Sakka Yakujo, The violence of Art

[Bartimaeus]

Chapter 1: From an Art to a Living

Act 1: Not just Ink and Brushes

Part 1:

*Only one last touch and it would be perfect. He dipped the tip of the brush in some ink and finally drew a last trait to the picture. On the piece of parchment resided a magnificent dog. His sharp teeth would inspire terror to anyone who would look at it for just long enough. Then the appreciation of the art would flourish into the examiner’s mind and the true beauty of painting would once again touch someone else’s heart.*

*This time, a young man passed by the street when Yakujo was showing his newest creation. The man looked carefully at the black and white dog and seemed to recognize something in it. He turned to the boy and winked to him before walking away.*

* Yakujo smiled, a little confused, having nothing else to do but show a smirk on his lips. He turned to his picture and stepped back to have a better view. Satisfied by his work, he grabbed the parchment, rolled it into a scroll sized roll and tied it to stay still. He put it in a bag full of similar scrolls and headed to the academy. He already graduated a day ago but he asked his teacher if there was anything useful he would need to know. His last lesson at the academy would consist in walking up a tree.*

*He didn’t know how it was possible but recalled seeing his parents doing it. When he arrived at the academy, he headed to the backyard and stepped in the back court to finally see his old teacher waiting to teach him for the last time.*

-Ibashi: Yakujo, you’re late again, as always. I don’t want to spend my life teaching you so let us hurry, can we?

- Yakujo: Yes yes, of course.

-Ibashi: So today’s exercise is about keeping a good control over your chakra. There are many types of exercise to do so, but the fundamental ones are basically walking up a tree and standing on water. Today, we will concentrate on the tree. First notion: Redirecting the chakra. First you have to send chakra in your feet, concentrated on the spiral or mixing energy inside you and when it becomes a single flow, visualise it running trough your body to your feet. Then you focus to keep the same amount all the time. There is one technicality, if you give too much, the wood will crack, if you don’t give enough, you won’t stick. Now try it.

* Yakujo slowly approached the tree and placed his right foot on the trunk. First he tried giving a lot of chakra and the tree started to crack instantly. It was obviously too much. So he gradually decreased the amount of chakra he gave until he only felt a suction coming from the tree and hooking his foot to the trunk. Using some abdominal strength he lifted himself and tried keep a horizontal position to put his other foot on the trunk. While still keeping the right amount of chakra in his right foot, he placed his left on and started moving it on the tree increasing the chakra he gave until it wouldn’t move unless he decreased chakra concentration under his foot. He manages to lift his right foot without slipping down the trunk and to slowly but surely walk up the tree.*

- Yakujo: I think…I got it.

-Ibashi: You’ve got to practice.

*As Ibashi said those words, Yakujo fell off the tree as a loud crack was heard. The boy gave too much chakra, which resulted in repulsing him from the tree and cracking the bark. The teenager fell on his back, without a movement to flip and land on his feet, he wasn't skilled enough for this. He was usually drawing during the gym lessons. He wasn't much of an acrobat. He stood up, and once again focused his chakra. He didn't want to get pushed again so he gave less chakra. His foot wasn't clinging so well, it was sliding off the bark like a boat on water.*

-Yakujo: Dammit! It's not working! It's slipping!

-Ibashi: Give it a little bit more chakra.

*He was trying, but it was easier said then done. Slowly but sureley, Yakujo climbed the tree, a foot after another. He felt uncomfortable, unbalanced, like a kid learning how to walk. By the end of the day, he managed to reach half the height of the tree. That was about 75 foot high. It wasn't bad, but even then he wouldn't feel safe up there, if he stayed for too long. It wasn,t a bad start, but he still needed practice.*


---------
End of part 1 from act 1.
Learned about tree walking. Can do it and stay for a limited time (ie: 1 post). Need practice.

[Bartimaeus]

Part 2:


*When the sun went to bed, Ibashi sent Yakujo back home for diner. The time to train was over now and the kid was rather skilled with the tree climbing technique. Instead of going back home to eat, Yaku stopped on a corner of two streets and took a virgin scroll out of his bag. He grabbed his small brush and his ink and started to draw something. A line after another, his creation started to take the form of a majestic bird.*

*When he was near finished. A man came and watched him working. When Yakujo lifted his head, he noticed it was the same young man he saw this morning. It was the second time that day he saw him, and the very same smile in his face.*

-Yakujo: Can I help you? It’s the second time I see you today and all you do is smile at me.

-???: I was just watching your drawings. You certainly got skills.

-Yakujo: Hemm… Thank you?

-???: I’m also an artist, do you want to see some of my creations?

-Yakujo: Hmm. Ok…

*The black haired young man stepped back a little and took a giant scroll off his back. He unrolled and unpacked a big brush from a blanket. He dipped the tip in some ink and started drawing. He drew a superb dog and a lion. Even tough it was black and white we could feel the intensity in their eyes and the expression of anger in their face.*

-???: *Smile*

*The man took a step backward and made a hand seal. On this very moment, Yakujo’s eyes widened as he grabbed his how huge brush, ready to use it as a staff if needed. He was right, an attack came, but not from where he thought. The dog and lion both came out of the scroll and ran to the boy, ready to tear him apart. Impressed by this trick, he now had little time to react. He jump backward and swiped the air in front of him with his Brush-Staff.*

*When the two animals were about to get hit, they jumped and collided on in another, vanishing in a rain of Ink right in front of Yakujo.*

-Yakujo: You!? What the hell?

-Sai: I’m sorry, I only wanted to test you…My name is Sai…This technique is called Chojuu Giga. It consists in using chakra to give life to ink drawings. It’s better to teach it to very talented artistic people. The better the drawing is, the stronger it is.

-Yakujo: And?

-Sai: Well, I saw your skills, it’s impressive, you are as skilled as I am and yet you only begin…I suppose…

-Yakujo: I’ve been drawing since I was 5 and I am 14. So no, I’m not a beginner…

-Sai: I’ve been drawing since much longer than that…Anyway. Do you want me to show you how to give life to art?

-Yakujo: Well…Hmm. Yeah! Of course!

-Sai: Perfect. Well all I can do is telling you how, next it’ll be up to you, try and practice. So first you will use this big brush of yours, it is good you already have one. You draw on big surface?

-Yakujo: Yes…I like drawing on walls and such.

-Sai: Cool. Ok, so you will also need a giant scroll like mine, it makes it easier to draw. So when you draw, you will diffuse chakra into the brush from the very moment you dip the tip in ink. This way chakra will be infused in ink and then you will be able to give life to your creation. It’s as easy as that. After the drawing is done, it’s like controlling a clone.

-Yakujo: Is that all?

-Sai: Yes. Now you should go home and sleep. The exercise you did today took you too much chakra to practice Chojuu Giga. Try tomorrow. Also, if you got any question, draw a bird and make it fly high. I will see it and find you.

-Yakujo: Hmm ok. Thank you!

*Sai winked at Yaku before disappearing in a cloud of thick smoke. As for Yakujo, he walked home with a new feeling of excitement. He couldn’t wait to be able to control his art. Finally he could use his best ability as a real ninja. It seemed like the world was turning just right for him lately.*

[Bartimaeus]

Part 3:


*Another sun was rising this morning on the village of Konoha. Yakujo had just opened an eye and already the rays were harassing his retina. Still wondering why he wouldn’t add curtains to this “damn” window, he slowly managed to open both eyes and look elsewhere to avoid morning blindness. The boy put on some pants with one hand while rubbing an eye with the other. Yaku took a random shirt in his closet and ran up the stairs to meet his parents in the dinning room, already eating their breakfast.*

-Yakujo: “YAAAWWWN. Hi mom…Hi dad. You made some for me?”

-Dad: “Why don you draw yourself a breakfast…Hahaha!!”

-Mom: “Honey! *Slaps husband behind the head” Of course there’s some for you, just take your plate in the kitchen it is still hot. Doesn’t make long since I’m done cooking it.”

-Yakujo: “Thank you mom! *Runs in the kitchen.*”

-Dad: “Ouch! Why did you do that. This kid IS always lost in his drawings. He should be doing missions like a real shinobi. He doesn’t even train, how will he ever succeed in life like this?!

-Mom: “He LOVES drawing, it makes him feel good in something and it’s important for a teenager to feel valorized. And you know! He somehow makes money by selling some of his pieces. He IS very talented after all…Don’t take the only thing he has away from him.”

-Yakujo: “The only thing I have? So you think I’m an incompetent ninja, right?”

-Mom: “N-No…T-That’s not what…”

-Yakujo: “Whatever, eat your damn breakfast yourself! I DO like art, but I can also use it as a weapon, soon enough you will find out! Anyway, what power do any of you have!?! None!! I never saw you use a single jutsu or whatever! You’re probably as incompetent as I seem to be!”

-Dad: “Watch it!! You’d better be careful with what you brag about! You could have some surprises!!”

-Yakujo: “Yeah…Maybe I’ll believe you one day!!”

*After these last words Yakujo ran to the entrance and grabbed all of his stuff before going out and slamming the door. He took the road that led out of the village. After running for a long 30 minutes at the fastest pace he could, he reached a T-Junction. On the left, there was an open route, Yakujo knew, by drawing the world map over and over again, that this way would lead to the country of water. The other way however led to a place he never visited, it wasn’t heading straight west, more like south west.*

-Yakujo: “Hmm…I’ve been to Water Country already once, it was not a bad place, and their shinobis are actually pretty strong…But…I’d like to discover…Go farther than what I know…I must find new inspiration for my drawings…”

*After taking a last look behind him, Yakujo walked on the south west road. He was determined to get inspired and to be able to use art as a deadly weapon, just like Sai. He walked for about 3 hours before stopping for a pause. He took out his big scroll and brush. He focused on his chakra and tried to transmit it in the brush before dipping the tip on some ink. It already felt different than usual, the ink was heavier and seemed like something was travelling trough it.*

-Yakujo: ”Ok! Let’s try it.”

*Yakujo took a look around him and started to draw a big enraged dog. With the eyes full of anger, sharp, pointy fangs, dangerous claws and the look of a devil’s hound. When he was done drawing, he took a look at his work and amazed himself, it was the liveliest piece he had ever done, not only did the anger would make him shiver, but the eyes were looking at him wherever he would stand. Maybe it was the chakra, or simply Yakujo’s talent, but works like this would certainly sell themselves like little breads..*

*The boy focused on the drawing and tried to feel his chakra flowing through every single line of the dog. He could sense his vital energy forming the dog, it wasn’t given to everyone, but Yakujo had that ability, just by watching a drawing he could know where each single line started and finished, he could feel the art as someone would feel water on his skin.*

*Yakujo concentrated and began to activate his chakra in the drawn dog. Once he thought he was ready, he formed a hand seal and focused on forcing the dog to move. The picture seemed to be changing position a little, then the eyes looked another way, the mouth started to shake and shut itself to open back larger than ever. After a few seconds, the picture started to look around, but still wouldn’t come out of the scroll. Yakujo concentrated even more chakra and gave a double effort. What seemed like a claw came out of the paper, reaching the ground and using it to help itself getting out of the scroll. Finally, after a complete paw came out, it stopped, nothing else would go out. Whatever chakra the boy would use and channel, the paw would just rip the air but wouldn’t come out anymore. Although it was not the expected result, it was somehow a satisfying achievement for a first time. He couldn’t summon complete beasts, but maybe little animals, or parts of bigger monsters. It could prove useful eventually.*

*As he was picking up and rolling his scroll, three persons stopped by him and circled him. The first one, facing him directly, had brown hair and blue, sad eyes. He was wearing a brown leather tunic and a green pendant on his neck. He didn’t seem to want any harm to the boy, in fact, he looked like he wanted to ask him for help. The second person, on his right, was a girl, she looked wild and crazy, a white blouse and brown pants. Her short black hair swinging with the movement of her head, she looked like she was about 17 years old, just two years older than Yakujo. She smiled to him gently. The third and last looked like the warrior of the group. A long green cape and long red hair, and finally, a sword to his side. His hand was always lying on the pummel of his blade. He looked at Yakujo with a bit of scepticism.*

-Yakujo: “What do you guys want?!”

-Sad man: “We just saw you giving life to a drawn dog…”

-Girl: “Yeah man!! That was uber awesome!”

-Warrior: “Calm down Naomi…Let me present ourselves. My name is Luago, this man in front of you is Uegi, and she is Naomi. We are a group of wanderer…To say the least…In reality, we’ve escaped our village because of the oppressing new leaders. Recently, a group of chaotic ninja attacked and 3 man, I swear they are dictators, claiming to be the leaders of this group, took control of it. Life became unbearable so we fled. As Uegi told you before, we saw you. You are a ninja…Aren’t you?”

-Yakujo: “Y-Yes…But I have nothing to do with the group that…”

-Naomi: “Relax! We know this…You are from Konoha! Why are you so far from your village by the way?”

-Yakujo: “I fled…I just needed to get away from my parents, they think all I’m good for is drawing. But I can fight…I KNOW I CAN!!”

-Luago: “You seem like you want to prove yourself, aren’t this kind of people usually weak. Do you have any weapon apart from drawing?”

-Yakujo: “Hm...No…I don’t really use them, I’ve actually never fought someone…Except for weak training, but it was taijutsu lessons.”

-Naomi: “Haha! So you can fight, but have nothing to do so! Luago, let’s leave him alone, he will be of no use!”

-Yakujo: “Being of use?? What do…”

-Luago: “Naomi…Stop. Maybe he has no weapon but he has basic knowledge in each form of taijutsu, it won’t be hard for him to learn. If you accept to join us against these bunch of dictators, I will give you this sword, and I will personally teach you during our trip.”

-Yakujo: “Is…Is the village really far?”

-Uegi: “It’s past the village of rain, we won’t pass by there since we are not welcomed in this place. We will travel trough the country of wind and when we will be at the village’s level, we will go north and start aggression on the poor henchmen. With you on our side, it will certainly give us a good advantage on them.”

-Luago: “And as I said, I will train you. I was previously a commander in the military forces of the country we are heading to. I was also the martial art teacher.”

-Yakujo: “Are you guys all fighters?”

-Uegi: “No. Luago is the strongest. I am actually nothing but a scholar. I am not strong at all but I usually prepare strategies and set traps. I can teach you the art of tactic if you wish. I heard it’s very useful to ninjas.”

-Naomi: “As for me! I’m a pyrotechnic specialist! I can make bombs, set explosion traps and, my favourite, structures demoltion!”

-Luago: “You understand why we are in great need of another strong hand on our side. I can’t fight this many men alone. So, will you join us now that you know our tragic story?”

-Yakujo: “I have no intention on going back home, and learning from you guys will certainly make me stronger than ever. So yes! I’ll join you guys for sure!!”

-Luago: “Awesome! I’m glad you made the good decision! As I promised…Here’s the sword I wanted to give you. It’s a Dai Katana. Like a usually sword, but it’s about 4 inches longer. It will take some time to adjust with the difference but the little reach it gives you really makes it useful.”

-Naomi: “Enough with the chit-chat! Let’s get going!!!!

-Uegi: “Aaah, Naomi…You’re so energetic. How can you be so…”

-Luago: “Thus, by joining our ranks, you should not be recognised, we might come back here and your parents could find you. We will stop by a nearby village and change your appearance. Is that okay with you?”

-Yakujo: “Of course. No problem!”

-Want to know what happens next? Stay tuned for the next chapter!-


End of Act 1
-Started to use Chouju Giga
Acquired Dai Katana (I'll pay for that, just give me a price)
Joined rebel group-

[Nick]

i'm a tad confused..wan't tenji your new character?

[Bartimaeus]

Act 2: On the move

Part 1:


*The little group of rebels, along with their new member Yakujo, had been moving to their destination for half a day now. Yakujo, not being used to walk for such a long period, was starting to be exhausted and his legs were aching, asking for a break to regain their energy.*


-Yakujo: Guys, can we stop for a bit. My legs won’t move anymore if I keep up. I think we’ve moved a fair distance already. We can take a little break… No?

-Luago: I guess we could eat something, and it could be good to start training. We’ll be near Amegakure soon, the patrols are hostile to wandering groups. And they seem to be especially aggressive to us.

-Yakujo: Why is that so?

-Uegi: That’s something we will have to find out. But I suspect it has something to do our little dictator problem.

-Naomi: What do you mean? I never get you Uegi, you always suspect things I don’t understand…

-Uegi: I mean that I suspect rain village to be on pair with the organisation that took over our village. It’s only a suspicion, but it’s still a probable theory.

-Luago: Alright, enough suspecting for now. We’ll discover it when the time comes. For now, we don’t have the power to find anything that could relate them. Yakujo needs a lot of training, and we’re starting today.

-Yakujo: Can’t we eat something first? I’m starving!

-Luago: Eating will make you heavy, and you could end up having cramps while fighting. It’s better to eat after training.

-Yakujo: Hmmm *Belly grumble* I guess I don’t have the choice… What should I do to begin?

-Luago: Well, as a ninja, you probably already have a decent stamina and strength training done. These are things you can train by yourself. You told me you knew basic taijutsu moves. So today we’ll extend that training a bit. Let’s begin by testing your abilities. Attack me, and don’t hold back, you’re not the first ninja I’m fighting.

-Yakujo: Herm, okay… I guess.


*Yakujo stretched for a few seconds. He bent down a little and ran to his mentor. Without any style or technique, he stopped in front of him and attempted to throw a roundhouse kick with his right leg. Luago raised his left forearm to his side and easily blocked the incoming kick. Without any sign of struggle or even a hint of a thought, as if it was totally natural for him. He moved his right leg backward and with his left leg, threw a quick but powerful kick right in Yakujo’s ribcage. The kid didn’t have time to block, or even to anticipate the kick. He got propelled backward and fell on his back, holding his chest and moaning in pain.*


-Luago: That was ridiculous, Yakujo. Did your previous teacher tell you to throw direct attacks without anticipate a counter?

-Yakujo: I don’t know *Cough, more moaning* I don’t think so…

-Luago: You don’t know?! What do you mean by that exactly?

-Yakujo: I wasn’t really listening to him, I guess I was just lost in my thoughts… *Struggle to stand up*

-Luago: I see, you’re the kind of lunatic boy. Well not with me, if you make an error, you’re going to feel it by getting smashed. I have not remorse in hitting you. It’s a kind of brutal way to teach you, but this is how you will learn.

-Yakujo: Ouch… This is not going to be funny then… I told you I knew basics in taijutsu, but I never really practiced…

-Luago: Oh, so you know the theory, but your body knows nothing about it… Alright, so we’re going to start at the beginning I suppose. First of all, you need a style. I don’t know many so I will teach you mine. As you train, you will see yourself developing your own style and moves, but that is not for now. The basic of it is quick movements to take the opponent by surprise. The style comes from the elite military corpse I was in. It has been specially developed to fight against shinobis in hand to hand combat. This could actually give you an upper hand since you know the basics of usual shinobi taijutsu.

-Yakujo: Hmm? What do you mean? Doesn’t it give you an upper hand too?

-Luago: Not really, it puts me on even ground with what we could call a decent taijutsu ninja. Against a taijutsu specialist, I would struggle to lend a hit. But for someone who knows the basics, like you, it gives you an upper hand on regular taijutsu ninjas, and puts you on even ground against a good taijutsu fighter. Against a specialist, you would still have trouble, but you could do better than me. Considering you train for a long time.

-Yakujo: I see, I get what you mean. So humm? Where do I start?

-Luago: Come next to me. Yes, there. Now step back a little so you can see my movements. There you go. Now place your hands like this. I saw you are a right dominant, like me. So place your right and in front of you, don’t extend your arm to its maximum. Now move your hand a bit to the left, so it’s midway between your chest and your shoulder. Yes, like that. As for your left hand, place it about 6 inches in front of your left shoulder.

-Yakujo: Ok. Now what?

-Luago: That’s the basic defensive position. Now alternate your hands, place your left hand farther, and bring your right hand. It’s the fastest and easiest way to block incoming strikes. I’ll send you punches. Use that form to block them. Okay? Here we go.


*Luago stepped in front of the kid and started to punch slowly so Yakujo would understand how to block. One punch after another, Yakujo was starting to get the feeling of it. Luago began to go faster and stronger, it would also train the boy’s reflexes. Direct punches, hooks, uppercuts, Luago’s technique was good to block them all.*


-Luago: Alright, I think you’re getting a hang of it. Now when I hit you, you will counter with a direct punch. Always send a direct hit for a counter, a hook or uppercut isn’t quick enough and is too easy to dodge or block. Understood? *Yakujo nods* Alright. Let’s do it!


*Luago started again, left punch, the boy blocked with his right hand and threw a punch right at his mentor’s face, it was direct, but didn’t follow a straight line, so the man dodged it with ease. The man explained Yakujo that his fist must follow a straight line, when he blocks, his body turns a bit to his side so the punch should be a kind of straight backfist. Once again, Luago threw a left punch and Yakujo blocked it, this time, he went directly for a backfist at Luago’s jaw. He finally managed to land a hit (of course Luago didn’t try to dodge or block it).*


-Luago: Good, I guess you got the hang of it. Defending yourself is as easy as that. We can now hop into more complicated stuff; footwork and offensive movements. You probably know that the way you move your feet is the most important aspect of how you fight. Staying static will certainly end up in getting you killed. You probably saw plenty of people sparring in taijutsu fights. Their feet are always moving, frontward or backward, this depends on your opponent. If you manage to make him step backwards, it means you have the advantage, the opposite is also true, if you are stepping backwards, he has the advantage, because he is bringing you where he wants. To break this advantage, try to perform a lateral step and jump out of range to come back in the fight and gain the advantage again.

-Yakujo: But why would I move back if he has the advantage, if I decide not to step back, what happens?

-Luago: Good point. I’ll show you.


*Luago starting throwing punches and kicks to the boy, who blocked them without too much trouble. As the man was fighting, he was stepping frontward and closing the distance between him and his target. When he was about 5 inches from Yakujo and saw the boy wouldn’t move back, he grabbed him by the shirt, placed his right leg behind the boy’s right leg and spun on himself, bringing the kid down to the ground. Luago drew a knife and placed it on Yakujo’s throat.*


-Luago: This is what happen if you don’t step back…

-Yakujo: *Gulp* H… Hm.. I … I see… O… Okay… Can… Can you take this off me please??

-Naomi: Hahah! The boy never lived a death situation. You should get used to it boy, it will happen more than you would like to.

-Yakujo: Hmmm… Troubling… Very troubling…

-Luago: *Putting his knife back in its sheath.* Yeah, you will get threatened plenty of times, you will have to make choices, so will we. You will have to flee from dangerous situations. We won’t always be there to cover you. At first we will, we’re a team. But when you’ll be good enough, and you’ll be considered by the leaders as able to act on your own. You will have missions alone. And these missions aren’t those kinds of cat-saving missions in Konoha. Here I’m talking about subjugation, assassination, deception. Our group fights against dictators, but they have strong men under their control, so we do have to use brutal measures to get to our ends. You joined us on your own, and you can go back to where you lived whenever you want. We’re not forcing you to stay with us. But if you chose to, you will have to work with us, and do as we ask you.

-Yakujo: I understand. I’ll do anything, but I’m certainly not going back to Konoha, there is no way I’m going back home.

-Luago: Good!! Now let’s fight! Practice the foot work! You know everything about the basics of fighting now! It’s time to practice!


*With a terrifying wave of passion and fire in his eyes, Yakujo found back the trust he has in himself some time ago. He darted to Luago and sweep the ground with his leg in order to trip his mentor, who jumped to dodge it. The man performed a frontflip while jumping and extended his leg in order to smash down the boy who was still in a crouched position. Yakujo placed his arms to form an X to receive Luago’s leg. He successfully blocked the incoming kick and grabbed his master’s leg and pulled it as hard as he could to shorten the distance between them. As he pulled Luago’s leg he lifted himself from the ground and threw his own foot directly towards his mentor’s chest. Luago caught the boy’s foot as he was standing on his right hand and left foot only. *

*The position was rather troublesome, Yakujo was holding Luago’s leg, a foot to the ground and the other foot in the man’s hand. As for Luago, his left foot and right hand on the ground, holding his apprentice’s foot with his left hand. The ex-soldier pulled his leg to break Yakujo’s hold and propelled himself backward to get away from the kid, impressed by this sudden performance.*


-Luago: What happened? You seemed pretty confident and fought much better than before? You seem to know how to fight pretty decently.

-Yakujo: I don’t know… It’s as if something caught me, like an inner fire driving me. And my body acted on its own.

-Uegi: I see, I think I know. A part of yourself was actually listening to the taijutsu lessons your previous teacher gave you. And thinking about going home awoke this part of yourself, giving you impressive performances… Very interesting, kid, you won’t cease impressing me.

-Naomi: It’s not like it’s hard to impress you, Uegi! Ahahah!

-Uegi: Ohh shut it Naomi, will you!? You little brat!

-Naomi: What? Me? A brat!!?!

-Luago: Alright! Enough! It’s time to eat then move on. We can’t stay here for too long.


*The group of rebel sat down in front of a small campfire and ate to their hunger. When their dinner was over. The packed up and left for their destination. Yakujo still didn’t know where they were going, and who they were going to meet. But he was starting to feel better about this adventure. Much better than when he left.*

[Viseres]

Leaving with the rebel group will have to be talked through via council.

As for training, basics of tree walking (not more then 1 or 2 steps atm) and Chojuu Giga learned (you will need to finish tree walking and water walking prior to first animation).

First form of Taijutsu established. It's actually a form of a rolling defense.

Overall I award you 3xp and will try to get you the final answer on the rebel group by tonight

[Bartimaeus]

Part 2:


*The following day past without much trouble, a patrol from Amegakure passed on the road, but the group had time to hide, thanks to Naomi’s contacts, they knew the patrol would encounter them this day. They had to hide somewhere in a little secluded place in a nearby forest for half the day. It was a bad thing they had to wait this long, for they would be late. There was a good side to it though. Yakujo could take the entire afternoon to train.*


-Luago: Yakujo, It would be an excellent opportunity to train, don’t you think?

-Yakujo: Yeah, I agree. You want to fight again?

-Luago: I’m sorry but not now. I don’t have time to train with you, I have to discuss with Naomi and Uegi. But it would be a great idea to train your ninjutsu skills, don’t you think so?

-Yakujo: I guess I could do that, yes.


*The boy looked a bit disappointed, he liked to fight with Luago and train taijutsu. He looked down when something crossed his mind; Chojuu Giga. He remembered the technique Sai taught him 4 days ago. Also, it would be important to master the technique to walk on trees.*

-Ibashi: There are many types of exercise to do so, but the fundamental ones are basically walking up a tree and standing on water…

*Standing on water, how was that possible, what was the motion chakra had to take to accomplish this exploit. He had no master to tell him how for now, so he would have to stick to tree walking for the moment. He was already able to take a few steps up the trunk of a tree, but that was the best he could do for now.*

*Yakujo looked at his partners, they were crouching down in front of a parchment and they seemed to be very talkative to one another. The black haired kid didn’t pay attention to what they were saying and walked in front of the biggest tree he could find around the place. He place his hands together, his right index and major fitting in the left corresponding fingers, his right thumb crossing over the left, and the other fingers from the left hand over the right ones. He shut his eyes and started focusing. First he imagined a little ball of energy in his head. Then he did the same thing for his heart.*

*The two balls of energy started moving to reach the center of his belly, where they would both meet and explode in a blue swirl. Now he could feel chakra tenderly heating his body. He could feel the canals in his body getting filled with energy. He focused on this energy and made some of it move to his feet. Under the plant of them he visualized a swirl shape and imagined his chakra entirely filling this shape. Physically, from the others’ eyes, nothing but a little effect of a wind blowing under his feet could be seen. Yakujo, on his side, could see his feet glowing with a blue aura.*

*The teenager took a first step on the tree, he shook his leg to confirm his foot was really stuck on the bark. It was perfect, the true balance between not enough and too much chakra, it was just enough. He lifted his other foot from the ground and placed it in front of the first one. Now he was standing horizontally on the tree, parallel to the ground. Always holding his hand seal and focusing the chakra as much as he could he started climbing up the tree, as if he was walking on a thin pole.*


-Uegi: Hermm, Luago! Look at that kid! What the hell is he doing?!

-Luago: Well, he’s… WHAT!! Walking up a tree?!! Without using his hands!?!

-Naomi: AMAZING!!! I want to do that too!! DAMN!

-Uegi: Those shinobis are amazing…

-Luago: He’s progressing very well, at this rate he will start learning to walk on water before we arrive.


*Yakujo was now halfway up the tree. He was starting to get used to the position. He released his hand seal while keeping the amount of chakra in his feet stable. He had a little lose of balance for half a second but easily managed to stabilise himself and stay comfortable. There were a couple branches on the big tree he was climbing on, and they led to other trees. Now that he was able to walk up a tree and stay stable. He could practice hopping from a tree to another.*

*From where he was, he jumped to a branch he could grab. When he had his hands on it, he grabbed the branch but started slipping. Quickly he figured he also had to focus some chakra in his hands to manage to stick to a branch efficiently. Before his right hand also slipped off, he concentrated and managed to stick to the branch. He brought his left hand back on it and spun to hop on the branch. He was now foot on the branch, crouched and facing a nearby tree.*

*Yakujo shut his eyes for a few seconds, he focused on the right amount of chakra to give in both hands and feet. After a few seconds of concentration. He opened his eyes and jumped while giving chakra in his thighs, giving him more power and resulting in a fast, far and powerful jump to the other tree. When he was about 4 foot from his objective, he presented his feet and focused the right amount of chakra right before landing.*

*Success! The boy managed to stick to another tree after jumping. It was a tiring but excellent exercise. It’s like a gym class, but with chakra control included. He trained acrobatics and chakra, both together gave a show of speed, precision and strength.*

*Explaining all that happened in his head took pretty long. Visualising the scene, focusing chakra, thinking about where and how to jump, all that took a very long time to think about. But in the end, the whole operation didn’t take more than just a second. Being a ninja was quite difficult, but with practice, everything becomes natural. Right now, as he was reviewing what he just accomplished, he didn’t notice he was still standing horizontally on a tree. The action was starting to be like walking on solid ground to him.*


-Luago: Yaku! Come back down here now you little monkey!


*Yakujo jumped down, performed a few flips, just for the show and landed on his feet in front of his companions.*


-Naomi: That was IM-PRE-SSIVE!! Seriously, totally A M A Z I N G!!! How do you do that?!

-Yakujo: I don’t know, ninja technique I guess, it’s about chakra control and acrobatics.

-Luago: Well, while you were playing Tarzan, we had time to talk about our next move, and examine the patrol’s movements. Right now it’s 500 metres past us, still 8.5 kilometres and they are going to head back to their village, then we will be able to move. It gives you about an hour to train. So what do you prefer, personal training, or taijutsu lesson?

-Yakujo: I’ve had enough with personal training, I want to fight!

-Luago: Pretty well then! We’ll have a good time. Today, the lesson is precision. How and where you hit will determine the effectiveness of your attacks.

-Yakujo: Nice!

----------- Follows to the next post ----------

[Bartimaeus]

------------Following of last post--------



Luago: Alright, before we begin, let me explain. In a fight, being strong is one thing. Of course you can deal powerful strikes to your opponent. But if these strikes aren’t calculated and dealt with precision, there is no way you will beat someone who can defend himself. Strength is good against weaklings, against a strong opponent, you need to know how to fight, or else, you’ll be going down pretty quickly. You get what I’m talking about?

-Yakujo: Hmm, I think so, basicly, where and how you hit is more important than the strength you use. Is that it?

-Luago: Precisely. I told you the rolling defence is unbreakable. That is true if you fight someone who doesn’t know what I’m going to teach you. First I’m going to show you. Prepare to defend.


*Luago stepped in front of Yakujo and took a ready stance to fight. So did the boy by placing his hands in front of him, ready to defend himself like his mentor showed him. The first punches coming from the man were easy to block, they were strong, but not precise.*


-Luago: You see, I’m only trying to “hurt” you, I’m not trying to actually “hit” you. Now look what happens when I evaluate the position of your defence, if it’s high and on the sides, I’ll hit with centered kicks. If it’s low and on the sides, I’ll go for centered punch. The opposite is also true, if your defence is centered, I’ll go for the sides, the weakest on. So if you are centered, and during the fight I managed to learn you are dominant from the right, I’ll hit you on the left. The principle of precision fighting is spotting the opponent’s weak point on the moment, and striking exactly where it is. Not the question you should ask is: “Is there a way I should it that point?” The answer; yes. You should strike so that the part you hit gets broken, if possible. So if you hit in the ribs, open your palm. If you hit in the jaw, close your fist. If you hit the neck, use the edge of your hand.

-Yakujo: That’s a lot of information at the same time. I don’t know if I’ll remember all this…

-Luago: Best way to do so is to train. I’ll defend, you come at me, and try to “hit” me, and not only “hurt” me.


*Yakujo smirked and rose his head to the sky. Up there, he could so the bright sun of the after noon. He could tell it was between 3 and 5 pm. The blue sky was free of any cloud and the soft wind would tenderly touch the boy’s cheek. He looked back down and stared at his mentor. He jumped forward to his master and started throwing some random punches. When Luago was defending, Yakujo gathered some information on the speed at which he defended, the rotation and when he should throw his next attack. On a right punch, Luago would have his left arm block it and his right arm defend his face, that meant a straight kick in the stomach was the best way to strike. On a left punch, he still used his left arm to block, and his right arm to defend his body, so a straight punch in the face would do it. When a roundhouse kick came at him, he used the corresponding arm the block, and the other the protect his face, so a palm strike to the ribs was the best course of action. Alright, everything was settled, Yakujo was ready to try his strategy.*

*Yakujo started his series of hits. Left fist, right fist, Luago blocked with his left arm and covered his face. On this moment, the boy had his left leg behind and his right leg ready to strike. He lifted it and sent a straight side kick in Luago’s stomach. The man jumped back after he got hit and smiled at his apprentice. Without having the time to say a word, he had to block more fists coming at him. Suddenly, a roundhouse kick came from the left (Yakujo’s right leg). Luago used his right arm to block. Instead of throwing a well placed hit like he should, Yakujo sent another roundhouse kick with his left leg, which Luago also blocked, using the same method. Now then, the boy reduced the distance between him and his mentor and sent a powerful palm strike right in Luago’s left ribs.*


-Luago: Hugnh!! Not bad at all. Why didn’t you throw this attack on the first kick?

-Yakujo: I’m a rightie, more power if I use my right arm.

-Luago: Good! I guess you understand what I told you after all. This is exactly how you should think in a fight. The best way to harm your enemy, as fast as possible. Don’t forget, the faster he falls, the safer you are.

-Naomi: Luagooo!! Yaku!!!! We can leave now!! The patrol has passed!

-Uegi: Yep. We can head to grass village now. We should be there in 2 days.

-Luago: Very well, enough with the training for today. Plus, that rib still hurts me. You got some punch, kid.

-Yakujo: Hehe! Sorry about time, I was really pumped up!

-Luago: It’s okay, I’ve seen worse. Well, we should move now, we’ve lost enough time.


*The 4 adventurers took their packages and set off for Grass Village. The sun was almost down, only a little part of it could be seen from behind the mountains. The sky was shining with an orange, red and yellow glow. These different tones looked as if a fire was raging in the sky, the same kind of fire that was raging in Yakujo’s heart; a fire of passion, of hope, a fire of life.*

[Viseres]

Tree climbing learned. Only thing i would of liked to see is some trial for advance form of tree climbing which involves you jumping from part to part of trees.

Taijutsu forms are being studied and your descriptions were well put in the simple manners of which fighting really is.

Award 2xp for training.

[Bartimaeus]

Part 3


*It was night time. The rebel group was sleeping under a moon sometime covered by a veil of thick clouds. Near the rain village, days were hot, but nights weren’t very comfortable, a bit too cold. It was the price to pay for living in the wild. A troubling and much too silent atmosphere was surrounding the place.*

*Yakujo had just waked up from a bad dream, a troubling dream. A village on fire, and a familiar kid in his mother’s arms, screaming in fear in front of 3 men. 3 infamous men, slowly torturing the boy’s father until his last word can’t even come out of his mouth. Then the tyrants would tear the kid from his mother’s grasp, and bring him away as on of them slices the poor woman’s head.*


-Yakujo: (whispering to himself) what in hell was that? It’s weird but, I feel like I’ve seen this scene before. And that kid, looked way too familiar. Maybe I’ve had this dream before and don’t remember.


*The boy stood up to get something to drink something. He stopped in the middle of his course and grimaced.*


-Yakujo: Something is weird. Luago said we didn’t need to guard tonight, but I don’t feel quite right about this just now. I should stay up, for everyone’s good. And for mine…


*The teenager sat not far from his sleeping partners. He grabbed the scroll behind his back and opened it on an empty part. He followed by grabbing the bottle of ink in a pouch. Finally he took out his biggest brush. He tipped the point of it in ink and started to draw. Somewhere, some people say a man’s way to draw is comparable to his skills with a sword. The movements on the sheet are comparable to a dance, and a good sword fight is also seen as a dance. Moving with your feet, placing your edge at the right place, on the right moment. Precision is, in both cases, the mother piece of each art.*

*For now, Yakujo was only drawing mice, snakes, birds, spiders. Only a bunch of little critters. Drawing was a way to pass time, but he didn’t only intend to draw this night. He also wanted to learn Chojuu Giga, the technique Sai taught him. Before he began to draw, Yaku focused chakra in his hands and transferred it in his brush. It seemed easier than the first time, probably due to the fact that the brush had already been induced with chakra before and it was now easier to force chakra into it. Kind of like a resistance decreasing with use.*

*After a few last lines, he was done drawing. Now it was time to train the technique. He could feel a connection between him and his creations. As if it was another part of his body. He could feel it, but he still had to force his chakra to take form. He formed a hand seal and focused on the drawings in front of him. He started with a mouse. He forced the chakra in ink to move around, as if it was boiling. A little tail could be seen waving out of the parchment. A bit more focused, Yakujo forced the chakra to move more and more. The mouse finally came out and started sniffing around, on the boy’s will.*

*It was like controlling a bunshin illusion, but it was real, physically consistent and chakra was harder to be forced through it. Now that he could give life to a mouse, he went with a snake. He focused again and did the same thing. First the snake’s head came out, then the entire body, it started sneaking around. The have a bit of fun, he made the snake wrap around the mouse and eat it, as if they were real. As he did, the snake grew a bit bigger. Yakujo Came to a conclusion that he can do multiple little animals, and if he fuses them, he can make it grow bigger. Not a bad technique at all after all, he thought.*

*After a long night of playing with his ink pets (Mice, snakes, little cats, little birds, he even managed to give life to a little ferocious dog. He could make a variety of spying species, and one assault type. With all the fun he had, he forgot the tense atmosphere he felt before he started. In the end, the night went well and nothing happened. But with all that, Yakujo hadn’t slept and was tired from all the training, even if he had fun.*

*Now it was too late to go to bed. His partners just woke up and Luago was already cooking rice for breakfast. Yakujo would have to wait for the next night to have his well earned sleep.*


-Luago: Yaku, you look weird, are you sick or something?

-Yakujo: No, no. I just… Haven’t slept pretty well, that’s all.


*After breakfast was over, the group packed their things and left for the grass village. During the day, a bird made of ink found Yakujo to deliver him a message. Soon, in Konoha, there would be a chuunin evaluation, and someone (Sai, of course) registered him for it. Yakujo was to be in Konoha in 4 days. It was still possible since it only made 3 days he left. But he had to turn back now.*

*After a tearing goodbye, Yakujo turned his back to his friends and unwillingly made his way to Konoha village.*


-Luago: Hmm, I believe he’s ready. He walks with much more confidence and fire in his eyes than when I first met him. He’s ready for this exam, and also… To meet his parents and face them. I did as you asked me, Ibashi. Don’t bother me again, old friend.

[i_feel_tiredsleepy]

Approved 2 XP