Konoha’s Head Jounin started her day in her clan compound. She had made it an early morning, for once awake before her husband though he likely would not be far behind her. She did a couple of laps around the clan compound to finish waking up before eating breakfast. Soon after she made her way to her office at the Academy. She made it before any of the teachers or students started arriving as she generally preferred. After all, she had the keys to the building. A quick trip through the building to check for signs of after-hours entry later and she made it to her office. It had not been long since Takeshi asked her to take the Head Jounin position back, but she thought she was getting the hang of it again.
Hoshirei reviewed her students’ files, noting any who seemed to have trouble in specific areas. It might be best to find them tutors who can help them in their problem areas. She could not help but smile when she came across the files of the four who had participated in her class on stealth. They had done well, and seeking out specialty classes so young made them promising members. She looked at Kiriyomi’s picture and her brow furrowed a bit. She wondered how he was doing since his father’s funeral. She knew he was clinging to his anger at the situation at least a bit. She did not blame him. After all, she had been furious when she had finally figured out what Isaki Nobu had been doing to her mother. Turning from the Academy Students, she found the academy files of the village’s most recent genin. She had met two of the three. Shusuke was an apparent prodigy if his age at graduation said anything. Shishiwakamaru was another interesting case. She had helped him speak with his father at the cemetery and walked him home afterward. His hug had surprised her, but she had been happy to accept it. All in all, the newest generation of shinobi seemed to be on the rise.
Once she was done reviewing files, she put them back in their hidden lockbox. She then sat back for a moment before pulling a scroll closer to her. She had been studying some of her clan’s more obscure documents recently and had come across a mention of strengthening genjutsu. Needless to say, the genjutsu specialist in her had been intrigued. The beginning of the scroll mentioned meditation and Hoshirei had taken to meditating in brief spurts just to get used to sitting with herself and concentrating on herself instead of listening to her surroundings. She did not do longer sessions very often as she tended to feel a mite vulnerable while doing so. She sat at her desk reading, occasionally interrupted by a teacher or student saying hi, for hours studying the scroll intently.
She came to a section about delving deep into your psyche and the scroll became a bit vague. Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out exactly what the author of the scroll meant by facing oneself. Resolving to attempt it tonight while she was around her husband, she rolled the scroll back up and tied it shut. She then pulled out a smaller storage scroll from her thigh pouch and stored the larger scroll within it. Storage scroll back in her thigh pouch, she stood from her desk and took a patrol around the Academy and its grounds to make sure there was not any trouble. She did have to break up a scuffle between a couple of students, but a raised eyebrow had them looking contrite and apologizing. She got the story of how the fight started and hid a sigh at the miscommunication that happened. Hoshirei helped the two boys talk through their disagreement before leaving the two, now sheepish, students to get back to class. One odd thing though, was while the boys were talking, she could have sworn she saw an amorphous figure forming behind them. Every now and again the figure would look like the boys but it was as if it had yet to solidify.
She was used to seeing ghosts and had been able to see them since she was a little girl, but this was different. She was not sure what to call the figures she saw aside from shadows or shades maybe. They looked to be a part of the boys and were certainly not ghosts. She was not sure what to do. What if she was actually seeing things this time? Shaking the thought from her head, she made her way back to her office and pulled the old scroll out of its storage container again. She skipped over the part where it talked about facing oneself and on to see what the next steps were. Apparently, after you faced yourself, you would be able to see pieces of a person’s personality as a figure and be able to cast genjutsu upon that portion of them. Hoshirei just blinked at that explanation. Was that what she caught a glimpse of with the boys?
Hoshirei heard the final bell of the day go off, breaking her out of her almost trance with the scroll. Sealing it away again, she made her way out of her office and made her rounds to clear out and secure the Academy before heading home. She walked through the streets of Konoha, taking in the hustle and bustle and looking out for anything odd. It did not take her long to get home and tucked into her couch in her sitting room. She pulled the scroll out again and read the last few lines she had not gotten to while at the Academy. Her mind made up, she placed the scroll on the table before her and got into a comfortable position.
She spent a few minutes just breathing, listening to the sound of her own breath and allowing it to draw her further inward to the beat of her heart. She followed the sound of the beating further inward to the network that flowed with chakra. She could feel the chakra within her flowing throughout her body and up into her mind. Hoshirei sat with that feeling for a few moments before delving further into her own mind. A slew of memories passed before her as she made her way to what the scroll described as her core. It did not take long to find it. It was represented by a meadow within a copse of trees. It was beautiful to her, but something had her on edge.
She made her way into the clearing only to find- herself? It was definitely her, but it was a version of her she did not recognize, not really. She still had black hair and golden-yellow eyes, but the way she was looking at Hoshirei was… disturbing. There was fear in those yellow eyes, a deep-seated fear. Hoshirei slowed her approach and stood across from the figure far enough away to be out of reach. The figure reached for the katana at its side with a shaking hand and stammered out, “Stay back!”
Hoshirei raised her hands in a pacifying manner and took a good, long look at her copy. The figure reminded her of an animal backed into a corner, ready to fight but wanting to flee. They stood there in silence, the figure watching her with wary eyes and Hoshirei standing there with her head tilted in curiosity. “I don’t acknowledge my fears very often, do I?” Hoshirei said after a moment. “Not for a while at least.”
Fear was certainly something she had shoved down on numerous occasions. Fear of being alone, fear of being ostracized, fear of losing herself to the cold killer she could be. As she thought about that last part, the figure’s stance changed. Gone was the fearful, practically cowering, girl. What looked at her now was a face with a look so blank it could be a mask. The figure’s lip slowly curled up on one side in a vicious grin. “Oh goody, you acknowledged your fear. Now it’s my turn!” the figure said and leaped at Hoshirei, katana drawn.
Another katana was suddenly in Hoshirei’s hands and she used it to block the figure’s weapon. The blow was so hard that it caused her feet to slide back a bit. She clenched her jaw tight as the figure danced back, setting themselves up for another strike. Before her copy could make another move, Hoshirei lashed out and her whip was in her hand, the bladed tip headed for the figure. It connected with the figure’s face and it laughed cruelly, not bothering to wipe away the blood that was flowing down its cheek. A kunai suddenly struck Hoshirei in the shoulder and she could not help but gasp at the sensation. Her left arm burned with pain and she dropped her katana. She retaliated with another swing of her whip, this time catching the figure’s neck, just barely cutting deep enough to draw blood.
They traded blows, slowly moving from weapons to hand-to-hand fighting then to ninjutsu. After a blast of fire caught her in the face, Hoshirei had to take a brief moment to catch her breath. She panted from exertion but noticed her counterpart did not seem to be flagging in the same way. The bitch had been playing with her and she was tired of it. She was in her own head damn it! There was no way her entire self could lose to one small aspect of herself. With a deep breath, she felt reinvigorated. She shifted her stance and unleashed a torrent of genjutsu and sound ninjutsu at her target. The aspect tried to fight back but succumbed to the pressure, falling to its knees with a disbelieving look on its face. Her shadow bowed its head, accepting its defeat.
Hoshirei walked closer to the downed form, katana once again in hand just in case. She stood there over this aspect of herself and allowed her breathing to return to normal. After what felt like an eternity, the shadow clenched its fists and growled out, “Aren’t you going to finish it? Finish me? You know I’d do it to you.” Hoshirei’s hand shifted her katana so the tip was under the shadow’s chin. With a little pressure, the shadow looked up to meet Hoshirei’s eyes. “I may not like killing, but I never said I didn’t need you. Work with me instead of against me. After all, you never know when you might be needed.” The figure thought for a moment before nodding.
The next moment Hoshirei’s eyes were flying open and she sucked in a deep breath before coughing. As what happened came back to her, she said aloud, “Oh, so that’s what they meant by facing yourself.” She then fell back on the couch and fell asleep from exhaustion, the scroll still open on the table.
WC: 1825
[Topic End]
Hoshirei reviewed her students’ files, noting any who seemed to have trouble in specific areas. It might be best to find them tutors who can help them in their problem areas. She could not help but smile when she came across the files of the four who had participated in her class on stealth. They had done well, and seeking out specialty classes so young made them promising members. She looked at Kiriyomi’s picture and her brow furrowed a bit. She wondered how he was doing since his father’s funeral. She knew he was clinging to his anger at the situation at least a bit. She did not blame him. After all, she had been furious when she had finally figured out what Isaki Nobu had been doing to her mother. Turning from the Academy Students, she found the academy files of the village’s most recent genin. She had met two of the three. Shusuke was an apparent prodigy if his age at graduation said anything. Shishiwakamaru was another interesting case. She had helped him speak with his father at the cemetery and walked him home afterward. His hug had surprised her, but she had been happy to accept it. All in all, the newest generation of shinobi seemed to be on the rise.
Once she was done reviewing files, she put them back in their hidden lockbox. She then sat back for a moment before pulling a scroll closer to her. She had been studying some of her clan’s more obscure documents recently and had come across a mention of strengthening genjutsu. Needless to say, the genjutsu specialist in her had been intrigued. The beginning of the scroll mentioned meditation and Hoshirei had taken to meditating in brief spurts just to get used to sitting with herself and concentrating on herself instead of listening to her surroundings. She did not do longer sessions very often as she tended to feel a mite vulnerable while doing so. She sat at her desk reading, occasionally interrupted by a teacher or student saying hi, for hours studying the scroll intently.
She came to a section about delving deep into your psyche and the scroll became a bit vague. Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out exactly what the author of the scroll meant by facing oneself. Resolving to attempt it tonight while she was around her husband, she rolled the scroll back up and tied it shut. She then pulled out a smaller storage scroll from her thigh pouch and stored the larger scroll within it. Storage scroll back in her thigh pouch, she stood from her desk and took a patrol around the Academy and its grounds to make sure there was not any trouble. She did have to break up a scuffle between a couple of students, but a raised eyebrow had them looking contrite and apologizing. She got the story of how the fight started and hid a sigh at the miscommunication that happened. Hoshirei helped the two boys talk through their disagreement before leaving the two, now sheepish, students to get back to class. One odd thing though, was while the boys were talking, she could have sworn she saw an amorphous figure forming behind them. Every now and again the figure would look like the boys but it was as if it had yet to solidify.
She was used to seeing ghosts and had been able to see them since she was a little girl, but this was different. She was not sure what to call the figures she saw aside from shadows or shades maybe. They looked to be a part of the boys and were certainly not ghosts. She was not sure what to do. What if she was actually seeing things this time? Shaking the thought from her head, she made her way back to her office and pulled the old scroll out of its storage container again. She skipped over the part where it talked about facing oneself and on to see what the next steps were. Apparently, after you faced yourself, you would be able to see pieces of a person’s personality as a figure and be able to cast genjutsu upon that portion of them. Hoshirei just blinked at that explanation. Was that what she caught a glimpse of with the boys?
Hoshirei heard the final bell of the day go off, breaking her out of her almost trance with the scroll. Sealing it away again, she made her way out of her office and made her rounds to clear out and secure the Academy before heading home. She walked through the streets of Konoha, taking in the hustle and bustle and looking out for anything odd. It did not take her long to get home and tucked into her couch in her sitting room. She pulled the scroll out again and read the last few lines she had not gotten to while at the Academy. Her mind made up, she placed the scroll on the table before her and got into a comfortable position.
She spent a few minutes just breathing, listening to the sound of her own breath and allowing it to draw her further inward to the beat of her heart. She followed the sound of the beating further inward to the network that flowed with chakra. She could feel the chakra within her flowing throughout her body and up into her mind. Hoshirei sat with that feeling for a few moments before delving further into her own mind. A slew of memories passed before her as she made her way to what the scroll described as her core. It did not take long to find it. It was represented by a meadow within a copse of trees. It was beautiful to her, but something had her on edge.
She made her way into the clearing only to find- herself? It was definitely her, but it was a version of her she did not recognize, not really. She still had black hair and golden-yellow eyes, but the way she was looking at Hoshirei was… disturbing. There was fear in those yellow eyes, a deep-seated fear. Hoshirei slowed her approach and stood across from the figure far enough away to be out of reach. The figure reached for the katana at its side with a shaking hand and stammered out, “Stay back!”
Hoshirei raised her hands in a pacifying manner and took a good, long look at her copy. The figure reminded her of an animal backed into a corner, ready to fight but wanting to flee. They stood there in silence, the figure watching her with wary eyes and Hoshirei standing there with her head tilted in curiosity. “I don’t acknowledge my fears very often, do I?” Hoshirei said after a moment. “Not for a while at least.”
Fear was certainly something she had shoved down on numerous occasions. Fear of being alone, fear of being ostracized, fear of losing herself to the cold killer she could be. As she thought about that last part, the figure’s stance changed. Gone was the fearful, practically cowering, girl. What looked at her now was a face with a look so blank it could be a mask. The figure’s lip slowly curled up on one side in a vicious grin. “Oh goody, you acknowledged your fear. Now it’s my turn!” the figure said and leaped at Hoshirei, katana drawn.
Another katana was suddenly in Hoshirei’s hands and she used it to block the figure’s weapon. The blow was so hard that it caused her feet to slide back a bit. She clenched her jaw tight as the figure danced back, setting themselves up for another strike. Before her copy could make another move, Hoshirei lashed out and her whip was in her hand, the bladed tip headed for the figure. It connected with the figure’s face and it laughed cruelly, not bothering to wipe away the blood that was flowing down its cheek. A kunai suddenly struck Hoshirei in the shoulder and she could not help but gasp at the sensation. Her left arm burned with pain and she dropped her katana. She retaliated with another swing of her whip, this time catching the figure’s neck, just barely cutting deep enough to draw blood.
They traded blows, slowly moving from weapons to hand-to-hand fighting then to ninjutsu. After a blast of fire caught her in the face, Hoshirei had to take a brief moment to catch her breath. She panted from exertion but noticed her counterpart did not seem to be flagging in the same way. The bitch had been playing with her and she was tired of it. She was in her own head damn it! There was no way her entire self could lose to one small aspect of herself. With a deep breath, she felt reinvigorated. She shifted her stance and unleashed a torrent of genjutsu and sound ninjutsu at her target. The aspect tried to fight back but succumbed to the pressure, falling to its knees with a disbelieving look on its face. Her shadow bowed its head, accepting its defeat.
Hoshirei walked closer to the downed form, katana once again in hand just in case. She stood there over this aspect of herself and allowed her breathing to return to normal. After what felt like an eternity, the shadow clenched its fists and growled out, “Aren’t you going to finish it? Finish me? You know I’d do it to you.” Hoshirei’s hand shifted her katana so the tip was under the shadow’s chin. With a little pressure, the shadow looked up to meet Hoshirei’s eyes. “I may not like killing, but I never said I didn’t need you. Work with me instead of against me. After all, you never know when you might be needed.” The figure thought for a moment before nodding.
The next moment Hoshirei’s eyes were flying open and she sucked in a deep breath before coughing. As what happened came back to her, she said aloud, “Oh, so that’s what they meant by facing yourself.” She then fell back on the couch and fell asleep from exhaustion, the scroll still open on the table.
WC: 1825
[Topic End]
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