Back in the Groove

Arashi kept moving around and stretching, trying to adjust his flak jacket.  In addition to looking old and dusty, it seemed to have gotten smaller... and shorter.  He made the unfortunate decision of asking for a new one as a replacement, but until then, he would force himself into it.  It wasn't comically small, just enough that his growth was showing.  Still... this one was already altered for him, and was therefore perfect for him to start training again as a full Hoshi ninja.  

Almost immediately he started stretching out; it was a cool morning and he felt the chill.  With an adjustment to his scarf and a deep breath, the ninja smiled, and bent down to the ground ready to kick off.  At his own signal, ARashi kicked off the ground, running through an obstacle course to test his speed and agility.  To his relief, he was doing well; not as well as when he was younger, but not enough to drop him too much.  He was a bit slower, but some practice would fix that.  After turning a corner the cloudy shinobi pulled out shurikan, closing his eyes as he ran and then jumping with twists in his body as he threw them out to their targets.  About a 80% success rate to hitting the bulleyes. The next section was kunai, and he shot them at the targets, hitting most of them.  

The last part came against moveable target columns, where he worked on hand to hand combat from one target to another as he moved his way through.  Once that was done, he stood near a pond, closing his eyes and listening.  Hearing the targets click, Arashi brought up his hands into the seals for one of his water techniques.  

"Suiton; Water Fang Bullet!" he stated, as the surface of the pond stirred and shot up in water strikes, hitting the targets.  This was more like 99% success.  He held his chakra together, causing clouds to form around him, as more fang bullets shot out, not from the water but from the clouds around him.  He held himself for a bit, steadying his breathing, and then released his chakra.  He kept his eyes closed, holding a half-ram in front of him, and then spoke.

"How long have you been standing there?" he called out to seemingly no one... but there was at least one who heard him.

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It was early in the morning and Zeref laid in bed thinking about all the ways he could get stronger and besides going about his normal training he couldnt think of too many different things to do. He planned on going about his training as normal but he was starting to feel as though he needed more. The everyday routine of going to the training grounds and practicing the same basic thing over and over was going to cut it anymore. If he wanted get stronger than the others in the village , then he would need to find someone who could help him. Even though it pained him to have to get help from someone else he had to realize that there were people out there that he could learn stuff from. Reading scrolls and working by himself was great but it was time to end it for now. 

He made his way to the training grounds and to his surprise he had seen a jounin there working on his skills. From the looks of it though he seemed kinda rusty. Zeref knew he wasent the fastest but he could tell the from the way this guy was moving he hadnt been in some action in a good while. Zeref watched the man for a moment hoping that he wouldnt be noticed, but then again Zeref should of known that he would be sensed sooner or later. Zeref walked a little closer to the guy now that he was spotted," My apologies for spying but i couldnt help but notice your over here working on some Water jutsu & im in need of help learning some", Zeref would say as he got close enough to shake the mans hand. 


"Zeref Senju , Nice to meet you", Zeref would say as he extended his hand. He had hoped this guy would be able to teach him some stuff. Even though the man looked rusty no man forgets jutsu.

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Arashi smirked, giving a smile as he lowered his hand, and then took the outstretched one. "Zeref Senju... you must be one of the Genin up for exams, aren't you?" he said, crossing his arms as he shifted his weight to one side. "You'll have to forgive me; I've been away from the village for a long while. I am Arashi Tekiatsu." he said simply, as if he didn't mean much in the annals of history. Despite being one of the names associated with the village.

"Feels like it was only yesterday that I was training up myself... I didn't have the opportunity of the Chuunin Exams, the world was a lot less... stable." he said, looking around. The boy wanted to learn... specifically water. That wasn't exactly hard to do. But to perfect it.. that was another matter.

"I can teach you what I know, if only for the good of Hoshi. But I should warn you I have some peculiarities, so don't expect to see the exact same jutsus. First thing first... water. What do you know?"

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"Indeed I am , I had planned on getting as much training as i can before it starts. I know there is going to be plenty of strong ninja attending and i refuse to be left behind", Zeref said in a serious tone. He would not allow himself to be defeated by anyone in this upcoming exams , he needed to gain the rank of chuunin so that he can continue with his goals and achieve them. He listen as the man introduced himself and explained how he had been away from the village for some time now , but that was easy enough for Zeref to tell. The man looked as though he hadnt seen a battle in a good while and with the way his movements looked he could use some extra training to get back into the groove himself. 

"Pleasurer to meet you and im fine with any kind of training that you would put me under , no one got any stronger from taking the easy route. My main affinity is water , but since im a senju i have access to wood and earth release techniques", Zeref said. He didnt know any wood techniques yet though but if they were to get into a spar he rather not give his opponent an extra information. From the looks of it Zeref could tell he was faster than this man but at the same time he would never underestimate anyone cause even though speed is a great thing to have , experience can help you out of the seemingly impossible. 

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Arashi listened silently, thinking of how best for this young man to learn. The eagerness and determination was something he remembered. A young boy in kumo. It brought a smile to his face. Yeah, he definite needed to help this boy out. If any to stoke the already lit flames.

"Alright, if you promise not to use Wood Style, I won't use Cloud Style. Water it is. Its an interesting affinity; that was the one I was born with as well." he stated, looking the Genin up and down. "When I was younger, my uncle taught me what water meant. I don't know how much you've learned, so forgive me if you already know this. Water is about fluid motion and adaptability. Offensively you can use a lot to overwhelm an opponent, or a little to pierce and slice. Water is both a thick barrier and thin cover. Like a river, you can adapt and use it to cut a path. So... let's see what you have." he said, kicking off the ground and flipping over to land on top of the water. As he landed, Arashi had already made at least one seal... the Snake.

"Show me what you got." he stated, urging Zeref to come at him.

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Zeref would listen to the man request of him no to use wood style , causing him to laugh a little on the inside while keeping his normal plain composer. It would of been great if Zeref had known any wood style techniques to begin with but he was pretty clueless on them , so when Arashi had asked for him not to use it wasent a big deal to him. "Sure that sounds fair enough to me", Zeref said as he watched the man do a flip and land on the near by body of water 5 meters away from him. There was only one problem with the request Arashi had made, Zeref didnt actually know any water techniques. With a slight uncomfterbal look on his face he looked Arashi in his eyes and said "I actually only know one earth technique and an technique that dosent really have an affinity", Zeref said. He actually was feeling slightly embarrassed for not knowing any since that was his main affinity after all , but his first couple training sessions were made more so on him getting wood style down pack. Hopefully by the time this is over he going to have alot more in his arsenal.

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Arashi stopped, frowning. Not that the young genin didn't know water techniques, but that his own affinity was an element that no one taught him to utilize. "Earth style, huh?" he said, dropping his arms and releasing his chakra, walking back from the surface to the shore.

"Thats fine... we can start from the basics." he said, bringing an arm across his chest and stretching it. "How is your chakra control? Can you walk on water?" he asked, waiting. If the answer was yes, then Arashi would invite him to come to deeper waters. If not... then he would stay near the shore.

"When I was young, both my parents were wind user, but my chakra was water. In my family, we only ever had water or wind. So because my own father couldn't teach me anything, it was my uncle who showed me what it meant to be a mizu style ninja. The first step, before you learn any techniques, is to understand how water works. Each chakra is different; your earth for example. I don't know if you noticed it, but earth is about resolve. Your chakra takes a grip of the ground and pulls, which enables you to control the very ground itself. Water will not work that way." he said, bringing his hands together and pushing his chakra. The water around his feet pushed away in waves, and streaks of water gave the impression of a bubble. Eventually water began to stream around him in a spiral, showing the detailed control.

"Water is about flow. Adaptability. You don't fight against it, you move with it. It will not bend to your will, you have to coax it and lead it to where you want to go." he said, releasing his hand. The water continued to move, but fell back into the pond and vanished into the surface.

"I can teach you two techniques; one defensive, and one offensive. The defensive technique is the base of water techniques. The other technique will add movement and flow. First things first, though. I want to see what I have to work with. I want to see your chakra."

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The young Senju would note the expression on Arashi face turn from enjoyment to a slight disappointment , but he couldnt really expect anything less. It was kind of embarrassing to not know any jutsu that comes from your main element , but then again Zeref was still learning and everyday he was getting stronger smarter and faster. He would give a nod to Arashi when he asked was Zeref able to walk on water and then proceeded to do so. He had very decent chakra control and a very good amount of chakra for just your average shinobi , but then again nobody would consider a senju just your average ninja. He would then watch as Asashi put his hands together and had his chakra flare up causing ripples in the water , not being to empresses by the show of chakra he would then put his hands together and do the same thing. At first nothing was happening and it made him think was he not doing it correctly but then thought back to the handsigns that Arashi had used and realized he was doing it wrong. He chuckled to himslf and formed the propper handsigns, and then started to feel his chakra flare up just lke arashi was, causing preety much the same effect if not just a little bit bigger ripples in the water. After a couple of seconds of holding the handsigns Zeref would look Arashi in the eyes.

"Like that right ? ", He said with a slight smile on his face. That was the first time he had did that and it felt pretty cool to feel his chakra flare up like that

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The jounin watched the younger shinobi as he tried... and ended up doing pretty well, all things considered.  It took Arashi a bit longer to get it the first time.  "Not bad.  You have some pretty decent chakra control.  No doubt because you learned a technique that was different from your own." he said, nodding.  Well... it was not going to be days of training for pulling the water.. that was for sure.

"Alright, then let's get right into it.  The first one I will teach you, is the hidden mist.  Especially for one just entering the shinobi world, the absolute worst thing that can happen is for an enemy to hit you.  And to really understand water's flexible nature, the Hidden Mist is perfect; as you need to not only be able to control the water, but also the very droplets in the air and of course you.  This will give you that all too important perception edge." he said, bringing his hands to his chest again.

"Ox.  Snake.  Ram. Tiger.  Water Style; Midden Mist Jutsu!" he said, doing the symbols slow enough that Zeref could see them, before the surface of the pond seemed to explode in white clouds billowing out and past the two of them.  For a moment after the initial activation, Arashi was still visible, but the mists would get thicker and thicker until he vanished from view.  The jounin had to stop himself from activating his own dispersal bloodline technique, so that he was physically moving in the mist and not just an invisible part of the mist.  

"The water is held in place by your own chakra." he said, his voice seeming to come from everywhere.  "There are two important factors, timing and chakra.  If done quickly and properly, the Mists can protect you from most genjutsu, and certainly most long range attacks.  But at the same time, there is a double-edge sword.  Their eyes become useless, but so do yours.  Initially this will be good for getting away, or finding a better place.  But once you learn how to rely on your other senses, including a possible sense of chakra, this mist becomes a lot more offensive in nature." he stated, just as he stood behind Zeref and let the mists fade away to nothing.  

"They key is to coax the element around you, not force it.  That was the mistake I made when I first learned it.  I don't expect you to get it immediately... but we have all the time in the world.  Use the water under you to make it, it will be easier for you as a learner.  Ox, Snake, Ram, Tiger.  Try it." he said, jumping back so that the boy could try the technique.

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Zeref would nod at the compliment, he wasent one to get overly joyed by someone else giving him praise for something so simple as walking on water but if it was something cool like learning a new S rank jutsu or even something more amazing like defeating a foe that seemed unbeatable. He started listen to the jounin talk about the jutsu that he was going to be teaching him today , something called the hidden mist jutsu. At first it didnt seem like it would be that good of a technique but as the jounin showed him the handsigns slowly enough so that Zeref could remember he realized his judgement on the jutsu came a little bit to early. The water below started started to billow out white clouds of mist past the two , causing Zeref to remind himself to never judge a book by his cover. He couldnt help but to see how useful a technique like this would be and with Arashi disappearing only moments after completing the jutsu he knew this was something that he wanted in his arsenal. 

Zeref would listen to the jounin break down the jutsu and how it effects both the user and the one its being used against, and in all honesty it couldnt be a better to use than in conjunction with his rain tiger at will jutsu. Being able to block the enemy view but still be able to sense where's hes at and where hes going would be an amazing move to use when he goes to the chunin exams. His confidence was starting to shoot through the roof on his ability to win this upcoming exams or atleast get second place. As the Jounin started to move Zeref could feel the water ripples under his feet, letting him know that Arashii was moving behind him. He guess it was his way of making a point on how the jutsu was one of the best concealment techniques there was. So as the mist faded and the jounin finished up his lesson on the jutsu it was no Zeref tern to give his go at the technique. 

"This is no problem , I could do this in my sleep", Zeref said to the jounin behind him, he then started performing the handsigns thats he remember and could feel the mist start bellow up from below and form around them both again. He smiled knowing that learning jutsu was never a hard task for him to do , he honestly had a harder time making up combo attacks than actually learning them. As the mist started to cause them to lose sight of each other again, he would call out to the jounin "Im going to need an more offensive based jutsu if i wanna have a chance at winning the exams , but ill give it credit this jutsu is one hell of a technique", He would say with a smile on his face. Zeref was actually really enjoying himself and couldnt wait to learn more.

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