[Uchiha Kai]

Rain and thunder fell from the skies near the town of Kawa. Officially, Kai was here on Shinobi business- Investigating some of the missing persons in the area, though it was purely observational investigation. He wasn't quite the Shinobi that could go deeply into fighting the dangers in this area.

But none of that really mattered right now. His hoodie was up, armor adjusted on his form as he sat upon a rather high up branch. The trees here were huge- And the branches and leaves also provided excellent cover from the rain. Kai was currently waiting for the storm to come down, but truth be told, it'd be hours, even half a day before it was possible to travel in this weather.

Thank goodness Kai kept a good amount of supplies on him. Right now he was munching on some candy, a few burnt out cigarettes next to him on his 'tree camp' and a hole in the wood used as a shelter. His weapon was placed nearby, up against the wooden wall of the hole- And in his hands was a small book. A manga, at that. Some story about a man getting hit by a cart and being reborn into a world with strange projectile firing explosives. What a crazy concept.

In all truth, he had no idea what was coming for him. He had finished his mission, had his writings down on a fireproof notepad, and generally was just happy to sit here and spend the rest of his day relaxing after his espionage. 

If only he knew Kawa was the perfect place for people, including Shinobi, to go missing. If only he knew the dangers that lurked around every corner. If only he knew the woman who had snapped, and was currently after him. Who had found her chance to catch him completely in the open.

But he knew none of that. He just enjoyed the rain, practicing one-handed seals with his free hand as he continued to flip through his book.

[Ronin]

Life wasn't fair.

All her life, Nomi had struggled. Everything she had, she had worked for. All her successes had been hard earned, blood bought. She had gotten to her present station in life, just by striving, by not giving up, most importantly, by not slacking. And yet, to her own despair, Nomi had never been able to activate her Sharingan. The pride of the Uchiha Clan, what made them famous and feared among the nations, not only did Nomi not have the honor of being able to claim it, she also had the displeasure of having to live through the shame of seeing the little shit people called her brother, having it. Wasting it.

This was all that occupied her mind. Perhaps, if only Nomi had taken the time and compassion to understand what the 'little shit' had gone through, maybe she would be more understanding of why he had this gift and she didn't. In a way, Nomi was her own problem. Having the privilege (which she never cared to notice) of being her parents' favorite, having been trained by the elite to be an elite, had made her so skilled (and so protected) that she, even having risen quickly through the ninja ranks, had never really been brought into a position where she was really fighting for her life. She had never experienced the rawest and most visceral emotions that activated the Sharingan.

All that did not matter. Someone needed a lesson. The little shit who had disgraced the Uchiha Clan. Despite her not having the Sharingan, Nomi had passed the Chuunin exams when she had taken them. Kai had come home without shame, even after being blessed with the Sharingan and disgracing the entire clan by having the gumption to fail due to his cursed laziness. She would correct this.

The faint whiff of cigarette smoke caused Nomi to raise her eyes. Even though it was difficult to do so with the heavy rain, she knew she had found her target. "Namake..." she said, the vitriol in her voice powerful enough to cause Kai, up in the tree, to hear it.

Uchiha Kai

[Uchiha Kai]

Well, she was right on most fronts- Except for the unlocking of his Sharingan. Not that she likely paid much attention to things like that anyways, but Kai earned his Sharingan after his first failed Chuunin exam. It was a minor detail though, and likely one that would slip under such an angry woman's nose.

Of course, Kai had been through hell and hardship since then, as he heard a voice call out a name that nobody called him...

Except for his sister, and his family members. Kai squinted, staring up at the rain. Immediately, he had to wonder- Why was his sister here, of all places? Second, how the hell did she manage to find him? Third, what did she want with him?

He took another cigarette out of his pouch. In an interesting twist, these cinnamon scented cigarettes had a calming effect on the nerves. Nothing that could benefit someone in a fight, but they were certainly something to work with as Kai stood up, glanced over the branch, and sighed.

"...Nomi? ... What uh, do I owe the pleasure?" Cordially, he was polite with his family, even if they tended not to give him any respect back. Even if his use of honorifics was lacking at best, he still deeply cared for his parents and his sister, even if they- Had less than positive thoughts about him.

He lit his smoke with a single seal and a zapping shock to his cigarette, before he puffed away and waited for her to explain herself. At least the rain wasn't going to pour on them as much, from where they were both standing.

[Ronin]

Nomi could not help but bristle at the sound of his voice. So irritating. He sounded so calm, so unbothered. How could he live with himself? She gritted her teeth in rage and looked up at him. So smug... she would wipe that smugness off his face. Of course, Nomi did not notice Kai's politeness; in most cases, even the best of actions one made would be interpreted poorly by those who judged said person in an unflattering light. All Nomi could see was that he had the audacity to have a cigarette in his mouth while talking to her.

With a Body Flicker, she appeared on the same branch as Kai, and drew her ninjato, aiming at the cigarette, with the intention of cutting off the burning end of it. If Kai did not move, her slash would also draw a thin line of blood from his cheek, the blade just barely touching his skin. Part of her reason for doing this was to wipe his supposed smugness off his face, but also, there was this perverse desire to see his Sharingan, to see it and be further incensed by her own supposed lack of progress.

Whether Kai saved his cigarette from being cut or not, the Chuunin would then attempt to thrust her open palm at him, with the intention of shoving him roughly off the tree. "Have you no shame?! I was expecting that your pathetic showing at the Chuunin exam would be enough motivation to drive you off your lazy ass and get to training more seriously. And yet, here you are, slacking. No sense of responsibility whatsoever." Her eyes burned with rage. "It seems you did not learn anything from the Chuunin exams. I think an important lesson is in order."

Uchiha Kai

[Uchiha Kai]

He didn't expect an assault so quickly. He pulled a drag from his smoke- But in an instant, it was cut in half- A slice across his cheek going with it as he felt a trickle of blood drip down onto his chin.

In true fashion, his Sharingan spun to life, his eyes taking in the serious nature of the situation as he looked down towards the woman attempting to open palm him. With his enhanced vision on his side, he was able to more easily discern the nature of this attack, and countered by stepping right while shoving his opponents wrist away from him, the palm meeting open air instead.

His freehand moved to his weapon- The so-aptly named Dragon's Bite- as he swung it around and pointed it towards the woman- Though she'd likely be able to see that this wasn't an attack so much as a defense, listening to her small rant.

"Not- That you'd pay attention either way, but- I promise you, sister, I've been working hard since my failures as a Shinobi. Since the deaths of my team." He put a sharp emphasis on that last part, a clear sting to his entire life. A failure he'd forever live with. A trauma he'd never escape.

It was something she might never understand- The true pain of loss for the sake of these silly eyes- If he could go back and change it all, he would. He'd give up his eyesight completely if it meant that day, he could have done differently- He could have done better.

"And not that I expected anyone to show up- But I did pass the Kumogakure exams last year. I'm quite on my way to becoming a Chuunin, just like you. I would have thought you'd be proud to hear that." Most folk would be quite a bit more upset that their sibling had just attacked them in plain daylight, but Kai was... Far to lenient with his family.

In a sense, he let them push him around, because he was taught from a young age that his family was the most important thing he had. He just assumed that getting hazed and attacked by family members was a normal part of ones life- A way to strengthen them up.

But he'd still defend himself if need be. He didn't want to appear weak in front of his sister, even if he came off as a bit lazy.

Now equipped with his weapon and with his protective armor over his body, he seemed like a much more active combatant. Something the woman would note for sure was the ease in which he moved in the protective gear- It was as if it was a certain layer of skin, and a non-insignificant amount of strength went into that. Although his movements were as slow as ever, they had step and prose to them that showed he was utilizing his skills to the fullest degree.

Work smarter, not harder.

[Ronin]

There it was! The blood-red eyes! The Sharingan! Nomi's twisted desire to see her brother reveal what had for so long eluded her was granted. And as she had hoped, it only served to fan the embers of animosity into flame. He did not deserve them. For a moment, she wondered if it were possible to steal his eyes... take them for herself. There were many stories in the clan of shinobi who had done so.

The desire to have Kai's eyes for herself was increased with his response to her attempt to remove him from the branch on which he stood. Nomi was sure that without those eyes, he would have been hurtling towards the ground. Instead, he had impressively, loath as she was to admit it, turned her attack aside, and drawn his own sword. For a moment, a feeling of fear gripped her heart, fear that even as lazy as he was, simply by gaining the Sharingan, he was close to meeting, and even surpassing her. That could not be allowed.

Another thing Nomi noticed, to no little dissatisfaction, was the way he moved, even in the armor he wore. Normally, she expected that he would move slower, that the weight of it would be a burden, but Kai's movements, subtle as they were, revealed he was as comfortable in the armor, as if he was wearing a well-fitting jacket. "Proud?!" Nomi retorted, somehow not hearing half of the things Kai had said about his own suffering. "You want me to be proud that you, who were gifted those eyes that you don't deserve, squandering all the good fortune life bestows on you, would pass an exam that I passed without your advantages?!! You're disgusting!!! Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!"

The fireball was released in Kai's direction, but Nomi knew he would be able to see and respond with his eyes. What she intended was to use the fireball as a distraction, while she would quickly zip to the side, hoping to se him while he responded to her fireball. Then she would charge him, aiming a powerful kick at his midsection.

Uchiha Kai

[Uchiha Kai]

A punch to the metaphorical gut, it seemed his sister had no care for him passing the exams. If anything, she seemed to hate him even more for this information. Kai shouldn't have been surprised, but it still hurt to hear coming from ones sister. Which is why when she performed a Katon Jutsu, he barely had time to Shunshin no Jutsu out of the way- Only to get blindsided by a kick to the abdomen. He twirled down towards the ground, landing with a hard thud into the mud and dirt below, as the tree that was behind him was set ablaze by the flames. That was probably bad for the environment!

Still, Kai got up, hardly down and out yet- The fall had hurt more than the kick, his armor able to take the force of most handheld blows with a good amount of guts as he held his massive war glaive up towards the woman.

"Deserve... Deserve?! I..." He felt frustrated. He was talking to a wall here, and the wall was fighting uphill. What the hell was he going to do...? He shook his head and steeled himself.

It was clear his sister wanted a fight.

"Fine. If you want a fight so badly, Nomi, I will give you one!" Seven seals were formed with but a single hand- Another impressive trait that Kai had been working on- Before he swung his hand up to his face.

"Katon: Karyuu Endan!" A bit more impressive of a technique then usual, a stream of fire was shot from Kai's mouth. It formed into that of a raging dragon, roaring towards his sister with fierce velocity and power, splitting into three to aim to smash into her from a distance.

[Ronin]

Nomi noted with some displeasure that her kick had not been as painful as she had hoped it would be, though the fall would have to have hurt her brother (that was a lot more satisfying to see). She would have to aim for Kai's less armored areas, or use stronger jutsu to wreck havoc on his armor. In any case, Nomi was certain that Kai would not be a problem for her to toss around. He was a sluggard, after all, while she had been working all her life.

Standing on the branch and being able to look down on Kai was somewhat pleasing, but not altogether enjoyable, seeing as he had an angry expression on his face. What would be perfect was when she had reduced him to a pathetic mess. It seemed that Kai had finally realized that Nomi had not come here to reason with him. She watched as he performed handseals, a little bit surprised that he was only using one hand to perform them. Surely, he wasn't that impressive.

And yet, it seemed Kai had really improved. Not only did he execute a jutsu with one-handed seals, it was a quite impressive one as well. Nomi knew the Karyuu Endan; that Kai knew it too meant that he had perhaps not been slacking. But instead of this realization making Nomi admit that her brother had been more hardworking than she or her family had given him credit for, it only ended up infuriating her.

Fortunately for Nomi, she was a quick thinker, and quick with her hands as well. Running through four handseals, she released a burst of fire from her mouth. "Katon: Hi Sutairu no Kabe!" Even as the fire released from her mouth created a wall to prevent Kai's fire dragon from blasting her as she tried to get off the tree, Nomi jumped backwards off the branch, throwing four shuriken at Kai as she descended, to prevent him from attacking her while she fell.

"You can't even explain yourself! You don't deserve those eyes!! You can't even prove you deserve them!!!" She was practically ranting at this point.

Uchiha Kai

[Uchiha Kai]

As she began to perform a defensive Jutsu to protect herself, Kai knew he had to act fast. She'd talk a lot- He knew she'd talk a lot, she was really good at that- But Kai was still keeping up. He kicked off the ground, the hand holding his weapon now held with tight with a two handed grip, as he began to move in slow, long strides towards her drop point.

The key to fighting a falling opponent was to understand where they were going to hit the ground, not hit them while they were moving. At least, in his eyes. And as she threw her Shuriken at him, he had the perfect counter for such a technique. As he moved, his weapon moved with him- A dance of fire and flame as his Chakra laced weapon reaped the very air around him. What seemed like random movements of his weapon were actually masterfully practiced strikes of his glaive, which, in access with his form of fighting, seemed to very similarly mimic the Ryū no Mai [Dragon Dance] stance!

"The fact that you think I'm gifted, and not cursed, tells me all I need to know, sister!" Another swing came to meet her with the blunt end of his weapon as she touched ground. It'd hurt like hell, but he was clearly not aiming to kill his sister. Maybe she felt different, but he had no intention on murdering her- Just knocking some sense into her.

[Ronin]

Nomi had to admit she was shocked to see Kai responding to her attacks. She did not want to admit, but it seemed to be getting more and more difficult to reject the notion that her little brother, the one she, and the rest of her family, had always looked down on, had actually been improving, growing. As a matter of fact, to say he was really quite close to her level was not a stretch. Nomi had come here expecting to deal with a wimp, whose laziness she wanted him to regret. But it seemed she would have to really fight if she wanted to best him.

And yet, Nomi was proud. Most of the Uchiha were proud. She was not going to admit anything that would make her lose face. Surely Kai had improved, but not that much. Trying to calm herself as she saw the approaching sword, Nomi used her own weapon, which was unrestrained, to parry it. However, Kai was bigger and much heavier than she was, and the force of his swing sent her back-first into a tree with more force than she would have been comfortable with. Biting her lip to keep from making any sound of pain, she fell to one knee and glared up at her brother.

Nomi had taken note that he used the flat of his weapon to strike her. And that was insulting. To her, this meant he was taking her unseriously, as opposed to Kai's real motive, which was not to cause her grievous harm. "And what's that, brother?" she asked, the last word spoken with so much vitriol, almost as though the word had corroded her tongue. Then she launched herself suddenly at Kai. "Jōzan Surasuto!" She would see how his eyes would save him from this.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Jōzan Surasuto [Multiplying Thrust]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 0
DESCRIPTION:
A fairly simple, yet deadly technique. By flowing chakra to the muscles in their arms the user is temporarily capable of stabbing their weapons with incredible speed, capable of performing roughly a hundred thrusts in just a few seconds. While this can prove deadly to anyone caught within the range of their weapon, it is also limited by that range. Additionally while the user's striking speed is increased, that is the only speed increased. Lastly this technique can only be utilized four times per engagement before the user begins to destroy the muscles in their arm(s).

Uchiha Kai

[Uchiha Kai]

His eyes saw what was happening, but just because he could perceive an attack didn't mean he could dodge it. His stance began to parry a few of the blows, but the speed was something else, and she quickly overwhelmed his defense. At that, he felt sharp pains in his gut, as stab after stab made its way through.

Thankfully, they didn't go too deep, due to the armor he was wearing, but it did confirm to him that Nomi was not holding back- She fully intended to go for the kill if he was not careful. And unfortunately for him, his book of tricks was quickly running out of steam. Still, as he bounded backwards, he slammed his foot into the ground with a pair of one-handed seals, and created a wall of flame to block his opponents assault, if only for a moment, [Fire Release: Veil of Flame]


He had to catch himself- There was blood soaking his vest now and a great deal of pain was sharply running through his body. But what could he do...?

"That you... Aren't mature enough, to understand the weight of the Sharingan." Well, antagonizing your sister probably wasn't the best way to go about it, but hey, it was a start, right? He held his stance solid, waiting for her next move. He'd have to be careful- The injuries of the last attack had slowed him down slightly.

[Ronin]

Even though Nomi would never admit that Kai had greatly improved, going by how he had managed to not simply die when she had performed her Multiplying Thrust technique, she was not going to confess that to him. As a matter of fact, seeing that he had improved only increased her desire to really wreck him, perhaps leave him with a long-remembered injury, or worse. It was only because he had gotten lucky and gained the Sharingan that he had improved like this. It was indeed true what they said, that fortune favored fools.

Though Kai was injured, he was obviously not out for the count, as he summoned a wall of fire to break Nomi's relentless assault. Leaping back to avoid the fire, the Uchiha girl listened to Kai's answer to her question and froze for a moment. Whether his words were true or not, there was something about them, that she could not bear. How could it come to the point where someone who was so utterly below her could speak to her like that? With no reverence? Nomi deserved the Sharingan! She of all people did! And yet, if she deserved it, how was it that it was the loser who had activated it, and she, the gifted one, had nothing to show? It could not be true! Surely, it could not!

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Nomi yelled, charging at Kai and swinging at him, only so that he would attempt to block. If he did, she would attempt to push his weapon aside, while aiming a high kick at his unarmored head. "Do you know how long I've trained?! How hard I've trained?! Your lazy ass can't even fathom all the things I've been through from so early an age, while you were allowed to just laze about and do what you pleased. Alright, since you're so wise, so mature, tell me, what does it take to understand the weight of the Sharingan?! Tell me now, or I swear I shall run you through this instant!"

Uchiha Kai

[Uchiha Kai]

Kai moved his weapon up to block the dangerous blow of the weapon. Nomi may have had speed on him, but strength was perhaps not her strong suit in this environment. Perhaps before, back when he was a fledgling genin, that would have worked. But now? Kai was strong. Powerful enough to carry his titanic weapon and his armor. While he wasn't built for strength necessarily, he was still a towering figure that was far stronger than the average Shinobi.

That said, she was still faster than him, as pointed out before, and her kick landed solid on his head, sending the Genin flying to the side, head over heels until he crashed into a tree with a dull thud. His senses faded for a moment, and he could have sworn he passed out- But he quickly woke up back up, slowly pulling himself to his feet as he heard his sisters question.

His head ached. Blood dripped from multiple stab wounds in his body. It wasn't looking good. And all of this while she demanded answers from him. Demanded to know what made her so unworthy.

Fine. Kai would give her the answer. He wasn't slacking off this whole time. He'd gained a new sense of authority, a new sense of being, a new sense of self. He had Sachi to look back on, and those around him. Friends who cared about him. A career that pushed him forward.

If his sister wanted to know so bad, he'd tell her, through a bit of a hard knocks lesson. His hand moved open palm to his side, as the other began to channel chakra through it, making a slowly spiraling sphere of pure chakra. Something only someone with advanced knowledge of Chakra Control and mastery of a certain technique could pull off.

"You want to know so bad? The Sharingan... Isn't about training... It isn't about being gifted... It's nothing like that." He spat some blood on the ground, as he began to charge forward.

"It's about loss- It's about defeat- It's the CURSE of hatred, not the blessing! You want to see the truth of the Sharingan- But you're too blind to see what's right in front of you! Rasengan!" His palm thrust forward, and he sent his orb of powerful energy directly towards his sisters gut. He was going to send her flying with this one, in one way or another, with his all-out attack, a powerful blow that was far beyond the level of a mere genin.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Rasengan [Spiralling Sphere]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: N/A
HANDSEALS: None
DESCRIPTION:

A jutsu that requires no hand seals, the Rasengan is formed by spinning the users chakra on the palm of their hands, therefore creating a rotating sphere of chakra. Considered to be an example of the highest form of shape transformation, on contact grinds and encompasses into its target, propelling them, either away from the user up to a distance of seventy meters or into the ground beneath them, creating a big crater in the process, and at some point bursts, causing severe damage at the point of contact.

[Ronin]

Nomi's kick landed square on Kai's head with a satisfying thud, and the force of the attack sent him flying, before he crashed into a tree. For a moment, she almost thought she had knocked him out, but after some time of lying still, the armored Uchiha rose to his feet. He could take a beating, she would give him that. Perhaps that would be helpful, for the amount of drubbing he was going to receive before the day was done.

She watched him as he prepared an attack, a technique she did not know. It didn't have any handseals, so she was suspecting it would be some form of taijutsu. And then Kai spoke. Said some trash about the Sharingan not being gained by training. What was he talking about? Everyone who had the Sharingan (maybe except Kai, as far as Nomi was concerned) was some form of genius, or gifted on some level. He was an aberration. And yet... was he wrong?

Even though she was unwilling to do so, Nomi found herself looking back at her life. All her life, she'd been successful. No real trauma. No loss. No failure. Except in acquiring the Sharingan. Because she was skilled enough not to suffer such setbacks. Kai called it a curse. True, Nomi had heard about the Curse of Hatred, but she'd always considered it a sort of cautionary legend to prevent Uchiha from mindlessly seeking power. But what if Kai was right?

That distraction almost cost her a great deal, as Kai's use of Rasengan, a technique that she wasn't expecting a ne'er-do-well to be able to perform, took her by surprise. Nomi was too late to dodge, so she tried to parry his attack with her sword, as she tried as well to shift out of the way. The spiraling ball of chakra impacted the flat of her blade, and fractured it, sending the pieces of the sword into a tree behind her. Undeterred, the Rasengan came on, but by hitting the blade it had been deflected slightly. It barely grazed Nomi...

...and still was powerful enough to send her careening like a ragdoll to slam upside-down into the trunk of a massive tree. She cried out in pain, as she realized this was the first time she had ever felt this much pain, and collapsed in an undignified position at the base of the tree, her weight resting on her neck and shoulders, with her hips sticking up in the air. Painfully, she righted herself onto her hands and knees. Yep, something was definitely broken. But Nomi was too proud to acknowledge that she had apparently been bested by her brother... her useless brother. It could not end like this!

She tried to breathe, but what came out was a sob. Even with the rain, it was obvious that she had been driven to tears. She had never been so humiliated, never been so disgraced in her life....

Uchiha Kai

[Uchiha Kai]

Kai panted. Blood dripped from his mouth, which was absolutely no good. She wasn't the only one who probably broke something in the combat. But it seemed he'd came out on top- For the most part. The Rasengan had showed its strength in all of its mighty power, able to crush through both defenses and bodies alike. His most practiced move... And he'd mastered it, to a degree.

He panted, stepping towards the girl in the rain, as she sobbed. Cried and cried. It was almost sad- If not for the fact that she'd so recently tried to kill him. Instead, as she sat on her hands and knees, he stood over her, staring down at his sister with a pensive grimace.

"It was no blessing, sister. It is a curse. Do not let your passion, your desire for trauma, push you towards destruction. You don't... Want, this pain." He said, glancing down to his hand. He'd give it all up. Every bit of it, if he could have those he lost back.

He envied those without these eyes. For they had yet to see true terror.