Coping Mechanism [Lonely Training]

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Ree
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Coping Mechanism [Lonely Training]

Post by Ree » Sun Nov 03, 2019 3:01 pm

Kumori awoke in the middle of the night, per usual, to a night terror. He had these quite frequently, a common symptom of post traumatic stress disorder. Unconscious, his mind forced him to revise the tragic day he bore witness to his parents and fellow clan members murdered. Jolting upright in his bed, Kumori experienced cold sweats he had grown all too used to. He breathed quickly and heavily, trying to shake the overwhelming feeling of dread and emotional agony that hung over him. This was Fukusha Kumori in his most pure form, the side of him he vowed to never show anybody. Weak, hurt, fragile. All words that could be used to describe the young Fukusha. He reprimanded himself for being so dramatic. He reached over to his nightstand to grab a damp rag, which he used to wipe the cold sweat from his body. After this, he resumed his position, attempting to regain his sleep.

Tossing and turning, Kumori now lie on his back, staring at the ceiling, accepting the fact that he would not be able to return to sleep. He took several deep breaths, trying to relax his body and regain his composure. This was the price he paid for bottling up his experiences and emotions, and the price he would continue to pay, vowing not to show anybody this side of him. He carried himself as though he was proud to be completely alone, excluding his clan as a whole. The truth was that he was very lonely, and no amount of people around him was enough to change that. Sighing, Kumori sat upright in his bed, in his undergarments, and zoned out, staring at nothing in particular. It was still well before dawn, and he wouldn’t risk waking up anybody in the rooms or buildings nearby. With this, he accepted that he would not sleep anymore, and begin his training for the day in his small dwelling.

Performing mild calisthenics until he heard others nearby in his building and outside stirring, beginning their day, Kumori would stop his warm up and bathe. Cleansing himself of his night sweats and now exercise sweat, he thought to himself the irony of bathing before spending his day training, only just to come home and repeat the cleaning process. As he exited his bathroom and dried off, Kumori dressed in his usual attire. His mind was racing, replaying the night terror he had. He was numb to them at this point, but still he felt that he needed to shut his mind down, or at least focus it onto something beneficial, such as training. Same daily routine. It was repetitive, everyday always felt the same regardless of small changes. His purpose in life was determined by others. He sighed, trying to shake the thought.

After dressing, he exited his small dwelling within the secluded Fukusha compound. He took a brief look at his home. It seemed as if he was the only one truly affected every day by the past, but that could be untrue. He didn’t open up to people much and didn’t expect anyone else to open up to him, nor would he go prying. Sighing once more, he ensured he has attached all his weapon pouches to his belt. Giving his belt a shake, there was a slight clang of metal and shuffle of paper. With this, he walked towards the compound’s exit and entered the village.

Beginning his trek towards the center of the village, walking from the eastern most part of the southernmost area of the village, Kumori practiced some breathing exercises to relax his mind and body. As he got closer to the center of the village where the marketplace was, the foot traffic noticeably increased. Kumori had to force himself to ignore all the people around him. As a Fukusha, he felt like an outcast. Some people stared at him, others ignored him as he did them. Before reaching the marketplace, he noticed a small training facility he hasn’t paid attention to before. The streets seemed busier than usual, even if they weren’t, as he was eager to get away from everyone and get his mind off of things.

As Kumori entered the building, he looked around. It wasn’t super packed, as it appeared as a smaller facility. There was a couple people sparring, and a couple training by themselves. Some were practicing Taijutsu on dummies and heavy bags, others were practicing their aim with projectiles. He didn’t notice anybody turn their heads toward him as he entered, and he felt relieved. He walked away from the entrance and toward a hanging sandbag. With this, his eyes glowed a purple color as his Shōgō-zumi became active. He felt more on point now, more instinctive.

Again, Kumori scopes out the facility and again didn’t notice anyone immediately watching him. Breathing deeply, he turned to the sandbag once more and began striking it. Several strong kicks, transitioning into spinning elbow strikes. After several generic attacks on the sandbag, he took up a stance. A very specific stance, belonging to the Fukusha clan. It was the walking stance, unique to the Flames of Hatred Taijutsu style. His feet formed an L shape, standing shoulder width apart, knees bent, and his torso firm and straight. He moved around the dangling punching bag casually, and began prodding it with his hands, causing the bag to sway. Typically, being relaxed physically and mentally on edge, the punching bag was way more predictable than an actual opponent. Still, he was keeping busy and his Doujutsu made this exercise even easier. He began palming the bag, causing it to swing more intensely, and he would maneuver around and elbow it, maneuvering again out of the path. With a swift motion, he would jump up as the punching bag came swinging back to him, and planted a flying heel take down on the top of the bag, snapping the rope it was attached to and bringing the bag to the ground.

This caused some more commotion than he had been previously making, though he was unaware if he had drawn anyone’s attention. He still had his Shōgō-zumi, active and now breathed heavily, collecting himself and observing the beaten sandbag and ripped rope lying on the ground before him.

1,048 Word Endurance Training [+1]
Last edited by Ree on Sun Jun 28, 2020 4:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Ree
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Coping Mechanism [Lonely Training]

Post by Ree » Sun Jun 28, 2020 4:30 pm

A scream. Smoke. Destruction. Kumori jolted awake soaked in sweat. All too often these types of nights occur. No matter how busy the young Fukusha stays, no matter how far down he buries these memories, they always resurface in the most disturbing ways. His uncle often attempts to console the boy, but to no avail. Watching both of your parents murdered before you at such a young age can have that effect. At any age, that trauma will change you. There were days Kumori wondered how he continued living here, wondering why his clan accepted this fate. The environment and conditions themselves were much better than the constant travelling and fighting for basic survival, but the events leading to the situation would never sit right with the boy. It seemed like he was on autopilot most of the time, just going through the motions. He felt like an outcast, even among his own clan. He wasn’t the only orphan, so there were times he felt selfish. But he couldn’t help it. The world was cold. It would always be cold. All Kumori knew was to be a warrior. As much as he longed for meaning in his life, he only found it in becoming stronger, and even then, it was a strange existence.

It was early. Barely dawn. Kumori rose from his bed within his living quarters, still drenched in sweat. He just wanted the dreams to stop. He could function and put on a facade in front of others, but when his body rested, his mind never seemed to. With that, he knew what he had to do. The only thing he knew how. Train. Rigorously.

Lately Kumori had been trying to get out more, trying to find some form of beauty in life. He had had minor interactions with his fellow Iwagakure inhabitants, and had concluded that the politics were to blame and not every individual in the village. Still, that didn’t help much with the silent battle he was fighting in his head. He had been trying to be more active in helping out around the compound. He was really trying. Still, he always descended back into the same hermit like behavior. Sure, he could act all he wanted. He didn’t even really care if his clan bought the act, so long as the village did, but the one person he could never fool was himself. As the sun began to rise and rays slightly poked into his room, Kumori decided it was time to go. Slipping out of his sweat soaked night clothes, he saw no point in bathing quite yet, as he had planned on training for most of the day. Getting dressed in his normal attire, he attached his weapons pouches and stood before the mirror. With a blank face, he stared at himself. He felt very little. He felt weak, even though part of him knew this was false. After a few moments of scowling at himself, he exited the building he lived in and made his way towards the entrance of the compound. It seemed the only other Fukusha who were up this early were the higher ranking ones, appearing to have a similar regimen in mind for the day. After all, Kumori did get a lot of his tendencies from his bloodline. Nodding in acknowledgement to the few other Fukusha who were outside preparing for the day, he exited the compound.

In search of somewhere secluded to train, he opted out of going into the heart of the village to find a training facility. He had heard of notable places within the village for both recreation and training, and he shuffled through them in his mind. It was still early, so the streets weren’t as busy as they usually are at peak day. He considered the catacombs he had been hearing so much about from others within the compound, and villagers in passing whilst eavesdropping. He decided he wasn’t comfortable risking getting lost, and then remembered a smaller cave system one of his cousins had mentioned. The Narusawa caves. Though from what he had remembered, his Jounin Fukusha relative had said a specific portion was only for shinobi of his rank, Kumori figured the caves wouldn’t be very populated at the moment. Not that he had planned on trying to sneak anywhere he shouldn’t be, but he was sure there was somewhere he could find to get a good work out in and practice some Jutsu. From what he could recall, the caves were to the West of the village. Considering he had just left the Fukusha compound in the southern district, he had quite the walk ahead of him.

As Kumori made his way through the village, the sun continued to rise and more people began appearing in the streets. Some were setting up shop, some appeared to be commuting. None of them gained his immediate focus. Kumori was in a strange mindset, where he was lost in his thoughts and trying his best to be present. He considered stopping for food, but he really had no appetite. It was always difficult for him to shake the night terrors the morning after, no matter how often they occurred. After awhile, it seemed he found the caves. Apparently he was wrong about no one being there, because it seemed a pair of older looking shinobi led him right to the caves. He trailed behind them a bit as to not draw attention to himself. After watching them enter the caves, he waited a few minutes before carefully following behind. Having never been inside the caves, he didn’t want to go too deep. Just deep enough where he wouldn’t be bothered. He noticed several different tunnels. Hearing voices of the older shinobi he had followed coming from one of them, he had three others to choose from. One was lit up, appearing to be a common path. Another had a dimmer light, coming from deeper within the cave. The last opening was pitch black. Opting for a middle ground, Kumori entered the cave that seemed to have a light coming from the end of it.

The walk through the dimly lit cave wasn’t too far, but Kumori didn’t know exactly where it would lead him. It was silent and damp, his wet footsteps somewhat echoing throughout the tunnel. He walked for a few minutes before the cave opened up into a larger clearing with more tunnels on the perimeter of the clearing. Kumori walked to the center of the opening and looked around, taking in his surroundings. He pondered on going deeper or just settling down here and training. He thought for a moment and looked at both of the other cave openings on either side of the area, excluding the one he entered from. It was quiet, exactly what he wanted, but he figured he wasn’t deep enough where others might hear him and feel the need to investigate or at least be intrigued. He looked back and for at his two options, and walked to the left to enter the next cave system.

This path was more narrow and dark, and a slightly longer walk than the first cave. As he got closer to the light at the end, he thought he heard something behind him. He peered over his shoulder, but it was too dark to see anything or anyone. Suddenly, his guard was all the way up. He slipped his right hand into his kunai pouch and gripped one of the throwing knives, prepared in case someone was sneaking up on him. He couldn’t be sure, but he swore he heard some puddles being disturbed further behind him. Kumori picked up his pace and still gripped a kunai in his pouch. He made his way to the light and found himself in a slightly smaller and less lit clearing than the previous one. As soon as he got out of the narrow tunnel, he sidestepped in case he was indeed being followed. In the event he was being followed, he would throw off his stalker.

There was always the possibility that the young Fukusha was just being paranoid, as had been the case on several occasions, but he felt it was better to be on your toes and have nothing to worry about than to be relaxed and taken by surprise. His Fukusha instincts and drive to survive were strong, especially when he wasn’t positive about a situation. As soon as he sidestepped out of view from the tunnel, he weaved together a quick string of hand seals and created a Flame Shadow, and it walked to the center of the cave. Kumori crouched down and hugged the wall out of sight of the entrance. This cave didn't appear to have additional cave systems beyond the entrance, so it was a dead end. Kumori was out of sight, and he commanded his clone to practice some basic Taijutsu maneuvers with it’s back to the entrance. After a couple minutes, Kumori’s paranoia became true. He listened closely and picked up on some gentle footsteps coming from the tunnel. Suddenly, he became angry. He hated being followed, especially when he had no clue who or why would pursue him.

The footsteps paused just before the opening, so Kumori couldn’t make out any details of the person, but he could sense their presence just about a meter and a half next to him. His on the fly plan seemed to work, as whoever was following him was observing his Katon clone in the Flames of Hatred stance, feigning practice. Kumori was on edge. Who would be following him? Perhaps it was someone inexperienced with the caves as he was, following him as he followed the Jounin. That would be the best case scenario, but he still would pounce on whoever it was as soon as he had the chance. Worst case scenario someone was spying on him and seeking a closer look at the Fukusha’s capabilities. An Iwagakure spy or a curious villager? His adrenaline began to pump as he was debating on attacking them at the edge of the opening before they entered the chamber, or be patient.

Just then, foot stepped out of the tunnel and Kumori struck. Closing the gap between him and the opening very quickly, he gripped a kunai in his right hand. As his stalker entered the chamber, Kumori could not make out the details of their appearance in the blur of his apprehension. As he reached them, he dove forward and sideswiped the person, using his body weight to topple them with his left hand taking the side of their neck. As the two collided to the ground, they slid to the left side of the opening and Kumori pinned the person where the wall met the floor. Kunai aimed at their face, Kumori processed who the person was.

It was one of his cousins. Kumori’s flame shadow began weaving hand seals before expelling a ball of Katon chakra in the middle of the chamber, lighting up the entire clearing. The clone then dissipated as Kumori now confronted his fellow Fukusha in far more visibility due to the torch technique. “What the hell is wrong with you?! Why are you following me?” Kumori’s tone was filled with venom, still holding the kunai to his cousin’s face.

Fukusha Toshiro, about a year older than Kumori, was clearly caught off guard and shocked to suddenly have a weapon in his face. Toshiro was secretly jealous of Kumori. He knew what had happened to Kumori’s parents, and that was very sad, but everyone lost someone in the Iwagakure raid. Still, he had always observed the determination Kumori had, always training and never having any kind of fun. Toshiro simply wanted to observe and possibly train with his younger cousin, but he knew Kumori would not have obliged if he had asked. He knew Kumori was somewhat of a lone wolf, even though he fulfilled all clan and village obligations of him. He was progressing faster than even the older Fukusha, and Toshiro admired him. He knew Kumori would not believe this though.

“Talk! Who sent you? Kazuo?” Kumori demanded. Toshiro stammered in trying to reply. He had to just tell the truth even though he didn’t think Kumori would believe him. “What? No, no! I admire you. I just wanted to see how you train when you’re alone. I knew you wouldn’t want anyone tagging along. I want to train with you.”

Kumori paused, still holding his cousin to the ground. Why were people like this? Even those closest to him couldn’t respect his space. If this was even true. Kumori still believed his clan’s leader had put a set of eyes on him. For what, he didn’t know exactly. Kumori seemed to be an anomaly even among the clan, spending most of his time alone and training alone as well. He wasn’t sure if he believed Toshiro. Still, he might as well give him a chance. Even though he planned on training solo, he would give Toshiro a glimpse at his progression. Rolling his eyes, Kumori loosened his grip and walked to the center of the chamber. Toshiro had risen to his feet and dusted himself off, looking off put by Kumori tricking him. He always knew Kumori was different. He was fierce, and he wasn’t sure what was going to happen next.

Toshiro stayed in his place, watching Kumori stand under the torch he had created. He was about two inches taller than Kumori, but his skills were lacking no matter how hard he had trained with their other clansmen.

“Very well then. Let’s fight.” Toshiro wasn’t ready for that. A spar, maybe, but there was a coldness to Kumori’s voice with the way he chose his words. He wasn’t sure if he was serious. Kumori was intense, and it seemed he was indeed serious by the way he took up the Flames of Hatred stance, kunai still in hand. Toshiro decided if he had any chance of getting on Kumori’s good side after stalking him all morning, it would be to put up a good fight. After all, Toshiro had used his Shogo-zumi to copy a Katon jutsu he had witnessed Kumori use when sparring in the compound before. Taking some slow steps forward, Toshiro reached into his own weapons pouch and hurled three shuriken at his cousin and rushed at him in one fluid movement, activating his Shogo-zumi as he did so. After all, he was surprised but annoyed that Kumori had taken him down so easily. From what Toshiro could tell, Kumori hasn’t even activated his Doujutsu yet. Kumori wasn’t one to show his eyes to just anyone, even an equally ranked clansmen. Kumori easily deflected the shuriken, and braced himself as Toshiro reached him with his own kunai drawn. The Shogo-zumi has boosted Toshiro’s speed, making him just on par with Kumori’s base state. With a mixed barrage of strikes and slices with the kunai, Toshiro attempted a basic physical assault on Kumori, who was evading each strike with ease at first, deflecting the kunai strikes with his own kunai. At this point, he was just feeling Toshiro out. He had really only seen him in passing and during training within the compound, but he had never noticed his older cousin taking specific interest in him. He still wasn’t sure if he believed that.

As the barrage continued, the Shogo-zumi continued to work in Toshiro’s favor. As he maintained the same pace of strikes, Kumori was back pedaling at this point. He had yet to even make a move. Toshiro was intent on landing the first strike, and he knew he was at an advantage. Part of him felt disrespected by Kumori not activating his Doujutsu from the get to. After all, they were both Fukusha and had no one looking on. He shouldn’t care about exposing Fukusha's secret jutsu. But that’s exactly why he admires his young compatriot, he was always challenging himself in ways he rarely saw his clansmen participate in. Still, he should know not to underestimate the doujutsu. As Kumori continued back pedaling, he was unimpressed by the strikes, however he was almost backed against a wall, literally, and knew he’d have to counter soon. Suddenly Toshiro attempted a spinning leg sweep, forcing Kumori to jump to avoid it as he had little room to maneuver, but before Kumori reached the ground Toshiro had rotated again and planted a firm spinning kick into Kumori’s stomach just as he landed back on his feet. Stumbling backward and hitting the wall, Kumori caught his breath just as Toshiro threw his kunai at him and rushed forward again, pleased that he had landed a blow. Kumori simply tilted his head to dodge the kunai and then pushed off the wall to jump completely over Toshiro, and shuffled back to the middle of the room. Toshiro retrieved his kunai from the wall and smirked. Rushing at Kumori again, he hadn’t noticed that he had activated his Shogo-zumi as well. Kumori channeled Katon chakra into his kunai, and didn’t react instantly as he became faster with his Doujutsu active. He knew Toshiro might copy this jutsu, but he would attack with his before he had the chance. Toshiro’s eyes widened as he was now rushing towards a blade covered in fire with a plain kunai. Still, his momentum carried him forward and he had to attack and abandon his original plan, moving a bit more cautiously. Kumori sensed the hesitation and capitalized. Toshiro didn’t commit fully to his jab with this kunai, though his momentum propelled him forward. Kumori swiped quickly at the kunai in his hand, his own kunai slicing right through it like butter. Kumori loves Katon jutsu. One thing he was grateful for was that Iwa had helped the Fukusha harness chakra and use it to the fullest extent. As the sharp end of Toshiro’s blade fell to the floor, he was left defenseless. Quickly reverting to the Walking Stance, Kumori spun and sliced at Toshiro’s face with the flaming kunai. Kumori’s adversary ducked just in time, the flames singing the spiky hair on top of his head. Just as Kumori finished his slice at the air, he brought the flaming kunai up and sliced down at Toshiro’s head yet again. This time, he was more prepared and countered with a flaming kunai alone. Now it was just a battle of strength. The heat from the kunai’s caused both Fukusha to break into a sweat. As Kumori was standing, he had less leverage than Toshiro who stood quickly and pushed Kumori’s kunai away. Jumping backwards to create space, Kumori launched his flaming kunai at Toshiro and began stringing together more hand seals whilst his opponent was distracted by the flaming projectile. Toshiro was proving to be predictable, having copied the jutsu as Kumori had anticipated. Toshiro was slower than Kumori and less proficient in Ninjutsu, but his raw strength was more than Kumori’s. The height advantage also granted Toshiro more reach, so Kumori has to play to his own strengths. Beyond that, it was just like fighting himself. Kumori finished his hand seals and began channeling Katon chakra. As Toshiro slashed the flaming kunai away with his own, he charged forward unaware that Kumori had prepped another jutsu.

As Toshiro rushed forward, Kumori exhaled Katon chakra in the form of his Flame Jet technique. This created a cone of fire expelling from Kumori’s mouth, and would surely engulf Toshiro. As he was rushing at Kumori full speed, he had no time to change his momentum and was caught in the cone of fire. As a last resort to try and deal some damage back, Toshiro hurled his kunai with all his might through the cone of fire, Kumori blind to the fact. Toshiro let out a yell of agony as the majority of his body was licked by flames. Kumori, unable to see through the flames of his own attack, was caught off guard when the flaming kunai emerged from the thinner end of the flame jet. The kunai lodged itself in Kumori’s left shoulder, cauterizing the wound instantly. Kumori grunted and removed the kunai from his burnt flesh and tossed it aside. The flames had dissipated and Toshiro had braced himself, taking the Walking Stance. Kumori lunges forward, noticing the char marks all over Toshiro and noting the smell of singed flesh in the air. Attempting an elbow tackle, Kumori reached at Toshiro’s guard with his left hand and forced his arm upward, ramming his right elbow into Toshiro’s rib cage. Hitting the ground almost instantly, Kumori knew he was close to winning the fight and attempted to finish off his cousin. It wasn’t much of a challenge, but a surprisingly nice training session. Kumori acknowledged his opponent's effort, but the outcome would only reinforce his confidence and status as a superior Fukusha.

Toshiro was on his hands and knees, attempting to regain his breath. Kumori stood over him and punched him in the back of the head. As his head was forced toward the ground, Toshiro rolled with the momentum, performing a sort of somersault and extending his legs into Kumori’s rear. This propelled Kumori forward and forced him to break the impact with the wall with his hands extended. Instinctively, he ducked as he faced the wall, expecting some sort of attack on his upper body. He overestimated Toshiro’s speed, as this only gave him an opening to actually attack. Rushing at the crouched Kumori, Toshiro jutted out his leg and planted a front kick on the back of his head. Kumori’s face smashed into the wall, causing blood to gush out of his nose. He was dazed and attempted to rise to his feet but received another kick to the temple, sending him sideways and to the ground. Now Kumori was on his hands and knees and Toshiro stood over him. Proud of himself, Toshiro began trash talking. “Maybe I overestimated you Kumori.” He bent over to grab Kumori’s head but was met with an elbow to the mouth. Stumbling backwards, Kumori jumped to his feet, losing significant breath control by being forced to breathe through his mouth. Kumori lunged forward, landing a solid left handed jab at Toshiro’s solar plexus, before instantly spinning to his right and slamming his elbow into the side of his head. This crumpled him, and Toshiro immediately hit the ground. He almost gained Kumori’s respect, but Kumori could never respect trash talk. Even if he felt that way, he would never voice that in the middle of combat.

Unaware if his cousin was unconscious or simply stunned, Kumori treated his wounds. Pinching his nose and tilting his head back in an effort to stop the blood flow. So much for alone time. Kumori stood over Toshiro, waiting for him to regain consciousness. His paranoia still thought Toshiro was sent to spy on him, but if that was the case, someone who was more stealthy and could pose a larger threat would have been sent. It was flattering that his relatives, even the older ones admired him, but those in his age group simply seemed like no match for him. Still, Kumori would show some compassion and accompany his cousin back to the compound.

As Toshiro awakened, he stared at Kumori from the ground. Kumori commanded him to his feet, and Toshiro obliged. “I apologize for my comment.” He bowed before Kumori. Simply staring at him, Kumori’s Shogo-zumi deactivated and his obsidian eyes burned into Toshiro’s. “Come on. Let’s go home.” Kumori turned and headed for the exit of the cave. Toshiro pauses in embarrassment before following Kumori yet again. This time with his permission.

As the two young Fukusha made their way out of the cave system, they embarked on their trek back towards the compound. It was mostly silent, though Toshiro attempted some small talk. “I meant it when I said nobody sent me after you. I won’t tell anyone you even considered that.” He believed this to be a peace offering, but Kumori barely showed his acknowledgement of this sentiment. After a moment, he said “I wouldn’t care if you did.” Without even looking at his cousin, Kumori pressed forward.

As they walked through the village, the two Fukusha were subject to some stares. They were both visibly damaged. Neither of them had serious injuries, but a few minor burns, bruising, and dried blood on both of their faces, it was obvious they had fought. It wasn’t even much of a spar, as it seemed both boys had been going all out. Toshiro attempted to gain some insight on Kumori and also gain his respect, but he had failed both. Kumori didn’t even consider him a peer, let alone a rival. They simply had the same blood in their veins. Nothing more, nothing less. Kumori was actually drained from the loss of chakra stemming from multiple Ninjutsu, and use of his Doujutsu. Both could be strenuous when paired together, but Kumori showed no signs of either. He was gaining better control of his chakra pool, and of the Shogo-zumi. He didn’t like to discuss these things with others, as clearly the results were speaking for him. His only goal at the moment was to become stronger, and achieve the next rank that the shinobi system had to offer. He was confident in his abilities, though never satisfied. He knew his arsenal could be expanded upon. As much as Kumori preferred time train alone, he was considering whether or not he should train with a more experienced shinobi, be it a fellow Fukusha or someone else within Iwagakure. He knew he could only accomplish so much alone, but that was when he was comfortable.

As Kumori and Toshiro reached the Fukusha compound, they entered and were greeted by their family. One of the Jounin Fukusha approaches them, acknowledging the noticeable signs of battle. “Rough day?” He grinned as Toshiro lowered his head. Kumori ignored him and headed to his living quarters. He watched from a window as Toshiro conversed with the others. Maybe Toshiro was telling the truth. Either way, Kumori didn’t care. He knew what he was doing. However, combat wore on him more than training by himself as he was pushed harder. With that, he didn’t accomplish as much as he planned for the day, but tomorrow was always another day.

Removing his clothes, Kumori sat on his bed and replayed the events of the day. Maybe sometime soon he would return to the caves, but Toshiro had kinda ruined it for him. He realized he would need to be more aware of his surroundings moving forward, he didn’t appreciate being followed, but he was more disappointed in himself. It was someone else, he could have easily put himself in a bad position.

Kumori felt exhausted, but he was in no rush to go to sleep. He was in no hurry to flip the coin of the dream world. No dreams or night terrors. Those were usually his two options. No matter how much rest his body needed, his mind never stopped. Kumori noted the rumbling in his stomach, and decided he should probably replenish the lost energy.

With this, he headed to the bathing area and washed him. After bathing, he stared at himself in the mirror as he often did. He has nothing but a towel wrapped around his face. He had removed a blood clot from his nose in the shower and cleaned the dried blood from his face. He stared at the cauterized stab mark in his shoulder. He would like to give Toshiro some credit, but all significant blows he landed were from Kumori’s own mistakes. Sighing, Kumori decided he would wash his clothes and grab some food.

As Kumori cleaned his articles of clothing for the day, he noted that he would have to repair the burn in his shirt or just replace it. He continued thinking about how he could progress more as a shinobi, and again weighed the pros and cons of training with a higher rank. He was still young and ignorant to a lot of the ways that Iwagakure worked. As much as he despises the village, he would be stuck here for a long time. He might as well utilize the tools the village could afford him. He would continue pondering this as he retrieved some dinner and nourished himself.

After eating, Kumori returned to his living quarters and laid down. The sun hasn’t quite set, and he considered getting in a workout before bed. As he lay there, he went over his arsenal of abilities. He still needed to expand upon his use of the Flames of Hatred fighting style, for that he could work with a higher ranking Fukusha. This brought him memories of his childhood, his father pushing him twice as hard as the others. He had been the designated instructor in the style, but with him being dead, Kumori would have to settle for someone else’s instruction. Kumori missed his dad. And his mother. But he couldn’t dwell on these feelings any longer, even if the scene of their murders replayed in his dreams very often. These thoughts only held him back and stunted his growth. He was still young, and eventually would have to process these feelings if he ever truly wanted to move on. He just wasn’t ready yet.

Beyond the Fukusha’s exclusive fighting style, Kumori needed to expand upon his Ninjutsu. These were his favorite to use, as they were so versatile. He was particularly lacking in the Genjutsu department. He believed they could be extremely useful, but he had yet to find the need for them. He decided he would start where he was most comfortable, expanding upon the Fukusha techniques. With his clan’s affinity for Katon, he could even work on his fire ninjutsu with them. Once he felt he had nothing more to learn from within the compound, he would have to swallow his pride and venture out into the village. He was not quite as enthusiastic about this, but he would do anything to improve. He would never watch from the sidelines ever again, helpless in the face of serious danger. One day, he would come to terms with his past. But not today.

5,070 Word Control Training. [+5]

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Ree
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Joined: Sun Sep 29, 2019 11:57 am

Coping Mechanism [Lonely Training]

Post by Ree » Fri Jul 03, 2020 5:43 pm

In the midst of a strange dream, Fukusha Kumori suddenly jolted awake at the sudden rapping on his door. It wasn’t quite pounding, so it must not have been particularly urgent, but still, the fact he was being awoken and it was still dark outside must have meant something. Rubbing his eyes whilst still prone in his bed, he sat up quickly and swung his legs off the side of his bed. Standing up straight, he approached his wooden door and slid it open. Before him was a single one of his clansmen, a Special Jounin, who looked almost as tired as Kumori himself felt. Kumori, being the strong silent type that he was, stood plainly staring at his fellow Fukusha, uttering not a word. The special Jounin stood upright, appearing as groggy as humanely possibly, returning the glare. They had a brief staring contest before the higher ranking shinobi broke the silence, embracing his place in the hierarchy, as much as it appeared he did not want to.

“Get ready. You have a mission”

Instantly scowling, Kumori challenged his superior. “Says who?” The young Fukusha retorted, holding his glare. The elder Fukusha scoffed and rolled his eyes, returning the energy Kumori was exerting. “Kazuo. Now get ready. I won’t tell you again.” After this exchange, the Special Jounin grabbed the handle of Kumori’s door on his own, slamming it shut. The only sound now was the retreating footsteps leading away from the young Fukusha’s living quarters. Surely, this exchange had woken others housed close by in the same building as Kumori’s, as neither parties seemed enthusiastic about the situation, nor did either of them care for others slumber, as they both had been called upon in a similar manner, though the younger of the two was unaware and ignorant to this fact. In fact, he felt challenged in the slamming of his own door, but maybe that was his elder’s intention. As now, Kumori was wide awake and slightly fuming. Closing his eyes briefly, the boy huffed and suddenly sprung into full gear. Darting for his bathing area, he stripped himself of his night clothing aggressively, wondering what the clan leader possibly needed his services for before daybreak. Frustrated, as he was quite enjoying his sleep, having not had a night terror in several days now, he thought to himself that whatever he was needed for, it better be important. Not that Kumori would lash out if it was insignificant to him, but this would only further fuel the divide he felt within the closest group he had to him, being his clan. He knew it wasn’t true, but at times, it felt like he was the only one who recalled the initiation into Iwagakure. He wasn’t the only one who lost immediate family, but it seemed he was the only one who dwelled on it. He was working on not living in the past, but sometimes it simply overwhelmed him.

After bathing rather hastily, Kumori dressed in his normal attire, consisting of his all black outfit. Standing in the mirror for a moment, taking himself in, his eyes caught the Fukusha emblem hanging from his neck. He eyed it momentarily, then grabbed his weapon pouches and attached them to his belt. Sometimes it disturbed him that he carried so many explosive tags, as that was the weapon in which his mother met her demise. Dismissing the thought, he hurried to his door, opening it with authority, but returning it to it’s closed state rather quietly. Though he had disregarded others in the moment, he did indeed respect his fellow Fukusha’s peace and quiet. With this, he made his way out of the building, and towards the main building of the compound. It wasn’t much earlier than he normally woke up, but the fact it wasn’t on his terms bothered him. Still, he brushed his immature and entitled feelings aside, and entered the main hall that the clan’s meetings took place in. Inside, there was only Kumori, Kazuo, and the special Jounin who had retrieved Kumori. He had a look on his face that signalled Kumori had taken too long, but the younger Fukusha disregarded it and approached his clan’s leader.

Kumori eyed his uncle. It had been awhile since they had spoken one on one, and though this wasn’t exactly that, it was as up close and personal as he could expect given how busy his uncle was. He was grateful for his uncle Kazuo, he had been there for all the important events of Kumori’s life, even before his parents were killed. Still, a childish resentment festered deep down inside him, one that told Kumori it should have been Kazuo murdered before the clan and not his own father. This was a sentiment he could never share with anybody, ever, and one he often neglected. Nevertheless, it was there, in the deepest crevice of his being. Contemplating how to engage the conversation, Kumori decided he should simply wait for his uncle’s instruction, as it was surely to come regardless of how the briefing began. Instead of speaking, Kumori opted for a bow as a sign of respect, and upon standing, awaited this mission he had been woken up for.

“Kumori...I trust you’ve been well?” His uncle broke the ice, eyeing Kumori as he had eyed him. It appeared the leader and the bottom of the totem pole were sizing each other up. “As well as I can.” Kumori responded nonchalantly, as numb as empty as he usually was. This was followed by a few moments of direct eye contact, as Kumori ignored the icy glare of the other Fukusha that was present. Kazuo was sitting at a large table, the special Jounin beside him. Shuffling with some papers, he gave Kumori a false hope that this was indeed important, if not to the clan itself, to the village of Iwagakure. After a few more moments of silence, the clan head spoke. “Very well. We have been selected for an extermination detail. It has been requested that I send a team of our blood to deal with some giant boar that have congregated at the entrance of the village, just beyond the wall.” Kumori’s blood boiled. That’s what this was about? He had heard tales of the giant boar that continuously caused problems both beyond and within Iwagakure’s borders. If the Fukusha were to send a team, why was Kumori the only one awoken and summoned to the meeting hall? And why had he been selected at all? All questions that raced through his mind, though none of which he would argue as he kept his composure. A few more moments of silence passed, the Fukusha exchanging stares, Kazuo was the first to speak. “I trust you can handle this. You are one of our brightest, and I’d like to make a statement by sending a single one of ours instead of a team, as others who have been selected to deal with this issue in the past. If you’re ready, head out. There have been reports of as many as 6 giant boar, and as few as 3. I trust you can handle this?”

The special Jounin at Kazuo’s side smirked, obviously entertained as he had not been briefed on the details before this either. Kumori continued to ignore his fellow clan member, and instead kept his eyes locked with Kazuo’s. He paused before bowing again, and met Kazuo’s gaze once more. “Of course, uncle. It will be handled.” With this, Kumori turned, and as his face was hidden from the other’s view, he gritted his teeth. Part of him was appreciative of the fact that Kazuo felt he could handle this on his own, but on the other hand, he was quite annoyed that he was solely awakened to handle a simple pest issue. Kumori knew this was no simple pest problem, as killing some rodents might have been, but still, he felt as though the nature of the ‘mission’ was on the same grounds. Still, he buckled down and exited the meeting hall, making his way towards the entrance of the Fukusha compound. As he reached the gates, he turned, looking at his family’s housing division. At this point, some of the elder Fukusha had risen and were beginning their day, scurrying around outside. Taking a deep breath, Kumori shook his head and turned back to exit the compound. Located in the easternmost area of the southern district of Iwa, Kumori had quite the hike to the large wall that guarded the entrance to the great village. Honestly, he had mixed emotions about this entire thing, but regardless of how he felt, he would carry out what was asked of him without question. It still was a mystery to him whether or not his clansmen could sense his content, although he felt he did a good job of hiding it and feigning pride and gratitude. The gratitude for his clan was only partially false, as he truly was thankful they had taken care of him the best that could be expected for an orphan. Still, he continued to bury his feelings deep down and perform as a model shinobi.

Making his way through the village, Kumori stopped and grabbed a quick snack to fuel his body before reaching the wall. He felt as though there was little mental preparation to be done. How smart could some oversized swine be? He did, however, stretch, as he made his final strides up to the heavily guarded wall that acted as the entrance to his home. Though he could have made his way out through the western, eastern, or southern parts of the wall, he knew the north was the most common point of traffic. He had only been to the wall on a few occasions, this one marking yet another. For something he deemed so insignificant, the wall seemed to be a dose of reality. The mile thick wall was no small construct, and not one to take lightly. Being sent here, he knew the guards must have had some prior notice, as he would never approach it at random. As he made his way to the ginormous barrier, he stopped a dozen meters before it and waited for someone to approach him, or the exit to simply be revealed. Sure enough, after a few moments, an obviously high ranking shinobi approached him and asked what his business there was. This annoyed Kumori, but then again, he remembered that they may have been expecting several of the Fukusha, and not one measly Genin. After briefly explaining his reason for approaching, the high ranking ninja pondered for a moment before smirking. “Just you, eh? They must have some confidence in you, boy. He chuckled, garnering no external reaction from Kumori, though inside, he was fuming. What exactly was going on? Were these overgrown pigs that much of a nuisance? If so, clearly someone of a higher rank would have been sent to dispatch them. Either way, Kumori would not let his thoughts affect his demeanor. Simply shrugging, he awaited further instruction. After giving some sort of signal, the huge wall opened a bit, and some wagons that had been loitering around began moving toward it. Assuming these were loaded with wares of the economy, some entered and some lined up to exit. There were also a few wagons that appeared wrecked; torn apart by something. Kumori could only assume this was the aftermath of the giant boars attacking the cargo carriers. The high ranking guard stopped one of wagons entering and informed the occupant he would be giving Kumori a ride to the entrance of the village to handle the issue before delivering his wares. The man commanding the wagon glanced at Kumori and went pale. Honestly, he would be concerned too if his fate might be in the hands of a child. Kumori was confident in himself though, and brushed off the concerned look he received. After being instructed to load up, he got into the wagon. “Good luck.”, the official said with a smirk. With that, the wagon entered the giant wall and began it’s mile long trek to the outskirts of the village.

After a totally silent ride through the wall, the wagon approached the opening. Stopping short of clearing the wall by about 30 meters, tha man told Kumori that this was his stop. Clearly, after making it past the boars and safely into the village, the man was in no hurry to return to the outside. Nonchalantly, Kumori hopped out of the wagon and bowed to the man before continuing the rest of the hike on foot. As he made his way from within the depths of the wall, the ground shook all around him as the massive wall came to a close. He was now all alone. He was positive that there were many eyes on him, and if he truly needed assistance, then someone would retrieve him. Still, he never really knew the true intentions of anyone that belonged to this militaristic village. Who was to say that if he failed his mission that they wouldn't see him simply as a weak link, and let him meet his demise by way of giant boar? Brushing off this thought, Kumori braced himself, removing a single kunai from his pouch. After doing so, he then retrieved one of the explosive notes he also carried, and fashioned it around the handle of his throwing knife. He couldn’t immediately see any of his targets, but they had to have been close as wrecked wagons had been dragged into the village not very long ago. Continuing to scan the terrain, Kumori struggled to focus as dust blew around the barren land.

Kumori looked around for several more moments before taking his first steps into the wilderness. It had been quite awhile since he had been outside of the village, and he had a sudden appreciation for the luxuries it afforded him. In a way, the Fukusha had truly been blessed by joining Iwagakure, no longer being left to their own devices, where so many had succumbed to the elements. They no longer lived like barbarians, and instead like actual citizens. After slowly walking about a quarter of a mile, Kumori did a full spin, scanning the area. From what he could tell, there was still no sign of any of the giant boar. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t even sure how many he would be dealing with. He had never even encountered one up close and personal, only heard tales and observed them from a great distance. Maybe he was underestimating the beasts, but either way, he was sure he would find out sooner than later. After a few more moments of surveying his surroundings, he just about gave up and continued on further. Then, the ground rumbled beneath him. The wind kicked up, blowing dust about and obscuring his vision, but he sensed that he may be in harm’s way. Suddenly raising his kunai fitted with an explosive tag, he turned in the direction the vibrations felt the strongest. Through the dust, he bore witness to a massive silhouette, charging right at him. Rolling out of harm's way just in time, the first giant boar just about grazed him with one of its tusks. Quickly regaining his balance, he prepared himself for another gore attempt. The boar had turned back towards him, standing several meters away, seemingly sizing up the young Fukusha. The beast was fast, and clearly strong. Kumori realized he may have indeed underestimated the animal, about ten times his size. Even so, Kumori had consciousness on his side, and would have to choose his movements and strategy wisely. There must still be others out there, as many as 5 more. Why Kazuo sent him alone had suddenly baffled him.

Without warning, the giant boar hurtled at him again. Activating his Shogo zumi, Kumori gained a boost in his speed and reaction time. Being more prepared this time, he side stepped perfectly, though the boar didn’t follow through with its charge. This time, it stopped on a dime and turned to face Kumori, up close and personal. Still wielding his kunai, he had to think fast. His Fukusha taught Taijutsu would be useless against such a grotesque creature, so he had to rely on his wit, Ninjutsu, and bare hands. Again, the wild boar charged Kumori, this time from a much shorter distance. Attempting to jump, he was a split second too late. Almost clearing the animal, the boar’s tusk nicked the bottom of Kumori’s foot, causing him to do a flip in the air as it followed through with it’s attack. Being propelled in the air against his will and with much more momentum, Kumori tried to position himself so that he could land on his feet, but the impact and rotation were much more than anticipated. Losing his footing almost as soon as he made contact with the ground, Kumori stumbled and realized the size advantage would prove to be quite the challenge. He had to think, and fast.

Again, the boar came at the young Fukusha at full speed with it’s head down, attempting to spear him and end his life. Side stepping yet again, Kumori was prepared for the instant turn and counter attack this time. As the boar turned, Kumori launched himself into the air and did a 180 degree turn, landing on top of the boar this time. Flailing with his free hand at something to grab hold of, Kumori grasped one of the boar's disgusting ears. He wasn’t confident that one explosive tag would be enough to topple this beast, so he prepared for his assault. Plunging the explosive fitted kunai as deep into the boar’s neck hide as he could manage, he used his now free hand to dig into his pouch as the furious animal tried to shake Kumori off of it. He figured one more explosive note would do the trick, but as he was being shaken around, he fumbled the single tag and instead retrieved two more. Deciding that overkill was better than no executing at all, he plastered the two explosive notes to the boar’s skull and attempted to gain some footing. Standing on the back of the massive beast, Kumori stumbled before performing a backflip off of the boar. Realizing it had freed itself of the boy, the boar stopped 7 meters away and huffed, sizing him up again. Just as the boar began charging for the countless time, Kumori performed a kai and detonated all three of the explosive tags attached to the boar’s head. In an instant, there was a concussive force strong enough to separate the animal’s head from its body, all but disintegrating it. The premature momentum the boar had garnered caused the massive body to propel forward slightly before toppling. What was left of its head was a gooey mess, and the smell was anything but pleasant. One down, who knew how many more to go.

Having no time to celebrate, the ground continued shaking even after the concussion had ceased. Kumori’s ears were ringing, but off vibration alone, he could tell from the intensity of the shaking that there could possibly be more than one boar closing in down. As his senses returned to him, he spun around, trying to spot where they were coming from before it was too late to move. It seemed they were coming from the opposite direction of the slain boar, with Kumori directly in their way, with little to no time to get out of dodge. To his surprise, they didn’t gore him, even though they clearly had the chance. It seemed they were running to check on the fallen boar, however, this would prove to be wrong. Kumori’s face contorted with disgust at the sight before him as the two new boars began to engorge upon the goo of what was left of the first boar that had been defeated. Kumori was gagging at this point, but realized he needed to act while they were distracted. After all, these could be the last two boars, or the three before him were only half of them. ‘Great intel, Kazuo’ Kumori thought as he quickly contemplated his next attack. He was sure that the guards in the watchtowers were fixed on him, as Genin were almost never allowed outside village borders alone. The young Fukusha was still unaware of why he was sent alone, was this some sort of test or something different? He had no time to reflect, however, as it appeared that the boars were almost done feeding. Quickly, Kumori strung some hand seals together and created the katon clone known as the Flame Shadow. Now, with two of him, he had a better chance at maintaining an even battleground, though he alone full power struggled with the first boar. Now, he would strike first. Retrieving a kunai and wrapping two explosive notes around the handle, he tossed it to his flame shadow and commanded it to attack the boar closest to it. As the clone sprinted at one of the boars with the kunai in hand, Kumori pulled out four shuriken, two in each hand, and hurled them at the other boar. He knew the shuriken would not deal significant damage, but he had a plan. The shuriken lodged themselves into the boar’s body just as his katon clone closed in on the other one. As the boar with the shuriken now stuck in its side made a squealing kind of roar, the boar next to it looked up from it’s cannibalistic meal, just in time to be met by the katon clone. The clone dove at the boar, using both hands, and planted the explosive equipped kunai firm in the neck of the beast. Kumori immediately kai’d, detonating the kunai and bringing the boar to a similar fate as the first, though sacrificing his clone in the process. The explosion wasn’t nearly as detrimental to himself, but it certainly startled the remaining boar, who now charged through the dust head on at Kumori. As fast as he possibly could, he strung together a few hand seals and created a wall made of chakra. This most likely would not withstand the boar’s entire attack, but it would create a good enough cushion for Kumori to counter.

As the boar plowed into the wall of chakra created by the young Fukusha, he had begun channeling chakra into his right fist. With his free hand, he had retrieved a kunai and placed it in his mouth. The boar shattered the chakra wall, though with considerably less momentum, and upon impact, Kumori punched the boar directly in it’s disgusting snout as hard as he could, releasing a concussive force as well. This didn’t move the large beast, but did however stop it dead in its tracks. With the kunai held by his teeth, Kumori weaved a few more hand seals, as he felt his chakra levels quickly depleting now. If there were indeed three more beasts, he would be in significant trouble. Before completing his katon jutsu, Kumori removed the kunai from his mouth and equipped it with yet another explosive tag, holding it in his right hand now in preparation to throw it. The boar was momentarily stunned, only about 4 meters from Kumori now, and began to move forward again. Exhaling a jet of flames directed right at the boar, Kumori lobbed the kunai above the stream of fire so that it would land in the largest part of the cone. As soon as it touched the flames, it detonated, and though Kumori could not see the boar through the fire just yet, he was positive he had thoroughly cooked it. As the flames cleared, Kumori had proven to be correct, this being the most grotesque of the defeated boars yet. Still highly alert, Kumori felt his Shogo zumi deactivate and a considerable strain was placed on him.

Breathing heavily from the strain of his Doujutsu and his depleting chakra levels, Kumori retrieved yet another kunai and braced himself. It seemed the boar were drawn to their own cooked flesh, and with two more victims, he was sure the others would be moments away. As he had not strayed too far from the Iwagakure wall, he slowly paced backwards with his kunai at the ready. He did not want to waste anymore explosive tags, as he only had four left. He had little chakra left, and was still trying to get his wind back. He hadn’t physically exerted himself too much, but with his Doujutsu usage and multiple Ninjutsu having been used, he was feeling the side effects. Continuing his backwards walk back towards the wall, he stayed on the lookout. There was a chance that he had slain all of the problematic, wild, giant boar, but he couldn’t be too cautious. They had given him a vague estimate, and if he slipped up now with his energy levels low, he could easily be killed. Knowing that there were high ranking eyes on him, he continued his pace backwards. Kumori did not want to show cowardice, but he was indeed tired. The more he was challenged, the more he realized he had a long way to go in becoming a powerful, proficient, and self sufficient shinobi. Almost to the wall, about 20 meters away, Kumori paused and raised his kunai in attack position. He could’ve sworn he felt something, but he wasn’t sure. Better safe than sorry. As he scoped out the terrain, he was prepared. Tired, but prepared. He felt the rumble and saw one last boar come out over the horizon, going full speed at the pile of boar corpses.

Kumori was exhausted at this point, but he could show no weakness, nor could he quit when there was still work to be done. Using the energy that he did have left would be exerted here, as he sprinted forward, channeling the kunai was Katon chakra. The boar didn’t even seem to notice him, consuming the remains of the dead boar. Kumori charged straight at, prepared to sever its head. He wasn’t sure if he could do it all in one strike, but he would give it his all. The boar’s head was lowered to the ground, and Kumori cocked his arm back just as he reached it. With all his might, he swung his arm around and used the flaming kunai to cut into the neck of the boar. He did cut all the way through, but not deep enough to sever the head entirely. The boar bucked, but Kumori turned and wrapped his free arm around the neck. The boar was critically injured, but not quite dead. Struggling Kumori stabbed the kunai into the underside of the boar neck several times until he felt the heat of the kunai nearly puncture his own arm. Letting go, the head of the boar dropped to the ground before the body even did.

Breathing heavily, Kumori dropped the kunai and began walking back to the gate. He had nothing left in his tank, and didn’t really care if there was a possibility of two more boar lurking. He had killed four of them, on his own. If Kazuo had sent a small team as he was supposed to, this would have been handled a lot quicker. Kumori saw some carrion already circling high in the sky, and exited the scene to let nature take its course.

As he approached the Great Wall, it began to open before he fully reached it. Kumori dragged his body through the mile long entrance back into the village, using all his willpower not to drop from exhaustion. He took the ride he was given for granted, as his whole body ached. Eventually, he came out on the other side and the wall would come to a close again. The same Shinobi who had found it amusing that Kumori was sent by himself reappeared, actually showing Kumori respect. “You handled that very well. We only anticipated three of them from our reports, sticking around for that fourth one took some guts. Good job kid.” Kumori stood silent, trying not to show how drained he was. He bowed before the Jounin, and turned to head back to the compound. There was still plenty of time left in the day, but Kumori knew he would waste it. He wanted to bathe. Cleanse himself of the smell of rotten boar flesh. He had blood all over him, and just wanted to sit down.

Making his way back to the compound belonging to the Fukusha, which was noticeably more active now, Kumori entered the meeting hall once again, looking for Kazuo. Indeed, Kazuo was in the same exact spot, though the room was a bite more crowded now. Some stopped talking as Kumori entered, the stench of the boat’s filling the chamber. Kazuo nodded his acknowledgement of Kumori. “I take it you handled the situation?” Kumori nodded, bowed, and left before anyone else spoke to him again.
He was still a bit annoyed, but he felt like he did as good as an inexperienced Genin could have.

Kumori entered his living space, discarded his clothing and sat down on the floor. It was a good workout after all, he pushed himself to the limit and came out on top. It was clear he had at least someone’s respect, but still he was frustrated with how the day played out. Shaking the negative thoughts out of his head, he rose after a few moments of meditation. He bathed for the second time for the day, and plopped down on his bed in his undergarments. Laying down, the young Fukusha drifted off to sleep, needing a nap to rest a little bit. When he awoke, the sun was setting, and he knew it was going to be a sleepless night after getting almost a full night of rest in the middle of the day. Kumori rose, and exited his room, in search of something to eat after a long day.

5,036 Word Strength and Speed Training [Strength+2] [Speed+3]

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Ree
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Coping Mechanism [Lonely Training]

Post by Ree » Mon Sep 28, 2020 3:29 pm

Sitting across from his uncle in the meeting hall within the compound, Fukusha Kumori stared at his father’s brother, and the current clan leader. Kazuo had raised Kumori almost as his own, though his own children clearly took precedent. Still, he did everything he could for the boy, who had grown resentful towards everything and almost everyone around him since his parents were killed. Joining Iwagakure was the best thing that could have happened to the clan, living a bare bones lifestyle had taken quite a toll on them. He knew Kumori hid these feelings the best he could, and it worked on most people, but he knew the boy. He didn’t like to discuss his father or much of his childhood, and Kazuo knew this was unhealthy. A lot of the clan had grown to accept their circumstances and appreciate their new life, though tensions between the Fukusha and others residing in the village were still somewhat present. After completing his assignment of exterminating some giant boars, Kazuo decided he needed to pay a bit closer attention to Kumori. He had always shown promise, but he was truly beginning to hone his skills as a shinobi, but there was only so much the boy could do on his own. He participated when mandatory, but he spent most of his time training alone. The Fukusha leader was not quite sure what to do for the boy, but the only thing that seemed to spark an interest in him was training. He felt as though if Kumori could process some of his deep rooted trauma, he would reach new levels of potential and become an extremely valuable asset to not only the clan, but the village as well. That is why he had summoned him, and him only, to the clan’s meeting chamber a few days after his assignment. He believed it was time that he had a real in depth talk with his nephew and really see where his mind was at. Aware that Kumori reacted to things differently in the presence of others, it was best to have a one on one, face to face conversation so the two had to focus on each other. Debating on whether or not to beat around the bush or cut straight to the chase, Kazuo and Kumori eyed each other, waiting for the other to begin the conversation.

Kumori was unaware of why his uncle had been keeping him closer lately, though he had an idea. He left him alone for the most part, allowing him to do his own thing. Kumori was beginning to branch out and open his mind more to achieve his aspirations as a shinobi. His training was the only thing that ever truly occupied his mind significantly enough to distract him from his rampant thoughts. He wasn’t sure if that was exactly what this sudden meeting was about, but unless it was a simple review of Kumori’s assignment, that was the only thing that was crossing his mind. Kumori didn’t bother anybody, and did not like being bothered. He was a growing boy, becoming more mature and level headed as he aged. Still, the young Fukusha had a lot of demons, and didn’t allocate much time to confronting them. Usually a victim of night terrors and flashbacks of that fateful day, he had been doing well with sleeping through the night and having more peaceful thoughts. As he was the one who was summoned to the meeting chambers for the second time that week, he was by no means going to start the conversation. Him and his uncle had been watching each other intently for a few minutes now, neither of them so much as shifting in their seats. There was a simple desk in between them, with various papers containing information that Kazuo was probably reading. He acted as the liaison between the clan and the village, and thus, was often pretty busy. It seemed the Fukusha had more to prove of their loyalties than some of the older clans in the village, though this was a given. They were the newest clan, and their journey to becoming a part of Iwagakure was a bloody one.

Still staring at each other as more minutes passed, Kumori was obviously not going to give in. With this, Kazuo shifted his posture and cleared his throat. The leader of the Fukusha knew Kumori better than anyone in the world, and thus decided not to waste his time and risk upsetting him by beating around the bush. “You miss them, don’t you?” Kazuo asked, already noticing Kumori instantly trying to suppress his feelings on the surface. Kumori’s entire body heated up at the mention of this. It had been so long since he spoke about his parents out loud to anyone, and he was definitely not prepared for that bomb to be dropped on him in the first sentence. He was trying not to react based on pure emotion, this was something he had been working on for a few months now. Gulping, Kumori carefully thought about what to say. He did not want to dismiss his clan head’s question with disrespect, because it was clear he had good intentions and cared for Kumori. After all, he had cleared the room and called him in specifically. He decided to entertain his uncle, and just go with the flow of the conversation, as he wasn’t exactly sure where it was going. “You know I do.” Kumori responded flatly, not saying any more or less than he needed to. He didn’t like to talk about these things, as he felt helpless. That was part of the reason he had worked so hard on becoming stronger, to never be in a position like that again. Kazuo nodded, and let the response hang in the air for a moment before continuing. “Those are healthy feelings, nephew. I miss them too. Your father is a hero.” This made Kumori feel impatient. That was not what he wanted to hear. His father, Kazuki, sacrificed himself so that the clan could live on. In reality, it should have been Kazuo being executed before them, but then again, if their leader perished, they would have fought until they were extinct. Kumori knew his dad was a hero, but still, seeing both of your parents murdered back to back is bound to take a toll on anyone. The young Fukusha said nothing in response, prompting another shift in posture from Kazuo.

“It’s okay to feel the things you feel, Kumori. But we are a family, and we will continue to progress together. It’s understandable that you might have some resentments towards the village, and even some of us, but we are all human and trying to do what’s best. This is our home now, they’ve accepted us and gave us our own chunk of space. Our ties grow stronger everyday. I apologize if you feel alone, but you surely are not. What you’re feeling, this deep hatred, it is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to perish painfully.” Kumori appreciated what his uncle was saying. The boy was hard headed, and though he didn’t show emotion on the surface, he was hanging on to every word. He was grateful that his uncle was taking the time out of his busy schedule to have a simple talk with nephew, and understood he was just trying to improve his own mental health. Kumori nodded, but said nothing.

“I want you to take on a more active role, not just in the clan, but in the village. I notice you venturing out of the compound more and more. I also notice you haven’t been making much progress with the Flames of Hate. If you let me, I’d like to help you in any way that I can.” Kumori was listening, all ears, as this was exactly what he was looking for. He understood that he had taught himself just about all he had with limited knowledge. He had not been seeking training in the Fukusha style, as his dad was the one who taught him everything he knew, Kumori had simply improved and expanded upon it. He waited for further explanation, curious if his uncle had anything specific in mind. Kazuo continued his speech, addressing the boy further. “I would like you to attend meetings once a week, and train with others at least twice a week. Once within the compound, once within the village.” Kumori soaked everything in, understanding his uncle was just trying to help. At first, he didn’t care for the idea, but the more he had on his itinerary throughout the week, the less he would sit in his own mind. It seemed Kazuo wanted to achieve something else though, wanting him to confront his feelings, and maybe have a change of heart the more he interacted with others, both within the compound and the village. Kazuo was waiting for some kind of response, good or bad, he wasn’t sure what to anticipate. It didn’t truly feel as though he had a choice, but Kumori’s stoic expression still seemed to show he was weighing his options, along with the pros and cons of the request.

After pondering for a few moments, the young Fukusha orphan felt as though he reached a decision. Kazuo would shift yet again, this time appearing to loosen up and relax a little. This was going slightly better than the clan’s head expected, though he was still curious to see the reaction from Kumori, if there even would be one. Kumori tilted his head and eyed his uncle. “Okay. Is that all?” Kumori was having mixed feelings. Of course he felt gratitude, but his hunger for power and strength was always battling his depression and hatred. He knew if he was to grow that he would need to take up a more active role in confronting his emotions. Kazuo sighed and looked at the boy. “They would be proud of you Kumori. We’re all proud of you. Please allow us to help you.” Kumori looked down to the floor, before looking back up at his uncle. His feeling of unease was morphing into a strange sense of belonging and optimism, things Kumori had not quite felt since being a young child. He listened as his uncle went over the schedule he would like the boy to follow, which really wasn’t asking for much. A day of training within the compound with his peers and superiors, the weekly clan meeting, and a day of mixed training with his fellow Fukusha clansmen and other Iwagakure Shinobi, which would take place within the village itself. Maybe this would prove to be what Kumori needed, as he knew he needed direction but would seldom seek it on his own. Kazuo went on to explain his expectations of Kumori, and how he wanted him to one day hold a more prestigious place within the clan. He explained the qualities that others could learn from the boy, and what the boy needed to learn from others if he was to advance as a Shinobi. After a few more minutes of meaningful conversation, the clan leader informed Kumori that his training would begin today. Within the compound, with his fellow clan members.

“In our training quarters, there is one of our Jounin clansmen who has been training with two of your fellow Genin. I want you to join them today. They should be beginning shortly.” Kumori nodded, stood, and bowed before his uncle Kazuo. As he headed for the exit of the meeting room, Kazuo called. “Oh and Kumori...when you inevitably progress, I have something special to show you.” Kumori glanced over his shoulder, but rolled his eyes. He wasn’t a dog or a child. He didn’t need some reward for doing what he was supposed to do. Still, he appreciated the effort immensely.

As Kumori had not been planning on training today, he made his way back to his own living quarters to change into more comfortable clothing for the task at hand. After switching into his training outfit, he exited the building he was housed in, and allowed his gait to lead him towards the training vicinity. Sure enough, there were a couple small groups already having started their training regimen. One Jounin had been leading a stretching routine for three genin, though they now seemed to be practicing Ninjutsu. Kumori watched on as one of the Genin’s body became wrapped in lightning, performing a Raiton technique. The other Jounin present was simply talking to the two genin in front of him. This must’ve been the group Kazuo was referring to. As Kumori approached the training grounds, his peers had their back to him, and his superior was facing them, though deep in conversation with the Genin. As he neared, the Jounin took notice of him and flagged him down, causing the two Genin to turn to see who he was gesturing to. Slowly walking up to them, Kumori was neither timid nor enthusiastic. He was indifferent about the entire thing. He was trying to keep an open mind, but he had no idea what to expect. This would either be very helpful for him, or simply a waste of time. “Kumori! I was wondering when you would join us.” The Jounin said, addressing him. The Genin looked concerned. One of them looked as though he had seen a ghost, the other Genin was a female, who looked unimpressed by Kumori’s presence. Kumori simply bowed to the three of them and stood, waiting for instruction or some sort of task.

“I was just telling Kazura and Taka that today’s training will consist of two challenges. One of these challenges will test your individual skill set, so I can assess your strengths and guide you on how to expand upon them. Also, I will poke holes in your skills, and figure out how I can best help you individually.” Kumori’s face remained complacent and unnerved, as this seemed very basic. He guessed that a second opinion could prove to be helpful, pointing him in the correct direction needed for improvement. “The second task will test your ability to work with others to achieve a common goal. As shinobi, your team work is just as, if not more important than your individual skills.” Kumori heard the girl, Fukusha Kazura, scoff. The boy, Fukusha Taka, seemed very timid. The boy and girl were complete opposites, Kumori falling somewhere in the middle. Both annoyed him already. Taka came off as weak, child-like. Kazura seemed way too full of herself, she seemed to believe she was invincible. Their Jounin instructor ignored both of their reactions, and seemed to focus on Kumori. He must have already worked with the Genin before, and Kumori drew his curiosity. “Okay then, let’s begin. A free for all.” With this, the Jounin lept backwards and slightly away from the training ground. He gave no rules, no expectations, just said free for all. Kumori wasn’t particularly worried, but Taka spun around quickly with a look of paranoia across his face. Kazura turned to face Kumori, a cocky smirk across her lips. At a moment’s notice, the only female in the group spun on her back leg, removing a kunai from her hip pouch and planting a spinning kick in Taka’s stomach. It was all one fluid motion, and as Taka had the wind knocked out of him, he fell onto his bottom, and Kazura pounced at Kumori. He respected the tenacity and the fact she was ready instantly, but he didn’t like bullies. It was odd that the Jounin would have them attack each other, and then have to work together to complete a task, but there was surely a reason for it. As she lunged at Kumori, he noticed that the girl’s eyes were that of the active Shogo-zumi. Kumori’s doujutsu was not yet active, so he could not react as fast as he would have liked. Still, his guard was always up, and he attempted to parry the kunai she swung at his face. Rolling with her attack, Kumori pushed off backwards. He felt the kunai graze the tip of his nose, as he had not moved quick enough. Still, Kazura had pounced, and her feet were leaving the ground as she threw all of her body weight into her initial attack.

Once the full motion of the kunai slice had been reached, Kumori took advantage of the fact the girl was off balance. Her body was still moving forward, whilst the motion of her arm had thrown off her center of balance. Kumori, falling backwards, reached out with both arms and grabbed the female Fukusha by her throat, putting her in somewhat of a clinch. With her energy pushing them, he allowed his body to fall toward the ground, pulling her head with him. The two rolled, and Kumori was now positioned on top of Kazura, straddling her while she was prone on her back. She didn’t skip a beat, already fighting back before their position was cemented. Her arm flailed, and Kumori jerked his head to the side to avoid the kunai blade. As he jerked his head, Kazura rolled, forcing him off of her as she scrambled to her feet. Kumori was sitting in a similar position as Taka had been forced to, and he could tell this girl had a killer instinct. Kumori liked that, he possessed that very same instinct. Then again, all the Fukusha did. What Kumori didn’t like was the girl’s attitude, and he would adjust it for her. Activating his own Shogo-zumi, Kumori quickly retrieved a kunai of his own, still sitting on the ground. Kazura would lunge at him again. The metal of their kunai meeting, Kumori was forced to lay down under all of the girl’s body weight. Thinking quickly, he pulled his knees into his chest and extended them quickly. Planting both feet into the girls breasts, he forced her to her feet and stumbling backwards. Trying to match her pace, Kumori quickly regained his footing and began to charge her. Suddenly, Taka appeared on her back, seemingly trying to put her in some sort of choke hold. Kumori was disgusted by both of them, and would prove he did not need to compete with them.

Rushing forward, Kazura was trying to shake Taka off of her back. Kumori channeled chakra into his fist, planning on taking both of them out. He didn’t think teaming up against equally ranked opponents was honorable, nor did he feel either of them were worthy adversaries separately. He decided he would fight them both at the same time. With Kazura distracted, as Taka had just about locked in his choke hold, Kumori just reached them and planted a firm punch, loaded with a chakra burst, right into Kazura’s solar plexus. The concussive force of an explosive tag would be released from Kumori’s fist. He didn’t want to take advantage of an immobilized Kazura, so he planned an attack that would hurt both of his opponents. Kazura would feel the most from it, but she earned that. The burst of chakra would send both of the Genin flying, Taka still attached to her back like a leech. The two were pushed backwards, airborne for a second before they both tumbled across the ground. Kazura was the first to recover, stumbling to her feet, while Taka laid there still, not moving. Kumori had fit two explosive tags on to two kunai. It then dawned upon him how limited his arsenal really was, as he seemed to resort to this strategy a lot. Still, he had no time to think. He threw one of the explosive kunai right in between where Kazura stood and Taka lay. He then placed the other kunai in his teeth and began weaving hand seals and channeling Katon chakra. Just as Kumori kai’d the explosive note attached to the kunai, Kazura came to her senses and realized the danger, tumbling away from the kunai. Taka was not as lucky, which was alarming considering he had a human shield in between him and Kumori’s attack. Stirring just as the kunai detonated, Taka was sent skitting across the training ground in the opposite direction that Kazura had rolled. The explosion propelled her movement, but she would suffer from minor burns. Rolling to her feet, she set her eyes upon her assailant. She had a detached look in her purple eyes, showing no thought. She was acting on instinct and instinct alone.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kumori could see Taka struggling to rise to his feet. He knew that Kazura would attack, and that would be interesting, still, Kumori wanted to show that he could handle both of them. Turning suddenly and ignoring Kazura, Kumori rushed towards the more sluggish, cowardly Fukusha. He did not need to look over his shoulder to sense that Kazura was hot on his trail. “Don’t you run from me!” She called out in an infuriated tone. Kumori was faster than her, but not by much. As Taka realized the situation playing out, he withdrew a katana from a scabbard slung across his back, quickly trying to get into form. Kumori retrieved the explosive tagged kunai from his mouth before throwing it into the ground in between Taka’s feet. His eyes widened, and just as Kumori reached him, he dove to the side of him and somersaulted to his feet. Now side by side Taka, they were both looking at an extremely hostile Kazura. Taka was caught off guard, and tried to raise his blade to attack, but Kazura was much faster and stronger than him. She punched him square in the face and disarmed him, taking his katana for herself. As blood gushed out of his nose, she turned to Kumori. Suddenly the katana began glowing a hot red, and Kumori realized she had pumped the sword full of her own Katon chakra. Kumori decided to attack them both, releasing the Katon chakra he had channeled to his chest. Exhaling a small ball of flames, both of his adversaries instinctively side stepped. Once the fireball reached the kunai in the ground, it detonated again forcing distance between the three. When the dust cleared, two shadows were rushing forward at him. He knew Kazura was looking for a fight, but he hoped he had lit a fire under Taka and woke him up a bit. Quickly glancing at their Jounin instructor, he simply watched on indifferently.

Kazura appeared out of the dust first, katana in hand and a rage in her eyes. Taka emerged from the other side, Shogo-zumi exuding from his eyes. Finally, he had activated his own. It seemed they both were set on attacking Kumori now, exactly what he wanted. Taka was slower and somewhat of an enigma at this point, and he would have to keep tabs on him as he had an actual fight with Kazura, armed with the boy’s katana. The katana was still red hot, and Kumori knew it would slice through him like butter. Kazura reached him first, flailing the katana. She was clearly not trained with it, and Kumori decided to remove it from her possession. She swung two wild slices at him, as he parried both before positioning himself to grab the hilt of the blade. Kazura attempted to wrestle it out of his hands, but Kumori took advantage of both of her hands being on the hilt. Slipping one hand off, he thrust his elbow upward and elbowed her in the nose, causing her to release the blade. As she stumbled back, Taka had reached them and threw a punch at Kumori. Rotating as the blade was suspended in the air momentarily, Kumori dodged the punch. As he completed his 360, Kumori caught the katana and slammed the hilt into the side of Taka’s head. It was more flashy than effective, but now Kumori was armed and both his opponents were dazed.

This didn’t last long, as they both recovered. Kumori had stepped back and stood in the Flames of Hate style, wielding Taka’s katana. He was also not trained with katana’s, but he would make due. Kazura spit her own ball of flames at him, and Taka rushed forward with a kunai. Kumori was unable to dodge the fireball entirely, grazing his left side as he engaged Taka. The boy was clearly upset his weapon was taken from him so easily, and he was really showing effort now. He was decent with a weapon in his hand, but his physical attributes lacked. They fought with the blades, clanging several times before Kumori realized Kazura was attacking. Mixing parries with counter strikes, Kumori was effectively dodging the girl’s Taijutsu and keeping up with the boy’s little sword fight. The young Fukusha was beginning to impress even himself, though he was indeed beginning to fatigue. Even so, the other two seemed more winded than him, and had taken more damage. Still, he knew he needed to finish this fight sooner rather than later. After the countless counters between the three, Kumori had felt out their rhythm and quickly formed a final attack. As the two boy’s blades met, they both attempted to exert their will on the other. Kazura tried to take advantage of Kumori being tied up, rushing at him. He had noticed her Shogo-zumi had become inactive. This made Kumori question his own chakra supply, making the situation feel even more dire. As Kazura closed the small gap between them, Kumori took a page from her book that started the fight. Spinning to his right and ending the stalemate between kunai and katana, Kumori planted a spinning kick to Kazura’s stomach. Kumori had channeled Katon chakra into the blade, and after planting the kick he used the cutting power to slice Taka’s kunai in half. Tossing the katana above him, Kumori slammed his palm into Taka’s nose, and spun on his back heel again. This time, he would cradle Taka’s head and perform the flying heel takedown of the Fukusha Taijutsu style. Taka was exhausted and effectively out of commission. As expected, Kazura was only slowed down a moment. Charging in again, she had taken up the Flames of Hate stance as well. The two young Fukusha trading blows, Kumori finally found an opening and performed the elbow tackle. Mounting Kazura, he put a kunai to her throat, breathing intensely.

With this, Kumori reigned victorious in the free for all. All three seemed tired, although Kumori won. Their Jounin instructor had seen enough, walking towards them with a slow applause. “Get off me!” Kazura demanded, and Kumori obliged. Standing up, he pocketed his kunai and turned to the Jounin. The superior shinobi locked eyes with Kumori for a moment, who’s Shogo-zumi deactivated. Then, he examined the other two Genin. Kazura was now on her feet, dusting off. Taka still lay on the ground, motionless, but still conscious. “Well that was ugly.” The Jounin said, seemingly criticizing all three of the Genin. He had observed intently, embracing the chaos. Kumori obviously was the most well rounded, but he still had large holes in his technique. He seemed to bite off more than he could chew, but still handled his own. Kazura was overly aggressive, seemingly overcompensating for something, perhaps that she was the only female. Taka was just rough all around. It took getting bullied for him to finally become aggressive. He had heart, but zero talent. This was all okay, as the Jounin, who had told Kumori his name was Fukusha Hebi, wanted to know exactly what he was dealing with. Taka slowly rose to his feet while groaning, and the Jounin instructed the three of them to gather around.

Kumori felt indifferent about it. He couldn’t dismantle his opponents in as smooth a manner as he would have preferred, but he got the job done. He felt he was clearly way ahead of these two. Hebi acquiesced, though silently. He seemed to be deep in thought, though eyeing each Genin individually. Without a word, he removed a small stack of white papers. These appeared as if they were blank explosive notes, and he handed each individual two of the blank pieces of paper. Kazura was first, to Hebi’s left. Kumori was in the middle, and Taka was to Hebi’s right, still breathing pretty heavily. He watched the three Genin fiddle with the papers for a moment before explaining. The more experienced Shinobi explained that these small sheets of parchment were chakra induction paper. With just a hint of chakra channeled through it, it reveals the affinity of one’s chakra nature transformations. Not everyone possessed more than one, but as it was natural for the Fukusha to have an affinity to Katon, Hebi explained that he wanted to see what differences the Genin had. In theory, knowing their different chakra attributes would show them the ways their different strengths could be combined to achieve a task. This would also point them in the right direction to harness their chakra more efficiently. Kazura announced that she would go first, boasting that she already knew her secondary affinity. The paper in her right hand turned to ash immediately, signaling the female Fukusha’s Katon affinity. After this, the paper in her left hand became damp. Kumori wasn’t entirely familiar with this process, but he could only assume this signaled a Suiton affinity. Kazura tossed the wet paper to the side and crossed her arms. She was a diva, and even worse, an aggressive one. Kumori was next. After seeing how the paper reacted to his fellow clanswoman, he was honestly excited. He hadn’t thought much about other affinities besides Katon, as that’s what the Fukusha specialized in. As he channeled the smallest amount of chakra into the paper in his right hand, it was burnt to an ash instantly. This was expected of course, and then he focused on the remaining paper in his left hand. As his chakra flowed into the paper, it crumpled. Noticing the puzzled look on Kumori’s face, Hebi simply nodded and said “Raiton.” So Kumori’s secondary affinity was that of the lightning release. Kumori was intrigued by this. Fascinated, he immediately began how he could expand his arsenal. He hardly paid attention to Taka, who’s first paper was incinerated and the second was sliced in half, signalling a Fuuton affinity.

Kumori seemed to be the only one of the three Genin who was unaware of his secondary nature transformation. He was lost in thought visualizing Raiton Ninjutsu, when Hebi announced the final challenge of the day. Kumori remembered him saying something about teamwork, and he was not thrilled to work with the other two Fukusha Genin he had just defeated. Awaiting instruction, the three Genin observed their superior. Kazura was anxious, obviously by the way she tapped her foot and still had her arms crossed. Hebi narrowed his eyes before retrieving another blank piece of paper from a pouch on his hip. Holding up his index finger, it began to glow with chakra. It appeared that he was inscribing some sort of Fuuinjutsu onto the paper, using his finger to scribble away for a few moments. Kumori was becoming more and more curious, as he was wondering how their chakra natures were relevant to the task. Taka stood in silence, apparently zoned out in his own world. After a few moments, Hebi turned the once blank note to face the Genin before him. There was some sort of three pronged seal written on it. The more he was thinking about chakra, Kumori suddenly felt the extent of his mortality. Even though he had fought two opponents, his chakra pool felt considerably low. Had he really exerted himself that much? Or was he simply growing and expanding his supply? He didn’t have much time to mull this over, as Hebi’s instruction began.

“This seal is chakra sensitive. It functions as a standard explosive note. I’ve modified it to detonate only when exposed to your three secondary chakra nature transformations. It doesn’t need to be simultaneous, but each of you will need to touch it with a Jutsu. Once all three of your chakra natures have passed through, it will detonate. And I will protect it.” With this, Hebi slapped the seal onto his own chest. He appeared extremely confident that they would not be able to hit him with three separate jutsu, and he may have been correct in this assumption. As he observed earlier, Kumori seemed to be the only one who was unaware of their secondary nature. This may be an issue, as they may have Jutsu of those affinities in their arsenal. Kumori, however, had no Raiton techniques at his disposal at this point in time. He wasn’t so much as embarrassed, but he felt no need to disclose this to anyone else. Although, anyone with basic observation skills could gather this from his reaction to the chakra induction paper crumpling in his fingers. Of course, Kazura was the first to utter a response. “That’s it? Hit you with a Jutsu? Psh” The girl began weaving hand seals immediately, taking no time to consult her teammates for the task. Before she even completed her hand seals, Hebi had detonated a smoke bomb, removing himself from the Genin’s view. Kumori extended his arm in front of Kazura, but before he could tell her to wait, she expelled a pressurized stream of water into the smoke. Not to anybody’s surprise, the jet of water blasted through the cloud of smoke, hitting nothing solid. At this point, the small training grounds that had another Genin cell had been cleared. By coincidence or intent, Kumori didn’t care. He somehow had to get these mediocre shinobi to work together.

“We need a plan.” Kumori announced, but before anyone could respond, Hebi emerged from the cloud of smoke at a frightening speed. Before any of the Genin could react, Hebi had grabbed Taka by the shoulders and slammed him into Kumori. The inertia transferred from Taka to Kumori, and Kumori to Kazura. The three Genin toppled to the ground, and Hebi tossed a flashbang into the pile, retreating before he fell victim to his own explosive. There was a deafening bang, coupled with a flash of bright light. Kumori struggled to his feet, unaware of direction with his senses overwhelmed. He felt a tuft of hair, but used it for leverage to gain his footing again. When his sight returned, him and Kazura were standing, and Taka was still struggling to his feet. Hebi was nowhere in immediate sight. Turning to Kazura, he lashed out. “You need to relax. You’re not as strong as you think you are.” Her face contorted, but before she responded Kumori turned and pulled Taka to his feet. “And YOU. You are not as weak as you think you are. Get it together man. We all need to work together.”

After his quick pep talk, Kumori formulated a strategy. With everyone aware of their roles, they began to spread out slightly when Hebi emerged again, this time from the Earth. Two arms reached up from the ground, grabbing at Kazura’s ankles. They were all caught off guard by the way Hebi attacked, and Kazura was pulled underground. All that was left above ground was her head, as Hebi went back underground. Kumori cursed under his breath, as he was unsure of how their plan would work now, or if Kazura would be able to escape the jutsu. “Taka, look out!” Kazura warned, as Hebi began to resurface near the other Fukusha Genin. Kumori began to sprint towards the two, but it seemed that Taka was already on the move. He had strung together some hand seals just as Hebi was emerging from the ground. As soon as Hebi reached for the timid Fukusha Genin, Fuuton chakra began swirling around the two. The Jounin had just grabbed a hold of the Genin’s vest when he buffeted by the wind Taka had stirred. Kumori had to act fast. It was amazing that Taka had been the first to land an attack on Hebi. Maybe he wasn’t so useless after all. Still, this did not stop his attack, even though one of the three chakra natures had been activated upon the tag on the Jounin’s chest. Hebi had emerged with authority, propelling himself out of the ground and grabbing Taka by the throat as these events transpired. Kumori rushed behind the Jounin, attempting to immobilize him. Kazura was struggling to remove herself from the Earth, but she had managed to free one of her arms. Hebi had thrown Taka backwards with incredible force, and two hands made of Doton grew from the ground, catching the Genin and holding him in a sort of vice grip. Just then, Kumori jumped on the Jounin’s back, attempting to put him in a sort of chokehold. “Kazura!” He called at the kunoichi who had now freed her other hand. They needed to act fast, because Hebi was shaking and would surely throw Kumori off of him any second now. Kazura took heed, weaving a quick string of hand seals before spitting a stream of water at Kumori and Hebi. The stream of Suiton formed into a sphere, trapping the Genin and Jounin in a prison of water. Kumori immediately began holding his breath. They did it, even if their plan did not go the way he wanted to execute it. Kumori was immobile, sure, but so was the Jounin. He had to think fast.

With no actual Raiton jutsu yet in his arsenal. He had to channel his chakra into the seal on Hebi’s chest, which had already been activated by both suiton and fuuton. Kumori was the only one left who needed to land a jutsu, though no one seemed aware of this. The young Fukusha, who had shown the most promise, could be the downfall of this team based task. Kumori was still on Hebi’s back. The Jounin still had some mobility, but was very restricted within the water prison. It appeared as though he was trying to form hand seals, but Kumori was restricting movement of his arms. Just then, it hit him.

Though Kumori’s chakra supply had been depleted quite a bit, he had rested a bit and was able to activate his Doujutsu yet again. When the young Fukusha was first walking up to the training grounds, he had witnessed a Genin in a different group perform a Raiton jutsu. Kumori suddenly began channeling Raiton chakra, as the Shogo-zumi recalled the jutsu he had witnessed. The Fukusha who had performed it seemed to be practicing a Raiton armor type of Jutsu, and Kumori used the clan’s Doujutsu to copy it. The boy’s body, submerged in the water prison, became enveloped by an aura of lightning. The suiton prison immediately conducted the raiton chakra, administering a powerful shock to both Kumori and Hebi. Both were being shocked by the Raiton, and the final part of the seal placed on the Jounin was activated. This left off a powerful explosion, detonating very shortly after the Raiton chakra was introduced to it. As soon as Kazura realized what was happening, she dismissed the water prison and she finished removing herself from the Earth. As the water lost it’s form and fell to the ground, the seal detonated with Kumori on Hebi’s back. The explosion was much more powerful than an average explosive note, releasing the different chakra natures that had been embedded in it. Kumori was forcibly separated from Hebi and sent flying through the air. His body went numb, and his ears were ringing as he flew through the air like a rag doll. After what felt like hours, Kumori’s body collided with the ground, and he lost consciousness. The last thing he remembered before he blacked out was the feeling of chakra leaving his ocular nerves as his Shogo-zumi was forcibly deactivated.

When the young Fukusha regained consciousness, he was in his own bed. He was sore, but not in an overwhelming amount of pain. The events of the day replayed in his head. Kumori was having trouble differentiating whether this was a dream or reality, though his aching body was a testament that what he recalled was very real. He had no way of knowing how long he had been out of it, but if he had to guess, it had been the rest of the day. It was now dark outside, and thus dark in his living quarters. He struggled to sit up, but he did. Sitting in his bed, the young Fukusha replayed everything that had happened in his head. He wondered if Hebi was as hurt as he had been. The more he thought about it, he came to the conclusion that the strain on his chakra reserves probably aided in putting him out of commission for the day. Still, the all completely different Genin who had been bumping heads, banded together and completed the task given to them by their Jounin instructor. Kumori imagined his chakra pool working as muscles did. The strain, the rebuilding. Perhaps the more energy he exerted, the more his body would become used to the depletion and increase the amount of chakra he could use. Still, it was dangerous to deplete it too much, as Kumori’s body was telling him he may have undergone a bit too much trauma than it could tolerate in a day's work. That seal Hebi created was something different, the force was unlike anything Kumori had personally witnessed.

As he replayed everything that had taken place, Kumori couldn’t get past how multi faceted Fuuinjutsu was. It was truly remarkable how many different effects could be produced from sealing away chakra. As he mulled it over, he decided he would contribute a substantial amount of his training regimen to learning Fuuinjutsu. Maybe with the task given to him by Kazuo, he could find someone to teach him the basics and how to expand upon the fundamentals he already had in place. The idea excited him. This seemed to be exactly what Kazuo wanted. Kumori had a vast amount of potential, he just needed a little help realizing it. He had backed himself into a wall. An extremely inexperienced Genin shinobi could only accomplish so much by themselves, and he would have to work to build relationships with others if he wanted to progress. Although at first he wasn’t too fond of the idea, the way the three Genin put their differences aside to accomplish a common goal was inspiring. He felt as though he owed the other Genin an apology. The young Fukusha surprised himself with how fast he thought on his feet. As he had never utilized a Raiton technique before, it was amazing he recalled one he had witnessed. It gave the boy a rush, an adrenaline high he knew he was going to chase. Kumori returned to a prone position in his bed, deciding it was time to let his body rest. As much as he held hatred in his heart, the deep resentment he felt softened a bit that day. Of course, he still had strong, negative feelings in his heart. But he was maturing, and realized he needed to bury those feelings deep inside if he wanted to build a life for himself.

Having drifted off into a deep sleep, the next time Kumori opened his eyes the sun was creeping into his room through a window. Again he sat up. His body had begun repairing the damage it had taken, evident by the aches he was experiencing. Forcing himself to his feet, Kumori made his way to the window, staring out at the Fukusha compound. Per usual, there were several shinobi already out and about. Some training, some eating breakfast outdoors, others simply conversing among themselves. Birds could be heard chirping, as it was just after dawn. The world was awake. As much time as Kumori had spent feeling sorry for himself, he knew the world would not pause and wait for him to catch up. As talented as the young Fukush may have been, raw talent is nothing if you don’t mold and shape it into something worthwhile. The boy needed to rest, as his chakra supply grew and replenished. He was struggling to come to terms with this, however. He got a taste of something he had never tasted before. He was hungry. He craved power and knowledge. It was up to him to seek it out and make use of these things. For the first time in a long time, as he peered out of his window at his fellow clansmen, a small smile crept across Kumori’s lips. He couldn’t remember the last time he had smiled, but he vowed that he would no longer let his personal resentments hold him back from being who he was destined to be. Everything happens for a reason, whether you come to terms with it or not is up to you. Kumori hadn’t quite come to terms with the circumstances, but he had made a significant stride. He felt hopeful, excited even. Sentiments he had gone years without feeling.

Kumori bathed, preparing himself for the day. Just because his body needed rest didn’t mean he had to sit in his room all day and isolate, as he had grown too accustomed to doing. After a very light physical work out, Kumori dressed and exited his living quarters. Inhaling the fresh air within the compound, it felt as though he had discovered a new meaning to life. Just yesterday he woke up feeling as he always did, lonely, and to an extent, helpless. Today was a new day. He would no longer block his own path. Kumori was going to ascend, and everyone would bear witness. His fellow Fukusha, hell, the entire village was going to witness a transformation. Kumori just had a feeling that his growth was going to be exponential. His shell had been cracked, and as he shed his old skin, he would evolve. Dressed in his everyday attire, Kumori wandered around the compound. There was no sign of any of the Fukush he had interacted with yesterday, but as he made his way to the training grounds, he found the team that had been training when he met Hebi, Taka, and Kazura. He knew he needed to rest, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t observe others and take notes. After all, he owed the success of his task to the Genin who was sparring on the training field. Had he not witnessed the Genin perform a Raiton technique, simply by happenstance, there was no telling how the mission would have turned out. It would have been quite a turn of events if the most promising Genin of the bunch was the reason they could not complete the task at hand. Kumori found a spot to sit and watched the Genin intently, as he performed a different Raiton technique than the one he had witnessed yesterday. Kumori was fascinated by the chakra nature. Katon had come all too naturally to him, being the Fukusha affinity. He would have to work to harness Raiton’s power, something that excited him just by thinking about it.

The young Fukusha learned a valuable lesson. Kazuo was right. Holding onto hatred was like drinking poison and expecting someone else to fall ill. Kumori was only holding himself back. In one short training session, he had learned a lot about teamwork, and how helpful others could be to his own personal growth. Stepping out of his comfort zone, Kumori knew it was time to level up. He had a lot to learn, and he refused to be in his own way any longer. Kumori closed his eyes, shutting the sparring Genin out of his view. He felt comfort. A feeling all too foreign to the orphan.

8,012 Word CP Training [+8]

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