Meeting The Master [nk io Yaju]

Angel was here again.  She didn't come out to the mountains very much any more since she hd that fight...  Angel crouched down running her hand over the new fallen snow.  it was still snowing mildly and Angel sneered.  The snow sucks.  Angel loved rain but the snow prevented her from going bare foot.  She wiggled her toes in the shoes she had decided to wear for  her trek up to the mountains.  She was meeting her master for training...or something.  Angel had just been asked to meet him up here.  she thought maybe he could teach her some high level Jutsu or maybe train her in the proper use of tai jutsu.  She really was no good at hand to hand fighting.  Being only 4 feet tall she was just really good at dodging.  But maybe in his wisdom He would be able to see what she needed even if she didn't know herself.  

Angel rarely thought of his name in her head.  It was master or sempai or Him but Yaju had decided to take her under his wing after the high level mission that earned her the rank of Chunin.  Angel wore her headband proudly on her forehead these days.  She no longer covered her face though, which was a major decision to go against what she had known growing up.  When she told her mom that she wouldn't hide her eyes anymore she was relieved to see a smile spread across her mothers lips.  "Good, your eyes are so bright and beautiful. As beautiful as your father's were."  Angel hadn't told her mother.  

She had yet to tell anyone what she had learned on her trip to Shikusatsu.  The Spider Empress, Shelob,herself had informed her that Angel's father was still alive. Angel and her mother believed that her father had long since died in battle but the summoning scroll still held Her fathers name.  It seemed that her father before disappearing had been the last person to sign Shelob's scroll.  This news had changed Angel body and soul giving her a true purpose to be stronger and to search every corner of the world for him.  She didn't have long because her mother was in very bad condition and Angel didn't want to stress her until Angel found him.  This all translated into a fighting spirit that was rarely seen in a child so young. 

The cold wind made her grit her teeth.  Seems the mountain like to torment travelers. She stood from her crouched position and lifted her hood around her ears.  she did not cover her face she merely did it as a protection against the cold.  This had been the sight of the battle she had had against a powerful shinobi who wore the head band of the village, but Angel had not seen her since.  Angel closed her eyes against the memory of the fight.  She would gasp at the entry of Yaju being startled out of her memory.

The mountains themselves held a strange allure to many that had came to visit them, either due to its exotic wildlife or just coming up here for a stroll. Only one person lived up in the mountains or rather inside of them, that being the Master Ranked ninja Yaju who had made him home (literally) in the caves of Kumogakure's mountain. At the current moment he would have been passed out along his couch as his student wandered about the mountains in the snowy terrain. He had tired himself out last night by doing a lot of subterranean climbing and excavating to make a couple of burial mounds and a new mini home in case his original one got busted again, no doubt it would happen eventually so why not plan ahead no?

It would take him a minute but he would slowly wake up after hearing the echoed howling of a wolf outside of his front door, usually that meant that someone was out in the mountains near his home or that someone was dangerously close to walking into wolf territory. Standing up slowly he would walk or...was he skimming across the floor on all fours? Either way he arrived at the door and patted the wolf on the head before standing up right and walking outside into the cold cave air. Wearing no shirt, black training pants and foot wrappings, the young ninja followed the wolf with his eyes closed until he made it to the area that the person was in.

Opening his eyes slowly he would sniff the air and dispatch the wolf to tell the others that this person wasn't a threat to them so they could be at ease. With that being said he slowly walked up to the person in question, his very own ninja Angel. Slowly but surely he would walk up to her until he was standing in front of her for all to see, scratching his head and looking around," Hey Angel, so you know you came up the wrong path right," he chuckled lightly then stopped when he saw her face out in the open," Oh did you stop wearing your hood for me, you look cuter with it off," smiling he would look around for a moment before yawning.

He didn't really mind this cold air against his body and in fact he loved the feel of it because he progressively made him feel better. After getting a little bit of air he would wave for Angel to follow him,'' We'll take this somewhere else, don't want you getting frozen over or the animals here getting the wrong impression," if she had followed him he would lead her to the caves, taking a detour from his house until they had arrived outside again but in a more clear and warm environment," here we are....once you know how to work these caves like i do, you will be able to get from the coldest side to the warmest in an instant so what can i do for my student today," speaking as he sat on a rock that was formed into the shape of a circle, he would turn to her and wait for an answer.

Her master seemed as at ease as he always did even in this frigid whether.  Angel was glad her cheeks were already red from the cold or else the sight of Yaju might have made her blush.  "Oh I'm sorry I didn't know it was the wrong path... well I did have some business over here.  Sorry to worry you." but his comment about her looks made her smile even more.  "It's good to ... erm see you too,"  she said flickering her eyes over him.  Was he going to train like this all the time... 

beaconing her to follow they made their ways through the caves that Angel didn't even know where so extensive through the mountains...or even existed at all.  Soon the temperature changed dramatically.  as soon as they were out of the harshest cold, Angel would remove her shoes and put them in her weapon pouch for now, Smiling in delight and contentment.  Finally they arrived at their destination.  


Yaju sat down on a rock and Angel sat down in a respective Seiza pose with her legs beneath her.  To respond to his question was one reason she sat in this position.  


"Yaju...Master,  I have most recently come to know a bit of personal information.  It has changed my goals as a ninja...completely."  she said the last word in almost a whisper.  


"Because of this... Master I can no longer remain as weak as I am now.  I beg you please teach me to be a stronger ninja.  I wish to be... " Angel chose her words carefully, "I wish to be a ninja who stands alone like an island stands against the crashing waves.  Don't misunderstand the Village is my top concern.  But I don't have the time to stay just a student for long.  So my wish is for you to train me...10 times harder than the others.  So that I can stand proudly next to you and to protect this village as you do, As a Master."

Angel would fall to her hands and knees in pleading.

As Angel began to talk he would listen in silence shifting his body slightly so that his right leg was arched over his left which would be sitting underneath it with his right shoulder on his leg. At first he was a bit skeptical of how she spoke of herself as weak, which while some people were born weak some were also born with other talents besides being strong.

Holding his hand up to stop her from speaking he would slowly scratch his head and shrug," You don't have to ask me to train you Angel, i'm your teacher so its kind of my responsibility to help you becoming stronger, However," he paused for a moment as he shifted yet again and crossed his legs Indian style," If you are wanting to take your training to the next level to become something that requires an additional training method, the i shall help you to that goal," with that he would rest his elbow on his leg shortly following his arm.

With that being said he would hold up a finger on his left hand," and please don't call me Master or Sensei, for now Yaju will do...partially due to the fact that being called Master or Sensei makes me feel older than i am," not many people knew how old he was in the sense that he...looked young, but his body especially from the scars made him look a bit older than it seemed.

Angel allowed Yaju to speak and she listen to what he said...

"Thank You Yaju,"  sounded weird when she said it alone but that was something she would get over.  "Well where do we go from here?  as a genin I worked hard on missions but I never really learned many techniques or had a real teacher until I completed that mission where we met.  So when it comes to being a student, well I don't know where to start."

adjusted her sitting style so she was sitting on her bum and her left foot was flat on the ground and her right leg lay on the ground.  she never knew why this position was most comfortable for her.  but if her master would adjust to become comfortable he probably didn't mind if she did.  Angel liked Yaju's style.  he was laid back and she by no means thought he was old.  Angel blushed again and looked at the stone wall nearby, itching her cheek with a finger.

Yaju stared into the sky for a moment to collect his thoughts on a couple of things to train her for, seeing as she had some pretty good techniques but her taijutsu was lagging a bit he was thinking of going for that. Then it hit him a like a shot of lightning..he could teach her not only a new element but some things to go along with it. Leaning closer to her he would stare into her eyes almost as if he was about to kiss her and search for something before leaning back and scratching his head in contemplation before shooting upwards and standing," Well then looks like i know what i am going to be teaching you today, its going to be long and rigorous but it will pay off in the end," he would begin to stretch for a bit before scratching his bare chest and looking at Angel's face for a moment.

Wondering why she had been red for the past couple of times it had finally dawned on him and he chuckled in silence before moving beside her and looking into the distance for a moment. From inside of his body he would be concentrating his chakra through the tenketsu of his stomach and directing it into his arm before holding his finger into the direction he was looking at and letting out the lightning through his arm for a bit before sitting it down," I'm going to teach you how to use lightning," he said with a smile as he waited for his student to join him.

The idea was very appealing.  Unfortunately she knew that mastering elemental chakra alignments drain a lot from the body and she had just recently learned a new elemental alignment.  the week previous she had journeyed to these mountains.  Near here, there was a naturally occuring hot spring that very few knew about and she had practiced for hours to understand the nature of the water.  She had known the element of Earth intimately since she was a child.  with water chakra she could feel her connection with the world increasing.  But if she was to learn to harness the lighting element this closely to when she learned to wield Water chakra, it may have adverse effects on her health.  

"Yaju I have not told you yet but I was recently able to convert my chakra nature to that of Earth and water...However as you know it may not be best for me to attempt another element so soon.  However I thought maybe you can teach me some of your jutsu that you think I'm ready for and maybe I can show you a couple of techniques that I've been developing.  Maybe you could give me some pointers with those too...Though I have no idea how much you know about the Aburame clan."

Angel, after being in his presence for a while, began to understand Yaju more and more.  He didn't have the intimidating persona of a person with as much power as Angel knew he had.  He was relaxed and not at all stern.  It was possible that Angel might even fall for her master.  She pictured a future with them out on missions where he trusted her to fight along side him.  She may even be able to develop some sort of powered up jutsu that she and Yaju could perform simultaneously.  The possibilities were literally limitless.

[I am looking learn some techs from you and maybe train my new insect jutsu.
the ones you have that I would like to learn are:
insect clone
insect jar
earth spear
earth dragon
shadow clone (though insect clone might just be a better idea)
hidden mist jutsu
Mind's eye of the Kagure
Wild lions mane
and summoning jutsu.
whatever order you want and we don't have to train all of them in this topic if you don't want.]

So she knew two elements that he had some experience with, Earth being one of his other elements so he could teach her a couple of those as well as some supplementary jutsu that he had underneath his sleeves. Smiling he would stand up and stretch before performing a backflip and landing on a rock adjacent to them and tapping his wrapped feet upon it," Well i can teach you a couple of earth techniques and the like, as well as water if i can remember some of them. As for the Aburame Clan i know a little but not much. As far as your bugs or Kikaichu go they are your best friend and greatest asset against ninja that are not familiar in the ways of your clan, but i cannot openly train you in that because well...i only know so much," chuckling slightly he would crouch down and use his right leg to scratch the back of his ear, old habits do indeed die hard.

If she wanted to learn some of his jutsu especially earth he would start with that since that appeared to be her first element. Rising up he would perform the following hand seals slowly so that Angel could copy them in her mind, Horse → Dog → Bird → Ox → Snake, before a large earth dragon appeared underneath his body. While he was still in a crouched position the dragon would begin to move towards Angel and circled around her before returning to its original position and dispersing back into the earth," The first thing i am going to teach you is the Earth Style: Earth Dragon Jutsu, which was what i just used. The hand signs for the jutsu are Horse → Dog → Bird → Ox → Snake, and the rest should come natural to you since Earth is your element," smiling he would wait for her to try the jutsu out and test it in case it was showing any flaws.

After checking her Earth Dragon by punching it a couple of times and making sure she could move it, he would smile and wave for her to disperse it so that they could move on to the next jutsu. Walking over to her he would grab her close to his body, pulling hers close to his as he nodded," Might want to hang on because we are about to go very fast," his free hand making a single seal as the two of the were teleported to a different area of the caves, one that had a natural waterfall inside of it. Letting her go he would motion for her to follow him and sit on one of the rocks that had been adjacent to where he was going to sit.

With them sitting face to face he would nod and begin to hold the tiger seal and speak," This is more for the water element, but the water around us will be more than enough for you to use. I want you to channel your chakra into the water and use it to create a mist that needs to cover this whole room. As he spoke however small wisps of mist protruded from his mouth however he wasn't using the technique, he was showing her how the mist should appear. Once Angel attempted to make her mist and succeeded he would sit directly in front of her still and calm as he cracked his neck and smiled," Now deactivate your mist and we will continue our lesson," once she did she would find that the mist was still there but wasn't hers.

While her Hidden Mist technique was still in the air he would have made his own using the water in the air and the mist he made from his mouth to cover the area around them. His voice would echo all around them although he had not moved a single muscle as he spoke," Here's your next task and we will take a break afterwards...find my chakra in this thick mist...," this test was to see if she could indeed use her chakra to sense his own. Adding in to the challenge he would smile,'" If you can find me you can ask or request anything from me...within reason of course," giving his student an extra incentive would help her in trying to pass this test from him.

He seemed eager to get started.  He even did a grandiose action of backflipping to get into position…Or at least she thought he was getting into position.  Then he scratched himself with his foot.  A very odd gesture.  But it mattered very little to Angel.  She knew that he had another form, that of a wolf.   Which made his actions understandable.  Not quite predictable but definitely under standable.  Angel had met his Wolf form though at the time she did not know him or even that it was a person at all.  Angel had been tasked to Find him and catch him for the village.  It had been a very interesting mission but it had earned her the rank of Chunin. 

He stood on a rock now it seems ready to begin a jutsu so angel payed very close attention to his hand signs and anything else that might allow her to perform the jutsu.  He performed five hand seals which she had always been able to pick up pretty quick.  It was those jutsu with 44 hand seals that made it incredibly hard to memorize just by watching the hands.  But jutsu that required from 3 to 6 hand seals she could memorize at full speed.  But she did appreciate her teacher respecting her abilities.  Soon after, He created a grand Earth dragon.  It was mighty and a sight to behold as he moved around her.  She felt the earth tremble beneath her feet.  She got goose bumps along her arms at the thought of producing such a power.  She even knelt down and laid her hand on the ground feeling the tremors with her hand.  Finally he finished and allowed the dragon to crumble back into the earth.  ‘Hmm that is a good thing to know as well.’  The fact that the dragon dissipated at the end of the jutsu meant that she could in fact use it as a distraction during stealth missions.  The utility of the jutsu was astounding.  And Angel’s understanding of controlling things is only growing.  Her hidden ability that has been growing since childhood was that of a Commander.  One that strategizes and plans out actions of her subordinates to accomplish the mission with as few casualties as possible.  This Earth dragon would be a valuable soldier in her platoon.  She would have to develop a way to make him useful and all that would depend on how well she was able to utilize its power.  It would have a much different role to play if the dragon were weak under her control. 
Once Yaju stood waiting for her to conduct the jutsu she began the seals.  Horse, dog, then Bird Snake and Ox.  Angel  focused her chakra gathering it into her stomach.  Grinding the chakra at her core she pressed into a dense thick chakra to be used in Earth style jutsus.  She then projected the chakra down her feet into the earth .  Standing for a moment focusing she finally peaked out her closed eyes.  Nothing had happened.  “Rah”  Angel said punching the ground.  Her strength wasn’t enough to even dent the earth.  Maybe that was her problem did the earth reject her because she didn’t have enough strength.  “ARRRGH”  She punched it again.  Standing she gave her master a look that meant give her a minute.  She was going to try again.  Until she got it.  Forming the hand seals once more she poured her chakra into the ground.  The backlash this time was incredible.  Angel was lifted off her feet.  Falling on her back.  She wasn’t done.  She stood using her fist to lift her off the ground into a standing position.  She did the hand seals carefully this time.  Horse Dog Bird Ox Snake.  She churned her powerfully until the chakra itself almost turned to stone.  She focused willing the ground to rise at her command.  The slight change in hand seals made all the difference.  The earth erupted with the massive amount of chakra.  The dragons head raising Angel high into the air.  She continued to mold the great dragon changing it and making it her own.  The Dragon though it could not fly would still produce intricately designed wings that were large enough to convince someone that the wings were functional.  But in fact the wings were made out of the stone and earth that the rest of the dragon was made of.  The neck of the dragon extended to the height of 5 meters with the rest of its body coiled beneath it.  Legs grew out the side looking similar to the legs of a rabbit.  But the viciousness of the head and sharpness of the claws and scales of the dragon would possibly make someone not even think of a rabbit when seeing them.  She smiled she had successfully created it.  Suddenly she felt a tremor run through the earth dragon she was perched on.  Looking down it seemed her master was testing the density of the dragon scales.  When he had finished wailing on her construct He called up approval and told her to try moving it.  Focusing again Angel willed life into the massive structure having it shift forward.  Directing it she was able to feel the power and strength as it surged forward she tried twitching it’s arms and legs and every joint in its body.  She was definitely good at giving the illusion of life from her puppeting skills.  She had even developed a puppet that had taken on her very likeness.  She could control the puppet to act exactly like the complicated human body.  This monstrous behemoth was no different in fact it may even be simpler to imitate life in.  the dragon stomped around grinding it’s rough body along the ground.  The gouge in the land would leave the scar of her presence, a permanent testament to the earthen powers that she wielded.  Angel pushed it to its limit so she could find those limits.  And one of those limits was the duration of the jutsu.  Suddenly the dragon stopped moving and it took a bit of chakra in her feet to stop her from flying off.  But the dragon then began to crumble to pieces angel jumped and slid down it’s back arriving at the ground as the dragon ended as dust back in the ground.  Angel filed the length away for later.  It was going to be a useful bit of information that may save her life one day. 
 
Deciding to test her jutsu again she began the signs but suddenly Yaju grabbed her and told her to hold on.  She was happy to oblige.  But then he took off and Angels heart stopped for a moment.  When they arrived at the waterfall angel stepped aside and puked.  She had never traveled that fast in her life.  She wasn’t see sick it was just her stomach couldn’t handle the speed.  But she would not give up.  Never give up.  It was a sucky nindo but she wanted to keep moving forward or else she will regret it for the rest of her life.  “Sorry let’s get back to it.  I’m not gonna let this stand in my way.  I’m not a push over”  She said it more to herself than to Yaju.  Looking over to the waterfall she thought about the rain and how it made her feel.  A shiver went down her spine.  The smell of the waterfall reminded her of the rain too.  It made sense that she would have the talent to align with the water.  To her water was peace and tranquility.  Where the Earth element reminded her of balance and security.  All these things she wanted for her village.  She could even imagine herself as an ANBU black ops member tasked with the security of the village.  That was her dream well her short term dream.  But her ultimate goal was to locate her father.  The Spider Empress had said that he was somewhere that She was unable to summon.  That only happens if someone was in a distant dimension or a specific dimension that didn’t allow anyone to leave.  That scared Angel.  It made her think that maybe he was in trouble, captive of some overlord holding him as a slave or laborer.  Shelob had told her something else that made Angel question her entire childhood as well.  Shelob had called her father “The Traveler.”  When angel was young.  Her mother told her stories of a traveler as well.  The Traveler was a man who showed up mysteriously and healed Angel of a childhood illness.  He wasn’t who her mother had told her was her father.  But she couldn’t tell her mother what she suspected because if she did she would risk her mother having a heart attack over the stress.  Her mother was not healthy and Angel would just rather shoulder this burden.  As her soul was so turbulent that the waters around the pool also became choppy and wild. 
 
Yaju’s voice however cut through the clutter in her mind bringing her back to her senses.  He had her sit across from him to begin the next amount of training.  She put her father, her mother and the Spider clan out of her mind, content to focus on training.  Yaju demonstrated the idea of the next jutsu.  Holding the tiger sign she would have to flow her chakra into the water and draw a mist from the pool and fashion it into a thick cloud of cover.  This technique though sounding simple was much more complicated.  To tell the truth Angel has so little understanding of Water chakra and Water style techniques that she would probably need to work at it for quite some time.  Glancing over at her master he didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry.  Angel sat by the pool quieting her mind and focusing her chakra.  She tried to remember what she was thinking that day when she had learned to control her Water style.  It was the property of the water that her sould must take on to manipulate the water as the water was a reflection of her soul.  So in this case she needed to make the mist as her soul.  That made no sense.  How would she make her soul misty.  But after thinking about it it wasn’t just misty it was light expansive cloaking and obscuring.  To understand it she would have to make her soul want to Hide.  Angel knew what that was like.  She had been hiding her whole life.  The jacket she wore was testament to that.  She had taken on the mantel of her clan and hid behind teachings and tradition.  A slow mist drifted up from the surface of the water in wisps as angel held the Tiger Sign.  But she didn’t notice she wa wraped in an illusion of her own making in her mind.  She was home when the Clan had come for her and her mother.  There was a lot of angry yelling and stern words.  Angel hid in a closet as her mother raised her voice to the Clan elders.  Noone raised their voice to the Elders but it had been done and Angel sat in the closet hugging the simple puppet that the Elders were so mad about.  “Why must she learn jutsu aside from the clan jutsu?  Your teaching her to reach out is becoming a hindrance to her following the Aburame Creed.”  The other Aburame had harsh words to say but her mother always stood by her side.  “My daughter may practice what jutsu she feels like.  How dare the Clan restrict what is allowed to be learned.”  Angel remembered the feeling all too well. 


Angel opened her eyes and looked around.  She rubbed her eyes but no it turned out that there was nothing in them the entire area was pitch black.  Absolutely no light penetrated the mist obscuring all sight just like the closet of her old house.  She heard Yaju’s voice echo through the mist her perception foggy from the memory.  He instructed to release the jutsu.  She was confident in the use of the technique…Maybe a little too good at it.  Suddenly Angel felt uncomfortable.  The jutsu had not dispersed.  The cloud still hung heavy though she could now see light filtering the mist was not as thick.  Then Yaju told her to simply find him.  But that task didn’t seem all that hard.  But considering the echo of his voice she assumed it was not going to be easy.  ‘He wants me to look around in the mist?’  Was this a technique he was trying to teach her?  She didn’t know but she would comply.  The quickest way to find him in this fog was through the use of Chakra sensory.  Focusing on the area Angel began to sweep the area with her chakra.  This was very similar to the way bats see their prey.  Sending out signals then deciphering the signal that came back.  But she didn’t know how this was supposed to  be another technique that she didn’t know.  Was he trying to improve he chakra senses.  Something was wrong it was like the fog was dulling her senses.  Now it wasn’t that her senses were being dulled it was more like she couldn’t sense anything because she was sensing everything around her.  ‘of course he is using his chakra to make the mist I won’t be able to sense his exact location.  So how do I find him?’  Angel’s mind wracked with possibilities.  She needed to refine her ability to sense.  So that she could cut through this fog.  She realized that she had another technique that would allow her to sense his location.  Placing her feet flat on the floor she focused her chakra and shoved her feet 3 inches into the ground.  The Hiding like a mole Technique allowed her to sense anything on the ground.  Scanning the entire area, Angel realized her master had not wanted to make it easy on her.  Yaju was not on the ground anywhere near her.  Which means he was above her someplace but it also meant she would not be able to sense him?  She literally just had to hone her senses to find him.  She didn’t know what he meant by a request.  She wanted to to find him but the incentive did encourage her.  She began getting distracted by the things she could ask of him.  “Grrrr” Yaju was messing with her head.  If she kept thinking about it she would never find him.  She imagined turning her Chakra into a knife and cutting through the mist.  But the visualization of her chakra wasn’t correct and it didn’t work.  “Yaju, do you have any pointers for this exercise?  What exactly am I supposed to do I can’t find you in the mist.  Is there a higher level of sensing?”  Angel would listen closely, maybe her Sensei would lower his guard and she might be able to find him when he responded.

As the mist continued to swirl around in the cave blocking out the light so that only darkness had remained, Yaju sat in his same area with his eyes wide open channeling his own chakra inside of his body while sitting in front of Angel watching her closely. His hands made two hand seals and held the last one as he himself was training while waiting on Angel to figure out how this challenge was going to work. Slowly his chakra melded into his hands before forming a singular seal in his right hand, the seal at first forming very slowly and disoriented at first before coming alive and sitting in his hand brimming with activity and life. A soft exhale of hair escaped his lips as he finally succeeded in creating the first seal in what would be his ultimate collaberation of Fuuinjutsu and Ninjutsu. Just as he finally had the first seal down it would have dispersed and disappeared leaving him a bit disappointed but progress was progress.

His attention was now back onto Angel as he listened to her ask was there a trick to trying to find him and once again his voice would echo around as he scratched his chin," Use your inner eye and see without seeing, its really simple for someone as smart as you Angel," although at that moment he would have stood up without a sound and moved around her, standing in silence behind her as he waited to see what she would come up with in the event that she had found out the hint that he gave her.

[short post]