Waltz of the Butterflies
In the beginning, when Konoha village had just settled, the art of shinobi was created as a way to defend the people and village in times of danger. In time, all shinobi isolated and perfected their preferred art and style. However, a person can only go so far within the limitations of the human body. That problem was solved by the great Akimichi family. The Akimichi clan did not specialize in many forms of ninjutsu, taijutsu, nor genjutsu. Instead, they specialized in herbs. Though they were the most overweight clan known to the villagers, it is thanks to them that the formula for the soldier pills was created, thus, making them one of the most respected clans in Konoha.
In time, the realization of their overconsumption of food was the only way for them to sustain their chakra levels led them to improvise and master the art of growing even bigger: Baika no jutsu, Multi-sizing technique. They had found their specialized style; a substantial increase in power to finish off their opponents. But, the technique had flaws that were clearly seen by those of the ninja world
Time passed on and the village began to lose sight of the accomplishments of the Akimichi clan. Then, one day, an alchemist of an Akimichi was struggling with a new formula. His desire was to create the most powerful pill to be dealt as the clan's trump card. He toiled all day but he had a problem
"Where am I going to get the extra power from?" he wondered out loud. "After all, energy cannot simply be created from a few herbs put together
As he was on the point of a nervous breakdown, his wife came and touched his face softly, soothing his enraged spirit. "Do not worry so much, dear husband. The answer will come to you if you let yourself see it." And with her words of wisdom spoken, she made another suggestion. "Come, darling, let us go out for a walk in the garden. The butterflies are taking flight around this season." He could only smile at her and gave a nod
They walked over to the gardens, seeing the cocoons on the branches and baby larva on the leaves eating away. The alchemist gave a light chuckle but that didn't escape the eyes of his devoted wife
"What's so funny?" she asked
"Heh heh... Oh... Nothing. I was just noticing how those larvas sure do resemble the Akimichi clan. They spend most of the time eating and eating in order to live." he replied, a note of humor still in his voice
"But that's not all they do." she stated. "The larvas eat so they can prepare for the next stage of their life. The cocoon shell they create for themselves is a part of their metamorphosis and they can only survive if they have enough energy to change. When the time comes and their change is complete, they break out of the cocoon a changed being; beautiful and magnificent
And they watched, as one cocoon shifted. The insect that was struggling to break free of it flapped and pushed itself as hard as it could. It squeezed itself out of the small opening, leaving behind all the excess juices it had created from its food and letting its wings dry in the low blowing wind. Other cocoons were now hatching, its residents struggling to break out like it was their prison. In a way, it was their prison from the sky
When their wings had dried, one by one, they took off on their maiden voyage around the garden. They seemed to dance in the afternoon breeze, rejoicing their newfound freedom and happiness. And then, a yell of excitement broke through the air
"I'VE GOT IT!!!" it rang. The alchemist started jumping around, scaring his wife a bit and all the while yelling "I'VE GOT IT I'VE GOT IT"
"What's going on? What have you gotten? Would you stop jumping around? You're scaring me, and the butterflies, too." she said.
"My dear, you are the true genius in our family." With that said, he gave her a deep kiss. After they had both recovered, a hint of a blush still grazed their cheeks.
"Darling wife, it is as I said before in my metaphor. We, Akimichi, are like larvas, eating as much as we can so we can sustain our stamina and chakra. We, too, can become beautiful and strong, like the butterflies and their wings. All we need are the cocoon."
And the alchemist began working on his new formula, a spark of enlightenment and hope in his eyes. At first, he had decided to make this cocoon in the form of one pill. However, he realized that the transition was too sudden and would most definitely kill a person. He had the design in mind already, so a small setback like that didn't even phase him.
The day came where he displayed the greatest invention the clan had ever seen: the 3 colored pills. They were made specifically for the clan and only for the adults who had the experience of controlling their chakra. Each pill slowly transformed the larvas into butterflies. He demonstrated by having the strongest and largest of the clan be his sparring partner.
Before taking any pills, the alchemist gave his opponent a punch to the stomach. It didn't even phase him. He popped the first of pills into his mouth, a green pill. He gave an all out punch and this time, his opponent felt it.
The huge man couldn't believe his eyes. For the first time in a long while, he felt pain in a fight. He stood ready in stance and braced to began the fight. The alchemist saw this and took the next pill into his mouth, a yellow one this time.
The big arm came for the alchemist just after he swallowed but it never touched him. The owner of the arm gave a huge cry of pain as he looked down to see the alchemist landing a punch into his chest this time. The cracks that sliced through the air told him that his ribs were broken but he'd be able to continue the fight.
Finally, the alchemist took the red pill. The strongest man of the clan was just about to give up when he saw something that took his breath away. Not only his, but all of the other families and members of the Akimichi clan. In front of them, stood the alchemist, but not the alchemist. He was changed. He had chakra starting to form in the back of his body. They grew and grew as glowing butterflies flew to it, but all the while his body was shrinking.
"He's losing weight!!!" they all yelled, but they stopped when they saw what had formed behind his back. A set of beautiful butterfly wings made of pure chakra. He gave one look at the ground and gave it a punch even the two brother Hokage would be afraid of.
The earth had split and dust floated to the air. Everyone coughed and blindly felt around for the others. When the dust settled, they saw why the alchemist had aimed at the ground instead of his opponent. The ground was split in two and the fissure created was endless.
The alchemist was collapsed on the ground but he awakened an hour later to the eager eyes of his clansmen. They all acknowledged his discovery and thanked him endlessly for creating such a great weapon for the Akimichi clan. He responded with a warning, "Don't overuse them. They are powerful but they cause a lot of damage to the body. I only woke up this quickly because I lowered the dosage in each pill. But as you can see, even a little is enough to hurt." His clansmen now knew the risks. But from that day on, the alchemist's pills were used by the Akimichi clan.
The next day, the alchemist and his wife sat on their porch, staring into the garden. "Genius wife" he said, "shall we waltz with out beloved friends?"
"Why, I thought you'd never ask" she replied.
And together, they walked off to see the butterflies and danced along to the melodius flaps of their wings.
(A/N: They brought their music too P)
Well, I hoped you all enjoyed this little story. I welcome all comments and flames as well. However, please limit yourselves to constructive criticism, as in siting what problems you see and what I could change to fix that. Thank you and may you all continue enjoying Naruto as I will.