Naruto: Tails of the Four

Written by DivineGuidanceAlpha

Requests and private comments may be sent to HitoSorrelius

Synopsis: A re-writing of Naruto, beginning just before the Chunin Exams. Four shinobi trained to be assassins find themselves without a home. A kind offer from the Third Hokage aligns them to the Hidden Leaf Village, where they try to make a new life for themselves...but old ghosts and new enemies threaten their new home already, and it may take losing each other to gain the strength to save it.

Arc 3: The Third Test; Chapter 14: The Day Off; (Personal) Missions in the Leaf!

After dinner, the three Chuunin Candidates were given reading material to study, Ren a bit more surprised than Shiden thought; he got a third punch in the gut for his secret.

At nine, they returned the scrolls to Shiden's seals, and went to bed. It had been the most eventful day since they arrived, or so the Candidates felt. Shiden felt this day was far, far more eventful. And full of emotion, which was not like the group at all.

Perhaps this place was good for them, after all...

Shiden discovered one thing he would come to hate in the coming years: Messenger hawks. They did not shut the fuck up when ordered, or until you took the message; they were protected by law, so killing one would result in prison time; and they demanded tips. Finger tips if nothing else was handy. So it was for the first time, when the bird had crashed through their window and started pecking him at the breakfast table, then flew off with his bacon. Maybe it was just that bird, but he would later discover that no, all messenger hawks hated him, perhaps because of his contract with the combat ones. Jealous little bastards...

After Shiden had gotten the devil bird away, the boys resumed breakfast as the sun rose. Sometimes the best routines were hard to get out of, and breakfast before work was how Shiden liked it. Reading the message over, he said, "Lord Hokage has a mission for me. I'll be out of the Village for...a week."

All three Chuunin potentials looked like Christmas had been cancelled.

"Hang on, we're not coming?"

"Message says me only. I guess because he doesn't want to 'risk your health' before the Test."

"That's bullshit! What are we supposed to do about training now?"

"I'll leave the scrolls you guys will need here. Train alone. If you don't quit or lose, any one of you could face the other, or others, in the Third Test. You have your strategies. Use them."

Ren was the only one not vocal about the whole thing. "...Be careful, Shiden. If it says a week, it might mean the client wants you gone that long. That would be just enough time for one of the rival factions to try scouting us to their side, or for one of the inner factions to scout us. ANBU, Intelligence Squad, Medical Squad, Scouting, so on, or even the other Great Villages. We are the last surviving bloodlines of a mystery assassin Village, after all."

"They could also want me gone because they think you'll be easy prey with me gone."

Koen pounded his left fist into his right hand. "I'll go easy on them, so the Leaf has someone to interrogate."

"And if it's the Leaf that tries to kill us?" Shiden didn't seem concerned by the shocked looks on their faces. "Let's face it, our own parents tried to kill us all the time. What makes us so sure the Leaf elders or someone in the special forces doesn't see us as a threat that needs removing? I have only watched him once or twice in the Village, but look at the way the people treat Naruto. They avoid him like the plague, and when he tries to be nice, they essentially spit in his face. My little act against the most prominent clan in the Village's Branch House heir will probably come back to bite us all."

"Yeah, that was unwise, brother." Ren stretched a bit as he finished his breakfast. "I don't think the Leaf will be the ones trying to kill us, but if they do, we'll let you know."

"That's my team. Focus on the positive. Human doesn't mean weak, it means able to adapt and cope." Shiden put his dishes in the sink, then packed up his few possessions that had gotten out of his travel bag. He summoned the scrolls for each of his brothers, then set out for the Hokage's Mansion.

"...Day off?" Ren asked the two, an air of innocence in his voice.

"Day off," Koen and Rai agreed simultaneously.

They would practice the next day, and the rest of the days until Shiden returned. This day was important, a day of rest so they could digest and properly recover. Ren still took his scrolls along after he dressed in more normal clothing, black shorts, a white vest, and a grey long-sleeved shirt under the vest. He tied his Leaf headband around his neck, leaving the Hallowed Grounds one behind; no need to bring up the past with what he was going to do today, visit Hinata in the hospital, then find Ino for Tenso, with a lot of studying no matter what.

Koen wrapped from his knuckles to his elbows in cloth like Lee normally did, and pulled on his ninja uniform; the typical Hallowed Grounds gear was all black, but Koen's uniform was based on his clan's combat gear, which removed the sleeves of the shirt, covered the shirt with a weighted, red vest, and a set of boots which were essentially combat sandals with a solid steel cap over the toes. It restricted the flexibility of the foot slightly, but the payoff of smashing someone's face in with one solid kick was worth it for the boy. He had refrained from the boots during the exam because they would have been a bit more lethal than sandals. For his training, however, they were perfect, and he was going to train. After he saw Lee and Kiba. Like Ren, he left the headband behind. It wasn't like he was attached to it as anything but a symbol of his brotherhood, and this was about himself. He wouldn't wear it again until one of the others put it on first.

Rai's plans were fairly simple: Clean up the house, wait for Naruto to wake up, hang out with him all day. He usually ran into Sakura at some point, and the Chimera host was ready to make his move. He was dressed casually, but like the other two, he had his Leaf headband on, using it like a hair band to keep his bangs out of his eyes while he started cleaning. The other two were off as soon as he started washing the frying pan; that was the most lethal weapon Rai had ever wielded, and Koen feared frying pans simply because of what Rai had done to him with one just after the three elder Pillars had become Chuunin in the Hallowed Grounds

***.

Ren arrived at the hospital in pretty good spirits, a negative thing in many peoples' opinions. "I'm here to see Hinata Hyuuga," he said politely to the desk nurse, who disappointed him instantly.

"I'm sorry, she has just been through another round of surgery. Even her father isn't allowed in to see her."

"...Was it that bad?" his voice almost sounded like a kid's in that moment; he hated it. He wasn't a kid, he was a ninja. Koen's voice had already deepened, and he was thirteen.

"I recognize you from a few other visits. You helped the surgeons a couple of times, so I'll assume you're a competent ninja. Her heart was severely damaged in that fight, as well as the chakra passages and points around it. Her lungs took some damage, her liver, and one strange blow on her throat."

"There is a chakra point at the base and top of the throat," Ren instantly said, "as well as a Chakra Gate. It is also likely he did it to disable her Byakugan. If the chakra can't travel to the eyes, the eyes can't activate." He bowed his head. "Thank you, anyway. I'll be..." He paused. "Is the Sunagakure kunoichi Temari in this hospital?"

"She was checked in for overnight watch, but she left a little bit before you arrived." Ren nodded, bowing his head again.

"Thank you, ma'am. I'll be going now." He gave her a dazzling smile and took his leave, walking quickly through the streets until he was well on his way to the flower shop. Then he turned his attention to the first scroll; it was the control capacity of the Metal Summoning Style, the way that he could actually manipulate the hydras that he summoned. He was enamored, but his mind was not so unfocused as to ignore the world around him.

Upon smelling flowers a bit earlier than he remembered the shop being from the hospital, he glanced up from his scroll to see Ino sitting with the pink-haired ninja of Team 7, eating breakfast at a little open-air café. Tenso sprung up from within, but continued walking and reading.

"Uh, the hell are you doing?"

'Walking to the flower shop.'

"But Ino's back there."

'I know.'

"...Any insight for your other side as to what you're planning?"

'If you want to talk strategy, I don't have any. I'm going on impulse and instinct, and I think going to the shop first is a good idea.'

Ren raised an astral eyebrow. "And if she notices you before you get past?"

Tenso risked a glance at the girl, relief in his mind that Ino was facing Sakura. The other girl was busy throttling some poor guy, probably for some imagined slight against her. 'I would have had to improvise.' He turned the corner, then another, and saw the somewhat familiar flower shop. He opened the door to find a woman much like Ino, from the hair and eye color to the sense of fashion and the sort of lazy beauty that Tenso admired; neither she nor her daughter needed makeup to be beautiful, the only work he could tell she had put into the look was the dress and brushing her hair.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked, smiling lightly.

"Oh, no. I've already got an idea of what I would like." He first went to the hibiscus section, but there were none left. So, he started looking for something different. He quickly found a strand of flowers connected to one another, all a similar, gentle shade of purple. The flowers were small, the leaves of the stalk like maple leaves or the strange herb his parents had ground down and smoked occasionally. "Excuse me," he asked gently. "What are these, and what do they symbolize?"

The woman chuckled lightly, far more amiable about the subject of meanings than her daughter. "That is delphinium, also known as larkspur. It symbolizes ardent attachment, levity, and fun. It's a sign that you're big-hearted."

Tenso seemed thoughtful, until he went to the next flower he saw, white petals around a yellow trumpet-like appendage. "Those are daffodils," the woman said, grinning; she had been watching him carefully after the first question. "They are a sign of chivalry, of respect and unrequited love, and a request for feelings to be returned. Lastly, they can be a sign of new beginnings. They are quite a good choice for a quiet and polite young man like you."

He took another moment of thought, before picking two. "...I doubt you would think that if you knew me." He brought the two flowers up, paying with the last of his money.

"I think I know you fairly well, child." Her eyes were suddenly shrewd and sharp. "My husband is one of the heads of Interrogations. He knows about the 'special' boys from the Hallowed Grounds." She gave a dry little smile. "My daughter also spoke of you, both before and after the Tests. You have made an impression on her, that much is certain." She bound one of the flowers with a ribbon the same blue as the girl's eyes, the other with one as red as his. He was stunned, even after the little smile widened just a bit. He didn't need to feel killing intent to know it was there.

"Do take care not to hurt her, dear boy. Larkspur is poisonous, as are a few hundred other plants in this shop. Many of them you wouldn't notice in a drink or meal." Tenso nodded dumbly, backing up so quickly he tripped over a small table that was, thankfully, empty. Then, he was out the door and running.

Koen reached the hospital about the same time as Tenso, but he just went on up to Lee's room; he was damaged goods, but the kid was inspiring. He had trained hard to become a shinobi, despite his inability to use nin-or-genjutsu. He had given his all to fight a monster. Koen had even visited the boy while Rai and Shiden were training yesterday.

When he arrived today, the boy was out of bed, doing pushups with one extremely wobbling arm. Koen sighed from the doorway. "If you kill yourself before I can save you, then I will feel like a major dick strolling into heaven to beat you back to life." A small smile crossed Lee's lips before his hand gave out, and he fell hard to the floor. Koen walked over and picked his friend up, setting him on the bed. "I know it's hard not to be training all the time. Sometimes, it's all I can do to control the beast within. But I know when to rest, too." He clenched his fist tightly.

Lee looked up at his face. "Now is not time for you to rest, I feel."

"No, Lee, it's not. I have to go visit Kiba, too, then I'm going to go train. If I face Gaara, I will rip him apart for this."

Lee shook his head. "I risked my life and almost lost everything. Everything my instincts told me was to give up, hope he didn't attack while my back was turned. He has killing intent."

Koen's pupils slitted of their own accord. "So do I," he said, clenching his fist tighter, until blood began to leak over the fingers. "He could have ended it without destroying you."

"Am I already dead?" Lee asked with a groan, pushing himself to a sitting position. "Is there absolutely no hope?" The fire in his eyes was back and Koen knew the kid would somehow be okay. "If that is so, then I shall make hope for myself! I shall will myself better, and come the next exam, I will pass!"

Koen chuckled a bit, his own eyes still those of a predator. "That is the spirit I like to see in my friends. If that is the power of youth you talk about, then I'm all in for it." He wiped the blood onto his other hand, and held it out for Lee. "On my blood, the only thing I will always have in this world, I swear that I will find a way to make you a shinobi again." Lee took it and shook, and for a moment, Lee felt the awe-shattering power of the serpent, its coils becoming taut as if in preparation to strike.

"I also swear upon this blood that holds me, that you shall wield the greatest power of all, that of righteous fury. The bravery to stand against any adversary, any threat, and win."

Lee blinked, and Koen was gone, the blood upon his palm already drying.

Naruto woke up late this morning, and was slightly disturbed to find Raizen just waiting out front. "Hey," he said, looking around for the others; Shiden had expressed way too much interest in him over dinner, and a few of the fox puns had sounded perverted to the boy. Tenso had kind of been funny, but the way he kept going quiet and glaring with dislike had Naruto a little worried. As for Koen, well, the big guy had out-eaten him, but he had given props for the attempt. Maybe if he hadn't stuffed himself with ramen before Asuma invited them to the meal.

"What's up?" Rai had a light grin on his face, so Naruto wasn't expecting combat, but maybe a prank.

"...Nothing, I just woke up."

"Any plans for the day?"

"I was going to try and get Kakashi-sensei to train me, but I doubt he will. He'll probably help Sasuke, since they both have Sharin-thingy."

Rai chuckled at Naruto's refusal to say it right. "He probably will, but forget Kakashi. Train with me today. I need a partner, since Shiden's off on a mission, and the others are doing their own thing today."

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Naruto asked, a bit nervous. "We are opponents, after all."

"Naruto, I'd like to be your friend. You're the underdog. I want to help you become better. You, and your foxy friend." Naruto was speechless, and he was almost ghost-white. "My god knows the taste of Kyuubi chakra, and I tasted it in your blood." Naruto got a creeped out look on his face.

"...That is disturbing, Raizen. More than you know."

"No, I know exactly how disturbing it is. I possess a special Kekkei Genkai that lets me analyze the genetics of anyone whose blood I taste. I can sense chakra type, blood type, any Kekkei Genkai..." Rai leaned in close, and Naruto did too, listening intently. "And I can even copy them. If you had any special bloodlines inside you, with enough examination, I could find them and emulate them."

Naruto was staring, like he had never heard something so cool or disturbing in his life. "...I'm not letting you drink my blood, Raizen."

Naruto fell back through his front door clutching his face, a clear imprint of Rai's fist right in the center. "I wasn't offering, you moron. Whatever, go play with the pink eye club, if they'll let you." Not even the woman of intrigue that was Sakura would let him stay near Naruto for extended periods of time yet. He hopped to ground level, and set off for Ichiraku. He had eaten his own food, but he was self-criticizing about cooking. He had eaten little, and he was ready for food that he appreciated.

Tenso carefully tucked the flowers away, pulling out the next scroll while he walked. This one was about chakra control from all points, and how it was easier in combination with the Byakugan. It seemed like a hand-written report of someone who had worked with a Byakugan user, not a real one themselves. However, the intel was fascinating. He was tempted to practice holding the eyes again, but there was just too much here. He didn't want to see everything. Just the things that were important: potential assailants, escape routes, and romantic interests.

The girls were still at the café when he passed by again, though this time he pretended to be completely into the scroll, not sparing a glance until he heard the pinkette's voice: "Hey, Hallowed Grounds kid!" He ignored her.

"Tenso?" Ino's voice was much less boisterous than her friend's today. When he glanced at her, she smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. He smiled back, however, and walked over to the two.

"Hello Ino, Sakura. How can I help you two today?"

Ino didn't seem willing to speak, so Sakura was doing all the work. It was unlike any time he'd seen them together. "Ino wanted to talk with you yesterday, but you were nowhere to be found."

"I was training."

"That's what I figured," the pink one said, looking at Ino as if she had just won some minor argument. "So, I'll let you two talk. Do you know where I could find the big one of you lot?"

Tenso decided to be nice for the girl. She had a hard enough time in the exams, and she had lost. "They're all bigger than me. If you mean Koen, though, I suspect he'll be at the hospital first, then he'll be looking for a good training spot."

"What sort of training spot?"

"Somewhere with huge boulders and lots of loose sand. He might be gone all week, if he finds the perfect place."

"Just a week?" Ino asked, joining in the conversation.

"That's how long it is until Brother Shiden comes back. Then he will resume training us."

"He must be powerful, to already be a Jonin," Sakura commented, grinning.

"He's a lucky son of a bitch who refused to let us take the challenges ourselves!" Tenso suddenly said, blinking and looking apologetic the next moment as he noticed the shock on the girls' faces. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me. He is powerful, and he was our leader while we were in the Hallowed Grounds. Here, though, it feels like we have a chance of standing beside him, rather than being stuck under him. There, the Council of Elders didn't trust us. We were continuously brought in for questioning and testing, as if they thought we weren't able to handle ourselves."

Both girls seemed between pity and fear, until Tenso smiled brightly. "Anyway, I have something for you, Ino. I was going to give it to you later, maybe after a walk together, but I need to train. Shiden wouldn't be pleased to know I was even thinking of slacking off." He pulled out the two flowers, holding them both out for her. She took them with a light blush.

"Thank you, Tenso. Though, I'm sure Shiden wouldn't mind that much if you took a single day off."

"Oh, he would mind. He just wouldn't say anything until it was time to train, and then he'd run me into the ground." He grinned a bit more, and turned back towards the Village Gate. "I'll see you later, Ino. Sakura, I don't mean to try misdirecting you, but I do remember that Raizen wanted to talk to you today." The pinkette cocked her head.

"Why would he be looking for me?"

"He wants to make friends. He's already done so with Naruto, and I think he tried making friends with Neji Hyuuga. Anyway, bye!" Unable to hold the energy in any more, the boy took off, hopping to the nearest roof to get across town faster.

"You just signed a death warrant, you know." Tenso chuckled to himself.

'He did want to see her, and maybe making friends will be a good way to get closer to her.'

"...We really are bad at being humans, aren't we. We don't know jack shit about how to do much of anything outside the realm of combat and death."

'That's not entirely true. We know how to interact with people, we just don't have the same moral or mental state as most of them. We can make friends, but we have to turn off that part of our mind that seems uninhibited about any topic. We need to develop standards, limits.'

"So, you want us to start bending to peer pressure and limit ourselves to the strength of those around us?" The blunette rolled his eyes, landing before the Gate and walking through it with a light smile.

'Not in so many words, nor in that particular direction. We can be God Hosts all we want. We just need to figure out what that means for us here, not what that meant back home. We are just regular kids here. Kids with monsters inside us that make adults feel unsafe.'

"...I have no idea what you're trying to say, for once."

'We have to be subtle. You know that word.'

"Yes, I do. I can do subtle. You can't, but I can."

'How am I not subtle?!'

"You just gave Ino flowers that represent unrequited love and ran off without waiting for a response. Need I go further than the last five minutes?"

Tenso sighed to himself, shaking his head. Ren needed go no further than that. With the argument settled, they turned for the training areas, the eyes of their shared body turning white as the muscles around them tensed up. It was time to find an empty spot to study and train.

Koen found his way to Kiba's room, smiling lightly. "Hey, friend. How are you feeling today?"

Kiba jerked up from slouching as the other appeared. He seemed happy to have a visitor. "Hey, Koen. I'm feeling shitty. How about you?"

"I just came to...apologize." Koen was serious-faced as soon as the word tried sticking in his throat. "...I shouldn't have done what I did."

"Hey, it's all good," Kiba said, the little dog barking agreement. "We fought, we got to deliver a few blows, then the opponent, who has been trained to kill men, gave me the mercy of a quick fight and let me have my life. Sure, I was shaken for a bit, but I realized that if I let it buckle me that badly, I'd never recover. If I quit just because I met someone beyond my skills, I would've failed in the Forest of Death; my squad came across Gaara, and he was killing people. Without trying, without reason. He just wanted to see people die."

Koen wasn't against a fair fight and a death if one was unwilling to stop. He wasn't against killing for a mission; he considered it a job still, not that distant from what Chuunin were supposed to do. He was, however, against psychotic antics like murder for pleasure. Still, he was relieved. Kiba was alive, well, and he didn't hate or fear Koen. "It's good to see that you're alright."

"Alright would be them letting me out of this hospital bed for more than a few minutes."

Koen smirked. "...Wanna come train with me?"

Kiba grinned, pushing himself up more, then groaning and laying back down. "...We'll have to have a rain check for that. My body is still recovering."

Koen nodded, wishing for the first time that he could swap his muscle for healing powers. It was probably the only time in his life so far, but he figured that with the cocksu-er, conscience he was supposed to be developing, such feelings would be a bit commonplace for a while. He wasn't looking forward to that.

"Alright, I'll...see you later." The two ninja nodded at one another, and then Koen was gone again, heading to look for a training ground. Hopefully, one that could withstand a few baby punches, unlike the poor widdle tower.

Rai sat in the ruined and muddy field, meditating. He had looked through the scrolls, and while they weren't on Storm Style, they were still useful; one had contained several Fire Style jutsus of various grade, another held Earth Style, and the last had been a study of Blood Style limitations and weaknesses, such as trying to combine multiple eye jutsu. In all, the scrolls covered a few subjects that interested him, but he would stretch his studies out over the week, a bit a day. He thought about the puppetry angle, and created a Shadow Clone. 'I'm no artist. I can't make beautiful weapons. If I begin using puppets professionally, I'll have to find something perfect. A weapon that can even take the power of you, Zaphos.'

"I am amused by this thought. Maybe you'll walk the path of that Sunagakure ninja, the one who used human puppets."

'I could, which is why I'm using the Clone for now.' He connected his chakra strings to the living puppet, and it jerked a bit. He made it sign rapidly, trying a technique he had picked from the Fire scroll, the Burning Talons; it seemed to be an idea from a former Host, most likely the Garuda or the Chimera. His "puppet" reacted at almost thought-speed, signing quickly and creating the claws of burning chakra. "Not bad, me. Now let's put me through my paces." He released the chakra strings, and the clone turned to face him. They drew their kunai in unison.

"I'm going to enjoy watching you take your anger out on your twin."

'Clone, not twin. My twin is gone.'

"I know who you see. Who you really wish to see disappear in a puff of smoke."

'You promised to stay away from my psyche.'

"I promised you greatness at any cost, as well."

Raizen said nothing as he locked blades with himself. The veil didn't fall over his eyes as it usually did; he had defeated his brother, even if it was just a little brawl. He had used the ninja way, to win at any cost. He saw only himself, the doubts and the problems that still filled his psyche beside the Chimera's whisperings. He jumped back, signing for his favorite, the Lightning Rise. The clone signed the new Burning Talons again. The real Rai missed with his almost trademark technique as the clone sidestepped, and the Raiclone slammed burning claws into the real deal's rib cage, tearing the shirt that he was wearing, one of the last he had brought with him that had been intact.

'...I'm going to kick my own ass with savage glee.' He kicked the clone away, pounced upon the backpedaling body, and started sending chakra-infused blows into vital organs. Too bad he only got a few blows in before the clone dissipated. He stood, drawing more God Chakra to the surface. "More." This time, he created five clones. They rushed at him at the same time, only for him to begin signing something new.

"Blood Style Summoning: Field of Blood Sealing!" He bit his thumbs and slid them across his palms, slamming them to the ground. The ground around him for seven meters turned into a sludge that, when the first clone landed on it, turned blood red. Something reached up and wrapped around the clone's leg. The rest of them were captured as soon as they landed. The clones felt a tiny prick, but not enough to dissolve them. They pulled free like it was simply deep mud, squelching steps towards the now immensely drained Raizen. He had sealed their chakra, and blown most of his in the process. He picked himself up slowly, stretching.

"Time to go old school." He jumped upon the first enemy, kicking into his chest and kicking off before it could dissolve. He landed on the next one, sending it into the mud. He drew a kunai and threw it home as he jumped, landing on his safe zone before the other three could get free to attack him. He threw three more kunai, using them as a screen as he jumped for the left one, favoring his right arm in the swing, as always. While the kunai and punch were deflected, his kick was not, snapping the clone's head back with enough force that one would assume he had just broken his own neck. The clone dissolved, and he landed on the field, sending his little remaining chakra to his feet to keep from sinking in. That was the only way to avoid this technique; it was often used in swamps or under water for ambush.

The two started trying to flank him, the one on the left being more defensive against his right-favoring stance. But, Raizen was nothing if not unpredictable in battle, and he willfully proved it as he dashed towards the right one, a kunai in each hand. Before the clone could adjust and block, a blade was in his chest, causing him to explode. He was facing the last one, each now holding a kunai.

"You're going to make this a chore, aren't you." Rai was drained, down to his last dregs of energy. Even if the sealing field couldn't hurt him, it had been a strain that he wasn't sure he could handle outside of training yet.

"I am you," the other said, smirking. Even with chakra sealed, the clone had the advantage of observing what had happened to the other ones. It was a slim hope, but Rai was known for loving slip hopes.

"...Okay, you die solely for that comment." He darted across the field, ducking under the first swing and catching the blow in his shoulder, his own blade sinking right where his brother had planted one when they were children. The clone was still smirking as he exploded into smoke. "When did I turn into such an asshole?" he asked no one in particular, before releasing the field with a different set of signs. A bit of chakra returned to him as he did so, but not enough that the battle would have gone very differently.

Zaphos was kind enough to refill his tank, though Rai returned to meditating before anything else. He needed the distraction.

However, he soon heard heavy steps. Sliding one eye open, he noticed Koen coming for him, looking like he was ready to seriously train. "Need a hand?" Rai called.

"I only accept competent help. If you can keep up, you're hired for the day."

"I only accept work from competent employers. Make me keep up, and I'll work for you all day, free of charge." Rai may not have been as smart as Shiden, but he was just as much a smart-ass as Koen any day of the week.

The two stood, looking up to the mountain. "...Last one up buys dinner?" Koen asked.

"You're buying dinner," Raizen replied, punching his brother in the shoulder as he stood. Then he was off, leaving Koen to smirk at the dust.

"It's on," he said lightly, opening the First Gate and shooting after the fellow host.

They wouldn't train just with what they were learning; they would train as they always did, with everything they knew and had, with as much of their anger channeled out as they could. It gave them a clean slate to work on until the next time they fought.