Post
by Kaida » Thu Jul 03, 2025 11:06 am
It was early in the morning as Akemi made her way through the old Nara Sacred Forest. She had already finished her workout for the day and had some time to kill before training with Takeshi later in the afternoon. Wearing a pair of baggy beige sweat pants and a tight fitting forest tshirt with her combat boots, she hopped from tree to tree, her long dark brown hair flowing in the wind behind her as she carried a book in her hand.
The last time she had been through here was weeks ago, avoiding the compound as she had done for the last 3 years. It didn't feel like home anymore, not that it ever really had. But at least the forest still held fond memories for her, images of playing with Jashin and Eiko always present as she traversed the familiar shadows. A sense of calm and peace overtook her as she settled on a branch 30 meters from a well known fox den. Last she had seen, the mother had been heavily pregnant and was due to have her pups soon.
Settling into a nook in the branch, she cracked open her newest read and began to immerse herself in the world of fiction. The cover of this book was plain, only the title written on the front: The Apprentice. As she began to read through the small print, she felt the scenes play out like a mission film behind her eyes. A young girl finding out later in life that she had a latent affinity for the elements, crossing paths with a tortured mentor and traversing the perils that lay within finding out who she really was and what her powers could do. It was a riveting read of self discovery and adventure, some parts reminding her of her own life and how she came to be a shinobi in the first place.
She didn't know how long she had been reading for, the air in the forest unnaturally still as it had always been. But about halfway through her book she started to hear rustling through the foliage down below. Her senses were immediately on alert, the time spent in ANBU having trained her to think nothing was a coincidence when something seemed out of place. Scanning the ground floor from 30 meters up in the air, she saw the newly arrived pups leaving their den, nipping at each others heels and tustling in the tall grass. A smile fell on her face as she enjoyed the fresh life that had been brought into the world, the kind of fun that only children could know and experience.
As she watched them run about, her book forgotten, she saw movement in a bush not 15 meters away from where the younglings were playing. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, it could be a predator or another non hostile creature. Or it could be a person. It was uncommon for poachers to find their way into the forest as it was heavily guarded by the Nara, but it wasn't impossible. She set her book down on the branch and rose up onto the balls of her feet, waiting to see what transpired next.
To her surprise, a Hyuuga emerged from the shrubbery, knelt down in the dirt with a basket by her knees. Akemi tilted her head in curious suspicion as the young girl watched the scene with the foxes unfold. A tug in her mind told her that the girl seemed familiar to her, not that she could place where she would have seen her before. Then again, most Hyuuga looked alike. Even after years of being with Takeshi, that bias hadn't changed. Moving silently as she decided to hop from branch to branch, making no sound, she landed on a tree behind the young woman. Seeing now that it wasn't a child like she had thought, just a very slight adult. Probably around her own age, meaning they had more than likely attended the academy together.
A smirk graced her features as she saw no Nara escort in sight and she decided to have a little fun. Dropping down onto the ground 10 meters away, her feet landed softly on the grassy surface. Creeping in slowly and silently she came up behind the Hyuuga and stopped with 5 feet between them, her chakra surpressed and a mirthful light in her eyes. "And who might you be little mouse? Trespassing on ground that is not yours to be on."
