______Outside the Cave_______
The rain rushed down upon the earth, embracing me like a mother would her child. It felt comforting—the kind of comfort found only in the expected and familiar. But then, the sight of men in green-colored flannel jackets breaking into houses, followed by high-pitched screams, shattered my moment of peace.
"No! Take me instead—spare my daughter and wife!"
A white-haired old man screamed as he moved to protect his family, even if he could only do so by putting his frail body in front of the Konoha ninja.
But his pleas fell on deaf ears.
The Konoha ninja, eyes glinting with a lustful hunger directed toward the mother and daughter, pushed the old man aside and lunged at the girls.
"Oh, don't worry," he said with a wicked grin. "We won't hurt them... not until we've had our fun. Then they can join you in the afterlife."
My hands came together into a single seal. Water Body Flicker Jutsu. Like a shadow, I flew through the rain and slashed toward the man, my iron sickle arcing for his midsection. His eyes widened in shock at the ambush, but he leapt back just in time—though not fast enough to avoid the curved blade entirely. It tore through the side of his stomach, leaving a deep gash.
"You... you're not just any foot soldier. You're a jonin, aren't you?" I said as I readjusted my stance, reanalyzing his movements.
"That's right. Scared now, rain dog?" he spat, hands already forming seals.
"No... it'll just take a bit more time to cut you down, you tree-humper."
His chakra flared as he finished a jutsu, launching a high-speed Fireball directly at me.
I didn't flinch.
"Flame Formation Jutsu!"
A wall of crimson chakra erupted in front of me, intercepting the fireball mid-flight. The explosion scattered sparks across the soaked ground, steam hissing in thick clouds around us.
He snarled, impressed despite himself. "Not bad…"
I burst from the mist, sickle spinning. I clashed with him head-on—steel rang against steel, and the rain sizzled off our blades. I pressed in close, my poisoned sickle seeking flesh.
But he was fast. Skilled. His counters came with deadly precision, and a solid punch to my ribs forced me back, breath caught in my throat.
Still, I smiled.
Because I knew all I had to do was stall for the salamander neurotoxin I had coated on my sickle back in the cave to act.
He didn't notice it yet—but I knew the venom would work quickly. It would dull his nerves, loosen his grip, and slowly eat away at his chakra control.
He charged again—but this time, his balance was off.
I ducked under his slash and cracked the weighted end of my chain into his side. He staggered. His breathing grew heavy. His strikes, less precise.
"What… did you… do?" he muttered.
"You're already dying," I said.
He tried to form another jutsu—but his fingers wouldn't obey.
Desperation flashed in his eyes.
I closed the distance, slashing his leg and shoulder. He cried out, dropping to one knee, swaying.
I grinned, standing over him like a judge of death ready to deliver the finishing blow, his eyes locked on to mine seeking mercy "please spare me I have kids" he said "I don't care" my kusarigama came out of the front of his head ending his life.
I stood still for a moment closing my eyes focusing on the wet rain dripping off from my sickle, the rhythmic rise and fall of my chest. doing everything I could for a moment of respite for a knew the battle was not yet over.
my ears cought it-- the faint patter of feat splashing through puddles, shinobi more of them were coming, slowly closing in on this location.
I turned to the family behind me who had remained silent the entire time no doubt shocked at the unfolding events tonight.
"Go run, leaf shinobi will soon converge here and if they find you you will be the first to die"
the white haired old man nodded his head
"alright, but can my daughter stay with you, she will have a better chance of survival if she stays with you then a civilian like me, moreover my daughter has already awakened her abilities as a member of our shadow feather clan"
I was about to raise my hand in protest, but then I finally got a good look at his daughter — a beautiful girl with flowing black hair that framed her face like silk, her smooth white skin glowing softly beneath the pale light coupled with large white breasts. But it was her eyes that truly struck me — they shimmered like stars, deep, mysterious, and alive with something I couldn't name. For a moment, the words caught in my throat. Whatever I was about to say dissolved, lost in the gravity of her gaze.
.