1

Yoshiro and his chuunin returned to the Water Monastery, beaten up from their encounter with Aizen. Mamoru met the shinobi at the entrance, noticing their cuts and bruises. Yoshiro wasn't a familiar face to him, so he was even more alarmed. He disregarded it all with a fake but obviously worried smile, trying not to cause awkwardness.

"Is everything alright?" Mamoru noticed the jounin's eye-patch.

"Does it look like everything's alright?" Yoshiro responded.

The Shiryoku was formed shortly after Yuto's banishment, and the hunter-ninja of Kirigakure had trouble dealing with them. Most of it's membership is completely unknown, aside from its' executives, but the Military Police Force estimated a population of four thousand members. The thought of civil war already scared the entirety of Kirigakure, but Yoshiro knew better than anyone else that civil war would not end well for the hidden village.

"I apologize for asking, sir." Mamoru walked the shinobi into the monastery's courtyard. The monks were eating supper in the dining hall, but Luciel lost his appetite during the battle on the bridge. Thoughts of the Igarashi clan plagued his mind, whether he liked it or not. Yoshiro didn't have an appetite either. He was tired, and all he wanted was sleep. This wasn't normal for him; despite his fitness, Yoshiro was typically hungry all the time.

"Yoshiro?" Luciel approached him. He respected his sensei a great deal, and it was evident. Yoshiro was not only very powerful, but also kind and humble.

"What's up."

"Have you heard anything about the Igarashi clan?"

"Of course. Their water and lightning release techniques were phenomenal, and their Cursed Seal of the Fifty Storms were feared across the entire Land of Water. I was surprised to notice Aizen had one of those curse marks."

"Can you teach me lightning release?"

"Not a problem. We can start tomorrow... Y'know, you could make a great sensei one day. It'd be a hell of a responsibility, but I believe you have what it takes."

"I might think about it."

"Don't stress yourself about it too much. Teaching is an amazing experience, and I think it suits you well."

The shinobi entered the dining hall, catching a glimpse of monks eating a simple meal, just smoked fish with dark breads and fresh vegetables, off a small round table and sitting on the floor with legs crossed. Outside the hall's entrance was a peculiar set of kanji that instantly struck Yuuki, enticing him to read aloud. The kanji themselves were incredibly hard, struggling to fit on the plaque, so they were hard to read.

"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves."

Asami noticed the fascination of the chuunin, and it was amusing to her, so she felt obligated to elaborate. "The original proverb was 'Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draws it. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves'. This was my father's favorite proverb. He even created this plaque himself."

"For some reason, this quote interests me. My father is actually an immigrant from the Land of Fire, and my uncle is the Nara family's head. Maybe it's the shadow aspect of the proverb, I dunno. But I like it." Yuuki had no idea what the quote meant.

"I've read that quote before," Osame asserted. "It's probably one of my favorite too."

"My father often incorporated this into the monk's training sessions. Instead of the elemental nature transformations, we focus more on yin release, employing the energy of the spirit or imagination, and yang release, employing the energy of the physical world. There is nothing more beautiful than the amalgamation of the mind and flesh." Asami said.

Mamoru overheard the conversation and decided to join in. "Y'know, during the Fourth Shinobi World War, scientists throughout the shinobi world discovered that the strongest nature transformation ever recorded in history was a kekkei tota involving yang release. Legend has it, one of the few known inheritors of this kekkei tota, Hashirama Senju, possessed a strong connection to yang release."

"After that war, my father heavily associated himself with the head monk of the Fire Monastery, due to the legends surrounding the founders of that country's hidden village and their connection to the Sage of the Six Paths."

"Asami, You keep mentioning your father, but I still haven't seen him around the monastery." Yuuki inquired Asami, causing her sparkling eyes to turn dull and her smile to fade into a bleak expression. Mamoru's face turned pale - err, paler than it already was - and exhaled with a heavy sigh.

After a few moments of silence, Mamoru decided to explain. "Asami's father, who was also my brother, worked together with the Fire Monastery's head monk to reproduce that nature transformation on any willing volunteers. Konohagakure's clandestine foundation slaughtered them all, and I've been raising Asami ever since."

"Osame," Asami wanted to change the conversation as soon as possibly. "How is your name spelled? It sounds very strange to me."

"The first syllable is written as tail; The second syllable is written as shark; My surname is Hoshigaki as in dried persimmon."

"Why'd your parents choose that name?"

"Actually, I never knew my parents growing up. Yoshiro came up with it, and the name kinda stuck ever since."

"Yuuki, how is your name spelled?" Asami turned to the other chuunin.

"The first syllable is written as distant or leisurely; The second syllable is written as brightness." Yuuki said.

"Yuuki, I can tell you're the smart guy in the group. I've heard of the Nara clan before - one of it's members played a large role in the Fourth Shinobi World War... That Luciel guy though, I kinda like his style. He gives off this weird dark vibe, but in a good way. I bet he's very wise about the world around him."

"What about me?" Osame asked.

"You obviously have the biggest heart in the group."

Osame blushed. Due to her Hoshigaki heritage, this was never assumed of her. "Wait, do you think you can do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"I heard you're pretty good at medical ninjutsu. Do you think you can repair my sensei's eye? If you couldn't tell by the eyepatch, he got injured a few days ago."

"Me and Mamoru can try tomorrow morning, but no promises... Hahaha, I think you're big heart is starting to show."

Asami would frequently stare out the window of the head monk's office after supper, catching a clear unobstructed view of her father's grave. Most monasteries valued the suppression of emotions and attachment, but her father was always different, instead teaching about the importance of relationships whether platonic or romantic.

Asami picked up a sacred text from her father's shelf and started reading. She sat in the office chair, the same chair her father used to fall asleep in while writing proverbs. Inheriting the same behavior, Asami seized paper and pen and went to work. The two had the exact same posture and sat in the chair the exact same way. It was almost like a mirror.

Her uncle Mamoru went to check on her, as always. "Are you doing alright?"

"Yeah. I'm just writing proverbs. I think I found a new favorite."

Mamoru poured a cup of hot tea for his niece. Asami started to snooze, and her uncle noticed the similarities between the way she and her dad slept. "Like father, like daughter."

He noticed the paper, embellished with the words, "Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. My family is my strength, my family is my weakness. Family is not an important thing. It's everything."

2

Asami wasn't the kind of person to go back on her word. As soon as nine o'clock struck, she and Mamoru visited the guest bedrooms that the shinobi were sleeping in and woke them up. "Wake up!" She yelled so loud the monks could hear her in the dining hall.

"Is it finally time for breakfast?" Yoshiro muttered. The monks were already eating, but Asami's commitment was more important at the time.

"I'll walk you to the dining hall once your eye is healed." Asami removed the eyepatch and placed her palm on the jounin's eye socket. She sent chakra into the wound to accelerate cell regrowth and restore damaged tissue. Within a couple of minutes, Yoshiro's eye was completely healed. A procedure like this was very extreme and illustrated great medical talent.

"Y'know, Kirigakure is a bit short on medical ninja. You could probably make a great addition to the Medic Corps." Yoshiro said.

"Sorry, I'd love to... But I have too many responsibilities here at the monastery." Asami was reluctant to turn down the offer, but she knew the monastery needed her more than ever.

Something out the window caught the corner of Yoshiro's eye. A black figure stood in the same place for several moments then suddenly vanished. "I think my eyes are playing tricks on me... I should probably eat before I pass out."

The shinobi were escorted to the dining hall where they ate a considerably large breakfast: chicken, waffles, dumplings, and soy milk. "I didn't know monks eat this kinda stuff!" Luciel was hungry and very eager to dig in.

"We're only allowed to eat meat if we know for a fact the animal wasn't killed on our behalf. Other monasteries usually restrict meat, but we're relatively relaxed about stuff like that." Asami said.

After the shinobi stuffed their faces, Yoshiro took Luciel to the training grounds of the water monastery while the monks were writing scrolls in the entrance courtyard. "Today marks the beginning of your water release training..."

Yoshiro continued, "I already see you're quite skilled in water release, probably to an extent that many jounin wish to achieve, but lightning release is a very different nature transformation. For example, take Lightning Release: Thunder Genesis. I'll focus chakra throughout my body, and change it's nature into an electrical current as I release it..." The sensei's body slowly sparkled with electricity for a moment, triggering Luciel's amazement.

"... Shinobi can learn multiple basic nature transformations. For example, I can use two of them: My affinity is fire release, but I can also use lightning and earth release. When you have several elements that you can control, it's not that difficult to use them separately. But combining multiple nature transformations to create a new element requires a kekkei genkai, which are passed down within families. My kekkei genkai is the Blue Flame Art of the Kurogane clan, a mixture of fire and lightning release. Even though I possess both fire and wind release, I cannot combine them to create scorch release because I don't have the required kekkei genkai..."

"... But even people with kekkei genkai have a dominant affinity for one of the basic nature transformations..."

"... If you recall, when you first became a genin, I asked you and your teammates to discover your affinity with Chakra Induction Paper. When exposed to even the slightest hint of chakra, it reacts according to the chakra's latent element. A fire-nature shinobi causes the paper to ignite and turn to ash, due to fire release kneading chakra into heat. A wind-natured shinobi causes the paper to split in two, due to wind release's precise cutting power. An earth-natured shinobi causes the paper to turn to dirt and crumble away because of earth release's ability to manipulate earthen materials. A water-natured shinobi causes the paper to become wet and damp, due to water release kneading chakra into a liquid substance. This is the result you and Osame gave me..."

"... A lightning-natured shinobi causes the paper to wrinkle," Yoshiro demonstrates, withdrawing this special paper from his pocket and causing it to wrinkle with ease. "This is the result Yuuki gave me."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"What's the purpose of reminding me all this?" Luciel asked.

"Do you remember when I taught you three to generate these same effects on a normal everyday leaf?"

"Of course. I was surprisingly the first to finish this part of the training, when I was learning water release. Then you told me to finally generate that same effect but on a larger scale."

"Well, for your lightning release training, we're gonna repeat that same process." Yoshiro handed his student a leaf and the training officially started. For the first several hours, the leaf barely wrinkled, but Luciel noticed his progression. "Sensei, I think I'm getting the hang of this."

"I can tell. You're learning pretty quickly, almost as quick as Yuuki did." Yoshiro said. Luciel finally felt like an individual, rather than a mere shadow, and was lucky to have a teacher who always believed in him.

Luciel and his teacher decided to skip lunch that day. It was very strange for Yoshiro, but not so much Luciel. When passionate and determined, he always put his task above everything else. It only took a little after two o'clock to finally cause the leaf to wrinkle.

"I'm actually impressed at you're talent. It seems you have an aptitude to lightning release, just like water release." Yoshiro commended his pupil. "Don't stress yourself out. Learning a second chakra nature isn't that easy. Just take a break for the night and we'll continue training in the morning."

Despite the clear instructions, Luciel was extremely stressed out...

x--------------x

"Gorou. Momiji. I have a mission for you." Aizen spoke to the executives in a daunting manner, fitting his cold voice. Beside him was his assigned partner, Saburou, as well as the Shiryoku's most silent member, Noe. The seventh floor of the organization's hideout was doubtlessly the smallest in actual size, but the numerous corridors connecting the executives' meeting room and the staircases provided amazing places to assign secret missions.

"A mission, you say?" Gorou responded.

"When the shinobi accosted before the meeting, I could feel my cursed seal tingle. There's something off about them, and I think I know why... Noe was able to scout the nearby monastery and sketch the exterior. If we somehow weed out the shinobi, I could possibly get closer to the source of the tingling."

"You want us to... cause a distraction?" Mojiji asked.

"Not exactly," Saburou said. "You're mission is to abduct the former head monk's daughter. The shinobi will surely follow, so suppress them until Aizen arrives."

"Make sure the girl doesn't get hurt..." Noe said. This startled Gorou and Momiji, for obvious reasons. He's always been the quietest member of the organization, only speaking when absolutely necessary. "She could be a valuable asset to the organization."

"I haven't heard you speak in a long time, Noe." Momiji was sincere, but it was impossible to tell what Noe was feeling under his emotionless mask. "Your voice really is annoying..."

3

"Momiji," Gorou and his assigned partner were already close to the monastery. The Shiryoku hideout itself was only a few miles away, so traveling to their destination wasn't too much of a hassle. The missing-ninja were already prepared for the mission, and Momiji had a sketch of the monastery in her hand. "Can you describe the monastery for me?"

"This monastery has a total of five halls. The entrance hall is south of the courtyard; The quartering hall is west of the courtyard; The dining hall is north of the courtyard; The lecturing hall is east of the courtyard; A five-story pagoda is in the center of the courtyard, housing the the head monk's offices, shrines, and libraries." Momiji said.

"At noon, the monks should be eating lunch in the dining hall. You will distract the guards posted at the entrance hall while I take the girl."

"Who made you team captain of all a sudden?" Momiji was a malcontent, but she knew her partner's plan was clever.

"I don't see you coming up with any plans." Gorou struck a chord.

"Don't get cocky, Gorou." Momiji warned him. "Just because you're bigger... That doesn't mean you could beat me in a fight."

"One of these days, I'm going to kill you. I swear it." It was almost impossible for these two to get along during missions, habitually bickering over the smallest disagreements. However, they never once failed to execute a task...

x--------------x

"Alright. Today marks the second stage of your lightning release training," Yoshiro was in the training grounds during lunchtime again, already prepared for his lessons with Luciel. The sensei withdrew a kunai from his weapons pouch and handed it to his pupil.

"A kunai?" Luciel asked.

"This kunai is made of a special material that absorbs chakra. Lightning release chakra can be channeled into ninja tools in order to increase a weapon's cutting power."

"I've heard of shinobi in Kumogakure doing that."

"With enough training, you'll be able to infuse your fuma shuriken with lightning release... Now, let me demonstrate what a simple kunai can do... Earth Release: Mud Wall!" The ground in front of him quickly ascended to form a defensive barrier. Yoshiro surged electricity through the kunai and threw it with tremendous speed. The blade cut straight through the mud wall, and even multiple trees and boulders before making a dent in the ground. "Now, you try."

Luciel clutched his fuma shuriken, trying his hardest to pour lightning release chakra into it, but the task proved too difficult. This was evidently much harder than his water release training from a few years prior. "If I don't finish this by dinner, I guess I'm not eating that meal either."

"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself. It takes a huge amount of time to learn a nature transformation," Yoshiro was worried about Luciel's mental health, but he really had faith in the student's talent. "It took me several weeks to complete this second stage."

And thus, many hours passed. Again and again, again and again, Luciel concentrated only on continuing his training. He was always passionate, stemming from his days in the academy. Memories of working hard to gain the respect of his teachers were always in the back of his mind. He eventually managed to create a quick sparkle in the shuriken, and he felt as though his hard work finally paid off.

"You're getting close... But you're not there quite yet." Yoshiro was flabbergasted by his student's development and was quite proud, but Luciel didn't interpret the jounin's attitude that way. He interpreted it as disappointment.

"Dammit!" Frustrated tears welled in his eyes, and he threw the fuma shuriken before storming off. However, Yoshiro didn't chase after him. He noticed the shuriken penetrating several trees and boulders before coming to a stop, illuminated by bright static. It seems through his rage, Luciel managed to channel lightning release into the weapon...

"L-L-Luciel..." Yoshiro called out, causing paralysis in his student before bursting with pride and delivering a tight bear hug. "You did it! You actually did it!"

Luciel was as surprised as his teacher, if not more. Maybe he was more talented than others gave him credit for. Maybe Luciel was a prodigy...

x--------------x

Gorou and Momiji didn't waste a single minute on their mission. As soon as the clock struck twelve, Momiji leaped onto the entrance halls rooftop, cracking the bricks below her feet as she landed.

"Intruders!" Several monks charged at the assailant, but Momiji was too nimble and acrobatic. Her fighting style was elegant yet chaotic and brutal, slaughtering monks with ease.

"Come on, guys. I know you can do much better than that! I'm tired of these easy fights, give me a challenge!" Momiji was as flexible as rubber, easily dodging incoming strikes and countering them with the strength of a boar and speed capable of cutting lightning.

Several monks surrounded the assailant, persisting a hand seal to activate a collaborative sealing technique. Numerous different symbols appeared on the ground, trapping Momiji within the sealing barrier and preventing her from moving.

"That's more like it. Finally, a challenge." Momiji's sheer strength allowed her to break the sealing barrier. She generated lightning in her fingers, directing it through her fingertips to form a whip. The monks' limbs were sliced off with deadly precision, and the ensuing bloodshed left no survivors.

Gorou pursued the main pagoda, sighing at the discovery that the target's caretaker, Mamoru, was obstructing the hall's entrance. "If I were you, I would step aside," Gorou demanded, but the caretaker didn't budge. "I'm not going to ask twice."

"I never expected you to ask." Mamoru still didn't budge. He was determined to protect his niece at all costs.

"You're really pissing me off, and you're not gonna like it when I'm pissed off." Gorou stomped his foot on the ground, causing a large chunk of earth to elevate in the air, and kicked it toward his opponent.

Mamoru still didn't move, instead taking a graceful stance. He had a large scroll on his back containing many dangerous techniques and weapons of the monastery's antiquity. Forming a half-ram seal with his left hand, Mamoru coated his body in a buddha statue of pure chakra that deflected the attack. "Your stone skin is rumored to be unbreakable. Let's see if I can bust that myth."

"I doubt it. You don't look the part," Gorou clenched his fist. "I won't lose to a bald son-of-a-bitch like you!" The stone-man charged at Mamoru, but the chakra statue's hands defended him from the attacker's fist.

Gorou dodged several punches from the chakra statue, pummeling Mamoru into the ground like a rag-doll. Mamoru caught his footing, unsealing a large staff from the great monastery scroll.

"What're you gonna do with a big stick, huh?!" Gorou yelled, directing a strike at the monk.

Mamoru swung the staff, creating a great gust of wind to blow his opponent backward. "This is the Staff of Daruma, passed down through the generations of head monks. It's so much more than a big stick."

"We'll see about that!" Gorou charged at the monk once more, dodging several punches from the chakra statue. Mamoru waved his staff, but Gorou barely circumvented it and knocked his opponent into the pagoda's walls with enough force to even shove the thousand-armed kannon. "Stay down."

Momiji sprung to her partner's side. "Go ahead and take the girl. I didn't think it would be this easy."

"Asami..." Mamoru struggled to get up but was unable to move, laid in a pile of rubble. He was too weak to do anything, watching the criminals take off with his niece...

4

The havoc caught the attention of the monks in the dining hall, causing them to flood into the courtyard. The entire crowd was silent. Mamoru's muscles were still sore and the inside of his head was pounding insistently. His consciousness felt far away. It all felt like a nightmare, but the pain running through Mamoru's body told him this was no dream.

"Mamoru." The monk's eyes blinked for a moment, and he saw the face of a jounin staring back at him. Yoshiro lent his hand and helped Mamoru to his feet. The caretaker monk's brain was scattered, and it took him a few moments to gather his thoughts.

"They took Asami," Mamoru struggled to keep standing, falling into Yoshiro's arms. He tried to hold back tears, but couldn't help but cry. "I was too weak to protect her..."

"We'll get her back. I promise you." Yoshiro was sincere, and his eyes were full of anger. What sort of monsters would steal a child from a monastery...?

"I can use my Byakugan to find them." Luciel suggested.

"What if we're too late?" Osame was worried.

"I have an idea! Since the monastery's bridge was destroyed, and the river is too deep to cross, the only other passageway is through the Shinrinyoku forest. I could probably stall them long enough for reinforcements to arrive." Yuuki was worried too, as this strategy wasn't completely foolproof.

"Good idea. Osame and Mamoru should accompany you. Meanwhile, Luciel and I will pursue the criminals." There wasn't even the slightest hesitation in Yoshiro's words. After the jounin's reassurance, not a single one of them had any doubts, even in the face of formidable foes. They all believed they would rescue Asami. "Let's go, shall we."

The ninjas took off...

x--------------x

"Your reaction time was a bit off." Momiji criticized her partner, perhaps only out of spite. Gorou was proud of his abilities, and he definitely earned his spot as a Shiryoku executive. Momiji definitely earned her spot too, and was probably the partner with the higher caliber in battle, but she often nitpicked herself like a perfectionist.

"The hell are you talking about? I pummeled that bastard into the ground!"

"That weird statue shit he pulled off. You almost got hit numerous times."

"But he didn't, did he?!"

Aizen suddenly appeared before them, startling the pair and making them flinch. But it wasn't really Aizen, it was a projection-type genjutsu to communicate with people over long-distances. In reality, he was inside the Shiryoku hideout.

"Gorou. Momiji. Do you have the girl?" Aizen asked in his familiar, spine-chilling voice.

"Of course. It was easy as hell." Momiji asserted. Asami's comatose body was settled on her partner's shoulder.

"Momiji, suppress the pursuing shinobi. The chuunin should be easy to defeat; however, you should be wary of the jounin. He packs a bit of a punch... Gorou, bring the girl to the hideout. That being said, I want the girl alive at all costs. Got it?" Aizen ordered.

Gorou growled. "Not a problem..."

x--------------x

"I see something," Luciel's sole byakugan was activated. Him and his sensei were scouring the forest for any traces of the kidnappers. "But something's off."

"What do you mean, off?" Yoshiro asked.

"There's only one of them. And she's coming toward us," This unsettled the shinobi, but they had no choice but to engage. "Water Release: Water Wall!" Luciel expelled a surge of water from his mouth, forming a large barrier as Momiji sprinted toward them.

Killing intent. Those two words were what Momiji was feeling...

x--------------x

Yuuki finally reached the Shinrinyoku forest, accompanied by Osame and Mamoru. The branches cracked as they walked, and light danced through the trees to illuminate the dirt below them. The forest was colossal, shadowy, and verdant. Curving vines held onto every tree, and an array of flowers, which were scattered sporadically, adorned the otherwise emerald terrain. A medley of animal noises, most belonged to bird songs, echoed in the air, and almost completely muffled the trickling sounds of the shinobi's footsteps. It was all strangely beautiful...

Suddenly, the liveliness stopped. Birds flew away, and the forest became desolate. Mamoru and the chuunin jumped into the trees and looked out for the inevitable. Gorou was approaching...

Mamoru noticed the incapacitated body on the kidnapper's shoulders, and this upset him a great deal. "Asami..."

The trees' shade provided Yuuki with a massive range for his hiden jutsu. As soon as Gorou entered his sight, Yuuki's shadows materialized as sharp needles that targeted the criminal. Despite his large size, Gorou managed to evade them all and was instantly alert of the shinobi's presence. "How was that for reaction time, huh?! Who knew the Kirigakure shinobi were so cowardly? Come and face me like men!"

Yuuki started to sweat. He whispered, "I don't know how long I can keep this up..."

"I've heard so many legends about Gorou the Stone-man," Mamoru said. "But I thought they were only rumors until I experienced his might firsthand."

"Why is he called Gorou the Stone-man?" Yuuki wondered.

"That skin of his... It's almost unbreakable. His body itself is not only a defense mechanism, but a weapon of some sorts."

"So what do we do?" Osame was troubled.

"Our best bet is to immobilize him, but we should move quickly. For someone who hates to be kept waiting, he must be very frustrated."

Mamoru and the chuunin dropped from the trees, confronting the kidnapper with staggering bravery. Their opponent was visually intimidating, matching his short temper. His herculean strength was easily discernible, but all of the sudden the rescuers were alleviated of any fear.

"Oh, you again," Gorou pointed to Mamoru, tossing the monk's niece to the floor. "I thought I already kicked your ass. Are you here for a second beating?"

"I thought you'd say something like that." Mamoru didn't expect to leave this fight without any bruises, but his adrenaline rush served as a harbinger of victory.

"I see you've brought quite the cavalry. Two puny teenagers?!" Gorou mocked, bursting in laughter that occupied the whole forest.

"Watch who you're calling puny." Yuuki cracked his knuckles, and the others took fighting stances. The prodigy's shadow started to slither on the ground like a rattlesnake ready to sink it's poisonous teeth into flesh. "Mamoru, you guard Asami. Me and Osame will deal with the kidnapper."

"Aw, you're so adorable. Shouldn't you be playing with dolls or something?" Gorou was so arrogant that he couldn't keep a straight face.

"Keep talking, I'll rip out your tongue." Yuuki threatened.

"You're pitiful cockiness," Gorou began to advance toward his opponents, winding up a punch, but Yuuki's expression remained nonchalant. "It really does put a smile on my face!"