A Beautiful Day

fyodor666 · A Beautiful Day

The young man wandered through the vast fields of rice, enjoying the scenery. It was a sight better that the mountains he was used to, but for some reason, he still missed them. After all, they had been his home for the first ten years of his life. Still, he felt free here in the fields. He could venture out in the open as long as he didn't show any ninja skills, as nobody knew he was a ninja.

His name was Nushi, and he had been born in the mountains. After his parents had died, life had been tough, but he survived and thrived. Now he would continue to thrive. He had to find some way of learning more, but he couldn't think of anywhere that would teach him. His parents told him they had been rogues from Kumogakure, and that they had sheltered in the few mountains of the Land of Rice Fields to avoid the Hunter-nin.

But they had been caught and destroyed, their bodies left broken and shredded on the rocks of the plateau just outside their cave. Nushi had been out gathering water at the time, or he might have been killed with them, or maybe brought back. Either way, he was glad he had been gone, but he missed his parents.

Everwill

Everwill was on patrol. He mainly stuck to the farther borders, where the rice feilds lay. It would be where the first sign of intrusion would be, and with tensions high and tempers short, anything could happen. He strolled leisurely around the outskirts, his large white robe flapping in the gentle breeze. It's silky material rubbed lightly against his skin. He came upon a small river, and with a slight 'woosh' of his billowly white cloth pants, lept over it. As he landed a small clink was heard, the sound of his blade rustling around in the sheath strapped to his back. The sun beat down upon his bare chest, and his head gleamed with the it's glare. His whole presense seemed to give off the embodiment of power. Yet it wasn't a power to fear. It seemed...enlightened.

A few hours into the patrol he noticed a young man walking through the rice feilds. Now...who would this be I wonder... He began to think. He continued his patrol until he had found the same path the man had taken, then followed suit behind him. Everwill quickened the pace to catch up to the young man, and when he was about twenty feet behind him, called out in a low, yet approachable voice. "Excuse me, Might I ask you something?" Everwill continued to approach the man. "What is your name, and what business do you have in the lands of Rice?"

fyodor666

Nushi had been walking for a bit, but he heard someone catching up. Years of living in the mountains had given him sharp ears, and he had heard the man before he had called out. He slowed to a stop ofer the course of twenty feet, then turned around to face this person. Just by looking at him, Nushi could tell he was powerful, and that wasn;t even taking into consideration the guy's aura.

He seemed non-hostile though, so Nushi answered in a respectful tone. "Truly, it is customary to give your name before asking such questions of someone else, but I can tell from your forehead protector that you are a ninja, so I will answer regardless. My name is Nushi, and my business here is to relax." He had answered both questions, and now it was his turn. "If I may be so bold as to ask, what might your own name and business be here? We are far from Otogakure, which, judging by your protector, is where you are from."

Everwill

Everwill's cleanly shaven face widened as he smiled. "Sorry to disspoint you, but I think the last thing you would be doing in Otogakure is relaxing." Everwill gave a bow. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Nushi. I am Everwill of the Hirokimi's, and I am the protector of Otogakure and it's inhabitants." He rose from his bow, and took a deep breath. The air was crisp and clear here. "You see, Nushi, the Otokage Zieg, has been misconstrued as an evil tyrant. He is none of the thing, and now people are making attempts on his life. I am patrolling the outskirts of the village looking for suspicious activity, and you showed up on the radar."

Everwill ran a large hand across his bald head. "Nobody can be trusted, unfortunately." Everwill sighed. "They simply cannot leave us be. Truly sad. Can't let a grudge fall." Everwill closed his eyes a moment, and forgot the previous. "So, Nushi, where are you staying? If you don't have a place to stay I could get you a place."

fyodor666

Nushi pondered a moment, weighing the shinobi's words. He seemed sincere, and Nushi was starting to like him, but he had to be cautious. Last time he had gotten close to someone, they had turned on him and he had been forced to kill them.

"I am also pleased to make your aquaintance, Everwill. Please give my regards to your Otokage, and my sympathies for his situation, such as they are worth." He was sincere about this, as he knew little of the outside world and of what anyone had done.

When the man asked if he had a place to stay, Nushi sighed. "Don't worry, I have a home, though I rarely stay there. I mostly wander around, though I do return every so often to my cave in the mountains. But you seem like a very nice person. If you wouldn't mind, I read in a book that there are special abilities a ninja can learn. I believe they were called Kinobori and Suimen Hokou no Gyou, and I would like to learn them if I can."

He had given no sign that he was a shinobi, simply that he was curious in these abilities. He didn't say he knew anything about chakra, and would feign ignorance if necessary.

Everwill

"I will." Everwill said, in response to giving regards. The man went on about wanting to learn some skills. "Ah, those are ninja abilities. Tree Climbing and Water Walking. Useful for hunters, I say." Everwill brought his hands behind his back, and pushed, cracking it in multiple spots. "I could teach them to you if you'd like me to." he suggested, after giving a slight sigh. "There are more ninja patrolling, and it wouldn't hurt to take a small break."

Everwill didn't know much about this man. Being curteous wasn't a ruse, but an outsider coming into the lands of Rice and wanting to learn some jutsu seemed a little bit suspicious. Although he did say he had a house in town, Everwill simply had to ask. "However, I will teach them on some conditions." A small smirk grew across his face. "I just wanted to know, why would you be wanting to learn these jutsu? After all, that is what they are. Are you a ninja? Or simply someone in need of the jutsu?" Everwill watched for any sign of deception. Wasn't all too hard to pick out, when dealing with someone that he knew, but in this case it would be more difficult. He had just met this man a few minutes ago.

fyodor666

Nushi waited a moment before answering. He wasn't entirely sure it would be a lie to say that he wasn't, because he did not belong to any ninja village. Then again, he knew the techniques his parents had taught him and that he had learned from books. He hated lying.

"Hmmm... I suppose you could call me a ninja. I know more of these "jutsu" if that's what you mean. I know a few actually, Clone, Replacement, Instantaneous Body, and Manipulating Attack Blades." He left out Underground Projection Lure and Painful Sky Leg so he would still have a couple of surprises if it came to escaping, but he let none of his restraint show on his face. He may be against lying, but he wasn't against strategic truth.

Everwill

It seemed good enough for Everwill. He didn't mind helping out, after all, he wasn't really a bad person. Only certain individuals saw him as evil. To this day he didn't know why they saw him as that, but it didn't bother him that much. With a twitch of the nose, and a nod of the head, Everwill agreed. "Sure. Lets find a suitable place to teach you the following." Everwill went back down the small path until he came to a large oak in one of the crosspaths where the farmers walked. He waited until Nushi caught up, then began.

"First lets try Kinibori. You do the following handseals..." He said, going through the handseals calling out each one as he did them. "Then focus your chakra to your feet. You want to make sure you have some serious chakra control for these jutsu." Everwill concentrated, and moved his chakra to his feet. A slight blue aura could be seen. "Move your chakra to your feet, and once you think you have it, take on step onto the tree." Everwill placed one foot onto the tree, then another, then began to walk up it. He walked all the way up into the higher branches before perching himself in one. "Your turn. I'll give you pointers as I see fit."

fyodor666

Nushi followed his new teacher for a bit before coming to a large tree, an Oak by the look of it. When he heard his teacher say something about hand seals, he looked a bit confused, then saw him doing something with his hands and figured that must be what hand seals were. "I see, so they're called hand seals. The book I read didn't say what they were called, it just said they were required for most jutsu."

He performed the hand seals flawlessly, then focused chakra to his feet. He remembered his mother explaining something like this to him some time ago, but he hadn't been able to even come close. "So this is Kinobori? My mother used it on rock walls, but I assume it's the same theory." He walked forwards, constantly concentrating his chakra, forcing it to form a thin layer over his soles as his mother had told him.

Only now he was able to. He took one step on, and his foot stuck fast, so he took a second step, swinging his torso parallel to the ground, as he removed the first foot from the tree, eh lost his focus and fell. It was only a couple of feet down, but it still hurt. "Dammit!" he cursed.

Everwill

"Don't worry about it." chuckled Everwill. "It happens to the best of us. It might have taken the best ninja in the world one hundred tries to get up a tree using kinibori, it's simply one of those techniques that take time. Now try it again. This time when you take a step, make sure your foot is firmly planted before you concentrate more chakra into it." Everwill was surprised the boy got a foot on the tree before he fell. Usually people simply try to run up the tree, and either run smack dab into it, or fall straight back right away. Not this one. He had potential. Maybe a possible full time student....but for that he would definately need to know more about the individual, the story behind him, and whatnot. He never really had a full time student.

(OOC: Sorry for shortness, simply nothign to write about lol)

fyodor666

OOC: lol, I know.

IC: Nushi listened carefully to his temporary sensei's words. It seemed as though this Everwill guy was actually trying to help him, though he had learned to keep his guard up. "I see. It will be as you say, Everwill-sensei." He used the teacher term because this guy was technically teaching him.

He focused hard, and placed his foot firmly upon the tree. He gathered more chakra into it, and placed his second foot on, once again swinging his body parallel to the ground. He cautiously took one more step, making sure it was firmly planted, and then three more. He was getting excited, and he smiled, but that made him lose concentration. He fell painfully to the ground, but got up cursing and dusted himself off.

Everwill

"Very well done, I must say." Everwill said, hopping off the tree branch, landing beside Nushi. "I know not of many people whom can get that far on their second attempt. You do have potenial." Everwill looked out across the vast feilds of rice. With each breath of wind they rice waved like the ocean, swaying back and forth. "And please, no need for formalities. I've done too much wrong in my life for that. Everwill shall be fine." He smiled politely, and itched the back of his head.

"Now, I think you have the jist of tree climbing, there's always room for improvement, but you now know the bare essentials to it. From here you'll be able to experiment with the best way suitable for you. If you want to move on we could try water walking?" He suggested.

fyodor666

Nushi was very glad for the praise. It reminded him of his parents when he did something right, and even though he missed his parents, he knew they would want him to move on. He focused again on his feet, ignoring Everwill's suggeston that they continue to water walking, and stepped onto the tree. He made sure that each foot was firmly in place, and slowly walked up to where Everwill had been.

"HA! I did it!" he exclaimed as he jumped down beside the man. "Alright, we can move on to Water Walking now. I am eager to learn that too if it's as fun as Tree Climbing."

Everwill

Everwill was impressed. Got it on the third try. Heh, impressive. Water walking isn't as easy however... He thought to himself, grinning widely. "Good job. Very good. Now lets see if we can find some water." Everwill lept to the top of the tree, and scouted the area. This served two purposes, he could keep an eye out for any intrusions along the forest line, and try to find a moderately deep pool of water where he could teach Nushi. His eyes scanned the countryside, until he found the river he passed a few hours earlier. It seemed to be spring fed, the spring being only a few hundred meters away. "I think I found a spot." He called down to Nushi. Leaping off the treetop, he landed behind Nushi. Everwill pointed in the direction of the spring, "This way now. Follow me."

Everwill led the way through the rice, taking care not to trample through it, but more so walk along the riceline. When they finally came upon the small pool, Everwill turned and waited for Nushi to catch up. After this he and Nushi would part ways, perhaps forever. He never knew whom he would see again. Sasiko died in the war, one person he would never see again. As for he and Nushi? The future would tell.

fyodor666

Nushi came to the pool and looked into it. It wasn't very deep, perhaps three times his height at the deepest point, and he was confident in his swimming abilities. He looked at his reflection, staring back at him with honest eyes, and he knew what he had to do. He had to tell this guy the truth, even if it cost him his life.

"I am sorry, Everwill, but I have not been completely honest with you. It is time to tell you my story. You see, I was born in a cave in the mountains of this country. My parents were missing-nin that fled from Iwagakure no Sato because they didn't want their child to grow up in the cruelty of that village's Kage. When I was six years old, my parents were murdered while I was out by what I can only think were hunter-nin, though I don't understand how they found them after so long.

Still, I survived. I read their books in order to carry on their legacy, and that's why I know those jutsu." He had bowed his head by the end to hide his shame. He felt somehow responsible for their deaths, as they had created the forbidden fire when he had gotten sick. That was what had probably shown the hunter-nin where to look.

Everwill

Everwill's ears perked up as the truth came out. "Do not be ashamed of your past. If you do not embrace it then you cannot overcome it, and it shall hold you back." Everwill turned away from Nushi. "Though we will always have respect for the ones that brought us into the world, nobody lives forever. I'm sure your parents would want you to become as much as you can be, and live out their life." Everwill closed his eyes. "However do not get embracing confused with forgetting. It's a lesson learned to embrace, but a lesson lost to forget. But most of all be grateful, for at least you knew your parents. At least you knew that they were pure of heart." Everwill turned and smiled down at the man.

"Lets finish this here. Then whatever path fate aligns us on, if we meet again, I will share with you my story. You'll find it similar. It may even comfort you." Everwill brought his hands up to his chest and made the single handseal. "Perform this handseal, and once again focus the chakra to your feet." Everwill turned and took a step out onto the water. "It's a game of balance. Luckily this water is fairly still, but if you have to cross a river thats a different story." Everwill walked across the water almost as if it were ice, then turned. "I suggest you remove anything you don't want to get wet before attempting this." He said with a smirk.

fyodor666

Nushi was reassured, and smiled a bit as he romoved his pack of medical books. Those were, as far as he knew, irreplaceable. He remembered his parents then when he had tried to copy their medical jutsus after his father had been injured. He had failed, but his mother had explained how it was done in the hopes that one day he would succeed.

And medical jutsus required precise chakra control, which this exercise would give. He made the seal, then stepped out, focusing chakra as he had done for the tree. He knew instantly he was wrong when his foot went right through, and figured he knew what was wrong. The tree required chakra to attract, whereas the water required chakra to repulse. It should be a simple matter to succeed in this.

He focused again, moving the chakra to his feet, and stepped out. His first step seemed firm, so he took a second, then a third, and before he knew it, he was in the middle fo the pool. He remained focused, but that was when it all went horribly wrong. He fell through, sinking to the bottom. He held his breath in, and his instincts took over. He used the same repulsing method, madified slightly so it would fully work, to propel himself up to the surface.

He took a deep breath as he broke the water, and didn't even realize he was standing on the water until he caught his breath. "Umm... Everwill, is this right? I mean, I don;t know why it went wrong, or how I figured this out, but I think I've got it."

Everwill

"Well, You are walking on water, are you not?" Everwill smiled. "The reason it probably went wrong is because the amount of chakra you had on your feet wasn't equal. Since the water's surface isn't being disturbed, the inbalance of chakra beneath your feet led to an instability in the jutsu, creating the slight flaw which cause you to plunge. Like I said, much concentration is needed for this." Everwill looked up at the sun. It was three hours past midday. He glanced back down at Nushi, and said "I'm sorry for the following, but I must get on with the patrol." He turned from Nushi and began walking back to the forestline. "Until our paths cross again! Keep working at your skills, you have potential to become a great ninja!" He called out, before breaking into a jog and speeding off.

fyodor666

"Thank you so much, Everwill-sama! I won't forget what you have done for me!" he called after his tutor. It was true he would never forget that man. He had never heard of anyone from Otogakure being so nice, let alone someone so powerful. He had a feeling that this Everwill fellow may have been one of the legendary Sannin.

He walked back to the pool's egde, and stepped off. It seemed he had learned the proper technique to this, so he went back to enjoying the fields. He walked through them, brushing his hands across the plants, and wondered when their paths would cross again.