The first few days at the academy had been equally exciting and entertaining. There were countless of kids, all present for relatively similar reasons. And though the instructors insisted in using the vast majority of the time in their introductory days for a form of meet and greet, she just couldn’t remember so many names. She did however manage to pay close attention to the rules, and the expectations their superiors had of them. And so, as the day retreated to make way for the welcomed penumbrae of the night, Shiro had decided to spend some time at the Heartland of Kaminari of Kuri. It was the very first time she had ever been near them, though she did hear a lot about them. In her mind, it was quite possibly the best place to train, other than the training grounds which would likely be swarmed by adults. The young girl knew that if she wanted a chance to step out of her life at the foster home, she would need to devote herself to this life and to the opportunities it presented for her along the way.
At first, she figured that she couldn’t be the only one out there. After all, didn’t everyone want to become a shinobi as much as she did? Surely that was the case. To her surprise however, beyond a couple of Genin that had left moments after her arrival, there was no one else. Most of the kids in the academy had gone off in groups to play after class while the daylight persisted. A few others had chosen to go back to their home to help with their family business. Shiro on the other hand could do neither. She wasn’t the best at striking up conversations, and she wasn’t very fond of being in tumultuous and boisterous groups, effectively making the circle of friends for the little girl relatively nonexistent. And there was nothing for her at the foster home either. Only some kids that wished they had a shot at the kind of opportunity she possessed, and some that wished they would’ve capitalized on that same opportunity when they had the chance. With much of nothing left for her where she stood, and next to nothing waiting for her where she came from, her very best bet was to capitalize on the opportunity as best she could, to maximize her chances at a life that she considered worth living.
Standing before a large wooden trunk that would serve as one of the training posts, she had to take some time to think just how could she train. Should she just punch it? Would it break the post or would it break her hand. Perhaps it was simply far too soon to try and find out. Instead, she threw her arms forth, releasing a pair of wooden shuriken she had carved back at the foster home. While they were certainly sharp, the edge paled in comparison to the real thing. But still, a hit was a hit, though she’d see none of those on her first try. One of the shuriken had been thrown relatively close but still managed to miss its target. The other shuriken had angled to the side in such a manner that one could’ve believed she had just aimed it at a different spot instead.
”Again.”
The whisper was spoken out loud albeit gently enough to be meant for her own ears. Through several attempts she would continuously pick up the wooden shurikens and toss them, missing the target every time up until one finally managed to hit and bounce off.
”Yes. I did it!”
There was an obvious look of joy and satisfaction in her expression. The constant failures she had experienced on the first few attempts did not stood a chance against the feeling of fulfilment she displayed once she finally succeeded. The notion that she could improve gave her hope that perhaps more difficult things could also be accomplished. In the winding road of her youth, she was finally starting to find her way out of the fears that held her back, restrained to a life to which she simply did not belong.
At first, she figured that she couldn’t be the only one out there. After all, didn’t everyone want to become a shinobi as much as she did? Surely that was the case. To her surprise however, beyond a couple of Genin that had left moments after her arrival, there was no one else. Most of the kids in the academy had gone off in groups to play after class while the daylight persisted. A few others had chosen to go back to their home to help with their family business. Shiro on the other hand could do neither. She wasn’t the best at striking up conversations, and she wasn’t very fond of being in tumultuous and boisterous groups, effectively making the circle of friends for the little girl relatively nonexistent. And there was nothing for her at the foster home either. Only some kids that wished they had a shot at the kind of opportunity she possessed, and some that wished they would’ve capitalized on that same opportunity when they had the chance. With much of nothing left for her where she stood, and next to nothing waiting for her where she came from, her very best bet was to capitalize on the opportunity as best she could, to maximize her chances at a life that she considered worth living.
Standing before a large wooden trunk that would serve as one of the training posts, she had to take some time to think just how could she train. Should she just punch it? Would it break the post or would it break her hand. Perhaps it was simply far too soon to try and find out. Instead, she threw her arms forth, releasing a pair of wooden shuriken she had carved back at the foster home. While they were certainly sharp, the edge paled in comparison to the real thing. But still, a hit was a hit, though she’d see none of those on her first try. One of the shuriken had been thrown relatively close but still managed to miss its target. The other shuriken had angled to the side in such a manner that one could’ve believed she had just aimed it at a different spot instead.
”Again.”
The whisper was spoken out loud albeit gently enough to be meant for her own ears. Through several attempts she would continuously pick up the wooden shurikens and toss them, missing the target every time up until one finally managed to hit and bounce off.
”Yes. I did it!”
There was an obvious look of joy and satisfaction in her expression. The constant failures she had experienced on the first few attempts did not stood a chance against the feeling of fulfilment she displayed once she finally succeeded. The notion that she could improve gave her hope that perhaps more difficult things could also be accomplished. In the winding road of her youth, she was finally starting to find her way out of the fears that held her back, restrained to a life to which she simply did not belong.
WC: 700