Playing with Fire

The Kirigakure training facility, a large spacious and well equipped training area with wooden targets singed from the fireball training that Ichikai had begun here, the air is filled with the scent of burnt straw and wood. At the centre of the training grounds stood Ichikai, her hair tied up and her glasses pressed up against the bridge of her nose. Surrounding the training facility are large lanterns which light the area up, its nighttime and the moon is hidden by the building. Flashes of shadows light up the facility, from the balcony those who just finished there training were looking down at her, she wore a short tank top, allowing her freedom of movement to do her training. This evening she was practising her body flicker and her Great Fireball Technique, the latter of the two was a trademark ability of the Uchiha, and despite not having achieved her Sharingan she could still start to practise this instead.

The body flicker technique was handful in a pinch too, the two of them drained her chakra with each blast which in turn allowed her to train her chakra capacity too. As she prepares to start the next blast of Fire she takes a deep breath, centering her chakra. Ichikai closes her eyes too, visualising and then saying out loud the hand seals required.

”Snake, Ram and Monkey.”

Her hands move in unison of her speech, they were swift and precise, textbook. The chakra formed in her lungs. She feels the chakra fill, engulfing her from the inside. Ichikai opens her eyes and looks to the target a good 10 metres away. It moves slightly due to some earth training in another part of the training facility, the air is warm, moisture evaporates before it even gets a chance to cling to anything.

"A perfect flame, unleashed with precision.

Ichikai whispers to herself, and then a ball of intense flames starts to form in front of her mouth, a trail down her throat and into her lungs. The pushes outwards with a deep breath and she exhales a large and powerful stream of fire. The flames burst forwards, picking up speed before engulfing the wooden target in an inferno. It was a direct hit and destroyed the target however it didn’t stick around for long.

"Not bad, but I can do better”

Ichikai continues to repeat the technique, each time honing her control over the fire and adjusting her aim to counter the extra power output into each blast, with each successful execution she encourages herself with a smile, and with each failure a purpose to try again.

|WC| 437 |TWC| 437

To achieve his goal of creating an organization that brings upon world peace meant that Rudra had to get strong in order for the others to respect and believe him. It wasn't a simple task for anyone to believe in strangers as many shinobis have lost their loved ones to wars that happened previously.

It was night time, a perfect cover to train alone as no one would usually be training at this hour. Rudra walked over to the Kirigakure Training Facility, passing through the quiet streets. Rudra has recently just awakened his 1 Tomoe Sharingan, which was still far from having his full fledged visual prowess. He knows that the power of the scarlet eyes would be a great advantage for him, nonetheless he still has to train and prepare himself in its usage, as the famous eye technique drains his chakra fast while in its early stage.

Just as he reached the facility, he could hear the sound of movement within a door that was meant for training. Rudra quietly opened the door to see a girl clothed in red weaving hand seals and performing the Great Fireball Technique. Not wanting to be rude by disturbing her, he waited till she finished performing the technique a few times. The moment she stopped, Rudra opened the door fully and introduced himself.

Appearance:

"Hello, I'm Rudra. Hey, those flame techniques were great. Since you were doing the Great Fireball Technique, you must be an Uchiha, am I right ?", he waited for her to answer, if she would say that she was an Uchiha, Rudra would expose himself as an Uchiha as well. He then moved to the other side of the arena, to give both of them enough space to hone their skills. Rudra wasn't proficient in Ninjutsu yet, but he was a specialist in Space-Time. He simply sat on the floor and began meditating, while also being aware of his surroundings.

From the corner of her eye Ichikai recognised that another party had joined the training area, whilst others were at the observation deck this person was near her. The Shinobi introduced himself, he was near her height, white of hair and looked younger by a number of years, he had a Kirigakure headband. As the boy introduced himself, Ichikai turned towards him with a curious expression, she observed his appearance and demeanor and was intrigued by his mention of the Uchiha Clan.

”You have a keen eye, Rudra. You’re right, I am an Uchiha. It’s a pleasure to meet a fellow Uchiha”

Ichikai added the last bit after Rudra shared he was also a Uchiha, her smile was warm and she returned her attention back to the targets. She appreciated Rudra’s respect for her training and his patience in waiting for her to finish before approaching. The boy went to make his own space, giving them both space to train. He seemed to be meditating, Ichikai respected the dedication to such an art, it wasn’t something she felt comfortable doing herself.

The Kunoichi decided to continue her own training, focusing on perfecting her Great Fireball Technique. Each repetition of the technique seemed to bring each closer in size and power than the last, signifying her increased control of the technique, Ichikai’s control over her jutsu constantly improved. Still Rudra was concentrating on his own meditation. Undisturbed by the roaring flames.

As she trained, Ichikai couldn’t help but steal glances towards the other Uchiha, had he managed to activate his occular abilities, or was he like her? She was also intrigued by the meditation, many spoke to the mental wellbeing and recognised the importance of mental focus, but what benefits did it have.

After a series of fireball techniques, Ichikai took a moment to catch her breath and approached Rudra, still maintaining a respectful distance.

”"You’re intrigueing, I’ve always found the concept of meditation fascinating, I’d love to learn more about it"

Her voice was filled with genuine interest, She believed that Ninja, through sharing their knowledge and skills, could grow stronger and contribute to the goal of creating a peaceful world. With that, Ichikai awaited Rudra's response, and to see how he would react to her questioning.

|WC| 377 |TWC| 814

The girl clad in red agreed that she was also an Uchiha, but didn't state her name. She was the first female Uchiha he had met, the only other Uchiha he knew was only his overprotective father. Rudra took a mental note to get her name when their training came to an end. She had a gentle aura around her that made him comfortable with her.

While Rudra was seated on his corner of the area with his eyes closed for meditation, he could hear the constant blast of flames from the girl. Rudra understood that she was trying to perfect the technique, which was said to be the pride of the Uchiha clan. After a while, the sound of the flames stopped and he could hear her footsteps closing upon him. Just as she stood in front of him, she told him that she found meditation to be interesting and wanted to learn more about it.

Rudra opened his eyes that was filled with the power of the Uchiha clan's visual prowess, it was the Sharingan, albeit still at its One Tomoe stage. "I usually meditate to focus myself on activating the Sharingan on command. Honing this power isn't easy and I have only recently managed to awakened it. Have you awakened these eyes as well ... I didn't get your name haha" Rudra smiled, fully unguarded. He felt a calm presence about her that didn't make him cautious at all. With her genuine interest being seen visibly, Rudra wanted to help his new friend with the awakening of the Sharingan, if she hasn't awakened it yet.

The Uchiha boy would then proceed to ask her to sit in front of him in a comfortable way. If she did, he would provide her information on the Sharingan that would be helpful to her. "What I have learnt is from my father. Upon awakening for the first time, the Sharingan manifests as a single tomoe in each eye. The first tomoe grants the user the ability of Chakra Vision, allowing them to perceive masses of chakra within people and objects. The user can also perceive slight visual movements with enhanced speed compared to ordinary shinobi. As you can see, I'm currently at this stage. I'm trying my best to manifest the second tomoe, which is harder".

If she would be interested to learn more, Rudra would then proceed to provide more information about the Uchiha's visual prowess.

Battle Info:

Those red eyes appeared before her, she felt her heart rate increase even without wanting to actively do it, she took a single step back, always forgetting just how majestic the Sharingan looked. It was the first time Ichikai saw one, her family were so far unable to awaken it themselves. Ichikai wondered if it was to do with there blood purity, they had married within Kirigakure families for years and were likely dropped from the dominant line.

”Oh. I apologise Rudra, I was shocked to know another Uchiha. I am Ichikai Uchiha. A student of the Academy and unfortunately not a wielder of the Sharingan.”

At the age of eighteen it was likely she never would, and that was reinforced by her thoughts of her branch of the clan. Instead she would focus on her own abilities outside of that, she pushed the frame of her glasses up her face and listened to the boys explanation of the Sharingan, knowledge of its first stage were well known amongst the Uchiha, but listening to the boys own explanation had its own therapeutic feeling. Jealous as she was of his abilities, she was happy that at least one Uchiha she knew was on his journey.

”I understand the first tomoe requires a strong emotion, now I’ve had my fair share of heartbreaks but nothing, if you don’t mind me asking, what triggered yours?”

Ichikai took a seat in front of the boy, a good few metres away, she got herself comfortable, it was a welcome break from the great fireball training. Ichikai’s own hopes were that perhaps this kid could remind her of her own path, or conclude that her sharingan was out of reach and would leave it at that. She thought about her own emotional attachments, limited only to her parents and truly they were not the most exciting. Many knew of the curse of hatred which the Uchiha were famed for, but Ichikai never hated. It wasn’t a feeling she was familiar with, perhaps she could awaken a Sharingan with positive emotion, if that was even possible.

|WC| 349 |TWC| 1163

"Don't worry Ichikai, you will awaken it. Seeing you trying to perfect your fire techniques multiple times shows your relentlessness in perfecting your technique" Rudra would assure her.

The Uchiha girl would ask the emotional trigger that awakened the white haired boy Sharingan. "My father wanted me to be the clan head of Uchiha in Kirigakure but that has never been my priority. As you know, we have seen a lot of wars and tragedies not just in our life, but also the time of our previous generations. I'm aiming to create an organization that will end the wars of the shinobi world and bring ultimate peace to all the nations. My dream seems to be far-fetched at the moment, but I know I will get stronger and reach my goals. Those war tragedies are the one that triggered the awakening of my Sharingan".

Seeing that the Uchiha girl would be a potential candidate for his organization, Rudra openly declared his intentions. Even though he had kept this as a secret for some time, she was the first person to know this plan of his. Her keen interest in learning and perfectionist attitude attracted Rudra. If she were to ask more details, Rudra would gladly explain more.

"Why don't you try to meditate, focus on your sadness or hatred of your heartbreaks, turn them into a positive emotion into awakening your visual prowess. Since you have expanded some chakra, you might be in an exhausted state right now, close your eyes and focus on what I have said, it will help you" Rudra guided her. "Take note, the first awakening of your Sharingan will drain your chakra significantly faster, so try to control yourself and deactivate it if you feel weakened". Rudra was excited for his friend and was confident that she had the potential to awaken it, even though she was a student.

Battle Info:

Confidence was instilled by Rudra in her capabilities, confirmation that Ichikai could and would be able to awaken the Sharingan. The frightening skill was worrying, many hunted the Uchiha for it, currently she wasn’t a target and anyone who wasn’t already aware that she was an Uchiha would be all the same in the dark. Ichikai looked like she was going to disclose her thoughts, but she stopped herself. This was exactly the reason she returned to the Academy in the first place, to become a better Kunoichi. Stumbling at one of the first blocks, she thought, would be scarier than any other alternative.

And he was right too, she had begun to perfect the technique, what would the benefit be to that if she hasn’t already thought about wanting to perfect others. Ichikai nodded her head, her conviction renewed. The young Genin was touted to become the next Uchiha head of Kirigakure, her eyes met with his, then turned back to the arena training area. Organisations often started with honourable goals, but in all the fiction she had ever read the same conclusion could be drawn, times change.

But if there was anything she liked more than being a Uchiha, it would be being proven wrong and taught a lesson. Perhaps his goals were achieveable.

”I can see why you awakened it Rudra, I don’t know how I would of dealt with that myself. But I must admit hatred doesn’t come naturally for me. I think that’s why it’s taken me so long to get here. When I think about things that make my emotions shift, it is those who I bond with. Or those I align myself with. Kaikos Blossom, a true Shinobi in my eyes and a friend. His story changed how I see life, and I’ve known him but a minute. Then there is Jiraijin Hozuki, a man who has thrown himself headfirst into every challenge. Doesn’t care for those who doubt him. Those are the moments I treasure, even you now Rudra, sharing your bonds with me. Spending your time to teach someone who you have no reason to. How can anyone hate when there is so much to love?”

Her eyes revealed her smile before her lips did, she laughed embarrassed by her honesty. Ichikai’s connections were new but they all gathered on her chest like a warm blanket. She closed her eyes though as he instructed, channelling those feelings. They were nothing special, she felt them over and over before. But being aware of it might just be the key, or maybe she had to love something more than she normally did.

She felt exhausted even without its activation, it was harder to channel the mind than it was her own chakra. It wasn’t like healing or weaving handsigns, it was truly insightful.

| WC | 470 | TWC | 1633

The white haired boy heard a familiar name, "I'm not sure who Kaikoss is, but I have met Jiraijin during a mission. Seems to be a nice guy" Rudra replied. The girl was like an open book, she wore her emotions on her sleeve and seemed to be genuine and kind hearted. "You are absolutely right. There isn't any hatred unless you see it with your own eyes, like how I saw my parents being a collateral damage during a war that was fought over literally just the ego of the people involved", he said with a heavy heart and a tensed voice.

He took a deep breath in threw a senbon at a light switch that was 5 meters away, switching off the lights of the whole arena. He leaned towards Ichikai and spoke with a serious voice, similar to a killer's instinct, "Imagine, you are walking around with your mother and father, and just having fun. Someone jumps out of nowhere, right in front of you three, kill your beloved mother and father with a single strike of a sword without a second thought, the decapitated heads fall to the ground right before your feet, with the blood splattering all over your face. He now turns to you, even though seeing that you are still a child, the next sword strike comes to your neck, at that moment, someone ... an unknown shinobi protects you with their live, try to kills the invader but fails and he ends up vanishing away. That shinobi gets badly injured to the point where you as a young child have no idea how to save his life and by some miracle, when you wake up, you are in a makeshift shelter with that shinobi who saved you, who is still in bandages". He paused at this moment, giving the girl a sense of his real backstory of what happened.

Appearance of Speech:

Without him realizing, his One Tomoe Sharingan would evolve to the Two Tomoe Sharingan shine brightly in the dark arena, like a devil that was about to devour the world. "After many years, you see the invader again, tell me now, what do you do to him?" he spoke with an eerie disgusting voice, that was about to unleash the ultimate pain of torture upon the person. He paused for her to speak but eventually acknowledged that his visual prowess has evolved as now he was able to perceive things with higher clarity and was even able to see even the minor muscle twitches of her face as he ended his speech.

Rudra would then throw another senbon at the light switch, switching on the lights of the stadium again. This time, he was back to his usual calm demeanor. "I'm living with that shinobi now, he is my father!" he said proudly. This was the first time the male Uchiha has actually revealed his true history to someone. It wasn't much of a secret, but it was a part of his life that he has always kept hidden from other people. Rudra wanted to make sure Ichikai understands the severity of life and how it can change in an instant.  “Also looks like I have gained the evolved version of the Sharingan, if I can do it, you can too for sure Ichikai!” he smiled at her.

To cool down the topic, "I also want to open a business, when you become a Genin, do find me. Having another person being part of the business would be great, especially someone like you would be a real asset to the company" he would laugh, totally different from how he behaved before. "Alright, enough talk, let's see those beautiful scarlet eyes on you. Try focusing one more time, you will be able to get it" he would cheer her up. He knows that with initiating his story, making it as visual as possible, she would be able to emulate his experience along with her own to formulate the path towards the Sharingan.

Battle Info:

Mid Thread Claims:

Rudra Uchiha wrote:

Mid Thread Claims:

Approved

The kunoichi sat down as instructed and began focusing in order to awaken the Sharingan. Most people awaken it through various pain triggers or in a sad and emotional state. At the moment, Ichikai had none, just a simple training method in which Rudra was guiding her. He didn't know if she could awaken it especially with her gentle nature, but it was worth the try. Many people have failed in their attempts even at the 1 Tomoe Sharingan as they do not possess the quality of emotions that needs to be activated in the brain that eventually forms the scarlet eyes which many are envious of. People have been wanting these years for many years and whenever a shinobi leaves the protection of their village, there is a high chance of them dying du

As Ichikai took a bit of time on attempting to initiate the scarlet visual prowess of their clan, he remembered that he had a training session with his father, which he totally forgot about. "Hey Ichikai, I'm so sorry but I've actually got to leave now. I totally forgot about the training session I had with my overly obsessed father. He's a great guy but just funny as hell" he paused with a laugh. “Sorry about leaving the training midway, I’m sure you can do this on your own. When I see you next time, I hope to see that red shine on your eyes. Maybe we can even have a small battle, that way we can learn from each other and get stronger together” he smiled while standing up from his position. “See you soon!” he waved his hand while walking towards the exit door of the stadium.

Rudra had only a single thought in his mind, to open his business soon.

Exit Claims

Stats Claims:
- 20 Stats in Chakra (103 > 123)

Jutsu Claims
- 298 WC Towards Imitation Black Hole - [No Handseal-298/2750]

Chakra Sensory
- 2,000 WC to learn Chakra Signature of Ichikai Uchiha