With cheesy harp-strings and a sudden blurry scene transition of course!

Five years prior…

With a loud and annoyed sigh I dropped down to the ground beneath between two massive roots of the Great Chakra Tree. Out of all the places in the village, atop the little island that housed the titanic tree was the one place I truly felt at peace. Perhaps the small lake of water surrounding the island at all sides made something of a barrier between me and the rest of the village, which surrounded the lake in its entirety.

My brand new forehead protector itched, I wasn’t quite used to feeling it there yet. Not surprising given that I earned it just today. Not long after the conclusion of the genin exams I got chased through half the village by an angry kunoichi. My triumph made me a bit too cocky, and I let my hands wander a bit farther than I should have up one of my classmate's skirts.

It wasn’t anything unusual. I had no idea what they put in the food at that academy but for some reason all of the kunoichi end up smoking hot babes… who hated me, because I admittedly reminded them of their attractiveness far too often… and usually with my hands. I just couldn’t help it; my palms had boob-and-butt-magnets in them or something.

I sighed again, looking up through the branches of the massive tree. It was difficult to explain how just being near this place made me feel so much better about everything. Watching the branches sway in the wind, and the dancing leaves making the sunlight sparkle through the canopy. This was the place where I retreated, whether I was being chased by childhood bullies or vengeful maidens. Even before I knew the water strider technique I would swim here. My chasers rarely would follow, few were as stubborn as me to make it across.

With a bit of a grumble I kicked my feet into the air and stood back up, wandering over to the shore. I took a glance at my reflection in the water.

I wouldn’t say I was unattractive. I certainly wasn’t a movie star but it’s not like I was hideous. There were guys who could get away with a lot more, when it came to the ladies, who looked uglier than me. Maybe I was just bad at dealing with women, or maybe those guys could get away with things because they were the “cool people”.

My self-examination was cut short by the appearance of a second figure in the reflection of the water. If not for the cap he wore on his head, I might have panicked.

“Kikage-sama.” My eyebrows raised as I looked over to see the fourth Kikage standing beside me, his ever-present warm smile filled with such youth despite his old age.

“Hello there Satoru-san.”

“What brings you all the way out here?” I asked the leader of the village.

“I could ask you the same.” He knew that I used this place as a getaway, so I was pretty sure what he was currently asking is what brought me here this time.

I reached up to scratch my head embarrassingly, ruffling my already messy, black hair. “Well, the usual I guess.”

“A tad too forward with your female peers?”

“Yeah. I guess. But it’s not just that.” I sat back down again, my eyes casting over the waters of the lake to the town on the other side. “Ever since the day I decided I wanted to be a ninja, nearly everyone I know has been telling me that I can’t do it, that it’s just not in my blood. Almost all the girls I knew thought I was a pathetic loser who wouldn’t amount to anything. I thought that maybe it would change after I finally passed the genin exams, but maybe that was just me being naïve.”

The Kikage nodded at my words, considering each one carefully before he replied. “Satoru-san, what do you know about the tree you are sitting under?”

I blinked, his reply seemingly having nothing to do with what I was talking about. “Um, well I know that it possesses an incredible amount of chakra, and this village was initially created to protect it from the outside world. Since its power could be too easily misused.”

The Kikage nods. “That is mostly correct. I’m glad you paid attention to your history lessons during your time at the academy. It’s not the whole story however.

“You see, this village was originally founded by three clans who came from different hidden villages. The Sakurai clan from the Rain Village, the Hyuuki clan from the Leaf Village, and the Nagisa clan from the Waterfall Village.”

I had to admit, I was surprised to hear my own clan's name in that list.

“The Sakurai provided Shigemigakure with its first Kikage, who laid the foundation of the village itself. The Hyuuki were on the tail-end of a long and violent strife against the Hyuuga clan of the Leaf Village, and devoted themselves to being the protectors and peacekeepers of the citizens of the village. Do you know what your clan did, Satoru?”

“Well, if I had to guess, they made the weapons and gear, right?” That was what the Nagisa clan had made their name doing for as long as I was aware. Almost all of the ninja tools that were used by the shinobi of this village carried the Nagisa label.

“They did do that eventually, but that wasn’t their original purpose. When the village was first starting out, the tool-crafting was a means to an end, not the end-goal itself as it seems to be these days. The Nagisa clan were the ones who actually discovered the Great Chakra Tree in the first place. They revered its power so greatly, that they made a vow to do everything in their power to protect it.” I was shocked, I had no idea my family had such an important duty. Seeing how they were today, anyone would have been shocked.

“There is a reason I am telling you all of this, Satoru-san. You see, the Great Chakra Tree has a will of its own, and it knows that the Nagisa clan swore to keep it safe. Over the centuries the Tree has given members of the clan a fraction of its power, but only once they proved themselves worthy of wielding it. It is customary for the clan heirs to spend time meditating beneath the tree after they have successfully become genin in the hopes that the Tree would grant them a gift for their service.”

“Why didn’t anyone tell me about this before?”

“Well, that little ritual is a bit of a clan secret held by the head of the clan and each clan heir… and unfortunately there aren’t any shinobi in the main branch of the clan besides you. Quite simply, nobody knows except me. And I thought it wise to reveal this information after you had already completed the exam.”

I tilted my head and looked back into the mess of branches above. Was that why I always felt so at peace here? Was it because I had some kind of connection with the Great Chakra Tree itself? Even just thinking about it made me feel so… important.

“It looks to me that the Tree has been a good friend to you throughout your whole life. If you’re feeling a bit lost, maybe it’s time to restart the old tradition. Who knows, it might give your life a sense of direction.” The Kikage smiled warmly at me once again and then began to walk away, leaving me to my thoughts.