Shuriken Practice [Open]

[Tsuki Shiro]

Tazumoto's past training had been a little on the hardcore and self abusive side. Since he got the okay from the doctor to do some light training, he decided that he wanted to practice his shuriken throwing, a weak area of his. Tazumoto had on his usual type of boring garb, a plain black t-shirt, and bland blue shorts. His fists were still wrapped from the previous training that damaged him so badly. His father had scolded him, telling him that " A ninja should not put himself through such self abusing training." while leaving the house he thought to himself "What does that old man know, nothing!!!" Little did he know, his father a common ramen shop owner, knew a thing or two about the ninja world, but that's a tale for another day. Tazumoto made his way into the academy and inside the building for a brief moment, since he had no shuriken of his own yet he had to borrow some from the school. They lent him six in total, plenty to practice with.

Tazumoto began throwing the shuriken with a calm expression on his face, he wasn't very good at it. The first one hit the post, but far above the target. The second one hit the post next to him, a look of annoyance crossed his face. He calmed down, and threw the third shuriken, this one hit the very top of the target, but no where near the area he was looking for. The fourth and fifth shuriken whizzed past the target and hit the fence. He was so annoyed by the sixth shuriken that it hit the ground three feet ahead of him. With an embarrassed look on his face, he retrieved all of his shuriken.

WC - 290

 

[Hameru Ren]

Not only academy students frequented the Aurora Eurditio, although they were present in greater numbers. Genin could often be seen practising as well, especially if they had come to realize they still had quite a ways to go after their first big mission. Chunin and Jonin were often only present when they were teaching classes. Yet from time to time, even they could use a refresher. Natsu, having only recently been fired from the hospital, belonged to the latter category. Four years in a coma did terrible things to one's condition. Running and sparring came to him with greater difficulty, and left him exhausted far quicker than before. Even his chakra manipulation was not as impressive as it had used to be. Yet with sufficient training, perhaps Natsu could regain some of his lost competence.

For now however, he was enjoying a small break and observing one of the Academy Students. There was no particular reason why this boy had piqued the Jonin's attention. Perhaps unconsciously, the blonde hair or ragged scar had swayed Natsu. "You know, with all the fancy Nin- and Genjutsu out there in the world, many people have come to underestimate a simple throwing star. I'm glad to see that there are some among the youth who respect the basics." Natsu remarked, loud enough for Tazumoto to hear. "But that kind of throw will not be quite sufficient to cause any harm." Approaching the boy who had just retrieved his shuriken, Natsu smiled. "Are you new to it?" He questioned, the friendly smile remaining on his face. In contrast to Tazumoto's garments, Natsu was clad white keikogi, and sporting a black nobakama. Certainly a drastic change from his usual suits and more than a bit old fashioned, but far more practical when doing physical training.

 

[Tsuki Shiro]

As Tazumoto was retrieving the last Shuriken he could hear a man behind him saying something, but he couldn't quite make out exactly what he said, since he was a little frustrated at how difficult throwing shuriken properly was. He did catch the final part "I'm glad to see that there are some among the youth who respect the basics." Tazumoto turned around to see an old, well old in the eyes of an eight year old, well dressed man. Tazumoto looked at the man, he looked nice, like someone he could trust. The man continued speaking "But that kind of throw will not be quite sufficient to cause any harm.", as the man came closer, he smiled. It was a nice friendly smile. "Are you new to it?" the man asked.

It took Tazumoto a moment to answer, but he did answer honestly "Yes sir, this is my first time throwing Shuriken." He scratched the back of his head, quite often the way he would when he didn't quite know what to say "I've been told I can do some light training. so I figured I would teach myself how to throw Shuriken." Despite the fact that he had only thrown six in his total career as an academy student, he said "I thought I would be better at this, but it turns out I'm not very good at all." Quickly forgetting about the frustration he had a smile on his face. He wouldn't let some simple failures keep him down. He wasn't the type to give up despite failure. Before going to throw again, Tazumoto remembered that his mother always told him to introduce himself in a nice polite manner. "My name is Azuma Tazumoto sir, please to meet you." He bowed his head politely, then looked at the man with the same smile.

 

[Hameru Ren]

"The pleasure is mine, Tazumoto." Natsu replied. A well-mannered kid to boot! He had chosen well then, even if it had been entirely random. Truth be told, the Jonin wasn't very fond of small children. He'd once even claimed that his favourite characteristic belonging to babies was that none of them were his. But a child who had the capability to formulate a sentence of more than five words and showed some respect, those he could get along with just fine. And Tazumoto was shaping up to be the perfect example of the latter. The boy also appeared to be very dedicated to his training, if the comments on his light training were any clue.

"My name is Do Natsu, Jonin of the Main Branch." He'd wait out any reaction to the odd name. It's something he'd gotten used to early on in his life. "And I believe I may be able to help you with this. After all, some guidance would help speed up your learning process, don't you think?" If the boy would decline, the older Shinobi would gracefully bow out and return to his own workout. Yet should the boy accept, Natsu would inspect the shuriken firstly. As anticipated, the Academy supplied the students with the star-shaped throwing weapons. They were the perfect introduction to throwing sharp items, as their many teeth ensured the metal would stick to the target far more easily. They didn't really serve a direct combat purpose, as Natsu explained, instead often being used as a distraction or a way to open up a wound when coated in poison.

Borrowing one of the stars, Natsu would stand himself next to Tazumoto to demonstrate the basic posture. Knees bend slightly, he gripped the star overhand with thumb and index finger. Lifting the metal over his head, he brought down his arm in a smooth movement, flicking his wrist and release the disc. It rushed through the air, before biting into the wood with a satisfying 'thunk'. Natsu was glad, for if he'd missed now, he'd have been real embarrassed. "The most important part is the wrist movement. It generates most of the power behind your throw, but if you overdo it, the shaken can easily be thrown of it's intended path and cause all sorts of problems.. When I first started, I accidentally broke an old vase like that. It was an ugly one, but my mother sure didn't share that sentiment back then." He confided, showing a playful wink.

 

[Tsuki Shiro]

"Pleased to meet you sir" said Tazumoto as he bowed. He called him sir, more because he had no clue how to address his betters in the shinobi world. Tazumoto''s eyes brightened up when Natsu said he could provide some assistance with his shuriken training. He piped up and said "Yes sir! I would greatly appreciate your help! I have no idea what I am doing here" he said. Tazumoto watched the man pick up the shuriken and listened closely to his explanation of the shuriken. "Poision" he thought, "I' read a book where Shinobi used poison, maybe I should think about using it myself" he continued his thought while still paying attention to Natsu. He wondered if Moro, the man he had met at the other day who had taken him under his wing would teach him about poison.

As Natsu stood next to Tazumoto he kept a watchful eye, paying full attention to his posture and footing. He analyzed everything with a keen eye, as he had never even seen a man throw a shuriken, so he had no basis to go off of. In fact no one had taught him anything, since he had never even been to an academy lesson at this point in time. Unknown to him at the time, is where his keen analytical eye came from. He always just thought he was a fast learner in the proper environment. When the shuriken hit the mark, Tazumoto thought to himself "That was so cool." He listened to Natsu's explanation of what he should do. He wasn't even using his wrist, but rather he was trying to rely on raw power. He chuckled a little bit when Natsu told him about when he broke his mother's vase doing Shuriken practice. "I always thought an old vase would make the perfect target for a shuriken" he said still chuckling.

Tazumoto grabbed a shuriken, applying all of the knowledge Natsu had just instilled into him, he adjusted his posture to what he remembered Natsu's was. With a flick of the wrist the shuriken was off. It didn't quite hit the mark, his aim was still off. However it was a major improvement on his previous throw. He went right to the next throw, slightly improving his posture, he threw the shuriken with a faster flick of the wrist, and to his surprise the shuriken landed about 6 inches above Natsu's. His aim was still off, but he was improving because of this Jonin. Before throwing the next shuriken, he once again remembered his manners and turned to Natsu and said "Thank you very much sir. You're help has been quite valuable and greatly appreciated sir". He wasn't sure if the man was going to stick around now that Tazumoto was starting to get the hang of it. Tazumoto liked the man, he was the type that could remind him of a big brother or uncle if he had one. His father said that he had an Uncle, but he died leaving a new born baby in the world. His father even looked after the baby for awhile, until he found boy's mother. There was a great deal more to the story, something he would learn when he was older.

Tazumoto with the next Shuriken in hand, applying the same knowledge Natsu had instilled, he threw the third Shuriken, this one landed about four inches away from Natsu's, he was really getting the hang of this, though he still had a lot to learn in regard to throwing weapons and shuriken, he was grasping the basics.

WC - 598
MFT

 

[Hameru Ren]

Natsu lauged along with the boy. "They do, don't they? Mothers, am I right?" The older man joked with another wink. He stood a bit further to the side, allowing Tazumoto some space, and observed his younger counterpart. True enough, the boy mimicked his posture cleanly and sent the shaken flying. A clear improvement, and it only got better as Tazu continued. "Not at all. You're the one performing this well after all." Natsu replied, deflecting the praise. The third struck true once more, and Natsu had to admit he was impressed. "You've got a knack for this.. Very impressive." The Jonin complimented in turn. He moved over to the target, inspecting the results. Pulling them out, after Tazu could verify his results if he'd want to, Natsu returned them to the boy.

Hiding his right arm into the sleeve, Natsu formed three more star-shaped Shuriken via his Kaguya bloodline. A quick wipe to rid them of any blood, he stood next to Tazumoto again. "So, overhand is going quite well. Keep at it and you'll master it no doubt. However, the shaken can be thrown in other ways as well of course." Flipping one of the bone discs between his fingers and setting it into a decent grip, Natsu stood in his previous position once more. A jerk of his arm and flick of the wrist sent the Shuriken flying one more into the post. "Underhanded, for example. It's useful when in more cramped situations. Also, because of the upwards motion of the shaken, some enemies are flinched by the object rushing at them."

Positioning his arm more horizontal, the next shuriken was held balanced on top of his index finger this time, held down by his thumb. Moving his arm sideways, Natsu released once more, and the shuriken stuck just above the first. "Horizontal throwing allows for a wider range of targets, and can be harder to predict coming by your opponent. However, the difficulty is in releasing it at the right moment with the correct momentum." Finishing with another overhead throw, just like the very first one he'd demonstrated, the Jonin continued. "Overhead is generally the easiest to learn and perfect, as controlling it's path is easier this way. It's also the basis for throwing Kunai and Senbon." With that, the next part of his instructions had been completed and he'd await Tazumoto's results.

 

[Tsuki Shiro]

Tazumoto raised an eyebrow when three bone shuriken appeared. He read a book where there was a man that could manipulate his bone structure and even pull bones out of his body, but he didn't think it was an actual thing, he thought it was some fairy tale and not reality. "Does this man have that bloodline?" he thought to himself. "Questions for later, now it's time to focus." He paid attention to Natsu's explanation of underhanded, or horizontal shuriken throwing. He watched Natsu previous and got it in no time. Which was weird, it seemed like his skills of observation were getting better on the fly. He wondered why this was happening, the more he paid attention, the better he could see things, subtle things that should take awhile to pickup on. He shrugged his shoulders, he would figure it out later. When Natsu finished the explanation, he grabbed a hold of the bone shurikens, one nearly cut his finger it was so hard. Tazumoto struggled to pull them out, when he finally managed all three he thought to himself "So this is a Jounin, I've got a long way to go before I can even think about being this good." Once Tazumoto collected all nine shuriken, he got into position and said "Here goes nothing!"

He remembered the man's posture, actually it was almost like he memorized it somehow. He shrugged his shoulders, and threw the first shuriken, which was one of the bone ones. It felt different to hold and use the human bone as weapon. Trying to memorize everything the man had shown him, he threw the shuriken using the underhand technique, despite his mysterious power of observation the first one completely missed the mark. He put too much physical strength into it, and wasn't using his body properly. He took the next bone shuriken, carefully remembering everything he had seen, he flicked his wrist, but the next one like the ones when he didn't quite known what he was doing landed right in front of him. "Too soft, I didn't put anything into that one, I think I have the technique though" he thought to himself. He took the final bone shuriken, carefully thinking that he needed to use his bodies natural power rather than raw physical strength, he threw the third one, and this one had ht the target to the far left. He let out a "Woohoo!", he was finally getting the hang of it.

This seemed too good to be true, but in reality Tazumoto was unlocking his own bloodline slowly, one that he never knew he had. An inexperienced Shinobi may look at this kid, like he has some sort of raw natural talent. An experienced shinobi would take his unnatural powers of observation into consideration, and wonder if this kid had some sort of Ocular bloodline. Questions for later. Tazumoto was slowly unlocking this potential, but was still far away from realizing it and unlocking his own bloodline, one that he had no clue about. After his small triumph, Tazumoto focused on throwing the other six shuriken. Keeping in mind the previous throw, he concentrated and threw the next one. This one hit the other side of the target, he was still far away from the target but he was making some progress. The next Shuriken landed at the top of the post, his aim was still off, but he continued to throw the other shuriken in succession, one missed completely, but the last hit the post, the final came close to the center. Tazumoto was proud of himself, but he still had a long way to go before this Shuriken technique could be used practically by the young academy student. He looked at Natsu and said "I think I'm getting the hang of this Natsu-sensei", he called everyone that had some sort of advice or knowledge to pass on Sensei out of respect.

WC - 654

[[OOC - Don't mind me, using this as part of my eventual application for my bloodline]]

 

[Hameru Ren]

Natsu whistled softly, impressed by the young student's progress. His third throw had hit the target, pulling an enthusiastic shout from the boy as well. It was hard to deny that Tazumoto had a preternatural affinity for either throwing projectiles or learning. The most obvious route was of course the infamous Sharingan. Natsu had often scoffed at how unfair the abilities of those red and black eyes were. Yet that telltale evidence was lacking from Tazumoto's pupils. At least, Natsu could not make out any tomoe in them. "Very good. Keep on going!" The Jonin encouraged, as his protege-for-the-day took up his position once more.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this Natsu-sensei!" The younger boy declared. Natsu felt oddly proud at being referred to with the Sensei honorific. "I'd say you are correct Tazumoto-san." The older man was rightfully impressed. "I hadn't anticipated advancing this far yet, but I think you may just be ready. Would I be correct in assuming you have already practiced controlling your Chakra?" Given a positive response, Natsu would continue straight onto his demonstration. "By focussing Chakra in your arm and wrist, you can boost the speed at which you can throw Shuriken or the power of your attack. Given sufficient expertise, some Shinobi achieve a level of control so that they can move a slew of projectiles in shapes of their choosing even. Once you reach that level, you'll see how destructive they can truly be."

"However, I don't believe Headmistress Emi would appreciate a destroyed training room for the sake of showing off. We'll start at the basics." The Jonin offered, flourishing another Shuriken from his arm. Another movement, and a thin sheet of bone also materialized from his hand. "Gather the chakra in your arm. Not too much, as you'll lose control or harm your chakra system. Not too little either, or it'll make no difference in your throw." Natsu then threw the sheet into the air, followed by a chakra-powered [Full Toss]. The shuriken bit into the calcium and then into the wooden post, nailing them both. "Give it a shot, attempt to pierce the calcium piece. No need to panick if it doesn't work out yet, though."

If Tazumoto would've responded negatively to his earlier question, Natsu would retract the offer, and continue coaching the previous throwing techniques.

[Edit: Correcting broken BB-Code.]

 

[Tsuki Shiro]

[[OOC - I am so sorry for the delay, been under the weather]]

Tazumoto answered Natsu's question "Yes sensei, I have practiced controlling my chakra. I'm no adept, but I have a decent grasp of how to control it." Once Tazumoto finished speaking Natsu gave an explanation on how to use Chakra to throw shurikens. Tazumoto had read about a man who could mold chakra into shurikens, but he did not think it was possible. After listening to the explanation, Tazumoto grabbed the shurikens off the post. Listening to everything Natsu told him, he focused the chakra to his arms and wrist. Tazumoto had done previous training like this, except he was climbing up a tree six feet and jumping over a hurdle. This was different though, it might be a little easier for him to get a grasp of this, compared to climbing a tree with his feet.

Tazumoto started with the bone shurikens again. He focused, trying to gather a moderate amount of chakra into his arm. It was hard to control, because just like the climbing training you didn't want too much chakra but a fine balance. Once he was confident he had a decent balance, he took a moment to remember the feeling, so he could get to this point easier if it worked. After two minutes of focus, he threw the the first shuriken, it hit the tree nearby, sinking in quite deep. The challenge of focusing on both his chakra and throwing the shuriken made him lose focus a bit. It was also a little too powerful, he needed to tone down the chakra he used for the throw. Grabbing the second shuriken, he quickly got back up to the level of chakra he used for the previous throw, then toned it down. He threw the shuriken, it hit near the middle of the post, but it was no different from a regular throw. Tazumoto continued to throw the shuriken, fine tuning the amount of chakra he needed to pierce the calcium. After about nine rounds and throwing shuriken, he finally got the right balance. With the last shuriken in the ninth round, he pierced the calcium of the post right next to Natsu's shuriken. "Wow that's hard" said Tazumoto. "I could not even imagine the difficulty of throwing a shuriken made out of chakra."


WC - 378

 

[Hameru Ren]

It was a delight seeing the shinobi-to-be pick up the technique so quickly. Natsu wondered if he himself had advance as rapidly back in his days as a youth, but dismissed the thought. Comparing oneself to others served no purpose but rolling around in envy or strutting around with an inflated ego. Besides, it was in the past. Nothing he'd do now would have an impact on that. As the final Shuriken pierced the calcium sheet, and neatly next to his own at that, Natsu clapped. "Wow that's hard!", Tazumoto exclaimed. "I could not even imagine the difficulty of throwing a shuriken made out of chakra."

"That is indeed an advanced technique.. But given how well you have adapted to the basics, I do not picture it impossible for you to learn one day." He gave the boy a serious look. "I will say this, young Tazumoto. You seem to have a bright and promising career ahead of you as a Shinobi of Kumogakure." Raiden-be-blessed, we will need such talented kids. The Jonin thought to himself. If the Tenouzans had kept up the way they had in the past, finding new potentials would become harder and harder. And given the dangerous lifestyle of Shinobi, a constant renewal of their ranks was needed. "Live up to that promise, and the Village will reward you in it's place as well." Natsu rested a hand on the boy's shoulder as he spoke.

"Right now you are a blank slate and you still have much to learn. But consider your future now and again as well, for soon you'll have to decide between the branches." It was an important decision in the life of every Kumo-nin. And while transfers were not impossible, they were not very common either. "Whichever you choose, never forget that we all shared the same origin here in the Academy. Even the Raikage once attended classes in these halls." Natsu considered nudging the boy towards the Main Branch. After all, it was his branch and everyone knew Main Branch - Best Branch. But Tazumoto would have to make his own decisions. And should you ever need advice, don't hesitate to reach out."

[OoC: Not to worry, such things happen!
On another note, because we've basically turned this into a tutor session, you can request a Class Credit for this topic >here<! Given that you are already in a class, it will only count towards the # of classes for the Genin Exam requirement, but each little bit helps! This is free for you to choose however, and not mandatory.]

 

[Tsuki Shiro]

"That is indeed an advanced technique.. But given how well you have adapted to the basics, I do not picture it impossible for you to learn one day." Tazumoto raised an eyebrow "An advanced technique?" he thought to himself. He had always practiced Taijutsu over anything else, may this is why he managed to learn such an advanced technique. Tazumoto was clueless to his own ability, mainly because secrets had to be kept from him, for his own good. He thought he was the first shinobi in his family, that was far from the truth. His families history in the shinobi world ran deep, and his father was not some simple Ramen shop owner. But Tazumoto was young, things an eight year old boy did not need to know yet, when he was older, and far more mature his father would tell him.

"I will say this, young Tazumoto. You seem to have a bright and promising career ahead of you as a Shinobi of Kumogakure." said Natsu. Tazumoto's eyes lit up "Really Natsu-sensei, do you really think I can become a good ninja someday?" The thought of this had lit up Tazumoto's eyes even brighter. He was young, but he had goals and dreams that exceeded most Shinobi. His goals in the eyes of his peers seemed stupid and immature, but Tazumoto was always serious about this. The scar on his left eye was the cause of that dream. People had often wondered how he got that scar, it was the worst day for him in his very short life. When his bloodline showed itself one day, the truth would be revealed as to why things happened the way they did, and how he nearly lost his life at the age of six. Still listening to Natsu he said "Live up to that promise, and the Village will reward you in it's place as well." When Natsu's hand reached Tazumoto, smiled. This man was quickly becoming an authority figure he looked up to. There was no denying that, he had taught him so much in such a short amount of time.

"Right now you are a blank slate and you still have much to learn. But consider your future now and again as well, for soon you'll have to decide between the branches." Tazumoto knew all about the branches, his father somehow did too and always pushed him more into the main branch. The main branch did sound better, he really did not like the thought of being a med-nin, nor did he want to have to deal with being an anbu. Main Branch just always seemed like the better choice. Plus he knew that he could never chase down and kill a comrade that abandoned the village, he did not have that cold calculation about him. "Whichever you choose, never forget that we all shared the same origin here in the Academy. Even the Raikage once attended classes in these halls." Tazumoto was about to speak but it looked like Natsu was not finished."And should you ever need advice, don't hesitate to reach out." He piped up and said "Thank you Natsu-sensei for everything. I've thought about this for over a year, I will become a Main Branch shinobi."The boy took a moment, and continued "With my dreams sensei, the other branches would only hold me back. Main Branch provides a degree of freedom that I need to accomplish my goal." the boy hesitated for a moment, he thought he would sound like a silly little boy with stupid dreams, but in a very serious face he said "I want to become the strongest shinobi in the world." He felt a little embarrassed for saying it. But he had a good reason for having the dream, his near death experience while trying to protect an old woman from a foreign nin had sunk that right into his head during his time in the hospital two years ago. "I will become the best, so I can defend everyone in this village. No foreign ninja will ever lay a hand on anyone from this village as long as I live." he said outloud to Natsu, while also remembering saying it in his hospital bed. Tazumoto was dead serious, he wasn't the type that spoke just to sound cool or impress someone. This dream of his might get him killed, but as long as he was fighting for his dream he did not care if he died. "I hope to see you again Natsu-sensei, I hope you can teach me again in the future."

WC - 628 (not including what Natsu said)
MTF

OOC [[Thanks Natsu, I'll give it a shot once we wrap things up here.}]

 

[Hameru Ren]

Well well well. It appeared the young student hadn't even needed any encouragement anyway. Natsu smiled broadly at the boy's determination of his future branch. After his exams, the boy would be taken in and be free to pick his subdivision. It was yet another decision, though the switch here was easier than between the three branches. Regardless, the additional choice revealed a lot of information about a person. The ex-Spymaster was curious on how Tazumoto would choose, and considered for a moment the possibility he'd end up in the KSIS. Natsu would be able to follow-up from close by, but it was a specialized cell that not many people found attractive. It wasn't quite that time yet however, and Tazumoto had more to say.

"I will become the best, so I can defend everyone in this village. No foreign ninja will ever lay a hand on anyone from this village as long as I live." The words could've come straight from an epic tale, yet they sounded a bit odd coming from the mouth of a 9-year old. Then again, they still had the naivite and innocence to believe in such statements and the courage to make them. Natsu responded. "That is the best goal a Shinobi could strive for. But keep in mind two things. One, there is no limit to strength. To become the best will require you to continue growing stronger every day. It's an ever-moving target, so do not waver in your discipline. Two, danger does not only come from foreign ninja. Even regular people, given the right tools and sufficient numbers can pose a threat. And a traitor is even worse than either that or a foreign ninja. To become such a stalwart defender of the Village, do not let your vigilance down and steel your resolve."

They were perhaps complicated words, but Natsu had spoken them sincere. He had learned firsthand how futile and difficult it was to strive for it, but a goal was powerful motivation. And who knew, perhaps Tazumoto would grow to become the next Shinbatsu and smite all of Cloud's enemies with divine power. "I expect you to give it your all, Tazumoto." The older man concluded. "I hope to see you again Natsu-sensei, I hope you can teach me again in the future." The boy responded. It gave Natsu pause. He didn't exactly see himself as a teacher, not had it been his intention this morning. Yet the session had been entertaining and proved useful for both parties. "That does sound like a nice idea." Natsu agreed. "Come find me at the Legation should you have need of me, or send me a message. Until then." The Jonin smiled once more, before departing from the room and leaving Tazumoto to continue his practice, and with a new set of shuriken should he want to keep them.

[OoC: Apologies for the delay! 't was a nice topic though! Looking forward to Tazumoto's growth!]
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