Running Zone Advancement

Zyxis frowned as he woke up from his bed. He was more sore, bruised, and beaten then he had ever been before. The training session with Ryūka and Hoshi (ew, what a name) were brutal. His chakra fluctuated strangely throughout his body, doing spins and turns as if it was on a rollercoaster. His muscles were tense, and it was the first time in a while he hadn't woken up for a run. As his feet touched the ground, he winced and had almost fallen over. It seemed that everything was in strained and in pain. He practically limped downstairs to the table, where his father and mother read a newspaper and ate breakfast respectively. 

He noticed the grilled ham and cheese in the seat opposite to theirs. The Genin almost salivated at the sight of the gooey cheese and the juicy meat. He moved as fast as he could for someone who could barely walk and began to eat his brunch. His frown seemed to enhance as his tongue tasted the cold and stale sandwich. Today was turning out to be a cruel, cruel day. His mother seemed to notice his expression and gave a sly smile, "You know it's one in the afternoon, right? You skipped breakfast, and we made you lunch about ten minutes ago." His father brought his newspaper down, revealing a smirk as well, "Woe is us. Our own son didn't even want to see his family."

Like every morning - or afternoon(?) - he ignored them and ate his food. Once he was done, he threw off his sweaty clothes that he had slept in and jumped in the shower. He hummed a little song to himself as he scrubbed his hair and cleansed his skin of dirt. He got out of the shower and took care of his bed sheets that were caked in sweat. He frowned at the smell and threw on a new pair of clothes before he brought his old ones down along with his sheets and threw them in the washer. He then decided he would go for a walk so he could loosen up the muscles in his legs.

With each stride, it seemed as if his legs began to work again. People might consider him insane, hell, he might even contemplate himself crazy, but if he felt better by the end of the walk, he might begin to train once again or go on a mission. He wanted to try some new jutsu and earning more money and experience in his field of work never hurt. First of all, he wanted to take a trip to the library. That's where he got most of his ideas for jutsu that he wanted to learn. It didn't take him long to get there, about ten minutes into town. Kumogakure's Library, a simple name for a simple place. He headed inside and was instantly greeted by the librarain, "Hello! Zyxis! Over here!" The young lady literally screamed, jumping up and down, her considerate chest bringing attention to many guys visiting today.

The Genin's whole face turned as red as his eyes. Usually, he could keep his calm around everything and anything. But the female was God's greatest creation yet. Everything about them from their head to their toes made Zyxis' heart beat a hundred times faster than it usually did. He had a considerate spot in his heart for females, but he tried to lessen it more and more every day. He wouldn't be a good ninja if a female shinobi came up to him and seduced him just like that.

"Hana, how do you forget this is a library every time. You work here. Be quiet," Zyxis scolded her, walking towards the desk. She made an embarrassed peeping sound and buried her face into the counter. "Sorry Zy~ You always know how excited I am to see you~" She leaned against the desk, pressing her generous bust forward and revealing her cleavage. He looked away, his face turning even brighter. Hana had always been this way. She was about one-to-two years older than him and loved to tease him. He knew her almost his whole entire life. She was the reason that females were one of his greatest weakness.

"I'm kind of busy today Hana," He tried hard not to glance at her, "Can you find me a jutsu that boosts my speed as well as the strength of my chakra?"  She frowned as he ignored her, "Fine~ Only for you Zyxis~" The white-haired boy gave her an unimpressed look, "I find that hard believe since that is literally the reason you work here." She turned red as well and with a "hmph" turned away and walked back into the shinobi archives. The public library and the shinobi library were off limits. Any jutsu above a D-Rank you could find in there, and only certain workers were allowed to go in. Workers that were shinobi or had been a shinobi before.

She came out with a smile, "I think this one will work well for you. It's called Soul Expulsion. You know how chakra and the body are connected right?" Zyxis nodded, "Well, apparently, this was the first records on the theory. An old monk had found it out and was able to skip the step of basic existence between the two and was able to add his soul to the mix to enhance it."

Zyxis raised an eyebrow, "Isn't that incredibly dangerous." She shook her head, "No. Through the many years and training of the technique, people have found out how to make it into an actual jutsu that one, increases your speed, two, strengthens your chakra, and three, weakens other Ninjutsu used on you. It's basically the whole package."

Zyxis happily grabbed the scroll, "Thank you so much, Hana. You're always such a great help." Faster than he could react, she bent forward and pressed a firm kiss on his cheek. "It's always nice to see you too, Zyx~" He swore all the blood had rushed to his face. He waved a quick bye and left with the scroll in hand. He decided that he would study it later, maybe when he wasn't in pain.

But as he made it home, he turned around and headed towards the training grounds. He was beginning to feel physically better, but he needed to make sure mentally as well. Chakra circulated through his body with each step. Surprisingly, his disruption and constant use of chakra made it even stronger when stabilized. It seemed as if chakra was another muscle, the more you used it and worked it, the stronger it became.

His foundation finally felt secure, and he felt stronger than ever. This was the perfect chance for him to train a jutsu that he wanted to work on for a while. Soul Expulsion, something that could give him a boost in fighting prowess. With the jutsu activated, he would be able to get a considerate amount of boosting to chakra and speed.  He began to read through the scroll. The more he learned about the jutsu, the more he connected this jutsu to his own personal Running Zone. The intense concentration and feeling when he runs, battles, and the rare occasion he flies.

He suddenly summarized his thoughts in one sentence, "This will be easy to learn." He took a deep breathe and settled into meditation. Suddenly, he floated into a world of his own. One that used to be pitch black before he became a ninja was now full of various different colors. The sky was blue and calm, but at the same time lightning roared in the distance. It was decent, but at the same time energetic and free. He began to run through his mindscape and began to sink even further into it.

Endorphins released in his brain as he began to run in real life. His legs burned but in an good way, a way that couldn't be described unless you worked out as well. The feeling of Runner's High, calm, and electricity all mixed into one to create the experience that was akin to flying. Every time his feet were lifted off the ground and were pressed back against the ground, his heart beating in his chest and thumping in his ears, air entering his lungs through his nose and leaving through his mouth. This was life. He could've stayed like this all day if he didn't realize that he was supposed to be doing something.

Chakra wove carvings and tattoos throughout his skin. Lightning arced through the wind around him and his chakra was personified by his side. It was glowing bright white, with certain parts colored electric-blue. It seemed to giggle at him before it took off at an astonishing pace. Zyxis smiled and began to go even faster than he was before, his legs burning even more. The race was short, and as soon as it started it ended, and he opened his eyes, welcoming himself back to the real world.

The world around him seemed to be covered in yellow. As if he was the sun himself. The more he circulated his chakra, the more he realized that it wasn't actually the sun, but the sharp contrast of lightning yellow. It was a big difference between seeing it blue and purple. Although, he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it. The feeling of his chakra being stronger, his body moving quicker, and his eyes dilating faster as it took on every prospect of the world that they lived in. Just like that, his world had merged into this world to make a perfect world. His soul seemed purer than ever, and he felt almost unstoppable.

He settled his hand into a Ram sign, and he moved faster than he ever imagined possible. The grass burnt as electricity kissed it. He took a couple deep breaths, and the aura faded away. That was most definitely going to be addictive if he kept using it. All the endorphins in his brain were being released, almost like a constant Runner's High. He almost felt unstoppable. To master that jutsu, he would need to contain his emotions. Like in his other world where he concentrated on one thing. He might have to wait until the next rank of the jutsu to do that though, but he wouldn't mind. Suddenly, he felt exhausted. He didn't know if it was because he was pushing his mind and body, or if the expulsion of his soul seemed to take a tax on him, but he wanted to sleep.

There were already flaws in the jutsu that he would have to hammer into place to make a good sword. But that could wait for tomorrow. If he continued on anymore, he might just pass out and be sleeping with the bugs until morning. That definitely wasn't a pleasant idea. He did a cool-down lap around the village before he headed home. It seemed as if he was out in town longer than before. After everything was done and he ate dinner with his parents, he felt total relaxtion. His parents seemed to take note of his half-closed eyes when he couldn't bring the fork to his mouth before he nodded off.

His father smiled at him, "You know, son, it's okay to excuse yourself from the dinner table. We know you work hard every day so we won't take any offense," All forms of joking that he was usually known for was replaced with compassion. His mother joined in as well, "I agree. You work harder than anyone we've ever known. You get that from your father. Go to bed! Tomorrow, you're getting a day off to spend time with us. We'll even save you some lasagna."

Zyxis nodded, not even able to formulate a response. He ignored his parents flirting as he dragged himself up the stairs and to his bed. He took off his clothes and fell forward into bed, snoring by the time he hit the mattress.

TWC: 2021
Claiming: Soul Expulsion (2,000/2,000), 20 Stats

You want stats with that?

Yeah, I realized my mistake too late and was already sleeping by then.

There you go.

Approved