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As Akira was training with Orimara Hanzo, Orimara Hanzo understood that it would soon be time for that generation to soon step back and allow the next generation to rule. One such ninja of this next generation was preparing to become a ninja. He was not your average ninja. He was more of a weapons man. Normally he would be heavily armed, but at this point he was not. In fact, a complete rarity, he was not carrying any weapons what so ever. Of course there was really no reason to be carrying weapons on this day. He would be well protected on this day.

1

I feel the need to bring your attention to another ninja of this new generation. Another ninja. This time a young one from the Clan of Orimara. However, this young one was born without light. This young one of the branch family is not as heavily armed as her counterpart mentioned above, but she was every bit as dangerous. Or at least she had every potential to be as dangerous as her bakuhatsu counterpart. However that will be left to be seen until much later. Now the pair of them are preparing to enter the academy. Something that is important.

2

The young one from the Bakuhatsu clan is presently getting awoken from a deep sleep by someone who means a lot to him. A sister, a mother, someone who at treating the young Bakuhatsu with care. He gets out of bed somewhat slowly. He knows that he has time. However he needs to get work done in the iron works before he can leave to go to the academy today. That is actually how these two people met. The Bakuhatsu man was filling an order for a special staff for a Orimara clansmen. She was that clansmen.

3 Ranmaru Bakuhatsu Henge No Jutsu

The staff was a present from Hattori Hanzo because of her training with the man. A runner was sent to the Bakuhatsu Clan to give the order to the weapon smiths. It was by shear luck that Ranmaru was the person who was given the order. He was skilled in forging weapons. Even for Bakuhatus standards he was good at what he did. The order was difficult but Ranmaru had it completed in record time. Then it only was a few days later when he met the young lady who he made the staff custom made for. She was quite a looker.

1

Onishi Orimara walked into the place looking humble enough but she might as well have owned the place by the way she carried herself. She was just so sure in her own skills that it was just weird. However, I digress. Their meeting was short and brief. Still that was then and this is now. They would soon have another fated meeting. This time when they make their way to the academy. They will not know at that point that they would be working together for a good long time after that. All one can say is that business is trying hard to pick up.

2

Now to today. Ranmaru stopped off at a ramen stand near the center of the village. This would be the same ramen stand where Ichigo Ichazuki and Valkyrie Mayonaka first met Akira Orimara before going to the academy. This would also be the place where Ranmaru Bakuhatsu and Onishi Orimara would meet and start talking like they are both close friends and stuff. Though true friendship will soon come, it is not at that level now. Now they wait. They wait for a time to shine. However I seem to be digressing as i always seem to do.

3 Onishi Orimara Henge No Jutsu

Kozumi hung from the tree branch his knees locked around the sturdy limb as he stretched his hand out trying to grasp something just out of his reach, a strange flower, blue on its outer rim, but strangely changing to a buttercup yellow midway through in the petals. His fingers just brushed the delicate outer petals with the most of gentle touches, still out of reach of plucking it from it’s perch. “KOZUMI!” the rattled academy student lost his grip on the branch above him and tumbled downward crashing through several tree branches before striking the ground with a bone jarring thud. He was rolling around on the ground wailing hideously in a very non ninja fashion, he stopped as he noticed the flower floating downward. “Sensei! Was it really necessary to yell at me like that? I could have gotten bruised and then what would have happened, if my perfectly immaculate skin had gotten all bruised, I don’t know what I do…. Probably die or something of that nature,” he spoke this while intently watching the flower floating down towards him until he could reach up and let it float gently into his palm. It twirled around his fingers as he examined every aspect of the flower before reverently placing it in his hair giving him a slightly more feminine look then before. “Simply because, YOU DON”T EVER TRAIN!” the voice called out to Kozumi from the forest around him. “Now it is time for your final test to determine if you are even worthy to be called a shinobi of the Hidden Waterfall.” The day had finally arrived, it was finally time to show his sensei all the different skills that he had secretly been working on improving day in and day out.

“Now the rules are pretty simple, touch me and then you pass, ready? Begin.” Kozumi was caught a bit off guard with the sudden challenge, but a ninja had to be ready for just about anything so it would have to be now. He slipped a slim elegantly decorated kunai from his sleeve. He spun in a tight circle looking for his sensei. Now if he was his sensei then where would he be? He lashed out back with the hand clutched around his kunai and was surprised to feel the air shift as his Sensei dodged out of the way. “Good, but not good enough.” His sensei skipped back a few steps, he was allot more agile then Kozumi, but then again he was blind, but that didn’t seem to hinder him in the least. Kozumi charged forward and as his sensei slashed at him with a sword that seemed to appear from almost nowhere Kozumi leaped up and over his teacher clearing him in a series of flips. He hit the ground moving his foot immediately sweeping out to take his sensei’s feet from out from under him. His sensei evaded his attack leaping up and delivering a powerful kick to Kozuki’s chest sending him flying back into the bushes with tremendous force. Kozumi coughed slightly the attack taking a bit of a toll on him. “SENSEI!!! F@#KIN DAMNIT I BETTER NOT HAVE A BRUISE!” Kozumi was angry and this was nothing compared to the fury that was unlocked when some actual physical damage was incurred by the body of Kozumi. Kozumi leaped out of the bushes with more kunai in hand. He launched one after another at his sensei none seemed to be coming anywhere close to actually hitting his sensei. More and more kunai began to litter the ground. “Gotcha now sensei!” Kozumi grinned, “Ha. You’re not even close to hitting me with those weak throws it’s going to take you years at the pace that you are moving. I foresee you never even graduating from this academy and staying an academy student for the rest of your life.” The long diatribe about Kozumi’s failure was his teachers downfall as the long fuse burned out on the tag behind his sensei attached to kunai that had come in with all the others. At the last second he cut through the fuse and smiled. “Ok I think you’ve demonstrated your skill you pass.”

Momiji woke up with the morning sun in his face. He looked at his clock, "Damn! I got to go!" He hopped up and quickly changed his clothes and was out the door. He finally made it too the academy. He stumbled through the classroom door, "Huff, huff, sorry Iruka sensei." " Thats fine Momiji, take a seat." Momiji hurried and sat down. "Okay class today we will be learning the henge no justsu, the art of transformation. For this technique you use your chakra to alter your apperance, so that you look like someone else." "Momiji you're up!", Iruka called to him.Momiji ran down the stairs. "Yes sensei.", he replied. "All right, make a copy of me.", Iruka said with a serious look, wondering how Momiji was going to do. "Hmph.", Momiji said, preparing himself. Momiji closed his eyes and made his hand sign. He readied his chakra. "Henge no jutsu!", he exclaimed. The cloud of smoke cleared and there he stood in a near perfect double of Iruka, except for some disscoloring. "Thats good for your first try Momiji." Iruka said with a grin. Momiji had the look of dissapointment in his face. "Next!", Iruka yelled. Momiji called out, "No! Wait, let me try again! I know you can do it." Iruka dissaproved, "Momiji, you did fine. Yours was the closest in this class, but if you really want to then see me after school." Momiji bowed, "Thank you sensei." Momiji went back to his seat. After the bell rang, everyone left, except Momiji and Iruka. "Ok, you can try again.", Iruka said. "Right.", said Momiji. He prepared himself. "Henge no jutsu!", Momiji yelled. The smoke cleared and this time there was a perfect look a like. "Perfect! I'm impressed.", Iruka said, smiling. "Yes! I did it!", Momiji yelled in joy, jumping in the air. "Well, see you in class tomorow.", Iruka told him as Momiji walked out the door. "Bye sensei!", he yelled back. "Now that that was done he was out of here."

Sitting down reading a book on shinobi history waiting for our chunin advisor to show up to class, classmates teasing me in the background. Twenty minutes late our advisor, Master Maki, arrives with the smell of something foul, I don't know what. The day begins and we study basic arts and weapon training we will be required to know when we are genin and higher. The classes pass be slowly because many students don't understand the simpler arts that they make us practice in the ninja academy. All the students are required to show their progress, which is displayed right before lunch. During our lunch hour kids play around and do as they please, I however finish lunch in 5 minutes and begin to read or practice basic ninja arts for both kunochi and my normal class. Today Ibiki san helped me with mind games, so I can tourture people when I'm in the Abu Black Ops. After Ibiki leaves and the bell rings I go to my kunochi classes, that torture me so much.

Henge No Jutsu 1/3

In our kunochi classes we do many flower arrangements and learn how to survive in enemy teritory. Lady Aboshi teaches us. When we display our flower arrangement I finish my shinobi history and started a book on Advanced Stratigies because i understand the equations and thought process needed to read and understand the book. Towards the end of our kunochi classes I present my floral arrangement and earn an easy A. As I walk to my final class of the day, I hear a commotion outside and look to see what it is. It turns out that it's just a bit of rucus and continue to my final hour of the day. The class goes by quickly and soon I am walking home with my head in my book, still able to avoid every obsticle. I hear the chunin exames are being held today in the arena, so I decide to have a look. The battles I see are in the final stages and are intense as chunin or jonin battles are. After the battles only three become chunin and I walk home alone in the hussle and bussle of our village. At home I'm happy to get rest.

Henge No Jutsu 2/3

But my rest doesn't come and I have to help the neighbors get their cat, fluffy, off the roof because their son, who is a ninja, is on a mission. The cat runs from me so I have to chase fluffy. The dumb cat was fast and I didn't want to hurt her so it took me three hours to catch the dumb thing. Once I caught the cat she kept on scraching me. It took fifteen minutes to walk home with fluffy. My neighbors thanked me. I had to clean up because Ibibki doesn't want me to get the bed to dirty so I wash up and clean the scraches on my arm with some parocside, so it won't get infected. Some are bleeding so I wrap some gauze and tape so they don't get the bed bloody. After all the exitement I can't fall asleep, so I grabbed Advanced Stratigies book. I read deep into the night and finished the book but I still wasn't able to sleep. After lying awake for a few more hour I driftes into a light sleep because it was light I awoke to every noise I herd.

Henge No Jutsu 3/3
Henge No Jutsu Complete

The next day starts as early as the last, this time Miru even gets up without the aid of breakfast. Kiru gets ready for class before warming him something up for breakfast while Miru cleans up. After the normal daily routine in the dorms, Kiru and Miru begin their walk to the class room where the first test is going to be held. The class is fairly empty as the brothers sit down and look over who is here. Miru stretches and looks over the room, ”Hmm…I wonder how many will pass this lesson?” Kiru looks over the group as more students enter, ’I’d say…Most of these and a few of the ones that come in later...Your bets?” Miru laughs, ”I figured you would say they, but honestly for this test you maybe right but for the finals I predict two.” Kiru shakes his head and taps the desk, ”Two? Wonder who they are.” The instructor walks in and the chatter stops as he looks over the class.

1/4 Art of Replacement

The instructor clears his throat and look at a paper in his hands, ”Class today you are going to be tested on the use of the Replacement technique. You are allowed to use what ever you may like to replace yourself with, just keep in mind that smaller objects are much easier than the larger one.” After the announcement the instructor starting calling them up one at a time to show their skill, or lack though of the technique. Some of them are fairly decent being able to replace them selves with the normal logs, chairs in the class, and some even use animals. Miru smirks at the use of animals almost like he had an idea. Though as time progressed, Miru’s smirk fades as gets bored of watching and actually wants to do.

2/4 Art of Replacement

”Kon, Kiru…Your up then it will be Kon, Miru’s turn.” The Instructor called out before Kiru stood up and walked up to the front of class. He bows to the instructor and before doing a quick hand seal and vanishing in a cloud of smoke while at the same time Miru is engulfed in a cloud of smoke as well. When the smoke clears Miru stands where Kiru once did and Kiru is in the back of the class with his feet up on the desk, ”Your turn brother…try not to show me up.” Miru smirks before bowing to the instructor then he gives a quick hand seal before he too is replaced but this time there is a sheet of paper floating to the ground, ”I didn’t want to lose my chair.”

3/4 Art of Replacement

After Kiru and Miru’s turn in the test everything went around the same it was going before, more of the students passed the test than Kiru thought would. After a few hours the class was over the then next test was scheduled for the next day, this test was on the Hedge no Jutsu. After the announcement, the instructor dismisses the class allowing the students to leave the academy. Kiru and Miru sigh as they walk out of the class and towards the dorms, ”That test was just too easy…I hated it. And by the way why paper that was lazy of you.” ”lazy? Guess so but it beats what I planned originally…a smoke bomb,” Miru retorts as he look over to his brother, ”I have a spar today going to watch?” Kiru simply shakes his head and yawns, ”I plan in doing some meditations before dinner.” Miru shrug and rests his hands behind his head, ”As you wish, brother. I’ll make it a really good fight then.”

4/4 Art of Replacement

As Kiru enters the dorm, Miru stops and looks over the area with a smirk, ”SO where is my challenger?...” A child from Hidden Craftsman steps up; behind he stand three more Hidden Craftsman nin. Miru smirked, ”Seeing as my brother isn’t here to help me out, I only fight one on one.” ”Sounds reasonable to me…I’ll be you’re your sparring partner Sound ninja,” to the point that seemed to be the style to this ninja his name, Ryu the Tiger. Miru smirks and draws his knuckle blades while Ryu unsheathes the broadsword on his back. The two ninja seem to have a stare down neither moving an inch as they try to estimate the others first move.

1/3 Sparring

Ryu makes the first move as he leaps in the air before coming down with a quick strike aimed to disable Miru’s left arm. Miru has just enough time to throw his hands in the air and catch the blade with his knuckle blades, ”Seems your fast. I’m Miru, and I promise to defeat you.” Ryu smirks, ”Miru, eh? I’m Ryu and I’ll bring you to your knees.” And it is this friendly bantering that makes these fights for Miru. Soon the fighting picks up as Miru pushes the broadsword up and slides out from under it, followed by running in and giving Ryu a flurry of blows that he can only blow using his broadsword. After the barrage, Ryu lifts his sword, giving it a quick spin, before he lays a second hand on the hilt and swings down, ”Blazing Entity!” Miru dodges the blade then notices the line of fire coming at him. Acting quickly Miru bites his thumb and does a quick flurry of hand seals, ”Rashoumon!”

2/3 Sparring

The line of fire hits the Rashoumon that was summoned and Miru steps out behind it, ”Very tricky, but I’ll be more cautious of that weapon now.” Ryu props the broadsword over his shoulder, ”Well. Nice defense you have there. Blazing Entity didn’t even scratch it.” Miru smirks and darts in seeing if he can exploit Ryu’s awkward stance, but to no luck as Ryu twirls to one side and has his broadsword ready in the next instant. Ryu then runs in giving a solid downward strike as Miru parries with one hand and runs down the blade to Ryu. Unable to react to this strategy, Ryu finds the free knuckle blade at his throat, ”I subside, you win.” Miru smiles and lowers the blade, ”Well you are fun to spar, maybe we can have a real match next time.” ”I look forward to it my friend.” Ryu smiles and he places the broadsword on his back and walks away with the other Hidden Craftsman ninja.

3/3 Sparring

While Miru is having his fun outside, Kiru is in his room sitting on the floor and taken shallow breaths as he tries to calm his frantic mind. This is his last resort to save him from his own nightmares. Kiru sighs softly as his eyes close, ”Calm yourself. Clear your mind. Relax.” He continues to relax as his breathing slows and he can feel his mind pushing back his thoughts. Soon Kiru is in a meditative state that could be easily interrupted by any outside interference. The mind being washed clean of thoughts as Kiru now focuses on one thing, his dream. In this he admits to detail everything without any interference and a clear mind.

1/3 Meditation

Kiru can clearly see his dream now. Every detail of it, its not that there were no other students or instructors, from his new clear and birds eye perspective it is easy from him to see that they all dismissed to their respected villages. He even sees the Otakage fighting the threat in his own village so his fears are greatly reduced. What about his brother, why was he not in the first dream. This answer was simple, Kiru simply didn’t dream his brother the first time. He was confident is his own abilities and forgot the first rule of the clan; In times of danger allows keep your brother close for if he is killed or captured then you to shall feel the pain he does. Suddenly the whole world below Kiru cracks and shatters as from outside there is a loud sound that reminds Kiru of earth scraping earth.

2/3 Meditation

Kiru runs to the window and looks out to see a Rashoumon getting hit by fire, ”Seems Miru is having a lot of fun.” He then notices the one with the broadsword fighting against Miru, he also sees the other three Hidden Craftsman standing in the back and watching, ”Must be Broadsword’s friends.” Kiru remains at the window as he watches the last few moves of the fight then he saw something he rarely sees, Miru smiling. This must have been a fun match seeing that Miru had to use a Rashoumon and now he is smiling. He notices Miru heading in so he moves away from the window and sits back on the floor now pretending to meditate.

3/3 Meditation

Naniyori took his stance in the Academy, preparing to practice his final arts so that he could measure his effectiveness in battle. He wanted to let them know that he was noble, truthful and that he had the skills to provide for the Miyanari clan even if all other warriors failed. Stealth wasn't his key point, and he was often reprimanded for it, but what he lacked in the shinobi arts he could make up with his skills in other areas. Still, he'd been practicing, and he was sure that he was ready to practice one of the more common and yet unequivocally useful skills that he'd been attempting to master since he entered the Academy; something that, while easy for many others he imagined, was extremely hard for someone with as little focus as he and with equally small tact in the matters. His hands went through the basic motions, and he felt the chakra he often attempted to tap into begin to flow through him under his dominion. He struck the hand signal, and it released as he had planned...opening his eyes, he saw that he had succeeded at last in one of the more divine arts he had yet to overcome. "Hm, nothing more than what I would expect of myself. Perhaps next time I should try something larger..." In his place, under the art that he had practiced, he had left a small piece of wood, the item he had mimicked for only a moment. It was too generic for what he would probably use when he had more practice, but it had been the only thing accessible at the time and he wanted to make sure that he could do it with an object that was not small, but rather heavy enough that he would be providing himself enough of a challenge with the flow he had to control in order to practice the art that he had used. Deciding that he had enough of the art, he smirked once more and let the Henge no Jutsu go, mastered as best he had.



Naniyori looked up towards the sky, pondering silently if he would truly be able to honor those he had sworn to serve just by mastering the arts that he long had. He preferred the use of a blade and open, brutal combat, but instead the master of the stealth skills was required to be a ninja and, if he was to be accepted into his own clan once more, he had to learn as much as possible. He regretted that if he did not then he would bring dishonor onto them, but he knew that it was not his place to ruin the entire history of their family, and thus he would have to graduate from the Academy soon or he would be discharged with an insulting failure instead of the honorable graduate he hoped for. Lowering his eyes once more, he began to practice the basic skill that he had been taught for substitution, keeping in mind that it was an art that his village might find as increasingly acceptable compared to many of the others that he could learn in the Academy. He remembered a variation of it he had seen in their home, and he knew that this was most likely the first step in mastering the skill as well. He raised his hands, allowing for the fluid motions that he had practiced before, and closed his eyes for only a moment as he felt the rhythm that was required to practice properly. As he opened them, he felt the final motion and the clone formed from the Bushin no Jutsu formed before him, its appearance as it had been described in every way despite his normal inability to master such skills using his chakra. It was a proud boost to his spirit, as he sighed and smirked, realizing that he could in fact perform the arts that he had never chosen for himself, and thus he still held hope of becoming one of the mighty shinobi of their time.



Now that he'd practiced the art of transforming himself into something else, an art that provided for excellent sabotage, and the art of copying himself and providing for the enemy's own confusion, he knew that he would have to make one that was more interesting to him in the shape of substitution. He'd seen the art during his training, but he hadn't attempted to master it yet, and he knew that if he was going to be as brazen and open in his tactics as he was, then he would have to learn to defend himself using such an art, when his body was left open for strikes. Naniyori looked at a point nearby, knowing that he would have to focus when he began to train the art that he was planning on learning at last. The green haired man sighed, before closing his eyes and focusing once more...he could see the area that was around him clearly in his mind. The open training ground, providing for him to practice properly and without fail, and the area before him where he had planned to 'escape' to when he used the art that he was now on. Substitution wasn't difficult for many, but for someone as inept at using certain skills at he it would require effort to learn how to do this. He could feel the flow of chakra, remembering the studies he had once heard...knowing that he would have to master the replacement in a way unique to his body, and thus disappear as the wind while also appearing as clearly as the day. Naniyori opened his eyes, throwing down a piece of wood and substituting himself quickly as he had been taught when you were performing the art. He stood for a minute, breathing heavily as he had been focused that intently into his practice, refusing to move from his current position. As he began to relax every muscle in his body separately, allowing himself to ignore the intensity he had put into his own training, he began to turn around, barely glancing past his shoulder. Surely enough, there was a piece of wood back where he had been standing, and he had managed to switch from where he had been to where he had focused in his mind, performing the art with a level of success. He let a grin of satisfaction reach his face again, knowing that graduating would be no problem with such practice under his belt. He would succeed where others had failed.



Naniyori was reminded of the time in the past, when he had last spoken with his master and one of the heads of the Miyanari clan, and sighed as he remembered the words that had been passed onto him from all of the knowledge of the ages. It was the last time he'd been to see the old man before he came to the Academy to finish his practice, and even now the image was still clear in his mind of all the events that transpired the night, when the words of the elder had been spared on his young disciple about what it would take to honor the clan that he had sworn to defend from harm. 'You will be given the job of defending the Hidden Cloud, which dwells far from sources of pain. We will never be free of guilt from attributing to the sorrows of the world, but with a strong leader we may be able to minimize what distraught strikes our own people. You will never be entrusted with this mission; you are a failure in all the arts of secrecy that I have attempted to teach you, and I can no longer stand the thought that you might be given a hand in our village's control. You will be sent to the Academy, where you are given your last chance to redeem the family honor. However, you will never see the ruler of this village, and he will always be beyond you. Now go; be gone from my sight.' Naniyori sighed, reminded of the shame which the master had attempted to place upon him. It was true, that he had no idea who led their clan now, and that if there was a leader of the Hidden Cloud village he would never be graced with their presence. Still, there was someone who had faith in him, and he was willing to return if only to prove himself to the village and to provide his services to he who had inspired him to continue his training. He remembered the village quite clearly in his mind, and even now he could feel the electricity that seemed to bounce amongst its inhabitants, figuratively despite their actual nature and the arts they had long practiced as a standing tradition of the Hidden Cloud village. Naniyori remembered hearing about the legendary skills with the blade that his clan had mastered, and he was willing to work towards one day obtaining such a mastery so that he could put his own weapon to use; he had never learned the arts of the Hidden Cloud village, but if he could learn swordsmanship then he would be simultaneously learning an art he had been commissioned for and he would be providing for his own standard of fighting with a sword in head on combat instead of the normally secretive ways they performed. Looking at a wall nearby, he was reminded of a basic skill of the Academy and smirked, ready to put it to use so that he knew how they were performed when his master had performed it before. He could tell that he was still under surveillance, because the teacher had been the one who left every object he required for the mastery of the skills so far...he had not brought a single piece of wood, nor any other objects. Running towards the wall, Naniyori let out a yell as he focused on the skills he had been taught by the teacher, running up the verticle surface as he performed the Tree Climbing technique at last using his own chakra, proving himself capable of the technique. It was one of the few arts he had sworn to master before he graduated, to prove he had a better understanding now...



"Very well done, Naniyori..." Spoke Kaoru, stepping out from the shadows. Naniyori turned, grinning. "Thank you for your teachings. I have performed everything you asked of me, with the exception of one..." Kaoru nodded, accepting Naniyori as a student no longer. Kaoru turned, walking out of the area that Naniyori had been training in, and past the green area that grew around. Ahead of him was a small body of water, and Naniyori waited and watched as his master slowly walked to the edge, knowing that most would assume him to stop; however, for a master of the ninjutsus he was well aware that there was no break in his path, and that Kaoru noticed the path before him as solidly as it might have been cement. Naniyori watched his master step onto the liquidy surface, not even a ripple forming on the pristine surface...and Naniyori was reminded that he would have to use this art in the battles to come, if they were to exist. Kaoru turned, and Naniyori paused only a moment as his master extended a hand, giving a dark and sly smile as he did so. "If you come to me, here, then your training is complete. That is all..." Naniyori did not sigh or whine, having foreseen this final skill as a natural technique he would have to master if he were to become a shinobi worthy of Hidden Cloud. Naniyori extended his foot, stepping forward onto the surface as he focused his chakra, reminding himself that it would be necessary to let the flow be as natural as it was when he had performed the other feats before then. The foot stepped, and although a small ripple formed underneath he was able to maintain the strengthened footing, and knew that he had at last been able to accomplish the skill that he had been waiting on when he first entered the Academy. It was one of the most difficult, and with the resolve to master it under his belt, he had managed to complete the training. He took a few more steps towards his master and folded his arm, grinning. "Very well then...you have completed the training. I can only hope...you don't forget what it means, and what these skills are meant for. That is all the craft I have for you...goodbye." Naniyori nodded, realizing at last that he would be sent forth from the Academy, having the approval of those who had once been his teachers as a full fledged shinobi. "Thank you..." He would normally struggle with such words, but his teacher he felt fully indebted to, and this was one time when he could let the words pass freely. Turning, Naniyori walked back towards the training facility, his feet meeting hard earth again, and once there he stepped towards his original spot. Embedded there was his large sword, and upon grabbing it he stepped through the door and left the area of the Academy that he had long used for his private practice. He was ready to return and make himself a notable shinobi, so that he could be the proudest member of the Hidden Cloud village that he had once come from. He was willing to protect one person that he had felt indebted to, but more importantly he had salvaged the family name that he felt he had almost destroyed, and he was going to provide many honors in the name of his people by the edge of his blade and the skills that he had long struggled to learn so that he could aid their race. He was, therefore, a warrior whose life was only the blade of a higher power, and his might was the cutting edge that would shred his enemies.