When one is not enough

"Yeah, sure, I can show you some other things, Arashi... but what about your Wind?"

Arashi had asked to see his uncle at the training grounds.  It had been a bit of time since his meeting with Akihana, and since he had not yet been able to catch Koga, the logical thing to do is to learn as much as he could.  For this reason, he went for the man who trained him in water arts to begin with. 

"Everyone is currently busy, and Akihana-san said for now we should do our best until we have a team leader before I go looking for a Wind user." Arashi replied, shrugging his shoulders for a moment.  His uncle looked at him, and then nodded. 

"That's true, even I have things to do soon.  You were lucky to have caught me in the week before I have to head out.  Well alright, I won't question the Raikage's right hand m-... woman." he said, holding his hands out.  "If she says you should continue pressing on, then I can help you get as good as you can.  Here, let's go down to the river, the section with the boulders." he said, before jumping away and heading there.

Arashi followed closely behind, surprised that he could keep up as well as he could considering what he was like before he was being trained.  In no time at all they were at the river.  Although not within what some would think of as the training grounds, it was still close enough that if they climbed a tree, they could see right into the grounds themselves.  The section they were in had the river flowing freely, as it was quite wide at this point, but scattered around were large, mostly flat, boulders that stuck out of the water for the most part.  When Arashi got there, his uncle was already seated, and he gestured at an opposite facing rock.  Arashi jumped to it and took a seat.

"I was initially only going to show you the basics, Arashi.  Ideally, we would have had you speak with your sensei for this, but since you are still without a team, we can bend the traditions a little.  First thing first.  I have you here surrounded by your element.  Your natural element.  You are here not just because it helps with your training of water techniques, but because your chakra and your energy is just like this place.  If you were wind like your father, it would be in the canyons near our home.  The first thing you much consider, what do you want to do?"

Arashi only gave a moment to decide.  "Earn our clan's technique."

"And after that?"

Again, Arashi only took a moment to think.  "I guess.. become a true Cloud ninja?"

His uncle chuckled, and then shook his head.  "Arashi, you are thinking way too narrowly.  Everyone has a dream, a wish that they want.  It goes hand in hand with your way, as that is the guide to your dream.  Most of the young ninja in our village dream of being Raikage, or at least one of his trusted master ninjas.  Others want to become legendary Sannins, still others want to just accomplish a near-impossible task of creating a jutsu.  Something that leaves your mark on the world.  So I ask you again, Arashi Tekiatsu... what do you want to do?"

This time Arashi stopped and thought about it... what exactly he wanted.  He thought about the simple wishes that most people have, and the most complicated, and decided on something in the middle.  Something that has been in his heart for a long while, since he heard of his heritage.

"I want to master the kumonikutai, obtain the highest level and then some.  I want to become one of the most famous Tekiatsus in history!" he said, getting more excited as he talked about it. His uncle laughed.

"Well now.. that's not what I expected.  You need to learn the kumo before you can master it.  However, if that's what you want to do.. let's start taking this to the next level."  His uncle stood up and brushed himself off, leaving Arashi to do the same.

"You remember the clone technique?  Believe it or not, there are some forms of the clone technique that can become physical, or at least corporeal.  Most of them aren't perfect, but they all can be used.  However, this is a higher level technique.  Water users have a variant of the technique, called the Mizu Bushin, or water clone.  Unlike the basic clone, the water clone is physical, and animate, it uses a portion of your chakra to sustain itself and can fight lightly.  But when they get damaged or killed, they revert back to water.  Now, because this is different, it is also more costly.  Kumo also has a similar technique, called Kumo Bushin, but we will save that for that.  Observe."

Arashi watched as his teacher formed a cross with his fingers, and grinned.  The water near him surged up and a clone of himself formed, jumping onto the rock with its original, and hi-fiving each other.

"You have two techniques you can draw from.  One is obviously the clone jutsu.  The second is the escape jutsu I taught you before, the Water replacement technique.  You use a combination of them both, but the idea is to replace the area near you, and sustain it like a clone.  You try."

Arashi stood up, watching what his uncle had done, and nodded.  It seemed simple enough, however looks can be deceiving.  Arashi crossed his fingers, and willed his chakra.  "Mizu Bushin no Jutsu!" he shouted, trying to start the technique.  Next to him, a clone of himself appeared, and so did a water shell, but that was it.  His uncle threw a kunai, and watched as it hit the water shell, and passed through the clone image, leaving both techniques to fail.

Arashi grimaced and then looked back at his uncle, who now had a kunai in his hand, and held only one sign with the other.  "Do better.  I want you to be able to make real clone, and do it while moving.  If your clone gets hit by any of my attacks, then you have to do better, got it?"

Arashi nodded, and his uncle proceeded to make another clone with his one handed sign.  A second clone popped up, armed itself, and both charged at Arashi.  He proceeded to do the symbol again, feeling his chakra moved and called out the attack again.

"Water Clone jutsu!"

Despite what he said, Arashi was forced to switch to the water replacement technique, saving himself from being hit.  He landed on the shore, while his uncle's clones stood on the rock he occupied.

"I know you can do it, Arashi.  My clone will only attack your clones, but if you don't produce them, they will respond by going after you.  It's not kind, but this was the way they were taught water techniques in the old days within the Hidden Mist!  Again!" he said, and his clones jumped up and took off running.

Arashi couldn't afford to watch himself AND learn, so he took off as well, his heart pounding.  He skidded to a halt by the shore and brought up the hand sign for the clone, closing his eyes he called out the technique again.  This time he heard the water bubbling near him, and opened his eyes to see his clone standing there next to him, in the same pose.  Arashi backed away, but he couldn't move the clone, and watched as it turned back into water.  The second clone came after Arashi, and this time he proceeded to fight back, grabbing a kunai and parrying the attack before turning and swiping the close across the waist.  The clone turned into water and fell to the ground, giving Arashi a moment to breath.  The first clone smirked and then spoke.

"Alright, two clones were a bit much, but don't go killing the clones.  We are training you to use a different technique, so you need to learn it.  Go!"

Arashi jumped onto another boulder and did the technique again, creating a clone that looked perfectly like him.  And when his uncle's clone came in, water Arashi did move out of the way... but the body was still frozen in the same stand that Arashi was in, looking like a flying statue than a clone.  It too was quickly squashed, and Arashi moved again. 

"Picture your chakra network, Arashi.  You are creating another body, not an image.  Form the clone around a chakra network!"

Arashi stopped on another rock and tried to form the network he saw in diagrams in school.  With another shout, he heard the water slosh, and another perfect looking clone appeared as the next attack came.  This time the clone was able to move its torso, and its legs, though not the knees.  This went on for hours, with only a small rest in the middle.  Slowly but surely the clone became more and more mobile, able to copy the moves of its original and started to pass for a copy.  By the 4th hour, the clone was able to move in a separate path away from Arashi, and by the time the sun started to dip, the clone was moving individually to dodge attacks.  When Arashi was able to keep his clone up for twenty minutes without it dispersing or being killed, his uncle dispersed his own clone, and called Arashi back.  It was getting late, but they weren't done yet, and they would continue tomorrow.

The next day Arashi stood in front of his uncle, back in their first spot.  He was ready to perfect the technique.

"Arashi, give me a clone."

Arashi nodded and created a clone, who looked back at him and grinned.  "This still take something to get used to." he said, to which he heard his own voice.  "I'll say."

His uncle laughed.  "It seems you are definitely getting the hang of it.  Do it again."

Arashi closed his eyes and did the jutsu again.. only this time he felt noticeably weaker.  He opened his eyes and felt woozy, and so did both of the clones.  They looked at him before both lost form and fell back.  Arashi felt better once they were both gone, and looked up at his uncle.

"I knew it.  You don't have the chakra control to handle two.  Your chakra will drop with every clone you make, so it is possible to wear yourself out with too many clones.  Today is going to be spent training your chakra, speed, and endurance.  Be quick on your feet, nephew.  I might not be able to distinguish between the clone and you."  His uncle brought a single sign up and created 4 clones.  With the command of go, Arashi took off into the trees, immediately creating a clone.

"You go left, I'll go right!" he called to his clone, and the two split up.  As he moved through the trees, he ended up dodging weapons left and right, and at one point, slid under his uncle (or a clone).  He got back up and felt a surge of chakra as his clone lost cohesion.  They had gotten too far apart.  Arashi created a new clone, and directed a 45 degree angle between the two.  Arashi trained for a few hours, and soon was able to hold two clones for about 20 minutes. 

It took the rest of the week, but eventually Arashi could hold 2, and then 3, and finally 4, for at least an hour.  "A lot can happen in 10 minutes, let alone an hour.  This is good enough for now.  Just remember your limits." his uncle said as Arashi laid on his back staring up at the sky, and breathing heavily. His uncle walked over to him and handed him some water.

"You did well, I can see you reaching your dreams, hopefully in my lifetime.  Who knows, maybe you'll teach us something." he said, rubbing Arashi's back as the child drank.  He then pulled Arashi up, and put the canteen he was using away.  "Just remember to start with one, only use more if the situation calls for it.  You'll know when it does.  Now I leave tomorrow, but that doesn't mean you can't get stronger without me.  Find Koga, and that other guy.  Form your team, so you can learn the bloodline.  I believe in you, Arashi." he said, as the two walked back to the clan's home.

(wc: 2109)
(10 stats)
(Learned: Mizu Bushin)