Indeed. Climbing a cliff was hardly the time to be thinking about children especially when his life depended on being able to reach the top before his strength gave out to fatigue. To make matters worse, Gene had used a shadow clone to bind his right arm behind his back forcing him to rely only upon his left to support the entirety of his weight - that and his two capable legs of course. He could feel the heat rising within and his heart felt like a drum beating inside his chest. "Come on, up you go!" Gene exclaimed, slipping his fingers between narrow crevice in the cliff side, pinching his middle finger in the process. He ignored the pain, there would be more to lose if he'd fallen from so far up (200 meters and counting) now. Once a firm grip was established Gene pushed down with his right leg and then the left, repeating the motion several times over as his arm worked tirelessly to sustain the rest of his weight.
The winds were beginning to increase the higher he climbed and with the sun beating at his back Gene could feel his clothes sticking to his skin. More than that however, was the feeling that something had been crawling on his neck and around his collar. "Is that...No, it can't be!" It'd been the worst possible thing that he could imagine. At two hundred meters and counting, one hand tied behind his back and growing tired by the minute, Gene nearly lost his grip once he'd realized that a spider roughly the size of a quarter had been crawling on his neck. The fact that such things even existed in a place like the mountain drove the Silver-haired man wild. Was it poisonous? If so, then his list of problems would get infinitely worse if he couldn't somehow manage to shake it off without getting bit himself. Striking it with a chakra needle was out of the question, he couldn't angle his mouth to align with the small, fast moving creature. And using just one hand meant that he couldn't swat at it without taking a plummet to disaster.
I've survived battles with the worst of them, taken missions of the toughest caliber...to think my death would come at the hands of this damned creepy crawly. Gene thought to himself, more annoyed than actually fearing for his life. In fact, he hadn't stopped climbing and realized that the spider had not bitten a chunk out of his body yet. At least if he were going to perish he wanted it to be looking up at the clouds - a silly thought, but one he'd been set on nonetheless. Meanwhile, the spider seemed to make its home in Gene's white scarf, mistaking it for a nest apparently. Gene hardly cared, he was just happy that the damned thing hadn't decided to bare its fangs while they'd been so high up in the air. Apparently, spiders did have a sense of logic behind their nasty, creepy nature.
As bad as things seemed to be going, they only got worse when Gene attempted to grab hold of a rock placement in an attempt to pull himself up. Without warning, the chuck of rock gave way under his weight and Gene found himself falling backward with nothing to catch himself on. Shit! Eyes wide the Jounin's mind kicked into pure survival mode and without hesitation his left hand shot down into his thigh holster pulling out a Kunai with over twenty feet of wire attached to the loop. The spider that had been clinging to him had flown off but Gene noticed that it used its webbing to pull itself back to the safety of the cliff side. Saving yourself eh? Selfish bastard. He could feel his body begin to shift further backward as gravity took control but Gene wasn't about to give up so easily, he couldn't.
Mustering up the strength in his left arm Gene spun the Kunai by the wire several times to build momentum and then in a single act of desperation, flung the weapon toward the side of the wall with all the might he could gather. His only hope, was that the blade didn't break when confronted with the thickness of the cliff side. "Come on damn you!" Spouted Gene through gritted teeth. When the blade impacted the solid wall of the cliff the noise made had worried him - as he feared, the wall was too thick and unable to catch despite how sharp the blade had been. Tumbling backwards violently, the wind deafening his hearing Gene contemplated accepting his fate. It wouldn't be long before his body splatted to the ground in a bloody mess and he'd already tried his best option...there was nothing that he could do. Nothing....
Never accept a hopeless situation
The voice had caught Gene off guard. Looking around, he could have sworn Minoru had been floating right next to him - watching him. Biting down until he could bite no more, Gene gritted his teeth and stilled his resolve; of all things, he'd be damned if that Yellow-haired bastard would lecture him in the after life. "Like hell this is how it ends!" Using his left hand Gene placed the Kunai inside of his mouth, freeing his hand so that he could forcefully snatch hold of a rock formation in the cliff side - an act that caught all of his momentum but brought immeasurable pain to his arm. The only thing keeping his head from smashing into the side of the cliff was the Kunai he had secured between his teeth - the damned handled jammed back into the middle of his throat but the blade dug deep into the foundation of the cliff. Deep enough in fact, to be used as a foot hold later. He could feel the warmth begin to consume his maw as the impact had caused his mouth to bleed, pouring droplets over the base of the handle before he'd opened his mouth to release it.
Breathing heavily, he chuckled hysterically. "Talk about a close call. As if I'd be taken out before kicking your teeth in, Minoru." Grunting with effort, Gene pulled himself up while pushing off of his left leg climbing higher up the cliff side. He still had a ways to go and after such a big fall Gene realized that trying to take on the massive foundation with just one arm alone may have been a reckless decision; even still, he'd already committed to getting to the top. Continuing to climb, Gene put all thoughts of discomfort out of his head. Being lost in despair would do him no favors and besides, complaining or feeling sorry for himself now just didn't suit him.
Several hundred meters up in elevation Gene could feel the chill of a biting wind at his back. There were no tall buildings or structures to block the flow of air at this level and the cold, while not inherently problematic, added another layer of difficulty to the exercise. The higher he climbed the more his muscles ached but the better his blood flow became. After a while, Gene couldn't even feel the pain and only focused on how much he had been enjoying himself. There was something about facing an insurmountable obstacle that brought out an inner beast - as if hardship was just another door to power for the Silver-haired Jounin. The wind kept him cool but his intensity kept the man warm; sweating lightly from the pores in his forehead. "Gotta...keep...moving. Said the male to himself, his words acting as self motivation and drove him into a steady rhythm of extend, grab, pull up, push and repeat. Learning from past mistakes Gene even had the presence of mind to avoid rock formations that looked unstable or crevices that were too narrow to slip his fingers into. Still, he continued to climb as though his very life depended on it (which...it really did) and grunted with effort, his body hungry for the rest he so savagely deprived himself in favor of rigorous conditioning of both mind and body. His tongue, dry and crying for moisture but none would ever come; only more rock and more strain, more sweat and more pain but more than any physical hurt; more than any Earthly complaint that he could possibly think of...there was something else, something magical. If nothing else it just may have been the one thing keeping him going...
Driven by purpose Gene forged ahead climbing his way up the cliff with a tenacity rivaling a hundred angry Lion's. In his eyes reflected the anger he'd repressed and with each grunt sounding more like a primal growl, he continued to climb. In fact, at some point he'd actually stopped seeing the skies and instead replaced hues of blue with the figure of a cackling Enma. Don't... he forced through gritted teeth as he pulled himself up once more. You, again Gene pushed himself further up the cliff side. Mock... his left hand slammed forcefully against the cliff's edge with a smack that would cause anyone to cringe had they actually been able to hear it. Me!
Gene's hatred of the man had boiled over and unleased itself in the form of pure, unadulterated rage. Rage that he'd used to literally throw himself over the top of the cliff and over onto a flat surface. When Gene finally calmed down enough to realize that he'd climbed up to the top of the cliff he could only clench his fists. "Even this strength isn't enough.."
Gene's Memoir #1:I don't know how long I'd stood there atop the cliff listening to the sound of a howling wind but I imagine it'd been quite some time. The sun had dimmed and what little warmth clung to the bathed rock foundation quickly abandoned the area in favor of a biting cold. It didn't matter. For the first time in a long time my head was quiet, the raging storm abated by some inexplicable feeling of calm. Staring over the cliff side toward the village I was reminded of what it meant to be just one part of something - larger than myself. Reminded that no matter how hard I didn't want to believe it that there were people watching, waiting, and learning from every mistake or triumph that I'd made. Admittedly, I enjoyed the feeling.
Smiling I turned away from the majestic view and faced a sea of trees leading into a much larger forest. Starting down the dirt path into the depths of darkness created by leaves blocking out the rays of light leading into the village; one thought echoed in my mind: Thrive in the darkness, so that those who cannot may live in the light.
There truly was no such thing as rest for the
Strength training/ 2000 words