Shedding of Skin [Solo]

The new headband wrapped around Satori’s arm gleamed in the sunlight. It was after the graduation ceremony, and he was practicing. His clans training grounds that surrounding him were silent, as they always were when he came here. The small clearing was covered in the signs of his constant work, footprints, areas the grass parted where he would practice stretching and meditation to ease his body, slowly building it up over the days that ticked away slowly.

How many times had he come here, in the past few months after his pass into adulthood? The Clan Elder and other Clansmen had been impressed by his growth, and yet he felt nothing more than a hunger for more progress. He was still far too weak, too unskilled, and lacked far too much knowledge. Yet, he could not deny that the results had finally begun to show themselves. He was still incredibly thin, but it was no longer to the point of being skin and bone. Instead, he would more likely describe himself as being more "lean" than "fragile".

Certainly, he still didn't hold the body of a true warrior by any means, but at the very least he had shown considerable evolution from his early childhood, and now there was something that he could do in order to build on exactly that. The technique he had been carefully practicing was a simple stance that was designed for a single purpose; to release the bodies built up power through powerful singular blows. No sporadic movements or feints, it was designed to end a fight as quickly as possible through potent, short blows.

In short, it was entirely the opposite of his normal style in combat, though he approved of the idea of trying to "kill with every attack", that was the only part of this he could really approve of. However, that was why it was key that he learn the styles in question. Getting the styles that he knew he would be the worst at, out of the way first, would allow him to hold that much more control and appreciation when it came to creating styles he would rather utilize.

Similarly, he practiced Taijutsu as a last resort, as well as knowing that holding a strong body was core in order to properly support a strong mind. If someone got close enough to him that he needed to utilize Taijutsu to defeat them or create distance, then he needed to have every weapon in his arsenal there for him to utilize such. Ninjutsu and Bukijutsu he had rapidly discovered was far more his calling, and that generally meant that opponents were kept at bay.

Releasing a slow breath, he would shift himself, his new muscles controlling well as he raised both of his hands up and forming a fist in each, his palms facing one another with his left raised slightly above his right. Smoothly, his legs would splay out, carefully measuring the footing of his body to balance himself properly and keep one knee ready behind for the powerful blows involved with the style.

Finally, he began. He had seen the style now, countless times, and watched every time the users in his clan had shifted their weight to deliver a crushing blow. Studied the theories, memorized the motions, each time dedicating it all to his mind to better improve himself afterward. Now was no different, and as he clenched his hands he would feel the way his muscles shifted as he formed his fists tighter than before.

When he had first begun this training, he could barely properly hold a basic fighting stance, or throw a simple punch. But now he could feel the shift, the way his weight moved from one point to the next with his footing and angle of his body. For a brief moment, he was reminded of the effort he had poured into himself to reach this point, and for a single instant, he felt an odd stirring in his chest, a fluttering in his stomach. It was an odd thing, an emotion he couldn't label.

Accomplishment, perhaps? That seemed correct, however, he had no need for such a thing, and so even as his muscles clenched, even as he stepped forward and released a powerful open palm, he buried the feeling. There was no point in it, no, he had far more to accomplish before he could ever dream of feeling something as idiotic as pride. His palm smashed into the training dummy, and he felt it crack.

That was nothing special, it had happened in the past. But it was different, his hand didn't sting, his arm didn't ache from a single blow. No, the dummy held a single dent in its padding, and he was able to slowly clench his hand without issue afterward. His expression remained calm and focused, perhaps even what some would call bland, and yet slowly his fist tightened as his gaze narrowed on the dummy. He could do it, today, he would master this stance, and when he did he would continue his evolution.

He would continue to grow stronger. With this thought, his fist smashed into the training dummy, again, and again. Each blow grew more focused, his aim grew sharper, his movements more fluid. The stance was raw power, and yet there was more to it than that he discovered the longer he practiced it. If he wished to ensure his blow landed with maximum power, he had to shift his body properly. His limbs had to adjust properly, his weight had to transfer from his legs and into his core before being released into his shoulders and arm.

Using his entire body as a weapon, feeling the thud each time he landed a hit, the hum of adrenaline, of his blood pumping through his body and pushing him to his limits. It was a sensation that Satori had never once managed in his life, but now, here, he could feel it. His body was no longer weak, he could fight, he could move, he could become strong.

This stance, this jutsu, it was only his first step toward that goal, and as he felt his body continue to shift--raining blows down against the dummy, his eyes ignited with a light that had never been there. It was his technique now, and soon, he would grow ever more. This was just the beginning, and the next few hours of dedicated effort would seal the point of that thought.

It was invigorating, feeling the way his body had slowly begun to develop, but now feeling how much more effective he had become pushed that feeling even further. His body, he knew, had limits of course but that didn't matter when he could utilize his chakra in order to amplify him even further. This was proven, as with each blow he felt his power increasing as he grew used to the sensations. His muscles didn't burn, there was some degree of muscle fatigue but nothing too extensive by any means. The sound of his palms and knee's striking the dummy, again, and again filled the air repeatedly.

The more he pushed himself, the more he could feel his body adjusting properly to the movements, and finally, as he halted to take a few breaths and steady himself he glanced down at his legs. He had continued to grow the past few months, and it was coming in handy now from what he could tell. His legs were longer, his joints strong, and as he slowly released a breath to gather himself he would shift the stance just slightly. The technique had been called "Rising Knee" he was fairly certain, not that it mattered too much, but it was certainly fitting.

A powerful upward knee or kick that utilized the muay thai style in order to maximize raw destructive force, something he could appreciate considering it would keep his hands free for hand seals in order to get the distance between him and his attacker, should he need to fall back on Taijutsu at all. Slowly lowering his hands to his sides, his body similarly shifted downward, aiming to maximize his physical mobility and push all of his weight and momentum into his lower body. The style taught to keep the body tight, and firm, a hard style that poured everything into power.

He would utilize that fully and suddenly would launch himself upward as his knee smashed into the dummy once, twice, and then three times. Falling back, he examined the impact zones of his attack, before repeating once again. The sound of his knee smashing into the dummy filled the clearing, each resounding crack growing slightly more accurate as he would begin mixing in other forms of Taijutsu attacks in order to get a rhythm and momentum going to shift into the knee each time. He had seen similar moves, mimicked them, memorized them, and now it was paying off in dividends. Within a few hours, he knew he would have the technique down, and he could then move on to even more variations.

The hours of training would continue, after all, all Satori did anymore was train. He didn't bother with social interactions, he didn't bother with pointless feats, parties, or social events even within his clan, all that mattered to him was using the body that he had finally managed to gain. He wanted strength, and every time he felt his limb smash into a target, he could understand that strength. The sound of his limbs striking wood and leather were therapeutic to him, in a way, a reward for all the patient, a slow-paced pain he had endured over the years.

This was what pushed him, and as he finally came to a halt he stared at the large dent that had formed in the head of the training dummy. His knee having bashed through the wood repeatedly, causing a slight light to dance within his eyes. It was his, and now, he had to move on to the next. His goal was to master the basic techniques of the muay thai style by the end of the day. The sun had begun to pass the mid-day point, and that meant he had only a bit more time to do so.

The next basic technique of the style had been named "Shoulder Charge", and was really something he doubted he would ever use, but there was always that chance. The technique was based heavily on the idea of releasing overwhelming raw physical power through a body-tackle, designed to knock the target over. The idea of being that close to someone, and using his core and torso as a weapon, was intimidating and seemed idiotic to him. However, it was key he learned every technique, every style, that he could.

With this adamant thought, he would take several steps back and stare the dummy down. It was rooted firmly in the earth, the support was easily as wide as his thigh. That would be his goal, to break the base with the force of his tackle and smash the dummy into the earth. Releasing a slow breath and lifting his limbs upward, Satori would roll his shoulders slowly, fully aware that this was very likely going to hurt quite a bit.

Still, he had to do what was needed. Cracking his knuckles once and allowing his body to adjust, he would pull himself back and lower himself slightly as he faced his right shoulder toward the dummy. This would build the habit, and keep his dominant hand safely to the side for a more deadly attack after the tackle, or capable of being utilized for his jutsu. Either way was fine, and as he would relax, Satori would dash forward.

Feeling his shoulder smash into the dummy felt about as he had assumed it would-- painful. He wasn't used to such things unlike his strikes, and he had to make a mental note to ensure that he braced properly next time. The impact was painful, but not to the point he couldn't endure. Slowly drawing himself back, he re-angled himself to ensure he minimized the impact of his blows before focusing his gaze on the target once more.

Repeating the attack, again, and again, Satori felt his shoulder growing accustomed to the impact. However, more importantly, he felt the dummy cracking with each blow as he applied extensive force to the upper-half of its frame repeatedly. The base was beginning to creak and groan under the strain, and with each blow that shook both his shoulders and the dummy, he could feel it beginning to give. Just a bit more, a bit more power, a better angle, a slight shift in momentum.

The sun continued to slowly flow across the sky as the young man's eyes narrowed on the target, pushing himself more, and more, until finally as the sounds of crickets began to fill the air--they were abruptly silenced. The impact of his shoulder smashing into the dummy, and sending it crashing to the ground startling them all into scattering. Satori panted, his hand lifting to massage his bruised and battered shoulder before he would slowly relax and straighten.

He had managed it, and now, it was time to begin the true test of his current physique, the style that he wished to create was going to require quite a bit more training than the basic, and simple muay thai. Still, he had a fairly strong sense that it would fit his preferences far more, and perhaps, it would allow him to learn how to create his own jutsu that much more.

It was the next day, and Satori stared quietly at the surrounds of the clearing. He had to replace the training dummy with a new one, the previous having been beaten down. Briefly he had debated simply using something like a tree trunk, however, the style that he was attempting to create was not something that could be as simply designed as raw power. He needed to have a proper humanoid shape, or the style itself could be nullified by his inexperience dealing with proper targets.

Due to this, he had settled on a new dummy that held arms, something he could practice properly on even if it wasn't exactly a proper substitute for a real opponent. But, he didn't want anyone to learn of his combat styles if he could help it, keeping himself known as a scrawny weakling that was limited to basics sounded like more than enough to him for now until he was ready to broach the subject of joining the academy. Releasing a slow breath, he would slowly lift up his arms before halting.

What was the best position to hold himself for this stance, for this style? The question was more difficult than just raising up his hands to start punching. He wanted this stance to be fluid, like water dancing around an opponent. Most styles took aspects of nature or animals. Perhaps he should think of something similar. Slowly lowering his arms back down, he would lift his head slowly as he debated a good candidate. There was, of course, the obvious choice of water. However, that lacked the deadly counter that he was aiming for.

Water was devastating, certainly, but it wasn't the right image. It was roaring, and powerful. Or, it was careful and slow, chipping away at those it interacted with. Neither fit his image for the style, so instead, he was forced to look elsewhere for conceivable inspiration. Allowing his mind to wander over the animals that came to mind. A species that was fast, attacked at high speeds, was difficult to keep track of and yet could kill in a single blow.

The answer popped into his mind instantly; a snake. Specifically one of the poisonous variety, something that caused him to smirk slightly, how fitting.

With his symbolic species chosen, Satori was free to begin working toward the style itself and what it would involve. If he wished to base the style around the concept of a snake, then he would need to properly utilize the mobility of his limbs. Snakes struck at high speeds when they saw an opening, they used swaying motions and mobility to keep their edge, avoiding damage while delivering devastating blows that could kill effortlessly.

If he wanted to properly mimic that, he would first need to learn how to properly implement the use of footwork and mobility, something that then raised the question on the best way to do exactly that. Glancing down at his feet, Satori would shift himself back and forth a few times idly in thought as he practiced getting into the motions of swaying back and forth.

Footwork would be key, he needed to properly initiate the method of keeping his footing close enough together to minimize trackable movement, while also carefully keeping track of his own body so that he could maximize dodging capabilities. Motions like that would make it inherently difficult and would require practice. Footwork, that would be the foundation for the entire style, and from that footwork, he could then practice the movements of the body in order to maximize its effects.

He was also tense, on guard, doing this properly would require that he learn to keep his guard up while remaining lax. Something he doubted severely would actually be simple to achieve, and yet he still didn't doubt it was within his possibilities. Certainly, it may push his body a bit, but that was a good thing. The more he could push himself, the better he would be able to properly manipulate and adjust his form mid-combat, besides, the stance would rely far more on his observational abilities than actual speed.

One of his greatest strengths, even if it was honed by his weakness, that didn't make it any less potent as a weapon now.

He'd been at it for hours. Dedicated footwork was a complicated thing when one had never actually bothered with it previously. Coordination was incredibly key, and he was fully aware that he lacked quite a bit of it due to his body still being in an awkward in-between state of growth. Every time his footing would shift, he found himself stumbling, unable to properly keep his legs together long enough to keep himself in-time with the movements to shift his weight.

Every time, he would be forced to separate his legs for a wider base, or stumble and nearly fall trying to maintain his proper center of balance. He was beginning to realize the weakness of this stance, and how much he was lacking in the coordination department to execute it properly. This was frustrating, but it wasn't something he hadn't already predicted, he had known his body had begun to finally build back up to a healthy state once more after all. However, that didn't magically mean that he would have the coordination and control to properly support Taijutsu to its fullest.

If that were the case, then instead of trying to perfect the style itself he should instead be working toward gaining his coordination, and balance. His physical therapy previously had touched on it, utilizing stretches and movements in order to maximize mobility of the joints, but this would be different. He needed to learn to properly center himself, train muscles he had never truly used to hold his weight and balance himself perfectly. If he could gain a proper level of control over his muscles, his body, his weight, and momentum-- then creating this Taijutsu style would become far easier, and much more possible.

The entire purpose of it was to enhance his body through the use of chakra, and control, instead of having to dedicate himself to increase his physical prowess naturally. Maintaining a healthy body, while using skill to enhance himself was far more appealing to him, Ninjutsu and Bukijutsu, after all, were aspects that were far more in his favor, training in the other forms of combat was simply to help cover his weaknesses and help him build a powerful foundation to act upon.

Satori had sat down and focused on his problem at hand. Effectively, he simply lacked the ability to properly utilize his body in the style used, basically, his body was too used to the simple and straightforward movements of his clan's combat style. He was too used to being inherently limited by brutal, efficient actions. His balance and mobility simply weren't ready to deal with anything this potent just yet. So, that meant he needed to build up those parts of his capability first, he needed to, essentially, practice his Taijutsu as much as possible in order to maximize his physical capabilities and bring them up to par so that he could actually create the style in question.

Releasing a breath, he would slowly lift his gaze upward--in that case, he should talk to his father about ways to increase his combat skill. The man had helped him greatly thus far, and he had little doubt that he wouldn't be willing to toss him around all the more to ensure that he could build up a stronger foundation of skill. Even if he would probably tell him that the clan's teachings were more than enough, Kiyoshi never told his son outright "No", and was always willing to help him, even if he didn't understand his decisions.

It was what made the man a good father.

Releasing a breath and hauling himself up, Satori would stretch and head back toward the Clan's main compound. There was plenty to do if he intended to actually train against his father, the man wouldn't hold back, he knew that all too well. Rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms as his claws flashed briefly in the light, Satori allowed a slight smile to form on his lips. It didn't matter how tough it would be, he'd carve his way through the training and come out stronger for it.

That was his way.

It was several days later, Satori had specifically asked his father to fight against him without pulling out any of the stops. Obviously, he didn't expect his father to use jutsu, or anything similar, there would be no competition then. But he didn't want him to hold back either, he wanted to see how well he could do against someone like his father with everything in his skill set, if he was pushed as far as possible what could he utilize? This was how he would improve his baseline combat ability, he was determined to do that much no matter the cost or time he had to pour into it.

Releasing a slow breath, he halted just outside the training grounds main sanctum, the grass was flawless having regrown and been mended by the jutsu of the clan's members. Kiyoshi stood casually across from him with a slight smirk decorating his large face.

"You sure about this, Satori? It's a bit early for you to be trying active combat practice against shinobi superior to you to this extent." Satori paused for a moment, before shaking his head, long black locks ruffling slightly as he met his fathers gaze evenly.

"It's never too early. The more pressure I feel, the faster I'll grow. This is the most efficient method. Is mother coming?" After a brief moment, Kiyoshi released a chuckle and nodded his head once.

"She is. You're going to wear her out you know." Satori nodded his head once in agreement, knowing that what he was asking of both his parents was substantial. But, he wouldn't hold back just because of that and as he stepped forward he released a single breath.

As soon as he was in the circle it would begin, and he knew that. His father remained where he was, as casual and relaxed as any other day.

Yet, the air shifted as his foot hovered a centimeter from the edge of the circle. He could feel it, the bloodlust emanating from his father. It was nothing like the bloodlust that had come from the others he had fought in the past, even the shinobi he had killed to obtain his right as a full member of the clan, who had so desperately fought for her life before he had killed and devoured her. No, this was different. There was no fear, only the roaring solitary force of a great beast holding its ground.

A bear stood before him, just as the man's title would suggest. Often the elder would lament how if Kiyoshi would study Fuuinjtusu and Ninjutsu, the man could become a Jounin, or perhaps even further. But he had refused. Kiyoshi had become a Special Jounin immediately after joining the village and had remained that rank ever since. He had been known for wrestling bears, as that was how he had acquired his ally, the great armored war bear Beorn.

Satori knew what he was entering was a ring of pain, there would be no other way to describe it, and he knew that. Yet, despite this, his eyes would harden. His jaw locking--and he stepped inside the ring. Immediately Kiyoshi moved, Satori barely had time to react before the man was already within meters of him, a massive fist reared back and prepared to collide with his skull. He could substitute, but he couldn't use it so soon, the jutsu had a substantial drawback of its limitation due to how the senses of the opponent automatically registered and adjusted to it the more it was used.

Using it so soon meant that he was truly not ready. He had to do something else, anything else. So he did the first thing that came to mind, and as the world seemed to move in slow motion, Satori's body would contort, the air around him blurring before he weaved to the side as his father's fist flashed through the air. The blow clipped him, just barely, but due to the liquidlike movement, it slid from his cheek harmlessly. His father blinked once, but Satori didn't give him the chance to react properly before his body continued to sway rapidly to the side.

Kiyoshi's hand was already retracting, his leg lifting upward in a powerful knee aimed at his son's center of mass--and Satori was prepared now. The jutsu was still new, incredibly so. He wasn't certain how long he'd be able to hold it up, he wasn't certain how well he could control it, but it was possible. That was all he needed, and as the knee lashed out, Satori's body seemed to flow like water to the side once more, this time in the opposite direction of the initial attack.

Kiyoshi's eyes slowly widened, before a wide grin split over his lips. The boy was moving incredibly fast, so much so that he pondered if the boy could even keep up with his own movements. He could smell the chakra flowing from his son's body, amazed he had enough in reserve to maintain the jutsu he was now utilizing. But even more surprising, was when the boy's hand lashed out with the motion of his body that he'd used to dodge.

The blow shifted with his momentum, the dodge amplifying the power along with the chakra that extended outward from it, smashing into the side of his head. He hadn't expected the boy to try a counter, and it had no damaging effect, his hide was far too strong for anything like that. At least, that's what he had assumed. However, his eyes narrowed--squinting as the world seemed to tilt slightly, shapes blurring.

In that instant the boy seemed to move even faster, flowing out of range and around behind him, the motions causing him to stumble in confusion. But his other senses were sharp, whatever his son had done was already beginning to fade and had only bought him time, and had dealt him no real damage. There was no need to worry, and so he closed his eyes and focused on following the scent of chakra, and listening to the movements of the body behind him.

Spinning, his arms lashed downward as Satori's dodge allowed him to barely avoid the dual-chop, the shockwaves from the full force blow smashing into the earth and leaving two large chunks cut from its surface. All while, in the same moment, Satori was forced back from the sheer wind pressure. His father may not be that fast, but the man was overwhelmingly strong physically, and his durability was beyond impressive as well. But his initial blow had landed, and maybe, by some miracle, he would be able to actually harm the man.

His balance was off, he couldn't use his eyes for now, his counters were powerful--but slow. His jutsu was supporting him well beyond anything his father was capable of moving at, but his own reflexes were struggling to keep up properly at the same time. His chakra was draining rapidly, he'd estimated the technique would be around the point of D-Rank when he'd come up with the idea to begin creating it. But it was more accurate to call this level of chakra usage beyond that, B-Rank? Probably not, he wasn't sure he could maintain a jutsu of that rank even this long yet.

C-Rank seemed likely then, which left the question--how long could he maintain it?

He supposed he would find out. His hands clenched, feeling the chakra flowing through his body before he stepped forward as his father's hands began to slowly lift upward, recoiling from the downward strikes. An opening and Satori's hand lashed outward to smash forward, but his father heard the movements and was already stepping back to avoid the blow, his reactions calm and collected. That was until he felt the sting of a blade digging into his shoulder anyway. In shock, his eyes opened, noting his blurred vision and hampered senses were gone with the pain shooting through him, jumpstarting his system.

His son was standing in front of him, one foot on his arm to give himself a boost, but more importantly, his hand was shaped like a spearhead, aimed at his shoulder. There was no contact, but then he caught it, the scent of the chakra. A blade of chakra buried in his shoulder connected to his claws. The damage wasn't serious, his natural toughness had eased the damage a bit, but it was still buried about two inches into his shoulder, nearly coming out the other side of his body; when had he learned the Clan Jutsu to empower ones claws?

Already, he was moving. His hand snatching out to grab the blade itself in order to dislodge it--and to his shock, Satori immediately dispersed the jutsu in order to launch off his leg and create distance between them once more. Satori landed, skidding several steps back as his motions continued to flow slowly from left to right, making it difficult for Kiyoshi to pinpoint him. The pain in his shoulder throbbed, causing a slow grin to spread over his lips as a slow clapping filled the air, causing both sets of crimson eyes to turn and look at the woman who stood with a slight smile on the sidelines.

Hands on her hips, she chuckled. "Looks like the first person I'm healing won't be Satori after all, hm, Kiyo?" She inquired with a soft giggle, causing the man to huff a bit and roll his shoulder as the blood leaked from the stab wound.

"The pup got lucky. Still. That was a good series of strikes--but, if I'm right," his eyes slid toward Satori, who wobbled, and fell to a knee. The chakra fatigue hitting him, as his vision suddenly hazed. Was that really his limit? Raika glanced at her son, before closing her eyes and clapping her hands together.

"Alright, make the call. Break or continue. Injured, place your vote."

The call came calmly from Kiyoshi, "Continue."

Raika's gaze trailed toward the panting boy, who was struggling to force himself to his feet as his vision wobbled, he'd never experienced chakra deprivation, he'd always carefully measured it. But he'd never dealt with using so much chakra at once, it was a new sensation. "Fatigued, place your vote."

"Continue." He stated firmly, despite the way his vision blurred, doing his best to focus on Kiyoshi's proud, grinning face. Raika sighed.

"Referee vote is to halt. The fight will continue, begin!" her words filled the air as her hand lowered, starting the next "round" as it were official in the standard combat ritual of the clan. Kiyoshi was already moving, and Satori knew he wouldn't be able to dodge again. A grim smirk formed on his lips, he had no intention of stopping just yet despite that fact.

Satori only saw his father move for a few brief moments before the fist collided with his head just as he was managing to stand back up. The resounding sound of his skull colliding with the ground afterward was all that was left, and then there was only blackness. The brief thought entered his mind that, even if it had only been a single minor wound, and had cost him all of his chakra to manage, he had actually landed a blow that had caused some degree of damage and pain to his father. The man was far more powerful than he was, superior in every way, and he had no issue being proud of that fact. A single grin formed on his lips as the darkness took him, and only the sigh of his birth mother was heard before the void grasped his mind.

He awoke a few minutes later, though for how long he'd been out he had no actual clue, sputtering and sitting up quickly before raising a hand to his head with a low groan of pain. His father hadn't held back at all, his head was pounding like it'd been cracked open. "I feel like one of our chicken's eggs," he muttered softly, causing Raika to scoff softly as her hand gripped him firmly, pushing his head back into her lap where it had been. The familiar green glow flashing over his eyes before he felt the pain easing as she continued to mend the concussion he'd received.

Kiyoshi was sitting casually, steam flowing from the wound as he watched his son patiently as he regenerated, causing Satori to blink once in surprise.

"I thought we couldn't perform medical jutsu, father?" This caused Kiyoshi to blink, then laughed softly.

"We can't, pup. But we can shoehorn it. It's not nearly as efficient, but I have enough chakra; it doesn't matter. Once you're good enough at chakra control I'll teach you." The statement caused Satori to frown slightly, shoehorn it? Raika gently lifted his head, checking the dilation of his pupils with a beam of light from her finger as she examined him a few moments more, before nodding once.

"Alright, you're ready for round two, Satori. But your chakra still needs to replenish, so how about we talk for a bit. Where did you learn to use that jutsu? Who taught you something like that?" Tilting his head a bit, Satori would blink as Kiyoshi glanced at him, clearly interested as well. Satori simply shook his head once.

"No one. I've been working on it for a while, it's the first time I've tried to use it in combat though." This statement caused Kiyoshi to pause, blinking and slowly leaning forward to examine Satori, his brow rising slowly.

"You created an B-Rank Jutsu on your own?" This statement caused his mother to shake her head.

"It appeared too weak for that. An B-Rank would allow him to move far more quickly than that, dear." Kiyoshi frowned and leaned back as he tapped his foot.

"But those strikes managed to pierce me pretty well. A jutsu that amplifies damage to that degree would have to be B-Rank if it let you move at speeds like that as well. It increased his reaction time a bit too, though not much." As the two adults discussed the jutsu, Satori would rub his neck a bit trying to ease the stiffness from it before finally interjecting with a slight sight.

"I don't know what rank it would be, I assumed low B to high C rank, but the destructive potential of that style is actually really low, father. The jutsu itself only amplified speed and reaction time, based on optical illusions and chakra enhancement. The attacks are separate jutsu that I created, probably only E or D rank designed to be used along with the style, since I know we're naturally quite strong, I didn't think the base jutsu needed to augment that any." As he explained this, Kiyoshi slowly tilted his head in surprise.

"You're thinking that far ahead? You're a long way off from our real destructive potential you know, pup." Satori simply blinked and shrugged.

"That's true, but why should I waste my time early on learning jutsu that will be useless to me later? The lower ranked jutsu is pretty useless to me then as well due to my power I should have then, but spending time creating low-rank jutsu is far easier. They'll be of use to me until I can reach that destructive power naturally, and then they'll be obsolete but perhaps I can teach them to my genin I have in the future." The explanation was logical, to the point, and totally normal in the eyes of Raika. Planning ten, twenty, or even fifty years in the future was a sign of responsibility and dedication.

But Kiyoshi was stumped, amazed really. "Pup I can barely plan what I want to eat for dinner. You're thinking ten, twenty years ahead before you'll have physical strength comparable to mine likely you know." Satori blinked once, lifting his gaze upward slowly, and Kiyoshi felt a chill up his spine. Not of fear, but of amazement at the words that the boy spoke next--but more than that, the shine of something more in the boy's eyes. Obsession.

"Ten years? No. That's just me planning for the next two, father. I must be Mizukage by the time I'm twenty at the most." The words were not spoken out of some idiotic ideal, or compulsion, there was nothing but determination in his tone and eyes. Slowly, Kiyoshi allowed a grin to spread slowly over his lips.

"Mizukage, huh. Alright. In that case, you can't afford to be sitting around then, can you? You created an C or B-Rank jutsu at your age, but it's imperfect. Let's fix that." Lifting his hands up, he would clasp them together once.

"Tell me what the jutsu is doing. Your mother and I will help you master it and finish its development." This statement caused Satori to blink, glancing up at Raika whom simply smiled and nodded in agreement before he would slowly sit up and frown. Lifting both hands up and beginning the short explanation.

"I'm channeling my chakra into my nerve system, joints, ligaments, and muscles in order to encourage flexibility and mobility. But I can't seem to keep the balance between nerves and body. My reflexes can't keep up with my own speed, and my chakra is drained pretty heavily trying to keep it going as well, especially combined with the other jutsu I'm using to actually deal any degree of damage." Frowning a bit at this, Satori would idly shift himself back and forth in thought as he debated a solution, Kiyoshi would speak first.

"The chakra isn't really a problem. You're chakra pool is just small, if any other genin tried to use a jutsu of that rank they'd probably struggle even more. All you need to do is condition your chakra control and pool more efficiently." This caused Satori to blink, glancing up at his father.

"More Genin can't use C-Ranks?" The boy inquired curiously, causing the man to shake his head once more.

"C-Ranks at most. Generally D-Ranks are more common. That's why we thought you learned it from someone else, learning a C-Rank or higher jutsu is usually a Chunin level feat. Inventing one is definitely Chunin level." As this was explained, Satori felt a brief tingle of pride, but it didn't last long before he would nod his head once.

"I just need to do more chakra conditioning then. That's simple, just time-consuming. But what about the other problem?" Kiyoshi frowned and leaned back, "Not really my jurisdiction, I mean, sure I know some about the body but--" his eyes drifted to Raika, his meaning clear. Satori tilted his gaze back toward his birth mother, who had been silently thinking the entire time. A sigh pushed past her lips.

"I've been thinking about solutions, but it's difficult. The best method would be to learn the basics of medical jutsu, it would greatly help your understanding of the nerves and body, and refine your chakra control. However--" Satori made a face of distaste, finishing the statement for his birth mother. "--Our clan can't usually learn medical jutsu."

Raika nodded, and Satori understood her problem now as he sighed. Rocking back and forth slowly in contemplation. "But, even if I can't use Medical Jutsu, that's because our clan have much more volatile chakra, right? Doesn't that mean that it can be controlled, it's just more difficult to do so?"

Raika shook her head, "Many have tried in the past, even our greatest shinobi dear. It's not been done yet. They give up and move on to other things instead."

But Satori shook his head, "I don't mean to learn medical jutsu. But, we can clearly still perform chakra infusions into our body--and father is able to jumpstart his immune system and natural healing process with chakra, right?" He glanced toward Kiyoshi, whom blinked, but nodded an affirmative as he pondered what the boy was getting at.

"Then if I learn more about the nerves of the body, and study basic medicine, even if I can't actually channel it to alter the body on a fundamental level like medical jutsu can--I can still use it to amplify my bodies natural capabilities, right?" Glancing at his parents who blinked, contemplating this question and looking up at one another. Kiyoshi spoke first.

"I suppose it's possible. He has a point when we use our regeneration all we're really doing is jumpstarting our bodies natural healing process by focusing on our wounded areas. In theory, if he learned the specific parts of the body, he could use that knowledge to increase its accuracy and efficiency." Raika contemplated this information, before a slight smile formed on her lips.

"Very well. Then how about this, while your chakra regenerates you'll hold lessons with me on the nerve system and body as a whole. When your chakra returns in full, you'll spar with your father using the new knowledge and trying to alter the jutsu and enhance it as best you can." As she explained this, she glanced up at her husband making certain he was fine with it. A slight nod signaled his approval, and they both glanced down at Satori whom allowed a slow grin to spread over his lips.

Training at twice the speed without stopping to maximize the results was a training style right up his alley, he didn't care if it exhausted him, that was the cost of dedication. He nodded a single time making his agreement clear. "Please."

It was going to be a long training session, but that would make it all the sweeter when he finally managed to acquire the jutsu that he was so desperately trying to master.

The next few days were spent doing exactly as they had attempted, Satori was cramming as much information in regards to the jutsu into his head as was possible. Hours of work turned to days quickly, and the more he learned of the body the more he realized he knew nothing of it in the first place. Each lesson with his mother pushed that much more information into his mind, he memorized it, keeping it as firmly ingrained in his mind as was possible. The more he could push inside it, the better. Until finally after what felt like only a few days when it had actually been more comparable to a week, Satori stepped into the ring with his father once more.

He'd been honing himself, and the jutsu again and again over the timespan and each time he'd manage to sustain it just a bit longer. More efficiently distributing his chakra, more capably infusing it into his movements in order to minimize over-use. The more he focused, the better off he became, and eventually, it began to regress from focus to instead becoming second nature. That was where he had begun to settle, no longer did he have to think about the movements of his body, it acted automatically in order to dodge or parry a blow.

His father had noticed the difference, and no matter how slight it made a world of improvement in a battle. It showed the step of going to a simple practitioner of taijutsu, to becoming an actual martial artist, a real fighter. Kiyoshi simply grinned at this realization, before he would lift himself up properly as the boy entered the ring once more, entering a familiar stance as his body began to slowly shift. Kiyoshi shifting slightly, his own stance far more simple, no chakra going into it.

There was no need for that dealing with the pup, even with the jutsu he could never win against him. Still, he had proven several times he could do some damage, and for that, he was proud of the boy. Waiting patiently, the massive bear of a man watched as Satori approached slowly, weaving back and forth slowly with the movements of his feet until--it came. It was similar to a jab. Satori had begun to notice how Kiyoshi predicted it, was carefully pacing ten meters away so that he had ample time to react and side-step.

The attack was a medium-distance Taijutsu, designed like fangs of a snake with his hand being the snakes head, combined with his clans claw enhancing jutsu. It had been incredibly useful in their initial clash, and even when he used it so many times like now when his father had grown used to it, its efficiency couldn't be denied. Even later in life when his strength was superior to the blade he would most certainly have to create a weaker variation simply for the amplified range.

The jab missed, something he had grown to expect. With the initial blow thrown, Kiyoshi was already moving, and even with the jutsu enhancing his reaction time and nerves he barely managed to flow to the side in time to avoid the powerful jab. His father was in melee range with him now, and that meant his second technique was now usable. The rapid jab focused the chakra into his fingertips, aiming to stun his father, but the man had figured the technique out and quickly shut down the attack by deflecting his forearm without making contact with his hand or fingers at all.

This ensured his fingertips didn't make contact, rendering the chakra useless as it dispersed. A weakness he had discovered previously, and it was unavoidable, no technique was flawless after all. That was why having constant unknown options was so incredibly important. Satori knew this, and so when his father's grip shifted to grasp his arm he cursed, the power of the stance was entirely based on constant mobility. Relying on active dancing, effectively. Being in grappling range was both a strength, and a weakness, and it showed Satori that he had no choice but do what he could.

So, when his father yanked his arm--dragging him forward, Satori used it as an anchor. His legs shot out, wrapping around his father's limb and climbing it quickly. His body wrapping around the man like a snake, causing him to blink. This was new, the pup hadn't shown him this yet. There was a reason for that--because it suffered many weaknesses, and one of them was that quite simply, using it against a physically stronger opponent was normally utterly moronic.

His arms snapped out, grasping his fathers and intertwining fingers with his own as his legs constricted the massive trunk of a torso, his arms constricting around the man's own with surprising force as the chakra acted as a crushing energy. The result was simple--an upper body bind that would break fingers and crush arms, perhaps even ribs with enough power. The issue was that even with the bruising forming on his fingers, Kiyoshi was far, far stronger. He couldn't help but question his son's judgment, and without issue, his arms flexed to snap the binding.

At this moment, Satori released everything. Causing the man's arms to jerk forward as he blinked in confusion, and then his eyes widened. His arms were in front of him now, and his son was still firmly attached to his back using his legs to wrap around his torso. Two arms slammed into his back, causing him to jerk painfully as four blades dug into his back, each one piercing him a bit more than an inch deep. The chakra blades bounced off his ribs, cutting into them slightly as bruising spread over his back from the impact wounds.

Still, he wasn't about to just stand there while Satori impaled him, and so his arms reached over his shoulder to grab the boy, only to blink and find that he wasn't there. Instead, like a snake, his body had gone lower, again he felt the bite of the fangs. In his side this time causing him to stumble and curse as he swung his arm down to catch the boy, and he did, but this time the blades bit into his arm as well. Eyebrow twitching, the connection was solid, shattering the chakra blades and smashing the boy off him to smash along the ground. Skidding along the earth as blood dripped from his side, back, and arm. Glancing down at the wound for a few moments, before barking out a laugh.

"Well done, pup. I didn't think about using your flexibility and speed from the jutsu to attack me like that. Using your smaller size to your advantage--what was that grappling technique? Against a weaker opponent that could'a been nasty." Satori was no longer in the circle, his father had knocked him clean out of it. Even with the chakra blades and claws having taken the initial blow, he could feel his hands and arms throbbing. Two broken fingers, and fractures in his forearms if he had a guess.

Raika casually moved forward, hands already glowing green as she began to work on the boy while he struggled to sit up, glancing over at Kiyoshi.

"How are your hands dear?" The response was a laugh, "Bruised and bleeding, but fine. Cut on my arm is about half an inch deep, the stab wounds are pretty nasty though, especially that one in my side." The man glanced down at the wound as blood dripped freely from it, "Don't think he got any organs, but he was definitely aiming for my intestine, you're teaching him some nasty shit Raika." The woman huffed at the statement.

"Dissecting your opponent's body is just another tactic. I'm proud of his progress." Kiyoshi grinned.

"So am I. Still dirty." Moving forward he fell down, steam rising from the bruises that decorated his hands as well as the slashes and puncture wounds as he placed his chin lightly in his palm to look down at the young boy as he recovered his senses enough to talk. Finally, answer his father as he rubbed his mending hands.

"I nicknamed it 'Pythons Hold', I thought about the weakness to that jutsu being grappling and super close range against a physically superior opponent. So I made that jutsu to help ease the weakness a bit." As he explained this, Kiyoshi would rest his chin lightly in his palm, listening with surprising intentness.

"So it's designed to shut down grappling by pinning the arms and slowly crushing the upper body, huh?" Satori nodded a bit, "Theoretically, breaking the hands so hand seals and weapons cannot be used as easily. Similarly, I had the idea of using it as a simple foothold in order to create an opening, against an opponent that was just too strong physically, like you. Not supposed to take that last hit though, it was supposed to rip open your stomach, then maim the hand you used to attack, and get away." Satori's face shifted into an annoyed expression, causing Kiyoshi to laugh.

"You managed to injure the head of your clan, even if I wasn't using jutsu, four times at your age--and none of them were minor wounds, and you're still not satisfied at all huh?" Satori blinked, lifting his gaze up to meet his fathers.

"You're only my short-term goal father, of course not. The Mizukage is a lot stronger than you, right?" His father didn't even flinch at this, simply smiling softly and nodding his head.

"Yeah. He's alot stronger. So is our elder--so if you want to be able to become the Mizukage you better get a hell of alot better than you are now. You'll have to be able to beat me using jutsu without using any jutsu yourself. Think you'll ever be able to do that?" Satori slowly lifted his gaze up, watching the air quietly in thought for a few moments, before lowering his gaze with his answer. Meeting his father's eyes without issue or complaint.

"It doesn't matter what I think. If that's what I have to do in order to become the Mizukage, and take your place as head of the clan, then that's what I'll do. That's all that matters." As he stated this, Kiyoshi's grin grew even wider, a large hand falling atop the boys head as he ruffled the long wild black locks roughly.

"That's what I like to hear. Alright. Let's go again--maybe we can work on Ninjutsu a bit now, you want to learn how to regenerate, right?" Satori's eyes glinted, and he nodded once. Hauling himself back to his feet as he followed after his father, Raika had remained silent the entire time. Watching her firstborn walk toward the ring with a faint smile, a sigh passing her lips. He was just like his grandfather, it seems ambition skipped a generation.

This training would continue as Satori began to dip into the lessons of learning how to properly manipulate his body to even higher levels, learning to perform his own custom variants of the foundations of Taijutsu. Eventually evolving it even further, to the point of amplifying raw physical movements through nothing but pure Taijutsu. The training had begun to show, as with the barest minimum of chakra he was able to amplify his reaction times to new heights as his body seemed to react purely on its own.

By the end of the session, Satori could only grin at his prowess. He was finally beginning to dip into the proper usages of Taijutsu and combat; and next came something he'd been waiting for a long time. Fuuinjutsu and seals. It was time to make the contract with the Lion Tribe, and finally, access the power of the style itself.