Peace of the Mist [Mission/Training]

Spoiler:

The midday mist clung surrounded him in an almost suffocating fashion, much like one would feel in a bog swarming with mosquitoes, but this was an everyday occurrence for Cyrus and thus he had grown accustomed to it. In fact, he might feel a bit exposed outside his nation’s walls were mist is not as prevalent, but he would experience that when the time came. Today was a day for training and he could think of no better way than to start off with some simple taijutsu warm ups. His venue for the day was a small area in the forest that was just beyond where he had first met with his team. The area was secluded, known only to his team and the Mizukage, or so he figured, but it was a delightful place to practice nonetheless. The trees offered him targets to strike and engage in mock battles with as well as offered him areas to practice landing and aerial attacks. His favorite part of the area was the quiet. The only sounds were the ones he was making and those of the various animals that would come close enough to investigate the intruder of their home. This peacefulness allowed for optimal focus, which was something Cyrus would never get enough of.

He removed his coat first and draped it over a low hanging branch and then did the same with his black and white shirt he was almost always seen in. After this, he took a deep breathe, held it in for a moment, and then exhaled deeply. It was time to start. He dropped into a fighting stance, his left foot forward and his right one behind and to the right. His heels were about shoulder length apart and his body was squared with an imaginary target before him. He raised his arms and held them in front of him and tight enough to his body that he could block incoming strikes, but let his hands relax in an open fashion. His hands could be compared to the image of a flower beginning to wilt, the bulb sagging but trying to keep its head up to live another day. This hand posture allowed him to quickly strike, parry, or grab someone if need be. His body relaxed once his stance was complete and he began to move.

His left foot stepped forward while his right foot trailed and remained in a fighting stance as his leading hand, the left, went up and out, creating a high block as his back hand also pushed out slightly, keeping his face protected. Again he performed this motion with a forward step and then did this twice more but with a step backwards which put him back in the position he started in. Next, he stepped off to his left, his right foot trailing and he performed a block that would push a strike to the outside of his body. He stepped back to the right to return to his starting point and then stepped off to the right, performing the same block as last time, but with his left hand this time. He continued these movements but would implement a spin here or a pivot there until he had begun to work up a sweat. Now that he was warmed up, the fun would begin.

556/500 (CR increased by 10)

He evened his breathing for a brief moment and then threw a jab followed by a cross, a simple combination. He performed this motion for a bit while intermittently switching his feet and stance so his leading feet would alternate. His purpose here was not necessarily his strikes, those he felt fine with, but he wanted to ensure that switching his fighting stance was quick and fluid. A hiccup when switching his feet could cause him to trip, which could easily end his life. He’d be damned if he died because he fell over his own feet. As he jab once more, he lowered himself as he began to rotate his hips to the right. His front foot and back foot began to pivot until he was forced to kneel on his front leg due to the motion of his body. His back was now facing his mock opponent but his back foot, now his front came around for a sweeping leg kick. He would let the momentum carry his leg around until he was able to lift himself off of his front knee and into a position with more stability.

I need make it quicker so that my knee barely has to touch the ground. My body needs to be more flexible. He stood and performed the sweep again, his hips and spine becoming more flexible as he warmed them up. After a half hour of sweeps, he was able to perform them with his knee slightly bent, a welcome feat, for his quads had just begun to burn with use. Finally, now I can really go.

He returned to his fighting stance and stepped off at a forty five degree angle complete with a block and threw a knee towards his mock target. The knee was aimed at the target’s stomach and if he was fighting a real opponent, he would have gladly activated his Shikotsumyaku, creating a bone spike that would penetrate his enemies gut, dealing quite a bit of damage. He pivoted off his front foot and quickly placed the leg that threw the knee behind him and decided to quickly evade a kunai thrust to his midsection by flipping backwards as the target first moved. He envisioned himself kicking the kunai out of the target’s hand as it met the point where his body would have been. After executing the kick, he landed without a hiccup and took an Arhat fist fighting stance.

408/700

Before he threw a strike however, he decided to take a momentary break. His torso glistened with sweat, but he wasn’t tired, he felt livelier than ever during training. He needed a moment to clear his thoughts though as they often times had a habit of running rampant if not quickly tamed. The topic of thought for the moment was how destructive his kekkai genkai could be when applied to offensive techniques. The Arhat style was perfect for his abilities as majority of the strikes in the stance were knees, elbows, and palms, which could all be augmented by his ability to grow blades of bone wherever he chose or eve by increasing the density of the already existing bones in his body. He sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes and began to think about ways he could better use his kekkai genkai for offensive strikes. A strike to a joint would no doubt severely damage if not destroy it, which was always a good thing for him. Obviously, any strike to flesh would be detrimental to his opponent’s chance of winning, which was good for him. If he could-, he stopped in mid-thought and smiled to himself. So many ifs. So many conditions. His kekkai genkai would be no use if he couldn’t hit anyone, which is where the factor of speed came in. Cyrus was not slow by any means, but he was sure there were people out there who were quicker than he was. He stood and stretched for a minute before retrieving his clothes and putting them back on. He had heard of ways to open up the gates of one’s chakra system which would lead to increased speed and strength, but at this point in time was unaware of how to complete such a task. These gates were quite essential if someone wished to have the upper hand in a battle of taijutsu, he had heard. It seemed like he had a bit of information to gather on these topics. With that in mind, Cyrus began making his way back to the village.

[Exit]

[Mission Complete]

756/700 (CR increase by ten)