I stood, leaning on a tree, panting. I had been trying to nail this kunai throwing training for all of yesterday and all of this morning. For some reason, no matter how much I tried, I couldn't get the bullseye on the target in the blind spot behind the large rock in the middle of the clearing. I straightened, shook my head - long black ponytail whipping my sides - and readied eight kunai. Holding them between my fingers. I stepped further into the clearing, crouched low, then sprang up and threw four of the kunai, before twisting around, throwing another two and flipping over - releasing the last two into the air before landing in a half-kneeling position in the dirt. I looked around me and saw that I had hit the bullseye of every target within my sights. Tense, I walked slowly behind the rock to check the one in the blind spot. To hit this one; you had to throw one kunai at the target mounted at the tree behind it, then throw another straight after - harder and faster - to knock the first one out of the air and down towards to the one in the blind spot whilst the second had to continue on and hit the target on the tree. It was insanely difficult and I only knew it because I had specifically asked one of my friends - Tenten - to show me this while Kurenai-sensei was busy. Doing what, I don't know.

I hadn't hit the bullseye.

Frowning, I inspected the target. The kunai had landed a few centimetres above the bullseye, but it had landed straight. I smiled - this was a vast improvement from yesterday, when I couldn't hit the bullseye due to the second kunai not hitting the first at the proper angle and too slowly. Now at least I knew I was hitting it at the proper angle; I just needed to throw the second kunai faster or the first kunai slower. The next time I did it, I would get it.

I collected my kunai and walked back to my old position. Readying them between my fingers, I was just about to spring up into the air and try again when I heard a loud yell coming from somewhere nearby.

'YAHOO!' I knew exactly who it was; Kiba. Grinning, I put my eight kunai back into the light brown pouch I kept strapped at my hip and picked up my scythe. This scythe was my pride and joy; the handle was 3 metres long and the beautifully carved blade was 5 metres long and curved around. The blade was sharpened and polished to an impossible shine, and the handle was wrapped with bandages to give it extra grip and to make it easier to carry. I had also named my scythe: Shinu Made (shinoo mar-day). I rarely used my scythe in battle, but when I pulled it out the best thing you could do was run away. I strapped the huge, beautiful Shinu Made onto my back and hid - crouching - behind a bush. I wondered whether Kiba would know I was there, even though he couldn't see me. Kiba had an excellent sense of smell, and Kiba had Akamaru.

He appeared in the clearing barely a second later and stopped exactly in the middle, facing away from me. Akamaru yapped and Kiba looked behind him. I quickly ducked lower behind the bush and, forming a seal with my hands, used the replacement jutsu with Akamaru and thus appeared just behind Kiba with Akamaru behind the bush. Kiba sniffed, spun around and grabbed the blade of the kunai I had just pulled out.

'Dammit.' I said, smiling and he grinned back.

'Too slow.' He joked.

'One of these days...'

'Yeah, yeah, wanna come walk Akamaru with me?'

My smile grew, I knew exactly what Kiba meant by "walking Akamaru". He meant flying through the trees at insane speeds, jumping from one branch to the next and trying out a few new jutsus along the way. It was the most fun one could ever have, but I needed to get this kunai thing down.

'Sorry,' I told him. 'but I need to get this down.'

'What are you doing anyway?'

'Move.' He stepped aside.

I pulled off Shinu Made and handed it to him, then I crouched, sprung, and began the necessary throws it took to hit all eight targets. When I had finished and was kneeling in the dirt, I looked up and saw Kiba staring at me with an impressed expression. I smiled, straightened and collected my scythe from him, then I walked behind the rock and let out a shout of joy; I had hit the blind spot in the bullseye.

'Nice shot.' said Kiba. 'Who taught you this?'

'Tenten.' I replied. 'Of course, she could do it already.'

'Of course, well, if you're not gonna "walk Akamaru" with me then do you want to get some Ramen?'

'I guess.' I said and, gathering up my kunai, we jumped into the trees and walked Akamaru back into the village.