[Uchiha Izusa]

The darkened flower

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As the winter months drew onward, the air in Konohagakure no Sato became more brisk.

Naturally many of the lessons at the academy were moved indoors to account for this. Students and faculty wore heavier articles of clothing to account for this but not him. Between his yukata and haori he kept relatively warm.

Though lately he'd found himself tying his white scarf a little tighter around his neck. "What's on the docket for today?" The instructor wondered to himself mentally, flipping through a clipboard that he held near his face. After a moment of reading he paused and frowned. "Strength... 'trning'?" A small sigh escaped his lips as he shook his head.

Messy handwriting compounded with chronic lack of sleep made for a whole new kind of chicken scratch. Quietly the young man made his way from his usual classroom to one of the academy's indoor gymnasiums. It was almost noon now and class was due to begin in the next few minutes... so he took the time to raid one of the nearby supply closets. Weights, resistance bands, kettlebells— anything an aspiring young ninja might need to exercise. Although...

...raw physical strength had never been his strong suit. "This might be one of those 'do as I say not as I do' kind of deals..." Taking the time to set the equipment down on the foam mats that covered the entirety of the floor, he stood in wait with his clipboard in hand. "Welcome students!" He greeted the kids as they began to shuffle in, pausing for just a moment at his own words. "No, wait... that sounds too formal." A moment of thought later and... "Hey, class."

A nonchalant wave was followed by a gesture for them to join him in standing in the center of the floor. "Today's lesson? Strength training." As soon as the words left his mouth a few groans sounded out. "Why don't you ever show us any cool jutsu, Izusa-sensei?" One of the kids inquired. "Hm... I guess I don't, huh?" He asked to many, many sighs.

Small smirk forming on his face as his eyes scanned the student's present. "Alright everyone, two lines. Form up." He would wait until the children shuffled into position with ample spacing between one another before bracing one shoulder with his non-clipboard-holding hand. "This one's called the Junbi Undō no Jutsu. It's very important so don't forget." More groans for the 'Wam-Up Exercise Technique'. With that, he'd lead the class in some basic stretches starting with their arms. Some of the children seemed restless and the air of tedium hadn't escaped him...

But limbering up was important! If he did his job right, by the end of class everyone would've gotten a good workout in and maybe even enjoyed themselves. Only time would tell if it was the case... but he was going to do his best.

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[Nara Shun]

NARA SHUN CHRONICLES

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”Man… it's hot…” Shun mumbled as she was wiggling out of the turtleneck sweater that was given to her to wear by her mother. The girl squirmed a bit and appeared to be stuck in it when the time was to get it off her head with her hands and head trapped in the wool contraption, but soon regained freedom after the next harder pull. However, her hair seemed a bit more frizzy afterwards. Shun had a t-shirt underneath and it was fine for her. The girl also had a pair of black cargo pants and dark grey shinobi boots on. Her shirt was white and had the Nara symbol printed on the left sleeve. Her waist-long hair was raven black and left loose with the front sides braided back but it didn't stop a few strands on the right wafting in front of her face. Shun stood at 165cm, had dark grey eyes and a fair complexion. She had been skinny all of her childhood but puberty was finally kicking in and now, at fourteen years of age, she had gotten to 55 kilograms. The girl was happy with it because it felt like she could pack a better punch and wouldn't need to put rocks in her pockets on windy days.

”Wel-" she almost answered fully after the first greeting of Uchiha-sensei. It looked like he wanted to do it differently. All the students weren't inside the gymnasium yet so it wasn't of much consequence. ”Hello, sensei” some students greeted back in a small choir. In a few moments after, everyone was standing straight in a few lines in front of their teacher.

*Strength training? I guess it's useful…* the young Nara thought. She was standing at the front and listening patiently. While bubbly and friendly, the girl didn't disrupt class too much - mainly because it made the class seem longer and people in her clan had a tendency to be extremely efficient so that they can spend less time on doing things. Well… most of them, at least.

”Junbi… Undō?” Shun repeated as Izusa spoke and raised a brow. She couldn't help but sigh as her hand caught her face falling into it. *So lame…* she thought but couldn't help also having a smirk climb onto her face. A chuckle escaped afterwards. There was an element of funny somewhere in there.

”Sensei,” Shun started after calmly raising an arm. The Nara then looked towards all the equipment gathered and asked: ”Are we going to be lifting heavy things all class?” Not that there was anything wrong with repeatedly lifting the heavy thing - her romantic heart often craved for more adventure so she figured she might as well ask instead of getting her hopes up. Some of the other kids turned their attention towards their teacher as well. Some were still doing stretches while looking over but it seemed many teens had the same idea as the Nara girl.

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Words: 507
Tag: Uchiha Izusa
Shun: 395828

[Uchiha Izusa]

Grows even in full shadow

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Once upper arms were finished it was onto legs, the instructor continuing to lead the class in their stretches. Wearing a yukata made it a bit awkward to get the full range of motion needed... but such was the price of old-timey fashion.

Per usual he wore a soft smile on his face during his teaching duties but his dark eyes were as sharp as ever. Always watching and analyzing even when he appeared otherwise relaxed. Searching for areas to critique in his students' form so that he could better help. It took only a few minutes for the to move through the preliminary warmups. 

Now? Onto the fun stuff. "Hm?" The instructor hummed in response to a certain Nara's question, a hint of wryness seeping into his smile as he listened. "Don't tell me you're bored already, Shun-chan..." Izusa placed a single hand on his hip and raised an eyebrow. The girl was somewhat of a rising talent to watch within Konohagakure's academy. A bit of a lazy streak... but certainly sharper than she appeared. Something he could sympathize with given that his hapless teacher schtick was very intentional. He turned towards the class. "Is lifting heavy things really so dull?" He asked. "Yes!" The choir sang back. His eyes closed for a bit as he raised a hand to nervously rub his chin. "Oh dear..."

A bit of laughter rang out afterwards, and though he knew full well the tedium of how it sounded, this was all a part of the process. "Okay, tell you what. Everyone drop down, give me thirty push-ups and—" Several groans cut him off but he raised hand to give a 'settle' gesture. "...and in the meantime I'll think up something a bit more fun." Izusa's head scanned the lines of students before his gaze finally settled back on Shun. "Deal?" Of course he'd already planned on making things a bit more interesting... but maybe this way he could get a bit more effort out of them all?

For now, Izusa would simply place his hands within the sleeves of his haori, watch, and wait. Something told him the kids were going to get a kick out of what he had in mind but he'd wait for the big reveal for a little later. "One..." He began counting out loud as the students began their light exercise. Some of them more reluctantly than others. 

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[Nara Shun]

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She sighed. The surrounding students groaned and for good reason. *Did I just… get us pushups?* Shun felt a bit of anxiety. However, maybe this would encourage the teacher to have them do something awesome? Hopefully.

”Yes, Uchiha-sensei.” she agreed before falling forward and landing on her hands to start push-ups. The best way through something she wasn't too eager to do was to start it as quickly as possible. Shun had recently been training more hand-to-hand combat and feeling more comfortable with fighting. However, she was at a level of strength appropriate for her small stature. Now Shun thought that it would be nice to gain more physical strength and later be able to do cool stuff like Hyuga Raika did - the advanced genin that pushed a training dummy and it exploded from the applied force.

Shun was also one for proper etiquette so she wouldn't call Izusa by his name but rather by his surname. Nara was one of the noble clans of Konoha and, while some members were a bit lazy, they were expected to act accordingly and stay out of trouble. She would be informal with people her age outside of school or maybe the occasional stranger if it felt comfortable enough and, of course, her friends but everyone else would mainly see a polite, witty girl with a need to work smarter not harder. Her classmates and friends, however, knew her as a curious free spirit who seemed to live in her own world and was extremely open-minded.

The count for the push-ups began and Shun would do them diligently and quickly. Her form was good but it was when she noticed the figure near her - a classmate named Sarutobi, Masashi - doing them just a little quicker than her that she upped her speed as well. They would often compete. The boy was bigger, stronger and could do wind release already but Shun was fast and could tree walk and do Shunshin so the two were fighting over who would be at the top of the class. They had sparred eight times thus far. Shun had won six of them so this episode of push-ups might as well have been a challenge. She wasn't going to lose to the boy just because he had beat her a couple times in the past.

To anyone watching it would look like the two teenagers still followed the count but would compete on who could go down and up the fastest. By the count of twenty they were glaring at each other and becoming more and more unnecessarily flashy. Masashi would start doing one handed push-ups and Shun would also put one hand behind her back but then later lift the opposite leg up as well. Then Masashi lifted on one hand and did hand-stand push-ups while Shun would stay on one foot and one hand and push off the ground hard enough to jump up every time she would rise.

It appeared that this competition was nothing new to the other students… some even found it a bit much… you could hear some people sighing.

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Words: 522
Tag: Uchiha Izusa
Shun: 395828

[Uchiha Izusa]

To one day blossom

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Now this was interesting. "A classmate rivalry? Hm..." The instructor thought as he dutifully scanned the students, his eyes eventually falling on both the Sarutobi boy and Nara girl each trying to outdo the other in their pushups.

It reminded him a bit of simpler times back when he was in the academy. The first time he'd met Satoji and Ayame and how he was always having to play mediator between the two. Always the level-headed child, his main competition back then was his older brother Sagara. And that was more loving encouragement than fiery contest. 

Both of his squadmates though... those two never stopped. And though it often grated on his nerves he remembered them constantly pushing one another to improve. "A little competition never hurts." He thought as he observed quietly and continued to count. "Twenty-eight, twenty-nine... and—" A clap echoed throughout the gym signaling the end of the exercise. "I think that'll do for a warmup." Izusa said with a nod then allowed the class a moment to catch their collective breath. Once they had, he would walk over towards the gathered equipment and squint.

Either someone had been meddling with the supply closet or they had less weighted gear than he thought. "Oh well, we'll just have to make do." A lone thought as he turned once more to face the students. "I was going to have us all stick to simple exercise... but let's try for something more fun." He said, that same small smile returning to his lips as he gestured to the gear at his feet. "We'll do some sparring with wrist and ankle weights instead." Izusa paused, then glanced around to gauge the kids' reactions. It would be a bit more visceral than basic workouts and allow them to test themselves in a more practical manner. And he already had an idea of who the first two he would pair up were...

But before that, he took a few steps back and lowered his center of gravity a bit. "But first, a quick demonstration." In quick succession he threw out two jabs followed by a few snap kicks at the air. Even holding back as he often did when teaching his movements were still swift— especially to an academy student's eyes. "Now, to compare..." Izusa crouched down and strapped on the bracer and anklet weights to each of his limbs. After he had, he would stand and repeat the same exact motions only this time he was noticeably more sluggish. His face even scrunched up slightly at the effort required. Despite that, each strike was measured and followed through to its end. "These things are heavy, class. If you aren't careful you can easily pull a muscle so be mindful." The instructor paused and began to unclasp his weights, putting on his best 'responsible adult' face as his gaze shifted to each student. "Alright?" Nods followed.

And at least some of the kids had perked up a bit at the prospect of mock fights. "Better." He thought. "Okay, then. First up— Masashi-kun and Shun-chan." Izusa gestured for the rest of the class to take a seat then towards the big open space just in front of their formation. As good an arena as any. "Make sure those weights are on tight and take a few practice strikes. Once the Seal of Confrontation is given you two can start." The instructor looked to them both and nodded before taking a few steps back to observe. Both Masashi and Shun seemed even in terms of physical skill.

Sarutobi resolve against Nara ingenuity... he was certainly a bit curious to see who would win out in the end. And whether or not his assumption about Shun proved correct. "Let's see what they've both got." Now? It was time.

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[Nara Shun]

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*Uchiha-sensei is actually pretty cool when he wants to be, huh?* she thought as their teacher demonstrated the effects of weights. His movements looked controlled and reminded of the restraint she had seen on older shinobi - restraint was hard to finesse.

”With weights… on…” she repeated slowly and her gaze travelled to Masashi. The tall brunette was wider, heavier and could do fuuton jutsu. It was always a bit tricky to best him and he might have been secretly training with weights already but Shun doubted it. The boy had always been bigger and stronger than the others so she could bet money that he prioritised honing weapon skills or, most probably, ninjutsu (as was evident with the elemental use).

The girl strapped weights on and had to contain herself not to show how happy she was. For years now, almost every single day, Shun had been training with weights to enhance her speed. Mostly on her ankles but strapping these on was almost more familiar than going without. The Nara was used to the extra muscle strain needed and, even though the weights were now on her wrists as well, the individual weight wasn't as heavy as the ones Uchiha Kazui had given her three years ago.

”Hey, Masashi! No hard feelings when I win, ok? the Nara girl taunted. Sometimes that could work and the boy would make a mistake later. Both of Shun's parents were shinobi. Her father Shikarui was of the Nara clan and worked with things they couldn't discuss back home and her mother Ayame was ex-ANBU turned jounin. Both of them had explained the same thing to her: "Often combat starts before the fight”. It meant that trying to get an emotional response from the opponent was part of a strategy.

Shun eyed their teacher for the go-ahead after both of the teens had taken a spot a bit away from each other and the rest of the class had sat down. Shun had taken care to walk over a bit slower and heavier. She kept her feet low and flexed her legs and core more as she walked to make it appear like the weights have a bigger effect on her than in reality. There was no use letting Masashi know that she'd have an advantage before they started fighting. That is also why she didn't over-act. He'd see right through it.

Both of the teens moved around and did some kicks and punches but Shun's mind was more occupied with something else. Uchiha-sensei hadn't given any rules so she assumed ninjutsu and the use of any training tools they have on them was ok. The girl made sure to lift her legs a few times to "get used to the weight” and then the same with her arms. She hadn't used weights as heavy on her wrists, however, so she took a moment to actually get used to continuously straining her arm, shoulder, core and neck muscles to use the whole range of her movements. Still, she was certain Masashi would probably struggle more.

It looked like both of them were ready and so, they stared each other down and each made a seal. And so, the match began:

Shun ran forward a bit slower and formed the signs necessary for Bunshin no Jutsu. Her naturally bigger chakra reserves allowed her to produce five images of herself and they would all, the same as the real person, switch to her actual running speed with weights on and barrage Masashi from all directions. The clones would attack with a streight up right hook, a roundhouse kick to the legs, an assault after a jump, a half-spin kick and a full summersault kick from above. Shun herself would be the fourth and, of course, the other clones couldn't actually make impact. Most people would assume that the user would go last to confuse their opponent and also that position had the most possibility of success but, that was something Shun herself would learn to predict so she figured she'd mix it up. It looked like Shun was moving pretty naturally with the weights since her main concern was just carrying the extra amount of weight on her wrists and, while it would eventually tire her out quicker, it wasn't much of a handicap.

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Words: 725
Tag: Uchiha Izusa
Shun: 395828

[Uchiha Izusa]

An exchange of skill

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Hands folding out in front of him to rest within the sleeves of his haori, the instructor's eyes shifted back and forth between the two combatants. "Confident..." He thought as the young Nara spoke to her foe. "Or maybe a stratagem?"

By all accounts the girl was on the cusp of graduation. Soon enough it'd be time for exam and with the way things had been he was more than likely going to be the one administering it. Aside from general training, this mock battle would be a good opportunity for him to see her abilities firsthand. If her words were anything to go by...

...she had already begun the fight before the first strike was thrown. "Good." Masashi for his part, was a rather straightforward boy. Not to say that he was incapable of the subtler Shinobi Arts... but his favored approach to nearly any situation was to tackle it head-on. Needless to say Shun's light needling of him was working already. "Soundin' pretty cocky there, Shun!" The boy replied, a grin of anticipation on his face. Izusa was a bit surprised when both students donned their weighted gear and already seemed familiar with moving with them on. Shun definitely seemed more accustomed to them but it was clear this wasn't a first for either of them. "As long as you don't cry when I knock ya flat." More taunting in response. Whether purposeful or not, it seemed the girl had gotten under his skin.

Something that would definitely play a part in the upcoming bout. Izusa raised an eyebrow as he watched them both limber up. "Weighted training's pretty advanced for academy students... but then, so is being able to perform nature transformation." The thought occurred. Both of them were shaping up to be quite the talented aspiring shinobi. "I suppose that's to be expected from two of the village's most famed clans." The instructor thought as his eyes narrowed. Training outside of class was common enough amongst shinobi clans. It seemed neither family had been remiss in their efforts to raise up promising young ninja.

Each presented the Seal of Confrontation to the other, and the match was on. Shun seizing the initiative to dart forward and summon up a series of bunshins. "Five?" Izusa thought. "Impressive." And it was. Masashi stood fast as he was forced on the defensive and spaced his feet apart. Faced with a barrage of clones he could do little else but make his best guess and strike— a flurry of forceful punches and kicks lashing out only to met with intangible images. The boy did his best but the first blow would be the young Nara's with Shun's real body connecting with its half-spin kick. Masashi grunted a bit from the impact and slid backwards but otherwise remained standing. "Grr..." A slight growl escaped the youth's lips. "'Least now I know which one is real!" He shouted, then charged forward at her. 

Dropping low in an attempt to sweep the girl's feet out from underneath before springing up and pressing the attack further. A right jab to gauge distance, a left hook aimed at her stomach, and a right snap kick towards her left hip to finish off the combination. Both students moving more slowly due to the weights but the effort put forth obvious by the expression on their faces. "Pay close attention, class." Izusa said, acknowledging the observers with a nod. Wholly unnecessary it seemed as they were all watching with looks of mild awe. "I haven't seen them this attentive in a while... note to self: do more sparring." A helpful reminder for later. For now? He simply continued to watch.

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[Nara Shun]

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It looked like her taunt had worked! Shun could see (and hear) Masashi getting worked up - he risked getting careless when emotional. Shun, on the other hand, knew there was nothing he could say that would upset her. While proud to an extent, the girl had initiated the exchange so she wasn't going to let it backfire. It was best to just ignore his words. The clones disappeared as soon as her attack hit.

Her first attack landed as planned and the Nara let a smirk climb onto her face. Shun - her name - meant "speed” and "talent”. Her mother had told her that when she was very small and often the girl felt responsibility to live up to those words. She didn't have vendettas, heroic aspirations or much of a reason to be the best but she had a burning desire to make her parents and her clan proud. This desire helped her train extra almost every morning and exceed expectations in most things.

Shun watched the Sarutobi boy launch at her and she could read him going for a sweep so she hopped up and a bit backwards. His punch came and she weaved out of the way just in time to stare at the incoming hook to her core. The girl got an idea but almost missed moving back - the fist made contact with her as she moved so it tapped her and it looked like it hit and Shun bent over in the process. If it had hit for real, she would have been bruised for a couple weeks, probably. Now it would just be sore for an hour or so.

The kick was next and Masashi would feel contact. Would Shun go flying to the side? Suddenly, her body vanished. Masashi would suddenly be kicking air. The girl must have formed the sign necessary for Shunshin no Jutsu while bending over.

Instead, Shun would be launching an attack from behind. She was well on her way to elbow him in the centre of the back and put all of her weight in it - she even jumped up right before the blow to let gravity help her.

The weights were approximately 12-15 kilograms each. It felt a bit more than the ones Shun used every day which were 10 kilograms. Her weight was 55 kilograms to date so she was doubling her weight with the tools. It didn't matter that all of them were slower now. She would make the disadvantage into a weapon - literally.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Primary specialisation: Ninjutsu
Secondary specialisation: Taijutsu

SA
Enhanced Chakra Reserves
The girl was born with the ability to pool a lot of chakra in her body but she never utilized it and thus had to rediscover the talent again later when chakra reserves and stamina proved to be her biggest flaw. It was like learning to walk again but the potential is big and Shun is steadily growing the amount of chakra she can store in her body.

Enhanced Speed
Shun has been training really hard to enhance her agility. By incorporating weight training with other types of agility training, the girl has gotten more evasive and faster than the average shinobi at her level. While never as adapt as a true bukijutsu or taijutsu specialist, the girl can easily keep up with others and is notably faster than the average ninja of her rank. It’s a skill that still has potential for growth.

Jutsu used this round: Shunshin no Jutsu [Body Flicker Technique]

By invigorating one's entire body with chakra, a shinobi can seemingly disappear and reappear in another location faster than most people can see. Often times one's movements are disguised with the use of an extra element, be it a smoke bomb, leaves, water, sand, etc. in order to hide the user's trajectory from those with skilled eyes. Though it mimics teleportation, it is important to remember this jutsu merely boosts the agility of its user. As useful as this technique is, it can only be used 4 times in a battle thread, compounding in exertion and difficulty each time. with any more usages beyond that result in muscle tears in the legs from overexertion. The hand seal for this technique must be held until the shinobi reaches their destination, making it impossible to utilize other techniques regardless of any preparation.

Words: 425
Tag: Uchiha Izusa
Shun: 395828

[Uchiha Izusa]

The students prosper and grow

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Dark eyes narrowed on the two students as the mock battle raged on. As expected of two of the eldest students in the academy both Masashi and Shun were putting on quite the display. For the Nara girl especially this provided him with some much needed context. Her graduation would be coming up soon... and this would allow him to adjust.

In many ways they both already possessed the skills of a genin, but bearing the title of Konohagakure shinobi required more than just raw ability. One needed resolve, to have their loyalties tested and proven, and most importantly of all— the capability of foresight. To be able to think ahead and put the needs of the village above one's own desires and whims. Watching the two of them spar brought an idea to mind and already he was busy conjuring up a different sort of trial for Shun unlike the ones he had given to Uzumaki Ataru. Something a bit more cerebral.

But that could wait for later. For now? "Gotcha!" The boy cried with a smirk as his fist made contact with the young Nara, him taking her doubling over as an effective attack. To Izusa's trained eye he could tell that it wasn't quite the coup de grâce he'd been looking for. "Still quite the feat." He thought, to be able to lay a hand on Shun who was faster than the average student. But just when it seemed as if the bout was beginning to even out... a hand seal was formed. "Tora?" The instructor squinted as Shun's fingers clasped— then she vanished. "Shunshin!"

Clearly quite pleased with his student's development, he allowed a small smile to grace his face. Masashi was left bewildered as his kick whiffed and once he'd spun around he began scanning the area. Not left, not right... "So you gotta be..." Quickly the boy's hands moved, his training kicking in to preemptively prepare a technique. "There!" He shouted, his eyes snapping upwards to spot the falling Nara. As the last Tori seal was formed, a thin layer of wind coated the soles of Masashi's feet. "Fūton: Kaze Sanpo!" And in a desperate attempt to evade he crouched and sprung backwards, just barely evading the girl's falling elbow strike that would've certainly ended the fight with the added weight of her equipment. Once more he came to a halt, this time almost seeming to glide rather than slide.

As quickly as he'd stopped he was moving again, the wind coating his feet sacrificing friction and the ability to stop easily for added speed. "My turn now!" Masashi shouted as he dashed forward towards Shun, both of his hands reaching for the collar of her shirt in an attempt to launch her backwards with a wild, falling toss. "Niji Suroo!"

If it was successful the young Nara would once again be airborne but the technique would leave Masashi wide open for a counter. It was up to her to figure out a way to mitigate the damage and bring this bout to an end. However this proceeded, Izusa would simply remain watching with those keen eyes of his. Reserving judgement until it was done.

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SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Fūton: Kaze Sanpo [Wind Release: Wind Walk]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Fūton
DESCRIPTION:
This technique allows the user to create a wind like base under their feet, reducing friction and enhancing the user's speed. The user doesn't seem to be levitating unless under close inspection which they seem to be about 1.5 - 2cm off the ground. Apart from enhancing speed, this technique gives the user the ability to walk on water and evade projectile attacks with ease.

NAME: Niji Suroo [Rainbow Throw]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu
ELEMENT: None
DESCRIPTION:
A simple maneuver, the user, when either being attacked or simple up close to their target, will grab a hold of their shirt and hop backwards, landing on their back and pressing their feet into their stomach, pushing up hard and sending them flying into the air before hopping back onto their feet.

[Nara Shun]

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”Tch.” She couldn't stop as Masashi evaded the attack. Even if she flailed in midair nothing would happen. It looked like her clever plan to use the disadvantage as an advantage had become a disadvantage at that moment. Perhaps the plan hadn't been that clever after all of Shun just hadn't taken into account Masashi's abilities. He moved out of the way, to her surprise, and soon took hold of the back of her collar and pulled hard. The front of the shirt (also thanks to Shun's trajectory) grabbed her throat like a noose and hit the air out of it. She held her breath to try and stop the coughing fit coming up. Feeling lifted by her upper body, ”Whoa, what are you-” the girl fell back and felt Masashi's feet on the base of her back. Soon she was flying midair back in the direction she had come. If she didn't break her fall somehow, she'd land on her head so a rush of adrenaline surged through her body.

Time seemed to slow down and all she could hear was the distance between her own heartbeat. She didn't even breathe at that moment. The girl glanced down and noticed Masashi on his back so another idea popped in her head that might let her do some damage and, mostly, break her fall without serious injury. She formed the same seal again as before: ”Shunshin no Jutsu.” she let out under her breath. As it was now, Shun could only do the jutsu three times a day and avoided doing it more than a couple times a week. She had more chakra than most but her body was still that of a teenager.

Shun would appear directly atop of Masashi: ”Improvised Taijutsu: Cannonball!” she pulled her knees in and spun forward to increase speed and would land on top of him if no one stopped the match. Once again the added weight was a bonus, even if it had been a bit difficult to spin. Perhaps this would be a second chance to utilise the weights in a more creative way. Even if Masashi managed to evade her completely, Shun would probably leave some damage on the gymnasium floor. There was no use to shout out the jutsu name and it wasn't a real jutsu or anything but all of Masashi's loudness made Shun eager to declare an attack, too. The two had always fed off of each other in their own way.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Primary specialisation: Ninjutsu
Secondary specialisation: Taijutsu

SA
Enhanced Chakra Reserves
The girl was born with the ability to pool a lot of chakra in her body but she never utilized it and thus had to rediscover the talent again later when chakra reserves and stamina proved to be her biggest flaw. It was like learning to walk again but the potential is big and Shun is steadily growing the amount of chakra she can store in her body.

Enhanced Speed
Shun has been training really hard to enhance her agility. By incorporating weight training with other types of agility training, the girl has gotten more evasive and faster than the average shinobi at her level. While never as adapt as a true bukijutsu or taijutsu specialist, the girl can easily keep up with others and is notably faster than the average ninja of her rank. It’s a skill that still has potential for growth.

Jutsu used this round: Shunshin no Jutsu [Body Flicker Technique]

By invigorating one's entire body with chakra, a shinobi can seemingly disappear and reappear in another location faster than most people can see. Often times one's movements are disguised with the use of an extra element, be it a smoke bomb, leaves, water, sand, etc. in order to hide the user's trajectory from those with skilled eyes. Though it mimics teleportation, it is important to remember this jutsu merely boosts the agility of its user. As useful as this technique is, it can only be used 4 times in a battle thread, compounding in exertion and difficulty each time. with any more usages beyond that result in muscle tears in the legs from overexertion. The hand seal for this technique must be held until the shinobi reaches their destination, making it impossible to utilize other techniques regardless of any preparation.

Words: 422
Tag: Uchiha Izusa
Shun: 395828

[Uchiha Izusa]

A match, decided

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For the most part, the instructor remained silent as he observed the two students battle. Mentally keeping note of their strengths and weaknesses, commentating to himself, and otherwise critiquing them to himself. Eventually a hand wandered outside of the sleeve of his haori to grasp at his own chin as he focused. Things were getting serious.

For most shinobi, the same attack rarely worked twice on them unless it was for some reason or another ridiculously wide-ranging or unavoidable. Techniques like that were rare but they did in fact exist. Shun's cannonball on the other hand...

...was not one of those attacks. And yet it seemed to work just fine! Both she and Masashi were still ninja-in-training and had a lot left to learn, but it seemed the Nara had a better battle sense than anyone expected. Sarutobi Masashi was a direct and straightforward fighter but he was no fool. The boy likely expected her to try a different avenue of attack.. so when she performed the Shunshin no Jutsu for a second time and struck from above he was completely unprepared for it. "Oof!" A grunt echoed throughout the gymnasium as the curled-up Nara girl slammed into him, the attack glancing off of the boy's back and sending him careening forward to tumble to the ground. With the added mass from the weights the technique had no trouble sending him skittering and sliding along the floor, knocking the wind out of his lungs even as he used his hands to break his momentum and struggle clumsily back to his feet. "Why you..." He muttered, grimacing as he wobbled a bit in an attempt to regain his balance before bending at the knees to rush in again.

Until a flash of sudden movement appeared and a hand grabbed the hood of the sweatshirt he was wearing to stop him cold. "Hold on a second." Izusa said, having zoomed over to intervene before someone got seriously hurt. He glanced over to where Shun had landed briefly to see if she was alright as well. "Lemme go, Izusa-sensei! I almost had her!" A shout came along with a bit of flailing, but the instructor only gave a concerned glance to the child before shaking his head. Izusa brought his free hand around to the boy's face and held up a peace sign. "How many fingers am I holding up?" Silence, then... "Four?"

It was all he needed to hear. "...yeah, let's go ahead and call it there. Shun-chan wins this one." Several cheers erupted from the observing students along with a bit of clapping. Izusa watched as Masashi hung his head and started to sulk a little... but he moved his hand from the boy's hood to his shoulder. "Don't get too down on yourself. That was some quick thinking with your Fūton jutsu, we just need to hone your situational awareness. It comes with experience." He said with a reassuring nod. Time and training would adjust for that. Shifting his gaze to the young Nara, the instructor's smile widened a bit. "Excellent reading of your opponent Shun-chan. And good job turning a disadvantage into an advantage in regards to the weights." It really was quite an impressive showing. At every turn this new generation had been exceeding his expectations and then some. Even though his teaching was only ever meant to be a front for his true work within the village he still couldn't help but be proud of his students.

Seeing them adapt, grow, and overcome had proven a more fulfilling job than he ever expected. It came with its own headaches... but really those were nothing compared to his other duties. "Let's see a Seal of Reconciliation you two." The instructor spoke as he motioned for the two students to approach one another and perform the traditional gesture. Rivalry or no, they were still comrades at the end of the day. And he always made sure to stress that.

Once they had proceeded he would smile and nod to each of them, trusting them both to remove their own weights and take their seats again. "Alright who's next?" Izusa turned to watch as a sea of small hands shot up in the air, and in response he could only really smile. For the rest of the class the bouts would continue as planned but none quite so exciting as Masashi's and Shun's. Once they were all done and the bell had rung... his gaze shifted to the floor.

Cracked, scuffed, and dented from all the movement. "Maybe... we need to work on control next." Izusa muttered, his free hand rising to nervously scratch his chin. Fortunately a little collateral damage was a small price to pay for valuable insight into both Shun and Masashi's individual skillsets and learning hurdles.  "Okay, class. Next lesson: Shinobi Refurbishing One-Oh-One!" But it was too late. The kids had already begun to file out of the gymnasium leaving him alone with the scattered equipment and busted floor. "...class?" Izusa asked as he watched them leave.

All he could do was sigh and hang his head. In the classroom, at the training grounds, or in the gym— things always seemed to break wherever his classes took place. "I'm definitely going to get chewed out for this..."

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[Nara Shun]

NARA SHUN CHRONICLES

- t h e  t a l e  o f -

T O  F O S T E R  G R O W T H

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Shun could finally succumb to the need to cough. It took a moment but she got rid of the tickle in her throat that she had got when being yanked backwards. The girl straightened up and wiped the tears away: ”I did it! I’m the ultimate champion now!” she boasted with a wide grin.

”Thank you, sensei.” the girl responded to the praise and would comply to form the seal of reconciliation. When she had removed the weights, Shun went to sit down next to Masashi. The two teens would chat a bit and comment on what each of them did well in the other’s opinion. They would cheer for the other students and get some rest. It had been an exciting spar and both of them had a lot of fun.

The Nara girl thought about what she could do to improve and how to do it. Also, sparring had left her quite hungry - thankfully there was free time after and Shun could get some lunch. She would spend the remainder of the lesson thinking about what to have for lunch. Somehow, the decisions with little to no consequence were the hardest ones to make.

”Thank you, Sensei!” The class said in a choir before leaving. Shun would leave, too and go have lunch with some of her classmates.

”Izusa-sensei’s actually kinda cool, huh?”

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Words: 233
Tag: Uchiha Izusa
Shun: 395828