Shinobi Blade

Chapter 1 - A Shinobi Is One Who Endures

At this time of the year, the forest is dense and covers the landscape of the Land of Fire with its green mantle, a chlorophyll sea that absorbs every ray of the sun while enjoying the first rains of the coming autumn.

Here, life is rich: it's not uncommon to come across some deer and rabbits among the mushrooms and the multitude of flowers of all colors, or to witness several flocks of equally colorful birds.

A perfect environment to hide and prosper.

This is what the Founders must have said when they decided to lay the first stone here of what would become the first ninja village: Konoha.

Forest, plains and agricultural areas are arranged in ordered squares, where only the rivers slalom over the kilometers of the Land of Fire.

With mild winters and hot summers, a rainy season that is still rather tolerable, the climate is perfect for all, whether they are farmers, small traders, bureaucrats... or ninjas.

Ninjas: those people who have succeeded in mastering – with more or less talent – the chakra. A natural force within every human.

It is said that, years ago, a hermit shared his knowledge of chakra in order to bring people together in peace and sharing.

Nowadays, the descendants of these men have united in clans, settled themselves in villages and use this force both to restore order and to engage in war.

They organize themselves like soldiers in small groups and carry out missions of more or less long duration, with tasks ranging, for young recruits – from helping with basic domestic chores, to more challenging missions, such as espionage, escorts or assassinations – for the most experienced.

Their powers can be great enough to spawn giant creatures, grow impressive forests, and devastate an entire small country.

The scars of these violent fights are still visible today all over the world. Mother Nature takes care of covering what she herself has created.

< Ploc ! >

A faint thump on the dry wood of a tree made the ears of a doe, quietly grazing on the fresh grass, move slightly.

A furtive shadow is jumping from one tree to another at an impressive speed and without any sound. Avoiding the most fragile branches with flexibility and mastering each jump.

< Ploc ! >

At last, the shadow lands on a solid branch and stands up to its full height.

Of good stature, the shadow turns out to be a young man, proudly wearing a strip of fabric on his forehead, from which a metal plate, engraved with the sign of a leaf, shines.

A ninja.

It has been two days since the man had completed his mission and was taking the road back. Despite the exceptional physical condition, allowing them to be more resistant and enduring, ninjas remain human – with their strengths and their weaknesses. The physical effort and the nervousness of his mission have grounded in each of his muscles. Since crossing the border, the man felt less confident in his abilities – he needed to take a break, and soon.

While the forest surrounding Konoha was certainly beautiful, it was not a safe area even for an experienced ninja. Apart from simple bandits, ninjas from other countries could very well be hiding in the shadows and could very likely attack a lone ninja.

Even an inexperienced ninja, with only a few successful missions in his records, what they call a "genin", could very well have advantage over a superior ninja, a "jōnin", if the latter is on his way back after an exhausting mission.