Beneath Skies of Gray [Open]

Am I a masochist?

The thought drifted in and out of Iesada Saito's mind as he walked the streets of Kumogakure. He never thought of himself as such, he wasn't the biggest fan of pain. Yet, here he was following an all too familiar path to training ground number one where, two days before, he had the pleasure of a kunai in the thigh. Yes, it really did make one wonder, did he like the pain?

No, surely not...

It was early evening when he arrived. Lanterns lined the streets and people availed themselves of their daily troubles in the bars. Indeed, if it weren't for the knowledge of the moat of rot and crumbling infrastructure Iesada might have called the village nightlife normal. Of course, Kumogakure was not normal, but it didn't much matter at the moment.

All that mattered at the moment was the book clutched tightly to the man's side. It had once belonged to Yui, the gifted illusionist of Yukigakure and Iesada's wife. Between the leather binding and within the well-worn pages lay the secrets of genjutsu, an art the man was only now getting to understand.

Yes, today, as he turned into the deserted training grounds, he would be touching up on his genjutsu knowledge. He very much doubted the inn would take kindly to practicing jutsu there; the training grounds were the only sensible place to practice.

It was one of those beautiful afternoons in Kumogakure. The lighting wasn't too dark or bright causing the lanterns in town to glow a beautiful shade across nearing buildings and the gravel pathway. The air was crisp as always, the pale boy that went by the name of Sora gently inhale as he walked through the district to the training grounds. Sora never really got to go out this late in the academy since his pseudo-parents had given a particular time to do homework, then after that dinner, and finally sleep.

The boy sighed in relief. He was glad that those times were behind him, he was eventually considered an adult in Kumogakure. Sure, if people saw him walking by then they'd instantly regard him as a kid, but Kumogakure legally viewed as an adult. When you are a Shinobi, you can do anything an adult could do, like drink alcohol, smoke cigars, and do more mature things that this site doesn't allow me to write,

A sudden sense of deja vu' washed over Sora as he saw the training grounds that he and Iesada had sparred. The sight of blood hadn't worried him anymore, he has killed many wild animals, but it still felt weird harming a human being. He didn't find it pleasant, and he didn't know if that was an excellent or bad thing for a Shinobi to have as a person. He'd have to ask Senshi about it the next they met.

As he went from gravel to grass, he supported a small smile. He was thinking about all the friends he had made over the course of him becoming a ninja; maybe it wasn't such a bad thing as people thought it was. Still, Sora was naive; he didn't know how bad it really could be as a Shinobi. The boy plopped his stuff down as he scanned the crowd for any familiar faces. It'd be nice if he could see Reizo, Max, or anyone that he had became acquaintances with as a Genin.

Speak of the Shinigami; it was Iesada! He really shouldn't be surprised. He had been at the same training grounds last time. The chocolate-brown haired wanted to say 'hi' to him, but it seemed as if he was studying hard. The boy sighed walking over there. Hopefully, he still wasn't mad about the kunai, "Hey Iesada, is your leg okay?" Sora would say walking up behind him.

WC: 422

TWC: 422

He had no need for the training grounds just yet. After all, reading a book did not require all that much space. As such, he made his way to one of the many benches that lined the training fields, which were, he could only assume, meant for spectators or the losers. Perhaps that explained what looked like dried blood on the far side of the bench he chose? No, surely it was just ketchup...Yes, that made sense, ketchup.

With nothing but the questionable ketchup stain to keep him company, Iesada opened his book up to the tenth chapter, 'Deception is Everything'. An interesting title with interesting content. However, the true treasure of the book lay in the margins where Yui's distinctive handwriting looped here and there. Sometimes she'd comment on what the book was saying and sometimes it'd just be a mark saying 'read later'. This was the true value of the book, a link to the past; the knowledge it imparted was secondary. Funny how books can be a bridge between past and present, who'd have guessed time-travel could be realized by a dab of ink and a sheet of paper?

Unfortunately, he found himself only able to finish one chapter before a voice pulled him from his reverie. The voice sounded small, but oddly familiar. He only knew a few people in Kumogakure, was it that less-than-polite chuunin? No, that wasn't it...Oh yes, the kunai kid.

"Good as new," He replied, turning to the Uzumaki. "It is rather amazing what those medics can do isn't it?"

A brief pause as he carefully marked his page before speaking up again.

"So, what brings you here at this hour?"

It was a bit odd, the older man had hoped to miss the crowds and indeed he had. Yet, here was Sora. Strange coincidence to say the least, but life is like that and full of them.

He was fine, that made Sora sigh in relief. He hadn't wanted to permanently hurt the man or his career as a traveler. An awkward silence descended on them as they realized they were at the same training ground where the kunai had lodged in his leg. 

Iesada decided to break the silence again, and Sora almost sighed in relief again.

"So, what brings you here at this hour?" Iesada said. Sora smiled, "I was looking for a training partner, especially with that jutsu you used I was hoping to learn it. Could you tell me what that was and how I could learn it?" Sora basically begged/pleaded.

WC: 112

TWC: 534

Genjutsu, much like magic, lost its mystique when explained. Moreover, it lost its effectiveness, thus many users tended to keep their specialty a closely guarded secret. In fact, Iesada recalled reading about a particular genjutsu practitioner who passed himself off as a master ninjutsu user. Such feats were quite incredible and well out of reach for the older man at the moment, so what would peeling back the curtain just a bit hurt? He'd be fine, plus Sora seemed like an alright kid.

"Ah, well, you're in luck," Iesada said with a sedated smile. "I'd just finished my reading for the day."

He hadn't finished reading.

"I don't know if I can tell you about the second jutsu I used," He referenced the large meteor. "It wouldn't be fit for use by a novice who couldn't control it. However, I can tell you a bit about the first. If you recall the clones you encountered split into two when attacked, they were a genjutsu."

A pause to gather his thoughts.

"Yes, just an illusion and a relatively simple one at that called the Mist Servant technique. Think of it like your basic clone technique, but with a twist. Does that make sense?"

Iesada'd wait for confirmation of some sort. One thing he knew about humans was that they lacked an ability to process information dumps effectively. Sure, some people trained themselves to do so, but Sora did not strike him as one such person considering his younger age.

Sora's eyes flickered to the book and to Iesada in a second. Sora could obviously tell that the traveler wasn't done with his reading as it was opened in the middle. Did he always bother people? 

The boy frowned at the fact that he wouldn't be able to learn that fireball of doom thingy from Iesada, but the Mist Servants were just fine. He honestly thought they were just Water Clones, but apparently the jutsu was a Genjutsu. Sora guessed that the fireball of doom was a genjutsu too, but he couldn't be too sure.

As Iesada questioned him to see if he understood he'd slightly nod, "It seems pretty simple so far. Also, Iesada, if I'm interrupting you this can wait till another day."

Sora would then wait for the dark blue-haired boy to respond or start teaching.

WC: 148

TWC: 682

"You're not interrupting in the slightest," To prove his point he stood up and faced the boy, words didn't mean much without action. "And even if you were I wouldn't mind, so don't worry about it."

Iesada slowly walked through the hand seals, boar to rat. He didn't both applying his chakra just yet, that would come later. Theory was, after all, important.

"Like most jutsu the Mist Servant technique relies on hand seals to channel one's chakra. In this case, it is the boar and rat seals," He made the hand signs one more time. "Easy enough right? Personally, I find the actual act of channeling chakra a bit difficult. The way I think about it is as if you are creating a basic clone justu, but you pour more chakra into it."

It really was a good thing became a diplomat, teaching was not really his thing.

"Alright, now you try."

His teaching skills aside, the Yukigakure native could appreciate the wonders of teaching. Sure, he was helping Sora learn, but he was also helping himself solidify the basics. It was, without a doubt, a win-win.

Sora nodded as he listened to Iesada teaching him, he was glad he wasn't a bother, whenever he asked someone to train or spar it always seemed like he was a bother. He talked about hand seals which Sora already knew about, but he still listened, it was always best to listen even if you knew what was going on.

"Boar and Rat, hm?" Sora muttered to himself as he did the hand seals without channeling any chakra. Two simple hand seals for this Genjutsu, seemed easy enough already. When Iesada said, "Easy enough, right?" Sora immediately said, "Right!"

He then blushed, embarrassed at himself, and quickly apologized, "It's sort of a habit to answer any questions, even if rhetorical. It was something we had to do in the academy, continue, please."

Sora's blush would fade over time as he continued listening to Iesada. It seemed that he needed to think of creating a clone with way more chakra than regular while doing this, and as crazy as it is, that was how he used the regular Clone Jutsu. Uzumaki have way denser chakra than regular shinobi, and their chakra control is crap because of that, so he always would stack his clones full of chakra. That was how he passed the exam after all. Most sensors would see Sora as a bright light, so that was why it was so hard to get most jutsu down unless it was one with lots of chakra. 

The chocolate-brown haired boy took a crouching stance as he tried the jutsu, and instead of the clone jutsu, he thought of a more hazy, see-through version of Clone Jutsu, "Boar and Rat! Mist Servant Technique!"

Ten versions of Mist Servant Technique came into view causing Sora to smile, he had done it on his first try. He had probably gotten ten on his first try because of the fact that he had so much chakra.

"Thank you for teaching me that Iesada, I have to go, though, a few things I have to take care of for the orphanage. I'll see you later, friend," Sora said with a nod of his head and jumping off in the distance as the sun started to go down.


WC: 380

TWC: 1062

Requests: Mist Servant Technique

Stats: 5

Iesada watched in silence as Sora went through the motions of the jutsu. He did not speak up or try to lend a helping hand. If his time on earth had taught him anything it was that the struggle was important. The struggle was what made people strong and smart. You'd be surprised how much one can learn from failing.

Hint: it's a lot.

"It was my pleasure," He gave a single nod. "Have a good evening, Sora."

And with that, the Uzumaki ran off to wherever it was he was going. The former diplomat watched him go for a moment before returning to his seat. With any semblance of luck, he could finish his chapter and still have time for an evening stroll. Thus, with a turn of a page Iesada returned to a better time, a time where he could tuck his daughter in and read her to sleep. Those were, without a doubt, the very best of times.

{Exit & Topic closed, twc: 1146, claiming 5 stats and unlocking my first spec, Genjutsu [Note I didn't take my first spec and there are no rules in place for such a claim, so I'll just assume it's free]}

Approved @ Sora

@Iesada you get your first spec upon getting D-rank for free, you can also claim mist servant as you were training it within the thread. Approved for 5 stats though.