Expanding the Repertoire (Hinode)

[Mitsuko Subeki]

Mitsuko sat up from bed and yawned loudly. He shoved his hand into his powdered blue hair and ruffled it, looking to the mirror to see how it had turned out. As imprecise a method as it was, it gave him that look of carelessness that just said, "Yeah, I'm cool and I don't even have to try." That could be construed, properly so, as douchey. But it couldn't be helped. New to his features was a sly grin. Despite what his father had deemed a complete and utter disaster, Mitsuko couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. He fastened his forehead protector at an angle on his forehead, but kept his hair from covering it this time. This time, it meant something.

It had to be seen.

"MITSY!!!~" He heard his mom's familiar hum, calling him out from bed. Seconds later, she knocked twice "Come in ma!" He said, more cheerfully than usual. "First day as a ninja and you're already sleeping in!" Mitsuko grinned as her mom skipped off to continue her day. Fortunately, he had awoken before his dad had returned to continue his "critique" of the genin's fist test. He didn't have much time though, not more than five minutes. The boy threw on a random, short-sleeved white shirt and some black shorts and rushed out. Fuck looking respectable or ninja-like, he had to get out of there, NOW.

He hopped down the stairs on one foot, an impressive feat he had done in this same situation hundreds of times in his young life, and darted out the door. Karin just grinned, as she too knew what had happened all too well. She'd just say he went to train when Ogichi came home. Mitsuko, outside, ran into the bustling street. Phew. Just a few more seconds and I have to deal with all that again... The question then was, what to do now? Go get tea or food? Nah, I'm a ninja now. I should go train. The Subeki child put his hands behind his head and strolled towards the training ground.

Ow, shit! The extension of his right side brought a harsh pang of pain, causing the boy to cringe, scowl, put his arms down, and bend forward to recover. He was a little to excited, it seemed. Just a day after his initiation, and his...moment with the team, Mitsuko had forgotten all about the way he was supposed to-had, to act. Couldn't just be cavorting around like a kid. A quick sigh and he was off again, and what better place then the same battlefield that had been the site of his defeat just one day prior. He soon reached his destination, and found himself in the middle of the scorch marks from Akemi's explosive arrow rain. Time to train.

But in what? Ogichi had suggested, nay, demanded that ninjutsu be his focus. The Violent Water Wave was his most potent move by far. But really, it was also his most versatile. The default form of Mizurappa was its namesake, the wave. But he'd used it here in the form of a small jet, and it could also be used to deflect projectiles or defuse fire techniques or even to...help out a teammate. However, its primary purposes were offensive and Mitsuko had found himself incapable of defending himself in a few situations. He needed something, some inspiration...he needed versatility. The Subeki clan wouldn't be much help either. His only hope was Yuuyake sensei, but how would he find him? Mitsuko sat down, leaning his face on his fist and thinking. Damn... He fired off a few small bits of water, trying to think of something.

(Sorry, had no idea how to start this Jiji.)

Desired technique: naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Water_Release:_Wild_Bubble_Wave

[Hinode Yuuyake]

Hinode walked at a brisk pace through the city streets, he had an agenda. He'd planned to return to the place where he and his new team had had their skirmish. The day's events were still somewhat fresh in his mind, and while they were, he wanted to go over the events that had happened. He wasn't sure what his water clones had done while he was fighting Kyomu, but a quick assessment of the terrain would likely prove invaluable in the efforts to further analyze his team.

However, upon arrival, he found Mitsuko was there. Perhaps reflecting on his actions? Reflecting on what he surely thought was a failing performance, maybe. The jounin didn't make his prescence known immediately, instead he hung back in the treeline, it seemed that the young Subeki child was trying to train, further enforcing the notion that he thought he needed improvement. Well, what better time for Hinode to show up then?

He took a few steps out into the clearing and approached the young one, "A fine day is it not? Like you I found myself attracted back to this place in order to reflect upon the events of yesterday, and do you know what I've found?" Hinode paused for only a moment, and continued, "Potential. But potential means nothing without hard work and training, and so now that I am your sensei, why don't we do some training? That is, if you feel up to it after the tiring trial I put you three through so recently."

[Mitsuko Subeki]

Mitsuko lifted his head as he heard a familiar, strong voice calling out to him. His eyes confirmed it, there was Hinode-sensei walking out to meet him. How convenient...maybe he'll be willing to help me out! How likely was it that his sensei had the same idea as him? The jounin would hopefully save the boy from a few hours of boredom and reflection. An added bonus was that the light-heartedness that marked the end of their training had continued to this moment. It was a pleasant break from Ogichi.

The newly-instated genin stood, slowly as to not aggravate his wounds, but fast enough to be respectful. It was a good day. His first as a ninja, and he had a feeling it was about to get even better. He listened intently as Yuuyake-sensei gave his evaluation. Mitsuko knew he had done poorly, so he expected something a little harsher than what he got. He couldn't help but grin and beam a bit under his sensei's praise.

"Uh, sure, of course! I'd love to get some training done, Yuuyake-sensei." Mitsuko spoke calmly but a little more eagerly than usual. Then he thought back to his training. "Actually, I noticed that I had a hard time defending myself yesterday..." There was that one move that he had heard of, but he'd dismissed it since it just wasn't that cool. But he needed it. "I was wondering if learning the Wild Bubble Wave might be a good idea. Y'know, rounding out my skillset." Hopefully Yuuyake-sensei had heard of the move and could help Mitsuko learn it or point him in the right direction. This was a golden opportunity to show that he had potential and that he could translate that into results. A redemption of sorts.

[Hinode Yuuyake]

Hinode nodded while Mitsuko talked, the Genin seemed to have a particular technique in mind. While the Jounin didn't know this particular jutsu, since it was Suiton he would still be able to help. "Yes, I believe I've seen that jutsu before, and I would agree that it would help to round out your talents... We shall give it a shot then." Hinode walked past the boy a bit to a small puddle on the ground, no doubt a remnant of yesterday's activites.

"Well, it is a mouth based move if I recall correctly, so you'll have to perform some of the basics. Take in a large breath, and mold the chakra in your chest to produce a physical representation of your chakra, water. Being that you're just a genin, and this type of chakra control is very difficult, it is likely you will use a lot of chakra to generate the amount of water needed, so this type of technique is not without its disadvantages. As for how you produce the bubbles and project them, that I cannot tell you since I do not know the jutsu myself."

Hinode jumped up into a low hanging branch nearby and yelled across the space between them. "Try and work your way through it now, try and remember what it looked like and do exactly what the ninja that you saw had done. I will observe and offer advice."

[Mitsuko Subeki]

The boy listened intently as his sensei laid the ground works for the acquisition of his new technique. They sounded pretty familiar, as his most utilized technique, Mizurappa, had similar foundations. And they were similar techniques after all, though with different uses. "Got it." Mitsuko said calmly and quietly as his sensei finished and leaped away to observe. It all didn't sound too hard, honestly. In fact, the Subeki grinned confidently, now sure of his ability to pick this jutsu up rather quickly and impress his sensei, especially given the fact Hinode was taking a sort of "watch and see" approach.

The young genin took a few deep breaths then one larger breath, focusing his chakra in his chest just as his teacher had told him. Mitsuko didn't wanna get soaked though, so he didn't pour that much chakra into it, but the result, when fired, was simply a water wave. Pulling his hand down from his mouth, the boy stared, confused. The justu was more subtle, more technical than he had thought. "Sensei!" He called out. "I know this move is similar to my Mizurappa but...how do I get it to bubble up?"

[Hinode Yuuyake]

Hinode perched among the tree, watching silently, but it wasn't long until his expertise was needed yet again. It seemed Mitsuko was having trouble with the intricacies of the technique. It was to be expected, but he'd hoped he might work the problem out on his own before turning for guidance. Nevertheless, it was the reason why he was here, so he jumped down from the tree, and faced the Subeki child.

"Well your Mizurappa no Jutsu is simply expulsion of water from your mouth, but you have to think of how that technique progresses, and then compare it to this one. You're creating the water and then immediately expelling it through chakra control, but this is different. Bubbles aren't pure water, they're air trapped within water, right? So picture yourself forming the water within your throat, but instead of a steady stream, form a thin layer. Then using your breath, fill the layer of water with a pocket of air, producing a bubble. Once you're able to create one, it's just a matter of gaining the neccessary chakra control to produce dozens, to hundreds, to thousands. Naturally those are far down the line, though."

Hinode jumped up and grabbed a low branch, swinging himself back into the tree. "Now try again, and remember what I've told you."

[Mitsuko Subeki]

Think about the progression of the technique and compare the two, huh? It made sense that the young prodigy's issue with the technique was something mental rather than an issue of lack of talent or chakra. The Subeki wasn't just a physical stud; though he lacked the polish that would really make his talents shine in the field of taijutsu, he possessed a strong affinity for ninjutsu and all of its inner workings. The conversion from a wave of water to one of bubbles would be child's play, no pun intended.

Hinode's help would only speed up the process. Air trapped in water...so since I don't have the ability to control air, I have to push air into a thin layer of water like sensei said. No biggie. Mitsuko nodded at his sensei as the man once again fled to the trees, and then took another deep breath. Forming the thin layer of water within himself, the boy struggled, at first spitting out a thin layer of water and tilting his head to look at it in intrigue.

So all that's left is the air. The boy tried once more, and this time produced a few bubbles which drifted lazily into the air. Mitsuko smirked with pride as he watched them pop into the air. The only thing left was to create a thicker stream. Closing his eyes and relaxing for a few seconds, the Subeki allowed himself to feel the water flow within him. Taking a deep breath, forming the necessary handsigns swiftly, and cupping his hand to his mouth, a thick stream of bubbles launched out without any particular direction, quickly looming over the boy and then popping simultaneously. Mitsuko brought his hand down and sighed, completely satisfied with his work. He looked up towards Hinode and nodded once more in victory.

[Hinode Yuuyake]

Hinode observed yet again, this time it appeared that the genin was beginning to get the hang of things. First producing a small bubble, but then accelerating to multiple bubbles, Hinode was impressed at the boy's adaptability to the difficult chakra control. The Jounin dropped from the tree, landing next to the boy to see him give a triumphant nod.

"Good work, Mitsuko. Your chakra control is great, and I'm sure this technique will serve you well in the future."

Hinode was still getting the hang of this whole teaching thing, what should he say now? Should he just leave it at that? A second hung in the air before he patted the Subeki child on the back, turned, and left. He really could think of nothing more that needed to be said, and he was interested in finding his other two genin to see how their skills would fare in some training.

A thought struck his mind as he was nearly out of sight, so he turned and yelled, "Oh yeah, meet outside the Mizukage's office in two days at noon! Keep up the good work until then!"

Thread Closed, Technique Approved.