It was a casual day for Semasu, she had just teleported to Kusamuragakure with her sword- mostly on the smallest of desires, just because her sword took her wherever she wanted it go. It was eager to please her desire to travel, because it desired to travel just as much. The two of them shared a strange bond and understanding, it was why her sword had chosen to stay with her for son long rather than just disappearing away somewhere else. She appreciated the sword and used its ability to travel often, the sword in turn was pleased with her and had revealed itself time and time again to be quite useful.

Here she was, this was her first time visiting Kusamuragakure actually, it was quite different than Tsukigakure or Shippuugakure; the trees were taller and the grass was much more rich. Even the air smelled sweeter and had a pleasant feeling to it that she had not yet experienced on her many travels. No wander people liked to live here so much.

the most notable feature around her was the singular giant tree that stood above the rest, like an old sentry of forgotten secrets It was an impressive size, large enough to be a fortress but very few structures around it and no people. It was a peculiar site and she wanted to explore it some more before going away from this point. She tensed suddenly as she thought she heard someone, she didn't know what to expect from the people here or to even explain how she had gotten here without anyone noticing her. She relaxed her body and took up a nonchalant posture against the base of the giant tree and waited until she could clearly see who it was. Surely they wouldn't be hostile to her, would they?

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Word count-303

The Encounter A stroll through the forest could do one a world of good. It’s a world of wonder, the things that someone could find inside their own mind, things they could only find with an enormous amount of patience. Things hidden so deep in the mind that they could startle even oneself with their revelations. Emotions, ambitions, thoughts, memories. Things people were ashamed of, in denial that they had, things people shielded themselves from, for their own protection, and things that people were simply completely unaware of. It was in the silence that one could discover these things. The silence that screamed at you. Screamed things about you. The pink leaves of the Sakura trees that fell adrift in the wind as reminders that there was beauty in the world. The aromas so faint and subtle that they could only be detected from a few feet away, downwind. The astonishingly cool air, lightly touching the skin, whose heat was stolen from the leaves of the canopy above. The slightly shaded forest, the light not completely able to pierce the tops of the Sakura trees. Moku’s thoughts, along with the silence of the forest, completely shattered at an unnatural noise. So accute, and yet so thunderously loud to the Bone God who had spent his entire life in this habitat. It was simply the application of matter. A step without the impact on the ground. As if the grass and leaves had bent and broke, yet there was no actual impact on the ground; no step to be heard, but instead, the outcome of the step. There was a new presence, an unnatural presence, in the area around him. It was intriging. The thought that he was crazy and paranoid never occured to him. As his feet carried him to the area from which he had heard the sound - or the absence of sound - he was amazed by what he saw as he emerged from the trees and environment around him. He hadn’t expected to see a person. And even then, not a... why, a beautiful woman. The Jounin’s eyes marveled for all of half an instant before it dawned upon him that when he had detected this person, they were using stealth to such a high degree that he couldn’t even find evidence of them being there a second before. Little did he know, the female HADN’T been there. Upon his realization, his body instantly flexed. Muscles tightened, and his posture became erect and straightened. He wore no Shinobi garb; a simple robe. Strapped to his waist was a pouch of bone fragments, and not a single tool or weapon was on his person; preferring instead to use the weapons that he pulled from his body. In short, a normal bystander could tell no difference between Moku, and any other person. A trained Shinobi, however, could. Between the body form, his posture, and the concentrated, on-guard expression he wore, it was almost obvious. Moku spoke now, quite simply, to the woman before him, “Is there anything I could help you with?” His voice betrayed no hostiliy, nor friendliness. He spoke in a way that the newcomer could tell that he was suspicious; in a way that told the person that Moku was not sure who this person was, but that there would be no harm to his village or to the people he cared about.

Word Count: 571

She waited casually against the large tree as she anticipated some random weird person to appear, instead a normal looking civilian appeared. Or rather, he would have been a civilian, but Semasu was seasoned enough to know that the posture of the man as well as his gait as he walked; she knew he was a talented shinobi. She had the habit of watching people and determining how well they knew their own body, she was a constant observer even though most of the time she seemed carefree.

This carefree but observant thing she did, is because of her nature; violently passionate about fighting, her battle lust was always there in the back of her mind. Watching this shinobi who looked so harmless but subtly revealing about the level of his skill made Semasu's blood boil a little.

He was suspicious, his voice revealed that but he wasn't being aggressive nor friendly. She smiled disarmingly at him and took a couple innocent steps forward before she explained.

Well, to be honest... this is my first time here in your village. You are from Kusakuragakure, right? I just got here through unconventional travel and I'm not even too sure of where I am. I'm in Kusamuragakure, right?

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Word count-206

What Does She Want? Eyes darted. Muscles tensed. Instincts screamed. Blood pumped. Things began to register in the mind of the Jounin. The fact that the individual before Moku was here, now, and was not, seconds ago, had to mean that she had some ability to move quickly, or remain undetected. A POWERFUL ability. The blade on her person merely reinforced his suspicions. And finally, the confidence with which the girl approached him all pointed arrows and screamed at one conclusion; the girl was a Shinobi, or had some form of training in Ninjutsu. At this revelation, Moku instinctually began to absorb every detail of his surroundings. The Old Tree, cavernous and intricate as it was. The surrounding trees, the flora, the undergrowth. Nearby animals, possible strategies, positions, vantage points. Detail after detail, and plan after plan, and possibility after possibility ran behind the Kaguya’s eyes, through his mind. He readied himself. Steadied his mind, tensed his body, and yet his postural change could only be detected by one with the most acute sense of observation. The intrigued expression never left the face of the elite Shinobi, his eyes never left hers. As much as he them to. The same, nuetral, suspicious voice was betrayed through the next words he spoke. “You are correct. You are in Kusamuragakure. Or at least the country outside it. Do you have business here? Visiting? Mission?” The Shinobi stood fast as the woman approached, still completely oblivious as to whether to expect a threat or a simple visitor. He tended to be extremely cautious these days, in the times of instability with the higher-ups.

Word Count: 268

His demeanor changed gradually as his mind likely led him to many guesses and conclusions about her. It was obvious by her physical appearance and aura that she was a shinobi and she never tried to hide this fact. She welcomed a challenging fight and never shied away from a scrap. The fact that he was more defensive in his posture and steadied his breathing and allowed his eyes to dart around and survey the environment meant that he was weighing the odds of a environmental advantage in the event of a battle.

Semasu was no stranger to fighting, her style was a unique martial art after all and required her devote attention in the ways of Nintaijutsu. Studying potential threats and opponents was the most basic but most important aspect of a fight; she never allowed herself to leave his gaze. She had already inspected te area upon her arrival and knew enough about the environment that she could put it to use or make it conventionally unusable by her opponent if they wished to use it against her.

Suddenly she stopped short a good twenty feet away from the man, her posture taking a defensive form and her fists clenching slightly at the anticipation of a good fight. Her eyes were still casual enough and she kept a disarming smile: the smile was enough to disarm most men from considering her as an opponent, but this man was too wary of her and the "uniqueness" about her. Did he consider her a dangerous element even though he knew nothing about her? It was inevitable with such a man, she guessed. She offered a hand up in a "wait" motion as she explained.

I have no business here, neither mission nor merchant trading. This is simply a curious visit. You seem to have an air of mistrust about you and consider me dangerous... Honestly I want to fight you and test out that fighting spirit you have. So here's the deal. I am Semasu Rankujo, Special Jounin of Tsukigakure- I am here of my own volition and am going to fight you regardless of your circumstances. If you have any medical limitations or handicaps... tell me now and I will reconsider. Otherwise I am going to attack you like my life depended on it. Do not hold back on me, in my village; my clan are accepted as a brash and reckless people, so me dying here wouldn't affect you or your village's standing with my village.

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Word count- 418

She regarded the man again and his lack of willpower and desire to fight her, apparently he did not have what it took the impress her and get her blood flowing. A shame, his seasoned movement were enough to notice, but he lacked any and all fighting spirit- maybe again one day he would regain that spirit. By then, she would be more powerful and waiting for him to fight her with all he had: by that day, she would likely be seining or greater and he would not have any hope of surpassing her. Only the most skilled and devout could achieve such goals that she was reaching for.

She turned away from the man and waved to him as she drew her sword out and slashed the air as if without purpose. Until we meet again, maybe next time we can have a decent fight. With those words, she suddenly disappeared into a rift in the air itself. It was a shame the man hadn't truly wanted to fight, maybe later.

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Word count-173

{Exit}