Open Night Monkey!

[Hanabi Aiko]

The sun had gone down, and now was the perfect time. She was going to tackle a thing she had set out to do, climb the kage tower from the outside using only her arms and legs! It was pretty dead around the place, it was off hours and if anyone was working inside they were probably asleep at their desks. This was the perfect time, as she didn't sleep. As she stepped up to the monstrously large building, she looked up it and blinked, it was much bigger when you're standing right under it. She popped open a soda she had in her hand and took a big swig, half the bottle gone. Wiping her mouth, she sat the bottle on the ground and backed up a few steps.

"MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE!" she exclaimed, taking a run at the building. One foot on, two feet on, and clinging to a wind sill with her tiny fingers. Her body dangled a bit uselessly, but she mustered up the strength to pull herself up, giving her small feet a purpose as they stepped on and secured her against the wall of the building. One down, 400 more to go! She didn't have the moment so she bent her legs as much as she could in an attempt not to fall, and sprung up, just the tips of her fingers hitting the sill of the next window. She slipped off and fell straight to the ground, a loud thud in his chest and she was out of breath. She rolled over onto her stomach and placed her hands under her, pushing herself up to her knees where she began to cough uncontrollably. This would go on for some time, but eventually it would calm down. She drank the rest of her soda and sat there looking at the monstrosity that had just beaten her. She played in her head how she would do it, every step, every possible misstep and it came down to her being too short. She'd toss the empty bottle at the building in defiance.

"One day I'll climb you, and then once I'm at the top, I'll use you as a sword, I'll be so strong!" She proclaimed to the building itself. "Just like dad..." she whispered, still audible, but somewhat sad. She had heard the tall tale that her father once wielding the kage tower as a mighty weapon. It was probably just a legend, but it fueled her. If only she knew his name, so she could find out how much was real, and how much was false.

[MFT: 433 WC]

 

[Chikara]

Tasogare crept silently through the village, at least he tried to be silent but his creation that followed close behind was anything but light footed. The creature gave a striking resemblance to a large man that was made entirely out of ink and was carrying two large bags on its shoulders full of various supplies that Tas needed for the Tadashii. The giant was made to seem shorter than he actually was next to Tasogare who stood at almost 7 feet, just about a foot shorter than his companion. The man whispered silently into the darkness, speaking to spirits who were invisible to most. Some were human spirits but others were animals, but all had a story to share. Even now as he tries not to wake the sleeping people of his village Tas can’t help but converse with them. That is until his concentration was cut short by the cries of what sounded like a child.

The shouting came from nearby so Tas decided to investigate, moving quietly into a position nearby where he could get a good look at what was happening. Then he saw a young girl trying her best to climb up the Kazekage tower. He smiled at her effort but in a way was disappointed, though not surprised, when she failed and fell back to the sand earth below. She coughed a concerning amount but still Tas only watched, waiting to see what she would do next. He hoped she would try again so he could see if any progress was made. However the girl gave up and tossed an empty bottle at the building which didn’t make sense to the young sage, as it wasn’t the building’s fault but her own ineptitude that caused her to fail.

She shouted again into the night, to no one but herself, vowing to make it to the top one day. Her idea to use the building as a sword seemed a bit… Odd, to say that least, but Tas appreciated a seemingly unreachable goal. The tall man approached her with his golem rocking the ground slightly with each step. Tas would order him to stay after a few steps and approach the young one alone. He lowered the hood on his robe to reveal white hair and oddly colored eyes, on his left a green eye and on his right a red. When he got near enough he would kneel down in order to be at more of an equal level with the girl before he began to speak. He believed in eye contact and with someone her size it was hard to do without making them both strain their necks.

“Hello,” his words are soft but almost neutral in effect, giving an air of ambivalence as if he cared about who he was talking to but at the same time they meant nothing to him. “My name is Tasogare, you may call me Tas. You’ve made me curious, what are you doing out here all alone at night? Surely climbing the tower would be easier if you could see.” Tas would smile to seem polite, but actually he was regretting that he chose to kneel instead of getting all the way down on his knees. It seemed unnecessary to change now but it made his balance slightly off and though he wouldn’t fall he didn’t feel comfortable at all. He wanted to give the girl a chance to speak before he moved, though, in case it distracted her.

 

[Hanabi Aiko]

As she sat there cursing the building, she was about to get up and try again, if only out of pure anger and frustration before she heard a shifting in the bushes, had she been caught? She spun on her heels to face her aggressor, pulling two bottles of soda from god knows where and spinning them in her hands like daggers, popping the tops off and causing fizz to go everywhere. He didn't make a move though, just walked up to her and bent down, probably getting his clothes wet on the now sugar soaked grass. He mentioned that he had his curiosity piqued by the girls actions. She blinked, and handed him a soda for such an awkward thing he was doing. If he chose to drink it, he would find it a ton more sugary than even the highest content of soda on the market.

"This is day 30, I come at night so people don't yell at me, I learned that on day 1. I could climb all the way up if I was just longer!" she extended her arms out and upward to explain growing with her body before retracting them back in. "Dumb body and being short!" she said chugging her soda down in record time, out of anger. "I can see just fine, eyes adjust to the dark after a while."

 

[Chikara]

The girl didn’t seem fazed by my presence; she offered me one of her sodas, handing the metallic container over to me without a word. She must have been a real trusting type to just accept my presence. I didn’t want to be rude so I accepted and popped the tab to take a drink as I listened to her explanation. It tasted like someone mixed sugar with water and added a little fizz to make it into a ‘soda’ but, in reality, it was sugar. I placed the contained on the ground and laughed softly to her exclamation about her size, then I stood to my full height which probably didn’t make her feel much better. I left the soda on the ground and walked to the wall of the tower. Then I rubbed my hand over the surface and felt the smooth stone surface slide under my fingers.

“So thirty days and you can make it only so far.” I feel a grin form on my face but it was more of a reflex than anything. “I don’t think it has anything to do with your size.” I lift my foot and place the bottom of my shoes on the side of the building. I close my eyes and, while concentrating chakra into my feet, I push up and place my other foot on the wall. My body extends parallel to the ground and my hair falls as my hood falls from the gravity. I take a few steps up and then turn to face the girl from just a foot or so above her.

“You’re just young and inexperienced.” It was blunt but she probably already knew that. “Even if this isn’t how you would like to climb the tower, it’s just a demonstration of what you will be able to do. You see, your size doesn’t matter as long as you learn to control your chakra. Don’t worry about your size, because even if you never grow another inch you’ll be able to climb this tower eventually if you just keep trying.” I rub my chin and turn back around to face up the side of the tower, my hair dangling below me.

“Would you like some help? Maybe together we can get you further, even without the use of chakra if this is a purely physical act you’re looking for.” I wasn’t sure why I hanging out with this young girl in the middle of the night, but I sent my golem off without me to deliver the goods to the temple. Perhaps it would be good for me to take a break and just ‘hang out’.

 

[Hanabi Aiko]

“So thirty days and you can make it only so far. I don’t think it has anything to do with your size.”

He stuck himself to a flat side of the tower and walked up it. She buffed her cheeks out, obviously upset by what he was doing. That was cheating, she wanted to get up there on her merit alone. Although, her being able to stick to the building with her chakra would be something she could try, it would take the power out of her climb.

“You’re just young and inexperienced. Even if this isn’t how you would like to climb the tower, it’s just a demonstration of what you will be able to do. You see, your size doesn’t matter as long as you learn to control your chakra. Don’t worry about your size, because even if you never grow another inch you’ll be able to climb this tower eventually if you just keep trying.”

She huffed again. Never in the history of kids has calling them young and inexperienced illicit a good response. Before she could hear him ask if she wanted help, she bounded her way up to the building, in a burst of energy she planted her feet on the building side and skittered up to the first window as she had just done. Unknowingly, she channeled chakra into her legs, not to stick into the wall itself, but to increase the strength of her next bound. She bent and launched, her hands able to latch around the next window. Putting chakra into her arms, she hoisted herself up to the next window. She was already further than when she started a month ago. She'd keep going until she was in his eye line, breathing heavily from exerting herself, she bent over so they were eye to eye.

"I'm not inexperienced!" she yelled, before toppling out of the window toward the ground in a rather exhausted fashion.

 

[Chikara]

It appears as though I hit a nerve with my words. I hear her bolting up the side of the building once more before I can even finish offering to help. I smile sincerely as she moves from window to window, seemingly just to prove a point to me: Some stranger. I stay still to let her catch up to me and before I can say anything she yells at me, and I’m taken aback but I continue to smile. I could tell on her ascent that she was in fact channeling her chakra, but perhaps she was a little less frugal about it than she should have been. Just as quickly as the worlds left her lips she begins to lose her grip and without the energy to hold on she’s caught by gravity once again and begins to fall towards the ground. I hold my smile and turn to face the ground, bending at my knees quickly before leaping headfirst to the ground. I catch myself and lift off with my hands into the air while straightening my body upright. In the air I catch the young girl and we both land safely on the sand.

“That was great.” I say, still holding her in my arms if she needs though just as willing to allow her to stand on her own if she has the energy. “You may have pushed a little too hard, though… You see, when I said you’re inexperienced I didn’t mean it in a bad way. In a lot of ways, I’m still inexperienced and I’m a Jounin.” I chuckle slightly at the thought that even after twenty years of strict training I still had much to learn.

I continue, “there are plenty of things that I don’t know or haven’t practiced. I’m fluent in ninjutsu and genjutsu, but I’m inexperienced in any kind of melee combat. The one thing that all these techniques have in common is chakra. Chakra is nothing more than another aspect of our body that needs to be trained to be stronger, just like any muscle.” I look back up at the top of the tower and rub my chin as I become deep in thought again. “Actually, why are you trying to climb the tower anyway? Also, I gave you my name but I didn’t get anything to call you.” I finished this off with a playful wink to show I wasn’t actually angry about it.