‘Jounin.’ Ezra thought to himself once again as he took his first step back into the Village Hidden in the Sand. ‘It’s gonna’ be a lot of work but I can handle it. It’s just gonna’ take a little time and lots and lots of energy.’ Ezra thought to himself as he walked home. It felt great being back in Suna and Ezra would have been bouncing off the walls if he wasn’t so distracted. He was going to have to train every chance he got. He was a little behind the hidden sand’s other jounin but that wouldn’t last long. Before Ezra would call a team meeting with his squad he would make sure he was accurately prepared for the job. He wouldn’t let Gin down. She told him he would need to train some more and that became the only thing present in his mind.

‘If I am really gonna’ do this I am gonna’ need to train even when I’m not.’ He told himself while he thought of what that actually meant. It meant that even something like this walk home would have to be a ninjutsu training activity. But how could he do that? Ezra then pulled to the side of the street and limbered up. ‘Stretch and Stretch, 5, 6, 7, 8 and Stretch.’ He thought as his movement mirrored his Mom’s exercises she did a week prior before a big date. He knew it would cause a bit of a disturbance but he doubted most people would get too bent out of shape from what he was about to do. Once he was done stretching his body Ezra stretched his chakra, metaphorically of course. That just meant that he made it flow through his chakra network so that he could feel it.

Ezra then focused his Chakra into his feet and walked down the street but on the faces of the houses and different stores along the way. This would be a perfect warm up seeing as how his house was almost three miles away. People stared at him from street level. Usually one would only run on the walls and jump from roof to roof if there was an emergency so it was odd to see Ezra, in no rush at all, walking along the side of a building. He decided to run on the buildings so he didn’t seem like a complete weirdo. Running on the sides of the building felt too easy for Ezra so he decided to switch up the training. At the next intersection he hopped down off the walls and dived straight into the ground using his “Hiding Like a Mole Technique”. He made sure to close the hole he had left behind on the surface. Ezra had run to clear a mile as fast as he could because there was a limit to his jutsu. Luckily Ezra made it in time before the limit and popped out of the ground to the surface. Good thing too, if he would have kept on running he would ran straight into a water pipe that ran through Suna’s main street. When he got to the surface he only had one mile left until he would have reached his home. He decided to walk home like a normal person and continue his training at home. That way he could tell his mom all about the exams and how he was chosen by the Kazekage to become Jounin. It was an amazing feat really but Ezra didn’t seem to realize that. Ezra walked down the street normally but the walk itself was anything but normal all because of one instance.

“Were losing him!” A woman shouted through the crowd. Ezra ran up concerned I mean he was ninja charged with keeping the citizens of the Hidden Sand safe. He jumped into the center of the crowd. “What’s wrong?” Ezra asked as he looked at a woman with a man’s head on her lap, he seemed to be unconscious. “His heartbeat is stopping! I know it! We need a medic!” She screamed at Ezra. Ezra turned to the crowd. “Any doctors here? How about medical ninja?” Ezra asked as the people in the crowd shook their heads. He had to think quickly. “I have an idea.” He said as he motioned for the women to back up. He raised his left arm to the sky and his right hand over the man’s heart. “Lightning Style: Lightning Rod” Ezra drew the ambient charge from the air and transferred it into the man’s heart. Instantly the man opened his eyes, the color came back to his face and he sat up. The woman rushed down and hugged the man. “Thank goodness. You’re safe.” She clutched him tighter. They both looked to Ezra and thanked him. “I don’t know how I can repay you.” The man said as the women cried. “Don’t worry about it… Actually scratch that. The way you can pay me back is by going to get yourself checked out at the hospital.” Ezra replied. They weren’t from the village so Ezra pointed them in the right direction. Ezra went on his way as the crowd dispersed and the couple was on their merry way.

Ezra finally arrived at his house after a long travel and “training” on the streets of the hidden sand. Ezra walked in the door and little did he know the real training was about to start. Ezra could smell his Mom’s cooking through the door. It smelled great to say the least, especially to Ezra someone who had only eaten apples and sandwiches for the last 48 hours. Ezra began to float around the idea of taking a break and eating some food as he walked into the kitchen. “Hi Mom.” Ezra said as he turned around the corner of the entrance hallway into the kitchen. A look of shock came about his mother’s face. “Why didn’t you tell me you where taking part in the exams!” She yelled.

Once she was done the yelling she charged and punched Ezra in the chest sending him flying into one of the doors in the living walkway. Ezra stood up and started weaving hand signs. He could never stop his mother without a fight; usually it was of the taijutsu variety. This specific time was meant for ninjutsu. “I was worried about ya’, ya’ little dumbass!” Erza, Ezra’s mother yelled as the doom dome shot up around her in the rather large hallway. “Earth Style: Doom Dome.” Ezra announced with a smile. “Come at me with your all!” His mom taunted. She wouldn’t have said thai if she wasn’t aware of Ezra’s abilties and improvement. Ezra raised an eyebrow and made like a good boy and listened to his mommy. “You asked for it! Lightning Style: Electromagnetic Murder.” He called out as the electricity crackled and lightning shot from his fingertips. He aimed straight at the doom dome. The lightning ripped apart a hole in the dome and went inside crackling and illuminating the darkness inside the dome. Ezra could see his mother wasn’t in there. Ezra was cautious though. He made sure to be quick and poked his head into the hole. She was gone but where did she go? Ezra expected to see his mom shocked with a shocked face lying inside the dome. It was Ezra who was shocked though.

Ezra’s mom was also an Earth Style user and he remembered this. There was no substitution if she is not hiding around the house she is hiding in the floor. He looked down and jumped up channeling chakra to his feet so he could walk on the ceiling. He dropped into his usual fighting stance with the world now upside down from his point of view. “Just come out mom! You are only gonna’ embarrass yourself. Today is the day I win. No running away for me anymore.” He joked and taunted. “Where are you?” He asked his mother once more. “You were right to jump up there kid!” She jumped up at Ezra from underground. ‘This is too easy.’ Ezra thought. He jumped down as his mother came up making sure to grab her leg by the arm she had punched at him with. Ezra grinned and with that raised his left arm in the air. “Lightning Style: Lightning Rod.” He said as he transferred the ambient charge he had gathered. Ezra’s mother disappeared in a poof. ‘Shadow Clone.’ Ezra told himself as his feet touched the ground. He tightened his fist. His mother sure was smart and she sure was strong. His chest still hurt from the first punch.

Ezra was sucked into the ground. Then his mother came up to the surface. “Too easy.” She said patting dust and sand off of her hands and body from using the Earth Style: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique. “You think you are a hotshot just because you have Earth Style and Lightning Style working for you?” She asked Ezra who struggled to break out of the ground. “I have Earth Style and Water Style. I’m the one with the disadvantage here” She added with a snicker. Ezra grinned after seeing his mom’s smug look. He opened his mouth and used his Earth Style: Rock Clone technique and out came just that. 3 rock clones emerged and morphed from the rock Ezra spewed from his mouth. They also came out weaving hand signs, the lot of them. 3 doom domes shot out one after another enclosing Ezra’s mother in three meters of solid rock. Enclosing her didn’t matter that was just another useless move Ezra partook in for the sole purpose of training his ninjutsu. He countered the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique with his Earth Style: Hiding Like a Mole Technique. The fine sand shifted around him as he felt for his mother on the surface. There was no trace of her topside so Ezra thought she was bound to be searching for Ezra in the ground as well. He knew she was near but he didn’t know how near until they clashed heads. “Owww.” They said in unison. They both blinked at each other and grinned for a split second it wasn’t a battle of ninjutsu anymore. ‘Kick!’ They thought as their bodies followed. In Erza and Ezra’s case it really was like mother like son. Good thing Ezra was an energetic teen and not a thirty plus year old mother. If he wasn’t his kick probably wouldn’t have connected. Erza crashed through the surface into the air and back down to the ground. Ezra brought himself up with a smile on his face.

“You little cheat!” Erza said to Ezra. “You were just as ready to kick me.” Ezra shot back. “Rematch!” Ezra’s mother said. The woman was really strong and so was her will but then again it is a little hard to not hold back when it’s your son. “You’re on!” Ezra said as his three clones approached his obviously forgetful mother from behind. Ezra then weaved some hand signs which were just a bunch of bull. He was just the distraction. Erza began weaving her own hand signs with a look on her face that said she solely focused on the “destruction” of her son. “This is it.” Ezra finished with his hands showing the dragon sign. His mom leapt backwards right into the arms of one of his clones. “Restrain her!” He yelled the other two clones instantly followed his orders to the letter. “See ya’ later mom.” Ezra pulled down his right lower eyelid and stuck his tongue out. “Get back here Ezra!” She was finally calm and only Ezra could tell because even though she was still screaming she called Ezra by his name and not by “little shit” or “Kid”.

Ezra darted out the house as he heard one rock clone crumble behind him. He stood in the middle of the street. His mom was still being restrained by two of the three rock clones. “I’m tired. Too bad. I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed for once. Ezra set off in the direction of his Aunt’s house.

[2032/2000]

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