Dark Preceding Dawn [Private]

Rolling green hills dotted the surrounding landscape. Mud caked otherwise pristine white boots which adorned her body. It was pouring sheets of rain- the girl could hardly see a foot in front of her if not for her bloodline- the Golden Eye. It had remained activated for quite some time, causing a steady strain on her energy reserves. Overall, however, it could have been worse- after all, she was not using it for combat, and thus didn’t need one hundred percent of the advanced perception. No- she just needed enough to see through the damned rain. Thunder rumbled ominously in the greyed heavens above. Honestly, at this point, she wouldn’t be surprised if she got struck by lightning. She was nearing the borders of Rain Country at this point, not really intending to do much there other than sightsee. Her summon, a majestic young peacock named Kikumaru, was used to the weather- where he came from, monsoons struck the area regularly at certain times each year. He shook his white, blue, and orange tail feathers, sending droplets flying out behind the two. He gazed at her expectantly, the question ringing silently through the air. I could carry you if you don’t want to walk. Do you want a ride? She shook her head, giving him a smile back. No, your company is the only boon I need from you today.

After all, she’d been alone for quite some time- even after meeting Andalusa, it was nice to have some company, be it human or bird. The time spent in solitude had been starting to take its toll on her psyche. It would take many months to repair the damage, and she would start however she could. Be it a pleasant conversation with a local shopkeeper she’d likely never see again, planning a rescue attempt with her new partner, who was a puppeteer- hell, a walk in the rain with a giant peacock. She took a step into a puddle, and it was much deeper than expected. It covered her entire foot and half of her shin with muddy water. Thankfully, the environment was tropical- it was warm enough that she wouldn’t get frostbite or hypothermia. But the walk in itchy, soggy socks and boots might do her in if nothing else did. The girl scratched the side of her head, little droplets falling from her fingers onto the ground below. She had left her only umbrella in the black market town back with Andalusa. She hoped he was making better use of it than she was- then again, it probably wasn’t raining at all over there. If she hadn’t wandered away like a moron…

She shook her head. A small droplet fell from her eyelash onto her nose as she did so. Amaterasu wiped her eyes with the back of her hands to clear them of moisture. She knew why she needed to come out here. She needed to train her fire techniques, and there was no better place to do so than in pouring rain. It would force her to make her techniques stronger and faster or else they would sputter out against the downpour. Plus, it was good practice against water affinity techniques- maybe if she could, like, boil or evaporate the rain here and now, she could do the same against weaker water techniques? It was a bit of a long shot, but she was willing to try pretty much anything now in her frantic scramble to become strong enough to survive on the borders. Besides, she would never achieve her dream if nobody was willing to follow her. She intended to make a safe, secure home for people like herself- people who had been scorned from the world. Amaterasu would carve herself a haven with as much blood and fire as it took for the world to take her seriously. But first, she just needed to become stronger. She had a few techniques she intended to practice- namely Great Fire Annihilation, Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, and Shadow Clone. The first two she had a general idea of what to do- for the third one, well, at least she had created the E rank academy clones before?

Amaterasu scratched her head awkwardly. She’d learned two D rank fire techniques and two C rank ones. A B rank was also in her repertoire. Perhaps it would be in her best interest to start with the B rank technique- the Flame Bullet one- before moving on to stronger stuff. Shadow Clone would be saved for last. But for now, though… She needed to get over these hills. Supposedly, there was a clearing of some sort behind them that would be perfect for practice. She tended to do best when she was fighting on a flat surface- and she knew she needed to fix that eventually, as she couldn’t always pick her battlefields. But it was nice to have a place where she could see everyone approaching, as well as everything her techniques did. Hopefully, Kikumaru would be able to help judge her techniques, as he was a ninja summon, but as far as she could tell, his affinity was with wind, not her primary, fire. It would be nice to have a second opinion and set of eyes, though. Her eyes glowed a bright gold under her pinkish orange hair. When she turned her head to look at her partner, he glowed with a bright, vibrant light in a spectrum she couldn’t describe. It was chakra vision- one of the many abilities of her clan’s Golden Eye. She only had access to the first version, however- she could only imagine how amazing the world would seem through the eyes of the second and final form. She had no idea how to activate it, however. Supposedly, her father had, but… He was long gone now, and she couldn’t exactly ask him for tips and guidelines. No, it was best if she figured it out by herself- just like with everything else.
 
WC: 1,001
Total WC: 1,001

The first technique the young Akari had decided to learn was aptly titled Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. It was quite the title for a simple B rank, but supposedly if one held it long enough, it could be enhanced to the power of an A rank. It had 7 hand seals, making it slightly inefficient to use on the battlefield unless she was really far away or incredibly quick. She knew already that she was faster than average, but was Amaterasu really fast enough to attempt these handseals before an enemy kunai could gut her? Before an enemy jutsu launched her guts across the field? A single drop of rain fell into her eye. She wiped it out with the back of her hand. Kikumaru nudged her with his beak, stirring her out of her reverie. She was never going to accomplish anything with this jutsu if all she did was ruminate all day. No, she needed to actually practice it. Two Golden colored eyes narrowed in concentration as her fingers flexed open and shut. A small crack from her joints escaped, though it would've been impossible to hear from far away, especially in the torrential downpour that cascaded the area. Alright... Seven seals. She had this. She had this. Ram, horse, snake, dragon, rat, ox, tiger. Her fingers felt odd as she attempted the hand seals... She practiced them again in the same order, and again, until she was growing more and more confident with the odd order of it.

Lightning cracked in a splitting arc across the sky. Thunder followed shortly afterwards with an ominous rumble. Kikumaru shuddered next to her. As someone who fought mainly in the air, lightning and rain could be exceptionally dangerous. She rested a hand on his flank, rubbing it as she did so in soft circles. He seemed to calm a bit at her touch. Good. The young Akari practiced the seals once more, and once she was a hundred percent sure she had the order down, she attempted the actual, well, jutsu. First, she was trying to create a small trickle of flame that expanded a little bit after it had left her mouth- like a lopsided, misshaped cone. Ram, horse, snake, dragon, rat, ox, tiger. She breathed in deeply, breathed out, and nearly stumbled backwards when a bright stream of fire actually exited her mouth. She... Actually did it correctly the first time? Something didn't seem right. Using her Golden Eyes to pay close attention to the chakra flow inside her body, she attempted the jutsu exactly the same as before and to the same results. Huh- it looks like she had. Well, to be fair, she was probably casting the jutsu at an E or D rank level- but it was nice to have a firm foothold on the technique before moving on to bigger, more difficult parts of it. Namely, the form of the dragon- she had no idea what she was supposed to do with that, if one was being honest.

Now that she had the flame trickle down, it was time to expand it into D rank and C rank territory. This would probably be done by channeling more chakra into it, but she had to increase her control as well, or else the dragon would be impossible to form. She was in no rush, however- she seemed to be making a good pace. Getting the stream on the first try was pretty quick, after all. All she had to do now was perfect and make stronger the base she had already formed with the fire stream. Seven hand seals and a dramatic increase in chakra later, the stream was definitely larger- but it didn't expand. She scratched her head and looked over to her left. Kikumaru by this point was sitting down comfortably on a relatively dry patch of grass. He was grooming his feathers and not paying attention to a single thing she had just done or accomplished. The sound of a palm colliding with a damp forehead rang through the area. The damned white peacock still didn't look up. Fine. If he was going to be that way, she'd make do without his help. Her Golden Eye flickered with a type of quiet determination she often wore when trying to solve a problem. There had to be a solution to this puzzle- she just had yet to find it. The young Akari cracked her knuckles. Now was as good time to start as ever.

Ram, horse, snake, dragon, rat, ox, tiger. She channeled her chakra through her hands and into her throat. The resulting stream of white hot fire chapped her lips and cracked her skin. It was exceedingly hot- roughly C rank level. She could hardly imagine the type of heat that would result from a true B rank or higher. The thought of learning an S rank jutsu made her spine tremble in anticipation. The incomplete Fire Dragon roared outwards for about twenty meters before fizzling out. It didn't expand once more. Perhaps she could do something similar to the Demon Lantern? She'd infuse it with a bit of extra chakra that would detonate later on at her discretion- or, after a certain amount of time had passed. Well, it was worth a shot- surely she couldn't do too much worse. She attempted the seven familiar hand seals once more, this time releasing the cascading flame at such an impressive heat that it evaporated little drops of nearby rain, turning it into boiling steam. Once it had reached a few inches from her mouth, it began to expand rapidly, forming the gaping maw of a huge dragon made of hellfire. Two massive claws extended on either side of it, curling around its invisible target. That... That was it. That was the full jutsu. It only took her a few tries to get the whole thing down the first try. She put her hand to her chin. Just how strong was her fire affinity, anyway?

WC: 1,005
Total WC: 2,006

A few additional attempts at Fire Dragon Flame Bullet had confirmed her theory. She had indeed learned the technique rather quickly- but she still needed to test it in a combat environment. If she couldn't use it under pressure, then she might as well not know the jutsu at all, right? Fortunately, there was one creature nearby who was friendly enough not to try and kill her. Unfortunately, he was currently grooming his feathers with his beak. She scratched the side of her head as he preened a little knot out of one of his tail feather tips. So... Was she supposed to speak up, or...? Eventually, Kikumaru must have noticed her stare, because he stretched his wings out to their full length, held the pose for a moment, and then stood up. He took a few steps over to her, splashing in puddles and leaving deep footprints as he did so. Dark, large eyes met her own and blinked. Suddenly, he took off, soaring high into the air above and screeching. Alright, he understood. She'd just have to keep her jutsu a little weaker so as not to burn him. That shouldn't be too hard, right? When he was around thirty meters, she zoomed through the hand seals- all seven of them, and launched the snarling dragon made of fire skywards. The peacock obviously saw it coming and careened out of the way. As it passed him by a few meters away, it seemed to grow in power before zooming up another forty meters. It disappeared into a puff of smoke once it exited that range. So the farthest she could get with this technique was around seventy meters total- that was good to know. She exhaled, panting slightly as she did so. Maintaining the B rank technique for that long left quite a dent in her chakra reserves- though they could cast high level jutsu, they could not readily do so with great frequency. Once she regained her breath, the chase was back on.

Amaterasu used the surface walking technique to maintain her stance on the muddy surface of the earth and not sink downwards. She bolted forwards, approaching him but not yet fast enough to overtake him. He was an A rank summon for a reason- not many could catch up to him. When she was within fifteen meters, she flew through the seven hand seals once more, but he saw her hands, and managed to skyrocket upwards. She managed to tilt her head last minute, sending a roaring fire dragon towards the white bird. Its gaping maw opened wide, claws extending. Suddenly, it shot faster- much like before. In the rain, it didn't burn as hot as it could have, and she was intentionally holding back so as not to hurt her summon and friend. However, much like before, Kikumaru managed to dodge easily. He was picking up speed as well. He'd seemed to have gotten over his fear of lighting- it had stopped thundering a few minutes ago, and the only thing that really seemed to remain was the torrential downpour that cascaded on the surrounding area. The dragon opened its mouth yet wider as it reached the seventy meter mark before once again dissipating into a puff of smoke. The smoke wasn't particularly thick, either- Amaterasu got the feeling that she could see through it, even without her golden eye activated. The peacock screeched, shaking his feathers. Little droplets of rain and moisture flew off of him as he did so, and the feathers in his train seemed to vibrate and move on their own. She had heard that the peacocks could do genjutsu based off of their tail feathers- but it was quite another to see it happen herself, even if only unintentional. She shook her head. No, she had something she needed to do right now, and it wasn't admiring her friend. No, she needed to land a successful hit with the fire dragon technique up on Kikumaru.

Her chakra reserves had begun to sink dangerously low. Amaterasu guessed that she'd have one good shot left, give or take. That was okay. One more shot to prove her worth and to land the hit. It wasn't a lot of time, and it wasn't going to be easy, but she'd managed more difficult before. How could this possibly be any different?... She could think of lots of answers to that. She shook her head to clear her thoughts before trying to think about her strategy. He occasionally swooped low- that was when she'd have to strike, or else she wouldn't be able to reach him in the air. He'd be able to see her hand signs, so it would have to be at an awkward angle he couldn't see at or too quick for him to back out of. The swoop once more seemed like a good place- he'd HAVE to go up or else he'd collide against the ground, and as vain and patient as the peacock was he was not suicidal. Alright, now to put it into practice... Seeing the bird angle his wings down for another swoop with her Golden eye, she planned her attack. The instant he started his descent, she flew through the seven required hand seals- he tried to swoop slightly to the left to avoid her attack, but it was too late. She had already angled her head, and he wasn't able to get out of the technique's frankly obnoxious range before it would hit him. The shape of a roaring dragon made out of flame made like a bullet towards Kikumaru, extending its claws and maw as it progressed through the air. As it hit the thirty meter mark, it promptly sped up much more quickly, and the technique collided with his feathers. It wasn't strong enough to burn him, but it likely would leave a blister or two for a little bit. It would probably heal in the morning. Either way, she learned the jutsu.

WC: 1,001
Total WC: 3,007

Rolling green hills dotted the surrounding landscape. This time, however, they were checkered with patches of ash and long, winding scorch marks. Her jutsu and fight with Kikumaru had left its toll on the landscape in the form of fire born scars. They could and would heal with time- grasses and mosses would come first, before bushes and trees. But the raw power of the fire dragon she had unleashed in the area still lingered in the back of her mind. That was her power. She did that- and she would do the same to any who crossed her. Her Golden Eye flickered with an unknown emotion- she couldn't tell if it was determination, anticipation, or something else entirely. It was gone in an instant, as brief in existence as the emotion she had felt. Kneaded fire chakra stirred in her gut, giving the D rank missing ninja an uncomfortably hot sensation. Soon she would find a way to use this power effectively- starting a group? Starting a village? She scratched the side of her head. She didn't know yet. Either way, she needed people to follow and support her, and she could do that best by becoming more powerful. In return for their loyalty, she would offer her protection- however much that was worth. She knew already that she was stronger than the average ninja, but she needed to push her limits even further if she ever wanted to achieve any of her goals. There was no exception, no argument that could be made against that. She didn't really know where she would get any potential partners or followers from, but she supposed she could burn that bridge when she got to it. For now, she needed to focus, concentrate, and expand her power through practice and discipline. Or something like that... In all honesty, she didn't quite know what to work on. The fire chakra in her stomach churned in anticipation, wanting to get out. She supposed she could let it- what was the worst that could happen? The landscape somehow ends up more charred than before?

Amaterasu focused deep within herself, eyes glowing a bright gold behind closed eyelids. In... Out. In... Out. Her breaths took on an elegant rhythm as the battering rain fell around her. She achieved a sense of not quite peace, but more contentment. The fire chakra grew more intense in anticipation. It wanted out. It needed to get out. It slowly began to crawl up her stomach, up her throat, before pooling in her mouth. Her eyes flew open and she exhaled powerfully. A large cone of flames came out of her mouth, blistering her skin and leaving steam in the air as it traveled. It snaked outwards quickly, It burned outwards ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy meters- once it reached that gargantuan size, it was fifty meters wide and tall, and formed a massive wall of fire. Was this the power she kept chained inside of her? She held the blaze as long as she could, and as she did so, it seemed to grow more intense. Around eighteen seconds later, it was ferociously strong, and then fizzled out so quickly it was hard to tell it had been there in the first place. That was quite a jutsu- but something about it didn't feel right. It must have been incomplete. Were there handseals or something she was unaware of? Normally, jutsu like this required a tiger seal, maybe a few others, but that didn't quite feel right. She flew through all of the hand seals she knew of, but the only one that seemed to make sense was horse. She scratched her head awkwardly. Horse seal, huh? She could work with that. And since there was only one seal, well... It would be that much easier to utilize on the battlefield. And to think that Soul Expulsion strengthened her chakra even more than she had already... This technique could become quickly lethal if she used that beforehand.

But she guessed that that wasn't important right now. Her chakra reserves were dangerously low, and she needed to head back. There hadn't been any thunder or lightning for around ten minutes now, so she assumed it was safe to get on Kikumaru's back and return to the village with Andalusa. She nodded. Yeah, that's what she would do. She'd return and work from there, maybe rent a scroll or two and see what happens next. She whistled loudly, and the giant white peacock walked over, blinking curiously at the new scorch marks that decorated the once pristine landscape. He crouched down for her to get on easier, and once she was balanced and tucked properly into the saddle, the duo took off into the sky. The peacock flew almost faster than she could comprehend, cities, towns, and other landscapes passing by in just an instant. At the rate that they were traveling, she'd arrive back at the town in a few minutes. She nodded to herself. Yeah, she could work with this. Having a lightning fast summon was always a good thing, especially since it made travel that much easier. Amaterasu Akari yawned lightly to herself. All the training had tuckered her out- she needed to get some rest or something. She landed back in the town after another few minutes, and with a nod and a ruffle of his feathers, her summon had unsummoned himself back to wherever the peacock summoning race went when they weren't out on the field. The trek back to the hotel was rather short and sunny, evaporating the rain off her clothes. It was pleasantly cool as she made her way across, nothing like the scorching humidity of the borders of Rain Country. She stretched as she walked, fingers flexing. Her back cracked as she did so. Damn, she really needed a rest. Once she arrived back at the hotel, it was just a matter of checking back into her private room, checking for any intruders or traps, and collapsing on the mattress.

WC: 1,009
Total WC: 4,016

(exit)

Claiming: 3000 words towards http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t28935-katon-karyu-endan
1016 words to http://naruto-role-play-rpg.forumotion.com/t22940-fire-release-great-fire-annihilation
20 stats, 5 of which are going to chakra so I can learn A ranks

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