The First Monolith (Lonely, Training)

[AFungalNetwork]

Tetsuo had heard nothing—no rumors, no whispers, no tales from traveling merchants or captured shinobi. He simply felt it. Something in the ground. Something in the stone. His path through Rock Country hadn’t been guided by maps or information, but by the way the earth changed beneath his feet. The pressure was different in the west, beneath the mountains—thicker, heavier. Like something was buried, waiting.
It was in the Narusawa Caves where instinct finally brought Tetsuo to a halt. Unlike the hollow echoes that haunted the rest of the tunnels, this passage felt… alive. The air here was thick, tense—like the world itself was holding its breath. There were no signs of life, no markings, no footprints to suggest that anyone had walked this path in years. But the stone—the stone—resisted his chakra. Not as a barrier, but as if acknowledging him. As if it recognized something in him.

Something ancient pulsed beneath the surface. Powerful. Raw. Not sacred, not forbidden—just waiting for the right hand to grasp it. Tetsuo said nothing. He simply kept walking. There was a tournament in a few weeks. He would not be the strongest fighter there—not yet. But he intended to close the gap, to claw his way to the top with blood and stone and will alone. And if something buried in these mountains could sharpen him further, he would find it. No matter what.

He followed the pull, deeper into the caverns. The deeper he went, the more the air pressed in around him. The tunnels grew narrow, forcing him to twist his body sideways, squeezing through gaps that defied human shape. Jagged rocks scraped his arms and shoulders. The dampness soaked into his clothes and skin, and each breath was drawn from lungs that felt tighter by the minute. Claustrophobia clawed at the edge of his mind. But Tetsuo kept moving. The sound of his footsteps dulled. The deeper he walked, the more the caves absorbed noise—until it felt like the world outside had vanished completely. Only darkness remained. Darkness, and that steady, thrumming hum beneath the earth. A call only he seemed able to hear. He didn’t know where it would lead. He didn’t care.

After hours of winding through the oppressive tunnels, Tetsuo made a discovery—one that tightened his focus even further. The hum. It wasn't constant, but fluctuated in intensity, as though it was reacting to his movements. At first, he dismissed it as nothing more than the shifting vibrations of the earth, but something about it felt... deliberate. Coordinated. Too precise to be meaningless.

Curiosity clawed at him. So, he tested it.

He turned himself around and began to crawl back the way he had come. The narrow passage resisted his form at every twist and turn, forcing him to squeeze into cramped spaces, each inch a challenge. But he kept moving. The hum pulsed faintly as he retraced his steps. With each movement, it became softer, weaker. It was a shift he couldn’t ignore. The hum wasn’t just random noise—it was a guide, leading him toward something.

Once he emerged from the constricting tunnel and into a larger cavern, the sensation of being led didn’t fade. The air here was fresher, cooler. The walls loomed higher, casting shadows that seemed to stretch and pulse with the rhythm of the hum. A strange glow illuminated the space ahead, drawing him in. Bioluminescent fungi covered the cavern floor, their eerie purplish-blue light casting an almost ghostly glow. It was the first light he had seen in hours, and its alien beauty was a relief.

Tetsuo crouched, his fingers brushing the damp, glowing toadstools. He’d never seen anything like them before. Their delicate, glowing tips shimmered in the darkness, almost hypnotic. Without a second thought, he carefully sliced a few from their roots and tucked them into his pack. Bando might find them useful for his experiments, or perhaps Hanayo would be interested in their strange glow. He didn’t know why it felt important to keep them, but it did.

He took a few more, his movements deliberate as he continued onward, but his gaze remained drawn to the cavern's vastness. The light from the fungi illuminated only part of the room. The rest was swallowed in an endless void, and it was there that he noticed something that stopped him cold: a lake.

A lake.

It wasn’t just a pool or a small spring—it was a vast, shadowy body of water stretching far beyond his sight, swallowed by the darkness at its edges. It was the kind of thing you only saw in places untouched by civilization, where nature had claimed dominion over all. It wasn’t unheard of to find a lake within a cave, but something about this one felt different. Vast. Alive.

Tetsuo’s gaze swept along the shoreline, scanning the dark water for any sign of movement. Life might not be uncommon, but here, deep beneath the earth, it felt out of place. His fingers brushed against the cold stone as he moved closer, his mind alert to any shift in the environment. There could be something in the water. Something alive.

He stepped carefully, the ground beneath him slick with moisture, and continued his silent trek along the shore.

Tetsuo moved along the jagged stone walls of the cave, the silence of the cavern swallowing every footstep. Time seemed to stretch into eternity, the endless expanse of rock and shadow giving no indication of how much further he had traveled. The cavern, vast and ever-expanding, now began to narrow, guiding him toward the lake’s edge.

The water before him was as dark as ink, a deep, endless black that reflected none of the light from the distant fungi that had barely illuminated his path. There was no telling how deep it went. No shapes lurked beneath the surface, no ripples disturbed the stillness. It felt as though the lake had been untouched for centuries.

Despite the unnerving stillness, there was something else—something far subtler—that kept him moving. The hum. Soft at first, but persistent. It called to him, vibrating through the air and resonating in his bones. The familiar sound tugged at him, telling him that he was on the right path. It was the only thing that made sense in this vast, empty place.

With a deep breath, Tetsuo focused his chakra into his feet, anchoring himself against the uncertainty of the water’s depth. His senses sharpened as he began walking across the boundless lake, each step light but sure on the unseen surface. The hum remained, unwavering, guiding him further into the unknown.

Tetsuo continued to walk across the lake, the still waters shifting slightly beneath his feet as he used his chakra to stay balanced. His eyes fixed ahead, locked onto the darkness, where the hum still reverberates through the cavern. The rhythmic sound seems to beckon him deeper into the unknown, a strange but comforting presence.

But something begins to shift in the air. A subtle change that Tetsuo can feel but can’t quite place. The humming, which once felt like a distant guide, now feels… different. It’s clearer. Louder. As if coming from a closer, more familiar source. Was the source closer than he thought?

At first, Tetsuo dismissed it as a minor shift in his senses—nothing more than his focus narrowing, drawing him into the rhythm of the sound. But the more he listened, the more the hum felt like it was… matching his own pace. Strange, Tetsuo thought. This is more coordinated. Too coordinated.

The more he walked, the louder and more insistent the humming became, pushing him forward. It feels as though the cavern is responding to him, urging him to continue. But something about it nags at him. This isn’t right.

He pauses, standing at the edge of the lake, feeling the air grow colder as the hum intensifies. His sharp instincts scream that something is wrong, that he’s being led down the wrong path—but before he can fully assess, the sensation strikes him: the hum has taken on a new, subtle undertone, one that seems to come from all directions now.

Tetsuo spins on his heel, chakra flowing through his body in an instant as he prepares for whatever may be coming. But the hum is no longer a distant guide; it surrounds him, now felt not just in the air but inside his mind. A voice of sorts—low, sonorous, and hypnotic, like an underwater vibration against his bones. The voice slithered into his mind, calming, coaxing. Relax, keep moving forward. Why have you stopped? You are so close…

Tetsuo’s grip tightened around the hilt of his nodachi, its weight grounding him in the chaos of the moment. He scanned his surroundings, eyes narrowing in the oppressive darkness, the water lapping silently at his feet. Nothing moved. Nothing stirred.

Damn it, he cursed inwardly. It’s a trap. I’ve fallen right into it. I need to get away from this water—no, I need to get away from here. But deep down, he knew it was too late.

The air felt thick now, charged with an unsettling presence. Whatever lay beneath the depths had planned this with patience and cunning, and he had unknowingly walked straight into their web. His pulse quickened, but he quelled the panic, focusing on the task at hand. He would need to prepare—mentally, physically—for whatever came next.

The hum intensified, no longer a simple sound but a resonance that Tetsuo could feel throughout his entire being. The water around him began to shift, subtly at first but now he could feel it now—it was there. Tetsuo's gaze flicker across the vast expanse around him, every corner obscured with shadows; there was nobody but he still felt like he was being watched. His hand remained steady on the hilt of his sword, he stance sturdy but ready to move should he need to move quickly.

And then—it appeared.

A ripple like the sudden breaking of the water's surface, distorted the stillness a massive 15ft tall creature emerged from the water. The creature before him shimmered with slimy, bioluminescent skin. It's hide thick and almost translucent, you could see the vague outlines of a hundred alien organs. Sets of eyes lined the top of its "head". Its mouth a gaping pit of teeth; reeking of rotting flesh and decomposing bones. Six long, thick tentacles dotted each side of this incredibly wide... thing.

The hum continued, coaxing Tetsuo to come closer, to fall into the creature's grasp.

Tetsuo... the voice called, only this time the tone was not calming. It was commanding. Come closer. The water calls for you Hyuuga. And you cannot escape.

Tetsuo’s grip tightened on his nodachi, his mind racing as he calculated his options. The creature had no legs, no discernible torso—just an endless stretch of malformed tentacles, its maw dripping with viscous fluid. Its presence was suffocating, its very being demanding attention, trying to draw him in. Yet, despite the forceful pull of the voice in his mind, Tetsuo resisted, focusing instead on the cold, calculated precision that he had honed through years of training.

The creature’s voice was no longer simply a lure—it was a command. But Tetsuo was no stranger to manipulation. The sound of his own heartbeat was louder in his ears now than the creature's insistent hum. The words it spoke were nothing but an attempt to weaken his resolve. He wouldn’t fall for it.

Instead of advancing, Tetsuo took a deep breath, channeling his chakra into his feet. His body rippled with energy, muscles flexing, chakra threads intertwining to create a barrier around his mind. The voice grew louder, more insistent, but he shut it out. He wouldn’t let it control him.

Giving no time for the creature to continue to try to influence him; Tetsuo burst into action. He ran around the creature's left flank and swung at it with all his strength. The creature let out a horrific screech that made small lines of blood drip from Tetsuo's ears. The strike had left a small cut on the creature, something he was sure it wasn't accustomed to. He could hurt it but that wasn't enough to kill it. He would need to rely on his Raiton instead of his taijutsu.

Without hesitation, Tetsuo unleashed a burst of chakra. His body was cloaked in Raiton • Lightning Armament (D-Ranked), a crackling aura of electricity that surged through his muscles, making his every movement faster, more potent. He didn’t give the creature a chance to retaliate.

With lightning in his veins, he darted back toward the water’s edge, his feet barely touching the surface as he sped across it. His target was clear now—the creature’s eyes, multiple, unblinking, and brimming with malice.

Tetsuo’s hands blurred through the familiar hand seals. Raiton • Sky Spear (D-Ranked). A single rod of jagged lightning materialized in his hand, the energy crackling with deadly potential. Without wasting time, he hurled the spear at one of the creature’s nearest eyes, his movements a blur as the rod cut through the air with precision.

The spear hit its mark with a violent explosion of energy. The creature howled in agony as the bolt of lightning detonated against its skin. The explosion sent water splashing outward, the sheer force sending a shockwave through the lake.

But the creature wasn’t finished. It whipped its tentacles through the air, blindly seeking him out. Its other eyes flared, glowing with an unsettling intensity as the creature surged forward, its massive body gliding beneath the surface with a terrifying speed.

Tetsuo didn't hesitate. He leaped backward as his mind raced. He had to stay one step ahead, or he would be swallowed by the depths.

The hum returned, now louder than ever, vibrating in his chest. The creature’s influence was still trying to push its way into his mind, but he focused harder, pushing it out. He couldn’t allow himself to be distracted.

With a roar, the creature shot one of its massive tentacles toward him, the water rippling violently in its wake. Tetsuo’s eyes snapped to the incoming limb but he wasn't able to react in time. The tentacle struck him and in an instant had wrapped itself around his torso. The force of the tentacle crushing his torso, he felt one of his ribs break.

Thinking quickly, he formed hand seals and sent a wave of electricity down the creature's tentacle. The shock and pain were enough for the creature to loosen its grip for a moment. That was all Tetsuo needed and as soon as he felt the grip loosen, he pulled himself up and began running down the tentacle. That's when he saw it, an old wound; unhealed and vulnerable. He ran towards it and shoved his arms deep into the wound. As he did he could feel masses of slimy wet organs. Holding back disgust, he managed to form another series of hand seals this time creating a basketball sized orb of lightning inside the creature. It shrieked with pain but before it could react Tetsuo had already been directing it to play pinball with the organs. The creature thrashed and shrieked in one last huge violent outburst but it was too late, its organs had been fried.

Tetsuo stood, panting, his clothes damp with sweat and slime, his eyes scanning the waters carefully, waiting for any sign of the creature’s return. But there was nothing. The lake was still, and the hum that had once filled the air had finally faded into nothingness.

As the creature’s body began to sink completely into the inky depths, Tetsuo acted quickly. He drew his nodachi with a swift motion and severed the creature’s massive tongue. It was a gruesome task, but Tetsuo knew that such a trophy could be invaluable. Whatever this thing was, it had secrets—secrets that would be worth studying, worth learning from.

He wrapped the tongue in linen, securing it tightly before sliding it into his bag. The creature had left behind more than just a faint memory; it had left behind a prize that could prove useful in ways Tetsuo wasn’t even sure of yet.

With the battle won, Tetsuo took a moment to collect himself. His breathing steadied, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the cavern once more. There was no telling what other dangers lurked in the dark, but for now, he had overcome one of the greatest threats the lake had thrown at him but he wasn't done yet.

Following the false hum of the Deepcaller had cost Tetsuo precious hours. His patience was wearing thin, and the damp air of the twisting tunnels clung to him like a second skin. Every step echoed through the oppressive silence of the cave, broken only by the drip of unseen water and the faint memory of that haunting, deceptive resonance.

He considered turning back—just for a moment. But the real hum was there again, stronger than ever, pulsing through his senses like a distant heartbeat. It tugged at him, promising answers, power, purpose. He was close now. He could feel it. Whatever lay ahead, he had come too far to retreat.

Time blurred as he pressed on, deeper into the earth. Hours passed in the dark until, at last, a faint glow began to emerge from the gloom ahead. Not the warm, golden light of the sun—but something stranger. A sickly, radiant emerald hue, pulsing slowly like breath.

Tetsuo narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, drawn to it. As he rounded the last bend in the tunnel, he saw it: a towering monolith of deep emerald crystal, nearly twice his height, rising from the cave floor. Its surface was impossibly smooth, glowing softly with internal light that shimmered and danced like something alive. The hum was louder now. No longer in his mind alone—it resonated through the air, through the stone beneath his feet, through his very bones. He had found something ancient. Something important.

Tetsuo stood before this monolith in silent awe. It had an air of mystery about it but it was beautiful. The humming was at its loudest now and it was clear that this was meant for him. He stood for another moment when an image flashed in his mind for a split second. The image was of him, standing tall with a stone-like face, he stood victorious though his body was battered, bruised, and bloodied. No matter what tried to topple him he stood firm, resisting everything that came his way. Then he was back in the cavern, staring at the large gem.

Without a word, he centered his thoughts and reached out, placing his hand against the monolith. The instant his skin touched the surface, it was as if a thousand conversations erupted in his mind all at once. Echoes of voices—some curious, some fearful, all long gone.

"Don't touch it, it looks dangerous."
"Look at the size of this emerald! We're gonna be rich!"
"It wants us to be here... but why?"

Then—another flash. He saw their corpses, mangled and crushed. Twisted in ways that told him enough. This wasn’t a gift. It was a test. A challenge. The promise of a reward—but only if he endured whatever came next. He focused on the pillar, grounding himself, and sent out only two words: I accept.

The moment he did, the cave was gone. He stood now in a vast canyon. The monolith had vanished. There was no light, no path, no way out. Only a single, massive boulder resting at the canyon’s center. He didn’t question it. Instinct told him what he was meant to do. He walked to it, crouched low, and hoisted it onto his back.

The first thing he noticed was the weight—crushing, immense, far beyond anything a human should carry. And then, the pain—sharp, constant. He had thought it was round, but no matter how he shifted it, jagged edges pressed into his spine and shoulders. Then came the final message. No voice, no vision—just a knowing, placed into his thoughts like a brand.
"You will know when you are finished."
But there was no turning back. He had already agreed, so he stood.

And the boulder grew heavier with every passing second. Tetsuo stood like this for hours. Days. Weeks. Months, maybe. In truth, he had no idea how much time had passed. The boulder continued to grow heavier, and the pain had long since become something worse than pain—something deeper, more invasive. Almost alive. Eventually, his legs buckled and he dropped to one knee, breath ragged, body soaked in sweat, blood running in thin rivers down his back and shoulders. But even kneeling, he refused to quit.

And then, like a whisper from a stranger in the dark, a thought slipped into his mind.
“I could give up.”

No. He wouldn't. He couldn't. He was committed to finishing what he started.
And at that thought, the boulder grew heavier, its edges biting deeper into his flesh.
“Nobody else is here. It would be so easy. All this pain… just gone.”
The suggestion ignited something inside him. Rage—not at the voice, but at himself. For even considering it. He clenched his teeth and roared through the agony, pushing with everything he had, rising from his knee and standing once more, even as his muscles screamed and his bones threatened to crack.
And then—it spoke. Not the voice of doubt this time, but something older, deeper, proud.
"Good. You understand the nature of the earth now."

In the next breath, Tetsuo found himself back in the cavern. The monolith loomed before him, unmoved and silent. The boulder was gone. The pain, the weight, all vanished as if they had never been. But something had changed. He looked down and caught his reflection in the monolith’s gleaming green surface—his skin now a deep emerald hue, his body coated in a hard, mineral-like armor. He took a breath, and the transformation faded, his form returning to normal. Still, he knew. He had been changed, he had endured.

He had begun walking a new path.
The path of the sage.
The Sage of the Monoliths.