time to pay attention to that) Mino couldn't help but grin as he tried and failed to stand. The truth was, he hadn't bested Makoto in any sense- but he had learned a few things, and more importantly, Mino had gained some respect from both his teammate and himself. Dripping blood from his forearms, the Genin swayed as he stood, and tried, rather pathetically to ready himself for another attack.
Justu TrainedShow
Grin and bear it- D ranked Taijutsu Req: Strength 3. Choosing to take a direct hit from an attack, the user chooses to test his body against the damage to occur. Preparing for the strike allows the ninja to lessen the damage taken via transferring momentum from the strike to a neutral area. (Taking a step back when being straight punched or kicked, turning a joint to absorb some of the damage thrown at it etc) This technique works against blunt attacks and projectile attacks that do not cut. This is about taking the blunt force from behind a hit and redirecting it throughout the body when the user is unable to block with a weapon or dodge it. This can also be used offensively, as a means to "power through" a blunt projectile or taijutsu technique to close distance on an opponent. If the strength of the user is equal too or surpasses the force of the technique, the user may ignore the damage for one post.
Awai Minoru Chunin of the Leaf. Holder of nothing.

Mentor to no one.

[color=#FFD69B]

Yamai, Toshiro Genin of the Mist

[color=skyblue]

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Ducks
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Post by Ducks » Wed May 28, 2014 1:22 pm

As soon as the first attack had left his hand, Makoto began forming more hand seals. The first blast had been acceptable, but was overall too loose. If he wanted to maximize concussive force at a distance, he would have to press the chakra into a firm ball of wind and energy, like rolling a huge ball of intangible clay. He had performed the last attack as soon as he had channelled the chakra to his hand, for fear of counterattack by Mino. With any luck, the first attack would have put Mino off enough to allow the Hyuuga to give proper shape to the balls.

Completing the hand seals in a few seconds, he stuck his arms down and slightly out, fists clenched. Almost immediately, whirs of rushing air appeared on both of his hands. At first, there shape was indeterminate, blowing and bursting as Makoto forced the element to bend to his will. Over a few more seconds, the shapes became clearer and better defined, until, with a quiet fwoom, they shifted into two near perfect spheres, humming quietly.

Now that the attack was formed, it had to be absorbed, and expelled. Makoto breathed in deeply, almost exaggeratedly, at the same time mentally grasping and squeezing the wind chakra into his two hands.
Grasping the air was a difficult, technically impossible task. With no rigidity, opacity, or appreciable mass, it was difficult for the common man to detect, let alone command. But such was the power of ninjutsu, and Makoto’s sharp, efficient, chakra control had marked him as a natural commander of fuuton since the earliest days of his training.

With a soft noise of sucking air, the chakra disappeared into his hands, and the attack was prepped. In one swift, almost jerky motion, Makoto stepped back, crouched, and brought his right elbow back. Then, he stepped forward and up, shoving his right palm forward … only to swing his hand right at the last second, sending one beautifully formed ball of air shooting harmlessly off into a rock wall. Makoto, meanwhile, was standing still, peering at Mino with some amount of confusion. He had expected the Awai to dodge, or form a barrier, or perhaps be caught off guard and take an inadvertent hit. But to step directly into the projectile’s path? Makoto had not expected that. However, watching how Mino performed the brutish maneuver, and his smiling afterward, the smaller genin thought he had just learned a little more about his teammate that day. Mino, while not the most skilled or most powerful of the Leaf’s genin, was tenacious, clever, and determined. Makoto might have the advantage in a fistfight, but as he watched Mino, swaying, bleeding, and smiling, the genin thought that in a real fight, where brutality, wit, and endurance were key, his partner would be difficult to beat.

He thrust his left arm sharply toward the ground, causing the ball to discharge harmlessly into the grass at his feet. Then, turning to Mino, he bowed deeply, speaking quietly: “Well fought.” Shaking slightly from fatigue and adrenaline, he lapsed his Byakugan and looked around, marveling at the power of their sensei. Where a mere field had stood a short time ago, now were towering walls, a deep ravine, and a bridge over flowing water. Sighting Takeo at the top of the cliff, Makoto bowed deeply to his sensei, then straightened. His muscles ached, and his power was nearly spent, but as far as exhaustion went, it was a fairly pleasant sensation.

(1315/1100)
Jutsu TrainedShow
Wind Element • Lurking Power
C-Ranked Nintaijutsu
Makoto forms a few hand seals, storing wind chakra in one hand. Some time in the next three posts, Makoto can make a quick movement with the hand, such as a punch or palm strike, and release the wind chakra in a small, dense ball. This ball is approximately a foot and a half in diameter, and flies with a speed of six. It will travel twenty feet; if it hits an solid object, it will explode with a strength of four, otherwise dissipating harmlessly at its maximum range. Up to three blasts can be stored at a time; two in one hand, one in another.

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Izanagi
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Post by Izanagi » Mon Jun 02, 2014 3:31 pm

Takeo grinned proudly as he watched his two students clashing beneath him. Minoru was faring better than he had anticipated in these close quarters, it seemed his size and strength as well as his private lesson with the boy had paid off. It was truly remarkable however how little instruction he required, one lesson and he had already learned to incorporate everything he had taught him. He would grow into a fine shinobi and then there was Makoto whose ingenuity and eloquence was a marvel to watch, he too showed great potential. I need to train with him sometime, see how he learns and pass on some of my skills to him as well he noted, it was a balancing act and he had to make sure to treat each of his students equal regardless of how different they were from one another. Training methods may vary between them but he was determined to place equal value on each of them. Nagi too would certainly benefit from personalized instruction, perhaps even more so in order to elevate her to the level of her teammates.

The Jounin shook his head in disbelief as Mino grunted and intentionally braced himself for the full force of Makoto’s technique, Crazy bastard, foolish but effective he decided. Tactically he wanted to reprimand Minoru for such a tactic but in truth it reminded the man of himself and he couldn’t help but smile. In his youth he had taken the brunt of many attacks as a tactic to wear down individuals with less stamina than himself and as long as one was careful to minimize the damage and avoid more deadly attacks then it was a sound strategy though one best used sparingly. Takeo’s cobalt eyes flickered between the combatants, ever analyzing, each were huffing heavily and battered, barely able to stand. “Looks like that’s their limit” he muttered to himself, rather impressed by their tenacity.

Quickly the man rolled backwards, grabbing the bag of food and standing in one fluid motion before taking several strides towards one of the waterfalls and leaping onto its surface, channeling chakra to his feet and surfing over the edge of the cliff. The Jounin adjusted his weight backwards as he went over the edge and then about 10ft before the water crashed into the ground he leaped off on an angle, continuing with the speed and momentum of the waterfall and dispersing it in a roll, ending with him with one leg posted and the other with his knee down, now between the two genin. Slowly he rose, calm and purposeful after his flashy entrance. “It seems you’ve both improved, even just in the course of this match, though neither of you used to terrain to your advantage you were both careful to be aware of its dangers, that’s something I suppose” And then his hands came together and suddenly the waterfalls narrowed into a trickle before disappearing altogether as the last of the water drained into the ravine, which was now about ¾ full. Next came a full set of seals and the rampart descended back into the earth at a blinding speed. Unfortunately there was nothing he could do to revert the ravine to its previous state, not yet at least, though if nothing else it would make for an adequate swimming area until the water evaporated. In fact perhaps he would do just that. Takeo grinned suddenly at the idea, "In fact, speaking of using your terrain to your advantage, anyone up for a swim?" he said, smirking as he gestured towards the ravine. Though he was in fact quite serious and subsequently peeled off his own sweaty shirt, removed his forehead protector and shoes and with one last, "Come on" jumped into the temperate waters. It was a gamble to show his more playful side around his students though he decided that they deserved a break, thus far all of their meetings had been solely focused on training and now that had finally proved that it had all been paying off.
Jutsu UsedShow
[Earth Element: Earth Core shift]
A-Rank Ninjutsu
After forming a set of 5 hand seals Takeo can either raise or lower a large section of earth. The section must be a rudimentary shape such as a square or circle with the maximum dimensions of 15m by 15m. The earth moves at a speed of 10 and when lowered from under an opponent will leave them temporarily suspended in the air if they weigh less than 200lbs, conversely if the earth is raised beneath an opponent, due to the sheer force one must have 9 strength or higher in order to move freely, whereas those with less than 5 strength will be unable to move for one post, often being forced to their knees. The maximum depth of this technique is 25m and Takeo must be within 10m of the affected earth in order to activate it.

Natsuki Takeo - 17th Hokage, former Anbu Commander [DEAD]
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD

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Mino
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Joined: Sun Dec 22, 2013 7:00 pm

Sweat of the Brow

Post by Mino » Tue Jun 03, 2014 4:44 pm

Minoru watched quietly as his eyes clearly played tricks on him. The majority of the terrain-change righted itself and Takeo-Sense addressed them both. It was true entirely- Mino never really thought of the environment as more than background. He wondered about the possible uses of the terrain, trying to remember distinctly the different changes and in which ways they could be manipulated. That wasn't to be, as right now Minoru's aching body and depleted chakra directly got in the way of his extended thought processes. He wanted to fall over- he wanted to sleep for a thousand years. However, his Sensei, always thinking, had proposed something a little less enticing, but a decent compromise from engaging in combat with a Hyuuga.

Swimming.

Peeling his sweat and blood crusted clothes off to his small clothes, Minoru half dove, half dropped into the water- imagining the cool surface as rejuvenating. After the shock of the cold water, he swam up to the surface lazily and floated on his back, taking in what was and would continue to be, one of the best days of his entire life. It didn't matter that he wasn't the victor- what mattered was a simple statement Takeo-Sensei'd said to them. His first statement to them, in fact.
Quote:
“It seems you’ve both improved"
If Minoru could sell that statement, the money he made would sustain his and his family's lives for generations to come. He was positively electric.
Awai Minoru Chunin of the Leaf. Holder of nothing.

Mentor to no one.

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Yamai, Toshiro Genin of the Mist

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