The sun only shines for those in the light

Geno · Post by **Geno** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 4:15 pm

Characters Involved: Tousha, Ikazuchi, Meraxa, Chikako

It was late in the afternoon. After first meeting earlier in the day, the genin of Squad Alpha agreed to visit the Hokage, Tousha. These genin came with the goal of having the Hokage himself train them. The area was well maintained and had a good size lake in the front, the water is pristine and blue shimmering in the soon to set sun. Behind the cabin was a fairly large training ground, it seems it had been used on many occasions and radiates with a passionate energy of those who set foot there before. The first to arrive was Juuma Ikazuchi, he's a tall young boy who excells in troublemaking and manipulation of raiton.

"I'm always the first to get to these kinds of things." he said to himself "While I'm here might as well get some practice in." he performed quick set of handseals and covered the tips of his left hand, then slowly removed his right hand to reveal the tips of his fingers enveloped in raiton chakra. "Hwah! Minor Embodiment: Raiton!" he said proudly, once again astonished at his abilities. He stared intently at his fingers pondering about something, but snapped out of it when he heard the trees begin to rustle. "Seems like someone else must be here" he thought to himself.

Ein · Post by **Ein** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:09 am

Chikako walked through the bushes, cursing her lack of pants (the leaves scratched at her exposed shins) and noticed . . . oh, for the love of . . . It was . . . Ikazuchi. Great. I have that Meraxa kid and now I have to deal with my class's number one, thick-headed, good-for-nothing moron.

Giving him something resembling annoyance, Chikako walked into the field, away from Ikazuchi, and crouched down in the fresh, cool grass, taking in her surroundings.

The Hokage . . . why would he want to personally train a few academy kids who just got into a squad? Pausing, Chikako thought a moment.

What's so special about us?

Meraxa · Post by **Meraxa** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:08 pm

Meraxa was jumping from tree top, faster than he had ever been. Well why would he slow down with the news that the Hokage himself was going to training him along with the rest of his squad. The word brilliant did not begin to describe it. He finally reached the clearing of the training ground, and jumped out from the treeline, skidding to a halt on the ground as he landed. His Katana was in his scabbard as per usual, though he could the static electricity wrapped around Ikazuchi's hand, looked like someone had just fired up one of their jutsu early.
Still, couldn't blame him.

"Who'd have thought? Before we meet our Jounin we actually get to train with the Hokage himself. Wonder if this means we'll become the next Sannin?" He joked, referencing the legendary students of the third hokage, it would be kinda cool to reach that kind of level.
"And speaking of the Hokage - anyone know why we got the lucky draw? I mean Chikako I could understand - the Hyuuga's Byakugan and gentle fist style is a pretty valuable asset that needs the best of training - but me and Ikazuchi? We don't exactly look like the top marks type now do we? Meraxa pointed out, surely he wasn't the only one with questions.

Toshi · Post by **Toshi** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 3:56 pm

"Lucky draw, my ass." Tousha muttered from his reclining lawn chair. The Hokage was lounging only about three feet from the genin with electricity emitting from his fingertips, almost as if he had been there the entire time. He shot a glance at each of the genin and sighed to himself before glancing back at the novel he was holding.

"Dramatic entrance, check." Tousha thought to himself as he flipped past another page.

The kage was dressed in tight fitting, dark blue under armor that left his pale biceps exposed to the sun, his favorite pair of orange and black swimming trunks (with flame decals included), and a pair of dark, rectangular sunglasses. A small table rested to the side of his chair, a pitcher of iced tea and a small glass sat on top of it. It appeared as if he had been laying there for hours and hadn't just slipped into view a moment ago.

"So what an I do ya for, kids?" he asked in a casual tone before flipping through another page of his book, "Is the village in peril? That'd be a real drag, I just got comfy."

Geno · Post by **Geno** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 4:38 pm

Ikazuchi was certainly surprised by this, enough to release his jutsu involuntarily. The acknowledgment of the Hokage being behind him, feeling his radiant power was a bit intimidating. "You're a clever old guy." he said quite boldly "If the village was in danger I'm sure they would've sent someone faster, maybe some Jounin if anything." Ikazuchi turned around to face Tousha, only to see him lounging in very lax clothing. "...I expected you to be a bit more formal in your attire..." he continued in a low tone "So... We're here to have you train us, I hope you know we're not gonna take no for an answer."

"... And we won't leave until you do." he mumbled. He motioned for Meraxa and Chikako to come forward to the Hokage. "I'm Juuma, Ikazuchi if you havent heard." he spoke once more, full of pride.

Ein · Post by **Ein** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 4:45 pm

Chikako flash-stepped, appearing very nonchalantly next to Ikazuchi, a smug little smile placed on her face. "Juuma Ikazuchi; bottom of the class, barely graduated, and a brat who enjoys zapping other kids for the fun of it."

She seemed a little bitter bout the whole zapping her with lightning when they were kids. Glancing towards the relaxed man, Chikako quirked her brow . . . a little curious. "Hokage-sama, Ikazuchi, however much of an idiot, is right. We are here for your training, Hokage-sama," she said, her eyes starting to sharpen. "We are willing to prove that we're worth-while, of course," she said, sounding a little too casual and relaxed.

Toshi · Post by **Toshi** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 5:19 pm

"Great, three kids with something to prove. History has a funny way of repeating itself..." Tousha thought to himself as he continued reading his book, only acting as if he wasn't interested in the three genin. But despite himself his lips spread into his usual crooked grin as he listened to Captain Bold's teammate explain their situation in further detail. The young Kunoichi reminded him of Ekitai in a small way, so he gave her a few brownie points for that.

The kage slowly grasped the pitcher of iced tea on the table and poured himself a glass. With one smooth motion he placed the jug back onto the table and swiped up his glass. "Well it's good to know the village isn't burning down or something." Tousha said simply, taking a quick sip from his glass of iced tea. He tilted the glass gently from side to side, causing the tea to sway from side to side.

"So I find myself with eager pupils eager and willing to learn at my doorstep yet again." he muttered to himself, although the three shinobi would easily be able to hear him. "What to do, what to do..."

With a sudden movement Tousha drained the remainder of his beverage and leaped into the air, causing the reclining lawn chair under him to fold up perfectly onto the ground. The kage stared back at the chair and shrugged, "Huh, that was neat. Anywhoo, what exactly do you want me to teach you? I'm just a frail old man, what could I possibly teach three young whipper snappers like yourselves?"

Meraxa · Post by **Meraxa** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 8:26 am

Meraxa was quite frankly had how quick and silently the Hokage had entered the area. If he tried the same trick in a battle, the enemy would find themselves without a head before anyone knew what was going on. He came forward last, and looked the kage over a few times. He did not look like the kind of guy you'd call one of the most powerful ninja in the world, though Meraxa knew better than to simply judge a book by its cover.

After the chair had folded up by itself automatically (had better check that later), the Hokage stood in front of them, and asked a relatively simple question:
"Huh, that was neat. Anywhoo, what exactly do you want me to teach you? I'm just a frail old man, what could I possibly teach three young whipper snappers like yourselves?"
"Don't go degrading yourself, the third hokage was still able to kick ass when he had to be nearing 80 - I think you at your age would still have some skill left in you." Meraxa smiled to himself slightly, if the guy was offering...

"And its pretty much common knowledge that you have a Raiton affinity - just like all three of us genin, so that may be a good place to start. Though to be honest, there is something in particular I'd like to try out, the Kage Bunshin." Meraxa specified the B rank technique, solely because of the potential in it. Recon, combat, hell even training was made easier through the many uses of the Kage Bunshin, so why not take the chance to learn it when there was one?

Geno · Post by **Geno** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 11:35 am

"Meraxa makes a great point, you're not just some old geezer." Ignoring Chikako's comment, Ikazuchi spoke with a hint of respect "If you were we wouldn't have come here." Ikazuchi kept on trying to figure out Tousha, he kept reading mixed signals off of the Hokage. Sometimes it would seem as if he wanted to train them and others it didnt. "Alright, well look, can you help us train a little?" he finally asked politely "How about starting off with that Kage Bunshin Meraxa mentioned, I'm sure its useful considering it's a B Rank technique." He turned to Meraxa and gave a little smile then turned to Chikako only to see her face of slight disgust towards him.

Ein · Post by **Ein** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 11:52 am

Chikako really seemed to follow her own pace and flow, walking past the other two and standing in front of the spot Tousha had chosen to jump to. Glancing up to him, her milky white hues would meet his green eyes.

"Hokage-sama, I want you to teach us how to be stronger ninja. We want you to teach our squad how to command Raiton in any way, shape, or form." She said, clenching her fists and readying herself should he say no or reject her desire. Also, admittedly, speaking ahead of the other two and ignoring their request for a specific technique. Chikako was thinking the long-haul, rather than one training session.

"Well, Hokage-sama? Are you willing to train us to command lightning as you do?"

Toshi · Post by **Toshi** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 1:24 pm

Tousha looked down at the young Hyuuga who had stepped forward and voiced her own request. He could already tell that she would be the most patient of the entire group, the other two were already moving on to a technique that would take several weeks to master entirely. He also recognized that look in her eye, the look of ambition. Tousha remembered how much he had begged his father to teach him how to perform kanji techniques, the genin must be feeling the same way.

"Alright, I'll teach you all how to better manipulate your elements but you have to promise me two things." A small grin spread across the Hokage's face as he raised two fingers at the genin. "First off, don't call me Hokage-sama. You'll learn pretty quickly that formality isn't my thing. Second, don't question my teaching method."

Geno · Post by **Geno** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 3:23 pm

OOC:

IC~

"You'd better say yes..." mumbled Ikazuchi to himself "So! When do we begin learning Hokage-'kun'~" he saw that he wasn't the only one who was overjoyed by this. Chikako kept more of a calm composure about herself, simply sighing deeply and releasing that subtle death grip she created on herself. "So... what are your teaching methods anyway?" he asked "Are you going to make us carry lightning rods on our backs or something?" he chuckled and then fell into a short lived laugh. "Man, that'd be pretty funny, seeing a group of genin with rods on their backs getting struck."

Meraxa · Post by **Meraxa** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 11:21 am

"Alright, I'll teach you all how to better manipulate your elements but you have to promise me two things." Two things? Shouldn't be too hard then.
"First off, don't call me Hokage-sama. You'll learn pretty quickly that formality isn't my thing. Second, don't question my teaching method." That all?
"Fine by me Tousha." Meraxa nonchalantly stated the Hokage's name, and listened to Geno's response to it.
"So... what are your teaching methods anyway? Are you going to make us carry lightning rods on our backs or something? Man, that'd be pretty funny, seeing a group of genin with rods on their backs getting struck."

"Oh yes, having several thousands of volts coursing through your spine is oh so fun." Meraxa rolled his eyes, looked like Chikako may have been right in her earlier comment, Ikazuchi liked his electricity a bit too much.
"And on second thought, maybe teaching someone like this the Kage Bunshin might be a bad idea - I'm not exactly a supporter of masochistic ideas."

Ein · Post by **Ein** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 12:52 pm

Chikako sighed at her team-mates and wondered, briefly, where the got the idea of using lightning rods. Glancing back up at Tousha, she would wonder briefly, before letting out a laugh of relief and concluding, "Whatever you say, Ojii-san."

She'd glance over to Ikazuchi, giving him a brief, concise glare. The thought, If looks could kill come to mind.

ANATA WA BAKA!

That idiot was going to be the death of the whole damn squad. Glancing back towards Tousha, Chikako said nothing, crossing her arms over her chest and waiting expectantly.

Toshi · Post by **Toshi** » Thu Oct 15, 2009 3:30 pm

"No, you guys aren't ready for the rods yet." Tousha said seriously as he spun on his heels and made his way through the cabin's front door. Only a few moments later Tousha reappeared with his shinobi gear strapped to his waist and his red and black sash hanging from his midsection. He paused for a moment to let his awesome appearance take effect on the three genin, then he said, "Follow me."

The kage would lead the three genin around his humble abode and into his sparring ground settled in his backyard. The training ground itself comprised of a large dirt ring that was littered with equipment that ranged from training dummies to god knows what. The amount of dents, scrapes, slashes, and decapitated dummies made it very apparent that the Hokage spent a majority of his time here. Whether it was for training or blowing off steam was uncertain, but nonetheless this equipment was well broken in.

As Tousha walked he explained what he had in mind for the three genin. "Ok, so this is how it's going to go down. Today I'm going to get an idea of each of your skill ranges and then tomorrow we'll focus on any weaknesses you may have. Since you're all lucky enough to be trained by the right person for this kind of thing we're going to take it nice and slow. Haste makes waste... and charred bodies. A lot of them."

Tousha couldn't help throwing in that last part, but he had never been the most sensitive teacher in the world so it was understandable.

"You are here because you want to be, not because I'm forcing you to stay. This training will be far more difficult than anything you might have experienced at the academy, but if you stick with it I guarantee you that you'll see a major improvement in your ability to manipulate raiton chakra soon enough."

After saying this Tousha motioned for the three genin to stop where they were and made his way over to the northwest section of the dirt training ring. With a grunt or two the kage managed to drag over a large sparring dummy clad in black armor. He placed the dummy about fifteen strides away from the genin, as the base struck the ground a large cloud of dust rose into the air. Tousha leaned against the dummy and patted it on the head, causing a metallic, hollow sound to ring throughout the area.

"This is my good buddy, I like to call him Fred. He's also goes by Alfred, Tiny, Clanky, and The Lord of Dance." He motioned towards the base of the dummy and said, "He's surprisingly light on his feet. Anyway, this armor he's wearing is made of a special metallic substance that is designed to dampen raiton chakra's effectiveness. When you can cut through it, you will be ready for the next level."

The Kage stepped away from the dummy and crossed his arms, flashing his usual crooked smile at the three genin standing in front of him. "So who wants to try first?"

Meraxa · Post by **Meraxa** » Fri Oct 16, 2009 11:00 am

Meraxa would have to ask the hokage who his tailor was, cause quite frankly the clothes were quite awesome. He did as the hokage commanded, and followed him to what appeared to be some kind of training area. Dummies and other kinds of training equipment all over the place. Well the Hokage had to have practiced to get this far, so it didn't come as too much as a surprise. What did come as a surprise was how extensively they'd been used, half the stuff looking ready to fall apart.

"Ok, so this is how it's going to go down. Today I'm going to get an idea of each of your skill ranges and then tomorrow we'll focus on any weaknesses you may have. Since you're all lucky enough to be trained by the right person for this kind of thing we're going to take it nice and slow. Haste makes waste... and charred bodies. A lot of them."
So he was going to test them? Seemed basic enough, though what kind of training would the hokage have?

"You are here because you want to be, not because I'm forcing you to stay. This training will be far more difficult than anything you might have experienced at the academy, but if you stick with it I guarantee you that you'll see a major improvement in your ability to manipulate raiton chakra soon enough."
That would certainly prove useful, though by 'far more difficult', did he mean a life or death kind of training? Or just really hard to finish.

Tousha went over and dragged back what appeared to be one of the dummies, except this one was dressed in battle armour. Weird, why would a dummy need metal platings?
"This is my good buddy, I like to call him Fred. He's also goes by Alfred, Tiny, Clanky, and The Lord of Dance."
"Lord of the dance eh? I bet he certainly does with the kind of workout you must do." Meraxa whispered under his breathing, he could just imagine the mannequin being shot across the field by the high level ninja.

"He's surprisingly light on his feet. Anyway, this armor he's wearing is made of a special metallic substance that is designed to dampen raiton chakra's effectiveness. When you can cut through it, you will be ready for the next level."
Tousha stepped away from the dummy, his interest seeming to peak in expectation.
"So who wants to try first?"

Meraxa stepped forward, making handsigns as he eyed the dummy.
"I might as well, since I've got the actual sword here." Forming his final handsign, his hands sparked with his chakra as he pulled out his katana. The chakra immediately jumped from his hand into the blade, imbuing it with electricity, and finishing the set up the jutsu he was about to use.
"Raiton..." Meraxa raised the katana above his head, the electrical charge hitting a peak as he did so.
"Odori!" As he swung the blade down, a crescent of electricity was formed, and subsequently launched at Fred. Now, lets see if it could stand up to that!

Toshi · Post by **Toshi** » Fri Oct 16, 2009 1:15 pm

"Interesting..." Tousha thought to himself as he watched Meraxa step up to the plate. He figured the genin would have a few questions to ask before they tried to pass their first test, but he was pleased to know that his new pupils were eager to prove themselves.

Before Meraxa's katana was even engulfed in blue and white lighting the kage knew which technique he was about to use, the hand seals and body movements gave away the odori like a spotlight through the dark. Being very familiar with the technique himself, Tousha subconsciously picked out minor errors in the boy's attack. Nothing major of course, but he noticed how he put too much weight in certain places and how he could improve his swing and so on.

But those flaws could be perfected in a relatively short time with diligent training. The biggest flaw in the genin's attack, however, was that he chose to use a technique that spread his chakra across a wide area instead of focusing it into a small area. True, the Odori was capable of cutting through objects, but the genin didn't possess the strength or skill to slice through the dummy's raiton absorbent armor. Not to mention, Tousha never said the genin had to remain at such a lengthy distance from his target. The smartest way to go about this task would have been to walk right up to the target and focus their chakra into a single point and strike the target, hoping to tear through the material with such a concentrated dose of raiton.

The young shinobi's attack ended up doing exactly what Tousha had predicted. The crescent blade of raiton chakra struck the dummy in the torso, the blue and white line of lightning causing an intense contrast of color against Fred's black armor. The edge of lightning seemed to shiver under the force of striking its target, but a moment after the collision the raiton chakra burst apart violently in all directions creating a static cloud that shrouded Fred from view.

A few moments passed and the static electricity buzzing in the air disappeared, revealing the dummy to the three genin. Tousha clicked his tongue loudly when he noticed the genin's attack hadn't even managed to leave a mark on the armor.

The Hokage turned his head towards Meraxa and said, "Good try, but I don't think Fred is any worse for wear. Next."

Geno · Post by **Geno** » Fri Oct 16, 2009 2:28 pm

"So if the edge of an edge of raiton won't do it I don't think my Raiken would do any better..." said Ikazuchi "Alright, If I can't cut it, then I'll crush it!" he took out a small baton and a shuriken from his right side and one reel of ninja wire from his left. He tied one end of the wire to the baton and a shuriken to the other. He put the baton in his mouth and made a few handseals and through his muffled speech he said "Moonoor Omboodoomont Raitoon!". His left hand swelled with a quick burst of chakra before his fingers became covered in electricity. With his left hand he took the baton from his mouth and made a single handseal. Ikazuchi recited "Chakra Kai; 3rd Extension - Rai-Meecu!" He swung his baton and it extended to about a measure of 2.5 feet, next the raiton chakra focused at his fingers surged through the baton and through the wire into the shuriken where it gathered.

"Alright!" he yelled as he held the Baton in his left and the the middle part of the wire in his right. He took a few steps forward now about 6 feet away from the dummy. He began to swing the concentrated mass of electricity over his head with a great velocity. As it spun it's momentum continued rising and he soon swung it at the dummy hitting it with all the force he could muster. Kicking up dust when it made contact, Ikazuchi turned around proudly and held a thumbs up towards Tousha and his squad.

SpoilerShow

Minor Embodiment: Raiton
C-rank Ninjutsu
Requires: 3 control
After performing the necessary hand seals Ikazuchi focuses raiton chakra onto the finger tips of his left hand. With this technique he can manipulate raiton into weapons with his baton as well as use it to stun or shock a target by touching them. The shock ranges from that of a strong static shock to a high power taser.

3rd Extension; Rai Meecu (Lightning Mace)
C-Rank Ninjutsu
By tying Ninja wire to the tip and another object to the other, the user charges a large lump of raiton chakra to the end of the wire. the user can simply throw the ball or use the wire to control and manipulate it. The ball has heavy shocking properties than can possibly stun or numb a target in the contact area. The numbness can last up to two posts.

Toshi · Post by **Toshi** » Fri Oct 16, 2009 8:22 pm

"Well that was... kinda cool." Tousha said to himself as he watched Ikazuchi walk up to Frank and slam what looked like a raiton mace into his black armor. The genin's approach would probably prove more effective than Meraxa's attempt, but as the dust settled it became clear that the genin hadn't managed to break through the armor.

But upon further inspection Tousha did discover that the genin had managed to put a slight dent in the armor, but as far as raiton damage went Fred was still unharmed.

"Another good try, but no dice. Sorry you had to waste a perfectly good thumbs up." Tousha told the genin with a smirk.

It was clear that Ikazuchi would be the most straightforward out of the three teammates. He didn't exactly know if that was a good or bad thing yet, but at least the kid had heart.

"Looks like you're up, Chikako."

Ein · Post by **Ein** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 6:12 am

Chikako felt at a disadvantage; she knew one Raiton technique. While Meraxa and Ikazuchi knew at least a handful.

She'd been watching the two; observing Meraxa's failure and Ikazuchi's . . . very straight forward attempt . . . hm.

As Tousha glanced towards her, Chikako made a mental note as to find out how the Hokage personally knew the genin. (He actually reads the files of all the shinobi in the village, maybe?)

Chikako walked around Fred, inspecting him very casually, before walking back about two meters, and opening up her senses, implementing very simple hand signs. Her eyes sharpened, her hearing acute; she could taste and smell the raiton in the air from Ikazuchi's latest attack. Focusing on the dent was Chikako's method for staying cool and in control under the Skitter Step's Senses Open jutsu.

Aiming towards Ikazuchi's dent, Chikako's sharpened aim picked out the deepest point in the dent. Once again, her hands came together; under the influence of the Skitter Step, her hand signs were much more frantic and quick, finishing the simple gesture by gripping her right wrist with her left hand. Channeling raiton energy into the tips of her right index and middle finger, Chikako nonchalantly uttered the word, "Bang."

The wisps of raiton energy was a concentrated, high-energy burst of raiton. The technique, not as strong as her other team-mates, would hopefully take advantage of Ikazuchi's success (or failure, maybe?).

Remarkably focused for a genin using the Senses Open jutsu, Chikako's right hand began trembling shortly after firing her Raiton blast, and her breathing became a little uneven. She was hearing and seeing everything, and it was a little overwhelming. Without the focus of one thing at a time, her senses were trying to absorb everything at once.

SpoilerShow

*Senses Open
D Rank
The main jutsu of the Skitter Step, Senses Open does exactly what the name states. The user's senses are magnified by a great degree and they are constantly looking around. Their personality will slightly change to a defeat or be defeated style. Also, a user in this state will be easy to see that they are in it since they are constantly acting paranoid by looking around, zoning in on about anything.

*Raiton• Yama No Jutsu [Lightning Element • Rifle technique]
C-rank Ninjutsu
After completing a simple set of hand seals the user will either focus chakra into their bladed weapon or index finger. He or she then points their hand (or the tip of their weapon) at the target and fires off a high velocity bolt of lightning. The lightning bolt itself will only cause minor damage, but due to the speed of the attack the impact is more than enough to knock the air out of someone or send them flying backwards.

Toshi · Post by **Toshi** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 6:54 pm

Tousha grinned as he watched his last pupil scout out her target carefully before making her move. As he suspected, the young Hyuuga would be the most patient and contemplative out of the group. He could also tell her physical abilities (as far as strength went) would be less than her two male teammates. But that was merely a minor setback, Tousha had never been the strongest person in his class either but that clearly hadn't held him back.

He wasn't surprised to see that the Hyuuga's raiton bullet drilled a hole through the metallic armor and struck the dummy's tough, exterior layer of wood. A small wisp of grey smoke rose into the air from the small hole in Fred's chest, The lord of dance would dance no longer.

If he wasn't an inanimate object, that is.

"Excellent, Chikako." Tousha said in a congratulatory tone as he quietly clapped his hands together. "Unfortunately, had you gone before Ikazuchi you would have surely failed." After explaining this Tousha's face became suddenly serious, one of his hands falling to his side while the other raised its index finger.

"Rule number one about surviving in the field is this, Teamwork is everything and without it you will surely fail. But even with flawless teamwork on your side anything can go wrong at any time. So rule number two," Tousha stated, raising the next finger in line, "is never assume anything will go to plan. If something can go wrong, you had better damn well have a plan for when it does."

The Hokage marched over to the training dummy and inspected the still searing puncture wound the young Hyuuga kunoichi had created. "Without teamwork this would have been an impossible task for any one of you to complete, so I basically gave you this task knowing not a single one of you could accomplish it."

"This wound is proof of what can be accomplished due to strategic thinking and teamwork, although I doubt any of you realized you would end up helping each other. But before we can move on I want each of you to hone your own particular strengths until you can find a way to bust through this armor on your own."

Meraxa · Post by **Meraxa** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 11:56 am

Tousha's criticism though interesting and useful, did nothing to budge the slight annoyance in Meraxa for making the least effect. Ikazuchi had at least made a dent, and Chikako had actually used said dent to pierce Fred entirely. Then the hokage ordered them to find their own, separate ways to break through Fred's armour.

Needless to say, Meraxa wished to prove that his usage of the Odori could, and would, prove sufficient. He justed needed to figure a way to improve it. He walked to a small section of the training field, and grabbed some of the nearby dummies. Though they didn't have the armour Fred did, a few comparisons would prove useful. But first...

He clutched his katana in his hands, and began to swing it in multiple directions. Up, down, left, right, he tried every direction, to see which seem the best for him. He had practiced swinging downwards a lot beforehand, and thus it proved the one he used well. However, from the way the Hokage had acted during his attempt, he knew there had to more problems to deal with here.
He gripped the blade with only one hand (his right), and then swung it down onto one of the dummies.

The blade went in fairly deep carving about halfway into the wood before stopping. Extracting the blade, he switched hands, and swung down again, the opposite side of the dummy this time though. The blade - again - went through the dummy about halfway until it finally stopped. And at first it seemed like they were about the same length. Though there were a few millimeters or difference, he felt it wouldn't affect it too much. What he really needed, was to lower the arc of the electricity. He'd seen what had happened with Chikako's technique. She targeted a single spot, concentrating her strength and power into one location. His Odori couldn't do that, not whilst he swung so wide. But that was the problem, he kinda sucked when it came to making the swing shorter. So, he needed some way, something.
He sat down and began to ponder.

Geno · Post by **Geno** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 6:18 am

Ikazuchi pulled some dummies off to the side and began to ponder what he thought about earlier. He considered sharpening the chakra at the ends of his fingers into sharp claws. He made a few handseals and then recited "Minor Embodiment - Raiton!" his fingers surged with chakra which then became a visible layer of electricity on his fingers. "I shouldn't worry about that if I'm not able to do it now." he took out his baton and held a single handseal "Kai; 0 Extension: Raiken!" he swung his baton and it surged with chakra. A blade of raiton chakra soon emerged from the base of the baton and sparked considerably.

He stared at the sword and considered sharpening his fingers in the same method as the swords edge. He quickly snapped out of it when he heard Chikako chuckle at him " 'Ikazachi'~, What're you doing out there?" she yelled out "If you're not gonna train, get out of the way!"

"Shut up Chikako!" he retorted and proceeded to swing his blade into an unarmored dummy. His sword made a slight buzzing noise as the sword made contact and cut into the dummy. He continued cutting into various parts of the dummy and then came up with a single jab that went straight through the dummy. "Oh." he said "OH!" he then exclaimed "Okay! I've got it now."

He released the charge on his hand and baton and began to ponder about how to apply this method together for the best effects. "If I use the wire.. then smash... and then ... It's Perfect!" he exclaimed "This is gonna be cake!" he turned to Tousha and held another thumbs up with a ridiculously large grin on his face.

Ein · Post by **Ein** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 11:45 am

Chikako observed the others with a knowing gaze; she was at a significant disadvantage. She knew one Raiton jutsu and was more of a developed Jyuuken Ryu specialist at the moment. Watching Ikazuchi and Meraxa's issues, Chikako internally sighed.

They had it so much easier, and they still found issues with crushing the armor? They should both be able to cut through them, with proper instruction.

I need their files to examine their jutsu and capabilities . . . if I can direct these two, then our team's strength will be used appropriately.

Or . . . am I being presumptuous to want to lead the team?

Chikako concluded that having their files would help, regardless.

Glancing towards Tousha, Chikako sighed, explaining, "I have one Raiton jutsu; my Raiton bullet. I would like it if you could show me a technique that I will train for and be able to chop through these dummies, Ojii-san. Forgive me if I sound presumptions, but I need your help in actually developing my skill in the use of Raiton chakra," she said, placing a hand on each hip and tilting to her right side, looking expectantly at the Hokage.

Toshi · Post by **Toshi** » Wed Oct 21, 2009 6:27 pm

Tousha folded his arms across his chest and nodded approvingly as he watched Ikazuchi and Merexa begin their training without another word. He could tell either male genin hated the fact that Chikako had managed to break through Fred's special raiton dampening armor, even if she had used Ikazuchi's failed attempt to aid her.

A few moments after the two boys began their training Tousha turned to meet the gaze of the young Hyuuga Kunoichi speaking to him. The fact that she only knew of a single raiton technique shocked Tousha, considering she had managed to control her elemental affinity so well. He had assumed she would have a plethora of techniques to choose from and she had just chosen the raiton bullet technique because it would be the best counter against weakened armor.

It turns out that she just got lucky, an other lower-ranking raiton technique surely would have failed.

"You should have told me that sooner, Chikako." Tousha replied with a crooked grin, "I'd be glad to teach you a new technique." With that the Hokage knelt down to the Kunoichi's line of sight and raised his hands in front of her face. With deliberate slowness Tousha completed the short string of seals needed to perform the technique he had in mind. The kage repeated the process three more times just to make sure the genin could memorize it completely.

Then, as he stood to his full height and spun around in the blink of an eye, the Hokage's hands blurred as he completed the set of seals once more. Tousha's hand clutched the grip of the katana sheathed at his side, and with blinding speed he slashed forward with all of his might.

The crescent shaped blade of raiton chakra streaked across the training grounds at a speed more than twice as fast as Merexa's had, although the attack itself appeared identical to the genin's. But as the edge of the crescent shaped blade struck a nearby tree it sliced cleanly through it like a warm knife through butter. The lightning crescent's momentum was finally used up after passing through three trees and nearly cutting through a fourth.

The trees crashed noisily to the ground just outside of the dirt ring as the Hokage sheathed his katana. "The concept of this technique is very similar to the raiton bullet jutsu, the only difference is the total area in which you focus your chakra."

The Hokage whipped out a kunai and handed it to the Hyuuga handle first and said, "But I think using a katana on your first try would be too difficult. Here, focus your chakra through this kunai and shape the lightning into an edge around it. After you do that just swipe your whole arm forward as hard as you can and release the raiton chakra built up in the kunai."

SpoilerShow

Odori [Lightning Cutter]

Requires: bladed weapon
C-rank Ninjutsu
After completing a short set of hand seals the user will imbue their bladed weapon with electricity. Next he or she will swipe the air in front of them. The lightning stored in the blade will give the weapon an amplified swing, causing a crescent shaped lightning bolt to fly towards the opponent. If the attack touches any part of the target’s body it will cause harmful jolts throughout their body and, if the user is adept at Ninjutsu and chakra control, can even cut into them.

Meraxa · Post by **Meraxa** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 11:13 am

Meraxa looked over at Ikazuchi as he practiced, to see if he could draw inspiration from that particular teammate - no such luck. But it was kinda expected, Ikazuchi was practicing with a blade made from electricity, and not working on shooting one as a projectile. True enough, Meraxa did actually have a technique like that which shared Ikazuchi's name, but again, he wanted to prove he could do this with the Odori.
"So whats Chikako up to, I wonder?" He said as he turned his head to see what she and the hokage were up to.

"Woah..." He whispered as Tousha whipped out his katana in one quick swipe, and unleashed an Odori so powerful that it sliced through not one, not two, but three trees, and still leaving a deep mark in the fourth. It was obvious he wasn't gonna get that far, but still...
"Hmm, looks like he's gonna have Chikako work with a kunai. It does have a shorter swing I guess, but if she tries to make it quick by swinging it on her finger, she'll have a full 360 Odori - and those are damned painful." He whispered, referring to what could be described as a bit of a 'noodle incident'.

Still, that didn't clear up his problem afterall - how to make the swing shorter. It wasn't just like he could go up an- wait, Tousha had set they could get right up and personal didn't he?
That would everything much easier. He smiled as he gripped his katana with both hands, charged at one of the dummies, and swung down - etching a small line into it, not deep, but it still slowed it swing - now if he tried that with metal...
"Hey Tousha, you got a few spare sheets of tin or something lying around here?"

Geno · Post by **Geno** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 7:42 am

Ikazuchi prepared to try out this new combination he'd just thought of. he used the ninja wire from before and wrapped it on his right hand. Then put the baton back into his mouth. He did a set of handseals and said, quite muffled, "Minor Embodiment Technique: Raiton!" He charged the chakra that soon surged into electricity into the his left hand then clenched the right hand. He tried to bind some of the chakra from his left to his right. Behind Left handed naturally, he didn't ever try using both hands at once. Though successful he cut the power of the technique in half, he proceeded to take the baton out of his mouth with the left hand and begin charging it up "Chakra Kai- 0 Extension: Rai-ken!" the baton began taking in the chakra from his fingers and forming a blade. The blade was about half as long as before but it still packed a good punch. "So that's the drawback for now..." he said to himself before begining to charge the ninja wire with the shuriken attached to the other end.

As he did, the wire sparked when the raiton chakra went through the wire and collected into a condensed ball of electricity, this as well, was smaller than before. "Uh-huh..." he began to swing the ball of raiton in an angled movement on his side. It spun faster and faster as Ikazuchi put more and more into it. He eventually swung the ball straight into a dummy and knocked it back then slashed at a closer one that cut it swiftly across the chest with the tip. he then drove the rai-ken through the same dummy and pierced it's frame. He quickly analyzed what he'd just done and was quite pleased with it. "Alright!" he yelled out to Tousha, both of his weapons in tact, oblivious to what he's doing with Chikako "I'm ready for another Fred!"

Ein · Post by **Ein** » Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:24 am

Chikako would take the kunai, look it over, and glance back at Toshi.

He expects me to master a jutsu, use it on a dummy and cut through Raiton resistant armor . . .

No pressure.

Holding up the blade to her eye level, quirking her brow for a bit, and letting out a brief sigh, Chikako would stay in front of the Kage, toss the kunai into the air and complete Tousha's hand-signs in rapid succession, catching the blade at the hilt with her right hand and grunting as she began to channel raiton chakra into the kunai.

The result was . . . well, unsatisfactory. Small jolts of raiton chakra ran up and down Chikako's arm, the electricity danced around her arm, barely grazing the kunai; sparks dancing off at intervals with no solid, definite embodiment of raiton. Cursing slightly, Chikako bit down on her lip, clinging to the kunai with a increasingly numb right arm.

The chakra was, quite simply, lacking control.

Feeling the numbing of her arm as she tried to focus the chakra into a singular point, Chikako grunted again, thrusting her right hand clutching the kunai at the ground and re-focusing her chakra. Squinting and allowing the numb feeling to over-take her arm, Chikako's raiton energy began to focus more towards the blade, rather than her arm in general.

Raiton energy danced and flickered around the blade, almost like a miniature cloud of lightning, not forming to the one, solid blade of energy the Kage had made.

Toshi · Post by **Toshi** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 12:51 pm

Tousha chuckled to himself when he watched the young kunoichi attempt the Odori for the first time. Something very similar had happened to him when he had first attempted the technique, although there were considerably less injuries and pissed off villagers in Chikako's case.

"That was a great try, Chikako, don't get discouraged or frustrated with yourself. If it makes you feel any better I wasn't able to use that jutsu successfully on my first or second try either. But with time you'll be able to use it as well as anyone else, maybe even as well as I can." He patted the genin on the head before turning and pointing over to a small shed beside his cabin.

"There's some scrap metal in there, Meraxa. Just don't cut yourself on anything." Then he grinned roguishly at Ikazuchi, knowing the genin had something special up his sleeve. Hopefully it worked because after their second failure Tousha would start punishing them. In his opinion, if you didn't get something done right the first time it was understandable. But if you failed a second time a little... motivation was necessary.

The kage marched over to Fred the sparring dummy and hefted his weight into the air, grunting slightly as he did from exertion. He placed him only a few paces from the genin and said, "Here ya go, kid. This time try to make a better first impression."

Then the Hokage paused for a moment and then continued by saying, "I don't think you put a dent in his opinion of you with your last attempt."

Geno · Post by **Geno** » Mon Oct 26, 2009 2:42 pm

Ikazuchi coughed at Tousha's joke and kind of pushed fred into another spot and alligned himself with Fred. He began to swing his now batonless mace quite vigorously. The only time I've ever doubted myself is now, this isn't easy I know this but... he thought to himself right before he swung. He sent the ball right into the Fred dummy repeating what happened earlier, denting the dummy's armor. He swung it again to dent it further just got to get through...!! then drove his sword into the impact point. His blade sparked and buzzed violently as contact was made with the armor ...Break Thunder... Stab Lightning... The blade had dissapated at this point but the air around both Fred and Ikazuchi was heavily charged. He panted and turned walking away from Fred looking directly at Tousha to wait for his verdict.

Meraxa · Post by **Meraxa** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 2:55 am

Meraxa looked to the shed Tousha pointed to, and went to it, starting his search for some metal. As he collected the various bits of scrap, he overheard the sound of metal beating metal - looked Ikazuchi was going for round 2. Good luck for him then.
Either way, Meraxa had what he wanted, and went back to 'suit up' the dummies he had.
In moments they were almost identical to Fred... give or take a few sharp edges. Now... lets try that again.

He made the various handsignss required, and then gripped his katana once more. The raiton chakra surged through the entire body of the blade, but he tried to restrain - to control - it. He charged towards the first dummy, swinging down his blade only when he was within range to strike with his blade. The blade cut through but a few mere millimeters of the metal, but of course, what he was testing was his Odori. As the cut was made, the blade began to discharge the raiton technique, sending the electric crescent slamming into the metal almost instantaneously - nothing lost to the air.

The results were pleasing enough - a full cut, some bits of the metal melted even. But of course, there was no guarantee it would work on Fred - his armour deliberately resisted raiton. However Chikako had earlier proven that it was easier to penetrate once damage was already made - hence his practicing this 'cut first, then Odori' method. Seeing that Ikazuchi had finished, he went over and asked, "How'd he do?" To Tousha.

SpoilerShow

Odori [Lightning Cutter]

Requires: bladed weapon
C-rank Ninjutsu
After completing a short set of hand seals the user will imbue their bladed weapon with electricity. Next he or she will swipe the air in front of them. The lightning stored in the blade will give the weapon an amplified swing, causing a crescent shaped lightning bolt to fly towards the opponent. If the attack touches any part of the target’s body it will cause harmful jolts throughout their body and, if the user is adept at Ninjutsu and chakra control, can even cut into them.

Toshi · Post by **Toshi** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 7:19 am

Tousha ran his hand along the sparring dummy's armor, there was still too much smoke and static electricity in the air to see clearly. When his fingers ran across a jagged scar in Fred's armor Tousha grinned at Ikazuchi and said, "Looks like you pass. Congratulations, you just killed one of my dearest friends." He patted Fred the dummy's shouldered armor and shook his head back and forth slowly, his face solemn. "Fred, we hardly knew ye."

Then he turned around addressed Meraxa, "Are you ready to give it a shot? You'd better be prepared, though. I'm only going to give each of you two tries a day to bust through this armor."

Meraxa · Post by **Meraxa** » Tue Nov 03, 2009 9:41 am

"Nice one Ikazuchi." Meraxa gave his fellow genin a big thumbs up as a congratulations - it was a clear improvement. Now here was hoping he'd be able to do the same, if not better.
"Twice a day huh? Well lets hope I don't have to rely on third time being the chime." He laughed, trying to mask any nervousness in his voice. In truth, he couldn't bare the idea of him not succeeding where these two had. He breathed in deeply, and then breathed out.

"I'm ready." He told everyone, as well as himself, as a confidence booster. He lay the katana on the ground a few seconds, to give him the chance to make the handsigns, and then picked it up again. The lightning chakra surged throughout the blade, and he gripped it tightly, before charging towards Fred. He raised his blade on high, and swung down, the blade itself making no serious mark on the armour, instead merely making sparks. However it was as he made that swing that he released the chakra, which slammed into the armour from its very launch, bright light blocking out Meraxa and Fred from initial view. But as the light dimmed, the result would be seen.

SpoilerShow

Odori [Lightning Cutter]

Requires: bladed weapon
C-rank Ninjutsu
After completing a short set of hand seals the user will imbue their bladed weapon with electricity. Next he or she will swipe the air in front of them. The lightning stored in the blade will give the weapon an amplified swing, causing a crescent shaped lightning bolt to fly towards the opponent. If the attack touches any part of the target’s body it will cause harmful jolts throughout their body and, if the user is adept at Ninjutsu and chakra control, can even cut into them.

Toshi · Post by **Toshi** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 6:54 am

Tousha flashed a crooked grin as he watched Meraxa slash at Fred's armor. "Very clever." he thought to himself as sparks leaped through the air and the sound of metal clashing against armor rang throughout the training ground. "He's slashing at it with the sword first, and then with the odori. They're learning."

As the static electricity in the air cleared the Hokage would stride up to the training dummy and squat down to better inspect the long scar running along Fred's body. He peered into the scar and realized that the genin had, indeed, cut all the way through. Although there was little damage done to Fred's wooden frame, he had passed.

"That was very impressive." Tousha muttered as he continued inspecting Fred's new wound. "I figured that's why you were trying to chop through my scrap pieces of metal back there. Even if the armor was raiton retardant, it can still be cut by a blade."

The kage stood to his full height and turned to the last genin. "You're up, Chikako." Tousha said dramatically, "Show us what you've got."

Ein · Post by **Ein** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 5:06 pm

Chikako shyly observed as both Ikazuchi and Meraxa destroyed the Fred's . . . and, well . . . she couldn't exactly master an Odori on the spot. This was . . . a mistake.

Chikako specialized in the Jyuuken Ryu, not her Raiton techniques . . . and as Toshi glanced towards her, Chikako tried to reasonably explain why she was unable to destroy a Fred. All that managed to come out was her glancing away from Toshi's gaze, looking back towards Ikazuchi and Meraxa, and curling up into a ball, hugging her shins and planting her butt into the dirt.

"I-I can't master an Odori just like that . . . I can't do it on my own. Not with my level of Raiton mastery."

Meraxa · Post by **Meraxa** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 1:24 pm

Meraxa grinned, and gave thumbs up to himself upon the Kage's confirmation. A little creativity went a long way now didn't it?
He turned in hopeful expectation of Chikako's progress... only to find her crawled up in a ball on the floor.
"I-I can't master an Odori just like that . . . I can't do it on my own. Not with my level of Raiton mastery." One could almost hear the violins.

Meraxa knew he couldn't leave her like this. They were gonna be teammates, and teammates had to stick out for each other. He walked over to Chikako, bent down and looked her in the eyes.
"If thats the case, then let me help." He said extending his hand. "I mean, might as well learn it from someone who knows how painful it is getting their butt fried by the electric discharge, right?" He laughed, those were good times.

Characters
Name	Rank	Village	Squad	Companions	S	A	B	C	D	Socials	Points
Ishiko	Genin	Iwagakure no Sato	Fire & Stone	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	3	11	16/156
Kojiki Hajime	Chuunin - ANBU	Kirigakure no Sato	ANBU Reserves	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	4/4

Characters
Name	Rank	Village	Squad	Companions	S	A	B	C	D	Socials	Points
Ishiko	Genin	Iwagakure no Sato	Fire & Stone	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	3	11	16/156
Kojiki Hajime	Chuunin - ANBU	Kirigakure no Sato	ANBU Reserves	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	4/4

Characters
Name	Rank	Village	Squad	Companions	S	A	B	C	D	Socials	Points
Ishiko	Genin	Iwagakure no Sato	Fire & Stone	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	3	11	16/156
Kojiki Hajime	Chuunin - ANBU	Kirigakure no Sato	ANBU Reserves	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	4/4

Characters
Name	Rank	Village	Squad	Companions	S	A	B	C	D	Socials	Points
Ishiko	Genin	Iwagakure no Sato	Fire & Stone	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	3	11	16/156
Kojiki Hajime	Chuunin - ANBU	Kirigakure no Sato	ANBU Reserves	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	4/4

Characters
Name	Rank	Village	Squad	Companions	S	A	B	C	D	Socials	Points
Ishiko	Genin	Iwagakure no Sato	Fire & Stone	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	3	11	16/156
Kojiki Hajime	Chuunin - ANBU	Kirigakure no Sato	ANBU Reserves	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	∞	4/4

Naruto Saigen Roleplay