OOC:

Even as the thought that there was something wrong with the situation passed through his mind, Nayoko watched in horror as his mother began to wither away before him. Instinctively, he puled away as the flesh that he was holding onto grew cold, clammy, and pallid in front of him. He regretted the action right away, hating himself for throwing away the last few moments to hold her, as her breaths grew heavy and laboured. Nayoko knew that he was going to lose her again, and the pain of that knowledge nearly killed him. But before he could up on the moment, wishing that he too would whither away and die like his mother had done all those years ago, he felt a hand grab his shoulder and pull him close. It seemed that he had inadvertently closed his eyes in the face of the grim reality that he did not want to watch, and so when he was pulled forward and his mother began to whisper into his ear, his eyes snapped open. ''You have to be careful here my darling... this place is dangerous... I don't think you're strong enough yet... I-I never told you...''

Deep down at the bottom of his spine, Nayoko felt a cold chill run spring into existence before it slowly made its way up his spine, crawling with a deliberate purpose that the young Hattori desperately wished he knew. That chill seemed to fill the air around him in that black space, and before too long, Nayoko knew that whatever came out of his mother’s mouth next would be more horrible than anything he had ever heard before. She let out a cough, and Nayoko flinched impulsively, blinking for but a moment. When his eyes opened again, the world had fallen silent, and the space in which he stood was an endless, perfect, white. She still held him closely, and somehow, Nayoko knew that even if he wanted to move, he could not. Something else was holding him there, whether it was himself or the woman who had her arms around him, Nayoko feld trapped. And that feeling grew into something more primal, more base as his mother gulped and let out a soft breath before whispering once more in his ear.

He was scared.

''I couldn't, I was so ashamed... Darling, my love, my condition... it's... it’s hereditary...'' The words did not mean anything to Nayoko for a moment. They were just more words in the empty space that echoed endlessly, causing the chill to push further through his body. But then, like freight train he was struck with understanding of what those words mean. He pulled back, yelling out to her as he did so. “What?!? What do you mean? How is that even possible?” But even as he screamed, he could hear its voice losing its intensity as his will was drained from him. Fear for his own life, but even more so, fear for his sister sprung up in his and swirling through his body, ravaging the strength that his form had held as he began to shrink into an even more childlike state. But even as this happened, the woman who Nayoko knew to be both his mother and not simultaneously, stepped forward and thrust a blade of pure blacked smoke into his gut.

The pain was immense. Adrenaline shot through his system but could not numb the overwhelming agony that gripped his entire body as the weapon tore through his very soul. But it was nothing next to the emotional pain that he felt as he looked up from the wound in his abdomen to the true form that his mother had taken in this dark place. She was no longer the beautiful woman that Nayoko remembered, but a creature that had stolen her form. But at the same time, Nayoko knew that it was his mother as well. He could not comprehend the disconnect that was occurring in his mind, as he took in the features that were now far more prevalent. Her hair was thick and greasy, and her skin was the pale colour that it had been when she had died all those years ago. Her teeth were sharp and jagged, appearing like that of a beasts to match the claws that she now bore instead of hands. The last thing that Nayoko heard as his vison faded to back was the creature taunting him. The voice was his mother’s but it was layered over deep, monstrous voices that echoed all around the the Dream.

"Foolish children... so sad my daughter will suffer the pain I did... but I'll wait and watch over her... "

Nayoko sat up with a start, which he regretted right away as a searing pain blasted through his gut where he had been stabbed. Frantically, he pulled up his shirt to stare at his abdomen, where a large black and red mark that reminded Nayoko of a severe bruise. Even as he stared at it he watched it slowly begin to recede into nothingness. Nayoko let is shirt drop and looked around for Ayakashi. She was nearby, appearing to be deep in thought as she waited for Nayoko. Covered with more sweat than what he had produced while sparring with the Mizukage, Nayoko slowly rose to his feet, having to lean against the forgotten well to ensure that he would make it to his feet, but feeling his body’s true strength finally returning to him. He waited in silence for a long while, trying to process what he had experienced, but nothing he thought through made enough sense for him to be satisfied. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the young Hattori opened his mouth to speak, finding himself very thirsty but still managing to speak.

“So…” his voice trailed off inadvertently. His confusion was overwhelming, and he could not understand what that experience had to do with mastering senjutsu like his master. “The Dream…is it always so…dark? What exactly did I just face? And now that I’ve faced it…is it over? Am I a sage?”

WC:1031

Only through adversity, do we become truly brave.

“The Dream…is it always so…dark? What exactly did I just face? And now that I’ve faced it…is it over? Am I a sage?”

Nayoko's question was a valid one, though the answer was not so easy to give, Sage mode was something that often took a person a while, months, years for some, but Nayoko had already confronted his beast. Sage mode was an available option at this point, so, Ayakashi thought that she may as well at least hand him the key to unlocking it. They'd made a lot of progress today, though, as it stood, Nayoko would be ruled by his sage mode in his present state, there was no way he would be able to control the beast within him or direct it as intended. It would be like his most destructive side that was seen in the dream would be walking around freely. Nayoko needed to become stronger, that much was certain to the Mizukage presently. However, placing a hand on the boys' shoulder ayakashi would give a faint smile at the prospect of the dream always being a dark place. It was true that it was often sinister in ways the waking world was not, but it had the potential to be a great many things in earnest.

"The dream is what you make it really, it's only dark now because that's what your balance looks like, it's serious, there is unresolved pain lurking behind most corners, but it was daylight there, so, it at least could be said that there is happiness in your life. You began to see a slight reflection of mine, and it's vastly different. As you begin to master yourself, the dream will change with you, but I would work hard on doing that, finding true closure from the events that have transpired in your life and finding a way to move past them and accepting the past for what it is, and the tribulations the future may bring. You and your clans' heart of iron often pushes you to wear your feelings on your sleeves, but although there is strength in such fiery passion, it's not the same as strength or control. "

Aya would wait for a moment and allow the information to sink in before moving onto the next point so quickly. The matter of sage mode was something that she wanted to hold out on Nayoko for a little while until he got a bit stronger and a bit more used to his dream, confronting his beast a couple more times so that he would at least be able to handle the clash of wills when it ultimately came to their unison in sage mode.

'Because that's exactly what it was'

"As for the thing you were up against, we call that your beast, the beast inside you is an accumulation of your darkness given form, your weaknesses, your vulnerabilities, your flaws all accumulated into an entity that it is your task to overcome. Your sage mode, involves making a deal with that beast, because 'it' is the creature that holds your control of senjutsu within itself. Hence the trial. I do not recommend in your level of training attempting to utilize Sage mode until you have gained more prestigue in the dream. But, should an emergency occur, I can teach you how to make that deal. But right now, I have no doubt that it would control you, and not the other way around... I can't coach you how to control it either, that's something you're going to have to realize on your own. But for now, because you've seen it, and know what it feels like, i want you to attempt to focus inwardly on it, and look for that signature... once you find it, it will be like looking into a room that you're outside of. Concentrating harder will draw you closer, like your reaching out to touch a candle, you wont need to instigate the feeling, the best knows you're there."

Aya would finish and a chill would almost run down her spine, she remembered the first time she had done that in an attempt to call out to her senjutsu chakra. Ayakashi had almost gone berserk, barely able to reign in her rage. Little more than being able to direct the path of her onslaught she had almost destroyed the entire encampment of enemies that she had dealt with. One thing that Nayoko would likely later discover however, is, while interacting with the beast within the dream, he had 'already' used sage mode. Otherwise the wounds that had been dealt to him through his nature chakra that now faded from sight would not have been able to appear.

He was unsure of what to expect as the Mizukage stepped toward him. Was she going to show him all of the power he had obtained? Was she going to reprimand him for allowing himself to get hurt? Or perhaps he had failed so badly that she was going to put him out of his misery. The uncertainty alone was killing him, until she slowly extended her hand and rested it on his shoulder. She was smiling. It was definitely not the possibility that had been foremost in his mind, but he wasn’t going to complain. "The dream is what you make it really, it's only dark now because that's what your balance looks like, it's serious, there is unresolved pain lurking behind most corners, but it was daylight there, so, it at least could be said that there is happiness in your life. You began to see a slight reflection of mine, and it's vastly different. As you begin to master yourself, the dream will change with you, but I would work hard on doing that, finding true closure from the events that have transpired in your life and finding a way to move past them and accepting the past for what it is, and the tribulations the future may bring. You and your clans' heart of iron often pushes you to wear your feelings on your sleeves, but although there is strength in such fiery passion, it's not the same as strength or control. "

Nayoko could only nod slowly for the moment. It was a great deal to process, that the Dream had merely been a reflection of his true self. That thought alone was scary enough, considering how horrible his experience there had been. To have his mother change into a monster before his eyes and even go so far as to mortally wound him in that place was trauma enough. But that was not the worst part for the young Hattori. No, much worse than that was the fact that she had been back at all. Even though it was brief, and it was a good reunion, it was horrible. Because he had to lose her again. Before entering the Dream, Nayoko had truly believed that he had come to terms with his mother’s death a long time ago. He had admitted as much not only to Ayakashi, but to others when consoling them or helping them to understand that the tragedy of their lives did not have to define them. But now…now he was not so sure.

Instead of responding with words, Nayoko merely nodded to the Mizukage, allowing her to continue. "As for the thing you were up against, we call that your beast, the beast inside you is an accumulation of your darkness given form, your weaknesses, your vulnerabilities, your flaws all accumulated into an entity that it is your task to overcome. Your sage mode, involves making a deal with that beast, because 'it' is the creature that holds your control of senjutsu within itself. Hence the trial. I do not recommend in your level of training attempting to utilize Sage mode until you have gained more prestige in the dream. But, should an emergency occur, I can teach you how to make that deal. But right now, I have no doubt that it would control you, and not the other way around... I can't coach you how to control it either, that's something you're going to have to realize on your own. But for now, because you've seen it, and know what it feels like, i want you to attempt to focus inwardly on it, and look for that signature... once you find it, it will be like looking into a room that you're outside of. Concentrating harder will draw you closer, like your reaching out to touch a candle, you wont need to instigate the feeling, the beast knows you're there."

Nayoko nodded once again, allowing his thoughts to flow freely out of him as he prepared for what was to come. “I see…so this beast inside of me…It has decided to take the form of my mother because that is the way it can get as close as possible tome before lashing out. It can trick me and twist my feelings like that. Because my beast isn’t in the sense of a violent, angry beast that lashes out with rage. Mine is…far more cruel.” He slowly sat back down next to the well, concluding that if he was unable to make a deal with this beast that the Mizukage spoke of, it would probably be better for him to be sitting rather than standing and waiting to fall. He was unsure of the physical capabilities of this inner demon, but he certainly wanted to be prepared for them if he was going to be confronting it.

And so, in his meditative position, Nayoko spoke a last few words before attempting to find the beast. “Well, here goes nothing.” Closing his eyes, Nayoko focused on the memory of the terrible beast that he had faced only moments earlier. His gaze shifted inward as he examined every facet of his being for the overwhelming cruelty that he had felt when his mother had transformed into the demon that had stabbed him. It was a thick, viscous hatred that had flowed all around him, and it was not a feeling that he would ever forget. The inner probing took time, and the more he tried to find that evil, the more he was simply drawn to the memory of holding his mother. It was such a perfect moment that had hurt so much to see fade away, that it was difficult to see past it. Until finally, it hit him. He would never see past it. He would have to see through it.

And so he replayed the memory in his head. The memory of his mother appearing to him and Nayoko wrapping his arms around her. The memory of holding her and telling her all that had transpired in his life. The memory of crying with her as she told him that her condition was hereditary. The memory of the pain that brought him, realizing that he or his sister could and probably would face a similar fate. And then the memory of her changing into the horrific monster tat had wounded him, laughing cruelly at his pain and promising to watch his sister as she died. He focused on that moment of pain, and that awful guilt and regret that had held him for that moment.

And then he could see it.

He could see before him a large space that looked like a room of some sort. But he was not inside the room. Rather, he was outside of it and looking into it, through transparent walls that were oh so far off. Concentrating on that space allowed him to pull closer, and closer still until it grew into a room that he felt like he could step into, but for some reason did not want to. He stayed there for a time, staring at the empty room, before finally allowing himself to speak out loud to the Mizukage who was with him. “I can see it. I can see the room. It’s….empty.”

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Still pondering the dismissiveness that Ayakashi had shown when he first entered this state of meditation, he tried to focus while he waited for her response. The room, which was once translucent and formless, slowly began to take the form of his family home. It was the same home that he lived in now with his father and sister, which also meant it was the same one that his mother had lived in with them when she was alive. The only difference was that this room was not as young as it currently was. The room was old and withering away, as if time had taken its toll long ago on the structure, and it was only a few years away from being nothing more than dust.

The sight of the abandoned home was unsettling to say the least, but he was given a sliver of reassurance as he heard his teacher’s voice. It sounded much different than Nayoko had expected, not at all like she was standing right beside him. Rather, it sounded like the pair were standing on opposite ends of a great canyon, and her voice could only reach him after bouncing and echoing after all of the cliffs between them. "Remember, you're not in the dream here, the beast can't hurt you, but that doesn't mean that the creature is powerless here either." Nayoko nodded in reality, taking in this information and understanding further that no matter what occurred when interacting with this negative force, this beast, he would have to act with caution.

Losing the patience to wait and observe any longer, Nayoko willed himself to be inside of the room, though there was no sign of the beast around him. All that stood was the rusted, decrepit, dilapidated version of his family home, complete with every picture, plant, and trinket that he knew would be sitting in the same spots in his true home back in the Land of Fire. It was a surreal experience, and one that almost felt nostalgic for a time. He took his time stepping thorough the house, waiting for some kind of interaction before finally, as he turned to leave the living room, he heard a voice behind him. "Come looking for me already? You're not ready Nayoko... are you so desssperate to prove yourself that you'd risk it this early in the game?"

The young Hattori wanted to desperately to turn and confront the harsh, croaky voice of his mother that he heard at his back, but he resisted the urge, instead taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a moment, whispering to himself. “You can’t hurt me here.” With that thought firmly in his mind, Nayoko turned to face the voice, finding himself mere inches away from the pallid, grey face of his corrupted mother. She struck out at him with what appeared to be a claw, but instead of flinching, Nayoko shouted at the beast as the blow connected. “You CANNOT hurt me here!” It felt like he was yelling out loud in reality as well, though in all honesty, he did not know. Gritting his teeth as the hybrid of his mother and monster slowly caressed his face, Nayoko waited for his moment, trying not to give the creature any opening.

The beast chuckled for a moment before fading into a thick, black smoke that seemed to pour over his body, leaving him cold. He blinked, and in the span of time it took for his eyes to close and open themselves again, his mother had materialized in a chewed out, falling apart, and folded recliner that Nayoko mother had spent many hours in during her last few months. As the beast opened its mouth to speak, Nayoko stifled a shudder at the sound of her words. They felt like they were coated in a thick tar that slid and slipped through the air toward the young man. “Well my dear... don't you have something you want to ask? My sweet, sweet boy..."

Nayoko stepped forward aggressively as the woman cocked her head to one side, a grin growing on her face. “I’m not your boy monst-“ but before he could finish, the beast was speaking to him again, looking around the room in which the two of them existed for that moment. "What was that story I used to read you all the time when you were ill? My memory is becoming hazy... I remember you not being able to take your eyes off me when you were little, you got me to read that to you so many times by the time you were eight You'd read it to me even though I was holding the book. Those were the good days, weren't they Nayo?" And for the briefest of moments, Nayoko wondered if his mother’s spirt had managed to break free of the beast’s grasp for but a moment. She smiled at him, causing his heart to melt slightly like it had before. But this time that joy was short-lived, and the ecstasy of his mother’s reincarnation was drained form his spirt as the creature revealed her sharp, shark-like teeth.

Nayoko had to look away for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment to push through the pain of seeing his mother desecrated like that. After taking a deep breath, he looked back up at it, the will of his Heart of Iron burning ever brighter in that moment. “You are not my mother. So you can stop with the game. I am here to learn how to make a deal with you, so that I can use the power of senjutsu that is derived from you. But you’re right, I’m not going to throw it all away yet. I’m just here to learn.” He stepped closer again, sitting down in a chair across from the sickening, twisted form of his mother. “So I assume that this is where the deal is made then. I never knew something like this was possible; for a beast of such cruelty to reside within me, formed out of my raw emotions. It’s a frightening thought, but I’m not scared of you here, beast.”

He sat and stared at the creature for a time, unsure of how to proceed and waiting for a response, but if one should not come, or if the creature only dismissed him, Nayoko would eventually stand, staring down at the monster in the chair before him before leaving it with a few final words. “Know that I will be ready for you next time we meet in the Dream. I won’t flounder like I did today. And the next time we meet here, I’ll be looking for a deal.” With that, he allowed his focus to shift back to reality, thrusting him from his old home and back into the woods next to the Forgotten Well in the Land of Water. He looked up and Ayakashi with a stern look on his face, nodding slowly. “Thank you for this lesson, Lady Mizukage. I promise you that I will train until I can take the trial you speak of. I won’t let you down.”

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He tried to leave. He tried to see the woods surrounding him, and the well that should be just to his right. But he couldn’t. A chill ran up Nayoko’s spine as he opened his eyes and saw the beast that contorted the form of his mother standing before him. How could he not control the world around him? He had been the one to focus and get here, and yet there was no escaping the destroyed image of his home. Furrowing his brow, he stared down the beast as it began to speak to him again. "Now, now, I didn't raise you to be a rude child did I? Whether or not I am your mother truly may be up for debate, I have all her memories, her chakra, her voice, her visage and personality right here... any alteration to that is all because of 'you'. But we can be civil here, you and I. You want to make a deal? Sure! I know exactly what you want. You want to be able to access your Senjutsu chakra right? Very well, I will allow it, but all I ask is that you accept me, as I am. I wish only to be with my son, humor my wish, believe my reasoning or no, but I will allow you to have control... Leave here without considering it, and... I'll not offer this to you again... It is a good deal. What do you say? Give mother a hug?"

And then the evil in her face dissolved away, leaving only the pleading face of his mother behind. The soft smile that he saw on her face caused a cold sweat to ripple over his body, even out in the real world outside of the vison. Just as the sun filtered though the window beside the duo, cascading sunlight over his mother’s features and adding to the sudden serenity, Nayoko could not help but break for just a moment. A single tear found its way out of the corner of his eye, his fists clenched until his knuckles were snow white. He knew it was a lie, even if it was the most beautiful lie that he had ever seen. But it was a lie nonetheless, which was what tore into Nayoko’s very soul. But he also knew that he needed that lie. He needed to access his senjutsu chakra, and he had worked so hard to get as far as he was now, that to turn back would not only be a disappointment to himself, but to his teacher who he knew was watching. And so in that moment, Nayoko chose to believe the lie before, knowing that it was lie, but that he could accept it as truth for now, until he could beat the beast before him into submission to his will. And so as he stepped forward, mentally promising to slay the monster before him some day, the young Hattori opened his arms and embraced his mother, willing himself to accept the lie that hurt him so much.

The change was nearly immediate. As he returned to the waking world, he felt a power coursing through him that he could never have fathomed but a few hours earlier. Suddenly, as his body changed, he could feel the world around him. The nature chakra all around him that Ayakashi had showed him before was now palpable in the air around him. He opened his eyes, and he knew that his senses were heightened as they darted around the area. But the most drastic change was his appearance. Nayoko’s eyes had changed from their regular deep brown, to a piercing and vibrant blue, while his hair had shifted its appearance from its regular dark brown, to a shining silver. All across his body, there were silver markings that peppered his skin as chakra tattoos on his arms, legs, chest, back, and abdomen. Additionally, from his back two silver wings of pure chakra had unfolded themselves, along with two, nearly invisible arc above his head, almost like antennae. The final thing he noticed was that he was hovering slightly over the ground, maybe an inch high.

It was an incredible feeling that flowed through his body, and in that moment he only felt power without the regret from moments earlier. With a sigh, he looked up to his teacher with a smile on his face before allowing the Sage Mode to fade, closing off the access to his senjutsu chakra. “Thank you Ayakashi…thank you so much. I promise you that I will train until I can take the trial you speak of. I won’t let you down.”

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The warm smile of the Mizukage was a welcome sight to Nayoko. After having gone through the trials of the day, he was content to see a genuine smile on the face of his teacher. Though that feeling was not long lived. "You're most welcome Nayoko, it's been a pleasure teaching you, however this was the beginning, you've come really far in a short amount of time... but remember the situation that puts you in, you have precious little experience and you will need to question much and be all the more cautious. You'll be pulled into the dream most nights, so, expect training at those times and a lot of unfulfilled sleep... but for now, I have to get back to my village, I will see you later Nayoko."

It was quite a revelation, that he would be facing the beast almost every night going forward. He thought that he would only have to commune with it as he just had in the future; but apparently the Butterfly Sage School had different plans. Regardless of the risks and severity of the task ahead of him, Nayoko watched on as Ayakashi turned on her heel before vanishing before his eyes. That left Nayoko alone at the Forgotten Well. He looked down at his hand for a moment, flexing it into a fist to try to remember the power he had felt just moments earlier when his Sage Mode had been activated. But he could not feel it again, not unless he delved back into the deal that he had made.

Choosing not to do that for the time being, Nayoko turned and used the body flicker technique to travel back towards the village proper, and to his hotel room. He needed rest after that day, but he now felt ready to face his demons. It would not be long now.

[Exit Thread]

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Using 5534 words from this thread.

Using 4972 words from this thread.

Using 4947 words from this thread.

Total WC:20037

Training

Learned Senjutsu from Ayakashi and trained from nothing to B-Rank (18000/18000)

A-Rank Jutsu: Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique (水遁・大瀑布の術 ~ Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu) (2000/2000)

Unused WC: 37