Doton Practice

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

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'Bunny Arrival' :

“WOO HOO!That was AWESOME.  Thanks Natsuki.”

"Woah, that's freakin' nifty! Got any other neat tricks up your sleeve?"

After the singular correction, both of them seemed to pick up the technique with ease! It was a technique of his own making and, even if it certainly wasn't that complicated, he felt a sense of pride knowing that they might use it. "To be honest," he started, chuckling awkwardly as he reached up to scratch at the back of his head, "I made that technique just to have a place to sit- the rest of how it works was kind of a fluke..." Still; if it works, it works, yeah?  "I don't have much else to show off."

"What was it you were doing to get underground?"

At this, however, he felt his face flush with embarrassment. "Oh, heh, that?" He wasn't about to admit that spooking them was his goal, for whatever awkward teenage boy reason- but it wasn't a lie that he'd have probably made his approach in any event. "I like being underground, I guess. It let's me get around without too much notice, and the cool earth can be so refreshing... You could say it's my favorite technique!"

“Say is it just me or do an awful lot of Doton jutsu involve touching the ground to activate?”

Natsuki would wait for Kaori to answer this. Thinking back on it, he didn't recall putting his hands to the ground that much. Often, a simple stomp would suffice, so he was interested in hearing the other Doton user's perspective.

The member 'Natsuki Uchiha' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Bunny Arrival' :

"I mean, it makes sense. Gotta put your chakra into the ground somehow, right? Touching it is the fastest way to do that." Kaori said, rubbing the back of her head. She didn't know if a lot of them required that, but some did and that was enough for her to come to that conclusion.

"But I don't know, I don't know too many jutsu myself. I'm just assuming."

Kaori looked at Natsuki and clasped her hands together. "I need to learn how to do that stuff, the more I can do the better. Teach me and Hibachi?"

She was playing the fool a little bit by mispronouncing Hibiki's name and asking to be taught. That way Natsuki didn't think she would be a threat at all and would develop a sense of superiority.

“You stumbled upon this amazing technique by accident?” Exclaimed Hibiki in surprise.  It was funny how sometimes the best things happen unexpectedly.  “Oh my goodness, you're a total genius! Like, super-duper awesome. I can't even find the right words, but using it was just... magical!" She was using enthusiastic and exaggerated language to convey her admiration, showing her genuine awe and excitement.  
Generally speaking she didn’t tend to use a lot of techniques in a fight, partly on account of her not knowing many to begin with.  But this one that Natsuki had shown her was so cool that even her feeble mind for tactics could grasp the benefits of putting it to work.  Forget just launching herself it was perfect for potentially giving her teammates a boost. 

“At least you know more than me Natsuki.”  grumbled Hibiki in response to him saying he didn’t have much else to show off.   Even she knew that not much else was better than nothing.  “Before today this was the best I could do.”  She added as she went to demonstrate the Wall of Earth technique.  

Performing the tiger hand seal caused a wall of soil to pop up a couple meters  in front of her, incomparably smaller and softer to the one she had generated earlier from the first technique they had taught her.  It was so inferior in comparison that  it was already beginning to crumble since Hibiki hadn’t bothered to continue pumping the chakra into it that was necessary to maintain it from collapsing into a loose pile of soil. 

"Oh….”    replied Hikibi to Kaori’s explanation about why so many doton jutsu involved touching the ground.   “Now I get it. That makes total sense!  Why didn't I see it before? Thanks for explaining it so well!" She expressed her agreement with gusto, fully trusting the explanation given to her without a second thought.

“Who’s Hibachi?”  asked Hibiki, feeling confused. Was there yet another person lurking around to ambush her? 


[6]

Learning Wall of Earth (329/150)


Hibiki chakra 100/110
-3 Wall of Earth
97/110

Jutus used:

"I need to learn how to do that stuff, the more I can do the better. Teach me and Hibachi?"

Hi...bachi? Natsuki let a confused look eek across his face for a moment, but he quickly shook it off. Maybe she was messing with the girl, maybe she forgot Hibiki's name already? He wasn't sure which, but it wasn't exactly what he expected from someone who, from a distance, seemed to have a stronger handle on things. Who was he to judge, though- he only just met her.

“Oh my goodness, you're a total genius! Like, super-duper awesome. I can't even find the right words, but using it was just... magical!"

Hibiki's response was also a bit of a surprise! He face immediately went hot with embarrassment, he had never quite been praised this way. She wasn't so sure of herself; but, neither was he, once. What she needed was a little bit of inspiration. "I'm sure you're capable of more than you know," Natsuki started, putting his hands together. "Horse, Dog, Bird, Ox, Snake, and feel the ground beneath your feet... As his chakra surged into the ground beneath him, a slight shake would be felt by the other two. "Imagine it's form beneath the earth, like a sculptor finding the statue in the block of stone and..." Rising from the stone underfoot, like he had, the head of a great stone dragon would break the surface right under Natsuki. "Liiifffft..!" He struggled slightly agains the weight of the dragon, but he had practice with this one before.

The dragon's great serpentine body coiled slightly as Natsuki looked down upon the two girls from several meters up. "I'll bet anything you both could pull this off!" He was sure that they'd be able to manage it; hell, up until just a moment ago, he would have been positive Kaori could have, at least.

[Teaching Technique]
Earth Release: Earth and Stone Dragon - B rank - 271/200 words - 5 CP (Earth Ninjutsu Affinity)

CP: 36/50

"Oh, uh, sorry is Hibachi not your name?" Kaori asked, as Hibiki took the bait. These people were so trusting and nice. It was a good thing Kaori didn't really intend them any harm, she just was used to hiding away her true self behind a mask of incompetence. Always be underestimated.

Well, this was unfortunate. Natsuki was demonstrating a skill with Doton that Kaori for all her talent didn't have yet. And he certainly wasn't demonstrating everything he knew. If he was, she'd be in for an easier time if she learned this next technique. Watching him carefully as he demonstrated the Earth and Stone Dragon technique, she mimicked his hand seals.

Horse, Dog, Bird, Ox, Snake, flow into the ground. She could have pumped the chakra in at that point, but Kaori repeated the process a few times. Each time, she did nothing. Once she had the hand seals committed to memory, she channeled her chakra through her body, along the pathways that the seals denoted. She halted the chakra at the ground, not bothering to make it enter just yet.

While she could have, she didn't want Natsuki or Hibiki to see her succeed just yet. If they didn't know she could do it, they might underestimate her later. Appearing to get frustrated, Kaori stomped her foot on the ground. "Damn jutsu." she grumbled, redoubling her hand seal effort, coursing the chakra through her body and practicing that feeling. Kaori kept on at it though, occasionally missing the seal timing, mixing up a couple here and there so that her frustration appeared to have sent her on tilt.

Kicking away a rock, Kaori spat on the ground, frustration no longer fake as she'd worked herself into a frenzy just by faking it long enough. And she'd stubbed her toe when she kicked the rock. "God DAMMIT." She said, holding her foot. The rock was heavier than expected. This was why she needed steel-toed shoes! "What else do you got, maybe I just need a change of pace."

To be fair, she had no clue whether or not it would work when she went to try it herself alone anyhow, but she knew the concept at least, and at this point, the hand seals were committed to memory, even with the flaws she'd thrown in. And it wasn't like she actually needed hand signs. That was her real gift, not needing to use hand seals with Doton jutsu. The sudden release of a jutsu that wasn't expected was often one of the most dangerous things.

It's actually why Kaori was such a promising girl in the academy, although she had quickly decided to use it as subtly as possible. Being able to manipulate the ground to pull people towards her when they tried to escape though, or mess with their footing. That made for endless combinations of effective tools. Trying to dodge a punch, only to slam into a wall that wasn't there a moment ago? Trying to punch someone but you're now sinking into the ground? Doton came second nature to Kaori. This Dragon would be nothing once she got some real time to practice.

-
Learned [Earth and Stone Dragon- 565/400 2x wc requirement]

[OOC: Transitioning this to a flashback topic for Natsuki]

"Oh," Natsuki sighed, more disappointed in himself than those two. He observed Kaori teaching Hibiki the Earth Shore Return technique, and the two of them picked up the Sudden Rock Jut with relative ease. Even Hibiki seemed to make some progress while Kaori just became incredibly frustrated. Still, a smirk stretched across his face as Hibiki asked if he were above the rank of chuunin. This was the first time in the boy's years as a shinobi that anyone ever suggested such a thing.

"Hah, I'm afraid not," he'd start with a bit of a chuckle. "I'm just a genin, have been for a few years now." All the same, it seemed they were still eager to learn. Hibiki wanted something "more down to earth" while Kaori seemed eager to continue to try with the more advanced.

"Well, hmm..." He gripped his chin as he thought of what else he might be able to teach them. "Hibiki, try this!" He would demonstrate a few simple seals from atop his Earth and Stone Dragon; Monkey, Dog, Boar, Ox. "Knead some chakra into your stomach and push it down, compact it so that when you spit it..." His voice trailed off as he spit a number of small rocks from his mouth that soon expanded into huge boulders that crashed well down the field.

The dragon then turned to face Kaori, a substitute for him having to turn his own neck. "This might be more your style!" This one started and ended with a single hand sign; Snake. His skin then suddenly shifted to a much darker color as he hopped off of his stony mount- dust kicked up as he landed with a heavy thud before turning to face it. "With this, you won't need traditional armor," he stated very matter of factually over his shoulder as the dragon suddenly moved to the offensive. It roared out, rearing its head back before smacking Natsuki who went flying amidst a greater dust cloud.

As it cleared, however, the pair could follow clear markings in the ground towards where the boy still stood, his arms locked in a cross in front of him. "Results may vary, depending on what might come your way, heh, but it's a start!" He was certainly bracing for the impact, but the point still stood.

Spoiler:

Kaori watched as Natsuki showed the Stone Pistol technique. That was fair, she knew that one, it was a good one to learn. That wasn't the important one though. Her eyes found that the technique he was showing was a higher ranked one, like the other one.

"Maybe. I'm better at Taijutsu, so internal chakra flow is easier."

She focused her Doton chakra throughout her body and formed the Snake seal. Holding it for a moment, she brought the chakra to the surface of her skin, hardening it. It spread across her body, darkening her skin. And yet she'd never felt more alive. In fact, she loved the feeling of the protectiveness.

She felt a little stiffer, but in conjunction with something like Arhat Fist, she'd be able to push through it no problem. The Stone crept up her arms, moving up her skin and cresting her elbows. She took the process slow, moving it up and through her entire being. And then it rushed through her with haste.

Coating her entire being soon, Kaori's body was darkened by the Doton chakra. Throughout more than just a layer of skin, it suffused her being.

The drain on her chakra wasn't that serious. To her, she could maintain this for a long time in fact. Kicking the rock that she'd previously smashed her foot into, she was surprised to note that she didn't even feel it. In fact, it was sent flying with greater force than she normally generated. It was like she was enhanced by a permanent Arhat Fist, on top of her normal strength.

She thought about that for a second, realizing that she could stack quite a bit of damage on something if she could use Arhat Fist as well. Punching with double the force in one strike. And there would be no backlash like there was when she had punched Mae. Keeping it enforced on herself, Kaori memorized the feeling of the chakra running through her. She could do this one without having to use hand seals too.

That was an instantaneous defense, but also an offensive tool. This was precisely what she needed. And Natsuki had just taught it like it was nothing. There was some amount of surprise there, that he was so willing to hand out information for techniques like these, but he was helpful for sure. She wouldn't forget that.

"Muuuuch easier." Kaori said, humming with happiness.

-
-3 Earth Spear
Learned "Earth Spear" [400/400]

“You’re really just a gennin?” gasped Hibiki as if she almost couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  She was struggling to reconcile the difference between the image she had of Natsuki being super strong and the reality of his low rank.  How could someone who was seemingly so powerful still be at such an early stage in their ninja career?

“I bet at your skill level the chunnin exam will be a piece of cake. I feel lucky that I got this chance to train under someone as talented as you.”  Hibiki said, praising him profusely.  She was improving by leaps and bounds in such a short amount of time that it almost seemed more like a dream than reality.   She was learning how to cast more Doton jutsu under Natsuki’s tutelage than she would from any number of textbooks she could get a hold of. 

She watched and listened attentively as he demonstrated another jutsu for her to learn.  The dragon was so flashy that the idea of spitting pebbles seemed a bit…. Oddly mundane.  Well that was until those small pebbles turned into big ass boulders. A sight that inspired Hibiki to give off a low whistle. 

“Rock spit jutsu” Hibiki called out since she didn’t know the jutus’s proper title.  Monkey, Dog, Boar, Ox.  She performed the hand signs then puckered her lips, expelling a small stone from her mouth.  She watched it fly a lazily arc through the air and land with a tiny thud.  

“Not bad for my first attempt.” She said to herself feeling oddly satisfied with the sensation. Before she tried again she turned to watch the different technique that  Natsuki was teaching to Kaori….  A technique to turn your skin darker and tougher in place of armor….. That seemed awfully similar to the bloodline jutsu she used herself to steel up.   An idle thought came to mind…. Which of the two was stronger?

Well the best way to answer that question would be to try the jutsu herself.  Forming the snake hand sign Hibiki could swear she felt a slight tingling sensation crawl over her skin, but otherwise she couldn’t notice any visible change… nor did she feel any different than normal.   Ah, another failure then.  At least with the Rock spitting one she’d managed to get a result even if it wasn’t quite all the way there.

“Kaori do you wanna give that new form of yours a test run?” asked Hibiki as she punched her fist together.  It seemed to be making the sporty girl both tougher and stronger which meant she might make for a pretty good sparring partner for someone with abnormal strength levels like Hibiki. Of course learning more jutsu would also be good, but she was the kind of person that needed to move around a bit now and then otherwise she wouldn't be able to maintain her focus.


[8]



Learning Earth Style: Stone Pistol Technique 483/150 


Hibiki chakra 100/110
-5 Earth Style: Stone Pistol Technique 483/150
92/110

Kaori's use of the Earth Spear seemed to come so much more naturally; especially since, to Natsuki's understanding, she actually learned it this time! Hibiki also picked up the "Rock spit jutsu" with similar ease- and he would not be correcting that name for her- but not before she sang his praises yet again. His face went flush once more; for the "Screw Up of the Uchiha" to be called talented was certainly a novelty, and a welcome one at that.

Hibiki had a great idea, though! Natsuki would nod his head in affirmation to the suggestion of a bit of a spar. Kaori using taijutsu and preferring internal chakra flow was telling, but it would be nothing compared to seeing how they actually behaved in combat.

"I think that's a great idea! It'd certainly give me a better idea about what I might teach you both next!"

"Oh, uh.... hm. I guess we could spar a little bit." Kaori said, a little unsure about whether she wanted to or not. In all honesty, she wouldn't mind testing out the new jutsu, but she didn't want to give away all of her combat ability just yet. Maybe she'd hold back and simply give a decent performance. Then she'd let herself lose the spar, unless Hibiki wasn't very good at fighting.

"You know what, fuck it, let's do this." Kaori said, beginning to hop back and forth on each foot. She was pretty pumped now. Raising her fists, she got herself into a proper enough boxing stance. No need to bother with perfection today.

"Ready to begin whenever you are." She said. The blackened skin still coated her body. She could maintain it as long as she wanted really. Eventually she could pretend to be tired out, she'd learned some other stuff already, so her chakra levels could easily be in question whenever she wanted to end things.

-
-1 maintained Earth Spear
Chakra: 103/110

Natsuki seemed to think the idea of a sparring match was a good one. Karoi on the other hand was a bit less enthusiastic at first though it didn’t take her long to get more pumped up.   Perfect, a little bit of exercise would give poor Hibiki a chance for her overheated brain to cool off a bit.   She’d crammed so much new information in about techniques in such a short time it was a wonder it hadn’t exploded yet.


“Alright then. In 3, 2, 1…”  said Hibiki, pulling herself into a sloppy fighting stance about 10 meters away from Karoi and counting down.  “GO.”  with that last word she took off like a rocket trying to cover the distance as quickly as she could muster without the use of any additional techniques.   The last time she’d tried to body flicker right from the start of a sparring match hadn’t gone well for her so this time she was trying a different approach. 

Her first move once she got close, assuming she managed to get close in the first place, was to  throw a simple right handed punch towards Kaori's abdomen. Her goal here with this exchange wasn’t to get a one hit knockout but rather to see how well this stone armor could take a hit.


[9]



Hibiki's stats (going by when she entered the thread)

Strength: B
Constitution: C
Stamina: C
Speed: C
Coordination: C
Intelligence: E (E+ lifestyle)
Perception:C

Natsuki understood Kaori's hesitation, perhaps she wanted to focus more on learning new techniques. All the same, she seemed to come around, and he was excited to see what came of it. Truth be told, he hadn't personally seen much by way of shinobi sparring. By this point, he himself had only really sparred once, with Sera. He watched as Kaori got into something of a stance; he didn't know much about taijutsu, so who knows how well of a stance it was.

He was more sure of Hibiki's stance, which was... Let's just call it rough. Her likewise bullheaded approach of simply rushing towards Kaori was also certainly a choice as well, but Natsuki wasn't here to judge. Truth be told, he would have been far too nervous to charge in like that, so maybe this was a strength of hers. Despite that, the boy noted that having more opportunities to close the distance might suit Hibiki well.

He followed Hibiki's movements as they approached Kaori, and he was eager to see how she responded.

Kaori waited for Hibiki, preparing to strike her at the same time. Her armor could take the hit, right? Hibiki was unarmored, an exchange like this would leave her uninjured and Hibiki taking a solid mirrored punch to the stomach, enhanced by the Earth Spear technique.

As Hibiki's fist moved towards her, Kaori didn't even bother to block, she wanted to know how well it could withstand physical hits. Her own punch moved at a similar speed towards Hibiki, and unless she did something to dodge or block, she'd get the full force of Kaori's hit with an additional oomph from Earth Spear.

The strike Hibiki landed was strong, without a doubt. That would have dropped if she wasn't protected, but the jutsu did its thing. Note to self, don't let Hibiki punch you unless you can defend against it. As it was, Kaori was lifted off the ground and sent flying a bit by the force of her strike, as she was unable to cancel out the force entirely.

A sense of Deja-vu crept over her, as she remembered her spar with Mae. At least this time, she was the one who was immune to the damage, although if Hibiki was able to land enough successive blows, she was sure that she'd be breaking through it fairly quickly.

Grimacing at the thought, Kaori looked to see how Hibiki was doing, if she'd blocked and continued to charge forward, or if she had been hit herself, as she skidded on the ground, landing after being lifted up a few inches. This wasn't how Kaori usually fought, but this was a demonstration after all.
-
Miscalculation a bit, Earth Spear is 10 & 5 reduced to 5 & 3 cost, so I owe 4 chakra from previous posts
New Chakra: 99/110
-3 Upkeep Earth Spear
NEW Chakra: 96/110

Strength: D (Each physical strike deals D str + C power from Earth Spear)
Constitution: D (With A rank armor from Earth Spear)
Stamina: C
Speed: C
Coordination: C
Intelligence: D
Perception: B

As the match began everything about the outside world melted away.  To Hibiki there was nothing to be concerned with. The only things she needed to be aware of  were the three people present (including herself) and the field.     If only things could be this simple the rest of the time.  The less her brain had to process the better it seemed to run. 

She could see the counter from Kaori coming, really how could she miss it when there wasn’t anything to obscure her vision or distract her.  Rather than trying to dodge or block it Hibiki decided to simply take it head on.   For one she was pretty confident in her own ability to take a punch or two rock enhanced or not and for seconds she was curious to experience for herself what the rock reinforced punch could do.

“Oof” She grunted as it connected causing her to stagger back a couple of steps.  Maybe the results would be different with a different user but on Karoi it wasn’t quite as strong as one of her own punches. Which wasn’t to say it wasn’t substantial in its own right.   That was definitely going to leave a bruise.   

“Not bad.” complimented Hibiki.  She didn't think she could take too many hits like that and remain standing.  The trouble was they were so even speed and coordination wise that it’d be hard for her not to take a few hits. If she didn’t do something to even the odds a bit she’d be the first to bow out.  Not that she necessarily minded losing but it would be pretty lame if she did so too quickly.

Coming to a decision, Hibiki activated her bloodline, instantly encasing her arms and most of her torso under her shirt with a dull silver sheen. Technique  she wasn’t supposed to be using her clan ability during a mere friendly sparring session but Kaori had armored up first so she figured it would be fair in this instance to fight stone with steel as it were.   Besides, she was still at a slight disadvantage as her steel didn’t cover her entire body the way the stone did for Karoi.  It would take a bit more training before Hibiki could learn to progress that far. 

Taking a step towards Karoi, Hibiki made to move as if she was about to attempt another swing with her left fist towards Koari’s torso again, but this was nothing but a bluff as instead she would actually lash out with a sweep of her right leg in an attempt to catch Kaori’s feet with them and sweep her quite literally off her feet.


[10]



Hibiki chakra 92/110
-5 Steel Release: Impervious Armour Stage 1
87/110

Jutsu used:

It seems the two of them are bullheaded... Natsuki, sitting comfortably on the sidelines, was utterly baffled by these two. Neither had any trouble just deciding to take the hit... and Kaori went skidding from a strike more powerful than he expected from Hibiki. She was strong, tremendously so. The older girl got her licks in, though, and seemed to be with the upper hand.

That was, at least, until Hibiki's skin began to change too. He watched with utter fascination as her skin took on a distinctive metal sheen which shined under the afternoon sun. It didn't cover her entirely, but it certainly made the matte change in Kaori seem a little less special. It was all he could but stare and think: What is that..?

Surely, if Hibiki could do whatever that was, she could use the Earth Spear, no?

Kaori was a bit surprised by the way that Hibiki simply covered herself with some sort of iron-like skin. She didn't even need to have this technique that she was using. What the heck? Looked like she wasn't the only one hiding some sort of secret. She knew that bloodline, it was from Iwagakure too. She didn't know how strong or durable it was, but it was one of the top clans in Iwa.

Well shit. Just like with Mae, it wasn't like she was going to physically beat through her defenses. And of the two, Hibiki seemed more dangerous, she could deliver hits, that much was certain. And unlike Mae, she could also use Doton.

Hibiki was a rival.

The feint came in, and Kaori's eyes picked up the oncoming leg sweep. She didn't react though, deciding that she was comfortable taking the loss right here, letting Hibiki's steel come out on top.

She landed flat on her back as her legs were swept out from underneath her and her back slammed into the ground.

Even through the armor, Kaori could feel the strength behind Hibiki. Just damn.

Looking up from her floored position, Kaori laughed.

"Uh, Steel release, huh? Man, that's unfair, I can't damage steel. Alright, I concede, I think I've learned the limits well enough, holy crap you're strong."

Releasing the technique, Kaori's skin returned to normal. Smiling at Hibiki, she shook her head. "I think if we kept fighting, you'd break through mine before I took you down, no need to wear ourselves out finding that bit out."

Sitting herself up, Kaori leaned on her hands, sitting back a bit. "Get a load of her, huh Natsuki? She's something else. Don't let her hit you, I could feel the impact even under the jutsu."

-
-3 Earth Spear upkeep
93/110

“Karoi are you alright?” Asked Hibiki out of concern.  She hadn’t been expecting her feint to work out quite as well as it had.   She had expected to maybe manage to sweep one leg out before  Kaori would skip up with the other leg to avoid being knocked down.  

Plus considering that Hibiki had only steeled up her parts of her upper body there was a chance her sweep wouldn’t have done anything at all even if it fully connected.   That she’d not just pushed Karoi over but pushed her over hard was a tad concerning.  She really didn’t know her own strength…  If Kaori hadn’t been armored up herself she could have been seriously hurt.

“I’m not sure about that Karoi. I might have steel release but I think you’d still have a pretty good chance of beating me if you avoided the parts that aren’t covered with metal.”  admitted Hibiki careless of the fact she was giving away a potential weak point.  With the clothes she had on it was hard to tell in some cases which parts were armored and which weren’t.   

Her hands were obvious since she wasn’t wearing gloves but the rest of her torso was impossible to tell with a glance.  With the match over she had already reverted back to being completely normal flesh and blood in an effort to conserve energy. 

“But you do have a point. If we exhaust each other fighting we won’t have any energy left to train more Jutsu.”  said Hibiki.  Now that she had blown off some excess steam she was eager to get back to training some more Doton techniques.

“I’m impressed  at how tough you are Karoi.  I’m no good at holding back so it’s been tough to find sparring partners to have a proper match with.”  Hibiki complemented as she offered her hand to Kaori so that she could help the other girl get back to her feet. Her face was tinted with a deep blush at the profusive remarks she was getting about how strong she was. 


[11]



Hibiki chakra  87/110
-5 Steel Release: Impervious Armour Stage 1
82/110

Watching the spar closely, Natsuki couldn't help but feel some type of way about Kaori's complete lack of response to the sweep. Hibki was fast, sure- to some, she might have even been something of a blur- but to not react at all? Either she froze or she took the fall; but did she freeze for each of those other hits too? She was in good spirits, or playing it off well, when she made mention of "Steel Release." I wonder if that's at all similar to Tori's Wood Release...

"Get a load of her, huh Natsuki? She's something else. Don't let her hit you, I could feel the impact even under the jutsu."

Natsuki offered a polite smile and nodded his head in affirmation. He would be heeding the advice, even if the one who offered it had just, twice, let Hibiki hit her. Hibiki had some kind and encouraging words to offer, but it certainly seemed like Kaori had dropped the ball, or was holding back against a foe so simple- but using any amount of other doton techniques might have changed the outcome entirely.

It was to this end, then, that he continued: "Well done ladies! That was certainly something," he chuckled. He didn't expect the both of them to just let the other hit them, but here they were. "I've got some notes!"

He first turned to Kaori. "In the face of a foe whose defenses are too strong, it might be beneficial to keep them away." He wove a casual five seals and placed his palms to the ground and, not long after, a dome of earth would take shape. "You have to be in constant contact, but by feeding it chakra, you can repair it while trapping people inside. It even has the added benefit of sapping away their chakra and giving it back to you!"

He gave Kaori a nod, hopeful that, despite this erring closer to the Earth and Stone Dragon, that she could pick this one up. Then he turned to Hibiki. "And for you! Rushing at someone headlong might certainly be intimidating, but it lacks subtley." Then, without seals, he crouched down and slipped beneath the surface of the earth before his head reappearing closer to the girl. "My personal favorite, you just channel chakra into the ground all around you, turning it into sand and digging your way through it! It's slower, but nigh undetectable, I've found."

He'd give her a nod like he had Kaori and would give each of them a moment to give these new techniques a shot.

Details:

"Gee, thanks for the notes. Kaori said, laughing at the idea that she needed anymore. She knew what she'd done. "My biggest problem is that my chakra levels are fairly low at the moment. I was training before we all came together,
so I don't know that I'd be holding that technique long enough to score a win. I'm kind of tired. "

Interestingly enough, she was shown a technique that was going to help with the stamina issue. A dome to capture people and drain their Chakra. She'd keep that one in mind, but didn't feel like she could learn it without giving away too much more. And she'd already let it be known that she was running low on energy at the moment, so she just watched the hand seals and practiced them while leaning back and watching Hibiki and Natsuki do more stuff.

Hibiki for her part had no idea that Kaori had taken a dive on her. She simply too her friend at her word that she was running low on charka and that’s why she had called the match early rather than continuing since being knocked down didn’t mean she was knocked out.

“I wish I knew how to lend you some chakra Karoi. I’ve still got plenty to spare.”    said Hibiki sympathetically.  Hopefully her friend would still be able to pick something up by watching her then.   Hibiki was more of a kinesthetic learner herself, not that she would be familiar with that specific terminology. 

She frowned slightly at the remark about subtlety.  She was known among her peers for her innocence and naivety, her heart as pure as the morning dew. But if there was one thing Hibiki couldn't quite grasp it was subtlety.


Whether it was expressing her feelings or understanding the nuances of conversation, subtlety eluded her like a playful breeze slipping through her fingers. To her, words were like stones, meant to be tossed without hesitation or hidden meanings.



She was strong and she was fast.  If she rushed someone head first with a body flicker she’d usually be able to lay them out flat on the first bunch.   It didn’t work 100% of the time like with Noa but it was usually enough for her to get by in a pinch.  What fix what wasn’t broken? She wasn’t sure a technique that made you move slower would do her all that much good. 



Then again Natsuki HAD managed to use this jutsu to ambush her earlier. Lying in wait to spring a trap wasn’t her usual style but gaining the ability to do that could come in handy for the exams.  People would be so distracted by her straightforwardness that they likely wouldn’t see it coming.


Following Natsuki’s example she channeled chakra into the ground, allowing her body to slowly slip under the earth.  Hibiki had expected that she would be blind once she was submerged but unexpectedly she could somehow sort of sense where she was, even if she couldn’t see.   A moment later her head and right arm popped back out again as she waved to Karoi enthusiastically.



“No wonder you like this jutsu Natsuki.  It’s FUN.”  She exclaimed with a grin.  This was way better than that one decapitation jutsu  which wouldn’t allow her to remain underground for long.



[12]



Learning Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique (407/100)

Hibiki chakra  82/110
-5 Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique
77/110

Natsuki flashed an awkward grin as Kaori remarked at the notes he had given her and hoped he wasn't too overbearing; Hibiki was still having fun, at least. Regardless, when you're low, you're low. The boy looked to the both of them and spoke: "Yeah, perhaps here might be a good place to call- eh?"

A fluffy white rabbit had come bounding out from the haphazard mess that Natsuki was originally lounging within, but he didn't see it then. No, he saw it when it happened to jump up and nibble at his favorite orange haori, somehow slipping it off of him and running towards the exit to the facility.

He turned fast and chased after it, shouting to the girls as he did so: "If you ladies want to do some more training, meet me here tomorrow?" He couldn't even wait for a response, he'd be here either way, and chased that damnable rabbit.

Kaori could have laughed, the rabbit really bounded off with Natsuki's haori. That was really funny. "It's okay Hibiki, I'm tired anyhow. Probably for the best to take a break, get some food, rest up, and continue tomorrow."

She had some respect for the steel release girl, knowing that she's incredibly strong. If she worked on her mind too, that would make her a true threat to behold, but she was endearing, like Mae.

"Nice to meet you both, see you around!" Kaori said, and got up, stretching her muscles out. "Unless you want to come with me to lunch?" Kaori offered Hibiki. It would be nice to make friends, and she was as good a choice as any. At least Hibiki probably came from Iwagakure, so they might have some stuff in common.

Either way, she'd set out to find the nearest food place she could.

-
Exit