Ruri crouched on a mossy root, chest rising and falling in sharp breaths as she wiped her forearm across her cheek. It left a streak of drying crimson, not hers this time, though she had collected enough of her own along the way. The Ancient Forests air was thick and heavy with the scent of wet bark, rotting foliage, and the metallic tang of blood. Three Stone Rabbits hung from her hip in a crude rope sling, their rocky grey fur matted with mud, their obsidian teeth still bared in death. Catching them had been far harder than she’d expected. When asking around, the academy instructors had described them as “pests,” but out here, in the undergrowth where shadows pooled and sounds warped, they felt more like miniature predators. One had leapt straight for her throat, another had tried to burrow under her guard and bite at the tendons in her ankle. The scratches along her arms burned, a reminder of its last thrashing attempt to escape her grip. She didn’t mind the pain though, it meant she’d earned something. She flexed her hands, her knuckles were raw, her palms cut in half a dozen places. One bite mark on her forearm still oozed a little and a thin scratch trailed across her left cheek, stinging when the wind hit it, but she smiled anyway, determined.
The mission board hadn’t cared that she was only a year into the academy. If she wanted to try a student-level contract, she could. And she had, mostly because she wanted her own spending money, sure, but also because… well, because every adult assumed she didn’t need to. She was “the Shuusui heir,” because the clan “would provide whatever she needed,” so of course they expected some papered, rich girl. Ruri was not that kind of girl though, she wanted to pay her own way, if she could. She wanted independence, earned through effort, she wanted to prove that she was capable on her own merit, not needing to hide behind her name like so many others.
The forest around her shifted with distant rustling, a reminder that the Ancient Forest was never still. Birds with too many eyes perched overhead, something heavy brushed through a thicket far to her left. Her eyes drifted to the faint tracks near her feet, tiny pebble-like indentations in the mud, leading deeper into the shadows.
"Two more." She whispered to herself.
She exhaled, slow and steady, letting her heartbeat settle, her posture lowered into familiar readiness. Ruri pushed off the root, rolling her shoulders despite the sting of her wounds. She grabbed the rope sling, tightened the knot, and stepped back into motion. She followed the tracks deeper until the trees grew older, thicker, their roots twisting like the ribs of some buried giant. The air felt especially heavy here. She knew things were about to get dangerous before she saw them, there was a chill on the air, bloodlust. The ordinary Stone Rabbits were pests. These… these felt like something else entirely, predators born from the forest’s deeper, harsher pulse.
One stepped into view first, muscular, stone-grey fur mottled with darker patches, its eyes like polished flint. It was easily twice the size of the rabbits she’d already caught, maybe more. Its granite-like teeth clicked as it tested the air. The second appeared a heartbeat later, dropping from a low branch with unsettling grace. They didn’t look like rabbits anymore. They looked like forest-forged beasts wearing rabbit skins, and they were approaching with clear malice. Ruri tightened her stance as the first one lunged, she dodged, barely as its claws ripped lines across her bicep, burning hot. She hissed through her teeth and pivoted, only for the second rabbit to slam into her hip, knocking her sideways. She rolled through it, but it stole her breath with a grunt.
"Staggered attacks. Smart fuckers..." She groaned, wincing a little.
They weren’t just pests, they were a pair that had survived this forest for years. Knowing she'd been pushed into a corner, Ruri activated her Byakugan, with a burst of chakra veins bulged at her temples, the world opening in perfect clarity. The rabbits’ chakra signatures weren’t bright, but swirling with dense, wild energy. The first rabbit circled her. The second ducked under a fallen log.
"They’re hunting me, ironic." She mused.
Ruri steadied her breathing, grounding herself. She waited for movement, not reacting too soon, every lesson from the academy, from the clan compound, from her father’s harsh drills, aligning into instinct. A chakra spike on the left. She twisted just in time as the first rabbit barrelled past her, missing by inches, in that moment Ruri drove a palm strike into its ribs. it shrieked, tumbling through the underbrush as blood splattered up her arm. The second rabbit launched from the side, claws raking across her back. She stumbled forward, teeth clenching against the pain. Her vision wavered for a moment, the Byakugan’s chakra drain pulsed behind her eyes. She ducked under the next swipe and rolled beneath the fallen log. The second rabbit followed, jaws snapping shut on empty air as Ruri twisted upward, slamming her elbow down on its skull. It staggered, stunned. She turned to finish it but the first rabbit was already airborne, aiming for her face. She braced, raising her forearms just in time. Its weight crashed into her as sharp teeth pierced her guard, scraping against bone. Ruri cried out, the sound feral and furious.
"Enough!" She screamed, batting the beast away.
Her body stiffened, adrenaline pumping through her with fury. She channelled everything, the pain, pride, exhaustion, all into a single anger-fueled strike, her palm snapping forward. Chakra burst from her hand, slamming into the rabbit’s torso. It flew back and hit a tree with a thud, finally going limp. The second tried to flee, she wouldn't let it. She moved on instinct, swift and deadly, catching it by the scruff, pinning it to the ground and delivering a final blow with a sickening crunch. She stood, panting, blood dripping down her arms, her back stinging, one hand throbbing from being bitten. Sweat and dirt clung to her hair, her breathing was ragged, but her eyes, still pale and activated, shone sharp with triumph.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, tasting iron and grit. Her legs trembled, but she forced them to steady as she gathered the bodies. It'd been messy, bloody and harder than it had any right to be and after patching herself up crudely with a small med-kit, she made her way back toward the village, every bruise, every cut, every aching muscle felt like proof that she could carve her own strength into the world, one fight at a time.
[WC - 1122]
The mission board hadn’t cared that she was only a year into the academy. If she wanted to try a student-level contract, she could. And she had, mostly because she wanted her own spending money, sure, but also because… well, because every adult assumed she didn’t need to. She was “the Shuusui heir,” because the clan “would provide whatever she needed,” so of course they expected some papered, rich girl. Ruri was not that kind of girl though, she wanted to pay her own way, if she could. She wanted independence, earned through effort, she wanted to prove that she was capable on her own merit, not needing to hide behind her name like so many others.
The forest around her shifted with distant rustling, a reminder that the Ancient Forest was never still. Birds with too many eyes perched overhead, something heavy brushed through a thicket far to her left. Her eyes drifted to the faint tracks near her feet, tiny pebble-like indentations in the mud, leading deeper into the shadows.
"Two more." She whispered to herself.
She exhaled, slow and steady, letting her heartbeat settle, her posture lowered into familiar readiness. Ruri pushed off the root, rolling her shoulders despite the sting of her wounds. She grabbed the rope sling, tightened the knot, and stepped back into motion. She followed the tracks deeper until the trees grew older, thicker, their roots twisting like the ribs of some buried giant. The air felt especially heavy here. She knew things were about to get dangerous before she saw them, there was a chill on the air, bloodlust. The ordinary Stone Rabbits were pests. These… these felt like something else entirely, predators born from the forest’s deeper, harsher pulse.
One stepped into view first, muscular, stone-grey fur mottled with darker patches, its eyes like polished flint. It was easily twice the size of the rabbits she’d already caught, maybe more. Its granite-like teeth clicked as it tested the air. The second appeared a heartbeat later, dropping from a low branch with unsettling grace. They didn’t look like rabbits anymore. They looked like forest-forged beasts wearing rabbit skins, and they were approaching with clear malice. Ruri tightened her stance as the first one lunged, she dodged, barely as its claws ripped lines across her bicep, burning hot. She hissed through her teeth and pivoted, only for the second rabbit to slam into her hip, knocking her sideways. She rolled through it, but it stole her breath with a grunt.
"Staggered attacks. Smart fuckers..." She groaned, wincing a little.
They weren’t just pests, they were a pair that had survived this forest for years. Knowing she'd been pushed into a corner, Ruri activated her Byakugan, with a burst of chakra veins bulged at her temples, the world opening in perfect clarity. The rabbits’ chakra signatures weren’t bright, but swirling with dense, wild energy. The first rabbit circled her. The second ducked under a fallen log.
"They’re hunting me, ironic." She mused.
Ruri steadied her breathing, grounding herself. She waited for movement, not reacting too soon, every lesson from the academy, from the clan compound, from her father’s harsh drills, aligning into instinct. A chakra spike on the left. She twisted just in time as the first rabbit barrelled past her, missing by inches, in that moment Ruri drove a palm strike into its ribs. it shrieked, tumbling through the underbrush as blood splattered up her arm. The second rabbit launched from the side, claws raking across her back. She stumbled forward, teeth clenching against the pain. Her vision wavered for a moment, the Byakugan’s chakra drain pulsed behind her eyes. She ducked under the next swipe and rolled beneath the fallen log. The second rabbit followed, jaws snapping shut on empty air as Ruri twisted upward, slamming her elbow down on its skull. It staggered, stunned. She turned to finish it but the first rabbit was already airborne, aiming for her face. She braced, raising her forearms just in time. Its weight crashed into her as sharp teeth pierced her guard, scraping against bone. Ruri cried out, the sound feral and furious.
"Enough!" She screamed, batting the beast away.
Her body stiffened, adrenaline pumping through her with fury. She channelled everything, the pain, pride, exhaustion, all into a single anger-fueled strike, her palm snapping forward. Chakra burst from her hand, slamming into the rabbit’s torso. It flew back and hit a tree with a thud, finally going limp. The second tried to flee, she wouldn't let it. She moved on instinct, swift and deadly, catching it by the scruff, pinning it to the ground and delivering a final blow with a sickening crunch. She stood, panting, blood dripping down her arms, her back stinging, one hand throbbing from being bitten. Sweat and dirt clung to her hair, her breathing was ragged, but her eyes, still pale and activated, shone sharp with triumph.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, tasting iron and grit. Her legs trembled, but she forced them to steady as she gathered the bodies. It'd been messy, bloody and harder than it had any right to be and after patching herself up crudely with a small med-kit, she made her way back toward the village, every bruise, every cut, every aching muscle felt like proof that she could carve her own strength into the world, one fight at a time.
[WC - 1122]