Utilizing A Clear Mind (Self Only/Flashback/Char Dev)

Ren and his father sat on a small plot of dried dirt in the grassy field they normally trained in.  The cool wind blew across the grassland like a welcome breath.  There had been a short heat wave which made training extra grueling.  Everyone was overheated and increasingly agitated.  Ren's father took a deep breath in.

"Doesn't this feel great? Finally, a new breeze sweeps across."

"It definitely feels better than the past couple days.  Why are we sitting here?  I get accepting the wind but we're also just sitting still in the sun."

"Patience, Ren.  Motion causes heat and the sun is the mother of all heat.  You can't escape the sun so why work up a sweat?"

"Okay." Ren inhaled and relaxed his body as a new breeze came across him.

Minutes passed while Ren and his father sat across from each other.  The silence was only broken by the high pitched sound of wind blowing across the field.  Ren focused on the sound of the wind blowing.  Over time he relaxed.

[SA Clear Mind activated: Training is 25% cheaper]

"What we are doing right now is meditating.  It helps the mind to think clearly and focus which in turn helps the body through concise actions.  Say someone walks into the written part of the chuunin exams right after waking up late and running to class.  Their mind is cluttered with all the actions they just did and anything else they're thinking about.  A very small percent of the mind can go to their test and they overwork that small percentage.  If you wake up early and take some time to clear your thoughts then go take the test you'll have much more of your mind to use on the test and you won't be as exhausted afterward.  You can also use meditation to substitute sleep for a short period of time.  This is typically useful when you are out on a mission and your team has to keep watch in shifts."

"I see.  So meditation would help me train?"

His father's voice became more stern.

"Not just train.  Meditation will help you in every situation if you use it at the right time.  After a long or intense fight you can meditate to gather your chakra and reset your mind.  You can meditate before a possible combat scenario or training and it will help you utilize your energy to the best of your abilities. The man with a heavy sword must think before he swings.  The same could be said for the byakugan and sharingan.  Both of these abilities come with a heavy price if you overuse them."

Ren looked at his father with worry. "A heavy price?"

"It is said that the higher levels of the sharingan will cause blindness for the user after using it enough.  We share the same symptom if we use the byakugan for too long.  I can't say for sure if you will permanently go blind from using the byakugan for too long but I think you like your eyesight enough not to test that limit.  Now I'll tell you why we are here."

Ren looked excitedly.

"We are going to bring your byakugan to a higher level.  At the rate you have been moving I think we might be able to even bring it two levels higher today.  The meditation is going to help speed the process."

"Why do we have to push through this so quickly?  I feel like I'm gaining the power but I don't know how to fully use it to my advantage." Ren interrupted.

"Ren, before you were born my duty was to protect your mother and the clan.  Now my duty is to protect you and your mother and the best way to protect you is to give you the strongest tool in your natural arsenal.  There may come a day where I won't be there for you anymore and if that day comes I can only hope that you are well equipped to face the world.  You are a smart kid.  I have a feeling you will do fine in the field even if I don't teach you the solution to every situation.  It's a harsh truth, I know.  I wish you the world wasn't like this when you were born but it is and we have to do the best we can.  Now let's continue meditating.  What I like to do is try to create a white dot at the center of the darkness and then spread it until the darkness is gone.  You can try this or you can try something else but the point is to focus your mind on one very simple task."

Ren closed his eyes and straightened his back.  "One white dot at the center of the darkness.  I'll try."

Complete darkness lay behind Ren's eyelids.  Ren could still feel the warm sun beaming directly on him and it was causing him discomfort.  The heat was distracting him from visualizing the white dot.  Ren frowned and clenched his eyes as he jostled his body occasionally.

Picturing this white dot is very difficult especially with this still heat.  I've got to keep my focus on the wind.

Ren stopped fidgeting and relaxed his eyes.  He listened for the wind and began to focus.  The sound of the wind passing by made the cool breeze feel even better.  In the darkness Ren began to see light.  The white dot had appeared!

Ren was excited that he was able to envision the white dot so quickly.  His eyelids tensed slightly from his grin of accomplishment.  The dot began to flicker erratically.

"Ren, remember to relax.  Your only goal is that white dot.  Once you have it allow your mind to do what it wants."

Ren relaxed his eyes and lost his grin.  The dot flickered less and less until it returned to its origin point.  Minutes passed while Ren looked at the dot on the back of his eyelids.  The longer he looked at it the more tranquil his mind became.  Finally, when Ren was on the precipice of sleep, the white dot showed something abnormal.  Bumps started growing on the edge of the dot and they stretched.  Soon the bumps became long noodle like lines stretching in various directions.  The lines turned into tendrils and started to connect.  The tendrils became new dots.

Ren was amazed at the picture forming before him.  In its early stages the lines and dots seemed no more than the scribbles of an unfocused mind.  As more lines formed and connected Ren could begin to see what his mind was creating;  the tenketsu.  In the darkness Ren could see the chakra points and their connections.  There was no human outline like when he would visualize the tenketsu.  Ren also had full control over this three dimensional rendition of the tenketsu.  He rotated and flipped it to his will.  He could even zoom in close to the points and see how the threads overlapped and intertwined.  Ren's meditative state rattled.  He felt a presence other than his father.

"Byakugan!"

Ren opened his eyes and inspected the land around him.  He saw a small bump coming from behind a tree.  Ren magnified his vision and zoomed in on the tree.  He spotted their guest.

"Uncle is here."

"I know.  He's been here all along.  I was waiting for you to see him.  You said you felt like you weren't learning how to use the byakugan.  Looks like you just learned a new feature of it.  We're done for today.  Let's go to the waterfall.  Sitting in the sun all day has turned my butt into a ninja hidden in the mist!"

Ren and his father walked over to their hiding family member laughing.