Meeting The Master [nk io Yaju]

Yaju had told her to use her inner eye.  The only thing she could think of was the state she went into before slipping into sleep.  It was an odd sensation like Leaving your body then looking back at it.  It had always been nice because when she felt that she knew she was going to begin dreaming and therefore would have lucid dreams.  This produced good dreams and drove away nightmares.  If this was the inner eye that Yaju was talking about she would have to concentrate very hard to be able to simulate the state without sleeping.  She would have to become very still.  Pulling her feet out of the ground she sat cross legged and placed her hands on her knees.  She focused and visualized her mind as a vast room with stairways going in every direction.  Each stairway lead to one of hundreds of thousands of doors, behind which existed her memories and her thoughts.  This was going to be harder than she thought it would be.  But Her master had called her smart and she wouldn’t let that compliment go to waste.  Imagining a red thread and a metal stake she drove the stake into the ground and tied the thread to it.  Now when she found the right door she could attach the thread to it and that in her mind would make the simple connection so she could call on the ability at will whenever she wanted.  AT that point she just began to search the doors.  The first one she came to was her first day of ninja school.  She looked into the window on the door to her classroom.  She saw herself sitting on the other side of the room.  She looked so small and frail and closed off from everyone.  Some boy moved over to her and asked to sit next to her.  Naturally she hadn’t said anything.  Angel frowned as she watched herself ignore the boy who clearly wanted to be her friend.  The problem was the real Angel didn’t even remember this.  Did she really ignor everyone in school.  She didn’t remember having any friends.  She had thought that all of them had hated her but it looks like some of them tried to be her friend and she ignored them…Had she been the one who had been unfriendly?  Had it really been her fault?
 
Sitting by the waterfall pool Angel began crying silently as she continued in her mind seeking the correct door.  The vast room of stairways seemed endless.  The next room she entered made her blush in the real world.  This room was the secret room she kept all her thoughts of her master… the dirty thoughts.  She had to leave but she supposed she could watch for a moment.  ‘No I don’t have long to figure this out.’  Angle closed the door smiling.  She continued walking into the next door.  Everything was dark but she could recognize the interior of her room.  Was she back in the real world?  No sleeping in her bed was her when she was younger.  The door to the room opened and her mother came in.  Her mother was so beautiful.  She had red hair like angel that went down to the middle of her back.  Her mother always kept her hair in a ponytail with a single strand always escaping the tie and hanging down in her face.  She had loved that about her mother, she was always was smiling at her.  Her mother’s blue eyes always had a spark of excitement in them and Angel could see that spark even in the darkened room.  Her mother sat by her bedside even though Angel was asleep.  Angel listened as her mother began to tell a story of the traveler as she had always did.  Her voice held the excitement of a young child and she told her sleeping daughter the story of the “Hero of Kumo.”  The story went something like this.  “There once was a great nation ruled by a Kind Empress who protected the village and the citizens with her life and Her great dragons the symbols of Kumo.  One day the land of stone and the land of fire conspired against the Good nation and sent their armies to destroy the Village.  The Armies broke on the gates of kumo and the Great raikage had no choice but to submit or risk the death of her people.  While she was being transported to the village hidden in the leaves she was rescued by a single man.”  Her mother’s eyes always grew even brighter when speaking of him. “The Traveler a man of mystery saved the Leader of our home and he brought her back to destroy the enemy of the Cloud.  His assistance was invaluable and in the end the day was won.  The great Traveler was offered the hand of the great Raikage, a prize that no man could refuse but somehow he had.  And the next day the man was gone hidden in the pages of storybooks.”  Her mother smiled and kissed her daughter and left knowing that her daughter was protected… by the legend. 
 
Stories seemed to have a strange power, even though Angel knew that the fairy tale had never actually happened and that her mother had made it up to see the wonder in her daughter’s eyes.  But the story still gave Angel the strength of heart to continue searching her mind.  The next room held nothing important, Angel studied for her Genin exams practicing her techniques while reciting the Shinobi rules.  Moving on she saw more recent memories.  A mission that she had undertook.  Angel sat in the cool room of the armory shining the weapons and organizing them.  Angel was proud of her performance on missions working hard to impress her superiors.  She remembered a specific mission that was given to her by the Raikage herself.  Angel understood all the stories her mother had told her the Raikage was as beautiful as she was powerful.  Angel had been humbled in her presence.  Her mother’s story made sense to her now.  The Traveler could not have been any man if he was able to resist this women.  Her mother had called Angel her name because of the fact that the man must have been an angel.  However now it seems that the Traveler might be her father.  In which case had he refused the Raikage for her mother?  The picture of her mother waning away, and somehow she had been more important to the Traveler than the greatest ninja of the Era.  Angel sitting by the waterfall cried even more but still remained silent.   She hadn’t found what she was looking for yet.  Gritting her teeth she moved on.
 
The next room was her room again.  She was lying in bed with her eyes closed breathing deeply.  Suddenly she sat up and stood in the middle of the darkened room.  But then she was still liing on the bed.  There were now 3 Angel’s in the room!  The one that had stood looked down at the sleeping girl.  “We truly are imaginative aren’t we?” the image said.  Angel watched as the standing version of her reached down and touched the forehead of the sleeping Angel.  The sleeping angel smiled and rolled onto her side.  “Aren’t we?”  the standing Angel straightened and looked directly at her.  “You…” Angel looked behind her.  “You can see me?”  real Angel asked.  “of course I can.  Your actually the same thing I am.  A mental projection of yourself.  Right now I am a mental projection of this angel,” dream Angel gestured toward the sleeping angel.  “But since we are both in our minds I know why you’re here and you have finally made it to the right place.  I am what you’re looking for but to tell you the truth you are the same thing I am.  The jutsu that Master is trying to teach us right now is simply a mental projection of your body, well more specifically your body’s chakra sense.  If you project the chakra sense on the Mental level expand it and then reconverge the sense in your body you will be able to cut through things that would inhibit your body’s natural senses but I’m sure you’ve noticed,” the Angel pointed toward her.  Angel found that she was heaving heavily.  “The jutsu does use up you energy, you have to be careful.  Now go find your master and by the way that reward he offered you.  Use what you learned today to make a wise choice.”
 

Angel returned to her body and opened her Eye.  She could see everything.  She knew the fog was there but the entire area seemed as if it were simple burned into her memory.  She could sense her master behind her.  Picking up a tiny pebble she would flick it backward at his chest.  The gesture was simply to indicate that she knew where he was.  “Found you.”  She would say simply.

Yaju stood amongst the mist and continued to wait for her to find him or use the jutsu to accomplish the task that he had set out for her, knowing that eventually she would be able to find him amongst the nature. The mist had slowly began to stick to his clothing and body although he simply ignored it for a moment and continued to stand there in silence watching and waiting. Soft sobs could be heard coming from Angel but he merely thought that was because of her intense frustration in which he would reach out to rub her head, but remember since this was a test he would slowly retract it try to encourage her without speaking.

Before long yaju could sense or rather smell Angel's new excitement for a minute like she was thinking of something that made her body hot, which he would be curious to know what about but none the less he would let it go until there was a time in which he could properly question her about it. Time would slowly pass and Yaju was about to dispell the jutsu until a pebble hit his chest and skimmed off before landing on the ground and Angel's voice being heard. Smiling he would perform the tiger seal and dispell the mist while smiling at Angel," Looks like you passed the test. As agreed you get a request of any kind that is within my power to grant, so what will it be?," waiting in silence he would allow her to think about it before answering.

Yaju offered angel anything within his power to give her, and she knew many things that she wanted from him but she couldn’t pass up this opportunity to ask for something really important.  And it won’t be something he could give her easily.  “Yaju, after the things I’ve seen with my mind’s eye.  I’ve come to realize that there are other times for asking for smaller things or favors,”  angel paused for a moment, “Now I need to tell you about my father and then I will ask you for something.   Yaju my father was a good man.  My mother… My mother loved him deeper than the seas.  The stories she told about him I thought were just stories about some long lost dream she had.  But now I’ve come to know that he had loved my mother too.  But as he was a ninja he could not always be around and as he was not a Ninja of Kumo his love for my mother was separated by the walls of the Village.  But now I believe that the stories my mother told were true stories and that at one point My father Was an ally of Kumogakure, the village hidden in the clouds.  But As both my mother and someone I met recently who knew my father, they described him as a traveler who never stopped moving ahead.   I think that My father is important, not just to me and my mother, but to the Shinobi world.  So one day I will try to find him.  I will try to bring him back.  This is my request.  When that day comes help me save him, and protect him from whoever took him from me.  In return I will devote my life to service of my village and my master.”  She said looking up into his eyes.  Her eyes were on the verge of tears at the deep feelings she had been feeling.  Clearing her throat she looked away and bushed away her tears.  “I know it’s probably too much to ask and in the end it may not even be possible.”  Angel shook her head internally chastising herself for being so emotional, it wasn’t the ninja way.  She would wait for his response.

His ears perked slightly as she finally was about to give him an answer to the prize he was going to give her, but when she decided to tell him about her father is when he would pause and listen carefully to her story as she told him. She loved her father and wanted him to come back home or to go out and find him so that she could bring him back to the village alive to live with her. A smile trailed onto his face as he found this request to be not only admirable, but also something he could never do due to his own past that he rarely talked about anymore. Stepping forward he would pull her into a hug and smile before letting out a small chuckle and looking down to her," I'll help you go out and find him to return him back to the village when the time comes Angel, i promise you on that on this day," stepping back after hugging her he would look around for a moment to see what he would next.

Looking around the cave for a moment he would figure that it was about time that he fed the both of them before they got a little to hungry and smiled as he performed one last jutsu and slammed his hand onto the ground. From the puff of smoke a small four tailed fox would appear and jump onto the head of Yaju, snuggling inside of it and sitting down," So what can i do for you Yaju-Kun?," in response he would rub the head of the small kit and chuckle," Hurry to the house and get things ready for lunch, and get your brothers to help...tell them theres fried tofu involved for the ones that help," at the mention of fried tofu the fox would dart off and disappear.

Turning back to Angel he would smile and motion her to follow him," while we are here might as well go ahead and get something to eat to end our training for the time being, you must be starving quite a bit after learning all of those techniques right?," as he started to walk he would lead her through multiple caves before popping up in the back of a house in the caves. Moving closer to the door he would open it before it slammed shut on him," NOT READY!!," was all that he heard before sitting down on the porch," So our food isn't ready yet so we will be waiting out here for a bit," shaking his head he would look to angel to see if she had anything to say.

Yaju had continued to wait for a moment before looking in and seeing the food being prepared and on the table but as he turned around and looked at Angel he would chuckle silently as he found her asleep on one of the mini lamp post. Picking her up slowly into his arms he would take her into the house and sit her on the couch so that she could sleep for a little bit and putting the food up so that they could have it later. While she was sleeping he slipped upstairs into his room to take a shower to wash off all of the dirt and things from the training today, his door being wide open but his bath room door being slightly cracked so that he could hear if something had happened.

After a few moments in the shower he would step out and but on a white pair of training pants and a new set of foot wrappings and lastly a sleeveless black shirt. Rubbing the area where his curse mark was he smiled faintly before running his fingers over a scar that he had remembered from his past when he was a jounin. All of these fond memories on his body had reminded him of how far he had came and how far he still had to go. If Angel still wasn't awake he would lay upon his bed and stare at the ceiling, one eye blankly staring up as he wondered how he would continue to train his students to make sure they grew to be powerful.

The sound of rushing water made the body of Yaju sit up slowly as he turned his head to the direction of the shower and blinked for a moment. How long was he asleep if he had even fell asleep at all but knowing that she was in the shower he would leave out of his room and head downstairs to get the food ready for the both of them to eat seeing as the both of them were now awake and clean. As a just in case he left her a pair of his old shorts and a t-shirt to wear since she didn't seem to have any other clothes with her, and simply disappeared into the kitchen where he would begin to heat up the food and sit it onto the table.

After she had came down after her shower he would smile and offer her a seat at the table before chuckling," So how was your nap? I take it you are still hungry correct?," motioning to the different types of food on the table he would allow her to choose what she wanted first before grabbing a bit of everything and eating slowly. If Angel had any questions or wanted to explore the house she could at this time seeing as Yaju had nothing else he wanted to teach her at the moment until she was fully recharged and could continue their training. Slolwy he would move towards one of the cabinets and reach for his sweet rice sake, pouring himself a small glass and drinking it to relax his body further the addition to the Sake being that it helped his flow of chakra as he was still in training for his Sage Mode. The sake given to him by the fox's not only helped him get drunk on occasions it also helped his body become more attune to taking in nature chakra. For now he would sit and answer any questions Angel had or if she simply wanted to talk he would conversate with her.

The water was warm and it soothed her body.  She could feel herself being rejuvenated.  After the nap and the shower her body was feeling much better but she knew her chakra was still very low.  A meal would help replenish it.  Tying her hair back she tied a towel around herself and quietly crept into Yaju’s room.  She grabbed some clothes that were much too big for her.  She put them on and rolled up the sleeves and the pant legs.  The clothes still looked ridiculous but they were clean.  Bundling her own clothes she wrapped them in her jacket and proceeded down stairs.  She was sure he was going to have words for her but girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.  Leaving her coat by the door she headed into the dining area where she saw Yaju had set out the food.  “Thank you Yaju, I appreciate you letting me rest here.” The dinning area was beautiful, she was surprised that such a lovely house was hidden away in the mountains.  She had many questions that she would ask and then wait for an answer and if it required she would follow up the answer.  “So Yaju other than being a Master in the Village what else do you do?  You seem to be doing what ever it is very well.”  Angel would say making a very slight gesture to indicate the house.  She tried some of the food he offered and rolled her eyes back a little in delight.  The food was exquisite.  “This is very good food, your Fox friend made this?  What’s his name?  I would like to offer him my complements.”  If given it and she was allowed to Angel would thank the Fox formally.  And continue eating till she had enough.  She could feel her chakra levels returning.  “So Yaju tell me your story.  Who are you?”  Angel would relax and listen.

" You're welcome. I allow all of my students to come up here if they want a place to get away from, and besides many people like it up here where its quiet and peaceful.Hell if they wanted to say up here for a week i have extra rooms to accomodate"

He smiled shortly after finishing his sentence not really minding if people came up here to get away from the busy struggles of the village or even life itself. Up here in the mountains there was no need to worry about anything, all you needed to do was relax and let the weights of the world drop. When the question was asked what he did in his spare time he scratched his head for a moment and shurgged," You know outside of not being in the village and working i don't really have a life. I usually spend most of my adventuring through these caves and mapping them out for future references in case i want to expand. Just a couple of months ago i found a fresh supply of underground hot water and ran it up to the house, and now i have a hot bath room. Just a while back me and...," he paused for a moment and went silent before switching to a new subject," other than that i dont really do anything."

At the question of who cooked the food he would smile and begin to answer but the same orage four tailed fox popped out of the cupbaord and jumped onto Yaju's head with a beaming smile," I did!! Well...me and my big brother but i did most of the work!!," the small fox exclaimed proudly. Yaju reached up slowly and petted the small fox who had been wearing a Kumogakure head band," You and your brothers did good Koan, and i'll bring the food to you and your brothers later alright," although he knew that Koan would be sitting around for a bit longer as he always does, the little fox's eyes beam with excitement as he jumps into Yaju's lap and snuggles him.

After that happened, Yaju would tilt his head for a moment at Angel's last question which was something that was...pretty direct. She had asked what his story was which made him stop petting the now sleeping Koan and made him look down to the table attempting to find the best word to describe himself. After a brief period of silence he would finally speak," Bloody animal...That's what i am. My past isn't something that many people would imagine about me seeing as i am one of the strongest in the village, but for those that do know....they know and remember the animal i used to be. I used to live in the village as a child under my father and mother...my father wasn't what you would call a "father" more like me...a wild animal or pack leader. From sun up to sun down he would have me train until i dropped dead or could no longer move which was almost everyday, but that was how he and his brother were raised so that's how he raised me," pausing for a moment he would shift a bit in his seat before continuing.

" After a bit it got worse and worse as i get more adjusted to the training, every day was a fight to survive for the next day. After a while i got tired of it so i left the village and came here for a couple of years and lived with the wolves..more like forced here but i adapted and became feral...i degressed into that of a commom wolf and lived amongst them as their child. My father and mother...and brothers of course continued to care and nurture me which of course i am talking about the wolves but after a while i had left and went back down to the village to end my misery. That day was the end of my father and the beginning of my descent, ripped his throat out like the animal i was," his eyes were starting to change and mold themselves into a wolf like shape before he spoke again," Needless to say they locked me up in the prison where i spent years fighting, killing to move on just because it was all i knew until she showed up...Lady Misaki was my savior and from that forward i have been under her," finishing his story with that he would look back to Angel as he always did and smiled," So do you have any other questions?"