NPC:

Sousetsu awoke in a rather energetic mood this day. The sun was seeping through the moderately clean windows to give off a warm kiss to greet him while the clouds tried to hide the sun from its duties. It was all planned that he would have the day to himself with a nice picnic in the dense forest of Konaha. The forest in question that keeps Konoha hidden from any potential threats from enemies. The Naka river runs through the forest which many dangerous herbs and wildlife species call this place home, and pose a threat for anyone who may wonder into it, yet it seemed to be a delightful place for a person of nature such as a young Senju. The young Senju then made his way into the restroom, there he washed his face and brushed his teeth afterwards before heading into the mildly warm shower and embraced what it had to offer. After his soak, he then made his way back into his room and headed straight for the closet to pick out his outfit.

Making his way downstairs and leaping down to the ground floor from the second last step, Sousetsu could be seen in armour emblazoned with the Senju symbol worn over a simple black jumpsuit, with a distinctive white fur collar. This armour was constructed from numerous blue metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along the wearers body, in particular: chest, waist, shoulders and upper arms. Just because he was going out for a picnic did not mean he might not encounter trouble while he was there, right? He made his way over to the fridge and took out some bread and other ingredients such as meat, cheese, large quantities of fruit and juice and placed them all in concealing bags to keep them fresh and tidy. With the wide variety of foods, he then placed all of these in a basket along with napkins and a blanket which would be soon accompanying him to the forest.

He then made breakfast to help start his day with some nutrition and energy which could also make his body feel more prepared and full so he would have time to embrace the surroundings that he would observing later on this evening. He pulled out a box of wheat flakes with some raspberries to compliment them and milk to pour over. Once prepared for himself, apple juice was also poured into a half pint glass and set beside the bowl of cereal. The spoon took larger portions than needed which indicated that Sousetsu was in a rush to get to the destination he had set for himself. He rarely went out to the dense forest. In fact, he had only been there on missions, helping to find a cat, and helping to secure a scroll from the hands of a small gang. This all happened when he was only a Chuunin of course and had came a long way in terms of skill and intellect since then.

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He had noticed his katana in the hallway, the High Frequency blade. It was as beautiful as it was deadly. The high-frequency blade is a sword that resonates at high frequencies, raising its temperature, thereby increasing its cutting ability, cutting easily through wood and stone. The sharpened edge and point used for lethal attacks, and the blunt edge used as a clubbing weapon. Being proficient enough, Sousetsu was also able to deflect ranged weapons, such as kunai, shuriken and such, and often gave him the upper hand against a par with a rival weapon. The High Frequency blade was used predominantly by the Senju's higher ranking shinobi and was an honor to be in possession of the blade. The blade stood at three feet and three inches long, with a black customized handle accompanied by silver linings on the outer blade. He lifted the weapon and befitted it upon his lower back for further protection in the unknown forest. Locking the door behind him, Sousetsu scanned the street up and down to find a lot of people out doing their own personal errands with shopping while children were running, playing and laughing. The street was too crowded for the young Senju's taste and so hastily made his way to the Village gates with his basket in hand.

As he approached the gates he had noticed that the two guards were not the same the ones he was accustomed to. The fact that he picked an odd day might have been the reason along with the others hours of work they are required to be posted here. He nodded and raised his picnic basket to show the two fellow shinobi as a gesture that he was going for a meal outside of the Village hidden int he Leaves, in which they happily complied with a small smile and a nod towards him. He smiled back once he was given permission and made his way down the road towards his destination of the dense forest which was not as far as he anticipated. Before long, Sousetsu had arrived to the dense forest. The sunlight seeped through the trees and their leaves touching only a few areas of the surroundings. He clutched his picnic basket tighter as he became more alert of his surroundings, wondering which was poisonous plants and wondering about the whereabouts of the defensive animals in their home.

With luck, Sousetsu did not run into any danger, in fact it was quite peaceful, just the way he liked it. He made his way to a secluded area near a stream that the water could be heard crashing ever so slightly among the banks that kept it detained within the trench. The flowers glowed with various colours depending on which area he looked, the majority being a reddish pink hue with the reflective ray of the sun's light. The breeze was not too strong but enough to keep cool from the smothering wildlife that was around him. He sat the basket down and looked at the contents. He began with a blanket, laying it across a firm and even patch of grass. Second of all, he placed out the food that surrounded he would eat and thee plates and napkins to go along with them. With the food before him he gave thanks and began tucking into the various ingredients and combining them to make a rather delicious sandwich.

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When he finished his sandwich, the young Senju became quite full. The food however, was still in a rather large quantity and so he placed them back inside the basket to keep them fresh in case he returned to them for a snack later. He lay back and closed his eyes as the suns glare shone down upon him. He placed his arms behind his head and listened to the wildlife that occupied the surroundings. The various insects were calling out for another while the birds tweeted away almost as if they were composing a little orchestra of themes of the wildlife. The Naka river was still rushing down the stream and could be heard from the distance of Sousetsu's whereabouts. He controlled his hand to rummage through the basket as his vision was limited, still trying to heighten the sense of his ears. He reached in and grabbed his bottle of water and began to sip at it, remaining transfixed on the sounds that filled the void. An unusual sound then occurred. It was a monkey. Where monkey's usually in the dense forest? Sousetsu couldn't answer that as this was his first time visiting the place of his own accord. Another monkey could be heard from the opposite side. There was more than one?

Sousetsu sat up straight and opened his eyes trying to catch the whereabouts of these creatures. He admired them and it would have been a treat to see them. He stood up slowly as the calls were continuing to be heard. He looked more closely to the area in which he thought he had them first and began to slowly make his way over. Before long, a monkey had jumped out at Sousetsu, scaring him so that he fell backwards. It was small, brown and with big beady eyes. Adorable to most one would think but Sousetsu just looked in awe. It seemed to put on a type of dance which was an odd feature, even to one who had never seen a monkey before. He watched nonetheless and grinned before reaching out to it with his hand. The monkey then scurried off leaving Sousetsu to wonder if he had scared it away from him, making him feel more lonely than he already was out in the dense forest all by himself. The rustling of the leaves could still be heard from the fleeing animal but Sousetsu thought it was time to return to his post as he needed more water.

When he turned he found three more monkeys ransacking his belongings. The food was around their mouths and the water was being emptied out. They were mischievous to say the least. With a loud shout, Sousetsu ran towards his picnic area and chased off the monkeys. They seemed to be giggling and taunting him. They did not seem to disappear like the previous one so Sousetsu decided to chase them into the wild. They were quick and agile much like himself. They dodged the branches and wrapped around the trees almost as easily as they breathed giving them a slight advantage over the young Senju. Before long, they made it to the Naka river that was heard from his previous spot. The climbed around the trees around the area as more monkeys came out to greet them. Some of them were their parents while others were around the same age. They became infuriated as the murmurs from the monkeys were spread around like wildfire. They began to slam the branches they stood on with their small hands and roared to the best of their abilities with their mouths showing teeth. Sousetsu became on edge, this was not something he had encountered before. Suddenly, the monkey's grew silent and climbed higher into the trees. A figure leaped down and landed on a rock that overlooked the small stream and gazed upon Sousetsu with much anger and anguish. "What do you think you are doing!?"

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The figure stood tall and stoic. It carried a rather long bo staff with colours of red and brown, and the sparkle of a gold design which looked like markings. Maybe it was a language where this man was from? He had white hair that was flared upwards with braids that dangled down across the sides of his face which was protected by a mask of red markings. He wore armour the likes that Sousetsu had never seen before and an odd blue and navy texture for underclothing with a unique sash around his waist. Upon further inspection of his torso, Sousetsu was surprised to see that it was not cloth, but fur. The creature tightened its grasp around the bo staff which struck Sousetsu into fear to answer. "I...uh, I was eating and these monkeys snatched my food while I was distracted." Sousetsu spoke as if he was in a courtroom with many judgmental eyes and the judge at his feet. The feeling of uneasiness spread to the hairs on his back which now stood up with the odd feeling that shook his body. This creature was indeed a wild man of a sort and his presence was enough to ward off a horde of any who attacked.

The creature then stabbed the ground with his staff to have it stick into the ground. He took off his mask and looked at Sousetsu dead on. He was a monkey. He was a monkey that spoke to him, was he a summoning? There was no-one around. He was a mythical creature of course that must have something to do with the monkey summoning techniques. The monkey then raised his arm and pointed to Sousetsu with a slight moment of hesitation. Before long, the monkey began to laugh harder than any roar that Sousetsu has heard. All of the monkeys began to join in, jumping and screeching excessively. It was odd, but the young Senju began to feel a bit embarrassed rather than intimidated at this current moment. With the laughing dying down and Sousetsu beginning to grow weary of this situation. "It works every time. But you were the first to follow them back here, Senju." the monkey said with a bit of a giggle. Sousetsu then pondered at how he knew he was a member of the Senju Clan before eh looked down at his attire with the symbol emblazoned on it which answer his question. "We have many people we see with potential in the dense forest, but only you have made it this far. I have served Konaha since it was made by your ancestor. I had my subordinates to be the summoning of the Sarutobi and Senju alike. Maybe, it is your time. Are you willing to train with me?" It spoke with a fluent motion.

It was almost unreal to Sousetsu as this opportunity had arrived while he was having a simple picnic. This monkey had offered to train Sousetsu but he had no knowledge of what he would learn. He knew little about summoning techniques and hand to hand combat so it could be a waste of time or a great help. Did he really want to trust a monkey who intimidated and then made a mockery of him though? The monkeys all grew silent and some began to move to sit with others. What were seconds, felt like minutes to the Senju. He thought of all the possibilities and how this would hinder his own training and duties with the Village hidden in the Leaves. He needed to know more before making a decision. "Who are you!? And what type of training!?" Sousetsu shouted and demanded with curiosity. The monkey in armour giggled slightly along with others before he made his way closer to Sousetsu. As they were a few feet away from one another, Sousetsu could see that this creature was taller than he looked standing over Sousetsu by a foot. "I have many names. Some call me Wukong, others call me Gokuu. Most of all, they would call me Monkey King. The training will not involve summoning us, you could learn that from your village. I want to teach you something special. Senjutsu."

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A look of shock appeared on the young Senju's face. Senjutsu was a powerful technique which Sousetsu had studied while he was browsing the library for certain books on different techniques. This monkey was offering Sousetsu a chance to learn something rare and would be a fool not to take the chance while he could. However, he needed to know more about the technique before he made a final decision. "Senjutsu? As in...Sage?" He asked. The monkey king stood tall and nodded to him. He suddenly became more serious at the matter at hand. He was serious after all. Sousetsu pondered for a moment. He thought long and hard of the advantages and disadvantages of Senjutsu, and there were many on each side of the argument. "Before I make my decision...Can you give me more details?" The monkeys that surrounded the area stood patiently in wait for the answer to be heard. The Monkey King closed his eyes and nodded before making his way back over to the rock that overlooked the stream. He swung the bo staff around and placed it across his back at a diagonal position so that it would not touch the ground and give him easy access to it for future purposes. Before he said anything he sat down with his legs crossed and gave a gesture to Sousetsu to do the same in which he complied fully.

The Monkey King cleared his throat and finally opened his eyes to meet the Senju's. "Senjutsu is a term that refers to a specialized field techniques that utilize a unique form of chakra known as Sage Chakra. This chakra cannot be seen by anyone other than those who have been trained in Senjutsu. Practitioners of this art are known as Sages. Sage chakra is created by altering the composition of their chakra. Typically, chakra is an equally balanced combination of Physical and spiritual energy. Sage chakra, however, adds a third element: Natural Energy. Natural Energy is raw energy that comes from the environment that surrounds the sage. Plants, animals and the planet itself all give off natural energy, which the sage in turn absorbs and utilizes to increase their abilities. This new chakra enables the user to enter an empowered state called Sage Mode, after a while of mastering the technique, which can then drastically increase the strength of ones abilities. The problem with this is that Natural Energy is difficult to control, and if the user accidentally absorbs too much Natural energy or gets the balance wrong while moulding chakra, the effects can be lethal, with the energy overwhelming the victim and turning their body to stone." The Monkey King let his head drop as he brought the disadvantages to the table. It was a risky process after all and would hurt the chances of the young Senju agreeing to the training.

Sousetsu had to think long and hard about the this opportunity that had presented itself to him. He could learn something great and become well known so that he could pass on his teachings to others which is what he always wanted. But at the same time, the price was too heavy and he may never spread his teachings to anyone anymore. The monkeys began t slowly murmur to one another. They were probably wondering the decision also. The cost was too great, yet the thought of becoming great and well known seemed to beg its way into Sousetsu's mind. He knew he had to give an answer soon as he did not want to keep the Monkey King waiting. He looked at his surroundings and seen the monkeys beginning to notice him as he gazed. He smirked and tilted his head down. "Tell the monkeys they can have the rest of the food." He said with his eyes closed. He raised his head and looked at the Monkey King once more and grinned with the look on his face he infamously wore. "When can we start?"

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The roars of the many monkeys that occupied the area could be heard throughout the forest. They slammed into the branches once again while others ran to various other locations to make more of the noise that filled the air. A few monkeys had ran off to, what was Sousetsu's best guess, get the food that he said he would give them. The Monkey King sprang up and leaped over to the young Senju and happily placed his shoulder onto Sousetsu and smirked. "This will not be easy. We will start with the basics as of now." Wukong had said turning his back on him to give them distance. "You will start by staying perfectly still, and I mean perfect. You cannot move a single inch while harbouring the nature energy around you. You must become one with nature and feel its presence before utilizing it to its fullest potential. You will feel energy being restored with time yet you will begin to disfigure if your balance is lost. Remember, you have to use the three energies: physical, spiritual and natural in perfect harmony." The Monkey King spoke in concern. It was a lie to say that he was not worried. Both of them were.

Sousetsu sat down and crossed legs with his back straight, trying his best to feel the presence of the natural energy. He could hear the many sounds of the rustling of the leaves, the river that flowed past, the monkeys speaking to one another in the distance but the presence was hard to feel. He tried his best to remain perfectly still otherwise. Seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to what felt like hours before Sousetsu finally found that feint presence of natural energy. He then began harbouring it and tried balancing it with the physical and spiritual energy that he had mustered up while he focused. The balance soon became imperfect and Sousetsu felt a change in his body. He was suddenly disfigured with an appearance much like that of a monkey mixed into his human features from head to toe. The young Senju Clan member let out a cry for help before the Monkey King, Wukong had decided to hit him on the head with his bo staff. Sousetsu clenched his fist and tried remaining still and not tending to the wound. He looked down to find that the monkey features had disappeared.

He looked up to Wukong and asked curiously. "What was that!?" The Monkey King simply giggled with his eyes transfixed upon the young man. "I see you found the nature energy, you must meditate a lot to find it so soon. That was the effects of an imperfect balance of the three energies. If I hadn't gave you a whack, you would have turned to stone. He giggled showing his trickster side. Sousetsu became more cautious of what he was doing now. He was lucky to have his mentor do what he did in order to halt the transformation. This suddenly became more possible and with less of a risk in Sousetsu's mind. A few of the monkeys returned with the remaining food that was in the picnic basket. They ate the food as they were perched on the branches around the area while the smaller monkeys played with the basket as if it was a game of hide and seek. Sousetsu continued to try and stay perfectly still but soon enough was hit by the staff again as his body began to change once more. This time the strike was harder and Sousetsu had to place his hands on the affected area. "Shit! That one hurt!" the young man cried but was only responded with the laughter of the many monkeys that outnumbered him making him fell more uneasy each passing second they laughed.

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The Monkey remained focused on the young Senju as a small monkey made its way to place one of the bananas from the picnic basket in his mouth. He chewed with almost no emotion and just gazed at each Sousetsu with deep intensity. The Senju, still wearing his respective armour began to feel the cool breeze across his neck helping him to relax. He was remaining perfectly still as far as he could tell but still had problems focusing on mastering the technique of balancing the three energies. This was not an easy task and he could not simply ask for any more tips as there was none. The words were plain and simple unlike the act of actually doing it. He had to split the three into thirds which was proven to be difficult as he had mastered the art of halving them to combine for techniques. The longer he sat the more whacks from the bo staff he received as he kept transforming from his tries with harvesting natural energy. He began to wonder how others had did so which no doubt would have took them years on end deciphering the ability and how it worked.

A young and small monkey began to make its way on top of Sousetsu's head where it decided to go along with the training. It remained perfectly still and began meditating with Sousetsu almost cheering him along by joining him in the act. He knew that if the monkey could balance easily on his head then he must be remaining perfectly still. It was his counter measure so to speak. Another small monkey then rest on his right shoulder with its tail curling around to the left shoulder and across his neck while a final monkey placed itself on top of his crossed legs. He then utilized them in making sure that he was becoming one with nature and balancing in harmony. He began drawing in the nature energy once more and began balancing the three energies once again. For a slight moment, Sousetsu could feel his body become more refreshed but the state of mind telling him that he was doing well shocked him into losing his focus and counter balancing itself to give him the transformation once again.

The monkey that rested on his head jumped a few feet in the air as the bo staff came crashing down with a quick and fluent motion from the Monkey King. The sharp pain caused Sousetsu to grasp the area that was struck with his hands that rubbed the area in hopes that the pain would be dismissed. "I almost had it that time!" Sousetsu pleaded to the Monkey King who gave a sour look. "Yes, you did. But you lost it. 'Almost' does not work in this training. It is either perfect or a failure. I cannot be there all the time to give you another chance. Even though I would like to." The Monkey King finished with another giggle as he was referring to the thought of hitting him constantly. He was indeed cheeky at times but his words were filled with the truth when it came to the harsh training of Senjutsu. He was wise yet devious. A practical joker in Sousetu's eyes even though he is a little more intimidating at first glance. He would not have guessed his personality to be like this. He thought he would be more along the lines of a strict leader of a pack of wild monkeys than the king of jokes and mischief. It was interesting to see that someone of his caliber act the way he does. Well, you know what they say; 'Never judge a book by it's cover.

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Sousetsu returned to his duties in training as did the monkeys and their positioning around Sousetsu as a form of pedestal to make sure he was keeping a perfectly still pose to draw in the natural energy around them. He focused the physical energy and the spiritual energy into two thirds while the natural energy seeped through bit by bit to fill the void for the remaining third. He began to feel that refreshing sense of his chakra being restored faintly but surely. He did not let his state of mind get the better of him however. He needed to remain focused in the task at hand. The Monkey King's eyes widened slightly. He could not believe what he was seeing before his very eyes. The young Senju was indeed equally distributing the three energies to coincide with one another. He was capable of becoming a true sage with due time. The monkeys had done well in their such for a potential candidate this day as they found a successful shinobi to complete the the first task which would usually took many years this young man had done in a day.

It could not be helped after all, Sousetsu did spend most of his days meditating and becoming one with nature as he listened to it while it listened back. This might have been its way of repaying Sousetsu for his attention. The monkeys began hopping around, dancing and slamming the surroundings in a cheer for the success of the Senju. The Monkey King, Wukong placed his hand on the young Senju Clan members shoulder and smiled. "You have done it, Senju. You are becoming a Sage." he spoke highly to Sousetsu. Sousetsu calmly settled down the chakra that was rushing inside him so that he would not stir up the transformation once again and opened his eyes to meet the Monkey Kings. He grinned and stood from where he sat and walked around to help restore his legs from all the sitting he had just done. He stretched them out and bent his back backwards and forwards releasing the tension within his body. Once he had done so the monkeys began to quiet down as Sousetsu made his way to the center of the area. The three monkeys that perched themselves among Sousetsu still remained, although the one from sitting on his legs made his way up to the left shoulder.

He made his way over to the branches that were occupied by the other animals and stretched out his arm so that the monkeys could join their friends and family to which they did so. He then made his way back to the Monkey King and bowed formally. "My name is Senju, Sousetsu. I thank you for your training and hope that this will not be the last that I hear from you, Monkey King." Sousetsu spoke very dearly to him. The Monkey King slapped Sousetsu's shoulder hard enough that he was forced to turn with the force. He roared with laughter once more and spoke to Sousetsu. "This is only the first task! You have a long way to go yet! Sousetsu, we will see each other very soon. We will be here waiting for you whenever you are ready to proceed with your training. Just don't leave it too long, okay!" Wukong said with that contagious laughter he had. The sentiment was still serious of course but that was just the way he was and would take a while to get used to of course. Sousetsu leaped to a nearby branch and turned to wave at his newly made acquaintances. They began slamming the surroundings once again and laughing manically to which Sousetsu giggled also in return. He was beginning to figure out why they laughed the way they did. It was contagious and shown the light in the dark times.  There was truly nothing to worry about and help was always there regardless of human or animals alike. Either that, or they were a cruel and sadistic bunch of wild apes that enjoyed torturing others. Either way, Sousetsu was glad for the help that he had received and would no doubt be back soon.

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A week had passes since he first met the Monkey King and his subordinates who trained him in Senjutsu. The very thought of the word Sage and how he could call himself by that name filled the young Senju with hope and excitement. It was a day off from his duties as a Leaf Shinobi on this particular day. He had risen from his slumber feeling energetic and more awake than he had in the past few months. He jumped out of bed and scurried to the restroom of his home where he washed his face with soap and a cloth before brushing his teeth. He then entered the shower which heated up at a warm temperature. After he had finished he made his way back into his room to look for his outfit within his closet. Sousetsu could then be seen in armour emblazoned with the Senju symbol worn over a simple black jumpsuit, with a distinctive white fur collar. This armour was constructed from numerous blue metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along the wearers body, in particular: chest, waist, shoulders and upper arms. He rushed downstairs and leaped off of the second last step to reach the ground. He made his way into the kitchen in order to prepare a small meal for breakfast. He took some wheat flakes and a banana,  that was sliced and used it as a topping, in a bowl with a milk.

As he took his next bite grinned once more. He could not stop the thought of training to become a true sage one day. He pondered at the possibilities through and through as each new one came to mind. He soon finished the mixture of fruit and cereal and fitted himself with his blade he left by the hallway mirror. The high-frequency blade is a sword that resonates at high frequencies, raising its temperature, thereby increasing its cutting ability, cutting easily through wood and stone. The sharpened edge and point used for lethal attacks, and the blunt edge used as a clubbing weapon. Being proficient enough, Sousetsu was also able to deflect ranged weapons, such as kunai, shuriken and such, and often gave him the upper hand against a par with a rival weapon. The High Frequency blade was used predominantly by the Senju's higher ranking shinobi and was an honor to be in possession of the blade. The blade stood at three feet and three inches long, with a black customized handle accompanied by silver linings on the outer blade. He lifted the weapon and befitted it upon his lower back for further protection.

He then prepared another assorts of food and placed them into the picnic basket that he brought previously. He knew it would make the group of monkeys happier to see him by packing extra bananas that were ripe. He made his way outside and locked the door behind. The day seemed fair, not too warm and not too cold to the skin. The breeze of the wind blew his hair into a frantic state while his clothes dangled gracefully. He had noticed the crowds of the many people who were rushing to work, shopping for groceries to place in their homes for future purposes, and children running aimlessly and laughing with each other. He then looked up to the Hokage's building and the monument behind it. The many faces of past Hokage's were beginning to clutter the mountain side but it was a sign of respect to their highest ranking shinobi. He grinned once more thinking that one day it might be him on the monument for all to see and to share his teachings within history books and word of mouth to the next generations.

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