Speed is the creed (SC Training)

Age : 31 Posts : 81

Improved Speed

Spoiler:

The clouds around Kumogakure no Sato were the most dreary and melancholy shade of gray that they had been in weeks, looking like a dam about to unleash its prisoner onto the unsheltered populace. Wind blew rapidly, with enough strength to knock small children off their feet in one fell swoop: Indeed the forces of nature were establishing their dominance today in the world of man. Amongst all the turmoil and chaos, most were sprinting for the nearest reprieve which would properly house them, to protect themselves from what was to come. One lone figure walked away from the safety of the village though, his thoughts shrouded behind a fierce demeanor as every step showed his commitment to brave the trials which lay ahead. This was just one of the many outings the young Genin had made throughout the past couple of days, acting as a hopeless slave to the regimen he had laid out before himself, knowing that even the slightest deviation would cost him precious progress. He would not have the exhaustion, scrapes, and other wounds of the past few days be for nothing, no, Azoth had come to the conclusion long ago that trying was no longer acceptable. His options were only to succeed, or to get up and try again, though this didn’t mean he couldn’t be peeved at each and every little thing which didn’t go his way. What it meant was that he had to strive even with his anger right at his heels, overcoming such adversity after all is what makes man stronger.

His destination was a nearby forest but an hour away from the gates of the village, inside its premises was where Azo had undergone intense training for the past few days. His goal? To obtain a higher level of agility beyond anything he was currently capable of, something which the crowded streets of Kumogakure no Sato would only impede across. No, Azoth needed to be free to push himself past the barriers put up by his mind, and through the repetition of this strenuous task he hoped his body would adapt and improve: Such a thing was purely human, no? Although one could only go so far on their own before running into some sort of trouble or impasse. At that point, a mentor would be required to activate the potential which remained hidden, dormant in a place deep within a person’s subconscious. This mentor came in the form of the surrounding wildlife, which moved with both grace and speed across the forest’s extensive terrain. Though this wouldn’t be the first time in which Azoth looked to them for aid, no, as much as he dreaded to think such things, this genius idea did not belong to him.

Several years back when Azo was but a fledgling at the academy, his father had brought him to this very same forest in a last ditch effort to scare him into taking his studies more seriously (Which obviously didn’t work). Drunk from some of the cheapest bottom shelf liquor that money could buy, he forced his son to accompany him outside of the village for what he believed to be “bonding ’ time. Though nothing could be farther from the truth, no, instead Azo was abandoned with nothing but his trusty bow, quiver, and a lone tomahawk. Told to “Live off the land, learn from the animals” and blah, blah, blah. At the time, his fury was unmatched, though this meant little in the face of both starvation and thirst. No, Azo quickly learned that survival was nature’s most important creed, all respected it, and killed to preserve it ironically enough. So he quickly took to following deer as well as any other sort of wildlife he thought harmless enough for him to take on, learning from them the locations of various ponds to drink from, hedges to pick berries from, and when it all became too much, he found shelter to hide from all the problems the world created for him. Though berries and pond water was hardly any sort of diet for a growing boy of his age. So it was that with a heavy heart and teary eyes, Azoth took to his first murder, slaughtering a deer with a poorly aimed arrow to the neck. Being young and naïve, the Nara hadn’t even think of cooking the gentle beast, no, all he thought about was the guilt of killing something so pure. His animal instincts took over as he devoured the creature raw, spitting most of his first kill out onto the ground through labored breaths and harsh choking. Azoth didn’t even make it halfway before he gave up and retreated back into a nearby cave, a bloody mess seeking sleeps soothing embrace to wash away his sins.

On the third day, his father finally returned, and Azoth went with him without a peep. He was too distracted with the fact that he was at last away from the horrors of the forest, though the memories were difficult to contemplate without his emotions shifting to wrathful rage. But the commitment to survive and grow was what kept the Nara lad alive then, and these same traits were pushing him to new heights as lived and breathed. After his senses returned to reality, he realized that he had spent his entire trip reminiscing, and was now at the entrance of the forest armed with his bow, alongside rain which fell all around him. When the water had begun to fall he could not say, and he couldn’t care less, so without a moment’s thought, Azoth stormed inside between two large tree trunks, looking for any sign of life which he would challenge himself against.