Less Talk. More Zen. [Private Class]

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

A little bird had wandered into the crow's nest of the Shima estate in the early morning to deliver his lady's message. He was careful not to be spotted, the young boy who could only be about fourteen. He had been Lady Shima's courier from the moment he was hired into the household, six years ago. She was always kind to him, treating him like a younger brother. So, when she left the household and became Spymaster, Jirou followed. Jirou slipped the letter under Masaru's door frame before making him scare to the Shima household. Sealed in an envelop, sealed with the crest of the Main Branch insignia, held a letter hand written by Haruka. In elegant yet forced handwriting, the letter read:

Spoiler

Masaru Shinomiya,

I hope you are an early riser. Meet me in the inner courtyard of the academy at 0700 tomorrow. Be on time, I will not tolerate lateness.

Shima Haruka

***

The chittering of morning birds danced softly through the misty air of Kumogakure's first light. She hadn't slept at all the night before, still sifting through every record Natsu owned to calculate the expense of every spy in her service. Some needed to be let go, others needed to be reactivated. It was a never ending process. Luckily, she had slept the day away and was energized. Her sleep patterns were swinging to that of a night owl. Children learned better in the morning, or so she had read once. So, despite how much Masaru would probably hate her for rising at such an ungodly hour, Haruka felt justified. The grounds were much quieter, without the distraction of the usual slew of children. He would need the concentration.

She didn't know much about his raising. She wasn't even sure if he knew how to hold a blade, but starting with basics never hurt anyone. She had decided on a fairly simple subject, Chakra. However, Haruka did not tolerate mediocrity. She'd take this lesson much further. He would come to understand the flow of chakra better than any in his class. Being 12 and just coming to the academy put him at a disadvantage, but after her methods were executed, he'd handle himself better than most genin. The Spymaster had a reputation to uphold, and if she were to one day call this boy her student then he needed to be a cut above the rest.

She donned the standard Main Branch uniformed issued under the orders of both Aion, the Dawnbringer and Takaki Masao. Although, Hikari had moved to abolish the skirts policy, a tradition that Haruka had advised not to demolish, Haruka still wore the uniform. She brushed off a stray thread sticking to her skirt. The clothing she wore the day Masao spent a quiet afternoon with her and when she became a Main Branch member. She hated that she was getting more and more nostalgic these days...

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

The cool morning breeze ruffled the youth's hair as he walked at a brisk pace through the streets of Kumogakure. He wore his standard all black attire that consisted of a long-sleeved shirt, pants, boots, and a cloak. The only thing of color on him was his usual gold cross that he wore around his neck, but other than that he didn't stand out at all. Masaru had done his best to get to bed earlier than usual last night after receiving Shima-sama's letter. He wasn't surprised that she would conduct a class so early in the morning, but he expected she was ready for any situation day or night considering her occupation.

Birds sang happily, the morning fog was thick, and morning dew clung to the plants he passed. Early morning in such a mountainous area was stunning, but nobody would know how captivated he was by the look on his face. As usual he wore a mask of disinterest, but inside his heart was beating rapidly. He didn't know what to expect from today's lesson. She could teach him anything and everything, but what would she start with? Masaru didn't expect anything intense, after all he knew next to nothing about the way a shinobi operated. Despite his age his mom had shown interest in him attending the Academy, and because she couldn't push the thought onto his father his admittance was delayed until the man's death. During the times when she had raised him she had instilled in him a sense of militant attitude, and that accompanied with his father's religious upbringing brought about a boy who had no goals or ambition.

Masaru's eyes narrowed as ugly thoughts entered his mind. He had to push them away. It was only natural for him not to have any higher goals, after all ambition corrupted others. It was better just to amble on and do what what expected and told. True to his mother's lessons he was a soldier through and through. Yet I don't know how to fight, Masaru thought with a dull chuckle. The boy soldier who knew nothing of battle. It was an amusing thought.

He heard steps ahead of him, and quickly focused on where he was going. He had gotten side tracked, something that often happened when he wandered, however today he was not just milling about with no objective. He was told a location and time, he had somewhere to be. Masaru picked up his pace and jogged to the Academy, aware that he was a few minutes early. I shouldn't have gotten so caught up in my thoughts, now she might think I can't be punctual.

When he spotted her he noted her interesting garb. It seemed highly professional, even for a shinobi, but he wondered how practical it was. He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts. He wasn't here to mull over the Spymaster's fashion choices, he was here to learn. Masaru stopped in front of her, his breathing mildly labored, but he immediately stood at attention. “Good morning, Shima-sama,” Masaru greeted, bowing before her. Today was his first class and his first steps to becoming a shinobi.

[Topic Entered]

 

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

"Good morning, Shinomiya-San." He had run here, then he wasn't behind on schedule it seemed. She wondered what had preoccupied his attention in order to deter him from punctuality. He seemed like a studious and serious child, so if Haruka had commanded him to be on time he would do so. Fortunately for him, Masaru was right on cue so there was no point in pressing the matter. She stared down at him with dark eyes that glinted with just a hint of amusement. Holding her hand out limp between the two of them, she ignited a spark of chakra into the palm of her hand. A spike of ice crackled to life, shooting upwards as if it might pierce the sky. She stopped its growth prematurely, only letting it grow a foot in size. With sudden fire in her eyes, she sent the spear of ice hurling towards Masaru. It whizzed past his face, grazing his cheek with a lick of ice.

Without a word, she stepped towards the boy. The very same hand that had created her destructive display of icy powers now glowed with a far more pristine chakra signature. Of course, he would not be able to pick up on the difference just yet. Gently she rested her hand against his face. She cupped his bleeding cheek, face not moving from her disinterested stare. The warmth of her aura embraced him, sending a euphoric feeling to pump in his veins. When she finally stepped back, the cut had vanished. "Chakra is the gift given to us by the gods. It is a force of its own that separates us from the rest of humanity. Just as blood is important to your body, chakra too is necessary." She stopped her speech to study his face. The boy's look would tell her if he understood at least this basic concept before continuing. "With this, we have the ability to create hurricanes, hold the heat of the sun within our hands, or even slay our enemies with the bitter bite of frost."

"But there is also life. The duality of this force is what makes it so dangerous. We are the children of creation and death. Demi-gods, if I were to be blasphemous." Her low voice called him to attention with stern warning. "It is not enough to control jutsu, the products of chakra, but to understand the very essence of them. That is what I seek to teach you today. You will come to understand chakra far better than your peers." She stalked around him with predatory, feline grace. As she disappeared from his view, standing behind him, she let the air still and his nerves shake. The unknown of what she might do, as she hoped, would make his hair stand on end. Finally, a nail would poke through his clothes digging into the base of his spine.

"There are seven points, or gates, of the chakra system that flows through your body. The first is the Earth coil, located at the base of your spine. This chakra point deals with survival and is locked by fear. Tell me, Shinomiya-San," he could feel her breathe rake down his neck and tickle his ear as she bent down. She more than invaded his personal space, she sought to conquer it, to make him uncomfortable. "What are you afraid of?"

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

Masaru watched as the Spymaster summoned ice in the palm of her hand. It had seemed so effortless, and yet he knew immediately that if he even tried something similar nothing of interest would happen. So mesmerized by her sudden display was he that he hardly had time to blink before she hurled the spike at him. He stood still as stone, refusing to flinch though his trembling hands betrayed his sudden fear.

The feeling had been cold and swift, and for a second he thought it was just the freezing temperature from the ice that he had felt. Soon enough he felt the sting, and the warm feeling of liquid on his cheek. It had cut him. Brown eyes refused to look anywhere but the smartly dressed woman before him. Though every sense was telling him she was dangerous he knew that she would not severely hurt him. At least he hoped so.

She approached him then, and he unintentionally clenched his teeth. This was a lesson, and he needed to focus on her movements and words. So he did just that. He tried to see if there were any changes in her demeanor, to observe her as closely as he had his mother and father when he was younger. When her hand suddenly glowed Masaru's eyes widened in interest. The fear subsided briefly to be replaced by interest, but of course when she got closer he stiffened. Was this another swift attack? What was the point she was trying to make? ...Should he have already known what was going on?

Her hand rested on his cheek, and as quickly as she had shot out her ice she was back at her original position. Masaru's gaze narrowed, and his head was swimming with questions. What happened? What had she done? It wasn't an attack so...what did she do? For a moment he was so distracted by these that he missed the absence of pain in his cheek. When it finally dawned on him what had occurred the boy's gaze was more attentive than before.

Chakra. The lesson was on Chakra. Masaru was stock still as he absorbed her every word, trying to make sense of it. He understood fairly quickly. Chakra was essential. It's what made a shinobi a shinobi. It was vital, and he wondered if there was a deeper meaning behind the blood analogy. Blood flowed through the body, it was necessary for life, and if you lost too much your life would be in danger...perhaps Chakra worked the same way? He always remembered how exhausted his mother looked when she returned from missions going on about how she had used more Chakra than necessary. Was that what she was getting at? Possibly.

Demi-gods...he wouldn't go as far as to say that's what they were, but he understood what she was getting at. Masaru listened intently as she continued, feeling that if he missed a single moment she would demonstrate her control of Chakra much like she had earlier. She moved then, circling him with that dangerous aura again. The boy felt as though his stomach was in knots as he lost sight of her, unable to turn around to figure out her location. The uncertainty of what she was doing while not in his field of view was making him nauseous. He always hated that uncomfortable feeling when he was unsure of something.

He was unprepared for her sudden touch. All his senses were focused on the spot where her finger touched. It was a prickly feeling, as if someone was tracing your skin with a feather. Masaru fought the urge to reach up and grab his cross, fighting back the habit while being attentive to the Spymaster's touch.

Masaru bit his lip when he felt her breath on his neck, his brows knitting together in concentration. He knew where this was going, and groaned inwardly when she asked the question. The Earth Chakra. Fear. What was he afraid of? He opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. He was afraid of her striking out at him again. He was afraid of his mother learning about what he'd done to her during their first meeting. He was afraid of offending her. Afraid of failing the lesson.

No.

Those weren't...those weren't the answers she was looking for, were they? Of course they weren't, it was obvious. They were superficial things, things of little importance. She wanted something deeper than that. No. The question begged a meaningful answer. So the question was: what was he, Shinomiya Masaru, truly afraid of?

Stoic was his face once again. Calmed were his nerves; however, he felt his voice tremble slightly when he answered. It was admitting his true fear after all, something no person would want anyone else to know.

“Purpose. I'm afraid of living a life without purpose. Of living life aimlessly.”

 

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

“Purpose. I'm afraid of living a life without purpose. Of living life aimlessly.”

The steel edge of uncertainty riddled his normally calm voice. He stood at the edge of a deep, dark blackness that threatened to swallow him. Many had stood at the edge of that abyss before, too afraid to look down and face what might be staring up. But, he searched deep inside that darkness and reached his young hand into the pit. The admittance of his fear did not bring death, no, he pried loose a heavy piece of that darkness to examine for himself. His greatest fear, revealed to the air, was now dangerously exposed. Haruka trained him today to exile that which made him weak and exalt his soul to the freedom of enlightenment. She pulled her nail from his back. "Remove yourself from fear, Shinomiya-San. Remember my words today, you will not wander for naught. I will give you purpose. Together we will go down life's road and I will help you find your way. This I promise."

She placed her palm flat against his back where her nail had been before. Although she did not transfer the spilling power of her chakra into him, Haruka bundled a small amount within her palm. His skin tingled as the faint glow of her chakra brushed against the base of his spine. She merely did this as a placebo effect, hoping he'd begin to feel the energy's ebb and flow with him. Now, her foot steps fluttered quietly across the ground as she faced him yet again. Her serious eyes rested on his face.

"The next point is water. This point is blocked by guilt, and opened by pleasure. I bet you can take a wild guess where it might be located." She dropped her eyes briefly towards his groin as a hint before gazing out at the courtyard for a brief respite. She wondered if he'd laugh and behave like a typical child. It would be fairly disappointing to not take an exercise such a this seriously. Her piercing gaze shattered his caustic look. "Look at all the guilt that burdens you. The doubts and regrets that drench your soul and weigh you down."

"What do you blame yourself for, Shinomiya-San? Do you feel its endless weight crush your soul? If you face those guilts, throw them out of your body to this realm, then you can begin to cast them off." She felt as a hypocrite should. The Spymaster was far more guilt ridden than any person she ever encountered in this lifetime.

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

Unsure of when it happened, Masaru was vaguely aware of a sort of emptiness around him. He had involuntarily shut his eyes in an attempt to block out the world, to block out his teacher whom he had just confessed his greatest fear to. Now he was afraid of her response. Would she laugh at him? Would she tell him to just get over it? Questions riddled his mind, doubt and uncertainty accompanied them, and he couldn't stop his hands from gripping at the fabric of his pants.

Then her answer was given, and suddenly he could see. His eyes were wide with surprise, shock, confusion. For a moment Masaru was unsure of whether he heard her correctly or not, but soon enough he realized there was a truth to her words. She had no reason to give him false hope, unless she were the type to get joy out of breaking the youth, but Masaru knew it in his gut that she was being sincere. She was helping expel his fear. He felt lighter than ever before, and the sights he saw before him seemed brighter than they had when he first arrived this morning. The fog that had clouded his mind, much like it had obscured the scenery earlier, had been lifted. He would have a purpose. She would give him one, and he wouldn't have to be such an empty shell anymore.

The mere thought caused a lump in his throat. Masaru had to squint his eyes in an attempt to stop the watery sensation he knew would lead to tears. For the first time in his life he was genuinely happy. He felt his grip loosen. That burdening weight of fear was lifted, and now he could feel it. At the base of his spine was a peculiar feeling he had never before experienced. At first it was light and airy, but he attributed that to her palm against his back; however, before long he was able to feel a warm energy within himself. Was this chakra?

Masaru let out a shaky breath as he concentrated on the sensation. It was his chakra he was feeling now, and he was amazed by it. Though it wasn't an incredibly vast amount he could still feel the energy in him moving about. If he had to say, it was like watching a pool of water after a heavy rain. It was full and confined, but still serene. He always knew that he had chakra within him, his mom had guaranteed that, but he had never before been able to truly feel it before now. Now that he was aware, Masaru wondered how much he had within him. Just this one coil wasn't enough, there were more, and Shima-sama would help him become aware to the chakra that was inside of him.

While elated he was careful to keep the neutrality on his face. Shima-sama was positioned in front of him again, and despite his eagerness to focus wholeheartedly on the opened chakra coil he knew that she demanded his full attention. This was just a mere step to unlocking his potential as a shinobi. He needed to think about the bigger picture.

His childlike wonder was gone when she next spoke, and while the feeling of the chakra was still there he wasn't fixated on it. Instead she gave him something else to think about. Guilt. At mention of it's location, and the hint given with her glance, Masaru knew where this chakra coil was located. While he was sure a younger Academy Student might snicker at the suggestion, Masaru remained stoic. He wanted to know more about chakra, about the energy inside of him that would help him become a shinobi. He had no time nor energy to waste on such childlike thoughts. He was enamored with the thought of chakra, how much potential he had inside of him.

Guilt. He thought of many things as he had when asked of his fears. Like before he felt guilty about not being able to find a goal. While Shima-sama had given him a purpose, he was still hampered by the fact that he had not found it himself. He felt the weight of responsibility of his father's death, as if he could have done anything to save him, and he felt for his mother's pain. He was so like his father in dress that he thought he caused his mother pain anytime she lay her eyes on him and his cross.

“I blame myself for my family's suffering,” Masaru whispered. It wasn't as if he were ashamed of the answer, in fact he was more nervous about letting his fear be known than what he blamed himself for. Perhaps it was his reminiscing that had caused it, but none the less he was able to see the answer after opening the first coil. He had to let go of this guilt, this burden, the shackles that were the past. He could do nothing for his father who was so far away at the time of his death, and he didn't know anything of his mother's feelings upon seeing him dressed like a Tenouzan day in and day out. He could only accept them, and once he did he was aware of the newly found chakra within.

It was as if a creek appeared that let the energy flow to the Water Coil. Masaru breathed slowly and purposefully, letting the feeling of chakra ebb and flow from one pool to the next. Slowly but surely he was getting the hang of the lesson, and he was ready to discover more about himself.

 

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

She remained, as the pillars of her village fell. Raiden's purpose obscured much of her life. She still failed to comprehend why he had spared her life in the stream of time, yet great men like Masao and Natsu were ripped from their grasps. As the one who lived, she bared the guilt for simply remaining on this earth after them. Only the cowards, the ones who secured their lives above others, were allowed to live. It seemed unfair. It was unfair that Masao was dead with not a body to bury, unfair that a kind boy with dreams and hopes laid in eternal sleep on a bed, and unfair that the one who shied away from the world under their shadow was still alive. She understood Masaru's words deeper than he'd ever imagine. The woman of chilling ice carried a stoic face, but if someone were to truly gaze at her, they'd see that there was not disinterest but a melancholy that encased her body. Her eyes flashed with deep and intense sadness that sparkled and fizzled before Masaru truly grasp the meaning behind her look.

"Shinobi often bare the guilt of being the ones left behind. Many will fall around you, but it is not your duty to stand still in your grief. Carry onward. There are many things that are beyond our control. You are but a child. Both your mother and father chose their paths long before you were ever born to them, and they knew the horrors they would one day face. It is not your duty to bare guilt but to go ahead." Her gaze hardened like steel. She was coming to understand him, little by little. Although, she was a mystery to him it mattered little. Her fist clenched involuntarily as she straightened her back to gaze down at the boy.

"Now, Shinomiya-San...The next pool of chakra is considered the largest within your body. Cradled within your stomach is the fire chakra. Willpower is the fire that burns deep within every human's heart. It is what drives us to live, to fight, and to carry on. Shame is the wall that blocks our drive and blocks the pathway of this point. No doubt you are ashamed of your wandering and pointless life. You are disappointed in your lack of drive. I, too, was once like you. This is your greatest shame, is it not?" She wanted to test her knowledge of him, to discover if she understood the boy. "If I am wrong though, I humbly ask that you correct me." Guarded and silent, he spoke only when necessary. She shared the same qualities, but was surprised that he had yet to fire back questions of his own to her.

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

Her words confirmed his answer. He was to accept the past, not revel in it, and go forward with his life. Masaru understood how he had not come to such a conclusion before, after all he had yet to find that goal and drive he so desired and thus could do nothing except look back. However, he now had a goal and would devote himself body and soul to the task.

The lesson was hardly over, but so far Masaru knew that he had already learned so much. He was able to feel and understand chakra, the main force behind a shinobi, and he was able to come to terms with his hidden feelings. Fear and guilt, two things that a person would like to keep hidden from the world and sometimes themselves, but he was able to face them and it was all thanks to Shima-sama.

Masaru let himself feel a certain type of respect for her then. It was different from the initial respect he had given her, the type that was ingrained in him from his military-style upbringing at the hands of his mother. It was especially different from the rank that her family gave her over him. Certainly this type of respect was the kind that was earned and not simply given. Masaru felt that she was more than deserving of it, for she had already taught him so many things, and because she had given him the chance to learn from her when she could have simply left him stumbling in the dark as he had been.

Now was the time to open the next chakra, and according to her it was the largest. He expected this to be the same as before, a simple question and answer, however Shima-sama had a different take. Masaru's brows knit together in confusion when she bluntly answered her own question. He wasn't given time to answer on his own, but that was because she thought she already knew the answer.

Did she?

The more he thought about it, the more he became aware that the more he learned about himself the more she too learned of him. Even though he was aware he was admitting these hidden truths he hardly thought of what the woman teaching him would do with his answers. If anything he thought she would be a standard teacher, one that would determine if the answer was good enough and move on to the next question without thinking about his answers.

It didn't take him long to confirm that she was in fact right. Masaru was ashamed of his indifferent life. When other kids would talk about their dreams and aspirations he would have nothing to contribute. There was the standard answer, that of becoming a shinobi, but there were other things to consider. Did he just want to become a chunin? Didn't he want to try and be a jounin? What about a sensei? Would he try to be Raikage? Or perhaps his goal would be to become a medical ninja? There were too many options, all of which he had considered, but none of which he was eager to pursue.

So Shima-sama was right about his shame, but what could he do to overcome it? Well the obvious answer was acceptance, much like the others, but it was different than accepting it as a fear. Even then she had given him something to overcome that fear, but the same answer would not work with the question at hand.

Masaru calmed his breathing, having just realized that he was slipping back into uncertainty. Slowly he shut his eyes and focused on the chakra. The shame of living a life without a dream, and to accept it. The fact that he had wandered in search of a goal in life was indisputable. It was part of him, it was who he was for the past twelve years. He had his answer now, but he wholeheartedly accepted that he was a child looking for deeper meaning, a shinobi in search of a dream.

The corners of his mouth twitched suddenly, and the barest hints of a smile appeared. He had successfully opened the third chakra coil.

 

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

Haruka crouched down in front of the boy. He had opened the fire chakra, letting go of his disappointments far easier than she could. Perhaps it was because he had lived so little. The future was uncertain for him, and he knew nothing of this world that laid ahead of him. It was understandable that he could trust Haruka far more than she could trust others at her current standing. Her hand reached out toward his heart, laying gently against his clothing. The plaguing cold of her Haku blood bathed her skin in an icy cage. No doubt her cold would sink beneath his clothing and suck out the warm of his skin.

"I will move this along quicker. You are beginning to understand. The heart, our vital organ and symbol for love, is, of course, the fourth pool. Chakra is an energy, but love too is a form of energy that encircles us. Love is blocked by grief and hatred. Once you let go of those emotions, you will become enlightened. It is hard to let go of these feelings, they are much stronger than human comprehension, but love is too. You may lose love, but you will never be without it for long. Someone is always there to fill that void. Although they may not be like the last, they certainly will heal your hurt." She accepted the fact that Natsu was gone, but she was not alone. She had found love in Hoshikata, although she was quite unsure how they could stand against the turbulence of her village's mistrust towards him. She also had found a friend in Hikari, who, although could never replace Masao, certainly filled the role as leader for her and many of those in the main branch.

Her hand moved upwards, wrapping lightly around his throat as if she might choke him. Her frozen hands a bitter shock to his bare skin. "The sound pool, blocked by lies and set free with the truth. Never lie to your allies and those you love. No good will ever come from a tangled web. Furthermore, never lie to yourself Masaru. You cannot hide from your own true nature. It is best to embrace your truth. You may only become stronger by understanding your faults." She gave him a knowing look. She waited for him to grasp the two points before rising up to full height again. Her finger landed lightly against the center of his forehead.

"Located in the center of your forehead is the Light Chakra. The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. We are all one people. Every single human being on this earth. Those who can utilize chakra and those who cannot. We shinobi high upon our mountain, and the shinobi who reside in distant lands. Although we may rise up with our different banners, we are still one and the same. Ignorance will only hinder you. This may be hard for you to understand, it is for many who are a great many years older than you. One day you will understand." She stepped back from Masaru.

"No doubt you feel the flow of chakra in you. You are probably more aware than when you got here. It is normal for one to have difficulty unlocking all major points to their full potential, and that is alright. It takes years and experience. These points are merely spiritual, your body in fact has many smaller points running through your system. With time you will get stronger and so will your jutsu. I will leave the last point out of the lesson today, and save it for another time. You are not ready for it quite yet. Do you have any questions for me?"

MFT

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

Masaru's eyes twitched when he felt the cold of her skin. Was she always this freezing? That would become quite a problem if she continued to touch him, even something slight like a tap to the face would sting a bit from the cold. He thought for a moment that there might be a thin veil of cold surrounding her, a feeling he had yet to detect because she had kept a reasonable distance, that or he had been otherwise occupied to notice.

The lesson was coming to an end. Masaru didn't seem to have any problems opening the fourth pool. He didn't have many griefs, and after opening the earlier pools he was free of anything resembling grief. However he was unsure about the love aspect. He knew what love was, or at least thought he did, and immediately an image of his mother and father flashed in his mind. Still he was unsure if he'd ever felt such a strong feeling. The way Shima-sama was describing it was...oddly passionate. Well, at least that's how he felt she sounded. He thought she was miles away thinking about something or other, but soon enough it was back to teaching.

He wasn't prepared for her to grip his throat. His breath hitched at the cold, and despite trying his hardest he did flinch at her touch. He swallowed hard and tried to distract himself while she spoke. Focusing on the lesson was a way to get his mind off things, but it wasn't proving to be as effective as he would have liked. It was like his throat was constricting, and Masaru had to take a couple of deep breathes to calm himself. He knew she wouldn't hurt him, but he was still a child no matter how mature he seemed on the outside.

This Chakra, much like the last, was easy to release. He rarely lied, there was no reason to, but he had to keep these things in mind for the future. This wasn't a one time lesson, this was for his future as a shinobi. He would have to remember all she said, and to stay true to her teachings. As much as these lessons focused on the past they also focused on the future. With the revelation he was ready to move on.

The last one was rather complicated. He understood what she was saying, and yet due to the vastness of the world and how little he had seen of it, Masaru was failing to grasp at her words. Well it wasn't as if he was completely ignorant. His father's lessons said mostly the same thing, but of course he hadn't really understood then either. He was young, he knew that, but somewhere deep down he was frustrated by his lack of understanding.

Focusing on his faults would do him no good. As she said he was young. Maybe after a few years he'd understand, or at least be closer. Masaru looked to the ground now and let himself focus on the chakra. As he'd been thinking the entire time, Shima-sama was right. There was obviously a reason she was Spymaster and a Jounin. He was aware of his chakra now, but he could not be expected to master such a thing after just learning of it.

Masaru glanced at Shima-sama then, his gaze neutral as he thought about the lesson. She didn't think he was ready for the last point? Or was it something else? It's true he was having difficulty with some of the points, but he was still aware of his chakra. Why was he doubting her now? So what if he wasn't ready for the last point? She had taught him, he had learned, and in time he would continue to grow. He didn't have to sprint out of the gate, he could take it slowly and make sure to master things properly and at his own pace.

There were things he would have to wait to learn, but was Shima-sama giving him a pass to learn some things about her now? Or was it simply a lesson oriented question? He wouldn't know unless he asked, and her answer would settle it. For a moment he averted his gaze, hand moving to grip his cross. “Have you unlocked all these points to their full potential?”

[MFT]

 

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

An odd drawn out silence between the woman and child as the air quieted after Masaru asked his question. She cast her far off gaze over the courtyard. Strands of her dark black hair curtaining her face for a brief moment as she turned from the Shima kinsman. Her words were pretty, but that's all their were to her...words. She didn't follow this code. How could she expect the boy to follow them as well if she gave him no reason to. She debated on lying and brushing off the question, but the truth is she wanted to behave as Masao had. He confessed his short comings to the young Jounin many a times in low intensity and mumbling tones. She faced him once again, her amber eyes drawn towards his strong gaze.

"Hardly. These are points we constantly a break and rebuild over and over. I have entered a stage of my career that forced to change me. Fight through your difficulties and you will never have a problem with harmonizing with what I have taught you today. I will do the same, if you promise to remember my words. Life becomes complicated as you grow, and it certainly becomes more complicated with every responsibility you are given in the village. Never let your true intentions be marred by those around you. Always live so that you might not regret what could have been. Love the ones you love, fight the battles you wish to fight, shout the loudest you can and you will do fine." The winds pushed her hair around gently. She wished some days that she could scatter with the breeze, but she knew her place was here. No matter what threatened to change her, Haruka would always try to fight for what she wanted. Freedom, love, honor...

"It's scary, is it not?" She smiled only slightly, the curve of her lips barely there on her faint skin. "Uncertainty about who you are...It's frightening. You must feel like that, being so young and unsure about your direction. I will give you purpose, but I will not make you to be what I want. I will merely open your eyes to what you have been blind to." She let her words sink in.

"I think we are done today. I will send for you again soon. It has been a pleasure, Shinomiya-San." She bowed elegantly to the bow before turning on her heels to head down the breezeway.

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[Shinomiya Masaru]

It was curious how she could teach such a lesson without mastering it herself. Then again he recalled all that he went through just to get this far, and from her words he knew that he had only just taken one step on the path to becoming a shinobi. Masaru was sure that his respect for the shinobi before him would not waver even with such an admission, if anything he was certain that it grew. She was strong enough to acknowledge what she lacked, and she didn't try to lie to him. He felt satisfied with her answer and gave a nod in response. There was nothing to be gained by trying to call her out on it, and she did make valid points. He was still young with time to change and grow, hopefully in the right direction, and as long as he remembered this lesson he should be fine.

“Thank you very much.” Masaru bowed to her, “The pleasure is mine, Shima-sama.” He was surprised with how loud and clear he sounded when he thanked her. It was true that he was thankful to her, someone of her higher standing giving him a lesson like this. She must be busy, and still she made the time to teach him.

Once she was out of sight Masaru looked to the sky. A lot of time had passed since the lesson began, and while the training hadn't been very physical he felt exhausted. He heard a faint rumbling in his stomach and realized that he was hungry as well. Masaru didn't feel like eating at the Shima Estate. After such a lesson he felt like expanding his experiences would be more worthwhile. Turning on his heel he went to search for a place to end his hunger.

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