[Hyūga Hinoe]

The last time Hinoe had met Shinde, the ash haired heiress of the Hatake Clan had nearly killed her. That was unacceptable, so unacceptable that Hinoe had sought out the Chuunin... for more. Yes, despite Hinoe's whining and complaining about Shinde's methods of pedagogy, she had found herself realizing, to her sore displeasure, that despite having nearly been burned to a crisp, Hinoe had found that learning to use Kinobori no Waza under duress had forced her to master it quicker than she had thought possible.

And so, she had returned, returned to be subjected to the same form of madness that had nearly killed her the first time. Because it was difficult to argue with results. Shinde was frightening, but, as Hinoe would have to admit, a good teacher. Good in the sense that the lesson was learned. As to the wellbeing of the student, well, that was their business, apparently, not Shinde's.

Perhaps it was Hinoe's stubbornness that had brought her here, the unwillingness to avoid Shinde because it could be said that Hinoe had avoided the Hatake because she was scared. Hinoe couldn't be scared of mere training! Whatever this teacher from hell had planned for her, Hinoe was sure she could take it. She hoped she could take it....

Hatake Shinde

[Hatake Shinde]

One of the things that people didn't realize about the Hatake heiress was that she actually held a powerful sense of restraint. Shocking. However, she knew what a person generally could and couldn't recover from. Or if nothing else, she knew the limits of her own skills. That was more impressive than others could say. However, when Hinoe came back to the same training ground as they had previously, they'd find that somehow, miraculously, the trees of which had been previously burnt to a crisp had been all but fully recovered. And it was here also that the Hatake heiress found herself waiting. Sitting atop the bridge of that narrow stream.

"Ah. Back again I see?" Shinde would inquire, slowly waving to the girl, as she rests this time in her Flak Jacket as well as all of the accruements of the Shinobi. Her headband firmly tied around her forehead. "Welcome to Water Walking." She exclaims. Sure that the Hyuuga girl had brushed up on her tree walking even further since the last time they talked. Shinde would find herself grinning brightly, too brightly, with her head tilted slightly to the side, with her eyes closed. "I was talking to my apprentice Ataru not too far back. He's been telling me, maybe I should apply to be an instructor, or even principal at the academy! Hahaha!~ Wouldn't that be great?" She inquires with genuine joy.

[Hyūga Hinoe]

To Hinoe's surprise, the trees that had been turned into firewood when Shinde had tried to roast her in their last training session were there again, as though nothing had been done to them previously. That was interesting; maybe Shinde had a friend who was a Senju, who had grown the trees back, after the arsonist war crime that the Hatake girl had tried to inflict on her fellow villager.

Hinoe looked up at the Chuunin, seated on the bridge that ran across a little stream, as the latter greeted her cheerfully, dressed in complete ninja regalia that displayed her rank. Was there a reason for the dress up, Hinoe wondered, as she returned the wave, trying to figure out whether it was more appropriate to wave or bow. Shinde seemed to be a rather non-traditional person, so perhaps the wave was fine.

As Shinde stated that she had been advised to take a position as an instructor of the Shinobi Academy, Hinoe stared at her for a moment. "Well, I mean, you do seem to be good at getting results," she said hesitantly. "But you certainly would need to be more restrained," the Hyuuga thought silently, unwilling to reveal what was really on her mind. She had no idea that Shinde's methods, though alarming, were controlled. To her, Shinde was just going ham on people, who managed to survive. Were there deaths? Possibly. Shinde was probably good at hiding the bodies.

Hatake Shinde

[Hatake Shinde]

"Well, I'm glad that you feel that way." She says with some level of nonchalant happiness. "Though, today, it should be a little bit different. I don't think I need to get into the whole spiel of how this training goes. Similar concept. Different surface. I already gave the lecture the last time." She exclaims, slowly stepping one foot onto the surface of the stream. She proceeds to walk along the surface of the stream's flow, and slowly shows the surface of her foot touching along the top. "Pretty simple, but they say if you can do this exercise, you have the potential to learn any jutsu." Shinde so exclaims with some level of certainty in her words.

"I think you'll also know that today, I'm actually here in person. As opposed to just a Shadow Clone." And with it, if Hinoe were to use her Byakugan, she would indeed see that in comparison to last time, Shinde's chakra had just about doubled in size. SOmething that was rather notable and perhaps a bit worrying. Smiling with her eyes closed, that slight tilt of the head, it made it seem as if it were a bit too sweet for what was coming next. "Give it a shot. I'll give you a few attempts to warm up before I show you today's unique situation." Stepping backwards and with a skipping hop, she'd allowed Hinoe to do her work.

[Hyūga Hinoe]

As the ash haired girl informed her student that she would let her attempt the Water Walking jutsu for a while, Hinoe didn't know whether to be excited or afraid. Going with what had happened to her the last time she had been at Shinde's mercy, the Hyuuga decided that being scared was a valid response to whatever Shinde meant by 'today's unique situation'.

In any case, it was, if Shinde was to be believed, going to be the same idea as Tree Walking, except that water provided a more movable, and therefore, less reliable surface. One's chakra would have to be in sync with the flow of water beneath their feet, but it would have to be second nature, as one would certainly not have the time to be trying to regulate their chakra, while fighting on the surface of a lake, or even the ocean.

Hinoe placed a foot on the water surface, her other leg firmly on dry ground. Carefully, she released chakra from the sole of her foot, feeling some measure of solidity beneath it, thanks to the chakra she was releasing. Moving slowly, the water would move less, giving her a feel for how the technique was supposed to go. Confident that her water-treading foot was firm, the Hyuuga stepped off the dry ground, and found herself square in the water, which came up to her waist.

"I shall try again," Hinoe said, climbing back out of the water and beginning the attempt once more.

Hatake Shinde

[Hatake Shinde]

As Hinoe began to try walking on the water, Shinde didn't see much point in trying to force it right away. She needed to know how to crawl before she knew how to walk, and frankly, she didn't have even the basic fundamental of it down in the shakiest sense. "You don't have it down at all. You need to find that sweet spot. You know? It's a little bit different for everyone, but I'm confident. If insects can do it, you can do it just fine." Adjusting to the surface tension of the water. She'd heard that some could even be skilled enough to ride waves. Crazy as it was.

"I know what it is. You need some motivation." She exclaims, before suddenly hopping up and performing a series of hanseals in rapid succession. "Doton: Chidokaku!" Slamming her right hand along the earth, the ground rapidly begins to shift, sinking downwards several dozen meters, making it more like a large gaping pit. And with it, the water from the stream flows inward becoming more like a waterfall, threatening to spill water atop the girl as it begins to slowly fill into the ditch. Making it more like a pool. "Ara. I know today's training!" She exclaims out loud.

"I hope you're good at swimming. Because if not? Well. You might drown!" She exclaims, as the water level begins to rise and ascend at a gradual pace. Shinde of course wasn't going to make it this easy, but the hardship part came after. And well. If she tried to run up the sides? She could make that rather treacherous for the girl. Shinde comes to leap down into the pit, landing atop the water, standing atop it with no difficulty whatsoever. So. How would Hinoe adapt. Eh? 

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Doton: Chidōkaku [Earth Release: Moving Earth Core]

RANK: A

CHAKRA USAGE: High

CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu

ELEMENT: Doton

HANDSEALS: 7

DESCRIPTION:

This technique grants the user the ability to lower or raise the ground in the surrounding area, allowing them to create giant holes or elevations in the ground. The size of the affected area as well as the depths that it is lowered or raised to is also up to the user. With precise timing, this technique can be used to evade incoming attacks, as well as to endanger opponents by moving them into the path of an oncoming attack reducing their reaction time as well as knocking them off balance, making it even harder to avoid the attack. Other than being moved below or above ground — relative to the surrounding surface — the terrain is not altered as plant life and people retain their same positions when this technique is used.

[Hyūga Hinoe]

Hinoe did not disagree about finding the 'sweet spot' for the technique, as Shinde put it; the only thing was that she would need to do a good deal of practicing before she found that optimal place. Of course, it was rather unlikely that Hinoe would get any great deal of practice done, as it was likely that, if things went how they had gone in her last training with Shinde, the Chuunin would make another attempt on her life, and said life-threatening incident would force her to immediately figure out how to use the technique. Genius, but very unhinged.

Shinde's announcement that Hinoe needed motivation caused alarm to flicker across the Hyuuga's face. "Wait! That isn't--" Hinoe began saying, but was unable to continue, as the ground suddenly sank, forming a deep pit, with the water of the stream flowing into it. At this rate, the water would form a rather deep pool, one which falling into would fully submerge Hinoe. "Another casual attempt made on my life," the Hyuuga thought, as she fell into the water, swimming back to the surface and treading water to keep her head above the surface.

Shinde jumped into the pit, landing on the surface of the water with no issues. "Okay now, she's mocking me," Hinoe imagined glumly, as she began trying to coordinate her chakra to enable her stand on the water, even though she was submerged to her neck. The plan was, if she got that 'sweet spot', she could step out of the water like she was climbing stairs. And she could do this without Shinde seeing exactly what she was doing... or so she hoped.

Hatake Shinde

[Hatake Shinde]

When she watched Hinoe fall into the pool of water, it evidently seemed as if that wasn't enough to inspire her to get moving and in gear. To which thais would lead Shinde to sigh as she rubbed her forehead. "Ara. Ara. Seems I just need to kick it up a notch." Weaving a few handseals, she proceeds to puffs up her cheeks before calling out, "Katon: Endan!" She shouts, a fireball breezing out of her mouth as she begins to breath it out towards the water's surface nearby, but not quite at Hinoe's direction. With a long and continuous gulf of fire, the water begins to get hot. Very hot, as it begins to bubble, and not in a good way as the surface begins to steam.

Though not quite enough to cook the girl. The hot searing heat would be a great inspiration to get the girl moving as fast as she fucking could to stand atop the surface, lest she experience what it's like to be a lobster boiled in the pot. Presuming she does begin to scramble onto her feet, or at least, attempt to, there is a moment where Shinde somersaults and leaps backwards, weaving a few more handseals before she calls out, "Katon: "Housenka no Jutsu!" Exhaling several small petals of flame out towards the Hyuuga girl, she would need to be swift in dodging, swimming, or otherwise diving beneath the surface of the water as to escape as the flames crash and barrage the water around her, adding to the heat of the water overall.

"Are we feeling inspired yet?"

[Hyūga Hinoe]

If Hinoe had imagined Shinde had made an attack on her life with the Doton technique that had dropped the Hyuuga into the deep pool, Hinoe was in for a big surprise. Apparently, Shinde did not seem too happy that the Hyuuga was taking her time and getting used to having a feel for the water under her feet. Hinoe turned sharply as the ash haired girl proclaimed her intention to crank things up a bit, the Hyuuga's eyes wide with alarm, as her brain predicted what was probably coming next.

Asking Shinde to wait was not an option. Hinoe had tried it before, and the Chuunin maniacally went on with trying to roast her to a crisp. So, this time, Hinoe simply gathered her wits and prepared to try to swim as fast as she could, except Shinde did not direct any attack at her. Instead, the Chuunin exhaled a massive fireball onto the water, sending up a great hiss and a curtain of steam, even as Hinoe noticed the water quickly warming up. "Now she's trying to boil me?!!!" Hinoe wondered, as she quickly began trying to propel herself, both with swimming and with using chakra under her feet to push off the water.

And then Hinoe saw a rain of fireballs descending directly towards her. The Hyuuga quickly submerged herself, though even then, she had to propel herself this way and that to avoid the fireballs. The water around her was getting really quite hot now. With an effort, Hinoe kicked off the water beneath her, launching herself out of the hot pool and landing in a crouch on the side of the pool wall, as she used the Tree Walking Skill to stay attached to the rock wall. "I look like a lobster now," the Hyuuga wailed.

Hatake Shinde

[Hatake Shinde]

It was in those next moments, that Hinoe began to cry out, about how they looked like a lobster. To which Shinde could only smile brightly and add. "Think of it more like you're getting a free hotspring! A steam bath! But that's cheating. Hinoe-Chan." She exclaims, and with it, she'd form a singular handseal, focusing on the earth of which she latched and clung onto for dear life. In a single moment, the earth of which she grappled onto would turn into mud, becoming slipper as it flowed like a river, to cause her to begin to fall again straight towards the boiling hell. She should know better than that~

"Doton: Doryuu Taiga!" She exclaims, acting with all of the courtesy of a sadist teacher, looking to put her students through the hellish, horrible training that they needed to best survive the harshness of the ninja world. Frankly. Hinoe ought to start learning a bit faster. Because in those moments, as she'd likely fall towards that now steaming hot water, it was going to be a lot hotter if she plunged in a second time. Shinde meanwhile stood perfectly atop the surface, enjoying the warmth of it all, as she seemed to find it was just right, at least, if you weren't completely submerged underneath that hot matter. Would Hinoe get it now she wondered? Was her body finally shocked awake into understanding and learning? To survive?

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Doton: Doryū Taiga [Earth Release: Earth Flow River]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Doton
HANDSEALS: 1
DESCRIPTION:
After forming the needed hand seal, the user transforms the ground underneath their opponent into a river of mud that throws them off balance and away from the user. The river will carry the opponent thirty meters down stream before depositing them in a muddy puddle. The river itself spans only two meters though, requiring the user to be rather precises when preforming the jutsu.

[Hyūga Hinoe]

Shinde seemed too happy doing all this, while putting her student in fear of her life! For the umpteenth time, Hinoe wondered whether coming back to the ash haired Hatake, even after her initial experience, was wise. The optimism Shinde seemed to project was improper. A steam bath?! And how could Shinde talk about cheating? Standing on the wall was cheating, but being broiled in a deep narrow pot wasn't?

"But I'm not dressed for a hot-- eek!" The solid mass that had been underneath (or behind, as far as positioning due to gravity was concerned) Hinoe's feet suddenly flowed downwards toward the steaming water beneath. For Hinoe, there were two problems. First problem was the fact that if she did not respond well, she would be subjected once more to the lobster broiling situation. Second problem, which stemmed from being broiled again, was that this time, the water was messy, fouled by the mud that had run into it as a result of Shinde's technique. Falling into such a dirty pool was unacceptable.

As Hinoe fell towards the hot water below, she aligned herself so that she would drop in a crouch. Utilizing the knowledge of releasing chakra instantly in a burst, learned from Jyuken, Hinoe released chakra from her soles as soon as she touched the surface of the water, causing her to bounce. As soon as her feet touched the water again, she did the same thing, slowly transitioning from bouncing on the surface of the pool to a sprint at full tilt, her brain getting used to the rhythmical flow of chakra required to keep her on the water surface. Still, she did not feel confident enough to stop yet. 

Hatake Shinde

[Hatake Shinde]

Eh, so long as the mud didn't mix, Shinde would imagine she'd turn out alright. It'd sink to the bottom of the increasingly growing pool. However, in those moments, as she found herself trying to pounce and otherwise try to strength her way into running across the water's surface, trying desperately not to sink into the heated much as more water continued to pour from the air about them, Shinde found herself soon smiling oh so brilliantly in her radiant light, as she slowly reaches into her flak jacket. And instead of her granting any sort of congratulations or otherwise, she'd take out just a few Kunai. Layered with explosive tags as she hurls them into the watery pit down below.

"Start running." Shinde exclaims, as they begin to heat up. Shinde herself leaping and jumping far backwards as the Kunai then explode. A brilliant flash of flame as and a rupturing blast, causing the water to form a wave as the force ruptures outward, a bubble popping along the surface as it seeks to send a burning wave of water towards Hinoe, as steam escapes into the air, it beginning to rain a hot (not so pleasant) wave down upon the Hyuuga girl. At this point, people would come to likely just a few conclusions about Hatake Shinde. Which was either she was a sadist, or she was absolutely insane. Or both. However, there was one thing Shinde imagined in these moments.

Hinoe was going to get real good at running on water in a second or two if she wanted to escape the worst of that scalding water.