Nanami Hideaki was sprawled out across the academy training grounds lazing, for lack of a better word, in the midday sun as she watched and listened to the sights and sounds of the Kumogakure's bright future training in preparation for their life as ninja. In her idle state, as she waited, a thought crept in and she wondered how many of the children gathered here would die before they reached the end of that journey. This wasn't the first time she'd thought about that very same thing, which was especially irritating because she didn't know why she was thinking it in the first place. She wasn't filled with anxiety about it, certainly, because she was her. She didn't worry about losing, or getting hurt, or even dying because all that mattered was that she moved forward, pressed on, kept fighting, kept getting better.
But knowing that made her wonder how many others who wouldn't make it felt the same way? How many in the past had the same drive but never saw the end of that journey? Maybe they didn't make it because they weren't lucky, or maybe it was because of a simple mistake any others who might survive could do. Any number of hundred factors that killed a talented, skilled, promising ninja.
Her hands drifted across the drying dead patches of grass from the well-trodden grounds, a place steeped in the history and conflict. A place where some of the greatest ninja in history had trained and fought on their path. All the greats of Kumogakure had stood here, trained here once before. She thought of this and felt nothing. Wasn't this a place of supreme wasted effort? There was something cosmically funny about the whole thing. Something she found delightfully, hilariously crude.
All at once, as quick as it came, the gloom dispelled. The shift was signaled by the instantly formed wide grin that replace the lazy almost sleepy expression that she'd been wearing up to that moment and she forgot all about those thoughts. She was here!
Higeki Tenko. The girl meant almost nothing to Nanami, they'd never met, never spoken, never interacted outside of passing shared lessons but today she had piqued Nanami's interests. The was no reason to it that Nanami could point to explain why she had sought her out today, but she hadn't been Nanami's first target. She had a long list of people, a history of harassed targets, people she'd hunted down before. Some might have seen her as a bit thuggish, a bully but nothing could be further from the truth. Nanami had no interest in malice or misery. It was just chance, circumstance, Nanami working her way through the list, mostly. What it might have been was what little she did know about the girl, professional, curt, cold, softspoken. Focused. Nobody really seemed to know much, or want to know anymore and that sat with Nanami. Someone like that was a bit of an enigma.
Nanami liked enigmas. She had no idea what to expect and that was enticing. She watched her from afar, sitting up, still half sprawled along the grounds. Higeki's form was as good as any other student she'd seen. She also wore an expression that betrayed nothing which Nanami might have convinced herself meant she was just going through the motions. It was something else though, she really seemed -serious-. Everyone in the Kumogakure took their training seriously, but her fellow students were children and there was a difference between that and this. It wasn't much but it was enough for her to confirm her decision was the correct one. This one would be fun, she was certain of it. She would make certain of it.
That's all it took, just like that there were no thoughts from moments ago. Even if she thought to try she wouldn't remember what she was musing about because already she was making her way across the field without a moment's hesitation. Already her steps had the little skip of excitement, the little increase in pulse that signaled her excitement, the brief beat of adrenaline that began to flow. She timed her approach for the final strike of some kata. Nanami leapt forward, a quick lunge of a step to brace the back of the dummy, opposite of her quarry. She felt the impact and grinned instinctively, feeling the vibration through her bracing forearm and down all the way through her body. She leaned over the arm, standing almost on her tippy toes to peer over the edge of the dummy, still grinning her toothy grin down at Higeki.
"Wowwie, that was one heck of a strike Higeki! You are Higeki right? Boy there'd be egg on my face if I got that wrong." She let out a huff of a breath and pulled back from the dummy so that she could maneuver around it. Her grin faded to a cheery smile. "Nice to meet you, I'm sure," she said with an obvious indifference. "You can call me Nanami and I'm here to kick your butt," she proclaimed proudly leaning back against the dummy.
Her eyes gleamed joyfully. "Do you accept my challenge?" Don't disappoint, they said.
But knowing that made her wonder how many others who wouldn't make it felt the same way? How many in the past had the same drive but never saw the end of that journey? Maybe they didn't make it because they weren't lucky, or maybe it was because of a simple mistake any others who might survive could do. Any number of hundred factors that killed a talented, skilled, promising ninja.
Her hands drifted across the drying dead patches of grass from the well-trodden grounds, a place steeped in the history and conflict. A place where some of the greatest ninja in history had trained and fought on their path. All the greats of Kumogakure had stood here, trained here once before. She thought of this and felt nothing. Wasn't this a place of supreme wasted effort? There was something cosmically funny about the whole thing. Something she found delightfully, hilariously crude.
All at once, as quick as it came, the gloom dispelled. The shift was signaled by the instantly formed wide grin that replace the lazy almost sleepy expression that she'd been wearing up to that moment and she forgot all about those thoughts. She was here!
Higeki Tenko. The girl meant almost nothing to Nanami, they'd never met, never spoken, never interacted outside of passing shared lessons but today she had piqued Nanami's interests. The was no reason to it that Nanami could point to explain why she had sought her out today, but she hadn't been Nanami's first target. She had a long list of people, a history of harassed targets, people she'd hunted down before. Some might have seen her as a bit thuggish, a bully but nothing could be further from the truth. Nanami had no interest in malice or misery. It was just chance, circumstance, Nanami working her way through the list, mostly. What it might have been was what little she did know about the girl, professional, curt, cold, softspoken. Focused. Nobody really seemed to know much, or want to know anymore and that sat with Nanami. Someone like that was a bit of an enigma.
Nanami liked enigmas. She had no idea what to expect and that was enticing. She watched her from afar, sitting up, still half sprawled along the grounds. Higeki's form was as good as any other student she'd seen. She also wore an expression that betrayed nothing which Nanami might have convinced herself meant she was just going through the motions. It was something else though, she really seemed -serious-. Everyone in the Kumogakure took their training seriously, but her fellow students were children and there was a difference between that and this. It wasn't much but it was enough for her to confirm her decision was the correct one. This one would be fun, she was certain of it. She would make certain of it.
That's all it took, just like that there were no thoughts from moments ago. Even if she thought to try she wouldn't remember what she was musing about because already she was making her way across the field without a moment's hesitation. Already her steps had the little skip of excitement, the little increase in pulse that signaled her excitement, the brief beat of adrenaline that began to flow. She timed her approach for the final strike of some kata. Nanami leapt forward, a quick lunge of a step to brace the back of the dummy, opposite of her quarry. She felt the impact and grinned instinctively, feeling the vibration through her bracing forearm and down all the way through her body. She leaned over the arm, standing almost on her tippy toes to peer over the edge of the dummy, still grinning her toothy grin down at Higeki.
"Wowwie, that was one heck of a strike Higeki! You are Higeki right? Boy there'd be egg on my face if I got that wrong." She let out a huff of a breath and pulled back from the dummy so that she could maneuver around it. Her grin faded to a cheery smile. "Nice to meet you, I'm sure," she said with an obvious indifference. "You can call me Nanami and I'm here to kick your butt," she proclaimed proudly leaning back against the dummy.
Her eyes gleamed joyfully. "Do you accept my challenge?" Don't disappoint, they said.