Turtle Island

Breathe in….out…Breathe in…out…Breathe in… "Achoo!" Another terrible sneeze knocks me out of my meditative position. Sniffling I close my eyes again try and ignore the stink eye young Utakata is giving me across the temple room and the tired sigh from Harusame.

Barring my fierce and uncontrollable reactions to the healthy pollen drifting in from the lush green lands of Kirigakure's Turtle Island, I haven't exactly been the best student and after a month and a half, it's beginning to show.

Harusame's footfalls approach and I ready myself for another in-depth one-on-one class with him repeating everything he's said over the past month and a half and me not comprehending most of it.

"Yagura-kun." His voice is soft and calm, though the strain of teaching me bubbles underneath, "Are you sure you wouldn't rather practise your chakra moulding? Communicating with a Tailed Beast is an…advanced skill."

He minds his wordings because student or not, I am still a Kage-candidate and in another two weeks he'll be answering directly to me…assuming I survive Fuguki of course.

But I don't need him mincing his words or tiptoeing around me, not yet anyway. I love power and the instinctual fear that people attribute to it, but not when it hinders me from acquiring even more power. To be fair, a lot of that love may come from Yagura himself.

Harusame's chakra moulding techniques have been very useful to me and I didn't notice the benefits until I tried walking on water— it was surprisingly easy and it was all me doing it, none of the Yagura muscle memory shit.

Casting jutsu successfully is the next thing on my list but I've held off on attempting any since the ANBU charted Uncle away. Turtle Island and its massive temple is the only place in Kiri where the prying eyes are few and my failures won't be marked against me. It is also the only place where Jinchuriki, Utakata and I, can train with our Tail Beast chakra without fear of wreaking havoc.

That said, Utakata is the only one of us that can manage to summon his Tailed Beast's chakra. Under Harusame's instructions he doesn't exceed a single tail of the chakra cloak and on some days he doesn't even summon a tail, merely coating himself in the immense chakra and familiarizing himself with it.

No such luck for me. "No, I can continue chakra moulding in my own time, even in my own home but if I am here." I gesture to the large temple with statues of ancient, cloaked men and symbols of Kiri, the Three-Tails and Six-Tails, "Then I have to study the three tails."

With only two weeks left to battle Fuguki for the title of Mizukage and zero successfully cast jutsu, the only logical thing left for me to do is to activate my trump card— Isobu.

That said I do have another trump card, the summoning scroll Uncle Aoto gifted me details instructions of how to go about acquiring the summons favour and unlocking their technique— a terrifying genjutsu that traps whoever's in it in a reality of boundless pleasure and decadence.

But to use their jutsu I have to first find them in the Land of Whirlpools far off the coast of the Land of Water and Kirigakure. Going after a one-hit KO genjutsu with two weeks to spare isn't going to be possible and so I have to access my Tailed Beast.

Utakata seems to have had enough and scoffs. He dusts off his butt and scowls at me, "Chakra moulding is the first step to protecting yourself against Tailed Beast chakra. You can't skip steps just because-"

"Utakata! Silence! Show some respect to your…" Harusame seems just as unsure about my chances as I am and stutters, "Your elders. Yagura may have become a jinchuriki only recently but he has been an active shinobi far longer than you've been alive!"

It's a bit of a stretch to say but enough to have Utakata flush with embarrassment and shuffle away. He's only about twelve years old and a recently promoted Chuunin but his experience as a Jinchuriki is all that matters to the village and all that matters to him as he prides himself in his control.

Harusame and I watch him storm off but once he leaves Harusame's gaze softens, "Forgive him, Yagura-kun, he has suffered the burden of the Six-Tails and only wishes to help."

I could believe that. Utakata is nothing like the stoic missing-nin I watched take on Pein and his Six Paths, no, he is a child here and much of his emotions still remain, thankfully.

"Yes, of course. He is right about skipping steps; I should play it safe but I simply don't have the time. Has he managed to speak with the Six-Tails?"

Harusame shook his head, "Beyond the nightmares and chakra flares, he hasn't mentioned communicating with the beast. In fact, I wouldn't advice that he does such."

Harusame's eyes narrow at me at his last words and I know the advice applies to me as well. I shake my head and offer a charming grin, "Trust me."

He looked surprised and sighs, resigning to do so with a nod, "I will brew some of my special tea for you then, I am sure it will help your endeavours."

At that I tried not to lose my smile to cringe, Harusame's special herbal brew remains the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted but I cannot deny that it helps. All the chakra churning and moulding I do helps refine my chakra control but its main objective is to familiarize myself with the seal.

Harusame's Three Pillar seal. Flooding my chakra through each individual pillar and casually brushing against the Three-Tails chakra like a beach wave swallowing sand. So far I've only managed to sense the Three-Tail's chakra as I wash my chakra through the Three Pillar seal, but with my improving chakra control it's getting better.

Now I can nibble at the Three-Tail's chakra but since my body isn't at all used to controlling or holding such volatile power outside the seal it quickly disperses through my chakra network and sometimes leaks out of my body.

Such inefficient control strains the considerably weakened seal and causes my body to burn up, his herbal remedies soothe the reactions and also help me tune into my meditation.

Still, I'm not looking forward to tasting it so often. The quicker I reach within my seal and talk to Isobu, the better.

Breathe in…out…Breathe in…out…