In the midst of the small south forest of the village hidden in the leaves, Sousetsu sat in perfect harmony with the nature that surrounded him. While this sounded and appeared to be in commonplace, he was training nonetheless. The art of becoming a sage came at a great risk. As he sat perfectly still, embracing the nature energy around him, the birds perched onto his shoulders, head and knees as his legs were crossed. A distant memory seemed to creep its way back to the Senju. One that he would not forget. The sage that had taught him, Wukong, whose lingering laugh and mischievous actions repeated itself over and over as his mind let the picture grow ever clearer.

His mind continued to wander as he visioned the Monkey King clearing his throat before him and finally opening 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.' No-one could see his training. To the naked eye, Sousetsu was simply relaxing, meditating and clearing his mind in the wilderness. The small open area was filled with songs of the wildlife, some of them being sang from the Senju as the birds rested on his being. A small flowing river accompanied this orchestra of natural music that soothed the listeners even further into its beauty.

'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.' It was no coincidence that the Sannin currently resided in the small forest, it was the ideal place of training. The many wildlife served him well in his training to become a sage. He had to become one with the living entities that he adored. A fitting technique for a Senju, a clan who was naturally one with nature.


'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.' And with that, the many mischievous laughs left the Senju's mind, Wukong faded into his memory once more. With this knowledge, he knew this training was more dangerous than any he had come across, his very existence was at risk. Sousetsu had however, reached this level. He had achieved this 'Sage Mode' along his journey through life and closer to perfecting senjutsu. He could sense the presence of those approaching, and could feel the nature flow within him, combining with his own energy.

His face began to tint to a red colour as gold markings also seemed to appear creeping over his features. His nails began to sharpen and his outfit turned from a black sleeveless jumpsuit to that of a navy blue colour. His hair was growing, and braids soon formed to complete the transformation. All of this was his focus and training paying off as the sage was emerging once more. Only two ninja were still alive who knew of the Sannin's ability. The first being the Hokage, Mitsuhide, as he used his sage mode within their battle for that very title. In the end, the status was given to the Leaf's White Star for his will of power, it was not yet Sousetsu's time to become Kage, but it would soon draw near. The second was his closest friend, Mitsuo Sarutobi, a high figure within the Leaf village also, leading the Anbu at the time. They sparred, showing off their abilities as they both kept it a secret until that day when they finally confronted each other to test their abilities. Another day to remember.

There was another who had seen his new form however, another Senju named Ukiyo. Full of potential, she foolishly attacked Sousetsu in hopes to become his reaper, but instead faced a life of exile which led to her demise. Had she not done so, she would have surpassed him in due time. The thought still haunted him to this day. He led the Senju Clan during that time, before he wandered off to search for something that he was not sure where to find. A crushing blow to the man's mind, questioning his abilities as a leader for a clan when one of the participants tried to take his head as a trophy. It was not his time to die yet, however.

He began to sense another presence approaching him. One that he had come across before but not long enough for him to find the distinct pattern. He opened his eyes slowly just as the transformation began to fade back to its original form also. He could not let another know of his ability. He was not sure why, but felt the need to keep it hidden. The less people knew of his abilities, the less likely they could overcome him. There were many trump cards that Sousetsu held and his poker face could not easily be read. He was a tactician, a soldier, a ninja with stories that could rival the best selling material. But that book of wonders would remain hidden, until his last breath, or those unfortunate enough to find them.

Words: 986/8000 [Senjutsu Training B > A]

'You must think this a game huh? Keep going, and don't stop until i tell you too.' " What a game? damn! I gotta stop talking to myself, it's getting awkward and annoying. Perhaps I need help or something? or is it just me?" Lelouch stated to himself quietly. His current location was in the Small South Forest. It's rare you'll catch him out here, though, he wanted to train somewhere differently.  His hands was crossed and he was hoping could stop talking to his self, though: It provides emotional and psychological relief. 'What a sesquipedalian~ ' " What!?! I'm not a sesquipedalian, you perfidiousness, wait what?" Lelouch would have to catch himself, with a grin, the boy would have this normal conversation, as if nobody was around. He thought it was  funny, but then again awkward. So he could only shut the hell up and enjoy the rest of the evening. His face was turned up to the sky, the thought of training came to his mind, he did have some trigrams that needed work, not to mention his byakugan. He knew for a fact it was going to be a long day. But indeed, he had the time. Besides, what else he could do? Other than talk to himself and procrastinating. So this training will help him in all sorts of ways, he just had to find that right person, his journey shall begin? But he was already there, only thing he had to do was start up his training. But lonely training was pretty boring, but it can get interesting from time to time. But he wanted a much higher and smarter opponent today. With that stated, Lelouch would stand from the ground and dust his clothing off. He was wearing a Black what seemed to look like a Samurai robe, his Konohagakure headband was tied around his forehead, and his fingerless gloves was gripped together as a fist. He had no shirt to his chest his the robe that was open so he could flex his strength. the breeze blew by, which was understandable being out here. His Blue ninja shoes which was already dirty from the soft mud that was on the ground, but he was on the wet side. As his shadow grew upon the ground, he would continue to walk.


Releasing the grip, Lelouch would place both hands on the top of his head. Walking slowly around this time, in fact, he would be enjoying the sound of sweet natural, the birds that flew in the beautiful sky, though they was far out here, and the dogs that barked from the top of their lungs would somehow echo, as if you concentrated on the noises. Once he made it to his next destination, the man would stand there, his mind would be empty nothing else to go on about.

'Getting lonely there lelouch? you know why you came over here correct? handle your damn business! or go back home like a little girl!' " ..." Continuing on his way, he would arrive! " Finally" The air out here was much fresher, not to mention it was quiet and peaceful. Perfect spot for some Hyuga training and other fun stuff. Turning around, to the other end, he spotted someone that looked familiar. "Is that Sousetsu? the guy I did a mission with? How noticeable." The hyuga stated to himself. He could only stand there and think, though, perhaps this guy was in the same area for the same reason Lelouch had? who knows? Taking a step by step slowly. He would call out the man name. " Sousetsu~?" He yelled out firmly, just loud enough it would echo over to him. " Whatcha out here f-" he would catch himself just before finished the words, there is no reason for Lelouch better yet not his lane to ask the for the man reasons. He could only stand there and wait and see.

But what the hell? it wouldn't hurt for this one time. " Yo, whatchu doing out here buddy?" He simply asked with that lazy grin on his face as if something was awkward and funny at the same time noticeable? While that was going down. He wondered where he should start first. His Byakugan, or Techniques?

Continuing on, he would sigh, he knew where to start, the most simplest thing. His Byakugan. As for the trigrams, he would have to fight something in order to get the full on success going. With his byakugan, all he had to do was gain degrees, he wanted at least 10 meters of the user while having 250 degree vision, which was pretty amazing, better than step one. In fact a huge improvement.

837/3000 for Byakugan B-rank/ 837 towards the 8000 for word count. Trigrams last.

As the presence revealed itself it was none other than Hyuuga, Lelouch. An aspiring Genin who resided within the village hidden in the leaves, and also the ninja that Sousetsu accompanied on one of his latest missions. That day was not long ago however, and Sousetsu knew all too well this young mans mannerisms. Tardy and not tuned to a formal stature, Sousetsu let out a small sigh. He was not one to hold a grudge however, and this young man was still maturing in the shinobi world. He wondered if he was out here to train, now that is what he wanted to see. He wished that shinobi from a young age learned the value of lessons taught from their higher-ups in the ranks of ninja. The Sannin did not have a master. Never did, and never would have as he exceeded many, rivaling the Kage stature as he fought the previous, Takeshi and late Mitsuhide. He showed no fear in either battle and nor would he in any to come. A student with no master knew no bounds. He would train longer, harder with no-one to tell him otherwise. He took breathers at the end of the day, not wasting any time during it. When his muscles hurt, he worked his brain, reading and lining up his next jutsu to add to his collection. Lately, the Sannin has been compiling information for new techniques, more powerful than the ones that already existed within his knowledge and ones that he would soon create. The very idea of creating a jutsu was joyous, yet stressful to the Senju, and dangerous to those who opposed him. However, he would keep them a secret until the time was right to use them.

"Sousetsu?" a familiar voice shouted. The Hyuga was within the Senju's perimeter and would only be rude not to have an audience with him. He looked up from where he sat. Some of the birds began to take flight, arriving at the nearby plants and trees that surrounded the area, one remained perched on his shoulder. He turned and smiled to the small creature that lingered on his person before lifting his finger so that it could climb onto it. "Whatcha out here f-" as the sentence was cut off, the bird flew from his grasp. His smile slowly faded as he watched the grace from his feathered wither away into the distance. He turned his attention to the Hyuga and moved to his feet in the process, approaching him with a stern look creeping on his face. "Yo, whatchu doing out here buddy?" the young Huga spoke with a lazy grin upon his face. Sousetsu stopped in his tracks before crossing his arms, turning his head to the nearby stream and letting out a small exertion of breath. "I was training." Sousetsu then turned his gaze back to Lelouch, a curious aura had surrounded him as his eyebrow raised. "I hope you are here to do the same?" he spoke rhetorically, almost as if he was encouraging the act.

His jaw clenched and his arms tightened as they remained crossed, giving off his rather stoic look that he commonly wore. He then thought that he had to approach this calmly. He was training Senjutsu after all, and Lelouch would not be able to see that, to him, he must have been out here relaxing. He felt obliged to cover his tracks by supporting his argument of his training, leading it to another form of training which to led a half-truth. "We must train our minds as well as our bodies. You know that, Lelouch?" he giggled slightly as a small sigh looked down slightly towards him. Sousetsu had worked with very little Hyuga clan members but he did find their techniques impressive however. They possessed eyes that could sense the presence of others from great distances. A wonderful technique to Sousetsu. Becoming a sage, he formed his own sensory technique, sensing those around him rather than possessing those eyes to see them. One in the same some would say, but intriguing nonetheless.

For a little more encouragement Sousetsu grinned at the young man before him. He thought that the experience he had received from the years of being a ninja could be passed down to any, but made into their own form. The Sannin could not use these eyes as he did not own them, but he could help the young man learn to hone them for better use. He was well aware of the unique taijutsu style the Hyuga possessed also. Open palms that blocked off chakra paths within the opponents body. A dangerous technique if held at a high level. This Hyuga, like any other, possessed these unique gifts and Sousetsu had made up his mind. "If you need help training, you have found me. All I ask is that you do not hold back." he straightforwardly put with that same grin. This particular Senju had trained many. His teachings grew as less flaws appeared throughout his time. Young ninja learned the value of teamwork, utilizing the area the battle took place, and learning to combine co-existing jutsu to their advantage, despite their specializations.

He glanced over to where he sat previously. No other belongings of his was with him in his travel to this place. His high frequency blade and unique Senju armour resided elsewhere. All he had was his ninjutsu, his wits, and his black sleeveless jumpsuit accompanied by a white headband with the Senju symbol emblazoned onto it and wrist wraps. He was not at his strongest, but he was not weak, for the Sannin pushed his body regardless of the situation. He looked the Hyuga up and down once more. He was wearing a black robe, the leaf headband, and possessed finger-less gloves. His torso was bare as no shirt had hidden it from the naked eye. The two stood as the shadows confronted each other while the sun glared down at them from a distance. Would Lelouch accept?

Words: 1992/8000 [Senjutsu Training B > A]

"I was training."

'Well isn't that funny? I was here for the same thing. The odds of this?' Lelouch thought, he would hear Sousetsu speak once again, But only this time he spoke of a challenge?

"I hope you are here to do the same?"

" Sure, I guess! I got a few Hyuga techniques I need to work with. Not to mention I'm increasing degrees and other cool stuff to my byakugan. So sure, some training will be useful, make my day much easier."


Gathering his stuff together, before anything could pop off, he wanted to at least start with his degrees, due to the fact this was something Sousetsu couldn't help him with, but, as for the Trigrams, he could test a few of them on Sousetsu, perhaps the 64 palms? or even the 128? which ever this guy could take best. Turning forward to a very what seems to be a old training dummy. Activating his byakugan, Lelouch tried to reach it, but it was just out of his range of level, this is why he needed this training now. Just before he could proceed, he checked out the range he had between him and sousetsu, this seemed a decent amount, well at least for the byakugan. But Lelouch needed to extend his range. Perhaps Sousetsu could help with that with his chakra signatures? though they was pretty small towards Lelouch's direction, but if the boy was able to go back a bit more, Lelouch would have his degrees within no time.

" Hey Sou! You wouldn't mind doing me a favor would ya? In order for me to increase my range with my byakugan.. I just need to use that chakra signature of yours, if I pick up a decent amount, I might have just reached my limit and unlock a new level." Lelouch simply asked. Hopefully the boy would reply with a yes. If he helped him out, and Lelouch shall help him out without any worries. ' But what about the Trigrams? 128.. 64? huh, It was meant for me to run into Sousetsu..It appears I'll be needing him for a lot. But at least I'll be helping him out also. Nothing like some old school sparring that will get rid of the rust. ' He thought again, but he just realized he didn't repeat his thoughts to himself, that's an awkward change? even odder than him running into Sou! Perhaps it was time for him to stop talking to his self better yet around people. But the emotional and psychological relief, that was still stuck in his mind.

Standing with his arms by his sides, and his hands placed inside the sleeves of his robe. His byakugan was fully activated and ready for training. " Okay, here is my list of things. Perhaps we can start up with my Byakugan, then my Trigrams.. and then we can start working with your training.. this will get the job done faster I suppose. Probably only take a little bit. Depending on what cha trying to train." Lelouch stated and sighed. he smirked at the of his sentence. He wondred what kind of Hyuga he will be? a nic eone or a killer? or even a low down clumsy person who doesn't give a damn about anything? his choices was right in front of him. He knew for sure he wouldn't be a killer, nor one of those crazies. But he knew for sure he was clumsy when he is excited or something, but it happens rarely. " Oh by the way, would help any if I told you I was a faster learner?" He stated. Perhaps this was cut him some slack within this training. He loved the hard ways indeed, but, he wanted to at least be down before night hit. That's his time to shine. Not to mention he heard Jacob was throwing a party, he wanted to go there at least and kick with them. Perhaps pop a few bottles of rum, but Lelouch was trying to cut back from that, instead, he was taking this Shinobi thing much more seriously. He didn't know what will come out of it, but the only thing that sat firmly good on his brain was power. That's all Lelouch wanted. He wanted to be known by many, known that he is not the mean type of person, but he if he pissed off good enough, he'll show you Justice, law and order. Some will say he was a time bomb what so ever, but they never understood.

' Now it's time for some training! The real style, none of that solo stuff. I'm finally about to get what I came for. ' A huff, he would turn to the sky. The sun was shining indeed, but it felt like cold and hot mixed together, best weather ever! Cold but at the same time hot, you can live outside all day in konohagakure when weather is like this.

Slapping the flies away, and fixing up his shaggy hair. He never really came on this end of konohagakure. In fact, this might be his first time here from his understanding. As if he didn't come while he was drunk or something. The hyuga would stand with that same lazy grin on his face as if it was put there without him noticing. He would wait for Sousetsu signal that he could test his degrees on him. this shall be interesting and fun.

1810/3000 (for byakugan B-rank) 1810/8000 for the training~ ( Also due to byakugan being activated I gained +1 reaction towards speed, and -5 chakra. so therefore: 150-5 = 145 for chakra remaining.)

"Hey Sou! You wouldn't mind doing me a favor would ya? In order for me to increase my range with my byakugan.. I just need to use that chakra signature of yours, if I pick up a decent amount, I might have just reached my limit and unlock a new level." the young man asked giving his wants and needs in a single basket. Sousetsu let out a small giggle before nodding towards the Hyuga, he did offer after all. "Of course, Lelouch." he let out with his infamous grin that he was beginning to commonly wear. Gazing at the Genin he watched as he placed his arms within his kimono and activated the byakugan. The veins pulsed around his eyes, not the most pleasant sight to behold but impressive nonetheless. It was a rare treat to see the byakugan on the opposing side, knowing its full potential, Sousetsu would help it grow for the Genin. "Okay, here is my list of things. Perhaps we can start up with my Byakugan, then my Trigrams.. and then we can start working with your training.. this will get the job done faster I suppose. Probably only take a little bit. Depending on what cha trying to train." he listed one after the other. The Sannin's eyes opened more and more as the list went on, he was really pushing this training. He wanted to take this opportunity with the Sannin to get the most out of what he could before they parted ways and seemed like a challenge, even to the Sannin. His grin widened however, this was the will of fire he wanted to see.

Growing up as a ninja, Sousetsu had done the same and like himself, he would not give this young man before him any boundaries. He accepted this challenge before he knew what he was up against, like most of life's lessons, Sousetsu would learn from this and overcome it. The power of the Hyuga's eyes must have come with a price however, even from looking at this power he could tell the eyes would strain from overuse, and he would stop the training if he felt it was taking a toll on the Genin. "Be careful when using this power, Lelouch. Of course, you may already know of the side effects of the byakugan but please stop when you feel it coming. Otherwise, I will." the Senju spoke out of sincerity, wondering of his well-being. The Hyuga then shared a little more information to the Sannin, words that he wanted to believe. "Oh by the way, would it help any if I told you I was a fast learner?" the young man spoke somewhat confident in his abilities. "That's for me to decide." Sousetsu chuckled as he readied himself for the oncoming training ahead.

Despite the speed of learning an ability, it had to come with perfection in order for it to become a success. The sage was still trying to hone senjutsu after all, and still proves to be difficult at that. he reminisced once again on that fateful day when he met Wukong, the Monkey King, "This is only the first task! You have a long way to go yet!" and he was still on his way, even now, and so would Lelouch when it came to perfecting his techniques with the byakugan and taijutsu. The Genin held promise, this was the only reason Sousetsu had accepted to aid him in this training. He wanted to share the hardship and provide the moral support if needed, just as Wukong had done so with him. If the young man was as fast a learner as he thought he was, then Sousetsu's expectations would come to fruition. He looked and smiled at the Genin once again before leaping backwards and giving himself a firm stance before bring his hands together in front of him, forming and hand sign and channeling chakra so that it almost seemed to radiate from his being. "Begin..." he ordered with no more distractions. It was up to the Hyuga now.

Sousetsu closed his eyes and as the chakra channeled throughout his body he began to think of the nostalgia of how his power grew. The many fights that had led him to this life so far and the promise of more to come in the future. He trained with mother nature, he hunted Daichi Watanabe and Aki Sato, he silenced the rebellions, he became a wolf in sheep's clothing among his enemies, the peacekeeper, the sage, the storyteller, the Azure Beast that was Sousetsu who stood stoic in all of his battles and to those who looked up at him, who aspired to be him. His eyes remained closed as the memories flooded his mind. The friends he made, his ideals, his goals, his very existence was living proof that those who worked hard, would no doubt achieve what they wished for. A grin appeared once more. 'Where has all the time gone...' he thought as he grew happier. He was a Genin before, all ninja were, but that Genin grew up to rival a few Kage's which was more than many people could say. His hair blew as the breeze rolled by as did the loose ends of his headband. The sun kissed his skin, the rivers flowed, the tree leaves bristled off one another as his senses began to become more fine with each passing moment. With opened eyes he shouted more words of encouragement to the Hyuga before him. "Don't hold back!" They were the only words he knew. They were the words who made Senju Sousetsu.

Words: 2931/8000 [Senjutsu Training B > A]

"Of course, Lelouch."

" Sweet man!"

"Be careful when using this power, Lelouch. Of course, you may already know of the side effects of the byakugan but please stop when you feel it coming. Otherwise, I will."

" Um.. sure thing man.."

"That's for me to decide."

" hahaha Yeah right" Lelouch stated back to the boy in a joking matter of course.

"Begin..."

" Oh, sure thing!"

"Don't hold back!"

" Trust me, I never hold back! "



Once those words was stated, the spar would begin. Though, it was just for the degrees and rage with the Byakugan.Once Sousetsu was placed in the correct destination, the man would sigh and begin. His byakugan was already activated, all he had to do was pick up the boy signature, with his eyes and he will unlock a new level! The range was correct, everything was, now under these circumstances, Lelouch would attempt to reach the boy location with his eyes. His chakra indeed build up, but something was just missing. Lelouch wasn't too for sure, but the only thing he had to do was keep going and trying for this new awesome level up. Once both eyes was trained on the boy chakra signature, Lelouch was finally able to see him better with his byakugan but it was pretty weak, so he wouldn't call that a level up, instead, he could only shake his head and sigh. Perhaps there was really something missing? wasn't to for sure just yet, but at least he was able to get that chakra signature, some improvement! But still a lot more of work to do. But he wanted to give this another shot, just for that level up.  " Alright man, the first try was pretty awkward, I was only able to pick up small amounts of the chakra signature which was pretty interesting yet improvement. But I want to see if i can gain the whole thing. So, I'm going to give this another shot." Lelouch stated with a smile on his face, his byakugan was still activated, and he would stand there. Trying to get a hold of the signature. Once he was able to pick up a strong amount, just enough to jet over there and 64 palm him if he wanted to. " Hey! I finally got it. I knew the second try was going to much easier it always happen. It worked man! But About the trigrams, still some small pieces missing, so I'm going to have to test some stuff out on ya, major things can be tested on the training dummy over there." Lelouch stated. He would Leap down from the log he was standing on and turn forward. " Well that was interesting I suppose. Now I think I might have just unlocked a new level with my eyes, this has got to be the best day ever." He simply said as he clicked off his byakugan and sighed.  " Now, trigram time. I'm not a expert with this, but Know some stuff about it, if I use this wrong on you ya might get paralyzed for sure. So like I stated before, I shall take the major techniques over to the dummy. Also, I'm not to for sure about my byakugan. I don't know if I got level two or not, perhaps it's just me? but I just like to be fore man. But don't worry, while you doing ya thing over here, I'll be busting trigrams on that training dummy just for the fun!"  

Though he still didn't need the boy chakra signature anymore, instead, Lelouch was about to try an old trick in the book, hopefully it worked. Once he stepped over to the training dummy, the boy would drop both hands. " Okay. Now or neverrrrrr! 8 Trigrams 32 palms" He yelled out, it was almost like the training dummy was the only thing there when he stated that. Once Lelouch palms struck the dummy 32 times, he fell to the ground. " WOO! That was tiring." Catching himself, he didn't want to show this other dude he was weak. Continuing on with his training. Lelouch would sigh. He was getting ready to learn a new technique, and his byakugan was about to reach a new level within a nick of time. With these 'circumstances' He would attend to follow up with sousetsu.. " Hmm, 32 palms is pretty easy, but it's the 64 and 128. That's gotta be the hard ones I bet, but when I leave here, I'll have everything under control." He wondered if this guy had his training in mind, or perhaps he was putting himself last just to work with Lelouch for a bit. If so that would have much easier than quick learner, but who knows? just like sousetsu stated earlier ' that's for me to decide' the thought of that was still stuck in his mind but yet it was pretty interesting. He could only stand there and wait for Sousetsu reply, he wondered if he should keep going with the trigrams or either continue to grab that level two. Which either way was fine with him, but he couldn't wait until he learned 128 palms, the technique was pretty strong and perfect fit for his hyuga clan. He will take the next step soon.

Even though this was pretty awkward, he wondered how the rest of the training would go? he knew for sure it should go easy for a fact. Because he already knew what he needed to d, so hopefully he could handle his business. but he did had a order, but the order was suddenly broken. He mixed trigrams with the byakugan training which was for level two. Perhaps he could just do both at the same time to speed this up a little?

2840/3000 for byakugan B-rank.. 2840/8000 for the training~ and I did something for trigrams, but since I'm so close to gaining the B-rank with my byakugan I wouldn't bother with counting that.

OOC: Lazy post..

"Alright man, the first try was pretty awkward, I was only able to pick up small amounts of the chakra signature which was a pretty interesting  improvement. But I want to see if i can gain the whole thing. So, I'm going to give this another shot." Lelouch explained to the Sannin. He grinned and nodded for a reply while maintaining his hand seal and exerting a large quantity of chakra. A small small ring surrounded the Senju, as wind seemed to revolve around, like the planets around a sun. The young man before him gave it another go and soon, his theory for being a fast learner seemed to be true. He had succeeded in honing his skill as he felt a new level arise within him. With his head tilting forward, Sousetsu let his chakra signature fade away. The Hyuga could now sense him and probably sense those at a greater distance than before. He was just as he had hoped when it came to training. At least he wasn't lying about the speed.

Sousetsu sat down as Lelouch reverted his attention to the practice dummy. He began to sit perfectly still and allowed the nature energy call to him, embracing him once more. He could still here the young man despite this fact of course, he had to train also after all. "Hmm, 32 palms is pretty easy, but it's the 64 and 128..." his words faded into the distance he the young man was caught up in his defining his abilities further. He reminisced one last time of his past, growing up in the ninja world. What was he like?

"Having kids is like playing the lottery." a voice called to him in his mind. Another memory seemed to be recalled.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That was how the police commissioner put it, with a grim smile and a sigh. He was the man in charge of domestic security. "Sometimes you pick a winner, and sometimes you pick a loser. Life is like that. You can't control it."

Sousetsu responded with a silent nod. Not that he was convinced that you could divide people into "winners" and "losers." But that was how they did it here in this country that was the size of a city. He had no choice but to recognize it as reality because the man who kept the peace here believed it, and this nation was known for having the best public safety of all the countries in the region.

"Every kid in there is a loser," he spat out, jerking his chin toward the juvenile prison visible from his office window. Built to hold young criminals, this was the largest - and the most strictly run and most closely guarded - prison to be seen in any of the neighbouring countries. Its treatment of its young inmates was also the harshest.

"You're a foreigner, Sousetsu, so you may not approve, but we have our own way of doing things."

"I see," the Sannin said.

"Losers are losers. There's nothing you can do to make losers into winners. It's never going to happen. Far from it. If you coddle losers, they just turn into bigger losers and give the decent people a lot of trouble. See what I mean?"

"That's one way of looking at things." Sousetsu's deliberate irony was lost on the police commissioner.

"No. It's the only way - if you're going to have a safe, peaceful country," he declared. "And we'll expect you to abide by this view, too."

The Senju had nothing more to say to him. If he were to insist on confronting the police commissioner, he might be seen as questioning the authorities, which could land him in the adults' prison. This would be easy enough to bring about for the police commissioner - and indeed for anyone in the city-state who stood on the side of the powers that be.

The commissioner glanced again toward the juvenile prison. "They built that place eighty years ago," he said. "Which is to say, the very first building they made when the present political system came into being was a prison to throw young offenders into."

Eighty years earlier, this country had experienced a coup d'etat. The revolutionary government ruled the people under a military dictatorship and jailed every last person suspected of disturbing the peace and order. The government was especially wary of younger criminals.

"There's a limit to how serious a kid's crimes can be. But let them get away with those, and the next thing you know they're doing really bad stuff. They might be satisfied with shoplifting at first, but soon they're into burglary, muggings, they start using weapons, and in the end they think nothing of killing people. You have to nip them in the bud."

The kids sent to prison were fed the absolute minimum to keep them alive. No doctor saw them if they fell sick or were injured. Subjected to such harsh imprisonment, they succumbed one after another, and more than a few of them ended up as cold corpses pitched out the back door.

Whenever one did manage to serve out his term and return to the outside world, he found it impossible to erase the brand of "loser." Children with criminal records were soundly rejected by respectable society. The social system was structured in such a way that nothing worked for them: employment, marriage, even finding a place to live. Expelled by society, these boys and girls returned to crime as a way to stay alive, eventually ending up in adult prison.

With a bitter smile, the police commissioner said to Sousetsu, "I'm sure this all sounds terrible to an outsider like you."

The Senju answered with a slight nod. This only served to increase the bitterness of the commissioner's smile. "I know what you're thinking," he said. "And to tell you the truth, I sometimes think the system is a little too harsh on them, too. But you have to realize that we're not just punishing bad kids: We're also holding them up as an example to the good ones. What would they think if they saw the ex-criminals out on the street again walking along like nothing ever happened? They'd just figure that even if they got their hands dirty and spent a few years in jail, they could just go back to their old lives, that society's punishment is no big deal, that they can get away with murder. We wouldn't want our kids to be like that, would we? So the only thing is for us grownups to teach them. Look at those guys, we can say. All it takes is one bad deed and your life is over. So you'd better listen to your parents and teachers and be good."

He definitely had a point. The Sannin was willing to grant him that. But still, the commissioner must have noticed a hint of shadow crossing Sousetsu's face, and he shifted his tone of voice. With bureaucratic conviction, he declared, "The authorities have received word that there is going to be a coup. Of course the military have everything under control, so there is nothing to worry about. They could suppress it right now if they wanted to. They could easily attack the agitators and capture the ring leaders of the plot. In this case, though, they have decided to let it get started in order to smoke out every last one of the reactionary elements."

According to the government's intelligence, the uprising was scheduled to occur that very night. "We are prepared to just about any eventuality, but there is always the possibility of the unexpected. If there were a riot inside the juvenile prison timed to coincide with the rebellion, that could be a real problem."

This is why Sousetsu had been hired as a temporary prison guard, a bodyguard for the state. "We're counting on your skills as a seasoned warrior, which is why we're entrusting you with such a major responsibility. Be sure you live up to our expectations. If you have to resort to violence, we have no problem with that. Whatever you do, it will be for the sake of law and order. It will be in order to protect the happy lives of the decent citizens of our nation. Carry out your duties with complete dedication of body and soul."

The commissioner handed Sousetsu a one-page document. It was, literal, a license to kill. "And without the slightest restraint. All the prison guards have one of these. But still... If you hesitate to impose the ultimate punishment on a single 'loser,' then countless 'winners' among the upstanding citizenry must suffer the consequences. You understand, I'm sure. Once a loser, always a loser. Rather than living with such a burden, they themselves might be happier to have you kill them and get it over with."

Sousetsu accepted the document from the commissioner without comment. "that completes our contractual arrangement. Now assume your post." With a perfectly straight face, the commissioner cautioned the Senju. "Just make sure you don't let any foolish compassion get in your way."

The season was mid-winter, but the Senju found no hint of fire burning in the juvenile prison. In their tiny solitary cells, the young inmates, wrapped in ragged blankets, lay helplessly in the dark. Painful moaning came from one cell, suggesting its inmate might be running a fever. From another came the unbroken shrill mean laughter that could only mean the person's mind had snapped.

"What you see is what you get," said the veteran guard guiding Sousetsu on his first round of inspection. "Not one of those faces shows any life. So even if something were to happen, these pitiful creatures couldn't do a damn thing. They're 'losers' all right. They're breathing, but that's about it."

"Is there really no possibility of them being rehabilitated and becoming winners?"

The other guard gave the Sannin a momentary blank stare and then said with a laugh and a wave. "No, no, no, none at all."

Eighty years since the revolution, and the change of generations had replaced virtually all the people from that time. Since coming of age, this prison guard, who had no memory of life before the revolution, had been implanted with the ideas that people were either "winners" or "losers," and he surely never doubted it.

"They went out of their way to hire you, so it might be a little strange for me to say this, but I'm sure the kids in here are never going to riot, no matter how wild things get on the outside. Splash a little cold water on them, and they'll quiet right down. There's almost none of them you have to worry about."

"Almost?"

"Well, I can't claim that about every single one of them. There are even losers among the losers, unfortunately."

The guard showed Sousetsu to the end of the hall, and there he opened the lock on a door so thick it could be mistaken for a section of wall. "Beyond here are the punishment cells. This is where we throw the incorrigible losers, the ones who have caused trouble on work details, the ones who take a defiant attitude, the ones who show no sign of remorse for their crimes."

Suddenly it was clear to Sousetsu. It was clear to him because he had experienced countless battlefields in his life. The punishment cells were darker and far colder than the regular cells. But from the depths of the darkness, from within each individual cell, there emanated a quiet heat that could not be felt from the regular cells. The people in here were alive. They were not simply breathing. They were alive with real passion.

"The crimes that originally got them locked up here were nothing much - a little burglary, some purse-snatching, flashing a knife, stuff like that. If they had just quietly served out their terms, they'd be out now, living obscure lives somewhere."

Instead, they resisted, and kept resisting. They called for better treatment of inmates. They appealed for an end to discrimination against former prisoners. The number of their "crimes" multiplied, until it became clear they would never get out of there alive.

"They'll just go straight from here to the adult prison when they grow up. It'll be twenty or thirty years before they can breathe the outside air again, if they can live that long, which would be quite an accomplishment." The guard concluded with a belly-shaking laugh, which was interrupted by a voice echoing from a dark cell.

"Stop that laughing." It was a quiet but commanding voice, though one that retained a hint of boyishness. A look of fear crossed the guard's face, though he quickly reverted to a sneer.

"This is the biggest pain we've got," he said. "His name is Ganta. They say he was the leader of a gang of juvenile delinquents on the outside, but here he's just a noisemaker."

The guard picked up a bucket of water from the corridor floor with a thin sheet of ice on its surface and heaved the contents into Ganta's cell. "This is what works best on these kids." Behind the bars, the drenched boy had rolled himself into a ball.

"This should be enough for them to freeze to death, but the water itself freezes again in the early morning. So then their hair and eyelashes, and any other hair they've got, gets coated in ice. Some of them have lost fingers and toes to frostbite." The guard laughed again.

Ganta lay there curled up, but his eyes were shining with such intensity, it was as if he were trying to melt the ice with the heat seething in his breast. Sousetsu knew those eyes. They were the eyes of a warrior. And not just any warrior, but one on the very front line in a losing battle who watches for a chance to turn the battle in his favour. And Sousetsu knew something else, that the system was beginning to unravel. It had kept the people in a state of suppression for eighty long years, ever since the revolution, but the very moment of its undoing had arrived. The prison fires started that night.

"Sousetsu! It's the coup!" The guard came running to report the situation on the outside. Fires had been set throughout the city, he said. This was, of course, the uprising that government intelligence had anticipated. Martial law was declared, and the government was mobilizing the entire police force and army. Word had come, too, that the ringleaders were already under arrest.

One element, however, had been wholly unanticipated. The guard informed him, "The wind is strong tonight." Fanned by unseasonable winds, the flames were racing through the city. "On orders from the commissioner: we are not to fight fires in the juvenile prison, is that clear? Do not engage in fire fighting here." In other words, no one would be coming to save the inmates.

"It can't be helped," said the guard. "The army and the fire department have all they can do to put out fires in the city and evacuate the people. They can't spare any men to protect this place. And we've been ordered to join in the rescue effort in town."

"I guess that means we let the kids out." This was a given, Sousetsu assumed. Left locked up in their cells, the young inmates would burn to death.

"Don't be ridiculous," the guard shot back. "These kids are all losers. We've gone to the trouble of locking them in here, and now we're supposed to let them out?"

"Are you serious?" the Sannin replied.

"Are you serious? I can't believe you'd say anything so stupid. I'm telling you, they're losers. We don't have time to save them, and we're certainly not going to let them run loose. The commissioner would never allow such a thing." He obviously meant every word he was saying. They were planning to let them die. The flames were spreading quickly, and screams could be heard throughout the prison. There was no time to appeal directly to the commissioner, and such an appeal would only end in failure, he was sure.

"Give me the cell keys," Sousetsu said.

"You're joking," the guard laughed.

There was only one thing to do. Without a word, the Senju landed a punch in the guard's solar plexus. The guard went down in a heap, and Sousetsu tore the clump of keys from his belt. The first cell he opened was Ganta's. The boy came out looking confused.

"Are you one of us?" he asked the Sannin. "Are you with the coup?"

"Not interested," he answered.

"So why are you letting us go?" Ganta asked.

"Because I don't like dividing people up into 'winners' and 'losers.'"

"Thanks," Ganta said. Sporting a big grin, he took the keys from Sousetsu and turned away to start opening the other cells.

"I want you to come back," the Senju said to him from behind.

"What's that?"

"This is an emergency evacuation. When the sun comes up and the fires are out, I want you to come back here. You kids still haven't finished paying for your crimes."

"You must be kidding."

"Not at all," Sousetsu said. "If you kids run away, that'll just prove they're right, 'Once a loser, always a loser.' Is that all right with you? Don't you want to show the ones who rule this country that they're wrong, that people can change?"

"But we'll never get another chance like this!"

"This coup is going to fail. You can run around all you want, but they're going to catch you in the end. You'll always be branded 'losers.' They might even kill you when they catch you."

Ganta turned to stare at the Senju. The prison was already surrounded by flames. Against this bright red backdrop, Ganta's eyes still burned with the fighting spirit of a warrior.

"The country's political system can't last much longer. The day will come when you kids can leave the prison with your heads held high. I absolutely believe that. And because I believe it, I don't want to see you die for nothing."

Sousetsu turned from Ganta to pull the guard up from the floor. "Come back at sunrise." With this final admonition to Ganta, Sousetsu hoisted the guard onto his back and trudged away.

A few months had passed, Sousetsu had returned to this city, and a man calls to him, "Are you a traveller?"

When Sousetsu nods, the man says with a smile, "You're in luck. We're having a celebration in Revolution Square today. I hear the man of the revolution is going to attend. It'll keep going all night long."

"A celebration?"

"That's right. We had a coup. The coup itself was put down in one night, but the rebel troops set fires all through the city, so the rest of us were running around like crazy in all directions." Fanned by the wind, the flames quickly enveloped the whole city, and a lot of the city people were stranded on a sandbar downwind.

"I was one of them. I had my pregnant wife and baby daughter with me, so I couldn't just dive into the river to escape. Before we knew it, sparks were raining down on the sandbar, and I figured we were done for, we'd all burn to death as soon as the dry grass caught fire."

Just as he was giving up hope, he says, a helping hand was extended to them from the most unlikely source. "The kids from the juvenile prison came to help us. They were all skin and bones, and their prison uniforms were falling apart. The prison staff hardly fed them a thing, but they pooled what little strength they had. They saved old folks and children from the sandbar, and they struggled to douse the fires that caught in the dry grass. I saw one boy carry a child across the river and collapse and die the second after he reached the other shore, and some of the ones who were fighting grass fires were overcome by the smoke and burned to death. They risked their lives to save us. Their own lives were not worth living, but those 'losers' risked their lives to save 'winners' like us."

When the sun came up and they could be sure that the fires were safely out, the young inmates went back to the juvenile prison. "Yes, it's true. The place was an absolute hell for them, but they went back inside just the same. Not one of them took advantage of the confusion to run away. They played it strictly by the rules, wouldn't you say? We were really moved by their behaviour, and people started saying that maybe these 'losers' had their good points after all. Maybe 'once a loser, always a loser' was wrong."

The whispers spread throughout the country, quietly but surely. Soon the view emerged that the treatment of juvenile prison inmates should be improved. Another increasingly widely-held view was that society ought to welcome ex-inmates more warmly once they had paid for their crimes. Finally, the change in attitude toward 'loser' children took the shape of dissatisfaction with the political system that had continued to foster such a dictatorship and, forty years ago, a second coup occurred.

"This next coup took the shape of a citizens' revolution that involved the masses, and for that reason it succeeded. That's how the form of government we have today got its start."

Listening to the man's reminiscences, Sousetsu finds himself smiling and nodding again and again, deeply moved. The last thing the man tells him is the name of the hero who led the revolution: Ganta. Tens of thousands of people have gathered in Revolution Square. As fireworks are sent aloft and a brass band plays the rousing national anthem, the young man of the revolution takes the stage amid thunderous cheers and applause.

"Ganta! Ganta! Our Ganta!"

Ganta still had that youthful, fiery gleam in his eyes. There is no way for him to spot Sousetsu among the assembled throng.  Still, the hero proclaims, "People can change! There are no 'winners' or 'losers!'" His words are greeted with cheers and fireworks, and the excitement of the celebration reaches its peak.

The Sannin makes his way to a stand at the far end of the square and buys himself a cup of liquor. He raises his cup to the hero of the revolution, who, from his distant vantage point, appears to him no larger than a speck. He downs the drink in a single breath. When the intensely strong liquor has passed his throat, it leaves a sweet and mellow aftertaste.

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There were no "winners" or "losers" in this world, not in Sousetsu's world anyway. There were only those who worked hard and had shown the best they had to offer. Lelouch was showing was he possessed to the Senju and trained hard before him. Just as Sousetsu did without the Hyuga's knowledge. The nature energy surrounded him and combined with him, mixing with his own power. The birds returned to him, perching themselves upon his person once again. He opened his eyes, the senjutsu was close to perfection but he also needed to encourage the young Hyuga. The day was still young and so much could have been done to fill the quota for the remainder of the day. "Lelouch..." he spoke clearly from his position as the nature energy began to reside from him. "You must focus on one technique at a time. It has to be perfect..." he spoke from experience.

He looked up at the Hyuga and gave off a small smile. He knew the ninja before him was eager, but Sousetsu's words were true and from the heart. The young man would succeed in due time, but not if he rushed them. Every technique had to be used with little side effects for the user. That was what training was for, to avoid the side effects when having to use these techniques in battle. They had to be strong, durable, and chakra had to be used correctly. Over exertion was not the wisest decision in battles, but Lelouch would soon come to learn this.

Words: 6990/8000 [Senjutsu Training B > A]

He would continue to work with his sparring, but he was still waiting for Sousetsu's reply. Just before he attempted the 64 palms. He heard a the man speak:

"You must focus on one technique at a time. It has to be perfect..."

His words got stuck in his head so fast, it was almost like a dream. " Okay sir. I'll start with the 32 palms. Let's keep this in order. then the 64, then the 128. I think we can do it like that. Then again. Let's drop the 128 from our spar today. 32 and 64 is good enough trust me. " Lelouch replied and said. Continuing on with his spar. He wanted to give that byakugan another shot; 'MY LAST CHANCE! Let's do this correctly! No more mess ups, just as your master showed you at the age of eight. ' He thought to himself for a moment and turned back over to Sousetsu. " One last time!" ' BYAKUGANNNN!' His eyes was activated. The veins would appear around his eyes and forehead. Turning forward to Sousetsu's direction. He attempted to to see him and get that chakra signature going. Once his degree increased. Lelouch would smile in excitement. " YES! I GOT 250 DEGREES MAN!!!" lelouch stated. He would jump with joy. Just before he turned back to his training dummy. His eyes would begin to deactivate. But he already got what he needed from them. He unlocked a new level. Now it was 32 palms time and 64 palms. But first he wanted to work with the 32. Dashing forward, his hands would tighten up. " ahhhh!!!" First, two consecutive strikes to make two. Second, another two consecutive strikes to make Third, four consecutive strikes to make eight. Fourth, eight consecutive strikes to make sixteen. Fifth, another sixteen consecutive strikes in succession to make a total of thirty two. His training dummy would fall to the ground, completely broken. Some smoke flew up to the air only just a little bit. But he was able to get 32 palms correctly. But a little bit more work needed to be done. But it was already there. All him and Sousetsu needed to do was stay on top. Lelouch was able to learn two things, and it was indeed sweet.

" Okay Sousetsu, what do ya think? or do I need more work? because I know for sure I do! some of my palms isn't even there. but 32 is learned I know that for sure."

He stated and sighed. Just before he rushed over to Sousetsu. Standing three meters away from him. " My job with those new degrees are over! I finally mastered them! My level is going to be so awesome."


3286/3000 for byakugan C-rank..  3286/8000 for the training..  - and I might have unlocked 8 trigrams 32 palms

( OOC: - 1k ryo for unlocking. also excuse me sousetsu for the short post hahaha! and sorry for placing B-rank. I was getting it twisted..)

-5 for chakra +1 reaction speed for byakugan being activated.  ( note is was deactivated as well) chakra: 140

"Okay sir. I'll start with the 32 palms... Lelouch continued once more as his speech began to fade away the sounds of nature took over the Senju. He meditated once more, inducing him into a trance where only the orchestral sounds of the wildlife could be heard. The wind picked up, coursing throw the air, the birds chirping to call out to one another in harmony and the nearby stream let itself be heard as it crashed into the riverbanks. The sound of its flow and the wind that flew by it on this even ground reminded Sousetsu of another time not too long ago. The days when the wind carried people to an endless journey, one that the Senju felt that there were others like him. People who wandered the earth in a direction searching for something, but the outcome would always be the same. What would happen at the end?

What would happen when they had reached the other end of their journey and still live to tell the tale. What was next in their timeline? Sousetsu's answer was simple. To spread his knowledge, his findings, his way of life to those who seek it. He would help those achieve their own potential, much like how he was help the Hyuga before him. The wind brushed passed his face once more...

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Strong winds have always blown across this vast grassy plain. Perhaps the area's topography has something to do with it, but the direction of the wind remains constant, irrespective of the time or season: From east to west, from the horizon where the sun rises to the horizon where the sun sets. Swept by the unceasing winds, the misshapen trunks and branches of shrubs all incline to the west. Tall grasses do not grow here, and the grasses that do grow all lie flat on the ground, bending westward.

Caravans and herding folk traverse the single road that crosses the plain. They do not “come and go,” they only go, moving from east to west, using the wind at their backs to gain distance. Travellers heading west to east always use the circuitous route that snakes around the southern mountains. It is much farther that way, but much faster than crossing the plain head-on into the wind. The road across the plain is called the Wind Stream. Just as the flow of a great river never changes direction, the footsteps of those who use the road have not changed direction since the distant past, nor are they likely to change far into the future: from east to west.

Human shapes that appear from the horizon where the sun rises disappear over the horizon where the sun sets. They never pass oncoming travellers, with only the rarest exceptions. The first time she passed Sousetsu on the Wind Stream, the girl was almost a woman.

“So, my mother was alive then?”

In response to the girl's untroubled question, Sousetsu smiles and answers, “She was. And I remember what a nice lady she was, too.”

Looking back down the road, the girl points toward the line of hills fading off into the distance. “My mother crossed seven hills on her journey.  Is seven a lot?”

“Uh-huh. Most people end their journeys after five hills. The people they leave behind build a little grave where they ended their journey, and then they keep travelling...”

The girl points down at the ground where she is standing. “This is as far as I've come,” she says with a proud, happy smile.

The religion of the girl and her family professes a pious believe that if they devote their lives to walking eastward, against the flow of the Wind Stream, they will arrive at the easternmost source of the Stream itself. People call believers in that religion, “The Upstreamers.” The word carries a hint of fear and sadness, but also a trace of contempt and scorn.

The Upstreamers are devoid of worldly desires. They live their lives for no greater purpose than travelling eastward on foot. They are free of doubt. They give birth to children en route, and they continue their journey while raising their children. When they age and their strength gives out, their journey ends. But their family's journey continues.

The Upstreamers do not walk for the entire year, of course. During the season when the winds are especially strong, from the late autumn to early spring, they take up residence in various post towns scattered along the road and earn day wages by performing tasks that the townsfolk themselves refuse to do. Some Upstreamers choose to stay in the towns, while others, conversely, take townspeople with them when they return to the road in the spring. These are people who have fallen in love during the long winter, or boys who dream of travel, or grown-ups who have tired of town life. Such are the reasons the townsfolk look upon the Upstreamers with complicated gazes.

The girl's mother was one of those who joined the journey mid-way, and the girl herself, some years from now, might fall in love with someone in a post town somewhere. She might choose to live in the town, or she could just as well invite her lover to join her on the road.

She has no idea at this point what lies in store for her. The girl's father calls out to her: “Time to go!” Their brief rest is over.

She seems sorry to leave and stands up reluctantly. “Too bad,” she says. “I wish I could have talked to you more. But we have to get to the next town by the time the snows start.”

Constantly exposed to upwind, her cheeks are red and cracked, her lips chapped, but her smile is wonderful a she wishes Sousetsu a safe journey. It is the serene smile of one who believes completely in the purpose of her life, without the slightest doubt. “Will I see you again somewhere?” she asks.

“Probably.” Sousetsu answers, smiling back at her, but he can never match that smile of hers. He is now in the midst of a journey that will take him beyond the western end of the Wind Stream. He heads to the battlefield as a mercenary, and by the time the western battle is over, a new battle will have begun in the east.

It will be a long, cruel journey, with nothing to believe in. When he meets he girl again along the way, Sousetsu's smile will have taken on even more shadows than it has now. Perhaps as a parting gift for him, the girl sings a few short lines for him:

This wind, where does it blow from?

Where does it start its journey here?

Does it come from where life begins?

Or does it begin where life ends?

“Goodbye, then,” the girl says, trudging on, one laboured step at a time, hair streaming in the headwind.

A few months have flowed by when Sousetsu next meets the girl. It is spring, when the grassland is dotted with lovely white flowers. She has become the wife of a young man who does tailoring and shoe repair in one of the post towns.

“This is my first spring here,” she says, patting her swollen belly fondly. In a few days, she will give birth to a child. She will become a mother.

“And your father...?” the Senju asks.

She shrugs and glances eastward. “He is continuing the journey. I'm the only one who stayed on here.” Sousetsu does not ask why she has done this.

Continuing her journey is one way to live, and staying in a town is another. Neither can be judged to be more correct than the other. The only answer for the girl can be seen in her smiling face. “But never mind about me,” she says looking at him suspiciously. “You haven't changed one little bit from the time we met.”

“Some lives are like that,” he says, straining to smile. He looks at the girl, now grown into a woman. Sousetsu's remark hardly counts as an explanation, but the girl nods with a look of apparent understanding.

“If that's the case,” she says, “You should be the one who goes to the place where the wind begins. You'd be the perfect Upstreamer.”

The lifespan given to humans is far too short for anyone to travel against the Wind Stream as far as the starting point of the wind.  Sousetsu responds with a few slow shakes of his head. “I'm not qualified to make the journey.”

“No? Anybody can be an Upstreamer. Anybody, that is, who wants to see where the wind starts with his or her own eyes.” Having said this, however, the girl adds with a touch of sadness, “No one has actually seen it, though, I guess.” The place where the wind begins: that place is nowhere at all. Even if, after a long journey, one were to arrive at the eastern end of the Wind Stream, the wind would be blowing there, too. And not just an east wind. West wind, north wind, south wind: winds without limit, without end.

Human beings, who cannot live forever, daring to take a journey without end. This might be the ultimate tragedy, but it could just as well be the ultimate comedy. Sousetsu knows one thing, however: one cannot simply dismiss it as an exercise in futility. “How about you?” he asks the girl. “Aren't you going to continue your journey soon?”

She thinks about this for the space of a breath, and caressing her swollen belly, she cocks her head and says, “I wonder... I might want to go on living the way I am now forever. Or then again, I might feel that desire to reach the starting point of the wind.” All the Upstreamers without exception say that you can never know what might trigger a return to the journey. One day, without warning, you slough off the entire town life and start walking.

It is not always a matter of running into an Upstreamer and being lured back to the road: plenty of people set out on their own all of a sudden. The teachings of the Upstreamers say that all human beings harbour a desire for endless travel. They probably are not aware of the desire because it is stashed away so far down in the breast that it is deeper than memory.

The instant something brings it to the surface, a person becomes and Upstreamer. “Even if you have the desire,” the girl says to the Senju.

“I wonder...”

“It's true,” she says. “No question.” The look in her eyes is as straight-on and free of doubt as it was the last time he met her. Fixing him with that look, she points to her own chest. “I haven't completely lost it myself.”

“But I'm sure you're happy with your present life?”

“Of course I am.”

“Do you really think the day will come when you will want to set out on the journey even if it means giving up that happiness?”

Instead of answering, she gives him a gentle smile. Many years flow by, but every now and then, something reminds Sousetsu of the girl's words, that everyone harbours a desire for endless travel. For Sousetsu, living itself is a journey without end. In the course of his journey, he has witnessed countless deaths, and he has also witnessed countless births. Human life is all too short, too weak, and fleeting.

Yet, the more he dwells upon its evanescence, the more he feels, inexplicably, that words such as “eternal,” and “perpetual” apply more properly to life, finite as it is, than to anything else. Traveling down the Wind Stream for the first time in many months, Sousetsu spies the funeral of an Upstreamer. A boy in mourning dress stands by the road holding out wildflowers to passing travellers, and urging them to “offer up a flower to a noble soul who has made the long journey this far.”

Sousetsu takes a flower and asks the boy, “Is it a member of your family?”

“Uh-huh. My grandma.”

Her wish to aim for the place where the wind begins would be passed on to her child, her grandchild, and on through the succeeding generations. To head for a land one could never hope to reach, and to do so generation after generation: this is another endless journey. Is it a tragedy? A comedy? Perhaps the serene smile on the face of the old woman in the coffin is the answer. Sousetsu lays he flower at her feet as an offering.

The family members who have travelled with her join together in a song for the departed:

This wind, where does it blow from?

Where does it start its journey here?

Does it come from where life begins?

Or does it begin where life ends?

The wind blows. It sweeps the vast grassland. Sousetsu takes one long, slow step toward his destination.

“Have a good trip!” calls the boy. Red and cracked as the girl's were so long ago, his cheeks soften in a smile as he waves to the departing traveller.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Okay Sousetsu, what do ya think? or do I need more work? Because I know for sure I do! Some of my palms isn't even there, but 32 is learned I know that for sure." He rushed over to the Senju. Standing three meters away from him. "My job with those new degrees are over! I finally mastered them! My level is going to be so awesome." the boy cried. It was enough to bring another smile to the Senju's face. The young man before him had achieved his goal with Sousetsu, he was helping the Hyuga catch up to him on his journey, guiding his path.

He stands up and approaches the young boy with an outreached arm, finally laying his hand upon his shoulder. "We can always push ourselves to go further, Lelouch. You trained hard and mastered this technique, but don't let it falter." he spoke with a grin. His hand then returned to his side, "You have done well, but we all still have a long way to go." he grinned slightly, remembering the journey's of his past. His last statement had shown the young man that even Sousetsu's abilities could go further, and who was to stop him? He would still train until he felt his journey was at an end. Much like the Upstreamers, death was the only thing that would stop him.

Words: 9419/8000 [Senjutsu Training B > A]
Words: 1419/????

It was pretty much over. He had nothing to continue one with. He unlocked his new level of byakugan, and a few more things. With a bow before Sousetsu. Lelouch would smile. " Thank you, for all of your help good fella." He stated. turning around, the boy would sigh and step off, walking away with his head turned straight forward, he would make a right dodging the water puddle, he dashed forward and charged away from the small south forest, and straight to the village. he wondered if his home was still standing? wild party.

exit

+c-rank level for byakugan unlocked.

wc:3381

-1k ryo

Update:

Strength D-3
Speed E-1 - D-3 (1850 words + 150 ryo)
Endurance E - D-2 (1475 words + 75 ryo)
Perception E
Reaction Time: E