Lets be Friends

On the mountain Brooke attempted to focus her eyes the snow made everything blurry. Shielding her eyes, she would continue to walk forward up the cliff. It was said that those who reached the top became stronger for having done so. The bandages around the girls form did little to give her warmth, however the cloak she wore around her shoulders did wonders.


With each step the girl’s boots sank into the snow a few inches. At the very least her light weight kept her from sinking even further, making it even harder to walk.  Using her arms to deflect the snow she continued to trudge forward.  Even though she wasn’t freezing now, she still wished for a fire. She could add cold weather as one of the reasons it would have been nice to have been born with the fire element. You know on top of not being horribly burned by her father if she would have had the correct element.

If I could awaken my sharingan seeing in this snowstorm would be easy. Brooke would think as she continued onward and thought about things in her past. There was her happiest day when she won spars against other students when her father was so proud he took her out for ice cream and her worst when she learned she had the water element and her father took her out to burn her body and disown her.  As she wandered she got some distance before hunkering down and searching for wood to start a fire.

WC: 256

She hated this mountain. Not disliked, no, full on pure unadulterated hatred. At this point she was truly beginning to think it never stopped snowing up here. It was all Kazuo's fault, really. If it weren't for him she wouldn't have even known this damned place existed. The only remotely good thing about it was how isolated it was. The nearly impossible terrain and constant snowy wind biting at your skin made it the perfect place for some intense training without the worries of being discovered by prying eyes. At least, that's what it had always been...before now.

As if the terrible weather and chill in her bones hadn't declined her mood far enough, it wasn't long after she had arrived that Alice noticed a nearly undetectable chakra signature approaching from below. Who in the hell would be crazy enough to climb this god forsaken rock anyway? Present company excluded of course. Her curiosity got the better of her; she had stopped her training before she even began and instead focused on making her way silently down the hazardous cliff-side toward the unknown presence. Not much effort was needed to mask her presence as she descended into oblivion; anyone stupid enough to take on this venture with a chakra signature so low was hardly a threat and definitely not adept at detection.

Keeping her chakra focused on the soles of her feet to stay aloft the fresh snow, Alice crept ever closer to her prey. She had no intention on harming whomever it was that was approaching, it was simply a habit she had developed over the years of deeming those unlucky enough to be caught on her radar 'prey' or 'targets'. When she was close enough to see clearly, but far enough away to remain undetected, she finally saw the dumbass: a young girl with dark hair and a long cloak wrapped tightly around what appeared to be a tiny body. She looked just about as pissed off as Alice felt about being trapped in this never ending snow storm. Deciding to sit back and observe for a while, the Nara made herself as comfortable as she could be taking shelter behind the trunk of a large tree and watched as the girl started to gather wood for a fire. Smart. Without adequate heat the girl would surely die up here before the night ended. Just who was this girl and what the hell was she doing up here all by herself?

Lighting the fire with a bit of tinder the girl held her hands up to the flame, but not too close. She didn’t want to be anywhere near it if the wind blew. As the fire began to warm her body it also began to melt the snow covering the bandages on her face and arms. Slowly the girl would unwind the white cloth revealing the scarred skin underneath that covered the left side of her face and arm.

She was unaware of the person on the cliff above her, but sound from the woods caused her to jump. Brooke picked up a rock and threw it into nearby bushes where a rabbit ran out from. “Whew.” The girl sighed having calmed herself down and continued what she was doing. Once, the bandages were unwrapped she would put a fresh set on, that was dry.

The girl’s breath was visible in the cold air, but it wasn’t time to stop. Putting out the fire with heaps of snow the girl stood and continued up the mountain.  She walked a short distance before finding a sharp rock which she picked up. If I focus I can sharpen this rock even further with chakra. With each step the girl added more chakra to the rock until a near invisible coating stretched across the blade.

Aiming the girl would casually throw the rock at a tree with minimum effort. The point stuck in the bark for a moment, before it fell out. Looking up to see how much further she had to go to reach the top the Uchiha knew she still had a while to go.

WC: 274

Before long the girl had a fire started, the heat giving Alice a welcome reprieve from the frosty air. There was something that really caught Alice's attention though. Underneath that long cloak were white bandages which hid a grossly scarred body. It wasn't the scars exactly that piqued her interest, but the fact that she had those scars and was still here doing her best to climb this damned hell of a mountain. In Alice's opinion, it showed the unknown girl had quite a bit of spunk to her.

The girl changed the bandages quickly, putting on fresh dry ones that she had brought with her. Soon after that the fire was out, doused with heaps of wet snow, and the girl was ready to move on. Of course, that wasn't before she managed to throw a rock at a harmless rabbit that caught her off guard. Damn, this girl was jumpy. That gave Alice an idea. Maybe she would have a bit of fun with this girl, really test out her resolve.

As the girl began to continue her trek up the mountain, Alice followed stealthily, keeping just out of earshot. Adding a little to the already hard to see terrain, she used the hidden mist technique to summon a bit of fog. Soon, the real fun would begin.

Shielding her face as the mist rolled in the girl looked about for the source. Is there a hot spring around here? The water should be frozen during a storm like this. Obviously, she could not see the Nara or even a foot in front of her through the thick cloud. So, she had to do something to aid her vision. Taking out the Christmas wire she infused a bit of chakra inside and as she did the wire began to flash a multitude of colors. If Alice had any idea what Christmas lights were then she would recognize that for some reason the girl was carrying them.

Holding the wire in front of her she continued to walk. This time however the girl was not as quiet as she could not see debris on the ground. So, every now and then the snap of a stick could be heard from within the cloud. This mist is thick, the springs must be closer than I thought.  Walking towards the center of the mist Brooke stumbled over a large log and fell. However, before she faces planted into the ground she managed to stop herself with her hands and got back up.

The mist seemed endless as she moved, perhaps the cause wasn’t hot springs after all. Perhaps this mountain just had random mist appear during the snowy seasons. In the world of ninja, it wasn’t absurd to think that. A waterfall could also be the cause, but I would hear flowing water if I were close. The girl would pause and listen attempting to hear any signs of flowing water in the area. Once, she determined no flowing source was around she looked in all directions. A waterfall makes sense the flowing water would prevent the water from freezing and the crashing water would result in a mist such as this. What direction am I even going? Aiming her light towards the ground she could barely see her own footprints.

Maybe, I should stop and wait until this mist lets up for the night. I need to build a fire, but I can’t see. Fumbling and bumbling through the woods as quietly as the circumstances would allow the girl found a tree. At the tree she would place her hand on the trunk and circle it, kicking the area around it lightly with her feet. There are a few right here. Picking them up the girl would move back to where she was and put the lit Christmas wire around it. Shouldn’t be hard to find where I was with the light. She would then continue looking for more fire wood.

Once, she had gathered enough for the night she would return to her light source where all the wood was stacked and begin to make a fire. Once, the wood was in place she would strike her tinder and blow on the budding flame until other things began to catch flame. I should eat. Taking a rabbit out of her bag the thing was frozen solid, so it would need to be thawed before it was cooked. It sat near the fire to warm it quicker.


Sitting down she reflected on what brought her to this mountain. It was supposed to toughen her, make her stronger. Was it doing that? Brooke felt she was gaining from the experience even if it was just walking and bunking down waiting for the weather to ease up a bit. There were new things to learn and while she wasn’t comfortable by any stretch that was likely a good thing. Sometimes one had to leave their comfort zone to grow and develop. 

WC: 609

The mist didn't seem to hinder the girl much as she just pulled out a string of fucking Christmas lights to help her see. Why in the world would someone carry around Christmas lights of all things? It was odd but whatever. The point was this little girl was damn resilient and capable of adapting to situations. Mind you, she still wasn't able to see very well and the crunching of fallen twigs beneath her feet proved that. After a few more failed attempts to continue up the mountain, it seemed the girl had decided to stop and make camp for the night. A smart move. 

Alice hung back a bit and watched as the girl fumbled around finding dry wood and making a fire to sit by. When it was big enough she took a rabbit out from her pack and began roasting it over the fire. Resourceful indeed. Alas the time of waiting and observing was over. Quietly removing a kunai from her weapons pouch, Alice tied an explosive tag around the hilt and lit the fuse with her chakra. She then threw it near the girl where it would be obvious and seen immediately, the tag along with it. Of course, she made sure to throw it at a spot where the blast wouldn't severely harm the girl, but she'd have to move quickly not to get knocked back by the explosion. How would she react to the unexpected danger? This would be the first of many tests in store.

As the fire crackled and the smell of cooking rabbit filled the air and Brooke’s nostrils she heard the noise of a blade sinking into the bark of a tree beside her. Naturally her eyes followed the sound to the object that was incredibly close to her. It hissed even after being put inside a tree. Oh, look a kunai with an attached paper bomb that is lit. Fuck me. The Uchiha would immediately stand and begin to run for the cover of a tree or rock. However, with the thick snow causing her to sink and stumble she would likely not get far enough in time.

If she was being attacked by a ninja she would have to think like a ninja to live and ninja used jutsu. Even if she was only capable of the most basic ones it could be enough.  Her fingers would have to work quick and succeed on a jutsu she had never used before. Dog, boar, ram her fingers moved as quickly as they could and with a flare of chakra the girl’s feet became talons, her arms became wings, and she now had feathers and a beak. The northern goshawk was a bird that thrived in the winter and she would use that to escape. Flying straight up was the only way to get out quickly the girl could think of given her limited sight. It would prove disastrous if she flew into a tree and then back into the danger zone.


Who is attacking me, maybe I can spot them if I go high. Continuing to fly up the girl would survey the area with her hawk like eyes and literal birds eye view. If Alice was in the fog still she would be impossible to see, it was already difficult with the storm going on around her. Paper bomb assassin was only making things worse. What was the plan here run and hide or fight?

WC: 305

"You have got to be kidding me.." 

There was a definite tone of irritation in her voice, though Alice couldn't help but feel a little impressed as she watched her prey transform herself into a fucking bird and fly away. Seriously, what was with this girl? First she just pulls out a string of Christmas lights when she couldn't see like it was no big deal, and now when faced with unexpected danger she retaliates by turning herself into a fucking bird and flying away. It was definitely creative and effective, she had to give her that much. 

That was all fine and dandy, except bird-girl was too high for Alice to see anymore, not that she couldn't just sense her chakra. Well, it seemed she had passed the first test with flying colors. On to round two. Knowing the girl couldn't possibly see what she was doing, Alice made a single shadow clone of herself and then hid somewhere she knew she wouldn't be spotted even from above. When her and the clone were both in position, the original slowly let the mist subside until the technique was completely released leaving only the snowstorm to disrupt their vision.

If bird-girl was still watching from above, which Alice assumed was the case since she could sense her chakra signature circling from high in the air, she would now be able to see the clone standing by the lit fire and pretending to look around for her prey. It would be an obvious ruse to most, but she thought it was worth the risk with how seemingly inexperienced this girl seemed to be. So, the clone played her part beautifully and continued to pretend to be looking for the girl while the real Alice watched bird-girl closely and waited to make her next move.

Making her rounds the girl took note as the mist that appeared out of nowhere, decided it was time to disappear as well. That’s not how that works, it usually spreads out and thins until it diffuses enough that it can’t be seen. This was the work of whoever threw the blade. Perhaps this whole snow storm was made by the person in some secret ploy to trap people.


As the last of the mist went away, she could see someone standing by her fire looking around in all directions. Didn’t she put a paper bomb there? Why would you run at the explosion, unless they weren’t? Maybe this was all a genjutsu and she was just imagining things because someone had forced their chakra into her mind. In the form of a crow hand seals would prove impossible. Either this chick didn’t exist, or she just ran towards her own explosive device.

Brooke the crow would fly in the direction the person had come from. If it was her, she would never expect for Brooke to head where she came from. Looking at the footprints in the snow the Uchiha knew exactly where her attacker came from. The trail became confusing however as the one trail became two. There is more than one? I must take out the one keeping watch first.


Landing on the ground where the footprints sat, the Uchiha noticed one more detail. Why is there one set of tracks here, but two here? Did they ride on each other’s shoulders? Following the tracks, the real Alice made the Uchiha would look around being cautious of what was happening around her. If she was found first it could mean life or death here. The goal was to take out the person watching and then the person searching, but she would probably die in the explosion. The watcher would never think they were the ones being watched.

WC: 320

BOOM!

So in hindsight, maybe an explosive tag on top of a snow-capped mountain wasn't exactly her brightest moment. The explosion was so loud, after nearly entirely forgetting about it in the first place, that it actually distracted Alice from tracking the chakra signature of her prey. The clone had nearly been caught in it, managing to move out of the range in the last seconds. It disoriented the clone, making the act of looking around trying to find the lost girl into an actuality as she slowly regained her focus.

The original, having lost focus for only a brief moment, Alice was caught by surprise to find the girl's chakra signature approaching her location instead of the clones. "Damn. I forgot to cover up my tracks. On the other hand, the girl was smart enough to not track the clone back to the fire. Interesting." The girl's signature was on the ground now, apparently she had opted out of flying for some reason. Strange. If it were her, Alice would have continued on in the sky where there was higher chance of both escape and observation. Well, it was probably time for Alice to move on to her next plan of attack, as if she wasn't completely winging it as it was.

Slowly unsheathing Royal's Edge and letting the tip brush the top of the fresh snow as she held it in her right hand angled slightly away from herself, she conjured her own emissary of death, the female reaper holding her scythe downward in a protective stance over Alice, and begin to sing. The wind carried her voice clearly through the air as she approached her prey's location, walking at a slow, pointed pace. ♫ "Come little children, I'll taake the a-way, iin to a land of enchaaantment. Come little children, the times coome to play. Here in my garden of shaaadows." ♫