Re: Hidden Copse (Private)

[Anei]

"Start as fast as you can go. The idea is to push yourself at your limits right from the start. Its not endurance training so doing it over time is not important. If you find your speed is too fast and it is too easy, move closer to the trees or find trees farther apart."

[Paksennarion]

Paks nodded, focusing intently on the two trees. She took an expiramental step back before reaching and grabbing some normal senbon from her ninja pack. Paks eyed the senbon, making sure that her body was aware of the difference of weight in these ones compaired to her special ones. She calculated the trajectory of their path quickly, figuring out exactly where she would have to be when she threw them.

Paks took a deep breath, increasing her oxygen flow. Then after a second she launched into movement. Paks had been standing off to the side of the first tree, so she ran closer to it, lifting her hand up and getting ready to throw her first senbon. She was running at just below her capacity, she knew that she could go a little faster but she needed to test this out first. Paks watched her steps and as soon as her left foot hit the ground in a certain place she deftly twisted her wrist sending the senbon flying at the tree trunk. Without a seconds pause she put her right foot in front of herself and continued running. Paks watched again, and threw the second senbon in just the right place. She had twisted her body as she was running so that she was positioned to easily pivot on her left foot and double back without losing any of her speed or momentum. She clutched the last senbon tightly between her fingers, growing nearer to the first tree. Then with a little movement she sent it flying. Paks slowed down. Coming to a stop a few feet off to the side, where she had started from.

[Anei]

Anei stood back and watched, his arms crossed in front of his chest and a smile upon his face. Senbon. He hadn't noticed her using those before. Lucky he was the dodging type there may have been senbon with those kunai she had thrown when they were sparring. He chuckled happily as she let the third senbon fly mere moments before the first hit. He came to stand behind her, putting a hand comfortingly on her back.

"Very good Paks-chan, I expected no less from you. I do believe you can take a step or two forward."

Patting her back once, he then nudged her very gently forward closer to the trees.

[Paksennarion]

Paks tensed as usual when he touched her, but she forced her body to stop reacting. Instead she focused on the difference in how hard she would throw the senbon from this new distance. And also, how fast she should run. She needed to throw the senbon at the same speed as her body was moving or else their path would be warped.

With that in mind Paks retreived three more senbon and settled herself. She raced forward, going slightly faster than before. Paks could feel her muscles burning in that way that told her she was exerting herself. She contained the small smile that wanted to appear. Paks twisted the senbon she held in her hand carefully. Shooting her hand out at just the right time to send it straight towards the first tree tunk. She continued running, speeding up just a bit because she had thrown that first senbon a little to hard and it would land before she had planned for it to. She quickly threw her second senbon, pivoting almost the same second as she threw it and doubling back. Paks managed to balance out the extra power behind the first senbon with her increase in speed and she deftly threw the third senbon before coming to a stop.

[Anei]

Anei watched her closely, seeing the first senbon fly with more speed than before, and grinned widely as he return to the first tree made up for it. Though by a more narrow margin, she still managed to release all three senbon before any of them hit the target. She took to the training rather quickly. He stepped forward, placing a hand behind her and using his other to motion for her to move forward, though he did not touch her this time. He considered doing it and possibly even asking about her rigid tension as he did so. Children her age were usually more than used to affectionate contact, yet she seemed unsettled and confused by it.

"You continue to impress me Paks-chan, very well done. Keep moving up."

[Paksennarion]

Paks nodded slightly. She was breathing fast, not enough to warrant anything more than a note though. Paks took a step forward, bring her ever closer to the tree trunks. This would be harder, she would have to be extremely cautious not to over expend or to judge distances wrong.

Paks took a few seconds to go over her calculations, before taking another deep breath, which did not particularly help in regulating her breathing. She took off at the same speed as her last attempt, this time when she neared the first tree she made sure that she put just the right amount of force behind her throw. She would not expend more energy that was needed for that specific movement, there would come a time when she would need all of the energy she had previously been wasting on movements. Paks raced on, keeping an eye on the first senbon. She threw her second one and increased her speed. Her calculations had been a bit off due to the closeness of the tree trunks and she needed to reach the first tree within the next second. Paks managed and threw the last senbon with a deft twist of her hand.

[Anei]

Anei's smile had slowly faded as he focused on her. He had expected, from what he had seen during their fight, that the first time she had tried, she would succeed. He had been mildly surprised the second time, but not the third time, he was admittedly somewhat stunned that one so young could move like this. The thud of the first senbon sounded just as the senbon left her hand, but she had made it in time. He moved up to stand next to her, smiling just a little as he looked down at her.

"Very well done, Paks-chan, I had expected you to fail by now. You are indeed special. Though it does take up energy, doesn't it? I can see you breathing harder. You're welcome to rest if you like?"

[Paksennarion]

Paks shook her head stubbornly. "I do not need to rest at this time." She looked up at him, as if daring him to disagree. She tried to bring her breathing back under control and felt the twinges of annoyance when her lungs refused to listen to her commands.

[Anei]

Anei smiled watching her almost stubborn determination, seeing something in her eyes again, something about the way her mind worked so different from the norm. He nodded and pointed towards the trees.

"If you say so. Then, please, continue."

[Paksennarion]

Paks nodded. She stayed at the same distance away seeing as she had barely managed last time to succeed. This time she would not struggle. She would not allow herself to.

Paks took another deep breath and procured three more normal senbon from her ninja pack. She took a step forward and then set off, running at the same speed as before. She threw her first senbon almost immedietly and continued on. As soon as she reached the second tree she was already positioning herself to turn around easily, and she threw the second senbon as she turned, managing to not upset its trajectory through some careful split second calculations. Then Paks raced forward, holding the last senbon carefully. She tossed it at the right time and came to a stop, breathing erratically.

[Anei]

Anei nodded to himself at another success from this young kunoichi. She was certainly proving herself worthy to be the student of the Kazekage. Whether she truly realized it or not, the speed and agility needed for this training was near a chuunin level, at this distance. He saw the change in her breathing, wondering how long she would push herself.

"So what do you think of this training now as you experience it? It doesn't seem to challenge you much, my young prodigy."

[Paksennarion]

Paks shook her head slightly, as if to herself. "Everything is challenging in it's own way. I enjoy this training, thank you for showing it to me." Paks bowed slightly in his direction, a little deeper than when she first met him. She forcefully slowed her breathing down, even as her lungs screamed in protest. It was their own fault for not listening earlier she reasoned to herself, of course her lungs didn't think that was a good enough excuse.

[Anei]

Anei nodded happily, returning the bow, following her example of bowing a bit further than they had before, glancing from her to the trees and back again.
"I'm glad to hear it. I always like this method. It gets really fun when your just a few feet from the trees." He winked at her before continuing. "Ready for a break then? I say you've earned one."

[Paksennarion]

Paks shook her head resolutely. "I do not need to stop," she would not let her body impede upon her training. If it needed to stop, than it could deal.

[Anei]

Anei tilted his head looking down at her, his smile faint, his cool eyes fixing on hers, attempting for the moment, rather than to get closer to her, to provoke her steadfast nature that had so captivated him, her devotion.

"Well then, why have you?"

[Paksennarion]

Paks nodded at what she believed to be a reprimand, and got ready to start again.

She reached back and retrieved three more senbon, carefully balancing them in her hands. Then she looked at the distance between herself and the trees and took another small step forward. Paks gauged the new distance and settled her stance. She took another deep breath, her body stilling and then lunged forward. She ran as fast as she thought that she could while still maintaining the same speed. With a flick of her wrist she sent the first senbon flying already nearing the second tree. This time she did not have enough time to pay any attention to the first senbon, she could only hope that she had calculated everything correctly. She threw the second senbon and doubled back, bringing her hand up so that she could throw the last one more easily. With a twist of her wrist she sent that one flying too, slowing down as she passed the first tree.

[Anei]

Even Anei had a hard time judging this pass, it seemed the sound of the first senbon hitting had been simultaneous with the release of her third one. Whether it had been a success or not was anybody's guess. He watched her carefully, becoming genuinely concerned that she might push herself farther than she could handle, stubbornly.

"Good, good, do that one over again, it was very close. I can't truly give you any pointers, you perform well, your mind knows everything it needs to, its up to your body to match its pace."

[Paksennarion]

Paks steadied herself, she was beginning to feel wobbly, but she ruthlessly surpressed, or tried to at least, that feeling. She palmed three more senbon quietly, taking a step forwards. And then she started off, trying to maintain the same speed as last time with considerably less energy. Paks threw the first senbon, making sure that she controlled her arm movements more so than the rest of her body. It would not do to get sloppy as her body protested. She ran onward, lifting up the second senbon and preparing to throw it, which she promptly did as soon as she reached the right place. Then Paks doubled back, pivoting on her left foot, and raced forward, pushing her speed seeing if she could go faster. She threw the last senbon as soon as she could and then stopped, tilting to the side slightly as her balance betrayed her.

[Anei]

Anei tilted his head watching, this time the senbon struck just before she threw her last one. She was tiring. He moved up quickly, placing a gloved hand on her shoulder and holding it there to try and help steady her, smiling down.

"Easy, Paks-chan. Everyone has their limits." ^_^

[Paksennarion]

Paks stubbornly stared at the ground, she tensed slightly, but she was more preoccupied with her sense of mortification. Luckily Amimono-san's help balanced her out and she was no longer swaying.

[Anei]

Anei chuckled looking at her, still holding his arm on his shoulder. He pondered for a moment, looking at her, then reached down a gloved hand to lift her chin, hoping she wouldn't completely freak out, so that their gaze met. He smiled warmly.

"Its ok Paks-chan, you've already far exceeded any of my expectations. Strength is not a lack of weakness, it is the realization of it. There is no shame in having limits. You only need feel badly if you allow those limits to be a weakness to you, physically or psychologically."

He winked ant tussled her hair a little before standing straight up again watching her very carefully, wondering if she would just bury her reactions to his touch, which had been much more friendly and affectionate this time, and if he dared say so, a little more genuine than he had anticipated.

[Paksennarion]

Paks still tensed up, but it wasn't as pronounced. She looked up at him wondering. Knowing you limits, and not letting them limit you, huh? That was a new concept to her. But it made sense in some ways. She had to admit that she had limits it would be idiotic of her not to, but she did not like thinking about them, and she always tried to push them and ignore them if she could. Maybe she should pay more attention to those things that limited her and figure out a way to use them to her advantage instead of ignoring them?

She was jolted out of her thoughts when Amimono-san patted her hair again. She still did not understand the motive behind these movements, there did not seem to be a purpose that she could see. Although, for a second she felt something well up in her chest, but she was so adept at pushing those things away before they affected her that she did not have enough time to know what it was.

[Anei]

Anei chuckled softly watching her and almost able to see something, though it passed very quickly. He walked over to the trees, his coat billowing loosely behind him, and began to carefully pull the senbon from the tree.

"For instance. I am fast, and I am flexible. I am smart. But I am not strong. Not in any sense of the physical word. That is my greatest limitation. And so I have made my lack of strength my greatest strength...I would never be able to succesfully block a powerful blow...So I don't, and use what I AM good at to compensate. Rather than block your punch earlier, I used your own momentum against you, gliding my movements quickly to alter the momentum but not stop it, throwing you over my shoulder. the indirect method of speed as opposed to the more strength based concept of blocking enabled me to avoid your attack without wasting energy, as it used your own energy against you. Make sense?"

He walked back over to her holding out a fistful of senbon in his leather-gloved hand down to her.

[Paksennarion]

Paks nodded. "Yes Amimono-san." She reached up and grabbed the senbon, carefully looking them over for blemishes or scratches and then putting them away.

"I am flexible and relatively fast. But my endurance and strength are not as good as I would like them to be. That is why I have a lot of debilitating jutsu, so that I am not forced to physically overpower my opponent when attacking."

[Anei]

Anei smiled and lowered his hand after she took the senbon, tilting his head.

"Makes sense. What sort of jutsu are you talking about?"

He had only seen her physical capabilities thus far, and was rather curious what sort of jutsu the student of the Kazekage had to offer.

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