"I'm your teacher. For that reason, put your faith in me to get you where you need to be, especially since you're the last one I've got." Kakashi responded quietly. Sakura's mention of hand-to-hand and weaponry training weren't going to be ignored. Honing her talent would not only involve her usage of water-style ninjutsu, it would also turn her into a master of all trades. What she chose to focus on entirely was up to her. He was her master, but the similarity in combat styles did not need to go beyond that. Placing his attention back to the bento, he lowered his mask and ate, and as always made certain he was at an angle that made it difficult to see his mouth clearly. When he had finished Kakashi sighed contently and allowed Sakura to take his empty tray and sticks. Getting to his feet, he favored his neck with his left hand and moved to get his pack back on. In silence he had guided her towards the body of water he had pointed out earlier, hands pocketed and eye dead ahead. Hiding dissatisfaction from Sakura was not a difficult activity, but she was a lot more analytical than anyone else might give her credit for. Becoming troubled at the thought of being unable to help her grow strong, this next exercise would need to push her to a point where complaining would be a waste of her energy. All drive to become stronger had to be placed in every action; whenever she began to whenever she stopped, all parts of her had to be moving. Strength did not come easy, but her unending need to cover every part of combat was becoming unsettling, too.
And one day he'd be of no use.
Kakashi cringed at the thought, up until they had arrived at the still mass of water that had gone undisturbed for an unknown period of time. Setting his pack back down at the base of a tree safe enough to not be drenched by the upcoming exercise, Kakashi threw a glance at Sakura for the first time in ten minutes, and nodded to the center of the lake a moment after. Standing up straight again, the Copy Ninja placed a hand on his headband and raised it, revealing his Sharingan and closing his other, natural eye. Focusing chakra to his feet without any thought necessary, he began to offer her guidance for the upcoming day, and the days to come.
"One other thing I want you to be clear about: Taro's kekkei genkai, 'Dry Hand', is called that not only because of it's ability, but because it's the only place he's been able to channel that ability. For instance, say I launched the Water Dragon jutsu towards him and he reached out to evaporate it upon contact with his hands: where are his vulnerable areas from that point?" The answer was child's play, so he did not let it linger for long. Coming to an immediate stop, his firm left hand was placed on Sakura's shoulder to get her to do the same. Just ahead of them at the other end of the lake were more strong trees, packed tightly in a dense cluster. With Sakura understanding that the situation was not completely hopeless for her new abilities, it left him room to offer her an upgrade to her fledgling Gunshot technique. Letting his hand fall from her shoulder, he raised his right hand and displayed the signature method of forming the jutsu they were now on the subject of. His index finger extended, thumb raised, and all other fingers closed together, Kakashi had molded chakra and began to put a concentrated amount to the very tip which began to display an alluring blue glow.
"Do as I do." He requested. Upon her ability to do so, Kakashi had then began to pull a thin string of water from the lake beneath them. Swirling around towards his finger, it embedded itself against the chakra he had built until the water was virtually a part of his finger. The liquid was stable and easily maintained, but having had the experience to learn the technique as well as devoted the energy into making it effective would put him a step above Sakura. He offered her time and said nothing until she had managed it herself, no matter how long it took. Molding chakra to form the Water Dragon had been one of the hardest trials he had to give her in regards to utilizing the mass of water back at the training grounds, so a small stream was child's play. The difference being that now she had to let the water collapse onto a single point to her body and make ample use of it. Once she was prepared, he had began again.
"Adopting chakra natures into the base of techniques is essential in creating your own arsenal. The Gunshot technique isn't mine, I took it's concept from a Hidden Mist ninja many years ago. What you see now is it's original form. Watch closely."
Taking his shot at the midsection of the most centered tree, Kakashi released his hold on the jutsu and fired it. The sound emitted a brief howl as the compact liquid flew forward at a high velocity. Colliding itself with the tree, it penetrated with ease and made its way through cleanly before the liquid had been completely expended. through the small hole you could just barely make out a dent on the one just behind the intended target.
"That technique, the 'Water Gun Jutsu', belonged to the Hozuki Clan in the Hidden Mist before they were wiped out. I managed to encounter one before that time and went against said technique, adopting its original concept without the use of water for other, much more tame purposes." He looked to her, his expression softening. "This move is extremely useful for assassination, but the one downside is that you'll need water nearby. However," Kakashi lowered his idle hand and shifted his entire body towards her, posture becoming less relaxed and more tense, as if something was bothering him. "I don't encourage you to use this in battle unless you have absolute confidence and control. Without it, you're at risk of using it in its base form, or even worse, you'll end up misfiring and the water will travel at an unintended target. Adding a chakra nature to a base technique is not always simple. Your control is great, but it will be put to the test in a combat situation where you need to discover your own limitations and take the risks necessary to survive your encounters. Consider this the easiest part of the training."
Taking a long step back from Sakura, Kakashi had began to perform hand seals and use them in a combination she was still unfamiliar with. Emerging on both sides of him were two identical copies of him, leaving the water and staring at her just as he was.
"As far as I'd like to push you today, we'll work on further adopting water-style ninjutsu later. The clone technique will wait until later, so for now you're going to try your hand at continuously gathering water and releasing it perfectly to try and match my earlier shot. Whether you've completed it or not, in about ten minutes I'm going to instruct you on handling multiple opponents at a single time of equal or greater skill, as well as how to lead your foe into a false sense of security."
He nodded once towards the tree and placed himself behind her, barely an arms length apart. The two clones took their positions, one on the left, the other on the right, and were five paces away compared to Kakashi himself.
Taka
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