[Ako POV]

I take a walk every night before I go to sleep. The moonshine glows in the rivers and the crickets chirp in the distance. While going further into my walk, I see my sister training with her weapons, they were two large haliberd staffs. I have never seen staffs that large in my life.

"You know, you should really get some sleep Sia." I say to her.

"So should you, Ako," she then walks up to me and joins me in my walk.

"You were very impressive earlier today, I have never seen you better." Sia gleefully says to me.

"Thank you... Sia, why do you always fight with weapons?" I ask with wonder.

"Well, I always find that fighting with weapons, is more of my speed than fighting with my fists. Whenever I touch a weapon, I feel like that I am in somebody else's body and a rush takes over me." I never knew that my sister felt that way, it goes to show you that many ninjas are different in style.

"I wish I could fight like you Ako, I wish I was fast as you, strong as you, smart as you. Truth be told, I have never seen a ninja with your abilities before. Furthermore, I think that I am way out of your league."

I place my hand over her shoulder and I say, "I believe, that you are a splendid ninja Sia, and honestly, I think that you are more powerful than any ninja in this clan, even more powerful than me." I hug Sia and I kiss her on her forehead, showing her love before I go and continue my walk.

"Sia, mom said that I have one final test to complete, do you know what it is?" Sia then takes a deep breath and she gives me a worried look.

"Let's just say, that the challenge you face, I don't think that even you can survive it." I wave goodbye to her and I think about tomorrow, what does my mother have in store for me that has my sister rattled? I then get into my room and I change into my evening gown. I then drift off into a deep sleep, as I lay on my mattress.

Morning came, as the sun hit my skin, I wake up nervous and in the dark about the challenge that my mother has for me. My father then arrives at my door and he hands me a black training outfit, along with a sword.

"Do not be afraid Ako, remember your training and you will prevail." he said to me. Moments later, I then meet my mother in the main dojo and she embraces me.

"You have completed so much of your training my love, but this will be your toughest challenge yet." my mother hands me a blindfold and I wrap it around my head.

"You will be completely blinded in darkness, but you will use your other senses to survive. Most people fear, what they cannot see." my mother then takes a white lotus flower and she mixes it in, with a mysterious potion.

"Drink this..." she says to me. I follow her instructions and I drink the concoction slowly. I suddenly feel my senses heighten, but also I begin to feel strange. I began to feel a dizzying effect take over my body.

"You have been poisoned, it will slowly eat away at your anatomy, you have twenty minutes to hide from me, while fighting the poison's effects." I try to fight off the poisons effects for as long as I can, but it keeps getting stronger as I go on.

While I was trying to use my other senses, I felt my knees begin to shake. The effects of the poison pierce my blood with the force of a thousand needles. Suddenly, I felt an impact on my body, that flips me over and knocks me to the ground. It was like getting hit by a truck running at it's top speed.

"Embrace the pain, work through it, don't make it work for you." I struggle to get up and I continue to hide behind different ninjas, with the same costume as me. My vision becomes slowly blurred and my blood begins to boil, like I was standing on the surface of the sun.

"Become one with the darkness, step into the abyss." I hear my mother charge at me again, but I managed to fight her off. I quickly collapse on one knee. I managed to fight off the poison again, but it was not easy. I slowly stand up and think of a strategy that may work. I take my sword and I cut my own arm, so that some of the poison can get out of my system.

As the blood runs down my arm, I noticed that I needed to act now. I started to swiftly cut each ninjas arm that's to my right, but I only matched a few with my cut. My mother then sees one of the decoys and she thinks it's me.

She has the decoy in a sleeper hold and she says this; "A ninja never leaves a sign of injury."

I then have my sword over her shoulder, catching her in my trap, like a cat cornering a mouse.

"What if that ninja led you into a trap?" I then release my blindfold, while my mother applauds me.

"Congratulations, you pass the test!" The rest of the clan then applauds me, but moments later, the poison then takes over my body and I lose consciousness as a result. Five hours later, I wake up and I see that I am in my room. Although my vision is a little blurry, I feel like I was hit by a bullet train from hell.

"You were asleep for quite some time, I guess that sedative really worked huh?" I hear the sound of Zizan's voice and I see him sitting next to me.

"Sedative? I thought it was poison," Zizan then chuckles and says, "You really don't know do you? First of all, our mother would never poison you, at all, it was just a test. And second, the shogun had your blood tested when you were born, you are immune to any type of poison, that is lethal to the body. So our mom used a poison like sedative against you."

I look stunned and I wonder, why was this kept from me? I then guessed that it did not matter now. As nighttime shrouded the land, I look for my father and I found him near the fountain shrine.

"Papa!" I call out to him.

"Yes Ako, what is it my sweet?" he asks me.

"Why didn't you tell me, that the shogun had my blood tested and that I was immune to poisons?" I ask while retaining my calm demenor.

My father then looks at me and he says, "Me and your mother were going to tell you eventually." my father takes me underground, to a secret room beneath the clan grounds and he shows me a room, with images carved into the walls.

"This is the tomb of the Rising Sun, it shows us the history of our clan." I was amazed at the many images of past clan leaders and members, it was breathtaking.

"These carvings, are they images of..." my father then finishes my sentence before I could.

"...Your ancestors, the ninjas of the Kusanagi family. Every generation, a special type of ninja is born, a super ninja. Ako, you are among these great ninja's, with abilities that exceed our own." I stand there, amazed at the news that was just revealed to me.

"I'm... a super ninja?" I ask my father for reassurement.

"Yes, your abilities, immune system, bone structure and longevity is different from other ninjas in the clan. As soon as you developed into the woman that you are now, your abilities amplified tenfold. You are the first super ninja to be born in 1,000 years. There were others before you, but they all passed on into the afterlife." he explains.

I ask my father, "So, am I the only super ninja around?"

He then replies, "Yes, and also the most powerful."

After we got out of the tomb, I then ask my father, "Are we the only clan that answers to the shogun?"

My father then takes a deep breath and he replies, "No... There is another clan that does, they are called the Hidden Lotus, a rival clan of ours. They are the second largest clan in Japan." a clan different from ours? My father does not look to fond of them.

"You spoke as if you disapprove of them somehow..." I look at my father as I say those words, and I noticed that he was a bit uneasy about this clan.

"This clan, they believe in honor but they do not act on that belief. Our values are the opposite of theirs, they are ruthless, torturous and treacherous. They will use any means necessary, to fulfill their missions for the Shogun." I then wonder, how can the Shogun condone these actions? It goes against the way of the ninja. Well, whatever the case, I know that our clan is superior in values.

I noticed that my father had a scar on his face, I have never paid attention to it until now.

"Papa, that scar... what happened and how did you get it?" I ask him.

"Before you were born, I had a student that was full of potential. His name was Orocshon Miyaku, a ninja whose family was killed by a group of bandits. I took him in and I taught him my ways, but his heart was filled with hate and vengeful fire." Papa laments.

"What happened to him?" I ask with curiosity.

"One night, while I was meditating, I saw Orocshon come back to my dojo, covered in blood. He told me that he killed the men, who killed his family. I was enraged. He disobeyed my direct order to abandon his desire for revenge, but it consumed his heart and soul. I tried to help him quell his anger, but he struck me with a sword, scarring my face. As a result, I exiled him from the village as punishment for his mistake." Father shakes his head in shame.

"That must have been hard for you..." I say to him.

"Yes, it was. It is a decision that weighs heavily on me to this day." Papa tells me.

"Thank you Papa, for revealing everything to me." My father then acknowledges me with a bow and I return the gesture in kind.

After my father leaves, I stand near the shrine, thinking about the information that I have just received. There is another clan that answers to the Shogun. But, I just found out, that I come from a long line of super ninja's. As I leave to go back to my room, I wonder what awaits for me, now that my training is complete.

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