Looking Up

Yurei sat upon his bed, looking up at his ceiling. The night had been a long one, and Yurei could not fall to rest for the life of him. So instead he watched, staring up at the ceiling above him, lost in thought. It was silent and cold, the moon casting its light through the room, illuminating it in a captivating blue display. Yurei closed his eyes once more, taking a deep breath. Things could be better.
The Uchiha felt claustrophobic -trapped, and unable to move. It was suffocating, really, much like attempting to breathe through a straw.
So much had happened. Akio, the owls, preparation for this next exam…
In all of Yurei’s dreams, he never imagined this much stress as a shinobi in Hoshigakure. It was torment, truly, but nothing he couldn’t handle. Or so he kept telling himself. Yurei found it hard to deny how this place had affected him, what it had wrought. There was so much pain, hatred, and sorrow, yet there was little happiness. He had to find enjoyment in the little things. His mother, his friends, training, but mostly the future. A better future. One where no one would be put through what happened to him. This village – it shapes you. Molds you. It tries its damnedest to shake you to your core and wither it away until all that remains is a shell. But Yurei was tenacious, perseverant. Nothing could stand in his way – he wouldn’t let it!
But tonight, he felt it – that weight. And the longer one holds onto it, the heavier it becomes.
So the Uchiha stared up at his ceiling, waiting for the feeling to pass as it usually did. He had to forget, to lose himself in his aspirations. But he did not know he was doing it.
Maintaining a façade was easy, for both himself and others. Yurei often tricked himself with dreams and ideals that were far from reach, but he kept going, unable to give up.
The alabaster Chuunin stood, sighing as he did so. If I can’t sleep, I may as well be productive. There was still his mission – his ultimate goal. In order to complete that, Yurei needed to pass the Jounin exam. That’s where ninjutsu came in – it also served as an excellent distraction.
Yurei slid open his door, tying his robes around him as he stepped out into the dark and cold hallway. Moonlight reflected off of the outside wall from his room, illuminating the rest of the dark space if only slightly. The Uchiha took a deep breath, and began to walk forward. He quickly reached his front door and placed his shoes on. With a quick slash of the arm, Yurei slid open the door, careful to not allow it to hit its guard. With that, he stepped into the night, hit with its chill air.
Yurei shook as he walked forward, his breath visible from the moon’s illumination and the frozen air combined. Through the suburbs he walked, passing each of the houses and counting the twinkle each had from the light’s reflection off of their sandy textures.
The Uchiha shook with cold, treading onward. This night was particularly freezing, but it was a change of pace from the suffocating heat. Yurei yawned, shaking as he did so.
The Uchiha had little in mind as he walked through the streets. Ninjutsu was certain, but which? There were so many, and, unlike genjutsu, they varied much more in typical and practical ability. The boy recalled his fight with Akemi and Tenma, thinking back to the techniques he used. He had overpowered both with his genjutsu, but what if it failed?
Offense. That’s what I need.
Yurei cycled within his mind. He had read about and seen so many jutsu, but what stood out to him? The boy thought, raising his hand to his lips as he continued walking. The interest in ninjutsu seemed to sap away the intense cold, placing it on the back burner. Lightning. That’s it.
The lightning element was host to various applications, much like fire. It centered around stunning and destruction, but was more refined, precise than the wild roars of blazes. Yurei nodded to himself, recalling the various jutsu he had read at his house when one finally came to mind. Arcing lightning, now that was an impressive jutsu. It was relatively simple, had an excellent range, and was very quick, much like the element itself.
Yurei himself was not particularly fond of close quarters, but he was fast, and even in close quarters, this jutsu would still be affective, especially against a combatant with weapons. The jutsu itself happened to be attracted to metal.
The jutsu brought a smile to the Uchiha’s face. There it was – excitement. The owls had certainly caused it as well, and, only now was the reality of it hitting Yurei. This, however, was not shrouded in mystery. It was concrete, sure, and definite. Despite his ambitions, Yurei did enjoy what was inarguably true. Guessing games ruled his life, so certainty naturally filled the void.
Yurei continued walking, finally reaching the marketplace in the center of the village. It was, of course, heavily populated, and the people and the friction between them radiated with heat.
Concluded with his thoughts, Yurei became cold once more, pushing himself into the crowd of people. The numerous coats, jackets, and, disgustingly enough, hot breath, warmed the boy as he smelled the various aromas of soups and fresh fruits. Yurei took a deep breath through his nostrils, smelling the seasoned ramen and the sliced kiwi. The aromas were potent, and the sparked a craving within Yurei.
However, the Uchiha regretfully brushed it off, continuing through the crowd and rejecting the tempting meal that waited in the crowds.
When he finally made it through the crowd, Yurei took a deep breath, filling his lungs and, unfortunately, the back of his throat, with freezing air. His mouth had become dry, feet and hands ice hold. But soon, all of that would change. Yurei pressed forward, entering the shinobi district of Hoshigakure. Inside, he passed the ninja academy as he did every time, and he continued on to the training grounds.
Winding through the district, Yurei slowly paced himself as he came through to the training grounds. It was exceptionally quiet, a rather dull and cold contrast to the heated marketplace, but there was freedom in silence – both external and in one’s self. Yurei took another deep breath, quickly stopping to swallow. The boy looked up to the sky, trying to remember the handseals behind his new jutsu. “Now, how many were there..?” he’d say, pondering the question. It had been awhile since he had last seen the jutsu. Were there three? Or just one?
Yurei shrugged, throwing three handseals before him.
With a charge of bright electricity, Yurei smiled, confident he had completed the jutsu.
And then it sparked, exploding in his face.
“WAH!” Yurei yelled, flying back as his muscles tensed. He groaned, picking himself up. “I don’t guess there’s three. Is… it is just two?”
Yurei’s lips ran to the corner of his mouth, expanding his cheeks as he thought. With the flash of two handseals, the boy focused his chakra, calling upon the lightning element. Static ran up his body and then exited through his hands, launching a torrent of lightning into the sand before him.
In a flash, the sand launched into the air and froze, solidifying as it did with Yurei’s fire jutsu.
When the sand settled, a wall of sand rested before Yurei, each with groves and holes. The boy smiled, but then he remembered the jutsu’s second function. The Uchiha walked to the struction, placing Shinigami in one of the groves and three kunai in the others.
Stepping back, Yurei signed the same handseals, and extended his right hand forward. He felt the chakra building up in his body, tingling it as the power unleashed from his fingertips. In a brilliant blue display, lightning flickered forward, crackling and hissing as it arced between its targets, illuminating each of the weapons with heat. Yurei smiled, the blue reflection emanating from his hands giving a flicker in his eyes.
Soon the jutsu faded, the hisses of the scorched metal dissipating as Yurei lowered his hand. So, this was the full power of the jutsu. It packed a punch with weapons, but with people? The damage would be much more severe.
Yurei smiled, quickly giving the signs for great fireball. Heat swelled within his lungs, and, with the force of his fire chakra, Yurei unleashed the great ball of fire, shattering the glassy sand structure that lay before him. The fireball was much slower, not nearly as effective as this new jutsu.
The alabaster Uchiha smiled, sitting down in the cold sand. He sighed, popping his tingling hands and meeting the warm fire chakra in his throat with the cold of night. “Inner flame,” he whispered, now free from the public eye. Yurei had forgotten the chill of the night, but this jutsu aided him in it. The boy’s white skin grew warm, his fire chakra surging through his body. Yurei leaned back, staring up at the sky. Each of the stars twinkled brightly, one brighter than the last.
It was a calming experience, really – to relax. Yurei did not often do it, but to lose himself in the stars was perhaps something he needed, despite not wanting it. “Akio,” he said, smiling. “Damon. It’s gonna be the three of us. Years from now, we’ll all look up at this sky, finally able to relax. Finally able to enjoy the peace in this village that we’ll all create.”

WC: 1617


[Exit]


Claiming:

16 AP, Arcing Lightning (3000/3000; Max Stats) Carried over from this

approved