Ukiyo sat beside the Naka River, her arms wrapped around her legs and pulling them tightly into her chest. She watched as light reflected off the water, flickering on and off of the current's peaks. The sun overhead was intense, with no clouds in sight. Waves of heat poured down as if trying to persuade her to swim. Ukiyo looked up towards the luminous orb and squinted, her cheeks scrunching in an attempt to keep them from closing.

I like these days. The dry, intense heat; it's nice. Very welcome after all the humidity, anyway. And yet here we are, by the river. Ironic, isn't it? We wouldn't know. Oh? Why's that? That word has no meaning to us. Huh? Really? Well, uhm, it means...well...it means... crap. I think it means, like, when you expect one thing to happen but then something completely utterly different happens. I think that's it. We know what you think it means. However the concept of expectations isn't one we have any sort of association with. Animals have expectations, they learn the past and try to predict the future. They act out their lives in order to fulfill this prediction, and when something goes their way or doesn't, they label it according to that prediction. Ironic is just one of those labels. You do that too though. You've been trying to get me to change this world. Doesn't that mean you have some sort of prediction? No, not quite. We don't try to imagine what the future may be like, or even what we wish it to be like. Our soul concern is with the present. We completely indulge ourselves with our immediate needs, and act accordingly. I still don't get how that explains your, er, "plans". They are not plans. They are what we strive for currently. We have an objective, sure. But it is not one we plan for. We merely try to achieve it immediately in any way possible. That is what it means to act in the present, to not predict and not assume anything about the future. I wish I could live like that. I'm fearful of the future, honestly. I love the present, I relish every moment of it, but in the end I fear what will become of you. Act in whatever way you believe will benefit us and you should have nothing to fear. Hm.

Ukiyo leaned forward and stretched her legs, lifting herself up. She walked calmly to the edge of the water and bent down. Cupping her hands, Ukiyo gathered some of the river and stood back up. She closed her eyes and breathed at a steady, deep pace. Slowly, the water in her hands began to diminish, absorbing into her palms. As it did so, Ukiyo tensed her feet, then her legs, and eventually her whole body. She channeled chakra through herself as a medium into the ground. Blades of grass began sprouting all around her on the relatively barren ground, covering the clay-like dirt with lush greenery. Ukiyo opened her eyes and eased her body, then looked around her. She smiled, seeing the grass almost glow in the sun's bath. Turning back to the river, Ukiyo watched as it crashed against the bank, splashing the ground around it and sprinkling her plants. Hm.

567

"Man...What a bore. I can not be bothered with all this drama that's been happening lately. Surely there is somewhere in this forsaken village where I can just chill." He said to himself as he removed his orange cap, small beads of sweat gently rolling down his brow. Wiping the beads of sweat from his brow, he let out a light sigh as he squinted his eyes; trying to dim the suns light to allow him to see. Nope, nothing. The Nake River area seemed desolate and quiet. A perfect place for a nap indeed. A perfect place to hide from the Hokage. No missions today!.

The sun wasn't letting up anytime soon from the looks of things, and if Kenny had known what was going to happen in just a few moments, he'd have prepared himself a little better. Stuffing his cap into his black trench coat, having removed that as well and slung it over his shoulder, he walked slowly through the field, coming up to one side of a river. His white vest flapped freely around him as a smooth breeze swooned over him. Up until he had heard some sort of noise coming from his right hand side.
"Who...what?" He whispered to himself, noticing a girl a few meters away. How had he not noticed her upon entering the scene? God, he needed some training. How bad could his senses be if he was haphazardly ignoring everyone around him? Who else had he ignored on his way here? He hoped it wasn't anyone too important...

Raising his free hand over his head, he made a small gesture to the girl as he shouted over to her, alerting her of his presence. If she hadn't noticed him before. He had no idea who this person is, nor had he seen her around here. She definitely had chakra of a Jounin, that much he could sense, but that was all he could make out of her.

As Ukiyo watched the river splashing playfully with her grass, she heard the sound of footsteps slowly approaching. She instinctively tensed, preparing to defend herself. However Ukiyo knew better at this point than to let her instincts dictate her behavior. After all, what's the point of honing one's abilities if you can't even control them? Ukiyo watched the river peacefully, allowing whoever/whatever it was to approach her at their own pace. She suddenly heard a man's voice calling out, which she could only assume was to her seeing as there was no one else around. Ukiyo turned towards the direction of the shout to see a tall young man standing some meters away. He had his hand raised up to greet her apparently, though she had never seen this man before in her life.

Oi? She turned her body to face his and raised her hand up to greet him in a similar fashion, smiling gently. He had spiky brown hair that seemed light enough to bounce, and vibrant yellow eyes to compliment it. Oh? Who's this? Quiet. Ukiyo didn't hesitate to find out more about the boy, asking exactly what she wanted to know off the bat, Who are you? I'm Ukiyo. What are you doing here?

783

He had heard the girl shout over to him with both questions and her name. Ukiyo. Pretty, but not a name that he had heard on a previous occasion. Sounded something like Ushiyo, someone whom he'd known for awhile, before hearing of her departing of Konoha. Sad time that was, as he gently brought his hand down to his chest, clutching his vest tightly. Bastards... He turned his body to mirror hers as he lightly jumped from the river bank before jumping off the surface of the water to reach the other side. Why put effort into getting to the other side?

"So many questions. My name is Kenta Sarutobi, and as to why I am here, I'm here to stay away from the Kage. I've shirked my duties this long, I'm sure I can last a little more." He shrugged as he took several steps closer to her, but still keeping his distance. Even if she was sitting in Konohagakure village area, that never meant that she was really from there. She could have simply sauntered through and into the village. Hell, she could even be a spy! How was he to know any better? Damn it Kenny...you can try to be a little more trusting... He scolded himself, closing his eyes as they arched inward in annoyance. Opening his eyes again, he cocked his hip to the side before resting his free hand on it.

"Anyway, how about you? What business do you serve here might I ask?" He replied. Only fair to throw the same questions back to her. She was probably as cautious as he was...then again, maybe not. He couldn't tell for sure, her body language was all over the place. Maybe she was nervous? Or was she just socially awkward? Damn it! I'm thinking too much into this situation. He shouted to himself, his face turning blank as his right eyebrow twitched, a small vein throbbing on the top right side of his forehead.

The boy seemed a little on edge. He answered her questions nonchalantly, but there was something strange about his speech. It almost seemed manipulated, as if covering how he truly felt. This bothered Ukiyo, as she hated people who weren't straightforward. However there was one thing she did like about it. Ukiyo grinned at the mention of "Kage" and the boy's lack of work. Her expression grew lighter as he then prodded her for answers, and she could tell this was a more genuine side of the boy. Her voice was gentle with a calm joy pronounced in each word,

I'm just here to relax, enjoy the river a bit while the weather is still nice. She then looked down at the grass as she continued in a now playful, mischievous tone, You say you're avoiding the Hokage, eh? Well you must be quite the unlucky one to run into me then. Ukiyo looked back to the boy with a devilish grin, I mean, I am one of his personal guards. She began walking slowly towards him, her feet daintily tip-toeing across the grass. Now how do you think Takeshi-sama would feel if I told him we had such an apathetic shinobi? She drew closer, her arms now raising to compliment her speech as her eyes remained locked. I think he would be most disappointed, don't you? As she closed in, only a few feet away, Ukiyo's grin curled up her cheeks and her eyes reached the peek of their excitement, closing instinctively. Now what do you think he'd have me do with you?

1056

Wait, whatwhatwhat? One minute she was absolutely fine, the next minute she turns into some sort of...demonic being? What was with the sudden change in demeanor? Maybe she was Bi-Polar? Oh crap, he was dealing with a lunatic now? Of all the days to have to deal with such a thing, it had to be now. This girl just happened to be part of the Kage's guard Squadron. Why in the name of hell, did he have to run into this girl, of all people? He grunted and narrowed his eyes as she continued to speak and move towards him, Kenta mirroring her movements as he stepped back away from her. Did she plan on catching him and turning him in?

"Hold on a second, why does this make me look like a criminal?!" He whispered to himself, sliding on his black trench coat effortlessly as he continued to stride backwards. However, she had brought up an interesting question: What would the kage order her to do? Certainly not kill, as that would have been too extreme for a lazy ninja. Then again, he hadn't ever properly met this kage, so there was the possibility. Maybe fight to prove that he was still worthy of being a ninja? He grunted and lowered his head a little. I haven't time for this! He growled to himself. All he had wanted to do was to take a nap and just chill!

"Well, this was an unexpected turn of events. So tell me, what would the kage order you to do with me? Hmm? He questioned, his almost luminescent yellow eyes locked on to her ecstatic gaze. He readied himself, for any outburst that she might throw at him. He wasn't going to be off guard, especially with the way that she was acting around him.

Ukiyo giggled as she opened her eyes to watch him step back, his expression rapidly becoming concerned. Aw, he's so squirmy! How cute; maybe I should play with him...just a little. The boy drummed up what courage he could find and inquired as to what she meant. He was fishing for a way out of this, hoping to play it off cool. She could see he was worried, though. Clearly her association with the Hokage hadn't gone unnoticed and he was, again, concealing his true feelings. Ukiyo continued giggling, not sure what to do with him. We could play with him, but Takeshi-sama hates it when I try to have fun. Hm, I guess it doesn't matter. He seems upset enough that the Hokage might find out about his slacking, I highly doubt he'd have the nerve to run and report me to him. As she walked forward, and Kenny backed up the respective distance, Ukiyo vanished before her foot could touch the ground again. She reappeared behind the boy, who bumped into her as he tried to back up. Ukiyo poked the back of his head, giggling again.

Well, she said joyfully, perhaps if you can entertain me for a bit, he'll never have to know. Ukiyo made two hand signs and prepared herself for the worst. She hoped the boy got her message from the fact that Ukiyo just used her jutsu; such careless flaunting of which was often looked down upon. She felt her stomach flutter, excitement filling it as she wondered what techniques this boy might have. She hadn't trained in a long while. Well, not against another shinobi anyway. The animals of Hi no Kuni lost their appeal years ago, when Ukiyo awakened her kekkei genkai, and good fights were hard to come by these days. Come on, come on. Give me a show.

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Chakra: 280/300:

"Her actions...what's with her all of a sudden? She's...!" He said to himself, before abruptly stopping as he watched her disappear out of sight. What the hell!? He'd seen techniques that'd allow the enemy vanish, but not as simply as this! However, each time he had encountered this kind of situation, they always had an attack waiting for him. At the same point as he was prodded in the head, he turned to match eyes with the girl before jumping backwards with all his strength, his jump making it look as if he had simply glided backwards, his toes barely touching the ground as he slowed to a halt. He was now a good several meters away from the girl.

"That was pretty quick...I wonder if i could persuade you to share your knowledge on that...technique at a later date." He shouted over to her, a small smile growing on his face as he cracked his knuckles and back, limbering up for the fight ahead of him. That jump alone could have caused him to sprain one of his ankles or something. That was too risky a move for him. However, she did say she'd keep quiet if he could provide her with an interesting fight. Was he willing to give up on such a tasteful offer? Or was she simply lying through her teeth...? Either way, Kenta had gotten a little riled up so he was more than happy to oblige by.

"Fair enough then...Although, I don't suppose you are willing to talk this through and in a civilized manner?" He asked, shrugging as he readied a jutsu, the tips of finger glowing a faint blue glow. He was ready to counter the girl and her advances. It'd be some time till she could use that jutsu, surely. For now, he'd just have to play the defensive and see what she had to offer.

Word Count: 1291/2000

Ukiyo watched as the boy slid back, putting a few meters between them. She stood up straight as he spoke,

"That was pretty quick...I wonder if i could persuade you to share your knowledge on that...technique at a later date." She chuckled at his request; Ukiyo had never taught her techniques to anyone before, let alone to a stranger she just met. He was quite confident in the face of someone he couldn't even keep his eyes on. "I don't suppose you are willing to talk this through and in a civilized manner?" The boy asked after having cracked his knuckles and back, preparing to fight. Ukiyo grinned at the suggestion, Oh, come on now. Where's the fun in that? Her eyes closed again, letting out a giggle. The boy was awfully cute at being coy, but it wouldn't have any effect on Ukiyo. She had already decided she wanted to play with him, so words would get him nowhere.

She opened her eyes a sliver, then said happily, And begin. As soon as she said it, Ukiyo was off. She dashed towards Kenny at an incredible speed with her arms back. She closed the gap between them in an instant, and before he knew it, Ukiyo was merely a foot away. She swung her right arm around in an arc in an attempt to grab Kenny's left arm, while at the same time jabbing her left hand forward towards his chest. Her left hand was open and flat, aiming to hit him in his lungs with an open-palm strike. If she succeeded in grabbing his right arm, Ukiyo would hit him with her left hand, pull him downward towards the ground with her right, then strike him again in the same place with her left palm again. If they all landed successfully, it would result in Kenny being forced to the ground beneath Ukiyo and she would kneel on his chest to taunt him.

1706

Kenta watched as the girl began to giggle, replying to his request. Apparently she was past the line of civil manner...unless she was simply itching for a fight. Perhaps she's not had a fight in awhile? He thought to himself as the girl changed in demeanor. Kenta knew what was to happen next.
"Well...we could avoid pointless confrontation?" He joked as he readied himself for her.

Watching her charge for him, he braced himself as she launched a grab and a punch-like attack for his chest. At this range, he could launch several maneuvers to either repel her attacks, block or interrupt. Although, the thoughts that were going through his mind resulted in the girl being torn apart...Fuuton is a fickle element. If he wanted to use such jutsu, he'd need to wait until he wasn't in the vicinity of the blast radius. He couldn't risk being torn up by his own jutsu. That would just simply be stupid for him to do as a shinobi of the leaf. However, he only had a few moments to react to the girls advances as his adrenaline began to pump through his body.

Narrowing his eyes, he quickly shifted his feet backwards, moving his body out of reach from the girls attempt to grab and smack. He wasn't going to get taken out that easily! As he moved back, he clasped both his palms together in front of his chest for a second, before thrusting them straightforward at the girl who was only a foot or so away from him. As he thrust his palms out to her,the air around him began to distort and propel off at a ferocious speed, a powerful stream of air heading straight for her. A simple jutsu, but effective in close quarter combat like this.

Chakra:245/260:

The boy drifted back a bit as Ukiyo made her advance, her hands sweeping through thin air. She grinned, At least he'll last a few minutes. As her foot began to step forward to fill in the gap between them, she noticed the boy clasp his hands together and began holding the pose. Ukiyo didn't hesitate when she saw him even prepare to make a handsign, she knew better. Last time she was in close quarters and someone was able to land a jutsu on her, the match ended quickly. She wasn't about to make the same mistake twice, and her training in speed would make short work of that. Luckily, the boy's jutsu appeared to take a little time to prepare, giving Ukiyo more than enough time to evade. Using the foot that was about to be planted, Ukiyo pressed backwards against the dirt and flipped herself upside-down as if to make a hand stand. Instead, her hands dived fluently into the earth bellow, rubble emerging around her hands as they slipped into a crack and pulled her body down with them. In less than a second, she was gone, with nothing left of her besides a petite hole. Ukiyo heard the wind thrashing around outside as she tunneled towards Kenny. Futon, eh? Shouldn't be too difficult... She knew he was in the middle of his jutsu, and with any luck her escape would've been concealed by it as well. Now's my chance- Ukiyo quickly positioned herself directly beneath him, then plunged her hand up through the ground. Her hand would try to grab Kenny's ankle and drag him beneath the earth if successful. If unsuccessful, however, Ukiyo would use the hand to pull herself up and out of the ground quickly, placing her back on her feet by the time Kenny finished dodging. 

2020

Chakra: 270/300: