Taking the Training Wheels Off

Today’s excursion to the training grounds had a fun first one on the docket for the day, seeing full well the uses it could have in a wide variety of missions. The Earth Release: Tunnelling Technique would be terrific for scouting missions or simply getting to cover when shit was hitting the fan as it tended to do when out on perilous missions. Not that he’d really been on any of late, thankfully, which is what allowed him to review these old techniques like this. It was good too, time had caught up with him and he was needing to really hit the training fields every day if he wanted to catch anywhere close up to his contemporaries. Forming the several seals he begins digging the earth around him in the open field, until his head was below the surface and he’d formed a little shelter in the training area. Surely someone will use this. When an academy student finding the leftovers from shinobi training was always the best, climbing over mounds of earth or splashing in small ponds. Hoping to add a little bit to this old tradition he left the hole there and continued on his list of doton techs for the day.

Trained:
- Earth Release: Tunnelling Technique (B-Rank) | 205 / 200 WC

The member 'Tōri' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

Walking out of the training field he had been working in, Tōri made his way to a forested space in the grand facility, glad to have so many spaces to train that could accommodate the range of elements one might have. Weaving a single seal he moulded an immense amount of chakra before releasing a torrential downpour of water upon the forest. So fantastic was the amount that the forest became flooded in an instant, a layer of chakra adhering his feet to the water's rising surface before crashing down.

It was a technique that he meant to attempt to harness the power of sometime, it would require a stupendous amount of chakra but he thought it could be possible. New techniques weren’t exactly his forte, but his notebook had become filled with buckets of new ideas that he meant to play with. If he excavated a large enough area he was curious if he’d be able to form a new lake with a technique like this. The trees began to buckle and crack under the pressure of the water as it rushed through the woods and finally made its way to creeks and the last bits into a river in the distance.

A few squirrels and woodland critters came along for the ride on a little log and they were totally all fine, it was like a disney scene. No animals were harmed in the production of the jutsu being trained. Totally legit. He mused if combined with a seal this technique could be used to quite sudden and explosive effect.

Trained:
- Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave (A-Rank) | 262 / 250 WC

The member 'Tōri' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

Having such a weak fortitude this next technique would be of a huge benefit to guarding himself in touchy situations. With a single seal Tōri's skin turned to that of stone, its pigmentation darkening and taking on a rougher texture that could be heard through his clothes. Not exactly a good technique for stealth, is it? Forming the clone seal he was curious how sturdy his new armor was. Commanding the clone to punch him he sure did, trying his hardest with a big comical wind up before sending his fist at his chin. Knuckles cracked as his didn’t move an inch from the impact, the clone reeled in pain as it nursed its hand with a small whimper. Smiling, he was pleased with how well it stood up. Making the clone up the ante he moulded chakra and fired a condensed bullet of earth at the original at point blank range. The stone shattered as if hitting steel, perfectly deflecting the attack even at such a range. Very happy with the extra test of defensive capabilities he released the clone before continuing on. There were many stone release techniques he needed to make sure he was down and ready for action.

Trained:
- Earth Release: Earth Spear (B-Rank) | 202 / 200 WC

The member 'Tōri' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

Thankfully for this next technique he required a cave of some sort which he had in a limited capacity back in the training field from when he’d practiced the tunneling technique earlier that day. Walking back to that part of the training grounds he simply moulded his chakra and this released it into the earth, adding structural integrities wherever it reached. The tunnel quickly collapsed into a sunken hole with large chunks of earth inside. Glad that this technique didn’t require hand seals and was so easy to set up he thought of potential ways to use this in more covert missions. Perhaps it could be used as a distraction or to break the roof of a building if made of stone tiles. The possibilities were ablaze in his mind, along with variants such a mokuton one that could break through wooden roofs to missions where stealth had to be thrown out the window. There were only so few techniques he had to go over from his younger days, he wondered what awaited him in the section that still eluded him in complexity he had yet to complete. One day soon he would be able to pull them off, until then he just had to keep training and honing his body and mind.

Trained:
- Earth Release: Rock Collapse (B-Rank) | 213 / 200 WC

Another destructive method to make a cave on its own was far more sudden and cheap to pull off, utilizing already structurally weak environments and turning them to your advantage. This time requiring a handful of seals his chakra mould into the familiar doton flavor it had become accustomed to over the past few weeks so well. Releasing the chakra did even further destruction to the hole he stood before, taking a few steps back as the problem grew from a tiny one to a big one. This was a simple thing he could clean up with a single technique, until then he wanted to see the full extent of this technique and what it could really do. Tears in the ground began to stretch along the field as his chakra created a mini fissure from which fell many dislodged rocks and chunks broken from earlier. Truthfully it wasn’t all that big, but it felt like that scale to him as he was manipulating his chakra. Something the scale of things could feel all out of whack when sending his chakra out of his body, it was a strange phenomenon that he’d never really thought of much. Perhaps he ought to pay more attention to that, but unlikely he would be able to do anything about it.

Trained:
- Earth Release: Rock Lodging Destruction (B-Rank) | 217 / 200 WC

It had finally come time to learn the highest level of complexity that jutsu had to offer, as far as he was aware, something that he did not take lightly and wanted to ensure he was completely ready before ever attempting it. Well… That wasn’t entirely true, he’d tried before but just hadn’t succeeded and decided to wait off any further attempts until he knew for certain he was ready. It had been from the meeting with Airi that had boosted his level of understanding, he couldn’t be sure if it was some sort of added awareness from getting a glimpse at what senjutsu has to offer or if there had simply been enough time spent training that had finally paid off.

This was to be a far larger scale version of the forest growing technique he’d used to great effect before, sometimes using it for the innocuous task of fixing a branch of something so simple. This technique was far more useful in capturing or subduing opponents, a quality most sought after in the shinobi world. With the speed that the technique was supposed to release it was quite the effective tool he was excited to get to know.

With the seal required he poured a massive amount of chakra into the earth of the training grounds, glad to have packed a huge and empty field to practice on. Trees began to emerge at a frightening rate, it would truly be a force to be reckoned with if caught in its snare. Releasing the technique he then cleared the field off so it could be properly used, not wanting to ruin someone's day coming to find their field unusable. Next he had only similarly crazy techniques that would use huge amounts of chakra, surely needing a huge meal at the end of the day to recover all the spent chakra.

Trained:
- Wood Release Secret Technique: Nativity of a World of Trees (S-Rank) | 311 / 300 WC

A tremendous defensive technique the Hotei shield was revered amongst the members of the clan, each person had their own unique mark open the mask it formed. Curious to see what sort of design he would come up with he made use of the freshly cleared field to form his defensive dome around himself with a sudden surge of chakra before whipping through the hand seals. Surging with power he released the technique and two enormous halves of a face slammed together overtop, hardly recognizing their rising from the ground before the two emerging sides slammed into one another and fused together. Glad to have gotten the speed down he would be curious if he had gotten the density properly moulded. This shield was said to block the masses of condensed chakra bijū fired, as destructive as they were. It seemed an impossible task having seen their destruction up close, well, not that close. But still, close enough to feel that hateful chakra emanating from the beat and the destruction it wrought on his home.

These techniques would become the foundation for his ascent into those powerful enough to help defend against such calamities, he wouldn’t be watching helplessly on the sideline next time. Next time. The way he said it sounded like he wanted it to come back. Not really, but he did yearn for a rematch that didn’t take place at such a densely populated village. If they could only teleport that beast out of the village like that destructive orb that mysterious defender had loosed in the fight. He was sure he saw some terrible blows taken, those beams of chakra where something he surely wouldn’t forget. Releasing his hold over the technique the two halves of the mask slid back into the earth at his command, again not wanting to sully such a nice training ground with his mess.

Trained:
- Wood Release: Hotei Technique (S-Rank) | 313 / 300 WC

Now this technique had been one that Tōri had heard about and coveted for many years. It was actually back when he was a teenager in what felt like a lifetime ago, though in truth it was less than a decade behind him. Just as any doton user dreams of using the earth and stone dragon technique, so too do most senju kids dream of this dragon technique. What kid doesn’t like dragons! All nostalgic and butterflies a flutter in his stomach, Tōri eagerly reviewed the scroll outlining the technique he had transcribed from his clan's library, still curious as to what secret techniques the clan leader Ayame might be able to teach him someday. The texts wrote about the technique’s highly effective use against bijū in its storied history. Glad to be adding a technique designed to combat these calamitous beings he whipped through the hand seals to give it a proper go now that he was finally ready.

From the earth below him rose the crooked nose of the mokuton dragon, its mouth opening in a silent roar as Tōri balanced himself atop its head as it roared through the air. Excited to test out the technique's speed he really pumped his chakra into the jutsu, tears streaming down his face at the rate it moved. Slowing it down he had the wooden creature wrap around the targets and squeeze, cracking the wood like toothpicks and leaving them crumpled on the ground before he released the technique after sending it back into the earth to deconstruct back into earthy component so as to not leave a mess behind in the training grounds. Knowing that one day he would likely have to use this technique against the terrors he saw that day made him shiver in anticipation, not eager to head straight towards that chakra he felt from Chomei despite not possessing the ability to sense such things.

Trained:
- Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique (S-Rank) | 319 / 300 WC

Having slacked on his suiton techniques for far too long he decided to rip through some extremely useful defensive techniques that could be coupled with raiton to turn the defensive jutsu into an offensive one. Eager to try out these elemental combinations he quickly went through the simple hand seals to produce a sudden and powerful wall of water from his mouth out in front of him, some of the water filling up the hole he had created earlier with his tunneling technique. Glad that he had gotten the basic form down he knew he had to strive for the advanced form that had eluded him all these years. He remembered when he learned this technique years ago from his deceased sensei, thinking of him as he prepared to use the technique that was his specialty in its truest form. Closing his eyes he recalled the last time he saw this next technique used; on the day he awoke his access to mokuton in that wild moment of fury. He wouldn’t allow his students to suffer the same fate as seeing him perish, no that he would ensure. It would be harder to take him down thanks to not just his parents bloodlines but the training he had received from his kage.

Trained:
- Water Release: Water Formation Wall (B-Rank) | 212 / 200 WC

Opening his eyes Tōri prepared himself with moulding an enormous amount of chakra within his gut, holding it there as he chewed on the malleable energy within him. Coursing through him he wove the seals, telling the chakra what form to take and where to come from before parting his lips and releasing the potent gathering of chakra. A torrent of water erupted from his mouth, such pressure was released that the dirt it sprayed against was flicked away with its ravenous power. A wall of terrific proportions rose in front of him and with terrific speed, it was sure to be an invaluable part of his arsenal and way to ensure his students were safe. Something about using his father’s natural element as a means of protection gave him an extra close connection to the man he never knew. Only once had he met him via a trickle of chakra saved away for this chance meeting, though it honestly felt more like a fever dream than reality. He wondered if it was some clever timed genjutsu release rather than the genuine article, a fact he figured he’d never know.

Back to the matter at hand, he thought of including a bit of raiton into the rushing waters to weaponize his shield, releasing a simple technique into the water and watching it arc across the turbulent waters. Releasing both techniques he jumped back to ensure he didn’t catch himself in the electrocuting waters, what a way to go that would be. Looking at the well-used field he decided to back it in for the day, glad at the progress he was able to make in some of the most complex techniques he had ever successfully trained. A long bath and perhaps small puff of his medicinal herb he grew in his garden would make for a lovely end to such a tiring day.

Trained:
- Water Release: Water Formation Pillar (S-Rank) | 313 / 300 WC

Heading to the cliffs that Tōri and Natsuki had fixed recently at the training grounds he made sure to check that he was alone before tunneling beneath the training field and covering his steps by closing himself all but entirety within the earth, being sure to leave himself air holes for the training he was about to endure. Having been trusted with one of the village's well-guarded jutsu he wanted to ensure there would be no peeking eyes. Further establishing his training space he placed four seals within the corners of his rectangular cave, making the air-pocketed lid the door which no eyes, no matter how blessed, could pierce. Finally satisfied that the space was safe to train in, he broke out some candles from his pack and set them up around the cave so he had some better lighting. Today’s training would be expanding upon his knowledge of the Chidori, it was only scratching the surface of a truly marvelous and versatile technique.

Requiring no hand seals, he released a surge of Raiton chakra from his body using the same advanced chakra manipulation of the parent technique that could stun enemies that got too close to me. One of the arcs of raiton chakra connected with the wall, though thankfully the seal held the structural integrity of his underground space. Glad to have thought about such a precaution he moved on to the next technique, excited to be able to add these useful techniques to his arsenal at last.

Trained:
- Chidori Current (A-Rank) | 250 / 250 WC

Next was an application of the chakra manipulation that resulted in a myriad of needles that could be spread across a wide area. Very effective against a series of smaller doton techniques or a group of weaker opponents. It was an incredibly potent technique either way, one that he had actually needed to prepare a little bit extra to even test out. Weaving hands earthen protrusions erupted all around him, little targets forming from his cave to give him something to aim for and mark his progress with the new application of the original technique. It truly was a hugely versatile technique, he just couldn’t wait to nail all of its forms down before making his own variants. An empty notebook also sat in his back that sat on the floor, just in case he thought up any interesting ideas regarding his own usage of these techniques and ways to improve or further change them. Requiring no hand seals and simply relying on advanced chakra manipulation to be extremely comfortable to the user after getting a handle on the Chidori, Tōri surged his chakra and began moulding it to the raiton element.

With a sudden flash of chakra in his hand he whipped it in front of his, trying to angle it so each of the subsequently released needles would pierce through the little earth targets he had made for this moment. The electric needles hummed through the air before piercing their targets, all but one that is. A single target was missed due to it being in a trickle placement that was outside the range of his motion he’d made to release the barrage. His eyes were always something that lacked when picking up high speeds or the intricacies that those with dōjutsu found to be such a breeze. He had many hyūga and uchiha contemporaries from which the view this ocular spectacle, some of the things they were capable of were quite astounding, something he had settled in life to never obtain and that was just fine.

Trained:
- Chidori Senbon (A-Rank) | 339 / 250 WC

Next was a far more lethal version of the base technique, extending the range and lethality to extremes on both ends. Having quite the reach in theory he wouldn’t be able to test that particular aspect out today in his cramped quarters, but he could grasp the chakra manipulation knowledge required to form the Chidori into an extended spear form. Also not requiring any hand seals he was quite the fan with all of the child techniques not requiring the tedious motions to pull off, for a shinobi every second counted and the ability to whip this particular technique out at a moments notice made it especially attractive sounding for stealthy and assassination missions. He moulded his chakra and attempted to release the long spear as far as his cramped space would allow.

A brilliant spear of light pierced through the dim lighting, ending just inches away form the dirt lid with holes that let him stay down here for the extended duration required to practice these techniques in secrecy. He wouldn’t want some peeping genin to witness it and then hurt themselves or others when trying to replicate it, not that’s why the more advanced techniques and forms were kept away from the inexperienced youth. With the chunnin exams fast approaching he worried for how his students would fare, hoping that they would all overcome the challenges together but knowing that it was an unlikely expectation. Regardless he had to do the best in his capacity to get them ready for the trials they were to face ahead.

Trained:
- Chidori Sharp Spear (A-Rank) | 259 / 250 WC

Now tired with the more advanced techniques he wanted to take a little break and practice a more simple application of the advanced chakra manipulation that took place, enhancing the manipulated form into that of a lightning beast. Oh shoot, he meant katana. Yes, that was the technique that was being trained now, of course. Reaching for a katana he had borrowed from his mother he attempted to flow his raiton moulded chakra through the weapon, realizing he really needed to get back to some weapon training at some point. He’d been so entirely focused on Ninjutsu and Fūinjutsu that he’d neglected the arts that could save his life when being pressed in close quarters scenarios. Flowing the yellow chakra through the blade he swung the enhanced weapon through the air before stabbing with a thrust at an imaginary opponent, apparently the raiton chakra had some paralyzing effects when stabbed into enemies. This would make a terrific addition to his arsenal, now he just needed to add an actual katana of his own to his arsenal and he could make better use of this new tool. Releasing the flow of chakra he stowed the sword back in its scabbard and returned it to his pack before continuing.

Trained:
- Chidori Katana (B-Rank) | 207 / 200 WC

Now came for one of the most advanced applications thus far, only to be outdone with a singular other that he was to train next. These were the techniques that would allow him to combat against another Senju and prevail, of course that was optimistic and hoping they didn’t possess the Fūton element that could thwart this plan with ease. Not able to prepare for every scenario in life he tended to focus on what he did have the power to deal with and this was certainly one of the situations he felt himself in. Requiring three hand seals was a fair trade off for such a powerful technique to be able to unleash, moving through the motions slowly as he moulded his chakra in anticipation. Releasing his prepared energy his hand began to glow with a blue light as his other hand moved to brace for the tremendous amount of chakra he was trying to control and form around his hand. Crackles of energy emanated from the hand as he struggled to contain the monstrous amount of chakra, unsure he would even succeed and preparing himself for failure right when it clicked and the unstable arcs of lightning ceased as it became his.

Slowly moving his hand around he marveled at the power continued within his hand, sure that it could pierce the toughest of doton creations. Even one made by the Tsuchikage no doubt. If they even still have one of those. There had been troubling reports from the stone village, apparently their own had helped in some sort of invasion over there and now helped to preside over them. It was something that he only knew second and third hand information on having not been present at any of the actual reports, everything he took with a grain of salt until confirmed with his own eyes. You never knew what sort of genjutsu was at work and meddling with the details.

Trained:
- Raikiri (S-Rank) | 324 / 300 WC

Now came time for the real player of the show, the same potency and lethality of the Raikir technique with none of the tiresome handseals. Yes, this Purple Electricity technique had been on Tōri's radar for quite some time, having nothing to do with his desire for clan leadership as well. No, this had always been the pinnacle of raiton techniques in his eyes, at least in the Land of Fire as it was. It was a technique of such elegance it befitted the lightning lords of Kumogakure, yet it was conceived in the Land of Fire along with the other potent Chidori techniques. Raiton was always a point of pride for Tōri as it ran so counter to both his parents and the lineages they bestowed upon him. It allowed him to feel like he was cutting his own path, with his own means and he found a deep comfort in that.

Closing his eyes he sat on the ground of his cave in a meditative stance, back of his hands placed on his folded knees as he moulded the chakra required and contemplated what allowed this form to be so versatile. Apparently the Chidori originated from an attempt to apply Raiton chakra to one of their other famous techniques; the Rasengan. It was a technique that vaguely interested Tōri, though more in the realm of what he could do with it as a base as was the Chidori born so too could he birth a Suiton variation.

Eyes opening he ceased his wandering mind and summoned the moulded chakra into his right hand as he stood, a now purple hued light filling the dark cave. It had none of the unstable crackling or chirping of its predecessors, instead the form held true and allowed him to manipulate it to a far greater degree. Excited at the possible future he ended the technique and broke out his notebook to begin scribbling ideas down.

Trained:
- Lightning Release: Purple Electricity (S-Rank) | 324 / 300 WC

Now was time for a much easier technique, a fun application of the Chidori chakra manipulation that created a beastial form from the raiton chakra and allowed it to rush forward to attack a target. Requiring now hand seals, seriously these techniques were the bee’s knees on that count, he simply moulded the familiar element and waved his hand in front of him to summon the electric creature. With a static howl the creature appeared, formed as a large wolf it pranced around the cave before tippy tapping its paws towards him with excitement, having a real ball with the control over this form. Finally having enough he released the technique, excited to get to use it and increase its speed as he continued to practice and improve himself. While all this chakra exercise was helpful for one’s stamina he really needed to hit the gym and library to stretch his other neglected muscles that needed to be in tip top shape for whatever was to come on this mission of his he couldn’t keep his mind off of. Though he wasn’t even close to done for the day, he still needed to finish the other variants of the Chidori technique.

Trained:
- Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang (B-Rank) | 201 / 200 WC

And by other techniques he simply meant technique. For this was the last one! Hurray! Doing a little jump for joy, Tōri's enthusiasm soon died down as his stomach growled, realizing he should finish up quickly for the day so he could go and eat. Only a couple more after this one, it wouldn’t be so bad unless he decided to switch things up and really fuck himself up with some S-Rank. We’ll find out! This one was phenomenally versatile in its own right, able to be used as an offensive weapon but also a restraining tool, both with terrible power behind them. It did require the aid of a raiton clone, something he was curious to experiment more with. The wide variety of clones he had at his disposal was something that he definitely didn’t make enough use of, realizing it should really devise some more strategies utilizing multiple types of them. Forming the clone seal he created such a raiton clone next to him before they touched hands and stretched the chakra manipulated form of Raikiri between them into a chain of sorts. It wasn’t quite at the same power as its original technique, though apparently this could be overcome eventually with proper handling. It seemed a mighty difficult task, he was barely able to contain the level of output between him and his clone as it was, he couldn’t imagine pumping even more into it and keeping the wire steady and formed properly. That was all there was for the Chidori techniques, it had taken a long time but he finally had reached completion with what he had available. Now came the time to invent his own, scribbling once more in his notebook with new ideas.

Trained:
- Lightning Transmission (A-Rank) | 289 / 250 WC

Unearthing himself from his caved refuge from the past few hours Tōri finally started jumping into some non-Chidori based techniques. Unfortunately this next technique was no simple thing and would be just as arduous as the last few had been for him. Moving to the edge of the cliff he prepared to test this technique in the forest down below, not wanting to mess up this newly fixed up part of the training area. With the few hand seals required the technique initiated with the summoning of rocks that crackled with electricity, still unsure how this wasn’t a doton technique or at the very least a summoning technique. Perhaps it was due to the intense nature of it, requiring a use to be sufficiently capable of moulding chakra to summon these gargantuan stone pillars that readied themselves for the electrocuting zaps that they would arc at one another before obliterating the space between them once fully connected.

This technique was a terrific candidate to combine with the sticky earthen drop technique that similarly opened a portal but in the air that allowed for the two to be used simultaneously. He’d have to practice it with Natsuki and Sera once both of their chakra reserves were up to the necessary level. Sera could probably pull it off, and soon enough Natsuki would too with his tutelage. Finally connected, the raiton energy typically would zap all contained within the cordoned off area, but he wasn’t too keen on obliterating a natural ecosystem in one go so he instead released the technique after grasping its method. Glad to have that one out of the way he began working towards a simpler toned down version of the same jutsu. Thankfully that his day would be able to be wrapped up with something that wasn’t at the pinnacle of complexity, though not far off from it.

Trained:
- Lightning Release: Four Pillar Binding (S-Rank) | 311 / 300 WC

After allowing the stone pillars from the previous technique lower back into their portals as they were unsummoned he began weaving seals to enact an even more devastating technique than previous. Instead of four stone stakes summoned there would now be fifteen, though at a reduced cost and potency. It was slower as well, but more pillars made for a faster set up, or so he thought, as the jutsu enacted he realized he had been wrong on several fronts. Those texts lied to me! Better my ass, this is just a slower and smaller scale from before. Honestly, sometimes those texts found in the library containing ninjutsu turned out to be hogwash.

With sixteen new pillars of stone now being summoned he began to connect them all before feeling the power to be able to shock the interior of the more circular shape he was now forming with the added pillars. Once again he held off, not wanting to kill all the little critters contained within the area he was practicing this technique in. Unsummoning the pillars of earth he released the technique and headed for home, eager for a few cups of relaxing tea as he tried to visualize his in-progress zen garden he’d been lazing about on for way too long. It was almost time to begin breaking out that book and working on his own techniques, though he figured he had a week maybe two more of hard grinding old and new techniques before that barrel was empty. Finally done with all the known forms of Chidori he headed home, exhausted from a long but fruitful day of training.

Trained:
- Lightning Release: Sixteen Pillar Bind (A-Rank) | 273 / 250 WC