Earlier Years [Training, Private, WIP]

Age : 30 Posts : 1701

Spoiler:

Several years ago, when Abelard first landed in Kusagakure, he was completing his stealth training regimen...

Abelard stood alone in a crowd of people, loneliness filling him. It didn't cause pain, nor sorrow. Such was the life of a Jounin of the Ranger Clan. He was to serve as the eyes, ears, and hand of the Kusakage. So, as he walked down the streets of Kusagakure, his green mottled cloak flapping in the wind, his long bow and quiver across his shoulders, and his deep cowl covering his face in the blackest of shadows, Abelard felt no real sadness as he walked among these people, because he knew that the alienation he pursued was for the better of them all, and while they would never thank him, he could pride himself in being their unseen protector. He let a smile spread across his face. It was a new area, even though he had to remain mysterious to most, to uphold the rumors and superstitions that the ranger clan was comprised of black sorcerers and magicians.

Abelard continued down the street, making his way to the great lake of Kusagakure. There, he would begin a strict stealth training regimen that would last the greater part of the day. Today's training was relatively simple in purpose. Nearly every ninja had the ability to focus chakra into their feet and use it to walk on water. Today, Abelard hoped to refine that ability so that he could do so without making a splash or causing ripples. He had seen his own master do it several times, and he knew that it was far from impossible. Merely a matter of concentrating the chakra in your feet further and stepping as light as possible, with a greater amount of control. Obviously, Abelard knew, it would be much more complicated in application then it was in theory. And after all, this was just the first activity of the entire day.

Abelard made it to the edge of the lake. The water's crystal clear waters showed his reflection, the surface being mirror smooth with so little wind today. I can see my own reflection[i] He thought redundantly. Then, reciting his masters words from a time long since past [i]Maybe that's not such a good thing. Abelard smiled at the thought, then looked up into the deep blue sky. The Sun was shining, and judging by it's position in the sky, Abelard estimated it to be around twelve noon. He looked around to see many happy faces on the beach. He removed his mottled cloak, and set it on the beach, along with his green sheathed katana, his Long Bow, and his quiver of fifty arrows. He bundled the weapon in his quote, and set off on the surface of the water. He turned back, looking at them, and smiled at the thought of someone trying to steal them. They'd find a very large knife through their cranium before they managed to pick it up.

Abelard easily made his way a good 10m out before turning. He would do his training facing his pile of items, just in case anyone would be so foolish. Abelard started by stretching his muscles. It was probably unnecessary, but it was routine for him before any sort of workout. After he finished stretching his muscles, he looked down to observe the chakra as it swirled around his feet. He took a single step forward, and the water displaced itself in a ripple. Abelard looked at it furtively, and stepped again, this time being ever careful to take as light of a step as possible. Although it was slightly less, it still rippled. He stood still now, and looked down, noticing that even as he just stood there, the water was moving slightly. He then promptly hit himself on the head with his hand. Chakra does not lay dormant in extremities, it is ever spiraling. He smirked. Countering that would not be a difficult challenge. Still standing completely still, he focused his chakra, working to turn it in the opposite direction as it was previously spinning. The act was surprisingly easy. It took a few moments for him to get used to the little amount of pressure he had to apply to his feet with chakra to halt the spin, but after just a few minutes he had it down. He took a tentative step forward and smiled at the absolute lack of a ripple or splash. He took another step, faster now, and again was not dissatisfied. He began running, finding that moving the chakra in reverse on the sole of his feet was very quickly becoming second nature. Soon, he wouldn't have to at all. He took the better part of 2 hours to run around the lake, lap after lap, and by the end, he truly performed the stabilization act without thinking. Every lap he would look over to see that his gear was still in place. Finally, not even out of breath, he stopped, satisfied with his progress. He wiped the minimal amount of sweat from his brow, and walked back to the beach's edge. He wasn't wet, and so he simply put his cloak and equipment back on, before leaving the beach behind.

He traveled through the streets again. This time, he was making his way to a small forest grove that lay just outside one of the shopping districts. He remarked in his mind on how pleasant a day it was. It truly was rare to find the time to appreciate such things as nature, being a ninja and leading the busy life that he did. Although training was still work, it had been nice that he had been given a few days off to get used to the Hidden Grass Village before being put on Active Duty. After these few days were up, he would have to resume his normal work of training genin, guarding the village, watching out for intruders, and completing missions in the interest of the village. None of these things did Abelard mind, but all the same, it was nice to be given a small break.

After walking for a fairly short amount of time, Abelard reached the small forest grove that he had noted on his initial walk through the village, when he was headed towards the lake. He knelt down to touch the grass. Being an excellent tracked, he could tell from the grass that there had been rabbits here not too long ago. There was both an almost imperceptible scent, and a few broken blades, here and there. Abelard smiled. A Rabbit would be perfect. It was phase 1 of 2 of the second part of his training. In this part, he would be focusing on hiding his chakra presence. After all, Animals were attuned to sensing humans. On top of smells and incredibly acute hearing, Animals have the innate ability to sense chakra. It's why sneaking up on them is so difficult, and is even more difficult when you're excited/angry. First, Abelard would be tracking down a rabbit, which is an animal of prey, but relies more on senses of smell and hearing. Second, however, Abelard would track a bird, which relies much more on its innate ability to track people based on their chakra.

So, Abelard set off on the hunt (though he had no intention of killing the rabbit). He snuck into the forest, using both logic and his tracking abilities to follow the almost imperceptible trail left by the small creature. Abelard focused on being incredibly silent and careful. The fluidity of his motions almost represented an art as he followed the young rabbit's path. Eventually he saw the thing, and his heart flooded with excitement. However, in that same second, the rabbit got away. He had failed to concentrate on the most important prospect of his training. Sighing, he tried again, following the path of the now scared rabbit. But this time, he kept his emotions stable, and began to physically will his chakra inward. Then, it became a matter of true chakra control. He could bring his chakra from his limbs, ever gradually inwards to his stomach, and once their he reduced it to the size of a pinprick, and then to the point where it was nearly microscopic in size. He had, he thought, completely hidden his chakra presence. That said, he knew that he would have to make an effort to concentrate on it, and that it wouldn't become natural for some time. Still though, he grew ever closer to the rabbit, using his cloak to hide his image, making no sound, and hiding his chakra completely. He approached it ever close now until finally he reached forward and grabbed it by the ears. It began to freak out naturally, and Abelard let out a low laugh, and released the creature.

Now was the true test, Abelard new. Could he outsmart a bird? He knew that he was hiding his chakra well and completely, but there were many other factors to rely on. He still had to move with fluidity and invisibility, as well as maintain his lack of sound. It was possible he knew, and he could only try. He saw the familiar signs on a tree that a bird had been there. He continued to walk around silently, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings. Finally he found one. It was yellow and small, and looking right at him, from about 5m away. Inwardly, he swore. On the surface though, he was a part of the environment. He was completely unmoving, as still as a rock or tree. He waited with patience, for 9 and a half minutes (he counted every second) and the bird finally turned away. Stiff, he moved forward ever more, and got close. Relying on speed, he made a single fluid movement with his body, encompassed of several smaller feats. He lept silently into the air touched off the tree silently, hurtling his body forward, parallel to the branch. With steady, accurate hands, he grabbed bird, cupping it's body lightly, spun in mid air, and landed silently on the forest floor. He grinned in satisfaction, then opened his hands to make sure. Still smiling he looked at the bird and then opened his hands completely, allowing the bird to fly away. Mission complete.

Word Count: 1746/1600