Welcome to Gaia! ::

Notwen had been on the wide street heading to the long corridor that led to the desert when a disturbance affected his awareness dome's area of effect. It was as if a rift opened up out of nowhere and suddenly a consciousness was there, a consciousness he knew all too well. It was Chiyoko. The albino kunoichi stepped out of an alley and fell into step with him. By what he could see, she had a new outfit that actually complimented her skin tone. She began speaking casually, asking Notwen where he was going. That's when the dark-skinned blonde noticed that Chiyoko also had a backpack, though somewhat smaller than his. The Uchiha narrowed his hazel eyes.
Why does she have a pack with her? he wondered. Notwen listened to his team mate going on about how she was sorry about how she had verbally attacked him earlier and apologized for it, also thanking him for saving her. Without even taking a break for the apology to register in his mind, Chiyoko went on saying that she wanted to go wherever he was going. That explains it, thought the dark-skinned blonde. It dawned on him now that Chiyoko had spied on him, even though she wouldn't consider it spying, and must have seen him packing his bag. She doesn't even know where i'm going, but here she is with a pack ready to travel. Notwen sighed when Chiyoko had finished speaking. "First off, yes i am. Secondly, i accept your apology even though i still hold some animosity for your actions. Finally, you don't even know where i am going. That being said, i have one question: Why were you spying on me?"

Notwen was now well within the long corridor that led to the desert, but Chiyoko was still with him. Above the clouds were beginning break up, revealing dark patches of the starry night sky. He had remained silent up to that point. The dark-skinned boy stopped abruptly and turned to face his team mate, looking into her pink eyes.
"Look Chiyo-san, where i'm going is full of danger. It's part of my field training, as well as an information gathering mission for myself. I will have to do things for my survival that you will not agree with because of your upbringing. I will be traveling for days on end to reach my destination, and most of that time will be spent in the wilderness." He paused, allowing for the gravity of his words to sink into his team mate's mind. "I would prefer you stay here, but if you want to come with me remember this: comfort will not be in abundance." Having said his piece, Notwen continued walking without looking back. A few moments later he exited the village and wandered out to the desert. Turning north by his compass, he headed to the border that separated Wind Country from Earth Country.

Zeth woke up, sun beaming into his eyes. He stretched, yawned and sat up in his bed. He noticed what time it was and realized if he didnt get up soon, he would be late for the ceremony. He quickly got dressed, knocking a couple things over, almost breaking a couple things. Before he ran off, he remembered to grab his headband. Once he grabbed it, he left the house, running down the streets as fast as he can.

Once he reached the academy for the academy, he noticed everyone was just getting ready.(finish later)

Shinken was almost in a daze as he took his headband from the many laid out on the desk before him. It was the first real step in his Journey toward redeeming his family. Wanting to know who he might be paired up with as a team mate Shinken stayed to watch the other students take the test. Most of them weren't that impressive, but one did catch his eye. The man was brutal and cocky, but he was able to get the job done. His methods did seem to have an over arching plan but it wasn't one that Shinken would have used. He was particularly impressed by the Student's Taijutsu skills.

The rest of the exam passed without note and after four more students finished their exam Shinken decided he needed some air. He wasn't sure if he should go tell his parents or if he should treat himself to a bowl or ramen. In the end he decided to do neither. He was a ninja now and that required a massive amount of dedication. If he didn't keep up on his training he would end up dead in the field if his teachers were to be believed. That wasn't what he wanted for himself or his family. It would just cause his parents more pain.

The newly crowned Gennin decided that he would instead head to the training ground. When he arrived he saw the student from the Academy who had so brutally fought his way to victory in his exams. Shinken decided that he would sit back and observe his training for a while. The man seemed to struggle with a wind based Ninjutsu for a while before moving on to Taijutsu. There was a woman with him and she made a Clone to demonstrate a technique. Shinken inched closer and listened in on the conversation the two were having.

The other ninja was very practical in his evaluation of the technique he had been shown and Shinken was inclined to agree with what he was saying. The technique did have it's flaws and wouldn't work well against an opponent of equal skill and speed. He requested his training partner to create another clone as he had an idea, and Shinken smirked in amusement. What did he have up his sleeve? When Michio's attack turned into a half assed tackle Shinken could barely contain a fit of laughter. Apparently he was unable to strike the woman's clone because of it's appearance. Shinken found that to be very odd. It was just a clone and it wasn't going to cause her any damage, his logic made no sense.

When the man asked that the clone look like an Inuzuka Shinken's curiosity was peaked. His curiosty intensified even more when he saw how brutally Michio attacked the Inuzuka look alike. It was as if he had become a feral animal. What on earth could that man have against the Inuzuka that would provoke such wild anger?

His movements had been fast and strong, but wild and uncontrolled. If someone had the speed to match him they could have easily dodged the attacks, or kicked him away. Perhaps that was something he would bring up to the man. Though with how angry he had been He doubted that was the best idea. So instead he watched in silence for a few moments, approaching only when he was sure the man was calm. Perhaps he would make a good sparring partner, and if nothing else Michio could teach him a few things about Taijutsu.

"Quite the technique that was. I saw you fight the Chuunin in the exams today. You were brutal and unorthodox, but effective. Perhaps you'd care to have a sparring match? I could use a few Taijutsu pointers." Shinken said as looked Michio up and down.

Shinken was taken aback by how quickly this man's anger shifted to another target. He wasn't completely out of control but it did make the young ninja uncomfortable. He almost took an involuntary step back when Michio growled his name. He thought for just a moment that perhaps this ninja had a grudge against his family as well, and his thoughts drifted to what people would say if he disabled a fellow sand ninja. The tension he felt in his muscles eased slightly when the man seemed to bring himself further into check, but he was still off put when the man said he wouldn't kill him. Would Michio really kill another sand ninja just because he was upset? Was that the kind of treatment he could expect from other ninja?

It took Shinken a moment to collect himself before he could begin to formulate an answer to Michio's question. What did he want to learn? It wasn't as if he could learn how to be faster or stronger from a teacher, and his instincts were already substantial. Perhaps what he needed to learn was how better to take the offensive while being pushed. During the exam his attacks had been met with quick and decisive counter attacks.

"You may have noticed I struggled in the Exam. My attacks left me open. I can spot an opening but I can't take advantage of it without getting beat down. I'd like to rectify that if i can." Shinken said as he looked over to the concerned female ninja standing next to Michio. Perhaps Asking this person for a sparring match was a mistake but it was over and done with now. The only thing Shinken could do now was try not to get hurt too badly. He did always have his genjutsu to fall back on, and he was pretty confident in his newest technique. The amount of pain it inflicted would be enough to stop even a ninja in his tracks. At least that was what he hoped. He hadn't actually tested it on an opponent yet.

Not trusting the seemingly feral ninja to give him time to get into a proper fighting stance Shinken took a few steps back to get some distance as soon as he had finished speaking, and immediately slid into a combat stance. He really hoped this guy didn't use his claws. He had seen what they did to a Chuunin and he didn't want to be on their receiving end.

Shinken nodded in acknowledgement of Michio's instructions. The young Uchiha was surprised at how fast the Kaguya could move. Michio's movements were fluid despite his immense speed and Shinken was almost caught off guard by the sudden explosion of speed. Something in him reacted before he could even think. 'Drop down, avoid the kick. Move into his blindspot, take advantage of his air born position, Sweep the Leg.' The thoughts came unbidden to the young Uchiha's mind, and he reacted on them without hesitating or waiting even a moment.

The dodge and counter attack seemed to go quite well as the kick sailed over Shinken's head. He wondered if there was a look of shock on the Kaguya's face as he waited only moments for his opponent's foot to hover just off of the ground. A smirk crossed the young Uchiha's face as he shifted his weight and swung his leg in a wide arc hoping to trip Michio or at the very least throw him off balance. He didn't care what Effect his attack had on his opponent, the important thing was to keep the pressure on. If he could push his opponent back and keep him off balance he would have the advantage in the rest of the fight.

'Shore up stance, push with legs, jumping uppercut.' Again the thoughts came before he could understand the situation, and he acted on his instincts and the attack came out flawlessly. His momentum from the spin transferred into the rising motion of the uppercut and when combined with the push from his legs threw him high into the air. If that blow connected the force would be devastating.

Shinken was smiling until he realized what he had done. He had stolen the Kaguya's move with out asking and used it against him in an actual combat situation. The smile dropped from his face and his eyes widened every so slightly. He was very sure he wasn't going to like what was coming next.

Shiken couldn't believe what he had just done. He had actually landed that combo. Had his skills really grown that much? How could they have when he was struggling so badly in his exam? This man had utterly destroyed the Chuunin while Shinken had barely held his own. Was he holding back? No that wasn't it...something was different. It was like he could see things before they were happening. Like he had endless time to react. He wasn't using any new Jutsu so it couldn't be an effect of his chakra. This was something he was going to have to figure out later, but right now he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.


He only had a moment to revel in his achievement before Michio got back up. Shinken gulped hard as he saw the expression on the Kaguya's face. He clearly wasn't happy about what had transpired, and given what he had done to that Clone the young uchiha didn't want to think about what was going to happen next. Before Shinken could decide what to do the Kaguya was interrupted by a female's voice. It took the young Gennin a moment to place it as the Chuunin he had fought in the exams. The two ninja seemed to know each other and Shinken stepped back and let them have their conversation while he listened and watched. Michio seemed to be taunting the woman who's name was Sayomi. She seemed to be interested in a fight and Shinken decided it would be a good opportunity to put her in her place, but first he had to do one thing.


His uppercut had dislodged the cigarette from Michio's mouth and it was till burning on the ground. With a sigh he stepped on the toxic vice and rotated his foot grinding it into the hard packed sand. He told the Kaguya that the smoking was bad for his health and insinuated that it might even get him killed in the field one day. It only took a moment before he realized that he had made a mistake when Michio's face twisted into a scowl and he fixed his glare on Shinken. The young ninja could feel the fury radiating of of the Kaguya and had to stop himself from taking a step back. Michio was charging at him with no sense of technique or skill. It was just wild fury, and Shinken's head began to spin with information again.


He analysed the way Michio was moving, and the lack of stance or proper footing. How his weight was centered above and ahead his feet. The blank look in his eyes almost gave the young Uchiha pause but his instincts took over. 'Dodge to the side, kick the back of his knee, get distance, wait for him to charge again. Wear him down until you can strike a finishing blow' The thoughts flooded his mind.


Just before he was going to act a blur came between him and the angry ninja. It was the woman Michio had been training with. She put her life on the line to stop the charge and it worked. Shinken was grateful that he didn't have to fight Michio. One of them would have been in rough shape if they had clashed, and if he had lost he might not have been around to regret his actions.

When Michio was accosted by his training partner for using her money Shinken had to stifle a laugh. The absurdity of how quickly the situation had changed was almost baffling. One moment he was preparing to fight for his life and the next he was watching his opponent get bitched at, by the woman who saved him, over the price of a pack of cigarettes. The Kaguya had gone from raging beast to mild mannered in a matter of seconds.

Shinken decided to take this opportunity to turn back to the Chuunin who had been so brutal in her examinations of the academy students with a grim look on his face. He wasn't going to let her get away with hurting people like that and taking pleasure in it. He was going to put her in her place, and show her that she wasn't all she thought she was cracked up to be.

"So Sayomi was it? You seem like you're pretty sure of yourself. You look down on people, and you enjoy hurting them. If you think you're woman enough why don't you fight me?" The words came to Shinken's mouth unbidden. He couldn't believe what he was doing. It was as if there was some dormant part of him coming to the surface, and despite the fact he had nearly lost to Sayomi in the exams he felt fully confident here. Maybe it was the fact that he had just pulled off an insane combo on Michio, or maybe it was his new gifts emboldening him. What ever the case his face was stern and un-moving. There was no doubt in his eyes as he placed his challenge

"Really kid? You think you can take me? Well I'm happy to put you down, just like the rest of the trash in the exams. It's your funeral Katsuna chan." Sayomi said mockingly as she slid off of the rock like a snake preparing to strike. Shinken felt his anger flare up inside of him as she bragged about putting his fellow classmates through hell. The image of Kaizen on the ground as she slammed her fist into his chest flickered through his mind.

Then there was the way she had torn apart his mind in a genjutsu. A thin smile crossed Shinken's lips as he thought of his plan of attack. If she liked genjutsu so much he would show her exactly what it was like to be inside of one. There was a technique he had been saving to test on someone and this seemed like the perfect time.

As Sayomi approached him with a cocky swagger Shinken cleared his mind and felt his chakra flowing through his body. To make the most powerful genjutsu he could he would have to clear his mind. Suddenly everything became crystal clear. He could see each and every movement she was making, hear her breathing and her heart rate. He could even trace the movement of Sayomi's eyes.There was nothing else but this fight. Nothing but himself and his opponent.

When Sayomi moved to strike Shinken formed a the tiger sign with one hand and his mind began to go through the different courses of action until he settled on one. The female had thrown a right hook aimed at Shinken's chin. The young Uchiha stepped back just enough to feel the wind from her blow rush across his face, and then struck out with his index and middle fingers barely grazing her forearm.

Sayomi let out a shriek of pain as her arm suddenly felt as if it had touched red hot magma. When she looked down at her arm she saw that the flesh had melted away leaving only the black of burnt bone. The Chuunin almost fell backwards as she desperately tried to get some distance from Shinken. To any onlookers it would look as if the young Uchiha had simply grazed Sayomi's forearm with his fingers and sent her stumbling back, but in reality he had locked her into a genjutsu. Shinken smiled as the Chuunin looked at him with an expression of horror.

"What...What are you?!" Sayomi demanded as she cradled her arm. She obviously thought Shinken was using some kind of ninjutsu to attack her body rather than her mind. The young Gennin's smile widened as he slowly started to walk towards the Chuunin.

"What I am, is Justice. Justice for all of those of the hidden sand who have suffered from your Sadism." Shinken said as he stepped within striking range of his opponent. She didn't waste the opportunity to attack and attempted a snap kick to the side to catch the young gennin off guard.

Shinken's mind barely processed the information in front of him in time. His eyes saw her muscles tense just before the strike and he brought his arms up to block the attack, but not before making the one handed tiger seal again. When his hand touched her leg she let out another scream of pain and collapsed under her own weight. In her eyes there was a hand print shaped burn on her shin that went down to the very bone.

The Chuunin scrambled away from Shinken the best she could. He moved slower now as her kick had actually done a significant amount of damage despite being blocked, but still he approached her. She put her hands out to try and stop him but he formed the tiger seal again and reached down to touch her face. The arms she tried to use to block went limp as she screamed again when he touched them.

"NO! GOD PLEASE NO!" Sayomi screamed as Shinken's hand grew ever closer to her face. He gave her a wicked grin as his hand finally grasped her face. She could hear the sizzling of her flesh and feel her eyes melting as everything went black. She could smell the burning of her flesh and she let out a scream before her tongue too was burnt away. That was when Shinken released the genjutsu. He stood above her with a grin on his face, before she passed into unconsciousness out of fear and shock.

Suddenly Shinken became very aware that he had onlookers. He wondered what they would think of him for being so cruel, though he hoped this would put some respect into Sayomi's mind. That was when a gust of wind and sand brought a piece of parchment flying into his hand. It said that he was to meet the Kazekage in his office. The young Uchiha gulped audibly. Had the Kazekage been watching that fight? Did he know how far he had gone? Had he gone too far? Was he going to be stripped of his Ninja status? That was when he saw that it was not only his name on the piece of paper but Michio Kaguya's as well.

"It looks like the Kazekage wants to see us Michio..." Shinken said as he folded up the paper and placed it in the pocket of his vest.