Reizo, Senshi, and Their Water Boy [P, Training]

It was about 2 in the afternoon, and although it was still chilly out, the sun shone brightly with few clouds in the sky. The snow from several days prior had all but completely melted, exposing the mostly barren ground of the training area. Reizo was wearing his new usual uniform - a dark indigo Tshirt over a black tank that bore his clan emblem, a red cloth sash and red bandages, black athletic slacks with a red fire emblem down his right pant leg, and of course his black Kumo headband and black sandals.

Reizo was glad to be back to training once again. The 2nd Chuunin Exam had left him drained, whether he had passed or not, but he was ready to get back into the thick of things. He planned on starting to learn some Ninjutsu, as he felt it would be necessary to advance as a ninja and as a means to keep those around him safe. He was rather capable with Taijutsu now, but he knew that Taijutsu alone would never be enough to protect those he cared about. There would be situations where he would need to handle groups of enemies, or protect himself and others, and Taijutsu alone could never suffice for that. For the most part he was already severely limited in effective range by focusing on Taijutsu. Although he did have some ranged attacks, they ultimately wouldn't be very effective in a constant ranged battle.

Reizo had also been looking into learning another element. He noticed from his previous training that it was going to be increasingly common for other shinobi on his level to know multiple elements, so if he wanted to keep up he would need to develop an affinity for another element. He was starting to feel strongly toward Water, as he knew Lightning, while strong offensively and at close range, lacked defensive and longer range capabilities. Water was also a very well rounded element and could provide a variety of utility jutsu too, such as the rain jutsu and mist jutsu that he saw his Sensei use during their confrontation with the black robed man on their mission. Reizo wanted to branch out as a shinobi. Taijutsu was enough to defend himself, but as he became more powerful, his weaknesses became more apparent. After seeing that the twins were just as capable as his teammates, Reizo felt inspired to train and stay ahead of the field. He couldn't just let these nobodies surpass him, and he certainly wouldn't let Senshi keep the upper hand for very long.

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430 words

Senshi liked to jump. This was important because Senshi had woken early to get some training in before he had to start his official duties as a Chuunin tomorrow. He was already working with several people but he felt that he needed to extend his skills in the area of Taijutsu more. He knew that he had not given nearly a good enough showing during his Chuunin Trial, third part. He would not have passed had it not been for his teammate Shoyu Reizo, a so Senshi had made sure that the Raikage knew that the new older and massively taller boy knew that his teammate was a better choice for Chuunin. In so doing he had signed the boys own death warrant, effectively since now the Raikage would make the exams harder for the blond haired Genin.
 
He had not been ordered to not warn the boy and as such he intended to let him know what awaited him so that he could be better prepared. Before he hunted the boy down later today however he needed to learn at least one new Taijutsu technique. Maybe while meeting with him they could train together again it had been awhile since they had done so. With how difficult their last C rank had been, he figured Reizo would be willing to show him some C rank techniques. In return Senshi figured he could show the other boy some lightning techniques that he had picked up along the way to allow the other boy to add some range to his skill set. In the least he would offer.
 
Pushing the thoughts off Senshi stood up from his table, having finished his breakfast and started on the dishes. He didn’t want his new apartment to look dirty ever, though it was weird living on his own. Finishing the dishes he headed out the door resealing the Fuuinjutsu Lock he had on it before he headed to the training grounds. As soon as he arrived in his preferred training grounds he unsealed a scroll with a steel training dummy in it. He was too strong for the weak straw or wooden training dummies now. They simply shattered under his strength and speed and that was something that was not useful for training.
 
These reinforced steel beams made training so much easier, and better for the now six foot seven bearded Chuunin. Senshi began to think over the technique he was going to learn, something that he had read in the Jutsu Encyclopedia. The Heavenly Foot of Pain technique had seemed like a very easy technique to learn and it was why he had learned it first. Plus it incorporated a jump into it which Senshi thought he could add to his A rank technique, twin rising dragon and make it more deadly for someone who used Body Flicker or another speed technique to close the distance with him. In the end it would be extremely beneficial if he could learn something that would help him protect himself better in close range.
 
Especially since he was struggling with whether or not he should specialize in Fuuinjutsu or Taijutsu currently. He was leaning heavily towards Fuuinjutsu but knew that would limit him severely in combat damaging techniques. It would solidify him as a Support type Chuunin, instead of as a main combat player. He was not entirely against it, as his team was set up to allow him to fulfill this role quite well. At the same time he wanted to be able to support Reizo in close range after watching how the S rank missing ninja Maku had completely stopped even Reizo’s impressively powerful attacks.
 
Shoving the thoughts off him finished his stretching and focused in on the training dummy. It was time to practice the technique, and as he usually did he started slow with the jump. He jumped into the air and practiced stretching his leg out and bringing it down in a hammer kick. His foot, without any additions of chakra or any real trying on his part easily split the ground beneath him. It wasn’t deep, nor did it make a large crate as he was holding back for now, but it was something. He spent several minutes working on making the jump and hammer kick as smooth as possible, since he didn’t want to put himself in danger.
 
He also incorporated the movements he would make if he were to be using the twin dragon’s technique. He knew that he would be able to combine the two only if he practiced hard at it. For this technique he also had to keep in mind that if he was just using it, then he didn’t need to execute a jump with his full strength. Going that high in the air would be dangerous, and Senshi didn’t want to break the rules of taijutsu that Reizo had taught him. Still he had found it interesting that there was a technique that incorporated jumping when Reizo had stressed not jumping at all. As in never. As in he had wounded Senshi when the boy had done so. Maybe combining this technique with Dynamic Entry would make that D rank more effective in the long run.
 
Senshi finally finished completing a thousand of simply jumping and performing the hammer kick. It was a necessary part of his training style to do this so that he could build up a good level of muscle memory. With that completed he began to jump and use his full strength. He kept the jumped low and focused more on just the kick and smashing it into the ground effectively. Another short thousand of this and then he began to use his speed and strength at a better level then he could normally. His kicks were leaving wide craters in the ground, causing a loud raucous. Something Senshi knew would disturb the other people training in the grounds around him, but not something that he care about at all.
 
With a small grin he executed the technique again when suddenly his head turned, he had just sensed Reizo entering a nearby training ground and several moments later he could sense Komori nearing him. This was good news since it meant Senshi wouldn’t have to search everywhere for the Genin. He wondered how Reizo would take to Senshi having been promoted to Chuunin. He had not seen the boy since it had happened, considering they were all still recovering from that impossible C rank, turned SS Rank mission. Senshi’s teeth grit slightly at his inability to save Max or Reizo from the horrors they had been forced through. His hand rose moving along the scar on his face for a moment.
 
He had however seen Komori recently and taken him, Komon, and the boy Uzumaki Hitori on a C Rank mission, much like his and Reizo’s very first C rank mission. His first time as a team leader on a mission had taught him a lot about how to do it better. Something he would remember, and be sure that he didn’t make the same mistakes again. Senshi finished completing his thousandth rendition of the Heavenly Foot of Pain technique before heading off towards where Reizo was, and Komori was approaching. His chakra had been suppressed the entire time that he had been in the training grounds, and the Heavenly Foot of Pain did not require any chakra to use so he knew Reizo and Komori wouldn’t be able to sense him.
 
As he jumped through the trees he finally spotted his teammate in a small clearing and wanting to show off his new, taller, more muscular, and bearded form in a special way to his first friend and teammate he jumped out. Using the new technique he had just learned he smashed his foot into the ground watching as it cratered and cracked around him. Leaving him standing several feet below his teammate and causing a loud enough noise that Komori would undoubtedly be draw to it. He had ensured to make as much noise as possible for jumping and even released control of his chakra so that Reizo would have enough time to notice him whether he was using Chakra Sensory or not.
 
He wanted to other boy to be able to critique his form so that he could start a conversation on Taijutsu in order to learn more from his far more experienced teammate. He wondered how the other boy would react to the now adult, well late teenage form of Senshi. Especially since Reizo had been older when they had first met on the Prison grounds. Something that felt like it had happened years ago, what with everything he had been through but in reality had only been a few short months ago. “Good Afternoon Reizo, it’s a pleasure to see you again after that mission.” Senshi faltered for a moment at the mention of the mission his jaw clenching and his hand raising, wanting to trace the scar across his face that he had received.
 
Pushing the feelings off, “I was wondering if I could speak to you about something, I think I may have made a mistake.” Senshi looked down, feeling embarrassed that his actions were going to make Reizo’s life harder. Especially since all he had wanted to do was help him. “I completed my Chuunin Exam’s a few days ago and…” The boy trailed off before taking a deep breath and raising his head to look Reizo straight in the eyes. The least he could do was look his teammate in the eyes so the boy could know Senshi deeply regretted making his life harder. He didn’t want his first friend to think that he had been betrayed by his younger teammate.
 

“In the exam we were asked a question, regarding who would make a good Chuunin. I named you and Komon as candidates who exceeded myself. I am afraid that in doing so, Raikage-sama said that he would make your exams harder because of your level of potential.” Senshi stopped, he had paraphrased and added more words than the Raikage himself had, but the idea had been there behind what the man had said. Senshi bowed to the boy before, baring the back of his neck in a sign of true remorse at his actions. “I apologize for making your exams harder, I simply wanted the Raikage to know that you have been an excellent teammate, sempai, and that you would make a far better Chuunin than I could hope to be. I am in your debt.” Senshi held the uncomfortable pose, only rising after Reizo had spoken his own piece.


WC: 1781


Techniques:
Taijutsu: Heavenly Foot of Pain

Reizo was walking toward one of the training grounds when he could hear a thumping sound somewhere in the distance. He paused for a brief moment to focus and he could clearly feel the ground shaking. It was like a pulsating earthquake. Hmm, someone must be training hard. Hope they don't rough up the area too hard, Reizo thought to himself as he resumed his progress. Ordinarily, the curious Genin would've been inclined to check it out, but he rationalized to himself that he would only get in the other shinobi's way. As he walked forward, the sound would become slightly louder and louder, but still not much more than a distant vibration and no louder than his footsteps. In fact he could only really hear it when he stopped moving. Suddenly, the sounds just stopped altogether. Reizo focused his senses for a moment, and stood still, trying to see if he could pick up the shinobi's chakra signature. To his surprise, he located Komori, whom he recognized from a previous training session, but Komori was in no way near the source of the sound.

Well, let's see. It's possible the shinobi was just taking a break, but my guess is that they sensed my presence and got curious. They even suppressed their chakra. I'm certainly within range to sense them, so they would likely be the same for me. If that's the case, and if this person is skilled (which I'm assuming he or she must be to have the cognizance to suppress their chakra), and they took the shortest possible route, then they should be... Reizo reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out a shuriken with his left hand. He pivoted and brought his attention to his right, where he expected the mystery figure to emerge any moment now. The first thing he reacted to was the sight of a silhouette through the bare branches of the trees. It was winter time after all, and so most of the trees were barren. Next, he heard the sound as the massive figure put an extra amount of pressure on the closest branch to Reizo, and leapt into the air. The Genin would take a small step back as an initial reaction to the jump, but upon realizing the person had gone high and not nearly as far, he felt no need to retreat. With a flick of the wrist, Reizo threw the shuriken as Senshi reached his peak jump height, still not recognizing his teammate. The shuriken was aimed to graze the shinobi's left cheek so that it would also hit just above the shinobi's left ear lobe. He didn't intend to do much else than scare the shinobi, as he didn't even know the shinobi's intentions. Reizo also wanted to make it clear that he would not be easy to get the jump on, and that taking to the air could've led to that ninja's demise had Reizo chosen a more powerful action.

Regardless of the outcome of the little exchange, Senshi would crush the ground into a crater beside Reizo. Reizo was somewhat surprised at this shinobi's strength, and it was only once the hulking beast of a man looked up that Reizo recognized him as his teammate Senshi. "Senshi?! Geez, I didn't know it was you! You're old! You're not hurt are you?" Reizo would exclaim upon his realization that he could've taken out Senshi's left eye with the shuriken. Reizo would rub his chin and cheeks, noticing he had yet to grow any facial hair of his own before reflecting on Senshi's manly beard. "That's a badass curtain you got going on there! I know I haven't seen you in a minute, but damn that grew out fast. You look 7 years older!" Reizo would comment.

Reizo would listen as Senshi mentioned that he had completed his exams. It would explain why Senshi seemed to be so much older. Perhaps it was the stature and rank that made him seem that way, beard or no beard. Reizo was about to congratulate Senshi when Senshi began to apologize for recommending him for Chuunin. Reizo was flattered, and almost outright disgusted when Senshi started to grovel for forgiveness from the boy. There weren't many things that bothered Reizo. The only things he really disliked were traitors and those who were disloyal or went back on their word. Reizo certainly didn't see this as betrayal in anyway. It was a compliment. "Quit your apologies, Senshi. You're a Chuunin now, you shouldn't be acting this way to your juniors. It's very unbecoming. Besides, the exam wasn't that bad; in fact it was kinda fun," Reizo would say, somewhat aggressively. He reveled in the challenge of a harder exam. It was clear this was meant to be a warning, but it had come a bit late. It didn't really matter either way to Reizo - sure the exam was designed to be hard (and as he just learned, even harder than usual), but part of becoming a shinobi was dealing with adversity. Reizo really didn't appreciate the fact that Senshi, who was now nearly twice Reizo's size and his senior, was acting so sheepish in front of him. It was frankly even embarrassing. "You're not in my debt anymore than I'm in yours. You spoke honestly, and even gave me some credit in the Raikage's eyes that I'm not sure I truly deserved, so thank you. I should be in your debt if anything," the Genin would say to the Chuunin. "Since you're here though, I'd be down to train with you. I sensed Komori not so far off too. I'd imagine he'd be on his way shortly. I'm sure he's sensed my chakra too by now," Reizo would say, making it pretty clear that he intentionally hadn't suppressed his chakra as a means to attract more attention. He was looking forward to training with the new Chuunin and the Hozuki; he hadn't gotten such an opportunity in a while.

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1001 + 430 = 1431 words

As Komori was wandering around utilizing chakra sensory, all he seemed to be able to recognize were rather basic chakra signatures of other shinobi out training. He did not have any one signature completely memorized, but he did feel a vaguely familiar signature as he began to approach it. As he was more aware of his surroundings than he had been on that near disaster of a C-rank mission, he noticed the trembling vibrations that seemed to be echoing through the earth. It was not constant, so he was aware that it most likely was not an earthquake, especially since the ground had not opened up and swallowed him and the rest of the village. These vibrations had a steady alternating pattern to them. Tremble, halt, tremble, halt. This would continue and Komori decided to ultimately ignore it, as he was in a training ground and this was more than likely just the result of someone hard at work. Komori continued past the woods as he neared a clearing just in time to see an unnaturally tall man leap from a tree while Reizo threw a projectile towards him. He was almost immediately aware that the man was Senshi, as he had not seen anyone else near that height. He watched as the shuriken seemed to make contact, but he was not quite sure, as he was still a distance aways. As Komori was about to run up to see what had happened, Senshi landed against the ground with an extended kick, creating a crater where he had landed and sending shockwaves through the earth. Oh, so that’s what that was. Komori would then approach with chakra sensory, where he recalled the colder chakra of Senshi and the chakra of Reizo, which was not necessarily more powerful, but exuded more of a brutish strength. Senshi was arguably the strongest of the group, especially with his relatively quick promotion. Komori looked around for a water source, as he wanted to show off a jutsu to make a better entrance, but alas to no avail. His better techniques would require a water source and he decided not to create his own from rain water. He was trying to cut back on recreational uses for ninjutsu anyways, as his carelessness on the apprehension mission had nearly gotten his teammate killed. Instead, he jogged at a light pace up to the two and arrived after whatever conversation they had had finished. He greeted Senshi before turning to Reizo, as was his motivation for coming out here in the first place, “Hey, would you mind teaching me a couple of taijutsu moves? I meant to ask you sooner, but my taijutsu exam is approaching really soon and I wanted to go into it with more confidence in my ability, you know? I would really appreciate it.”

WC: 971

As Senshi entered the training grounds, it seemed that Reizo had more than heard his approach and was reacting rather violently to being snuck up on. Something that shouldn’t have surprised the newly promoted Chuunin considering the mission they had just compeleted. Being attacked by an S rank missing nin would put anyone on the defensive. Senshi wouldn’t be surprised to learn that they all had some form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from it. After all their leader had been taken out so quickly. As the Shuriken came flying at Senshi he decided to attempt a very basic blocking Taijutsu technique that he had recently read about.

The Inside to outside block could increase his speed just enough that he would be able to catch the spinning shuriken in his hand. Normally it wouldn’t affect a weapon but since he was simply looking to deflect the Shuriken from impaling his eye it should do the trick. His hands moved out in front of him and in a circular motion he brought his hand around just as the shuriken bit into his cheek slicing it open clear to the bone. Before it could continue traveling upwards and cut into his eye he slipped his finger into the center of the shuriken allowing it to spin lazily around his finger as he completed his taijutsu attack on the ground.
 
He stood calmly staring at Reizo as his cheek poured blood down his face and started dripping onto the ground. He tossed the Shuriken gently towards Reizo, since he knew just how expensive those damn things were. He didn’t want the other boy to lose one and then have to spend his hard earned money on more. The shuriken would be coated in his blood, making it slippery but Senshi was pretty sure that Reizo would catch it easily. Deciding that he didn’t want to be bleeding every for the entirety of this conversation or training session Senshi decided to work on healing the deep wound he now held. He had mastered the basic medical E rank technique, but that wasn’t really meant for wounds as deep as this.
 
As his hand lit up with green chakra he managed to at least stem the flow of blood from the wound and start to close it a little bit so the white of zygote arch was no longer visible. He dropped his hand and began speaking to the other boy. It would be rude to sit here and try to heal his wound while Reizo was offering him a good critique of his new technique. Plus it would be the height of rudeness if he was performing a technique while he was offering his heart felt apology. He had already done a grave disservice to his teammate, he didn’t want to compound that with rudeness as well.  

Senshi blinked in mild confusion as Reizo began to berate him for apologizing. Didn’t he understand that Senshi had just made his life more difficult, however inadvertently he had made things much harder on the Genin. Still if he saw it as a compliment and did not mind the fact that his Chuunin exam trials would be more difficult because of Senshi’s actions then who was Senshi to raise alarm to this. If Reizo was fine with the outcome of all of this then Senshi would just have to accept it. He rose to his full height but before he could respond to the Genin, Komori finally entered the clearing. Senshi raised a slight eyebrow at the boy as he requested training from Reizo.


Well this was rather beneficial since Komori had broken the seal so to speak it allowed Senshi to do the same. He gave a nod of greeting to Komori before speaking, “Komori, it is good to see you again.” He turned his eyes back towards Reizo and continued speaking, “I had actually wanted to request some assistance in learning some C rank taijutsu from you as well Reizo. If you were interested I could show you some more lightning weaponry techniques, or even Raiton Jodan, the technique I used in our taijutsu spar with Raikage-Sama.” Senshi hoped that his teammate would be down from training him and Komori, and offering some more lightning style techniques to the Genin would hopefully be enough of an incentive to do so.  

WC: 726
TWC: 2507


Techniques:
Taijutsu: Heavenly Foot of Pain
Inside to Outside Block

Komori joined the two Team Red members to Reizo's delight. Reizo was taken aback by all their requests however. An onlooker would've thought that Reizo was the chuunin in the group considering he was the one inundated with requests to teach Taijutsu. Reizo would address Komori first. "Our Taijutsu exam was tough! Don't expect your opponent to go easy on you. Odds are they'll be much stronger than you, actually. I can teach you some of what I know though, sure," Reizo would say, turning his attention so that it would be split between the two of them before continuing. "How about, Senshi-kun teaches me Raiton: Jodan, which if I recall is the lightning groin strike as well as a couple of other weaponry jutsu, and you, Komori-chan, can teach me how to use the water element. I've been looking into Ninjutsu and other elements, and I think Water might be the most complementary. I'm extremely weak at range, and I feel like water would help me overcome that. Plus everyone that doesn't know lightning, seems to know water around me. It seems to just make sense that I should learn it," Reizo would say, looking to compose a deal between the three of them.

The three of them made quite the sight. Senshi dwarfed the two Genin, and Komori wa significantly slimmer and less built than the other two. Reizo wasn't exactly sure what jutsu Komori was looking to learn, but he knew a few jutsu that would certainly prove useful to both of them if they didn't know them already.

"There are 3 jutsu I think every non-Taijutsu specialist should know. For their utility and their effectiveness. The first is a standard blocking jutsu. You simply reinforce your limbs with chakra and brace your body for the impact of whatever attack or jutsu comes at you. This extends from C-rank all the way to S-rank, but I think the C-rank basic version should be known by everyone. It's one of the few defensive options you can implement at an instant's notice. I realize you have the hydrification technique for similar effects, but it might be worthwhile to learn in the future anyway, Komori. The other 2 jutsu go hand in hand. The first is the Leaf Rising Wind, which is an uppercut kick that you can use to duck under an attack and launch your opponent into the air. The second is the follow up in which you trail your opponent from directly below as though you're their shadow. It's aptly called the Dancing Leaf Shadow," Reizo would explain.

Reizo would then move away from the two to a more open area to show off the moves. Should neither of them need to learn how to block, as he had a feeling they might, he wouldn't demonstrate it, instead demonstrating the pair of Taijutsu he mentioned second. Reizo would slowly crouch to the ground, so that he was nearly hugging the ground, his left hand on the ground to give additional support and power for the follow up. In one fluid motion, he would spring off the ground, his right leg going perfectly vertical and orthogonal to the ground. He would flip over so that he was on all fours, drawing a shuriken from his weapons pouch as he flipped, and flicking it into the air to mimic an opponent that had just been struck by the kick (speed 50). Reizo, now on all fours, would appear to blink from the ground to just below the shuriken as it reached the apex of its flight, matching its horizontal and vertical velocities perfectly, and snagged it out of the air. Reizo would flip to land back on his feet, and pocketed the shuriken. "It shouldn't be too hard. You just have to make sure you get your angle on your kick high enough so that you'll be sure to send your opponent straight up, or almost so. The Dancing Leaf Shadow is kind of tricky to match perfectly however," Reizo would comment, turning to his students. "Any questions?"

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679 + 1431 = 2110 words

Senshi would not have minded an on looker thinking that Reizo was a Chuunin, because in Senshi’s mind the other boy should have been promoted already. It was likely only due to some strange error that he had yet to receive a vest and be promoted himself. Senshi would never think that his teammate was just being lazy and putting the exams off to the side. Still Senshi easily admitted when something was not his specialty, and while he could easily teach others how to be better at weapons or even give them a good grounding in the basics of any specialty type, Taijutsu was not quite his forte. A good leader always knew when to admit someone else was better at something and would step back and allow them to take the lead. So thus Senshi was acting every bit the Chuunin that he was.
 
He knew he needed to better himself in Taijutsu and thus he had sought out someone who was not only a taijutsu prodigy but also someone who was on the verge of Chuunin rank himself. If he’d just get up off his laurels and do the exams that is. Senshi looked between the two Genin as Komori also wanted to be taught Taijutsu, this was beneficial since Senshi wouldn’t really need to ask he could just join in to learn as well. Reizo’s request to Komori rather surprised the dark haired Chuunin, since he too had been intending to learn the water element eventually as well. This was looking to turn into the most productive training day that he had encountered in a long time. Senshi realized that though he despised human company, maybe seeking it out more often would be smarter of him. Especially if his fellow shinobi could teach him things, instead of he always being the one teaching others.
 
It was enjoyable to be on the other side of the fence for the first time in a long while. Senshi gave a firm nod before he spoke, “I would gladly teach both of you some weaponry techniques and the Raiton Jodan. Once mastered Raiton Jodan has quite the ability to be… shocking.” It might come as a surprise to the two Genin to hear Senshi make a pun, what almost amounted to a joke of all things. But he was beginning to feel more comfortable around Komori, and he had begun to count Reizo as a friend after the amount of things they had gone through together. In fact, he would go so far as to say he had some small measure of loyalty to the blond haired Genin. Senshi’s face remained completed straight as he had said his pun pausing for only a moment before continuing on, “I too would welcome the chance to learn the Water element, if that would be fine with you Komori. I need to expand from just lightning and wind techniques and Water has the opportunity to increase my stealth and ranged abilities.”
 
Senshi had read that not only speaking politely but also in sometimes joking with comrades that you could increase your bond with them. He wasn’t sure just how effective joking was but he certainly hoped the book and the multiple case studies he had read on it turned out to be true. He wanted to increase his bonds with Komori and Reizo because he knew down the line that they would be able to teach him more. Plus the dangerous C rank mission against Maku that he and Reizo had just completed had taught the boy that being able to rely on one another was a necessity. Senshi’s eyebrow twitched slightly as Komori made two clones, and they proceeded to ask about girls. Why was the other boy always so concerned about a member of the female species being around.
 
The one time they had done a solo training session together he had also been distracted by the females that were passing by. Senshi also noticed that he tended to act odd, and awkward whenever they were around as well. Giving a light tilt of his head in confusion he managed to banish the thoughts as the Komori’s spoke between themselves. As one of the clones set off to the village for chakra paper, Senshi resisted the urge to face palm. Before Reizo could start in on his speech about Taijutsu techniques they would be learning Senshi spoke quickly, wanting to correct the issues in Komori’s knowledge of chakra paper. “Komori, Chakra paper is only used to determine the first element a shinobi learns. After that chakra natures are learned through hard work, the only way for the chakra paper to establish what the new elements are, is to be capable of channeling that type of element through their chakra all ready. You may want to save yourself some money and disperse the clone beforehand.”
 
Senshi felt like he had already explained this to Komori when he had taught the lightning element to Hittori, with Komon’s help. But then maybe not. Or maybe Komori just had an impossibly short memory and had already forgotten. If that was the case Senshi would just have to find a way to beat it into the water boys head. Reizo began the explanation and Senshi dismissed the mild mentions of the Block technique since he had already taken the time to learn it. Though he didn’t doubt that he could use further practice in the technique, it was not his main focus right now. Senshi watched as Reizo began his demonstration, first by crouching low and maintaining a steady base with a single hand planted on the ground.
 
Senshi rose an eyebrow at the obvious power behind the move in the way he lashed upwards with his foot, he had no doubt that if that kick were to connect with anything it would be incredibly painful. As the genin flipped over and threw the shuriken, Senshi tracked it with his eyes easily, also evaluating Reizo’s form in the throw. It had become such a habit as of late to ensure others were good with their weapons that he didn’t even realize he was doing it. As Reizo disappeared in a blur of speed in the shadow of the shuriken, Senshi was surprised that he didn’t accidentally cut himself as he smashed the shuriken into the ground. He could mentally see how such a technique would be dangerous to use on an opponent. One who was unprepared for the impact into the ground would find themselves with a potentially broken neck.
 
Definitely a worthy technique, and they seemed to work together as a combo. Though either could clearly be used on its own, joing them together one after the other would cause maximum damage. Maybe if he had known something like then when he had been on the C rank he would have been able to spare them the damage they had all taken. Senshi’s scar across his face was obvious, Reizo’s undoubtedly hidden on his legs, and well Max… Max was maimed for all eternity. As Komori moved off to practice the technique with his clones Senshi moved back into the crater he had already created. Pulling one of the scrolls off his belt he unsealed it so that a seven foot tall, four foot wide steel pillar appeared. Picking it up Senshi pushed it into the ground so it could stand easily on its own before he took several steps away.
 
He then began his usual process when learning any new technique. Break it down barney style. He slowly crouched ensuring that he was taking the same position that Reizo had. He had to move his hand and left leg a bit until he felt that it was comfortable enough to feel like a good steady base. He practiced dropping from his full standing height to the crouching position slowly, several times before he began to speed up. He might look weird to the others just standing and then crouching repeatedly, but it was building the muscle memory in him so that he could perform the technique instinctively. Once he felt comfortable that he could drop into the proper crouched form with no problems he began the second step.
 
Using the power in his legs and hand he would push off the ground and strike with his dominant right leg into the air with an upper cut kick. It was odd, since he had just been practicing the reverse of this kick all morning but he was steadily becoming more and more comfortable with the crouch, into kick movement. He was leaving large impressions in the dirt from where his hands and feet were pushing off of the ground. After a hundred repetitions of going from the crouch into the kick, Senshi then combined the two movements together. He would start standing and then with a sudden burst of speed crouch down, pushing off the ground as soon as his hand and feet hit their correct placements and lash a kick up into the air with all the strength he could muster.
 
He spent several minutes repeating the whole performance until he felt comfortable that he had not only a good basic grasp on it, but also that he was beginning to commit the movement to muscle memory. Muscle memory was extremely important since when one became tired they would begin to make mistakes and this was the best way to ensure that even when tired he performed every technique to the best of his ability. Now that he felt comfortable performing the technique on his own, with no target he moved so that he was standing right in front of his training pillar. He moved in a blur of movement crouching and then pushing off the ground as hard as possible lashing out with his right leg and kicking the pillar into the air, a dent appearing in it as his leg connected.
 
Senshi watched as the pillar soared into the air, waiting patiently for it to come back down. Once he judged that its height was good enough he crouched again and pushed up off the ground this time launching the pillar up in the air with a kick from his non dominant leg. He played this odd game with himself for several minutes alternating legs and watching as more and more dents appeared in the pillar. Finally he caught the pillar and set it back down gently into his little personal training crater. Taking a small break to catch his breath Senshi pulled the same scroll as before off his belt, intending to use it as his training aid for the second technique. He knew that he needed to follow in an objects shadow, so it would be much like his shadow shuriken technique. Only instead of throwing another weapon in the shadow of another he would be the weapon.
 
Focusing on the scroll he tossed it lazily into the air before blinking up in a blur of speed to try and follow its same trajectory. His first attempt, while not terrible, was not anywhere near combat effective. He was several inches off from being centered on the scrolls shadow and he had misjudged the speed, and was moving far faster than the scroll. So instead of reaching the apex of their jumping path at the same time Senshi found that he crossed it well before the scroll. Turning in the air he caught the scroll and then flipped himself around so that he landed smoothly back on the ground. Throwing the scroll again he proceeded to practice for several minutes until he could finally judge the correct speed to move at and put himself in the scrolls shadow.
 
It was time for the final portions of this training part. Replacing the scroll on his belt he moved so that he was standing directly in front of his training pillar and with a deep breath he ducked into a crouch as though he were evading a hit, then immediately pushed off the ground smashing his leg into the pillar kicking it high into the air. Before his foot had reached its highest point he bent at the knee on his standing foot and pushed off the ground finding himself in the pillars shadow moving around in the air he reached out digging his fingers into the pillar so that it cracked, creating small finger like indents. This increased his grip and he forced the steel pillar to turn with him in the air and then using his abdominal muscles he wrenched himself and the pillar around to the side creating a slight spin. As they started to spin he grunted from the force of the strength he was used and threw the pillar towards the center of the crater with all of his strength.
 
He had just enough time to force his body to turn in the air and land in a crouch as the pillar connected to the ground making a loud crashing sound and sending dust and dirt flying violently in the air. Once the dust had dispersed Senshi could see that the pillar had several cracks along it, and was embedded more than halfway into the dirt. Walking over to it he reached out and with a violent grunt of power wrenched it back out of the ground before setting it back down. The pillar wobbled as its balanced had been ruined from the violent attack. Senshi gave a light sigh as he felt blood beginning to flow down his face from the wound Reizo had inflicted on him earlier. With a sigh he rose his hand and ran it over his cheek, the light green of the healing chakra bright around his hand.
 
It wasn’t enough to completely heal the wound, which irritated the newly promoted Chuunin as the wound was annoying. With a sigh he jumped from the center of his crater to stand next to Reizo, “Is there anything I can do to improve my technique?” He would wait and listen to the other boy, before nodding, intending on practicing the two techniques more later. While they might just be usable right now, he didn’t consider them completely combat effective yet. “To start, Raiton Jodan. The hand seals are Tiger and then Dog. Channel your lightning chakra into your fist and then strike out. I’d recommend mastering it, since using it without hand seals makes it a far more effective technique.” Senshi then performed the hand seals and struck out, his hand bright with chakra.
 
He took a moment before repeating the strike only this time, without handseals showing how much faster it was with no handseals, and how relatively simple it was as well. “Next is Chain fist, I don’t know if either of you need it but it’s a useful taijutsu technique I learned recently that allows someone to slow an opponent down with their strikes.” Senshi then took a slightly odd stance and when he struck at the air his arms made a more circular motion instead of just the normal straight jabs he normally threw. He demonstrated with both a closed hand and an open hand showing the difference in speed in power when you changed your hands. “Next is known as Raiton Kunai Cutter, its only hand sign is dog. Be warned it is bright and rather loud, though mastery can change this as well. You’ll need to know Chakra Infusion to use this.”
 
Senshi then made the dog sign and reached into his weapons pouch pulling out a Kunai, almost immediately the blade lit up brightly and began to crackle loudly. Lightning chakra obviously dancing aong the blade. He then threw it watching as the blade flew faster, and with more power than just a normal throw. He reached down and this time with no hand seals he pulled a kunai from his pouch, it was less noisy and less bright this time as he threw it watching as it sliced through the air just as fast as the previous version. He figured showing a technique mastered and normal would let them determine if they wanted to learn it, or even other techniques further. “The final technique is Raiton Swift Cutting. It, like the Taijutsu Block technique has multiple versions. This is just the D rank, if you want to learn the others I can demonstrate those as well.”
 
Senshi paused as he pulled out a third Kunai, and then continued speak “The hand signs are Dog, Rat, Snake, Dragon, and finally dog.” As he spoke he performed the hand signs slowly so the two Genin could see, the blade again lit up with lightning chakra crackling loudly and shining brightly. He turned throwing the weapon watching as it sliced through the air faster than the last kunai, but it was obvious once it struck the tree he had been aiming at that it was weaker in power. Repeating the hand signs his hand moved down grabbing a shuriken from his pouch and this time when he threw the weapon he used the A rank version, watching as it blurred with the pure speed and power he had imbued into it.
 

With a light shrug he looked back at both of the Genin, “That second one was the A rank version, just to show you how powerful it can become. Was there any other weaponry techniques you wanted to learn? I know several C ranks that could be useful for basic bladed weapons. I also know some wind techniques if either of you can utilize that element.” As Senshi waited for their response he walked over to the tree he had been using as target practice and collected his Kunai, pocketing them before walking back over. As he did so a thought struck him and he pulled two scrolls off his belt kneeling down at the edge of the crater he had created. “There’s no natural water here, but I know a sealing technique that allows me to carry a lot of water so I’ll just create a little pond for us here.” Senshi then unrolled both of the water sealing scrolls and released the contents into the crater watching as it filled half way up.


WC: 3046
TWC: 5553


Techniques:
Taijutsu: Heavenly Foot of Pain
Inside to Outside Block
Leaf Rising Wind  (Half Count Due to Being taught by Reizo)
Dancing Leaf Shadow (Half Count Due to Being taught by Reizo)