Training Montage

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Toshi
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Wed May 08, 2019 1:58 pm


Doton

Somewhere in the Nara Woods of the Hidden Leaf Village a man was stretching. His majestic, pale legs practically glowed as the stray beams of light that pierced the thick canopy overhead struck them, his scandalously short training shorts doing little to cover them. The man’s bare torso radiated a powerful paleness as well as he tapped from foot to foot almost playfully, warming up muscles still stiff with the morning’s stillness. He groaned and raised his arms to the sky, his wrists adorned with fuzzy sweatbands. Another matching band stretched around his head to keep the sweat from his thin eyes. After a few minutes the man, satisfied with his stretchiness, unzipped a canvas gym bag and pulled out a rather battered looking jambox. He placed it on a nearby stump and flipped it on.

It was time to cut loose.

As much as Tousha wanted to dive into something he was more comfortable with, he knew better than anyone that his earth release skills needed some work. The Bannin's unique and versatile chakra nature made it possible to use the five basic releases but that didn't mean they all came easy. Katon, Raiton and Fuuton seemed second nature to him now, after years of training and execution in the field. But for whatever reason Doton and Suiton never interested him much. They just didn't feel the same, not as cathartic. Tousha was certain he was missing something, and now that he was back home the Nara was determined to track down that illusive feeling of satisfaction.

He'd begin with learning one of the fundamental Doton techniques, a jutsu commonly introduced to students still in the Academy. The Bannin unfurled a sizeable scroll he'd borrowed from the Academy's bloated stockroom and studied the proper hand seals required to perform the jutsu. Simple enough considering a technique of this rank didn't require more than a few seals. The man practiced the seals, his hands forming the intricate patterns with mechanical efficiency. After a few practice runs and adding the combination of seals to his ever growing repertoire of Ninjutsu, Tousha shook out his shoulders and started gathering chakra.

The Nara rounded off the seals with an earned ease, his hands practically buzzing with the speed of each movement. Tousha could feel his chakra take shape inside his body, the nature of earth practically becoming solid and tangible. He crouched low and placed his open palms on the ground, channeling that chakra into the dirt and earth. With an ease that surprised even Tousha the earth molded to his will and a simple but solid wall of stone jutted from the ground. He noticed the edges weren't as straight as he'd like, and that it was thinner in parts than others, but for a first attempt the man was pleased.

Tousha would complete the technique a half dozen more times. The perfectionist he was, Tousha believed that if he was going to do something he'd look good doing it. When the wall's edges became crisp and sharp and its thickness even from top to bottom, Tousha nodded in satisfaction and made his way back tot he scroll.

Jutsu trainedShow
*[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Wall[/b][/color]
[i]D-Rank Ninjutsu[/i]
After performing the correct hand seals the user will form a solid stone wall up to 5 meters away from them at a speed of 6. The wall has a strength of 4 and is 3x3x1 meters large.
Last edited by Toshi on Fri May 24, 2019 12:27 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Wed May 08, 2019 2:27 pm

After something as straightforward as creating a wall, Tousha wanted to try something a tad more underhanded and scoundrely. He'd already learned how to use earth release to create a handheld clod of dirt to throw at an opponent's face, but what about throwing it in his own face? They'd never see that one coming. So using the hand seals he'd already learned from Konoha's Archives the Nara set to work crafting a new string of seals for an original jutsu.

Original jutsu were tricky on two fronts. The first being coming up with a cool name, because shouting something doofy in a life or death situation is historically lame. The second was that figuring out the seals was more of an art than a science. Sure some elements used particular seals somewhere in the string, such as the tiger seal being a staple in Katon jutsu, but everything else was trial and error. And to make matters even more muddled it wasn't uncommon for particularly adept Ninjutsu practitioners to find shortcuts. In the heat of battle shaving even a fraction of a second off of a string of seals could mean more than most knew.

That's why Tousha always took the time to compose a string of seals that felt as natural as breathing. It was like jazz in a way, an improvisation loosely held together with some semblance of structure. With the jambox belting his personal mix of training tunes, the Nara absentmindedly swayed to the beat as he rounded off hand seals.

Eventually the Bannin felt satisfied with what he'd come up with. For a low ranking technique this jutsu wouldn't require many seals in the first place, but every moment counted and he'd be damned if he'd be seen rounding off something sloppy. With that in mind the Shinobi completed the same string of signs he'd been practicing for the better part of ten minutes, this time molding chakra from within. A moment later that chakra gathered to the man's foot, which firmly pressed itself to the ground. Chakra permeated the earth and dirt around him like an invisible puddle with Tousha at its center. A breath of a moment later the chakra pushed upward, forcing a cloud of dirt and debris to shoot up into the air. The effect reminded the Bannin of a smoke bomb, the air around him suddenly thick with dust and dirt. He made sure to hold his breath, knowing that dirt would find its way into his lungs if he were to take any air in.

Tousha would also take note how long the cloud of dirt and dust would stick around in these conditions. There was a mild breeze finding its way through the woods but it wasn't substantial, so the cloud hung in the air undisturbed for nearly half a minute. He wagered that the cloud would last three quarters that time in a stiff breeze, and less than half in more powerful winds.

The man would practice this technique another half dozen times as was his ritual. Then he was off to the next jutsu.
Jutsu TrainedShow
[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Debris Cloud[/b][/color]
D-ranked Doton Ninjutsu
After completing a string of hand seals the user will plant his foot to the ground, flooding the earth within a 5m diameter of the user with chakra. Nearly instantaneously a cloud of dirt roughly the size of a single smoke bomb will shoot up around the user and anyone standing within range. This dirt cloud can act as a means of obscuring any target's vision and will remain apparent for up to 2 posts before harmlessly dissipating.
Last edited by Toshi on Thu May 09, 2019 9:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Wed May 08, 2019 3:39 pm

All right then, back to basics. He didn't need anything flashy just something to even out the lower ranked Doton techniques he had under his belt, something to expand on in the higher tiered techniques. It took him just over a minute to find an archived technique that would do just the trick, something simple but potentially very useful in application. As something of a speedster himself the Bannin understood how devastating losing your footing could be at a full sprint, or how jarring it could be to lose stability at a moments notice. So without any other thought the man tapped the jutsu explained on the scroll and got to it.

Coming up with his own hand seals wouldn't be necessary this time around, luckily someone long dead had gone through the trouble of figuring all that out for him. He would, however, need to become familiar with the devised set of hand seals and commit it to memory. Tousha had always had a knack for memorizing things as well as pattern recognition. Two things that came in very handy when amassing a threatening amount of jutsu.

And so, like he had many times before, Tousha came to learn the nuances of a new jutsu. Like clockwork the man practiced the seals with mechanical accuracy, rounding off the signs as easily as breathing. After a few repetitions he'd committed it to memory and ran through the pattern once more, this time gathering and molding his chakra. He could feel his energy seeping into his hands and becoming that of the earth release, a familiar and solid feeling that went as deep as his bones. The man crouched to the ground and placed an open palm to it, allowing this gathered energy to seep into the earth. The Nara closed his eyes as he felt the chakra permeate the dirt and earth and stone, deliberately moving it slowly underground to get a feel for this jutsu in particular. It was similar as any Doton jutsu, but Tousha had always enjoyed the subtle differences in each technique. Almost like a signature or a birth mark, no two were entirely the same.

Sure enough a small pothole suddenly formed not more than a few paces ahead of the Nara. Its edges were sharp and practically begged to catch someone's toe mid run. He imagined himself sprinting across open ground and suddenly finding the ground giving under his foot, or catching a foot on something that hadn't been there a moment before. It wasn't a pretty picture.

The Bannin continued completing the technique, riddling the nearby area with potholes until he was satisfied with the results. With another breath Tousha flooded the ground with chakra, leveling out the area so he wouldn't accidentally catch himself in one of his own techniques.
Jutsu TrainedShow
*[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Trip Fault[/b][/color]
[i]D-Rank Ninjutsu[/i]
After performing the correct hand seals, the user will cause a 1/2 meter pot hole to appear at a speed of 5 somewhere within 7 meters.
Last edited by Toshi on Thu May 09, 2019 9:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Wed May 08, 2019 10:17 pm

It was time for a bit of a step up. Nothing insane, just a little bump in power to get Tousha warmed up for the much more complicated techniques he had in mind for later. The man swung his arms from side to side in time with the sick beats his jambox was still cranking out with the musical timing of a master conductor before stretching his neck with a quiet sigh. Again he bounced from foot to foot and threw some punches for good measure. This had absolutely nothing to do with perfecting new techniques but style points mattered to someone somewhere.

Tousha popped back up from stretching his legs and got to work with hand seal experimentation. He'd noticed another technique in the Academy's Doton scroll that allowed the user to infuse the ground with explosive chakra, but it was limited to where the user himself was standing. Call him old fashioned but Tousha didn't like the idea of planting explosive chakra on the patch of dirt he was standing on. He needed his feet for feet things so the Bannin was determined to work out an alternative solution.

After he was satisfied with the hand seals he'd selected, Tousha ran through the string of hand signs one more time before flooding chakra into his foot. His plan was simple: put the explodey chakra far enough away from him to not get exploded. With this in mind, Tousha allowed the chakra built up in his foot to saturate the earth beneath it before sending it out through the ground in front of him. With the amount of chakra he'd supplied for the jutsu it could travel roughly ten meters away at the very most, which was more than enough breathing room for an explosion of this size.

The Bannin released his hold over the chakra and completed a single seal, creating an intangible duplicate of himself. With a salute he sent the clone off at a brisk walk towards the makeshift landmine. As expected, the clone didn't hesitate to step right over the rigged earth and, just as expected, the clone disappeared as an earth-shattering explosion ripped through the area it had been standing in moments ago. Tousha covered his face as bits of earth and stone peppered the trees and ground around him, though they had largely lost their momentum and seemed relatively harmless. Tousha also made note of this as he completed the seals once more, gathering chakra at the base of his foot before sending it off again.

Several attempts later Tousha had not only got the hang of rigging the earth with explosive chakra, but hardening that rock so that when the technique went off a flurry of rock shards would pepper the immediate area with makeshift shrapnel.

Jutsu trainedShow
[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Earthen Buckshot[/b][/color]
C-ranked Doton Ninjutsu
After completing a string of hand seals the user will plant a foot to the ground, flooding a 2m diameter patch of earth within 10m with explosive chakra. For the next 4 posts if a target steps on this patch of ground or if the user activates the technique with an additional hand seal the chakra hidden in the ground will explode with the force of 3 explosive tags. This explosion will launch shrapnel-like stone shards with a Strength of 10 at a Speed of 15, peppering any target within a 5m diameter.
Last edited by Toshi on Thu May 09, 2019 9:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Thu May 09, 2019 9:40 pm

Next a technique that seemed appropriate, considering he was determined to spend a lot of training time on both Doton and Suiton today. Tousha was no Doton expert by any means but one trick he'd always wanted to pick up was the creation of mud through utilizing the earth. It seemed simple on paper; you grab some dirt, sprinkle a little water in there and holy cow you've got some mud. Any six year old could tell you that. But since Doton and Suiton combined actually created Mokuton, something entirely different than either of its ingredients, something told the Bannin this wasn't going to be that easy.

So he started like he always did, which was figuring out the appropriate hand seals. Luckily the scroll he'd borrowed which he was definitely going to return don't even think he won't contained several low-ranking mud based jutsu. But say one thing about Tousha, say he wasn't a man to do anything half-assed. No, sir, he was going to dive into this proverbial pool of learning head first and damn the consequences. With the help of the scroll he quickly devised a string of signs that would suit his purpose perfectly.

The Nara took in a deep breath, let it out and took in another before completing the string of seals and filling his belly with chakra. An almost unsettling feeling struck the back of his throat as he tried to will the chakra from his stomach and up his throat. It was gritty and thick, almost like he could chew the energy itself. Tousha always liked to describe elemental releases with taste, especially the ones he had to spew out of his face hole. Fire was spicy and hardy, wind was somewhat refreshing like mint, and raiton was... well, it was electric. In his 40 years of piddling around on this planet Tousha had never actually tried the taste of dirt, and he quickly found it to his dissatisfaction.

So much so that instead of the intended stream of mud he wanted to spew the Bannin bent over and promptly vomited what he would wager as a bucket of mud.

After a 15 minute post-puke break, with plenty of mouth washing, Tousha tried again. This time he was prepared for the taste of mud pushing itself up his throat and, though he still wasn't much of a fan, the Nara managed to spew a sizeable amount of the stuff from his mouth. The stream wasn't nearly as strong as it should have been considering the amount of chakra he'd gathered so it didn't travel very far. With a determined sigh the man completed the seals again and molded more chakra.

It took the better part of an hour to get the jutsu right. It was a fragile balancing act of gathering the right amount of chakra, breaking down the earth inside his own body to the right viscosity and using what chakra was left to propel it from his tum tum. It wasn't his most graceful bit of training but he'd seen far uglier, so he'd take it as a win.

jutsu trainedShow
[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Roiling Mudslide[/b][/color]
C-ranked Doton Ninjutsu
After completing a string of hand seals the user spews a continuous stream of mud from his mouth. This mud stream travels at a speed of 10, can reach up to 10m from the user and is roughly 5m wide at the thickest. Any opponent caught in this mud is struck with a Strength of 15 and will have his speed hampered with a Strength of 10. This stream can be maintained by the user for up to 4 posts before additional chakra is required.
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri May 10, 2019 1:35 pm

Tousha decided to try something more on the offensive side of Doton. Earth Release is notoriously strong from a defensive standpoint through the obvious application of creating barriers and walls of stone, but the Bannin was already considering methods of turning those defensive strengths into an intimidating offense. And nothing said intimidating offense like big ol' spikes shooting out of the ground trying to run you through like a well done kebab.

With that great mental image in mind the Nara began weaving hand seals. Unlike the other techniques he'd learned today, this jutsu required less alteration and more shaping. The Doton wall he'd learned earlier would be a lot like this new jutsu in application, but this time around Tousha would be using more chakra divided over a wider range. Rather than raising a single slab of stone he needed to designate different locations, shape the stone under the ground and then raise it up with some oomph for it to be a threat to anyone.

After several dozen attempts at working out the details the Nara was satisfied with the string of seals he'd come up with. Short, simple, easy to remember, everything he looked for in those wacky hand gestures that ultimately devised ways of killing things real good like. So the man rounded off those seals and planted his open palms to the ground, allowing the chakra he'd gathered in his body to seep into the ground. Then he split that chakra into 5 separate pools, taking his time as he usually did when running through a jutsu for the first time. In an actual combat situation the Bannin would be performing these steps much faster, knowing that crouching on the ground and closing his eyes for this long would probably result in great personal injury.

The Bannin moved the five pools of chakra into a five point formation, finding the limit for this dose of chakra being roughly 10 meters. With a breath the man formed five solid stone spikes under the ground before raising his hands, forcing the spikes upward. In unison five stone spikes shot from the ground and jutted upward, reaching a height of 5 meters before halting. Tousha walked over to one of the spikes and tapped at it, testing how solid he'd constructed it. With a nod of approval the man walked to the others and repeated the process. Each was sturdy and sported a razor sharp point, the handiwork of Tousha's masterful chakra control.

The Bannin would complete the technique several more times before he was satisfied with the results. With the last use of the technique he determined with some amount of certainty that if anyone was standing over any of the spikes when they shot out of the ground that they would have a thoroughly bad day.
Jutsu trainedShow
[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Earth Spike Formation[/b][/color]
C-ranked Doton Ninjutsu
After completing a string of hand seals the user will plant both hands on the ground and raise up to five spikes of solid stone within a 10m diameter. These spikes will emerge at a Speed and Strength of 15, maintains a Strength of 15 and can reach up to 5m in height and 1m in width.

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Mon May 13, 2019 2:44 pm

Time to work on something more supplementary. Skewering your enemies with giant earth spikes was fine and dandy but sometimes the best solution was a good old fashioned hole in the ground. The Bannin could think of at least a dozen instances off the top of his head when nothing more than a trench for cover would have made the entire situation much less problematic. Plus if he ever decided to take up grave digging being able to dig big holes in a few seconds would be invaluable. Sure he enjoyed being a Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf but you always need a plan B.

Tousha consulted the Doton scroll he'd borrowed from the academy and noticed an interesting technique he'd seen in practice any times but never studied. It involved either raising earth from the ground or lowering the earth to make a hole in the ground. The Nara studied the hand seals involved with that technique and revised the seals for the simple Doton wall he'd mastered earlier in the day. He quickly found a correlation between the two and realized for this new technique he'd need to devise a string of seals that incorporated elements of both to make this work.

His theory was simple: making a trench was basically the opposite of raising a wall of stone, but the hand seals would be surprisingly similar. So, borrowing a seal or two from the higher ranked jutsu he'd just read up on, Tousha went about devising a new string. This set of seals included most of the movements from the Doton Wall but included touches of lowering the earth into itself in order to form a hole.

Once he was confident about the new string he'd invented Tousha rounded off the hand seals and placed his open palms to the dirt. The man closed his eyes, his chakra pouring into the soil and stone with a deliberate slowness. He often performed new techniques slowly to gain a better grasp of the finalized version, a lot like moving slowly when performing new Taijutsu techniques to train the body in bio mechanics before speed or power ever came into play. Tousha allowed his chakra to flood out to the limit of his reach, just about 10 meters in every direction.

With a breath the Bannin gathered this earth-laden chakra and forced the ground away from itself. Slowly but surely a single trench began to form, the ground itself parting almost begrudgingly and sliding away to create a gap. Tousha continued this process several times, testing how many trenches he could make. The Bannin discovered that as long as he continued pressing his hands to the ground he could freely manipulate the chakra creating them. He decided to stick with simple designs, mostly straight lines with the occasional gently sloping bend. With another breath Tousha leveled the ground around him by forcing the earth he'd moved to slide back into place, barely leaving so much as a hint of disturbance.

Jutsu trainedShow
[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Earth Entrenchment[/b][/color]
C-ranked Doton Ninjutsu
After completing a string of hand seals the user will place their hands on the ground, saturating up to a 10m radius area with chakra. This allows the user to create simple trenches no deeper than 3m and 2m across at a Speed of 10 while his hands are still touching the ground. These trenches can act as makeshift cover, limit the mobility of opponents or can divert the flow of incoming attacks.

Last edited by Toshi on Tue May 14, 2019 1:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Mon May 13, 2019 3:09 pm

Tousha was ready to try something more challenging, and he couldn't think of a better place to start than the technique he'd just used to create a new jutsu. The technique in question seemed straight forward enough, he'd need to use the Doton release to saturate the ground with chakra before suddenly shifting said ground up or down. It would be difficult to find a technique that better embodied the fundamentals of advanced Doton jutsu that this one.

Say one thing about Tousha, say he's a man who appreciates the fundamentals.

The Bannin grabbed his water bottle and picked a sunny patch of grass to study the jutsu, the borrowed scroll unfurled on the ground next to where he lay. As the Bannin read and drank he heard the grass rustle nearby, drawing his attention from the scroll. He smiled warmly as a small group of deer cautiously approached his training grounds. The man simply waved at them to join him before turning his attention back to studying. As a Nara he could recognize his family's deer anywhere, especially this deep in the Nara Forest where they could safely reside and act as natural guardians of this sacred ground. Not to his surprise the deer wandered closer, some of them nibbling at the lush grass while others plopping down near him. One of them, a young fawn, nuzzled at his hand until Tousha took the hint to scratch at its ears.

"Don't freak out but I'm about to make the ground move around a bit," Tousha told the herd as he stood, brushing the grass off his legs. The deer took the hint and moved a little ways off, still remaining close but out of harm's way.

With a deep breath the Bannin clasped his hands together before rounding off a string of hand seals with mechanical precision, his movements blurred to the naked eye. He would then lean over and plant his hands to the ground, allowing a large dose of chakra to seep into the dirt and soil before guiding it away from him. Once the amassed chakra was in place the Bannin groaned with effort, willing the earth to rise. The grazing deer looked up as a crisp square of earth and stone and dirt slowly raised into the air. Tousha kept his hands planted on the ground as the monolith of earth continued to rise higher and higher, a pang of effort flitting across his face. The earthen wall would reach a height of nearly twenty meters before Tousha's chakra reached its limit. He stood from his crouched position, looking up at his handiwork.

The Bannin must have been getting the hang of this Doton stuff because the monolith was picturesque. Clean, crisp edges, a strong foundation and solid all around. With a nod of approval the Shinobi would complete the string of hand seals again and place his open palms to the ground, flooding the monolith with chakra. This time he would make the earth recede back to where it came from at full speed. The ground grumbled its complaints as the stone and dirt returned to where it had been resting mere moments before.

jutsu trainedShow
*[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Moving Earth Core[/b][/color]
[i]B-Rank Ninjutsu[/i]
After performing the correct hand seals the user places their palms on any earthen ground, channeling chakra into it allowing them to lower or raise any 5x5 meter segment of the ground within 15 meters at a speed of 30 and strength of 10. The maximum distance the segment can be lowered or raised is 20 meters. The user must keep their palms on the ground during the course of the jutsu. If they remove their palms at any time, the jutsu will end and they will not be able to raise or lower it any further without redoing the technique.

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Mon May 13, 2019 9:16 pm

Tousha always enjoyed a good crowd control technique for those pesky times one finds himself overwhelmingly outnumbered. And since he had already mastered shooting stone spikes out of the ground he figured making a ton of smaller ones would be a walk in the park. A painful walk of agony and regret. Because of the spikes. He made a quick mental note to plant any of these earth spikes in a park before getting to work.

The deer had taken to curiously watching Tousha as he rounded off the seals for the earth spike jutsu he'd learned earlier. But instead of shooting five really big spikes from the ground, he needed to spread a larger amount of chakra over a much wider area. So after a few minutes of trial and error the Nara devised a string of seals that incorporated the stone spike technique but on a much smaller, broader scale.

The Bannin completed the hand seals again before gathering a large amount of chakra into his foot. He planted it to the ground and flooded the earth with chakra, letting it seep into the stone and dirt before spreading out like an invisible puddle. Tousha closed his eyes as the chakra continued spilling from him until a fifteen meter area was saturated. He then willed the earth to turn to stone and form into hundreds of razor sharp spikes before forcing them up above the ground. In unison the spikes sprouted from the earth, none of them taller than three inches. The Bannin stared out across the clearing and tried to spot the stone spikes, but found that a majority of them were deftly hidden under the clearing's grass fields.

Tousha formed a single hand seal and created a single clone next to him. The clone turned and saluted its creator before promptly stomping its foot. "Orders, Sir?!" the clone asked, sporting a bristling mustache and a bright red shirt.

"Run that way," Tousha said, pointing across the clearing. The clone simply saluted even harder somehow before briskly turning on the spot and taking off at a light jog.

The clone cleared the safe zone he'd created and began stepping on the caltrops, his stride faltering as the razor sharp stone spikes pierced its feet. The clone immediately poofed from existence with the feint sound of a bugle and a puff of smoke. Tousha completed the string of hand seals one more time before stomping a foot and leveling the clearing, making it safe again.

Jutsu trainedShow
[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Earthen Caltrops[/b][/color]
B-ranked Doton Ninjutsu
After completing a string of hand seals the user will plant a foot to the ground and form small, stone spikes similar to caltrops. These razor sharp spikes will sprout from the ground at a Speed of 10 and a Strength of 20 and can cover an entire 15m radius from the user's location with the exception of a 1m diameter "safe zone" where the user is standing. The stone spikes can reach no more than 3 inches in height and are spaced at least an inch apart.

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Wed May 15, 2019 8:37 am

Tousha rounded off a string of hand seals he'd just learned about half an hour ago before slamming his hands to the ground, flooding a patch of earth and stone five meters ahead of him with chakra. With a groan of effort the Shinobi forced a large, monolithic slab of earth to rise from the ground with an abrupt efficiency. This stone and earthen slab would halt after reaching about ten meters above the clearing, its towering shape casting a long, dark shadow that reminded Tousha of a sun dial. He stood to his full height and cut off the chakra flowing from him and into the earth platform, rendering it into nothing more than a pillar of earth.

Just what he needed to test out a new jutsu that had been on his mind for some time.

The Bannin quickly went to work finding the right set of seals that could unmake what he'd just created. He would use the explosive Doton chakra jutsu he'd worked on earlier in the morning as the foundation, but instead of focusing on purely explosive chakra he needed to work out how to shatter stone and earth without sending shrapnel flying everywhere, considering he would need to be touching whatever he needed to shatter. It wouldn't be long before the man came up with something that seemed sound enough in theory. So, without a second thought, Tousha rounded off the seals one more time before focusing a large amount of chakra into his hand.

With blinding speed the Shionobi dashed forward, his body nothing more than a pale, stylishly dressed blur making its way to the base of the stone pillar at the center of the clearing. He would reach out and touch the naked stone with an outstretched hand and come to a stop, the chakra pouring from his body and into the pillar. The sudden influx of pure Doton chakra was too much for the platform to handle and almost immediately it began to fracture and crack, a web of fissures radiating outward in a nearly perfect circle from where Tousha's hand rested.

The Bannin stepped back as the entire pillar's base shattered loudly, his chakra still hungrily digging through the earth and stone. The monolithic slab groaned and creaked as its stability waned before finally giving way. Tousha had to leap backwards as the entire platform came crashing down, violently shifting towards the epicenter of Tousha's jutsu before crumbling and falling forward on top of itself. The deer littering the outskirts of the clearing bolted, startled by the tumbling earth and stone.

It would be several minutes before the smoke and debris cleared, but when it did Tousha could see what was once a towering pillar of stone had been reduced to nothing more than a clumsy pile of rubble.
Jutsu trainedShow
[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Earth Shattering Touch[/b][/color]
B-ranked Doton Jutsu
After completing a string of hand seals the user will flood a dose of chakra into his hand before touching a target made of earth or stone. Any earth or stone within a 10m diameter of the point of contact will shatter with a Strength and Speed of 20, causing the target to become unstable or even collapse entirely. The chakra gathered by the user will remain apparent for up to 2 posts before dissipating.

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Toshi
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Wed May 15, 2019 9:15 am

Tousha took a brief break to consult the Doton scroll he'd borrowed from the Academy. He idly sipped at the water bottle, his thin eyes shrewdly scanning for anything that looked interesting. He noticed many projectile techniques but nothing that really grabbed him. As a mid ranged fighter the Bannin preferred a little distance between himself and his opponent, some breathing room to think. Most of the techniques he was reading about seemed convoluted in a way that didn't agree with his more reasonable sensibilities. Sure he had flashy jutsu he liked breaking out every now and then, but his philosophy had always been that simpler was usually more effective.

With that thought in mind the Nara clamped the water bottle's spout shut and stood up, brushing off the stray dirt and grass from his shorts. What he needed was something simple and to the point, a jutsu he could whip out on the fly to either do some serious damage or act as an excellent distraction.

Tousha needed a big ol' rock.

The hand seals for this particular technique were even simpler to devise than the last jutsu. All he needed to do was shape the earth and stone already resting on the top of the ground into a boulder shaped projectile and hurl it at something. But where this jutsu would shine wouldn't be in the impact of the boulder. Instead, Tousha wanted to be able to form the boulder a good distance away from himself before flinging it through the air. This would allow him to create and launch the earthen projectile from any direction, even from behind his opponent.

After the hand seals had been worked out the Bannin rounded them off once more with mechanical efficiency before stomping a chakra infused foot to the ground. The chakra quickly seeped into the earth before darting over to a patch of ground nearly eight meters from where he was standing. The earth curled in on itself and condensed, quickly shaping a roughly spherical boulder. With a heave the Bannin used the remaining chakra to launch the boulder from the ground, its trajectory taking the earthen projectile close to where Tousha was standing.

With a crash the boulder struck the ground a few steps from the Nara, a cascade of debris kicking up into the air as its weight carved into the earth like a fingertip through sand. Tousha walked over to the boulder and tapped at it, nodding with satisfaction at how solid it was. The only thing he'd been really worried about was compacting the earth quickly before launching it from the ground, but he imagined that this projectile would leave more than a dent in anything or anyone it struck.
Jutsu trainedShow
[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Boulder Missile[/b][/color]
B-ranked Doton Ninjutsu
After completing a string of hand seals the user will stomp a foot to the ground and launch a boulder at a target. This boulder can be created within a 10m radius of the user and can be no larger than 2m wide. The projectile will travel at a Speed and Strength of 25 and must travel in a straight line up to 20m from its point of creation.

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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Toshi
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Wed May 15, 2019 10:00 am

Time to get defensive again. With all the destruction and attacking he'd been doing over the past couple hours Tousha wanted to reel that back and come up with something he could use to defend himself and his allies. Luckily the Doton scroll he'd borrowed from the academy had a plethora of defensive techniques to choose from. One that caught his eye was a simple earth wall big enough to protect himself and a good number of allies standing behind it. But upon further inspection of the diagram, complete with simplistic but effective drawings detailing the appearance of the jutsu, Tousha found a flaw in its construction.

The wall was convex, meaning it gently sloped towards the user nestled behind the wall. In theory this would deflect incoming attacks due to the wall's shape, merely allowing glancing blows. But the wall was so massive that the slight curve realistically wouldn't do much along the lines of interfering with a projectile's trajectory, most of the brunt force would still land.

Tousha thought on this for several minutes, trying to come up with a better solution. Eventually he snapped his fingers and smiled. The bannin made his way to the center of the clearing, already devising a string of seals that would work for what he had in mind. This wall would be fundamentally similar to the much lower ranked Doton Wall technique he'd learned at the beginning of the training session, though much bigger, stronger and shaped differently. It took him the better part of 5 minutes to work out how to make all that happen with as few hand seals as possible.

With a deep breath the Nara rounded off the finalized version of this string of seals and planted his palms firmly to the ground, allowing the chakra he'd gathered to seep into the earth and stone in front of him. With a great effort the Bannin condensed the earth into solid stone and raised it from the ground with all the speed he could muster. The trees shook and the earth groaned as a solid wall emerged from the ground, a rampart with sides that gently sloped and met at the center in the shape of a massive earthen plow blade. The wall would reach a height of fifteen meters before the technique's chakra hit its limits.

Tousha wandered to a spot in front of the wall and quickly rounded off another string of seals, ending on the Tiger sign before deeply inhaling. The Bannin would release a gash of flame that erupted into a fireball before smashing into the wall of stone. The fireball would land at the wall's center, the earthen blade effectively diverting the brunt of the Katon jutsu's force off to the sides. The flames glanced away from the wall for several moments before Tousha allowed them to die off and disappear entirely.

Jutsu trainedShow
[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Earth Rampart Blade[/b][/color]
B-ranked Doton Ninjutsu
After completing a string of hand seals the user will place his hands on the ground and flood it with chakra. As he does a stone wall reaching up to 15m tall and 20m wide will rise from the ground at a Speed of 20 no more than 5m from the user. This wall is shaped similar to that of a snow plow with two gentle curves intersecting at the middle to form a defensive blade that maintains a Strength of 30, effectively deflecting incoming attacks due to its shape.

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Wed May 15, 2019 5:51 pm

Tousha leaped away from the stone wall he'd created only moments before, putting a good fifteen meters between himself and it before stopping. The Bannin would round off a sizeable string of hand seals, his hands moving with blurred efficiency, and then fall into a crouch. His open palms slammed to the ground as the chakra he'd gathered inside his body flooded into the earth and stone and dirt in front of him, molding it as if massive, invisible hands were gathering clay into a ball. The earth turned over on itself and condensed as the boulder towered over the Shinobi.

With a breath the man stood to his full height and brought his hands together to form a single hand seal. The massive boulder resting in front of him groaned as it began to rotate in place as Tousha poured more chakra into it. The boulder would reach an alarming speed before Tousha willed it forward, the rotating earthen sphere darting forward as it tore across the ground with a frenzy. Earth, stone and dirt was kicked up into a hailstorm of debris as the boulder made its way across the clearing towards Tousha's own wall.

With a mighty crash the boulder struck the wall, its full force causing the stone barricade to shudder and crack with the immense impact. Tousha held the seal as his dark eyes narrowed, concentration sharpening his features. The Bannin pressed his hands forward as the rotating boulder pressed through the wall and shattered it to the core, sending shards of stone and earth flying into the nearby forest. The boulder continued forward as Tousha ran after it, holding the same seal that connected him to the chakra of his earthen wrecking ball.

Tousha would come to a skidding halt as he willed the boulder to make a sharp turn, eventually resulting in it turning around entirely and making its way back towards the center of the clearing. The Nara's face remained concentrated as he controlled the boulder's speed and direction, sometimes willing it to make hairpin turns or even to slow down, rotate 180 degrees and then sending it skittering ahead.

Eventually, however, the chakra he'd poured into the technique began to reach its limit. Before he lost control of the boulder and allowed it to careen into the surrounding woods, assuredly destroying the nearby wildlife or their homes, Tousha groaned in effort as he forced the boulder to come to a complete halt. The Bannin released the hand seal he'd been holding and fell to a knee, his body covered in sweat and his bare chest heaving from exertion.

Jutsu trainedShow
[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Rolling Stone Stampede[/b][/color]
A-ranked Doton Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: 30 Ninjutsu, 30 Control
After completing a string of hand seals the user will place their hands on the ground, shaping the earth within a 5m radius into a massive stone boulder at a speed of 30. This boulder can reach a height and width of 20m and maintains a defensive Strength of 30 The user will then complete an additional seal to rapidly rotate the boulder in place before rolling it at a target with a Speed and Strength of 30. If the user maintains this hand seal he is able to alter the boulder's trajectory up to 90 degrees and maintain its rotation within a 40m radius of where he's standing for up to 5 posts.

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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Toshi
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Sat May 18, 2019 7:20 pm

Tousha needed to take a break or he'd risk depleting his chakra to a level where he'd have to stop for the entire day. So he found a particularly colorful, sunny and pleasant spot in the Nara Forest and unpacked a picnic. He found a suitable, flat rock to lay out a blanket and started unpacking the food he'd brought with him. A few rice balls, some of his favorite sashimi (red snapper), some grilled vegetables and a moderately sized bowl of home made ramen. It was nothing fancy but after completing so many new techniques in quick succession, the modest meal was a sight for sore eyes.

After eating his meal the Bannin was laying on his back in a patch of lush grass, staring up at the sun-dotted canopy hanging above him. He was absent mindedly weaving hand seals without pouring any chakra into anything or into himself. He was nearing the end of the Doton jutsu he'd wanted to learn for the day, meaning the toughest techniques were all that were left. And this technique in particular would be tricky because it was essentially a three part jutsu.

The first part would be shaping the earth under a target into stone. The second, grabbing the target. And then finally pulling the target down into the earth with said stone formation. Ninjutsu fundamentals were simpler to understand in theory than master in practice, and the more a jutsu accomplished the more complex the hand seals were to perform them. But, after a few minutes, Tousha came up with a string of seals he thought would work just fine for his purposes.

First Tousha made a simple clone jutsu, once again sporting a red shirt and trim black pants, and ordered it to stand about 5 meters from him. Tousha rounded off the hand seals once more before guiding the chakra he'd gathered in his own body into the ground. With deliberate slowness the Nara willed the chakra to crawl through the ground and pool at the earth at his clone's feet. Then the Bannin rapidly formed stone hands under the clone's feet so that as they formed they could also overlap and grab its feet.

Next Tousha opened the earth under his target with some of the remaining chakra in the ground while simultaneously pulling the clone down with the stone hands firmly grasping its feet. The clone was yanked down into the ground as the technique continued dragging it underground, the earth closing around it and leaving the surface barely disturbed. Tousha could still feel his chakra pulling the clone downward, deeper and deeper into the earth with a diminishing chance of escape.

The chakra he'd poured into the jutsu wore off when the clone had reached about 5 meters deep. Plenty of depth to royally ruin the day of whoever he could snag with this jutsu.

Jutsu trainedShow
[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Dragging Grasp[/b][/color]
A-ranked Doton Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: 30 Ninjutsu, 30 Control
After completing a string of hand seals the user will place a foot on the ground, flooding chakra into the ground under a target's feet within a 10m radius. Solid stone hands will form and grab at the target's feet with a Speed of 30 before attempting to pull him down into the ground with a Strength of 30 and Speed of 30. If a target is caught in this technique he will be pulled into the ground to a depth decided by the user, whether that be not even entirely submerged or as far as 5m underground. Any part of the target's body that is dragged underground will be completely encased in earth.

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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Sun May 19, 2019 10:35 am

Tousha decided to keep the crowd control goodness rolling with the next technique in his laundry list of jutsu to learn. Dragging one target underground was fine and dandy, but affecting a wider range and potentially snagging multiple enemies seemed more appealing. Not to mention if he needed to take down a particularly big target he could make this technique deep enough to at least hinder its movement, if not stop it entirely. Memories of fighting the Genma that had attacked Konoha sent shivers down the man's spine to this day. It was something he could never bring himself to forget.

The Bannin smacked his own cheeks and shook his head, forcing the image out of his mind. Reflection on his past would have to come later, hopefully accompanied by a tall jug of sake. Right now he needed to devise a new string of hand seals, and luckily he'd already learned how to transform earth into mud earlier in the day so a large part of his job was already done. Now he just needed to apply those fundamentals to real earth outside of his body and over a much wider area. With that in mind the Bannin set to combining a string of seals that would suit his purpose.

Many minutes later he settled on a set he liked the feel of and practiced it a handful of times, allowing muscle memory to kick in and do its job. Once he was comfortable with the flow of this technique's hand seals and committed them to memory the Nara walked back to the place he'd originally been training. He stared out across the clearing, the earth and grass largely disturbed by the other techniques he'd tested out earlier in the morning. The man completed the hand seals once more before pressing his open palms into the ground, allowing a large amount of chakra to flow from his body and into the surrounding earth.

Tousha closed his eyes as the chakra saturated the earth, dirt and stone around him. Soon enough the solid earth began to shift and lose its solidity, rapidly changing into thick, brown mud. The ruined remains of his Doton walls, the giant boulder he'd created earlier, everything within a 20 meter radius of the Kage began to sag and meld back into the ground as the clearing became a massive mud pit. He'd made sure to leave a safe disc of earth where he was crouching so he wouldn't fall victim to his own technique.

He stared out over the pit of mud, satisfied with his work. For good measure he picked up a rock and tossed it into the mud, the rock almost immediately being enveloped by the mud and pulled under with alarming strength.
Jutsu trainedShow
[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Swamp of the Underworld[/b][/color]
A-ranked Doton Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: 30 Ninjutsu, 30 Control
After completing a string of hand seals the user will place his palms to the ground, flooding chakra into the earth and turning a 30m diameter area into mud at a Speed of 20. This swamp can reach a depth of 15 meters and pulls down any target caught in the mud with a Strength of 40. This mud will remain apparent for up to 5 posts before it hardens into stone over the span of a single post. The user of this technique has complete control over where this mud is created within the technique's radius.

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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Wed May 22, 2019 12:18 pm

He needed more room to try out this next jutsu. A lot more room. As much as he loved the solitude of the Nara forest and the company of its inhabitants, this technique would be too massive and potentially destructive to risk damaging the wildlife beyond repair. He could picture Tanshi's exasperated expression as he stumbled upon Tousha, wreaking havoc on the landscape with his wild experiential jutsu.

It definitely wouldn't be the first time. Or the last.

So Tousha packed up his bag and headed north. The man took his time, enjoying the weather and scenery as he made his way to a more remote region of the outskirts of Konoha. He'd made the trip dozens of times and knew the way well. It wouldn't take him much more than an hour to find a suitable spot; a hilly swath of land just beyond the Nara forest. The Bannin set his bag down and cracked his knuckles with a lazy smile.

He'd already come up with the hand seals for this new technique. He viewed each basic nature release as a unique flavor as well as a personification as nature itself. Earth was gritty and savory, and when he wasn't puking the stuff up Tousha enjoyed the sensation. But as the epitome of his mastery with each elemental release the Nara enjoyed creating a technique that brought these feelings to life. For fire he had chosen the fabled Suzaku, a great bird of flames that was as beautiful as it was deadly. For wind he'd gone with the Byakko, a fearsome tiger said to be the manifestation of wind itself. For lightning the Raiju, a beast who traveled from the clouds to the ground using bolts of lightning.

For earth Tousha had decided on the Genbu, a turtle of legendary proportions. This technique would bring together nearly everything he'd learned about Doton on a scale he'd never attempted before. To make something like this work he'd need a massive amount of chakra, earth and chakra control. Luckily he had all of those things in spades.

First the former Hokage rounded off a lengthy string of hand seals with mechanical precision, his movements blurred with practiced speed. The man gathered a massive amount of chakra in his body before slamming his hands to the ground, cracking the earth under him with the impact. Tousha's whole body tensed as his body acted a s a conduit, the chakra pouring from him and into the ground around him. It felt like a river was coursing through him, its waters pounding in his ears and pressing down on his body with the force of nature itself.

The earth shifted and cracked as he molded the chakra saturating it. With a groan that seemed to come from the bowels of the earth itself, the stone and dirt curled upwards and rapidly took the shape of a massive, segmented shell. Tousha's neck muscles tensed as he stared up, watching the earth close in around him. The man entirely disappeared into the shape of the turtle's shell emerging from the earth, his only sense being that of feeling his chakra coursing through the stone comprising the jutsu. In a matter of moments the turtle had completely formed, its hulking mass taking up nearly the entire hillside it had sprouted from.

Tentatively the Bannin had the Genbu take a step towards the West. It was clumsy and heavy, but the stone moved to his will. In the darkness of the chamber hidden inside the turtle's shell Tousha smiled, his senses connected to the chakra flowing through his new jutsu. The turtle continued walking across the ground, each step rattling the earth under its immense weight. The former Kage pulled his hands away from the shaped stone beneath him, maintaining his connection to the chakra coursing through the Genbu via his feet. It seemed as long as he was touching the turtle at all he could maintain control.

That gave Tousha another idea. He quickly rounded off another seal and flooded chakra into one of the shell's segments, popping it open and casting sunlight into the shell's inner compartment. He carefully pulled himself up through the opening, being especially careful to never breaking physical contact with the Genbu. The shell's segment popped back into place as Tousha stood atop his creation's back, the countryside laid out in front of him for miles on end. The man's smile beamed like the sun as the stone turtle continued moving forward with more and more grace, the Bannin controlling it growing more and more comfortable with its weight.

Tousha openly laughed as his trusty steed moved more and more confidently across the hilly landscape.
Jutsu trainedShow
[color=saddlebrown][b]Doton • Genbu[/b][/color]
S-ranked Doton Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: 45 Ninjutsu, 45 Control
After completing a string of hand seals the user will slam his hands to the ground, flooding the earth around him with an immense amount of chakra. As he does the massive shape of a stone turtle resembling a [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/09/7c/be/097cbe60ecea54aee7547d3ebed7cd8f.jpg]Genbu[/url] will form around the user and any allies standing within a 5m radius of him at a Speed of 40 and a Strength of 50. This stone turtle will grow to a height of up to 40m and a width of 60m, hiding the user and possible allies inside of its segmented shell. As long as the user is touching the Genbu he can freely control its movements up to a Speed of 40 while retaining a Strength of 50, as well as sense the environment through the chakra coursing through the turtle's mass. The user can also complete an additional hand seal to open specific segments of the shell, allowing him or his allies to leave the turtle's inner compartment if necessary. This technique can be maintained for up to 10 posts before the user needs to supply additional chakra.

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri May 24, 2019 12:25 pm


Mujuushin Kenjutsu

Okay so maybe he'd promised himself to work on Suiton after getting a firm grasp on Doton, but Tousha was tired of coming up with new sets of hand seals. There was probably a better reason to be had in making the shift from Ninjutsu to Taijutsu, something like maintaining balance or variety made for a happy soul. The Nara just didn't feel like like pursuing more Ninjutsu at the moment and that was that.

Tousha would arrive back at his humble residence at the edge of the Nara Woods just past midday. He took an hour or so to grab a bite to eat and recuperate from a very long morning of training. He hadn't been close to exhausting his chakra supply, but the amount he'd used wasn't exactly negligible. And the Bannin knew better than anyone that taking short breaks between training sessions made for a much better learning experience both mentally and physically.

The man also adjusted his wardrobe slightly, opting for his typical dark Shinobi attire. It wasn't as freeing as his short shorts and sweatbands but considering he was about to hone an art that was actually sacred to him he should look a little more serious. With that in mind the Nara grabbed his ninjato, a simple medium sized straight blade sporting a single edge, and slid his house's back door open. The man smiled as he looked out at his back yard, a secluded stretch of lush grass, a small zen garden and a small path that lead to a nearby stream.

Say one thing about Tousha, say being a former Hokage had its perks.

The Bannin silently made his way through the yard and down the cobbled path through a sparse line of trees. After a few minutes he would find himself at a wide bridge that gently arched over a babbling stream. He crossed the bridge and made a left turn, deliberately making his way upstream for a few more minutes until reaching a waterfall that seemed as if it was pulled from a painting. A shallow pool of water resided at the base of the waterfall, its bed littered with smooth stones. Larger, flat boulders rose from the waters sporadically, making for excellent platforms on which to find solid footing.

Tousha removed his Shinobi sandals and walked through this shallow, crystal clear pool of water. He didn't bother using his chakra control to walk across the water, instead the man enjoyed the feel of the cool water on his skin. He would step onto a large, flat stone near the center of the pool and gently come to a resting position on his knees. He laid the sword by his side before folding his hands on top of each other.

With a breath the man closed his eyes, all of his senses focusing on the sounds around him. It would be several minutes before the Bannin reached out and unsheathed the Ninjato, standing to his full height as he held the blade at his side. The Shinobi angled the sword so that the naked, polished steel glistened in the sun. He turned it slowly through the air, using the mirror-like surface of the blade to inspect the surroundings his field of vision couldn't. He practiced this method of increasing his spacial awareness with increasingly fast motions, such as diverting his gaze for the briefest of moments to catch a glimpse of the scenery behind him in the flashing steel of a blindingly fast swing.

He would continue this means of practice for several minutes until he was satisfied. Now it was time to get much more serious.
Jutsu trainedShow
[b]Mujuushin • Mirror Sight[/b]
D-rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Using the blades held in his hands, the practitioner of this technique is able to see the reflections of his metal weaponry as though he were looking into a mirror. This grants the user the ability to see from multiple angles at once depending on how many blades he is wielding. Any obstruction on the blades themselves will hinder this technique's effectiveness.
Last edited by Toshi on Fri May 24, 2019 12:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri May 24, 2019 12:46 pm

Without a word the Shinobi completed a single hand seal, flooding the air in front of him with chakra. What appeared to be an ordinary clone appeared in front of the man, but it was anything but average. Tousha had mastered the Advanced Shadow Clone Technique many years ago, but it wasn't until recently that he'd devised a way to take the jutsu to the next level. What stood in front of the Bannin was an almost exact replica of him, as close to a living, breathing person as a clone could get. It could even sustain a healthy amount of damage before disappearing, even capable of retaining its form after sustaining life threatening injuries.

It would be the perfect sparring partner.

The clone and the man would bow to each other before falling into a defensive stance, the off hand resting on the sword's pommel and the other firmly gripping the hilt near the cross guard. This angled the blade down at a diagonal angle. A long moment passed as the two stared at each other, and then through their forms. A principle philosophy of Mujuushin Kenjutsu was forgetting the presence of your enemy and looking inward, to acknowledge one's true self and spirit. To treat one's blade as if combat tarnished its purity and beauty. The clone, as a direct extension of himself, understood this philosophy just as well as Tousha.

The clone would lunge forward, attempting to step into Tousha's range of attack. With blinding speed the real Tousha would shoot a leg outward in the form of a well placed kick. The Bannin's foot would strike at the clone's hip, the forward leg falling short at the sudden impact and lack of range of motion. The clone tumbled forward, losing his footing on the flat stone's slippery surface. The Shadow Clone quickly found its footing and fell into the same defensive stance as before. Tousha mirrored the movement, his own blade gently tipping downward and his off hand coming to rest on the blade's pommel.

The two would repeat this practice over a dozen times, the clone silently being instructed to approach the Bannin from several angles and with different objectives in mind. Sometimes the clone would try to plant its foot before attacking, resulting in the Bannin to sweep out a leg and striking the target's ankle. Other times the clone would bend at the knee for a forward thrust only to be struck by another well placed kick, taking all of the power out of the clone's bending joint.

Satisfied, Tousha would wordlessly instruct the clone to halt. The two would bow to each other in mutual respect before proceeding with the next technique.

Jutsu trainedShow
[b]Mujuushin • Disrupt[/b]
B-rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisites: 20 Instinct, 20 Taijutsu
Often seeking nonlethal solutions to combat, the practitioner of this technique will simply attempt to land a kick at a vulnerable spot in a moving enemy's form. This could be aiming at an ankle supporting the opponent's weight, a knee bending at a key moment or at the hip just before the target brings his leg forward during an attempt to approach the user. If the user moves at a Speed of 45 or greater this motion will produce a seemingly tangible after image, masking the actual location of the user. Opponents possessing an Instinct and Speed/2 equal to or greater than the user's Speed are able to see through the after image.
Jutsu usedShow
[Ninjutsu • Perfect Shadow Clone Technique]
S-rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: *[Ninjutsu • Advanced Shadow Clone Technique]
After completing a string of hand seals the user will create a single clone. Unlike the Clone Technique, this clone is an actual copy of the user in both appearance and substance. The user's chakra is evenly distributed with the clone, giving it an equal half of the user's overall power. The clone is capable of performing jutsu on its own and can sustain much more damage than that of even an Advanced Shadow Clone, going as far as being able to maintain its form even after receiving life-threatening injuries. The clone will be created in roughly the same condition as the original and any experience the clone gains during its existence is transferred to the user once it is dispersed. Given that the clone is an exact replica of the user it will share the same stats except Stamina, which is approximately half of the user’s. The advantage of this form of the technique is that once dispersed, the chakra distributed to the clone returns to the user, allowing any unused chakra to be regained, slowing the draining usage of this technique. The chakra returns to the user at a different rate depending on the user's control.
1-20 Control: 1/8
21-30: 3/8
31-45: 5/8
45+: 7/8
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri May 24, 2019 1:24 pm

The real Tousha raised his blade into a high defensive stance, his feet slowly sliding across the stone's flat surface. His stance became wider, more stable. The Bannin wordlessly instructed the clone to begin its attack. With the restrained movements of a sparring partner the clone unleashed a flurry of attacks. To a lesser Shinobi this speed may have been overwhelming, but to Tousha it felt as though they were both moving through water.

Not that he was complaining. It was a beautiful afternoon and he didn't want to sour the mood by catching his own clone's sword through the chest.

With each attack Tousha was forced to shift his weight and stance, bringing his Ninjato to meet the clone's step for step. He had silently instructed the Kage Bunshin to attack him from a variety of angles, always testing for weak spots in Tousha's form and stability. This was an exercise he'd commonly practiced when he starting learning the philosophies and physical practices of Mujuushin Kenjutsu. The style promoted fluid movement and conserving energy by only reacting to incoming threats with exactly what was needed to avoid it. No more, no less. But when a practitioner was forced to stand his ground against an onslaught of attacks it was paramount to maintain impeccable form and poise.

Without solid roots even the mighty elm withers and dies. And so Tousha defended each attack, both feet planted firmly on the stone beneath him.

Soon the clone began backing off from its attack, only to bolt behind Tousha and continue the assault. Tousha would be forced to shift the direction of his defense several times, taking deliberate care to keep his form solid and strong. The slickness of the river stone he was perched upon threatened to make his feet slip with each movement, but the Bannin held firm and strong under the clone's barrage of slashes, stabs and hacks.

This process would go on for several minutes at a time, the clone only halting its attacks when it pulled away to change its position. The sounds of clashing steel and groans of effort accompanied the crashing of the waterfall, the babbling of the stream that this pool of water fed into. Eventually Tousha would leap from his stone and onto another, smaller one several yards away. The clone was immediately on him, giving the Shinobi but a fraction of a second to find his stance once more before a barrage of attacks rained down on him.

By the time Tousha called off the clone both were panting slightly, the continuous effort to defend and attack testing their endurance.

Jutsu trainedShow
[b]Mujuushin • Roots of the Elm[/b]
B-rank Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisites: 20 Taijutsu, 20 Strength
Through tireless attention to detail in form and footwork the practitioner of this discipline is especially hard to knock off balance. The user of this technique will be able to maintain his poise and form even when being struck or finding himself in unfavorable terrain. This technique can only be utilized if both of the practitioner's feet are firmly planted on the ground.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Toshi
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri May 24, 2019 2:01 pm

Now it was time for Tousha to start fighting back. Without a word the Bannin let the Shadow Clone know that it was to attempt to openly attack him. They would still be moving at a sparring pace, but hopefully with enough iterations of the same movement he would become comfortable with using this new maneuver at full speed. The clone simply nodded in acknowledgment before falling into the initial Mujuushin stance. Tousha followed suit, his movements fluid and deliberate as a stream of flowing water.

The combatants would move forward against each other, darting from stone to stone before meeting in mid air above the crystal clear water. Their swords would clash once, twice and then pull away as each used the weight of their attacks to push away and only to fall back to the earth and land on separate stones once more. This time the clone knifed forward, staying low as it used chakra control to lightly step across the water, barely making so much as a ripple in its mirror-like surface. Tousha fell into a defensive stance, his thin, dark eyes growing sharper as the Kage Bunshin approached.

The clone would swipe horizontally, aiming to catch Tousha across the right shoulder. With one smooth motion the Bannin pulled a jutte from his waist sash and brought it up to block the clone's attack. With a burst of inhuman speed the former Kage swooped low, slashing with the Ninjato in his main hand. To the naked eye it appeared as though Tousha had simply blocked his own clone's attack, but as a moment or two passed the after image of this block faded, revealing Tousha's actual form.

The Bannin's blade had stopped a hair's breadth from cutting into the clone's exposed stomach. The combatants were motionless for a moment before pulling away, each carefully guiding his weapon in a retreating path that left no room for accidental injury.

The pair would repeat this process several more times. The clone would continue its endless attacks while Tousha would be forced to avoid, defend and counter when appropriate. Soon enough he got used to the motion, nearly simultaneously counter attacking after blocking an incoming attack. He knew that he would always need a defensive weapon in his off hand to make this work fluidly, and his jutte would work perfectly to suit those needs.

After almost ten minutes of constant sparring the two combatants would halt, still breathing somewhat evenly despite how long they'd been fighting. Again they would bow to each other out of respect.

Jutsu trainedShow
[b]Mujuushin • Shadow's Counter[/b]
B-rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisites: Weapon in off hand
The user will block or deflect an incoming attack with the defensive weapon held in the off hand before sweeping low with blinding speed, masking his counter attack with the weapon in the main hand. If the user attacks at a Speed of 45 or greater these motions will produce a seemingly tangible after image, masking the practitioner counter and appearing as though he has only blocked the opponent's attack. Opponents possessing an Instinct and Speed/2 equal to or greater than the user's Speed are able to see through the after image.
Last edited by Toshi on Thu Sep 05, 2019 3:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri May 24, 2019 7:19 pm

Now it was time to get fancy. Tousha had barely so much as dipped a toe into the pool that was Nintaijutsu; a hybrid of Ninjutsu and Taijutsu implemented as a single technique. The only experience he had with the stuff was using his Hokage's Mantle to augment his physical movements. Particularly his strength. Outside of that single jutsu, it was a whole new world to the Bannin. He figured now would be a good a time as any, so the former Kage silently commanded his Kage Bunshin to chill on a rock near the waterfall until he was ready for its services again.

The clone obediently nodded and made its way to a moderately sized flat rock jutting from the pool of water and sat down, watching its creator intently.

Tousha took a deep breath and sheathed the Ninjato and Jutte, each securely fastened to either side of his hip. The medium sized straight blade fit snugly into its sheathe while the jutte securely slipped into his waist sash. He'd had an idea for a Fuuton based Nintaijutsu a while back but never did much of anything with it. He'd been stopped by a run of the mill toll-collecting band of bandits and he thought to himself, "Wouldn't it be great if I could shoot my sword at this guy? He'd never see it coming."

He didn't see what he had coming to him coming anyway, but that was neither here nor there. The point is... sword bullet. Tousha didn't need to explain himself to anyone, it was his sword and he could turn it into a projectile if he wanted to.

With that in mind the man closed his eyes and began channeling chakra. He started slow, funneling Fuuton chakra into the sheathe at his side, holding the sword in place at the hand guard with his thumb. The trick would be gathering enough air pressure to launch his weapon without gathering too much, resulting in his sheathe shattering into a million splintered bits. The image of him trying to do something cool only to have his sheathe blow up in the process made him smile quietly to himself.

It would only take a few moments for enough air pressure to build up in the scabbard. He was deliberately taking his time to get a feel for how much pressure it would take to make the jutsu work. Once he reached that point, getting there again would be much, much quicker.

Tousha released his hold on the weapon's hand guard, his thumb slipping away as the building air pressure inside the blade's scabbard finally had an outlet to relieve some pressure. With a blast of wind the Ninjato went flying through the air at alarming speed, the Fuuton chakra both propelling the makeshift projectile and coating the Ninjato's pommel in a powerful dose of wind energy. The sword struck a rock about eight meters away and an explosion ripped through the area.

After the debris cleared Tousha walked over to the rock and retrieved his weapon from the shallow pool of water where a rock once stood. He inspected the weapon for damage and was pleased to see that the explosion had burst outward, away from the blade so that it didn't take the brunt of the blast.

Jutsu trainedShow
[b]Mujuushin Nintaijutsu • Pommel Blast[/b]
B-ranked Nintaijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisites: 20 Ninjutsu, 20 Strength, 20 Control
The user will sheathe his weapon before channeling a moderate but condensed dose of Fuuton chakra into the space between the blade and the interior of the scabbard, creating a large amount of air pressure. The user must possess enough chakra control to maintain this air pressure without damaging the weapon's sheathe as well as enough Strength to keep the sword in place using his thumb. This sudden increase of air pressure will cause the sheathed weapon to burst out of its scabbard at a Speed of 25 up to a range of 10m. The pommel of the sword will impact with a Strength of a B-rank explosion on contact with any target within range, the entire hilt of the makeshift projectile augmented by Fuuton chakra. All of this chakra explodes outward, leaving the weapon intact.
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Mon May 27, 2019 9:53 pm

Tousha waved over his clone, who promptly and smoothly found its feet. The former Hokage unsheathed his Ninjato and Jutte, holding them in a defensive stance. The longer straight blade was angled down and diagonally, the jutte held slightly behind, its metallic pronged shaft glinting in the sunlight. Tousha's clone drew its own blade before falling into the initial stance of Mujuushin Kenjutsu, the kage bunshin's blade angled downward and the off hand placed loosely on the weapon's pommel.

A quiet moment passed, the crashing of the waterfall seeming to shrink as the combatants fell into themselves. There they found peace and acceptance, and everything else slipped away. Those who have truly mastered the art of Mujuushin Kenjutsu must first forget themselves, and then their blades and finally their opponents. Only then will their movements be true and sure, unattached from doubt and self-imposed limitations.

The Nara could hear his teacher's voice plain as day. "Inside, we are infinite."

The Shinobi closed his eyes and breathed. His body became still, his expression as even as perfectly still water. Tousha could feel his awareness receding, the environment falling away into a stark white void that encompassed the whole world. Finally only his body remained, a lone figure in an infinite blankness. Tousha opened his eyes once more, staring through the Kage Bunshin standing in front of him rather than at it. His cumulative senses could pick out details he'd otherwise missed, the whole of his perception stronger than the individual signals combined ever could be.

This was the ultimate mental state of Mujuushin. There was no blade, there was no Tousha, there was no target. There was only the space inside.

The clone would make the first move. It dashed forward with blinding speed, its tenuous sense of holding back all but forgotten. Tousha had instructed the clone to go all out, and it obeyed without question. Three lighting fast strikes landed nearly instantaneously, the clone's shape a mere mirage of a movement already completed. Tousha's combined senses allowed him to see each movement as they landed, and he answered each attack with a block. The clash of metal rang out across the pool, three impacts blending into a single sound. The clone attempted to dash past Tousha, slashing at his side with blurred speed. Again, the clone's movements were shrouded in lethal speed. Again, Tousha retained the ability to see each movement with crystal clear detail.

The former kage brought up the jutte, catching the clone's blade in its pronged shaft. With a twist he sent the Kage Bunshin's sword flying away from its grasp, the straight blade spinning high into the air. The real Tousha spun, bringing his own Ninjato's blade a hair's breadth from cutting into the clone's neck. They would pull away from each other as the Kage Bunshin's blade toppled into the water with a splash.

Jutsu trainedShow
[b]Mujuushin • Infinite Inside[/b]
S-rank Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisites: [b]Mujuushin • Absence of Mind Absence of Mind[/b], 45 Instinct
An advanced practiced mental state of Mujuushin practitioners, the user of this discipline will first enter the Absence of Mind by looking inward and no longer acknowledging his surroundings. He will simultaneously shrink the perception of his environment to that of his own physical body. This will put the user in a meditative state in which his surroundings become white and limitless with only his own form remaining. While in this state all of the user's senses will become sharper and more focused beyond his preconceived limitations, allowing him to perceive up to a 30m radius with flawless accuracy regardless of environmental obstacles using the culmination of his heightened senses and instincts.
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Wed May 29, 2019 6:02 pm

The clone and Tousha bowed to each other once more out of respect, a mandatory teaching of Mujuushin Kenjutsu. It was a style of finding inner strength and excising the ill will of opponents and comrades alike. There was no room for arrogance in it, and even though his opponent was a Kage Bunshin the former Hokage showed it the respect of anyone else. The clone walked across the water and fished out its Ninjato from its shallow, clear depths. It sheathed the blade with one fluid motion before turning to Tousha, awaiting instructions.

"Go ahead and take a breather," the Nara said, motioning to a large, flat rock near the base of the waterfall. The clone simply nodded before making his way to the stone and sitting in a meditative stance.

Tousha breathed and sheathed his own blade, allowing his cumulative senses relax and expand. The world came back into view as his mindset returned to its resting state. The man held a hand against the sunlight and tried to determine how long he'd been training his kenjutsu skills. By the sun's position he wagered just under a couple hours, meaning it couldn't have been much later than three past midday. Plenty of time to continue training before he needed to get some chores done around the house.

The former Hokage had already dabbled in augmenting his Taijutsu with Fuuton chakra, but the concept was still relatively unfamiliar to him considering how much time and effort he'd put into mastering Ninjutsu on its own. An idea struck him, one that was similar to the Pommel Blast he'd learned earlier. But instead of releasing the Ninjato from its scabbard, he would attempt to use the sudden increase in air pressure to augment his own cuts.

With this idea in mind the Nara firmly held the hilt of the Ninjato sheathed at his side, building air pressure in the scabbard by flooding the inside with Fuuton chakra. The blade pushed against him as it tried to free itself from the sheathe, the sudden increase of air pressure urging it forward. But Tousha held firm, allowing the air isnide the scabbard to grow dense and denser. Again the man was careful not to build up too much pressure inside of the sheathe in fear of shattering it to splinters. The interior was lined with thin steel but the majority of it was oaken wood. Strong as far as wood went, but still very susceptible to damage.

Finally, after building up enough pressure, Tousha stood before a boulder at the edge of the crystal clear water. The Bannin fell into a ready stance, his legs bent and wide, his feet staggered to balance his body weight. His free hand gripped the head of the sheathe a few inches under the hand guard. He closed his eyes for a moment, centering himself into a state of focus and relaxation.

With speed faster than the naked eye could perceive the Kage unsheathed the blade and slashed forward in one, smooth motion. Tousha had been right, the building air pressure inside of the scabbard not only increased the speed of the draw but the force behind it as well. Tousha was a physically strong man, but he knew far stronger. He'd always relied on speed and fine tuned chakra control to survive the life of a Shinobi, brute force had never interested him.

But feeling his blade, its steel edge augmented by the sharp nature of wind release chakra, slice through solid stone without meeting much resistance... It was a feeling he could get used to.

Tousha's blade stilled as it reached the end of its arc. As his body stilled the gathering wind created by the wake of his slice burst in every direction, the sound akin to that of hundreds of swallows chirping loudly. The wind was enough to dislodge the stone, the slight angle of the Nara's cut causing its top half to slide with a grating slowness before crashing to the river's edge.


Jutsu learnedShow
[b]Mujuushin Nintaijutsu • Swallow Cut[/b]
A-ranked Nintaijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisites: 30 Ninjutsu, 25 Strength, 30 Control
The user will sheathe his weapon before channeling a large but condensed dose of Fuuton chakra into the space between the blade and the interior of the scabbard, creating an enormous amount of air pressure. The user must possess enough chakra control to maintain this air pressure without damaging the weapon's sheathe as well as enough Strength to keep the weapon from flying out of the scabbard due to the building pressure. The user will then unsheathe the blade at blinding speed, the Strength of the cut augmented by the Fuuton chakra propelling the weapon from its sheathe (+5 Strength). This Fuuton chakra will also surround the blade, increasing the maneuver's cutting Strength by 30 and the weapon's length by 1m. The wind will dissipate after this single attack, mimicking the sound of swallows chirping. If the user moves at a Speed of 45 or greater this motion will produce a seemingly tangible after image, masking the actual location of the user. Opponents possessing an Instinct and Speed/2 equal to or greater than the user's Speed are able to see through the after image.
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Thu Sep 05, 2019 4:15 pm


Nara


Call him paranoid, but Tousha enjoyed having backup plans to his backup jutsu, which had backup plans to their backup techniques. The difficult life of a Shinobi had taught him many things, and one of those hard life lessons was to never stop at plan B. Or C. Sometimes not even F. And, being blessed and cursed with the instincts and imagination of a Ninja, Tousha could only imagine what would happen if he had to fight someone or something without the use of both his hands. It was a thought that had rattled around his brain time and time again, with a wild variety of gruesome answers to the question of, "Just how in the world would you lose a hand?"

So many ways. So, so many ways immediately sprang to his twisted, beautiful, battered brain.

It was with this thought, and many others, in mind that Tousha decided to go back to his roots. Or in this case, shadows. Shadow roots. He made a mental note of that. But shadow roots would have to wait, today he was going to focus on learning at least a few techniques he could perform without the need of hand seals in case they weren't an option in the middle of whatever fight he'd find himself in. And the first idea he could come up with was using his polished chakra molding prowess to solidify the natural shadows created on his skin by the clothes that covered his body.

The Bannin breathed with a measured calmness, allowing himself to focus on the task at hand. He closed his thin, dark eyes and inhaled, gathering no small amount of chakra into his belly before releasing it in equal doses across his torso. His chakra, as if drawn to the darkness of the shadows, seeped into the shade under his clothes. Within seconds the shadows hardened with an unnatural strength. Wordlessly Tousha ordered his Kage Bunshin to walk over and try to slug him in the stomach.

Try was a strong word in this instance, it wasn't like Tousha was going to try to stop the thing from wailing on him

Regardless of the verbage of Tousha's thoughts, the Kage Bunshin nodded and obediently walked over to the Hokage. Tousha couldn't help but wince a little as the clone drew back an arm and found solid footing before throwing its clenched fist right into Tousha's abdomen. On instinct the Bannin flooded the shadows with additional chakra just before the blow landed. Tousha wasn't renown as a physically strong combatant but he still knew how to throw a punch, and the clone's attack was nothing to scoff at.

Luckily the clone's fist came to a sudden halt as it made contact with the Hokage's body, an impact that clearly would have carried forward and into the man's insides if not for the protective skin-like barrier of shadows hiding under his clothing. Tousha sighed with relief and ordered the clone to continue attacking him with punches and kicks while he practiced his ability to mold the chakra without hand seals as quickly as he could.

A few bumps and bruises later, Tousha was confident that he could call on the shadows lining his own body with relative ease and timeliness in case of an emergency.

Jutsu learnedShow
[b]Shadow Skin[/b]
A-ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: 34 Ninjutsu, 34 Control
Rather than relying on hand seals the user will channel chakra into the shadows naturally created under his clothing and solidify them at a Speed of 28. These shadows will retain a defensive Strength of 40 and will remain apparent for up to 6 posts before dissipating without any additional supply of chakra.
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri Sep 06, 2019 3:51 pm

Tousha's mission, should he choose to accept it, was to unlock his front door. An easy task, considering he had a key in his front pocket. The one with a hole in it, he made sure to put the key in there because that pocket was especially identifiable. Because of the hole. The Kage, tired from training and in desperate need of a sports-energy-protein-musclebusting-ultra shake, reached into the distinguishable pocket I mentioned earlier and fumbled around in it for a moment. And then a few moments. And finally some desperate moments after that.

There was no key. The sanctity of the hole pocket had been breached, somehow. But that was a mystery for another day, right now he needed to formulate some kind of plan, a cunning strategy to get into the house he called 'his house.'

The Kage Bunshin, which was still following its creator with the patient loyalty of a Labrador, stopped the Bannin from hurling a sizable rock through the window just in time.

"There's a better way," the shadow clone said with its eyes.

Exasperated, Tousha dropped the rock. Training Clone was no fun, but this is why it had been put in charge of training so the Kage couldn't be too upset. The Nara approached the stalwart front door once again, crouching down and peering at the door's handle with the intensity of probably three men. The effort furrowed Tousha's brow and pushed out his lower lip, truly the mask of a man pushing his reasoning skills to the brink.

Then the man's face lit up and he stood, holding up a single finger. Eureka, an idea at last! A real winner, to be sure.

The clone stopped its creator just in time again, urging the man to put down the same rock.

"Fine," Tousha said, but with a pout instead of words, and crossed arms for good measure. Once gain the Kage stomped up to the door. Now he was serious, and his expression bore the weight of the concentration power of at least 4 adults. The strain to stave back any kind of tomfoolery was palpable, the man's entire body wracked with serious shivers and no-nonsense sweating.

After many minutes of deliberation with his own brain, Tousha had another idea. To the clone's relief this one was rock free. Instead of resorting to destroying his own property, the Kage crouched down so that his dark eyes met the key hole that openly mocked his attempts to enter the comfort and serenity of his own home. What a jerk. The Nara's chakra reached out without the need for hand seals, molding the shadow resting under the sleeve of his shirt. The shade twitched and wriggled before crawling its way down the Bannin's pale arm, ultimately coming to rest in his open palm. The shadow sharpened into a single tendril, which Tousha carefully inserted into the key hole like a strand of thread through the eye of a needle.

Once the tendril had breach the key hole, Tousha allowed the concentrated shadow chakra to expand with a careful curiosity. The shadow naturally shaped itself into the correct shape that occupied the inside of the lock. Confident that the shadow was now in the correct shape, Tousha hardened the shadows and twisted. With a satisfying click the lock's inner mechanisms turned, satisfied with the Bannin's efforts.

The shadow retreated from the lock, crawled back down Tousha's arm and settled into its sleeve-like shape once more. With no small amount of swagger the Kage turned the handle and strode into his own abode as if he owned the place.


Jutsu learnedShow
[b]Shadow Key[/b]
D-ranked Ninjutsu
Rather than relying on hand seals the user will channel chakra into a nearby shadow, causing it to crawl into his hand at a Speed of 10. This shadow can then be inserted into the keyhole of any lock, allowing the user to shape the chakra to that of the key which would unlock it. The user will then solidify the shadow with a Strength of 5 before turning it as if turning a key. This shadow key will remain apparent for up to 3 posts before dissipating without any additional supply of chakra.
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Mon Sep 16, 2019 3:52 pm

Back in the Nara forest, his physical body fueled by an excellently crafted protein shake and spirit reignited by watching an episode of his favorite Soap, Tousha stretched his shoulders and neck. He was nervous. Probably more nervous than he needed to be, considering the low stakes environment. This was just a training day and he was nestled well deep in arguably one of the safest places in the Hidden Leaf. But still, he could feel a misplaced anxiety peppering his movements.

Hopefully today would be the day. The day he could perfect a technique that, despite a good deal of training, wasn't combat ready. Not quite yet. Other Shinobi may have considered it more than ready, but Tousha favored himself something of an artist and no one was a harsher critic of his work than himself. In all honesty the Bannin had very rarely taken pleasure in the brutality of his work, in the bloodshed of combat. But even from a young age the Shinobi had appreciated the beauty of the Ninja Arts.

Breathing the perfect ball of fire, calling the wind to his fingertips, shaping the earth itself... He could fall into all of it, lose himself in the sensation.

Nara jutsu were no different, but they had a distinct "flavor" all their own. It was an odd mix of elemental and vanilla Ninjutsu wrapped up in one, stretchy package. He appreciated the flexibility because it reminded the Kage of himself in many ways. But what he loved the most was the contrast of its lines. He had spent countless hours, just trying to perfect how his shadows looked. The crispness of the lines, the smooth, sloping movements, all of it. And in that attention to detail, the pursuit of aesthetic perfection, Tousha had found his obsession.

It was unfortunate that the results of his passion were bloodier than he'd like, but something something beauty is pain.

The Nara standing in the clearing shook his right shoulder, then his left, and let out a long, measured breath. It was time to put his training to the test, to see if he could really control chakra half as well as he was known for. The man's feet slid slowly, casually, through the grass as he settled into a stable stance. His hands floated up and down in tandem with the breathing that swelled and hollowed his chest. The Kage closed his eyes and let his body grow still, exhaling slowly through pursed lips.

The chakra grew in his stomach. Small at first, but growing with a practiced speed. He barely noticed the effort anymore, barely noticed himself. The man fell into the chakra, a well of unknown depths. There he could mold it to his liking. Tousha began with a circle, as he often did. Though his real hands remained still the hands of his mind went to work. They grasped the chakra and rounded its edges, smoothed its wrinkles. In no time the chakra was an orb, perfect in its simplicity.

This was a Chakra Control training exercise his Sensei had taught him. Though his teacher wasn't of the Nara clan, he had used this method of gathering and shaping chakra in every facet of his life as a Shinobi. And, considering how precious little chakra Tousha had been born with, the boy came to realize how important control was. Brute strength and sheer volume had their places in the multi-faceted tapestry that was Shinobi combat, but true mastery resided in the subtleties, the nuances. The things so many too easily missed.

This is where Tousha lived. This is where Tousha flourished.

Tousha's real hands splayed, his fingers going taught and straight. Another breath, another exhale. The chakra in his stomach expanded, urged outward in every direction at the center like an explosion. This expansion was measured and almost patient, however. It did not urge itself too far too quickly. To do so would tarnish the construction of the whole, if even a single particle was out of place. The Bannin could feel the chakra expand outward, well beyond the limits of his stomach. The fibers of his muscles, the tendons connecting the fibers to bone, even his skin, all of it breathed with purpose and life. The feeling was exhilarating, even after nearly forty years. In that sensation the Nara found purpose and meaning, and he let that passion fuel the chakra as it spread.

The building chakra resonating in Tousha's physical body was allowed to drop into his shadow. It flowed like water through his feet before seeping into the shadow, saturating and darkening the silhouette. He allowed the shadow to retain its natural shape, though its blackness quickly became unnatural, darker than any shadow nature would allow. The sheer amount of chakra on top of its density, compounded and compact by Tousha's unrivaled control, had turned the Kage's shadow into an abyss. It would be several moments before the man was content with the amount of chakra he'd gathered. A single bead of sweat lazily rolled down the pale skin that comprised his formless expression.

Slowly, cautiously, Tousha's shadow expanded. His silhouette disappeared into a perfectly rounded disc that stretched out in every direction with the Kage standing in its epicenter. The shadow's darkness remained apparent and unchanged despite the technique's rapidly growing surface area. This technique, unlike other Nara jutsu, would require anyone caught in its grasp to fight for bodily control individually. Normally if multiple opponents are caught by a shadow jutsu their collective strength was added together to break free, making it incredibly difficult for a user to contain more than one or two targets at a time. But with time, and a lot of failure, Tousha had devised a method to remove this limitation from his clan's infamous technique.

The answer was as simple as it was daunting: pump out enough chakra with enough control to make every bit of the shadow's surface area independent.

The best way he could think to explain it was to compare it to string, or rope. Most Nara jutsu could be compared to a single length of rope, or multiple single lengths of rope. If a single rope was used to tie someone down only that individual's strength was taken into account to break free. However, if that individual had the help of another person to break free their combined effort was tested against the rope's sturdiness. It doesn't take a skilled mathematician to realize the odds are going to quickly stack up against the rope.

But what if the rope wasn't a rope? What if it was actually thousands of ropes, even millions, disguised as a single thread? The task of weaving those ropes into what looked like a single, cohesive object would be challenging to say the least, but it seemed possible. The trick was to be able to construct something so complex in an amount of time that didn't leave the constructor vulnerable for a sizeable amount of time. And this was the conflict Tousha had run into time and time again. Sure, he could construct something infinitely complex with his level of chakra molding capabilities, but the question was how quickly could he pull it off?

Oftentimes the answer was not quickly enough. But today, as Tousha allowed his shadow to grow, thousands upon thousands of layers of chakra stitched itself together with wondrous speed. First five meters, then ten. Everything was going better than expected, but doubt still itched at the back of the Kage's mind. His hesitation seemed to effect the technique as it reached 15 meters, where the perfectly round edges of the shadow wavered and shuddered nervously. The man's brow furrowed with effort, urging the chakra forward. But even the smallest hint of uncertainty, a single seed of doubt, was more than enough to wilt a garden of concentration.

As if that single wrinkle in the man's expression shattered his mask of focus, the shadow collapsed into itself. Tousha fell to a knee, his forehead slick with sweat and his body wracked with the labored breathing unfitting a man who had only been standing in place. The amount of effort it took to stretch such a complex technique so far, so quickly, even to a Shinobi of his caliber it seemed like an impossible feat. He tried so hard to not let the disappointment overwhelm him, but Tousha couldn't help but catch a taste of it.

"Inside we are infinite."

His master's favorite line couldn't be suppressed. In so few words he had built the foundation for everything the Kage stood for, on which he believed a better world could be built. The world would never be perfect but the people living in it were too easy to allow the negativity affect who they were and what they were capable of. Despite everything that happened to him, despite the violent world he was thrown into, Tousha's Sensei never visibly allowed those frustrations to sully who he was to his core.

The Kage smiled, a thin, humorless line of somber determination and understanding. He found his feet once more, shifting his stance wide to promote balance and solidity. Again the Kage breathed in, breathed out, and tried to find his center. For minutes the man remained motionless, urging his wounded and nervous ego to grow calm. The complexity of the technique shouldn't affect his mastery over the chakra, if he could weave the strands over a square inch he should be able to manage more. Much more. The amount of chakra he needed to expend was feasible, he was ready to put in the effort. He'd already done so, and more.

"Inside I am infinite."

Tousha started from the ground up, or in this case from the belly down. Again the Bannin molded the chakra residing within him, again he shaped it to his liking and it bent to his will. Not forcefully like a smith fighting steel, each movement a labor met with resistance. No, Tousha refused to shape the chakra into something it didn't want it to be. Instead the Nara chose to allow the chakra to become what it was supposed to be, naturally and gently. Again the chakra found itself saturating the Bannin's shadow, and again the darkness of his silhouette was engulfed in a perfectly round disc darker than even the darkest, starless night could muster.

Motionless, his expression etched by the chisel of effortless determination, Tousha willed his shadow to expand. Thousands of threads surged forward across the clearing's grass in one, unified movement like floodwaters overtaking a forest. To the naked eye the shadow appeared whole, concrete, but that was far from the truth. This technique was like a blanket, porous but strong thanks to the effort of thousands of threads that became much more than the sum of its parts. The shadow stretched out five meters, then ten, not seeming to even stumble as it spread. At fifteen meters the shadow slowed, but Tousha pushed past his limitations. Inside, his limitations were a construction built on the faulty foundations of the limits the world forced upon him.

Those limitations were not who he was, and they would not decide who he wanted to be.

With massive effort the Kage pushed his hands out and the shadow knifed forward in turn, now faster than ever. Twenty meters, twenty five, the shadow expanded with a hunger. Finally at thirty meters the shadow halted, its outline a perfect disk of roiling darkness that threatened to swallow everything it touched. Tousha maintained its shape, straining under the effort to control such an intricate, powerful blanket of shadows. He didn't know how long he could hold its shape, but he needed to try. This was the first time he'd got this far, and he wasn't about to let the bad habit that was his self doubt ruin things now.

After what felt like hours the Nara buckled, and the shadow rushed back to him like a worried friend. The darkness once again comfortably melded into his silhouette before the Kage collapsed to the ground. The man rolled onto his back, a single hand resting on his forehead. Through labored breaths he smiled, wide and pure. The satisfaction of progressing another step, of solving another puzzle, it was the only thing more exhilarating than using chakra itself.

The Kage laughed openly and honestly, alone in that clearing. He laughed like a child and felt all the better for it.


Jutsu learnedShow
[b]Shingetsu[/b]
S-ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: 45 Ninjutsu, 50 Control, [b]Advanced Shadow Imitation[/b], [b]Shadow Zone[/b]
Rather than relying on hand seals the user will channel chakra and expand his shadow at a Speed of 40 in every direction up to a distance equal to his Shadow Control range, attempting to connect it to any opponent's shadow within that range. If contact is made the user and all opponents will be linked together in movement so that everything the user does is mimicked by the targets. If multiple opponents are caught within the technique's radius their stats are not added together to combat the Strength required to break free, instead they must attempt to overpower the shadows independently. A Strength of 50 is required to break the hold between this technique and their own shadow, though if they remain within the technique's radius their movement is hindered drastically. The user may maintain this field of effect for up to 5 posts, even while moving, before additional chakra is required.
Last edited by Toshi on Thu Sep 19, 2019 3:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Wed Sep 18, 2019 3:00 pm

After accomplishing something he was unabashedly proud of, Tousha decided to move on to something simpler. The new jutsu idea had been on his mind for some time, so there was no reason not to at least test it out. Aside from the bodily harm it could cause him, probable disfigurement or mutilation, but you couldn't make a shadow fog jutsu without cracking a few eggs. That was definitely the saying, he was sure of it, stop asking questions.

The first step would be to don the Hokage's Mantle, a cloak of highly concentrated shadows that covered Tousha's entire body. It was also a great chance to practice how quickly he could form the Mantle without the need for hand seals, a particularly useful attribute of one of his favorite techniques. The Kage closed his eyes and breathed deep, allowing the chakra he'd gathered only a moment before to spread and take shape within the shadows that covered his body and the ground directly beneath his sandaled feet. It was as if the chakra had breathed life into darkness itself. With alarming speed the shadows stretched and grew around Tousha's body like flowing fabric, contouring to his shape perfectly as they settled into place.

In moments the Kage stood, his form an unnaturally dark silhouette of shifting, inky blackness. The mantle cornered his shoulders with an imposing air of authority and draped just below his arms. Beneath the shadowy mantle his clothes were nearly shapeless and shrouded behind a shifting darkness. The man's already pale skin took on a light shade of grey, a thin but powerful layer of chakra covering every square inch of its creator. Even the man's eyes appeared darker, the usual clear whites beyond the black irises taking on a more gray hue. Finally the Nara's hair, long and black and tied back into a loose ponytail, seemed to shift and move with the shadows as if suspended underwater.

The Bannin looked at his hands and flexed them gently. Even he had to admit, this technique was impressive. Thanks to Tousha's masterful chakra control the shadows felt like a second skin. Each movement was his own, completely unimpeded by the chakra-dense armor. Not only that but, at his command, the armor would lash out with his own movements, greatly augmenting the strength of each strike. And, on top of all of that, Tousha could stack techniques on top of the mantle to increase its versatility, defensive qualities and range.

And on that note, Tousha started rounding off hand seals.

The Bannin held the last seal, the Ram, and began gathering Fuuton chakra along the Mantle's outer shadows. As he did a thick cloud of tangible smoke-like particles began surrounding him, quickly and almost entirely obscuring his once sharp, contrasting figure. The fog shifted and billowed lazily around its creator, even as Tousha's hands fell back to his sides. The Training Clone, which was patiently sitting under a nearby tree, qordlessly stood up and joined the Kage.

Tousha issued a simple, silent command and the clone obeyed without hesitation. The Kage Bunshin leaped away from the enshrouded Kage with blurred speed, withdrawing a rigged kunai and hurling it at the man in one, smooth motion. The kunai darted through the air and thudded into the ground at Tousha's feet. A small flash of light flitted over the area as the explosive tag tied to the kunai ignited before exploding violently. The patch of earth Tousha had been standing on disappeared in a plume of fire, smoke and rubble just as the Training Clone deftly landed no more than ten strides from the blast.

It took a few moments for the smoke and dust to settle, but as it did the Hokage's shrouded silhouette emerged. Tousha checked himself for injuries and was pleased to discover he'd barely even felt the impact of the explosive tag's detonation. Just as he'd suspected, not only would the fog of smoke-like particles obscure his movements and retain Fuuton's passive cutting power for anyone who drew too close, but the additional padding of air and shadow chakra softened the blast's concussive force before it could even reach the Mantle's still apparent defensive layer of condensed shadows.

"Chalk that one up to a success, huh," Tousha said, pleased with his work.

Jutsu UsedShow
Hokage's Mantle
S-rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: 40 Ninjutsu, 40 Control
Rather than relying on hand seals the user will infuse the shadows on his body with chakra, forming a shadowy mantle around his entire person that manifests at a Speed of 30 and a defensive Strength of 50. This mantle is inscribed with the kanji meaning Hokage, as well as the Nara Clan's symbol appearing over it. The shadows comprising the mantle can be manipulated by the user at will through the use of supplementary jutsu, but constantly retains its high defensive qualities while in effect. This technique can be maintained for up to 10 posts, after which the shadows will dissipate unless the user supplies additional chakra.
Jutsu LearnedShow
[color=#5C5C5C][b]Kōnton • Shadow Fog Mantle[/b][/color]
B-rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisites: [b]Hokage's Mantle[/b]
After cloaking himself in shadows the user will complete an additional string of hand seals, imbuing the Mantle with Fuuton chakra. A cloud of tangible smoke-like particles will surround the user up to 1 meter at a Speed of 5 and Strength of 35, greatly obscuring his form below the neck while maintaining the Mantle's defensive qualities. These smoke-like particles will not disperse as the user moves and are particularly useful for protecting the user from concussive blasts and explosions due to the Fuuton chakra acting as a natural cushion. These smoke-like particles will remain apparent for the remaining usage of the Hokage's Mantle or until actively disabled by the user.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Thu Sep 19, 2019 10:14 am

It wasn't a secret that Tousha possessed more speed than he knew what to do with, but it also wasn't a secret that on the physical, brute strength end of the spectrum he wasn't anything special. Sure, he could pack a punch when he needed to but compared to Shinobi who focused on honing their physical strength more so than the art of crafting and performing Ninjutsu he couldn't hold a candle to that kind of raw power. Tousha was a Shinobi of nuance and subtlety; his real strength came from speed, chakra control, versatility and misdirection.

But where there was a will, there was a way, and Tousha had an interesting idea involving the augmentations his Hokage's Mantle allowed.

He'd just finished testing the technique's defensive versatility, and he'd already mastered directing that defensive strength into raw, physical output. But what if he applied that strength to his own body the moment he started sprinting? It was a thrilling idea, the prospect of reaching his maximum speed at a much faster rate than his physical body would allow. However, it was also a terrifying idea. What if his body couldn't handle an acceleration it wasn't used to? What if he couldn't control that level of raw, unadulterated speed?

Yeah right, like he wasn't going to try out shadow zoomies.

Still cloaked in dark, shifting shadows, the Kage rolled his shoulders and bounced in place for a few moments. Hopefully the clearing would be large enough to accommodate this literal field test. If not at least he still had the Mantle's defensive strength to rely on should he find himself colliding with something solid and hurty. After a few more moments of stretching and mentally psyching himself up, Tousha knifed forward.

Even without the shadows augmenting his physical movements, watching the Kage go from standing to a full sprint must have been a humbling sight. His movements blurred by inhuman, blinding speed, the Nara darted from one side of the clearing to the other, never appearing to the naked eye for more than a moment to abruptly change direction. Despite the alterations to his trajectory, which could have easily shattered the bones of lesser men, the Shinobi's movements were nearly silent. The occasional rustle of fabric, the stray patch of loose dirt and grass flying headlong into the air, a stray breath here and there. Otherwise the Kage moved like a dark ghost, his hauntingly daunting speed carrying him wherever he willed.

After a few minutes the Hokage slowed to a stop at the center of the clearing, appearing atop a large boulder firmly planted in the earthen ground. The man let out a steady breath before falling into another ready stance, this time channeling the chakra coursing through the Mantle around his body. Immediately the Kage felt the long, shifting shadows grasping him with a strange kind of comfort, as if readying themselves to guide his muscles. With one last breath the Bannin shifted his weight, his sandaled feet finding firm holds on the rock's rough surface.

And then the boulder shattered.

Stone fragments were tossed high into the air as Tousha darted forward, his augmented movements propelling him forward and crushing the rock in the process. The Kage nearly smashed headlong into the ground, his eyes wide with surprise and exhilaration. Luckily at the last moment he was able to get a foot under his knifing form, using the shadow's accelerating force to push himself into a more favorable path that didn't end up with him a steaming, meaty crater in the Nara Forest.

It took nearly twenty minutes for the Kage to get used to just how quickly he could accelerate, each movement heavily augmented by the Mantle's embrace. It was almost like learning how to run all over again, but in a really fun and entertaining way that often left Tousha chuckling to himself. He would definitely need to keep practicing to get used to these much more sudden bursts of speed but he was confident in his ability to utilize the technique in the heat of battle.

Tousha was, after all, a stickler for detail and nuance. He made a mental note to practice the Shadow Rush every day until it became second nature.

Jutsu LearnedShow
[b]Shadow Rush[/b]
B-ranked Nintaijutsu
Prerequisites: [b]Hokage's Mantle[/b], 45 Control
Once enveloped in the Hokage's Mantle, Tousha is able to augment his rate of acceleration by channeling his chakra through its shadows and enhancing his physical movements. This allows Tousha to reach his maximum speed as if he possesses a Strength of 50. This jutsu can last for up to 10 posts and can be deactivated at will by the user.
Last edited by Toshi on Thu Sep 19, 2019 3:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Thu Sep 19, 2019 11:13 am

Tousha wanted to keep this whole body augmentation train rolling, it was too fun to turn in for the evening. The Kage supplied his Mantle with another dose of chakra to maintain its shape and strength, a task that had become as natural to him as breathing. He could feel when the shadows were growing tired and hungry for more chakra almost as if they were living, sentient beings. He still had plenty of chakra left so he was glad to pay their fee in exchange for keeping him safe.

But what should he try next? What else could he use the Mantle's augmented strength for? It barely took more than a few moments for an idea to present itself. And, as it did, the Kage reached a shadow cloaked hand into the ninja pouch nestled on the belt near his lower back. The Bannin produced a simple kunai and spun it deftly on a finger before its cloth-bound hit firmly landed in his open palm. In one, nearly imperceptible motion Tousha hurled the kunai at a nearby tree. The Nara hadn't augmented the motion with the shadows of the Mantle, but still the sliver of tempered steel practically screamed as it cut through the air before firmly embedding itself in a tree just 15 paces away.

Technically speaking, it was an impressive throw. The kunai's razor sharp tip had sunk at least a couple inches into the tree's tough, wizened bark. He knew these trees better than just about anyone, and Tousha could say with some certainty that these trees were as resilient as they were beautiful. A lesser man might not have even been able to put a scratch on them, even with the most well sharpened hatchet. The Nara took it as a compliment.

But, he could do better.

Tousha closed his eyes and breathed, standing to his full height and finding a stable stance. He was centering himself, molding chakra and distributing it to the shadows that surrounded his whole person. Slowly, deliberately, the Kage reached back into the ninja pouch resting behind his back at the waist, his middle finger smoothly finding a kunai's circular pommel. He produced the throwing knife, instinctively spinning the weapon on a finger while the chakra blossoming within the Mantle's shadows took shape.

The kunai's wrapped hilt found itself firmly caught in the Kage's palm before being thrown at the same tree. This time, however, the kunai didn't scream through the air, it shrieked.

The throwing knife struck the tree before Tousha had reached the end of his throwing motion, its glinting steel skin nearly imperceptible due to the sheer, blinding speed at which it was traveling. The kunai bit into the tree's tough exterior and continued passing through it until it protruded clear on the other side. The knife's trajectory carried it a few meters further, where it stuck into another tree, burying its tip a solid inch and a half into the bark.

Tousha almost felt concerned for the tree he'd thrown the kunai through but the Bannin knew that these trees were tougher than they looked, and that they'd probably survived far worse. Regardless, the man respectfully bowed to the tree. This was his clan's forest after all, it wouldn't be prudent to go around destroying boulders and trees as he saw fit. After the bow the Kage pumped his fist in triumph, pleased with not only the new technique at his disposal but all of the other possibilities the Mantle allowed.

Jutsu LearnedShow
[b]Shadow Volley[/b]
B-ranked Nintaijutsu
Prerequisites: [b]Hokage's Mantle[/b], 45 Control
Once enveloped in the Hokage's Mantle, Tousha is able to augment his throwing strength by channeling his chakra through its shadows and enhancing his physical movements. This allows Tousha to throw projectiles as if he possesses a Strength of 50. This jutsu can last for up to 10 posts and can be deactivated at will by the user.
Last edited by Toshi on Thu Sep 19, 2019 3:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Thu Sep 19, 2019 2:51 pm

Faster? Check. Throwier? Check. Time for the really fun part: swordier. Because owning swords and being able to swing them real good were practically requirements in a Shinobi's line of work and anyone who disagreed is dumb and probably just jealous of people who could do all those things. Tousha's line of thought was getting away from him again, what was the plan? Right. Better swording. It was time to get to work, yet again.

This time around Tousha would test the Mantle's capacity for improving his sword strokes. As a practitioner of the Mujuushin sword arts, Tousha was already pretty good at cutting things. The style's simple, fluid movements favored those who valued patience, focus and speed over brute strength. The entire school's philosophy revolved around the concept of forgetting your own form, then the environment and then finally your opponent. Only when these outside stimuli were pushed away could a Mujuushin Kenjutsu master move with a pureness unfettered by the world around him.

But, despite not focusing on the practitioner's brute strength, Tousha could only suspect that increasing the power of his swings could only wind up with rad results.

With that very astute and methodical thought in mind, Tousha fell into a breathing rhythm that helped him concentrate. Slowly the world began to slip away, his surroundings disappearing under a blanket of white that shrouded everything in sight. Soon it was just Tousha, his true self, standing in an endless, pale abyss. The Kage's right hand drifted to the hilt of his Ninjato, which was securely sheathed diagonally along his low back for easy, efficient access. His fingers found familiar positions on the weapon's cloth wrapped hilt before drawing the blade, his grip reversed. The Ninjato's simple, straight blade glinted in the sunlight as the Nara silently readied it in front of him. Like clockwork the Shinobi spun the blade deftly in his hand, angled the blade downward and rested his left palm on the weapon's pommel, his off-hand's fingers relaxed and slightly bent.

Another breath, another exhale, and Tousha began molding the chakra saturating the shadows surrounding him. This test would be simple in understanding, but very difficult in practice. The Bannin would need to control the flow of chakra coursing through the Mantle in such a way that it did not inhibit his sword strokes, empower his movements and do both while simultaneously maintaining the Mujuushin philosophies. That is to say, the act had to be so natural that it did nothing to disrupt the calm and focus he attained through the stance's mental disciplines.

His first few attempts were, to say the least, not great. The first swing had felt as though he was moving under water, the flow of chakra hindering the motion to the point of rendering it embarrassingly slow. For him, at least, considering he was used to executing these movements so quickly they created ghostly afterimages. The next few swings were powerful, but the concentration required to maintain his physical posture, divert the flow of chakra through the Mantle and focus his mind on establishing an overwhelming sense of calm proved to be too much to handle.

It would be well over an hour of repeating the same motion until Tousha could at least somewhat maintain all three aspects of the technique in tandem. It was a delicate balancing act, and it didn't seem to be in equal parts. He couldn't just divert a third of his attention to each element, he needed to uniquely pay attention on a case by case basis. Needless to say the process was exhausting, and after nearly an hour and a half without breaking concentration the shadows surrounding the Nara broke away from him, quickly receding to their natural shapes and stillness. Tousha's form crumpled to the ground, his pale skin adopting the same orange hue of the what light managed to filter through the Nara Forest's canopy.

He breathed slowly, but deep. A single hand wiped the sweat from his forehead, the other still firmly gripping the Ninjato's hilt. It would take some work, or a lot of work, but Tousha had established the fundamentals of this new technique. Just like the Shadow Rush he would need to diligently practice utilizing the Mantle's augmentation properties until they became second nature. As it stood the Bannin wouldn't hesitate to use it in combat, but the tiny, minuscule nuances in any technique could always be improved and practiced.

He'd get there. He always did. But for now, it was time to rest.

Jutsu LearnedShow
[b]Shadow Stroke[/b]
B-ranked Nintaijutsu
Prerequisites: [b]Hokage's Mantle[/b], 45 Control
Once enveloped in the Hokage's Mantle, Tousha is able to augment his cutting strength by channeling his chakra through its shadows and enhancing his physical movements. This allows Tousha's sword swings to cut as though he possesses a Strength of 50. This jutsu can last for up to 10 posts and can be deactivated at will by the user.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri Sep 20, 2019 2:03 pm


Suiton


Surprisingly Tousha wasn't very well versed in Water Release. Considering the Bannin's temperament Suiton seemed like a perfect fit. He liked to think he was a go with the flow kind of guy, flexible and adaptable to suit whatever situation he was in. Despite all that he only had a very basic understanding of the art and had only mastered a handful of low level techniques. It wasn't as if he was against learning more about it, but whenever it came time to train the Bannin already had so much on his plate that Suiton fell by the wayside.

But not today. Today was Water Day, and Tousha was determined to give Suiton the attention it so appropriately deserved.

Tousha had the perfect place in mind; a deceptively deep pool of water nestled deep in the Nara Forest. It was something out of a dream, featuring crystal clear water, a smattering of smooth stones poking from the water's surface and a small, bumbling waterfall that kept the waters crisp and lively. As the Nara made the somewhat long trek to find the hidden body of water he reminisced about long, sunny days with his childhood friend, Tanshi. They would often visit the pool and swim until their limbs were ready to fall off, all the while trying to best each other in death-defying stunts and long, scenic dives.

A smile flitted across the Kage's lips as he walked under the Nara Forest's labyrinthine canopy. At least one of them had grown up to be somewhat serious. Tousha had been a lost cause in that department from the beginning.

Just over an hour of walking, climbing and falling with style, Tousha found the pool. He set a training duffel on a rocky outcropping overlooking the mirror-like water, it's surface only marred by the occasional water-worn stone poking up from the depths. The Kage quickly pulled off his shirt, pants and sandals, leaving him in the buff minus a form fitting pair of navy blue shorts he liked to use for any training involving water. Then he took a few minutes to stretch, gladly working out whatever stiffness the morning was still wreaking on his joints and muscles.

Contently limber, Tousha shook his shoulders one last time before jumping into open space. With all the grace of a one legged penguin the Kage's limbs pumped and kicked as his body flipped one, twice and almost thrice before landing face first in the water. With a groan the Nara surfaced, already feeling his face and belly turning pink from the totally deliberate picture perfect landing he definitely intended.

Without even thinking about it the Kage flooded his hands and feet with chakra, allowing the man to pull himself onto the water's surface as if it were a solid stone ledge. Dripping and looking a little sheepish, Tousha shook what water he could out of his hair and fell into a pose he found useful for concentration. The first technique the Bannin wanted to try was a simple but useful way to utilize water, a basic technique to help with mobility while standing on any watery surface.

First Tousha channeled chakra to the base of each foot, flooding the water's surface before allowing it to settle just below the surface. Then Tousha allowed the chakra to expand violently, creating a gap of air under each foot and disturbing the water's still surface. Then, guessing the correct timing, Tousha leaped straight up. The moment his foot was about to leave the water's surface a powerful, upward splash carried his momentum with a rush of speed and force. The Bannin soared high into the air, his pale skin a harsh contrast to the vibrant greens, blues and browns that made up the forest's tapestry around him. The Bannin estimated the sudden burst of water had helped carry him about ten meters higher than usual, which was nothing to scoff at.

In fact, as the Nara reached the apex of his leap, he suddenly realized just how high up he was. Then gravity, smiling, pulled him back to the earth and reality. Hopefully no one was around to hear the esteemed former Hokage of the Hidden Leaf squeak out a scream before toppling head over heels back into the water below.


Jutsu LearnedShow
[color=dodgerblue][b]Suiton • Splashing Leap[/b][/color]
D-ranked Ninjutsu
Rather than relying on hand seals the user will channel chakra into the water under his feet, creating a pocket of air just under the surface. This will cause the water to rush in to fill the empty space, crating a powerful, upward splash which the user can exploit to leap up to an additional 10 meters in height. This technique may also be utilized to further the length of a jump by 10 meters horizontally.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Toshi
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri Sep 20, 2019 2:26 pm

Tousha recovered from his improvised dive/fall with all the dignity he could muster, once again pulling himself onto the water's surface by flooding chakra into his hands and feet. Out of habit the Bannin shook what water he could from his long, black hair before running a hand through it, forcing any errant strands from his eyes and face. The Nara let out a short, sharp exhale and closed his eyes, once again concentrating on gathering and molding a small dose of chakra in his stomach. From somewhere, hopefully someplace sanitary, the Kage produced a simple stone cup and nestled it on the flat of his palm.

The Nara couldn't remember how many times he'd been on a mission and wished he'd brought more water. Especially any assignments that took him well beyond the reaches of Konoha and the Land of Fire, where rivers, streams, lakes and ponds were relatively abundant. But everyone knew the further you traveled westward, the less and less likely you were to find suitable drinking water. And biology didn't care how many people you've decapitated or how big a fireball you can force out of your face, if you ran out of water you'd be dead in a matter of days.

With that very pleasant thought in mind, Tousha focused what chakra he'd gathered through his arm, past his flattened hand and into the small cup he'd pulled from a place of great convenience, don't worry about it.

The Kage's brow furrowed only slightly as he laced the chakra pouring into the cup with Suiton, slowly causing water to appear at the carved stone bottom. Tousha breathed in and out as he continued saturating the slowly filling cup with Suiton chakra, seemingly from thin air. The water that continued filling the cup was clear and free of any unsavory particles, very similar to the still pond water on which Tousha stood. In almost no time at all the cup had been filled to the brim.

Tousha sniffed the water curiously. Nope, no weird smells, just water. Then he gingerly lapped at the water, hoping that if he had somehow poisoned the stuff such a small amount wouldn't kill him outright. Horrible maiming, irreparable cellular damage, whatever, that was fine as long as he didn't look silly doing it. But, from what he could tell, it just tasted like normal drinking water. It was surprisingly and refreshingly chilled, crisp and tasty.

With a toast to no one in particular, Tousha threw his head back and drank. A few bobs of the Adam's apple later and the cup was empty. To his great surprise, Tousha was still alive. Another day, yet another success in not murdering himself.

Jutsu LearnedShow
[color=dodgerblue][b]Suiton • Drink Up, There's More![/b][/color]
D-ranked Ninjutsu
Rather than relying on hand seals the user will simply channel Suiton chakra into a nearby container, filling it with clear, clean water at a Speed of 5. Any water created with this technique will persist indefinitely and share the same qualities as average drinking water.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri Sep 27, 2019 12:23 pm

Oh boy. This was probably going to feel like throwing up. Most definitely, there was no getting around that. Spitting fire? No problem, Tousha rather enjoyed the spicy flavor. Blowing out some wind? Minty, refreshing, quite soothing. But Tousha could only assume that spewing out an entire stream of water from his stomach would be unpleasant at best. Despite his impressive Ninjutsu repertoire the Kage had never actually tried forming water in his stomach before. The idea had never appealed to him, and watching other Shinobi use similar techniques had not filled him with great confidence in how pleasant the whole process was.

But, the Nara had resigned himself to learn the ins and outs of Suiton Jutsu for the entire day, and this seemed like a very important (if very gross) aspect of the art.

Standing atop a rather tall spire of rock, Tousha fell into a stable stance and breathed deeply. His hands came together in slow, rhythmic movements. It was a concentration technique he'd picked up in his youth, a simple but fluid motion that helped the Kage visualize the flow of chakra in his own body. After a few rounds of repeating the motion, Tousha exhaled and flattened his hands and allowed them to rest just under his naval. His pale face settled into an expressionless mask, his body falling still and statuesque. The Nara began molding chakra in his stomach, all the while saturating the growing energy with Suiton. An odd sensation came over the Bannin as the chakra grew, flooding his stomach quite literally.

The taste was not as undesirable as Tousha assumed it would be. It was surprisingly refreshing, akin to a subtle tasting tea. Green perhaps? Or oolong? It was hard to focus on the flavor as he continued shaping the chakra, so he decided to table the taste test for a later time. Most likely when he wasn't trying to puke up water all over the place.

And with that glamorous thought in mind, Tousha started puking water all over the place.

The first attempt was less than graceful, but it was a great place to start. The stream wasn't focused enough and didn't travel far enough to be useful in combat but at the very least Tousha was starting to get used to the sensation of spewing water from his own gut. After a few more attempts the Kage decided that this would be an excellent, foundational technique in developing more powerful jutsu that relied on him building up Suiton chakra in his body before expelling it with varied amounts of force. He could definitely understand how it would be useful, being able to spontaneously generate water in situations in which it wasn't readily available.

It was a small step in the direction of mastering the art of Suiton, but it was still in the right direction.


Jutsu LearnedShow
[color=dodgerblue][b]Suiton • Damp Distraction[/b][/color]
D-ranked Ninjutsu
Rather than relying on hand seals the user will channel Suiton chakra into his stomach before expelling a stream of water at a Speed of 8 and a Strength of 2 that can travel no more than 5 meters. Though lacking in brute strength, this technique can prove very useful in distracting an opponent by limiting the target's vision. This stream of water can be maintained for up to two posts.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri Sep 27, 2019 3:32 pm

Still standing atop the spire of stone nestled near the center of the crystal clear pool of water, which was nestled itself under the dense canopies of the Nara Forest. Having established something resembling a grasp on manifesting water in his own stomach and spewing it out like a glorified hose, Tousha wanted to push the boundaries of his newfound talents. With a movement that looked as effortless as breathing, Tousha back flipped from his perch, toppled once, twice through the air before falling into a lithe landing atop the water's surface. A single, gentle ripple wandered across the pond's mirror like surface, the Nara at its center while he stood to his full height.

The Bannin stared ahead, where no more than ten strides away rested another outcropping of stone. It was angular and relatively jagged compared to the other stones, which had been worn down to smooth, circular shapes and textures. The Kage rounded off a string of hand seals with mechanical precision. He'd studied the signs in a Suiton scroll that was probably older than five of him and found them to be pretty straightforward. After weaving the hand signs the Nara gathered a much larger dose of chakra in his stomach, quickly infusing the gathering energy with the Water Style element.

In what felt like no time at all the Kage's stomach bulged slightly, his shoulders reared back and his cheeks swelled to comic proportions. With a blast of water the Bannin expelled a massive amount of water, far larger than the technique he'd been practicing only minutes before. The water formed into a large wave, spanning at least ten meters and reaching a height of half the width. Again Tousha tasted the Suiton chakra as it passed through him, a very refreshing and exhilarating sensation all at once.

As the wave traveled away from Tousha at a surprising rate it continued to gain shape, growing from a mere hill of water into a wave that churned and lapped almost hungrily as it raced across the surface of the lake. Finally the rushing water mt the rock Tousha had been facing and crashed heavily into it, sending a tumult of watery spray flying into the air. The portion of the wave that hadn't struck the rok continued surging forward for several more meters before finally losing its shape and collapsing into the pond with a mighty splash.

Tousha took a deep breath and stood to his full height again, inspecting the rock intently. It might have been his imagination but the rock did look somewhat smoother. Maybe it was just the thin sheen of pond water that covered its entire surface, but the Kage chose to let himself believe his technique had been powerful enough to wear down its jagged edges. Even if just a little bit.

The Nara took another deep breath and rounded out the same set of hand seals, this time even faster than before. He'd keep attempting this technique until the top of the hour, when he'd take a brief break.

Jutsu LearnedShow
*[color=dodgerblue][b]Suiton • Crashing Wave[/b][/color]
[i]C-Rank Ninjutsu[/i]
After performing the correct hand seals the user expels a massive tidal wave of water 10 meters wide and nearly 5 meters tall. This wave travels forward at a speed of 10 and with a strength of 10 for up to 15 meters before losing momentum and dissipating.
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri Sep 27, 2019 4:20 pm

Now that Tousha was riding the wave… wave, it was time to come up with a variant of the technique he’d just learned. Rather than creating a wave that had a single vector of movement the Nara thought it wise to develop a jutsu that could accomplish this from every direction. And, more importantly, he would continue perfecting his ability to manifest water rather than rely on a natural water source. Why wait for the water to come to you when you can spawn it out of thin air like a wave boss?

Tousha quickly went to work concocting a string of hand seals that would accomplish what he expected out of this technique. The seals would be very similar to the Suiton art he’d just learned, but instead of focusing a wave in a single direction Tousha would attempt to manifest water all around him, a circular wave that would spread out in every direction as it traveled away from him. This would, however, most likely diminish the overall strength of the wave in favor of covering much more surface area.

After Tousha was satisfied with the string of hand seals he’d pieced together, he made his way to the top of the outcropping of rock that loomed over the pool. Using chakra to find stable footholds in the damp network of stones and earth, the Kage made short work of the vertical climb in a handful of well-placed jumps. Once he was overlooking the pool, the Nara retreated over a dozen meters until he was standing in a sparse section of trees and grass. There would be no point in trying this technique out in the water, he wanted to see just how much water he could generate with it. Kinda hard to tell how much water you’ve pumped out of your body like a glorified hose when there’s already tons of the stuff around.

The Kage breathed deeply, centering himself and finding a familiar, wide stance. His hands and arms moved in tandem with his breathing, the motions retained an air of effortless ease. He began molding chakra in his stomach before allowing it to spill out, past his body until it saturated the air waiting around him. In moments a large amount of water appeared around the Kage, quickly forming into a circular wave that surrounded its creator. Once the wave reached a height of around five meters, completely hiding Tousha from view, the water surged forward and expanded across the ground with growing speed. Once the wave hit its twenty meter limit the wave crashed to the ground with a soothing, if intimidating, splash.

Tousha looked around the clearing, satisfied with how much water he’d managed to manifest. Almost the entire area was now covered in a few inches of crystal clear water, which he could see himself better utilizing in combat.


Jutsu LearnedShow
[color=dodgerblue][b]Suiton • Surplus Wave[/b][/color]
C-ranked Ninjutsu
After completing a string of hand seals the user will manifest a large volume of water that takes the shape of a circular wave, with the user at its center. This wave will then move away from the user in all directions at a Speed of 10 and a Strength of 5 up to 20 meters, reaching a height of 5 meters and saturating the ground as it travels. Though capable of being utilized as a multi-directional barrier, this technique is primarily used to fill the immediate area with a large amount of water as quickly as possible.

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri Oct 04, 2019 8:38 am

One of the best places to start when trying to develop a fundamental understanding of an elemental release is with clone techniques. Learning how to duplicate your own shape by molding elemental chakra taught a level of nuance and familiarity that most other techniques jut couldn’t compare to. Tousha always found the process almost intimate in a way, as if he was finding how the chakra nature was taking to him. Call the aging Shinobi old fashioned or straight up bonkers but even from a young age Tousha had discovered personalities in the techniques the Academy had taught him, unique characteristics he could see and feel and taste in the different elemental releases.

The Bannin was beginning to see a glimpse of what Suiton really was, and how it molded him as much as he molded it.

With a long, easy breath the Kage centered himself. Hist stance was wide and steady, his hands and arms moving with the heaving of his chest. The Kage was standing atop the surface of the pond’s crystal-clear water, its mirror like skin reflecting each of his movements in perfect tandem. The Nara exhaled through his mouth and began molding chakra in his stomach, allowing it to grow and shape in any direction it pleased. He was beginning to understand that Suiton chakra was very similar to water in that it preferred to take the shape of whatever was containing it. At first Tousha had simply molded it into a ball, at least in his mind’s eye, but found that the chakra passively resisted any effort to maintain that shape. Only when Tousha allowed the chakra to wander did he discover that adding Suiton to the mix changed the temperament of the energy entirely, a common trait among elemental releases.

With another breath the Kage allowed the chakra he’d gathered to seep through his body and into the water gently resting in front of him. Almost immediately the water shifted and pulled away from the rest of the lake, forming a shapeless figure that grew until it was as tall as the Nara. In an almost curious way the water “looked” from side to side, as if trying to understand why it was suddenly moving like this and who the person standing in front of it was. As Tousha continued pouring chakra into the water its form became more and more defined. The body filled out to match Tousha’s lean form, its face became more angular and paler, its hands and feet sprouting fingers and toes that twitched and curled.

After nearly half a minute the clone was formed. Tousha couldn’t help but admire his work. For a first attempt at creating his likeness from an element he was comparatively unfamiliar with, it wasn’t too shabby at all. The man’s eyes could pick out one or two odd dissimilarities, but he couldn’t help but be biased in that regard. It was his own body after all.

Tousha willed the water to disperse and with a splash the clone disappeared, falling back into the pond and happily becoming simple, clear water once more.

Jutsu LearnedShow
*[color=dodgerblue][b]Suiton • Clone[/b][/color]
[i]C-Rank Ninjutsu[/i]
After performing the correct hand seals the user creates a clone of themselves comprised completely of suiton chakra. This clone is incapable of jutsu, however it's liquid nature makes it a very capable taijutsu combatant. This clone lasts for 5 posts. [list][*][b]Taijutsu:[/b] 6[*][b]Stamina:[/b] 8[*][b]Strength:[/b] 7[*][b]Speed:[/b] 6[/list]
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri Oct 04, 2019 10:02 am

Tousha was excited to test out this new technique. In his super serious notebook of fun Jutsu doodles he’d sketched out the idea but wasn’t sure how it would work in practical implementation. The concept was simple enough: shape a large volume of water into an orb that would follow the user around if his chakra was still coursing through it. Kind of like a big, watery puppy. Without a face. Or anything else a puppy has. Regardless of how poorly that metaphor was constructed, Tousha was hopeful that the idea would work. A giant mass of Suiton could do wonders in stopping tangible objects thanks to water’s natural tendency to envelop and neutralize the trajectory of projectiles.

Something moving at great speed was still largely affected by what it had to travel through, and water was not an ideal path of least resistance exactly one hundred percent of the time.

He’d already devised a string of hand seals in his notebook, which the Kage had illustrated not by writing the names of those signs or even sketching hands performing them but in true professional fashion chose to draw cute doodles of the animals they represented. He was a big Ninja boy and he could draw cute animals when devising the most efficient way to summon instruments of death, stop being so judgmental. With mechanical efficiency the Nara rounded off a string of hand seals, moving nowhere near the speed he was capable of. Whenever Tousha attempted a technique for the first time he liked to move more slowly, to really commit the order of the seals to muscle memory. In fact, he’d complete the seals at least half a dozen times before molding any chakra.

After the seventh or eighth cycle of the hand seals, Tousha held the last seal and quickly began molding chakra. He allowed the Suiton rich energy to fill his stomach as it pleased before allowing it to travel into the pond water laying in wait beneath his feet. The Nara closed his eyes as the weight of the water clashed with the chakra spreading through a greater and greater volume of the pond’s own body. With a steady breath the Kage slowly felt out just how much force he would need to use to shape the water to his will. Unlike Raiton, Fuuton and Katon, Suiton had a certain unyielding weight. It reminded the Bannin of Doton, but where earth was stubborn and unyielding water was proving to be almost passive aggressively resistant. Like a dog who refused to walk any further, so it just plops onto the ground and passively resists its owner with dead weight.

Lot of dog metaphors with this training but Tousha liked puppers so he’d keep going with it.

After several moments the large shape of an orb began to emerge from the pond, its nearly perfectly round exterior shimmering in the sparse sunlight that managed to break its way through the Nara Forest’s dense canopy. Eventually the entire sphere emerged from the lake’s depths and hovered in place, Tousha’s chakra acting as a means for it to retain its shape and height. The Nara let his hands fall free from the seal he’d been holding, testing to see how the orb would react. Like a loyal, patient dog it remained in place. Hovering above the lake, you know, how dogs do.

The Kage would need to practice the technique several more times before it was combat ready, not to mention test just how quickly it could move or how close it would need to remain for him to still manipulate the orb and keep its shape. But he already had a solid understanding of how the Jutsu worked, so he’d chalk this one up to a success.

Jutsu LearnedShow
[color=dodgerblue][b]Suiton • Guardian Orb[/b][/color]
C-ranked Ninjutsu
After completing a string of hand seals the user will either utilize a nearby water source or manifest water spontaneously using Suiton chakra, shaping the water into a large orb at a Speed of 10 and a Strength of 15. This orb can reach a radius of up to 5 meters and will remain suspended in the air at the user’s will, following his movements when necessary up to a Speed of 10 as long as the water remains within 15 meters of the user. This technique offers versatile defensive utility in however the user sees fit and can also envelop the user and several allies. This technique will remain apparent for up to 8 posts and will dissipate unless additional chakra is supplied.

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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri Oct 04, 2019 2:04 pm

Rubber was about to meet the road. In Ninja terms, that meant Tousha was about to step into the first level of big boy pants with Suiton. D and C-rank techniques were great for building up an understanding of what a nature had to offer, and they certainly had their place as utility Jutsu in the field. But if you asked any advanced Ninjutsu practitioner worth his or her weight in salt, they’d tell you that B-rank techniques were where things started to get dangerous. Didn’t matter what caliber Shinobi you were, taking just about any B-rank technique to the face would almost certainly seriously ruin your day. And with that increase in power and effectiveness came a proportional difficulty in training how to utilize that strength effectively.

With great care the Bannin proceeded, knowing all too well the dangers involved with underestimating the power of a new technique. Many times, he’d been burned, sometimes literally, and those harsh lessons had stuck with him even more prominently than the scars that peppered his pale skin.

Tousha began as he often did, by devising a string of hand seals that would suit his purposes. A B-rank technique would require more signs than the C-ranks he’d been training only minutes ago, but he would use their “flow” as a foundation to build off of. The technique he had in mind was a variant of the Crashing Wave technique but instead of horizontal movement he needed to focus on vertical, rotational movement. It would take the Bannin nearly ten minutes but eventually he landed on a string of seals that he hoped would guide his chakra the way he needed.

With blurred motions the Kage rounded off the hand seals, his muscle memory more than sharp enough to effortlessly cycle through the string. Chakra billowed out of the Nara’s body and saturated the surrounding water, immediately causing it to roil and twist into what looked like a whirlpool. Tousha’s brow furrowed as he willed the water upwards and soon enough the pond’s surface shot into the air, still rotating at an alarming speed. Droplets of water and foam peppered the air as the Shinobi continued pouring his chakra into the water, maintaining the speed of the water’s rotation as it grew ever higher.

On his first attempt the Kage could manage a height of ten meters before the barrier fell apart, splashing back into the pond with a thunderous crash. After a few breaths he would try again, and again, and again until eventually he managed to raise the barrier to a height of twenty meters. After he established that height, Tousha pushed himself to maintain the technique as long as he could without needing to call it quits on training for the day. Nearly an hour would pass and, after nearly a dozen attempts, Tousha had become not only used to forming the barrier and maintaining its rotation but excelled in shaping the watery cyclone quickly and efficiently.

Jutsu LearnedShow
[color=dodgerblue][b]Suiton • Water Spout Barricade[/b][/color]
B-ranked Ninjutsu
After completing a string of hand seals the user will either utilize a nearby water source or manifest water spontaneously using Suiton chakra, shaping the water into a rotating water spout that surrounds the user and any nearby allies at a Speed of 15 and a Strength of 25. This churning wall of water can expand to a radius of 5 meters, a height of up to 20 meters and retains a depth of 2 meters, resulting in great difficulty for anything or anyone attempting to breach the technique’s defenses due to the constant rotation of the water. This technique can be maintained for up to 5 posts before additional chakra is required.
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Fri Oct 04, 2019 3:25 pm

It was that time again. That time to do the Tousha thing where he'd learned enough about a nature to bring out the bird jutsu. The nickname he'd been given in his Jounin days, Konoha's Blackbird, was well deserved. It didn't sound especially intimidating or powerful, but it suited the Shinobi. His hair was black, he often wore black or darker shades of grey and blue with touches of red, and he always somehow managed to work birds into his technique. As a child he'd drawn inspiration from watching them as they watched him, and he found them beautiful.

Standing there in the middle of the pond, Tousha was suddenly inspired. A kingfisher sporting bold navy and rich blue feathers was perched on a thin tree branch no more than twenty strides away. The Bannin wondered how long the little guy had been watching him or if he’d just arrived. It hopped and bobbed along the branch like a tightrope walker, never faltering or misplacing a step. When it wasn’t keeping an eye on Tousha, the bird was peering down into the pond’s crystal-clear waters.

Ah. So, it was hunting. Kingfishers were renowned hunters in the bird kingdom, relying on excellent eyesight and deft jabs to pierce or snag their prey just below the water’s surface. Tousha framed the bird with his hands, closing an eye and sticking out his tongue as he tried to memorize every feature. After a few minutes the Kage nodded and got to work.

First came the hand seals. This technique was wildly different than the other Suiton jutsu he'd trained today so coming up with the appropriate string of signs would take a while longer. Taking inspiration from other techniques in his arsenal, which seemed to be growing to a daunting amount to memorize, the Nara began constructing his new technique. After nearly half an hour the Kage was ready to try molding chakra.

With a breath that sounded more like a nervous sigh, Tousha weaved the seals he'd picked for the new Suiton Jutsu. They combined molding Suiton chakra, maintaining control over said chakra and enough explosive chakra to give it more impact. After completing the last seal the Bannin inhaled, allowing his stomach to fill with surprisingly refreshing Suiton chakra, before expelling it in a compressed stream. The stream would travel nearly five meters before rapidly expanding, giving shape to a massive Kingfisher made entirely of water. The Kingfisher knifed forward, guided by Tousha's unspoken control over the chakra that comprised its body.

Tousha willed the Kingfisher to loop over head while he darted forward, making sure to split his attention evenly between the Kingfisher, maintaining the flow of chakra keeping him from dipping below the lake's surface and taking in his surroundings. For the sake of practice, Tousha leaped from stone to stone, all the while keeping the Kingfisher within its radius of effect. The Nara knew that if he allowed the water bird to leave his control the water would either detonate or lose its shape entirely. Most likely the chakra holding the water together would simply dissipate, completely negating the explosive chakra hidden inside.

Finally the Bannin landed on the flat surface of a rock that jutted from one of the pond's trickling waterfalls and motioned downward. The Kingfisher fell into a nose dive, streaking down to the pond with blurred speed. As it struck the water's surface the Kingfisher detonated with a crash, sending a massive volume of water high into the air. Tousha stood to his full height and nodded as water continued raining down around him.


Jutsu LearnedShow
[color=dodgerblue][b]Suiton • Kingfisher Jet Stream[/b][/color]
B-ranked Ninjutsu
After completing a string of hand seals the user will expel a highly condensed gash of water at a Speed of 25 up to 5 meters, where it will expand into a missile resembling a large Kingfisher bird. This projectile has a 3 m wingspan, flies at a Speed of 25 and can be guided by the user at will if it remains within 20 meters. Upon contact with a target or activated by the user with an additional hand seal the Kingfisher will violently burst with the strength of 4 explosive tags. This technique can be maintained for up to 5 posts before additional chakra is required.
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Training Montage

Post by Toshi » Wed Oct 09, 2019 1:24 pm

Still standing on the jutting protrusion of flat stone the Kage breathed in slowly, releasing the air slowly through pursed lips after a few moments of still contemplation. With every technique that required hand seals Tousha would attempt to construct another that relied on channeling, just for safety's sake. One could never know when he'd be without a hand or a few fingers and he'd look rather foolish standing there screaming the names of jutsu with nothing to show for it. Then there would probably be more screaming of the pained variety and a healthy serving of deadness.

With this in mind Tousha raised a hand above his head, channeling chakra into the space above him. His thin eyes closed, his brow furrowing ever so slightly. In mere moments droplets of water began forming above his open palm, spreading out over a large radius as more water flooded into the center of the rapidly growing structure.

Jutsu LearnedShow
[color=dodgerblue][b]Suiton • Demon Water Shuriken[/b][/color]
B-ranked Ninjutsu
Rather than relying on hand seals the user will channel his chakra into the air above his hand, manifesting a massive Shuriken comprised entirely of water at a Speed of 25. This Shuriken can reach a diameter of 5 meters and retains a hardness and sharpness comparable to steel. The user may wield this water Shuriken as a traditional weapon, its handling made drastically easier by the user’s Control as long as the wielder remains in contact with it, or can choose to launch the water as a projectile at a Speed of 25. Upon contact with a target or activation by the user after completing a single additional hand seal the Shuriken will detonate with the strength of 4 exploding tags. This technique will remain apparent for up to 6 posts before additional chakra is required.
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Former Hokage • Konoha • Nara Tousha

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