Everywhere and Nowhere; Everyone yet No One...

[Not Masakuni]

-

Ah.

Shiro understood. This was about situational awareness; about comprehending the forest while understanding the trees. Those brief words shaped his path before him. He gathered himself, preparing as three beasts set in at him. He pulled a tag from his pack, letting it float free in the air, sparking and smoking. When the beast plunged down to consume him, they would instead get a mouthful of flame and force, right down their throats, along with the melted metal slag of a kunai in the centre of the burst. It was becoming one of his favourite ways to deal with a large target.

He wouldn't be present as they struck at him, nor when the tag erupted into bloom. Instead, with a simple burst of chakra, known to all shinobi, he replaced himself, leaving behind one of his kunai; it was the one he had thrown away much earlier in the battle, when he attempted to trick Shohaku by throwing a second, untagged kunai after his first had exploded on the man's shadow. It had landed off to the sides, near where his battle with the Baku had taken place, and he appeared there now, a scant ten metres to the side of Shohaku.

Now!

His hands formed seals, pulling chakra up out of his core. Hopefully, he would be able to catch the man off guard. If not, he would have a moment's respite, at least. Shiro sucked in a deep breath, and then expelled another burst of vapours. Hopefully, his cloud would be able to catch the man unawares and paralyze him. In the meantime, however, his clone, having split one dog into two, would back up slowly, preparing itself for use and avoiding injury. It would be needed, later...

SPOILER: Click to show

5 metres from Shohaku.
15 metres from the dogs.
One tag used.
One kunai destroyed.


Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique)

[/u]
Rank: E, E, E, E
Type: Supplementary / Ninjutsu
Range: 0 - 5 meters
Handseals: No.
Chakra: Very Low
Special: Switch is near-instantaneous. Kawarimi can only be used once per thread, plus one more each time retrained. However, the technique itself can only be used once per turn, regardless of retraining. Requires the user to switch with objects equal or smaller in size; cannot switch with other living people or animals.
Description: This jutsu lets the user quickly switch places with another nearby object, such as a plant (normally a section of a log), an animal, the moment an attack hits. This creates an optical illusion, making the enemy think the attack was successful. The user can then use this confusion to escape or launch a counter-attack - i.e. exploding tags can be attached to the replacement for an added surprise.
Domain: Academy Ninjutsu.

Doku Kiri (Poison Mist Technique)
Rank: D, C, B, A, S
Type: Offensive / Medical Ninjutsu
Range: 0 - 50 meters
Handseals: Yes.
Chakra: Low - Very High
Special: When first learned, poison gas cloud reaches up to 10 meters. Each rank re-learned adds an additional 5 meters to the maximum, for a maximum of 30 meters. Strength of poison is also determined by highest rank attained.
Description: Ninpou: Doku Kiri is an advanced Medical Ninjutsu technique utilized by skilled medics. After the needed handseals, the medic inhales briefly before expelling poision gas from their mouth at high speeds. This poison serves as a very potent paralytic, with the duration of the paralysis depending on rank learned. This can serve as cover to escape and as an offensive technique against her opponent, or as a trap when luring opponents your way.

[/b] 1 post.
C-Rank: 2 posts.
B-Rank: 3 posts.
A-Rank: 4 posts.
S-Rank: 5 posts.[/ul]
Domain: Medics. Must know Saikan Chuushutsu no Jutsu (Fine Affliction Extraction).[/spoiler]

[/justify][/blockquote]

[suzaku]

The young shinobi had learned quickly, and had begun to turn the entirety of the meadow into his battlefield. He utilized the Body Replacement Technique, allowing himself to close the distance between he and Shohaku quickly, and place him in prime position to attack the king of this battle.

However, he would be faced with an interesting situation.

As Shiro formed his handseals and readied himself to exhale his poisonous mist, the red-haired summoner formed a single seal: his shadow would spring to life, covering the ten meter gap in a mere second, and Shiro would find that, though he might paralyze his foe, he too would share the same fate were he unable to move from the shadow, which was unlikely at such a range.

"Tell me, newcomer," he would say, assuming the shadow bind was successful, "have you learned?"

In the distance, the hounds grew idle, as if awaiting their masters beck.

SPOILER: Click to show

Kage Mane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique)
Rank: D, C, B, A, S
Type: Supplementary / Ninjutsu / Secret Technique
Range: 0 - 50 meters
Chakra: Very Low - Very High [initial + upkeep]
Handseals: Yes [1]
Special: Allows the clan member to stretch their shadow across the ground so that it may encounter and capture other shadows for the sake of manipulation. When shadow manipulation is active, user must be still. Shadow width never exceeds natural size. Highest rank known determines the maximum range a shadow can move, as well as how fast it can extend. User can capture as many victims as they wish, but they must keep in mind the total amount of shadow length used to do so cannot exceed one's maximum KM range control, and for each extra victim they capture, consumption raises by one.
BREAKING FREE FROM KAGE MANE!

D: 10 meter range @ 2 meters per second
C: 20 m @ 4 mps
B: 30 m @ 6 mps
A: 40 m @ 8 mps
S: 50 m @ 10 mps


Description: Kage Mane no Jutsu is the first ninjutsu technique developed by the Nara clan, and the root of all its power. Its original purpose was as a skill to help delay any pursuers, though throughout time, their paralyzing skills became a weapon all in its own. After forming the needed hand seals, the clan member is able to manipulate their shadow along any surface. By using other nearby shadows they can further extend the reach of their shadow, however they are limited to the surface area of the original cast shadow. Once the clan members shadow reaches the target shadow, it will attach itself. While attached the target will be frozen, only able to replicate in mirror form the actions of the clan member. If the clan member is low on chakra, the Kage Mane will falter and the shadow will return to its normal form.
Domain: Nara.

[Not Masakuni]

-Latch On Life

Wow.

It was a highly unlikely situation; though Shiro had managed to send off his technique and paralyze the Nara, he hadn't anticipated the sheer speed that the shadow moved with; it crossed the distance between them in a single second, locking on to Shiro's shadow and holding him in place; essentially, they were both paralyzed, neither one of them able to move. That was a fine state of affairs. At least the man wouldn't be able to kill Shiro directly; he hoped to avoid such a fate.

Then, he spoke. The dogs, ever-multiplying, seemed to stop and wait as the two of them caught each other, listening as their master offered a few words. Shiro did not respond immediately. It wasn't like they were going anywhere soon. He stopped to muse on the question. It seemed simple, but there was a bit more to it than that. The older man was trying to teach him about controlling the battlefield. This was about using every bit of available space to his advantage. Had he learned?

What, indeed.

“I have begun to learn,” Shiro responded after a moment of further deliberation. “By using my surroundings to my advantage, I was able to get the drop on far-superior opponents, like the Baku. If I had relied merely on my strength, I'd be meat in a monster's stomach by now.” He blinked a bit, musing on those thoughts further. “Power is not derived from destructive force; it comes from mobility. Use of terrain, and surprise... Its all about the application of wisdom. Awareness. Knowing when to use your power...”

[/blockquote]

[suzaku]

"Good," he said, descending into his shadow and retreating from the gas while simultaneously freeing Shiro from his prison. "Then it is time."

A thunderous boom resounded across the meadow; the dogs vanished in a cloud of smoke, and the Nara—seizing the blood from his lip—created several handseals before his chest.

"You have learned to conquer not only your opponent, but the battlefield; you are worthy of what I have to teach," he said, clasping his hands before him before driving both into the earth at his feet, "but first, you must free your mind."

A ghastly figure gripping a large scythe slowly materialized above Shohaku. As the Nara rose to hs feet, the demonic apparition rose further above him, and brought its wicked blade overhead.

"Behold, my ultimate Jutsu," he warned, swinging his hand in the direction of the newcomer. In unison, the Reaper Death Scythe was sent crashing down towards Shiro, ready to slice through him: though, should the blade strike him, he would find that it simply passed through him, and he would feel as if something important—but not quire memorable—was taken from him.

"Without this knowledge, you may now learn how to become a God of Thunder, child."

SPOILER: Click to show

The Reaper Death Scythe descends, permanently sealing the ability to use: Kawairimi no Jutsu.

[Not Masakuni]

-Death Incoming

Darkness.

He could feel it, descending from the horizon. Worse than the Baku; worse than anything he had ever felt before. It was coming, gathering, before the seals were even formed. The dogs disappeared, forgotten. Shohaku intoned what was coming in an ominous voice. The words sounded strangely far away from where Shiro was standing, ringing in his ears as though through a thick fog. He felt himself freed from the Shadow Possession technique, but even then he remained still, his limbs numb and his heart racing.

Shiki Fujin.

It rose, a demonic apparition from the darkest corner of the apparition, bearing a blade of spirits and eyes unmerciful. Shiro swallowed, a sound he wished he hadn't made. He knew immediately what he was looking at; the Shinigami, a terrible god of death who shepherded the souls of fallen to the Pure World. Bound as he was, he could only imagine what deals the Nara had struck to gain his companionship. Before he could think further on it, however, the blade descended, cutting though him.

And yet, he was not harmed. Not in body, at least. A part of him was gone; he felt its absence, a curious lack of awareness in a certain part of his thoughts. His thoughts felt frayed around the edges. Something important was gone, but he couldn't remember what it was. Some part of his training, or perhaps his instinct for battle, had simply been cut out of him. “I... I see...” The words came slowly, trembling. “Very well. I... I am ready, master.” He didn't understand how, but that absence in his mind was now willing to receive.

[/blockquote]

[suzaku]

"Tell me," he said, taking a seat on the ground before the newcomer, "what is the name of my new apprentice?"

Shohaku crossed his legs then motioned for Shiro to do the same. The red-haired shinobi closed his eyes, and clasped his hands before his chest, creating a circuit through which a vibrant hue of chakra began to subtly manifest itself.

"You are worthy of learning," he said, his voice low and sage-like, "you shall become a God of Thunder; close your eyes, listen for the heavens bellowing cry."

Some great amount of time would pass after these words; in this time, Shohaku was silent and unmoving.

[Not Masakuni]

-Silence, Hear Me

Worthy.

It gave him no small amount of pride to hear that. His worth was being compared on the level of the devil of the Hidden Leaf, who had plagued Kusagakure throughout the war. Such a thing wasn't the sort of thing you heard every day. He had moderate skill in the art of forming seals and rites, but the Flying Thunder God was a technique beyond the ken of any normal sealist. He had harboured doubts of his ability to master it, before, but now something in him was fully confident.

“Fushoku Shiro, master.” He answered, his head bowing slightly. He crossed his legs at his master's motion, settling down into a comfortable sitting position. He felt the subtle stirrings of power the man was gathering. The man before him was like a force of nature; his power was effortless, his chakra seemingly depthless. His master intoned for him to listen for the sounds of heaven's cry. Thunder, he supposed, was what the man was trying to tell him to listen for.

Listen...

At first, his mind bubbled with questions. He had a thousand things he wanted to ask Shohaku, now that they weren't locked into mortal conflict. He pushed down those thoughts, however, trying his best to ignore them. His master was silent and still. He should do the same thing. He took in a deep, measured breath, and tried to let his thoughts flow away with his exhalation. After a few long moments, his mind was clear, devoid of racing thoughts, save for the faint crackle of his chakra, ebbing and flowing...

[/blockquote]

[suzaku]

"Very good, Shiro," he said, laying several scrolls before the young shinobi. "This is the knowledge you seek."

He stood, retreating several paces before adding a final comment.

"It is now your task to study these scrolls, and learn to become a God of Thunder.'

___________

SPOILER: Click to show

It is now your task to use the remainder of this thread on your own to train the Hiraishin. Upon completing this training, you are done, and you will be the newest wielder of a Kinjutsu on this site. Congratulations!

[Not Masakuni]

-Shape Of Seals

Scrolls?

And with that, Shohaku was gone, leaving behind the knowledge his disciple sought. Shiro bowed respectfully as his master disappeared, then turned his attention to the first scroll. Gently, he unwrapped the ribbon from the scroll, pulling the red silk free. He rolled it open, contemplating the first few lines of text. Slowly, he began to understand the nature of the technique that he was dealing with. Hiraishin was a formulaic technique, reliant on the combination of ninjutsu and fuinjutsu.

The basis of the technique was a complex seal formula. It was an incredibly complex piece of fuinjutsu; it was designed to be a chakra beacon, of sorts. It connected to a dimensional void, which served as a basis for the user to transport themselves, instantly, to the mark seal. Theoretically, he could teleport anywhere in the world, using the seal. The concept of range was meaningless, due to the properties of the void the technique would harness. As long as the seal was there, he could be there.

Fascinating.

The seal needed multiple layers in order to do what it did, however; the first layer created a beacon of absolute 'location', defining the user's position in space-time. The second layer was a connection to the dimensional void, allowing the user to link the seal to that dimension, so that it could be used to facilitate transportation. The third layer was a connection to the user, allowing them to feel the presence of the seal from anywhere. The fourth layer was a binding, holding the different pieces together in an integrated whole...

SPOILER: Click to show

Hiraishin Shiki training starts now.
1.30 o.o;;

[/blockquote]

[Not Masakuni]

-The First Of Four

Hm.

The first one would have to come first. It seemed like a relatively simple seal. He read over the design of the absolute 'location' seal, trying to commit to memory. It was an elegant seal; it only had a few steps to create its own effect, layers of its own, if you will. It operated by discovering its position in the world through a sort of dimensional resonance, and then recording that information into the seal itself, storing it for use with the other layers that made up the Hiraishin Shiki.

So.

Shiro closed his eyes, gathering up his chakra. He let it pool in his palm, radiating out from his core and passing down the length of his arm. He arranged it, tightly controlling the chakra and guiding it into the shape of the seal that he held in his mind. He gathered it up tightly, and then impressed down into a blank piece of paper before him, releasing his chakra in a flurry. A small black seal took form underneath his palm, shaping itself into something like a character of kanji.

Shiro closed his eyes, meditating on the seal he just created. He reached his finger down, placing it in the centre of the seal and feeling the information flowing along through it. After a moment, he pulled away, sighing. The seal hadn't worked. There was no information stored in the seal. He didn't know whether his information layer or his location layer was off, or perhaps both. He sighed, scratching the back of his head and bringing the scroll closer to him again, reading through it...

[/blockquote]

[Not Masakuni]

-Knowledge Relay

Alright.

Shiro looked down at the scroll one last time, reading over the lengthy descriptions. It was dry stuff, but the pure ingenuity of the subject matter made it a passable read. He took a deep breath, calling chakra back up into his hand, gathering waves of chakra into palm, creating a fresh pool to work with. He twined it together into the shape of an intricate character, binding the chakra into defined patterns. With a quick motion, he pressed his palm down, releasing the waves of energy.

As the black image took form, Shiro was pleased to see that it was tighter and more elegant than before. It wasn't perfect, he didn't think, but he couldn't quite tell what was off about it. After a few moments of glancing between the scroll and his work paper, he shrugged, unsure of the difference. It was something, though. The fastest way to find out would be to see what function was impeded. He had redesigned the information-record sub-layer, and he was sure it would work, now.

Hm.

With a touch of his finger, he perceived the problem immediately. The information sub-layer was fine; however, the data contained within it was fragmented and confused, as though it was attempting to record any number of erroneous coordinates at once. He pulled the scroll out again, looking more closely from his seal to the one in the scroll. His 'location' seal was off by a single difference; a hook at the end of one of the curving upper lines. That had to be the problem...

[/blockquote]

[Not Masakuni]

-Reapplication

Alright.

With an application of chakra, a simple swipe of his hand eliminated the seal and wiped the paper clean, for further use. He spread it out nice and flat, as flat as he could on the dirt, and gathered his chakra back up into his palm. He imagined the curving lines, picturing them clearly in his mind, forming a distinct and significant pattern of power. He focused particularly on the final line, one of the upper curves, where a slight hook was required. He held that image in his head, making it perfect.

When he saw it to the exclusion of all other things, he laid his palm down on the paper, releasing his chakra in tight spirals of energy that lashed against the paper, pressing down in a torrent the same shape as the symbol in his mind. The seal had been placed, burning itself into the paper. Shiro removed his hand, inspecting it with a critical eye. It wasn't perfect. The upper curving line with the hook, his main focus, had come out a little too bolded due to his focus on it, but it looked functional this time.

One way to know.

Shiro extended a single finger, chakra running down it like a fibre-optic cable. As soon as it came into contact with the seal, he became suddenly very aware of his location; or rather, not his location, but the one directly under his finger. He knew, suddenly, that he was in a large wooded country he knew by sight to be Hi no Kuni, in an area near the north-east coast of the country, some few kilometres away from entering Kaminari no Kuni. He could feel his location, more than he was consciously considering it...

[/blockquote]

[Not Masakuni]

-16.67%

Good.

Shiro took his finger off of the seal, cutting off the sudden sense of awareness of location. He shook his head for a moment, the memories of it still twisting around in his head. That seal had been successful. Still, he wanted to make sure that he had a good awareness of it. He tore a thin strip off of the paper, laying it down flat in the dirt. Next to it, he removed one of his kunai, setting it point-down in the dirt, the hilt sticking straight up. He contemplated the thin paper, focusing his mind on it.

As he did so, his chakra came forth, rising out of the depths of his soul and running down his arm into his hand. He gathered it there, preparing the seal, and then impressed it into the paper, allowing the spiritual energy to burn the mark into the sheet. He lifted the paper, inspecting the work before he tied it around his arm. He scooped up the kunai for self-defence, just in the event that something should happen, and then he closed his eyes, firmly shutting off his ability to perceive location.

Jump.

He took a running leap, coming to the ground with his eyes closed. He judged himself to have travelled a distance of about two and a half metres, give or take. Without opening his eyes, he brought his hand up, touching it to the seal wrapped around his arm; instantly, he became aware of his location. He was exactly two hundred fifty-seven centimetres away from his original position in Hi no Kuni. He brought his hand away, opening his eyes and walking back over to his scrolls with a smile.

[/blockquote]

[Not Masakuni]

-And On

Hm.

Shiro removed the seal from his arm, wiping the paper clean with a quick exertion of chakra. As the image disappeared, he let the paper flutter to the dirt, joining the other blank papers and the scrolls that contained the knowledge of the rarest seal in all of existence. Shiro yawned, quickly settling back down into a comfortable seat. Now that the location seal was successful, his next seal would be, in many ways, the hardest; he had to link up to an interdimensional void.

Easy, right?

Not right. He re-settled his legs, drawing the scroll into his lap. He rolled the aged paper open again, browsing the information available on the second seal. He committed everything in it to memory, focusing on the shape of the seal. Every curve, every whorl, every bold line, each part of it that made up the seal. This one was a lot more esoteric than the first one. It dealt with things that were beyond the ken of mundane knowledge. The first thing he would have to do was understand it.

If he couldn't do that, the seal would be a failure. Even worse, it would succeed and he wouldn't have the knowledge to deal with it properly. Interdimensional voids were not the sort of thing that one dealt with often. He sighed, reading over the information contained in the scroll. If he thought the previous one had been dense, then he was not disappointed by the thickness and obscurity present in this one. He could barely understand what he was reading. Before long, however, it began to come together...

SPOILER: Click to show

Man...
1/5 >.>

[/blockquote]

[Not Masakuni]

-The Space Without

Alright.

Shiro had begun to understand what he was reading. The seal he was using was, in fact, incredibly dangerous. It was meant to send objects into a dimensionless void, where the concept of location had no meaning, for only a single moment. From within that dimensionless void, they would home in on the signal being produced by the Hiraishin Shiki and transport to that. Because location had no meaning within the void, the distances crossed between entry and exit were irrelevant.

Entry, however, was a difficult prospect at best, and exit even more so. The void had a name; Soto-Banshou. Its name meant 'Outside All Creation,' which meant exactly how it sounded; the void existed in the not-space outside of everything that existed. It was separate from the living universe, the space between worlds. It wasn't a thing so much a it was nothing. Anything that entered the space had to break the very barriers of the universe to get there, no simple task.

Hm.

All of this meant he couldn't test it on himself until all the seals were bound together; his first run of the completed Hiraishin would have to be perfect, or he would be trapped in a fate worse than death. He didn't look forward to that idea. Instead, he would have to rely on his instincts and some secondary tests in order to get it right. He sighed, rolling the scroll closed and setting it with the other ones. He had a sinking feeling that his initial success with the first seal was not going to come again so easily...

[/blockquote]