The Depths:
Maruku nimbly dodged the massive swing of the bear's claw. The predator was on him again in an instant. Despite its size, it was swift and doubly dangerous. A single direct hit would kill him. The life-threatening danger he found himself in only excited him for some reason.
It was hard to tell time in The Depths, but Maruku's internal clock guessed that about two weeks had passed. During that period of time, he had grown strangely addicted to the thrill of battle and had begun to put himself in increasingly dangerous situations.
"Fire Style: Bolt Strike!" From the tips of his middle and index fingers launched an arrowhead made of pure fire chakra. It was a complicated jutsu that utilized both shape and nature transformation for a devastating long range incendiary attack.
The arrowhead only pierced halfway through the gigantic bear's thick fat. The piercing wasn't the main damage dealer though. It was the fire chakra that dispersed within the target to burn it from within, bypassing durability.
The bear roared and bellowed in pain as its insides were burned. It made one last desperate swing before it dropped to the ground, dead. Maruku looked at the bear and felt deeply unsatisfied. That wasn't nearly challenging enough. He wanted to truly push his limits. To fight without certainty of victory.
Despite not taking any damage his body still ached. There was a strange disconnect between his mind and body. His body tended to act on its own, pushing past its usual physical limits while his mind raced to try and control his actions. This disconnect was what was causing him so much pain, and he found it so much easier to surrender to his instincts. The results tended to be messy but effective, nonetheless. But a ninja needed to keep their wits about them, so he tried to keep his blooming battlelust in control.
He leaped into the darkness, looking for the next challenge. He had more jutsu he wanted to test.
Elsewhere:
Ichijin sat within the darkness, his sword across his lap as he meditated. Team 8 had decided to spend the first two months of their training working on individual studies before meeting back up to improve as a unit. It was incredibly dangerous to be within The Depths by oneself, but that danger and lethality pushed him to newer heights of strength.
As time progressed, he couldn't help but notice the changes that were happening to him. His genjutsu prowess was affecting his own mind. Oftentimes he would find himself to be stronger or faster than he really was. The strange thing was that those illusions manifested themselves with his blade skills.
Ichijin believed that he was stronger and faster, and his enemies would be caught in the act as well, believing the same. It probably had something to do with the fact that he was constantly emitting chakra, even in his sleep. Because of this his sword had become extremely poisonous.
It wasn't physical poison. The sword merely acted as a catalyst for his most dangerous illusions. Illusions that manipulated and teased the five senses, creating an inescapable web of nightmares.
As he sat and reflected, he heard a strange creaking and crawling sound. He opened his eyes and saw a massive spider, easily two stories tall. Its fangs dripped with corrosive venom as it circled Ichijin, leaving a trail of thick sharp webbing behind.
"What a strange bird." He said, in a dream-like voice. He swayed in place as he stood. The spider lunged, spitting venom as it did so. Ichijin deftly twirled out of the way and the spider stopped its attack before it could reach him, no longer seeing the boy as easy prey.
Instead, it jumped up, disappearing into the darkness. "Aw, little birdie, where did you go?" Ichijin bemoaned, lost in his own world. From the darkness a cluster of webbing caught the boy off guard, trapping him.
The spider descended, ready to eat at last. Its fangs dripped with venom as it encroached on its trapped prey. Everything was going its way until it made the fatal mistake of making eye contact with the boy. The spider was frozen in place instantly, just as trapped as the boy before it. Soon it started to foam at the mouth. It convulsed violently as it tried to scurry away as terror dominated every neuron and synapses. But it was too late. Whatever vision the spider had seen had caused a phobia so great that its heart couldn't take it. Its body swelled and it leaked blood from all of its eyes as its heart exploded.
Ichijin finally came too and found himself trapped in webbing. With moderate force he set himself free and observed the dead creature before him. He had no recollection of fighting a spider this big and that was a little off putting.
"How strange." He muttered to himself before returning to his meditation.
Somewhere Else:
Hinata mercilessly struck one of the iron tough tree trunks within The Depths. Her fingers were bruised and bleeding, some even broken but that didn't deter her. Between the conversation she had had with her team, as well as her isolation, she had been forced to confront the feelings that she had hidden away for so long now.
Her resentment, bitterness, frustration. The things she had kept to herself for fear that letting those emotions show would lead her to becoming like her father and so many others in her clan. Those feelings bled into her training and ironically, she had seen more progress in these short weeks than in her entire life.
Part of her worried that in her new pursuit of strength, she would lose her identity. Becoming nothing more than a tool of destruction as was the fate of so many ninja. But another, bigger part of her didn't care. A toxic part of her brain whispered constantly to her. If she was stronger, better, then she wouldn't have to worry about those things at all. Might made right, and if she was going to change how things were, then she should be the mightest. The uncontested strongest.
That toxic mindset helped push her further and leave behind some of the feelings she thought was holding her back. In only a few weeks, her natural talent blossomed, evident with her use of elemental chakra.
Hinata could imbue herself with water chakra for increased dexterity and mobility. She moved and flowed with grace and struck with crushing force. With this power she had created a technique to complement her Gentle Fist fighting style.
Streaming River Crashing Wave
This technique flooded the chakra points in someone's body with water style chakra, slamming into them like a crashing wave. The result was devastating internal damage, and more often than not, a destroyed chakra point. If used on an actual person, they would probably die. Even if they didn't, their chakra network would be forever maligned, crippling their career as a ninja forever.
Her taijutsu wasn't the only thing that had increased. Kurenai had given Hinata a bow for a reason, and that was to make up for her deficiencies at longer ranges. With her Byakugan and a little application of lightning chakra, she became incredibly deadly at long range. While she wasn't as good at using lighting as she was water, the little bit that she could use amplified the piercing potency of an arrow quite well.
Her lack of proficiency with lightning was just another weakness she had to overcome. If she could find a way to utilize both lightning and water at the same time, she could elevate Gentle Fist to the next level.
The Depths:
Kurenai looked over the data she had compiled from observing her students. The harsh environment did wonders in forcing them to adapt quickly. Through their resilience she was able to come up with a working hypothesis for the Sparking phenomenon.
The life of a ninja was a stressful one, and that stress would accumulate and manifest itself when the body was in a heightened state causing Sparking. It would operate similar to an endorphin rush making the dangerous sensation very addictive.
The downside of this power as far as she could tell was the slowly deteriorating humanity and the physical repercussions. These were only some of the observations that she had made, and she couldn't prove any of them without further analysis.
At the rate that they were improving, the animals of the forest wouldn't provide enough of a challenge. Which meant it was finally time for her to intervene personally. Gathering her things, she set out to find her scattered students.
Ichijin was closest and Kurenai found the boy inspecting a patch of grass with a peculiar expression on his face. As she got closer and felt his chakra she stopped. It felt different than it normally did. That shouldn't be possible. Chakra signatures remained the same throughout a person's entire life.
His chakra felt wispy and gaseous, and Kurenai understood why almost immediately. He was under genjutsu. She had no idea how, but she wouldn't break the illusion just yet. Kurenai decided to leave Ichijin alone and find someone else. She wanted to see if there was a comparison to be made.
She dashed through the forest for a while until she spotted Hinata. Kurenai didn't bother with stealth this time. If she could see Hinata then Hinata could see her.
"Sensei." The girl said, not bothering to turn around. Her voice was cold and calculating, completely unlike how she normally was.
"I've come to evaluate your progress and offer assistance on anything you may need help with." Kurenai said evenly, not exactly fond of the girl's aggressive positioning. At those words Hinta finally turned around.
She was dirty and bloodied and her arms and hands were covered in old bandages. Her Byakugan was active, and she assumed a fighting stance. Without prompting she dashed into action, closing the distance between them in a moment.
Kurenai, rather embarrassingly, was caught off guard. It wasn't like the girl to take the initiative at all. Her strikes flowed around her blocks. Already she could feel her chakra flow slowdown from the barrage of Gentle Fist strikes. With a quick snap kick, she forced the girl to disengage. Kurenai weaved hand signs quickly as the girl rushed her down, practically skating and gliding across the ground.
"It's useless!" She exclaimed, her hand glowing with chakra. Just as Hinata came within reach to do lethal damage, she fell to her knees, clutching her ears.
Kurenai released the genjutsu and moved the girl so she rested against a tree. "Not all genjutsu is visual based. I hope you remember that in the future. You've made significant progress, but you can still work utilizing all of your abilities to the fullest. I know it's probably against your family's tradition, but you should collaborate with your teammates in learning more ninjutsu."
Hinata nodded and turned away from her, deep in thought. Seeing as the girl was busy, Kurenai left to find her last student.
The Depths:
Kurenai could feel that she was getting closer. There was a tremendous heat in the air that burned her eyes and made breathing difficult. A little chakra application helped lessen the symptoms, but she would need to be quick.
She found Maruku by a dried-up pond practicing seals. His chakra felt hot and heavy, and Kurenai could see that the boy had gotten more muscular. She watched as he brought his hands together and slowly separated them as a blazing orb fire appeared between them. She wondered what he was when the orb of fire started to transform.
It gained a luminous green shine and was very clearly no longer fire. The orb of energy exploded in his face, launching him backward into one of the hard trees. Pulling himself out of the dent, he made his way back to the dried pond and began the process again.
"What are you doing?" Kurenai asked, surprising the boy. She was shocked to hear the boy growl ever so slightly at her. His time in the wilderness had given him a feral edge that made him dangerous.
Without words, he got into fighting position and the heat in the air got worse. As Kurenai prepared to defend herself, she noticed sealing tattoos spreading across both of his arms. Kurenai was not an expert in sealing techniques by any means but seeing body seals instantly put her on high alert.
The boy leaped behind cover leaving a trail of fire as he did so. He dashed around with enhanced speed, leaving more fire behind, obscuring her view and restricting her movements.
"Plasma Crusher!" The attack came from behind her. Kurenai spun around to see her student's hand encased in the same green light from earlier. She dodged to the side and kicked him in his side. Only for him to explode in a spire of flame.
Of course. Fire Clone Jutsu. One of the ones she had instructed him to learn. Kurenai had substituted just in time to avoid critical damage but doing so made her lose sight of her opponent.
The flames that had spread everywhere suddenly moved and began to converge on her as if they were being manipulated. Rapidly making hand signs, Kurenai cast a high frequency sound genjutsu. It was enough to break the boy's concentration as the flames dissipated. She located her student and wasted no time in knocking him out.
He had exceeded her expectations, and that Plasma Crusher attack would've been fatal had it hit. Making sure that the boy was somewhat safe she headed back to her hideout. She had gathered plenty of data and it was time to review it.
She was pleased with their progress and the information that she had managed to gather but Kurenai was still worried about psychological changes her students were going through. She would give them another week to hone their skills before she removed them from The Depths. Kurenai knew of the accelerated growth rate of those who survived their initial Sparking but seeing it for herself was another thing entirely. She would have to pick up the pace of her own training lest her students surpass her too easily.
The Hokage Office:
Horizon masterfully hid his irritation as he conversed with the man sitting across from him. Danzo Shimura. Once a lifelong friend now a bitter rival.
"All I'm saying is that it's a waste for such potential to be relegated to a mere genin squad. These are the future elite ninja of the village, and they need proper pressure to become diamonds. Give them to me and I will transform them into proper ninja." Danzo said in his croaky old voice.
"You mean mindless tools of destruction. Something that violates the core principles of the village's very inception." Horizon countered.
"They've already gone through Sparking, with or without your guidance they will be among the sharpest blades the village has at its disposal. You shouldn't be so quick to throw away a blessing like this."
"Sparking is no blessing. If they don't get a hold of it quickly then their time will be shortened." Hiruzen said tiredly.
"All the more reason to give them to me. Who better to help them than me. After all, not even you achieved Sparking." Danzo said casually. Hiruzen was silent as he had no answer to that. Sparking was almost entirely random and not even he had experienced it. Just then there was a knock on the door.
"Enter." The door opened, revealing Kurenai. Hiruzen motioned for Danzo to leave, and the other man did so without a word. They waited for a moment to make sure he was gone before they began.
"I'm assuming you're here to update on the progress of your team?" He inquired. Kurenai nodded with a serious expression on her face.
"All three of them are rapidly growing as expected, however there has been an unforeseen result. The emergence of a kekkei genkai."
Hiruzen straightened up at the news. A new bloodline limit was a big deal. "Have you assessed which one?" He asked lightly, keeping the burning curiosity out of his voice.
"He called it Plasma Style." Kurenai answered. Hiruzen was quiet for a moment as he thought.
"I see. That would make sense. There's been a change of plan. You'll have to find a substitute for him in order to take the Chunin Exams. He is absolutely forbidden to be anywhere near the Land of Lightning." The Hokage's voice was deadly serious, and Kurenai could feel a coldness settle around her heart. She knew this was not up for debate.
"Now then I have a mission that I think would be good for your team. I'm sending you to the Land of Waterfalls. The hidden village there owes us something quite valuable and they've been rather slow on delivering. Handle it." The Hokage ordered.
Kurenai nodded and went to collect her team. Their training time had been cut short but that was probably for the best. She didn't want them to lose themselves to the wild.
Later:
To Kurenai's surprise, none of her students were keen on leaving The Depths. They all insisted on staying and progressing their techniques. It took some convincing, but they would all be ready to leave for their next mission in three days.
While Kurenai made her own preparations, the rest of Team 8 were at Ichijin's newly inherited tea shop. They were having a small ceremony for Masuri who had passed earlier than expected while they were in The Depths. The old woman had already been buried in the public cemetery, but Ichijin wasn't ready to visit her just yet. Instead, they lit candles and listened as the boy reminisced about time he had spent with her. Hinata would tell stories of her mother and Maruku would talk about Tensei before he vanished, all of them sharing their memories and their pain, anything to help their teammate feel just a bit better.
None of them talked about the training they did within The Depths. It was all too easy to fall back into the aggressive, battle hungry state that had sustained them while they were there. While they had grown much closer, they still tended to move rather deliberately around one another. Sudden movements and microaggressions tended to get hackles raised that could quickly spiral into physical conflict. It was clear their time in The Depths had changed them all.
They continued their ceremony long into the night. Laughing, crying, drinking various flavors of tea, and eating way too many snacks. Once they had gotten everything out of their systems, it was too late for the others to go home so they had a sleepover at Ichijin's place.
"You're very warm, Maruku." Hinata giggled.
"Yeah dude, you're like a hearth." Ichijin added.
"Get off me." Maruku grumbled as both of his teammates huddled around him. It was a side effect of his new Plasma Style that his body's temperature was much higher than normal. His request was ignored as within moments everyone was fast asleep.
This was how Kurenai found them when it was reported that Hinata never came home after their training was over. The opportunity was too good to pass up and she took a photo for her own collection. To her, this scene did a bit to lessen her worries. Her students were going through Sparking, but they hadn't lost their humanity entirely.
Was it because it happened relatively close together? Did the proximity have anything to do with it? The answer still remained nebulous to her. After sending the others home, she stayed to have a talk with Ichijin. A simple look around the place told her the boy was in mourning and while she appreciated her students being there for each other, this was still something she should have been told about.
"Why didn't you tell me? Had I known, I would have canceled our training to give you the time you needed." Kurenai asked, keeping her voice soft.
"It was inevitable. She wouldn't have wanted me to sit around and worry about her. She's gone and that's all there is to it. Don't worry, I'll be more than ready to handle our next mission." Ichijin said tonelessly. While being with his friends had helped, Masuri's death had just happened. There was no way the boy would get over his grief from just one night.
"I'm not worried about the mission; I'm worried about you. It's ok to take time to grieve. Believe me I understand, and I know your teammates do as well. We don't have to go on this mission, I can tell the Hokage that you're in mourning." Kurenai tried.
"I'm not in mourning, and I'm going on this mission. I won't let something like this stop me." Ichijin said resolutely. Kurenai looked at her student curiously.
"Why?" She asked simply.
"What do you mean why? I'm a ninja, I work for the village. If I've been assigned a mission, then it's my job to complete it." Ichijin answered, fidgeting in agitation. Frustration at Kurenai's pestering was bubbling in his eyes. Kurenai, however, saw this as an opportunity to gain more insight into the mindset of a Sparking individual.
"When we first met, both you and Maruku said that you were only ninja because it paid well. Later, I assumed it was to take care of the people in your lives that couldn't provide for themselves. But now, one way or another, both of you are without those people. So why keep going? What's in it for you?" She asked. Kurenai watched attentively as Ichijin's posture shifted aggressively. Her questions were making the boy uncomfortable. That was good, it meant he was more likely to accidentally give more information than intended.
"This whole situation was entirely avoidable, if only-." Ichijin cut himself off before he said something rather damnable. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.
"It doesn't matter. I can't speak for anyone else, but I'll complete any assignment given because that's my job. The why doesn't matter. Now please get out, I have some cleaning up to do." Ichijin said coldly. Kurenai nodded, patted the boy on the shoulder and left. It was clear to her that her male students weren't going to open up to her.
That meant going through Hinata which would be difficult in itself. These were her first ever friends and the influence they had had on the girl was clear. There was also the fact that out of the three, Hinata had shown no signs of Sparking from what Kurenai could tell. There was a definite shift in mindset and attitude that brought out her latent talent, but it wasn't the augmented boost that Sparking provided. While that was a small relief, it just provided a bigger mystery. How in the world was she fitting in so well with those that were Sparking?
The question made Kurenai nervous. Was Sparking contagious? The people she knew who went through Sparking were highly antisocial except for others like them. She needed to know more. Perhaps it was time to visit an old rival.
At The Edge of The Forest of Death:
Kurenai approached the worn-down shack with caution. Somewhere in the shadows there were snakes hissing softly at her and despite the warm weather a chill had settled around her. She went to knock on the door before quickly spinning around, kunai in hand, mere inches away from Anko's neck.
"Careful there Red, I'd hate to have to gut you." The purple-haired woman said playfully. Kurenai glanced down to see a kunai pointed at her sternum. It dripped with a clear viscous liquid that was clearly poisonous.
"Anko." She said carefully, slowly withdrawing her weapon. The other woman was barely stable on a good day, it was best not to set her off when she needed her help.
"What brings you around Red, I thought you had forgotten about little old me." Anko said with a smirk, twirling her dangerous weapon around like a toy.
"I need your expertise. I'm having some trouble with my genin team." Kurenai said, getting straight to the point.
"Sorry, can't help you. The only interest I have in brats is stabbing them." The other woman said nonchalantly. Kurenai's eyebrow twitched, a sure sign of her irritation, but she remained calm.
"Two of them are going through Sparking." She said. Anko was instantly serious and ushered Kurenai into her shack. The place was small and filthy, there was trash and shedded snake skin everywhere.
"Have a seat." Anko offered as she rummaged around in the fridge.
"I'd rather stand thanks." Kurenai muttered, taking a seat anyway on the sofa after brushing some wrappers to the side. Anko sat across from her, soda can in hand.
"You're certain that they're Sparking?" She asked. The woman was no longer playful, and Kurenai could feel an odd pressure in the room. It was like the other woman was gearing up for a fight. Kurenai nodded at the question and Anko sighed.
"If that's the case, best to hand them off to the ANBU and let the Hokage make the best use of them. They'll die soon enough anyway." Anko said uncaringly.
"What are you talking about?" Kurenai asked. It was clear her tone was too aggressive as Anko snarled, baring her sharp canines and leaned forward. Kurenai relaxed and the other woman did the same before they continued.
"What I'm saying is that unless they figure it out themselves, the extra power Sparking provides is going to burn through their lifespan. Sparking is different for everyone that goes through it, so I can't help you." Anko said. Kurenai pursed her lips in true frustration. This was information she already knew, and it didn't help her.
"Is there anything that can be done?" She asked, keeping the desperation out of her voice. Anko shrugged before she answered.
"From what I understand, Sparking happens when the mix of physical and spiritual energy that makes up chakra is unbalanced. When it leans too far to one side, you get massive power, but the body isn't adept to be able to handle a different energy source other than chakra. Even if they did manage to properly balance their energies, Sparking wouldn't go away. The very concept is in all aspects of the mind, body, and spirit. It will happen again, and when it does–." Anko stopped her speech as a loopy smile came over her face.
Kurenai felt distinctly uncomfortable as Anko continued to stare off into space, clearly reliving a memory. Eventually she shook herself out of it. "What was I saying? Oh, right. There's no stopping Sparking and trying to do so will cause more harm than good."
"So then what do I do? How do I help them?" Kurenai asked intently. Anko frowned at the other woman's question.
"Weren't you listening? You can't help them. The best you can do is indulge them. Let their powers grow and make them useful to the village. They'll either overcome it on their own and make it work for them, or they'll burn out and die."
"I won't throw their lives away like that. They're just kids, not some sort of weapon to be used." Kurenai said, inflamed. Anko stood suddenly, radiating bloodlust. Kurenai stood to match her, ready to defend herself.
"That's a foolish belief. Ninja are worth nothing more than the power they provide. If they can die while in service to their village, it means that their life was worth something. That's all there is to it." Anko said in a low tone of voice. Her hands were twitching, and she was visibly restraining herself from attacking. Kurenai could only give the other woman a disgusted look before leaving.
It was the same mentality that permeated the village. They may be ninja but they were still people. People with thoughts, feelings, and goals. To lose one's sense of self was the ultimate curse. It perpetuated nothing but bloodshed. Sparking be damned, she didn't want that for her students. She had been entrusted to train and raise her squad into well-adjusted and powerful ninja and she would honor that trust.