Another Day (Open)

As Hikaru stepped out to train, he thought about what he had intended for the day. When he woke up this morning, he had meant to check for any missions to occupy his time, but lately he had not taken to doing so. He often wondered why, because for quite some time it was habitual for him to check in with his superiors. Yet the state of the village was worsening, and he needed time away from the rising anxiety that the village had stirred inside him. As he wandered his thoughts, he proceeded toward the edge of the training field, admiring the deep scarlet leaves that had taken to growing on the trees. His thoughts were then turned to the beauty of that one color. The color red was interpreted as many things: blood, love, death. It is associated with many things, and most are interpreted to the extreme. One description he rarely heard of the color itself was beautiful. Many described things that contain the color as beautiful, but there are few who actually mean to describe the color.

Hikaru shook the distraction from his mind. He had come to hone his skills with a jutsu he created, and he remembered that it was deeply intertwined with the very color he was admiring. He removed one of his gloves, putting it into his pocket, and partially unsheathed his sword, just enough to let the palm of his hand slide nimbly down a portion of the blade. As he pulled his hand away from the sword, he slightly cringed at the pain. He watched as his blood trickled down his right arm from his hand. He had the urge to bind the wound and stop the pain, but he resisted and let the blood pump until the pain lessened ever so slightly.

After a few moments, he decided the blood was enough to practice his technique. In fact, he would start by using it on his newly torn hand. He focused his chakra while making the appropriate hand seals for his technique. As he used this jutsu, which he named Ketsueki Dansu or the Blood Dance Technique, he hardened a film of his blood over the gash on his hand, being extremely careful to not block any blood flow in the cut. He then pulled his hand up to see his work, which he judged as fair, seeing as he hadn't had much time to practice this technique.

He let his hand drop back to his side as he looked down at his arm, then to the ground. A minuscule pool of blood had formed in front of him, a mere inch or two wide. He then used his new jutsu to change the shape of the small pool, eventually beginning to harden the blood and liquefy it once again as to let himself learn the quickest way to do this. Once feeling he had enough practice in both areas of blood manipulation, he then attempted to do both at once, which he found harder than expected. He felt that this would take much more time to master, so he continued to practice for some time.

*A man dressed in a cloak appears about thrity yards away from the one known as Hikaru, he arrived there just about the same time Hikaru started his training, he watched as Hikaru practiced this new move and was curious with his ambition, he then walks over letting Hikaru know of his presence.*

"Yo, Hikaru I see you've taken an interest into Blood manipulation I don't know if you've heard but last I checked I was the best at that in these parts. I've learned quite a few moves I wouldn't mind passing on to a friend, if your interested that is."

*He is now standing only a few feet away from the one known as Hikaru, he then pauses and removes the hood from his cloak so Hikaru knows who it is.*

Hikaru was surprised to hear someone behind him. He was not accustomed to being sneaked up on. As he turned to the man who had spoken, he let the blood he was using fall to the ground, liquefying and making a small splash in front of him. He looked at the man standing in front of him, quickly checking for any threat the man may pose. The man then pulled his hood down, showing a face that seemed familiar, though he couldn't remember where he had seen him. It was possible for the man to be a fellow shinobi, and hell if he could remember each of his colleagues' names.

It seems like a good chance to learn something new, but, if I've met you before, I cannot recall your name. He wracked his mind trying to think of a name. I've never been very good with names... I need to start writing these things down. He shook the thoughts from his mind. I would like to take you up on your offer, though. I can't seem to do much with this new technique and I could use some pointers.

*He would laugh a little at Hikaru's reaction and response.*

"It's Zahur, and well first things first this is not going to be any joke training wise, but it will pay off in the end there are these things called Blood seals I've been learning and making new ones for years, I've now mastered all of them and have been looking for someone to pass them down to just incase something were to happen to me."

*He then looks into the eyes of the one he is talking to and stares at him.*

"You see these techniques are very special to me and I must know that I'm passing them down to the right person. So if you still want you will have to pass "The Trials of the Blood Seals.""

Hikaru was perplexed at why a complete stranger would want to pass important techniques to him, but he wasn't about to deny a chance this rare. He looked back at Zahur. I think I'll take you up on your offer. He began to wonder what these "trials" would involve, and where he would act them out. So what comes next? Now that I'm going to undergo these trials, I'm curious of what they will entail.

*After getting the response he was looking for Zahur was curious if this man Hikaru would have what it takes to pass the trials and be able to learn blood seals.*

"The trials must be done in private follow me, try and keep up..."

*With that being said a gust of wind blows and Zahur seems to fade with it leaving a trail of wind portals(there are exactly five) when the portals appeared a voice comes traveling through the wind, "Prior to the trials you must first prove yourself worthy, you have three tries each of these portals lead some where, only one leads to where I am located, if you pick the wrong one you will be put back where you are but you will have to fight one of the beasts that will be released from the portal that you opened. Remember you only have three tries and these beasts are no joke, so choose wisely." The voice then fades and it's up to Hikaru to choose what he wants to do next.*

Hikaru was startled as Zahur faded with the wind. He had seen many jutsu which teleported their users, but this certain technique made the man dissipated, almost like shadow. A possibility then ran through his head. It was possible that this was a genjutsu as much as it was possible it was reality. Regardless, he would need to be prepared for a fight should he take the wrong portal. He decided on the one furthest from him. As he walked toward it, he rested his hand on the hilt of his katana, ready for a fight. He stepped through the portal, hoping that he would end up where his new teacher would be, but his hope did not help. He ended up right back where he hadd been standing moments earlier. He quickly drew his sword, preparing for a battle and lingering on Zahur's words. "Remember, you only have three tries, and these beasts are no joke, so choose wisely." He now had only two tries left along with four portals and one beast to fight. He stood in place, waiting for a sign of the beast that was supposed to appear.

*As the man Hikaru chose the wrong portal and reappeared where he once was the portal faded and he heard a loud snarl behind him which seemed to be only a small distance away, it was the beast known as "Gargin" a monster that used to roam the areas of the blood and cause much havok on the outskirts where people would try to travel he was sealed away by an old shinobi who was from the bloodline of the founders of blood. His visual appearance is a Gazelle with very little fur and a lot of battle scars he stands about 7ft from the ground and has a very wide base, he is very strong and has very fast reflexs.*

*Following Gargins appearance another gust of wind blew with a message to Hikaru.*

"The only way to beat this beast is to outsmart him, use your brain you know he is strong just by looking at him so try to get a sneak attack or some way to refrain him from moving. Also note that you only have two more tries I suggest you take your time choosing the next one, if you get another try....Gargin is also the weakest of the ones that lie in these portals..Goodluck."

*The Voice then fades once again and Gargin is waiting to pounce on his new found opponent Hikaru*

Hikaru turned as he heard the growl of a beast behind him. He readied himself for something to strike, but heard Zahur advising him. He took these particular words into account, "The only way to beat this beast is to outsmart him..." He immediately began thinking, though he couldn't figure anything out at the moment. He decided to think it through while he fought, instead. He waited for the beast to take the first move, not knowing how large it was or how strong it is.

*Gargin roared and swiftly moved towards the man Hikaru, the ground shook every time the beast took a stride, Gargin leaped at Hikaru swiping with one of his paws at the mans mid-section at a very rapid and powerful pace the force being so strong that pressure would pull Hikaru into the swipe making the attack seem even faster.*

Hikaru readied for the beasts attack, and, rather than moving aside to avoid the attack, he ran towards the animal and slid under its attempted attack, slashing at its underside then quickly rolling to the side as not to be trampled by its hind legs. He pulled himself up to his feet and attempted to cut its back legs as well. He readied his sword for another attack of the beast. He watched the creature intently, using the advice he had been given by Zahur. He was going to try to take his openings rather than fight it head on.

*(Note:The beast has very good reflexes.) As Hikaru would go to slide over the animal would jump off the ground and watch the man slide under and miss his attempts at slashing his body, he would then leap toward the men pressing off what seemed to be the air itself and start to spiral creating a large swirling chakra field around him which increased the strength and speed of his attack also pressurizes the area he is aiming towards making it harder for anything in the area infront of his attack to move.*

Feeling the pressure from the creature limit his movement, he knew he wouldn't be able to dodge this time, and its attack was coming from the air, which meant it would be impossible for it to move out of the way of any attacks. He reopened the wound on his right hand and cut his left hand open as well. He manipulated the blood to form a spear, holding it away from the beast until the last possible second. Just before the impact, he thrust the katana and the spear into the side of the beast. He let go of the spear as it punctured the beast's flesh. The katana had stabbed in sideways, allowing it to cut down the side of the large animal. As he pulled the sword out of its side, it was jerked from his hand and was flung to the side. He rolled away from the beast, throwing a shuriken as he stood. Preparing to use blood manipulation once again.

*As the spear entered Gargins body he would disintegrate into the blood spear then flow into Hikaru's wounds, as he did so the wounds would heal gradually, the blood of Gargin now flows threw the man known as Hikaru. Following this event another gust of wind blows by.*

"Wise choice, Gargin was only one of many blood summonings, he is now within you and if you pick the right portal he can be unlocked to be used later on in training. Now time to pick the next portal. Remember he was by far the weakest one, choose wisely this time or you will have a lot on your hands three more doors contain formidable monsters in them, and the other contains me."

*The wind passes once again and the voice fades leaving Hikaru to choose his next portal.*

Hikaru was relieved. Using that much of his blood was starting to make him feel lightheaded. He walked to his katana and picked it up, holding it firmly in his hand, ready to fight another one of the beasts. He studied the portals diligently, looking for anything out of place in one of them. He didn't notice anything different about any of them, so he started thinking about which he would go through. He decided to walk through the portal directly to his left.

*That portal aswell would be incorrect and Hikaru would stand where he once was, and a tortoise would appear behind known as "Tortugis", this monster however was 18 feet long and 16 feet wide, obviously having a superior defense but don't mistake him for not having any attacks up his sleeves aswell. As the monster appears another gust of wind blows by.*

"Hikaru, I hope your starting to see the bigger picture now, you must find a way to get him to accept you and flow in your blood aswell. Before I told you not to take on Gargin head on but you did and he accepted you, so think......How to do the same with this one?"

*With that last statement being said the voice fades once again as the wind blows. Tortugis stand ready to fight staring at the man Hikaru, he takes a step forward, it is very slow but when he takes the step and connects to the ground the power is so strong it lifts Hikaru off of his feet.*

As the force of the creature sent him into the air, Hikaru began to think of ways to make the monster "accept" him. When he landed, he jumped onto the tortoise's back. If the tortoise tried to attack him here, it would only hit itself into the ground below. This would give him time to find a way to make the creature submit. For the moment, he decided to try prying the scales of of the shell. He wedged his katana under one of the scales, attempting to pull it up enough for him to cut free.

*The shell is unaffected by his attempt, Tortugis then flops onto his stomach the force from hitting the ground would lift Hikaru off of his shell, he would then press his feet on the ground and shoot up into the air with all of his strength catching Hikaru on his way up otherwise if this connects the shell would slam into Hikaru's entire body doing major Blunt dammage.*

Hikaru was caught off guard when he was launched in the air, resulting in his sword remaining lodges in the beast's shell. He saw the beast prepare to launch another attack, and cut his hand with a shuriken, he manipulated the blood to push him to the ground, then sealed the wound. He was determined to defeat the creature and impulsively ran to the nearest tree, jumping up and kicking off its surface as hard as he possibly could. He intercepted the tortoise and gripped his sword, not pulling it free but flipping the tortoise onto its back in midair. As he spun the large creature, he had taken some damage himself, cracking several ribs from the impact of the shell. He had been sent flying to the side by both his own momentum and the tortoise's. As they both hit the ground, Hikaru felt immense pain and struggled heavily to stand.

*Tortugis would be flip onto his back, but would remain in mid-air he would tuck himself into his shell and spin rapidly sending chakra lashes out around him(Knowing in his head if he touches the ground on his back it would be nearly impossible to get into the fight) he would then shoot his arms and legs out with all his strength, the force from the outburst shot him to the ground hitting his shell but then bouncing him back up and with that momentum he spun himself back over and landed on his feet, but feeling a bit dazed.*

*Gargin still remaining in Hikaru's blood stream would slowly start to heal his wounds throughout the battle and make the pain bearable.*

Hikaru stood, slowly regaining his bearings. He looked atop the tortoise for his sword, yet it had been snapped in two when the large beast hit the ground. He searched for the half including the tip of the blade, finding it all too difficult as a result of his pain clouding his mind. He then spotted the half of the katana still wedged into the beast's shell. The pain had eased slightly, he realized. Not knowing and not really caring, at the moment, why his pain lessened, he ran towards the turtle. As he rushed the beast, he threw several shuriken into its left leg in order to distract it. He then jumped onto the tortoise's shell once again, though the landing made his ribcage throb in pain. Deftly, he pulled the sword from the shell, cutting his fingers to the bone. He manipulated his blood into a soft yet strong "rope" of sorts, though it had an intended abnormality. The half of his sword that he had recovered was jutting out of the center. His vision blurring, he whipped the "rope" around the tortoise's neck, resulting in the katana stabbing into the beast's throat. It was in this way he intended to make reins on the beast. If it pulled its head into its shell, the katana would cut its throat open. If it tried to launch itself into the air or spin on its shell, the sword would damage the inside of its throat. Any aggressive moves from the turtle would result in at least nearly fatal injuries. Hikaru held the ends of his improvised reins tightly, his grip unwavering even as he struggled to keep his consciousness.

*Tortugis would accept this new restrait and he would drop his first two legs to their knees and then thrust off his back legs sending the Man Hikaru off of his back along with him gripping the blood rope and katana, Tortugis would then lift himself back up onto his legs and look to try and catch the man with his mouth as he flew over him. The wind blew at a fast pace this time and the shadow of something flew by but it is nothing for Hikaru to worry about.*

Hikaru's vision was blurring even more as he flew through the air. His grip loosed on the restraints he had made for the tortoise. He could not move, which led him to being unable to break his fall were he to hit the ground. He was unsure of what the tortoise was doing, all he knew was that he felt as if he were near death. If he survived with his various injuries and a gigantic tortoise tossing him like a new toy, it would be likely that he die of laughter. His ribs had been shattered, much of his blood lost, yet he felt little pain. He closed his eyes as he fell, waiting for what would happen next.

*Tortugis would grow near Hikaru attempting to still eat him as the man stayed motionless. Another small gust blew by carrying a message.*

"I though you said you wanted to pass the trials?? You have Gargin within you, you will heal over time either find a way to avoid this attack or your finished, I would not have offered you the trials if I knew you were this weak...Prove my new thoughts wrong, get up and fight!"

Hikaru let the tortoise try to eat him alive. He slid down the beast's throat searching for the blade embedded into its neck, though his movement area was incredibly small. He found the edge of the blade with his foot, then heavily stomped on it, tearing a hole in the tortoise's throat. This freed him, letting him land on the ground, coughing and gasping for air.