The next step [Tutor private]

[Kishiko Nagisa]

Kenshin sent a letter to Shinzo requesting a meeting in Tea. It had been just a little while after their spar. Kenshin had not yet told Umashi about Shinzo yet, waiting for at least part of the tournament to end. Umashi was also busy with the kids so he had very little free time. The note would request Shinzo for some training away form the village and very specialized training. He had finally received a note from Shinzo that was many months old requesting extra training. Kenshin blamed the post office.

Still even if Umashi rejected him, Shinzo was his student. Kenshin would pass on what he has learned to the next generation.

Today, Kenshin was wearing his basic black tanktop and pants waiting for Shinzo underneath one of the few trees that littered this area. When he approached Kenshin would nod and gesture for him to sit at the base of the tree.

"Shinzo I know you are anxious to start your training. I will begin your training here. I finally got your letter about wanting to be stronger in taijutsu. Do you still want to learn some of the techniques I used in our spar?" Kenshin would ask his grey eyes staring at Shinzo.

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

Things had been relatively quiet for the young shinobi-in-training since he arrived in Tea country. There were, of course, some extremely important events which had taken place in the recent past, however nothing of official shinobi business had been brought to his attention. Well, that was to be expected considering the masses of important events that were ongoing alongside the world tournament.

The arrival of a letter from Kenshin lifted the boy’s spirit tenfold, things only seemed to be getting better and better for the young Seikon. Despite being present in a new country, Shinzo had still managed to get some training in here and there. Although his training hadn’t been as regular as it had been back at the village he still continued to push himself in one way or another each day. Hopefully he’d be able to show the improvements that he had made since the last time he had met with his teacher.

As the day began, Shinzo darted from his temporary residence, a larger cloud of dust following him as he sprinted towards the previously decided meeting point. His hems of navy blue tank top whipped in the draft that the boy generated on his journey. But then he stopped, wishing to try something new for once, something even faster than sprinting from place to place. Of course he had practiced this quite a bit, but not over such as long a distance as he was about to attempt. The boy leapt up, silently landing on the low roof of a nearby building. He could feel it, the reality warping energy growing within him, it spiralled in the pit of his stomach. The boy took a deep breath before emptying his lungs in order to be as calm as possible while the energy built up. Now that Shinzo was ready, all he had to do was to look cool. The young boy brought his arms up to fold across his chest while his brown locks danced in the wind. He took a single breath in through his nose, then his figure was gone.

An instant later the boy had reappeared several feet before Kenshin, whipping up a quick gust of wind on his arrival. With arms still crossed he looked over towards his teacher, aiming to look as cool as possible in order to demonstrate his maturity. But soon he pulled both of his hands behind his head and smiled. Upon instruction Shinzo moved forwards to sit calmly at the base of the nearby tree. The boy nodded along as Kenshin spoke, his green eyes focused on the experienced shinobi with a look of respect but as the topic of training was brought up it would be easy for Kenshin to see the spark of determination in the boy’s eyes.

“Yes Kenshin-sensei! I sent that letter just prior to the student tournament, I wonder how it took so long to get to you, whoever’s fault that was must be extremely embarrassed. But yes! I have been trying to perform some of the techniques you demonstrated but I can’t get my head around how to do it. Is it something to do with chakra manipulation?” There was a slight hint of frustration in his voice but that did not show any wavering in his determination to learn. After all, the boy was looking to get stronger, always looking to improve.

MFT
WC: 563

 

[Kishiko Nagisa]

Kenshin would watch the young shinobi run towards him and then suddenly appear. Kenshin would smile.

"Yes. Good instinct! The chakra system you have allows the use of chkra in your body. There are, however, limits, on how much chakra you put into one area of your body. In fact, built in are 8 points that act like floodgates for chakra. The secret behind part of my fighting style is that I can force those gates open. It allows me to push pass normal human limits. For example of the gates allows me to move quicker while another one lets me hit harder. Do you understand so far?"

Kenshin would wait for a response and then press on.

"Now this comes at a risk. You are forcing your body to go above its "safety" limit if you will. With each gate you open the risk of a blowback occurs. I have found that I can open 3 gates with minimal strain. Past that, your very bones are at risk of being damage as the chakra in your body forces your muscles and tendons to go past your bone's limit. In our spar, I only opened 3 gates. Do you ahve any questions right now?" Kenshin would ask stopping at a good stopping point.

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

The wind passed high above the figure of the brown haired boy that sat at the base of one of the trees. Occasionally a leaf would be carried through the air, riding the gentle breeze of tea country. Things seemed quite relaxing as far as the young Seikon was concerned, though his attention was fixed on his instructor while the next step of his training began. Shinzo listened closely to Kenshin as he began the explanation of this application of the chakra system. This information was far beyond the system that Shinzo had been made aware of in the academy, at least in terms of what he had paid attention to. Suddenly, however, his eyes were now open to this truth of the body. “What exactly do all the gates do? Or do they build off one and other? Do many people know how to open these gates?”

One main question had escaped his barrage thus far, though the boy found it extremely important to ask. “How do you open the gates?” The boy spoke with great enthusiasm in his voice as his mind darted through the possibilities of what a shinobi could do if they were to pass beyond the normal limits of the human body. “And also, could you open up all the gates at the same time?” The young boy brought his hand up to grip the end of his chin in reflection. “So in our fight were you so fast because you had opened some of the gates or is that just what comes with your experience as a shinobi? What’s the fastest you can go?”

A hand moved to run through the brown locks sat atop the boy’s head, giving a slight pause in the continued onslaught of questions. Suddenly, a quick flash of spirit became present in Shinzo’s green eyes as he looked up to his teacher. “Do you think I could open these gates, Kenshin-sensei?”

WC: 322
TWC: 885

 

[Kishiko Nagisa]

Like any boy, he had questions. Lots of questions. Kenshin would hold out a hand smiling at the eagerness of the boy and laughing a little.

"Slow down there. I'll answer all of your questions. I'll start with the ones you have now and then continue." Kenshin said as began stretching.

"I do not know who all can open the gates. I am the only one that I know of that can. I learned... in a moment of great distress. I was on a mission with some Genin supervising and we were attacked. We were captured and if I did not act they would have died. I forced my body to give me more power. Again, so it is unique to me as it stands. I do not advise putting your body at risk like you did me but I do recommend staying determined on your goal. That should not be a problem for you." again Kenshin laughed a little.

"it takes time to open the gates. With your speed you should be able to do it a little faster than most. Even with my shinobi experience and jutsu, I believe you are much faster than I will ever be. As you saw, however, I make up for lack of speed with brute strength. I will talk more about the opening all the gates in a little bit but as far as you learning to open them? I think you can. You have the force of will it takes. The training will be grueling. You are forcing your body to overcome its limit and to damage itself. You have to be willing to endure the pain you cause and still focus enough to fight. Speaking of pain and all of the gates." Kenshin would get extra serious at this point the smile disappearing from his face.

"The biggest risk one takes with this jutsu is what happens when you open all 8 gates. I can do this but it is something I do only as a last resort. In our spar,
I would only open 7 if you pushed me. The 8th gate is for those that are facing a life or death situation. Should you open all 8 gates, the moment you relax one gate, say after a fight is over, you will fall unconscious. With all 8 gates open your blood boils and you can hit so hard that your very bones will shatter. I have come close to permanently injuring myself and I was being careful. Unless you are facing a foe that is trying to kill you, never open all 8 gates. it is part of the reason why I serve as Kage guard. My skill set allows me to surpass human limitations and sacrifice myself for the Hokage and for the village. To go out in a blaze of glory with my will of fire burning bright." Kenshin would look at Shinzo in the eyes his eyes almost alight

"Knowing this, do you wish to continue? Knowing that you could be pushed to death's door learning these techniques do you wish to continue?

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

Just as Shinzo was about to unleash another barrage of excited questions he was promptly stopped by the gesture from his teacher. He took a moment to breathe, regaining his breath and composure seconds later.

“Sorry Kenshin-sensei! I am just very interested in these eight chakra gates.” His eyes grew wide as he listened to the story as it was being told. ’Wow, I guess Kenshin-sensei is a Hokage guard for a reason then. I don’t think I’ve ever saved anybody from anything. I wonder what that’s like? Probably something that Kenshin-sensei is used to by now, I guess saving some genin is easy work for him, but wow it’s still impressive.’

“So, the gates are opened out of sheer force of will? Will it be harder to open the gates if I’m not in danger?” A smile crept across the boy’s face as Kenshin complimented his speed, it was nice to be recognised for the aspect of his skillset that Shinzo took the most pride in. This smile grew even wider as Shinzo found confirmation that he too would be able to open the eight gates, though apparently not all at the same time. “I will continue to work on my speed Kenshin-sensei, do you think that there is a way that I can be both fast and hard hitting at the same time?” Though his question would not be answered instantly, Shinzo continued to listen to what Kenshin had to say about the eight gates. He sat, leaning forwards with his legs crossed at the base of the tree, making sure he heard every word coming from his teacher, this was a topic the boy did not wish to miss any details for.

“I believe I can fight past the pain, Kenshin-sensei! I only stopped fighting you because my body gave up, but my soul – my will of fire – was still driving me on to keep fighting.” His ears pricked up at the mention of the eighth and final gate. ’So this technique can kill you. I think I understand it now, I understand why Kenshin-sensei is in the position he has. To fight at full strength means almost certain death. This is far beyond anything that anyone has ever spoken to me about, the ultimate sacrifice is a final choice for someone who can open all eight gates. Kenshin-sensei is right. That would be some blaze of glory. The boy sighed for a moment as these thoughts passed through his head, for a second his eyes drifted down to look upon his hands. A second later he clenched his fists and returned his gaze to Kenshin. The fire within his green eyes burned with a ferocity never before seen on the boy. He took one deep breath before making his triumphant announcement.

“Yes Kenshin-sensei! I wish to continue!”

WC: 471
TWC: 1,356

 

[Kishiko Nagisa]

Kenshin liked hte look in Shinzo's eyes. It was strong. It was dutiful. He was finally getting it. He was finally getting what it meantto not only be the guard to the Hokage but to defend his village.

"As for your immediate question the initial use of the 8 gates requires learning how to open those gates. From there you should be able to open them at will. With the technique we are talking about you will be able to hit harder to make up for your lack of raw power But I see you finally get it. Yes you do have the will for it. I can show you what it looks like. I can tell you the theory but you are the one that must awaken it. I can only show you the way. Kenshin would take a few steps back. Forming a few handsigns a familiar looking blue toad would appear.

"I am going to show some of my techniques Stand by to heal me Ren." Kenshin said as as he took a stance his feet shoulder's length apart and fists parallel to his crouched legs.

"A basic punch from me." Kenshin said and he punched forward. "Now watch carefully. First gate. open." and he would point where in the body the gate was.

Not much changed except maybe the blood moved a little faster and his chakra aura increased. Without saying a word he punched again. to Shinzo it would look a little faster.

"Second gate." his aura increased even more, his muscles starting to bulge a little. Another punch caused a draft of air to go across Shinzo's face even from this distance.

"You are familiar with this state. Third gate." Now what looked like steam was coming form his body and his muscles tensed even more. The next punch created even more of a gust.

From there Kenshin would open a gate at a time, pointing to where hte gate was. Each time a gate was called out, Kenshin's aura and steam would increase and his skin turned a violent red. Ocationally, Shinzo would hear a snap and sometimes see a visible movement under his shirt as a bone was damaged.

On the 7th gate, the aura was almost surrounding all of the min this space. His skin could not get any redder and the punch he threw after this one he had to aim upward and Shinzo would still feel a blast.

And then Kenshin pointed to the final gate the one over the heart, Instead of activating it, he began to power down until eventually his skin was normal and Kenshin was looking exhausted. Ren knew it was her time and tried to come forward but Kenshin held up a hand. He lifted one pant leg to show Shinzo his leg was not straight. His left arm also looked severely bruised.

"This is what it means to use the 8 gates. Tremendous power at the cost of your body. Your body has limits for a reason to protect you. You have to be willing to protect something more than yourself to achieve this. You may go ahead Ren." Kenshin said as he saw Ren basically holding herself so she would not run and heal him right away.

She would reach Kenshin and slap him upside the head before tending to his bones.

"What do you think Shinzo? Give me your questions while I am being healed up. " Kenshin said.

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

The base of the tree was shaded, yet the warmth of the sun over Tea country still washed over the young shinobi as he carefully observed his teacher. Above the sound of rustling leaves, birdsongs could be heard in the distance. While Shinzo was aware of all the factors of his surroundings, his attention remained fixed on Kenshin as the lesson continued.

’So in order to open the eight inner gates I will have to spend time working by myself. I wonder how much willpower it will take to open each one, I guess with the extra pain it will take a bit more effort to progressively open the latter ones.’

Shinzo watched on as the puff of smoke from the summoning jutsu brought forth Ren. The boy smiled upon her arrival. It seemed as though her presence was becoming ever more familiar as his training progressed, so did the volume of encounters with the blue toad. “Hi Ren!” Shinzo called out upon her arrival. Though he did not choose to speak much more because it seemed that a demonstration was imminent. Despite his excitement the boy remained seated at the roots of the tree in order to watch on. It was clear that the medical toad was here to make sure Kenshin could recover from what he was about to demonstrate.

The first gate, as Kenshin demonstrated, sat inside the head and immediately Shinzo was aware of its effects. He watched on as his teacher opened each individual gate. The bursts of wind that flew in the boy’s direction gradually grew in force and as they did, Kenshin’s body began to react ever more dramatically. The aura of steam did not hide the redness that was engulfing the shinobi’s skin. ’Wow, so that’s what the chakra gates do. There is only one more left to open.’ Shinzo wasn’t too shocked when Kenshin didn’t open the eighth and final gate, instead he simply nodded in understanding as Kenshin’s words echoed in his mind.

Green eyes lowered to look upon the injuries that Kenshin had sustained while demonstrating the eight gates. The boy’s eyes widened as the truth of the technique was made visible, even with only a few strikes this was the damage that the eight gates could do. Kenshin was right, the eighth gate would have definitely been a last resort. Though Shinzo’s serious expression softened slightly as Ren struck Kenshin. ’After all that, I wouldn’t want to be hit by Ren. Kenshin-sensei sure has some durability.’

“That’s very impressive Kenshin-sensei! So, is it best to only open a few gates at a time? Also do they have to be opened in order or can you open the first one and the sixth one without opening the others in between? How fast can you move with the gates open?”

WC: 470
TWC: 1,826

 

[Kishiko Nagisa]

Kenshin would sit as Ren finished healing him. She would sit next to Kenshin her eyes closed.

"I find it best to slowly activate the gates. It minimizes the risk but each person has their own fighting style. As for order, no you do not have to go in order from my experience. As far as speed goes I am not sure how to explain how fast I can go! It is hard to time yourself. I think you are still faster than I am based on your techniques that are unique to you. Should you learn and master these 8 gates you will always be faster than me. I, however, still maintain the power advantage due to my set of skills and you are still weak to genjutsu a common flaw among taijutsu users. Kenshin would nod more to himself.

"So I want you to try. You know where the first gate is. I want you to focus your chakra on that point. Imagine you are opening a door that is barely open that is stuck. You are forcing open your natural muscle and training a new one if you will. Ren here will heal you if you need healing and I will keep an eye on you as well. Now, try. Kenshin would finish his grey eyes seemingly piercing Shinzo.

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

Shinzo watched on as Ren tended to Kenshin, she appeared to swiftly heal his injuries, much skill was evident in her abilities especially considering the damage that Kenshin had just sustained. His green eyes observed with great interest at the lengths that the toad was going to in order to provide healing to the elder of the two shinobi.

Kenshin’s words held nothing but the truth, Shinzo was well aware of that. ’Kenshin-sensei is right, while I am fast he will remain stronger than me for the foreseeable future. That is something I must work on if I want to progress as much as possible, my weaknesses are not only weaknesses for me but also weaknesses for the village that I serve. I must continue my training until Kenshin-sensei acknowledges my improvement.’ His attention drifted for a moment as his mind returned to the eight inner gates. “Will the gates help me overcome my weakness to genjutsu? Or is there anything else I can do to improve?” The boy paused for a moment. “Sorry, sorry. I will focus on the task at hand.” With that said, Shinzo stood up from beneath the tree, still shaded by the small canopy that it and its neighbours created above him. The boy began to take deep breaths with eyes closed, readying himself for his first attempt at opening the first gate.

Chakra flow of chakra began to slow within the body of the boy as he changed his focus, guiding the flow of chakra up towards his head. He could feel it now, within his brain something was blocked, he could feel a restriction in his flow of chakra. No matter how hard he tried there was no way around this block. Clearly this was the first gate, Shinzo hadn’t quite expected for it to feel like a physical gate but indeed it did. The flow of chakra was continuous, yet no matter how long he focused on directing the chakra, there was still no improvement. A slight sigh escaped from the boy’s lips as he opened his eyes. “This is very difficult Kenshin-sensei. It looks like… wait a second.” Once again Shinzo closed his eyes, focusing on the energy within him. The reality warping energy that made up a large portion of his identity has been suppressed up until this point in an effort to stop it interfering with his chakra flow. Maybe instead of interfering it would aid the opening of the gate.

The churning Seikon energy within him began to slow, drifting up towards his head. Maybe by shifting the structure of the gate with this reality warping energy he’d be able to pass through it similarly to how he could warp from place to place physically. The boy began to mix his chakra and unique energy together, moving it closer and closer to the first chakra gate. The flow was still slow but Shinzo could feel a slight improvement, he just had to push further. His eyes were held together in extreme concentration, his breath was held as the boy strained to push through the first chakra gate.

He could feel it getting easier, things were changing, just a little more effort. Shinzo knew he had to try harder and with his final burst of energy the gate opened. The limits were thrown off his muscles but Shinzo continued to push forwards, unable to cease his flow of chakra. The mixture of chakra and reality warping energy cascaded through his chakra network, the high volume in his head made its way through his mind in all but a second. Something else happened, Shinzo felt invigorated for a moment as energy poured through into his body. But this did not last for long as he felt his young body being overwhelmed by the sudden rush of energy. Things started to grow dim, Shinzo could feel his consciousness fading, he could feel the rush of wind behind him for a moment as he fell but before he hit the ground all was black.

MFT
WC: 672
TWC: 2,498

 

[Kishiko Nagisa]

Kenhin watched Shinzo focus. He needed to find his own way. Kenshin's way of opening the gates was different. Shinzo had this natural ability that could help him open the gates hopefully easier. It seemed that Shinzo tried too hard this first go around. He less oepned the gate than flooded it with his chakra and as it rushed Kenshin saw him pass out and feared that he would force open all the gates at once. If he did that he would not last very long with all 8 gates open so Kenshin sprung into actions shouting at Ren.

"Heal him. I'll stop his chakra." Kenshin said as he knew where the next gates were.

As Ren began to heal Shinzo, Kenshin placed a hand on the next two chakra gates and forced his chakra into those points disrupting the flow of chakra. Slowly, the chakra would return to normal as Ren healed external and internal wounds from opening the gate. Kenshin would sigh heavily and make a motion towards Ren.

Kenshin would sit back down as Ren awoke Shinzo.

"That was dangerous. You could have opened all of the gates and died." Kenshin said bluntly. "It was a good effort but you need to know when enough chakra is enough to open the desired gate. If you flood your system with chakra it is push past the one you want to open and open others. You must be deliberate.
While you are doping this for power, you must learn control. For those of us that walk the line between life and death too much or too little will affect your body in a fight. Know your body inside and out. And as for your question, the 8 gates do not help you against Genjutsu but can help you see through clones. Now explain to me what you did. I saw the result but what did you do on your end? What did it feel like? Again Kenshin would be staring hard at Shinzo.

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

Things seemed calm, almost serene for a moment as the boy came to with the help of both his teacher and the medical toad. Shinzo blinked several times as his eyes opened, readjusting to the bright light of day that occasionally flashed through ever shifting foliage. As soon as he had fully regained consciousness, the boy sat bolt upright. “That was a rush! Thank you for helping me out.” He gave an appreciative smile towards Ren and then turned his attention to his teacher. The boy’s enthusiasm was soon quelled by Kenshin’s serious address.

“I am sorry Kenshin-sensei. I was trying to find a way to open the gate. Is it just trial and error when opening the gates then?” The boy paused for a moment, allowing his mind to wander back to the events that had taken place but a moment ago. It was such an obscure feeling of power, something that had lasted but a few moments yet it had given the boy a huge volume of information. He looked up, refocusing on the situation at hand.

“Well, Kenshin-sensei. I was struggling to open the first gate with just the normal chakra in my body but while I was doing that I was suppressing the other energy that is always present in my body. It’s what helps me to warp reality, very specific to my extended family. I thought that by suppressing this aspect of myself I wasn’t doing myself any favours and so I tried to weave this reality warping energy into my chakra flow to the first gate. And then, well, I modified the structure of the barrier in order to allow the gate to open but when it did I felt a sudden burst of energy which I couldn’t control and then I felt a second burst of energy, both in my head. And well, that’s when I passed out I think. But it felt like there was just so much more I could do, it was refreshing for a moment but at the same time my body felt limitless if you know what I mean?” Shinzo brushed his hair back with his right hand before resting it behind his head. “My muscles feel a bit fatigued now though, but I can try again if you like sensei!”

His enthusiasm was back as he motioned to stand, though he kept an eye on both Kenshin and Ren in case they objected to another attempt.

WC: 409
TWC: 2,907

 

[Kishiko Nagisa]

Kenshin would think hard. He would look to both Ren and then to Shinzo.

"No This is enough for now. I do not want you to push your body. I was in the hospital for a solid month after I opened the gates for the first time but that was an extreme circumstance. You are allowed one attempt a day. While I cannot keep an eye on you all the time know that I expect you to listen. When you want to train I will send Ren to you to help heal you. I would offer to oversee it myself but as a Sennin I am busy so cannot be available all the time. Is this understood?" Kenshin would ask his face still set.

After the answer, Kenshin would smile.

"Now let us enjoy this food here in tea! Once we get back to Leaf things will start to pick up for us I imagine." Kenshin would say as he got up, He would nod to Ren who would disappear with a wink to Shinzo.

[topic left]

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

Shinzo gave a respectful bow towards his teacher as he listened carefully to the words that were sent his way. The wisdom with which Kenshin spoke was clear to the young Seikon, experience with the gates was an area that Kenshin was unrivalled in and so it was imperative that Shinzo needed to pay attention.

“I understand Kenshin-sensei, if I overwork my body then I won’t be able to train effectively. I will rest today and train hard again tomorrow!” The news that Ren was to help with his training even when Kenshin was unable to attend brought a smile to the boy’s face, despite having only spent training time in her presence he was comfortable with the small Toad. The boy knew the amphibian would look after him, maybe she would clip his ears once or twice if he got too overenthusiastic as he assumed she did with Kenshin. The boy gave a quick but cheeky smile towards Ren before she disappeared.

“I can’t wait for food Kenshin-sensei! I bet I can eat faster than you though!” He chuckled for a moment before accompanying his teacher toward the city.

WC: 190
TWC: 3,097
[Topic left]