[color=fff200]Like with Yuffie Kisaragi, I'm going to take some creative liberties with the Pagoda Masters. I won't stray too far from the source material. The direction I'm taking is to align the narrative with "alternate" Yuffie.[/color]

[b]The Five Pagoda Masters[/b] - In the olden day, Wutai was revered for its wealth, might and mysticism. Its mountainous terrain had an abundance of mako energy, flowing from within. Over time the energy hardens, crystallizing to become what is universally labeled as materia. Because of these [i]jewels of life[/i], practitioners of Ninpo scholarized all of their discoveries. They've learned the Cetra, the original stewards of Gaia, were the creators of materia. 

To unravel the Cetra's secrets, it took the original masters many years to grasp this level of knowledge. Surely enough, their diligence allow them to harness such a power. A power to manifest the inner beast within them. They call it [i]henkō[/i] or "change" form, which grants the individual unique abilities, varying from person to person. 

In its early stages of conception, the henkō technique was forbidden. It had risks that became the by-product of many slayed apprentices and villagers alike. One of which is the loss of one's humanity. The mind reverts to a more primal state, resulting in the user to become feral. A berserker whose savagery endangers anyone in close proximity. Not knowing what to do, the masters had to put an end to the rampage through brutal means. 

Yuffie's story arc in Wutai doesn't end here. At the pagoda, she meets Shake, Chekhov, Gorky, Staniv and papa Kisaragi himself, Godo. For warriors in her village, they undertake five trials at the pagoda. It's a test to prove themselves worthy of being the elite among elites. These trials consist of power, speed, magic, weaponry and enlightenment. Many have failed, but on this day, Yuffie would end that streak. 


[INCOMPLETE]