The Will to be Strong

[Kabu]

Stat training 1: Mastery (891/800)

Masami stretched as she walked through the village, headed towards the training ground for the first time in a while. She felt that she had finally recovered enough to be able to start her training again and especially after what had happened the other day she was incredibly eager to get back to work and prove to everyone that she was worthy of being a Jinchuuriki. Today was a perfect day for training too, with clear skies and a perfect atmosphere, most of the villagers taking the day to relax. It was just a great day overall.

Masami herself was in a fairly good mood as she entered the training grounds, though it soured a bit and she couldn't hide a scowl at the sight of someone that she had thought that she would never have to see again, a girl with short black hair that she hadn't seen in a long time. Aturasu almost immediately sensing her sudden shift in mood.

What's the matter child? the Genma asked her, seeming a bit concerned.

You're about to find out. We've been spotted.

As if one cue the other girl in the area turned to face her, slowly walking towards them. ”Hmph, who do we have here? It's the pathetic dog-girl. I guess that title really suits you now doesn't it? In fact where's your little friend?” the girl said with a bit of a chuckle as she sped up into a dash, clearly wanting to fight.

Masami could practically feel herself seething but said nothing as she brought her arms up to block a sudden kick and stared down the other girl, blinking in surprise as she felt Aturasu's presence become greater, the beast seeming to be growling almost as her seal began to dimly glow. What's the matter Aturasu? she asked him, leaping back and avoiding kick after kick, not caring that her aggressor was getting frustrated as she obviously wasn't fighting back.

You forget that I have access to your thoughts. I know about every amount of pain that you've suffered from that girl and now you're not doing anything as you're being. As my host I can't let anything happen to you so if you won't fight back then I will!”the beast practically snarled as the seal began glowing more brightly and purple chakra slowly began leaking out as she felt him pushing for control, though in no way was she about to let him.NO ATURASU! She's not worth it. she told him, wincing as she made a misstep and felt a punch land against her side. Her attacker was obviously trying to get her to fight back but she wasn't going to and she could feel herself losing further control as more chakra began leaking out and she felt Aturasu pushing even harder for control. Why aren't you fighting back?! he roared.

She's not worth it, and I'm too busy trying to make you see that!

Obviously it seems that I have to take this into my own hands! Anyone who would dare make themselves a threat must be eliminated. the beast roared, pushing still for further control.

She knew that the beast was serious and she was beginning to get exhausted and frustrated beyond belief, so against her better judgement she finally threw a strong punch, nailing her aggressor in the jaw and sending the girl flying back several feet. There! Are you happy Aturasu?! she practically screamed at him, the faint purple aura still flickering around her. She could feel the beast exerting his influence over her further and she could sense him still growing so he obviously wasn't pleased.

In fact she couldn't help a gasp as she felt herself moving towards her fallen attacker almost subconsciously, though she knew that it was Aturasu rebelling against her and attempting to take control in a misguided attempt to protect her. She was determined to stand her ground though and get back in control before she lost it entirely. She knew that it would be incredibly difficult but she was determined to stand up to the beast. She took a deep breath and dug in her heel, realizing that at this point she couldn't convince Aturasu of anything so she was going to have to exhaust her body by fighting back against his influence. She was panting already out of exhaustion so she knew that it wouldn't take too much longer. Come on, just a little longer! she thought to herself, gritting her teeth as the seal's glow began to fade. Please Aturasu.. This isn't the way. she made an attempt to persuade the genma anyways, the beast responding with a sigh. It's my duty to protect you so you can protect everything else.

I know.. let's just walk away from this one okay? If she shows up again then we'll take care of her alright?

Fine, you're a stubborn one, child. the genma conceded, the seal's glow fading entirely and the faint aura diminishing.

So are you.. Ya know with that little show it's a surprise that you and Aina don't get along better.. she retorted, chuckling to herself as she heard the beast let out a snort and she began walking away, no longer in the mood for training and wanting to calm herself down before she really did bash someone's face in.

[Kabu]

Stat training 2: Stamina (812/800)

”Are you sure about this sis?” Masami's brother, Shou, called out to her, the older Inuzuka having agreed to help her with he training and the two currently being squared off while their ninken were a few feet off to the side, little Shiro excitedly barking and pouncing on the much larger and older dog in an attempt to get him to play but the older dog simply looked at him and yawned before curling up on the grass and sleeping, somehow not being at all bothered by the pup despite the repeated pouncing and the barking.

She took a moment to look towards her little companion, laughing as she turned back towards her brother, clenching and unclenching her fists. ”Yeah, I'm sure about this. I need to get stronger, much stronger. For my sake but more importantly so that I can stand by my friend's side without holding her back.” she responded, clearly and proudly, getting into her stance as she waited for the older Inuzuka to make the first move.

Almost as if on cue and like a blur Shou dashed forward, kneeing her in the gut and following up with a kick, sending her flying back and to the ground before she had much of a chance to react, a sharp jolt of pain running through her still injured back as she landed hard on the ground. ”Alright sis but you don't stand a chance, not at all. I won't even use any Ninjutsu and I don't expect you too either.” he said with a bit of a smirk, knowing full well just how much stronger he was.

With a grunt and a groan she slowly pushed herself back to her feet and dashed towards him just as he began dashing towards her once more. With a gtin she quickly stepped to the side, pivoting as she rose her leg for a kick towards his side, only for him to block her foot with his arm before dropping and performing a leg sweep, interrupting her balance and sending her falling to the ground, or at least that's what would have happened had he not grabbed her leg as she was falling and tossed her to the side, another sharp jolt of pain coursing through her body as she landed on her back once more. ”Dammit.. Maybe I should have let myself heal more first. Who knew that Takeo's assault would have done so much damage.” she muttered to herself, very slowly getting back up. Though that's exactly why I'm doing this. I can't let anything like that happen again, and not only for my own sake. she thought to herself as she panted, trying to catch her breath.

You can do it child, just remember your goals and don't be afraid to fight dirty if you have to. the Genma suddenly spoke, which would have caused her to jump if she hadn't gotten used to it at this point.

At that she shook her head. You know as well as I do that I can't do that. Dirty fighters are the worst of the worst, just like that jerk. she told him, the beast seeming to sigh at the tension and slight amount of anger that he sensed in her thoughts.

I suppose that's a fair point, child. Though how do you plan to win? the beast asked, still not quite having understood this 'training' concept.

Aturasu, it's actually very simple. In a spar there's not really a point in winning, it's simply to get stronger through any means. For example in this particular instance I can feel myself getting more durable despite the massive amount of pain that I'm in. she told him, having tried repeatedly to explain the concept to him but never losing patience.

I don't understand. So even losing a fight can be turned into a positive experience? the beast asked, clearly still confused.

That's exactly right Aturasu, now I don't think that bro is going to wait for us to finish our conversation. she said as she cracked her knuckles and dashed towards Shou once more, throwing repeated punches, all of which the Inuzuka blocked with ease before simply grabbing her forehead holding her back as she threw wild punches, his grin growing wider and wider as he sensed her determination, which sadly wasn't going to be quite enough. He had to applaud her for trying though despite her wounds, which he could tell at this point hadn't healed quite yet.

She heavily panted as she continued throwing punches, pouting as she did so, beginning to realize that this training session was done and that sadly enough she couldn't continue much longer. Her wild punches slowed down as she collapsed into her brother's arms, hanging on as the older Inuzuka picking her up and carried her back into the house for a good rest.

[Kabu]

The Will to be Strong I Masami let out a quiet sigh, leaning against the wall of her bedroom as she stared out the window, deep in thought about recent events, particularly the other day. Takeo's words and the way that he had simply attacked her without pause still ran through her mind. Even though she was trying her hardest not to show it, it really bothered her and not for the first time she found herself questioning why she had been chosen as a Jinchuuriki, why so many people pinned their hopes on her, among other things.

The weight of her new responsibility combined with everything else that she was having to deal with was all really beginning to weigh down on her and without realizing it she had begun sobbing, falling face-first into her pillow as she did, exhaustion beginning to hit her as well. She had even begun having nightmares again, leaving her laying awake at night. ”I just don't know what to do. Maybe I really am useless.” she muttered to herself as she rolled over onto her side, clutching her pillow tight to her chest.

Lost as she was in her own thoughts she barely heard the door open, only raising her head and sitting up as she heard a heavy sigh and her sister plopped down on her bed. ”Back already sis? Was this one another disappointment?” she asked her, knowing that their mother had been setting the older girl up on dates in order to find her a mate but so far they had all been disappointing for one reason or another.

”Yeah it was, I don't know where mom keeps finding these losers but it's getting on my nerves, in more ways than one. I haven't been with a proper man in any form in ages and it's driving me crazy. They all either refuse or are completely incompetent. I think that one was even a girl.” Ayano said with a sigh. ”I think that the last time I had actually been entirely satisfied was when I had been with that Hyuuga that night.. He may have been a bit rough around the edges and a playboy but he certainly knew how to treat a woman right.” she continued, her tone turning sultry and suggestive as she recalled the memory.

”SIS! That's my best friend's brother you're talking about!” Masami shouted, intensely blushing at the way that her sister was talking, and even worse that she knew exactly what time she was talking about. Of course she was used to this kind of talk but the fact that she had been talking about her best friend's brother like that without any shame at all was a cause for embarrassment.

This of course caused Ayano to burst into a fit of giggles at the look on her face but it wasn't long before she cleared her throat and her expression flattened as she wrapped her arms around Masami, allowing the younger girl to rest against her. ”Anyways, despite all that you seemed a bit upset when I came in here and I think that it ties into the fact that you haven't been yourself lately. What's the matter kiddo?” she asked, her expression changing again into one of concern.

Masami let out a quiet sigh as she rest her head against her sister's shoulder. ”Everything.. So much is happening and I'm not sure if I can handle it all. I'm not strong at all so I have to rely on people protecting me, I'm not sure why the village chose me to be a Jinchuuriki and pin the hopes of the entire village on my shoulders, I can't help my best friend in her time of need when she was able to help me so very much, and perhaps just as importantly I'm afraid.. I'm afraid to tell my boyfriend about the Genma.. about what I've become. What if he doesn't want to be with me anymore because of this? Because of the danger that I present if I were to ever end up losing control…” she told her, tightly gripping her shirt as she let loose, crying into her shoulder as all of her worries and fears came spilling out.

”Listen to me, mom has told you this, bro has told you this, and I'm pretty damn sure that Aina has told you this but you're stronger than anyone I know because of what you've been through. You went through a loss and hardship that I can't even begin to imagine and came out so much stronger as a result of it.” Ayano said, releasing Masami as she turned her to face her and lifted up her chin to force her to look at her. ”Believe it or not.. the dislike that Aina has for me is well founded. I'm an awful big sister, I never once truly saw your pain and tried to help you through it but I'll be damned if I sit off to the side and let you go through this alone. The village chose you as the new host because they can tell how strong you really are, they believe that you have what it takes to conquer the Genma and so do I. Anyone that doesn't see that can go straight to hell!” she added, hugging her tightly as she let the tears flow, the sisters crying into each other's shoulder.

It was what felt like a few minutes before either girl spoke again and it was Ayano that spoke, lifting her head and smiling at her. ”I promise to be a better sister from now on and I'll even help you with your training. As for your boyfriend.. from what you've told me about him he should understand and who knows he may even like you more because of this.” she said with a grin and a wink causing the sniffling masami to crack a small smile and a hint of a blush to emerge on her cheeks. ”Thank you sis. I really needed that.”

”No problem, Kiddo. Now let's go, me being a better big sister starts right now.” she said, wiping away her tears as she got up off the bed and forcefully grabbed her hand, causing the girl to let out a surprised squeak though she gave no resistance as she was dragged along, simply wondering what was about to happen.

[Kabu]

~ Man-Beast Clone
D-Rank Ninjutsu
A technique similar in concept to the ~Beast-Man Clone, ~Man-Beast Clone grants the opposite effects. After completing the proper handseals, the user of this jutsu will become a clone of his/her canine familiar. While allowing for unique combination assaults, the user is unable to perform handseals, and as such, only taijutsu can be utilized by the user and his/her familiar. This technique lasts for five (5) posts.

(494/450)

---

”Alright Shiro, it's time for training! I know that we've been slacking but there are some specific techniques that we can only use now that we have each other and if we plan to get as strong as possible we need to master them.” Masami told the pup that happened to currently be running around her barking excitedly.

”It seems that the both of you are certainly eager, and that's good because you're going to need it. I told you that I was going to help you and we're going to be training until the both of you are blue in the face and collapsed from exhaustion.” Ayano said, chuckling as she joined them in the backyard, a Golden Retriever standing by her side. ”Now, we're going to get started with a very basic technique, but a useful one nonetheless. It's a Ninjutsu known as the Man-Beast Clone Technique. As it sounds it allows you to transform into a perfect copy of your companion. Now Masami give it a go. Think of it as like the Transformation Technique that you learned in the academy, it's essentially the same in function.” she said, slowly forming a set of hand seals for Masami to see as she spoke.

At that Masami nodded and formed a set of hand seals, looking at Shiro, who had stopped running around and was now sitting at her feet and looking up at her with his tongue lolled out to the side. It took all that she had to focus at the sight as it really made her want to laugh but she shook her head and formed the seals again, forming the pup's image in her mind and channeling chakra through her body when suddenly a cloud of smoke emerged around her, revealing an exact copy of the little pup standing in her place, the girl blinking as she realized that the jutsu had been a success and that everything was suddenly.. so much bigger than it had been before. It was a bit unnerving but ignoring that she stepped forward to test out her current form, wobbling as she tried to adjust to having paws and the unnatural feeling of naturally standing on four legs. She couldn't help but yelp as she suddenly lost her balance, falling to the ground. Walking like this is so much more difficult than it looks.. She thought to herself as she shakily stood up, almost immediately falling again as she stood up to her full height, well her current form's full height, but luckily managed to catch herself and after a moment of readjusting she tried padding around again, adjusting her center of balance as she walked, soon getting the hang of it and releasing the jutsu, taking a moment to readjust to her normal form. ”It's going to take a bit to get used to that, it's so disorienting.” she muttered to herself as she looked towards her sister. ”So what's next.”

[Kabu]

Stat Training 3: Mastery (866/800)

There was no time to waste, Masami knew that and as such she had been spending most of her time recently training within Mamorinuku's private training ground. On today's menu was learning how to make use of her Genma forms at will, as thus far she had only really been able to activate them with varying degrees of success and the second failed more often than not. ”I don't understand child, why are you so insistent on this? I admit that I enjoy your tenacity but thus far you haven't exactly been doing well with controlling the forms.” the Genma asked her, his voice clearly full of curiosity and unable to betray just a hint of worry for his host's sanity at attempting this of her own volition.

”That's exactly why I need to do this Aturasu. Aina's been working so hard and getting so much stronger while I'm struggling with the most basic of your powers. Back during my time in the academy and even during my Genin years, I was always the weak one, the one holding everyone back.. I still remember some people calling me a lost cause because of how patheti I was.. I need to get stronger.. much stronger, and this is just the first step.” she replied, standing up straight as she finished her daily stretches.

”You humans worry about the silliest things.” Aturasu said, almost seeming to snort as if he thought it was funny.

”And you don't worry enough you arrogant beast, now let's get started.” she snapped back.

”Someone's impatient today. Very well, try to remember how you felt when you initially entered the forms and try to control the resulting flow of chakra.” Atarusu spoke, trying to resist an exasperated sigh.

At that Masami took a deep breath and began a short period of concentration as she gathered chakra, focusing on one point in particular with that point being the Genma seal. Here we go. Let's try the form one first.” she thought to herself, dragging up the most unpleasant thoughts that she could think of one as by one as if they would help to get the process started. Soon enough the seal started lightly glowing but the glow fizzled as soon as it came, bringing a frustrated growl out of her. There was something that she was doing wrong, she just wasn't sure what it was.

Deciding to simply try the same thing once more she placed her hands together in a single seal placed all of her concentration on gathering chakra to the seal. It took several moments but soon enough her efforts were rewarded with a soft purple glow, much unlike the violent reactions that she had experienced in the past. Accompanying the glow was a flow of purple chakra that began gathering around her body, almost seeming to glow itself at times. At first it was a gentle flow but within mere moments the flow intensified, the chakra condensing into a single glowing layer of transparent purple chakra. Additionally she could feel that the antlers had increased in size. ”Did it work…?” she was about to ask when she was suddenly assaulted with a massive headache and her senses began to dull. ”Dammit.. not this time. I won't lose myself again.” she muttered, panting as she struggled to stand upright, her knees buckling and her head throbbing as she tried to stay standing and in control.

”Just give up. You'll have to give up eventually. There's only so much that a weakling can do.” a nagging voice at the back of her mind had been insisting, the same voice that she had heard every other time that she had attempted this.

”No.. no.. NO! I won't give in!” she shouted, struggling to stand completely upright, ignoring the pain that came with it. The pain that she knew would go away if she surrendered. She also knew though that that wasn't an option, it wasn't now, it wasn't in the past, and it wouldn't be even in the future.

”I have things that I need to do.. people that are counting on me.. and more people still that I can't afford to let down at all.” she grunted, clenching her teeth as she focused all of her concentration on first cutting off and stabilizing the flow of chakra being released from the seal. Once that was accomplished, with one final push she stabilized the transparent layer of chakra that had gathered around her body. With that the pain that she had just been experienced lessened and while she was now a little tired and could still feel her head lightly pounding it was more important that somehow she was still sane.

She lightly clenched her fist, looking at the barely visible layer of chakra surrounding it and smiled to herself. It was a small step but it was very important and with it she felt confident that she could further improve her mastery over Aturasu's powers and be able to better help those around her better than she ever could before ”Now.. let's just rest for a bit.” she muttered, laying on the grass and closing her eyes for a quick nap to rest up before more training.

[Kabu]

*[Ninjutsu • Shadow Clone Technique]
B-Ranked Ninjutsu
After forming the needed handseals, the user proceeds to create a number of clones of themselves (maximum is equal to the user's stamina). Unlike the Clone Technique, these clones are actual copies of the user in both appearance and substance. The user's chakra is evenly distributed among every clone, giving each clone an equal fraction of the user's overall power. The clones are capable of performing jutsu on their own and can even bleed, but they will usually disperse after one or two solid blows. The clones will be created in roughly the same condition as the original and any experience the clones gain during their existence is transferred to the user once they are dispersed. Given that the clones are an exact replica of the user, they share the same stats except for stamina, which is determined by the number of clones presently in effect.
(1160/1050)

---

Non-elemental Ninjutsu or Ninpou, proven time and time again to be one of a shinobi's greatest weapons. Having no actual weaknesses nor advantages to speak of it proves useful to have access to this particular brand of jutsu just for those instances where elements would prove to be useless or even if an individual needs to surprise an opponent with an unexpected tool.

Having that in mind that was exactly what Masami was going to be working on today. Once again she found herself in the special training ground set aside for members of Mamorinuku, scrolls next to her. She had already chosen the first technique that she was going to be working on fairly easily, the Shadow Clone Technique. Unlike the Clone Technique taught to Academy students and even the various Elemental clones, such as her own Light Clone, this technique not only creates solid clones but those clones are in addition much more durable, have the ability to relay information back to the user upon being destroyed and have access to any technique that the user had in their arsenal. Unfortunately they took a pretty heavy toll on the user as half of the user's chakra was distributed to them but it was more than worth it for the versatility that came along with the technique.

”Alright, let's do this.” she spoke to nobody in particular, Shiro seeming to be in agreement as he barked up at her. The pup had been energetic but lately he seemed to be particularly eager for some reason.

Anyways, having already read through the details earlier and memorizing the basic process, she got straight to work, first forming the necessary hand seals and gathering chakra. Just as with any other clone she then gathered her chakra, imagining it molding into a specific form as she did so, in this case her very own form. Once she had the mold in mind she began the physical process, molding the gathered chakra into the desired shape. She waited several moments and released the chakra.. and nothing happened.

Tilting her head in puzzlement, she let out a quiet sigh and turned towards the appropriate scroll, deciding to consult it to see what she could have possibly done wrong. Let's see here.. Gather chakra.. did that. Mold into the appropriate form.. did that too. I guess that it's up to trial and error at this point. Oh well, nothing to be done about it except to keep trying I suppose. she thought to herself, frowning and resisting the urge to let out another sigh. This was going to be much more difficult than she had originally anticipated.

Taking a moment to stretch she took a deep breath and once more formed the appropriate hand seals, once again gathering chakra and imagining it molding into her form. Concentrating as hard as she could on that image she released the concentrated chakra, a veil of smoke popping up, a silhouette appearing within, though both the cloud and silhouette vanished just as soon as they had appeared. Well, it seemed that she had gotten a bit closer that time but it still wasn't enough. She had at least managed to make it appear for a brief second though so it was a step up from just before, so at least she knew that she was doing -something- right. ”Alright, let's give this another try.” she muttered to herself, forming the hand seals once more and repeating the entire process for the third time. Once again concentrating as hard as she could on the image in her mind she shifted her focus to physically forming that image, chakra coalescing around her, the chakra being released as another cloud of smoke poofed into existence right next to her. Biting on her bottom lip she nervously waited for the cloud to clear, groaning in exasperation at the sight that appeared before her once it had. This time she had gotten even further, actually having managed to create the clone without it disappearing right away. Unfortunately it was a mess. It didn't even really look all that human. The proportions were all wrong, it was mangled, and it looked like it could crumble with the slightest push. Deciding to see how solid it actually was she gave it a light kick, to which it fell over but didn't disappear immediately. A small crossed her lips at this as it meant that she was finally getting somewhere. At the very least it was unexpectedly solid and that was definitely a step in the right direction. Feeling somewhat pleased with herself she gave the defective clone a couple more kicks, it disappearing into a cloud of smoke after the last kick. She knew that with this she was incredibly close, all it would take was one more push and she had to give it everything that she had.

Instead of trying immediately again this time she had to take a moment to rest, beginning to feel a bit winded from the chakra that she had been expending. It was only a moment though before she formed the hand seals one more time, keeping every step in mind, focusing on forming the chakra into the desired shape before releasing it once more. Holding her breath she waited for the resulting smoke cloud to dissipate, her eyes seeming to sparkle at the sight of what appeared to be a perfect Shadow Clone emerging from it. At first not believing that she had actually been successful she poked at it, gasping as her hand seemed to make contact with a fleshy cheek. She blinked in surprise as she poked at it again and again, stopping only once she was positive that she had finally gotten it right. ”I think that I actually did it this time..” she muttered to herself, smiling from ear to ear. She felt absolutely drained and exhausted but she was also excited, excited that she had finally managed to get it right. ”I must say though.. I look pretty good.” she spoke, admiring the clone's every detail.. from the perfect proportions to the exact facial structure.. and even to the fact that it had matching ears and tail to her. It was all so lifelike, completely unlike any other clone that she had seen up to this point. Elemental clones had flaws related to their element and the Academy Clone technique was illusionary but this.. this was so lifelike.. it was a perfect match, appearing like a perfect human in every way despite just being a giant mass of chakra. It was almost scary how uncanny the resemblance was.

Feeling satisfied she let the clone disappear, leaning back against a nearby tree as she did. I should take a short rest.. that was incredibly draining. she thought to herself as she closed her eyes, Shiro curling up on her lap as the pair decided to take a quick catnap before getting back to work.

[Kabu]

II It was a beautiful day, perfect for hanging around with others, shopping, or even training, but Masami didn't feel like doing a thing. Currently she was in a rather secluded part of the village away from prying eyes, aside from those who she knew would be following her, and laying on the grass. She had barely gotten a chance to rest for a long time now and she was just tired, exhausted actually. She felt absolutely drained mentally and physically.

Right now though she was at peace simply relaxing on the grass, away from the hustle and bustle of what seemed to be her everyday and she felt sleep soon claiming her, her sleeping face showing just how peaceful she was at that very moment.

---

”MOMMA! LET'S GO!” a girl who appeared to be a younger Masami without the dog-like features or any sign of the pain that would follow in her later years. This was a day that she remembered perfectly, she was ten years old and on this day she and her mother would be heading out into the forest where she would obtain the ninken that would become her lifetime partner.

”Yeah yeah, I'm coming. Are you.. sure you're ready for this?” her mother asked the question as she entered the room with a raised brow. It was well known that Masami wasn't exactly strong physically and was incredibly clumsy so she was of course worried about her youngest daughter in the forest even if she would be there with her.

”Momma you worry too much, I'll be fine! Now let's go!” the young girl practically shouted in her excitement and grabbed her mother's hand dashing out the door and towards the entrance of the forest, earning more than a few giggles from the other mothers heading towards the forest with their, only slightly less enthusiastic sons and daughters.

Of course this was a big day so it was only natural for the kids to be excited but Masami's excitement was almost abnormal, though perhaps not considering that she had always had a special bond with animals even among members of their clan.

In what seemed like a manner of moments they were at the edge of Konoha and Masami slowed down her mad dash knowing that she had to be careful both not to hurt herself or to scare the dogs or other forest creatures. Soon enough their true destination came into sight, a clearing with several pregnant females laying around and pups of every breed and variety of personalities running about.

Masami's eyes grew wide as she let go of her mother's hand, the woman standing behind to watch as the pups gathered around the young girl, some sniffing her, others simply watching, and the rest seeming to either not notice her or keeping their distance. ”They're all so cute.. I'm going to have a tough time choosing.” she quietly spoke in awe at the sheer variety of pups.

Walking further into the clearing her eyes fell upon one pup in particular, a pup who likewise looked at her for just a moment before turning his head away and proceeding to violently pounce on another nearby pup. What a prick.. she thought to herself, unable to get her mind off of that one pup even as she played with the others. There was just something about him.. something that she liked about his attitude, as horrible as it was.

The next day proceeded much the same way but during the second night she found herself unable to fall asleep and as such sat against a tree trunk, looking up at the stars. She had always enjoyed stargazing, something about it being incredibly relaxing to her. She allowed herself a small smile as her gaze was enraptured by the night sky just as it had on countless other nights. However her concentration was soon broken by a light bark coming from beside her and she looked over to find that violent, arrogant little pup sitting next to her, he also looking up towards the sky. ”You like looking up at the stars too huh?” she asked him, absentmindedly reaching over to scratch behind his ear as her gaze returned upwards. She was answered not by a bark or any other sound but rather by the pup climbing into her lap and looking up towards her, reaching up just far enough to lick the tip of her chin.

”You're not so bad.. I think that we can become good friends.” she spoke down to him, her smile widening as they continued watching the stars, drifting off to sleep at some point.

The next morning came far too quickly, or at least it seemed that way due to the fact that she had been up for most of the night, but regardless she had made her choice. Her mom was surprised at the unlikely bond the two had formed in just one night but she wasn't about to question it and the woman simply turned and led the way out of the forest and back towards their home.

”Bye puppies! Alright let's go Ao!” she yelled towards her new partner while waving and dashing back towards where her mother was waiting, the pup answering with a mighty bark as he ran after his master.

---

”It's been ages since I had that dream.” Masami muttered to herself as she awoke, pushing herself up off the grass.

Her meeting with Ao felt like it had happened just yesterday even with everything else since and as she recalled the memories she felt a single tear flowing down her cheeks, though she knew that for once it was a happy tear, one accompanied by a small smile.

”I miss you Ao.. and thank you.”

[Kabu]

III It was strange to think just how peaceful the village had become since rebuilding, besides a few setbacks everyone seemed to find themselves at ease more often recently and Masami was no exception. She was finally getting over what had happened to her and was even beginning to adjust to her responsibilities as a Jinchuuriki, and it finally was beginning to feel as if she could relax and enjoy every day as it came.

Today she was taking a leisurely stroll through the village, looking around at the results of the reconstruction, the new buildings and all the happy faces. It was hard to believe that not long ago they had still been in a state of relative panic.

Her good mood however was about to come to an abrupt end as she suddenly heard children's laughter along with joyful footsteps coming from behind her. Now, normally this would have been a pleasant sight but, along with it she heard a familiar sound, and as she turned around towards it she bore witness to an incredibly unpleasant scene, one bringing back years worth of painful childhood memories that she would rather had stayed forgotten.

There was a little girl, probably no more than eight years old though obviously small for her age, laying on the pavement bawling as a group of three other kids ran the other way, laughing. Masami was practically seething with rage at the sight, though a nudge at the back of her mind reminded her to take a deep breath and take a moment to calm down. Getting too angry right now wouldn't help anyone, there was one thing that she needed to do right now.

Pushing her anger down for the time being she ran over to the girl and helped her up off the ground, doing her best to gently shh the girl and help her to calm down. It took a while but eventually the girl's sobs died down to mere sniffles and she looked up towards Masami, her head tilted curiously to the side as she reached up for one of the woman's ears, pausing partway. She giggled at the action and tilted her head to the side, just far enough for the girl to reach, as a silent gesture that it was okay. The girl's face practically lit up as she touched one of her ears and gave it a little scratch, giggling as Masami tilted her head in further, obviously enjoying the scratches.

They stayed like that for a couple minutes, both of them much more cheerful by the time the girl stopped her petting. ”That's a much better look for you. A smile suits everybody.” she suddenly spoke to the girl, smiling herself as she reached down and ruffled the girl's hair.

”Thank you lady! I gotta go get my toy back from those meanies now.” the girl suddenly spoke, Masami standing as she did, the girl looking up at her in wonder.

”I'll help you. I know how it feels to be bullied.” Masami responded, offering her hand to the tiny girl.

The girl looked up at her in surprise at the unexpected response, blinking once before breaking out into a bright smile and taking her hand. ”Okay!” she brightly spoke, obviously happy at having help.

With that the pair ran off in search of the group that the girl, whose name Masami learned was Ayame, had been chasing. It seemed that this was a fairly common occurrence and it really made Masami wonder.. How could children be so cruel to each other? It hurt to realize that even in a village like theirs there were still people that would prey on those weaker than themselves, and it hurt even more to realize that it hadn't changed one bit since she herself had been a child. She had been slow and clumsy as a child and that had often led some of the bigger kids to take advantage of her weaknesses to pick on her. It had never really stopped until after she had met Aina, though to this very day she still wasn't entirely sure why it had stopped at all.

Anyways, it seemed that Ayame noticed her thoughts as she stopped walking and looked up at her, taking note of the complex expression that had crossed her face. ”Are you okay?” she asked.

Admittedly the question caught Masami off guard and was enough to partially rbeak her away from her thoughts. This kid was definitely sharp, or maybe simply empathetic, she couldn't really be sure at the moment. ”Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine. Just.. remembered some stuff that I would much rather forget.” Masami responded, a bit absentmindedly as she was still somewhat lost in thought. After a moment though she shook her head to rid her mind of the negativity before it clouded her better judgment. This was no time to be thinking about that, that was in the past and she had something much more important to do right now. An innocent little girl had had something taken from her and she was helping her to get it back.

Not fully convinced, Ayame tugged at her hand and the two resumed walking off, rounding a corner and finally coming into sight of the group from earlier. It was only a group of around three kids, all looking to be around Ayame's age. Unfortunately poor Ayame was terrified of the group, as she hid behind Masami's legs almost instantly, and she couldn't really blame her either. These kids were much bigger, and at such a young age such a height difference would definitely be pretty terrifying.

Taking a deep breath, she went around the corner, pulled the petrified girl out from behind her and knelt down so their faces would be a bit closer. ”I know that you're scared. Heck, I know how it feels to be scared of someone so much bigger than you, from childhood and even now. You need to stand up for yourself though, I learned that the hard way.” she quietly spoke, giving the girl an encouraging smile. ”You can do it. Us tiny, clumsy girls can do anything we put our minds to.”

Ayame blankly looked at her for a moment, nervously shifting as if she wanted to run away. After several moments she lightly nodded. ”Will you at least come with me?” she asked quietly, obviously still hesitant though at the same time somehow determined.

Masami's reply was simply a silent nod and she stood, peeking around as the corner as she watched the event unfold, silently hoping that the girl would find the strength she needed in the moment itself.

She almost couldn't believe what she saw in the next few moments. It was a familiar sight at first, with teasing and pushing but it was what happened next that she couldn't believe. Just as it seemed Ayame had finally been broken and the waterworks started she punched the girl who appeared to be the leader of the group. It wasn't damaging at all but it was enough to provide enough of a distraction for her to grab her prize, a stuffed puppy, off the ground and dash away while the others were too stunned to move.

The girl was beaming with pride as Masami grabbed her free hand and ran along with her in the other direction, both girls giggling as they ran, both of them ecstatic for different reasons. They stopped running to catch their breath upon reaching the market district and Ayame proudly showed the stuffed toy to Masami. It was a stuffed beagle pup, and from the looks of it, it seemed like it had meant a lot to the young girl which made Masami that much happier that they had been able to get it back. ”Thank you for helping me stand up to my bullies.” Ayame spoke, Masami ruffling her hair in response. ”No problem kiddo. Now what do you say we get hooo...” she spoke, trailing off as she finally noticed the red splotches on the young girl's cheeks. So she was an Inuzuka.. no wonder that toy meant so much to her. It was more than sentimental value, it was a means to teach her the value of companionship before the time came.. and it was practically part of the family.

Smiling she reached out her hand once more, her smile only growing wider as the girl grasped it. Once it came time for Ayame to get a companion of her own Masami knew that whatever she picked, they would become best friends and she would know exactly how to treat them. The girl definitely reminded her of herself... ”Let's go home.” she finished speaking, the little girl nodding. ”Yeah!”

[Kabu]

*Fuuinjutsu • Tool Storage
D-Rank Storage Fuuinjutsu
After drawing a seal formula on a surface, appropriate in size to the weapon being sealed but no larger than 3x9 inches, the user forms the needed hand seals then may place as many of that singular object into the scroll as desired. When done, the user performs another set of hand seals and touches the seal closing it off as the seal condenses to the shape of the object stored. This seal is the only known sealing applications that allows depth storage and unfortunately this cannot be done at larger sizes. Tools can only be released at a maximum of 10 at a time, and are released with zero force.
517/500

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Fuuinjutsu, the art of sealing. As her best friend and Genin teammate, Hyuuga Aina, was a user of the art, Masami had witnessed it in action hundreds of times over the years yet had never really put much stock in it until more recently. She had begun studying in earnest, hoping to learn more about the seal that rested on her stomach to keep the genma in check, and during the process had begun to understand just how useful it could be to have even just a few techniques in her arsenal.

As such she found herself in her usual training area, away from distractions and surrounded by the necessary materials to begin training in the art of Fuuinjutsu. First up was a basic weapon sealing technique, though while basic it was still complex in its own way, as the seal would need to be of the exact size of what she wanted to seal in order for it to work. So she would need to make sure that the seal itself was properly drawn before actually attempting anything further.

First things first, she pulled out a kunai for size comparison and then got to work, slowly and carefully sketching a seal formula onto a blank scroll, periodically stopping to compare it to the kunai she had set aside and also comparing to examples in a book she had lain out in front of her. Her first attempt was, very shoddy to say the least, the seal turning out to be far too small.

Frowning, she set aside her first attempt and grabbed another fresh scroll, this time much more closely following the examples in the book rather than making another attempt on her own for the time being, though it seemed that just a little more improvement was needed on her own end as the seal still wasn't quite the right size, still being just a tad too small to fit any items.

Luckily, the third attempt went much better, the seal turning out to be a bit misshapen but luckily the right size, so it should still work as it was close enough to what was shown in the book..

With that done it was time for the next step, actually sealing the items inside. The particular technique she was practicing could seal any number of weapons but she was going to start with just one for now. Taking a deep breath she formed the necessary handseals and placed a single kunai into the seal, her eyes lighting up as it seemed to be successfully sealed.

With that there was just one last step, closing off the seal. She formed another set of handseals and knelt down, placing her palm on the seal and watching as the size and shape of the seal seemed to condense to fit the kunai that had been sealed inside. It seemed that it really had worked properly but just in case, she decided to test it, forming a single handseal and watching as the weapon seemed to pop back into existence. It seemed that this had been a success.