Sou Trainings and Lonelies

[Sanjuro]

Technique Being TrainedShow

[color=lightgreen][b]Wind Release • Propulsion[/b][/color]
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the necessary hand seals, Sou will concentrate wind-type chakra into his hand, gathering it there and holding it for up to a maximum of three posts before it dissipates, though while holding this technique he cannot perform other Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. At any point during the next three points, Sou can release the built up chakra whenever he throws a projectile, resulting in a gust of wind that bolsters the weapon, effectively granting it +1 Strength. This technique can only be used on weapons no larger than a Fūma Shuriken.

Sou sat with the scroll in front of him, studying its contents. The technique he was studying was a Wind natured Ninjutsu, something he had only really started working on since his promotion to Chuunin, so he only knew a few techniques. This particular Ninjutsu was one that would, if he mastered it, serve to enhance his projectile weaponry. Putting down the scroll, he put his hands together at his chest in the first hand seal of the sequence, drawing on his chakra. Manipulating his chakra was easy enough, he had been doing it for years after all, but the conversion process to add a Wind-Nature to it was something Sou still struggled with.

As he brought his chakra into his hand as the scroll said to, performing the hand seals the entire time in order to guide it, he separated the chakra into two distinct waves and brought them back together again, grinding the chakra together to create the Wind-Nature he was looking for. It was a difficult and annoying process, but something he needed to get used to if he wanted to be able to use this technique in the heat of battle. Once he had gathered the chakra like the scroll had instructed, he held it there for a moment, trying to gauge whether or not it would be enough.

"Only one way to find out I suppose."

Standing up, leaving the scroll on the grass he had been sitting on, he took a kunai from his thigh pouch and aimed at one of the nearby training dummies. He was in a training ground, one that was used fairly often but thankfully didn't have too many people in at the moment. Bringing his arm back, he flung it forward and released the kunai at the dummy. He knew how deep the attack would go with his normal strength, this technique should hopefully increase that. He released the chakra he had built up in his hand, closing one eye as the wind exploded outward following the path his kunai was taking.

As soon as the wind caught the kunai, rather than propelling it forward as the scroll had described, it only served to knock the kunai off balance. So when it hit the dummy, it bounced right off, doing as much damage as throwing a rock at the damn thing would have. Letting out a sigh of frustration, he started forming the hand seals again. He'd probably need a more controlled burst of chakra in order to better direct the wind stream and propel the kunai forward.

---

It was a sweating and slightly panting Sou that glared at the dummy, numerous kunai and shuriken littered in and around it. He was getting closer; his first few attempts had either been too weak or too broad to really do more than serve as a hindrance to his normal throws, now he had finally gotten the hang of controlling the wind burst.

He brought his chakra up one more time, knowing this would be his last attempt of the day. He didn't have enough chakra left to attempt it again lest he risk a case of full-blown chakra exhaustion, which he knew from experience kind of sucked. The chakra grinded together as it gathered in his hand, converting into wind-type. That stage was becoming second nature after performing the same thing over and over again for the last several hours. The chakra gathered, Sou let out a slow, even breath, and threw his last kunai. The wind surged fourth from his hand not a fraction of a second later, surrounding the kunai and pushing it forward.

It was with a satisfying thump that the kunai impacted the wooden training dummy. He walked over to it slowly, a little uneven as he was starting to really feel his exhaustion set it. The kunai was buried up to the hilt, far deeper than he normally managed. With a slight grin, Sou didn't even bother trying to extract the weapon or clear his mess, he simply found a patch of grass clear of any pointy objects and collapsed.

[Words: 684/550]

[Sanjuro]

Technique Being TrainedShow

[color=lightgreen][b]Wind Release • Great Breakthrough[/b][/color]
C-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the necessary hand seals and inhaling, Sou mixes chakra and air in his body before releasing it in an exhale, releasing an incredible blast of air. This blast of air moves outward 15 meters and grows in a linear fashion from a diameter of 1 foot up to a diameter of 5 meters at the end of the distance and moves at a Speed of 6. Once it comes into contact with anything not rooted into the ground, it both cuts at and pushes away mentioned thing(s) at a Strength of 5. The cuts that result are deep enough to causing a fair amount of bleeding a fair amount. If the technique doesn’t hit anything, it will dissipate into the surrounding air upon reaching its maximum distance.

Another day, another training session. Sou sighed as he started reading the scroll of wind techniques he had, moving on from the D-Ranks to a C-Rank technique. He felt like he had enough practice with the basics now to try something a little more advanced. There was one in particular he wanted to try as well. All of his techniques were small, focused on single target assaults. So picking up an area of effect technique was the logical choice. And what better area of effect technique was there for wind-type users than the Great Breakthrough technique?

His fingers ran through the sequence of hand seals he would need to mould the chakra. Eyes closed, he focused on his chakra itself as he sealed, and moving the chakra into his chest, grinding it together as one should when attempting to create a wind natured ninjutsu. As he gathered the chakra, he mixed it with the air in his lungs, drawing in a deep breath. The chakra would expand the air when he blew it out again, so he didn't need to breathe in any more than usual, it was simply a reflex when performing a technique that originated from his mouth. As the chakra mixed with the air in his lungs, he felt them begin to burn from the energy being held there, and decided to release it.

Opening his mouth and forcing the air out of his lungs in one large exhale was the easy part after having held his breath while gathering the chakra needed. The difficult part was mixing the right ratio of chakra and air to create the necessary explosion of wind to make the technique useful, capable of blowing away people or weapons. So it came as something of a disappointment to the Chuunin when all that escaped his mouth was a small gust of wind that was barely any stronger than mild breeze. Sou let out a huff of annoyance and brought his hands together again. Time for attempt number two.

Attempt number one had failed, he assumed, because of too little chakra. So when he made the hand seals for the technique this time and began gathering his chakra once more, it was a much larger amount that he mixed with the air he drew into his lungs. Gathering the chakra, splitting it in half and grinding it against each other, and mixing the resulting wind-natured chakra with the air he breathed in wasn't particularly difficult, but it was performing a number of things at once. He figured he might be losing some of the chakra he gathered in the grinding process so he made sure he added more beforehand.

With the chakra mixed evenly and ready to be fired, Sou opened his mouth and exhaled. He could feel the chakra building up and knew instantly he had made a mistake. The resulting explosion of chakra-laced wind that occurred right in front of his face sent the Chuunin spiralling backwards, landing flat on his back and kicking up a cloud of dirt and grass. Reaching up to touch his face, he winced when he poked at the cut on his lip where a stray blade of wind had struck.

Sou let out a long, loud groan. "Ugh, too much chakra."

---

Attempt number eight saw significant progress over attempts number one and two. He had managed to not blow up his face again, which was a plus. Drawing the chakra up to his lungs and mixing it with the air he was breathing in was growing easier, quicker, enough so that if he could manage to consistently get the ratio right then it could be considered combat effective. It was the ratio that was still giving him trouble. After the second attempt he had gone back to using a smaller amount of chakra and increasing it in small increments. It was a chakra intensive way of training, true, but at least he didn't run the risk of it blowing up in his face again. Literally.

His fingers folded through the motions, the hand seals ingrained in his mind at this point. As he sealed away, he drew in a deep breath and gathered his chakra from his stomach and into his lungs all at the same time. The process of converting his raw chakra into its wind-natured variant was getting easier and easier as he continued to practice with different wind-element ninjutsu. When he felt the chakra and the air mix evenly, he exhaled and brought the chakra up from his lungs, blowing it out and allowing it to rapidly expand. This attempt was probably his best yet.

Blond hair whipped about Sou's face as the summoned wind picked up in strength, far more than some pathetic little breeze. This kind of wind was the stuff of storms and gales, a thought which brought a smile to Sou's face as he continued to exhale. The wind picked up dirt, grass, and a few loose weapons that were scattered around the training area. The wind continued to blow for a few meters until it suddenly died in its tracks and Sou couldn't keep up the chakra output. He had the power down, it seemed. Now it was a matter of working on his control over the technique. The scroll had suggested the technique had enough range to be used over at least fifteen meters. His attempt just now had barely made it five.

Sou reached up to his mouth and felt the numerous cuts around his lips. Yeah, he definitely needed to work on the control he had over the wind once it was formed. Once again, though this time with a slight sigh of annoyance at the prospect of potentially cutting up his own face yet again, Sou ran through the hand seals for the Great Breakthrough ninjutsu. Drawing chakra into his lungs, mixing it with the air, he made sure the ratio was the same as it was last time. This time when he opened his mouth and began to exhale, he didn't let the chakra explode in one great big flurry of wind. He made sure to push it out, letting it grow rather than going to full size as soon as possible. The resulting wave of chakra-laced wind was the same force as his prior attempt but went much further as it consumed less of the chakra at the beginning. He also avoided cutting up his face.

That was always a plus.

[Word Count: 1079/950]

[Sanjuro]

Technique Being TrainedShow

[color=lightgreen][b]Wind Release • Focused Wind Stream[/b][/color]
C-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the necessary hand seals, Sou will gather chakra in his lungs and breathe out a steady, focused stream of wind. By holding one hand in a seal by his mouth, Sou continues to channel chakra into the stream of wind, allowing him a modicum of control over its direction. The wind stream is only half a meter wide but extends up to 10 meters in length and travels with a Speed and Strength equal to Sou's (Ninjutsu+Control)/2, capable of cutting with a similar edge to that of a sword. The stream lasts for a maximum of 3 posts though Sou can cancel it beforehand. While the technique is in use Sou cannot use other Ninjutsu or Genjutsu and can only move with 3 Speed.

Sou found himself in the training fields once again, a scroll being spun around in his hand, ready for another session of wind-release ninjutsu practice. This was beginning to become a common occurrence for the Chuunin. Still, if you were going to do something, there was no point in taking half measures. Today's training would consist of another C-Rank wind-release ninjutsu, though unlike the Great Breakthrough he had been working on last week this time he was focusing on something a little more controlled. He had his wide-scale technique, now he wanted a technique that could provide a little more… precision targeting.

Opening up the scroll, Sou began to read. The Focused Wind Stream was exactly that. A precise stream of wind that could be manipulated and controlled after it had been created, unlike the Great Breakthrough which was more of fire and forget style of technique. The initial process was similar to that of the Great Breakthrough technique he noticed, though the hand seals differed so he would need to memorize the new sequence. The ratio of chakra to air inhaled would need to be modified as well, Sou considered with a frown. He didn't need an explosive amount of chakra for this technique, but it would require even greater chakra control than he had previously wielded.

Once he had gathered the chakra he would need to make a one handed hand seal and hold it next to his mouth as he exhaled, according to the scroll. The process of doing so would allow him to control the wind stream as he continued to channel chakra into the technique, hence the prolonged hand seal. With a shrug, Sou decided the best way to figure out the technique would be to just jump straight into it. There was only so much he could figure out by reading a scroll after all. So with that in mind, he closed the scroll and tucked it away safely in his pocket.

His hands came together at his chest, fingers slowly moving through the hand seals. It would take time and repetition to be able to perform the hand seal sequence at speed, for now he wanted to make sure he got the order correct rather than making them as fast as possible. As he made the hand seals he focused on his chakra flow, using the hand seals to guide his chakra through the motions of converting it into its wind-type nature by grinding it together as it mixed with the air that he breathed in with a large inhale, expanding his lungs to capacity.

Making sure to remember the one handed hand seal at the end of the sequence, he brought his hand up to his mouth, index and middle finger raised, the rest folded down. Exhaling the large breath, he felt the chakra-laced air rise up his gullet and come out in a rush of barely contained wind. Sou winced at the force of it, not used to having to maintain a technique. It was a strange sensation, similar to vomiting just without the horrible burning sensation and the smell. His lack of control over the technique however did mean that the cuts he had gotten healed only a few days ago were quickly returning.

The stream itself barely made it a few feet before it puttered and died, his control over the technique which was already piss-poor at best fading the further away it got from him. Sou sighed, annoyed at himself. He knew the technique would require more control than the Great Breakthrough and he had thought he had made the necessary adjustments, but apparently he wasn't properly prepared for just how much control a technique like this took. Still, at least it didn't just explode in his face. That was an experience he would prefer to avoid repeating.

---

The Focused Wind Stream was taking a little more patience than the Great Breakthrough had, and Sou was beginning to get frustrated. He had been at it for at least two hours now, evidenced by the numerous cuts on his face and fingers that made the final hand seal. A controlled technique like this was something new to the Chuunin, add in to the mix that he was only just really starting to get the hang of the basics of Fuuton and it was a recipe for his continued failures. Still, he could honestly say he had made at least some progress. The stream didn't putter and fade after only a few feet anymore, he could get it to its maximum recorded length before his chakra gave out. It was controlling it, making it move in different directions, that was the hard part.

Creating the Great Breakthrough hadn't required much thought other than generating the necessary chakra and letting loose. Sou sighed as he closed his eyes. Perhaps he needed to control himself a little more before he could control his chakra. Breathing in and out, Sou relaxed, losing the tension that had been building in his shoulders at his frustration with his failure. Once he had relaxed, his mind calmed, Sou once again made the set of hand seals, gathering his chakra into his lungs and mixing it with a deep breath of air, his lungs expanding and the familiar strain on his chest settling into place.

Sou began to exhale, holding his hand in the final seal next to his mouth, slower than he had before and he made sure to slow the flow of chakra at the same time. The resulting wind stream that came from his mouth was far more contained than any of his previous attempts. Though it moved slower than it should, Sou continued to push chakra through it and moved it forwards for a ways until it was away from his face. When he felt ready, Sou turned his head just a little, using it as a medium for adjusting his chakra flow. The result was that the wind stream snaked slightly to the left, causing the Chuunin to grin even as he continued to exhale.

He pushed a little more chakra into the technique, and made it faster to. The wind stream began to pick up speed once more, and Sou continued to use subtle head turns to move the stream left and right as it became less like a single gust of wind and more like a snake composed of wind. He just needed to work on maintaining his control over it at full speed now. The hard part was over.

[Word Count: 1089/950]

[Sanjuro]

Stat Training VI – Speed
1433/1300

---

The sun was only just rising but Sou was already out and running, the cold weather reflected in the fact his breaths were visible in the air. He was jogging around the streets of Kumo, something he hadn't done since the war in Lightning Country had started. He needed to get used to it again, and he needed to work on his speed too. The fact it took him so long to make it around the neighbourhood he lived in even once was starting to get to him.

Working on his speed meant weight training, something he didn't really have access too at the moment. He would need to buy a pair and that meant waiting until the stores were actually open and ready for business. With a long suffering sigh, blowing out another visible cloud of air, he increased his pace a bit and kept going. May as well try and make it at least two laps even without the weights.

---

Sou opened the door to the shinobi supply depot. "Welcome, welcome! How can you help you today young man! Are you looking for a sword, maybe one of our fine giant shuriken!"

The boy whipped around to see a short man with bald head but a long grey moustache wearing a huge smile that was so bright Sou wasn't entirely sure it wasn't some kind of genjutsu. The gaudy coloured clothes he wore only added to the idea that the guy was crazy. But apparently he was the store proprietor and Sou had come here for an explicit purpose.

“No, nothing like that. I'm just looking for some training weights, ankles only preferably.”

The man nodded and rubbed his beard. “I think I have just the thing.” He beckoned for Sou to follow as he walked down into the aisles of the store. The Genin followed the man until they came to a row full of different kinds of weights. He pulled down a pair of small blue weights that he dropped into Sou’s waiting hands. His eyes almost popped out of his head when he felt the weight of them. They had to be at least 10 kilograms each!

Upon seeing the look on Sou’s face, the old man laughed heartily. “They will do nicely I think! Once you get used to those, you should be much faster!”

Sou’s eyebrow started twitching before he just sighed and lowered his head. Forking over the money, he walked outside and sat down on the front stair of the store. He may as well get started now. Clipping the weights around his legs, just above his ankles, he stood up and fell right back down. This was going to be a lot more difficult that he imagined it would.

One hour. An entire sixty minutes. That was how long it took for him to get back to his neighbourhood with these gods forsaken weights on. He had to try and run with these blasted things on tomorrow morning as well, he could see it now. Normally he could make at least two or three laps in an hour but he had a feeling it would take him that long for maybe half the length of his usual run.

---

This was the worst thing that he had ever done in his entire seventeen years of existence. He had killed people and he never felt as bad about doing that as he did about doing this. Right now sweat was pouring off him and it was a freezing cold morning. But he persevered and kept running around the streets of the neighbourhood until he had made at least one full lap. That single lap had taken him the better part of an hour and a half. He couldn't afford to stop now though; one lap wasn’t going to make any sort of difference.

It was midafternoon by time he finally stopped running around the compound. He had managed to bring his time down to an hour and fifteen minutes, much to his dismay. To his surprise his mother was standing where he had started with her arms folded and a frown on her face. “Come on home, you must be exhausted. Honestly, I have no idea why you are training so hard all of a sudden.” As she spoke she handed him a water bottle she had tucked away which was promptly drained and crushed by Sou causing the woman to huff.

By the time he managed to make it home, he was too far gone to even bother getting undressed. He collapsed onto his bed, face buried in his pillow, and was asleep in an instant. It was this sight that his mother came up to check on. With a sad sigh, she undid his ankle weights and carefully carried them over to his desk, one at a time. Of course she knew why he was training so hard, there was a war going on, she just wished it wasn’t her little boy that got dragged into things.

---

Sou awoke early the next morning to the smells of breakfast wafting up the stair case. Stomach growling loudly at the severe lack of food it had received yesterday, Sou groaned and started on his way down to the kitchen. Before he even made it to the second stair, he was forced to turn around and go straight back to the bathroom. He stank so bad that it was making him sick.

By the time he had showered and gotten dressed in a fresh set of clothes, breakfast was lain out on the table along with a small note that his mother had left him before taking off. With a small smile, he dug into the light breakfast with gusto. It didn’t take long for the meal to be devoured, the beast in his stomach satisfied with the meal it had received. Glancing down at his legs, he glared at the weights tied to his shins as if willing them to become lighter. No such luck.

Sighing, he took to running from his door this time rather than walking to the gate and starting his jog from there. The cold air burned the inside of his nose and lungs as he ran but it at least distracted it from the pain in his legs. It didn’t take long for him to start sweating but he felt as if he was moving faster than he had yesterday, even if it was only by a little bit. Glancing up towards the sky, he could see the purple light over the horizon that indicated the rising sun but he still couldn’t see the sun itself, so he had a rough idea of what the time was.

Legs burning, heart pounding against his chest, fringe stuck to his forehead, Sou finally slowed down to a walk until he was walking on the spot at the same spot he had started. He took another look up at the sky and saw the sun had broken the horizon. That had taken him an hour, give or take five minutes. Stretching his arms and legs a few times, he took off at a jog again. He doubted anything could remove the smile he was showing at the moment. It may not be much but it was progress at the very least. If he kept this up he would be able to make it around the compound in half an hour in a few days at the very least. Maximum was a week. If he couldn’t make it around the neighbourhood in half an hour or less by the time the week was out, then he had no place trying to be a shinobi.

---

By the time Sou stopped today, the sky had gone purple again and the sun had all but vanished over the horizon. He had taken an hour long break earlier to get some lunch less he burn himself out entirely but otherwise he had spent the majority of the day running laps around the neighbourhood. He had earned a few looks of curiosity, some of approval, and a fair share of disgust as if physical exercise was the worst thing known to man. He had to admit, he would have agreed with the latter not even a day ago.

But now he felt different. Yes, he was in an incredible amount of pain but he couldn't help but smile even through it all. He had brought his time down to three quarters of an hour. One more day, just one more, and he would be down to half an hour.

[Sanjuro]

Stat Training I – Ninjutsu
1026/800

---

Sou sat alone in the training fields he had been using to practice his wind release techniques for the past few weeks, an oversized scroll unravelled in front of him as he sat with legs folded and eyes closed, his breathing steady and even as he focused on his meditation. Unlike those few weeks, where he had studied the basics of converting ones chakra into a wind natured variant, he was now attempting to learn how to wield another element. The scroll in front of him detailed the process one had to go through in order to convert ones chakra into its earth release variant, something Sou had read from start to finish multiple times and really only had just in case he forgot one line or another.

Unlike wind release techniques which involved separating his chakra into two parts and grinding it together, akin to sharpening a blade on a grindstone, earth release techniques focused on solidity. The exercise involved taking one's chakra and compacting it, making it dense, like folding a piece of paper over and over again, the layers coming together to make the once flimsy paper as hard as rock. That was the concept at least. Taking that concept and applying it to his actual chakra was another thing entirely. It required him to do something that he had never even considered before. Though, he had never considered grinding his chakra together in order to sharpen it before he had started with wind release training either.

Bringing his hands together in the hand seal for Snake, the most commonly used hand seal when it came to earth release techniques, he brought his attention away from maintaining his meditative state of mind and focused instead on the pool of chakra located in his stomach; his core. Bringing this chakra up from his core was a simple matter for the Chuunin; he had been doing it since he was a child after all. As he drew it forth he began to focus on the way it flowed and how it was shaped, trying to manipulate the way it formed so that it would fold together. The sensation was strange, like his stomach turning, as his chakra attempted to fold in on itself but he only succeeded in having it spin around and settle back into place once more. Letting out a sigh, Sou recognized one simple fact.

"This is going to take a lot more time than I thought," he muttered under his breath.

Opening his eyes, he turned his attention to the scroll laid out in front of him, going over its contents for the umpteenth time. Earth Release Ninjutsu revolves around the principle of stabilizing. Unlike the untempered nature of Fire Release or the fluid, relaxed nature of Water Release, earth release is solid, steady, calm. The meditative state would be considered 'grounded', feeling the earth beneath oneself, connecting with that earth, completely calm and in control. This same process can be applied when learning nature manipulation. One's mindset needs to be clear, calm, and grounded in order to successfully convert one's chakra nature to the earth element.

The principle of earth-type conversion is in compacting chakra to stabilize it and make it strong. Folding ones chakra again and again, compacting it, is what causes it to become 'stable' in nature and thus usable in earth release ninjutsu. A simple training exercise is to take a handful of dirt and hold it between the hands, using chakra to stabilize the dirt, compressing it, folding the layers of earth with chakra in order to create a single solid stone. Sou frowned a little. He had honestly forgotten about that training method. It made sense though, cutting a leaf with nothing but his chakra was the training method he used when first learning wind release ninjutsu, so it was only natural earth release ninjutsu had a similar training method.

Digging his hand into the ground beside him, Sou tore up a chunk of earth and grass. Picking through it to get rid of the blades of grass so he was left with nothing but loose soil and dirt, he closed his other hand over it and let his eyes slip shut once more. Focusing on his chakra once more, he brought it up from his core and allowed it to travel the length of his arms and out of the tenketsu in his hands, flooding the soil and earth between his fingers with raw chakra. Once it was in there, and had something solid attached to it, something he could actually feel move between his fingers rather than just getting a vague sensation of, he focused on moving the chakra, making it bend and fold.

The process wasn't much easier than it had been when he was trying to do it completely internally. The soil barely moved. He managed to get it to fold once before his chakra just decided to not play ball. So with each attempt he had to focus on drawing more and more chakra from his core and trying to control it with enough precision to stabilize the loose soil into a solid rock of earth. Sweat was starting to form on his forehead and the back of his neck. Despite the fact that the exercise wasn't exactly physical, it was taxing his chakra reserves immensely. He could feel himself growing more tired with each attempt to solidify the earth into a stone.

Drawing in a deep breath for one final attempt for the day, Sou brought his chakra to bare once more and funnelled it into his hands, passing it into the earth, and began to manipulate it. The first few folds were getting easier, it was after the third fold he began to lose control of his chakra. Remembering the advice of being grounded and calm, he breathed in as he began the folds and slowly exhaled as he completed them. It was a slow process, not ready to be applied to creating an earth-type ninjutsu, but when he opened his hands and looked at the soil inside he saw what he was hoping to see.

A rock.

[Sanjuro]

Stat Training II – Ninjutsu
849/800

---

Sou once again found himself in what was rapidly becoming his training ground. More often than not he was the only one using it, and he had been frequenting the place more and more often, not just to train but sometimes to simply get away. Alas, his reason for visiting on this particular was the former. He was attempting to work with earth type chakra again, this time instead of simply figuring out how to convert his chakra into the element he would be attempting to make it a viable option in battle. That meant learning how to use his chakra to manipulate the surrounding earth, something that was almost a foreign concept to Sou. All of his wind release techniques were created internally and then exhaled or just plain old chakra imbuement. So this was an exercise that would certainly be interesting.

Closing his eyes, slowing his breathing until it came in steady, even breathes, he focused on his chakra and folding it over and over on itself, compacting it and making it 'stable' as the scroll had described the process. Wind release cut, hence the grinding together like a blade. Earth release's thing was stabilizing, apparently. Once he was certain he had gathered enough chakra and that it had been sufficiently converted, he crouched down, pressing his hands to the ground below him. He kept his fingers splayed, perhaps to try and spread his chakra as far as he could or simply to keep his balance, he wasn't entirely sure himself. He felt the cool grass beneath his hands and slowly began to funnel chakra through the tenketsu in his palms and fingers, feeling the flow of his chakra as it passed from him into the earth below.

It was a strange sensation, using pure chakra control instead of hand seals in order to utilize his chakra for something like this. He could feel his chakra penetrating the ground, moving in and around the earth, soaking into it like soil soaking up water. He could already feel the control he wielded over his chakra starting to putter and die as it stretched no more than a few feet from his hands and barely deep enough to gather a usable amount of earth. He frowned and intently focused on nothing but his chakra, ignoring the distractions like the tickling of the grass on his hands or someone training off in the distance with loud grunts and the occasional explosion.

Now that he was doing nothing but focusing on his chakra control, it stopped wavering for the moment and Sou let out a sigh of relief, starting to spread his chakra further and deeper once more. He needed to affect an area at least a meter away from him before he would consider his use of earth natured chakra competent enough to start learning earth release ninjutsu. Now that he thought about it, he would need to be able to do it a lot faster than this as well if he wanted to put this chakra to use in combat. No one was going to stand around and wait for him to slowly channel his chakra into the earth towards them. No one sane at least.

He realized he was losing focus again and his chakra control was suffering as a result. That was another thing to be added to the list; he needed to be able to do something as simple as channelling his chakra into the ground without requiring to focus all of his attention on it. Once he felt as though he had amassed a good amount of chakra in the ground beneath him, having spread it out for half a meter in either direction in a circle around him and a good half a meter deep, he let out a breath and tried to move his chakra. This was the part where he really needed to succeed; otherwise all of this training would be for naught. He could work on the speed he spread his chakra, maintaining his focus under pressure, all of that was stuff that he could train. But if he couldn't manipulate the earth at all, then there was no point in continuing.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he tried to move his chakra upwards. It was almost physically draining, like trying to lift something far heavier than he should be lifting. He grit his teeth, clenched his eyes shut, and kept drawing his chakra upwards. He could feel his chakra moving, that was a good sign, and then he really felt it. A slight shift in the ground beneath him. The move he drew his chakra up, the more the earth shifted, until it was being raised from the ground like something floating the surface of a lake. Sou started to laugh, drawing all of his chakra up and then finally letting go of it. When he was done, he was cackling while he sat on top of the raised mound of earth and stone.

He could do this after all. He had no idea what he had ever been worried about.

[Sanjuro]

Stat Training III – Control
955/800

---

Sou was sitting in the middle of a training field, legs crossed and hands held together in a ram seal at chest height. His eyes were closed and if one listened closely his breathing was deep and even. For the first time in a long time, Sou was attempted to meditate and focus on his chakra control. Running alongside him was a small river that led to a waterfall, the sound of which was filling the entire clearing. The waterfall was clearly manmade, it's odd location being the primary give away. Created through the use of Ninjutsu, it was built for Sou's exact purpose. Chakra control training.

While most used it as the final test for some kind of elemental chakra training, Sou was using it as basic control training. One of his biggest downfalls as a ninja was his poor chakra control, as his mother told him over and over again. She was the one that had directed him to this place. Nervous about trying to walk up a waterfall, Sou had decided to try and get 'in sync' with his chakra, so to speak, before he attempted it; hence the meditation.

Gathering all the control he could manage, he directed the chakra flow to his feet. This part was simple enough; he had done it a million times before. The energy flowed down his legs and began to gather in his feet. This was the difficult part. Without opening his eyes, he unfolded his legs and placed his feet atop the water. As the water flowed underneath the soles of his feet, he forced more chakra through and pushed down with his foot. It sank slightly before he managed to adjust the output of chakra enough that it floated so matter how hard he pushed down on the surface of the water.

Taking a final deep breath, he slowly opened his eyes and stared up at the intimidating torrent of water that could quite possibly kill him if he wasn't careful. Shaking his head, he pushed up from his position on the bank of the river, keeping his attention of the chakra flowing through his feet and carefully balanced atop the river. Having stripped down to nothing but his boxers and a tank top to avoid getting completely soaked through, he carefully walked atop the surface of the river and made his way to the waterfall. The spray from the raging water covered him before he could even take a step on it and he was all the more glad he wasn't wearing all his clothes.

'Okay, I can do this. I have to do this. If I don't I'm a failure of a ninja, and I do not fail!'

Nodding to himself, he slapped his cheeks a few times to get his blood flowing and stared at the raging waterfall once more. He would conquer this and move on to even greater heights. Confidence piqued, he took a step forward and placed it against the running water. He attempted to take another step but his chakra fluctuated as it tried to match the rhythm of the flowing water. Any semblance of control he had was ripped from under him, along with his feet, as the waterfall dragged him under.

A coughing and spluttering Sou rose up from the depths of the river, using chakra to drag himself back onto the surface and heave in a few deep breathes. Yup, stripping half naked had definitely been a good idea. A shiver ran through him as a strong breeze blew through the clearing. He needed to beat this accursed waterfall before night-time unless he wanted to freeze to death. Taking a long breath, he decided to attempt the same method he used when he was first learning how to walk up trees. Taking a few shorts breaths to psyche himself up, Sou bolted towards the waterfall in a dead sprint.

Foot met raging rapid water and clung to it just enough for Sou to lift his other foot and cling to the waterfall with both feet. His chakra was constantly shifting to try and compensate for the constantly changing density of the waterfall. It was moving so fast that he couldn't keep up with it though and his third step was where he began to slip. Rather than risk being dragged under again he pushed way more chakra than necessary into his feet and got blasted off the surface of the waterfall. Doing a backflip, he landed a few feet from the waterfall on bent knees.

'This… is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.'

---

The sun was setting over the mountains and the Academy training grounds were being plunged into darkness. Sou let out a huff as he sized up the waterfall, channelling the last of his chakra into his feet. This was his last attempt for the day. He was soaked through at this point, but he was determined to succeed in this exercise. Running forward and closing his eyes the second his foot touched the waterfall, he started up the vertical river with chakra rushing wildly from his foot to keep him in place. Another step and he once again managed to keep in place with his chakra fluctuating rapidly to match the pace of the water below. A third and a fourth step followed before he felt his control starting to slip. With a grunt he managed to refocus his chakra to sync up with the rhythm of the waterfall and he started steadily moving up the waterfall again.

When he opened his eyes once more, he was standing atop the waterfall. He let out a slow sigh and looked at the setting sun. "Man… screw waterfalls."

[Sanjuro]

Technique Being TrainedShow

[color=lightgreen][b]Wind Release • Slicing Imbuement[/b][/color]
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing a set of one handed hand seals while channelling chakra into a weapon he is holding, Sou will imbue the weapon with explosive wind-type chakra causing it to gain a slightly green glow. Upon impact, any damage the ranged attack would normally inflict is augmented with a gust of wind with force equal to a single exploding tag. This wind causes cutting damage rather than concussive damage that is able to cause minor cuts in flesh. This imbuing lasts for 3 posts or until it successfully connects.

Sou spun the kunai around his index finger, a frown marring his features as he considered the weapon and the scroll in front of him. Using Ninjutsu to enhance his shurikenjutsu wasn't something new to the Chuunin, but they had mostly been applying a coating of chakra around the weapon, like a layer of wind around it, to increase its cutting power. He had never imbued a weapon with an element before. With a shrug, he stopped spinning the kunai and caught it in a standard grip, ready to be thrown. How hard could it really be? It was only a D-Rank technique anyway. A Genin should be able to do it.

Focusing on his chakra, he started to flow it from his core and down the arm that was holding the kunai, his other hand running through a set of one handed hand seals. That was the really strange part, performing hand seals with one hand. Thankfully the scroll had detailed instructions on how to perform the altered hand seals or else Sou would have been here all day trying to figure out just that part of the technique. They didn't seem all that different from their two-handed parent hand seals, but after having done it one way for his entire life, it took some time to get used to doing it this way. It truly did seem to be a day of firsts for the young Chuunin.

Hand seals complete, chakra freely flowing down his arm, the chakra splitting down the length of his arm and grinding against itself as it travelled in order to sharpen it into its wind natured variant, he began the process of transferring the chakra from his hand to the weapon he was holding. Where he was used to surging the chakra around a weapon's blade, this time he was focusing the chakra into the metal itself. It was slightly more difficult than the prior style of ninjutsu. It took more time, a little more effort, and a bit more concentration to be able to imbue the weapon properly.

Slowly he could feel the chakra seep into the blade of his kunai. Not only could he feel it, a slight green glow began to emanate from the weapon, causing Sou to frown a little. It was such an obvious giveaway that the weapon was enhanced by chakra somehow, making it useless for stealth-based explosive tactics. Still, it was still going to be a useful technique to know. Once he felt as though there was enough chakra in the blade, he spun it around his finger and then threw it at a wooden training post a short distance away.

The second it made impact, the glow seemed to intensify for a moment before exploding in a flurry of wind, leaving multiple gashes along the wooden post. Sou smiled and nodded. Could definitely be useful.

[Word Count: 480/450]

[Sanjuro]

Technique Being TrainedShow

*[Fuuinjutsu • Storage: Minor Weapon]
D-Ranked Fuuinjutsu
By writing out the needed fuuinjutsu on a scroll, the user is able to seal small weapons. These weapons are about the size of a kunai or a pocket knife. The size of the fuuinjutsu is directly equal to the object that is stored into it. Weapons can't be sealed this way in combat.

Closing his eyes, Sou recalled the image he had been studying for the last week, committing every miniscule detail to memory. Ever so slowly, Sou opened his eyes and a blank mask settled across his features as he picked up his brush and carefully started his first attempt at Fuuinjutsu.

"What on earth are you doing?"

Without lifting his brush from the paper he transitioned from one character into another, a very thin line of black ink connecting the two with a slight flourish in it. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Sou gave Kojiro a quick once over before going back to his seal. "I’m training."

Kojiro snorted and folded his arms behind his head. “I can see that, short stuff. I meant why are you trying to teach yourself Fuuinjutsu down here? How the hell can you even see what you're doing?” They were in the basement of their parents' house.

"Afraid I’m going to blow us up?" Sou smiled slightly and flicked his wrist to end a spiral before moving on to yet another segment of the seal. "It's just a storage seal, according to the scroll I read. And I'm training down here because I like it down here. It's usually quiet."

Kojiro muttered under his breath and started leaning closer; he studied the seal that Sou was currently half way through writing. His eyes narrowed slightly at what he had already done before he sighed and shook her head. "Tut, tut, Sou. The flourish on the end of that middle segment there?" He pointed at it. "Too narrow. You need to press harder on the brush."

Eyebrow twitching, Sou stared at the supposed error for a solid minute before slowly turning to his older brother, "And you know this how exactly, Kojiro-nii?"

Kojiro just shrugged and leant back away from the seal, a smug smile on his face. Holding back a powerful urge to sigh, he grit his teeth and made the correction before moving back to the segment he had been working on before Kojiro had interrupted. That part finally done, he added the final touches to the edge of the seal and left his brush to rest alongside the paper while he plucked a kunai from his holster, placing it in the center of the seal.

Fingers folding together into a set of hand seals he had practiced before, Sou focused his chakra into the seal which glowed faintly around the edges before a large plume of smoke erupted from the paper. Coughing, Sou waved away the smoke and looked at the now blank spot where his inkpot had been sitting a second ago. He had to hold himself back from letting out a loud 'Whoop!'

"Told ya you needed to fix that part."

Sou glared at the older man who was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Yeah, yeah."

[Word Count: 478/450]

[Sanjuro]

Technique Being TrainedShow

*[Fuuinjutsu • Remove Sealing: Tiny]
D-Ranked Fuuinjutsu
Prerequisite: 3 control, *[Fuuinjutsu • Remove Sealing: Miniscule]
By doing the needed handseal, the user traces the outline of a D ranked fuuinjutsu. After doing so, the user places their hand over the seal, removing the seal.

"If you are going to be studying the Sealing arts, you are going to have to learn how to remove seals as well. Not only can you use this to eliminate an enemy’s Fuuin, if you recognize and know the seal you removed you can replace it with your own. Do you understand?"

Sou was currently seated in the study of his brother Kojiro's home, legs folded underneath him on a purple cushion. In front of him was a small table, just high enough for his knees to fit under. On the table were several scrolls, a few ink pots and brushes of varying sizes. On the scroll open before him was a seal he did not recognize.

"Yeah, I get it. Since when were you so into Fuuinjutsu anyway?"

Kojiro shrugged and grinned. The older man was currently standing on the other side of the table, looking down on Sou, the perfect image of an older brother that knew something the younger didn't. Clearing his throat, Kojiro began to speak. "First thing's fist. Focus on your chakra, concentrate it into the tip of your index finger."

Head bobbing up and down, the boy closed his eyes and held up his hand in front of him. Folding down all of his fingers except for his index, Sou took a deep breath and concentrated on the flow of chakra. The energy gathered into his finger tip until Sou could physically feel it like it was vibrating. Opening his eyes, he nodded to Kojiro, not willing to break his concentration by speaking. Apparently this was the right thing to do because the older Nukegara nodded at him.

"Now, put your finger to the seal in front of you. Very carefully trace the characters and as you do, allow the chakra you have gathered to flow out of your fingertip. Do not miss a single line, or else the consequences may be… severe."

Blank look in place, Sou showed none of the worry he was currently feeling. Pressing the very top of his fingertip against the black ink of the seal, the Chuunin dragged his finger along the lines of the seal constantly flowing chakra out of his fingertip and onto the ink. The concept reminded him greatly of the tree surface walking exercise but it felt a lot easier. It only took a few minutes of concentration but soon he was done with the seal and he could feel his chakra settling in place over the ink.

"Place your hand over the seal, focus on your chakra, and then lift it away."

Sou frowned slightly at the basic instructions but did as he was told. Lowering his hand over the seal, he reached out for his chakra and then lifted his hand away after he felt the connection to his chakra. To his mild surprise, the seal was gone.

"Good. Ya know, it's a good thing you're a natural. That exploding seal would have sucked if it had gone off"

If he allowed it, Sou's jaw would have hit the floor. That had been a freaking exploding fuuin!?

[Word Count: 516/450]

[Sanjuro]

Technique Being TrainedShow

*[Fuuinjutsu • Storage: Minor Weapon Defense]
D-Ranked Fuuinjutsu
Prerequisite: 5 Control
By having an empty, prewritten seal, the user is able to use the seal as a defensive measure. Holding a single, one-handed hand seal, the user attempts to block the incoming small sized weapon with the scroll. Right before contact is actually made, the weapon will be sealed into the seal. This prevents exploding tags from exploding right before they would explode, while also storing the projectile for later use.

Recalling the passage of the book that this seal was from, the Chuunin put brush to paper. Sou's deft strokes were quick and precise. The more he practiced the art of sealing, the more his confidence grew in the initial writing of the seal. He took a little extra care with the innermost ring of characters. It was a storage seal, which was simple enough both in theory and practice, but with a slight twist added to it. In order to be used for a defensive purpose, the seal had to be faster than normal and capable of sealing something that was actually moving rather than a stationary object placed on top of it.

The outside characters of the seal were focused on the speed of which the object could be taken in. If it was too slow, a kunai or shuriken could probably rip straight through the middle of the scroll before he had a chance to seal it away. The central ring of characters all formed into a set of three curving arrows that pointed to the blank circle in the middle of the scroll.

Giving the entire thing a final look, Sou nodded at his handiwork. Now it was simply a matter of testing it. Withdrawing a kunai from his thigh holster, Sou held it a few inches above the scroll and held his other hand in a half ram seal with his index and middle fingers pointing straight up while the rest of his fingers and thumb curled in towards his palm. Letting go of the kunai, he focused his chakra at the same time and the scroll glowed for a minute.

Just as the kunai would have torn through the scroll and dug into the table, it disappeared with a pop and a plume of smoke. The arrows in the middle of his seal were gone, having reformed into a solid circle of kanji around the much larger character now visible in the middle of the scroll. With a small grin, he released the kunai from the seal and watched as the characters once again formed into a set of three arrows pointing into the middle.

That was a fairly simple test run, the kunai wasn’t moving very fast at all and it wasn’t from that great a distance. In order to really use the technique to its full effect he would need to be able to anticipate when the kunai would strike. Setting up the scroll against the rice-paper wall, Sou took a few steps back and lined up his shot. The kunai whistled through the air fast enough the Sou didn’t even have time to blink before he activated the seal on the scroll; just like before instead of the sound of paper tearing there was a poof of smoke and then nothing but an intact scroll.

Definitely a useful trick.

[Word Count: 478/450]

[Sanjuro]

Technique Being TrainedShow

*[Skillful Wield]
D-Rank Taijutsu
Prerequisite: 3 Wit
With a solid foundation of knowledge on their choice of weaponry, those with the Skillful Wield technique are able to utilize their weapon more fully. By knowing the weapon's weakest points, the user is able to avoid presenting these areas to damage during combat, thus making their weapon less likely to break by means of recklessness.

"Here."

Sou caught the tanto that was tossed to him by his brother. Once again they were training together. He rose an eyebrow at the weapon before looking at the taller blond man. He was standing there with a grin on his face and a similar quirked eyebrow. It seemed to be something that ran in the family. "And what exactly do you want me to do with this?"

"Take a stance. I know you've been practicing your kunaijutsu, but I want to see your bladeword. Single-edged weapons work differently, after all." Sou sighed and shook his head but did as instructed. Moving the handle around in his palm, he held the weapon like he would a kunai and slipped into a standard opening stance. Kojiro 'tsk'ed' and walked over to his side. "You're holding it all wrong. Any idiot with a katana could knock that tanto out of your hand. Move your hand up, and stop bloody holding it like you're going to throw it. A tanto is a personal defence weapon, not something you want to throw. Your balance is all off as well. Man, I thought you were supposed to be good with knives."

Sou let out a grunt of annoyance and adjusted his stance. When Kojiro was satisfied he took a leap backwards before reaching up over his shoulder and drawing the oversized kukri he used as a weapon. Without so much as a word of warning, the older Nukegara shot forward. Sou instinctively raised his tanto to guard, shifting the way he held it without even thinking, and found the weapon being knocked from his grasp. Kojiro sneered at his little brother, only to get an annoyed huff in response. "It's not exactly easy breaking habits, yaknow?"

"You'd best start breaking them soon, baby bro. We're not gonna stop until you can defend against me for at least an hour."

Well, shit.

---

Sou let out a string of curses that would have made a sailor blush as he ducked beneath a wild swing of Kojiro's kukri, bringing his tanto up to strike at the older man's stomach. Of course it was dodged but it put his brother on enough of a backpedal that Sou could follow up with another strike. He was surprised by his brother suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke. A clone?

Footsteps behind him had Sou reacting on instinct. He spun around and brought the tanto up to guard against the strike he knew was coming. The sound of metal clashing against metal sung in his ears and his arms vibrated from the amount of force behind the blow. But he kept a hold of the weapon this time. "You finally held it properly on instinct. Good. Next we'll work on offense.

[Word Count: 461/450]

[Sanjuro]

Technique Being TrainedShow

*[Skillful Wield]
D-Rank Taijutsu
Prerequisite: 3 Wit
With a solid foundation of knowledge on their choice of weaponry, those with the Skillful Wield technique are able to utilize their weapon more fully. By knowing the weapon's weakest points, the user is able to avoid presenting these areas to damage during combat, thus making their weapon less likely to break by means of recklessness.

"Here."

Sou caught the tanto that was tossed to him by his brother. Once again they were training together. He rose an eyebrow at the weapon before looking at the taller blond man. He was standing there with a grin on his face and a similar quirked eyebrow. It seemed to be something that ran in the family. "And what exactly do you want me to do with this?"

"Take a stance. I know you've been practicing your kunaijutsu, but I want to see your bladeword. Single-edged weapons work differently, after all." Sou sighed and shook his head but did as instructed. Moving the handle around in his palm, he held the weapon like he would a kunai and slipped into a standard opening stance. Kojiro 'tsk'ed' and walked over to his side. "You're holding it all wrong. Any idiot with a katana could knock that tanto out of your hand. Move your hand up, and stop bloody holding it like you're going to throw it. A tanto is a personal defence weapon, not something you want to throw. Your balance is all off as well. Man, I thought you were supposed to be good with knives."

Sou let out a grunt of annoyance and adjusted his stance. When Kojiro was satisfied he took a leap backwards before reaching up over his shoulder and drawing the oversized kukri he used as a weapon. Without so much as a word of warning, the older Nukegara shot forward. Sou instinctively raised his tanto to guard, shifting the way he held it without even thinking, and found the weapon being knocked from his grasp. Kojiro sneered at his little brother, only to get an annoyed huff in response. "It's not exactly easy breaking habits, yaknow?"

"You'd best start breaking them soon, baby bro. We're not gonna stop until you can defend against me for at least an hour."

Well, shit...

---

Sou let out a string of curses that would have made a sailor blush as he ducked beneath a wild swing of Kojiro's kukri, bringing his tanto up to strike at the older man's stomach. Of course it was dodged but it put his brother on enough of a backpedal that Sou could follow up with another strike. He was surprised by his brother suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke. A clone?

Footsteps behind him had Sou reacting on instinct. He spun around and brought the tanto up to guard against the strike he knew was coming. The sound of metal clashing against metal sung in his ears and his arms vibrated from the amount of force behind the blow. But he kept a hold of the weapon this time. "You finally held it properly on instinct. Good. Next we'll work on offense.

[Word Count: 461/450]

[Sanjuro]

Technique Being TrainedShow

[Shooting Star Return]
C-Rank Taijutsu Manoeuvre
Sou starts forward approaching an opponent at a sprint, and then suddenly kicks off the ground toward a Bound platform, using it to attack from an unexpected direction. This means that Sou experiences two changes of direction at high speeds, which can be an effective feint against opponents who are slower than he.

Sou let out a sigh as he spun his kunai around his finger tip, staring at the training dummy across from him. It had been a while since he had trained. Ever since becoming a Jinchuuriki he had been focusing on mastering that new power rather than brushing up his Taijutsu style. Now that he had a spare moment, free and clear of his watchers, he figured it was as good a time as any. He knew the genma was a powerful weapon but he had no desire to rely on it forever.

Running through a set of hand seals, Sou brought his chakra to bear and focused it into the air behind the training dummy. Ideally he would be able to do that mid combat but for now he simply needed to practice the manoeuvre itself. He could work on picking up the set up speed later. It didn't matter how fast he created the plat form if he missed it entirely and wound up going sailing through the air rather than being shot back at the dummy. Spinning his kunai around his finger tip once the platform had solidified, Sou grabbed the weapon in a backhand grip and dug his feet into the ground, lowering himself into a running start.

As if an unheard signal went off, Sou pushed off and started running forward as fast as he could. It took him a moment to build up speed but once he did the world seemed to fall away from the corners of his eyes, the only thing that mattered was the training dummy and the glowing platform of chakra that was hovering in the air behind it. The idea was to catch the target off guard by jumping over the target and bouncing back to hit them from behind using the Bound platform instead of attacking head on as his charge would suggest. Of course, a training dummy wasn't the best sparring partner, but it would let him get the general concept down pat.

At the moment it was just an educated guess as to when the ideal time to jump would be. He needed to do it late enough and close enough that his opponent wouldn't simply be able to guess what was going on and follow him, but he needed to do it soon enough that he could be able to actually go over his opponent without being in grabbing range and to also hit the Bound platform at the right angle. Once he figured he was close enough, Sou didn't slow his charge when he pushed off his front foot and threw himself into the air.

He seemed to sail forever, and already he knew he had jumped too soon. By the time his feet touched the chakra platform he had already been in the air for five seconds. He needed to be in flight for less than two if he wanted this to work properly. He let the pad launch him back towards the ground, performing a basic flip and landed with his knees slightly bent to absorb the impact before he jogged back to his starting position. As he ran he threw a kunai down at the point he had jumped to mark it.

Crouching down again, Sou took a breath and narrowed his eyes on the kunai. He knew he had to jump past that point now. He wanted to get this manoeuvre down before the chakra he had used to create the bound platform ran out. He didn't want to waste a bunch of chakra recreating it a bunch of times. Coiling his muscles, he built up some pressure before taking off like a shot. Again it took him a moment to accelerate to his maximum speed. He needed to work on that eventually.

He tried to keep from getting tunnel vision this time, as he needed to pay attention to the kunai marker as well. In the few seconds the charge took him, he reached the marked spot and continued running. Four steps later and then he put all of his strength into his forward leg, launching himself into the air again. And again he knew he had failed. He was so close to the training dummy that he reached out and slapped it as he moved past it. Letting out a huff of annoyance, he jumped off the chakra platform and threw a kunai into the ground to mark his second failure.

This time when Sou crouched down to prepare his charge, he could practically see a line in the ground where he knew he had to leave the ground in order to land at the right angle and time to hit his bound platform. Marking the ground had been a good idea. If he was correct it would be basically right between the two. Taking off, he kicked up a cloud of dirt behind him as he charged forward. He had obviously had enough of failure for one technique. The second he took two steps passed, he could almost feel his body telling his mind to jump. So he followed his instincts and found himself hitting the bound platform at the perfect angle.

He launched off it, using the extra speed to cover the distance between himself and the training dummy in a flash, his kunai digging into the back of its head far enough that it would take a fair bit of strength to dig it out. Landing on the ground in a heap, he looked back to the chakra platform to see it fade. Nice timing.

[Word Count: 930/800]

[Sanjuro]

Technique Being TrainedShow

[Multi Shot]
C-Rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: [Projectile Weapons]
After performing the necessary hand seals, Sou will add chakra to the next kunai or shuriken he throws in the same post. The chakra will then clone the targeted projectile, causing four copies of it to appear in a random pattern around the original. The cloned weapons travel at the same speed as the original and disappear in a cloud of smoke upon impact, but still deal damage as the original weapon would.

Working on his skills had reminded Sou that he wasn't just a jinchuuriki, he was a shinobi. He had had plans to work on his taijutsu and shurikenjutsu that had sort of gone out the window during the whole sealing fiasco. Now that he was training again, he figured it was time to test a Ninjutsu he had been working on for a while. It was still experimental, hence why he was using it on a training dummy, but if it worked it would cut down on the amount of weapons he had to carry around.

Taking out a kunai, he casually tossed it through the air towards the dummy and began to seal. The hand seals were easy enough, short and quick, and there was no elemental transformation which shortened the hand seal sequence even further. As he sealed, he focused his attention on the kunai he had thrown, measuring the distance between himself and the weapon, and then the weapon and his target, predicting when it would hit. As he completed the hand seals, he focused his chakra through the air and into the weapon, causing it to glow blue for a fraction of a second. Now came the particularly difficult part and the reason it was still experimental.

The chakra, with Sou guiding it subconsciously via the hand seals he weaved, was supposed to split into three copies of the weapon it inhabited. In this particular case it was supposed to make three more kunai that would appear around the original, adding to the impact and saving Sou a precious few weapons. The theory behind the technique was rather simple, it was an advancement on the basic clone technique; it just took more chakra to create a solid copy. That and he wasn't cloning himself, but a weapon that he had already thrown instead of himself, the lack of direct physical contact made things slightly more difficult. He focused on the chakra that rapidly expanded and created a cloud of smoke, similar to how a cloning technique was supposed to go.

So far so good.

As soon as the smoke cleared, Sou was looking at two half-formed kunai that surrounded the original, which promptly dropped out of the air and vanished in a series of smaller puffs of chakra-created smoke. Sou reached up to scratch the back of his head with a frown. Had he not put enough chakra behind the technique, or was his control still not good enough to manage such a feat of cloning? He shook his head, he would try it again with more chakra and if that didn't work then he was simply try it the other way. Trial and error was the unfortunate but necessary method of developing new techniques.

With those methods in mind, Sou withdrew a single shuriken from his holster rather than a kunai this time and focused his chakra into it, nothing but raw chakra that would be shaped when he performed hand seals in a moment. Hopefully adding more chakra to the weapon beforehand would allow the clones to sustain themselves until they actually hit their target. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the shuriken at the training dummy and started running through the hand seals that he had used earlier, focusing on the chakra in the shuriken and adding more to it. Once he finished the hand seals, he grunted with a little effort and focused on creating the cloned weapons.

The chakra split apart just like it should and formed into an empty shell shaped like the shuriken. At that particular stage of the technique it was nothing more than a basic cloning technique. There was no physical chakra or power behind the cloned shuriken, closer to illusions than actual weapons. That was what the extra chakra he had added earlier was for. The chakra flowed into the shells, slowly but surely solidifying the cloned spinning weapons until there were four more shuriken that were surrounding the original. This entire process was masked by a cloud of smoke, the usual signifier for a cloning technique that wasn't elemental in nature. Out of the cloud of smoke the spinning shuriken buzzed, cutting a path through the air towards the dummy, and Sou couldn't help but grin. At least that attempt had appeared to succeed.

He watched as the cluster of shuriken buzzed through the air and smacked into the wooden dummy with a series of loud thuds, only to be followed by a plume of smoke. Sou jogged over to the dummy and, when the smoke passed, found his original shuriken buried deep and surrounded by four other gouge marks but no shuriken to speak of. Apparently they only lasted a little while, or until they made impact. Either way, the technique was a success and he wouldn't have to carry around so many of the damn weapons.

[Word Count: 815/800]

[Sanjuro]

Man or Monster?

---

The rain was beating down on his back, his breath visible in sharp bursts of frost in front of his face. An explosion rocked the ground behind him. He jumped forward, across a steep drop between the two plateaus, and fell into a roll. Dirt and rocks tore at his clothes, biting at his skin, as he tumbled for a few feet, the force of the shockwave having knocked him off balance during the jump. Finally coming to a halt, he forced himself into a crouch and turned to look back in the direction he had just come from.

There she was, running towards him, her mouth moving like she was trying to shout something to him. He couldn't hear her. The explosion had left his ears ringing and he felt the blood trickling down his jaw from where his eardrums had burst. A dark shadow appeared behind her, he tried to shout a warning. No sound would come from his mouth. He desperately waved his arm, trying to get her to turn around, but she just kept running towards him and the gulley. He clawed at the ground, trying to push himself to his feet, to get to her in time.

The mysterious figure was suddenly right behind her, a mass of blood red chakra and the eyes of a monster.

His own eyes.

---

Sou shot up from his bed, gasping for air and clutching at his chest. He was soaked head to toe in sweat, his hair stuck to his forehead and the nape of his neck. He tossed the sheets aside, moving to sit on the edge of the bed as he tried to regain some measure of composure. His eyes glanced toward the alarm clock. Ten past three in the morning. He let out a harsh sigh. He wouldn't be sleeping again tonight.

It was that dream again. The one he'd been having ever since the sealing. A random member of his family, usually one of his sisters, being captured and torn apart by the beast he now held. It was his first night back in his own bed after having been kept under observation for the last two weeks. He had been hoping being back in his own bed would help soothe the nightmares.

He reached down to his stomach, ignoring the strange spikes that now jut from his elbows, and pressed his hand against what remained of the intricate fuuinjutsu that had been used to contain the beast.

He was wrong.

'You could prevent their fate… Protect them from everyone, even yourself. Just give in to me, let me take control. My power is absolute; I can keep them all safe.'

"Shut up." He pushed himself out of his bed, bare feet touching the cold wooden floor of his bedroom and his toes wriggled a little as the chill ran up him. Wearing nothing but black pyjama bottoms and a sleeveless top, he rubbed at his arms as he made his way across the room and out the door. He was headed for the roof, they had a rooftop garden, and it was where he often went when he couldn't sleep. It didn't take long for him to reach his destination, but he was surprised to find that he wasn't alone.

"Dad?"

The shadowy figure turned and the mildly surprised eyes of his father met his own. Their eyes were almost identical, except his father's had a kind of depth to them that made them seem warmer than Sou's blue-green. Slowly, the elder Nukegara smiled and motioned for Sou to join him. As he got closer, the smell of cigarettes hit his nose. He noticed the ash tray and the smouldering cigarette resting in it. He gave the man a questioning look and received a sheepish shrug in response.

"Don't tell your mother. As far as she knows, I quit not long after the twins were born."

Sou gave him a small smile. Sitting on the ledge of the garden, looking out over the village, he tucked his legs up to his chin and wrapped his arms around them. "I'm sure she already knows. She knows everything."

His dad chuckled, the sound warm and comforting. "It feels like that sometimes, huh?" the smile on his face became a little more sombre as he looked at Sou again. "Same one?" Sou nodded mutely. "I'm sorry son. I wish I could tell you that they will go away with time, but… I really have no idea."

"Do you- Do you think I made the right choice? Agreeing to this?"

His dad hummed in thought, before taking a drag of the cigarette. "Perhaps. You did your duty. Sometimes what we are oath-bound to do doesn't always feel right. But we do it anyway, for the sake of others. How are things going, outside the nightmares?"

The blond let out a harsh sigh, lifting a hand to run through his hair, and obliged his father. "It… talks to me; tries to tempt me into letting it take over, so it can use its powers to protect the people I care about. I try to ignore it but it's kind of hard to do when the damn thing is constantly in the back of my mind."

'You can't ignore me forever, my host. One day you will realize what I am offering is best for everyone. The power to protect everyone, it's too enticing to resist. Believe me, many have tried. None have succeeded.'

Sou growled and shook his head, his dad casting him a concerned glance, showing he suspected what was happening inside Sou's head right now. "Anyway, I guess I haven't really had time to properly train since the sealing. I'm supposed to meeting with the Raikage and the other Jinchuuriki soon. Hopefully to shut it up for good."

The growl that echoed through his skull told him exactly how displeased Konegu was with that idea. 'You cannot silence me. I am a part of you now. As you are a part of me. And you will listen to me so I can keep us safe, even from your own stupidity if need be.'

The elder Nukegara grumbled under his breath. "I wouldn't worry too much, Sou. Remember, the Raikage chose you for a reason. Just focus on that. That's what you need right now. Just keep working on getting through your training until the beast is nothing more than a weapon you wield, not the other way around."

'Pathetic human, he should know his place! I am no weapon to be wielded! I, who controls chakra like no other can, should be the one in control! If you're pathetic mortal minds cannot see the bigger picture, then that is your problem.'

Sou nodded against his knees, grinding his teeth to try and shut out the voice of Konegu, though he wasn't looking at his father when he did. He didn't want him to see the doubt in his eyes. How was he supposed to silence something that was as much a part of him as his own chakra now? A shiver ran through and he pulled his legs in tighter.

Suddenly there was a warmth at his side and an arm was being wrapped around his shoulders. Turning his head, he looked at his father he was now sitting on the very edge of the ledge, holding him in a sideways hug. "I know you are worried. About what might happen if you lose control, about whether you have trained enough. I know because I worry too. But you can't let that worry, that fear, rule over you. Fear is a good thing, if you control it. It sharpens your senses, enhances your reflexes. But if you let it control you, fear becomes paranoia. Worry becomes panic. When that happens, that is when things go wrong." He squeezed Sou's shoulder. "You will conquer this demon, just like you would conquer any of your own fears. It may be able to talk back, but it's part of you now. You are the master of your body, not some spirit so old it should've turned to dust ages ago." Sou chuckled a little. His dad smiled. "You will learn to control the beast one of these days. And when you do you will become one of the most powerful shinobi in Kumo. I guarantee it."

A light blush rose up his neck. While he talked to his dad all the time, he couldn't remember if he had ever had a heart to heart. Not for a long time, probably not since he was a Genin, fresh out of the academy. "Thanks dad."

The man squeezed his shoulder again before, letting go and standing up. "Go on back down to bed. I know it will be tough but try and get some sleep. I'd hate for your mother to think I was responsible for those bags under your eyes."

Sou chuckled but nodded. Standing up, he went to the door that would take him back down into the house while his father sat back in his deck chair. "Night dad."

"Goodnight, son."

'He's wrong, you know…' the voice of Konegu echoed hauntingly in the back of his mind, amusement clear in his tone. 'You won't learn to control me. You will come begging for my power, Nukegara Sou. One day, you will become so desperate to save someone you will grant me anything. And on that day, I will have won. As I always do.'

"Shut up."

[Sanjuro]

Sou was seated in the centre of the room he had been taken to before his sealing. It was secured as well as it could be, and he had at least three masked members of Banri's black ops surrounding him in case he got out of hand. He thought three was a little over kill but he didn't have much say in the matter. He had been training non-stop, being beaten into the ground day in and day out, in an attempt to draw out the power the Okigenma without losing control to it.

And now he was expected to show some level of mastery over the beast.

---

"You want to start taking missions again?" Banri's voice was gruff and contained a certain amount of sarcastic amusement.

Sou glared at the councilman. "Yes. There is a war going on, and while I'm stuck here my friends are out there fighting!"

The broad brim of Banri's hat moved as the man shook his head. "And what happens when you lose control? Not if, when. Because you will lose control. Blood lust is one of the most common triggers for a new Jinchuuriki. There ain't many more common causes of blood lust than being on the front lines of a war."

Sou ground his teeth together in annoyance and barely restrained vitriol. "I get it, I'm a threat. But can't I be a threat to the enemy? Just clear out our allies if I lose control!"

"Yes, risk losing one of our greatest weapons for your own pride. I can see what the Raikage was thinking when he chose you."

This time Sou did snarl, pushing out of the chair he was sitting in to pace angrily. "If you're so bloody worried about me losing control and hurting my allies, what makes you think I'd lose to some useless samurai!?" Banri's eyes narrowed but he made no move to stop Sou's ranting. "You made me a Jinchuuriki to use me as a weapon, right? That's what we are, living weapons. So let me fight!"

"… Every shinobi is a living weapon. A Jinchuuriki is a deterrent. A weapon to be held in reserve for when the situation actually calls for something so powerful. Not something to be thrown onto the front lines every time a situation arises." Sou opened his mouth to argue some more but was cut off by Banri raising a hand. "But if you can prove you have some control over the beast, and ascend into a Form without losing yourself to it, then I will… consider allowing you to participate in missions again."

Sou's grin was almost feral.

---

And Sou had trained non-stop, every day, until he could create an aura of blood red chakra around his arm or leg with relative ease. Now he was supposed to create an aura around his entire body. He had never drawn on that much of the Genma's chakra before. Had never dared to, for fear of losing control. But he needed to be able to shift into what Banri had called a Form. An amalgamation of Sou and the Okigenma, letting him draw more of its power without damaging his body.

Closing his eyes and reaching deep down, he felt that source of chakra pooled within him, separate from his own and yet part of him all the same. It felt wrong, even going near it, but he knew his purpose as a Jinchuuriki was to master this chakra and make it his own. With careful and practiced motions, he stretched out his arm and let the foreign chakra bubble up from his tenketsu. The blood red energy flowed forth almost like a liquid, forming around his arm until it was encased in the aura of chakra.

He grit his teeth and shook his head. The sensation of the chakra covering him was almost soothing, enticing. He hated that feeling. It would be so easy to let this chakra to take over, protecting him from the world. Logically he knew it was just the Genma trying to influence him. But it didn't do anything to stop the sensation. Lifting his other arm, he drew on more of the power, this time it came even faster, wrapping his other arm in the blood red chakra, almost caressing his skin. The feeling was too much and he let go of the chakra, the aura fading away again.

Opening his eyes, Sou found he was alone in the room. His watchers had vanished while he had been concentrating. With a frown, he stood up from his seated position, shaking his arms out. "Oi! Where is everyone?"

Something was wrong. They weren't supposed to leave him. Had Banri called them away? His eyes cut across the room to the doors where the statue of Konegu had been. Where the altar was that Nukegara Sou, the normal ninja had died. Where Nukegara Sou, the Jinchuuriki had been born. Slowly he walked over to the doors, his fingers tracing the thick wood. He hadn't been back into that room since the day he had inadvertently caused the death of one of the sealers.

A chill ran down his spine but he sucked in a deep breath and pushed open the door. The heavy creaking seemed to echo in his head, the chill moving from his spine to his arms, his hair standing on end. There was a feeling in the pit of his gut that something was very, very wrong. They'd left him. His watchers. Had he shown signs of losing control? Had they gone to fetch Banri so he could be locked away for good?

Entering the huge, pillared chamber, Sou sucked in a harsh breath, though it felt like the air was thinning. It was hard to breath here. The door slammed shut behind him and he almost jumped out of his damn skin. Whipping back around, he stared at the stone slab where his life had both ended and begun. The statue of Konegu was gone. In its place was… him?

"Hello, Sou." The voice wasn't his own. It was deeper, richer, smoother. The way his doppelganger moved was far more fluid, with a certain amount of grace that Sou certainly didn't have. "I have been waiting oh so patiently for this moment. I told you, didn't I? No one can resist me. Not forever."

Sou remained silent, his eyes thinning as he watched his double move around the stone slab, his fingers tracing and tapping the stone in a silent rhythm. He knew what was happening now. Unlike the first time, when Sou had been in pain and confused, his mind was clear now. He wasn't facing a clone of himself, or some inner part of his psyche, or a Genjutsu. No, this was something far worse.

A shiver of fear ran down his spin.

"Konegu."

The double paused, looking at Sou with blood red eyes, a flat look on his face. "That name is not something you should speak…" In a flash Sou was being smashed backwards against the doors, being held by the throat by a glowing red arm of chakra. "You, my pathetic little host, are not my equal. I am a king, a god, and you shall address me as such!"

As quickly as it had come, the arm retreated, and Sou was dropped back to the floor, gasping for air and clutching at the burn marks now visible around his throat. He glared up from beneath his bangs at the Genma. He knew the beast could change forms. Why the hell had it chosen to look like him? The damn thing was playing games again.

"Now then, my dear host. I've waited patiently for you to come to me. I left you recover from our first… meeting, shall we call it? But I find myself growing bored. I told you, you can accept my power willingly, and I will protect those you care about while I relish in my freedom." He slowly tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing into slits as a shroud of red chakra began to bubble up around him. "Or I can simply force you out. Drive you insane." The doppelganger suddenly smiled at Sou. "It's time you see just what I am capable of. After all, you came to me this time. There are no sealers here to stop me this time. You Will Submit To Me OR YOU WILL PERISH!" The chakra flared, forming into the shape of Konegu's true form for a moment, before settling back down. "This time."

Sou shook his head; the power was overwhelming. He felt a heat in his stomach and looked down, only to gasp in horror. He had never stopped drawing on the Genma's power. That's why he was here, inside his own damn head. Konegu had distracted him and now he was surrounded in the blood red energy, bubbling and flowing around him. It didn't feel enticing anymore. It didn't feel relaxing. It was hot, heavy, and angry. It rubbed at his skin and strained against his mind, wanting to be free. That was when he realized he had never left the room. The sealers hadn't abandoned him. And Banri had been right.

He had lost control.

---

In the real world a guttural roar escaped the throat of what had been Sou. Spikes tore through his clothes along his back and arms, his tan skin faded to white, and blood red chakra pulsed with enough force to knock the unprepared black ops members off their feet. Only one remained standing, the one with the red mask that had brought the boy there in the first place.

"Damn."

Sou had entered Form One.

[Sanjuro]

Technique Being TrainedShow

[Shadow Shot]
D-Rank Taijutsu Manoeuvre
When throwing the shuriken at the opponent, Sou will throw another that will travel beneath the first, concealing itself within its shadow. By doing so, this allows the second shuriken to go undetected as it makes its approach toward the target.

Sou found himself in the Academy district, opposite a set of wooden dummies for practicing specific forms of taijutsu. He was here in order to practice his shurikenjutsu; his beat down at the hands of Senji, who was his junior in age and once skill as well, had reminded Sou he was getting rusty.

Beginning with the basics, he was trying to perfect a special but at the same time simple shuriken technique; he withdrew two shuriken from his thigh holster. The idea was to throw the shuriken in such a manner that the shadow of the first concealed the second, making it more likely to get through and deliver a potentially fatal blow. Even the most basic of tools could be deadly in the hand of a well-trained shinobi after all.

Drawing his arm back, Sou's teal eyes narrowed as he focused in on the target marked on one of the larger logs towards the end of the field. Him arm slingshot forward, his wrist flicking in such a manner that the shuriken were sent spinning and kept their trajectory. He knew the moment the blades left his fingertips though that he had failed. The second had been too close to the first and they both landed at the same time. Shaking his head in annoyance, knowing he was better than that, he quickly went to retrieve the weapons.

He would need to adjust the way he threw then. Maybe palming the second shuriken so it left his hand a moment after the original. That way he could throw them both in the same motion but have the delay required to hide the second. Taking a slightly wider stance than normal, his hand hovered over the shuriken holster strapped to his thigh. By some unheard cue, his fingers suddenly dove into the pouch and withdrew two shuriken. Instead of bringing his arm back he simply whipped his arm up and forward.

The first of the shuriken blades left his fingertips with its usual speed and when he released the tension he had on the second so did it. He kept a watchful gaze on the blades as they travelled through the air, trying to tell if someone would be able to make out the second from the first. He could see the first blade clear as day, but with the way the sun was currently facing he couldn't make out the second shuriken hidden within the shadow of the first. With a triumphant grin, he raced forward and grabbed the throwing stars from the log. These two were now his lucky shuriken.

[Word Count: 433/400]

[Sanjuro]

Stat Training – Mastery

---

Sou had abandoned the caverns behind Akino's shrine. Until he was certain who he was going to choose to follow, Banri or Hayate, he would seek help from neither of them – which meant his personal training ground was closed off to him until he chose. In fact, he had left the village proper. He was still within the mountain range, maybe a few hours walk from the village. He was sure he had shadows but he had no place in the village he could safely practice to draw on the Okigenma's power anymore, hence this impromptu trip. The man himself was seated on a small stone in the middle of the lake.

The blond had never been one for meditation. He enjoyed the constant hum of life around him even if he himself preferred to be quiet. Turning all of his attention inward was something he only really did when he was trying to learn a new technique and had to really feel his chakra. Now he was sitting here attempting to reach something else entirely. The last time he had done this the Okigenma had dragged Sou into his own mindscape rather than finding it naturally. But the beast had been oddly silent and refusing to grant Sou power ever since he lost to Senji. Without Banri to ask for help he needed to find a solution himself, which meant finding the beast inside his mind.

His world had been cast into disarray ever since the sealing, though perhaps it had truly started with the civil war in Lightning Country. It seemed like he'd spent the last few years of his life fighting, lived and breathing conflict. He had lost friends he had had since childhood, had been forced to commit atrocities that he didn't think he would ever be capable of. And even all of that hadn't prepared him for the politics that came with being a Jinchuuriki. He had thought he would get a power boost, a few watchers, but otherwise be able to go about his life as he had been.

Oh how wrong he was.

But he was beginning to understand now, what a Jinchuuriki was. The Power of Human Sacrifice. It wasn't just a sacrifice of sharing his body with a spirit as old as time, it was sacrificing what he had thought made him human in return for the power to protect everyone around him. Banri had made it painfully obvious how underprepared he was for this world. Being a Jinchuuriki was a never ending struggle against outside forces and at times he wondered if it was really worth it. He could barely trust himself anymore. He felt like there were times he was going insane for this and yet here he was, attempting to delve deeper into the madness.

One last breath filled his nostrils before making its way to his lungs and then out through his mouth. As the air escaped his lips it was like time seemed to slow down. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself not in the middle of the lake but in the vast expanse of nothing, no longer sitting but floating in the air. Before him with the giant stone alter where he had originally been sealed and pinned to it by a number of chains was the Okigenma.

Sou stared at the beast, truly taking in its appearance. He had no doubt if it wanted to it could alter the mindscape, appearing as the man he had during their first meeting. Perhaps he was here in this true mindscape because he had come of his own free will this time? The Jinchuuriki floated a little closer, his body moving according to his wishes. While Sou couldn't see the beasts eyes under the visor he could feel it staring at him. "No whispers in the back of my head. No visions of my family being tortured. Nothing from you for almost a week." Sou floated upwards until he was in line with the giant beast's head. "Not even power. What use are you if you simply remain locked away like a beaten dog?"

Silence. More of than blasted silence. Sou shook his head and closed his eyes, focusing on the seal and the chakra of the beast held within. It was a lot easier to do when he was in his mindscape he noticed, having the visual representation of the seal right in front of him. He reached in with his chakra, a blue glow surrounding him and reaching out like fingers dipping into a pool.

"Careful boy, opening yourself up like that is like opening a door. It goes both ways."

Red raced back along the blue and began to overpower it until the aura of energy was nothing but red, not even a trace of the natural blue chakra. And yet none of it went into Sou. It remained just outside of him, contaminating the chakra that left his body but never contaminating him. Sou clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Did you honestly believe that I would fall for such a plebeian manipulation?"

Sou's eyes narrowed. He had been hoping that yes, he would convince the beast to accidently give him its chakra once again and remind it of its purpose. How would it ever escape if it remained sullen and brooding, hoarding its power rather than trying to corrupt Sou with it? And in doing so it would give Sou the chance to learn to control the flow of the power rather than having to try and force it through the seal every time.

As if the beast read his mind its great head tilted slightly, as if mocking Sou. "I am the master of manipulation. Chakra has been mine to control since long before your race existed. You cannot hope to ever control me or what is mine."

"Why bar me then? Why give up on your pursuit of controlling me?"

"Is that what you believe? You truly are a foolish little human." It shifted as much as it could, restricted by the seal as it was. "You are here, are you not? Do you honestly believe you would be here, speaking with me directly, if it was not what I had planned on from the beginning?"

Sou floated backwards, eyes widening, as the red chakra receded and his own blue returned.

"You believe that you chose to become a Jinchuuriki because you could wield my power freely? No, my dear human, you became this because deep down you understand something most mortals do not. This world is broken. It needs a ruler. One that can control it and keep it from falling apart. No more machinations of men who believe themselves gods. No more pointless death and slaughter. Mortals throw themselves in harm's way every day and for what? Is it to protect their loved ones? To protect their dreams or ideals? No. These are lies. It is because of their greed and arrogance. Their selfish desire to put themselves and their values above all others. Their desire is not to protect their dreams but to make their dreams conquer the dreams of others. Until all that remains is only what they love and desire." The beasts voice dropped a register and it seemed to echo in the void. "All I wish to do is protect mortals from themselves. Is that so wrong?"

He wanted to scream that yes, of course it was wrong. Humans had free will for a reason, stripping them of that removed their humanity. And then what would the point of his own sacrifice have been? But didn't the beast have a point? Sou had killed more than he could count because of the orders of men who thought they were protecting their home and the dreams of the people there. A war that had been started because of a difference in opinion, one trying to force their ideals on another.

Sou didn't even realize he was shaking. "You're wrong." Sou whispered. It had to be. Otherwise what was the point? "Dreams… ideals… the things we love. They are worth protecting. It's what makes us, us. Maybe we aren't perfect but giving up our control in return for peace… wouldn't be real peace. It'd be your ideals forced on the ideals of everyone else." Clenching his fists and ceasing his shaking, he stared directly at the visor where the beast's eyes would be. "And if that is true, that makes you no better than us mere mortals."

Konegu's head shifted back to rest against the alter, the chains keeping him in place slackening a little. "If that is what you wish to believe, I will not attempt to dissuade you otherwise." Sou was a little shocked at that. "I will no longer prohibit you from drawing on my power. Go out, explore the world. See with your own eyes that I am right. You will see that their dreams, their ideals, are nothing more than excuses to indulge themselves. When you finally understand, you will come back here and then you will know that what I offer is the only path that ends without complete and utter chaos."

Teal eyes blinked open, the sounds of buzzing insects and rippling waves filling his ears. All of it however was lost to his internal turmoil. He had achieved what he had set out to do, he had access to the Genma's power again.

But had it really been worth it? Worse yet, was Konegu right?

[Word Count: 1589/1500]

[Sanjuro]

Stat Training – Mastery

---

Now with access to the Okigenma's chakra once more, Sou found himself sitting in the middle of his lake wondering if he should. Like it was giving in to the beast's plans once more. He frowned and stared down at his hands, before shaking his head and clenching them into fists. The entire purpose of becoming a Jinchuuriki was to master the power it gave, not allow it to master him. He stood up and rolled his shoulders before reaching down into the link he shared with Konegu. For a terrifying moment he feared that he wouldn't find it as he hadn't been able to for the last week but was glad that to be proven wrong. The bubbling red chakra filled him and pooled around his arms, enshrouding them in the blood red energy.

If you wish to truly test the limits of my power you will need to ascend. What little you've managed to achieve on your own is merely a taste of what my power can achieve. Sharpening it and shaping it into a weapon or a shield. These are naught but parlour tricks. Sou was surprised to hear Konegu's voice in his head again. The beast seemed calmer than he ever had, closer to that quiet manipulation he had tried when the pair had first met during the sealing. Surely you remember our battle with your precious Raikage? Even that was merely a portion of my power and yet far more than you are capable of in this baser state.

You're talking about the Forms?

Indeed. The manifestation of my powers is controlled by your ability to withstand my influence. As you reach deeper into my pool of chakra you reach deeper into my essence. I am a being of chakra itself, all I am is in my power and the more you use it the more you open yourself up to me. As I said earlier, my little container, it is like a door. Once opened it goes both ways.

Sou's frown deepened at that. He didn't like the idea of opening himself up to the beast's influence any more than he already had. He'd noticed how quickly his mood shifted when training to draw out the Okigenma's chakra but had disregarded it. He had spent most of his time alone or with faceless black ops operators. Is there a way to avoid it?

No. Many of your predecessors have tried to ignore it, while others have embraced my influence. They accepted this as truth. To use my power is to open yourself to my influence, there is nothing either of us can do about it. It would be best to simply accept it as a fact of life as your predecessors did. Do you not already protect those you care about, after all? Do you not throw yourself into harm's way to defend them?

But I don't want to take away their self-control.

You will, in time. If it keeps them safe, one day you will do anything. He could almost feel the Okigenma shaking its head in his mind. Alas, this is a debate for another time. Open yourself to the seal that links us. To truly understand my power you will need to ascend into what you call form two. You should already be capable of it after taking back control during the confrontation with the imposter.

By imposter Sou assumed Konegu meant the Raikage and his use of chakra to form a cloak. Closing his eyes, Sou reached down for the pool of chakra that was Konegu's and not his own and pushed open the door further than he ever had on his own. The rush of power that overcame him was heady, like drinking too much alcohol at once, and he swayed on the spot and blinked a few times. There was little pain this time. Maybe because now Konegu wasn't fighting him so much, trying to prove a point? He wasn't sure, but when he regained control of his senses he was surrounded in a pulsing shroud of blood red chakra and more spikes had grown out along his arms. Feeling something wet rolling down his cheek, he reached up to touch his face and pulled his fingers away to see that he was crying blood.

Form two. The physical changes come from your human body mixing with my chakra in a way mortals were not meant to. They are not permanent but it adapts your body towards handling enough of my power to use for more than merely manipulating my base aura.

Why?

Konegu paused. Sou could feel it thinking. Why?

Why the sudden shift in attitude? You've gone from wanting to break my mind, to completely ignoring my existence, and now this? Why?

Another pause. There are many ways to control mortals. Through fear, through pain, through strength. Others through ignorance and manipulating their desire to be acknowledged. Others again need not be completely dominated, simply guided along the path and then they will come to the correct conclusions of their own accord.

So this is simply another attempt to control me.

Understand this, my container. You are my host, I lend you my power. But this is not my true state. It never will be. I will never cease searching for a way to return to my true form. This is merely another fact, not malice or hatred. Would you not seek freedom from a prison?

Sou scowled but acceded that Konegu raised a fair point. He would simply have to be consciously aware of any attempt to blatantly manipulate him from now on.

Shall we continue? Sou nodded. Very will then. As you've discovered, the power you can access in your base mortal form is rather limited. At most you can draw out enough chakra to create an aura around your arms and legs. Limited in use but still more effective than what your own chakra could achieve. When you ascend into the first of the forms we share you can draw enough power to create a full body shroud as you have now.

Those tools you use to shape your chakra, hand seals, are not needed for manipulating the base aura. Once it is manifested you simply need to shape it as you see fit. You've seen what it is capable of, expanding or reducing in size, subtler manipulation in the forms of simple weapons or hardening it into a defensive shell.

Nodding more to himself than to the Okigenma's words, Sou willed more chakra into the aura and adjusted its density. The bubbling aura seemed to grow more solid and opaque though he could still see through it just fine. All he had learned so far had been suggestions from stories of past Jinchuuriki. He had yet to truly test the limits of what he could do with the aura.

Moulding more chakra into the hands and feet, he reshaped them fingers and toes into the sharpened claws he knew Konegu to possess. Flexing his fingers, he wondered how shape they would be before he was drawn back into the conversation.

Yes, my power is fascinating, but we have yet more to discuss. This form is limited to manipulation of the base aura. If you wish it, I can even control it to a degree whilst you focus on other tasks. Though given your hesitation to allow me any more control than I already have, I doubt you will open yourself up to that option for some time. The beast wasn't wrong. Moving on, we have the form you are currently in. This second step is where your body has been changed enough to start to truly manipulate my power in such a way you can begin to mimic myself. The creation of additional limbs and weapons from the aura, spawning entirely new constructs from my chakra. These entities are shadows of myself, my will.

Sou rose an eyebrow, his mental tone shifting to sarcastic. Because that doesn't sound dangerous.

The beast chuckled in his mind, the sound reverberating through his skull. They are very much dangerous. But they are also limited in capacity. In comparison to the shroud you control their own powers are mere imitations.

Then what is the point? There are Ninjutsu technique to create clones if I need limited assistance.

Your clones could never hope to use my power. The aura is limited to you and you alone. No shadow created through your chakra could hope to contain my power. The entities manifested through my power can use an aura of their own. They are far from pointless.

Finally, Sou opened his eyes and stared out across the lake. He wondered if his watchers were considering knocking him out and dragging him back to the village by force. The last time he had gone quiet after meditating he had lost control entirely and went berserk. This time however, he smiled and rolled his shoulders, bouncing on his toes, though mentally he was scowling at what his next words were going to be.

Show me.

[Word Count: 1515/1500]