Brush up the Taijutsu! [Private]

He couldn't believe he was doing this. Once again, he found himself gravitating toward training, the very thing he'd refused to do years ago.  It seemed to clear his mind, though, which it hadn't done before. Smacking this training dummy around was therapeutic.

Concentrating on his chakra flowing where he wanted it to go focused him. He guided it through himself. It seemed like there was a lot, but that made sense because he was a jinchuriki. It started to pool in his legs, like when he'd learned Silent Killing. But this time, he wanted to use it offensively.

When he was young, Kiigan had refused to see himself as unusual or special. He didn't want to be. He just wanted to be left alone. Now he actually kinda enjoyed the idea that he could do more than others, even when it was only for himself. It was like he'd have a secret that only he knew, that training his body gave him a sense of purpose.

Once he felt there was enough chakra in his his lower half, he jumped and aimed a kick at the dummy...and missed. Crap! The chakra left his feet and he crashed into the bushes behind.

[1/2]

Grumbling, Kiigan pulled himself from the brush, glancing around to make sure no one saw. Of the people nearby, they all seemed to remain focused on their own training. Good. Dusting himself off, he returned to the dummy and looked at it as if it'd stolen his lunch money. Yes, he knew the dummy hadn't moved, but that didn't keep him from being pissed at it.

He stood, concentrating again. Putting chakra into the legs wasn't hard. He already had several basic academy jutsu that relied on this. It was just pushing that extra in and forcing the brain and body to use it in a different way.

Once again prepared, he leaped forward and aimed a kick at the straw head of the poor dummy. Landed it! It didn't destroy the thing, but it would surely ring a human's chimes. Satisfied with the result of the simple Dynamic Entry, he did it a few more times for practice, until it was easy. learning new things was nice and all, but he needed to be familiar enough with them to use them under pressure. A flying kick wasn't difficult in principle, but aiming and landing it in a fight was another matter.

[2/2]

Kiigan stood for a moment in thought. Dynamic Entry was alright, but he needed something with a little more power. What was the taijutsu move he'd seen back when he was in the academy? His sensei had been demonstrating the strength a good and simple taijutsu move could have. It'd blow the dummy right off the pole, and when he'd aimed it at the ground, the rocks flew up like petals of a cherry blossom.

The red-head mulled it over. As he stood puzzling, he kneaded his chakra, trying to gather a good amount. But, like before, it seemed hard to do.

He could feel Matatabi's mirth down inside. Kiigan scowled. He hated that taunting feeling. That "I wouldn't do it that way" feeling, but she was so polite about it that it somehow made it even worse. It was always like she had all the answers, none of which she'd share until he gave in to do it her way. And he didn't want to do any of it her way. Her nudges only pissed him off.

Pushing the gathered chakra into his right fist, he punched at the dummy. As his fist made impact, he tried to release the chakra into the dummy's head, but it was almost as if it fizzled. Only one little straw flew off the head. Kiigan pulled his fist back, frowning.

[1/4]

He tried over and over and over to get it to work. It failed in various different ways. Sometimes the chakra released too soon and sometimes too late. Either way, it was good his chakra levels were a bit higher, or he'd be done for the day.

His anger fueled him onward. Kiigan was a stubborn man, and he refused to fail. Even if no one else was watching, Matatabi was. And like usual, he was trying to show her he could do it on his own without her. That also meant he couldn't fail. He kneaded and kneaded the chakra inside him, pushing it into his fist and out again as if the control itself would help him release it exactly when he needed to.

Kiigan probably looked silly, standing there with his fist slightly raised and his eyes closed. Even though he had a short fuse, the man was wise enough to know that failing over and over wouldn't help him learn. Concentration and meditation were needed when the first process failed. Visualizing the chakra building, gathering into a ball, and heading through the channels in his arm and into his fist. He'd hold it there, demanding it listen to him and stay as long as he wished before he'd pull it back to his core and begin again.

[2/4]

Comfortable in the motion of his chakra to his fist, and confident it would stay there until the exact moment he needed it, Kiigan prepared to unleash on the practice dummy again. Everything in him wanted to run and swing wildly, but that method had failed him. This required patience and concentration, a deliberate action with a devastating consequence.

Fist loaded, he stepped forward and swung. Kiigan was careful to time the release just right. Not too soon! Just at the point of impact. He was more than practiced at trading blows with others, so punching was as easy and breathing. It was the waiting for his knuckles to impact the straw head. That exact moment was when it had to happen, or it was all pointless. This was it! He released the chakra in his fist, and FWOOM! The dummy's head and part of its wooden torso exploded, the air visually showing the effect of the added force. Straw filled the air, pieces of stump shooting like kunai into the forest beyond.

Kiigan blinked a few times, frozen in post-punch position. "Oh, wow," he mumbled, slowly standing straight. He did it. Or at least, part of what he remembered...

[3/4]

The next part landed him with bloody knuckles. The wrapping around his hands were pink, and people were starting to look at him funny. This was because he was looming threateningly over the ground, pausing to gather and focus chakra like before, only to lurch downward and slam his fists into the dirt.

There were small craters and scuffs in the dirt here and there, but he'd yet to accomplish what he was after. He wanted the rocks to burst from the ground and come back down like cherry blossoms. He wanted the ground to crack and give under his fist. He wanted that exhibition of power, but it wasn't quite right. He could gather and release at the right time, but now it was the amount of chakra that was the problem.

Wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his arm, Kiigan paused only to catch his breath. He was getting tired. His chakra was getting low, which was saying something for how long he'd been at this. It was dedication he didn't know he had. And even though this particular technique wouldn't directly help him with a mission, he just knew it would come in handy for someone as Taijutsu focused as he was.

Pushing and pulling nearly all the chakra he had left, soon it raced into his fist for one last try. This was more chakra than he'd used in any attempt previously. When he was ready, he uttered a cry of force and punched the ground, releasing the chakra and...

BOOOOM!

The ground was pulverized under his fist. The rocks flew into the air, just like he remembered. He'd done it. Cherry Blossom Impact. Smiling to himself, he fell back onto the ground to catch his breath, feeling satisfied...at least for a moment.

[4/4]