The Monkey Sage [P]

Makoto awoke in a rather energetic mood this day. The sun was seeping through the moderately clean windows to give off a warm kiss to greet him while the clouds tried to hide the sun from its duties. It was all planned that he would have the day to himself with a nice picnic in the dense forest of Konoha. The forest in question that keeps Konoha hidden from any potential threats from enemies. The Naka river runs through the forest which many dangerous herbs and wildlife species call this place home, and pose a threat for anyone who may wonder into it, yet it seemed to be a delightful place for a person of nature such as a young Senju. The young Senju then made his way into the restroom, there he washed his face and brushed his teeth afterwards before heading into the mildly warm shower and embraced what it had to offer. After his soak, he then made his way back into his room and headed straight for the closet to pick out his outfit.

Making his way downstairs and leaping down to the ground floor from the second last step, Makoto could be seen in armour emblazoned with the Senju symbol worn over a simple black jumpsuit, with a distinctive white fur collar. This armour was constructed from numerous blue metal plates, formed into multiple protective guards along the wearers body, in particular: chest, waist, shoulders and upper arms. Just because he was going out for a picnic did not mean he might not encounter trouble while he was there, right?

[1/3 Senjutsu Adept]

He made his way over to the fridge and took out some bread and other ingredients such as meat, cheese, large quantities of fruit and juice and placed them all in concealing bags to keep them fresh and tidy. With the wide variety of foods, he then placed all of these in a basket along with napkins and a blanket which would be soon accompanying him to the forest.

He then made breakfast to help start his day with some nutrition and energy which could also make his body feel more prepared and full so he would have time to embrace the surroundings that he would observing later on this evening. He pulled out a box of wheat flakes with some raspberries to compliment them and milk to pour over. Once prepared for himself, apple juice was also poured into a half pint glass and set beside the bowl of cereal. The spoon took larger portions than needed which indicated that Makoto was in a rush to get to the destination he had set for himself. He rarely went out to the dense forest. In fact, he had only been there on missions, helping to find a cat, and helping to secure a scroll from the hands of a small gang. This all happened when he was only a Genin of course and had came a long way in terms of skill and intellect since then.

[2/3 Senjutsu Adept]

He had noticed his katana in the hallway, the Father blade. It was as beautiful as it was deadly. The high-frequency blade is a sword that resonates at high frequencies, raising its temperature, thereby increasing its cutting ability, cutting easily through wood and stone. The sharpened edge and point used for lethal attacks, and the blunt edge used as a clubbing weapon. Being proficient enough, Makoto was also able to deflect ranged weapons, such as kunai, shuriken and such, and often gave him the upper hand against a par with a rival weapon. The Father blade was used predominantly by the Senju's higher ranking shinobi and was an honor to be in possession of the blade. The blade stood at three feet and three inches long, with a black customized handle accompanied by silver linings on the outer blade. He lifted the weapon and befitted it upon his lower back for further protection in the unknown forest. Locking the door behind him, Makoto scanned the street up and down to find a lot of people out doing their own personal errands with shopping while children were running, playing and laughing. The street was too crowded for the young Senju's taste and so hastily made his way to the Village gates with his basket in hand.

[3/3 Senjutsu Adept]

As he approached the gates he had noticed that the two guards were not the same the ones he was accustomed to. The fact that he picked an odd day might have been the reason along with the others hours of work they are required to be posted here. He nodded and raised his picnic basket to show the two fellow shinobi as a gesture that he was going for a meal outside of the Village hidden int he Leaves, in which they happily complied with a small smile and a nod towards him. He smiled back once he was given permission and made his way down the road towards his destination of the dense forest which was not as far as he anticipated. Before long, Makoto had arrived to the dense forest. The sunlight seeped through the trees and their leaves touching only a few areas of the surroundings. He clutched his picnic basket tighter as he became more alert of his surroundings, wondering which was poisonous plants and wondering about the whereabouts of the defensive animals in their home.

[1/5 Senjutsu Expert]

With luck, Makoto did not run into any danger, in fact it was quite peaceful, just the way he liked it. He made his way to a secluded area near a stream that the water could be heard crashing ever so slightly among the banks that kept it detained within the trench. The flowers glowed with various colours depending on which area he looked, the majority being a reddish pink hue with the reflective ray of the sun's light. The breeze was not too strong but enough to keep cool from the smothering wildlife that was around him. He sat the basket down and looked at the contents. He began with a blanket, laying it across a firm and even patch of grass. Second of all, he placed out the food that surrounded he would eat and thee plates and napkins to go along with them. With the food before him he gave thanks and began tucking into the various ingredients and combining them to make a rather delicious sandwich.

[2/5 Senjutsu Expert]

When he finished his sandwich, the young Senju became quite full. The food however, was still in a rather large quantity and so he placed them back inside the basket to keep them fresh in case he returned to them for a snack later. He lay back and closed his eyes as the suns glare shone down upon him. He placed his arms behind his head and listened to the wildlife that occupied the surroundings. The various insects were calling out for another while the birds tweeted away almost as if they were composing a little orchestra of themes of the wildlife. The Naka river was still rushing down the stream and could be heard from the distance of Makoto's whereabouts. He controlled his hand to rummage through the basket as his vision was limited, still trying to heighten the sense of his ears. He reached in and grabbed his bottle of water and began to sip at it, remaining transfixed on the sounds that filled the void. An unusual sound then occurred. It was a monkey. Where monkey's usually in the dense forest? Makoto couldn't answer that as this was his first time visiting the place of his own accord. Another monkey could be heard from the opposite side. There was more than one?

[3/5 Senjutsu Expert]

Makoto sat up straight and opened his eyes trying to catch the whereabouts of these creatures. He admired them and it would have been a treat to see them. He stood up slowly as the calls were continuing to be heard. He looked more closely to the area in which he thought he had them first and began to slowly make his way over. Before long, a monkey had jumped out at Makoto, scaring him so that he fell backwards. It was small, brown and with big beady eyes. Adorable to most one would think but Makoto just looked in awe. It seemed to put on a type of dance which was an odd feature, even to one who had never seen a monkey before. He watched nonetheless and grinned before reaching out to it with his hand. The monkey then scurried off leaving Makoto to wonder if he had scared it away from him, making him feel more lonely than he already was out in the dense forest all by himself. The rustling of the leaves could still be heard from the fleeing animal but Makoto thought it was time to return to his post as he needed more water.

[4/5 Senjutsu Expert]

When he turned he found three more monkeys ransacking his belongings. The food was around their mouths and the water was being emptied out. They were mischievous to say the least. With a loud shout, Makoto ran towards his picnic area and chased off the monkeys. They seemed to be giggling and taunting him. They did not seem to disappear like the previous one so Makoto decided to chase them into the wild. They were quick and agile much like himself. They dodged the branches and wrapped around the trees almost as easily as they breathed giving them a slight advantage over the young Senju. Before long, they made it to the Naka river that was heard from his previous spot. The climbed around the trees around the area as more monkeys came out to greet them. Some of them were their parents while others were around the same age. They became infuriated as the murmurs from the monkeys were spread around like wildfire. They began to slam the branches they stood on with their small hands and roared to the best of their abilities with their mouths showing teeth. Makoto became on edge, this was not something he had encountered before. Suddenly, the monkey's grew silent and climbed higher into the trees. A figure leaped down and landed on a rock that overlooked the small stream and gazed upon Makoto with much anger and anguish. "What do you think you are doing!?"

The Figure:

Mask he wore:

[5/5 Senjutsu Expert]

The figure stood tall and stoic. It carried a rather long bo staff with colours of red and brown, and the sparkle of a gold design which looked like markings. Maybe it was a language where this man was from? He wore armour the likes that Makoto had never seen before. Upon further inspection of his torso, Makoto was surprised to see that it was not cloth, but fur. The creature tightened its grasp around the bo staff which struck Makoto into fear to answer. "I...uh, I was eating and these monkeys snatched my food while I was distracted." Makoto spoke as if he was in a courtroom with many judgmental eyes and the judge at his feet. The feeling of uneasiness spread to the hairs on his back which now stood up with the odd feeling that shook his body. This creature was indeed a wild man of a sort and his presence was enough to ward off a horde of any who attacked.

[1/7 Senjutsu Master]

The creature then stabbed the ground with his staff to have it stick into the ground. He took off his mask and looked at Makoto dead on. He was a monkey. He was a monkey that spoke to him, was he a summoning? There was no-one around. He was a mythical creature of course that must have something to do with the monkey summoning techniques. The monkey then raised his arm and pointed to Makoto with a slight moment of hesitation. Before long, the monkey began to laugh harder than any roar that Makoto has heard. All of the monkeys began to join in, jumping and screeching excessively. It was odd, but the young Senju began to feel a bit embarrassed rather than intimidated at this current moment. With the laughing dying down and Makoto beginning to grow weary of this situation. "It works every time. But you were the first to follow them back here, Senju." the monkey said with a bit of a giggle. Makoto then pondered at how he knew he was a member of the Senju Clan before eh looked down at his attire with the symbol emblazoned on it which answer his question. "We have many people we see with potential in the dense forest, but only you have made it this far. I have served Konaha since it was made by your ancestor. I had my subordinates to be the summoning of the Sarutobi and Senju alike. Maybe, it is your time. Are you willing to train with me?" It spoke with a fluent motion.

[2/7 Senjutsu Master]

It was almost unreal to Makoto as this opportunity had arrived while he was having a simple picnic. This monkey had offered to train Makoto but he had no knowledge of what he would learn. He knew little about summoning techniques and hand to hand combat so it could be a waste of time or a great help. Did he really want to trust a monkey who intimidated and then made a mockery of him though? The monkeys all grew silent and some began to move to sit with others. What were seconds, felt like minutes to the Senju. He thought of all the possibilities and how this would hinder his own training and duties with the Village hidden in the Leaves. He needed to know more before making a decision. "Who are you!? And what type of training!?" Makoto shouted and demanded with curiosity. The monkey in armour giggled slightly along with others before he made his way closer to Makoto. As they were a few feet away from one another, Makoto could see that this creature was taller than he looked standing over Makoto by a foot. "I have many names. Some call me Wukong, others call me Gokuu. Most of all, they would call me Monkey King. The training will not involve summoning us, you could learn that from your village. I want to teach you something special. Senjutsu."

[3/7 Senjutsu Master]

A look of shock appeared on the young Senju's face. Senjutsu was a powerful technique which Makoto had studied while he was browsing the library for certain books on different techniques. This monkey was offering Makoto a chance to learn something rare and would be a fool not to take the chance while he could. However, he needed to know more about the technique before he made a final decision. "Senjutsu? As in...Sage?" He asked. The monkey king stood tall and nodded to him. He suddenly became more serious at the matter at hand. He was serious after all. Makoto pondered for a moment. He thought long and hard of the advantages and disadvantages of Senjutsu, and there were many on each side of the argument. "Before I make my decision...Can you give me more details?" The monkeys that surrounded the area stood patiently in wait for the answer to be heard. The Monkey King closed his eyes and nodded before making his way back over to the rock that overlooked the stream. He swung the bo staff around and placed it across his back at a diagonal position so that it would not touch the ground and give him easy access to it for future purposes. Before he said anything he sat down with his legs crossed and gave a gesture to Makoto to do the same in which he complied fully.

[4/7 Senjutsu Master]

The Monkey King cleared his throat and finally opened his eyes to meet the Senju's. "Senjutsu is a term that refers to a specialized field techniques that utilize a unique form of chakra known as Sage Chakra. This chakra cannot be seen by anyone other than those who have been trained in Senjutsu. Practitioners of this art are known as Sages. Sage chakra is created by altering the composition of their chakra. Typically, chakra is an equally balanced combination of Physical and spiritual energy. Sage chakra, however, adds a third element: Natural Energy. Natural Energy is raw energy that comes from the environment that surrounds the sage. Plants, animals and the planet itself all give off natural energy, which the sage in turn absorbs and utilizes to increase their abilities. This new chakra enables the user to enter an empowered state called Sage Mode, after a while of mastering the technique, which can then drastically increase the strength of ones abilities. The problem with this is that Natural Energy is difficult to control, and if the user accidentally absorbs too much Natural energy or gets the balance wrong while moulding chakra, the effects can be lethal, with the energy overwhelming the victim and turning their body to stone." The Monkey King let his head drop as he brought the disadvantages to the table. It was a risky process after all and would hurt the chances of the young Senju agreeing to the training.

[5/7 Senjutsu Master]

Makoto had to think long and hard about this opportunity that had presented itself to him. He could learn something great and become well known so that he could pass on his teachings to others which is what he always wanted. But at the same time, the price was too heavy and he may never spread his teachings to anyone anymore. The monkeys began to slowly murmur to one another. They were probably wondering the decision also. The cost was too great, yet the thought of becoming great and well known seemed to beg its way into Makoto's mind. He knew he had to give an answer soon as he did not want to keep the Monkey King waiting. He looked at his surroundings and seen the monkeys beginning to notice him as he gazed. He smirked and tilted his head down. "Tell the monkeys they can have the rest of the food." He said with his eyes closed. He raised his head and looked at the Monkey King once more and grinned with the look on his face he infamously wore. "When can we start?"

[6/7 Senjutsu Master]

The roars of the many monkeys that occupied the area could be heard throughout the forest. They slammed into the branches once again while others ran to various other locations to make more of the noise that filled the air. A few monkeys had ran off to, what was Makoto's best guess, get the food that he said he would give them. The Monkey King sprang up and leaped over to the young Senju and happily placed his shoulder onto Makoto and smirked. "This will not be easy. We will start with the basics as of now." Wukong had said turning his back on him to give them distance. "You will start by staying perfectly still, and I mean perfect. You cannot move a single inch while harbouring the nature energy around you. You must become one with nature and feel its presence before utilizing it to its fullest potential. You will feel energy being restored with time yet you will begin to disfigure if your balance is lost. Remember, you have to use the three energies: physical, spiritual and natural in perfect harmony." The Monkey King spoke in concern. It was a lie to say that he was not worried. Both of them were.

[7/7 Senjutsu Master]

To be Continued [Until i rank up]