One year passes in the blink of an eye for the young Komura. She has grown a bit stronger over time, remaining in the woods of their original escape and training there. Her animal friend had managed to stay with her, without too many disappearances. Garoma always disappeared at night but returned to Komura every morning.
Despite her best efforts, Komura eventually gave up looking for Akino. There was a time where she had gotten angry at Garoma but immediately calmed down when he left and hadn't returned for more than a few hours. She still held hope of finding him, but now she was more focused on getting stronger and surviving than other 24 hour wanderings like days previous.
Winter was especially difficult for the young girl for living out in the woods, despite initially being near a warm climate, was obviously not healthy. So for those 2 months out of the year when temperature drastically dropped, Komura allowed herself to travel away from the forest and back into a desert town, not too unlike their previous home. Despite her pleadings, Garoma refused to go with her into the city so Komura walked out to the forest every other night at the same spot, occasionally seeing her friend, and occasionally not.
No one questioned a young girl in tattered and dirty clothing who begged for scraps on the street or who watched the now upcoming Genin dreamily. She commonly walked about in the garb of a poor person still, but with brown hair and green eyes and slightly different features instead of her actual clothing and state. Over the months leading up to winter she had practiced the transformation technique should it be needed, and the training certainly came in handy, despite the work and tiredness it took to get there. The only time she dropped the guise was at night when no one was out and about and she could be safe, or safer at least.
To accurately be able to distinguish a difference in power level from the beginning, here is a look into an encounter with another ninja to fully be able to describe her circumstances:
It was at night in the dark, only slightly lit by the not-quite-half moon above when she was meditating. Not long before the winter Komura had spied a trio of ninja where two were sleeping and the other seemed to be doing the same. Except she was sitting up in the same position and called out to Komura without even giving a sign that she noticed her presence.
The assurance in the girl's voice that she was there was enough to convince her to leave the area post haste. Ever since, Komura had also taken up the position whenever she needed to conserve energy or concentrate on something. It also helped to be able to train her brain to "see" or at least attempt to, anything happening around her using other senses.
She wasn't particularly skilled in the latter yet, but the red-head was determined to persevere. Even with her untrained ears, the one who approached her seemed to be trying to make a racket, something clinking lightly against another object on what was probably a belt of some sort.
"Hey," he called gruffly. Komura popped one eye open to stare at the older man, only being able to see the white aura around him symbolizing that yes, just like every other human, he was alive. After spending so much time without human contact, and knowing by now which plants were healthy and were not, it seemed that her eyesight with aura viewing had decreased dramatically. Presently, she was only able to see the white line of life, and that's if she really tried. It was quite annoying to say the least.
Without waiting for an audible response, he drew nearer, only receiving the response of Komura's other eye opening to join the first. "What are you doing out here so late girly?" The closer he grew, the easier it was to tell that his lurching was due to the strong sense of alcohol, and not a limp like she had thought.
"Well..." she muttered, not knowing exactly to say, especially as a subconscious feeling of dread came over her.
"It's a bit late for someone so young as you to be out isn't it?" He stood right in front of her now, so close that she had to crane her neck just to see his face. "Unless you don't have anywhere to go back to, that is."
A small whimper escaped Komura's lips at his words, a smirk growing on the man's face at the sound. "I have a deal for ya, kid," he stated. At her nod, he continued, "It's an assassination job if you're up for it. You won't be the only one but you can kill 'em however ya want. You interested?"
Komura frowned, not quite sure the reasoning behind his request, or why he wanted her of all people to undertake the task. "Well? I haven't got all night and I'm sure the others will be more than happy to kill the bastard themselves."
"Why?" She croaked out, her voice unused to speaking.
"Don't make it sound like you're special or anything, kid. It's just a test. If you fail, that's okay, you can come back and continue with your life like normal," he lied. "If you win you get a better life in the form of money. Money means everything in this world, and someone like you could use it."
Reluctantly, Komura nods, officially accepting the offer. If nothing else, she thinks, I'll just return to the forest like always. "Some people have probably already started so I'd suggest you get a move on, dearie. 32 Sakura Street, practically a mansion, ya can't miss it. Meet back here tomorrow if you succeed."
With that, he slinks back into the shadows and makes his way back down the darkened street.
Komura slowly stood, debating internally to decide if she should actually go or not. In her later years she would berate herself for such a risky decision, but young Komura had little experience in the way of traps, and so she herself slipped into the shadows, her recently washed yet threadbare clothes creating a stark contrast in the street lights.
Komura slowly crept through the night, always keeping a watchful eye everywhere she looked. Shadows occasionally moved, and more than one sultry sound could be heard in the back of alleyways, yet she continued, paying them no heed.
Turning onto Sakura Street, she drew close to the only house that was lit up like a Christmas tree. Creme walls housed a thousand twinkling candles, all alight with orange flame. Faint music playing dancing tunes could be heard from the dirt lane, drawing the attention of any passerby like moths.
She hummed to herself in thought, trying to figure exactly what to do. By the looks of it a gala was happening, so what exactly was the mission for? If you don't know who to attack then what do you do? Kill them all? No, there are too many, a steady stream entering and leaving constantly.
There must be some way to determine the correct target, she thought, but how? Would she have to sneak into the party? Maybe attack the wealthiest looking person, or the master of the house.
With those ideas in mind, she slowly closed the distance between herself and the mansion, fixing her clothes to look a bit less rumbled and more presentable. Deftly, she ran her fingers through her medium length red hair to straighten it and pulled that skirt up a little high to cover the bit of skin that her sweater, now too small for her, exposed.
No one seemed to be guarding the door as everyone she had watched just passed on through, their fancy clothes enough to not raise suspicion from anyone. All in all, she hoped simply observing would work.
Tentatively, she peered around the marble doors etched with floral and leaf designs. The inside was even more spectacular than the outside. Thousands more candles hung from every perch imaginable, and all of the richest people in this village seemed to be in attendance.
Flashy skirts twirled as the males spun females in time with the exotic music. Some pairs were sitting upon lavish couches, eating finger food and drinking from crystal clear goblets. The sight seemed to be saturated in elegance.
Komura instantly felt self-conscious. Her hair was certainly still a mess, her clothes were threadbare at best, and she didn't have any shoes. It could not be more obvious that she didn't belong in such a place.
So she drew back from the light. She fled from the dancers, the dresses, the food. Except she couldn't. She wanted to, oh how she wanted to. Desire is a powerful thing, and in one so young who had never had enough money, seeing this wastefulness was ridiculous. Yet she craved it.
The fame to be able to host a party and have everyone you know come and fill the house. The wealth to pay for all of the many aspects of hosting a party. The relaxation to know that something so costly as this wouldn't put a dent in your paycheck, would be but a small trifle among other, larger things. The joy that with enough money, she could find her brother.
She wanted it, she needed it. So when she stepped back into the light, her eyes shining with a determination that had been lacking, the older woman who turned to give Komura a cocky smirk and a raise of her glass did not go unnoticed.
Her eyes flickered around the brightly lit room, then back down at herself. Her clothes were better prepared for this than her brother's would have at least. Her skirt lent itself to an slightly older day of informal, and if she still had her sandals they would have helped.
By now, the woman had disappeared with her drink among the throngs of dancing couples so Komura did the only thing she could. She entered the room. A few eyes turned in her direction as she paced slowly across the marble entrance and into the house, yet their curling of the lips failed to deter her.
I'm going to need better clothes, she thought, feeling even more ridiculous now then before. While most people were on the main floor, a handful went up and down the 3 levels constantly. Believing that there must be someway to obtain clothing like the others, she ascended the wide staircase, reaching the apparent second floor. No police or ninja patrolled the party as it seemed to be meant for the wealthy who could take care of themselves so it was not difficult for her to walk around as if she belonged.
Holding her head up high, she attempted to act like the rest of the party dwellers, without a care to the poor people who she belonged to. She peered down a long hallway where several rooms were stationed, all with closed, polished doors.
Slipping unnoticed down the corridor, she reaches the third room on the left. Komura turns the knob painstakingly slowly with her small, six year old hands. Inside were mirrors that shined with a pure reflection, polished wood and stone furniture, and several articles of clothing hanging in the open closet. The girl closed the door softly behind her, plunging the room into darkness except for the window shedding light through the thin curtains.
Komura drew the shades aside and stared up into the face of the full moon once more, it's beacon making her smile with hope and a peacefulness she wouldn't have expected in such a dangerous situation.
Turning from the fickle light, whose complexion would hide itself in fear of the sizzling Sunagakure sun, she perused the clothing with what light she had.
There was not much really, there meant to be just a hospitality and not for any particular use. A handful of tasteful dresses, each a different color and style and size, two pairs of ninja type clothing, and some of what might be called "casual" wear for these people, something akin to what Komura's clothes once resembled.
Taking out a short, poofy dress, after grabbing a chair to be able to reach it, she measured it to herself and realized with her hope slowly vanishing, that it was far to big as it was. She could transform into someone of the size necessary to wear it, however chakra was hard to come by in such a situation, and she needed to save hers.
"What to do, what to do..." she mumbled, receiving no answer but the rooms empty silence.
It's almost as if luck knocked on my doorstep that day when we were attacked. I do feel sorry for losing my sister, but she likely didn't make it and I have to accept that like everything else that's happened in the last year and a couple months.
I have found someone willing to teach me in this art that we so found, thank the gods. Without it we would have died, if we had only had it sooner, everyone could have been saved. Yet this doesn't matter, what-if's shouldn't be dwelled upon for they cannot be changed.
Over time, my eyes have hardened so I can see the truth of people without having to focus too hard. Some might say it's a curse one day, but to me it is only a blessing, it's what has kept me alive.
I won't say my year has been easy. I've trained and grown stronger in eyesight and energy, but there are infinite amounts of possibilities. Possibilities for good or ill, and all of them in between. Finally I'm getting a better schooling than what that small town could offer me, and while I have yet to meet him face to face, his envoy is quite the talker.
But not really. He watches me train once a week, gives me pointers, a bit of money, and leaves. It might be a little creepy, but I honestly prefer it to having someone breathing down my neck all of the time. It feels so free to be on your own, nothing to do but bodily processes and get better.
I'm not quite sure yet what I will do with this power, as I'm just training at the moment, but at least I'm not sitting still. I'm up and moving, doing things and making sure that I don't lose this gift I have been given. When someone walks down the street when I'm on the way to get supplies, it's easy to tell how they are feeling, and how alive they are.
For a white aura surrounds every living thing, and then on the outside of that lie the intentions and ideals of the character. I know that if I'm grabbed by a stranger that they are a bad person, but if I can tell that they're wicked before the attack even has the possibility of surfacing, then the encounter is avoided.
For most of the year I have been focusing the energy into my eyes so I can see all that is seen, the bugs moving between plants, the dust particles through the air, the condition of those around me. Recently however, we have moved to external energy, using it to change the world around me.
We have started on plants, and while the envoy has no evident skill in the energy department at all, his words from the higher-ups tell of their knowledge freely if I am good enough to earn it. Over time, it is said, you can change the very direction a plant grows, you can change the natural order of nature.
Isn't that exhilarating? The more you do it, the faster and more efficiently it can be done so eventually energy needs just be sent towards the plant and it will move as you direct it, like a living puppet on strings of life.
If I move up as quick as expected, I might even be able to join the lines of shinobi fighting in the war using it. That's where you can test your skills, the only place really. Battle. The idea sends a shiver up my spine as I am only 13 years of age, yet at the same time it fills me with joy. It means I'm finally good enough.
My friends wouldn't leave me in the dust ever again, Fuatsu and Tsuasu would no longer look at me with disdain for being a reject of the wealthy. Komura would never haunt my dreams begging for help only to be dragged away.
I would never fail again.