Thursday 5:00 pm, March 14th.

Memories, are fickle. The mind can make memories and also destroy them, protecting the host from the harsh reality. It's a dangerous topic, those who can weave memories to their liking are as sad as they get. Although, when the mind weakens true recollections will come forth.

The cell was damp, the only source of light was through the air vent on top it was what told him it was daytime. The walls were thin, for appropriate reasoning. Solitude. Fukō was in the dark, he didn't know who was left. The screams he heard yesterday were a bare memory. This place is designed to take so much more than some soul, it was meant for holding beast and somehow he felt at ease. For the most part, their sanity is shot, they swing between crying for their mothers and battling invisible demons. People weren't used to being alone and hearing the minimum sound, perhaps that's why he was excelling? His ears weren't filled with the sound of his heart rate, nor his blood moving through his veins. It was taking in the steady drip of a leaky faucet. Each sharp and narrow corner in the concrete box was riddled with critters of the night. The preparations for becoming an operator were ridiculous. They were pushing the limits of everyone, but it made sense. Those who stayed sane after everything was never reasonable in the start. If that wasn't the worse, they were subjected to sleeping on the cool concrete floor; it was a form of conditioning.

Despite being alone in the dark for hours, they were granted three items to keep busy. Some requested for food or liquids, others thought ahead and went for seals among other items. Fukō on the other hand didn't take the path anyone else had chosen, he didn't need any food source, he was willing to gamble how long they would stay in confinement. He picked three items he could work with, water and two herbs. The dancing lilac was a common hallucinogen, combining it with water and a minor poison turned it into a basic blinding substance. If there were more challenges after, he'd have to be prepared.

Back in the village, he experimented with various poisons. He wasn't at a level where he could make something deadly on the fly unless you counted himself, but he was hoping to reach there soon. Unlike other poison users, the young boy tested his creations out on himself; he recalled seeing his mother mess around with her saliva and getting his father sick, he assumed she built immunity and crafted her own...so he was attempting to go down the same path simply because the art of toxins were stronger than people thought. To start, identifying the poison that struck someone was tedious. Right after was finding an antidote, and in the long run, working with such items would help him in various scenarios. He couldn't quite tell if he made it to the point where his mother stood, mixing it into his system...his memory was hazy about those times.

Turning to the drain in the center of the room, the young boy couldn't help but wonder what everyone else was doing. He didn't have many friends if any at all. But he was curious about the people he had a decent knowledge of. His recent thoughts were flushed with the sound of his neighbor praying once more, these hours that went by he had a base understanding of god all of a sudden. Whoever was on the opposite end enjoyed talking to the great being, like they had a close-knitted relationship. Honestly, Fukō had to thank the Lord. He was gathering valuable information about the individual, and if he could distinguish their voice among everyone it'll make finding pawns easier.

The sound of metal unhinging caught everyone's attention, a beep later and the doors each flopped open. Silver eyes were met with a familiar mask, the same person from the previous times was standing in front of the way out. Though this time around she looked relaxed, he didn't know if it was because she knew she could mop the floor with him in seconds or the fact the number of contestants was small. "Congrats, you have advanced to the finals. For making it this far, we are allowed to answer any question you have." Her voice was indeed monotone, she didn't see him as a threat which didn't work for him. It wasn't like he could change that anytime soon.

Pondering what to ask, he weighed his options. On one hand, he could ask how his brother was doing or why they were put through this instead of a singular test. Then again, he wanted to stay ahead of the competition. That was the question everyone was asking, what the next challenge was. He didn't need that, "How do I pass the next final portion?" It was all he needed to know, with that knowledge he could work around a strategy.

"You don't pass, you escape." His luck wasn't paying off, the answer was direct and vague. "Normally, people ask about their loved ones. Sometimes, what the next challenge is. The people who asked other questions never see the end," He could feel the air in the room shift, "Since you asked your question, I will take my leave." The mask didn't stop the threatening aura she emitted, so as she left he started breathing once more.

Mind in shock, he didn't think nor move. "Escape?"

Masuo took a step back, his soles picking up dust. Sweat beads ran down his forehead, he hasn't seen any progress. No matter how hard he was pushed, the results were the same or so he assumed. Jumping to the side, he narrowly dodged another fist by Shinobu. At first, he couldn't dodge. Luckily his teammate was open and predictable, before he struck one would need to look at their shoulder to tell which arm they were using, it was easy to evade. The thing was, he didn't have enough gas to keep moving. Stamina was important, and he was lacking compared to his teammates. Taking a step back, his left leg gave out from exhaustion. Toppling on the ground Masuo let out a sigh, 'When has the ground ever felt this comfortable?'

"Shinobu, you are leaving too many openings on top of that the reason Masuo was able to dodge is because you aren't going all out. You both need to get better, which means you both should be efficiently putting all your might into training. For example, look at Akira." Masuo lifted only to look at the poor sucker, from someone's standpoint it may look like he has everything under control but he was breaking. To start, his legs were wobbling and his chakra was draining; his body was under immense stress which made him drain more chakra than needed.

Due to losing in a spar against Masuo, Akira was subjected to water walking. Well, it was more like water standing. He had to stand above a lake with four bricks on each arm and three more on his head. Jiei informed all of them he was the worst at hand-to-hand combat out of the three, and it pleased the other two boys. Then he went as far as to say Masuo had a better hold on Genjutsu. This was true, but adding them together could shake up an army in the future.

Shinobu couldn't hold back his laughter as he pointed at Akira, "Look at him struggling!"

As if on queue, a tick mark came. Shinobu's voice destroyed his focus, releasing more chakra than needed Akira fell straight down into the water.

Masuo watched as he resurfaced, his eyes picking apart the male piece by piece. Ever since training started, his work was put on pause. Either he was simply too sore to move, or he was just about in a coma. Speaking of which, Iruka was still out of commission. The last time he checked on the instructor, he was a tad thinner than before. Light brown eyes watched as Akira crawled out of the water, his team was special. But in terms of advancements, team seven was soring by. Aju must've changed Sakura cause the air around her was different. She wasn't bratty, but still had little kinks. In terms of combat power, Sakura was ahead of him. It displeased him that she was clever and that, if she had another goal in mind besides being Sasuke's doll he would've considered her someone of interest. Catching his thoughts, he ignored the light shade of red that clouded his cheeks. "God, these pubescent hormones."

"You aren't even old enough to worry about that nature, you should spend your time brushing up on your skill." Jiei's voice didn't help, sulking Masuo shook his head. It was bad enough he had the mere thought but having someone of higher status hear it? God, he's lucky Shinobu didn't pick up on it.

As Shinobu helped the wet teammate stand, Masuo ignored Jiei's eyes. It was obvious that their Jonin leader wanted them to help each other in their shortcomings, but life wasn't like that. Lips parting a yawn escaped, fingers running through violet hair as they all grouped up.

"We aren't ready to take on a mission yet, you three need to learn the basics once more." Jiei's words were followed up by sighs all around, "When you prove to me that you can handle your own, I will take into consideration getting assigned a task."

"Team seven went on a mission already, all they did was help an old lady but it still counts!" Shinobu offered a counter stand to the conversation.

"From my standpoint, you three can't even handle that." Jiei's harsh words forced the redhead to flinch, and Masuo finding the words sunk into his own statement.

"Taking on lower-tier missions will help us understand each other, it'll also progress in building mutual bonds. We can get a better feel on each other, and work from what we show." Masuo's voice didn't waver and Akira chimed in to seal the deal.

"You informed us, teamwork is key. How are we going to let it progress naturally if you keep us from going on missions?" Jiei listened to the two standpoints, and if he wanted to train them in the art of diplomacy they'd be higher than he is.

Clearing his voice, Jiei discarded how cold Akira should be at the moment. "If you three feel you are ready, land a hit on me in under five minutes. If one of you even touch me, I'll sign us up for a task. However, if none of you do. You'll continue our training for a month before asking again." Hearing the rules, Jiei listened to them accept. It was at that moment, he decided to give them a taste of reality.

Although blind, he listened to his student's heartbeat. Their location was mapped in his head, exhaling he released a normal killing intent. It was what he recalled he went through his first go around.

Akira was the first to take a step back, which pleased Jiei. The fact he was able to move a little under such pressure proved he was heading a step in the right direction. Moving onto the other two, he wasn't surprised. Shinobu's heart rate rose, and Masuo stood still as if he was trying to camouflage with the background.

"Look at this, all that talk...and you can't even handle the feeling of someone trying to kill you. I could keep this up for years, but it'll only bring you to insanity. See you guys tomorrow." Disappearing, Shinobu was the first and only to bend down and throw up. Whatever he ate in the morning spilled onto the ground.

Akira regained his composure before falling onto the ground, all the while Masuo stood still. Shock written on his features, arms and legs trembling he finally collapsed. They weren't in such a trance for long, and this was the effect it had on them. Despite that, he felt a similar sensation like this before.

It was odd.

Kirayari's eyes reflected the fluent movements of Kiyoshi, the battle has been fairing well over fifteen minutes but it looked like they could keep going. Even, Kurenai was zoned in. It was like watching a bull attack a tamer, every attack Aju's thrown up to this point was countered with ease. The wall that separated them was huge, if Kirayari had to write it out; Kiyoshi was above her in all categories.

"They are some monsters huh?" Kirayari looked up at Akane, the slightly older girl usually popped up whenever she saw fit. It wasn't like she was causing problems, plus her company was nice.

"Monsters don't even cut it, as much as I hate to admit it. There were people even better than them in the academy, so what would they be?" Kirayari didn't stop there, "The more I look at them, the more I want to grow stronger...faster if things keep progressing like this, I won't be able to catch up."

"You're good. You are in a league on your own compared to them, take my advice as someone older when it comes to battling Aju is going to need your help and vice versa," Yawning the redhead beauty leaned against the bark, "I can easily take out half of your class alone, I think the only people I'll have a problem against...is those that don't have any regard for any life." Akane was being honest, if she was taking in all the variables she would win most of the battles.

The sound of Aju's yelling caught the two girls' attention again, her fist buried into the depth of a tree. "STOP MOVING!"

Kiyoshi narrowed his eyes on her petite frame, no matter how many times he witnessed it the destructive power she unleashed was insane. If they were battling with pure determination to kill, he would've been lost. There were loads of times where he was forced to take a hit, luckily his muscles were sturdy. Nonetheless, her power was amazing; it was like an unripened fruit the juices oozing out with a singular bite. Watching as she dug her hand out of the tree, Kiyoshi debated on his next course of action. Unfortunately, she picked up the pace forcing him to bob his head to the side; the sweat from her arm rubbed against his cheek.

When the fight started she was throwing obvious strikes, now she was mixing it up. Catching an uppercut to the jaw, Kiyoshi forced his body to say on the ground his head tilted upwards as the sound of O's echoed into the air. "Didn't expect that huh?" Hearing her voice he pushed his head back down, her arm folding with his movement. He was giving her too much credit, turning the notches his fist came into contact with Aju's face. Her body was pushed back, heels collecting a mass of dirt and dust. Kiyoshi followed up with an elbow strike to her neck after clearing the distance, watching her hold her neck in pain his hands palmed her head and his knee came up to finish things off.

Kurenai yanked the boy back, and despite the fight, he was putting up in her grip she lifted him up. "Kiyoshi, a friendly battle means no life-threatening moves. You could've killed her with that cheap move," Kiyoshi didn't stop wiggling. He made the minor adjustments to only give her pain, he wasn't going to hurt her that bad...well he wasn't trying to.

Harsh coughs spat out of Aju's mouth, her hand rubbing her stomach as she winced. "It seems you've been holding back on me..." Clearing her throat she bundled up the liquid in her mouth before releasing it on the ground, not noticing the blood mixed into it she got back into position. "I'm ready to go again."

Kurenai knew she was dealing with idiots, "No, you need to work on organizing what you want to do instead of unleashing random kicks and hits! Kiyoshi needs to figure out when the perfect time to strike is, AND this battle only put both of you on the fences! Until you've both cooled off, we won't be doing anything."

Kirayari didn't open her mouth, she knew being part of the team looped her in these small outbursts. Yet her luck was put against her as the sensei ordered for her to start practicing chakra control. Not wanting to get deeper into the mix, she listened only to have Akane laugh at the three of them.

Mia plopped a mouthful of stew, the texture rummaging around her tastebuds before settling down. It seemed her mother was interested in getting to know her teammates a little longer without the guardians around. What felt like the tenth time, Mia stuffed her face in an attempt to hide from her mother's words.

"She would then follow them around, following them even when they told her otherwise! Although, she put herself in those situations she never came back dirty...which surprised everyone." Recalling about her childhood was something the young girl didn't want to be known, it was funny even cute at first but now she was being targeted. What made matters worse was Hotaru and Seiko were eating into the meaningless talk, though one look slightly preoccupied. "Oh my, looks like I prolonged our little encounter. Pardon for taking up your time, I'm thankful you two are taking excellent care of my little flower." Leaving the stall, Mia watched her mother exit the establishment.

"So, let's forget everything that happened up until this moment?" The smirks written on their faces said otherwise, and before she could establish anything she was pushed to the edge of the wall, a similar scent of Ramen entering her nose.

"After a long day, eating here with some friends will make everything better!" Naruto's voice seemingly grew louder with every word, and accompanying him was his two more than welcoming teammates.

"Heya," Sakura sat at the edge while Sasuke took the opposite direction next to Hotaru.

"Why couldn't we go to my spot again?" Naruto's question was answered with a smack, a bump appearing in the middle of his head.

"I heard you guys been quite busy, even with the teams forming recently." Mia took the lead for her socially awkward teammates, in most cases, it'd be like this. "Congratulations, I take it your sensei gave each of you roles to fulfill which puts your feats above us."

"Not exactly, during the start, we almost failed! If it wasn't for Sakura we would've been back in the academy." The praise from the blonde got a giggle out of the pink-haired girl.

"I just had to lay some bait, and even then it was hard...luck was on my side!" Sakura's eyes fidgeted towards Sasuke before coming to Hotaru, "Our team is looking nice and all, but Hotaru have you heard from Fukō recently?"

"No, if you're interested in his whereabouts ask his older brother." Mia narrowed her eyes on Sakura for a moment before turning to Hotaru, it was quite strange to bring someone up randomly especially when they weren't even narrowly close to the topic.

"Oh, I assumed you were his go-to gal, so if he hasn't come to you then this failing must've been hard on him. Then again his skills were subpar at best, though at times he shocked me especially with his unorthodox methods." Mia could tell Sakura was trying to pick a fight, but the reason was in the air.

"Well, whatever works right? I assume you knew his style best since he defeated you without lifting a finger." Hotaru's clap back shocked the table. Naruto didn't react, and Sasuke covered his grin with his fist.

Sakura smiled for a moment, and Mia didn't notice as she was rebounding off of the harsh reality of being in the same boat as Sakura in a different notion. "I only grew from that battle, although it's quite pointless to ask for a rematch against someone that isn't a ninja."

"You're quite good at badmouthing someone behind their back huh?" Seiko interrupted, the small hostility growing.

"H-how about we change the topic? Right, Sakura-chan?" Naruto waved his hands in front of his teammate, when that didn't break the eye contact Mia intervened with her own set of words.

"Sakura, you seem to have some sort of grudge against Hotaru correct? You bought up a name that was irrelevant to anything, are you jealous?" Mia rose a brow only to be taken back at Hotaru's words that came.

"Perhaps, she found someone new to lust over? It doesn't bother me, but don't rope me into your fantasy. I have my own set of problems, and adding a nuisance like yourself won't do anything but hinder me." Her grumpy tone matched her annoyed expression and thus the small little group separated on a foul note for the day.

Fukō's soles firmly sat against the cool concrete floor, they were all freed not long ago, and here they were all huddled by a makeshift fire. No one was talking, but everyone was getting strange looks. Shino was still alive and kicking which would benefit him, then there were the three other men and two women. In total there were seven people, adding in himself. Yet again, he was the weakest among the group but for someone like him to make it this far; it was around the time people started to look at him thinking otherwise. Each of them held important information, and he knew what the goal was; who knew what everyone else asked, and in order to start some sort of conversation he would need to look helpless, like a child asking for directions.

Putting on such a facade should be easy, but these were just about the best of the best, and he wasn't a clown. The best course of action would be planting a seed in the middle, if he could lace everyone's ideas with confusion then maybe everything could work in his favor. "Since they are giving us excess time," Sudden pressure dumped onto his body, everyone was looking at him. They were picking him apart with their eyes, but this wasn't the time to back down. "I was dumb enough to ask how my family is doing, I miss my mother and father...sure it doesn't help but what they said put me at ease. Fukō was making things up, sure he didn't ask about them since they both were dead, but no one knew that, and perhaps he did miss them no matter how it seemed. After all, they are his creator.

"It's alright the lord has a plan with all of us, with the great being on our side I know we will all leave better than ever." It seems he found the guy that wouldn't stop praying, and his appearance was just how one would imagine, bald with a white robe on. The only thing striking enough about him was his accent and scar above his eyebrow.

"Funny enough, I asked the same thing!" The new voice was followed by a stick being thrown in the fire-pit, "I was informed they were doing well, I guess we all have something we care about at the end of the day correct?" The fire crackled which caught Shino's attention. "Being in the Anbu was a dream of mine since I was little, the thought of being strong enough to serve under someone excited me! I used to play around with my sister, arresting her to casual training." Fukō didn't know if he believed such a memory, his skinny body type didn't add up to the training he said. The guy speaking yawned and covered his mouth and nose as a result.

Fukō's senses dazed, his vision blurred for a second he felt his heart and mind start to shut down. Falling onto his back, he started to gasp for air. Turning his head to the side, he witnessed the believer in god on the ground with him; the only difference being they were dead, blood was leaving his eyes. They were poisoned but by who and what? In the midst of everything, a bare memory came to mind.

"Drawing out time was my plan, it was effortless to ramble about nothing. Looks like this group is just about done with, after this little play they should take off fifty years of my sentence!" The young man looked back at everyone, "Sorry, it was either you or me!" Stepping on the fire repeatedly, it started to die out again. "Everyone thought I was keeping the fire going when I laced the wood with my own poison...and there were kids involved...sucks. Hey! Anyone paying attention it's over! I did what I was tasked with!"

Shino was the first one to raise, luckily the insects in his body closed all the gaps where the poison could've entered of course it rendered him immobile for a few seconds but once oxygen entered his system he was awake. Upon standing he took note of everyone else, he could hear some faint heartbeats around at least it's what his buddies were informing him. That meant he had to handle this person alone, thankfully they were dumb. Insects started to climb onto the attacker's leg and before Shino could capture him, he was flipped upside down. "Geez, don't look down on me now. Even if I used my preferred method, I am still leagues above you child." Tossing Shino off to the side, the guy was surprised to see a ramp of insects catch him. "Since I'll kill you with my hands I should tell you my name? Nam."

"Shino." Getting into an attacking stance, the young child readied his little army. Nam took the mantle and latched onto Shino's head before smashing it into the ground, luckily for Shino his bugs stopped the blow and he followed up with a swift knee to the side only to be flung to the side.

"Those bugs of yours are going to be annoying..." Nam started his hand signs, "Kid, looks like you were destined to die here."

Fukō grabbed onto Nam's torso, his teeth sinking into flesh. Ignoring the blood entering his mouth, the male didn't stop until he was thrown off. "Looks like the two children were better than I expected." Nam turned to look at Fukō, his hand coming up to cover the wound. "Are you a cannibal or something? You sure did a number on my neck."

Shino watched as the only other person helping started to throw up blood, even if that idea was different he landed something on the male. Time stopped as both listened to the white-haired boy laugh, a chill ran down Shino's spine he remembered what he was put through when facing him; what he was capable of.

"You're the one dying here, I didn't bite into your neck for no reason." It was the truth, Fukō decided to use his trump card. If anything it was a defense mechanism, something he inherited for his mother. He forgot, but the images that flashed in his head were true; maybe that's why he tested minor poisons on himself without fear. When it came to dinner, she'd feed him poison of her own creation; of course, she took it too, she wanted to build up an immunity. In the process, he started to develop a natural toxin. Just like her. Over the years, his body started to adjust in seconds to relatively any minor poison; when it came to different unknown types it was a gamble. Opening his mouth, the young boy placed his palm under his canines slowly a clear liquid began to seep from his teeth. It was a mixture of everything he had consumed over the years being with his mother, now his tolerance should be relatively low since it's been quite some time. "As far as he knew there wasn't an antidote for his poison, then again he never really used it on someone. All he knew, was he could turn it on and off. It was like another muscle storing it and building it over and over again.

"That's not normal, at all. Then again, all of these clans have strange gimmicks did you know there is a clan out there that can kill you with a kiss?" Nam didn't feel the effect of the toxin so he started to get serious, but before he could move his head was gone.

One of the girls from before stood over his body, "Looks like I wasn't the only other convict in this place, sorry. I really need to be free," Her attention turned to the two boys that were nowhere to be found, "Running?"

xXx

"This...is too much. In order to join the Anbu why would you kill off half of its new members?" Shino voiced his concern only to be taken by the sound of liquid hitting the floor.

"The taste of blood, it's not something someone can get used to." Standing up straight, Fukō inhaled his lungs taking in what it can before letting it all out. "The goal is to escape, and my theory on all this is simple; what if, from the start, we were the only ones taking the test? Hiding your strength I take it is the goal when protecting someone, yet during the first portion, everyone was trying to intimidate each other. We should assume there are multiple tests going on, with that in mind given what's going on our only method is to get out."

"There are too many loopholes in that theory, for one the man we deceived earlier Tzu. The questions he asked, and his demeanor towards everything that went on." Shino's counter-argument was point on, and sure from one standpoint, he could be right. "Plus, when you answered he should've known something was amiss if he was indeed a convict."

"Then that leaves us with option two, they switched out certain people during the third challenge. But that wouldn't make sense either, which is why I am leaning on my first theory." There were loopholes all over the place, that didn't mean they couldn't think logically. Fukō looked at Shino's goggles, brainstorming wouldn't get them anywhere currently.

"Why would you assume those are the only options?" Shino said with a confused expression written on his face, though from his goggles and coat it was hard to tell.

"That's what I'll do to limit those worthy, then again...maybe dividing pawns into sections would show which is more capable." Fukō's words and ideology left a bad taste in Shino's mouth, but he didn't question it. "Plus, there are spies. Who knows what the process is, we are simply throwing things out into the air."

Listening to the fellow child sigh, Shino turned his attention to the insect that came back; crouching he let the small creature climb onto his finger. "It seems that woman is blocking the only exit, any bright ideas?"

Fukō was starting to get tired of having this bum lean on him for answers, but he was useful. "Actually, I do."

The two boys marched up to the woman in the time span of ten minutes, both of them silent as a rock. "Took ya long enough, thought I was going to get bored waiting for you idiots." Grinning she watched as they started to run towards her, "Imbeciles." Meeting them halfway she took the blade she used to kill Nam and took off Shino's head in one moment, and then the other child latched onto her leg. "Get off me brat!"

Annoyance turned into disgust as both bodies began to turn into insects, and as she watched shocked she couldn't keep going at how many legs she could feel on her thigh. Fukō took this hesitation and came from the shadows throwing a brown baggy at her face, which was easily cut open by her weapon. The powdery mist danced in her vision, a high marking scream spat out. By now the bugs started to dig in her skin, mixing that with his creation earlier she was as good as dead or so he thought.

In one movement the bugs were scattered around, and although she was blinded for a few she could hear the children's heartbeat. "YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!" Fukō would've died if Shino never pulled him off to the side, both boys tumbling from the lack of footwork. "Y-YOU! I'll RIP YOUR FUCKING HEARTS OUT AND FEED THEM TO MY PIGS." Her anger grew within seconds.

Fukō let out a low chuckle, "How are you going to do that when you're blind bitch?"

Shino quickly rose a cage full of insects, and as she kept swinging her blade the insects kept reforming. "I'll end this battle now." Moving his fingers, the roof of the cage started to collapse a mountain of bugs entering her body, and in little, to no time she exploded. Blood covered the two boys, luckily one of them got a finger to the arm.

"Congrats, you two have successfully finished the little exam." The same woman from before joined them, "We'll call you out in a week to go over what being a part of this organization really entails," Her soothing voice was supposed to calm them, but as she looked at the two...she could only scoff at their faces. "Wipe that grin off your face, and you don't look so rigid. We are heading back to the village, so if you want to tag along you better hurry."

Shino watched as his fellow teammate ran to catch up to the woman, swallowing down the idea of throwing up he kept his heart steady. He had questions, how did such a plan work, and why? Why was it brutal, and how did they execute it with ease. Most of all, how did his brain work.

Friday 12:00 am, March 15th.

Hotaru slammed the cover of the book down, her breathing unsteady. Today wasn't one of her best, normally she could control what she wanted to say and how; but she was fed up with everything. Diao wasn't stopping his advances, and she's been getting less rest trying to come up with a new formation for this project. To top it all off, she hasn't been in an environment where she could focus. Adjusting to the training they were given was hard, she couldn't keep everything steady and function normally.

She was keeping herself preoccupied with Diao's antics and helping her grandfather, to top it off her eagerness to perfect this seal was eating her up. Training with her team was also time-consuming considering they were merely working on teamwork, it felt as if all her time was being spent doing other things. Swallowing, she leaned against the wall. Keeping this up would end her sanity, and if she added in Sakura's randomness then it was over. Exhaling she turned to the person who decided to sneak in.

"And here I thought you'd be happy to see me," Hotaru wasn't in the mood to deal with anything nor ask any questions that should be asked.

"Please, leave while I am asking nicely." Her cat-like eyes followed the sound of a thud, silver eyes looked down at her and for a clear moment, she could tell he was worried.

"I'm fine, I won't leave until you get some rest; hate me and attack me, it's all going to be the same." Hotaru's eyes went to his voice, granted she had one candle lit she couldn't make out his attire in the darkness.

"I am too busy to sleep, plus you're still weird as ever." She felt her anger dissipating, that didn't mean she wanted another person inside. "I'm serious, leave if someone catches you inside it'll bring more onto my plate."

"Oh? I don't mind that, at least I'll be a major item on that plate...any chance you want to explain what other food you have on the plate?" Hotaru wasn't backing down, standing her legs carried her in the darkness. Using memory she followed where his voice was, the oversized t-shirt flowing with a gust of wind. Her hands met his shoulder, and in one swift instance she fell down.

Fukō carried Hotaru to her futon, the candle highlighting the blood droplets running down his cheek. He was making sure not to touch anything, leave no trace, unfortunately, she closed the distance and he didn't move. Wiping the blood from her palm, he tossed the blanket over her. She was stressed, he saw nothing else that would work in getting her to rest. She wasn't asking for his help, then again when would she ever? She was stronger and smarter than him, she could easily handle everything herself given she had the time.

Silver eyes stared at her sleeping expression, she was at peace. "Don't worry, give me some time. I just got back, after all, let me figure something out and I'll empty your plate." She didn't have to know, she wouldn't. Usually, people were calm at home and she wasn't. He needed information, and the best place to get that was from one of the smartest people in his generation.

"I get some free time for a week or two, don't worry. I won't waste it, once I find out...you won't have to worry." Fukō had to take a step back, he was going down a creepy route. Did he sneak inside only to knock her out of course not, it was the best situation overall. Then again all this was new, this was him. He cares about her, yet he was plotting without the headaches. It was a double-edged sword. Bringing his index finger and thumb up his tongue coated them in his fluids, letting his hand fall he touched the burning candle the small flame extinguishing.

He wasn't bothered if it entailed helping her, he'd do it without a second thought. His conviction was merely raised with being put through those challenges, but it was needed. In order to maintain and grow, he needed this. Leaving her figure, he grabbed ahold of his blade. In a swift instance, he was gone, the moonlight shining on Hotaru's face as he left the window open.

Akira leaned against a tree watching Aju spar with Sakura, he was amazed at how long they were lasting. Still, Aju had the upper hand in everything. It was like Sakura was trying to replicate her technique, and each time it failed horribly. Sure, sometimes Sakura got a decent strike in but Aju was letting her so she wouldn't lose confidence...Aju was a real saint.

"Geez, now we got another stalker in the village?" Akira turned his oval emerald eyes clashing with light brown. Of course, he should've known. Everything in the village was being monitored by one person, the very person he was wary of. His teammate. There wasn't any bad blood, but when it came down to it. Masuo was his biggest threat, honestly, it would benefit him a lot if he died.

"Stalker? I didn't want to interrupt them, so I decided to conceal myself and watch." Masuo was smart, and despite not liking the idea of someone keeping eyes on him he acted like he didn't know multiple times. "If anyone is that, wouldn't it be you?" The grass around them started to stiff, the wind and nighttime cold mixed with the dropping temperature was freezing the ecosystem.

"You are oddly observant, it makes me wonder what else are you trying to hide." Masuo wasn't affected by the dropping temperature, and it irked Akira.

"I can say the same for you, why are you around here?" Akira noticed the book in his left hand, he heard the rumors about Masuo having tons of information on each character in the village something like that was dangerous and something he needed to get his hands on. "On another note, when are you going to drop the nice act in front of everybody?"

A confused expression wrote on his features, "Pardon? I am a naturally happy person, you should see the bright side of everything in one moment."

"Psh, don't act like that. It's repulsive. No one should be like that unless you're dense, and you are not. So, drop the act." Akira's words had a lingering foul tone, and with the rapidly dropping temperature, he saw Masuo start to shake.

"You better stop, you're endangering the two people training." Masuo's words were followed by a slight smirk, which caused Akira's heel to slide his curly orange hair bouncing with his movements. He watched as Sakura was on the floor with a hand around her ankle, Aju mid-air trying to stop herself from attacking.

"Damnit! Masuo!" Not minding his own loudness, he turned back only to be looking at a falling leaf. Akira was wrapped up in his grasp in one moment, he thought he was dictating everything but it was the opposite. Masuo was working around him, which only left one question how many faces could one boy have at such an age? It was truly terrifying. 'Note keeps tab on Masuo.' Leaving from the small clearing, Aju rolled around finally catching herself and turning to Sakura.

Kirayari focused on her foot placements, she needed to be agile to use a su yari. She thought about asking Mia about some tips to be able to move her body how she wanted to, but it was washed away with her pride. Sweat beads ran down the side of her face, her swift movements at times letting them roll to the side. The tip of her weapon dragged along the tree trunk, shuffling her feet backward she spun around her eyes zoning in on the center point. She felt like she was more than ready to use a real su yari, but she'd have to get used to the weight difference and the thought of using it to kill instead of incapacitating someone.

Left foot slid forward, right leg turning twisting her body to the side. The wooden weapon rotated in her grasp, the air blessing her heating exterior. Firmly finding a steady footing, she unleashed the speed and power into the tree. Exhaling, she pulled herself back and tossed her weapon. "Another failed attempt!" The tip of her su yari was destroyed, and the tree was still in a perfect state. She was able to get ahold of a martial arts manual, and the main content was focusing on chakra entering the weapon and finding the perfect balance. There were many steps that lead up to mastering it, so she tried to skip them all. Bringing her hands to her face, she looked at the smudged blood. If that wasn't enough she was running low on chakra, "It said, one must know how to circulate chakra around their body first, then figure out where chakra comes from..." Kicking some dirt, she threw her head back. How is she going to figure all this out alone?

The gap between her and Aju was only growing, and if she didn't make progress she would fall behind. She knew each of her teammates were hard workers, but she was looped in that. The gears in her head started to click, and after thinking about all the things she learned so far she figured out a loophole. "I can input small sections of chakra into kunai, what if I use that technique as a base point in mastering the art of larger weapons?" Picking up the wooden su yari, she focused on the remaining chakra she had stored.

During the exam, she made use of this art to save Seiko now all she needed to do was find a center point in having it at a base. The technique didn't require any hand signs, it was all mental. Kasokudo (Acceleration) granted this only benefited speed, it would make a stepping stone in reaching high grounds. Chakra left her fingertips into the cracks of the weapon, she felt her engine running out. Connecting the dots in her weapon and body, her chakra outlined her body and thus she coughed up crimson liquid. Catching herself with the weapon dug into the earth, it was progress but was it worth the pain she was feeling? Her body was cold, she had maybe an ounce of energy left in her. She could see the light, all she had to do was work on her idea and grow. Falling back her eyes closed a smile came onto her face.

Nōgyō Kirazomi caught his daughter, her limp body resting in his hold. He was battling the urge to scold her for pushing herself so hard, he didn't want his pride and joy to do this to herself. He wanted her to be happy though, was her happiness going to be the end of him? "D-don't scare me like that again..." His voice was low, in hopes he didn't wake her. "I haven't had the chance to meet your team, I think it'll be appropriate to welcome them sooner rather than later right?"

Sunday 9:00 am, March 17th

Aju kicked her feet back and forth, boredom sweeping over her for the millionth time. It wasn't fair they were given daybreak due to some personal conflicts revolving around their sensei, then again she did skip school with Sakura that one time. Not enjoying being alone, she looked around only to notice Mia walking with a bag in hand. Hesitant to charge at the fellow Kunoichi, she watched as someone she has never seen before took the spot next to her. "M-Mia? On a date?" The odd hair color caught her attention, it was similar to Hotaru.

Another chapter down, some more internal conflict between Masuo and Akira and Hotaru slowly losing it. The more I write Shino and Fuko, the more it feels like a master-slave relationship or something like that haha. We see a hint of Sakura provoking Hotaru and Mia standing up for them, and we see Hotaru clap back.

Ah, the Anbu test was something I had mixed feelings about when writing it especially the first section. Yea, it was quite the discussion for teams, and Seiko, Hotaru, and Mia work well together. Most of the other teams work well also, but realistically most teams don't start off great. Yep, by the end, Mia will have a dad lol now for good reasons...who knows haha. In the end, the test was rather reasonable thought I haven't explained it I gave some minor hints with people/dialogue. Also thanks!

This was more so like a buildup chapter, Kirayari growing, Hotaru needing rest, and Fuko coming back and the first thing he did was visit her? Now the ending part, wonder what'll happen with that. Sorry for the slight delay, it was a holiday week and whatnot. Thanks for the support, see ya next chapter.