[Kitiara]

"Survival Above All"

Suna was a place where the sun often shined brightly in the sky. It's population felt this on a daily basis, as it's rays tanned the skin of it's in habitants and kept the city hot nearly year round. There was one time of day where this would not be the case however. The dead of night. 

It was the optimal time for students such as Kitiara to hone their skills if they didn't want to work in the abnormal heat. Even though she was no fan of extra credit work, the sooner she mastered the techniques of the academy, the sooner she would become a real genin. Getting a paycheck needed to be her top priority, as it was the only way to keep her off the streets.

On this particular evening, she would begin her night by putting down a broom... "Bye Mrs. Arisoka! I'll see you tomorrow!" She'd giggle as she left her local convince store. The old lady who ran the place was kind, and very fair with her pay. Of course, it would never be enough. Kit could barely afford food. It was nights like this one that reminded her why she was training.

The girl just wanted a comfortable and safe life... 

208@n/A

[Kitiara]

"Survival Above All"

Figuring it would be better to train then to head home, the girl would begin making her way across town to the academy training grounds. She was lucky the place was open twenty-four seven. Not that too many others were around at this hour. 

Kitiara would open a wooden fence that lead to a sandy lot. In the middle stood three training dummies, each propped up with a large stick. At her side was a small pack filled with her various training instruments. rubber kunai and shuriken... It was practically embarrassing she wasn't allowed to use actual weapons yet. At least that would chance once she was a Genin.

She would let out a sigh before speaking softly to herself, "At least it won't be much longer before I become a true ninja... No more fake weapons or lame training... No more scraping by."

In frustration, she would grab one of the shuriken from her hip and angrily throw it toward the direction of the main dummy. "Grah!" She would shout. The weapon would cut through the wind, making a whooshing sound before striking the target's chest area. The false weapon would then bounce off it, gently hitting the ground...   

200@n/A

[Kitiara]

"Survival Above All"

Kit would watch her thrown weapon hit the groud, expressionless at first. The lack luster damage her weapon inflicted would only remind herself of how far she was from becoming a real ninja. The girl felt that she was doing everything in her power to become a Genin, but even with that she would have huge doubts.

Anxieties, worries, disappointment. These were all things that she directed at herself. In the moment, she would shed a single tear from her left eye. It would be quickly wiped away, as she shook her head. Sure she was only an academy student for the time being, but someday she would achieve her dream. 

Grabbing more of the training weapons from her side, the girl would launch an assortment of kunai toward the other two dummies. All would bounce off the targets however, rubber didn't offer the best piercing force. "It doesn't matter, I'll practice every jutsu I can until I become the best paid shinobi in Suna... Then I'll finally be able to leave..."

The young girl would walk directly up to the targets and pick up her thrown items. Of course, they were still in working condition. She would then carefully return each item to the proper spot in her bag. The young girl was just getting started out here. 

219@n/A

[Kitiara]

"Survival Above All"

Kit could already see images of her adopted dad in her head, berating her for trying to be something special. She knew she could leave the man some day, but didn't know how long it would take. How much money did she owe him anyway? How long did he expect her to pay him for? There were many unanswered questions. Questions a ten year old girl was far too scared to pose. 

With a sigh, she would hear the man in her thoughts: "What a dumb kid... Delusions of grandeur and riches. Those are MY riches. I took you out of the desert! Your life, your money, belongs to me." She would cringe to herself, obviously unpleased.

She had, in fact, heard those words before. It would not be the last time either. For now though, her focus needed to be on training. She couldn't change the past, only shape the future.

With that, the girl would grasp another handful of Kunai, and toss the blades with far more precision this time. Each would strike the head of a different target before bouncing back to the ground. If those had been real opponents, they would probably be dead or incapacitated... At least she seemed to be improving.

207@n/A