Gin woke up with a loud yawn. She had a smile on her face until she saw Jurou's face. That wasn't the first thing she wanted to see after such a pleasant nap. Her face instantly contorted into a scowl. It was almost a reflex by now. Seeing the Mizukage's face like that only brought on bad memories. She looked around for a moment. She saw that Jurou was now holding a new weapon - one of the swords that had been sealed in the scroll, she assumed. Additionally, the representative from Kumo was nowhere to be seen. It didn't take a genius to tell that the swords had been unsealed. Gin got up slowly, grunting as she did so. She wiped the dirt off of her clothes and turned to stare at Jurou. "You already know that I want one of the swords," She said, straight to the point as she always was. "And I already know you won't just hand it over. Tell me, Osada, what do I need to do for it?" She asked. She anticipated something degrading. It was either that, or a fight. Hell, it he might even ask her to stop drinking for the twins' sake or even to give him the twins for an entire year.

[213/9000]

Gin cocked her head to the side. A... fight? Really? That was it? No "give me back my kids" or "quit drinking in front of Reiko"? Gin felt like she was in luck, really. Jurou wasn't forcing her to go months sober. That was good. Gin smirked and looked at Jurou. "Is that really all you want?" She asked, already knowing that his answer would be yes. She just wanted to make sure. She knew Jurou wasn't the type of person who would start second guessing himself from one minute to the next. She seemed cocky, but in reality, she knew that this wouldn't be easy, not by a long shot. Gin was physically stronger than Jurou, but he was faster. Not only that, but he was now wielding one of the legendary Seven Swords of the Mist, not to mention his Kekkei Genkai. Gin internally shuddered, remembering a time when she had witnessed what the Boil Release could do to a person's skin. "Want to set any ground rules before we begin?" She asked. Gin sank into a stance, keeping her eyes locked on Jurou. She kept Naiya - one of the few swords that she owned and did not have to create - by her side, wrapping her left hand around the sword's hilt. She was ready, as ready as she could ever be to face Jurou. She knew what he was capable of - they had both fought alongside each other several times. Then again, he also knew what she could do. Neither had the clear advantage if they were to disregard Jurou's new collection of high ranking blades. It made Gin wonder if this fight was merely a means for Jurou to test what the famous blades could do.

[506/9000]

Gin's eyes went wide. Her face fell. She blinked several times. Did he just...? No, he didn't. He didn't just ask her not to drink. He couldn't be serious. He just couldn't. "W-what?" She asked. She almost looked like she was about to cry. Almost. She shook her head and sobered up a little. "I can't keep the twins for a whole year," She began. Her tone was somewhat soft, sympathetic. "Not that I wouldn't want to, honestly," She stopped for a moment, thinking of how to phrase what she was thinking. "I mean, they'd miss you, you know?" She said with a sigh. Gin had never really had a father. He had left even before she was born. The young Kazkage has grown up with her mother, that was it. She had always wanted a sort of father figure, someone to guide her. She had obviously never found someone who could fill that role. Gin's mother would bring in strange men every once in a while, but there was really nothing constant. She had promised herself that she would be different, that she would do everything she could to ensure that her children knew their father and actually spent time with him, despite the fact that she and Jurou didn't get along. The young Kazekage once again sighed. "I'll try to stop drinking, though," She said, though she was somewhat unsure of her self in that regard. She had been drinking constantly since she was about 14 years old. She had her reasons - she drank to forget. "I suppose I have a reason to stop, now," She said, smiling slightly to herself. Her smile soon dropped, however. They were here to fight, not to discuss Gin's life choices.

Jurou asked her for conditions, eh? Gin pursed her lips for a moment, pondering on what these conditions should be. "Starting off with the obvious, no killing and no maiming," She began and then paused. Should she limit the rank of the jutsu they could use? No, that would be no fun. Besides, it would put her at a disadvantage, seeing as he had the Seven Swords... wait ... that could be a good condition. "Choose one of the swords and stick to it for the rest of the fight," She finished, sinking into her stance once again and finally drawing Naiya out of its scabbard. "Now let's get this show on the road, shall we? People are waiting on me to go back to Suna and I'm not leaving here without one of those swords, Jurou," She said. She held Naiya with one hand, at the level of her eyes and drawn back over her shoulder. her other hand was extended towards Jurou. She wouls take a defensive position for now and wait for him to attack first. She had to be wary, she knew that much. She couldn't let her guard down for one instant. That would mean forfeiting the fight altogether. She narrowed her eyes and waited, concentrating on both Jurou and her surroundings to detect any change at all.

[1019/9000]

Gin nodded, she knew that she was the one that was at a loss here. And she supposed Jurou was right. She had to learn about responsibility... whatever that meant. Nevertheless, she sighed. The young Kazekage knew her priorities. She wanted a blade quite badly. However, she had priorities and a promise to herself wasn't something that she took lightly. Gin would never go back on her word. That went against the very nature of the young woman. She was about to speak, about to call off the match. She wouldn't keep her twins parted from their father, as much as it hurt her to have Chie and Reiko away from her. As she opened her mouth to protest, to tell Jurou that the match was cancelled, that she no longer wanted one of the blades, Jurou began to speak. But there was something odd in his words and his behavior. Was he being merciful for her sake? That was most certainly strange. It made her briefly wonder if this was really Jurou or some sort of impostor. She quickly discarded that possibility, though. She took his words of kindness - rare as they were - and simply accepted them. She smiled softly and briefly closed her eyes. "I won't ask that much of you," She began. "You have duties to tend to as the Mizukage, despite Kirigakure's current state. You can't leave what's left of your people for an entire year. The remnants of Kiri wouldn't survive, you know that as well as I do." She said and paused for a moment. "However... I would like it if you stayed in Suna with the girls while you decide to move or rebuild Kiri," She said. That was a fair deal. It would mean that Jurou could spend a good deal of time with the girls before he had to tend to his duties once again. And now, on to the task at hand.

There was nothing like the thrill of a good fight. Gin could already feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins as the air filled with tension. This was bound to be entertaining. In less than a minute, all of the odds had shifted towards Jurou. Of all of the swords he could have chosen, he had to choose Soul Cutter, and by doing so had basically rendered the young Kazekage's Kekkei Genkai useless. This would be interesting. At least Gin still had Naiya. If there were ever a time when she was thankful for that sword, it would be now. "We both know that this fight won't end until one of us passes out," Gin said, keeping her eyes fixed on Jurou. Her stance was steady and balanced; it was that of a true master of blades. She already had a strategy formed in her head and several others to back it up in case the first one failed. It was just like her to analyze all of the possibilities in a split second and act accordingly. It made her a versatile fighter, someone who could easily adapt to any situation at hand. "Let's do this already, Osada," She said while a large smile made its way onto her face. She was as ready as she would ever be. This fight would prove to be a challenge, without a doubt. She would have to rely on her skills alone, though that could come as an advantage. Silver lining: She didn't have to spend chakra constantly.

[1598/9000]

Such a difficult decision to make. Gin had to weigh two things that affected her in very different ways. The fate of Kiri and the happiness of her children stood facing each other across the balance. Could Jurou really expect her to choose between two such things? Should she tell him to stay in Suna, both Chie and Reiko would have access to their father whenever they wanted. Hell, they could even act like a family for the sake of the kids every once in a while. But then Kirigakure no Sato would remain nothing but a myth; a pile of ashes buried in the memories of each of its villagers. The balance of the shinobi world would be thrown off almost completely. Without a leader, how could the shinobi of Kiri rebuild their homes? Gin sighed internally. She would leave this for another time. She would make her decision after they fought. Right now, she had a more pressing matter to attend to: Ripping Soul Cutter out of Jurou's tiny little hands. But that would prove to be difficult, she knew that much. The guy had magic swords... and magic hands.

Gin took a moment to admire Soul Cutter. She had heard the legends about the sword, she knew full well what it was capable of doing. Soul Cutter could - as its name indicated - slice through chakra like butter. But Gin wouldn't turn away from a challenge. No, that would be quite unlike her. She giggled internally, trying to imagine what Jurou's face would look like if she beat him just using her A rank sword, Naiya, and a handful of jutsu. She knew it was unlikely, but that didn't mean that she wasn't going to put up a decent fight. Quite the contrary, actually. Like she said, she wouldn't stop until one of them passed out from either their injuries or their exhaustion. She analyzed the distance between them. It was a good 6 meters, from what she could roughly tell by just using her eyes. She wouldn't charge at him, that would be idiotic at a time like this. She had to plan her moves carefully. But first thing was first: She had to increase her strength if she wanted to cause any sort of damage. Gin smirked. "Yami no Katana: Brute Force," She whispered, the words were almost inaudible. The instantly felt the muscles in her body tense as chakra ran through them. The feeling was slightly uncomfortable at first, but it was the type of thing you got used to rather quickly after using it so often. Gin rapidly swung the sword, hitting the ground underneath her.

A loud rumbling sound erupted from the earth beneath them as the ground was torn in half, forming a ditch that would stretch over 8 meters long and two meters wide. In other words, Jurou would likely fall into the pit if he didn't dodge the blow. A large dust cloud covered the area, stemming from the crater that Gin had created. She had practically destroyed the clearing with one swing of her sword. Not bad, not bad at all. But now wasn't the time to admire her own strength. She had to be cautious and look out for whatever Jurou's reaction would be.

[2146/9000]

Spoiler:

Jurou dodged Gin's blow, just as the young Kazekage had expected. Jurou was fast, after all. He moved quickly. Gin watched him as he performed several handseals. She recognized that jutsu, Fire Clones. Gin grunted. She could use her Shadow Clones to even the numbers, but that would waste a great amount of chakra that she wasn't sure she was willing to spend just yet. She had to pace herself, after all. Jurou himself was spending a lot of chakra already, so much so that he was about to surround her. She swung her sowrd once again, creating a ditch in the ground, directed towards one of Jurou's clones. However, Gin needed to get to higher ground. Being above Jurou would give her and advantage, a way to get over the numbers against her. Gin jumped in the air. "Wind Style: Solid Air!" She yelled. The air beneath her feet now became solid, alowing her to stant two and a half meters above the ground. For now, that was enough of an advantage for height. Now, she had to move to the offensive position. It would be useless to just evade Jurou constantly. It would bore her to no end, really. Though that strategy - playing a game of patience and waiting - might prove to be more useful. She would store it in the back of her mind, should offense prove not to work.

She held her sword with both hands now. She could still feel her increased strenght run through her body. She would keep it that way for a while. Canceling it would mean having to wait for a while before using it again. No, she would keep it. The young Kazekage smirked. "Tell me Jurou, are you a betting man? I'll end you with my next move. Heaven Style: Holy Seven," She said simply. She could feel her speed increase greatly, now. She moved at an incredible speed, aiming seven different slashes at seven different locations of the original Jurou's body: Two to either of his upper arms, in order to impair his Kenjutsu. Another two to his upper thighs, aimed at slicing his tendons to slow him down.Two others where aimed towards his chest, causing a diagonal cut across his skin. The last one was similarly aimed to his back. She avoided his major arteries, but went for his muscles and tendons to weaken his movement. All the while, it seemed as if she hadn't even moved, simply stayed in her place, above the air.

[2566/9000]

Spoiler:

Gin rushed towards her target. She knew that Jurou still had Void Walk in play. She wondered how, exactly, he would avoid her attack if he had time to catch on to it. A milisecond before the hit landed, she managed to see Jurou exchange himself for one of his clones. She felt her blade connect seven times against Jurou's clone, basically ripping it to shreds. As it disappeared, the clone burst into flames. Some of the flames landed on Gin's skin, causing a small first degree burn on each of her forearms. She quickly retreated to her original position in the air, above Jurou. Gin quickly put out the small flames that caught on her pants and groaned. Those were new. She turned to look at Jurou, crashed against a tree and bleeding from his nose and forehead. "You cheeky dickwaffle!" She yelled, smirking at him from above. She stood still for a moment, waiting to see what his next move would be. She held her sword steadily, in a basic stance, kept stable by her control over the wind beneath her. She watched Jurou perform a series of handseals that she didn't recognize. It was best to get out of its range, in case it was some sort of attack. She jumped in the air and was now about 6 meters above Jurou. With her fast reaction timing, that distance would give her enough time to deflect whatever he threw her way. But Jurou wasn't planning an offensive attack.

Suddenly, she was angulfed in a thick fog. Wonderful. Just wonderful. Her vision would be completely impaired now. She could only see a couple of meters in front of her. This would be interesting. The young Kazekage would have to concentrate on her hearing and her sense of smell in order to guess what Jurou was doing. She listened to him call the name of his following jutsu. She smelled the ashes that covered the area. She knew what this jutsu meant for her. Not to mention the fact that more than one of his clones had used the same jutsu. She had to get away from the ashes quickly, otherwise she would be blown to bits by Jurou's technique. She had to run and she had to do it now. But if she jumped to 15 meters, she would still be in the techniques range just because of the sheer size of the ash could. "Oh fuck all kinds of duck," She wheezed. The young Kazekage had a coughing fit. She was breathing in ashes, now. The best she could do was get as far away from the source of the explosion in order to soften the blow. She jumped into the air, as far as she could. She was on the edge of the cloud of ashes now. And she had gotten there just in time. She automatically winced when she heard Jurou's following words. Fire Style: Small Fire. The loud explosion rang in her ears. The trees in the forest were blown appart by the sheer force and range of the jutsu. The trees in the forest were blown appart. Fire spread across the area in mere seconds. "Well, there goes the Dense Forest," Gin thought for a brief millisecond before the explosion caught up to her.

The young Kazekage was blown away several meters away. She fell to the ground, effectively cancelling her Solid Air jutsu. She rolled away from the source of the explosion, tumbling on the ground. She could feel her skin getting scraped as it grazed against the ground beneath her. She didn't stop rolling on the ground until she lost momentum and hit a tree. The wind was knocked out of her. She could feel 1st and 2nd degree burns scattered all over her body. She panted and slowly got up on her feet to assess the damage. She had a broken rib, she could feel it whenever she inhaled. Burn wounds were scattered over her back, stomach and arms. Her pants had caught on fire and had effectively been reduced to nothing. She removed the few pieces of cloth that remained over her legs. At least her underwear was still intact. But there was a fight still going on. She couldn't afford to let her injuries keep her back. She sprinted to the source of the explosion, where there was now nothing but a large crater on the ground. On the other side, she saw Jurou. And as far as she could tell, he had received as many wounds as she had if not more than her. Gin smirked. The idiot had gotten himself trapped in his own jutsu, though she wouldn't have been surprised if it had been on purpose. He hated her enough to do so, to injure himself as long as he got to see her hurt. It made Gin chuckle, much to her dismay. Laughing hurt. And to think that they had once loved each other, that they had been in a relationship once. Gin scoffed. The thought of it was ridiculous now. They could barely stand to see each other, let alone have a conversation that didn’t end up in yelling.

Chakra: 170

[3433/9000]

Gin was struggling. Her breathing was labored and slow. She took several deep breaths as she walked. She used Naiya as a cane to support her own weight. She could still fight, she knew she could. But there was no need to make the painful effort to stand up on her own if Jurou was still lying on the ground. No, there was no need to exert herself just yet. She admired the large crated that they had left in the middle of the forest. It spanned at least over a 30 meter radius. Fire burned the surrounding trees, sending smoke into the air. The heat around Gin made a thin layer of sweat cover her skin. But that was the least of her worries right now. If they didn’t do something about the fire soon, Kenta would likely ring both their necks for destroying his forest. But then again, Gin didn’t have water as an element. There wasn’t much she could do, really, nor did she care all that much at that very moment. No, her priorities were elsewhere. She looked at Soul Cutter, the blade glimmering, reflecting the wildfire around the area. It was still in Jurou’s hands, lying at the other end of the clearing, about 60 meters away from Gin. She waited for a moment before she saw the young Mizukage start standing up. At this point, Gin shifted back into a stance, holding her sword with one hand. She was wary and cautious. She knew full well what Jurou was capable of. They had fought together for years – alongside each other and against each other. It would be strange, really, for her not to know how far he could go and exactly what he had in his arsenal. Memories of what they used to be still lingered in her mind. Back then, she was almost a different person.

Gin Kuroka – born a mere merchant, under the name Gin Nanahara – hadn’t always been what she was today. Her former self was but a shadow of what she had become. At age 15, she was empty; she had been for a while. A year before, when she had met Jurou, she was plagued by loss, misery and sadness. It was around that time that she had discovered alcohol – a temporary way of escaping the overwhelming guilt that invaded her mind, her very soul, every time she closed her eyes and every time she found herself alone. Images of his face – she dare not speak his name, even inside her own thoughts – smiling at her like he always did always crept into her mind at night. So she cried herself to sleep every single night, because it was her fault that he was gone. It was around that time that a group of shinobi from Kirigakure had traveled to Suna. It was part of her job to take care of them, to show them around the Hidden Sand Village and make sure that they had everything they needed. It was a simple, mindless task that kept the young kunoichi busy. She accepted the job without second thought. It was there that she met Jurou Osada. He was a handsome man, just one year her senior. He had white hair and light eyes, much like her own. At that time, they were both around the same height. In other words, short as hell. In him she would eventually find comfort. With him, she would eventually begin to feel like her old self again. She began to smile, she began to laugh. But above all, she began to truly forget. A small part of her felt as if she were betraying his memory, but she did her best to ignore it. She had a right to be happy, or so she told herself. And so, she and Jurou began to date after a short while. She had been the one to ask him out, knowing that he would likely never do it himself. He wasn’t the type. Jurou was cold and distant, but that was only the surface. Gin saw much more than that. She knew that he could be incredibly kind, trustworthy, someone she could count on. She would well ahead come to change the way she saw him completely, but more on that later.

After one year of dating, they were both in her home. “You know I’ve lived alone for over a year, now, Jurou,” She said in a sing song tone, smiling at him as he took a seat on her couch. As always, there was a scowl on his face. “Jurou wants a hug~!” She called out, jumping into the couch and almost violently wrapping her arms around him. Back then, she didn’t wear the kind of clothing – or lack of clothing – that she did now. She wore the standard Sunagakure jacket and tight black pants. It was a simple outfit, easy to move in. She tied her hair in a tall pony tail and still wore her headband proudly on her forehead. She was only a closet pervert back then and was rather embarrassed when anyone asked her what she was reading. She kept her perverted novels hidden, even from Jurou. She eased up, knowing that Jurou wasn’t a fan of physical contact. She settled for simply sitting next to him with a small smile on her face. “Hm?” She said when Jurou asked if she wanted to make a bet. He had sparked her curiosity. “A bet?” She repeated before he went on to explain himself. So he wanted a drinking competition? That was quite unlike him. She was slightly taken aback. “You, Jurou Osada, want to try and outdrink me?” She asked before she burst out laughing. Her alcoholic tolerance was higher than that of most people. She drank constantly, after all. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, Jurou!” She said. “But if you insist, I suppose I can go get the drinks.” She said as she got up from the couch, resisting the urge to kiss his cheek, and headed towards the counter. She paused for a moment before she pulled out a bottle of vodka – her personal favorite – from the fridge. “What’s in it for me, though?” She asked. If it was a bet, there had to be something that they could each win or lose, after all. If not, they couldn’t really call it a bet.


[4502/9000]

Gin held her stance steadily. Should she attack or should she let Jurou make the first move? It was a difficult choice to make. The outcome could go several different ways. She could be overpowered by Soul Cutter, or more likely by his Boil Release if she got too close. Or she could end up overpowering him with her natural skills in Kenjutsu by combining it with her wind jutsu and keeping Jurou's corrosive mist away from her body. But that would drain her entire chakra pool. She would have to risk finishing the fight in a maximum of 4 attacks. But she would have to plan this carefully. Jurou was a master tactician. She would have to keep her guard up at all times. It would still be a while before she could actually walk on air again. She could use Heaven Style: Holy Purge, but she didn't want to kill Jurou. Using that would mean that she might end up slicing off a limb. She didn't want to risk it. No, she would stick to lower ranked jutsu unless the situation called for a dire change of plans. She was still unsure of how far Jurou was willing to take this fight. All she knew was that this wasn't a death match. But the fight could quickly escalate, knowing how much they despised each other. Gin slowly walked towards Jurou, edging around the large crater on the ground. She was cautious and deliberately slow. She held Naiya in one hand as she walked, narrowing her eyes towards Jurou. Was it just her, or was he now unable to stand up straight? The impact could have easily broken his back. Gin scoffed. "You're letting yourself get injured this easily, Jurou?" She yelled out to him. It was just like her to taunt her opponent while fighting. But she knew Jurou wasn't the type of person to buy into such a thing. No, he was different. He had always been much too calm and cold. He thought before he acted. He planned out every single detail before doing something. He was meticulous and distant. It made Gin wonder if she had ever actually had his heart or at least a sliver of his affection. Probably not, considering how things turned out between them. Gin took a deep breath and let the memories of such a time invade her once again.

A quizzical look formed on Gin's face as she felt Jurou press his lips lightly to her forehead. He rarely ever showed her any form of affection, but she was glad whenever he did. She appreciated; it often made her smile and laugh. His lack of affection only made her appreciate him even more whenever he went out of his way to make her smile. But in retrospect, maybe he never did make her happy just for the sake of making her happy. Maybe her happiness was just a consequence of the things he did for himself. But she would never know now. Jurou would never admit it. "What's gotten into you today?" She said, searching her fridge for the bottle of Lemon Ciroc that he had asked for. All she had in her fridge back then was alcohol, not too different from how things were now. But she now had to stop drinking. She wondered how that would affect her mental and physical health. But that would come later. She could think of that later on. "You've kissed me and asked me for a drink in the past five minutes, not to mention the fact that you finally agreed to come to my house after a whole year of dating. Tell me, who are you and what have you done to the Jurou Osada I know? Or did someone slip drugs into you breakfast?" She asked, teasing him mostly. She knew that he found her teasing uncomfortable most of the time, but that was why she liked it. Jurou was adorable when he blushed. She downright burst into laughter when he suggested something more than a kiss. She put her hand to his forehead and the other to her own to as if trying to tell if he had a fever. Not that she actually could if she wanted to. Kuroka were bad with all things medicine. "No fever..." She mumbled. "Delusional maybe..?" She asked, pretending to talk to herself. She brushed her hand against his hair, gauging for a reaction. She wanted to see if he would go back to his usual self if she showed him any sort of affection. She stopped running her hand through his hair and cupped his cheek. She slowly inched her lips closer to his, but gave him time to stop her. She wouldn't be surprised if she did. Actually, she would only laugh. What would surprise her was him letting her actually kiss his lips. Regardless of whether he kissed her or not, she would then turn to the bar and swallow her shot in one gulp. She wiped her lips with the back of her hand and sighed happily. "Let's see... what do I want from the great Jurou Osada?" She said, pondering for a moment. A couple of ideas ran through her head, making her blush. "You say you want more than a kiss, right?" She asked, testing the waters before proposing her next idea. Back then, she wasn't the confident woman that she was now. "How about we take shots. First person to start getting tipsy loses a piece of clothing, deal?" She asked, trying to make herself seem like she knew what she was doing.

[5440/9000]

Gin braced herself when she heard Jurou say the name of his jutsu. Void walk. She feared his speed, but then again her strength was still in play. Her reaction timing was also quite impeccable, enough to be able to react as he approached. The distance also gave her a chance to do something about his incoming attack. Her muscles tensed as did her grip on her sword. The blade glinted with the flames that surrounded the area. They lit up the night sky, like beacons of their battle. They were symbols representing two people who had been at odds for years, now. The light shining from Naiya's blade was almost blinding. For a brief moment, Gin saw her reflection in it. She was beaten and battered. Her face was bruised, her hair was singed. She was covered in soot and dirt from head to toe, not to mention the sweat pouring from her brow. She smirked at the telltale signs of the fight. There was nothing better than the adrenaline coursing through her veins now. The thrill of a battle brought Gin true happiness, especially when she could test her skills against someone who might even outmatch her. Not to mention the fact that she could let all of her pent up anger and resentment free. She wondered if he had any resentment or if he just felt cold and indifferent towards her, the way she assumed he always had. She didn't know whether or not she was right or wrong. Her memories of her time with Jurou Osada were tainted and tarnished by the way things had ended between them. They were ruined by her personal feelings. She knew that much. She was aware of the type of person that she was - proud and strong on the outside but oh so frail on the inside. That was why she often had trouble showing her feelings or letting people too close to her. It was why she often focused on actions rather than words. In the end, Gin Kuroka was broken, she knew that much.

The young Kazekage could hardly see Jurou's movements. She would have to resort to guessing his patterns and his intentions. She relied on her instincts, but then again, she was a Kuroka. Her instincts for battle were strong. In any case, he would have to target her. Gin smirked. There was an easy solution for that. She grabbed the hilt of Naiya. She held the sword over her head and pointed the blade directly to the ground. With all of her strength, she stabbed the ground. The blade descended just as Jurou was landing behind her. As it touched the ground, the earth underneath her rumbled loudly. A large crater burst into the ground, expanding over the edge of the old one and spreading towards the woods. Gin's jutsu uprooted the trees around the area, likely throwing Jurou completely off balance. Knowing what would happen already, she jumped away from the impact. Now was her chance, a chance to end this battle once and for all. "Heaven Style: Flash of Light!" She yelled. A blinding burst of light spread from her fingertip, over the entire area, its power made greater by her natural skill for all things related to Kenjutsu. As the jutsu would take effect, Gin sprinted towards Jurou. If he was blinded, it would be idiotic to try to use Void Walk to dodge her attack. As she approached him, she would aim to stab Naiya through his left shoulder, thus impairing his ability to hold Soul Cutter.


Gin's eyes went wide as she felt her lips connect with Jurou's. She was surprised, but she relished the feeling of being close to the man she loved - or thought she loved. Three years later, she wasn't sure of what she felt for him. Had it been real? Genuine? Maybe. She would never really know now, would she? But at that time she smiled into the kiss and let Jurou hold her. Once the kiss ended, she would simply smile at him. "Trying to be affectionate, huh?" Gin repeated, mostly to herself. "Well, I like it. Keep it up!" She said to him now, kissing his cheek as she moved both the bottles and shot glasses to the coffee table in front of the couch and sat. She grabbed the remote control for the TV and decided to turn it on. Having some background noise while they drank would be nice, especially if she could find some good music playing. But she had forgotten a key detail. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped. Her face flushed a bright crimson red as she fumbled with the remote to turn the TV off again. Sounds of someone's passionate lovemaking filled the room as an erotic scene played on the TV. Why had she not changed the channel again? She forgot, honestly. She had never actually expected Jurou to accept her invitation. In her nervousness, she wound up dropping the remote on the ground before she finally picked it up and managed to turn the TV off. "Well that was... Awkward." She said, avoiding Jurou's gaze altogether. She just hoped and prayed that he wouldn't comment on it. She shifted the topic back to the drinks as fast as she could. "Well, you're one drink behind," She said quickly, her words running over each other. She took another shot to calm herself down. "Correction, two shots behind." She said, still avoiding his gaze and pouring the third shot.


Chakra: 145
[6366/9000]

Spoiler:

Gin felt her blade sink into Jurou's shoulder. She smirked, but something felt off. It felt as if... as if... as if she didn't want to hurt him, as if this entire fight was wrong, as if she didn't want to keep injuring him. Ger gaze softened and she looked at Jurou in the eye, trying to convey a message. And that brief moment was enough for him to catch her completely off guard. His clone had pulled him out of the way of Gin's full attack and had instead deviated the blow to himself. The clone exploded, sending flames towards her bare skin. Gin winced. They had fallen over her other burn wounds, some on her uninjured skin. The damage wasn't as bad as it could have been, though. The burns from the explosion had been worse, much worse. Gin knew that Jurou was a tactician, that there was more to his attacks than meets the eye. He was as strong and intelligent as they came and that had been one of the reasons why she had fallen in love with him so long ago. He had been one of the few men that could genuinely put up a decent fight when he faced her full strength. Very few people could say the same for their skills. In any case, she knew that there must be something behind the exploding clone. He wouldn't just lose it like that. After all, his shoulder had already been injured; throwing himself out of the way could do very little at that point. He still had Void Walk in play, but he was also blind. It made things tricky and slightly more unpredictable. But she knew that Jurou could rely on his other senses. He could probably attack her anyways by just relying on his sense of smell and his sense of hearing. In any case, she wouldn't let herself be caught off guard again. It was humiliating, really. She had shown him sympathy in a way that she rarely did, only to get burned for it in the most literal sense of the word.

He would run towards her, there was no doubt about it. She turned towards where Jurou was and tore the ground apart with her blade once again, enough to deviate Jurou. But she had been a millisecond too slow. She felt rather than saw her skin being slashed. She managed to block most of the hits, but the first one was still there: A gash across her left cheek. That would likely leave a scar behind once it healed. She recognized this jutsu and knew what would come next. But she could let this work in her favor. She let Jurou kick her beneath the chin and propel her towards the air. She felt his foot burn into her skin, but at this point, she couldn't let that affect her. She readied herself for her next move. The young Kazekage shifted her blade and swung it across Jurou as he was about to slash her once again. She smirked. She wasn't aiming to cut him. No, on the contrary, all she wanted was to hit him with the flat end of her blade. her strength at the moment was enough to swat him down, towards the ground when her blade connected to his. If the attack hit, he would find himself in the middle of another crater, likely hurting his back even more than it already was.

Gin landed gracefully on the ground. But she had made one fatal mistake. She had forgotten about Jurou's clone altogether. She heard the name of a justu being called and braced herself. Nothing good could come out of this. Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon. She barely managed to move out of the way of most of the attack. It had caught her back and her right side, effectively leaving a 2nd - possibly even 3rd, at some points - degree burn. Gin let out a yell as she rolled over to the side and tried to stand up again. She was in pain, a great amount of it. She could feel her muscles straining from overusing her strength technique. But she wasn't about to undo it now. No, she couldn't take that risk. She would still focus her attention on Jurou - the original one. He should still be blind. She had to act quickly if she wanted to end this once and for all. "Shadow Clone Jutsu," She said, summoning an exact copy of herself. The new clone quickly moved to the side so that they could both use the same technique at once. "Heaven Style: Holy Seven," They said in unison, targeting Jurou. Each one would target a different side of him. The original Gin targeted the left while the other went for the right. The moved rapidly, they were now able to match, if not overcome Jurou's speed. Each would aim for several different parts of his body that would cause 14 different slashes across Jurou, deep enough to damage his muscles, tendons and possibly his organs due to her added boost in Kenjutsu. She hoped that this would finally end it all, that they could call it quits before they actually killed each other. She felt that it wouldn’t be long before she collapsed from the injuries on her skin.


And of course Jurou would tease her for having erotic content on her television. It didn’t help that she actually paid an extra part of her salary every month to subscribe to that channel. Again, she kept silent as he teased her, hoping that he would forget about it soon. She had no such luck. “Shut up,” She mumbled helplessly. “So what if I like watching that kind of stuff? It’s not like you don’t,” She tried to defend herself, though she didn’t sound too confident, to be honest, quite the contrary. But could he blame her? She knew that men were into that sort of stuff. Was it wrong for a woman to like it just because she was a woman? Gin didn’t think so. She watched as Jurou easily downed the other shot and pursed her lips. “Hmm…” She said, pouring him another. “This is going too slow,” She said, taking the equivalent of four more shots directly from the bottle in just one go. There. She felt more confident now, or at least she would in a couple of minutes. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and set the bottle on the table again. She then decided to approach Jurou. If he was bent on showing more affection, she might as well make sure that that was true. She got close to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She hugged him tightly to her and kissed his lips slowly at first. She now felt the oh so familiar buzz of the alcohol run through her body. She slowly separated herself from him and smiled. “I think it’s already my turn to take something off!” She said, laughing at herself. Might as well start, right? She slowly unzipped her standard issue flak jacket, trying a little clumsily to tease him. Because of the heat in Suna, she never really wore anything underneath it except her bra. It felt… strange to reveal herself like that to Jurou.

[7593/9000]

Chakra: 60/250

Spoiler:

Gin watched as her clone dispersed. Wonderful. Now she had lost a good portion of her chakra, half of what she had left. The fight was getting out of hand. Both she and Jurou were covered in injuries. Burn wounds were scattered all over the young Kazekage's body. She was panting and out of breath. The cloud of smoke surrounding her made her have coughing fits once every couple of minutes. The heat from the forest fire was almost unbearable. It made her sweat profusely, not to mention how excreted her body was. And what for? A sword? She looked at Jurou, who now had 14 long gashes around his body. He was losing blood quickly. The sight of him like that made Gin want to simply call out the entire match. It hurt her to see Jurou like that, though she didn't know why. Weren't they supposed to hate each other? Weren't they enemies? No... Truth be told, they weren't. Deep down inside, Gin still cared for Jurou. She didn't know in what way, exactly, but hurting him like that didn't feel right. It didn't feel as relieving as it should have. Hurting him should be satisfying, not... not this. Gin managed to swat away Jurou's fire release technique with the flat end of her blade. As the clone attacked her, she deflected his blows, placing her full concentration into parrying each blow and finding an opening to disperse the clone. It was difficult, seeing as the clone was using two swords. But Gin was a skilled swordsman, one of the most powerful ones in the world. She managed to make the clone stagger, using her sheer increase in strength. With another slash, it would disperse, spreading flames across Gin's stomach once again. Through the corner of her eye, she saw Jurou using water release jutsu to heal himself or at least to keep his injuries at bay. She let him, spending even more time with the clone than she could have. She saw that he was panting and losing even more blood. But he still had no intention of giving up. She could see it in his eyes. Both of them were much too prideful to simply give in to the other, especially given their current situation and how they got along.

When the clone finally dispersed, Gin felt like she was about to collapse. But she couldn't for one very specific reason: Boil Release. Gin winced. She knew what that meant perfectly well. She felt the mist hit her skin. It was hot, almost burning. But she knew that the jutsu took a while to sink into the victim's skin. She had some time, still. But she felt her clothes - what little remained of her bra and underwear - burn off of her body. But being naked in front of Jurou right now was the least of her worries. Nothing he hadn't seen before, really. She stood in her stance, still eyeing Jurou carefully. She knew that the Skilled Mist Jutsu wasn't the only thing that he would use against her. But he was dying of blood loss, she could just see it. She wanted to stop this madness. "Jurou-" She called, but it was too late, he was already using Infinity Slice, two slashes aimed at her arms and another two at her legs. She had dropped her guard and was barely able to deflect two of the slashes and was able to redirect one of them to her torso instead of her arm. She screamed. The slash had hit her burn wounds, causing her even more pain. She wanted to bend over and rest, hold her injuries and take a time to breathe, but she couldn't, not right now. She had a limited time to run away from the mist. In the process of deflecting his blows, she had managed to slice the skin on his face, over his nose, with the tip of her sword. It would leave a scar on his face, much like the one he had left on her. They were both marked, now. They had left their marks on each other. Their destinies were bound together. The scars were but proof, a symbol of their union. Gin switched her sword from one hand to the other. Jurou had managed to slice the arm that she was holding Naiya with. Gin panted. Her vision was faltering, she was exhausted. She didn’t want to attack Jurou anymore. The fight was over; it had been for a while now. She breathed in deeply. She sheathed her sword and dispelled her jutsu. This was enough. She walked towards Jurou slowly, she could see that he was about to collapse. His vision faltered. He was closing his eyes now. Gin broke into a jog and caught him before he fell. “Jurou? Jurou!” She yelled. He couldn’t die. No, she couldn’t have killed him. No! She knew little of medicine, but she could tell that his heart was still beating. He collapsed into her embrace. They were now both kneeling on the ground. Jurou’s head was leaning on her shoulder. She leaned into him, laying her head on top of his. “How did it come to this?” She whispered as she held him against her. She ran her fingers through his hair as she remembered how they used to be. She pressed her lips to his temple for a moment. “You can rest now, Jurou,” She whispered and threw him over her shoulder. She had to take them both to the hospital. She drew Naiya again, using it as a cane. She staggered through the flames of the forest, covered in injuries and trying to carry Jurou over her shoulder. She was tired and panting, but she had to get them both to safety. She couldn’t let them die, not like this. Two Kages dead in a fire because of their own stupidity, now that would make for a pathetic story. They would be No, that wouldn’t be them.

Gin etched her way through the forest, still nude and bleeding and hugging Jurou to her to keep him safe from the flames. She finally reached the edge of what was left of the Dense Forest. She was about to collapse, her vision was blurry. But she couldn’t faint now. The pain was excruciating, but if she faltered now, Jurou would die of blood loss. She refused to let that happen. She wouldn’t be the one who killed Jurou. That would only send her into a downward spiral. She couldn’t go through a loss like that again. “Jurou, if you die, I will hunt you down in the depths of hell and make sure I’ll kill you again.” She said. Tears welled up in her eyes and threatened to spill over. But she could see Konoha now… She was so close now. So close. As she walked, memories of that night filled her mind.


Gin laughed at what Jurou said. He had always been kind to her. Most people saw him as cold and ruthless, but he wasn’t. He was warm, underneath his façade. “You know that’s a lie. Men have needs, despite the fact that you say you just dedicate yourself to training. Besides, of course there are plenty of movies out there. They’re good ones, too. Graphic, you can see every detail.” She said, shaking her head. She hadn’t realized that she had said too much. She didn’t believe one word of what Jurou said. And now that she was buzzed, she would prove to him that he had needs just like everyone else. She pressed her lips to his harder, responding to his passion just as he was doing. She let him take the lead the way she always did when it came to anything physical. She pressed her chest to his. She moaned as Jurou moved his hips against hers. It was almost as if he were teasing her. Gin only separated herself from Jurou so that he could take his shirt off. She ran her hands down his chest, tracing his firm muscles with her fingertips. Her fingers lingered over the edge of his pants. She let Jurou run his hands over her breasts and even spurred him further when he grazed his teeth over her bra. In her drunken haze, she realized that her clothes were getting in the way. She pushed Jurou off of herself gently so that she could stand up. Why not try to give Jurou a show?

Gin stood up, only a few feet away. She moved gracefully, slowly running her hands down her own body before running her hands over the edge of her pants once. Her hands stopped over her zipper, which she slowly and teasingly pulled down. She peeled her tight pants off of her skin and stood there for a moment, letting Jurou admire her physique. She then decided to slip out of her bra so that she was essentially half naked in front of her boyfriend. She walked towards him again, straddling him so that they could continue to kiss. She moaned at the feeling of her bare chest over his skin, the feeling of his mouth trailing kisses all over her body.

That night was the first and last time they had made love to each other. They had both lost their virginities, but they had gained so much more. That was the happiest they would have both been for a long time. But only a week later, Gin found out she was pregnant. Only a week later, Jurou’s mission was called off and he had left her in Suna, stranded and bearing two baby girls inside of her. He had preferred his duty over his love for Gin. So she had called it off. They had broken up. They began to hate and resent each other with a passion. But now… there was something about that fight that changed her. She was sure that he felt the same.

Gin could finally see the doors to Koonha’s hospital. They would be safe now. Jurou would live. She let herself faint in front of the hospital doors, cradling Jurou to her as she did.

[9297/9000]