After the last evening,
after he had successfully reached the top of the tree and got a good view of the Hidden Cloud terrain he realized he still had much more training. He had nailed tree climbing now, after several failed attempts. But-- it was only the beginning of true chakra control. MOre skilled Ninja could carry far more weight and going at a general walking speed. Sure running up a surface was good, but Enja would not be satisfied till he succeed. Had he been under the tutorage of the Cloud Ninja academy, he would of done much better, however that was not an option right now.
So, he was forced to train by himself and he would not stop till he got better. Still... he wanted a teacher. He had to find one, no matter who he was.
For now, he chose to continue chakra training. Next, he tied weights to his ankles and arms. Training gear he found near the shrines that others used to train with. This time he was going to do just that-- move over and climb the tree with the weights this time. He had learned chakra was easier to manipulate, but it was like working a muscle. It required changes and increasing the difficulty for it to grow properly. As he attached the final weight to his wrist, he felt it tug at him. He had attached four 15 lbs weight braces to his arms and legs, and it was heavy but not enough to hinder his movement completely.
As he would progress, he would increase the weight load and work his way up. First goal was to make it up there with the weights he had. Feeling the weights tug at his limbs, he crouched and then sprinted for the tree again. Jumping up, he felt his ascention far less but he made it to the tree and his chakra in his feet stuck to the wood.
Waisting no time, he began to ascend at a steady pace. He was growing closer and closer to the middle point-- till the weight vs his own chakra took effect. The weight in his feet suddenly pulled him away as if someone yanked him off and he began to fall.
"WHaaaa!" He shouted but he had no intention to go crashing on his back again! Not from that height. Reaching out he grabbed a branch and snagged it quickly. There was a sudden lunch to his movements but he stopped his fall. He hung from the tree like a monkey, now a few feet from the ground. "Damnit..." he grumbled before letting himself go .
He landed to his feet but the fall felt far heavier. It was not going to be as easy as he had thought. Still, he had plenty of energy left and he was not going to stop there.
He tried again, this time as he reached the tree, building up his chakra stronger than before and focused it all to his feet. He would hold it there with each step he took and made his way up. Still the weight put pressure on his body regardless. The gravity, angle and climb was straining his muscles but he pushed on. If he were to stop walking up the tree, the chakra would indefinitely give out and he would fall again. He ran up the tree and was near the top before he felt gravity start to drag him down.
Catching himself before he could fall at that height, he grabbed a nearby thick branch and swung himself over. He sat himself on it and rested, his heart racing and his breath ragged.
Training to control his chakra was a constant battle at the beginning, but he was getting better at it.
He could of tried again from his place there, but he merely sliced the bark with a kunai to mark the way and once again tried from the bottom.
Several hours later...Enja had gotten to the top several times with the previous weights, and now deciding against increasing the weights this time... he chose to take more careful steps. He now was climbing the tree as if he was walking with the weights. Now he could do so and the strain to his muscles and chakra had grown easier. To be safe, he kept his hand sign constantly, focusing his chakra so he wouldn't fall again. But knowing where all the branches were really helped so he could grab one if needed.
As he trained and once again reached the top of the tree... someone was watching him. His childhood friend-- the young girl observed as he trained relentlessly. She watched on silently, not bothering to interrupt him but a sense of pride was in her as she watched him. She was impressed by his dedication, and the end to the lazy attitude he had up till now.
