The day ends, it's a Thursday thank goodness. If it was a kunoichi class day I think I would skip. Recently I've been meeting up with Choji from time to time. Having another person to talk to, another shinobi to be has been nice. Ami is great and all but I hadn't realized how much I was still wanting in conversation until now.

Not that Choji is a master linguist or anything. No he's a kid, but he's nice enough. He's taken to helping out at Yataka's stand (Yataka is his grand uncle apparently) from time to time in the mornings and sometimes we talk a little after school. Not much because I have the library to read at but sometimes. I'm not sure I would call him a friend… yet… but it's getting there.

He is such a sweet heart! Honestly what a cute kid! He's just so gentle and kind about everything it's ridiculously cute!

He also is actually a good person to bounce ideas off of, or rather he just knows some things I don't and sometimes randomly points me in the right direction. Like with my most recent problem of being unable to train my Shurikenjutsu outside of class, especially as it gets harder and harder to level them up.

Kunai Proficiency Level 14

Ability to throw and use kunai. Kunai range approximately 40m. Speed and strength behind throw increases per level. Accuracy on stationary targets 1% per level. Current ability, throwing accuracy 14%.

I actually hit the bullseye once the other day with a kunai! It was AMAZING. Half the classes blinked the other half said it was total luck… however most of my Kunai now hit near the target at least.

Shuriken Proficiency Level 17

Ability to throw and use shuriken. Shuriken range approximately 15 m. Speed and strength behind throw increases per level. Accuracy on stationary targets 1% per level. Current ability, throwing accuracy 17%.

The gloves really help with this. It is just much easier to confidently throw shuriken when your not constantly worrying about cutting yourself. I mean I could maybe go to the hospital to get it healed… but they don't really heal for tiny things. Maybe I should learn some medical ninjutsu just to be able to heal small things.

Shurikenjutsu Proficiency Level 16

Ability to use throwing weapons effectively. Speed in which you can throw weapons and the strength behind the throw increases per level by 0.2%. Increase in speed to level up shurikenjutsu related skills increases 1% per level. Current ability level up speed 116%, weapons speed and strength increase 3.2%.

This is a great skill especially since the increase in strength behind my throws helps the shuriken and kunai actually pierce the target. Eventually the speed increase will help with enemies not dodging my attacks… though I don't want to think about attacking people just yet.

Either way I really need to train these more if I want to eventually get it to that ridiculous accuracy that it so crazy cool.

So the other day I was talking with Choji and just generally having an enjoyable time when he started to talk about his dad going to the training grounds with his old team to catch up. That… that is when it hit me.

Konoha is a ninja village, and ALL ninja needed to train. We had plenty of training grounds, not that I knew where they were… but we did! I'm thinking of it like a golf course, people are bound to loose plenty of shuriken and kunai in the training grounds. All I had to do was go there and find them. They may not be in the best shape when I find them but I read that book on maintaining weapons for a reason. Plus I wash the dishes all the time just to upgrade my maintenance skill.

Maintenance Proficiency Level 38

Ability to maintain, clean, and fix up items and/or possessions effectively. Speed and success improves per level. Increase in quality of the item 0.25% per level increase in speed of action 0.5% per level once action is familiar. Current ability, quality increase 9.5%, speed increase 19%

So I can totally (hopefully) fix up any weapons I find and then have something to train with. I'll solve the WHERE to train issue later even if I end up throwing them at the walls of the apartment. (If the landlord comes they can just think I am a kid with a fascination for really big cheesy posters)

So with a plan to FINALLY get some gear of my own in place I run through the village just needing to figure out the location of a training ground and then sneak in. (Civilians aren't allowed at the training grounds I checked) so just pick a direction and sense for ninja? Sounds like a plan to me!

Once again running is my friend as I speed through the streets of Konoha. There is still so much of it I am yet to explore. Thinking logically training grounds would be on the outskirts of the village right? So I just need to head in the general location of the konoha walls and go from there.

As I move through the unfamiliar streets I take note as to the change of people. It seems less… civilian but definitely not clan either. Perhaps a neighbourhood for shinobi familes who do not hail from a clan? Or clans that have dwindled to the point they aren't really clans anymore?

In some of the older library books they talks about more clans than I could count, each with their own jutsus or even minor bloodlines. Many are then not mentioned again in later texts… case and point the Hatake clan. I feel a pang of empathy for Kakashi, as far as I know he is the LAST Hatake. In fact most people with last names either earned them, their ancestors earned them, or came from a clan at some point. In the land of fire at least, other places like the land of wind has plenty of clans but rarely any last names instead naming their clans in the style of a title.

Either way there had to be neighbourhoods for such people in Konoha, after all I couldn't really see them… mixing… with the civilians. A few of the residence of the neighbourhood cock their head at me but don't seem fazed by me. No surprise I am just a kid after all. I continue forward little by little. My sensing range is over 150m in ever direction, not enough to really look for a training grounds but enough for me to feel the neighbourhood around me and confirm more of the residence have active chakra networks. Man I wish I could use transformation jutsu. Then I could actually ask for directions.

Though at my level any transformation would probably be easy to recognize. I continue onward until I can't help but smirk. A park but not a park. Thick trees with no sign or trail yet definitely within the village. It has to be a training ground! Let's just hope it's not the forest of death…

I push through branch after branch. It's really thick. Is there a trail somewhere or do ninja just climb the trees?

Finally I seem to breakthrough the worse of the brush and am able to walk a bit. I sense around and don't feel anyone which is both good and bad. Good because if this is a training ground I'm not supposed to be here. Bad because stumbling onto some ninja training would confirm this place as a training ground. I sigh, I really can't win either way. Instead I keep my eyes peeled looking for anything shiny that would show a weapon of some kind. The thing I didn't think about with this plan? If the weapons were easy to see other ninja would have taken them already. I slump over in sadness at the realization but don't give up as I continue to comb the place, I am more and more sure is a training ground based on the weapons marks on some of the trees. The deeper I get the more the damage shows from others training here and I hold out hope. In the end I don't find anything but on the plus side I know where to look now.

The following day I come back again and continue my search. This time I move over the areas I looked yesterday much faster seeing that it is undisturbed. Then I find one. A single shuriken dug deep intro he roots of a tree covered in dirt it's almost unnoticeable. Smiling I dig it up placing it in my bag before looking for more. This new area seems to have a lot of abandoned weapons. I find three more shuriken and two kunai. I wonder why this area isn't picked clean like the others?

I spot another shuriken, it looks rusty and old but hey beggars can't be choosers, and with this I will have a solid set of five shuriken to practice with. I pick it up examining the quality absent midnely walking forward as I put the deadly ninja star away.

The next motions are a blur. One second I am on the ground. The next I am making an indignant squeak as I am lifted from my feet dangling in a net…

Traps…

That's why this area isn't as looked through. Traps…

I'm caught in a trap. I see my bag with the weapons that could really come in handy right now lying on the ground a ways away and groan. I suppose I should be glad that I dropped my bag. The weapons having been squished in this net with me I could have been really bad right?

Only now I have no idea how to get out, and I don't sense ANYONE around.

"Hello?" I squeak out and the feel like facepalming I can sense that no one is around so why am I wasting my breath? Unless the ninja are concealing their chakra. I need to get out of here! I begin to struggle before realizing the net is only making it harder to move the more I do so. Ok… so need to approach this logically right? I mean it can't be that hard to get out of a net?

As I see the sky getting dark I have a bad feeling about that assumption.

"Well… what do we have here?" A voice says as I blink awake. At first it is very confusing because why am I not in my bed? Why am I dangling. In the air? Then I remember and my face turns bright red in front of the two distinctly smug figures in front of the net one grinning. The other looking completely bewildered.

"Um… hi?" I say weakly my embarassement still very present.

"Let's get you down from there." One of the two says and moves to cut the rope holding the net up.

"Wait!" I yell out but it's too late and I go plummeting to the ground.

"Izumo you idiot!" The second of the two says though it is with fond amusement. The other… Izumo quickly hovers over me.

"Are you alright?" He asks concern in his voice as well as his own embarrassment. Now down from the net I begin to catalogue and analyze my situation. My 'rescuers' are shinobi based off their headbands, they seem to be about 17-18 years old. Izumo has brown hair in bangs and wears a chunnin vest. His friend also has a chunnin vest actually, his friend however has black spiky hair. These two are familiar too, not the oh ya I know you! Type familiar, more haven't I met you before? Type familiar.

"I'm fine. Thank you for assistance shinobi-san." I say getting up and giving a quick bow before grabbing my bag and intending to get out of here QUICKLY when my plan is foiled by the spiky haired ninja who appears in front of me blocking my path.

"We have questions." The rude ninja blocking my way states. I scowl lightly at the man with only a bit of real heat.

"Come on Kotetsu, she's just a kid." Izumo says and I nod, I like Izumo.

"Then what is she doing at a training ground?" Kotetsu asks amusement clear in his tone, mocking amusement.

"I was exploring." I tell him, it's not a lie, but I will NOT tell him about my new weapons. They might take them away.

"This training ground is for ninja only." Izumo informs me now directly behind me. I look quickly between the two. Ok… time to bend the truth.

"How was I supposed to know it was a training ground?! There isn't exactly a sign." I grumble lowly folding my arms.

"Have you been here all night?!" Izumo then asks horrified and I nod.

"Man your parents must have the police force out liking for you by now." Kotetsu comments and I shake my head.

"Orphan." I say simply and then run past him waving. "Thanks again Izumo-san, Kotetsu-san!" I yell and they let me go.

When I make it back to civilization I look a little worse for the wear if I am being honest. I can't help but think about what Kotetsu said. If I were to disappear… would anyone miss me? Would anyone care? I guess that's how Danzo gets away with what he does, taking the kids no one would miss. It honestly makes me sad. As I make my way home… hey when did I start thinking of it as that? I am about to unlock the door when it flies open and a very worried looking Ami grabs me by the arm dragging me in. I am so surprised I don't even really register what is happening as she closes the door and… hugs me? Since when does Ami give hugs?

"Where were you Googly-eyes?" Ami chokes out sniffling and I on instinct move my arms to hold her as well.

"Sorry… I… got… caught up?" I say in a voice that is unsure. Yet a soft smile finds its way to my face. I guess someone would miss me after all…