Sarutobi training

Taro laid back breathing heavy, taking in each breath with labored intensity. Why did it have to be this hard, he thought. The section of Hoshigakure training grounds he occupied was littered with kunai, upturned earth, and half destroyed straw dummies with red 'x marks on the head and body. After finishing the day shift on his family's mango farm, Taro usually made his way across the orchard, out of the valley, and toward the main interior of the village hidden in the stars where the training grounds were located. He remembered his first time visiting the grounds with his grandfather.

10 years ago...

"Are you excited to see your father and uncle? His grandfather asked with a smile. He lead Taro by the hand up the winding dirt path through the mountain woods that lead to a section of training grounds where his father and uncle were. "Yes!" Taro exclaimed. The burns on his arms were only a year old so they were still a shade of pink that contrasted to his and his grandfathers olive skin. "Will we see them use ninjutsu?
"Oh maybe. You know it's not always about using the elements to defeat an opponent," his grandfather explained. Taro looked confused. He lept away from his grandfather climbing the nearest large rock overlooking the path. With a large grin his hands made the seal of the ram, "what could be stronger then blowing away an opponent with wind release or crushing them with earth release?" Raising his right hand open palmed to the sky he slammed it into the rock beneath him screaming, "Rock pillar spear jutsu!" A large burst of wind and sound emanated. The local macaques watching him scattered at the sudden outburst. Taro was shocked but smiled extra wide at the effect he had on the monkeys. His grandfather looked up at him with a calm expression. "Elemental jutsu is a powerful force to be reckoned with, but did you notice what was behind you?" Taro raised an eyebrow and began to look around. Just behind him, in the trunks of the trees, were hundreds of cuts. Taro's eyes widened. "When did you do all that!?"
"Just as you began weaving your first hand seal," his grandfather responded. Taro could not believe it, he did not expect his grandfather to make an attack, much less the glass shard swing. "I could have been killed," he said with a sadness.
"Exactly, my grandson." The old man began to walk around the stone towards the tree. "Ninjutsu is powerful, but a quick exact strike with a simple weapon, like a kunai, bukijutsu, will pierce even the hardiest ninjutsu." He placed a hand on the damaged tree and revealed the kunai he used to execute the jutsu. Flipping it handle forward he offered it to Taro. "Take this to heart grandson, it might save your life."

Present Day...

Taro opened his eyes to the evening. Purple tinted clouds ran across an orange sky above the training grounds. As he lay in the dirt, arms behind his head, he rolled his head toward the kunai that was planted into the ground. He starred at it for awhile, remembering when his grandfather gave him his first kunai.

9 years ago...

"Again," said Old man Satutobi stamping his walking cane from the side lines. Taro rushed forward swinging his kunai toward the shadow clone, grunting as he went, "hrah!". The shadow clone was a genin from the village hidden in the stars, Hoshikagure ninja academy. The original shinobi was watching from the sidelines. He was only a handful of years older than Taro, but in the eyes of the village he was a full fledged shinobi. The steel headband with the lone centered star was wrapped around his arm. He waited patiently next to old man sarutobi. The clone however bobbed and weaved, dodging and deflecting Taro's attempts to land a blow. "Telegraphing your attack isn't going to get you far. Your technique doesn't impress me!" A quick juke and the shinobi was behind Taro. His hand came down in a chopping motion into Taro's shoulder. Taro collapsed with a yelp and found the earth in his face.
Old man Satutobi called from the sidelines, "Taro, you are too focused on landing a killing blow that you are sacrificing your footing. Reasses!"
The shadow clone stood over him, "You should listen to your grandfather. On the battlefield you will be the first to die making these stupid mistakes." Taro gritted his teeth, wiping the dirt off his face, he stood up. I can't let him get in my head he thought. "I have to be better, I can't give up to this ding dong." Taro remembered the sadness he saw on his grandfathers face when the fire consumed the first house. He remembered the feeling of being powerless to help. "I dont want to let the old man down." He whispered.
Taro smiled at the genin. At the same time he reached into the rear belt pouch tied at his waist. "You know for an academy student you aren't all that remarkable. I mean sure you've dodged all my attacks but what real skill have you shown? A simple karate chop? Big deal! My 3 year old sister knows how to do that and she hits twice as hard as you!" From the sidelines the genin clenched his teeth. The shadow clone raised a fist and began to holler, "you brat! You think I like coming all the way out here to babysit the training of a snot nosed kid! If I showed you a fraction of my skill you wouldn't be able to run your mouth much longer!"
"I'll believe it when I see it!" Taro dashed ahead and began making probing strikes with his blade and mid air kicks , taunting him as he went. "Where is the substance? The flair? What does the academy even teach? Seems like a waste of time to me. " Although Taro didn't believe in what he was saying, his words were clearly getting to the genin. "You'll never understand the importance of what it means to be a ninja! I'll show you flair!" Cried the frazzled shinobi as he lept back weaving hand seals: ram-ox. Taro was prepared for this. The shadow clone took one step back pointing both hands in Taro's direction
Pulling back on the air with his right arm, like drawing the string of a bow, the air began to crackle and shriek as lightning formed into the shape of an arrow. Taro threw his prepared kunai at the feet of the genin and began flipping his primary kunai, raising it in defense.
"Your aim is off brat! And you asked for this! Ninja Art: Thunderclap Arrow!" The genin launched the meter long lightning arrow like a javelin. It roared through the air toward Taro.
"Soft wind blowing jutsu!" Taro sliced the air with his kunai.  Chakra flew through the blade and air began to form into an invisible barrier, he hoped he could deflect absorb enough of the attack, however, the jutsu and the shape quickly started to fall apart.
He had his uncle give him a couple lessons on the jutsu, but Taro had not mastered it yet. If he was lucky the attempt would provide enough distraction...
The thunderclap arrow slammed into the barrier. The energy from the arrow sent tendrils of lightning outward, hitting the earth and creating a cloud of dust thqt rose into the air, however, the arrow's momentum carried through and struck Taro. His body immediately clenched up as the shock of the jutsu coursed through his body.
The genin grinned, "You shouldn't heckle a shinobi, fool. A painful lesson you must lear-" sudden panic swept across the genin's face. He overlooked something. Looking down, the kunai at his feet had an explosive tag burning away. The fuse was nearly complete.
"Taro!" His grandfather thought, "where did you get an explosive tag?!"

"Shit! I won't be able to dodge it!" The genin stumbled, attempting to shoulder roll out of the blast radius. The tag finished burning, but yet it did not explode. "A fake!?"
"Thats right ding dong!" Taro exclaimed. (Cue the good naruto music) He was now in the genin's flank with his primary kunai drawn across his body. Even tho he took the hit from the thunderclap arrow, the poor bukijutsu barrier took some of the brunt of the energy, and with the dust in the air along with the fake paper bomb distraction, Taro was able to maneuver just within a few meters of the shinobi where he was not prepared to take a hit.  "Guess this brat fooled you! Try and dodge this!" Drawing up at an angle Taro bellowed, "Glass Shard Swing!"

Cutting with great speed the air shattered and exploded outward creating a semi circle of glass like shards. "Graah!" Cried the shadow clone after being hit with a barrage of cuts that sliced through his clothes and into his body. The clone disappeared with a clean pop and a burst of smoke...Taro turned around to an amused grandfather and a frustrated shinobi who was attempting to control his temper. With dirt and sweat smeared across his face he gave the two onlookers a cheeky smile, "How was that gramps?"

Present day...
Taro sat up and patted away the dirt from his pants and shirt. The sun had just fallen beyond the peak of the mountain and the training grounds were now hidden in its shadow. He could see the lanterns along the trails back to the village being lit by the townsfolk. It was time to go home, but he wasn't ready. "One more run," he said. Thinking of his grandfather and family he pulled the kunai from the ground. Facing the straw dummies he once again took a battle stance. "I won't let them down!"


Word count: 1,647
Training within Hoshikagure training grounds to learn Glass Shard Swing-C rank & Soft Wind Blowing-C rank.
Claiming 6 points in stats to speed and 10 into chakra

Approved