{( Fin )} Strengthening of Spirit.

{( Thread Song )}

Yogenhoshi traveled back to the distant mountains and hidden crater any time he was given a leave longer than a few days, mostly spending those "vacations" pushing his own boundaries through intensive training but occasionally he just spent the time relaxing in nature. It felt... well, natural. No society could rival the majesty of nature.

Already the crater had been cleared of debris and altered to be more accommodating, now containing a modest log cabin near the back and a makeshift training center down by the beach, just a stone's throw away from the lake. The cabin was a humble thing of stripped logs and rough-cut timber, fashioned by his very own hands, as was the open training grounds that had been built with everything he needed. Gratifying.

A thicket of stone pillars served to train his Hakuda, being an effective close quarters obstacle course which he could freely maneuver through and around, lashing out with blurring strikes and imagined counters to test his forms and physical prowess. These pillars were much more durable than their predecessors, having been cultivated from the very foundations of the mountain and drug all the way back on chains of Kido, strengthening both body and spirit. They were able to withstand all but the most powerful Kido spells, as his concentration was vastly improved and he was now able to manipulate the resulting effects.

There were dense boulders and slabs of bedrock of different sizes for weight training, though that was only a concern insofar as retaining a honed and receptive physique capable of keeping up with his mind. Yogenhoshi had no illusions of being numbered among the physically strongest but his general reflexive state made him extremely nimble and adaptable, which he plied in all aspects of his life. He was also durable.

Upon arriving this time, he set the bag of this leave's provisions aside and made straight for what he believed to be the most important training implement present; the immense boulder he had sat upon in the earliest days of his training here, which hadn't been moved but incorporated by becoming the epicenter of Yogenhoshi's idyllic playground. He assumed a meditative state and set to work.

He continued meditating until nightfall, when the horizon was already darkened enough that the first starts were already beginning to twinkle. Pushing himself up, Yogenhoshi began a stretch that started at the toes and traversed all the way up, arms reaching high above his head. May as well start off with some speed training, he thought, swinging one arm around as an extension of spiritual energy-- Bakudo 4-- whips out to bind itself around one of the large slabs of bedrock.

Without a moment's hesitation Yogenhoshi sped off, form first seeming to flicker insubstantially before vanishing in its entirety, phasing in and out of visibility in mid step as the Crawling Rope stretched and pulled taut, pulling the bedrock along for the ride. The extra weight maximized on Hoho training, generating enough resistance that his entire body must strain to compensate, forging a new level of performance into every fiber of his developing musculature. That was one benefit.

The other notable benefit was in the amount of control he was gaining over manifestations of his reiatsu, particularly in the forms of healing and Kido, which the constant use of Crawling Rope and the amount of spiritual strain necessary to maintain its connection and binding under these extreme conditions was increasing. Initially his aptitude with this particular spell had been meager, producing a thin rope that would not have been able to hold half the weight of the bedrock he now drug along the circular beach, which he used like a racing circuit. The rope's density was now of a caliber capable of containing a much greater force.

All the while his spiritual pressure was spiking, amping out nearly as much as he was able to and maintaining it as a way of pushing the limitations of his reiryoku as well. Sustaining this level of spiritual output for long periods of time would eventually increase his energy reservoir and stamina, especially when coupled with the rigors of physical labor. A mind lacking focus would have already faltered.

After days spent sharpening his Hoho, Yogenhoshi moved on to a purely Kido-oriented form of training unlike anything he had previously attempted. Up until now the main objective had been to gain accuracy with and control over Kido spells, expanding his repertoire through general knowledge and experience through trial, but now he was attempting to strengthen their magnitude directly through opposition.

Bending to grab one of the largest slabs of bedrock by its sides, he hefted it from the ground by standing straight up and heaving, flipping it end over end high into the air. His hands remained up, palms open and fingers spread, as he silently evoked Bakudo 7 - Gyokuseki; a translucent shield of pure spiritual energies. And... here it comes.

The slab of bedrock came hurtling down, caught in the throes of gravity, to smash down upon the shield with a metallic clang! Yogenhoshi stood firm, arms raised high above his head and arms spread as if physically supporting the shield in its task of withstanding the sustained weight.

Hours passed that way, and he was coated in perspiration which kept him blessedly cool in the warm breeze that seemed eternally trapped within the seclusive crater. He was now at the edge of his ability to keep the shield together, not with the stone slab's mass pressing down upon it, and with that realization came the sound of shattering as the shield began to crack and fragment. "Legs like a jack rabbit's," he said while the bedrock resumed its free-fall, legs tensing in preparation to evade, "reach for the sky!" Bakudo 11 - Haru Bodo was activated.

The resulting boost to innate speed made getting out of the plummeting rock's way an all too easy task, simply springing aside as it crashed down to spray sand in all directions. That's it for tonight, he thought, raising a hand to touch his right shoulder, which he rotated as if it were on the verge of cramping. His Kido was definitely becoming stronger, growing in general potency, and at this point no-one would guess it served any other purpose than healing. "I just hope I don't have to use it any other way very often," he muttered, heading toward the cabin, the comfort's of its fireplace and the night's delectable rations.

The final days of his training involved much of the same, balancing Hoho and Kido training with meditation blended throughout for absolute clarity of mind. Due to his preferences not much about him had changed, physically, but he had grown undeniably stronger in other ways. There might even be a chance to attain a Seated position within the 4th Division. I could always use the extra Yen, he thought, rubbing his hands together at the very thought of all the various types of meals he could purchase with that kind of salary... Yogenhoshi adored food.

His ears perked at the sound of soft padding near the entrance of the enclave, announcing the arrival of his house guests of recently, a small pack of mountain wolves that had probably scouted out this hidden cleft long before his discovery of it. As one might expect, his love for nature easily trumped any sense of territoriality and so he graciously accepted their presence and often shared the game from his infrequent hunting excursions with them. There was no illusion of domestication.

Yogenhoshi's keen eyes picked out a wounded member of the pack almost immediately, bearing many superficial wounds but noticeably favoring a front leg. Obviously the young male had gotten into a scuffle with something, but being this far out in the wilderness meant it was almost impossible to determine what without actually stumbling upon it himself. There wasn't much he could do about natural predators in the ecosystem, but he could and would heal an animal in need of it.

The pack was already getting used to his presence here, but he had never attempted to get close because he didn't want to be invasive and make them feel uncomfortable here, where they had more right to be than he ever would. The younger wolves watched with an open curiosity while the seasoned members of the pack, with their lifetimes of honed instincts, exuded wariness as their golden gazes followed his approach. Crouching down, he extended a hand toward the injured wolf and waited for it to scent him, and when it did he began gathering healing energies which naturally manifested in a green aura surrounding the hand. Ears perked up all around as the wolves took notice, clearly attuned to spiritual energy in their own way, but the young male stretched out on the ground and patiently allowed Yogenhoshi to first wipe away the fatigue and shallow wounds, then mend its broken leg.