FLICKER [Kinjutsu search pt.2]

[marvolous.]

Well, that was an interesting question. It wasn't because I did not know the answer, or even if the answer to it was clear; it was, quite simply, ironic that he asked that. I hadn't been granted the title as the leader of all ANBU in my home village without a reason, y'know. I don't know when it started, nor could I recall the onset of symptoms, but with the manifestation of my schizophrenia it also brought along an ability to recall anything that I understand; essentially, I had near perfect memory - photographic memory, to be specific. Because of such, and the ability to recall basically any kind of information effortlessly, my intelligence and battling abilities were heightened.

Truthfully, that - and that alone - was the reason I had been able to act on the spot and survive such a gruesome and large scale explosion within seconds. It wasn't just confidence and cockiness that made the way I am, I was a savant - basically, I was better and smarter than everyone. (;]) "Is that a rhetorical question?" I scoffed, staring at him as he turned to face me. I couldn't tell if he was being serious or not, especially since that exact scenario had occurred just a day ago.

I didn't bother interrupting him as he spoke, instead using the time to ponder his words in my head. They did make sense: Hiraishin wasn't something - I assumed - that could be learned and master just off raw skill. It had to take more than that, but I was completely positive that I had what it takes to ascend to that level. "I'm proficient at it to a certain degree." I repeated from earlier, doing so with utmost perfection. "However, I can't say I'm a complete master of it." This was all fine and dandy, but with all this anticipation I wanted to learn Hiraishin already.

"I'm guessing this will be the first part of our training?"

[Apple]

? :NPC

"Is that a rhetorical question?"
”..No?”

Oh, well this was awkward. Perhaps that he actually thought that if you could survive such a large explosion (Although, as for today you were still scarred from yesterday’s events) you could easily muster up a plan to save yourself should you be pushed off the edge of a cliff. And with a sly grin plastered on his face, the master would then shrug somewhat, his eyes closed once more as his gaze would at least seem to be off in front of him. ”The day that you can perfect your reaction speed is the day that you can start learning Hiraishin. You’ve got to- ” BANG! a slap on your back, or- more than a slap, really, as should his shove have been enough (And, bearing in mind that despite the fact that he had the physique of a runner bean, his arms were quite strong) "Good luck!" you’d find yourself falling down the side, the drop at least fifty meters down. You’d need to react quite fast.

And as for you surrounding areas? On the side of the cliff that you were currently perilously falling down, you’d find protruding rocks which could surely be grabbed on- But where would you go onwards from there? You’d need to figure out a way to prevent yourself from falling to the ground or you might find yourself both dead and unable to learn Hirashin. But which was the worst? With your mind so set on learning that series of forbidden techniques then surely you’d have to work your way out of this situation to make sure that you could keep that dream bright in your mind. After all; If you did manage to let yourself fall, the master didn’t want to have to be the person to clean up your pitiful corpse at the end. Surely in the past he had Ishi to do things like that for him, but now that he was gone- Dirty work wasn’t exactly.. his favourite thing to do. With an appearance similar to a fresh, young businessman, it didn’t seem as if he’d be the kind of person to be sitting on the ground, let alone camp outside.

THINK FAST!

[marvolous.]

Yes, that was quite exactly what I thought. Considering I wasn't mandated to jump off the cliff with a six mile explosion at my back, it would be far easier to conjure up a plan now than it was yesterday. At least, that was what I assumed. I didn't really think I would have to go through such a thing again so fast, but it was obviously out of my hands - especially with how coy and mysterious the old man was being about things. "The day that you can perfect your reaction speed is the day that you can start learning Hiraishin. You’ve got to- ” Those words had been only foreboding in a way, and I should've known what was coming next due to all the signs.

But I didn't, and well - I'd pay the price for my ignorance. With but the simplest of touches he pushed me completely off the cliff, the position I had remained in prior to such occurring causing me to spin mid air as I attempted - though I knew it was impossible - to gain some sort of balance. It didn't stop me from trying, though; I couldn't resist my innate reaction to such a trauma being repeated. However, it was only after falling for several seconds that my mind actually went to work in devising a plan for securing some sort of landing.

The most obvious thing about the location surrounding the cliffs were the abundances of rocks, which, even if I were to land perfectly upon one, would still leave me dead and/or paralyzed. Neither option was something that I really wanted, so I picked the second and only remaining option left: the trees. First, to ensure I wouldn't die on impact, I reshaped my body mid-air in an attempt to make sure both of my feet were positioned to my side - much like I would if I was skating down a pole. With that situated I forced my body forward as much as I could within the air, my feet connecting with the tree and then pushing off to bring me back into the air in a spin.

Doing such allowed me to eliminate much of the momentum behind my body, further granting me the ability to land on the next closest tree without worry of breaking my legs entirely. Even though that was true, it didn't stop me from going right through the branch in which I landed on and into the ground face first. Still, though, it was better than completely dying. "Fucking old man." After a few minutes I'd get up from the ground, trekking up the large mountain I had just fallen from - again - after taking a couple moments to catch my breath. It'd be a long journey back up there, but it would be totally worth it - I couldn't wait to speak my mind to that old fa-- man.

Next time I'd be faster, he won't be able to catch me.

[Apple]

? :NPC

After a few minutes I'd get up from the ground, trekking up the large mountain I had just fallen from - again - after taking a couple moments to catch my breath.

Your presence back on the mountain top would be thoroughly appreciated by the master and anticipated. Of course with his eyes gazing down at you as you fell and attempted to make some kind of plan to prevent yourself from falling to an untimely death, he took in to accordance both what you did and how long you took before actually doing something of worth that could save your life, and from the slight nod that he did once or twice whilst watching you, it seemed as if he was more entertained than agreeing with what you done- As if this whole pushing you off a cliff scenario was simply a charade just to make him laugh. With a great grin on his face as you’d end up hitting a tree, it was easy to say that he was glad that you survived, and the way that you had landed, with a tracker carefully administered on his eyes, he’d watch you face plant the floor like a pro. Only people with skill can do it that well, after all.

And- When the time came when you’d finally make you way towards the top and the master would be in view once more, he’d keep his position by the side of the cliff with his legs dangling down, his yellow eyes watching as you’d make your appearance back- Were you shamed for the way that you had landed, or would you approach him with confidence? It was such things that he was interested on seeing, especially after the death of his last student which strangely, despite the time that he had spent with him, didn’t really.. mar his mood that much. It was a lie to say that he wasn’t’ effected of course, it was a sad death, but in the end it had been his own decision to blow his body to kingdom come, and there was nothing much that he could have done about it.

”Welcome back! How well did you think you did?”

And now he’d ask this without there being a sign of him apologizing for pushing you off in the first place, but in the end, surely it had helped to better yourself in that sense- Or the first time it wouldn’t do all that much in effect but after a few more turns of being pushed off the side of the mountain then surely you’d begin to come to grips with it, and your own reaction time would profit from it greatly. With a smug grin on his mouth, it was easy to say that he was trolling you with his words, as if nothing much had happened, as if your life hadn’t just been placed at risk moments ago, and as if you didn’t just get your face planted in the ground. With a few specks of earth surely on your face, he’d attempt to notice them, secretly laughing at your poor self.

But, he was expecting a response from you. ”I hope you get an idea of what I mean. Along this training you’re going to learn how to deal with timing in fights. There’s no use having Hiraishin if you have both the special awareness and thiming of a fool.” he’d tell you this, a part of him hoping that even though he surely had attempted to kill you (and, in normal cultured he would be frowned upon for doing so) you were still going to be civil to him- Or, he expected you to be civil. If you turned around and shouted at him for doing so, he’d be keen to kick you off the course itself and feel glad to let you make your own way home to whatever hovel that you lived in- But your response.. what would it be? Was it a truth that you were happy that you had been pushed off? Or would it be a lie to say that you hadn’t enjoyed it? Did you even see the point of the exercise itself?

[marvolous.]

It took quite the amount of time for me to once again scale the side of the mountain, using my eyes to locate and remember the exact path we had originally used yesterday to get up to the tip. Considering how my legs were virtually like jelly - both from the injuries from yesterday and the fall a couple minutes ago - running up such a slope was a difficult task. But I still did it with a straight face, using my determination that I'd would eventually be able to utterly destroy the old man when I was fully as gifted in Hiraishin as he was, to fuel and increase my resolve tenfold. Even with that, however, it didn't stop me from inwardly being angry.

"How well? You just pushed me off a god damn mountain..." I began, my rage seeping to my countenance briefly before dissipating completely. Again, I would have all the time in the world to berate him for everything he was doing to me. Right now, though, was not the time. "Well, considering I didn't have to summon a snake made out of lighting to save myself this time, I think I did pretty well." Still, it was difficult not to notice the sarcasm in my words. "It took me a couple moments to get over what you did, but after that my escape route seemed clear."

"Thats fine by me. Fights are my forte, you know." I added, continuing forward towards him and then reclaiming the seat I had sat in before being pushed off the close - this time I was careful not to sit too close. Looking over the cliff, I cringed.

"I'm ready when you are."

... Awesome.

[Apple]

? :NPC

"How well? You just pushed me off a god damn mountain..."
”Haha.. I remember when I was pushed off my first cliff.”

It was pretty strange really how exactly he brought it up as if it was some kind of lovely memory from his childhood, but he spoke nothing more about it, really, leaving you perhaps pondering as to how different his own master had been. Due to the sheer talent that he had in the art and the fact that he was very young having learnt it, all clues pointed towards the idea that his father had been the one teaching one- But surely it was pretty harsh to throw your own son off a cliff and expect him to survive? Obviously he had survived the training himself because he was both healthy and here currently, which would surely give you maybe that little bit more of a boost of confidence. But he was probably more talented than you would ever be. Even though he did look a bit like a weakling. But you can’t judge a book by its cover, right?

But yet again it easy to say that you were a little bit ticked off, and doing his own thing he’d seem to laugh at the fact that you were being so worked up about it, almost as if he thought that being pushed off steep edges was something pretty average to do. ”You’ll get used to it. Trust me. I’ve seen people who’ve done worse than you. And by worse I mean they died.” Perhaps it was average for him, but it wasn’t for you, and that was pretty obvious by the way that you reacted. However, the way that you didn’t really show that much fear (Or at least, he was unable to see such fear on your face) was pretty interesting. ”So you’re ready to try again then I assume? What a trooper.” he’d grin at his own words and then watch as you’d take a seat next to him once more, the wind around you howling a little bit. You were quite high up. Or at least, high up enough so that should you fall, there was a large possibility that you would probably die as your bones would be crushed against your organs.

Neither was it a nice thing to happen to you, and it also wasn’t a very clever thing to do, but he seemed adamant that this was the best way of training you up. Between you now there would be a short silence as his hand would move behind you towards your back, staying there for a minute or so before finally- BLAM! off you went once more as he’d push against your back. Despite the fact that you had chosen to inch further away, it didn’t’ really make any difference since you’d still find yourself in the freefalling situation that you had found yourself in before, but what would you do different this time? Surely the push would have caught you off guard once more, but the fact that you had done this once before was a good point- Would you anticipate your moves this time and already have a plan? Even the cleverest of people could go ahead with this exercise and fail only because they get lost in the moment.

[/justify]

[marvolous.]

OOC: Shitty post.

"You make it sound like you bloody well enjoyed it." His blithe demeanor when he spoke of such a thing was scary, honestly. I can't imagine that I'd ever look back at these last two days and actually remotely smile, the only thing that would make me relatively happy now would be him actually teaching me Hiraishin, I was tired of all this build-up antics. I didn't make my opinion known however, that would probably just result in me getting flung off the mountain even more than was needed. Instead, I laughed - a cold, completely unnatural, laugh.

"Jesus, what if I don't want to get used to be thrown off mountains?" Another rhetorical question! Frankly, I really couldn't tell if the old man was being serious about this training, or if he was just getting a kick at seeing me flail mid-air. Even though I knew it was the latter, I still sat right next him and allowed for his arm to remain behind my back. His little subtle push could come at any moment, so even as he looked at me - with such a smile that made me want to hit him, honestly - I'd ponder ways out of fall even but it was needed.

It was only when I thought he actually wasn't going to do it that it came, and though I was shocked for but a millisecond, this was nothing like the first or second time. Free falling in the air, the cold rush of wind that brushed against my face served as a stimulant to my body, forcing me to act quickly and proficiently. Unlike last time, my body did not seek any surfaces to bounce off. Instead, I fell like a bullet towards the ground, waiting until the very last moment to pull off a trick that I had only recently acquired.

... Almost there.

[Apple]

HIRAISHIN QUEST

A PASSING OF TIME [TS]

[/right]

---

It had been a long while since you had seen your homeland- Really, it had been a long while since you had seen anything that wasn’t currently in the area you had been living in. This place was your home for the duration of your training and it was until this day, this very day that you had been almost trapped there. Over the course of the quest you had learned many a thing, but more importantly, the power of Hiraishin and the qualities that it held- But would you go back home now with your mindframe in the same, primal way that it had been prior to you even arriving here? Or would you go back with a newly found sense of power- Not through the ability that you had, but in the way that your way of looking at things had changed. Of course, he was fully expecting a change.

Not to say that you hadn’t been a perfect individual upon coming to the site of course, but some of the wrongs in your mind could surely be ironed out by the training that you went through- Or perhaps it simply worsened it. You’d be unable really to tell yourself, but the all knowing master with his clean suits and black hair would be able to tell- Although at this time of morning, it was much, much to early to be thinking about such things- Or, strangely for you, two would by now be used to being woken up at around 5am each morning, you’d be left in to sleep- A sure sign that something had changed, and it was finally time for you to leave, after having learned all that you needed to know. And as for the master? He was already awake, sitting down outside his own tent as he’d look out to the distance, taking in the beautiful view.

And so with this silence (although the birds continued to chirp outside your tent, surely you’d become used to them by now) he’d let you sleep for the time being, as the hours creeped on.. seven.. eight.. nine.. No. ”WAKE UP!” he wasn’t that patient. His voice shouting through the fabric of the tent you were sleeping in, his intent to wake you up was pretty extrodainary, although he’d then back off and go back to his own, sitting outside as he’d wait for you to make your way out- And soon, hopefully! It wasn’t as if he was going to applaud your exit of the area with a cake and balloons, but a goodbye was better than anything, right? It was long awaited anyhow, and to say the least, he had been very happy with your progress over the last few weeks.
[/justify][/blockquote][/size]

[marvolous.]

The last few weeks have been, for all intensive purposes, extremely difficult. Though the prospect of being taught directly from a master had it's perks, the whole process of learning Hiraishin was far worse than excruciating. Falling off one of the high peaks in Kaminari had become almost a welcomed and natural thing - to my dismay, that is - and I found myself, after several long days without getting any rest at all, far closer to the old man's strength than I originally thought was possible. I hadn't spent so much time with a single person in such a long time, so this feeling was new.

I could essentially read him completely, knowing just when and how he'd set me up for failure in an attempt to make me grow. I had grown so accustomed to his antics that I was surprised to find him being lenient in our schedule for once. Having woken up at 5 AM for every day of the last few weeks I took the chance to sleep in for once, the chance to fully rejuvenate my tired body too good to pass up. It was only when his loud voice was comprehended by my mind that I awoke, the pestering chirping of birds no longer bothering me as it had the first few days. "Stupid birds." I laughed - how strange.

It didn't take me long to exit my tent after I woke up, much like everything else I had grown accustomed to, training while shirtless - I couldn't afford to be losing clothes every day - was just another one of those things. "Yo." I spoke, clearing my throat slightly as my eyes found the old man and my body followed to sit next to him. Should I be surprised that there was no breakfast this morning, either? "Whats on the agenda today old man?" Subconsciously my hands found the back of my crown, my fingers ruffling through my now overgrown hair much like I had done on the first day.

Due to all this training I hadn't even realized my hair had grown exceptionally, it almost obscured my vision due to it's length. Still, however, I was unaware that we were indeed finished with our training - all the signs were there, but I thought it was just the old man being generous for once.

"So? Where to for today?"

[Apple]

HIRAISHIN QUEST

A PASSING OF TIME [TS]

[/right]

---

"Whats on the agenda today old man?"

As you’d say this, a saying that you surely had said many a time in the last few weeks, he couldn’t’ help but grin widely at your question, watching as you revealed yourself from the tent that you had been calling home for the duration of your quest. As you innocently made your way over surely you couldn’t begin to comprehend what he’d tell you next as his lips would soon prepare to part in order to speak. This place had become almost like home itself; Being tossed off mountains was a day-to-day thing, and surely from this whatever fear of heights that you might have had would be ripped away from you as you found yourself falling from explict heights each and every day. Surely you’d be thankful for this training for years to come- Or he hoped so anyway.

With his yellow eyes looking at you as you’d walk over and sit down next to him, he’d cross his arms whilst sitting cross-legged, and then await the time when he’d begin to speak- These last few weeks had been hard on you both mentally and physically, and he was sure that you appreciated at least just a few hours lay in, even though sleeping in a tent wasn’t really the most desirable of things to say the very least. Upon your return to humanity as so to say, your hair similar to that of a homeless person at the moment, would you return to the same social circles as before, or would this groundbreaking art of techniques change your entire mindset on everything? It was hard to tell how people took it- Some went insane from the pressure placed on them afterwards to do good with the ability, but would you steer off the path of good that he had almost nailed you in to for the last few weeks? Would you go astray? You were stray from the start that was for sure- And your reason for learning it tarnished, but it was acceptable as far as the master thought.

”-Sora.
It’s time for you to leave.”

He was anticipating you reaction- Either you were glad to get away from the place, or you’d find yourself slightly distraught at the mere idea of leaving after all this time and getting to know him. Sure enough he was more than happy to go back to his wife and everything back in the Inn, but he was glad that he had taught you- And taught you well at that. Never before had he taught someone to the full, someone who had taught on to what he was trying to say- ”You’ve learned well- I’m sure that you’ll be able to put this to good use.” Your fellow student Ishi had been a person who had served years under the master’s belt, and he had failed his education simply by dying whilst in combat with you. ”You may go now.” With a nod he’d say this, his mind reflecting on the past few weeks. You had shown skill both in the art of battle and in Hiraishin itself as the last week or so had shown, and now, he was more than ready to let you off, believing that you had learned the most that you could.

How would you take this?

[/justify][/blockquote][/size]

[marvolous.]

”-Sora. It’s time for you to leave.”

What?... What? This was a joke, right? Yeah, it must have been - another one of his practical jokes, most likely. He was good at those, almost like he was good at finding ways to push me off the mountain. However, even though every fiber of my being believed this was all a joke there was no humor upon his face. Why was this? Yes, I had indeed become almost as good with Hiraishin as the old man was, but I never thought our training would just end so... abruptly. As much as I tried to hide it, I was actually a little disappointed by this sudden news.

"You're actually completely serious about this? I can't say I'm not shocked, old man." I'd speak, my hands no longer behind my head but instead within my lap. I couldn't focus on my thoughts as a result of his words; was I finally capable of leaving this hell hole? It seemed surreal, but it made sense. His decision most likely hadn't stemmed just on my pure ascension alone, I knew it had to do with Dabora and the tavern where I had met them all. They were engaged to be married, and he was spending all the time that he could be with her, training me in an art he initially had no intention on sharing.

I owed him alot, that I could not deny. "I won't stop training until I'm better than you, I hope you understand that." I laughed, pausing slightly before getting up and heading back to my tent. It had become my make shift home for the longest of times, it would be a shame to just walk away with so much and leave it here. Using that logic I rounded up everything I had within it and placed them on the ground, untying the tent from it's lock before undoing it so that it could be placed in my new acquired backpack. Once that was done, and once I had retrieved and put on my clothing, I'd gather everything within my bag before heading back to the old man.

It was far too formal, but I extended my hand out to him when I was directly infront of him, hoping he would shake my hand before I departed. "Make sure you say hello to Dabora for me, as well as that huge goof too." Regardless or not if he took my hand, I would turn and walk towards towards the cliff side - one of the old man's kunais inscribed with his own seal lodged into the ground before it. I reached and pulled it out without much effort, tucking it away within my pouch before turning around. "I'll be taking this for old time's sake." Wait. "You never did tell me your name." Almost a month together and I still referred to him as 'old man'. How fitting.

Even though he had promised to tell me his name on my first day of training, I turned around again, paused, and then jumped off the cliff before he could even answer. We would have to see each other again for him to fulfill his promise.

"Later old man!"

And just like, almost without any difficulty, I vanished using the technique he had taught me -- Hiraishin!

/exit.

[lore.]

God damn.

Apple - 150 + Bonus = 200 (you deserve it)
Naga - 200 + Bonus = 245
Ryu - 20
Gene - 50