As it turns out, I can write some decent material when I'm drunk (noted for future reference). Enough people enjoyed this, so it has officially become my new project. Hope you all enjoy, and leave a review if you'd like; I always enjoying reading them.

His body ached; his breaths were stuttered; covered in a thin film of sweat, Zed collapsed onto the wooden floor. His red eyes gazed aimlessly at the ceiling above him as his chest rose and fell. Zed learned quickly what it meant to be considered Kinkou. The training was harsh, the days were long, and the rules were absolute. The boy had only been living in the compound for a couple of days, and yet he was thrown right into the fire. However, Zed didn't mind the rigorous work at all; it made him feel like he belonged. The other Kinkou were welcoming enough to him, and he no longer had to risk his life if he wanted a meal; not much bothered Zed in his new home… except for one thing, rather, one person.

"That was better than last time, you almost lasted five minutes." A voice echoed throughout the room. Zed let out a sigh with what little breath he could muster up. Footsteps approaching him gained in decibels. In a matter of moment, those same golden orbs were looking down upon him; the eyes of the person he hated the most, yet respected the most at the same time. Shen had been assigned the duty of ensuring Zed received proper training, and without a doubt; he certainly made sure that Zed's life was made as hard as humanly possible without him dying of exhaustion. Zed tried to forget that Shen was there, towering over his motionless body. Zed closed his eyes, and listened to the sound of his heart; the beating was rapid, Zed felt as if his vital organs would burst any moment from being overworked. Before long though, he felt a soft kick hit his thigh.

"That's enough leisure time; you're still not strong enough." Shen explained. Zed shot the other boy a hatred filled glare. Zed couldn't fathom how stamina of Shen's level was even possible. The two ninjas had been sparring for the past 3 hours, yet he had not seen his fellow clansman break a single sweat. That was another thing that bothered Zed; Shen was simply too calm at all times. He showed nearly no emotion at all times; he had never seen Shen cry, complain, loathe, get angry or anything. It was as if nothing fazed him. Even when Shen's father requested things of him that seemed ludicrous to Zed, Shen always responded with the same exact word every time without fail.

'Understood'

Zed glanced over at Shen, and reluctantly began an attempt at getting back to his feet; this was sure to be a long day.

The sun was bright; it shone down warmth unlike any other body. Zed sat down at a small table located in the outside area of the compound. His shoulders slouched as he slumped over in his seat. The ninjas training was done for the day; what felt like an eternity to Zed turned out to only be 5 hours of training with Shen. Zed pulled his lunch out of a small sack he was given his first day at the compound. The lunch itself was nothing special; rice with some various meats and vegetables. It was enough for Zed to be somewhat excited about though, the way he saw it; anything had to be better than training with Shen. Just as Zed was about to indulge himself with a bite of his lunch, he noticed an unfamiliar Kinkou approaching him. The mysterious member had dark, spiked hair not quite as black as Zed's. The boy was quite a bit taller than Zed himself, and appeared to be a few years older. Nonetheless, he still sat down opposite to Zed, and pulled out his own lunch. Zed started at the ninja across from him; he looked rather normal save for the scar cutting diagonally through his left eye. It took a few minutes for the boy to realize that Zed had fixated his stare on him.
"Sorry, I should've introduced myself, right? My name's Hizashi, you're the new guy right?"

"Yeah" Zed responded. Hizashi looked surprised at the lack of a response, but his expression quickly lightened up again.

"You look beat up, something happen today?" Hizashi questioned. Zed considered sticking to his vague responses, but ultimately decided that it might be nice to be able to confide in someone about his feelings towards Shen.

"I had training this morning, it was rather unpleasant."

"That all? You should get used to that kind of stuff pretty quickly; most of the new recruits do within a week or so." Hizashi said in a friendly tone. Zed sighed, and averted his gaze elsewhere. Hizashi picked up on the obvious displeasure that his peer was displaying.

"Is it really that rough on you?" Hizashi questioned. Zed turned his head back to Hizashi, pondering the question. How much did he really want to reveal about his dislike for Shen? Zed decided on not revealing too many details.

"My partner is pretty damn tough, that's all." Zed mumbled. Hizashi shoved another mound of rice in his mouth and chuckled.

"Oh yeah, who is this guy anyway?" Zed yet again questioned whether or not he should gossip about Shen; however, Zed had an odd amount of trust in Hizashi, and settled on revealing the name of the bane of his existence.

"It's… It's uh, Shen." Zed muttered. Hizashi's eyes widened at this reveal.

"Damn, I pity you. You might have to give more than a week to get used to training if that's the case."

"Is he really that bad?" Zed questioned. Hizashi laughed at this and continued on.

"No one can keep up with that guy, not even some of the adults. They say he's a shoe-in for becoming the next Eye." Hizashi explained. This left Zed confused as he had no idea what 'Eye' even meant; however, he was getting impatient, and decided to begin eating his lunch rather than questioning the meaning. He was sure he would find out soon enough anyway.

Zed finished up the rest of his lunch, and made his way back to the inside of the compound. He navigated the numerous hallways before finally finding himself in the living quarters. It was only about 6 pm, but Zed was completely worn out from the day's events. Zed examined the numbers on all of the doors, searching for his room which was marked by the number 3. The young ninja at last came upon his quarters. He clutched the handle and slid the door open, letting out a sigh of relief.

"I see you've finally found the room." Zed dropped his bag, letting it hit the floor. The streets of Ionia were starting to seem ever so appealing.