The day was dark for the sky was covered in dark, almost black-colored clouds, crying above the city hidden in the mist. There was no wind and every tree, branch, leaf stood still, morning along with the Jiman family who quietly watched as the coffin was slowly descended into the ground. Tears mixed up with the rain drops, as they parted with the eldest of the family.

"Goodbye, grandpa!" softly whispered the youngest member as he turned towards his mother and hugged her with all of his power. She petted him on the head, crying with her heart broken now in two places. A distant thunder echoed as if to remind the family that time had not stopped to wait for their grief and that they should as well - move forward.

The masculine undertakers drew their rusty shovels from the ground and began filling the hole with the dirt piles on the side. Their faces blank, almost emotionless for this was their everyday job - to dig graves and later on fill them with the dead. A life filled with sadness and sorrow, was bound to cause one to eventually get used to it.

Kahou was watching from afar hidden behind an old tree, her eyes watery and her hands shaking. She knew the deceased... he was the only person in the world she felt close. The noble's family eldest member - the only person who had treated her like a person and not like a slave. And now... he was gone, life had left his motionless body, leaving her alone in this hostile environment, filled with lusty men, envious women and all-in-all - flawed human beings.

With the ceremony ending, the family slowly dispersed leaving the grave one by one, saying their goodbyes with their beloved, while the Karisuma stood and waited for her own turn. She sploshed through the muddy graveyard grounds towards the now empty gravestone, marked with his name. Tears dropping from her cheeks, she looked down and started crying silently.

"Why... why... why you? Of all people, why not him!" she asked herself quietly mourning. She felt weak, powerless, alone. She had no one to fight for, she had no one to love, she had no one... how could she continue forward when everything seemed so... meaningless? Still weeping, she wiped the tears from her face, still staring at the old man's grave. This place gave her the creeps, but her affection towards her only family in this world easily trumped this inconvenience.

As her grief was slowly leaving her heart, accepting the death of Jiman's eldest, Kahou felt uneasy but for the first time in her life - she did not hate the rain, she enjoyed the feeling it brought into her soul and onto her body. The sky was crying along with her, showing compassion for her loss. She lifted her eyes, narrowing them to evade the rain drops. Another thunder echoed, this time much closer and much stronger. The Karisuma felt her grief change into anger and determination with the latter being the weaker feeling.

"Goodbye, grandpa!" she said, unintentionally repeating the young boy's words as she disappeared from her spot. There was only one place she wanted to be now and there was only one person she wanted to be with - herself.


The Kirigakure training grounds, were not famous for being crowded as most shinobi were busy actioning mission requests. The city had grown in size and with it exponentially dangers grew as well. For this very reason, Kahou chose this destination. Moreover from her previous visits, regardless how few they were, she had noticed that one of the grounds was always empty, with its label all rusty. It would have been dusty was it not for the constant rain in the city.

She entered without hesitation and found herself on a rocky platform, amidst a dense green forrest. She could hear a nearby water basin as the rain drops plopped on the water's surface. Kahou closed her eyes and let her emotions overtake her. Anger rose from the depth of her heart for life was unfair, for she had lost the only person she valued, for she despised every single man that looked her and immediately smiled lewdly! She started breathing heavily and rapidly as she felt her body burning, despite being under the rain.

"K'SAAAAAA!" she yelled with all her voice, lifting her head and then smashing the ground beneath her. The rock split under her fist, a long crack running through the rock towards the nearby trees. Some of the roots popped up from underground as an aftermath from the destructive force, most could describe as - the small blonde beautiful girl.

"What is the meaning of this!" a man's voice echoed through the silence reaching Kahou's ears. She froze in place for a second and turned her head towards the voice instantly afterwards. It was probably the worst person she could have met in this situation. But there was something different from the last time they met, hardly noticeable. "Why are you destroying my training ground?" he asked in a strict, ordering voice.

"I... I..." Kahou had no explanation, at least not a good one. "I thought it was empty..." was all she could muster. Her anger had been replaced by frustration caused by his appearance but it would take only a spark to light it back up. "I did not know where else to go..." she continued.

"Is something troubling you? Are you in danger?" he asked, slowly stepping towards her, looking her straight in the eyes.

"No... I mean... I just want to be alone... I will go somewhere else." Kahou said as she tried to leave the place but Baransu grabbed her by the arm and pushed her backwards.

"You are not leaving my training grounds, until you explain to me why are you here!" he again ordered her, feeling that there was something wrong, trying to pull it out on the surface. "Do not think you could overcome me, Kahou." he said in a calm, even a bit scary voice.

"Let me go..." she asked kindly this time staring him down. She got suspicious of his intentions for the first time. After all, she was a beautiful lonely girl under the rain on a desolated place. One could easily get some bad ideas.
"Make me." he replied, returning the stare back.

She threw herself towards him, throwing a curve right punch, that was easily blocked by the outside of his left arm. Kahou then tried to execute an uppercut with her own left arm but he evaded it by stepping backwards and grabbing her by the wrist. He swept her of her feet with a low kick from behind, letting her arm go as she fell to the ground.

"No wonder you are still a genin..." he claimed as he made two steps backwards to create some space between them. "What were you doing here?" he asked again, waiting patiently for her answer.

Kahou was lying on the ground, all soggy with the heavy rain falling on top of her, her hands on her belly. She felt frustration and it was rapidly turning into anger for she wanted only one thing now - to be left alone to grief and this stupid annoying black haired know-it-all would not f*cking let her leave. She jumped up on her feet, this time determined to fight her way through and rushed towards him, initiating a rain of attacks...

---

WC: 1260

Kahou: -1 tier to speed. Current: D-rank.

Chakra 120/150:

Baransu:

“ Ugh, nasty! I don’t like this job a lot but… need some ryo for new clothes, housing and other expenses” – thought, Nissan and stood up to take a breath for a while. You are thinking that being a shinobi is profitable… WRONG!  The money he earns from missions Is for high energy healthy food in order to grow on strength and size (he does not take any uncertified supplements!) and for weapons or jutsu scrolls, a.k.a. the bastards give you money and you pay them back. Smart cycle!

Once again he turned the shovel and poured the earth soil on the side. Digging a grave is no joke! It is a hell of a hard work. And when your pockets are empty you cannot refuse the job also someone has to do it! There was some satisfaction actually, let’s not forget that before ninjutsu ground work was his vocation. Mining and building foundation were his favorite, but these types of work demands for devotion.
A soft whining stuck in his mind. Is it someone around? Maybe crying for the buried man? No! It’s that **** coward! “ Shut up feminine! “ – growled Nissan out loud. The people around stared strictly. He apologized then continue his work. That recessive “Yang”… sometimes when he sees a corpse he will die with it, what a sympathy! Nissan kind'a liked digging, because his other part was silent, couldn’t talk, obsessed with horror!

A short brake from work, just to take another breath and absorb his sweat. Only his head was above the ground, so he looked around. Sadness and sorrow, what a drama queens! Before the “new era”, nobody ever cared about death. It was an daily thing! Instead of unnecessary grieving, people with honor accepted the person’s contribute and fighting spirit! Dying from old age was a nightmare!

There’s Kahou, over there! Is she staring at Nissan? Why she’s so sad? Probably because the poor man was working such a nasty, hard work. That girl deserves a wave, a happy wave, and even a wild scream! No, not on this ceremony! He just waved, but was not enough to gain reaction from her. Maybe she’s just acting mean! Probably the gravedigger is too low in the hierarchy for her so that’s why she’s ignoring him. Bullshit, these girly thoughts are production by his recessive self. Most likely she knows the buried man.

“ I have to make her feel better! To distract her from this negative thoughts! I know how! “ – smiled Nissan, proud of himself that he figured out how to act with girls. He winked at his colleague and told him that he needs a “cover”. His friend was mad, because he have to finish the job by himself, but it was OK!

The bearded man thrown the shovel and tried to catch up to Kahou. It looks like she was heading to the training grounds. That’s bad, it looks like Nissan have to train with her in this condition? He was all covered in blood, smelling like a corpse, a little drunk and tired. The last two states were stopping him and pushing him at the same time. Probably an energy drink will fix this? He pulled a small bottle from his pocket and drunk it at once. More placebo effect than real energy substance, but It actually works. He pushed himself harder and started running towards her.

“ That’s bad, that’s bad! “ – Nissan thought when he saw a boy getting into a conflict with her. Most likely her boyfriend! “ I don’t want to get involved in this, but I thing they are very serious about this! Maybe because she was staring at me before? “ – began to analyze the situation. When the things were getting out of control, Nissan popped out from a bush.

“ Hey you two, stop! I can be her father or her big brother… or her best friend… or just a friend with benefits, well the last one sounds wrong! No, I mean, nothing happened, I promise!– this conversation was getting out of control from the beginning. Nissan was not a good public speaker and nervousness take over him quickly.

Looking at this boy, he was dressed differently, probably a chuunin or even higher ranked. Instead of frightening, that thought was thrilling. Nissan smiled and stepped forward. “ It will be honor to beat me!” – he announced and began to prepare himself with new breathing technique. His muscles was rapidly gaining volume, unfortunately no strength was gained during the process but it was still impressive!

---

WC: 768

If there was a place where you could bet on catching up with Mura, it would be the training grounds. The forrest surrounding the spaces was his most cherished feature, because of the vast amount of unspoiled nature and subtle beauty that were scattered across.

Usually the boy would find a secluded spot to enjoy the quiet, serene song of the forest. It was to no surprise that today he was lying under a willow tree, the twigs at the ends of the long and thin branches brushed against his face, following the rhythm of the wind and forcing him to keep his eyes closed. At that moment he wondered how would one experience touch. Similar thoughts were at the back of his mind and they rarely surfaced with such clarity. It was strange, but at that very moment Mura could have sworn the twigs left a mark on his face and he felt it. Of course this was purely his imagination, since he was impaired by birth; the imagination acting in such ways was beneficial for the boy. Ironically, he wouldn’t even notice if someone had lit his shoes on fire.

Mura spent the whole morning wandering in the woods. He was just about to head home when he heard noises coming from somewhere nearby. The ultimate shinobi reflexes were triggered like a very sensitive person assumed on their understanding of oneself and one’s desires. He ran so fast his shoes almost caught fire, this time for real. What a nice surprise, Nissan was there, Mura had plenty of fun with him in their mission, although they were completely different – size-wise, age-wise, everything-wise. Arrived just on time to overhear his charming speech, Mura couldn’t help to ask.

“When are you going to learn how to talk to people?” His question was inoffensive. It expressed no genuine interest in the subject matter. A playful joke - completely inappropriate - coming from the as awkward as one can get boy. There was also Kahou – Mura was not sure he remembered her name, but he surely remembered how strong she was. She managed to break his nose before he could even blink, and then she healed his injury like it was her everyday job, which was most probably. In total, there were three other people, Mura knew two of them and had some association with them, while the third person was a complete stranger.. who was obviously fighting with Kahou. Mura’s immediate reaction was to take out his mia dao and swing it like a sausage.

“Would you care to explain yourself?!” Mura tried to roar, his voice still not fully grown sounded was rather highly pitched, but probably enough for someone to notice he came to the party.

WC: 455

"Hey, can you keep it quiet down there?", Eishi yawned and stretched on a nearby branch. "Some of us are actually trying to chill here. Huh? Oh, it's you guys. Who's your new friend?"
The boy had spent his entire day on the training grounds, simulating productivity (as usual). Unfortunately, the bad weather conditions didn't leave him much choice – he had to hide between the leaves, opening his umbrella and bending under it in order to get some not so well-deserved rest. It all went smoothly though – despite the odds, the white-haired genin did manage to fall asleep only to be awaken by the shouts of Nissan. A couple of moments later (for some eye strokes, that is) the ice ninja was already talking to the gathered crowd, waving at them from above with a goofy face. "Whatever you are up to, count me in, boios!"

It wasn't long before Eishi took notice of Kahou who was lying on the ground. She appeared to be furious and that was indicating an accident. An accident in which... oh my.

"Nissan, what the heck are you doing?! Don't tell me you are beating the village girls now, you furious beast!"

"To be honest...", Baransu tried to interrupt.

"Shh! Not now, dude. Mommy and daddy are talking."

Eishi jumped down, spinning his bo staff in the process. As he landed on the ground, he immediately stood up and started walking towards Nissan.

"How many times must we go through this? People have feelings, bro. Is this why Mura is here too? Did he put you up on this?"

Eishi glanced at Mura in disbelief.

"No, I know Mura, he ain't a phony. So. What's with all the ruckus then? Were you too rough again? Man, my shoulders still hurt from last time! You know what that means, don't you, buddy? It ain't working."


Whatever Nissan tries to say, Eishi will interpret it the wrong way (if he even listens to him at all). The boy would take note of Kahou's words though and will try to help her back on her feet. The white-haired genin is totally oblivious to the "new friend" so he won't anticipate any actions from him (and will probably fall victim of an easy attack if the man so desires).
---

WC: 395

Within a matter of seconds the most desolate training ground got filled up with a bunch of genins that came from who-knows-where. Baransu did not seem bothered by their appearance but he did throw each one of them a glance trying to determine their rank and capabilities. He did not feel nowhere near threatened, especially by that squeaking boy who was trying to sound scary. Not that the masculine thirty-year-old genin looked like a much bigger threat with the words "It will be an honor to beat me!".

He finally looked at the last one with the white hair who had just joined in the fray. Kahou immediately recognized his voice and turned backwards to see him. As usual he had no clue what was going on and was mumbling something that was making sense only to him. But his temper and in general his character reminded her of only one person. Kahou grand her teeth for she felt immense dull pain in her chest as images of the noble family's old man appeared in front of her eyes. Trying to shoo them away, she shook her head and jumped back on her feet and dashed towards the woods in hope to evade everyone that has just appeared.

But before she even passed a few meters, Baransu had appeared in front of her with ease taking up a battle stance. In his eyes, one could see determination to get to the bottom of this, but in the same time one with a clear mind could sense his non-criminal motives. In fact, the only one that could be considered a perpetrator was Kahou, who had started destroying a training ground.


His voice calm, yet loud enough for everyone to hear the question spread across the now battlefield, accompanied by the sound of the light rain that slowly drenched everybody's clothes. Kahou continued her movement and tried to bull rush the special jounin while also swinging with her hands in an attempt to hit him but Baransu with ease blocked her attacks and side kicked her back in.



He would then slowly start walking towards Kahou and should the need appear he would evade any flying objects, dodge and block attacks, twisting his body in ways the genin thought were near impossible at such speed. He would also use doton ninjutsu to create mud walls or traps in order to hold off the three boys who appeared out of nowhere so he could get his answer from Kahou.

On the other hand, the blonde Karisuma would recklessly attempt to escape the scene using any opportunity that comes up.

---

WC: 490
TWC: 1750

" What's the problem?! Think, Nissan, think! " - his weakest muscle - brain - began slowly receiving and processing information. It looks like Kahou was in the middle of this fury, but the bearded wise man could not see that yet.
Eishi and Mura entered the scene, which distracted Nissan from analyzing. Eishi engaged immediately,suspecting the wild beast.
" Who me? " - Nissan shook his head negatively. " This special genin or chuunin, whatever his rank is... He stops Kahou from training here and tries to occupy this land. " - Nissan explained the situation with manners, which somehow didn't suit his style. " What do you think, Mura? I learn quickly, darling! " - with a playful wink, he turned on Momochi.
It was obvious that the softer "Yang" Niidashi had taken full control of the body. With quick graceful steps and shake of ass, he dodged the Baransu's dirty techniques. Probably it was the elite shinobi, who let Nissan pass, probably not... it would stay a mystery. The water chakra hydrated his rough skin and now it was fabulous.Everybody should be caught by this presence, in some ways it felt stronger than genjutsu. Combined with swift movement of the wrist, Nissan performed a "bitch slap" on Baransu's cheek. He was stunned, out of conscious, couldn't believe that this was real, only the pain he felt proved that it was more than illusion, he called it "gentaijutsu".
Тhe "gay parade" should be enough distraction even for the special jounin, so Kahou could "breathe" for a while, perfect opportunity for her escape.
" This is public property, you communist! "- sniffed the softer Nissan. He then turned his muscle ass on the side, crossed his heavy arms and began to clutter his leg nervously.

Nissan looks totally off guard, but he actually observes this guy very carefully. If the situation goes wrong, he will try to evade any incoming threat. If the focus is on Kahou, he will cover her by throwing the most basic projectiles - kunai... or probably not, they are so boring and non-original. Look, Fuma shuriken is another story. First of all it's branded. Not to mention his size and sharpness! Nissan will take it out, then put in his hand and start spinning it. When there's a good chance to find it's target, he will throw it.
---

WC: 390
TWC: 1158

“Woah, no one knows what is going on.. but it is obvious that Kahou-chan wants to go and that guy is not letting her!” Mura took out his weapon and looked at Eishi, then at Nissan; when he was sure of their attention, he spoke.

“We have fought together before, it is time we unite our strength once again. This time the situation is different, but very obvious. Kahou wants to leave, but that guy over there is not letting her. I proprose, as fellow genins, we help her escape!”

Of course, Nissan had already bitch-slapped the special jounin (a sight worthy of appraise), which gave the others an opportunity to act. Mura knew very well that they cannot possibly win against Baransu; however, it was also clear from the very start that he wouldn’t hurt Kahou or any of the genins… at least not very much. Things were not that clear after Nissan’s bold efforts at distracting the man. Maybe it was not the best of times for Mura to initiate an attack, but he felt like there is no other way in this situation. If they had all agreed upon the fact that they should help Kahou escape the annoying judgement of Baransu, it was possible that they would actually succeed – if and only if they all knew what was expected from them. (this was highly improbable; even though Mura, Nissan and Eishi already had combat experience together, it seemed like they never could get it right and act synchronously)

Without a moment more to spare Mura charged towards Baransu, holding his miao dao so hard his fingers whitened He was worried, a trait not beneficial for a fighter in an unfair fight as this one. What could a genin do to a special jounin?

Baransu, on the other hand, was not worried at all; not until he heard what Mura said. It was only then he realized the possibility of all genins attacking together in a well-thought and strategic manner. “Imagine I let my guard down and get striken by one of those obisously-weaker-than-me people.. everybody at the village would laugh! I can’t let that happen!” The special jounin suddenly stopped walking towards Kahou, and made a couple of seals with his hands.

Afterwards, the ground below the shinobis roared and shook; it seemed like Baransu was so worried about his reputation that he was willing to destroy his very own training grounds.

WC: 416
TWC: 871

Eishi was... completely confused. For a moment he believed that the situation was pretty clear and therefore – well understood. He tried to approach Nissan and help Kahou back on her feet, but then all hell broke loose. The medical ninja tried to run away only to have her escape route blocked by the special jounin who was suspiciously persistent in doing who knows what to her. "I see you have found yourself some friends... are they as reckless and careless as you are?", he asked. And it was at that moment of clarity that the Yuki finally got it – he (and not Nissan) was the real foe.

Then an unexpected turn of events occurred. The 33-years old genin rushed in a dazzling attack of... fabulousness, dumbfounding everyone around him. It was so weird and uncalled for that even Baransu couldn't anticipate the slap despite his honed reflexes. It was a glorious strike, the work of legends. And it costed Nissan his dignity for the wild beast was clinging to his opponent's leg, doing his (hopefully not best) share of effort to... restrain him.

"What's a communist?" Eishi turned towards Mura only to see the edge of his sword. The strange kid was giving the musketeer speech of his life, completely absorbed by the power of leadership. Without further warning, he rushed into the fray, foolishly believing that the white-haired genin would follow. "Yeah, good luck with that. I'll just go over there and... what the F..."

The ground was shaking now, tearing itself apart. Large boulders were being crushed by the massive amount of chakra infused in the very earth itself. A churning disaster of clay and stone, rock and dirt; a mish-mash of power that was currently being deployed in order to destroy everything it touches.

"Oh boy. What have I gotten myself into..."

Entire trees, old as the forest itself, were being consumed in a vortex of pure annihilation. The world (locally) was going down. Fast.

"Fly, you fools!"

Eishi didn't have much time to react. His foot collapsed in an opening beneath the grass. Luckily for him, he was able to pull it out quickly (at the cost of some bruises) and jump away. The edge of the training ground seemed secure enough although it could only be temporary. At this moment he could only hope that the others would be fast enough to react.
---

WC: 406
TWC: 801

"Hello? Is anyone out there? Kahou? Strange fabulous Nissan dude? Mura?"
A long while had passed, the dust had settled, the entire training ground was ruined, and there was no sign of anybody out in the open. It was as if the shinobi had been buried alive by the devastating technique or worse – crushed to bits by its magnificent force. "Ha-ha, very funny", Eishi yelled. "Come out now. I have to go home soon, my dad would by furious if he finds out that I am staying in the forest again. Do you know what he did to me last time? Do you? I... I guess not... haven't really told you that one, have I? Well, it doesn't matter. Come out. Or say something. Please..."
Nothing.
"Mister mystery guy? Are you out there? Do you know what you have done? Hey, show yourself and fight like a man. Or I'll... I'll... hello? Please? Mister mystery guy, come on!"
It was getting dark, and the situation seemed hopeless. Absolutely hopeless. Perhaps I should seek help, Eishi thought. "Brilliant. And how am I to explain what had happened to the local authorities? No. I have to keep searching. They must be here. They must be somewhere. Besides, I don't have enough time – their very lives may be at stake here. Be brave, Eishi, be brave. And whatever happens... just... don't give up..."

And so the boy gave up.

"There's no chance of me finding anyone like that. I can barely see my own two feet! Oh well. Guess it's time for plan B – call for backup. One final glance and... woah! What's that?!"

A hand was sticking out beneath the earth much like a strange flower. It was a delicate, feminine hand, a hand that definitely belonged to someone who had used it for hellish medication, as some of the hospital patients could very well remember.

"Kahou!", Eishi screamed, a great relief overcoming him. "Stay right there, Kahou! I'll... I'll go grab a shov... wait... is that boulder over there what I think it is?"

A massive pile of rocks not far away seemed to be moving and if one could sharpen his ears, a faint grumble was definitely soon to follow.

"Alright! You are... you are okay! Nissan! Nissan! And Mura... Mura should be..."

Eishi squinted his eyes and scanned the area but couldn't find a sign of Mura's whereabouts; it was as if the boy had completely disappeared.

"Hold it right there, buddies! You will be out soon! I promise!"


"We'll take it from here", the ANBU nodded. Both Kahou and Nissan's bodies were laid on carts, pushed by medical shinobi. The entire perimeter was covered and although there was no sign of Mura and the assailant, everything seemed to be turning out fine. "Go home, kid. Tomorrow you'll be interview for further details. Your friends are taken care of. As for the third genin and the attacker, we assure you, we won't rest until the entire situation is dealt with."
"Thank you, sir", Eishi nodded. The genin was worried, but he knew that there was nothing else that he alone could do at the moment; he had to cooperate with the higher ups and just wait for the results, check if everything is under control later. His imagination couldn't cope with the idea that this place could be fixed and running as a training ground again, and even if it could, Eishi knew that it would cost a fortunate. Yet the village's bills and capabilities were not the reasonable topic of discussion right now. There was a guy, possibly an ANBU, a wolf in sheep's clothing, who could be a menace to society. There were his friends – injured and hospitalized by their clash-up with him. And – of course – there was Mura who was MIA after the transpired battle. Whoever was responsible, had to pay, had to pay big for not only he caused a lot of damage, he also caused harm to a human's life. And that – at the current state of things – seemed unforgivable.

"Oh no", Eishi gulped. "My dad! I... see you later!"


Training: Wind element (D-rank) to C-rank = 1510 - 1500 = 10 words left