[Ako POV]

It all started in my village. The clan of the rising sun, my home. It is a beautiful place, they say that home is where the heart is... I do believe that to be true. We are the largest clan of ninjas in the land. We were also adapt in the ways of the outside world, so we stay relevant to time.

Although we have upgraded our resources, we still believe in tradition. Honor, respect, unity and 6strength, those are the values that never cease to exist. The Kusanagi family, my family, are the leaders of the Rising Sun clan and my father, Han Kusanagi, was the most powerful and skilled ninja in the land.

He was devoted to serving the Shogun of Japan, but all that changed, when my mother gave birth to me... I was the youngest of the family, the freshest of the bunch if you will. As soon as the Shogun heard about my birth, she suggested that my mother and my father train me to serve her in the future.

My mother and father were afraid that I would not long for this life, but they knew that someday, I would want to forge my own destiny.

Five years have passed. During that time span, I was already training my mind, body and soul to be one with the aura of my surroundings I also learned to respect and honor my family and my opponents, in the heat of battle.

I could not be able to serve the Shogun if I did not have a brain to use. If I was going to serve the Shogun, I had to learn how the world works, inside and out. And so I was given an education in the city of Tokyo.

One day, my father took me on a trip to a distant waterfall to the north. Once we got to the top, he sat me on his lap and he said this to me.

"You will be a woman someday. And when that day comes, you will be leader of this clan, if you choose. But remember, no matter what you decide, I will love you all the same."

Somehow I knew, that my father always wanted what was best for me, and he would see to it that I would be the best ninja he never was.

Twenty years later, I have turned into a full grown woman. Once I have came of age, my training intensified. My father taught me how to handle a situation.

"A ninja must use balance to outweigh the situation. And once you do that, you will be come truly invisible and ultimately unstoppable."

The simple thought of being unstoppable while fighting, is something that can't be put into words. This is exactly how my father fights, but he also encouraged me to be creative with my attacks, to have my own personal identity. He encouraged me to be unpredictable and mysterious and like a good daughter... I obliged.

"A ninja also uses explosive powders." my father said to me, as he threw some powder on the floor.

"Hmmm... As weapons?" I questioned him.

"Or distractions. Remember Ako, you use your opponents fears against them, but you face them head on if you have to as well." my Father explained to me. For me, training was long, hard and rigorous. I have been training hard for months and months, becoming the fastest growing ninja in the clan. One day my father came to me and said this.

"My sweet Ako... You have done so well in your training, but tomorrow, you will face one final challenge..."

I looked at my father strangely and I asked, "What could that be papa?"

He then tells me, with sly smile on his face, "You must defeat your mother, your sister, your brother and me."

I stood there with a shocked expression on my face. I have to defeat all of my family members in order to pass tomorrow. Later that same night, I sat in my room, surrounded by candles, thinking about how to defeat my family members, so I put myself in a deep sleep like state and I thought strategically.

My brother, Zizan Kusanagi, he loves to press the attack, he is good, but he is easily frustrated once someone toys with him. My sister, Sia Kusanagi, she uses her looks to her advantage and she is also a defensive fighter. She does not know how to fight without a weapon in her hand, I could exploit that crutch.

My mother and my father are going to be tricky, but on the contrary, I see their patterns clearly. My father loves to end things quickly, but my mother loves to test herself. It's not going to be easy, but then again, nothing ever is.

Sunrise came over the land, it was time to face my final challenge from my father. My brother was the first to try his hand at me, he was the middle child of the family, but sometimes he acts like a brat.

"Not everyone gets to fight with their older sibling, ready for your beatdown little sis'? Here it comes!" he arrogantly says. Zizan charges at me carelessly, but to his dismay, I kept dodging his aggressive attacks.

"You're going down little sis'!" Zizan exclaims angrily. He tried to catch me with a kick, but I reversed it into a kick of my own, aiming it right at his gut. The fight was over before it even started.

"Well done sister, but that was easy for you, now you will face me. And it's like they say, the oldest always wins." my sister taunts me.

I folded my arms and I said to Sia, "Okay big sister, show me!" Sia began to block my attacks and attack me with weapons, just as I thought she would. The tide quickly swayed in my favor, when I took my sisters weapons and broke them, with a sword I obtained from the weapons rack.

"Without your weapons, you are as vulnerable as a fly on the wall." I said to Sia before taking her down with a kick to her face. As I turned around, I see that my mother and father are gone from their seats. Suddenly, my father lunged at me from behind with a sword. Luckily, I managed to flip over him and land on my hands.

"Impressive my daughter, but you have to do more than dodge my attacks." hearing my father speak, I look across the room and to my left I see my mother with two sai's in her hand and an intense look on her face.

"Let's see how you will fair against both of us my love." she said to me. I closed my eyes for a brief second, taking in my surroundings. When I opened them, I was in complete focus. My father and mother both began to attack me, but I blocked and countered every single attack that they threw at me. I roundhouse kicked my mother in her jaw, knocking her down for a while, so I can focus on my father.

My speed was too much for him in the longrun. As I dodged his attacks, I could feel that he was getting tired. I manage to subdue him with a guillotine throw before focusing on my mother. My mother loves to push beyond her abilities, so I had to end this quickly and effectively.

I know that my mother does not get tired easily, so I decided to shock her with pure blunt force trauma. Without straining my body, I put all of my weight and spiritual energy into my physical attacks, severely stunning my mother in the process.

"Do you yield?" I ask my mother intensely as I have my foot on her chest, pinning her to the ground.

"Well done my sweet, I concede!" my mother says with glee. My mother hugs me with great joy and the entire clan applauds me.

Several hours later, my mother came into my room to review my meditation training. We were sitting in deep meditation, she encouraged me to remember my breathing control, while balancing my spirit power.

"Open your eyes my sweet. Oh my dear, you have my beautiful eyes." she said to me sweetly.

"Mom... I know that you and papa are hopeful of me finishing my training, but the truth is... I never wanted this life, I just want to live a normal life without killing innocents for the Shogun." I say to her.

My mother gently grabs my hand gently and she says this to me,"Oh darling... I know you want to be ordinary, but we ninja's are incapable of being normal."

I then look at my mother with guilt, "I'm sorry, that was stupid of me to say."

"Baby, don't apologize. I just want you to understand, that the life of a Shinobi is a long and never ending road. But for you, it could be different, you could have the life you always wanted, but with every choice you make, comes sacrifice." my mother cautions me.

"Thank you mother." I say to her, giving her a massive hug. Before I could leave to go for a walk however, my mother puts her hand on my shoulder and she says this to me.

"Ako... Tomorrow, you have one final challenge to pass. But you may not survive it..."

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