Extra Pair of Eyes:

“All the other kids with the pumped up kicks, better run, better run, faster than my….”, singing broke off into a soft whistle as the remainder of the lyrics Zaylee had been previously singing were whistled in tune with the beat of the music currently playing through her headphones. At the moment the four foot tall child was in the bathroom, the door slightly ajar, and in the middle of getting ready to head down for breakfast. Her face had already been washed, and her long whitish-silver colored hair pulled up into a traditional bun secured with two lacquered chop sticks that matched her attire. Her whistling paused long enough for her to give her her teeth a thorough brushing, with an extra pause to check one of the last adult teeth that was in the process of growing in: having lost the last baby tooth a day or two before heading to Konohagakure to watch the Chuunin Exams. After rinsing her mouth and cleaning her tooth brush off and putting it away her whistling picked up where it left off as the song continued playing through her headphones. Citrine eyes stared at her reflection for but a moment before she opened the door and moonwalked past her grandfather who simply chuckled at her and patted her on the head before heading into the bathroom to take his own turn, causing Zaylee to smile.

Zaylee had been up since five o’clock in the morning, despite having not gone to sleep till nearly midnight, and as such was already dressed for the day - her attire something she had picked up the day before when shopping: having saved up her allowance for the past few years and finally having splurged on not only new clothes but also weapons: lots of them. It had been a rather interesting moment for the weapon vendor - she hadn’t been the typical child who had simply made their purchases because they thought the weapons would help them, no she had asked questions, and lots of them, ranging from the damage potential of the weapons to their durability to their quality. Zaylee had ensured that what she was spending her hard earned money on, what she was purchasing as a means to better protect herself as a Genin, was worth its salt. The evening before she had spent placing all of her weapons away in various scrolls and pouches that would be within easy access to her at all times, save for one weapon - her katana. Swords had been something she was interested in for the past six months, but she had spent that time researching the various kinds before settling on the basic katana she had bought the day before. Even still she knew wisely that she needed to train how to use it before carrying it on her person: it would remain safely in its sheath, packed away until she was comfortable enough to wield it. The new outfit she had bought, or rather the one she was currently wearing out of the several she had purchased, consisted of a beautiful summer knee length kimono with a base yellow color with a blue and pink flower design covering it, a pair of white thigh length tabi socks, and waiting for her downstairs should she happen to go anywhere today were a brand new pair of wooden geta.

Out of the bathroom she turned around and headed into her bedroom, picking up her scrolls that contained her new various weapons and slipping them into the hidden pockets that had been a special addition made the evening before courtesy of her father and Mamoru: the question having been brought up as to how Zaylee was going to hide so many weapons on her person in such beautiful attire. Glancing at her dresser she made her way over to it, her gaze resting upon the Kumogakure headband that she wore and took care of so proudly. Picking it up she glanced at her appearance, wondering how she wanted to wear it in such an outfit. Her normal method was to wear it loosely around her neck, but such a method wouldn’t work in her current attire - at least not well. Frowning a bit thoughtfully she pondered the question for a moment before slipping it around her slender waist and tying it in the back so that the face plate with her villages symbol upon it resided beneath her rib cage.

Satisfied Zaylee left her bedroom, following the delicious smell of food down the steps and into the kitchen, curious as to where the rest of her family was as well as who was cooking. “And who is this beautiful young lady entering into my kitchen?”, Amaya called out upon glancing over and seeing Zaylee entering, a smile on the older female’s face that only grew as Zaylee actually blushed in response. Chuckling softly Amaya would give her daughter a hug and kiss on her forehead before heading back to the stove, “Your father is going to have to beat the boys back with a stick…”, she commented softly causing Zaylee to wrinkle her nose. “I’ll beat them with a stick myself.”, Zaylee commented back, causing Amaya to laugh. “Good girl, right answer.”

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875

Rest did not come easily for Daremo, and after countless times trying to fall asleep, he gave up on trying sleep. Glancing at the clock, the time reading 3 a.m, citrine eyes shifted towards his wife who was peacefully slumbering next to him. A few minutes were spent staring down at the woman who had helped him immensely through dealing with Kaia-mai’s death and becoming the mother the twins needed and almost becoming the woman that Daremo needed as well. The woman was a gift from the Gods, she came into their lives in their moment of need, even if they did not know they needed it. He allowed his thoughts to drift for a few more moments before deciding to get up.

Knowing well of Amaya’s light sleeping habits, he eased himself out of the bed, making sure to make as little sound as possible to avoid waking up his beloved. Out of bed, his gaze turned to the sleeping form of his wife, gently pulling the covers over her naked body, though lingering on her assets for a few seconds beforehand. Stretching, and yawning, he thought on what exactly he wanted to do to pass the time. There was not much he could do in the confines of the house unless he wished to wake up the other members of the household, something he did not want to do.

Moving towards the closet, Daremo slipped on a white t-shirt, and black training gi style pants, and matching footwear. Now dressed, he wrote a small note to Amaya, telling her where he was, in case she woke up and wondered where he went. With that done, he quietly exited the shared bedroom, made his way downstairs, and out of the front door. Upon stepping outside, he felt a familiar weight, and sting sensation, on his right shoulder. “Hello to you, too,  Hiretsu.”, he spoke, glancing at the black vulture who nipped at his hair. Reaching towards the bird with his left hand, he was not surprised when the ornery thing nipped at the approaching hand before allowing him to pet it.

The petting came to a stop when Hiretsu nipped at his fingers, her beak strong enough to draw a small trinket of blood. Moving his hand away from the bird, something she attempted to nip at again as she fluttered her feathers, hitting him on the back of his head, “Better be glad, I care for you.”, he spoke while walking away from Amaya’s parent’s house. He knew Hiretsu’s former owner was abusive to the bird, causing her untold amount of stress, and physically abuse the poor animal. While she was removed in time for she could be killed, the damage was already done. She had a distrust for adult males, attacking any who dared to get close. It took Daremo some time and patients with Hiretsu to get her somewhat comfortable with him.

“Going to jog a bit. You want to accompany me?”, Daremo asked Hiretsu, the pair had reached the outer-fringes of the Konohagakure no Sato, away from the main streets of the village. Hiretsu cawked as if to answer the question, and took off in the air, not before slapping Daremo on the back of his head. Chuckling at the bird’s antics, the silver-haired male began following his feathery friend. He did not know how long either of them was out there. To the becoming lost in a game that Hiretsu initiated when she swooped down and peck his hair before flying ahead of him while keeping head level with him. It was only after the first two times did Daremo caught up, and ended up playing ‘tag’ with the bird, gently tapping her on the head, getting nipped for the troubles, and speed ahead of her. The game lasting all the way until the sun started to rise.

Slowing down to a fast walk, citrine eyes watched as Hiretsu landed on his right shoulder, “Let’s go home. The others should be awake by now. “ he spoke, and began walking towards the direction of Amaya’s parent’s house. Slightly winded from the job, he took his time in waking back home, enjoying the scenery around him. Upon arriving at the house, he spotted a courier-nin, who likewise spotted him and was heading his direction, “Koyabashi, Daremo?”. He nodded at being addressed, taking the scroll that was handed to him, “You have been asked to be in charge of several of today’s matches due to the shortage of Konoha staff.”. Unraveling the scroll, he read over the contents, noting what was expected of him, and now there were no restrictions on who may accompany him. “Thank you.”, Walking inside of the house, shutting the door behind him, Hiretsu having fluttered off already.

The delicious aroma of food being cook caused his stomach to announce its presence with a growl. Eyes glanced over to his mother-in-law who had heard the ‘monstrous’ noise and was trying to stifle a chuckle, clearly amused by it. Following his nose, Daremo walked into the kitchen to see his lovely wife preparing breakfast. Walking up behind her, he planted a kiss on her cheek, and reframe from smacking her ass, only out of respect for her parents, “Going to shower.” Heading back upstairs, and into the bedroom shared with his lover, he tossed the scroll on the bed and headed straight for the bathroom connected to the room.

Wearing only black boxers, he emerged out of the bathroom with a fog of steam following behind him. Seeing the mission scroll on the bed, Daremo sighed. He did not have any plans on doing a mission today. He had every intention in training Zaylee, and help her developed her skills as a shinobi. Though she was officially a genin, he was not about to turn her training over to her sensei. If anyone knew Zaylee, it was her parents, thus, he felt like he would be the best teacher for her. Yes, he had plans to train her, but, that was out of the window now because of a mission. Could he say no? Of course, but, refusing a mission could look bad on Kumo, especially when they are not seen in positive light.

Instead of wearing a normal kimono, Daremo decided to wear something different. Slipping on a white t-shirt, he grabbed a black and red kosodo which had strings on it. Making sure both the colors were evenly represented on either side of him, he tied the kosode before slipping a dusty black hakama that had a matching obi to go with it. Slipping on a pair of black tabi socks, and match geta, Daremo looked himself over in the mirror. His long silver hair was put into a pony-tail held by a pair of silver-tipped senbons. The pair of senbons would be the only weapon on his person as he grabbed the scroll on the bed, his identification, and headband before finally exiting the bedroom.

Walking into the kitchen, Daremo caught the tail end of the conversation Amaya was having with Zaylee, about how he was going to have to beat the boys back. ”Beat them back? Who said anything about beating them back? Accidents happen, yeah?”, Daremo knew what his beast side was hinting at, and he readily agreed with the statement. No boy will ever be good enough for his little princess. Boys are nothing more than hormonal creatures lacking control, ”Like us. . .”, any boy who dared to look at his princess will feel their wrath. Hearing his daughter’s response got a chuckle from him, “That’s our girl. Beat those boys back.”,he spoke, rubbing Zaylee’s head in an affectionate manner.

Giving Amaya another kiss on the cheek, Daremo hugged his daughter and kissed the top of her head. “This morning is not what I had planned.”, he stated, pulling out the mission scroll, and twirling it in his hand, “Konoha wants me to oversee a couple of matches for them. They are short of staff, so they are asking for additional help. I could say no, but, politics.” Daremo was not a fan of having to play politics. Too many snakes in the proverbial field and everyone had a motive for something. Looking at Zaylee, his eyes soften, “I know we were supposed to train this morning, I got to do this mission and I don’t know how long that will take.”

Thinking about the situation he found himself in, Daremo wonders what he could do, “Hmmm. . .maybe.,” looking between Amaya and Zaylee, he spoke once more, “Princess, do you want to tag along with me on this mission? It should be fairly simple, we will just be watching a couple of matchings, and if things get too dangerous between the contestants, I will need to step in and stop them. This will give you a chance to see how others fight, and it can help you. So, what do you say? Do you want to go?” Of course, Amaya would need to agree to this, and he hoped she did. As he mentioned, seeing others fight would ultimately help Zaylee in the long run.

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1552

Zaylee giggled at her mother and father’s response, grinning as her father rubbed the top of her head. It was a mark of how comfortable the family dynamic was that Zaylee spoke her next words as her father went to give her mother a kiss, a mark of how non-judgemental she knew her parents to be, how much she could trust them not to look at her differently, ”Besides, I don’t like boys. I like girls.” After the words left Zaylee’s lips there was a lack of the usual response another child might have given when coming out of the closet: there was no hesitation, no fear, no wishing she could take the words back. Instead, Zaylee simply made her way over to one of the cabinets after grabbing a stool nearby, stepped onto the stool, and grabbed herself a cup from the cabinet above before heading to the refrigerator and pulling out an open carton of orange juice.

Amaya, having not expected such a revelation, blinked once and then turned her head so that she could better look at Zaylee’s rather blaise attitude about it all, before glancing over at Daremo to see his reaction to such a revelation. A chuckle would escape the older woman before she shrugged her shoulders. “You remember me telling you I was married once before, right Zaylee? Well, it was to a woman named Ashi, an Inuzuka.”

After carefully pouring herself a cup of orange juice, doing so while listening to Amaya speak about her previous wife, Zaylee would carefully put the carton of orange juice away and the stool before looking to her mother. “That explains why you like dogs more than cats.” Taking a sip of her glass of orange juice her gaze would shift over to the scroll in her father’s hand, her head tilting to the side as it did when she was curious, and ignoring the way her mother chuckled as she returned to finishing up breakfast - Amaya not denying the accusation that she preferred canines instead of felines. It was with a kind of rapt attention that Zaylee listened as her father mentioned that the scroll was a mission: the village of Konohagakure was short staffed and needed him to oversee several of the exam matches. It unfortunately put a damper to their plans of spending the afternoon training - as well as Zaylee getting to reveal the massive weapons purchase she had made the following evening via the allowance she had been saving up for quite some time.

A normal child would have perhaps gotten angry, especially one with a short fuse like Zaylee had, but Zaylee was understanding: while her father likely could have said no to such a request it tended to lead to a bunch of politics that most shinobi - or so she had heard - didn’t like to deal with. Sometimes it was better to just do what was asked of you, even if you really didn’t want to. Before she could wonder though what she would spend the entirety of the day doing instead her father was quick to come up with a solution: Zaylee accompanying him. All they would have to do is watch over some matches, with her father stepping in if things got too heated or dangerous for the contestants. It would give her a chance to see the kind of skills that more seasoned Genin were capable of, and it was a prospect that brought a grin of excitement to her face. ”Yes, yes, yes!”, Zaylee would respond happily, bouncing up and down in place after putting the remainder of her orange juice back onto the counter so that she didn’t spill it everywhere in her excitement.

Amaya would smile thoughtfully as she shut the stove off, glancing over to watch the excited bouncing which made her chuckle. ”That sounds like a wonderful idea. It’ll give Zaylee a chance to see combat in as safe of a situation as she can be in. Always good to be able to witness the kinds of things others can do.” They were wise words, spoken from her own experience. Going into a battle with no idea of what the other person could likely be capable of was dangerous, but this would be an eye opening experience for their daughter that would give her a chance to see the sheer diversity of other Genin. Everyone in the Academy’s were trained much the same, and while some differences could be picked up on during that time it was only after one graduated the Academy that their true potential began to show. ”When I was your age there were no Chuunin exams being held, so I had to see the hard way the kinds of things other shinobi could do in a battle. It was certainly an interesting experience to say the least.” It was a thought Amaya didn’t dwell in as she grabbed a stack of plates from one of the cabinets and set about placing them on the kitchen table.

Zaylee, still grinning from ear to ear, went about grabbing silverware from one of the drawers, following after her mother and placing a set down next to each plate, her stomach roaring to life and making its presence known: thankfully, the child hadn’t inherited her mother’s pickiness or lack of eating habits when it came to food: Zaylee was able to pack food down like one of the boys, a good thing considering she trained harder than most of them under the watchful eye of her father. Once the silverware was placed Zaylee returned to grab her glass of orange juice before taking what had become her usual spot at the table while they stayed at her grandparents house. ”Mmm, I’m so hungry I could eat a whole cow.”, she’d respond, her stomach roaring once more as if in agreement to the statement. ”Daddy, where’s Hiretsu?”, she would ask suddenly, having become quite fond of her father’s feathery companion, so much so that she had been playing with the idea of seeing if she could get a bird too - though, she was still torn on exactly what kind of bird it was that she wanted. ”I kind of want a bird for a companion… maybe an eagle, or a snowy owl. I was playing with the idea of a jutsu that would allow me to see through a bird’s eyes while they’re flying. Birds are common enough I could spy on someone like that without them being aware of it.”, she spoke softly, a thoughtful tone to her voice.

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Personal WC: 1,130 | 2,005
Thread WC: 3,557

”There goes our fun of scaring away any of Zaylee’s potential boyfriends or suitors. I. for one was looking forward to mentally scarring the boys who sought her out. Guess, we have to settle with scaring the females.”, the beast’s settlement was one Daremo wholeheartedly agreed with. Sooner or later, teenaged boys and other males would take note of Zaylee’s beauty, something she got from her mother, and seek out a relationship with her. He was looking forward to the chance of being the overprotective father, as if he wasn’t one already, and scaring the males away. He already had years of experience in disposing of bodies in a way that they won’t be found unless he wanted him to, and he was prepared to do just that to any persistent male, or those who make Zaylee feel uncomfortable. She was his little princess, and there was nothing he would not do to protect her.

Alas, the need to protect her from the male populace seeking her affection was not needed with Zaylee’s revelation of liking women. Some parents, or people in general, might be put off with such a beautiful teen not wanting to date that of the opposite sex. Some might look at her in disgust for finding attraction to the same sex, seeing it as an abomination, and going against the natural order of life. He knew parents who disowned their children once they came out of the proverbial closet, announcing their love for the same sex. He had seen the aftermath of nasty feuds between parent and child when one’s sexual preference is not the norm. Or what the parent expects. Those feuds were not pretty, and in some extreme cases, ended with the child getting physically hurt by the parent.

   Daremo, himself, was not like the aforementioned parents. Instead of there being disgust in his eyes, his citrine orbs shined with happiness and acceptance. He did not speak right away, instead, allowed Amaya to speak to their child, and revealing some history to her. “It might be wrong to say this, but, I am happy that you do not like boys.”, Daremo spoke, looking at his daughter with nothing more than love and affection, “It saves me the trouble in having to handle any male you bring home, for none will be good enough for my princess.” Indeed, he doubted there ever would be a male that could leave up to his ridiculously high standards. In his mind, his princess should have everything, and there was no boy who could give her such.

Eyes glanced over to Amaya when Zaylee mentioned how Amaya’s previous wife explains her love for canines more than felines. There was a twinkling look in his eye, “Unlike your mother, I do love pussy cats. “ there was mirth in the words and adult humor that only the adults would understand. Normally he would not have said something like that around Zaylee, or in the kitchen where anyone can walk in, but, luckily both of Amaya’s parents were not in the kitchen yet, and Amaya had just made the comment so ever easy. Looking away from his wife, citrine eyes fell back onto Zaylee, “It is funny you like boys. There was a brief time period in my life that I dated boys as well.”, he admitted, omitting the reasons behind why he dated boys, Zaylee being too young to fully understand and grasps his life prior to becoming a shinobi. Him dating boys was anything but natural and call out of a need to adapt to the world he lived in.

Sitting down at the table, Daremo continues to twirl the scroll in his right hand. The mission parameters were something relatively simple for a man of his caliber. Watching over shinobi who were, at most, Special Jounin in level, fighting it out in front of a crowd with him only having to intervene unless things got too hectic and chaotic, or when repairs were needed? The mission was an easy one with the amount of pay pretty decent. Arguably, it would be one of the easier missions, of equivalent rank, done in a while by him. Yet, apart of him did not want to do it. He came back to Hi no Kuni to enjoy the Chuunin Exams. He wanted to spend quality time with his family and do things with them. This was going to be their chance to unwind, and not worry about what is on the horizon. He knew this might be the last time they had a ‘peaceful’ moment together, and he wanted to enjoy it.

Alas, that was not the case, Konoha needed a hand in monitoring the exams, and he was chosen for whatever reason. He could have turned it down, but, out of some respect for the village Amaya grew up in, where Kaia-mai was welcomed, and where he had family at, he would do this small favor for the administration. The favor would not be done alone, no. if they wanted him to monitor the fights, he was going to make the most of it by turning it into a learning experience for Zaylee. This being the perfect opportunity for Zaylee to see high-level combat without the risk of getting injured, or worse, killed. By watching others fight, he hoped she would get a better understanding of what was to come as she continued down her shinobi path, and some of the people she would be facing would have similar skills. This would be a good learning tool for his daughter.

Even before the words left Zaylee’s lips, the look of excitement on her face told Daremo everything he needed to know. Glancing to see what Amaya thought about Zaylee going with, for if she was against it, Zaylee would not be going, Daremo was pleased that she agreed. “My thoughts exactly. This will give Zaylee the perfect chance to see what is ahead of her”, looking at his daughter, “You will not simply be spectating. I want you to take notes, or at the very least, memorizing tactics used in the battle, even if they were ineffective. Make use of these tactics either by adding them to your own repertoire, or breaking them down so you won’t be caught by them. I will be making use of some of the tactics in our upcoming training sessions to see if you paid attention. Think of this as a test of your analyzing skills.” Like a teacher giving a student homework, Daremo gave Zaylee her assignment for the mission.

Getting up from the table, Daremo moved to help the other two set it. His thoughts briefly drifting to his time as a genin. Similar to Amaya, there were no Chuunin Exams doing his time. All of the promotions were field promotions where the risk of death was higher than in the exams. He did not mind those type of promotions. He finding them more reliable than the current ones. In field promotions, one is certain the genin has been tested and experience a part of the shinobi world, unlike with Chuunin Exam promotions, whereas one can only gain a limited amount of experience through combat.

The thoughts were dismissed with the growl of his stomach, demanding food. “You are not the only one hungry.”, grabbing his own glass of orange, Daremo moved back to sit at the table. His head tilting to the right at the mention of Hiretsu, “She is probably around the house. There is no doubt she will come to us once we leave.” It was always interesting to see the dynamic between Hiretsu, and Zaylee. The vulture enjoying the company of Zaylee, Amaya, and Mamoru more than her owner’s. Unlike him, Hiretsu never nipped at them and was gentle whenever she landed on their shoulder or sought out their affection. He did not bother him at all, “Maybe you bring her some of the sausages? She might be hungry.”

Listening to Zaylee speaking about wanting either an eagle or snowy owl, Daremo nodded, sitting the glass of orange juice down, “That is a great idea. Birds make excellent scout tools, and unless people are knowledgeable about the native avian life within a specific area, most will not think otherwise about a bird flying overhead" taking a bite of breakfast, chewing and swallowing it, “You seem to have given this some thought. We can go by the pet store, the same place where I got Hiretsu once we finish eating breakfast. I am not needed at the arena for at least an hour."

Having said that, the remaining of time spent talking about mundane topics or little importance. Amaya’s parents joining them no soon afterward, and Daremo informing them of what he and Zaylee were going to do today. “Are you ready?”, Daremo asked, having gotten up, discarding the scraps, and putting his plate in a sink fo water, which he filled prior. Once Zaylee was ready to go, Daremo gave Amaya a quick kiss on the cheek, “I love you.”, before heading outside. No sooner outside, Hiretsu swoop down, digging her talons into his right shoulder, and cawking loudly. Hiretsu turned her attention to Zaylee, tilting her head to the left and right, looking at her expectantly, in hopes of a treat or something.

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1570[3122]

Neither of her parents responses to her coming out of the proverbial closet about preferring women to men didn’t surprise her. They were always supportive of her, supportive of all of her endeavours and choices provided that they caused Zaylee no harm, so in this situation she expected nothing different and wasn’t at all surprised. Their acceptance spoke volumes, and she was once more grateful of the parents that fate had given her. As her father spoke of actually being thrilled that she had no interest in boys or men in general she found her focus shifting upon him and a curious look upon her face: why was that? She wouldn’t have to wait long for her answer her father continued on, explaining that no man would ever be good enough for his princess, and it saved him the trouble of having to manhandle any boy or man that might try and court her. It made her giggle: she knew well of her father’s over protectiveness of her, and she could only imagine the sort of wrath that awaited any boy that wanted to date her - or anything else for that matter.

Hearing her father mention that he rather liked pussy cats she found herself tilting her head in a confused manner as her mother burst out laughing: clearly there was a joke hidden somewhere within there that she hadn’t quite got. Yet, she wouldn’t have time to dwell on it for long as her father mentioned that he had once been attracted to other man, a revelation that she hadn’t expected. But, just like how her father was accepting to her, she was much the same way over this. It didn’t disgust her, and she didn’t judge him for his choices, it was simply another fact about her father that she was now knowledgeable of.

Taking another sip of the delicious, freshly squeezed orange juice in her glass she found herself overcome with joy that her mother had agreed that her going with her father on this mission was a good idea: a learning experience that she would hopefully gain a lot of insightful knowledge from. Once more she found her citrine colored gaze focusing upon her father as he looked to her, addressing her about the matches and what he expected of her during it.What he expected of her was simple enough: this was more than just a chance to hang out with her father and maybe make some ryo - she was to watch and take notes, to memorize what tactics in battle worked and which ones didn’t. To make matters even more serious her father intended on using some of the tactics that they would witness today against her, to test how well she could pay attention and analyze physical conflicts between individuals. It certainly upped the importance of what she was about to witness, but like everything else in life she would meet the challenge head on. Her training sessions with her father were never easy: he didn’t believe in kid gloves, or going easy on her simply because she was his child. If anything, she held the belief that he went harder on her than perhaps he would have another person simply because she was his child instead of some random student on a squad he led, and thus he wanted her more than prepared to face anything that her chosen career path could possibly launch at her. Considering her own long term goals, her needs and motivations to be able to get as strong as possible to protect her family, to never face the pain of loss that she had experienced so early on in life, she would be giving this ‘homework’ her father was giving her her all. She was certain she would make her father proud.

”You know… now that I think about it, even if I had graduated earlier than I did, and would have been able to enter into the exams, I think I would have decided against it.”, Zaylee spoke thoughtfully as she helped to set the table, causing her mother to look over at her with curiosity and amusement. ”Oh, and why is that, my little one?”, Amaya asked curiously, placing food down on the table as Zaylee took her usual spot nearby her father. Zaylee would pause before responding, collecting her thoughts to form the best answer possible. ”I suppose because I’d rather rank up through gaining experience in the field, rather than fighting someone who is at least somewhat my own strength. The fights from what I’ve heard are all watched - people meant to step in before they can seriously hurt or kill each other. It’s a learning experience, but it’s not a real world situation. When you’re out on missions, or having to fight against an enemy, there’s no one to step in if things get too dangerous. Sure, you might be working with a squad, or even friends, but it’s not the same. In the field you’re essentially on your own. I think there’d be more fear there, too… because there isn’t that person to step in and stop things if it gets too bad, and there’s no always a medic around either who can heal you if you’re severely injured.” Shrugging as she finished speaking Zaylee began to load her plate up with all of the delicious foods that Amaya had cooked for them, while Amaya herself regarded Zaylee with a very surprised but proud look upon her face, ”That’s a very astute observation Zaylee.” Amaya knew her daughter wasn’t wrong in what she said: it was true - there was a great deal of difference between situations in the field compared to those held within the exams. Sure, death and dismemberment could happen, it was always a possibility, but it was also a less likely situation than what you’d face in real combat.

With her thoughts out of the way her attention would shift between her food and her father as she began to eat, nodding as he said that Hiretsu was likely around the house and that perhaps she should bring her some sausage in case she was hungry. As she ate her food with quite a bit of gusto due to her hunger she paid attention as her father seemed to agree with her words - no one would think twice about a bird flying around overhead unless they knew about that areas natural species and the bird happened to be out of the ordinary. When he mentioned that she had given this a lot of thought she nodded her head in agreement: indeed she had. Of course, she also knew she’d have to get something that was relatively small, a baby or some such, a companion that she could grow and develop with. It would be a lot of work, but she felt up to the task. As her father mentioned them having time to go by the pet store before going to oversee the matches a grin of happiness overtook her face and Zaylee focused on eating her breakfast more so than before, setting aside a couple of sausages as she did so for Hiretsu.

Finishing up eating Zaylee made sure to take her plate and her now empty glass of orange juice to the sink, rinsing both of them off to make it easier to clean them later - having set aside the sausages in a napkin for her father’s own bird companion. ”I’m ready!”, she would exclaim happily, already having everything needed on her person. Watching her father give her mother a kiss made her smile: while it used to bother her as it did all children, it was nice to see so much love in their family - she knew from various kids she had met during her time in the Academy that not all homes were the same. Some were filled with hatred and anger, anguish and pain. Her and Mamoru had certainly gotten lucky. Following her father outside she watched with a tilt of her head as Hiretsu landed on her father’s shoulder, mimicking the way the bird looked at her. Opening up the napkin that held the bird’s delicious treats she would hold one out in her hand, knowing that despite the minor aggression towards Daremo she had picked up on, Hiretsu wouldn’t nip her as she took it. As they made their way towards the pet store she would pause to feed Hiretsu several more sausages, depositing the empty napkin into the nearest garbage can once it was empty of deliciously cooked treats. Realizing that Hiretsu probably had no idea where they were going or why she would find herself address the bird as she did any other person - treating the bird like an equal instead of as if she were inferior to her, ”Hiretsu, we’re going to the pet store. I want a bird companion, too. Maybe an owl or an eagle.”

Arriving at the pet store Zaylee would head inside, glancing around for the cages that contained the birds. Spotting them easily enough she headed in that direction, catching the eye of one of the pet handlers as she did so. “Looking for a new pet? How about a kitten, or a puppy, we have some new ones that just arrived. They’re adorable.”, the pet handler would speak, looking a bit taken aback as Zaylee smiled politely but shook her head no. ”I’m looking for a bird, actually. Maybe an eagle or an owl - though I’m leaning more towards an eagle.” Her words caused the pet handler to pause, obviously having not expected such a young little girl to want something so potentially dangerous or hard to handle. “A bird you say? Are you sure? They take a lot of dedication and hard work. The breeds you’re interested in are also quite dangerous - accidents can happen.”, the words were spoken not just to Zaylee but also to Daremo, regarding him and the bird and seemingly hoping that Daremo might change the little girls mind - the resemblance between the two easily letting the pet handler guess that this was her father. ”Birds are really smart though, and natural hunters. They make great ninja companions. My daddy has Hiretsu, and I’ve seen him take care of her, so I know what’s expected, and what to look forward to. I’m ready for this.”, Zaylee spoke softly, her words polite but also pointed - she wouldn’t be swayed by the promise of fluffy kittens or happy puppies. She knew what she wanted, and she was determined to get it.

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Personal WC: 1,790 | 3,795
Total Thread WC: 6,917

Turning away from the sink, Daremo glanced towards Zaylee, questioning her readiness in getting the morning started. The first order of business would venture to the local pet shop, and look at the acquired pets in hopes there would a good selection of eagles and owls for Zaylee to choose from. Their selection was not as plentiful during the time when Hiretsu came into his possession, but, he hoped this time would be different. Though Zaylee had no way in knowing this, he was fully planning on buying her the pet she wanted, even if it meant making multiple stops to various shops. The gesture would be a gift to her from him for graduation and joining the shinobi ranks.

With her being ready to leave, Daremo moved towards his wife, “We will be back as soon as possible.”, the words being followed with a light kiss on Amaya’s lips. There was no time in during something mature in nature for Zaylee and Mamoru, the latter having joined sometime later, along with Amaya’s parents was in the kitchen. A deep, passionate felt kiss would be reserved for much later. Stepping away from Amaya, Daremo doubled check to make sure he had everything. His identification would be crucial in getting into the needed area to perform his duties as a proctor of some fights, and otherwise inaccessible areas. The pair of senbons holding his hair in place would be the only weapon on his person, for there was no need to carry any other.

Waiting at the door for Zaylee to finishing giving out her goodbyes, Daremo exited the house, closing the door once both of them was out. A familiar weight settled on his right shoulder, and the grip of sharp talons told him Hiretsu had once again founded him. Being hit by the flapping wings of the young vulture, who cawked in the direction of Zaylee and looked at her expectantly, did not phrase the silver-haired male who only brush a few strands of hair that had been misplaced by Hiretsu’s actions. Seeing the gentleness in which Hiretsu took the offered from Zaylee, citrine eyes narrowed at the bird as she gobbled up the treat. An eyebrow raised at the nearly smug look plastered on Hiretsu’s face, as if she knew what she was doing was getting on his nerves. He questioned the bird on her behavior, “Oh, you nip at my fingers when I feed you, but, you are gentle as a newborn chick when Zaylee does, why is that?”, with her response being taking another treat.

Walking away from the house, Daremo’s thoughts drifted to Zaylee’s earlier comment about the exams, and promotions granted through them. Her way of thinking was similar to his own in the regards that he preferred and valued field promotions more so than exam ones. “Earlier, when mentioned how you rather would be promoted in the field than the exams, and that, even if you would have been able to participate in the exams would have declined such an offer. You know the Chuunin Exams are held in high regard by many, civilians and shinobi alike. It is one of the ways villages can draw clients in by showcasing some of their upcoming brightest stars. One can garner a small amount of fame by winning the exams or even coming in second. The fame could open up otherwise closed path opportunities. Could you honestly turn down a chance to win the exams, and be given a fast track to potential success?”, he wanted to see how much conviction she had when it comes to turning down the promotion, and the chance to get opportunities others would die for.

Time would be given, allowing her the chance to answer the question, while Daremo walked beside her down the streets. The streets being slowly filled with civilians and shinobis from the furthermost reaching corners of the Elemental Nation as a new day was upon them. Right before an answer was given, Daremo would add more to what was previously said, wanting to see if temptation would be Zaylee’s downfall, “These exams are not the ones years ago. While I never participate in them, I do remember watching genins get seriously, or in some cases, fatally injured by their opponent. Death was not common, but, it was around more than it is in nowadays. The proctors, Kages, and village leaders have become soft. They want to protect the genin hopefuls. Protect the rising stars from having a career-ending injury or dying long before they could shine. Now, more than ever, it is easier for genins to win the exams for death was not a factor. You could have very well won the exams if you graduated earlier, and took to my training as well as you do. Saying that, wouldn’t you would have liked to test your chances?”

The chimes signified Daremo opening the door to the pet store, allowing Zaylee to go in first before following suit with the door shutting behind him. Barking dogs, meowing cats, chirping birds, and other animal sounds greeted them. The noises did not bother Hiretsu, who was resting peacefully on his shoulder, obliviously pleased with a full belly. Making it to the bird section, he glanced over the assortment of birds but tore away from them when the shopkeeper approached Zaylee and attempted to get her to buy a dog or kitten, something less dangerous than a bird. Reptilian eyes met human one’s as Daremo gazed at the shopkeeper with indifference, allowing his daughter to speak before adding his own, “You talk about dangerous, yet you offer her a cat or a dog? The number of human attacks done by both breeds is higher than the attack any avian bird. So, if we are talking about dangerous, cats and dogs are the dangerous ones. But, I am not here to argue such pointless things.” his tone making it clear the conversation ended there, “I am here to get my daughter an eagle as a present for graduating the shinobi academy. Now, will you allow us to look at them, or should we go elsewhere? I am sure another pet shop would happily help us.”

Hearing someone else walking in their direction, Daremo turned, spotting a bald haired male wearing similar clothing at the shopkeeper, but, it was not the clothing that got an eyebrow raised from the silver-haired male, but, rather the large, grey raptor sitting on his shoulder, “Ryu, another customer need some help in deciding on what breed of cat to get. Can you handle them for me?”. The aforementioned Ryu scurried away from the scene and went to help the customer, leaving Daremo and Zaylee with the unidentified male. “Sorry about Ryu, he was never fond of birds. Apparently, a multitude of his own pets fell victim to them. Anyway, my name Takagari, and I am the firstmost expert of the avians in this shop. “, he introduced, brown eyes glancing between the father and daughter, “I could not help to overhear your conversation about wanting to by an eagle for your daughter. Do you have any idea on the species of eagle you want? I will gladly help you get everything needed for the companion.”

Takagari took his time in explaining everything Zaylee and Daremo needed to know about the various eagles within the shop and the pros and cons of them all. A brief overview of their temperament would be given, and Zaylee would be giving the opportunity to handle the avians which caught her interest to see if they were compatible with her. No matter the conclusion to the trip in the pet store, Daremo would guide Zaylee out of the building, “We should be heading to the arena. Need to get there a bit before the missions.”, he spoke.

Walking down the street, Daremo would speak, “Once everything is settled. We will be incorporating your bird into the training. You will need to help it get strong so that it can protect you as you protect it.”. Unsurprisingly, there was a fairly good amount of people already around the arena, despite it being relatively early in the morning. Making sure Zaylee was close to him, Daremo weaved through the mass of people, before slipping in a backdoor, once flashing the guarding shinobi his identification along with the mission. Zaylee would be allowed entry due to Daremo mentioning that she was his partner in this mission.

Now in the back, some paperwork was filled out, detailing the responsibilities and duties expected of him and Zaylee, with both of them having to sign it after reading everything. “We need to head down to the arena to start the first match between two genins.”, Daremo said, handling Zaylee a piece of paper with the names of the competitors, “You will be introducing the competitors. Do not lose your nerves in front of the crowd. You are Kobayashi, Zaylee, the daughter of Koyabashi Kaia-mai and Amaya and Koyabashi Daremo. No matter what, all three of us are there to support you. We are the pillars which hold you up and continue to do so. If you feel nervous, remember who you are, and take pride in that.” Daremo spoke. The words being spoken out of fatherly love and affection.


With that been said, Daremo guided Zaylee down the tunnel, leading into the arena where hundreds of people looked down in anticipation. With started out as a low rumble turned in a sea of thundering noise as the excitement in the air built for the start of the fights to begin. A gentle nudge, pushing Zaylee to the forefront as the crowd simmer down and waited for the announcement of the first match, was all Daremo did, “You stage, kid.”

---

1646[4768]

A giggle escaped Zaylee at her father’s words to Hiretsu as the bird was beyond gentle when it came to taking food from her hand. She knew he wasn’t understating matters because she had seen her father get bitten a time or two herself when he was feeding Hiretsu in front of her. Yet, no matter how the bird acted towards her father it seemed to be a different story when it came to Amaya, Mamoru, and herself. Zaylee often found herself wondering why this was, also, but it wasn’t like the bird could response: could she?

As they made their way away from the house Zaylee found herself humming a soft tune, far more peaceful than her average taste in music: pleasant and light. Her mind was on the pet she would be getting in hopefully just a half an hour’s time, but those thoughts were interrupted by the words her father spoke. As she did so often, she gave him her full attention, mulling over his words with a kind of thoughtful expression upon her face that would easily indicate that she planned on giving him an answer. Intently she listened as he mentioned how the Chuunin exams were held in such a high regard by shinobi and civilian alike, as well as how a potential Chuunin could gain themselves a bit of fame by either coming in first or even second. As he went on to mention that the exams could fast track someone’s career, while opening up potential doorways that might otherwise remain closed, she found herself unable to find fault in those words. Yet, she wouldn’t respond right away as she thought over her response to him before her father continued on. He spoke of how while death could still occur it wasn’t as common these days as it once was, calling those in charge of the more current Chuunin exams soft. They wished to protect the up and comers, the rising stars: Genin now stood a better chance at winning the exams without having to face death as a factor. When he went on to mention how she could have easily won had she graduated earlier, considering the training her father often put her through, she found her thoughtful look growing more so as she pondered why it was he was mentioning this - beyond just her earlier statement regarding the exams she had made during breakfast.

The words she spoke as they neared the pet store were carefully thought over and spoken, as she had given them some thought instead of blurting out whatever response came first to her mind, ”I don’t seek fame or even fortune on the path I’m walking. I don’t want to be a shining star, nor do I have any dreams of one day finding myself in a position of power. I do this because I want to become strong like you, because I want to be able to protect my family from harm and keep them safe. Fast tracking myself from one rank to another simply because I could beat another person in a somewhat safe setting would not, so I think, allow me to reach my full potential. Gaining experience in the field, facing real life situations, and training like what you and I do, I think would do better for me than a couple of spars against people moderately of my same power level.”

As they arrived at the pet store she quickly found herself wondering if they would have to go elsewhere, while she also began to pick up on the fact that the particular animal handler they were dealing with just didn’t like birds. He seemed unhappy with Zaylee’s own words, but more so over the truthful words of her father: cats and dogs could be equally if not more so dangerous than a bird. Many a dog or cat had turned on their owner, and the hospital was littered with cases and stories of animals such as dogs and cats that had attacked their owners with little to no provocation. As her father mentioned perhaps going to another pet store if the man continued to prove difficult she turned her heard as the sound of footsteps reached her ears, her gaze falling upon another individual with a fairly large bird upon his shoulder. She listened curiously as the individual who had been giving them a hard time was dismissed in a somewhat friendly manner before the new arrival introduced himself as Takagari, an expert on the avians within the shop. As she was shown all the various species of eagle - something she hadn’t yet until that moment given much thought over - she listened intently about each and every single one. She handled several very carefully while giving her various choices some deep thought. There was a nice assortment of eagles at the pet store, but in the end Zaylee chose the Harpy Eagle, choosing the most elegant female over the several males and females available. Several bags of treats for the bird, various foods, and other assorted gear needed to handle the bird properly were also bought - such as special shoulder padding that the eagle could perch on quite safely without Zaylee running the risk of injury from the birds talons, as well as an arm guard for when she choose to handle the bird in that manner as well: her lithe and small form something that could have otherwise been severely crushed or damaged by sheer accident as Takagari pointed out. Everything but a bag of treats and the shoulder pad were sealed away in a scroll for easy transport, knowing that they likely wouldn’t have time to make a stop at the house to drop everything off before hand. As they left the pet store Zaylee found herself absently stroking the birds chest with a knuckle of her free hand while contemplating a name. ”I think I’ll name you… Riku. It means wise sky. Do you like that name?”, she would ask the bird softly, watching as the bird regarded her with a tilt of her head before making a soft piping noise that sounded quite content and happy. Smiling happily, and taking the response as a yes, she would make her way with her father to the arena, regarding the calm and content bird upon her shoulder numerous times as she did so - the bird seemed almost docile, though Zaylee was by no means fooled - she had been the biggest in the shop, and that calm demeanor came with a sense of dominance. Riku had a kind of elegance about her that screamed respect, or so Zaylee picked up on, but she also seemed generally a gentle creature - at least towards her handlers and now Zaylee. Or, perhaps that hadn’t been entirely true: Ryu had seemed put off as Zaylee past by with the bird on her shoulder as they had been leaving - seemingly startled and maybe even fearful of the bird who had stared him down until they were out of sight.

She was torn from her thoughts by her father’s statement about incorporating Riku into her training: she had been expecting such, but the idea of the bird risking possible harm didn’t sit right with her. Yet, it was something she knew needed to happen. If Riku was going to be accompanying her on missions then the bird needed to be prepared for what was to come. While Zaylee expected the eagle to be able to handle herself well enough, there was still a difference between the things other animals might do to Riku, compared to what a shinobi could. ”Okay, daddy.”, Zaylee would simply respond as they got to the arena, the place already quite packed with people mulling about. She followed her father, sticking close by him as they were allowed access to areas that those not involved in the sparring matches in some form were otherwise barred from. Once inside, she would give the paperwork a thorough but quick read as it entailed the duties expected of her, before signing it - Zaylee already having been taught well to never put her name on something she hadn’t read over first. Nodding to her father’s words she would take the piece of paper she was handed, looking over the names of the first match while also listening to what else her father said: she would be introducing the first match. It would have been a nerve racking idea, getting in front of so many people, and yet her father’s words had a calming effect on her: she was a child who came from pride and strength, who had people she loved very much backing her. As if to add to what her father’s words said, or perhaps because Riku wanted to be included in the matter, the eagle would outstretch its left wing, the one closest to her, and cover the back of her head for a moment in a gentle gesture, once more making the calm and gentle pip noise it had before.

Smiling now, Zaylee followed behind her father as they made their way to the arena, the noise that had once been dim and almost non-existent growing steadily louder as they neared the door that would grant them the access they needed, but even still it was nothing compared to the noise that hit her as they stepped out: the excitement for the match easily felt on the air. The gentle nudge of her father moved her to the forefront and she found excited eyes by the dozens resting on her. It would have felt like a great and drowning pressure had her father’s words not continued to replay themselves through her mind, as well as the weight of Riku which in and of itself gave her strength. While some in her position might have lost their nerve, especially due to having never been in such a large crowd, Zaylee simply steeled herself and in a loud and clear voice began to speak, ”Introducing for our first match Inuzuka Asahi, and Nekomata Reo.”, a gesture of her hand would indicate each opponent, and the crowd would erupt as she finished speaking. Turning she would join her father on the platform, that upon stepping on it and moving away from the ledge would raise them up to be able to better see the match as it began to play out between the two rivals.

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Personal WC: 1,755 | 5,550
Total Thread WC: 10,318

Daremo gaze remains on Zaylee, citrine eyes shining with pride as his daughter announced the first of many matches that she would be announcing. Some might not see a reason for him to have a sense of pride. Some of them did not know the reason why he was happy for his daughter being able to announce the first two contestants. Speaking in front of other people is something many people did not have the nerves to do. There is an irrational fear when it comes having to speak amongst a group of people, especially the thousands packed in the arena; men, women, children, all of them came to spectate the fights taking place throughout the day. Thus, seeing her lacking the nervous some others would have in the situation brought a smile to his face, and caused his eyes to shine with proud.

The crowd erupted in a near deafening, thunderous, roar that vibrated throughout the circular arena. The air was charged with electrifying energy, causing pleasant goosebumps to form of those who never experienced the Exams before. The energy boasted one’s spirits up, giving them a false sense of being able to do anything if they put their mind to. Similar to a motivational speech, the atmosphere washed away any nervousness or fear one might have. It made them lose themselves in the cheering of the crowd.. Citrine eyes glanced around the arena, noting how the attendants were thumping their feet on the floor, in unision, creating a musical symphony that could not be found elsewhere. Amongst the stomping of feet, people were whooping and hollering in clear excitement. Some people even had signs with, presumably, those who are participating in the exams.

The silver-haired male was able to spot out the senseis sprinkle throughout the sea of people. Many fo the teachers staying around those from their village, or, at the very least, nearby them. There was only a small hand full who were mingling with others from the different villages. It was surprising to see the interactions considering what all had occurred prior to the exams. With Suna have been destroyed by a group of missing-nins, Hastur making a  ploy to take Suna and her refugees for himself, and the other villages moving in Kaze no Kuni country for their own gain, Daremo doubted he would see much interaction between villages, considering everything so far. Yet, some of the Jounins had proved him wrong.

Only in the exams can people put aside some of their issues and problems with another village for a week or so. The only time where old and new enemies could calmly share a drink together, talking about fun times of their youth, and a variety of other topics. The exams were the only place where enemies momentarily forget the reason why they wish to kill the person across from them. That, at one point in time, they were in charge of committing atrocity crimes against the inhabitants of the hosting village. Any animosity was left upon entering the village, and instead, shinobi jested and joked with others about their superior shinobi who were fighting in the exams. At least, that what it looked like on the surface.

Daremo was not fooled by the sight of shinobi from other villages intermingling with one another. Feelings do not simply disappear with the snap of the fingers. Anger does not dissipate when the one who caused it is not joking in front of you. The feelings claw away at one’s mental psyche, wanting nothing more to come out, and take revenge on the person who had caused you a lot of harm. If these were not the thoughts of the shinobi, they were the thoughts of the elders and Kages. Even in peaceful times like this, schemes were being hatched or foiled by those hidden within the shadows or walking in the daylight. Those who wanted to strike out against others did not take breaks during the exams. They were always working, always scheming, always putting themselves in a favorable position and their opponent in an adventitious one.

Even though the crowd was still roaring in anticipation for what was to come, Daremo eyes shifted to the east most entrane as a lithe teenage boy, looking no older than fourteen, with dark brown hair, made his way down to the area with a tabby cat perched on his right shoulder. Coming down from the other opposite arena was a black haired male, muscular in stature, looking tidbit older than the Nekomata, and with a young light brown pitbull beside him. Stepping to the forefront, Daremo spoke to the two contestants, making it clear on what was to expect of them, the crowd-silencing to hear what was being said “While killing is prohibited, we strongly advised against. The fight will end either when a contestant gives up, or when they can no longer respond to an attack. Failure to comply will be met with the necessary force. Understood?”. With both contestants nodding in understanding, Daremo moved towards the platform, waiting for Zaylee to join him. The platform lifting them above the arena, allowing them to get a better view of the fight below.

Looking between the two contestants, Daremo’s voice projected throughout the area, it heard by every soul that was there, and being the proverbial ‘gunshot’ that started the match, “Begin!” Citrine eyes watched as the two contestants started circling around one another with Reo’s companion joining off his shoulders to follow. There was an air of caution with both contestants, none of them wanting to make the first move, and giving the opponent a chance to capitalize. While keeping an eye on the contestants, Daremo’s voice carried loud enough for Zaylee to hear as he responded to her earlier comment regarding the exams. “You are smart for not doing this occupation for fame or glory, or some recognition from your peers. While it is not the case for all, but, those who seek such useless things out usually ends up dead or crippled. The world is cold and heartless towards those who only seek out fame and glory. For the same people who seek it out will have enemies who want to elevate their own fame by killing off a rising star. An early grave awaits those who seek fame, remember that.”

The sound of weapons clashing caused Daremo to pause in his conversation and focused on the match below. Both of the contestants having thrown a kunai that melt in the middle, and harmlessly deflected away. Reo and his companion moved in together, both of them having to jump back to avoid the spikes erupted from the ground. He would not get any breathing room as Asahi charged forward with a telegraphed punch that was missed by when Reo leaned back. Raiton charka sparked from Reo catching the Inuzuka by surprised, and forcing him to move back. Before Reo could make a move, he grunted and looking down at the Asahi’s pit bull which had clamped onto right leg. The puppy had apparently dug underneath the male as its master attack.

Instead of trying to remove the puppy, Reo focused on his opponent, ignoring the yelp from the dog as the tabby cat dug its claws into the canine’s face. The vicious little feline not letting go as it began dragging the puppy out of the hole. Seeing his companion in trouble Asahi moved to help, only for his path to be blocked by Reo who attacked the male, initiating another hand to hand confrontation between the two. “I am glad you wish to attain a position power. It is those who have power which ultimately affects the lives of thousands. It might not seem right, but, power is the only thing that matters in this world. If you have power? Then nothing is out of your reach. But, be careful not to lose the reasons behind wanting power, unless, you wish to walk down some dark roads.” He warned his little girl. As a parent, he wanted nothing more to keep her from heading down the dark path so many others have, yet, he knew he could not hold her hand forever, thus, she needs to learn things on her own.

During the conversation, Asahi’s puppy managed to break away from the cat’s hold and scampered back over to its owner with blood trickling from the wounds on its face. The cat also managed to sustain an injury to its hind leg from where the dog had managed to nip at it. Both of the boys were beaten up with their being bruises forming or already formed. Their clothing was torn and burnt in places due to their use of Doton and Raiton respectively. Despite them being from rival clans, and natural enemies due to their companions, both of them was seemingly grinning in joy as their companions moved back to their side.

“I am not as strong as you might think. There are others who are stronger than me out there. I continue to train my mind and power, sharpening it beyond what it already is, as I work myself to gain more strength. It is good for your motivation for seeking power is wanting to protect your family. During your darkest moments, when you don’t believe you can continue, fight against your brain desire to rest, and push forward. Our mental state can be our worse enemies at times because it causes us to quit when we could continue going. That is not to say forgo heeding what your brain said, but, you must find a balance between listening and pushing onward. Understand?”

Citrine eyes watched as Asahi and his companion became a tornado of death, their bodies merging together as they spin towards Reo in a corkscrew fashion. Meanwhile, seeing the approaching damage, Reo and his companion merged, forming a bipedal tiger that stood well over two meters in height. In a show of strength, the bipedal cat caught the spinning mass, digging its claws into the ground as it was pushed all the way back to the wall.

Taking note of something Asahi did, Daremo went back to speaking, “Experience is key when it comes to being a shinobi. An experienced and skillful shinobi can outwit someone stronger than them. As your teacher, and your father, I will not only train you but, put you in situations where you can test the experience gain. For now on out, my training will not be soft as it has been. You will begin to experience more of the world you find yourself walking in.  Also, did you see it?” The question was asked right when a scream was held from the bipedal tiger as it dispels, revealing Reo and his companion in pretty bang-up shape.

The reason for the scream came in the form of Asahi’s dog having angled downward upon them being caught by the feline, thus, the momentum caused the dog to slip out of the cat’s grasp, and nail him in the stomach.  Daremo jumps down from his vantage point, landing near the slowly rising Reo who had a spinning shape wound on his stomach, “This match is over! The winner is Inuzuka, Asahi!”,  he announced, the crowd going wild. Medics rushed in to retrieve both competitors, carrying them out of the arena. Citrine eyes gazed at Zaylee, the crowd simmering down as they waited for the next match to be announced.

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1932[6700]

As her father laid down the rules the two Genin contestants had to follow she listened with complete silence, so that she too would know them and know what to look for should something begin to go wrong. After joining her father on the platform, and being lifted into the air, Zaylee kept a careful eye on both the Inuzuka and the Nekomata, remembering well how her father had pointed out that her homework for this was to pay close attention because he would be testing her on what the contestants had done: she refused to be caught slipping. Yet, as her father spoke she found herself giving him a quick glance before returning her gaze to the spar: listening intently as he spoke words of wisdom to her on how she was smart not to be following this career path for fame or glory. According to her father those who followed this career path simply to make a name for themselves usually ended up dead, the world was cold and heartless towards them. These ‘famous’ people were often targeted by others looking to make a name for themselves by eliminating the competition: there was nothing more than an early grave awaiting those who wanted to make a name for themselves out of such a career choice, and she found herself nodding in understanding to her father’s words.

Zaylee watched intently as two weapons clashed in the middle, both thrown by the Genin below where they then met before knocking each other off course. One of the contestants and their animal companion then moved in only to have to dodge spikes which erupted almost beneath them. This was followed by a punch which was then dodged, forcing the opponent to move back afterwards. Yet, it wouldn’t be long before one of them would end up attacked: this coming in the form of the pitbull puppy which had dug itself underground to then latch on to its human opponents leg. The target of the puppy’s attack seemed unconcerned with the puppy as his feline counterpart dug claws into the pup, causing it to yelp.

As her father began to speak once more Zaylee found herself splitting her focus between watching the battle below as it continued on, and listening to his words of wisdom. He was glad that she was seeking power instead of fame: power being something that could affect the lives of thousands. Power was the only thing that mattered in the world, regardless of how right or wrong that seemed to be. With power nothing would be out of Zaylee’s reach, but her father also warned to be careful to not lose focus on why she sought the power - doing so could lead her down some very dark roads. Once more she found herself nodding in understanding to her father’s words, taking them to heart.

The fight below only continued to get heated, both opponents showing signs of the battle that was occuring: torn clothes and bruises being present on both of them. While continuing to keep an eye on the fight as it still progressed she listened to her father’s words once more as he went on to say that he wasn’t as strong as she might think, a statement that caused her to glance over to the man who had sired her with curiosity before looking back to the fight. He went on to mention that there were those out there stronger than him, and that he continued to hone his mind and body, sharpening it beyond what it currently was. He mentioned that it was good that she sought power to protect her family, as that motivation would serve her well during her darkest hours when she was facing defeat: it would give her something to hold on to, to cling to, it would give her something to use in order to push herself past her limits. One’s mental state could be their worst enemy, and therefore she would need to find the balance between when to listen to it and when to push beyond what it was telling her. Once more Zaylee would nod in agreement, yet again taking the words if wisdom to heart and mind as she always did when her father parted wisdom upon her.

Down below the Inuzuka and his companion would become a tornado of death, while the Nekomata and his companion would merge to form a large tiger. The tornado that was the Inuzuka and his companion would clash with the transformed Nekomata, causing him to be pushed back as claws dug into the ground. It wasn’t this she paid attention to but rather the pup which had angled himself downward after being caught by the tiger, causing him to be able to break free and attack the tiger right in the stomach. It was something she would have missed had she not been paying as close of attention as she had been despite her father going on to say that as her father and teacher he would be putting her in situations that would test the experience she gained, and that he would be from that moment forward training her even harder than he already had been.

As a scream ripped through the air and the Nekomata’s transformation was disrupted Zaylee would nod to her father’s words, ”The pup was able to slip forth from the Nekomata’s grasp due to the momentum of the attack, and nailed him in the stomach.”, she would explain before watching as her father jumped down to put a stop to the spar. As the match was ended Zaylee returned as well to the ground, announcing the next one which she would watch with the same rapt attention as before: a habit that would continue on for the next several matches the father and daughter oversaw. Only when the matches were all over with would Zaylee return to the ground for the last time, following her father out of the arena and heading home.

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Personal WC: 1,015 | 6,565 = 4 EP and 1,000 ryo (3,500 words, using excess WC to train a jutsu)
Total Thread WC: 13,265 + 4 EP
Total EP: 8
Total Ryo: 1,000

6,565 - 3,500 = 3,065
Eagle Vision [C-rank Jutsu]: 3,065 - 1,000
Talons of the Eagle [C-rank Jutsu] 2,065 - 1,000
Pole Transference [C-rank Jutsu] 1,065 - 1,000
Remaining WC: 65

Daremo did not have to wait long for Zaylee’s reply to the previously mentioned question. His daughter was quick to give the answer which he sought. It meant despite the distraction of him talking to her, something he did on purpose to see her ability to catch the smallest of details when someone or something might be attempting to divert their attention elsewhere, she was still able to handle correctly. Now, that is not to say she took his words to heart, she could have just been nodding and agreeing along with him, but it did show she could multitask somewhat. He would not know if she actually listens to him until after the matches were over with, and the two had a chance to talk with one another.

Knowing the fight was over, Daremo jumped down from the platform, knowing time was of the essence when dealing with the injured contestants. Calling the match in the Inuzuka’s favor, Daremo kneeled down beside the Nekomata, checking on the young male, even as medical-nin rushed in with stretchers. “Easy. . .”, he muttered to another medical-nin who was helping him lift the Nekomata onto the stretcher. Though either one of them could have done it by themselves, there might have been unnecessary jarring that could cause additional injuries, something which they were trying to avoid at all costs. So, in this situation, two people, supporting both parts of his body, would be sufficient. With the Nekomata safely on the stretcher, Daremo glanced over, watching as the boy’s companion was taking away as well. The Inuzuka boy and his puppy was helped out of the arena.

With the arena not being in terribly bad shape, Daremo glanced at Zaylee, waiting patiently for she to call forth the next competitors: A Jugo representing Iwa, and a Kaguya from Kiri. Just like before, the crowd came to life upon hearing the names of the fighters. The stadium roared and shook at the crowd hyped themselves up for the spectate to come. Citrine eyes glanced towards the far east entrance, noticing the petite female walking down the cooridoor. With blonde hair and blue eyes, the female looked anything like a fighter, but, rather a model of sorts. Yet, the giant ax, nearly as tall as her, strapped to her back told him otherwise. He also noted there was a barely restrained craziness about her that looked to break free at the moments notice. An eyebrow was raised at the woman who licked her lips seductively at him, Daremo snorted before looking at the other competitor. This one is another male, burly in stature, but with a body obliviously toned for physical combat.

Looking between the competitors, Daremo’s voice ranged out amongst the crowd, and cat whistles aimed towards the blonde girl. His voice was deep, commanding respect and attention from all those in the area, “This fight will end the moment one competitor is not able to continue. If I call for the match to end, I expect both of you to comply, understand?”. There was just something about this match which had Daremo assuming he will need to intervene on one of their behalfs. Both of the competitors were alluding killing intent at one another, showing their willingness to potentially kill the other if given the chance, not like he would give it to them.

Having said what was needed, Daremo followed Zaylee back onto the platform, turning to look at the competitors who were both inching to grab their weapon of choice. Upon reaching the top of the arena, Daremo voice ranged out once more, “Begin!”. No sooner had the words left his mouth, both competitors reached for their weapon, and attacked with aggression. The fight was a bloodbath. Neither competitor gave the other an inch to breathe. Fast-Paced combat that showed the skills of both competitors, feints, blocks, parries, unique usesage of the academy techniques, etc. everything was used in the fight between the two. The ground was covered in splatters of blood as each competitor continued to the bloodletting of the other.

Jumping down, Daremo grabbed the blonde’s right wrist, stopping her from swinging the axe down on her downed opponent, “This match is over.” Daremo stated. Feeling still some resistance from the woman, and noticing her smirking, the silver-haired male released a fine mist from his mouth. The mist causing the woman to suddenly fall asleep without warning or reason. “Medics!” Medics rushed in, putting both competitors on their respective stretcher before exiting the arena. The next several matches, Daremo would have to intervene a couple of more times, prevents competitors from killing their opposition. There would be others who challenged his authority, but, they were swiftly dealt with by the Jounin. Once the last match had ended, more paperwork was filled by him and Zaylee before they were allowed to leave.

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Personal Word Count: 819 +6700 = 7519(Using 7500wc for double mission ryo payment)
Total Thread WC: 13,265 + 7519 = 20, 784 = 4 passive ep.
Total EP: 8
Total Ryo: 2,000