When Kiriya got up he was not feeling in the right mood for a two-day hiking trip to the mountain. On top of that, black clouds were coming from the north, the direction he was heading to. He got out of bed, the backpack was on his table, prepared by his mother the night before. He was not carrying a big one, just the necessities – small tent, a water container, spare clothes, matches and a book. The book was about the story of a powerful shinobi from the land of the Fire.  From a young age he enjoyed reading about great shinobi from different countries, but the land of fire intrigued him because it was his fathers’ homeland. But that mystery was yet to be discovered.

When Kiriya got out it was just starting to rain. The path he wanted to go on was approximately three kilometers north from his training site. After walking for eleven minutes he crossed the bridge that marked the path’s beginning. This forgotten path was used in the past by shinobi from the nearby villages. There was a legend that a mythical creature would appear to the walker. The reason that Kiriya chose this path was because his mentor told him to. At first he did not realize why he had to do and frequently asked Takuya what was the purpose of the hike but Takuya always replied: “If you have to ask, you will never know”.

After walking for about an hour, he sensed that someone was following him. Kiriya suddenly sensed that something was flying towards him and dodged it at the last second, throwing a kunai in the direction it came from. A clash of metal sound was heard in the distance. From the shadows appeared the black figure. Kiriya realized that it was Takuya. “I didn’t know that you were coming.” – Kiriya stated. “I did not have the intention but your mother asked me to.” - replied Takuya. After the brief talk they continued walking in silence.

---

WC - 338

Not long after that they heard the loud sound of a thunder strike not far from them. Kiriya knew that something bad had happened, his senses confirmed it. Takuya agreed to check out where the lightning had hit. After walking for not more than five minutes the two came across where the lightning had hit. It was a small wooden cabin hidden between a small bunch of threes. The lightning strike had hit the cabin and it was burning in flames now, despite the rain. Kiriya could not believe that a lightning strike would make a flame big as this one. “We have to check if someone is still inside.” – were the first words that he spoke to Takuya. Takuya just silently nodded. The two broke the front door and went inside.

The heat was excruciating, Kiriya thought to himself that nobody could withstand it. Inside was an old man holding a small cat in his hands. He was sitting in the corner, surrounded by flames. Takuya used a water style jutsu in a split second and extinguished the burning flames. The old man started crying and was mumming unrecognizable words. “Thank you for saving me, if you did not come I don’t know what would have happened.”- said the old man. “Don’t worry about it, we just happened to be nearby when the lightning struck." – replied Takuya. “Lightning?! What lightning?”- jumped the old man. “My cabin was lit on fire by those pesky bandits living in the nearby mountain.” – continued the man. “But why did they do this to you?” – asked Kiriya. “I refused to give them my ryo and they lit my cabin but I didn’t want to leave Teski behind.” Teski was the name of the little kitten which was now running around their feet. The old man warned them not to go too deep in the forest because they were bound to meet with the bandits. “They will take everything you own.” – warned the old man. After a brief conversation about the bandits they went on their way and soon the cabin was back in the distance.

---

WC - 338 + 354
=692

“What is the possibility of his story being true? I mean, if there are bandits in this forest someone should have met them already and reported to the Raikage. On the other hand, if they kill and dispose of all their victims they would be safe. I don’t like this, that poor old man didn’t deserve having his house burned. We should do something about this, things like that shouldn’t happen to people that don’t deserve them.”

“Let’s just think about it for a second. If there indeed are bandits here they aren’t the average ones. If they were some petty criminals, they would have no incentive of killing their victims, presuming that they object is to steal something. There was one similar situation. Our mission was to infiltrate the base of a criminal organization who were known in Konoha for their murdering spree. Upon arrival, we realized that it was a trap, somehow they knew we were coming. In the end we lost two of our men. My point is, these criminals are quite intelligent, that is for someone who kills for a living. If that were not the case, they wouldn’t kill anyone they stole from. The killing is to ensure that nobody would talk, thus ensuring their safety.”

After that brief exchanging of words Kiriya and Takuya continued walking in silence. The weather was getting worse, the thunders and lightnings in the distance were getting closer and closer.   Because of the dark clouds the vision was getting more and more scarce. Only the flashing of thunders in the distance would provide them some sort of a lightning source, lighting the surrounding area for a brief moment. The rain was also getting stronger, they decided to find somewhere to wait out the storm and perhaps camp for the rest of the night.

Not far from their position they noticed a little shack, buried in the surrounding trees. Upon entering it they realized the condition it was in. The windows were broken as was the case with the front door. The three square meter room was also trashed, the only thing that was in semi-good condition was the fireplace at the opposite side. The cabin would provide them a place to stay for the night, hidden from the rain.

“We should spend the rest of the night here. Although, the place is trashed and the windows are missing, the roof is in good condition. There weren’t any signs that the storm would pass soon. This is the optimal thing we could stumble upon.”

Kiriya slightly nodded. From his expression it was clear that he didn’t like where they were staying. There was no need for complaining as they both were tired and soaked. Kiriya started searching the house for something of use. He stumbled upon some wood that was dry. Bringing them to the fireplace, Takuya started lighting them up. Not long after they were sitting around the warm and bright fire.

---

WC - 692 + 503
= 1195

The heavy rain did not stop the whole night. Although the roof seemed to be in a good condition the rain found its way through it. The roaring thunders continued all the time to the early sunrise. Kiriya, like always, woke up moments before it. Takuya was still sleeping and there was no point in waking him so early. Kiriya got up and walked through the door. There were still dark clouds surrounding the place from where the sun was rising. At least the rain had stopped. Kiriya enjoyed the specific smell of the air right after the rain had stopped. He started to look around and to explore the area surrounding the small hut.

Looking around it there was nothing odd. Why would even there be? Kiriya had this bad feeling, in the middle of the night he woke up thinking that something was watching them. While the waking up in the middle of the night was a standard practice for him, this time there was something suspicious. His instincts told him that something was wrong. That was the reason because he started to check the surrounding area. There were several trees surrounding the hut and some bushes between them. There were no signs of someone being there, no broken branches, no footsteps in the mud, nothing. Kiriya noticed that one bush had a weird shape, as some walked through it. He squatted down to its stem and started checking it out. On first glance there was nothing wrong, maybe an animal had passed through it, leaving it in this odd shape. Checking underneath it he found a barely visible footstep, hidden in the mud.

“There was really someone who watched us through the night. Is it possible that the criminals that burnt the old man’s house were following us. It sure isn’t impossible. But why didn’t they kill us when they had the chance? The person that was surveilling us is quite skilled, he didn’t leave any foot steps aside the one beneath the bush, he should have not seen it. I should wake up Takuya and tell him about this.”

Upon entering the hut from the door Kiriya saw that Takuya was already up. He quickly explained what happened the previous night and the things he found outside.

“I see, you have quite the sharp hearing. The person that followed us here stepped on a tree branch. That’s why you woke up. To be honest, he couldn’t have been very skilled, a skilled shinobi wouldn’t leave any trails behind him. It’s not suspicious that someone had followed us. If they were nearby when we approached the burning house they could have easily followed us here. They could have followed us because the old man told us what happened. He’s probably dead by now.”

“We should go and check if he’s alright.” Was the first thing that Kiriya said after hearing Takuya’s words. Moments later he was already packing up his stuff in the backpack. Not long after that the two left the shack and were on their way back to the old man’s house. Upon their arrival the scene shocked them. Almost nothing was left from the house, it was all burned down to the ground. The only thing that was left from the house were the two planks that were still burning on the ground.

“They were covering their tracks. The reason why they had not been arrested was that they didn’t leave anyone they encountered alive. This means they are probably following us now. Don’t make any sudden movements.”

Kiriya knew that something bad was about to happen. Moments after Takuya looked Kiriya in the eyes and nodded slightly, two kunai were thrown towards them from two directions. One was thrown from the direction of their rear, the other one was heading towards them from their front side. Kiriya and Takuya both used the Body flicker technique to move from the kunai’s paths.

---

WC - 1195 + 673
= 1868

Both appeared on the highest branch of a nearby tree. Takuya made a sign that meant to keep quiet. Kiriya started inspecting the space below them. He knew where the kunai could have been thrown from but there was no trace from the enemy. That led him to think that he or they were hiding somewhere. It has to be them, the kunai were flying toward them from opposite sides, a single person had to be incredibly fast to throw both of them. There was no visual trace of the attackers. Kiriya thought they should be very skillful to react to the situation in such a way.

Staying still for around five minutes Kiriya figured that the threat had passed. Takuya was still looking down and assessing the situation. Through his mind flowed hundred different scenarios for the attack. The most plausible was that they were covering their tracks, leaving no one that knew about them alive. The same thing they did to the poor old man.

“We should be clear now. I can’t sense them, they are probably far away by now. If we continue it’s most certain that our paths will cross again. It’s too dangerous if we continue on the path. We should in the forest parallel to the path. This way if someone is trying to ambush us we’ll have the advantage. It’s best if I continue alone from here on, it’s just too dangerous for you.”

“No way, I’m not leaving you here alone. I’m a shinobi and shinobi don’t leave a friend behind. I’m coming with you, we should make these thieves pay dattebayo.”

“I see that there is no way of making you leave, guess it can’t be helped so you’re coming with me. I should have knew this would happen, someone as stubborn as you doesn’t listen. If I have to be honest, your skills could help us capturing them. However, there is one condition. If I say to abandon me you should do it without hesitation.”

Kiriya didn’t like how the condition sounded but agreed to it nevertheless. What was he thinking, that Kiriya would leave him the moment it got dangerous. That was not happening. Kiriya wouldn’t leave him for anything in the world. Both of them got down from the tree branch and started to devise a proper strategy. The most possible explanation was that the thieves were following them on the path. When Kiriya and Takuya dodged the attack the enemy had also hid. There still was a high chance that he was following them. The plan Kiriya and Takuya created was that in the moment of attack they would counter and catch them. The next part was the interrogation of the suspect and reporting to the Raikage after that. It was simple enough. But Takuya knew that usually in moments like this the unexpected happened.

When they started making their way through the thick forest it was already noon. The dense, black clouds were all over the sky. The soil was deeply watered from the previous night’s rain, making the passing through it harder than it already was. At least it wasn’t raining. As they were walking there suddenly was a barely audible sound of leaves rustling. They were both ready to engage, when they turned to the place it came from there was a small deer eating grass. The moment it was them it began to run.

Not long after they met the deer, they stumbled upon a three meter waterfall. For a moment they stopped, looking at the water running through it. Below it there was a pond. It seemed to Kiriya that it was a perfect place for someone to practice the water surface walking jutsu. Takuya knew about this waterfall, it was not an ordinary one. Behind the water there was a hidden place, there were stories indicating that the place was used for a training ground by the fourth Raikage. His strength and speed were unmatched in the whole land of the lightning, possibly in the whole world.

“I want to show you something.” Said Takuya and started walking toward the base of the waterfall. Kiriya stood looking puzzled, when Takuya disappeared in the base of the waterfall he followed him. Behind the water there was an old training ground. Takuya told him the stories about the fourth Raikage.

“I can’t believe it, the stories were actually real.” Grasped Kiriya. The scarce light revealed three really old practicing dummies and a pull-up bar. “This would be so cool if it really was used by the fourth Raikage.”

Despite his strength and ninja skills, which were considerably higher from the average of his age, Kiriya hadn’t lost the child in him. As they got further inside they noticed that there was a deep cave.

---

WC - 1686 + 821
= 2507

Kiriya couldn’t be anymore intrigued about the cave located in the far back of the room. As they started making their way through it, the light behind them was getting thinner and thinner. Not long after that they reached the point where they were standing in pitch-black darkness. Both of them knew what to do and without any communication they just continued walking. This was an underground cave, which meant that it had to lead to somewhere. Following the logic at the end of the tunnel there had to be a way out. Also, if someone was following them, the chance for continuing to follow them through the tunnel was minimal. A skilled enemy would have thought this to be some kind of a trap.

It took them approximately twenty minutes to arrive at a ladder, leading to higher ground. There was some kind of a door on top of it and around it were little sun rays coming through. “This must be the way out” grasped Kiriya. Takuya kept silent.

Takuya climbed the ladder first, slightly opening the door and looking through it. The scene that opened before him was that of a forest. They were surrounded by enormous trees and there wasn’t a single structure around them. After looking for around two minutes he decided that it was safe enough to get out. The moment they got out, three ninja appeared and surrounded them. It appeared that they knew about the tunnel and where it led to. Things were getting out of control. There was a great possibility that they couldn’t make it out alive. Takuya looked Kiriya, at that moment Kiriya realized that their only option was to run.

In the moments of a split second, Kiriya used the body flicker technique to escape in the south direction. Takuya did the same but went to the north direction. Kiriya knew it was more possible that two of the pursuers went toward Takuya and only one was tailing him. As he was jumping from one tree branch to another, he made sure to change directions frequently enough. This was done in order to shake off the pursuer. The direction Kiriya was heading in was the one of the training ground. This was their rendezvous point in emergency cases. After making sure that nobody was following him, he started analyzing the situation. Not long after that he got to the training ground. But there was no one. Takuya wasn’t there.

"Could have something happened to him?" Takuya was the strongest and most skillful ninja Kiriya knew, but their pursuers were also quite strong. On the other hand, when he and Takuya split, Takuya ran in the opposite direction, that means that the path to the training ground was twice as long. Kiriya sat patiently waiting for him, his mind was analyzing what could’ve happened to Takuya.

Sometime later, Kiriya noticed a dark figure approaching the training ground. It was definitely Takuya. Kiriya could recognize his silhouette from a mile.

“I’m glad that you managed to escape. The first thing we should do is to make an appointment with the Raikage and tell her everything that happened.”

---

[EXIT]
WC - 2507 + 534
= 3041

Speed: E-rank to D-rank (750 words)
Endurance: E-rank to D-rank (750 words)
Perception: E-rank to D-rank (750 words)
Reaction time: E-rank to D-rank (750 words)

For a total of 3000 words.