It was, as one would expect from the hidden mist village, a misty day. The trees were lined with eyes that seemed to gaze curiously, birds of assorted nature surveying the land as if it were little more than territory that had nothing to do with them. Or perhaps they were searching for prey, small mammals that scurried through the woodland floor, trying to discover small berries or nuts to consume or store for future winters. Truly nature went about its day as it would normally, albeit with a quiet that was almost ominous, unnerving. The willow trees were cluttered, as one could imagine from a horror story, and between them all, dotted interspersed, were multiple clearings. And in one such clearing stood a girl, all alone.

Her apparel was odd, a vibrant mix of blues and purples that seemed more silken than needed, flowing back and forth in a way that seemed both practical and yet not. Her right sleeve was comprised of a translucent fabric, a near see through purple revealing the lithe figure of her arm, just like the rest of her. Covering her right shoulder, and as such also keeping the way of connection from the sleeve and top a secret, was a Kirigakure forehead protector. Her legs were covered, underneath her extravagant top, a pair of rather average training tights were, ended at her feet with a pair of basic shinobi combat sandals. Her hair was long and loose, black highlighted by various colours scattered throughout, two blocks of purple and blue significant in her fringe. Amber eyes contrasted against the pale of her skin as she scanned around the location surrounding her, as if looking for something. But perhaps what was most queer about this person, was what lie atop her head. Nestled between her mess of hair, lay two small pairs of nubby horns, the colour and ridges on which confirmed their reality. This strange person was Alwen of the Sangotatsu clan, and today, she was training.

Many things had influenced the sea girl’s decision, which is her decision to train what she was determined to train, to learn Bukijutsu. The first of this list of things that led her along this route, this choice, was her first spar, and first defeat. She needed some way of fighting that didn’t use chakra. On top of this, she just found that her attempts at becoming a medical ninja were just not for her. It was such a slow process, and Alwen was such a… Active, individual. Over all, it just seemed a thing to do. She wanted to become the best tool she could for the village. And to her, this was the best choice.

Picking a stick up from nearby, the siren ninja began swinging it around, as if trying to conclude how it was weighted, before thrusting it forward. To anyone watching that knew a thing about combat, this would look appalling from such a severe lack of technique. With a sigh, unhappy with how she was performing, the ninja put the stick she was holding back to the ground. Forming hand seals quickly, water began to form in front of her, in a shape reminiscent of her. This soon took form completely, a water clone of Alwen facing her with a nod. The two bowed to each other, the real Alwen repacking up the stick, and preparing to spar with her water clone. It wasn’t a very effective way of doing it, but it was the best she had.

588

Chakra: 120/ 150

Jutsu used:

Spoiler:

(EDIT: Knew I forgot something >.>)

(EDIT OF AN EDIT: Forgot even more. First time using the technique, thanks for clearing that up :P)

Sitting on top of a pole balancing himself perfectly like most sages do, he looked down from his perched position at some really pathetic beginner of the bukijutsu arts. He could not understand what it was with the random swinging around and thrusting. It might be okay for some crazy people or members of certain clans with the disposition to use any weapon swing they want.

He then watched her put the stick in the ground and form some hand seals to create a water clone. He just understood one thing the moment she made the water clone and picking up the stick to test it out on an unarmed version of herself what was wrong with this child. As a member of Kiri he could not simply let this pass since he had free time he should help out the village with the training of its shinobi.

He appeared before her almost in an instant after which he just smacked the water clone with the back of his hand as it broke apart into a pool of water as he stood before her with an aura of strength about him. He may have been a bit small, but for the most part he would just seem like a strong shinobi since he left his main weapon behind since he was busy thinking of things that day.

He looked to her with a serious look before speaking. "Where is your instructor?" as he had a stern cold look on his face as he felt like this was appalling in more ways then one as he did not want her going in a round about way with her training.

Words 278

((OOC Comment - The Water Clone jutsu would use 30 not 15 minimum of your chakra. Since 10% of your chakra gets taken for the clone and the first fifteen was just to pay for the use of the technique. You may have forgotten that or just left it out, but just letting you know so when you use it in a fight you understand how taxing the water clone is. I think my one costs minimum 54 cause of my 10% being high))

The sea witch went to swing once more with her stick at the clone, which was there another split second. Before her eyes, the creation that consumed quite a bit of her rather dwindled supply of chakra, broke apart, splashing to the ground as little more than a puddle. With a startled cry, Alwen dropped the stick to the ground unceremoniously, startled by the sudden appearance. Her eyes first followed the falling water, although quickly switched to watch the one who so effortlessly destroyed her training partner, scared for her life. His expression was serious, stern, and looked very angry. He was silent for a moment, something which further discouraged her, at least until he asked a question. The stranger’s question took her off guard. Instructor? She didn’t have one. In fact, she didn’t think anyone in Kirikagure did. To her, instructor seemed like something you’d only find while an academy student. Probably a bad hindsight to not look for one, but hindsight is always twenty-twenty vision.

Shaking her head, Alwen responded, rather nervously. “I don’t have one, sir!” she added in the title there, as judging from his speed and strength, this guy was probably a big deal. Furthermore, the last thing she wanted to do, was get on the bad side of someone who’d just destroyed a clone in a single hit. There are some people that you joke around, make jest, and other delights such as that. This didn’t seem one of those people. That thought in mind, Alwen adjusted her posture to be at more attention. It wasn’t a normal posture for the horned girl, but it was one that she felt would probably help her live a bit longer. The only grace she had from his question, was that he wasn’t shouting. To her this was a blessing, as perhaps it meant he wasn’t too angry. Not that she’d be dumb enough to risk it of course.

322 + 588 = 910

Her grip was weak dropping her weapon so easily and also her emotions were too light for a shinobi of Kirigakure. He did not understand how she could have gotten out of the academy like this, did the instructors at the academy start slacking off or were they aiming for quantity over quality now. She even got startled at the mentioning of an instructor, was this girl trying to just pick up a stick and train herself. What happened to the kirigakure shinobi education program, it was as if she never attended any academy in the first place.

She shook her head and gave a nervous reply and said she did not have one and called him sir which actually made him feel good deep down inside. Everyone always seemed to call him kid or child which was something that annoyed him, except when done by Aya-ne or his mom. She even stood at attention as he wandered if she was some kind of girl scout who did not even go to a shinobi academy at all.

He then scratched the back of his head a bit and sighed. "I can train you in using weapons, if that is what you were actually doing. Unless I am mistaken and you were planning to play fetch with yourself" as he made a light joke though that joke was actually being serious since he saw boy's and girl's playing fetch amongst themselves some time back at a small village. Kids in times of peace were really strange to him since he had killed or seen most his friends get killed already.

Words 278 + 275 = 553

Alwen couldn’t help but feel stung in her pride at the statement. She knew she was terrible form, but did she really appear as if simply playing with the stick? Instructors were a lot rarer to come by in Kirigakure than people would assume, and it didn’t help that Alwen had taken a while off after leaving the academy to recover from familial issues. Besides, there was no reason for her to have an instructor. Academy teaches the basics, and whatever volunteer ninja teach. Aside from that, it’s out the door. Besides, to get real tutors and instructors was expensive, and ryo was something a new genin just didn’t have.

The first part of his statement however, was something that Alwen certainly picked up on, surprised by it. Regathering her lost composure, she bowed to the stranger, nodding once her posture was straightened again. “If you would, I would be wonderfully appreciative!” thinking for a moment, she then realised that the stranger had no clue who she was. “Ah! Apologies! My name is Alwen of the Sangotatsu! I’ve only recently taken up genin duties, so apologies for my uhh… Lack of skills.” She nodded, calming down a bit and rubbing the back of her head awkwardly, grinning slightly. Introductions tended to make things a lot easier. Or at least, it did to her. After all, anonymity means a lack of surety. Or something deep like that.

236 + 910 = 1146

The girl apologised while being really polite and said her name was Alwen of the Sangotatsu clan. She said she was a fresh out of the academy genin and that she was sorry for her lack of skills. As he looked to her with a glare as he finally spoke again.

"I guess I could train you" as he sighed before tossing away the stick. He drew out his sword so fast there was not even time for her to tell where he pulled the sword from. It was a simple katana as he held it up to the sky as the sun shined on it slightly he realised he had not used Tsubakiri in a long time as he planted the blade of the sword into the ground hard so that it would require quite a lot of strength to pull out, or at least a lot of strength for the genin in question as he looked to her.

"well let me first make sure you at least have the strength to wield a real weapon. take the sword out of the ground then raise it up to the sky like I showed you now" this was simply a test of strength and for him to see a few things about her form which while non existent might have a basis from which to work on. He was not a medical shinobi so he could not tell just from looking at her anatomy alone, or a taijutsu specialist who might see a well toned or good body but would not know the slightest thing about whether its good for a weapon user. Also she was a girl so all he could do was check the form since he could not even use Ayakashi or his mom as a reference with a serious face so he chose the best method to see where to start.

He was going to grind into her the art of using weapons and in this case the first thing she would learn would be the ways of kenjutsu. At least once she showed that she can properly hold a weapon.

Words 553 + 361 = 914

Announcing that he would train her, the man took the stick that she had previously been training with, and threw it away to the side. Suddenly, before Alwen could even notice, a shiny sharp object. Oh right, a sword! Honestly, she expected him to do something at a needlessly high speed, so she was less surprised than before, only watching with raised eyebrows as he raised it towards the sky, posing like an action hero. Just as suddenly as the man held the sword to the sky, he proceeded to thrust the blade directly into the ground, surprising and confusing Alwen for a moment, who had no idea what his intentions with this was.

Having done this, the stranger announced his intentions, or at least, what he expected Alwen to do. It appeared her goal was to lift this sword from the stone. She could have sworn that was in a myth at some point, or at least some form of trope… But regardless, she nodded, stepping up to the sword and looking it up and down, as if to discern the best place to grab it. Her first instinct would have been to grab it from what she assumed was the cross guard, as it was flatter. But that was also the wrong side, and she wasn’t stupid enough to cut her hand in half in a failed attempt to hold a weapon. Humming for a moment, she put a finger to her chin, thinking up the best way to approach it.

After a couple of seconds of thinking it through, Alwen extended her right hand towards the bottom of the handle, near the blade, arm twisted counter clockwise so as to hold it upside down. To her, the grip felt… Weak. But, it wasn’t going to be the only way of her holding and pulling the sword, simply the base. Taking her left arm and looping it carefully beneath and around her right, she placed this one above the other, twisting the hand counter clockwise as well. The grip was awkward, but Alwen knew that despite being relatively in shape and physically strong for her age, she’d need to have a double handed grip to even have a chance to remove the blade. On top of this, she had to keep her hands upside down, so she could hopefully fluidly move the blade from facing down, to up, without having to change hand posture.

With great effort, the horned ninja began pulling at the bladed weapon, to a slow but steady avail. She wasn’t weak, by any means of the word. Just not used to wielding a weapon. After a few seconds of pulling, the blade was freed from the ground, Alwen stumbling slightly from it suddenly being loose. Without waiting a moment, her awkward stance making holding the blade difficult, Alwen stepped away from the stranger so as to not accidently hit him, and spun her arms back upright, the blades tip now pointing directly up. Grinning, Alwen raised her arms, quite pleased with herself for being able to do it, even if it wasn’t the most difficult of tasks to any who were used to weapons.

530 + 1146 = 1676

He watched as she nodded as her reply to the task. Did she understand what the task was as she stepped toward the sword looking it up and down. At the very least she was cautious but against someone as overwhelmingly powerful as himself taking safety precautions for pulling out a sword was a bit much. Did they train the shinobi in the academy to think more carefully about their actions. Yuzu had always been a bit reckless when he was a genin, but part of it was thanks to the mind set that he was the decoy and weak so his life did not matter much. He also had faith in the people he teamed up with since they were all stronger then him his best option was to be a distraction in order to survive.

The first thought as she put her finger to her chin and humming was that she must be from one of those special classes for rejected shinobi. She took a few seconds just to figure out how to pull a sword out of the ground, what had the shinobi world come to as he felt a bit impatient. However he offered to train her so he would not toss her aside as long as she was willing to learn, willing to suffer and willing to become a sword for the village of the hidden mist.

Her idea for pulling out the sword seemed to be decent, but the thing that bothered him is that she misunderstood something about using weapons. He watched her take her time to pull it out and then the stumble after pulling it out followed by an awkward stance as he felt this must be what its like to want to palm your face with your hand and perform a rasengan to explode your brain and die from witnessing the sheer stupidity of it all.

"Wipe that smile off your face!" as he glared at her. He spoke to her sternly.

"Follow me and keep up we are going to be passing around the training grounds and I want you to follow me while watching some of the other people on the grounds. If you fall behind I am taking you back to the academy" as he dashed off at the highest speed any trained genin can keep up with.

As he dashed he passed by a few beginner areas where some kids were tossing shuriken at a target roughly three of them. They were probably a recently formed genin squad and all three of them were at the very least hitting the target. However one of them stood calmly and through rather accurately with nearly no movement at all. One of the girls in the group was moving around like some hybrid monkey as she jumped around with some acrobatics as she hit only one in the centre and all the others were scattered on the target. However compared to the previous kid she had a lot of shuriken laying in the tree and on the ground, but she was not missing the target right now even though she was probably tired now.

Meanwhile the third one was moving a little bit while throwing and was mostly hitting the outer ring which showed he was most likely the weakest link in the group, however he at the very least only had a handful of shuriken on the floor.

He looked back to watch if she was keeping up and hoping that she would take note of her surroundings and also to see if she would dodge the small puddle he avoided since she would need to run at full pace avoiding the puddle might slow her down or make her fall if she did not think about it while watching the kids train as well. However this was only the beginning as he kept on running keeping that in mind.

Words 914 + 652 = 1566

The moment the man demanded her smile to drop, it dropped like a brick. She was proud of herself, having assumed that perhaps he’d set a trap for her in the form of the sword and pleased with herself for, if there was one, not getting caught in it. From his stern response however, there was no trick, no trap. Just disappointment. His glare was intense to her, judgemental. In a way though, to her, it was a relief. It was a glare in anger at her. Not a glare at her for existing. She felt a pang of pain, phantom pain at her horns, as he spoke his next words, next demands. The threat of the academy was too great for her. Too terrifying. Memories of the distaste with her due to her heads physical differences, and the scales on her shoulder that she used to show with pride, all came rushing back like a flash flood.  Any casual demeanour or willingness to let herself slip up was gone, her eyes surprisingly sharp, focused. Were someone to compare the normal attitude, the normal behaviour and expressions of Alwen, they would consider this someone new, a stranger. This was someone now resolute on success.

She could not afford to fail.

As he began his run, Alwen quickly followed suit, not allowing herself even a second to fall behind. After all, he was going at a speed where she would need to be on her toes and at her best to keep up. It would seem some of the first places the man would pass would be some beginner areas. While Alwen ran she first watched him, checking for where his eyes looked. It seemed his eyes were focused on viewing the training practises of groups nearby. She paid enough attention to this as she could. But to her right now, could wasn’t her entire attention. Amber eyes watched the escapades of the young genin as they trained and learned, taking in enough detail to know that they were just as new as she was. She may have been rubbish with swords, but when it came to kunai knives and senbon, she was fairly accurate. Of course, she wasn’t a master. As a dumb pervert once said, as a genin you can’t be a master of anything. But she was adept if nothing else. Still, one of those children was too flashy. Too extravagant. There is no need to jump around like a lunatic when throwing weapons. Even Alwen didn’t think that showing off was a good idea.

Still, her eyes scanned around. The grounds they were running along were covered in puddles but something was quickly apparent to the Sangotatsu. The man who had not yet told her his name. He’d been avoiding every single one. It was subtle, as if only a coincidence. But with the risks at stake, she was not going to believe in coincidences. She didn’t mimic his movements, but she did mimic his avoidance, leaping over any puddles she couldn’t simply ignore, legs separating as if she were a ballet dancer, or a gazelle that had been startled. Her eyes moved erratically, catching at an area for a moment before moving on to the next. She noticed the man looking back at her, almost as if surveying something, but still she did not keep her focus there long. All this did was confirm her suspicion as she continued on. This was a shinobi with memories of death and torment freshly burned, freshly reminded, freshly remembered. There was not a chance, not a moment that she would waste, not a second that she’d allow herself to fall behind. She refused to go back to that place.

620 + 1676 = 2296

He was testing her in a way that she might understand later, however what he did then was just to see a few more bits of information on her. The main thing he needed to know was just how bad her form was and secondly he had to understand if she could grasp the hints that he would give her, though he was already more lenient then the instructors he had in the passed since his academy instructor died fighting him in private as part of another test.

He no longer had actual friends from his academy days and other then being adopted by the then strongest woman in Kirigakure Gin who boasted physical strength that could flatten mountains, even though over time Ayakashi would take away the titles of all her strongest. Shikyo Dameon considered the fastest man alive in kirigakure was soon also surpassed since their Kage was a major over achiever in all areas. However in those ranks Yuzu was within the five strongest shinobi in Kirigakure and had beaten people over in Konoha in a two on one fight that many people from the Leaf hope to eternally forget.

He finally stopped as he signalled with his hand for her to stop. He then placed his hand on the ground and a strange seal appeared before a large pillar the size of a small elevator rose up and in this case it was a small little container big enough for about three people as he stepped inside he then looked to her.

"If you want to become strong, follow me. If you want to be forgotten, do not take a single step. You only have too choices, stay or follow." as the look in his eyes told her if she followed any other instruction she might suffer some major repercussions.

Words 1566 + 304 = 1870

Suddenly, the man stopped. The reason he stopped, Alwen could not tell, but the instant he did so, he raised his hand. A motion for her to also stop. Obliging in an instant, Alwen stopped in her tracks, standing at attention in front of the guy. She had to be serious. She couldn’t falter. Not to prove him wrong, but to prove to herself she could do this. She could learn. Before Alwen could question what was going on, although she didn’t intend to right now, the man got down to the ground, forming a seal on the earth, before causing something like a giant box to shoot up from the earth. Rather ominously, without a word, he stepped into the box, then turned to face the horned child. It was after this that he spoke up once more. Two choices. Stay or leave. Of course, there wasn’t any need for long deliberation on this one, especially with his wording.

Forgotten?

One of the things she could not afford to let happen. Alwen could not be forgotten. She could not back down, lest his memory go in shame, fade to nothing. No. For her, it wasn’t two choices. It was one choice. Amber eyes stared ahead in sheer determination, Alwen taking a step forward into the box. There was only one option. She would become strong. The sea girl would not be forgotten. And from what she understood of this situation, she had to be serious. She had to be prepared for anything. Progression doesn't happen by giving up. By running away. This was no different. If she gave up here, why did she start in the first place? So, she stepped into the strange box the nameless stranger created. She didn’t speak, or make a noise. Her expression should have said enough.

303 + 2296 = 2599

The ground shook as the entrance vanished as they seemed to fall at a speed that would cause one to rise up off the floor if they did not use the supernatural walking practice as Yuzu would simply watch and see how well she would react to this as they would enter the secret underground training area.

They would arrive in mere moments as the entrance opened they were in a large underground cavern of sorts. The walls had a bluish hue to them as water seemed to be traveling on the surface of the walls while before her would be a pool of water with a rising sprout of water forming a cold geyser, however something about it was strange as heat was appearing behind them as the traveling box they had used seemed to crumble apart as a heat wave hit them from behind like a warm hot wind. The front was cold and the back was warm with steamy waters behind them.

After a while the front became harder to see as a cold mist formed while behind them was warm hot steam as this area was harder to breathe in then above ground. Yuzu walked to the side as it was clear the cold and hot waves clashed at the centre where they arrived he was heading towards another area which had a lot of weapons clasped against a wall as he seemed to reach that distance at an unbelievable speed. The weapons were all scattered many of them with damages as well as a small little sleeping bag laid out on the floor as the small yet powerful Yuzu began rummaging through the item and pulled out some orange juice before looking back to her.

"Stop taking your time and get over here" as she was nowhere near his speed it would take her a while and somewhere along the walls were large gashes and carvings that looked like some large weapon had been clashing against the walls of this cavern. He was not too patient and he was going to give her some real training, in the basics and he would not let her get out of here without properly preparing her for the trials to come in the future

He then began to remember the first time he had come here to train by accident before the entrance even existed. He had fallen in a sinkhole of sorts and when he got there the first thing he did was take steps forward as the cold air made him freeze he could withstand the mist, but he was really getting cold as he turned back and found it getting warmer before it began to boil over as he got annoyed by the hot and cold he spotted an area outside of this as he made his way there he could not see much and would have to find a way out of there. He had remained trapped in this place for several months before he finally broke his way out after climbing up the walls and finding an escape which he then sealed off so that he would have his own personal training ground.

If she had actually known who he was maybe she would have had second thoughts about training under a war hero, a swordsman and probably one of the strongest shinobi in the world this day.



Words 1870 + 565 = 2435

As the elevator fell, Alwen found herself in the air for a moment, blinking as her mind began to catch up with what was happening, the genin not used to the whole gravity thing being really important. But of course, this brief flight didn’t last long, the strange contraption’s plummet ending as quickly as it began, Alwen bouncing off the ground with a thud, hopping up to her feet quickly and pretending that hadn’t happened, a quick dust off to get rid of the physical evidence of her unaware blunder.

The sea witch had no way of knowing what the cave would look like, since it was after all, below ground, below the surface. However, she couldn’t help but grin, unable to supress such a response at the sight of what lie beneath the grounds. When they began heading underground, Alwen was sure it would be some type of dry, humid, unpleasant cavern, covered in dusty stone. But instead, the walls were blue, the air a mixture of both hot and cold, but damp all the same. Seemingly liquid covered walls led to pools of water, sprays of cool liquid erupting from the ground, the temperature mixing and seemingly trading places back and forth with a wave of heat, steam filling the cave as well. All in all, it was a very water filled location, something that without a doubt made the dragon child happy, revitalised after the run and feeling in top form just from the presence of the water pools. She had to admit, she didn’t expect a place like this to be here.

Alwen found her vision become slightly obscured as a mist formed, a chilling type of mist, which seemed to further emphasise and contrast with the waves of heat coming from the steam eruptions that periodically occurred. Her breathes became shallow, lighter so as to not waste too much energy breathing. How an environment could be so many things at once was beyond her. With a speed that seemed a bit crazy for someone who was walking, the mystery man left the confines of the descending box, walking further into the room. Alwen followed slowly at a walking pace, squinting to see through the mist and steam, an array of weapons and battle damage scattered across the floor near the wall, and the wall itself. As the man commented about her taking her time, the girl snapped to attention, nodding and hurrying along in a speedier pace, announcing “Yes sir!” After all, best to annoy the guy who’s training you by being disrespectful.

When she finally caught up, she watched him and saw him… Drink orange juice? She wasn’t going to question it, instead continuing to stand at attention, awaiting orders. She wouldn’t speak, her breath still quiet and shallow, her posture as if she were in a strict militia. Whoever this guy was meant business, since he had his own water cave. Alwen wasn’t going to let down any expectations he had. No failure.

500 + 2599 = 3099

"I want you to stay like that" as he seemed to be plotting something as he walked further on towards the wall. "Do not move from that spot until I tell you" as he stood looking to the wall he finally decided what he would do first. He yawned a bit and then they appeared. As water splashed around to Yuzu's sides there were two clones yawning as if this was something they were bored with doing. It was actually just how Yuzu felt about low level training, it was really demotivating for him. However if no one took the time to deal with his nonsense then he would not be as powerful as he was today.

The first water clone picked up a stick and the second one seemed to be scratching his head the whole time. "remember what I said and good luck, oh and by stay here I mean you can not move from the spot my clone marks out for you" as the clone with the stick made a small one meter radius circle around Alwen. What was this training meant for in the first place and how did it relate to using a weapon. Only time would tell what the deeper meaning was, but that was when he let her find out the true meaning of the training.

While Yuzu had been speaking as soon as the circle was complete the other clone performed a technique which seemed to do nothing until the rain water began hitting the top of Alwen's head as it was a rain making technique and then her vision would be blurred by the hidden mist technique which suddenly appeared as well shortening her vision. After all that a soft whip like sound could be heard from in front of her, before something would hit the back of her leg. Fortunately these clones were about as strong as a high level genin, well slightly stronger then a genin. In all fairness this training was meant to see how well she could hold her ground. She also would need to watch her movements carefully as she may have realised right now that failing this test may lead to some punishment as it was clear she was trapped here. Though Yuzu had no intentions of injuring her, he would not hold back from beating her to the point of her being unable to move for a few weeks.

Words 2435 + 407 = 2842

Chakra = 297/390 (78 for the two clones and then 15 for activating the jutsu)
Clone 1 Chakra = 29/39 (10 used for Rainfall jutsu)
Clone 2 Chakra = 29/39 (10 used for Hidden Mist jutsu)

The Jutsu his using and the chakra costs so you get some more info on the clone dispersion:

Breathe. In and out. As instructed, the girl stood, watching as the mysterious guy who hadn’t said his name once began walking about to the wall. A yawn. Was this boring? He didn’t have to volunteer if it’s he found it that boring, but who was Alwen to question it? Then, water clones began to form, a jutsu that of course, Alwen could recognise. After all, she had used it before. Like, moments ago in fact, when she was training herself with a stick. Although she only made one clone, this stranger meanwhile, made two. The first grabbed a stick, the other kind of just there. Then, as the real one began instructing, the clone with the stick made a circle around her. Once more, she had no clue what was going on, but, well, it was something.

Hand seals were formed as the girl continued watching. Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop. Rain. Within a cave? Well, she could have guessed from the clones, but this only further confirmed the guy was a Suiton specialist. Or at the very least, liked the element. Not that she had much time to question it as soon, the room became filled with a mist. The hidden mist technique. How fun, she loved this technique. All at once her opinion of the guy went up, not so much because she was an idiot, but because she was a Suiton loving idiot. She grinned, a grin that was cut short at a sudden, familiar sound.

Crack.

With a surprised yelp, the girl found herself feeling a spike of pain at the back of her leg, pain that stung, and would no doubt leave a bruise. Instinctively, she began staggering forwards. Began, but not completely, as she quickly wobbled herself back to where she was before her foot left the ring, or what vague outline of the ring she could remember seeing. She began looking around. Faint movements, but that was all. Of course, while keeping within the confines of the space, she couldn’t dodge the attacks. But she could at least try to mitigate the damage she received, make it hurt a bit less by, well, expecting it. Either way, she wasn’t great at taking a beating, so, this would probably hurt as it went on.

380 + 3099 = 3479

Time passed, and the intense training continued. She couldn’t see, several parts of her body she couldn’t feel, such as her arms. Her hands ached beyond ache. As the training grew to a close however, Alwen found herself feeling… New. The person before her wasn’t struggling or tired or fatigued like she was, and likely, was bored. But she was proud of herself for at least surviving through it, and through pain and suffering, she was a new person. Her path could begin from this day onwards. She’d only needed to get started.

More time passed. Hours now. The girl was back at her home, having finished up the training and left. She looked to the roof of her room, lying on the mattress she kept on the floor. She could still feel the pain in her legs. The ache in her wrists. The strain she had put her body through. Large bruises had covered her from head to toe, and she’d come to the idea that she would… Rest for the next few days, just to give her body time to recover. She was still a genin after all, and there’s only so much a genin can do. Alwen had put all her effort into training today, all she had to do was take what she learned into the real world, and better herself on her own now that she had begun. When she had come back, bruised, slightly cut, and injured, her mother had shown concern for a brief moment, which made Alwen happy. For once in the last few years, her mother had emotion upon her face. Yet this quickly faded and the old, weak individual, too busy dealing with her own demons, collapsed upon herself once more. Yet the brief flash of emotion was enough for Alwen to feel… Anew. To feel different. She’d grown up the past few years alone and looking after the person in front of her, and even though it wasn’t for a good reason, to see a glimpse of her mother again was all the motivation she needed.

So as she lay there, struggling to breathe from the pain and covered from head to toe in bruises, the sea witch smiled to herself, staring at the flaking paint of the ceiling. Dried white paint flaked down, peeling from the tests of time and weather. Home. The girl closed her eyes, sighing happily to herself. She began to drift off, to dream. Remembering her brother, his face, his voice, his smile. His personality, his dream, his talent. Every detail about him haunted her sleeping moments. Her mother. Strong. Determined. Wise. Her father. Brave. Happy. Silly. The brief glimpse of days gone by allowed bliss to enter the mind of the shattered shinobi, albeit only briefly. Then this image broke, and as the image of her dad and brother disappeared, and her mother faded, the girl sat up in a cold sweat, amber eyes wide with a mixture of terror and sadness. Her breath was shallow, coming out in light mists from the cool of the air as she tried to steady herself. It was time to sleep.

525 + 3479 = 4004
[EXIT]
(OOC: Hey, I don’t mean to sound like a butt, but, it’s been over a month. I’ve been trying to progress and stuff, and, this thread could cause some timeline problems if I don’t get it done soon, so, no hard feelings, but, I’m exiting and finishing the training before I end up being unable to use a character due to a slow progressing thread. It’s been fun)

Training: