Seeking refuge from the diamonds

[Samejima]

I've only been training for an hour and a half? It felt like forever!

Naturally though, being rather new to the concept of chakra and genjutsu, she couldn't quite wrap her head around the fact that genjutsu can make time move slower. "Gen...jutsu?" She'd heard of the other two types of jutsu from her parents when she asked them about the ninja arts, but they never made a mention of genjutsu. "It makes time move slower?" she asked, her eyes starting to itch a little.

The others in the room looked at each other, unsure of what to think. Had this girl not been taught of the existence of genjutsu? Yoko stepped in and explained what genjutsu are, and after hearing the explanation, Naoki closed her eyes for a while to digest the information, occasionally scratching her head and scrunching her eyebrows together.

So there are three normal types of jutsu... Ninjutsu, taijutsu, and... genjutsu. Genjutsu means illusionary technique, and are all only in the victim's head... I know what the other two are from what mom and dad told me. Why didn't they tell me about genjutsu though?

"So basically, from the genjutsu, I was able to learn things a lot faster than I should have, because I thought that time was passing normally? So... what if I have to train physically, for speed and power and things like that?" Naoki asked, looking around a little, unsure of what else to say.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Jingo chimed in his eyes normal this time "The genjutsu will mentally allow you to prepare yourself for the rigors of physical training but only actual physical training can train your body to complete the actions of your thoughts as flawlessly as you imagine yourself to be. Practice still makes perfect and that will always take time but we can imprint the methods and focus in your mind, you will simply have to train your body to follow through afterwards. Now that you know something about genjutsu would you like to try it again or would you prefer to simply use extra chakra reinforcement because what I have noticed is that your eyes don't really accept my genjutsu."<i></i> Lord Onimaru perked up after hearing Jingo admit that Naoki was actually resisting or unable to accept one of the most powerful genjutsu users in the Hyou Clan. Naito to was intrigued and activated her Byakogan to look Naoki over internally and found nothing seriously wrong with her sight. It seemed a mystery was afoot.

 

[Samejima]

Now Naoki was confused. "My eyes aren't accepting genjutsu...?

She thought a little about what to say next, and settled on, "Well, if my eyes aren't working like they should, it might be best if we go ahead with just extra chakra reinforcement right? At least until my eyes go back to normal."

Naoki was still concerned about the blackout just now. She contemplated whether or not she should tell them, since it would cost them time, but it has never happened before. Though she didn't feel uncomfortable not being able to see anything in that brief spell, the more she thought about it, the more scared she got about not being able to see. What would she tell her parents? Would they let her continue her training? And in this situation, would the Toraono clan still let her try and dig a path into Sunagakure?

If I tell them, I'm sure they'll be able to tell me what's going on... But what if all this turns out to be serious? They might not let me down there to help out... Then again, what if that happens again when I'm underground... They'll have to take extra measures to make sure I don't go the wrong way or worse...

Naoki came to the conclusion that it would be overall less troublesome if she were to voice her concerns now rather than later. Besides, with the time-bending genjutsu, they had significantly more time than she thought they did.

"Umm... I don't know if this really matters, but just now, there was a moment when I couldn't see anything... But I could sort of... feel like there were two people behind me? And I heard Jingo humming a little." Turning to Jingo, she continued, "Was that the genjutsu? And," she then turned to face everyone in general, "Does anyone know what's happening to me?" she finally asked, her face a little worried as she tried to keep her positive mindset.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

You could almost see the questions upon everyone's face as Lord Onimaru quickly went to a chamber and pulled out an old leather book with descriptions of special abilities encountered or displayed by people inside and outside of Wind Country. After reading about her symptoms and noting that no one could hear Jingo humming nor could anyone detect anyone else inside the chakra filled chamber of the shadow room Lord Onimaru created it became apparent what she might be capable of. "I suspect you may be one of two special bloodlines, there are obvious ways to find out. First please sing us a song. Second after you have sung a song close your eyes and tell us what you feel or sense around you."<i></i> Closing the book gently Lord Onimaru waited for Naoki to test her abilities.

 

[Samejima]

"S-sing? Umm..." Naoki couldn't really understand this line of questioning. Unless her sight problems had something to do with her singing voice, she doubted it would be necessary to actually sing. But it was asked of her, and she secretly harboured an interest in singing. She decided on a song her father made up on a fishing trip one day, in a fit of sentimentality.

One more day, upon the blue seas
One more day, under the blue skies
One more day, catching the blue fish
One more day, amongst all this blue

Someday soon, this blue will turn gray
Someday soon, this boat will rot down
Someday soon, my little one will leave
But not this day, oh not this day

As she finished the song, she couldn't really bring herself to look around and gauge everyone's reactions, and just closed her eyes right away.

"I can sense... Umm... Well, everyone's here. And... kind of... vibrating?" Different frequencies for sure, but Naoki could sense it. For some reason she still couldn't comprehend, she felt like she could walk around the room and not hit a thing even if the people present in the room were moving about as well.

After a little while, Naoki opened her eyes. "Did that help? Is anything wrong?"

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Everyone had been enchanted by her song, so much so that Jingo was making water jutsu that resembled a boat. Naito was transformation jutsu to make her skin blue as the skies. Yoko simply sat before Naoki wondering why she had never listened to people sing before. Her voice was captivating and enthralling, Lord Onimaru smiled wide as if he had already verified what Naoki carried within her blood. After she told him she could feel the vibrations of people and objects around her he was completely certain. "Young lady I believe you carry the blood of the Souni Tribe also known as the Hashigaki Clan, in Wind Country they are a nomadic tribe of monks and nuns that carry the word of the Gods and the spirits beyond in their voice. They can literally command the respect of any being that can hear them. Legend tells that they can make their words into crystal jewelry that will forever repeat their song."

 

[Samejima]

"Hashigaki..." It was, in a way, familiar to Naoki. But she could've sworn she'd never heard the name of the clan before. It was a word she'd heard before, when she was younger... When she was a baby. She heard it being spoken to her as her mother's voice repeated her name to her, "You are Samejima Naoki, of the Hashigaki Clan." Mo...ther? That's not... that's not mom...

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

As she repeated the name in her head, trying desperately to remember either her father or mother mention it, she was struck with a splitting headache, and doubled over, clutching at her scalp, as if she could soothe the pain inside my creating pain outside.

It was intense, and having never experienced a headache before in her life, Naoki was highly disconcerted and very, very scared.

mY hEaD... iT fEeLs...

She could think of no words to describe her pain in that moment, and fainted shortly after.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Lord Onimaru quickly called in for clan medics as he placed the book back inside a shadow vault for safekeeping and maintaining. Content that she was in no obvious danger after Yoko gave her a cursory check over. Jingo, Naito, Yoko, and Lord Onimaru waited for a medical nin to check her over and make sure their training chamber of shadow chakra had not been too hard on her system. Four medic nin tended to her making sure her chakra coils and her skeletal system were sound.

 

[Samejima]

Waking up in a dark room, Naoki rubbed her eyes and yawned, stretching a little. The room was so dark she couldn't see an inch in front of her, and she started grasping around for the rope connected to the lamp on the ceiling to turn it on. Finding none, she swung her arms around a little. Through this action, Naoki generated an air current strong enough to make the rope move a little, and was able to locate the rope and pull it. She heard a click, but she still couldn't see a thing.

Is the lamp broken or something? Ahh, my eyes still haven't adjusted to the darkness? They're getting worse… I should see a doctor about this.

She got dressed in the darkness, not being able to see anything, and put things on haphazardly, in a hurry to get outside so she could see why the entire place was so dark her eyes couldn't even adjust to it.

But her eyes would never see again.

Unbeknownst to Naoki herself, her biological mother was a Hashigaki. They who lost their sight by birthright, or never had it, and instead gained superior hearing capabilities. As of this moment, Samejima Naoki's body has awakened to its formerly unrealised bloodline, and is beginning to compensate for her blindness by utilising her hearing to make sure she didn't bump into any walls, or God forbid, fragile valuable articles.

Wow, it's all so dark… But what is this feeling… I feel more confident in my direction than ever.

She heard people coming in. The weight of the footsteps and their voices gave them away, but they were unfamiliar. She walked up to them anyway, not sensing nor giving off any sort of hostility.

"Excuse me!" she called out, still listening for the footsteps, and jogging towards their source. They were light, and there were three sets of two feet. They must be the chambermaidens…
"Could anyone tell me why the Dojo's all dark? Is there a blackout or something?"

Naoki heard short gasps and whispers as she got closer.

"Naoki-chan… The lights are in working condition, and the rest of us can see just fine."

Naoki's head tilted 45 degrees as a small "huh?" escaped her. At first she thought the chambermaiden answering her was pulling her leg, but she could think of no reason why they would do so.

But if there's light… Then why can't I…

Her now non-functional eyes widened in shock, and her left hand touched them. There was no sting, no pain like there should have been. Just moisture on her fingers and pressure on her eyeballs. She would have tried to poke them out right then and there, had one of the chambermaidens not expressed her surprise as Naoki poked at her own eyes. She sunk to her knees and bowed her head as she realised she had gone blind.

In an attempt to cheer her up, the chambermaiden who came in last stepped up and asked, "W-where did you get those contacts Naoki-chan? They look very nice… Mind telling me where you bought them?" As she spoke, Naoki could sense that her features had shifted to a worried smile. Or maybe it was just her imagination.

"My… contacts? What are contacts?"

Sensing the chambermaidens' discomfort, she excused herself and apologised for the weird things she said. She found her way back into the guest room, and stumbled onto the bed.

So… I'm blind.

Naoki tried to cry, but the tears weren't coming out. Was it because her eyes no longer functioned… Or because she felt better off without them? Lying on her back, she thought, How do I explain this to mom?

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Lord Onimaru stepped into her chamber as the medics left and spoke aloud as he grasped her hands to teach her a special jutsu. "There will come a time when you will be forced to choose between defying your legacy and living in a world of darkness without color and light or grasping for the powers hidden in our mighty clan and using our help and legacy to take back what genetics has taken from you. Until then I will teach you a jutsu that will allow you to see without your natural sight."<i></i> Taking her hands and using his shadow jutsu to have her mimic his handseals and chakra pressure Lord Onimaru taught her crystal eye jutsu. "Use this jutsu when blindness takes away your edge, otherwise from the legends we have studied and Lord Toraono Kuro's studies and special abilities we are all but certain this will work."<i></i>

 

[Samejima]

As Lord Onimaru entered the room, Naoki looked up as if she could actually see his movement out of the corner of her eye, though both eyes were now closed, as they will stay until she finds an alternative. It seems her level of hearing currently allows her to sense movements, though Naoki herself was still unsure how. She repeated the hand seals she was just taught... however, she was in a state of shock that didn't allow her to control her chakra properly, being new at it, and couldn't execute the jutsu properly.

...Which is what she would tell herself, but she might have just felt safer without being able to see. A strange sentiment, but as time passes, Naoki would come to understand why.

"I'm sorry, Lord Onimaru. Seems like I won't be too much help after all..." she said, bowing her head. "But I can sort of... hear movement when it's close by. If there's any danger, I think I'd be able to avoid it just as well as if I was seeing it. Can I still try to join the tunneling crew?" she asked hopefully.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Lord Onimaru thought long and hard about her request then decided to test her resolve. "As you are now I am unsure what good you could accomplish besides sensing the general area around you. Perhaps you were never meant to be a digger. I shall have an exam for you if you can find me in the next four hours and if you pass that exam I will place you on a rescue and recovery team. I hope you come around later and meet me in a place of many books. I suspect there is still more to you than meets the eye."<i></i> He had been as harsh and cryptic as he could manage for such a young child unused to the rigors of life as a ninja and now blind by the powers that be. Now if she could manage to master her newfound situation in time then he could teach her a few more jutsu before sending her with the rescue team to help find a way into the maw.

 

[Samejima]

As Lord Onimaru left the room, Naoki tried her hardest to tell where he was going while her head still throbbed a little. Unfortunately, with her limited knowledge of the Dojo, she had no idea where she could find a 'place of many books'.

If there are a lot of books, it's bound to be a library right? I don't think I remember anything like a library when Yoko and Naito told me about the Dojo... she thought, searching her memory for any indication of a place of many books. She remembered nothing at all pertaining to books, and was very much at a loss as to where she should be going.

Naoki finds it easier to think as she paces, so she got off the bed and started walking in a circle. I can't see anything, I might not encounter anyone while heading outside so it would be hard for me to find it, and there's a lot of expensive stuff here that I don't want to break so I shouldn't go out there willy-nilly, and even if I found anyone to ask it might not be the right place since there's probably tons of books in here, for some reason I'm not bumping into anything while I walk, and I don't remember any place with a lot of books in the time I've been here.

She stopped to consider her options, and no longer knew the right direction to pace. Turning on the spot a little, she was disoriented, but not by much, as she felt used to this feeling. She did however, wonder what happened to her 'sense', and tried to determine the cause.

What have I been doing up until now? I've been... pacing I guess. Does moving around help me tell what around me?

As a test, she tried pacing again, and as she took the first step, it became all too clear which direction she was pacing in before as she turned to face the right direction to resume her pacing. After a minute or two, she realised that she was hearing the sounds of her footsteps, and sat down on the bed again as she now had a fighting chance at finding Lord Onimaru. She found that she made a louder noise as she bounced on the bed, and she felt she was able to sense the room's layout in a wider radius. As another test, she clapped her hands loudly, and was able to locate the door, which was left open a little, as well as a little of what's outside.

Jumping to her feet, she rushed outside and took a right turn, capitalising on her discovery and wanting to know if it really worked the way she thought it worked. As she didn't bump into anything and was able to sense where she was walking, she picked up the pace and started listening for any traces of life.

Happening upon another member of the Hyou Clan, at least as far as she could tell, she waved and asked, "Sorry, could you tell me where a 'place of many books' is? Lord Onimaru told me to find him there," lowering her voice as it hurt her ears momentarily while they adjusted to the right sensitivity. She hoped that the reference to Lord Onimaru would help him lead her to the right place. The clan member told her to find the nearest set of stairs, then the dining hall, then just keep going until the other end of the dining hall, after which she should make her way to a larger set of stairs. Finally, turn left and circle the area a little, "and you should be wherever Lord Onimaru is waiting."

Thanking him, she dashed down the hall, confident that she wouldn't bump into a bug, much less a wall, until she realised that she didn't know where the stairs were. She clapped again, loudly, and was able to locate the stairs a few dozen steps in the northwest direction, relative to her current orientation. When she got to the stairs, she heard people sparring as well as people laying out eating utensils, and followed the sounds of the clinking instead of the clanging.

Naoki followed the rest of the clan member's instructions, and made it to the Hyou Clan Training Area. This was where it got harder, as the final instruction was to 'circle the area a little', which was vague at best. She began circling nonetheless, snapping her fingers occasionally to see if there were any open doors. This motion is cool. I'm going to use this if I ever get sent into battle.

None of the doors were though, and Naoki was reluctant to knock at every door disturbing whoever's inside. She tried clapping her hands as loudly as she could just outside a door, and was pleasantly surprised to find that she could tell the basic goings-on inside. She repeated this action methodically, clapping between two doors at a time, until she found a door that hid several large shelves of books inside. She could also sense three humanoid figures, one of which was standing.

She knocked at the door, stepped in, and listened intently, tapping her foot every other second. Drawing from her memory of Lord Onimaru's breathing rate and the sound of the leather armor, along with a slight movement on Lord Onimaru's part to confirm her suspicions, she walked over to one of the seated figures and tapped him on the shoulder, "I'm ready for that exam sir!"

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Lord Onimaru smiled genuinely and stood up passing her a book written in braille. It had instructions on how to read it both written by hand and in braille so Lord Onimaru made sure to tell her out loud how to read the braille by touch. "While you learn a new method to read by since crystal eye jutsu didn't work for you I will verbally give you your exam and write down your answers to the questions of this exam."<i></i>

Pulling an old genin exam sheet from his table Lord Onimaru paced about as he reviewed questions he could ask a blind girl while the genjutsu laced book helped imprint the way to master braille reading.

What type of jutsu promotes illusions, and transformations?<i></i>

 

[Samejima]

Naoki learned several portions of Braille in minutes thanks to the genjutsu, though she didn't know how long the information would be retained in her mind.

So this is 'ju'... and this following phrase is... 'jutsu'. Hmm...

"Umm... that's genjutsu right?" She answered aloud, a little apprehensive. She hasn't experienced a formal testing situation either, which was something she might have to get used to soon.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Lord Onimaru turned to face her as he read over some questions and set aside another manual for braille so that he might understand it as well since he did most of his work in the dark. She was going to be a stellar pupil to endure so much at such a young age and still pardoning the pun as he thought about it... She still wanted to see things through. He thought back to her experiences and her travels and decided a simpler question was in order.

" Genjutsu was the correct answer and from here on out I expect no hesitation in your answers, to be a shinobi is to be confident, only question yourself when you seek power from within. Next exam question...
What was the first weapon you ever noticed or wanted to use and how would you use it? When you answer this question be very explicit and explain what drew you to the weapon if any crosses your mind."<i></i>

 

[Samejima]

Naoki took Lord Onimaru's words to heart and thought through her answer calmly before saying it so she could build up confidence.

"I saw one of my father's customers wearing a belt with a long thin buckle. When I asked him why it was so long, he showed me his secret: He had a dagger hidden inside it. I've wanted to use one of those 'hidden' weapons ever since I saw it, because it gave others the impression that I was harmless. I mean, I usually am, but I'd like to have some form of defense if I meet anyone who tries to hurt me... or anyone close by."

She paused a little, and continued to elaborate on how she would use it, detailing each situation and its expected outcome.

"If they were going to hurt me, I would take some steps back, and ask the person to step away. If he still didn't back off, I'd move my hand slowly to where my buckle was, and whip the dagger out quickly, hopefully catching him in the face, then I'd go into defense mode, which means I'll either be dodging or blocking the attacks. If he didn't stop after a couple of minutes of attacks," she paused again here, face growing a little somber, "I'd have to start stabbing back. I was thinking I'd just observe his attacks for the first few minutes, then I should be able to find some time to start a counterattack..." Naoki frowned here, realising she hasn't seen any actual combat. "Sorry sir, I haven't had much experience with fight scenes, so I can't describe much, but I would think that if the enemy misses me, I would be able to hit him as he was recovering," she replied, the confidence returning to her voice by the end of the sentence.

"If he was trying to hurt someone else, and that someone looked like he or she couldn't defend against the bad guy, I'd tap him on the shoulder and stab! Just as he turned around, because he wouldn't be suspecting me to hurt him because he didn't know I had a weapon on me. The rest of the fight would go the same way as the above." Naoki finished her spiel on hidden weapon attacks, and smiled, feeling certain she did a good job.

[MFT]

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Lord Onimaru was surprised by her insight and took her thoughts and feelings into account as he sent off a request for an apprentice of Dr. Daibatsu to stop by and measure her grip and size for a kunai that would aid her in her trials. "That is a very thorough answer and easily understood, I take it you plan to master your reactions to make every movement in concert and counter of your opponent count. A -Quick reaction- is usually the best reaction. Should you take the time to master such an ability it could only help you as you have more than justified your understand of a weapon you seek and the ability with which you would use it. I shall have a weaponsmith measure your size and grip later today and we shall do our best to furnish you a weapon suitable to your needs."<i></i>

He looked through another set of papers and came upon another question...
"What action would allow you to regain your chakra?"
A) running
B) resting
C) meditation
D) both B and C

Your final question is "What item would allow or jutsu would allow you to recover from an injury?"
Take your time on your final question, there are many correct answers.<i></i>

Content that he had gone over the very basics of shinobi knowledge in his questions he signaled for a puppeteer to ready an attack doll for her combat training and initiation into the ranks of genin.

 

[Samejima]

Naoki smiled at the praise. "Thank you sir!" she said, happily. She'd never held a weapon in her hands before, unless her mother's cleaver counted.

"The first one would be answer D... and the last..."

She was at a loss here. Due to her being raised as a fisherman's daughter, she couldn't think of anything that would heal an injury, unless an 'injury' referred to the occasional cut finger. A memory of her mother bandaging her cut while smiling at her little girl being so brave after she cut herself on fish scales rose to the surface, and she got a little choked up as she considered her current situation. She'd never see her mother's smile again. But she'd power through it.

"Clean bandages help with recovery, because they prevent the cut from being infected."

Naoki has given her answer to the final question, and waited for Lord Onimaru's next directive.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Lord Onimaru shook his head at her final answer, he set the papers aside and recorded her answers for prosperity and then sat down in front of her to give her a full review and prep talk for her final exam. "Unfortunately your final answer is only partially correct so your score for the written portion of the examination is 88%, that being said you only needed 80% to pass so you are a go for the written exam. Now it is time for your combat exam, I understand that this going very fast and that you have only just realized your potential and slight handicap but if you overcome this challenge now then I will name you a genin trained by the Hyou clan and we can then train you on the jutsu necessary to break into Sunagakure's underground city. Once the weaponsmith has completed his job, you can start the combat portion of the exam, until then rest up. Do you have any questions?"<i></i>