Cultivating A Field

Mission:

Ishii was getting to be exhausted once again. He had run himself nearly to the bone working on the farm that he had been hired at, and his hands were getting cut up from ripping up so many weeds. The farmer in charge of the place had apparently gotten enough money to where he could afford a second location, so he was hiring shinobi to keep his main farm clean and tidy while he looked for more steady employees. When Ishii had gotten the mission, it had sounded as though it would be idyllic. So much of the media he had consumed painted life on the farm as being peaceful, calming, and good for the soul. A simple rural life being a potential retirement at the end of a long career, where you can live out the rest of your days in ease and bliss. What Ishii was discovering however, was that life as a farmer was anything but peaceful and idyllic. There was a large amount of manual grunt work that needed to be done just to keep the farm in shape, and Ishii was beginning to suffer dehydration from both the excessive heat and the blood sucking insects. "Remind me. Why do so many writers seem to believe that this is the ideal living situation? It seems to be nothing more than hard labor. This isn't exactly something to strive for if you ask me."
The voice responded. "It's simple. It represents a return to simplicity, and adherence to tradition. Honoring your ancestors and the like. It isn't the lifestyle itself that attracts people to it, but the meaning that it holds in the eyes of the people who live it."
Ishii snorted, plucking the last weed in the pasture that he was working on. "I've never been one for symbology. What it means is what it is in my eyes."
"Just because you can't appreciate the hidden meaning that lies within something doesn't mean that someone else can't. Besides, I would expect that you would hold more reverence for symbology, considering the clan that you come from. Symbology practically drips through every aspect of it."
Ishii sighed. "Not that I would know something like that, considering I don't know anything at all about the clan that I come from. I suppose that you won't be elaborating on what that means, will you?" If the voice could shake its head, it would be doing so. "Helpful as ever I see. Now that I think of it, you've promised to train me in the ways of my clan, and yet you haven't yet meaningfully taught me anything. You've just given vague hints as to what I could potentially accomplish, not anything that would actually be a feasible or possible goal for me to work towards." Ishii stood up, and began walking towards an empty area of the farm. "You know what? We're changing that today. I'm not letting you skirt away from it any more. I'm done with the work that I need to do for the time, so there's nothing keeping us from doing a little training here before we return back to our apartment. You're going to teach me at least something, or we're not leaving this farm."

Ishii sat still in the middle of the farm, closing his eyes and meditating. The voice tried its best to convince Ishii that it couldn't teach him, that it didn't know how, that there were some rules against it, that it wouldn't matter anyway, that it would be cheating, but Ishii was having none of it. He had meant what he said. He wasn't leaving this farm until some sort of useful knowledge had been given to him. Eventually the voice gave in with a loud sigh. "You're not giving up, are you?"
Ishii nodded, opening his eyes to the world around him. "No, I'm not giving up. Not today. I want to know something, anything about my abilities. To know that they're there, and just out of reach is... frustrating. To know that I have a clan, but have no knowledge of its history, is aggravating. You have the answers that I want, and I've remained passive about it for years. I'm even willing to remain passive for years to come. I just want something. Just to know that what you say is real. That you aren't just some voice in my head, no different from others who went crazy before me."
The voice remained silent for a while after that, contemplating its next words carefully. "I... understand. Ishii, the reason that I didn't say anything for as long as I did is because I didn't want you too depend on me too much. I wanted you curious yes, but I wanted you to seek the answers on your own. If I were to simply hand you what you want to know on a silver platter, you would never grow." Ishii was about to speak, but the voice silenced him. "Don't say anything. You're right. I've made promises that I haven't delivered on, and I know you want assurance that I'm not just the delusions of your subconscious. I'm ready to teach you something. Don't get the wrong idea however, I'm not going to teach you everything there is to know. You still need to learn and grow on your own, and me holding your hand won't help you accomplish that. One little thing though shouldn't be too difficult. Close your eyes Ishii, and follow my instruction."
Ishii did as he was told, smiling softly as he did. He couldn't lie, the idea of finally being able to learn his clan abilities was exhilarating. It was a moment that he had been waiting for for quite a while now. Ever since he had learned of his heritage and the powers that came with it, he had wanted to learn more. He hungered for that knowledge for so long, and knowing now that hew was about to be rewarded for his patience was almost more than he could take. "What is it that you're planning to teach me? Are you going to teach me a powerful forgotten jutsu of some kind? Some kind of ninjutsu that's been carried down for generations?"
"Close. It's something a bit more fundamental to this clan's abilities. It isn't ninjutsu either. Your chakra control is stronger than most Ishii, stronger by a lot. Your raw ability with it is frightening to say the least, and there's good reason for that. Your clan needs an incredible amount of control for what they do. It makes your chakra a bit more... fluid than most people's. It makes it easier to learn to control it to a great degree. As such, techniques emphasizing control over raw force would be more fitting for you."
Ishii listened with eager ears, drinking in the words that the voice said as if his life depended on it. "My chakra control is that impressive, is it? Like a medical ninja?"
Ishii could practically feel the voice nod. "Yes, like a medical ninja. Although that isn't the only type of shinobi that uses intense chakra control. Sensory types, Genjutsu types, and most importantly, Space-Time Ninjutsu. Raw ninjutsu, or just Ninjutsu as it would be called, relies a lot more on a shinobi's inherent level of vitality and chakra. It makes big flashy effects, and can be quite powerful in its own right, but ultimately it isn't suited for you. For one, you don't have the natural chakra reserves needed to become one of the greats. Mind you, that isn't to say that you wouldn't make a decent Ninjutsu user if you tried, it just doesn't suit your natural talents as effectively as other specialties would. Your clan in particular is one that's proficient in the art of Space-Time techniques. These rely less on raw power, and more on the refined control of your chakra. In this department, you excel by a landslide."
Ishii pondered for a moment. "That's right. I used to study Space-Time Ninjutsu back at the academy. I actually got to be relatively good at it. Can I ask how this is supposed to relate to the abilities of my clan?"
"That, is a story for another time. All that you need to know is that it simply is. Think of it as a fact of life, just like the sun rising and setting. Whatever the case, Space-Time Ninjutsu allows just that, the ability to manipulate space and time. This could be used in a number of ways, but one of these is to summon and conjure creatures to assist you in combat. I can teach you to forge a contract with one of these creatures. In exchange, they'll assist you in battle."
Ishii didn't know what he felt in response to hearing that. Was it joy? Maybe. The idea of having a companion that could properly watch his back was certainly appealing. "I remember hearing about that. I'm not in the mood to go on a grand journey to acquire a summon though. I don't have time, and I still have the chuunin exams to worry about."
"Normally you would need to go on a journey yes, but not for these summons. These are... a bit different. It's going to require a lot of guidance, but I can help you forge a pact with these animals without moving from this spot. I don't think that you'll be able to conjure them for more than a few moments right now, but that should change as you grow in power. For now, just keep your eyes closed, and let your thoughts fade away." Ishii followed directions, and let his mind fade for the time being. It was difficult considering the errant intrusive thought, but eventually he managed to achieve a sense of stasis in this state. "Good. That's the first step. Next, I want you to try to open your eyes without opening your eyelids. Try to see what lies beneath the surface of the world around you. I know how it sounds, and you may not get it immediately, but trust me. It's imperative that you do this if you want to forge a contract."
Ishii tried to follow suit once again. This time however, the request was far more difficult. Try as Ishii might, he couldn't open his eyes in the way that the voice asked. "It just isn't possible. I can't open my eyes like that. If I try, I just end up opening my real eyes with them." Ishii tried it once again to demonstrate, and it clicked. Ishii managed to do it.

It was... strange, to say the least. Ishii didn't really remember what happened after he follow the voice's instructions. After he opened his eyes without opening his eyelids, he was left in some other realm it seemed. He vaguely remembered a deer with wings, but aside from that, it felt like nothing but a dream. Ishii woke up in the middle of the field at the dead of night. The sun had faded from the sky long ago, and Ishii was frozen from the cold of the night. "That... was another reason that I wanted to wait. I figured you might pass out. Best you didn't do it when you were exposed to the elements. Regardless, what's done is done, and you accomplished it all the same. How do you feel?"
Cold was the most obvious answer, but deep inside Ishii, he felt something fundamentally different that he couldn't place. He felt like there was lightning in his blood, and he felt stronger somehow. He could practically feel the chakra that was bouncing through his body, and it moved near flawlessly at his command. Ishii stood up and flexed his muscles. The cold instantly dissipated. "I feel... stronger. More in tune with myself, if that makes any sense. I don't know how else I would describe it. It feels like something that was asleep inside me just woke up. Does that normally happen?"
The voice's response was one of confusion. "No, not at all. I have no idea what it is that you're referring to. I simply helped you forge a summoning contract, it wasn't supposed to do anything other than let you summon the race you made the contract with. Are you sure that you're feeling alright?"
Ishii turned about, experimenting with the new feeling inside his body. He gazed out over the now clean fields of the farm, and smiled. Not his standard half smile, but a true, deep smile. "Yes. I don't know if I've ever felt better."

Word Count: 2106

Exit Claims:

Approved