Cold. It always felt so cold when he retreated inside his head like he was doing at this very moment. The endless repetition of his body’s actions were weighing on him physically, but his mind had left that reality behind to wander. The waterfalls in the wilderness just outside of the villages walls were in front of him. They loomed high above, and the spray from their crashing flow was casting itself onto his face. It was cold. The sky above him was dark. Dark like the gifts his blood had given him. The gifts that allowed him to be so much more than an average ninja. Though he was merely a Genin in rank, he knew that his power was far greater than that of the rest of his class. They were weak, he was strong. They would never be able to surpass his techniques, and if they bothered to try, the Void itself would open to them. Slowly he removed his cloak in his mind’s eye, and walked into the cold pool that rested at the bottom of this roaring waterfall. The water was so very cold. He stepped deeper and deeper into the dark blue pool that turned to black in the center as it reached its deepest parts. Still he young man walked. The water rose around his waist, then his chest, and soon he was completely submerged. His body was surrounded by darkness now. Darkness that let the shinobi feel like he was at home. He was in the embrace of his clan. He was so cold. He was numb.

“FASTER!” The cry of Kosio’s father snapped him out of his day dream as he jumped from one point in the clearing to another, dodging senbon that were being thrown aggressively in his direction. Kosio grunted as one of the projectiles came flying right towards where he was going to land. It was too It now. The young ninja let loose another grunt as the senbon pierced his left shoulder at the same time as he landed, rolling into a crouch before turning to face his attacker. His grey eyes flickered up toward the man that had raised him as another of the weapons came for Kosio. This time he managed to duck to the side just in time, as the senbon embedded itself into the tree beside his head. “I’ve told you again and again, you need to remain focused in battle. If I didn’t need you alive that would have ended you. At the very least it could have blinded one of your eyes.” The muscular man that addressed Kosio stood tall, taller than Kosio, and had clean shaven head. His eyes were the same hue of grey as Kosio’s, but they were duller, and less piercing. Of all of his features though, the fact that he only had one arm seemed to stand out the most. Kosio nodded in agreement, addressing the one-armed man. “Yes father, you are correct. I apologize for my shortcomings once again.” The man squinted, “I do not want your apology boy. I want you to be faster!” He shouted this last word as he began throwing the weapons with a renewed vigor. A curse left Kosio’s lips as he jumped again to the side of the approaching senbon, before jumping to the trees and passing chakra through his body and into his feet to allow him to jump from tree to tree without need of the ground.

Kosio’s father had brought him out here earlier today, as Kosio had retuned from the Academy wearing his new headband. It signified that he had finally truly joined the ranks of the village Genin. He was a ninja now, and was one step closer to realizing his goals. His father had then nodded approvingly and instructed Kosio to follow him. Kosio, of course, did so until they had arrived at this small clearing just outside of the village gates. It was there that his father had announced that the true test would begin, just before he began attacking the young ninja in earnest.

So this is his test, Kosio thought to himself. I will pass this like all the others. He will accept me before this is over.

WC: 729
Chakra: 145/150

Jutsu Used:

Kosio jumped from tree to tree, avoiding each of the weapons being thrown his way. The movements were becoming repetitive again. Over and over he jumped, rolled, deflected with his kunai, and jut continued to avoid the incoming strikes. A couple of the projectiles came close to hitting, with one even piercing through his cloak, but this time he was not going to get hit again. His mind began to wander once again. In his mind’s eye it was raining at the edge of a lake. The moon was full and was reflecting off of the surface of the perfectly calm, still water that seemed to ignore the affects of the falling rain. The rain was ice cold.

No.

Kosio snapped out of his stupor just in time. Jump back from a senbon that was about the strike him. “Foolish boy! How did you possibly make it out of the academy in your pathetic state of mind?” The words reached Kosio and they stuck. His father’s words were one of the few things that could hurt Kosio rather than enrage him. Kosio had worked so hard. He had pushed himself to levels that he did not think possible. He felt no remorse for the other students that he had to drive to sniveling cowards in the Academy. He had only felt the rabid determination that was instilled in him since early childhood. And now that same man that had forced this indomitable will onto him, had just called him foolish. I’ll prove him wrong.

His thoughts were interrupted but a senbon piercing his left arm. Kosio let out another grunt as he took the blow, rolling onto a shoulder and standing up to face his father head on. “Pathetic. Once again you fail me. Once again you show me that you are nothing but a failure to this clan and to your father. You’ll never become the weapon you are meant to be.” Each word stung slightly more until Kosio felt numb. Pathetic. I’m not pathetic. I’m the future of this clan, and I will be a better ninja than you ever were father. “I’ll show you which one of us is pathetic, old man!” Kosio shouted at the one-armed man that stood a mere 5m away as he raised his own right hand, palm outstretched and yelled as loud as he could, “You are the weak one, not me!”

As he said this, he released the void chakra that he controlled in a pulse that slammed into his father, sending him flying backward a full 25m and into a tree. Kosio began to walk forward slowly and deliberately. Taking each step with purpose, but patience. Kosio’s father was now propped up against the base of a tree in a sitting position. He looked up and spit out a tooth that had evidently fallen out thanks to the force of his jutsu. “Bah! You think physical pain is going to impress me. I lost an arm, you idiot. Pain is nothing!” Kosio continued his walking forward until he was very close to his father. He stared down at the fallen man. “You’re right of course father. I cannot hurt you more than you have already been hurt. But, I can do many other things, things that you will wish I could not.” With that, he looked up and locked eyes with his father, whose face immediately began to turn pale with fear.  

WC: 606+729=1335
Chakra: 120/150

Jutsu Used: