[Takahashi Akio]

Akio embarked from the hidden pools of Takigakure as he made his way to his favorite meditation and training spot, his steps light and purposeful. The path that he walked was the one he took nearly every morning, a winding trail that snaked through the dense jungle, leading him deeper into the heart of nature's embrace. As usually was the case before he started meditating, the air felt charged with vitality, each breath infusing him with the energy of the world around him.

As he walked, the sounds of his footsteps crunched and rustled the leaves underfoot, and created a gentle symphony that matched the cadence of the surrounding nature; the crunching of the leaves was almost melodically in time with the song of the birds that lived in the jungle. The young sage made his way through the occasional rays of sunlight that managed to filter through the dense foliage that hung overhead, and the melodies of nature pulled him deeper into the jungle, as each footstep he took continued to wear down his daily path.

The occasional verdant underbrush gently reached out onto his pathway, but rather than breaking down the plants like a typical forester might to make a better man-made path through the jungle Akio would maneuver around or over these plants, leaving them undisturbed and allowing them to continue to grow naturally. Should new foliage ever break his pathway completely, he was mindful to simply start making a new pathway.

Word Count: 245

[Takahashi Akio]

As Akio came to the end of his journey, he finally emerged from the depths of the jungle and the tree line parted to reveal his favorite vista within the jungle. It was a natural clearing in the heart of Bonchi no Kuni near a small river, and it was his favorite location for several reasons. Not only had he made massive strides training to achieve mastery of natural energy here, but he’d also spent a lot of his formative years playing in the river here as a child.

With each step he took, the carpet of grass beneath his feet grew softer, as if nature itself guided him to the heart of the jungle. A cool breeze swept through, carrying with it the whispers of distant waterfalls and the fragrance of wildflowers. The air itself almost seemed to vibrate with a subtle hum, as the insects let loose a harmonious buzzing.

Finally, when Akio stopped his trek at the base of a large tree, he would naturally set his backpack down into the indent that had formed over the past couple of months. He stood for a brief moment more, his eyes drinking in the beauty that lay spread out before him, before he finally sat in his usual spot. His eyes casually surveyed the surrounding trees, their leaves rustling softly in a mesmerizing dance as he finally began to calm himself for the morning’s meditation.


Word Count: 239

[Takahashi Akio]

As he took everything in, a profound sense of belonging washed over Akio. He felt like a mere speck in the grand tapestry of the natural world, yet at the same time, an integral part of its intricate design. The jungle beckoned to him, but not with the same level of clarity it called to Keiko or his master Ryu. What they felt were the energies of the wild, and Akio really enjoyed being enveloped by nature.

As the young sage sat with his legs crossed, his senses were overwhelmed by the rich tapestry of scents that wafted through the air. The sweet fragrance of blooming flowers mingled with the earthy aroma of damp soil, the delicate perfume of wild herbs, and the invigorating scent of moss. These smells infused the atmosphere, and honestly they brought with them a sense of calm that Akio needed to start his morning meditation.

After taking a deep breath the young sage’s eyes would finally close as birds of myriad colors flitted around through the canopy, their melodious songs somehow both simultaneously calming and distracting. Their wings created fleeting bursts of sound as they darted from tree to tree, adding an ethereal touch to the already picturesque scene. Butterflies and other insects danced around the young sage as he finally began to calm the buzzing energies within, and slowly began to pull at the strands of natural energy around him and pull them into his body.



Word Count: 243

[Takahashi Akio]

At the tender age of 20, Akio had finally achieved a level of proficiency in harnessing natural energy that granted him access to the vast reserves of chakra that enveloped the world. This extraordinary gift, known as sage mode, was a feat that often took a lifetime of dedicated meditation to attain. With unwavering devotion, Akio immersed himself in the pursuit of mastering this ancient art, aiming to merge his essence with the elements that surrounded him. Yet, despite his arduous training, he couldn't help but feel the imperfections in his grasp of the art as his body pulled in and absorbed the natural energy.

As the natural energy settled into the young man's body, Akio observed with a mix of fascination and trepidation as scales gradually covered his extremities and his throat expanded to accommodate a massive, chameleon-like tongue. His body underwent a rather startling transformation, and yet this was what the young sage had come to expect when gathering natural energy. The visible evidence of his imperfect control over the art of senjutsu was undeniable. Unlike normal jutsu, where an adept shinobi could compensate for imperfect control with additional chakra, senjutsu demanded a level of precision that left no room for error. Even the slightest misstep or lack of control would result in a dramatic and animalistic transformation of the user's physical form.

In fact, a complete failure could result in a sage's death if they weren't careful.

Word Count: 240

[Takahashi Akio]

Nevertheless, Akio remained undeterred. He released the natural energy from within his body with a deep exhalation, allowing his appearance to gradually return to normal. With each breath, he released all remnants of the gathered energy, preparing himself for another attempt. It was a cycle of release and intake, an intricate dance between his will and the flow of nature's energy.

Solitude was the only way he could truly practice such delicate control over the influx of natural energy into his body, attempting to refine his mastery over the art. Undeterred by the imperfections he encountered, Akio simply took another breath and prepared mentally for another attempt. He understood that true mastery of senjutsu required patience, perseverance, and an unwavering commitment to honing his control. With each attempt, he delved deeper into the mysteries of natural energy, striving to align his own essence with the harmonious flow of the world around him.

The path to becoming a sage wasn't an easy one by any stretch of the imagination, but Akio was resolute in his pursuit, knowing that the rewards of achieving true harmony with nature would give him access to a power that would almost guarantee his safety whenever he finally decided to travel the world. In preparations for a second attempt at gathering natural energy, Akio would reposition and get comfortable before taking a deep breath to prepare himself.


Word Count: 230

[Takahashi Akio]

The sun slowly marched its way across the sky, marking the passage of time as Akio persisted in his attempts to harness natural energy more effectively. The hours slipped away unnoticed as he immersed himself in the rhythmic cycle of gathering and releasing, each repetition a stepping stone on his path to mastery. With each subsequent attempt, he would adjust and reattempt gathering natural energy; and since the feel of natural energy was radically different for every individual he was probably at a point where the only thing that’d help him learn was repetition with slight variations or some eureka moment.

Morning turned to midday, and the jungle itself seemed to hold its breath in anticipation of Akio's growth as a sage. The once-vibrant greenery around him appeared to have a watchful presence, as if the very essence of nature observed his every move. Despite his unwavering dedication, the young sage faced numerous setbacks. Imperfect control and fluctuations in focus caused his body to undergo not only the usual transformation associated with his normal sage mode, but each time he was far from the desired result.

Without anyone with him he had to be a lot more careful about gathering too much natural energy, and maybe that trepidation was part of what was slowing his progress. With no one to bonk him and prevent him from turning into some weird lizard statue, every attempt he made had its own hesitation to it which acted as a blocker for him achieving the next stage of his training.


Word Count: 257

[Takahashi Akio]

Time and time again, Akio released the gathered natural energy, taking deep breaths to steady himself before embarking on a new attempt. The occasional ray of sunshine peaked down on him from behind the canopy, casting a warm glow over his determined form. Despite sitting still underneath the shade of the canopy, beads of perspiration glistened on his forehead as if he were performing intense physical training. The level of focus required to still his own energies was immense for the young sage.

With each attempt, Akio's confidence and comfort in gathering natural energy grew and with every minute that he spent gathering natural energy, less and less unforeseen setbacks occurred. Although frustration threatened to cloud his thoughts, he pushed through, finding solace in the knowledge that he had made strides towards mastery within the past year that he thought might take him a decade or longer.

Although Akio continued to grow scales and gain lizard-like features, such as the massive chameleon-like tongue inside his gullet, with every attempt he began to get a feeling for the balance of natural energy and chakra within him. As his feeling for this natural equilibrium improved, his sage mode became a bit more consistent, which would be necessary for him to be able to utilize the form properly in combat.



Word Count: 217

[Takahashi Akio]

As the morning waned, Akio paused for a moment to catch his breath and finally took a sizeable break from his back to back training sets. His eyes finally opened to take in the lush green jungle once again and he casually laid back to stare at the canopy. Oddly enough, sitting still for hours was incredibly exhausting especially with the amount of focus and concentration it took to maintain the balance of energies within.

The fatigue of his endeavors were beginning to weigh down on him, so Akio surrendered to slumber's swift embrace. His eyelids grew heavy, and his body sank into the welcoming embrace of the mossy ground. The sounds of the jungle became distant echoes as he drifted into a peaceful mid-day nap, his dreams interwoven with more training and adventures in the jungle.

The soft chirping of birds and the gentle sway of branches were the young sage’s lullaby, helping him drift quickly to sleep after a long morning of training. In his restful state, Akio became one with the jungle, more-so than he had done during his entire session of training. His breathing synchronized with the rhythm of nature, as if he had tapped into the very life force that pulsed through the jungle. It was only natural that his waking thoughts were holding him back and he was much more in tune with the natural world without those stray thoughts to hold him back.


Word Count: 241

[Takahashi Akio]

In the tranquil embrace of the jungle clearing, Akio found solace and rejuvenation. The wild essence of the jungle seeped into his slumbering being, renewing his spirit and replenishing his energy; and when he finally awoke almost an hour later, he would rise with a quiet yawn, refreshed and ready to continue his journey as a young sage, forever bound to the untamed rhythms of the natural world. Without much fanfare Akio would slowly pop back into an upright position before digging into the bag he’d plopped onto the ground for his lunch, some simple rice balls that looked like they’d been put together by a child.

As he chomped into them, thoughts and questions of his training and natural energy in general bubbled into his mind. He had several questions, like why couldn’t he sense natural energy the same way Keiko could. She always referred to it as a song, and that nature called to her naturally. Even when Akio was trying to pull the energy into his body it was more like nonsensical buzzing rather than a song that called to him. He’d take another bite of the rice ball and continue to think about it a little bit. He definitely wasn’t a natural sage like Keiko, and maybe he had a fundamental misunderstanding of natural energy and what it meant to gather it.

Word Count: 231

[Takahashi Akio]

His mind and body were both relatively still as far as he could tell, maybe the real issue was his approach to pulling in natural energy. The young sage apprentice had been trying to forcefully pull the energy into his body, and maybe that put his spirit or chakra into unrest. The young sage apprentice nommed on his second rice ball as the most important thought hit his head, ‘Maybe I need to gather energy… without gathering energy.’ The thought was a little nonsensical by itself, but the true idea was that rather than forcing the natural energy into his body maybe he could simply hold onto the energy as it naturally flowed through his body just like it did the rest of the natural world.

That would require a completely different approach from what he had been using up til now, and the young sage would consequently blurt out loud with rice flying everywhere, "How the hell does this shit even work!? I can’t feel it except when I'm trying to pull it in, so how the hell do I capture something I can’t sense or feel?” He’d half flail his arms in frustration before flopping back onto the ground. It’s not like the jungle could really answer his question; hell, Keiko probably couldn’t even answer his question. According to her, natural energy felt different for her so it probably felt different for everyone.

Word Count: 240

[Takahashi Akio]

While lying back and staring at the canopy he’d haphazardly bring the rice ball back to his mouth before it disappeared down his gullet in one final bite. He’d close his eyes one last time and try to bring his waking thoughts to fruition by just trying to hold the natural energy that flowed into him instead of pulling it in. It went about as well as he expected.

Not only could he not feel the buzzing that he normally felt when he drew natural energy into his body, but he wasn’t even capturing any energy right now. It was like trying to catch water with a net. It was almost like taking a second nap, but it was much less fruitful in the long run. The young sage apprentice lay there for a few minutes visualizing what he was trying to do; but at his current skill level something like this was well out of his reach, if it were even possible to do in the first place.

He had trouble taking these kinds of questions to Ryu, and was really hoping he just needed to spend some more time letting the puzzle rattle around his head. He’d need to give it a fair shake before he could even reasonably confirm whether the idea had any merit. Also, even if this idea weren’t truly what was blocking him from a higher level of mastery, it might be something that he would be able to utilize in future for a jutsu or something.


Word Count: 258

[Takahashi Akio]

No matter if he had achieved a true breakthrough or not, today was not a good day for Akio, the aspiring sage apprentice, to bask in the warm embrace of the jungle. Today was the day Akio, shinobi of Takigakure, needed to stop shirking his duties and finally pick up a mission or something. Lately he had devoted so much time to training out in nature that his financial resources were dwindling, making it difficult to keep up with his rent. Determined to make ends meet, he knew he had to check the mission board before the day's end to find at least something to buy some rice and pay rent.

With that final thought in his mind, he swiftly grabbed his empty lunch sack and lept to his feet with boundless energy. Unlike earlier, when he strolled to maintain a calm state for senjutsu training, now Akio bolted through the worn down path he’d just taken earlier this morning. The young shinobi effortlessly lept over the foliage that was growing over the path and he deftly maneuvered around the young trees that had started taking root on the path. If nothing else came from today, at least he had a nice nap and some tasty, yet oddly shaped, rice balls; maybe next time he’d uncover the secrets of the universe and gain some higher mastery.



Word Count: 228