Two Weeks Later | Naruto Genesis

Two Weeks Later Jan 17, 2020 22:07:48 GMT -5

Post by Zoomy on Jan 17, 2020 22:07:48 GMT -5

Arisa walked up to the three, tired old logs that were embedded into the center of the training field. As old and worn as those logs looked, she wondered if maybe they were actually the originals. Of course, these logs had been changed out several times over the last hundred plus years. To Genin like Arisa, the reason would be surprising. She would figure that such thick, sturdy training targets would only be replaced due to aging, but in truth, they never had the chance.

Every Genin in the history of the Leaf Village has, at some point, applied their training to those three logs. In the beginning, it's only minor attacks, like punches, kicks, shuriken, kunai, and a few sword slashes here and there. But eventually, those Genin grow up and get more powerful. They're techniques and abilities become much more devastating. Yet, whether by habit or some other reason, they continue to test their growing power against the most reliable training tool they knew: the three logs. As a result, the logs are often obliterated or split apart. The Konoha Lumber company then comes in and installs a new set so that training may continue uninterrupted.

The trainees never see the swap, for whatever reason. Some theorize that the people who replace the logs are themselves ninja, and can do so in secret so that nobody else realizes. Others, who've never seen the logs break, assume that they are simply everlasting, too durable to break by any measures. Some believe they are enchanted to be so, others that the logs are made from a legendary tree, perhaps the God Tree itself. Whatever the reason, three logs have always stood at the center of the largest training ground in Konoha, even in the midst of village-wide destruction.

Arisa got into position and planted a firm, solid fist into the central log. It hit with an audible thud. To some, this may seem no accomplishment. 'So she can hit a motionless log, big deal.' some might say. Those who have ever tried to actually punch a tree have an entirely different opinion. It takes a steady regiment, working one's way up from the softest of striking targets, until one can successfully and painlessly punch a solid log at full, or even partial, strength. Arisa had undergone this training while in the academy, so she found no issue in performing this now. It was actually a matter of pride for her; Izumi and Haria were nowhere near being able to hit a log without hurting their hand. She doubted that even Suzuko, as focused as he was in Kenjutsu, could do such a thing. It was something to be proud of.

She had spent the last two weeks doing split training. She would swap between training Taijutsu with Haria, then with Suzuko, and then against Izumi's swords. She had made a point at the beginning of their training that she wanted to focus in Taijutsu and Sensei had taken her seriously. Though she felt that her time with Haria, when she had to hold back a great deal, was a waste of time, she grew enough in hand to hand combat with Suzuko and hand to sword combat with Izumi to make up for it. She'd made more progress in two weeks, she felt, than she had in the whole academy!

That's why she looked forward to training every day. So much so that she woke up way too early every morning and, too eager for what she would learn in training, simply could not fall back asleep. She did what she could at the house, chores and bodyweight exercises, until she got completely bored or ran the risk of overexerting her body -which could ruin training- and went to the training field. As a result, she was always way too early to training. Haria was also early, but usually arrived only after Arisa had completed a rotation or two of practice in all of the Taijutsu moves she had learned thus far. Suzuko tended to show up right on time, and Izumi, of course, was always late to some degree. It was now at the point that thirty minutes late was actually considered early for him.

Two Weeks Later Jan 20, 2020 19:44:55 GMT -5

Post by Zoomy on Jan 20, 2020 19:44:55 GMT -5

Suzuko, much like Izumi the first day of training, stood in a perch in a tree, out of view of the kids in the field. Unlike Izumi, he didn't particularly care to watch the other students practice their new techniques. Rather, he paid all of his attention to the young red haired girl punching at the logs. She reminded him of her mother, Sora, who had equally brilliant red hair and a talent for Taijutsu. She was a few classes younger than Suzuko, but with his extended shinobi career, he'd worked alongside most shinobi in the village at one point or another. Sora Nakamura, now Watanabe, was no different. They'd developed a friendship that had several opportunities to become something greater, but there was always some reason for it not to. He wondered now if things would have been better that way, Suzuko the father, rather than Suzuko the sensei. That would be his daughter out in the field now, instead of just his student.

But none of those three -Izumi, Arisa, and Haria- were 'just' his students. They were his first students and everybody was watching how they would turn out.

Suzuko had never seemed to be the teaching type. He was a splendid Jounin, very powerful in battle and successful in his missions. But while everyone in his generation and then the generation that followed began to settle down and allow their ninja duties to subside to familial duty, he remained steadfast. Not a moment did he doubt that he was living his life to the fullest, until the missions started to die down. The aftereffects of the war and the rebellion had all but completely subsided, to the point that even the Hokage himself believed that Suzuko's talents would best be put to use as a sensei. He'd join the ranks of many of his classmates, from back in the Academy, who'd been teaching for well over a decade by then. They were never as dedicated to their missions and training as he was, though, so they always thought it best he stayed from teaching. Now that he had joined them, they feared he might be far too difficult or unforgiving a sensei. Suzuko himself even feared that, but looking at Arisa train down there, he had no doubt that no matter how he felt or how difficult his training was, he'd make three of the finest shinobi this village had ever seen.

Haria's ebony hair shimmered in the distance, the bright sun refracting from her loose locks as they bounced about with every step. Suzuko vanished from his perch and appeared between Haria and Arisa, the only of his students to actually show up on time for the past two weeks. Izumi made a great start with the first day, but he'd missed every time thereafter. And it wasn't that he was watching from a hidden position, either. Suzuko had spoken with Daisuke a few times, and it turns out the boy just had a habit of waking up too late. Suzuko had intended to inflict punishment to encourage punctuality, but he felt Arisa's constant harassment more than sufficient. She was harder on the boy than he ever could be!

"Today's lesson will be about chakra control." Suzuko said once Haria had come within speaking distance. "As usual, it'll start at midday. Until then, you'll practice everything you've learned up to now. Let's begin."

Everybody already knew where to move. For the first part, Haria would warm up with her basic Taijutsu and Shurikenjutsu on the training logs while Arisa, who was always warmed up early, would practice her advanced Taijutsu with Suzuko. After a while, Arisa would swap and practice basic Taijutsu and Shurikenjutsu with Haria. Suzuko always said the most important part of training was with a moving target, that as iron sharpens iron, so should two students sharpen each other. This was less true with Haria, who was still solidifying her grasp of the basics. Arisa would have to dull herself down to keep from overwhelming her teammate. But Suzuko also said that a team is only as strong as its weakest member. So in helping Haria, Arisa was helping the team. In that way, she wasn't really wasting her time.

Once Izumi inevitably showed up, he would have the pleasure of skipping warm up and going right into kenjutsu training with Suzuko. This always lead to complaining about sore muscles and strains, but everybody always reminded him that arriving on time to warm up would prevent all that. He just kept whining, of course.

After sufficient sword training, Izumi would take his turn with Haria, training the methods of basic taijutsu combat against an armed opponent. Arisa would then train more in advanced taijutsu and shurikenjutsu with Suzuko. After a while, they would switch again. Arisa would try and kill Izumi while he fought for his life. During which time Suzuko would train with Haria, tossing in a new move here and there whenever he felt she was ready.

Haria's training had just about completed, Suzuko knew, and that's why today would introduce chakra control. While it would be a basic tool in Izumi's and Arisa's toolbelts, it would be critical to Haria's. She was clearly destined to be a support type shinobi, so the greatest asset to her was to be flawless chakra control, which would eventually serve to make her medical ninjutsu training a breeze.