[center][color=mediumslateblue]Shouken Washi[/color] [img]http://i61.tinypic.com/2880lv.jpg[/img] [h2][color=mediumslateblue]"The Oasis"[/color][/h2][/center] ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ The cave was freezing, but the air was still thick enough to throw off Shouken's breathing slightly. He readied himself for anything, drawing his blade to a frontal defensive position assuming something was going to attack him, however quite the opposite happened. A loud voice, much louder than Hakeisha's, filled the cave with echoed waves. Shouken cringed at the loud noise, but soon recovered. He opened his eyes to see another massive spider staring him dead in the face. He was so close, Shouken could feel the heat coming from his breathe and was able to see directly into his eyes. This spider occupied about the same amount of space as Hakeisha but was much lower and what looked like more fluid. If Shouken could relate the image to humanity it would seem as if Hakeisha was a mighty warrior while this spider was more of an assassin type. [color=purple]"Who might you be?"[/color] The monster's words were soft, however carried much weight, almost forcing Shouken to regain his balance. It was clear the spider had 8 eyes, yet he only held 2 open. They were a bloodshot purple and looked like the eyes of a demon, which Shouken wasn't quite convinced that he wasn't... [color=mediumslateblue]"I am Shouken Washi of the Sand, shinobi of the Leaf..."[/color] Shouken finally built up the courage to speak and delivered it with a bold tone to not show any weakness. The spider only laughed after his answer and within a matter of seconds all the spider's eyes were open and glaring at Shouken. The beast sniffed at Shouken and delivered a response. [color=purple]"Kumo sent you here, but why?"[/color] The spider's eerie voice along with his knowledge of Kumo sending him, rattled Shouken's mind and drove a small bit of fear into his heart. However, he bit back on his emotion and stood tall. [color=mediumslateblue]"I want to save my village.."[/color] Shouken had a lot more to say, but this was all to come from his mouth. The spider halted his laughter and raised the right 4 "eyebrows" whilst observing the boy. [color=purple]"Save your village? There is no saving the Leaf! Your Will of Fire has been extinguished and Shinobi like you dwindle down. All your ranks bow down to Ayame now."[/color] Shouken paused briefly to take in that he knew of the Leaf the day of the attack. Putting the thought on hold, he thought of his trial, but before bringing it up, the spider continued.. [color=purple]"But who am I to dampen your spirit? I love to see destruction in any form, good or evil, it's all the same to me..."[/color] The spider cracked another grin as he got even more into Shouken's face. Sniffing once again, the spider spoke, [color=purple]"However, your heart is pure.. This is rare nowadays...It reminds me a lot of Kumo."[/color] The spider then raised his front right leg and tapped Shouken on the center of the chest. All his eyes closed and with a quick flicker, the lit places on the rocky wall were all extinguished and only the purple chakra from the tip of his leg lit up the entire room. Shouken didn't feel any different and was quite confused on when the difficult part of his trial was supposed to come into play. Upon retracting his leg, the spider widened his eyes back to normal. He let out a calm grin and spoke yet again. [color=purple]"You will do great things, Shinobi, never lose sight of what's important...I made that mistake and ended up here. Send Kumo my regards..You have passed your trial..."[/color] It all happened so fast and Shouken was unsure of what to say next. The spider gave the boy no time to speak and retreated back to the complete darkness in an instant. [color=purple]"Release!"[/color] ~~ Shouken awoke in a bed, stripped down to nothing but his boxers. He had a massive headache and wasn't quite sure if what had happened was a reality or just in his head. After gathering his bearings, he leaned up to a sitting position on the bed. He noticed a figure dressed in a classic ninja attire with a scroll on his back. It was Kumo, but Shouken could only tell by the greasy black hair he had bushed up. Kumo was staring out the window, and without turning around, spoke to Shouken. [color=darkkhaki]"So you're finally awake. How was it?"[/color] Shouken rubbed his pounding head and replied to Kumo who was still wasn't facing the boy. [color=mediumslateblue]"Quick. Odd. Horrifying."[/color] Shouken didn't really know how to describe it. He was still dumbfounded about his trial and had millions of questions. [color=mediumslateblue]"I spoke to Hakeisha who sent me on a trial of some sorts to meet some other huge ass spider." [/color] Kumo scoffed and turned to Shouken quickly. [color=darkkhaki]"Another huge spider?"[/color] It was clear Kumo had heard of him as he had heard of Kumo as well. Shouken nodded and smiled, [color=mediumslateblue]"Yeah, he seemed to have known you fairly well."[/color] Kumo turned back to the windown and stared outside silently. [color=darkkhaki][i]So Hakeisha sent him to Mashin...Lucky he's a quiet kid and didn't piss him off. I wouldn't be having this conversation right now.[/i][/color] [color=darkkhaki]"So you met Mashin? Yes, he was my trial as well, however, I didn't best him with words. I was a powerful ninja in my youth and he was still a young and arrogant leader. I traveled there to learn the techniques and he got smart assy with me. While deciding my trial, I lost my nerve and spoke out against him. I 'asked' him to be my trial, and Mashin being the spider he was, accepted. We fought for 3 whole days until I finally beat him with some tricky moves..."[/color] He smiled, thinking back to his adventures, and turned back to Shouken who was already out of bed and getting dressed. Kumo dropped his grin and knew that the boy was on a mission. [color=darkkhaki]"We start our journey now. Ill take you to my hidden training ground in the Grass village and once I feel you're ready, your training will be complete." [/color] Shouken didnt acknowledge Kumo, but soaked in the information. He finished putting on his gear and followed Kumo, who was making his way downstairs and through his shop. The made it too the sandy streets and headed for the closest gate. After walking a little ways, Shouken began thinking hard about his statement. [color=mediumslateblue][i]Save my village? What the hell can 1 person do against a whole village of supporting shinobi.[/i][/color] He began realizing that his goal wasn't difficult, it was [i]impossible[/i]...