Starring:
Tosai, Kaydin
Date: Unknown (received February 17, 2011)
Summary:
A mission to inspect an abandoned underground outpost turns into an unlikely training session in Tree Walking! Tosai guides Kaydin through as they make there way into a cavern’s deep.
"Spelunk Like a Ninja!! Kaydin’s Lesson in Walking - Part I: The Steep Cavern Wall"
The Waterfall [Land of Fire]
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A large waterfall that streams into a massive pool. Surrounded this beautiful object are green trees and lush bushes. The element of nature seems plentiful here as the essence of dears and even predators come here in a neutral alliance to drink from these waters. The waters of the waterfall crash onto large rocks causing a faint mist to surround it. The pool is a dark blue color signifying how deep it is. The true depth of the water is unknown.
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"Now many a mission I have been on, have required that I learn a thing or two, while in the middle of the objective. Most likely, Kaydin, you may find yourself having to do the same, picking up to a certain pace and the flow of something completely new, even as you are in undertaking the task." This was said by Tosai, with a smile on his face, as he and the Hyuga found themselves, alone, and walking on the path to the Water Falls of the Western Pathway. The day was just that nice, where two ninja from Konoha could take in the sights of their country, without something like rain, or a storm to bring in the gloom. Tosai himself, was teaching, as with any of his kids.
Today, was his one on one with Hyuga Kaydin, and it was to inspect one of the many hidden bases of Konoha which existed across the Land of Fire. This one was one he had known of for a while, and as of the Siege of those led by Rain, it had been unoccupied. They were sent to make sure it was fine.
Upon arrival, Tosai directed Kaydin to an entrance, just behind the large waterfall. With a few hand seals, the earth wall was overturned, allowing for easy entry. Upon entering… Tosai began to walk through the dimly lit place, seeming to have no trouble with his footing.. But should Kaydin not notice it, if he continued behind the boy, he'd have a rather weird sinking sensation.
Kaydin follows his jounin teacher quietly and calmly, remembering the various landmarks to keep from getting lost before following to the waterfall. He remained by his jounin instructor until he actually set foot inside of the place, noticing the sinking and then leaps back quickly near the entrance where he was sure the ground was solid.
"Is this one of the traps, Tosai-san?"
Looking to Kaydin, as his scuffle of feet landed behind, the Akimichi heard his plight. "Actually, yes it is. An earth jutsu to be precise… For persons who are entering this cave, a ninja who can tap into the earth around them can use the mud around us to both sense intruders, and use the same technique to trap them. The nature of the Muck Mire Technique, is in the form of an endless drawing in of whatever stand on top of it.. almost like quick sand. So even if no one is using the technique to sense intruders, any one who doesn't know Walking Techniques, will find it hard to navigate the caves." Tosai then quirked his eye as he then nodded and smiled. "Aaahh.. I see. You don't know any of the walking techniques, do you, Kaydin-san?"
"I am afraid not. I would be interested in learning them." Kaydin says as he looks to the ground as if trying to see the very muck mire technique before forming a series of hand seals. He then finishes and the veins bulge around the sides of his head, eyes intensifying as he tries to see how deep the quicksand like floor went.
"It would be peculiar if you didn't. Besides.. even if you didn't, you have two choices and one of them is currently not an option." Tosai then walked toward the boy, saying, "You are going to need to learn them and fast… Otherwise, its a long walk back to Konoha, and I can't make that call for you to head back." Tosai then rubbed his chin, even as he stood looking to the Hyuga, who had been lacking in the lesson he needed to get across this area. "Now… Here is the thing. To learn Tree and Water Walking, is to learn the basics of chakra control. In essence you learn two things.. Concentration and Adaptation.
He would then look around for a moment, about the expansive cave, and from there notice that at least, there had been an nearby wall that was sloped rather steeply. Tosai pointed, and said, "We will start there. I could suggest you come out here, but it seems we should get the easy stuff out the way. And now that I think about…" Tosai looked to the kid with a mischievious smirk, as he'd ask, "Aren't you a Hyuga?"
"I wonder whatever gave away my clan." Kaydin says with a calm tone, a sarcastic smirk on his face as he looks to the wall but then back to the floor. "So…I am to run up that wall, while the floor is still quicksand?" He asks as he looks back to the Akimichi and tries to watch the Jounin, waiting for any further orders from the Jounin.
Smirking, Tosai looked to the Hyuga's cynical manner with a bit of surprise. "Hehe.. Looks like you and Daichi /aren't/ that different after all.", before enlarging a hand, to about the size of a small stage. It was then moved to sit before Kaydin, before Tosai would say, "Hop on… And while your at it.. activate your Byakugan. If I figure it right, that should make things a whole lot quicker when it comes to what I am going to be teaching you." A mild request indeed, but why had Tosai asked such a thing. Maybe it actually had something to do with that other question. "Perhaps you might learn concentration, a whole lot better than faster than most kids who try it for the first time, if you can actually 'see' how much chakra you will need to maintain in order to gain the proper adhesion to the wall's surface."
"After all.. Most people don't really ask /why/ Hyuuga tend to have excellent chakra control. My own personal theory is that it lies within those eyes of yours." Tosai proceeded to move Kaydin over to the nearby wall that was the least steepest. Before Kaydin would step off Tosai would began to explain the basics. "The key thing to remember about this exercise, is the maintaining of a certain amount of chakra over time, to help you climb and stick, without the use of your hands. While most people need to practice repeated get accustomed to a certain flow, I have a feeling that if you can see the flow itself and remember exactly how it feels, then you may can get it down, by the time the wall goes completely vertical."
"Interesting theory, and I believe it will make things quite easier indeed." He says as he forms a series of hand seals and when the final one seal, closes his eyes, opening it to reveal veins alongside his head with his white eyes more piercing then usual. He would then hop onto the man's enlarged hand and looks at it for a moment before looking around his environment, studying it with the Byakugan.
Looking to the boy's transformation, Tosai nodded approvingly. "Now.. To start off slow. I want you to began trying to focus chakra to the feet. This may present some difficulty, only because chakra to the extremities, like blood, only moves to areas like this in small amounts. Now… Keep a view of your own Tenketsu, as much as possible. Remember to try and keep a flow that very acute, not to great, or not to little. To little, you will find yourself not having a good grip. Too much, and you will bounce off like a rubber ball. Keep your footing stable, and flat against the wall and make sure you pay attention to what you feel."
"The chakra has to travel further, in the span of time energy can be lost amongst the various Tenketsu. Anyway…" He says as he focuses chakra, looking to his feet before he moves a step to the wall, grunting as he feels himself stick and tries to do the other foot as well, trying it with a calm expression on his face.
With the boy's first few steps, Tosai had a rather confident expression. He would return his hand to normal size, nodding at Kaydin's explanation and allowing him to began in silence. As expected, the Hyuuga's footing was agile, very much that of an Taijutsuist with a stable foundation. Though Tosai could not see his chakra flow, Kaydin's ability to stick on the steep surface was reflected well in the fact that he was able to maintain his normal center of gravity. He could stand fully in a normal posture, not having to crouch or lower his body for stability. Kaydin's concentration, so far, was well, and he'd feel his own chakra flowing at a stable rate, not draining him much, or needing much effort to maintain.
But even though the boy was having success, the wall he was walking along, was becoming steeper, as he walked along side Tosai, who kept a good watch from his place on top of the nearby quick-mud. It was still dark, and while it seemed Tosai was watching and looking in other directions, he was still able to listen out for Kaydin. Meanwhile, Kaydin's path was to get much tougher. Stalagmite and stalactites were beginning to gather along the wall. It was to get a lot steeper too, the rock which made up this cavern being a bit less stable. Kaydin may find himself having a bit more concentration. (difficulty is expressed with a -5 penalty to total roll number. Roll goal is still 20.)
Kaydin continues to walk, Byakugan allowing him to see the chakra he sent to his feet and the amount needed to remain stuck. Compared to the more harder terrain, he grunts in strain as he forces more chakra, regaining his balance and composure after a bit of exertion, barely making himself stay stuck as he continues to move.
And Kaydin's strain was rightfully so.. As me moved along the wall, the vertical angle of it was increasing to the point where if Kaydin mis-stepped just a tad bit… He'd make a straight downward plummet into nothing but mud. His grunts were heard by Tosai, who would look and see the boy's expression, his body instinctively having to take a lower center gravity, and his eyesight slowly looking down to his feet more and more. "Keep pushing through Kaydin.. We are almost at the caverns end. It was becoming quite evident that they had, due to the light that seemed to appear, just at the end of the tunnel.
However optimistic the ninja had been before, Tosai was now becoming more and more concerned. "We should have been noticed by now… Something really must be up.. I figured this place had been abandoned a while back, but even if it had… A lone patrol would need to cross through these tunnels if they had needed to go to any of the other bases… One guard should be hear at least.
Meanwhile Kaydin was left to his own troubles.. The final stage of the wall would literally leave him a straight drop down if he could not master the natural upward curving of a cavern arch. He was still having to endure all the uneven terrain that was produced by fissures and cracks in the wall itself, and for the most part, he was working against gravity now as well. This was where his stamina as well as the adjustment in chakra was to more felt.. On top of this… Tosai had a request. "Now that you have this far, you should now drop your Byakugan. This way, you can get more accustomed to only the feeling of you chakra flow, instead of what you can see."
Kaydin looks to Tosai with a calm expression though the thoughts in his head were slightly more then calm though the veins vanish, his white eyes retaining their normal appearance. Of course, his steps afterward would be staggering. He attempted to compensate but it was a losing battle, he simply lost focus for a small moment, and that was when he would fall, looking to see where he would fall.
Kaydin wouldn't have much to fear though… As he dropped, he'd find himself hitting a surface a lot faster, and a lot softer than he'd think. If he'd look down, it would be plain to see. Tosai's hand had rescued him. "I was expecting that to happen, but not this late in the game.. You've done well." Tosai looked to the boy with a thumbs up. "As good as that Byakugan was, I doubt that you would notice that you were expelling a lot of chakra. As with new jutsu, most times you might or may not notice yourself expelling a lot more chakra for the task than you should. You seem to have gotten the skill down pretty well so far, but only further training will help you to get accustom to how much you spend on the technique."
Tosai would then proceed to walk further into the cave, carrying Kaydin in the palm of his mighty hand, only for them to encounter what had been the inner sanctum of the place they were now to arrive to. "Welcome to Grand Central..", was said in regards of the name this place had. It was literally an island of rock, sat in the middle of 6 rivers of 'quick mud'. Those six rivers extended out into six cave exits, which most likely led to other secret bases within the Land of Fire. Upon the main island within the center of this all, was large circular building, almost similar to a barracks, which extended upward toward what the very ceiling of the large cavern they now stood within. The building itself was multi-leveled, comprising of a mass amount of earthen pikes that extended from the cavern wall, to the building itself, a key to the pillar style building stability. "Looks like we can pause some of your training here.. For now.. its time to see what’s going on with this place… Be prepared to be my eyes on this one, Kaydin-san."
