Otogakure Academy

[anbukurono]

Oto's training center for Academy Students before they become genin. Originally founded by Orochimaru to find the strongest to become his followers, it has since become a center point in Oto's ninja system.

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Heikin tread slowly as he made his way to the main training area within the Otogakure Academy. His left arm left sleeveless was raised but slightly as he let his fingers at the end of the arm trail against the roughly carved wall. His fingers danced across its surface, dragged along with each step he took. His right shoulder dipped as if his back was hunched or a weight pulled at the arm, though neither were true the arm itself was hidden by the sleeve that was much to long for the arm in the first place. It was all for show, a continuous practice to make himself look weak and thus be underestimated. His feet clad in black toe-less boots crunched upon the grain like rock and pebble flooring marking his presence just as his finger tips did with the sound of constant brushing. Making his way under the raised iron gate that marked an entrance to the underground Colosseum like training area Heikin Abumi smiled at least to himself as his young eyes took in the view.

The walls to the arena that Heikin stood before was at least three times his own height causing the lad to put them at around fifteen feet tall with rows of seating upon that vantage point. It was not often that Heikin saw any one up there though any ninja was allowed to come and take a look at the next years genin hopefuls. But the empty seats was what one expected to see when ones own class was small. Heikin did not even have to sign up to request the use of this part of the academy do to the lack of students. He honestly did not mind. In fact he enjoyed the fact that he would be practicing alone. After all it meant that he did not have to keep up his facade and purposefully hinder his own training. He knew he was not Genin level yet but once he was he did not want the world to know, that is until he was fully ready to take on the world beyond this sanctuary of study.

Heikin's fingers would slip off the wall as he fully stepped into his training area. Looking about casually he would make sure that he was alone before straightening his stance. Craning his neck as he rolled his right shoulder he could both hear and feel the vertebra realign themselves into there proper order and place. It had been entirely to long since he had be able to fully stretch his limbs and he let out a sigh of his gratification. Not giving into slothfulness Heikin Abumi would turn at the hips causing his feet to bite into the fine like gravel of the training area's floor as he turned left. His weight pushing down on his left leg as he took off at a running jog. He had read some where that you could only fight like you practiced and in the real world you would not have time to stretch out. Thus Heikin did not as he forced himself to go. His arms held back for though letting them swing helped to force power into each step it also wasted much needed energy. Energy that could be spent much better elsewhere instead of his clockwise run around the arena.

Admittingly Heikin was relatively quick for his age but he was nor going to settle for that, he wanted to be fast. How fast one could ask him; as fast as he could be. That meant cardio lots and lots of cardio, not only that but the mental focus to push ones self and the endurance to keep up the pace. Focusing on those things would delve away from his studies in other arts but it would be well worth it. The rush of air against his cheek ruffling his hair as it stood tall. He felt it with each crunch of a foot fall. His body heating up as his blood started pumping. It was a challenge to get the breathing down just so that he would not start of gassed due to lack of proper air flow through his system. Specially since he was aiming to push himself for the long haul.

EXP = 8 = 4 Speed, 2 Endurance, 2 Will Power

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(OOC: So Sorry for the short post have to get off for work, C- Shift tomorrows will be longer)

The Sound of Heikin's exertions echoed through out the arena and out into the halls of the relatively empty ninja academy as he continued to run, to push himself. He could feel the burn ease its way into his legs. Feint as the evening wind on a calm summers night the pain of exertion slowly crept. For now it was nothing but a minor nuisance that enveloped his legs trying to slow his progression as he pushed himself to continue his run. Foot fall by foot fall the ache continued to fester, swelling with each passing lap around the interior of the colosseum like training area. His toes were caked in the dust the each step made as he ran glued there by the sweat that dripped down from his body. The feeling was as uncomfortable as his increasingly sore legs and still the young shinobi ran.

EXP = 2 = 1 Endurance, 1 Will Power

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Finishing up his last lap Heikin forced his body to move to the center of the training grounds. His legs felt like jelly ready to give out at any time, with only his will and determination keeping them from doing so. Standing in a neutral stance he would let his legs rest from movement as he raised his hands to his waist, Heikin's fingers slowly curled not into a fist but as if holding onto a jar by the lip under its lid. The tips of his fingers pointing up as his knuckles pointed down. The hole in his left palm showed visibly for those imaginary people in front of him while the sleeve of his right arm still hid it with its over sized length causing the extra length to dangle freely. Taking in a slow breath he steeled himself as he prepared to strike. Sure most others strike with closed fist but the Otokagure ninja academy instructors had always stopped him from doing so claiming that with the hole in his left palm, and ran up the inside of his arm, that the tiger fist was more suitable.

It did keep the hole free though Heikin still did not know the secrets to the ninjutsu it supposedly allowed him to perform that no other could copy without the surgical attachment. Focused on the task at hand however Heikin would not allow himself the comfort of a breather as he unleashed his first strike against the air before him. Leading with his right hand the speed of the attack would cause the sleeve that hid his hand to slide up his arm, rolling itself back to his elbow as he delivered the strike. His left arm pulling back slightly to give the right hands palm strike more power before he thrust-ed out with his left. His right arm pulling back like a piston he would fire, right, left, right, left, again and again. Twisting his hips he would fire a quick three palm strike combo before turning back to center and again to the right. Contorting his body at the waist he would repeat his three strikes turn deliver another three and change position again. Getting the basic motion down he would start to lean to provide more of a challenge to strike from even the oddest angles that he could muster. Working out his upper body while his lower rested.

EXP = 5 = 2 Speed, 1 Endurance, 1 Will Power, 1 Taijutsu

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His arms felt so heavy after the intensity of the work out, that the resounding sound of a gong through the underground tunnels of the Otogakure ninja academy signalling that class was to start within an hour. The morning practice over for now Heikin Abumi dragged himself back to the hallway from which he had come from and headed for a quick rinse off before having to head off for class.

Stepping onto the cool stone tiles Heikin would lean against the shower wall as he reached back and turned on the water behind him. The shock of the cold water was like a whip as it first struck his back and cascaded down his body. The water would heat up as it pounded his skin soothing the muscles in his back and legs as it rolled down. The heat soon came and with it steam would permeate the room making it harder to breath with the added precipitation and heat in the air. Still the water would heat up turning the skin it touched red as it melted away the pain from the training within the kids muscles. Letting out a sigh he would quickly was up before turning into the water to turn the shower to cold. the frost bitten water would lash against his over heated body rinsing him from the heat and sweat before he turned off the water.

Stepping out of the shower he would dry himself off and put on a fresh though exact copy of the out fit he had on earlier. Running his left hand through his hair to stand it up he would leave for the morning classes. Hunched over his head tilted slightly to the right do to accommodate the dip of his right shoulder as he let the arm hang limp under the overbearing sleeve as though carrying a large weight on that arm. Taking the focus off of his left sleeveless arm. Entering the classroom he would move to his desk near the back.

He hated being in front, it left to many people behind him and kept the whispers from the other students about him to a minimum about his "problems" that he in truth only pretended to have. He enjoyed the fact that they underestimated him and aimed to keep it that way until he was in the Chuunin exams but he would not be ready for that for the longest while. He still had to graduate the academy and be placed on a squad. Heikin shook his head to clear the day dreams from it as he pulled out the book for the class. It talked about how the mind and body were used to make and produce chakra and how focusing on curtain hand seals influenced the flow of it through the body.

For being in the back of the class he still took his studies seriously as he slowly flipped through the different hand seals and how to perform them. The pictures helped keep his attention as he sat there waiting for the class to start.

EXP = 6 = 2 Endurance, 2 Will Power, 2 Ninjutsu

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To perform techniques, ninja need to use their chakra.

Of course this was basic knowledge even to Heikin still he read what was in front of him, taking in the knowledge once again this week.

Chakra comes from two places: first the body energy inherent in the trillions of their cells and second the mental and spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience.

It was why Heikin practiced before and after the Otogakure ninja academy hours.

To perform a jutsu, the ninja will bring out and release these two energies. The amount of chakra required for a technique will vary depending upon its size and complexity. Each ninja has the potential to better utilize an elemental Ninjutsu style. For more on elemental chakra and jutsu, see chapter four.

Chapter four seemed interesting indeed however Heikin would not skip on ahead and instead continue to reed the intended material.

Taijutsu does not need to necessarily use chakra, as some attacks merely use the stamina required to carry out the attack.

Through Taijutsu a ninja without much skill in ninjutsu or genjutsu can flourish. Konohagakure was renown for such ninja after all the secrets of the eight inner gates lied within that very village. Konohagakure, Heikin had heard many rumors even before being chosen as being apart of the academy. He aimed his sights on infiltrating it at some point in his life, if only to take a sampling of its secrets as his own. He knew he would have to be faster to blend in and betray those of the leaf. Such dreams would have to wait for the lad to grow.

For Ninjutsu the ninja's chakra control will determine how much chakra is used on the technique. For ninja with excellent chakra control, they will use the minimum amount with nothing wasted. For ninja with poor chakra control, they will expend more chakra than needed to accomplish their jutsu.

Heikin wondered upon that last bit of information as he lifted his right arm letting the lengthy sleeve cascade down around his elbow all the while the lad rested his chin upon his now interlaced fingers. Did he have control? Ninjutsu did not come easy for him to be sure, still he marked it as something that would need to be worked on. He was a blank canvas after all. each bit of knowledge he gained would forge him against the others in the room his competition.

EXP = 5 = 4 Ninjutsu, 1 Chakra Control

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(OOC: I meant to cover all the Hand signs in one post but now that I look at the time its about time that I head off for work, will finish the hand seal part of the training tomorrow I hope.)

The class continued on with its lessons, and Heikin Abumi continues to devote himself to the class as it moved off of describing the basic and introductory items and moved on to the hand signs used to perform jutsu. The class as a whole would fallow the teacher as he showed them how to form the first of the twelve hand signs. Ne, the first sign of the Chinese zodiac, the rat, associated with North and the month of November. Heikin would fold in his pinkie and ring finger of his left hand as the fingers of his right hand wrapped around his middle and pointer finger. It felt simple enough and whether or not Heikin would remember what his teacher would say about the Konohagakures Nara clan and their favoring of the rat hand sign for their jutsu would be locked away for another time.

Watching the shift of hands Heikin would fallow as they moved on to Ushi, the second sign of the Chinese zodiac, the Ox or cow depending on ones reference. He would learn its associated with the North-Northeast alignment and the month of December. His hands had to slip apart from the original rat symbol so that he could spread the fingers of his right hand out allowing his left hands fingers to inter lace through the gaps with the middle and ring fingers pressing against the back of the hand while the pointer and pinkie stood up like bull horns.

Pulling his hands apart from their union Heikin Abumi would move on with the class to the third sign of the Chinese zodiac, Tora the Tiger. Its association with the East-Northeast, the month of January, and more interestingly the fire element sparked the young academy students interest greatly. After all it was a symbol of strength. His pinkies and ring fingers interlaced causing his middle and pointer finger to press tight against each other. For Heikin it was an easy symbol to go for even though he knew nothing of fire based ninjutsu.

EXP = 4 = 4 Ninjutsu