Training in the Shifting Sands

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The sun was high in the sky, beating down on Shouten's face. He looked up at the sky, covering his eyes a bit. Not a single cloud in sight, just unforgiving heat. Masami had asked Shouten to come to the oasis for training, but he didn't seem to be there yet.

The absence of immediate activity allowed Shouten's mind to wander. He began to picture what the perfect training session would be like. He imagined Masami teaching him an S-Rank ninjutsu. Fire like no one else had seen before. A jutsu of marvel and wonder. The next clip in Shouten's mind was the feeling of victory after he had avenged his father. The village paraded him. He was in line to become the Fifth Kazekage. He singlehandedly destroyed the One Tailed Jinchuuriki, Gaara.

Gaara of the Desert. He was supposedly the strongest Genin in the Sand Village. Shouten normally didn't have any delusions of grandeur, but when his mind began to wander it was an entirely different story. There Shouten envisioned him and Gaara, face to face, one on one. His Sand Manipulation was a terrifying thing and Shouten could feel hatred building up in him, but he stayed calm. Here would be the end of the One Tailed Demon. Just as the fight was to ensue, Shouten heard a noise.

"Masami-sensei, are you here?"

[Masami Saito]

Masami had taken his time getting to his typical training ground today. It wasn’t that he wished to make his new student wait, but merely that he had no desire to lay eyes on that site again. He remembered well his many sessions with Kei there, where they had studied the very same subject he’d planned for Shouten this day. As he walked, he found his mind wandering once more to places from the past, as his eyes glazed slightly. He’d walked this path time after time, so his body would have no problem getting there by itself, it was simply muscle memory guiding him as his mind went on a leave of absence for a short period. The memories were too painful at times for Masami to handle, and even simply reminiscing could lead him to deep depression, something he’d hoped to avoid if at all possible. In front of these children, he would be stone cold, hard faced, and absolutely unreadable. For to succeed in this life, one must be both cunning and unpredictable, something he had neglected to teach his last group. Yet even as he thought about what a bad idea it was to look back into the past, Masami couldn’t help but remember the first time he’d trained at the Oasis with others.

A young boy stood in front of Masami, grinning ear to ear as the older Jounin lectured him on the benefits of adding an element to one’s jutsu. Certain that the boy was excited enough by this point, Masami decided to demonstrate, turning from the oasis and looking to the sands, as he moved through his hand seals at an incredibly rapid speed, from the Tiger onto the Snake, all of them in rapid succession with very little wasted movement. “Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.” Masami stated so the young man understood what he was doing, and suddenly blew forward, allowing his jutsu to carry his breath forward and transform it into a large gust of wind, which promptly blew a large amount of sand into the air, pushing it away from the oasis. “That was the result of my most used nature manipulation, which is that of Wind. These jutsu are incredibly powerful when used by a master, and-“

Suddenly, Masami was broken from his trance, as he heard a rather young voice call out. “Masami-sensei, are you here?” It shouted out, to which he lowered his head in reply. The boy must have heard his footsteps, and realized that he was arriving. Taking a few more steps forward, he came into the boy’s line of sight, not answering the query, but rather allowing his entrance to speak for him. Looking up at the boy with impassionate and rather dead eyes, Masami stopped his movement directly in front of him, placing a small pack down on the ground. “Water.” He responded to the boy’s questioning glance. “If we’re here for a long time, especially considering the manipulation you believe you have, you may become dehydrated quickly.” He turned his attention to the oasis itself for a moment. If there was one thing that remained unchanging in these shifting sands, it would be this small refuge from the harshness of the desert. It was the perfect place to train in absolute seclusion, considering no Genin would make the trip across the sands on their own without directions to do so, and most Chuunin and Jounin that he’d met would rather use a training room available near the academy.

Turning once more to the boy, Shouten he supposed, he opened his mouth with a rather matter-of-fact look on his face, and began to speak. “Your journey here was part of your training for today. I’m sure the desert was unforgiving, as per usual, yet you persevered and did not wait for me, just as I’d requested. You should continue following orders in such a way, for it may save your life.” He turned to the inner-workings of the oasis once more, walking over to a pond that supplied the area with its vegetation. ”Today you will be learning how to better control the natural element which you have affinity for. You suggested that this element may be fire, and while I realize that you are fairly confident in this assessment, I’d like to be sure for my own peace of mind.” He walked once more to the pack he had brought, and withdrew several small pieces of paper. ”These will tell you exactly what element you are meant for. They’re made from trees that absorb chakra as their food. Feed your chakra into this, and depending on the reaction you are given, it will tell you what your natural element happens to be.”

Finishing his explanation, he handed a piece of paper to Shouten, allowing the boy to follow instructions. While fire was not necessarily the rarest of the manipulations, Masami had little experience working with it, himself. Yet still, all of the elements worked in fundamentally similar ways, one just needed to think outside the box when it came to training methods. He would not be teaching this boy anything spectacular today, but now that their group lesson was finished, he needed to start someone. Setting him on the road to jutsu mastery seemed to be the right thing to do, and if it were a tad advanced for one of his age, then so be it. He would meet Masami’s expectations, or he would not, there was no grey area. As he watched the boy begin the process of feeding his chakra into the paper, he couldn’t help but be reminded of Kei’s reaction, all those years ago. The look of both determination and suspense playing about his features, as he wondered if the elemental reading would show what he suspected, had been almost comical at the time. Now, as he watched the same expression play about the features of this young man, Masami simply could not find anything humorous about the situation. It hit far too close to home for his liking…

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Shouten watched as his sensei entered. He hadn't done anything yet, but his appearance was still powerful. One of the strongest men Shouten had ever formally met was standing before him.

“Water.”

For one thing, Masami was a better planner than Shouten already from what he could tell. The idea of bringing a lot of water slipped his mind. He must've been daydreaming again when it was time to fill his canteen before the trip. He vaguely heard Masami say a bit more after notifying him of the water, but he wasn't really paying him any mind. Shouten's mind was on a journey wildly figuring out how he could possibly forget water in the middle of a vast desert.

“Your journey here was part of your training for today. I’m sure the desert was unforgiving, as per usual, yet you persevered and did not wait for me, just as I’d requested. You should continue following orders in such a way, for it may save your life."[/i]

"Hai, Masami-sensei!"

Shouten nodded his head at his teacher's words. Anything that could save his life was something worth remembering. Surely Masami would never give orders that would endanger his life, so why not follow him? Shouten listened further, catching the general gist of what Masami was telling him. They would be able to determine his element with this piece of paper. Masami, however, must have severely overestimated Shouten's abilities. Pouring his chakra into anything was going to be a new experience. He couldn't even walk on trees nor water yet.

"Damn you."

Shouten stared down pitifully at his piece of paper. Whether he was doing it or not, Shouten could feel Masami waiting for him to complete the exercise. Seconds felt like hours. The imaginary walls were closing in. Shouten felt faint for a split second. His world was spinning, the end of an era. The young ninja shook his head quickly and stared back down at the paper. Sometimes his mind got out of control with its wild imagination.

Any attempt would be an attempt, so Shouten just shrugged his shoulders and concentrated on his hands. He thought of how chakra worked. He felt his chakra building up inside of him, as if he were going to preform a jutsu. The first stage had been completed, but how to direct it. Shouten flailed his arm around a bit as if trying to shake chakra into his hand. He shut his eyes tight to concentrate further. The desperate genin began to mutter to his piece of paper.

"If you don't work I'm gonna rip you to pieces."

The world is a mysterious place. Nobody truly knows how things work, but for the first time in a while Shouten genuinely believed in the beauty of mystery. The paper in his hand crumbled into ash and scattered in the winds of the desert. Shouten looked up expectantly at his Jounin teacher.

"Is that it, Masami-sensei?"

[Masami Saito]

Looking down at the young boy as he seemed to quizzically inquire as to if he completed the task successfully, Masami sighed and shook his head slightly. The boy had gotten further than he had expected on his first attempt, but it was still merely dumb luck that he managed to cause a reaction within the paper itself. “That is the reaction we were looking for, and yes your element happens to be fire.” Shouten looked overjoyed as his confidence in himself seemed to double after receiving confirmation of his success. “However, you obviously had much trouble pushing the chakra into the object, and eventually had to force it out. I don’t honestly think you caused that reaction knowingly, and I feel as if you have a long way to go before mastering any sort of element.” The boy’s face fell immediately, as all joyfulness he had had over his success was quashed by Masami’s statement. He opened his mouth once more, attempting to reassure the boy, at the very least. He didn’t need his Genin losing their morale on the very first lesson.

”I hadn’t expected any of you to get far with the element training, however. One must learn to control their chakra before they are able to use it in such a useful way, I’m sure you understand this. Many Genin seem to wish to get to a more exciting topic before learning control of their chakra, and this leads to a loss of focus on the task at hand. The moment I met you, I could tell that your mind was not always in the moment. Therefore, take heed of my advice right now. The failure you just experienced when it came to control of your chakra is nothing compared to the failure you will feel if you shirk my instructions in the future. Even the most basic principles must be obeyed, and followed. Am I understood?”

As he awaited confirmation of the Genin’s attentiveness, Masami began assessing the situation within his own mind quickly. While this boy was most certainly no prodigy, the fact that he was able to cause a reaction through transfer of chakra without having any control over his ability was remarkable indeed, and most certainly not what Masami had expected. Were he to guess, he would say that either this boy was able to transfer a lucky spike of chakra due to his emotions running high in an attempt to complete the task, or his chakra levels were strong to the point of transferring passively, rather than actively. The second was an incredibly unlikely long shot, but he still had to consider the possibility that the boy did have some talent, after all.

Upon hearing confirmation of the boy’s attentiveness, Masami nodded his head and walked to a nearby, rather tall tree. The oasis was small in size when compared to the gigantic desert surrounding it, but there were quite a few trees sufficient for the next exercise. ”Watch closely.” Masami instructed the boy, walking to the base of the tree. Gathering a steady stream of chakra to the soles of his feet, and taking his first step up the tree, lifting off the ground and continuing up the tree’s bark, finally stopping where the portion of the tree capable to support his weight ended, and turning to face Shouten from that peak.

”You seem surprised, but it’s actually a relatively novice exercise for chakra control. You must focus a fixed amount of chakra to your feet, and use that to climb without the use of your hands. Too little chakra and you fall off. However, too much chakra, and you break the bark of the tree itself, once more defeating the point of the exercise. Once you are able to do this flawlessly, you may move on to greater things requiring the control of one’s chakra.” Putting one foot in front of the other, Masami climbed down off of the tree, and walked over to his new student. The boy was obviously ready to attempt the exercise himself, and Masami wondered how, exactly, he would do on his first attempt. If his method for focusing chakra was truly to simply overload the limb with chakra, which he believed was a possibility, then the boy would simply break the surface of the tree and fail. However, if the boy consistently undershot the amount of chakra needed, Masami’s second possibility for his success on the last exercise was assuredly wrong. He would need to wait and see what came of Shouten’s very first attempt.

”Now it’s your turn. Do your best to climb the tree effortlessly, and once you have achieved that, we may advance.” As the boy ran off to give the exercise his best shot, Masami walked to his pack and sat cross legged next to it, watching patiently as his student went about his exercise. Although being put on the spot like this often made younger children more nervous about how they would do, Masami knew for a fact that he could not coddle these Genin. If they could not perform in front of him, then they could not perform in battle. That was the mistake he’d made with the original Team Masami; he had been far too soft and forgiving, allowing them time to complete tasks rather than observing them from the beginning. Tragedy might have been avoided if he had trained them further, and he only had himself to blame. He would not allow this to happen again, and therefore, he sat, watching Shouten’s progress with a nearly blank stare. Looking at him, one might think that his interest in the event was minimal at best, but Masami’s attentiveness could not be higher at this moment. He needed to know the skills of these Genin, and their tendencies, as well as possible if he was going to train them properly. Shouten was the first of the Genin to have such a session with Masami, and he was going to get his sensei’s undivided attention, whether he wanted it or not…

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Shouten shrugged his shoulders. Tree walking wasn't the explosive technique he was looking for. It wasn't even that impressive a technique to begin with. Still, an order is an order and Shouten would follow them as he was asked.

Shouten looked hard at his foe. A tree of average size, nothing to fear. Shouten closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. Apparently this exercise would require control rather than just pure output.

"He saw me struggling before, what makes this easier to do?"

Shouten let out a large sigh before feeling the familiar sense of chakra building in his chest. It began to slowly work its way down to his feet. First it seemed like a gentle flow, so Shouten gathered some confidence and went tearing off for the tree. He took a few steps up it, but he lost control of his chakra. It exploded from the soles of his feet and threw him off balance. He fell out of the tree and landed with a dull thud.

Shouten wasn't one to give up easily though. He tried again and again. He would fall from this tree until the end of time if that was what it took. Shouten began talking to himself again. Reassuring himself of his near victory.

"He'll see. I'll get it the next time."

No matter how often he fell, he'd get it the next time.

[Masami Saito]

Studying the way the boy moved, and carried himself, Masami began to analyze his personality a tad more, or rather, as best as he could. When he told the boy that he looked impressed, Masami would have to admit that he hadn’t been paying attention to his true emotions as well as he should have. His mind was in other places at this moment, and he realized now that he would need to keep himself in check with regards to what he said. This boy was not Kei, nor any other Genin or Shinobi he’d been associated with in the past. As much as it was easy to transfer feelings of guilt and nostalgia onto this boy, it was not truly fair to him, and would only hinder his progress. Masami would be sure to create the perfect Genin team out of these three, whether in an ethical and caring manner or not. Still, he couldn’t help but remember the experiences similar to this one that had graced his past, and as much as he attempted to keep his mind in the present and his attention on Shouten, he found himself dazed and reminiscent once more, as another accursed memory plagued his thoughts…

As Masami turned at the top of the tree once more to face his student, the young boy’s face lit up. As much as he had been a top student in the academy, the boy couldn’t help but be excited for his first true lesson to begin with his sensei, and even something as miniscule as tree walking was absolutely uplifting in this situation. At the same time, however, the boy was surprised at how quickly they were progressing from the academy to actual chakra control. Things were moving so fast, and he liked it. Opening his mouth and explaining the conditions required for climbing a vertical slope in his typical tone, Masami couldn’t help but feel somewhat pleased by the boy’s reaction. Any student that was willing to learn was a student worthy to be taught, and this Kei boy seemed to have all of the drive to learn combined with the talent to obtain mastery. It was at that moment, the first lesson Masami had ever given to a single Genin, that he decided that he would sculpt these three into respectable Shinobi, whom he could be proud of and who would be hailed as the future of the Hidden Sand Village. And he would not do this through barbaric and strict cruelty, as much as many told him this was the only way to force Genin to learn. He would show them the way through his careful attention and the care that he showed them, and they would learn through following his example. Perhaps these three were precisely what he had been searching for…something to fill the void that his sins had left in his heart, soul, and his very being. Looking up at the boy after finishing his quick explanation, Masami let the first hints of a smile creep onto his face as he decided to comment on the boy’s reaction. ”You seem surprised…”

Shaking off the memory quickly, Masami let his attention return to the boy who was currently under his direction. Yes, he had been a fool in those days, one who believed that caring and even love could change anything about a person. The only thing that could possibly force change within another human being was force-feeding them strict and unwavering discipline, so they would learn without being hindered by their weaker and more draining emotions. The boy in front of him was merely a student, and Masami refused to think of him as anything else, as he had with Kei all of those years ago. Getting too close to someone you were attempting to help simply led to failure, whether through poor decisions, too much trust, or any of the other scores of negative things such an attachment could bring. These children were Genin, and he was to be their Jounin teacher, that was all there was to it. If any of them expected favoritism, or mercy from him at any point, it only proved how incapable they were of handling the workload he had planned out for them. Standing and walking over to the boy, Masami stood next to the tree the boy was attempting to climb, assumed a relaxed and nonchalant stance, and began to speak.

”I’d heard of the Li clan before, and I was rather surprised upon hearing that one of their number would be my student. I expected quite a bit from you, as stories are told of that clan and their killer instinct and willingness to do whatever it takes to complete a task. Their focus, their determination; all of these things go into giving the Li clan the reputation that you most likely believe it deserves. However, I myself had my own theory.” Masami glanced up at the boy, judging his reaction rather carefully, his face revealing nothing of his intended point. ”Don’t allow this to distract you, continue your training.” He said quickly, paying little attention to whether or not the boy was actually paying attention to him. Though, considering he was speaking of the boy’s family, chances were that he would take some interest. ”You see, my theory in regards to the Li clan is something…somewhat darker.

Stopping his speech for a moment and allowing these words to ring around the oasis, Masami took another breath and went on to explain his reasoning. ”You see, I may not be the oldest member of the Hidden Sand Village, but I most certainly have heard tales of the past. The Li clan’s history is full of tragedy, is it not? The head of the house seems to die well before the average in life expectancy, and this is a rather consistent occurrence. Not only that, but this has been happening for as far back as any I have questioned can remember. Tell me something, Shouten.” Masami looked up at the boy once more, letting his cold gaze fixate on the Genin’s movements. ”Is there something about the Li clan I should know before praising them for such killer instinct?”

While Masami’s curiosity truly was peaked when it came to this subject, the true purpose of his words was not merely spiteful, nor a questioning of any sort. On the battlefield, a Shinobi must focus and ignore all provocation sent his way by an enemy. Words should mean nothing to a Shinobi unless these words are of value to his village or his mission for any reason. Masami wished to see how this boy would react upon a close observation of his clan, whether he had hit close to home or not.

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Shouten was paying attention to his sensei in short bursts. However, once he heard his clan's name pop up his full attention went towards Masami. Shouten stopped climbing the tree for a moment to take a drink of water. The last thing he wanted to do was pass out in front of his teacher.

”Is there something about the Li clan I should know before praising them for such killer instinct?”

"Excuse me for saying so Masami-sensei, but I cannot divulge the secrets of the Li clan to a stranger. I think it'd be best if you didn't think of me as a member of the Li clan, but myself. I'll show you that I'm willing to go to great lengths to accomplish my goals and that I have burning determination. Those aren't things you can assume because of my upbringing."

Shouten took another large gulp and water and returned to the tree. He wasn't angry at his sensei, but he needed to say those things. He couldn't allow the face of his clan to be his only face.

"My name is Shouten Li. I am my own person and I will not stand in my clan's shadow. I will rise up and become the greatest ever."


Shouten's mind went to a happier place. He saw himself standing up on a cloud, above all. The strongest ninja in the Hidden Sand Village. He had women, riches, and everything in the world. All knew of his great strength. Then the young ninja realized he'd been staring at a tree and not focusing his chakra for a few minutes. He made a few fake hand seals hoping Masami would be fooled by an attempt to concentrate. Shouten felt chakra flowing into his feet and thus he charged at the tree. He took a few steps up, more than usual before crashing down to the ground. Not enough chakra that time.

An hour or two had to have gone by. Shouten stopped every once in a while to grab a drink of water. He needed to stay hydrated to stay vigilant. Still, no matter how hard he tried, his mind would float off every now and then. That would normally be fun, but each time it came with Shouten landing on his head in the sand. Another hour was soon to go by, but this Genin had had enough of falling in the sand.

Shouten clapped his hands together and focused hard on pouring chakra into his feet. He felt a different sensation than before. It was a good feeling though. He charged towards the tree and quickly walked up the trunk, standing on a branch.

"Masami-sensei, I believe I've accomplished my task."

[Masami Saito]

For a time, Masami had been lost in thought. Upon hearing the young boy respond to his queries by essentially telling him that he can neither confirm nor deny any allegations he’d suggested, he merely gave a curt nod, and turned once more, positioning himself near a small pond. The boy had responded in an effective manner, requesting that he view his accomplishments separate from those of the Li clan. Masami could respect this…after all, what boy wants to be praised for the deeds of his forefathers, or relatives? Not only did this make sense when one considered Shouten’s age, however, it also provided a much-needed answer when it came to the boy’s temperament. Masami wanted to know if the boy would react with anger, or defensive pleas upon close inspection of the activities of his clan, and borderline insults toward them. However, the young Genin had for the most part shrugged off such comments, weighing them carefully yet deciding that he would discard them. Good, this was a most promising development, and Masami absolved that he would test all members of his team in such a way, so as to better understand what he was working with. This boy, while he wasn’t exactly a prodigy, did have some potential behind him, and Masami felt as though he could unlock this power if he kept at it. Granted, the boy might have some problems with his training methods, but Masami could care less what his Genin thought of him. He was going to work them hard…they had gotten a taste of this in his first lesson.

Masami began thinking about how things would get started. After training them all in this way, separately to suit his own individual needs and goals, he would move on to small time missions, hopefully getting them a bit of experience when it came to following orders and working to accomplish an objective. He would not rush things…while he had no pity for these children, and while they meant essentially nothing to him, he had seen what pushing the boundaries of the mission rankings could do with his own two eyes, and he had no desire to witness it once more. Looking out over the pond, Masami couldn’t help but sigh and embrace his thoughts, paying little to no attention to Shouten’s progress. While he didn’t necessarily care for these children, he was going to play the part of Jounin leader and do the responsible thing, keeping them in line until they were ready for high ranked missions and the like. Some may call him a coward, or say that he needs to grow a bit of backbone, but he had already lost one team in his past. Losing another would only add to the weight of the cross he bore around the village, as he donned the mask of Masami the Mirage, a hero who few knew was as bad as any horror villain or bloodthirsty criminal one could ever imagine.

“Masami-sensei, I believe I’ve completed my task.”

With a start, Masami looked away from the pond and back to the boy. Had he truly spent all of this time simply gazing into the nothingness of his mind, analyzing and weighing potential options when the present was stretched out in front of him? Sighing, he didn’t suppose the boy could have gotten to a branch that high without the use of his chakra, and therefore decided not to ask him to repeat the task for his own self-assurance. He stood, the hot rays of the sun beating onto and being absorbed by his dark hair, and noted that his body temperature was well above the norm. Calmly walking over to the pack, Masami nodded his head to the boy, grabbed a canteen of water, and redirected his path, walking to the base of the tree and stopping there, looking up at the Genin as he took a couple short sips before replacing the cap. ”Progress is always good…even on the most basic of exercises.” Masami stated, nodding his head once more. ”Please come down here, I have a few things to speak with you regarding.”

Walking once more to his pack and replacing the canteen, Masami waited for the Genin to arrive behind him before turning and placing his hands in his pockets, looking into the young boy’s eyes, seemingly judging his expression for a few moments. ”This will be all for today, and I request that you take the rest of the day to relax, as starting tomorrow things will get very difficult for anyone new to the shinobi lifestyle. I have a few closing remarks for you, however, that I suggest you consider carefully.” Removing his right hand from his pocket, Masami withdrew a kunai, which he then threw in Shouten’s general direction with no hesitation. As the weapon flew past the Genin, a good three inches from his right arm, Masami watched as it found its mark in the bark of the tree Shouten had been training with, holding fast around three feet from the ground. Turning once more and settling his gaze on the Genin, Masami opened his mouth once more.

”That tree is a probably distance of fifteen meters away. Had that been an unaware target, I could have incapacitated them in any way, shape, or form I so desired. Such is the art of a trained shinobi, and both you and your teammates will be trained as such. But be wary, and keep in mind that often times, your teammates hold the position closest to yours…often less than fifteen meters away in distance.” He sighed, and walked to the trunk, pulling the kunai from its bark and replacing it within his pocket. ”I have nothing against your teammates, considering I knew very little about the three of you at this point. However, allies can harm you in more ways than the physical. They can hold you back, they can ruin plans, they can fail you. If you wish to be a shinobi that can say he is safe in his own skin, then self-reliance is the answer…leave teamwork for when it is necessary.”

With that, Masami once more settled himself down near his pack, closing his eyes while apparently relaxing himself in the hot desert sun. ”You may go, I still have to meet with your teammates.” He commented, leaving Shouten to his own devices…