[Yuki Tsugime]

polly voo franzy?

The training grounds were ripe for each and every person who entered to better themselves in some way. Some practiced the various ninjutsu they had learned, others their illusions or skill with weaponry. Tsugime hadn't gotten to that point in his shinobi journey just yet but that didn't mean he was out of luck. Far from it. In his time at the academy the boy had come to develop a fondness for the physical art of taijutsu. It could sometimes be tough to tell if a technique someone used worked but with a well placed punch or kick you pretty much knew right away. Still, just about everyone had some skill with it so to really make sure his fighting style could be viable his body needed to be stronger.

To help reach that goal the young Yuki had called for help from the village academy for a bit of one on one training. After that run in with Enyo the boy was very aware of his overall abilities (or lack thereof) and wasn't trying to pick a fight that he knew he couldn't win, but any tips or tricks or regiments that he could emulate would be super helpful. The usual routine of push ups, sit ups and the like, while useful, were more or less plateauing out aside from the amount he found himself able to do increasing a bit at a time, but he felt that something more was necessary to get him to that next level. Hopefully whoever the academy was sending would know the answer.

tagged: Kaguya Toru || word count: x || notes: x

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[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Yuki Tsugime

A young man descended towards Tsugime today, he was a consistent taijutsu instructor with a passion for it. So when the request had come across his desk he was more than happy to take up the mantle of being the trainer for the day. He had a bright-eyed look to him, almost bushy-tailed. Perhaps a bit naive in the way he looked, but he was definitely not a brand new face to Tsugime. The Yuki had likely had the young man in his taijutsu instruction before.

"Tsugime-kun! Are you all warmed up?" He asked quickly as he came to stand in front of the boy with his hands on his hips. Of course he expected that Tsugime had done something already to warm up his muscles, but there was a chance that the boy had been slacking off as some academy students definitely did not put their best foot forward when it came to their training. He hoped that Tsugime was not one of them on off hours.

As he did this he also laced his fingers together and pushed his palms up towards the sky in a stretch, arching his back a bit to pop it and get it nimble.

OWL

[Yuki Tsugime]

polly voo franzy?

A chipper voice tore through the wafting mist like a hot knife through butter and all at once the boy knew --and should have guessed-- who would would be instructing him today. The other instructors at the academy relied heavily on the man when it came to teaching the physical arts and just by looking at him it was hard to tell how he could be any better at taijutsu then some of the other teachers who were bigger or taller, but in his demonstrations a great power was shown and it took very little to remind Tsugime why he was as good as people said he was.

"Ah, yes sensei! Arms and legs are loose and ready to go!" The young Yuki replied with an eager smile. He was eager to get things going and learn some stuff that would help to show the fruits of his labor, because as of now all those push ups and sit ups were just making him sore. "So what are we gonna do today? Kick some trees down? Punch a boulder in half?" The boy asked excitedly. If he could walk into his next class and show his friends something like that he'd be the most popular boy in the academy without a doubt!

tagged: Kaguya Toru || word count: x || notes: x

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[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Yuki Tsugime

The young sensei let out a laugh at Tsugime's suggestions.

"Yes I think as much as that would be very cool indeed, you are nowhere near ready to attempt such a thing!" He chided playfully grinning slightly and shaking his head. Tsugime had a wild imagination, and had always been a touch precocious it likely came from the fact that he was a child of the Yuki clan. The wealthier clans definitely had a tendency to make children that had very stark personalities - whether that be good or bad.

"No punching boulders in half, but you will be carrying heavy objects in increments. Let's start!" He disappeared and soon after came back rolling out several different sizes of literal stones.

They were set up in a line and he dropped the smallest in front of Tsugime.

"Pick that up, and go to the end of the field and come back as quickly as you can." There would be little to no way that Tsugime would be able to run with the weight of even the lightest of stones but he could certainly try. It was meant to be a practical kind of physical training.

The final stone would be not only heavy but cumbersome as it would require Tsugime to really be able to lift something that was half of his body size and definitely well over his own body weight. Of course if he failed due to exhaustion at the end, there was no harm done he would still have succeeded in his training to some degree.

OWL

[Yuki Tsugime]

polly voo franzy?

Well, a boy could dream, even if they were destined to be dashed almost instantly, but it was good to know where he stood even if it wasn't what he wanted to hear. Still, this was why they were out here today so that one day Tsugime would be able to do those things and apparently it started with... carrying heavy rocks. The boy would watch as his instructor disappeared for a bit only to reappear with an assortment of literal rocks. They were definitely bigger than the ones he'd skip across ponds and his teacher wanted him to carry them and run at the same time? Maybe the first couple wouldn't be too bad but those last ones looked really heavy.

"Ok ok, got it. Carry some big rocks then we're punching trees. No problem!" The young Yuki would reply as he walked up to the smallest stone before getting in a squatters stance and trying to hoist it up which was a whole lot more difficult than he imagined it would be. "Oh man..." This was going to be a bit of task after all. "Down.. and.. back... simple enough." The boy spoke to himself as he began to put one foot in front of the other. Walking was a little awkward but slow steps weren't too bad, however when the boy tried to pick up the pace he found that his speed was anything but present. It took everything in him to just hold onto the damn rock and every step felt so heavy that the thought of running wasn't an option.

In time Tsugime would eventually reach the end of the field and begin the long, slow trek back to where his instructor was standing; a steady stream of sweat already pouring down his forehead. A few more minutes later and he'd reach his goal and drop the stone while taking a moment to catch his breath. "It's so.. heavy. And.. this is... the.. lightest one?" He had used muscles that he didn't know to exist before today and they were already screaming for him to quit, but all those push ups and sit ups had helped save his arms and midsection from feeling like jelly.. for now, anyway.

Now it was time for rock number two and as the boy went to pick it up his worst fear that it was even heavier than the first one was confirmed. Taking steps was proving rough and running was an afterthought but he'd move at as consistent a pace he could down the training field before turning back once he reached the end. Breathing was as tough as walking at this point and he wanted little more than to just be able to take a couple deep breaths yet the weight of the stone pushing against his sternum would not allow it. Once more the boy would reach his teacher and drop the stone, hands immediately finding knees as the student tried catch his breath.

"I didn't know... rocks... could get this heavy..."

tagged: Kaguya Toru || word count: x || notes: x

xxx

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Yuki Tsugime

The instructor stood there his hands on his hips still, watching Tsugime pick up the first and lightest rock before beginning his trek to the very end of the training grounds. He went, most likely, as fast as he could. But the man could tell just from the way the boy was moving it was going to be a long day of training for him. This was not your simple push-up or sit-up training, it was meant to work out the *entire* body in a way that the muscles were forced to engage. Tsugime would become strong in his entire body only by doing this sort of exercise... It had to be quite random too, if he picked up rocks and worked out the same muscles every day that wouldn't work either. It had to be sporadic to work the right way.

Once he returned, a sheen of sweat on his brow the sensei grinned.

"Good. Onto the next one, and you better pick up the pace unless you want to be here until sunset! Late for dinner!" No young man ever wanted to miss a meal, so of course he was hoping that his words would motivate Tsugime to move a little faster even if his muscles were already screaming at him just after the first go at the lightest rock.

OWL

[Yuki Tsugime]

polly voo franzy?

His instructor was nothing but chipper as he egged Tsugime to increase his pace with the remaining, heavier rocks less he want to be out here all day and risk missing his dinner. The boy wasn't thinking about dinner, he wasn't even sure if he would survive long enough to eat another meal at the rate this was going and most of his focus was on just how heavy the other rocks were. Would he even be able to pick them up? His arms were fine for the moment but each step left a burning sensation up and down his legs and it felt like he was walking in quicksand. Still, the Yuki wasn't going to give up and it wasn't like there were an infinite amount of stones so eventually this would end, and the faster the boy could move the sooner he would be done with this torture chamber.

"You're so... funny, sensei." Tsugime would reply to the man as he made his way over to the third stone. It was big and just looked heavy. The boy would struggle to pick up the rock but nevertheless he was able to get it hoisted and begin yet another down and back. He would try something a little different this time and lean forward with the rock to try and give him a little more momentum though it took quite a bit to stop himself from falling over. While it was nowhere near a run, or even a light jog Tsugime was moving quicker than he had been with the previous two rocks which was a good sign and after another few minutes he would return to the starting point before dropping the stone. "Did your teachers make you do the same thing when you were a kid?" He'd ask of his instructor. Part of him assumed this was some uniquely designed training regiment but it was so simple that people could have been doing this for generations.

tagged: Kaguya Toru || word count: x || notes: x

xxx

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Yuki Tsugime

"Hilarious, indeed." The man responded with a chuckle, a slightly sadistic twinkle in his eye watching Tsugime struggle. Not because he was really sadistic, but it was amusing to see the boy do his best and still struggle a little bit. It was often a humbling experience for those who wanted to train up their strength. It was not as if one could just be strong in ones arms, the legs were just as important! And the torso! Which was why this exercise was so excellent for what Tsugime had wanted to do!

When Tsugime returned a bit sweaty to speak to him, quite a bit of time had already passed, it seemed it was not easy for the boy to travel from one end to the other and even when he tried to run he wasn't fully succeeding in doing so.

"In my time? In my time we didn't have time to train like this, we were fighting wars!" He announced, and it was mostly true. The youngsters in the academy could scarcely remember the wars at this point - if they could at all - but anyone a bit older could remember and most likely fought in it too. It had been a horrible thing, and frankly the man was happy that his students didn't have to experience it.

"Now you have energy to talk, you have energy to keep on carrying!"

OWL

[Yuki Tsugime]

polly voo franzy?

Tsugime paused for a moment upon hearing his instructors response. While they were in a relatively peaceful era it wasn't all that long ago that people a bit older than him were being sent out to help in the war effort. He had heard stories --usually only the good ones-- but a lot of the finer details were left out either to spare the boy from hearing something his elders deemed him too young to hear of or because recalling such events was just too painful for them... perhaps it was both.

Before the youthful Yuki could dwell on the topic any longer the call to move on to the next stone came from his teacher and while there were only a couple more to go Tsugime could feel his muscles begging him to stop. But he couldn't get stronger by just giving up when things got a little tough, if that were the case he would have never finished that mission simulation even after all that that bully of a genin put him through. "Hai hai!" A deep breath. A calm exhale. Tsugime would wrap his arms around the next stone before using everything in his lower body to lift himself back up and take off down the oh so familiar path. He was getting used to the awkward gate required to try and run while holding something so heavy it was just getting his legs to move faster that was proving to be the difficult part. Nevertheless the boy would persist best he could, his pace faster than before but still taking quite a bit of time to get down and back.

Eventually he would make it back to his instructor and drop the rock with a thud. He wanted so badly to hit the ground just like it did but knew that the chances of getting back up were slim. "I'm gonna be sore for days, I just know it." Perhaps someone in his family would have a remedy for sore muscles and the such. Most people used ice packs or took ice baths and since his clan dealt exclusively with the stuff they'd surely have come up with something.

tagged: Kaguya Toru || word count: x || notes: x

xxx

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Yuki Tsugime

"Sore is good!" The instructor exclaimed, his hands still on his hips. Soreness was a good indication that one had worked hard, and to get rid of soreness well that usually meant even more work. In this case though, there was a good chance that the Yuki would need a bit of love and care at home so that his limbs did not bruise or worse - if he had been carrying the stones incorrectly.

But, for now the finish line was in sight even if he was undoubtedly struggling with this finish line. Tsugime was going to very much appreciate getting a nice meal after this of this the instructor was certain.

"You can do it! You're almost there, and then I'll go buy a sweet, huh? How's dango sound? Those are good, right? Something kids like?" Well, some kids liked dango others not so much. He had come across a few very serious children at the academy who hated sweets and to be treated as children or younger people... Trauma did a number on kids.

In terms of Tsugime though, he was still quite innocent so it was a little easier to interact with him as a student and to offer him sweets after a hard training.

OWL

[Yuki Tsugime]

polly voo franzy?

Tsugime was so tired that he didn't have the strength to be annoyed at his instructors endless glass half-full attitude even though deep down he knew the man was right and in the end this would only help him achieve his goal. The man would offer to buy his student some dango if he was able to carry the last stone down and back which in any other situation would have perked the young Yuki right on up but all he could think about was having to go down and back with the heaviest of the bunch; granted after about the third one they all felt the heaviest which Tsugime wasn't sure if that was due to him actually getting comfortable with the increased weight or if his arms just went numb after a bit. Either way, the boy had made it to the final stretch and soon enough he'd be able to sit down for good.

"A whole.. bunch of 'em." Tsugime replied through labored breathing. He'd take as deep a breath as he could before making his way over to the final stone, resting a single hand on it as he tried to muster whatever strength left he could. Two hands, lifting from the knees and in a not quite gracious but effective nonetheless motion he would lift the stone and take his first steps down the field. Left foot. Right foot. It was the only thing going through his head, anything else liable to make him lose focus and drop the super heavy stone. He tried to pick up the pace to end the struggle sooner but moving his legs any quicker than they were currently going just wouldn't happen; slow and steady it would be.

Reaching the end of the field, Tsugime would circle back around for the final stretch and stretch it did. Like a hallway in a nightmare it seemed to be never-ending and it looked like his instructor wasn't getting any closer no matter how many slow, plotted steps he took. Knees weak, arms heavy and a river of sweat pouring down his forehead the boy continued along through gritted teeth until at last he returned to his instructor's side where he dropped the stone and dropped himself as well.

The boy could only stare up into the sky as the sound of his own rapid breathing filled his ears. He was so tired and everything hurt.

tagged: Kaguya Toru || word count: x || notes: x

xxx

[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Yuki Tsugime

The instructor watched, occasionally making comments about the Yuki's form but frankly he was also kind of certain that he couldn't hear him properly. The man did not change his stance throughout this entire ordeal, which had taken the better half of the hour it seemed and it made sense considering how big these stones were and how quickly the boy was moving with them... Which was to say not very quickly. He still had a ways to go before he was extremely powerful, but that didn't matter much in the moment, he had taken the steps towards it! So as long as he kept up with his training he would be successful in perpetuity.

Soon, sweaty and exhausted Tsugime would arrive and drop down on the ground staring glazed over towards the sky.

"A job well done!" The sensei announced smiling slightly down towards Tsugime though well out of the boy's immediate line of sight and instead in his periphery.

"You'll be the strongest soon enough."

The man would slowly go to squat near Tsugime, arms rested comfortably against his knees.

"Tell me when you've gotten feeling back in your limbs, I was serious about that dango, ya know?"

OWL

[Yuki Tsugime]

polly voo franzy?

Even through his labored breathing and aching... everything, a small smile crossed the boy's face as he heard the encouraging words from his instructor. This had been the hardest, perhaps not the scariest but definitely the hardest, thing Tsugime had done in recent memory but if the older man said it would help him achieve his goal of getting stronger then it was totally worth it; perhaps not now or even the next couple days but surely carrying a bunch of super heavy rocks all across the training grounds would amount to him gaining something in the muscle department, right?

He'd hear the man bring up dango once more and it looked like it was more than just a tactic used to motivate the young student. In all honesty Tsugime could have stayed in this exact spot for the rest of the evening as the thought of moving was just too much. However, if one training session had him feeling like this then how was he supposed to build on his success and truly get stronger? A deep breath would precede the Yuki willing himself to sit up as he took a moment to wipe some sweat off his forehead with his jacket. "Alright, I'm good... I'm good. Let's get that dango!"

tagged: Kaguya Toru || word count: x || notes: x

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