[Yuki Shuka]

Yuki Shuka --- TAG Yuki Kazu - - WORDS - - -

W

hile Kazu's participation in the Chuunin Exams had been a resounding success, there were still some things that the young shinobi needed to learn before he would be properly ready to tackle the world of Chuunin responsibility. It had been fantastic to see his confidence and his skill grow through his participation in this worldly event, but his skill could grow yet further, prepare him for more dangerous on the field.

She felt a sort of responsibility towards him, as she did all young shinobi within the village. The last thing she wanted to do was send ill-prepared soldiers into danger. He would be facing enemies of shinobi caliber once he reached that level, so he needed to have an edge.

For that reason, Shuka arranged to meet with him today. Not within the black ice castle, but outside it, some miles away from the village and out in the snowy tundra.

The weather was mildly temperamental that day, but that was all the better. As snow began to flutter down from the clouds, Kazu would be given the opportunity to practice with his kekkai genkai in its most natural environment.

"Good afternoon, Kazu. Thank you for meeting me out here. I know it's a bit of a trek." Not that it was anything he wouldn't be used to. Even with the railroads across the country, Yuki shinobi were still quite used to hiking all over the place.

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Yuki Kazu]

Kazu had been feeling a little displaced lately. For one, he had two new teammates now. He wasn't too sure how to feel about it. He had really enjoyed the duo of Masahiko and himself while it lasted, but he wasn't really mad that they got new members to their team either. However, he knew his time on the team was drawing to a close as well. Pretty soon, he'd be a chuunin. He felt even more displaced when everyone else on his team left for the chuunin exams, he was the only one that had stayed in Yukigakure. That, of course, meant he'd be going on less missions for the time being. Meaning his schedule was free.

Or at least, that's what he thought. However, Lady Yuki apparently didn't know the meaning of rest. The woman had summoned him during his break, somewhere outside of the black ice castle. Out in the snowy landscape. It was most likely for training purposes, but still the boy wasn't content to let his resting time go to waste.

Naturally, he waited until the last minute to leave for the location she had arranged to meet at. Once he left, he realized just how insane the woman was to call him out in the current weather. It wasn't like it was cold or anything of that nature, thanks to his clan. There was, however, a significant amount of snow being thrown in the wind. Regardless, he would still trek through the wintery obstacles and eventually arrive, finally spotting Lady Yuki in the tundra.

She greeted him, as was usual for her, but he could hardly hear the woman through the blizzard. "Yea, why are we all the way out here anyways?" It was a response that didn't really indicate how much he'd heard of her greeting, but Masahiko would definitely give him a side-eye for the type of verbiage he had used.

[Yuki Shuka]

Yuki Shuka --- TAG Yuki Kazu - - WORDS - - -

T

he weather was quite extreme, so it was almost a strain to hear Kazu over the whipping of the wind, though she did manage to make his words out. Her hearing hadn't started to go with her age yet, though she was sure in a few years she'd begin straining further to hear over such sounds. Shinobi were lucky to get through life without some loss of ability like that. Battlefields were loud and often left their damage.

"I wanted to work with you to continue developing your Hyōton. We made decent progress the last time we trained together, so I thought it would be worthwhile to have another session," she said, speaking up so she could be heard over the noise this time. She had a booming, clear voice - it was obvious she was used to public speech and having to project.

"This storm is going strong, but that makes it a good place to practice strengthening your own command of ice. What we're going to work on today is less a technique and more conceptual. I want you to try to take the winds of this storm and, in the area around us, push them in the other direction." A simple concept in description, but when put into practice it would almost certainly be a difficult challenge. Luckily, she would be there to guide him.

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Yuki Kazu]

Luckily, Lady Yuki had no issue hearing Kazu over the storm. At least, she didn't seem to have any issue with it. Even after all the things she'd been through and despite her age, she was still completely healthy and functional. He wondered if his hearing would fade by the time he reached her age. Problems for future Kazu to worry about, there was no sense worrying of a future that may never come.

The next time the woman spoke, it was much louder. The boy supposed that she was used to making herself heard over many different loud sounds. Whether it was caused nature or whatever else. He had no issue discerning her words this time, they had come out here to continue developing the boys Hyōton since Shuka figured it would be worthwhile to do so. 

Due to the severity of the storm, it was a good place to practice Kazu's command over ice. At least, according to Shuka. They wouldn't be working on a technique, just like last time it was more of a concept. Kazu was tasked with taking the winds of the storm and pushing them outward. The boy was a little confused though, he needed futon to control wind. All he had was his ice release, so how would he even go about controlling the wind here? "How exactly would I do that if I can't use Futon Lady Yuki?" He would ask, not sure of how to proceed.

[Yuki Shuka]

Yuki Shuka --- TAG Yuki Kazu - - WORDS - - -

K

azu inquired as to how he would be able to influence the air around them without the use of futon. Someone had done this boy a disservice, not properly explaining the nature of his kekkai genkai to him.

"Your hyoton is made up of suiton and futon," she explained, voice still projecting enough to be heard over the flurry of the storm. She held up two fingers demonstratively. "Though you cannot influence wind itself, you can influence the cross-section, where water and wind meet. While having practice with and understanding futon would certainly help, ice storms like this, blizzards, are your domain." She crossed the two fingers, showing, metaphorically, the intersection of futon and suiton that made up this storm.

"Even if you can't control the wind on which the storm blows, you can still control the individual snowflakes."

Shuka herself could use futon, but still, in demonstration, she raised a hand and utilized her chakra to grab onto a section of snowflakes, rapidly bringing them to the ground. With her control, she created a clear area around them. The wind still howled through, but there was no more blizzard in her small sphere of influence, giving them a brief reprieve.

"Being able to do something like this can be very important on a mission, to help protect shinobi with less cold resistance from the elements."

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Yuki Kazu]

Lady Yuki's explanation of how Hyoton worked was fairly basic, but it was true. He already knew that his hyoton was made up of both suiton and futon, but he wasn't aware that he could influence the cross-section of the two. It was relatively simple. He should've realized it much sooner. However, he'd barely gotten any explanation of it at all. With how few members of their clan had the ability, not many knew of a good explanation of the ability. Even if he couldn't control the wind itself, he could control the individual snowflakes. 

The woman once again demonstrated her capabilities, with a mere raise of her hand, Lady Yuki speedily brought a section of snowflakes to the ground. The area around them was clear, no more blizzard in the small bubble they were in. The wind continued to howl, but Kazu guessed she could stop that if she desired as well. The purpose of doing this was obvious, but the woman still stated it. Protect shinobi with less cold resistance. 

"Alright, I'll give it a try." He would say as he clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. He started by utilizing his chakra, trying to feel the snowflakes in the air. There were a lot, but he chose a patch of a couple of them, then swiftly pulled them towards the ground. He kept the rest of the snowflakes out of their area as best he could, though some still got in. His radius of peace was much less than Lady Yuki's, but he was still able to do it.

[Yuki Shuka]

Yuki Shuka --- TAG Yuki Kazu - - WORDS - - -

C

areful concentration saw Kazu managing to control a very small area of the snow. It was a good start, a demonstration that he was definitely capable of it. If he wanted to strengthen his hyoton, though, he would need to extend that focus further outward, pushing the boundaries of his power. To her working chakra was like exercising a muscle. The force could cause strain, but would ultimately lead to greater strength when done carefully. This was something she had helped her own nephew practice before, when he was still experimenting with his chakra potential.

"Very good. You managed to calm the blizzard in that area. Try it again, but see if you can use your reach on the ice as a connecting point to branch further outwards. Think of it like your chakra leaping from flake to flake, almost like a point of lightning jumping between two pieces of metal. The better you can form that connection, the better you can manipulate elements," she explained.

"You want to push yourself to go further, even if it is slightly tiring. You can only develop your skill by pushing the limits of what you're capable of doing."

She would raise her hand, this time to create more snow, making the blizzard in an area slightly denser.

"The snowflakes being closer might make this slightly easier."

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Yuki Kazu]

Kazu had managed to do the task he was given, albeit on a much smaller scale than Lady Yuki herself. Still, he felt a little accomplished being able to do something so significant. Being able to control a blizzard could definitely boost his ego if he didn't keep it in check. Still, it wasn't quite enough. Lady Yuki confirmed his thoughts by agreeing that he needed to expand the reach of it.

He was told to try a second time, to which he responded by releasing his small area of peace for a bit while he listened to her words. He wasn't great at multitasking in the middle of a blizzard, after all. Giving a visual of what would be happening definitely helped. She explained that he needed to push himself further towards his limits. That would result in his limits growing even farther. It would be tiring, but it would help him improve. "Got it, attempt number 2 coming right up!" 

He did as he had done before, clasping his hands together and closing his eyes. This time, he focused on the visual of his chakra leaping from one flake of snow to another. His area of peace was significantly larger this time, but still not quite as big as he was hoping for. He made an attempt to slowly expand it, bringing more snowflakes into his domain. It succeeded, but only a little bit of area was gained.

[Yuki Shuka]

Yuki Shuka --- TAG Yuki Kazu - - WORDS - - -

W

ith concentration, it seemed that Kazu's sphere of influence was able to grow. He expanded his effective range much more with his focus, allowing his control to extend much further. From there he managed to increase his radius inch by inch, small moments of progress at a time. This was good. It demonstrated that when he really put his mind to it, he was capable of more force than it first appeared.

"Try to take the opportunity to practice in the open like this whenever we experience a blizzard. Or even regular snow works, though it's less challenging," she said. It would be a good routine training for him to endure, a good way for him to mark his progress as he continued to practice with his elemental release.

"You can let go now. Let's try something a little different - another method of protecting from an ice storm. Take the snow that is falling from this blizzard and form it into a shell, almost like an igloo around us. That will take a fair bit of concentration, too. Remember what you just did, as applying a similar principle will surely be helpful with effectively performing this." He was already good with many hyoton techniques, so this shouldn't be too challenging for him, even if taking from the environment could be tricky when nature had much force behind it.

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Yuki Kazu]

Kazu had successfully expanded his barrier of influence over the blizzard, much easier than the first time he'd trained with Lady Yuki. He was, little by little, improving. His rate of growth was similar to his barriers, getting better inch by inch. He'd improved much more once he got a decent amount of motivation, but there weren't likely to be any more significant boosts. She instructed him to try to practice in these conditions whenever possible, or even with regular snow though it would be significantly less of a challenge. He nodded in response, not having much to say on that matter.

Finally, he was given the go ahead to let go of his barrier. He did as instructed, catching his breath as Shuka told him they'd be trying something a little different, that served the same purpose. He was to take the snow that was falling from the blizzard and use it to create a shell, like a fort or igloo, around the two of them. It was a fairly similar concept to what he'd just done, so it shouldn't be too difficult. "Got it." He said, raising his voice to be heard over the blizzard.

Having recovered, he would begin by using his hyoton on a small grouping of snow that had been falling through the air. He connected it to another piece, almost like drawing a line between them. He repeated this process, slowly building a shell around the two of them until the chaotic weather could barely be heard inside the shell. "That one wasn't so bad." He'd say, giving Shuka a grin.

[Yuki Shuka]

Yuki Shuka --- TAG Yuki Kazu - - WORDS - - -

W

atching his progress, she observed as he began to build the structure of the shell. Technically speaking, this is something that wouldn't be very practical. The thin ice crystal by ice crystal compounding of snow rather than using what was already on the ground wasn't particularly energy-efficient. What it was good for, though, was building a level of control and comfort with hyoton that would progress to true mastery, given enough time and practice. Someone who was familiar with the ice, could control it on a very small level, could refine and process the crystals... That was someone who was able to produce truly strong and powerful hyoton.

Eventually, he had formed the shell. Snow would gradually continue to build on top of it, practically reinforcing its structure now that it was in place. Shuka nodded, satisfied.

"You've done very good. That's a decent amount of control you have, being able to build a structure like this. Now I want you to focus on reinforcing it. Consider the places where the ice is most likely to break, where it might be most brittle. At the top in the center, where pressure might build, and along the sides here, at the bottom of the igloo," she directed.

"If you want very powerful and sturdy hyoton, you'll want to be sure to keep in mind the places where it will need the most support while you're forming it."

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Yuki Kazu]

Lady Yuki watched as the boy slowly but surely completed his task. Building the structure little by little until it was fully formed. Kazu could feel the snow piling on top of his structure, enforcing it even more than it already was. Still, it wasn't quite enough. Lady Yuki requested for him to reinforce it even more, specifically in the places the ice would break the easiest. The areas where it would be most brittle. The centermost point of the top, and the sides of the bottom were good examples. 

He focused once more, using the snow from the blizzard once again to slowly add to the structure. He started with the top, pulling in more ice shards until the top formed more of a pyramid than an igloo. This would serve the purpose of allowing the incoming snow to simply slide off. With the sides, he formed a ditch around the igloo so as to let the snow fill it, adding more structural support in the process. This took a bit more time as he was removing some snow instead of adding it, but it would make them more structurally stable. "I think that should be good." He'd look at Lady Yuki, awaiting any further instructions she might have.

[Yuki Shuka]

Yuki Shuka --- TAG Yuki Kazu - - WORDS - - -

K

azui took instruction well and seemed to have good instinct for how to do this kind of thing. That was good. Sometimes Yuki members who had grown up within the walls of Yukigakure didn't have as much of a natural sense for building these kinds of ice structures, since they fully lived indoors. Members of the Yuki clan who lived in the fishing villages and spent even more of their time out on the ice could build and stay in these kinds of structures very routinely, regardless of whether or not they had the ice release.

Soon enough, he had produced a sufficient result, a very structurally stable igloo.

"Good job. A structure like this can be invaluable on the road. When you're traveling with your team, if you get stuck out in a blizzard, building an igloo like this can save their lives. Especially a sturdy one that can last through terribly high winds. Keep that in mind when you're working with people who aren't a part of our clan."

The Yuki clan were lucky to be quite impervious to the cold. Though it did also mean they were often sent on missions regardless of the weather.

"Though structures like this can also be used as attacks in a pinch. So our final phase of this will be - try putting the snow under pressure and bursting it outwards. Use the structure you've built to your advantage. Having those reinforced areas can help generate extra force on the weaker areas when they snap and shatter outwards."

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Yuki Kazu]

Kazu had, once again, succeeded. At least, in Lady Yuki's eyes. He'd done well in his own eyes, but he still wanted to keep going for a little bit more. It seemed that Lady Yuki shared this sentiment. Or maybe she could just tell he wasn't quite at his limit yet. It was scary how much she knew just from looking at an individual. He listened to her words once again. "Yeah, definitely don't want any frozen team members." Was his only response to her. He was definitely the more protective force on their team, though he was always trying to be more on the offensive side. His sensei, Masahiko, had taken notice of this and now it was more balanced out. He'd put up defenses, then go on the attack.

The final phase was much more simple than the previous ones, use the already built igloo as an attack. Though Kazu had other ideas for it as well. He focused, building even more upon his structure until there were three cannons, easily accessed from the inside. "Why not have attack and defense?" He asked as he fired off the cannons with snowballs loaded into them. He gave a grin before actually doing what was asked of him, putting pressure on his structure until it exploded outward, showering the outside in even more snow. "So how'd I do? A plus?" He smirked.