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Satsui arrived sometime later at the base of the mountain he'd been seeking and sat down to rest. There was a dull ache in the balls of his feet extending all the way up into the vertebrae in his neck, but he knew he only had moments to relax before he would have to soldier on. He wanted to get back to the village in time to collect his ryo before the weekend. To that end, he stood and took a deep breath before heading up the trail that would lead him to the mountain pass. Only, the trail stopped just in front of a low hanging rock face; Satsui could see hand grooves that had been worn into the aging stone and realized that there was only one way he'd be going up the mountain. He tightened the sash which hung from his waist and made sure all his other equipment was stowed securely and then he hopped up and grabbed the ledge above him. With a grunt and a sigh he began the long trek up the Mt. Gekitsuu.

The going was slow at first but, before long, Satsui had grown quite adept at navigating his way up the sheer rock faces. It didn't hurt that he could discern the points where so many others had gone before him. The impressions were small, doubtlessly made by innumerable Genin, yet prevalent and it became almost second nature to Satsui to locate them. As if he was sharing a collective memory with all the generations that had gone before him even though no such thing was likely, or possible. If he had not been in such a rush it would have been possible for him to enjoy the scenery on the mountain as he made his way past the halfway mark. The were animals of varying sizes and shapes ranging from cute little vermin to some predatory monsters, but since Satsui was paying no attention to them he was ignored in turn. Besides many of the larger animals had probably learned a harsh lesson or two about attacking the humans that visited the mountain.

Satsui sat in the middle of the expanse with his hand on his sword; his eyes kept careful watch over the environment as he awaited news of the other combatant's arrival. The invitation he'd received was strange and yet it had filled him with excitement and anticipation. A scroll that had been dipped in blood and then dried which detailed the area in which he now sat. Who had sent it was a mystery just as the identity of the other fighter was as well. Standing, Satsui dusted himself off and inspected his robes for traces of dirt but found none. He was growing impatient quite quickly which turned his mood from neutral to surly.

Satsui had the basic premise of the Shunshin no Jutsu down in theory but, as he was beginning to suspect, it was a bit harder to grasp in the application process. His chakra was peaking at suitable levels and he was nothing if not earnest in his attempts to push it into his bodily extremities but something was still evading him. He'd been running for a few minutes yet his speed hadn't once increased to the fabled velocity of the Shunshin and he was wondering how to proceed. The wind had picked up significantly since he'd left his home and the storm clouds above promised nothing but trouble in the near future. Perhaps if he'd prepared more for this trip, or at least checked the weather reports, he wouldn't feel like such an ass at the moment as he skimmed across the tops of his fellow shinobi's homes and apartments.

Instead of his usual, blue robes he had chosen to don an entirely black bodysuit that evening in hopes of avoiding detection as he traveled. The last thing he wanted for somebody to start tagging along and distracting him from his mission. But before he could reach Mt. Gekitsuu he would need to unravel the secrets of the Body Flicker Technique so he tried to remember anything he could from the Academy about how the jutsu worked. It was difficult at first but eventually things began to come back to him as he concentrated. His class had been told that some ninja needed something akin to a catalyst to get themselves ready to move at such high speeds. Satsui pondered this for a moment before drawing a blank on what he could use to propel himself forward down the right road. It must have been the swirling winds and the flashes of light coming from high above interrupting his concentration but he pushed that out of his mind . . . .

He set the Exploding Note upon the ground and withdrew to a safe distance to set off the blast. It was foolish to believe that he could escape this without long term damage but Satsui knew if he could complete this in training then he would be able to achieve it in actual combat. Shinobi were always trying to blow each other up, among other things, so this would serve to develop his survival skills even in such drastic situations. As he gathered his chakra and began to draw nearer to the parchment it occurred to him that he was on the verge of creating an entirely new stratagem for conclusively ending a conflict. His timing would have to be impeccable but that would come naturally in the moment so he set his mind to applying the proper amount of chakra to his body before continuing. The dark energies once again compacted themselves within Satsui’s body and began energizing the cells for what was to come and yet Satsui still felt the pang of doubt. He was almost far enough away from the centre of the blast to take no damage at all and when he factored in the armor concealed beneath his robes it was likely he could simply stand where he was and not be affected by the blast at all. He drew closer still, placing himself just inside of the danger zone, and took a deep breath before leaping toward the Exploding Note. A burst of chakra would detonate the slip of paper and a flash of light would be the only thing Satsui could make out.

He awoke moments later having been thrown some three to four meters away from the blast zone. His entire body was in pain due to the blunt force trauma of being tossed away like a damn rag doll and his face, chest, arms, and legs felt extremely hot. As soon as his eyes were able to open and his vision cleared he could partially determine that his clothing was completely scorched and as more time passed he was aware that he could taste blood in his mouth. He guessed that the shockwave from the initial blast was responsible for what felt like a broken rib and the subsequent tumbling had only exacerbated the situation. He finally felt the trickle of blood coming from his inner ear which explained why he was having so much trouble hearing the curse words he thought he’d been uttering. But even through the pain he could feel that same sensation that his entire frontal body was an open scab being dipped in alcohol and the feeling eventually pervaded deep into his chest cavity as well. The fractured rib took the longest to heal and it might not have worked if not for the protective armor that he’d chosen and all his other injuries progressed nicely until they were only a dull ache in the back of his mind. After the potentially life threatening injuries were taken care of and Satsui had regulated both his breathing and chakra flow, he stood.

All of his training would soon come in handy as he attempted to hunt down the one who had run from him; a young Genin with eyes white like snow had fled from a friendly spar and left Satsui somewhat enraged as a result. The boy had seemed strong and had actually succeeded in sending Satsui flying through the air but he’d chosen to abandon their fight just as things were getting interesting for his opponent. There could be no forgiveness for such a thing and the next time they met it would be Satsui that left first- with the other man spilling his blood to the ground. Several minutes passed before he felt up to the task of walking away from the pavilion and, even then, Satsui had to take his time and step lightly. There would definitely be a problem using this technique to often but it had obvious potential as a hidden trump card.

The morning sun rose high and bleak, casting an eerily white glow across the mountain and the Tenchishinmei training arena where Satsui sat in deep meditation. For hours, every since the moon had been at its highest point, he had been carefully regulating his chakra in preparation for the jutsu training he was about to attempt. The art of medical ninjutsu was perhaps the most complicated for many people; not only to learn but also to understand as a shinobi was primarily a tool for killing but Satsui was rather glad he’d settled on learning the mystic arts. Even though he would most likely never actually heal anyone- once one gained enough talent with the basics there were rumors of an untold power that could be bestowed upon the most seasoned practitioners.

Standing to his feet was the first order of business and as he rose it was second nature to brush the dirt and debris from his robes. The regally blue fabric was his trademark, even though he despised Suiton users, and he was thoroughly disappointed when it became too dingy so quickly. But he was training in the great outdoors and such things were only to be expected; Satsui focused his mind once more on moderating his flow of chakra as he assumed his favorite position. His feet were spread wide serving as the basis of his stance for they were as sturdy and as durable as the marble pillars which encircled the pavilion in which he stood. A caressing breeze descended from the clouds and rolled swiftly across the training grounds threatening to tussle the short grass which formed the perimeter of the octagonal arena. His back was straight and his arms were stretched out in front of him though he drew them close to his chest as he inhaled deeply. They would extend away from him moments later as he pushed the air out of his lungs and back into the ether surrounding him.

Satsui began to allow his chakra to rise within his system as it flowed from his core and continued outward to his extremities. There was a definitive, familiar feeling to this strange chakra that was different from his Raiton energies. The chakra his body produced for medical ninjutsu was jet black and seemed to ingest light and regurgitate a deeper darkness. If there was any coloration to it at all it would be a supremely ominous maroon tint that followed the darker portion of chakra like a shadow cloak. This was the essence of his natural spirit that spiraled outward to cover his body before sinking beneath the cloth and skin to saturate the flesh. His body absorbed its own energy without any order or confirmation as it only seemed ordinary for it to return home, but Satsui had something especially unusual in mind and he focused his chakra to his cranial region as he withdrew a lone kunai and made a long, shallow incision from his eyebrow to his cheek.