Training Day

Time to train Kirino would think as she made breakfast and made food for her pet fox. After locking up the door she would head over to the training grounds. With all of the chuunin and genin in Suna, it was hard to come by someone worth training with. Which usually meant you were training by yourself, not to mention none of the hard missions could be done without at least one chuunin member. How in the hell did the village expect to make money? That was only one of the questions that raced through the girl’s head. Another being the question of why the hell hadn’t she been promoted yet. Maybe, she would leave, stab a few people, or something to get her reputation up. Before that though she had to get a little stronger.

At the training grounds Kirino would sigh not many people around again and the curse mark on the back of her neck started to twinge. Not yet, soon I can use you but for now stay put and don’t activate. Luckily the curse mark was easy to use and only required a thought to activate. Kirino had tried it briefly in her house and watched vine like markings extend from her neck to the rest of her body. It was an odd look to say the least.


The Kaguya started to stretch before her work out, didn’t want to pull anything. Then she would hit the ground with all of her might to signify the start of her training. The fist went right through the soft dirt and then she pulled back and started to run. After this test run Kirino would use the seal to punch the dirt and sprint the same distance and hope to see the change. The distance she used was between two sets of training dummies about twenty meters apart.

WC: 311

What does knowledge smell like? Many people would probably say an idea like knowledge cannot have a smell and that anyone who assigns a smell to an idea might not be playing with a full deck. However, for an Inuzuka everything had a smell. For Ashi Inuzuka in particular knowledge smelled like mildew and as she stood among the stacks of Konohagakure's library she smelled just that, mildew

On either side of her books were meticulously arranged in rows creating a muted rainbow. Perhaps six years ago one could have found a younger Ashi in the library from dusk till dawn preparing for her next teaching session. Unfortunately, as of late, free time had become less and less of a luxury, so as she walked through the vaguely familiar halls of knowledge she savored each moment. That smell, she couldn't get enough of that smell.

Pausing at the circulation desk at the heart of the library, the woman waited for what sounded like a rat moving around to cease. When it did indeed cease a small woman appeared from behind the desk with dust in her graying hair and a pair of wild eyes magnified a bit too much by thick glasses. The smaller woman appeared as if she lived at the circulation desk, which was something Ashi wouldn't be surprised by.

"Ah, Ashi there you are," the old woman leaned over the desk looking at the anbu. "You look well, you really should drop by more often."

"Sor—" Ashi's apology was cut off by a wheezy chuckle from the other woman.

"Don't bother with your apologies, you're busy I get it, but I found this and knew you'd want to see it."

The old woman pulled out what looked like a small leatherbound journal and placed it on the desk in front of her as if were a precious stone.

"Agatha, I don't have time read someone's mindless scribbling..."

"Scribbling?" The old woman who went by Agatha scoffed. "This is an important historical document and more than that it would be incredibly useful to someone with your..."

She paused.

"...Your skill set."

All those years ago when the Senju laid waste to the village many repositories of knowledge had been destroyed. With a large part of the village flooded books were quite literally dissolving and Ashi had helped with the collection of said books. Suffice to say Agatha had been more than kind to her since then.

"What do you mean my skill set?" Ashi asked, genuinely curious. How much did Agatha know about her?

"I may be hard of hearing, but I'm not blind, girl." Ashi winced at Agatha's use of the word 'girl'. "You use to spend all your time here reading about taijutsu. Trust me you'll want to read this."

Ashi took the book Agatha pushed into her hands.

"Now get to reading. I cleared off your normal desk in the back." She jabbed a bony finger over her shoulder.

"Than—" Ashi was cut off one last time.

"Thank me later. Now go."

There was no arguing with Agatha when she got like this so Ashi simply nodded once before making her way to the back where a well-lit workplace awaited her. Over the course of the next two hours, she read the journal written by Kai Taura. The man's handwriting was not all that good, but Ashi got used to it after the first couple pages. The journal had what one might expect from daily events and a bit of poetry, but the core of it seemed to depict a technique Kai held in high regard, the inner gates.

There were references throughout his writing to these gates that quite literally seemed to gate a person's true power. However, it was not until the final pages that he went into any depth on the subject. Here Ashi learned that Kai meant for the journal to go to his son so as to better protect himself—the Inuzuka saw no indication that his son ever got it. However, she did learn that to open one's inner gates required the strictest of discipline and the highest level of physical fitness.

In no time at all Ashi found herself reading the last couple pages and an inscription meant for Kai's son Shinji. Letting out a breath she realized she'd been holding her breath for the last pages. It felt weird; Agatha had been right. If she could access the power of these inner gates then she'd be better able to keep Konohagakure safe, she'd be better able to prevent another destruction. The path forward was now clear.

"Thank you, Agatha," Ashi said with a bow as she left. "You don't mind if I hold onto this for a while do you?"

"It's already checked out in your name." The old woman shot back with a knowing smile.

Returning the smile Ashi went on her way to another familiar location, the training grounds, after dropping the journal off at the barracks. Luckily, the weather had a hint of spring in it and the early afternoon sun shone on Konoha. The breeze that blew through her hair was a bit cool but definitely bearable. Even if it hadn't been bearable, Ashi probably would've endured for the sake of what she hoped to accomplish.

Arriving at the training grounds she was a bit disappointed to see that she would not be alone. There were a few shinobi scattered here and there. Some practiced jutsu while others practiced their aim and one even appeared to be performing a relay race between a few training dummies. None of it matter to Ashi at the moment, however.

She found herself a nice spot near the treeline and took a seat. Sitting cross-legged she went over what Kai had written. To open the gates one must be at peace with themselves, one must understand the flow of their own chakra and one must be able to control the flow of said chakra. From there, well, Kai made it seem easy. Thus, Ashi gazed out at the field before her in an attempt to unlock the hidden potential Kai had touted as the 'ultimate sword and shield'.
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WC: 1,031

”Okay, lets do this.” Black markings would begin to extend across the girls skin. At first they would be red like hot coals, before settling into a solid black color. The markings looked like hooks intertwined had worked themselves around the girls body.”Guahh.” Kirino grunted as the pain hit her, it was bearable so she worked through it.

Kirino would punch the ground again causing a shower of dirt to be pulled up as she brought back her fist. After that she ran back to the other dummy this time at an even faster pace. This is the power of the seal Ganki, has given me. I need to bring out more of its power. The girl would crack her fist before forming the pattern for the daytime tiger. After that she would tap her outstretched hand with enough force to create a cone of pressurized air in the form of a tiger. The resulting air would crash into the dummy the girl was previously at blowing a gust of wind that would move the Kaguya’s hair around.


She would then look around to make sure no one had gotten effected by the blast, once in the clear it was time to start practice against some trees. As Kirino walked to the tree line she would notice someone sitting within them. Maybe, they were training and were having a lunch break. A little too early for that in Kirino’s mind, but to each their own. ”Good morning, I do not t wish to disturb thee but do you care if I do some training here? The words were kind and complimented by the smile, but that was Kirino’s way. Put up a front on the outside, so that they won’t see the dagger coming later. It was a good skill to have, it’s easier to take down the unexpecting.

WC: 310

In, out; inhale and exhale.

Ashi's heart rate dropped down lower and lower. As an anbu, she had been trained to keep her cool in even the most stressful of situations. Thus, simple meditation had become second nature, there wasn't much of a challenge in it. The word second nature came to mind at times like these. Indeed, such mastery was what set the special forces of Konoha apart from the rest and also happened to be what Ashi hoped would allow her to open Kai's inner gates.

Seconds turned to minutes and the Inuzuka began to lose track of time. During her genin days, her jounin team leader had preached the state of flow, when everything seemed to slow down and movements became effortless. Since her time as a genin she had experienced just such flow often when she had was focused intently on a single task. However, this time, as she turned her eye inward, she felt that same flow, not from a singular focus, but rather an all-encompassing one. It felt strange and alien while also being surprisingly freeing.

In her mind's eye, she could see her own chakra network. She'd spent countless hours memorizing each twist and turn along with how it intertwined with the skeletal system. Truthfully, it was an interesting concept, but Ashi's focus did not lay on the beauty inherent to human design. No, rather she focused on a point within her brain, a foreign concept to say the least.

Kai claimed the first gate lay in the mind. One had to first overload this gate to allow their body to function at its maximum capacity. In theory, the human body restrained itself in some attempt to prevent self-harm. Ashi wasn't too sure about the theory holding any weight, but it was worth trying. Diverting a large portion of her chakra to her head the woman waited. Kai mentioned in his writing that one could not force the opening, it took time and would happen when it happened. The text alluded to the fact that some people took years to reach even the first gate, time well spent the anbu thought.

Another minute passed and she felt something. It felt as if she had her hand on a door knob. She could feel it in her chakra flow as it quickened with her heart rate. It was right there! All she had to do was reach out and grab it and grab she did. Her chakra circulated faster and faster, just one more turn of the metaphorical knob and she'd be there.

What?

A voice pulled her from her concentration and back into the training fields, back to reality and away from her goal. Blinking a few times she looked up at the source of the distraction, a white-haired girl. Perhaps were she someone else she would have snarled angrily at the girl and told her to buzz off, but she was not.

"Not at all," Ashi returned the girl's smile with a toothy one of her own. "Please be my guest."

The more she looked at the girl the more something seemed off. She appeared to have black markings of some sort all over her body. Wasn't she a bit too young for a tattoo? Maybe Ashi was just too old?

"Are you ok?" She asked with genuine concern in her voice. To make her point she stood up and gestured to the markings.

They were a bit strange.
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WC: 1609

”Thank you.” The Kaguya would say as she readied to step off and uproot a tree, but the stare kind of kept her from moving. Of, course she is going to ask me about the strange markings who wouldn’t ask about them. With a smile the girl would say ”Oh, yes. I am fine, thank you for asking. These markings are simply an effect of a jutsu that makes me stronger and faster, nothing to worry about.” Kirino didn’t mention the fact that the seal leaves her feeling drained of course, but whatever you don’t need to tell strangers that anyway.

”If you will excuse me, I have much training to do. You are free to join if you would like.” After that she would bow and then move away from the girl to let her finish what it was she had been doing before, but likely with a jounin’s honed senses she would still be able to hear whatever Kirino was planning to do.

As Kirino got far enough away she would punch a tree with all of her might creating a loud cracking sound and leaving a massive dent within the tree. With the dent there Kirino would grip the tree and break it completely off from where the dent was. She would then angle the tree to make it easier to climb onto another and would break off more trees and set them up the same way. Balance and speed training for today. This would cause quite a ruckus as by the time Kirino finished about ten trees would have been taken down and then moved.


Alright curse mark, lets push you to your limits. With that the Kaguya would start to run up one of the broken trees and into one of the unbroken ones, before jumping over to a tree only a few meters away. The trees made it so that Kirino wouldn’t always have to jump as Nomo had said being caught in the air was bad. Hence the use of the logs to run up and run down.

WC: 345

A jutsu?

Nine times out of ten any oddity in Ashi's life could be explained by a jutsu, kind of annoying. Another thing she knew was that jutsu were always something to worry about. Perhaps the common shinobi didn't think much of it, but too often they used what was meant to be a weapon inappropriately. Or maybe such actions were a result of not seeing what a jutsu can do to a person's body? Unfortunately, Ashi had seen the consequences more times than she could count. Yes, she had blood on her hands all in the name of Konohagakure, what did that make her?

Thankfully, such thoughts did not have much time to take root in Ashi's mind, because that bonehead from before had made a poor choice. Let's be real, what kind of person thinks it's alright to go around ripping up trees? Like really? Those things take more than a while to grow and ripping them up simply isn't something that is done. People lacked common sense, apparently.

"Hey, kid," Ashi's voice raised over the felling of the trees. "Have some respect! Those took some time to grow."

Man, she must've been getting old. Here she was yelling at a kid for destroying village property. Then again, old age wasn't all bad, right?

"Most of these trees are older than you."

For the first time, a bit of indignant anger crept into her voice.
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WC: 1847

Not when you have a clan that literally can grow trees within your village. Was the only thought than ran through Kirino’s head as she was addressed as “Hey, kid.” Kirino studied many of the villages laws which was the first time she had encountered the name Senju, apparently outside of the village it was illegal to have their wood release powers. ”Oh, I am sorry. I just like to hit something hard when I train and assumed the Senju clan was responsible for making new trees.” Not much point in putting them back I guess, damage is done and I can’t fix trees.


The tone the other ninja was using was quite annoying. All of the things ninja could be doing and here we have the tree protection enforcement agency. Kirino wasn’t going to tell this crazy lady about the countless other trees she had destroyed in her training. It wasn’t countless because there were a lot, but because she never really cared how many were destroyed.

If this person was willing to yell she must have been a higher rank, but in her mind that didn’t mean much. Not like Konoha understood how to gauge the quality of a ninja, if they did she wouldn’t still be a genin. So, instead of causing an argument she would just comply. ”I won’t take down anymore trees, but I really must get back to work. Carpe diem and all of that.” She would smile and try to move a few meters away. As she moved the anger she was holding in began to affect her curse mark.


The vines glowed a red color before turning her skin a deep shade of brown. Her pale skin wasn’t the only thing effected, but the color of her sclera were black and pupils gold. Her hair was left unchanged, but she had two slight horn like protrusions on her forehead. That hurt a lot. Kirino didn’t make any noise because of the proximity of the other ninja she didn’t even make a face that would show there was something wrong. I guess this is another power of the curse mark, it feels different. Like energy is flowing into me even faster.


WC: 368

Ashi's nose wrinkled at the mention of the name Senju. The clan had a complicated reputation in the village as they were both creators and destroyers. For Ashi, however, it was more the destroyer that she remembered. All that aside, the girl was clearly quite naive; just because something can be fixed doesn't mean it needs to be broken. Such an ideology could lead one down a dangerous path of wanton destruction and in Konoha unchecked destruction tended to lead to a place six feet under.

Carpe Diem?

An interesting use of the phrase to say the least considering the situation. But that is youth for you, always moving forward and preaching about the 'next step'. In Ashi's experience, the next step did not come quickly and did not come from the use of a single phrase. Sure, phrases were great ways to spark motivation, but motivation could only bring someone so far. When it came down to it discipline will always overtake short-lived motivation. Yes, that was what the white haired girl needed, a sense of discipline.

Indeed, the Inuzuka would have given the girl a piece of her mind had the girl not undergone a further transformation. Her once pale skin tanned to the color of brown sugar and what looked like horns erupted from her forehead. Now, normally when you see horns on anything it can't be good. However, Ashi wasn't one for overreactions. Surely, this was all part of the girls strange jutsu and surely she was in complete control. People never lost control, no sir, it never happened, ever.

"You know," her tone had normalized to that of a chiding mother. "If you're going to do any work you should clean up the mess you made."

Ashi glanced back at the nearby academy complex. Good, the maintenance shed was still unlocked.

"There should be some saws and axes over there," she gestured to the shed. "Why don't you go grab them? The academy burned through quite a lot of its firewood supply this winter and they'll be needing some more. Carpe Diem, right?"

Ashi flashed a smile revealing her pointed canines and hopefully conveying some semblance of friendliness. Truthfully, the girl probably should've been reported for what amounted to vandalism. Ashi'd seen people fined for less. So, in a way she was doing the girl a favoring assuming she wasn't too boneheaded to see it as that.
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WC: 2,249

Well at least she isn’t super angry anymore. Kirino would think as the aggression in Ashi’s voice faded. But, the girl’s brow furrowed when the other ninja implied she would have to cut wood for the academy. Cut fire wood for those brats? With all of the weakness in this village not like they won’t be dead soon anyway. Guess, they should at least be warm. The Kaguya was about to move, but she stopped.

”Where have my manners gone, I have not even introduced myself. I am Kirino Kaguya. You have a very odd definition of that phrase.” She would say waiting for the other ninja to give her name or just ignore her. Exchanging names wouldn’t take very long, so once that was done or not done Kirino would rush over to the shed. (Speed 90) Once, she got to the shed it was pretty organized spotting the saws and axes was easy enough. Grabbing each the girl would then run back. I could have used my spine as a saw or just broke the wood with my fist.


”I will get started.” Right away the Kaguya would begin sawing the tree into sizable logs, that after cut would be cut into a size that would fit within the fire place. Kirino had never actually been to the academy, so was unsure on how big or small she should cut them. The girl remembered the fireplace in her old home and used the memory as a reference.


Kirino was also making the process faster by using chakra infusion on the axe. She didn’t add in her lightning technique, as she assumed it would be too much and could possibly ignite the logs. The whole process would only take a few minutes with her current speed and strength. After all of the logs were cut she would begin to stack them. ”All cut and ready to be moved.” Kirino already knew this lady was going to continue and make her moves the cut pieces to the academy. It would take a couple trips too, as no matter your strength you can physically only carry so much.

WC: 357

"The beauty of a phrase is that it has a different meaning to different people, Kirino," Ashi tried out the name as if it were some new food, boldly. "You can call me Ashi, Ashi Inuzuka."

Yes, yes, if you've been following Ashi then you might be surprised at the mention of her last name. Normally, she wouldn't mention it in casual situations. However, this situation was a bit more than casual and merited a certain amount of respect for Kirino. Too often people took their rank superiority to be a license to lord over those below them, Ashi thought such an idea was wrong. After all, how can one expect to get respect without showing it? Give and take is important in life.

With Kirino dashing off to the shed, Ashi found herself alone to survey the work yet to be done. If she were to be honest then she was a bit impressed. One doesn't simply smash trees with punches and turn them into a training jungle gym without an impressive amount of strength. Ashi found it a bit strange that she had not happened upon the girl before at any of the gyms she frequented. Surely, such strength was asking to be harnessed into the venerable art of taijutsu—a question for later if the anbu ever saw one.

A nod was all Kirino would get, it seemed Ashi had unwittingly become a supervisor. She had hoped that the girl would bring more than one ax or saw, but it was not meant to be. It made the Inuzuka feel uncomfortable so she returned her focus to what she had been doing before being interrupted. Luckily, an important step to accessing one's inner gates was the ability to do so without intense concentration. Indeed, Kai claimed he could do so without even having to close his eyes, an impressive feat to be sure as shutting off sight was a great way to hone concentration.

Thus, as Kirino worked, Ashi worked. Her chakra amassed in her head swirling ever faster and faster until she felt that same feeling as before. Once again she found her hand on the door to the next level. All she had to do was push through it now. It would be so simple, too simple. Instead of forging forward Ashi stopped at the edge to get a feel for what that turning point was between open and closed. Occasionally the symbolic door would flutter open and shut rapidly leaving her with a fast fluctuating feeling of power and relative weakness. Yes, weakness; for the first time in a while, she felt weak standing at the threshold of such power.

The door to power slammed shut when Kirino spoke again, she'd done well. However, this time Ashi would not be left out of the work. She didn't much fancy the idea of being seen as a deadbeat.

"Wonderful," she walked over to one of the piles of wood and picked it up with ease. "Shall we?"

Not waiting for a response the woman began walking over to the shed, the wood went in the far back.

Gate of opening

Curiosity got the better of Ashi as she walked, power flowed through unlike any she'd felt before. The wood she carried might well have been paper. Finally putting the wood down she closed the gate with some effort. Kai had mentioned the longer a gate remained open the greater the damage could be, which included a breakdown of the muscular system and Ashi liked her muscular system how it was.

"Kirino," hopefully the girl had caught up with Ashi at this point. "I don't remember seeing you around before, have you always lived in Konoha?"

There was no malice in Ashi's question, Konoha was a large village and one could miss people if they weren't looking for them. Plus, there had been a larger influx of people coming to the village as of late, something to do with earthquakes destroying land and property. Thankfully, Konoha had been spared such calamity, but as a result had become a popular destination for the homeless refugees.
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WC: 2,938