The sun was setting from the sky of the village hidden in the stone and casting a silhouette that was truly a thing of beauty across the buildings and roads of Iwagakure no Kato. The hustle bustle of the regular daily life routines of the people of the stone village was slowing down as the day came to a close and the sounds of people entering their houses, mothers yelling for their children to come back inside and wash up for dinner, and hundreds of people flooding the streets to either make their ways home from work, or get into the bars and clubs, were rising over the village. Normally Shigeki Kanetsu would have loved to be a part of that nightlife, dawning his typical clubbing attire, which was actually him dressing up as an attractive young blonde female, and preparing to go out for a night of teasing drunk men and enjoying the rise that he could get out of them. That was what Shigeki had always been like, he had never thought that he would change out of that, but then something happened. Shigeki had a dream that changed his entire perception on life, the universe, and everything. He could remember the shadow puppeteer standing above Iwagakure no Kato with the broken Shigeki at his feet, and the vision of an empowered Shigeki standing beside the puppet master, and he knew what path he wanted to follow. From that day forth he knew what he had to do, and he had a new goal for his life…Shigeki would become a Sannin of the Stone.

He had begun to take steps on the way to his goals, focusing intently on his training and preparing for the day that he would become Sannin, taking on extra jobs around the town, making himself seem like a good choice for the position, and tonight he had decided he would take another step forward in that. He was dressed in a long black trench coat which covered a new black collared shirt he had begun wearing recently. He was still wearing his typical black leather strapped pants and boots, and his choker around his neck, and the gloves that he typically wore on his hands, but the way he presented himself was much more serious. His mid length hair fell before his eyes and fluttered in the breeze and his red eyes stared out intently over the village of Iwagakure no Kato, his back towards where his opponents would be entering, and his hands clasped behind his back. He smiled as he looked out and scanned the busy streets for any sign of the people he was waiting for but he imagined that even if they were running behind, he wouldn’t see them approach. Satoshi Kanetsu and Kazu Kanetsu were both very powerful and Shigeki was sure that if either one of them wanted to, they would be able to sneak up on him without an issue.

The last time the three of them had trained together Shigeki hadn’t been prepared for what he was walking in to. He was just a young genin starting out his career as a Shinobi and he was taking on two of the most powerful people in the village. He had no idea what was in store for him, and he was extremely grateful that Satoshi had been there to protect him in their confrontation with the Tsuchikage. He was sure that if he had done anything wrong, it would have been the end of his life and he never would have even come to know what his goal would one day be. He had chosen to challenge them at night because he had a flare for the dramatic. Lights were coming on around the cliff top, which was well lit because it was one of the preferred sightseeing spots for tourists coming into the hidden stone village. Shigeki was anxious to see what kind of abilities his clan mates were going to bring to the battle, and was also anxious to show off the ones that he had also learned recently. He was trying his best to become a truly stellar shinobi and he knew that the best way to do that was to train harder than he ever had before and impress the Tsuchikage, for if he were to impress Kazu Kanetsu, he would be one step closer to his ultimate goal of being a Sannin of the Stone.

Once he felt as though he was truly mentally prepared for the meeting ahead of him, he decided that the time had come to make his way to the ancient volcano that was on the outside of the village. The volcano was known as Xiuhcoatl’s Maw, and it had been protected by the Kanetsu clan for generations and generations. Shigeki had only ventured up there a few times in the past but he felt as though it would be the perfect place for the intense training that was to follow. He sought out the entrance to the volcano, travelling deep into its core and inhaling deeply. He could smell the sulphur and volcanic ash and it made him smile, making him feel right at home. This was the kind of place that Shigeki often thought about when he was thinking on his clan and just who he was. This was a place where, although he had never gotten along with his immediate family, he could always go to and feel at home. He imagined that the reason for this was the kekkai genkai that every Kanetsu clan mate shared, the lava release that they were famous for, but he wasn’t sure. It could possibly also have been the comradely that he had with certain members of his clan. No matter what the case was, he made his way to an area where he was overlooking the core to the not entirely dormant volcano, the intense heat blasting him as he smiled and mentally steeled himself for the fight that was to come. He turned once again and watched the entrance to the cave, awaiting the arrival of his clan mates and crossing his arms in front of his chest as he tapped his toe.

(1038)

A smile crept slowly across the closed lips of the man named Satoshi as he moved through the chilled night. His pace was rather slow, but that was simply for the purpose of mental preparation. It had been quite a while since he had seen either of the men he was about to face. One of them being Lord Tsuchikage, Kazu Kanetsu. This was a person that Sato had known for a long time, since they were Genin in fact. He could still remember that first spar they had and their first meeting along with Raishi. Those days seemed like ages ago, when in fact it had only been a few years. Nostalgia was a strange concept, but one that even Sato could embrace. It would be a interesting spar, as the last time they sparred, he focused more on the team aspect of the battle. His second combatant for the fight was the same as last time, Shigeki Kanetsu. While he hadn't seen the man in a while, word had reached his ears of the ninja incredible growth both mentally and in battle skill. This time, the spar would be different in more than one way. Satoshi looked up quietly in to the star filled darkness as the moonlight danced around him. This would be one of the few times in his life when happiness was a emotion he could feel.

Normally, a night like this would make Sato more than a bit pissed off. The sun was one of the true wonders and joys of the world, and the absence of it in the sky did nothing for his mood. However, it was the occasion at hand that kept his attitude on a positive note. His eyes shifted forward as he saw the monstrous structure of a volcano in the near distance. Around him grew the tired and barren landscape that cover most of the country. Rocks were really the only aesthetic item that decorated the ground, which was a sad thought. However, it wasn't Satoshi's focus at the moment. There was more than one reason why the fire red haired ninja was looking forward to the fight at hand. The large volcano in front of him was one of great importance to the Kanetsu. Through many times in his life, Sato had visited this place for a clan ritual or something significant. It was a glorious place with temperatures that felt like an oven. The though of that incredible warmth sent a chill down the dark brown eyes shinobi's back.

As he became closer to the black structure, he slowly felt trickles of radiant heat touch his skin, beckoning him to come closer as dad as he could. He couldn't rush in however, as he needed to save that energy for the truly legendary battle that was about to take place. His mind wondered about something. Was he to team up with Shigeki again this time? Or was there another plan in mind? He would soon find out as he stopped at the base of the volcanic mountain. His head slowly looked up as his eyes widened with anticipation. He took no time to observe its outer appearance, as the inside is what was of interest to the man. The tail to the entrance of the place he was familiar with was just ahead, so these were  the last few moments he had of relaxation. He questioned whether both of them had already arrived or not, though he doubted it. He always managed to arrive in time to take in his surrounding and plan battle strategy. He saw the jagged entrance only a few steps ahead and sighed in relief. It was time to prove his elite strength as a member of the Kanetsu clan.

As he turned the corner slowly, his eyes darted to the only person in the cave as of yet. It was Shigeki, someone who Satoshi had wanted to see again for a very long time. He nodded in the Jounin's direction with respect as he approached him. "It's good to see you again Shigeki. I heard you got promoted to Jounin. Congrats." Satoshi immediately started speaking to him with a tone that was rare. It was one of respect. That was something that a very select few people had the privilege of earning, and Shigeki had done just that. "It seems Lord Kazu will be the last one to show up. No surprise there with how busy he is." He continued as he stood beside his comrade and looked towards the entrance with him. It was now simply a matter of waiting for the final member of the core of the clan. He only hoped that haste would be in the Tsuchikage's approach, as the wait was killing him.

Doton A-S Training: 805/4000

Sprinting across the deserted lands of the Earth Country, it was truly a rare site to see the Tsuchikage outside of the village. His crimson hued lenses would fixate at the horizon as his gaze would pan upwards only to notice the black smoke that would expel from the Kanetsu treasure, the Xiuhcoatl's Maw. Indeed, this was the perfect place to train with his fellow Kanetsu, with his body in perfect condition as minimal sweat would excrete from his pores and slide down his peach skin. With a complete look of 'seriousness' the Tsuchikage would sprint at an immaculate speed, fast enough to have out run most entities in the world.

It was all thanks to his extremely powerful taijutsu prowess, and thus given the name 'The Golden Spark.' It was fairly odd to the man that he was given his epithet based on his former and now deceased sensei, the 8th Tsuchikage Arashi Nekomotze or 'The Red Spark,' but alas he was honored to have his name as great as the Tsuchikage known to clean the mess behind him with little effort. Within each stride the Tsuchikage took a new memory of his sensei would come to mind. Be patient, and wait for your opportunities, and protect your village at all costs, even if it means your life. Lord Arashi's voice who echo throughout his subconscious, and to be quite clear Kazu felt the voice of his past mentor quite comforting, enough in fact that he would bare Arashi as his role model.


It wouldn't take long for Kazu to reach the volcano, the heat alone that would expel from it's core would gleam outwards allowing a warm sensation to tingle through his body. For Xiuhcoatl's maw was one of the hottest places in the world, and the fact that it belonged to his clan only pleased the Tsuchikage even more. For he truly loved this volcano, not only was it the greatest and largest in the world, but it was a place for hope, a place for peace, and a place for self reflection. For this is the first place Kazu went to when he was titled the "The Clan Head, and Tsuchikage." Whilst adoring both titles, Kazu truly put his clan traditions before himself, and would thus have alot of work on his plate, yet clan traditions such as training with the younger clansmen would take priority over his kage duties. Today was the day he would train with Shigeki and Satoshi, both promising and versatile shinobi within Iwagakure, let alone the strongest in the Kanetsu clan. Yes, the Tsuchikage had big plans for his village, and his main priority to execute these plans would require Shigeki and Satoshi, who were both jounin rank shinobi.

It truly wasn't long since the last time he had seen them both, it would seem Shigeki would increase his shinobi ranking prowess by three tiers, and would thus lead promising, even with the rare chance of him surpassing Kazu himself. Whereas Satoshi was always a kind hearted, dangerous motherfucker. He truly was and there was no way you could possibly beat up the bush.

Noticing the two silhouettes before him, Kazu would land stationery between the two. His presence was so quick you could say only a few men in the village would notice him land affront them both. A minuscule smile would shape his lips as the Tsuchikage glared at the two individuals before him.


The Tsuchikage would walk past the two before entering a small cave at the base of the volcano, venturing through it's molten stone hallway, Kazu would drag his fingers across the heating walls whilst exclaiming to the two before him (hoping they would follow).