Awaken, My Darling. [Sharingan Training V.2] [Private]

Shit, how did it end up like this? Griffith looked around him. Well, he looked at whatever he could, anyway. His sights were directly met with darkness and he could feel his breath rebounding against something. He had no memory of ending up in this condition, but it was clear that this was no dream. He tried moving his hands and feet to no avail. They were held together by what felt to be pieces of thick rope.

After a few seconds of deliberation, Griffith came to the conclusion that his head was covered by a rucksack. Combining that information with the current state of his hands and feet and it everything began to fall into place. He had been kidnapped. For what reason, he had no idea. The last thing he could remember was walking towards his personal training area in the forest alongside the outskirts of the village.

Griffith's mouth, the only part of him that wasn't hindered in its movement, began to emit sounds of struggle as he fussed with the ropes tying his hands and feet together. "Is... Is anyone there? Hello?!"

1/15

His pleas for help fell on deaf ears as they bounced alongside the "walls" of his confinement, echoing throughout the entire area before dying out in the distance. A cave...? The way his echoes dissipated made it obvious that he was in either in a cave or tunnel-like area. Remembering the ability given to him by his bloodline, Griffith activated his Sharingan to better analyze the area.

The man's crimson eyes revealed nothing out of the ordinary. He couldn't see any chakra areas, which meant he was completely alone at the moment. If he could only reach his left pouch he'd be able to access a kunai and spring himself free. He was totally, and utterly, helpless.

Griffith squirmed along the floor until his head bumped against a hard surface. He struggled and managed to sit himself in an upright position along the wall. So it is a cave, he thought. The walls of the cave were incredibly rugged and it didn't take long for Griffith to piece together a plan. He began moving his hands up and down the rocky surface, dragging the rope through the rocks.

"So you're awake, eh?"

2/15

Griffith's Sharingan immediately picked up on the man and determined his height, weight, and chakra density with little effort. The man walked closer to Griffith, but the young Uchiha feigned ignorance as to not give away the ace up his sleeve. Finally standing in front of him, the stranger lifted Griffith up by his collar and cut away the ropes that tied both his hands and feet together before removing napsack that covered his head. Griffith swiftly deactivated his Sharingan before the man could look at his uncovered face.

The man's face was incredibly rugged and covered in scars. One in particular went down the middle of his left eye, sealing it shut -- no doubt the product of a bad encounter with the wrong end of a blade.

"The boss wants to see you. Don't try anything funny, either. We have ten men posted around the perimeter of this place that won't hesitate to end your life like you did to our comrades."

3/15

The grizzled man forcefully put his hand on Griffith's back, pushing him along towards the exit. The drip of the wet ceiling of the cave was the only sound heard apart from the soft footsteps of two trained shinobi. Griffith took a mental note of the state of his body and couldn't discern anywhere that was in anymore pain than usual. How did they capture me?

The exit of the cave gave way to a massive clearing that extended much further than would normally be found near a cave. A mansion could be seen in the distance, and around it the ten men he had been warned about. Not much for subtleties, are they?

Each man they passed directed a sharp, sinister gaze towards Griffith. He didn't know what he had done to earn the scorn of these men, but clearly he had pissed them off. Once they arrived at the doors of the mansion, Griffith was taken aback. These doors were a lot bigger than he had realized.

"Come in." A booming voice tore through the mansion, making itself heard outside and seemingly shaking the area around them. The men standing guard hardly winced, moving instead towards the doors and opening them up, inviting Griffith and his "aid" through them.

4/15

The mansion, like the doors, was much bigger than initially perceived. Once inside, Griffith couldn't help but be taken aback. The ceiling stretched high into the sky and gave away to a completely open atmosphere. What he originally anticipated being a multi-floor building was truly just one with open hallways along the sides. He looked around, his eyes getting lost in awe by the size of it all. He had never seen something quite like this before.

Griffith's focus would soon be interrupted by the hand on his back. It forced him down, changing his posture to that of a bow. "You are to bow your head in front of our master," whispered the man that had guided him here. It was rare for Griffith to prostrate himself in this manner to anyone, but he could bear it should it allow him to escape.

His eyes now forcibly drawn to the floor, Griffith noticed four bags laying in front of him. It took him not but a second to realize what they were. Inside the bags undoubtedly lied human bodies. Their smell and shape was impossible to mistake. Confused, Griffith opened his mouth for a question.

"What is this...?"

5/15

Griffith's inquiry was met with a swift and steady blow to the back of his head, forcing him down onto the ground in pain. He instinctively moved his hands to his head, grasping it in pain. "Those... Are our comrades. You killed them." Griffith, slow to regain his composure, only had more questions. He had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.

That's when it hit him. Four men. Four dead. It was the bandits who had attacked him while training some time ago. Was this their hideout? Griffith could almost break into laughter at the thought of an honorable clan of bandits. Honorable enough to seek revenge for their dead, anyway.

The Uchiha looked up, getting his first good look at their apparent leader. He sat lazily in a makeshift throne at the back end of the mansion, being fanned by two near-naked women. He was an absolute marvel of a man, absolutely massive in size. A big mansion for a big man. Again, he could almost smile at the likeness if it wasn't for the intense fear that his new reality had brandished upon him.

Their leader smirked as he looked down at Griffith, taking a deep breath before standing up from his throne. "Normally, I'd slaughter you on the spot. But you must be some talent to survive an attack by four of my men. Instead, I'll let you fight and grant you a prize at the end."

What an absolutely obtuse proposition.

6/15

As if rehearsed, the ten men who were originally outside surrounded him. Griffith propped himself up from the ground and instinctively entered a defensive position. As if on autopilot, his brain scoured every possible vantage point and calculated any advantage he could for himself. The mansion offered a lot of room to work with. He could climb to the top to get a better vantage point, but turning his back on all ten of his opponents would be suicide.

"I didn't say the fight would be fair, did I?" The mountain of a man laughed, his bellowing cries once again shaking the foundation of the mansion. Griffith unsheathed a kunai and activated his Sharingan once again. He wouldn't have the opportunity to measure his opponents. One wrong move would result in his death.

Swiftly, he equipped himself with a kunai from his pouch and immediately targeted the man in front of him, running towards him with murderous intent. He couldn't get too caught up on the defensive this time around. He'd take the initiative.

7/15

A similar sensation as before. Everything was in slow motion. Griffith had ample time to react and counter to everything. The man in front of him unsheathed a sword and aimed a hack at the Uchiha's head. Griffith effortlessly countered it, using his kunai to stop it in its tracks and sliding it down the length of the sword to the man's neck, puncturing it through to the back. The blood splattered from his neck onto Griffith's left cheek, completely covering it. One down.

Without hesitation, a man from Griffith's blind spot charged at him. He pulled his kunai out of the man's neck and used his newly gained momentum to swing his waist and land an aerial kick on the charging man's head, knocking him down to the floor. Before Griffith landed on the floor, he carried his momentum into his arm and launched his kunai at the forehead the man to his right, piercing cleanly through his skull. Two down.

The expression on their leader's face began to shift thanks to the events that had just transpired. It was as if he had come to the realization that Griffith was no ordinary ninja.

8/15

Rage had begun building up inside of Griffith. This was an emotion that was incredibly foreign to him. He was always, always calm. If he looked in the mirror, he wouldn't recognize himself at the moment. He was angry. Angry that he'd let himself get caught. Angry that he'd allowed himself to be put in a position that jeopardized his ability to protect those close to him. He was furious at himself. That anger channeled itself into fuel for his fight. It boiled up every inch of his body until it burst into power. His eyes began to shift -- the singular black dots he had on each eye split into two before settling into their original size.

The slowness his eyes afforded him before this moment was child's play compared to what it was now. If everything was in slow motion before, things were now in freeze frame. He could notice every detail, down to the breathing pattern of those around him. The rage that had built up inside of him temporarily subsided and quelled into a bloody sea. His mental structure had been so close to snapping, overwhelmed with sheer rage, but his bloodline had channeled it into more beneficial channels.

Five men charged at him with unsheathed swords in hand. Griffith prepared another kunai in his hand and deflected the nearest oncoming strike, guiding the blade into another opponent's chest. His own kunai found itself lodged into the initial striker's own chest. He evaded the three other attackers and positioned himself at a better vantage point towards the eastern side of the mansion. Two more down.

9/15

The remaining men were shaken and visibly fearing for their lives after witnessing their comrades effortlessly be cut down. Their leader finally stood up from his throne and looked directly at Griffith, taking him mere seconds to gain a grasp on the situation. His face sunk from that of a confident man to that of someone worried over results. "Those... Those eyes. It can't be!" The large man began shouting, clearly upset over such an oversight. Of course, due to Griffith's white hair, it was difficult for those who didn't know his full name to know he had such an ace up his sleeve.

Without hesitating a second longer, the man stormed down from his throne and began tossing his underlings to the side like mere rag dolls until he stood a good fifteen feet from Griffith's position. The man unsheathed a massive blade and entered a combat stance. "This one is mine. Nobody else gets a shot at him."

With that, the mountain of a man charged at Griffith with pure murderous intent in his eyes.

10/15

The man rampantly raged towards Griffith, readying his blade for a strike. Realizing he wouldn't have the strength to deflect such a large blade with that much strength behind it, Griffith realized his only option was to completely avoid it. If he were to get struck by it whatsoever, he'd suffer life threatening consequences. Coupled with that was the fact that this man was much, much faster than his subordinates. In fact, his Sharingan hardly had any effect on the perception of the man's actions.

Scrambling for options, Griffith backflipped onto the upper section of the wall and pushed against it, somersaulting over their leader onto the center of the room, re-positioning himself away from the wall so that he'd have more space to work with. Griffith threw two kunai at the man, prompting him to flatten his blade in order to deflect the incoming knives. Using them to create an opening, Griffith quickly followed behind the kunai as they flew through the air.

The man's blade now flat, Griffith lifted up his right leg and used the man's flat blade as a foothold create momentum for his left leg, throwing it with as much strength as he could to the man's left ear. He connected, but the impact failed to have any noticeable effect. Instead, the large man simply laughed, prompting Griffith to step back and rethink his strategy.

11/15

This would be no easy task. The difference in raw strength and ability was monumental, no doubt. If Griffith had any chance to get out of this, he'd have to search for the opportune opening and deliver a fatal blow. He likely wouldn't get a second chance. His anxiety began to mount, the sweat from his forehead dripping down onto the wooden floor. Griffith took a deep breath in an attempt to relax himself. The battlefield was no place for anxiety and indecision. He'd need to flow naturally at all times.

Griffith tightened his grip around his kunai and kept strict watch on the small movements of his opponent. The way he breathed, the way he fixed his hold on his gargantuan blade, and the way his body tensed up before he moved. The man raced towards Griffith at his top speed, this time with a vertical slice aimed at his head.

He moved to the left, his white hair barely dodging the wrong end of the mountain man's blade. Griffith shuffled his feet behind his opponent and kicked him on his back, pushing him ever so slightly off balance. Griffith took the man's loss of temporary balance and aimed a swipe at his left ankle, further throwing his sense of balance off. The man tumbled onto the floor, a large thud vibrating throughout the room. The onlookers fell silent.

12/15

Griffith looked at the monster of a man now laying on the ground, his back completely exposed. It was the perfect opportunity. He jumped onto the man's back in a straddle position and held his kunai to the side of the man's neck. His lackeys, shocked from the turn of events, were frozen in time. They wanted so badly to interrupt, but knew that any sudden movement on their part would result in their master's doom.

The two tomoe in each eye swirled violently, like a pitch black hurricane in a sea of blood. Griffith looked up to the roof. He was filled with a familiar feeling. The rage that had subsided just moments ago was swelling up once again. It fueled him for the moment. He was swallowed up by a sea of flames, the waves begging him to give in. He smiled and looked back down before plunging the kunai deep into the man's neck, ending his life immediately.

13/15

The bandit warriors turned observers looked at Griffith with pure fear in their eyes. He had just dispatched of the man who led them, the one they feared and listened to without hesitation. He was the man who ensured their protection yet had been disposed of like trash. They were frozen in place, unable to retaliate in any way. Instead, they waited on Griffith's movement to determine their own. Griffith himself had begun subsiding his anger. It was as if all the rage that had built up had been released with the strike of his kunai.

He stood up off the man's back, leaving his kunai jammed into his neck. Quietly, he turned around and began walking out the way he came in. The bandits simply observed. They wouldn't dare challenge the man who just murdered their master. They were trained dogs, unable to act of their own accord. It brought a smile to Griffith's blood stained face. They were pathetic, unworthy of any further acknowledgement by him. To acknowledge them anymore would be an insult to his own existence. He was far beyond the reach of meager dogs.

He walked out without any interference and began his trek back home to Konohagakure.

14/15

Griffith had never been so happy to see the village gates before. What usually represented a cage now represented a home. It was where his precious people were. He had never feared for his ability to protect them until today. He'd have to get stronger -- many multitudes stronger than he currently was. How he was right now was unacceptable. To have his life seriously threatened by a pack of bandits was a testament to how weak he was. Still, his kidnapping wasn't completely worthless. After all, he had further awakened his powers in the exchange.

When Griffith finally got home, he collapsed in the doorway, unable to even make it to his bed. All of his struggle and exhaustion had finally caught up to him, rebounding against his current state and forcing him to collapse. He slept peacefully, knowing Ryougi would show up soon enough to move him to his bed.

15/15