The young Kimura had awoken from the tent that he set up. The tent was poorly set up without a tarp and it could fall any second. The materials seemed to come out of the dumpster and his sleeping roll had not been washed. That was the life of a twelve year old shinobi. He wondered where his crackers went, maybe rats got to them. It was remarkably difficult to obtain a room at the inns, at least one that Koonta could afford. Sleeping out in nature really brought some perspective into his life and he felt freer, however, Kumo did have a lot of dirt and a lot of bugs. There was not much on the schedule for today, but one thing that is always on the schedule is training. Kumogakure has an interesting taijutsu style and he was hoping he could learn a trick or two…or twenty. The training grounds were relatively close to where he camped out. In fact, it was much closer than any inn or house; the leisurely stroll would have only taken five minutes. Koonta might have an interesting schedule because he always trains on an empty stomach in the morning. After training, he is always starving and will usually cash out on a lot of food. Many people think he eats a lot but in fact, he does not eat often. Usually just a few big meals a day can get him through a rough and tedious week. The child proceeded to the training grounds observing his surroundings and the lifestyle of Kumogakure. It was always interesting to watch different people live their lives.

Koonta made it to the training grounds, which looked much different than Konoha’s because of their environment, but essentially both were the same. There did not seem to be much activity in the training grounds, maybe there were better facilities or everyone is taking a vacation; regardless, Koonta made his way through the training grounds. He does not always get the opportunity to train with other people but he loves to, training becomes so much more fun for him when he has someone to compete against. His stroll took him through the training grounds and he really could not find anyone. ‘This village is full of shinobi and I can’t find anyone to train with?’ The boy thought as he shrugged through the training grounds. He was completely ready to represent Konoha in friendly spars against other villages.

Noises alerted the genin, he wondered who was making the noises. He brushed his way there and saw a shinobi training. Instantly, a bright smile appeared on his face and even a little blush. Apparently, she was from Konoha but Koonta did not recognize her. He wanted to train with a foreign shinobi but she would have to do. Koonta had to travel all the way to Kumo to meet someone from the same village, what an interesting world. He broke through the bushes and started to walk towards her. He knew this was a training ground so he was aware of his surroundings. “ Hey, I am Kimura, Koonta. “ He shouted from a safe distance. His voice might have been a little high pitched but his words were clear, loud, and understandable. He stood confidently; it might have been because the two were similar in height. Koonta usually is towered by most shinobi but that is because he is so young. This kunoichi seemed to be older and much more developed than Koonta. The ambitious shinobi thought he could defeat her in a battle, but that was just his personality, he would have thought the same regardless who it was. He sure did hope that his shinobi would be friendly and nice; it has been a bit rough for the child being alone all the time. He felt lost in Kumogakure, he did not like to think about it but he knew it was true. For some strange reason, Koonta felt at comfort; maybe because she was a Konoha shinobi as well. “ Do you mind if I train with you?” He said with a smile that looked as innocent as a puppy.

The female counterpart stopped for a second, with a face of confusion.  The boy's posture did not change but his head tilted slightly to portray his curiosity. It only took another second for her face to spread widely in a smile displaying those pearly whites.  Koonta could not help but mark a grin with a little blush.  He did not talk to many girls nor did he do it very often.  The girl's high pitched voice whistled through the training grounds, Koonta was glad his voice was not the highest in the training grounds.  She seemed really joyful though, he wondered if that was a facade or her in the moment.  He did not speak to girls very often but he knew they were very malleable, they could be regarded as personality shape shifters.  The young Kimura was shocked by how friendly she was.  He stuck out his hand and shook it firmly but gently.  He wondered how strong she was and how good her taijutsu was.  She was hitting a log so she must have been training her strength or maybe speed.  

He noticed how she called him Kimura, which was strange but did not bother him too much.  In fact, he liked nicknames because it would let the receiver know who attempting to get their attention.  So next time he hears someone call our for Kimura, he could gather that it would be his new friend.  She introduced herself as Hyuuga Reiko.  ' A hyuuga.'  He thought with a smile because of his interest.  Koonta has an ability with taijutsu, it might not be his strongest suit but he felt very comfortable with it.  Training with a Hyuuga would greatly improve his striking skills and even help with telegraphing opponents.  He did not know much about their Byukugan but he knew the clan name.  The clan name has a legendary reputation and could easily be one of the hallmark clans.  The Kimura clan has desperately tried to get their Konoha reputation as high as the Hyuuga and the Uchiha but they have not succeeded yet.  Of course, the boy wanted to prove his clan name by being superior to Hyuuga.

He knew and he felt like he was but he did not want to appear arrogant.  He has been called arrogant before and figured it would be a good habit to get rid of.  Regardless, he spoke out with intrigue towards his newly acquainted partner.  " I want to see your style and technique. " He said as he stick out his right foot in a southpaw stance.  His hands were high around his face and his jaw was tucked down and protected by his shoulders.  If he could prevent a Hyuuga strike, then that would be a testament to his taijutsu skill.  He knew many shinobi did not utilize the power and uniqueness of kicks but Koonta would.  He reminded himself to maintain his composure and stay focused. Ironically, he heard the bushes start to rattle.

Instinctively, his attention darted towards the bush.  It sounded like a person could have been muffling and traveling through the rocks and bushes that surrounded the two Konoha ninja.  For some odd reason, Koonta got real defensive towards the bush.  He was in a foreign village so his guard was constantly up.  If he had been in Konoha, his body would have felt much secure and he would not need to constantly look over his shoulder.  Some might say he was being paranoid and others may say that he was being aware.  Better safe than sorry, however the fact that his guard swapped from the girl to the bush meant that he would be open for an attack.  An attack that could do some considerable amount of damage since it was coming from a Hyuuga.  He was hoping that she would just start off safe with a simple strike and no jutsu. Or, maybe Reiko was like Koonta and heard the noise as well. She could have been just at edge like Koonta was and might have been alerted by the sudden change in the bushes. Shinobi knew they were never truly safe unless inside the walls of their own village.