Not a lot has been happening the last couple of chapters...my bad. It's such a drag, as Shikamaru would say. I looked up the Chinese/Japanese phoenix, and it was really weird, so I tried to base the description off of that. There's also the thing about dragons being polar opposites of phoenixes, as far as the Chinese phoenix. Anyway, be warned: Some cheesiness is up ahead.
After giving Kaiya a few minutes to digest all of the information he had just shared with her, Kuro stepped away from the tree, staring down at his new pupil. "Now that we've taken care of that and there are no more distractions, we'll begin," he announced. Kaiya let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding.
"It's about time," she muttered. Kuro scoffed.
"I suggest you don't take this so lightly," he warned. "If you're not serious enough during this training, you'll die. Is that clear?" Kaiya gulped and nodded. "Very good. Now, come with me." Kuro led her to an open area in the forest that appeared to be an old training ground. They stood in the middle of it. "Before you learn how to gain control over your Legend, I want to make an assessment of your abilities beforehand." Kaiya raised an eyebrow.
"Assessment of my abilities?" she repeated skeptically. "I thought you said you knew everything about me." Kuro's eyebrows furrowed as he let out a sigh.
"Yes, I did say that. But I also said that I've studied you all but in person. That's why we're here." Kaiya nodded.
"Ok, I see now. So, what do you want me to do? Taijutsu, nin—"
"Shut up and pay attention." Kaiya's eyebrow twitched as her mentor took the scroll from his back, unrolling it as he tossed it to the ground. "This shouldn't be very hard for someone like you to master. You have an above-average reserve of chakra, though you need to gain better control of it. This will be the perfect jutsu to teach you how." Kaiya stared at the scroll, mouth agape, seeing that it was full of names in red ink and what appeared to be bloody fingerprints. She raised her eyebrow suspiciously, crossing her arms.
"And what exactly is 'this'?" she wondered. Kuro's hands went to his hips.
"Today, I will teach you the summoning jutsu," he stated. "You've seen it before, haven't you?" Kaiya tapped her chin with her index finger, then nodded.
"Yeah, I think so. Kakashi summons ninja hounds." Kuro nodded in return.
"That's right. Kakashi is a summoner. Do you know of anyone else?" Kaiya tried to think of more, but she hadn't seen a lot of the Jonin she'd trained with in actual battle. She shrugged.
"Kakashi's the only one I know of. But I'm sure there are more around." Kuro tapped his well-toned arms, frowning.
"Yes, there are several that have come through his village that are able to summon different types of creatures," he informed her. "For instance, the Legendary Sannin were all able to perform a summoning; the Third and Fourth Hokage, Anko Mitarashi, and your parents were all a handful of others." Kaiya blinked.
"My parents could do a summoning?" she asked. Kuro nodded.
"Of course," he answered. "They were both ANBU status, so they were able to do several high-level techniques, though this is on the lesser scale. Your mother summoned snakes, and your father, well…he's the one who taught me this jutsu." An excited grin crossed Kaiya's face.
"That's so cool! So if he taught you the summoning technique it must mean that you both summon the same thing, right?" Kuro smirked.
"Correct. And you will follow in our footsteps."
"And what do you summon, Kuro?" she inquired impatiently. She wondered if she sounded like Naruto at the moment, excited over learning a new jutsu. A slight breeze blew their long hair around their shoulders gently, but they paid no attention to it.
"Watch closely," Kuro instructed. He bit his thumb and broke the skin, causing fresh blood to appear on the surface, dripping off his finger. Next he made a few hand signs, slamming his palm on the ground, just like she'd seen Kakashi do countless times before. "Summoning Jutsu!" A large kanji symbol appeared across the ground under him, before a cloud of smoke obscured Kaiya's vision. When it cleared, Kuro was sitting atop a giant red wolf; its shoulders were level with Kuro's height. Kaiya took a step back in amazement.
"Wow…" she murmured. "You summoned a wolf. And it's huge." Kuro showed his student a smug grin.
"Kaiya, this is Kemono." He patted the wolf on the back, and it glared down at her with large, yellow eyes. She swallowed hard.
"Hello," the canine said with a bow. "Nice to meet you." It came out almost in a growl, intimidating Kaiya slightly. She smiled nervously.
"H-hello. Nice to meet you too." A sweat drop slid down the back of her head. This thing's pretty scary… she thought. Despite that, there was a tinge of anticipation swelling up inside of her. I'll be able to do that soon enough…just like my father did.
After a few moments, Kemono poofed away. Kuro pointed down to the scroll and said, "Sign the contract in your own blood, then place your fingerprints at the bottom." Kaiya nodded, lowering herself to the ground in front of it. She could see Kuro's name etched in blood in-between an empty space on the right and her father's name on the left. Her eyes widened. She bit her thumb and signed her name slowly onto the paper, then left her fingerprints in blood at the bottom, just as Kuro commanded. It was probably the strangest way to sign a contract that Kaiya had ever seen, but if her father and new trainer had done it before her, she wouldn't question it.
After taking it all in, Kaiya stood to her feet and faced Kuro. He nodded. "Try it." She smirked, making the hand signs and slamming her palm on the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Kuro's face fell as a small, brown pup sat at Kaiya's ankle, panting in the warm afternoon sun. It was no bigger than Akamaru. A sweat drop slid down both Kaiya's and Kuro's heads.
"Well, I wish I could say I've seen worse…" Letting out a sigh, Kuro scratched the back of his head. "Alright, try it again. This time, use more chakra." Kaiya inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as she made more hand signs.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
…
"It's been a week, and you still can't summon a decent-sized wolf," Kuro murmured, shaking his head. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he let out a deep sigh. They were in the same spot they'd been for the past seven days, and he was really growing sick of the scenery. "Kami, where did I go wrong?" Kaiya growled, wiping sweat from her brow. She'd been working hard all day without a break, and evening was approaching. Her forehead protector had slid off long ago due to all the perspiration she was producing, and was lying on the ground next to her. She was about ready to give up. How embarrassing was it that she couldn't perform a jutsu such as this?
Breathing heavily, she dropped to her knees, bending over on all fours as she tried to gain her composure. She was almost out of chakra. "This sucks," she heaved, her chest rising and falling dramatically. This is the exact reason why she hated using ninjutsu—because of the heavy toll it took on her body when she used too much. She hated feeling empty inside, and the pain it caused her insides was ten times worse than the exhaustion her muscles received after practicing taijutsu for a day. She was glad none of her comrades were able to see her, or else they'd mock her for being so fatigued. She was one who didn't usually tire easily, thanks to her intense physical training.
"Quit your complaining and keep trying," Kuro demanded tersely, his arms crossed firmly over his chest. "You'll never get anywhere by whining." He lounged on a low tree branch, staring down at his student disapprovingly. "You really are pathetic, you know that?" Gritting her teeth, Kaiya struggled to her feet and made the signs again.
"Shut up! I'm doing the best I can." She slammed her scratched and dirty palm on the ground. The skin was raw and had almost broken from being pressed to the soil constantly for the past seven days. Her eyebrows furrowed when she summoned a wolf the size of a large dog. She was improving (slowly), but she still had a long way to go before she summoned something like Kemono. Kuro sighed again.
"Well, it looks like your best just isn't good enough," he pointed out matter-of-factly. "Guess we're going to have to take extreme measures." Kaiya's eyes lowered in suspicion.
"Extreme measures?" she repeated incredulously. "Just what do you mean by that?" Kuro shot her a wry grin as he jumped down from the tree and began muttering to himself.
"It's definitely dangerous, but it might be the only way to get it through that thick skull of hers. But if it goes wrong, I'll have to make a quick break for it before someone discovers the body...not that there will be much of her left. I can't believe this girl is so pathetic…" Kaiya frowned.
"Hey! Are you listening to me? What the hell are you mumbling about?" Kuro stopped talking to himself and turned his attention to her once again.
"Come with me," he instructed, walking towards the exit of the woods opposite of the village gates. Kaiya followed him cautiously to the edge of a large cliff overlooking Konoha. It was just like the spot Sasuke brought her to watch the sunrise, only much higher. She blushed at the memory, peering down the cliff. She took several steps back, holding her head that was now swimming. She had been afraid of heights for years.
"Why the hell did you bring me over here?" she asked quizzically. "Did you want to watch the sunset or something?" Kuro frowned at her sarcasm, hitting her in the back of the head with considerable force. Her head jolted forward, almost causing her to lose balance. "Hey! What was that for, jerk?!" Kaiya grabbed her temple, moving away from him heatedly.
"If you want to waste time for the next three weeks on this simple jutsu then be my guest." His tone was stern and frustrated—more than usual. "However, don't expect me to stick around the whole time if you intend to do so. I have many things I wish to teach you, but you need to master this first. Before you do that, however, give me your necklace." Kaiya blinked, surprised at his request. He held out his hand, waiting. Though she was hesitant, she eventually unhooked it from behind her head, placing it in his hand. He nodded. "It became clear that the six-tails' conscience took control of your body in times of anxiety or trouble," he stated. "So maybe if your life is in danger, you will be able to meet with your Legend and be given permission to control its chakra." Kaiya frowned.
"Wait…so you have me standing on this cliff to—" Kaiya's eyes widened as she figured it out, but it was already too late. Kuro made quick hand seals, slamming his fist into the dirt.
"Earth Style: Mudslide!" Kaiya tried to keep her balance as the soil from the ground shifted, pouring over the edge of the cliff in a landslide that took Kaiya with it. She screamed for what seemed like hours as she plunged towards the village.
"Aaaaah!" She closed her eyes in order not to dwell on her fear. Damn that Kuro…just what the hell does he think he's doing? He's outside of his mind!
"Kaiya, calm down." Kaiya's eyes shot open at the sound of the familiar voice. Only, when she opened her eyes, she wasn't falling. Instead, she had sunken into the depths of her subconscious.
It was bright and warm, and the grass beneath her feet was a refreshing green, with blooming lilies and various other types of flowers stretching as far as the eye could see. Again, there was no sky; there was just a dark vastness above her, nothing else. Still, there was light, and she had no trouble seeing anything.
She suddenly appeared in front of a large cage, remembering what Kuro had told her earlier.
She frowned with determination. This is… At that moment, a bright spark ignited within the darkness of the cage, and a large, golden fire appeared to come to life. She heard a dark chuckle—the same as before.
"So you heard me and were able to come here," it said. Kaiya's eyes lowered.
"You're my Legend, aren't you?" she questioned. "Fenikkusu." There was a loud hiss behind the flames.
"That's not my name, you insolent brat. Now, quiet down and listen to me. I didn't call out to you for a nice little evening chat. I brought you here because if you don't learn how to use my chakra, we will die." Kaiya's eyes widened slightly, the fact that she was falling to her death coming back to mind.
"Damn it, that's right! Well, how do I use your chakra, exactly?" There was a brief moment of silence before Kaiya saw something flicker at the back of the cage. She squinted, hoping it would help her see clearer. Slowly, two eyes opened, revealing large, golden pupils way above Kaiya's head. She looked up in awe, taking a few steps back so that she could see the cage in full view. She still couldn't make out anything but golden flames.
"Don't sound as if it's that easy," the phoenix retorted. "If it wasn't for us being in such a situation, I wouldn't even consider giving a child like you the time of day. To think that you would try to use my chakra." At this point, Kaiya was getting very frustrated.
"Grr! Just tell me already!" The six-tails blinked, then he peered down at his host quietly. As he stirred, Kaiya could see that he was covered in the golden flames, and all but his eyes were hidden. Her gaze lowered. "So that's it. Those flames are covering you, and that's why I can never get a good look at you." The phoenix chuckled.
"It appears you aren't as big of an idiot as I supposed at first," he told her. She scowled. "The flames that you see are part of me and keep my power limited. But I suppose it does no harm at the moment to let you see my full form." The phoenix stretched to full height, and for the first time Kaiya was able to get a good look at what she held inside of her. Her eyes widened and she stumbled backwards, falling on her back at the sight of the six-tails.
"W-whoa!"
Fenikkusu—as Kaiya still referred to him, seeing as she didn't have anything else to call him—was a magnificent creature, almost the size of the cage. His body was white and resembled something between a pheasant and a dragon hybrid; his neck was long and his head was like that of a sparrow; he had golden talons and eyes, and six tails of golden fire, as well as a golden plume protruding the top of its head; the tips of his wings were also made of golden fire. But the most magnificent thing of all was that his entire body was releasing a golden glow that was so bright it almost blinded Kaiya. She realized that this was the light that made up for the sunless sky.
All of a sudden, the doors to the cage burst open—having no chains to keep it closed—and a shockwave of chakra sent Kaiya flying twenty feet in the air.
"Gah!" She managed to land on her feet, sliding about a meter before skidding to a stop in the soft grass. What the hell? A shockwave of chakra?! Incredible!
She was so in awe that she almost forgot where she was. The phoenix's light died down enough for her to look at him without squinting. She lifted her head, staring at him firmly. The shock had disappeared, and now she was determined to get what she came for.
"Kaiya Umachi," Fenikkusu called out. Her eyes narrowed. "Come into my cage." Slightly surprised by the request, Kaiya knew she didn't have time to argue. She did as she was told, boldly entering the now-open cage. Fenikkusu towered over her, and she realized just how huge he really was—and just how insignificant she was. Clenching her fists, her eyes locked onto the golden irises of her Legend.
"What is it?" she asked. Fenikkusu studied her for several moments. The tension between them was so thick it was almost tangible.
"What is the reason you desire my power? Other than the obvious fact that it will save you. I want to know what your personal answer is." Kaiya stared at the phoenix for a few seconds longer, then lowered her gaze to the concrete floor of the cage.
"I…" What was the reason? She hadn't even thought about it, really. "I want to become stronger," she answered, after giving it some thought. "I want to be a great shinobi like my father. I want to be Hokage and protect my comrades and the village I love." Fenikkusu nodded his head slightly.
"Those burdened with great power eventually become bitter, and they stray farther and farther from their goals in order to satisfy an emptiness that can never be filled. Are you fully prepared to walk that path?" Kaiya's eyebrows knit together in confusion.
"Why are you asking me this?" she wondered. The Legend opened its beak, and from out of his mouth a blast of fire came, blowing Kaiya off of her feet. She tumbled to the ground, rolling to a stop a few yards away, though she stayed within the cage. Pushing herself to her feet, she started to make hand signs, thinking a fight had begun. However, she was wrong.
The flames suddenly surrounded Kaiya, swirling around her like a blazing tornado of gold. She couldn't see anything outside the wall of flames, but suddenly she could see what appeared to be flashbacks in the inferno around her. Her eyes widened.
"Wait, these are my…" Her father's face appeared before her, as did the rest of her family; the Third Hokage, Asuma, Kakashi, Ringo, Tzu, Itachi, Naruto, Sasuke, her team—everyone close to her heart—they were all there. Tears slid down her cheeks as different memories with all of them flashed before her eyes. "What's going on?" Fenikkusu spoke behind the wall of fire.
"These people define who you are," he said. "These are the people you claim you want to protect with my power. But there is one man whose face you've never seen who also defines you. Deep in your heart, you want to use my power to destroy him." Kaiya didn't need an explanation; she knew exactly who that man was. Orochimaru… "This is why I asked you if you want to go down the path of great power: Waiting for you is a fork in the road, and to continue on your path you must make a choice."
"A choice?" Kaiya repeated. "What kind of choice?"
"Don't forget that I am a part of you, and I have seen the desires of your heart, Kaiya. Your choices are these: Use my power for revenge, destroy Orochimaru, and be consumed by hatred; or, choose forgiveness and be set free from the chains of vengeance. The path that carries on from revenge is empty and only leads to corruption, and in the end, death; but the path of forgiveness leads to justice and liberation. This is the path stained with light—the path your father paved for you."
Kaiya's breathing halted; her heartbeat stopped abruptly. Her skin became clammy, and sweat dripped down her brow profusely, sliding down her face. "The path my…father paved?"
"Your father's Will of Fire was passed down to you as the last member of the Umachi clan," Fenikkusu explained. "If you want to use my power, you must do so with a pure heart. The Will of Fire is a road of peace and love, protecting what is precious to you with transparent resolve. It is not an easy path to take…not even your father reached the end; he could not fulfill his dream of seeing the world come to peace before his passing—all because of the hatred in Orochimaru. The phoenix is the symbol of peace and justice, not destruction and animosity. If you walk the path of darkness, I will destroy you." Kaiya closed her eyes, letting out a deep sigh.
"If my father paved that road, then I'll walk it." Her eyes shot open, and determination never seen before lied within them. "I'll walk the dark path of power and shed light upon it. Not only that, but I'll complete his journey, and I'll guide others towards that goal of true peace. That is now...my ninja way!" Kaiya raised her right arm, making a fist. Fenikkusu's eyes narrowed.
A few seconds later, the fire died down, and Kaiya was once again face-to-face with her Legend. She waited for something to happen.
Opening his mouth once more, the phoenix breathed on her, though no flames were present this time. Instead, a hazy mist surrounded Kaiya, swirling around her like a warm cloud; she covered her face. After a few moments, the mist disappeared, and she looked up.
"Uh…what the hell happened just now?"
"You will no longer need my permission to use my chakra," Fenikkusu explained. The Umachi clan and I are linked indefinitely. No matter how I may feel about the host, I have a duty to this clan. As a shinobi, you will suffer many heartaches, some far greater than others. However, as you have vowed to seek true peace, I have deemed you worthy of controlling my power, Kaiya Umachi. Use it wisely."
Kaiya blinked, her fingers twitching at what she had just heard. "Th-thank you," she uttered, relief flooding her face. "I can't tell you how overwhelmed I am." After a pause, her eyebrows knit together, and she stared at the phoenix boldly. "I won't fail you. I promise!" At that moment, her right arm began to burn, and steam arose from her wrist down to her forearm, like it was being branded. Kaiya's eyes widened as a small tattoo-like image of a dragon appeared onto her skin. "What the…?"
"Dragons symbolize the opposing force of the phoenix. They can either be helpful or destructive. The choice is now in your hands." Kaiya stared at her arm firmly before nodding.
"I see." Her subconscious began to fade slowly. Before Kaiya was immersed in darkness, she gave her Legend one last look. "So…if Fenikkusu isn't your name, what is it?" she wondered. The phoenix's pupils bore down on Kaiya's now-blurred figure.
"My name is Jin."