Training montage

*contiuning from https://gladiusnarutorp.forumotion.com/t5129-interviews-with-the-rank-and-file-tsumi#40633 *

Ryuko was not an easy person to move if she didn't want to, but she allowed Tsumi to pull on her hand as he led the way towards the Royal Kumogakure training facility. Allowing him to hold her hand as they walked she wondered when was the last time someone had held it like this? For the longest time she had been the one leading the way so having someone else guide her for a change felt refreshing. Tsumi was her student now and her friend but walking together like this made him almost feel a bit like a slightly mischievous excitable little brother as well.

She had walked out of the restaurant without settling the bill herself but she wasn’t worried about that. One of the nice things about being rich was having servants to do the more mundane tasks for you. Her Lady in waiting Sophie could always be counted on to take care of trivial things like bills for it. If someone was ever was dumb enough to try robbing her they would be in for a rude awakening since the Queen basically never cared cash around with her. Sure she might be rich but even someone as strong as her would have to be a real idiot walking around with millions of ryo in their pockets.

She was mildly impressed by how fast Tsumi was going. It was almost enough to keep up with the type of speed she could casually run at, at least when she wasn’t boosting herself through the use of a jutsu. Not too shabby for a gennin, though he still needed to work on his perception some so that he wouldn’t need to slow down to avoid bumping into stuff so much. “Careful, we don't want to be tripping now” she spoke up after one particularly close call.

Before long they arrived at an absolutely genormious building. Ryuko was absolutely flabbergasted at the sheer size of the complex which dwarfed even her own palace. More than likely it was a building that could be seen even from space which made it very suiting the word Royal. When she went inside and saw the sheer breath of options available, fancy didn’t even begin to describe it.

“Truly you have outdone yourself Mrs. Darhk. We Commend you” Ryuko uttered to herself even though the person she wanted to Thank wasn’t here to hear her praise. She’d been thinking of handing out medals for people that served her well and seeing this sight had just bumped Kara up to the top of the line.

“Aquatic refers either to something that lives in water or in this case a place that involves being in or on water. I wouldn’t recommend that field today as it would be hard to measure your progress using liquid.” advised Ryuko who wasn’t particularly feeling like getting wet today. “Pick a place with something more solid we can hit. Since you already have decent striking power I’ll start by showing you how to make the most of what you have.”

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Getting his fundamental stats up would take time. The best way to help him in the meanwhile was to maximize the use of what he already had. The Arhat fist would be perfect in that regard. Given Tsumi’s attention span she figured it was better to work on one style at a time so she didn’t overwhelm him.

[1]

His master would speak to him and teach him what aquatic meant and Tsumi would tap his chin as he thought it over. He wasn't even very good at standing on water so it wasn't all that appealing to him. He supposed once he figured out how to control his chakra it would be different. However for now she was telling him to pick somewhere with something solid for them to hit. He would think about it in really the simplest terms. Rocks were harder than trees so he didn't want that. He was putting a lot of thought into a simple enough suggestion. He wanted to impress upon her the need for him to get stronger. Not just a desire but a compulsion. He had to be stronger to be the hero he wanted to be. So he would look over the options. One was a dojo but he wanted to avoid that simply because he knew there were rules to a dojo and he didn't know what they were exactly. Until she had more time to educate him then he would avoid that. However there was one other option that he was more comfortable in. So he would point to one of the options marked building B - 3.

"The forest than. I know I can do damage to trees at least...even if it does hurt a little. If thats alright I would like to go there."

He would look to his master for acknowledgment of his choice. If she allowed it he would once again take her by the hand and begin to run to the appropriate building. Only having to stop to ask for directions once since he was having difficulty reading the map. He was being very forward but that was to be expected. He wasn't trying to court anyone nor did he see hand holding as forward or intimate. It simply meant that he wouldn't lose her as he ran. Of course there was a deeper reason. He had fears of being abandoned and thus latched onto anyone who paid attention to him. After all without a family growing up he had lived a fairly lonely life. His cousin Gyo was different. The guy had money and brains but he had faded away until recently. Gyo was the closest to family he had and he treated him much more like a brother than a cousin from the clan.

Finally they would come across a large building towering over them with the proper markings on it. A huge B-3 above the door leading in. A symbol of a tree above it to mark what it was from the outside. Tsumi would finally let go of her hand as he doubted there being a forest inside a building. Quietly he would step forward a moment before pushing open the double doors. He was shocked when he looked inside with golden hues taking it all in. It was as if he were outside the walls again. A cloudy sky filled the ceiling with artificial light and warmth of a sun just barely not breaking through. His eyes would look through it before he spotted a section of the woods not far away. Quickly he would move over to it before standing next to a tree with a thick low hanging branch. It was bare but he placed his hand against the branch and felt wood. He pulled his hand away a moment before letting out a sigh. He would turn to look at Ryuko a moment before smiling sheepishly. Yet there was a deep sadness in his eyes.

"Sorry Sensei. I saw this tree and its exactly like where I met my friend Yenn. I haven't seen her since but we built a treehouse here....She said she was my friend but I think...I think shes.....anyway I am ready to train now if you are."

Ryuko patiently waited, giving Tsumi the time he needed to pick the type of training field he would like them to work with today. It was often said that time was money but it wasn’t like she had any place to be in a hurry anyhow so she saw no reason to rush things. As far as she was concerned this was part of the boy’s training so him actually taking the time to think things through instead of rushing was a good sign.

It wasn’t like she was just standing around idly either. She was putting the time to good use running various training simulations inside her head about the various things she could teach Tsumi. She was mentally filtering them in order to streamline things. First she took out things that wouldn’t really work for him much like Genjutsu and then she set a priority order of what remained.

“That’s a great choice, it’s always good to be mindful of your current limits so you don’t end up hurting yourself while training." Ryuko commented. Trying to take on a regiment outside of your weight class was only going to set you back. With was she was going to show him today Tsumi would be able to break rocks but he’d hurt his hands in the process if he wasn’t careful so it was best they were working with something slightly softer in comparison.

The only downside with working in a forest even if it was only an artificially planted one was that training with fire jutsu wouldn’t be on the table. Playing with fire in a forest was ill advised since you could risk burning the whole thing down. Oh well Tsumi wasn’t the kind of person who could focus on two things at once to begin with. Besides it was way too soon to even be thinking of adapting the Lightning charka mode to fire instead, even if she was thinking of making that a signature move of his eventually if such a thing could be accomplished.

“Have you considered wearing Gauntlets? They’d let you hit harder while still protecting your hands. I could make you some top tier ones if you like.” She offered while thinking of what else she could equip him with. A full body set of metal armor wouldn’t really suit Tsumi the same way it did her so maybe she’d make him a battle kimono instead like she’d done for Mort.

Tsumi continued to lead her by the hand until they reached the room they were looking for, only letting go once they arrived. Stepping into the Room labeled only as B-3 Ryuko could hardly believe her eyes, with the lush vegetation and artificial sky it was hard to believe they were still indoors. She would have been wondering how it had been built if Tsumi talking about Yenn hadn’t brought her back to earth. She was assuming that when Tsumi talked about building a treehouse he wasn’t being literal when he said here and that it hadn’t been built inside the actual training facility but one of the forests inside the great city of Kumogakure.

“Yenn just lost someone very important to her not long ago.” she said referring to Tamwyn since she had yet to bring her student back from the dead quite yet at this point in time. “More than likely she’s still having a hard time so don’t be too hard on her the next time you see her.” said Ryuko gently. Privately she left unspoken the fact she was a bit concerned about how Yenn was doing herself.

“Anyhow first we shall begin with the Arhat fist fighting style. Tis style focuses on using brute force to hit as hard as possible.” said Ryuko as she walked over to a nearby tree that towered over her with a trunk that was easily over 20 meters across. “This is a normal punch.” She said before punching it at her full normal strength and speed. A loud cracking sound filled the air and she pulled back to reveal a creator twice the size of her fist had been driven deep into the bark.

“And this is a punch using the arhat fist.” She said as she took the classic first stance of the fighting style with her right hand held out palm flat and her left fist pulled back fist clenched. She moved slower this time to make sure Tsumi would actually be able to see her movements as she punched the tree again this time hitting it so hard that she blew a fist sized hole straight out the other side.

The truth was that if she wanted to she could use one of the Arhat fist techniques and bring the entire tree down with nothing but her bare hands. Though technically she was wearing gloves to help protect her from the impact of doing so, otherwise she’d have to be much more tactical with her choices.

“Please be careful when using this style. Tis very easy to hit harder than what your body can withstand. Sure you might break what you’re hitting but you could also break your hand at the same time.” she warned.

[2]

Tsumi would smile as she complimented him proudly. Resisting the urge to super hero pose right there. Instead he would shrug and lightly blow a long bang out of his face sheepishly. Not used to compliments. Especially regarding his smarts. Still though was they moved the question about gauntlets would make his face scrunch up in thought. He had considered gear after all. Some comic book superheroes were entirely based on gear after all. Though he didn't really know how any of that worked. Nor was he aware that his body would eventually become like steel. As they moved he tried to remember why he hadn't until now. Suddenly it hit him as he answered while they ran. A simple answer for a simple man really. "I guess I never thought about putting them on because I don't want to overdo it in a fight ya know? If I can feel what I can hit I can hold back. If I can't...someone could like...die or somethin right?" In simple enough terms but essentially he wasn't sure he could hold back without being able to feel it. He was concerned for opponents that would just as likely try and kill him given an opening. One he was likely to foolishly create.

Still he would finally reach the room with her and go through the whole moment before she explained about Yenn. He would glance in surprise that she knew the woman. Small country huh? Still the surprise would fade to concern. She lost someone and he had selfishly thought she had forgotten about him. He found himself comparing himself to a dumb dog in his head. Too attached and concerned for its own needs to actually see the bigger picture. He felt narrow minded and self centered and he didn't like feeling that way. Still his attention would return to her as she began to teach. His eyes widening as all he heard was the sound and saw the damage. Her normal punch was intense. Still she would demonstrate a little slower something he was familiar with. He hesitated even after the shock of her punching a hole clean through the tree. It was much cleaner than his style and he understood now the difference between what he knew and real power. Of course a lot of it had to do with how much stronger she actually was. Still he fidgeted a little before glancing to her and then the tree and nibbling his lip.

"Um...I'm sorry Sensei but I um..I am not as good at it but the arhat style is....the style I currently practice.....and all."

Tsumi would step up to the tree and figured he should demonstrate his strongest technique. It was a palm technique so it would hurt a little against a tree but mostly just a stinging numbness across his hand. Still Tsumi would shift down. His knees bent for good braced footing. His left hand raised in a fist up at about shoulder level while his right hand lowered down to his hip. With a sudden step forward his whole body shifted into the blow. His attack wasn't exceptionally fast but his palm slammed forward under her hole as it smashed into the tree. A chunk slightly smaller than her first normal punch would crush into the tree (B++) before Tsumi would wince and step back a little. Shaking the numb feeling from his right hand and frowning at the damage. It wasn't even as strong as her normal blow. Still he would look to her and rub the back of his head embarrassed at his failure.

"The shatter palm and slamming palm techniques are my strongest at the moment sensei...I haven't progressed beyond that because it still hurts to use them. Even with an open palm."

“Well Gauntlets are generally considered less lethal weapons due to their defensive nature. I suppose accidents can still happen.” Conceded Ryuko after listening to Tsumi’s concerns about wearing a set. “That said, as you walk the path of a martial artist you will learn how to control your body to use the exact amount of force required for a situation making any accidents extremely unlikely." she explained.

“If not being able to touch things directly is the problem I could always make fingerless gloves instead.” She was used to wearing gloves most of the time herself, but she understood that there were some tasks that required her to be able to feel with greater precision. Things such as detailed work would be a nightmare if she tried to etch them without being able to fully feel the tools in her hands.

She made a mental note that when it came time to start introducing Tsumi to some weapons that she would have to stick primarily to the non lethal variety. He’d want to keep at least one knife on him for survival purposes so that he could cut ropes and such but beyond that it was hard to envision him ever using a proper blade.

When Tsumi admitted that he already practiced the Arhat style, Ryuko's usual poker face broke for a moment. She had been completely under the impression that he was basically the equivalent of your average street brawler which meant that didn’t know any professional level styles yet.

The fact that he already knew the style she wanted to teach him and even a couple of the moves was a pleasant surprise. It seemed her student was just full of those, the way he was constantly keeping her on his toes was exhilarating. It made working with him very worthwhile.

“That was pretty good, What are you apologizing for?” She asked him curiously. It wasn’t like she would be mad at him that he already knew this particular lesson. All that meant was that they could start working on something else instead which was no big deal. If it was because he wasn’t as good as she was then he was simply underestimating his own worth. Using her as a point of comparison was just plain silly. She was a legendary X-class ninja If he was as good as her right off that bat what would she even have to teach him?

“Right then, until you can use those moves without hurting yourself there's no point trying to progress in that style. Do you happen to know any other styles?” she asked while quickly performing the hand seals for the Mystical Palm Technique causing her left hand to be enveloped by green medical chakra. Reaching out, she gently made a grab for Tsumi’s right hand so that she could heal away any damage he might have taken from the punch he had just performed.

At this point the best move she could make short term would be to get him started on another style he didn’t know while they continued working on his basic conditioning. The more styles he could switch between the more versatile of a fighter he would be when out on the field.

[3]

She told him it was pretty good and Tsumi would blush with his face actually turning as red as those of his Oni bloodline for a moment at the praise. Rubbing the back of his head a moment. He didn't really know he was exceptionally strong for a genin. Still brute force was his whole deal mostly. It was how he won most of his fights. Including the mission report where he charged a blockade of bandits with a team and basically tore the wagon being used as a roadblock in half by tackling through it. From there it was just taking down weaker fighters gently in comparison. Having caused no fatalities himself. Actually there were a couple of missions with a man named Gyo but in each case brute force got the job done and there were zero casualties. He actually didn't have a single casualty on his record. So for all the strength he had he consciously was able to hold back even if he had adopted a stance that was used to break people. Though he didn't have much sparring practice outside of the academy according to his record. Which made him out to seem like a loner.

Still she would ask him if he knew any other styles. He would blink and shake his head no. His smile fading a little as he wished he did. He had struggled a lot just to keep up with the Arhat course in the academy. He had to focus into it and it took all he had to learn that much. The idea of actually going out and learning another style hadn't really seemed like an option for him. After all he knew he was too stupid to go beyond his means. Everyone told him he was or made it clear they thought it. Well everyone besides Gyo and...well Ryuko and Yenn. Besides that though he did want to grow. If Ryuko could teach him...if anyone could than it would be her. She was a Kage after all. A shining beacon of hope for the village. In a comic book she would be the number one hero of a city. Like Ninjaman or Silver Samurai. He just wanted to be a hero like the comics too. So he would focus on doing that. Of practicing as much as he could. But it would be a challenge for both him and his sensei. Still he would sheepishly speak up in return as she healed his hand.

"No but...I kinda wanna design my own fighting style one day...I was told I 'ad fire in my chakra. Or erm...Katon as they said it. I wanna do somethin bird themed with fire in my taijutsu but....I have a hard time using it. I only recently managed to be able to control this much chakra."

Once his hand was healed he would take a step back and spread his feet. He would take a deep breath and fully extend his right arm in front of himself with his fist closed at chin level. His other hand would reach up and grip his forearm as he began to focus. Straining himself visibly as he forced out a small amount of chakra. His pool wasn't sizeable but it seemed like his way of moving chakra as almost physically pushing it out. His temples would pulse from the effort visibly on either side of his forehead as he would grit his teeth. Around his fist there would be a spark before forming into two small flaming robins. Circling his fist for two rotations before he gasped and the fire immediately faded and he placed his hands on his knees. Sweating and breathing deeply.

[3]

Seeing Tsumi’s face turn nearly as red as a tomato after she complimented him Ryuko couldn’t help but wonder what was up with his extreme reaction.  If he was that unused to people saying nice things about him then that was pretty sad.   She was a firm believer in giving people credit when it was due and telling things straight but politely.  If someone did a good job then you should simply tell them that.  In her experience it never hurts to be nice to other people and what goes around comes around.  

The alternative was that he was starting to get sweet on her since she was likely one of the few people in his life in his relative age bracket that was willing to give him some kind of positive attention.   Sure she had a few years on him but the age gap wasn’t so wide that it couldn’t be bridged.   As flattering as that would be, it was never easy breaking someone’s heart.  It didn’t matter to her one bit if he was an Oni or not, the problem was she batted for the same team and had no romantic or sexual interest in men.  At best she could look at them fondly in a platonic sense.

It was ironic how it would be mean to hope that the cause was the former reason and how it would be narcissistic to hope it was the latter.  Talk about a no win situation.  Right now Tsumi was like a frog in a well.  He had no idea how strong he actually was compared to other gennin. He just saw the larger frogs like Ryuko and thought he was weak because he was comparing himself to the wrong thing.  She just hoped that over time he would become more self confident.

It seemed that Tsumi didn’t have another fighting style hidden in his back pocket.   Oh well that was nothing to be disappointed about.   The fact he even knew one already was plenty to start with.  It showed how disciplined he must be which was promising.  The fact he already had a solid foundation would make building him up go that much quicker.

“Your own style… I’d love to see that.” Ryuko remarked as Tsumi moved to begin his presentation. Inventing a new style wasn’t easy but she had a feeling that if anyone could do it that would be Tsumi.  “The first thing that comes to mind when you say Fire and Birds is the legendary Phoenix.   When they die their bodies are engulfed in flames only for them to be reborn in the ashs.”   Using that as a motif for a fighting style could certainly work.    She was already thinking up a couple of potential names for it.

“That was a rather impressive display of freeform manipulation.  The fact that you were able to generate that much katon chakra without forming any hand seals prior to casting was particularly impressive.”  She could at best generate a few harmless electrical sparks using a similar method let alone shape them and move them around.

“The best way to improve your control is repetition.  The more you use your chaka the better you’ll get. How long does it take on average for you to catch your breath after performing that trick?” she asked.  If she could figure out how quickly he recovered his energy she would be able to calculate how many times he could perform the exercise without hurting himself.

“Beyond that what you need most now isn’t more strength but Stamina.  You already hit harder than most Gennin but you get winded a little too easily.   All the strength in the world won’t be able to help you if you run into someone who can avoid the first couple of blows. “  She cautioned.

“Let’s run 10 laps around the room together and then we can spar a bit.”  The best way to demonstrate a new style was to show it in action.  The only problem being that Ryuko was so strong she had to hold herself back so that Tsumi would be able to see her moving properly.

[4]

Tsumi would feel sweat forming on his brow. A couple of droplets trickling down. He could feel them like a tickling sensation but he let it go. Sweating was nothing new to someone like Tsumi. However if she was running chakra sensory she would notice something easily. It wasn't that he had exerted a lot of chakra. If anything it hadn't dipped into his pool at all. It wasn't the amount he was using but his inexperience in using it. Forcing it instead of letting it flow. Still when she spoke of the phoenix he listened. Maybe he could use it as a hero name? Rising Phoenix? Devil Phoenix? He would work on it later but he probably wanted a name he could spell. Still it was a cool concept. There were legendary birds huh? Well that was useful information he would make use of later in life. Still he would straighten up as she spoke. He figured all taijutsu that implemented elements didn't require hand signs. Was he wrong? Well more than likely though most examples in school were fairly straightforward. He chalked it up to simply misunderstanding the lesson and would respond to her question about his recovery time.

"Uh well Sensei I don't really know. A few seconds I guess. I haven't ever used it in a fight yet because I can barely produce it. I will work on it every day though I promise!"

He would smile at the praise and even brighter at the idea of running laps. Ahh cardio. The foundation of his training. He was built but he was also still lean as he mixed his weight lifting and his cardio a lot. Focusing on keeping himself quick as well as strong. Still the promise of sparring after had him fired up. So as soon as she finished he would take off. Sprinting as fast as he could and pushing himself. Ten laps was reasonable right? He ran straight for the wall and then began to run along as fast as he could. Sweat beginning to stain his shirt by lap three. By lap seven he was soaked through entirely and by lap ten he came to a wobbly stop at the finish line. Gasping for air in his burning lungs for pushing himself at a sprint for almost the entire thing. He would fall to his knees and prop himself up with his hands. Throwing up from not pacing himself properly.

Once he finished heaving up his lunch he would stumble to his feet. Removing his shirt and using it to wipe his face and mouth off. Taking a deep breath before spitting the taste of vomit from his mouth off to the side. This wasn't anything new for him. He worked himself out passed the breaking point consistently every week. So once he finished wiping himself down he would focus on taking deep breaths. He realized he forgot to stretch before hand so while he was recovering he would go through several stretching practices. Working out the knots formed in his legs and back before taking another final deep breath and smiling. He was looking forward to sparring someone stronger than him. He didn't experience it much in the academy. Except those who just used tricky tricks like Genjutsu. Ahh now that skill left a foul taste in his mouth. Still he would smile to his sensei with his golden eyes glowing under his black horns. His muscular upper torso was clearly designed for taijutsu and glistening from the sweat. He was eager to start too.

"Alright Sensei. How do we go about this?"

[4]

She had to fight off the urge to blurt out a name for Tsumi’s theoretical style. He was the one inventing it so it would be gouch of her to butt in uninvited. Even if he asked her for advice and help to develop it she shouldn’t just assume that it was her right to christen things just because she was his sensei. Of course if he asked her to have such an honor then who was she to refuse but until that happened she’d have to do her best not to interfere.

“A few seconds huh? Good if you recover that fast that means you can perform that trick a lot. Keep working on it as much as possible… without hurting yourself of course… until it starts becoming second nature. Once you can start performing it on the run we can see about working it into our sparring sessions.” it didn’t matter that he could barely produce it now just that he COULD produce it. Given time and effort he’d be able to pull it off with ease at which point he’d be able to start integrating flame effects into the style he wanted to build.

When she’d told Tsumi to run laps she’d said that they’d do so together and yet he was so eager to get going that he took off without her causing Ryuko to sigh slightly. This was for endurance purposes not a race so why was he gunning it so hard straight from the starting line? Reacting quickly she took off after him making sure to stay just a step behind him so that she could keep track of his progress and how long it took him to complete his set of circuits. She could have easily said “on your left” and passed him if she wanted to but she didn’t want to egg him on and drive him to push himself too hard.

Apparently though her concerns were well warranted as it wasn’t long before Tsumi was wheezing for air and he even threw up once he was finished. It was only ten laps for Hakkin’s sake. Was he seriously that out of shape? She didn’t think she’d asked anything too unreasonable of him, though maybe if he hadn’t tried to go full tilt at the start and paced himself he would have been able to manage better.

“Look Tsumi I get that you want to push your limits but please try not to do so to the point you make yourself sick. You need to stay healthy if you want to become strong.” she advised. Each day he spent in bed recovering from pushing himself too far was a day he could have spent training instead. It was only through continuous effort that one became truly strong.

She was still a bit concerned if Tsumi was even ok enough to continue the training session. She watched him closely as he took of his shirt looking for any signs of trouble. His chiscled abs where a sight that would make most woman drool, even Ryuko as gay as she was could apperecate it in a purely astectic sense. If nothing else she had to admit he was built pretty sturdy.

“Let’s keep things simple for now, come at me with everything you have and If you can hit me even once then it’s your win. I’ll be using the Spring Chant, a fighting style that emphasizes speed so try and watch my moves carefully so that you can learn from them.” she said. She’d have to hold back some so that he’d even be able to see her but even with that handicap he wouldn’t have an easy time of things.

[5]

Tsumi would rub the back of his head. Frowning as he looked to the ground a little ashamed of himself. He was used to pushing himself like this but he was careful not to eat a big meal so close to the work out. Plus he had sprinted as fast as he could the whole time. So he had pushed himself for a bit of running. Still if he was getting sick was it helping him? She kind of made a point. He needed to get stronger. Damaging his body in the process would keep him from getting stronger. So taking care of it and upkeep was kind of important right? Well he did drink a lot of protein and eat all his vitamins. His favorite were dinosaur gummies. They were fun shapes and tasted good. Anywho he brought his mind back on track from the yummy gummy vitamins and back to the topic at hand. She was telling him to come at her fully? Well it wasn't like he thought she couldn't handle it. She was a Kage after all and he was just your friendly neighborhood....yokai? Oni? Well either way he would look nervously at her before asking her to be sure.

"You sure you're good and ready? I wanna be safe ya know sensei?"

He looked nervous. He wanted to impress of course but at the moment he seemed like a bashful boy. His golden gaze taking her in a moment before getting her assurance in whatever form it took. However something was happening within him. His chakra was swirling within him as a hellish fire. His form began to grow until he was a mass of red skinned muscle. His dark horns straight before would curl along either side of his head as his body shifted. He had felt this connection to his Oni side since birth but had been afraid to use it. His eyes would open as pure fire hiding any hint of actual eyes behind those white hot flames. Flickering out of the corner of his eyes. His nails blackening as his teeth grew into fangs. His breathing was heavy as steam came off his shoulders and out of the corners of his mouth. Surprisingly Tsumi was naturally inclined for his bloodline. He was born a full blooded Oni with ties to his lineage since birth. His only saving grace.

However he seemed different as he looked down at himself a moment. Wild red hair no longer hanging loosely down his chest and back but hovering around his head as if he were under water. Before her stood a demon by all accounts. He was much more terrifying in this form. But he was confident in her. She was a kage and he was a nobody. So his eyes looked to her. Suddenly he was moving with no hesitation. The ground where he stood burst apart from the power of his launch. Rocks smashing against the wall. However Tsumi could barely tell where he was even with his dojutsus perception bonus. All he could do was aim at a spot and slam into it. So his right fist rose as he charged at C++ speed and brought his fist down. He wasn't any faster in this form...but if she dodged it he was considerably stronger. He would slam his fist into the ground with Straight A rank strength as the ground cracked and shattered for a three meter radius where he hit. Yet his fist wasn't any more damaged than it had been when he used Arhat before. It hurt clearly but he wasn't in danger of anything being broken. The heat coming off of him though was also immense. Burning the ground around where he stood.

Continued use of Arhat for +1 tier strength

Trained Demon Arts: Demon Form clan jutsu B rank 200/200 They receive a boost to strength (+++) and constitution (+++) and are more than eager to make the world tremble in fear.

Activating demons eye tier III + to perception

“A Vestal of Hakkin is ALWAYS ready for battle.” said Ryuko with a light laugh full of amusement that her student was showing so much concern for her safety. She was know by the title of the Walking fortress because of how tough she was which sometimes made people mistakenly assume that she was invincible when she was far from it. She was touched by Tsumi’s genuine show of concern. Generally when people were worried about her it was more in the capacity of what would happen to the country if it lost its queen rather then anything personal. Still he had nothing to worry about, she was also a medic after all so in the unlikely event that Tsumi somehow managed to actually hurt her she could just heal the damage away

She trained nearly every day to stay in shape and almost always carried at least one hidden weapon on her at all times just in case. She was the kind of hot blooded girl that loved fighting at least when it came to sport and if anything she was a little disappointed that Tsumi wasn’t strong enough to give her a challenge yet. But that was ok because she was planning on getting him to that point soon enough.

Settling into the opening stance for the Spring chant fighting style she focused, using the calm mind technique to widen her perception of things. What happened next came as a surprise even to her. Of all the moves Tsumi could pull off doing a full on transformation wasn’t one that she’d been expecting. It wasn’t that Ryuko didnt know that some of the Yokai clan could do that kind of thing. Heck she’d even helped build the clan district. But knowing something on paper and actually experiencing it were two different things.

“Right, that was a thing he could do.” though Ryuko to herself. She’d basically forgotten due to not having many interactions with people from the Yokai clan before today. Some people might have been frightened by witnessing such a dramatic change but not her. She’d since much weirder things than this. If anything she thought Tsumi seemed a bit cool with his new red oni look. If he had a twin brother who turned blue when he transformed then together they’d look almost just like that one famous painting.

“Tis doesn’t matter how much stronger you get if you still can’t hit anything.” Ryuko said as she shot a hand out slightly faster than Tsumi was moving. She was aiming to push the arm Tsumi had thrust at her just enough to divert his aim away from her and harmlessly into the ground. Well maybe not so harmlessly to the ground at least considering the crater that would result, something that Ryuko would note with great interest as she danced through the debris that had been flung her way, using one of her batons to swat any pieces that might have otherwise collided with her away.

Tsumi was now hitting hard enough that he’d be able to do some real damage to her in her currently unarmored state if he connected. It made for quite an impressive trump card though the question was how long it would last. Tsumi sure seemed to be generating a lot of heat, enough that Ryuko almost wished she had a blaze ring to deal with it instead of her bespoke bolt ring. It was a good thing she could move her hands and feet fast enough to strike him and pull back before they got burned.

“That was a good attack, now it’s my turn.” She declared as a warning even as she suddenly crouched down and performed a sweep kick with her left leg in an attempt to trip Tsumi before he could throw another punch at her.

[6]

Jutsu used
Clam mind (+1 tier to preception)
Spring Chant (no stat boosts to Coordination as Ryuko is holding back for Tsumi's sake)

Tsumi would see the crater where he hit and for a moment he was surprised. It still hurt but not more than before. However he wasn't surprised he missed. That was to be expected as he wasn't likely to hit someone who was clearly faster than him. However this was the first time he had managed to use this form. The first time he had been willing to try. Tsumi had always sensed there was more inside of him but had been frightened to reach for it. Having the devil inside of him meant he was somewhat evil right? What if he lost it? What if he was unable to maintain control and he turned into a murder machine? The only reason he had risked it was because if need be Ryuko could hold him off easily until either he was able to regain control or he ran out of chakra. What surprised him is despite his shift in physical form he was still in control. He could still maintain and though he could feel it draining on him. Pulling from his chakra pool rapidly. This wasn't a form he could maintain for long. That on top of the arhat stance and the clans dojutsu.

Tsumi was blowing through 19 chakra a post at this point uselessly. Which means he could only hold this up for another few seconds. He could feel his body burning as he felt sweat soaking through him. The heat radiating off his body was immense but not enough to really hurt. She mentioned it was useless if he couldn't hit her with it. All this boost to his striking power and he couldn't really land anything. It began to piece together for him. This form was great if he could land a hit but she had diverted it easily and gotten out of the way. Even dealing with the aftermath. So if he couldn't hit at all...there wasn't any point in maintaining the forms. Not that there wasn't any point in fighting but...He saw reasoning and it became clear that although Tsumi was an idiot, fighting was natural for him. Even as she went for the leg sweep and succeeded his body would shrink. His arhat stance would drop and the flames in his eyes would fade away. He had dropped the draining form in the interest of longevity. So he could keep fighting even if he wasn't using boosts.

However that leg sweep would connect in full and he would find himself with his feet knocked out from under him. His footing was gone and she was dancing circles around him. He had to do something here. When she was close and low. It had to be difficult to get out from that position right? A vulnerable moment. Even if he hadn't managed to land anything while in demon form and was weaker now he could still try. This was to get stronger right? There was no turning back if he wanted to get strong enough to protect the people. To protect those who needed him. So he pushed. Determination running through him as he slammed his palm into the ground and spun with a roar. Slamming himself in a spinning motion to try and sweep her body with a sweeping kick using his arm as a solid kick stand. He wanted to get stronger. And he was already growing at a surprising rate with her as his mentor. Strength was good but it meant little if he couldn't connect. Conserve...think...strike. He was growing as a fighter right in front of her as he smiled. He was enjoying this even though he was losing.

Dropped all jutsu

As she suspected, Tsumi couldn’t hold his transformed state for long and he reverted back to normal before she could even perform her sweep kick to try and knock him off his feet. Still just because he couldn’t hold that state for more than a few seconds didn’t make it useless. It was more a matter of timing than anything else. The only real reason it hadn’t worked on Ryuko was because she was simply in another league then Tsumi. If he tried that trick on another gennin it would be utterly devastating. With the proper execution it would be the perfect thing for beating people who would usually be in a slightly higher weight class than him.

Tsumi’s reaction to having his footing literally sweep out from under him was textbook perfect. Instead of merely falling onto his ass he used the fall to his advantage taking the momentum from it and shifting it over into his own sweep kick against her. It might have even worked too if except for the sheer difference in coordination between them. With her perception enhanced by her calm mind technique Tsumi might as well have been moving in slow motion as far as she was concerned.

With a light hop she jumped into the air aiming to land on his outstretched leg. Since she didn’t have her armor equipped she was interested in seeing how much her weight would affect him. She wasn’t that heavy all things considered but she wasn’t exactly a feather weight either so keeping his leg from being pinned down wouldn’t be easy.

“That was a good move, Tsumi. You deserve an A for effort but what now?” she asked him. Could he still keep going despite being put in a bad position? Right now she was testing his resolve in the face of the impossible. Right now he was like she was the first time she had run into Honiko, Hopelessly outclassed. She was acting as a wall for him to overcome, something that would motivate him to grow stronger. He was already starting to show signs of marked improvement since the lessons had begun. Nothing was quite as rewarding as seeing your student grow like that.

[7]

Jutsu used
Clam mind (+1 tier to preception)
Spring Chant (no stat boosts to Coordination as Ryuko is holding back for Tsumi's sake)

Tsumi would blink in surprise as she basically faded from his sight again. One moment she was there watching his attack and the next she was just gone. And the next after that he felt his leg get pinned down to the ground. She was so quick he could barely keep track of her even with her holding back to try and let him. His golden eyes would take her in as she spoke and he contemplated what to do. He actually stopped for a moment and tilted his head as if he had time to think for this test. She wanted an answer it seemed after all right? So he was supposed to think he assumed. So if she was faster than him he couldn't just attack her blindly. He could feel he had enough energy for a few more seconds of the other form. But he couldn't utilize it if he couldn't hit her right? For a moment he considered throwing some of the dirt around them into her eyes....but...that felt wrong. He didn't like it when people did it to him and he found it was a dirty move. He needed to think of something else other than a cheap shot right?

So if he wasn't going to try and blind her but he had to be able to hit her.....What could he do? His eyes shifted to her leg balancing herself on top of his. An odd thought going through his head. It had to be hard to balance on that. She didn't weigh enough to hurt him just standing on it but he could tell her weight was on it. Footing was everything in hand to hand right? If you lost your footing you became vulnerable. So if she had to use his leg for balance and he could move his leg....Oh this was likely an answer she had provided to the puzzle! She wanted him to try grappling to counter the difference in their speed! So without thinking it through twice he would snap out of his thoughts and act. He would yank his leg as hard as he could out from under her suddenly to try and take her balance. Simultaneously he would push off the ground with his hand. Attempting to tackle her in one move while she was still in the air and with her footing lost. Of course from that position there was no power in that tackle.

That wasn't the point of it though. He had to get his arms around her. In the event he got that far he would hold on tight no matter what if he could. Because the moment he would wrap his arms around her waist he would lock his wrists in his hands and transform again. Draining most of his remaining chakra as he grew in power and size. His feet slamming to the ground to try and lift them both up and forward and with the power of his jump and his body weight he would attempt to power slam her back against the tree. The initial tackle was just for the grapple and his launch power drop into the tree was the follow up. However he would only transform and try this if his arms actually wrapped around her. This had to be the answer to her test. It never crossed his mind that this was truly an impossible task and this wouldn't work because her coordination could deny it at any stage short of his move surprising her...which was highly unlikely.

Since Ryuko had asked Tsumi a question she give him some time to react to it. If this was a normal battle his opponent wouldn’t wait for him to come up with an answer but this wasn’t a normal battle at all, it was training. Sure if she was to be really strict with him she could have hit him anyhow but that would have just been mean when she was trying to develop his critical thinking skills.

He needed to think, to plan and then to act. She would drill this into him to the point he’d be able to make decisions in microseconds like she could. He might never become as smart as she was but even so if he could put that brain of his to use it would drastically improve his performance as a fighter. He didn’t need to be a genius, he just had to stop rushing into things headlong like a bull and then much less people would be able to pull the curtain on him.

More than anything he needed to learn to fight dirty. He was a ninja after all, so those type of tactics were fair game, to a point at least. There were some lines even Ryuko was loath to cross. She hated to do things like take hostages or target civilians even when those things could sometimes be a necessary evil in war. She was scared of the part of herself that could turn off her morals like a switch when it was needed and worked hard to become so strong that she would hopefully never NEED to flip that switch in the end.

Ultimately Tsumi decided to settle on trying to disrupte her footing and go for grappling with her. That was a pretty smart play since if he managed to get hold of her the difference in speed wouldn’t matter anymore. He was strong enough in his transformed state that even she’d need to get serious to overcome his grasp. As far as she was concerned if he could make her get serious that was a major win in and of itself.

Normally he’d be right about footing being all important in hand to hand combat. Disrupting it would work on just about anyone that couldn’t fly. The only reason it didn’t work against Ryuko was because she was a Dragoon. As a priestess of Hakkin she specialized in Mid-air combat, even before she could fly she was amazing at getting good air time with only the slimmest of footing to work with and could maintain her balance in all but the most extreme scenarios. Tsumi’s leg might as well have been a wide plank as far as she was concerned.

With her superhuman reaction time it was child’s play for her to preform a quick series of hand seals and then jump again before Tsumi could yank his leg out from under her feet. Honestly even if he had managed that feet it wouldn’t have slowed her down in the slightest since she was capable of generating her own footing at a whim using the Jump step technique. It wouldn’t last long enough for her to stand on it or hang upside down but she only needed a split second to make a move and kick off what would seem like thin air to the casual observer.

To Tsumi it would seem like she hadn’t jumped at all as he would successfully grab onto something that appeared to be her but was in fact a log instead. It was a forest setting after all so there happened to be plenty just lying around. Ryuko had taken a page out of her mentor's books and used an academy level technique that had been polished to perfection. Many ninja overlooked the Body Replacement Technique once they graduated but used properly it was effective even in the highest levels of combat.

By the time Tsumi was performing his power slam into a tree he might have realized that something was off but by then it was already too late. The real Ryuko had flipped around in mid air and was upside down just above him. Reaching out a hand she attempted to grab onto the sleeve of his kimono and pull him up into the air so that she could gently toss him to the side.

Given that she had no real footing to brace herself you’d think such a feet would be difficult but her tiny frame had more strength behind it then you’d expect at first glance. She could lift a giant sword like a Zanbatō with one hand without much trouble so yanking up Tsumi wouldn’t be that hard for her either. She was even using the momentum from throwing him to stay up in the air longer.

“That was good enough to beat someone weaker or equal to you, but you need to use misdirection and feints when fighting someone stronger. Don’t be afraid to set up your attack by disorientating your foe first. You know, just like this.” That was the only warning he would get before she pointed the tip of her baton at him and clicked one of the two switches on the handle unleashing a blinding flash of light. It was a hidden gimmick that she hadn’t used since the Jounin tournament years ago so it was unlikely Tsumi would be able to see it coming. Naturally she didn’t follow up on the opening she had just created. The point again wasn’t to beat the crap out of her student after all, but to give him examples to follow so that he could make the most use of what he already had.

[8]

Jutsu used
Clam mind (+1 tier to preception)
Spring Chant (no stat boosts to Coordination as Ryuko is holding back for Tsumi's sake)
Body replacement technique

Tsumi would tackle what he believed to be her and follow through. Wasting what little was left of his chakra....at best he could do the transformation for a couple more seconds. The wood that she had substituted with splintered as if in an explosion. Chunks of wood falling everywhere. Raining down as the entirety of it was utterly obliterated under the power and weight of his technique. A rank strength wasn't much in a world of superhumans but it was something in comparison to normal people. The tree he had slammed it into would crack along the base as the bark on the other side and all around the section he hit would shatter and fall off like glass as well. The tree itself stood however still. Despite the damage to it the tree withstood the blow as leaves would rain down around Tsumi. Tsumi would drop the demon form and gasp for air a moment as he dropped to all fours. Gasping for air as his vision seemed to blur. The fire in his eyes fading and flickering as well. He would swallow his spit and cough a couple of times. He felt frustration seeping in at his repeated failures.

He felt like he hadn't accomplished anything. That he was just flailing at a much stronger opponent. She was toying with him. His golden eyes returned to their normal hue as he would sit there panting for a moment. He didn't know what to do. He had always thought at least he could fight back if a strong enemy came along. That he could will himself to rise. He would feel himself shutting down. Weariness taking over his muscles. Yet something else would happen. It was small for anyone not aware that spirits were known entities in Kumo. But Ryuko would be able to see as a pale rabbit would shift next to Tsumi. The pale rabbit leaving a trail of spirit energy in its wake as it slipped next to him. Something about Tsumi had always been more connected to spirits since birth. Much like with animals the friendly spirits spent time with him. This one had come to nuzzle his hand... a voice in his mind whispered to him. ~You can't give up...you have to get up. Get up Heiwa~ The called Tsumi that sometimes. Though he had no idea it meant peace. Nor did he seem to find this odd.

Tsumi would take a deep breath as the spirit faded away and rise to his feet. Shakily he would place his hand against the damaged tree and force himself to stand up. To rise despite his legs shaking. His chakra reserves almost entirely depleted had him close to passing out but he stood all the same. Sweat dripping off his chin as he grit his teeth and using the tree for support stood fully again. He stood there with a slight tremble to his legs as he looked up. She advised him and pointed her baton at him. Golden eyes watched as it popped open and suddenly he was blinded by a flash of light. He would stumble back and press his back against the tree as he groaned and tried to rub at his eyes. They burned from the sudden burst of light. But he remained standing. Trying to blink away the loss of vision as he tried to focus on Ryuko. This training was working him...it was breaking him down but still he stood. Trying to blink his vision repeatedly to no avail for the moment. He was blind for a bit. Having taken that flash fully.

Watching the log that had taken her place explode into a shower of sawdust and wood pulp Ryuko let out a low whistle. The amount of force that Tsumi must have used to accomplish such a feat was impressive. If nothing else his current strength surpassed her in her base form which was no mean feat for a Gennin.

Seeing a rabbit appear next to her student Ryuko assumed a slightly more defensive stance even while she was still in the air. Where had it come from? There wasn’t supposed to be any wild life in this simulated setting. Was it a summon of some kind? The result of some ninjutsu or had Tsumi managed to slip an illusion on her? She had to consider every possibility even the more unlikely ones since just about anything was possible when chakra became involved.

Well whatever it was it wasn’t going to be enough to stop her. If worse came to worse she could always get serious and then really show Tsumi the difference between them. Though she really didn’t want it to come to that so soon in their relationship. The day Tsumi could force her to become serious was the day he’d be ready to move up in the word and become a Jounin and it was far too soon for that when he wasn’t even quite ready to take the Chunnin exams yet.

Somehow she landed about fifteen meters away from Tsumi. Instead of attacking him she waited to see what he would do. If someone flashed her like that it would disorintate her for a second but she’d be able to overcome it since she was fully capable of fighting while blindfolded without issue. In a way this was Tsumi’s first step towards being able to do the same thing.

It was going to take a few minutes before her baton recharged and she would be able to use the flash again but that was part of the reason she had two of them. It allowed her to launch a second flash during the downtime, not that there would be much point in doing so since surely she wouldn’t catch Tsumi so easily with the same trick twice.

“There are plenty of people in the world as strong if not stronger than me. What will you do if you run into someone like that, Someone so strong that you can’t hope to win. What will you do then?" she asked. The fact that he had stood up again after falling to his feet spoke to his willpower. The only question was could he do that in a real battle.

“Someday you might… no you will surpass me just as I surpassed my sensei. Today is not that day. For now savor the difference in our strength. Burn the experience, the frustration into your soul and turn it into fuel for your growth.” By giving him a benchmark to measure himself against he’d have something to strive for. It was easier to climb a mountain when you knew how high it was to begin with rather than ascending into the unknown.

“Are you good to continue? If possible I’d like you to keep trying until you have nothing left in the tank. Don’t worry about passing out, I’ll share some of my chakra with you if you need it.” she said with a look of determination in her eyes. If he could successfully push himself to his limits she was planning on transferring chakra to him so that he’d have enough juice to continue their training. It wouldn’t be healthy to keep doing that to have a third round, but even just a second would be a big boost.

[9]

Jutsu used
Clam mind (+1 tier to preception)
Spring Chant (no stat boosts to Coordination as Ryuko is holding back for Tsumi's sake)

Tsumi was panting. sweat dripping off his chin as he stood there. Shoulders hunched and chest heaving. Even his legs were shaking as he held his ground. Yet something about him wasn't faltering yet. Those golden eyes stared straight at Ryuko with determination. No hate or anger in them. If he was frustrated he was doing a damn good job at keeping it from seeming personal. He knew she was stronger. Knew he didn't stand a chance from the get go. Yet he wasn't ready to give in. Still she would ask what he will do when someone impossibly strong is his opponent and he would take a deep breath before straightening himself and calming his mind. He was focusing too much on power. He couldn't land a blow with arhat. So he would need to take a step back and approach this differently.  Still he wouldn't seem to be ready to give up yet. He swallowed his spit a moment before those golden eyes locked on hers before he smiled. He seemed to be happy that she was teaching him. Even losing he was gaining valuable experience. So he smiled and there was a warmth to that smile. A warmth to his words.

"Sensei....that I don't know the answer to. But I guess it depends on what I am willing to give up. If its just my pride I will try and get away. But....If there is one life I can save...One person who needs me. Even if all I can do is hold the enemy back I will keep trying. It isn't in me to let someone else fall because I ain't strong enough."

She would tell him to savor the difference between them and he would nod. Wiping his brow with his forearm and using his fingers to wipe the sweat from his eyes. Even lifting his shirt to wipe his face before pulling it off and tossing it to the side. His muscles were certainly the ideal build for someone focused in the arhat style. But he seemed calmer now. As if he was processing the situation and thinking. He wasn't all that bright but he had decent instincts. He had been observing a certain stance she had been using against him and he replayed it in his mind over and over again as he rolled his shoulders. The shoulder plates audibly cracking like knuckles before those golden eyes focused on her. She wanted to know if he could continue. He was thirsty and his muscles ached...not to mention his chakra threatened to be depleted quickly if he kept going. But he could still stand which meant he could still train.

So Tsumi would nod in response before taking a deep breath through his nose and out through his mouth. He would focus his mind and calm himself before remembering that stance. His body would shift to what felt right as he shifted away from the Arhat stance. Tsumi wasn't bright but when it came to taijutsu he was a natural. His body seemed to lighten up as he focused on the way her body had moved. He closed his eyes as he recalled fighting her. That stance he had heard her call the spring chant. When he opened his eyes he moved a little lighter on his feet. His hands were open as he shifted his arms back and forth. It wasn't perfect but he had shifted to the spring chant stance just by experiencing it for a few rounds. With an exhaled breath he launched forward. Attacking with an attempt to grab her arm with spring chant. Combining grappling and a stance that increased his reflexes. Already shifting to where she had steered him.


Coord with spring chant boosted from C - B

Spring Chant (D rank - trained):

Seeing Tsumi panting but willing to continue made Ryuko crack the widest grin she had so far that day.   It was only through perseverance that true strength could be gained.   Not all kinds could be measured by how much you can lift.  Sometimes it was all about how much you could endure or how patient and mature you could be.   In any case right now it was like her student was shining in her eyes.   His brilliance on full display.   It hadn’t been long but she was already so proud of just how hard he was willing to work.

“Excellent answer.  You’re just like me, you can’t save everyone but you try to save what you can anyhow ” said the Queen.  She was trying hard to push him to his limits since it was only then that he could go beyond them.    It was like Hysterical strength that a person could display in a do or die situation, if they could learn to use that on command they would become quite formidable.

“Even if you’re up against someone you can’t beat, remember that defeating them isn’t the only win condition.  Sometimes just surviving is a victory in and of itself.”    Ryuko was quite scrappy for such a small woman.  It didn’t matter to her who she was up against, even if it was the sage of six paths himself back from the dead and gone mental.   She had perhaps the ultimate shield or at least an artifact that was equivalent to it.   With her nearly unbreakable will forged in the fires of conflict she wouldn’t go down easy for anyone looking to hurt her country or her people.     With her regeneration it was incredibly hard though not impossible to put her down for good.  

“Just remember that you can’t help anyone anymore if you die.  Going out in a blaze of glory might sound great but personally I think tis a bit overrated. “   She felt like such a hypocrite saying that considering she herself wouldn’t think twice before throwing down her own life if it meant saving her country.   With her extended lifespan she was likely to outlive Tsumi anyhow if she didn’t fall in battle somewhere along the way but even so she wasn’t eager to see him go before her anytime soon.

She wanted him to become a legendary hero, the kind she could build a statue as tribute to.  Then she would point at the Statue to his great great grandchildren a couple centuries from now and brag about how he had been her star pupil.    She wanted him to grow old and gray and keep her company as long as possible.  Those were her ideal futures and it was up to Tsumi himself to obtain them.

Seeing him shift from the Arhat stance to the Spring chant Ryuko broke out in a light sweat for the first time that day.  Her instincts were screaming at her that she might actually be in a little bit of danger now.  Not enough that she needed to get fully serious and break out sage mode or anything but enough that she’d actually have to stop holding her speed back so that Tsumi would be able to observe her.

She couldn’t afford not to anymore.  His hands might not be moving quite as fast as hers while still holding back but it was enough that he might actually catch her if he got lucky.   He had enough brute force going for him that he could do some decent damage to her then since she wasn’t wearing her full defensive gear. Enough to potentially put her in the hospital or even force her regeneration to kick in which would drain more chakra then she had used combined for the entire exercise so far.

“By Hakkin you picked that up fast.” She exclaimed, visibly impressed.  She hadn’t expected him to fully learn the initial stance for a couple of training sessions and yet here he was using it like an old pro. “As a reward, I’ll demonstrate the evolved version of this fighting style,  Spring Chant: Blossoming!”    she declared with gusto.

If Spring Chant was Nozomi’s signature fighting style then Spring Chant: Blossoming was Ryuko’s take on the next step up, a derivative version she’d made solely to impress her crush who had likely evolved it along a separate path.   Her hands snaking out like bolts of lightning Ryuko reached out as Tsumi closed in on her and attempted to grab him by the wrists.  If she succeeded she would lift him into the air before he could react and then spin him around a couple times before gently setting him down facing away from her.


[10]




311/320 chakra
Calm mind - 1
Spring Chant: Blossoming - 10
=  300/320 chakra remaining

Ryuko's stats
Strength: B
Constitution: B
Stamina: A++
Speed: B
Coordination: A > S (Spring Chant: Blossoming)
Intelligence: A
Perception: B > A (Calm mind)

Jutsu used:

She was so fast his eyes had long since lost track of her. Her hands were a blur but he was surprised to feel them lock on his wrists. He resisted but his body weight wasn't enough on its own to go against this throwing move. He hadn't been prepared for it and his footing was all wrong. Besides that aside from a general flex in a specific direction to attempt to regain control there wouldn't be much he could accomplish with how his mind attempted its best to follow his own movements. His world like a blur as his insides ached at the sudden motion and blur of movement. His perception overloading from it and his mind unable to process all of it. But it did hang onto one detail The first detail. She had a hold of his wrists. Which meant that...he had that second he needed. That moment he had been waiting and struggling for. Holding onto just enough chakra for one more shift. To bring his strength as high as he could for one moment of purpose. For that one blow that mattered. Even against someone the hero couldn't beat he knew he had to keep trying. To show them that it did matter. To hold to their resolve.

As she spun him as a gator may a chew toy he focused on simply grabbing her wrists as she held his. His tunnel vision on that task was simply because he was moving much to understand all but his simple plan. Before she could let go from spinning him like a circus performer He shifted once more. His form growing and his skin burning hot as flames erupted in his eyes. His muscles expanding as he held on. Trying to grapple as he shifted from the dance straight into Arhat. He had both her wrists and he was going to strike with a headbutt. His horned head reared back as he opened his mouth to say some heroic one liner. When he did though his eyes bulged a little and he let her go to turn around and vomit as she likely had forseen. Flaming puke coming out of his mouth and burning into the grass as he hurled. His stomach having spun more times than he could likely count. His form shrinking as his stance was gone. He had nothing left in the tank. He would wipe the last of the burning vomit from his mouth before he stumbled next to the tree and finally fell backwards.

His golden eyes stared with half lids at the artificial night and he smiled like a fool. The taste in his mouth was foul. Like burning garbage. But that was it. He told his body to move and it wouldn't. Just keeping his eyes open took so much effort. So that was it huh? That was his absolute limit? He had the one opening and when it mattered....he couldn't pull through. So what? He just lays there and gives up? His body ached and he felt like sleeping. But there was something in him. The burning flame of someone....someone who wanted to be a hero all his life. That something that makes one rise time and time again. He couldn't give up. He had to surpass his limits. His chakra was barely flickering but it was like a flame that refused to fully give in. His fingers dug into the artificial dirt as he forced himself, shaking and gritting his teeth, to sit up. He would shift to his knees and begin to stand up one leg at a time....Swaying and falling at first but even with shaky legs he rose. His shoulders slumped as his heavy lidded eyes took her in. He rose his fists up limply as he smiled at her.

"That all ya got? I could do this all day."

The last thing Ryuko expected was for Tsumi to be able to react. She’d been spinning him around fast enough that she wouldn’t be surprised if he fell unconscious from the sheer g-force. The fact that he had remained both awake and managed to move enough to counter grab onto her was impressive to say the least. Say what you will about his other skills but he was a natural born martial artist savant to the core. The depth of his potential was enough to send a shiver down her spine. He was the type of student most masters dreamed of having, The Jounin teaching teams were fools for overlooking such a precious diamond in the rough.

Still despite being caught the Queen didn’t panic. She might have when she was younger and inexperienced but she’d been through too much over the last few years to let such a minor setback upset her. The only question was how to deal with it. Should she fight fire with fire and use Chakra enhanced strength to attempt to break out of his grasp? Or maybe she ought to use her leg to kick him as went to headbutt her. Hmm that might be a problem, if she hit him seriously she might do some major damage since at the moment her student was still better at dishing out pain then taking it. Instead she simply grinned doing nothing. It seemed the spinning had done a number on Tsumi after all. It wasn’t like his face was literally turning green or anything but as a doctor she could easily see the signs of nausea on his face.

Sure enough he let go of her hands and she took that opportunity to make herself scarce by jumping back a good 10 meters. The last thing she wanted was to be in range of the projectile vomit that was coming out of her student’s mouth. It was practically enough to be a technique all of its own. Maybe she’d overdid the spinning just a tad, it was enough to make her feel a bit sorry for her student and the Janitor who was going to have to clean the mess up.

“I’m sure you could tough guy, but I think that’s enough for one day.” Ryuko ordered. She was afraid that if she pushed him any further he was going to end up in the hospital. She felt a little proud of herself that she had managed to push him right up to his limit without having him actually faint on her, but she couldn’t get cooky about that either.

“Get some rest and get plenty to eat. You’ll need the nutrients if you want to get strong.” Especially in light of all the ones he had just lost. “What do you say about a water field next time?” It was rare but sometimes shinobi had to fight underwater. It would be good practice for him, assuming he already knew how to swim at least. If not well it never really hurt to teach someone how.

[11]

Tsumi would stand there. His eyes felt heavy and raising his fists was a chore. He knew he couldn't effectively fight like this. But he didn't want to give up. He had to hang on to prove his worth. If she was his sensei...if he was to be worthy of a Kage and living in a palace he would need to push harder. Go further and be stronger than he had been. If he could hold on and press forward she would acknowledge him...praise him as she had been. He was learning from her despite him being a single brain cell away from being about as smart as a tool shed. He took a breath and shifted his weight. Putting weight on his back leg as he held himself up. His legs felt weak under him. As if they might just collapse if he didn't force himself to stay standing. It burned as his body screamed to let go. Just to sit down and rest. Golden eyes watched her as he tilted back and forth. Simply focusing on remaining standing. He would keep fighting and be worthy of something. Someone. He had to be worth something or he didn't know how much longer he could hold on.

He would hear her call it though and immediately sigh in relief and fall on his ass. He would sit there leaning back on his hands which ached from those blows he had hit the terrain with. But it felt better leaning on them than it had his legs. He breathed deeply as he let his head fall back. Taking a moment to just listen as he felt more of an ache than he did from his daily marathon or weight lifting. He alternated those days usually. His stomach rumbled as she mentioned resting and eating. Having thrown up earlier he was sure glad he had those leftovers. So he would smile before slowly pushing himself to his feet. Collecting the bag as she mentioned a water arena and he frowned. A red tint to his cheeks.

"I can't swim. But I will try Sensei. Please have a good night and call on me soon."

Tsumi would hold the bag in front of him with both hands and bow low. He was showing respect before he would turn and limp back to his apartment. He didn't know when he would move to the palace but he hoped it would be soon. He was excited to train more. To get stronger and become someone to the village. To someone. He would limp all the way home before setting the food in his fridge which was otherwise empty. Walking to his bedroll as the only piece of furniture in his otherwise empty apartment next to a pile of dirty clothes. He would flop down onto it and quickly drift to sleep. Not even setting an alarm for him to wake up at the crack of dawn and start his run. He just wanted to sleep and have wonderful dreams of being some kind of Knight hero.

exit thread
11 posts  
10 for 2 - 10 for Ryuko sensei and UA and 5 for training grounds = 25 a post
25x11=275

Spring Chant D rank trained post 18

“No worries, I suspected as much but that’s what having a teacher is for. So that you can learn to do things you couldn’t before.” Ryuko said reassuringly as she saw Tsumi off. He was a good kid if a little on the gullible side. Part of her was tempted to put on a domino mask next time she saw him and see if that was enough to fool him into thinking she was someone else but she shoved that thought aside feeling it would be a little mean of her to play tricks like that.

With Tsumi gone she went to work on an intense workout session. She hadn’t worked up much of a sweat while sparring with her student and frankly she needed the exercise. He wasn’t her equal yet but he was already surprisingly strong. If she started slacking he might get a hit in on her that he wouldn’t otherwise and that would just be embarrassing.

[12]

[Exit]