Post by Torak Kaguya on Aug 26, 2019 20:00:51 GMT -5
Prologue: Early Days
Chapter 1: A Day in the Life of Torak Kaguya
Chapter 1: A Day in the Life of Torak Kaguya
Misty sunlight shimmered over Kirigakure, refracted by the heavy dew and mist still shrouding the Ninja village. Unlike what one would expect of a typical village, the coming of the sun actually reduced the village’s overall activity, as ANBU infiltrators and Chunnin guards vacated the rooftops in favor of their long-neglected beds. A particular ray of this sunlight shined through the narrow slats of a small window on the far west corner of the Kaguya compound, and, driven by some evil, sadistic instinct, shone directly across the slumbering eyes of Kaguya Torak.
If one were to view Torak’s room objectively, their first guess as to the identity of the occupant would likely not be a teenager. The room was small, yet extremely neat, almost to an obsessive degree. Books were stacked neatly on well-dusted shelves, while paper and other writing supplies were neatly organized on the small desk residing under the room’s square window. For his part, the fourteen-year-old Academy Student slumbered quietly, his body still and his breathing even.
That was, of course, until his alarm clock rang.
As soon as the device began to ring out, the boy’s eyes immediately snapped open, and his arm lashed out, deactivating the device instantly. The young mixed-blood ninja sat up, casting a wary eye at the door, not daring to even breathe for a few moments as his body tensed. Would he be attacked today? Such ambushes had becoming less frequent lately as the Kaguya neared graduation, but Torak was loathe to let his guard down, not when he was so close.
After a few moments of waiting in the half-light of his room, Torak cautiously slid out of his bed, padding cautiously over to the door on bare feet, resting his palms against the smooth wood and pressing his right ear flat against the cool surface, straining his senses and mind for the slightest hint of danger.
Nothing.
Satisfied, Torak slid a narrow wooden bar through the handle of his door, jiggling it once to ensure it was firmly in place. Then, the boy moved over to his dresser, and began to change into simple nondescript clothing.
Moving swiftly through the halls of the Kaguya compound, and then the quiet streets of Kirigakure, Torak eventually found himself on the edges of the village. After a few stretches and warm-up exercises, Torak began to run at a steady lope.
The boy circled the entire village once, then twice, then a third time. The Kaguya felt his muscles stretch and his breath begin to come faster as his cells demanded oxygen. Such a morning run was a tradition for Torak, begun when his body was still too frail and delicate to engage in much physical combat and other methods were needed to improve his stamina and physical condition. Now that Torak was older and in a far more stable physical condition, he supposed he could have stopped and done other things for his morning warm-up. However, aside from continuing a personal tradition, such a morning run had also allowed him to get out of the Kaguya compound for a few hours each morning, allowing him to compose and collect himself away from the prying, disproving eyes of his elders and the constant ambushes by others of his clan.
An hour or so later, and two more laps of the village, Torak returned to the Kaguya compound, efficiently washing off the sweat and grime he had accumulated on his run and dropping off his dirtied clothes in the communal washing area to be cleaned like the rest of the Kaguya’s battle-stained garb. Now dressed in a clean set of Kaguya-style robes, Torak swung by his room, grabbing his school bag and a large leather-bound tome, before heading to the communal cafeteria to eat.
Unlike many other clans in the Shinobi world, rearing of children was not entirely up to the parents of an individual. Instead, upon reaching ten years of age, Kaguya children were moved into a dormitory on the west end of the compound, and educated collectively on hand to hand, bladed and other types of physical fighting. The Kaguya were, after all, a clan that focused almost solely on personal might in physical combat, and to allow anyone else but the best of teachers to educate their next generation of warriors was ridiculous at best.
And deadly insulting at worst.
Shaking off these heavy thoughts, Torak entered the cafeteria, deftly snagging a plate of food and carrying everything over to an isolated corner of the large room. Upon reaching the lone table, the Kaguya dropped his bag next to his chair, set his food and book in their proper, perfectly symmetrical positions, and began his meal.
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Halfway through his breakfast however, the Kaguya’s eyes were drawn more and more to the sparring pit that served as the centerpiece of the room instead of the ancient text before him. Two other young Kaguya engaged in a brutal contest of strength, pushing each other back and forth in time with the crude shouts of their peers. Torak gazed at the pair, his mind working furiously, Konoye Kaguya. Well-built, but not much creativity in the ring. Often leads with a brutal horizontal blow aimed at crippling his foe. Optimal tactics include keeping my distance and tiring him out before moving in for the finishing blow. He thought to himself, remembering excerpts from his journal that he had forced himself to memorize. Torak may have disliked the wanton violence his clan so enjoyed, but that didn’t mean he was stupid enough not to prepare in the eventuality of a challenge.
His gaze drifted to the other Kaguya in the ring, watching as the boy casually dodged one brutal swipe, then the next. Cain Kaguya. Not extremely heavily built but very, very fast and quick on the draw. Cain is expert in grappling techniques, so close combat is not advisable. Torak inwardly winced as Cain read the larger Kaguya like a book, intercepting Konoye’s jab at his eyes and neatly caught the boy’s hand in a thumb lock, then twisted. Howling in pain, Konoye submitted, the jeers of those who had lost money on him ringing in his ears. One of the adult minders in the cafeteria nodded once, seemingly to himself, then turned towards the scoreboard residing next to him, making a few changes. “New rankings: Konoye, 5th place. Cain, 4rd place. He is now able to challenge the leaders.” The elder Kaguya announced, his firm voice resounding across the room full of adolescent screams and shouts.
Torak felt his heart sink, even if he was careful not to let it show on his face. That meant Cain could challenge anyone in the top 3 spots on the Academy Leaderboard, and secure more of a reputation for himself among their peers. Torak himself was in first place, wresting it from the previous champion’s hands after a long, grueling 3 hour long duel where he had only won through a stubborn refusal to give up. Even though such a win would normally grant the occupant a certain amount of social clout, his peers had made no secret of the fact that his days in the position were numbered. After all, even if he was the reigning champion, who would associate with the eyeless Karasu, the failed prodigy, the mongrel –
Torak closed his eyes, fighting back the familiar anguish building like bile in his throat. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled just as slowly. He would win. He had to. There was no other choice. Despite these familiar thoughts, something very close to dread dogged his thoughts as Torak got up, beginning the long walk to the Mist Academy.
