Anka Date/Plot

## Arc 0: The Sacrifice

Opening Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sH-l2sdjCvo

### **Episode 1: 86-ed!**

Villagers reached out to me for the first time in months, calling my name. The happiness I felt at that moment was something I could never describe, but as soon as I arrived. One of those Shinobi spoke, beckoning me over and telling me to come with them. I obviously didn’t accept the proposal, yet Shinobi kept on persisting, giving me kind words before walking up to me and grabbing me by my hand. I was weak, he dragged me, there was nothing I could do except yell for my grandpa to save me, but once I turned to see where he was, my heart sunk, I was angry, I screamed and kicked the guy holding my hand right in the shin, the sheer power of my weak little hit made him flinch and let go. Most villagers faced my way when I ran towards them, whilst tears paved the path behind me, I couldn’t make a sound, tears and pain choking me as I finally reached  Grandpa and grabbed him by the shirt, only to get my hand smacked away and pushed to the ground with the words: Go away, nobody wants you here, you are a burden to everyone. Other villagers supported those words by repeating them once more multiple times. Those words echoed through my head, yet  I couldn’t remember what shattered first, my mind or my heart. I felt defeated and abandoned, having no other choice, I turned and followed the group of Shinobi without even shedding a tear or asking a single question. Sheer shock of the event made my memory of the journey just a blur.

### **Episode 2: To Find a Why.**

I cannot remember much, except the gruesome feeling of misery and mental pain that resembled the physical one. Throughout that weird dream, I kept on walking and walking and walking and I was in an unfamiliar village in the middle of the night, people that walked with me disappeared into the shadows, whilst I kept on walking once again, when suddenly I felt light headed and dizzy, the pain intensified and I collapsed into a pile of boxes just to wake up with a snap of the finger. My head was about to burst, my heart was about to jump out as I looked around rashly, unsure where I was, or why I was there. I tried to yell, but as soon as I said the first letter, I stopped, my heart ached, so I squeezed my chest, whilst I remembered the events. Those weren’t just dreams, they actually happened. I was somewhere, lost and alone, without anything to eat or drink. I felt tired in every aspect but mostly emotionally. I felt lost and destroyed, unable to comprehend the events that occurred, so I kept on sitting there, my stomach rumbled, but I didn’t care. I was too lost in daze, smiling and reminiscing of the beautiful and cheerful times. I kept remembering the Villagers of Shimitsu town and their warmth. Even though they abandoned me, I didn’t seem to hate them. Reminiscing didn’t last long, as someone unfamiliar entered my field of vision and introduced themselves, showing concerns about me. I had questions and I asked them, whilst that woman tried to help me, but I didn’t want help, I wanted answers and I wouldn’t have budget until I got them, yet instead of answers, I decided to trust a promise of that woman, a promise that we will find the answer but firstly, I would need to ‘’refresh’’ myself , her words not mine. She took me around the village, bought me clothes and found me a place to stay. For the first time I noticed the beauty of it, but also fear. There were many unfamiliar people walking around, huge streets that just beg you to get lost. After all that, She, Chiuki took me to the library which left me in awe. I kept on reading until tired and then I found my way back to the place I was supposed to sleep at. Fighting the feeling of sleepiness as I awaited for Chiuki to come back.

### **Episode 3: Clearing of the Sky!**

Despair and need for answers kept me awake throughout the night, as I waited for a mere stranger, hoping that they would show up and help me find the answers but there was a limit to how long I could remain patient, the inability to do something for myself itched across my whole body, begging me to get up and do something on my own. It was a constant struggle, a tug of war between patience and impatience, constantly moving side to side, until the rope snapped, without thinking I just got up and rushed through the door, without a single thought I ran onto the streets, without knowing what I am doing, or where I am going. The rash decision nearly turned into a costly mistake, the one that could get me killed as I was suddenly surrounded by rats, in a dark, unsanitary street. I screamed and trashed around in order to scare them, but these weren’t the rats I would find in my small village, these guys were fat and awfully courageous. They quickly pushed me into the corner whilst I imagined the gruesome feeling of being eaten alive, when a sudden gust of wind blew the rats away, causing them to squeak and hiss as they ran away with their tails between their legs. The white haired savior, would quickly introduce himself as Vasa and offer a helping hand as we indulged into your typical small talk, his questions unfitting of my story as it made me remember all the bad feelings I tried to swallow and hide deep down, yet I remained composed, the boy said he received a letter that mentioned my name and finally, my actions began to make sense. We walked around as Vasa gave me a tour, his words filled with pride and passion as he told me something about every place in the village, his passion filling me with joy and excitement, giving me hope but also despair, I bottled the feelings and acted cheerful to match his own, holding back my thoughts and suspicions about the letter, the inner bottle of emotions and patience filled in, creaking and shaking as we jumped on top of the roof, the beautiful view that followed served as a brief distraction but then, the bottle reached it's limit of pressure it could hold, causing a propulsion of the screw cap into the air as I began to cry, the sudden change of mood concerned Vasa as he asked what was the problem. My heart began to speak, there was no suppressing the word as my suspicions came out, Vasa blinked in confusion reassuring me that that isn’t the case without giving me a clear answer, telling me that I wouldn’t understand. Usually, these type of answers, wouldn’t be enough to satisfy, but the confidence and warmth Vasa spoke with, made me believe and calm down, trying to understand the purpose of me being here on which he replied:

‘**’You are probably the most talented girl that ever walked into this village, your purpose is to make your Village proud and show off your talent to Konoha- to the whole world, but how? That is on you to discover.''**

Ending Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYQeWTHRb40

## Arc 1: The Chosen Path

### Episode 0: The Infinite Crossroads!

One moment I was laying in bed, thinking of the answer I received, the next, I found myself in a white room, devoid of anything, when suddenly a loud noise resembling something flat falling echoed throughout the room. I turned and saw a road, a regular, straight one .The road followed by another then another and yet another, until finally I was surrounded. Each new road made my heartbeat louder as I sat there motionless, observing the straight, non-ending and completely identical roads surrounding me just to realize that none of them are actually identical. Focusing on a single road revealed their true colors, their steep hills and countless forks that differentiated according to each different road. The pure pressure of countless scenarios and countless roads made me want to strangle myself as I began to cry and suffocate, panicking and wanting to end this overwhelming misery, yet just as I began to lose consciousness, a letter, plain looking one fell into my lap. I blinked through the tears and opened it, as quick as I could, almost as if sensing it was my saving grace. The letter radiated blinding light as soon as it was opened, illuminating  the already bright room, destroying all the roads except one as

I sprung out of my bed, sweating and panting, looking around frantically as I found myself back in my room, everything in order except a single random letter, laying in front of the door.

### Episode 1: The Highlighted Road Crumbles!?

That random letter took me on an unexpected journey, the journey that rid me of all doubts and anxiety, as I filled the application form and followed the instructions which led me onto the streets of Konoha. The streets that once felt daunting and scary now felt small and peaceful, yet I still couldn’t navigate them properly, taking wrong turns and wandering for hours, when a sudden realization made me stop. I looked up and around, smiling in excitement as I finally found the building I needed. I wiped sweat off of my forehead and fixed my clothes as I entered the Hospital and handed over the application form. As soon as I did so, I was pointed into another room. Different kinds of equipment and machines intrigued me. I felt so excited that I began asking questions as soon as I entered the room. The nurse seemed kind and patient as she put up with my every question and explained every test she put me through. As we finished, the nurse ordered me to wait. I sat down and thought about all the new things I learned, until the nurse returned, carrying papers and keeping a really serious expression as she began mentioning the positives and then finally the negatives. The revelation made my heart sink as I looked down in disappointment, unsure of what to do or say, but perhaps the nurse noticed this and took pity, signing the paper and clearing me to continue my journey under one condition, I had to show up for every appointment, in order to keep track of my bones, also saying that they should get stronger with exercise and better nutrition. I looked at her with a broken, disappointed gaze, yet she smiled and reassured me that I am still very young and have a lot of time to develop. I couldn’t help but hug the nurse as I thanked her, before walking out and heading to the Academy, carrying a different set of papers this time round.

### Episode 2: The Road Shines Brightly!

Walk forward for sometime, then take a left turn as soon as you see the Hokage Building and there it is, the famous Konoha Shinobi Academy, said to produce countless numbers of talented young Shinobi each year. Pressure of those statistics was real as I stood there, wondering if I had what it takes to enroll, doubting myself as I was about to turn and walk away, when I saw Chiuki walking past me. I didn’t say anything, yet she seemed to notice and beckon me over. I followed behind, entering the Academy and wandering through unknown corridors until we entered a room. Chiuki finally broke the silence and I explained why I was here, to which she nodded and sat on the desk, as I blinked, unknowing that I am actually talking to the Academy's Headmaster. I bowed out of shame and embarrassment as my face grew hotter each second, but Chiuki just smiled and pointed at the chair in front, beginning to ask me weird questions about myself and before I knew it, it was over. I was cleared to go and enrolled in the Academy, or so it seemed, but just as I was about to leave, Chiuki spoke, telling me that a Jounin Instructor will find me and accompany me to the training grounds, where my Physical Prowess will be tested, along with my Chakra. I nodded and walked out but to my surprise, the Instructor was already there, looking at me before beckoning me over. Hopelessly confused as to how he would be notified so fast, I followed along, as he explained contents of the test before we headed towards the Training Grounds. To my disbelief once more, all the equipment and drills were set up. I looked between the Instructor and the Training Grounds, about to ask a bunch of questions when the Instructor gestured a shush sign and ordered me to begin. I began as ordered, going through the drills as best as I possibly could, continuously imagining that I am going to fail and be denied from enrolling, but once again, I was surprised, this time by my results. The Instructor smiled and told me I pass with Above Average Results, then disappeared into thin air, along with all the equipment, as big cloud of smoke enveloped the Training Grounds and another Instructor appeared, standing there, with a kind smile, beckoning me to come over, his eyes changing color as I approached him. The Instructor introduced himself as Calero as we indulged in your typical small talk before he revealed the truth about my origins. Saying I belonged to the Arumaze clan and then handing me over a weird paper, which was supposed to reveal my Chakra Nature. Noticing confusion in my eyes, Calero would kindly explain and teach me how to channel chakra, before instructing me to do just as he did. I nodded and closed my eyes then formed a Half Tiger Seal, which was supposed to help me focus Chakra easier. Few moments later I would open my eyes, blinking, as the paper I held shrunk completely, apparently revealing that my Chakra Affinity is Raiton. Calero once more explained the basics before poofing into thin air, leaving a trail of smoke behind him, along with a small note.

**‘’Congratulations, You are at last an Official Academy Student.’’**

### Episode 3: Save Hokage's Bento!

There was no sign of Chiuki as anxiety flooded every cell of my body, mixed with  a certain fear of the unknown. The ignorance of not knowing what to do was heavy but I persisted and waited patiently until I was hungry. Deciding that it won’t hurt if I go to the restaurant and buy something, when just as I walked up, there she was, the proud Headmaster of the Shinobi Academy, walking towards me, yet she seemed deep in thought and walked straight past me. Confused and slightly scared, I said something, to which she turned and blinked. The Chiuki I know looked different, much different as I nearly apologized for mistaking the person, but her voice gave it away. I blinked and greeted her politely, nonetheless her appearance and behavior was weird, somewhat scarier, but I shrugged the feeling and talked to her normally, when suddenly I was offered a meal from the restaurant. I happily nodded and followed along, deciding to ask few questions, but before I could, someone approached Chiuki, the person wearing Konoha’s uniform and whispered something to Chiuki’s ear, as to what she looked at me and told me to meet her in front of the Hokage Building. I was confused, yet I did as she said and went there as soon as I could, as I arrived, Chiuki was already there along with another girl, without missing a beat, Chiuki explained a task, saying that Hokage will be really angry if he finds out that his Bento Recipe was stolen, thus we had to find it and retrieve it. As soon as I heard and managed to comprehend I got antsy, not sure how that task can be accomplished, and how we will find a culprit in this huge village, so I turned to the more experienced girl, which seemed a little older than me, wearing a headband, thus assumed she was higher ranked then an Academy Student. The girl ordered me to split up and ask around the village and I did just that, innocently asking random strangers if they had the Recipe. Believing that people wouldn’t actually lie and just tell me if they stole it, but it didn’t seem to be the case, giving up from people, I decided I should try and inspect some institutions, evaluating Library and the Restaurant to be most likely places. Library was my first stop. I inspected the place and found a scroll, which I returned to Chiuki, only to find out that that scroll was filled with Medicine Books. The revelation made me all excited and tingly as I do love medicine, so I immediately asked if I could take them after finishing the task at hand. Chiuki would just nod at the request and I left once more, with a stroke of luck, I found the Restaurant and kindly requested to talk with the Chef, apparently someone already did just that, but I tried irregardless, Chef immediately appearing suspicious as he revealed what had happened, even though I never mentioned any details, to what I tried to trick him, the plan running successfully as he slipped up and revealed the truth, only realizing his mistake after he did so. I thanked the Chef and promised I wouldn't tell anyone that he stole the recipe. I was happy and proud of the accomplishment. Soon after I met up with the other girl and we returned to Chiuki in order to hand over the recipe. Chiuki seemed happy with the performance as she nodded and dismissed us, allowing me to take the books I requested, to which I smiled joyfully and thanked her, before leaving and heading back home.

## Arc 2: Classes Begin!

### Episode 1: Poisons!

First ever class was about to start. I sat in the training grounds alone, panicking and overthinking whether I was waiting in the right spot, when with the corner of my eye, I caught a shadow, turning towards the source. I noticed a girl, about my age as she sat beside me and soon after a person wearing your typical shinobi uniform, the vest signaling he is higher up in the rankings. I immediately stood up to introduce myself and show respect, yet the boy didn’t seem to care much about formalities, talking in a relaxed manner and carrying a thin layer of arrogance around him, belittling some of the previous students he had. Nonetheless, we moved from Training Grounds to the Academy, only to move from the Academy to Library. The girl that sat beside me earlier just disappeared suddenly, perhaps she ran away from class, who knows, but after we entered the Library, the teacher, going by the name Irenjiro, started his class. The class was about poisons, which I really loved. The topic went hand in hand with Medicine thus my levels of curiosity were quite high. I remained listening for most of the lecture, even though Irenjiro didn’t seem to have much theoretical knowledge on the topic, he mentioned practical approach to things, the way poisons are used, and their effects. The class was rather short as it concluded after an hour or so, the results of the class  painting a vivid picture of shinobi and their profession, which in turn made me even more motivated to study poisons and master them, as I deemed the knowledge to be highly valuable in the field. After thanking Irenjiro and bowing politely I returned back to my room and spent the rest of the day studying Medicine books I've received as a reward for successfully retrieving Hokage’s bento recipe.

### Episode 2: Ninjutsu And The Lighting Bolt!

Panicked and out of breath. I ran through the village, in an attempt to make it in time. Imagining the punishment for arriving late, was ringing through my head, yet once I was there and stood face to face with today’s teacher, Chiuki, she forgave me and just looked disappointed. Perhaps her disappointment lay in the fact that only I showed up, thus Chiuki was forced to change her plans and hold a practical lesson rather than theory. Since it was just me and her, it was a mixture, brief explanation of Ninjutsu and what it entails, before moving onto a practical approach, where I learned how to perform my first jutsu. The jutsu we performed was Lighting Bolt Jutsu, the easiest and simplest jutsu one could master. On my first attempt though, I nearly blew my hands off as the Jutsu exploded into my hands before I could carry it, the shape and form of it, rather miserable as I tried again, this time over. I got distracted and tripped up, firing the Lightning Bolt into the air and creating some sort of firework, dissatisfied with my performance I tried for the first time, focused greatly as I tried my best, the shape of it still looking miserable, yet I seemed to be under control, when out of nowhere, the Lighting Bolt dissipated into nothingness, as I crumbled down onto my knees, breathing heavily and feeling fatigued. Experience being similar to one after giving it your all in physical activity, which caught me by surprise, never imagining that using chakra could make you feel that way. After seeing the result, Chiuki decided to call it a day and sent me home to rest, ordering me to buy ointment and some bandages, which was apparently supposed to help during my training. I nodded and headed home to rest, staying there for quite some time until I decided to go out for a walk and looked at the NoticeBoard once more, my eyes sparkling as an actual timetable sat there and it was time to begin official classes. The first class being that same day, in a few hours and coincidentally the same topic, yet different. Few hours seemed to pass quickly, as I once again found myself in the Academy Grounds, standing in front of a teacher, who introduced herself as Homura. We quickly entered the Academy Classroom and the lecture began, covering theory, but mostly containing discussions between Homura and the Class. I wasn’t able to contribute much, as I felt weird and awkward, my classmate looked quite a bit older than me, which made me slightly insecure, thus I remained quiet. As the class progressed. I relaxed more and more, slowly beginning to contribute and ask questions, trying to understand Ninjutsu on a deeper level, which worked wonders. The end of the class was signaled with a final exercise, using our chakra, we were supposed to cut a clean circle through the paper, attempting over and over again, but never managing successfully. The closest I got to was a full circle, but a little nick could be seen on the edges, deeming the attempt unsuccessful. Once more I felt tired and sluggish as I was unable to perform the task optimally, the chakra just not coming out properly and failing to take any effect. Homura would notice this and kindly tell me to not push myself further, as soon after she concluded the class and we were dismissed to go home.

### Episode 3: Fear!

School bell rang once more, as students gathered around, a really small class consisting of Edem and Myself waited for Homura-sensei patiently. Upon her arrival, she announced that today’s class will be outside, in the Training grounds, rather than inside, thus we followed along. The thought of undergoing practical class made me anxious and antsy, but also excited. The closer we got to the Training Grounds, the louder my heartbeat was. The moment we arrived, Homura-sensei as usual would perform a magic trick and out of white smoke, the prettiest, most colorful collection of weapons, ranging from smallest to biggest, from simplest to most complex, from lightest to heaviest, there was every type of weapon you could imagine, and even types of weapons you could have never imagined. Homura ordered us to grab a single weapon of choice, whatever we wanted, whilst she moved away towards the dummies. In the meantime, I would eye the weapons, one by one, sizing them up and deciding which one would be the easiest to use. Edem on the other hand, seemed to have it all figured out as he stood there with three types of different weapons, compared to my single choice of your basic Kunai. Homura-sensei would smile and nod as we chose the weapons and then briefly explained what the strengths and weaknesses are, before pointing us to the dummies that were now marked on random spots. I knew what the spots were and that’s what scared me the most, eying the Kunai which I chose as the weapon and moved closer to the dummies, following Homura-sensei’s orders to try and stab the marked area. I was breathing heavily and panicking, as the dummy I stood in front, wasn’t a dummy anymore. I could imagine a real person standing there, their vital organs showing through their transparent skin as I wildly swung the kunai around with my eyes closed. The action signaled Homura-sensei to approach and help, as she showed me the basic two handed stab, explaining it’s drawbacks and strengths. I copied exactly as Homura did, performing the movement pretty well, as I did my best to miss the vital spots, yet on my second attempt. I accidentally, or maybe even purposefully stabbed the vital area, the heart, the sight of Kunai puncturing through the skin, and illusions created by my own vivid thoughts followed. I saw blood sprouting out, that dummy, which was now a living human, collapsing and struggling for air as it slowly died. The sight made my whole body tremble, as I sat down in shock, but Homura-sensei’s kind voice returned me back to reality, as I stood up and attempted once more, but alas, the shaking was too much, the burden and fear of stabbing the vital area of the target made it hard, as I failed the technique completely and once more collapsed down to the floor. Homura-sensei noticed something was off and tried to make me feel better and solve the fear I had, yet it didn’t seem to work. Nothing could justify a person stabbing another person, there were different ways to handle conflict, or at least I thought so, yet I remained quiet, and soon after the class was dismissed. I returned back to the barracks, wondering if this was the right profession for me, disappointed and confused as emotions rang through my whole body, along with the infinite amount of questions which made it impossible to sleep.

### Episode 4: The Battle Royale!

I stood beside Edem and Nishio as we observed Homura-sensei’s brief explanation on how to use chakra in order to enhance our physical abilities. The demonstration of power enhancement left me speechless but I quickly had to focus as Homura-sensei clapped her hands and gave us orders and rules, setting up the activity in which we had to stand on stumps. The stumps were sticking out of water in random locations around the pond. Each person, including Edem, Nisho and Myself were stationed in three corners, whilst two remaining water balloons remained in the middle. The scope of the exercise was to hit others with water balloons in order to throw them off balance and make them fall into the water. We each possessed 8 balloons and with that, I faced my first obstacle, quickly realizing I cannot carry more than two balloons at the time, so I panicked and placed them all in one place, just beside me. Whilst I’ve done that, Nishio decided to take the opportunity and attack, as he threw a single balloon my way. Out of panic and pure reflex, I ducked down and somehow avoided the balloon, which flew right above my head, just as I relaxed and thought the assault was over, another balloon flew my way, this time targeting the balloons I’ve placed besides me, hitting the bullseye as my balloons scattered around, denying me off of three of them, whilst other three barely lingered to the sides. The sight made me sulk and scream inside as I focused chakra into my feet and jumped onto the other stump, somehow the boys eased up and began attacking one another as Nishio threw another balloon in Edem’s direction, to which Edem replied by jumping off of the stamp and holding onto its surface with both his hands and legs, hanging just few centimeters above the water. I took the opportunity, believing Edem would successfully return to the top, taking a big risk I focused once more and jumped, skipping one or maybe two stumps as I landed perfectly on the desired one, facing Edem, as I watched him struggle and hang for his dear life, yet before I could do anything, he lost his grip and fell in, declaring himself outed as Nishio and I faced off, one on one. Nishio’s first throw was coming towards my head, but this time I was prepared as I ducked down in a squatting position, setting up myself for the next move, whilst Nishio followed up with yet another throw, with a smirk, I jumped up, but to my demise, I forgot to focus chakra into my feet, as I just propulsed myself upward with regular power, the balloon previously thrown landed right on it’s target, taking me down into the water with no mercy. Defeated and soaked, I returned towards the group. As soon as I arrived, Homura-sensei declared another round and yet again we set up the environment and began with Homura-sensei’s command. Once again I was their first target, Nishio throwing a balloon at me followed seconds later by Edem, however I successfully managed to block by planting my feet and gently bending my knees as the two balloons struck my torso. In the same throw against me, Edem also fired a second balloon at Nishio which caught him off guard and threw him off balance. I used this opportunity and immediately retaliated, hurling a single balloon towards Nishio, confident that it would take him out yet in one last movement before being knocked out, he threw a balloon my way which I wasn't expecting, causing me to slip and fall, knocking down most of my balloons.  Yet there was no time to sulk, as Edem jumped up high in the air and released an assault of two balloons.  I used the rules to my advantage and laid flat on my back, the balloons splashing all over me but unable to knock me off.  Edem's attack had left him off balance, using this opportunity I took an accurate shot at him which found its mark, sending him tumbling down into the water, signaling the end of round two.

### Episode 5: Communication Is Key!

Ghost like appearance paired up with cold demeanor and analytical eyes, make for a very intriguing individual and such was Hiryur-sensei, his methods of teaching totally different from anything I’ve ever experience. Instead of showing or telling, Hiryur-sensei decided to put us straight through it, ordering us to blindfold ourselves. Once we did so, Hiryur-sensei began his master plan, provoking conflict between the students, which was rather easy given the naivety, as one of the students landed a clean hit on Edem, whilst I just remained stationed in the same place, trying to figure where everyone was, yet no one seemed to respond to my callings, perhaps everyone was scared of getting attacked and hit, thus failing to abide by the objective and disappointing Hiryur-sensei to the point that he had to stop the exercise and give the group something easier to do, scattering us once more as we kept our eyes closed and ordering us to find a way towards each other. We abided by it this time, and Edem began making a soft melody which led me towards him. I did the same, following along his lead and starting a soft melody myself, until finally I smacked into something and tripped, which signaled I was close to Edem, after our first task was accomplished we found the other student and Hiryur-sensei finally spoke once more, telling us to find the imposter inside the training grounds. Confused as to how we would carry out the exercise, we decided on creating a net by holding onto each other's hands and stretching as far as we could, like that we began to walk as we faced multiple distractions, discussing and collaborating to pick our course of action, when with some luck one of us tripped over something, which was later revealed to be Chiuki.

## Arc 3: Spider Cult of Blood!

### Episode 1: Crimson Death!

I wondered what was scarier, the Infinite veil of darkness or scenarios you could never even account for, but what never came to my mind was actually combining the two. Now that I experienced it, I can say without doubt that combining the two far surpassed any expectations as I found myself standing on top of a hill, peeling my eyes into the village below in order to spot the smallest of movements. Constant shaking and chills moving across my body made it difficult to focus, yet Homura-sensei radiated such energy and warmth, capable of destroying the biggest of fears within me and thus I managed to continue bravely, believing that everything was going to be alright, even when we spotted our target and began to chase them. The chase consisted of multiple levels and difficulties, from walking around to running and jumping across the river, yet until the climax, the most intriguing event was spotting our target talking to some unknown creature within the river, the sight still boggles my mind and make me question reality and existence of supernatural creatures, yet at the time I couldn’t afford to be in awe, as keeping up with Homura-sensei was probably the most difficult part physically, yet the psychological challenge was yet to come as Homura-sensei and I found ourselves face to face with our target as they suddenly exited an old abandoned building. Homura-sensei’s quick thinking captured the target swiftly whilst I could only stand behind and watch as the target got dragged our way, emanating green hue from their veins and laughing hysterically, appearing to have no tongue  yet he swallowed something as suddenly the effects kicked in and what it seemed like a teenage boy began to die, burning from inside. Edem our medic, swiftly made his way towards the boy and tried to save him, yet the poison was way too fast acting, destroying the insides as the two did their best to extract some information out of the dying boy, managing to get samples of blood and seal the body itself, yet the mission was not yet over. After we cleared the mess from that previous encounter. We had to enter the abandoned building, which was filled with cobweb and darkness inside was just different type, the one that suppressed your breathing and weights you down, the one that feels oppressing, and makes you think your eyes are closed even though they are open, yet Homura-sensei had yet another solution and made a torch which in turn created enough light to keep me sane, but little did Homura-sensei know that it would trigger infinite wave of spiders, skiddling and appearing to run away from something as Edem and I froze and stood motionless, trying out best not to freak out until spiders finally all escaped and we found ourselves inside what it seemed to be a religious place, signs of chakanism would be seen drawn on the walls, but nothing else could be found inside, as we all left the place with disappointment, the mission clearly an unsuccessful one, yet at the same still successful as I experienced the daily life of Shinobi and contemplated on the topic as we returned back, eventually tiring out as Homura-sensei gave me a piggy-back ride and I fell asleep, only to find myself inside my room, contemplating and trying to figure out whether that was only a dream, yet with a single glance around my room. My question was answered as I spotted multiple rather familiar spiders as my hunt began and I tried to capture them alive, having a weird gut feeling that they weren't just regular spiders.

### Episode 2: The Hunt!

Wrestling with spiders seemed eternal, as everytime I caught one, the others tried to save it, a type of behavior I’ve never seen in bugs, thus it made me wonder what those creatures actually are, what is their purpose and why they followed me. With those questions in mind, my motivation was even stronger, as I persisted and chased them over and over again, managing to capture a single spider into a cup, which I then carried into the Academy Grounds, where class was supposed to take place. Homura-sensei and Edem were already there. Their discussion surprised me briefly as I heard them talk about those same spiders and immediately without wasting much time. I showed them the main feature of the cup, a single spider, standing there like a star on the podium, moving around slightly, yet behaving well as it didn’t try anything to escape. Upon seeing it, Edem and Homura-sensei seemed to be surprised as Edem encountered those same spiders, but yielded no result upon trying to capture them. Immediately after Homura-sensei decided to move on with the class and take Edem and Myself into the Training Grounds to practice our Chakra Control, presenting some weird type of clay orb that was apparently very sensitive to chakra. Whilst listening and watching the demonstration, I carelessly placed the cup upside down, on the floor few meters away and then decided to try out the exercise, focusing as hard as I could and imagining a perfect ball of clay, channeling chakra as I pretended I was forming the Lighting Bolt Jutsu, using visual aid to straightened the sides and make it as perfectly as possible before I sighed and smiled for a second, gesturing that my sculpture was finished. Homura-sensei smiled back and silently clapped as I nodded and awaited the results of the other two students, which were both very successful, at least in my eyes. Edem was as usual giving himself harsh treatment and class was soon to be over, when I remembered and looked around in panic, searching for the cup, exhaling loudly as a sign of relief once I saw it, but the second I flipped the cup, I saw nothing…an empty cup, without a spider. I yelled in shock and disappointment whilst Homura-sensei and Edem reassured me that it was bound to happen, yet I couldn’t help but feel defeated and slightly angry as I headed back to my room.

### Episode 3: Missing Family and The Dead Son!

Peace returned to my life upon the disappearance of the spiders. My days consisted of reading books and walking around the village, attending classes here and there, though the peace didn’t last long as one evening, my stomach turned upside down as I stared into the poster. The poster was hung on the Village Notice Board, showing a missing family and within the drawings, a familiar face lurked, the same teenage boy that we failed to save just a few days ago. My eyes became watery as I stared at it, perhaps trying to fool my mind into believing otherwise, yet just seconds after, with the corner of my eye. I spotted Homura-sensei and Edem, waiting in front of the Hokage Building and just like that, I was dragged into another task. Upon getting briefed, the same group including Homura-sensei, Edem and Myself was accompanied by another peculiar individual named Karitou. We swiftly headed towards Kurozawa, a small settlement to the east. As soon as we arrived we could tell something was wrong, spotting a large crowd in front of the door. Homura-sensei tried to calm down the civilians and did so successfully as we began our task. Everyone was given something to do, my job was to scan the perimeters of the building and report anything suspicious, to which I just nodded and began looking around multiple times, scanning walls, roof tops, pretty much everything that could have been checked for but I found nothing. Starting to lose hope and give up, I would decide to give a final look around. My persistence paid off as with the corner of my eye I spotted a silhouette, just about the size of a fist. Unsure of what I had seen, I tried to follow and inspect the area further, darting away from the house but coming empty handed. Thus I returned back to the group and spotted a civilian watching from nearby,  deciding to go talk to them and perhaps get some further information, when suddenly, the door collapsed, signaling Homura-sensei broke in successfully, yet oddly enough, just as the door fell, a Lighting Bolt would illuminate the sky. The coincidence was enough to give me chills and distract me. Giving the Girl just enough time to get there ahead of me, but as soon as She took a look inside. She collapsed and began to puke.

### Episode 4: Arachnid Kiss!

One look into the room and even the toughest, most insensitive person would succumb to the sight of splattered blood. The rancid smell and deafening buzz echoed throughout the house. Everything suggested that we found the missing family but to my disbelief the house was devoid of human bodies, only inhabitants were parasitic animals that fed on the dead, yet just like us, they came out empty handed. The sight made me disoriented and weak, yet I couldn’t afford to succumb. Poor little girl continued to sob beside me, muttering incomprehensible words. Truth be told, she was my only source of strength, the only reason I continued to stand and kept my composure. I tended to the girl's needs and took her away, remaining alongside her as moral support, even though there were no words that could make her feel better. In the meantime Homura-sensei and Edem entered the house and yet another group of Shinobi reported to the scene. New arrivals were concerned about the Lighting Bolt that illuminated the skies just moments before, yet I had no answers, thus I pointed them towards the house and one girl headed there immediately. Right upon her entrance, a loud bang spread throughout Kurozawa, followed by the emergence of the smoke and soon silhouettes grew closer and closer as Homura-sensei, Edem and Osiris made their exit, coughing as their eyes appeared bewildered. Homura-sensei got it the worst as a green hue radiated through her veins. Upon the sighting, I immediately screamed, alerting everyone about the poison and it’s effects, panicking and already imagining Homura-sensei collapsing and meeting the same fate as the teenage boy. There was not much time, to my knowledge the poison would take it’s full effect in a couple of minutes. I stood there, paralyzed and confused, yet upon sighting of Edem running to my left, I broke through the mental barrier and chased after him, deciding that immobilizing him was my safest bet. Unwilling to hurt him, I tried to talk to him but it seemed that the louder I talked, the more hesitant and scared he would become, so I slowed down my movements, made my voice softer and began closing down as he continued to face me. The look on his face shattered my heart over and over again as he suddenly pointed his spear towards me and lunged. I stood there, willing to let him go through me, as long as that would make him snap out of it, or at least stop him from moving, so I closed my eyes and braced for the pain. The thrust never came, as suddenly a clunking sound made me open my eyes. I saw Edem standing just a meter away, his spear down on the floor. Mixed emotions washed over my body as I embraced him, hugging him as tears rolled down my cheeks like a river. Bad feelings never left me, as I continued to prepare for retaliation, yet all I felt was a gentle hand on top of my head, the touch made me step away as Edem stood there. Luckily the effect of poison faded away and Homura-sensei reappeared besides us.

### Episode 5: The Foreshadowing!

**You foolish kid, you want to find out what I really am?**

The sinister voice echoed through my room as I opened my eyes, drenched in cold sweat, shivering and struggling for air. Even though fully awake, I couldn’t move, the feeling of being watched overwhelmed me, yet I couldn’t scream, my words came out empty, almost as if time itself was frozen. Only movable body parts were my eyes, as I hopelessly tried to look around the room, finally catching a glimpse of the silhouette and gulping down my biggest fears.

**Tell me child, what do I look like to you? A mystical beast? A spirit? A Human Being? Or maybe all of them merged?**

The voice got louder, almost as if Earth itself would talk, deep and rough, grinding through my ears in an unpleasant way, yet that wasn’t even the scariest thing, the silhouette began to shift and merge, dancing like the wisp of a flame, showing different creatures and entities as it talked. It’s shape grew weaker and weaker each second, almost as if whatever was standing there, used its own energy to paint the walls, writing a sentence in big red letters. The voice reading them in such a way, that it made it seem like an eternity.

**"Hello Konoha get in our way again and next time it will be worse"**

Hearing and reading the text made my blood boil, unfreezing me as I exploded out of bed and tried to grab the faint silhouette of the spirit, yet as soon as I got up. I felt excruciating pain in my gut, something penetrated my skin, entering deep inside, breaking through my back as I spat blood onto the wall, except that wall became Edem and we stood in the familiar setting of Kurozawa settlement. Edem’s eyes were bewildered but soon became mellow as they comprehended what just unfolded. Edem dropped me out of shock and I fell to the ground in slow motion, the picture shifting into pitch black, random pictures of Homura-sensei and Edem, then pictures of the dead family, all smiling and laughing as they welcomed me to hell, their voice and eyes dead, yet their smiles creepy and sinister, their arms trying to grab me as I fell, but as soon as they did, I fell through them and descended into eternal darkness.

Bang! Was the last sound I heard, as I slowly opened my eyes and shot out of bed, looking around frantically, checking the room for anything suspicious, yet it was just as I left it the night before. Upon the realization, I collapsed to the floor, having a nervous breakdown as my whole body began to shake. I hugged my knees and made myself into the ball, almost wishing death upon me. Yet, I remembered the emotions Edem and I shared after merging our chakra together, his whole life flashed into my heart, the regrets, the failures, the shattered pieces of heart. My pain seemed little when compared to his, thus I stood up and shook the feeling off, determined to shatter my fears and come out victorious. I immediately found pen and paper, then began to write.

**‘’Dear Homura-Sensei’’**

### Episode 6: Graduation!

Curiosity, misery, happiness, sadness, helplessness, all these emotions kept hitting me like ocean’s waves, each new wave splashing me with a new emotion. Turbulence and anxiety I felt in my chest made me want to puke, different thoughts and questions made me dizzy and in order to exist, I had to cancel all of those out and just doze off. Easier said than done, yet when lacking sleep it happens naturally. Eventually I became so distracted I couldn’t even hold a proper conversation but there was one thing that jolted me back to reality, that gave me hope, that gave me will to fight against all adversities.

**‘’Anka and Edem, do you want to undergo an Academy Graduation test?’’**

These words faintly penetrated my ears. It took me a few moments to comprehend and even once I did. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, more questions spawned into my head, yet one ambition overpowered them all, words coming out before I even opened my mouth fully and just like that, the tests began. The test consisted of three stages, none of them were particularly hard. First stage was a written exam, the exam covered all the content we studied under Homura-sensei, thus it was easily aced. Second stage was the scariest, as I wasn’t well versed in throwing shuriken, yet somehow, with some luck I managed to barely get a pass mark and advanced onto the third stage. Third stage consisted of a Taijutsu fight, Edem versus Myself. I hated every bit of it, hurting others for a sport, just never radiated within me, yet we had to do it.

**‘’Begin!’’**

Sloppy and lazy stances could be witnessed as Edem and I faced off. I made the first move, sloppily moving in and firing off a kick towards the back of Edem’s knee, yet my attempt was easily countered and blocked, though Edem seemed hurt as he jumped around in pain, the sight made me stop and ask if he was alright, yet Chiuki urged us to continue, so I did. Whole fight left a sour taste in my mouth, as I closed in once more and attempted a swing with my dominant hand, wide one, it left me completely open as it moved towards Edem’s shoulder, yet once more, Edem reacted and redirected the hit along with my momentum and I tumbled to the left. I tried to regain my footing and turn, but once I did, there was no signs of retaliation, until Chiuki told Edem, we will fail the exam if we don’t put in the effort, with those words Edem attacked, quickly. It caught me off guard as his right hand grazed my cheek, but quickly after, without allowing me to comprehend, Edem ducked down. By chance I ruined his plans when I instinctively grabbed the arm he feinted with, in order to stop myself from falling over. My reaction caused us to both fall. Edem clearly about to fall onto me, as we both imagined the worst and got embarrassed. As soon as I hit the ground, I tried to sit up without opening my eyes, putting in as much force as I could, yet weirdly Edem never fell onto me and my head swing came out empty, as Edem stood above me, red as tomato.

**‘’That’s enough!’’**

Edem and I turned as soon as we heard the voice, both embarrassed and completely red as we tried to avoid eye contact, yet what happened next surprised me. Even though we showcased a miserable performance. Chiuki decided to give us the headbands, declaring us proud Genin of Konoha, giving a heartfelt speech about both of us as she did so and just like that, the not really peaceful Academy Student life finished and I became an official Shinobi.

### Episode 7: Curiosity Killed The Cat!

An unhealthy obsession, naive mind and weak body combined with a false sense of accomplishment and sense of justice makes up for a bad decision which leads to horrible outcomes. Fooled by my own curiosity and false sense of security. I left the village on my own volition and decided to sniff around the current events. Bad feelings never left my side, almost as if trying to warn me of the events that were to unfold. Yet, I ignored them and continued on, entering the Kurozawa settlement. Aiming to appear like a usual passer-by, occasionally shooting glances but not capturing anything even mildly suspicious, the settlers behaved  almost as if those gruesome events never occurred. Perhaps that was the source of the bad feeling that followed me around. Yet the following sight tore me from within, my heart breaking into pieces, the sad sight of whittled flowers, laying in front of **that** house. I couldn’t help but get closer, saying a soft, quiet prayer before picking up the whittled flowers and walking out of Kurozawa through the opposite side. Continuing my way towards the Fishing Village.. Tingling sensation spread across my body as I continued on, flashbacks of the mission popping into my consciousness and replaying over and over again. I kept my eyes and ears open, moving slowly and cautiously, whilst checking everything, not leaving a single stone unturned. Yet a horrible miscalculation made itself obvious, as sun slowly dove underneath the surface, barring the surroundings of any light. That should have been my final warning but I kept on moving forward.. A light shake of my limbs was felt, but almost as brainwashed I kept walking forward through the darkness. Everything was fine, as fine as it could have been, yet the Moon decided to peak out from behind the clouds and shine down upon the most horrifying sight I’ve ever witnessed. No not a murder, or a dead animal, or some stuff like that, it was more like all those combined. A creature with half of it’s brain showing, without an eye and merged with a horse. Horses usually have hooves, yet this one. This one had noodly legs, combined with sharp, bird like toes. My heart stopped momentarily, until I noticed a regular looking man standing beside the creature, appearing as if having a dialogue with the creature. I tried to back off, slowly, without getting noticed, yet moonlight worked against me, the human-like person snapping his head towards me and staring right into my soul as I froze. My heart-rate spiking up to heights I never experienced before. The sudden movement of the man and snapping of that creature’s head made me scream, yet no sound came out. Events that unfolded were so shocking that I didn’t even realize I was held by chains and restrained, unable to do anything, frozen in place. My words barely came out upon being asked questions, yet I answered them with enough thought to receive some information but alas it was in vain, as just the next moment, I was in a place called Dreamland.

## **Arc 4: Entangled In the Spider's Web**

https://docs.google.com/document/d/106NKeIyGmJTkRBkHEFUQ9dFiPP6vxTlLKYYz9OxFt5w/edit?usp=sharing

(This document will be updated with the contents and new episodes)

(Warning:) Following Arc has explicit content and uses strong language. It is highly advised to not read if you are easily disgusted and stuff like that.