A Murder Wizards Adventure

I am sixteen now, which means it is time for my yearly travel to the summoning realm. See, the chameleons said I wasn't 'ready' or 'worthy' or whatever, to learn anything beyond the basics from them, which is, how to summon them should I need aid, and how to use the Chameleon Jutsu to turn invisible.

But they wouldn't teach me their Taijutsu nor sage mode, so every year I come back and basically just beg them to teach me.

I activate the Jutsu and arrive in the same forest as always and turn to an empty branch where Chu is waiting, invisible, as he always is.

"Heya, will you teach me now?"

Chu reveals himself, showing himself to be a red chameleon and then he jumps of off the branch and onto my shoulder.

"Cho has said that should you visit again, that you be put to the test, to see if you are worthy."

Fucking finally. Obviously, I didn't say that out loud. Also he sounds like Gandalf, which is interesting to note.

"Then what are we waiting for?" I ask, not bothering to hide my excitement. This is there first step to learning sage mode, excuse me if I'm excited.

Also I've never actually met another chameleon yet, so it will be interesting to see more of them.

Chu rolls his eyes, only they have nearly full rotational movement so it looks really creepy, and then leads me through the forest, since I've never really been allowed to explore it.

The trees are all tall and a dark brown, with a hint of purple, they have vast canopies that curtain downwards only to stop around head height, meaning I have to constantly part the curtains of leaves in front of me if I don't want to have to duck the entire walk. I decide to duck, just in case the 'test' involves sucker punching me in the nuts or something, best I be able to see in front of me just in case.

Eventually we come across a clearing with a big rock in the middle of it. The rock is rectangular in shape, if irregular and has another rock underneath it, making it diagonal.

The clearing itself is simply an empty field of grass and the sky is shining blue. All in all, it's perfect picnic weather.

I look around for a moment, to see if anyone is around before realising how stupid an idea that is. This is the Chameleon summons' realm, I'm probably being watched by a whole bunch of chameleons right now.

Chu leads me forward to stand beside the rock and so I look slightly above it, assuming that someone is sitting there.

My assumption is proven correct as not a moment later a lion sized chameleon fades into view, lounging on the rock looking like Mufasa if he was a reptile and was green and had large horizontal yellow stripes going down his length.

"Greetings, I assume you are Cho? Chu spoke of you."

He, at least I assume it's a he since he has a big head and that's how you tell the difference of gender with chameleons, but who knows with chakra involved as it is.

Still, he turns to regard me for a moment before opening his mouth in a large yawn and then speaking.

"So, you are our new summoner? Chu has spoken of you, as he is the only one of us that you have ever summoned. Why is that?"

"Because I like the challenge involved in doing things alone, having summons to help me would make it boring."

I answer honestly but Chu, still on my shoulder slaps his, paw? On my face. and speaks, indignant.

"Is that why you have only summoned me to carry messages and not for anything important?"

"Got it in one."

My blatant admission gets a snort out of Cho, which I count as a win, make someone smile and they already have a favourable opinion of you and are thus more likely to accept if you ask for a favour of your own.

Like, say, learning sage mode.

"Well, you certainly have spirit, your continued preservation for further learning is proof enough of this, but before any of that, tell me, why do you wish to learn? Our Taijutsu and Sage training. For what reason do you seek this knowledge."

Normally, if I were manipulating someone I would pause here, as if giving the question a lot of deep thought, properly considering my answer. But I don't do that. I have my answer. It's always been the same.

My deepest desire, beyond just having fun.

"To be a Legend."

No more words are necessary in my opinion, but Cho asks for elaboration anyway.

"And what kind of Legend do you wish to be?"

This time I actually do take a moment to think, only because I have never tried to verbalise this before and don't know how to go about it.

"I don't particularly care if the world hears of my Legend, I only want other Legends to consider me an equal. I want all people of power, political or personal to know my name and respect and fear it in equal measure. I want my life to be an epic story."

It's true, I've always loved stories of Legends, where someone, man or woman overcomes impossible odds and wins an impossible fight. Not like Herakles, who had the blood of the King of Gods flowing through his veins.

But people who actually faced those same impossible odds, and 𝘸𝘰𝘯. When tenacity and stubbornness and sheer refusal to fail bring about an impossible victory. That is the thing of dreams.

Like the three hundred. Three hundred Spartans against the might of the entire Persian army. They didn't win in the end, but they did 𝘸𝘪𝘯, if only for a time, and they never gave up. That is something that inspires me.

There is just something romantic about facing an impossible enemy and fighting anyway. I can't win? So what? I will fight anyway, because even if I can't win, I also simply 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 lose.

That kind of mindset is something that I deeply admire.

I could give more examples in other medias too, Taylor Hebert from the book Worm, or the player character in the game Dark Souls.

Impossible odds combined with a refusal to lose and you have someone I respect with everything I have.

Also, I really don't care if the Legend is even heard, if anything, I think there is something really romantic about a story that is never told, only known by those who experienced it and lost to the world as the last of them perish.

I'm snapped out of my thoughts as Cho speaks up again.

"I see. Not a noble goal, but an honest one, and most importantly, one that you are passionate about. Very well, you will be tested. Should you pass the coming tests, we will teach you the art of Chameleon Style Taijutsu, as well as, and perhaps what you are most exited for, the art of becoming a Sage."

I am excited for that. Becoming a sage is the only way I can be strong enough to be a Legend. Well, it's the only way I know about and will accept.

Because if I were to, say, go with the classic plug in eyeballs method and get myself a Sharingan or any of the other bullshit eyeballs, then rather than a Legend about me, it would be about the eyes, because it wouldn't be 𝘮𝘺 own power.

For similar reasoning I don't want to be a Jinchuriki, the only other method I can think of is the Eight Gates, but the problem there is actually my own sort of unique physiology.

See, because of my Whirlpool technique, that I've been doing since I was two, my body is very saturated with chakra, not like a tailed beast where their bodies are made of chakra, but chakra flows easily through my body as I have become attuned to it.

Because of this I practically have the first two gates open constantly, that's why I can last so long in bed, it's also why I am as strong as I am despite barely doing any physical training, the only time I train my body outside of missions is when my superiors force me too, or I lose a bet.

Also the Eight Gates aren't nearly as rare a technique as I had thought it would be, there are quite a lot of people in ANBU alone who can open the first gate, though most don't go beyond that.

The way the technique works is by increasing the flow of chakra in your body beyond what is safe, but with how fast I have my Whirlpool spinning by now, the first two gates are constantly open. The only downside is that I can't seem to go further than that.

Honestly I'm not entirely sure on the specifics of why, but I don't mind, two gates is enough. Madara and Hashirama never went past two gates, if they even used the technique at all. I only know this because it's the third gate where the effects become visible.

So, in conclusion, Senjutsu is the basket in which I place all of my eggs.

"I hope you aren't expected back any time soon, your first test is to hide, for the next week you will be hunted. Use what we have taught you and what you taught yourself and remain hidden until the end of the week and you will pass the first test."

Makes sense, also I always make sure I have at least a week off for this, just in case. Good thing I'm a paranoid ninja otherwise I would be annoying my bosses by mysteriously disappearing.

"So, when do we start?"

Cho responds with what I can only assume is the chameleon equivalent of a raised eyebrow and I realise that the test has indeed already begun.

So, without further adieu I activate the Chameleon Jutsu and dash away into the forest, having to duck and weave as tongues shoot out after me like spears.

What? Did you expect them to use kunai?

I run into the forest, jumping up to the canopy so that I can hide amongst the foliage, but every step I take I am assaulted with more and more spear like tongues. I think about cutting them as the pass by but decide it's best I don't injure my hosts while I am trying to earn their favour.

So I keep running and dodging before a thought strikes me, well, in truth it was a tongue that struck me, it might have even broken a rib too. But it made me think.

I'm trying to hide from chameleons via the Chameleon Jutsu. It can't be that simple though, right?

I drop down to a lower branch to avoid another slew of tongues and once I land on another branch, I deactivate my chameleon Jutsu and activate the regular stealth Jutsu as I keep running.

They don't stop attacking me, but the frequency of attacks certainly drops to a more manageable level.

So, the Jutsu either has some weakness I am not privy too, or they can simply see through it as they are all chameleons and are undoubtably used to dealing with invisibility.

Still, I can deal with this, one whole week of running around and dodging the occasional spear, it's not too bad, I mean it's not like I'm running full speed, though if I had kept the Chameleon Jutsu active then I would probably be faring a lot worse.

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A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

I'm so fucking tired right now.

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