"we'll see. We'll see. Well we shouldn't be wasting time now! Let's take him to the pit."


After the words were spoken by the leader of the strange group of people, action was taken. A few of them walked towards toshiko, grabbing him up by his side, each one using their full force to suppress his limbs to restrain his movement, as they did not want him to escape their grasps, and damn sure didn't trust him at all. He grimaced as their hands and facial expressions showed the intense pent up aggression they had all shared for him which was confusing as he hadn't done anything wrong, and even though he wanted to speak out against them he decided not to for his relationship with them, and for the sake of his own safety. He needed to gain their trust if he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity that had been given to him. To learn the art of senjutsu and reach new powerful heights he hadn't dreamed of before They brought him up to his feet, relieving the force of resistance upon his legs to allow him to walk allowing him up to his feet, and as they did so two of the four men upon Toshiko twisted his arms and folded them upon one another, leaving them in a distorted fashion that was very uncomfortable for Toshiko. One of The blue men behind him pushed him forward, knocking him up by a few meters along with the two men that restricted his hand movement. Toshiko grimaced and turned his head to see the one from before who had pushed the idea of his execution. The strange blue man had a smug smile upon his face.

It was obviously clear that while some of the individuals from this mysterious, forgotten clan had taken in Toshiko with somewhat open arms, the majority obviously didn't feel the same way.    Honestly, he was having mixed feelings about them too He wanted to like them, but due to the way they were acting against him it was hard for him to do so. But still, the one that appeared to be the head of their group was at least giving Toshiko a chance. Even though he didn't understand why, he might as well utilize this experience to benefit him in the long run. As Toshiko and the men restricting him began to move towards the exit of the room they were in, the masses followed behind them clumping together and moving timidly behind Toshiko, keeping their distance from him.

The path that he was taken through was narrow for a while, the entrance seeming to decrease in size within every step he took leading him deeper into it. Eventually, it opened up to a larger cave like area. Toshiko looked around it a bit, observing it to find the same drawings from before that he had seen on the wall before he was incapacitated. They were going back out towards the exit of the cave. he kept moving forward, and after a few meters of walking as the men restraining him roughed him up, they were back out at the opening of the cave. it was clear that some time had passed since Toshiko had came in. He no longer heard the hard hitting rain on the outside of the cave, nor the sound of the harsh winds or lightning or thunder. After taking a few steps more he could see the outside of the cave. the storm had stopped. At least one good thing had come out of the ordeal so far. With the storm over with, if toshiko managed to get of of this situation he could make it into kirigakure easily.

They continued on moving, out of the cave, and through the rubble and ruins that smothered the ground outside the cave long before the storm even had hit. The ground was still moist, and the air still heavy as the finals strong winds came through the area. Toshiko turned to his right to see the entrance to kirigakure over on the horizon. It was closer than he thought, but still a lengths away.

"Um, If you don't mind me asking, where is this "pit" located exactly?"

Toshiko question was simply ignored by the men that carried him, and the leader of the clan who had spoke with him before came up next to him right after with a smile upon his face.

"Oh. You'll find out soon enough. Be patient."

Toshiko was in no place to refuse. He simply kept moving forward alongside the rest of the clan for a while, until they came up to a large absence of ground. a large hole about 30 meters in diameter. It was so deep that the bottom of the pit wasn't even possible to be seen by Toshiko or those that surrounded him. He stared at it with an obvious look of worry and nervousness.

"Uh... Would i be wrong to assume that this isn't the pit you were referring to?"

The leader came up next to him and laughed.

"Not only would you be wrong, you'd be stupid too. You wanna back out? We don't have to teach anyone the art of senjutsu to anyone who can't handle a challenge. you can always quit. No shame in it."

"In your dreams! I can handle anything and everything you throw at me! What do i have to do?"

"I'll let you figure that out on your own. but i will tell you this. you have find a way to survive. simple as that. Once you enter all you have to do is make it to the other side, and you will be put in the face of judgement. If you are deemed worthy, you will be able to learn our way of the dragon. If you succeed, you'll be ready for the next challenge."

"The next challenge?! You mean there's more?"

The leader began to chuckle. Obviously he was going to get more enjoyment out of the experience than Toshiko would.

"If you wanna make it out of here alive, you have to find a way to become one with nature. If you fail to do so... well, there most likely won't be anything left of you. You have until the sun rises. If you fail to rise up from the exit of the labyrinth you'll find within the pit, we shall assume you are dead, and move on. Good luck."

Once he spoke the words, the men restraining Toshiko loosened their grips upon his arms, though his relief was short lived as one of them kicked him forward, sending him tumbling down into the large pit.

Toshiko's screams echoed around the large pit as he came falling down a distance so long he wasn't aware of when or if he'd ever hit the ground at all. Fear overtook his body as the rapid speed from the large fall increased, sending him down faster. His heart felt like it was in his throat and his eyelids flew all the way back as the momentum increased even more with toshiko screaming all the way to the bottom.

After Several minutes that seemed like hours of the fall, Toshiko finally stopped falling, colliding with something. Expecting death, upon reaching it he lost all sense of feeling for a few brief moments, closing his eyes beforehand. A few seconds later, he realized that his suspicions were incorrect. The impact from the fall didn't end up killing him. As the feeling returned to his body, he felt the heavy liquid around him. He had landed in a large body of water. He opened his eyes as his boy hit the bottom of the water, an he quickly began to swim back to the top. Within a minute he resurfaced, just as his supply of breath was running low. Once his head was above water he panted heavily, sighing with relief.

"Holy shit.... These guys must really wanna kill me!"

He began moving forth through the water, not knowing what to expect. This couldn't be all there was to it of course. If that was the case they never would have even put Toshiko there in the first place. While this was the truth, He still had no idea what trials could possibly await him. In front of him the body of water continued on for at least a few dozen more meters. The current area seemed to be clear of any immediate threats. Toshiko couldn't feel any levels of chakra. He continued moving forward, not expecting anything to happen to him.

seemingly out of nowhere, Toshiko's thoughts were shown to be incorrect. from the depths of the water below, a large, slim, eel like creature shot up and wrapped itself around Toshiko's left leg. It didn't take him long to notice it, and he quickly attempted to shake the creature off of him. His efforts were met with no effect as it was too late, and the create went back down towards the bottom of the water at full speed, taking toshiko with him. He hadn't had much of a chance to react to the creature, and now it had him right where it needed him to be. He had to do something. as he reached the bottom, Toshiko attempted to swim back up to the surface. As he did so, the creature took the rest of it's body, and circled around his chest and neck, only to tighten it's grip upon toshiko, restricting his entire body.

In a panic to take in oxygen, Toshiko tried to inhale while undeneath the water, breathing in nothing more than that. As he gagged, he had run out of air. The creature was choking him to death. as the seconds went by (which seemed like minutes due to the extreme amount of pain he was in), Toshiko's vision became blurry and he slipped in and out of consciousness as the water practically overflowed his lungs. He couldn't fight it for much longer, but he couldn't give up here. He simply refused to. With the last bits of strength he could muster up, he reached his right hand towards the head of the beast which was   wrapped around his throat. He gripped it with all his strength, causing the creature to lose it's grip upon him. With this chance to escape, he unraveled himself from the creatures grasp, and kicked his way back up to the surface. in front of him was the rock hard ground. finally. using thelast amounts of strength he had, he pulled himself up onto land, escaping the creature's captivity. immediately Toshiko coughed up the water that he had accidentally swallowed, gagging and gasping for air. After a while he regained his full senses back, and he now felt normal.

He got back up to his feet, taking a second to collect himself. In front of him There was a short and secluded path that stretched out with barely enough move for Toshiko to travel through. At the end of the path was a bright blue light that Toshiko could see even from the far distance he was currently at. What was up next? More incredibly creepy animals? Booby Traps? He didn't know what else could be thrown at him, but he knew to be careful. Being quick and cautious at the same time, Toshiko moved forward through the pathway. As he went further in, the path got smaller and smaller in width. Causing him to have to crouch down unto all fours in order to keep moving. As he reached the end of the pathway, a much larger, open space could be seen in front of him, he grunted as he took the last movement forward to exit the pathway, and got up to his feet. After doing so, he began walking again. After taking one step into the new area, the ground underneath him started to rumble, and then completely collapsed upon itself.

"Hollyyy shit not again!!"

Toshiko fell down the large hole face first, and far down at the bottom he could see it. a entire floor of incredibly large spikes. It didn't take a genius to figure out what would happen if he landed on top of it. The speed of his fall was increasing, and it was increasing fast. He had to find a way out of this quickly. Toshiko looked over to his right to see nothing but the rock hard wall. That was it. Quickly, he exerted chakra from his core into both of his hands, and then placed both of his hands on the wall. The friction caused him to skid further down, as his panic was preventing him from fully focusing his chakra into the super natural walking technique to allow him to use his chakra as a platform to stand on.

he kept going farther down, the speed of his fall decreasing and decreasing even more as he focused his chakra to the best of his ability. he was only seconds away from making impact with the wall of spikes. he had to act now. while exerting chakra into his feet, he used the wall his hands were currently on and bounced off, landing both of his feet on the wall upon the other side of the hole just before his body would hit the spikes. He gave a sigh of relief.

"Whew. That was too close."

His relief was short lived, as only moments later the walls around him started to rumble. The floor of spikes slowly began to shake, and then started moving upwards slowly. It didn't take Toshiko long to notice this of course.

"You're got to be kidding me!"

There was no spare time for him to complain about the situation he was in. Quickly he turned back up to face the top of the area from which he had fell from, and started running up the wall at full speed. As he increased his speed, the elevating floor did as well, gaining in on him by the second. a few seconds in, Toshiko was almost up to the top, the floor of spikes gaining in on him. There wre only a few more meters to go. If he wanted to make it out without getting penetrated, he'd have to move at full speed. In one burst, he moved up 11 meters within a single second, clearing the distance and hopping up back onto the surfacae of the area just in time. Toshiko quickly moved back a few feet away from the large hole, just as the large wall of spikes came up. it continued to elevate, crashing into the ceiling and causing it to crack. The entire area began to rumble as Toshiko realized that the ceiling was caving in on itself.

He took no time to show his displeasure with the situation he was being provided with, and just simply took action. Quickly turning around, he began running again at top speeds, heading directly towards the next area where the insanely bright blue light could be seen from afar. As Toshiko was running, the ceiling began falling down onto the ground behind him, leading in a trail that quickly caught up to him and get him on his toes. He increased his speed, dashing forward in one speed burst to get through the entrance to the next area. the impact from the large rocks hitting the ground caused him to trip over himself while dashing, and he landed on the ground in front of him with a thud.

Slowly, he stood up to his feet, trying to catch his breath and reserve himself. He couldn't believe it. This was only the first part of the challenges that this clan of lizardmen would put him through? Toshiko hoped that senjutsu, whatever it was would be worth it. He turned around, looking at the remnants of the room he had just exited, completely caved in by rubble and rocks. He had barely made it out of the situation alive, and one thing was for certain. He had to be completely aware of his environment if he wanted to make it out of here alive.

He continued on slower, making sure to have a keen understanding of his surroundings to avoid falling into another trap. Every time he took a step, beforehand he made sure the floor was stable. Checking for weight plates that could potentially set off traps, or any other creepy creatures that would try to kill him. He took his time, moving forward across the hard stone floor at a continuous, slow pace.  He had made it halfway down the path, and nothing out of place had occurred. Was this area safe? Toshiko thought so, but he still couldn't be one hundred percent sure. Despite that truth, it was a risk that he'd have to take if he wanted to continue with his trial. He kept moving forward, getting closer and closer to the blue florescent light that illuminated the entire area in front of him. After taking a few more steps, he found himself directly in front of the entrance to the next area. Without hesitating a moment longer, he entered. The entire large room was filled with strange solid stones of blue which were emitting the intense light. Toshiko had to squint his eyes as the shining rocks were making it difficult for him to see clearly. They covered the entire room. The walls, the floors. Toshiko hadn't ever seen anything like them. One thing was for certain. They weren't normal stones made from natural material. They had been something prior to it. By the conditions they were in, they were obviously aged. But for some reason, they still shined bright as if there was an energy within them still alive.

Being surrounded by them made Toshiko feel strange, but not necessarily in a negative or unfamiliar way. It was a feeling that he had experienced before, but only in brief moments and never had he felt it as strongly as he did now. It was a mellow, calming energy that alleviated him of any inconveniences he was experiencing. The feeling being admitted into the room made him relax himself, moving through the path without being as attentive as he was before the feeling began overtaking his body. Toshiko had to be near the end of the first challenge by now. He still hadn't understand what the leader of the strange lizard clan had said when he told Toshiko he'd be put in the face of judgement. What did that mean? He had no idea. It had to have been at least 2 hours by now. he didn't know how late into the night it had been as he had entered, but he figured that he didn't have too much time left. he just hoped that he'd reach the end soon, and that he'd make it out of here alive.

The end of the passage was directly in front of him. He entered the next room, which was shorted in length than the next. the blue stones aligned the entirety of the room once more, but this time around there were simply more of them than there had been before as the strain being put on his eyes was even greater than it had previously been. In the mid center of the room, only about 9 meters away from Toshiko's current position at the entrance of the room was something that he didn't expect to see. There was an extremely large lizard like creature. It was baby blue, the same color as the clan of lizard like humanoid creatures that Toshiko had come into contact with. Could this thing be it? He recalled the drawings that he had found upon the walls within the cave. Could this lizard be one of the dragons they had spoken about in the tale? Before Toshiko's thoughts could be answered or even processed, the large lizard took immediate action. It began roaring at the top of it's longs, sending a blood curdling screech echoing through the entire labyrinth. It was strange. High pitched and yet provided enough bass to echo on throughout the entire area. Toshiko covered his ears as the noise practically pierced his eardrums.  

As the last remnant of sound produced from the humongous lizard hit the walls of the pit and then subsided, it was immediately followed by an abundance of smaller and yet still incredibly intimidating lizard like creatures out of a large hole behind him. What species were they. It was kind of hard for Toshiko to tell, as he'd never seen a lizard so strangely colored before. After a few moments of observing their anatomy, he realized what they all were. Komodo Dragons. Just as depicted in the tale upon the walls within the cave. Could the legend really have been true?  It didn't come off to toshiko as anything more than a simple legend. But with the strange clan of people, and now this? There was no way it could have simply been a well fabricated story. It had to be accurate. The large, monster like komodo dragon was acting a bit oddly. Observing Toshiko with it's insanely creepy, bloodshot red eyes. As he did so, a few of the komodos that were at his side started to get hostile, making strange hissing noises. Toshiko was starting to get a bit worried, but remained calm and collective. After a few seconds, The largest komodo grunted, seemingly communicating with the other komodo dragons to calm them.

"Outsider state your business."

Toshiko didn't want to take the risk of getting on anyone's bad side. He was still left in a situation where he didn't initially know how to respond. He figured that he'd have to show some sign of respect to the large creature, so he awkwardly knelt down in front of it, and addressed himself formally.

"I am Toshiko Uzumaki of the village hidden in the leaves. I was brought here by a-"

"The Doragonseji brought you here to put you through the trial. Correct?"

The large komodo bellowed in such a powerful way that his words seemed to shake the room. Doragonseji? that had to have been the name of the clan of lizard like people. Toshiko was a little bit shocked, as he hadn't ever even seen animal talk outside of one of the pets of one of his ex companions. Despite being taken aback by this, he knew he'd have to be completely serious and focused as he spoke to this creature.

"Yes. I allowed the Doragonseji to put me through their challenges because i'd like to learn senjutsu. It'd be an honor."

The immense lizard took a few moments to take in the words Toshiko spoke, and after doing so began speaking again.

"Tell me. What do you plan on using the way of the dragon for? Why are you seeking this power?"

Toshiko was about to start speaking, but stopped himself. That was a question that he himself hadn't actually even take the time to think out, and as he realized taht it made him question his own intentions. why? why had he agreed to this? was it because he wanted to utilize the power for a purpose that would be beneficial to everyone?, or was he just looking for another way to boost his own strength? He had to figure that out right then and there. After taking a few more moments to stop and collect his response, he opened his mouth to speak.

"I..... I want to learn the art of senjutsu to expand my knowledge and awareness of the shinobi world. I figured that if i am more connected with the world and nature, i'll be better suited and equipped to protect it from harm. As a Shinobi of the leaf village, i'll do anything and everything that i am able to to ensure i'll be strong enough to protect those in need."

The words that he spoke were not an abundance of lies to try to deter the creature's view of Toshiko, but how Toshiko actually perceived the situation he was in and what he thought he'd receive from it. He wanted to return to konoha at the peak of his very own capabilities, and this was his path to achieving that goal.  He knew that something as strongly protected and secretive as senjutsu had to be powerful and full of advantages, and he saw fit to ensure that he'd obtain any and all of the power he could.

"Your intentions are good and pure. I can see that you are telling the truth. You are worthy of the way of the dragon. Know this. the Doragonseji are going to show you how to master this way of jutsu. i am simply going to introduce you to it by enlightening you. Are you ready? Be sure that this is something that you can benefit from. We do not have much time."

Was he ready? That was a question he felt like he'd answered already, but still kept coming up. Why was this? Toshiko still didn't fully know what the results of this training would be. There was no doubt in his mind that regardless of what went down, he come out of the situation stronger  than he was beforehand, but still there was the wringing question of whether or not he was strong enough currently to handle it. Could he? There was no way to find out. No way besides trying. That was the only way  he'd ever be able to distinguish whether or not he was fully capable of using the art of senjutsu. He stared directly at the large komodo while still knelt down on one knee with a look of determination on his face, and then answered.

"Yes. I am as ready as i'll ever be. Please, teach me what you know. I can handle all of it."

The large komodo's large mouth began to form a slight smile. Toshiko couldn't tell if it was because he was being amused by the situation, or if he was simply pleased with the answer Toshiko provided him with.

"Good. You have managed to make it through the labyrinth, and this is your reward. Senjutsu. To obtain senjutsu, the user must be at one with nature. Combining your own chakra with the chakra of the life around you, merging your physical and spiritual chakra together into one entity, thus creating Senjutsu chakra. You are an Uzumaki. Your chakra is already beyond that of a normal ninja. by taking in the nature chakra, your chakra pool will increase to heights unheard for you.  The blue stones in this room are hardened remnants of Senjutsu Chakra. Do you feel anything from them?"

"When i first came into contact with them, i felt a strangely calm aura of chakra. It kinda felt like my body was being coated with some form of invisible chakra. I didn't know it was coming from the stones though."


"Good. Your body is accepting the senjutsu chakra, and you're slowly managing to merge the two different variations of chakra. You've already discovered the chakra. All you have to do is let it in. Enter the hole behind me and continue forth until you see what you need to realize the power. I have taught you all that you need to know. Trust yourself, and stay in control of your chakra. If you do so, you'll be a step closer to realizing the way of the dragon."

Toshiko listened carefully to every single detail that the giant komodo had provided him with. he had to maintain his spiritual and physical energy, and merge his current chakra with the chakra from the nature around him. This was the way to access Senjutsu.

The giant baby blue komodo began moving it's large body with slow, sluggish turns and thrusts to move out o the way. The regular sized komodo dragons that had gathered around him cleared out as well, leaving a clear path in front of Toshiko to reveal a hole in the wall with yet another pathway that lead to a large pedestal with an immense, rugged blue boulder on top of it. The boulder seemed to have had a large amount of natural energy and senjutsu chakra compressed within it, as Toshiko was at least 20 meters away and still could feel the heavily  influenced nature chakra. That was what the giant komodo was talking about. That was the object that he needed to help him merge his chakra pools into one. He knew what he had to do. All that was left was for him to do it. Toshiko turned his head to the large komodo while standing back up to his feet, and smiled to him.

"Thank you for your hospitality. You will not regret this. I swear to use the things you have taught me for the right reasons. You have my word."

the Komodo acknowledged his promise, nodding slowly. Toshiko knew the words that were coming from his lips would stick with him for a while. if he actually succeeded in learning the art of senjutsu, he'd use it to help others in more ways than one. With that said, Toshiko turned his head back in the direction of the pathway that lied in front of him, and bolted down straight at full speed. he cleared the hallway in a matter of seconds, Bursting through it at his top speeds and quickly found himself in front of the large blue boulder being held up by the incredibly durable stone pedestal. Toshiko could feel the overwhelming abundance of chakra being emitted from it that seemingly echoed throughout the room, filling the environment with it. He stared at it for a few moments, and then remembered what the komodo told him what to do. he took a deep breath, concentrating his chakra to keep it maintained. he then focused upon the natural energy that was all around him, gathering whatever amounts of it his body would allow him. He stared directly at the blue boulder, which was obviously the source of the energy. He had an idea, Slowly, he reached out his right hand towards the blue boulder of chakra. He took a deep breath, trying to stay as focused as he possibly could as his fingertips made contact with the boulder. Directly upon physical contact with the blue rock, Toshiko felt a strange surge overflow his entire body. It was a feeling similar to the one he had been experiencing before, but twice as strong as it had been. There was something strange. He could see the aura around the blue stones as he had before, but they were clearer, and he could see the same aura for the other thing within the area. His chakra felt abnormal as well, Even with his uzumaki enhanced chakra pool, he could feel that it was even stronger now. There was only one conclusion to draw from that. it had worked. He had managed to merge his spiritual and physical energy with the nature chakra around him. He had obtained the first stages of senjutsu.

Almost immediately after this, the walls around the room began to rumble. He was given no time to celebrate his success, as he prepared for what he thought would be another trap or challenge. His suspicions were proved to be incorrect as one of the walls slowly descended, showing a large set of stairs going up towards ground level. Toshiko smiled when he saw the staircase. he did it. He actually did it somehow. He laughed, and quickly began jogging up the somewhat long set of stairs. he moved at moderate speeds, as he was some what tired out physically due to the entire experience. Despite that, he pushed himself using his remaining bits of force, and made it to the top. He was panting heavily. HIs body was still fatigued form undergoing the challenges he did while within the labyrinth, despite the fact that his chakra pool had increased.

He looked up at the sky as he got his first sense of fresh air, knowing that he was surely back on land. The sun was still low, just starting to appear on the horizon from behind the night sky which was quickly transitioning. He had made it just in time. He came up to the final step, now completely elevated on the ground level and found the clan standing 5 meters in front of him. The Doragonseiji. As they all saw that he had came out alive, looks of shock and murmurs erupted throughout the group of people. Their leader stood in the front with similar impressions of the situation at first, but then he regained his smug look once more and smiled.

"Well, looks like you made it. And with a few seconds to spare. I can't say i'm surprised, but you had me doubting you for a second there."

Toshiko smiled and began to chuckle, as another one of the doragonseji came forth. It was the one from before who had been against Toshiko from the beginning.

"What... That can't be! He survived? Wait a second... That chakra. Is that-"

"Yes Koata. Senjutsu chakra. the outsider Uzumaki Toshiko has found a way to merge the chakra of nature with his own."

The one known as koata was quickly filled with rage, as the other members of the doragonseji were amazed by it. Toshiko realized that he could notice something different about all of them. Each of them had an aura of chakra around them, of which Toshiko couldn't see when he had first met them. This was the senjutsu chakra they possessed. He could feel it now. There was no doubt about it.

"So, what's next? The second challenge you talked about earlier."

"You have Done well Uzumaki. The mighty Burūdoragon-shin passed his judgement upon you, and granted you the power of senjutsu. You have obtained it. Now all you have to do is master it. Learn to channel enormous amounts of senjutsu chakra and truly merge yourself with nature, and you will achieve the form known as sage mode."

"Sage mode?"

"This part you must do on your own. Go towards your destination within the city of kirgakure. Train yourself, learn how to be one with the world around you. Get stronger. Then come back to us, and we'll show you the rest of the way. Return to our cave one week from now. Good Luck, Uzumaki. "

The leader turned back to the rest of the doragonseji, and they all moved together in unison. within the blink of an eye, they were all gone. Toshiko hadn't had a full grasp upon what he had been told. Sage mode? Why had they given him a week to train by himself? Well, there was no point in asking questions he wouldn't receive the answer to. He had to go train. he looked ahead. the village of kirigakure could be seen just a little bit beyond a hill that was in front of Toshiko. He had some distance to cover, but he knew that he could make it there. He knew he'd be returning here soon, and with his 7 day time frame to train he would have to utilize all of the power and skill he currently had, and push himself over his limit. with this knowledge in his mind, he began running forward at full speed heading towards the village of kirigakure.

His Time was up.

One week. A week had passed since the day that the doragonseji sent Toshiko out on his way, to master the art of senjutsu on his own, and he'd certainly managed to keep himself busy. First he'd met back up with a man he'd known for a while now. Wolfgang. They'd first met during the few days after the chuunin exams in which Toshiko took place in. He had lost his match in the finals, and was still too ashamed to show up back in his village. He'd wandered directly off into an indiscreet location within takigakure's caves. As he trained while soaking within his own self pity, he met Wolfgang. An extremely burly man with tattoos covering him head to toe. He agreed to train with Toshiko, and even with his extreme strength couldn't manage to take Toshiko down instantly. They ruffed each other up, and from that day on Wolfgang was Toshiko's sensei. He hadn't seen him since then, but had run into him while in kirigakure. Toshiko recalled wolfgang saying he was secretly the leader of a clan from the village, so it didn't come to much of a surprise. When they met up, Wolfgang proposed the idea of them fighting once more, and Toshiko complied. He'd wanted to test his own strength and see how much he had grown ever since his chuunin exams. It ended with Toshiko accidentally cutting off Wolfgang's arm. He'd felt terrible about it, but Wolfgang assured him it wouldn't be an issue. They connected even more an a deeper, emotional level, and then once more went their separate ways. The next encounter Toshiko made was with a new face, but one that would help him out substantially. The one he met was Yosuke. A mysterious figure that Toshiko saw in a place known as the nukenin graveyard when he was being attacked by 3 unidentified individuals. He asked Toshiko about himself, where he came from, and what his goals were. He stated that he saw himself within Toshiko, and challenged him to a spar in an attempt to test his ability. After their spar, he agreed to teach Toshiko a jutsu that was used by an ancient hero who saved the ninja world hundreds of years ago. The rasengan. Toshiko learned the jutsu, but had yet to fully master it. Even so, he knew he'd started a road towards power greater than he could comprehend with the learning of the jutsu. A path that he wanted to be on. the Rasengan jutsu was extremely powerful, and Toshiko could do nothing but wonder what other capabilities it held at it's full potential. As Yosuke taught him the rasengan, Yosuke and Toshiko alike were struggling with the art of senjutsu. Yosuke began his training in the nature energy within a temple with birds. Toshiko had no idea that there were other variations of senjutsu, and he wondered who else in the nations knew of it's existence. AFter that, him and Yosuke parted ways, sure to meet again someday. The next and final experience he'd had within kirigakure was with a strange pirate boy genin by the name of Dovy, who taught him how to use the wind element, fuuton. They'd sparred as well, and embarrassingly enough Dovy had caught him off guard and beaten him. The utilization of the fuuton element would come in great handy within the near future, he was sure of that. With the new experiences lived, and the new abilities acquired, his week's time was up. It was now time for him to return to the Doragonseji Clan.

He had absolutely no idea of what was going to happen next. He'd managed to train up his senjutsu, and he was in better control of it now than he'd ever been before. It truthfully felt amazing. The intake of the natural energy was now greater than it had been during his initial training. He could apply his nature energy to items aligned specifically with senjutsu chakra that couldn't be interacted with normally, and he was capable of restoring his lost chakra at a greater rate through meditation and intake of the senjutsu chakra. Even though all of the said milestones had been achieved, there was one thing he was still incapable of. Sage mode. the so called sage mode transformation he couldn't get the hang of on his own was still a mystery to him. Hopefully the doragonseji could assist him further. Toshiko Woke up in the middle of the training center, in which he'd sparred with Dovy. He sat up, and then looked around. His sight was a bit hazy. the ground was still scarred from the flame jutsu that Toshiko had used against Dovy. He held his head as everything had come back to him, and then laughed. He'd realized that the week had passed, and it was time for him to return. He made his way from the training grounds within the village, down the main street towards the exit in the village's gates. He'd gotten used to walking long distances. Hell, he'd been travelling all across the five nations on his own on foot, and had walked way farther than the distance from the center of the village to it's gate. The village seemed to always have somewhat of a seemingly gloomy aura around it, and the the damp surroundings were something that Toshiko was starting to get used to. He was enjoying Kirigakure a lot more than he originally believed he would in all honesty. So much that he was starting to get over his homesickness. The idea of the journey he'd found himself on was all in the sake of education, and experience, both of which he'd received and more. He'd also received power. New abilities he wouldn't have were it not for his venturing, and he was grateful to be able to return to konoha stronger than he was before he left.

It wasn't long before he was back out into the dark woods in which he'd met Yosuke, known as the nukenin graveyard. If memory served correct, he wasn't that far from the lake, where the doragonseji had bid him farewell before. that's where they'd told him to meet them after the week's time was up, and he was looking forward to whatever it was that would come next. The nukenin graveyard wasn't as terrifying as the name professed, but the eerie setting provided by the tight closings and empty spaces were definitely noticeable, at least in his mind. He didn't see any issue with them, other than the occasional hair standing on the end of his neck. He'd gotten somewhat used to traveling alone, and tolerance came along with his maturing mentality. It took but a few minutes, but he'd made it out of the area known as the nukenin graveyard and into the barren outskirts of the village once more. It was raining, but the rain was not near as hard as the rain cloud from a week prior that Toshiko had first experienced while entering the village. Trees fell, building ruins were destroyed. It was an experience that was tough to endure, but were it not for it he wouldn't have access to the senjutsu ability that he possessed today. The origin of the doragon seji clan still peaked his interest. He recalled the drawings on the wall within the cave that he'd resided in for the duration of the storm. They told the story of a group of people who'd worshiped a group of ancient, powerful dragons, only to be chased away by the majority of the humans. The dragons had to leave, dispersing their power into fragments that then became the komodo dragons, and then the final portions of their chakra residing within their followers, giving them the dragon senjutsu. It was a power originally foreign to the people, but over the years they seemingly adapted to it, became more accepting to it. Their bodies adapted to the chakra they were withholding, and they became the doragonseji clan. Toshiko had originally just dismissed the drawings as simple legend, but was there any way of truthfully knowing if it was? It was the closest thing Toshiko had to an origin story of the mysterious clan, and he was sure it was the same for the clan members themselves.

He looked around in an attempt to observe the environment around him and determine where he currently was. His surroundings were more bleak than usual. He found himself within a short cut path, an abundance of trees on each side of him, a gloomy aura, and a straight path ahead that lead deeper within the forest of sorts. It was the end of thenukenin graveyard, where he'd met Yosuke. He was already a ways from the village itself, and could now see the barren outskirts of kirigakure within his sights. he was only a ways off now. A little longer, and he'd reach the cave in which he was told to meet them in. A few more moments, and he was out of the nukenin graveyard. He looked off into the distance, and could see a large structure off in the distance, about a mile and a half outwards. He couldn't see clear enough to be able to determine what it was made out of, but inferred it to be out of rock. Just as he did so, the light rain seemed to get a bit heavier. The lighting of the sky got dimmer, and Toshiko could feel it start to come down on his head.

"This rain isn't going to do anything but get in the way...... I've got to hurry."

He picked up the speed, beginning to run towards the structures off in the distance at top speed. If there was anything that he'd learned about the nation known as kirigakure in his time there, it was that the storms were rare, but when they did occur they were heavily intensified. Going on for hours on end and packing too much of a punch to deal with for an extended period of time. He ran, and his heart seemed to get heavier as he did so. Not solely due to the change in motion, but in a form of anxiety towards what would be next to come. He wasn't doubting himself fully, nor did he fear the clan. He simply feared the chance of him not being capable of keeping up. the thought of all his work being put to bed for one slip up frightened him, and he knew that they would drop him the second they had the chance to do so. He had to give it all he could. There was no room for him to fail.

The rain was coming down onto his face hard, especially over the eyepatch on his right eye. He hated when the eyepatch got wet, due to it causing his eye to get itchy unless he re positioned it. The side of his head still hurt as well. He still wasn't sure what had happened during his spar with Dovy, only that he blacked out during it and Dovy was gone afterwards. Dovy had still taught him the wind release style, and left him to master it on his own. Toshiko was happy, due to all of the new techniques and abilities he had managed to acquire during his travels, and hoped that those back home in konoha would feel the same. He could go back that very moment, but he wasn't done. The entire purpose of him learning senjutsu was so he could return to konoha capable of protecting those in need. He still was eager to get back. He missed the village dearly, and those he'd left behind in it. His senseis Aethir and Sousetsu. He couldn't wait to return to show them the new things that he'd managed to learn during his time away. He still owed Sousetsu a fight in which he'd promised him back when he was fresh out of the academy. It seemed so long ago to him now. He'd grown more than he'd ever thought he was capable of, and he couldn't wait to expand his fields even more. That was partially why he'd seen so much interest in the so called sage mode. It would provide him with the power he'd desired for so long.

He began to wonder what sage mode was. What it meant, What capabilities it would bestow unto him. The leader of the doragon seji wasn't very descriptive with it when he began to explain. In fact, he barely told Toshiko anything about learning how to fully control and learn senjutsu on it's own. That was probably because he simply couldn't tell him how to, otherwise he wouldn't be achieving it on his own. All he knew was, they didn't screw around when it came to this, and understandably so. This was a sacred technique within their clan that an outsider wanted to learn to utilize? He sort of understood why some of them would be hesitant towards him. There was the clan's second in command, who from the very start seemed to have this weird hatred towards Toshiko, and he honestly couldn't fully understand why. When the leader came around to him, so did the majority of the other clan members, but not him. He felt especially hostile towards him even though he'd not really done anything to make him feel that way.

He was tiring himself out. Running at his full speed for such a great distance in the poor weather conditions was putting a strain on both of his legs. Even so, he knew that he had no choice other than to keep moving. He couldn't allow himself to stop even for a second. On the brighter side, His effort in the travel hadn't simply been for nothing. Though it was hard to make out due to the incredibly heavy rain which had only gotten worse over time, but he could make out it's figure. The rock substance was only a few dozen yards up, and he could make out the entrance point from his current distance. It was the cave that he'd originally traveled to when he'd first entered kirigakure. It wouldn't be long now.

He kept his pace going, heading directly towards the entrance at an even greater speed than before. It took no more than a minute, and he was at the entrance of the cave. He quickly went in, feeling the difference when finally exiting the rain. The water began to soak into his clothing and skin, and in retaliation he wiped off his face, and began to string the water out of his hair. Even with the soggy feeling, the environment change was nice. surprisingly, the air being emitted from the cave was warm, helping his body adapt to the change in temperature. It was mostly dark near the cave's entrance, but further off, Toshiko could see something. blue light of sorts shining off into the entrance of a small cavern within the center of the cave. He recalled it, as he'd taken refuge there a week earlier. He walked towards it, steadily but with normal pace. As he made it to the entrance of the cavern, he'd noticed something different about it. The blue light was not shining from a usually luminous object, but the rocks upon the walls. He then understood what it was. The senjutsu chakra. he wasn't able to see it before, but it was clear to him now. He could feel it within himself, and the environment around him. It was surreal to him, but he knew that it meant his progression had taken place. He followed the blue light upon the walls, getting deeper into the cavern.

Eventually he came upon another opening, this one wider than the last. He recalled this from when he was forcefully escorted out of the cave, and towards what the doragonseji referred to as "The pit" Where of which he'd learned the beginning stages of senjutsu. This should have been where they were residing. He didn't want to enter without making his presence aware beforehand, so he spoke.

"Hello? It's been one week. I've returned, as requested."

It took a few moments, but Toshiko could see movement from the inside of the opening, and eventually multiple figures. It was the members of the clan. All of them together. The two in the front, the leader and second in command. the leader always seemed to have a nonchalant perspective towards Toshiko, but the one he knew as the second command always seemed to be grumpy and full of angst. There was more of them than last time, but Toshiko could count all that he saw. It had to be at least 15 of them and all of their eyes were focused upon him.

"Uzumaki, Toshiko. Your weeks time has passed, and here you are. What have you learned on your ventures?"

"As soon as i left, i began training myself. I met up with people along the way, and throughout every experience i had i managed to get closer to nature. I can feel it. I can see it. It's clear to me now. The senjutsu chakra. It's all around your bodies, and within this cave. I also learned how to exert it into objects specifically intended to senjutsu training, and i found out how to restore my lost chakra with the assistance of senjutsu. I'm ready for you to teach me. I want to learn the sage mode you spoke of."

Several murmurs erupted throughout the crowd of people who were for the most part eavesdropping on the conversation, and the look upon the leaders face changed to a somewhat questioning glare. The second in command gritted his incredibly sharp teeth, and clenched his fists to the point where his claws were scratching into his skin.

"child, you have already proven yourself worthy to learn our senjutsu art. Are you sure you are ready to access the ability known as sage mode?"

He knew that his answer would entirely decide his future. Would he back out, pack his things, and return a failure? Or would he step up to the plate, give it his all, and come out of the experience stronger than he'd ever been before? It wasn't hard for him to decide. He stared directly into the eyes of the clan's leader, smiled, and then spoke.

"I'm ready."

The second in command glared at toshiko, his rage building up more and more by the second. Finally, he allowed his anger out of himself, and began to yell towards the leader.

"Sir, You can't be seriously considering to allow this outsider to learn our sacred art of sage mode!"

The leader turned to face the second in command, and then spoke.

"Do i appear to be joking? He's proven his worth, and i have decided. My word is final."

"Your word cannot be final if it's wrong Father!"

"Akio! Know your place."

Father? The relationship between the two was now clear for Toshiko to understand. It was all making sense why akio was always disagreeing with what the leader said. Not because he was being a rough second in command, but a rebellious son.

"I am well aware of my position, and i refuse to allow you to destroy our clans history with this outsider scum!

He begun moving, barely giving the leader any time to respond to his words, moving towards Toshiko and stopping when he was only inches away from his face. Their eyes met, and even though Toshiko had no ill feelings towards Aiko, He was starting to develop some as he felt the hatred from the boy's eyes.

"I am your last challenge. Before i will allow you to tarnish the name of my people by ruining years of tradition, you'll have to prove your worth to me first. You say that you've learned how to utilize senjutsu? Face me in a race. A course. from this floor of the temple ruin to it's top layer, climbing objects only able to be interacted with through senjutsu. place your hand on the sacred statue on the top floor, and i will allow you to train under us. fail, and you will leave, and never return."

The leader seemed to be angry, as his expression had almost immediately went from nonchalant, but furious and annoyed. But upon hearing his son's offer, he calmed himself, and stared towards Toshiko for his response. Their eyes met, and Toshiko spoke to ensure it was okay by his call.

"Is it okay with you?"

The leader nodded, and with his confirmation, Toshiko's eyes turned back towards akio.

"I don't know what your problem is with me, but i'm not one to back out of a challenge. If you win, i'll leave. But if i win, you won't get in my way again."

"You will learn your place outsider."

Akio walked as fast as possible back towards the small entrance, past the few members who'd cleared a path, and Toshiko reluctantly followed after at the same pace as him. he hadn't really seem the part of the cave before, and the senjutsu chakra within the rocks upon the walls from the inside shined bright and felt comforting. Akio stopped after walking for a few moments, and Toshiko stopped after him. This area was a bit different. There was a large light being shone upon the rooms floor, and small drizzles of rain from the floor. Toshiko looked up, and saw  the sky, feeling the rain touch his already damp face. This part of the cave had no ceiling, but on the very far end from above he could see a surface next to the hole in the roof of the room.

"If you're not lying about being able to utilize senjutsu to it's fullest extent, You should be able to see the chakra within these rocks. It glows bright and blue and those of the doragon seji clan do. These rocks can only be touched and interacted with by those who can utilize and connect with the senjutsu chakra within them. We both must climb the rocks up to the very top, reach the surface on the other side of the ceiling, and touch the ancient statue that awaits.
"

would he be able to do so? He remembered his training with Yosuke. The weights that Yosuke had provided him to train with could only be moved once he applied his senjutsu chakra to them, which he did with little struggle. This was fundamentally the exact same thing, but would the movement and the change in position prove to be too difficult for Toshiko to keep up with? He couldn't doubt himself then, but he knew that he'd have to adapt fast. Akio surely wasn't going to wait for him to catch up. Without Fair warning, Akio started Forward. Toshiko was lucky his uncovered eye was fast enough to keep up with the boy's movement, but he didn't know how much good it would do him. As he began to run forward, akio had placed the glowing blue chakra within his feet and hands, and placed his bares onto the rocks upon the wall, almost immediately as he connected with it he started up, and under a minute he was a fraction of the way up the insanely long wall. Toshiko didn't know what to do other than copy, so that's what he did. He calmed himself, focusing the chakra into his feet and hands. It took a few moments, but then the chakra erupted out onto the focused points. He attempted to do as Akio continued to make his way up. He managed to keep up his pace for a few inches, but then fell directly back down, landing hard on his back. The impact left him stunned, and Akio continued on. he knew he didn't have time to lay there, but he was running out of ideas.

He recalled How in the academy, he was taught how to exert his chakra into different body parts to supernaturally connect with places that he wouldn't be able to do normally. would be be able to do the same if he incorporated the senjutsu chakra? It'd essentially be the same thing, only with a different form of chakra being utilized. He wouldn't know until he attempted it, so that was what he did. He quickly stood to his feet, and then exerted the senjutsu chakra once more, again into his hands and feet. he connected all four limbs to the wall, and began pulling himself, up. A few inches, and he was still connected. He kept up, and increased his pace with each upward haul. He was getting faster and faster, catching up with Akio. Akio noticed this, and attempted to increase his speed to no avail. A smile erupted on Toshiko's face and he ended up directly beside Akio, increasing his speed to get a split half inch up on him. He was getting the hang of controlling the senjutsu chakra even then, and he knew it. After a few more minutes of hauling the two arrived at the top, pulling themselves up onto the floor foundation, and collapsing upon it. Toshiko looked up, and then he saw it. The ancient statue that Akio had been referring to. It was extremely large, and resembled a dragon of ancient lore. It was about 14 meters away from them, and he was going to be the first to make contact with it. the members of the doragon seji clan watched from the very bottom, waiting to see who would be the first to make contact.

Toshiko ran towards the statue, full speed. Completely disregarding Akio,and anything else that could've potentially messed with his focus. Out of nowhere, he felt a crushing impact on his side, and looked up to realize it was akio Running into him. He ran him over, tackling him into the ground, and sending them both skidding to the side. Once their movement finally stopped, Both of them stood, separating themselves from one another, and glared at each other in a moment of challenge.

"What the hell is your problem with me?! I've done nothing to you since we've met and you've done absolutely nothing but try to make me miserable!"

"I don't have to explain my motives to you, outsider scum. Just know that i will not allow you to finish this. If you want to reach the statue. you'll have to get through me first!"

He knew what that meant. Aiko was going to force Toshiko to fight him. He sighed, and stared at him with his uncovered left eye, preparing himself for what was to come. without taking another second, Toshiko charged, attempting to ignore Akio, and ran straight towards the statue. Aiko aimed to strike him with a punch from the right side of his body where his covered eye was, so he wouldn't be able to see it coming. It connected, sending Toshiko flying once more. He landed on his knees, skidding upon the ground, and caught his weight with his right arm. he gritted his teeth, and ran once more, this time heading towards Aiko. His speed was almost too much for Aiko to keep up with, and as Toshiko aimed a roundhouse kick towards the clan member's side, it connected with the bare of his arm as he was not fast enough to correctly block. Aiko still managed to grip around the leg, and attempted to ruin Toshiko's balance and twist it. Toshiko maintained his weight, and used aiko's force from his arm to lift the rest of his body up, and aim a kick with his free leg towards aiko's head which connected, and sent him in the other direction at great speeds. With his opponent distracted, Toshiko started forth towards the statue, looking to end things where they stood. Aiko was a force to be reckoned with, and managed to come back quickly. He caught himself, forming multiple hand seals and then inhaling deeply. As he exhaled, an immense ball of blue flame emerged from his lips, and in Toshiko's direction at an immense speed. He turned to see the blast coming his way so fast, and knew that he'd have to react quickly. In an overexert of chakra, a shield of sort formed around Toshiko's body, made of raiton chakra. It was a technique he'd learned during his fight with wolfgang, and it was more powerful than he'd originally expected it to be. When the immense fireball connected, the shield around Toshiko's body met it dead center. Toshiko could feel the immense heat being delivered from the attack, and it almost immediately reminded him of his own fireball techs. It was different though. Not only was the flame of a different color, it seemed to be of a strange form of ninjutsu chakra. The flame also had the sense of the senjutsu chakra that all of the clan members possessed. Could Akio have possibly merged the fireball technique with his senjutsu chakra?

He had no time to dwell on the matter, as he had the angered boy to worry about. After his first initial fireball strike, a cloud of smoke had erupted in front of Toshiko, taking away his sight on Akio's current position. He could only hear the air get heavier as Akio swung directly towards him, connecting with the field of raiton energy. The shock met his body and burned into his knuckles, but in return instantly shattered the barrier around Toshiko's body. The punch connected with him directly, and he felt the blunt force that akio was capable of delivering. He maintained to keep his balance, and then swung back with equally as much power, connecting with his chest, and sending him back a few meters.  Akio came back, holding his hands together and instantaneously forming raiton chakra within the center, and then firing it directly towards Toshiko's chest.

he hadn't noticed fast enough. The jutsu was too speedy for him to react to. It connected, knocking the wind out of him, and piercing through his clothing and the first layer of skin, burning through it immensely. he erupted with anger, and prepared to bring even greater tension to the air with the next word he'd speak.

"I didn't want to fight you. I still don't. But.... You're forcing me there! I don't know what i did to you..... I don't know what i did to make you hate me so much. But if you're going to hate me, i'll give you a reason!"

Toshiko, wounded and still a bit disoriented from the strike of raiton to the chest, held both of his arms out to the side. He pressed his left hand over his right, and then focused his chakra into his right palm. As it formulated in his hand, Toshiko used his left hand to mold the spiraling chakra in his right palm into a moderate sized, blue ball of rapidly spinning chakra. Aiko said nothing, and simply ran towards Toshiko, aiming to strike him once more. As the distance between the two was closing, he finished molded it within his right palm, and ran towards Aiko as well. once the two were directly in front of each other, Aiko swung first, this time from the side of Toshiko's left eye where he could see. Toshiko moving the right, jumping slightly into the air, and then brought the rasengan within his right hand down towards Aiko. It struck him directly in the side, immediately forced him down in the ground, and the impact was so great force it cracked deeply into the foundation below. Toshiko had fallen beside Aiko, who seemed to be too disoriented to respond. It was his first time actually using the rasengan, and it proved to be extremely effective. He stood up, and slowly walked in the direction of the statue. he was about 10 meters away. All he had to do was reach it, and he'd finally be able to complete his training and learn the transformation known as sage mode.

"NOO!!!!"

Toshiko stopped, and turned around to face Aiko. He struggled to pull himself up, his side almost completely obliterated from the impact of the rasengan. It was scrapped, as well were the clothing that he wore, and his skin in the afflicted area went from blue to a light purple color. Even so, he still managed to get himself onto his knees. His angry expression had turned into one of pure sadness and anguish. tears streamed down his cheeks, and he seemed to be a completely different person.

""you..... WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!! My whole life, i had to work. My whole life i had to put my life on the line, spending days on end training, focusing! All to get him to notice me! You just stumble in and he wants to teach you. Why are you stealing my father from me?"

Toshiko's facial expression saddened. He'd realized it now. He didn't hate him. He felt threatened by him. The leader of the clan was his father, and had been especially understanding towards Toshiko. Akio wasn't acting out towards his father's reasoning because he wanted to be an annoyance. he simply wanted to interact with his dad, and did so in the only way he knew.

"I'm..... I'm sorry. I didn't know."

If he didn't touch the statue, he'd have to keep his word and leave, but the boy's pride would still be in tact. It was not of his place to do so. His reason in doing this wasn't to ruin the kid's perspective of himself. He turned back towards Akio, and started walking back towards him.

"NO! I don't need your pity outsider! Don't come any closer! STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

He started to move as much as he could backwards, but his messed up side didn't allow him to get far. He fell once more, his weight heavily connecting with the ground beneath. The crack had already been near through, and the force of his weight was more than enough to finish the job. The ground he was on made a loud noise, and Toshiko knew what it meant.

"Aiko No!"

Toshiko despite his wound, ran at full speed towards Aiko, just as the piece of the foundation gave in, and sent him falling. If it had been even a fraction of a second later, Aiko would have been dead. Toshiko managed to grab onto his right hand before he fell, saving him from certain death.

"what... What are you doing?"

"Saving your whiny ass!"

The front of Toshiko's body hung off the edge of the foundation, as he struggled to hold Aiko's weight with his wounded chest pressing directly into the pavement. The leader become extremely worried upon seeing the break in the foundation, and called out to his son.

"AIKO! Get up there and help them!!!"

As he spoke the words, Several members of the clan started their way up the insanely high wall of the temple ruin, and slowly made their way towards the two. Toshiko knew that he couldn't hold his weight with the pain in his chest increasing, and that those making their way up the wall wouldn't be able to reach the two in time. Akio's life was in his hands now, and it was solely up to him to ensure that both of them made it out safely. He gave Akio no fair warning, as there was little time for him to do so, and with the majority of his remaining strength, he pulled all of akio's weight up in his direction. The pressure upon the wound on his chest increased greatly, and he coughed as it forced the majority of the air out of his body. he knew that he couldn't simply give up then. With a single haul, he got Akio's body up, and onto the sturdy part of the foundation. The two collapsed next to each other, and Toshiko let out a breath in relief of the pressure removed from his wound.

"You...... Saved my life."

Toshiko managed a chuckle even as he was struggling to breathe, and then spoke.

"your's was a life worth saving."

After a moment's pause, Akio laughed, and then spoke as well.

"Well, Uzumaki Toshiko. You won this one fair. Go claim your victory."

Toshiko nodded towards Akio, struggling to stand back up to his feet. The members of the clan who were coming to their rescue were more than half the way up the wall, and it wouldn't be long by now. Toshiko slowly inched towards the statue, taking the rest of his energy reserves with each steps. he managed to walk the final few meters, falling down to his knees in front of the statue. He held out his hand, and touched the bottom of the statue. Not more than a few moments later, the clan members reached the top, looking towards Akio, and Toshiko collapsed due to his wounds.

Everything seemed a bit hazy.

He woke up on a strange resting place, laying on a bundle of soft cloth that almost resembled a bed. he looked down towards his chest wound. There was a light scar where the lightning had struck him, and bandaging around the entirety of his chest.

"You are awake. You were out for quite some time."

Toshiko looked towards the voice. It was none other than The leader at his bed side.

"sir.... I-"

"Please Uzumaki Toshiko. You do not need to explain yourself, as i already understand. I apologize for the antic my son made you go through, but after observing the ordeal you two had, i believe i understand why it occurred now. Even with the odds being thrown against you, you managed to overcome them. You managed to prosper. More importantly...... You saved my son's life. For that, myself and every member of the doragonseji clan are forever in your debt. Thank you."

Toshiko smiled. He was glad that things were going this way. He much preferred a happier ending. though things were going well, he knew that his time was running out. He'd have to be back in konoha soon, and he had to learn the mode that they were referring to as quickly as possible.

"Sir. I can barely feel my wounds, and i'm honestly running out of time. I did as your son asked me to. I won. I'm now ready to learn sage mode."

"You surely don't give up hmm? Very well. If you're short on time, we'll try to keep it short and sweet. This will only require you and i. Follow me to the lake. you'll realize our duties there soon enough."

Toshiko quickly complied, making his way towards the lake after leaving the cave alongside the leader of the clan. The rain had stopped, replacing the wet environment with a damp but warm outing. They made it to the insanely huge lake. it was massive in width, and had to go on for a least a few dozen meters in length.

"This is your next and final challenge. It will be plain and simple. Sage mode can only be achieved through your allowance. When you allow your chakra to truly become one with that of the senjutsu chakra found within nature. you'll realize it, not only through the bodily transformation that is set to occur, but when you feel better. stronger. You and you alone will have to realize this. This is not something i can directly help you with. I can only show you the way. Look, towards the lake.

Toshiko complied, and he saw movement from within the lake. He couldn't make out directly what it was, and only saw several figures of animals moving within the lake. The leader placed his hands onto the ground, releasing his chakra in a single outburst. The group near the lake immediately cracked open, revealing a pathway of sorts downwards.

"submerge yourself within nature. If you return, you will have realized the transformation."

Toshiko nodded, knowing that this was something that he'd have to accomplish on his own.

"Thank you.... For everything."

"Go on now child. you've earned this."

Toshiko moved forward towards the opening in the ground, heading deeper and deeper down. Instead of getting dark, the same baby blue luminous light appeared as he got closer towards the foundation of the lake. He began to feel water at his feet, making it's way through his socks and sandals. He was hesitant at first, but he'd never felt more close to the senjutsu chakra than he did now. it was getting heavier, closer as he went deepr in towards the water. The water level was getting heavier, and was rising up upon Toshiko's body the more he walked in. He was scared, but he chose not to stop. He was in no place to do so when he was this close. After a bit of walking, he started to see them as the environment changed. The figures that he'd seen within the water when he was submerged, only they were close to him now. They were extremely long, and had the appearance of crocodiles. He still couldn't make them out entirely. Only one of them seemed to notice Toshiko's presence, and when it did so it started towards him at a great speed, still from underneath water. as it got closer, it's frantic movement seemed to have slowed, and it finally came up from underneath the water. It was a komodo dragon. Similar to the ones that Toshiko had seen when he first learned senjutsu, but only much smaller than the one he'd originally seen. The rest of them came towards Toshiko as well, stopping a few feet in front of him. None of them spoke as the last one did, but simply turned, and began walking off towards the water filled path. Toshiko didn't know what to do, and simply followed after them. The water got up more and more towards his face, and he knew that if he took any more steps he'd be submerged in the seemingly endless water. He didn't care. He couldn't stop there. He kept moving, and his entire body was then submerged underneath the water. He could still see the komodo dragon, moving faster than he'd ever anticipate one to, and swam after them in a straight line. After a few minutes, he'd started to get light headed. The overwhelming pressure of the water current wasn't doing much to help that either. He was running out of breath steadily, but it was still ultimately causing him pain. He knew he couldn't keep it up for much longer, but he'd have to keep it going. He followed after them for a few more minutes. His sight was getting dim, face turning blue. He had nothing more than a few more second in him. Suddenly, the komodo dragons started upwards, To which Toshiko followed. He almost didn't have enough left in him to change directions. He was on the verge of passing out.

Another movement, and he was back out of the water. The komodo dragons had came up to a surface, to which he'd followed. he inhaled deeply, catching his breath and trying to restore himself.  A few seconds after him doing so, and he stared upwards. In front of him was a familiar sight. A room also constructed of the same blue rocks filled with senjutsu chakra, and an immense komodo dragon. In fact, it was the same one he'd originally encountered.

"Toshiko Uzumaki. You have fought a ways, all for the purpose of making it back here. you have faced my trials once. You have learned my ways. But now you have been allowed to return. There is no more for you to have done. You will now receive the sage mode transformation you desire so. Mount my back, and allow me to show you the way."

Toshiko stood to his feet, and did as the mighty Burūdoragon-shin had requested of him. He walked towards him, and then placed his hands on his side, pulling himself up, and onto the large lizard's back. The lizard began moving forward, the smaller komodo dragons moved themselves out of the way, and the large lizard went back underneath the water. Toshiko had fair warning, and held his breath, holding the komodo dragon's skin upon his back tight. He didn't understand how this would help him realize sage mode, but he was sure that he would soon find out. The komodo dragon came a different way, and started moving up through an even larger body of water, this time going upwards a strage tube of sorts that was lit up with senjutsu chakra. It was comforting, to the point that Toshiko was almost unsure of whether or not he was still underneath water. It was solid, and calm, and he was now aware of what it meant. It was surrounding him now. The senjutsu chakra. He didn't have any choice other than to become one with the senjutsu chakra, and accept it. He allowed the chakra to come towards him, and as he took it in, It happened. The connect occurred within him, and he felt himself truthfully become one with nature. His hair grew, his eye pupils became larger, and changed to a red color. His fingers nails and teeth grew into fangs and claws. White dots begin to align around some parts of his face. His skin turned baby blue, and his clothing became blue, along with his sleeves becoming fishnet. He could now see things around him without looking. He smiled as he felt the upbringing chakra within himself, and he knew what he'd accomplished. Just as he did so, the large komodo dragon submerged, appearing at the surface level, and landing on the ground directly by the lake. Toshiko looked around, and stared down at his hands, noticing his transformation. He'd achieved it finally. he was happy with himself, and extremely grateful for those who'd helped him achieve it. He stared at the komodo dragon with a smile on his face.

"Thank you.... For everything."

"you have now learned. Do not misuse your teaching child."

With the words of caution, the large komodo started his way back underneath the water, leaving Toshiko there to himself. None of the members of the clan were around, but Toshiko knew that they were aware. He was felt the new energy surging through his body, and was extremely happy for the first time in a long time. He then calmed himself, exiting the transformation state and returning to normal. He'd learned what he had been aspiring to for ages, and now it was time to return home. He looked back towards the direction of the cave in which the doragonseji lived, making sure he was to pay his respect where it was do.

"Thank you. All of you. I...... I will not forget this. I won't forget what you all did for me."

With the words said, he started off away from the lake, and the ruins, heading back the way he'd came, off in the distance and on the journey back to konoha.