Midnight.Darkness everywhere.And even more worse?A blackout.Sakumi turned her head towards the clock and started shifting around to get out of the hospital bed.Tonight was the day.No matter how difficult it would truly be Sakumi would train to be worthy of the genin title.Maybe something even better.And know what?Fuck the rules.Sakumi grabbed her forehead protector and adjusted it to her head.She stared at the window with truth seeking eyes.And confidence.She was too shy and she need to fix that.Dark green grass.Trees standing tall.It all took a process.Called change and adjustment.Sakumi wasn't a little kid anymore.She couldn't hide or avoid a fight if they attempted to kill her.The change of life was unavoidable and could never truly be avoided.

A new day.A new skill.A new life to live.Sakumi pulled a kunai from her backpack and traced a finger across the blade gently.After pulling it back a bit, she thought for a moment."What am I doing?"Sakumi thought, stunned at herself for that moment.Several seconds later a large crash appeared and most of the nurses went to investigate instantly."Where the hell is Chuia Sakumi!?"A nurse screamed in fear.She could have been kidnapped.Killed...or worst!Where the hell was she?!"Leave her alone...if you wanted to prove yourself you'd want to be contained away from the world as long as you can,"One of the nurses said as she passed by the door and left with the candle glowing brightly in front her.The nurse came back a placed the candle down on the bedside table Sakumi occasionally used.She looked at the shattered window and smiled slightly.Sakumi would come back when she felt like it.

Sakumi cried as she edged on through the forest past the hospital.Jumping over logs and rocks as she sped along.Skidding to a stop Sakumi suddenly stopped and stared ahead of her.A large pond in front of her.She stepped forward and jumped back slightly as a single light flew towards her.Sakumi reached out a finger, for the light to land on.It landed gently and tickled her finger slightly.A firefly...and a small one.Sakumi gently patted it's back and it stayed still."All alone huh?I understand...sometimes things just don't go right..."Sakumi gently cooed as she sat and continued petting it.

The light gently got off and gently flew away.'What is it doing?'Sakumi thought as the bug tracked through the grass blade tips.The bug landed on a single piece of glass and seemed to liven the nighttime pond with light as millions of other fireflies shot up.Sakumi instantly put on a smile as they fill the area around her.She took off her sandals and got up on the tips of her toes happily.She gently danced among the bugs.A few twists and turns.Circling and bending.Slow arm movements.It was peaceful to dance with them.Suddenly the bugs landed and Sakumi felt her sadness renew.

A now somewhat familiar light zipped towards her before attaching itself to her.Several more followed until it was a giant formation of beautiful bugs.Sakumi felt invincible.Like she could do anything.Sakumi pulled up both her arms and held them in front her calmly.With quick speed, she flicked them away from her gently.They flew away happily and landed back to where they were originally resting.Yet a single bug still clung to Sakumi, not yet wanting to get away from her.It seemed to leap away from her, glowing brightly.As it flew to a patch of plants.Well, two to be honest.A pack of Amaryllis and a pack of White Roses.

Amaryllis...a symbol of shyness and pride...White Roses...a sign of innocence, devotion, and silence.Which would she pick?The one that meant shy and pride?Or the one of innocence, devotion, silence?Red vs White.Sakumi closed her eyes and spun around a few times, to mess up her orientation.She searched for a flower and picked one.She stared at the one she had picked.A White Rose.She smiled.She adjusted it to her hair and got up.Devotion.She had that before this flower and surely after her amazing graduation.

"I will become Hokage...but only if I try and have the true confidence I desire,," Sakumi said as she picked the other flower and headed to the stream.She put it into the water and smiled.Sakumi pulled off her dress and left her T-shirt and sweat pants on.She leaped into the water and swam backward.Not a care in the entire world.Nature.Sure it changed.That was called geology.Humans changed.That was called life.She was living life at the moment and she wasn't willing to let go of it.She would fight every fight like it was her last.No matter how tough.No matter how much mercy she was willing to give in the end.She would survive.And she will try...no she will truly live.Truly be who she wanted to be.A calm...collective Hokage who would do anything for her village.Her true family and loved ones.

Wordcount: 901

Mercy.... Was the last word of a man laying on his back bleeding furiously from multiple wounds due to being shot down with an arrow. Zetsume just simply looked down at him without a look on his face, only blank expressions from a man who is tried of it all. Zetsume actually considered on letting them an go until his dog Repede bit the mans jugular which let out a large amount of blood. He squirmed and wiggled around but could hardly move due to the damage done to his body. In loud gurgling noises he soon passed in a horrible manner with a horrible look upon his face.  Zetsume Looked at the man's current expression which is a mix between fear and pain and thinking back on how just minutes ago he thought he would not have to cause harm. Causing pain was not something that Zetsume really enjoyed doing, yet he will smite down all that appose a threat to his village. The two, Repede and Zetsume, had just been simply walking on the outskirts of their village on an early morning day. Enjoying the sights and sounds that there were out there. When out of no where he was held up by a man with a horribly crafted Katana. Zetsume had not been walking with his gear and the man might not have noticed the headband that was around his dog otherwise he might still be alive. Alas though, he saw a man he thought he could take because he was weaponless and as a result of that ignorance he died. Being adept in archery and the arts of forming bows, it took him no time to form one and shoot the man down. Letting out a small sigh Zetsume spoke in a low tone towards his dog, "Clean yourself up, we will be leaving soon". The dog was covered in blood from his mouth to down his neck. It was a horrid look for the dog.

Zetsume knew he would have to do something with the body so he Formed a fire arrow within his hand and he plunged it into the man, watching as his body was set ablaze within moments. It was somewhat a ritual of his to do something with bodies that he directly killed. Whether it was making them a proper burial or by just simply burning their bodies to ashes. Either way leaving them there to rot was far to much of an insult. Zetsume actually pondered on the fact if he had ever came across an individual that he would not do something with the body due to how much he disliked the person. Alas, none came to mind as the fire dimmed down and the wind started to blow the ashes from its pile.

Zetsume thought on a lot of things during the time of the burning. He thought how many more times will he have to do this or why couldnt he just live a wholesome holy life and not strive to cause harm. Then again in this case it was Zetsume to cause all the harm but not out of ambition to. Only thing he could do was hope that the man did not have family he needed to take care of otherwise he might have just impeded on their lives. Letting out a small sigh and a soft whistle to command his dog to follow, Zetsume left the charred ground to hopefully find some amusement on this day.

Almost an hour had passed before Repede's ears perked up and he let out a small bark only heard by those close to the origin of the sound. Zetsume knew that it meant that someone was nearby and only had the direction of his dog to follow. Repede led the way but not in a manner of defense only curiosity which only built up Zetsume's own curiosity of what is out there that could have drawn the dogs attention. Upon discovering what was there, Zetsume saw a girl swimming in a lake. He could not make out her looks nor even tell if he had seen her within his village but she did not seem to pose a threat so Zetsume was just going to leave her alone. Zetsume let out a long sigh as he figured the dog knew what was there but only wanted to get attention from the person. Zetsume had not wanted to converse with people but before he could even say "Let's get out of here", the dog jumped into the water and doggy paddled towards the girl. Zetsume shocked by this only yelled outwards "Repede get back here!". The dog however was not listening and only swam towards the girl in hopes of getting her attention like the dog always did.

WC:803

Calm.Silence.The silence Sakumi was within was so fragile that if you said it's name you'd break it into flying pieces of harmless matter.Fragile.Bones could and can be fragile.Sakumi was one of these unlucky people sadly and it bothered her a bit.Bones broke.Only to be rebuilt or to stay forever damaged.Like a mind of weak nature, her yet again.Even as the White flower laid calmly in her loose free hair Sakumi could tell.She, the flowers, and fireflies were all fragile and could be broken physically easily.They had adapted to grow like that.Like humans did every year, every generation, every day.

Candles.Made up of wax.Something that broke so easily but could be reformed when given the time.Some burned longer while others for only mere seconds.Flowers and animals rolled like that.Some were stronger than others.Some were smarter than others.But no matter what you were better at your still a human.Equal among many when others think not.So Sakumi was still equal to anyone of her rank.They could say otherwise, but she still had the mental power of an almost above average fourteen-year-old girl.

A splash in the water shot Sakumi into attention before she saw a small creature paddling at her.Her eye twitched comically as she realized it was a small looking dog.A puppy no doubt.She hated dogs.Sakumi gulped.She didn't want to hurt it.Or do anything that might make it chase her.She found her hand being guided to the dog and started petting it gently.It was soft short fur.Correction.The short purple fur on most of his body and grayish looking pads on it's feet signaled he wasn't afraid to be somewhat different.

Maybe this dog wasn't that bad?Maybe everything Sakumi hated wasn't so bad?That is until she heard a voice screaming loudly about a 'Repede'.Sakumi thought for a moment.This dog must have been this Repede character.He reminded her of a cat in a way.Except for sharp.Pointy.Teeth.Did she mention sharp and pointy?For a few moments, she was more interested in the dog than the person who had yelled out the name.The dog was interesting to her and she could barely find herself hating it.The cold water surrounding the two didn't phase her at the very least.

When she finally did look up at the man who had come after the dog Sakumi felt fear renew.He was around his 20s and was 6' at the minimum.And a LOT taller than Sakumi was.A scar stood upon his face and didn't take away the slightest bit of fear in her heart.It bubbled inside her like boiling hot acid like lava.Ready to come out and make her sprint away like a complete coward.Yet it only bubbled further as she attempted to spit out words at physically and mentally possible."I...I...i'm Sakumi Chuia please don't hurt me!"Sakumi said speeding up her voice a little and squeaking in the process.

Sakumi's cold wet hair rested against her back as she felt like sinking to the bottom of the ocean right then and there.As quick as she could possibly go Sakumi kicked off the earth made ledge and did a backflip underwater.Her body fully submerged as she tried to separate the distance from both of the two.Her back met mud and Sakumi pulled back up.Sakumi swore she saw a quiver on the man's back and sighed as she jumbled into her mind for words to process and say.After pulling a move like that, she had to say something at least slightly intelligible.Or she could just run away like the coward she truly was.

But that wouldn't be smart.She had to plan ahead and pray the dog or male wouldn't do something they'd all regret.Silence.If you said it's name you'd break it.So Sakumi would break it with everything she had at that moment."My name is Sakumi...if you attempt to hurt me I will be forced to call authorities on you...and I'm not joking...I'm far from joking. "Sakumi said as she tried to collect fear into any area but her brain and mouth."P-please know I'm not afraid of nothing but fear itself for if nothings to fear what do we have to be scared of?"Way to go Sakumi.Confuse yourself in the process of confusing your enemy.

Fear.No matter how much we said it.We were all afraid of something.And we have to admit.Nothing is scarier than fear itself.For if you have nothing to fear what is there to overcome and face in the future?Nothing.That is why we all have fears.

Words: 836

Repede, being the dog that he is, enjoyed every moment while making small splashing to stay afloat. Zetsume could make out the girl better as he got closer. Brown hair that went to her hips with dark purple colored eyes from this distance. Her eyes gave her a memorable look, however, it did him no comfort that he could not recognize her from the village. Kumogakure, as big as it is, is not too big to not have seen her within the academy. Could she not be a ninja? I should probably not startle her., he thought. As the girl began to pet Repede. He let out a long sigh; he had hoped the girl did not take offense towards Repede's bold actions. Repede was never able to talk thus he would get close to anyone he thought he could get petted from. It was his was of seeing how friendly people are and communicating with them. The dog can bark but chooses only to bark when he senses something new in the area.

As the girl spoke however it seemed that she might think of Zetsume as a threat whom only blinked blankly as she spoke. Sakumi Chuia...., his mind gave great thought to this name before coming to the conclusion that he had never heard it. Before he could speak however, she submerged herself in the water. At that time Repede swam back to Zetsume and shook the water away from his fur somewhat far away from him. A few of the water droplets landed on him, but it did not phase him. It was not long until she came back up with a new found fury. Her demeanor gave a different glow than before. The glow was much more brilliant than before but still had doubt. She spoke of authorities and how not to harm her. He had the most confused mixed with blank expression on his face. Considering she was within the confides of his village the authority in the area would be him. Still though, she was more afraid of him than he was of her.

It was not long until Zetsume held up his hands in an attempt to calm her down. He decided he would answer her directly starting from the beginning and working to the final to what seemed to be a riddle.

"Pleasure to meet you Sakumi Chuia, I am Zetsume Zix. I will not hurt you because trust me I thought you were going to hurt my friend here." He gave the dog a small pat on the head who was sitting next to Zetsume. "Now on the whole calling authorities, I am a shinobi from this village. Seems you would not have to try hard to contact the authorities." Zetsume let out a small chuckle even though it might have came out as being awkward. He was never good at talking to people, let alone when he is put into a situation like this. Trying his hardest, he continued to speak, "I hope you can believe that I am indeed not going to harm you and neither is Repede. Isn't that right?" The dog shook his head to agree. "If I may ask, what are you doing out here? It can be quite dangerous out here ya know."

Zetsume decided not to progress forward towards her. He knew better than that for it would probably set her even more uneasy and afraid. Still though, he wondered if she was a shinobi and if so, how strong? Zetsume decided to toy with her a bit, poke fun at her power. Most shinobi would probably take offense to getting help. Well at least he would. . "I can lead you back to the village so you wouldn't have to worry about people harming you." He motioned behind him in the direction of where. More than likely she was from another village in which Zetsume would have to make sure she was alright. It would look bad for the reputation on Kumogakure if she died while in his presence.

Repede's tail was wagging furiously at this point. Almost as if saying that he wanted to be pet more. It was actually because of Repede's manner that he did not shoot the water with his raiton arrows when she was submerged. Zetsume could actually rest easy in hopes that the dogs intuitions were right. If not, he always had plan B.

WC: 742

The dog, Repede, swam back to his owner.Shaking his fur out and getting Zetsu slightly wet.Sakumi slightly giggled at this before getting serious again.Danger.Come on get serious again.She saw the dog and his owner as a threat without needing to really truly know them.Confidence.Something she lacked while growing older and older.Whether he meant harm or not.Sakumi could not outrun Repede or Zetsu.Not if she ran like her life truly depended on it.Not if she was faster than her own heartbeat at the moment.Sure she would manage to dodge them for a few seconds.But with a dog, in general, that would be almost impossible to overcome.Try as she might she would likely stay mostly frozen in that one spot.For her entire life.Stuck in fear.

'Please be overreacting.Please be overreacting'Sakumi thought as she wished sweat would pour down her face."Pleasure to meet you Sakumi Chuia, I am Zetsume Zix. I will not hurt you because trust me I thought you were going to hurt my friend here."Thank Kami.She was about to have a damn heart attack in fear.And speaking how young she was that was saying a crap ton at the moment.Her breathing became a regular pace as she stared at the brown haired male.Taking in every little detail of his build and style.And the backpack?On his back."Now on the whole calling authorities, I am a shinobi from this village. Seems you would not have to try hard to contact the authorities."And now you scared her.Sakumi felt herself trembling a bit.Don't get scared?More like piss yourself and say it's fine.He chuckled.The scary guy just chuckled.Yeah, she just stood there while wondering.How the hell  did she end up here?

She became a ninja and graduated.She met Tenzo.She met Elin...and Kaekio.Lost her fight with Fukai of Iwagakure.And here she was.Facing off a random stranger while more than ready to pee herself in complete and utter fear.Still doesn't explain why she was here exactly.Oh yeah.Decided to jump out a mother freaking window in escape of the very friendly and safe hospital.'Great job idiot...'Sakumi thought as she felt like an imbecile.

The man momentarily talked to the dog, but Sakumi still felt like not believing a single word from his mouth.'Lies...'she thought with a tad bit of concern.Running at this point seemed less and less likely now that she wasn't feeling the safest.Had her trust levels really sunk so low as to not even slightly trust a stranger?She had trust Tenzo.She had trusted Elin and Kaekio.But she couldn't trust a man who was acting very friendly at the moment?Her mouth opened as she decided her words very carefully."Can you help me up, please?So we can start this off on better terms maybe?..."Sakumi whimpered as she pulled herself closer to the bank of the pond and attempted to get out the water.

OOC Note:Sorry for late response.

527

Exting Thread due to partner's inactivy~ Maybe we can make a different thread next time Zetsu?

Training: