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sunshineverse2014-07-23 05:56 pm
dangodragon) wrote in sunshineverse2014-07-23 05:56 pm
Entry tags:
[open] Sometimes I like to Beat Myself Up a Little
Who: Uchiha Itachi and whoever stops by
Where: A training field in Konoha
When: July 19th
Notes: Performing periodic stress tests on your body is the best way to keep yourself aware of how out of shape you might be.
If Itachi had wanted a sparring partner, he could have corralled Shisui or Sasuke or several other cousins or other non-relations who would be willing to go against him in their strongest field. Instead he descended on a training field before dawn, a bulging pack of supplies and a small notebook. The purpose of this was two fold: Itachi did a lot of travelling. He saw a lot of things, and he didn’t always have time to experiment with the new techniques he saw. After all, knowing how something was done did not mean one knew how to do it. Anyway, Itachi liked to experiment--fiddle and mess with things until he felt comfortable with their effects and that they didn’t need to be improved.
Secondly: He was about to start regular missions again, so it would be a good idea to push his body and make sure nothing broke down on him. He’d been taking it easy per medic orders, but not he needed to map out his limits again. His body was aging, only now he didn’t have to do these tests to remember how much longer his reach had gotten or how much more chakra he had. Now he did them as a stress test for the body that didn’t always work perfectly anymore. If something were going to give, better it happen here, not on a mission.
Itachi started with ninjutsu, which was the easiest thing to practice on your own. He’d seen an interesting variant on the typical fire release that had used a little wind as well, and that was an explosive or just disappointing jutsu unless done perfectly. Itachi felt lucky to have his eyebrows, even if he’d burned his hands and cheeks a little. It was probably the healthiest color he’d had in his face all year, actually. He also had some water jutsu he wanted to try out, and he needed to get back in practice with those. He found them intensely useful and far more subtle than fire. Then came a break, chakra pills, a snack, and a lot of water mixed with vitamins and electrolytes the medics had given him recently. Then it was back to practice.
Itachi practiced genjutsu with his crows, setting the genjutsu in their eyes, then letting them release it on himself. Of course, it wasn’t really an accurate judge of the genjutsu, but it gave him a general idea of what would happen to his victim. It was also the fastest way to give yourself a head-ache that Itachi knew of. Working with his summons meant mutual preening, and then memory games when Itachi’s head-ache passed from painful to “I may need to vomit” levels. The crows subtle show-offs and enjoyed outsmarting Itachi in memory games.
After pain medication, more food and another chakra pill, Itachi went on to taijutsu. First he simply went through exercises, stretching and warming his body to avoid straining anything, which was immensely soothing. He stretched, practiced old movements, melded new ones in, and did more stretches. After that he fought against clones, trying out new moves and experimenting with anything and everything he could think of. He bruised his knuckles, fell, cut himself with a kunai, almost got concussed by his own clone (very complicated thing to do, actually). Itachi didn’t stop until he was almost out of chakra and had hit muscle trembling exhaustion.
That was when it was time to really have fun. Itachi left the shelter of the trees and closed his eyes. He plucked through his memories and slowly opened his eyes. Every fight he’d ever used the Sharingan in was lodged in his mind permanently. There were certain opponents who were his favorites--the most difficult, the clever ones, the challenges. Itachi slowly dropped into a defensive stance, aware what this looked like. He was alone in the field. Only he could see the opponent across from him, a purely imaginative man with a collection of moves Itachi had always had trouble with.
No chakra. Because you never knew when you would have to fight like that for some reason. Also, because he didn’t actually have an opponent, Itachi would have to forgo offense. He couldn’t properly simulate blows without something to hit. Itachi licked his lips, loosened his stance, and his opponent moved forward to strike him. Itachi slid back. No chakra, so he had to stay perfectly balanced. He couldn’t catch himself or speed up his moves at all, so he had to predict what would happen far enough in advance to react.
It should be easy, right, as his opponent was something his own mind had created. But, the opponent of his mind had no limitations. He was fast as Shisui, strong as the ninja who’s put a fist through an armored man’s chest. Itachi never won against his imagined foes, but he always always had fun. Always felt that rush of adrenaline. He could think of nothing but the fight, all excess thought thrust from his mind.
Itachi ducked back, sliding to the side and rotating as he threw his opponent to the ground. he couldn’t follow the throw with a finishing move, and, besides, his opponent was already on his feet, coming for Itachi. Itachi broke and ran for the trees, lungs burning and heart hammering painfully. No chakra, he reminded himself. Just what his body could do.
Of course, he was cut off. Itachi dropped and went rolling across the ground in a reckless tumble that carried him under a blow and up behind his opponent. In half a second, they had turned to face him. Itachi ducked, twisted, danced. His ankle popped with a sudden and odd release of tension, His hip was bruised and screeched with pain as he sank down, rolled to the side, came back up and parried a blow meant for his neck.
Itachi had been exhausted when he’d started this, so thirty minutes in, sweat burning every cut and abrasion, hardly able to breathe, limbs like lead weights, Itachi wasn’t fast enough. He threw himself back, but still the blow caught him hard in the gut, and, even without the physical blow, Itachi went back into the grass. Once down like this, he was done for. Itachi just took a moment to breathe, unable to do anything but suck air in. His entire body burned, joints ached from strain, muscles liquid from overused, lungs crying for air and heart hammering like a drum. He was completely out of energy.
Well, it had been a few years since he’d passed out in a training field, but he didn’t feel in danger of that now. Fresh as he’d been at the start, he’d only noticed the stiffness and ache in his fingers, maybe some of the same in his ankles and feet, but nothing else had changed. For now, everything was fine.
Maybe a nap in the sun was called for now...
Where: A training field in Konoha
When: July 19th
Notes: Performing periodic stress tests on your body is the best way to keep yourself aware of how out of shape you might be.
If Itachi had wanted a sparring partner, he could have corralled Shisui or Sasuke or several other cousins or other non-relations who would be willing to go against him in their strongest field. Instead he descended on a training field before dawn, a bulging pack of supplies and a small notebook. The purpose of this was two fold: Itachi did a lot of travelling. He saw a lot of things, and he didn’t always have time to experiment with the new techniques he saw. After all, knowing how something was done did not mean one knew how to do it. Anyway, Itachi liked to experiment--fiddle and mess with things until he felt comfortable with their effects and that they didn’t need to be improved.
Secondly: He was about to start regular missions again, so it would be a good idea to push his body and make sure nothing broke down on him. He’d been taking it easy per medic orders, but not he needed to map out his limits again. His body was aging, only now he didn’t have to do these tests to remember how much longer his reach had gotten or how much more chakra he had. Now he did them as a stress test for the body that didn’t always work perfectly anymore. If something were going to give, better it happen here, not on a mission.
Itachi started with ninjutsu, which was the easiest thing to practice on your own. He’d seen an interesting variant on the typical fire release that had used a little wind as well, and that was an explosive or just disappointing jutsu unless done perfectly. Itachi felt lucky to have his eyebrows, even if he’d burned his hands and cheeks a little. It was probably the healthiest color he’d had in his face all year, actually. He also had some water jutsu he wanted to try out, and he needed to get back in practice with those. He found them intensely useful and far more subtle than fire. Then came a break, chakra pills, a snack, and a lot of water mixed with vitamins and electrolytes the medics had given him recently. Then it was back to practice.
Itachi practiced genjutsu with his crows, setting the genjutsu in their eyes, then letting them release it on himself. Of course, it wasn’t really an accurate judge of the genjutsu, but it gave him a general idea of what would happen to his victim. It was also the fastest way to give yourself a head-ache that Itachi knew of. Working with his summons meant mutual preening, and then memory games when Itachi’s head-ache passed from painful to “I may need to vomit” levels. The crows subtle show-offs and enjoyed outsmarting Itachi in memory games.
After pain medication, more food and another chakra pill, Itachi went on to taijutsu. First he simply went through exercises, stretching and warming his body to avoid straining anything, which was immensely soothing. He stretched, practiced old movements, melded new ones in, and did more stretches. After that he fought against clones, trying out new moves and experimenting with anything and everything he could think of. He bruised his knuckles, fell, cut himself with a kunai, almost got concussed by his own clone (very complicated thing to do, actually). Itachi didn’t stop until he was almost out of chakra and had hit muscle trembling exhaustion.
That was when it was time to really have fun. Itachi left the shelter of the trees and closed his eyes. He plucked through his memories and slowly opened his eyes. Every fight he’d ever used the Sharingan in was lodged in his mind permanently. There were certain opponents who were his favorites--the most difficult, the clever ones, the challenges. Itachi slowly dropped into a defensive stance, aware what this looked like. He was alone in the field. Only he could see the opponent across from him, a purely imaginative man with a collection of moves Itachi had always had trouble with.
No chakra. Because you never knew when you would have to fight like that for some reason. Also, because he didn’t actually have an opponent, Itachi would have to forgo offense. He couldn’t properly simulate blows without something to hit. Itachi licked his lips, loosened his stance, and his opponent moved forward to strike him. Itachi slid back. No chakra, so he had to stay perfectly balanced. He couldn’t catch himself or speed up his moves at all, so he had to predict what would happen far enough in advance to react.
It should be easy, right, as his opponent was something his own mind had created. But, the opponent of his mind had no limitations. He was fast as Shisui, strong as the ninja who’s put a fist through an armored man’s chest. Itachi never won against his imagined foes, but he always always had fun. Always felt that rush of adrenaline. He could think of nothing but the fight, all excess thought thrust from his mind.
Itachi ducked back, sliding to the side and rotating as he threw his opponent to the ground. he couldn’t follow the throw with a finishing move, and, besides, his opponent was already on his feet, coming for Itachi. Itachi broke and ran for the trees, lungs burning and heart hammering painfully. No chakra, he reminded himself. Just what his body could do.
Of course, he was cut off. Itachi dropped and went rolling across the ground in a reckless tumble that carried him under a blow and up behind his opponent. In half a second, they had turned to face him. Itachi ducked, twisted, danced. His ankle popped with a sudden and odd release of tension, His hip was bruised and screeched with pain as he sank down, rolled to the side, came back up and parried a blow meant for his neck.
Itachi had been exhausted when he’d started this, so thirty minutes in, sweat burning every cut and abrasion, hardly able to breathe, limbs like lead weights, Itachi wasn’t fast enough. He threw himself back, but still the blow caught him hard in the gut, and, even without the physical blow, Itachi went back into the grass. Once down like this, he was done for. Itachi just took a moment to breathe, unable to do anything but suck air in. His entire body burned, joints ached from strain, muscles liquid from overused, lungs crying for air and heart hammering like a drum. He was completely out of energy.
Well, it had been a few years since he’d passed out in a training field, but he didn’t feel in danger of that now. Fresh as he’d been at the start, he’d only noticed the stiffness and ache in his fingers, maybe some of the same in his ankles and feet, but nothing else had changed. For now, everything was fine.
Maybe a nap in the sun was called for now...
no subject
No more training then, but talking, talking he could do. He padded over to him, standing nearby as he examined him. "Good session Itachi?"
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Itachi heard and felt Obito coming. He only cracked an eye open to look at his cousin, closing his eye again after looking at Obito. "I don't think I can stand up, so I suppose so." Itachi had never really been good at restraint when it came to training, anyway. Training was where you discovered and broke your limits safely.
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Itachi kept his eyes closed and weakly attempted to sit up. Something in his back felt badly pulled. His neck was sore. his arms were putty. Itachi gave up before he got more than an inch off the ground. "Yes, but it's not worth the effort right now."
Itachi opened his eyes and looked at Obito. "I am at your mercy." It was amazing how a training until your dropped created such a wonderful mood. Perhaps Itachi should do it more often.
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He pulled out a pretty substantial box. "I have tempura too."
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"Are you planning to have a picnic with someone?" Itachi asked.
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"Still not thoughts on the food offered you know."
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"Have I ever turned down food from you?" Itachi asked.
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He was not going to get fat. Rude.
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With luck, they'd be the only ones on the field for some time, because his body was in desperate need of replenishing all the energy he'd used up.
"My point still stands." he continues, after chewing and swallowing, again, simply saying this because he could, knowing full well he was contradicting himself openly.
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No problem here.
"It's not like I live off candy and fried foods you know."
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He went silent for now, though Obito might present another rebuttal. Talking wasted breath he could be using in eating, and if Obito wasn't careful, Itachi was actually going to allow himself to be fed every last grain of Obito's food.
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"And whom is this mystery supplier, I might ask." Never really got it in him to ask, didn't seem like a big deal.
He tries to sit himself up proper, legs under him and everything, but the pain in his muscles and joints is too great, a short, frustrated groan leaving him before he just gives up again.
There would be gain out of this, stronger muscle, after all the soreness and healing, but for now it seemed not worth it.
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And then opening his eyes and expecting another bit of food.
no subject