Introspection is neato [Tutor]

[Eishi]

"At some point your going to have to open up a bit more Eishi, holding in your thoughts, especially towards those who are trying to help you is only going to come back to haunt you. Either way that's all the time that we have for this session. When you come back next week, please think about some of the things we've discussed. I'm worried about you", My therapist crowed as our time was ending.

There it was, that look of worry and pity, her words rang true and I knew it well, but why did she have to look at me like that afterward. I hated that look and she knew it. I've told her at least three times before and yet I wondered if she was doing it on purpose, forgot, or is doing it unconsciously. I thought about it and came to the conclusion that it didn't matter, I just didn't like it and by extent, her for doing it. I sighed, bowed my head and left the room without a word. She had said something after I left, I didn't hear her and wasn't interested in what it was she had said anyway.

As I made my way through the hospital, passing a few different wards and seeing other people injured or otherwise crippled in some manner got me to reflect on how truly lucky I was to survive. It had been a year and a half since the explosion and most of the wounds on my body had already begun to heal, new skin forming over the burnt flesh that had been there a year ago, now just another blemish on my body, another memory to recall whenever I saw it in the mirror. Whatever I told myself after another brief introspection. I had been having a lot more time in the last year to just think, but I really didn't want to do so now. The therapist already instilling questions and thoughts into my head.

As I walked out the front door, heading back towards the city to find something to do before I retired either in the orphanage or somewhere else warm to sleep, I don't know why, I don't know how, but my instincts were telling me, something was going to happen.

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

Re: Introspection is neato [Open]

Hoshi decided on a walk through the town. There had been so much excitement about the upcoming world martial arts tournament. He was being treated like a superstar, and bombarded by fan girls. There wasn’t a second to breathe as hustling crowds surrounded him begging for autographed shirts.

“Ya know, more than likely I won’t be picked over the town favorites right?”

Hoshi grinned and joked with the crowds. They pushed and pulled and tossed him about until he ended just in front of the medical ward. Hoshi was rubbing the back of his head when he saw two kids sparring. One, who wasn’t a hyuuga but was pretending, saw Shouyu and jumped up ecstatic. He thanked the boy for renewing his faith in becoming a Shinobi.

“Well I’m just glad I could inspire the youth like myself.”

His smile was wide as he patted the kid on top of his head. Hoshi signed the last few of his autographs and watched he two kids spar giving out lessons during the fight. The crowd would too watch as Hoshi gave tips and tricks that were wise and ones who were smart took extensive notes. The crowd grew as the cheering became louder and the little kids raged on an impressive young fight.

 

[Eishi]

Re: Introspection is neato [Open]

Who is this chode?... I thought to myself as I watched what I assumed was a clown out of uniform. Whatever, not my business I finally decided to brush it off after a moment until I heard a crowd was actually forming over the clown. Well, I'll be damned, someone well known? I speculated as I joined the crowd listening in on whatever this man had to say. It was clear after a moment more that he was giving out decent tips as two other students began to battle. I wasn't really sure on how competent the two fighting students were, but at least it seemed his guidance was helping them improve. After about a minute or two, I couldn't tell if I should be impressed by his ability to teach or feel pity by how much his tips were actually helping those two. Shouldn't you know some of the stuff he's giving advice for?... I questioned in silence as I focused in on the fight.

Let's see where this ends up, I have time to kill anyway before anyone expects me to show up anywhere I debated it over in my head a few more times before reaching the conclusion to stay. I guess my instincts were right about something happening, but I wonder why I kind of expected... more? I shook slightly as if to get the feeling out of my body.

What the hell am I thinking? The last thing I need is something interesting happening and finding myself in deep shit. I shuttered as I began to think of a specific girl, wolf, and douchebag last time something 'interesting' happened to me.

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

Re: Introspection is neato [Open]

The kids broke a sweat during their spar and Hoshi called the end of the match with a hand in between them. Chuckling, the exuberant youth himself flicked the side of his nose and pointed at the kids all stoic like. He was beginning to get used to this, symbol of combat prowess that the tournament gave him. Fan girls held up posters with his name saying:

”Hoshi 4 the Win!”

The kids pushed and pulled at Hoshi who was turning to leave.

“Hey! So! How do I become a Hachimon, like you sir?!”

Hoshi stopped, he paused, and his face became more serious. The man behind the veil of newly attained fame revealed his true colors. He turned around, the seriousness on his face calmed the crowd who put their signs down. For some reason they expected him to say something really deep or meaningful as they listened with perched ears.

“The ways of the Hachimon are a forbidden. You should aspire for something, lesser at the moment. Don’t rush your youth. The life of a Shinobi can be, very unforgiving. But...”

Hoshi looked down, at his hand, bandaged up from the elbow down to his fingertips. His pale Hyuuga hues examined them as he closed a tight fist and put on a brave face. His discovery of the gates came from a life threatening battle which, ultimately ended the life of his previous master. He had attained that power from a painful resolve which would burn infinitely within his veins from that day forward until the life in his veins reversed itself.

“Step one! Never give up!”

Hoshi smirked again and became that token hero as he began to shoo the crowd away. He turned to walk away, and that’s when Mizu, his marine mammal contract companion came into view wobbling at a run.

Spoiler

Ah, it was the young otter Shinobi whom Hoshi was tasked to oversee as he grew into a splendid Shinobi himself. His grand elder, Mizuko whom Hoshi had waged many battles alongside with entrusted him a task none of his brothers could do. Mizu was growing, his size was still exceptionally small in comparison to his twenty foot elders. But he was cheerful!

Mizu: “Hoshi-Kun! I’ve completed my training! Let’s eat!”

“Just a second Mizu. Isn’t it about time you change form? Or have you been hiding your own strength?”

Mizu: “Huh? Ya doubting me too Master?”

Mizu’s black beaded eyes began to water, Hoshi waved it off with a large laugh. He intitially felt bad for hurting the young otters feeling but he sought to reassure him.

“No no no, not that Mizu-Chan. It’s just, I am sure by now, you would’ve...”

Mizu began to glow...

 

[Eishi]

Re: Introspection is neato [Open]

Did... Did this dude just have a flashback? I scrunched my face in disbelief at how strange the man known as Hoshi was. I watched the man go through what I could only describe as self-stricken horror for a couple seconds before playing it off like he didn't just stand there like the slow kid at a math question. Is this dude the easiest man on earth to trigger or is he an autistic savant of unparallel caliber fucking with us? I questioned in mild confusion as the crowd listened to his speech with enthusiasm about not wasting youth or some bullcrap. Once he began to look at his hands and forearm in a dramatic matter before clenching it into a fist like he had come to some ultimate conclusion, my left eye involuntarily twitched. Okay he has to be fucking with us, no one is this cliche.

Once the crowd was beginning to disappear, I thought the show was over, but oh, no was I wrong. Seemingly right out of a shounen manga, a small mascot otter appeared and began to talk to the strange creature called Hoshi. I listened in just standing there, not really moving as the small otter began to cry for a few moments before lighting up like a lightbulb. If I was in a shounen manga, the next thing that would happen is that otter self-destructs or turns into a human. Let's pray it's the latter, it'll just be the icing on the cake for the thing called Hoshi. I speculated what the light meant, but It was curious enough to get me stand there to see how this afternoon was going to end.

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

Re: Introspection is neato [Open]

After the light emanating from the young otter grow more vivid it began to flash and in seconds, Mizu’s appearance had altered into a larger, more adult form. He would be almost the same height as Hoshi now, with a similar lean build. Hoshi gasped, Mizu had finally elevated his physical form into its second stage. Hoshi grinned at the sight and gave a thumbs up.

“How convenient!”

Mizu: “But I don’t FEEL any different...”

Hoshi shrugged it off anyway and found a rugged kid within his vicinity, just standing there, awkward. Hoshi rose an eyebrow and wondered if he stood there the whole just watching and absorbing his surroundings. He then also thought how the little bugger he went unnoticed until now with Hoshi’s above average sense. He addressed the young boy, who was missing an arm apparently...

“Hey, would you like to learn a cool trick?”

Hoshi dug into one his item pouches and pulled it out a small twig like a rabbit from a hat. He waved the basic branch in the kid’s face and laughed lightly. Mizu already knew the deal, it was a highly basic, highly useful tool in the list of Shinobi jutsu.

“You are Shinobi are you not? I was eight when I first enlisted as a student. It looks like you’ve been through a lot. Care to tell your story?”

 

[Eishi]

Re: Introspection is neato [Open]

It had seemed he had finally been noticed, I speculated whether or not I was trying to get his attention as I automatically spoke,

"My story? If you asking about my right arm, it got caught in the chemical explosion that happened about a year and a half ago. Should be well known around here since it happened in Cron and a lot of people died." I stated, this reply had become so practiced at this point, I had no trouble answering it without hesitation. Damn, did that sound too practiced? I wondered, before judging it likely. I was not even remotely entertaining the idea of going any earlier than the explosion into my timeline of being victimized. Likely, my bare skin wasn't visible anywhere or I might have had to answer those awkward questions regardless. I shook my head as I came back to myself and spoke again, blinking a few times as I caught back up in the conversation,

"And sure, I don't really know where that came from, but yea, why not?" I confirmed. I mean, it wasn't like he was incompetent, just... surreal. I had never met someone who actually acted this way in real life and to be honest it was kind of weird. I began to rub my nose and shrug as I waited for what was sure to be a spectacle if nothing else.

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

Re: Introspection is neato [Open]

“That’s... quite the story. I am familiar with the event. You’re presence is due to your will and strength alone, I’m sure. My condolences young Shinobi, but, I can say I’m glad you’ve come.”

Hoshi brought the twig out in plain view once again. It was the size of his forearm, fairly easy to see and in view.

“There’s a basic technique all Shinobi should know. It’s a technique that allows you to switch places with an object in order to protect yourself. The key to the technique is to feel your chakra. And when you’re in a pinch, visualize an object near by you. Once your mind eye has it in sight, pull at the object with your chakra until you visualie yourself in its position. This visualization with the manifestation of chakra, causes us trade places like so.”

Hoshi threw the twig which took distance in a second and the next second a poof of Cloud where Hoshi was once became the twig and Hoshi from a distance waving at Eishi.

“Haha! I’ve done it!”

 

[Eishi]

Re: Introspection is neato [Open]

I watched Hoshi switched places with the twig as he performed the body replacement. Ah, yea this technique. Strange, I hadn't been instructed on how to do it yet. Did he know the academy curriculum? Maybe, but likely he would've continued to show me tricks until I had learned something new. He seems the over-enthusiastic type. I pondered as I walked over to where the twig just lay on the ground.

I picked up the stick that Hoshi had used, looking at it for a few seconds. Yep, that sure is a stick I reasoned pretty damn quickly, losing interest. I swiftly threw the thin branch about five feet away, I had no need for theatrics when I was just learning. I had no illusions of being some kind of genius prodigy, sure I was confident that I was smart, especially for someone my age, but I still had to put in the hours just like anyone else. If anything, just doing it once after a couple hours here would be outstanding.

He had done a pretty piss job on explaining the mechanics of the technique, but I understood well enough what he wanted me to do. , I quickly did the hand signs with my remaining hand. Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog, Snake I thought in my head as I visualized the handsigns that Hoshi had used just a moment ago. The use of my single hand was never going to be fast enough to be used for combat, but something like this it was easy enough to handle as I slowly formed the signs. It took a lot more effort than I was expecting to put my chakra into an object at a distance, but it surprisingly didn't take me all that long to accomplish. The visualization aspect of the technique was a bit harder, it took some bending of the mind to really get down correctly. The whole process felt slow, but I was determined to get it done. I doubt Hoshi would wait around for me while I worked on this technique, however long it took.

It was a bit overestimating on the time commitment. I was able to do it in about four minutes for my first time and about another five minutes to get consistent with it on my attempts, maybe a little under half succeeding whenever I tried at this point. I wondered why I hadn't learnt this technique already with the difficulty that it took, but I honestly wasn't going to question the academy on their teaching methods. If it was a "figure it out on your own" kind of thing, I would just need to be a bit more independent with my own education than I had been in this last year and a half. Whatever, I spent that year just catching back up. I reflected, concluding I hadn't wasted my time despite my negativity.

I looked around to see if Hoshi had bothered to stay around while I was practicing. It had only been ten minutes in total since he had shown me how to do this technique.

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

Re: Introspection is neato [Open]

Hoshi watched the kid perform one handed seals with his remaining arm. He also wondered why the kid didn’t go get a new arm. With today’s technology they can find cells from family and manipulate them into an arm. An arm in which he would full access to and move. It was no matter. The boy still seemed sufficient with just the one. Hoshi made sure to give the boy some distance and let him do his thing. He watched from afar as the boy performed the jutsu the more than once. He seemed to be really getting a hang of things.

He caught on quick, repeating the process. Now that was left was to master the jutsu. Hoshi lived and loved this technique. It saved his buns on multiple occasions. He smirked once the kid finished and looked around to see if Hoshi was still there. The young Shinobi rose his hand quietly with his eyes closed. He then clapped to applaud the youth of his success. He caught on quick, it felt only like a few minutes had passed before he was doing the jutsu more than once.

“Good job. I learned that technique on my own, by studying books. The academy won’t teach you jutsu remember that. Some Shinobi are gifted with specifc elements at birth and are only attune to that affinity. The academy is just a guide to help you understand chakra. It’s up to you, to manifest it yourself and figure out your limits. That is one of the more basic techniques. There are other such as...”

Hoshi began to weave another set of hand seals pertaining heavily to earth and lightning elements. At the completion of his series, Hoshi exploded into paper, immediately that paper folded itself into sharp razor points and flew into a tree where it stuck. The paper dissolved and Hoshi would reappear some feet away to the right. This was a more advanced technique of the body switch.

“There are jutsus which can save you from imminent danger. Those jutsus will always come in handy. For now, I think you should master the mechanics of this jutsu. You never know when you may need to switch places ya know?”

Hoshi pointed in the general direction of the ancient forest. With his hand would gesture climbing a hill.

“I have a dojo, In the forest by the Yamanaka greenhouse. You’re welcome to come by anytime. There, I have many scrolls of advanced and basic techniques. And by all means, I’m very much willing to show you whatever I can.”

429

 

[Eishi]

Re: Introspection is neato [Open]

Seeing as I was the only one still left standing around on the road, surrounded by forest, I decided it was best I continue on with my original plan and head back into town. The offer noted.

EXIT​