A Genin and Chuunin Collide! (Salzem)

Hikari watched as Salzem pulled out yet another scroll, a black one this time. She thought he was just going to cast a Genjutsu, not have her open a scroll for one. She didn't even know scrolls like that existed in the shinobi world. She held tightly to the scroll, not wanting to accidentally drop it and it unravel, unleashing the Genjutsu before she even knew what to do. I must disrupt the flow of their chakra with my own, using the tiger hand sign? Oh boy, this sounds tricky. What if I am weaker than them, or are running low on chakra? Does that mean I won't be able to escape? That is a scary thought...

Then, Salzem told her the second half of his explanation. What was inside the scroll. Hikari gulped, worried about what she would see in that Genjutsu. Even if it wasn't real, to see death and destruction is terrifying to some people. I have to find breaks and faults in the Genjutsu...but what if I don't? What if I can't remember reality enough to realize a fault? Salzem's attempt at reassuring Hikari did not work, she was still scared at what she was about to witness. Taking a deep breath, Hikari looked down at the scroll in her hands and opened it, releasing the Genjutsu.

Hikari stood in what used to be the training grounds, but what has now become a graveyard. Many young shinobi's lie face first on the ground, dead. Crimson splotches dotted the whole area, and the stench of blood made Hikari cover her nose. So many people are dead...Why would someone do this, and to people so young. They still had time to grow and mature, to see the world! She clenched her hands into balls of fury, anger in her eyes along with tears running down her face. She was angry that someone could be so cruel to kids who didn't have time to grow, and now they never would. "I will find this person, and I will kill them." She made a vow to herself as she walked through the destructed area.

She came to an open area that over looked the entire Leaf village. Black smoke was rising from the village while hungry red flames lapped at everything in their path. Screams filled the air as people, men, woman, and children, were burned alive. Hikari covered her mouth with her hand, tears rushing like a waterfall down her face. She felt useless, unable to help save anyone, something that had become her worst nightmare. The bushes next to her started rattling, someone or something was headed straight towards her. A woman emerged. She had long dark hair and milky white eyes, just like Hikari. But this woman was not smiling, she was crying and begging for Hikari to help her, for she had several stab wounds. 

"Mother!" Hikari rushed to the woman, her mother, and tried to help her as best as she could. "Mom, can't you just use your chakra to heal yourself? You are a medical ninja!" She pleaded with the woman, begging her to save her own life for Hikari could not. The woman continued to ask Hikari for her help, saying that she was badly injured and needed medical aid. 

"Please miss...you...must..save...me...I..have..a..daughter...and...husband..to..look..for..." The woman pleaded one final time before her face remained permanently still, her body slowly growing cold.

"Mom! No! Please don't leave me!" Hikari cried again, her heart feeling as if it were being torn apart. She shook the woman, as if she could be woken up. She remained motionless, her eyes eternally blank. After a couple of minutes Hikari gave up on trying to wake the woman up, realizing it would be futile. She had failed to save someone she loved dear to her heart. Laying the woman gently on the ground, she shut her eyes, and vowed to come back and give her a proper burial. "I must go find dad, maybe I can save him..."

She dashed away, running to the Hyuuga district, to her home. She hoped her father was alive and well, but her heart was still aching for her mother. I will avenge your death mother. I will make them pay with their lives! She thought angrily, hatred consuming her eyes. She was not a carefree and loving girl anymore, she was a hateful and cruel girl now.

It took her about ten minutes to make it to the Hyuuga compound safely. The once pristine and pure looking establishment was now dark and wreaked. Bodies laid on the grass and dirt, many of the best Hyuuga warriors had been slain. "Father! Where are you?!" She screamed frantically, afraid he was with the lifeless on the ground. As she headed toward the inside of the house, she heard hushed voices coming from the back of the house, near where her parents and her rooms were. She quietly glided her way down the halls, making sure to stay as quiet as possible in case those voices belonged to their enemies. She stopped moving when she came to the door the voices were behind.

She ripped the door open, revealing whoever was inside. There was a tall, rough man with white hair and black eyes and a petite girl with snowy hair and eyes to match. They man was wrapping the girl's arms, burns running up to her elbow. She must have been caught in the fire. Poor thing, she looks only about five or so. I wonder who she is though, dad must have found her and taken her in. The man and girl continued to dress their wounds, the man having been sliced a few times with a sword, his back bloody and cut up. "Hello, dad? I'm so glad you are okay!" She ran up to him, joy covering up her previously hateful eyes. The man turned to her, getting in front of the young girl. 

"So you are with the rebellion huh? I won't let you hurt my daughter!" He unsheathed his sword, being a master in weaponry, and raised it high above his head before bringing it down with incredible force. Hikari jumped out of the way, confusion taking over her. She realized then that that man meant the little girl was his daughter, and that he believed Hikari was the enemy. I can't be in two places at once...wait, this means that mom didn't realize it was me. She was just begging anyone for help! That means I don't exist here! This isn't my world! 


Hikari looked at the man, a mirror image of what her father looked like before he died, and allowed his blade to slide through her shoulder. "This can't hurt me...it's just an illusion! I am the real Hikari Hyuuga!" She made the tiger hand sign and focused her chakra, trying to break free from the trap she was in. "None of this is real! The fault is that they were alive and I was a five year old, which couldn't have happened because the village hasn't been destroyed!" 

Slowly the chaos and stench faded, there were no more screams or blood but birds chirping and flowers about to blossom. Salzem came back into vision, and Hikari was relieved to see him. That was terrible and terrifying, I never thought I would see them again...and to see mom die, even if it was just an image, that hurt. I never saw her face before she was buried, but I know it was not pleasant. Ninjas who die during a mission are not graced with a pretty death... She stopped thinking before she made herself upset and looked at Salzem, curious as to what he would say. She didn't know how long she had been in that Genjutsu, because to her it felt like an eternity.

[WC: 5,462] [Genjutsu Release learned! ^^] [-5 Ap]

Salzem watched intently as Hikari went through the brutal trials of the genjutsu. Such a devious weapon designed by man. Better to die of a thousand stabs than see every one you ever cared about slaughtered like pigs. Over the course of several minutes, Hikari finally came to, seeming highly disturbed, perhaps even sorrow stricken. He snatched up the scroll quickly, rolling it back up and shoving it back into his pack. He would then spread his arms wide to embrace Hikari in case she wanted a hug after that very unnerving experience. The effect of the jutsu was different for everybody, and one might be curious to what she actually saw in there. Considering the look on her face after this however, Salzem decided not to ask.

"Hikari? Are you okay?" Salzem would ask. "Do you need anything? That was probably one of the most painful things to do in training."

Salzem rolled his scroll back up and put it back where it belonged. Then he offered Hikari a hug, which she gladly accepted. Feeling the embrace calmed her nerves and helped her brain and body slowly ease back from being in a Genjutsu, where nothing is real and you don't actually feel things, to reality, where she felt the warmness of the hug. After a moment or so she released him, a gentle but small smile on her face, she didn't know until he offered that she really did need a hug. "Thank you Salzem." She was truly grateful for his kindness, and even though she still felt pain in her heart from that Genjutsu, she was thankful to him for putting her through that. She knew that Genjutsu like that would be used against her again in a battle, and that there were worse Genjutsu out there that she had to be prepared for. Not everyone is as kindhearted and loving as others, and those cruel people loved to play on the emotions of their 'prey'.

"I am okay, but thank you for asking Salzem. That Genjutsu was an eye opener, so thank you for showing it to me. I did not realize before that such cruel images could feel so real, and that there could be even worse Genjutsu out there that I may face one day in battle." She believed every word she said, knowing that what she had seen were in fact just images and illusions.

[WC: 5,712]

Salzem embraced Hikari as she accepted the hug, trying to let her work out the rest of the darkness the genjutsu had inflicted upon her. He would then be released and he saw a small smile on her face. He blushed slightly and looked off to the side.

"I-its nothing." he said before clapping his hands together to psych himself up. "Well! you conquered the harder of the three Jutsu! This one should be a piece of cake for you. Chakra Sensory. This jutsu is basic was well. Basically, all you have to do is send out chakra around you, kind of like a bat's sonar. It will allow you to see the different levels of chakra in everything, allowing you to pick a certain person out of a crowd if you spend enough time with them (at least 2000 words). You will see a blue flame at first, if you try this technique and close your eyes."

Salzem would smile kindly, gesturing Hikari to try.

"I'd recommend trying to find people with your eyes closed first, as it allows for you to home in on their chakra signature faster. However, as you get more experienced, you will be able to find them by sense alone. Why not give it a try?"  Salzem would say, watching Hikari intently.

Hikari's smile grew bigger as she saw a pink color wash over Salzem's face; he was blushing slightly and trying to hide it by looking away. She thought that was adorable, how a big tough guy like himself got embarrassed by her, or at least something she did. She wouldn't comment on it though, as she knew that was not a proper thing to do, it would only make things worse. Then he clapped his hands together and started talking, all the while Hikari listened intently. It was the last jutsu she was to learn, and to master it would take lots of practice. As he was explaining how to correctly perform the jutsu, she began thinking to herself. Hmm Chakra Sensory should be easier for me, I mean I pick up chakra networks and chakra points with my Byakugan already. This is kind of like a more advanced version of that, and it helps to find chakra's that you have become accustomed to. So, for instance, I could have tried this on Mitsui since I spend a whole half day with him, or it could even work with Salzem, since we have also spend a large portion of this day together, and we even had a sparring match- something I have not done with any other ninja. 


Hikari thought that this jutsu would be a lot easier than the Genjutsu Release training, but she wasn't sure how easy it would be exactly, especially since she was wanting to master the jutsu in one day. Though she wasn't sure if it would work her first try, since she was always prone to using too much chakra on her first try when learning a new technique or jutsu. But, she figured she had grown a lot since she met Mitsui as an Academy Student, now she thought since she was a Genin, who has already learned a few higher ranked jutsu, that she could take on this simple task at hand; memorize Salzem's chakra signature so if he was in a crowd of people she would be able to detect that it was his.

Hikari decided it was finally time for her to test out her abilities with this technique. She did as Salzem had instructed and closed her eyes, something she probably would have done anyways as it helps her focus better when she trains a new jutsu for her first time, although when she does that she only closes them for a few seconds not the whole jutsu. Hikari took a deep breath and focused on the area around her, how the tree leaves rustled with the slight breeze, how the birds chirped every now and then, how squirrels hurried up the trees. Thinking about the area she was in, she sent some of her chakra out around her like a bat's sonar, as Salzem had said. She could see nothing, just the darkness of her eyes being closed. This happened a few times for Hikari, annoying her a little. What am I doing wrong? Am I not sending out enough chakra evenly? Let me try more!

With the added amount of chakra, which was not much, she could see faint flames dance across her closed eyelids, but she couldn't tell how far away they were or who they were, which she thought was understandable for how much practice she has put into this skill.

"I see small blue flames. I think I should send out more chakra." She said aloud, mostly to herself as a kind of confirmation to herself that she should indeed go through with her idea. As she sent out more chakra around her, she also decided she needed to focus all around her more, hoping that would also help her see the distance and power of the chakra's around her, for before they all looked the same; small blue flames, no variations. This time however, Hikari could see a slight variation in the flames. Salzem's chakra flame, she knew it was his because it was the closest to her, was a bit larger than the other chakra signatures that were farther away, presumably at another training area or in the village somewhere.

"Your flame was a bit bigger this time." She told Salzem, her eyes still closed. She wasn't sure how she could make the flames even bigger, to show the true extent of the person's chakra signature, without running out of chakra everytime she used the skill. Maybe I can focus harder? I wonder...what would happen if I opened my eyes and activated my Byakugan? Would that defeat the whole purpose of this, since most people who use Chakra Sensory don't have the Byakugan or any other Kekkei Genkai or doujutsu? I probably shouldn't try that then... Hikari figured that her newer idea would not work, since she needed to learn this skill by herself, not with the aid of her Byakugan.

She figured it would be in her best interest to ask Salzem what he thought, since he was the older and more experienced ninja, and the one teaching her this skill in the first place. "Salzem, now what do I do? Continue to focus, send out more chakra, or open my eyes? How big are these blue flames supposed to be anyways?" She forgot she didn't even ask about the small details before she had tried the skill, she had just jumped right in and tried to do it all by herself, which was something she normally did on a regular basis. 

[921/2000]

(lol.Not 2000 words with the jutsu activated. Just 2000 words of RP with the person.)

Salzem noted how Hikari's smile grew as he blushed, causing him to blush a deeper shade from light pink to red. He watched as Hikari began the jutsu. It seemed as though she was saw the flames as evidenced by her eyes moving behind her lids. When she exclaimed that his flame had gotten bigger, Salzem chuckled.

"The bigger the flame, the larger one's chakra is." Salzem said. "Its a representation of the depth of one's chakra reserves." All was quiet for a little while longer, before she asked what she would do now. Salzem thought for a moment before answering.

"Well, if you feel confident, you can open your eyes and see if you can sense the presence of my chakra. If not, you could keep trying to focus in on the other chakra signatures around here. Remember, when chakra is stimulated, the flame will temporarily grow larger before going back down to normal size."

(Ohhh okay! But then how do you learn the skill if it doesn't require 2000 words?)


Hikari started to understand the skill even better now that Salzem explained the smaller details. So the bigger the flame, the larger ones chakra is. That explains why Salzem has a bigger flame than the others, who are probably Genin or Academy Students. So the flame is a representation of a person's chakra reserves, that makes sense. I think I will try to sense the chakra with my eyes open, I believe I might be able to do it!


She slowly brought her eyes open, blinking a few times to readjust to the light. She focused on sensing the chakra around her, more specifically Salzem's since he was the closest. Hikari's eyes widened slightly at the sensation of an overwhelming large amount of chakra all around her. She wasn't used to this new found ability that she has been opened up to. "I can sense chakra, it is like the chakra far has combined and I can sense it all. Your own chakra is strong, I can feel it, you have so much chakra. The flame did not do your chakra justice at all!" She felt as if she was blind and could finally see, like the world is brand new and she is seeing it for the first time. "Salzem, this is amazing! I thought my Byakugan was cool, but this feeling is even better! I never knew something like this was possible!" It was obvious she was very intrigued and excited for this new skill she has acquired. Even her face showed her excitement, with her glistening eyes and grinning mouth.


[1,184/2,000]

(Oh! You are right! I'm sorry! I'm such a durp. Xb Gonna try to give more reasons to continue yer learning of the skill)

Salzem grinned at Hikari's smile. He had managed to make her smile so many times today.

"I'm glad to be of service. It was quite honestly my pleasure to teach you." Salzem would look around himself for the source of  the other chakra signals she described. Apparently they were farther than the eye could see so Salzem turned back to Hikari.

"Nah, my chakra isn't that much. I focus mainly on training the body rather than my chakra. I have just enough to keep myself and everyone else alive." Salzem would smile as he said this. Then he thought of something.

"Here, tell me if you see anything different." As he said this, he slammed his hands into the tiger sign, making his chakra flow throughout his body. Soon, a flaming blue aura surged around him, granting him massive strength and power as it covered his body.

(Haha tis okay! Thank you! ^_^)

Hikari was starting to really like Salzem, hoping that even after their training ended they would still become friends. She honestly did not know many people so she barely had anyone to call 'friend'. That is slowly changing now though...I have Mitsui, Cole, Ryugia, and hopefully Salzem to be my friends. Hey mom and dad, are you proud of me yet? I've come so far from that little kid you used to know. I a ninja with friends and awesome jutsu! I'm on my way to my dream of becoming the best medical ninja and helping lots of people!


She thought Salzem was a very nice guy, despite his ominous appearance. She had almost forgotten about that, his piercing red eyes that used to be scary were now softer. Hikari did not expect for Salzem to say that he had enough chakra to keep not only himself alive but everyone else too. She wondered if he had a lot of friends, since his looks might scare people off before they get to meet his kind personality.

Then Salzem decided to put her chakra sensory skills to the test when he made the tiger hand sign and his body was enveloped in a blue aura; his chakra was visible. Hikari focused her chakra around in the area, though her main focus was to check out Salzem's power surge. She focused on Salzem and could sense that his chakra had gotten stronger, which was obvious because it was visible now. His chakra had grown ten fold and his was stronger than any chakra she had felt. So this is what it feels like when someone's chakra is stimulated and it grows stronger, even if for only a short time. I wonder what my chakra feels like, it is one thing I cannot sense. I also wonder how Salzem got his chakra to become visible, it didn't look like a jutsu just him focusing his chakra to his tiger hand sign. 


Hikari felt different, like she had just been brought to somewhere new, somewhere she never thought was possible. It wasn't the first time she had felt this way; when she had activated her Byakugan it was like seeing the world for the first time. This training is kind of like Mitsui's training with the Byakugan. I felt so different after I activated my Byakugan, I felt like a whole new person...


[Flashback]
It was a cool morning with a slight breeze and chirping birds when Hikari, an academy student, showed up and started training in the outside meeting place area, trying to master the two jutsu she needed to pass the Genin exams, the Clone technique and the Transformation technique. She was about to start her training when a man, who looked only a couple years older than herself, appeared and introduced himself as Mitsui. He was very friendly and even offered to teach her the jutsu she needed to learn, which helped her out greatly. They spent a good while on the two jutsu, Hikari wanting to make sure she perfected them and left no room for errors or any reason for her to fail the Genin exams. After she had mastered the two jutsu and was told so by Mitsui, he offered to help her with her Byakugan. At first she had been curious as to why he had a Byakugan, but since he had been kind and helpful she had no reason to distrust him.

He told her many things the Byakugan could do, some she knew while others she did not. Mitsui helped her see the chakra networks of the people a couple meters away, the birds in the trees over their heads, and even his own chakra network. It took her a couple of tries and about an hour-ish to get used to seeing through the eyes of the Byakugan. During that time she felt brand new, and in a way she was.

[End of Flashback]

Huh, I wonder how Mitsui is and if he is doing well. The mark seal he put on me doesn't really give me much info on his well being, just where is he. I haven't actually used the mark seal since he gave it to me, it just occurred to me that I still had it. I wonder if there are other people who get the mark seal willing, since I know it is mainly for tracking down people, not keeping tabs on friends and family. Hikari blinked, realizing that she had almost gotten lost in her thoughts. She looked over at Salzem, curious as to what his plans were now and what she herself should do too. She knew the Chakra Sensory skill was the last thing he had left to teach her, and the only thing she had questions about were his medical abilities though she wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it. Then a question popped into her head that she figured he would be willing to answer.

"How long did it take you to learn all these jutsu Salzem? And how long did it take you to master the Chakra Sensory skill?"

[2,041/2,000] [Chakra Sensory learned! ^^]

Salzem disengaged his chakra cloak, as watched as Hikari finished observing him with her newly obtained Chakra sensory. She was a nice girl, very sweet and caring. He wondered if she got many friends that way. He wouldn't really be surprised if she did. He himself always seemed to scare away most people, once due to his breathing mask, now do to that battle-hardened look in his sanguine eyes. As soon as he had the chance, he was going to ask if  they could be friends, perhaps meet up again soon. He found that being in her presence was... enjoyable. She seemed to be lost in thought, perhaps reminiscing about something...? Just as Salzem was getting ready to say something, to get her attention, Hikari looked at him and Salzem shut up, waiting for what was to be said. She asked how long it took him to learn these jutsu and the young chuunin just shrugged.

"It took me a little bit, perhaps a day or two to learn all." he smiled sheepishly. "I'm just really not that good at manipulating my chakra in that way. I suppose you could call it 'my weakness'." He laughed lightly at that.

"You know," Salzem said, changing the topic. "I had a lot of fun training you, Hikari. You were... kind......... sweet..... even." Salzem said, trying to choose his words carefully. He hadn't complimented someone like this before. He didn't know how to say this next part so he just took a deep breath,  and decided to just say it.

"i'd like to do it again."