Training maybe

Today was sure to be the start of another beautiful day. Ai had woken early, making sure her little sister was up, fed, and ready for whatever was ahead of her. With both the puppets, the pupeteer, and she assumed pinochio out of the house she had some time to tidy up, wipe down some surfaces, and then found herself a bit bored. She didn't have the drive Saya had to create. She also didn't really have the fire in her to push her body to the limits, but she still wanted to learn how this new body worked, and try to gain some technique that would allow her to protect the ones she cared about. There was a wierd dissonance between her understanding of ninjutsu thanks to her sister and the application of techniques using her own body. It was this, and the gift left at the door to the room they shared that brought her step after step towards the training area. 

Laying on the couch near the elevator, Ai had seen a box wrapped plainly, with her name on a card on the top. The message was simple: 'So you'll always have me around'. Inside the box was exactly what it sounded like... It was Saya--or at least a facsimile. She now had her own Ai puppet to use, but she did not quite have the power to be able to use such complex manipulations of Chakra threads. Realistically, even if she had it wouldn't be of much use. She also didn't have any ninjutsu for the puppet to use. That was fine. She would spend some free time learning how to control her chakra network, enhance her own kit with some of the tricks that made her little sister so terrifying on the battlefield, and hopefully build her reserves to be able to make use of this wonderful gift. 

The sliding glass door brought a flutter of excitement to the girls chest. She'd been within these walls a hundred times over the past years, but there was something about the way the cool air blasted her face, the smell of sweat, and the general tension between groups sparring in rings at the center that felt so new. Now where to begin?

It would be an inevitability of fate that brought her to the training dummies. She really wanted to get a feel for her Suiton affinity, and The techniques she'd planned to learn needed to involve more precise control. It was convenient that her would be training partner happened to be in the same place. As she focused her chakra, trying to allow it to pool naturally within her Solar point, she watched a man shift from training at the target dummies to heading off somewhere. Maybe he was getting his blood flowing with a jog? She wouldn't bother him. Ai was pretty used to being in the background. She could focus on shifting what she knew of theory into practical application, and if this man needed or wanted something, she was right there to assist. Maybe she could even make a friend!

(TWC 517)

It took some time, but she could feel the pulse of suiton building in her chest. Her eyes closed as she focused her power, allowing the dummy before her to appear in her minds eye. Yes. The difference between herself and her sister was massive, but she could tell it wasn't night and day. Her blood flowed with the same strength, and she would be able to bend the elements to her will. Her hands shifted between various hand signs. She wasn't sure which ones she wanted. There wasn't a particular jutsu in mind right now, she just knew she needed the focus between moulding chakra and forming the seals needed. Half way into testing out the way the seals felt, memorizing the connecting point between each finger as she shifted from dog to rat, Dragon to horse, Her hand formations changed. WIthout even meaning to she'd jumbled up her positioning, and one hand slid from place. 

What came next wouldn't seem impossible to the girl, but it was definitely a surprise. She continued forming seals with her left hand. Her right followed suite one seal behind, and she could feel as each formed that the direction between her hands was allowing a unique effect. She didn't need to bring them together to form seals, and with this, it seemed like she had the ability to cast two jutsu at the same time. How would this even work? As she considered, she recognized points in their battles that Saya had managed to cast two at the same time. At the time she assumed it was some trick of mastery, but no. She would have recognized the techniques she'd gained mastery over. This must be some skill she'd been given upon birth, that allowed her to form seals one handed. 

"Uh. Sure. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty new. Haven't actually figured out the means of casting a serious jutsu yet, but I think im on the edge of understanding something. Apparently I can cast with only one hand? Have you heard of something like that?" Where Saya was loud and abrasive, Ai was smooth and gentle. What could have been a wierd or awkward altercation flowed like a river between them. The back and forth was instant, but felt fairly natural, leaving her to wonder if this was some effect of the personality traits she'd gained? Was she leaning to hard on the gifts of her sister, or was this all fabricated for her use? Technically she was her own person now. 

"I'm Ai. I've been in the training ground quite a bit, but I just started really learning and training recently--like today recently. What is your specialty, If i might ask?" A soft smile graced her lips in a way she wasn't used to. Skin shifted so much more easily than silicone, formed gentle creases and tight curls that she could feel forming facial expression that she recognized, but that felt foreign on her muscles. She was truely alive finally, and the world seemed so much grander though her own eyes. 

(TWC 1030)

What luck. This newcomer seemed to be exactly what Ai needed! It was amazing to her how a positive disposition and tendency to treat situations with the care and kindness neccessary seemed to make everything fall into place. First her day of missions had been absolutely lovely, and now the one day she decided to head off to learn some things this gentleman just happened to also be around so they could learn the ropes together. The only thing that could make this better was if he was a ninjutsu user!

 "Excelent! Training is a very important part of a ninjas ciriculum. Can it be called a ciriculum? I mean, it seems right I suppose. Hm." She'd ponder the usage of this particular word, giving him time to comment on a few things. The timing was perfect, their convorsation weaving naturally between him and herself. 

"I believe my sister has learned to do it. I just didn't know she'd passed that knowlege on to me. I suppose theres quite a few things I don't know about this new body... Sorry. I should explain. That probably sounds very wierd. I've been around for a long time, but this form is kind of new to me? Like an awakening I suppose. I'm trying to learn the new strength I've been given and figureing out what exactly I can do. It's a pleasure to meet you Kain." The next phrase suprised her. No not the comment about being neaten up. Well, okay, that was also surprising she supposed. It sounded like he'd been through some tough spots, though she couldn't exactly judge. As a puppet she'd also been kind of in the same boat, putting herself between anything and everything that threatened to cause harm to Saya. Saya hadn't actually beaten her up personally though--outside of training or spars of course. Getting beaten was more of Pinochio's thing. Maybe that's why he's been so distant. 

"Actually. Uh. This may be wierd, but I'm studying ninjutsu myself. Ninjutsu and puppetry, but I'll need to enhance my chakra potency before I can actually make use of my puppetry past just the base level. My sister gave me a puppet as a welcome to your new life gift, but it's quite advanced. Looks just like her though. We're twins, you see, except she's naturally a blonde where I'm well. " She simply motioned, tossing her hair for a moment to emphasize its ebony hue. 

"This is crazy though. We both met up at the same time on the same day for our first real training and we both have a focus on ninjutsu! The only thing that would be more rediculous is if you used suiton like I did. I couldn't even imagine the convenience of our skills aligning to that degree though. It would be a statistical impobability, even in a village that focuses on Suiton. " She was prepared for the inevitable let down of this man's chakra natures. Even with her previous luck, there was no way it would hold out to this extent. 
(TWC 1539)

Some people get all of the luck. Second day on the job, Ai had somehow managed to hit the mission jackpot followed by the training jackpot. With their affinities aligning there was nothing to stop them from working together to become stronger in a way that amplified the extent of their own training. While neither really had anything to teach one another, working on jutsu that worked statistically the same meant if one of them struggled with something, the other might have insight. They could also work on the same techniques, and find the flaws in their own methods much more quickly. This really was the start of another lovely day. 

"Ah! Well that's just great! Water is an excelent element in my opinion, though I couldn't speak on the uses of blo--blood? Sorry. You can use your own blood as a source of suiton? " Well that was new. It made some sort of sense she supposed. blood was a liquid, the human body, which she was now fully, was like almost completely made of water or whatever, so why wouldn't someone be able to draw power from their blood in the same way they would the water around them? It seemed a wierd flex considering one of the core abilities of a suiton user was just to spew water from their mouth though. She couldn't think of a situation where that would be stopped to the level that she might try to leverege the power of her own blood. Did this man need to like. Cut himself in order to use it?! That could get messy very quickly. 

"OH! Sorry. Right. So uh. I was a puppet. Well. First I was a partition in my little sisters head personified as a voice only she could hear. Then she figured out how to craft puppets and I was a personification of her favorite puppet that took on particular aspects of her history and understanding in order to allow her to think and understand on a higher level. Then she figured out a means of using her bloodline ability to control plant matter in order to create a wood style clone that was so perfect it actually could think and act with absolutely no direct connection to herself. Well mostly. We can like. Talk to one another telepathically and stuff but you get what I mean. So she crafted these clones, brought them to life, and passed my understanding, personality, and existence into the clone making me! So now I'm a real person who has a puppets understanding of the world around me. It's really alot to deal with if i'm being honest. I move so much slower now, and my ability to use ninjutsu has gone way down without direct connection to my sisters technique pool. Instead of relying on her own chakra in order to be a catalyst for her techniques I have to physically learn them myself. " While she'd just said alot, her tone and cadence was slow and methodical, allowing time for her new friend to synthesize what she was explaining before she went on to the next point. 

(TWC 2061)

"I like to think i'm quite trustworthy, but i don't discount the fact that peoples perception of me can be quite different from my own. Still, I believe that whatever you're about to say I can keep between you and I.... And puppAIt, and my little sister by proxy. That's not really something I can help though. I have to tell the puppet version of me what i've done at the end of the day so she has the same knowlege base I do. Telling the puppet version of me kind of.... Tells my sister, but she's cool. If i tell PuppAIt that it can't be said to anyone Aya will also keep it under wraps. She wen't like. six months not telling anyone about her clan because we told her she wasn't allowed. " She'd actively listen as he explained his history. This village was much bigger than they'd initially thought. 

"Huh. Well that's interesting. If its helpful i'm technically semi-immortal myself. Like. I can die, but as long as We continue passing knowlege between puppet me and real me my sister can just cast the technique that made me again and I come right back. Would have to relearn how to use a phsical body though. And retrain every technique i'd learned. That would definitely be a pain. I'm glad you haven't hurt anyone though. I suppose if they're willing and unharmed that seems pretty okay, but I will warn you. You seem like a good guy. If you harm someone in the village I garantee my little sister will not be happy. Protecting people and working towards a brighter future is kind of her thing" There was no edge in her tone. It was clearly not a threat despite the obvious implications that it probably should be. There was no cruelty in either of the girls hearts, but where Saya wouldn't be comfortable speaking of the grittier side of ninja life, Ai understood the neccessity. 

"Hm. Sounds like Our bloodline a bit. I mean not like the icky blood part--not that I think you're icky. Just like. Blood and stuff, yanno? Are there any major advantages to mixing suiton with yang instead of using it by itself? It kind of feels like the same thing, unless you can manipulate other peoples blood?  Our bloodline is control over mokuton; Wood style. My little sister has access to some powerful jutsu that create vines or trees and roots to give her incredible control over the battlefield. Maybe one day i'll be able to figure it out too. " She was far too green to even think about trying to mix chakra natures. She only had one after all. While Saya had learned incredibly early in her training how to combine earth and water into strength she could call on to protect herself, Ai was content with learning the hidden secrets of water style for now. There was so much that could be done with suiton. So many secrets still left to be unlocked. 

(TWC 2563)