Re: Wait, who?

Wed Jun 16, 2021 3:07 pm

Daiko thought for a second. It had seemed that she was proficient in Fuuinjutsu, as he had assumed. Daiko was definitely curious about what else she was able to do with such seals and figured that he might teach her a few things. "Ah, I see. I have a few seals at my disposal as well. You should try this one out!" Daiko does the seals at 1 speed, making sure to announce which one he was doing as it came out. "First it's Hare... Then Ox... Then finally, Dragon." Daiko did the seals, and a seal appeared over his throat. This was called the breath seal. Talking normally, Daiko explains what was going on with it as it was on his throat. "So, what this does." Daiko points towards the markings on his neck. "What this does is it essentially allows me to breathe in harsh environments or underwater. What it basically does is it takes the oxygen out of the air, and puts it straight into my bloodstream, while removing the carbon dioxide." As a joke, Daiko covers his mouth and his nose, showing her that he can breathe normally. After giving her a moment to absorb the information as well as test it out for herself, he would dispel the seal. Daiko would also be able to answer any questions that she might have, assuring that she would've been able to learn them. If she had the fuuinjutsu specialty, she may even be able to learn it better than he had.

Daiko nods to her, watching her enter her serious mode. It was somewhat comical to him, not because she didn't seem to be a capable ninja, but more so that she likely had the wrong idea about what the technique did. Though it did, in fact, look like a swirling mass to some degree, it wasn't necessarily to suck things in. It was a black hole in the sense that it could rip people and things apart... Though it wasn't able to rip things down to a molecular level. At least, Daiko didn't think. He hadn't actually gotten a chance to test it out in real combat. Judging by the crater it had left in the ground, Daiko was somewhat curious to know what exactly it would look like if something like that were to happen. Taking a moment to gather himself, he decides how it may be best to actually teach this girl the jutsu. He decided that he would start off by showing her a simpler technique. "Alright, so." Daiko takes a few steps back.

Flopping himself backward into the mud that was created earlier, he rolls around a bit to let his clothes get all messy. He had a white t-shirt on, so it was a pretty poor choice for anyone to make. Getting up, he points to all of the mud and dirt on all of his clothes. "So as a ninja. We're going to get dirty at some point, right? Whether it be with mud, water, or whatever else there is. I know I wouldn't personally want someone to burn off my clothes and have nothing to change into. Right?" Daiko then cracks his neck and shows her his hands. "So, normally, you would want to do the Boar, Dog, Bird, and Rat hand seals, in that order. But, when you become skilled with it, you can do something like this." Daiko then makes the seal of confrontation, and a series of patterns cover his body, starting from his hand, at 60 speed. After he is completely covered, a poof of smoke appears around him, and he is wearing the same outfit, only completely clean. "So, what that did. Essentially it summoned another outfit that I owned. I'm sure it could also work with armor and other clothing items, though I'm not entirely sure where the clothing goes to..." Daiko scratches his head, somewhat worried about the large amounts of laundry that are probably awaiting him somewhere distant. "You try!"

[669]
{3586}

Breath Seal -20 AP
Instant Armoire -30 AP

[1340/1450 AP]

Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:01 pm

Chakra had a million and one uses in this world. It could be used as a weapon of war, a bringer of life, a path upon which the ‘truth’ can be revealed. Chakra was a miracle unto itself, allowing man to probe secrets of the world otherwise denied to them. And then there was this. This sudden gift, brought by a whim. How? Why? For what reason had she not learned of this sooner? This…

Quietly, Kikuko suppressed her tears. She wouldn’t get upset over this. That it existed in itself was a miracle. With this knowledge, the seas would open up to her in a way that she had never experienced before. There was a beauty in that, a new viewpoint from which she would be able to interact with the world itself. Soon, soon. For now, she would need to learn the method itself. She would treat Daiko as her teacher, no matter how informal the situation was, and take to knowledge as a fish to water.

Fuinjutsu as a filter. She had learned the basic principles for it before, during practice, simply for the sake of it. It was theorized that it could be used for purifying processes, given the right context and instructions, and it appeared that this was one of those very applications. Understanding that, she could apply the very same concepts here. By using those basic ‘strokes’ of chakra, she could keep impurities from entering her system. At the same time, were it to fail, she would be unable to deny said particles from circulating through her. It was a precise filter. She’d have to be careful, here. Gather chakra at the hands to mold seals, and additional chakra at her throat. The point of application. The sign of the Hare. Ox, Dragon. With the quiet whistle of chakra releasing, she would raise both palms to her throat before pressing firmly. Beneath them the seal would bloom as a flower, spreading across her skin.

One tense second. Two, three, four. Despite all logic, despite the impossibility of it, she could ‘breathe’ without breathing. “This is an interesting technique. I’ll have to practice it more on my own time before I can trust it, however.” She would dispel the seal, massaging her neck gently as her normal breathing cycle returned. It wasn’t a terrible feeling, but it was most certainly foreign. Perhaps practice would eventually rid her of those misgivings.

Watching him prepare himself for what appeared to be some sort of demonstration, she would watch him with intent- which is why when he fell into the mud puddle, she was utterly surprised despite being able to avoid any sort of ‘splash damage’ upon her outfit. Was this a part of the demonstration? For all intents and purposes, it just looked like he ruined his outfit for the hell of it.

Rather, it appeared that was the whole use of the technique. A technique that allowed for the quick changing of outfits certainly was powerful from the perspective of a person attempting espionage or perhaps heading into battle, but for her purposes it was still an incredibly neat manner for one to summon their personal belongings. What was more, she would have to assume that it required no sort of anchoring method such as the mark seal or her dimensional storage for it to work. What caused the technique to ‘recognize’ what was hers, in that case? So many questions, but so few people to answer them. The best thing to do, in cases like these, is to simply experience.

Boar. Dog, bird. Feel the connection between yourself and what is ‘yours’. Like a rope becoming taught, but not fraying, pull through reality until it is ‘here’. The seal of the Rat. Cap it off with the seal of confrontation. Seals would sprawl across Kikuko’s form before she would vanish in a puff of smoke, eventually clearing to reveal her once again. Oddly enough, she’s wearing the exact same outfit as before. Did the technique fail?

...Wait, no. She changed her socks to be crew-cut. Looking down to inspect herself, she would pull at the tongue of her boots to confirm that she had in fact switched her socks rather than summoned a second on top of the current. “Did I perform it well? It certainly is a complicated technique, although the sensation is definitely going to be an acquired taste.” She might end up nude if she performed this wrong in the future. Certainly something to avoid. That was what practice was for, at least.

=====
[761]
{3577}

Sun Jun 20, 2021 3:54 am

Daiko looks down for a moment and notices that this young girl's socks were the only thing that has changed. Well, it was better than his first attempt. "Ayyyyy. There you go. That's a small step, at the very least." Daiko chuckles for a bit. "It seems like you're pretty proficient at dealing with this sort of specialty. I'm assuming you'll at least be able to handle that giant fuckin' orb shit I showed you earlier then?" Daiko nods his head for a moment and takes a moment to reflect. The technique that they had done, though simple in application, definitely required a higher level of skill to be able to learn. Even if it ended up being a wasted effort, Daiko assumed that she could at the very least use a less powerful version of the jutsu that he was going to show her. Even if she couldn't, it wouldn't be an issue. Daiko was mainly just happy to teach something new to someone that he had never met before. He remembered that he had learned something new from someone who had just met him, and he decided that it was only right that he was able to pay it forward with the other younglings of this village.

Daiko draws attention to his hands, to try and teach the girl the seals for this particular technique. "Alright, so this one is pretty simple once you've got it down, but takes a bit of focus. You're going to want to start with Tiger, Bird, Ox, and Monkey to finish it up. However, if you want to make it a bit stronger, like how you've seen mine handled, you're going to finish it with Rat and then Bird." Daiko then slowly, at 1 speed, does the hand seals in order. Tiger Bird Ox Monkey Rat Bird. Easy. He watched the girl make sure she had paid attention. "What you want to do then, is focus on a point in around a medium range of you. Imagine a hole in the center of that spot, and the technique will flow pretty easily. You'll be able to handle it, I'm sure." Daiko gives a slight grin and stands somewhat close to her so he wasn't in the direct vicinity of the blast. He was genuinely curious as to whether or not she'd pull it off.

Daiko had only spent a short amount of time in this village, though he felt a particular fondness growing towards it. It seemed that most of the people here were pretty earnest in their intentions, and he didn't see that changing anytime soon. This had been the first place in which he had gotten his feet wet in the terms of actually powerful techniques, though he had learned the basics long before ending up on this island. The main thing that tugged at his heart was the feeling that he wasn't in immediate danger if he showed off the fact that he was a capable ninja. He felt, even if just for a moment, that he may be able to help some people, rather than just harm them.

[520]
{4106}

Tue Jun 22, 2021 5:20 pm

Despite herself, she couldn’t help but grin somewhat at the praise. Had she done well? Truthfully, she had chosen such a small change in an uncharacteristic moment of timidity. If something had gone wrong, she had no doubt that there would be no small amount of damage to the objects involved in such a technique. That, or she would never see them again- it was simply the nature of how that sort of ninja art worked. While she wouldn’t let it get to her head, there was nothing wrong with appreciating the moment in which she was being recognized for her work. To her, it was less about natural talent and success as it was the accumulation of knowledge over time. It wasn’t that she was gifted in the field, but rather that she had practiced so much as to already having an understanding of the fundamentals.

“I wouldn’t call myself an expert by any means, but I’ve practiced enough that I feel confident using it in my daily life.” She would assent, nodding her approval as he continues onwards to the far more deadly technique he had showcased earlier. It wasn’t simply kind of him to give her this sort of a demonstration, but generous as well. Knowledge was powerful in these corners of the world, and the free sharing of such was as a result a treasure unto its own. Perhaps she would be able to reciprocate? While she doubted that she knew anything he wasn’t aware of, what with his demonstrated wealth of knowledge, she at least hoped to be able to demonstrate her gratitude in some fashion. “I’ll do my best, though. Your instructions are very clear, did you know that? It feels a bit like sitting in school again. Ah! In a good way, I mean.”

Banishing the color from her cheeks that would have bubbled to the surface on her last comment, she would focus her mind upon the jutsu at hand. Just like he had done, following the steps with a slow pace so as to remember the seals for later. The sign of the Tiger. Let the chakra awaken, flow, from the core of self and into the hands. Always the hands, she found. It was a poetic sort of thing- utilizing the part of the body that ‘makes’ in order to change the world. Bird, Ox, Monkey. And then, as he had done, she would do herself- finishing with the Rat and the Bird. While perhaps not the most wise thing, starting on the more advanced version rather than the simplified, it was her opinion that replicating his demonstration as exactly as possible was the best action. Now.

A hole in the world, yet existing within the world. A void- a place where things enter, and cannot leave. A natural place of gravitation, upon which all things that enter it would face significant stressors- if not being outright destroyed. Was it truly that powerful? She didn’t know. But it was force of will and belief that shaped chakra. She had to believe, to strive, to wish miracles into existence.

A hole winks into existence twenty meters from their location, rapidly expanding. It is black, inky. While nothing is ‘sucked into it’ per se, there’s a certain feeling that hangs in the air. The idea that to touch it is to never return. Eventually, however, it dissipates- having never grown to as large of a diameter as Daiko’s had, nor having lasted as long. Again, it was a smaller scale replication. But it was a start. Catching a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, she would shake herself awake. “Wow. That was...really cool, actually!” Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she would psych herself up having completed the technique. “Somehow I imagined it as more of a capturing technique. Like Iron Maiden, you know?”

=====
[645]
{4222}

Tue Jun 22, 2021 5:56 pm

Daiko smiled a short bit when the girl had related him teaching her a few techniques to her sitting back in school. It was somewhat wholesome from his point of view, seeing how excited this young girl got to learn a technique that could literally rip the arms off of another ninja. It was no matter, though. Kiku seemed to momentarily break away from her bubbly persona to focus on the task at hand. Watching her as she slowly formed the hand-seals, Daiko noticed that she had been going for the advanced version that he had shown her. Nice! It had seemed that at the very least, she was confident in her abilities as a ninja. This was certainly good to see. Daiko nodded for a moment, watching as she was able to create the beginnings of the technique not too far away from them. He noted that it wasn't a massive orb like the technique normally was, but he simply passed it off as her being nervous at this exact moment. He was pretty sure that if it came down to actually having to use the technique on defense or in an offensive manner, she would be able to easily handle herself. This definitely confirmed his suspicions, though. She was definitely someone who had the space-time specialty, like himself.

Daiko blinks for a second and then squints. "What is this... Iron Maiden you speak of?" Daiko was genuinely confused as to what she was talking about, as he had never really heard of the technique. Man. He really needed to get cracking on some more reading... But either way. He looked at the girl and had a somewhat questioning glance on his face. It had seemed that he was able to teach here more than a few things, but she still had things that she could teach him. It was a nice feeling. He felt that though he could likely pick up techniques like this on his own someday, it was still nice to have someone that was able to show him some insight into stronger techniques. Stretching out his neck, he nods in the direction of the girl. "I've actually never heard of that one. I would be more than happy for you to show me though!" Daiko gives a slight grin, and then stands to the side a bit to watch and see what kind of demonstration she might give.

Standing back a bit, Daiko would wait to see what kind of advice she would be able to offer him and what hand-seals that she would say were needed. Hopefully, on top of being able to explain the ins and outs of the technique, she would also offer him a demonstration. It didn't sound like it was too complicated, but Daiko wanted to make sure that he would be able to pick it up as easily as he possibly could, given the circumstances. Daiko was confident that he would be able to walk out of here with a couple of new techniques under his belt, and he was somewhat excited, to say the least.

[517]
{4623}

Tue Jun 22, 2021 7:14 pm

Rolling her shoulders, Kikuko would turn to face Daiko properly as he voiced his unfamiliarity. It was somewhat unsurprising to her that he hadn’t heard of the technique, despite his demonstrated prowess. It was a decidedly strange utilization of ninjutsu, and certainly hadn’t been the first among the jutsu she had been able to research during her few and far between forays towards the library proper. It was always so frustrating, being forced to pour over dusty tome after tome only to find the vaguest of snippets describing techniques used by master s long since past. Truly, the job of a historian must be a frustrating one.

“Oh! The Iron Maiden. Well, it’s full name is Summoning: Iron Maiden. But that’s a bit of a mouthful, don’t you think?” She would explain, waving her hand in emphasis as she did. “It’s among the few summoning techniques that don’t require the contractor to be allied with a particular group in order to perform it. In that way it’s similar to Rashomon, if you’ve heard of that one.” How to best explain this one? Putting it into words directly would make it feel absurd. Perhaps, then, it would be the circuitous route that was the best in this case.

“Really, it’s less of a summoning technique and more ‘bringing forth’ material in order to form a construct. Its appearance varies, although the classical appearance is that of a maneki-neko. There’s no reason for it, so I suspect it was just due to the preferences of the technique’s creator. That being said, watch my hands.” At the speed of 1, she would go through the five hand seals required for the technique. “Ready? We do Ox, Boar, Dog, Bird, Tiger. And, go!”
Forming the final hand seal, a faint rumbling would be heard as a large, coffin-like structure rises from the ground fifteen meters in front of them. Shaped in the guise of a blue winged butterfly split into two open parts, it would almost be considered a work of art- if it weren’t for the wicked spikes within each side of the container, clearly being meant to impale its contents. Kikuko would continue her explanation, running a hand through her hair.

“In this state, the technique is harmless. Unless, well, you run into the spikes. So don’t do that, okay? But if we form the seal of confrontation, this happens.” Forming the seal as she spoke, chains would appearing from the ground, binding each half of the butterfly together. With a metallic clang, the coffin would be shut closed. “The coffin is shut, entrapping the target inside. It can be even moved underground, like so!”

With a wave of her hand, the butterfly container would slowly and fluidly sink into the earth until not even its antennae would be visible. “At this point, you can choose to maintain it until it expires or dispel it early. Still, the target would end up being entombed once it ends, so be careful.” Switching focus from her explain to Daiko himself, she would flash him a bright smile. “So, do you have any questions? Or would you like to try it yourself?”

=====
[527]
{4749}

Thu Jun 24, 2021 5:28 am

Daiko looked somewhat surprised that there was a technique that he hadn't even imagined would exist. Something that would... Summon some sort of bear-trap of sorts to trap people in? That sounded pretty damn cool. If given enough time, or effort, Daiko probably would have come up with the basis of the technique on his own, and put it into action. Sadly, until this moment, he had never actually had the willpower to go through training it. Having being taught it, however, was quite doable for him. Heh.

Daiko watches closely as the girl begins to do a couple of hand-seals, and he watches them as they go in order. Though it wasn't entirely necessary, Daiko appreciated that she had slowly shown him the hand-seals in the order in which they were required. It was nice. Ox, Boar, Dog, Bird, Tiger. Daiko first let her do it and watched as what looked like a butterfly burrowed its way out of the ground. Hmn. It was pretty neat. Making sure he stood back, he listened to the rest of the explanation. As she finished the hand-seals, he noticed that the cage snapped shut and at her command, began slowly sinking into the ground. Nice. This was a really cool technique in Daiko's eyes, and he was excited to see what his would look like.

Doing the hand-seals that the girl had described, Daiko focuses his chakra and creates a bear-trap type thing similar to how Kiku had done it. He focuses all of his chakra into the summon before letting the technique out, the design of the trap is a classic lucky-cat. Hmn. Daiko then watches as the summon begins to slowly sink into the ground before the technique had finally be completed. Nice! Daiko was proud of his progress so far and was interested to see how far that he may be able to take it until he was at the point where he would be strong enough to handle the world on his own. Not taking too much time to ponder this, Daiko looks at his friend Kiku in front of him. "Well. Hey. I really appreciate you teaching me that technique, and I hope that you've learned something from what I've been able to offer you." Daiko smiles, putting out his fist to give the girl a fist bump. "It was nice meeting you Kiku, we'll probably run into each other again at some point. Until then though." Daiko nods and then begins to head off, after giving any sort of response to what she would say as he would leave. As he drew closer to the exit gates of the training facility, he took one last look at the different training grounds. Hmn. Maybe he would find another ninja and see if Kiku was able to kick his butt. That would be entertaining, to say the least.

[480]
{5103}

[Exit]

Using "Advanced Training Facility" and "Taught" Bonus. (75%)
[438/438] Iron Maiden

Using "Advanced Training Facility" Bonus. (25%)
[1500/1500] Ninjutsu
[1875/1875] Training Black Threads from A to S-Rank. Previous {===}
[1290/1875] Added Weight Rock

[5000] 100 AP
100 words discarded

Thu Jun 24, 2021 5:36 am

Approved

Thu Jun 24, 2021 5:36 pm

An odd feeling would well within Kikuko’s chest as she watched Daiko’s focus upon her. Was this pride? It wasn’t as though she was alien to the emotion, but within the context there was something different about it. All her life she had been the student, the learner, the one who was out of their element in a large world. She had never begrudged it, but at the same time had always wondered what it must feel like to be on the other side of the equation. Maybe this was it? The quiet accomplishment, not of one’s own, but of seeing another succeed through your own help? A small smile would come to her face. He was doing it!

Watching with bated breath, she would let out a little shout and a hop as he summoned forth the classic lucky cat from the ground. It wasn’t complete, to be certain, but that sort of progress was a complete victory in her eyes. And in such a short time, too! Perhaps it was talent, or perhaps simply hard work, but either way she couldn’t help but be impressed with the speed at which he had managed to replicate her movements. And why shouldn’t she be? It was an accomplishment of itself.

“Great job! Great job! That was really cool.” She would clap gently, before lowering her hands to her sides once more. There was an elation in her soul that bounced, bubbling, roiled to the surface. It all felt so new and fresh! Working alongside others, seeing their triumphs and success, brought a warmth to her heart like no other. Perhaps, in another life, she might have become a teacher. “No worries about the technique, it was honestly fun to demonstrate for once. And you as well! Your pointers were really helpful, and I’ll be sure to remember them next time I’m trying to practice.” Stretching out her fist, she would bump the offered hand.

“I’ll see you around, Daiko! Keep practicing, and we’ll bump into each other again!” Turning on her heel, she would march off towards the showers with a pep in her step. Today was a good day, full of new people and new experiences. What would happen in her everyday life next? Only time would tell how her story would unfold.

======
[384]
{5133}

[Exit]

Claiming:

Advanced Training Facility + taught bonus (75%):

Summoning Art: Instant Armoire [375/375]
Space-Time Art: Devouring Sphere [675/675]
Breath Seal [375/375]

Training Facility Bonus (25%):
Principe [1875/1875]
Fuinjutsu Breaking [1625/1625]
Genjutsu Release [187/187]

Remaining 21 words to Seal of Redirection [654/2062]

Thu Jun 24, 2021 5:54 pm

Approved