Little Tempest

[MedeaMoirae]

Miku Etsuko hated the smell of fish. She hated it with a passion, and yet here she was, with a gross, disgusting, slimy fish sitting on the table in front of her. She’d been spending more and more time at the hospital lately, only recently it was for training rather than working. She’d taken the week off of doing normal rounds, and now sat in a small exam room, on the low exam table, with a tray on a cart in front of her with the dead fish on her. ”Why do I always have to practice on fish?” she said aloud.

Etsuko picked up the knife and made an even cut down the length of the fish. He didn’t move, he wasn’t really alive at this point anyway. She closed her eyes and focused, touching the slimy fish with a finger and sticking her tongue out in disgust at the same time. She moved and lifted her finger across the other side, a small stitch appearing. She smiled, so far it seemed easy enough. But three more stitches down the line and she released the jutsu with a shudder. ”This is so gross!”

With a sigh she saw the stitches disappear and realized she’d have to start again. And so she did, she touched the disgusting fish again, starting at the other end of the cut this time, and then moved her finger to the opposite side, resisting her urge to shudder and gross out again. Three more stitches down the line and she was still doing well. The fourth stitch was still good, as was the fifth. But on the sixth stitch the door flew open and Etsuko gasped, releasing the stitches and watching with a frown as they all disappeared once more. The person who had opened the door snuck away, likely trying to avoid Etsuko and the glare she was giving them in response to the intrusion.

She hung her head and sighed once more as she started again, cursing the fish and his deadness that got him sliced as she touched the scales once more, slowly moving her finger to the opposite side to form the first stitch. She took her time in meticulously forming each stitch, one at a time, down the line. The fish never moved, being dead made him the perfect patient and the perfect thing to practice such matters on. By time she was finished there was about fifteen stitches in total. He was a rather long fish she realized. Once complete she sighed, satisfied, and ready to move on to her next technique.

Training DataShow

Base Word Count Requirement: 1100
Word count reduction for Etsuko: 700 [(7 Ninjutsu Stat) + (7 Wit Stat)]x50
Total Word Count Used: 433

Jutsu Being TrainedShow

*Chakra Stitching
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
When traditional stitching supplies aren't available, Chakra Stitching truly shines. After performing a short set of handseals, the user will gently place his/her index finger at the base of the patient's wound. Once this is done, the user will lift his/her finger and touch it to the other side of the wound, causing a visible 'stitch' of chakra to appear. This is repeated until the wound has been pulled together. Although precision is key, this technique can still be performed relatively quickly. Small to moderate wounds take very little time to stitch, while large wounds will take one (1) post of work to mend. This technique lasts for four (4) posts.

[MedeaMoirae]

This poor dead fish was having one hell of a day. First Etsuko used him to figure out chakra stitching, but now it was time for a new technique, and using this on a fish could be particularly tricky due to sliminess. Though Etsuko couldn’t help but notice the thing was starting to dry out a bit. Beside her she had several strips of cloth, which she hadn’t bothered to sterilize since her ‘patient’ was already dead. It wasn’t like he was going to care anyway right?

She figured this had to be the easiest of them all. She took a piece of the cloth and placed it over the fish’s “wound” and ran her hands across it, her hands concentrated with chakra as she ran them across the cloth. Yet as she picked up the fish by the tail, the piece of cloth fell off, and needless to say since she’d removed the chakra stitches, she now had a mess on the tray the fish had been on. She set him down carefully and, with a grimace, took the mess and tossed it in the trash can by her foot.

He’s dead, he didn’t need all that anymore anyway.

She put him back on a cloth in the center of the tray once more as she picked up another piece of cloth and laid it across the fish’s wound, trying to figure out what she’d done wrong. She ran her hands across the piece of cloth, once more trying to fill the cloth with chakra as she did so. She grimaced, not really wanting to pick up the fish again, but she sort of figured he didn’t have much left in him anyway. Yet it did take her several minutes to come to that conclusion.

She picked up the fish by his tail once more and frowned as the cloth hung off of him. The good news was that half of it was sticking to the fish, bad news was the other half wasn’t. She set him down again on the tray and threw that cloth into the trash too, picking up another one as she stared down the fish as if he were some enemy she just wanted to pummel.

Finally and with a sigh she tried again, laying the cloth across the wound and running her hands across it, charging the cloth with chakra. This time when she lifted him into the air the cloth didn’t move, it stuck perfectly and Etsuko smiled.

Training InformationShow

Base Word Count Requirement: 1100
Word count reduction for Etsuko: 700 [(7 Ninjutsu Stat) + (7 Wit Stat)]x50
Total Word Count Used: 416

Jutsu Being TrainedShow

*Bandage Technique
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
A simple yet vital medical technique, the Bandage Technique provides its users with the ability to create makeshift bandages out of any suitable material they desire. After channeling chakra into an object (such as a leaf, piece of cloth, etc.), the user is able to apply it to the wound of a patient. Once applied, the selected object will adhere to the flesh around the wound, protecting it from bacteria and other harmful foreign bodies. Users of this technique must be wary, as using an object that is dangerous or unsterilized is just as harmful as leaving it uncovered. These bandages will hold on their own for five (5) posts, but the duration can be increased by the user adding more chakra periodically.

[MedeaMoirae]

This was a bit awkward, and had taken some convincing. Etsuko had cornered a friend of hers to be a dummy for her while she practiced her massage technique. Though it sounded like a great thing to be asked to do, Hotaka wasn’t all that thrilled by the idea, simply because he and Etsuko had gone to the Academy together and been Genin together. He’d ended up on the wrong end of a spar with her before and never had been comfortable with her going into the ‘healing arts’.

Yet here he was, laying on his stomach an exam table at the hospital, shirtless, and nervously waiting for Etsuko to learn what she needed to learn.

She rubbed her hands together and focused her chakra on them before she started rubbing his shoulders and down his spine, giggling when he jumped at her first touch. ”Oh relax, I’m not gonna hurt you.”

”Yeah, I’ve heard THAT one before.”

Etsuko’s eyes narrowed in irritation as she tried to stay focused on what she was doing, but lost her focus a moment.

”Ow! See! See!” Hotaka yelled in response to her losing control of the concentration of chakra in her hands for a moment.

”Oh don’t be such a baby!” Etsuko snapped at him, reaching up and pushing his shoulders back down onto the table as he tried to get up. ”Just stay put!” she told him. She went to work on his left shoulder first, rubbing out the kinks and soreness in the muscle, grinning when she heard him fight a grunt. ”Told you I won’t be that bad.” she told him as she lifted his arm and worked the muscle down to his elbow, across his forearm to his fingers.

She could feel the tension and nervousness working out of his muscles even as she laid his arm down and walked over to his other side to work on the other arm. But when she got into his upper arm he tensed a moment and she paused. ”What did you feel?”

”Just a prick, like a needle or something.”

Etsuko looked over his arm closely and found nothing of the sort, but was cautious to pay more attention to the concentration of chakra in her hands. She worked her way across the muscle of his upper arm, down to his forearm and into his hands, working her fingers between the little bones to the muscles and smiling. ”I think I got it…”

”You’re not stopping are you?”

Etsuko rolled her eyes.

Training InformationShow

Base Word Count Requirement: 1100
Word count reduction for Etsuko: 700 [(7 Ninjutsu Stat) + (7 Wit Stat)]x50
Total Word Count Used: 421

Jutsu Being TrainedShow

*Massage Technique
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: 5 Iijutsu
This soothing technique requires the user to have a rather firm grasp on the human body's muscular system. After focusing chakra into his/her hands, the user will begin to channel it into muscles, tendons and ligaments that are overworked and sore. The chakra helps to ensure that the proper pressure is achieved in addition to helping the affected muscles to loosen up. Given the nature of this technique, it is not often used on the field, but rather in comfort in order to attain the best results. This technique can last as long as the user has chakra.

[MedeaMoirae]

Etsuko couldn’t help but frown at the sight before her. Working with a dead fish was bad enough, but today, because of the technique she was training, she was in the morgue with a fairly fresh looking corpse in front of her. She hadn’t exactly prepared herself for this, sections of his skin was missing. And that was the entire point of this exercise. The mortician was about to make this man presentable for his funeral tomorrow, and had given Etsuko a few hours alone with the body to practice the Skin Generation Technique.

She couldn’t help the girly moment that pressed on her as she stuck out her tongue making a noise similar to “Bluuuuuuhhhheeeeew!” and shuddering as she stood over it. Yet the deed needing doing, and she needed to learn the technique.

Etsuko moved over to stand next to the corpse, setting her book on a tray nearby, on top of the tools. She marked the open place and read over the hand seals again before performing them. She took a moment to focus the chakra into her hands before laying them over a small 3 inch by 4 inch section of missing flesh. She closed her eyes as she tried to focus on the technique. Yet for her efforts the only thing she noticed was a horrid smell, and the disappointment that awaited her when she opened her eyes. The section had bubbled, but that was about it and the smell was burning flesh. Dropping the concentration of chakra from her hands she crossed one arm over her stomach, hand under her opposite elbow as she covered her mouth with her free hand to keep from vomiting.

This was going to be more taxing than she’d first believed.

For several moments she stood with the corpse on her right side as she stared at the words in her book, as if willing them to give her the tougher stomach she’d require to do this. After a bit she turned back to the corpse and took a deep breath, silently wondering where the mortician kept the stuff to put on under her nose to keep her from smelling all this. She held her hands together in front of her, concentrating the chakra into them as before, and then laying them over the missing flesh without touching the corpse. She mentally cringed, but tried to keep her concentration as she used the chakra to pull the necessary nutrients and ‘information’ from the surrounding flesh. She could hear a rather disturbing sound but avoided looking at her work just yet. When she did finally lift her hands she saw the flesh was there, sort of. She wrinkled her nose at it as it sunk in and she shuddered with disgust. The pigmentation was off, and the skin was exceedingly thin.

She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, fighting the urge to squeal in disgust and run off. If she was going to remain a medical ninja she needed to get used to these things, and worse. She remembered what Hayate had told her about her needing to learn Mystical Palm. Basics before Advanced right? She would have to learn this first if she had any hope of becoming good enough to figure out Mystical Palm.

Again she stepped up to the body and held her hands over the section of missing flesh, after doing away with her last mistake of course, despite the fact that doing so nearly caused her to lose her breakfast. ”You’re going to help me save lives.” she assured the corpse as she did so.

She held her hands together a moment as she focused the chakra into them and then held her hands over the section. She had to focus. She needed to pull samples from the surrounding flesh, the nutrients, pigmentation, construction, it had to be perfect, it had to be right this time. Moments that seemed like hours ticked by as she closed her eyes and tried to picture the samples taken by chakra, almost stitching them together, and replicating them as perfectly as possible. She pictured stretching the sample over the entire piece, stretching it until it could stretch no more, and attaching the ends of the sample in all the proper places to ensure it stayed in place. And then she stopped. She lifted her hands, allowing the concentration of chakra to drop and grinned at her handiwork. The pigmentation wasn’t quite perfect, but had her patient been alive the noticeable difference would fade over time as the wound healed.

Trying to hold back a squeal of joy she moved to another section, where the flesh was gone in roughly a piece that was 5 inches by 8 inches. She just needed to be sure. Again she concentrated the chakra into her hands before holding them over the area. This time took her nearly half an hour of concentration, but when she removed her hands the work was flawless. She had succeeded.

Training InformationShow

Base Word Count Requirement: 1500
Word count reduction for Etsuko: 700 [(7 Ninjutsu Stat) + (7 Wit Stat)]x50
Total Word Count Used: 834

Jutsu Being TrainedShow

*Skin Generation
C-Ranked Ninjutsu
Often utilized by medical-nin to heal small, superficial wounds or for producing excess skin to use in skin grafts, the Skin Generation technique has its number of uses. After focusing chakra into his/her hands, the user will channel it into a small area of skin cells on the patient's body. This chakra will force the skin cells to multiply at an ample rate by confusing this area of the body into its reconstruction stage that is achieved during slumber. As this is a type of regeneration, users must keep in mind that each cell draws from nutrients in the patient's body, and as such, too much can cause serious harm. In order to regenerate medium-sized areas of superficial wounds, it takes one (1) post of concentration. Areas smaller than this take considerably less time. In the case that the skin sample is separate from the body, the cells can be multiplied more quickly than they could be otherwise. These types of samples are generally use for skin grafts. The Skin Generation technique can be held for four (4) posts.

[MedeaMoirae]

And now Etsuko was in front of another corpse. She was already growing tired of this place, but she didn’t have much choice. She desperately needed to learn and a living person felt pain, these corpses felt nothing when she messed up. She was looking down at the fresh corpse of a young female ninja who had been killed by something that had involved a great deal of shrapnel. Etsuko was tasked with removing the shrapnel, one at a time, and there by learning the Isolation technique.

Etsuko stood alongside the corpse, with a tray beside her with a small silver bowl on it for the shrapnel she would collect. This technique seemed simple enough. She held her hand over the first wound and attempted to flow chakra into the wound, yet she found that she felt nothing at all. It was as if the chakra simply flowed across the top of the flesh or even into the wound, but she couldn’t tell if there was actually a piece of shrapnel or not. She frowned and turned to her book she’d set next to the bowl. Picking up the small hardcover she flipped through it to the technique she was trying and read about how to shape her chakra, but nothing about why this wasn’t working.

She thought about it for a bit. She brought her hand together, all her fingertips touching and she ‘pointed’ to the wound, pushing the chakra carefully into the wound. She could feel it probe around the shape of the wound and was thankful her queasiness had gone down to a minimum since training her last technique. The chakra soon encountered an object and Etsuko paused, trying to think about how next to pursue this. She closed her eyes and thought it through, allowing the chakra to dissipate.

Again she formed her hand with her fingertips touching and ‘pointed’ at the open wound. She extended the chakra from her fingertips into the wound, expanding it to feel every nook and cranny of the wound until she reached the obstruction within. She forced the chakra around it, between the walls of the wound and the obstruction, until it was completely enveloped in her chakra. She smiled. She could feel the exact shape of it. Though she couldn’t guess exactly what it was, this was a help. But now came the task of pulling that piece of shrapnel out. She tried to concentrate on keeping the chakra fairly solid as she pulled her hand back. She was about halfway when she lost her ‘grip’ on the shrapnel and it fell back into the wound with Etsuko cursing at it.

How could something so tiny be so much trouble? It was almost as if it were a living thing, writhing and seeking an escape from her. She took a deep breath, both hands resting on the exam table as she leaned forward over the body a bit and tried to calm herself. This task was starting to simply piss her off. She stared down at the wound, wracking her brain as she tried to figure out just what she was doing wrong. She had to think.

She had it, but it was as if it had wriggled out of her grasp, or was it her chakra that failed her? Chakra was technically a living and breathing thing, the combination of physical and spiritual energy. So what happened to her chakra when she was pissed at what was supposed to be her goal? Probably nothing helpful, like this.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she tried to force herself to center on her work. She had missions coming up, she was finally getting out of the hospital. She needed to prove that she could be useful outside of a hospital. A shrapnel wound can’t be stitched before the shrapnel is removed. Shrapnel removal, when done without the aid of chakra, can be excruciatingly painful. This was something she needed to learn for the sake of her teammates and patients. Though the thought of teammate brought a distinct shudder to mind, not that she didn’t like Hayate, she actually found him to be very attractive. But whenever she thought about going on missions with him she remembered what he had said about getting impaled. She really needed the mystical palm technique, and this was a stepping stone to where she needed to be for it.

Taking a deep breath she finally turned her attention back to the corpse in front of her. Touching her fingers together she again ‘pointed’ at the wound and focused her chakra. The chakra made its way into the wound and enveloped the targeted piece of shrapnel. Slowly and carefully she pulled her hand back, allowing the chakra to bend and conform itself to the wound as she did so. Before long she was holding the piece of shrapnel outside of the wound and within the chakra.

With a grin plastered on her face she dropped it into the tray nearby.

Training InformationShow

Base Word Count Requirement: 1500
Word count reduction for Etsuko: 700 [(7 Ninjutsu Stat) + (7 Wit Stat)]x50
Total Word Count Used: 839

Jutsu Being TrainedShow

*Isolation
C-Ranked Ninjutsu
This forensics-native technique allows its users to probe wounds for foreign tissues and objects by utilizing their chakra. After forming a short set of handseals, the user will begin to focus chakra into a wound on the deceased. As this chakra enters the wound, it will form around any tissues or objects not native to the body in question and begin to isolate them into a small ball before forcing it to the outer layer of the wound. Once out of the wound, the ball can be transferred and broken apart by releasing the chakra holding it together. This can be done in a relatively short time (less than one [1] post) as long as the body is not horribly mangled. The Isolation technique can be held for a maximum of four (4) posts.

[MedeaMoirae]

She couldn't sleep. It was as if the darkness weighed in on her, or something weighed heavily on her soul. A woman of fire and passion cannot live as such, and certainly cannot sleep in such a condition. Miku Etsuko got dressed and walked out into the cold air, not caring about how it affected her or the chill of it. She loved the cold. She wandered down the street and out of the crowded populace until she found an area suitable for her knees. Full of the tallest trees anyone had ever seen, a place where Kumo's true beauty shone through.

Her mind was running at a hundred miles an hour, and her body just wouldn't let her sleep. And so she would push herself to exhaustion if she must. She formed the handseals for the tree walking technique and began her slow and careful ascent. Every step was deliberate, and every bit of chakra used was mentally tracked. She knew the exact amount she was using and exactly when, or at least she liked to believe that's how it was.

She needed to clear her head. Life was full of wonder, excitement, confusion, even pain. Though the last she had not experienced a lot of and she knew that, but that only meant it would come. She pushed the thoughts away as she made her way up the tree calmly and without faltering. As she got halfway up the trunk, she smiled, closed her eyes, and pushed away.

She flew backwards in a somersault and landed with her feet on the trunk of the tree across from where she started. In a crouched position she now stood, and when she opened her eyes she gasped and threw her arms out as if to keep from falling despite the fact that she knew her chakra held her in place. Throwing her arms out was just an instinct when one realizes their nose is only a few mere inches from the ground.

She turned and took off at a sprint up the trunk of this tree. She could feel the wind, and the weight of gravity trying to pull her back. Yet the only thing gravity managed to pull back was her hair, pulling it out of her face that she might smile and enjoy the breeze. As she ran she felt the cold pulled away from her, almost as if gravity stole that from her too, leaving her only with the heat of her own body as sweat began to build.

She ran until the length of the tree would not allow her to run anymore. And just before her foot would have made contact with only air, she pushed back once more. Her arms flew outward as if grasping at the edges of the sky to keep her in place. She somersaulted in the air at least once before she landed on another tree, skidding down the trunk until she was a foot from the ground.

She was breathless but there was a smile akin to childish amusement on her face as she spun and ran back up the tree once more. She could still feel her arguing heart and desires. She wished Sensuke were here, the man who was pretty much her boyfriend at this point but wasn't sure he'd do much more than make fun of her. She wished Hayate was here, someone she'd initially had a crush on, feelings she had buried beneath so many reasons she had lost sight of them completely. She felt losing sight of them was a good thing. Yet even now she wished he was hear, even at his rank she thought he might've joined her in her run through the trees, enjoying the feeling of being a ninja and knowing secrets that gave them a freedom far better than anything that anyone else could experience.

She ran with her arms trailing behind her and a foolish grin on her face. She felt it was as if the night enjoyed this with her as she looked up through the branches and saw the full moon come out from behind the clouds as if to greet her, or even smile back at her. This night belonged to her and the moon alone it seemed, and as the thought crossed her mind she felt all of her other worries, conflictions, and concerns simply melt away with the wind.

She detoured this time, turning as she reached a good thick branch and ran across it unto it's very end. At this end she leapt and somersaulted in the air, landing on a branch of another tree and letting her feet slide sideways, only letting the chakra release her as she hit the right angle and was propelled to the next tree. There she landed on both feet and skidded again before running up the side of that tree until she reached the top.

How high in the air was she? At least sixty feet, and again she propelled herself backwards into the air, trusting her chakra to catch her. She brought her arms in close and she spun, throwing her arms out once more as she reached the desired branch. Yet this momentum propelled her with enough force that she spun around this branch twice, getting a good swipe in the face from a limb covered in leaves.

She spit leaves and ignored the scratches on her face as she released and was propelled to another branch, skidding to a near stop before running up the tree again. Yet the exhaustion was getting to her, she could finally feel it. Instead of going all the way to the top, she ran out on a branch once more, doing a simple somersault down to the next one, and from there she bounded to the next.

She ran across one limb, sideways across the trunk, and onto another limb from the same tree before somersaulting down to the lowest branch of another tree. Her feet were aching, almost screaming at her as she jumped down the last ten feet to the ground and landed on her butt, panting for breath.

Yet she was smiling.

SpoilerShow

Training: Control
Required words: 1,000
Total Words: 1,029

Jutsu UsedShow

*[Act of Tree Climbing]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
By focusing chakra into his/her feet, the user is able to walk up trees and other vertical surfaces in a similar fashion to walking along the ground. This chakra amount must be precise, and although all shinobi learn this technique, the user's control stat will determine how well this jutsu can be executed. Users with low control 2 or lower will often fall during the use of this technique, while users with average control 3 or higher will be able to use this technique functionally. It lasts for a number of posts equal to the user's stamina stat times 3.

[MedeaMoirae]

It was as if the sun didn't even rise that day. Etsuko had stood up on the roof of her apartment complex to watch the sun rise, but it hadn't. Instead a dreary sort of rain seemed to come in to take it's place, soaking her through to the bone in moments. With a heavy sigh, she realized she really didin't feel like leaving puddles of water through her apartment, at least not yet. She'd been meaning to do some additional training and figured this was nature's way of telling her it was as good of a time to start as any.

It didn't take her long to make her way to a single training ground which had a great lake on it. But the lake wasn't the entire reason she was there. There was a small 'waterfall' that dropped water down into the lake that stood about ten feet high, and it gave her an idea for some much needed training.

She made her way to the top of that waterfall and formed the hand seals immediately, hardly stopping as she stepped out onto the water. At first she stayed in the small pond that was at the top of the waterfall, running back and forth and here and there. She loved skidding to a stop and sending the water splashing outward. There was no one else here, it was just her, and right now that was a great feeling. Yet at the same time it didn't make sense to her why people would avoid getting wet when they were already wet from the rain.

It didn't matter, still like a child she played, skidding from one said to the other. At one point she finally fell sideways into the water with a laugh and a shocked yelp. She pushed up with her feet and grabbed onto a rock, pulling herself clear of the water and dropping her feet back on top again, her arms flailing as if she were trying to regain her balance.

This was far more fun than she had thought possible. It was like iceskating, yet there was not only no ice, falling didn't hurt nearly as bad! Though the water was chilling to the bone, still, Etsuko loved the cold, and today was no exception. As she ran from one side to the other, the rain pelted her in the face with drops that felt like ice, and she smiled into it, grinning like a fool.

She was a carefree spirit, and today she was living it.

Finally she turned and ran straight for the waterfall, the first time she ran straight off the edge, forgetting she was supposed to be training, and did a cannonball into the lake's depths. When she resurfaced, she was laughing both externally and internally at herself. She had simply been having too much fun to really consider it training!

She climbed up once more to the upper pond, doing the hand seals again and running out onto the water. Here and there she'd climb up onto a rock and do a backwards somersault off the rock and land on her feet on the water. At first her landings were a bit shaky and her arms would flail as she sought to regain her balance, but after the first few times she got used to it.

As an academy student she'd always hated training like this, finding it somewhat pointless and not to mention a bit scary! She had always felt that water was not a stable standing platform, much less a landing platform. Yet here she was, having a blast with it and enjoying every second of it.

Once she had her backwards somersaults down, she started doing them forwards. Most would do things the other way around, but not Etsuko. She'd always been one to attempt the more complicated ventures first, and do the more simple later. Yet again she got so caught up in her fun that a couple of times she forgot she was supposed to be landing on her feet and instead would land in the water face or butt first with a laugh and a splash.

Once she had her somersaults down, she needed a new challenge. Finally she ran towards the edge of the small waterfall, throwing herself over the it and reminding herself that she was training, not playing. Though really it felt more like playing than training. On her first attempt she did land on her feet, but her landing was shaky and her arms flailed until she finally fell forward into the water.

Yet again she swam to the surface and made her way back to the top to get another running start. Across the water she went, her feet making small splashes as she moved, and over the edge she leapt. Her arms were out for balance, her knees bent to absorb the shock, and her feet landed with a splash, but did not go through the surface of the water. For a moment she stood there, marvelling at her own success, until she grinned like a fool yet again and stood up straight to savor the moment.

But she couldn't be satisfied with only one success. Again she made her way to the top and again she got a running start and leapt from the edge, landing successfully on her feet. This time she didn't falter, and she didn't have to regain her balance. In fact as soon as her feet hit the water, she was running again, running straight out onto the Lake and skidding across it's surface to a near stop before running in the opposite direction.

She was panting, sweat was pouring down her body, but she was still smiling and happy with her own success. She couldn't help but think that this was the makings of a good rainy day. She paused on the surface of the water and looked up at the sky, stretching her arms and twirling on the surface of the water until she made herself dizzy and fell in.

It was a wonderful day indeed.

SpoilerShow

Training: Control
Required words: 1,000
Total Words: 1,016

Jutsu UsedShow

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

[MedeaMoirae]

This time there was no night, there were no stars. Etsuko stood among the tall trees, looking around her at everything and admiring the light for what it was. Even in this cold place, it made her feel so very warm. Or at least she felt like she was warm, even if her body was giving indications otherwise. She stood in a very small clearing, looking at the trees and wildlife around her as she got ready to train. It was time to prove not only to the rest, but to herself, just how capable of a ninja she could be and would become.

The hand seals flowed seamlessly, one into another. Beside her a single Raiton Clone of herself stood as the last hand seal was made. Again she formed the seals, one after another, so that a second stood on her opposite side. She grinned as the three of them took off running at once, leaves and dust flying into the air as their feet kicked off.

And up the sides of the trees they went, all three. It was a spectacular sight, a show of ninja ability, albeit a small one. Yet as each of them reached the top of their tree, they kicked off, spinning and flipping until they each landed on the great branch of another tree. They were so identical, you wouldn't know it, but they each landed on a different tree, but a tree that had been occupied by one of the others previously. And yet they did not stop.

Taking off further up the trunks, two of them leapt off once more, landing on other trees, yet the original Etsuko herself stopped at the top ofher tree. She stared straight down, sticking out from her tree horizontally as she formed the handseals again, and again. On either side another clone popped up, each running down the tree to a branch until they reached the end, jumping forward and flipping onto the branch of another tree.

Etsuko was panting, trying to catch her breath as she ran down as well, gaining enough momentum to jump to another tree. There were four clones now, each doing their own acrobatics. She watched as two of them battled it out, vertically, on the trunk of a tree using taijutsu. She couldn't help but grin at herself in pride. It was like teaching a class again, or at least like showing off to one.

She took a running start off a branch, flipping forward to land on another and skidding across it, skidding right off of it and landing on another branch. She could feel the chakra draining from her as two of her clones fought up in the trees, now flipping back and forth between different branches and trunks. The other two seemed content to clown around and even now she decided those would be the two she would join as she run up another trunk, straight into the the top of the tree.
She jumped from this one towards the trunk of another, the clone standing there reached out and grabbed her by both hands, throwing her into another tree. Though her landing didn't go as planned, it still worked out well enough. It was like skipping rocks, only she skidded and skipped across several trunks before she finally stopped, her arms waving as she fought to maintain her balance, and her feet slid to the underside of the branch. This position left her hair hanging down, and her shirt revealing far more of herself than she meant to, thankfully she was by herself today.

The two in the middle of a hand to hand fight `seemed to finally come to an end, Etsuko both felt and heard the resulting sizzling sound as one of them dissipated. She shook her head, and formed the hand seals yet again, causing another clone to appear in front of her. The clone seemed to appraise her for a moment before grinning and running off to find the other clone to damage. Apparently it didn't take long because soon Etsuko heard another sizzling sound somewhere nearby.

Etsuko herself decided it was time to start winding down and walked her way back to an upright position, before jumping to another tree to start looking for her three remaining clones. The first was easy to find, she was jumping carefree from branch to branch and Etsuko beckoned the clone to follow her, taunting her almost. But what the clone didn't see was the explosive note Etsuko left behind on the tree branch before jumping away. Just as she cleared the area she formed the seal for Kai and there was an explosion, another clone was gone now. Only two more remained.

She took off at a run, leaping from branch to branch, and trunk to trunk, in her search for the last two. One of them was wandering aimlessly it seemed, looking for something almost. Etsuko drew a kunai and dropped down to this clone, who side stepped and jumped to another branch with Etsuko chasing after her. They dodged and weaved between branches for awhile, before Etsuko got the pattern down and the kunai flew from her hands. It seemed to be heading for empty space on a trunk, but the clone jumped to the spot just as the kunai got close, and Etsuko dropped to a lower branch to avoid the ensuing shock.

There was just one left. But where was she?

This would've been the most recently made clone, whom Etsuko soon realized was hunting her, not the other way around. She did a quick backflip and landed beside the clone, aiming a simple kick to the clone's chest, which it dodged and then jumped to another branch.

This pursuit lasted at least several minutes, though Etsuko had to admit that was only because of just how tired she was. Before long the two were on the ground, and without thinking Etsuko put a fist into the clone's head. The clone zapped and sizzled, and soon Etsuko lay on the ground, panting for her breath, and laughing at her own silliness.

Training InformationShow

Training: Ninjutsu
Required words: 1,000
Total Words: 1,023

Jutsu UsedShow

*[Act of Tree Climbing]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
By focusing chakra into his/her feet, the user is able to walk up trees and other vertical surfaces in a similar fashion to walking along the ground. This chakra amount must be precise, and although all shinobi learn this technique, the user's control stat will determine how well this jutsu can be executed. Users with low control 2 or lower will often fall during the use of this technique, while users with average control 3 or higher will be able to use this technique functionally. It lasts for a number of posts equal to the user's stamina stat times 3.

*[Remote Exploding Tag]
E-Ranked Ninjutsu
After doing the needed hand seal, the user is able to detonate an explosive tag. This is able to be used on an exploding tag that the user has imputed their chakra into prior and can only activate a single tag at a time. If more are needed, the tags explode in sequence, starting with one of the user's choice.

*[Raiton • Clone]
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After the user does the needed hand seals, a clone, lacking substance and the ability to interact with its environment, will form. These clones are destroyed after coming into contact with any physical object. As these clones have no free will, they are unable to do more than mimic the user's movements. However, unlike normal clones, these are filled with Raiton chakra. Whenever they disperse, they create a small blast of Raiton chakra in 1 meter in each direction causing slight shocks and numbness. The clone has the following stats:
Taijutsu: 1
Stamina: 1
Strength: 1
Speed: 1

[MedeaMoirae]

There was so much to be done, and so little time. Etsuko sat on the very edge of the lake, her feet dandling in the water. She needed to focus on her Iijutsu, but for the kind of dedication she needed, she needed to increase her own abilities overall. It would be several moments before she stood, looking up at the clouds as they rolled by. The hand seals were formed and she stepped out onto the water's surface. For several moments she danced across it's surface, though what in her mind looked graceful might've looked like the antics of a wounded and dying deer to any onlookers. Thankfully she was by herself today.

She had originally wanted to use Raiton clones for this, but somewhere in the back of her mind she realized what a foolish idea it would be to use Raiton clones on water. Somehow she thought she might be spending a bit too much time in the hospital if that happened, perhaps even a body bag if she was knocked unconscious and then drowned. Well that wasn't a fun thought.

Instead she formed the hand seals for the most basic clone and watched it materialize beside her, and it ran across the water as well. As she watched it make similar moves to what she had been doing before she realized just how bad she was. This was going to be like a bad dance party. Yet again she found herself thankful that she was alone as she did this.

She formed the hand seals again and before too long there were two clones dancing on the water as partners. At least the two of them together weren't as bad as them by themselves, if that were possible. At least Etsuko thought it looked less like awkward air humping. Was that really what she looked like when she danced.

She shook her head and formed the next hand seals, a third joining the group. The third was running sprints back and forth across the water at different distances. For awhile Etsuko merely watched this, laughing as the clone nearly tripped at the edge of the lake before coming running back once more.

And of course, she formed the hand seals again, forming a fourth clone who started running with the third one. Etsuko herself at this point took to running across the water, skidding across it's surface like a skipping rock before rolling into the dirt of the ground with a laugh. She stood and watched her clones for a moment before running across the ground and forming the hand seals just before stepping onto the water again.

For awhile she raced around with a couple of the clones, doing sprints, shuttle runs, and even lap races though Etsuko found keeping her balance on the surface of the water while making sharp turns was something easier said than done. Yet as they rounded a corner she slid into one of them and with a 'poof' it disappeared and Etsuko both laughed and cursed under her breath at her own clumsiness and silliness. The other clone looked at her with something akin to sadness almost but before long the two were racing around again.

By now Etsuko had lost sight of the other two clones who were still dancing on the water, though they appeared to be doing the tango. It was an odd sight really given that they were not only clones but clones of the same woman. It was a strange sight to behold indeed. Yet before long they noticed Etsuko and the other clone running around the water and decided this would be a good time to join in.

Etsuko took a step back as all three clones ran around chasing one another and racing, yet she formed hand seals of another kind, preparing for something entirely different. She turned and walked off the water, up the slight incline to where another pool of water was that emptied down into the lake she'd been on only a moment ago. It was on this little 'water fall' that she stood now, looking down at her clones as she contemplated her next move. She was only about five feet above them as she formed the hand seal, chakra gathering around her hand as as she watched.

Only moments later she jumped down, landing on the top of the water of the other pool almost perfectly and she ran towards the other side of the body of water, just as the clones passed. With a yell she reached out and grabbed one by the shoulder, the chakra in her hand shooting into the clone. Had it been a real body the tendons and tissue in that shoulder would've been severely damaged. As it was, it was just a clone and so it disappeared with a 'poof'.

Etsuko turned her eyes on the other two. She chased after them, at first letting the distance stay between them but then suddenly she rushed one, skidding across the water like a skipping pebble. She crossed in front of the clone as it attempted to keep from running into her and it jumped over her. Yet as it did so she reached up and grabbed the ankle, chakra shooting into it as she brought the clone down. She half expected a splash but instead she just got the 'poof' sound as the clone disappeared only a half of a second before it would've landed on the water and gone into it.

Etsuko jumped to her feet and went to the other clone which had climbed up to the other pool. Etsuko gave chase, going after it by running up the path around the water and running onto the water. With a yell the clone jumped down off the 'water fall' and landed on top of the water below, cheerful as if it had just gained some kind of advantage. Yet Etsuko took a flying leap, jumping farther than the clone had and getting a grip on it's shoulder.

From beneath her it 'poofed' just as Etsuko went into the chilly water.

Training InformationShow

Training: Ninjutsu
Required words: 1,000
Total Words: 1,020

Jutsu UsedShow

*Chakra Scalpel
B-Ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: User's Taijutsu stat must be 5 or above
Perhaps one of the most dangerous and revered Iijutsu honed by medical-nin, the Chakra Scalpel is no precision instrument. After performing the necessary handseals, the user will begin to focus an ample amount of chakra into his/her hands. Once charged with chakra, the user will attempt to place his/her hands on the target. If the user is able to connect the entirety of his/her palm, the chakra will be released into the opponent's body, slicing tissue, organs and veins up to 4 inches from the surface in an area roughly the size of the user's hand. The skin remains unblemished by this technique, as it only causes small to moderate internal wounds. As this technique is dangerous and mostly uncontrolled, the precision needed to kill instantaneously is lost. The chakra used in this technique is highly visible when first activated and emanates from both hands for a duration of three (3) posts or until contact with the opponent is made.

*[Clone Technique]
E-Ranked Bushinjutsu
After completing a set of handseals, the user forms a slight chakra 'body', thus creating a single, massless clone. The clone created from this technique is very basic and will dissipate when hit with anything. These clones do not possess vital signs or a unique chakra signature, meaning they don't disrupt the environment, and anything on their person is superficial. The clone has 1 in each stat. They are limited to basic movements.

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

[MedeaMoirae]

Etsuko stood outside the front door of her apartment complex, simply watching as the people walked on by her. All of them seemingly oblivious to the young ninja. But she had her own things on her mind today, her own task to complete. This was not a day for standing still. The chill in the air clung to her and she couldn't help but smile. Most in her clothing would've been cold, but all she could think of was the fact that in moments she'd be sweating from the exertion of her own training. But today's would be fun and less complicated than most of her past trainings.

Seemingly without pause nor explanation she took off at a run down the street, straight into the market, knowing she'd have to dodge other people. Her antics would probably draw unwanted attention, but that's alright, she could just explain later that it was all in fun and games and training. She formed a quick hand seal and jumped up onto a crate, leaping from there onto the roof of a small stand.

From there she leapt to the wall and the chakra kept her feet sticking to it as she ran with everything she had within her. She was getting strange looks, but most of those around here being ninja themselves, or at least familiar with ninjas, dismissed her antics as immature and went about their morning business. As she ran, she thought she saw a couple of familiar faces but had no time to bother with conversation, this was not a social kind of day by any means.

At any breaks in the buildings Etsuko would have to jump the gap, often landing on the roof of a small stand, even jumping to a second given her current momentum, simply to keep going. But her feet always returned to the wall after Etsuko formed the hand seals. This was about staying on the move, there would be no stopping.

She moved herself to the roof of the buildings after awhile, getting tired of some of the stares and people yelling at her to grow up. Didn't they realize this was all about the training? Sheesh.

From one roof to the next she jumped, but it wasn't long before she got to areas where the roof tops were not the same height from one to the next. Sometimes she was dropping down, having to roll to save injury to her feet. Other times she was having to run up a wall to reach the roof top again.

Yet as she ran from one point to the next she simply found herself surrounded by some of the most interesting things she'd seen. From time to time she'd come across a group of kids on a top balcony, playing or training. Sometimes they waved, sometimes they waved. A couple of them called out to her, but she needed to stay on the move. Yet even as she tried to stay on the move, she found herself stumbling as a result of her own forward momentum. When she finally tripped, she went head first over the edge of a roof, grabbing onto the rung of a ladder on the way down she was able to swing herself to the ground, and her feet, safely.

Yet still she didn't stop. She would not stop until she had to. She kept moving, weaving in and out among the people in this area of the village, ignoring cries of anger or surprise as she moved. The only thing that would've made this more fun would be if someone were chasing her. In the back of her mind she would imagine there were, it wasn't the same as if someone really were, but it would suffice for the moment.

Yet as she ran, her mind kept wandering to the two she would've asked to help her with this. Sensuke was busy with his undercover thing, and Hayate with this Operation: Illuminate. Etsuko herself was a part of it but not quite so heavily as Hayate himself. But what was really bothering her was the dilemma the pair of them presented to her.

As she made her way to another roof top not far from the club where Sensuke was 'working' she wondered about him. There was no question that there was an attachment there, but the man was always such an ass she had no way of knowing what kind of attachment it was. Did he legitimately care for her? Or were they no better than friends with benefits? It was something she needed to know, but the thought of asking Sensuke to clarify made her wince. Girls like her did not ask that sort of thing, they waited for the man to take the lead and tell them. But at the same time, wasn't she tired of being that girl? There was nothing wrong, in her mind, with getting what she needed from a man, physically, and then moving on. But eventually didn't it drain on one's emotions and ability to attach themselves to the other person? So in the end wasn't she just damaging herself?

She turned herself back towards the village, jumping from one rooftop to another as her mind ran wild. There was also Hayate, she'd had a crush on the guy since he'd first stepped into her classroom. After all, that was part of the reason she'd been such a bitch to him, she had always been the type to be a bitch to someone she liked, if only to see if they could keep up. Hayate had kept up well enough, and she had a bit of a thing for him, but didn't he have someone already? She'd always assumed he did but really didn't know for sure. Did it matter though? She didn't even know where her and Sensuke stood at this point.

Yet it seemed her mental musings were too much to do at once, and it would be a spectacular fall as a result. She had been approaching the edge of a roof and lost her footing, falling sideways she landed on top of a small shop in the market place, rolling off of that and into baskets of rice. Now covered in it, and groaning in pain, Etsuko decided next time heavy thinking should wait until after training was complete.

Training InformationShow

Training: Speed
Required words: 1,000
Total Words: 1,061

Jutsu UsedShow

*[Act of Tree Climbing]
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
By focusing chakra into his/her feet, the user is able to walk up trees and other vertical surfaces in a similar fashion to walking along the ground. This chakra amount must be precise, and although all shinobi learn this technique, the user's control stat will determine how well this jutsu can be executed. Users with low control 2 or lower will often fall during the use of this technique, while users with average control 3 or higher will be able to use this technique functionally. It lasts for a number of posts equal to the user's stamina stat times 3.

[MedeaMoirae]

Etsuko stood in the center of the training ground, looking around at what was available to her. There were the wooden posts that ninja often used for target practice. There were the trees, and a set of vertical poles with horizontal bars across them. For this training she'd probably have to use them all. With a sigh she stretched out her arms, and then her legs, even the muscles in her back. Today would bring her a day, maybe two or three, of pain.

She moved over to the wooden posts first, resting her hands on the top of one. Her hands were specifically placed so that her knuckles faced her, her long fingers against the side of the post and the heels of her hands away from her. With a deep sigh, she pushed with her hands, and made her back and shoulders rigid. Her arms were bent for a short time as her body lifted from the ground, lifting until her arms were straight themselves. From here her arms were vertical, her back and shoulders at a decent angle to her arms, and her legs hanging limp. She took several deep breaths as she forced herself to stay in this position. She could already feel some strain in her arms, but this would only be the beginning. Though she had to admit, as she imagined what she probably looked like right about now she had to fight a chuckle, if either Sensuke or Hayate saw her they'd probably at least laugh, or smirk, or have some smart remark to say.

Slowly she moved again, first with her hands. She had to move her hands to accommodate how she must move her body next. Her hands were moved to either side of the stump, the heels of her hands faced inward, her fingers seeming to wander down the sides of the stump as her knuckles rested against the sides directly. Once her hands were placed appropriately, it was time for her body to move. First she tucked her legs up under her, even as she moved her back so that it was vertical as well. With the exception of her legs, her body was in a single rigid line. This was something she had done for awhile to keep her strength up, but from here on out would be something new for her, something she'd been wanting to add to her routine for some time.

She straightened her legs into the air, very slowly, and very carefully. For a few brief moments, she wasn't entirely sure she could hold this position. She felt a quiver in her arms that made her think she might lose balance, but still she fought to stay as she was. She flexed her arms at the elbows, only just barely, to keep them from locking out. She took several deep breaths, feeling the sweat run down her body as she gritted her teeth against the strain of it.

Slowly, and very carefully, she decided it was time to try something new. She knew she would probably lose her balance with her next move, and yet she felt she had to try. She slowly shifted her weight so that her right arm was taking the most of it, and slowly lifted her left.

Her left arm she slowly lifted so that it was perpendicular with her body, though her right arm was shaking from the strain. She continued to move. Her left arm came up to rest alongside her body. For a moment she thought she had it, yet it was the briefest moment. Her right arm twitched, and before she could correct it, her elbow bent and her arm caved. She pushed as best as she could to ensure she didn't hit her head on the post, but still landed on the ground shoulder first.

She groaned in pain as she moved around carefully into a sitting position, rubbing her shoulders with either hand as she muttered under her breath. She had achieved two new things, and though the second hadn't lasted long, it had still worked. She had to admit, she was fairly proud of herself so far.

She finally stood and wandered over to where the bars were. Most used them for ordinary pull ups, but she would be using them just a bit differently that day. As she reached them, she couldn't help but sigh. Though she was done with her arm exercises, she still had to lift herself to the bars. They were a bit taller than she was as well so she would have to jump.

Yet jumping was just what she would do. She took a slight leap to grab onto the bar and immediately tucked her legs up under her and moved so that her legs were near the bar, even as her arms held her in place, despite their shaking. But her arms wouldn't have to hold her for much longer. She moved her feet onto either side of the bar and hooked her ankles before letting go with her hands. Her feet would hold her in place, and as such she moved her arms to cross over her chest.

For several moment she simply hung there, almost like a bat trying to catch a quick nap. But instead of a nap, she was trying to stop the shaking in her arms and catch her breath. Moving from one strength exercise into another had its disadvantages. As such she took a few moments to rest, even as she hung there and let her legs take the strain.

But eventually she had to move, she couldn't remain in her imitation of a bat forever. With a sigh, she crossed her arms tighter over her chest, and used the muscles in her thighs and knees to pull herself up, keeping her ankles hooked. She didn't go up high enough for anything to touch the bar, but she did move at least a foot or two. This exercise made her muscles burn, but she knew it would be worth it in the long run.

Each time she did it, the movement pulled a groan from her lips, every movement hurt. She didn't let herself drop every time she pulled herself up either. She had done this back when she first started this exercise, and it had left black bruises on the back of her heels and ankles. So instead she made the exercise intentionally more difficult by letting herself down slowly. Even though it hurt more and left her muscles sore, it at least left her without all the bruises.

The first time she had done this, her supervisor at the hospital had laughed at her for days. He had laughed because this exercise had resulted in her spending a couple nights in the hospital as a patient herself. She had torn the muscles in her legs from the strain and could hardly walk. In fact she had only made it to the hospital because someone had carried her. It was a humiliating couple of nights. Though at the same time, at least the staff there already knew her so she wasn't completely bored seeing as she was without visitors most of the time anyway. Knowing the staff as well as she did was a good substitute for having no visitors.

Etsuko continued with this exercise even as these thoughts and memories ran through her mind. Every move was more painful than the last, each took more energy than the last had taken. She really needed to do this one more often, despite the disastrous result that always came afterwards. After all, when one exercises upside down until their muscles give out, there's only one way to land.

As things became more painful, she dug her fingernails into her arms and groaned louder with the pain. It felt near unbearable. She could almost imagine her muscles tearing, though seeing as she now knew what that actually felt like she knew it was only a soreness that would last for days afterwards, it was nothing particularly damaging. It was a beneficial burn, something that told her just how far she was pushing her body, that she was doing exactly as she needed to do.

The pain felt like an echo through her body, the muscles over tensing and almost numb at points where she yelped as a pins and needles sensation filled the limb. Each time this sensation took over she'd have to pause and rub the affected muscle with her hands as she tried her damndest to get the feeling back. But each time it happened, she knew she was getting closer to passing the point where the burn was a good thing, and passing into true and damaging injury.

She just had to last a little longer. Up. Down. Up. Down. It had gotten to the point where her arms were no longer crossed across her chest, but out at her sides. Her hands and arms flexed almost as if she were using them to pull herself up, yet it was all mental and imagined. But even this did not distract her, and only moments later her ankles unhinged and slipped, and she fell to the ground with a loud thump.

Training InformationShow

Training: Strength
Required Words: 1,500
Total Words: 1,543

[MedeaMoirae]

The last few days had been hell. Etsuko was still lying in bed, though at least she was in her own apartment now, granted with a giant cat curled up at her feet. That part still confused her. She couldn’t help but think about what had happened, about how badly hurt Hayate had gotten. It didn’t matter to her that he had saved her life later, or that she had saved his. She couldn’t help but think that if she had been more proficient in her jutsu, other than Iijutsu, that he wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Or at least that he wouldn’t have been as badly hurt.

She finally rolled out of bed and wandered to the kitchen, staring at the small radio on the counter as she heard Isamu’s paws on the floor as he followed quietly. She remembered a trick she’d seen her mother do when she was younger, and in silence, the kunoichi concentrated on forming the raiton chakra in her hand. After several moments a spark jumped from her fingertips to the radio and for a moment it crackled to life before falling silent again.

She couldn’t help but smile, glancing over at Isamu who really looked rather bored with the entire situation, though Etsuko guessed that a cougar like him would have no interest in such trivial tricks. But Etsuko herself turned her attention back to the radio.

She was having some fun with this really, despite the fact that she had now moved a chair over to sit by the counter and mess with the radio. She was still healing and didn’t really like standing up all that long, mostly because it caused her considerable pain after awhile.

She played with the raiton across her fingertips for a bit, watching it dance from one fingertip to the next, before letting it dance across to the radio. The radio sparked to life once more, and then immediately died. She knew she was supposed to be able to just turn the radio on doing this, but whatever she was doing, it just wasn’t quite enough.

Sincerely hoping it wasn’t too much, she let the raiton dance across her fingers again, just a touch more this time, before letting it flow to the radio and she watched it come to life. She was listening to her favorite song and couldn’t help but smile, at least until Isamu nudged her. She’d still had some raiton dancing on her fingers when he did, and next thing she knew her radio was a sizzling mess. She simply frowned down at the cougar.

Training InformationShow

Words Required: 400 (only minimum required due to calculated ‘discount’ of 800)
Words Used: 432

Jutsu TrainedShow

*[Lightning Element • Switch Electricity Technique]
E-Rank Ninjutsu
This basic jutsu allows the user to trigger electrical mechanisms at range equal to the user's control in meters with a maximum of 5 by sending a very weak jolt of electricity. This jutsu allows the user to do a wide variety of things, ranging from turning on a walkie talkie to merely dimming the lights. Note that this jutsu cannot recharge a dead electrical object, only turn it on/off.

[MedeaMoirae]

She was finally getting back into the swing of things, or at least she was trying to. Etsuko had been wounded on mission some time ago and was just finally getting to the point of training once more. She’d devoted so much time to her Iijutsu it seemed like her other training was lacking and she had decided to try and rectify that issue in the coming days. And so she was walking into a training ground, pausing by a bench just as she sat down, with a book in hand.

The book was specifically about Raiton, and currently she was readying about a technique called Lightning Shock. It seemed simple enough, a technique to cause a shock to an opponent that would cause a minor pain equivalent to being hit with a senbon. It seemed intriguing, and with it were some very interesting applications and possibilities. Etsuko found herself engrossed in the book. Though she had loved studying different kinds of jutsu, it was rare that she liked reading about one in particular, at least this much.

Even Isamu seemed to begin to feel jealous over the fact that Etsuko was still reading. The great cat climbed up on the bench beside her and sniffed at her, his big whiskers tickling her ear. Etsuko ignored it as she concentrated on her reading. She set the book on her knees and formed the hand seals for the technique. It was pretty self explanatory and for a moment she simply enjoyed the feeling of the raiton as it crackled around her hands and her fingers. It was a pleasant sensation to her, she’d always assumed that anyone with such an affinity must enjoy it, it was a part of themselves after all.

After several minutes the technique vanished, all during which Isamu watched her warily, his own element was Doton. Though Etsuko had recently found it was her own secondary element, that still meant it was strange to the cougar and not something he’d like to experience up close.

Etsuko picked up the book and read a bit more on the technique, chuckling to herself as she thought it would’ve been a great prank if her parents had given her siblings to pull such pranks on, but alas, she was an only child after all.

She set the book on the ground and formed the seals. At about that same time, Isamu again got tired of no attention and nudged at her, unfortunately for him this ended in laughter. The cougar jumped back as he was zapped, and Etsuko couldn’t help but laugh at the look on the feline’s face.

Jutsu InformationShow

Words Required: 400 (only minimum required due to calculated ‘discount’ of 800)
Words Used: 440

Jutsu TrainedShow

*[Lightning Element • Lightning Shock]
D-Rank Ninjutsu
This is a technique utilized by Raiton users to deliver a small but powerful shock to an opponent. By performing a short set of hand seals and focusing Raiton into his/her own hands, the user can wrap the appendages in electricity. For two posts, any direct contact between the user's hand and the target will send a shock through the target's body. The pain caused is equivalent to being stabbed by a senbon.

[MedeaMoirae]

It’d been a long day, that was the simplest way to describe it. Back to doing rounds at the hospital, Etsuko wasn’t necessarily happy with it. She felt it was taking time away from her training and she was contemplating quitting at the hospital so that she could better concentrate on her battle driven techniques and do less on the healing side of things. At least until someone came rushing in with a friend who was injured. The only problem with them was the fact that they were unconscious. As soon as her supervisor gave her a look, Etsuko felt like she was in trouble.

As the patient was taken to a room, her supervisor pulled her aside and explained to her that this could be a good time to train a technique. They had just been talking that morning about her recent training and so he knew what the last technique was that she had trained. She took out the book she had trained with and they went over it together.

A very similar technique, and logically the next one in the progression, could be used in this very circumstance. An unconscious patient often needs to be awoken, and there was a raiton technique just for that. Her supervisor explained to her, as did the book, the way the raiton interacted with the ‘circuits’ of the mind and would arouse the patient. Of course, just like with other techniques, one had to be careful how much raiton was used. Much like Etsuko’s radio had learned previously, too much raiton can fry circuits.

She followed him into the room with the patient and formed the hand seals as she went in. She started with a small amount of raiton, and touched either side of the patient’s head. He didn’t seem to move and she glanced at her supervisor, his look confirming that she needed to use more than that if she was going to properly wake this patient.

She formed the seals again, careful not to add a lot more, just a little, to the raiton she had used before. Taking a deep breath, she touched both sides of the patient’s head once more. Yet it still wasn’t enough, though this time Etsuko observed that his fingers moved for a brief moment. She seemed to be almost there.

She formed the seals, allowing the raiton to flow through her fingers for several moments before actually using it. She wasn’t sure she was comfortable using more than she had last time, but she had little choice. She reached out and touched both sides of his head again.

With a gasp he came awake, and she yanked her hands back, worried it might have been too much. But it wasn’t, and Etsuko was able to just chuckle in relief.

Training InformationShow

Words Required: 400 (only minimum required due to calculated ‘discount’ of 800)
Words Used: 467

Jutsu TrainedShow

*[Lightning Element• Shock Treatment]
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the proper hand seals, the user's hands become electrically charged and they are able to use small currents of electricity to wake up someone who was knocked out. To add to this, these charges can stimulate the brain of someone who's conscious. This stimulation can wake those drifting to sleep or momentarily get rid of any grogginess caused by fatigue for four posts. This jutsu can’t bring targets out of genjutsu, however nor can it add wit.

[MedeaMoirae]

Etsuko had been doing a great deal of training lately, and Isamu didn’t exactly approve. He might have been a cougar, but he was still a feline, and very much liked to play. So today’s aim wasn’t supposed to be training, but was supposed to be just play, despite the fact that they were at the training ground. It was kind of similar to a game of hide and seek, but it was out in the open so there wasn’t much hiding to be done. Isamu was lope a few steps away and Etsuko would ‘chase’ after him. The great cat would make a happy sound of sorts, and move a few steps away again.

Though as the pair were playing, Etsuko was remembering in her book of raiton techniques what she had been planning on learning next. She could remember the hand seals and so she went ahead and formed them, stomping at the ground as she got close to Isamu. Isamu leaped back with a light snarl, though the crackling electricity didn’t even come close to him, it didn’t even go that far out from Etsuko. She couldn’t help but think that this game made for the perfect excuse to train just one more technique.

This time instead of dancing away, Isamu pranced closer, snapping at Etsuko playfully. Etsuko laughed as she stepped away, grinning from ear to ear as she formed the hand seals and stomped at the Cougar once more.

Isamu jumped back this time, narrowly missed by the dancing lightning. He hissed at Etsuko in annoyance as he started to walk away, tail swinging as he went. He seemed frustrated and annoyed that his friend had turned their game into yet another training session.

Etsuko herself wasn’t happy with this attempt either as the lightning still wasn’t going as far as it should have been going. She jogged over towards Isamu and paused a few feet from him as he stopped and stared at her as if daring her to try it. She grinned and stared back for several moments before quickly forming the seals and slamming her foot onto the ground. The lightning danced out and zapped the cougar pretty good.

With a yowl Isamu chased after Etsuko, and with a playful yelp, Etsuko ran, allowing the cougar to chase her until she reached a tree which she pulled herself up into. The great cat stared at her before giving a final hiss and walking away.

Etsuko merely laughed.

Training InformationShow

Words Required: 400 (after calculated ‘discount’ of 800 only minimum words required)
Words Used: 415

Jutsu TrainedShow

*[Lightning Element • Ground Spike Technique]
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing a string of hand seals and stomping on the ground, the user emits five bolts of lightning in a line. Each bolt is two yards apart from the one before it (giving the jutsu a total range of ten yards from the user), rising 3 feet into the air from the ground in succession, starting from the farthest one with a speed equal to the user's control with a maximum of six. These bolts are pure energy; they aren’t solid so they aren’t effective in stopping objects. The shock created by the jutsu, however, causes the targets body to jerk and sends a mild pain equivalent to getting stabbed in the hand throughout the body for a brief second. This technique isn’t very devastating, but it’s useful in stopping charging enemies.

[MedeaMoirae]

Etsuko was standing in the middle of the open training ground, her hands empty and even Isamu was slowly walking away. He kept going until he was a good distance away, knowing his master planned an intense training for the day. She was going to learn a new though very basic technique today. Since it was only a D rank technique, one might think it easy. But learning to use your hands as if both had equal talent, that was no simple task, and it would take a bit of work on Etsuko's part. She had been practicing her Iijutsu and letting her Taijutsu fall behind. It was time to rectify that error.

She stood completely still, the only thing nearby were a pair of posts she would use during her training as targets. For now it was just her though, that was her only focus. Standing up straight with her arms at her sides, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Then she was moving. Her arms came up just slightly and she was moving forward.

She spun forward, arms wrapped around her body as she spun for two steps. This was not a particular move, there was no technique at use here, it was all about movement and equal use. As her spin came to a stop, she was drawing two kunai from the holster on her left thigh and into her left hand. Both already had explosive tags wrapped around their hilts. The spin ended with a kunai in each hand, thrust outward into invisible enemies and targets on either side of her. She turned to the right, slash at the throat, stab between the third and fourth rib, neat and clean, the blood would pour forth if the target had been real.

She turned to the left, same to the second target. A slash at the throat, a stab between the third and fourth rib, neat and clean, the blood would pour forth if the target had been real. She flipped forward, both kunai digging into the ground and her feet straight over her head.

Her feet landed carefully on the ground, the dirty flying from her kunai as they flew from her hands. Both buried themselves into the posts she had targeted, both impacting with the same force. With a grin akin to the devil, both hands formed a single seal and both kunai, with their explosive tags, exploded into nothingness.

Etsuko flipped backwards, hands to the ground, feet to the air, and feet to the ground once more. She came up and watched the dirt fly and the splintered wood from the posts, looking over at Isamu and grinning as the cougar shook his great furry head.

He must've been thinking just how crazy humans must be.

Training InformationShow

Words Required: 450 (after calculated discount)
Words used: 465

Jutsu TrainedShow

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

[MedeaMoirae]

Etsuko had come to prefer training outdoors to indoors lately for some unknown reason. Even she wasn't sure why. She used to use a training room near the Kōhai Jieitai Headquarters, but ever since she'd gotten back from her mission with Hayate she hadn't liked going there. Something about it felt cramped, stagnant even. So instead she was outside training today, and Isamu was up in a tree after some bird. She had watched him for a bit, seeing as watching such a large cat up a tree after a tiny bird was fairly amusing still, but she did have work to get to. She had another lower level technique to train right about now.

She lay on the ground, acting as if she'd been knocked down, and threw her legs up. She leaped to her feet at first, remembering when she first learned how to do that and how difficult it had been for her to get the momentum required. Gaining momentum from a position like that wasn't as simple as one might think.

But she had to lay on the ground again, she needed to do this right. She lifted her legs into the air and spun them back and forth a bit. Her feet spread apart, up in the air, going in circular motions as she tried to get a feel for the simple motion on its own. For a moment she was thankful no one was here to see her doing this, it was a bit of an embarrassing position to say the least.

She must've spun her feet in this circular position for at least half an hour, but she couldn't be certain. It was making her muscles quite sore to be honest. She decided it was time to try the technique itself, that she had done enough of the muscle memory movement really. Though it proved more difficult than she thought. Her first attempted turned into a total face plant. She got the spin alright, her feet landed and her body was rising, but it was like a ship cap sizing really. She just fell forward.

Sputtering and spitting dirt out of her mouth she shook her head. "Not enough momentum." she muttered. She glanced over and saw Isamu staring at her, he was stretched out and looking comfortable on a tree branch that looked all too small for him. If she didn't know any better she'd think that he was laughing at her.

With a huff she dropped herself on the ground, laying there a moment and spinning her legs once more. She spun them a few times before trying the technique again. She came up on her feet this time, but she stumbled her way there.

With a yell of frustration she laid down and tried one last time. This time she didn't spin her legs and practice the feeling of it. She just did it. She came up to her feet and paused a moment. When she realized she had done it, she couldn't help but laugh at herself.

Training InformationShow

Words Required: 450
Words Used: 508

Jutsu TrainedShow

*Spin
D-Ranked Taijutsu
Utilized when the user is vulnerable on the ground, this technique allows him/her to get up easily while expelling nearby weapons and people. To performSpin, the user swings their legs around above them, causing them to spin around. This subsequently knocks away the objects and people in their proximity at a strength equal to the user's while allowing the user to get to get up.

[MedeaMoirae]

Just one more. She wanted to get one more thing down before she went home. She looked up to see Isamu still happily sitting in his tree with his tail swaying. She swore he was going to fall off at some point, as in the branch would break. It looked to be about half the size that it needed to be to hold his weight. She couldn't help but shake her head at the great cat. She still wondered just why he had decided to come home with her, but oh well, that was something to be pondered another time.

This technique would be simple enough, just a cartwheel. But Etsuko had never liked doing them much and so didn't have much practice in them. But as far as tactics go, it wasn't a bad one to have in one's arsenal during a fight. She ran forward and dropped herself down onto both hands, propelling herself forward in a cartwheel. Whereas in her *Roll Technique she had learned in Takai Ryuu she was in a small tight ball, this was a bit different. Her arms and legs remained stretched out and this was a 'roll' that was less like rolling like a ball, and more about rolling like a wheel with her arms and legs being the spokes.

It really wasn't all that difficult, and really she had it right the first time. Given her past techniques, training, and experience it would have been rather pathetic if she had gotten it wrong. But that didn't mean she didn't need to practice it. She turned to face the way she'd come from and did it again, doing three cartwheels in a row and pausing to catch her breath and straighten out her clothing when she was done.

There were so many ways to use the technique. To move away from an attack, to get closer to an opponent, even to knock them to the ground. She turned once more, facing towards the tree in which Isamu sat, and she took a jogging start, performing two cartwheels in a row this time around. They really weren't all that difficult, but as with any other form of taijutsu, muscle memory was essential to learning the move.

With a bored look on her face, she turned to perform the move once more, this time she didn't do them in a row. She did a simple cartwheel, performed a couple of kicks and punches as if attacking an opponent there, and glanced over her shoulder as if looking for another opponent. Turning towards her "newly spotted" opponent, she cartwheeled to it too and mimicked what she did before, performing a couple of kicks and punches at nothing in particular. She sighed and shook her head. "I need to spar with Hayate again." she muttered.

Training InformationShow

Words Required: 450
Words Used: 470

Jutsu TrainedShow

*Cartwheel
D-Ranked Taijutsu
By applying an otherwise basic movement to combat, users are able to close distance between themselves and their opponent using a cartwheel before striking. Being as simple as it sounds, users will cartwheel toward opponents before bringing their feet down on top of them with the momentum gained from the cartwheel. This technique can be used in rapid succession to close more distance.