If you're new here, and are wondering why all of the chapters from here on have less views, votes, comments etc than the previous 71 chapters, that's because the original version of TWI actually finished on 71 chapters.

This new, (hopefully) improved version extends beyond that, purely because I didn't like how the old one ended. In my opinion, given the rewrite, there was still more story to tell.

Ashley's POV

I stop in my tracks and stare straight ahead, my shoulders drooping and the already dark expression on my face falling even further.

Clearly waiting for me, I see that aggravating ANBU leaning against a tree with her arms crossed, her masked face slowly turning towards me. I immediately feel myself bristle as she looks to me, though she doesn't move from her position.

My nerves feel as tightly wound as a spring right now. I hate to say it, but if she even takes one step towards me, there's a high chance I may just run away out of instinct. I'm not scared of her exactly, but I don't even know who she is and she's already attacked me once.

Who's to say she won't do anything worse next time?

"That is her Milady?" Ace asks, a note of irritation in his usually emotionless voice.

"That's her" I confirm flatly, not moving at all, as the ANBU and I stare at each other.

"I have a good mind to burn her to the ground" Ace growls, his ears laying back.

I had summoned Ace last night to tell him about what had happened to me, and he had been livid to say the least. He'd wanted to kill both Lady Tsunade and this ANBU for what they had done, and he hadn't quite decided on if Kakashi needed to be punished or not.

Ace had insisted however, that he accompany me to this suspicious training session today so he could monitor the situation. I had only been too happy to agree of course, feeling more confident with my Guardian beside me.

That isn't to say that I don't feel an uncomfortable sense of foreboding deep in my chest right now however. I'd rather be almost anywhere than here right now.

"You're late" the ANBU suddenly informs me, her voice making me jump.

My brows furrowing and my mouth pulling down into a scowl, I slowly begin walking towards the woman, being sure not to take my eyes off of her. I have my Katsuryoku activated already as well, in case she makes any sudden movements or pulls any tricks. It's not often that I have it activated whilst in the Village if I'm not training, but I don't trust this ANBU at all and I feel like I need to be as prepared as I possibly can for a sudden attack.

"It's only just after seven" I eventually reply, coming to a stop a good twenty or so metres away from the ANBU, Ace right beside me.

"I said seven o'clock sharp" the woman reminds me, pushing away from the tree and turning to face me, though she doesn't approach. "Who is this? Kakashi's report did mention that you could summon Wolves."

"Who are you first of all?" I demand to know, ignoring the mention of a report for the time being. "You've attacked me, threatened me into training with you and now you want to know who he is? Why don't you introduce yourself?"

".....He did also mention an attitude" the woman seems to smirk behind her mask, something that irritates me further. "As I'm sure you can tell, I'm an active member of the ANBU Black Ops. You can call me by my codename, Kyoku.

That being said, the woman removes the Bear mask from her face. She regards us with a neutral expression, her teal coloured eyes half lidded as she looks between Ace and I. I'd say she's pretty, if I didn't dislike her so much already.

"Better yet" Kyoku says, the corner of her mouth turning up slightly, "From here on out, you can refer to me as Kyoku Sensei."

"Not happening" I immediately refute, wrinkling my nose with distaste. "I didn't even address Kakashi Sensei like that for the first few months he was my teacher."

"What would make you change your mind?"

"You'd have to earn my respect" I state coldly. "So don't expect it to ever happen."

".....Is that so?" Kyoku asks rhetorically, seemingly amused by my statement. She rolls her neck and shoulders, her eyes still trained on Ace and I. "Well, here's how today's training is going to go-"

"Hang on a second" I interrupt, holding one hand out. "First of all, why exactly are you here to train me? Why should I agree to train with an ANBU who would blind side a Genin?"

"I want to see what you can do" Kyoku continues as if I hadn't spoken, not at all caring about my unwillingness to participate. "So you're going to show me what you're capable of."

"Hang on a second!" I shout, getting mad now. "I'm not doing anything until you explain what's going on!"

"Do not approach Milady" Ace warns fiercely, stepping forwards with his head held low, fangs bared.

"I'm going to begin, whether you're ready or not" Kyoku informs me in a nonchalant tone, her eyes now focused directly on me and her knees bending slightly. "I hope you'll become more interesting."

Before I can shout anything back, Kyoku breaks into a run, darting towards me at a speed that makes me suck in a panicked breath. Ace, however, lets out an enraged howl and immediately bursts into flame.

He charges forwards to meet Kyoku head on, his entire body covered in burning hot fire. I watch with wide eyes as Ace leaps towards Kyoku, his jaws agape. Unbothered by the large, flaming Wolf lunging for her throat, Kyoku ducks low to the ground and slides underneath Ace whilst performing a set of hand signs.

"Water Style: Liquid Bullets" the woman says, before opening her mouth and firing a volley of chakra infused water bombs straight up into Ace's stomach.

"Ace!" I cry out, watching in horror as the bullets explode on impact, the force of the explosions sending him rocketing through the air, his flames doused.

I am unable to see if he is alright however, as Kyoku turns her head and continues on towards me at speed, hardly having slowed down in her bid to stop my Guardian. I feel my brows knit together and my heart thud in my chest.

I don't want her to come anywhere near me. I have to keep her away.

"Earth Style" I shout, slamming my palms down onto the ground, glaring up at Kyoku as I do so, "Stone Column Spear!"

Kyoku breaks eye contact with me, as huge pillars of jagged rock begin to tear up out of the ground all around her. She reacts to the attack quickly however, leaping and dodging the columns to avoid being run through. Swinging out her arms, she easily bashes through some of the columns using her giant gauntlets.

Not wanting to give the woman a chance to bash her way past my Jutsu, I rise to my feet and raise my arms, pulling a large section of rock up out of the ground. Now moving my arms in a rotating motion in front of me, I cause the earth to swirl around Kyoku, wrapping around and enclosing her inside.

Now entombed in a large, circular barrier of rock, Kyoku won't be able to approach and hit me again. Those punches, not to mention those gauntlets of hers, are dangerous. She had bashed through those solid rock columns with ease just moments ago! I'd made sure to make the barrier surrounding her extra thick, to prevent her from being able to break out, though it had been heavy for me to manipulate.

It'll be worth the extra effort if it means she won't be able to touch me.

Lowering my arms and letting out a small breath of relief, I soon pause, sensing movement up ahead. In a matter of seconds, the rock barrier I had created suddenly explodes open, sending debris flying in all directions.

I stare, wide eyed, at Kyoku, who has her right leg raised up, as if she had kicked her way out of her rocky prison. She slowly lowers her leg and looks at me through half lidded eyes, the woman gazing at me easily, as if she isn't in the middle of a fight.

"I'm not gonna let you get close to me this time" I growl under my breath, bringing my arms up in front of my chest, my forearms crossed over each other.

Focusing my Katsuryoku, I feel the wind beginning to whip around me wildly, my hair blowing around in all directions. Just as Kyoku decides to charge towards me again, I take a step forwards and lean over, slashing my arms down diagonally.

The lashing wind surges forwards with my movement, billowing against Kyoku and slowing her down. I watch as the trees around us creak and writhe from the power of the wind, debris from the ground blowing up into the air. I can barely hear anything over the howling of the wind, having used as much Natural Energy as I had been able to build up within only a few seconds, to create a powerful blast.

Kyoku drops down into a crouched position, her palms pressed against the earth, seemingly using her heavy gauntlets to ground her and keep the woman from being blown high into the air. She squints against the wind, though she still watches me with that infuriatingly calm expression, as if completely unbothered by me.

I get that she's an ANBU and I'm just a Genin, but couldn't she at least show a little bit of emotion? She said I'm unimpressive, which hurts my pride, and as much as I don't want to engage with her, there's that frustratingly prideful part of me that wants to prove otherwise.

Kyoku's head suddenly turns to the side, as Ace furiously bursts out of the trees, his fur once again burning with a raging fire. He leaps for Kyoku, wanting to get her back for harming me the day before.

Having sensed Ace's movements, I deactivate my Katsuryoku, not wanting him to get blown away by my attack. Hoping to overwhelm Kyoku, I also charge towards her. She doesn't seem to pay attention to me however, the ANBU performing another set of hand signs, almost too fast for me to see, before holding both palms up in Ace's direction.

"Water Style: Hand of Waves" she says, before a powerful jet stream of water blasts away from her hands.

Ace lets out a grunt as he is hit, the force slowing his trajectory and causing him to fall short, the Wolf landing on all fours right in front of Kyoku. His fur doused once again and completely drenched, Ace looks up, only to see Kyoku coming at him, her leg extending out.

With a growl, Ace catches the woman's ankle in his mouth and sinks his teeth into her flesh, causing blood to spurt out. She doesn't even flinch however, merely contorting her body in mid air, twisting her torso to enable her to slam her fist down into Ace's back.

Ace's eye bulges from the hit, his mouth automatically opening and releasing Kyoku's leg, as his body is painfully forced down into the dirt. The power of Kyoku's hit creates a crater in the ground around Ace, my Guardian soon disappearing in a puff of smoke.

She had hit him so hard, that the Summoning Jutsu had been broken.

"Tunnelling Fang!" I shout angrily, leaping into the air and drilling straight at Kyoku, who has landed in a crouched position.

Despite not being fully adept with this technique, I release as much chakra as possible, wanting to hit the woman with a devastating blow. How dare she hurt my Guardian like that?!

I grit my teeth and focus on Kyoku as much as I can, straining and willing my body not to become dizzy like it normally did. Releasing chakra from my chakra points, I feel my skin beginning to sting a little, expelling more energy than I normally do for this attack.

I'll make her pay!

I slam into Kyoku at high speed, only to feel darkness flash before my eyes, as I collide with something incredibly hard. I hear an awful crunch sound from somewhere inside my body, an agonising chill running down my spine from the sudden twinge.

My spinning immediately ceases and I fall to the ground on my side, groaning in pain. Cracking one eye open, I see Kyoku looking over me, one arm raised up defensively.

She had blocked my attack with her gauntlet.

How? I had put so much power into that Tunnelling Fang, I'd thought she'd at least struggle to evade it. I'd thought she'd get at least a little hurt, but she seems completely unaffected!

My eyes suddenly widen, and I throw myself up into a sitting position and dive out of the way, just as Kyoku brings her gauntlet down and slams it into the dirt. The ground beneath her gauntlet cracks and crumbles, creating another small crater.

Running in the opposite direction, I can't help but break into a sweat.

'She's going to kill me' I think wildly, able to sense that Kyoku is following right behind me. 'If she hits me, she's going to kill me!'

Knowing that I won't be able to outrun Kyoku, especially seeing as she seems to be perfectly fine after all of this, I suddenly raise my arms up into the air. I almost fall over as the earth beneath my feet follows my abrupt movements and drags me high into the sky, as if I am standing on a floating platform.

Kyoku skids to a halt as I rise up into the air, watching me with what I can only assume is curiosity. She pauses for a second, seemingly weighing up her options, while I try to do the same.

From up here, there's really not much I can do. The second I lower my arms or deactivate my Katsuryoku, this platform will plummet to the ground. If I perform any hand signs, this platform will fall. I could use my Fireball Jutsu or my Phoenix Flower Jutsu and try to hit her before I fall, but it would seem that Kyoku uses Water Style, so there's probably not much point in that.

Not really sure what to do from here, I risk a peek over the side of the rock I am standing on, only to see Kyoku's head tilted back, her eyes focused on me as she bends her knees. I swear I see her smirk at me, only for the woman to leap high up into the air.

I am taken aback as she appears beside me in the air, taking a step back at her unexpected presence. How on earth had she managed to jump so high?!

"Call me Kyoku Sensei" the woman orders, still smirking at me.

"No!" I shout back defiantly, bewildered as to why she's even saying something like that right now. Is that really so important right at this second?

I let out a cry of pain, as she slams her gauntlet into my side, my arm getting crushed beneath its bulk, before I shoot down to the ground and slam into it in a mere second. My rock platform crashes into the ground a fair way away from me, shattering into pieces, as I lie motionless.

I see a dark haze in my peripheral vision, as my head spins and my entire body tingles with an uncomfortable warmth. I can taste blood in my mouth and my body feels as heavy as lead. I can't even move my fingers.

I can't help the way my heart jumps in my chest, as Kyoku leans over me, her hands on her hips and her eyes half lidded.

"Kyoku Sensei" the ANBU reiterates pointedly, the expression on her face a little more intimidating than it was before.

"N-N-No....." I manage to pant out, only for the amused looking Kyoku to grab me by the front of my shirt and lift me up out of the dirt. My head flops backwards a little, as my shaking arms reach up, hands feebly gripping onto her forearms.

Still feeling stubborn despite my current physical incapabilities, I hold Kyoku's gaze with a weak glare, spitting some blood out of my mouth. There's no way I'm going to call this awful woman my Sensei. Kakashi Sensei is my teacher, not her!

"You've still got enough energy to fight then I see" Kyoku points out, words that make my blood run cold.

What is she talking about? I can barely move, let alone keep fighting! Is she really going to keep fighting with me, until I call her Sensei?

Before I have too long to dwell on that thought, I am released from Kyoku's grip, only for her to then whip one of her legs forwards and slam me in the side with her shin. I shoot through the air for a few metres, before crashing into the ground and tumbling along it at high speed, where I eventually roll to a slow stop.

I struggle to breathe out for a few seconds, completely winded from the impact. After a few moments of stillness and silence, I am finally able to exhale loudly, before I begin to cough, drops of my blood landing on the dirt. I scrunch up my face at the pain now in my ribs, a sharp stinging in them every time I breathe in or out, as if I am being stabbed.

I have never, ever been hit with such force before. While I did experience awful things with Orochimaru, even he had never been able to hit me with such raw strength before. I have to wonder how Kyoku's physical strength compares to Lady Tsunade's, because I feel as if my body has been completely battered and bruised in such a short time.

I couldn't continue even if I wanted to. I feel so close to losing consciousness, and I can't allow that. If I fall unconscious, the there's a high chance that Hakuba will try to take over my weakened body.

I writhe around on the ground, gritting my teeth together and forcing my eyes closed, as I slowly and painfully pull myself into a position where I am leaning up on my elbows, only for the sound of a footstep right next to me to cause me to freeze.

I tilt my head back and look up through bleary eyes, only to see Kyoku standing over me again, that serene expression on her face and one eyebrow quirked in question.

I feel my brows knitting together at the sight of her, my shaking hands curling into fists, as every fibre of my being screams to either run away or fight back. I find that I am unable to do either however, my body too weakened for much movement.

Agonisingly admitting defeat within myself, I avert my gaze and hang my head, feeling angry at the situation I have found myself in. I don't respect this woman, nor do I want her to train me. She's clearly psychotic and I have no idea why Lady Tsunade would allow such a terrible person to be my teacher. Let alone an ANBU.

"Shall we continue?" Kyoku prompts, though I'm sure she can already tell that there's no way I'll be able to. Which is probably exactly what she's been hoping for.

"N-No......" I mutter lowly, my voice hoarse.

"No, what?"

"............No, Kyoku S-Sensei...." I say through gritted teeth, my wounded pride hurting almost as much as my body.

I keep my head down as Kyoku remains silent, seemingly satisfied that she had managed to break my pride and force me to address her with respect. I hope she knows that it means nothing though. I don't respect her in the slightest.

She may be fast and she may be super strong, but that didn't mean I automatically respect her. While I recognise that everyone has their own method of training, I'm not sure of any of my friends have teachers that beat them into submission like this.

I feel my whole body automatically tense as Kyoku crouches down beside me, her hand gently touching my back. Before I can protest, I find myself being hoisted onto Kyoku's back, the woman rising to her feet and carrying me into the Village.

I remain silent at first, my body rigid. I've got no idea if Kyoku is planning to attack me again or not. While I doubt I'd be able to do much, if she tries to fight me again, I want to at least try to get away from her.

"....Wh-Where are we-"

"The hospital" Kyoku responds coolly. "You're quite injured."

'Yeah, and who's fault is that?' I retort in my mind, scowling to myself. 'First she completely destroys me in a fight and now she's humiliating me by carrying me to the hospital. I'd rather she just leave me to die.'

Third Person's POV

Sitting in a hospital bed, with bandages wrapped around her left arm, shoulder, torso and her head, Ashley glares over at the figure standing by the window. Dull pain throbs throughout most of her body, though the medics had done a great job at relieving most of Ashley's suffering.

Despite feeling as though she had taken a severe beating, which she had, at the very least, Ashley no longer felt like she was going to pass out.

Leaning her back against the wall, her arms crossed, Kyoku looks from the back of the nurse exiting the room, over to Ashley. She keeps her expression neutral, though the woman can't help feeling amused by the hateful glare being openly sent her way.

Only a few hours ago, Ashley had been falling in and out of consciousness. In the last hour however, after she had been healed by the medics and given some medication, she had already engaged in two arguments with the nurses and had made one escape attempt.

It seemed the Genin wasn't a big fan of being in the hospital. That, or she was serious about trying to get away from Kyoku.

"You'd best preserve your energy for your training" Kyoku advises the obviously spirited blonde. "We have a lot of improvements to make."

"If you think for one second, that I'm gonna train with you again, you're insa-"

"As Kakashi's report stated" Kyoku interrupts, talking calmly, "You're dangerous when it comes to long distance fighting. Given proper training, you'll be nearly impossible to deal with if engaged in a long distance battle."

Ashley shuts her mouth at these words, still glaring at Kyoku, though the woman seems to have somewhat captured her interest now.

"But you're too hesitant to approach your foe" Kyoku continues, her harsh words a stark contrast to her velvety voice. "Your hesitation shows your opponent a clear weakness, which is close combat. If they see this weakness and break through your long distance Jutsu, you're done for."

"I can fight up close" Ashley protests, not happy to hear Kyoku pick her apart after knowing her for less than twenty four hours.

"When you assume you can beat your opponent, perhaps" Kyoku smirks, referring to the training she had watched Ashley undergo with Kiba the day before. "Even then, you spent a lot of time running away from him."

Ashley grits her teeth and growls quietly at this, her cheeks warming slightly. How had Kyoku managed to figure all these things out so quickly? Was Ashley's fighting style that obvious?

Watching the silent blonde for a few moments, Kyoku sits down on the window sill and twirls some of the long hair framing her face, around her finger.

"Kakashi approached Lady Tsunade with a request for someone to dedicate their time and knowledge to you" the ANBU explains in a low voice, her teal eyes half lidded, "As he wasn't going to be able to. He didn't want you to feel neglected, seeing as all of your other teammates seem to be busy with their own training."

Ashley blinks at this and looks up, her expression softening a little as she raises her eyes to Kyoku's face.

"Kakashi Sensei didn't want me to feel neglected?" the girl repeats, before smiling to herself and sighing slightly. "Ah, why is he always looking out for me like that...."

"......I worked with Kakashi during his ANBU days" Kyoku says, looking thoughtful as she crosses her arms over her chest again. "He always had a good heart. That's why Lord Third didn't want him in the ANBU anymore. It's not a job for kind-hearted people."

"So, you're not a kind-hearted person then?" Ashley immediately shoots back in a smart tone, only for the blonde to pause when Kyoku turns her head. The blue haired woman shows her teeth in a small, ominous smile, her eyes seeming to flash dangerously.

"Some of us are more suited for the job than others" the woman replies mysteriously, before her usual tranquil expression reappears. "Kakashi provided Lady Hokage with a very detailed report of your character and abilities, as well as what he thought you wanted to improve on. My Lady took all of these things into consideration, before she decided to ask me to become your teacher."

"Was she drunk when she picked you?" Ashley blurts out before she can stop herself, the girl's eyes widening as the words leave her mouth. She feels a strange sense of fear wash over her, as Kyoku stares at the girl from the corner of her eyes for a few moments, silent.

"......It was mentioned in the report, that you need to improve on your close combat" Kyoku explains, once again smirking in amusement at Ashley's reaction to her. "I've seen for myself, that is correct. One of the reasons that I was chosen to be your teacher, is that I excel in this area."

Scowling at the insult, Ashley decides not to snap back this time, instead, focusing on the last part of what Kyoku had said.

Despite their fight, if one could even call it that, being rather short, it seemed that Kyoku was telling the truth. The ANBU certainly moved incredibly fast, and her strength was a rarity, even amongst high ranking Ninja.

It did seem as though Kyoku would be able to help Ashley overcome her shortcoming of not being adept at fighting an opponent up close. Although, Ashley wasn't sure she would even survive any further training from Kyoku, making her wonder if there was even any point in trying to learn.

"There are other improvements I want you to work on as well" Kyoku states, rising from the window sill, "However, it's getting late. I'll tell you more tomorrow at training. Same time, same place. Good night."

"Training?!" Ashley exclaims in disbelief, motioning to herself with her unbandaged arm. "You're not even going to let me recover, after what you did to me?"

Kyoku pauses by the door, glancing over her shoulder, her eyes giving Ashley a once over.

"Seven o'clock" the woman reiterates, a warning in those eyes. "Sharp."

"You're insane!" Ashley shouts, picking up one of her pillows and lobbing it at the door, just as Kyoku closes it behind her. It hits the door with a soft puff, before sliding uselessly to the floor, as Ashley heaves a troubled sigh and throws herself back into her remaining pillows.

"That woman is crazy" she says angrily, scowling up at the ceiling. "And what does she mean by other improvements? I'm not useless!"

Closing her eyes due to the throbbing in her head, Ashley continues to grumble to herself, utterly drained by the thought of having to go through another training session with Kyoku early tomorrow morning.

She could only hope and pray that Kyoku would take it a little easier on her tomorrow, due to Ashley's injuries not being fully healed yet. Though, judging by that scary look on Kyoku's face when she had said that ANBU Black Ops can't be kind-hearted, it didn't seem that that was going to be the case......