Reaching Toward The Heavens

[Makoto Kiyoshi]

There was always room for improvement in Makoto’s mind. It didn’t matter if it was in the form of conditioning the body’s physical and spiritual energies or seeking mastery of skills and jutsu at your disposal. This mindset, coupled with a sense of restless unease a few hours prior, led Makoto to his current spot on the side of a mountain very, very far above the ground. Nothing but his own chakra control kept him from falling to his death as it rooted his hands and feet to the rocky wall. Even then it was a risky training method because if he did still happen to fall he was done for. A slight lapse in concentration could mean the end. The clouds that drifted by only made things more difficult as they weighed down his attire with moisture and made the wall slippery. It was dark as well so the sun couldn’t dry him and he needed to be careful not to grab at a shadow instead of the rocks themselves.

His lungs were beginning to burn, but he kept control of his breath lest he tire out even quicker. The burning in his body had dulled to an ache, but it felt as if he was much heavier than he should be and his movements were becoming sluggish. It was like his body was made out of lead. Still, as slow as he was, he continued to ascend at a stead pace. However, with the signs of fatigue came doubt and one question moved to the forefront of his mind. “Am I going to make it?” He asked the question out loud. A habit of his was to talk to himself. Sometimes it was more obvious than others. “I couldn’t even see the summit when I was on the ground…” he trailed off. The statement was true though as the mountain just towered over him while he was on the ground.

“Why am I even doing this?” It wasn’t as if he had something to prove. And while he had been restless and bored, there were still plenty of untouched subjects he could have looked into. However, the libraries were closed. That only left training to vent off the excess energy he had managed to accumulate. Maybe he was so restless because of his recent advance in rank a few months prior… or maybe it was more so along the lines of his previous sensei retiring. He didn’t want to stop his advancement in skill. He didn’t want to make things easier or get lazy without a sensei to push him. So until his new team was assigned to him he had to struggle during training. Makoto couldn’t afford to shy away from things because of their difficulty or the danger involved. Still, the sheer drive he held. His will to reach the top was so strong it couldn’t come from just that. He was so curious. Just what was up there? “I want to see the top…” The training involved was just an added benefit.

With all the thoughts brought a lack of concentration. A sudden wind blew and a rock crumbled under Makoto’s grasp. His chakra control had weakened and he lost it completely as he momentarily panicked.. Time seemed to slow as sudden realization struck. Everything became frightenly clear, from the surrounding clouds to ever groove of the rocky surface he scaled to the top that loomed just a fit further above Makoto was able to take in the entire situation in a mere instant. He was going to fall? To die? And…when the top was so close. What now? “Don’t think, just move!” Makoto heard the voice of his sensei shout at him. His hands clapped together and formed the snake seal. Every moment counted. Chakra returned to his feet with renewed control and his body started to harden as think and strong as the mountain he scaled. Hands, now darkened by the effects of his jutsu, slammed back into the wall with a burst of strength and willpower. The rocky face crumbled and rocks fell, but Makoto held strong to slow his decent. His decent stopped after only a few moments and then with a second wind Makoto forced his tired body to keep climbing.

His hand slapping upon a flat surface made him smile. With a small laugh, he pulled himself up and practically rolled onto the top. He laided there for what seemed like an eternity, simply relishing in the sense of accomplishment he had. Hands and feet were bloody and cut up and his whole body dripped with the sweat of his exertion and dew from the clouds. Makoto knew he should have felt the sting from sweat touching his cuts, but he must have been too loaded with adrenaline to feel it. No, instead he just felt like he was a conscious mind riding in another body. Faintly, he could hear a gasping sound before he realized it was coming from him. He tried to relax and struggled to take deep breaths instead of quick ones in an attempt to calm his breathing faster. “I made it…” He said with a happy laugh. Yet, he wanted to see what his effort had yielded. With what little strength he had left, he forced himself to sit up.

The sun was beginning to rise, illuminating the area around him. A sea of clouds stretch out before him, covering everything. However, they soon cleared and more mountains began to peek through the curtains of white. There must have been hundreds, some connecting while others alone. There must have been dozens that he could look down at from his position. Makoto scanned the area and a few more came into view. These were on a whole new level. If his was high these must have reached the heavens themselves. Funny really, he realized that one stood out among them. “I guess that’s the Raikage,” he mused. The others were probably jounin with some chuunin among them.

“So this mountain is where I’m at then? …I still have a long way to go.” A sudden thought struck him from out of the blue. “Wait…How am I going to get down?”

[Makoto Kiyoshi]

The question practically echoed around him. Whether it was a trick of his mind or the area itself that caused the effect on his words, he wasn't sure. Makoto berated himself silently. He should be focused on answering his own question, not wondering how it had echoed. With a sigh the young chunin stretched from his seat on the ground only to remember how tired he was. Already his muscles were stiffening up on him. Shakily he stood once more and stretched in an attempt to rid himself of the fatigue that plagued his body.

Multiple ideas came to him, but many needed more chakra than he had at the moment. If he wasn’t so drained he could simply tunnel his way through the mountain until he was at ground level, but in his current state he wouldn‘t be able to make it. Climbing all the way down was out of the question as well as he couldn‘t trust his muscles to bear his weight. He barely made it up here after all. So conventional methods were out then. A stray thought entered Makoto’s mind and he found himself rummaging through his items. He hadn’t forgotten his steel wire. Alas, upon looking around there wasn’t a boulder for him to tie it to. Well there was more than one way for a ninja to get past an obstacle. Luckily, Makoto happened to be good with earth techniques.

The teen stumbled over to the edge and peeked over. Nothing but drifting clouds greeted his vision. Turning and spying a pebble, the boy was compelled to toss it over the side. He listened closely, but the sound of it bouncing along the side of the cliff faded far away. “Yeah…that’s a long way down.” This was going to be a long and tedious process he realized. However, besides waiting for his chakra to come back there wasn’t much of an option. And considering that the excess chakra he’d managed to regain without food would be minimal anyway, it wouldn’t make that much of a difference.

With a deep breath, he formed the snake seal and concentrated. The seal made control and manipulation easier even though he could perform the feat without it. Then Makoto broke the seal and pressed both hands against the ground. He could feel the earth bend to his will and chakra, changing from thick rock to find sand. Removing his hands, he then drew his sword and stabbed it into the ground all the way to the hilt. A bead of sweat dripped from his forehead as he brought his hands back into the snake seal and returned the sand to solid rock around his sword. Next he tied steel string to the hilt. He glanced over the ledge once more as he entwined some of the steel wire around his hands.

“Well, I did intend on getting training…” Then Makoto jumped, beginning the process of abseiling his way down. It'd be hell to get his sword back out once he found another secure point, but there wasn't any other way.

[Makoto Kiyoshi]

The wind whistled in his ears as Makoto struggled to control the his final descendent to ground level. Despite his best effort the ground still rushed up to meet him much faster than he would have liked. Though he was prepared, the resulting landing was less than spectacular. Lacking any grace in form or strength of body to correctly absorb the impact the end result had him lying in a disheveled heap. Face planted in the ground, butt sticking up in the air, and tangled up in his own steel wire after bouncing along the ground a couple of times from failing to catch himself properly. A rather laughable position to be sure.

“Ouch…” he groaned, the sound being muffled by the large quantity of dirt and grit in his mouth. The chunin then seemed to do his best impression of a worm by squirming around. The young man was actually trying to free himself, but the movements only served to tangle him up more and more. He finally sighed in realization that his current route was getting him nowhere as he slumped. “This is…embarrassing.” To say the least. Getting caught in his own wires? It was something expected from only those newer to using them as they tried to show off. Makoto rolled on to his back and tried to shrug out of the wire. No easy feat with his body so unwilling to cooperate.

He sat up when he finally succeeded in untangling himself. Resting his arms and chin on his knees, he mulled over what should be his next course of action as he stared ahead blankly. He was too tired to be bothered with going back to the village for food. Darkness was already beginning to creep into the edges of his vision. Strange though, that even in the clear portions he could barely make out anything. The chunin’s eyes drifted closed as he pulled his cloak around him. The young man’s body went limp in its sitting position. A light snore escaped his mouth before Makoto faded completely into a blissful embrace of darkness.

Time became skewed as images flashed across his mind in the form of dreams. Some lasted only moments while others seemed to last decades. Dreams eventually became nightmares of the past. Then of the future as they took advantage of Makoto’s insecurities. The chunin’s sleep became fitful, but soon even the nightmares turned to nothing. Everything faded from unconscious thought and Makoto was left in limbo. However, this The sky suddenly rumbled overhead followed by a few drops of water would rouse him from his slumber. Discolored eyes opened and were greeted by the shadowed landscape. “Is it night time already?” Makoto wasn’t sure, but he was aware that the storm was gathering above. He was thinking that it would be in his best interests to start heading home now to eat. A flash of light lit up the sky and made way for another roaring boom. Getting caught in the downpour would be inevitable from the sound of it.

He pushed himself up, standing on stiff legs. Makoto realized that stiff was better than them feeling like jelly. At least if felt as if they had strength in them. A few more drops occurred before they shifted into a light drizzle. Looking up into the clouded sky, he let the water pelt his face. The rain was cool and refreshing on his exposed skin. However, it soon mixed with the dried dirt and sweat to only add to the grime that cover the young man’s body. “Maybe I shouldn’t have pushed myself so hard…” he muttered to himself. But would he really improve otherwise? There would be times when he was wet, hungry, and cold on missions as well as other things. Unforeseen occurrences would happen on missions no matter how well they were planned out. Even so, whether on a team or alone, completing your given task would still be expected.

A person would never know what something was like until they experienced it…right? The blond haired youth stalled and stood still in thought. The soft pitter patter of the sky’s light drizzle seemed to wait on his decision. The thumping of his heart could be heard in his ears. It was as if his body already knew what his mind would do even though his brain was still putting together the course of action. Discolored eyes looked though the curtain of pail hair and down at his hands. Rubbed raw and cut up with dry blood covering them. Slowly, as if unsure of the consequences, he brought them together into the snake seal and closed his eyes. Not even the boom of thunder broke his concentration. All was suddenly still. Even the rain seemed to let up. Makoto eyes suddenly shot open and he lunged forward. Not a moment to soon as the sword from a newly created clone just barely missed his neck.

[Makoto Kiyoshi]

What was once light rain became a torrential downpour. Mother Nature held back nothing with little regard to whomever may be out in the open. The waters fell heavy and harsh as if seeking to purge the land. If Makoto wasn’t drenched before he most certainly was now. And even so, the blond haired teen couldn‘t find himself bothered by the feeling. His body was resistant to the wet fabric that clung to his body like a second skin. His mind was numb to the cold that cut into his bones or the stiffness that attempted to chain him in place and hold him there. Even when his hood was blown from his head and his hair slipped out of its ponytail because of the wind and rain respectively, he barely noticed. He ignored everything that tried to blind him. Nothing would allow him to take his eyes off his opponent.

Across from him was probably the most difficult enemy he would ever face. No, there was no ‘probably’. This opponent knew his mind as well as he himself did. Shared the face that stared back at him when he looked into a mirror or water. Held every skill he had ever worked to attain. This was without a doubt the most powerful enemy he could ever hope to defeat. Many believed that they could gain unrivaled strength by just defeating opponent after opponent. However, if none of those challengers held and ‘substance’ to them what was the point? There was more than pure skill. One could master a form, but not everyone could use it effectively in battle. The body had to be in alignment with the mind. The true challenge came from self. Even if one was able to survive battle after battle. When everyone else would fall what other way to improve was there? That could only mean at the end of every path one would have to look within themselves to grow further.

Makoto stood there, rooted to the ground as his mind reeled. To any observer it might have been odd that neither he nor his reflection moved. However, there was much reason behind this. They hadn’t budged and yet they were already waging one of the most devastating wars one could imagine. Eyes locked, stances maintained, and legs unmoving their auras clashed. It lacked killing intent, but held all the focused power. With the flashing light, those auras took form and manifested themselves into a mighty dragon that descendented from the heavens and a ferocious tiger that stood its ground rooted to the earth like a tree. The tiger unrelenting and the dragon unyielding, an eternity could pass without them gaining an advantage over the other. Perhaps it was the imagination that caused these figures to clash or maybe it was just Makoto himself that saw this in a hallucination. But the war still raged before him and he couldn’t allow himself to back down.

Erupting from the depths of his subconscious he let out an involuntary howl as if trying to ward off or reject the overwhelmingly powerful aura of his opponent while at the same time enhance his own. The end result was them both taking an involuntary step back before catching themselves. It was as if he’d been fighting for hours now where as in reality maybe a few minutes had passed. Breathing was difficult because of exertion and the overwhelming weight that sought to suffocate him. A cycle developed around the raging beasts signifying that one false move that could be their downfall against the other. It was a massive tornado of black miasma; filled with blood, bones, and decayed flesh. Stench horrid and sight gruesome, but Makoto didn’t look away. This was the path he’d chosen. The cycle came with being a ninja. Escape was impossible at this point and perhaps it there would never be a way out.

Makoto and his reflection took one step forward this time and in response the spiral as well as the battle between beasts intensified. There would only be one chance. One strike would determine everything. And there was no escape. Another step this time…and another the steps became a dash. The earth reduced between him and the other as they both closed the distance. For such a short ways, they seemed to be so far off from one another. Makoto could feel his own eagerness to strike well up within him. He begged for the trade of blows to come. Anything to signify the end of this massive wait he was being put through as it was torture. The lightning flashed once more and reflected off of each sword as they moved in on each other. Then the deafening roar sounded as the surely clashed. And then…Makoto fell into darkness…