[Warai Ameko]

Ameko had received the first directive to receive further training from one Kyokujitsu Asahi near a year ago. Unfortunately, that outing had ended before it had even begun, circumstances outside of either of their control seeing the tree climbing training fall to the wayside before genin could properly learn the technique. A lot had changed in the interim, she had undertaken chuunin exams, she had taken a life, and she had ingratiated herself with other members of their hidden village. Yet, even with such accomplishments under her belt, even with her growing experience in actual combat, she still could not adequately use the tree climbing jutsu. Her vertical movement had been reduced to jumping and relying upon her natural talents in taijutsu. It had served her well, but it was hardly adequate for a kunoichi looking to rapidly rise through the ranks. So it was that she had almost begged Asahi to undertake another session, to finally impart the knowledge she required with respect to the second of the footfall techniques. The same oasis that had served as the spot for their aborted first training served again as the locale for this second attempt, but Ameko was not a late arrival on this occasion. The genin sat beneath one of the trees, her fingers idly playing with a kunai as she waited for the arrival of the bodyguard.

Kyokujitsu Asahi

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

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A new era of leadership meant that everyone was busy doing something or the other and that was especially true of those entrusted with the safety of the new Kazekage. Asahi had been running around completing errands to try and make the transition of power as smooth as possible and while it did feel menial at times the fact that it was an effort for someone he loved made it quite a bit less mind numbing. Besides, a new Kage meant there would be less trips out of village for the time being allowing for the Kyokujitsu to help out more around home, and today was one such case.

The whirlwind of ever changing leadership had put a halt on a training session from yesteryear for one of Suna's genin, something that Asahi didn't feel great about but the call of more pressing assignments had his hands tied. Things were slowing down a bit now and surprisingly enough Ameko had still needed to learn the tree climbing technique. If he remembered correctly the girl had participated in a chunin exam not too long ago which without the basic genin jutsu made an already difficult set of circumstances that much worse; a true testament to the ingenuity and adaptability of those that called the desert home.

Making his way to the oh so familiar oasis he would spot Ameko already waiting around for him to show up. Good good, they'd be able to jump right into the action. "Hey, apologies for being late. Who knew installing a new Kazekage came with so much work, right?" He'd chuckle slightly belaying the point that for a few weeks now the special jounin been a glorified errand boy.

"I know we didn't get too far last time so I'll just give a quick refresher then we can get you some practice attempts in. The most important part about this jutsu is balance. Too much chakra and you'll either stick too much to whatever surface you're on or punch right through it, too little chakra and you'll won't stick to anything at all." Asahi spoke while at the same time demonstrating the various concepts. He'd create a layer of chakra around his feet and show what would happen with both too much, too little, and just the right amount of chakra while using a coconut tree as the canvas for the day.

"For now let's start with getting you comfortable channeling the right amount of chakra to your feet and then we can go from there."


Warai Ameko

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Warai Ameko]

Ameko rose to her feet, sinking the knife she had been playing with into the tree behind her as she did so. It probably wasn’t the best thing for the plant, but she didn’t particularly care. And she’d retrieve it once they were done so as far as she was concerned, there was no harm, and therefore no foul. She greeted the approaching bodyguard with a curt nod of her head, before returning to her full height, scratching at the back of that same head as he spoke. He wasn’t late, not truly, and she wasn’t about to go and cause a ruckus over it. She liked Arashi, so if doing work to install her as the Kazekage was the reason for the delay, then she wasn’t about to raise any issues. Ameko didn’t know the first thing about politics, or anything to do with ensuring that transition of leadership was secured, a small wait was little to pay for her continued ignorance. The technique discussion, on the other hand, that was something that she could bite her teeth into. Narrowing her eyes, she would attempt to focus on the chakra that her tutor was exerting. But despite herself, she could not sense anything. It was not like with her companions, she had no sense for that of utterly foreign people. Still, she saw no reason to vocalise such an ineptitude. But it was only after he spoke that he realised that she had utterly botched her request. Turning a deep shade of crimson, she would stumble over her words, "I- I- uh…” She paused, muttering a series of curses under her breath, "I think I meant to ask you to teach me how to water walk… Not tree climb.”

Kyokujitsu Asahi

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

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Time apart had done wonders for the miscommunication and Asahi could only laugh ass his demonstration had been for the wrong technique. "No worries, no worries. Thankfully these jutsu are so similar that most of what I just said still applies, though people do tend to struggle with this one more." He spoke. Standing on vertical surfaces was a tough adjustment for those learning tree climbing yet at the end of the day it was still a sturdy surface that they felt could be depended on, on the other hand the concept of standing on top of an often moving body of water tripped people up time and time again as they were now responsible for creating that sturdy surface.

Making his way over to the edge of the oasis the Kyokujitsu would focus chakra to his feet as he stepped onto the still waters, hardly a ripple to see. "So, same basic concept but instead of just sticking yourself to whatever surface you're trying to walk on with tree climbing you'll be constantly making that surface with your chakra. Too little chakra and..." He'd lessen the chakra to his left foot and it would immediately begin to sink beneath the surface. "But too much chakra and..." Flowing much more than necessary the waters would become turbulent and look as if they were about to explode underneath his appendage. "It'll bounce you right off. All about balance."

Taking a seat on the surface the man would motion for Ameko to stand by the waters edge. "Thankfully you've already got one of the techniques down so you're already familiar with the process of focusing chakra down to your feet, but the feeling of standing on water is admittedly very different so you're going to need to adjust the amount to whatever feels comfortable for you. Give it a shot."

Warai Ameko

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Warai Ameko]

Despite the assurances from Asahi, Ameko could not dispel the embarrassment she had felt at her failed request for tutoring. Where had she gotten confused? Somewhere in the mix of post-Chuunin Exam haze and celebrating the ascension of the new Kage? She supposed that made sense. Still, she was supposed to be a proper shinobi of Sunagakure now, and she was making rookie mistakes. The pout that formed on her face would remain for quite some time, even as she watched Asahi demonstrate the correct jutsu. Fortunately, much of the technique was still applicable. Summon chakra to one’s feet, balance it between them, and walk upon the surface. Of course, tree climbing required the use of chakra to stick, whilst water walking instead involved the creation of a surface upon the ripples of liquid. Similar but not identical. Inhaling, Ameko felt into her core, summoning her chakra and allowing it to flow downward to her feet. Imitating the same feeling she felt with the tree-climbing jutsu, she stepped toward the water… And found her feet immediately sunk into the oasis. She blinked and jumped back, looking down at her now sodden sandal. Muttering something incomprehensible, but certainly rude, under her breath, the genin removed her footwear and flung them away. "Why is this stuff always about balance?” She whined openly, "I don’t have a feel for suiton or any of this airy-fairy stuff.”

Kyokujitsu Asahi

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

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Watching as the genin gave it a go the first attempt was... less than spectacular, as was the case for most people trying to learn this jutsu. Listening to Ameko lament the fact that everything required some form of balance and her lack of skill with suiton-based jutsu --which this wasn't but the confusion was understandable-- was a sign that zipping past the basics might not have been possible like they assumed. "Balance is in all things. Could you imagine trying to perform taijutsu maneuvers if you couldn't balance your body correctly? Just tripping over yourself all the time? Use that feeling of something you're familiar with and apply it to this technique, the only difference is you're applying said balance to chakra levels."

Perhaps it was the last thing the genin wanted to hear, and Ameko was certainly smart enough to understand that this was just how things went; venting a little frustration here and there through the training process was normal. "But don't think of it as suiton-based, you're just happening to be walking on water. This is purely chakra you're working with. Try just keeping a single foot on the surface without pressing down first. We need to get you comfortable with the flow of chakra first before even thinking about walking around."

Warai Ameko

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Warai Ameko]

"Yeah, I get it, I get it,” Ameko moaned, trudging through the water and back to the shore, "Balance and bodily control are important, chakra is an extension of the body, all that jazz and good stuff, I get it, I understand it. Just one thing to know it up here,” She tapped her temple, "And another to get it flowing down here,” She pointed at her feet. Her words were barbless however, just the impotent complaints of a frustrated teenager. She had approached it with reckless abandon, not bothering to think on the jutsu itself. That would need to come with time. With learning, she needed to keep her focus purely on the chakra that was available to her. It wasn’t suiton, she had to remember that. Just chakra, just keeping it balanced as if she were climbing a tree. Nodding at Arashi, she inhaled, exhaled, and summoned the chakra from the base of her stomach and sent it downward to her left foot. Leaning forward, she exuded the energy from the limb. It took a while for her to properly balance the right amount of energy into her foot, but in time her sole balanced against the surface of the water, and she found herself able to put more and more weight on it. It didn’t feel exactly like walking on solid ground, the constant flow of chakra made that clear, but she was at least confident that she was able to maintain her pressure. "Good?”

Kyokujitsu Asahi

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

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Frustration was a key fork in the road when it came to learning: one could either use it as motivation to sharpen their focus and conquer the technique or be consumed by it and fail. Asahi could motivate to the best of his abilities but it would be up to Ameko to choose her path, but he was confident that the genin would be able to learn a jutsu that she kind of already knew. Some were able to pick up both techniques with ease, others struggled with the slight changes between the two which seemed to be the case here, but they had plenty of time to figure it out.

Thanks to his sensory abilities Asahi was able to keep track of Ameko's attempts at a deeper level than by sight alone and he could feel the fluctuations in her chakra as she attempted to find the correct amount that would allow her foot to remain on the surface of the water. It was all a balancing act that constantly shifted as the body and water beneath it did as well, and having to keep all those elements in mind made it tricky and a bit mentally taxing at first, but eventually it would become second nature.

Her eventual attempt would show promise and while there was still some hesitancy in the step Ameko had taken it was good enough for what they needed right now. "That looks good, now remember that feeling and try it with the other foot." Asahi replied. Mirroring the amount of chakra should have been simple enough but sometimes people had odd little quirks when it came to their dominant foot. They balanced better on one foot than the other, they took steps with one foot before the other, etc., and it could affect just how much chakra was needed when it came to a technique like this.

Warai Ameko

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Warai Ameko]

She didn’t have anything to say, instead, she was uncharacteristically quiet as she focused on the task at hand. In response to Asahi’s instructions, Ameko merely nodded, and gave a brief thumbs up. She just had to find a way to do the same thing again, but with the other foot, keep the chakra balanced, keep it flowing, and keep herself from making herself a soggy mess. Ameko inhaled, focused on the root chakra and allowed the energy to flow between both limbs, her focus on maintaining the steady balance that had allowed her to stand on the water. Another step forward, and foot pressed down onto a surface that should not have held her weight, and yet it did. The constant buzz of chakra was very present in the back of her mind, and it was certainly not second-nature, but she had managed it. Ameko was standing on water, with both of her feet. She took a moment to centre herself, to ensure her mass was appropriately distributed such that gravity would not send her toppling, and then she let the tension in her shoulders relax. Her mind remained focused on the task at hand, but the pinching of her back eased greatly as she found herself feeling all the better. Another look to Asahi, and a self-satisfied nod.

Kyokujitsu Asahi

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

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Everything seemed to be going well and Ameko being the quick study she was bode well for her getting the technique down. Her chakra was balanced with each passing moment of staying above the surface of the water the genin looked more and more relaxed. In a perfect world after a few minutes more of practice Asahi may have called it quits for the day, but being able to stand on top of the water was only just scratching the surface of this jutsu and one couldn't very well say they knew it if they couldn't move around.

"You've made some great progress, but I wouldn't be doing a good job as a teacher if I didn't make sure you could maintain the jutsu while under some stress." Asahi spoke as he stood up and put a bit of distance between himself and Ameko. "You can either stay still or try and avoid what's coming, but either way you're going to have to focus on balancing your chakra correctly."

With that the Kyokujitsu would perform three seals and take a deep inhale. From his mouth would come a powerful rush of wind aimed at the genin, strong enough to lift Ameko right off her feet if she didn't apply enough chakra to stick to the waters surface. There was also the option of outrunning the blast but that would require her to constantly adjust the chakra to her feet as she ran. Either option was valid and in time she'd be able to do both as second nature but with her still learning the jutsu success wasn't guaranteed.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Fūton: Kyōryokuna Kaze no Nami [Wind Release: Powerful Wind Wave]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Fūton
HANDSEALS: 3
DESCRIPTION:
After forming the necessary hand seals, the caster releases a powerful gale of wind from their mouth. The gale itself has enough power to lift and push opposing Shinobi off their feet.

Warai Ameko

MADE BY VEL OF GS