Minoru Trains Kurai

Minoru sat in the middle of one of the Snow Village Training Grounds, waiting for Kurai to arrive. He wore long, heavy coat that covered up his body, keeping him warm.

Kurai walked into the area, looking susprisingly unfazed by the cold. She wore a pair of ninja pants and sandals, so pretty regular. Her hair was tied up in a long ponytail apart from her bangs which were, as usual, clouding her left eyes line of vision. Her visible eye glittered enthusiastically as she stopped a small distance away from him. Her shirt looked a little worse for wear to be truthful, although she used it all the time for training. It was black as usual, with rips across the stomach that looked like they were done by weapons. She didn't have a coat on or anything like that, so her arms, neck, face and the part of the stomach that was exposed were completely unprotected from the cold. She didn't seem to mind. In fact, she didn't even care. "Hey! Sorry i'm late, i had some things to deal with," She said with a smile.

Minoru turned to her and gave her a rare smile. "I'm glad you showed. So, what you would like to learn first?" he asked her patiently as he cross his arms. Though he looked calm, he was actually very excited that he gets to teach Kurai something. He might not be the best person to come to for teaching, but what he did know can be very valuable to a shinobi. He frowned when he noticed some of her skin was exposed. "Don't you think you should cover up more? You might freeze" he said to her with a concerned expression on his face.

She blinked for a moment as if she didn't quite understand what he was getting at. She looked at her arms then laughed and looked back at him again. "Don't worry, i've been through a lot worse. This is barely even chilly," She said with an unconcerned shrug. "What to learn first? Hmm...Well, what Fire ninjutsu do you have in your arsenal?" She asked with an interested tone of voice. She could tell he was looking forward to this and to be honest, she was too. It had been so long since she'd had a training partner. Before this she used to train alone. It was so dull to be honest. She much preferred the company of someone else while she was training than talking to a clone. That technically meant she was talking to herself, didn't it? Soooo...That would make her insane? Ah well, nobody's perfect.

He listed the fire techniques he knew off in his mind for a few minutes before he spoke up to answer her. "The names of the techniques are Ash Pile Burning, Fire Dragon Flame Missile, Flame Flower, Great Dragon Fire, Roaring Flame Sphere and my own custom technique, Eyes Of Holy Fire" he listed off to Kurai as he counted the number of techniques using his fingers.

She nodded along as he listed off the techniques, one or two ringing a bell. "I see...Hm, i think i might know Great Dragon Fire but i can't be sure. Any of the others would be my best bet. I'm not fussy over which one. Who knows, maybe i could give you a technique or two," She joked with a chuckle. She cleared her throat a little. "Uhm..Also..I have one more extra request, if it's not too much trouble," She asked in a surprisingly quiet manner, twirling a lock of hair around her finger to try and distract herself from the question she was about to ask. It was hard to her to be honest, considering she hardly ever asked for anybody elses help.

"Who knows? You just might give me a technique of my own" he said with a smirk on his face. He was curious when Kurai said that she had an extra request. "What is the request Kurai?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow as he patiently waited to hear what the request was. He wasn't sure what she was going to ask but he was a little nervous about what she wanted to ask.

She exhaled deeply and let her hands drop back to her sides. 'Just do it...You need to ask for his help of you won't be able to handle it...' She looked up at him, her eye filled with a seriousness that she hadn't felt in a long time. "You know how much trouble these demons are giving me. They're ripping me apart from the inside out. The coughing's getting worse and the headaches are enough to make me pass out. I need your help to harness their chakra before...Well..." She trailed off, hoping that he knew what she meant without having to finish. She hoped that he would help her or at least steer her in the right direction because right now this training session was a way of helping her gain control of the 3 of them which could in turn help turn her life around.

"Ah, I get it. You want me to help you harness their power effectively so that they don't rip your body apart. Is that it?" he asked her with a serious expression on his face. Considering his expression, it looks like he will help her with what she wants but it doesn't come as a surprise, since Minoru vowed that he would do anything and everything it takes to protect Kurai.

She sighed in relief when she heard him. "Yes, yes that's exactly it. As much as i hate to admit it, i need help and the only person i would trust to help me on something of this scale is you," She explained as she managed a slight smile. "So maybe after we've gone through a few techniques you can help me with that," She seemed a little more hopeful now and tried her best to brush past what she'd told him. Sure she finally asked him for help but she was still fairly independent so she wasn't too keen on lingering on a subject like that for a long time.

"No, we'll work on the control now and the techniques later" he said with a stubborn look on his face as he got up and pulled Kurai to her feet. "Follow me over to that tree" he said as he pointed to a tree to the left of them and started walking over to it. He patiently waited for Kurai to join so he could help her with her demons.

She blinked slightly then fought back a smirk. He was possibly even more stubborn than she was if that was physically possible. She swiftly followed and felt Peacock stirring to find out what the commotion was. She tried to speak but Kurai silenced her with a wave of chakra. Peacock, being as naive as she was, barely even KNEW that she was sending out hostile chakra. It just sort of happened whenever one of the other demons tried to take control so in a sense she was innocent in all of this. "Alright...Fine, we'll do it your way," Kurai submitted with a roll of her eyes. "What ideas do you have? Cuz i really dont think i can take much more of this,"

"First, you will need to access one of your demon's chakra stores. After you do that, I want you to do the tree climbing chakra control exercise. Once you master it, we will move on to Water Walking, then Waterfall Running and then Air Walking" he instructed as he crossed his arms. It was obvious what he wanted her to do. He wanted her to master chakra control exercises with her demonic chakra so that she would be able to control her demons easier.

She nodded, understanding what he was getting at. She didn't want to do it truthfully in case the seal loosened too far but with Minoru here it'd be fine. Right? She loosened the Spirit Forms chakra seal and felt a huge rush of chakra course through her veins. It was almost painful as her chakra spiked. No wait, never mind that. It WAS painful. She took a deep breath and put a foot to the tree, noticing that it stuck reasonably well. She raised her other foot and placed it on the trunk. Again, it managed to stick. She slowly started to make her way up, taking great care to limit the ammount of chakra that was being release. She was about half way up now. However, her 'victory' was bittersweet. Just as she was about to reach the top, she let too much chakra loose and the bark crumpled like paper beneath her feet. She lost her footing and fell backwards.

Minoru ran underneath her and caught her in his arms. "You have to be careful with how much chakra you release as because demonic chakra is far more potent then human chakra" he lectured her as he stood her up on her feet. Apparently, he wanted Kurai to find that out for herself and apparently, it looks like she just did.

She nodded slightly, feeling slightly embarassed that she couldnt even climb a tree. She bit her lip. "Dammit all, i'm not letting it win..." She growled, clenching her fists. She took a running start and pushed forward, climbing the tree using speed instead of subtlty. The Spirit form hissed and snarled in protest, but she continued to push on until she reached the top. She panted and grabbed onto one of the branches for support as she looked down at the ground. 'Heh...I did it...That's the first stage out of the way. Whatever they try, i'm not letting em win...'

"Next is Water Walking. There is a waterfall just down this way that, luckily, hasn't been frozen. Follow me" he said as he walked towards the east with his arms crossed. It's obvious that he wanted Kurai to be able to control her demons as soon as she possibly could, considering he was taking her training very seriously.

She nodded and jumped down, jogging to catch up with him. She looked ahead and saw the area of water that he was talking about. She bit her lip and wanted to turn and walk away. The water there was deep, she remembered she had to get a little girl out of there when she swam out too far a few months ago. She disguised her nervousness well and tried her best to smile confidently. "Right, lets get started. The sooner we get going, the sooner its all over," She said as she stood by the shore, looking out at the water that was sure to be ice cold.

"Right. Now, I want you to walk across the surface of the water. Once you succeed at that, we will proceed to run up the waterfall" he instructed as he waved a hand towards the water, indicating for her her to start the exercise. He really wanted to help Kurai with her demons since he knew what it was like to have a demon inside you.

She took a deep breath and slowly nodded. She placed a foot on the water and took a few steps out. Her feet sank into the water slightly but she was able to walk. A little clumsily perhaps, but she was doing it. She looked down at the clear water beneath her and bit her lip when she couldn't see the bottom. Sure, water was one of her preferred elements but out here in the middle of a deep area of water was a little different. She had no control over it here and if she couldnt control the chakra then she'd fall into the depths faster than a stone sinking to the bottom. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and kept walking across its surface, growing slightly more confident.

"That's very good Kurai. Keep it up and you'll master the exercise" said Minoru as he walked across the water with Kurai, the tone of his voice making it obvious that he was cheering Kurai on as she walked across the water.

"I hope so...I don't like this at all," She admitted as she gradually got a little more stable. When he stepped out next to her, it got slightly easier knowing that she was safer having someone beside her. Her spirit form was acting up something fierce and pushed as much chakra as it could through her system, making her headache return with the urge to cough soon following. She cleared her throat to disguise it and kept walking until they reached the base of the waterfall. She looked up at it and frowned slightly. This wasn't going to be easy but it needed to be done. 'The last hurdle then...If i back out now then i'll never be able to stay the way i am...This is a lot more important than i've been thinking...'

"Alright then. Looks like you mastered it. Now, for the third stage. Run up the waterfall by combining the first two lessons together" he instructed her as he patiently waited for her to start running up the waterfall.

She looked up at the waterfall and it suddenly looks a lot bigger than she thought it was when she first glanced at it. There was no WAY she could climb up that thing! She took a deep breath, albeit a slightly shaky one and ran at the waterfall. This wasnt going to be easy. She felt the chakra disturbing the water beneath her feet as she got further and further up but she refused to say 'enough is enough'. She kept going, progressing slowly but definitely progressing.

Minoru looked up at her, nodding his head silently in approval as Kurai continued to run up the waterfall. He was obviously pleased with how far she progressed in such a short amount of time.

She was doing fine until she got about halfway then she felt more and more chakra being pushed through her body. It made her cough and almost gag. The roaring of the water drowned it out so Minoru couldnt hear but she continued to push forward until she finally did scramble to the top. She grabbed one of the rocks and hoisted herself up, landing quite messily on her knees with a sigh of huge relief. She rested her head against the cold surface of the rock and tried to get her breath back.

"Very good Kurai. Now, you are ready for the final stage of the the chakra control exercises. If you master this, you will be able to control your Spirit Form easily" he explained as he ran up the waterfall.

She felt like asking if she really had to do it. She didnt think she could take another outburst from her demons. She tried not to cough again and stood up, brushing her scraped knees. "Can i take a break after this...?" She asked wearily as she looked at him, looking properly exhausted for the first time in a long while.

ooc:gtg for 15 mins

"Of course. Once you master this chakra control exercise, your Spirit Form will be completely under your control. Once you master it, you can even completely cutoff your Spirit Form's chakra stores so that the Spirit Form can't try and break free. Her chakra will be completely under your control and she will have no say in it what-so-ever.

ooc: back

She pushed herself to her feet and nodded. She liked the idea of being in control of her body for once. She looked at him and a confident spark appeared in her eyes. Both could now be seen since she wasnt exactly fussing over her hair during training. "Then lets get it over with. I want to get it completely finished before i can rethink it and back out," She said although it was unclear if this was a joke or not. She stepped onto the shore and shivered slightly. "Now i DO wish i'd covered up more," She said as she rolled her eyes at her own arrogance.

"Here, take my coat" he said as he took off his coat and wrapped it around Kurai. "Now, for the Air Walking exercise, you have to jump into the air and use your chakra to hold you in place" he instructed.

"Wind huh? Now thats more like it," She said with a slight grin. Wind was one of her preferred elements and, since one of her more favoured jutsu let her fly, she didn't think this would be a huge task for her. "I'll give it a shot and we'll see how it goes," She smiled as she jumped up slightly, trying to get a burst of chakra to keep her afloat. That lasted a few seconds. She let herself down again, frowning slightly. "Okay, maybe it's not so easy after all," She admitted with a slight grin. "Lets try this again," She said as she jumped up for a second time and tried to let the chakra keep her afloat without letting it take control. After many...MANY attempts she finally succeeded in keeping afloat for a while, but by that time she was pretty much exhausted. It might've not been entirely her chakra, but the ammount of energy that this training used was outstanding.

"Pretty good but you still haven't mastered it yet but I'm not surprised. Air Walking is the most difficult form of chakra control, well, at least for now" he said as he crossed his arms. "Let's take a break now" he said.

She exhaled deeply and gently let herself down. She sat by the edge of the water and leaned her head back against the rock, shutting her eyes. It felt strangely relaxing to just chill after having such a 'brutal' training session. However, changes could be felt. She couldnt feel anything trying to push through and the only chakra she could sense was her own. Perhaps it had worked, she hoped it had. She smiled a little to herself. "Thank you, Minoru. Really," She said as she tilted her head in his direction, her eyes still closed but she could tell what direction he was in.

"Your welcome Kurai. I will do whatever I can to make you happy" he said with a smile on his face, obviously delighted that he was able to help her out.

She opened one eye and smiled back, tilting her head slightly. "You do know you can sit down as well, right?" She said with a slight chuckle as she stretched her legs. She winced. Boy, was she gonna feel that tomorrow. She leaned over to look into the waters surface and was thrilled to find that there was no trace of purple in her eyes, indicated the Spirit Form wasn't even attempting a takeover even though she wasn't in a very strong state right now. This training was working, without a doubt.

"Oh, right" he said sheepishly with a grin on his face and sat down next to her.

She laughed lightly at how hesitant he seemed. "Thats more like it. It's not like i bite," She joked as she let her hair out of its ponytail for the few minutes that she didn't need it up. She rolled her shoulders making them crack, which was a bad habit that she never quite gave up. She grinned slightly. "Sorry, bad habit," She apologised as she leaned back on her arms. "It feels strange to not have to constantly compete for control all the time...I feel like i can really relax now..."

He grinned at her and wrapped one of his arms around her. "Well I'm glad I could help Kurai. You, just like my wonderful mother Kushina, are my entire world. I fear that without you, I would have lost myself in the darkness, in the madness of what I loathingly called my life" he said with a soft smile on his face.

She smiled a little herself, nodding slightly to show that she understood what he was saying. "I know, Minoru but you know that i won't leave or disappear. I've had to tell you that so many times," She chuckled, resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her. "To be honest, thats partly why i asked you to train me. I mean, sure i can get my ANBU to help out but what use would they be if they didn't know about what i am?" She said as she smiled up at him. "I suppose you could say that i trust you with all of the finer details," She added with a slight giggle or two at the thought that she trusted an ex missing-nin over her most prized ninja.

"I know you say you won't leave me, but that doesn't mean I can't fear that you will. Everyone usually winds up leaving me Kurai and I fear losing you and no matter how much you say you will stay, it doesn't make me fear the possibility any less" he said with a pained expression on his face that only appears when he thinks about his mother Kushina, holding the heart-shaped ruby locket that contained a picture of his mother in it tightly in his fist.

She sighed heavily and shifted his arm slightly so she could look at him better. She unclipped her own locket and a 'click' was heard as it opened. She showed him the two pictures that rested inside the lockets opposite sides. One was of a beautiful woman, in her twenties perhaps. She had long, flowing black hair and shining blue eyes with a kindly smile etched elegantly on her delicate features. "You don't even need to ask who that is..." She murmured as she showed him the other picture. It wasn't her father. It was a boy, who looked like a young teenager. His light brown hair was scruffy and stuck up in some places, his green eyes sparking mischievously behind his bangs. A devilish grin was spread across his face, as opposed to the womans kindly smile. "That's the one that died for me.." She said, meaning that was her brother who'd died so she could get away. "Point being, i'm frightened you'll disappear on me as well...But i've learnt that even if we are separated, we'll find each other. Call it womans intuition,"

He looked at the pictures and opened his own locket. One was a picture of Kushina holding a newly born Minoru and the other was of Kushina before she met Nagato. The second picture was back when Kushina had that whole tomboy thing going on.

The second picture looked like this:

Spoiler:

"Oh Kurai, I wish you could have met her" Minoru said as he shut his eyes tightly.

She looked down for a couple of seconds, not daring to speak before she pushed herself to her feet, unintenionally dropping Minorus arm in the process. "We better continue with the training...Those techniques aren't going to magically teach themselves to me," She said to him, brushing her bangs behind her ear but still refusing to look him in the eye. She shook her head slightly. "Besides, just because i couldnt meet her in your dimension, doesn't mean she cant cross over into this one. I already put that theory across to you," She added, hoping to bring this touchy subject to a close.

"Yeah, your right. Speaking of which, one day, I will go back to my dimension and kill that vile Minato Namikaze. Once I kill him, I will return here to continue protecting you and rest assured, I will not let anyone harm you. If I have to, I would fight the Shinigami himself, if it means protecting you Kurai" he said with a determined look on his face as he held her hands in his.

She looked at him, a fire sparking in her eyes at the mention of his plans. "Over my dead body," She said simply. "Minoru, you might be powerful, but everybody has some sort of weakness. I'm not prepared to let you fight someone who could potentially exploit this weakness," She told him with a determined frown. "Don't burden yourself with protecting me, there's so much more to life that tying yourself down with the responsibility of another persons life," She added softly with a smile, giving his hands a gentle squeeze before pulling her hands back. "Now...Let's get back to business,"

"Alright then. I think I'll teach one of my signature techniques. I call it my Tracer Eye Bombers. Be prepared because I think you and even your demons might be a little grosses out by the technique" he said as he made hand seals. "Tracer Eye Bombers" he said as five eyes with wings and one bird like foot equipped with large talons appeared out of thin air. The eyes opened up, revealing dark purple, pupil slitted eyes.

Name: Tracer Eye Bombers
Rank: A
Element: None
Description: Tracer Eye Bombers is a custom-made technique used by Minoru. Minoru will use his chakra to create a floating eye with wings and talon. This eye will look around for the target and when it finds the target, it will follow Minoru's target around until he either gives up or is unable to avoid it. However, this eye is also explosive so when it gets within range of the target, it will latch on to the target with it's talons and explode, killing Minoru's opponent. The explosion is just enough to destroy an entire training area.

She raised an eyebrow, not looking particularly grossed out. Peacock, however, was throwing a fit. 'Thats disgusting! Ewww! Get it away, Kurai! Get it awayyyyy!' The demoness whined, causing Kurai's eye to twich in irritation. She looked at Minoru. "I see, so what does this thing do then? What are its abilities? Furthermore, how much energy does this thing require?" She asked, being sure to know exactly what she was dealing with here before she learnt it. She wanted to be sure she knew what she was getting into.

"These little guys work like a honing system. They lock onto a target and then proceed to chase after them until their destroyed or they latch onto their target. Now, if they happen to latch onto you with their talons, well, see for yourself" he said as he created a Shadow Clone and ordered the Tracer Eyes to attack the clone. Minoru grabbed Kurai and ran a few yards away from the Tracer Eyes. Minoru and Kurai watched as the Tracer Eyes latched onto the clone and started glowing bright purple. The Tracer Eyes then exploded, creating a massive crater and incinerating even the nearby waterfall and all the water in it.

Kurai then did something surprisingly girlish. She didn't scream, but it was something along those lines. More like a surprised squeak as she grabbed onto Minoru's arm. She blinked for a moment, then sighed. "Great, that's one more job for me to do," She muttered. She was going to have to clean up all the debris later. This was a favoured training spot for most of the young ninja here. To find it in tatters like this would NOT go down well with them. However, she was indeed impressed. "I do like the jutsu though, it just gave me a bit of a shock is all," She explained with a sheepish grin.