[Suzuki Taru]

Taru was a strange shinobi who spent much of her time roaming the village and contemplating. She trained of course. She enjoyed training, experimenting with her chakra in a multitude of ways and finding ways to adapt it, fluidly, from style to style. She liked to feel at one with the world. Her body and her energy and her spirit all flowing together with the vibrations around her. But that did mean that sometimes, her training consisted of wandering around until she found the right place to train, or the right person to train with. She needed to synchronize, harmonize, with something or someone in order to feel like she was making the most of her situation. 

Today, as she wandered, she managed to find someone she felt compelled toward. 

A woman with a warm face and yet a cold air. Followed by frost spirits? Some in this village were. 

Taru noted her weapon with interest. A sewing needle on her back. A swordsman, then. 

She approached her with a confidence uncommon for a genin approaching a superior (though Taru didn't know her rank, so that might have been why). 

"Did you know that thread and needle are often associated with fate?" Taru asked her. "I wonder if using it means your fate is tied to the battlefield. Or maybe that you're fated to be a great warrior." Or maybe it meant nothing at all. That happened sometimes, but not often, in Taru's opinion. Most things meant something. 

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[attr="class","enri_t"]Suzuki Taru

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[attr="class","enri_n"]367

[attr="class","enri_ct"]you've got that young blood, set it free

[attr="class","enri"]
The mid-afternoon air has shooed the Kiri mist away, and now light flecks of sunlight squeezed through the low hanging clouds. Dark and often ominous, they showed little sign of crying and instead smiled with a light blue sky peeking through their cracks. Enri, for one, enjoyed the view. She found days like this showed a warmer side to the village that was often seen as a dribbling wet mess to outsiders. As beautiful as it was, she admittedly missed the morning fogs.

As per usual, the bright and cheerful Enri had quite the skip in her step, feeling the change in the air bursting around her in vibrant lashes of gold, blue, and silver. More people than usual seemed to be out and bustling through the streets, enjoying the change in atmosphere from Kiri’s usual monotony. Wearing a smile on her face, she looked forward to the day ahead which held unknown beginnings.

And as if a call from the divine, a voice called out to her, emanating from an equally bright soul that Enri couldn’t help but gravitate towards with her golden eyes. Fluffed and wild locks topped the girl’s head, and her eyes demanded attention with their wide pupils and bright color.

Enri, having been lost in her own thoughts, was caught off guard by the sudden encounter. "Excuse me?” she said, tilting her head as it took her brain a moment to catch up as if she was deciphering the younger girl’s thought process.

As the light clicked, Enri’s eyes opened wider, as did her mouth as she pointed her finger upward in exclamation. "Oh! You mean my Nuibari,” she said, resting her hand on the hilt of her blade. "I…didn’t know that, but it sounds like something my father would say.” A smile warmed her face as she leaned forward, wrapping her hands behind her back.

"Whether I’m a good warrior or not remains to be seen,” she laughed modestly. "You, on the other hand, seem quite wise and strong already. What’s your name?” Ever the clueless, Enri would ask for the girl’s name before offering her own. "Oh! Sorry! I’m Yuki Enri. It’s so nice to see a new face around."

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❅

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[Suzuki Taru]

It sounded like something her father would say! That was good. It was always good when people learned things like that from their parents. Taru had learned some of it from her parents, shamans of the woods that they were, but she had also learned some of it from the woods themselves. The spirits in the trees which had guided her and spoken with her while she was out there in the wild. 

The young woman introduced herself as Yuki Enri. She Taru had been right. One of the snowy clansmen, guided by the power of frost. 

"It is nice to meet you, too, Enri." No formalities. The odd young girl went right to the familiar name. "I'm Suzuki Taru. Some people call me a Kodama." Given that her hair was twisted with some twigs, the comparison made a decent amount of sense. 

"I'm on Genin Team 1 and I specialize in wisdom of the wilderness, though I also know a lot about mythology. What do you have a lot of wisdom about?" Everyone was a specialist.

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[attr="class","enri_t"]Suzuki Taru

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[attr="class","enri_ct"]you've got that young blood, set it free

[attr="class","enri"]
Eccentricity danced in the air, flowing around the wild-haired girl that stood before Enri. Her nickname fit her well, and the Yuki woman smiled warmly. "Well, which do you prefer to be called?” Enri at least knew that some of her nicknames were less favorable in her eyes, and she’s almost preferring to have them dropped entirely. That wasn’t always the easiest thing to do, however. Once people had an image of someone else in their heads, it was hard to sway that. She couldn’t help but wonder which this young girl preferred.

Her language seemed to match her appearance. It was far out there, mysterious, and almost felt disconnected from the modern world they lived in. It took Enri a moment to process this, but she jumped right into the question that the girl had for her.

Her pointer finger and thumb gently caressed her chin as she thought. Enri mostly saw herself as a jack of all trades, master of none, but that wouldn’t really say much in terms of wisdom. "I suppose Kenjutsu.” She blushed a little with a shrug. "I’ve never exactly had luck with my clan jutsu.” She laughed it off smoothly. "My father always said my personality was too warm for Hyouton, so, maybe that’s not the worst thing then, huh?”

"So, what brings you out and about today?” There she went again, pushing out questions she truly had no business asking. That was Enri, though.

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❅

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[Suzuki Taru]

"I'm fine with either, though I usually introduce myself just as Taru," she answered. 

Admitting her skill seemed to embarrass her slightly, as if admitting that she had wisdom was something to be embarrassed about. Was it that concept called modesty? She was not the modest type herself. If she was good at something she was going to talk about it casually. Maybe not proudly, because she was also not an especially proud person, but there was no point in hiding skill. Skill was part of the self, the soul, the identity. Of course, that made her an interesting case. She was a generalist with a wide variety of skills, none especially strong. Did that make her identity more fluid? 

Before she could ask Enri if she had ever considered creating Hyoton kenjutsu to combine her natural and developed skills, Enri asked her a question of her own. A question about what brought Taru out today, why she was wandering around the village looking for people to bother. 

"I was hoping to train today, but I couldn't find the right environment and partner," she explained. "I wasn't sure what I wanted to learn, so I decided to let the universe guide me to a good companion to work with. Oh! I wonder if that was you. I don't know any kenjutsu. Maybe the universe thinks I need a bukijutsu master." 

[Deleted]

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[attr="class","enri_t"]Suzuki Taru

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[attr="class","enri_ct"]you've got that young blood, set it free

[attr="class","enri"]
Enri did not expect such an out of the ordinary response to a generally rhetorical and short answer question, but she was delighted that the girl seemed to go to such lengths to explain. Her answer seemed free-spirited and genuine, which spoke to the Yuki woman on a personal level. It reminded Enri so much of herself when she was younger, a trait she still carried with her today.

Her clan was cold, and Enri was just a spec of ash in a barren snow field. Her father often said she would melt the Yuki clan’s ice with her smile alone. She was lucky to be alive and to have such a loving adoptive father. Despite her own parent’s deaths, Enri rejoiced in the two of them finding each other. Perhaps they would have never known each other had it not been for that night…

"Perhaps my fate was tied to something else today, hm?” She said with a happy jump in her voice. "I would love to help you train!” She paused as she thought about what she could even teach Taru. "Unfortunately, all my Kenjutsu techniques require the Kekkei Genkai of my clan…except one, but it’s a high-ranking technique, and I’m not sure how easy it would be for you to learn. If you’re wanting to give it your all though, I’d be more than happy to try and teach it to you!”

She wished she had better news for the girl and didn’t want to end it on such a bad note. "If not, there’s always some useful basics I can teach you as well like water walking or body flicker. What sounds good to you?”

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❅

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[Suzuki Taru]

So the universe didn't want her to have a kenjutsu master, then. At least not yet! Maybe sometime in the future, when Taru was more experienced and felt more ready to learn those kinds of complex techniques. For now she was much more interested in going with the flow and spreading her wings, learning a wide variety of "lower class" techniques that might prove useful in missions. Maybe she could come back to Enri some other time when she was better with a sword. 

The basics, though - the basics were compelling! Taru had been taught the tree walking technique by her previous sensei before reassignments had happened and her order had been shuffled. Her career as a shinobi had been a strange one. She needed to learn the water walking technique before she was going to be allowed to try again at the chuunin exams, so maybe she should begin there. 

"I would appreciate it if you could teach me water walking," she said, enthused by the thought. "I know tree walking already, but I know water walking is supposed to be more difficult. My previous instructor told me that it required more precise chakra control. My chakra control isn't especially good," she confessed. "The spirits granted me with bounty instead. When I was learning how to tree walk, I kept blasting the bark off. Can anything like that happen with water?"

[Deleted]

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[attr="class","enri_t"]Suzuki Taru

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[attr="class","enri_ct"]you've got that young blood, set it free

[attr="class","enri"]
Enri nodded with a bright smile. "I would be honored to help you.” This girl was the future of the village after all. Enri had a duty to teach whenever she was able, and this was one of those cases where she would give anything she could to improve the lives of those around her.

She pondered for a moment, thinking back on her time of learning these jutsu herself. It seemed like so very long ago. "It’s possible, yes. Water Walking requires much more precise chakra control than Tree Climbing as well. Why won’t we find somewhere to practice and see what you have, hm?”

Enri led Taru to the training grounds where a small lake sat stagnant before them. She had come here as a child and had trained with her father. She felt a connection to this area that she could not quite explain, and the breeze and fog that clouded the fields brought nauseating nostalgia that sat deep within her gut. Enri took a moment to take the sight in, chills running up and down her arms.

"So, like with tree walking, think about sticking yourself to the water. You want to make it balance. Trees are rough, hard surfaces, but water is constantly adapting and will move with the slightest touch.” Enri demonstrated by focusing her chakra and walking out onto the water which stayed seamlessly still below her feet as she floated effortlessly on top. "Why don’t you give it a shot?”

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❅

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[Suzuki Taru]

Allowing herself to be led, Taru journeyed with Enri to the training grounds. She had been here many times and had splashed around in the lake, always happy to be closer to nature and to water, but had never utilized it for this very necessary practice. She knew all about the types of creatures that might live in and enjoy such a pond and how they might interact with it, but the idea of skating atop it without disturbing it was far more alien to her. 

She watched as Enri stepped out onto the water in demonstration, barely raising a ripple. It reminded her of when a leaf landed on the water, or when an insect skated across the surface without breaking it. She understood, at least theoretically, how that worked. It was about surface tension, about distributing your weight enough to not fall through. Practically applying that knowledge would be a more difficult case, however.

Taru took a deep breath and focused, moving the chakra down to the soles of her feet and allowing it to build. She took a confident step forward onto the water... and it splashed up under her feet. Though she maintained her balance on the rippling surface for a second, the movement quickly caused the surface of the water to burst almost like a bubble and Taru fell in. 

She sat up with a laugh, soggier for her trouble. 

"I don't think I did that right," she informed Enri, standing up and shaking off like a dog recently rained on. 

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[attr="class","enri"]Enri watched closely as Taru made her attempt at gathering her chakra. Gold eyes observed the chakra forming around her feet, moving the settle debris on the ground as it swirled within and around her. As Taru took her step, Enri winced. She could already tell that it wouldn’t work the way Taru had intended. The Genin, however, did manage to float above the water, at least momentarily.

She rushed forward, to help Taru out of the water. She managed not to laugh, remembering how painful it was for her to learn the technique when she herself had been a Genin. That seemed like such a long time ago, but the feeling was definitely in place. Taru shook the water loose from her wild hair. Enri laughed as she shielded her face.

"It was a fantastic start, Taru! Much better than my first few attempts, that’s for sure!” She spoke warmly and tried her best to encourage the Genin.

"You can’t keep the chakra constant. Water continues to move and sway. Attach yourself TO it. Make yourself STICK to the surface. As you stand on the water, pay attention to how it moves under you, and imagine how you would need to balance on that like a ball underneath your feet.” Her explanation was likely not the best, but she managed the best she could.

Suzuki Taru

[Suzuki Taru]

Better than Enri's attempts? But she seemed like such a graceful individual. Maybe one could be graceful and still have struggled with this particular thing, though. Sometimes graceful animals were very clumsy, for example. Taru had once watched a cat fall off a windowsill and pretend it had done it on purpose. Yes, that kind of thing was very natural to the world, in fact. She nodded her head and listened to Enri's explanation, trying her best to visualize it. She had balanced on things before like poles during training in the academy, but never a ball. Still, she could imagine what it was like. 

"I was trying to think like a pond skater," she informed Enri. "They walk on the water by spreading their weight out." So it seemed like she was on the right track and just hadn't followed through appropriately. She slogged through the water back to the shore again so she could give it another go. Taking a deep breath, Taru focused, moving her chakra down once more. 

She stepped out onto the water and the surface again wavered under her. She wavered with it, almost falling off balance again, but she focused on shifting her chakra with the waving of the water, trying to get it to match the inverse shape of it. As the water settled from her presence, she was able to keep her balance on top of it. But it was obvious that she was precarious and, that if she moved, she would fall in again. 

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[attr="class","enri"]Enri was certainly not graceful. She was a klutz most of the time, and ditzy the rest. She had worked very hard to get to where she was in life, though it helped that she had such wonderful teachers to help her growth so effortlessly. Perhaps the truth of her past had also pushed her along. She knew what happened, but she could never remember it. Probably for the better, despite it stunting her kekkei genkai’s power. Her father was her family, as was Shoyo. What happened to her biological parents was, of course, sad, but she would not lessen her adoptive father’s work and love by missing people she never truly knew.

The woman hoped dearly that Taru didn’t have such troubles haunting her from her own past. The world was cruel, and even crueler for those who walked the path of a shinobi or kunoichi. Taru seemed intelligent and caring. Perhaps she would walk in a brighter light than most.

"A pond skater,” Enri contemplated. "That’s a very unique analogy, Taru. Very fitting, as well.”

Enri demonstrated the technique once again, focusing her chakra and walking out towards the water. She walked atop it, at the same time also thinking of pond skaters. It was an entirely accurate analogy, and it brought a smile to her face.

"You’re certain to get it this time!”

Enri watched as she performed it, keeping her balance though only just barely as she managed to stand atop the water. "That’s it! Well done!” Enri said, congratulating the girl at her success. More practice would always make the technique more viable, however, but her progress so far was exhilarating.

Suzuki Taru

[Suzuki Taru]

Enri seemed very proud of her, which was encouraging, but also made funnier by the fact that Taru knew she was standing on a very precarious line. She was quite certain that if she so much as moved a muscle, she'd drop right into the water again. Which would be fine, she was a strong swimmer, but it was still counterintuitive to the idea of the exercise to allow herself to fall in. She needed to really focus on keeping her chakra steady and working with the water. 

"Thank you! I'm excited that I can do this much. I'm not sure I can walk, though," she admitted. Slowly, painfully slowly, she began to raise up one of her feet, keeping the other balanced. She wiggled again, the water's subtle movement under her almost throwing her off, then tried to take a step forward. She recognized right away that it wasn't going to be a success and lifted her foot again, now just standing with one leg raised, a bit like a crane. Her situation was even more unbalanced than a moment before, but at least she was keeping it together. 

"Do you have any advice on how to actually walk?" She asked Enri, looking up at her, though her face was a little more serious than usual, brow furrowed in focus. 

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[attr="class","enri"] Enri thought for a moment. Taru seemed to think much differently from others her age, and from other shinobi in general. Perhaps an analogy would help her. The look on the younger girl’s face made Enri want desperately to help her, though she found herself with a loss of words. Perhaps she was more of a visual learner or learned more through metaphor?

This was when she squatted low, picking up two leaves that had fallen from a nearby tree. She lay them both on the water, placing a finger under each. She carefully applied pressure to keep the leaves under her finger, but careful as to not apply too much that the leaves would begin to sink.

"Think of the leaves as the chakra at the bottom of your feet.” She focused her chakra to the tips of her fingers, freezing the water in the leaves around her fingertips with her Hyouton. She let her fingers dance on the water by picking them up and placing them back down. "You’re not trying to stay on top of the water, you’re trying to create a barrier between the water and yourself and you’re standing on top of that barrier.”

"Feel how the water is moving. Take your steps slowly. Learning to do it properly will let it turn to muscle memory. Trust yourself.” She encouraged, releasing her hold on the leaves as she stood up to watch her attempt once again. She only hoped it made enough sense to Taru.

Suzuki Taru

[Suzuki Taru]

Enri squatted to the surface of the water and began a demonstration using leaves as an example. It seemed that Enri had hit right on the direction of learning that Taru benefitted from most, because that immediately made it easier for her to understand. Visual demonstrations and natural comparisons were her greatest allies, allowing her mind to process what exactly it was she needed to do. Even though chakra in many ways seemed unnatural, it was part of the natural energy. Part of the natural world. It would interact with things the way everything in nature did. 

With the idea of that barrier in mind, she began to focus, concentrating again on her chakra. Think of the pond skater. She lowered her leg, stepping onto the surface of the water once more with a renewed confidence. 

Even though it made her waver, she did not fall in, and was able to remain above the water, floating on it like a leaf would. That was right, she just needed to recall her own perception. It wasn't necessarily about walking on the water, but about distributing the weight enough so that she wouldn't break the tension of the surface. 

A few more slow, deliberate steps followed to make sure she had the hang of it before she began walking more casually. 

With this new confidence, she decided to do something bold and even attempted a little hop. It again through off her balance, but she didn't fall through. 

"I think I'm starting to understand it. That was a good comparison! Is there anything else I should practice?"