[Uchiha Miroru]

Uchiha Miroru

Konohagakure No Sato

Genin

Hyūga Shigure | 238 | notes

There weren't many private training grounds within Kuwana, but there were some, and Shigure had managed to schedule time at one of them. Miroru had to get up early for them to make their scheduled time, but that was okay. She could handle that.

As she got ready for the day, she took a moment to summon up a couple of the tiny Bakenokawa foxes, asking one to hurry down to the training area so the other could tell her if Shigure arrived before her. For now, she rushed through her morning rituals- cleaning up, getting dressed, and grabbing a thermos of miso soup and a tuna-mayo onigiri on her way out the door.

She ate the rice ball as she ran, the tiny fox sitting on her shoulder, eating a nibble or two from beneath its mask as it was offered. It didn't need much, after all, being squirrel sized, but it seemed it was appreciated.

Well before the appointed time, Miroru scampered into the private training area and moved to head in, possibly walking in on Shigure warming up or- whatever else he might be doing! Otherwise, she sat down with the two tiny foxes, one on each knee, and drank her soup while she waited.

"Just don't give up on me! We can figure this out!"

Template by: Monkey

MISSIONS
D - 0 | C - 1 | B - 0 | A - 0 | S - 0

[Hyūga Shigure]

"ever forward". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." THE PRICE OF FREEDOM The Chuunin Exams were going to be officially starting in a little more than a week, but most participants were already in Kuwana. Shigure had arrived after most of them, due to the injuries he had sustained fighting his father, and his body was still recovering from that. However, he was good enough to help others train, and even train himself a bit, as long as he respected the limits of his body. That day, he was supposed to meet up with Miroru. They hadn't really seen each other since that fateful day when he found out she was the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox. When Miroru arrived there, Shigure was sitting down, his eyelids closed but the veins around it showing that his Byakugan was activated. The lotus position, with the crossed legs and hands resting on his thighs a clear sign he was meditating. As she approached, he would slowly open his eyes and greet her with a caring smile. "I told you I would be okay, didn't I?" he said, even though his tone was clearly bittersweet. He had succeeded, that was true, but at the same time, he had lost his mother, and that caused him immense pain. Still, there was no changing to the past, and crying over the spilled milk was a fool's errand, for he knew - from the very beginning - the liberation of the branch house would not come for free. The price of freedom is always steep. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Training Kuwana's Training Grounds [Uchiha Miroru] [248 words]

[Uchiha Miroru]

Uchiha Miroru

Konohagakure No Sato

Genin

Hyūga Shigure | 227 | notes

The very first thing Miroru does is rush to Shigure, pause only enough to slow down and drop to her knees, and hurl her arms around him gently. "You're okay. I heard you were okay. But it's different. To see you." Her breaths are hard, fast. She steps back after a moment, giving him a chance to hug back if he likes, and looks up, biting her lip. "How... how bad was it? How bad were you hurt?"

She nods at his reply, admitting, "You did. You did and I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I was just terrified if I didn't try, you wouldn't come back and it'd be my fault."

The redhead sits back and curls her knees to her chest, hugging her arms around them. "You looked like you were doing a bit of meditation. I have been learning a bit of that myself, to- you know. Get in touch with... my inner self," she says, not sure if it's safe to be open about what the current state of things is. "Is it hard to do? I would imagine that your eyes can pop through your eyelids- does closing them provide much serenity?"

"Just don't give up on me! We can figure this out!"

Template by: Monkey

MISSIONS
D - 0 | C - 1 | B - 0 | A - 0 | S - 0

[Hyūga Shigure]

"ever forward". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." LIMITS OF STRENGTH His heart skipped a beat when Miroru hugged him, and he responded in kind. She was like his own little sister, only they were closer than Shigure was to Asuka, due to the interference of his late father. Then, as they broke away from the hug, she asked how bad was it, and he sighed, his eyes showing hints of sadness. "It was pretty bad. If Kazuto hadn't shown up, I would've been killed... He... He closed three hundred and fifty six of my tenketsus, damaged all my organs... But my mother... She stopped him... And then... Wahei-kun... He managed to save my life." that was quite the summary, and he had omitted the death of his mother on purpose, that still being a sort of a sore spot for him, something he blamed himself to an extent. "If only I had been stronger..." but there was no point holding on to such thoughts. "Don't apologize. I... I wasn't strong enough yet. Not against that technique... I... I was naïve to think he wouldn't use it against me." he sighed, shaking his head. The change in subject was welcomed, and he nodded. "It is hard. Emptying your mind is tricky, and requires a lot of focus and patience. When I started, I could only do it for a few minutes at a time. But as you insist, powering through your own frustrations, it gets easier. As for my eyelids... They don't make a difference! Hahahaha! I can see through them." he admitted. "But, I guess there's some psychological aspect to it, which makes it easier for me to focus. So yeah... It does." he said with a firm nod. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Training Kuwana's Training Grounds [Uchiha Miroru] [282 words]

[Uchiha Miroru]

Uchiha Miroru

Konohagakure No Sato

Genin

Hyūga Shigure | 234 | notes

"Senju-sama had to save you..?" Miroru asked quietly, chewing harder on her lower lip, clearly upset. "I-I'm glad he did! A-and that Wahei-sama helped, too! See, building loyal relationships is really important, you can't just bully everyone around like your dad did!"

The number of tenketsus blocked made Miroru go pale and she stuttered, "B-but that means you only had five left..! You almost- ALMOST-" She bit her lip terribly hard as it quivered, trying to keep her eyes from shimmering.

"How am I not gonna apologize..?! It's important to own your mistakes so you can grow from them, and so everyone knows that's not how you wanna be!" Miroru protested. "Don't tell me not to apologize, okay..? I'll only say it when I mean it, promise!"

She settled a little as they moved on to discuss meditation, nodding to his lesson, taking in each word. "I knew it...!" She murmured triumphantly as he admitted he could see through them. "Is that what we're gonna work on today? Meditating? Senju-sama's wife told me that it was important to get in touch with... you-know-who that way," she finished awkwardly, still not sure what she should and shouldn't admit.

"Just don't give up on me! We can figure this out!"

Template by: Monkey

MISSIONS
D - 0 | C - 1 | B - 0 | A - 0 | S - 0

[Hyūga Shigure]

"ever forward". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." KEEPING IT AT BAY He nodded when Mirou asked if Kazuto had to save him. "Before I went to confront my father, I sent one of my eagles to Kazuto, with the evidence of what my father did, and telling him I was about to face him." he explained. "He came as soon as he was informed, and it was right before my father could finish me off." the memory of that was rather painful. He had just lost his mother, just before his eyes, and he couldn't do anything about it, but watch in despair, lost in his own helplessness. "Wahei came shortly after, and he gave me the treatment I needed." he added. When she realized he had been five tenketsus from dying, he unwrapped some of his bandages from his arm, and pulled up his mesh shirt, showing the circular bruises covering the spots where his tenketsus were located. His other hand reaching to his own heart. "But I'm okay. You see... I lost my mother, but all members of my clan will now be free. I'm still recovering so that I can issue the edict, but it's close now. I'm about to be able to change the Hyuuga. I will start atoning for the sins of my ancestors." he said, lowering his head. And with that explained, he would then focus on their training, and Miroru guessed correctly. "Miho-san is wise. Since I learned about the Nine-Tails in you, I have been thinking on how can I help you with that. So... I want to try and help you create a channel of communication. Try meditating, while I keep my eyes on your chakra flow. If the Nine-Tails tries to take over, I will be ready. Squeeze my left hand, and I will shut down the first tenketsu in your chakra core and stop that chakra from flowing." he started explaining. "Of course the Nine-Tails can overpower it and unblock it, but I will be quick to block again if that's the case. Being this close and knowing that it can leak out at any time... I believe I'm fast enough to keep it at bay." he continued, hoping to give her enough confidence to give it a shot. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Training Kuwana's Training Grounds [Uchiha Miroru] [372 words]

[Uchiha Miroru]

Uchiha Miroru

Konohagakure No Sato

Genin

Hyūga Shigure | 228 | notes

Miroru listened intently, eyes sad to hear what Shigure had been through, and looked a bit relieved to hear that Kazuto had helped save him, and so had Wahei- but to hear he'd lost his mother left Miroru's jaw hanging, and tears running down her face at last. "No... nonono, that's not FAIR, that isn't fair, Shigure-sensei, you- you just took care of your dad, how could you lose your mom too, that... you must be hurting so bad..!!"

The covnersation topic change helped her focus a little more, but she was clearly still very sad. She nodded, though, as Shigure offered to help her focus and meditate and protect her from any incursions from the Fox. "Okay. I can do that. Should- should I try to see if he'll share any more chakra than he already does? While I have you here to stop it if it goes out of control? I know ultimately, I'm meant to partner fully with him, and learn to meld our talents seamlessly. Or should I just try to connect and communicate for now..?" She looked up at Shigure, waiting for his prompting before she started diving into her own spirit.

"Just don't give up on me! We can figure this out!"

Template by: Monkey

MISSIONS
D - 0 | C - 2c/4i | B - 0 | A - 0 | S - 0

[Hyūga Shigure]

"ever forward". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION Losing his mother had been hard on him, that was certain, but he was trying to look at whichever brightside he could look at, it was his way to cope with the pain. He did what he had to do, and all for the right reasons, and while he would rather he paid the price instead of Sanae, ultimately that would have made his sacrifice pointless, as she wouldn't have the means to change the clan, while he had. He had born into that privileged position - per say - so he was about to use his privilege to bring forth justice and equality. And those things do not come without sacrifice and pain. But as they focused on the meditation training, Miroru wondered if she should try to get the Nine-Tails chakra, and Shigure nodded. "You should, but on your own terms. Try and negotiate with the Nine-Tails. I would suggest even trying to establish some sort of more amicable line of communication, cooperation even. I will make sure things remain under control, so that should give you some solace, and help steel your mind for any negative thought or fear. I'm here for you, after all." he said, petting her head in an attempt to give her the confidence she needed to embark in this new journey. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Training Kuwana's Training Grounds [Uchiha Miroru] [219 words]

[Uchiha Miroru]

Uchiha Miroru

Konohagakure No Sato

Genin

Hyūga Shigure | 273 | notes

"On my own terms..." Miroru murmured, nodding with the instructions. "Okay. I'll make sure I don't let him sucker me into anything silly!" She flashed a bold thumbs up and a brave grin, took a deep breath...

and

fell
into

herself

Miroru opened her eyes to the familiar site of the lake-side shrine. The stone pier extending into the waters from the small clearing surrounded by impenetrable forest; the crystalline levy bordering the waters and helping to hold it back; the empty shrines, twenty of them- or, more, nineteen empty and one with a tiny fox statue making its home there.

---

Externally, Miroru was calm. This seemed familiar to her. Her breathing was steady and her chakra at peace. For the moment.

---

Miroru proceeded peacefully down the grassy slope to the water's edge, and onto the stone pier. Through the massive spirit gate. To the end of the pier, with its little offerings. "Kyuubi-sama? I'd like to talk to you."

Silence.

She fidgeted in the absence of a response, and raised her voice. "Kyuubi-sama! I would like to talk to you!"

Did you think I failed to hear you, stupid ant? You must be as foolish as you are stupid.

---

Miroru's chakra flared- not with Kyuubi's essence, but with the disruption to her emotions from the insult. She managed it, brought it back down, but the repeated prods over her intelligence stung, as much as she didn't like to admit it.

"Just don't give up on me! We can figure this out!"

Template by: Monkey

MISSIONS
D - 0 | C - 2c/4i | B - 0 | A - 0 | S - 0

[Hyūga Shigure]

"ever forward". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." CALM YOUR HEART To Shigure, this was also quite the learning opportunity. He knew about the existence of Jinchuurikis, but - to the best of his knowledge - he had never been that close to one, since he was oblivious to the fact that Koume and the Mizukage were Jinchuurikis themselves. He was pretty confident, however, that he could handle it, at least at her current level of control over her Tailed Beast power, and unless she went full berserk, pouring out more chakra than he could possibly keep at bay, they were safe. Still, his Byakugan carefully watched the flow of her chakra, paying close attention to any oscillation in it, no matter how small it was. His left hand kept on holding her right hand, while his right hand rested on his thigh, ready to act in an instant if needed. After a moment of calm, her chakra flared, but there was no trace of the Kyubi there. He could see that her brain activity was also quite active, but not out of control. "Control your breathing, Miroru-chan. Calm your heart. Everything is under control." he spoke in a soft tone, trying to bring peace and calm to her heart and soul. He was there for her, and he wouldn't let her get hurt. Other than the sound of his words, the only other sound in the area was the whispers of the wind and the distant singing of birds. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Training Kuwana's Training Grounds [Uchiha Miroru] [239 words]

[Uchiha Miroru]

Uchiha Miroru

Konohagakure No Sato

Genin

Hyūga Shigure | 300 | notes

Miroru nodded faintly, her hand squeezing in Shigure's, before slipping back into the depths of her trance.

---

"That's rude, you know. I came here respectfully and asked to talk. I'm your roommate, we're supposed to be friends!"

We are not friends. You are my gaoler.

"I am not!" Miroru protested, stamping one small foot. "You're not my prisoner, you're my guest! You're worthy of respect and I'm not going to bully you."

Then free me.

"You know I can't! You'd hurt people. I'm like- I'm like the village guard. You're big and mean but that doesn't mean you're awful. I still can't let you into the village, but I can come visit you and bring you treats and snacks."

The fox fell silent a moment. He did enjoy being revered. But he was loath to admit it.

Enough of your simpering. What did you want?

Miroru took a deep breath. "I want to borrow a little more of your power so I can learn to use it properly. I want people to know that you're still powerful, and show them that even in my hands, it's potent!"

Laughable. You cannot even manage the sliver of power I've allowed you.

"Can so!"

Prove it.

Miroru frowned in determination. "I will!" She moved back to the tiny shrine with the fox inside and held her hands out, drawing the Kyuubi's chakra into herself.

---

The Kyuubi's chakra, familiar from last time, spilled into Miroru's network. This time- for now, at least- it holds steady. No sign of loss of control. Just... foreign chakra racing through her tenketsus under Shigure's watchful eyes.

"Just don't give up on me! We can figure this out!"

Template by: Monkey

MISSIONS
D - 0 | C - 2c/4i | B - 0 | A - 0 | S - 0

[Hyūga Shigure]

"ever forward". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." HOW FAR YOU'VE COME He could only imagine how it must feel, to have such a powerful, sentient creature sealed inside of your core. A creature that is full of negative emotions, and generations of hatred brewing inside of it, urging for the freedom it could never have. And to put such a burden on the shoulders of such a young girl, it was too much. But such was the reality of the Ninja World. Without the Jinchuuriki, the power balances between the nations would shift, as it was proven when the Rain brought a capable Jinchuuriki to the battle field, showing the Leaf that they could no longer afford to indulge in the whimsical nature of the former host of the Nine-Tails. If anything, Miroru had the will of fire burning deep inside of her, if anyone could manage to harness the power of the Nine-Tails, it was going to be the young Uchiha. "I'm proud of you, Miroru-chan... For your bravery and resilience. And I will be by your side always, to help you, whenever you need me." he thought to himself, his eyes focusing on her chakra. The surge of the Nine-Tails chakra alerted Shigure, who readied his index and thumb to shut it down in case it seemed to be out of control, risking overwhelm the girl, but despite the influx, it remained steady, so he didn't have to act just yet. "Impressive... She is already able to handle that much power while remaining calm. Her brain seems peaceful as well." he thought to himself, with a smile taking over his feature. He knew Miroru struggled for years, feeling like she was not a proper Uchiha as she failed to awaken the Sharingan. But now? She held a power much stronger than her clan's doujutsu. She had the greatest power in the entire ninja world. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Training Kawana's Training Grounds [Uchiha Miroru] [308 words]

[Uchiha Miroru]

Uchiha Miroru

Konohagakure No Sato

Genin

Hyūga Shigure | 226 | notes

In her inner world, chakra surged around Miroru, starting to mirror her appearance to the fox's own, her hair blown back into faux ears and black streaks pouring back from her eyes into each. The grass rippled away from her at the output of constrained power as she lifted her chin and called out.

"There! See? I can handle it! I've used it to fight Shigure-sensei, to fight Hatake-sama, and to take out Yamanaka-sama's puppets! So- let me prove I can handle more! Let me make you proud, and show everyone the power of the Ninetailed Beast!"

The response was silence- but ponderous silence. It was- different, to be asked to share his power instead of demanded to relenquish it. To be revered and respected as a being and not as a tool.

Very well. A test, then, ant. See if you can take this back to your hill intact.

---

Miroru gasped aloud as the chakra flooding her system redoubled, flooding her network with extremely potent chakra! She shivered and shuddered as it overflowed and spilled down her back, rippling into the facsimile of the Kyuubi's first tail!

"Just don't give up on me! We can figure this out!"

Template by: Monkey

MISSIONS
D - 0 | C - 2c/4i | B - 0 | A - 0 | S - 0

[Hyūga Shigure]

"ever forward". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." TENKETSU NEEDLE Miroru continued to channel the chakra of the Nine-Tails fox, and things seemed to be under control until... Well, until they were not. Shigure's eyes widened when he noticed the overflowing chakra growing from the spiral in her core, and spreading out to the point it was pouring out of her skin, creating a cloak. However, this time the cloak was not only just a flame of chakra enveloping her body. No, this one was taking shape as a true cloak, with even a tail forming on her back. "Not good. I need to put a stop into this." he thought to himself as he readied his finger. He could feel the heat emanating from her, and the hand that was holding hers was already feeling the overwhelming heat. With his fingers ready, Shigure would strike five of her main core tenketsus, the gateway for the Fox's chakra to come out, forcing it to shut down. It wasn't just your regular tenketsu strike either, it was a precise strike with the sole goal of plugging the chakra flow to halt even the use of continuous technique. Moreover, due to Shigure's particular proficiency with the Gentle Fist, it made it harder for the flow to return on the tenketsus once he plugged it, so he hoped that the power of the NIne-Tails, while still at one tail, was something he could still put a stop to. At this point, however, Shigure could only hope this was going to work, otherwise, he would have to resort to his plan B, and he really hoped he could avoid it, for it would push his body quite a lot, and he was still not back to his full health. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." Training Using Tenketsu Needle to plug her firs 5 tenketsus in her chakra core [Uchiha Miroru] [296 words]

Technique used:

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Jūken: Tenketsushin [Gentle Fist: Tenketsu Needle]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu
REQUIREMENT: Hyuuga Clan [Main House] and Byakugan
DESCRIPTION:
Targeting a single chakra point, the user delivers a two-fingered strike at the opponent, in an attempt to plug the chakra that's being used and halt its flow. This technique, while simple, is quite useful to disrupt and stop the use of techniques that require a constant flow of chakra.

[Uchiha Miroru]

Uchiha Miroru

Konohagakure No Sato

Genin

Hyūga Shigure | 233 | notes

"GWAAGH!" Miroru sputtered as she jerked back to her normal self, the chakra shroud dispersing with a shredding puff. "Oh. Oh I HATE that. That feels AWFUL. You-" The redhead groaned and twisted her feet, grinding her heels into the ground. "We were working together..! I asked him to let me prove I could handle it, and he let me try! I thought I was doing okay..."

She looked up at Shigure, looking worried. "Did I miss something? Was I messing up? I didn't think I was."

Tell him he is interfering in our development.

"Oh! Um. He says you are interfering in our development!"

Ask him if he wants you to be a crippled vessel.

"And- wow, that's kinda mean. He wants to know if you want me to be a crippled ves-"

Tell him I have had enough of Konoha's boys sticking things into my vessels.

"-er- he says he's had enough of Konoha boys sticking things into his vessels? .... wait, what does that mean? Like his chakra?"

Why don't you go ask Toshizou and Kazuto?

"Did Hatake-sama and Senju-sama shove chakra into your vessels, too?" Miroru was in over her head in this conversation. That much was clear.

"Just don't give up on me! We can figure this out!"

Template by: Monkey

MISSIONS
D - 0 | C - 2c/4i | B - 0 | A - 0 | S - 0