Death...
Loneliness...
Depression...
Pain...

No time to grow. No time to live as a normal child. No time to really even live. A machine. A cold-hearted child with no incentive to play. That was me. When I was much younger, I was much more different than I was in the present. Back then...I never spoke. I interacted with no one. Not even my father who trained me to extremes could get me to speak. I followed orders. I did what I was told. No hesitation. No thoughts. No opinions. My father trained me to be a weapon. Not a human. I hated him for that, and until his death, I never truly forgave him.

Cold...

That was what I was. In every sense of the word in the figurative sense. No friends. Rather, no need for friends. Pushing everyone and everything away was common for me back then and I didn't care.

Scarred...

Too many times, around the world I was dispatched by my father to complete missions that he himself was supposed to complete. I without hesitation killed many shinobi at my young age and gained many scars. The scars now are covered by the bandages wrapped tightly around my body. The same bandages I wore back then to cover the same scars. I knew war. It wasn't new or fresh to me. The wars of that time were just beginning to end and there were many shinobi who went rogue. Those missions entailed taking down those rogue shinobi and either kill them or take them back to the village for interrogation.

Lifeless...

That was how I felt. Every day was the same. Nothing ever changed. Nothing excited me and nothing was worthy to be considered exciting. Believed in nothing. Felt nothing. Hated myself and the life that I was born in. No room in my heart for any feelings.

Ruthless...

No opponent of mine ever saw a shred of pity or forgiveness within my eyes. Even as a child, I was thrown into full-on sparring matches with Jounin-ranked shinobi of my village. For a while, I just kept getting beaten half to death and then took a break until I gathered enough strength to move and react properly only to be thrown in and beaten half to death again.

Stronger...

After a while, my body became solid. Sturdy. My bones became much harder as the fractures, bruises, and even breaks when put back in place strengthened my bone structure. I lost feeling in my body. At that point, I began to fight on par with the Jounin and when that happened, that was when the real training began. Tactics of battle. The art of taijutsu. That was my ultimate strength and it still is.

---

As I finished the first match of the morning, I walked over to a bench that was nearby and away from the other shinobi of the village. I preferred to stay away from others. Easier in the long run. Luckily this early in the day, nobody sat in that bench, so I sat down to relax my body, even though it didn't really matter since I didn't feel much of anything anyway.

The day was like any other. The sun was bright enough as always to light the sky and the temperature was just right. Nothing changed. Everything remained the same. I forgot the last time I had a different schedule planned out for me, unless it was a mission. What is...life? Why...am I here...in this life? What is...my purpose? Too many questions and yet never time to have them answered.

It was an early morning in the village of Tsukigakure. All the jounin and some of their students were gathered around the training grounds, advancing their skills and growing. Hisame, following her sensei into the area, beaten and battered from a morning of difficult training, had her head down, ashamed of her lack of strength. She was a strong kunoichi for her age and rank but she seemed to not be improving at all. She wanted nothing more than to become stronger, to avenge her clan and her father's death. she wanted to destroy those who took everything from her. This however was currently so far out of her grasp at it almost seemed impossible. She began to doubt herself immensely. Why would she survive and work so hard to get to this point just to meet her limits there? It wasn't fair. She needed a stronger opponent, her sensei being strong but too easy on her all the time and other team members weren't any help,being weaker than she was. Everything seemed to nothing more than a total waste of time and she hated it. She hated herself.

The two had wondered over to some of the other shinobi, Hisame not making eye contact with anyone. She didn't deserve to look upon such shinobi who were stronger than she was, especially when some of them were only a little bit older than she was. Her sensei was concerned. He knew her desires to become strong, to one day bring glory to her clan. He didn't understand why it had to be her though? Why did Hisame have to be the one to take on a burden that would most likely end with her death. He tried several times try to change her mind but it would always just make her mad. Upon looking over his shoulder, he could see the sorrow in her eyes as she stared at the ground, lost in thought. He made a gesture to get her attention, which took a couple of tries and said. "Hisame, go sit down and rest somewhere. Get back some of your strength." She nodded and walked away from the ground, still lost. 

Hisame picked up her head and looked about the training grounds, at everyone still training. She didn't want to just sit on the side lines, she wanted to train. She let out a sigh and as she looked the other way she noticed someone else who wasn't in the training. It was a young boy, probably only a year or two older than herself, though it was hard to tell. He was wrapped in bandages, almost head to toe with them. He was all alone, just sitting on a bench away from anyone else. The boy looked miserable. Now Hisame wasn't one to normally care about others or socialize, but today she just didn't care. Walking over to the boy, the tattered girl just bluntly asked. "Mind if I join you?"

"Life is full of misery, loneliness, and suffering...and it is all over much too soon..."

I thought to myself...life far too fleeting. Not enough time to do anything worthy of being happy about. What was the point of it at all...I didn't understand. Not in the slightest. As I thought about this, I looked up to the sky which was dotted with clouds that flew casually across the sky. Why were the clouds able to move so freely? Why were the clouds able to just be so carefree as they moved across the bright, morning sky? It was irritating.

I never understood the concept of the word "happiness." What constituted it? Was it some kind of powerful emotion? If it was, then why could I not ever feel it? Was it not truly that important after all? So many questions about a simple word...I was so clueless...such a distasteful thing life seemed to be. If this was to be my life forever until I died, there would really be no point in continuing to live. Regardless of all those feelings, though, I was not so much a coward that I would end it all because of my shitty-ass life. That was an instant no-no. I had far more pride than that. I wanted to change...but how to do it was a mystery to me...at least for now.

Bringing my consciousness back to the world around me, the temperature outside seemed to be warmer than I had remembered just minutes ago. What a strange occurrence. With my peripheral vision, I noticed a girl. Long black hair, somewhat pale. She was pretty. She seemed pretty out of place, though. I was guessing the man she was walking with was either her father or her teacher. She seemed rather beaten up, so that was my guess. Moments after seeing this girl, she looked my way and began making her way to I was sitting. Was it odd? Yes and no. Odd yes, because she didn't automatically pick somewhere else to go. Odd no, because I was sitting on a bench which happened to be closest to the training area, so it would have been common sense to pick the closest spot to sit. I moved over to the side some in order to make room for the girl, though I made no plans to speak to her. When she finally reached me, she asked politely if she could join me. That was indeed a different experience in and of itself. Either this girl didn't know who I was or she had some damn strong nerves. Either way, I looked at her and made eye contact, my dark red eyes piercing through her and nodding in an approving way. I wondered...could she be different...? From everyone else...who seemed to prefer to shun me...?

"Could she be...someone I can actually get used to or even talk to in the future...? Man, today turned out strange after all...I'm pleased."

Hisame just stood there for a moment, as if in perpetual daze. Now that she was closer to the boy, she could tell he was much different then she had initially thought. He was indeed covered from head to toe with bandages, and it seemed like they were actually a part of him, a symbol of his training, hard work, his suffering... It was something that the young girl had never seen before; to think it was on someone who seemed only a little older than herself too. However this wouldn't be the last surprise that she would receive on the boys part, nor would the next one that came her way. 

As he looked up at her to respond, her bore a set of deep, dark red eyes. His stare alone like a blade piercing through her. It made Hisame hesitated to sit down for a moment. It was because of this strange feeling she got from him as soon as he made eye contact with her. For even though his nod told her yes, his eyes said die. Now one would think that this would make her current lack of...well anything at the moment to an even greater stop or even scare her away. However it did the exact opposite, it woke her up. The power of this boys presence sparked something in her, the desire to become strong like him. With that very thought sinking into her head, she sat down on the bench next to him and not at the edge of the bench or anything, but right next to him. Sure she wasn't so close that it would be uncomfortable or bothersome, however she was close enough so that she could be consumed by his presence. She knew that this bot was something different. He had a strength that she sought and a pain that would rival, if not completely devour her own.

The two sat there on the bench, remaining silent. Not even a glace shared between them. Hisame still thought of the glance that was so fierce and strong, so empty and lifeless that it made chills travel up her spine. Just a glace had affected her so much, she could only imagine what else laid within him, what pain he suffered. Hisame wanted to know, however she wouldn't know what to say. Socializing was not something she was very good with and now wasn't exactly the time to be practicing. So instead she sat there next to the boy, sharing a silence that would do them just as well as any words that could currently be spoken between them. Whist she sat there, she could only think of one thing. Who is he?

So little for me to do. Why was I told to sit out anyway? I was doing just fine. Oh wait. Yeah, now I remember. I started getting feisty because they weren't putting up a good enough fight for me. If they couldn't handle my shouting...shouting from a 13-year-old boy...I could've only imagined how they acted when they got yelled at by their superiors. Yeah, probably crying...a bunch of pansies, all of them. It disgusted me that such weaklings were able to make it to the ranks of the Jounin, but perhaps that was just the side of me that was borne from my father, Massatsu, who was ruthless. I personally could have given more fucks if they got on there knees and told me to stop kicking their asses...but then again, not all of them were like that. Sometimes the veterans came out, and man, they handed me my ass more quickly than I could say "lets get started."

After I put up that fight with them, though...I felt just sick and lonely. There was nobody that treated me as a human. Only a tool. A weapon. That was the only reason they had to fight me. To make me into a killing machine. Well...I'm definitely a machine now. I had never...felt anything good before. In fact, I didn't even know what it meant to be "good." All I knew was how to be obedient, and that was all I was taught from the beginning. My brothers were taught and treated the same way I was now...and now they were dead. Nobody but I mourned for them...nobody cared and nobody ever knew the great things that they had done for the sake of protecting Tsukigakure. Something deep down within me told me that I needed to prove everyone wrong...that I needed to show everyone how grand and useful I was...to prove that none of my family died in vain. That they all died protecting their home, even though they were only treated as scum.

I became so lost in thought for a while that I nearly forgot about the black-haired girl who sat next to me. It almost came as a surprise that she was still sitting next to me, though no expression was shown on my face to indicate said surprise. At the same time, I felt an odd churning feeling in my stomach and in my chest, and I didn't understand what the feeling was or why I was getting that feeling. Was it because of the girl herself? No...it was more likely the fact that I wasn't at all used to someone sitting next to me. Whatever the case, she was still sitting next to me and I felt the need to speak but at the same time...why did I feel that I needed to speak to her at all? Was it really so strange for a pr-pr-pretty g-g-girl to sit next to someone like me? Did she not know who I- oh, I see. No wonder I didn't recognize her. She must have been one of the refugees from Kazangakure. Such a horrible thing, what happened out there...well, I then really wanted to talk to her. Damn! What the hell is wrong with me today...?! Today wasn't a normal day at all.

"What brings you over here, to the den of the monster? The name is Eden. My father is Massatsu. I don't mean to sound rude, but... why are you sitting next to me?"

I spoke clearly and without stuttering, but my voice was somewhat quiet and airy, yet deep and cold. I wondered the things she could have possibly said back to me, but I had to wait. Patience was not a forte of mine...even if it was to only wait seconds.

There she was, just sitting on a bench. Not exactly the most exciting thing in the world, yet her heart could help but thump in her chest. She didn't understand as to why though. The boy next to her: such a strange feeling she got from him. The look she got earlier, the silence they shared, it almost felt like it was suffocating her. She wanted to say something to him, but what would she say? On the same note, why did she want to say anything? They didn't know one another. They had never seen each other before. Sure, they were around the same age, obvious both shinobi, but why did she feel so compelled to talk and know more about this strange boy who sat right beside her, merely a foot or two away, not even. Hisame kept her cool though in this situation, not showing her inner turmoil and curiosity. She looked within her peripheral vision a few times, catching little flickers of him, just to see if he made any movements himself. Alas, nothing.

Who is he? Why do I want to know so badly? Is it those bandages, that look of his, the silence? Matter of fact, what would I say even if I did talk to him? 'Hi...', 'what brings you here?'...stupid. That's how I would sound, I just know it. Matter of fact, I've never actually talked to a boy so casually before, and definitely not like this...feeling like...this. AHHHHHHHH, what's wrong with me?!?!?!

Hisame shifted ever so slightly, her index fingers locking together as she brought her hands together in her lap. She peered over at him, moving her head slightly to get a better look within her peripheral vision once more. He didn't seem to notice. Maybe he just wasn't interested or cared that she was even there? Why should he after all? He was in the same situation she was, sitting next to a stranger, having zero reason to talk or associate with her at all. It just brought her back to the thought she had before, why should she even care? It still made no sense to her, and it probably never would. Despite that though, she just had to say something, or the silence would just eat her insides and turn her brain to mush. With that she turned slightly to say something, what, who knows? Hisame surely didn't. Before she could even utter a sound, the boy turned to her and spoke. Hisame's head went blank. All the thoughts and turmoils she was having just vanished, as if his words were a curse to some sort of devastating mental disease. He was bold, straight forward, and didn't even need Hisame to ask a question before filling in the blanks. Name, father's name, something odd about a monster, and lastly a question. A question that would seem simple to answer, yet baffling at the same time. Why sit next to him? The answer was easy, she was told to go sit down, but Hisame couldn't put that into words, not right away anyway.

A moment passed, one that would feel like hours. Words appeared in her mind, but she couldn't utter them. The cold, lonely girl, who was usually so solid in her being, have difficulty answering the boy's question.

"Uhh, well...you see..I was told to. I mean, I was told to rest, and be out of the way. I saw this bench, and you sitting over here. I didn't really think much else of it."

Her words came out far calmer and smoother than she had expected. Sure there was a bit of difficulty in the beginning, but her brain did a good job of auto-piloting for her. They were just words after all, she just needed to speak them and that she did. However, she now answered the boy's question, so what next? The silence she so wanted to break was now broken, and she was left with the problem she was met with just mental moments earlier. What to say next? She fiddled with her fingers slightly for a brief moment, before just going off what the same manner of which he introduced himself with. Insert blindly, then ask a question.

"So...Eden was it? Nice to meet you. My name is Hisame, and why do you ask? I mean is sitting next to you really so bad?"

At first she had no process of the question he had asked her. No why. Due to this, she figured her question to him was a pretty stupid one, however, once her brain started cracking again, she asked herself the very question she had just blindly asked him. Why was is a big deal that she was sitting next to him? Why ask? With the question already asked, Hisame buckled up and cooled off again. She was content with her question, and eagerly awaited the answer he would give her.

She spoke. Didn't think she'd answer me. I figured like everyone else she would've up and left after hearing my name, but I guess I was right. She must've been a refugee from Kazangakure. Her reasons for coming to sit next to me were innocent enough, though I couldn't help but wonder how she didn't pick up on peoples' animosity toward me. I was a freak and a monster after all, for at the age of twelve years, I was already a killer. Life was very fleeting, and though I understood little of death, I knew for certain that it meant their souls were no longer bound to the earth. I had traveled to all the different lands with my father, Massatsu, in order to teach me to survive and turn me into a machine for the village, and in the time I had traveled with him, I had seen much death. I grew numb to the idea of dying and I also grew numb to the feeling of sadness. Receiving no love from my father since the rest of the family died left me in some sort of shambles and I felt lost in this deep sea of doubt and nonexistence, or nihilism. I didn't understand the weight life had or whether I had anything of the sort. Although, I wasn't too bad. Within the past year, I grew a tad bit more sanity and also grew somewhat of an attitude, but even so, within me I was still alone and I didn't understand what road to take or what a road even was.

"Didn't think much of it. Alright then."

Well, that just came out of my mouth without permission. What was so different about this girl in comparison to any other person in this village, aside from the fact that she was originally from Kazangakure? I felt it in my gut...like something was pressing harder and harder against it, except I didn't know what exactly was pushing so hard against me. My gut was trying to tell me something, but I just didn't understand. I still felt too empty and numb inside to understand much of any real emotions. I couldn't shake the fact that there was something different with this girl. Something I felt willing enough to converse with her.

"Hisame, huh? It's a nice name. That's a very Kazangakure-native name. I'm Tsukigakure's little Devil, I guess one might say. I am twelve years of age, and yet I have traveled all over the world and seen many things that no twelve year old should see. I have already dug myself a hole that I may possibly never be able to climb out of. I'm in a place of my own and nobody wants anything to do with it or me, except for my father. Then again, he doesn't treat me as a son. More as a machine, or a tool."

My voice rang clear and calm, as though I had said it before. Talking about it reminded me of my father and how he treated me on a daily basis. I felt no connection to him anymore, and though somewhere in my heart I was sad, I didn't know how to feel it...

Hisame listened very carefully to what the boy had said. She listened to his story, a very sad tale indeed. There was certainly more to it, but one didn't simply grant one's life story within an introduction. Even so, she wanted to hear more, despite how sad it was. It didn't even register to the girl that he had even narrowed out where she was originally from Kazangakure, though ti would in a bit. For now, what she would about to do just came to her. She would have no idea why she would do it, nor be able to really explain it to either Eden, nor herself after it would happen. Her fingers stopped twitching in her lap and she raised them and brought them to the boy's face. With her index and thumbs she pinched the boys cheeks lightly and tugged a little, stretching the skin. Then she pulled one last time before letting go and said something so silly and innocent to anyone who would hear her.

"Hmm, that's funny. You say you're a machine, or a tool, yet you seem human to me."


With that one sentence, she giggled a bit and smiled at the boy, still not thinking one bit of what she was doing. Acting entirely on impulse, Hisame acted. It could either ruin the conversation, or it could set off something that would lead to unknowns that neither children could expect. With that she withdrew her hands and allowed her mind to come back to her in full. However, she didn't leave off with what she had done, just continued forward with the conversation and let the tiny voice in the back of her head vanish in the background.


"You are correct, it is a very Kazangakure-native name. As I'm sure you have guessed, I'm one of the refugees that have found a home here, in Tsukigakure. It's been a few years, but already this place is starting to have a homey feel to it. I'm eleven years old and currently working on making my way through the ranks as a shinobi for the village. From the sound of things, you are also a young shinobi, yes? Your tale sure fits the part after all."


She spoke so easily. So calmly. It was completely different than how she was acting before, all panicky and nervous. Who knew how long it would last? After all, this was still a very new experience for her, and the only thing saving her was that impulsive action and the fact that they currently had a sort of flow to the conversation. Depending on the boy's reaction, or how long they could keep the conversation going, things would either pick up, or crash and burn.

A tool I was indeed. There was so much that I had experienced already in the little amount of time I had thus far on this planet. Twelve years of age, and I had already lost my mother, my brothers, and my sisters. My father, similar to me, shattered by the massacre that took place on the night of Mother's birthday. I had to live with a father who constantly beat me and yelled at me and scorned me. Just like me, he no longer could find any love to feel or give...even to his own son. I had already killed shinobi of other villages, and by the age I was at this time, I was already reveling in the bloodshed. It became fun killing; it became a sport which only I was truly good at. That was why my own home feared me. Though, I never complained. I did what I had to in order to both stay alive and protect the only true home I knew. Yet, this girl who hardly knew me at all was talking to me and was treating me as though I was a normal boy. I didn't get it. Perhaps, it really was the fact that she hadn't been around the village long enough to hear or see how the other villagers treated me.

I seemed human to her? Obviously, I was a human by way of body but it was meant to be a form of expression. Was she trying to be cute by making a tiny joke about what I said? I had a feeling she wasn't trying to tease me per say; it seemed more likely that she was simply a tad more innocent than I thought she would be considering what happened at Kazangakure. It wasn't a bad thing that she didn't dwell on it. In fact, that may have been the best choice, otherwise she would have ended up like me, a demon in a human shell. What made me worse than every other shinobi who had killed for their village...was that I loved the killing. I loved inflicting pain on my enemies and receiving pain from my enemies. That was what made me a monster. I neither resented myself for it, nor regretted doing it. I killed mercilessly. Though, at the same time, it wasn't the same with those from my own village, and the reasoning for that was obvious: I loved my village and those who lived within its walls. Contradictory, wasn't it? It was simply something my family instilled in me from when we had trained together.

There was some sort of calmness I had with this girl named Hisame. I usually never went this deep into thought unless I was alone. Something about this girl...changed something in me and yet I was unable to understand what. I cared too little about emotions. Father once taught me that emotions only hindered the life of a machine. He taught me to cast away those feelings and simply live with not knowing how to feel. This girl sparked something deep within my heart...something I didn't understand at all.

"I only even remotely seem human when I am outside of battle. But thank you for trying to show kindness to something so foul."

Thank you? I said thank you? Why did I say that? How did I even say that? What the hell was happening to me? By this point, in the back of my head, I was running around in circles asking myself for answers. No answer. Sort of an eerie silence that could drive a normal man to insanity. A silence that only I was able to innately understand. There's only one real way I can find out what it is I feel toward this girl. Even though I had met her just minutes ago, I simply must know. With that determination in mind, I stood up and turned to look straight into the eyes of the girl, the intent in my eyes nothing short of serious.

"You are correct. I am a shinobi of this village. I was recently promoted to Chuunin due to my tactical skills while in the heat of battle. However, I now have a question for you. I realize we have just met, but I want to know your skill. Will you accept my simple request?"

Hisame sat there, shuffling her feet a little as she listened to what the boy had to say. She leaned back a little and tilted her head slightly back, her eyes set on him. What he said had held self loathing within the words. He really must had a really low level of self esteem. A self loathing that puts mine to shame. I can only imagine his inner pain. She thought to herself, as she averted her eyes forward a bit and sat back up straight. Her thoughts were more focused now. No longer just fluttering about or going off of drive and impulse. She was in complete control of her being, and she wanted to stay as such. Still, what would happen next, she would not be ready for.

As the boy quickly stood up and faced her, looking deep into her eyes with a look. So serious, so set and focus. He had made up his mind about something, and all she could do was stir slightly from the motion. She was a bit nervous again, unable to break eye contact for him. Her ears picking up on his words, his question. He wanted to know her skills...He wanted to spar with her. Now Hisame was just a mere genin. A promising one, but still just a genin. This boy was only a little bit older than her, and yet he was chunnin. Surely there was a difference in her skill, yet deep inside, Hisame wanted nothing more than to say yes. However, there was a slight problem...

Regaining her composure, she leaned slightly to the side and looked past the boy, towards her sensei. He was still laughing and chatting it up with the other jounin, completely oblivious to what has happening with her just a few meters away. She knew he didn't like her training with others, due to her abilities. Still, she wanted this. Deep inside of her, desire gripped at her heart and flared up her desire to fight. She too wanted to know what she could do, where she stood compared to this boy. She cleared her throat and spoke calmly and quietly, though loud enough so that he would be able to hear her fine.

"I accept your request, however, let's go somewhere else for it. My sensei doesn't like me sparring with others, so he can't see. Come, we'll go over here, behind the structure. That will give us more than enough space, while being able to keep to ourselves."

With that she stood up from the bench and began walking towards the backside of the structure. Her sensei was too focused on his conversation to realize she was leaving, but it probably wouldn't be very long before he found out she went missing again. If he found out, she would certainly be punished for leaving without permission, and again for training outside his watch. She didn't care though, her curiosity and desire burned too strongly within her. As she stepped out into the clearing behind the cathedral, she easily found a spot for their little spar to take place. With the boy certainly close behind her, she wandered out to the spot and turned towards him.

"This place seems fine, don't you think? If so, I'm ready when you are." She grinned a bit, wondering slightly how ready she really was in truth. She was about to spar with a shinobi higher in rank, and with a pain darker than her own. Would she even stand out against him, or just keel over and show no promise at all? Either way, it would all come together soon enough.

"Good, she accepted my request. I was worried she would react like everyone else and ignore me and walk away. I can find out what these emotions are finally."

This strange feeling bothered me in the most unknown way. I wasn't shaking, but my heart beat fast; the weather was somewhat chilled, but my body felt warm; my actions were clear, but my mind ran in circles; it had to only be because of Hisame. This was why I had to fight her. I had to try and understand why I was feeling the way I was feeling. In the midst of my thoughts, I noticed she checked behind me. Was she watching for someone? Perhaps her sensei? Ah...her sensei didn't like her sparring with others. But why? Was he some sort of father figure to her? That was a strange concept to me, but I didn't bother asking. May have been rude to bring something up that wasn't any of my business. Still, I couldn't help but remain curious about the relation between the two of them. Then again, why was I even so curious? This girl came out of nowhere, and turned my day completely upside down in minutes. Why was this girl so important to me? Why did it feel like that she was? All of these new emotions both troubled me and increased my curiosity. Hopefully, this sparring match would bring to light the reasoning behind these symptoms.

"I see. That's fine. The structure will provide the most concealment in this area, so it should be fine. I will follow your lead, so whenever you're ready to walk over."

After I finished speaking, I watched as the girl got up from her spot and began following her toward the back of the structure where her and I were to spar. The walk, which really was only a few seconds, felt like several minutes. The worst part was that I couldn't explain anything to myself about any of the feelings that were going on inside. When we arrived behind the structure she was several feet in front of me and facing toward my direction, whereas I stood in place. When I returned my mind to the current moment, I looked to the girl across from me and then I spoke calmly with focused eyes.

"As you are my junior by rank, you may make the first move. Thank you for this little match, Hisame."

It was only proper to give the younger the first chance in a fight, whether it was real or not. In reality, most fights relied on the first move and who could make the first hit. In this case, however, I wanted to see how she fared. How much experience she had with battle. Plainly, I wanted to observe her at the start rather than go to her. I was under the assumption that I could learn more about these symptoms if I observed the way she moved around during battle. I hoped above all that I would understand by the end of the spar, though it was more wishful thinking than anything. There was no guarantee I could learn anything in fact. I was working with a hunch...a blind hunch at that.

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