Seifukunitsuu Mira

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Name: Seifukunitsuu Mira
Age: 13
Gender: Female
Appearance:

Personality:
Mira is a young girl who often feels out of place in society. As a result, she is a shy, quiet, gentle, lonely girl in appearance. She’s the type of person everyone knows a little about, but don’t seem to care about, in other words, a ghost. Thus she is often ignored and forgotten about, but even so, she doesn’t mind helping others and her advice is sought after due to her high level of intelligence, but again, people tend to forget about her.

However, deep inside, she is actually quite the opposite, but she’s learned to control herself so that her true emotions don’t take over. Easily annoyed and angered, if she were to loose control of her emotions she could easily and unexpectedly lash out at someone enough to kill them or severely injure them.

Either way, whether she is controlling her real emotions or putting half felt emotions, she is open to everyone and not as judging of others. Her favorite pastimes would be reading about fantasy, writing stories based around fantasy, daydreaming, or listening to various pieces of music of most any genre.
Alignment: Neutral

BASIC NINJA INFORMATION

Rank: Jounin
Classification: Missing Ninja
Village: Kirigakure no Sato - Hidden Mist Village

FIGHTING STYLE INFORMATION

Specialty:
Main: Kekkei Genkai - Bloodline
I would like to note that her bloodline involves many various things. Primarily it would be Elemental Attunement and Chakra Control.
Sub: Kenjutsu - Sword Techniques
Sub: Ninjutsu - Ninja Arts

Element: Fuuton - Wind
Please note that she can only ever have one element due to her bloodline.

Special Equipment
Name: Sode no Shirayuki - Sleeve of White Snow
Rank: A - S
Type: Weapon
Appearance:

Attributes:
Sode no Shirayuki is regarded as one of the most beautiful blades in Kirigakure. It is completely white, including the hilt, crossguard, and blade. The tsuba turns into a circle and a white ribbon forms from the pommel. Sode no Shirayuki has control over ice. Tapping into Sode no Shirayuki's inner power is activated with the phrase mai - dance. Sode no Shirayuki has three specific abilities that Mira knows of, Some no Mai, Tsukishiro - First Dance, White Moon; Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren - Next Dance, White Ripple; and San no Mai, Shirafune - Third Dance, White Sword. In addition to these techniques, Sode no Shirayuki is much like ice, being that it causes mild freezing or tingling sensation when cutting into an opponent and feels ice cold to the touch, save for Mira. Shichiyou, being sealed within Sode no Shirayuki is able to converse with Mira to a small degree. She may also "control" Mira's movements, allowing her to wield Sode no Shirayuki better than she is capable of. Sode no Shirayuki seems to only respond to Mira's touch as others who have attempted to wield it have had their hand badly frostbitten or find that they can not control the movement of the blade at all. Whether this is due to something within Mira that reacts to Sode no Shirayuki, or simply because of the bond between Mira and the spirit within the blade is unknown.

Spoiler:

History:
It was said that once long ago before the creation of mankind there once lived a great and powerful race who had power mankind could never dream of obtaining... the gods. Amongst these gods was Tsukuyomi, God of the Moon. During the time when mankind had first been created and the gods gave some members of mankind powers similar to their own, Tsukuyomi placed powers tying in with the moon on a young girl. This girl's name was Kiyoraka Shichiyou...

In time she grew up to be a beautiful young woman, but within her was a gift from the gods. Some deemed this gift evil, others good. As time went on, it became apparant that she was not entirely human. People began to fear her, as all did with those blessed by the gods. Though beautiful, intelligent, powerful, and captivating, many feared her. This fear increased as she continued to live long after she should have, outliving her brothers and sisters.

As she lived on through each new generation, the people's fear of her grew, as did their fear with all others who had these gifts from the gods. Then a young man appeared and calmed this fear. He was the Rikudou Sennin, the Six Realms Sage. He had been blessed with a special gift. Rikudou Sennin was able to pass on the gods' gifts to all who wished to have these gifts. For a time the people were apeased and no longer feared these demigods. Some even went so far as to believe they were stronger than the demigods and gods... it proved to be fatal.

Angered, demigods and gods alike struck out at those who had been taught by Rikudou Sennin. The people would then realize that these gifts were nothing in comparison to the demigods and gods. United by this small fact, the people revolted and worked together to rid the world of the gods and demigods, or at least seal them away. The power of the gods retaliated and for a time the world was at risk of pershing forever.

Rikudou Sennin, wishing for peace had used much of his own power to quell the people and make peace with the gods. The gods left this world, leaving their children, the demigods, to fend for themselves. Rikudou Sennin could not appease the people from attacking these demigods, and in result, many were killed or sealed away.

Shichiyou was peaceful in nature and proved to be a rather easy demigod to do away with. She could have easily been killed, but the people instead chose to seal her within her own blade: Sode no Shirayuki. A beautiful maiden sealed within a beautiful sword, a fitting punishment many believed. While sealed within her own sword, Shichiyou began to develop feelings of hatred and bitterness towards the people who had first sealed her within Sode no Shirayuki, but even so, she still retained her wish for peace.

As the people began to develop these gifts they had recieved from Rikudou Sennin, they began to fight amongst themselves. And so the ninja wars began. Sode no Shirayuki had been carried by ninja who would one day start Kirigakure no Sato in Mizu no Kuni. Above all things, they treasured Sode no Shirayuki the most, for it was a direct blessing from the ancient gods and still had the power of the gods. But as the world gained stability, the stories about Sode no Shirayuki began to fade. The people of Mizu no Kuni began to forget of the legendary and powerful bade that they protected and had possesion of.

But not all hope was lost... very slowly Sode no Shirayuki resurfaced in Kirigakure's interest. With the creation of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū, the Seven Swordsmen of Mist, Sode no Shirayuki gained importance once more. But as most of Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū was made up of men, and few women ever made up Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū, Sode no Shirayuki began to fade again for she would let no man handle her.

And so it seemed Sode no Shirayuki would be forgotten and lost forever, but one young man heard of the stories of old. He was Kuroichigo Kajikiza, leader of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Nananin Shū. Interested in what Sode no Shirayuki could do, he took possession of the legendary blade and looked for a suitable partner for the enchanting blade. He settled on a young girl from the Seifukunitsuu Clan. He believed her to be a suitable partner for Sode no Shirayuki.. this child who seemed to match what he thought the ancient bearer of this blade was like, not only in appearance, but in personality as well. Upon her graduation as a Chuunin, he presented the blade to Seifukunitsuu Mira and began to teach her the way of the sword.

Shichiyou took interest in this child, for it was the first time a woman had held her in a long time. She believed this child would one day make a name for herself and understood her feelings of misplacement for she herself had often been like this while growing up. Always wondering where her path lay. Why others seemed to both like and hate her so much. Slowly, very slowly she began to make her presence known to Mira. Together the two learned to make use of one another's skills and the two formed a close bond.
Name: Cross -No real name-
Rank: C +
Type: Item
Appearance:
A soft blue color schemed cross with dark blue veins throughout it in circling patterns and light blue vertical lines. Pale blue caps and ring, a soft silver-white chain threaded through it. Upon the cross rises five ornate items: four blue gems and a small clock. Of the four gems, two are stars, one is a moon, and the last is a intricate arrow pointing towards the moon at the top. Below the arrow is a small analog clock face, its rims the same dark blue as its veins and the face itself the same blue as the gems.
Attributes:
Asides from being able to tell time from it, Mira can store chakra in the four gems. The chakra in these gems act like a reserve for Mira should she happen to run out of chakra in battle. The arrow only holds enough chakra for Mira utilize her support jutsus (Five Senses, Wind Floating, Hand of Wind, & Armor of Wind.) for twenty/forty more posts. The stars hold enough chakra for Mira to utilize up to twenty E, fifteen D, ten C, or five B rank jutsus. The moon holds enough chakra for twenty-five E, twenty D, fifteen C, ten B, or five A rank jutsus.
History:
A small gift given to Mira from her teammates soon after they get home from the Chuunin Exams. Due to the events taking place in the Chuunin Exams, her teammates had been worried for her welfare and gave her the cross as something to help them feel better about leaving Mira alone on future missions or when she was battling on her own.

Clan
Family Name: Seifukunitsuu
Clan Symbol:
Kekkei Genkei: Shagan

Spoiler:

History:
Believed to be one of the first group of people to have settled in Mizu no Kuni. There was little known about the Seifukunitsuu for a time because they had not fought the many clans of ninja before the creation of the villages. They did not gain some fame until the Great Ninja Wars began. As the wars began, the clan was sought out to help aid various sides of the war as a sort of mercenary group; however, they did not gain much fame. They were deemed as poor rip offs of the Uchiha Clan’s Sharnigan and Hyuuga Clan‘s Byakugan. Though this essentially angered the clan and created a hatred for Uchiha, Hyuuga, and Konohagakure Shinobi, the clan put up with it. As Kirigakure began to hunt down the kekkei genkais of their land, the Seifukunitsuu quickly suppressed their bloodlines. They were soon passed over as descendents of a group of ninja who had lost their bloodline and ninja skills due to having used it very little. Clan members now hid their bloodline, learning to do this as soon as they achieved it. This went on for some time until Kirigakure began to loosen its grip on the bloodline clans. Even so, the clan is careful to make it seem as if they do not have a bloodline, some are quite dramatic and complex ways, other more simple and easy: a simple Henge on the eyes.

JUTSU LOG

Please note that for all Fuuton Jutsus [Wind Techniques] chakra consumption is one rank lower due to her bloodline. (Also note that I have included other various specific Fuuton Jutsus asides from her three “Wind Manipulation Techniques” as those will be used more often, but can still be used with the Wind Manipulation Techniques. Her mastery of wind is generally at a high A rank level or low S rank level.)

Spoiler:

PROFILING

History: See the following posts for a more detailed history that's still a work in progress. Here's a brief, summarized one since I actually want to start RPing soon...

Born into the Seifukunitsuu Clan, great things were expected of Mira and for the most part she lived up to those expectations, becoming a Genin at age five. Placed onto a team with two other talented shinobi and a Jounin sensei who also happened to be the leader of the Seven Mists Swordsmen at the time. Though their sensei put them through much training they managed to get his approval and became official Genin.

They would train for a year and a half before they were entered into the Chuunin Exams; however, things would prove to be daunting for Mira. One because she was just about the youngest and smallest Genin there. Two, all the other teams had been Genin for over two years. And three, it was being held in Sunagakure... With her extremely sensitive skin she couldn't last long in the blazing light of the sun. The part of the exams passed without much of a problem since it was held indoors. The second part however did cause problems. Mira undoubtedly became the deadweight, but tried her best to help the team, mostly by using her wind to locate other teams before they met. But for the most part she was rather useless. Even so, their team managed to survive and pass. Suna's harsh desert had done its job though. Few of the teams had managed to pass the second round and thus there was no need for the preliminaries and Mira was seen as weakling to all the other teams.

In the one month time frame, her senseei taught her Kenjutsu and helped to strengthen her body and helping her with the intense gaze of the sun so that in the finals she may fight out in the open without weighing herself down with articles of clothing to cover her sensitive skin. And as he did so, he gave Mira clues as to what or who he really was. As the tournament drew ever closer, Mira became stronger. Her match was the last one in the first round. And when it came, she shocked many of them. Easily taking out the young man with a combination of wind jutsu and her katana. No longer was she seen as a mere weak child who had no place amongst the ninja ranks. As the tournament progressed, Mira came up against Ryota. A battle more out of fate than mere chance. Whilst training together for a year, the two had developed a friendly rivalry, only neither had ever had the chance to fully go all out on the other in a spar. Though Mira lost against Ryota, both had managed to show that they were Chuunin material, both in strength and in mind. Ichiro had passed as well, but more so because of his ability to fight.

Upon their return trip home, Ichiro and Ryota both spent some of their hard earned money from missions and winnings from the Chuunin Exams to give Mira a small gift. It was a necklace that would store chakra for her. They knew that no matter the amount of training Mira participated in, her physical body would never be on par with an average shinobi, and that the only chance she had was with Ninjutsu or chakra... Though meant as a gift for becoming Chuunin, it was more to calm their worries of Mira dying someday in the future. Her sensei surprised her as well, giving her a very old blade. Sode no Shirayuki. She had only been taught the basics of swordplay and didn't know very much about it and at the time she had not enjoyed it very much either, so for her sensei to give her such a weapon was a complete surprise. Not only did he give her the blade, but he offered to teach her more about swordplay. To make her master of the sword if she so wished.

Time would pass and Mira and her teammates would each become Jounin. For Mira it was perhaps one of the hardest things she had ever done. She excelled easily in anything that required chakra or one's thoughts... but when it came to a physical fight? She had had trouble there and nearly made it as Special Jounin instead, but her training with Sode no Shirayuki had come in handy. Soon after becoming a Jounin, Mira would join Kiri's Black Ops, proving to be a valuable asset to the organization. But as she worked as a Black Op she uncovered dark secrets about her clan... and her sensei.

Not knowing who to turn to, she went to her sensei, wanting to know if he would either confirm or reject the dark truth she had found. He confirmed it. But he also let her know more. Let her know the full story rather than what Kiri's spies had found. Shortly after this, Mira went to one of the "elders" in the clan and asked him of their clan's past. He only confirmed the dark secrets she had found. To think that her sensei was a monster and had lived for over three centuries. To think that her clan had had such a bloody past of killing their own kind and conducting experiments to gain power.

And for the first time in her life, she wondered just how dark Kirigakure was. She had always known that her village was full of secrets. But... how much did they keep hidden from the civilians? From the very ninja that protected it? How much? For her own sake, she quit the Black Ops and became an ordinary Jounin again, spending more time with Ryota. They had started dating about a year or two ago, hadn't they? But Ryota was cheating and lying. When Ichiro finally told Mira about Ryota, she couldn't help but distrust the village, her clan, her friends, everyone... even more than before.

Mistrust and betrayal fueled the small spark of hatred within her and made Mira leave. Its been about half a year since she left. And in all that time she has not been proclaimed as a harmful threat at all. How could you call her dangerous when she had done nothing to harm the villages? When all she did was go about from land to land, seemingly doing nothing. And now and then she helped out the civilians with local thugs or gangs. She may be a Kirigakure Ninja on paper, but in her heart she wasn't.

RP Sample:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Snowfall

As the moon rose high into the cold night sky, a new life entered the world. Her birth was nothing special or worth much celebration, unless you wanted to count being the firstborn a special occasion. Her parents had yet to celebrate or feel proud. Instead, her mother had hurriedly urged the doctors to test her daughter for what element she possessed. The newborn lay quiet and still and cautiously, they placed a wafer thin paper into her tiny hand. The room became quiet, as if the fate of the world depended on what would happen next. And it did... for her parents anyway. The paper quickly sliced in half. At last her parents rejoiced. She would stay their daughter. After a few minutes, they settled on a name for her: Mira. Within a few hours, mother and child were released from the hospital and a new, fresh, crisp snow began to fall. Some hidden meaning or fortune from nature itself? Or just coincidence?

Several months later, once Mira had become accustomed to the world in only ways which newborns can, a small party was held. For the next two or three days, she would look on at her uncles, aunts, and cousins with wide, amethyst eyes. She herself did not understand what was going on, nor could she comprehend a thing, she was still but a baby. At times she cried for her mother and father, other times she was quiet and allowed others to hold her. How strange this world must have been for her. Her senses flooded by the noises of children, coarse voices of adults, clinking of glasses, alcohol, and so much more. Noises and sensations that only a newborn could sense, for at birth one’s senses were much stronger and better than it would be later on.

Days became weeks and weeks turned into months until Mira was a year and half. She seemed like a rather bright child. Already she had grasped onto a few words such as food, outside, up, no, and yes. And yet, her knowledge of words was still growing. It seemed as if she had had the luck of the draw when she had been in her mother’s womb. An intelligent and gifted child she was, but her physical make up was quite the opposite. Like many of her clan she was a hemophiliac and was somewhat blind, though she was one of those few members who had near perfect eyesight. Her muscles were a little underdeveloped and walking for long time periods often left her short of breath and made her demand her parents to carry her. It seemed this was her one flaw: physical weakness in exchange for mental prowess.

But her physical weakness didn’t make up for her clan’s gruesome training methods. Shortly after she had been able to walk and had showed them she understood their words she was taught how to mold chakra. No techniques were ever taught to her, but she and various other young children began to learn how to draw out their chakra and mold them, in particular their elemental chakra. And through this training it further appeared as if she had won the luck of the draw. She could draw out her chakra easily enough and maintain it for long periods of time, for a child at any rate.

As time progressed, she showed more of her intellect. She could speak as well as a child four times her age at two and was already beginning to learn how to read and write. She seemed to be a magnet for information, for knowledge. If she were to fail as a ninja, she would still have been able to support herself quite well if she progressed in life as quickly as she did now. Around the age of three she had mastered the basics of reading, writing, and drawing out chakra. Her seemingly effortless abilities to learn things sparked an interest within her clan’s branch and her mother and father. It was soon decided upon that Mira should enter the Academy of the Hidden Mist Village and they would see if she was truly the prodigy she was made out to be.

Academy
Shortly after her fourth birthday, Mira was given the news that she would now be living in Kirigakure no Sato with her uncle and aunt. She was to attend the local Academy, and under no circumstances was she to fail. To do so would mean harsh punishment not only for her but her family as well, for she represented not only her family but her clan. And so she moved from the lands outside of the village into the village itself...

Her uncle and aunt were kind enough, spoiler her more than they should, but even so she felt misplaced. Back at home she had been treated like any other child, but her they would rarely let her do anything due to her “fragile” body. At first she resented this, wanting to do things her way, but she soon got used to it, even preferring it at times. After all, why work when there was no need to? Easy, you don’t.

But within the Academy it was much like home. The teachers might have been a little less strict on her, but they still expected her to do the same things as her classmates. She wouldn’t fail them though. She wouldn’t fail them at all... not unless it was Taijutsu. But at least there she did have a reasonable excuse. She couldn’t help it if she was born physically weaker than people her age. But in all other areas she excelled.

Despite her obvious intellect and high grades, she was ignored by her classmates. Partly because they were all much older than her, and partly because they were jealous and afraid of her. For you see, nasty rumors had spread amongst the students about both Mira and clan. Rumors such as her parents being incest, Mira having a demon sealed inside her, the Seifukunitsuu being ninja-thieves, her family spies, and so forth. But rumors always arose when a Seifukunitsuu entered the Academy. Why? Because they were supposed to be dead in the ninja arts. Hadn’t they lost their abilities to mold chakra? Hadn’t they gone blind from their thirst for power and fame? And they were always... weird. Strange. Very few could actually enter human society and thrive in it.

Fortunately for Mira, she did not have to put up with it for long, graduating within a year, becoming one of the few young child ninjas in history. Even so, her memories stayed... Memories of young teens giving her cold looks, talking behind her back, thinking of her as a monster and a freak, while they pretended to love her and adore her when she was near. She didn’t trust them, not one bit. Whether that was fate or not, due to her clan’s deep feelings of mistrust for not only the higher ups, but also against each other. She could still remember that time just a few days before her clan decided upon her entering the Academy.

Her mother had become pregnant and had just returned from the hospital. It was supposed be joyful, but it was far from it. At first the closer relatives had came over to talk and see the child, a boy, but later on in the day, near nightfall things became ugly. Mira was told to go to bed, and she went to bed. But that didn’t mean she was sleeping, far from it. She never could go to sleep that well anyway. And so she heard her parents and other members of the clan.

Intelligent as she was, they had used some words she was unfamiliar with or could not properly recall their meaning. But she soon got the gist of it when one clan member had angrily yelled out “That’s not your fucking son, you bastards! That’s my brother’s first born and only son! His wife passed away in labor, and I’ll be damned if he doesn’t get to keep his own son!” For a time she had been confused. Why had they been telling her parents this? But his words soon clicked in her mind. Her brother... wasn’t her brother. But that wasn’t the end of it. Her mother had replied back with dark humor.

“Is that any way to talk to a lady, Kaiza? Who am I kidding? You never were one to have manners. But Kaiza... how do you know your brother is really your brother, hmm?” she had asked coldly. Mira contemplated over this. Was her mother implying that Kaiza’s brother... wasn’t his brother? Before she could think anymore, Kaiza had broken her thoughts, his voice loud enough to easily be heard from the second floor through Mira’s closed door.

“The hell?! You saying Kenji ain’t my brother?! What’re you trying to start?! Course he’s my damn brother, why else would I be—” but he had been cut off. Mira had crept out of her bed and went over to the door, slowly sliding it open more until she could hear the adults downstairs more easily.

“Oh... so they didn’t tell you?”

“... Tell me what?” he spat out, but even so, he was cautious and wary of Ami.

Ami laughed lightly. “You honestly don’t know, do you?” she taunted. Kaiza only glared at her, his eyes full of malice. He clearly wanted to attack her, kill her. And strangely... Mira had felt fine with it. For a moment she had even wished he would, and that he’d succeed. But then she became curious again. What was going on? What was the purpose of this conversation? Did they only wish to inflict pain upon one another, although it appeared that it was her mother who was doing more of the pain than Kaiza.

“Tell me already you fucking bitch!” snapped Kaiza, already raising a hand. Mira’s father had easily caught him though. Kaiza’s face was dark, but he slowly withdrew his hand. His whole body shock now. Not from anger. Not from pain. Not from sadness. But from sheer hatred.

Ami laughed again. “Alright. But don’t hate me. Hate your mother and father. Your brother Kenji... is really your third uncle’s firstborn. His real name is Shirotake. He was kidnapped by your oh so dear mother and father and replaced with your sister Jun. Your third uncle, my older brother, was greatly harmed by this. I think it only fair that your so called brother’s son knows the truth about his family, don’t you? So take him back... We only wanted to protect him. Such a shame.”

“Shut the hell up! That’s impossible! I saw Kenji! I saw him when he was born! He—”

“Has the same birthday as Jun. He’s only two seconds younger.”


Ginhakushoku Kouhaku Sensei
“... and Team 42, Seifukunitsuu Mira, Seikatsu Ichiro, and Ryuuzaki Ryota!” yelled out their old sensei. “You’re all dismissed for now. Return here after lunch to meet your Jounin senseis!” And with that, the students quickly filed out of the classroom, eager to escape the confines of the classroom, gossip about their teammates, and for some: to get to know their teammates. All but three students remained in the classroom, the newly formed Team 42.

Ichiro strode over to Mira, a smile on his lips. “Hey, there, kiddo,” he said warmly. He looked at her as one would look at a small helpless puppy. “Mira, right?” he smiled. Mira merely nodded. She hated being thought of as useless, a deadweight to the team. So what if she was only five and small for her age? That didn’t mean anything! “So what’cha got for lunch?” Mira ignored him. After a few minutes he asked her again. And again she ignored him. And again he asked her.

“Ichiro, stop it. She doesn’t want to talk to you,” broke in Ryota, sighing. He too was getting annoyed by the hyperactive Ichiro. Mira silently thanked him. She noted that he seemed to... have an air of leadership about him. That he seemed surprisingly strong right now. Why wasn’t he like this in class? In class he was always sleeping and never paying attention. Granted she always did that too, but she still made high grades, being the top of her class. And Ryota... just failed. Had he only been pretending to be stupid in class? She thought so. Power emanated from his voice. You could hear it and see it in his eyes.

“Aw shut up Ryota, we’re a team here, so we outta get to know each other,” he replied back, sitting on top of the desk, completely blocking Mira’s view. Mira leaned back in her seat. “So Ryota, what’cha gonna do now that you’re a Genin an all?” Mira kicked him. “Hey— AHhh” he yelled as he fell from the desk. “What was that for?” he grumbled as he stood up.

Ryota smiled a little, the faintest of smiles. “What do you expect? You were blocking her view.” He was about to say something, but stopped himself. “Anyway, what do I plan to do now? ... Become a Chuunin? Then a Jounin. Show the people of this world just how dangerous and strong the Mist is,” he replied. “Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering, sheesh...” he muttered. He turned to Mira. “Sorry ‘bout that,” he said in high pitched voice, one that you used to address small children. Mira glared at him. Didn’t he get it? Ryota sighed and came over to them, kicking Ichiro on the back slightly. “OW! You too?!”

“Moron, you said she was a part of our team right? So stop treating her like she’s a kid. She’s a damn ninja now you idiot,” he said coolly. “Anyway, Mira, I know you’re top of the class and everything, but what are you good at? Like... what do you prefer?”

“... Wind...” replied Mira softly. Wind. She loved it. The ability to control the very winds themselves. To be able to capture the ever wild, free-flowing, elusive wind. That energized her and made her happy. Wind... it was her friend. Her family. Everything to her. To be able to create a strong enough gust to blow back storms, or combining several gusts together to push back a storm. To keep the rain from falling on her, from making her cold. To help her move, to see. To be able to create invisible weapons and armor. The wind made her so much stronger, as strong as she should be, or stronger. If she couldn’t manipulate the wind she didn’t know how she would live...

“Wind?! What kind of an answer is that?” asked Ichiro, dumbfounded.

Ryota smiled. “Wind... cool. What about you Ichiro?”

“... Uh... Well... to be honest I’m actually pretty good with a sword... and Genjutsu,” he replied, a little shocked that someone was being nice to him, actually asking him what his opinion was. “Hey, what about you then?”

“Heh, I’m good at a lot of things, I’m pretty well rounded. My Ninjutsu isn’t that bad and I’m pretty good with Taijutsu too. I know Genjutsu too, but I just don’t like it much myself. Maybe I’ll teach you some of my techniques later,” replied Ryota, his eyes getting a glint to them.

Ichiro laughed at this. “Yeah right! You’ve got a perfect ZERO in the Academy! That’s the worse grade in history! Like you’re good at—” but he was cut off as Ryota easily came over to him, grabbed him by the arm and pushed him down to the ground, his arm behind him. “Okay! Okay! I give!” he yelled. Once Ryota let go he rubbed his arm somewhat, trying to get the pain out of it. “I wasn’t ready,” he grumbled.

Both of them turned to look at Mira as she laughed. She was very quiet, so even her laughter seemed like nothing more than the wind. “A real ninja is always supposed to have their guard up, no matter where they are because you never know who your enemy is and where they are,” she replied softly.

Ryota nodded. “Yep. One of the first rules of being a ninja. Never let your guard down.”

“Yeah, yeah. We’ll see once we actually have a real spar. Then we’ll see who’s the real zero, Zero,” hissed Ichiro. He was about to say more, but the door to the classroom slid open and everyone started coming back in. “Aw man! I can’t believe I missed lunch!” he groaned. Returning to their seats, the newly graduated Genin began to talk amongst themselves, eager to learn who their senseis were. Soon enough, various Jounin began to come in, picking up their squads. There were sighs and yells of joy as they came and went. Some were famous Jounin within the Mist that the Genin could only hope to rival some day. Others were everyday Jounin some had never heard of, let alone seen. And then once again, the three were left alone. Hour after hour after hour went by. It was nearing midnight before their Jounin sensei finally came. And when the light of the full moon burst through the windows and landed on him, they couldn’t help but stare in awe. He was Ginhakushoku Kouhaku... leader of the Seven Swordsmen of Mist. He was... He was their sensei? It had to be a joke, right?

“Hello...” he said quietly in the silence. His voice seemed eerie and odd, almost inhuman. Hell, he didn’t even look human standing there in the moonlight, dressed in just a simple kimono. And power. There was so much power in his voice. They should have been afraid, wary, but calm, warmth, and love radiated from him and they became at ease almost at once. “Come...” he said quietly. And they followed him blindly, still in awe.

!¿Tests?¡

He took them to a clearing. A clearing somewhere in the Land of Water or the village. They didn’t know. A thick mist had surrounded them once they had left the Academy. None of them could lift it, not even Mira who controlled the wind. In the end, they had to trust Kouhaku. And for Mira this was a challenge in and of itself. Trust. That was very hard for her. Trust was something that you couldn’t gain by just helping her. Trust was something you had to show to her. Had to promise. Not that she trusted in promises anyway. Things revolving around trust was something Mira didn’t believe in. Not after her mother had revealed that her brother wasn’t her brother. Not after she found out her father wasn’t her father. Everything had been a lie to her. Her uncle wasn’t her uncle. Her cousin and best friend wasn’t her cousin or best friend. No. He life was simply full of too many lies. Too may broken promises. Too much deception.

The mist had cleared by now. It was very dark, the only light came from the moon and the stars and even then it was faint. The mist had gathered up very slightly above them and though Mira tried, the mist would not disperse, not even move. Their sensei began to speak now. Slowly, softly, quietly. “You all know who I am. I do not know who you all are. Tell me about yourselves.”

The three them glanced at one another, each as unsure as the other as to who should go first or what they should say. At last it was Ichiro who went. “I-I’m Ichiro. Ichiro Seikatsu. I’m eleven and... and I want to become a Hunter Nin someday.” He stopped now, what else was he supposed to say?

“Ryuuzaki Ryota,” introduced Ryota calmly. “I know I don’t look or sound much like it, but I’m ten and I will become a Jounin. I will become Mizukage. I’ll show the world that the Hidden Mist is just as good as any other village. That we didn’t just gain power because of the fear and hostility we forced upon others, killing any who got in our way. I’ll show them we aren’t as dark and bloody as they think we are.” Their sensei, if he was intrigued by this, showed no sign, only a small nod.

Their eyes turned to Mira now. “Seifukunitsuu Mira,” she said softly. They waited and she said nothing more. I won’t tell them much else. Ryota and Ichiro will already know. And I bet sensei already knows too. He’s just doing this to make us accept him more. To be nice. To gain favor with us. Relax us. But its not going to work on me. I don’t trust any of them and I never will. Trust is weakness. She looked up only to find their sensei’s eyes still on her. Had she said that aloud? Or did he have some bloodline that enabled him to sense her thoughts? She knew he had a bloodline, there were many rumors of that... but no one knew what exactly it was. And she knew his name, well, his surname, wasn’t his real one. There wasn’t a single other person here named Ginhakushoku. An alias. But why?

“I find it interesting to meet you all. I would like to ask you all something though. Why are you a ninja? This path is filled with nothing but bloodshed, pain, and misery. Your loved ones will die before your eyes. You will kill your loved ones. You will fight children, adults, and the elderly alike. You will have to kill innocents. You will have to do much. And throughout all of this you will not be able to stop. Once you have taken this path you can not go ‘I don’t want to be a ninja anymore.’. Even if you should live long enough to retire you will still be a ninja. Why are you a ninja? Why do you fight?”

“... I’m a ninja cause... a ninja is cool. And... I fight to protect everyone in the village of course,” responded Ichiro.

“Is that so... A ninja who kills innocent children is cool? A ninja who destroys an entire family is cool? A ninja that starts wars, poverty, and famine is cool? Is death cool? Is misery cool? Is pain cool? And to protect the village? There is no village. What then? Do you still fight to protect this nonexistent village? So the village is built again. You protect those in the village. What of those outside of the village? What of yourself? What of those helpless children outside of the village in other lands who can not fend for themselves? Will you not protect them?”

Ichiro was silent. He didn’t know how to respond to this. Ryota slowly began to answer, aware that their sensei was judging them by their responses. “I am a ninja because that is all I know. It is a dark path that I am willing to walk because there is no other path for me. I fight because I must. I must protect the innocent. I must fight for the weak. I do it for the common people because they can not.”

“Nicely answered, but tell me... Is being a ninja really all you know of? Are you not human? Do you not know how to say ‘Would you like to try some of this?’? If you can say that you can be a shopkeeper. Anything. What a fool you are. A ninja is all you know? I pity you then. To fight for the common man? Do you know how many innocents there are? How hard it would be to fight for them all? What of the common man that wishes evil upon this world? You still fight for him? Foolish. Very foolish.”

Ryota too was quiet. They now turned to Mira. Slowly she began to answer them in her soft voice. “I am not a ninja...” she said quietly. “I am a human. A human who follows the path laid out before her as all humans must, choosing from a millennium of choices. In doing so it appears I have chosen the path of a ninja, a killer, a hero, a healer, an assassin, and much more. A ninja does not just kill, but a ninja heals as well. The path is both dark and light. But it is up to me to choose which path I will take. Choosing to aide others or destroy them. It is always my choice and it will always be my responsibility. As to why I fight... I don’t fight. I merely defend myself and others as I see fit. You can not judge one by their place in life or their actions. One may be poor and seek peace, but to create peace they may use dark methods. Another may be rich and seek peace as well, seeking to do it as benevolently as they can. But are both of them not looking for peace? Who should I aide? Or should I merely walk my own path? When one fights one fights because they think they must. They do not fight merely because of this or that.”

Their sensei smiled faintly. “Very well answered. Very vague. Very good. But I still have questions for you to answer child. If you are as open as you are, do you not think that others would take advantage of you? That you yourself can not do anything? You are much weaker than you should be. The only asset you have is your skills with Ninjutsu. But other than that... a mere child could kill you. You are weak. Not in mind, but in body. And perhaps... in soul.”

“... I may be weak, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do anything. Fists may be used to change the world, but words can be used as well. Strength does not come from one’s body alone. It comes from their minds as well. The strongest man in the world could not do a thing if he had no mind of his own. He would be nothing more than a tool for others to use and manipulate. But a strong mind can fend themselves for a time despite being so physically weak. To be able to plan out defenses. To create clever traps. To be able to analyze their enemies movements and actions so that they may plan against it and prevent their enemy from engaging them or even carrying out their own plans. Given the chance I would not exchange my mind for raw strength.”

He laughed lightly, his voice always reminding them that he wasn’t exactly human. Mira began to wonder if the man was really a human. What human thought of the world at this level? ... She might but that was only because she was so physically weak. Of course her mind would always be thinking. But him? He was strong, both in mind and body apparently. So why did he think at such a deep level? And he was young too. Only nineteen. This confused her much.

“I find you quite... interesting Mira. Perhaps some day the two of us can exchange ideals. But come, let us focus on what is to come. I ask one question now: If you were able to go back in time to redo anything, or given the chance to have anything you wanted granted, what would it be?”

“To have power. Power beyond imagination. With power you can do anything!”

“Peace. This world has seen enough pain and bloodshed.”

“... For everything to remain the same.”

Ichiro and Ryota stared at Mira. “What?” they asked.

“Changing the past or the future never goes as you plan... If given infinite power would you yourself not change? You would no longer know who you are. You might say ‘No I won’t change.’ But the truth is that you don’t know. You won’t know until it happens. And peace? Peace never lasts. Peace and war are cycles. Once peace takes root evil will begin to spread again, learning from its past mistakes. No.. changing the past or the future never goes well. That is why I would not change anything,” explained Mira.

Their sensei nodded slightly. “Alright then. Enough of this. I have tested your minds enough. Now it is time to test your bodies. The mist cleared more. I want to see how well your chakra control is. You may choose... to either stay atop the water for as long as you can or climb the tall trees here as high as you can. Both are equal challenges. The trees are tall and their bark is not smooth. It is rough and covered in vegetation. Slip and slid you will, and in turn you will be injured. The lake now appears to be a better choice, but it is forever moving. Choose wisely young ones,” he said, and then three copies of himself appeared before them. “Go now. My clones will bring you back when you can take no more.”

Mira thought about the trees. With her wind she could keep herself from falling off... but she didn’t quite want to bleed yet. It wasn’t that she feared being cut, it was just that her wounds would take a longer time to heal. Physically she really wasn’t cut out to be a ninja. She choose the lake instead. It wouldn’t be too hard... Her clansmen had taught her how to both walk on trees and on water since she was a child. She wondered if Ryota or Ichiro could do it though. Academy Students normally weren’t taught such things in school. They’d have to learn this themselves or have been taught by someone. And she didn’t know them well enough to know if they did have such knowledge or not. Ichiro chose the trees, and Ryota followed her.


After half an hour had gone by in silence on the waters of the lake, Ryota began to speak. “Mira, did you mean everything you said earlier? Or were you—”

“I mean all of those words. I... have much time to think about such matters and I often find myself doing so. When your body is as weak as mine you tend to think a lot...” she replied quietly. “Also... most of my clansmen are blind and I am somewhat blind myself so that also gives me time to think,” she added.

“I see,” he said quietly. And for a long time they were quiet. That is until they heard Ichiro yelling out in pain. “You think—” but his words got caught off as the water beneath began to rise and move. “What the hell?!” he yelled out, barely managing to keep his foothold on the water in time. He looked at Mira. “Mira!” he yelled out, not being able to see her.

Mira sighed a little. So loud. Walking over to him, she gently touched his hand. “I’m fine,” she mouthed, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hear her over the roar of the water. The water increasingly became violent. Sometimes they rose up several meters, sometimes it was the exact opposite. At other times they were swept to and fro. And then at other times they were tossed into the air and had to quickly land on their feet or get drowned in the waters. It was hard. Very hard. Water didn’t stay at a constant rate for long, and it only got harder when it was moving.

“D-Damn it,” cursed Ryota as he started to feel his chakra fade away from him. Kouhaku came to him then. He didn’t pick up Ryota yet, but he stayed near him. Mira watched silently. “Ah damn, sorry Mira,” he muttered, beginning to pass out. The clone caught him and then they were gone. Mira closed her eyes. Up. Down. Left. Down. Right. It never ceased to end.

And then she opened her eyes at long last only to find herself still in darkness. Blinking a few times her vision began to clear. “Hey, you okay?” asked Ichiro, wild orange hair and amethyst eyes looking down at her with care. “Mira?” She closed her eyes again. The colors... it hurt. When she opened them again she saw slick black hair and dark eyes. Ryota. “Mira?” he asked softly, gently. He took her hand. “Mira, you awake?” She closed her eyes again. Everything was so loud. So painful. A small groan escaped from her lips. “She’s okay,” yelled out someone. Mira cringed slightly. Why were they so loud? She tried opening her eyes again but found herself incapable of doing such. “Let her rest,” whispered someone.

... “Mmm...” groaned out Mira. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, yawning. She looked around the clearing and soon located the three males. She quietly slipped back in with them. They didn’t notice her for a long, long time. Mira sighed lightly.

“Oh, Mira, you’re here!” said Ryota, giving her a small smile. “You had us worried. You’ve been out for over two hours,” he explained. Mira silently nodded. “You sure you feeling alright?” She nodded again.

“Now then... I want you three to fight me,” announced Kouhaku. ... What? The three Genin stared at him for a moment. He wanted them to... fight him? After they had just spent all their chakra clinging to the surface water, or in Ichiro’s case the tree, he wanted them to fight him? Surely he knew that they only had a very limited chakra supply right now. Didn’t... That’s what he had intended upon, realized Mira. He wanted to see what they could do without their chakra, or with just a limited supply. He wanted to see what they could do on raw strength and stamina alone.

Approved