Hidden in the Bamboo

Grass country. It was his favorite nation by far. He had personally taken the time to visit each country in the region, even ventured out into the water and seen those island countries as well. Of all of the different places he has been to, this was the most... diverse. Though it was geographically locked between many other more powerful villages, specifically The Stone and Fire Countries, it somehow maintained qualities that neither of them did. Perhaps, by natural selection, this place had evolved into what it is today. No doubt the creeks and rivers that run through the area, nor the giant bamboo forest were exclusive to this land. It was ironic that in the Grass country, little grass actually existed in such forest. It was what made this dense yet unpopulated area so beautiful, that made it the perfect place for a hide out of sorts.

He was just moving from Water Country. For many years past, the caverns and secluded islands served as his training ground and home for quite some time, and now that the conditions were favorable and he felt himself prepared, it was time to move to a more... central location. It was a place where he could get to any other country rather quickly, with the exception of the more water bound countries. But he had spent enough time in Water Country to know that there was little that he need invest himself in there.

Here, very few actually passed. Even now, few maps existed of this tiny region and the only guarenteed ways to get from point 'A' to point 'B' was to follow the many merchant trails that were made in the region. These dirt trails lead in all directions, all with helpful wooden signs to direct people in the right direction, but surrounding these trails were the Bamboo forests that had no such signs or trails, and once one had lost sign of the road, forest itself played tricks on you; no matter where you look, it appears the same. Most likely an optical illusion created by the clean rounded shapes of the column of the bamboo itself.

So how exactly did he Bovice stumble upon this place? Bovice had studied much of shinobi history in order to understand his universal enemy more clearly. It just so happen, he was born only a few years before the third great ninja war. Due to the conflict between the Stone and Fire Countries, the Grass Country became a territorial battle ground. The Bamboo forest was the stage for many small skirmish, as foes met as they traveled. It was considered prime territory for either the stone of fire countries, because which ever had access to the other would be able to attack the other country directly. Like Amegakure, it had become the battle ground of the war. He spent alot of time here studying the geographics of the area , and one feature that was exclusive to this forest, was the lack of 'corners'. With the only cover being rounded it was very possible to attack opponent even when they thought they were behind shelter.

It was this very feature that reminded him of this place when he was considering his next move, and with all the odd travelers, it was easy enough to hide any movements his future organization could possibly have. But the key question now was; where exactly would it be placed. It was after all, easy to get lost in the forest of bamboo. Once you have traveled away from the main road, the forest seemed almost completely uniform. It was more then possible to completely loose sense of direction, as everywhere you turn it would seem strangly the same. This was another feature he planned to take advantage of, as illusions and seals could easily disguise a base that would otherwise disguise itself. The perfect realistate.

"Hmm.. the climate is humid, hardly any wind.. as usual. Nothing seems to change much here. I doubt anyone could surivive on their one too long in this forest along dispite it's lush exterior... It's so full of life but is still as baren as the desert itself... How poetic." He said out loud, to himself, breaking the otherwise disturbing silence of the forest. After all, he had only the crunch of dead vegitation under his feet with each step to keep himself company...

Rain. Mud. Blood. Three things that highly populated the night along with up to four persons sharing these things with themselves. They were apart of them, but the last only remained to the girl. One in front, three in back, the girl being in front. The rest were men, drunken and hungry for something besides food. The mud was thrown into the air to try and go against the rain with each step the shiny black boots took into their puddle as their wearer ran on and on, trying to escape these drunken pursuers. Her pace was steady and fast, her breath even, yet she was still panting from running for so long. While she did not slow, fatigue was beginning to get to her. These men had chased her halfway through this country, and finally she was beginning to find herself in a bamboo forest. They came upon her suddenly, and she was suddenly lost. She no longer had any direction to run, just going whichever way she thought would be next.

The plan was to use the forest to her advantage and lose them in the winding maze of the tall bamboo. Her plan failed, however as they were somehow able to keep chase to her even in their drunken stupor. The rain fell harder as her boots smashed deeper into the mud. Her face was streaked with the blood these three men had caused her to shed when she attempted to get away from them the first time. The crimson liquid seeming to brighten the pale face that she bore. He could hear their vulgar shouts and calls while they gave chase, calling her many names and threatening her with unspeakable things. She ignored them though, only ran on faster. This time she was not scared, only angry. Her face remained passive during the chase. These man had come upon her and attempted to capture her. But they were drunk and knew no better, therefor her morals would not allow her to kill them. Instead, all she could do was run.

She had not expected them to go so far, and she was beginning to get tired both mentally and physically. She was just about fed up with this chase, and wanted it to come to a close already. This was why a slimmer of hope brightened her eyes at the site of the bamboo. But alas, it would in the end turn out to be her demise. While she was running forward, she saw a bamboo tree bending in an odd direction. Then all of a sudden it launched forwards and smacked her right in the face, one of the men standing there now, a vicious grin on his face. She laid in the mud now, wondering how badly she looked her eyes only have open. The snickering from the three man grew as they all gathered around her, and she passed out.

She woke up slowly, her eyes just barely opening over time to the sounds of birds chirping. The sunlight shined down on her face delicately, and it blinded her into moving a little. She was more awake now, as her eyes were wide open. What she found looking around were nothing but her clothes yanked off of her body and strewn on the ground around her, all soaked in mud. It was needless to say what had happened last night, but she wouldnt let it get to her. They were men after all, thats all they cared about. All this did was fuel her rage towards them. This latest action had caused a cold mood to fall over her...now, her fear was outmatched by the anger. She would not shout at anyone she met now, but she would not tremble in fear at their site either. No, that was a lie. In reality she had just let this occasion go...she was used to it anyway. It may not have happened in awhile but...The least she could say a prayer of thanks for was the fact she wasnt conscience during the time it happened.

Right now she just didnt care, this showed as she sighed while gathering her clothes back together and putting them on, regardless of the mud on her and them. She was off the ground and walking slowly now, no real destination...just like the way her life always was. She was only here because she just so happened to be wandering through the country when all of a sudden these three men jumped her. It didnt matter...they hadnt taken her supplies. She may be dirty now, but that was the only thing that had changed from yesterday. She looked up at the bamboo after so long of walking around and getting nowhere, and simply grimaced. She would probably be lost here for awhile...

Finally.
This was the closest thing to a 'clearing' he had seen thus far. The bamboo was thick, and tall enough that the massive yet rare leaves were enough to shade the ground from the harsh mid-day sun. Their were four larger cylinders that made up the trunk of massive bamboo stalks. they were each positioned outward in what was basically a perfect square. Such columns most likely extended deep into the ground itself, and would be able to support what would otherwise be an unstable unground environment. He thought that it was deep enough in the forest of bamboo that he wouldn't necessarily have to worry about passer byers, and any necessary traps could be set with ease. As far as a 'perfect spot' went, this was just about as good as it was going to get.

What was the next step? The actual construction. This was made easier by a few complex sealing technique, exchanging manuel labor for that of labor on his chakra supply. After all, he could only use his chakra for his sealing techniques. The idea was simple; A scroll of sorts, acting as if an active blue print, and as one changed the blueprint, the land infront and about him was also changed. The only problem was, the more extensive and numerous the changes, the more chakra he would have to burn. The bamboo itself would serve as the frame of the structure. The clearing was about... 40x40, if he had to estimate. If he were to remove a second of the earth about 20 feet deep, he would require about the same amount of energy as an 'S' rank technique. Normally such burst of strength could be felt for about a quarter of a mile away, but he was confident that no one was around.

He rolled the blank scroll out infront of him, bringning his hand back and grasping the hilt of his blade, which was known commonly to himself as the 'Sword of Sealing', or S.O.S. Pulling the blade about infront of him he turned the point to the ground and lowered it quick. The blade itself slid almost effortlessly into the ground, with the scroll infront of it. "Area Seal... Seperation" He spoke lightly as he focused deeply, literally creating the seal focused through his sword to sever the ground itself, carving the cube like shape into the ground, inside of the four pillars of bamboo that would be the foundation. With further focus, brought the cube upward an out of the ground, lifting space, not necessarily earth, and creating a square crator in the ground as the earth trapped betweent he space/time seal was lifted upward into the air.

Then, to discard it, a final burst of strength, more then necessary really, launching the un-needed dirt into the air a too 100meters or so. As far as he ws conserned, it was somebody elses problem now. This procedure was painstaking. About 75% of what made up his chakra bank was used just to carve a square in the earth. Granted, it was an unconventional way of doing so, as with an earth jutsu he would be able to perform a feat simular with greater ease. However, he lacked elemental techniques completely. Content for now, he knealt down as croutche, sitting on the balls of his feet as he let out a long drag of a sigh; half from the strain and half in relaxation.

More suddenly, he heard something in the distance. It wasn't too far off, and his instincts trained like that of an animal, he could catch even the smallest of details. Not expecting company, he turned his head to the left slowly, a blinking steadily as he waited for his instinct to be seconded. Was someone there?

Never.
That was the perfect word for the situation, that was the perfect word of Eve. Never. She would never find a home again, she would never be able to trust anyone again, she would never live a happy life. She would never get out of this god forsaken bamboo forest. The grimace deepened as her hand rested on the particularly large stalk of the strange plant shooting out of the ground like some kind of natural pillar. Maybe if she somehow climbed the bamboo...maybe she could see which was went where, and then go the right way. But this thought was quickly smited as she looked at the bamboo again. There was no way she would be able to climb those slick and slim things. Instead of sighing like she felt she would, her hand suddenly ripped a kunai out of the pouch that was around her leg, and made a slash against the bamboo, apparently attempting to slice it in half. But no, it only made an indentation into the bamboo, slicing about half way through the large plant. Before she realized it, she was glaring at the stalk with a giant snarl on her face.

Where did it come from though? For the time she was just feeling...empty and alone, taken advantage of and what not...Then all of a sudden the outburst of rage and anger against the bamboo as if it was the cause for everything, or at least the cause of her being so lost now. The snarl left her face as her eyes downcast on the ground, the kunai falling to the ground as she let her arm fall. She stood idle, just thinking. She thought about Tsuki in that moment, and wondered what was going to happen between them. Despite some beginning problems, she was the first person she had talked to in a long time without just running away with her tail between her legs, even if she had been forced to stay. Could she call them friends though? That was an unanswered question, and maybe it was best to stay that way. It did make her think though...maybe not everyone was bad. As unlikely as it sounded that her luck could be so horrible as to only see the worst in people, and NEVER meet a good person...maybe they were out there.

Even thinking of it this way though, she would never open her heart to any normal human. She may decide to attempt to get beyond her fear to at least talk without trying to run, but she could never trust anybody. That was the way it had to be, that was the image life envisioned her as when they ripped her father from her grasp. She looked up again, done skulking over past events and decided to move out of this forest once and for all. She decided that she would just head straight in one direction, eventually she would reach an edge to the forest and be out. She took two steps before a chilling feeling creeped up her spine and cause the hairs on her neck to stand up on end. She had a feeling that she was being watched, or being looked for. She yanked another kunai out of her pouch, having a rather large supply of them due to a lack of anything else, and held it front of her in a defensive stance, just waiting to be jumped. She had had enough this time, anyone attacking her would be attacked right back.

She waited, holding this stance and scanning the area around her with her eyes, only moving her head side to side just a little. But nothing happened...no one attacked. She lowered her guard for a moment and took another moment to look again. There was...nobody there. Unless they were hiding in the bamboo somewhere. She continued to look in the direction she felt the chill as she began walking, looking forward after taking so many steps. Her path lasted another few moments before she saw another path in the direction she had been looking, and felt this same chill again, snapping her attention to look again and saw what she felt. A man was sitting on the balls of his feet, looking in her direction with a curious and patient look on his face. She froze up, going stiff from head to toe as he looked back at him, their eyes locking. She turned her entire body to face him before freezing like this. She didnt know what to say...she didnt know what to do, deciding it was best to see what he did before making any kinds of...judgments.

(OOC: Best post every)

As a figure of a femme emerged from the brush, he turned his head away from her and back to the giant square of land he had removed. Speaking loud enough so that he could be heard, but soft enough that it couldn't be heard any further then the range of her ears, "Lost?"

((Omg your right its so epic))

She remained stiff and still while the man continued to look at him, almost paralyzed in surprise and anticipation. What would he do...would he try and be like all the other men she had met in her life? Take advantage of her one way or another? Maybe he would knock her out and take all of her supplies like her 'friends' had so long ago. Even after he acted...she had her suspicions that even though he acted...decent enough, he could turn at any time. After all, she had been fooled by larger reuses before. Her eyes narrowed when he turned to look away from her, speaking in a disappointed voice it seemed. That could have been the case, or maybe she was just imagining it from the way he just turned away as if he was expecting something more than a female emerging from around the stalks.

He said one, very simple word that asked the question she had actually been waiting to hear. At first she didnt say anything though, clenching and unclenching her hand at the site of the man. She was...jumpy and maybe a little to cautious, but she knew she would have to calm down if she wanted to get out of this annoying forest and finding a good place to sleep tonight. She sighed, eventually, but it was unnoticeable to the man she was hoping. She finally willed herself to speak, but her voice was still small and weak, doubtful that he even heard her. "Yes..." She said, nodding at the same time. She tried not to sound to hostile as she spoke...

She was like a deer on head lights. Though that wasn't the first thought that came to his mind. His first thought was the more 'book by it's cover' though. 'She looks like an amazon... tall and a her clothes all covered in dry dirt.' But what was more obvious was that she was infact lost, this made more apparent by her answer. To be completely honest, 'Lost?' sort for 'Are you lost?' was a saying or phrase with many different meanings. And their intensions would be shown in how they reacted to it. If it was a hostile of sorts, 'Are you Lost?' would be territorial, instead of curious, and this would be marked by a defensive responce, however, this person was very widthdrawn and spoke nothing more then what he asked for.

In any case, he didn't except any company, and was more leaning toward being alone as he contemplated his next actions. Soon he would have enough energy to begin constructing a roof for his make shift base and shelter and with any luck he could do so before sun down and have a dry place to sleep so that he may start again the next day. The person appear to have been stuck in these woods for quite some time due to their startled disposition and the wild apperance of their dirty and torn clothing. He stood slowly, again letting out a sigh almost as if it was labersome, and stretching lightly, bending his back at an arch.

He then pointed his hand back the way he came from. "This place can be a bit hard to navigate.. the bamboo is round and without any sharp angles it's hard to keep track of 'straight'. Follow that way, I have broken many stalks of bamboo in a bit of a path in order to keep myself from getting lost. Follow the broken bamboo and it will lead you to a merchant road. If you leave now, you will find it before night fall."

He explained before turning away from the female, rested enough to move on, or at least inspect the land that he had removed. Hopefully the ground was of good qualitiy, not too moist or loose, and it would be used for more consturctive purposes, either way he, it would be a long process with the way in which he did it. He jumped up and into the whole that he had created, disappearing from her immediate sight.

Eve instantly looked to the direction the man had pointed towards when giving her directions to escape the confusion that was the bamboo forest. A doubtful look fell over her face as she looked, thinking about whether or not she should trust him. Her natural caution was warning her that maybe he was trying to trick her into walking over towards that path and then grabbing her when her back was turned. For this reason she refrained from moving and only looked on uncertainly. She waited, her gaze floating back to the man to see what he was doing. But he wasnt looking at her anymore, as she had thought he would, and was instead looking back at the large square hole in the ground. She looked at the hole herself and thought about the strange sound she had heard earlier, while never actually acknowledging it at all. This must have been what it was, the man had somehow carved this giant square and...apparently threw the dirt in the air somewhere. It was impressive...

Then she was surprised again as the man jumped into the pit, disappearing from her site. She frowned, wondering what she should do, and decided before she should do anything, she should at least check the path he had pointed towards and see what was over there. She took slow steps, her head constantly turned towards the small opening she had seen. Upon reaching it she looking forwards and saw the path that had been forged by broken bamboo stalks. She didnt begin walking down this path however, she just looked with a strange look in her eye, one that was a little depressed, maybe disappointed, in herself. Tsuki's words floated through her mind again and she suddenly felt guilty for instantly judging the man. Not all humans were...what she had seen. Thats what her point had been, and if she wanted to get any real happiness again she would have to start following those words.

She turned around, deciding she wanted to at least thank the man for his kindness, maybe even offer something. She walked over to the edge, and looked down at the man who was in the hole. He looked to be thinking, maybe about building something. She gulped, swallowing her hatred and fear for men, and called out to him. "Would you...like some help sir? I know some earth ninjutsu.." She called in a small, shy voice that obviously instated that she wasnt used to speaking at all. That should have been enough to show how much of a moment it was that she had actually offered help to a man.

He stomped his feet into the ground a few paces, testing it as if kicking the tired of a new car. Assuming that the femme was already on her way it was a bit of a suprise to him when she peered over and offered some flavor of help. Going about it all his own was the best was to guarentee that it was done right, and according to his specifications. It was a common saying 'If you want something done right, do it yourself.' But, earth jutsu, as he had learned, where ninjutsu arts that directly influence the ground. It would make it much easier if he had such an ability, and probably much less time consuming.

He stopped and turned toward her, looking up from inside of the whole only to be reminded once again that this was one very tall woman. With such height she was no child; having filled into her tall form, she was more then likely older then 16 of age, and thus if she did infact know Doton techniques it wouldn't necessarily hurt, or at least he hopped not. However, there was also something else that he had to take in. A simple rules of Karma, give and take. If he accepted the help of this person, what would be expected of himself? It wasn't often that people did things out of the kindness of their heart and compassion for fellow man, and this favor could quickly turn into a mortgage payment along the road. Either way, he had little to no money to offer, after all, Wood Country tender was far weaker then the dollar in this place. To put it simply he couldn't afford to pay or repay them for their help; little did he know she was offering as a way to think him.

BUT if she was offering, why not. After all, what is the worst she could do, "The ground needs to be leveled and flatten. It's too loose as is. Do you have a way of pressing the earth into a more solid surface?" He asked. The question was given in a testing way so that even though it was technically a question it was a round about way of asking this of her. Blinking lightly we awaited a respond... or action.

She tried hard as she looked at the scene before her, the scene she was involved in, with uncertainty. Experience told her that this confrontation would not end well, told her that by even getting close to this person she was endangering herself. This was actually quite true because of who this person actually was, the man was definitely very dangerous. But not for the reason she would have thought. The man in front of her was actually the leader of a very strong, yet very deadly criminal organization, but honestly just by looking at him one couldnt tell. He seemed to be a little annoyed by company, obviously preferring to be by himself, but he looked like a good person. Eve did not know this, and therefor did not take it into consideration. What she was afraid of was much different indeed, something of a demon from her own past. The question in this situation was trust. Could she trust this person? The answer was no, no criminal should be trusted. But this was an unknown factor to her, as has already been explained. In other words, any kind of stereotypical problems could not be in place here, for she did not know about them.

Was this a good thing? Really it depended on the kind of person he was. He could take advantage of her disknowledge and use it against her, or it could be used for the better as she would be compelled to run or flee because of what he was. Either way, the cards would be played and the conclusion to this secret mystery would be revealed in due time. For now, she had a request on her hands. Hopefully her uncertain look would not be mistaken for a lack of ability on her part, as she had so claimed to have. He could have been expecting something great, taking her uncertain look in the negative, automatically thinking she was lying, or perhaps overestimating her own powers. But unless thinking that for himself would cause him to stop her from proceeding and proving herself, this uncertainty would not make a difference. In truth she knew exactly what she could do the moment the man had laid the request to her, but she did wonder if she could pull it off without completely draining herself. For you see, she would need to use two jutsu to carry out the mans request. One of them would be used easily, while the second would be used in a way other than its original purpose, technically pushing the jutsus limits to the extreme to get it done.

Before she began, she would speak to the man and let him know that she believed she could succeed, but give him a warning. "Yes sir" She said in a small but confident voice, finding it necessary to be formal in her speech. "But, may I please ask you to exit the hole? You might get stuck if your not careful." She said, and waited for him to either oblige, or stay put. She looked at the ground with determination, and suddenly began a string of hand seals. When she was done, she slammed both palms against the dirt on the ground, and looked as all of the dirt and soil suddenly became mud. This was a necessary step only because of what he had said truthfully, the ground was uneven and therefor if she initiated her other intended jutsu, the ground would be made solid unevenly. The mud was used to even the ground out, make it flat and even. From here she took a deep breath, this would be the hard part. She intended on using a jutsu originally created to turn loose soil into stone by pumping chakra into it. Usually the user would have to hold the soil in their hand to pump the chakra into it successfully, only making a stone about the size of their hand. But luckily for her, most of her earth jutsu revolved around stone, therefor she had perfected this jutsu almost, being able to make larger rocks in the earth without even actually gripping anything. But this would be much more difficult. This time, she intended on shooting her chakra throughout the entire hole, turning the ground into solid stone. It would be difficult, but hopefully it wouldnt drain her. In reality, it shouldnt take a hole lot of chakra, at least not from her large amount of chakra supply, but the trouble would be doing it right. She took another deep breath in preparation, and slammed her hands down on the ground hard. She kept her eyes closed as she focused on nothing but channeling the chakra to do her bidding. She held for a long time, and opened her eyes to find she was successful. All of the mud she had created had been turned into smooth and even stone, extending about 5 yards down into the ground.

She sighed in relief and looked over at the man who had given her this job, feeling a little bit weak due to the amount of chakra she had lost, which more more than she had counted on. In reality it was just about 60% of her chakra, but she stayed away from conflict for so long, she didnt use chakra a WHOLE lot. The problem here however was the fact that she was in no way used to using up 40% of her chakra all in one instant. This left her feeling drained from the sudden loss, as if a single leg of support had suddenly blown away from her energy, still holding, but becoming off balance for a minute before steadying again. She smiled weakly towards the man, not because she was tired, but simply because she seldom smiled at all. She hoped that the man would like her work, hoped that he would be pleased with her.

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Doton - Doryuu Taiga (Earth Flow)
Skill: Ninjutsu
Rank: C Rank
Description: This is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. The ninja will do the necessary hand seals and transform the ground upon which the enemy stands into a river of mud

Iwa Soushi no jutsu (Rock creation technique)
Skill: Ninjutsu
Rank: D Rank
Description: A basic skill of the Iwa tsuchi soujuu jutsus. By focusing chakra on a pile soil/sand or any earthen material held in one’s hand, the user is able to compress the soil so tightly a simple rock is created. The rock is just like any regular rock, and this technique works almost instantaneously. Simply grabbing a pile of soil and immediately using the technique would allow one to create small rocks instantly. The limitation is of course the fact that the size of the rock would be the size of the user’s hand. With greater mastery of this technique i.e. chuunin level, rock can be moulded off the ground, which means that bigger rocks can be created. Jounins can create a few rocks off the soil around him by releasing chakra into the ground

He took her advice and lept from underground in what was otherwise a single bound. With a second step, he trned on the ledge that was about 45degree angle of her. This was enough of an angle that he could watch not only her, but also the ground in which he entrusted to her. With any luck, it would help more then it hurt. Thankfully, she was successful and, it helped...

He sigh lightly to himself. It was after all how he communicated his thoughts. His mind moved rapidly at times, jumping from one subject to another as he covered what was necessarily a number of tasks at once. It was most likely a result of his own extensive training to handle multiple threats at once. BUT the point was, the last thought in these series of thoughs, were usually expressed with some sort of sound effect.

This common sigh was one of disappointment. Not in her, or what she had done to help him, but in himself. He watched from the other ledge closley, following her movements and all the while he could hardly keep track of what she was doing. In the instance of more then a single event, he couldn't manage exactly what his opponent was doing. If he had singled out shinobi as his enemy, and he couldn't multi-manage what they were doing, how was he to fight them?

Little did he know, that no shinobi could read a jutsu simply from the hand signs and motions; that very few with abilities such as the sharingan could do such a thing, but not any average individual. His ignorance was obvious to himself, as he had much to learn. In the Samurai world, one could easily read the opponents movement by jests and feints; thus making it necessary to plan four or five moves ahead to have a chance of scoring a blow, or defending ones self. In the world of shinobi, planning was necessary only to a point, as anything cold change at any moment. This was a lesson he would have to learn even with the power that he had now.

He snapped out of it quickly, only in responce to the small glint of a smile that appeared upon her face, almost as if questioning his approval. He nodded, though his expression hadn't changed too terribly much. He had trained himself to only release unconcious information out of his own will and did so very effficently. That was all he needed from her, and it had made his job a bit easier. It was quality after all, and done so much easier then he could have pulled off with only a blade at his disposal. He could retire early this evening, but the next day he would leave for the next step of what was otherwise the creation of his home, and he would be going a bit 'out of town'.

"Thank you for your help... if you hurry, you will still make it to the roadway before sun down."

A strange light passed through Eve's eyes while they rested on the man she had just helped. It wasnt very noticeable unless someone was looking at her eyes closely, but if they had noticed it they would have seen a change in her the moment it had passed. Even though her small smile still held, she looked down at the ground after just barely moving her head. No one could see any facial expressions now, at least not from an angle such as his, but they would be able to tell that she had become...sad. It was like the aura came around her in that moment, which was to sudden to ignore. The cause was rather...different and completely unexpected considering her. This was the first man she had ever seen that had shown her any kind of kindness, even if it was just in the form of not taking advantage of her. In reality, she had been subtly looking for a person like this, a person like her father, for a very long time, and it saddened her to have to leave. But she wouldnt object, that would be rude towards the man she might begin to admire for that. She looked up slowly, a small tint of depression evident despite the large smile she had flashed that made her look happy. "Thank you for the help sir." She said, still softly yet, a little livelier.

The smile swiftly left her face as soon as she looked away and towards the pathway she had looked down earlier. She looked at the ground once more without moving her head, just moving her eyes before moving forwards, jumping out of the hole easily. She slowly made her way over to the pathway, and stopped once again just by its entrance. She looked over her shoulder in reluctance to leaving, and the sad look was on her face. She didnt look long enough to notice whether or not he was looking at her, or some other direction. Looking at the ground a final time by moving her head over her shoulder, she continued the pause for just another moment before walking forwards, her attention directly in front of her. She followed the path walking slowly for about ten minutes, looking out for each broken bamboo stalk and found that the path was definitely working into her favor. By now she was smiling weakly, thinking about the man whos name she never even learned. By now she had let go of the disappointment of having to leave, and was instead happy enough that she had actually seen a man such as himself...

But as she should have figured, now that she was out of that world, it was back into her own little world of cat and mouse with the kind of people she believed everyone else to be. As if they had been waiting for her, a very familiar voice called out from what appeared to be nowhere. "There she is! Get her!" came the voice of a shinobi commander. Her eyes widened as she began walking. Had they pursued her all the way out here even? Those accursed shinobi that her mother had employed to assassinate her were after her again. The worst part was that no matter how many times she seemed to kill them, they just kept coming back. But the commander...she could never kill him, which was why his voice always stuck out in her mind. After a few moments of running, she saw a few of them, their attention directly on her. But instead of running, this time she was going to fight. She whipped out a kunai and held it in front of her defensively, making a hand sign to give the kunai an electric charge at the same time. This time she would kill them all as they came upon her...One came, an attack from above, foolishly lashing downwards with a katana. She stepped to the side and threw her arm upwards, the blade pointed outwards from her body, slicing the man in the stomach as he landed. He landed with a thud, gasping in pain. But his punishment wasnt over yet. Using taijutsu strength developed over time, she kicked the man into the air by hitting his chest with her toes, then spun around into a back kick to launch him through the bamboo now that he was in the air directly in front of her.

The next one came upon her, charging forwards and making a horizontal slash once she was reached. She bent her waist backwards, the blade passing right over her face, grabbing the mans shirt as she kicked off of the ground and back flipped onto her feet. Without letting go, she continued the momentum and flung him in the air like a catapault, throwing the charged kunai up at him which pounded into the middle of his chest. He would probably be dead before he hit the ground. Two more appeared from the shadows of the bamboo as a lightning bolt came down to strike her, coating her in her lightning strike armor. Now, anything that got close to her would be shocked violently. The two came at her, swinging their weapons to attempt to hit her. They were slow, and she as able to move her body out of the way to dodge every time they swung. Finally one came to close and shocked their hand from her armor, and she crouched to the ground, extended her leg, and did a 360 spin, tripping them both and shocking their legs. Once she came to look in the direction she had first faced, her fist came up to collide with one of the shinobi's backs, breaking it in mid air due to the momentum and lightning sparking and weakening the bone of the spine itself. That left another one, now on the ground. She picked him up by the legs, and just simply threw him into the air, getting rid of him. She sighed as she thought it was over, when all of a sudden three kunai pounded into her back, they had been thrown from an unknown enemy behind her. She yanked all three out and threw them back expertly, one of them pounding into the mans chest as he tried to dodge all three, falling to the ground dead.

This process continued for another ten minutes, and by now Eve could be found leaning against a stalk of bamboo, her right hand holding a wound on the left arm, with other cuts and wounds all over her entire body. She was bleeding rather badly, but simply just because of the number of wounds. None of them bleeded very bad, but there was just so many of them. The lightning strike armor was still apparent around her, but it was quickly sparking away. She was breathing heavily and harshly as she looked forwards with eyes filled with so much hate they could be called demonic at the ten shinobi standing in front of her. Laying around her were the corpses of up to 50 of these same shinobi, but still more continued to come, all determined to kill her. She had fought valiantly, but now she was weakened and there were still more to come. In other words, she had been overwhelmed. The armor finally sparked away and left her body as the remaining shinobi grinned wickedly at her now that they knew they could kill her without worrying about anything. They charged her then, all about to do something to kill her in their own way. She looked on at them without making any sound, just simply glaring as those who would take her to hell ran forwards.

Can Eve escape the onslaught of incoming shinobi!?

Who is 'Vice' and what does he have planned for Grass Country?

Will the Akatsuki ever be revived?

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