Hardening One's Soul [Flashback]

The snowfields that littered the mountain tops of Kumogakure were bright with snow today, shimmering in the sunlight that bore down on top of Seigi as he sat, almost blinded by the morning glow of the village. He had made his way up here after returning to the village after his last "mission" for Damien, preferring the isolation of the mountain tops as opposed to the bustling streets of Kumogakure. He knew you weren't technically supposed to camp in the training grounds, but so few people came all the way up here that he didn't see a problem with breaking the rules a little bit. And, if anyone was bold enough to call him out on it, then he would simply mark it up to survival training.

A small hiss would rise in Seigi's ears, breaking him out of his meditation. Sitting cross legged in a small patch of raised earth, Seigi would twist off the side, walking barefoot over to the small campsite he had erected while he was out here training. Grabbing a piece of cloth from by the fire, he would pull the metal tea pot off of the rock it was sitting on, pouring himself a cup, before placing it on a different rock to sit. Steam rose up off the small ceramic cup that Seigi had somehow not broken in the few years since he bought it, and he would sniff the tea affirmingly, letting it sit as he stared out over the golden fields of ice. It was moments like these, the moments in between the training and the fights and the espionage, that he lived for. These moments felt like they were becoming too far and in-between, Seigi well aware that some day there might no longer be a break. He tried to cherish each and every one he got.

He would sip his tea, it's bite burning his lip.

"Perfect." He would mutter to himself, setting the cup down on an adjacent rock. It was time to get to work.

Despite the heavy snowfall over the past few days, Seigi had gone to work setting up a small training area for himself. He didn't need much, not which his Magnet Release abilities, mostly just sand to play around with. Having chosen a part of the mountain high in dense material, He figured it would be best to work here to prevent any kind of collapse. Excavating a couple tons of sand from the mountain, he would pull a large amount of it from the center of the small hill he had created, this sand untouched by the snow of the mountain. Sitting cross-legged on his elevated spot once more, Seigi would will the sand to surround him, similar to his Shield of Sand, but compress it around his body, creating an adaptive suit of armor. It wasn't the most complex of ideas and it weighed him down immensely, but it wasn't something he hadn't anticipated. He would move his arms around, feeling the weight of the sand, but it could prove useful if he needed to get in close. Expelling the sand away from himself, he would then command it and the rest of the pile downward, back into the earth, only to explode outward, multiplying exponentially as it did. Waves upon Waves of earth would rip from the side of the mountain, crashing rock onto snow and crumbling to create even more sand, leveling out the field in front of Seigi before coming to rest, a field of darkened sand now in front of him.

Sitting down, he would wipe a bead of sweat off of his brow and pick up his tea once more. It was still too hot.

Learned Quicksand Waterfall Flow and Sand Armor (both S-rank)

Miyu was given a mission by Shimi-nee to help a member of the church whom had gained access to Adamantine Chakra of the Uzumaki's. Miyu didn't really get how he gained it, but it really didn't matter. The church was family and Shimi-nee's words were law. That and after the disaster of the exams and the betrayal of the other nations to her and the twins. She felt it necessary to cut herself away from the world and the evilness of humanity that was begging to be purged of almost all life. Focusing solely on her studies of the Jashin faith, her experiments, and those few here in Kumo she saw as family.

Sitting on a small hill, and manipulating sand was Seigi, the one she was going to be training. While she would need to see where he was at in Fuuinjutsu to see his aptitude, it was her specialty and something she had several inventions under her belt in. If he was capable, she'd train him like she trained herself, guiding him to feel it out, mold it. Then afterwards help him learn some tips and tricks maneuvering it that she picked up from being a Puppeteer, and manipulating strings. Something that carried over pretty well for combat with the chains as weapons.

Seigi would see Miyu approach, sipping his tea as he did, a lone arm waving out to her. He would motion for her to come closer before letting out an "Ahh." As he set the cup down. Miyu was an elusive individual that he had only heard stories from, from Shimiko assured him that learning from them would greatly benefit him. Knowing his sister's wisdom to often be true, he almost hadn't expected Miyu to teach him due to their own secrecy. It was something Seigi could respect. He would pull a second cup from his bag next to the fire, pouring Miyu a cup before they reached him. He would bow to her to be polite, smiling as he did so.

"I almost thought you wouldn't show. Can I offer you some tea?" He would ask, beckoning to the already made cup. Steam would roll off of it gently, and looking at it, there was still a bit of tea leaves left in it. He never claimed to the best at tea, but it was better than the sake he had been downing.

"And I also apologize for Shimiko making you come all the way up here. The village is just a bit too crowded for my tastes right now." This was, for the most part, a lie. Truthfully, ever since Ryuko disappeared, Seigi had been rattled and needed time to process it. He had only just met her, only just recognized her as the Queen of the Land of Lightning, before she was spirited away to who-knows-where. But, the best way to process mourning was to keep yourself busy and training was the best way to do that.

After accepting the tea, Miyu'd make a face at the brew and would remind herself to teach Seigi how to brew a proper pot before she left. After all he was someone Shimi-nee wanted her to help, so a little extra help to make something delicious while he was away from the village couldn't hurt at all.

"Mmm. I can understand the feeling that the village is too crowded, and the need to be away from it all. Still, Shimi-nee said that you needed my help, so I'll be more than happy to help you in learning all that you'd like from myself, and since I've seen you, I can pop on over at any time if you need further instructions or company without having to physically be here. I'm not really comfortable being out in the open, nor being around mortals. It takes away from my experiments, and mortals have nothing of value to offer except for the twins, and my sisters."

A small scowl would appear on her face as for a second like a shadow drifting across her features before she shook them away. Ever since the Chuunin Exams, her disgust for the world and those in it, had take root. Twisting her normal carefree attitude and inner light, with a distrust and hatred for the various species of the world. The betrayals, the twisting of words, the attempts on her and her families lives by garbage tier humans, even those from her village, had made her want nothing more than too utterly destroy all existence and feed their souls to the Dark Father. The only ones she cared about in the least were Midori-nee, Shimi-nee, and the Twins. All else was simply trash that was polluting the world with their stench.

Still, if Shimi-nee decided that this being needed her help, she wasn't about to turn her sister's request down. Taking a small sigh, "So Seigi-kun, what would you like to learn first?"

Miyu didn't seem to be a huge fan of his tea, to which he understood completely. He didn't hold it against her and made a mental note that he needed to take a tea class when he could. Sipping his own, he would listen as Miyu related to his feeling about the village, but the most interesting part was how she spoke, calling people "mortals" and talking of experiments. She reminded him of The Cursed One from his own universe, the being who had experimented on Seigi's own body. He supposed that if it weren't for Rivu's help, he wouldn't still be alive, so he would give him that much credit at least. However, he didn't know much about Miyu other than the fact that she was a friend of Shimi's.

"Truthfully, I was recently implanted with Uzumaki genes to help with a genetic disease. I was dying and Shimiko and The Twins saved my life. The genetics of the clan have saved my life, but I'd like to better understand the Uzumaki." He pulled a scroll from his pack, opening it slowly. It looked tattered and worn.
"I've been doing my own research into the history of the Uzumaki and learning of their affinities with Fuuinjutsu, their healing prowess, have even heard of some using chains as weapons. I want to know... well... everything. It's the best way I can honor the person who helped save my life." He hoped he wasn't overstepping his boundaries, but he knew that this new strength he had needed to be used correctly and responsibly.