Meeting Grounds

The ruins of the city spread for nearly a mile in total. Everyone was black with patches of white where the ash and such has eroded away. Most everything that was left were the bottoms of frames that used to be people's homes or the charred remnants of large buildings that might topple over with a strong wind. This area was almost dangerous if everything didn't turn to dust when you tapped it.

A young girl was laying down in a grassy patch were there was bare dirt which now produced luscious grass and some wildflowers. Thankfully bugs weren't inhabiting this bit of grass laid there quietly awaiting her team leader's arrival. She was wearing only a purple string bikini and a small pair of short shorts. They were made of some reflective material that bounced the sun's light off of them. Reaching just from the bottom of her collarbone down to around her belly button was a long string of red tattoos. Most people didn't recognize the significance of these, but they were very important to Shura.

"I sure hope my sensei arrives soon~" Shura said to herself in a singsong voice.

It was another normal day off in the Land of Ash. Usual weather, usual citizens, and so forth. For this jonin, that was a good sign. Both of her hands tucked securely in the front pouch of her hoodie, Miku Arechi whistled to herself. Strangely enough, you'd think a shinobi would be in some sort of rush to met with their students. To be honest, Miku didn't really care. It was only one kid to begin with, and she didn't feel like being on time.

Honestly? Her teacher had been an awesome guy. A real trooper, that guy was. He taught her a lot as her short time as his student. His teachings had a huge influence on her personality and methods. Without him, she probably wouldn't be half the ninja she was today. Crazy bastard, but a good teacher none the less. He had a weird way of teaching, but it really stuck around in her head.

So, needless to say, Miku was a bit hesitant to take on another student. Sheesh, she was probably what, a year or so older then the genin? Who thought a newly established jonin would be good for teaching some newly graduated kid? She ran a hand through her black hair. Yeah, fat chance. She'd be better off letting the kid run through some wired explosive notes. Miku grimaced.

Well, she guessed that there might be the tiniest bit of a chance for her to be decent, but that might mean asking for some advice. Oh, she could see it now. All the jonins stationed up at volcano point busting a gut over the poor sap that got her as a teacher. Brilliant. As much as it amused her to be the butt of every short joke, she didn't think killing them off through hysteric laughter could get her anywhere. What could she say? She was the newbie around that outpost. They had to give her a hard time.

“"I sure hope my sensei arrives soon~”

Miku flinched as she walked into the clearing that she requested her student to meet up at. It had been sent through a message of course. The jonin hadn't had the chance to met this girl in person. She walked towards her, her footsteps completely silent. A show dropped over the genin as Miku loomed above her. The jonin raised a eyebrow.

“Speak of the devil, eh?” Miku's brow twitched ever so slightly when she noticed that her student would actually be close to, or taller then her. Great. Kami forbid she be taller then her own bloody student.

Shura jittered in her laying position as her sensei snuck up on her. Needless to say the young jounin had startled Shura. Shura looked about furiously before focusing on the young girl in front of her. She couldn't have been too much older or younger that Shura herself. She was the opposite of Shura in most ways. Where Shura had long hair the girl had short hair. Where Shura was well endowed and revealing it, the girl had a much more petite shape and hid it behind a hoodie and jeans. Shura gave a small smile before righting herself and standing up. Shura brushed herself off and gave her sensei a look over.

Shura nearly began snickering as she made some observations. "I don't mean to offend sensei, but it seems I have you beat." Shura was correct as she was nearly two inches taller than Miku and had a much more endowed body. Shura gave a sheepish grin hoping to not offend her sensei in their first meeting. "But you gotta have many more secrets to be a jounin so young. My name's Shura Misaki. I've been very anxious to meet my jounin sensei~"

Shura looked down at Miku's chest and back at her own. She has a worried look upon her face. "How can you stand to wear that hoodie? You must be burning up!" Shura leaned in close to Miku's face. "Well your face doesn't look flushed." Shura pressed her face against Miku's leaving it there for a few seconds before pulling away. "No difference," Shura said quietly before becoming upbeat once again, "You must be some kind of hot-blooded girl, or would it be cold-blooded?"

Miku just stood there, listening to her student with a blank expression on her face as she rambled on about things Miku had already expected to hear about. It was always the saaaaaaaaame. Oh look at how short that jonin is! Blah blah blah. Getting called a shrimp half of your life made you block it out. The jonin didn't flinch at the physical contact, merely standing there with a expression that seemed to say 'The shit I put up with'. Her eyes didn't blink.

So, when her student finally found the need to pull away, Miku did the first thing that came to mind. She snapped, several times in her face. “Oy, oy oyyyyyyyyy. Can we please have some semblance of a team here? You know, you being a bit less excited? This ain't summer vacation like what you got back at the academy.” The jonin put a hand on her hip. Did they even get that shit anymore? Cause she can recall plenty of times where she got into a bunch of shenanigans during those long weeks with no classes.

'Jeez, are all genin this forward nowadays?' She thought silently. “Anyways, sit yourself down...somewhere I dunno. We don't have seats here or anything.” Miku huffed. “What the friggen' hell was I supposed to do again? My sensei made us live out in the wilderness for three weeks with no supplies, but he was a doucher.” She chewed on her lip.

“Uh, fuuuu- damnit. Tell me your shit, like your skills or whatever, I don't mean your bra size either, smartass”

Shura was brought back to reality by her sensei's loud oi's~ She had a somewhat dumbfounded expression upon her face as she looked at her sensei. She frowned and gave her sensei some weepy eyes. "I'm sorry sensei, I was just so happy that I could connect with my sensei~ Do you think we can be friends outside of being a shinobi?"

Shura thought about summer vacation for a bit as well. The few weeks in the warm months where academy students were allowed to leave studies and do whatever their parents demanded of them. Her thoughts were cut short by her sensei's command to sit down. She simply hopped backwards a bit and plopped down upon the soft grass. Her butt hurt a wee bit, but nothing serious.

The mostly red haired girl put a finger to his chin as her sensei began to rant as she recollected about the past. "Wow you lived in the wild on your own for three weeks? And at a young age no less. You're pretty amazing sensei~" Shura knew she was being a bit too bubbly, but she was genuinely excited to have a sensei. She read in the letter that she was the only member of this team for now given her small graduating class.

She smiled at her sensei's crude manner of beginning introductions, "Well I'm pretty good with a bow and arrow. I'm learning the swordstyle of my family. I learned in the academy that I have an affinity to Raiton. I'm also handy with seals." Shura named all these off while counting on her fingers as if she needed to keep track. When she was finished she gave a devious grin to her sensei before hugging her chest enthusiastically. "Don't tell me your jealous of my assets, sensei~"

“Friends? Eh. I suppose. Depends.” She arched a eyebrow, listening closely to her new student. Nothing crazy or out of the ordinary. Not many kids nowadays had bloodlines, but she wasn't going to complain about something like that. Usually clan members tended to be pains in the ass. There was a huge fire off in the clan district awhile ago, and people had to be dispatched to clean it up. Some nut job left the village after pissing off a clan leader.

“Anyways. You talked about yourself, might as well give you a bit of a back story to me.” Miku coughed, then sat herself down onto the grass. “Name's Miku Arechi. Says so on my record. Jonin rank, spent three years as a Chunin in the ANBU black ops program. Was recently upgraded after a successful A-rank infiltration mission. Graduated from academy at ten, and I specialize in ninjutsu and stealth. Not really an upfront person, you know. So sorry if I'm not exactly the first that charges into battle.” Her fingers laced together, resting on her knees.

“Sheesh. Must have been a small class if I only get one kid.” The jonin scoffed at Shura's comment. “I'm fine. Some assets get in the way.” The jonin chewed on her thumb, as if thinking about what to do next. “I suppose this is the part where I test you.” With that, Miku stood up again. She brushed the dirt from her pants, and stuffed her hands into her front pouch.

“Fight me. Come at me with everything you got. I won't fight back, I just want to see what you can do.” With that, she gave a loud yawn, as if she was completely unfazed. “Oh, and if you don't go all out, somebody's gonna go back to the academy~” That was such a classic jonin sensei threat. A part of her wondered if anybody even took that seriously.

Shura sat quietly as Miku told her a little bit about herself. Shura couldn't believe that Miku had done so much in her few years as a shinobi. It was incredible. She had trouble believing this girl so close to her own age could have so much more experience. It could almost be said this girl had experienced a whole life in the short amount of time for puberty to get done. She was a bit surprised when Miku wanted her to fight her. She was worried at first, but scoffed at the idea knowing that Miku had nothing to fear.

Shura picked herself up off the ground, "Alright alright, you don't have to make threats. Just don't get upset that I leave paper cuts because I don't hold my sword backwards."

Shura lifted her right hand above her head before lowering it upon her chest. Her fingers ran around the seal on her chest just above her breasts. A soft purple light appeared as a sword hilt rose out of her chest, though it appeared to come from between her breasts. She gripped the purple sword hilt and lifted slowly. The purple blade became visible as it slowly rose from nothing. As each green circle appeared it seemed as though they opened into eyes staring at you. Finally she drew the whole blade which was roughly three feet in length. She gave the sword a swipe before gripping it with both hands.

Shura gave had a small smile as she looked down at her sword, but that quickly changed into an expression of excitement as she charged Miku. She had full confidence in Miku's ability. She heeded no mind to her sensei's safety as she threw a quick diagonal strike from the lower right. Nor did she worry as she swung the blade back across horizontally. This sentiment never changed as she performed more slashes. Vertical left, horizontal mid, forward thrust into a horizontal left. She paused before letting her chakra flow into her sword. Shura was much too far away to hit Miku with a simple swing of her sword, but she cut the air anyway. The air split apart as a wave of cutting force flew at Miku. All the while Shura wore a small smile that showed no worries or regrets.

It only took half a second for Sainan to be removed from it's hilt. Then, another half second for the blade to snap into two. The two weapons spiraled in both palms of her hand. Miku didn't even blink, bringing her dominate hand behind her back, the other half of her duel wield completely out of sight thanks to her back. The jonin gave the slightest of smirks, her left hand gripping around the hilt of this unique weapon. “I think you should worry about tiring yourself out. Shuna-kōhai.”

The jonin blinked, noticing how she removed her weapon. Having used sealing scrolls before, Miku understood how they worked. She had seen people tattoo seals on themselves, but usually such things were located on the wrist to be easily hidden. Even then, they could only hold so much. Her grip grew tighter. Her sword was...interesting, to say the least. Looks like her student was going to be special after all. As her new student charged, Miku didn't move from her position.

Usually in a sword fight, when a enemy advances, the other opponent would back track to hold a secure distance. Except, the shorter the weapon, the harder it was to do such a thing. In this course of action, someone with the shorter weapon would usually maneuver around the longer weapon and aim for the body. It was easier then trying to deflect a longer blade. Miku refrained from the natural course of action. She was supposed to be on defense, not offensive.

So, as Shuna swung her blade, Miku's blade clashed right into it. Her weight shifted, her blade firmly pressed against hers. For each strike, she did the exact same over and over, deflecting the blows easily. She only shifted slightly, holding her ground against the assault. It was only when a downward strike was done that the jonin took three steps back. Eh, standard sword strikes and a basic swordsman stance. Nothing to big. It could be handled. The jonin made a side note to see if she could influence her student to try to use some of her ninjutsu in the fight as well.

The jonin instructor noticed the chakra that ran through Shuna's blade, she took appropriate action as the sword slices seemed to flow at her. With liquid fluidity, the jonin seemed to swerve around the strikes. Miku gave a loud yawn, her dominate hand still secured behind her. The stance she had taken seemed to relax once again, waiting on what else the student would try.

Shura couldn't help but look at Miku's weapons while fighting. They looked almost like bladed fans. They looked incapable of extended combat for fear of breaking, but Shura knew that was just appearances alone. It seemed to be Miku's theme. Everything look virtually harmless, but in one swift movement she could decimate you.

Shura tossed her sword into the air to free her hands to perform a few handsigns. She knew Miku wanted to see all of her tricks and sticking to just swordplay might end with Miku fighting back. She caught her blade in her left hand and rushed forward once again. She performed a swift diagonal strike from the bottom left. In the distraction most likely created while blocking, Shura extended her right palm which was by now covered in Raiton chakra.

The electricity struck out from her palm threatening to engulf Miku. The paths of the small lightning bolts would be random and even have a chance of not even hitting her. That's why most user's of this jutsu do it as close range as possible. The closer the user was the less spread there was between them.

Shura wasted no time. She had to put pressure on her sensei to even keep her from yawning apparently. Chakra once again spread across her purple blade. The green eyes seemed to glow when chakra flowed through the sword. Shura knew there was a secret to this blade that involved those eyes, but she just hadn't figured out the secret yet. It died with her father she suppose. She gave the air another cut which sent the wave of energy toward Miku. Shura kept her distance this time, wondering if she needed to vary her attack pattern more.

Miku watched closely, recording each hand sign in her mind. As her student charged again, the jonin was ready for what was to come. Rather then block again, Miku slid back to avoid the slash. Doing a back flip, Miku landed on her left hand. The jonin did a handspring with her only free hand. She twisted about in the air for a few moments, and like a cat, landed on her feet. The raiton chakra split off in separate directions around her. Her blade was secured in her mouth, but she drew it out just in time. Deflecting a stray strand of the lightning chakra with the flat side of her blade, the jonin watched Shuna carefully.

At the slash, Miku was quick to avoid it again. Yet, she paused, allowing it to just barely nick her cheek. Might as well give her student some satisfaction. It might prompt her to fight even harder. Thus far, she wasn't exactly impressed but she could see her student becoming a lot stronger with time. That tended to be the case with all genin. Mostly because genin nowadays were so restricted with the academy.

Miku made sure to pause, standing straight to rub away the bit of blood on her cheek. Her eyes seemed to spark for a brief moment. Maybe she should try a jutsu or two. Just having her student strike over and over again might be boring. Miku twisted the blade around in her hand, so that the dull side would be the side used. She was sure her student would notice this. With that, Miku did what she did best, she rushed forward. Mind you, she moved at a speed that much slower then her usual pace. Miku needed Shuna to keep up with her, after all. The jonin began a sharp series of slashes, her blades crossing over and over. The jonin didn't slow this pace, trying to push her. More weight was applied behind the strikes, making them heavier and harder to block.

Miku did that a lot. Being so small, she learned a long time ago that putting all of your weight behind your blows would make them much more effective. Weight distribution wasn't all that hard once you got the hang of it. She continued to advance, as if trying to back Shuna into a corner. The jonin instructor didn't slow the speed of her slashes.

The girl with long red highlighted hair watched her sensei fend off the attacks with ease. The lightning either missed or was easily deflected while her slash was easily avoided again. It was to be expected of course. Miku was a jounin who had participated in the Anbu Blackops. No way a genin would be able to land a hit on her unless she wanted them too. Shura sighed a little when Miku wiped away the blood. She narrowed her eyes. She knew her sensei was just playing right now. When she turned her blade over, Shura instinctively brought her sword up. She knew well what came next.

The short black haired girl charged forward with speed hard to muster for the genin. Shura also knew that Miku must have been holding back. A situation like this. A master fighting a student. She knew it all too well. Shura held her blade up horizontally intercepting the fanned blade assault. Each strike crashed against her blade. Stronger and stronger. Shura was surprised by how much weight Miku could put behind her strikes. Soon Shura wouldn't be able to withstand another attack. Shura felt a bit of panic rush through her. "What am I suppose to do when my opponent is overpowering me?"

Shura's father turned to look at her. He had a quizzical look on his face. His long black hair hung down to the small of his back. His black eyes showed no signs of emotion. He had a subtle frown with slightly raised eyebrows. "You mean in strength?" Her father turned completely and looked off in the distance as he often did. Something else always seemed to be on his mind. "You cower when you are faced with a difficult challenge. Hoping to find a solution quickly. Something massive always has a flow, as does everything small. Follow that flow. Be like the gentle reed in the autumn breeze."

To this day Shura still wasn't sure if reeds could sway in the autumn breeze as she was unsure if they grew at that time of the year. Shura knew what she needed to do. She gauged her sensei's attacks and in a swift motion let it collide. Just as Miku's blade clashed against Shura's, Shura's blade gave way. Shura slid her feet around as her blade slanted letting Miku's fan blade slide downward toward the ground. Shura, in a moment of weakness, spun her blade in her hand forcing the blunt side to face forward. She swung just as she would normally at Miku's midsection. She had full confidence in her sensei, but she just couldn't bring herself to strike a fatal blow even if the opponent would no doubt avoid or deflect the strike.

Shura ran forward after striking. She needed some time to think. She knew her sensei could chase her if she wanted, but perhaps she would let her get away this one time. Shura rounded a building obscuring her from sight. Within two seconds she was around the building. In her hands lay another purple object though a much darker shade this time around. The shape showed no signs of being a sword any longer. Shura held a purple bow, yet another gift from her family. Without stopping her movement her right hand reached into her cleavage. From seemingly no where she relinquished an arrow. It was a standard arrow with a metal head. The tail end had several white and gray colored feathers. Shura strung the bow as she had many times before, much faster than preparing to throw a kunai or a shuriken. The use of a bow isn't usually covered by shinobi training. That was because her father followed the path of the samurai. Weapons were his jutsu. Bows were one of them.

Shura released the arrow. It whizzed through the air making a humming sound as it flew. Her aim wasn't dead center, but certainly not bad enough to miss. The arrow traveled many times faster than a ninja tool. In the little time it took for the arrow to travel its flight Shura had yet another arrow ready to fire. Shura continued to duck in and out of ruins in hopes of covering her attacks while she shot from a distance.

She had not expected for her student to slump down. Miku's right hand swung out, blocking the block that would have hit her mid-section with the other blade of her weapon. The jonin froze, skidding back a few feet. As she drew to a stop, her swords held in a cross position, did she realize that a genin had made her use both of her blades. A smile pulled at her lips. Well, that was interesting.

The jonin allowed her student to dart off. Finding a secure position was always a effective way to fight. So, she'd allow Shuna to plan. In Miku's opinion, the best way to learn about fighting was by actually fighting. She knew some jonin instructors rarely believed in this method, mostly because they didn't want to harm students. Miku personally didn't care. Not like she was heartless, but because she went through the same way. It was a pain in the ass and she'd stumble home beaten and dead tired, but damn, did she learn. It was like she was a sponge, taking in as much knowledge as she could.

She spotted the arrow in a heart beat. It was rare to encounter archers in this age, but Miku can recall a time where she had taught herself to be alert to such threats. Her right hand was behind her back once again. With the left, she shook the duel, allowing the fan to open wide. Casually, she swished it in front of her. The wind generated from the small slash lashed out. Through her control of Futon, the arrow was halted in mid air, only several inches away from the middle of her face. The jonin merely blinked before canceling the wind. The arrow dropped to the ground harmlessly.

With that out of the way, the jonin faced towards Shuna position. Her sensory skills were pretty handy. In all truth, she probably wouldn't have specialized in it if it wasn't for ANBU. After all, it was always best to know the enemy's position before they found yours.

She smirked, and rather then charge after her student, Miku returned both duel blades to it's holder. They clicked together perfectly. Holding up her now free hand, it began to form hand signs at a shocking rate. It took only a moment for her to finish a full series. After the series was done, the jonin outstretched her hand. A gale of wind shot out of it, aimed right towards her student's location. Miku was well aware that this justu was best close range, but it would still have enough of a kick to throw her student off her feet by the time it reached her. That, or it would be enough to distract her so Miku could come up with another course of action.

Shura ran behind another building hoping to block sight once more. She slide to a stop. She wasn't the physical beast her sensei was. She was quick, but she still tired out. Her breath came out in long streams. She only got a few precious seconds of rest before another attack unfolded. A large wind blast blew apart the building cover in front of her. A cloud of black dust covered the area.

Shura tumbled backward as the wind blast hit her. Shura saw the world around her spin. It almost made her sick. She came to a whipping stop sending her hair behind her. She looked down at herself and at her hair noticing the black left from the dust on the ground. Shura grimaced at how dirty she got, made her feel gross.

Shura picked herself up and scrambled for her bow and arrow. She quickly restrung the bow as she ran around the building. She noticed how her previous arrow had easily been halted. She needed more stopping power for it. Her chakra electrified as she tried something new. She had a technique for sniping with Raiton chakra, perhaps her arrow could act as a catalyst.

The red haired girl, or more black now, leaped out from around the next corner. Ahead of her was Miku awaiting her next attack. Shura let loose her arrow which sparked ominously with Raiton chakra. As the arrow flew it lost much of its charge, but it still gave off small volts of electricity. The arrow was aimed for Miku's midsection, more toward her right side. Shura kept running and slammed her back into a tree. She held herself up somewhat, but it was obvious she was exhausted from running.

Unlike Shura, Miku wasn't tired in the slightest. Of course, this was expected of a jonin. Keeping track of her student's location, she proceeded to dart forward at sharp speeds. Her feet landed firmly on a cracked stone spire, then in a flash, she was running across the broken stone edges of a cracked structure. 'Always use your surroundings to your advantage. You're small. It would be easy for you to slip from one location to the next. Use that advantage.' The jonin shook her head, as if erasing a memory from her mind. She sprung forward again, flickering briefly from sight.

She hit the ground gracefully, her eyes pin pointing Shura with ease. Miku's eyes widened a fraction at the raiton enhanced arrow that shot her way. Split second, she rolled away. In the distance, there was the sound of the arrow piercing through a surface. 'They underestimate you. Us it. Twist it, blend it around your fingertips like silk thread. With even the slightest drop in defense, you can bring them down.' The jonin seemed to pause, those words of advice seeming to seep into her mind. Huh. She forget about that. Funny how fighting made her think. Then again, this was very similar to what she had gone through herself, except the roles were reversed. A smirk pulled at her lips.

Blades drawn once again, Miku proceed to open them both as wide as they could go. The jonin did a large cross like sweep, unleashing a torrent of wind towards Shura. It wouldn't harm her, but it would most definitely throw her off her feet. Well, now that she thought about it, it might throw her back a couple feet. Eh. No harm done. A couple skid marks and scraped joints shouldn't faze a graduated ninja.

In a flash, the two blades sealed shut. The jonin resumed a normal stance, obviously done with fighting. Miku had seen all she needed to see. It didn't take much to gauge what level Shura was at. There really wasn't a need to keep fighting. Besides, she had other news to deliver to her student. They had wasted enough time battling. “Alright alright. I've seen all I need to see.”

Her breath came out in ragged intervals. Her eyes were half shut as she tried her best to renew her former vigor. Running around was hard for Shura. She never wore the correct clothing for sprints. As she was catching her breath she looked to her left. Just fifteen feet away stood her sensei waiting for her. Miku had been moving circles around Shura.

Shura pulled herself away from the tree and tried running again, but soon her world was flipped turned upside down. She had done a front flip as she tried to run. Her bow went off to the side as she nearly face planted. She laid there for a few second face down in the dirt and soot before picking herself up. Shura spit a few times before heaving a massive sigh. Her face and chest were scuffed and black from the ground.

Shura turned herself over as her sensei approached. It was incredibly obvious who had taken the beating this time around. She looked up at Miku with a frustrated expression. With her sensei's statement about seeing everything she needed to see Shura scoffed.

"You needed to see me covered in black?" Shura asked sarcastically as she picked herself up and brushed herself off, "I better get a shower after this. What do we need to now?"

“A shower? Eh. Yeah. Soot was rather heavy today. Well. I guess you can take a quick shower before we start our first mission together as a team. Apparently, I was supposed to be assigned a mission to do on my own before you were assigned to me. So, as a team, you get your first ever mission. Lucky you. My missions involved hunting down cats, not what you get to do.” Miku crossed both hands behind her head.

“Anyways. Long story short, some caravan from the Rice Country was going to head to Kumogakure. It got lost in the Land of Lightning. The leader of the caravan company has ties with Noko, so the village was given this mission.” The black haired teenager paused, as if thinking it over a bit more. Sheesh. She'd only been to Lightning a couple times. It was a pain in the ass every time. All the mountains suck.

“Some think it was a rock slide that threw them off track, or maybe some bandits in the area. Not to sure. Anyways, we need to find them, set them back on track, then head back home. From there, we report to the leader of the caravan and skip all the way back home with money in our pockets. I think this is...either C or B. I forget. Still, it involves a lot of travel.”

Miku slung her backpack from her shoulders, dropping it to the ground. It landed with a loud thump. “I'm all packed. Got plenty of stuff that we'll need.” She also tapped her scrolls on her hips, as if saying she had stored items in there too. “I'd say this mission will take around a week or two. Depends on our pace. I sent a message back to your mother, so she should know by the time you get back home. I'd say pack light. Get all your tools and the necessities.” She waved her hand.

“Eh. Fell free to take your time though. Not like this is a big hurry.” Miku sat herself down on a nearby stump, as if saying she'd be fine with waiting.

Shura gave Miku an incredulous look as she explained the series of events. They had just had their first training session and immediately afterward they were going to make their way to a mission in a foreign land. It was crazy to think how fast things were progressing. If this was a boyfriend they'd be picking out wedding dresses.

Unlike her metaphor, which she would be dreading and thinking of killing him in his sleep, she was actually excited about this. Sure it was a little fast and she wasn't confident in her own skills against other shinobi, but she got the chance to go on her first crazy mission with her first jounin sensei. And the prospect of growth was almost guaranteed. Certainly some positives.

Shura saw the pack that Miku dropped and noticed how she prepared to take a nap while she ran back to the village. That in itself was a pain in the bum. She snickered a little at the thought. "Enjoy your nap then Miku-sensei, it'll take a while I'm sure. I left super early to get here at the time I did."

Shura stretched her limbs before taking a bold step forward, "I guess I'll be going ahead."

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Shura trotted into the gates of Nokogakure. The large metal plated metal walls were said to be strong enough to hold back lava if the volcano ever erupted. They looked menacing. Like they were expecting war at any minute. Shura was sweating fairly profusely after her jog home. The temperature just steadily rises the closer to home you get. The black that covered her was now streaked by beads of sweat. She felt absolutely disgusting.

She made it a quick run home before too many people could see her. She called out as she walked through the house, "I'm home, I'll be in the bath if you need me." She thought about her mission and her sensei as she scrubbed in her old fashion bath. They had a modern shower, but they kept the old installations as well including the tub and wash area where you sat on the small stool. She sat there covered in soap suds after making sure all of the black had come off. She worried about being a burden for Miku-sensei or screwing up the mission. Normally she'd be all sorts of crazy for this opportunity, but to have it right in front of you. It feels quite daunting. She lifted the bath bucket full of water over her head and poured. She needed to chill and not over think it.

Shura dried off and walked into her room. She picked out her clothes and packed her bags. She snuck snacks and other things in her pack along with a few necessities and some spare clothes. She threw her back over her shoulder and started out toward the door. She passed the common room where her mother was reading a novel. She had short red hair styled similar to Miku's, but a bit shorter. Shura knew her hair color came from her mom and her hair's properties came from her dad. She walked over to her mom and gave her a hug.

"Don't worry about me while I'm gone, Miku-sensei is really cool. She's not a jounin for a frivolous reason."

Shura's mother gave her daughter one of those small smiles that parents do when they are worried but also happy for you. "You know I worry Shura. Since your Dad died, you're all I got left. I can't help it." Shura smiled back, "I know Mom, but at least get some sleep and eat something while I'm gone." Shura's mom laughed, "Your uncle would never let me do that again." Her mom looked at her hair and frowned. She lifted a finger suggesting that she wait a moment. She walked out of the room for a few minutes before returning with a small box. She sat back down on the couch and opened the box. Within were four black clips and two strips of ribbon.

"Your father had problems with his hair when he did anything outside. He always wore these to keep his hair together. Let me teach you how to keep your hair back," Shura's mom said with quiet sadness. She pulled Shura's hair back and made some loops and clipped them. Her hair was held up mostly by the clips and what was left was pulled together into two tails that went down her back.

Shura beamed a smile and hugged her mother, "Thanks Mom~! I love you~" With that Shura left her house with her mother's blessing and her father's heirloom. She walked to the village gates before jogging away from Nokogakure. She didn't want to sweat too much before even beginning the mission.

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Shura made it back to the charred village. She walked over to the place she had left Miku to find her napping under the tree just as she left her. She was wearing black cargo pants with some basic boots to brave the cold and snow better than shinobi sandals. She wore a simple white tanktop with a bikini on underneath. It had various shades of green which showed through the tanktop some. Around her waist was a hoodie that was tied into place.

A smile made its way across her face as she sat down next to her sensei. She looked over at her wondering if she was really asleep or just chilling completely aware of her presence. There was a couple ways to find out, Shura decided to take one of the more dangerous options. She sent a hand ever so slowly toward Miku's chest to give her a friendly grope upon waking up. She held her breath as it seemed as though the world became silent while she worked toward her endeavor.

Miku had no idea just how tired she had been. After her student left, she pretty much collapsed in the closest shade. It wasn't surprising. In ANBU, you didn't sleep. There was no such things as breaks, your team advanced further and further till the mission was done. Because of this, many ANBU members tended to become insomniacs. They learned how to go without all hours of sleep. Miku, on the other hand, was a different case. Over time, she learned how to manage with no sleep at all during a mission. Except, when the mission was done, she would promptly pass out in the safety of her apartment. From there, she wouldn't be seen again for several days.

Unfortunately, this period of time was cut short. Miku had been running on low fuel for the last few days as she awaited a student to be assigned to her. So, after that little brawl, she felt the need to pass out. Her dreams were nothing more then brief flashes of thoughts and a scramble of images that didn't make sense. It was dreaming without a purpose, and it was only a hour or so into her slumber that her mind just became a empty scape of black. Her heartbeat slowed and she felt like dead weight.

It was several hours that she stirred. Her hands twitching as she felt her sensory abilities kick in. It nearly awoke her, but she was still in a daze. Somewhat aware of her surroundings, Miku merely waited, trying to awake completely. Yet, she failed, seemed like her body didn't want to move yet. She could feel Shura's presence next to her when she finally arrived. Miku's hand reached up slowly, grasping her wrist and giving a squeeze. “...hmm? I'm up.” She muttered out, opening her eyes. The jonin pulled on Shura's wrist, hoisting herself off the ground. Miku staggered slightly before standing up straight. She sent a questioning look towards Shura, inspecting her outfit. “...That'll do.” Her voice sounded tired. She rubbed at one of her eyelids, tossing her backpack over her shoulder. How long had she been out? An hour or two?

“We better get going. Need to save daylight.” With that, she gave a loud yawn, stretching out her arms. “Mind you, we're going to be going at a slower pace. This is a low rank mission, not like some huge stake out. I'll get you prepared for stuff like that later on.” Miku then proceeded to walk in the direction that would lead to the road.

…..Hopefully this would all work out well.