Sonata Key [Private/T]

[The Creator]

??/90

Within my soul rested the gifted power of the sky and the sea. Those were two majors components of the land that had given me strength to wander further but I still required more strength to be given to me. There was still plenty of the earth to gain from and I had much to learn before my spirit had earned all of its stripes. My eyes could not be torn from the beauty of the sea and sky, however, and I only wished that I could probe it with Tasukeru. I would never be able to, alas, and it saddened my heart.

My eyes fell upon the earth on which my soul's feet rested. I thought that I could feel a heartbeat, slight yet there, but it could very possibly be my own imagination. It was so slight that I perhaps imagined it into existence and that I did not perceive it at all. I reached down and grabbed for a hand full of soil, which I could not do given my incorporeal form, but seemed to feel the earth anyways. It was strong, almost like a father, a guardian and protector. It was what we took for granted, so I thought, and we strode upon its back every day without considering it at all. We build our houses and walls upon its back, not caring how it might strain it, knowing that the strength of the earth will allow it to rest.

But beyond the earth, or rather below it, was something even greater. I could see, but not see, great heat that dwarfed all magma known to man. No fire could heat the earthly materials that flowed like water under the earth on which we stood. That was the heart of the world, the sleeping giant on which we lived. I could feel it pulsing, and now I was sure it was a pulse of the world, that beat through me. But it did not thrum with a sickening beat but rather one that made me very calm and ensured my own safety upon its back. I felt soothed by its presence.

Suddenly a brownish color began to shine on by spiritual projection; I had earned my second color. Strength and resolve flooded through my physical form, but also the understanding of protection and love. It filled me like water overflowing its glass and warmth filled me like a fire. I could not help but smile at the feeling. I felt stronger, ready to walk the earth, or to visit placed that I knew very well. I feel as if I could walk the streets of the village by simply thinking of it...

And suddenly, I was there. I was weak and it was hard to walk but I was not frightened. The pedestrians did not see my weakened form but I was there, smiling at them all, reassured by the resounding heartbeat of the earth.

[The Creator]

??/90

I was invisible and incorporeal, not there but there, somewhere in Otogakure. I felt at once that something had brought me here, something that wanted me to see something. It was not the buildings, which were unnatural and not of the earth, and not the sky which sat above me still purple, or the ground which thrummed happily, but the people. My eyes were drawn to them: hundreds lined the streets. At first I was worried that they might see me and wish to hurt me, or that they would see my soul and think me some kind of monster, but I saw beyond that.

They were animals: creatures just like me. They were fearful for themselves like I was; some had transcended that and were worrisome for others. I saw them all, connected by the spirit of the world, and unaware of how they were all connected. They were caged beasts that seemed to hide in their cages, unaware of the thrumming spirit that seemed to so desperately wish to connect with them. And from this I could feel myself drawing power. For the souls of hundreds breathed like that of an animal, and the breath was beginning to be visible. A rainbow haze began to materialize around them: the interconnectedness that they seemed to ignore. It connected them all like streams to the sea but they were unaware. I wanted to scream at them, to make them see how lost they were. I could see a stream that touched me to that sea and I suddenly felt extremely relaxed amongst the people. For a moment, and the only moment I would ever know, I was not paranoid. I was free.

But soon the disease wracked my mind again: I was connected to brutes. I did not shut the connection off, because of how it empowered me, but I was wary of who I was connected to. Those who realized the connection would probably not be harmful, or so I thought at the time, but those who did not were like ferocious animals who did not know the power of compassion.

Nevertheless I knew at that point that my soul had grown stronger. My projection, far as it was, began to flicker in and out of existence. Those people would surely see me if I did not leave soon, and so I did, returning to Sonata Key, hurling through the space as if it were only footsteps away.

[The Creator]

??/90

I was back in Sonata Key among the familiar coast and volcano in the distance. My spiritual form now bloomed with white, brown, and blue and a rainbow connection protruded from my neck and floated up into the sky towards some invisible interconnectedness I had learned to share with other people. The earth thrummed healthily under me.

I figured that if I could draw strength from people, who were natural creations of the world or of it's owners, then the flora of the world would also be able to lend me some secrets as to having a stronger soul and connection to the world. There was a thicket of trees not too far away and I could eye it in the distance. I walked there in my astral form, and as I neared it, it seemed much more alive than I had ever noticed. They did not have souls as I did, for they were constructs of more advanced beings, but they were animalistic in nature. More savage than the beasts that walked the earth, these flora were alive but extremely unintellegent creatures. They could breathe and think, so I learned, but at a much slower pace. Such creatures whose ancestors were flora were also slow and thoughful creatures, so I learned from the spiritual composition of the trees, which alluded to the typical slowness of the plants.

They were in no rush like we were, so quick to die and move on. They lived much longer, many of our lifetimes passed before they felt both life and death. Because of this, they had no need to develop a quick thinking pattern; all was slow to their eyes. In any case, what inspired me is their laid back attitude. They could sense me there and regarded me slowly and thoughtfully, but how they did so and what they regarded me as probably resembled something as little as "there is something there". They could not discern more but it seems like they were not afraid of my being there. They seemed open to me, as nature often did to their human counterparts.

"We have the whole day" they seemed to say to me "to sit and enjoy the sun. And it might rain earlier, and we might enjoy that too." But after that their words ceased, and they would simply enjoy the sunshine as the day went on. I realized that I had been seeing the spirit of the flora from the start. The only visible change was that they were more alive than I had figured before I had reached out to them in my astral form. My resolve strengthed as they lent me their color: green. It folded into the others, adding a fourth to the palette of my soul, swirling with the browns and blues.

[The Creator]

??/90

I was still projecting my astral form on Sonata Key. My spirit now was a quilt of different colors: green, blue, brown, and white. I still needed more colors, however, because I knew the end result was a rainbow: quite a spectacle. I was unsure as to how many colors I was supposed to get before my spirit transformed into the rainbow it was meant to be or if I was to attain every color before I could be a "full" soul. I was not deterred but only patient; ready to train for as long as I had to.

I could see the trees dance in the wind: their branches seemed to talk to each other as they did. I looked back and saw the robes of my physical form displaces by the wind but I did not feel it upon my astral skin. I decided to seek strength from the wind: the breath of the earth. I knew the nature of wind slightly from my chakra training in its specific nature but the spiritual form, which seemed to tell so much more, eluded me. It would take more of feeling and listening than looking simply because one could only look at the result of wind, such as the trees blowing around that I had earlier seen, rather than see the wind itself. So I set myself up on the beach, where the cool wind of the sea would undoubtedly find me.

I closed my astral eyes and waited, hoping that the wind would find me, and I suddenly felt a faint warm feeling blow across me. I felt that it was the wind, because the spirit knows what it feels and it does not mix up signals like the mind does, and I waited for the wind to blow upon me again. It did, and it was a warm wind that seemed to rush forth from the sun, somewhere overhead, and heated not my skin but the flesh that was deeper than that. Where it originated, it was hard to say, but it was everywhere and nowhere at once. Wind was as close to a God as I had ever experienced for sometimes its touches did not favor me and sometimes it did. For true Gods are neutral and sometimes they benefit while sometimes they hinder.

The existence of the wind in its spiritual form seemed to surround me and spoke to me in a tongue I did not recognize. I heard it; not like the wind blowing against your ear and making that rushing sound that so often know well but rather it whistled and sang as it blew 'round me. I could not help but feel my mouth curl into a smile as it seemed to sing.

I opened my eyes, and it was gone. But not gone so much as still here but much quieter. For wind did not speak all the time but only when one really listened to it. If I closed my eyes I could hear its songs, perhaps, but I already had gained it's blessing. Upon my soul was the color red, and I am not sure where the color red originated from, but perhaps that is the true color of the wind when you close your eyes and listen to it, but it stained the skin of my astral form, adding yet another color to the magnificent rainbow that had begun to form.

[The Creator]

??/90

Sonata Key surrounded me but it was much more different than the Sonata Key I remember. The island was alive with the recognition of the spirit that seemed to amplify the existence of it. My spirit almost felt as strong as my physical form, so I found, and it would not be much longer until I was fully capable within my astral form.

I looked around the Key, attempting to discover something that might lend me it's spirit to aid me in my learning. However, as I looked, I found that nearly everything that I checked had already given me a gift of help. I turned towards the sky, that purple sky. There were no clouds in it but there was something: a bright orb that shined down in a rain of light, destroying all the shadows that tried to hide on the Key. I stared at it: the sun was not dangerous to stare at for those in the spirit form, and found that it, too, could help me in my endeavors.

I soon found that looking at the sun was like looking at someone who was looking at me from a very far distance. No distance on the earth, so I had begun to conclude, could be close to measuring that distance. In fact I had the feeling that this orb, which appeared to be only a dot in the sky, was much larger than anything I had every experienced or imagine. I tried to think of exactly what it was but it was not just a bright orb of light that hung in the sky.

I closed my eyes and let the spirit of the sun guide me, as I had done to all the spirits that had guided me so far, and it took me up, far, far above the sky, to show me what it was. When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded on all sides by night sky. I could tell because stars surrounded me: clusters and nebulae glowed with magnificent colors. But what dominated my gaze was the behemoth that stood before me. I looked up and down and could not see the end of it: it would go on further than my sight allowed. It was something akin to lava but greater: if lava were wind than it might be something close to what the sun was made up of.

"Even from far away," said the sun in a surprisingly soothe voice, "I watch over you." Its voice was a resounding vibration that seemed to come from all around. I blinked and suddenly I was back on Sonata Key. The sun was the key, the final piece to it all. I looked down and a rainbow surrounded me: I had earned my astral cloak. But even further than that, I had a bright core that would be where my heart was that shined like a miniature sun: the sun's final gift to me.

Overjoyed, I felt strong. The connections I had made with the world would be forever lasting, and I felt like a better person because of it. The strength that I had earned was resounding, and now the technique is more than what I had at first intended it to be: it was a brilliant lecture that had taught me how to live a better life.

[KoKoKo]

+78

[The Creator]

78/90

I sat upright in my physical body, looking around while slightly disoriented. I don't remember how I had gotten back into my body but such were the ways of Astral Projection. The way that I had done it was natural and now it was time to test the ability to walk among familiar places by forcing the soul out with chakra. I had not done that yet and I began to consider just how I would do that.

Obviously, sitting still and waiting for such an unreliable process to take place was not an ideal situation. The conditions would have to be simulated or otherwise circumvented by the use of chakra and a little bit of cleverness. I began to mold over the reasons and ways in my head, attempting to find a loophole or some other bit of trickery in order to advance through by using chakra. It was a timely process because all the strings that I grasped at were dead ends.

The first choice was to calm my physical body with chakra but that sounded like chakra of the genjutsu nature which I was unfamiliar and overall not very confident with. Another option would be to attempt to eject my soul using chakra but the side effects of that were surely unsafe. The last option that I thought of was to imagine my soul in a place I remembered and hope it materialized there. But with no real process to back that up, the final option seemed like a wild guess at what I could do. Still, as I sat and wracked my brain, I found no other way. Sighing at what I thought would be a desperate attempt, I sat quietly along the shoreline and closed my eyes, filling my thoughts with the perfect autobiographical recollection that I had.

I thought of many different places but there was one that stood out before it all: the one memory. It filled me before I could stop it and I was forced to replay it in my head. My parents, my "parents", stood before me in a familiar house. Wood paneled walls and carpeted flooring. It was in the dining room with a long, oaken table set on either side with a series of chairs. A painting hung on the far wall.

And suddenly there was a shift in memory that seemed to dive into reality and there was a blurred line of thought and reality that brought upon an intense feeling of vertigo. But as I attempted to blink the memory away several times, it refused to leave. As it was, I had projected myself into the house which I had run away from years ago. Terror seized me. Surely they had moved away? There was no way in hell that they'd still be here...right?

A shadow appeared in the doorway, and then a gasp. And there she was: my "mother", staring at me, thousands of miles away. I froze...

[The Creator]

??/90

Something bubbled in my mind, something like remembering a certain aspect of this jutsu that would allow me to speak.

"Shouta? Are you...dead?" asked the woman who used to be my mother. She thought that she was seeing my ghost, I suspected. Without thinking, chakra radiated from my form like a voice box, mimicking my voice precisely.

"Oh shit." I said although I did not have to open my mouth to say so. Now for the last part of learning this technique, leaving it. I tried to blink, to break my concentration. That didn't work. I tried handseals that were known for cancelling other jutsus, that did not work. I was beginning to panic: the calm patience that usually took over in these situations was denied by creeping anxiety.

"No..this is chakra. Where ARE you!?" she said. I gulped. At that moment, I wanted to be anywhere else bu here. And then..

Of course. I opened my physical eyes, looking back upon the Sonata Key coastline. I exhaled shakily. The technique was that of the soul: it filled the soul's desires, nothing else. Chakra only aided it; it was the soul's tool.

But worse things began to plague my mind: they would find me here.

[~Emi~]

Please don't use blockquotes in training posts, that makes the training seem longer. +10

[The Creator]

((Thank you for the advice but I will reserve the right to format my posts in my own manner. I hope that you're actually reading the posts for quality and not just looking at the length. In any case, thank you!))

88/90

The beach rolled back in forth in a lulling manner but my mind was far from the beach.

"All ninja, whether users of the physical or of chakra, should reflect upon their learning." Said the instructor. The walls of the academy were bare, my eyes were forced to him. "Doing so allows insights to find grooves in your neural synapses; you will thus learn at a much quicker and faster rate."

As I reflected upon the technique: Astral Projection, I thought of how the technique was that of the soul. Remembering the ignition and ending of the technique, it was brought upon and ended by the will of the soul and not by the clever manipulation of chakra. I would have to remember that. Furthermore the technique was based on how well the soul connected to its surroundings. The quest for the rainbow colors was a strong indicator of that. Lastly, the ability to talk while in the astral form was the only real use of chakra using the technique. It was a solid skill, though, and it would be used quite a bit in the future.

As I finished my reflections, I did feel as if I had a stronger understanding of the technique.

[Nira]

Simple meditation, so nothing much to say.

+2, Learned.

[The Creator]

Tasukeru (Seeing Life)
Rank: C, B, A, S
Skill: Doujutsu
Effect: Allows a full three hundred and sixty (360) degree field of vision and some predictability to physical attacks. Unlike Byakugan, the user sees life in its normal colors during this tech, no details spared. Signs of life, thermal readings and X Ray vision is near perfect. Can also read a determine the difference of a regular shinobi to that of one with a bloodline or if they house any foreign presence by the different chakra waves displayed when observed through Tasukeru. This does not mean one knows the BL right away. Must have encountered the BL before in order to know exactly who they are. The ‘C’ ranked version grants the user up to 50 meters of observing. Each new rank for the Jutsu will add 50 more meters. This can be trained multiple times after all the ranks are achieved in order to add 50 meters onto one’s total. Each extra training is worth an S ranked training.
Special: Although one is born with this jutsu, one must activate the eyes through training.
Drawback: Heavy chakra drain over time, especially when multiple phases of the Tasukeru are accessed. While Taijutsu can be predicted, the Onigami are not designed to have fast twitch muscles. As such, perfect blocking simply won’t happen all the time.
Description: Summoned through will, the scarlet eyes of the Onigami will grow a very vibrant neon red and all life becomes theirs to fully observe. Once activated, the user has a three hundred and sixty (360) degree field of vision, as well as the ability to see into other people’s bloods. For those allied to an Onigami, this jutsu is revered for making the Onigami known as the ultimate scouts.
Limit: Must be part of the Onigami BL.

000/120

I had thought of traveling back to Otogakure, for night was coming on, when I suddenly realized that I was no longer alone on Sonata Key. Red light began to pour from my eyes as I looked with the mystical power of Tasukeru. A male decked out in black robes, somewhere around 6'0, pale skin, and a hulking sword on his back. His eyes matched mine: they were filled with a malice that seemed to cut through the air between us.

"Come with me." he said. Wildly I somehow knew this day was coming. When the others, those shady characters I knew were out to get me, were coming for me. My heart leaped into my mouth as he spoke, and I was too terrified to move for a second. I managed to speak a single word.

"N-no." The voice was small, too small to be mine.

"It was not a question." he replied, pulling his blade over his shoulder. "I hope that Tasukeru is worth something." he said, pointing the blade at me. Just as I expected, he knew exactly who I was. There was no need for the mask. I removed it with trembling hands and I threw it aside. My reveal seemed to stun him, I could see his eyes widening as I did so. I looked around: he guarded the only land that connected back to the Land of Rice Patties. Sea surrounded me. If I jumped, I would not be able to make it to the shore without his getting there before me. No, someone was going to die on this Key. And it wasn't going to be me.

I scryed over him with Tasukeru, attempting to figure out everything about him. I could tell from the way that his hands were bandaged that he must be a craftsman of some sort and the way his eyes dilated in the sunlight made me think that he was used to working in darkness. His ankles twitched and it gave me the premonition that he was going to rush forth. He did but his rush was much quicker than I had expected. In fact, it was a shunshin no jutsu, used to bound across the Key in a matter of a second. He was on me within a blink and began to swing the broad side of his sword. Chakra flowed through my body: it was not enough time to paralyze his limbs, and it's not like it would end his swing anyways, but I had enough time to get away. I noticed his attack was not a killing blow...which terrified me. If he wanted to capture me...I blocked that thought.

The mysterious figure, henceforth named the Tinkerer from what I had ascertained with Tasukeru, suddenly found his sword smashing against wooden twigs. I had used a replacement jutsu, distancing myself some 20 meters. Could I make a run now? He turned, looking for me. No, if he could cover the distance of the Key within the second he would be on me in seconds. Scared shitless, I performed handseals with shaky hands. I slammed one hand down into the ground, pouring my chakra into it, trying to grind the soil together to make sand. The noise attracted his eye, and I saw him look at me. His eyes looked at me with curiosity and worry, from what I could discern from them.

"Come on, please, Shouta." he said. Don't listen to him, he's just going to kill you. Or torture you. Oh I should have left this place long ago. Oh..

For a minute he let me create my sand. My eyes were focused on the ground but I could still see him with Tasukeru. I watched for his ankles to twitch, indicating if he would attempt another shunshin no jutsu in my direction. He did not, at least for several seconds.

[The Creator]

??/120

I beheld The Tinkerer with some horror as chakra flooded through my hands into the ground. He had begun to walk, slowly, sword over his shoulder, regarding me with what my eyes perceived s annoyance. I stood up looking at him with Tasukeru, red light illuminating my dark robes, casting back the shadows that the setting sun had begun to deepen. Frightened, I held my right hand up, palm spread, as if to say 'stop right there'. He paused for a second, as if I was going to say something, but when only silence greeted him, he began walking again. I continued to hold that hand up while I recollected the half-seals needed for this Saton technique in my left hand. Performing them deftly, the sand began to levitate and collapse together, forming three humanoid shapes, about my size, using all of the sand.

"You're still wanting to fight." he said with what seemed like disappointment. I regarded him with Tasukeru, attempting to analyze every movement and expression. His shoulders seemed slumped and his back bent; he was surely not in any taijutsu form nor did he seem to be tense, as a taijutsu user should. I was not apt to believe that he was not a taijutsu user at all quite yet, only that he was not trying. The realization frightened me; if he was not trying, I don't want to see what trying was. As it was, my ninjutsu knowledge was limited and although I was considered a young prodigy that was all I was; I had only just graduated from the academy and my knowledge in techniques were low.

Just a bit closer. I thought to myself as he slowly walked closer. He was not very smart, I figured, charging in to fight an enemy he did not know. As soon as he was within 10 meters, a distance that Tasukeru could measure with some ease, I would begin a flurry of handseals. Chakra rushed forth as he continued lazily walking forward. Suddenly he stiffened; my chakra had coated his arms and legs, preventing their use and stopping the chakra flow in them. He would be unable to mould chakra due to the chakra coating his arms, stopping handseals, and unable to move anything other than his torso and head.

I looked at a smaller level, with Tasukeru, seeing his chakra system and how its signals were halted in their tracks. The bright blue system that seemed to branch into every part of his body began to dim in his extremities; that was my work. After I had discerned what I had intended I deactivated that level of Tasukeru, stopping the chakra drain it had on me.

He was only paralyzed for a second before the three clones rushed forth. Unable to defend, he would take a series of blows, fairly weak given the nature of the clones, to the face and torso. When his nose was bloodied and he was breathing deeply, as if extremely tired, I had the clones stop. They took up positions around him, arms cocked as if ready to throw hands again if ordered, waiting for my cue.

"Who are you?" I asked through gritted teeth. "Tell me or I'll kill you." I stood still, as it was what the paralysis technique required, but looked at him intently. He looked up at me from behind bruised eyes.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." he said. But I didn't believe him; that was only dodging the question. So be it. If he didn't want to talk, I would make him talk. But I did not know at that time that I should have killed him right there; he would prove a much greater enemy in the future than at that time I could have imagined.

[The Creator]

??/120

The situation was still in my favor. I had the opponent's arms and legs neutralized and he was surrounded by viscious sand clones. But as I looked at him with Tasukeru he did not look nervous or frightened about the current situation but still calm. What was this guy up to? I supposed that he was not going to talk so I would let the clones take another round at him. But as the clones began to let loose, he swung his sword, seemingly breaking the trance, taking out all three clones at once. The sand fell to the ground as I stood there with my mouth agape. I looked to check and his chakra was still neutralized in his arms and legs; he did not nullify the technique but rather reanimated his arms and legs.

"You've annoyed me, Shouta. You should have just come with." he said. Now a flash of anger scarred his face, if only for a second, as he continued towards me. He seemed to be walking in a clumsy manner but I was pinned in position. My mind was going a million miles a second: how did he break that technique? Scenarios popped in my head and vanished as he made his way forward; how did he reanimate his arms and legs? He could not have used any ninjitsu nor any medical techniques... I did not have time to delve further; he was too close. I was still blocking him from using any chakra but I would have to move soon and cancel that technique.

But for the time being, I moulded chakra in my chest, forming an arrow of sorts made from the wind element. It required no handseals and all I had to do was shoot it out. I opened my mouth and it came flying out straight at the opponent. But the arrow did not even get halfway towards the opponent before he shot, I mean shot out of the way. Faster than anything I think I've ever seen. Tasukeru could not trace it: he did not give any indication to it's movement. Man I should have known. There was a reason he wasn't moulding chakra..

But I had no time to share my conclusion. I ran, full sprint, away from the thicket in which I was hiding. Tasukeru had found him and saw fire erupting forth from his mouth. No handseals, no chakra; this was no man. This was a puppet. The thicket blazed in the sudden flame as smoke issued from the puppet's mouth. Suddenly I saw it, as if my eyes had been tricked somehow: the puppet was not a man at all: it was made of wood. The hair it had was gone, the skin color it had now resembled wood. Genjutsu. It must have been powerful or Tasukeru would have seen through it. And the controller must be further out than my Tasukeru could see or I would have been able to see him too. Damn these eyes! For all their power, they were still useless!

The puppet stood still, looking at me with those puppet eyes.

"Show yourself!" but did I really mean it? A genjutsu, puppet master? How powerful was this guy? How many puppets did he have? And just like that, my questions were answered.

[The Creator]

??/120

There are moments in one's life wherein one knows his defeat. Struggling, the hero might have overcome a series of opponents, and had begun to see the light of day. But something insidious, perhaps fate, introduced him to only more of the struggle which the hero was only barely able to overcome. I faced this now. Nevertheless, it was not in my intentions to give up. I might die here, or be captured alive, but I would at least shoot for the nigh impossible chance of winning this fight.

I used Tasukeru to begin to observe the puppets, to attempt to find out their strengths and weaknesses. Because of Tasukeru, I was able to scrutinize every part of each puppet within several moments, perhaps less than a second, which is when the following observations make place.

The genjutsu revealed, I know had a good look at the first puppet, the Tinkerer. He had a series of blades for fingers, which would make his close-quarter hand-to-hand techniques deadly. His large sword was still in his hand which gave him an edge in short-range battles. The length was massive and the strength needed was easily countered by the wood structure of the puppet. Black scars made lip-like markings around his mouth which were the signs of the flamethrower hidden in the thing's throat. His torso was covered with rags but beneath them was a contraption that looked like a launcher of some sort. Whether grenades or ranged weaponry, I could not say. That would make up for his lack of long-range attacking ability.

The second puppet had a darker wood color to it, suggesting that it was a stronger material. This puppet did not have hands but crossbows with contraptions attached to them that appeared to be automatic reloading devices. His eyes were glowing slightly which probably meant that he had several optical abilities that would rival my own: x-ray, thermal, perhaps even chakra sensing. Hiding would be impossible against this opponent. His legs were insect-like with multiple joints along them for agile movement. There were four of them, which reminded me something of a spider, and could be used for quick movement. In that case there were two fast moving puppets out of three; the second being a long-range puppet. Hidden in his mouth, so Tasukeru found, were three foot-long blades that could be spit out and wielded as a sword. Once again, this puppet had both short and long range capabilities.

The third puppet was large and hellish. It stood at seven feet tall and had a demonic appearance. It seemed to be the centerpiece of the collection with several capabilities. For hands it had spinning saw blades and on it's forearms two grenade launchers. It was not hidden so I could see the large barrel meant for the grenades. On it's shoulders were senbon launchers, capable of unleashing a storm of steel needles at a moment's notice. From it's mouth issued smoke from which smoke screens could definitely be created.

All this I noticed within a heartbeat with the amazing power of Tasukeru. There were no plans I could develop, however, other than to run for as long as I could. There were no defensive measures I possessed against grenade launchers nor speed to evade three puppets at once. The world blinked, very suddenly, as if someone tried to cast another genjutsu, but Tasukeru, and my ability to see through genjutsus, seem to catch it and disrupt it. Angered, the opponent attacked.

[The Creator]

??/120

The puppets had formed a semi-circle around me. Fortunately, with Tasukeru, I could not be flanked. Yet it was if they knew that as they did not attempt to circle me. They were each about thirty meters away from me: only small figures in the distance to my pov's eye. The one in the middle was the crossbow puppet and the right and left were the titan and the Tinkerer respectively. They all spoke at the same time:

"Now is your last chance to come peacefully." they said through a chorus of voices. But their voice were all the same: it was a technique where they were all being spoken through by one person. If only I could discern the chakra threads but alas, I could not see such things. I did not speak but only looked at them.

The middle responded to my silence by firing two bolts, one from each arm, at me. The two puppets flanking charged, one with a great sword being held and one with hands buzzing as saws. The one on the left seemed to fly at me and I thus sprinted right. I was not fast enough to dodge the bolts and was lucky enough for one to fly by me. The other grazed my left arm as I moved to the right. The puppets were quick, however, and my physical body was not strong enough to carry myself with such speed. Suddenly I felt my left arm numb; the weapons were poisoned. Dread crept over me.

This is the end. The world began to blur as the two puppets closed in. I was able to keep consciousness for longer than I had expected but was unable to form chakra and soon fell to my knees in exhasution. The one on the right, the titan puppet, came upon me, casting a shadow over me. Tasukeru continued to eye him even though my face was turned to the ground. A net erupted from his chest and surrounded me. I was caught. I wanted to cry but it was too late; I lost consciousness.

[The Creator]

??/120
Zen.

Peace.

Darkness wrapped me like a blanket and held me in a warm embrace. Had this always been here?

Even with Tasukeru, much is still hidden.

Who are you? I know where I am, and you should not be here. This is me: my conscious. Outsiders are not supposed to he here.

And yet...you are right. Tasukeru has failed me.

Tasukeru is a part of you. All you have to do is open your eyes.

I did what the stranger asked of me. The darkness seemed more like a mist than a blanket now. It was thin, hiding something beyond its shadowy veil.

What lies beyond the mist?, I asked the stranger. But it was quiet. Of course it was, I was the only one here. The darkness thickened and embraced me again. But I did not pull away: this darkness did not harbor evil things or thoughts. I knew it did not because it was ignorance, a darkness that was protection from dangerous knowledge.

Tasukeru fell asleep again. It was weak, and needed rest. I floated in the darkness for a while longer before all became blurry to me; and then I fell from the nothingness and into sleep once more.

[The Creator]

??/120

"What's that, Shouta?" Asked my father. We were both covered in shadow: the shadow of a mountain. Above us it towered, escaping up into the clouds, sloping gently up beneath our feet, a path that would reach up and touch the clouds.

"A mountain!" I answered. But the voice was young, not mine. My eyes glowed with a strange red light, a weak and young Tasukeru. It did not reach far, just to the tip of the base.

"How far can you see?" He asked, referring to the fabled eyes of the Onigami. I pointed, giving the general area where my sight gave out.

"Do you know why mountains are special?" He asked me, looking at me with brown eyes. Of course they were not red. There was no blood to link me with my father. But at the time I was engrossed in knowing why mountains were special.

"When you're on a mountain, you can see far!" He said, and I giggled in delight. Seeing far was something that was part of me: integral to what I was and what I would be. Mountains strengthened the Tasukeru, is what he told me, the natural friends of the Onigami. But I was too young to understand.

"Shouta, if you're seeing this," he continued, "find the mountain."

"But I found it dad!" I replied. But he smiled because he had not been talking to me. Not then. My blood froze. What was I?

[The Creator]

??/120

My eyes shot open as a I gasped for air. The memory of being captured flooded over me and I immediately sat up, Tasukeru's light flooding forth from my eyes. Indeed, I was captured. I looked around; I was not in a cell but in a sort of room. There was a single guard: a short woman with red hair in a blue and white outfit. She was standing not ten feet away from me, looking out a glass window, of which there were multiple in the room. Tasukeru looked past the walls and beyond the wooden frame of the house were rolling plains. Were we still in the Land of Rice Patties?

No matter, I would have to kill this guard and escape. I was fortunate enough not to give away my ability to perform one-handed handseals in the previous battle and it was the folly of my captor to believe that I would be unable to do handseals in this state. I performed the handseals for an Onigami technique, one that I did use in the previous battle, and the guard suddenly stiffened up.

"Agh!" she squealed. "You..how?"
There was a bucket of water in the room, probably for my interrogation, and I formed handseals in my other hand, still holding the paralysis in one hand, and picked the water up. It slowly began to flow towards my captor's mouth.

"Shouta, no! Wait!" said the girl, her words suddenly a frenzy. The water began to encircle her. Tasukeru had seen beyond the house: there were no other guards within 200 meters. There was no way they would be able to hear or see what was going on; there was no chance of our being interrupted.

"Fools, now you'll die." I told her, words dripping with malice. She would pay for trying to capture me, that was for sure! That would be a message to everyone else that would try to come after me after this!

"I'm your sister!" she screamed. But that was a lie. I had no sisters. Tasukeru turned to focus on the witch in front of me and scryed her like a hawk. My jaw dropped: red hair, red eyes. She was an Onigami? Tasukeru was not activated, or else she would have seen my handseals, but, indeed, there was a sudden possibility.

"You're Onigami. That doesn't mean you're my sister." I told her, not wanting to believe what she had said. Tasukeru could not see lies, but they could see her face. Water still circled around her head, threatening to pour down her throat and drown her right there in front of me. Her face was fearful; she knew that she was facing possible death. But it was also..something else. I could not pick up the emotion that she was feeling under her fear.

"Who are you and what do you want with me!" I yelled, fear beginning to rise up in me. I felt like I was beginning to believe her.

"Onigami Tomoko, you were given to foster parents for protection at a young age. Pedro & Esmerelda, remember? Your parents?"

Holy fuck. That was all that I could think. This was my sister. And she knew about my "parents".

"Do you believe me?"

"Were you the one I fought?"

"Yes...you didn't see me? Your Tasukeru...should have seen me."

"You were too far out."

"Oh my. It's still weak? Shouta, let me go, why are you still holding me?"

[The Creator]

((I'm sorry to whoever has the displeasure of grading this I am not feeling the writing love today.))

??/120

I released her and she then released me, under the agreement I wouldn't try to kill her anymore. I reluctantly accepted, still suspicious of her. We moved outside of the house, now water all over the wooden floors, and I soon realized that I was on a mountain.

Shouta, find the mountain.

"Why..are we here?" I asked, feeling memories begin to bubble up inside of me. Red light still flooded from my eyes: Tasukeru seemed to take little chakra here on the mountain. It was like I was free of its curse.

"You'll see soon enough. There are monks here to see you." she said, talking to me as if we had been acquainted for years. I looked at her, my apparent sister, who had, indeed, seemed to share my features. She turned back to look at me, her own Tasukeru flooding forth. "You should be seeing now. How far can you see with that?" she asked me. I shot her a defensive look.

"Further than you." I snapped. I took fierce pride in my eyes. I had spent years training them and they could see further than any doujutsu I have ever seen on another person. "200 meters." I answered. She smiled.

"Shouta!" she said in a mocking but playful tone. It sent chills down my spine. Ancestors, that felt too much like a family tone. "I can see 1000 meters." she said, as nonchalantly as possible. My jaw dropped, the second time within five minutes. 1 kilometer!? She could see that far? I suddenly felt disappointed in my own eyes.

"Don't feel ashamed." she said, turning to point at the world below us. "The Tasukeru grows stronger simply by living on a mountain. I've lived here my whole life!" Was it really that simple? I thought as I turned and looked at the world below. I could see far, further than normal it seemed, and Tasukeru seemed a breeze to maintain. I could not help but try to disbelieve it...but I couldn't.

"I'll get stronger." I resolved, still peering into the distance. That would explain how I could not have seen her perform her puppetry. When it came to long range fighting, she was truly long-range.

"Sure you will Shouta!" she said, smiling at me. "You don't know how great it is to see you, little brother." she said. And suddenly she was crying. I had not been paying attention; had she been crying all along? She suddenly embraced me and I flinched on instinct. She was taller than me and she had to bend down to hug me. She buried her face in my shoulder and I could feel the warm tears seeping through my shirt.

"It's...nice to meet you too." I said, finally. Emotion suddenly took hold of me. Is this what a real family was like?"