[Deleted]

Now that the bar had been set and there was a bit of time between round two and three, he was going to work on his chakra - that was, not running out of chakra as he fuelled his techniques. Fuelled the raging avalanche of rock, as it were. He could move, he could change form, he could do what he needed: but he couldn't outrun a poor endurance, and so, in a human form - was running around a track just outside Kuwana and for the use of anybody who desired to do a bit of fitness. It had ups, downs, and general nice scenery: but it was a well mapped out area of no concern or importance that made it hold any strategic value to hold. That, and it had been mandated for people to use. Since it was significantly more difficult to build endurance in his earthen form outside of using chakra, improving on his bodily functions was the next best thing. It was strange to him, since how little he used it. But he was in a better mood today - news had gotten out about the fight, word spread and people were avoiding him. Well. Most other Genin and some civilians, but the Chunin and Jonin? They likely didn't see him as a threat. Not yet, anyway. That being said, he had taken his way around a really large training area in a set of matching black and white trimmed training clothes, a hoodie and a pack of tracksuit bottoms as he ran - the cool air was so different inside his lungs as he worked, and a healthy sweat had emerged since he had started, and he was going to continue going around this long track for as long as he could manage it. Incredibly boring? Absolutely. Necessary? Absolutely. This training would benefit his chakra reserves in the same way it did to people without the Yamakira's superior bodily function. He had not caught up to be friendly with the other participants, nor had he anticipated to between now and the third... he would need some time and a place to practise his larger Doton ninjutsu. Stuff he had in mind. Stuff that he wanted to use. Oh, he was going to make the greatest scene. He hoped.

[Hijikata Saga]

"force of the field". "How can you move forward if you keep on regretting the past?" OLD ACQUAINTANCES Saga had to train. He was very well aware of just how limited he was. Not that it was entirely his fault either: the Waterfall Lord had pulled him from a team, and he was borderline a suspended shinobi, without anyone to rely on for training and instruction. He had Kaida, and very recently, Taki had decided to help him with his sage training, yes, but still, that was far from having a dedicated Jounin taking care of him as they would, should he be a member of a regular Genin team. Training by himself didn't do much good; he didn't know where to go. However, since he arrived in Kuwana, he was able to expand his horizons a bit, finding in others clearer path towards his shinobi development. He quickly grew fond of the training grounds, and found himself going there almost on a daily basis. At times, he managed to get a surprise training partner, like how it was when he fought Shosuke from the Cloud, and had a little exercise with Tsuri from the Rain. This time, however, his path would lead him to meet an older acquaintance: Yamakira Hotarubi, a fellow Waterfall shinobi with whom he went on a simple mission once. Cracking a smile, he would approach the boy with a friendly wave. "Yo there, bud! Doing some training? Mind if I tag along?" he invited himself, speaking in an almost excited tone. "There is no such a thing as a painless lesson, they just don't exist. Sacrifices are necessary; you can't gain something without losing something..." Training Kuwana's Training Grounds [@perpetual] [226 words]

[Deleted]

He squinted. "Alright?" He didn't remember Saga, briefly. But then first level: he remembered the face. Second level: a participant in the chunin exams. Third: 'Oh, we'd done a mission together.' Oh. His memory didn't fail him. "Hi Saga. You good?" He wanted to carry running and so he gestured with his hand for them to keep moving as he jogged on the spot. Smack. Smack. Smack. Feet against the floor. He didn't mind - in fact, having someone to keep him fast would have been great. "Good fight." Hotarubi would offer. In reality, Hotarubi hadn't watched the fight - straying between consciousness and not, but had seen that they had win. He had only seen 11 of the 13 fights. So - he carried on breathing, working on his breath, his stance, his stride - he wondered, for a moment - what he would do if he ended up fighting a Taki shinobi? "Glad to see you're still up and kicking. But if we fight against one another in the exams, sorry, but you're gonna have to surrender." Hotarubi would be certain of it. He recalled Saga used fire: that fire would be useless on him. Still, he felt a dredge of emotional maturity, because he didn't feel the need to express death to the teenager.

[Hijikata Saga]

"force of the field". "How can you move forward if you keep on regretting the past?" ACKNOWLEDGMENT Saga nodded to Hotarubi when he asked if he was good. "Yeah. My fight went well enough, and I managed to get to the final round. I wasn't even expecting to proceed this far, but maybe I did get better!" he said, cracking a large smile and lifting a triumphant fist in excitement, as he joined Hotarubi on his jogging, just before the young man mentioned his fight was a good one, and being unusual to compliments, he blushed slightly. "Thanks! I was happy with that, even though I think I burned that kid pretty bad. But she did threaten me, so..." he shrugged, as he started waiving hand seals, but without casting any technique. It was mostly as if he was just exercising the movements and trying to make them flow more naturally, and faster. His next words, however, came in the form of a somewhat friendly warning, and Saga looked at him, slightly surprised with the fact he brought up the subject, but ultimately, he nodded in agreement. "Fair enough. I don't think I can beat you, especially not after what I saw. I'm still very limited on what I can do so... Yes, if we end up fighting, I will forfeit. At least it will mean a fellow Waterfall Shinobi will proceed." he said with a light shrug. He didn't seem offended by the prospect. He knew his own limits, and he knew the value of living to fight another day. Still, it sparkled something inside of him: he wanted to get stronger so that, if he fought someone like Hotarubi in the future, forfeit wouldn't be his only option. "There is no such a thing as a painless lesson, they just don't exist. Sacrifices are necessary; you can't gain something without losing something..." Training Kuwana's Training Grounds [@perpetual] [260 words]

[Deleted]

"You did what was right." In his mind, though he hadn't known that was the case for being asleep, he still believed in what he said - especially in the face of a threat. It was only good if they were stronger than someone - if they were weaker, who gave them the right? Hotarubi would grunt in response, as if to say 'good' - but as long as Saga knew their own abilities... well. No use on going any further than that - He'd gotten that out of the way. "I ended up chatting to someone from Yuki no Kuni - Would you believe that people live in a snow ridden hellhole? I couldn't imagine a worse thing." With the business out of the way and they were running there wasn't any reason he couldn't - although, it was a bit more draining on his body. Why? Breathing and talking were not the same thing, and he would find that in turn he would be that much more laboured for it. It was all good, he was trying to train his reserves. "Anyways. Any people we need to worry about? From the exams?" It would be easier if he had someone to report it, because "I'd only seen the ... mir- mer? Meru? the fast one." It hadn't been a secret that Hotarubi had been sleeping throughout some of the fights.

[Hijikata Saga]

"force of the field". "How can you move forward if you keep on regretting the past?" QUICK FINGERS In a world where the survival of the fittest played a direct role in their lives, he was pretty sure he did the right thing fighting Uta with all his power, even if he risked seriously injuring - or perhaps even killing - the girl. But alas, she was the one who escalated the situation with her words, so he didn't feel bad about. However, he would be lying if said it wasn't reassuring to heart the same thing from another person. Saga responded with a firm nod. "Yeah, I think so." Hotarubi then mentioned he chatted with someone from the Land of Snow, and that they lived in a place so full of snow it was probably very bad. "I don't really like the cold... I can't see myself in a land of ice and snow." he shrugged as he continued to job with Hotarubi, while also waiving hand seals with his hands in quick succession, trying to go through all different seats, and then beat his time on the next repetition. It was a bit harder to focus on that while jogging, but it was a good training; often times you need to be moving while casting your techniques. When asked about the people he should worry about, Saga pondered about it for a second and then nodded. "There's the blond little kid. He knocked out the sword kid from the Grass with a single punch. He moved so fast I could barely even follow. And the bald old man from the Sand, the monk guy who beat up Kaida." he recalled. "Before that I was taking a dump, so I didn't watch the other fights." he admitted. "There is no such a thing as a painless lesson, they just don't exist. Sacrifices are necessary; you can't gain something without losing something..." Training Kuwana's Training Grounds [@perpetual] [266 words]

[Deleted]

"I like cool breezes. Not frozen wastelands. I like the fertility of the forest, the jun- jungle, you know?" He was taking the time to try and breath on his steps, keeping a rhythm. Saga was keeping up and doing something else entirely, which... well. It was more than him. Good for him. Hotarubi was having to expend a lot more chakra to remain human. "Ah." That was a fight that would have been useful to see. But apparently there were two fast people on board - so... well. Not a lot he could change there, but doton could be good for that. All he could say was that describing a bald monk man was not helpful to him. But Hotarubi would spare him the internal thought process. Taking the time for a good shit was good. "Gotta take your time with that. Get the knees up high - that's the natural... curvature. Not like... a jump. A squat. Obviously." Spoken like a true professional from someone who didn't currently live in a nice fancy apartment with a toilet, but more literally under a rock... au' naturale, was how he remembered. But that required a good stance. A solid stance. "You been on many misuhns -" he spoke while stepping on uneven ground and ended up taking a bad step. "Missions - since ours?" Hotarubi was still wanting to talk about anything other than the boring run. It was. SO. SO BORING. He hadn't had a full conversation with anybody aside from Reiji since coming to the exams...

[Hijikata Saga]

"force of the field". "How can you move forward if you keep on regretting the past?" PROSPECT "I like warm and toasty places, where I can just swim on the rivers and lakes, shower under a waterfall, and sleep in a hammock at night butt naked! Hehehe!" he said in a nonchalantly way as he continued to waive the seals and jog around the area. Saga was honestly surprised Hotarubi also appreciated a proper pooping position and he effusively nodded to him. "I say that all the time!!" he agreed with plenty of enthusiasm. He would then be asked about missions, and he shook his head. "Not really. I went on one other mission, and that was it. Then I was told to come to the exam and prove myself, since I failed the last one. I hope I can pass this one, because I'm kinda tired of them. But we shall see... As long as I don't fight you, the one-punch kid, I think I will be fine. I do want to punch that monk." he admitted. He didn't hate the Sand shinobi, but he did beat Kaida, so he wanted to give him some sort of retribution for that. The speed in which he was being able to waive the hand seals was becoming quite impressive. His fingers seemed more nimble than any other part of his body, and he had repeated the seals so much that they were becoming real second nature to him; he didn't even had to think about them to form them. "There is no such a thing as a painless lesson, they just don't exist. Sacrifices are necessary; you can't gain something without losing something..." Training Kuwana's Training Grounds [@perpetual] [228 words]

[Deleted]

Hotarubi liked that as well. At least they had some topics they could agree on. Hotarubi nodded at the assertion though. It did give some memories of enjoyment, but there was the other half. "I don't like the humid season so much, though. Butt naked in a hammock is all fine and well until you can't get any cooler..." Other people then also had other issues like mosquitos to worry about - he didn't as much. But, it was uncomfortable to be a human in that sort of weather. But in that kind of weather, he felt soggy. Like mush: on times where the humidity was non stop and their particular weakness ... he didn't like it. On the other hand, he preferred it much more than he would have had he been a resident of Yukigakure no Sato, even if a cool breeze was to die for. Hotarubi did briefly look at Saga, only to scuff his feet against the floor as he wasn't managing his own steps properly. He nearly fell - taking some few more steps to equalise his balance. Gods, he felt stupid. This was all so boring and he had so little to focus on that his mind was apparently deteriorating. "fucking... dammit.." Hotarubi wouldn't outwardly say any further on the subject as they ran. Yet - he didn't continue speeding up, and he felt a sweat all around his clothing, a dampness forming from his body. His lungs hurt. That was the side effect of having to (ick) act like a human (urgh). But Saga had been in the exams twice... a part of him wanted to call the teenager a weakling, and the other wanted to enquire if the exams had been that tough. Brutish, callous - all things he was. But, he also knew when it was more beneficial to keep his breath for his lungs than to speak out. For now, though, he didn't answer further as he tried to catch his breath.

[Hijikata Saga]

"force of the field". "How can you move forward if you keep on regretting the past?" TO REST Saga paused when Hotarubi almost tripped, even ceasing his quick hand seals for a moment. "Are you okay there?" he asked, genuine concern in his tone. As someone who didn't have many friends, or any family, he valued the bonds he managed to form - as superficial as they may be. And while he didn't like how cruel Hotarubi was in his fight, he also didn't hold it against him. He also had to be rather cruel in his own fight, or risk losing a limb or something. It was just how things were. Seemed like he was struggling to catch his breathe, and Saga would approach him and offer him a bottle of water. "Remember to try and stay hydrated. And rest if you need to catch your breathe. I... I know it can be hard sometimes. And we are still sort of recovering from the previous rounds, ya know?" he said, trying to make Hotarubi not feel so bad for struggling. "Still... We need to train hard. Last time, I stayed there to watch the rest of the exam, even though I failed on the first round... It was a puzzle we had to solve, and the muscle I like to use the least is the brain." even though the brain was not really a muscle. "But the final round was when shit actually got serious." he warned his village-mate. "There is no such a thing as a painless lesson, they just don't exist. Sacrifices are necessary; you can't gain something without losing something..." Training Kuwana's Training Grounds [@perpetual] [219 words]

[Deleted]

"I'm know how to run," Hotarubi responded with an edge and dryness as if he hadn't actually nearly slipped over. Of course Saga was trying to be friendly. "Right. I hope ... you get an easy match up..." Was Hotarubi... trying to make friends? He would take the bottle of water, still continuing to use chakra (And therefore even more energy) to take a swig. It didn't particularly help when one needed to do their human ... things and then they didn't feel like they had any chakra at all. Still, the way Hotarubi spoke was a very backward way of talking. Still, there might've been things to learn from Saga's previous exams that would help Hotarubi in his own? Hotarubi was keen to not talk about his own failures, like being kicked out of his own home and being homeless in Takigakure no Sato, how only until recently he'd been a bullied child kept from the academy or how he had only just 'bested' his brother for naught of trying for many years. "Fuck puzzles." Hotarubi agreed: his capacity for puzzles was limited to types of rocks and gems and minerals. But - hard thinking? He could do it, but as round two had been any indication, it was... poor. They had been so late to joining the rest of the party with the entire rest of the participants. Hotarubi started to jog again, the ground reverberated with his size and weight but he still managed to be somewhat fast. "You ever find... running boring? I can't think of a less fun thing to do. What happened in your final round?" He probed for more information, since he wasn't entirely useless or without some minimal intelligence.

[Hijikata Saga]

"force of the field". "How can you move forward if you keep on regretting the past?" WHATEVER IT TAKES Saga didn't seem bothered by Hotarubi's dryness, as the boy was used to that to the point it became sort of the norm for him. What he wasn't very used to was signs of comradery and friendship, and when Hotarubi voiced his wishes for Saga to get an easy match, his eyes sparkled with joy and his smile widened almost from ear to ear. "I hope so! If I can pass, it means I can go back to the village!" and even though he didn't seem to mind living in a hut in buttfuck nowhere, deep down it saddened him. The two seemed to equally dislike puzzles, and Saga nodded, seconding his comrade's statement as his hands continue to cicle quickly through the many hand seals. He didn't mind the jog, even if he didn't enjoy it either. Having a decent amount of stamina certainly helped, however. "I don't like it, but it can be helpful to train. And running and waiving my hand seals will help me train to do so in the middle of combat." standing still on the battlefield was ill-advised and Saga learned it the hard way when he ended up getting his own brother killed. And yet, he had still much to learn before he could become a mobile ninjutsu fighter. "I fought this girl who said she was gonna chop off my least favourite arm... So... I used a trick. I prepared a substitution technique and charged. I tried to hit her with a very direct attack, and she dodged it and immediately countered." he started explaining, pausing for a moment. "She tried to hit my other leg and put an explosive tag there. Nasty shit. But it all went according to plan. I used substitution and hit her hard with my strongest technique. She tried to block with a barrier, but my fire is really strong, and she was burned and gave up." he explained. "I didn't mean to burn her that badly, but she threatened me... I have no regrets." he shrugged. He wasn't a cruel person, but he was a survivor. "There is no such a thing as a painless lesson, they just don't exist. Sacrifices are necessary; you can't gain something without losing something..." Training Kuwana's Training Grounds [@perpetual] [339 words]

[Deleted]

Hotarubi did think he was developing a level of camraderie and Hotarubi wasn't so sure how Saga was managing to talk as much as running and handsealing. But then again - Hotarubi didn't use his human lungs all that much. Saga did seem as though the other canddiates were just like him. "Agreed." Maybe Hotarubi ought to have practised handseals as well? It helped that his affinity made moulding Doton techniques that much easier. Saga explained the match in a bit more detail. It sounded savage. It sounded like him, but he didn't think that some of the other candidates had it in them - perhaps it wasn't so bad for him to be as blood thirsty as he had been? "I couldn't ... have been that..... bad, then." He rationalised for himself, but he was busy huffing away with an apparent technique as he tried to regulate the pain of tenseness in his muscles, the sweat at his forehead, the terseness of his lungs: all while having a conversation. There was so much to learn. They were both survivors in that respect. Still - they were coming to a part of the course which had obstacles. Large rocky outcrops to climb up - things to jump over. This was going to suck. Hotarubi came to a stop some ways before it. Continuing to breathe heavily. "I'll.. uh... start.. in a sec." Apparently Yamakira Hotarubi did have some limits and needed to stop - it had been no different than to the first round.

[Hijikata Saga]

"force of the field". "How can you move forward if you keep on regretting the past?" OBSTACLE COURSE Saga arched one of his brows when Hotarubi hesitated a bit with his words, blinking twice before he started responding. "Well... I don't think I would've done it myself. But the Grass are our enemies, so in a way... Maybe retiring that boy you almost merciful. He won't have to die at our hands in the future." he shrugged, grimacing shortly afterwards as he cracked his own finger by accident. "Ouch!! This hurts!" he complained, sighing and shaking his head as he opened and closed his fingers in quick succession to stretch them out. They would then pause as they reached the obstacle part of the course and Saga studied it for a bit with his eyes. The young Sage apprentice, scratched his chin, and then he chuckled in mild excitement. "I will get started then! This will be a decent challenge!" and after stretching a bit, Saga darted towards the obstacle course, leaping the obstacles and then skidding under some of it, all while waiving hand seals as fast as he possibly could. His movements were clumsy to say the least, but he seemed quite excited about it. He liked to challenge himself and have a little adventure, it was good to take his head away from the intense stress caused by the exams, right? "There is no such a thing as a painless lesson, they just don't exist. Sacrifices are necessary; you can't gain something without losing something..." Training Obstacle course [@perpetual] [203 words]

[Deleted]

"Right." As if he hadn't intentionally tried to go for the kill... yes. He was just being merciful... A little bit of cognitive dissonance took place. Saga still had his own flaws, which Hotarubi expected... just he didn't expect them from himself and as he was taking the time, hands on his knees as he hunched over to keep breathing - he would idly watch Saga. Saga would take off first and Hotarubi would watch as he started to fall behind in the face of another Shinobi. There was some rationalisation happening in his head: different circumstances, he would suppose. Not the fact that Saga was a better human who had more experience in his own flesh sac. But - the way Saga would do it was interesting, because Hotarubi's own head would cock with interest as he watched the Genin also scale it in a completely different direction to what he himself would have taken. Hotarubi followed by after Saga's form had disappeared across the various ups and downs, telling himself he couldn't dare to stay far behind the other Genin - not if he wanted to be a Chunin in his own rite. While Saga had skilfully darted through it, Hotarubi's own actions were ... lumpier. He would climb: turning a hand into a hook to scale where he needed. He would rather than making deft movements, made powerful jumps - exertions of body to get up in fell swoops as opposed to deft and nimple, cost saving movement - and that was an area of improvement for himself, too... And oh man, his body ached. Sometimes it felt nice to be human. But - if Saga had waited for Hotarubi, he would have a couple of minutes to catch his breath as he did.