ning once again in Kumogakure as Sanosuke awakened from his bed. The rays of sunlight shined through the leaf doors that were from Sanosuke's door to his cave. Throughout the night, Sanosuke had a great sleep. The antibiotics that he was given from Kumo's doctor that checked out his leg was really doing its job, the pain was already subsiding in his leg. All it would take was a couple more days of bed rest and Sanosuke would be ready to continue his kenjutsu missions and also continue doing more C ranked missions. It was his first C ranked missions that involved him putting his strength against a human opponent and he liked that feeling that was coursing this veins.

The feeling that he got from pitting his own strength against that of another under the circumstance where he can easily be killed, but it was also meant that he would have to put his own resolve of self-restraining himself was tested. Sanosuke looked at his left leg that was bandaged up from his bruised leg that he had received from fighting both Baki and Tank, the thugs that he fought to the death. Sanosuke had fought both thugs and spared both of them; even if it was a fight to the death Sanosuke chose not to kill. It was his resolve to never take the life of another. That was his resolve he decided to take up since at the age of 8, the day where he was ripped from his family. The memories of the night began creeping into his mind as though they were shadows trying to crawl into his mouth and suffocate him from the inside.

Sanosuke shook his head to dispel the darkness that was creeping into his mind. No the past was the past, it's going to stay there where it belongs Sanosuke thought to himself trying to suppress his dark thoughts that was beginning to creep into his conscious. It was really beginning to bother Sanouske, these thoughts were getting worse and worse for some reason. Then a wild rooster peaked his head through his doors and deliberately let out a loud siren like scream from his mouth. The shrill scream coursed through Sanosuke's body, he hated loud noises. And this stupid cock wasn't making his job of trying to relax to heal harder than it was supposed to do. His job was to rest in his stupid bed so he can effectively recuperate. But yet he couldn't even do that correctly if this stupid rooster couldn't shut the hell up.

When he spotted the cursed rooster, Sanosuke grabbed the nearest thing that was on his table which happened to be the ancient history of Kumogakure text book that he borrowed from the Kumo library. The book was heavy in his hands and felt like just enough weight to punish the rooster from disrupting his rest and relaxation. Sanosuke threw the heavy book at the rooster with both hands, the book went spiraling in the air to try his best at striking the rooster. The rooster spotted the book and panicked so he can avoid getting hit with the book, the rooster fluttered away from the door and scampered out of his way.

Growling under his breath, Sanosuke stirred himself upwards on his bed so that he was now sitting up properly on his bed. The effort from the movement got his blood flowing so he can move. "Damn chicken, can't even get up from my bed when I want to" Sanosuke grumbled to himself as he scratched his head tiredly. Either way Sanosuke looked at it, he was going to get up eventually but the loud shrill noise wasn't necessary.

Being careful not to put too much weight into his wounded foot, Sanosuke slipped from his bed and down onto the cold cave floor that was his home. A little wave of pain came over Sanosuke but it wasn't anything major that Sanosuke couldn't bear, but it did make his face cringe up slightly. The multitude of his pain that was in his leg subsided but he was still left with the small aftershocks. In this state, he was in no position to resume his kenjutsu training. Sanosuke waddled over to his dresser so he can put on his navy blue hooded overcoat on. At night Sanosuke would always sleep with his long sleeve shirt on and his baggy cargo pants because the outfit was just comfortable as is and he really didn't feel like changing into his outfit that he would normally wear for sleep. It was his clothes and he would wear them on his terms. Once his overcoat was on properly, Sanosuke reached at the bottom of the closet for his boots. He had to be very careful when he put his boots on or else he might put his left shoe on his leg carelessly and cause his leg further complications in walking. Being very careful not to awaken the great pain of his left leg, Sanosuke put on his left shoe first with the utmost care and precision; without any incidents of wide spread pain Sanosuke had put his left shoe on. That was the hard part, the easy part was his right boot which he just slipped on.

Testing to make sure that his boots were on correctly, Sanosuke walked towards his counter to where his supplies were. On his counter was his kunai holster, his Kumogakure headband, his wallet and his sword that was sheathed. He took all the items from the table; he put his wallet in the back pocket of his pants, he attached his holster to his left bicep, he tied his headband on his right bicep, and then he carefully attached his sword on his back by its strap. Although Sanosuke didn't really have an immediate need for his blade, it felt good that he could have access to his weapon whenever he felt the urge to use it. Sanosuke walked out of his cave once that he saw he had gathered everything he needed to go out, closing the leaf like doors that he used as doors he walked down the mountain trail so he can get to the lowest mountain trail of Kumo which would lead him to the center of the village. Along the way, he stopped by a mountain stream so he may be able to properly wash his face from the tiredness he was currently experiencing.

As he walked, he saw villagers from Kumo and waved to them as he walked. Upon seeing his headband tied on his right bicep, the villages waved back happily. Sanosuke, as far as he knew, was the only Kumo shinobi who lived on these parts of Kumogakure. The villagers were kind too, whenever he needed to take a bath before he went to bed, they were kind enough to let him loan one of the showers in the village, whenever he wanted to eat he was always welcome to dine with them, and also he was always invited to spend the holidays with the small homes of the villagers of Kumogakure. They were a kind people who treated Sanosuke with respect.

As Sanosuke walked up the mountain trail, Sanosuke began to comtemplate about what he should do next in his training. He just recently started to training in controlling his chakra flow levels to above his own abilities as a genin. Hell it was probably that of a chunin by now, and that was just from one training session. If he trained himself some more, then he would probably have the same level of chakra flow as a jonin. The idea led to a wicked michevious sneer to come across Sanosuke's mouth, he would get so strong that nobody could believe a genin could be this powerful. Besides it was because of his injury that he couldn't do any more kenjutsu training at the moment. Thanks to the medicine he received from the hospital, the pain went down to manageable levels; that way Sanosuke could actually walk without feeling himself begin to double over from his efforts of just merely taking one step. But training in kenjutsu would require footwork that he was not ready to give one hundred percent to; the training might lead to regress Sanosuke's healing process to the very beginning.

So I guess that training in chakra flow was his only alternative that he could think of at the moment. Sanosuke walked towards the tall steep mountain trail that he would have to walk on in order to get where he wanted in Kumogakure. And that location was the Durian Tree of Knowledge. That was where he started his training in chakra flow, and it was where he would continue his training in the art. When he started his training in chakra flow, he was having trouble with it at first. But then he ate the fruits from the Durian Tree of Knowledge and immediately felt so much better and looser in his experience in controlling his chakra. Sanosuke himself hadn't come up with the idea; in fact he got the idea from a mysterious man that was near the tree at the time where he discovered his aptitude of his chakra flow levels. The man instructed him to eat the fruit for inspiration before leaving, Sanosuke followed his instructions and the man was correct. It was easier for him to control his chakra flow after eating the fruit.

As Sanosuke walked towards the Durian Tree of Knowledge that was on the highest mountain of Kumogakure, the wind from the mountains traveled towards Sanosuke's face. The winds splashed on Sanosuke's face with cold air; it was winter and the air was colder than usual. Fortunately, Sanosuke was always wearing thick clothing so he was easily prepared for this sort of weather. After what seemed like hours of walking up the tallest mountain trail of Kumogakure, although Sanosuke knew he couldn't have been walking for more than an hour, Sanosuke had arrived at the Durian Tree of Knowledge. The winter had left small pellers of snow that littered the floor of the Durian tree, giving the demonic tree a mystical look. It had the same crimson leaves that it had before and the same spikey fruit that hung from it branches. But the whiteness of the snow gave such a sharp contrast to the tree's warm colors that it made the tree even more mystical.

Sanosuke felt his breath was heaving rather heavily, the climb took a lot out of his reserves considering that he couldn't use his legs to their full capability. Normally he would focus chakra into his legs to assist in his walking up a mountain or steep incline like the mountain trail of the Durian tree, but with his busted up leg, putting chakra in his leg could possibly put strain on his leg muscles that could have him stunt his recovery process. It was about time he took a break anyways, after he rested for a few minutes he would begin his training. There was a rock that was near the Durian tree and also a bit close to the edge that Sanosuke could take so he could have perfect vantage point where he can not only see the skies of Kumogakure but he could also be safe so he won't have to worry about falling over.

When Sanosuke sat down on the rock, he had no idea that he was not alone. There was a shuffle near the tree he was resting beside of, as though another human was there. Instinctively, Sanosuke reached towards his sword that was attached to his back on the sheathe's strap, but Sanosuke thought better he was in no position to use his sword effectively with his wounded leg. So Sanosuke let his grip slacken on his sword and instead drew out his kunai that was in his holster. "Come out with your hands out and I won't hurt you" Sanosuke barked out to the person he suspected to be near the Durian tree.

There was a rustle of movement before he heard a familiar voice. "Do not harm me. Please do take it easy, I mean no harm" the person said before stepping out. The person that was near the tree was the same skinny, oddlily dressed old man that had helped him with his chakra flow training. There was now a Durian tree in his mouth and came out with his hands open. Despite the coldness of the weater, the man wore robes that only went over one of his shoulders and sandals. "All this fuss for just a simple fruit, so is the shinobi way I guess."

Upon seeing the man, Sanosuke's eyes widen and he put down his weapon and decided to put it back into his holster. "Oh it's you" Sanosuke said. The mysterious man saw this and let out sign in relief before laughing softly. Once he was done with his laughter, he resumed to taking a bite out of his fruit that he picked from the Durian tree. It really looked as though he was enjoying that fruit, even though only members of Sanosuke's clan could eat that fruit without any negative repercussions. "That's a thing I wanted to ask you. You do realize that if you aren't apart of the Akuma clan like me you can eat that fruit, right?"

The man looked at Sanosuke and shrugged his shoulders "Oh yes the Durian Fruit. It is rumored that anyone who pare takes in the fruit will have tasted the sweetest thing they have ever tasted, but the demonic energy contained in the fruits will cause strong stomach pains. Yes I am quite familiar with the legend, but if I learn to keep my chakra from being untainted then I will not be affected. Would you not say so Sanosuke?" he asked. Sanosuke thought about the man's words. His logic was correct if someone did have the ability to keep their chakra system in their stomach from getting corrupted from the demonic energy that is laced in the chunks of the fruits, they could stop separate the demonic energy from the Durian fruit's nutrients and use their own chakra to purify the demonic energy. That process dealt with 2 forms of chakra control that were both on extraordinary proportions. Then Sanosuke thought of something.

"How did you know my name?" Sanosuke asked. He had never told him his name before but yet the man knew it right off the top of his head.

The man looked at Sanosuke and raised his eyebrow in shock. "I see that you indeed took my advice the last time we met and ate the Durian Fruit to help you expand you chakra flow ability. If you had not have expanded your chakra reserves, then your chakra field that surrounds you would not have been large or loud enough to speak to me your name" he explained before taking yet another bite from the Durian fruit.

This guy was unreal; every single time Sanosuke would asked this guy a question to him, this guy would not only answer his question in an archaic manner, but it would be so archaic that it would bring out 3 more questions to replace the first question Sanosuke asked. So Sanosuke took the humble way, he bowed low as he was taught by his late father [b]"Thank you very much for your help with my training." Sanosuke thanked, "If it wasn't for you, I would never be able to figure out how to better control my chakra. Can you tell me you name?" He got the man this time. Sanosuke double two pieces of information at the same time so that the man would have to acknowledge both pieces of information that was given and nothing else.

The old man seemed to notice what Sanosuke was going for and scratched his beard intrigued "So you added two pieces of information so I would be forced to answer both questions and not have enough time to ramble" the man said. He smiled and finished off his fruit and walked towards Sanosuke and lifted his hand for a high five motion. "High Five, you are really smart" Sanosuke was a bit taken back at that and didn't expect to be asked got a high five after tricking the man into answering only his questions. Sanosuke complied and high fived the man as he wanted.

"My name is Guru Pathik, and I am veteran traveler of the gates of chakra." The older man introduced himself and bowed at that to return Sanosuke's bow. One he got himself up, he continued talking "I help those who are struggling themselves on the path of their own chakra enlightenment."

"So you're some kind of renounced chakra flow instructor?" Sanosuke asked

"Someone who is renounced is someone who is known by everyone, I am just a simple traveler, who just happens to be skilled in chakra flow and will lend my assistance to those who need help the field" the guru spoke with a yawn.

Sanosuke's eye twitched in annoyance. So that was a yes I'm assuming? Sanosuke composed himself. He wanted to learn more about chakra flow and this guy would teach him how to learn properly, it all played out perfectly in Sanosuke's opinion. He could learn from what this master of chakra flow had to offer and get his skills maxed out. "So may you teach me in the skills of chakra flow?" Sanosuke asked.

The guru began thinking hard and leaned his head to the left side on his shoulder, than to the right side. His eyes were closed as he contemplated whether or not he should take Sanosuke up as his student. And Sanosuke waited, he waited and waited for an hour in the freezing cold air of the Durian Tree of knowledge. Then the sound of snoring could be heard from Guru Pathik, Sanosuke looked carefully to see that the man was drooling. Annoyed Sanosuke shook the guru to wake him up "WAKE UP!" Sanosuke roared as he continue shaking.

Pathik woke up glass eyes and let out a yawn "Oh hello Sanosuke, how are you this morning?" Pathik asked casually but missed the tick mark that appeared on his head.

"Well are you gonna train me or not?!"

His answer was given in the flick of a finger, and Sanosuke was sent skirting away from the guru. The flick was obviously chakra charged because Sanosuke was hit so far that he would have been sent of the cliff that the Durian tree was on if Sanosuke hadn't focused chakra on his hands on the last minute when he grabbed on the ledge. Sanosuke heaved himself up from the ledge and was breathing hard. Sanosuke ran up to Pathik with a kunai drawn. "What the hell man?! You almost killed me" Sanosuke accused.

Pathik laughed to himself as he pointed to Sanosuke's hands. His hands were radiating with so much chakra that it was as though he was holding a smoke bomb of chakra in his hand. Sanosuke looked at his hands in awe, [i] Are these coming from me? he thought to himself. As though Guru Pathik read his mind, he spoke "Yes they are coming from you my friend. What I merely done was awaken the full potential of your chakra system. I know you are a member of the Akuma clan so I had to use a bit more chakra than usual to do this in order come in contact with the storage of your chakra system." Pathik explained with laughter.

Sanosuke did notice that he did indeed feel more powerful, his potential was awakened. "Most shinobi are only using 75% of their chakra system's potential, what I have done is made it so that you can unlock all of it. But that does not mean that you can control it. And for that you will need tutelage to control your chakra system properly, especially since you are now able to use it at its full potential now " Pathik spoke before walking away, leaving Sanosuke touching his fore head. "Meet me here when your leg is fully recovered."