As per usual the morning was dense and foggy, and Gattsu was gonna have to go cut wood in it to earn his room. It wasn't the most fancy life, but he got by. He had

neglected the stock for a couple of days, so he'd be out here most of the morning cutting to fill it back to capacity. It didn't take long to work up a sweat, muscle

and fat in kind shimmering from the glistening mess of sweat and mist.

It's been a while since i last looked in the mirror. I look pretty good, if i do say so myself.

Log after log, the morning slowly droned on, as each log was split and placed inside the storage. Time seemed to pass slowly, and the work was monotonous, so Gattsu

eventually began to let his mind wander.

I may looks decent physically, but iv'e been slacking on my training. I should go out for a couple of days to train in the wilderness, I can't really do anything

too big in town without affecting others. But what should i work on first?

Hours were spent contemplating the subject, and before Gattsu had reached a final conclusion, the sun began to dawn, with the stock house full enough that he had to

leave a bit outside the door. It was finally time for his bath, and he had definitely earned it. The mist in the hot bathroom was thinner than the thick fog outside,

making it easier to breathe. As he slipped into the tub, slowly covering his screaming muscles in the soothing water, the solution to his earlier question finally

rang true in his mind.

Elemental control. I need to be far better at elemental control than i am. My team is gonna be counting on me out there, and until i can find a proper medical

teacher, i may as well do my best in preventing them from getting hurt. Just more work for me if i don't.

Having set his mind to the training, Gattsu quickly finished cleaning up and dressing himself, strapping his headband across his left arm. He knew being in the

wilderness meant that if you were found, things went far smoother if you can just show them your band. As he descended to the lobby, the old innkeeper was sitting

behind the counter, watching and smiling.

"Off in a hurry today Gattsu? Must be a girl, if a big guy like you is this motivated this early."

Blushing as he stammered for a response, Gattsu managed to choke out the words that followed.

"Of course it's not a girl. I need to go train. Either way, what difference would it make?"

The old lady seemed to be taken aback by the comment.

"Training?, Is that what the kids are calling it nowadays? And for the record, anything to do with my Granddaughter is my business, Gattsu."

This one caught Gattsu off guard. He couldn't imagine he possibly knew this woman's daughter.

"She was the one you saved from the mugger the other day. She can't stop talking about you."

Almost as red as a beet, Gattsu began stuttering in his nervousness.

"W-wait, so y-you're telling me she is your granddaughter? I-i just stopped the guy and gave her back her purse. T-that's it."

Gattsu quickly retreated from the room before the conversation could continue any further. He had his rations, and time was growing ever more important. On his way to

the gate, most of the town was still asleep, but there were a few early stragglers here and there. He wound his way through alleys and streets before finally making

his way to the kirikagure gates. He signed his way out, labeling that he would return in a day or to, with the trip purpose of training. The log was boring, but it

told people roughly where to look for you, should the need arise.

After handling his reception, Gattsu slowly began his walk into the woods, forming and dissipating chakra in his hands as he walked.

So, I can punch pretty well, but overall i'm pretty limited in what I can actually do. I need to work on that too.

Take the suiton chakra, and surround it with fuuton to make the temperature drop far enough to use hyoton control. Getting the energy there was still a little

uncomfortable, but was something he would slowly get used to over time. It wasn't the first time he had found he lacked talent, and it likely wouldn't be the last.
It took a few hours for Gattsu to become comfortable with balancing the two to create a consistent source of it, and as always, he found it easiest to start using his hands as a focal point for the process.

Alright, I have got the balance down, now for applications.

Coming upon a stream only a few hours out, he decided to test his mettle at making a change. Where he placed his hands, the water quickly shifted and froze solid. Not nearly thick enough to walk on yet, Gattsu focused more on each individual droplet, slowing its natural movement to a halt. It took a few minutes, but the ice was finally solid enough to walk across the stream.

So if making them slow down their natural vibrations makes it colder, I wonder if doing the opposite would serve to make them move again?

Gattsu quickly pulled out his green notebook and jotted this information down, knowing of its potential applications. Another few hours of walking stood between Gattsu and any of the safe clearings for training nearby, so he decided more training on the way would be best. He started gathering suiton chakra in his right arm, slowly and surely moving it back and forth, from shoulder to fingertip. He could feel it compress as it hit his fingertips, as if the chakra followed the normal ebb and flow of water itself. As each pulse reached his fingertips, Gattsu let out a hook, forcing the chakra to collapse on his hand at the moment of impact. His form was still far from perfect, but it served to get the job done.

That compression seems to be adding a significant amount of force, I might be able to use that more than I have. If i can get the timing right, it should be able to drastically increase the impact of my punches.

Testing this theory on trees as he went, Gattsu began noticing that as he went, each strike left less of himself on the encroaching forest. Each strike leaving a slightly larger impact than the last. When Gattsu finally arrived at the clearing, the sun was sitting high in the sky for mid day. It wasn't much, but he'd brought rations to tie him over, knowing he'd have to be back in town by tomorrow night to meet with Kenshin and the gang.

I wonder how they all are doing on their days off? I bet Nobu is sitting with his family, drawing new seals up. I really should go have him teach me about that sometime. Iro is probably still training too, with his dad needing to be saved and all. He said his name was Aisu... Strafe, I guess. He wasn't exactly from members that were close to us, and ever since the Yuki and Kori families took over, the Aisu had become compliant. I had worked my way to freedom, and planned on earning for others the same sweet freedom I now enjoyed.  But first, I must get stronger.

After finishing his ration for lunch, Gattsu went to a side of the clearing with a rock and river, flowing gently by as the day passed. The training started with walking practice, first with basic chakra, then with ice. He wasn't good enough to do it on the fly yet, but if needed, and given the time, he would make it. The large rock served as a perfect target, after a few berries were crushed to make an X for aiming at. Punch after punch, the blows flew in, turning second into what felt like hours. Each strike resounded through enough of the forest that he didn't have to worry about the animals nearby, as they all would have ran, startled by the sounds. It took hours, but as the sun finally set, so did Gattsu finally fall. He rolled his sleeping mat out, started a small fire, and went to the river to bathe.
After finishing up, he realized a fatal mistake. He had forgotten to pack any other shirts, and the one he had was sweaty.

Well, that's just fantastic. Guess i should soak it in the river, and dry it on a branch in the morning. For now, i may as well sleep and eat.

Sleep came quickly, but not before the adrenaline ran out, and Gattsu began to feel the pain of his training. Hands swollen, knuckles bare and bloody, and heaving breaths from the extended exertion were but a small fraction of the pain he felt. When sleep finally did find him, the rest was nothing short of pure bliss. The morning was pretty clear for the Kiri wilds, but that wasn't a problem for Gattsu, who first thing in the morning ate and prepped for the day's even more intense training after making sure that his shirt got washed. The rock still stood, and he wasn't about to go home defeated.

One, Two, Three, Four, Five...

Gattsu's trails of thought staggered, leaving behind only the recoil from his strikes, and the count in his head. For hours he meticulously shaped and balanced the chakra in his hand. Just under the skin, the hyoton chakra was at a near perfect balance for his skill. The striking continued for hours before he decided he was ready to unleash the punch. His guard up and tight, he took in a deep breath before taking a deep step forward with his left.

Toes, Ankles, Knees, Hips, Abdomen, Torso, Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist, Fist. Rotate each one in turn, letting the suiton chakra movement guide the rotation, and allowing fuuton chakra to circle it, bringing it's scope into focus.

The sun had reached it's highest point, when the forest sounded off in surprise from the next sound it heard. It was not the falling of a tree, or the struggle of a hunt, but rather the screams of a man forcefully trying to overcome his own limits. The wind howled through the clearing, mist sticking close, with even the blood in his veins pulsing as his muscles screamed out for the rest they had not been given. In nothing more than a mere moment, It was over. A singular punch, thrown with the force of hyoton chakra balanced behind it, at his maximum possible strength. The rock had been left to a mere bit of rubble and frost, which would soon melt away.

As Gattsu finally made his way back to his pack, preparing for his trip back to town, he jotted something down in the red notebook. A marker for this place, in case he ever sought to return. Gattsu was by no means a map maker, but could draw one easily enough.

This was pretty fun. I'll have to come do this again sometime.

The journey back was relatively cold, as the sun began to fall, the sky was quickly claimed by clouds that spelled for bad news. Weather had never been something that bothered Gattsu, and so he trudged onward through the forest toward home. It hadn't been the first time he'd come out this way to train, and it certainly wont be the last, although he usually camped in a new spot each time.

A little bit of rain never hurt anyone, but it would be better to be back home while it passed.

As the sun had exited the horizon, so too did the rain begin to fall. Slowly trickling at first, building it's way into a torrential downpour, the rain had decided travel wasn't going to happen easily for Gattsu. Step after Step, he made his way through the sheets of falling water before him. It didn't take long however, before he finally saw the lights of kirikagure. He had hoped he had made it back in time, before the night shift administration got on board at the gate. Making it into the city with only a few seconds to spare before shift change, the man said something to Gattsu before he walked away from his post.

"You uhh... always walk around without a shirt on?"

"Not typically, but I lost mine out in the woods."

Lost isn't really much of a lie, after the storm, there's no way it didn't float downstream. I can't believe i came all the way back without noticing i had forgotten my shirt.

He had a few more back in his room, but only a few more. Clothing shopping was something he'd have to keep an eye out for. A new cloak or outfit, perhaps he'd ask his teammates about it.

A suit would be nice. A large cloak or simply some new shirts and a flak jacket may work out fine too.

As Gattsu finally made it back to the inn, the old innkeeper was already asleep. Gattsu made his way up to his room, and found a still warm bowl of soup still awaiting him.

Freedom is the best. I love this place.

[WC 2297]
[Training: Fuuton D->C for 1500, Dex from D-0 -> D-1 for 750, for a total of 2250 words needed.]