Hitori: Kagura

It was dark outside. Stars littered the midnight sky in the absence of the moon. The moon had been fading away slowly for several days now, until now darkness had completely enveloped it, leaving a black spot in the star-filled sky. Winds filled the air with a chill as a red haired Uzumaki boy walked down the streets. The typically bright and bustling streets that were littered with people were now empty, save Hitori. He walked alone, passing under street light after street light. The lamps illuminated his red hair and cloak, bringing some measure of color to the otherwise lifeless surroundings of midnight Kumogakure. His golden genin headband shimmered under the lights. Gnats and other other insects swarmed around each streetlight, paying no mind the Uzumaki boy’s desirable blood. Inside they spun and flew towards a light with no foreseeable goal insight.

Hitori sat at a bench and closed his eyes, thinking about the future. “I’m going to heal the world, someday,” he said to himself, looking over the village. Hitori’s destination was his home, and he was lucky enough to live higher than most other people. His view was incredible, despite the stench of the beyond and what little he could see of the undead swamps that lay outside the village. It was a close community where he lived. The Uzumaki had no doubt that his mother was behind the selection. She had an appetite for social interaction, thinking it a cure for anything. Well, almost anything.

Still, socializing played into a major aspect of her life, even in the months before her death. Hitori’s mother was always an outgoing person. He assumed he had gotten his quiet and reserved nature from his father, but he couldn’t be sure, only knowing what his father looked like and nothing else. His mother was different; however, Hitori thought this created a perfect match. The way he consoled her and she him proved that. Hitori’s mother knew exactly how to handle the quiet and reserved types. She was so caring and sweet, and, to Hitori’s knowledge, was never angry and rarely sad. His mother always knew what to say to make him feel better. Always. It was like another sense or something. Hitori didn’t know, but she soothed him and kept him calm. Even doing it after her illness began and in her final days. It was amazing how incredible patient and positive she was. Always the optimist, Hitori thought, making his way to a bench.

The Uzumaki sat down onto a bench and looked up at the night sky. He felt as if he could see the entire galaxy. The stars were so bright and plentiful. He had never cared enough to look, especially not at this time. The Genin smiled as his eyes wandered. Are you watching me, Mother…? I wonder what mom would do about this war. She always had a solution. Could she have protected me? No. I’m supposed to protect her. I was supposed to.

Hitori took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply, feeling his lungs expand with oxygen and other gases. “I’m sorry, Mother,” he said, frowning. He opened his eyes and gazed at the stars. “I’m sorry, father.” The Uzumaki thought of their memorial room and how he had trashed it. How he had nearly destroyed their painting and all of their belongings, as well as his. “I didn’t mean to, I… I’m just so frustrated. I don’t think I can participate in this war. Not now. Not ever.” He looked up to the sky for a moment, as if waiting for a response. Storm clouds began to roll into the village, blanketing the stars. “I didn’t mean to,” Hitori repeated. “I just don’t know what to do. I need you. To be here with me. You’d know what to do, wouldn’t you? How am I supposed to kill so many people for a man I don’t even know? Out of fear?” Hitori flattened one side of his lip, forming and indention in his cheek. “How do you expect me to fight for the sake of violence? Will I die? Will Komon die? Komori? Sakana? Senshi? Will I lose everything again?”

The clouds began to fill the sky as Hitori waited. Light drops of rain began to fall onto him. “I need you to tell me, Mom. I need you to tell me, Dad. I don’t know what to do. Surely I’ll be killed. Or them one. And we can’t run away. Not from that man.” Hitori sighed, leveling his head on his shoulders. “I see,” he said. “But what am I supposed to do? How can I piece together a breaking world? What do you expect from me? What do you want from me?” The light rain slowly became heavier, ricocheting off his his headband and rolling off of and behind absorbed by his coat. Lightning crashed in the distance, illuminating the now dark village. “Please, just try to understand. Maybe I can hide away, escape! They can fend for themselves, can’t they? I’m not even a chuunin, they don’t need me!” Lightning crashed in response, hitting the ground dozens of meters away. The clouds began to whirl around and glow with heat lightning, Thunder took the place of the quiet rain drops, as off being played by massive drums by the gods in the sky above. The rain was almost a chorus, no, an orchestra of angry, unyielding to Hitori’s pleas. “Please,” Hitori said. “Please don’t make me go fight…”

The rain poured down harder now, filling the streets with water. Hitori swallowed, falling on his knees. He held his hands together and plead with the sky, looking up. Raindrops splattered into his eye after every blink, clouding his vision. The water falling from the sky spun and twisted with the shape of the wind, giving a sense of movement to the invisible force. It whipped Hitori, pelting him with rain and bits of sleet. “Please… just tell me I don’t have to…” Lightning struck again, filling Kumogakure with an illuminous cyan and sulfuric hue. Hitori stood silent for a moment, then nodded. “I won’t support this war… but I’ll protect my friends. Whatever it takes.” He looked to the sky for approval, but there was no lightning. There was only rain. Hitori got up, now drenched with water. The liquid filled the roads and sidewalks, muddying his feet, shoes, knees, and hands. He tried to brush away the excess mud, but only dirtied his knees further. Instead, Hitori allowed the rain to hit him. Muddy water ran out of his feet and down his legs and arms.

The Uzumaki walked a bit further. The cool air combined with the rain made his hands numb, and he felt as if he were slowly descending into hyperthermia. He folded his arms and trudged along the sidewalk, resisting the wind as it blew him back. Rain viciously pelted him, leaving small marks on his skin. He tucked his hands into his sleeves and covered his face as he walked up an incline. Finally, a light was visible in the distance. His home. Hitori quickly unlocked the bamboo gate guarding his front yard. The wind flung it open with enough force to shatter the durable wood, but Hitori quickly snatched it, entering and locking it behind him. The wind howled as if a lonely yurei beckoning weary passersby to join it in cold death. Hitori would have none of it, shutting the door behind him and entering his home. The warm air filled him with relief, but also with an uncomfortable, half-way microwaved temperature. The Uzumaki peeled off the layers of drenched clothing and hanged the just above the door, leaving his shirt and shorts on. The metal nets on his chest were icy to the touch.

Hitori quickly went to his bathroom and turned on the faucet, filling the sink with warm water. He leaned over the porcelain appliance and let the forming steam hit his face. It thawed him out slowly, as if he were a snowman in the sun. Slowly, but surely, the feeling in his fingers returned. Hitori took of his shirt and went into his room to select a fresh pair of clothes. The soft fabrics were warm to the touch. Hitori took a shirt and coat off of the hangers and placed them just outside the bathroom. The Uzumaki stripped from his sticky and icy clothing and changed into his new set. Hitori reached over the sink, cutting off the water. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the warm, moist air. The red haired genin massaged his face, still moist from the steam, and rubbed his eyes. He groaned softly and fluttered his eyes. When Hitori exited the bathroom, he walked into his mother and father’s memorial room, finding it trashed. He sighed as he entered, observing the damage. Paintings littered the floor, and the incense had burned out. The Uzumaki boy crept toward the painting, trying to reassemble it to no avail. He dropped the canvas and made his way to the door to grab a pine broom, sweeping up the paintings and dirt. Hitori reached down, grasping the kunai he had almost thrown at his parents’ portrait. Hitori swept the remains into a trash can and placed it to the side. The Uzumaki trashed the burned incense and set up a new one. He grasped the flint and struck it, lighting the aroma producer. He inhaled the scent deeply. “Lavender,” he smiled. Hitori was keen on the smell and consistently used it for this room. It was his mother’s favorite, and Hitori had grown fond of it as well. The natural smell calmed him as his mother did. Perhaps that it was she used it so often, as a means to calm herself in this shinobi world.

The genin stepped out of the room and made his way to his father’s library. The wooden door creaked as he entered. It was dark, and the wind and rain whipped the window unrelentingly. His heart sank as he peered into the black abyss that was his father’s library. It was unnerving. Who knew a place of knowledge could be so threatening. The mounds of cobwebs and giant spiders did not relieve any tension. In fact, it only strengthened it. The Uzumaki boy stood still, wondering what terror lay in the beyond, in the abyss, ready to attack him. Hitori reached for the lights, flipping them on. The light illuminated the room for a moment before swelling and screeching, followed by a pop of heated glass. Sparks hit the floor, and a very strong burning smell filled the air, staining Hitori’s nostrils with its stench.

Hitori groaned. “Well, that’s just great,” he mumbled, trudging forward a bit. Lightning lit the room, illuminating it in a beautiful blue texture. The thunder roared afterwards, sending a chill down Hitori’s spine. His library was already particularly terrifying, but more so at midnight. Hitori shook as he proceeded, finally grasping an old candle. He released it, and formed handsigns. “Rat,” he whispered. “Tiger,” he whispered again. “Dog,” he whispered. “Ox,” he whispered. “Rabbit,” he whispered. “Tiger,” he whispered, forming the last handsign that the jutsu required. “Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu.” Hitori puffed a small fire ball from his mouth, lighting the candle, and refusing to generate the rest.

The Uzumaki cupped the candle as he made his way to his father’s medical ninjutsu collection. The shelves were filled with them, but most were incomplete or useless. Hitori climbed onto the ladder and browsed the jutsu, wiping layers of dust off of them. “Where are you….” He said, gliding his finger over the jutsu. His finger stopped at a unique scroll. “Odd,” he said, grasping it. Hitori climbed down from the ladder, hitting his feet onto the boards below. They creaked below his weight, despite the strapping young lad not even weighing that much. He raised his candle over the scroll, but found that it was marked with a sensory character in the center. Hitori hadn’t realized that sensory jutsu had existed within medical ninjutsu, but it seemed like a useful skill to have in the coming war. Wax began to run down the candle, filling Hitori’s handguard. The Uzumaki boy set the candle aside and bent down, allowing its light to hit the scroll as he unfolded it. “Let’s see…” Hitori whispered, looking over the scroll.

|Short Range|
An extremely powerful sensory ability that allows a person to track individuals by the speed of their reaction time up to 150 meters through their chakra by focusing and opening the mind's eye. This allows the user to differentiate bodies of chakra from chakra signatures, meaning a person with this skill would still be able to sense someone who had used the hidden mist technique. They are also able to differentiate between chakra signatures they sense, but unless they have prior knowledge of who the person they are sensing is, or they have verified who it is by eyesight or logic, they will not know who has what chakra signature. Once they have confirmed who has what chakra signature it will be memorized.
This incredible sensory ability extends to being able to tell when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if themselves, and others are in a genjustu.

|Long Range|
This technique's true power however lies in its long range sensory whereby any individual who's chakra has been memorised through this jutsu remains a permanent blip on the user's radar. User is able to track a marked/memorized target anywhere within the same country. Additionally, user can also sense when a memorized chakra signatures dims or fades out, signifying the grave injury or death of a marked target. Due to the constant strain of keeping track of these marked individuals, user may only apply this effect to three (3) individuals at any given time.

Hitori rubbed his chin as he finished reading. “This seems similar to Komon’s byakugan. Only it’s learned, not received through blood. And there’s no telling how useful memorizing chakra signatures would be. Especially when I can’t see me opponent. Even just distinguishing them would be a very useful skill. And if any of my friends get lost or captured, I’ll be able to find them. Or if they get hurt.” Hitori retread what he had just read, stopping at detecting the truth. “And it’s great for interrogation. Or at least just questioning.” Hitori blew the candle out and exited his father’s library, headed for his room. “This’ll come in handy tomorrow,” Hitori remarked to himself, taking off his jacket and shoes. He climbed into his bed and switched off his nightstand light. Hitori nestled under his blankets and sat in thought. “I’m finally starting to get somewhere in the village. But those chuunin exams… and how Komon and Komori worded it… and this new Maku person…” Am I ready to become more powerful? Or will I be someone’s tool? Hitori shut his eyes and relaxed, despite being filled with both anxiety and anticipation.


Thank you, Mother. Thank you, father. Hitori’s eyes fluttered open slowly as he was greeted by the sounds of birds. A red mess of hair had formed on his pillow, looking as if a rat had used it for a bed overnight. It was refreshing to hear them once more after a period of solemnness. Hitori recalled his jutsu discovery as he awoke, and the boy stretched, now with the will to move about. The red haired Uzumaki yawned loudly and put on his shoes. He grasped his scroll and peaked outside. It was sunny again with a few clouds sparsely populating the sky. He took a deep breathing, soaking in the sun once more. The Uzumaki walked into his restroom and began brushing his teeth. Back and forth he brused until eventually spitting and heating water. The boy dipped his hands in the warm water and styled his hair. As Hitori left his home, he grasped his coat and put it on, rushing towards the door and maneuvering outside. “Oh God,” Hitori said with disgust as he exited. It was muggy.

The Uzumaki took off his coat and placed it back inside. Suddenly, his happiness took a blow. Hitori despised humidity. It made his hair uncooperative and made him feel as if he was constantly sweating, or in a spa, unable to breath due to the thick oxygen. The warm sun beamed down and the numerous puddles, filling the air with evaporated water. Hitori made his way down the streets, stepping over puddles along the way. From his house, the red haired Uzumaki could hear the bustling streets. Life had somehow returned to Kumogakure, and, despite the stench of the borders, Hitori took deep breaths, detecting hints of ramen cooking in the distance. He licked his lips, but denied the temptation, instead opting to head for the center of Kumogakure, where life was no doubt teeming. As Hitori walked through the streets and the sidewalks, skipping over puddles. He couldn’t quite guess why, but he had but his worries to the side today, and, at least for now, was his old cheery self. It was relaxing, but he had found comfort in his friends. For now.

Hitori finally reached the center of the village. People with carts and food filled the streets. So many different aromas filled the air, pulling Hitori’s nose to them all. He felt hungry, but that was besides the point. The young, red haired, Uzumaki, genin walked to an empty section of the makeshift market area. He unraveled his scroll as he sat down, rubbing his hand across the parchment. It was rough to the touch and it hadn’t aged well, but the power was priceless in Hitori’s eyes. He once again read over the jutsu, noting the specifics and the benefits. “I see,” HItori said, setting the scroll to the side. Hitori took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The Uzumaki focused his chakra outward, as he did with his genjutsu against Komori. This, however, was different. Instead of focusing on creating and illusion from his imagination, Hitori was listening. To everyone and everything, and creating a picture based upon what he observed, not what he imagined. The output was the opposite. “I think… I’ve got it.” Hitori released his chakra. Suddenly, his view of the world changed. Everyone appeared as a silhouette of blue chakra in an otherwise black and white world. “Woah…” Hitori said in amazement. “Is this what Komon sees every day?”

It was beautiful to Hitori. More beautiful than anything he had ever seen. Nothing compared. Although he could now distinguish between chakra, everyone looked the same. This jutsu was free of passion. Free of prejudice. Everyone was equal. And that thought made Hitori smile. He saw everyone as the same, as if he had gone colorblind. Does Komori think like this? Does he see people like this? And does he see them like this every single day? Wow. I can measure strength with this jutsu but… everyone’s the same. They look that way at least, but they’re still individuals. It’s beautiful.


Hitori deactivated the jutsu after becoming slightly disorientated. But once he achieved his normal vision, he couldn’t help but re-enter the justu. It was too beautiful, and he wanted to test the limits of the jutsu. Hitori once again reopened the jutsu, this time looking out even further. He seemed to take forever to find his limit, finally reaching out around 150 meters. He couldn’t be for sure. “I can see everything… anything…”

The Uzumaki once again deactivated the jutsu in a state of astoundment. The genin turned his gaze to a man who was seemingly bargaining for fruit. The man was thin, red haired, and rather pale. He stood tall, but with a slouch, and his clothes, albeit white, were not particularly clean.

The Uzumaki boy activated the jutsu in order to monitor their heart beat.
            “These apples look awful,” said the customer.
            The owner of the kiosk’s heart began to beat faster, but his tone did not reflect that. “Nonsense!” said the rather large salesperson. He was a loud man, but he was brimming with energy and enthusiasm. He hid his real feelings well. “They taste magnificent!” His heart began to beat faster. To the common man, his confidence was astounding. He was quite the persuasive businessmen. If Hitori didn’t know any better, he would have bought the whole cart.
            The customer raised his hand to his chin, scratching his stubble. “They just don’t look it… and the price…”
            The larger man chuckled a boisterous cackle. “Not at all, boy! These here are the finest apples in kumogakure! Guarenteed!” His heart fluctuated.
            The customer nodded slowly, “Well… if you say so.” He scratched back of his head slowly.
            “That’ll be 4 ryo for every pound, my boy!” the salesman said, smiling with all of his teeth showing.

Hitori was certain he was lying. This jutsu made if evident. “Don’t bother buying them,” Hitori said to the customer. “He’s lying. My jutsu allows me to detect when someone’s telling the truth or not.” The rather thin customer nodded slowly and put away his wallet, opting to walk off rather than buy what was probably worm infested fruit. The mustached businessman glared at Hitori and fanned him off angrily. “Get out of here, boy! You’re ruining my business!” Hitori shrugged, diverting his attention elsewhere. “Maybe you should sell spoiled fruit. You’ll get someone sick,” he said with a snarky smile. The businessman grumbled something under his breath and walked back to his cart, wheeling it elsewhere.

Hitori tried to stretch out with the jutsu, but there was no hope of him recognizing Komori or Komon. Instead, Hitori deactivated the jutsu. The Uzumaki boy rolled the scroll up again and attached the rolled parchment onto his belt. “This jutsu could help me with so much,” he said, turning away from the center of Kumogakure. He started to make his way back home, following the sidewalk. Hitori was consistently activate and deactivate the jutsu as he went along, observing everyone in this way. “I wonder if Komon ever gets bored of this,” he said to himself, now trudging up a slight incline. “It’s beautiful,” Hitori said. “I never knew there was this much life in Kumogakure. Sort of shows a different side to it all. The Uzumaki smiled as he walked. The humid weather had surprisingly little effect on Hitori. In fact, it was similar to a relaxing spa or spring bath of sorts. Perhaps he could get used to it.

As Hitori entered the front gate to his gardens, he deactivated his new found ability one last time. It was rather exhausting to use, but the effects were worth in. He could effectively track anyone within a 150 meter radius. Hitori smiled softly as he entered his home.

The Uzumaki immediate traveled back to his bed, but not before removing his shoes at the door. He laid his body down atop the bed and sat there for a moment. “Phew,” he said, taking a deep breath and yawning. “That was an exhausting jutsu. No wonder Komon doesn’t use his byakugan constantly. There’s a large strain on the user. And I didn’t even memorize a chakra signature.” Hitori slowly took off his coat and folded it on his chest, setting it to the side at the end of his bed. The Uzumaki climbed back under his sheets and smiled. “I can’t to use this again. Maybe in a dense fog or something? My opponent will think I’m blind, when I’m really able to see them the whole time! Hitori burt into laughter until it slowly faded, and he closed his eyes. “Time to make up for lost time, I suppose,” he said, taking a deep breath. “This is a well deserved nap.”
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WC: 4001

Requesting:

20 stat points
Aleeve, all day strong, all day long. My hands hurt now.  

Mind Eye of the Kagura
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Ow, my eyes. Lol.

Could you please change the color and separate the paragraphs?
Once, done please bump and put in Topics that need replies.

Bump