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At the disturbance the metallic ninja let out a sudden growl of discomfort, his eyes, now void of all traces of the lusting purple, where a mix of dark blue with tiny molten flecks. With one hand to firmly draw his kimono closed, the older if the two darted off to the front door, of Ibara's room, locking it all that same as the other doors. Enrobed in the sweet darkness Ya'su's eyes glowed a dirty red for a few moments after the shock, still very much uncomfortable, until he knew that it was only his dear lover in the room with him, the deep, gorgeous purple flooding back into the mix of his eyes, as the glow faded off.
With a few graceful steps the wanderer was back on the bed, his body open and vulnerable to Ibara " you were just going to get a better look at me"

As one of the clones got the life sucked out of him by the glomp, it couldnt hold it anymore. It then dissapeared in a cloud of smoke. The ohter clone jumped in a frightened fashion and jumped off the room and started running away. If Kinami found out that he was spying on her, while she was spying on someone else, something was bound to happen.

Kinami sighed dejectedly. She had hoped that hadn't been one of the clones.... She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and let it go. Wasn't as if she didn't know when she was being spied on...and really, as long as their was no bloodlust, she was fine with that. Sighing once more, Kinami wandered aimlessly, not quite ready to get back to work, but not having anything else to do.

(( stare MUST BECOME CHUUNIN!! *runs in circles* eek and how come a ton of people are also r.p.ing anbu! neutral wahmbulance ))

((nav im right there with you on wanting to be chunin thingy gonk ))

Giglamesh walks in to the village threw the southern gates wearign a large strw hat and a large tattered cloak, he had been missing for some time and told know one of where he went. But he had actuly returned to his foregin land to vist his Real sensei to show him what he has learned as basicly a progress report and he is must know returning. giglmahes walks threw the village battered and basicly hurt from the a** kicking he sensei gave him, and he contines directly in to his aparment to rest possibly for a few days as he was incredibly worn and tired from his travels and combat with his teacher. The largets reason he went was to show he had obtained his own katanas, which to ninja may not mean much but to samurai it can be considered the equilevent of being fully considered a man. Giglamesh walks in to his room and with a smile falls forewards on to his ground futon and quickly falls a sleep to rest, as soon he will catch up on his traning wich he has left out.

Roy was enjoying a rather sunny day in the village. It wasn't a day for school so he decided to do some training. He couldn't find anyone around to occupy his time and ammuse him anyway so hemight as well. He sat there for a long moment and began to think to himself.

He was sitting on the stepps to his house thinking on what kind of training should he do. Latly he's only been doing training in jutsus and martial arts. It was time for him ot get down and serious about the training of his mind. He had dreams of become a great strategist and he had to learn many things if he as to become a strategist the highest callabor. His dream was to become a strategist so skilled that barely any lives, friendly or enemy, need be lost in war. He wasn't delusional enough to believe that he could come up with plans that were perfect and free of death. He had come to terms long ago with the fact that if he got into a position where people were under him, he'd have to deal with their lives being in his hands. Of course, it always comes down to an individuals skills and capabilities but his plans would help or hender those individuals and he wanted them to be the best they could be.

So, with these thoughts firmly in mind, he headed to the library. The largest oen in all of Iwagakura. They were sure to have books and scrolls on ancient combat tactics and old battle reports he could flow over. He began to go up to the receptionist desk and asked for a reference on military books. The receptionist looked downt o him and smiled. She was a younger, very atractive woman. She smiled to him. "Mmm doing a book report little boy?"

"Not really. I'm studying." Roy replied rather matter-of-factly.

"Oh, may I help you with it? Your so cute, I don't think you'll be able to understand some of those books though."

Roy looked to the woman. What the hell did his looks ahve to do with his intellegence...well...obviously her looks were directly preportionate to her intellegence. The better she looked the dummer she was...or at least the dumber she acted. Roy simply looked to her, "No, thank you. Could you just direct me to the books?"

The woman sighs and personally leads him to a quiet section of the library. She smiles and points and Roy goes in. It was like a strategists gold mine. Shelves and shelves of text on combat in different area and under different group configurations and everything. He moved about, lost in his own little world. He decided to look for one of the oldest books and skim through it. He had completly forgotten the woman who was standing there. "Well, being that you're the Kage's special assistant, I'll give you a bit of advice. If you have any respect for yoruself as a strategist, then you wouldn't be caught dead reading anything else other than Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' first. Tooddles."

Roy had just gotten his first important lession in combat; deceit. That woman was playing him the entire time. She only pretended to be stupid and Roy realized that. He locked this information away in his mind and began to search the shelves for hte book she spoke of.

Far in the back of the shelves was a couple of older books behind a glass case. The case was unlocked and Roy slide it open. Inside were a few bamboo writting scrolls and a few older texts. He couldn't read some of them as they were in different languages but he found one he could read. "The...Art...of...War...here we go." he mumbled.

Being ever so careful with the book, he took it out of its case and moved over to the desk that was provided for people studying in that area. He had pasted it earlier and when he did, there was nothing on it. But when he turned to it this time, there was a bentio box lunch sitting there with a smilly face drawn on it. he smiled and sat down and cracked the book open.

Roy looked to the front cover of the book. It described how this book was a translation and not the direct book. The direct book was written far too long ago in a language that Roy never learned.

The opening excert of the book read

Quote:

The Art of War is a Chinese military treatise written during the 6th century BC by Sun Tzu. Composed of 13 chapters, each of which is devoted to one aspect of warfare, it has long been praised as the definitive work on military strategies and tactics of its time.

The Art of War is one of the oldest books on military strategy in the world. It is also one of the most famous studies of strategy and has had a huge influence on Eastern and Western military planning, business tactics, and beyond.

Based on the content, the book was finished between Zhuan Zhu's assassination of King Liao of Wu and Wu Zixu's recommendation to King Helü of Wu. Leaders of some of the Nation of Fire some hundreds of years ago.

The book's 13 chapters are as follows:
I. Laying Plans
II. Waging War
III. Attack by Stratagem
IV. Tactical Dispositions
V. Energy
VI. Weak Points and Strong
VII. Maneuvering
VIII. Variation in Tactics
IX. The Army On The March
X. Terrain
XI. The Nine Situations
XII. The Attack By Fire
XIII. The Use of Spies

Roy flipped through the book carefully. He had no clue how old the book was and didn't want it to fall apart in his hands. He dind't think it was THAT old but still, he couldn't be too sure. He flipped a few more times and came across several intresting facts and tidbits but they didn't make much since since he was skipping around. He decided to go back to the front of the book and start from the beginning. He knew this was going to be a long journey but it would be worth it if he could learn something of importance that could help the village.

Roy began to read through the chapters. As he went...actually before he even began, he took out his notepad and went to a part in the back. He marked it off by folding a few pages ahead of it. He titled this section "The Mini Art of War". He began to job down notes on what he found in the book.

Chapter 1 Notes: Laying Plans.

Sun Tzu said that the art of war is vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Therefore, it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.

The art of war is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations, when seeking ot determine the conditions of the field and men. The five factors are 1) The Moral Law; 2) Heaven; 3) Earth; 4) The Commander; 5) Method and discipline. ((Roy's personal thoughts will be in red.)) So even the commander takes an important role in this. I would think the men would hold a slightly higher place than the commander

The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler. This is so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger. They will follow an order if it is his wish. So this must be alot like what Kinami wanted from me and what she was telling me on the platue the day I met her.

Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons. So in other words, the environment at large and all things out of mans control.

Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passses; the chances of life and death. These are the factors that man makes. This is more associated with how I should use terrain to my advantage. I think it means also how you fight under ceratain conditions or at least how you adapt.

The commander stans for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevoluence, courage and strictness. He is the backbone of the army and shall be the reason it rises or falls.

By method and discipline; it is understood that the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditures.In other words, keeping the machine running well and precisly.

These five heads should be familiar to every general: he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not will fail. Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking to determine the military conditions, let these five be made the basis of a comparison; in this compacity, think of these things:

(1)Which of the two rulers is imbued with the Moral Law? (2) Which of the two generals has the most ability? (3) With whome does the advantages of heaven and Earth lie? (4) On which side is the discipline most rigorously enforced? (5) Which army is stronger? (6) On which side are officers and men more highly trained? (7) In which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment?

If you use these seven considerations, you can forecast victory or defeat. The general that harkens to these ideals and acts upon it will conquer and let such a person remain in command for as long as they are able and competent. The general that doesn't listen to these ideals nor act upon them will know defeat over and over and should be cast aside like a forgotten fool. While heading the benifits of these ideals, become aware of any helpful circumstance over and beyond the ordinary rules. When the circumstance are favorable, one should modify ones plans accordingly.

All warefare is based on deception. This sounds like the bases of the ninja life. Is the ninja life so closly related to war? Hence, when able to attack, one must seem unable to do so. When using once forces, one must seem to be inactive and lazy. When one is close to a target, they must make the target think they are far. Yet, when one is far from their target, they must make the target believe they are ready to pounce at any moment from close range. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disoder and crush them. Hay, this sounds like what we tried to do to Gig. Cool, least I'm on to a good start.

If your target is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. Tried this with Gig. Worked for the most part. If your opponent is of has a really bad temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend that you are weak and let him become arrogant in his strength. If he is trying to find rest, allow him none. Become relentless and attack without rest. If your enemy is united, seek to separate them. Everyone has a point they can be split upon. Attack your enemy where he is unprepared and appear where you are not expected. This is almost straight from the ninja code.

These military devices, while capable of leading to victory, cannot be shared beforehand or else defeat is certain. Now, the general who wins a battle makes many calclations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes few. Thus, do many calculations so that your victory is more assure and do few calculations if you wish defeate to fall upon you. It is by paying attention to this point that one who knows these ideals can foretell who will likely win and who will likely lose.

Roy sat back for amoment and placed his pen down. That was only the first chapter and already his hands were hurting. This was gonna be a long time going. He wanted to kiss the receptionist for the bento lunch right about now.

He sat back and bega to think upon the words to see if he could understand them. As of right now, it seemed pretty well understood.

Roy slowly rubbed his hands back into comfort and picked back up the pen. He took up the pad again and began to read and jot down notes again.

Notes on Chapter 2: Waging War

Sun Tzu said that in operations of war, where there are a thousand swift chariots in the feild and a thousand heavy chariots and a hundred thousand mail-clad soldiers, with provisions enough to carry them a thousand miles, the expenditure at home and at the front, including entertainment of guests and the small things like glue and paint and sums spent on chariots and armor will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day. Such is the cost of raising an army of 100,000 men.Why do I need to know the costs...wait, I get it. If I fight a pour country with a pour ninja village, I might can make them wait it out and starve them out then fight them. This is educational.

WHen battle begins, if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their moral will begin to drop. If you lay siege to a town, you will exxhaust your strength. Again, if the campaign is elongated, the resources of the Stat will not be equal to the strain. Now, when your weapons are dulled, your moral depeated, your strength exhausted and yoru treasure spent, other cheiftains will spring up to take advantage of your new found weakness. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue. Is this why countries higher us ninja so that we can keep a large scale war from breaking out? It is certainly a cost effective plan compared to this.

So, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleaverness has never been seen associated with long delays. There is no instance of a acountry having benefited from prolonged warfare. It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that thouroughly understand the profitable way of carring it on.

The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy, neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice. Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy. Thus the army will have food enough for is needs. Poverty of the State will cause an army to be maintained by contributions from outside sources. Contributions to maintain an army at a distance causes the people to become poor themselves. On the other hand, the proximity of an army causes prices to go up and high prices cause the people's substance to be drained away. When their substance is drained away, the peasantry will be afflicted by heavy exactions. With this loss of substance and exhaustion of strength, the homes of the poeple will be stripped bare, and three-tenths of their income will be sucked away while government expenses for broken chariots, worn-out horses, breast-plates and helmets, bows and arrows, spears and sheilds, protective mantles, draught-oxen and heavy wagons, will amount to four-tenths of it's total revenue. I never had any clue so much went into war. I've always heard of wars being profitable for some countries. But this...

Therefore, a wise genreal makes a point of foraging on the enemy. One cartload of the enemy's provisions is equal to twenty of one's own and likewise a single parcel of his war items is equal to twenty from one's own store.

Now in order to kill the enmy, our men must be roused to anger. To do this, make it so that there may be an advantage from defeating the enemy by giving them their rewards. So, in chariot fighting, when ten or more chariots have been taken, those shold be rewarded to who took the first. Your own flag should be substituted for those of the enmy and the chariots mingled and used in conjunction with your own. The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept. This is called using the conquered foe to augment one's own strength.

With this said, it is obvious that ones greatest object in war should be a quick and complete victory and not lengthy campaigns. Thus, it may be known that the leader of armies is the bringer of the people's fate; the person on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril.



Roy sat back again. His hands starting to sting once more. He looked over his notes a few times as he relaxed. He was starting to gain an understanding for things other than just what he saw. Many of these poitns weren't directly related toward him since he may never have control over and army but it definatly had an understanding for him in other terms. He began to understand why the ninja existed the way they did instead of other ways. By this, he thought of comparing ninja to highly trained mercenaries. While ninja still only have allegence to one nation in times of war, they will still be 'paid' to perform certain tasks while, in comparision, ninjas could have just as easily have been a special ops force made within the coutnries militieres instead of an outside force.