Silence—so still that it was a single breath,
The underground in the hush of death.
Each morning had held a sacred pause,
A stillness that was but deep without a cause.
A whisper was wrapped in heavy air,
It was the calm that comes before despair.
Today, the battle drums will sound,
Where youth will tread on blood-soaked ground.
Where steel will kiss the crimson flood—
The sword shall meet the pulse of blood.
Today, is the day for battle,
The youth will be led like cattle.
It is either slay or be slain,
The battlefield is the core of rain.
The reason for all its pain,
Yet without it, even voices of freedom were invain.
*thud**thud*
Banged the gate, as Rei was announcing to wake up,
In a messed room - laid Ame as he slowly woke from the sound of the gate. Squinting and Rubbing he open his eyes and washes his face - recollecting the night and what will be today. Without a moments hesitation he wore his shinobi attire and the white coat of the brotherhood, as he head out of his room to the canteen. Gyomei, his ex-supervisor was waiting for him at the exit of the underground gate with all the genin and chunin gathered in the Tower's Main Hall waiting for an announcement while having their meal.
"Gyomei-san, is something the matter?", asked hesitantly Ame who was no more under the dark hair guise.
Gyomei stared at him in an upset time as he said, "Don't worry about it, Rei-sama has filled me all the details, I was waiting for you here to assign you your own geni-"
"-UhUmm!!... Gyomei I-I'm sorry, I know you are upset because I never told you anything even though you were so kind and considerate about me", apologised Ame shouting and flustered.
*Smack*
"Shut your trap you idiot, you're gonna announce to the entire hall your apology or what!!?", Gyomei said smacking on Ame's head.
"O-ouch, yeash s-sorry about that", said Ame awkwardly noticing that everyone were staring at him.
Gyomei sighed as he said, "It's fine, everyone have things they aren't able to tell, I wasn't upset that you didn't tell me, but because I never pushed you hard enough to tell me. Either way I'm just happy that you were exposed, because now you didn't have to burden yourself with that secret all alone - Rei-sama and the Jonin Platoon Leaders along with the chunin Squad leaders were all notified about your existence and your status here - you are no more alone, do you understand that, uh... Kuro?"
As Gyomei said that, and held Ame's both shoulder gently and reassuringly
-a fluttery warmth touched him, a feeling that he thought fleeted away with hsi mather's passing. With the words truly touching his soul, Ame with a tear shed looks Gyomei at his face - grinning widely he says, "My name is Ame, and thank you, that means alot to me senpai", after all the turmoil that happened this last month and the turbulence that happened last night, his senpai's reassurance is what Ame needed the most.
"Is this crybaby our new captain?"
"What a joke", Ame looks past Gyomei and notices two kids his age- a girl and a boy.
The girl who called Ame a crybaby had pink hair with emerald eyes with black kajal around them on her silky white skin, she looked very athletic and she wore short pants with a half top that revealed her belly.
The Boy who called him a joke seemed to be gyomei's age but had black skin unlike the brown Gyomei, he was also more bulkier - that make you wonder why he was under the leadership of kid younger than him - he wore a red turban over his black hair and a loose dhoti type pant with a jacket that has nothing but his bare skin underneath it.
"Midori! Akai! This is your new captain, don't you dare disrespect him!", said Gyomei angry with their attitude.
"It's fine, senpai. Let me handle my team", said Ame with a newfound confidence that came from his emotional exchange with Gyomei. Gyomei with full trust in Ame steps ten meters away from them.
"I believe that you see it to be unfair that a boy with 3 weeks of training in taijutsu was assigned to be your captain even though you were here far longer than a a few weeks -in fact you were probably here for months", said Ame sensibly
"If you understand that then just leave us alone, we know what to do, you can be our captain by name", Said Midori, keeping her attitude intact.
"Yeah, just take some of our credits and leave us alone, poser", added Akai as he shooed at Ame.
"Wait!", said Ame sounding dominant.
"What? Huh?", replied the two annoyingly ready to rough Ame up.
"Let's make a deal, If I win a battle against the two of you then you will have to obey my orders as your captain but if I lose, I'll be the poser you asked of and won't interfere with whatever you want to do.", said Ame with style, his hands in the white coat of the brotherhood captains - given to leaders of the squad, and a smug look on his face as he glazed himself for the other two to see.
"Huuuhh!?, and why would we even want to fight a weakling like you!?", said Midori still in her attitude.
"Oooooh, now I get it, you are scared, aren't you? ahaha", said Ame in the most provocative manner. "Tch! You bastard!", finally snapped, Midori charged at Ame with nails made of steel attached on her hand with gloves aimed straight at Ame's face in an attempt to scratch his face.
--- *thud*
"Gah-", Midori was on the ground before she could react with blood that came out from her mouth - she was slammed using the momentum of her own charge by grabbing her arm and throwing her off balance and finally lifting her to slam onto the ground - she was unable to get up, she was already down because of underestimating Ame, she didn't expect this outcome and as such, she didn't prepare her defensive instincts for such a bad beat-down.
"Okay, next", said Ame as he turned towards Akai - but to his surprise Akai stood there without charging, and then he walked towards Ame stopping right infront of him.
"Captain, form now on - I will follow your command!", Akai said stoically.
"That was one humiliating slam wasn't it?", Gyomei said to Midori as he supported her up after a medic chunin healed her from thame knock-out.
"He was just lucky", Midori murmured to herself.
The Chunin and Jonin who observed the entire match were cheering Ame's title as captain worthy - Midori wasn't just some genin, infact she was the second strongest genin after Gyomei, knocking her down helped Ame morw than what was in his mind.
"So what you say, Midori, do you still see me unfit?", asked Ame playfully.
"Tch whatever, I'll just agree for now for cheap trick bastard!", Midori replied completely annoyed by her utter defeat.
"That was enough warm-up", A voice coming from above. As everyone looked up to Reina levitating down slowly with the four platoon leaders claded in white -- Everyone regroup and stay steady in discipline - forming a round formation with Balck and White colours- black for the normal ranks and white for the captain ranks.
After reaching down to the centre of the round and after a moment of silence passed --
Reina breaks it, by speaking,
"My brothers and sisters of "The Brotherhood", today will ensue our first step and our first battle to reclaim what is rightfully ours -- what is rightfully of the Denizens of The Hidden Rain and drive away one of the Five great power and finally ease some pain away from the backs of the poor people of this village.We the shinobi of Rain - bearing this headband-" takes out a headband and ties it on her forhead "-also bear the responsibility that we are about to commence. Pack your ration! Stock on your Weapons! We march in thirty minutes!
To be continued...