Strength out of Weakness: Return of the Strength

Snopy once again stepped out of the Senkaimon into the forest. It was the same forest he usually trained in. It was the same clearing. Three sides of it were trees while a fourth and final side was a river. On the other side of the river was more trees. It was serene, and just about the only place Snopy had truly to himself. He had gotten rather sick of being interrupted in the middle of training. So, he took it upon himself to come here once more. To an area rarely seen in the wastelands. Where everything, from plant to animal, was alive and not eaten by hollow.

The shinigami looked the same as he always did. Medium height and lean build. His left eye was a vibrant pink while his right was a deep purple. His blonde hair was medium length, extending down to his shoulders. His Shihakusho was like most others, save he didn't have a left sleeve. His left arm was out in the open. His Zanpakutō was sheathed on the right side of his body, his canteen hidden on the left.

Today he was going to further hone his Kidō. He had with him a few training dummies in case he needed them. He got straight to the point today. Hadō #4, Byakurai. He raised his hand up and pointed his finger out. In an instant he charged a Byakurai and sent it out into the distance. His power had been improving. Last time he had come to hone his Kidō his spells were weaker. The power he was getting out of them, though still not the strongest, had certainly improved. Though there was one thing he would always be happy about. For people his level, he had always been the best at Kidō. In all honesty he would train his Bakudo more if he had someone else to train with. However, getting away from people was precisely the reason he had come here. There are very few people he would be ok with knowing about his training spot. Out of all of them, there was only one who did know, and she wasn't around.

He regained his focus and pointed once more into the distance. He fired off another Byakurai and gauged his power. Perhaps the reason he was so skilled at Kidō was because he had more of a mind to study every aspect of his spells. He always found where his weak points were and fixed them. That, and he had always had a fondness for energy attacks.

Snopy continued his Kidō practice quite simply. He fired off varying spells into the distance. Most often he fired off a Byakurai, since that was the one he was most fond of. Sometimes though, he would mix it up with a Piercing Shot, or some other low-leveled spell. It was tiresome, seeing as they could be cast so effortlessly. It was almost boring. Yet the Lone Renegade of the Saika wasn't one to stop because of that. He had a title to uphold, and to prove why he earned it. It was a strange nickname, considering he wasn't alone most of his human life, when he had earned it. He just went out on missions to hunt hollow and the occasional demon on his own. Even when everyone begged him not too, he went, which is probably where the term Renegade came in.

There was one thing about this training that was getting on Snopy's nerves. His lack of targets. Sure, he had the training dummies but they would be demolished in maybe 6 spells, seeing as he had only brought three. What he could really use was a human target. Someone who knew barrier spells and he could just smash against it in an attempt to shatter it. Hell, he could improve his Bakudo while he is at it. He can't really bind a rock, or at least it wouldn't help him if he did.

Even so, he pressed on. Hadō #4, Byakurai. He shot another beam into the distance and gauged it. There wasn't much of a difference in power from when he started. Hadō #3, Piercing Shot. He fired a small Reiatsu shaped bullet. He thought about it and it seemed a little stronger, but not much. Hadō #4, Byak--!!! HIIIII SNOPY! Snopy jumped as he heard the loud female voice screaming from a foot behind him. As he was startled, his hand shot up in the air and the Byakurai hurled into the sky. Kiyomi, was that really necessary? He turned to see the small girl happily smiling at him. She was only 4'11 tall, which was fairly short. She had long black hair going a little past her shoulders. She had deep purple eyes. To top it all off, she was petite and her chest was non-existent, something Snopy always made a point of.

Yes, it was. You were so focused I figured it was the only way to get you. Snopy let out a long sigh. You could've just said "Hey Snopy". So, what are you doing out here flat chest? Snopy knew the kind of response it would invoke and he snickered a bit to himself as he said it. He could sense Kiyomi's rage behind him. WHO'RE YOU CALLING FLAT CHEST! YOU HAVE ONE TOO! Snopy raised an eyebrow at this comment. I would hope so. Be a little disturbing if I didn't don't ya think? Snopy just smiled as he spoke. For a reason Snopy never seemed to understand his smiling always calmed her down. What are you doing out here anyway. Her voice had become low and she was looking off to the side. Wow, your face is beet red. Rather than push the subject he moved on to answer her question, for her sake. I'm training my Kidō, that's the reason I came out here. Actually, maybe you could help me a bit. She looked up at him with some intrigue. You're good with Kidō, so you can put up a barrier and I'll try to knock you to the ground. Lets begin! Snopy spoke in an oddly happy tone. He always loved scaring people.

He jumped back and before she knew what was going on he charged up a spell. Hadō #4, Byakurai. He fired a Byakurai off at her with great speed. Having a sparring partner seemed to have put him in a good mood. Thankfully, Kiyomi had put up a barrier before the spell had struck her. He charged up and fired 3 piercing shots in quick succession, all of which also slammed against her Shield. It was good she was skilled at Kidō, because he was going to put a lot into his attacks.

The training was likely to proceed much more smoothly now that he had a target. Snopy could charge up spells to full power and launch them in an actual attempt to break something. It was a simple enough goal to try and take down a barrier, though it wouldn't be easy. Kiyomi was stronger than he was anyway, despite her personality. In fact, her personality kind of had him as the leader of the two.

Hadō #4, Byakurai. He launched off the shot and it slammed into the barrier. Haha, it didn't work! Snopy laughed a bit. Hadō #17, Pulse Blast. A purple orb about the size of a basketball formed in his hand. Have fun. He said as he blasted it forward quite speedily. Though she was good at barriers, Snopy saw Kiyomi had become a little nervous. With good reason too, as she had not prepared her barrier for impact from anything past a Byakurai. It shattered as the orb exploded on it, and Snopy could see her protecting her face. You should have braced yourself better. You should have warned me you would do that you idiot. Hehe. Put up another one, and this time seriously brace it.

He watches as she nodded and put up a properly enforced barrier. Once he had the strength to properly maintain barriers he would have to try practicing holding one up. For now though, he'd practice his Hadō. Hadō #3, Piercing shot. He launched the spell at the barrier, nothing. Hadō #4, Byakurai. He launched another charged up spell, still nothing. Hadō #7, Denki-Dama. He charged up a sphere of electricity in his hand and threw it at the barrier. It impacted, but still nothing. He found working with all the Hadō at his disposal would be beneficial. Some other time, he would practice all the Bakudo in his arsenal. He wanted to master Kidō, and to do so he must be well rounded. Hadō 8, Kaen-dama. A fireball formed in his hand, much like the electricity in the previous spell, and he chucked it the same. It slammed against the barrier again.

With still no effect, he tried another piercing shot. Hadō #3, Piercing shot. He fired off a Reiatsu bullet and it slammed into the barrier. Snopy had a feeling he was getting a little better. Hadō 8, Kaen-dama. He had felt his Kaen-dama was a little on the weak side the last time so he charged it once more. He pulled his arm back before throwing it with some force. It slammed into the barrier, but not much happened. He had found a weak point he needed to work on. He wondered how many other spells needed improving.

As he trained, he continued going down the list of spells in his arsenal. So far he could tell he had a problem with Kaen-dama. He wondered what else he had trouble with. Hadō 9, Kōri no tama. A small sphere of ice formed in his hand and he threw it like the rest. Upon striking Kiyomi's Barrier, shards of ice flew out in all directions. Though, due to the nature of the spell and his strength, it didn't go far. He looked up at Kiyomi's barrier, still nothing. He sighed, her barrier certainly was holding up quite well. Of course, she was using a decent barrier, unless he had a lot more power, such low numbered spells couldn't penetrate it.

Snopy's next spell was Tsuzuri Raiden, which wasn't the easiest to test. So rather than go over and touch the barrier, he simply tested it from where he stood. Hadō #11, Tsuzuri Raiden. His sword became charged with an electric current, which he cut off after about 10 seconds. It wasn't the best test, but from what he could tell he had the spell down pretty well. Finally was a spell he had used earlier. Hadō #17, Pulse Blast. Snopy charged the football sized sphere in his hand before launching it forward. It struck with a decent impact on her shield, and there was even a little damage.

Well that's a wrap, good work flat chest. He tried to stop himself from laughing as Kiyomi had become notably annoyed. What did you say about my chest? She was doing her best to act scary, but it didn't work. The scariest person he knew was Kanna, and she didn't even frighten him. I said nothing about your chest flat chest. Either way, I'd say its time for me to call it a day. Snopy began to walk away, not even letting Kiyomi respond. Wait for me you jerk! She ran up and began to walk with him. She was annoying, but to him she was sort of like a little sister. Either way, she had helped his Kidō improve by just a little bit.

~closed~