Once again, Sanosuke stirred himself awake as he was in his bed. The rays of the morning hit his face, he was still a bit shaken up from the events that happened the previous night. The events played so quickly that he barely had enough time to register everything. One second he was fighting for his life to stop a prison break in Anthos' Keep and the very next moment he had taken his first life. If only it had stopped there, where he had killed one human being and that was it, end of story. But according to the thing that Sanosuke used to call “fate,” it wasn’t meant to be. Sanosuke would take more and more lives or else he’d be butchered to death by frantic prisoners of Kumogakure’s prison. Passively Sanosuke went through the memories of the previous night where he killed those prisoners one by one. His sword swung down on one prisoner and that prisoner was immediately decapitated; his life ended the second Sanosuke’s sword came down upon the prisoner’s neck. Another swing resulted in a prisoner having a broadsword being rammed in his stomach and then savagely being pulled out. And finally another gut wrenching blow was given to a short prisoner with a stub arm wielding a prison shank. The blow was a slice right across the eyes, Sanosuke’s sword dragged his blade across his eyes so each of his eyeballs popped out of his skull and then with a mighty swing, Sanosuke slashed down his sword to cut the prisoner’s head right down the middle.

It wasn’t bad enough, Sanosuke had fought an old nemesis of his called Tank. It turned out that he wanted vengeance for what Sanosuke did to him. It resulted in him fightigng along a former enemy of his and then tragedy struck. A good man had just died in front of him because of a grave mistake he made of sparing a criminal that deserved to be killed so long ago, and then he had finally killed that criminal to avenge the man who had died. After that everything went red, he was angry all of a sudden. He was angry at everything, he was angry at his damn compassion to villains, he was angry at his weakness, he was angry at the person who killed Baki, he was angry at the prisoners, and he was furious at the prisoner who lead the prison break. The memory of what Sanosuke did was hazy but Sanosuke could faintly recall murdering a massive amount of prisoners who tried to get out of the way. And finally Sanosuke casted down his abnormal amount of anger filled hatred down upon Anarchy. His death was the most gruesome. Of the faint memory Sanosuke developed of the fateful night of the prison break, Sanosuke rammed two chakra swords in him and made them exploded while the swords were embedded in the prison break ring master. The explosion caused Anarchy’s body to explode in a blast of blood that soaked Sanosuke head to toe in living fluid. These events pounded against his brain so frequently that it was beginning to hurt.

Sanosuke could feel his breathing pick up rather quickly that his throat began to ache. No way that this was because of his breathing but the nightmares he would have the prison riot and the multiple men that died because of Sanosuke. It was the same dream over and over again. Sanosuke would be standing in a what looked like Anthos’ Keep. The prison was much like where he left it, filled with blood and dying prisoners scattered around the prison floor who were groaning slowly as death enclosed them in it’s tight grip. Also the prisoner looked as though it was lit with a flame and thus the whole prison was one fire. The fire in the prison was being raised to extradordinary levels of flames and thus was lit. The fires grew larger to the point where it seemed as though he was about to be overwhelmed by the fires of the prison. When he tried to get away from where he was and possibly find a way past the gigantic doors of the prison he was in, he was stopped by the blood he was in. It was as though it was quick sand and thus made it impossible for him to get it out of it. Looking closer at the ground the bubbling bubbles of the blood seemed to be taking a certain shape and Sanosuke looked at the shape of the bubbles they resembled the bodily shapes of the prisoners he killed. They all had chains around them and they threw them across the blood pit he was in and pulled him more and more into the blood pit.

As much as Sanosuke tried his best to struggle against the blood, Sanosuke roared and tried to get free. Trying his best, Sanosuke tried to get free thrashing around to get himself out of the slime pit of blood but the chains kept him confined to the spot he was in firmly. It made him terrified and then a scream went out and pierced through his ears to the point where he screamed awake. The voice in his throat made him almost choke out in pain. His world was crumbling around him. His fear got to the point where he couldn’t grip his sword any more.

Every time he held the sword all he got was the images of the people he used to kill them all. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was carried back home by some ninja from the other village, Sanosuke would have abandoned his former weapon in a heartbeat. But when they dropped him off, Sanosuke being their superior ordered them that they seal away his sword in a scroll so he would never see it again. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t see the scroll. On the floor where he left his sword original, there was the scroll that held his weapon. It brought back memories that Sanosuke didn’t want to occur again. Normally, Sanosuke would love to train his ass off with his sword but he spent most of his time trying to wash his hands from any of the blood that was on his hands but it was in vain. Really Sanosuke wanted to do anything but wield his sword.

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.

Then Sanosuke heard something that made his stomach churn oddly. ”Come to the Durian Tree, it is time you gain more confidence in your abilities again my friend” the voice said. But the thing that Sanosuke couldn’t wrap his brain around was the fact that it was coming from the rooster and it sounded a lot like the Guru. 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, let’s try to find out why the hell this rooster sounds too much like that Guru of hiss" 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; he really needed the exorcise.

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. 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. 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, minus his weapons. 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, especially when he got back from the fatal mission. Sanosuke was scarred of his mind of human contact and so he traveled in silence.

As Sanosuke walked up the mountain trail, Sanosuke began to contemplate 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. So 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. And now the man was calling him here once again to as he put it “regain his confidence”.

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. 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. Maybe watching over Kumogakure might ease his pain in his heart.

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 remembered that he purposely left it behind in fear. In his current mental condition, Sanosuke was in no condition to fight.

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" Pathik said hypothetically 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, okay what do you want from me?" Sanosuke asked critically. 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.

The man looked at Sanosuke and raised his eyebrow before continuing as though he was simply ignoring what Sanosuke had originally said. "I can sense the disturbance in your chakra. Your physical energy is in contact but your spiritual energy is unstable" 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, but Sanosuke was really in no mood. He was already feeling pretty shitty about everything he’s been through "Oh disturbed you say? You want disturbed?! " Sanosuke barked out furiously as the experience was bubbling inside of him. He was really questioning him and this was just getting outrageous. Chakra was rubbling around him and now it was hurting him but Sanosuke didn’t care in the slightest. His anger blocked his pain obliviously from pure rage. Lightning blasted off his body as he did this to dangerous levels, Sanosuke was so angry that none of it mattered to him ”When I was 7 I accidently killed my father because of my power! And as a result you wanna know what happened? My mother went insane and tried to kill me; her own son! When she failed she killed herself and made me watch it! Her last words were ‘It was your fault you devil!’ My family believed people with chakra are devils and I used chakra to disrupt my family!" Wind was picking up faster this time with lightning popping dangerously in fury. Cuts appeared on Sanosuke’s body that looked rather serious.

Breaking down on his knees this time, Sanosuke’s body shook violently”I promised myself I would never kill again! The sword was my release out of the hell I was in! It was the thing that kept me grounded, and now because of my mistake of not taking a life of a villain earlier, I can’t even touch my sword!!!” Sanosuke screamed more weakly, his voice was croaking at how much he was screaming. ”Now I can’t even touch my sword! That was my identity, without it I don’t even know who I am anymore!” At this point Sanosuke was crying, tears beaded down off his face as he wept. The snow coming down on him as he wept sorrowfully; all the pain he developed at this point of time from the day he was born came out from his eyes. He kept crying for so long, cradling himself as he cried. It’s been years since he did this but it felt great.

Hands clamped down on Sanosuke’s shoulders as he cried, when he looked he saw Pathik standing there with understanding eyes. ”Sanosuke, you are only human. But all humans have a duty and you are a swords man. You are meant to kill that is your destiny. If you didn’t do it then who would stop the other people from losing loved ones like you did?”The old man seemed to notice what Sanosuke was going for and scratched his beard reflectively "What I mean is Sanosuke that you must unlock your other gates of spiritual energy. Once you unlocked your other gates, you will be able to learn more about yourself than you ever have" 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 gingerly and high fived the man as he wanted before wiping his eyes from tears.

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."