1 How We've Grown [Zetsume | Training | No Kill] Mon Oct 07, 2013 7:20 pm
Nagare
D-rank
Nagare wasn't having the best day. He was exhausted from the previous night, his mistake of inviting friends over and staying up late. It was commonplace in his day-to-day life to try and be social. He'd gotten back from Konoha a long time ago, but rather than getting right back into the constant train-and-grind that was the life of a shinobi, he wanted to enjoy things more and focus on the good parts of everything. He was a Sannin, yes, but even though it was a high-ranking position, it didn't mean that he was constantly swamped with assignments and missions and work. Sure, there were plenty of younger shinobi wanting to be taught by him and desiring to be his pupils, but most of them he simply turned down. They weren't the same as urgent calls to help with emergencies, or doing dangerous missions. It was just as if he wasn't a ninja anymore. He took time to travel, learn more about the world, read and compose music and all of these things...
Still, that didn't mean that Nagare wanted to stop being a ninja. He'd been one for so long, he couldn't imagine quitting now. So today, that's what his plan was. He was going to refresh himself in fighting skills and practice the things he needed to expand on, namely his swordplay. He carried Aubade, his favorite (and only) blade, on his right hip, ready to be drawn at any moment; yet it was a powerful sword, and he was no where near mastering its use. His Kenjutsu was mediocre, at best, even after so much training between he and Bokuden. He didn't quite know what it was yet, he'd tried using so many different stances and positions to hold the sword and varying strikes and slashes, but even so, his battle skills were...unimpressive, as far as swords went. If he wanted any sort of proficiency in a close-quarters skirmish, he definitely needed to brush up on it. He resolved that swordsmanship was the kind of thing that required constant practice to master; it wasn't a matter of fighting style or how you balanced your sword or anything like that. Each person he had fought had their own style and had used them to a T, and now it was his turn to develop his own style through practice.
The Sannin left his home without a second thought, at least making an effort to take a shower but not any to groom his facial hair or anything like that. It would take 15 minutes to shave, and that was 15 minutes he could instead spend training, which he would much rather do. He made his way through the crowded streets of Kumogakure, the very same ones that never seemed to change throughout his life there. There were restaurants here and there, looking like dwarves compared to the massive towers and spires overhead, and bridges into connecting them so high in the air. Clouds surrounding the villages' boundaries, like an angelic barrier, protecting and watching over its citizens. He loved it with all of his heart, and it was nice to wake to that everyday. A few people here and there waved hello to him on the street, some of which knew him since childhood, others just now hearing of him because of his Sannin status. Either way, he always gave a polite wave back, without reaction.
As Nagare continued walking, his head began to pang steadily in a sudden headache. That was something that happened a lot to him lately, headaches and migraines. Just last week, he had even coughed up blood...he had gone straight to the Kumogakure General Hospital, naturally, but the medics simply told him that there nothing was wrong with his body as far as they could tell and he was probably just stressed. He didn't like being given indirect answers to problems. "Maybe" he was just stressed. But what if it was a serious problem? What if it was somehow related to his violent fits where he lost himself to a darker half, like he had during training before Konoha and even in Konoha during his fight alongside Hokage Tatsumaru? What if he could die? It was bothering him deeply, and the more he thought about it, the more fearful he grew. Finally, he reached his usual training grounds and unsheathed his sword. Training. That's all he needed to focus on, this headache would go away on its own over time. He best not think about the negative possibilities and everything that could go wrong, that was pessimism and he wasn't that kind of a man.
With a quick Dragon hand seal, he activated his kekkei genkai. A glowing apparition appeared to grow from his body, a separate mass of chakra forming a human body. Within seconds, it took full form, and Horui appeared, looking back at Nagare with a happy expression. They looked exactly alike, like twins, as Nagare always explained the two of them to be, even though Horui was merely a construction of Naga's chakra system. He hadn't used his kekkei genkai in a while, choosing to give Horui a break both for his sake and in case the constant darker half came back for revenge. Training, however, was going to be a different case; training was always much easier when Horui was helping out. The "twin" shared his thoughts with Nagare, as always. Don't get so down on yourself, and worry about the negatives. We're here to train! Let's have some fun, alright? Nagare gave him a smirk and held Aubade low to the ground, sliding his foot a bit to the left to get a better defensive stance. As his foot stopped, he lifted his arm in a vertical arc and positioned the tip of the blade to face Horui's heart. He focused intently and gave Horui a curt reply.
"Whatever you say. Let's go."
Training Bukijutsu C-Rank to B-Rank
Word Count: 1,016/3,800
(5% off due to Sōseiji Kekkei Genkai being active)
Still, that didn't mean that Nagare wanted to stop being a ninja. He'd been one for so long, he couldn't imagine quitting now. So today, that's what his plan was. He was going to refresh himself in fighting skills and practice the things he needed to expand on, namely his swordplay. He carried Aubade, his favorite (and only) blade, on his right hip, ready to be drawn at any moment; yet it was a powerful sword, and he was no where near mastering its use. His Kenjutsu was mediocre, at best, even after so much training between he and Bokuden. He didn't quite know what it was yet, he'd tried using so many different stances and positions to hold the sword and varying strikes and slashes, but even so, his battle skills were...unimpressive, as far as swords went. If he wanted any sort of proficiency in a close-quarters skirmish, he definitely needed to brush up on it. He resolved that swordsmanship was the kind of thing that required constant practice to master; it wasn't a matter of fighting style or how you balanced your sword or anything like that. Each person he had fought had their own style and had used them to a T, and now it was his turn to develop his own style through practice.
The Sannin left his home without a second thought, at least making an effort to take a shower but not any to groom his facial hair or anything like that. It would take 15 minutes to shave, and that was 15 minutes he could instead spend training, which he would much rather do. He made his way through the crowded streets of Kumogakure, the very same ones that never seemed to change throughout his life there. There were restaurants here and there, looking like dwarves compared to the massive towers and spires overhead, and bridges into connecting them so high in the air. Clouds surrounding the villages' boundaries, like an angelic barrier, protecting and watching over its citizens. He loved it with all of his heart, and it was nice to wake to that everyday. A few people here and there waved hello to him on the street, some of which knew him since childhood, others just now hearing of him because of his Sannin status. Either way, he always gave a polite wave back, without reaction.
As Nagare continued walking, his head began to pang steadily in a sudden headache. That was something that happened a lot to him lately, headaches and migraines. Just last week, he had even coughed up blood...he had gone straight to the Kumogakure General Hospital, naturally, but the medics simply told him that there nothing was wrong with his body as far as they could tell and he was probably just stressed. He didn't like being given indirect answers to problems. "Maybe" he was just stressed. But what if it was a serious problem? What if it was somehow related to his violent fits where he lost himself to a darker half, like he had during training before Konoha and even in Konoha during his fight alongside Hokage Tatsumaru? What if he could die? It was bothering him deeply, and the more he thought about it, the more fearful he grew. Finally, he reached his usual training grounds and unsheathed his sword. Training. That's all he needed to focus on, this headache would go away on its own over time. He best not think about the negative possibilities and everything that could go wrong, that was pessimism and he wasn't that kind of a man.
With a quick Dragon hand seal, he activated his kekkei genkai. A glowing apparition appeared to grow from his body, a separate mass of chakra forming a human body. Within seconds, it took full form, and Horui appeared, looking back at Nagare with a happy expression. They looked exactly alike, like twins, as Nagare always explained the two of them to be, even though Horui was merely a construction of Naga's chakra system. He hadn't used his kekkei genkai in a while, choosing to give Horui a break both for his sake and in case the constant darker half came back for revenge. Training, however, was going to be a different case; training was always much easier when Horui was helping out. The "twin" shared his thoughts with Nagare, as always. Don't get so down on yourself, and worry about the negatives. We're here to train! Let's have some fun, alright? Nagare gave him a smirk and held Aubade low to the ground, sliding his foot a bit to the left to get a better defensive stance. As his foot stopped, he lifted his arm in a vertical arc and positioned the tip of the blade to face Horui's heart. He focused intently and gave Horui a curt reply.
"Whatever you say. Let's go."
Training Bukijutsu C-Rank to B-Rank
Word Count: 1,016/3,800
(5% off due to Sōseiji Kekkei Genkai being active)
- Nagare - 175/175 | Horui - 175/175:
- Name: Eizō Animation (Eizō no Kiryoku -- 映像の気力)
Canon/Custom: Custom
Rank: C-Rank
Type: Supplementary
Element: None
Range: Self
Specialty: Ninjutsu
Duration: Until Eizō is killed or re-absorbed by the user
Cooldown: 8 posts if re-absorbed, cannot be used for the rest of the thread if killed
Description: A living reflection of the user is created at the cost of half of the user's chakra and energy. The rank of the Eizō matches that of the user, and it is capable of everything the user can do, from using jutsu to throwing projectiles to arm wrestling. It must literally be killed by the opponent; no amount of damage will cause it to dissipate like normal clones, unless it is lethal damage. however, if the user makes physical contact with it, the Eizō can be absorbed back into the body as chakra. It takes one full post to do this, and it returns the user's chakra reserves to original capacity and giving the user the Eizō's remaining chakra supply at the time of reabsorption. Any chakra used on other techniques will still be lost (for example, you or the Eizō used a D-Rank jutsu while Eizō was active, you don't get the 10 chakra back), and the Eizō cannot be reabsorbed once killed, because it fades away.