There was a sting in her heart that hadn't eased. Ever since she met her a fire had been ignited, but it wasn't a gentle flame, it scorched her, left her feeling empty at times, hungry for something more. She had felt for so long like her existence had been secured squarely because when she fought she could win. She was stronger than many of her peers, not all but many and that meant she was fine. She realized she was an idiot.
I can't measure myself against the middle and presume I'm at the top.
The simple truth that was ever present was that those who failed the academy often didn't make it in one piece, the bottom, the middle, everything but the very top was often cleared away and she was in the middle, at best. She was never going to climb to the top the way she was going. She decided that her method was fine but her targets, that had to be it. Aim higher. Every bruise, every scar, every knick, cut, scrape, drop of blood spilled made her stronger and stronger. She made her stronger. That would be the trick, the technique she used to build a ladder to the very top.
Her target this time was one she found on rumors. She didn't know much about him, a couple years her senior, shorter than her and smaller even too. Looks, she trusted, were deceiving. After all, not only was he older than she, but a Genin too. He'd built himself a bit of a reputation as a slacker, which made him something a perfect target after her.
She found him in the dormitories in the hall after their evening meal. She sat squat on the surface of a table, her feet dangling down to the bench below and watched him with great interest. He was exactly what she'd heard, measuring her expectations exactly. He looked like a child, much younger than her and he...behaved like it too. He was playing around! A jutsu of some kind, something with ice. She felt her teeth press together again, but she fought off the anger this time.
Four quick hops, she stepped from table to table between each of the people gathered until she arrived at his. When she landed she put her foot down on the toy he was playing with, not attempting to break it but there may have been some damage. She pointed at him dramatically. "Ikko Funai! I, Hideaki Nanami challenge you to a match! Seeing a Genin slacker like you just makes my blood boil, do you accept or do you surrender without a fight!" Her declaration had drawn some attention from other students milling about but not much. Nanami was a relatively known quantity at this point, but challenging a Genin was new.
I can't measure myself against the middle and presume I'm at the top.
The simple truth that was ever present was that those who failed the academy often didn't make it in one piece, the bottom, the middle, everything but the very top was often cleared away and she was in the middle, at best. She was never going to climb to the top the way she was going. She decided that her method was fine but her targets, that had to be it. Aim higher. Every bruise, every scar, every knick, cut, scrape, drop of blood spilled made her stronger and stronger. She made her stronger. That would be the trick, the technique she used to build a ladder to the very top.
Her target this time was one she found on rumors. She didn't know much about him, a couple years her senior, shorter than her and smaller even too. Looks, she trusted, were deceiving. After all, not only was he older than she, but a Genin too. He'd built himself a bit of a reputation as a slacker, which made him something a perfect target after her.
She found him in the dormitories in the hall after their evening meal. She sat squat on the surface of a table, her feet dangling down to the bench below and watched him with great interest. He was exactly what she'd heard, measuring her expectations exactly. He looked like a child, much younger than her and he...behaved like it too. He was playing around! A jutsu of some kind, something with ice. She felt her teeth press together again, but she fought off the anger this time.
Four quick hops, she stepped from table to table between each of the people gathered until she arrived at his. When she landed she put her foot down on the toy he was playing with, not attempting to break it but there may have been some damage. She pointed at him dramatically. "Ikko Funai! I, Hideaki Nanami challenge you to a match! Seeing a Genin slacker like you just makes my blood boil, do you accept or do you surrender without a fight!" Her declaration had drawn some attention from other students milling about but not much. Nanami was a relatively known quantity at this point, but challenging a Genin was new.