Burning Mist (Chapter 1)

The Hidden Mist Village…one of the 5 Great Ninja Villages within the 5 Great Nations. A village filled with incredibly powerful and gifted ninja. Of all the villages, the Hidden Mist Village was famed for producing ninja’s who specialized in unique and powerful water style techniques and powers. Being a Mist ninja almost garunteed that you were destined to master the water techniques.
“So why can’t I freaking get this!?!” I snarled furiously.

I stood out in the middle of the lake, letting my feet balance on the shifting waves and ripples of the water. The mist shrouded the air and made the world a blur. The rivers and lakes swayed and churned silently, as the birds cried out to the moist air. The overcast clouds made things cool and calm in the village grounds. I loved days like this. They made me feel so relaxed. I felt full awareness of my surroundings. I had my hands held together in the sign of the bird, focusing my inner energies to my feet. The walking on water jutsu…it was one of the few water jutsu I could perform well. Sensei always told me that I needed to get a feel for the water…learn to master the balance and the flow of the water. If I could let my chakra flow like the water…I could do it. But I was just a failure.
“Remember the basics, Akira,” I whispered sternly, “chakra is the elemental energy within the body used to perform jutsu…by controlling it and harnessing its power through the combination of hand seals, you can perform amazing techniques known as jutsu. This is all basic stuff! I know all of this.” I breathed slowly and carefully concentrated. “The trick to water style is to make the chakra flow like water…make it flow like water…and then...then…” What came next again? I couldn’t get this! I just couldn’t!
The thought caused me to lose focus and I felt my feet start to slip beneath the water as my chakra broke flow. I quickly steadies myself and restored my chakra control.
“Make it flow…make it flow.” I whispered. But what did that even mean? I barely understood this stuff. Water jutsu was really not my strong suit…and I was ashamed of it. Being a Hidden Mist Village ninja…it should be second nature to me! All of my peers and all the other ninja in the village can do water jutsu so easily! I could never tell them the truth about me…about what I was really gifted with.

My gift was with fire style jutsu.

No one could know the truth. Almost no one in the Hidden Mist was gifted in fire style…the only ones that were used blood line traits to master it. The fire style was a trade mark technique from the Hidden Leaf Village, but it just didn’t make any sense! How could I be gifted in a foreign art? Why was I so different? My mom told me that I was just special and that it was nothing to be ashamed of…and yet she’s always telling me that I need to master water style. What could I do? How do I figure it out? I grimaced and thought about it for a while.

“Well…I’m out here to practice…so no time like the present.” I built up my chakra and began forming the proper hand seals to activate the jutsu. However, despite my desire to focus, my thoughts went back to my gifts. Why SHOULDN’T I use fire style? Sensei always says to improve your strong points…so why shouldn’t I keep training in it? However, I forced those thoughts aside as I finished the seals.
“Okay, I can do this…” I finish the combination and release my chakra into my stomach and up my throat as I convert it into water. “Water style: Liquid Bullet!” I feel the chakra focus in my throat and build up. I spit hard and fire three bursts of water from my mouth, blasting across the lake and at the nearby trees. I smiled at my success. I quickly rebuilt my chakra to my feet this time forcing it out of my feet and into the water around me as I forced it to take form, making hand seals as fast as I could. This was the one that I always struggled with!
“Water style: Water Dragon Bullet!” I focused with all my might, feeling the water around me take form and reshape itself. I felt the sudden strain on my body and on my chakra as the water became too heavy to handle. “NO!” I shouted as finally my control failed and the water crashed back to the lake. “I failed…again.” I moaned. I looked up at one of the trees that I had missed when shooting water bullets. I growled and pushed my caution aside. I made a different combination this time, one that I was able to do since before I even started training as a ninja two years ago.
“FIRE STYLE: FIRE BALL JUTSU!” I forced the now blazing chakra up my throat and expelled it from my mouth with a powerful burst of breath. The fire roared from my body and flew across the lake and collided with the tree. The leaves burst into flames and rained to the ground like falling stars. I collapsed to my knees on the shore of the lake and watched it burn. I knew that mom told me not to…but how could I not use fire style? It was my talent. Why did she want it to be our secret?
“I better put it out.” I got up and grabbed a bucket of water, putting out the blazing leaves and limbs. My training sessions often ended in me burning something up out of frustration. I couldn’t seem to get my water jutsu right. I could do maybe one or two…but everything else, is just too much for me.

“Lit something else on fire?” I practically leaped out of my skin and squealed as I turned around to see a woman walking towards me. She had long auburn hair that fell almost to her ankles. Her bangs hung over one of her gorgeous green eyes and she was smiling brightly, shaking her head. She was wearing a blue dress and she had her arms crossed. I quickly turned and bowed.
“Ms. Terumi!” I cried, blushing in embarrassment. She laughed and patted my head.
“I thought I told you, Akira,” she sighed, “call me Mei Sensei.”
“Y-yes, ma’am!” I answered. Mei Terumi was one of the strongest and most beautiful kunoichi of the Hidden Mist Village and was well loved by just about everyone. I had always been so envious of her power and her beauty. She was known for not only being a powerful ninja but also for having a powerful kekkei genkai or bloodline trait. Her bloodline trait allowed her to combine the elements of fire and water to produce boiling mist and lava from her very body!
When she first met me, she dragged me aside in secret and told me that she could tell I was a fire style specialist. She had offered to give me special training on how to combine that with water style like she does…and while she was an excellent teacher, I was anything but a great student. It was our second week of working together and I still had made little progress. Only she knew my secret…and her patience with my idiocy was astonishing.
“So you’ve been practicing without me?” Mei asked me. I nodded.
“Yes ma’am. First I successfully used a liquid bullets technique, and then I attempted a water dragon bullet…but I failed that. Afterwards, I used a fire ball jutsu…and that’s when you arrived….ma’am.”  I stammered.
“So I see. Those are some advanced techniques.” Mei Sensei replied. “Well today we’re not going to focus on your water techniques.” I gasped and stared at Mei Sensei.
“But…but Sensei…I can’t use fire style!”
“Oh, don’t be silly, of course you can! That tree will agree with me.” Mei Sensei laughed. “What we’re going to do is have a little sparing match, where I will use nothing but water techniques and you will use fire style to combat it.”
“But why?” I asked.
“Akira,” She calmly answered, “it’s important to improve your weak points, but it’s also important to nurture your stronger points as well. You can’t be ashamed of your gift…use it.” Mei took a defensive stance and winked. “And you better be ready, because I’m not holding back.”

It was as if time had gone in fast forward. Mei Sensei moved unbelievably fast, dashing across the grass towards me. Her hand was outstretched as the water from the lake flew towards her like a whiplash, coiling and uncoiling like a liquid snake. I leaped and rolled away from her water whip attack, but I was ready for her when I got back on my feet. I quickly began combining my hand seals.
“Fire style: Pheonix Flower jutsu!” I inhaled deeply and let the chakra build in my mouth. I spat quickly sending dozens of small fire balls flying at Mei Sensei.
“Please tell me you have more in you than that.” Mei Sensei raised her arms and formed a hand seal. “Water art: Water wall!” The water from the lake rushed to her defense and built a wall of moving and bubbling water, catching all of the fire balls. I adjusted my strategy and charged Mei Sensei, pulling two shuriken from my pocket and throwing them at her. She side stepped the shuriken, but I was already close enough to strike.
Where I lacked in ninjutsu, my physical abilities were much stronger! I swung a slash at Mei Sensei with  a kunai knife. She ducked it me as I brought my knee up to meet her chin. I struck her hard in the chin causing her to grunt in pain. I could see it all so clearly! I could see her movements and her actions! But how? Why? Normally Mei Sensei would always out maneuver me and over power me by now! Was I really getting better? I kicked my foot against her shoulder, sending her crashing to the ground. Using the kick, I launched myself off of her and into thee air. I quickly began forming hand seals to finish the attack.
“Fire style: Fire ball jutsu!” I breathed the blast of fire, launching the raging fireball at my Sensei. I watched as the flames engulfed her and swallowed her. I leaped away from the flames and watched as they burned away. “Did I get her?” I wondered.

“Not bad at all.” I couldn’t have turned around in time if I wanted to. The blade of my teachers knife was pointed at the back of my neck.
“A water clone?” I asked. I realized then what had happened. The original attack hadn’t been my real Sensei but a clone of her created from water. It was a highly advanced water technique that I had rarely seen, but it always impressed me. “That’s why you seemed so much easier than normal.”
“What’s bothering you, Akira?” Mei asked. “You seem distant for some reason.” I shrugged.
“Why can’t I get water style right?” I demanded. “I’ve been trying so hard but…I’m worried that I’ll never get it right.” I could hear my sensei my sensei sigh as I finished speaking.
“You’re improving, Akira…but you’re lacking something very important.” Mei Sensei said, lowering her knife. I turned to face her and sighed. She reached forward and poked my forehead with her index finger. “You must have some self-confidence, sweetie. You’re a Mist Ninja, and you’ve got excellent potential…but doubting yourself is just putting up one extra barrier that’s holding you back.” I smiled at her words and looked down.
“Thank you, Sensei.”
“Now, what do you say we get back to work? I’m not done pushing you to the limits.” Mei Sensei grinned. I pulled out my knife and readied myself for her attacks. Despite all my worries and concerns, I knew that Mei Sensei had confidence in me…and if someone like her could, then perhaps I could have confidence in myself as well. Only time would tell.