It was a cool afternoon, it had been raining all day, lightly but non-stop. Maigo had spent the first half of his day at home, helping his family with a few chores and things indoors before things had been finished up around there. He put on his ninja gear, suited up his sandals and prepared to head out the door, some last minute interjection from his parents before he headed out, probably complaining about it raining and how he doesn't need to be wandering around. Maigo left anyways, his parents had been growing more distant as of late, maybe it was because he wasn't around much or maybe it was because he was home less now that he was a full time ninja, or maybe it was just him growing up. It mattered not, and as he was ready he left home and headed for the Lake, a large lake that formed in the interior of the island. It was made of fresh water rather than the sea water that surrounded them on a daily basis.

He made his way through the village and to the wilderness, it wouldn't be much further to the lake. As he approached some trees formed in front of him that would quickly give way to the lake. The lake was rather large and Maigo stood in the tree line for a moment, letting the rain hit his face and head as he looked up towards the sky. It was quiet, there didn't appear to be anyone around the lake itself, it was a popular place for ninja to train their suiton jutsu, but Maigo didn't come here for that. He came to watch the rain create ripples on the lake's surface. Each droplet disturbing the surface, creating the ripple that would intersect with the ripples of other droplets. Each droplet representing an action in his mind, the lake representing the world around him, and the ripples served as examples of the effect his actions could have with other ripples becoming a reminder that his actions will cross the paths of others actions and affect their ripple as much as they do his.

As he sat there left alone to his thoughts for a little bit, he wondered if the rain was going to let up today, he kinda hoped it didn't, it created a bit of haze around the lake and surrounding territory, only adding to his mental analogy, showing he won't be able to see the full affect of his actions on the world. Maigo wondered what his next action would be to upset the surface of the world, if he did anything at all, and he wondered who's path he would cross in doing so.

[463 words]

*clang* *clang* *clang*
The sound of kunai on kunai was distinct. Akuma found himself in a fight with some bandit, who had challenged him along the way. They ran through the woods, exchanging blows. Akuma wasn't too thrilled right now, knowing how strong he had been at one point. After all, he had been able to fight and defeat Jounin's. And now, now he was on par with some simple bandit that a genin would be able to fight with. Simply pathetic. Oh well, at the very least, this would help him regain some of his former strength. Every battle, every fight, brought Akuma one step closer to his old power. And with his knowledge on battle tactics and his experiences, he had the leg up on so many of his opponents, that even ones technically superior to him fell. Power didn't always beat experience, not when it was close.

The other two had been killed. He'd snapped their necks rather unexpectedly. So it was only one that he had to deal with now, but this was proving to be an intriguing challenge to the Jugo. Normally, he'd simply utilize the Sage Chakra inside him, and go into a transformation, but it wasn't worth him raging, nor did he really need to. Him and his kunai would do the trick. Relearning his jutsu and gathering his old power back up was a tedious trick, and so far, he'd only gotten down two of them. But that was really all he needed.

Their fight continued on in the forest, both of them running and parrying their blades off of each other. Akuma was actually starting to enjoy himself, a little bit. Although he preferred straight up fist brawls, Kunai fights had their merit. Rather, a Kunai against a dagger, but that dagger might as well have just been a kunai, for all the size it was. After another exchange of blows, the trees were starting to thin out a little bit, opening up in front of a lake. Akuma liked that. It gave more space for a fight, after all. Mustering all his strength, he lashed out with a kick, and caught the bandit in the stomach, launching him out into the open.

Akuma grinned feral. "Time to die! You tried to attack the wrong person buddy!" he snarled out, and launched his kunai at the man. Dodging out of the way just in time to not take a kunai to the chest, he instead took a flaming fist to the face. Akuma had dashed forward and punched forward, at the same time as he'd gathered katon chakra into his hand. As he punched him, the fire erupted out, and filled a 3 inch radius around his fist, singeing the man's face. "You looked wet, thought you might want to dry!" he laughed a little bit at his own joke.

Now unarmed though, and having not put down his opponent with that hit, surprisingly, he was in a difficult position it seemed. Without the kunai, Akuma  couldn't deflect a dagger blow nearly as well. At least, that's what the bandit thought as he brought up his dagger into Akuma's stomach... and made contact with what felt like concrete. His dagger jarred out of his hand, and remained stuck into Akuma, who then took it out, and stabbed it into the bandit's leg. As the man screamed out in pain, Akuma brought his fist into the man's temple, knocking him out cold.

"Well, that was fun, I suppose." he said to himself, failing to notice anyone else around the immediate area as he collected his kunai.

WC: 607
-10 Chakra: Burning Fist
-10 Chakra: Doton Skin
Chakra: 150/170

Maigo had sat for a moment, left alone to his thoughts long enough and the rain thoroughly soaking him and his clothing. He stood up from his position at the edge of the lake, and stretched when he was on his feet. As he leaned back with his arms in the air, off in the distance in the treeline there was a short flash of light, it came and went quickly without much warning and no trace. It came from a distance down the lake, it was faint and the mist of the rain blocked much of it out. Maigo decided to check it out, if it was an explosion he hoped no one was hurt, and began to jog towards it, a quick pace but he could move faster if he needed to. Maigo got about 30 meters from where he thought he saw the flash but instead, he was welcomed by the sounds of screams. Maigo paused for a second unsure what to do, a bit of anxiety had kicked in. He reached for his kunai out of his pouch and kept it at the ready in his right hand.

He wanted everything to turn and run, but now that he was a ninja, he needed to address this situation, trouble in his land, in his village, and in his life were no longer problems he could rely on others to deal with. Now, he would need to learn the strength and courage to stand up for himself and help others at the same time. He ran forward towards the scream as quickly as he could without wasting too much energy, he would probably need to conserve his stamina to help out or, worst case scenario, take on whomever was there. The screaming stopped not long after he began to run and as he arrived near the scene her looked through the treeline he saw a man reaching down to grab a kunai, behind him but not far off layed another man's body. He put his kunai in front of him in a ready position, this situation looked like trouble and he was now about to enter the midst of it.

Calling to the man as he reached down towards the kunai, Hey, who are you! He had to make his tone strong, he could show no signs of weakness and no signs of emotion. He quickly continued on, gripping the kunai a bit tighter in his hand, And did you kill him? He wanted to find answers to what had happened before he would make any action of his own, hopefully this stranger was more open to explaining himself and didn't rush head first into fighting Maigo, being only a genin, there were very few people he could take on and win against, and this man seemed like he was strong, and his age, atleast as he appeared, made him look as if he had the experience to match a higher level ninja.

[498 words, 961 words total]

As Akuma picked up the kunai, he heard someone's voice call out from the treeline. Kirigakure shinobi were thick headed sometimes. If they were going to be real shinobi they should attack first, and ask questions later. The person should have thrown a kunai or something. Although, he supposed, that wouldn't have worked either, not while the Doton Skin was still persisting. Standing up to his full height, a hulking 6'5", after picking up the kunai, Akuma turned and looked towards the treelines, towards where the voice had come from.

Coming out of the treeline was a tall male, holding a kunai defensively in front of him. As Akuma face him, he listened to the questions that were being asked of him. Such a pretentious little fellow, wasn't he? Akuma examined the person in front of him. He looked to be a bit younger than Akuma was, although not too much. His size was an indication that he was at least 15 or 16. "Who am I? Good question. I'm nobody of any importance right now." he said somewhat solemnly. "I just like to fight. As for that man? No, he's still alive. Although I was working on changing that matter. He and some people tried to kill me. I merely returned the favor." he said, looking down at the bandit.

"I suppose, you think you're going to stop me? I welcome you to try. Fighting is fun. And unlike other shinobi, you didn't try any sneaky, first hit tactics. I like that. Willing to go toe to toe like that." he said, grinning. Sneaking, genjutsu, surprise attacks on someone you hadn't already been fighting, there was no honor in it. No sport for him, although, some people prided themselves on being perfect assassins. "So, if you're going to come at me, come at me!" he snarled out. "Let's see what you got!"

To be honest, Akuma didn't have any skills right now. He could heal himself and others after a fight, but the only other thing he could use would send him into a blood frenzy. Somehow, he doubted the authorities would appreciate that much.

WC: 356

The man was huge, in both weight and height he outmatched Maigo, he knew that fighting wouldn't be beneficial for him, but it was beginning to look like the only option here. He held his kunai in his right hand with the blade pointing outwards, and his left hand on top of his right, outwardly it would look like he was using that hand to stabilize his right so he could put more power behind his hand, but really Maigo was nervous that if he should let go then his hand would tremble and the stranger would see his real weakness and inexperience. As he gave his little speech, Maigo gripped it tighter, they may have tried to kill him but it mattered not to Maigo. He was begging for Maigo to fight him, it seemed he really did love the fight, or maybe he just loved the aftermath of the fight. I'm not here to fight you necessarily but you really are leaving me no choice here. He paused for half a second as he looked him over and checked what he had on him in terms of weapons, Maigo wished that he could have seen some more of his fight so that he knew what kind of techniques he used, he kept his footing and didn't take his eye off of him while he paused, You say they tried to kill you, but killing them doesn't teach them, his wounds will be enough that he will think before fighting again, he looks like a mere bandit, killing him serves no purpose. How could someone who holds honor in a fight so dearly forsake his ideals in fighting just so he CAN fight. Maigo was stalling, hoping that he wouldn't have to fight him, but staying ready for anything to happen.

Maigo looked him sternly in the eyes, Now, I highly doubt your no one, with your stature and that kunai your holding I imagine you're a shinobi like I. And with your size, there's no way that man decided to take you on alone, so either you lied to me and provoked him or his allies are somewhere else, I imagine already dead or barely holding on for their lives. Am I right? So how about we start with you telling me who you really are and filling in some of the details here. His voice had grown far more stern as he went on, it was almost a bit of a confidence boost to call him out like that, it could also get him killed easily but again, it was his job as a shinobi of Kirigakure to uphold the peace and guarantee the safety of the people in his land. His nervousness had caused a bead of sweat to roll down from the right of his face. Hopefully, this can be solved without violence, and even if it had to be, Maigo would need to think of a plan quickly to get himself out alive while still fighting to the best of his abilities.

[515 words, 1476 words total]

Akuma scowled. This boy was getting full of himself. But it didn't really matter. Spinning the kunai, Akuma thrust it into its holster. "No fun fighting someone who doesn't want to fight, kid." he said, and his face dropped back into a more peaceful nature as his blood stopped pumping so quickly. "You don't understand people like me. When we fight, our blood boils into a frenzy. Adrenaline courses through our veins. It's addicting. You just want to kill. I can't feel pain, I can't feel anything. I'm pretty much perfect at killing. I don't do much to instigate a fight though. I only fight the willing, or the wrong. Or someone who pisses me off enough." he said.

Nudging the bandit with his foot, Akuma peered over the prone figure. "I don't know. I doubt it. Most bandits don't quit because of one thrashing. Say I leave him alive, and he jumps someone else. Someone who CANT defend themselves like I can. I kill him now, and he's no threat to anybody anymore. Contrary to your thoughts, they had me outnumbered 3 to 1. Regardless of my size, the numbers advantage made them believe they had it under control. They did not. I'm weaker than I used to be, but I'm stronger than these pathetic little bandits."

Akuma looked up and locked eyes with the boy. "You wouldn't have heard of me, I'm sure. I'm Akuma Seisho. I wandered the lands at one time, looking for the greatest fights that I could. My travels took me far and wide. But then, I met... her. This woman, with silver white hair. She thrashed me. I've never met someone with such monstrous strength. In fact, the fight left me nearly dead. Splitting off my body, and my injured side, I dropped a large amount of power. But had I not done so, my injuries would have killed me. I got much younger, returned to a previous state and age, but I'd lost almost all of my strength. I tracked this woman down to the village hidden in the mist. Gin, her name is. Now, I'm looking for her. These people made the mistake of fighting me. But for now, my only purpose lays in finding Gin. And thanking her for such a fight as it were. After that, I have nothing more. No more purpose." he said.

"I won't force you to fight me. You're a fledgling shinobi. You'll have plenty of tests that will grant you more strength, and more power. I'm sure you'll gain more. Now that I've told you about myself.... why don't you return the favor. I'm bored, now that my blood rage has calmed a little bit. I could do with some conversation and company."

WC: 459

The man spun his kunai and put it away, and started speaking, his stance lowered from defense, he had no interest in fighting with someone who was un-willing, a very noble sentiment indeed. As he began to explain his blood lust, Maigo put his kunai up as well and stood up straight as well, he listened to the man's words, it was the first time he had ever met someone who would be like this, who could think like that, with such an intense will... no... want to fight. He continued as he approached the bandit and nudged him, it made Maigo nervous as he did so, not knowing what he was thinking, he may end his life quickly if it hadn't already been taken from him. He began to then fill in the details of the fight, trying to use them as justification for his fighting, Maigo would begin to agree with him, the numbers changes the scenario, now it was less about his strength but their over-confidence in attacking him. Maigo had become empathetic towards him now, had he been attacked by three bandits he might have killed them too, but not with such a fury to live for the blood lust as this man seemed to do.

He turned his attention away from the bandit now and towards Maigo, their eyes locked with his honey colored eyes keeping on top of him, his posture was very far relaxed. The man gave him his name, Akuma Seisho, and then began to divulge into his past and a bit of his purpose. It didn't sound like much, he merely wanted to thank a woman for a fight, a name that sounded familiar to him for some reason. Regardless he continued on wanting the company and conversation, he seemed quite knowledgeable because of his experiences, maybe Maigo could learn a bit from him. Well, you can call me Maigo, and I'd be happy to oblidge you but there's one thing I want to get your opinion on so follow me. Maigo began to walk towards the edge of the lake, grabbing a solid sized rock on his way to the shoreline. He began to speak as he walked, You see Akuma, I have an interesting idea about your bandit problem. He let the rock weigh in his hand as he tossed it up and down in his hand. When he was sure that Akuma was following the rock he tossed it into the water, Now look at the ripples it's created and how it intersects the ripples from the raindrops. I was just thinking about this before I found you, let's say the rock breaking the water is you beating the bandits. The ripples intersect with the other ripples and affect them, as word of your victory would travel and deter other ripples from coming to light, as it may deter others down the road, maybe not that bandit specifically. But let's say you kill him, it would certainly be a bigger splash but the ripples are only more intense instantly and won't deter any more than simply winning. So, by this logic of course, killing him does nothing for deterring anyone more than any other action.

After he finished his little rant the rain would start lightening up, and he would await his reaction, he wondered what he thought of his little ideology, if this man was a thinker or someone who could lead on ideology or if he was someone who would be a valuable weapon, using his strength to fight and win the battle. So, what do you have to say about that? awaiting the man's response staring across the horizon of the water's surface. It was time to await his response and find out a little bit more about him and who he was in the world, or really, what potential he had in this shinobi world.

[664 words, 2140 words total]

Akuma watched as the rock made ripples in the water, and the rain made ripples that intercepted the rain. If anything, all that complex thought did was remind him of why he wasn't much on thinking. After all, it wasn't like he was all that big on complex thought and analysis. Akuma's main goal was just to get strong and provide a challenge for himself. Like he'd told the boy, he was only really interested in finding Gin, and becoming strong enough to best her, the one who had taken all of his power from him. He'd been given a second chance at life, instead of dying, and his only goal in it was to become strong enough to fight her again. But there wasn't anything he had to do besides that. He only had that singular goal. To be honest, the boy made some bit of sense. Killing this bandit wouldn't get his name out, his deeds out. Maybe he'd be infamous, but then people would only want to kill him again. Better to become stronger with normal adversity, instead of worrying about someone trying to kill him or bring him in for a bounty or something like that.

"So basically, all you're saying is to let more people live, build up a new name for myself, get the word spread around about me, and I won't have to encounter people attempting to mug me anymore? That's great in theory, but the more of a name someone has for themselves, the more people attempt to take you down, to be the one that could beat that person. It's almost an endless cycle. Then again.... I do enjoy fighting, and I do enjoy challenges. Although then there is the problem of everyone you've let live coming back for revenge, isn't there? Although, then that just means more fights. Seems there really isn't all that much of a difference, except in one, people live longer. At least it would discourage some of the small fry from assuming a line of work, and stop normally innocent people from falling into a life of crime. Believe it or not, I actually do care about the average joe. I'm only interested in fighting for something to do. It's hard, being unfocused and such. I used to have such control over my other abilities, but now I only have a couple I can use, and those send me into a frenzy, because I don't actually have any control over my... well. I could go berserk if I used those powers, thats about all you need to know."

Akuma shrugged. "I don't know. To be honest, I'm not much of a big thinker. I don't see a bigger picture on a daily basis. I'm more of an in the moment kind of person. Always have been. Probably always will be. I have strength, and I have fun. You know?" he chuckled, holding up his fists and shadow boxing the air. "That's about all there is to Akuma Seisho these days, anyhow."

WC: 508

Maigo watched as the man appeared to be thinking about his little statement, he wasn't sure if he would buy it immediately, or at all ever, but it was just a thing to consider, some wisdom for a traveler. It wasn't long before Akuma would retort, he was right again, but he seemed to have the full understanding of it from his statement, he never said it but raised the question, prodding at how broken the world could be. His very problem with it was Maigo's problem with it, that no matter how high a road you take, there will always be problems being caused by someone. Even in peaceful times between every land, ninja would still battle each other for sport, to get stronger to make their name known more than anyone else's and crime would still plague every country, village, and town, it was as Akuma said, "an endless cycle."

Akuma went on to talk about himself and who he used to be and how he felt towards the average person, he definitely wasn't a bad person inherently but there was something that would eat away at him from inside. Some jutsu or transformation or something that would cause him to lose his mind, it might be interesting to see but if it's as bad as he claims it to be, maybe it is something best save for the most intense battles only. He finished up by boxing the air and claiming that was all there was to him, Maigo doubted it, maybe that's all he wanted himself to be about but people were complex and he seemed no different. If anything even more complex, and unique than anyone else, Maigo was starting to warm up to him. Originally he pegged the questions and analogy to see what type of person Akuma would be, it was clear he was a weapon that needed to be wielded, a strong weapon at that as well. It's not that Akuma needed the direction, he seemed plenty capable of doing that himself but more that he enjoyed going with flow of it, enjoying the chaos of battling through his goals and that of others. After he finished Maigo would turn back towards the treeline and began to speak, Well, I'm not saying you won't be attacked, you probably still would be, but it's an interesting point to make, no? He would then start walking back towards the treeline and motioning Akuma to follow him, keeping at a slow pace that whole way. Maigo would speak, quietly but loud enough for him to hear if he had followed him, If you want help finding this Gin person I'd be more than willing to help you out, that's if you want my help, pretty sure she's some important person up in the hierarchy of Kirigakure. Now, remember that bandit you left, I'll show you how to truly instill fear into someone like him, you're right, they are weaklings, and so gullible that it would be too easy to scare him off from ever even returning to this lake. He would wait for Akuma's response as they approached the tree line and stopping, he pulled out a kunai, if Akuma agreed he would direct him to wait outside the treeline and watch.

Maigo grabbed the bandits unconscience body and dragged him along with him, he seemed like he was kind of awake, but not enough to be fully aware of what was happening. Maigo would climb him back up the tree, weaving the signs (Bird-> Ox-> Monkey-> Hare) he would stare straight into his partially opened eyes, as he woke him up, then toss him off the tree, a short 10 or 15 foot drop, but to the bandit it would seem like an eternity. As he fell, Maigo jumped down also, grabbing his shirt to soften the landing and not kill him, the man was freaking out mumbling and tossing about as he now lay on the ground. Maigo walked over to Akuma to explain, I put him under a genjutsu, right now that man is falling for an eternity, and if I had the chakra I could keep him that way for an eternity as well. But, he can hear anything you say to him, he will hear the voices as he falls, if there's any message you want to send to him, now, while his is psychologically and mentally vulnerable, would be the best time. Maybe start off by repeating what you said during your fight if anything, or generic threats work too, I guarantee later on, once he wakes up, he'll be too freaked out to ever come over to this lake again. Maigo held his arm offering up the man to him, it probably wouldn't be long before the man passed out from the anxiety of it, and once he did that the genjutsu would be broken, it was a jutsu more for real shinobi who could deal with genjutsu and deal with it's affects. A normal person, a bandit wouldn't be able to control themselves and there was a high risk of doing some serious mental damage to the guy, but that was a risk Maigo would ignore, in order to teach the guilty and allow the bandit to avoid death at Akuma's hands.

[908 words, 3048 words total]

Chakra 140/150:

Akuma followed the actions of the man in front of him, listening and watching as he moved. He didn't seem to really know much about Gin, despite her being someone of importance in Kirigakure, but he knew enough that she was important. Which meant he must have been really fresh out of the academy, as far as he figured. More so than he would have thought, anyhow. Although he wasn't all that interested in that anymore, more so than he was interested in what it was that the boy was doing in the first place.

Watching him drag the semi conscious bandit along behind him, Akuma followed the young man, intrigued at what it was that he was doing. He was aware that by now his defense doton had worn off, but that wasn't hardly any issue. It was apparent that they weren't going to be fighting each other. Anyhow, they young man walked up a tree, and still continued dragging the man, up a few feet. It wasn't a lethal height, but certainly a decent enough one to cause some damage. He weaved a few hand signs, doing whatever jutsu it was he was doing.

And then, just like that, he threw the man off the branch, leaping down himself, and cushioning the fall. Akuma's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew a genjutsu when he saw one, as he particularly hated fighting Genjutsu users. "Genjutsu is so dishonest. I wouldn't use it ever, myself. I like a true test of strength. I can't punch through a genjutsu." he muttered, more to himself than to Maigo. Regardless though, he still walked towards the bandit, thinking of what it was he wanted to say. After all, this opportunity to talk to an opponent was rare. Most ended up dead, not alive.

Clearing his throat, Akuma sighed. "No more banditry. Offer your services as a free mercenary against bandits. If you see people being accosted, help them out. Don't do it for money. Just remember that your life was spared by someone who had the right to kill you. I'm not going to kill you, I'm not going to ask for your money. I'll give you a chance to atone for all your sins, and to become someone good. If you have a problem with that, by all means, continue your pathetic existance as you do now. But I'll be around. And I will kill you next time. You've one chance. Don't blow it." he said.

WC: 415

Maigo watched as Akuma mumbled to himself, he couldn't make anything out, maybe he was still upset that he wouldn't get to kill this bandit, maybe he was making fun of Maigo and his self-righteousness, or maybe he was just grumbling. It didn't really matter to Maigo as Akuma walked over to the bandit and cleared his throat. He spoke to the bandit clearly and quit loud, "No more banditry. Offer your services as a free mercenary against bandits. If you see people being accosted, help them out. Don't do it for money. Just remember that your life was spared by someone who had the right to kill you. I'm not going to kill you, I'm not going to ask for your money. I'll give you a chance to atone for all your sins, and to become someone good. If you have a problem with that, by all means, continue your pathetic existance as you do now. But I'll be around. And I will kill you next time. You've one chance. Don't blow it." his speech was quite excessive. Maigo snickered at him as it wasn't at all what he was expecting, he really expected short sentences of threats, not so much a lecture of advice on how to continue his life. It was far too long, but no helping it now.

He smiled as he walked over to Akuma, doing very well at not busting out laughing, Akuma didn't seem too quick on the psychological torture of people, but what did he expect from someone who was so strong and prided themselves on that strength. Maigo put his hand on Akuma's shoulder, I think he's had enough of your lecture now, we should probably get going though, he'll be waking up soon enough, besides, there's no reason to sit around here anymore. He would release his shoulder and begin walking towards the lake again, waiting for Akuma to either join him or get close enough to hear him. He wasn't sure of what was next, what he should do or what Akuma would do, there was no longer any direction or really anything that he wanted to say. Only small talk from here, and he felt that Akuma might not be the type to enjoy small talk very much.

He woudl speak again after a sigh, once Akuma was near, Well, what now? he would ask him, maybe he would have something else he would wish to know about or ask Maigo, if not then they would probably ending up splitting ways. Each heading on their own path, hopefully on good terms and having Akuma as an ally he could later depend on if he ever needed him to, or if they were to meet again. He would turn back towards Akuma, the rain having finally come to a complete stop but clouds still covering the sky, and await his response. Maigo was fine for hanging around for a little bit longer but he had no reason to stay and was looking to Akuma to start leading the pair in their itinerary for the rest of the night.

[537 words, 3585 words total]

"I don't know Maigo. I think I'm just going to go and deal with some other things instead. Perhaps get some training in. Keep looking for Gin. Get my strength back. Eat some food. That sort of thing. Might try my luck at the Chuunin Exams. It seems like a great place to train up and test myself. Although, it'll be a sad day if I end up losing to some genin, considering my former strength. I used to be an A rank shinobi, and now I'm hardly fit for even C rank missions." Akuma growled out. It really wasn't like him to be weak for long, so he wasn't thrilled with the way he had gotten weak. Not that it mattered though, he'd certainly stick around and train enough so that he'd be strong enough to actually be effective again. It was to that end that he was in Kirigakure. It was the strongest militant nation out of all 5 villages, and thus had the most potential training power for him, as well as it was home to the one who had defeated him.

Akuma cracked his neck and knuckles. "I'll be around the area. I don't have much in the way of lodging, but if you're any type of shinobi, you get used to roughing it. Besides, I'm sure I'll see you around. You've missions to complete and such as that. Some will take place in the city, and that's perhaps where our paths will cross again. If you have use of me, I'll most likely be near the Training Grounds. No reason to be anywhere else until I've regained some power and all." he said, and with that, started to walk off into the woods again, offering a wave before he did so. "Remember my name Maigo. I can be a steadfast ally, or I can be an incredibly powerful opponent. The decision of which is yours, long as the fighting involved is good and worth it."

Whatever Maigo had to say, Akuma listened to it, but beyond that, it was high time to split. He didn't remain long, and left quickly.

WC: 358
TWC: 2703
EXIT
Training:
Strength- E- D [750/750]
Reaction Time- E- D [750/750]
Endurance- E- D [750/750]
Perception- E- E-3 [450/450]

TWC: 3

Akuma answered Maigo, a decision for them to part ways, he told him about the Chuunin Exams, they might be fun, Maigo would absolutely join them if he was allowed to. And he continued ranting about his loss of strength, understandable, from someone who could take on nearly any ninja to hardly being able to take on a C rank mission as he so delicately put it. A pause after his grumble and Maigo interjected, Chuunin Exams, huh? I heard talk of them coming up, if so then I'll for sure see you there. and he continued on, talking about where to find him, the normal things that might come at the end of a conversation or after talking to someone. Remember his name, he chose to leave on an interesting note, Akuma, he would for sure be a good ally to have around, at the very least someone he wouldn't want to be on the other end of a blade from. Before they parted ways Maigo would send him off, Okay, Akuma, I may see you over there soon enough then. and then waved him off as he also began to head home.

The rain had stopped, the humidity building as the sun peaked through the clouds and Maigo walked through the forest back into the village. As he entered some people were out and about but far less than normal, the streets shined from the rainfall that covered the ground, and he made his way through town back to his home. He would approach it, a few blocks away and it didn't seem that anyone was home, maybe his parents were out drinking or shopping this late in the afternoon. No matter, he would remove his shoes before fully entering the house, and going and preparing his dinner, simple noodles and some tea and relaxing before bed. His parents still not home, again it didn't matter he went up to his room and prepared to call it a night. Lying down on his bed and reading his book before he went to sleep, he stopped reading and started wondering, If I'm gonna be in the chuunin exams, maybe I should start training for it. I bet Akuma would enjoy a couple of spars here and there before then. Maybe I can find him sometime later on and see if he wants to or not. he thought to himself as he began to put his stuff up and crawl into bed for the night.

[420 words, 4005 total words]
[Exit Thread]

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