Road To Shamanism: Spirits of Wind & Mother Nature

Having agreed to partner with Ghost for the time being and follow him throughout Wind Country, Wan found a dojo deep in the desert. One that appeared to have been built for serpent-like creatures, based on their cave drawings and statues. He approached the entrance and noticed what seemed to be a transparent serpent enter before him, no doubt an odd sight in this dojo. The young boy would enter alone, as he did wondering at the wind which blew at him and the sands. As he came upon a bridge, Wan stopped for a minute to look down at the ground and here decided it would be a good place to train his techniques. The wind did blow across the bridge, making him feel alive over the fifty-meter dropped between the plateaus that he had climbed. 

He formed hand seals that he had once known and flowed chakra throughout his body, using his chakra to manipulate the small water patterns and forced them to enter his body. Wan breathed them in, their essence overwhelming him and his chakra network. It felt so good to be training a new ninjutsu technique. It had been too long... The chakra mixed with the water and soon he was reaching into its essence, having it fill in the body and manifest its energy. All of a sudden he felt rehydrated and Wan looked ahead on the bridge. It would also appear that he was faster, able to move more times in a short increment. He knew that the water must have made him lighter, as his chakra imbued it with its truest power.

Now, this is power, Wan thought and began to form the hand seals again. On that windy, wooden bridge he reached out and its wood spirit which flowed around him reached back. Chakra filled his body, his arms outstretched as if they were his wings, and the Chakra traveled through his body -- filling him with its energy. Soon he could feel his fortitude and his willpower increasing just a little bit from the Natural energy's presence in his body. He loved the feeling and allowed it to dwell within his chakra network for some before dispersing it. As he did, Wan studied the sway of his body and the nature of the world out there. He formed the hand seals and continued to let his chakra weave into the air that surrounded him, feeling it and become its spirit. Caught up in the wind he didn't know where his body stopped and the air began. 

As he finished, Wan looked ahead at the bridge and saw a face in the rock that greeted him ahead. As he got closer, Wan formed the hand seals one more time -- making sure that he was protected as he prepared to enter this unknown place. But this is the only way to find the power that they both seek. There is no other option.

As he moved through the cave and continued on his way through this mysterious area, Wan suddenly come out in an open, lush jungle that grew from the sands of the desert. He saw some ruined temple in the distance and decided to try using the wind to help him soar into the air and get a good look at it. He was not as maneuverable in the air as he would have liked to be. So he began to form hand seals and once again reached into the spirit of the wind, using his chakra to attune himself to the drafts and breezes and tried to lift himself upwards. The wind responded to his chakra and started to move underneath his arms, lifting him just a little bit off of the ground. Wan was a little upset that it had been such a short distance and performed the hand seals again rapidly, storming chakra throughout his body and out of his pores. The wind ate it up greedily, ready to do his bidding. Eventually, it proved to Wan that the Wind was not listening to his calling. Maybe one day he would take the time to become more attuned to the Wind element.

As the wind wrapped around his arms, Wan found that if he forced his chakra further he could get the wind to lift him into the air. This was thrilling at first, and he was able to jump up with the help of the wind about five meters and fell back down. He kept training this technique, forming the hand seals and manipulating the air around his body so that he would go further -- ignoring the resistance of the wind. In time he was able to jump up to 2 meters above himself, a feat that he was very proud of. As he used the hand seals again, he noticed that the wind was beginning to build around the back of his body as well, as if ready to spring him forward. Wan focused his chakra in this air and then attempted to jump forward in a sudden vicious burst. All of a sudden the wind built behind him as if it intended to help.

With his chakra, the young Senju pushed himself through the air and the wind picked up behind him, increasing the distance that he could move. The boy jumped several meters through the air and landed, sand settling around him. It had been good, but Wan tried again. He formed the hand seals and sent chakra to his feet as well as his back this time, making sure that the air was building around him as all of a sudden he released his energy. Wan soared through the air, and chakra and wind seemed to spill out behind him. Suddenly Wan was making his way close to the temple ruins and decided to try one more time to get himself all the way there. In a sudden burst of energy, the small boy flew through the air with his fist held high, landing at the temple ruins which had been at least fifteen meters away. The Senju looked at where he had landed approvingly. 

As Wan got out to the temple on the other side he noticed that it had a roof and several statues that surrounded the area. The opening was a small above ground temple made out of stone, which led underground on the inside. Wan sat outside of this temple and looked at the snake-human statues that had been erected here. As he sat, he began to meditate again. In many ways, it was a mantra, and Wan sharpened his awareness of the sound with his humming. The humming sounded odd in his language, modified with various chirps and roars, but it worked and his mind was soon focusing on his inner essence. Soon the outside world seemed to fade away as he sat down cross-legged, his eyes closed and his chakra swirling all about his aura. All the while, his self began to drift away. 

Wan found his awareness floating as he continued to hum, the sound putting him into a deep trance that was difficult to come out of. As his mind began to wander off and the chakra surrounded him, The Senju's body and aura began to change. He could not even feel his presence as easily as he could before, doubting that other people could do as easily now as well. Still, he knew that there was more power here and pushed on -- continuing the singing so that the sound filled his ears and inner being. Soon his mind could not focus on anything but the sound, his awareness sharpening and concentrating. Losing himself to the music. Outside of him, nothing happened except that his body sat there in front of the temple. Just the slight sound of his humming as it filled the area. 

The young boy continued on his inner spiritual voyage, and as he did the air around him began to feel oddly empty. His presence seemed to have drifted away, filled only with his empty awareness and chakra. As Wan continued to sit there and hum, various animals and birds came up to him -- flitting around the ground and at his side. He didn't even notice them, lost as he was learning the technique. When he had found himself enough, Wan opened his eyes and let the mantra continue. He stopped only when he saw all the animals, not noticing him, and when they tried to run away as he stopped the sound and his presence came back. But he was too late and he chased them around but stopped as he thought about what this meant. He had done very well at the technique indeed if even these animals had not noticed him there. 

As Wan finished up his training with the mantra, he began to enter into the temple. As he did, he saw that the area was relatively large inside but empty. It looked like there was an old altar at the front of the room, where Wan found an old violin which had been badly damaged but not altogether broken. He picked it up as he passed and decided to take it with him, deciding that it might help him learn how to play the violin if he messed with it now. As he was looking over the violin, he saw old papers that had been stuffed inside of the alter as well. Wan pulled them out and saw diagrams of various chakra seals and names. Wan tried to remember them as quickly as possible. He put the papers in his pocket for later reference and started down the stairway inside the temple, down into the ground.

As he did so, Wan pulls a Duduk from his backpack and plays it a little -- seeing how it sounded and beginning to learn how to play it from the ear. It was as if the devil himself were watching over his shoulder as he touched that Duduk and its power and knowledge seemed to go through him. Wan went further into the tunnels, playing a soft tune with just 4 holes on the Duduk, eventually coming to a wide-open room beneath with several doors. Here the Senju sat down. It was damp and dark like the caves that he liked to live in, and the perfect place for him to train in privacy from any other individuals. He reached into his pockets and pulled out the papers with the diagrams and detailing all of the chakra techniques. He began to thumb through them quickly, memorizing as much of it as he could. 

When he was done, Wan rested his head against the wall and pulled back out the Duduk. He inspected it closely, noticing the type of wood it was made out of and how thick it was. He carved at each of them a time or two to get a feel for what they sounded like and tried to memorize it. The pages of lore were sprawled out in front of him but he didn't look much as his hands wove across the holes. Although it didn't sound very good yet, he was learning the basic movements and sounds for the instrument. When he was done he put it down and moved back to the pages -- taking each of them in small doses to try to learn them in tandem. Soon he was engaged with the illustrations he could make out. 

[WC: 1,913]

Taichi led Sozin and Honi through the deserts, it was a long task, it was an exhausting one. But it was a rewarding one. He wanted nothing more than to teach this child the proper way, but he still was battling with the idea of actually becoming a teacher of such a green shinobi. For now, Sozin desired to stay at an Oasis that they had passed within the desert. Taichi allowed this only due to the rumors that he had heard of another water style user in the deserts, right on the border of Suna. Should these rumors prove to be true, Taichi was certainly interested in speaking with the water user. "The rumors stated that he was in the old dojo on the north end of the borders." Taichi would say to himself quietly as he cleared sand dune after sand dune, nearing the dojo with every step.

In the distance, he could see the magnificent serpent statues that littered the front of the dojo, all the way up to the ceilings. Finally when he got within range, he would use the body flicker to close the gap between his position and the dojo. As he swiftly arrived at the dojo, he could hear the sound of water being thrusted about within the dojo so he was sure that the rumors were true. He activated his wood clone jutsu with his own chakra and all three Taichis would walk into the dojo and they would all begin scanning the area for the water user. "Water user! Show yourself!" he and his two clones would yell in unison to amplify their volumes. He would then wait for the water user to show himself, but whether or not he or she would be hostile or friendly was yet to be known.

WC:301

As Wan was huddled over the edge of the water, his suspicions soon came true as he was alerted to a faint voice that seemed to be calling him from the direction in which was behind him. "Water user! Show yourself!" he could hear when suddenly a feeling over-lapsed him. Temporarily paralyzing him as he processed what he felt Wan could grasp hold of a very strong chakra nearby, multiple at that and was among the greatest levels of chakra he ever sensed. The readings he was getting sent shivers down the young boy's spine, knowing that whoever was calling out to him was on a caliber he had yet to reach, probably anytime soon at that. "Water user? They know about my techniques?" Wan would think to himself. His first reaction was to squat and lower his center of gravity to hide along the small shrub line, standing up again soon as he waited for another command to be ushered. No voice. It seemed to him like whoever was calling out had either returned from where they came or was waiting for an answer. Maybe it was Doctor, the ruthless man he heard about who was going around hunting down bloodlines. It made complete sense to Wan, especially with how whoever this was knowing that he was attuned to Water. How'd he find out where he was so quickly? Wan was supposed to be the one looking for him now, not the same as before. None the less, this was Doctor, then his time to make a move against him would be now. Knowing how strong of chakra whoever this was carried, Wan figured they must've been able to sense his as Wan. There was no point in hiding if that was the case since he was probably already spotted. The summons was probably a request to get Wan to reveal himself, and that's what he did.

It took him but a minute to approach the mouth of the dojo again, as he made his way through a small opening, in front of him in the distance he noticed two identical men. Clones, since they were identical, and their chakra's seemed to be the same. They were much taller than Wan from the distance he was, and as he got closer, he realized that they were only slightly taller than him. Nervous at first, he calls out to them, announcing his presence to avoid any sudden reactions from them, if they come with ill intent of course. "Hey.", the young boy would say, his voice ringing proudly to avoid the butterfly feeling gathering in his stomach. On the inside, fear began to overlap the Senju, not knowing if he was walking into danger or not. The two clones would immediately face and look at Wan, causing the Senju to halt in his footsteps as they made contact with each other. Wan was never good with telling age, but facially the clones looked not too much older than him, giving some signs of maturity age marks. They were muscular and well-toned, his eyes a distinct blue with some lined markings in various places among his face. If this was 'Doctor' then Wan's child-ran imagination had failed him. He imagined Doctor to be some monstrous-looking guy, tentacles coming out from all sorts of angles with a voice that sounded like a heavy smoker. This guy looked...normal. A ninja, yes, but normal in the aspects of not giving an evil, malicious vibe upon first glance. From the entrance where the clones stood, another man appeared, identical to the two but coming from behind them, taking his place among them. "That must be the real him..." Wan would think, standing in his position as he watched them closely. 

Wan would make his short declaration, hoping to let whoever this was, whether it is Doctor or not, know that he was not looking for any trouble(as long as they weren't). "I guess you were talking about me when you called for a Water user? If you're Doctor, I've been looking for you, too!" Wan would quickly point, before lowering his hands. "I heard that you've been looking for bloodlines to steal and who else would know that I was here? You've been following me since I arrived in Wind Country, sending your henchmen after me to try and get a piece of me to experiment, or...whatever you do with it! You're tormenting innocent people who are trying to get on with there lives for no reason!" he would say, noticing a look of confusion elapse over the man's face. This would surely confuse the young Senju himself, thus proving to be true by his following statement. "You...are Doctor, aren't you?", he'd ask with a slightly tilted head, his facial expressions loosened but his body rigid, standing firm and tall on the principles in which he believed. "Who exactly are you? Why do I get the feeling that you followed me here?" Hopefully the man would answer the startled Wan's questions, clearing up any confusion the young boy had on whether this was Doctor coming to try and kill him or not.

Shortly after calling for the water user to show, the water user obliged. He came up to Taichi and his clones, asking about a 'doctor' of sorts. Someone who had been sending henchmen after him, trying to take his DNA for his experiments. Taichi obviously having no clue who the hell he was talking about stated simply "I don't know who that is. But to answer your question I did follow you, more your ability than you yourself. I heard word that there was another water user in the desert sand and I was intrigued, not a very popular place for many water users out here in the deserts. So tell me what brings you out into the harsh and arid sands of the Wind Country?" Taichi's voice was low and booming, having a hint of intrigue, while also keeping his new 'sensei attitude' up and running for the sake of getting used to it for Sozin.

WC:157

"I don't know who that is. But to answer your question I did follow you, more your ability than you."

"So you aren't Doctor?" Wan would ask before letting out a huge sigh of relief, his body suddenly dropping to the floor to rest momentarily from the intensity caused by thinking such. "Well, that's good. You followed me because of my...ability?" Wan would question again, thinking to himself if this man also knew that he was of Senju descent, his theories proven wrong after he learns that the man was referring to his Water Style. It must be a rare occasion seeing water users out in the desert, which would come in clutch under such harsh conditions. The way the man talked was rather calm yet asserting. He spoke as someone who has been here long enough to witness the harsh realities of the world, willing to teach it to those who seek to know as well. "My water style? Yeah, it's my natural affinity, it comes in handy in places like this!" Wan would beckon, lowering his guard as the atmosphere around him loses its intensity from earlier. "Probably wouldn't have survived this long without it. It's hot out here and finding water isn't the easiest thing when you're surrounded by sand." the boy would continue, taking a full stand again after regaining his composure. 

"So tell me what brings you out into the harsh and arid sands of the Wind Country?"

A request for what brought Wan to Wind Country was given. "Well...to be honest, I don't know anymore.", he would go on. "I ran away from my home when I was 13, Kirigakure that is, because I was tired of the life that I was living there. Only stealing and conning my way necessities is the only way I and my family made it that long, and eventually, that started not to be enough. I thought, no, I KNEW there had to be more to life than just that, so I escaped one day while out with my group at the academy. I didn't know running away branded you a criminal, but by the time I had made it out of Kiri's gates I was being hunted by my people.". Wan would lower his head, ashamed at how he was branded a traitor by those he considered friends and family. "Being on the run for me is hard, especially still being a 'kid' or somewhat a Teen, but regardless I keep my head held high above waters. People sheltered me along the way and eventually, I learned about Sunagakure being some form of a haven for missing ninja, or at least people like me. If I tested my chances at life this long of a time, why not change it again to see if the rumors about Suna were true?". Hopefully, that answered the question of the man. 

Wan decided to take a few steps closer to the group of men but remained far enough to avoid any suspicion of an attack. "Well..the name is Wan. Wan Senju. I assume you have a name as well, uhm...sir?" 

[WC: 520]

Taichi listened to the traitorous history of the child before him. Taichi's inquisitive face would turn to a scowl. As the child continued to speak of his history, his running away from his home and family, abandoning them all in their time of need, Taichi would look down upon him, as would his clones. "You mean to tell me that when your parents were down on their luck and were unable to provide for their children, you simply abandoned them and didn't even offer to help them provide? You just ran away!" Taichi's anger being placed in this boy's situation when he himself ran away only after his home was being torn to pieces by the Kiri invaders with their Konoha dogs in tow. 

Taichi's two clones would slam their hands on the ground after performing the hand seals for Nativity World of Trees. Trees would begin springing up all around them. Taichi would look with absolute hatred as the trees branches would begin wrapping around the child's body. Taichi's left clone would hold the snake seal to continue the manipulation of the branches currently stretching his body out in all directions. "You Kiri SCUM! Ungrateful scum at that!" Taichi's anger would only grow as he played the memories of the invasion back in his mind again and again. The screams of his fiance the night of his wedding. The ceiling crashing down on to his entire life, snuffing out any light that he had within his heart and soul. 

"To know that you lived in a village with safety and a life without the worry of having an army comletely obliterate your entire life, just to leave it you son of a bitch!" Taichi had two branches growing out of his sides, being sharper than any kunai knife. The branch would grow out of his body and place itself against the bastard's throat. "I hope your last words... are fucking good." Taichi would speak, as he readied to slit this bastard's throat and have him bleed all over the sand and wood that lay beneath them.

WC:347

Wan's previous words must've struck a nerve in the man. After he finished speaking, his heightened senses suddenly caught a glimpse of a sudden surge in their body. It was rising fast, and the look of anger on their faces proved such. Wan was put onto alert, watching as trees began to fling fort from the entrance of the cave where the man stood and creep all into the dojo, blocking pathways between them both as the sheer power of the jutsu was birthing trees everywhere. He had already known he was outnumbered, so while the trees were popping up Wan was weaving signs for a wood clone.  His first idea in case conflict would arise would be to flee further back into the dojo, back over the bridge directly behind him to go to the river he was at before this guy came. Fear began speaking up for the Senju, but his actions hindered not. He was well aware of how powerful this man was the first time he sensed him, and his guard was up. Wan would push his clone in front of him, using him as a barrier for any oncoming attack.


"You Kiri SCUM! Ungrateful scum at that! To know that you lived in a village with safety and a life without the worry of having an army completely obliterate your entire life, just to leave it you son of a bitch!"

Wan would hear the angered words while watching the man form branches out his side. As they shot past the two clones that stood beside the original, Wan gathered spit in his mouth and shot it forward with quickest, right over the shoulder of his clone, using the technique known as Ou Tsuba. It wasn't meant to hit them Wan knew it wouldn't. It passed right by the branches as they made their way towards them. As it would reach just feet in front of the clones, Wan's hand would make only half a tiger seal, forming thousands of needles at the base of the water stream, extremely close to the clones. They'd surely be in range, so close it wouldn't even take seconds to reach the flesh of the clones. He didn't quite understand why a fight was breaking out, seemingly over him being scum for leaving his home. "Why am I scum for pursuing a better life for me?" As he spoke, the needles would fling forth at the clones, thousands impaling them one by one as they aim towards vitals, their neck regions, and their eyes. If they were not killed, then they surely would be injured severely by the outcome of the needles, providing a moment of distraction for Wan as he hoped to find out what went wrong. His guard would stay on high alert as he moved back more into the dojo. "My entire life was obliterated by the lifestyle provided by the village, not an army!" Wan would yell angered, holding back tears as he remembers all that he left in Kirigakure, his young voice trembling while keeping his courage. "I stole, robbed, and did what I had to do all while I was 5 until I left, there wasn't more I could do there that I haven't done! I left because even my parents felt as if there was more to life for us all out here! I came to see if there was something else the world could provide for me to help protect those I loved, and one day bring them too from Kirigakure. You don't understand the struggles we've endured, but I can tell you know what it means to struggle in general. I can see it on your face!" 

If everything went to plan, Wan would await a response from this man as the branches stood at the neck of his own Wood clone. Wan would stay on high alert, saying "You can call me scum, that's something I was branded by humans, not the world."

[WC: 664]

Taichi watched as the branches began to bend and curve around the young boy's arms and feet, preventing him from performing any handseals. Taichi was still 5 meters away from the boy and his two clones were standing in front of him, being 4 meters away from the boy and 2 meters apart from each other. The boy began to spout off about his sob story, all of the things that he had gone through and how he did all he could until he was five, then he would run off and never return to his family because he didn't know that he would branded a criminal if he ran off. 

"His voice seems to be honest. He is also one with the affinity for water. Seems like a waste to kill him." One of Taichi's clones would say to him through their telepathic bond. The three Taichis would continue to speak to each other telepathically about whether or not to kill the boy. While Taichi was acting irrational, luckily for him one of his clones were still keeping his cool and reminded the real Taichi to calm himself before he lost his temper any more. "Calm yourself, Taichi. You are not yourself at the moment. Do  not let your own incompetence ruin and end this boy's life because you can't keep your emotions in check!" Taichi would smirk at the telepathic remarks of his clone. His arms crossed, tapping his index finger on his bicep. He nodded to the clones and he walked closer to the boy, having the clone holding the snake seal release the boy, after creating an arena of sorts. It was a platform for them to fight on, along with walls that shot up from the sides that went up 20 meters. The platform was 20 meters in diamater, he kept the arena small so his newfound opponent wouldn't be able to go anywhere to far. 

The branches would release the boy completely, and Taichi would use his wood release to lift his real body and one of his clones up to the top of the wall where they would be able to see everything that happened between him and the clone that stayed down on the plat form with the child. Taichi and his clone would still have their arms crossed with their index fingers tapping their bicep. The remaining clone would be on the platform below, being 15 meters away from the boy. 

"Prove to me you are worth the life you had been given, Kiri scum." With that, Taichi's clone would already be in his fighting stance, waiting for the boy to make the first move.

WC:444

The grip around his neck was suddenly being released, following some sort of arena being formed around him. The next thing he knew, he was standing on a risen platform. He watched as the man and a clone took to a higher vantage, standing atop the edge of the wall looking down on them, while leaving what he assumed to be another clone on the platform with him, 15 meters away. As he was being released, Wan would gasp for air as his hands wove the signs for a clone, that said clone appearing the moment Wan drops to his knees after being released from the grip of the branches. His clone stands next to him, just a meter, while the real Wan regains his breath, looking around at his new surroundings as he jumps backward 10 meters towards the edge of the platform, putting himself roughly 25 meters from the man who stood in front of him. His clone stood ready for anything, being able to communicate with the Wan mentally as it was a wood clone. 

"Prove to me you are worth the life you had been given, Kiri scum."

"So this is a fight. A fight for my life." Wan would think to himself as the words of the man were issued form where he stood. Such a command gave him any indication that this was the leader of the pack, either that or at least one of the ones up top watching had to be the real thing. Why would he summon clones to just watch over a real fight? Hearing these words put Wan on edge, his senses on high alert as he knows that he now must fight. The man standing in front of him was in a fighting stance, apparently awaiting his next move. As Wan and the clone look at him, he would waste no time making a move since it seemed like that's what he had to do anyways. The clone would start running at the man at his max speed, producing a branch from his body that he fashions as a weapon, hoping to impale the man if he was to get close enough. While the clone is running, the real Wan weaves two signs as he closely monitors the chakra around him with looking at the clone, careful of any surprise attacks from those above. Taking no time to preform the Tiger-Snake seal, the wood begins to spring forth from the ground around them, coming up from the platform they stood on wrapping themselves around the legs of the man. They slowly begin to creep up the man's body, Wan being unable to fully manipulate them from the range he stood, but at least they were doing what he wanted them to do. If everything fell into place, the man would be constricted by the branches wrapped around him, even if not only for a few seconds as he finds a way to free himself from it.

During the time the man is struggling to free himself, The clone would have closed the gap between him and the clone standing in front of him nearly instantly with the use of his flicker. The katana-shaped branch would lunge forward just before the clone begins his flicker, and upon reaching his target would be impaled at quick speeds within the chest region of the man. Wan knew that the man had access to wood-style just like himself, so if these were any clones like his, then he knew that they'd needed to be killed before they would disperse. He didn't want to kill the man if this wasn't a clone, which is why he would wait only seconds after impaling the man to see if it would disappear. If not, then the man was either hurt by the attack or was indeed a clone and would need to be killed. If this was the case, the clone would slightly shift the angle of the branch upward and lunged it towards the man's heart, having not to even remove the branch as he only needs to make a small adjustment.

If everything failed, and Wan was not able to snare the man with the use of Nativity of a World of Trees, then upon watching the man dodge his wood wrapping around him, he would instantly begin weaving signs for Rain Tiger at will, following the signs for a nativity. Once the rain begins, Wan would lower his chakra senses to nothing, weaving a few more signs for hiding in the rain if he has the time to, if not caught. If he was rushed by any of the clones or the original to his position, he'd spring forth thousands of needles from the water around them, ready to unleash them towards anyone in their vicinity at max speed, aiming for vitals if he can. If this was a fight for his life, then he'd go out fighting for it. 

[WC: 828]
 Used Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees
Used Rain Tiger at Will Technique
Used Hiding in the Rain

Clone used Body Flicker and Wood Cutting

Chakra Sensory Up

Taichi's clone would not move his body when the Kiri bastard would leap backwards from the spot that Taichi had allowed him to be free. He would simply grab one of the kunai knives that had an exploding tag wrapped around it's handle. Should the Kiri dog not find a way to dodge the exploding tag, then he was truly, not worth the life he was given. Taichi's clone would do nothing in the meantime, for he didn't feel like this opponent was worth actually doing any work.