It was a nice sunny day when Jo headed out the back door into the small yard used for training. His family lived out about a mile from the rest of the village; far enough to have a little privacy, and yet close enough to run if something happened. It was a nice quiet place despite his father’s mischievous tendencies. Taking a small handful of practice weapons he headed for the padded tree at the edge. He carried some shuriken, kunai, and throwing needles.
Positioning himself Jo held two of the throwing needles in his left hand. With a flick of his wrist he tried throwing both at the same time. They veered away from each other, and only one hit the padding. The other clicked into the fence behind the tree. He silently cursed himself as he threw the third and final needle. It hit a bit more towards the center of the padding, but still not close to the middle. He threw the three shuriken one after the other, and even they never hit the center. A frustrated throw with the first kunai missed the tree completely and impeded itself into the fence.
Drawing the second of the three kunai Jo only had a moment’s warning before jumping to the right and avoiding the bucket of water that threatened to splash him. Jumping backwards he avoided a second bucket; only to feel a moment of dread as a presence appeared behind him. Time seemed to slow down for him as he turned to see a man moving with his motion with a third bucket in his hands. Jo could see the ice cubes floating in the liquid, and knew he couldn’t escape. He couldn’t even bring his hands up to protect himself as the freezing water hit him squarely in the face and upper torso. A loud cry of surprise and shock escaped his lips and he nearly tumbled to the ground.
Standing before him with the now empty bucket of ice water was his father Kazuma. An accomplished shinobi of the Leaf and a well known prankster for those unfortunate to call him friend; Kazuma was one of the Jounin charged with protecting the Leaf. He was retired now, and spent most of his time at home. Much to the dismay of Jo. Only his mother Asuka could handle her husband, and even then it was a struggle His father had the biggest grin on his face. ”You looked like you needed to cool off.”
Sputtering Jo wiped the water off his face. In a way he was grateful his father used a bucket. Ever since he graduated from the academy his father decided he was ‘big enough to learn jutsu’. This translated to ninjutsu appearing randomly when he least expected it. ”Dad, what was that for?” His father’s grin disappeared, and a more serious expression replaced it. ”You were getting frustrated and sloppy. If you let anger distract you in training; how much worse if it happens during a mission.”
With his father’s words Jo could feel the anger melt away; replaced with resigned acceptance. He gave a nod and a weak smile to his dad. ”Thanks. I guess I needed a cold bath.’ A grin came back to his father’s face, and he clapped Jo on the back. ”That’s the spirit. Let’s head inside and see if we can sneak some cookies she has stashed.” A grin came to Jo’s lips as well. His mother was really good at hiding snacks, and it was fun to try and find them without being caught. The two headed inside.
[Word Count= 602]
Positioning himself Jo held two of the throwing needles in his left hand. With a flick of his wrist he tried throwing both at the same time. They veered away from each other, and only one hit the padding. The other clicked into the fence behind the tree. He silently cursed himself as he threw the third and final needle. It hit a bit more towards the center of the padding, but still not close to the middle. He threw the three shuriken one after the other, and even they never hit the center. A frustrated throw with the first kunai missed the tree completely and impeded itself into the fence.
Drawing the second of the three kunai Jo only had a moment’s warning before jumping to the right and avoiding the bucket of water that threatened to splash him. Jumping backwards he avoided a second bucket; only to feel a moment of dread as a presence appeared behind him. Time seemed to slow down for him as he turned to see a man moving with his motion with a third bucket in his hands. Jo could see the ice cubes floating in the liquid, and knew he couldn’t escape. He couldn’t even bring his hands up to protect himself as the freezing water hit him squarely in the face and upper torso. A loud cry of surprise and shock escaped his lips and he nearly tumbled to the ground.
Standing before him with the now empty bucket of ice water was his father Kazuma. An accomplished shinobi of the Leaf and a well known prankster for those unfortunate to call him friend; Kazuma was one of the Jounin charged with protecting the Leaf. He was retired now, and spent most of his time at home. Much to the dismay of Jo. Only his mother Asuka could handle her husband, and even then it was a struggle His father had the biggest grin on his face. ”You looked like you needed to cool off.”
Sputtering Jo wiped the water off his face. In a way he was grateful his father used a bucket. Ever since he graduated from the academy his father decided he was ‘big enough to learn jutsu’. This translated to ninjutsu appearing randomly when he least expected it. ”Dad, what was that for?” His father’s grin disappeared, and a more serious expression replaced it. ”You were getting frustrated and sloppy. If you let anger distract you in training; how much worse if it happens during a mission.”
With his father’s words Jo could feel the anger melt away; replaced with resigned acceptance. He gave a nod and a weak smile to his dad. ”Thanks. I guess I needed a cold bath.’ A grin came back to his father’s face, and he clapped Jo on the back. ”That’s the spirit. Let’s head inside and see if we can sneak some cookies she has stashed.” A grin came to Jo’s lips as well. His mother was really good at hiding snacks, and it was fun to try and find them without being caught. The two headed inside.
[Word Count= 602]