Got the Stones?

Pre-Time Skip

The Stone Yard, it was such a primitive training area. The male recalled his Genin days of training on the very same yard, nothing about the place had changed since then, save for the dust on the equipment from the lack of use. While it may have served it's uses back then, the Stone Yard did little for the man now. Masaru would kneel down placing his hands upon the earth and flowing his chakra into it, watching as the earth began to shape to his will. The Stone Yard was a large area, but it was just flat earth in the center of the village and the man aimed to change that. Fissures would open in the earth and pillars would sprout jaggedly from the earth, a wall of earth would form around the entirety of the training grounds. Leaving only a small entryway open for entering and exiting the grounds, so that one could not see what was happening inside. Once done Masaru would stand looking around at his new training area, he viewed the pillars and obstacles he had created would serve him much better than the flat training grounds that stood here before. There was no limit to what could be accomplished within this space, the personal improvement to himself would be more than enough. But if the man was being honest with himself, the change to the training grounds wasn't for him. No the man did all this for Chen, if the boy decided to come, Masaru wanted to ensure that he would be able to see the boys abilities. Now that the stone yard was a small scale recreation of the Chang Mountain Range, with some unique additions Masaru decided to place he would have the perfect setting to test the young pupil. Of course Masaru would not stand around holding his breath waiting for the boy to arrive, he had explained it to the boy before, he did not plan on waiting for him. Masaru would begin his daily ritual of training, drawing Devorakos from it's sheath the man would begin the slow movements of swordplay as if he was in a competition that was going to rate him on his form. Masaru's movements were slow and meticulous, each swing of the blade taking several minutes to follow through all the way. This wasn't so much about extreme training, this was more of muscle training. The slow meticulous movements, the strain to his muscles as he tightened them to hold form. All of it was for a purpose, muscle memory. By forcing his muscles to hold form as he swung, it teaches the muscles how they should be reacting in that situation allowing him to react faster and stronger.

Chen walked onto the Stone Yard wearing his typical training gear. The boy was wearing a dark T-Shirt, trenchcoat, combat pants and boots. His hear was slicked back as was its usual manner. He hadn't bought any ninja tools as of yet but he had been meaning to. He figured that his sensei would be willing to loan him some if it came down to it. He had toured the village on his own during the past few weeks. He had come to the conclusion that aligning himself with Iwagakure was better for his long term goals. Sunagakure had more or less become a mere shell of what it had promised him. Masaru represented discipline, growth, and an opportunity to ingratiate himself with a rising power. And thus, the young lad made his way to the Iwagakure Training Area with the intention of bettering himself.

Chen arrived right on time. He saw that the area had been terraformed by his sensei into something new. He maintained a poker face as he slowly approached the Tsuchikage. The nation's new leader was an avid swordsman he seemed. Chen didn't know much about Kenjutsu but he could guess that given the precision and speed of the strokes, it was Masaru's favored fighting style.

Interesting... he thought to himself. Chen had never fancied swords. He had nothing against them as weapons, they just seemed to require more investment and spiritual stability than he was capable of. He liked short ultra-sharp blades. They were easier to hide, produce, and utilize. He made his presence clear by raising a cuffed fist to his mouth and coughing. Once the attention had been drawn to himself, he bowed deeply and said:

"Sempai-Masaru...I accept your offer to stay in Iwagakure and train as your student"

Masaru was nearly finished with his kata when the boy arrived, the cough wasn't necessary considering the man heard the approach of footsteps long before the boy cough but he did not stop his training. After he finished his last movement the man would stand to face the boy, smiling at the boy calling him sempai. He was more then glad that the boy chose to stay, it would give him time to see the true power he feels within the boy. "You are just in time Chen, I was just about to get started." Masaru stated as he returned Devorakos to it's sheath, that sword was not something he would use on a student. It's blade was made of the special metal found only within the land of Earth, and if he were to use it on Chen it could potentially drain the boy of all of his chakra. Instead the man would open his hands at his side, turning them so that their palms faced the boy and formed a short sword in each hand with his steel release before gripping the handles of the two newly formed blades. The dark red veins that ran along the blade merely a side effect of the man's bloodline, however the man believed it made it better than the normal Tetsudashi and since no one of the clan was brave enough to challenge him, the man would continue to believe as such. Without warning Masaru would toss the one in his left hand into the air towards Chen, with the full expectation of the boy catching the blade. Masaru would swing the blade in his right hand around a little bit before asking, "So tell me do you know how to use a blade? I've been dying for someone to spar with other than Hansuke." While the man was speaking he would form half seals with his left hand before the ground beneath the pair would begin to shift, similarly to how the man had already changed the terrain only on a different scale. Masaru and Chen would both be lifted into the air by the ground beneath them turning into five meter tall pillars that was about two meters in diameter, just enough to stand on without fear of falling. The space between them and all around them would begin to sprout similar pillars of earth, all of them in various sizes in diameter and distances between them some taller than the ones the two would be standing on and some shorter. Masaru would then turn so that his body was vertical to the boy with his left side facing him and the sword in his right hand was behind him, turning his head to look at the boy he would raise his left hand and motion for the boy to come towards him. "Come now, let's just have a go. Everyone should know how to handle a blade, especially my student."

Masaru was glad to see Chen. It was a bit of a change in his personal life for someone to be happy to see him. Chen wasn't sure how to react so he opted for neutrality. Chen then watched as Masaru suddenly conjured a steel blade for him. He had expected the Tsuchikage to furnish him with some new weapons but not this way. He stared at the Kage in shock wondering if this was due to the man's bloodline limit. It had to be. He remembered reading something about the people of Earth Country being masters of Steel and Metal. Chen wondered if he could learn this strange metallic ninjutsu but then he quickly dismissed the idea. Such talents were usually reserved for those born into the Clan. Chen would know that. He had a secret gift of his own.

Masaru suddenly tossed the weapon at Chen and the boy deftly caught it. He turned it around in his hands and gripped the handle. It certainly felt real. He asked Chen if he knew how to handle a blade and the genin shrugged.

"I'm more of a hand to hand combat fighter but I'm okay with short blades...I can hold my own. Let's go."

Apparently Masaru liked to spar with the old man. It would make sense that he wanted Chen to learn the way of Kenjutsu, after all, it seemed to be this Kage's bread and butter. The moment he gave his assent, Masaru lifted them into the air with Earth Release. Chen did his best not to appear shocked but he was momentarily startled by the sudden shift.

Masaru then motioned for him to come.

"Very well..." Chen offered before dashing towards the experienced swordsman. He made a series of slashes aiming for Masaru's chest and neck before ducking low into a sweep kick and then bringing it back up for a powerful stab into the man's solar plexus. Chen was a cool and calm individual but he fought with the mania of a veteran that had only known trauma and misery. If Masaru was perceptive he'd notice his new student's innate ferocity when it came to fighting.

As soon as the boy dashed forward masaru would shift his weight, pivoting on his back foot bringing his right side and the sword to the front. The boys slashes were easy to deflect with his own blade, though he could feel the strength behind them and more than once the boy would get close to his mark from the pure fury behind his strikes. As the boy ducked down to sweep his legs masaru would leap back, avoiding the sweep and putting some distance between them. As his feet hit the ground he would lift his left hand forward pointing it at the boy, as his hand moved so to did the earth, unleashing a barrage of spikes to form from the earth with the intention of impaling the boy. Masaru did not wish to kill the boy, but he would pull no punches. This was as much about his own training as it was the boy's, and if he held back not only would he not improve himself but it would be an insult to his protege in the respect that he did not think the boy could handle him at full power.

As soon as the boy moved (if he moved) to dodge the earth Spears, Masaru would move to intercept. Infusing his blade with chakra thanks to his chakra flow Technique, enbuing it with his Katon chakra to give the blade an extra burn. Bringing his sword from his right to slash across the boys mid section just as the boy had done to him, however after the slashes he would then leap to a different platform of earth off to the side of the one they were currently on. This not only would give the boy some breathing room for his counter, but gave the man some space so that he could observe the boy and his technique more. After all if he did not observe the boy, he could not explain to him where he needed improvement. "Come now boy, that's not the best you have is it?"

---

1/2 posts analyzing Chen

Chen wasn't surprised that his master could easily avoid his strikes. He was certain that the difference between them was rather significant. The most he could hope for was to show that he wasn't a total hump. The boy did his due diligence to force Masaru to retreat but just when he thought he had the man on the run, he felt the ground beneath him shake. Unsure of what was to come, he instinctively stepped back and in doing so he incidentally dodged a spear made of pure Earth. His eyes widened when he realized that Masaru meant what he said. Chen would need to push himself to the absolute limit to keep up with his Sensei. If he failed him, then he'd be left behind in the dark. Chen leapt backwards to dodge the other Earth Spears. He was able to make rudimentary predictions on where they'd appear by feeling the shaking underneath the Earth. Unfortunately, their appearance was so quick and numerous that in backpedaling and jumping to avoid them he ended up on his ass.

No sooner had he landed on his arse did Masaru set upon him with a burning sword. Chen rolled to the side to avoid the slash and popped back up. He did his best to parry but it was woefully inadequate. He opted for mainly dodging and in doing so he was clipped by the headed blade a few times. Eventually his sensei let up and jumped onto a platform. Chen glared at the man for the damage he had inflicted on his clothes. The boy was vain and took pride in his appearance. If things continued as they did, he'd look like a total homelessman with strips of cloth hanging off him.

"No" he responded. He'd need to find a way to master the art of the sword. If Masaru was this good then maybe he could teach Chen even more once he became proficient in the style. He raised his blade and pointed it at Masaru. He'd need to be unorthodox to beat and opponent this skilled. Chen threw the short sword hoping to slash the man's arm, he then ran with all his might and aimed to fly kick the man in the head. It was a fairly barbaric tactic but it was the best he could do for now.

Masaru would smirk a bit at the boys attack attempt, but unfortunately for the boy he under estimated the distance between them and Masaru had plenty of time to react. The man's response would be instantaneous, deflecting the thrown blade with his own before side stepping the kick. As Masaru side step the Air Bourne kick, the man would bring his elbow down upon the boy's gut. This simple strick would have two fold effects, the first and the most obvious being that of the sudden impact and knock down to the ground at the man's feet. The second part wouldn't become apparent until the boy went to pick himself up, in the strike the man had infused his chakra to increase the gravity around the boy. With this Technique in effect the boy would be sluggish, his speed greatly reduced, but it would also increase the strength of the boy's strikes. After knocking the boy to the ground, Masaru would drop his blade allowing it to stab into the ground right next to the boy's head. Nothing more than a friendly reminder from his Sensei that if he is careless, he is dead. The ultra added weighted rock Technique was not something to be taken lightly, even with the boys movement being slowed. If he was able to move and get in close, the boy could do some damage. Masaru would step back lifting his arms into the air at his side, as he did so he began lifting into the air. Yet another powerful Technique in the man's arsenal that he will teach the boy, should he survive this test. The ultra added light weighted rock not only increased the man's speed, but granted the man flight. This would allow his to keep the distance from the boy as they moved onto the next, stage of training putting himself 5 meters in the air above the boy's head. Forming the tiger, horse, dragon handseal masaru would call down to the boy, "Don't give up now boy, we are just getting started. No more blades, let us see how you react when all the odds are against you." As the man spoke lava would begin to fill the cracks between the different platforms of earth, the boy would be safe as Masaru would keep the level of the lava below the height of the earth platforms so that he wouldn't be burnt alive. The village would also be safe thanks to the changes the man made to the training grounds, however even with the boy safe from the molten magma itself the heat and the fumes from it will surely cause the boy some strain. Masaru would continue to watch the boy from his safe distance in the air above, life was all about unexpected situations. And there is nothing more unexpected then a sudden increase and gravity followed by being surrounded by lava, not to mention a man towering over you in the air above you. Masaru would not make another move yet, simply waiting and watching how the boy reacted to the change in his environment. Of course no permanent harm would come to the boy, though Masaru would be disappointed to end it the man would not let harm befall the young male. If he could not handle this though, then perhaps the man did over estimate him. Still, the man hoped to see the same drive and ferocity as the boy had in his first attack.

---

2/2 analyzing Chen Completed

Ultra added weighted rock Technique learned: A-Rank 250/250
Ultra added light weighted rock Technique learned: S-Rank 300/300

Chen's assault on the Tsuchikage failed predictably. The sword he had thrown was countered with the man's own. The kick he had launched, had likewised failed miserably. All Masaru had to do was side-step and that's exactly what he did. A crushing blow was then delivered to his gut and the goth dropped to the ground like a rock. He clutched the point of impact and grunted with tears in his eyes. He really hadn't held back much it seemed. He struggled to find his feet but for some reason his muscles could barely obey. It was as if his entire form was laden with rocks. Before Chen could fully wrestle with what was happening, a sword found its way into the dirt near his head. He stared at the shiny blade as he struggled to pick himself up. The message was received loud and clear. The gulf between him and his sensei was so wide that if the man had been trying, he'd have died right then and there. The thought disturbed him, but beyond that it angered him.

He had been through Hell and back. There was no way he was going to die here.

He looked up at his Sensei who was now somehow flying. Chen wasn't sure what magic was at work here but he knew flight was a rare ability among shinobi. Any doubt about Masaru's potency as a Kage evaporated. Masaru told him not to give up. He then followed the encouragement with a promise things would only get worse from him from here.

Great.

Chen stared at the man as he mustered up the strength to fully stand. He assumed this was part of the training. He flexed his muscles and mentally ran through the techniques he could use to help himself in this situation.

He's in the air. Wind. I'll use Wind.

But the moment he decided on that course of action, Masaru decided to spice up the match. Lava began to erupt around them and Chen found his inner strength to leap up on one of the platforms. The fear was clear on his face. What had he gotten himself into? The lava continued to bubble and stew around him as he looked for a way out. Not only was his sensei flying, he was making it so that Chen couldn't even traverse the ground. It was totally unfair but Chen wasn't naive enough to beleive that the world of shinobi was fair. He had demanded growth and challenge so that he could become stronger. He couldn't complain now that he was receiving it in spades. He analyzed his environment and committed to a plan of action.

He palmed the platform he stood on and a massive wall of earth erupted from the ground. The structure was burning hot but there were portions that were untouched by the lava spread. Chen leapt onto the structure, careful to avoid the lava enfused spots. He scaled the wall and used it's boosted height to get a good shot at his sensei. He doubted this would work but at least it would give him an idea of how fast Masaru could fly. From there, he'd follow up with Wind. He formed the Monkey seal and spat out a rock bullet. The goal was to knock the flying Tsuchikage out of the sky and into his own lava.

Name: Earth Style: Stone Pistol Technique C-Rank Canon 150 Words
Name: Earth Release: Earth Shore Return C-Rank Canon 150 Words

563/300

Watching the boy moving, was like watching him in slow motion. He was able to pick himself up, which was to be expected it wasn't a crushing force of gravity, just enough to slow the boy down. As the man would watch the boy scale the wall before launching at him, Masaru couldn't help but admire his determination. However his blind launch at the man would only yield the same result as the first flying kick, the boy would fail. As the boy launched off of his earth wall, Masaru would split in two. The Fission Technique was a powerful thing, though it came at a cost of weakening the man's two halves to half of his original power. As the man split, the pair would watch as the boy flew in between them. Missing his mark by the man no longer being where he was, and now two men floating on either side of where he had been. With the split however the pair could not maintain their flight any longer, landing on a platform of earth shortly after splitting apart. Both men would chuckle as they walked away from each other, both of their eyes fixated on the boy on the platform of earth separated from them by the lava Technique. However, like their flight the lava would soon subside and then it would just be earth. Even being separate, the two men both held the same thought. They had witnessed the boy's resolve when he was on the attack, now was time for them to see him on the defense.

As the lava began to fade, both men would be on either side of Chen, approximately 15 meters away from Chen on each side. Both having activated their impervious armor as they walked around in a semi circle from where they were, while they waited for the lava to dissipate. The Masaru on Chen's Right would form the Tiger, Ox, Dragon handseal, holding the dragon handseal forming a pool of liquid metal. The technique for which earned him the title of the molten warrior, the pool of liquid metal would form in front of the man before launching forward in the shape of a spear heading for the boy. The base would remain in front of the man with the tip of the spear extending out, stopping just shy of the boy in case he did not dodge in time. Meanwhile, the Masaru on the boy's left would form a bow in his hand with his steel release. A steel arrow would quickly form notched in the bow, before he released it into the air. The arrow however was not aimed at the boy, but in the sky above the boy. The arrow would fly up at an arch until it was directly above the boy before exploding and raining Senbons down upon him, of course both of the Masaru's would be in range of the Senbons as well, the two men where not worried about it due to the impervious armor giving them steel tough skin.

This wasn't about the damage it would do to the boy, it was about how he would react to being attacked from two fronts. Masaru's training was tough, but he believed the boy would be able to survive it and become much stronger because of it. This was the price you pay for power, what did not kill you made you stronger. This is the Way

---

[5]

Chen Analyzed.

Fission S-Rank: 575/300 Learned

For a split second, Chen had a twinge of hope that he had caught his sensei unawares. That hoped died as quickly as it was birthed. The Tsuchikage managed to split into two clones and his attacked totally missed. Chen assumed that this was just a fancier version of the Shadow Clone Jutsu, of which, he had a crumb of knowledge about. It had never occurred to him that he was witnessing one of the most complex and powerful techniques in Iwa's arsenal. The clones touched down on a platform and soon after the lava subsided. Chen jumped down onto another platform and looked at each of the clones. His body was still sluggish and slow.

"What did you do to me?"

He didn't have time to consider whatever answer they saw fit to give because one of them was launching a massive spear straight at him. Chen scrambled to get out of the way but before he could read an arrow was loosed right above his head. He fell to the ground but before he could get to his feet, the arrow exploded and rained senbon down on his location. Chen screamed in pain as the needled stabbed into several parts of his body. He tried to get up but couldn't. He breathed heavily as he felt his clothes become drenched in blood from several angles.

This man was going to murder him. He should have never left Sunagakure.

Seeing the boy fall to the ground as he scrambled to get out of the way of attacks from two fronts, caused the Masaru controlling the molten steel to act on instinct. Almost immediately after the boy fell to the ground, the liquid metal spear would change shape forming a canopy over the boy protecting him from the rain of Senbons before returning to a pool of liquid metal at the man's feet. The second Masaru would look to the first with a puzzled look upon his face, however it was quickly dismissed and the second would turn his attention back to the boy. Though both Masaru's would be looking at the boy, they would talk to each other as if he was not present. "It looks like we were wrong, maybe he is not the one." "Perhaps we came on too strong, overwhelmed him. We do hold more power than him at his current level" "We said we wouldn't slow down for him." "Yes we did, but he is still young. Perhaps we can give him a second chance, let him have time to grow." "That is not the way." "Time is on our side, give him a chance and he may surpass us one day." The second Masaru would scoff at the last remark from the first, if one did not know any better they might think that the two Masaru's were two completely different people. In reality they were two half's of the same whole, where as the first held the man's honor, and empathy for others the second held his apathy and lust for power. As they spoke the two Masaru's would walk closer together until they both stood directly in front of Chen, the two would look down at the boy still on his backside. "We are willing to give you another chance, we will not give you a third." the pair said in unison as they fused back together into a single Masaru with his hand outstretched to the boy to offer him help up. "That will be enough for today, we have more work to do. Our next session will be tomorrow at sunrise, I expect better of you by then." The man's words were not harsh or demeaning, but held a sincerity or understanding. No he did not want to slow down for the boy, but he would also not allow the boy to die by his hand. He knew the boy held power, he had attempted to unlock it and failed, which meant this would require a different and longer approach if the man wanted to see the true power within the boy.

[6]

Chen was certain he'd be dead or at least severely injured when suddenly the metal protected him from harm. He listened as the two Masaru's discussed his fate as though he weren't even there. One of them seemed to think that he was a total dud. The doppelganger said he wasn't fit to be the Tsuchikage's student. The other played devil's advocate on his behalf. Chen listened to the conversation and grew angry as they prattled about him as though he weren't there. He had experienced this kind of thing before and it was at the hands of men much crueler than Masaru. Apparently the one in his favor won the argument and even suggested that Chen might one day surpass Masaru. The boy grimaced unsure of how to even process that information. He had lofty goals and ambitions but reality had a good way of checking one's aspirations. The gulf between Masaru and him were wide and to Chen's knowledge Masaru wasn't even the strongest and most famous Kage or shinobi alive. If Chen went out to conquer the world in his present state, he'd be slaughtered ten times over.

Chen turned around and listened as they opted to give him a second chance. He stared at the clones with defiance. Masaru had meant every word of what he had said. He expected Chen to be strong. They were rebuilding an entire nation and that meant they'd have to be twice as good as the ninja from the rival villages. If Chen couldn't keep up with his master's pace he'd be out in the cold with no one to help him. Chen considered refusing the hand. He thought about getting up and walking away. Masaru had given him his word he wouldn't hurt him and he seemed to be honorable enough to keep his word. Chen didn't like losing. He didn't like feeling dependent on others. He was his own master and his will over self was supreme. The thought of subjecting himself to another turned his stomach and the uncertainty was clear on his face.

But then he remembered how he had ended up on the ground.

He simply wasn't strong enough. He may not like it, but the truth was that he had no hope of facing the world alone. Masaru represented his best chance at getting stronger. It was demanding and it forced him to cede some of his autonomy but if he wanted to truly be his own God then he'd need to play the part of Man for a few more years. Chen wasn't the type to kowtow and kneel to others in submission. He could give respect but that's all you'd get from him. Masaru so far was the best he could hope for in a master. He didn't seem to want Chen to kiss his ass. He just wanted Chen to be a powerful shinobi. Their interests aligned in a way that was rare amongst Master-Students. Masaru wasn't asking him for much and Chen doubted he'd get a better deal elsewhere. He reconsidered and took his Master's hand. Once on his feet, he listened as a warning was given to him.

Masaru stated that he expected better of Chen by tomorrow at sunrise. Humbled, his only response was to nod. He had to find a way to beat his sensei in less than 24 hours. It was an impossible task but then again the road to deification was not easy. If there wasn't anything else for him to say or do, Chen would leave the Training Grounds to nurse his wounds and plan for tomorrow.

Exit

The boy would say nothing simply nod at the man's words, perhaps it was resentment or maybe he is pushing the boy too much. Asking someone to drastically improve themselves in such a short time was like asking someone to build a town in a single night, something's just were not possible. But to Masaru, he was not asking too much from the boy because he knew the potential within the boy was great. Masaru would dismiss the boy, allowing him to take his leave with the intent of putting the Stone Yard back to it's less destroyed self.

But before Chen got out of ear shot, Masaru would call out for him to stop. "Before you leave, allow me to give you this." Masaru stated weaving a string of handseals causing a scroll to appear in the man's hand. He had intended to give it to the boy sooner, but he had been distracted and forgot about it until now. Once Chen took the scroll Masaru would explain what it was, "this holds a record of Some Techniques that are considered sacred to my village, perhaps it can help you along your path." With that said masaru would weave another set of hand seals causing the stone yard to return to it's original self before taking his leave to get some rest. The scroll wouldn't hold many Techniques, certainly not the powerful ones he had used during the spare, but some basic techniques that Masaru believed all Iwa Shinobi should know. That was what the boy was after all, a shinobi of the hidden stone. These Techniques would help him in his quest, if he chose to use them.

{Exit}

---

Masaru give Chen a Scroll containing a "Copy" of B-Rank and lower Iwa Exclusive Techniques.