23. Training

While it was havoc in the academy office, they didn't not concerned Hoseki at all. His studied on energy continues as the days passed.

While Hoseki wanted to put all his concentration into training, but his concerns about the energy bother him too much. His focus and effort blow up when some sudden thought about the energy came to him.

In the end, he determine to focus on the energy first as his training will be stopped fo a while. By saying 'stop' didn't means that he won't training at all but he will do them moderately as to keep his strength. No hard training is pull out.

Days and weeks is passed. A month later Hoseki found what he was looking for. The energy. His efforts and studies cane to fruits.

He found out that the energy are always around the human. The energy are supporting human life. The nature of energy difference according to its surroundings.

The place with many human will filled by life and human energy. The wild and forests will be filled by wood and beast energy. Of course all these energies existed together in any places. It just the amount of them will be different according to the activities of life around them.

While looking at the nature of the energy, Hoseki concluded that the steel energy he is looking for must exist in place filled with steel around it. In other words, the energy can be found in its birth place of the steel it self. The ore mines.

After having a clue to its location, Hoseki found another trouble came to him. As one of the main sources of the village. The mines usually under heavy guard of village and strictly prohibited unless with permission.

The second problem would come if his action to complete the seed affects the mines production. He learned that most of the shinobi war were revolved around resources. The village might goes to war for the lack of resources.

As how much the absorption to complete the seed, Hoseki didn't know. He afraid if his action will dried the mines.

In the end, Hoseki put down the seed matter. His priority change to his training. While the seed completion is important to him, a complete seed won't benefits him much.

His was researching for energy because the thought of it distracted him from training. And now he knows where to find them. It will just matters of time before he search for them.

As for now, he was two months before his graduation exam. Knowing Guy will participate with the exam. He didn't like the idea of losing to him. As for Kakashi, who knows what will happen.

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In the training field, Hoseki was in full of sweat. He was training his taijutsu techniques. He felt the strength he had is not enough. He trained hard for almost a week but still felt like something is missing.

Ninjutsu, taijutsu, fuinjutsu and kenjutsu were his main focus. He tried to learn genjutsu but he felt he was lacking something to master it. After sign in more than half year, Hoseki gain a few talent point. He tried to use the point to learn genjutsu but he only have one slot to be used which shows he is really not suitable to learn Genjutsu.

Hoseki then narrow down his talent to kenjutsu and fuinjutsu. But he believes that taijutsu and ninjutsu is really important to any ninja. And if he is given choice only to choose one of the two, at the moment he will take taijutsu as his answer.

In the end, Hoseki divide his ability into 2 column. First, the ability that he can improve by learning knowledge from others unless he create his own,which are ninjutsu and fuinjutsu.

The second is the ability that he can train and improve by practice on his own like kenjutsu and taijutsu.

Learning Fuinjutsu and Ninjutsu required certain knowledge such as the hand sign and symbols. This knowledge need to be understand by user and combined them to create power.

While the practice art like kenjutsu and taijutsu need to be practiced and trained to find the style which able to bring out his strength and potential.

For Hoseki, he preferred to focus more on second column to be practiced for this coming examination.

So thorough out the week he practice more in kenjutsu and taijutsu. While he trained, he still felt that it was enough. He need something more. Maybe a new techniques. Or maybe he just need to improve what he had now. As such his training continues.

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One more month was passed. As Hoseki and Kakashi will face examination, they were dismissed from the clas to prepare for exam. As for Guy, he was facing some challenges to enter the examination. The academy has decided to hold pre-examination tournament after the request by parents for their their children to take graduations exam.

Guy needed to participate this pre-examination tournament and win, for him to take graduations exam.

Guy accept it with his youth and springs speech. He entered the tournament with confidence.

The tournament ends as Guy owned the winner title after he almost lost. Many students had their pride were crushed by Guy's narrow win. No one ever believe that they would lose to untalented boy like guy.

Good or bad, Guy had motivated many students to believe that they would become strong if they tried harder. Especially when Guy shout "Thank You for your Support!" with his thumb up and smiling face. The act provoked students more then ever.

After the tournament, the academy announced a few more names they evaluate to allow them compete in graduations exam.

Hoseki walked home with Guy after the tournament.

"One more month Hoseki. Let's compete all of our strength when the examination came. I shall show my true youth to you. See you in a month. And Kakashi too. Yoouuttthhhhh" Guy start to spring out and bid farewell in the intersection of their roads.

"Yeah, I will won't hold back either."Hoseki smile looking Guy's back.