A numb coldness overtook Sora when he woke up. He slowly opened his eyes to see three figures looking down at him. He raised his hand up, not quite sure what he was reaching for, and then someone grabbed it. The hand was cold, and metallic, and weighty, but the fact that it was there provided Sora with some comfort.

"For a man as big as you are, you're one hell of a softy Tsubaki."

The man known as Tsubaki was quite the giant standing at 6ft exactly, and wore tough steel armor coupled with a samurai's helm. He was covered in head to toe with metal, and looked extremely dangerous

Sora let go of the man's hand, and instinctively brought it to his stomach feeling a slick bandage across it - it hurt. As the daze of sleep, and cold went away his memories started to come back. He did not want to follow in his brother's footsteps, and instead wanted to become his own man, and make his own decisions. Sora felt that the best way to do that was to leave Amegakure, but in his escape he'd come across a disturbing scene. A carriage that had been flipped on its side, and those it was carrying torn apart.

The images flashed through Sora's mind forcing him to sit up, turn to his side, and barf onto the cold icy ground - the heat from it radiating up, and into the wind.

A man a bit shorter than Tsubaki, but very hefty snorted with his arms crossed. He was wearing a ragged fur coat that looked to be eons old, and rife with dandruff. Sora looked up at him, and remembered something else. He'd been stabbed, and this was the man that did it.

"Y-You stabbed me," he cried out, his voice hoarse and dry. The cold air hurt his windpipe.

"Aye he did!" Another voice admitted. Sora turned to see a third man, a much skinner one with his arms crossed.

"You drew your steel, and that meant you were looking to kill. Don't you rich folk know bout' the Rule of Roads?

Sora looked the man up, and down and noticed that he'd stolen his boots. Sora looked at his own feet, and saw that they'd been wrapped up in old burly leather sacks. They were uncomfortable, cold, and wet.

"Those are mine! Give them back!" Sora yelled, reaching for the man.

Before he could get close at all Tsubaki slammed his heavy metal gauntlet across the boy's face. Sora went spinning onto the ground landing in his own barf coughing up blood, and grime.

The burly man that had stabbed him from before brought his foot down on Sora's head, and rubbed him into his own fluids.

'It h-hurts.' The pain, the cold dizzying pain was all he could think about.

"I don't think you're understandin' your situation boy. So let me explain it to you."

"See what was gonna happen was you were gonna bleed out nice and slow like right there in the snow. Then we was gonna take ya for everything ya got, organs and all. But see Tsubaki here knows a thing or two bout' you village folk, and he pointed out that you're a part of the Norigami family - somethin' about rocks, and mining I don't know or care bout the whole story, but the short of it is you're valuable to the Kusakyu."

'How did this happen? How did they know who I was?'

The large man kneeled down, and grabbed Sora by his hair pulling him up just enough to meet his gaze.

"Next time don't go wanderin' around with armor that's got your family crest on it. Idiot."

'Why didn't I think about that? All this planning to escape why didn't I ever consider how bad things were on the outside? Why am I so stupid?' Sora clenched his fists in frustration.

"So here's what's gonna happen next."

Sora didn't need him to explain it. It's as he said his family had important connections to the Kusakyu clan. They'd use him as a hostage to extort the Kusakyu out of whatever they could, and once he was returned his family would likely be disgraced, and mocked. That's the exact opposite of what he wanted to happen. He wanted to leave Ame, and disappear into the night never to be seen again.

"I-I just didn't want to cause anyone trouble," Sora whispered.

"Aye? You say something?"

"I- You don't need to explain anything. I know what happens next."

"Good, so now we're all on the same page. You already know Tsubaki over there. He ain't much for words, but he's strong as hell. My name is Aoi, and this skinny fuck here is Straw."

"Hiya!" Straw said.

After introductions were over Tsubaki grabbed Sora, and pulled him up. Once he was situated he got another look at his surroundings. They were still on the part of the Rain Road that encircled Amegakure. A few meters in front of the group was the wagon Sora had discovered earlier; the human remains shrouded in mist, and darkness.

"D-Did you three..."

"Hmm? Oh, that hot mess? What, you think we got the time to tear flesh apart like that?"

"Y-You did say you'd take out my organs."

Aoi looked up at the sky in thought.

"Hmm, yeah guess I did say that, but that's a little different."

"Results is all the same though." Straw said. "Still end up a feast for crows."

"Yeah, well Straw what we do there's an art to it there's skill involved, and hell we don't take everything."

Aoi looked at the wagon.

"No, that there - that's shinobi work. Inuzuka pups if I had to guess with the Civil War and all."

The Civil War. That was something Sora did know about.

"B-But father told me the fighting wasn't this close to the village."

Straw, and Aoi started to laugh, their voices echoing into the night.

"When's the last time your daddy stepped outside the village? Huh kid? How often does anyone between those walls actually step outside em?"

Sora didn't think of that. His father had weekly meetings with the other family heads, and monthly meetings with the Kusakyu. A lot of the news, and information regarding the state of the village had been passed down through those meetings, and naturally his dad talked to him and mom about it usually over dinner. But even then Sora had heard the guards talk about the state of the village's affairs as well, and they didn't seem to know anymore than he did.

"S-So that means."

"Either your daddy lied to you, or someone is lying to your daddy," Aoi snorted again, "Which ain't all that surprising. If everyone knew how bad things were out here your nice and comfy lives inside would get flipped upside down."

Before Sora could parse through that the thought Tsubaki had spoken up. His voice was deep but eloquent. He was well spoken for someone that lived outside Amegakure.

"Let's get moving."

Aoi, and Straw started to stretch, and yawn.

"Yeah, I guess we should. Those corpses are still fresh ain't they? Saw the smoke comin' up off em when we got here." Straw said.

And so the group started to move. Sora felt a little relieved when they did since they were heading toward Ame's north entrance, the same place he'd planned on going.

As they walked Sora realized they didn't have him restrained. There wasn't anything stopping him from running away or escaping into the darkness. If he ran back the way he came he could sneak back through the hidden entrance, and forget this night ever happened.

'I know better than that.'

The three of them had wasted precious time, and resources keeping him alive. If Sora ran now they'd undoubtedly catch him, and treat him much more harshly - Sora wanted to avoid that. Also, if the three of them were heading toward the front gates then that could mean...

"Are you three mercenaries?" Sora asked.

There was no response. His three captors stayed quiet, clearly refusing to answer the question.

"If so, please don't take me back to my parents. Let me join-"

"Stop talking," his tirade was cut short by Tsubaki, the tallest, and strongest of the three.

"I don't understand. I want to be free like you three, I want to be able to travel the world, and go on adventures."

"Will you shut the hell up!?" Straw lashed out, his voice echoing through the night.

"But I-"

"You know what?" Straw walked over to Sora, and punched him in the gut. The boy fell to the ground coughing and wheezing again; his head pounding like a drum.

When Sora looked up, Straw punched him again. The blows were tough, and hard but not as bad as Tsubaki's gauntlet. Straw proceeded to take off the boy's leather armor. Underneath it Sora wore knitted thermals to help protect him from the cold. For some reason that made Straw angrier, but despite that he dawned Sora's armor, and to keep the boy from talking he gagged his mouth shut with a set of thick rope.

"Now that'll keep you quiet."

Sora was unsure of what he'd done wrong, but it was clear he'd made a mistake. Why wouldn't they tell him anything? The boy mulled it over in his head, but he was unable to come up with a suitable answer.

The three continued to walk through the thick fog following the Rain Road, and the walls of Ame toward the entrance.

"So did ya wanna take him to Roji?" Straw asked.

"What good'll that do? He'll just hand her to Kuda along with the booze. Probably prompt it up as a token of good will or something like that. Nah, we'll stash em' in the barn until the meet; then we'll line em' up with us, deliver the booze with Roji, and then sneak off into the city. Should be easy to set up a meetn' after that."

Straw nodded along blindly following Aoi's suggestions. "Ya think we'll get enough to live in the city? I'd like to buy a nice cot, and live the rest o' my life sellin' clothes hehe." He looked down at his new boots as he spoke.

Aoi started to chuckle. "Sellin' clothes? You barely ain't got any clothes on; and the ones ya do ain't never belonged to you."

"That's why. I'll never be cold again." Straw laughed.

"As for me I, well I ain't really got any skills so maybe I can go to a school or something and learn a trade. Or maybe I keep fighting like I do, but as a guard protecting a noble like this runt here. Bet whoever was suppose'd to be protectin' him ain't gonna have a job no more."

"A job? He'll probably end up losing his head."

The two started to laugh.

"Hahaha, hey runt. Maybe your pops'll hire me to watch over ya. How'd you feel about that huh?" He snorted as he laughed.

'What in the world... Have these two never seen the inside of a shinobi village?'

Sora had seen the inside of the village, and Amegakure was not the safest place to live. In fact of all five shinobi villages it received the least amount of funding from Kirigakure, and on top of that it had the highest crime rate, and the worst poverty. There were better places to be - where did these idealized versions of his home come from? He'd love to tell them just how wrong they were, but...

"What about you Tsubaki hmm? Surely you got enough words to give us an answer."

Tsubaki looked at the two for a moment before sparing a glance for Sora.

'What face was he making under that helmet?'

"I just want to live peacefully, and free of trouble."

'This guy looks like the opposite of peace. How did a person like him end up out here?'

Now that Sora thought about it, what exactly did Tsubaki say about him? Aoi had said that it was thanks to Tsubaki that he's still alive. Recognizing family crests isn't an easy feat so he must have some kind of formal education. Either way, regardless of his intentions he was alive, and that was thanks to Tsubaki - he'd need to thank him later.

"Hey, wait a second." Straw said, raising a finger as if advising the group to stop.

"I hear something."

Sora heard it too. It sounded like something was running in their direction. A person maybe? He leaned forward, and squinted his eyes trying to peer through the bleak unbecoming fog. No, there was panting too, whatever it was, it was running on all fours. It must've been an animal.

The next thing Sora heard was the sound of blades being unsheathed. Straw had Sora's iron sword in both of his hands pointing forward. Aoi, and Tsubaki both had blades of their own as well.

"Mhhhhmm!" Sora cried out, unable to speak. He fumbled his way behind Tsubaki since he was the tallest, and he felt the safest behind. He wasn't the only one; the other two formed up next to him as well.

The three were formed up like a wall with Sora squeezed between them - whatever was coming they'd be covered on all sides. Once again Sora squinted his eyes this time trying to peak between the men's shoulders. Not only did he hear whatever was in the fog he could also hear his protectors, they were breathing too, and hard. They were nervous, scared, and unsure.

Sora's mind flashed back to the carriage, skulls, and spines, and gnawed bone - a heap of red flesh, and gore. That was going to be him - Sora was going to be the next pile of meat on the cold rainy ground.

"Mphmm!" Sora cried out in anguish. He wanted them to reassure him, to tell him that they'd be okay. He wanted them to tell him not to worry, and that they were used to fighting in battles, and war. He thought maybe he could befriend Aoi, Tsubaki, and Straw and maybe they'd let him stick around and show him the ropes; he wanted to join their group and dream of riches, and money. But that wasn't going to happen now.

Sora turned around looking behind him, and just as he was about to run.

"Don't even think about it." Were the words that Tsubaki spoke.

Sora wasn't sure why, but he stopped, and swallowed and just as he was adjusting to their situation - it began.

The panting, the running, the panting, the running the creature got closer, and louder, and closer, and even louder until finally it leapt out of the fog revealing itself. It was large, and black, and wolf-like. Aoi slammed his sword down on the beast as it approached, but it lifted its claws which were like blades of their own, and deflected Aoi's sword sending sparks dancing into the snowy wind.

Then with its other arm it launched an uppercut toward Straw. The man tried to parry, but his mark was off by an inch, and the creature's claws went straight up, and through Straw's chin piercing through his tongue, and mouth, and then through his brain and out his skull.

Squelccccccchhhhh was the sound the attack made once it hit the target, and a high pitched "G-G-Guahhhh" was what came out of Straw's mouth when he tried to speak afterwards.

Straw's body fell to the ground, blood spurting out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Sora could not comprehend what was happening. He stood still unable to move or act, unable to respond to the situation.

Tsubaki charged the beast, slamming the sword down on top of it. The wolf beast responded not by deflecting the blade, but by swinging its claws to the side slashing through Tsubaki's metal armor removing both hands causing the blade to fly to the ground.

Aoi charged the creature before it could deal the finishing blow to Tsubaki, but the wolf used its extended foot to kick Aoi in the chest, sending him flying into a tree, the wood cracking behind him. Aoi did not get back up. The wolf eyed Sora next, but before it made its move a loud crashing noise erupted from Tsubaki's armor. Sora fell to the ground in surprise as the front chest plate exploded outward impaling the wolf head on. The creature flew back skidding across the Rain Road to a halt.

The next thing Sora saw was a young woman that looked as old as him stepped outside of the armor allowing the armor, and the helmet to fall to the ground.

The wolf meanwhile began to shape and transform taking on a humanoid appearance.

It was an older boy with dark green hair that was soaked in wet blood. His body was grotesque, and muscular - but his most notable feature was a headband wit situated on the front with a / slashed through it. This boy was a rogue shinobi. He tilted his head back, and looked at the girl with amusement.

"Pink hair, and silver eyes?" He gasped in sarcastic surprise "But no headband. What brings a member of the prestigious Akinoyo clan outside of Ame's walls hmm? Isn't it a little early to be heading to Point Break?"

Sora was so transfixed on what was happening before him he forgot to breathe. Feeling his heart pound, and hurt he gasped for air taking in every breath he could. Tsubaki was a young shinobi. He'd judged that much by the skill in which she evaded that last attack. Tsubaki must've sunk into the armor, and then kicked the chest plate out, and into the boy. Looking at the woman she was very small, maybe 4'8 at most, but her body was ripped. She had the frame of a fighter who'd never experienced loss, and the most striking thing about her appearance was that of a watermelon sized pot sticking out the back of her waist, and inside were two large green leaves extending outward wrapping themselves around her body to keep it attached.

"Haruki Okami." She said, "Rogue Shinobi."

"Ohhhh, my reputation precedes me then?"

"I'm not participating in the Mock Exams if that's what you're asking." Tsubaki replied.

"That's a shame - if that's the case I don't have any obligation to end your life."

"Then why did you end his?"

Tsubaki was referring to the clump of flesh on the ground that used to be Straw.

"I have orders to kill Mock Exam combatants, and important family members. Soon as I saw that crest on his armor his fate was sealed."

Tsubaki walked toward Sora, never taking her eyes off Haruki until finally she was in front of him.

"Well there you have it." Tsubaki said, "he's dead, and I'm not a Mock Exams participant. So you can leave us alone."

'Tsubaki.'

"Oh no no no let's not get ahead of ourselves" The boy said, shaking his head.

"You're still a member of the Akinoyo clan. If I kill you it'll hurt a lot of people. Might rile up those on the inside ya know?"

"I wouldn't get your hopes up."

"Oh, and that boy there? We can just consider him collateral damage. When shinobi face off, inhumans tend to get in the way; so don't hold back for his sake, okay?"

'Inhumans?' Sora thought.

"Mmmph!"

Tsubaki grabbed Sora with one free hand.

"Stay out of my way."

Then with little effort she threw the boy in Aoi's direction. The force of the throw caused the rope in his mouth to fall out, and stay just under his chin. While in the air Sora could see Haruki start to charge before the girl could turn back around.

"Tsubaki!" Sora cried as he landed with a thud next to the man who stabbed him.

Haruki was not in wolf form, but his speed was incredible. He closed the distance between himself, and Tsubaki in an instant.

'He has me beat in speed, but.'

The nails on Haruki's hands grew black, and red extending to several inches in length.

'Partial transformation?' The girl thought. 'Interesting.'

The boy knelt down guiding a slash toward Tsubaki's leg, but the shinobi parried it with her left foot angling her shoe, kicking the claws back before they reached a velocity high enough to slice. However, the second claw came up, and toward her chin in an attempt to gut her the same way he gutted Straw just a few minutes ago, but she pulled her head back dodging just in time.

She brought her hands up trying to wield hand signs, but Haruki would not let her cast jutsu. Every time she tried another claw full of dense, and powerful nails came flying toward her. Opting for another solution she reached into her pocket revealing a paper bomb.

'Now!'

As the next slash came for her head Tsubaki ducked, and placed the bomb on the boys hand, and with a powerful kick she sent the boy back into the mist. A moment later the bomb exploded sending wind, mist, and wood all over the Rain Road. Straw's body was caught up in the blast causing a torrent of blood, and gore to shroud the arena in a thick coat of red.

After a few moments the boy emerged from the blast looking even more sick and twisted. Covered in Straw's blood he licked his lips, and stared hungrily at Tsubaki.

'As soon as I attached the paper bomb to his hand he undid the partial transformation making it fall off.'

The young shinobi took a deep breath, and started to wield hand signs again - this time uninterrupted.

"Water Style: Water Bullet Whip!" She cried out.

'With the weather the way it is now, water style is the way to go. As long as I keep him at a distance I'll win.'

The drizzles of rain that were on their way to the ground had stopped in midair, and began to form dangerous sharp needles, and then they flew toward Haruki at breakneck speeds whirling through the air with immense pressure.

Haruki transformed both his legs, and started to dash around the arena, the bullets devastating everything behind him. Trees were torn apart, brushes annihilated, and fog dispersed. With Haruki's intensity it was difficult for Tsubaki to keep up, but she knew that as long as she did he would eventually tire and give up.

Haruki sped toward Sora, and Aoi and once he was in front of them he turned, and bolted straight for Tsubaki. The girl ended the jutsu not wanting to fire bullets into her two companions.

'Dammit I should've seen this coming.'

"What did I say about them getting in the way?" Haruki said as he once again transformed his right hand.

He swung right trying to tear open her rib cage, and although Tsubaki was fast, the young boy was much faster. She veered back trying to dodge, but it was too late - the claws ate at her skin, and flesh drawing blood.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggh!"

Tsubaki flipped backwards kicking mud, and dirt into Haruki's face, and as she landed on her feet she cast another jutsu.

"Akinoyo Secret Technique: Flower Garden"

The pot on her back sprung to life with dozens of vines, and large plants all circling around her body.

"That jutsu is such an affront to nature. It's the reason the Inuzuka never get along with the Akinoyo you know, okay?" Haruki said.

"Who the Akinoyo clan get along with is not my concern."

"Hmm for someone who wants to 'live peacefully, and free of trouble.' you aren't coming across as a particularly peaceful person. A peaceful person wouldn't have brought that pot along okay?"

"Tch, so you were listening then. You've been stalking us."

"It gets so boring out here by myself. Please forgive me, okay?"

Haruki charged Tsubaki for the third time, but now he had fully transformed into the same creature that ended Straw's life. The creature was faster now running on all fours; it sped straight past the hovering plants. Despite how much faster he was Tsubaki was now able to match his speed dodging every blow that came at her. The two twirled through brush, and dirt dueling on the Rain Road. For every attack Tsubaki dodged she delt back to Haruki twice over.

'The Flower Garden... I hate this ability. The plants that erupt from the pot act as extensions of my nervous system. Whatever enters the plant's radius they adapt the user's body to handle it, and in this case it's speed.

"I guess I still can't keep up with that jutsu." Haruki said. "What's the point of a purely defensive technique?"

'So he's fought a member of the Akinoyo clan in the past then.'

"Your entire move set is nothing but a copy of Inuzuka ninjutsu. Shut up."

"Hmmm, I wonder about that."

Haruki began to encircle Tsubaki looking for an opening, but no matter how much time he spent he couldn't find one.

"Hmm, I hate to do this okay?"

The wolf boy stared up at the moon, and started to open his jaws.

'W-What just like a real wolf' Sora thought.

"Tsubaki stop him, he's calling for backup!"

"Awo-"

"Akinoyo Secret Technique: Venus Fly Trap"

In an instant the various vines, and plants around Tsubaki's body extended toward Haruki, and they did so far faster than her water bullets from before. The vines immediately wrapped around the boys' snout, smashing them shut. A pink piece of flesh snapped off coiling and wriggling in the dirt. The wolf yelped in pain as it did.

"What Haruki? Plant got your tongue?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

The rest of her vines wrapped themselves around the boy's body. He struggled, and resisted for as long as he could, but in the end it was futile. The plants tightened their grip cracking joints, and bone alike before finally dropping the wolf boy to the ground. He writhed in pain, and was bleeding profusely, but somehow he scampered away defeated and embarrassed.

Tsubaki picked up the wolf boy's tongue, and a bit of the rope that was just in Sora's mouth and made a necklace out of it. After a silent smile she turned to Sora who was shaking uncomfortably.

'T-That's what shinobi combat looks like.'

To Sora, Tsubaki looked like a monster. Her purple plants were like aliens that shared a hivemind. Was he going to be next? Was his tongue going to end up on that rope? He instinctively backed up into the tree behind him as Tsubaki closed in on him. By the time she reached him her plants had fully receded into the pot on her waist.