Ch. 4 The Hidden Sand Village

{Rui's Point of View}

Our first day of traveling was ending. We didn't get very far because a traveler ended up getting stranded since his wheel broke. Sensei was able to fix it after going to a nearby town to buy a new wheel. The three of us had to guard the cart from Bandits. Luckily, no one tried to rob us, and Sensei came back with the wheel. While fixing the wheel, I facepalmed because I forgot to bring something very important, a sleeping bag. The Traveler was very grateful for our help and gave me one for free. To show my appreciation, I told him to come to me in the hidden leaf village if he ever needed a bodyguard. It was mostly a joke, but he took it very seriously by shaking my hand. With a wave, we headed off in opposite directions and I felt happy about helping him. I honestly don't understand what it really means to be a ninja. Initially, I thought ninja were a bunch of cool guys that kill people. However, all the D rank missions involved helping people. It felt good... I never thought I would be able to make so many people happy. It gave me... a new sense of light... you know? Sensei warned me that being a ninja isn't always so simple. One of us could die at any moment and they all have experienced that. Sensei must have seen hundreds of ninjas dying while the two kunoichi saw George die. I don't want to see that happen to me, ever. The four of us... funny... now that I think about it... I don't know if I can replace Layla. I think I've... gotten used to her...

Night started to fall so Sensei stopped us, "We'll camp here for the night. We'll reach the edge of the desert tomorrow. You guys set up these tents, I'll get the firewood." Sensei ordered as he threw his bag over to us.

Layla did nothing but watch as Alexia and I did everything, "You know, you could help us." I stated.

"Yeah... but I think I like seeing your cute butt when you work." Layla teased.

"Shut up, you pervert." I groaned.

"Guys, can we just get this over with?" Alexia complained.

"Only if she helps instead of being a lazy ass." I complained.

"Layla, can you please just help us?" Alexia begged.

"Okay, fine!" Layla groaned as she walked by me, slapping my butt as she did.

I squeaked before holding my butt and blushing, "What the hell!?" I yelled at Layla.

"Why are you yelling?" Layla asked calmly.

"You slapped my... Ugh. Screw it." I just continued my work.

"God, it's like I'm babysitting two five-year-olds. Layla, keep your hands to yourself and get to work. If not, I'm shoving a kunai where the sun doesn't shine. Got it!?" Alexia yelled.

'Damn, Alexia is usually very calm and reserved.' I thought quickly.

"Alright, Alright! I'm helping." Layla grumbled.

It took about twenty minutes for the camp to be done. Sensei came back with a few logs that he cut up into firewood. He used his bare hands to chop it up and I have to say it was impressive. Soon, he made a pile and allowed Alexia to use a fire style jutsu on it. The jutsu was a little overkill as it initially created a bonfire, but it quickly died down. The sun soon set, leaving us in surrounded by total darkness. The light from the fire was the only thinking keeping us alit. There were four tents and I decided to go in mine first.

"Turning in already? You don't want to hear the ghost stories?" Layla teased.

"Oh yes. A story from your demented mind would be the last thing I need to hear." I replied sarcastically.

"I think I'll turn in too. If I wake up earlier then you all, I'll be able to train until you all wake up." Alexia spoke up.

"Aw, you guys are no fun. I guess it's just you and me Sensei." Layla sighed.

"Alright, I'll start first. It was a dark and stormy night..." I blocked out Sensei as I climbed into the tent.

The Sleeping bag I got was a dark red with soft padding. The pillow was built into it so I didn't have to worry about that. The sleeping bag also had a zipper along the right side to made it have a blanket effect. That way people don't feel so restricted due to a Sleeping bag acting as a cocoon. With a yawn, I crawled into mine and started to fall asleep. In my dreams, I saw miles and miles of sand with nothing in sight. I guess our journey has invaded my mind and it's giving me some expectations. It's a giant desert though, so how many expectations could I have to start with?

-The Next Morning-

I woke up with a yawn and crawled out of the tent and stood up to stretched. With a loud groan, I stretched until several parts of my body cracked or popped. Suddenly, I felt the urge to pee and thought about pissing on Layla's tent. Thinking of the consequences, I decided to do the smart thing and go into the forest. The others appeared to still be sleeping, so I guess I can use this time to do some training. While taking a piss, I heard something from nearby. It resembled the sound of kunai being thrown against each other. When I finished, I quickly fixed myself and crept towards the sounds. When I found out who it was, it was Alexia practicing by herself. Her full body cloak was tossed aside on the ground revealing what she wore underneath. Her breasts were tied down by wrappings with a pink tank top covering her torso. Her arms were covered with a slick black arm sleeve for comfort. Her hands were bare with a few wrappings around her wrists. Her black shorts were skin tight and covered down but stopped at the knees. She still wore her shoes and her pouch was placed on her right hip. Several targets were placed around the area with a few being in blind spots. The blind spots were behind either a tree and rock. I saw Alexia sigh as she jumped into the air and started throwing kunai that collided with each other to hit every single target. When she landed, every single one was dead center, and she stretched like it was easy.

I stepped out into the open, "That was awesome!" I yelled.

She looked at me uninterested, "Why? It's not that difficult when you know where the targets are. I placed them after all."

"Yeah..." I looked down, "I'm being a bother huh?"

"A little bit." Alexia shrugged honestly.

"Alright, the other two might still be sleeping so I'll go train somewhere else." I hung my head.

"Sigh... do you want to train with me?" Alexia asked.

"Sure, but I have a question." I told her nervously.

"What is it?"

"What exactly are chakra natures?" I asked.

"You're better off asking Sensei about that. The only one I can tell you about, is fire. Fire style is performed by molding superheated chakra inside the stomach before releasing it from the lungs and mouth. It consumes a lot of chakra but it's effective from mid to long range as well as against Wind style. To learn a certain nature, you need to have both an affiliation for it as well as someone to teach you. If not, you may end up hurting yourself because it blows up in your face." Alexia answered.

"Thanks Alexia. So, what do you need me to do?" I asked.

"Try to kill me." Alexia answered simply.

"Try to kill you? Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes. I won't be holding back so you'll need to go all out. If not, I may unintentionally kill you." Alexia stretched.

"Alright, Shadow Clone jutsu." I made five clones appear and armed ourselves with kunai.

Alexia closed her eyes as we surrounded her. When she opened them, her Sharingan was on full blast. Three of my clones charged at her but ended up hitting each other as she disappeared. I felt the back of my legs get kicked as she twisted my arm behind my back with a kunai to my neck. I realized it was my own kunai and ended up staring in shock.

"With my Sharingan, I can tell which one is the real you. Not only that but you're still too slow with very little perception. You lost before the battle even started." Alexia whispered.

I hung my head, "I'm sorry for wasting your time..."

Alexia gave me back my kunai and helped me stand up, "You were never going to win but we'll try again. Once your eyes get used to my movements, you'll stand a far better chance. We've spent a lot of time training your body, now let's train your eyes. By using chakra in our eyes, it can help slow things down, so we can see everything more clearly." Alexia explained.

"I didn't know that." I stated.

"Now that you do, let's get you used to it." Alexia walked back to her starting position.

"Alright, tell me when." I replied.

"I'll start, now." Alexia ran at me.

This time I was able to see her but barely. By the time the kunai was at my neck, I started putting my arms up. Since I did a little better, Alexia nodded to me. She jumped back to her position and started it again. We did this for thirty minutes with each attempt being better than the last. On the final attempt, I was finally able to grab her wrist to stop the attack. I got distracted by this success only to get kneed in the stomach.

"Don't get distracted." Alexia warned.

"Yep... ugh. Duly Noted." I groaned as I got back up to my feet.

"You're getting better. I'm proud of you." Alexia smiled with a nod.

"Thanks. Was the knee to the stomach necessary? I think I'm going to feel it when I go eat breakfast." I complained.

"Speaking of breakfast, I'm hungry. Let's go back to the camp." Alexia suggested coldly.

"Alright, I'm right behind you." I replied.

Alexia put her cloak on and led us back to the camp. Sensei was cooking some food while Layla brushed her hair. They greeted us as we walked over to join them. After eating breakfast, we packed everything up and started walking again. The four of us walked for hours until we finally reached the desert's edge. When we walked onto it, I took in the sights. Nothing but mountains of sand filled my vision. The heat started to become apparent as we walked. Then, I noticed some of the sand shift as three ninjas came out of it. Sensei had us stay back as he observed these ninjas.

One of them, a man, approached us, "You're ninja from the leaf village, yes?" He asked in a raspy voice.

"Yes. We're on a mission to receive a scroll." Sensei informed them.

"We know, our Kazekage ordered us to lead you to our village." The man replied.

"Couldn't he have given you the scroll to make this trip faster?" I suggested.

One of the ninja behind him whispered, "He makes a good point."

"Well, he didn't give us the scroll but," Boom!

"Attack!" I heard someone yelled.

A group of bandits armed with battle axes, crossbows, and smoke bombs attacked us. A couple smoke bombs were used, causing me to lose my vision of the enemy. I only counted seven before the smoke bomb went off. There have to be more, however. I quickly focused my chakra and used Shadow Clone jutsu. I made four clones and ordered them to follow me as we ran out of the smoke. Metal began to hit metal as my squad and the sand ninjas fought against the bandits. With my clones, we got out of the smoke and were met with six bandits armed with either a battle ax or a few Kunai. The Battle Ax Bandits were dressed to show off their muscles. A vain attempt to intimidate their opponents. Generally, their skin color is either white or black with no hair on their body. Their torso is almost completely bare with two straps crossing over it with a holster on their back for the axes. They wore ragged shorts with bits of tears around the edges of them. Their shoes were cut open along their toes to expose them to fresh air. They stood at Six foot 7 with their arms muscles being extremely bulky. As for the Kunai wielding Bandits, they were relatively short men, standing at about 5 foot 2. Unlike the battle ax wielding bandits, they were extremely slim and weak. This allowed them to be swift and agile though. They were dressed like the Battle ax wielders except they had four equipment pouches filled with smoke bombs, kunai, and paper bombs. How do I know this? One threw a kunai at me with a paper bomb attached to it. I blocked it, but it fell onto the floor in front of me. One of my clones quickly tackled me away from it. As it exploded, my clone disappeared as the other three engaged the bandits. When I got up, one of my clones tried to block a battle ax with two kunai. The battle ax cut through both kunai with ease and murdered my clone. I pulled out 8 shuriken and threw it at the bandit. Since he was slow, he couldn't dodge but blocked a few with his battle ax. Two hit his right shoulder and one went into his left knee. A kunai wielding bandit tried to stab me from behind, but my clone blocked it with his body. I twisted as he turned into smoke and caused the bandit to look at me in confusion. I pulled out my kunai and stabbed the bandit in the stomach. When I felt his blood drip onto my hand, I flinched. This gave the bandit enough time to try and stab me. I pulled out my kunai and just back, dodging the kunai. I looked at my bloody kunai and realized that I never killed anyone. The bandit panted as he held his wound, his eyes defiant as he glared at me. I felt my bloody hand tremble as I began to understand the severity of the situation. I'll have to kill someone to survive. The bandit began to advance on me but got hit by a Fireball, instantly screaming in pain as he died. I turned towards where the Fireball came from to see Alexia.

"You can't get distracted. You were bound to kill someone one day. That is something a ninja must have the strength to do. If you can't then your enemy will only come back stronger." Alexia warned.

"But... I'm not sure if I can really kill someone like..." I looked at the bandit's burning corpse, "That..."

"Don't be a pussy!" Layla yelled as she slit a Battle ax wielding bandit's throat.

A swift bandit threw a smoke bomb at me. He charged at me through the thick of the smoke and threw some kunai at me. I blocked two of them, but one hit my right shoulder. I grunted in pain as he suddenly tackled me onto the ground. The kunai in my shoulder started to move, cutting deeper. I looked up at the bandit as he tried to stab me with a kunai. I grabbed both of his wrists and struggled against him. The kunai in my shoulder made it harder to focus since he caused me a great amount of pain. I pushed back against the bandit until I made him stab himself in the throat with the kunai.

'Ugh.' I groaned in my head as his blood spilled all over me.

I forced him off me and pulled out the kunai. At this point I couldn't tell which blood is mine. When I got to my feet, I heard a war cry as an Ax wielding bandit charged at me. He tried to hit me with a vertical slash, but I sidestepped it and used the kunai I pulled out to slash his throat.

When he dropped to the floor, holding his bleeding throat, I suddenly thought, 'Huh... that actually wasn't that hard.'

I saw that the bandits were running away, and Sensei ran over to me, "Where are you hurt!?" he demanded.

"My shoulder. Most of this blood isn't mine." I panted.

"We'll bring you to the village posthaste. Our medical ninja will heal our wounds." A sand ninja told us.

We quickly followed the sand ninja to the hidden sand ninja. On the way there, my right shoulder began to heal with the sun making my blood harden. It took about six hours for us to finally reach the hidden sand village. To be honest, I was rather impressed by how different the village was from the hidden leaf village. To protect the buildings from the sand, they tied blankets to protect the windows. The building was a large tube-shaped building with large square window along the top floors. The blankets can be manually pulled up or down depending on whether they were in a sand storm or not. They must not really care about their building though, because every building had this type of style except the main Hokage building. To be honest, it was just like our Hokage building but three times the size. We went to their medical building first, to get our wounds healed.

"Alright, you three wait here. I'll be back with the scroll. We'll leave tomorrow morning." Sensei told us.

Layla shrugged, "Alright."

"Scared you'll get sand in your vagina?" I teased.

"No! Stupid piece of crap..." Layla grumbled as she smacked the back of my head.

"Uh oh... looks like I was late. There's already sand in your vagina." I grinned.

Layla glared at me, "You want me to cut your balls off and ship them to your parents?"

Alexia got between me and Layla, "Calm down Layla. If it'll make you feel better, I have sand in my vagina."

We both stared at Alexia, "Alexia... you do know I was joking right?" I asked.

"Yeah... he was teasing me." Layla replied with a tone signifying how awkward the conversation became.

"Oh... I'm not very good at conversations, huh?" Alexia asked calmly.

Layla shook her head, "Why do I know you people?"

"You're not exactly a walk in the park either Layla." I sighed.

"Shut up. You want another three weeks of boot camp bitch?" Layla threatened.

"No thanks and even if you tried, I'd break your face." I threatened.

"Oh really? You want to go right now?" Layla urged.

"How about!" Alexia pushed Layla onto a bed, "We all just get along and calm down?" Alexia suggested.

"Know what? Alexia is right." I agreed.

"Of course, you'd agree with her. Your always on her side." Layla spat.

I was slightly confused, "What do you mean? Of course, I'd be on her side. Why be on your side?" I asked.

"Pfft... I guess you have a point..." Layla sighed.

"Hey... what's up with that tattoo on your neck?" I asked.

"This?" She revealed the fang symbol black tattoos, "It's a symbol of my clan from a land that... isn't around anymore..." Layla rubbed her arm sadly.

"What happened?" I asked.

"The Land of Water attacked and took it from my clan. My mom was barely able to make it to the leaf village with me..." Layla sighed.

"If that's why you're so mean then you need to stop. The leaf village took you in and gave you a new home. If you should be mean to anyone, it's the mist ninjas." I told her.

Layla looked at the floor with thought before sighing, "Yeah... you're right..."

"I am?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'll try my best to be kinder. No promises though." Layla told me.

I shrugged, "Alright."

"So... what should we do to pass the time?" Alexia asked.

"I want to know about Rui's sister. What is she like?" Layla asked.

"I don't really know much about her. Once she became a genin, I never saw her until recently. Even then, she threw our father over a table. I think she's psychotic." I answered the best I could.

"Well... maybe she'll spend more time with you once you've become a great ninja." Alexia suggested.

"Maybe... I'm slightly worried about how my parents will act towards me. They hate ninja and I think they truly do hate me." I sighed.

They didn't say anything as I stared at the floor. Sensei came back into the room with the scroll and dinner. After eating, we went to bed and I couldn't help but wonder. Why did the bandits ambush us? Hell, how did they know we were there?