On the Cusp of War *training*

Cyrus had left the meeting with Asura and the other members of the Mishura Clan about a day ago. He had been traveling across the Land of Madness, scouting out the terrain and noting any Allied Shinobi Nation troop movement within the land. Which, for the most part, he didn't seem to come across. It would appear that the Shinobi weren't looking to expand their territory, simply maintain what they already had. Rumor had it, they were struggling to do even that with the Dobutsu at their backdoor. As it was, Cyrus found himself in a large, flat plateau. The piece of land itself rose well over a hundred feet into the air and stretched around him for a good square mile. It was flat, with just a few minor bumps and crests dotted about along with several dozen large boulders and other rocky terrain components. It would make for the ideal place to test out some of his new, more dangerous techniques. As he stood atop the plateau, Cyrus looked down at his arms, a faint breeze blowing across the flat terrain. He flexed his arms, opening and closing his hands before taking a deep breath. The boy was shirtless, his clothing and other traveling items resting beside a large rock several feet away from him. Cyrus closed his eyes and took a deep breath before sparks began dancing across his chest and arms. He opened his eyes, the veins surrounding them popping up under the thin skin that covered them as he gained a clearer perception of his surroundings. His muscles bulged with adrenaline as the lightning kickstarted his body and sent it into overdrive. His body was literally cackling with power, his blonde hair standing on end in a spiked anime kinda way. One moment Cyrus was standing in the middle of the plateau, the next moment a boulder well over a hundred feet away exploded and he stood in the raining rock chunks. Cyrus looked around, the skin around his knuckles already knitting itself back together from crushing the rock. I need more, he said to no one in particular, I need to be faster, stronger, better. Cyrus closed his eyes and poured more chakra into his body, his heart began beating insanely fast. The chakra cackled even harder, a stray bolt being let loose and carving a scar into the earth as it slice through the plateau. Cyrus cringed as the pain from his cells rapidly dividing and pumping out adrenaline suddenly overwhelmed his body, but he didn't stop. He continued to test his body, pushing it beyond the limit until suddenly he disappeared once more. This time not only did a boulder, several hundred feet away from the last one, explode, but a massive crater formed in the center of the plateau where Cyrus had punched the ground. He let loose a deafening war cry of joy as he began moving at Echoing Flash speeds, faster, or as fast as, any current living creature. This is what I need, this is the power I need to protect the people I care about. To bring the Shogunate to a new level of power and presence in the world. With this, we shall not falter in this war. Cyrus said to himself as he continued hammering away at the earth. This lasted for about an hour before his body couldn't take it anymore and he collapsed face first to the ground, still conscious but breathing hard. The lightning that had cloaked him for the past hour had been replaced by a thick layer of fine sweat that not only dripped from his aching body, but pooled around him as well. Cyrus closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the aches and pains of his body, this was clearly a technique that he could not use whenever he wanted. This would be used only in the most dire of circumstances; it simply was too much for his body to constantly support. The soft dirt caked his sweaty face as he lay upon the earth, taking in the natural energy of it all. No not literally, but metaphysically allowing his body and the world to interact, to breathe together as one. It was a calming sensation, an especially rare moment lately with this war. While in Sage Mode recently, as well as the fourth dimension, Cyrus had been able to feel the change in the earth. The scars the shinobi had left in her as they prepared for war. Her fear and sadness for the lakes of blood that would form in the coming weeks. As he drifted off to sleep, Cyrus wondered if the Dobutsu could feel the same thing. If so, why would they inflict such pain and sorrow on their earth mother? Why would the attack the Allied Shinobi Nations?

Cyrus dreamed as his body lay open to the world on that plateau. It was not a fitful sleep, nor resting. It was terrifying and stressful, just like reality. Even in his dreams he couldn't escape the harsh facts of war. In his dream he faced off against Roxas Kukinorite, the two matching blows as they fought bitterly through the day. For hours neither was able to gain the upper hand. Several times Roxas landed solid hits on Cyrus, but always the Shogunate Legate was healed and ready to dish out Kirins and Lightning Cutters of his own to the emotionless cyborg. Then, before the fight could finish, Cyrus dreamed of his chunin exam fight with Roxas Kukinorite. How far the two had come. Once fellow students, fighting it out for a spot at glory. Now they would be enemies, fighting for life. Not only their own, but everyone's lives; all those that followed them. In this dream, Cyrus let loose his charged electron technique, dazzling the entire stadium with a massive lightning show as he attempted to fry Roxas Kukinorite extra crispy. The other boy had managed to avoid the technique, expertly, and it got to the point where Cyrus simply ran out of chakra. He was forced to step down and submit while Roxas went on to battle the winner of the previous match. Cyrus wondered if this was the same fate that would find him when the time came in the upcoming weeks. The heads of the two armies facing off, would he again run out of chakra and be forced to submit to Roxas? Would Roxas take mercy on him, or claim his life? Cyrus prayed for the latter, lest he be forced to take his own life in humiliation. He would not return to the Shogunate with his tail tucked between his legs like a beaten dog. As Roxas faded from his dreams, a mysterious figure took his place. Cyrus had never seen Aria before, so his brain wasn't able to construct a real image of her. Instead it used what little knowledge was known of her to form a terrifying bird/human creature with massive claws and deep black wings that encompassed Cyrus. Truthfully Cyrus feared the infamous Aria. She had racked up quite the body count in the previous two years during the war, claiming Shogunate and Shinobi lives alike. Supposedly she now lead the Aero tribe of the Dobutsu, though no one was truly positive of this fact. Aria was a wild card in this entire war. In fact, the Dobutsu as a whole were hard to predict or plan for. They were beasts first, and people ninth. They were animalistic and, as far as Cyrus could tell, used guerilla tactics to destroy their opponents and overwhelm them. They were insane and crazies are never easy to fight.

Cyrus sat up straight, breathing hard as a new film of sweat had formed over his skin while slept. Aria's claws had dug deep into his chest, pulling out his heart right before his vary eyes before his brain overloaded and woke him up from the nightmare. Cyrus slowly and hesitantly propped himself up on one knee before raising himself up to a standing position. He walked over to his discarded shirt and other travel gear, plucking the shirt from the ground as he went through the bag. He pulled out a couple of standard kunai before pulling the shirt on over his head. Taking the two in his hands, Cyrus inscribed a powerful seal on each of them, part of a technique he had discovered while traveling through the various dimensions. The knowledge unlocked through his Kekkai dimension training had initially been overwhelming, but now Cyrus wasn't sure what he'd do without it. This technique alone would make him the fastest man on the planet, and being able to teleport on a whim wasn't exactly a useless talent for war capabilities. With the seals inscribed, and his chakra rather low after is first lightning technique combined with the inscription of these two seals, Cyrus was feeling a bit tired, even a little woozy. However, he pressed on, pushing his body and telling himself he didn't have time to sit around and not train. This war was fast upon him, it wouldn't be long now. Cyrus took a deep breath before forcefully throwing one kunai into the ground at his foot. It dug in deep, the handle sticking out with the seal showing for all to see on the handle part of the knife. The second kunai he weighed in his hand, thinking over what he was about to do before chucking it towards a boulder several hundred feet away. Cyrus waited a second before hearing it dig into the boulder, chipping through the tough exterior. He cleared his mind, focusing only on the seal and the distant kunai before dropping a small amount of chakra and instantly transversing all of the unlocked dimensions at once. In less time than a standard blink, Cyrus found himself suddenly across the plateau and standing beside the boulder. His second kunai knife was about a foot above his head, dug deep into the boulder. He smiled, noting the technique and seal work had been successful before pulling the kunai free and focusing on the one he had thrown into the ground. Again he instantly appeared by the second kunai, with the first still in his hand even through the sudden transportation. Cyrus chuckled to himself, this was actually pretty cool. He took the kunai in his hand and threw it high into the air, focusing on it and suddenly Cyrus was falling through the air, the plateau fast approaching. He poured chakra into his feet and legs before landing and rolling across the ground. The roll absorbed any damage as he popped up into a squat and watched the kunai knife embed itself in the ground next to the second one. So he could perform the technique on moving targets too, now that was interesting to say the least. Very handy dandy. Cyrus smiled again before walking over the two kunai and plucking them from the ground. He pocketed them and picked up the rest of his stuff, heading for the cliff face that would take him off the plateau and allow him to continue his travels. He pulled out one of the new kunai and turned it over in his hand. With this new technique...Flying Thunder God...combined with the next level of his Super Saiyan technique, Cyrus would become a serious presence on the battlefield. He thought to the instantaneous travel of his Flying Thunder God technique and smirked, thinking that maybe he wouldn't actually be a presence. They wouldn't have time to register his movement or even existence before they dropped dead, their head rolling off in a pool of their own blood. Cyrus made it to the edge of the plateau, looking down at the massive drop before holding out his hand and letting the kunai fall towards the ground below; falling straight as an arrow. He looked back over his shoulder at the now defaced plateau from his heavy training and smiled, war was upon him and he was ready. Then, he disappeared.

Words: 2015/2000
Cyrus has the specialization that cuts solo training in half

Spoiler:

Approved