Well, I guess I should do a forward. Not that I have much to say in this particular forward. As a totally new story I have neither the fan-base nor story content to really ramble as is my custom. I will continue to make my other story "The Hyuuga Way" the place to read up on interesting information.
At this time I would dearly like to thank two people.
The first is Lordofarken who was gracious enough to be my pre-reader for this story. I asked a lot of him. I needed someone to not only check my spelling, but the content of the story itself to make sure it fit with the Naruto universe. Thanks a ton dude. I really appreciate it.
The second person I need to thank is my wife who indirectly gave me the suggestion for one of the Cloud families. She also didn't say I was a total moron for writing this, which is usually her way of approving.
Anyway, with that said…I introduce my story…
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Utsurou
Bring on the Storm
Cloud ninja had once been respected. Village of Hidden Cloud was one contacted when someone had to be killed quickly, quietly, and without trace. They had been feared, respected, and strong. As Utsurou walked down the streets of the once famed village, he could only sigh at the heights they had fallen. If Utsurou knew two things well, it was ninjutsu and history. His family was one of the oldest in the village and the one that had fallen the furthest. Now, as he looks down at the Genin band in his hands, he could not help but to think of his place, the place of his village and the place of other villages in the world.
Leaf village is the largest and most respected of the shinobi villages. Their missions range from protection to securing items to infiltration. Moreover, the famous Hyuuga clan and their bloodlimit, the Byakugan, are prevalent in the day to day affairs of the Village of Hidden Leaf. All things considered, even the events of 20 odd years ago have not dimmed the fact that the village is the most powerful of the time.
Sand village, allies of the Leaf, are no less powerful even with their lower manpower. As unforgiving as the desert that they live in, the Sand ninja are strong and merciless. They hunt like the desert scorpion, laying low until a killing blow can be dealt. They have learned well from the Leaf, adapting the three man teams that have made the Kohona so successful, giving the scorpions two claws as well as the deadly tail. Even without a notable bloodlimit, the Sand ninja are all the more dangerous for its lack.
The Village of Hidden Rock, one of the more out of the way villages to be sure, is famed for their endurance. Typically called in for long missions, the endurance of the rock is known far and wide. Though not as adept in groups, the patience and hardiness of the stone have helped them through the trying times and they are still called upon for the long missions that have been their forte.
The Hidden Mist has had much misfortune as of late. They have been quiet, and this is disconcerting. The Mist has been known for their cruelty as well as their cunning. In recent days the Hidden mist seemed to be faring better. With the loss of many of their most unsavory elements, the Land of Water has slowly been giving them more jobs and the slow path of recovery seemed to be slowly trod at this point.
These days the Village of Hidden Clouds was in a slow decline. Prior to the Great Ninja War, the Cloud Ninjas had been assassins without rival. They specialized in solo fighting, infiltration and manipulation of the very air around them. They had been feared and respected by all for their abilities. His family had been one of the elite, their own bloodlimit made them fast enough to compete on an even footing with many of the most power shinobi, as long as the fight didn't last too long. Now, they were but a shadow of their former selves. While money came in, it was from the Yakuza and other various underworld places. Sure there had been a chance to recover...a way to rise above through contact with Konoha and that chance had been wasted by his family. With a fleeting chance at reviving a bloodlimit in the family they had sacrificed their honor and the revival of the village. After that, his family had been fully dishonored. Now, many of them spent their time as normal people. They were no longer trusted to complete missions, but they had found a way to survive.
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At the age of 14 Utsurou is one of the more distinguishable boys in the village of clouds. His black hair kept short, yet the bangs of his forehead flutter with the breeze. It is not his looks that kept those in the village of his birth to look down upon him. Nay, his blood is the blood of traitors. His existence, a grim reminder of the fact that even Cloud could make horrible mistakes.
He did have a few friends and he took strength in that. His main friends came in the form of the Kemono family. It was rumored that the family was distantly related to a family from another village, but they were but rumors which could not be confirmed and there was no voice denying them either.
Likewise, the Kemono family was not one to use the training ground normally afforded to the shinobi. They preferred the open area where they were close to nature. Utsurou had no problem with that. In all honesty it was for only that reason that he knew any of the shinobi paths. Utsuro learned quickly and the Kemono family did not mind sharing with the young man.
Utsurou stops at the edge of the area he has long since memorized as the area marked as the Kemono. The area wasn't marked with clearly visible areas so he'd been forced to commit to memory every boundary of the various Kemono training areas. The actual Kemono family used their sense of smell to know where the areas started. Utsurou remembered painfully his first stumble upon the area. Since then, he and the young prodigy Bouen had become friends and allies.
Garo, an older Chunin and brother of Bouen, glances at the edge of the area, and looks over to Utsurou, nodding his consent for Utsurou to join them. In return, Utsurou gives a lower bow and then steps over the boundary of the training fields.
"I trust you have started practicing Raijutsu finally?" Garo asks evenly, his voice even and commanding, befitting his position as the most powerful of the Wolf stylists.
Utsurou gives another bow, "Yes. I managed to hunt down the scroll. I haven't been able to master many of them. It's hard to master Raijutsu without a teacher."
"I notice you said it was hard. A change from last time we talked." Bouen comments as he sits on the grass, absentmindedly scratching his neck. Like many of the Wolf-shape stylists he tended to have something to do even when doing nothing.
Nodding, Utsurou replies, "It's like you said, some things are just in the blood. I've managed a few of them and I'm working on something that will be mine..." His voice drifts off as he reveals more than he had meant to.
Garo nods his approval, "Good. If you can create something unique you will have fewer problems later. However, you need to learn to keep some things to yourself. The thunder comes after the lightning."
Bouen chuckles as he adds, "And sometimes the thunder proceeds the storms...I guess we'll have to wait and see which pack you choose."
Utsurou frowns, joining them on the ground and sighs, "Yeah. There are a lot of techniques that our family has made over the years. I was a bit surprised to find our family dates back to before the Great Ninja Wars."
"What's so surprising about that?" Bouen replies, "You're one of the last families that specialize in lightning jutsu. It makes sense to me."
Shrugging, Utsurou replies, "I don't know. I just wish my family acted like it. Instead, we're like the rest of the village. Remembering the good old days and moaning about our fates."
Both of the Wolf ninjas laugh at the comment. It was odd how they tended to act as a group, as if signaling to each other through some unseen bond. It was something only the Wolf ninjas knew and if there was a way to learn, they weren't telling.
"There are many that follow their own path in this world." Garo comments through his laughter. "Perhaps you should do the same. I would daresay it would be a sight better than the current path around here."
Bouen smiles as he adds, "Agreed. Come, tell us. What would your path be should you choose?"
Utsurou leans back against the tree, thinking deeply upon the question posed to him before clenching his fist, small sparks of electricity wreath his hand as he finally replies, "I would choose...death before dishonor. Each fight will be a stepping stone to reclaim the honor of the Cloud."
Garo and Bouen exchange glances and then return their eyes to Utsurou, "A fine choice. As always, we are your brothers on this journey. With luck it will change the village."
A small smile crosses Utsurou's face as he replies, "First I'll need to be a shinobi and that's going to take work."
The face of Garo is crossed by a predatory grin, "I believe that will be slightly easier done than you would believe. Just have a bit of faith, the winds have changed this day, I can smell it."
Utsurou lifts himself from the ground and brushes the grass from his pants, "I know what I don't smell and that's sweat. It's time to start practicing."
Bouen bounces to his feet quickly, flashing the symbols as he announces, "Garou no jutsu. Art of the Wolf!" At the finish of the movements, the arms from the elbow down cover in fur, Bouen's nails lengthening into sharpened claws. He then shifts into a low fighting stance.
As his stance shifts, Utsurou can only smile and reply, "The lightning strikes first and then the thunder comes."
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A few months after, Utsurou is slowly meandering down the streets of the Cloud. It was odd, but Garo had been adamant about having today off. When questioned, he said something about an important visitor and wanting to meet one of the people traveling with the visitor. Utsurou chalked it up to another Kemono clan oddity. Bouen had been dragged along with Garo which left Utsurou in the one state he hated, bored.
As two figures suddenly come around the corner, he gives a sharp inhale of breath. His natural instincts taking over as he spins one way to avoid the smaller person and then darts under the arm of the other. The charka in his legs built up beyond the norm for a genin due to his family heritage.
He could sense the agitation of the taller person behind him. This didn't bode well at all. Taking a breath, Utsurou turns and gives a small respectful bow, "My apologies, I should have been paying more attention to where I was going." The one still seemed to be upset and thus he keeps his head down, his eyes high enough to see the feet of the others so that he could move if either decided to attack.
The agitated one speaks first, the voice calm, commanding, aloof and definitely female. If he had to guess, she was used to being better than everyone else, a genius probably. Great, as if this day couldn't get worse. "Good moves for someone that isn't out of the academy yet."
Internally, Utsurou sighs, "You are mistaken. I have not been formally trained. I am just a slightly talented son of a baker."
The younger one, also female speaks now, the voice just as even, though not nearly as arrogant as the first, "If our village had bakers that moved like that, I would wish to learn more from them."
At this, the older lady gives a wry chuckle and finally states, "Are you going to stay like that all day? Come on, stand up, and a name would be nice."
Utsurou finally stands from his bow, one hand moving to brush his hair from his forehead, "My name is Hayai Utsurou."
The older one is definitely unhappy. She shows it through her stance since her face looks like she is constantly impassive. Long black hair gives the older lady a decidedly doll-like look. The pale pupil-less eyes make it hard to tell exactly what she is thinking. In all, she probably had more than a few suitors back in her home village…of Konoha it would seem from the headband.
Utsurou sighs inwardly once more as he thinks, "Just my luck, I bump into people I don't know that don't like me, from the village that has no reason to want to speak with me."
The younger one speaks now. Her face is much different than the older one, one that seems to be in a small smile. Her own hair is a dark purple bordering on black that is cut short, the back of the hair curling upward to give very unique hairstyle. However, her eyes set her apart from the older version. They were still pupil-less, but the color of her eyes is a pale sky blue. "I am Hinako and this is my aunt Hanabi of the…"
Hanabi quickly cuts in, "Konoha. We're here with the Hokage, but while they are in their meeting we have a bit of time off." Utsurou pauses, that was certainly an odd cutoff. Still, it would be rude to question. The Konoha had no reason to trust him, but the day was looking to be very boring otherwise, "Well, if you like I can show you around the village. There isn't much here, but there are a few good sights I can show you."
Hinako gives a slightly broader smile as she replies, "That would be great. We were a bit lost with all these winding roads. It could have taken us forever to find a place to get some ra…" The look in Hanabi's eyes didn't look too friendly at the start of that word. Quickly, Hinako corrects what looked to be a dangerous mistake, "Lunch. It'd be nice to eat something that isn't instant or caught in the forest."
The exchange between the two ladies was enough to make him chuckle and he motions for them to follow him down the street, "I know a good place that doesn't cost a fortune."
As they head down the street, Hinako whispers, "Aunt Hanabi, why did you stop me from giving our family name?"
Hanabi leans over reply, "How about this, you just play along for now and when we get home you can ask your mother." As if sensing the next question, she snaps, "And no we aren't going to get ramen. I have no idea how you and your father can eat that stuff all the time
At the comment, Hinako stifles a giggle, "You mean it's not full of vitamins and minerals?" Hanabi gives the younger girl a glower, to which Hanako can't help but to give a small laugh. Sometimes Aunt Hanabi was so easy to tease.
As the three sit and eat, Utsurou finally speaks once more, "So, what do you think of the village?"
Hanabi pauses between bites, "It's…quaint. I had thought that the Village of Clouds would be busier, and it has been a while since any have seen the lightning jutsu that Cloud used to be so famous for."
Utsurou blinks slightly and tilts his head, "That's odd. Most families around here know at least a few. They aren't as talented at it as my family, but everyone knows the basics." He takes another bite and then shakes his head, "Ok, maybe it's not that odd. Since they attribute the lightning jutsu to my family, they more than likely are distancing themselves from using it as a means to distance themselves from the past "They're not using Lightning jutsu so that can think they're a different clan than before?" Hinako asks.
Hanabi nods, "Sounds like it." She takes a few bites of food before commenting, "It's a pretty stupid thing to do. Your family hasn't complained?"
Utsurou gives a sad smile, confessing, "My family hasn't had an active shinobi in a little over 15 years. It is said that we reek of failure."
To this information, Hanabi gives a small snort of disgust, "In other words they wanted someone to blame."
"Pretty much." Utsurou shrugs. It was the way the village worked. One day he'd change it, but he needed to take things one step at a time.
Once more, Hinako interrupts the slightly tense atmosphere, "So, even though you don't go to the academy, you still practice right?"
Utsurou pauses. It was odd for anyone to really be interested in what he did. He wouldn't have thought someone from outside the village would even give him a second thought, "Well…I know some basic Taijutsu, the normal Art of Transformation, Bunshin, tracking, some Genjutsu…" He stops, not sure if he should say any more.
Hinako leans forward slightly, "What about the lightning jutsu? I won't tell anybody. And neither will Hanabi. Right?"
Hanabi gives a nod, leaning back in her chair as if the conversation were pointless, or at least very uninteresting.
Utsurou relents, unable to resist the inquisitive eyes that seemed to pick up on his body language, "Yes. I practice some of my family's jutsu. I'm not a master or anything close to it, but I know a few."
Hinako looks over to Hanabi, her face set in an unsaid question to Hanabi.
Hanabi glares back at the younger girl, "No."
Hinako's face shifts, almost looking like she's about to sulk.
Hanabi shakes her head, "No. Neji-niisan will kill me if he finds out. Not to mention your mother. You know how she gets when she's upset."
Hinako continues to give Hanabi the questioning look, almost pleading, but with their liniage it still looked to the rest of the restaurant as though it was but a simple question on her face.
Finally Hanabi shakes her head and picks herself up from the table, "Fine, but if anything happens you better speak up. I'm not getting in trouble with the family over one of your stunts."
Hinako gives a small mischievous grin before looking back at the slightly confused Utsurou, "Do you know any place we can spar? I'd like to see a lightning jutsu in action at least once."
Utsurou groans quietly as he gets up from the table, "Yes, I know a place we could practice." His mind wonders what exactly he just got himself into, but he just couldn't say no to those pale blue eyes. Father warned him there'd be days like this.
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Moments later, Utsurou motions to the open field that he, Garo and Bouen use as their training field, "Here you go. I suppose it's not what the two of you are used to, but it's all I've ever used."
The field itself is a wide open space with a few sparse bushes haphazardly growing. Two of the edges are 'marked' by trees and a third edge is semi-designated by a small river. In all, it looked more like a picnic spot than a training area, except for the obvious signs where a few scuffles had been had.
Hanako looks over the field with a small smile on her face, "I've never seen such a beautiful practice area. Are you sure we will not damage anything?"
Utsurou shakes his head as he moves into the field, his body relaxes as he enters the familiar territory, "Everything here has been through numerous sparring matches. It will be fine. What do you think Hanabi-sama?"
Hanabi walks into the clearing, glancing about with trained eyes, "It will suffice I suppose. At least for a sparring area." Though critical, her voice has less of an edge, signaling her approval to Hinako.
Hinako beams for a moment and then faces Utsurou, her body shifts into an airy stance, meant for ease of movement and flowing techniques. She almost starts a symbol and then catches herself, instead, returning to the easily defensible position used by her family.
Utsurou catches the movement and then shakes his head. Perhaps she had thought him to be ready. A confident smile crosses his face as he turns toward Hinako. His left shoulder faces his opponent, the other shoulder slightly off center so that only a little of his torso is exposed to his sparring partner. He rises to the balls of his feet, bouncing slightly as if ready to go into motion already. Satisfied, his arms raise to defend his stomach and chest, "Let's do this." He states and then dashes forward, his left hand whipping out to punch toward Hinako's face.
Only good reflexes and superior training allow Hinako to raise her hand in defense of the punch, then turn and bring the arm into position to block the following attack. "'He's fast." Hinako mentally comments, switching into a more defensive stance, "But a lot of his attacks are sloppy. His lack of training shows." As a kick comes toward her, Hinako pushes down in the leg with one hand to send him off balance before turning and sending a push at his open stomach.
Utsurou stumbles back as his breath leaves him for a moment. His hands come up in front of his chest in time to block the following strike that seeks to tag his chest. Instead, the blow hits his wrist, causing his fingers to start to go numb. "Pressure points?" He mutters to himself.
It was his fault for not expecting that move. "Guess you want to see the lightning jutsu sooner rather than later huh?"
Hinako gives a solemn nod, her face not showing any of the emotion she tended to display while walking around, "Yes. Show me what you can do. Otherwise you've already lost."
His right hand twitches in aggravation. He knew he wasn't the best, but she didn't have to rub it in like that. His hands come up to flip through the symbols, "Raiton: Ryouiki Denryuu!" He calls out while moving forward to punch once more. In reflex, Hinako moves to the side to dodge a blow that never hits.
Instead of attacking Hinako directly, the attack slams into the ground. Electricity spreads from his arm into a field of lightning that surrounds the two combatants.
There is a moment of confusion as Hinako tries to figure out exactly what happened. Her confusion interrupted as electricity leaps from the ground, striking at her legs.
Hinako jumps as an unexpected pain lances though her legs. Not moments after it is relieved does the pain race through her legs once more. She didn't need to look down. She now knew her small jump had not been enough to carry her out of the electric floor that Utsurou's jutsu had created.
To the side of the field, Hanabi scratches her chin. The boy wasn't bad. He wasn't necessarily good, but he wasn't bad. The jutsu he used had been executed intelligently. Hinako had been expecting a direct attack in hand-to-hand combat range. The lightning jutsu that covered the ground had been more than Hinako had been ready for. At the moment there was only one thing for Hanabi to mutter, "Cloud morons."
Utsurou smiles from within the sparks of electricity, "What do you think of lightning jutsu now?"
Even as the sparks faded and Hinako was able charge forward and return to combat, she found herself saying, "I'm surprised I don't see more of them."
Those words were all the encouragement Utsurou needed to meet Hinako halfway through the charge.
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An hour later, Hanabi stalks toward the two sweating combatants. She'd seen quite enough for the moment and figured it was time to voice her opinion, "Pathetic… absolutely pathetic. Hinako, your form was sloppy. I saw a dozen openings in the first five seconds alone. If you thought this was going to become a vacation you thought wrong."
Hanabi turns to Utsurou, "And you…I suppose I can't blame you much, but your form was horrible. Your kicks were weak, your punches were atrocious and your chakra control was almost nonexistent."
Utsurou blinks. This was unexpected to say the least. A slightly bewildered expression crosses his face and his head turns to see if Hinako had anything to say, because he was lost as to the reason for the rant.
Hinako had been expecting to be criticized, but not like this. 'This is like during training…like training? Oh no…'
Hanabi turns to stalk off, "Both of you. Here. Dawn. We have at least a week and by the ancestors you'll be better when we leave or you'll be dead. Either way, I won't have to look at your crappy ninjutsu anymore."
Utsurou waits until Hanabi is gone from sight before finally deciding it was safe to talk, "So, was I really that bad?""
"I didn't think so, but then anything less than perfection is considered an affront to the ancestors to Hanabi. So I'd say you were decent enough that she couldn't stand to watch your mistakes." Hinako replies, still trying to understand what had happened for herself.
Utsurou gives a small nod, "I don't know whether I should be insulted or glad about that."
Hinako sighs as she settles onto the ground. Her muscles were aching from the speed she'd had to put into her moves to keep up, "Be afraid, be very afraid."
Utsurou drops to the ground as well, laying down and staring up at the sky, "Why do I get the feeling that doesn't bode well?"
Hinako gives a small giggle, "There's a reason why they don't let Hanabi train students back home. Her definition of easy is survivable."
Utsurou doesn't say anything immediately. Instead, he watches the clouds pass for a few moments. Finally he comments, "We get better or die trying. It doesn't sound like a bad deal. My other option is to spend the next few years piecing together things you already know."
"Kind of fatalistic. Couldn't you do something else?" Hinako asks, not really expecting and answer.
To her surprise, Utsurou replies, "I suppose I could, but if I did then nothing would really change. Around here, people just want things to go back to how they were. Kind of sad, but it's just the way things are."
"Pretty morbid if you ask me."
"Yes, I suppose it is. But at the moment, this is a morbid place. It's been slow lately and only getting slower. Eventually the shinobi families from here might need to move on to other villages." Utsurou says, informing his new friend of the state of affairs.
Hinako shifts, getting comfortable on the grass. "I can see why they need to speak to the Hokage then. Our two villages aren't really on good terms though. It might take a while."
"I can live with a bit of waiting for things to get better, as long as they get better. What I can't do is sit around and watch. My family is one of the reasons why things are like this. I have to make it better…for honor." Utsurou's fist clenches as he speaks, small sparks issue from his fist as if agree with him.
Giggles come forth from Hinako's mouth once more before she replies, "I don't doubt you'll make the village better. We need to survive this week first.
Utsurou sits up and looks over at Hinako, a small smirk on his face, "Bring on the storm."
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The next morning, Utsurou heads out of the house quickly before his family can ask where he's going. The less questions the better in his opinion.
Hanabi and Hinako are already at the training area. Hanabi wears a dour face, "You're on time. It doesn't matter, both of you. Down for pushups and start counting. You're here for training not slacking off."
Utsurou makes the mistake of pausing and a kunai sings past his head, "Are you naturally stupid or did you grow that way? DOWN!"
He didn't even have time to think before his feet are swept from under him and his body falls into the pushup position. Not wanting more troubles, he starts on the pushups.
Hanabi growls, "Well, at least you aren't a total loss."
Finally, when neither of them can do another pushup Hanabi calls out, "Situps!"
Utsurou doesn't make the same mistake as before, immediately he flips over and starts on the situps. Though his arms burn, this is a nice change as situps use a totally different muscle group than pushups. Beside him, he hears Hinako comment, "Told you."
As he hits the top of the situp. Utsurou replies, "It could be worse…we could be bored."
Hinako gives a small smile, "Very true."