Rain. Rain. RAIN! RAIN!! When would it stop raining!? Izumi loved the rain by man this much was flooding everything. The streets had puddles the size of houses and the village may as well have been Kiri! Sure it was an over-exaggeration but jeez. As Izumi walked down the streets towards her favourite training field she appeared mostly like a dark natured saint. With her clothes always black, including her hair color, and the black cloak she wore over it was no wonder why she was called Konoha's shadow. Thing is this time she wasn't trying to hide like she normally would. She walked down the streets casually. This was mostly because everyone was in their homes trying to stay dry. If they were out and about they held umbrellas over their head and were in such a hurry anyway that they really didn't pay attention to her.

With each footstep landing in a puddle, Izumi's feet were soaked yet again. She would need to wash and dry her shoes once more to keep them from growing that mildew smell. It wasn't as though her feet stunk but wet shoes did. She had back up pairs though so it wasn't like she would be sitting casually while an emergency meeting was called. She would be ready to go.

Rain streaked down her cloak from all around while it tapped against the puddles. What started out as little drops turned to big ones that Izumi could feel crashing on her head. She shook them off but they kept coming. Everyone was practically racing for shelter now. However Izumi toughed it out and kept going. She was a ninja. This was nothing compared to a punch straight in the face or a burning arm. This rain was cake, but annoying at that.

Luckily when she reached the forests edge the canopy began to provide some protection. Most of the droplets still came through but the deeper she went down the path the more protected she began. Eventually she was able to remove her head and then there it was, her perfect training field. The canopy protected the field with its thick branches and leaves. Almost 90% of the open grassland was protected. It were almost like a giant bubble formed in the area or a dome was created. If she had a door for the entrance she could close it off. In the back of the training area rested a small pond. There was a small opening for that where water and raindrops poured in. If this were house that was the chimney. Except water poured in rather than smoke easing out. Almost like a pipe was there in a sense. This was her one and only other escape route unless she took to the trees. Izumi had arrived and now she was ready to being.

[473 words]

Spoiler:

To start her basic training off, Izumi bit the tip of her thumb and formed hand seals. To being she would summon her most basic animal - Scoter. Scoter was the weakest of the birds but a very good spy type. He was small and although not as fast as some of her other summonings he was still able to fly at a decent speed and get the job done. Scouter didn't have any techniques and so he wasn't used in battle as much but when it came to being a messenger it was always him that she would call.

When Izumi touched her hands to the ground and removed them a puff of smoke appeared and so did her American Kestrel. He gave a big yawn and stretched his wings out.

"Tired?"

He closed his wings and shook his head before he looked up at Izumi. His small beady little eyes met hers and it seemed as though he were smiling. Or at least his eyes and tone expressed happiness.

"Somewhat Izumi-sama, just woke up from a nap is all. Takahiro had me flying all over the place yesterday for sport. Mostly we were working on speed training. He's still faster though. After all, he IS a peregrine falcon. I'm not sure how he expects me to go 200 mph. Crazy stuff. I wonder how he deals with the tunnel vision."

"Keen eyes Scouter, that's how," she said before leaning down. She rested her hand on the ground and Scouter stepped on. When she held him back up he tilted his head out of curiosity.

"Izumi-sama, do you have a message for me to deliver?"

She smiled at the expression his eyes gave. Scouter was rather adorable in her mind. She lifted him to her shoulder and he climbed on before turning back around. He was confused. Normally Izumi was strictly business but what was she up to?

"Not today Scouter. Today I have a different plan on my agenda. Going to do some training. But do not fret, you get to watch. Unless of course you want to join in. But I would advise you not too..."

Scouter heard the calmness in her voice grow a more serious tone to it. What she mean by that?

"Today I will be training with Shikatsu."

Scouter's feathers immediately ruffled up from growing chills. Shikatsu?! Was she mad?! That bird didn't even seem like a bird. More like some human bird demon. No one really liked him. The images of what happened to Raiden flashed through his mind and he let out a sharp screech on accident fom fear. Izumi was startled from this and held a hand up to her ear as she glanced over at him on her shoulder with a wince. Scouter cowered some as he raised his wings up. They shook like he saw a ghost.

"Izumi-sama don't. What if someone shows up? How will you stop him? I know you're strong Izumi-sama. One of the strongest summoners I've seen. But Shikatsu...." there was a light stutter in his voice. She smiled and patted his head to calm him down.

"It will be okay Scouter now focus. I'll be fine. What I need from you though is that if there is the chance something does happen... you need to fly as fast as you can to the Hokage and report it immediately. Knock his window out if you must. I know you're good at that. Okay?"

Scouter gulped before he nodded.

"Now hide so he can't see you okay?"

Scouter climbed onto her hand that Izumi raised and spread his wings. He beat them a few times and Izumi lowered her hand before she threw it up quickly. Scouter took flight and headed towards the entrance. He took shelter in the trees so he could watch but was still able to fly straight out if he needed too.

And now the true training began. With a deep sigh, Izumi bit her thumb and prepared the necessary hand seals for her grand summoning.

[674 words - (Level 1)]

The wind picked up at that moment. Its hands gripped at the tree trunks and shook them, causing not only the canopy to shudder but let a few leaves slip away from their looming branches. It was like confetti during a party. Izumi paid little attention to these few simple leaves and more so on the form appearing before her. A puff of white smoke appeared and swirled inward as Izumi stepped back. Scouter shuddered in the background. His beady little eyes stared as he continued to shake; his brown feathers lifting as though he were cold from the wind. Izumi simply watched as the being manifested before her. His heavy breaths echoed and his dark form rested in a crouch. As the smoke cleared he then shifted, the dark form rising as it loomed over with a sense of power and mostly destruction. She stared at the form as it stood maybe a foot above her and spread its wings. The wing span of this creature was rather large, maybe twelve feet, and added to the beasts form. The creature then opened his pitch black midnight eyes and came into full view.

Izumi's gray eyes peered straight into the monsters with a defensive expression. Her eyes had been shielded to where the beast could not read her and thus built up some tension. The beast hated it. It was this fact that he could not read her which made it nearly impossible for him to disobey. Aside from the fact that she went hand to hand with this blood thirsty monster and quite literally beat his ass. He felt ashamed and together they made a pact to keep his defeat silent for the sake of his image. Despite the fact Izumi may not agree with what the beast had done to Raiden and although she didn't agree with the path the beast had chosen, he was still a valuable summoning to her. She needed him just as much as he actually needed her.

"Why did you summon me..." he asked, his voice sounding like a hissing whisper.

"It's been quite some time Shikatsu" she began, eyeing him as he sat slightly hunched over. "You would think that after some time we would share a more formal greeting."

A smirk crossed her face to emphasis she was teasing. He glared at her causing her to narrow her own eyes and cast a glare of power. Shikatsu looked away to signify his agitation. Izumi simply stared, the threads strapping the sides of his mouth shit becoming closer as though he was gritting his teeth together. He then spoke.

"Nice to see you Lady Izumi...."

She nodded, "you as well. Don't worry about the formality I was only pulling your leg. Nice to see you be this way though. You know, you could be quite the gentleman on my opinion."

"Spare me" he said and she chuckled. Peering over towards the opening in the canopy she then began to notice a few droplets of water begin to creep through. The rain had braked maybe for a few minutes and now it was starting to pick back up again. Shikatsu shifted on his feet to gather Izumi's attention. She granted it.

"Well then, the reason I had called you here was to work on training with you. We have went hand and hand before but it has been quite some time."

Shikatsu raised his head to peer at her. They both knew where this was going.

"Small spar, shall we?"

Shikatsu grinned and begin to call forth chakra. Izumi smirked and distanced herself from him. When she landed she held up a kunai and turned her body, telling him to come. Shikatsu's front talons dug at the dirt as he opened his mouth wide and let out a hiss. His blue tongue lurched out at her as his back talons then dug in. Izumi began by running forward and throwing a few shuriken. Now the training truly began.

[665 words ~ Level 2]

Shikatsu rose up his wing and moved it to his side. When the shuriken drew near he cast out his wing and hit the shuriken away. His wing bled here and there but most were struck by his long talon. Izumi was already to pounce. When he was busy with the simple tools she had came within range with not only two clones but a prepped jutsu. All three had formed hand seals, two of them faking a jutsu. As they became within range and Shikatsu noticed them coming, he braced his wings out and the middle Izumi held out an electrified hand. The two others branched away and Izumi raised her hand as though she were about to assault Shikatsu head on. Shikatsu stared her dead in the eye before a bade slashed Shikatsu's leg. He turned his body and screeched, lashing out one of his wings and smacking the clone away. It poofed and the real Izumi launched her strike. Shikatsu turned his head quickly and her fist hit him square in the head. Technically, square in the mask. The electricity zapped out at him just as electricity seemed to zap out from his body. Almost like a lightning armor, the lightning had been casted all around and electrocuted Izumi. She was nearly blasted back but instead she subbed out with her other clone, appearing at Shikatsu's right flank. He turned his attention directly towards her and released another zap. She leaped straight back and slid away, throwing a few more tools and prepping seals.

Shikatsu raising a wing and deflected once more while he hissed, "stop playing games!"

She snarled back, "don't get hot headed."

From all around little balls of lightning manifested and were cast towards Shikatsu. After seeing them begin to form he braced his wings out as static formed around him. Her lightning was about to be countered by him, good. Now what?

After the lightning birds were sent out they began to circle around Shikatsu. They dipped out but when he released his enlightenment they tried to fly out when they circled. Some dodged, others weren't so fortune and circled more. They began to strike one by one around him. Shikatsu grunted as he tried to prep another lightning attack. By then, Izumi's fist nailed Shikatsu on the back. He had dropped his guard and she pummeled a fist right into him. He fell over and she flipped off and landed at his side. He hissed and peered over at her.

"Enough," she said and he huffed.

"You dropped your guard. You let me deal a deadly blow had it been prepped and overall you slacked. You need more training or more focus. Something. I expect a better fight in the future. But then again... maybe we're better working as a team and covering each other."

Shikatsu nodded. He was angry at first but he calmed down after mentioning about team work. She had a point and he was out of line. Next time he would have his A game back. Today's fight was terrible. If it were like the last fight the whole forest would have been torn down and half burned. Why mess up this time?

"You were also more hot headed this time. Is something going on that I should be aware of?"

Scouter tuned in as he slightly leaned forward to get a better look. Shikatsu was fairly quiet at first. He had dropped his head and soon spoke in a near whisper.

"It's nothing. My focus isn't all here because I have some diplomacy issues deal with and I didn't take this all too seriously. I underestimated you, I knew I would before we started. It won't happen again."

"Good, it better not. Especially if you were fighting someone else. Come better prepared. When you're summoned, you're needed. That's that.... but no matter, you did well anyway. I am just glad your listen and I don't mean to come off as a control freak. You understand where I am coming from, I know that. I also understand you hate to be bossed and played with. Thanks for your obedience."

Shikatsu nodded and she later de-summoned him after saying goodbye. Scouter then came back and sighed as he landed on her arm.

"Scared?"

"Not entirely. He was acting different today. Very unnatural. Maybe he knew he was going to loose and thus felt it was unnecessary to really try. I normally don't like him but today, if he acted like he did today we could get along more. Everything but the hot headed part. He seemed to be holding back too."

Scouter shrugged.

"No matter, at least we got some training and you were able to see your leader. Ready to go?"

Scouter nodded. After some goodbyes he was then de-summoned as well.

[804 words | 2143 total ~ Level 3]