Keeping physically fit was the least focused on aspect of Ichiro’s training regimen. Over the last year in fact the majority of the increase of his strength had come simply from working the rigging of the ship, carrying ropes and sails as well as loading and unloading barrels of food, drink or other supplies. He had put on about ten pounds of muscle and was now stronger than most average people, on par with many of the burly sailors that were hired for rowing and moving their stores. Though he couldn’t even begin to compete with the captain of the ship, Kaisui. The man was massive though still he insisted that among shinobi even his physical strength was considered relatively low level, mid-tier at best. It was a startling awakening that they both had a lot to improve if they were to delve into piracy. Gaining strong companions would help though both young men aspired for their own power and leadership and so they could only hope to inspire followers if they themselves were strong.
For this reason, Ichiro wanted to hone his physical might, so that even when he wished to conceal his skills in ninjutsu and chakra manipulation that he could still instill respect and maintain order over his subordinates. As first mate he was the captain’s second-hand man, there would surely come time where a show of force would be necessary. Considering his rather lithe and only lightly toned build it would be beneficial to have more physical strength than he let on and at the very least it would help in travelling and moving wares. His taijutsu style didn’t rely much on strength though if he was disarmed and forced into a grappling match or restrained then he would regret not working out more, that was certain. Having docked their ship Ichiro would inspect and guard their provisions while also getting some exercise in. He would start with a large keg of ale, about ¾ full, it weighed easily as much as he did. He could wrap his arms mostly around the barrel but not enough to touch his own fingers, still, it was enough that if he squatted low and kept a straight back at first, lifting with his legs and only after bringing it off the ground leaning back and holding it against his chest that he could hold the barrel. Moving while holding it on the other hand was precarious. For such a weight it was easiest to simply pivot the barrel along the ground, shifting it until it was moved to its desired location. Alternatively using a dolly of some kind or laying it on its side and carrying it with two people was a relatively easy way of moving it. Of course, there were some exceptionally burly sailors on their crew tasked with rowing and moving cargo who were strong enough to lift such a barrel on to their shoulder and carry it that way.
For someone with Ichiro’s build however that would be a truly impressive and surprising feat for him to accomplish, at least for an average person. He had heard that shinobi could be small and appear thin or weak and yet could lift weight beyond anything even massively muscular commoners could begin to fathom. Surely the secret to that strength came with the bodies conditioning to utilizing chakra, enhancing their abilities without even having to actively mold the mystical substance. That was what had been indicated to him by Saigo-sama at least. The man seemed like a relatively average guy yet Ichiro had seen him lift entire trees and boulders as though he was picking up a chair. He knew it was possible and for the last several years he had been improving his skill with chakra control, ninjutsu and even genjutsu techniques. His body was surely primed to increase his strength beyond his previous limits if only he would dedicate the time to doing so. Truthfully, he was more interested in speed and precision but still he knew he needed to ascend beyond his current state in every possible aspect. That was the only way he would ever achieve his goals, and while his progress had been painstakingly slow at times, at others he had showed prodigious talent. He knew he still had that potential somewhere inside of him, he simply needed to also work hard.
730/650 Strength Training
Smuggler's Struggle
[Closed Training Thread]
Smuggler's Struggle
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD
Smuggler's Struggle
Yet again Ichiro had found a new master and so his fervor in training had begun anew. First it had been Saigo-sama who had taught him medical techniques and the basics of chakra control. Then Zao Sensei had given the boy a journal detailing many forms of chakra manipulation, as well as giving him guidance on completing the basic jutsu he had begun to learn from Saigo before he fled to Konoha. Of course Zao hadn’t been a long term teacher either, still loyal to Sunagakure their paths parted when the Fur country festival ended. Resorting to piracy, Ichiro learned suiton and ration ninjutsu in the years he served as the first mate of Kaisui, a rogue C-Ranked former shinobi of Kumogakure. Though his expertise was limited, and Ichiro quickly surpassed the man and then plateaued. Similarly joining Chishiki and training alongside Suzume had encouraged him to hone his kenjutsu and train physically. But throughout the war it was primarily his mind that had been honed, growing marginally more proficient in the power of his ninjutsu he grew greater resolve and tactics.
But now, after the war his involvement in Chishiki had finally resulted in him being able to serve the great Hiraku Kenji, a god of ninjutsu. Ichiro was consumed by a need to impress the thing that should not be. He needed to prove himself worthy of his time. And so he had parted from his master while in the Realm of Titans, he had some business of his own to attend to back in the lands of Waterfall country that now made up this new country. Perhaps the most important aspect of training for a young and aspiring shinobi was learning how to properly manage one’s chakra. In other words, how to develop precision of control so that one could only use as much chakra as was necessary to perform a jutsu as well as be able to utilize more advanced techniques that required more fine manipulation of chakra. For Ichiro whom aspired to be a skilled medic he knew that he would have to train his control of chakra significantly before he could hope to use ninjutsu to heal. He was at least well versed in mending wounds and dressing them appropriately through ordinary physical means but he had witnessed first hand the unparalleled advantage that chakra granted. It was possible at a high level to actually cause a wound to regenerate before one’s eyes or to assess a patients condition simply by touching their body and focusing for a few moments. In a small and impoverished area without any medical tools to speak of, such skills were almost god-like in their ability to save lives. He had witnessed this first-hand while working alongside Saigo, a Sensei to him that he still regarded as someone to strive to be like. He had not been in contact with the man for over 3 years now and it was likely he would never see him again. However, if he did meet him again one day he would consider it a disservice to not have developed his skills considerably in that time.
Saigo had praised him as being the best of his students with the most promising future as a shinobi and as a medic and thus far he felt that he would have been a disappointment to the man. His life had revolved mostly around survival and trying to make money any way he could, including taking up some low-level piracy. Ultimately Ichiro believed in doing whatever was necessary in order to survive and achieve his goals. A time would come when he would return to Waterfall Country and cleanse the land of criminal organizations, uniting the country under his rule. For that however he would need power and followers. Living in Tea country for the last few weeks, offering his services as a medic for food and lodging in the towns that he passed through, Ichiro always made sure to dedicate at least an hour a day to developing his skills in some form or another. Today he would work on honing his chakra control.
Considering his relatively low skill level he would hone the basics, the foremost being walking on water. It was important to practice such a thing as often as possible until it became simple muscle memory or whatever the chakra equivalent was. Walking out onto a slow-moving river, Ichiro would take cautious and deliberate steps. His control had been improving notably over the last few months. Before his feet would waver with each step and he constantly needed to adjust the amount of chakra and watch how his feet distributed his weight on the surface of the water. And that was even on still water. Now he didn’t have to think too much about distributing his chakra with each step, his body naturally adjusted the amount in the same way someone would naturally shift their weight when feeling off balance. He was at a point now where he could feel his chakra flow as easily as the various muscles throughout his body.
Having a keen understanding of anatomy it came naturally to understand the role of the chakra network as being no different than the respiratory or circulatory systems. They were all part of human physiology but like the uneducated masses most simply didn’t understand the finer points of the human body. There were many functions and happenings that an average person wasn’t the least bit aware of and it was much the same with chakra. Everyone had it flowing through them but few realized it and knew the kind of potential they could use it for as long as they learned how to direct and manipulate its flow. Even knowing of chakra’s existence now and being able to perform over a dozen ninjutsu techniques Ichiro found that learning how to hone his chakra and especially how to create new techniques was considerably more difficult to do alone than with a Sensei guiding one and displaying examples.
Perhaps for a civilian from the minor countries he was developing at an adequate rate though given his previous praise for being a natural at picking up the basics Ichiro felt like he was wasting his potential. All he could really do was continue to fine tune what he had been taught, though if he could master his chakra control, raise it to a level beyond even that of most shinobi then surely, he would benefit greatly. Of course, at his current level he was only about as capable as a Genin, a level of shinobi that he understood most raised in that world achieved somewhere between ten to twelve years old. And here he was nearly nineteen, having been training in the shinobi arts for almost four years, though perhaps that was about the same length of study that people in shinobi academies went through. The booklet he had received from Zao seemed to indicate that it took most a number of years to really get the fundamentals down. He kept the manual as a treasured prize, making sure not to sell it or allow others to know of its existence no matter how desperate he got.
Walking down the length of the river Ichiro came to a part that was moving a little faster, having to choose his steps carefully and adjust the flow of chakra reflexively depending on where he moved, even taking into consideration the depth of the water and the current that passed over certain rocks and around boulders. He knew he could only maintain this technique for so long before the strain became too much for his chakra reserves, so he wanted to make sure to properly test his control and make the most of this training. Taking some bigger steps, he would steadily increase his pace, moving back to slower moving water as he accelerated to close to his top speed, faltering a few times briefly and needing to stop to balance and adjust his chakra distribution. Throughout it though he never fell into the water or even got more than the sides of his feet wet. This was a notable improvement though he wondered how he would fare on the open waters of the Ocean. He was a sailor now and if their ship was scuttled or he was thrown overboard it would be extremely useful to be able to run atop the water to get himself to safety, though with the massive waves and often stormy conditions and large distances to land even water walking wouldn’t be enough to assure safety. Still, the more tools he had at his disposal and the greater the diversity and skillset he had the better his chances would be should he encounter such problems.
The final step was to put the practice together properly, moving out onto the Ocean now instead of the fast-moving river. Here he would encounter true waves, as large as 20ft high as the wind whirled and rain spat around him. It was a completely different league than the river a few hours earlier. The water churned underneath him, undulating as the surface rose and fell and he found himself in the cross-section of many undercurrents. More than once he was knocked down and dragged under the water, having to claw his way back to the surface. But eventually the power of the ocean would be unable to topple him and he felt confident in his ability to master the oceans domain. If he was cast overboard, he was sure he could survive and manage to traverse the waters, at least as long as he still had chakra.
1611/1600 Control Training (+4 Stats)
But now, after the war his involvement in Chishiki had finally resulted in him being able to serve the great Hiraku Kenji, a god of ninjutsu. Ichiro was consumed by a need to impress the thing that should not be. He needed to prove himself worthy of his time. And so he had parted from his master while in the Realm of Titans, he had some business of his own to attend to back in the lands of Waterfall country that now made up this new country. Perhaps the most important aspect of training for a young and aspiring shinobi was learning how to properly manage one’s chakra. In other words, how to develop precision of control so that one could only use as much chakra as was necessary to perform a jutsu as well as be able to utilize more advanced techniques that required more fine manipulation of chakra. For Ichiro whom aspired to be a skilled medic he knew that he would have to train his control of chakra significantly before he could hope to use ninjutsu to heal. He was at least well versed in mending wounds and dressing them appropriately through ordinary physical means but he had witnessed first hand the unparalleled advantage that chakra granted. It was possible at a high level to actually cause a wound to regenerate before one’s eyes or to assess a patients condition simply by touching their body and focusing for a few moments. In a small and impoverished area without any medical tools to speak of, such skills were almost god-like in their ability to save lives. He had witnessed this first-hand while working alongside Saigo, a Sensei to him that he still regarded as someone to strive to be like. He had not been in contact with the man for over 3 years now and it was likely he would never see him again. However, if he did meet him again one day he would consider it a disservice to not have developed his skills considerably in that time.
Saigo had praised him as being the best of his students with the most promising future as a shinobi and as a medic and thus far he felt that he would have been a disappointment to the man. His life had revolved mostly around survival and trying to make money any way he could, including taking up some low-level piracy. Ultimately Ichiro believed in doing whatever was necessary in order to survive and achieve his goals. A time would come when he would return to Waterfall Country and cleanse the land of criminal organizations, uniting the country under his rule. For that however he would need power and followers. Living in Tea country for the last few weeks, offering his services as a medic for food and lodging in the towns that he passed through, Ichiro always made sure to dedicate at least an hour a day to developing his skills in some form or another. Today he would work on honing his chakra control.
Considering his relatively low skill level he would hone the basics, the foremost being walking on water. It was important to practice such a thing as often as possible until it became simple muscle memory or whatever the chakra equivalent was. Walking out onto a slow-moving river, Ichiro would take cautious and deliberate steps. His control had been improving notably over the last few months. Before his feet would waver with each step and he constantly needed to adjust the amount of chakra and watch how his feet distributed his weight on the surface of the water. And that was even on still water. Now he didn’t have to think too much about distributing his chakra with each step, his body naturally adjusted the amount in the same way someone would naturally shift their weight when feeling off balance. He was at a point now where he could feel his chakra flow as easily as the various muscles throughout his body.
Having a keen understanding of anatomy it came naturally to understand the role of the chakra network as being no different than the respiratory or circulatory systems. They were all part of human physiology but like the uneducated masses most simply didn’t understand the finer points of the human body. There were many functions and happenings that an average person wasn’t the least bit aware of and it was much the same with chakra. Everyone had it flowing through them but few realized it and knew the kind of potential they could use it for as long as they learned how to direct and manipulate its flow. Even knowing of chakra’s existence now and being able to perform over a dozen ninjutsu techniques Ichiro found that learning how to hone his chakra and especially how to create new techniques was considerably more difficult to do alone than with a Sensei guiding one and displaying examples.
Perhaps for a civilian from the minor countries he was developing at an adequate rate though given his previous praise for being a natural at picking up the basics Ichiro felt like he was wasting his potential. All he could really do was continue to fine tune what he had been taught, though if he could master his chakra control, raise it to a level beyond even that of most shinobi then surely, he would benefit greatly. Of course, at his current level he was only about as capable as a Genin, a level of shinobi that he understood most raised in that world achieved somewhere between ten to twelve years old. And here he was nearly nineteen, having been training in the shinobi arts for almost four years, though perhaps that was about the same length of study that people in shinobi academies went through. The booklet he had received from Zao seemed to indicate that it took most a number of years to really get the fundamentals down. He kept the manual as a treasured prize, making sure not to sell it or allow others to know of its existence no matter how desperate he got.
Walking down the length of the river Ichiro came to a part that was moving a little faster, having to choose his steps carefully and adjust the flow of chakra reflexively depending on where he moved, even taking into consideration the depth of the water and the current that passed over certain rocks and around boulders. He knew he could only maintain this technique for so long before the strain became too much for his chakra reserves, so he wanted to make sure to properly test his control and make the most of this training. Taking some bigger steps, he would steadily increase his pace, moving back to slower moving water as he accelerated to close to his top speed, faltering a few times briefly and needing to stop to balance and adjust his chakra distribution. Throughout it though he never fell into the water or even got more than the sides of his feet wet. This was a notable improvement though he wondered how he would fare on the open waters of the Ocean. He was a sailor now and if their ship was scuttled or he was thrown overboard it would be extremely useful to be able to run atop the water to get himself to safety, though with the massive waves and often stormy conditions and large distances to land even water walking wouldn’t be enough to assure safety. Still, the more tools he had at his disposal and the greater the diversity and skillset he had the better his chances would be should he encounter such problems.
The final step was to put the practice together properly, moving out onto the Ocean now instead of the fast-moving river. Here he would encounter true waves, as large as 20ft high as the wind whirled and rain spat around him. It was a completely different league than the river a few hours earlier. The water churned underneath him, undulating as the surface rose and fell and he found himself in the cross-section of many undercurrents. More than once he was knocked down and dragged under the water, having to claw his way back to the surface. But eventually the power of the ocean would be unable to topple him and he felt confident in his ability to master the oceans domain. If he was cast overboard, he was sure he could survive and manage to traverse the waters, at least as long as he still had chakra.
1611/1600 Control Training (+4 Stats)
Karagata Shinjiro - Kiri Bannin; Jinchuuriki, Overseer of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Kintsugi
Haziwara Youji- Iwagakure Chunin
Takeda Ichiro - A-Rank Waterfall Country; Black Wake, Chishiki, Setsuzoku
Hyuuga Takeshi - Konoha Special Jounin; Anbu
Jouchaku Shigeko - Kiri Genin; HHD