the storm bringer | ✓

Winter's Memories ~ Challenge Accepted!

"Wake up, it's time for training!" The twelve year old girl knocks on the red door already dressed and ready to go. "C'mon you two, Ina-sensei will kill us if we're late!" Annoyed grumbles are heard before two bleary eyed twins stumbled out the door.

"Correction, she'll kill us." Ryu starts off, "Everyone knows she would only severally hurt you." Riku finishes slinging an arm around the girl as they walk out of the cabin together. Ever since Winter moved to the Leaf Village the three had been nearly inseparable, even going as far as moving in together with the Hokage's consent. They were extremely close and it was no surprise to them, or anyone else, that they were put into a team together. Their weakness and strengths managed to balance each other out.

Ryu was exceptional at ninjutsu, his weakness being taijutsu which is where Winter comes in. Having spent most of her time training with hand to hand combat and other weapons she was their taijutsu expert, as well as an upcoming kenjutsu master. However for some reason it was hard for her to dispel genjutsu though she could usually tell when she was in one, and that was how Riku made their trio complete. He was a bit of a nerd, reading all sorts of books on genjutsu and such making him very deadly when it came to it. Yet his skills was lacking in the ninjutsu department which was how they all helped to balance each other out.

Of course they still had a lot of ways to improve, and a long way to go if they wanted to become the ninja they strived to be. And this included surviving the wrath of their sensei when she got angry, because no one got angry quite like Inazuma Kuro does.

They arrived at Training Ground 15, a clearing in the forest near the edge of the village, that was now completely and utterly demolished.

Their jaws drop as they spot a fuming Inazuma punching her way through trees, knocking them down one after another. "That green spandex wearing, youth shouting, no fashion sense, huge eyebrowed idiot!!" She roars slamming her fists into a nearby tree making it go flying off.

"U-Um..." Winter timidly speaks up cowering back with Inazuma snaps her head towards her, "Is everything alright Sensei?" Her eyes widen as Inazuma snarls, "No everything is most certainly NOT OKAY!"

Birds fly out of the treetops in panic as the shout echoes throughout the area. "That fool thinks that his team is the best Genin team, but no my team is! I cannot lose to a creep like him." Inazuma announces whirling around and jabbing her finger against Ryu's chest. "He was always getting on my nerves with his weird speaking ways and saying I was not youthful enough, but saying my team could never beat his?"

Ryu scrambles back in panic as her eyes light up in fury, "Oh he crossed a line! Ryu! Riku! Winter!" The three snap to attention looking at her slightly wary, "We are going to go challenge Might Gai's Team!"

The three look at each other before shrugging and shouting, "Challenge accepted!"

***

"A challenge? Oh how youthful of you!" The Jonin says smiling widely and making the three Genin stare at him in horror. "H-His eyebrows are alive." Winter whispers to the twins making them nod in agreement.

"I shall go get my team!" He speed off leaving behind a dust trail. Inazuma cackles and looks at her Genin, "Alright you guys better win... got it?" She gets an evil look in her eyes, "Or I'll make you do the Route again." All three Genin blanch as the first training session they had with their sensei surfaces in their mind.

Not only had it been in the middle of nowhere, but the area had been filled with blood thirsty animals, poisonous plants and trees, a bunch of obstacles and several hundred shadow clones of Inazuma. In short, it was a nightmare.

When Gai came back with his team they found a depressed aura surrounding the team they were meant to fight. "We can't survive that again." Ryu groans his face depressed. "I nearly died last time." Riku agrees, his expression mirroring that of his brothers. "I got lost and almost eaten, three times." Winter chimes in, the gloomy aura growing.

"Chop, chop! Stop moping around and focus on winning so you don't have to do it." Inazuma hisses making them straighten up. "Right we just have to win." "We totally got this." "We are so screwed."

Winter winces as the twins slap the back of her head in sync, "Don't talk like that!" She points towards a stoic Genin with long brown hair and pupiless lavender eyes. "Oh..." "Shit." The two murmur.

Neji Hyuga leans against the tree as his two teammates size up the opposing team. "You guys have five minutes for a strategy and then you fight! No killing, and the first team with all three people out loses." Inazuma announces standing next to Gai, though it took all of her self restraint to not throttle him as he ranted about something being youthful.

The twins and Winter huddle up, using a code they developed to talk. Lee and Tenten listen to Neji as he talks, knowing he was the better strategist out of them all. "Time's up! Fight and beat them in a bloody- ahem I mean start the match." Inazuma awkwardly says rubbing the back of her neck.

Lee immediately dashes forward, Neji having assigned each of them targets. He leaps up into the air ready to start fighting Riku. Tenten pulls out her summoning scrolls as she hides in the trees, starting to aim for her target... Ryu.

And Neji stood like the badass Genin he was and had a stare down with Winter, the two both looking forward to the match. In the academy the two had always been the best, both getting perfect scores on tests and on their matches. Yet for some reason not once had they ever fought against each other.

"Let's see which one of us is stronger, 'kay?" Winter says smiling at him. He nods settling back into the Gentle Fist stand. "Let's." Veins appear on the side of his eyes, a slight pupil seeming to form in his eyes. Winter grins, taking out an unusual knife and flipping it through her fingers expertly while gesturing with her other hand.

"Come."

***

Team Gai regrouped, each member breathing heavily as they stared across the destroyed training ground at Team Arashi. Lee was bruised and nearly out energy, Tenten having spent most of her time summoning all of her weapons that lay scattered around and Neji was slowly losing his calm facade as his chakra started to get lower than it ever had before in a spar.

Team Arashi was in slightly better shape... slightly. Ryu had a bruised jaw, his chakra almost all the way gone. Riku was in a similar state, his eyes drooping. Winter on the other hand was bouncing on her feet excitedly, her chakra still almost all the way full. "I finally met someone who's super strong!"

"Hey!" Two voices say at the same time making her look at the twins, "Oh you guys are strong but by now I know most of your moves by heart so its kinda hard to be surprised in training." They nods before looking at the opposing team who was getting ready to attack, "Should we-" "Try a combo move?"

Winter nods and jumps up into the trees, closing her eyes as the twins stood side by side, their arm that was nearest the other in the air. Both of their eyes closed and a kanji for dragon appeared on their forearms, Ryu's a white color while Riku's was a black color. Slowly but surely white and black chakra started forming in their palms, slowly merging together.

Winter rubbed her hands together, lighting sparking along her palms as she took a deep breath. When their chakra had become a ball of surging white and black mass Winter lept out of the trees, doing a flip over them and grabbing the chakra ball.

Lighting sparked as she threw the ball, making it speed towards the other team at an alarming speed. "Ryu-Riku-Win attack!" They scream in sync, each inwardly wincing at how horrible the name was. The ball crashes into the ground in front of the other team a giant explosion taking place.

Ears ringing and hands charred from grabbing the pure chakra Winter threw her hands in the air and cheered with her best friends as the smoke cleared revealing the fact that they were the winners... and a twenty foot deep crater.

That was the day the three first pulled off their combo attack succesfully, wide grins adorning their faces the rest of the day.

"Hell yes! I told you my team was boss!"

It was also the day Inazuma Kuro made Might Gai cry profusely.

Fun fact : Winter began to idolize Neji when she arrived in the leaf village and still does. In turn Neji secretly thinks of Winter as his rival, though he'd never admit this to anyone.

I'm kinda in love with Ouran High Host Club right now so please enjoy the gif.