Exhaustion NK

Tashima stood one the waters dark abyssal surface. The rippling reflection of his silhouette staring up at him with the moon full behind him. Silver strands of paled light gently dancing across the strands of his hair giving a lustrous sheen to them in the dark watery mirror. Tashima looked into the pool with the same dead emotionless eyes he was known for. He looked up from the water noticing the darkened night touched visage of a familiar forest from his past. The leaves swaying in the exact matter of that night. Tashima looked down at his hands examining himself before looking back into the reflection making sure it still existed as he whispered to himself, "A dream?" Tashima looked at the moon then back into the eyes of his reflection. "Even in my unconsciousness, you still haunt my nightmares." he spat as he sent a wave of chakra out of his feet to send ripples violently cantering across the water distorting his reflection.  Tashima turned away and began to walk off the waters edge toward the forest around him. "Every day for over a year now... at first it was traumatic, but now, while lucid within my unconsciousness." Tashima spoke reaching into the pouch on his side pulling out a kunai. He was almost dead center of the ambush spot now. The same spot from his past, the same spot where he lost everything that he valued, the same spot where he should've died. Tashima stood still in the center of the ambush spot letting the cool wind breeze past him. He shut his eyes as if to collect himself before striking like a snake going for its prey. His kunai tossed behind him, "It's just annoying." he cold voice was squelched by the agonizing cry of a shadowy figure. The kunai had pierced into the chest of the shadow as it collasped to the ground. Tashima leaped back over the body as a kunai with an explosive tag collided with the ground under his feet. While in the air, a violent explosion erupted meant to kill Tashima where he stood.  Tashima reached in pouch still mid flight and retaliated with a tossed kunai of his own. The kunai confirmed it had struck its target with a moan from the assailant and another shadow dropping from the tree tops. Tashima landed raising his arm so that his metal bracers would shield him from the downward swing from behind, he took his free hand elbowing the shadow behind him and then grabbing its shadowed wrist and flipping it over himself. "Over and over..." he said as placed his leg over the arm and twisting it until a loud snap and cry of pain shot through his ears.  "Forced into stagnation within a realm that I am the master of" he said leaping up to grab the branch above him swinging around it dodging the barrage of kunai thrown at him from the darkness and landing gracefully on its body performing the hidden mist technique. As the mist thickened around him he closed his eyes hearing an explosion in the distance and a females cries of agony. Underneath him he heard the splatter of blood coat the ground at the trees trunk and the thud of a body colliding with the dirt. Tashima dared not to look down out of fear of reliving the same tragic events. He knew all too well that if his eyes strayed he'd see his teammate's limp mangled body lying against the tree,  her eyes wide open and the painted look of terror on her face. "I've fought this scenario to the point where it churns my stomach. My minds response to distress... simply forcing me to relive it over and over until I'm completely desensitized." he hissed leaping from the branch that exploded with impact of an unseen greatsword.  Tashima ignored the voice of his jounin sensei that echoed in the mist just as it did that day. In the first couple instances of this reoccurring nightmare Tashima had no lucidity to cast the Hidden Mist and veil the horrors around him, but after five hundred eighty six times of fighting the same losing battle, Tashima could fight blind and completely ignore the world around him.  Tashima leaped back nearing the lake he stood on at the beginning of his dream. Another cry from his teammate before they died pierced the veiled air. His jounin commanding him to retreat and ignore the dead around him, that he'd hold them off, screeched like two blades colliding. The voice of his jounin still sent the hairs of Tashima's body to stand. Any moment now they'd be pushed to the lake where his jounin would freely control the water with THAT jutsu, it'd look like he was winning but then from no where a tall shadow would appear between Tashima and his jounin, a bright flash and loud roar and the world would fall to darkness and Tashima's memories stopped there.  The nightmare ends with the cries of his jounin and a sharp excruciating pain to his back where later a scar would form, the same one Tashima hid with his long hair and armor out of shame. 

"Tashima... Tashima.... TASHIMA!" a loud feminine voice chimed as Tashima's eyes shot open and his hand grasped out holding the womans throat. It'd take but a moment but a moment still before Tashima realized where he was. He let go of the womans throat showing a look of sudden shock and shame as he laid back in the hospital bed. The sheets were soaked with sweat much like Tashima. The woman coughed to catch her breath upon being released and backed away slowly before continuing, "You were having a nightmare and you were talking in your sleep."  she informed him. Tashima's eyes scanned around the room, he recognized it quickly, he was in the Iwakagure Infirmory, West Wing Floor 2 Room 138. The administrator must have a sense of humor having placed him back in the same room he spent months recovering in.  "How did I get here?" Tashima asked turning to the nurse. "A villager brought you in, they found you unconscious near the training grounds." Tashima glared at his hands as they tightened around the sheet over him before looking back at the nurse, "My apologies, I must've gotten carried away with training." he said coldly. "When you were brought in you were near completely out of chakra. You can't keep pushing yourself like that!" she said firmly. Tashima swished the sheets off of him noticing immediately he was wearing a hospital gown, which irritated him more. "My clothes?" he said beginning to ambulate himself. The nurse ran over to him before he lost balance and fell back against the bed. "You're not going anywhere you're far to weak to be walking." she commanded. Tashima growled, "Just give me a soldier pill and I'll be good to return home. I hate hospitals." he spat. The nurse crossed her arms and stamped her foot, "The administrator said you'd say that and to tell you 'If you want to push yourself to the point of exhaustion like that, then you deserve to sit here until you can leave on your own.' honestly, you ninja think your invincible or something!" the nurse glared down at Tashima. Tashima furrowed his brow before positioning himself back on the bed for comfort, "Fine. If I have to be caged in this damn place again, then have the administrator bring me the usual." Tashima didn't recognize this nurse, she must've been new but regardless if she did her job and spoke with the administrator then it was assured Tashima would at least be somewhat entertained while he was here.
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WC [1274/1274]

“What the hell do you want Tashima?” said the Administrator as she stood in the door way of Tashima’s room holding a clipboard. Her white coat pockets lined with pens and medical supplies. Tashima turned his head and stared at her with his cold icy gaze before smirking slightly noticing bottle of pills sticking out of her shirt pocket. The Administrator walked in the door and tossed her clipboard onto the large dresser in the room while sighing in relief pulling her long braided her out and shaking her head before pulling up a rolling chair and spinning it and sitting in it backwards. “You really miss me that much Tashima?” she said sarcastically sliding over to the side of the bed. Tashima reverted back to his cold lifeless glare. “I don’t have time to waste here. I need to get back.” Tashima replied.  The administrator sighed again slouching more casually before shooting a threatening glare at Tashima. “Come on, you owe me.” Tashima said coldly. The doctor scooted over to the head of the bed and flicked him in the forehead. “I OWE you nothing or perhaps you forgot the only reason you’re even able to walk and fight with my staff is because of MY medical prowess. I’ve been nice to you since I was friends with your sensei for years but this is ridiculous.”  Tashima leaned up in his bed and stared at her intently choosing to remain silent. Any words he had on the subject were moot, he didn’t like the fact but she was right. “I know you’re trying to learn THAT jutsu and while I’m sure he’d proud to see you trying to keep his legacy alive, practically killing yourself to learn it isn’t going to help. You don’t have near enough stamina to use his technique.”

Tashima relaxed his previously tensed shoulders with a soft exhale. “I’m close to using it.” He smirked almost triumphantly when he mentioned it. “I’ve already mastered mixing my chakra with the water. I’ve got nature down, now it’s just shape and flow” The administrator leaned in interested smirking slightly.  She knew Tashima had a good amount of chakra control for a Genin but never once did she figure he’d come this far on his own. “Either way, you’re rushing your training and you’re doing more harm than good. What’s the point in mastering the technique if you can’t use it because your body is rendered lethargic and drained of chakra.” Tashima rose an eyebrow and smirked arrogantly, “I was training for at least a day and a half straight before dropping. I think I have the chakra pool for it.” As he finished her eyes widened. She knew he collapsed in the training field but no one mentioned that he had starved and deprived himself of sleep THAT long. “Say I give you a soldier pill right now, what then? You’re just gonna go back and exhaust your chakra again.” Tashima sighed, “If you had immediately given it to me… yes I would’ve. The chunnin exams aren’t far away and a jutsu of that nature may be a perfect trump card for me to advance.”



“So what now? You going to actually go home and take the weekend off? If I get you out of that bed and you train like that again-“ she paused a bit rubbing her forehead, “Look I won’t be able to help you then. Too much strain on your chakra network and you’ll rupture them. Letting out that much chakra period, isn’t something I’d condone a Chuunin doing. Yet alone a Genin like yourself. I’ll give you these pills Tashima but I’m serious. I’m a good medical ninja but I’m not skilled enough to repair a chakra network that severe. Perhaps if I had the same eyes as the Tsuchikage or even the Byakugan but that jutsu of yours has serious risks if you perform it wrong.”  Tashima nodded sincerely and raised his hand to catch the pill bottle as she threw it at him. “We ninja are weapons. Tools. If we dull, like your scalpel, we’re discarded and replaced.” Tashima spoke the same code he lived by before taking his pills. “I have no intention of dulling. If it means I have to wait… reluctantly I’ll see to your wishes.” The administrator stood up and exited afterwards. 





END OF THREAD WC [719/2000]