Very early in the morning, while the moon was still out, Kagejiro woke up and looked out the window. The light from the moon shown in on his face. It seemed to get brighter and brighter as he watched it. All the time a feeling started to arise in his gut. Acting on instinct, Kagejiro ripped off his blanket and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Pushing off the bed he stood up and pulled on his clothes. Pulling out a scroll he made chakra strings and connected to the puppet under his bed. It slowly crawled out and Kagejiro sealed it in the scroll. Looking back at the moon once more, with its mysterious glow, Kagejiro felt the pull once more. Turning he headed out the door. Walking down the street of Konoha, the moon’s light shown down on Kagejiro. Not many people were awake as at this time in the morning. As Kagejiro looked he saw only a few lights on in a few of the houses. Kagejiro looked back down the road and continued walking. Coming to the training ground area he continued walking to the Forest of Death. Kagejiro kept walking, going deeper and deeper into the forest. Finally, when he felt like he should, Kagejiro stopped in front of a large tree. Focusing his chakra in his feet, Kagejiro then ran up the tree. It was one of the largest trees in the forest. Passing branch after branch, Kagejiro kept going, the pull in his gut leading him to his destination. He passed a hawk’s nest and if squawked at him, flapping its wings in an attempt to be threatening. Reaching an especially sturdy branch, he stopped and stood at the base of the branch. Slowly he walked down the branch, walking to the very end. Sitting down he crossed his legs and started meditating. Letting his chakra freely flow in and out of his body, mixing with the tree he was on. The moon slowly fell as the day progressed. Kagejiro pictured the tree he was on in his mind. Slowly but surely he came in tune with the tree. Starting from the place he was sitting at Kagejiro gained the sense of the whole tree. The branch was first as his senses reached out and then up and down the whole trunk of the tree. Then it reached down into the roots, feeling into the earth. Then it reached up into the branches and leaves. He could feel the light breeze slowly move the leaves, how the tree top slowly swayed back and forth. Kagejiro slowly started to sway with the tree. Small wooden beams rose up from the branch and attached to Kagejiro. He started to sway back and forth with the tree. His skin turned a light brown as he seemed to meld with the tree. His senses continued to spread. It reached out from the tree he was on to the immediate trees around him. From there it reached from those immediate trees to a larger group. Then a larger group. Then an even larger group. This continued until his senses reached a very large area. Kagejiro seemed to be a part of the tree, his body looking like wood right from the tree. He swayed with the tree, being fully one with it. All of a sudden he noticed the chakra signature of someone he did not know at the edge of the circle of trees he was in tune with. Slowly the person moved closer and closer, and Kagejiro could tell he was coming for him. The man walked past the trees, the sun now coming over the horizon. The man stopped directly beneath the tree that Kagejiro was in. Kagejiro’s eyes snapped open. He quickly stood up, the wooden beams snapping, and he jumped off of the tree. When he landed he still seemed to be made of wood and he made a small crater in the soft earth. The man spun and looked at Kagejiro. Kagejiro straightened, and the wood covering his body slowly faded away. The man squinted. He wore a purplish outfit, and his eyes were ice blue, no pupils or whites of the eye shown. He did not have a head band and he seemed to squint at Kagejiro. Very quickly the shinobi threw three shuriken at Kagejiro. Acting on instincts alone Kagejiro put his feet together. A beam of wood lifted him into the air and the shuriken hit the wood, sticking in it. “I was told to kill you,” the shinobi said. “I don’t see why my master would want you dead. You may be a Senju but you are a mere genin!” The shinobi seemed to draw in a deep breath and held it. The trees stopped swaying and Kagejiro donned a confused look. The shinobi exhaled and a strong gust of wind pushed him back and into the air. Reaching out with one hand Kagejiro shot out a beam of wood from his palm. It reached out and latched on to the original beam he created. When the shinobi stopped Kagejiro took advantage of the spare time he had. Quickly, using a chakra string, he grabbed a scroll, pulled it out, unrolled it, summoned his puppet, rerolled it, and put it back. All done in a single, swift motion. The puppet cackled and creaked as it seemed to come alive with anticipation. The shinobi formed a hand sign and earth shot up from the ground in the shape of a large fist, coming straight at Kagejiro. Kagejiro had the puppet turn sideways and spin the scythe it held in its hand like a saw blade, cutting the earth in half as it passed by Kagejiro on the sides. The shinobi made another hand sign and four small puddles of water formed. They lashed out and pulled Kagejiro to his hands and knees. The puppet remained immobile. The shinobi laughed and walked up to Kagejiro. “Do you see what I mean? You are a mere genin. Where I come from I am one of the best assassins. I was trained to kill and not be seen. I am like a raven slowly flying over a snake, waiting to come down and swoop in when the time is right.” The shinobi drew a tanto from a hidden sheath and raised it. “And now here I am, in my right time.” The shinobi started to bring down the blade. Time seemed to slow down for Kagejiro. He noticed the root his hand was on. Without thinking he placed his chakra into the root. A tree branch whipped down and caught the wrist of the shinobi right as the blade was about to cut through the back of Kagejiro’s neck. The branch lifted the shinobi up and he cried out loud. The water tendrils still held Kagejiro down but he could tell what was going on. The branch wrapped around the shinobi’s neck, breaking his wrist and causing him to drop his blade. The branch slowly lifted up as the shinobi scrambled to try and break free. With a quick motion the branch cracked like a whip, and the shinobi’s neck cracked as well, killing him. The body fell to the ground with a thud as the water tendrils slowly fell apart. Roots came up from the ground and wrapped around the shinobi’s dead body. They slowly pulled it down into the ground. Kagejiro removed his hand from the root and sat up. He hugged himself and shivered, not from the cold, but from the event that just occurred. He brought his puppet over and resealed it back into the scroll. Sliding the scroll back into its place Kagejiro looked at the sun. It now cleared the horizon. Getting up Kagejiro stretched then was overcome by fatigue. He fell over on the root again and passed out. The root lightly wrapped around him and lifted him up to a lower branch, resting the genin in a small patch of leaves on a branch. Kagejiro slept, and as he slept he dreamed. He dreamed an extraordinary dream. In it he could talk to the trees. “where am i?” He asked. The trees seemed to grow gnarled wooden faces. The branches turned into arms and scraggly hands. They all caressed him, hugged him, and whispered sweet nothings into his ears. They soothed him and in his dream he fell asleep. When he woke up he woke up all the way into consciousness. The wind lightly blew and caused the leaves to stir. The rustling of the leaves sounded like whispers, whispers from the trees themselves. Kagejiro sat up and rubbed his eyes, thinking he was back at home. But when he looked down he saw he was up in a tree, laying in a nest-like area of leaves. Getting up he stretched and walked along the branch to the base of the tree. He jumped down and landed lightly on the soft earth. He opened his eyes in shock as the memory of the night before came rushing back to him. The swaying, the meditating, the fight, the dead body now under his feet. And for some reason it didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would. Walking back to the training ground Kagejiro tried to think of what he was going to do next. He hopped up onto one of the large training stumps and placed his elbow on his knee, and rested his chin in his hand. Thought after thought crossed his mind. He slept thought he whole day and the moon was shining down on him, this time earlier than the night before. A small cat came running out of the bushes and darted across the ground. A small dog came running after, chasing the cat all the way to the other side of the area and back into the bushes. Kagejiro straightened up and snapped his fingers. He formed a hand sign and the wood and said “wood sculpting jutsu.” The tree stump in front of him started to morph. It took the shape of a tree but it was still the same size of the stump. Wooden branches popped out the sides and became arms, and a gnarled face with a ridiculous smile appeared in the center of the tree. Kagejiro laughed because for some odd reason a saying popped in his head. Is there a problem officer? The wood continued to morph until it took the shape of a close friend of Kagejiro’s. This caused him to smile, remembering the fond memories he had made with this person. Maybe these two will become great people and allies as well in great nations. Still continuing to morph the wood finally stopped with the shape of an adult figure. Kagejiro had never seen the man before, so why would the wood take this shape? He obviously did not do this out of his consciousness. Hopping off the stump he was on he walked up to the figure. Its eyes were closed and its face was serene. Kagejiro studied it, looking at it up and down, going to the back of it even. When he came back around to the front of the wooden man he looked up at the face and stumbled, jumping back a bit. Its eyes were open and they seemed to be staring at him. Kagejiro closed his eyes and opened them again. The figure was still there and its eyes were still open, but it was now smiling. Heart racing Kagejiro did the jutsu again, turning the man back into the stump it originally was. Kagejiro sat down and leaned against the stump he was next to. Sighing he looked up at the sky. The moon was shining brightly in the sky. As he stared at it the moon pulsated its light. Again the feeling in his gut arose. Kagejiro looked at the forest and the trees seemed to separate where a single small tree stood. Kagejiro stood up slowly and looked at the tree. It seemed to wave at him. All of a sudden his feet started moving on their own. Step after step after step, Kagejiro moved closer and closer. Walking into the forest the trees closed behind him as he went by. He continued walking until he reached the tree. It had apple blossoms forming on its branches. The wind slightly blew and one of the branches slowly came down, lightly brushing his cheek. Kagejiro closed his eyes and savored the touch. When he opened his eyes again apple blossoms weren’t holding his cheek but a woman’s hand was. Kagejiro jumped in surprise. He looked at the tree but it wasn’t a tree anymore. It was a beautiful woman. She had apple blossoms in her hair and apple blossom under garments covering the sensitive areas. Kagejiro looked up at the beautiful woman. Who are you? He thought. The woman smiled and caressed his cheek in her soft palm. She leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips. “My boy,” she said. “Do you know what I am?” The woman’s voice echoed with a regal elegance only immortals had. Kagejiro shook his head no. the woman giggled and her voice rang like the most luxurious of bells. “My boy, I am a wood nymph, and I’m all alone… will you give me some company?” This was said with a hidden voluptuousness. Kagejiro couldn’t help but nod. The woman smiled and her eyes softened. She seemed to shrink down to his size, but kept all of her illustriousness. Her free hand swung down from holding the apple blossoms covering her body, causing all of her coverings to fall off. Her nude body shown in the moon light, her body gleaming with the sheen of a goddess. She touched Kagejiro’s shoulder and his clothes turned to leaves, falling off his body. Still frozen Kagejiro didn’t move. The nymph smiled and kissed him softly on the lips, caressing his face in her hands. They slowly fell back to the ground. She giggled once more and then her giggles were replaced by the sounds of breathing. All the while the moon pulsated its mysterious glowing light. When Kagejiro woke up in the morning he woke up next to the tree with the apple blossoms. He was lying nude on the ground with his clothes neatly folded beside him. His face flushed a bright red as he quickly threw on his clothes. When he was fully dressed he looked back at the tree. He remembered every vivid detail of the night before. Not knowing what to do he looked back into the sky. He slept through the day again and the moon was coming over the horizon. Kagejiro decided to walk back to the training ground. This time he had to weave in and out of the trees. They seemed to be even closer set together than before. Coming into the clearing Kagejiro saw a man. The wan wore a long outfit of white leaves. He had a long white beard and long white hair. His hands were gnarled and his eyes had cysts over them. Yet as Kagejiro walked into the clearing the man turned and looked at him. The man smiled and his teeth were perfect. They shined a bright white and they were all straight. The man motioned for Kagejiro to walk over to him. Kagejiro sighed and slowly walked over, his hands drooping at his sides. When Kagejiro reached the man, the man placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hello, Kagejiro,” the man said. Kagejiro looked up in surprise at the man. He was about to open his mouth but the man put a finger to his lips. “I know of all who live in Konoha, but I have taken more of an interest in you my dear boy. Here, follow me.” The man motioned with a small sweep of his hand for Kagejiro to follow and then started walking to the woods. Kagejiro willingly followed, eager to hear what the man had to say. “I have been watching you for quite some time my boy. You have taken to your heritage quite well. You remind me of the first Hokage. You see, my boy, Hashirama, the first Hokage, was a great man and supposedly the first man to know wood style abilities. Now only a few selected have this ability, and an even smaller few have the right to harness its full potential.” The man stopped and looked at Kagejiro. Kagejiro looked back at him with awe, confusion, amazement, and respect. Kagejiro noticed the man’s skin was becoming smoother and its color was returning. Also his hair had become shorter and touches of grey were in the white. “Kagejiro, my boy, you are one of those people. You have been chosen to unleash the full potential of your abilities.” The man laughed and smiled. “Even a wood nymph allowed you to take part in a sacred ceremony with her. That alone grants a certain amount of attributes to one who can commune with the trees.” Younger still. Now his hair was tamed, and his skin was that of a work hardened man, not that of a feeble being. His eyes were clear and his hair was all grey. “As time goes on the world becomes a more chaotic place. We need people, such as yourself, who can protect others from great dangers. I ask you a very serious question Kagejiro, will you, if given this power, protect those who cannot protect themselves? There are, of course, other stipulates that change who deserves protection.” Kagejiro looked at the man now in his older twenties. Yet he still seemed wise in many ways. Kagejiro raised one eyebrow in a look of confusion. The man laughed and sat down in a small clearing in the woods. Kagejiro sat down next to him, crossing his legs and landing with a soft plop. The man looked at Kagejiro and he now seemed to stop growing younger. “What I mean is that I’m sure you will know who gets protected and who gets what they deserve. I trust that no matter what you will make the right decision.” Kagejiro smiled. The man patted Kagejiro’s head. “So do you accept my offer?” Kagejiro nodded, being at a loss for words. I can’t believe it, he thought. Is this really happening? The man smiled and placed a hand on Kagejiro’s head. The man’s body glowed and started to turn into wood. When his body was fully wooden Kagejiro remembered where he saw the man from. It was the same man that the stump had turned into the night before. The man removed his hand from Kagejiro’s head and smiled once more. He then slowly sunk into the ground. Kagejiro stood there. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to move it was the fact he couldn’t. He couldn’t even move his eyes to blink, but it was like he didn’t need to. Slowly his body turned brown and became hard. Bark grew on his skin and over his eyes. He became a small tree. The first morning some little kids came up and climbed on the tree. The tree swat at one when one of the kids were about to carve on it. They ran away screaming. The next day a dog came up to the tree. It was a small dog, about the size of a poodle. It walked around the tree and sniffed the base. The dog then lifted its leg about to go use the restroom. One of the roots from the tree shot up and grabbed the dog. It lifted the canine into the air and threw it in a random direction. The next morning a man came up to the tree and sat under it. The sun was beating down and the man was sweating profusely. The branches of the tree came together to give the man better shade. That night, long after the man had left, the tree shivered and all of the leaves fell off of its branches. Then the branches receded. The tree took the form of a boy and the bark receded. Kagejiro’s skin returned to normal. He remembered nothing of the three days that had come to pass. The moon shone bright and Kagejiro felt empowered. He ran into the Forest of Death, running as fast as he can. He ran at a tree and focused his chakra into his feet, running up the tree. Stopping about midway he formed a hand sign and a beam of wood shot out from under his feet. This launched him through the air. Flying passed the trees Kagejiro closed his eyes. He sensed the trees as he passed by them. Quickly opening his eyes he reached straight up and grabbed a passing branch. It bent slightly, swinging him around and launching him into the air. Kagejiro soared passed the branches. The ones in his way seemed to bend around to allow him through as he flew past the canopy. He rose up into the air and seemed to slow down when he came across the moon. His silhouette seemed to cross the moon showing a regal image. He fell back into the tree. Its branches bent and the leaves cushioned his fall. Kagejiro landed on a branch and jumped from tree to tree. On one of his jumps he jumped straight at another tree. Realizing it was too late he braced himself for the impact. He felt a weird pressure feeling and then felt it go away. He came to a stop on a branch. When he opened his eyes he realized that he was a few trees away. Kagejiro ran ahead and jumped into another tree, coming out three trees ahead. Kagejiro laughed out loud, loud enough to stir up a flock of birds. Kagejiro jumped to the ground and formed a hand sign. The earth rumbled and eight large beams of wood erupted from the ground. They shot up into the air and came down on an angle. Kagejiro laughed again, then his eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out. The wood held itself around him like a cage, protecting his defenseless body. A pack of wolves came during the night right after Kagejiro passed out. They tried to break into the cage but it healed itself each time it received damage. The sun rose and the cage moved slightly to block the sun from reaching Kagejiro’s eyes. The next night Kagejiro woke up and the cage opened to let him out. The beams of wood sunk into the ground. Kagejiro had only a small amount of recollection from the night before. Kagejiro looked around and sat there. He looked to the left and there was another him there. Kagejiro fell backwards and the other laughed then helped him sit back up. “Who…who are you?” the original asked. “Why who else would I be? I am you!” the copy said. “I don’t get it…” the original Kagejiro said. He rubbed his temples and sighed. “Well just think of me as a friend then. Do you have any questions?” Kagejiro looked at the other him and sighed again. He didn’t know what to do. “What is going on? I have been out here doing these weird things. I mean they were willing but it was like I was watching from the background. I have no cl…” That was when the other cut him off. “Hey me, listen for a second okay? Some people lead better lives. Some don’t. Look at yourself. You are becoming a shinobi and have been chosen to wield a great power. You must realize this fact. You may use this power or not but you do have a great responsibility now. The elder has already talked to you. You already accepted what he gave you. Now you must do what you believe is the right thing.” Kagejiro looked at the mirror image of himself and guffawed. The other laughed. “Who are you?” Kagejiro asked the other. The other Kagejiro laughed. “I am you…aren’t i?” he grinned and his teeth were pointed. “Or am I?” The other laughed again. Then in a poof of smoke he was gone. Kagejiro was confused. He sat there looking in the direction of where…whatever it was, was originally sitting. Kagejiro knew what he had to and he was about to stand up when fatigue came over him again. Falling back to the ground Kagejiro passed out once more. When he woke back up the sun was coming over the horizon. Kagejiro looked at the sun and smiled to himself. Kagejiro stood up and stretched, letting the sun’s rays soak into his skin. The light seemed to fuel him up and energize him. Kagejiro thought about walking to the village, but he thought to himself that he needed to do something first. He walked back to the first tree he ever sat on. Slowly he walked into the tree. He came out to the exact branch that he first meditated on. And he was going to do it again. Walking to the edge of the branch he sat down and started meditating again. Starting from the place he was sitting at Kagejiro gained the sense of the whole tree. The branch was first as his senses reached out and then up and down the whole trunk of the tree. Then it reached down into the roots, feeling into the earth. Then it reached up into the branches and leaves. He could feel the light breeze slowly move the leaves, how the tree top slowly swayed back and forth. Kagejiro slowly started to sway with the tree. Small wooden beams rose up from the branch and attached to Kagejiro. He started to sway back and forth with the tree. His skin turned a light brown as he seemed to meld with the tree. His senses continued to spread. It reached out from the tree he was on to the immediate trees around him. From there it reached from those immediate trees to a larger group. Then a larger group. Then an even larger group. This continued until his senses reached a very large area. Kagejiro seemed to be a part of the tree, his body looking like wood right from the tree. He swayed with the tree, being fully one with it. Kagejiro smiled in his wooden form. The wind blew, the trees swayed, and he felt everything. It was like he was a part of the world nature had created. The beauty of it all awed Kagejiro to an extent that only those who have been in his position would understand. Kagejiro slowly opened his eyes this time. He slowly stood up, the wooden beams snapping, and he jumped off of the tree. He landed on the ground but did not make a crater. He slowly started to walk back to the village. As he walked the wood on his body became skin again. Reaching the edge of the Forest of Death Kagejiro walked out into the training field. Some of the Hyuuga clan were sparring around some of the stumps. They looked at Kagejiro in his new presence. His body seemed a glow with an ancient energy. One of the Hyuuga pointed at him and gasped. “Hey guys, it’s the same style of chakra that comes from the trees!” The other members stopped what they were doing as Kagejiro slowly walked by. He walked to the edge of the training ground and went on his way into the village. Once on the streets of Konoha, Kagejiro knew where he was going. Going towards the Uchiha Compound, Kagejiro was going to get a hold of his friend Higeki. When he slowly passed the great tree in the middle of Konoha he slowed down and savored the beauty of such a piece of art. Continuing on his way Kagejiro reached the boundary to the compound. His first step inside was greeted with an Uchiha guard. “And who might you be genin?” Kagejiro smiled. “I am Kagejiro Senju and I am here to see Higeki. I have something very important to tell him.” The Uchiha nodded. “Do you have any proof of who you are?” Kagejiro smiled. “Activate that sharingan and I’ll show you.” The Uchiha laughed and did so. Kagejiro thrust his hand forward and a large beam of wood extended from his hand, flying towards the Uchiha. It was too late for the Uchiha to react so he waited for the inevitable. The beam of wood stopped right at his nose then receded. The Uchiha nodded and moved aside, letting Kagejiro in. he went around the compound, looking for Higeki’s house. When he finally found it he stopped and thought about what he was going to say. This was a great break through and he didn’t want to screw up the surprise. “Aw to hell with it.” Kagejiro walked up to the door and knocked on it. As he knocked he realized that the door was made of wood. That all of the buildings were mostly made of wood. When he was starting to become impatient the door opened and Higeki appeared in the doorway. His eyes were thinned and Kagejiro realized it was still very early in the morning. But he couldn’t hold his excitement in any longer. “Higeki Higeki! I have some wonderful news! It started over a week ago! I woke up and went to the forest, and then did some stuff, and fell asleep, and …” Kagejiro continued to tell his best friend all that he could remember, starting from the beginning to the very end how he was just now standing there at the front door. He left some of the detail out about the wooden nymph but besides that he told Higeki everything. Even about the old man and the freaky copy. Kagejiro waited his reply.
Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:51 pm by 
