Intense Training: Calming The Tiger

The Rokubi came out of the trees after they rustled for a few moments, they bent to his frame to the point where they almost broke but something would be different to Rosuto because this tiger would be different from the one he was used to. This tiger seemed to have less age on him, in fact this was thousands of years ago in time when the six tailed tiger was no more than twenty feet tall. A baby. He seemed confused by the person in front of him, calling him a coward and claiming he hated stealth tactics but in his experience those were the only ones he could trust to keep him alive in this environment. "Who are you?"

I was confused, this thing in front of him, I could feel that it was indeed the Byakku that was inside me at one point but there was something off about him...he was innocent, and had even a naive vibe to him. I didn't know whether to trust it or not but I decided to play along for now and said to him, staying away from him in my stance still "It's me, Rosuto. Don't try to play dumb with me." I kept my stance while breathing heavily. My body withstood a large amount of damage in my fight with takeshi and I hoped that this would proceed smoother than expected.

The man in front of him was heavily injured and seemed to have just come out of an intense battle, most creatures would see this as weakness but this tiger was smarter than that and his mind went straight to thinking this man was either still being followed by a strong foe or was himself dangerous and had no problem fighting. Slowly he started taking steps backwards, "I have never met you in my life, now leave me alone!" The tiger turned and shown it's cluster of tails as it ducked into the brush and ran to find cover, a skill it had mastered quite well already. Once hidden he waited to see if he was being followed, most things tended to hunt him so this would be no surprise.

I was surprised, this thing definitely was the Byakku but it was cowardly, completely unlike the one I knew. As it bolted away I began walking in the direction it ran to, unable to move very fast as my injuries were really starting to get to me. I kept walking in the forest and once I heard a small rustle in a bush nearby I decided to try and be friendly and yelled out "Byakku! I am not your enemy!" I then stood silently looking around, seeing if that had helped in any way.

Being brought into creation as the six tailed tiger the Byakku was blessed with the ability to sense the motives and peer into the intentions of those he caught sight of, it was this ability's reading that made him show so much fear for the man that appeared before him moments ago. According to the reading the man was here simply to gain control over him and tame him like a common pet, a slave to do whatever he desired. This did not set well as others had captured him before and the only man that could stop them was now long dead so he had to be careful. Not making a sound but still waiting he wanted to see if he could get a second reading on this person, not showing himself but allowing a line of sight out of the brush he was located in.

There was no response, I started to get a feeling for the byakku that I never had ever even assumed I COULD have pertaining to the bijuu, compassion. It was obviously afraid of everything that showed up to it, much as I was back in my dark times of being rejected and hunted by everyone, even those he loved. I gained a look of worry on my face and began to call out again "Byakku please! I don't mean to harm you! I know how you feel." I continued looking out into the brush, hoping it would show itself.

As he looked out and caught sight of the man the first impression seemed to hold true but then as he called out to him about knowing how he felt something seemed to change within him. As far as he could tell this was a legitimate claim, being hunted to be used as a weapon was not something common but it seemed this kid knew what it was like. As he started working up the courage to go out and confront this person the brush started to move, the sound of a tiger would alert Rosuto to a location to search.

Finally I heard a rustle in the bushes near me. My face lit up and I looked over to where the noise came from and slowly began to walk to the area, cringing from the pain of the wounds all over my bare chest. Soon I reached the bushes the noise came from and began to push my way through them, hoping to soon encounter the young Byakku. I have never before had this friendly feeling towards the bijuu before, It was new feeling.

As Rosuto pushed his way through the brush he would encounter a tiger, several actually, none were white and all had only one tail. These tigers were black with red stripes, a strange new species that must have died out when the byakku's influence over the area faded back in the modern day but right now they were right here waiting for their prey. The bijuu tiger looked back out with his courage but couldn't find Rosuto, he panicked and searched with his eyes as thoroughly as he could but nothing, then he heard the sound of them. The black demons that seemed to exist only to toy with him, they were starting to lick their lips by the sound of it so no doubt the man he was looking for was with them at this moment. Such a person was irreplaceable so he had to work fast to find them, he climber a nearby tree and starting racing across the branches to locate everyone.

I exited out of the bushes and my heart sank. I was surrounded by a type of animal I had never even read about in my entire life. They were circling me and licking their lips, it was obvious they weren't friendly, nor the Byakku as I had hoped. They continued to circle me and I tried to access my chakra cloak for a boost against them in my injured state, then I remembered I no longer have the use of the bijuu in this world. I simply grabbed a sharp fallen branch nearby and stood in a defensive stance, waiting for one of them to make a move.

As the bijuu tiger continued to search the lesser beings started using the sensors in their teeth to feel the air around them. Their prey was scared, yes, but he seemed to be more brave than almost anything else around here. Especially that coward of a giant white fur ball they enjoyed tormenting. When all moved into position it was mutually agreed upon to play with heir food. Six tigers in total arranged perfectly even from one another. One sprang out from his left to go in for a quick swipe before continuing on so that he could take the place of the one that went in for the next strike. They would continue on like this for possibly hours until they either got bored or to hungry and as the current top predators in this area nothing could stop them.

I was prepared for the one on my left that came in to swipe me as I managed to catch its paw mid air with my pointy stick, spearing it to the ground. It yelped and I heard steps coming from the other side, I looked back and with my right leg, keeping the spear stuck in the ground with the animals paw for support, kicked the other one in the face sending it backwards to the circle. These things obviously weren't used to being contested, well I wasn't about to just lay here and let them screw with me.

Seeing as how this prey was honestly fighting back it would appear that their normal game would not suffice so as one of their brother was pinned and another being attacked the remaining four came in for the kill. Claws prepped and teeth barred they were not going to be messing around now. Things did not look bright for Rosuto.

I was fucked, plain and simple, I couldn't think of anything to do and in a desperation attempt I was going to rely on Byakku's power, even though I wasn't quite sure where he was I guess I was just hoping by some miracle I attained his powers again. I yelled out at the top of my lungs "Byakku! I need your strength!" I waited as my death slowly encircled me, hoping for the best.

At the sound of Rosuto's voice the six tails ears perked up and he sensed the exact location of of where he was. Within a second he got there and jumped from the trees down into the middle of the conflict. One paw was hard pressed on the tiger Rosuto had his makeshift spear in, he grabbed the man with his mouth and tossed him on his back before letting out a thunderous roar that shook the trees. He snatched one tiger out of the air with his jaw and threw it against a tree with a loud snapping sound echoing out in the area followed by the thick tree falling over away from them. The remaining four left were caught each by tail wrapped around their stomachs and twisted hard, cutting off airflow. He brought them around to his front side and spoke in a tone similar to the one he would use at full maturity sealed in Rosuto later in life. "Leave him alone!!" Then he tossed the beasts into the brush and snorted as they and the one that had been under his paw ran away faster than they ever had before. He turned his head to look at the man he had just saved, his voice now back to the young and innocent version from before. "So are you alright?"

I was relieved but also surprised as the Byakku appeared and threw me onto his back and completely destroyed the other tigers. When the bijuu yelled out at the 4 he had in his tails I recognized the voice, It was the voice of the Byakku I had known, the one that was sealed inside me. It was strange hearing it yell something to protect me instead of harm me. I was confused once more when his voice morphed back into the innocent little tiger of this time and when he asked me if I was okay I replied with a chuckle "Yeah, thanks Byakku I'd be dead without your help." I then patted him lightly on the head with my right hand in gratitude.

The bijuu was experience true gratitude for what he had done for the first time and he seemed to be enjoying it, this event would shift a few events in the future and would start breaking down this portion of time to be added to a new series of events. While the bijuu wouldn't notice what was going on Rosuto would, the world itself seemed to be like a piece of glass that was starting to crack and shatter around him. The Byakku, not knowing this went on like normal, speaking with his new friend and preparring to reveal a hidden secret. "You know you are the first human I think I've ever really trusted, for that I think I can trust you with some knowledge. My name isn't Byakku after all, it is..." But at that moment the final crack happened and Rosuto was sent hurdling through space and time until everything went white and he was back in the room with Takeshi, holding both his hammer and an unbroken version of the bijuu's chakra bottle. "So then, learn anything while you were away?"

I soon began to notice the breaking down of the area I was in, everything was shattering like glass and disappearing into white. It seemed Byakku was about to tell me his true name before I was forcefully sent back into the white room, Takeshi standing there holding his hammer and another vial. I answered his question unreluctantly "Byakku and I, Or whatever his real name is, Aren't that much different. Our pasts were both us being hunted..." I looked up to Takeshi with a smile and said "So I guess in short, I learn how to be compassionate with Byakku." I stood seeing how he would respond.

Takeshi just nodded and reached behind his back to reveal the orb that had been released and caused the vision Rosuto just had. His actions had calmed the beast enough to re-contain it into a stable form which would now need to be ingested for the full effects to be had. "Then I'd say that your first session with your bijuu was a success. Gotta say though that thinking back to my reading about this place I probably should have explained more, like how you could die there and never return but you made it back so that doesn't matter now." He let out a soft chuckle and then walked over to his student and grabbed his hands, cupping them together and placing the orb within them. "Swallow that, it'll make it's way naturally back through your system and you will have full access to a portion of your bijuu's power, at this point I'd say you could control yourself after manifesting the first tail. So, good job." In addition to granting him the powers of his bijuu in a small amount once more this action would heal his wounds and even restore his chakra to the brim, the gifts and powers of bijuu were truly amazing things.

I found it amusing how Takeshi mentioned my death as though it was just a 'meh' topic, I didn't take it to heart though and took the orb of Byakkus power when it was offered to me and put it to my lips. It shot back down into my system and my wounds miraculously healed themselves as well as my chakra returning to full strength. The power I had been gifted was near godly, I should consider myself lucky.

Now that it seemed the orbs powers were restored even more powerfully than they had been before extraction. He then started rolling the second bottle with a similar soul in it between his fingers. This bottle was a tiny bit larger and the soul seemed to glow brighter within it but otherwise it was the same. He looked to Rosuto who looked like he was thinking about the powers he had earned and posed him with a question. "It would appear that a new bottle is ready, I'm not sure what it means but my guess is another memory or something. It's up to you when to open it though so here it is." He tossed the bottle to Rosuto and leaned on his hammer and waited to see what happened.

I caught the bottle and mulled it over in my hands and looked over to takeshi with a smile and said "Beam me up scotty." I then dropped the bottle to the ground causing it to break and for the surroundings to change again into another memory, I couldn't quite tell what it looked like yet but only time will tell.

As the glass broke apart the area changed again, Takeshi chuckled more and faded into the background as once again the now all to familiar jungle surrounded Rosuto, this time he was a little far from the spot he appeared in last time though. A small island of a handful of trees in the middle of a lake sized watering hole. The water in this area was so crystal clear that it shone back at you like a mirror in the sun. The rest of the jungle outside and around the lake though seemed, damaged. Unlike last time where there had been an abundance of life in the area the general population seemed to have reduced. No birds sang now, every now and then the sound of something far away in the distance could be heard running, away, but that was all.

I appeared on the coast of a small island in the middle of a beautiful crystal clear lake. I looked into the water at myself with a smile and then out, expecting to see the same beauty, but that was not the case. I saw nothing but damaged forests and heard nothing, nothing at all. Except for the occasional scampering of something far in the distance. What the hell happened here.

Far off in the distance a large nose picked up on a strangely familiar smell, one that was somehow recognized but never known in the first place like déjà vu. The beast started to make it way towards this mystery, keeping low and hidden in brush until he made it to the coast and determined it was located out on the lake's island. The monster walked slowly around the shore until it found a side of the island with an much concealment as possible and sank into the water unseen and unheard. This was a super predator and it as stalking it prey on the hunt.