New talent?

[Zao]

The sun and it's brilliant rays illuminated the entire village from its noon position in the bright blue, cloudless sky on this day as a set of three knocks could be heard upon the front door to the residence of Xiao Li and his family. 'Xiao Li..' The slender fingers of the loose fist retracted from the wooden surface after completed three consecutive knocks as the fine silk sleeve of a solid white kimono trimmed in gold slipped back flawless looking skin of the right arm until the golden trim rested just above the knuckles of the hand. It's owner was a former shinobi who at this time appeared more like that of a scholar than that of a shinobi, snow hair about two to three inches in length adorned the top of his head as the bangs of man reached down to just above a set of an almost impossible light blue hue irises that contained a tingle of excitement and interest in them as they started forward unwavering as their owner awaited an answer at the door.

That person standing before the door was Saisuko Zao, former Suna jounin and strong practitioner of the Either Arts also known as Tenkujutsu, which was the precise reason that he had come here today in order to meet with this genin. It was rare for a genin to demonstrate the ability in the art of spirits and that made Li a rather valuable asset to the future generation once those like himself were gone and someone needed to fill their positions. So today the scholar had come to meet and to an extent evaluate the boy's abilities as he hadn't been passed to much information in regards his abilities thus the reason he had traveled here this day. In order to get a feeling for the child's potential and perhaps take him on as a student to ensure that he had a proper mentor that could be there to answer questions that he may have or off guidance along the route of progress that lay before him. He had persued many different routes so far in the Tenku arts but even so their was still some that even he had not had the time to learn and train in, for he was still young himself... 'I wonder what this child is like...'

[Gara]

Ning, Li's eldest cousin, had answered her door in her shinobi attire, the typical uniform for a Sunagakure Chuunin, when she heard the knocking. When she heard the man call for Li, she turned back into the darkness of the house and called for him. "Li get dressed. You have a visitor." Her voice was light, and quite pleasant, and when looked back at the man in front of her she was smiling. "I apologize, he is taking a little longer than usual. You've come at quite an awkward time you see..." Ning giggled lightly as she remembered forcing Li into a girl's kimono, and doing him up in a Geisha fashion. She had to admit though, Li made quite a convincing girl. Li pushe past Ning just as she finished speaking, while still scrubbing the white face paint off.

Li slammed the door on a laughing Ning while he stuck his tongue out at her. He bowed deeply as he turned to face his visitor. "My deepest apologies respected elder. I did not expect visitors on my day off. I hope my cousin was not disrespectful." His tone was one of great respect, and Li even cupped his hands outward towards the man in front of him. He was very respectful of his elders. "How may I be of service to you sir?" He smiled brightly as he raised his head, giving a shy, sheepish grin, though it was one of great self confidence.

[Zao]

A genuine smile could be found upon the young man's face as the older sibling answered the door and then called out for LI to come as he had a visitor that wished to talk with him. Though her next words perplexed the scholar slightly as he even spoke the words "An awkward time, you say?" to Ning in response as part of him wondered what could be so awkward. Yet, he would soon have his own question and curiosity answered as the young man who still had smug of white paint upon his face from what appeared to be where the young genin had been painted up in a Geisha style fashion. If the former jounin had one less ounce of bearing and discipline then he did right now then most likely he would have burst out with a few laughs before being able to settle himself. Able to hold it in this time the man did smile and cup his hands toward the respectful child giving him back the same amount of respect that he had been given. Zao was already starting to get a favorable impression of the boy now. "I'm am sorry to have interrupted your day off, but I have come because I was informed that you have a certain ability for the either arts, Li-kun."

The silver haired man focused his sky blue gaze down upon the boy, but not in a type of over bearing way but simply trying to get a feel for the man as his old mentor had briefed him to an extend on Li's current ability in the Tenku arts. 'He seems like a confident young fellow this one.' As the man studied him for a few moments waiting for if the genin had any response to give in return to the statement before then following up with his soft words that carried a certain tranquility and calmness to them as if coming from a man who had experienced many things and was overflowing with unseen knowledge. "And I would like to see them for myself, it is rare for one as young as you to not only take an interest but to venture into the path of possession arts as well." Both of Zao's hands were moving to rest in their natural position as he straightened up his body completely now while finishing his words.

He truly held interest in the future of his village and Tenkujutsu user's would always be needed for one reason or another but very few ever displayed not only the interest but also the natural talent to take the art and push it to the absolute limit. Something that even himself was still trying to do but if this man did wish to travel down the part of Tenku then he hoped that he could possibly aid the genin through some of the early bottlenecks that he had faced when the man had ben around the same age as Li. Or at least aid the young man in learning more about the spirits as it seemed that was were the young boy's skills lay currently...

[Gara]

Li was puzzled for a brief moment before a light seemed to flash through his eyes. "Oh, you mean what I did in my exam....what? Three weeks ago now?" Li did not think much of what he had displayed to pass his Genin exam, but realized that someone did think much of it. He wondered if it was really so unusual, or if he was actually in trouble. Had he done something he wasn't supposed to by merging with Mooncatcher? Had he broken the law? Surely they would not have passed him if he had broken any laws. So then why was this elder here? He said something about possession, but Li was never possessed. As far as Li knew, he fused completely with Mooncatcher. At least, he thought he did, because he remained in control of his mind and body. "Sir, no offense, but I believe you have been misinformed. I am not meddling in possession. What I do.....I meld completely with my spirit, though I remain in control. I could show you if you like?"

Li smiled as he made his offer, though his heart was beating a million miles a minute. He did not want to go to jail for his practices. He would swear off Tenkujutsu if the village requested it if it meant he would remain a shinobi. While he waited for the man's response he scratched the back of his head nervously. The man had said that he too practiced the arts of possession, but Li was not sure if he was attempting to get Li to say something incriminating, or he is was being genuine. "By the way sir, you seem to know who I am, but I am at an disadvantage. May I ask the elder's name?"

[Zao]

The young genin seemed to have become a bit confused or flustered at the former shinobi's words, perhaps he had not spoken them in the correct way as Li began to attempt to explain himself going as far as to ensure Zao that he had fused completely with his spirit and that he had already remained in complete control of his mind and body. But it was the last part that truly interested the Tenku user as he dealt with possession of weapons, creating Jouri while the one before him actually used a slightly more risky method of fusing temporarily with their spirit companion. Something that could be bad for the host if something went wrong but the boy seemed to be able to do it with ease which had truly peaked the young man's interest. "We are not worried about you using Tenku and I just recently found out about your performance when I returned from traveling yesterday." The white haired man lifted his let hand so the palm was visible to the boy as movement to let the boy known that he could calm his worries, "And I would like to for you to show me but not here. If you have the time we should travel to one of the nearest training area."

He wanted to be able to more fully evaluate that young shinobi and his possession abilities, then he would better be able have a better grasped and then be able to formulate a plan for continuing forward. At the mention of his name the man's bright blue eyes that seemed to almost have some sort of unnatural glow to them focused back onto the boy before him having shifted just to the side in thought for a moment now. "You can call me Zao, no need to be so formal." With a genuine smile he would reply, though unlike the shinobi of the village he might have been caught by Li was that the man wore rather expensive silk kimono but their were no signs of a forehead protector or markings that he belonged to the ranks of ninja for Sunagakure. "Are you available for a bit this morning to demonstrate you abilities? I would also like to talk to your spirit, as well."

[Gara]

The process of thoughts could be clearly seen on Li's face as he worked through Zao's words. When he had finished comprehending everything that the man had said, he smiled brightly. "Of course! Just let me get my things. You may come in if you would like." Li bowed to Zao before turning, and running into the apartment. He quickly changed into his "shinobi" attire, even wearing his suegasa to keep from burning in the sun. Li was tying his headband around his waist as he walked out of the room. It was then that he realized that he had not waited to see if Zao had followed him in or not. However, his cousin Ning had already brought out a couple bottles of water for both of them. "I swear the acuity of your hearing scares me sometimes Ning'er." Li smiled his biggest, brightest smile as his cousin before hugging her so that he could leave. "Be safe Li, and make sure to send Mooncatcher back after you show the gentleman your skills. We don't need you passing out from chakra exhaustion again."

Li nodded his head in agreement as he left the apartment, turning to Zao so that he could speak with the man. "Mooncatcher doesn't really speak. I mean...he makes noises, as any ape does, but he doesn't speak the way we do. Other than that, I can show you whatever you want." Li spoke quickly in his excitement, he had actually met another Tenkujutsu user! He probably should had picked up on the fact that Zao was not wearing a headband, but Li was not the most perceptive child. While he had spoken, Li had jumped up on to the hand rail on the balcony in front of his apartment, preparing himself mentally for the four story drop that was to come. He was terrified of heights, but loved the rush of free falling through the air.

[Zao]

The genin was just a young child at heart still, despite now being a shinobi and it made the young man smile to himself trying to remember if he had been the same way at Li's age as the body of the kid turned and disappeared after offering for him to come in. "I'll stay..." Zao didn't even get a chance to finish now as the boy was already gone which made him chuckle like to himself. It seemed as though this new Tenku user while not the brightest at least had a clear heart, something the former shinobi admired and looked forward to working with. Silently nodding and the bright eyed scholar simply awaited the return of the boy before. Once more the cousin, Ning had returned bearing two bottles of water, one for each of them now, which Zao politely declined but it would probably be best for Li to bring one with them. "Mooncatcher?"

He repeated the name back to Li now, mostly sure that the boy was speaking about his spirit that he used for possession and one that Zao was looking forward to examining as he enjoyed studying spirits and was what actually sparked him down the pathway of the Either Arts. Seeing the boy jumping up onto the balcony in front of the apartment he could only shake his head lightly before bending at the knees and spring boarding up onto the railing himself now landing with two quiet taps of the sandals he wore. "Well then, lets go." The snow white kimono that the man wore had not even stopped moving when he reached up putting his left hand on the boy's shoulder as if telling him to hold on for just a moment. With the other hand now chakra filled it's finger tips as in his mind he thought of the training ground a bit across town and the hand reached forward in the air before causing the space to twist and tear revealing a narrow oval shaped portal just under two meters in height and only a couple feet wide. "This way will be quicker, my young friend." With a smile he stepped off the balcony railing and through the portal disappearing through the twisting space leaving Li to follow his lead now.

After stepping through the portal the young child would probably feel a little motion sick but it would quickly pass after his feet felt the solid ground of the training area, as the entire journey had been erased and the pair had made it from point A to B in only a few seconds. Normally Zao wouldn't have bothered but he two was a bit excited as well, even though he wasn't completely showing it on his face his actions gave it away some. "Feeling alright?" Looking over his shoulder the man awaited for the boy's arrive before checking how he felt after the quick jump through space...

JutsuShow

[Open Space • Specific Destination]
B-Rank Jikukan Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: [Fuuinjutsu: Destination Marker]
After channeling a large amount of chakra through his body, the user will picture the location of one of their [Fuuinjutsu: Destination Marker] Seals. Once the image of the area is in his mind, The user will force this chakra into their hands and rip space in front of then, creating up to a three meter diameter rift that connects to the Fuuinjutsu. This allows User to transport themself instantaneously across vast distances. The rift only remains open for a single post or until used, whichever comes first.

[Gara]

Jumping into the man's portal caused Li to feel as if all of his insides were being crushed for a very brief second, which caused him to vomit when he touched solid ground again. As soon as he had wiped his mouth clean he smiled brightly at the man named Zao. "That. Was. Awesome!" His eyes were massive balls of pure excitement, though he slowly calmed himself. Having forgotten to answer the man's question about Mooncatcher, Li quickly formed his hand seals, bit his thumb, and then slammed his hand on to the ground. Once the ensuing puff of smoke cleared, a silver monkey with a forked tail appeared in front of Li. "This is my friend Mooncatcher, and now you will see what got me out of the academy!" Li quickly began forming hand seals again, and as soon as he finished them Mooncatcher jumped into his body. He grew three inches in height, silvery-gray fur covered every inch of his body, except his face, and a tail grew out from his tailbone. The tail was three feet long, and had two ends. Li's eyes also grew in size, as well as changing in color. They were now a bio-luminescent silver color, reminiscent of moonlight. Along with the aesthetic changes, his body also grew stronger, which was evident in the size of his arms.

With seemingly zero effort, Li jumped forward into the air, while doing a back-flip, and perched on the nearest training log. His tail swung back, and forth, through the air as he smiled again. "Cool huh?" He jumped into the air, back flipping again, and landed on the log with his hands supporting him, rather than his feet.

jutsuShow

Mooncatcher
C-rank Tenkujutsu (Nin)
After forming the correct hand seals Li will merge with his spirit companion Mooncatcher. This merging gives Li access to Mooncatcher’s natural abilities, such as increased visibility in the dark, for four (4) posts. It also allows him to utilize Mooncatcher’s concentrations, however, it does not allow him to use Mooncatcher’s techniques. Any techniques utilizing Mooncatcher’s concentrations can only be used during the four (4) post merge.

[Zao]

Zao just shook his head a little bit at the young genin, normally most people would become very nauseous but the majority of them were able to hold back throwing up. Exhaling slowly he took a few steps away to ensure that he didn't accidently become the target of Li's vomiting but it ended up only lasting for a couple seconds then the child sprang up exclaiming how awesome it was. Thinking about it for a moment the scholar realized that he had just showed the kid one of the most advanced types of ninjutsu...sighing at how he had never had anyone to show him what chakra was truly capable was at that age he forced a smile and returned his attention to the boy now. It was time to see just how far the young Tenku user had come and he was interested to learn about how he had made a contract with a spirit so young. Had he simply stumbled across it or had he actively searched for one or perhaps had his family help him. Holding back these questions it appeared that the young ninja...'His friend?'

"Interesting Li. So you area able to gain some of the basic physical characteristics from the summon when merged and you remain in complete control over your body, as well. Does your spirit ever fight over control of the body with you?" Though he had many questions he took the time to observe the changes in the boy's body from the merger process as he allowed for the primate type of spirit to enter into his body. Their weren't to many people that one could find in the entire shinobi world who utilized the possession style of Tenku in battle, even though it had incredible potential to skyrocket the host's power and abilities their were also many dangers that went hand and hand. For now he just wanted to ask simple questions to get a better understanding of the spirit that Li had befriended to ensure that he wouldn't be in danger latter down the road. Unlike Li when Zao dealt when controlling a spirit he force bound them, causing for them to bend to his will as long as he was stronger then them.

Forming a set of hand seals the man stepped with speed that was much to fast for the genin to follow arriving at the log were the genin was still upon and placing a single finger against his furry head. Within his mind he was then able to hear the white haired man speaking directly to the spirit inside of the boy along with Li himself. "Mooncatcher, was it? Is this boy really your friend?"

JutsuShow

*Shizumeru • [Voice of Spirits]
C-rank Tenkujutsu
After performing the needed hand seals and focusing chakra into their hand, the user places their hand on the head of a Spirit host, or on the object containing a spirit. This allows them to speak directly to the spirit in a telepathic link.

[Gara]

Li lowered his feet down on to the log as Zao spoke to him, carefully thinking over everything before he spoke again. ”He did when I first began learning how to merge with him, but not because he was malicious. He didn't like being so close to someone of our kind. But we are past that now. Mooncatcher likes fusing with me!” Li's tone was upbeat, animated even, as he remembered working with Mooncatcher to perfect the merging process. When Zao began making hand seals Mooncatcher’s anxious nature began to kick in.

Li's body tensed up, and readied himself to flee, but when Zao touched his head he relaxed. This was a technique Li knew. He heard the man's words in his head, and urged Mooncatcher to speak with him. After a few minutes of delay, Mooncatcher spoke. ”Li good to Moonie. Li Moonie’s friend. He play with Moonie. Moonie like Li.” The spirit's speech was as though he was just learning the language, which was true in some ways. Mooncatcher was normally unable to speak, however, when fused with Li he gained Li’s ability to speak.

After Mooncatcher had finished speaking Li sighed, and released his technique. He also bid farewell to Mooncatcher, and sent him back to the spirit world. As he readjusted to a seated position on the training log, Li spoke in a curious tone, and hoped he was not being rude. ”Earlier you said it was rare for someone my age to even be interested in Tenkujutsu. I was wondering why that was? It has always been rather easy for me to comprehend, though it does tire me out rather quickly.”

[Zao]

'Hmm...likes fusing with him?' It was true that the young man didn't have enough experience to judge the man when he stated that the young spirit liked fusing with him. Zao dealt mainly with being rather forceful with what he wanted from spirits be it through realm summoning or creating Jouri. As a Tenkujutsu user the man had never befriended one of the spirits even having created a technique to force them to serve under him, one could almost view them as slaves under him due to this technique. With his finger still resting against the boys forehead he finally hear the spirit speak for itself in words that made it almost seem like a toddler. Though what some people didn't realize was that despite it being a few times older then even the scholar himself, it was still in it's infant phase of development for spirits were much different than humans and many were known to live for thousands of years before finally passing on.

"I'm glad to meet you, Mooncatcher. It would seem that you indeed have a true friend." The first sentence was towards the spirit itself while the second was spoken to Li no as his sky blue gaze swept over the genin in his transformed state. With the amount of experience that the former Jounin had with other spirits it was easy to feel the spirit's true feelings and could tell if it was lying. But to his relief the creature was completely content and even happy to be with the boy. This did bring about questions of the origins to how the pair had met and how Li had managed to convince the creature to make a contract with him. Normally shinobi wouldn't be presented with such an opportunity without going out to remote or exotic places where spirits likes to cross over to visit within the realm of mortals. Pulling his hand back now the man took a step back from the shinobi and his position atop the training log now as the questions filtered into the scholar's thoughts.

But he held back the questions for a moment turning his attention back onto the ape-like boy who went ahead and released the possession technique which allowed for the spirit and him to separate without any mishaps. With a gentle smile on his lips the man nodded to the genin's words now about the young and Tenkujutsu. "Indeed Li, most simply don't have the control required at this age and the difficulty of the Ether Arts also dissuades those who only have a little interest from pursuing it any further. But it would appear that you have some type of knack for this style of Tenku. As for the drain, this is just because you are still very young and haven't been able to properly train your chakra pool. That will come in time." Zao's softly spoken words carried a confident tone to them that hinted at how he believed Li had the makings of a strong Tenku user. "How did you end up finding your companion and convincing him to let you bind him? I am very curious about this, Li-kun."