To beat a ninja, one must become ninja

[Taiga]

In the bustling city of Kumogakure, Rio found herself in the heart of its public library, a treasure trove of knowledge waiting to be explored. Surrounded by rows upon rows of ancient tomes and scrolls, she sought a book that would shed light on the secrets of chakra control. To any shinobi these were not secrets but commonly known child's play, but to Rio, who knew only of the basic hand seals Sega-san had taught her, it was eye opening.

Under Shiun and Suzuko's recommendation she had come to Kumogakure along with the pair to do an exchange of sorts. Officially, she was on a mission from Goro to watch after Suzuko yet again, but personally, she was here to learn all she could about chakra. A shinobi had killed her father- and she was increasingly running into shinobi on bounties as the payouts went up. It was tough for her to deal with them when she knew so little of how they fought. How they thought... how their magics worked.

Her gaze landed on a weathered volume, its pages yellowed with age—a testament to the wisdom it held within. Rio carefully pulled the book from the shelf and settled into a secluded corner, eager to immerse herself in its teachings. As she turned the pages, she found herself engrossed in the intricacies of chakra manipulation. The book delved into the core principles of controlling this mystical energy, guiding her through the steps necessary to harness it effectively.

One passage described the process of gathering chakra, likening it to drawing water from a well. Rio imagined herself reaching into her core, pulling forth the reservoir of energy that lay dormant within her. The concept fascinated her, and she felt a newfound connection to the vast reservoir of chakra flowing within her being.

The book continued, explaining the importance of balance in chakra control. It emphasized that just as water must flow smoothly through a river, chakra needed to be directed with precision and harmony. Rio realized that mastering chakra control was not about sheer force, but about finesse and understanding the ebb and flow of energy. The seals that Sega-san had taught her of we one method to control this- but it seemed like those with particular skill could go beyond and even escape the need to form seals.

In another section, the book discussed the art of walking on walls—a skill Rio had admired in seasoned shinobi. The passage revealed that it was not only a feat of physical prowess but also a testament to one's chakra control. It required a delicate balance of focused chakra in the feet and a connection with the surface they walked upon.

With each page, Rio's knowledge expanded, and she could feel a transformation within herself. The book spoke of chakra nature transformation—a concept that intrigued her deeply. It described how shinobi could mold their chakra to take on various elemental properties, such as fire, water, or earth. The possibilities seemed endless, and Rio knew she had only scratched the surface of this complex art.

As Rio immersed herself in the ancient wisdom of the book. With each passing moment, she felt more attuned to the flow of chakra within her. The insights she gained were not only practical but also spiritual in nature. She realized that mastering chakra control was not just about becoming a powerful warrior—it was about honing her inner self and finding balance in her journey. As the sun began to set outside the library windows, Rio closed the book with a sense of contentment. She knew that she had much to learn, but this day had been a crucial step on her path to becoming a formidable shinobi.

Leaving the library with a renewed sense of purpose, she headed for the training grounds of Akino peak. Reading was good- but the only way to master or learn something was to use it, and preferably in a strenuous situation. She had already heard that Suzuko and Shiun met a legendary shinobi who apparently was a rival to the Raikage himself. If she could brush shoulders with this kind of warrior- perhaps she could learn the way of the shinobi sooner.

Not that she wanted to use chakra or be one- but to beat ones enemy, you had to understand them first.

(726 for Control)

[Texas]

This exchange program really was a burst of life to Akihiko. New people to meet, have fun with, and ultimately disappoint. The child had been running around Akino Peak like... well a child. Between the wind and the heat beaming from the sun, Akihiko just wanted to play. He had been training as if he was preparing for war and it was nice that he was able to take a day off.

Even on his day off, the pink haired loud mouth tried to play games that included a training like aspect. Akihiko couldn't get soft! As he continued to skip in borderline a primal way, he caught a glimpse of something shiny far in the distance... What could be coming over towards him.... was it an ENEMY? Aki had an instinctual reaction. Simply put he arched his back and softly bent his knees. During the same moment, he focused the chakra through his body. The child's chakra molded with Ryenuso's to be its own version. Akihiko's own chakra... he felt special, but most thought he was special for other reasons.

A crack invisible to the normal eye formed behind him. This crack was a portal that skipped the 1st Layer and put Akihiko right into the 2nd layer. The child entered into it by taking two steps back. As he entered, the world around him dramatically changed. It was as if the world had been redrawn exactly the same but not colored in. A black and white realm with shades of grays. The Second layer was a tranquil one, a realm where no one could hear, see, or touch him. Within the year of controlling this power, Aki had often times made this layer his safe space. A place no one could really bother him.

After walking backwards, Aki took a walk around the crack and headed forward. He ran against the grassy mountainous range. The boy childishly skipped down with nothing but excitement rushing through his blood, a devilish smirk, and nothing really processing between his eyes. In a way, this child that is burdened by his clan and his genma, was sort of free!

Speaking about burdens, Akihiko was shocked to see a girl... in armor? What was the purpose of wearing armor in the great empire of Kumogakure no Sato. Aki walked around the girl and tried to understand what she was doing. She definitely wasn't a Kumo ninja... At this point in his "career" Aki would have known if there was an armored girl close to his own age.

The Brilliant mind of Akihiko Ishiguro almost broke from thinking. It took an embarrassingly long amount of time before he realized that she was probably a Heart Ronin.. Wait... Wait.. Wait... The sugar rush like excitement burst outwards. She could know Shiun and Suzuko!! Aki's chakra flowed through the 2nd Layer of the Limbo Realm like they were all connected. At this point he had decided to just follow her silently and pop up at a more... fun time after he has gathered a little bit more info.

---

512/500
+1 Control

[Taiga]

Staring at a tree to the side of the lake outside the Raikage's building, Rio took a deep breath and closed her eyes as her fingers aligned, the middle and index finger of each hand perpendicular to each other forming the tell-tale cross shinobi used to build chakra. Attempting to connect with the reservoir of chakra within her, try as she might, her chakra remained elusive, slipping through her fingers like water. Frustration crept into her heart, but she refused to relent.

Was she doing this wrong?

With each attempt, Rio struggled to form the chakra necessary for tree walking. The silence of the garden was disrupted by the sound of her footsteps as she stumbled, her determination refusing to waver. She recalled the teachings from the book she had read at the Kumogakure library, focusing on the concept of gathering chakra like drawing water from a well. Yet, the chakra remained stubbornly out of her grasp.

She clenched her fists, trying to steady her resolve as she open her eyes and fixed on the tree's sturdy trunk. Once more, she attempted to form chakra in her feet, envisioning it as a steady stream. Yet, her efforts felt futile as she failed to connect with the energy that was supposed to flow within her. Rio's breath quickened, and frustration threatened to consume her. She couldn't understand why she was struggling so much. Thoughts of her father flashed before her mind, and she felt a surge of emotion—a mix of determination and a sense of unworthiness.

With renewed vigor, she attempted to channel chakra once more, but the result was the same. Her feet remained firmly planted on the ground, unable to defy gravity and walk upon the tree's surface. Time seemed to stretch as she continued to practice, her determination driving her forward even as her frustration threatened to overwhelm her. In her pursuit of success, she was forced to confront her own limitations and doubts. After several minutes, filled with frusteration, she wondered if this was because she needed to chant or something.

In Heart Country in Xincha she had learned about the "kiai" chants the samurai did to release spiritual blasts of energy with their swords. Shyly, and somewhat coy, she mustered up a growling noise in her throat- a confused and uncomfortable noise. She then let out a scream "hai!" "ichi" "ni" and continued to scream as she attempted to build her chakra. Somewhat comically, but somewhat sad.

With each attempt, however, Rio noticed something changing. Her control over her chakra, though not enough to execute tree walking, was growing more refined. She could sense the subtle flow of energy within her, even if she couldn't yet utilize it for the task at hand.

She continued to scream out into the air like a madwoman- attributing the changing feeling she had to that, when in reality, it was completely and absolutely unrelated. If she would keep at this she would be a master in no time. All the while, she was none the wiser another was watching her.

She could feel that kneading, swelling feeling one did when manipulating chakra, but she never seemed to get any much further than that. From what she had read in the book, this was something called shape manipulation. The technique she wished to use was a very minor form of it- only enough shape to make globs of chakra at ones feet... but even this seemed to be incredibly hard.

Rio contemplated for a moment whether or not she was really meant to use chakra as she continued to form her hands together and muster all she could to her feet. If being a ninja was anything like the training she had done before, she was aware grit meant a lot more than anything else a lot of the time. With a long drawn in breath, she forced the chakra too her feet and let out her kiai scream once more, this time, to her surprised, it seemed she had perhaps succedeed. Her foot seemed to be stuck to the ground. Struggling for some minutes she realized that she probably needed to learn how to also release the chakra that held her in place.

A few more frantic screams of energy would fill the air as she finally figured out that if she broke her hand seal, which was acting as a crutch for her at the moment, the technique fizzled out. Rio fell back on her butt, tired. She'd barely made any progress today- least she felt that way. In reality, she was actually learning quite fast.

She let out a sigh and looked up to the artificial sky and roof above their heads- the pulsing of electricity in the ring around the artificial mountain peak that stood testament to Kumogakure's engineering might.

(1531 for Control)

[Texas]

Akihiko stood there, watching, listening, reading?? The child stood there with his arms folded at this point watching on as an allied warrior was reading a beginners book from the local Kumo Library. The 2nd Layer was all encompassing, it took chakra and control to steadily stay within it. The chakra he was expelling combined with the control of the realm itself wasn't something Akihiko had trained enough. It was important for him to continuously focus on the chakra within him, but also the chakra within the realm.

It was as if the realm and his internal chakra were one. He could feel everything around him. The black and white nature of this realm always perplexed the young, yet impressionable pink haired shinobi. Sometimes he would get distracted just by residing within it. As a whole he just couldn't help it all together. In its own way, the Limbo Realm had its own... beauty?

After being heavily distracted by the Limbo Realm itself, Akihiko shook his head and readjusted his focus. Although the boy couldn't sense what she was doing internally, he deduced based off of her motions and the book she was reading, that this girl in armor was in fact trying to learn how to utilize chakra. Or at the very least, she was trying to control it better. What a wild fate otherwise called coincidence.

Aki wanted to help if he could, but how could he just jump in and help her without startling her? With that single thought Ryeunso had to interrupt his brainwaves... "Boy, why are you trying to be nice? We have a perfect opportunity to... make an impression." The words "make an impression" echoed throughout his mind. A first impression that would leave a lasting impression? SAY NO MORE. A devilish smirk creeped throughout the child's face as his brain's gears began to spin.

Functioning like a dull boy, he figured maybe he could just appear in front of her and offer some help. What would be the best way to do it though? She was just standing there as she kept reading and attempting to control her chakra. The boy didn't know how well it was going, but based on her attempts... it probably wasn't good. This would need some advice from a master.

"Ryeunso... should I just pop up next to her? Or would it be better to appear behind her and act like I snuck up?" A chuckle could be heard by Akihiko within the confines of his pea sized brain. "Really? Seeking my advice on something so... trivial?" The voice paused before continuing, "Your best course of action is to give her the full show! Maybe wait for her to be drinking water during a break and try to surprise her. What's the worst that could happen?" Although Ryeunso gave Aki some flack for asking, in truth he loved it. Trickery was his favorite, and for Akihiko to indulge in such behavior really gave pleasure in the fact that they were merged together.

The child walked around and sat down in front of Rio, waiting for her to be at her height of distraction.

530/500
+1 Control

[Taiga]

Unbeknownst to Rio, her every move was being quietly observed by an unseen spectator. With determination and grit akin to the legends themselves, she took a leap, attempting to ascend the tree's bark with her chakra. However, her efforts met with a less than graceful result, as she came crashing down with a resounding metallic thud, her armor bearing the brunt of the impact. Panting and drenched in sweat, she lay there, feeling the weight of her body, struggling to form and hold the chakra long enough to support herself


As the sun beat down, Rio took a moment to contemplate her predicament. She couldn't help but wonder if her armor was hindering her progress. Shinobi typically favored lightweight attire, like orange jumpsuits, which may have seemed paradoxical for stealth. Pink ones and all sorts of loud colors were- well, that was beyond the point. The point was the shinobi generalyl tended to dress lightly, mainly in cloth. With a sigh of realization, Rio carefully removed each piece of armor, placing them at the base of the tree. Now clad only in simple linen pants, undershirt, and clothing, she could feel the relief of the cooler air against her sweat-drenched skin and hair, which now clung to the back of her head and shoulders. Her pale an untouched sweat-drenched skin would glisten in the electric lights of the tower.

Truth be told, the young woman beneath the armor was quite beautiful- something entirely unexpected from someone who spent the majority of their life unseen behind cold steel.

She took a deep breath, not quite comfortable being seperated from her gear.

It was definitely cooler without the armor. Things wouldn't end there though. With her break fully taken, she would take a few more sips of water before approaching the tree and attempting to muster up her chakra yet again. This time, she was able to feel it flowing through her body. She had made that much progress. She was also able to push it down to her feet, but the shape manipulation portion seemed to fail. She wasn't able to properly make the lovely chakra moccasins that would give her feet the sticky goodness they needed to make their way up the tree.

She didn't have much chakra reserves though- which made sense given to build ones reserve they generally needed to use more chakra, working it like a muscle, so she needed to take this a step at a time. Still, this time, she was able to adhere to the tree for longer than before before falling with a soft thud into the sands of the training ground. She wasn't sure if the sands had always been there or if her repeated falling had pulverized it to be as such.

She just needed to have that breakthrough- the eureka moment in which she figured out what her technique was missing. If she could do that, she would succeed at doing this childs play jutsu that any shinobi, and even a lot of samurai, could do.

(1531+506 -> 2037/2000 for+4 Control)

---

EDIT: (because Texas takes too long to reply)

THUD

Once again, Rio spilled over the side of the tree and tumbled into a mess on the ground, letting out a roaring fuck. She had kept at it trying over and over. Each time, she got a bit better, climbing higher and holding on longer. The ground around the tree got messed up from all her falls, but she didn't care. Her shoulders and body ached from all the falls, though to some extent her rolling and marital training had helped lessen the impact. None of it mattered though- she needed to get better.

Until now she had struggled with even shaping or manipulating the chakra, but had managed to get a hang on that with perseverance. Her issue now seemed to be entirely different, and foreign to her. Rio felt frustrated, but also proud of herself for how far she had come. She knew she had to keep practicing and pushing herself. She was now able to make it a foot or two up the tree before falling, but each time she felt extremely exhausted. She needed to rest, drink up, and go at it again.

As she returned to the tree with each attempt, she could feel herself getting better, climbing higher and holding on longer. The falls didn't bother her anymore; they were just part of the process. It was like there was a tank inside of her and each time she emptied it thoroughly, the tank got a little bigger. And if she had managed to make it all the way to the top, perhaps her tank would be big enough to do other amazing feats.

But, in the end, it was like a muscle she had rarely used. She rinsed-and-repeated a lot. Each fall. Each time making it more and more. Inches, feets, it all turned to meteres until eventually she was two meters up a tree until her legs exhausted and her body grew week and she fell to the ground with a thud. She was quickly finding though, while she got further each try, each failure seemed to take longer to recover from. Seconds had begun to turn to minutes. And minutes to fives-of-minutes. With some interpretation, she looked to the tree again.

This time she took a running jump and threw herself in full at the tree, hoping to also use her momentum to aid her. Her first foot planted and she could feel the drain begin. Second foot. Third food. Fourth foot. Fifth foot. Sixth foot-plant. She only had two- these were plants, err, steps, she was thinking about. And finally she was meters up the tree. Surprised by her own growth, she wanted to push further. Go for six.

But then something happened. Her head hurt- like a horrible migraine. Her body began to feel a chill. She felt dizzy. Her eyes began to close.

Wha-wha-t's hap--- She couldn't finish her thought as everything went black and she hurdled to the ground, landing with a loud thud on her shoulder. With her strength and durability the impact damage would be negligible, but she was out cold, sprawled wide eagle on the ground.


526/500 for +1 CP

[Texas]

The child watched on as Rio continued to learn chakra on her own. He had been there before and truly appreciated the work effort of this similar aged samurai. What was intriguing is that she was falling into the same issues he had early on. Which meant she might specialize in other forms of combat that didn't rely on chakra. Could she be an absolute powerhouse?

Akihiko continued to watch on, but at the end of the day started to feel creepy. Maybe he was within the limbo realm a little too long. The child gazed upon Rio as she tried her hardest to form and manipulate the chakra that she could muster out. However, similar to what Aki had gone through, she was not that great at control and would burn through her reserves. The result hit close to home as she used up too much chakra and passed out. Okay, he definitely had to help her now if he wasn't already. Maybe waking her up would be beneficial! The child had a canteen of water that he brought for training, this would be the best time to use it. Since he had to make contact, the child shifted from the 2nd Layer, to the First layer. At least in the First Layer he could make physical contact. With this shift, Aki then took out his canteen and unscrewed the top of it. Moving, shifting, and performing within the Limbo Realm required control. Since he had been practicing of simply resting within it, this did help with gaining a stronger bond with his mind and body as far as controlling chakra goes.

After the pre teen boy opened up his canteen, he walked over to be closer to Rio. When he stood above her head, he poured the water on top of her. The water would splash on her face although she wouldn't be able to see it, even after it hit her. Maybe it would scare her a little bit? Perhaps this could have worked with waking her up a little bit? After he poured all the water out, he realized that maybe... just maybe the water should have been saved a little bit to give her to drink. The child was still working on critical thinking, since it was a type of brain function Aki was still getting used to. With the water splashing, the child decided maybe it was time that he come out of the limbo and help her if she needed it.

Aki, waited a little bit until she would be able to see him pop out of nowhere. If she didn't though, he thought it would be best if he popped out and tried to wake her. Regardless, the boy would shift out of the 1st Layer and become present! It would seem as though the boy appeared out of thin air. Aki would have a little smirk and move one of his arms to the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. With a grin and slightly genuine look of concern mixed with embarrassment, Akihiko would loudly speak towards Rio. "Hey, sorry about that! Are you okay?"

524/500
+1 Control

[Taiga]

It was so dark... and so cold- but above all numb. It was as if she had ceased to exist as Rio fell deep into the thralls of her unconsciousness... and then...

Bursts of sudden warmth scattered upon her body as he eyes swung open, looking up into the sunlight that filtered down through the leaves of the tree in a complete scene of komorebi. The intensity of the light increased as she found herself enveloped in an otherworldly realm and was transported from beyond the tree through space, through energy, until she was completely by herself upon a void.

Before her, a vibrant network of interconnected points of light appeared, suspended in the air. They formed a complex pattern that seemed at first looked like the stars themselves. As Rio studied the heavenly constellations however, she realized she was looking at something else. Something far more different. Stepping back as the image before her eyes became bigger she realized she was look at a constellation of herself- of her own body. The ethereal energy pulsed through from node to node as if it was some sort of internal organ- and upon seeing that she realized that it was in fact her tenketsu she was seeing. The vital energy points that existed in everyones body, each radiating a soft, pulsating glow. It was as if she could see the essence of her life force, mapped out in front of her.

This was the energy she had read about in the book. That the shinobi harnessed and used with extraordinary effect. It was also the energy she had been using for the better of an hour as she struggled to climb the tree- to make her way up that hill. Closing her eyes she let herself fall back into the nothingness as she floated, as if she was a loft on the river.

She could feel as if the tenketsu in her body wasn't moving. As if it wasn't flowing. As if something was wrong- something preventing it from generating and cycling to it's fullest potential. Even though she had used so much of what she could produce- there was no way that was her limit- it just couldn't be. Opening her eyes back up she looked at the nodes, focusing on the intricate arrangement.

A river of chakra began to flow along the pathways that connected the tenketsu. It was a mesmerizing sight, like rivers of light coursing through her body. With every pulse, she felt a surge of warmth and energy, like a gentle caress. This energy flowed with purpose, nourishing every part of her being and bolstering her to heights she hadn't previously believed herself capable. But then, in a fleeting moment, it was gone and there was nothing left.

One node was yellow- a stark contrast to the blue and white pulsations of the light before. It was a node shortly above the stomach, and each time the river flowed forth to it it became yellow and swallowed the energy whole, only a very brief and translucent amount slowly trickling past towards the head of the constellation that she had come to see as her own tenketsu.

As her gaze followed the path of chakra, she felt a deep resonance with this flow. It was as if she had always known this rhythm, this dance of energy that coursed through her veins. The chakra seemed to respond to her presence. Perhaps what she needed to do was unblock this node. To release whatever it was that blocked it off and prevented her from reaching her full potential.

A limit break- if you will.

With a surge of determination she willed the chakra to intensify, to gather and swell like a tide. The mighty network of nodes swelled and shone brighter as the energy smacked into the yellow node with all the force it had and the whole structure glew with a great intensity as she moved both her hands out. Her body began to shake as her hands formed a single and simple cross-seal. She roared against the quakes as she held fast, until the yellow node began to glow with intensity until finally, it burst, the light blinding her as her hands fell open and she stumbled back into the void.

For a brief moment there was darkness, and silence. No nodes remained- and then finally she looked up as a tiny spark kicked off, and one by one every node illuminated. The white energy spread with haste node to node until finally it reached the previously yellow one, which it passed through with no resistance and into the other until finally, a mighty white figure was before her. Feeling an odd sensation, she felt her hand began to warm as she held it out in-front of her, her whole body illuminating every fiber and cell as she felt invigorated.

And then finally, her vision began to fade... and then, she felt something upon her face. Something wet; as if she was drowning. Spurring to consciousness her vision came back as she opened her eyes with a gasp only to find herself back beneath the tree, laying on her back. She coughed, and looking up as she came fully back to noticed a strange figure looking right at her.
His hair was sakura tree pink and his eyes held a golden-greenish hue to him. His face was so young and fresh.

Rio had so many questions. Had she just hallucinated? Was it a dream? Was it real? What had happened? Why was she wet and who was this boy leaning over her?

IN either case something felt different. She felt stronger as if she had more energy. As if a limit that had been on her had been lifted. Something was strange.

"Uh... hi?" the beautiful white-haired young woman said as she coughed once more, a little water coming out of her nose, and she pulled her self up to a sitting position.

"What did you do you little shit?" she said as her eyes locked on Aki. Her brain hadn't yet caught onto that the boy had also appeared out of nowhere.


1033 for +2 Chakra Pool