Kennosuke stood alone within the darkness that spread over the land. The moon was a small crescent hanging above him, obscured by the limbs of the forest he stood in. Earlier that evening he had received a note, requesting an urgent meeting at a place where not many would know about. The shadow of the cave where he lost his fingers loomed behind him. Rin had requested this meeting, after being gone for Some time traveling with his father. Why here of all places was a bit of a mystery but Kennosuke was sure there was good reason. So he waited for his old friend, his grey cloak settled around his shoulders.

Minutes pass in silence, but the silence is broken by someone running through the tree’s toward him. Instinctually he reached for the hilt of Rekka and felt slightly at ease as his fingers wrapped around the smooth wood. A figure bursts through the brush and comes to a stop before Kennosuke, panting heavily, now bent over trying to catch his breath. It was Rin, his childhood friend and there was obviously something going on. Kennosuke released his sword and rushed to his friends side, putting a hand on his shoulder.

”Rin, Whats going on? Why are you running like that?” He asks, his voice concerned. Rin brushes his hand off and straightens up. The boy looked terrified, his eyes wild and conastantly moving as if he were being chased. He pushes the hood back from his face and collects himself for a moment.

"Ken, we don't have a lot of time. But i have news about your father's death." The younger boys voice was panicked and Kennosuke stepped closer, his eyes a mixture of concern and curious. "Rin? What do you mean? He died on a mission." Rin shakes his head and draws in a haggard breath.

"No Ken, he didn't. He discovered a group of rogue ninja and they killed him to keep him quiet. Our own people Ken! Our own people killed your dad!" Rin nearly shouted, his eyes half crazied. Kennosuke tilted his head, confused.

"What are you talking about Rin? Leaf Shinobi killed my dad? Why would they do that?" That couldn't be right. Why would Leaf nin be killing each other? Run shakes his head again and grabs Kennosuke by the arms.

"Not just Leaf Shinobi Ken. It was Kimura. Kennosuke, it was.." The boy pauses, looking over Kennosuke's shoulder. "Move!" Rin shouts and shoves Kennosuke to The ground just as a fuma shuriken wizzes through the air and sinks into a tree with an audible thunk. Kennosuke stared in horror as his friends now headless body drops to its knees and then falls over.

"No, no no no no. RIN! No no.." Fear gripped at Kennosuke as he moved to his friends side. Those seconds that followed seemed to drag on for eternity for Kennosuke. He knew he was yelling, but he couldn't even hear the sound of his own voice. Once he got to Rin's side and realized there was truely nothing he could do, all emotion faded from him except a very deep, primal rage.

He scans the trees, looking for the one who threw the shuriken. Snarling like an animal after he spots the assailant, he leaps forward onto a low hanging branch. "I'LL KILL YOU!" He screams and propels himself forward, using his Burning Ambition jutsu to boost him forward and help control his movements to reach his maximum speed. As he moved he rips his sword from its sheath, his teeth clenched.

The attacker was shrouded in darkness, all that Kennosuke could make out were the orange smouldering eyes. Ibugan, the Kimura Dojutsu. Rin was right, there were rogue Kimura. With one last jet boost he closes the space to the assailant and slashes at him. Much to Kennosuke's chagrin, the blade whistles through the empty air. A hand wraps around his swordarm wrist and grabs the back of his shirt, then slams him face first into the trunk of a tree. "Ah, Kennosuke. I should of known the brat would come to you." The attacker then grabs a handful of Kennosuke's hair and slams his head into the tree again before releasing him. He fell a few inches onto a thick branch, attempting to combat the wave of dizziness. He spins and slashes at his attacker, again finding nothing but air and is met with an uppercut to his ribcage. The force of which both drives the air from his lungs and cracks ribs, leaving him doubled over gasping for breath. He can feel his attacker take the sword from his weak grip and then pull him to his feet.

"Lets put this somewhere out of the way." The man says, his voice distorted by an anbu style mask, before he drives the tip of the sword into Kennosuke's abdomen. The sharp blade slides easily through flesh and out of his back, sinking into the tree trunk behind him, effectively nailing Kennosuke to the tree with his own sword. "There, now we can talk."

"Murderer..you'll pay for Rin." Kennosuke says weakly, blood ran down from a wound on his head and from his lips. The masked attacker laughs and shakes his head. "Rin was a coward, just like your father." The man leans close looking into Kennosuke's eyes. "He begged for his life you know. On his knees, begging like the coward he was." Kennosuke spits in the man's face and draws a kunai, attempting to slash at the man. He easily dodges the kunai, punches Kennosuke in the face and snatches the kunai from the boy.

"You are lucky i need you to deliver a message, boy. Such insolence will get you an early death." He then slams the kunai into Kennosuke's shoulder and leaves it there stuck in his flesh. "Tell Takao to watch his back. I'll be coming for him soon." He shakes his head and turns, taking a step away. "I think i managed to miss all the vital organs. You should be able to make it back to the village." And with that he shimmers and then vanishes.

Struggling to see through his already swollen and bloodied eyes, Kennosuke grunts as he reaches up and pulls the kunai from his shoulder and lets it fall to the ground. Already feeling weak from blood loss and the beating in general he grabs the sword sticking out of him and begins pulling the blade free. After minutes of trying he finally gets it free and collapses to his knees. Groaning he sheathes his sword and makes his way to the ground. He felt more numb than normal with the realization that there were Kimura that had turned against them and were willing to kill their own people to keep their secrets.

In silence he returns to his friend. He couldn't leave him out here so he used the boys cloak to drag the body back to the village. The sun had began to rise as the village gate comes into view. He staggers forward, as the gate guards rush to meet him, then collapses to the ground. The last thing he remembers before his losing consciousness is his friends disembodied head staring back at him from the ground, then darkness. When he awoke he was in a hospital bed. Honestly he was surprised he was still alive. He was covered in bandages and his eye was nearly swollen shut, but he was alive and revenge would be his.

WC- 1254

WC Break down:
STR- From D-1 to D-2=400
Spd- From D-2 to D-3= 450
PER- From D-1 to D-2= 400

4 WC discarded