Mind's Eye [Training | No Kill | Solo]

There was something about the sky when it changed to night. The darkness that it emitted, and the stars that it gave freedom to. Something about it was incredibly different from the sunny side. That other side had no stars. There was nothing shown that could display the mysteries of space. Hardly a place for the moon to dwell in. While the sun occupied the day, the beauty of the moon could make its appearance in the night. Such a sight-- the moon in all of its glory-- brought happiness to the citizens of Getsugakure. To those of a certain clan, especially. The Ōtsutsuki clan, was the name of that particular clan. A clan destined to be one with the moon. And, to one of the members of the clan, gazing upon the moon became a routine. “What is it that lies beyond this world? The unknown that plagues us with these questions; it gives us a hope,” said a young woman standing atop the roof of a towering building. Her lavender eyes were fixated on the sight of the moonlit village around her. “To answer these unanswered questions, we must take part in a quest. For someone such as-”

“My dear little princess,” an older male’s voice called out, interrupting the youth’s words in more of a casual manner. The young maiden lowered her gaze from the sky and turned her body around to face the one who cut into the moment. Standing before her was a middle-aged man wearing the traditional garbs of the clan, unlike her. She preferred to go with her own style. “It is about time to take part in your training.” The man had buzzed, white hair and aging eyes. Around his forehead was a cloth with the village’s symbol. The girl, who he referred to as “little princess”, stared with eyes feeling uninterested. All she had done since her time in the Academy was train and train some more. It only took her a short time to graduate. “Come down to the courtyard. There, we can begin the next session of training before you are recognized.”

“Recognized?” the kunoichi asked, following after her elder. Their steps were light as they worked their way down to ground level. She was curious about what this recognition was about. Was it something that concerned her graduation from the Academy? No, it couldn't have been. That took place over a year ago. So, it had to be something else. "What is it that I am being recognized for, Grandfather? And why have I not been informed of this sooner?"

The man chuckled and shook his head, "It is not yet time for the information to be disclosed to you, child. Keep it in the back of your mind for now. In due time, your questions will be answered. Now, let us go and work on your training. There is much to learn, and so little time before you must take care of your ninja duties."

"Yes, Grandfather," she responded in a low voice, and followed him until they arrived at the courtyard. Like all of the nights before, it was empty, save for the two of them. This courtyard was located just inside the clan's compound. So, villagers of Getsugakure were not seen there very often. The only time they were in the courtyard was when there were celebrations of some sort. "What am I to practice with today? Shuriken or Ninjutsu?"

"Neither," he said bluntly, guiding her to the center of the courtyard. Once there, he picked up two objects and tossed one to her. It took her by surprise, but she was able to catch it. "Tonight, it is a lesson in Kenjutsu. I'm certain you've heard of it at some point in your life. I have been meaning to give you a better presentation about it, but there just wasn't any time. A lot has been going on lately, so the lesson has been moved up to today. Now, Miki, there are a few techniques that I want to show to you today. These three techniques will be the only ones I teach you. The rest, you will have to learn on your own. Same goes for everything else you may want to learn. After all, a ninja can't have his or her hand held their entire lives."

"I see," Miki nodded, and gazed down at the makeshift sword. "Alright, then. Show me these sword techniques and I will do my best to understand."

Sentence Count: 65

The training was going to begin at any second. However, there was a bit of an abrupt change. It occurred when Miki was about to observe her temporary mentor's skill with the practice sword. "Grandfather?" her voice was low, but clear enough for the older man to stop partway in his motions of swinging the sword. 

His eyes gazed at her, waiting, "Yes?"

"Do you ever wonder about what's out there?" Miki went on to say. "You don't have to answer that, but... Ever since I looked up at the moon, I felt like I should go out and see the world."

"That must mean you wish to avoid today's lesson," he chuckled, and straightened his composure. She could only give him a small smile and a brief nod. It was true, though. Miki was eager to go out and follow this urge. "Very well then. You could learn quite a lot out there, but beware of the dangers. Not everyone is like our people."

"Thank you..."

SC: 18

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