Tomo watched Kin, nodding to himself as the boy worked his hand seals. Only now realizing Kin had asked a question, he rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed that he was being so one-sided in this lesson.
"If you have an affinity towards an element, it tends to make things easier. That being said, it is also possible to be a master of...well...Non-elemental jutsu." Tomo himself had little knowledge of jutsu without an element. It was easy to grasp the concept of an element, because it had a physical form, or like the wind, could be visibly seen affecting things as it blew. The elements were concrete. Non-elemental, however, was something far more abstract. It could only be thought of as raw energy, at least that was what his siblings with a gift in such jutsu would say. Tomo forced himself to focus again.
"I find using Lightning and Wind to be a simple task, some of the easier jutsu take about as much thought as breathing." Tomo shook his head.
"Ah, but we shouldn't get sidetracked by elements, or lack thereof. We'd be here all day. Let us focus on the task at hand."
Approaching Kin again as the boy made another barrier attempt, Tomo leaned in close to examine it.
"Noooot bad. Still a bit flimsy, but you're getting there. Remember that the farther away the barrier is from you, and the larger it is, the more chakra you utilize. It's best to keep your barriers just large enough to protect you and close to your body so you don't waste chakra." He gave a nod.
"Just take it slow and steady, day by day. Keep practicing and in a few months you may..." Tomo's brows furrowed as the chakra barrier began to fluctuate. His head darted to Kin, and his face pulled back in panic.
"Raiden's fundoshi!"
It was too late. Not even Tomo's barrier could stop it. Kin's barrier exploded in a mini burst of chakra, and Tomo's face was right in front of it. He fell back with a grunt, and stayed there momentarily. After a few seconds, he pulled himself up with his hand pressed against his black hair. Blood began to soak Tomo's glove, and some of it slowly poured down the side of his face. He ground his teeth in pain.
"Shhhhi-" Tomo paused, remembering he was in the presence of a kid.
"Shih tzu." It was a lame cover, but he didn't care, his brain was throbbing. He opened his eyes, which weren't focused.
"That was..." Tomo fell to the ground as his eyes rolled back in his head.
A few more seconds passed before Tomo rose again. However, something seemed...different about him as he gave a smirk.
"That was a...BLAST! Oooohoohoohoo!" Tomo's manner of speech was unusual, a complete turnaround from his earlier pattern. And that laugh, it bordered on creepy. He popped up with a surprising amount of gusto considering his bleeding skull. He pouted his lips as he placed his hand again upon his head. He then held it out to examine it.
"Well, that is rather unfortunate. Crusty hair is unbecoming. What would my Darling Haruko think?" This question was obviously not directed at anyone in particular.
The man looked past his hand, and finally noticed Kin standing there.
"Oooohoohoohoo! Looks like I'M the mentor now! I will be far more entertaining than Tomo-boy the fuddy-duddy." The man gave a smile and flicked his blue bangs from his face.
"You may call me Haruki-sensei. Or if you are feeling especially awestruck by my gloriousness, Haruki-sama." He gave a wink before continuing, his motions over-exaggerated and flamboyant.
"Tomo-boy taught you all well and good with his barriers, but he needs to cover more than just crafting one. Time for some fundamentals *Gin!" The man pointed his finger up and held it before his face. He began to pace, his eyes closed.
"You should keep in mind that there are numerous varieties of barriers. Even the simple barrier you were making has a plethora of ways to channel your chakra."
The man now named Haruki stopped pacing and closed his eyes. When they flicked open, a barrier materialized. However, this one gave off an eerily green glow, and almost appeared to be alive. Currently it was in the form of a mini dome surrounding him.
"This type is referred to as Energy Sphere. It gives you protection against Taijutsu, as well as Ninjutsu, but it isn't as strong due to it covering your entire body. It doesn't help against Genjutsu. Also, you're trapped in here, so you won't be able to physically attack anyone while within." Haruki blinked, and the barrier took the form of a wall, which looked thin everywhere except for his head.
"This is known as Wall of Spirits. It is used to defend against Elemental Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. It's a bit stronger than Energy Sphere, but cannot protect you against Taijutsu. It also takes more concentration because you are focusing on protecting your mind, so you won't be able to physically attack or use the elements." One more blink and another wall appeared. This one appeared compact and solid.
"Lastly, this is Energy Wall. This barrier is meant to be more reactionary. You create it to block a single attack, aside from Genjutsu. It will dissipate after getting hit once, but it is sturdy and should be able to hold off a strong attack." To prove his point, Haruki clenched his fist and punched the barrier he'd created with all his might. His face began to spasm as his hand slammed against his barrier. He shook it out.
"Tomo-boy, you need to work out more. That was just pathetic. You made me look silly in front of Gin."
Haruki cleared his throat, trying to pretend that he had not just done that.
"Alright Gin, time to put what you learned to the test." Haruki smiled and pointed to his head.
"I shall berate you, with a Genjutsu named Tickle. If you should fail now, you'll be in a pickle. You'll laugh till your sides hurt, or until your throat's dry. As for this rhyming, don't question why. Oooohoohoohoo!" Obviously impressed with his impromptu poetry recital, Haruki's fingers wiggled at each other.
"Better get ready to protect that brain of yours Gin." Haruki would be kind enough to wait for Kin to actually create the barrier before quickly doing his hand seals and sending out his Genjutsu.
*This is not a typo. Gin is Japanese for silver. ;D
[WC: 1,082]
[MFT]
Tomo's body was leaning against a tree as his eyes staring intently at a sheet of paper. Any who watched him would see his face flinch for a moment, and the paper would fold itself into different shapes. Butterflies, lady bugs, dragonflies. He was focusing on small creatures, as he was still getting the hang of his paper jutsu. After cycling through five creatures, he grabbed the sheet from the air and looked around.