Mina's POV
There was still so much to learn. Just because I completed the Academy didn't mean that I knew what there was to know about the ninja world. The ninja world was constantly expanding and changing (case in point, my unprecedented appearance here in Narutoverse) and new jutsus were being invented. I was still learning new techniques. Just because I suddenly excelled at Taijutsu doesn't mean that I'm a master at it. I can only assume that my talent for taijutsu came from my days of fighting off dopers and drug traffickers that my parents had always sent me to. If they got to touching and groping me, my need to fight them away came to the surface. Of course, that always got me into trouble with my parents since they would lose out on drug deals. My instinct, according to Jiraiya, hasn't died despite the transition I had to make from my world to Naruto's world. Good instincts, after all, were what made a good ninja.
I sighed and took a deep breath. I needed to clear my thoughts before I could begin my solo training session. My training often suffered if I allowed myself to think of those horrible days. Once I took the time to clear my head, I began with a little bit of taijutsu to warm up and stretch my body out a bit. I created a few shadow clones, precisely how Naruto had shown me, and I proceeded to spar with them. I came up with the idea of making my clones stronger than me. I wasn't sure how to proceed with such an idea, of course, but it was worth pondering. If I succeeded, then it would become a useful training tool. This was something I would have to discuss with Jiraiya or Kakashi if I saw them.
"Alright, ladies." I said to my clones. "Come at me all at once."
They complied with my order and they bombarded me. It was as expected. The blows I took were numerous and painful but I managed to fight back somehow with taijutsu, dispelling some of my clones upon physical contact. Dodging all of those attacks was no longer an option at this point so I decided to throw in some ninjutsu and increase my chakra flow, which strengthened me quite a bit and allowed me to fight the clones on a somewhat equal level. After all, most battles were going to involve taijutsu and ninjutsu (and genjutsu if you're unlucky enough), so I couldn't just focus on one element of fighting. Thankfully, unlike my previous training sessions, I didn't have to increase my chakra flow by much, which was a clear improvement. I still had a long ways to go before I could even consider myself as an expert in anything.
Once all of my clones were defeated, I decided to work on ninjutsu as a separate element. That was an area that I still needed to improve on. I was good, but I knew I could be better. I reflected on my battle with Deidara. My Fire Spin jutsu was powerful, but I realized that it had been quite unstable when I had first launched it. It looked like it had been wobbling back and forth as it targeted my opponent. While it did hit him, I was almost sure that it lost power because of the wobbling. So that was what I needed to work on.
Stability. I thought.
I punched a deep hole into the ground of training ground 44. That would be used as a focal point for the base of my fire spin. If I was going to stabilize my attack, I needed something to balance the base of the tornado (since, essentially, that was what my fire spin was). I decided to take this on at a moderate distance; not too close to the hole but not too far away from it either.
Ninja Art: Fire Spin Jutsu!
I directed my attack at the hole in the ground. As I hoped, it kept my attack balanced. I repeated this exercise repeatedly until I was confident that I could use this attack again without the use of the hole. It took me a couple of hours to have it perfected, but once I got it down, I was beaming. Practice made perfect. Now, it was onto the next project...my wind blade. This was a very new technique and I knew that I was going to have to enlist Naruto's help since he dealt with the wind element. For now, I would have to work on developing its shape. How? I have no freaking idea.
"Well, damn."
My wind blade went on the back burner instead. I had a general idea of how to develop it, but putting it into practice was another thing. I couldn't find Naruto or Kakashi anywhere (though I had a better idea where that particular idiot was) so I decided to put that project to the side until I figured out how to develop that jutsu. The idea of making stronger clones seemed to be a more ideal project. All it involved was increasing chakra flow. That was my theory anyway and what better way to find out than to put that theory into practice?
Akatsuki Base (The Land of Rivers)
"Deidara, control your anger." Sasori admonished.
The blonde was punching trees and detonating his clay birds in the middle of nowhere in The Land of Rivers. He still nursed a grudge against the young kunoichi that humiliated him in battle. Even though his partner had recognized that they would have been defeated, Deidara wasn't the type to go down without a fight (or without a bang). He intended on getting his revenge. Sasori, on the other hand, preferred on taking a more methodical approach when it came to his opponents. He needed a little extra time to study his young opponent a bit more so he could familiarize himself with her fighting style. It just wouldn't do to rush into a battle again, though he couldn't say the same thing for his partner, who was apt to rush in without thinking.
"Not until I get my hands on that little bitch." The blonde growled.
His one blue eye blazed with an angry fire as he thought of the most graphic ways to terrorize that damned kunoichi. He detonated another clay bird as a way to vent his anger, which didn't really help anything. It only served to annoy Sasori. The two Akatsuki members had been redeployed to capture another Jinchuriki instead by their mysterious leader. If they did come across the young kunoichi again, they were ordered to kidnap her and bring her back to the base in order to interrogate her. Deidara had asked the leader if he could have her afterwards.
"Just don't kill her." Was all that the leader said.
Damn. Deidara thought.
