Sunagakure basked in the warmth of her sandy abode; the warmth of the sun kissed her scales and rejuvenated her body bringing new life to her people in turn. Because of this the people of Sunagakure were far more active than usual, the streets were flooded with people shopping or working or attending to their daily routines the lack of space forced most Shinobi of Sunagakure to train beyond the protective walls of their home. A small group of three stood training in the desert, they were little more than a speck in the eyes of the wall guards, but within their eye sight nonetheless. The trio comprised of a Special Jounin of the Nara clan, a Genin from the Inuzuka Clan, and the young Chuunin from Clan Uchiha, Akiko toiled endlessly in the summer heat.

Akiko had been asked to aid a young Nara Genin in training his canine for unison in combat, a chance to better Sunagakure in a manner that didn’t require bloodshed. His Sensei, the Special Jounin had requested Akiko to accompany them because of his lack of close range fighting abilities, something required for this particular training. The pair had been exchanging blows back and forth colliding in short bouts of Taijutsu v Kenjutsu techniques, the training had proved challenging for Akiko as well, having to keep eyes not only on her opponent but his wolf as well proved more than difficult and kept her on the defensive at all times.

Steel gauntlets collided with the steel of the Katana with an explosion of sparks and faces twisted by concentration and gritted teeth. Akiko’s eyes were defined by the crimson hue of her Sharingan which burned through her training partner and allowed her to react quickly enough to defend against both him and his canine partner. As the pair stood locked in combat as the Special Jounin looked onwards, watching his charge for flaws in his combat form or mistakes that could have proven fatal in actual combat.

“Alright, take a break you two!” He called out, signifying their second break of the day.

Akiko’s eyes faded back to their dark brown hue as they ended their struggle and Akiko slid her Katana back inside it’s sheathe, her sparring partner suddenly allowed a childish grin to creep across his face. It was obvious the young boy had a small crush on Akiko, the way he didn’t take advantage of sword locks to strike her or command his canine to attack from the rear during those moments; it was a weakness she would address. Akiko walked over to the Special Jounin as he handed them two canteens filled with cool water, she took a sip to quench her parched throat before addressing the young Genin.

“You hesitate to strike me when I am in a moment of weakness or incapable of defending myself, why?” Akiko asked the young boy in a calm voice.

The boy seemed taken aback by her rather forward question, his eyes blinked wildly as glanced over to his Sensei. The Special Jounin returned with a gaze that demanded his reasoning behind this motivation as well. A small sigh escaped the Genin’s lips as he ruffled the backside of his short brown hair.

“Well Lady Uchiha, I think you are beautiful and I would hate to mar that beautiful face of yours.” He muttered as his face turned red from embarrassment.

His Sensei dropped his head slightly and rubbed his forehead, his young student had issues with controlling his carnal urges, something not uncommon for a kid his age. Slowly he raised his head to look at his student and address this issue before Akiko could reply to his rather foolish statement.

“You might face beautiful enemies as a Shinobi, enemies that would seek to destroy Sunagakure and her people…will you allow them to escape simply because you are attracted to them? Or will you defend your home with everything you have within you?” He asked his student.

“Well that is obvious isn’t it? I wou-“

“Hold that thought, who is that?” Akiko interrupted the Genin’s response, as she pointed out to a silhouette approaching them in the distance.

The Special Jounin turned his head towards where Akiko was pointing and saw the same image, a lone figure approaching them at a slow deliberate pace. He squinted his eyes in an attempt to make out the features of whoever this was. Slowly his eyes widened in pure fear and panic as the figure came into his field of vision to the point he could make out the finer details of the person in question. had returned. The Special Jounin’s head quickly turned back to his student as he barked a single urgent order.

“Run boy! Run and inform the Kazekage of this intruder!” He shouted.

“But wh-“

“Don’t question me, just obey!” He shouted.

The Genin darted off but not without giving a questioning and quizzical look to his Sensei. What could be so bad that the Kazekage would be needed? While the Genin didn’t know the answer to that question he couldn’t help but feel a shiver crawl up his spine at the urgency his Sensei showed, something bad was about to happen.

The Special Jounin watched as his Student darted towards the safety of Sunagakure before he turned to Akiko. The expression in his eyes was one of pure fear, this would be his final battle, he sensed it but he wouldn’t fail Sunagakure, he wouldn’t fail his Kazekage.

“Be ready Uchiha, this fight won’t be easy, we will have to work together to stall him.” He stated with a slight quiver in his voice.

“Who is it?” Akiko asked.

“Shibirin.” Was the only response he gave.

972/2000 words

"Greetings," A deceptively soothing voice called out to the pair.

The voice belonged to Genko Shibirin, a man who knew no loyalties, a man who had betrayed everyone he ever knew in the pursuit of power. He had betrayed Sunagakure and joined their hated rivals Iwagakure, then turned on Iwagakure for some unknown reason. The spineless coward stood before Akiko now, wearing both the Sunagakure and Iwagakure headbands both were marred by a single slash mark that showed his status as a traitor to both Villages. Akiko was disgusted by his open display of these headbands, wearing them almost as a badge of honor on his forehead instead of a mark of shame that had sullied his honor, he was despicable and disgusting. Akiko’s eyes swirled into the crimson hue of pure unadulterated hatred as a single tomoe came to life in her Sharingan; she was determined to wipe this blemish of a man from the face of the world.

Akiko’s feet moved on their own accord towards her target, however she would only accomplish a step and a half before the strong arm of her superior collided sharply with her chest, stopping her in her tracks. Her red eyes glanced over towards him, enraged that he would interfere with her attempt to serve justice to this foolish man for betraying the Village of Sunagakure. But her harsh gaze wasn’t returned; instead she stared into the calm pools of a man who knew this was his end.

“We cannot rush into this and have a hope of stalling him; you and I will have to play it smart. Don’t be foolish young Uchiha; let me make the sacrifice here if it comes to that.” The man whispered his voice carried an angelic tone almost crystal clear and perfectly calm.

Akiko was stunned at the peace that almost flowed from his body as he turned to face their opponent once more. The shock that had set into Akiko’s very bones almost drowned out the words that the Special Jounin said next.

“No need for introductions, I know your face, Genko Shibirin. I won’t bother asking what your business in Sunagakure is; you have stated that clearly by the presentation of your headbands…” The Special Jounin stated before pausing momentarily, his eyes scanned down on Shibirin. He noticed the slight touches of wet crimson on the gaze that covered Shibrin’s hands and the dark stains on sleeves of his cloak. “…and the blood that stains your hands.” The Special Jounin continued, acknowledging the innocent blood that tainted Shibirin’s hands. “Normally, now would be the time I ask you to leave before we force you to…but we both know that isn’t happening is it?” He asked sarcastically as he rapidly formed two hand signs.

The Rat and Bird hand signs were formed in rapid succession, Shadows from around Shibirin would suddenly lurch forward and attempt to impale the unwelcome intruder. Should they land they shadowy tendrils would rip through his calves, Achilles tendons, biceps, triceps, and the center of his torso effectively immobilizing him and mortally wounding him in the process. The Nara Special Jounin’s eyes would then flicker to Akiko as he struggled to keep his jutsu active.

“What are you waiting for Uchiha?! Finish this before he breaks free I can’t hold him for long!” He shouted.

Akiko reacted instantly, she dashed forward her hand naturally placed itself on the hilt of her Katana. As she approached her target she drew the blade from its sheathe effortlessly and sent it on a deadly arch towards her enemy. The katana cut through the air whistling it’s lethal tune as Akiko made to severe her enemy in a single stroke that would come up from his hip and melt through his body to his shoulder, justice would be served.

NPC Special Jounin 225/250:

Uchiha Akiko 205/210:

Akiko brought her Katana down on the trapped threat, she fully expected the sickening sounds of parting flesh you spill forth as easily as the crimson that would follow from the wound but only silence was heard. Instead of warm sticky blood running down her blade and onto her hands, or the cries of an agonizing death only emptiness beckoned forth. Akiko’s red eyes watched on in a mixture of confusion and horror as her target slowly faded into nothingness, it had been a clever ruse, one that in her haste she had overlooked. The shadows that bound emptiness slowly receded with the sound of a stifled gurgle paired with the sound of flesh parting, Akiko’s red eyes flashed over her shoulder.

What Akiko’s eyes found caused her stomach to twist and the bitter, acidic taste of vomit to climb her throat. Her companion stood mere yards behind her, his eyes that once held such strong purpose were filled with shock as the light of life rapidly faded from his dilated pupils. The speed at which the kunai crossed his throat and severed his jugular cause a fine mist of crimson to explode from his neck before a fount of thick blood poured from the wounds. The man spent his last few moments gurgling and coughing as he attempted to not only inhale but expel the blood that now poured into his lungs. His hands grasped at the wound as he sank to his knees before merely a few seconds after the blow was delivered he collapsed into a lifeless heap.

"He didn't live long..." A hardened emotionless voice rang out from Akiko’s companion’s slayer.

A mixture of fear and disgust continued to build in Akiko’s core as she stared at her comrade’s corpse as the rapidly expanding pool of deep red sand the stemmed from the wound on his throat. Time seemed to slow down as Akiko saw the Kunai used to murder the man fall into view from her peripheral vision, tiny drops of blood chased the blade as it descended and despite its small size when the weapon collided with the ground, to Akiko, it struck like a hammer to an anvil. Immediately her eyes flickered back up to the monster of a “man” that stood before her, she hated him in the most pure of manners.

“I swear to you, Genko Shibirin, I will end your life, you will die for this!” Akiko growled through her now bared teeth.

There was a sudden shift in Akiko’s swirling red eyes, a change, a mutation. The single yang symbol suddenly split as a twin descended to the bottom of her eye, her inability to protect an asset to Suna mixed with the urgency of the situation she had found herself in had caused a change inside her. Akiko’s Sharingan mutated once more as adrenaline rushed through her veins, but would this be enough to stop such a terrible force? Or would she perish beneath the merciless blade of Shibirin regardless of her newfound power? Either way Akiko braced herself, gripping her blade even tighter then previously, now it was do or die and this was a defining moment for the young Uchiha.

Chakra 195/210:

"Hatred, will enslave us all, just as yours will enslave you." Were the words that poured from the maw of this murderous man, this outlaw, this Shibirin.

Akiko felt sickened; however she couldn’t tell if it was because of the man who birthed them or the fact that his own words held an air of clarity and truth behind them. Her stomach turned at the thought of wisdom coming from a man who was as cold and cruel as Shibirin, could a sociopath such as him actually be correct about her? Was she truly wrapping herself in the chains of hatred as her ancestors before her did? These thoughts haunted Akiko, so much so that time seemed to stand still for the briefest of seconds, but in the blink of an eye she was snapped back to reality.

Akiko became acutely aware of her opponents movements, her mind analyzed the situation with speed and efficiency as if it were a super computer, and at its core sat the swirling red orbs of her Sharingan. The twin crimson pools rapidly fed her information, allowing her to trace movements at a heightened pace and react instantaneously, almost as if it were instinctual. Akiko watched as Shiribin’s blow arched towards her left most temple, it didn’t occur to her how over exaggerated this move was, how deliberate Shibirin was being, as if her was baiting her into a trap. The pair of Sharingan computed this data into her mind, allowing her to rapidly form the best form of defense, a defense she flawlessly carried out.

Akiko relaxed her knees, allowing her to sink slightly; as she did this she tucked her chin to her chest, dipped her left shoulder downwards, and leaned towards the blow. This maneuver allowed the young Kunoichi to evade the initial blow, however it wasn’t until mid-dodge did she recognize the more immediate threat. Akiko was stunned as she stared down at Shibirin’s second fist lurching upwards towards her face, her Sharingan analyzed the situation but could come up with no viable solution to avoid the attack, only ways to minimize the damage it would cause.

Akiko raised her arms in a small “X” in front of her face, and turned her head to the right to minimize facial damage. Akiko braced herself for the blow to strike, releasing a single short breath in an attempt to calm her nerves; she tightened her biceps and flexed her chest muscles just before the blow struck out of instinct and in an attempt to help dampen the damage it would cause. There was a sickening crack as the hardened fist crashed with Akiko’s topmost arm, her right arm. The fist landed in the center of the arm, at the strongest point of the block, while she suffered little to no head damage the bones in her arm, which were at the epicenter of the collision were instantaneously shattered.

Due to the force of the blow and Akiko’s relaxed knees she was thrown upwards and back from Shibirin, in an arch. The agony from the shattered arm made Akiko enter a daze as she soared through the air; she hardly felt her back smash into the boulder behind her. The force of the collision made her mind fade to black as unconsciousness overtook her mind, but even as light retreated from her mind she felt fear creeping in, she felt the fear of death entering her very soul.

“Could this be the end?” Was the last thought that crossed her mind before her mind forced her into an unwilling slumber.