Back to Basics [Lonely]

[Drak]

Akito always started his training with a splash of cool water onto his face. The next step was always a few warm ups. He ran through these too, even though he wasn’t planning on practicing his Taijutsu today. No, today was for Doton, a neglected corner of his skillset. These were generally support moves to slightly shift the battlefield in his favor, but with the dual prospects of Konoha besieging and being besieged, Akito saw utility in improving this set of skills.

Standing up from the last of his stretches, Akito prepared to start his training. He had consulted several Doton scrolls in the Hyuuga library, and a simple but useful technique caught his eye: forming ninja tools from the earth.

The scroll described kunai, shuriken, and senbon specifically. Senbon seem like the easiest to start with. The others require careful balance, while senbon are basically sharp sticks.

Akito swiftly made a series of seals, and focused his chakra, trying to form it into a set of ten senbon. The result was less than stellar. It was ten senbon all right, but not distinct ones. They were all fused into each other like some kind of sculpture. Not just that, the material was far from right. They were not at all metallic – more like some sort of hardened clay. Akito tapped the tip of one of the protruding spines and it immediately crumbled. Sighing, Akito closed his fist on the creation, letting the fragments fall to his feet.

When I was learning the Trigram Palms, I didn’t start with 128. I didn’t even start with 32. I started with 2, and made those two strikes until they were perfect. That’s what I need to do here.

Akito sighed. It was hard to be a beginner after so long. He started again. This time, he focused all of that chakra into one senbon. The result: a single, metal senbon. It was a bit bent, sure. Akito held it between the fingertips of his two hands and bent it in half easily. It wasn’t perfect, but it was progress. One more set of seals.

I need to keep my focus here. Draw the chakra out, and focus it down until it solidifies, first into clay, then stone, then soft metal, then hard. And keep the shape straight.

Akito found himself holding a senbon better than the last one. He tried to bend it and felt resistance. Feeling the tip, it was a bit dull, but workable. Akito took aim at a log he had set up and let the senbon fly. It didn’t sink deep into the wood, but it stuck. Soon it was followed by another, which sunk in deeper, then another, then two.

By the time the day was done, the log had been thoroughly killed. It had been slashed by shuriken and bombarded by kunai, and around each wound from those were dozens of perfect little senbon.

Word Count: 488/400

Doton • Earthen Ninja Tools
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals the user will form a set of up to 10 basic projectiles, such as kunai, shuriken, or senbon, in their hand. These tools have [Control] strength.

This is a big step: my first C-ranked Doton. It’s funny, a grown man, a jonin, getting this excited about a C-rank. Still, it could come in handy, especially in a siege. I tend towards close combat almost exclusively, so the idea of becoming a walking ballista almost seems out of place for me, but it stands to give me a powerful tactical advantage.

Akito sat in the Hyuuga library, studying a jutsu scroll. Written across its case was “Doton: Spike Shot.” Currently, he was working to memorize the hand seals needed to deploy this jutsu: running through them with his hands while chanting their names under his breath. When he could make the seals smoothly without looking at the scroll, he knew he was ready to try it out. Akito placed the scroll back in its case and left the library.

As it turned out, practicing a “destructive technique” like Spike Shot within the training grounds on the Hyuuga estate was forbidden. Decades ago, Akito’s twice-great uncle had pulverized an elder statue while practicing his Katon, and ever since there were far stricter rules about which jutsus could be practiced on the grounds. With that in mind, Akito headed out into the wild areas just outside of town.

This is a good next step. The creation of the physical object – the spike – is much like the Ninja Tools jutsu; in fact, very much like making a kunai. The launching will be more difficult, but probably not unlike certain ninpou techniques. It’s linking the first step of manifesting a physical object from chakra with the second of launching that object with pure chakra alone that will be tough. Still, I should see how I do.

Akito’s hunch was correct. He could approximate very well the shape of the Spike Shot by channeling his Doton to make a massive kunai. However, he quickly encountered a problem. A small metal kunai was easy enough to make. A kunai over a meter long? That much metal would take far too much chakra. The result therefore was a metal core with a crumbling, dirt-like exterior.


I’m making this harder than it needs to be. I don’t need a metal shot, I just need a stone shot. I need to take a step back, and only take the hardening process as far as stone.

Refocusing his efforts, Akito channeled his energy into building a kunai, but stopped the hardening process at stone. He held in his hand a small, stone kunai.

Bigger…


He quickly ran through a set of hand seals, and focused his chakra the same way he did for the stone kunai. That change of framing was what he needed. The stone spike appeared, and floated ponderously. One ‘push’ with his chakra and it shot off. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite stable, and quickly began to pitch through the air, tip over base.

It needs to roll, to counteract that.

That did the trick. The next one flew through the air, glancing off a large tree.

Much better. That’s the basics down. First, more accuracy, then more power…

Word Count: 517/400

Doton • Spike Shot
C-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals the user will form a stone spike directly in front of them roughly 1.5 meter long and 1/2 meter in diameter at it's thickest point before launching the spike forward up to 25 meters away at [Control] strength and speed.

[Drak]

Akito quickly ran through the hand seals, and channeled his chakra to produce ten shuriken in his hands. He would need a lot of them for what he was doing today. The Shadow Clone Shuriken was a classic Konoha technique, but one that Akito had just never picked up.

Akito surveyed the practice range he had set up. He had put a few standard practice throwing targets several meters away. He looked down at the jutsu scroll, then back at the targets.

This jutsu is going to create a cloud of shuriken. I think I’m going to need a bigger target. The main family would be less than pleased if I’m casting dozens of projectiles far past the range.

Akito left in search of a larger target. He was able to find large piece of plywood, probably left over from some expansion or repair project on the estate. He leaned it against the targets he had set up earlier and returned to his spot.

Picking up the first of his shuriken, Akito turned it over a few times in his hand, getting a feel for its size, its shape, its weight. With a sudden movement, he made a series of hand seals, making sure to stay aware of the shuriken as not to stab himself in the hands as he channeled chakra into it. When he let it fly, he focused the chakra and tried to manipulate it into duplicating the projectile.

With a poof the shuriken… broke apart and sent fragments flying in several directions.

That was clearly too much chakra. I need to moderate it better next time.

He picked up a second shuriken and repeated the hand seals, emanating chakra into the object.

Use less than last time. Focus the chakra in. I need to make at least one other shuriken.

When he threw this shuriken, the subsequent poof resulted in another shuriken flying through the air next to it.

Yes! I’ve done it!

Akito’s celebration proved slightly premature. When the two shuriken hit the plywood, one embeded itself deep into the wood. The other poofed right back out of existence. However, it had left a scar on the wood. The third shuriken on his pile resulted in a shuriken that poofed out of existence as well, but left a deep mark in the wood. With the fourth, Akito was able to make three cloned shurikens, each of which damaged the wood well.

Looking down at the stack of six remaining shuriken, Akito did a quick calculation.

If with each of these I can double the number of shuriken I clone, I will have made it to 256 shuriken. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Word Count: 448/400

Ninjutsu • Shadow Clone Shuriken
C-Rank Ninjutsu
The user will channel chakra into a projectile as they throw it. Then the projectile will emit a puff of smoke that reveals a cloud of that projectile in a [Control]m^3 area moving at the same speed and strength. These projectiles cut just as sharp as the weapon thrown, and disappear after they've hit a target.

Again, Akito found himself heading outside of the village walls to train. This time, it was not because he was practicing a dangerous jutsu, but because he needed something to practice it on. To help with that, he walked out carrying a small wooden plate in one hand and a sack in the other. When he felt that he was adequately far into the woods, he crouched down and placed the plate at his feet. From the sack, he produced a raw piece of chicken which he laid on the plate.

After a few seals, which he chanted as he made them to help them stick better in his mind, Akito placed his hand on the rim of the plate and felt as his chakra surged into it. Akito took several steps away, then made the sign of the snake to activate his Byakugan. He could see his chakra pulsing within the plate, ready to spring out and immobilize whatever poor critter came looking for a free meal. They wouldn’t be harmed, of course, just very unhappy until Akito released them. Akito walked towards a nearby tree and began to focus chakra into his feet to stroll up it. Once he had reached a high branch that could hold his weight, he took a seat and observed.

Akito was waiting for a while, but finally a crow came down and landed near the plate. It took a few hops towards the plate and eyed the chicken. It went in for a peck, managing to do so without touching the plate. Akito watched the crow with an extreme focus.

Touch the plate. Touch the plate. Touch the plate.

Finally, something made a noise in the bushes, and the crow made to fly off. Unfortunately for it, the downswing of one of its wings hit the plate, and with a small flash, the crow dropped down, totally stunned by the Rattrap jutsu. Akito watched for a moment, savoring his victory before making the sign of the ram to release the crow. It flew off in a panic, narrowly missing the trunk of a nearby tree.

Excellent. It works. Now to try a different application of it.

Akito came down from the tree and tossed the plate into his bag, leaving the half-devoured chicken thigh for a luckier creature. Again, he made the sign of the snake and used his Byakugan to scan the forest for larger prey. Soon, he found a wild dog, and began to stalk it through the woods. As he went, Akito picked up a small rock. After a short chase, Akito found himself lurking in a tree, watching the dog relieve itself a short distance away.

Akito made the same series of seals he had made over the plate and gently lobbed the stone at the dog. It made impact, and again, with a flash the dog was immobilized. Akito grinned, and made a seal to release the dog from its predicament. It immediately went into a fit of barking as Akito fled the scene.

Again, Akito scanned the woods with his Byakugan when he came across a bear drinking from a nearby river.

Jackpot. Time to really push the limits of this new technique.

Careful to step extremely quietly, Akito approached the bear from behind. For the third time that day, Akito made some hand seals and imbued his chakra into a small rock. He lobbed it at the bear. Once again, there was a flash, but this time, Akito’s quarry was not stunned. Instead, the bear wheeled around and roared.

Damnation. I guess the bear is too strong for that to work.

The bear locked eyes with Akito, and Akito settled into a combat stance.

Wait… what am I doing? Why am I preparing to fight a bear?

Akito went through a flurry of hand seals and with a poof, there were three of him. One charged headlong at the bear. The other two bolted in different directions. The bear lunged at the clone Akito had sent at it, and with a swipe of its claws, the clone dissipated into smoke. The confused bear sniffed around to try to find where the threat had gone, but soon realized that there wasn’t much of a point in doing so. Meanwhile, Akito bounded through the woods, confident in his ability to use his new jutsu on anything but a bear.

Word Count: 732/600

*[Ninjutsu • Rattrap]
B-Ranked Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals the user will imbue an item with their chakra that is no larger than a basketball. The next thing to touch the object within 3 posts will feel the chakra lurch off the object, surging into their body and overwhelming them. For those with less than [Control] Strength they will find themselves immobile for the next 5 posts. If the target that touches the object has [Control] or higher Strength, they will find themselves unaffected.

[Drak]

For Akito, one of the more intriguing Doton techniques was Landmine. He had read about it extensively, but had run into a problem when trying to practice it. Well, two problems to be precise. First, the technique is attuned to the user's chakra so that they are not immediately blasted to bits. In isolation, that was not a problem. In fact, one might even call it a solution. The problem therein was that Akito had not as of yet been able to convince any of his Hyuuga relatives to test it out. Most of the clan didn't like or trust Akito at the best of times, so agreeing to help him test out a dangerous, explosive, non-Jyuuken technique was out of the question.

The second problem was that even were he to convince someone to be his guinea pig, Landmine was still a dangerous, explosive jutsu. Akito didn't want to maim or kill his training partners. He would save that for the enemies who would step on his mines at some point in the future. Wanting to find a way to make the testing process slightly safer, Akito returned to the library.

The answer didn't take to long to find. It was a basic, D-ranked jutsu appropriately called "Wall."

The plan will go like this: I set up one or more blast shields with Wall, just outside the diameter of the mined area. I then activate Landmine, run out of the affected area, and hide behind a wall. My partner will then step into the area, but immediately use substitution jutsu to move themselves behind the wall, thereby removing them from the blast zone and protecting themselves from the worst effects of being only about a meter away from it.

Akito left the library to practice this technique.

I've already learned how to make small, detailed objects like ninja tools, and large moving objects like with spike shot. Making a stone wall should be relatively easy.

Akito was almost right on that account. From the effort he had put into honing his Doton recently, he had gotten a much better idea of how to build up layers of hardened earth. He made hand signs, focused his chakra into the earth at his feet, and began to use it to shape that earth. He went slowly, bringing up a small mound of earth, and compressing it into something which could sustain a blow. Then, below that, another layer of soil began to rise and compress. He was getting a better feel for this element. It was slow and methodical, flowing, layering, hardening; until it wasn't and it exploded with violence like a sudden landslide.

I used to think it was odd that I had an affinity for Earth jutsu, but the more I train with it, the more right it seems.

After several minutes, Akito admired his wall. He gave it a few test blows, even charging one up with concussive chakra. It held. Seeing that he had done it once, Akito set out to do it again and again and again, each time getting a little bit faster.

Word count: 518/400

Doton • Wall
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals the user will form a solid stone wall up to 5 meters away from them at [Control] speed. The wall has [Control] strength and is 3x3x1 meters large.

[Drak]

Akito stood before a porcelain dummy of a human. It was covered in a map of the tenketsu and the pathways between them, dozens of paper seals with jutsus embedded into them, and the residue of hundreds more seals. This was a tool of the Hyuuga clan for observing how chakra flows through the human body and experimenting with how it can be altered. To use it, one had to charge it with a large amount of chakra, which would seep through the porcelain and settle into the vessels which criss-cross the dummy. The jutsus inscribed on it served two purposes: first, they greatly slowed the escape of the chakra from the dummy, ensuring it would stay charged for a long time. Second, they acted like pumps, conveying chakra around the dummy just like chakra is ‘pumped’ through the body of a real human.

The dummy was a fundamental part of the training of a young Hyuuga, as it served as a way to experiment with the chakra blocking and redirecting power of Jyuuken without needing to risk harming a training partner. Second, Jyuuken masters could use it to invent new techniques. Despite his affinity for and expertise with the Gentle Fist, Akito did not exactly consider himself a master. Furthermore, the clan was hesitant to call him one, even though he would be able to defeat many of the clan’s masters in a spar. Nonetheless, Akito had been working on a new technique which he wanted to try out.

Jyuuken techniques mainly target the chakra pathway system, but because the system is intertwined with all of the body’s organs, many forms can strike those organs, and either impede their function or even damage them physically. Most of those techniques target either the muscles like Pricking Lock, nerve clusters like Twin Striking Palm, or the vital organs like the True Heavenly Dance of Divination. No standard techniques damage the mind though. It should be possible to do, even if indirectly. Jutsu like Mountain Crushing Palm Strike can release a wave of chakra which ripples through the opponent’s body, disrupting the flow direction throughout most of the muscles and organs. I hypothesize that I could localize that shock to the head or neck, causing much larger disruption to a smaller area. Just like tides can reverse the flow of a river, a flood of my chakra could push an opponent’s chakra away from their central nervous system, thereby disrupting its function. If it works like I think it should, this jutsu will disrupt the brain and cranial nerves, muddling the mind and possibly even confusing their sense of equilibrium.

When he had finished charging the dummy, Akito activated his Byakugan. He could see the seals pushing the chakra through the dummy. He could also see the small switches inside the dummy, meant to emulate the body’s tenketsu. Akito took a combat stance and channeled chakra into his palms. He started by using the Mountain Crushing Palm technique, which was the basis of his new form. He saw the dummy’s chakra surge away from where he struck, pushed to the termina of the chakra network before bouncing back. Were the dummy a real person, they would be doubled over in pain as the destructive interference of the opposing waves of chakra shredded their muscle tissue. Akito waited, observing the chakra of the dummy settle back into its normal flow. He took a deep breath, and tried the technique again, aiming for the head and attempting to contain the burst of chakra more.

He struck at the dummy’s head, imagining the burst of chakra as a column going forward, through the brain instead of a blast moving outwards. He saw his burst of chakra reverse the flow of chakra around the brain, ears, and spinal cord, before it rushed back in a dazzling Moiré of destructive interference.

Word Count 644/600

Jyuuken :: Mind Interference Palm Strike
B-rank Nintaijutsu Maneuver
After channeling chakra to their palm, the user will thrust it toward an opponent's head or neck. They will let forth a wave of chakra, disrupting the flow of chakra to their opponent's brain, cranial nerves, and spinal cord. This technique will disorient an opponent, disrupt their balance, and cloud their thinking, reducing their Willpower by 6 for 8 posts.

[Drak]

Once again, Akito found himself practicing a “disruptive” jutsu far outside the confines of Konoha. He had found a decently large meadow outside of town, as the jutsu he was about to practice needed space. Akito pressed his palms together and raised his hands up to the level of his forehead, as if to apologize to the spirits of the meadow for what he was about to do. He had come across a Doton technique which would, he thought, be extremely powerful for defending a location. It was called “Landmine,” and true to its name, it could do a lot of damage to anyone trying to enter an area.

The technique worked on a similar principle to that of Rat Trap. By charging his chakra into an object, he could release it to devastating force. However, in this case instead of a small trinket, Akito would charge a large area of the ground with his chakra. And instead of elegantly immobilizing an opponent, it would simply explode upwards with devastating effect. There was one problem though: the technique was attuned to Akito’s chakra, meaning that it would not activate for him. However, he thought there may be a way around this: essentially unlinking his chakra from the landmine so he could detonate it on himself.

Akito went through the hand seals and focused his chakra into his right foot. He brought his foot up and stomped it down on the ground, pushing an explosive charge of chakra into the earth, careful to limit the amount of power it had. He walked out of the range of the landmine, and made more hand signs to build an earthen wall just outside the diameter.

The last thing I need is to be hit by a piece of shrapnel while training this far out.

Akito walked back around the wall, and put his hands on the border of the mined area. He felt his explosive chakra pulsing beneath the surface, and slowly injected more chakra to try and un-link himself from the mine. He soon felt his attunement with the landmine waning, and so, making the seals for a replacement jutsu, he took a step into the radius. As soon as his foot fell, the ground in a wide radius exploded upwards. He had limited how much strength the mine would have, but the grass and soil was still driven several feet into the air before it came back down with a deafening thump. Birds all around alighted into the sky.

Good thing I thought to do a replacement, Akito thought, hiding behind the wall. That still could have taken a leg clean off.

WC: 441/40

---

Although it was not unheard of, it was less common for Hyuuga to have an affinity for the element of Earth. Were that the only thing separating Akito from his clan, it would have been no more than an oddity. As a half-breed though, his Doton affinity was just one more thing setting him apart. It was considered unsophisticated when compared to, say, Katon or Raiton. That was why the Hyuuga archives was the last place Akito expected to find a forgotten Doton jutsu. Still, there it was, in a scroll transcribed by a Doton-wielding Hyuuga from many years ago.

The technique was called “Scale Mail.” It built off of a number of Jyuuken drills which involve emitting chakra from different Teketsu all over the body. However, unlike Jyuuken which tends to shoot off blades or needles of pure chakra, this technique worked to emit Doton chakra which would solidify into scales of hardened stone. This allowed for strong, layered protection of the body, without impacting movement, the use of the Gentle Fist, or even clothing and equipment. In fact, there was a section of the scroll which spoke to the technique’s subtleness and ability to work under clothing when wearing armor would be seen as suspicious or even disrespectful.

With my affinity for close quarters combat, a technique like this will be indispensable to know. Knowing for a fact that it is compatible with all of the techniques of the Gentle Fist is all the more reason to learn how to use it.

Akito rolled the scroll back up and took it with him to the yard in the Hyuuga estate where he usually trained.

If the technique relies on exuding chakra from tenketsu all over the body, then it has a certain similarity to Eight Divination Signs Heavenly Rotation. Except instead of using the chakra to spin rapidly and push away, I need to hold the chakra against myself and harden it into stone.

Akito began with the most basic of Heavenly Rotation drills, by just pushing the chakra out. That part was easy: he had done that drill for the first time near the end of his academy training. The hard part was holding the chakra against his body. Every bit of his force of habit wanted to spin and form a shield, but he had to resist that urge.

Focus the chakra. Pull it in and solidify it. Channel it into the armor that will preserve yourself.

Akito had clamped his eyes shut with concentration. Soon, he began to feel a tingle across his arms, shoulders, and back.

Chakra burns? Have I really used that much?

He opened his eyes, but when he looked at his arms, instead of seeing the redness of a chakra burn, he instead saw hundreds of tiny scales across his arms. They were too small to do much in the way of protecting him. In fact, he was able to wipe them off like sand on his skin, but he was on the right track. Several more minutes got him a solid set of rocky, gray-brown scales sprouting from most of his body.

Akito proceeded to move through his normal warm-up routine. While they were a bit warm, and maybe slightly itchy, the scales did not impede jumping jacks or squats. Akito approached a training dummy and began to practice a few strikes on it. They were as snappy as ever. Even as Akito moved through forms up to the 64 Trigram Fist, he found himself remarkably limber.

Okay, there is one final technique that I must try.

Moving away from the dummy, Akito began to emit more chakra from his body, and began to spin. He went faster and faster until all an observer would see was a blue sphere of chakra.

When he slowed his spin to a stop, Akito looked down at his arms: as scaly as they were when he had first started.

I do wonder when these will come off…

WC: 664/600

*Doton • Landmine
C-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the correct hand seals the user will tap their foot on the ground charging a 25 meter radius around their foot with explosive chakra. This is armed at [Control] speed. For the next three posts if anyone other than the user steps on the area it will explode with at a [Control] Strength explosion.

Doton • Scale Mail
B-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the necessary hand seals, Akito will emanate Doton chakra out of tenketsu all over his body. This chakra solidifies into stone scales of varying sizes all over his body. Once in place, the scales move with his body while providing protection from damage and still allowing access to equipment and free use of hand signs and Jyuuken techniques. They form with [Control] strength and speed.

[Drak]

Usually, when Akito’s nose was buried in a book, it was a work of classical literature or some guide to shogi. Today though, it was a treatise on geology.

In order to better understand what kinds of materials I can work with Doton, I need to better understand the earth itself. Techniques like Dirt Cloud and many of the mud techniques rely on channeling soil. Wall and Binding Formation meanwhile use stone. Earthen Tools moves through all of the above and even straddles the border with metal. However, it seems like fewer techniques use the material of clay. It is sticky like mud, but has more weight to it. Additionally, clay’s uses in industry might hint at synergies with other elemental schools: namely Katon, but Ash as well.

Akito thought back to his first experiment with Earthen Ninja Tools, when he created senbon with the consistency of dried clay. Those were thin and brittle. An effective technique with clay would require a large mass of it, perhaps enough to envelop a person’s legs or torso. It would be hard to escape, and even harder if it could be baked and hardened somehow.

Akito thought through the hand signs which would accomplish such a thing. After some trial and error, he was able to settle on a sequence which would let him condense his chakra into a small ball of clay. The next step was to add to it. Akito created ball after ball of clay, each larger than the last. His progress started to taper off at a sphere around one meter in diameter.

The next step was launching it. At this point, Akito had some experience launching earthen projectiles, so launching a ball of clay was relatively easy. It took some concentration to have it keep its shape as it sailed through the air, but soon he could do so with a reasonable degree of accuracy. When the last of his attempts landed with a wet thud, Akito decided to test his hypothesis about hardening the clay. He had no techniques which could do so, but he could do it the old-fashioned way and light a fire.

Some straw and wood around the pile of clay made for a nice fire. When it had burned itself out and cooled for a few hours, Akito examined it. It was hard. Akito struck the clay as hard as he could.

Very hard. That will be hard to break out of, if I can find a faster way to fire it.

Word Count: 419/400

[*]Doton • Clay Sphere
C-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the appropriate hand seals, the user will form a ball of sticky clay 1 meter in diameter in front of them and shoot it up to 30 meters at [Control] Speed. The clay ball will envelop any body parts struck by it and sticking to the ground when it lands. It requires [Control] strength to escape. If exposed to a jutsu with a burning or hardening effect, the clay will harden and require [1.5x Control] Strength to break free from.

[Drak]

Now that Akito had started expanding the bounds of Doton on his own, his mind began to burst with ideas. Most recently he had been thinking about a way to extend Binding Formation.

Binding Formation as it exists is a useful technique for close combat, but it is really only useful in that circumstance. To use it I have to be in very close proximity to an enemy. Beyond that, it only binds their feet which, while useful for close combat, still allows an opponent to make hand signs. I see two avenues for improvement on the technique: range and targets. I could extend the distance at which I can restrain an enemy, and I can expand the targeted areas from just feet to more of a whole body restraint. The latter will be easier to start with, so I should think about how best to restrain an opponent.

Akito set up an area to test out his new invention. It was relatively simple: training dummies set up at intervals of several meters. He would start by practicing the restraints on the closest dummy, and once he could do that effectively, he would move on to the next.

The one downside of this extension is that this jutsu will not be quick-casting in the same way that Binding Formation is. It will certainly require hand seals.

Akito worked through different permutations of seals. There was some theory to which seals might work for which jutsus, but when moving into the unknown like this, a period of trial and error was to be expected. When he finally settled on seals, Akito made his first attempt at restraining the nearest dummy. He was able to use his chakra to pull strips of rock up from the earth below, but they didn’t quite fit snugly around the dummy. The pieces of rock grabbing the dummy’s feet worked as intended. One of the arches holding the dummy’s shoulders was close enough, but left plenty of wiggle room for an opponent, while the other went far over its head. The two arm bindings missed entirely.

As a sculpture, it’s not bad. As a weapon, basically useless. I need to practice my aim.

Akito made the hand seals in reverse order and the bindings were sucked back into the earth.

Good to know that worked. Being able to release the bindings will be useful. Not as useful as getting them on right in the first place, but useful nonetheless depending on the circumstances.

Nakano’s comment at an earlier training about “enjoying a little bondage” popped into his mind.

Yeah, Nakano would be excited about this one.

Akito shook his head and focused again. That’s not a helpful train of thought right now.

He tried the seals again, and focused his chakra through the earth below, extending his awareness into the strips of earth as they pierced the surface and wrapped around the dummy. He pictured the stone moving close enough to the wood of the dummy’s shoulders to leave marks. He envisioned the arm wraps shooting up and wrapping the dummy’s wrists before winding back down to the ground.

This time, it worked. Akito grinned as he retracted the bindings. He tried it again. Now that he knew what the technique felt like when it worked, he could work on making it faster. Akito tried a few more tries on the closest dummy, then moved on to the next. Pinning an enemy at a distance was much harder, but Akito was able to work through doing just that. As his targets got further and further away, it got harder and more draining to shoot his chakra out the required distance. Still, by the time the day was done, Akito looked over his handiwork: a row of nicely captured dummies.

WC: 633/600

Doton • Earthen Bindings
B-Rank Ninjutsu
After performing the appropriate hand seals, strips of rock will burst out of the ground, restraining an opponent within 60m with [Control] strength and speed. These strips will wrap around an opponent's feet, over their shoulders, and around their arms, pinning them to the spot and preventing the use of hand seals. The user can undo the bindings at any time with hand seals.

[Drak]

Akito sat in his small shack on the Hyuuga compound. It was a cold day, and some of that seeped into the quarters where Akito was trying to focus on his calligraphy. He took a deep breath, and put a stroke down on the large scroll, then another. The interplay between solid, thoughtful strokes and fast, brushy ones would create the effect he was trying for, but none of the work of his brush seemed right.

For as long as he could remember, Akito had really only wanted one thing: to be accepted by the Hyuuga. While he had been accepted in the sense that he lived on the compound and had been taught the Jyuuken, it was plain to see that he was a second class citizen. He was quartered in what was little more than a shack towards the back of the property. Most clan members refused to speak with him unless it was to criticize him. Interaction with his parents was limited and strictly monitored that they not ‘corrupt’ him further. He had been barred again and again from learning the most advanced forms of the Jyuuken.

Most importantly though, he had not as of yet been considered for a marriage within the clan. From the time he was eighteen he had been told that if he was patient and did well as a shinobi the elders would find him a match. He had been patient, and he had done very well. If any full-blooded Hyuuga had the track record Akito had, they would be inundated with proposals from eager fathers trying to marry their daughters to the rising star of the clan. Instead, he had spent six years badgering the clan elders and had spent six years hearing “The time is not yet right for you. Ask again later.”

When he was a little younger, Akito was able to tell himself that the clan elders were truthful and sincere. Now, doing so would be delusion, and Akito could see it more and more clearly. He was 24. Among the Hyuuga, being unmarried by 25 was uncommon.

“Akito, there is a war coming,” they had told him as if speaking to a child. “How can we, in good conscience, marry one of the daughters of our clan to someone who could very well soon have to give his life in defense of the village and the clan? When Konoha is safe, we will find someone for you.”

Now, Konoha was safe. The Crescent Coalition’s invasion had been called off. Akito prepared to go before the elders one more time. It went about as well as he had expected it to. That is to say, he had been told to be patient. Akito had been early on the elders’ docket – an easy rejection to start the day off with – and he didn’t especially want to wait around in the main house. He returned to his hovel to try his hand at some calligraphy.

As he scrutinized the scroll in front of him, Akito’s mind began to wander. After his accession to the faculty of the newly-formed Konoha University, his quarters had been scattered with books and jutsu scrolls. Specifically, he had dug up everything he could find about Ink Release. Looking at his brush and half-finished characters, he decided to abort his attempt and try his hand at some of the Ink jutsu. Akito channeled chakra into his palm and pulled in with it, taking the still drying ink out of the paper and back into the inkpot, leaving him with a clean, white canvas.

I have had some small success with creating creatures, but I have yet to use them for anything interesting. I read about how one might use them for the conveyance of information – bringing secret messages in their bodies. Perhaps it is possible to use them to gather information in a similar manner.

Akito wet his brush with ink and proceeded to sketch out an elegant, stylized rat. He considered for a moment how he might allow an ink creation to absorb and store the sensory data of what the creations observed.

Given the close relationship of Ink to the written word, the intention of what I want to do should be easy. The exact nature of the seals might be a different matter.

After a moment, Akito sped through several hand seals and touched his palms to the scroll. The ink peeled off of the scroll and formed itself into a ink-black rat.

The elders are probably near done holding court now. I want to hear what they have to say. I want to hear exactly what they think about me.

Responding to his intention, the rat scurried off in the direction of the elders’ meeting room. As he realized the gravity of what he was doing, anxiety began to pour over Akito’s mind.

What if they find it? What if they can trace the damn thing back to me. What happens then?

Akito tried to return to calligraphy, but was continually distracted by his anxious thoughts. When he heard squeaking in the room, he was sure it was guards opening his door to take him to the clan’s jail. When he looked, it was the rat he had sent back. Akito drew his half-finished calligraphy off of the scroll again, and the rat scurried onto it. It began to melt, and as the ink spread across the page, it looked almost as if it was falling into word-shaped furrows on the page as legible text spread outward from the rat’s dissolving body.

“That brings us to the end of our court hours. The elders will now deliberate Please leave in a quiet and orderly fashion.”

A long silence.

“Very well, first on our docket: Akito Hyuuga is back asking when we will find him a wife.”

“That damnable half-breed? He is annoying for sure, but he seems obedient enough. The war gave us a nice excuse last time. Now that is gone. We must find a way to delay him further.”

“Indeed. No good Hyuuga father would ever give his daughter away to a half-breed like him to produce three-quarter grandchildren.”

The elders laugh.

“As useful as he has been as an attack dog for the clan, part of me had hoped that stain on the clan’s honor would die in defense of the village.”

“Half-breed or not, I would hate to see him die. Our darling Kokou has taken a liking to him. Using his position in the University, we may be able to pressure Kokou into helping stall him, or divert him.”

“Akito has spent his whole life seeking our approval. Have any of you seen his dossier? The boy has chased dangerous missions since he became a chuunin. Perhaps he will sign on for the invasion of Iwa, and some Rock Country shinobi will take care of him for us.”

“Or perhaps one day he will get the message. There is no one for him in the clan, but I believe him too devoted, too loyal to defect and follow in his disgusting father’s footsteps.”

For the first time in many years, tears welled in Akito’s eyes as he grabbed the scroll and tore it in two, casting the halves to either side. He knew the clan despised him. He knew that most of the clan didn’t really care if he lived or died. Hell, he knew that many would prefer he died: his Hyuuga peers in the academy never had any problem reminding him of that. Still, seeing it blatantly – not hidden by layers of clan etiquette and protocol – hurt. It hurt him far more than he had anticipated. Still, within that hurt was a seed of determination.

If this is what the clan thinks of me then so be it. I have long suspected as much, and this simply confirms that. For years now, I have thought that my path forward lay in pleasing the clan establishment. Recently though, that idea has looked more and more decrepit. If the Hyuuga are holding me back, I must carve my own way forward.

WC: 1354/1200

Jutsu LearnedShow

Clean Slate
D-Rank Ninjutsu
By waving his hand over a paper and pulling with his chakra, Akito can remove all traces of ink from a surface rendering it ready for re-use by Ink jutsu.

Conveyance
D-Rank Ninjutsu
With some additional hand seals, any summoned Ink creature will be able to turn into a written description of what it saw. Additionally, by touching a written or printed document, the creature can absorb and exactly reproduce what was on it.

Lesser Beast Imitation Drawing
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After drawing a small (e.g. housecat, pigeon, fish) onto a paper and channeling chakra into it, Akito can make hand seals over the paper and bring the imitation creature to life. These creatures have the attributes of the animals they represent, but are not durable, and can be destroyed with an attack of greater than [Control / 4] strength.