Training (IO)

A beautiful day in Kumogakure filled with a bright sky though covered in massive fluffy white clouds, the slight breeze dragging the clouds across the sky high above the mountains surrounding the village. Asuma was standing atop one of the various mountains in the training grounds of the village, his eyes closed and hands by his side listening to the wind as it glided around him as though he was a part of the mountain that had been there since the beginning. Training today would be a good idea and definitely set up to make it a long day with such good weather.

He could hear the sound of the water at the base of the mountain, it had a huge waterfall that poured into it. He had noted on his climb to the top all the various sharp rocks at the bottom, he wondered just how far he could push himself this time. Death really wasn’t something he felt fear for, it was instead the fear of dying without being remembered and known. Asuma with eyes still closed let his weight shift forward and began to free fall head first, his weight causing him to gain speed the longer he fell from the peak. His hands down by his sides and legs stretched out as he fell, he was calm as ever as he plummeted to what would appear to be a guaranteed death below. Then he heard it, the sound of a hanging branch that was shaking just below him. His eyes opened in an instant as he caught the branch with his left hand, using his momentum to spin around and perch himself on the branch looking the last 10 meters to the rocks and rapids below. He leaped from the branch collecting chakra in his feet just before landing on the rushing river at the base of the waterfall just outside of the sharp rocks, standing in the center of the river looking around at the forest around the mountain river. He drew four shuriken out of his weapon pouch, holding two in each hand one between his index and middle finger and one between his ring and little finger in each hand of course. He had targeted four trees in the area that had knotts in their trunks, they made for good natural targets and so he decided to practice his shuriken throwing. He crossed his hands over his chest hands up by his head on each side, he then flicked his wrists forward as he slung his forearms outward away from his body releasing the shuriken and letting them fly. When they left his hands they began to glide in a smooth arch each one thumping into the tree in perfect center spots on the knotts, Asuma walked off the river and to each of the four trees pulling the shuriken loose and returning them to his weapons pouch for safe keeping.

Asuma squatted by the bank of the river looking at the flowing water as he began to think of how to continue his training, he needed a way to practice his influence on the minds of people. Asuma watched a leaf fall to the stream and dance along the current, he then stood from his position and decided to do a little concentration practice. He lifted his hand out in front of his face and began to draw forth chakra into his palm, he could feel the pulsing energy in his hand almost like feeling the blood pulsating in his palm. The chakra began to pool more and more as he focused on the center of his palm, the concentration on his palm was beginning to make his hand feel heavier with every passing moment. He could feel it like a ball of mass in his hand, it was just the right amount of concentration to have successfully performed a jutsu. He clenched his first and in an instant the chakra rushed back around his body like circulating blood, it was back to normal for his chakra network now. Asuma then walked to a tree at least 15 meters high and 5 foot in diameter, he drew chakra to his feet soles and placed his right foot firmly against the bark feeling as the chakra grabbed hold of the trees surface. He lifted his body off the ground with his foot and took another step letting his left foot take hold, he then began to walk up the tree with ease. This was a very basic technique he had mastered before leaving the academy, but it was important to revisit the fundamentals of every now and again to maintain proper chakra control.

It was only seconds later as Asuma stood there in the clear strip of land between the mountain river and three lines that he noticed it, someone was coming his way. It seemed he would no longer be alone in his day of training, but he wondered just who would be interrupting his training session.

[835 Words]

Ikari was in the mood for a fight, imagine that. He watched as someone passed by the quarry heading down towards the rivers. His training was only beginning with his controlling the  chakra that ran through his body, but for now, he wanted a good old fashioned brawl. He had seen this individual around the village before, usually carrying with him a bad attitude. He was just the kind of person that Ikari loved to fight. The cocky ones were always the ones that gave him the funnest of times. 

He followed the same path he had seen the fellow shinobi take down to the rivers so he wouldn't lose him. Finally the two reached the river, and Ikari called out to the Kumo nin. "Hey! Wanna fight?!" Ikari was going to be blunt and straight to the point. He would stand at the side of the river, being about ten meters away from the waters. He would get into his fighting stance, and he would be ready for the very moment that the fellow Kumo nin would accept his challenge and fight him.

Asuma was standing at the water’s edge when he heard the sound of an obnoxious voice ring from just a short distance away, it was someone he had noticed around the village in his time passing through. Asuma refusing to answer at first, turned his upper body slightly to his left and looked over his left shoulder at the teenager before him. He was unaware of the age but if he had to guess this guy was younger than Asuma and definitely a different specimen of his own, as the guy was a polar opposite of himself and had annoyed him in seconds of his arrival. He looked this teen over quickly, he was odd to look at in his overly bright orange and blue. His hair was a strange blonde that spiked upward as though gravity didn’t apply to his hair, Asuma figured what could a spar hurt? So he finally turned to face the potential opponent who had himself slid into a fighting stance out of egorness, Asuma letting him watch as he stood feet shoulder length apart and placing his left hand and forearm behind his back. He extended his right arm however letting a small bend occur in his elbow leading out to his hand which had fingers together pointing up though his palm was turned back towards himself.

With no extra movements to reveal what was truly happening Asuma began his first move, with a massive torrent of crows flying from the surrounding trees. They would begin flocking after Ikari, their loud caws and overwhelming presence swarming him in a matter of seconds. Their feathery wings would whip by slapping against Ikari, along with the feeling of pinches from their beaks as they quickly whipped by. Asuma seemingly disappeared the moment the crows reached their thickest density, however the rest of the field remained the same in Ikari’s eyes. The crows would remain tormenting him, this of course revolving around the idea that he had not yet realized he was victim to Asuma’s Genjutsu.

If Ikari was able to snap out of the genjutsu then Asuma would remain in his fighting stance and await his opponent to begin the spar.

However, if Ikari was to be standing there confused by the crows and unable to see Asuma, then Asuma would in fact draw two shuriken from his weapon pouch into his right hand and prepare to look for an opening to strike his opponent who mould more than likely be trying to swat away the cluster of crows. When the opportunity presented itself he would flick his wrist and send the shuriken sailing above the ground at a slight angle cascading down and targeting the tendons behind the teens ankles. He wanted to see just how much this opponent could take and the only way was to push him to feel like he was fighting for his life, so Asuma decided to attempt to weaken the movement of the teen he was fighting and put him at the tip of Asuma’s mercy blade.

(508 Words)
(Jutsu Used: Demonic Illusion: Mirage Crow)