From Land of Mountains to Land of Water(Private/NK)

Spoiler:

Ryuu had decided to beak his fast from life outside the confines of the wilderness to see what the villages had been up to for the many years he had been a hermit, living off the land.  His first target, however, wasn't his former home of Konohagakure.  It was one he should definitely not known in.  Kirigakure was his first target of espionage and he had a feeling this would be fun.  As he walked in the direction that he knew was the Land of Water was in, he felt the familiar tinge of pain beginning at the base of his skull as it traveled up his spine.  He didn't have long to think about why there had been so many floods in as few days before he was lost in yet another memory.

This time he wasn't at the usual training spot.  He could smell the familiar fragrance of burning flesh and the coppery scent of blood.  He didn't know where he was at at first but then it occurred to him.  He was inside a burning building.  The smell of burning flesh was emanating from his own body while the smell of blood was quickly overpowered by the smoke of burning bodies and wood.  The coughing fit caused him to close his eyes and when he reopened them he was on the training grounds.  The smoking building was just a distant memory as he watched his teacher demonstrate a jutsu that formed a prison of water.

"Snake, Ram, Horse, Hare, Ram, Horse, Hare, spread your hands out with your palms out front or form the snake then do the ox handsign before clapping your hands together.  That is how you perform the jutsu.  The only downside to this jutsu is that you must keep your arm inside it all times, as you can tell in the demonstration.  Now you will all be paired off with an opponent and you attempt the jutsu on them.  The first one capable of holding it for 5 minutes wins the competition."

The trainer quickly called off names until everyone was paired off, including Ryuu.  Ryuu's opponent was first.  The string of handseals that he formed didn't work in the slightest due to the mistake of not clapping his hands together.  Then it was Ryuu's turn.  The handseals formed, bringing the snake sign to his mouth he blew the water from his mouth and extended his arm out.  The water fell to the ground before reaching his opponent, he had forgotten to perform the ox handsign.  His opponent wasn't so unlucky a second time, however.  Katsuro found himself trapped in  a bubble of water unable to breath or move for a few minutes before the strain of the jutsu was too much for the young man.  They had been working on the jutsu for a couple days and today was the last practical exam before they would know if they passed or failed.  Katsuro's turn ended just as fortunate.  The handseals were quickly formed, water was expelled from the young Senju's mouth and the sphere formed around his opponent, yet he was unable to hold it for more than three and a half minutes before the water failed and crashed his drowning opponent to the ground.  That's when the trainer called to the students to end their demonstrations and to go home.  They would learn if they passed tomorrow.

[577 Words/C Rank Trained]

Spoiler:

Ryuu didn't know how long he had been walking before he came back to his senses. He could tell he was still in the Land of Mountains due to the terrain but he didn't know exactly where. He just hoped he had been walking in the right direction. Any deviation from his path could result in missing some pertinent information that could be gained on the village of Kirigakure. Still he couldn't help but wonder what was bringing so many of his old memories back in such a short amount of time. Usually it was only once a month or so.

This time the pain sneaked up on him. It came from no where and placed him firmly in the middle of a memory. It was a few days after his previous one. He was back on the training field discussing tactics to increase the effectiveness for the Water Prison Technique. They had to come up with ideas and eventually his group came up with one. Maybe there was a way to form a preexisting form of water to help with the jutsu. Water Clone Technique. The group went to their trainer and asked them about the difficulty in learning Water Clone Technique. His reply was one that was expected of a Senju Combat Veteran.

"If you want to learn something during this study period you have to find out yourself. There are books a jutsu. Read them and find out yourself. I am merely here to make sure you don't kill yourself or each other. Dismissed."

The young Senju heard all they needed and set off in search of these books. They knew where they were but they had to search them. The three of them set off towards where the records were kept and formed a plan as they traveled. They would grab an equal number of books and read them until they found what they were looking for. This was the fastest and most efficient way of doing things themselves. They had a feeling they weren't aloud to ask for help.

A few minutes later they made it to their destination and set to work. The jutsu books were placed before them on the small table and they set to reading through them. Many different kinds of books until finally they found it. Water Clone Jutsu. Handseals. Everything. Even the best way to move with the clone to maximize efficiency in battle. Then the group set out. The first one to perform the jutsu wasn't Ryuu, he would be the last. First up was the other boy in the group. The handseal form and slowly a water clone formed into a crappy version of the user. Much practice would need to be done to perfect it. Next up was the female of the group. She had always been better at ninjutsu and when she did the handseals, it was prevalent by the near perfect clone of the girl. Next up was Ryuu. The handseals were done and he watched as the clone formed from the water and eventually formed on nearly as good as the girls. They trio practiced several more times until finally they decided they had practiced enough to please their trainer and the set off back towards the training grounds. A few minutes later, they arrived back and greeted the older Senju respectfully before demonstrating what they learned. Ryuu and the girl squared of and Ryuu quickly formed a water clone. The girl attacked it just as Ryuu finished the last handseal for Water Prison Technique. The girl was trapped in the bubble and the group was applauded by their trainer. They had passed yet another test.

[613 Words]

Spoiler:

This time no respite was offered for the weary Rogue Shinobi. As soon as the previous memory ceased flowing, he found himself deep in yet another; like usual he was back on the training field. It would be several years before he would find himself on the battlefield of his youth.

"This is very similar to your Hiding in Water Technique he learned not long ago. This is Hiding Like a Mole technique."

The trainer smiled before disappearing into the ground, the hole he disappeared into closing so as to leave no trace of his action. Deep underground the trainer picked his target and sped towards it. The young students above him were prancing back in forth trying not to be the one he picked to launch an assault on. Little did they know that they would not be apart of the demonstration that day. The simple training dummy would be.

In a sudden burst of action, the trainer appeared from the ground behind the dummy, drawing his sword and bringing it down on top of the dummy's head driving the edge through the makeshift head through half the body before coming out the side, effectively cutting the dummy in half. He simply looked at the students to show that it was their time. Again, the students paired off into teams and began practicing the jutsu as their instructor explained it to them.

First they had to channel their chakra into the ground turning it into a fine sand that allowed them to sink into it before being able to swim through it like they were ground dolphins or fish. Whatever they were, the students were have a tough time of it. The concentration and chakra control needed to perform this task was more than what most the students could achieve at this point. The goal wasn't for everyone to learn the technique. It was to find out who was skilled enough to perform it. Advance them to a more dedicated trainer while the others tried to reach the same potential. It was an age old tactic. Using ones jealousy to force them to work harder for something. And it would usually work for the young Senju students. One group of students that stood out was Ryuu and his friends. The three of them were quite adept at channeling the chakra into the ground and sink into it. Especially the girl. She was clearly genius material. Ryuu was not far behind and the other boy though average was good enough to be leaps ahead of the rest of the class. This was probably due to the school he received from Ryuu and the girl. Ryuu was the first to accomplish this feat. It was slower than his trainer but eventually he was fully submerged in the ground and came out of it slowly a few feet ahead of where he went in. He was proud that he had finally accomplished the goal before his female friend could do the same, though both his other two friends accomplished it shortly afterward. The trainer rewarded them by placing them in an advance class.

Ryuu found himself back in the woods. He could tell he was no longer in the Land of Mountains. He was closing in on the Land of Water, though slower than usual. He was certain these memories would not end for a while, so he made camp. He was exhausted and not wanting to pass out in the middle of the road without some sort of protection from the elements.

[591 Words]

Spoiler:

In his dreams Ryuu found himself back on the training field this time, it wasn't with the usual class. It was the new advanced class he and his friends had been placed in after accomplishing the Hiding Like A Mole challenge. Apparently the only goal this class had was to make the students combat ready as soon as possible. They would be required to learn a compliment of defensive and offensive jutsu before they would be promoted once again to advanced training. Training that would teach them how to act as a squad on the field of battle. Ryuu was ready.

After arriving they realized most of the other students were older than they were. Ryuu guessed they were from the other training groups and had been in training for longer. Their first task in this new group was the offensive slash defensive jutsu known as Tearing Earth Turning Palm. The basic gist of the jutsu, from what he could glean from the instructor, was that the jutsu would cause the ground to spiral inwards towards the middle trapping all who were on the location within its effect. It was a dangerous jutsu that could cause massive damage in enclosed spaces and crowded areas. Perfect when pitting army against army and ambushes. Or this is what Ryuu surmised after the instructor finished his explanation. Then came the demonstration. First the bear handseal then the ox then came a hand sign that was specific to just the jutsu. That would would require some memory padding to insure that it was remembered.

The oral description of the jutsu did no justice to the actual ferocity of the jutsu as it turned into itself tearing grass, rock, dirt, and carefully placed objects in the circle to pieces. Nothing was left of these things save for a swirling hole of mud. Then came time for the students to try their own hand at forming the jutsu. The newly promoted students, that is Ryuu and his two friends, were not expected to accomplish the goal as fast as the others but they were going to try their damnedest to do it. They loved a challenge, especially Ryuu. Anything he put his mind to, he accomplished it no matter how difficult.

First came the handsign practicing. The trio paired off away from the rest of the class and began discussing the handsigns. Turning their backs to each other, Ryuu was the first to perform the jutsu, thanks to him being the first to complete the last challenge. Bear. Ox. And then the last handsign. Ryuu felt the chakra leave his body as he heard the slow grinding of the earth slowly speed up then suddenly die out. He had almost accomplished it on the first try but he wouldn't let the deter him from his goal. Then came his female friend. She did it. Remarkably faster than anyone else in the training class who had gathered around the group of young students. The hole formed and Ryuu simply smiled. She had always been better than he. It took Ryuu a full day to accomplish the goal that took his female friend a few mere minutes to accomplish. He was happy to have such a strong friend.

The cawing of a raven woke him from his sleep. It was the dead of night and he didn't understand why a raven would be out so late.

[568 Words]