It's all thanks to you...Shishou

Shihouin's battle with the Hokage was nothing short of epic for him. He'd never fought an opponent that rough before, but he was lucky that he'd made it out of the battle without getting seriously injured. Shihouin's strength was rising, it was obvious to him and he would hope it would be obvious to Sanzen. The exponential rate he was growing at was tremendous and for him to be able to make it unharmed out of a battle with the Hokage was a feat that most Genin would not be able to accomplish. Yet this strength, the fruits of his labor had all be thanks to a certain farmer, Sanzen-shishou. If it wasn't for her training with him, he would have more than likely been dead.

Shihoun decided to treat himself this time to a cup of vegetable ramen. Eating out of plastic chopsticks, he traveled along the bustling streets of Konoha to the training grounds. Eariler on, he'd left a message for Sanzen to meet him there right before evening for training. After battling the Hokage, Shihouin's outlook was different. The citizens, the kids that ran across the street playing ball, the peddlers, women and men were all different to him now. He continued to sip on his cup ramen, spooning the noodles into his mouth as he crossed the street to the training ground. They were people whom he'd vowed to protect, and more importantly the Hokage had to protect them and the shinobi under him.

Throwing his cup noodles in a near by trashcan, Shihouin placed his hand inside of his pockets as he walked towards the field. Winds swooped down around his body and the sun beat lightly on his back. It was almost evening time, the perfect time for training. The sun wasn't too hot and neither was it too cold outside either. With each step on the hard asphalt underneath his nin boots, his mind began to focus on his future as a shinobi. Shihouin Uchiha eh? Would he be strong enough to become the Hokage? What was he harboring in his heart?

Questions Shihouin couldn't even answer. It didn't matter though. Shihouin jogged across the street one last time, crossing into the fenced off training area. Several lots fenced off from the public for their own safety so shinobi could train. Walking into the designated one, Shihouin scrambled across the training field into a tree, waiting for Sanzen to show up. For some reason, he couldn't wait for her to get their either.

The setting sun began to drape the land in darkness as Sanzen's apartment building began to grow quiet. Every night it was the same. There was silence for a while before some started to snore, a baby started to cry, a dog started to bark, or some other random uncontrolled noise created a bit of chaos. People were quick to complain about many things and Sanzen just happened to live next door to a rather negative elderly woman. She always would grumble about the smallest things; from the room temperature to the sun outside and even things about her so called favorite pet cat. This was the time where Sanzen was nearly wide awake. She would sit casually in her rather new recliner as she read a psychology book or some random story of a far away land. She wasn't to picky which gave her a broad range to work with when it came to choosing. Tonight was actually a book about Konoha's past. It was rather old and the golden fastening was even started to come out. It looked banged up, beat up, and burnt but the pages were still easy to read and it provided some rather interesting information about her home village that even Nagori did not know about. With the lamp burning brightly beside her and the room temperature at a comfortable level, Sanzen was having a rather decent night. She was off duty today and thus the patrol was placed in someone else's hands. If something went wrong tonight it was not necessarily her problem but she also wasn't one to not rise out of her humble abode to fight either. One thing that did take her off guard was the sound of her laptop beeping, a sign that she received an email. She sighed as she prepared to close her book before a Shiba Inu stood up and stretched on the carpet below.

"Allow me my lady" he said in a rather tired tone. She simply nodded and attempted to return to her book but sadly all focus was lost as she anxiously waited to hear what message she had just received. Takao's claws tapped at the screen slowly as he worked his way across the keyboard trying to not mess up. He may have been a dog but this did not mean he did not lack intelligence and potential.

"You have two lady Sanzen. Miss Mimi wrote that someone had attempted to attack the Hokage's office and oh.... it appears Shihouin is requesting your presence at the training grounds."

His ears twitched at the sound of Sanzen's book snapping shut and the foot rest closing. Takao studied her as she placed the book on the stand beneath the lamp and shut it off. Luckily the kitchen nearby had a low light or else the room would appear pitch black.

"Should I delete the messages?"

As Sanzen crossed the living room she began to put on a black thin and light jacket near the door before sighing as if her thoughts were now troubled.

"No leave it," she said, zipping the jacket. Her red hues now stared at Takao as the lightning nearby caused them to glow in the rather usual manner. She motioned her head as her hand gripped the door. With a leap Takao landed on the white carpet below before following his master out the door. With a leap forward she broke out into a dash as she began to gain speed. From rooftop to rooftop the Shiba followed at her heels while they headed towards the training grounds. Takao couldn't help but stare at her in puzzlement as Sanzen became very thoughtful. She had not had this sort of look in a very long time and it only made him wish he were on the spirits within her mind. For all he knew, between leaving and running, this wasn't even Sanzen.

Her form dropped down from a high branch above as she landed in a soft patch of earth. There was no sound emitted from her landing but this did not mean she was invisible. By the time she arrived she figured Shihouin would already be there and ready. The sky had managed to grow dark as the forest around became still and quiet. It were almost as if the very slightest breath could be heard amongst this silence; Takao dropped down beside her. As she opened her red hues they pierced the darkness of the forest and scanned the area for a sight of movement before beginning to walk forward. She could feel Shihouin was nearby thanks to her tracking skills and believed that she could almost hear him due to her heightened senses. Due to this, she merely began speaking anyway. Her voice sounded smooth and somewhat low as it shattered the darkness around them in an unsettling sort of way.

"I know you're here already...." she began as her eyes gazed in his direction. There was slight intensity beneath her voice as if she were about to snap, "I thought that I had trained you enough at your level... so tell me... if you were fully trained at the D-rank level, were you granted C or above?"

Her eyes then disappeared as quickly as they had manifested, obviously due to her closing them. A sigh escaped her lips before she continued, her hands folding behind her back in a semi relaxed appearance.

"So tell me... was it you who attacked the Hokage in his office?"

Takao's ears twitched as he sat in the background, her anticipation growing. It was almost too obvious. It was the Hokage who granted rank permissions and how ironic that not only was the office attacked but Shihouin requested training in the later evenings. He could have easily wished to do so during the day or even in the morning but this was also when the office was attacked. Word traveled fast, especially when you were a chunin and kept in contact with one of the Hokage's workers.

Shihouin noticed Sanzen's presence the moment she came within proper range. She always seemed to be cold, like she had some burdens too heavy to carry on her shoulder. He didn't get her demeanor at all but he didn't spend time trying to analyze her. Shihouin was thinking about something else and he was going to do something that would surprise the both of them. He rarely ever acted out in this manner and Sanzen would be the first to see him act like this. Hopefully she would accept it.

Jumping down to her position, Shihouin extended his arms out and landed on top of her wrapping his arms tightly around her back in a hug. It was weird for him to act that way, but he couldn't contain it. A wide smile spread across his face as he hugged her tightly, holding on to her and embracing her in a hug. Before she could get a word out, he spoke. "Thank you Sanzen-Shishou! It was all thanks to you!!!" Jumping down from her, he back up from her and put his hands behind his head and continued to smile. "Yeah it was me who attacked the Hokage, but because of that I got to see the fruits of my training! I used the jutsu you taught me and totally destroyed the Hokage's office. It's not like he was mad though, the old man didn't even land a hit on me! If it wasn't for all of that training you put me through I would have never been able to even fight. Thanks to you I'm really stronger now! Really!!!"

Shihouin was excited and he had every reason to be. His entire goal as a shinobi was to become stronger and because of Sanzen he'd actually done that. He had physical evidence that he was stronger than he once was before. Gaining strength meant a lot to Shihouin and so did Sanzen. The fact that she was helping him become stronger would mean that he'd actually bonded with her in a type of way. This new feeling was intense to him, a strange feeling between teacher and student. It felt like a bond that could never be broken. Even if Sanzen didn't like his embrace and would punish him for it, Shihouin would still feel connected to her. No matter what, whether she knew it or not, she'd just earned a special place in Shihouin's heart.

The sudden rise of emotion startled her; especially as it came in a form of a hug. Sanzen was not one to enjoy any form of contact for it made her feel defenseless. Even though it was her student and she didn't mind to much it was the spirits who were on high defense. Her hues became instantly brown as her muscles tensed up and expression grew slightly on edge. This wasn't her fault but rather it was Kairo; the one who tended to control her emotions and was granted the most control. For once though, Sanzen decided to fight this control as the hug was allowed. She didn't wish for Shihouin to see her appear disgusted when it wasn't even her own emotions. Once he was do thanking her and let go, she stood in silence with a cold look before walking over to him. It seemed almost as though she were about to strike him, her hand beginning to raise. However, she simply placed it on his head and roughed up his hair with a smile on her face.

"A job well done," she said softly before crossing her arms. A smirk crossed her face now as she continued, "Although you better prepare to do a lot, and I mean A LOT, of missions to make up for the damage you did... cause your teacher isn't going to cover any of it."

A semi joking grin crossed her face before she began to grow more serious. By now the moon was giving them more light to work with as the trees all around began to take shape. At least they could see better at further distances then before. Not to far but better then that moment of darkness. Once again, the air around Sanzen began to grow more distinct as her serious edge returned in full.

"Seeing as how you have gained in strength, I am assuming you called me out to learn more jutsu correct?"

She emitted a thoughtful sigh as she examined him before her, "I believe you have the potential to handle a few higher ranked jutsu as well. Although you are still a bit to weak for one I have in mind..." she said before pausing. As the moon's rays beamed down she couldn't help but glance at the near complete circle before continuing, "Anything specific you wish to learn? If not, there are a few things I have in mind. Of course it's your choice whether to learn them but you never know when they may be useful."

She was glad that he made it in and out untouched and earned a rank even though she didn't physically show it. For now the hand messing up his hair and her smile was all he would be able to get from her until he managed to rank up. One thing that burdened the back of her mind though was getting beat by him. She felt she would appear to be weak and foolish if defeated by her own student, even IF he managed to take on the Hokage and come out untouched. It was a daring act, no doubt about that, and it proved his capabilities. However, in the back of her mind Bankotsu grew even more restless. Anyone could hide behind a veil of innocence. But was he really a possible threat? She hated to think of him, her own student, that way. The fact she may create a monster though bugged her. She sounded negative towards him; causing the image of the elderly woman and her pet cat next door to reappear in her mind. How ironic that they both may have felt the same loneliness despite her spirits.

Shihouin had an idea for some basic training skills that he could use in battle. He would be going on a mission soon, hopefully and would need better skills for the mission if he were to go. The Uchiha Clan's rite of passage, the Goukakyuu was a splendid and well worked out jutsu that only had a chakra cost of C Rank. Not to mention that if it hit the target it would cause a number of burns and would be extremely painful. However, Shihouin's version was just a round flame of fire. He was lacking the shape manipulation needed to make it into an actual rolling ball that could travel towards the opponent. He also wanted to focus on some basic wire and shuriken tricks as well.

Proposing the same plan as he did last time, Shihouin had an agenda. "Well, I want to test out my Goukakyuu and a couple other tricks that I can use with my weapons upgrade. Maybe just a quick spar to test them out and that's pretty much it. If you want to, we could also train maybe a bit of taijutsu so I can increase my speed and strength. I have a cool idea that I want for taijutsu, the same idea I practiced last time with you. We can train those, maybe mix them in to both."

Shihouin backed up a few meters and would wait for the spar to begin. He would essentially attempt to try the same move set he did with the Hokage on Sanzen. Being outside would make this movement extremely difficult, but he had an idea on how to work it so it would better suit him. Waiting for Sanzen to make the first move, he began calculating and preparing his move set.

As nighttime was settling and the civilians began to prepare to slumber; Sanzen and Shihouin, or at least Shihouin, were going to be hard at work trying to make him stronger. With a sigh she nodded her head to his requests as she watched up distance himself from her; Takao disappeared in smoke behind her. It was an obvious sign he wished to spar and of course once again it would be her who would have to make the first move. The further he got the more time she had to decide what to do for her first and notice her surroundings. Although it was dark she still had her senses and being a stealth type the environment would give her an upper hand. However, she did not forget that he had the sharingan and something made her think he had advanced that as well. They both had fire jutsu of course, an element that could easily bring forth light and brighten the deepest darkness in a hear beat.

Upon stopping she had her eyes locked on him as she nodded that she would start this. She wanted to test his eyes amongst this darkness and so she reached into her pouch and threw down a smoke bomb. This smoke would cover her now as she turn tail and disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Right after, the sound of a bush moving only meant there was another being or two in this forest as well. She never stopped moving, her senses heightened and listening as she waited for Shihouin to make his move. Of course being the stealth type as well, she made sure to make little noise in this forest.

Out of nowhere Sanzen suddenly burst from behind Shihouin as she launched out a few tools before making the throwing motion once more. There was slight movement on the ground around her as she moved into a stance and waited for him to attack. Meanwhile, one of the two lurking waited patiently to move.

The night moon was a beautiful thing to see. It's luminescent silver glow beamed across the entire village, bathing it in a mystical light. Shihouin loved the night and loved being outside in the dark. The solitude of the blackness was calm to him and with a somewhat introverted personality the dark allowed him to get away from people and focus on himself and how he felt. However, tonight was a different night, he'd be training with Sanzen and he wouldn't be alone.

Not once. Sanzen liked to use the same moves over and over and Shihouin now had the skill to read through them. 'She always uses a clone first and gets away with some sort of distraction. That's what the smoke bomb was for and she's purposefully using clones right now to throw off my Sharingan if I use it. She's not going to fight me straight up until she has a shot at it and even then the chances of her really facing me are low. Under hand tactics with clones. This should be easier than battling the Hokage...'

The moment Shihouin saw the smoke bomb, his plan was already under way. He could use his one tomoe Sharingan to catch her chakra, but he didn't need to. As soon as Sanzen appeared around the back side of Shihouin's back to attack, she would fall for a trap. By getting close to her, she'd stepped on countless of littered special tags, that Shihounin had placed on the ground when she used the smoke. The tags exploded, forcing the E rank clone in it's place to wither out of existence. Shihouin was somewhere else, well aware of his senses, preparing his next move-set under the cover of the forest waiting for Sanzen to stiff him out and strike him. She couldn't expect him not to move while she used the smoke bomb to cover her ass.

The moment Sanzen appeared behind Shihouin to attack it seemed Shihouin had his own plans that disrupted her own a tad. As the tags set off the clone she had sent out was destroyed in a poof of smoke. The true Sanzen noticed this immediately as the information traveled back to her. She stopped and fell silent. In a way she anticipated he would use the smoke bomb as well which was why she also didn't like moving first. It appeared he would possibly use her own tactics against her since now they were both hiding from each other and both had the capabilities to find one another. Irony at its finest.

The other set lurker now watched all around for any sights of movement as the scent had moved elsewhere. Immediately Sanzen was set with a few options. She could send this remainder to retrieve info, go to him herself, wait for him to come to her, and more. Not allowing him to have to much time she carried out with a next plan. Going to him and against his intellect was possible suicide and so she did something that was not normal for her and in a way left her wide open.

A good ten second since the destruction of the clone Sanzen manifested. In the open field where she had first used the smoke bomb, she leaped from the trees and landed near the same spot as she first was. Her hands appeared to release something as the ground almost all the way around her shifted a bit. She waited in a stance as the air around her began to change slightly; her senses open as she made sure to not move her right foot. If he came, he could do quite a few things to make it to where he wouldn't have to come near her but of course at this moment her surroundings were mostly covered. The lurker appeared to have vanished off the surface of the earth the moment she first manifested into the open.

The forest was quite like none other. Shihouin had put every fiber of his being into trying to keep alert for Sanzen. The wind, the leaves, the position of the moonlight, it was all very much important to him and putting that information into a formidable plan would be the strong suit of his next move set. Calculating his odds against her attack, he would have to figure out the best means of moving against her and to his advantage. Luckily they'd been in a forest.

Shihouin quickly made light of the situation as his eyes found her location, not too far from here, but in perfect range of his trap. The earth around her was shifting a bit which totally gave way to her general location. Being in an open field with her body making a longer shadow against the moonlight wasn't a good idea either. It would be fast, and quick.

A small "click" noise might not be picked up over the sound of the moving ground, but it didn't matter. A volley of seven shuriken, four giant shuriken and five kunai all raced out towards her position, and as soon as they moved towards her they changed direction. Spreading outwards, the tools danced around her position and began to slowly grow tighter around all her sides. She might not pick up the translucent wire (transparent) wire in the dark, but it was obvious the tools were being controlled. They would continue to quickly converge in on that spot and wrap around her. She would then come subject to the next move he had prepared. How would see react to this move? Not to mention, under the cover of the tools dancing around her, a second kunai had been thrown at a huge delay. When it got into range, it would explode with the special tag placed on it. Essentially it would attack her while she was busy trying to guard against the tools wrapping around her. Shihouin would prepare his next move set and watch his body and protect himself accordingly.

The sound of the snap above had caused her eyes to immediately glance up. The light of moon bounced off a few objects beginning to move towards. Rather than dealing with the possibility this was a trap, a distraction, or possibly being attacked or hit by these objects, she soon disappeared as a poof of smoke rose from her spot. A log now manifested in her position but rather than simply leaving an ordinary log behind she left a tag; unaware of the delay anyway. This tag exploded, causing the fog she had released around her to erupt into a burning inferno. The possible trees this trap was set on now would have been lit on fire and would begin to burn as well. Whatever delay was aimed would have only caused this eruption to grow; Sanzen was gone and the lurker unaffected. Now the battle was taken back to forest again and Sanzen's senses were open. Her plan had failed but due to the inferno the sound of it would have scared the sleeping creatures nearby and thus created more sound as well. The forest wouldn't be so silent anymore which even though it somewhat worked against Sanzen, it would more importantly work against Shihouin. Sanzen would still be able to use her other senses and now she was tracking.

Sure, Shihouin could have been around and could have attacked her if he realized she disappeared but if this were so she would be well ready. His scent would give him away in a certain range and due to her being doused by the fog; her scent was altered for the time being. This did not mean that she would explode though if lit on fire just that she smelled like the fog. Since she needed to lighten the density of the fog to get it to float, and not be obvious, the smell wasn't potent either. Either way, she would make sure to keep a good distance between them.

Rather than going to him she moved two meters from where she manifested, motioning hand signs, and suddenly disappeared from above. If he set one trap he had time to set another wherever he may have been and because of this she would not go to him. To find her, he would have to use his eyes now and then it came down to deciphering which was the real her and which wasn't. He was skilled, she knew this, and he was smart. The moment she had disappeared from above she now motioned hand signs again and had her next attack ready. A Sanzen soon emerged from below the surface in the center of a wide open field away from trees. She knew that he was well aware of her style, but with the correct movements, she could be forced to change. The Sanzen moved into a stance as they waited.

At the moment, she hated the fact she was using up chakra so quickly. She felt it should be her that was in his position due to her rank and supposed higher skill. Thus, maybe it was true that she was not worthy of her rank after all. She would try to end this fast now but if not, she still had more plans on her mind to subdue him. She couldn't lose to her own student.

[100th post ;D]

Shihouin found himself enjoying the night more than he did the battle. Sanzen kept doing the same old moves and the same old tricks. She'd replaced with a kawarimi which would only help his situation at bit more. Keeping his mind focused on battle, he'd been totally aware of her position due to the spots that she kept picking to show up in, they all confirmed her position several times over. The moment she popped up from underground, he figured it was a shadow clone. He wanted her to face him, but if she fought like that she would run out of chakra soon.

Either way, her current strategy was good for him. This time, no sound went off, but three shuriken from the forest went out towards her in blinding speed. With this trap set and plenty of more to go, Shihouin focused on fixating his next move and turning her counter against her. Move set and everything planned on her choice of movement, Shihouin would wait until she revealed herself.

The clone waited as she let out a yawn as if growing bored of the scenario. A sound burst from the trees as she saw something move towards the air in her direction. She had a simple counter in mind as she reached into her pouch and did exactly what Shihouin attempted to do to her at one point. As she brought her arm down, a kunai in hand, she used force to send the shuriken right back from where they came. After this she was back in position waiting for the next motion to be made. The other Sanzen continued to wait patiently as she remained focused; listening to what was occurring above. She obviously was to stubborn to move so now what would he do?

[Terrible post]

She fell for it. Actually, ever since the start of the battle she fell for it. It had been her first move which had given Shihouin the option of everything he was doing. Combined with this move set, he had now two ideas about battle in general. One from the Hokage and one from his teacher. With the new jutsu he was training he would definitely make an impact on Sanzen now and use this information later on.

Blocking was the wrong choice for her to make out of the attack. Had she attacked it in a manner which allowed her to block all of her sides in one motion, she might have a chance to block the attack. The shuriken from before, the ones from the kawarimi weren't gone just because she was gone. Using a manipulating shuriken technique, he could manipulate the path of the shuriken as long as he'd had the wires attached to them. From here on out it was simple. The time she spent preparing and countering the attack would lead to her down fall. All the tools from before would rush up behind her and attack her entire backside and embed deeply within her body. Of course Shihouin knew it was a clone. Even if she did sense them coming up behind her, it would be too late to prepare ninjutsu and she would have to choose between both tools. Moving was out of the option as well, due to the numerous amount of tools he'd thrown at her. Even if she did manage to move, he had a trick up his sleeve and another move prepared.

The clone was destroyed into a puff of smoke as the information traveled back to Sanzen once more. She had used up her two clones, a kawarimi, and plenty of other chakra where as Shihouin was only using tools and was keeping his chakra amount filled. Sanzen would have to rest to rebuild and being in her position, she was still using her bank. She was safe where she was but was still using up a supply that she needed. She could appear above the earth and hide away in a tree or near one but there was the risk of being spotted by Shihouin. If he attacked she could counter or parry to where she could get her own attack in but at the moment she was limited on her abilities. The battle for her had grown hard and since she lost her kawarimi is appeared Shihouin had it in the bag.

This did not mean she was willing to give in though. To give up to her student would cause her to disappear from Konoha for a very long time. In fact, by the time she even thought about showing back up again, he would probably be the Hokage. He was one of those genin she wished to be and was supposed to be. Her sensei trained her day in and out to make her into something that he was and she wasn't. She grew envious of him. Yet, a smile crossed her face at the fact she was able to call him her student. Either way, it appeared the teacher and student days were going to come to an end unless she pulled something off. To fight straight on would be her end. She needed to find him in a way that it wouldn't waste chakra; a difficult task indeed.

She was forced to move from beneath the open field to a place beneath the trees. At least she was underground, but if she appeared she would be covered for the most part. Her objective would be to move away from the field and attempt to change their surroundings a tad. She had only a small chance left to possibly beat him and she needed to make every move worth it to turn this around but had little to work with.

Twenty meters away from where the field was and deeper within the training grounds; Sanzen poked her head out of the ground slightly. She was covered by a giant tree behind her and the light of the moon could not reach her due to the canopy. Her black hues scanned the area in silence as she listened for the slightest movement. Shihouin wasn't around and due to the depth she traveled beneath the surface; the sharingan would have had some difficulty following her whether she used it or not. First, she returned beneath the surface of the earth, leaving something behind beneath a thin of layer of dirt, before sinking back down. She circle all around the tree, doing this movement five times before disappearing beneath the ground. For now the cost seemed to be clear from what she could see.

Next, she emerged from above the ground and took refuge in a nearby the one she circled as she waited patiently. She would rest her until Shihouin managed to find her; still on her toes and ready for anything. Her fingers twitched lightly as she gripped her hands around an object in her crouch. The moon barely lit up the area here but a few beams did managed to break through. Sanzen was guarded though and blended in well. Now the waiting game began.

Shihouin couldn't stand this anxiety, he wanted to fight up close and personal! He took a silent breath and focused. The tools from the manipulated shuriken attack struck the ground and so did two extra giant shuriken that were hidden in the shadow of the primary one. If she'd dodged or managed to move somehow, he would definitely surprise her with them. His technique had been successful and he'd counted about three clones he'd been through so far, keeping note of how many he'd seen.

Keeping his eyes open and his senses alert, he was able to spot Sanzen's correct position and positions that any of her chakra would show up. Keeping note of all these locations, he picked the best one to target, or Sazen's position. She hadn't realized that Shihouin was in total control of the battle now. If she went into the open field she became a target to his attacks, if she stayed in the forest she was open to his traps as well. There was no way she was going to win unless she found Shihouin and that wasn't possible with her abilities.

Three senbon would race out and target the tree above her. They were too high for her to counter or parry and they were obviously thrown to miss. They made a loud whistling due to their speed and she would no doubt hear them coming throughout the foliage. Two of them had an explosive note wrapped around the senbon like a hot dog and the third one had a smoke bomb on the end. Would she notice this? By the time they landed in the tree they'd exploded along with the smoke bomb, raining down smoke.

Under the cover of the smoke, five shuriken would come rushing down from high left and wrap around the top of the tree and spiral down. However, the shuriken was under the cover of the smoke and falling at the same speed so she wouldn't be able to see it. She might be able to see it coming, but the sound of the explosives and the sizzling smoke sound might drowned it out. If she planned on sniffing it out, it'd be masked by the smoke. The shurikens' only sound would be it landing in the ground around the tree behind her. Shihouin waited for her and prepared his move set as he pierced the smoke with his Sharingan to see how she would react.

As the sound of an object pierced through the air she registered them as senbon but couldn't quite figure out what angle they were coming at. She did find out though they struck the tree above, two of which exploding before a smoke bomb erupted and rained down over her. She knew that something was bound to come next. So in a few simple moves she leaned forward and grabbed the tree branch; hugging it as she threw her weight over the edge and landed on the next branch below in another crouch. All the while gripping onto what she had in her gloved hands. Obviously he was using the sharingan now for she moved pretty far. Which meant that she would have an even more difficult time fighting. In all honesty, she admired the sharingan and would like to have it herself. Even the byakugan, maybe that was why she came to like him quicker than other people. Either way though, she was slightly envious and hating it now.

She waited for his next move as she was finally able to breath; items still in hand.

[Terrible post]

Successful.

Even though she was his teacher, he would not let up easy on her. There was no way she would be able to react to his oncoming move and her choice to defend rather than parrying was in correct. Even if she did parry he had a way to get around that as well. With this, the clone he'd been keeping under cover could launch the attack with the wire. Putting her self on wood had made this even more worse for her.

The wire attached to the shuriken, the shuriken that she couldn't see wrapped around the entire tree headed down, sticking at the base. Shihouin already had the time to splice the wire lines into parts for this, leaving five trails of tight translucent wire around the tree. Less than five meters away from the tree, the real Shihouin and the clone would make their attack. The same attack they destroyed the Hokage's office with.

"You'll be in the hospital this time, Sanzen-shishou!" Using his eyes to spot her position on the tree, they attacked. Shihouin focused on his technique, creating the Goukakyuu with more spacial recomposition this time. Instead of a large blaze, his fireball would actually roll and move towards the target. It was obvious what was coming next. A large stream of fire raced down the wire, burning the leaves and the branches as it spiraled around the tree following the wire. During that same time, Shihouin would launch a perfect Goukakyuu at Sanzen's spot on the tree. If she moved either way, she was in a bind and she couldn't kawarimi.

The fire from the Ryuuka had blazed the entire tree from the top down, so moving down towards the more concentrated flames at the base would burn. The Goukakyuu would head towards her spot and because of her position would be too wide to dodge. The two techniques would collide and cause a torrential explosion of flames that would cause the tree to fall over and be withered up by the fire. He'd lessened the flames to second degree and was sure that she would be in the hospital this time.

Techniques Used:

She had managed to dodge the wires wrapping around the base of the tree from her previous move and was able to freely move still. Since she had wrapped her body around and up against a branch, the wires had got her and latched around the base; trapping her. She knew what would come next and braced herself as she felt a power come over her from within. He was good, too good. Was he only given C-rank? She grew a bit agitated at that fact; feeling that he deserved higher. As he yelled about the hospital her eyes grew pitch black as a snarl crossed her face and a heavy spiritual pressure began to rise off of her like a wave.

While the spiritual pressure and eye changes was occurring the fire made its way down the tree and she dug her nails into the bark; feeling the flames burn her scalp. It brought back memories of her past despite the fact that her body was protected. Everything except her neck up had been protected by fire proof gear. However, as her hair burned and normal clothes began to burn off; her imagination brought back the painful memories of her past. This caused her to shut out from the world as her face grew more threatening. Kutsuu had taken over, releasing the high spiritual pressure any 1000 + spirit would. It held kill intent and pure threatening violence that if Shihouin felt it; may be personally affected by it. Sanzen was safe within her mind but she lost all contact with the spirits and her own body; causing her to fall into utter confusion. It was pure darkness, her mind, and it were as though she could feel the shadows around her. Her physical body burned in a few places and so did the tree. As the tree began to fall, Kutsu took the damage and kept her alive as his severe black hues stared right through Shihouin with rage.

The tree crashed to the ground as Sanzen then passed out. She laid face first in the dirt, a burning tree log across her back. It appeared almost as though she had died due to the surrounding flames. However, her heart kept beating. She was lucky to have the protective gear designed for extremely harsh fire environments. Otherwise, she may have been killed. This was a day they both probably wouldn't forget.

A killing intent. The last time he'd felt this was when his Uncle had murdered his family right before his eyes. That gruesome form he'd taken on, those eyes and that body. Sanzen's eyes were totally different from before, but to Shihouin they were strikingly similar. Similar to that same moment he was with his parents when his Uncle killed them in front of his eyes.

Tremors of fear shook his body and he couldn't get to her due to the flames. He had no clue what to do and his body was telling him to run. Disappointed at the fact that he'd turned tail from his fears of the killing intent, he took to the streets of Konoha, leaving the burning tree and his sensei to fend on their own.

Everlasting darkness.

Tormented Hearts.

Severed Dreams.

Empty Promises.

War.

Blood.

Death.

These were only a few things that Sanzen felt within her mind and body. It was a strange sensation beyond her explanation. She could not move, could not speak, only see. She saw the darkness all around and at the same time it didn't even feel like she was seeing anything. Did she die? Was she asleep? What happened to her exactly? So many unanswered questions filled her mind as she felt something drip from her eyes and mouth. From the dark depths of the unknown an image of herself flashed before her mind. She was pale as a sheet, her eyes closed and blood pouring from her eyes and mouth. She appeared as though she were dead. She felt so cold and yet so hot. So empty and yet content. Nothing made sense. It felt as though everything was a paradox. Who was she? Where was she? Why was she there?

"Shihouin"

The name seemed familiar and yet not as it rang through her mind. Her vocals vibrated as though it was she who said it and yet she did not move her mouth. It were as though her thoughts surrounded her being in this veil of darkness. Why had she even said his name anyway? A sickening feeling caused her body to violently lurch forward. Her world began to spin and yet she did not move. More questions rose up and yet although they were asked she felt as though she knew the answer. It was then an image of Kutsuu appeared before her.

This time, she opened her hues but rather than them being a bright red they appeared as a soft green color. Kutsuu was tall compared to her; her head gazing into the top of his chest before her eyes floated back to his face. She was confused and yet not. A smile crossed his face as he spoke not a single word. It was a pure smile and yet one that made her sick. She wanted to love him, wanted to kill him, wanted to bring him close, wanted to run away. There was so much she wished to do and yet she did not move an inch. As the smile remained on his hard soft face he soon brought up a hand and touched her forehead. His fingers remaining there as the cold and yet burning sensation returned. It was then she saw him in his usual formal black suit that matched his black hues. She felt so calm around him that she thought she was closing her eyes and yet at the same time she felt, violent. It was a sickening calm kill intent that made everything wonderful and not.

As he leaned down he began to whisper softly into her ear. A gasp escaped her mouth as her eyes narrowed as though scared by a ghost; she blacked out. Or did she black in?

"LADY SANZEN! SANZEN! SANZEN ANSWER ME!"

"Sanzen!"
"Sanzen"
"Sanzen"
"Sanzen"
"Sanzen"

All these voices at once caused her eyes to snap open in fear as a light gasp escaped her. What happened? Her vision was a blur as the sound of whimpering began to fill her ears. She couldn't hear the spirits clearly, only the sound of whimpering and a distant laugh. Soon enough the sound of grass moving and fire crackling filled her confused mind before someone else gasped much like she had. There was the sound of running as she felt hot breath beside her face. A voice screamed into her ear and yet she could not hear it. What had it said? The voice rang louder.

"SANZEN! Sanzen are you okay!? SANZEN!"

"Ta....Taka..o"

Her voice did not sound like her own but it was enough to make the whining and screaming stop. Did she even say that? She felt so numb that she could barely even speak. Had she been paralyzed? No, oddly enough she could feel her skin and it felt alright besides her face. That burned a bit on one side while the other felt dirty. Feeling was beginning to be restored.

"Lady Sanzen, it's me. I'm right here, are you okay?"

She was silent for a very long time, making Takao or whoever it was even more worried. All of a sudden she closed her eyes and lurched her body forward as she released a piercing agonizing scream.

"SANZEN!"

It sounded like Kairo, wait who? Who was Kairo? Sanzen's scream intensified as she flailed about. It were as though she were fighting something invisible before tears began to fill her face. Takao could only help but stare. He screamed her name but was unheard as she persisted to yell; her face growing more red than what it was. 'What the hell is wrong with her' was the only thing anyone could ask. Kutsuu simply sat as he normally had while the other spirits tried to gain control over her; nothing worked. A dark laugh filled her brain before suddenly she was consumed by darkness once more.

A sort of rain began to fall down around her now as its drops made the fire sizzle in the background. Takao stared in pure disbelief as his master laid perfectly still. He was confused and worried; not sure what to do as he slowly approached her.

"Sa......Sanzen?"

As the rain came down around them Sanzen lay perfectly still. Within her mind everything was dark as though she was gone completely. The spirits couldn't reach her but Kutsuu simply sat as if perfectly fine. Takao cautiously stepped forward before lightly nudging her hand. She did not move. He moved closer in hesitation before lightly putting his head on her chest. Her heart was still beating. He lifted his head in shock before whimpering more. As he grabbed her shirt he pulled as hard as he could. It would be a long way to the hospital but if they at least got to town... someone was bound to help right?