Kinjutsu: Hachimon Application
[spoilername="Hachimon"]The sounds of heavy breathing rang within the brisk grain that whipped against Koga's skin. He was in the middle of sandstorm under the blazing Wind Country sun. His mind was focused on the objective ignoring the minor pain his body was enduring. He wore nothing besides a pair of underwear and a belt with over five scrolls snugged tightly on it. His mind was in a hazed state of fatigue as he began to stumble in his pace but he never fell once. Koga's muscles were turning red, showing some signs of a strain. It's as if someone had been pulling his muscles continuously. He looked worn down, battered and even as he ran blood trailed in the sands. While his appearance would hint to anyone he had been through some kind of physical hell, Koga still had a subtle smile upon his face. The bloodied fool ran through the desert sands back to the place this whole journey started from.
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The Ikoji clan was currently plotting their migration and moving south through the deserts creating fortified huts with their jutsu. Koga was currently out as a scout observing the land for the clan and making sure they were not being trailed. While on duty his father Saizan sent a messenger to bring him a letter. The letter instructed for Koga to end his watch immediately and make way to his chambers. Koga knew something serious was about to happen if his father was pulling him off of duty. Ikoji Saizan was no slouch when it came to the art of battle and he could be a cold man, and was calculating to the very last bone in his body. Everyone in the clan approached him with some type of caution, and rightfully so since the death of Koga's mother. It happened when he was young, but he could still remember the tears his father shed when his mother died. It broke the man and from that point Koga did his best to listen to his father. Even though he didn't agree with the old man all the time, they were what each other truly had left past the rest of the clan. Or at least that’s what he was always told by Saizan.
Koga would of course obey his elder and make his way to the fortified hut. Upon entrance Saizan sat silently at a dinner table brandishing a series of scrolls front of him. Koga would bow to his father and place his hand across his waist.
Hello father, I came as soon as I received your message." His father nodded allowing his son peace at mind to know all was well. Saizan would motion for Koga to sit and begin eating. Accepting the request Koga would sit in a seat opposite from his father and would and begin to slowly start eating. While he ate his father read over more scrolls. The scrolls were wrapped in silver silk, and they caught Koga's attention. He had always been an observer, more than a talker at least. His father adopted a habit from his mother of wrapping important scrolls with silver silk. They were like bookmarks for what he had to read first. A smile spread across Koga's face as he stared at the scrolls. Saizan would eye his son who was now looking at his scrolls before speaking again.
“I see you’re more interested in my scrolls than your lunch. Well if you want to know what’s in them, I can accommodate." Koga would stop smiling and straighten his posture. He knew he sort of goofed up or made his father feel awkward. However Koga was just happy to see that the memory of his mother still lived on in the man's work.
Saizan would slide over scrolls to Koga before explaining what they were.
"These scrolls are directly from Ikoji Yuko's personal collection. I have undertaken a journey into the Four Points of Will. As you know these four points are caverns that we as a clan have forbidden normal entry into. The first cavern is known as the "Cavern of Origin" was littered with traps but simple ones. For people of your caliber, and especially my caliber it was child's play. However these scrolls, well their contents are not. I want you to take these scrolls, study them while you travel to the Four Points of Will. You will travel with light to no clothing. Since I went ahead and cut some of the fat of your work you can prepare your body for the trials ahead. Also you are by under no circumstances allowed to use your healing techniques. You must endure every bit of pain you receive on your journey. The reign of Kaguya in our clan are coming to a close. While we will never forget our roots we will not allow selfish vanity run this clan any longer."
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Koga had begun his task by drinking plenty of water and eating a lot of vegetables. He would not bring anything besides the scrolls on this trek and his father saw him out of the clan's convoy. Even if he wanted to had brought something along he wouldn't have made it past the watchful eye of Saizan. Koga opened up the first scroll while on his journey and began to engage in the words written on the rough paper. They detailed a limatator in the human body called the "Eight Inner Gates of Chakra". Chakra was energy within every human being which could only be attained by hard work or by raw talent. Ikoji Yuko, the Grand Gazelle apparently had done studies on these gates and hid them within the Four Points of Will. The four points were caverns that were connected by a series of tunnels and paths. Apparently she had designed them to be full of physical trials that would push someone to the brink. They were the dungeons in hero's stories.
The first point, "The Cavern of Origin" was already gutted out by his father apparently. Koga made no attempt to even enter that point as the cavern had already been finished. The scrolls from within taught Koga about the first two Inner Gates; The Gate of Opening and The Gate of Healing. The Gate of Opening was a process of focusing chakra and sending it to the brain. Although the chakra gates were not organs or actual body parts they were manifestations of will and limitations set naturally by the mind. However by using the chakra as a conduit one could grasp the grates in their mind and pry them open. When someone opened the Gate of Opening their body began to instantly go through the process of expansion. The muscles in the inside of Koga would expand and bring more capacity for the full power that his body was truly capable when not hampered by limits. While this power was simple to obtain it was detrimental to the human body. Only people who had trained their body or once again by natural talent were able to endure tremendous amounts of pain could withstand the opening of the gates.
The second gate was the “Gate of Healing”. This gate was used to counteract the effects of the first one and attune the body to that sense of pain. This way further gates could be opened later on with less risk to the user although this tranquilizing effect was only temporary and fighting while not realizing your pain was fool hardy. If you didn't know when your limit was but kept pushing, you could keep fighting so hard not realizing that you’re actually dying. If you didn't push yourself into the grave but still fought after using this gate, then you’d probably be in an extreme amount of pain. This is added onto the list of reasons why these gates shouldn't be used by people who were frail physically.
Koga began to realize what his father's goal was. Sending him out here in bare skin while these lesser sands whipped at his body and caused him pain. He wanted Koga to study the scrolls on the way because he wanted Koga to attempt to open the gates while enduring a constant form of pain. This kind of training had always been apart of Koga's life but his father was bent on making him remember this concept. However there still remained the key of how to actually open up the gate. It was all about your will and the control you had over the chakra or energy inside of you. Koga was taught about the ways of chakra but through his mother he was trained to utilize another form of energy entirely. He could access the spirit's power around him and use the raw energy from the spirits that inhabited the land. Koga was nothing shy of a rare case in the Ikoji, someone who was loved by the spirits. It wasn't as glorious as inheriting the power of the Kaguya but it was none the less a glorious talent.
When it came to dealing with will it was all about the mind of the person. They had to be steadfast in their ideals and goals. Koga was one such as this type doing this task entirely on the request of another. Although it wasn't his father that completely drove him to be a hard worker. It was the belief of becoming stronger within himself. Koga truly lusted for power, everyone did in their own form or way. However his quest was more of one to maintain himself. He didn't want to take over anything, nor did he want to crush anyone. Koga simply wanted to be strong for the sake of being strong. He enjoyed battle for the sake of battle, and enjoyed working for the sake of working.
Koga could focus his will, and he would use his spiritual energy to make his chakra even stronger. He would visualize an iron gate locked in chains with the words "Gate of Opening" written on it. He would imagine himself to be a genie like creature with golden gauntlets. This gate was nothing more than an obstacle and Koga would raise his imaginary hand and rain down on the iron gate with an enormous punch. He repeated punches like these until the chains began to crack and the gate began to cave in. In reality the chakra was building up in one point and then burst through expanding the chakra path way and creating a bigger flow of energy. While that happened his muscles expanded and his mind cleared giving him greater focus coupled with greater speed and power. Koga felt the power surge from the gates and began to push himself faster feeling the thrill of the power that had been released.
Although shortly after the release he began to feel the fatigue set in. Although it was simple to visualize another iron gate with a pair of wings and a heart in the middle. It symbolized health to Koga and made him feel energized just by gazing at it. In his visualization Koga's genie spirit had gained a set of chains wrapped around his golden gauntlets and began to pry open the Gate of Healing. When it did open Koga felt a burst of vitality almost as if someone was trying to use a medical energy on him. However it was more subtle, more natural as if his body was doing it on his own. Even so this was temporary as the scroll said and he would hasten his pace to make it to the next cavern.
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In the second point, the Cavern of Balance Koga found that these walls were probably three times thicker than normal cavern walls. There seemed to be no sign of direction within this cavern but he did find a path blocked by boulders. This was child's play to Koga as he began to prepare himself. With this new gate's power coursing through him he could feel the strength in his arms growing. Koga began to charge chakra around hands and then focused on another energy residing around him. The spirits of nature passed through Koga granting him access to a completely new element (Light/Holy). The light energy wrapped around his fist and with a shattering punch he blew a hole through three boulders. At this point even Koga was shocked as he expected to crack and break one boulder but not three so easily. However the backlash of the punch caused him pain, in the form of his bones creaking.
After passing through boulders Koga would come upon a lake with rock spires poking out of it. There were no other ways out and no other paths except for the path of spires that went through the waterfall. It seemed as though Saizan had planned for this as well questioning Koga's mind. He began to wonder if his father had been since the circumstances seemed to fit so right. However that was just desperate thoughts being slung out to keep him from thinking about the pain he would have to endure.
Koga would begin to push chakra into his feet focusing on the output of power his body pushed out. When the chakra formed a coating under his foot Koga would jump onto the spire with his right foot. Pain would shoot through his foot instantly as the spires were fine pointed at the tip to pierce through anyone trying to walk across them. It was like puncturing your foot with a blade repeatedly but Koga would hold out and persevere. Blood ran down every spire that he tip toed on, and soon he felt as though he would be out of it. Koga would rely on the Gate of Healing to bring him some relief as he continued to push himself down the path of spires. For what seemed like an eternity ended in minutes.
Koga fell into the next lake which had two scrolls cradled in a stone lily pad that sat in the middle of the lake. Koga would paddle over the lily pad and pull himself onto it. The Ikoji clansmen would take a moment to rest before opening the scrolls of the Third and Fourth gates. The third gate, The Gate of Life was used to augment the body to allow more air to travel through the bloodstream. When opened the body would begin to pump blood rapidly turning the skin slightly red. When this occurred you knew the body was prime and ready to burst at new speeds that it probably wouldn't have been able to handle before. With the fourth gate the muscles would be further extended and the energy inside of yourself would begin to replenish. This gate literally took all the pain your body endured and turned it into fuel. Since the gates were constant sources of pain there was a limitless amount of energy to be regained here. With this sort of power, who wouldn't be enticed by the gates?
After reading the scrolls he would pick himself up and search for another exit. When Koga found this exit he felt the breeze of the sands flooding his face. However the further he traveled down the worse the winds got. Eventually he could taste the sand the winds were bringing making it clear that the sandstorms were seeping in from somewhere. Koga began to hurry his pace trying to get to cover before the sandstorms could enter the narrow passage however Koga fell down tripping over a panel. This particular panel would click and the sound of blades whirling made a sound in the distance. Behind Koga a wall had opened up to reveal a row of blades that spun ready to grind any thing that fell into it's jaws. While another wall opened revealing large blades in the form of fans. They made a large gust that began to push Koga back. He immediately realized the danger he was in seeing the trap for what it was.
Just like everything else in these points of will he'd have to rely on the power of the gates. He began to visualize two gates this time instead of one. The gates were side by side and for this time would be opened together in balance. The chakra would path from his brain down his spinal cord to his abdomen. In his daydream, the Gate of Life took on the color white and had a halo within the center while the Gate of Pain took on the color black and had a pitchfork engraved in the center.
Koga's genie form now had wings on top of the iron chains and a white light sparked from within. The imaginary form of Koga burst through the gates while in reality Koga began to activate both the third and fourth gates. His skin would become beet red as blood pumped ferociously through his body. His bones would begin to creak as if someone was trying to break them. Koga would use this new found strength and stomp the ground giving himself a kick start as he pushes off and darts up the passage. The gusts were strong but this new power would carry him through the powerful winds all the way to his sworn obstacle. Koga would find no exit and realized that either end of the hall was built to be a death trap and figured the only way was going to be through that gate. With this he knew he had to make his break for freedom and with his new physical prowess Koga knew what he could do. He began to prepare light energy around his fist again but this time an orb of chakra began to form as well. Koga would mix the spiritual energy with the chakra energy to create a violent orb of chakra. He would then begin to charge chakra into his other hand place the orb of chakra under his fist. Koga would rush forwards and combine the power for an enormous blast. The wall would burst open blowing the bladed fans to debris and allowing Koga exit from the Cavern of Balance.
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However the area he ended up in was not outside but yet again another chamber. This time it was a larger chamber with a giant hole in the middle. There were numerous rock platforms sticking out the wall creating a staircase like formation which Koga climbed up. Upon reaching the top he found another chamber room that overlooked the one with the giant hole. This room was much smaller and held many rare items and gems in the inside. It was like a treasure room littered with strong gleams from the glistening jewels. There was a large scroll on top of a lone pedestal as well which caught Koga's eyes more than the gems.
He approached the pedestal and pulled up the scroll immediately looking over the contents. The scroll held no name on the front, but it did hold a single phrase."In order to survive you must open the 5th Gate of Limit and the 6th Gate of View with your own power. Remember the path of energy moves linear and will always follow that path.” Koga re-read the excerpt a few more times before he began to hear the sound of rumbling. The ground beneath him began to crumble and the rocks gave away. Koga fell back to the ground floor barely rolling in time on impact to avoid too much damage. He was exhausted and the rapid opening of the gates was wearing him down greatly. As if things weren't bad enough the giant hole in the room began to spit sand up. It was obvious this was a sand pit trap and he would be crushed under the pressure. With no way out it'd had probably been easier to just lay there and wait for the final moments but Koga was no quitter and his natural body would not allow him to just stop.
Koga began to go back to his basics for opening the gates. His willpower would be channeled through his imagination as he tried to push open the 5th and 6th gates. By the way the gates paths took these would be located in the center or the abdomen. Koga began to push chakra from head to his spine, to his stomach. He would repeat this process in a channel building up a little more energy in his abdomen with each pass. The Gate of Limit and the The Gate of View were core power to the opener of the gates. He would imagine the 5th gate being that of Gate with warding seals placed all over it. The 6th gate would resemble that of a prison window. His genie form had added a halo around it's abdomen and a pitchfork for a tail. He looked like a mythical creature within his mind and his focus was charging through these new gates. Koga focused himself and began to burst the chakra in his abdomen.
Pressure would begin to build in his body as his muscles expanded and tightened granting Koga even more strength. His skin became an even greater shade of red. His chakra became more visible to the point where it was repelling the sand that was closing in on him. Koga would burst his energy out in spurts pushing more sand away from himself. As the sand repelled Koga found himself with an opening but no real movements. He could try to run but his exit was blocked. He had to dig deeper and burst through the thick rock walls. Koga began to push more chakra out of his core reaching for as much chakra as he could. The energy began to form around him and with an insane flurry of punches the energy forming around him would burst through the sand and come into contact with the wall. Koga would move taking the bigger opportunity to begin tearing through the sand. He treated his body like a ping pong and ricocheted off the walls of the cavern. Like a missile Koga would push off from a cavern wall at full speed and use his remaining energy as a final burst through the wall. The wall began to crack and sand would flood the cracks breaking open the wall and allowing Koga freedom from the death trap. The sun blazed on as he lay in a pile of rock and sand unconscious from his attempts.
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The moonlight shone down as Koga awakened to a desert covered in darkness and his body lightly covered in sand. He looked up at the giant hole he blew through the Cavern of Power. It was there that he attained the final pieces he needed to becoming an ultimate warrior. Koga would stand reeling from the effects of the 6 gates but never falling back down. The monster of a man would begin to walk towards the final cavern on the map, the Cavern of Wonder.
Upon reaching the cavern he noticed immediately there was an iron gate in the wall of the cavern. This gate had six slots and each one was titled after the Inner gates. There was an iron palm carved out above the six slots and engraved with chakra recognition seals. As if an obvious invitation for those who had opened the six gates Koga made his way to the iron wall and placed his hand on the palm, and began to open the gates. As he opened one, a slot began to light up showing that it accepted the flow of chakra. He continued this until the sixth slot and then the wall would click and begin to move. After opening a new path was revealed but this one looked completely different. The walls, floor and even ceiling for this path were all made of marble rock. Koga began to deactivate the Inner Gates before proceeding down the corridor. When he reached the end he found a room outfitted with royal furniture and silk sheets. There was a book case with scrolls and novels saturating it. There was food still preserved in containers and even a fireplace with fire wood. Koga noticed that on a table there was a scroll with an urgent stamp on it. Koga would pick up the letter (in the form of a scroll) and begin reading to himself.
To whoever found this scroll,
You must understand by now the power of the Eight Inner Gates and the drawbacks. This power is from the gods of the land, and while we may be able to use it, there is a steep price. By now you're probably wondering about the 7th and 6th gates. I would like to say that there is no real way to open the 7th gate. It resides below your abdomen but channels throughout your whole body. This gate is the mythical power behind these gates the true "wonder". With it's power you could destroy villages however the backlash damage could be catastrophic. If you've made it here then you've got what it takes to open the Gate of Wonder. You just have to believe in your will like you've never believed in anything before. You'll know when you opened it, the energy you receive from it can be memorizing and even more than that you'll be able to manifest your chakra as if it were real. Even the worst person at controlling their chakra could become master of it when this Gate is open.
I hope that the person reading this is a member of the Ikoji Clan. I believe our clan is the only one capable of controlling this power without completely destroying themselves in the process. I have utilized it and I'm sure there will be others who will as well. The power of the Eight Inner Gates was something I stumbled upon and tried to tweak to my liking. In my attempts I was still not able to escape the inevitable deterioration the body will undergo. Our medical techniques are not that advanced at least not enough to fix that problem. However I believe the future generations of the Ikoji can. I congratulate you on making it here to this place, then take a champions rest. Eat to your heart's content and study whatever you may find. I do request from beyond the grave that you ensure this room is kept neat. Most importantly remember this power has fallen into your hands for a reason. Figure out what that reason is for and live YOUR life.
-Ikoji Yuko
PS: From beyond the grave I have another request. Do not pursue the 8th Gate. I know you're probably wondering where it's at but I can't risk letting that technique fall into anyone's hands. The Eight Gate is the Gate of Death and as it's name sake you will die from using it. There is no point to wasting your life away to win a battle the 7 other gates could see you through especially if you're a member of the Ikoji Clan. I have faith in you my beloved kin!
Yuko even to the end cared for her clan and ensured that the one who made it here would have a full grasp of the gate's understanding. Even though she wrote it as if anyone could get it she had high high hopes her kin would inherit these. Koga chuckled at the thought his clan put into their future it's what kept them alive all this time. Afloat in a world of shinobis and monsters. His itch for battle that came from his roots would be satiated. For now Koga could rest easy for this rest was one he deserved.
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[spoilername="Elemental Affinities"]
Major Element: Non Elemental
Minor Element: Wind
Advanced Element: Sound
Obtaining Sound:
Koga had always been loved by the spirits and through the power of life around him he is able to create a new element. However naturally most people are born with the affinity of two elements. It was like a natural balance between two elements to harmonize and create a new element. Koga's stronger affinity was with pure natural chakra. Since the air of the spirits around him loved him as his mother said, the best energy for him would always be the purest form. However in this land there was something else to his elemental factor. In the Wind Country one could say that the predominant element for most people was wind; but why would that be? The spirits of the country were attuned to the wind. This was the simple reasoning fed to Koga at least, true or not it made sense to the young Ikoji. He had inherited the power of the spirits and his native ones were the wind. So naturally he had an affinity for the element of the wind.
However what happens when an element mixes with raw chakra? The element will amplify itself and usher an entirely new advanced element. By mixing the natural chakra, with the wind elemental chakra you could attain the control of sound. The sound element was based on vibrating the wind around a target and creating a noise. Koga could access this sound by guiding the wind around his opponents but his own flare on it was to use the wind to create small points of sound that he could guide with his hands to attack with. It felt better to Koga to grasp the sound and use it close and personal even if he was still casting it, he could close distances. He also figured that by using the element of sound he could create bursts of sound to push himself and propel his attacks at faster speeds.
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[spoilername="Ability List"]
Ability List
- Medical Knowledge: *Free from Core Ability*
- Combat Medic: First aid was the easiest thing a medic could do and being able to do it at the blink of an eye on the battlefield gave Koga an edge as a medic. He was extremely fast mixing his new found mastery over the vibrations of sound to quicken his pace and movements. Upon being attacked by an enemy Koga could instantly react with a healing technique. Due to his connections with the spirits his healing techniques were naturally stronger than an average medic and with training more potent than seasoned medics. By combining his talents and natural abilities he could create powerful strategies.
- Bull's Strength: The Ikoji were naturally built like brick houses. As children they would begin to show more muscle mass than normal and through training their bodies could become massive or tightly compact and powerful. By using their superior muscles the Ikoji could muster extremely powerful attacks and could endure a lot of damage. Koga used his own personal strength infused with the light of the spirits to create stronger attacks. Along with being able to control the vibrations of sound he could create punches that would crack the sound waves around a person causing more intense pain. It was a simple skill but just like the rest of his skills he would combine his powers to create a stronger one.
- Weapon Mastery Unarmed: There wasn't too much to be said about Koga's fighting style. He practiced unarmed combat and it was heavy within the clan. Even so some members used weapons especially the Kaguya ones who created their own, but the main stay of this clan’s physical taijutsu was unarmed weaponry. Koga kept his mother’s sealing tags wrapped around his hands when preparing for battle. By using his chakra and spiritual energy Koga would create a lining of energy around the sealing tags. With this they would be stronger and protected from most forms of harm. He didn't want to let such conduits be harmed. It was one of the few remnants of his mother left.
- Healing Factor: Koga's body was naturally durable. Even though he didn't inherit the Kaguya gene he was still formidably large and muscular. An even greater aspect was that he was touched by the spirits. The constant energy produced from them charged his healing powers at all times. It was as if Koga was constantly protected by an aura of healing and after taking a beating his body would even heal more naturally. Now with finding the Eight Inner Gates Koga had become more of a walking health tank. He would naturally shrug off cuts and other minor wounds. Even major ones over time could heal on their own but in battle it helped mitigate the damage sustained.
- Defensive Techniques: Battle was not all about how you attacked someone. Even though Koga had crushing destructive power he needed to remember that not every battle could be won through crushing his opponents. Sometimes you needed to be able to fend off their attacks with your own agility and prowess. Koga came from a line of graceful sturdy warriors. He was as agile as he was strong and Koga's access to the Gates could enhance his agility to new heights. However by being on the defensive he had to sacrifice the openings he would normally take when attacking. However that was point of utilizing defensive techniques.
- Jutsu Mastery: With his power to naturally utilize the spirits Koga could sustain himself and how much chakra he had to utilize when using his skills. He was a Taijutsu user first and his chakra expendage from that was not much. He had plenty of power and plenty of inner reserves but if he wasted it aimlessly he’d be weaker in the face of battle. It was something Koga could not afford to lose with because he did he’d lose the fight. In order to strengthen his jutsu core Koga would specifically use ninjutsu and constantly mix his spiritual chakra with it. By doing this he’d have to expend his reserves but he’d become better at controlling them.
- Jutsu Creator: Koga's physical powers were beyond average and highly noted by most of his clan. However the specialty of his ninjutsu bring great joy to the people who rely on him in battle. Although in this shinobi world just having a singular strong skill wasn't enough. You had to mix and match your skills and create better strategies in battle. Koga tried to stay free flowing and adjust to the situation but he had found a great way to press the speed of his jutsu and techniques. Koga could mix his Ninjutsu or Taijutsu and create a new technique entirely. It drained him of a lot of chakra but the results were more than acceptable. Using the skills in unison required proper mastery over that type of fighting style. The timing also had to be impeccable and was normally hard to do; but when practiced this combination of mixing became easy as gathering chakra.
- Duelist: A hunter had to focus on a target and Koga was a hunter of men. At least on the battlefield he was. His target was his target and he would focus on them only. A duelist’s state of mind was to continually pick at that target and break them down bit by bit. By being relentless in your attacks and consciously pressing the opponent more openings could be created and exploited. To be an accomplished duelist you had to show focus, drive, and great reaction. These were all aspects that Koga had a good grasp on and by activating his Inner Gates these skills became even more amplified. One on one Koga could be one of the toughest warriors Suna would come to see.
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