The village was alive with activity midday on the weekend. The hustle and bustle on the busy streets could cause one to go insane if you weren’t accustomed to it. The noise even went through the walls of apartments located downtown, like where Erai’s apartment was. She had grown to learn this a long time ago, so every weekend she goes and secludes herself outside the village for some time. Connecting with the rugged nature that is right outside the village walls. She was sprawled out on a rough cliff, watching the birds above her soar around effortlessly. One hand was over her face, blocking the sun from her eyes. While the other reached up in some naive attempt to grab the sky above her. “You lucky, lucky animals. You don’t even realize what kind of power you have.” Erai said somewhat under her breath.

She always had a soft spot for the creatures of the wild. Tend to focusing on the birds in the skies above, but she did like the others as well. Dogs, cats, and even creatures that some may not care too much for, like wild boars. She respect nature for what it was, and reminded her that there is peace outside the ninja world she lived in. Being a ninja, she was constantly in an environment that called for her to be a certain way. Something the higher ups always said to each other was to kill your emotions. As that lead to doubts which could occur in combat, as a split second could determine the difference between life and death. It was even stressful at times, as the the villagers expected ninja to bring in money. This was due to the fact that whenever a ninja did a mission, the village got paid, not just the ninja. So if there is a serious lack of ninja, or if the ninja weren’t doing missions, it affected everyone in the country.

This was a fact of life for the ninja, and by this point Erai had grown accustomed to it. Over the course of time however, it can still build up in anyone. So all ninja had their own form of a release they depended on to help them unwind from time to time. Some hit the bars with friends, others read books, and some like Erai just wanted to get away from it all. So she would go out of the village to not only distance herself from the commotion of the weekends, but to unwind. This became a form of habit even as a little girl just beginning her education. Always having a tendency to get stressed she would run away from time to time in an attempt to distance herself from homework. Discovering her love of nature early on, it would become a place where she could also play. Climbing the trees, hiding in the bushes from friends, and chasing wild animals around were always on her menu as a small child.

She always had a special affinity towards birds however. Like many other she was sure, she was fascinated by their unique ability to fly. She saw it as the ultimate form of what she did to get away. To be able to simply flap your wings and fly away from just about any situation was a dream of hers, maybe even more than that. Even so, birds seemed to relax her, and that's exactly what she needed to unwind. A cool breeze, and pretty birds above.

WC: 585

Shindou was on his way back to Iwagakure from one of the villages near its northern border. It had been one hell of a mission that he shouldn’t have accepted, but the pay had been more than worth it.

Some villagers had apparently been suffering at the hands of mutant wolves and contracted ninja from Iwagakure to handle it. Being wolves, however, the ninja had labelled it C-rank of relatively no importance. It was the kind of tasks that Genin normally did as D-ranks in Iwagakure or small villages closer to their hidden counterpart, though the distance of the destination from Iwagakure itself had warranted a slightly higher rank than otherwise.

Shindou had thought this would be a walk in the park. A small part of him had also accepted the mission after realising that it had been sitting there for no reason for up to a week, with no Genin seemingly interested to walk all the way north, past almost endless barren plains of earth and dirt, just to slay some wolves and return.

Fairly speaking though, the experience was hardly as mundane as that, and boy, did Shindou wish it was as mundane.

Upon arriving at the village, he had found a quarter of it reduced to rubble. Many of the buildings had collapsed, their weight unsupported by the few beams that survived whatever had taken down the rest. There were large paw marks staining the dirt - wolf marks. However, these had been bigger than any wolf Shindou had seen before, and Shindou had seen plenty during his tenure as a Genin. They were native to most parts in Iwagakure, and often displayed menacing qualities to any unsuspecting village that seemed to have one too much meat to spare.

Shindou had been wary when he had taken the mission (he was never not wary, to be fair, even when he was off mission), but the sight of that large paw print, almost the four times the size of both his feet put together and several inches deep, had been able to put him far on edge. A quick search of the area had found the villagers huddled up in the village center, awaiting the wolves’ next return, and Shindou had to admit that the wolves that came back did put up a nasty fight, with their bites and scratches.

It was lucky he knew Medical Ninjutsu, or he’d be a dead man.

As such, Shindou was now making his way back to the village, one arm still cradling his left rib, where the wolves had manage to tear a good chunk of skin off. The pain was completely gone by now, but that didn’t mean the phantom pain didn’t return every once in awhile to haunt him again. He breathed in deep, before forcing his right hand back down to its side, from where it had been gently massaging his rib. The village was in sight and he would report back to the mission desk as per usual, though the villagers would definitely feel the brunt of his words when he explained their failure to explain that it had been mutant wolves that had attacked the place.

Granted it was two, but they were still twice his size.

As he approached the village, he felt a small congregation of chakra. He was rather sensitive to these things, so it didn’t surprise him when it just showed up on his radar, a small amount of chakra lounging somewhere to his left. He gauged it to be one person who was, by the way their chakra didn’t seem to be flowing aggressively or being constantly pumped, not out of Iwagakure to train. That meant that either they were on a mission or they were here to relax. It made little sense that it would be a mission, as the chakra was stationary, unless it was a scouting mission, which in itself would make little sense since this close to Iwagakure wouldn’t need any actual scouts when they had patrols all up and down the border.

So to relax, was it?

Curious and wanting some down time himself, Shindou walked towards the source of the chakra. The day was still young, anywho, and these did seem to be acceptable places to kick back and relax. Not as much relaxation as one could possibly find in the many tourist attractions in Iwagakure, like the hot springs or the masseuse, since you always had to keep one eye open while the other dozed when you were outside the safety of your village, and sometimes even in it, but any small amount was welcome.

He approached the area, which was a rocky platform elevated several metres from ground level, with a small cliff extending outwards. He could see a small dark figure lying at the edge of the cliff - the source of the chakra he had sensed. Walking up to the person, he saw that it was a white-haired girl with blue lipstick and a rather form-fitting outfit lounging by the cliff.

Believing this to be an optimum spot, he sat down cross-legged to her right, the two of them facing the edge of the cliff, before he spoke, eyes still looking straight out.

“Enjoying the weather?”

WC: 885

Erai was lost in the nature around her, the wind even singing sweet songs into her ears. The creatures above were playing tag, testing their flight skills against one another. Watching the birds flex their aerial muscles made Erai think about the world around her. She almost lost herself in deep thoughts about the politics of being a ninja when she noticed the presence of someone next to her. She immediately noticed that the man next to her didn’t look much younger than she was. Maybe a year or two younger, though she assumed by this point he was much higher in the ranking than herself. Erai was a special case when came to her rank, only being an Genin. She did know however that there were a few older people with the rank of Genin, but that was due to their own shortcomings. Erai rose up from her resting position to a normal sitting one. Keeping straight, she could hear the man ask if she was enjoying the weather.

Erai swiped some of the dirt of her jacket before replying. “I am, it's particularly pretty today. Don’t you think?” she said in a relatively calm tone. That was when she noticed that it had been awhile since her last real conversation with someone her own age. She glanced at the man from the side of her eye before looking up into the sky again. “Aw, what the hell.” she thought to herself.  “How animalistic are we? No matter all of our advances as a society, we still fight each other like bulls in a pen. Like eagles in the sky, we clasp on to another’s talons. Diving down to the ground, we wait to see if the other will let go before ourselves. Maybe a better example would be wolves fighting over territory. Constantly testing our mettle against one another, be it intellectually or more common these days, physically. It all can be so...surreal at times.” Erai took a moment to herself, noticing that she could have raised some unnecessary tension. “I guess that’s just part of being a ninja, right?” She said with a slight chuckle at the end. Though that did get her brain racing, this spike in brain activity however was unnoticeable to the person sitting next to her.

This had launched Erai into a moment that almost seems displaced from the current point in time. She could probably guess that most of the ninja have experienced something horrific during their careers. By assuming so many roles in times of battle, ninja were naturally exposed to the many atrocities of combat. Ninja wars have come and gone over the decades, although most of the veterans from the bigger wars were long gone, but their experiences were still alive. Being taught throughout the ages to new ninja who would eventually find their way into the ground one way or another. It seemed to be a losing battle on the side of humanity, with the winner being our very own human nature. All of these thoughts may have seemed to take at least a couple of minutes to come about, but in reality had within the span of a couple of moments.

Erai managed to catch herself before she said anything else. With a grin she looked down the cliff to what little grass was there. “I’m sorry, I’m not normally like this. Birds got me thinking too deeply about things.” she said laughing. Turning towards the man next to her she returned to her normal demeanor. “My name is Erai, you are?” raising the pitch of her voice slightly at the end of her sentence. She held out her open palm towards the man as a friendly greeting gesture. Noticing too late however that her gloves were still on. She thought maybe that it’d probably be a little weird for him to shake now. She decided to commit to her gesture now though, in an attempt to not look too scatter brained. She did afterall monologue his ear off about some abstract concept on nothing more than a whim just a few moments earlier.

(WC: 688/1,273)

The woman wiped some of the dirt off of her jacket before replying to his ice-breaking question. “I am, it’s particularly pretty today. Don’t you think?”

Shindou let a smile grace his lips - though they were hidden behind his scarf - as his eyes traversed the horizon. The Land of Earth lay before him, with its many plain, brown, earthy lands meeting his eye, and the many small dots that signified smaller villages of people who had come together trying to make a living. In the distance, he saw his initial destination, the flourishing village of Iwagakure, with its high walls standing majestically among the barren plains of earth that surrounded one side of it, while they challenged the mountains and hills that took the others.

“Yes, but the weather isn’t the only thing pretty to grace me today,” he said, letting his eyes roam over the outline of the village subtly, the image of his gentle, green-haired sister flashing into his mind, working her head off as she provided free treatment to the poorest of the poor in Iwagakure.

“Aw, what the hell, he heard her say. He didn’t let the confusion at her declaration show, however, as he kept his stoic face fixated on the picturesque scenery before him. “How animalistic are we? No matter all of our advances as a society, we still fight each other like bulls in a pen. Like eagles in the sky, we clasp on to another’s talons. Diving down to the ground, we wait to see if the other will let go before ourselves. Maybe a better example would be wolves fighting over territory. Constantly testing our mettle against one another, be it intellectually or more common these days, physically. It all can be so...surreal at times.”

There was a moment of silence. Shindou didn’t bother interrupting; the girl was likely taking time to digest what she had said. He knew he was. It wasn’t every day that he met someone who could go beyond the needless killing that had pervaded the mindsets of almost all ninja these days.

“I guess that’s just part of being a ninja, right?” she finally said with a chuckle, which Shindou met with his own before she continued. “I’m sorry, I’m not normally like this. Birds got me thinking too deeply about things. My name is Erai, you are?” she asked, raising her voice slightly in a questioning manner - an almost confrontational manner - while holding out her gloved hand.

Shindou regarded it - and her - for a moment, seeing her eyes flicker to her gloved hands for a moment, before reaching out with his own and shaking it firmly.

“My name is Shindou,” he said, ending the handshake and returning his gaze to the sight in front of him. In that one moment he had scanned her, finding nothing out of place about her outfit or character. “And do not worry. It’s nice to hear a little philosophy from a ninja every now and then. It adds a depth to your character that many other ninja lack - many other ninja whose minds are too clouded with ambitious grandeurs of prestigious titles and spilt blood.

“But I understand your philosophy, but a part of me is curious what makes you think that way. We are not the animalistic creatures you think we are. Unlike animals, who think with their hearts and instincts, we have one weapon that they do not have - our logic. While emotions and instincts remain ever important, being the main driving forces of why people banded together to form nations, it is the irrefutable rationality that helps us as a people grow, and grow, we do.

“You say we deteriorate into nothing more than ‘bulls in a pen’, ‘eagles in the sky’, or ‘wolves fighting over territory’.” With that last thought, scenes from his recent mission flashed into his mind, remembering the vicious snarl that one gave him as he put the other down, a kunai in his hand dripping with the blood of the other wolf after making its way around its neck. “We may act this way out of emotion and instinct, but you are only focusing on the first and foremost of emotions, ignoring the other side of the coin. We let hate consume us when we see our homes burn, and we ride on our survival instincts to defend the ones we care about, even if it means striking back at the ones who have hurt them, and in turn, us. But in your analysis, you are forgetting the question that lies after.

“The question is ‘What then?’. Where does our hatred take us? When the battles are over and the wars won, we shinobi do not return home with hatred in our hearts. We shinobi do not return home hurting the ones we care about, because our connection with them is what caused us pain. No, hatred here is useless. But kindness is priceless, and it is the emotion that lets us rebuild our homes, comfort the living, and lay rest to the dead.

“If you wonder what part logic has to play in this, I have to say it plays every part, and it plays no part. Logic isn’t the simple thing we think it is. It too is tainted by emotion and instincts. Logically, we shouldn’t slaughter each other, for we are killing ourselves, slowly but surely. Yet, logically, we should slaughter each other, so that the ones we love don’t end up on the wrong end of the kunai. Logically, we should cut ties with the people we care about, so we do not descend into such mindless rage when we are hurt through them. But, logically, we should strengthen ties with the people we care about, so we do not descend into hurting them, and being the people that we feared to be. Either way it is taken, logic can be abused. Any way it is taken, logic can harm. So you see, we are much, much more complicated creatures than you make us out to be. We are much, much more complicated creatures than anyone make us out to be.

“To answer you, that is not what I think being part of a ninja is.” After his long monologue, Shindou let the rare smirk travel up his face, though it would once again be concealed by his mask. “Now who’s the one with the boring rhetoric?”

WC: 1088 + 885 = 1973

The man sitting next to her didn’t seem to be bothered by her gloved hand, shaking it firmly. Erai let out a soft smile as their hands shook up and down. He then replied with telling Erai his name before turning to face forward once again. “Shindou..” she thought to herself. “I’ve never heard of him before. Then again, I haven’t heard of a lot of people.” thinking to herself. At a loss of words after that spiel, Erai heard Shindou begin to speak. “And do not worry. It’s nice to hear a little philosophy from a ninja every now and then.” The air around them felt like it was easier to breath after he said that. She didn’t realize it before, but she was pretty nervous about her statement. It wasn’t all too often she poured what she was really feeling out to another human being like that. Might be because at this point in time, she really didn’t have any close in the village.

For the most part, her life was boring right now was boring, despite being a kunoichi. It all consisted of doing her part for the village when it came to the missions they assigned. After which she would go back home or train at the gym. It had been awhile since she really just talked to someone, aside from the random conversations that occurred throughout daily life. Even she wasn’t the most social, it would help to have a little conversation every now and then. Shindou then said something that caused her brain to spark with activity.” It adds a depth to your character that many other ninja lack - many other ninja whose minds are too clouded with ambitious grandeurs of prestigious titles and spilt blood.” Depth? She had never thought herself to be a ‘deep’ person by any means. She wasn’t a philosopher, nor was she really someone who took the time to analyze why things are. She felt like saying those things were common for any ninja to think about during their career.

He did have a point though. She had met many people, not just ninja, who were after titles beside their name. Calling for war so they could move up in the ranks, or make a little profit from selling supplies. Not realizing the after effects of such grievous activities. Maybe they did, and that thought made it every bit worse. Even so, Erai listened as Shindou went on to express his feelings on what she said. “But I understand your philosophy, but a part of me is curious what makes you think that way. We are not the animalistic creatures you think we are. Unlike animals, who think with their hearts and instincts, we have one weapon that they do not have - our logic. While emotions and instincts remain ever important, being the main driving forces of why people banded together to form nations, it is the irrefutable rationality that helps us as a people grow, and grow, we do.” Erai thought about this statement. “So logic is the only thing that separates man from the beasts of the wilds?” She turned her head up towards the sky. After some of the things she’s been through in her life, she would be willing to challenge that statement. She knew however that debating about something like that would be unnecessary as she knew Shindou was right. Humans do possess logic, some use it less than others, but it still exists. She couldn’t argue about the science of the brain, no matter what emotion she felt.

She continued to listen to Shindou as he went on with what he had to say. Going on about hatred, and how she can’t focus on just foremost emotions that they all felt. This may have been true, but it was hard for Erai to accept. For years she lived her life in a small village she called home. Where mother and father called home, and where the rest of her clansmen called home. She watched as men came to burn and kill. For what reason? Money, and power, like all of man want whether they admit or not. To have the power to create peace, no matter how noble, still created hate. Hate being the emotion, that fueled her clan for so long. Hate was the ideal, and it was the path for true power. This came in the form of the sharingan, granting unparalleled visual prowess to the user. Giving even the most inadequate ninja the advantage in a fight. Once it was discovered that by killing your own clansmen you could gain even more power...Well, that just her clan’s history. A history that followed her all throughout her twenty five years of living. Being hunted and tortured for her eyes was just the start.

Her reasoning for the statements she said was justified to her. Not only by history, but by her own personal experiences. Ones that she chooses to not relive on a daily basis, but it shaped her into who she is now. Though, she wanted to believe Shindou. She wanted to agree with him, and he was right. Kindness was priceless, taking the place of nothing else in the world. It could make anyone’s day, and change anyone’s heart. That last part may have been more naivety than reality. She agreed with the next thing Shindou said however. “Either way it is taken, logic can be abused. Any way it is taken, logic can harm. So you see, we are much, much more complicated creatures than you make us out to be. We are much, much more complicated creatures than anyone make us out to be. “ Erai nodded her head in agreement. Agreeing that it wasn’t fair to create a blanket over all people. No matter what had happened in her earlier life, there were still good people.

Shindou then concluded his own monologue by saying he didn’t think that hate was just a part of what being a ninja was. Even firing back at Erai by saying “Now who’s the one with the boring rhetoric?” in a playful way. Erai turned to Shindou, letting out a soft laugh. “Haha, well then. I would say that you make some good points. I have to say you managed to sway my thinking on some things, I’ll still need some convincing on other. Guess you can just call me ignorant to changes of thought in regards to the ninja life style.” shaking her head at her own statement. “No matter how hard I think about it, I still can’t manage to persuade myself otherwise.” she said with a light smile on her face. Keeping her smile she hopped down off the cliff, turning back upwards to Shindou. “We should get back together sometime to spar. I would like to see if you can handle yourself as well in combat like you do with an intellectual debate.” With that Erai turned and started to make her way back to the village. “I’ll look forward to us meeting once again!” She said waving to Shindou.

WC: 1,185/2,458

-exit-

Speed: E~D
Perception: E~D
Reaction Time: E~E-1
Endurance: E~D
Leftover WC: 133

Erai had responded positively to his playful taunt, giving him a small, almost unnoticeable laugh. “Haha, well then. I would say that you make some good points. I have to say you managed to sway my thinking on some things, I’ll still need some convincing on the other. Guess you can just call me ignorant to changes of thought in regards to the ninja lifestyle,” she said, shaking her head. “No matter how hard I think about it, I still can’t manage to persuade myself otherwise.”

To this, Shindou almost let out a snicker. He almost did, but years of training and emotional conditioning had managed to help him hold it in. It wasn’t always that someone was able to get a visible reaction out of him, and a snicker was more than what most ninja were able to grind out of him. He was fortunate that she wasn’t used to his mannerisms like Sena was. If Sena had been present, she’d probably have noticed the almost-snicker and gone wide-eyed and slack-jawed, watching a complete newcomer elicit such a response from her brother, the man who often kept his thoughts and emotions safeguarded from the rest of the world.

“There is no need to persuade yourself otherwise,” Shindou said, with an invisible grin etched onto his face, however small and hidden it was. If she had been paying close attention, she may have noticed the small twitch of his face scarf as his lips curved upwards. “There’s nothing to persuade you of, whether from your side or mine. It’s just an opinion I have, and it’s an experience that you will have to come across. Just as how you can’t explain the beauty of colours to a blind man, you too can’t explain compassion to someone who knows pain. It’s something you need experience for yourself, before you can let your heart convince you otherwise.”

He then turned to face her. His words, to anyone else, may have seemed as if it was a jab at their absolute lack of compassion. He was aware of the possible implications of his words, and he hoped that she wouldn’t take it that way. Better yet, he hoped that he wasn’t spot on. Erai seemed like a good ninja, if a bit scarred by her experiences. It would be a pity if she ended up on the wrong side of his list.

Not an inconvenience in the long run, but still a pity. He liked her. Few ninja could boast the intelligence that she had displayed, even despite the large number around.

“I do hope, though, that compassion isn’t your issue.”

Erai jumped down from the top of the cliff, and Shindou didn’t have to crane his neck downwards to see if she landed safely. No, he just remained impassively staring at the panoramic view stretched out before him, and as he heard a thud and some shuffling, he knew that Erai had landed just fine at the bottom of the small cliff.

She stood back up, and from his position, he could just see her face when she turned back to look at him. As a sign of respect and goodwill, he angled his neck and lowered his gaze so that their eyes met, as she bid him farewell.

“We should get back together sometime to spar. I would like to see if you can handle yourself as well in combat like you do with an intellectual debate. I’ll look forward to us meeting again!” Erai said as she waved goodbye to Shindou.

In response, Shindou merely grinned. He spoke, just loud enough for her to hear him even as she retreated. “A spar any time would be lovely. I live in the northeastern quadrant of Iwagakure, where the poorer people make their shelter. Just ask anyone there for the Angel’s Touch, and with luck I’ll know it’s you.”

And with that, Shindou watched Erai leave the area, his own mind trying to grapple with the conversation that he had just had with her, as well as anticipating their next meeting. Erai had left him with a lot to think about, particularly the fact that yet another person had demonstrated an uncanny ability to hate. She had been scarred by her experiences, and that alone was not something to be taken lightly. Ninja loved to preach that scars were ordinary, both physical and emotional, sometimes mental, scars. However, just because something was ordinary didn’t mean that it was the right way to go.

Ninja like Erai were far too many for Shindou to have never met anyone like her. They always began as blocks of wood, able to be carved into magnificent figurines that are highly coveted by any and all, but instead life had decided to throw them the other end of the stick, and they had come out of the workshop mere splinters. This was the sad truth of the ninja world that they had to live in. People were thrown to the chopping block, whether you were a ninja or not, and no one was willing to do anything to stop it.

No one until now.

Alas, it was fortunate their conversation did not force him to reveal these thoughts.

[Exit]

WC: 894 + 1973 = 2867

Training Endurance, Reaction Time, and Perception from E-0 to D-0: 750 words each
Training Speed from E-0 to E-3: 450 words

Remaining WC: 167