Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kojiro nodded, listening quietly. It all seemed rather personal, but wasn't that how someone's life was supposed to be? Well, he had a tendency to think of his according to what he had accomplished rather than the things that had happened but...

"I also inherited my father's bloodline. That, and my mother's intelligence and perseverence, or so I'm told. Basically, I mastered the basics of ninjutsu and genjutsu flat almost before I even graduated the academy. I came from a family that accomplished things, maybe not remarkable things, but I was bound to push myself just as hard. Before I was even old enough to enter the academy I would watch people to learn what I could about ninjutsu. It was high stress, and we all spent more time on missions or side jobs than at home, but the sheer size of our family; not in the way yours is, but that we had grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all living in one very large home, meant that there was plenty of closeness. But also a lot of people counting on you, or to be dissappointed as soon as you failed.

"I made gennin the first time just as I turned eight, at the top of my class by a long shot. The only thing that didn't come like second nature to me was the taijutsu, I had the best control of my chakra, a good understanding of it, and more effeciency in using it than many of the students several years older than me. I'll admit, I was proud, and I was full of myself. Even in my most minor missions, I couldn't wait to show off the stories and rewards, I pretty much lived for it. I was probably even looking at making chunnin within a year or two.

"Then there was a mission taht came up urgently. Low opposition, our targets were petty theives escaping with a man's precious peice of art, but we needed to catch them before the trail could be lost completely. Out in the woods, we followed them more or less toward the edge of the Mist's lands, toward potentially enemy ground. Still a good days trip from the border though, for them at least, we caught the theives. What we hadn't known to count on, was some wealthy merchent in the other land had already heard of the stealing of the painting and sent a team of nin to steal it from the theives. It was unexpected combat. Ultimately, we retreated, injured back Kirigakure. Most of the bruises or scratches were no issue, and even the scars didn't really bother anyone. However, in my single unlucky case..."

Kojiro reached up, and slowly untied the headband, undoing the knot and then letting it simply fall off his face to settle on his chest. A single, deep, old scar crossed through the middle of one eye, diagonally down to catch the side of another, sliding across nearly to his ear on that side, and a second scar passed through the less touched eye straight downward, carrying on from the eye and down over his cheek a little, where it's bottom would show even with the head band on. He didn't turn to his head toward her, but kept his head pointed forward. If not for the two scars crossing and sealing them shut, the healed over eyes would almost have looked closed as if he were peacefully asleep. "I was less skilled in taijutsu than the others, and younger, so this, as well as a number of less crippling scars, were a result of the conflict. Naturally, I'd lost a lot of my ability, I had to get used to living again. I couldn't perform as a shinobi anymore. The only choice was to return to my family with my injury, shame, and failure, and try to learn to live like this. I... I was miserable, and as soon as I could, I went to live on my own. And then, I enrolled myself in the academy again, later. Eventually, not more than a few months ago now... I made gennin again."

Kojiro shrugged, shifting a tad uncomfortably, and picked up a peace of dried fruit, nibbling it slowly away. "That's... about all there is to tell. They put me on a team full of nut cases, and I got lost here, alone and blind on my first mission since. Sad, isn't it?" he snorted at his own foolishness for having gotten seperated and left behind in it all.

Kojiro smiled, and almost began a chuckle before he cut himself off. "It doesn't sound odd. People envy what they don't have, and something like that would simply be expected of a ninja who falls short in one area or another, I guess. I've always wondered what it would be like if I wasn't as weak in my taijutsu as I am. Actually, I don't know if you can call it too much of anything but luck. My... well, my bloodline is a rather simple one, in that I can sense chakra exceptionally well. That, in turn, is really the reason why I was able to develope my control of it as well as I have. It comes naturally because of it. I guess... maybe it's the same for you and your taijutsu based bloodline?" he said, a tad more cheerful.

*Suddenly the dark figure emerges in the midle of the village. He looked around then saw a boy pushing through the crowd and chuckled then started to walk through the crowd punching out everyone in his way and then jumped up above the crowd and into the path of the boy and stood looking at him several feet away*

Stop running!...Your only embarassing yourself!

*He stands strait and his large 7' build towers over Kai and he smiles*

So boy .... Do you wonder what the after life is like? Well you'll find out if you don't tell me where the Fire God Scroll is...Now!

*He reach down and grabed Kai by the throat and lifted him up a few feet*

Kaida nodded, smiling with pride because she was able to help Kojiro relax a bit. Really, he seemed too tense to her. And she came from a family of eleven! "I guess so. I mean, all I've basically done is work onmy taijutsu. Not only do I apparently have a talent for it, but I find it rather fun." She shook her head. "My dad, though, he's a bit obsessed."

She cocked her head to the side. "Actually, now that I think of it, he kind of seems like one of the drunken boxer's that lived her a while ago...Rock Lee or something. I read a scroll about his teacher and team. Have you ever heard of him?" she asked.

(Collapses on the floor)

HP: 0

'Damn that guy packs a punch' I thought and sat up, "At least I was able to feign unconciousness." I head off for the Hokage