From the top of the brown tiled rooftop, the village looked like a miniature. Takashi felt a thousand times taller from this height and reveled in the powerful sensation. The sun was about to sink behind the white mountain peaks and graced each dull building with a vivid yellow hue. The snowy wisps blown by the gentle afternoon winds glistened in the rays of sunlight.

Takashi had been sitting on that rooftop for two hours, but his mind wandered to endless lengths. At the beginning of hour one, he soaked in the divine beauty of the mountaintops. Watching the invisible hand of nature cast its magic filled him with vigor and passion. His body was abuzz as he saw slivers of silver snow slipping down the slope, listening to the howling wind, feeling the warmth of sunlight on his face. He felt home in the wilderness.

By hour two, he was daydreaming about scaling those mountains, effortlessly leaping from boulder to boulder until he reached the top where the air was thick and the view was amazing. He compared himself to his ninja heroes who conquered mountains as if they were anthills. He imagined the his greatness he would amass in years to come, to be on the same level as his idols. I could be the greatest warrior Kumo ever saw, but I'd have to be freelance. If I have to deal with one more stuck-up, good-for-nothing boss, then it's not worth the trouble. Maybe I could go rogue, be my own leader. Yeah. A wanted man. Someone to be feared. Takashi perked up, and his eyes practically bulged from his skull. Better yet, I could be a Kage! Yeah! Then I'll be respected and feared. And the most powerful guy in Kumo! Takashi literally leapt to his feet, slamming his black boots onto the tile roof with a thud. He pulled his gloves back, tightening around his wrists. He secured his tartan scarf around his neck. "What am I doing sitting on my ass?! If I'm gonna become Kage, I need to start training now!"

The boy jumped from the roof and plummeted down to the cobblestone streets below. He bent his knees, bracing himself. The tails of his overcoat followed behind him. The wind wailed behind him and enveloped him. He finally crashed to the ground, and the sound of his boots hitting the street was thunderous. He dashed forward, letting his arms trail behind. Although he was on the ground, his head was still in the clouds. Running at high speeds down the street and blissfully unaware, he could easily crash into someone.

A small bite was felt early this morning. The pain shot through Zetsume's arm as he woke up to Repede bitting his hand. The small puppy always did that when he was either hungry or needed to use the bathroom. The dog had enough brains to not go inside, which is always a blessing. "What do you want boy", he said while petting the puppy's head softly. The dog ran over to his food bowl and barked. Zetsume fed him and took a shower while he ate. Zetsume enjoyed taking showers, it felt as though the water could wash away his past but it never could and it never will. Those memories were burned into his heart to deep and those wounds would never heal.

After getting dressed and gathered his gear he decided to go out for a walk. Before he could leave though Repede kept giving him the "sad puppy look". Usually it never worked but for some reason this time it made him feel sorry for never taking him out of the house. It was not that he did not like the puppy, it was that he loved the puppy to much to see him come into harm. He knew how hard this world was and it would be easy for any enemy to harm this pup. Though Zetsume would give his life before his dog was killed. It was one of the last things he actually had.

"Alright alright, come on", He said to the puppy that was instantly in a better mood. The two walked down the Kumogakure streets for no reason other than the fresh air. It always felt nice even though it was frigidly cold all of the time. Zetsume liked that it was cold though, if it was hot that would be even worst. Often Repede would stop and roll in the snow hoping Zetsume would follow in his steps. Though he never did. Zetsume would always keep walking and then call Repede to follow who would come running with snow falling off of his body. Zetsume was never really sure why the dog liked to play in the snow. When Zetsume was a kid, he was to busy to play in the snow like normal kids. Though that was a long time ago.

As he turned a corner there was someone running down the streets. I wonder what the rush is?, he thought to himself. Though the shinobi seemed to not even see Zetsume and Repede walking. In the course he was in he would surely step on Repede, Zetsume would not allow this. "HEY STOP!", he yelled at the running person though it seemed they could not hear him and was still running at full speed toward them. Zetsume on purpose ran into him knocking both of them down. He did that so Repede would not get harmed, or any other citizen of Kumogakure. Zetsume got up and brushed the snow that was on him. He did not bother to help the running shinobi, because it was his fault that Zetsume had to run into him.

"Hey, you should be more careful when running in the streets. You could have hurt someone.

(OOC: Using this topic to train Repede D to C)

Repede training:

Ahh Kumo, how long it had been, being away from the village while residing in a village of sand. She missed Gin, that much was ture but she had missed her land a lot more than normal. It all hit her at once; the reality. The smell of pork would linger in the air while people would shout from one house to another...saving money by shouting...how economic...was it?

Taking a deep breath, she smiled as she fixed her tight T-Shirt over her abdomen area before pleating her hair into one long stream of firey orange hair.

"Ah! Let's see what's changed since my leaving!" She giggled, fixing her bracelets on her wrist before slipping into a nice pair of skinny jeans. Day off for now...but tomorrow held a different matter...

Closing the door behind her, waving bye to her mother and father, Karo ran down the stairs and into the streets, wanting to do some shopping while she was out. What wonders would behold her today, then?

"...?"

Looking at a fish stall, her eyes gazing around the selection as she asked to inspect the beef that had most her interest. The man smiled as he picked up the piece of meet, hands grabbing it tightly...last thing he wanted was to lose some product. Karo giggled as she nodded to the man. Which reminded her, for some reason, she had to pick up some fish on the way home...urgh god.
The man smiled yet again and wrapped the beef and the sardines, in both ice and packaging. Though, as he was placing the fish into her basket, karo was sent plummeting into the stand, face first into a piece of beef. The actual fuck!?

Some buck-toothed, Susan Boyle looking motherfucker flew into her...Karo quickly turned around, flames of rage fuming from her eyes. Before she could tear this bitch apart, she pointed in the direction of two people...and a dog? Karo forcefully stomped her left foot down hard before dramatically pointing in the direction of the three, flames still spewing.

"You! The hell!?" She growled. She didn't know that the man that had, seemingly, charged past everyone, might have shocked someone, (That ugly bitch) and caused them to jump back...One day in Kumo and drama happens...Le win!

OOC: Sorry it took so long @_@ Computer went Ka-Putt!

The whistling winds blotted out the noises of the bustling streets and encased Takashi in a bubble of tumultuous thoughts. Lord Raikage Kuroka. I like the sound of that. Takashi grinned gleefully. Suddenly, his face crushed against a solid force. His arms were pressed against this unknown wall. His whole body slinked forward and condensed, catching up from the impact. And, of course, with every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Takashi was sent flying backwards onto the the cobblestone street, tumbling violently then sliding on his back.

His eyes darted everywhere, and he groaned as if awoken from a good dream. As he sat up, he furrowed his brow, looking up to see a man with brown hair in a black leather jacket. His hair was parted to reveal a massive scar across the bridge of his nose, and he carried a bow and quiver on his back. Takashi, seeing a multitude of menacing figures before, did not think much of his daunting appearance, especially since he was accompanied by a little white dog. He rolled his eyes and thought, Another person who wants to reprimand me. Great.

"Hey, you should be more careful when running in the streets," the man said. "You could have hurt someone."

Takashi, adjusting his glasses which had slumped off his face during the crash, pulled himself to his feet, donning a scowl on his face. "You're one to talk. Jeez." He brushed the dust off his green wool overcoat, glaring upwards at the looming man. "Nothing better to do but run into people on the street?"

"You! The hell?!" A thunderous voice, a girl's voice, boomed through the streets, ringing through the alleyways, resonating off all the buildings in the district.

Takashi's face was rigid as stone as he sighed. "Cool it, will ya? I'm trying to talk to--" As he turned, the form of a short, orange-haired girl was revealed to him. He turned away and reflexively covered his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter. The girl's face was red and dripping with meat juice. Little chunks of meat clung to her cheeks. Takashi's gut twitched, and a muffled chuckled escaped from his mouth. The power of his laughter was too great, and a loud cackle exploded from his mouth. The boy wheezed, regaining composure and settled down quickly. "Oh, wow. Did I do...?" Another bout of laughter erupted from the boy, this time smaller and diminished quicker than the last. "I needed that."

From his peripheral vision, Takashi spotted a lone salmon bathed in ice and displayed on a cart behind him. His mouth began to water ever so slightly. The owner was nowhere to be found. Takashi smirked. He turned to the man in black and backed towards the cart. Swiping a sheet of paper and some ice, he snatched the delectable fish and began to wrap it nonchalantly, still facing the man. The boy's eyes were stern but lost their aggression. "Next time, you shouldn't bother stopping me. You don't want to mess with me." Takashi unbuttoned his overcoat. Then, he took the wrapped fish and blatantly stuffed it into his inner pocket in front of the man, the girl, and the dog. He raised his brow and smiled, almost mockingly. "See ya." Waving at both the man in black and the orange haired girl, he began to walk down the street.

(OOC: Also, Karo, that's cool that you know Gin. :D Takashi has never met her, but maybe he could learn about her from you, or maybe Karo will recognize his clan name. I'm just sort of fan-boy'ing at the moment. :P So many RP opportunities!)

The one who Zetsume had ran into seemed to be angry with him with his next couple of words. "You're one to talk. Jeez. Nothing better to do but run into people on the street?" The nerve of this guy, blaming Zetsume for his own mistake. Zetsume looked down at him with a stern face of disapproval and hate combined. Yet something startled him as he heard a loud yell from behind him.

"You! The hell?!"was the loud yell that echoed throughout the village from a feminine voice. It appeared that when Zetsume attempted to stop the boy from running, he knocked over a girl who just appeared to be minding her own business. He did not intend for others to get harmed by this and felt slightly bad for doing it. Zetsume gave a quick bow out of courtesy and a gesture towards good faith.

"I am sorry, I will pay for the items you lost.", he said while ignoring the one who caused this mess. Repede was sitting watching the whole ordeal unfold before him. He was unfazed by what was happening and just kept on wagging his tail and looking at them. Zetsume could not help but to notice the pieces of meat that clung to her face. This made him feel even worst now, and it did not help that this guy was laughing because deep down he wanted to laugh to but did not because he did not want to damage her ego anymore than it already was. With that he turned back around toward the white haired boy. Though he seemed to have his eyes on something else. Zetsume watched as the boy was stuffing a fish wrapped in paper into his pocket. The owner was no where nearby, which was odd. Though this act caused Zetsume's blood to boil with rage even more at the guy. How could he steal from the village he has sworn to protect. It was the noble blood in him that made him look down upon the act. Zetsume drew his bow and arrow aimed at the boys back, while he was saying goodbye.

"You can either return that to where it belongs or I will take it upon myself to take you to Atho's Keep for theft. Please do not make this situation turn ugly, I do not wish to stain the streets with your blood.", he said while keeping a cold tone. He meant every word he said and intended to pursue him just in case he tried to run. This boy would not make a mockery of Kumogakure by acting like he owns everything in it. Repede was now on full alert mode and started to growl at the boy. Though it would not help, he was just a puppy that thought he was much bigger.

The other child was...laughing..? Why in the name of jebus was this child laughing at her!? Granted she now looked as if she was a painting by Picasso but it didn't really give him the right to laugh at her current appearance. This child was THIS close to being ass handed but, as usual, Karo calmed herself down by visualizing about the beef wellington she was going to have for dinner...hmm...that...HM! And then he said it...that other random with the dog apologized yet it wasn't even his fault...why?

"Uhm...You didn't cause this...?" She said uncertain, wiping away all the juices and chunks from her face, the vendor having gave her a fine napkin to clean herself up with...but now her top was ruined and her bra was stained...brilliant. Clothes shopping later on it seemed...despite being a girl, she HATED shopping for clothes, she found them too restricting. Considering her bust takes up most the room.

And now shit turned for the worst, the random #1 was now stealing from the stall not too far from him and this guy, Zix, was going to give Kumo a little paint job with Taka's blood...oh joy. A fight and Karo couldn't join in cause she left her three blades at home...actually...hold on...Her Tanto was in the basket...she wasn't completely defenseless but it wasn't her fight. He committed a crime so if he decided to fight back...only the strong survive. Dropping her basket on the ground (Gently), Karo walked over to the three, having concealed her Tanto blade behind her back, in the seams of her jeans.

"H-Hey guys, c'mon. Last thing we need is for another mission to be handed to us, wanting us to clean. Waaaay too much effort." She joked, smiling cheerily at the two. Maybe if she acted all goody she'd at least lower the attention down at the moment. Urgh, drama was so...interesting.

"Let's star fresh? I'm Karoshi Zetsumei, of the Zetsumei clan. Pleased to meet you guys." She said as she stretched out her hands for a handshake. Granted she disliked handshakes...physical contact with strangers...ew.

The man in black loathed the boy, made evident by his piercing eyes, his unfaltering scowl, his stern grimace. Regardless, Takashi continued to amble down the streets, unfazed and passing under the shade of the awnings. Hatred was about as poignant to him as a pebble tossed at a brick house. Hatred was a nuisance, a gnat. Acknowledging the hatred of others would do nothing but cause Takashi to drag his feet. After years of bathing in the hatred, scowling, and sadistic pleasure of others, he was numb.

From the corner of his eye, a black mass shifted. He turned and saw the man aiming an arrow at him, the bow taught and tense. The dog too yapped and growled at him, bearing its tiny teeth. Takashi raised his brow. His body began to tingle. A challenge?

"You can either return that to where it belongs or I will take it upon myself to take you to Atho's Keep for theft. Please do not make this situation turn ugly, I do not wish to stain the streets with your blood."

It was a challenge. His body was aglow with delight. He faced the man with the bow, wearing an cocky smile. "Atho's Keep. Is that supposed to scare me?" The boy spread out his arms and gave tiny hopes in place. He was warming up. "I'm not going anywhere with you. So I guess that leaves you with one option." He felt a warm rush of chakra circulate to his right palm. The feeling grew more potent, more powerful. There was a faint hiss, and a wisp of steam emitted from his palm. "I told you not to mess with me." He raised his hands and brought them together in seal.

"H-Hey guys, c'mon. Last thing we need is for another mission to be handed to us, wanting us to clean. Waaaay too much effort."

Takashi's concentration broke. The hissing silenced. The boy turned quickly to the girl, who was approaching cautiously. Her face had been wiped clean, but her shirt was now pink with meat drippings. Takashi gave a subdued chuckle. Takashi's mind then began to wander. She does have a point. If I wipe the floor with this guy, I am gonna end up doing community service again or some dumb mission again. He rolled his eyes. His thoughts were focused on his predicament, standing as still as a statue. His head rose. He stared at the orange-haired girl. Then, his mouth twitched. The corners of his mouth pulled upwards into a tiny grin.

The girl introduced herself as Karoshi Zetsumei and held out her hand welcomingly. A bit of a U-turn from the fuming ball of fire a few minutes ago. His eyes made a cursory glance to her offer and looked back at the girl. The boy arms crossed, and his cocky grin returned. "Takashi Kuroka. I'm gonna be famous one day. So remember that name." There was a brief moment of silence. He turned to the man and stared him down. He unbuttoned his coat. He reached inside and pulled the wrapped fish. He bit his tongue, and his cockiness dissipated."Guess I won't be needing this anymore," he said sarcastically to the man. He gave a reluctant toss and watched the fish crash to the ice. Takashi sighed heavily and turned his smoldering eyes to the man. [color=green]This better be worth it.[/color]

Zetsume tightened his grip on the bow as it was aimed at the boy with all intent of shooting. He heard the boys cocky way of speaking and it only made him angrier at him. He could hear the boy gathering chakra for what looked like an attack. The noise of a snake hissing was resonating from the boys body. I will shoot you dead before you can attack he thought keeping the boy in sights at all times. He was not going to let this boy trample over his pride nor his village. This boy looked like a shinobi from this village, Zetsume thought he would have more pride than to steal from his own people. It was one thing to take from the enemy, it is another to take from people you swore you would protect. Zetsume had no intention of letting this boy get the upper hand in this situation and he decided he would make the first attack.

Though before he could actually make the shot, the girl spoke up in a frantic tone, "H-Hey guys, c'mon. Last thing we need is for another mission to be handed to us, wanting us to clean. Waaaay too much effort." Though to Zetsume it all would be worth it to destroy this boys cockiness that he held onto.

The hissing noise from the boy managed to halt from this girls speech. Her orange hair glistened in the sunlight from the village. Her shirt still had meat chunks on it, spread here and there in small spots.

The girl was the first to give her name outloud. Karoshi Zetsumei, he thought while noting that her surname was almost the same as his first name. Then the boy spoke his name which was Takashi Kuroka. He had never fought a Kuroka before in battle, though the range would prove to be favorable towards Zetsume. He still kept his aim on the boy ahead of him with a cold stare that he gave people he figured he would have to kill someday.

It was not until the boy named Takashi finally put the fish back in its original spot before he let his bow down. A small part of Zetsume was happy that he would not have to hurt this boy in front of this girl. "Seems your brain is as big as your mouth." he spoke coldly to the boy while putting the bow back on his back and the arrow back in his quiver. The owner of the cart walked back and saw these three standing there, it seemed that the animosity was growing by the second. Zetsume walked over to the fish cart owner and bought the fish that Takashi had tried to steal. He leaned down and pet Repede who was still on edge from this whole ordeal. Zetsume gave his puppy the fish, and watched as Repede gobbled it up in a couple of seconds.

The girl had her arm held out for a handshake though Zetsume was not keen on handshakes and never did like them. The thought of people getting close to him made him on edge. It was one of the drawbacks of being a Kyujutsu user, he never did like being close to people he did not know. Zetsume stuffed his hands in his jacket pocket and spoke to the girl and boy "My name is Zetsume Zix, I hail from the Kyodara clan. This little fellow right here is Repede, a puppy I found on the streets a couple of weeks back. It is a pleasure to meet you both. I am glad this one named Takashi grew some sense and did not try to steal before my eyes."

So, his name was Takeshi Kuroka, just like Gin-chan! Hmm...but did he possess the great skill that she did? Yes, they were skilled in the art of Kenjutsu but just because their clan implies it, doesn't necessarily mean that they are too. Karo smiled nevertheless, having ignored the fact that they had both declined her handshake. Rude much? Ignoring it further, Karo brought both her hands back, clasping each other just behind her back and below the hilt of her blade. Things were tense and there was no way she was going to hold off well against Zix's level of chakra. She could feel that he was on a higher level so he was clearly a higher rank than normal.

"I know another Kuroka." She said simply, wanting to change the subject before things got out of hand. "Her name is Gin, I trained under her as a personal student! You must be related to her." She said, smiling again and tilting her head to the side. Again, his arrogance shining through yet again. Karo had no idea what she was doing, talking to two strangers...she hated people but maybe during her time with Gin, her shy and quiet personality was chiseled away by Gin's boisterous nature. Could be a theory.

And hold on a minute...Zix practically began to chew Taka up due to the fact that he was going to walk away with a stolen good but...Zix just walked over, picked the SAME fish up and fed it too his dog...Karo felt a little confused on this matter, a sweat drop appearing on her dome as she pointed her finger, twitching slightly. Did he intend on paying for that or...did he get it for free for being a higher-up? Nah, surely not...maybe? She wasn't too sure on how power worked in Kumo. All she knew was that the stronger you were, the more you could do.

"Uh...you ARE going to pay for that, right?"

She eventually asked, still slightly confused but cautious none the less. Even though he had put his bow back in place, Karo wasn't too sure if Taka was going to do something or not.

Zetsume walked over to the fish cart owner and bought the fish that Takashi had tried to steal.

This is not me actually posting, just wishing to clarify that I did not steal that salmon, I simply bought it.

That son of a bitch! Not only did Zetsume spoil Takashi's afternoon fun and made Takashi relinquish the salmon he was eager to roast, slice, and savor, he had the nerve to buy the same salmon and toss it to his puppy, Repede. The boy watched with stifled rage as the white fur ball stuffed his face with the delectable fish. His fist clenched until his tendons and blood vessels became visible. He ground his teeth together, nearly shattering them. He could stomach Zetsume's insults. He could stomach turning down a challenge if it means avoiding further disciplining. He could not, however, stomach watching that runt scarf Takashi's fish, his prize, not two feet in front of him, mocking him. This has gone too far! Takashi's foot tensed. He slid his foot behind him, rearing. He was itching to send that puppy flying across the street.

Then, yet again, his thoughts were interrupted by a feminine voice. "I know another Kuroka," Karōshi stated simply with the purpose of interjecting. Takashi went pale. His pupils dilated, and his stare became vacant. A-another...? The boy felt something indescribable, like a melting pot of excitement, anxiousness, and fear. His life of solitude was over. The blanks of his clan history can finally be fulfilled. His mind raced with the possibilities, the identity of this mystery Kuroka, the secrets his clansman can share... But a twinge of fear flashed within him. n]Could it be... Hayate?[/i]

"Her name is Gin, I trained under her as a personal student! You must be related to her."

Takashi gave a sigh of relief, but simultaneously a wave of wonder arose. He turned to Karōsh with a confused look plastered on his face. Who is this girl?! And how has she trained under a Kuroka?! I've never even met another Kuroka! Save for... my brother. Takashi's curious eyes pierced Karōshi. A spark of interest lit his hazel eyes. He raised his brow and said, "Another Kuroka?" He looked upwards past the awnings. "Join me on the roof. I've got one or two questions for you, and up there, it's a little more quiet and... glamorous than in the fish market." With a running start, Takashi ran up the wall of the nearest red brick building and leapt to the left on top of an awning. Although a rash move, the small boy was light enough to not rip through the cloth and bounce up to the nearest balcony. Grabbing the railing, he pulled himself up with a grunt. "C'mon! Catch up!" He then leapt onto the roof, which was only a few feet above him. He looked down at Zetsume and sighed. "You can come up too. I guess. Don't worry. We're not gonna do anything illegal." He waved his hands and made a spooky ghost moan.

Returning to the roof was like entering a dream. The natural beauty was still present but now the sunset casted a heavenly pink hue on the snow. A hundred questions popped into his head. He had the whole thing planned out. As soon as the girl made it onto the roof, he would sit down crossed-legged and launch his rapid fire questions with his eyes wide with wonder. "So who's this Gin? Where is she? Is she famous and amazing like me?" He would then sneak in one more question after a brief pause. "And... do you think I could train with her?"

Zetsume could feel their eyes burning through to him as he fed his beloved puppy. He did not even given them the smallest hint of caring because his dog was happy and that is all that he ever needed. Just one sign of him making a difference in this world, and he would try everyday to achieve the ideal of a perfect peaceful world, though that was nothing more than a fantasy he conjured up to help him sleep at night. The small puppy gave a high pitched yap sounding bark. Repede never did have a good intimidating bark, it sounded more like a little kid acting tough. It kind of reminded him of this boy named Takashi. A small chuckle formed in his throat but subsided it quickly.

It seemed that Takashi wanted to speak to this girl about something to do with his clan. He was not really listening and was focusing to much on his dog who was happily chewing on a fish bone now with part of it sticking out. The dog always did like to chew on something like a human would a toothpick. It was rather odd but Zetsume liked it because Repede liked it. Maybe deep down he did care for the dog to much, who knows maybe one day it could cost him his life. Takashi made his way to the top of a building and taunted Zetsume with saying he was not going to do anything illegal. Zetsume laughed and his personality seemed to be different now. He was much more humorous now that nothing illegal was happening. Deciding that he would also taunt the boy back "Well of course you are not going to do anything illegal, well not at least while I am around."

With that being said, he picked up Repede in his arms and jumped effortlessly on top of the roof. Seemed the kid had good taste in scenery though, the village looked gorgeous this high up. Zetsume decided he would play with his dog while the spoke, he was not all that interested in chatting while he rolled on the roof wrestling with his dog playfully. Small sounds of laughter would happen when the puppy would bite him playfully. Snow flew from all around while they played like two kids with not a care in the world.

Catch up? Did this child want a blade shoved up his ass!? Cause he was going the right way about it....Karōshi simply sighed and watched as Takashi jumped into the skies and on the top of a building just next to where they stood. A Lookout point? Really? Releasing yet another sigh, she watched as Zix had followed Takashi, picking up his dog before he joined him on the rooftops. Great, what was this? Tig?

"Might as well go with the flow..."

She grumbled fixing her Tanto properly, still held in the back of her jeans. Looking for a more simpler route, Karo took the stairs inside the building which then led up to a door for the roof, keeping hold of her basket the whole time. (Having picked it up before following the two.) She opened the door and looked out as the view of the village was still beautiful. Not changing a bit since she had left for Suna back in Konoha when the Chuunin Exams had finished...she still remembered having broke the girls wrist...her name was...Tenshi? An Aisu, capable of creating ice but that moment where Karo brought down that toy sword, cracking it off her wrist still haunted her to this day. Her eyes were activated for the first time...and the feeling was awful.

And then her thoughts were gone in an instant once Takashi started asking her a barrage of questions. She had to smack him down a peg or two. He was beginning to become a smudge annoying.

"Okay. Listen. Gin-senpai is an amazing woman, whom I cherish a lot! She's simply amazing because she posses the will to rule a village and dedicate her life to protecting the villagers lives with her own. You are a Genin. No where near Kage rank. Raise through the ranks and you'll be great but right now, you can't be throwing around that word willy nilly just cause you're from the Kuroka family branch. Yes, you posses potential but until you harness that, it means nothing. Absolutely nothing and maybe you could train with her, if and when she isn't busy."

She huffed, a vein popping out of her forehead. Se couldn't be bothered with those that regarded themselves all high and mighty without having anything to show for it! The nerve of some...

"I trained with Gin and her power is simply immense. Almost scary how she can handle a blade but she got to her status through sheer will. You can be just like her if you dedicate yourself like she has..."

She said, now a little more calmer than she previously was.

"...Sorry."

Were her feelings for Gin beginning to surface at this point? She didn't want to acknowledge them before but now...they...it must have been the heat of the moment that had began to make her feel flustered.

Zetsume laughed, perhaps reacting to Takashi's poke at his zealous righteousness as if it was a friendly one. The man also stated with a chuckle that under his watch there would be no crime. How nonchalant, how certain, and how smooth he was burned the boy to his core. He threatens me then has this warm, hearty facade? And to think he thinks he could stop me if I wanted to do something fun. The salt on the wound came when Zetsume leapt onto the roof with the puppy in his arms without breaking a sweat. Takashi tried to veer his gaze away from the man in black lest the rage overtakes him again. Sometimes, his eye would wander to Zetsume, and he saw the man wrestling playfully with the white puppy. n]Is this guy really... a Kyodara?[/i] Kyoushi, his master, was a down-to-earth man, never indulging himself with the flights of fancy reading permitted and therefore limited his library. More often than not, Takashi had to steal from the public library to satisfy his craving for history, and from his recollection of past books, he could remember the name Kyodara. The clan had a prestigious reputation attached to its name harking to the days of old: the innovators, the nobles, the mercenaries. An exemplary idol. How would Zetsume's reputation as a Kyodara fare if people knew this great warrior was reduced to playing with a puppy like a child.

The orange-haired girl trudged up the stairs, arriving significantly later than the two men. Takashi smiled at her triumphantly. I knew she couldn't catch up. He then bombarded her with his eager questions. Question after question, his pace quickened and quickened and Karōshi's face slumped, making her annoyance evident. Takashi's energy diminished, and his face became stern. His eye rolled to the side. I can sense another lecture coming on.

"Okay. Listen. Gin-senpai is an amazing woman, whom I cherish a lot! She's simply amazing because she posses the will to rule a village and dedicate her life to protecting the villagers lives with her own. You are a Genin. No where near Kage rank. Raise through the ranks and you'll be great but right now, you can't be throwing around that word willy nilly just cause you're from the Kuroka family branch. Yes, you posses potential but until you harness that, it means nothing."

Takashi drained out the girl's voice after that point. As the memories welled up inside him, so did his resentment. As soon as Karōshi finished her rant, Takashi stood up, his eyes fixated upon the girl. He exhaled, still glaring at Karōshi. After a brief moment of silence, he began. "Are you accusing me of riding on the coat tails of my clan?" Another pause. "I'm trying to pull it out of the hole its rotting in!" His voice was not angry, but you could hear the fiery passion resonating from his throat. "We're the best warriors this world has ever seen, and what are we doing? Mercenary work? Under the boot of some warmonger just to come crawling to another." The bandit leader who haunted the boy's memories returned. His hounding, his commands, his strikes of fury all returned. Takashi fought to repress the nightmare, and his voice became booming, uncontrollable. "Well, I'm my own person! And I'm going to be something great. Genin, or not." Takashi broke eye contact. His breathing was rapid. He took a moment to catch his breath before he exhausted himself. His eyes disappeared beneath his eyelids, and he inhaled deeply. The silver-haired boy resumed. "I've been part of Kumo for, what, three years now? And do you know where I've been before then?" He turned to Karōshi, his eyes placid. "Freezing in the wastes. Killing to survive. Safe only when I was alone. Because anyone else could kill me at any minute, if they pleased." Leaning toward the girl, he whispered in a stark timbre, "How about that for dedication?" Takashi readjusted his glasses and crossed his arms.

Zetsume felt alive when playing with the puppy that was before him. He never did like people as they could cause much drama in his life, which was not needed. Though through this puppy he could find something bright about his day. Maybe it was how fluffy he was, or maybe the fact that the dog never seemed to show resentment towards the actions he does. Either way he loved this puppy with all of his heart. Zetsume began to throw snowballs at the dog while the dog would dodge. Repede could dodge many of the snowballs but not all of them. The first ball though was caught, because the dog thought that, that was what his master wanted. Though Zetsume only wanted to train the dog on his dodging capabilities. After a few throws Zetsume decided maybe he should try to listen to what they were saying. He had been ignoring them since he started to play with the puppy, and now it seemed to have gotten heated. Zetsume was unsure what was said but the tension seemed to grow by the second between them. He then heard about some of the life struggles of Takashi and thought Everyone has it rough, why are you so special. He had to calm everyone down, or else maybe a fight would start on this building.

Then a plan to cool everyone down came to mind. A small smirk formed on his face as he grabbed an already snowball and threw it at the both of their heads in a jokingly manner. Letting small chuckles of laughter trail with each throw. The puppy also joined in on the laughter letting small yaps of happiness out of his mouth.

Karo turned to the side and simply dismissed Takashi's rant, waving her hand back and forth gently in a manner as such to dismiss him. Simply because he was a Kuroka, doesn't necessarily mean anything to Karo. Just cause he could forge his own blades, whoopity-doo! People can form fireballs and shit. What good is a blade if you can't use it? And yes, Karo was accusing him of riding on the coat-tails of his clan. He likes to think he's a big-shot and and whatnot just cause he's a Kuroka. Kuroka aren't invincible. Nope.

"What makes you think that YOU are the one that will bring it from the dirt? Who says it was already in the dirt? Just cause you haven't met anyone from it?"

She questioned, paying no attention to Zix as he was beginning to form a snowball in his hand which he would sooner or later launch at them both...

"You're a ninja. So what if you were freezing? It's a ninja's job to kill. A ninja's job to face the harshness that the world has. Ninja aren't supposed to show their emotions so rashly."

She continued, having remembered that she had snapped at Takashi, branding herself a hypocrite but that didn't bother her. She couldn't be bothered with people like him, especially if they think they're high and mighty but yeah, Karo should have paid more attention to Zix because within the next moment, Karo was smacked on the side of the dome, the snowball she had seen Zix create was soon hurtled to her head and KO'd her. Hell, there was even one heading for Taka!

Steam began to emit from the destroyed snowball as Karo began to fume, turning and point to the man.

"YOU! WHAT THE HELL!?"

She shouted, making her very own snowballs (Yes, one in each hand) and lobbing them at Zix and his dog and after she had thrown them? Yes, she made more and continued to volley one after the other, her hands going cold but she was dedicated to beat Zix into another world with...snowballs.

She dismissively hand-waved every heart-wretching memory Takashi divulged. Twelve years of torture, fear, and death was presented to this girl, and nothing. He tightened his grip on his sleeves, and the creases on his coat were like massive mountain ranges. He tried to simmer down, lest Zetsume intervened again, so he bit the inside of his cheek and averted his gaze from Karō. But despite his attempts, his gut was on fire. This girl... Takashi snarled.

Karō then slung her own rant at Takashi, first questioning his claims towards the status of his clan. Someone's gotta restore their former glory. Why not me? Then, in her indignation, the orange-haired girl said something that infuriated Takashi.

"You're a ninja. So what if you were freezing? It's a ninja's job to kill. A ninja's job to face the harshness that the world has. Ninja aren't supposed to show their emotions so rashly."

His eyes bolted towards Karō. His fists tightened. All that could be heard now was the distant mountain winds. His face, facing away from the sunset, was a black shadow, but his hazel eyes shined through. Barely moving his mouth, he murmured inaudibly to himself, but his eyes were still fixated on the girl. n]Is it a ninja's job to rip your own brother apart every night for someone else's enjoyment? To fight the only person in the world you could love?[/i] He slowly raised his hands to chest-level. He knit his hands together in a seal. From his knuckles, a wisp of of hissing steam emerged. He thrusted his right leg to the side, letting a tuffet of snow fly, and bent his knees into a stance.

Suddenly, a small white ball of snow sailed through the air and crashed on the side of Karō's head, which sent her falling over into the snow. Takashi was caught off guard, breaking his harsh gaze and the seal yet again. He looked over at Zetsume, standing proud and making another snowball. The fire in his stomach began to quell, and he lowered his hands. He brushed his silver hair back as he stared at the man in black in surprise. Who knew the Kyodara could have a sense humor? Maybe that's why he's probably so playful with his dog. Maybe... he wants to balance all that righteousness stuff once and a while. He then looked at Karō, and the schadenfreude began to kick in. Her face was covered in snow, and soon the snow melted off from her sheer rage. As she shouted wildly at Zetsume, her face became red as a strawberry. Takashi could not help but chuckle. "Man, today's just not your day--"

Out of nowhere, another snowball zoomed towards Takashi and smacked him square on the forehead, causing him to topple over backwards into the snow. He laid there briefly, dazed and looking up into the clear sky as snowflakes gracefully fell onto his face. He shook off the snow and grumbled as he rose to his feet. No doubt it was a preemptive strike from Zetsume. He sighed, but he was not angry. The Kyodara's playfulness appealed to Takashi. All right. he thought as he gave a mischievous grin. I'll indulge you, Zets. If it'll stop you from getting a bug up your ass again...

As he scooped up a mound of snow from the roof, he saw Karō unload a unbelievable volley of snowballs as if she was a small army bombarding a castle. He turned away, hiding his interest. The sight of her almost sparked the fire within him again. He constructed one ball and launched it towards Zetsume. The nerve of that girl. He reached down to get more snow. He contemplated teaming up with this girl against the Jounin and even the odds. I could, but... she's so infuriating. He threw another snowball at Zetsume. But... she is interesting. She knows one of my clansman. But she's got an annoying attitude. I'm gonna have to get even with her if I'm going to talk to her without going crazy.

As he reached down again, Takashi realized he had the power of retribution in his hands. He balled up another clump of snow, packing it tight. Taking precious time and effort, he formed a perfect orb of snow. He turned towards Karō, and he felt his stomach burn again. He reared his arm back and launched the snowball hard at Karō. As the ball slide out his gloved hand, the burning was subdued, and a tingling rush of excitement replaced it. He smiled, relieved, but he was not over. The fun had just begun. The boy leapt backwards, sliding to the edge of the roof as he landed. The tail of his cool trailed behind him. He regained his battle stance and made a hand sign. Soon afterwards, five identical clones, two standing on the left and three on the right, appeared in a puff of white smoke. Takashi picked up a bundle of snow and created a snowball, and his clones pretended to do the same in unison. Takashi grinned and subdued his chuckle behind his teeth. He along with two other clones, both in front of him, ran to the right. The other three ran to the left. He reared back his arm. Let's see if she can guess where I am. He then tossed the ball over the heads of his clones, which sailed in an arc and plummeted down to the girl.


145/150 Chakra

JUTSU USED:

Spoiler:

Seems that he had changed the mood that was lingering in the air when he saw that both of the snowball met their mark. It did not take long before the retaliation had begun as many snowballs made their way towards Zetsume and his puppy Repede. Looks like they do want to have a little bit of fun, he thought while he smiled accepting this small challenge as an opportunity to learn more about these two. Though he also used this chance to try target practice. He quickly formed a Katon infused Chakra Bow. This was a rather unique KKG that his clan had been known to possess. From the bow he decided that since it was Katon he would use his other jutsu Fire Arrow. Due to the fact that his bow was Katon it amplified the normal 5 arrows from the chakra mass into 10 arrows. With easy Zetsume and Repede began to dodge the arrows. Though it was easier for Zetsume than it was for Repede, Zetsume helped him out. On snowballs that he knew would land on either of them Zetsume simply shot them out of the sky before they made their mark. When the fire arrows met their mark on the snowballs it would cause them to melt and the water would then drop to the ground. He had to shoot seven snowballs down because they looked like they could have hit Repede. He never did use an arrow for himself, as he would just try that much harder to dodge them. He still had 3 left from his pile, though these ones would be just in case something fishy happens.

Zetsume was enjoying this playful act that was happening, plus it looked like Repede needed to see the world more. Fear of being killed always lurked in Zetsume's mind which is why he never did let the dog out much, other than small walks around the town. Repede has never ventured off outside of Kumogakure. Though something rather odd began to happen just before Zetsume's eyes. It seemed the one named Takashi who was throwing the snowballs at Zetsume, turned his focus towards Karoshi. This turned into Takashi throwing a snowball at her and then making clones who then gathered snowballs and aimed them towards Karoshi. This could get interesting he thought while watching the events play out.

(OOC: Sorry for the late reply. Everything is good now ^^)