Coco trains with the Salamanders

It was a no good rotten, absolutely awful plan! Coco held her umbrellas tightly over her head as the jungle rains pelted her with what was just barely warmer than ice. The ever hidden sun was beginning to dip behind the horizon, and night would soon be upon the jungle. Coco very much wanted to be under some shelter when that time came. Thought as for the nature of that shelter, well she wasn't all that excited about it.

Kasunda the Giant Salamander had made her swear to return to his little slice of ruination. She didn't want to mind you, but at the moment she didn't have much of a choice. His grisly maw had only been inches from her face, and his poisonous breath was billowing out his mouth. She would have simply agreed to the terms, but the dang lizard threatened that he now knew her scent and would track her down. She didn't want the thing wandering into the village. They'd hardly ben able to deal with a cat invasion. She shuddered to think about what this thing could do. In order to protect her home, Coco had to do it!

She was thankful that the ruins that the Salamander lived in provided a good amount of protection from the rain. Though the bottome part of the destroyed building was pooling up with water. Froming a horrible muddy/ paper pulp filled mess. Which naturally the thing was layed out in when Coco approached. "Thought I caught you sent on the wind." The oddly British amphibian spoke, though his head was still nestled in the mud.

'He smelled me even in the rain?' Coco was impressed, as well as a bit scared. If that was true, then there'd be no running away from him. Dammit. A fight to the death was the only option she'd have if this'd turned sour. Perhaps she should have brought Li Dian along. He was a little twerp, but he'd clog up the lizards throat long enough for her to kill it. "Alright Kasunda I'm here, let's get down to business." It was freezing, it stunk, and her life was in danger. Coco wasn't in the mood to waste any time.

"So hurried, and busy. What's the world done to make a child so formal?"

"We can't all lay around in the mud."

The salamander humpfed. "Very well. Did you inform your village of my presense?"

Coco rolled her yes. "Yes. I already told you that I informed them you where here when I found the ruins."

Kasunda grunted. "No I mean did you expand on my glory? Did you tell them of the glory of Kasunda?"

Coco shrugged. "I wrote up my report."

Finally the great Kasunda lifted his head from the mud, he stared at the Kunochi, and gave her the closest to a flabbergasted look an animal could manage. "That's all? Written word? Not even a poem, sonnet, EPIC? You were suppose to sing my sounds in the streets! I am the Great Kasunda! Apex predator of Amegakure! Other salamanders fear my poison. I once swallowed a Water Bison whole! Whole! I did tell you that didn't I?"

"Yes." Coco vividly remembered the hour long round of storytelling.

"Then why am I not constantly under assault by your Land's strongest?"

"I dunno." Coco muttered. "The jungle is a natural defense for the village. It stops large encroaching armies from passing. They probably consider a dangerous animal such as yourself an addition to the jungle."

"As well they should!" The salamander boomed, raising to his full height, mud dripping from his form. "I'd swallow an entire army whole, before they even got close. The people of your village seem to be quite sharp. As sharp as your knife perhaps?"

Coco froze, gripping her kunai tightly beneath her sleeves. It was impossible to see, the knife was covered by her long and thick sleeves. There was no way.

"What are you waiting for?"

Coco needed no further encouragement. With a burst of wind Chakra Coco launched towards her target. He was large, and shouldn't have been hard to hit. Right where the head connected to the neck. Two inches of steel, and three more of wind chakra. The thing would be dead. And this would be over.

Only...The thing jumped high into the air. He flew above Coco's assault, and smacked into the ceiling above, knocking loose plaster, and bricks. Coco was too shocked to even jump out of the way as it came slamming back down upon her.

"Hurk." Coco sputtered doing her best to stop her organs from escaping out their mouths.

"Well my lady I'm afraid you weren't quite quick enough." Coco could see that. "If I didn't think I could dodge it, do you think I'd give myself away in the first place? No probably not."

"Bleh." Was all coco could manage. This glorified lizard weighed a ton. Her head was free to breath, but the weight of this thing was driving her into the mud. The slimy substance we seeping into her many layers of clothing. The first tow layers had fallen, but there were still another two the mud would have to get pass, before Any moisture actually touched Coco. As long as she acted quickly.

She squirmed desperately, the only motivation stronger than death was being wet!

"Oh girl don't struggle it's embarrassing. Any true animal should know when to admit defeat to an apex predator, and die. It's a waste of time to try and put it off, not to mention disrespectful. I worked hard to gain my position and...." The lizard continued to go on, and on and on.

There! Coco managed to get her arm out above her head, kunai stil grasped tight. "Get off!" She screams sinking the steel into the beasts flesh.

Kasunda didn't seem to notice in the least. "Come now Coco don't start pretending now. If your life was so important to you in the first place I'd already be dead. Admit it, you came here to die, just like your whole town is dying."

"It's not dead!" Coco stabbed into the beast again and again.

"I grow bored Coco." Kasunda warned.

"I'll show you bored." Coco whispered. She would channel all of her remaining chakra into her blade. The chakra as visible, and you could feel the waves of air coming off of it! "Now get off!" With all the force Coco's right arm could manage she slammed her knife down into the beast's slimy flesh, digging down twice as deep as any of her other attacks.

"Yow!" Kasunda screeched, still not moving from his position. "Hohoho! I actually felt that one. Good on you my lady. She shifted his body slightly to where he was no longer laying on top of Coco. Before she'd even gotten the chance to feel the F out of there, one of his clawed hands picked her up, and pulled her in front of his face. "You're still too weak to make struggling for your life mean anything. But your stuborn, and I like that in a girl. Very well it's decided."

"What is?" Coco spat.

"I shall allow you to summon me in battle!"

"Wha???"

"Yes that's right you heard me correctly. That's how I'll make sure my name is being spread correctly! when you are engaged in a particularly fearsome battle, you may summon me by your side!"

"But, But." What the hell was going on?

"Now I know what you're thinking." The salamander shushed. "But Kasunda I'm so weak and unworthy of you. True, completely. That is why I take it upon myself to train you young Coco. I shall train you in the ways of the salamander!" This thing was completely crazy. "You shall be my minion! My hearald in battle. You enemies shall become my own, your labors mine. Then when the time comes they shall tell great tales of Kasunda and his summoner Coco!" The salamander chuckled heartily. "Now, first things first." The newt squinted his eyes at his new charge. "To toughen you up!"

"What does that me..." Before she was able to get the words out Kasunda tossed Coco at a neighboring all. "Oof." She bounced of and landed face first onto the floor. Luckily that section of the floor was concrete and not mud, otherwise things might have been bad. Shakily Coco arose to her feet, her hand placed firmly over her nose. She could feel the blood gushing. "Just kill me if you're going to!" She cried.

"You can't give up now, after you put up such a good fight, and after I said I'd take you under my wing." With that he launched a good sized rock at Coco's legs sweeping them out from under her. She crashed with thud.

"Then why are you trying to kill me?"

"I'm trying to toughen you up." The amphibian said matter of factly. "Salamanders can grow back whole limbs after they loose them in battle! If you're going to fight for one, you've got to be as tough as one!" He announced proudly. "Do you happen to know any medical ninjutus?"

"No." Coco coughed rising once more to her feet. Her left leg pulsed, and throbbed.

"Well that's going to make this a little harder." That didn't stop him from throwing another round of rock with his salamander arm. The barrage or concrete chucks came whizzing at Coco intent on doing her harm. Coco refused however. With her hobbling leg, she managed to dodge the attacks. Side stepping the torrent of stone. "So you're quick eh?" The salamander noted with a hint of joy.

"Rawr!" Coco yelled losing all ability to think coherently. The throbbing in her head and leg, made her whole mind feel numb. Still she charged the beast with her knife once more. Her body too tired to even infuse the blade with chakra. Still it was the only chance at survival. Kill it or die. She was sure of it. This thing seemed to like playing around with it's food, and Coco wasn't going to play around! In her mind this was a heroic last charge to save her life. Her whole body looking totally flawless as she charged to say her foe. She knew it was desperate, but that only made it that much more heroic.

In reality she hobbled towards her tormentor. Her left leg hardly able to bend at the knew let along charge. Her sword arm just barley had enough strength to lift up her blade. Kasunda had been impressed she'd even managed to doge the last few rock he'd thrown. In Coco's condition she should be out cold. He glowed with pride as he saw his little Kunochi hobbling his way, intent to kill him with what little power she had left. Still he couldn't let the girl know that he'd grown fond of her. Nonono that was far too unlike his apex predator nature. "You're kind of pathetic you know." Kasunda announced bring his head down to Coco's level. "You're trying to use a sword technique that requires an actual sword, not just a knife."

"My wind blade turns it into a sword." Coco huffed, taking a wild swing at Kasunda. It didn't even come close to landing, let alone hurting him.

"Oh yes I see." The amphibian intoned. "When you awaken go to the shop and actual purchase a sword. There's no reason to spend chakra making a sword, when you can have one for free."

"When I wake up?"

Before she had a chance to really wonder what that meant.  Kasunda exhaled a large cloud of blue poison. At close of a range Coco could hardly notice the color before she felt herself slip into a deep deep sleep.  "It was an impressive effort kid." Kasunda conceded picking Coco's limp body up, and placing her on his back. "No one stands up to an apex predator like that and walks away from it. So count yourself lucky. Come see me again when you think you're worthy of knowing me." With that he began to waddle his way into the village. The whole time he told the sleeping Coco tales of his adventure's in the jungle. Yes indeed, Kasunda may have found his protégé' after all.

[TWC 2046 +10 stats and 2046 words to a Jutsu.]

Coco trounced her way through the forest. Her rain boots splashing as she did. She was ready to return. She'd grown a lot since Kasunda's and her last encounter, she now had hair on her chest and spit in her fire, as well as having analogies in all the wrong places. Listen the point is that Coco was a radical babe, and she was going to grow stronger. After the day that shan't named, she was determined in that aspect.

As she sloshed towards the fallen tower she readied herself. She seemed to recall being beaten half to death last time she'd come to this place. Suddenly this all seemed like a very bad idea, again. How many times did she have to think that walking into this tower was a bad idea before she understood it was a BAD IDEA? At least once more it would seem.

She began to run towards the fallen tower, making sure she'd have enough speed to go aginst the mighty Kasunda.

She sprinted in though the gaping hole in the side of the tower, where Kasunda could usually be found wallowing around in the dirt like the filthy animal he was. She sprinted into the and easily spotted his long form laying in the mud, and enjoying himself a nice little nap. Coco wondered if he knew that he'd kept Amegakure from repairing it's self. He'd certainly killed enough of their people. As well as keeping them away from the only place left that had the plans to their public utilities on file.

"Kasunda!" She shouted running at him like a bullet. She grabed for the hilt of her sword which she kept imbedded in her umbrella's handle now. She held the umbrella by her side and with a quick unsheating of the blade flew at her target, her blade whistling as she did.

"You're quick." Kasunda muttered leaping above Coco, and her attack. "Almost to quick for me to react to!" He would now be satisfied with falling to the ground and crushing the girl. As well as returning to his nap.

With a glint in her eye Coco held her sword steady. "Not this time." She swung her sword in the air, sending a blade of energy flying to meet Kasunda's falling mass. He energy from the collision was enough to buy Coco the time to dodge Kasunda's body slam.

He grunted as he hit the muddy ground. A welt forming over his stomach from the slash he'd just received. "I see you followed my orders and got that sword after all. Tired of playing with kiddy knifes?"

Coco pointed her sword towards Kasunda' face.  "Who's playing?"

Kasunda merely gave her a "Pfft, and swung around aiming to knock her away with his tail. "That was a pretty good come back actually."

Coco held steady and brought her Umbrellas in under her armpit. She held it tightly like a shield. It'd reinforced top blocked the worst of Kasunda's blow. Still the might of the attack sent her flying into one of the building's many ruind walls.

Coco managed to stick the landing onto the wall using her chakra. She could feel sheets of rain pouring though the cracks of the building. She noticed that above Kasunda the buildings ceiling slumped. Well it used to be a wall but since the whole thing toppled it was a ceiling now. Coco sent forth another wave of energy slicing open the ceiling and letting it's debris rain onto Kasunda.

The fat amphibian was too slow to properly dodge out of the way, and found himself trapped under the debris. He glared at her angrily from underneath his rocks. Sucka!

From the wall she launched at him, her swords ready to strike. She needed to finish it off quickly, she could feel her chakra going the way of the dinosaurs.

She flew towards his face ready to slash him once in for all. She just wasn't expecting him to open up his track and breath his beautiful blue gas at her. She stumbled for a second feeling incredibly sleep all of the sudden. "No fair you always...." She let out a hearty yawn. "Cheat." Before collapsing to the ground. So Close.

Xxx One good nap time later xxX

Coco awoke an hour later, pleasantly surpised to find that she wasn't currently resting in the stomach of a salamander. Everything after that was going to be icing on her cake. She found herself in a dry part of the building one, pretty much untouched by the rain and ruin that had befallen the rest of the tower, and in front of her sat Kasunda napping pleasantly, in the same room as her. As if the two over them hadn't just tried to kill one another.

She reached for her blade regardless. "Tell me coco."  The Aphibian spoke, those his eyes were still closed. "You know I breath poison, but you didn't bring a respirator to stop it. Can It truly be called cheating if you knew I'd do it? Besides you're the one who came into my home whileI was napping and tried to kill me."

Coco scoffed, and took her hand away from her equipment. "I wasn't trying to kill you. Just let you know how Strong I am now."

"What for I wonder." The painfully british lizard purred. "Why would Coco the Kunochi have any reason to prove her strength to anyone?"

A grimace sat upon Coco's lips. His tone was a little too smart of her liking. It sounded like he knew something she didn't. Or even worse he knew something she didn't want him do. "I only needed to prove that I'm worthy enough for you to fight beside me, Might Kasunda."

If the Salamander known as Kasunda had a beard, he'd be stroking it right now. "Very well then, You've show that you're decent enough following orders to be in my legend. Very well I shall allow you to be one of my squires."

Not exactly what Coco was going for.

Kasunda opened up his mouth, and Coco prepared herself for another blast of poison. He unfurrowed his tounge, and inside was a large teal covered scroll with a drawing of a salamander on it. Kasunda allowed the scroll to roll off of his tounge and onto the clean floor, where it unfurled. "This is the summoning contract to the Salamanders. This marks you as one of our own my dear. Your fight are our fights, your enemies ours. We will serve you, just as we have served the land of Amegakure for generations, and you shall serve the Salamander clan in turn. If you agree to theses turn sign you name in blood upon the scroll.

Coco was no dummie, she knew the great hanzo, once had a contract with the salamanders. If she suddenly popped with that same race at her back, why that'd be wonderful wouldn't it? She slit her finger ever so gently and did her best to recreate her normally beautiful signature.  "I accept the terms Kasunda, I'd be honored to join the Salamander clan!"

Kasunda nodded proudly, He didn't want to show too much pride though. "Good then as the first gift of the clan I shall give you a tad bit of advice. If you know of a move an enemy has, and you go into combat with them. Please have a plan on how to neutralize that move. Otherwise you'll just get gassed again.

[TWC 3296 claiming 6 stats as well as the 3000 word count for Kasunda. and 1246 points towards Ia Beheading.]

Coco sat crisscrossed on the strangely white carpet of Kasunda's inner domain. Her finger tips throbbed with cuts, and scratches. She was lucky her dad was a healer or otherwise life would just be terrible. She looked over at Kasunda who was chilling out on the ceiling. His slimy figure surprisingly leaving no signs of his presense upon the white walls. "Try it again." The salamander instructed in a very british accent.

"I told you fatty I can't! I don't have enough Chakra!"

The salamander just glared at the Kunochi. "I'm not too big, you're too weak."

"I told you, I used most of my chakra fighting you."

"We'll who's fault is that?"

Coco fumed. "Yours for throwing cinder blocks at me last time!" Coco held up her hands. No, no It's alright we'll do this later. I'll come back when we're both back at our peak."

"No you mustn't, When you come back we'll have to fight once more."

"Must we?" Coco shouted frazzled. "Must we?"

Kasunda nodded to the affirmative.  "How else am I going to keep sharp for battle? I must cause a row with all those I meet!"

Coco sighed. "If I waste my chakra fighting you every time we meet how will I ever summon you?"

The Salamander considered this for a good while. Like, probably eight minutes. Coco was starting to wonder if the big thing had fallen asleep or something. "I got it!" He shouted loudly, causing Coco's heart to jump. "Kurdoi." She said giving Coco a look.

"What'd you call me?"

This time Kasunda sighed. "I didn't call you anything, twit. Kurdoi is my squire. Even you should be able to summon him."

Coco shrugged. "I can't tell if you're insulting me or him."

"A little bit of both." Kasunda craned his salamander neck over towards the oak door of the room. "Kurdoi get in here!"

From the crack between the door and the floor, a little foot long black and blue salamander crawled out from beneath the door. "Yes Lord Kasunda?" The tiny lizard bowed his head to the larger lizard.

Kasunda flicked his head over to Coco. "This is my newest summoner Coco."

"You mean your only summoner my lord." Kurdoi corrected.

"Don't tell her that." Kasunda whispered harshly. "Any way, I need the two of you to get aquainted so she can summon you. If she can't summon even you, then we know she's a complete drop out."

Kurdoi nodded. "I can't tell if you're insulting me or her my lord."

"A little of both."

Xxx Out in dat Jungle xxX

Underneath the strong canopy of the jungle Coco founder herself and Kurdoi mostly away from the rain. Coco sat stradaling a thick tree branch while her gecko of a companion laid out on the branch in front of her. "So what do we do?" She still felt very weird talking to animals. She wondered if she had powers, or if everyone could talk to animals. Oh goodness, did that mean that all animals could talk? Could fish talk? Goodness if fish can talk and she's been eating so many of them, then. Oh no! she managed to shake herself away from that tangent. "Like talk about our favorite books or something?"

"We're suppose to bond." The little guy said chipperly.

"Kasunda and I didn't bond, he just wanted to me to summon him."

"That's how Kasunda bonds."

"Kasunda's a freak."

The tiny salamander nodded. "Yup, but he's a great warrior, and I'm lucky to be learning from him."

"I guess I haven't been able to beat him yet. "So my slimy friend how sha'll we bond? What do you want to talk about?"

"I dunno." The tiny lizard announced swaying his tail lazily. "I'm pretty hungry."

"Wanna grab a bite to eat?"

Kurdoi jumped to his feet. "Yeah! Let's grab some flies."

"Gross, but I'll do it." Coco swung her legs to one side of the tree, carefull not to just throw Kurdoi off the side on accident.

"Well that was easy." Kurdoi announced.

"Well I want to impress you, dude. I'd do anything." The amphibian got this weird look in his eyes. "I should not have said that."

"Alright he's how we'll bond." Oh no. "We're going to go fly hunting but here's how you're going to do it. I want you to slice a fly's wings off mid air, then as it falls I'll jump after it, and eat it before it his the ground. It'll be super hard, and will prove that we're both master warriors!" He sounded like an excited kid.

"That could take hours!" Coco shouted, clearing the surrounding area of birds with her voice alone. "Besides I don't even know where to find flies in jungle." She slapped her neck. When she brought her gaze to her hand she noticed the bloody body of a fly resting in her hand. "Alright that part of it may be easy."

Coco liked to think that she'd be called by many names when she because a grown up and beautiful Kunochi. The Mother of Wei. Coco of the steel rain. Coco supreme leader of the world. However Coco she who swings wildly at flies with a sword, really didn't make that list. Sadly.

It was the one time in her life that Coco found herself happy that not only was her city abandoned, but so was the jungle. Sure it was easy enough finding the flies. There were a few trees that produced this really sweet sap that all of the flies really dug. So she had that on lock. The hard part was actually slicing a flies wings off in mid air. Coco usually had a hard time even killing a fly with a newspaper at the house. It's just too darn bad that she was stuborn as an ox and wasn't leaving this jungle until that lizard had a fly in his stomach, minus the wings.

"Gotcha!!!!" With a warrior's shout she sliced at her buzzing enemy. Her eyes were sharp, sharp enough to see flies flying thought the air that was. 21/ 20 vision. Nice. With her razor sharp sword Coco sliced through her insect foe. "Now Kurdoi!" She watched in shock as the lizard just watched the bisected insect floated to the ground. "What's wrong, that was perfect!"

"You have to cut off the wings only." Kurdoi whined.

"Isn't split in half good enough?"

Kurdoi shook his head. "Nope it has to be that way, otherwise we look like chumps! Now if you can't do this, Kasunda won't let you summon him."

Coco sighed, and eyed up her sword. She heard that Samurai's would kill them selves by disemboweling themselves with their katana's. Coco brought her blade in front of her face and considered the options. Hard work, horrible disembowlment. Hard choice. After a long period she went a head a choose life. It'd been doing her good so far.

"Okay sport, let's give it a round two."

Coco set down on her legs, and closed her eyes. She set her blade down upon her legs and focused. She envisoned the forest around her. The trees, the leaves, the rain, and the files. She took in their sounds, their smell, and their feel when they bothered to touch her. Godness that was a lot of white noise. In her mental image she erased, the trees and leaves from her mind. Leaving only a black void in it's place. We'll that got rid of a lot of processing power. She went ahead and erased the ground too, who needs that anyway? In her minds eye she appeared to be floating in a dark void. When the rain would hit the ground it would appear like it was splashing into a puddle. Man this was pretty strange. Finnaly she cut out the rain from her imagining. That was was pretty tough, because you know it wasn't static. Plus in the real world it kept smacking her in the face. Still she had plenty of imagination, and was able to do it. Now it was just her and the flies.

She must have sat there in the forsest for two hours. So long in fact that her slimly little friend had fall asleep on her lap. It would have been cute if Coco hadn't blocked him out of her imagination out too. She focused intesntly on her body, as well as that of the flies. She could hear them so clearly, she felt like she knew exactly where she was. She sat scary still in the middle of that forest. Statuesque one might say. A flie most have not thought her a threat, because she heard it's buzzing little wings approaching.

"Now." She whispered to Kurdoi. With a rate of acceleration off the charts, and the speed of lightning she grabbed and swung her sword.

Poor fly, never saw it coming. He was just flying around, trying to live out his incredibly short life span in peace. Little did he know that it would be even more incredibly short than he'd been expecting, because Coco had struck. She lobbed those wings off of the insect in mid flight. "Durdoi now!: If that little newt didn't go for it this time, she was going to expolode.

Luckily for him he lept in mid air and snatched he fly out of the sky swallowing the poor thing whole. "Nom nom nom."

Coco let out a sigh of relief, and sheated her sword. "See just a little patience, and you can work wonders."

"I thought I was going to die of starvation!" The little guy quipped.

Coco just rolled her eyes, and lowered her open palm down to the salamander. "Next time don't be such a picky eater."

Kurdoi gave a small laugh, and slapped a high-five down on Coco's open palm "Let's go home pal!"

Xxx Once more upon the Salamander Sanctuary xxX

Once more Coco found herself sitting crisscrossed upon the carpet of the Salamander Sanctuary. She felt slightly revjuvinated from her adventures with Kurdoi, she was pretty sure she'd actually be able to pull this off. She looked form lizard to lizard. Kasunda laid lazily in a corner of the small room. With as big as Kasunda was, he didn't really sit in the corner. More like his body began in the corner, then spawned across a good portion of the ajoining wall. Meanwhile little Kurdoi was sat happily upon Kasunda's head. He was shivering with excitement, it was about to be his first summoning.

"Alright." Kasunda began. "Don't be nervous Coco you're going to be fine, just don't be nervous."

Coco sighed. "I didn't think there was a reason to be."

"Well there is, but don't be."

To think that Coco was actually going into business with this guy. Well for all of his faults, this Salamander was pretty powerful. She'd do well to have him on her side.

"Let's just do this." She brought a razor sharp Kunai across her tumb, and cut herself for the umpteenth time that day. "Let's go! Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey and Ram!" She had to yell the hand signs out loud otherwise she was sure that she'd forget to do them. She vividly remembered getting kicked in the face for not doing the hand sings for a substitution jutsu. She slammed her bleeding hand upon the ground, and let her chakra explode out from her hand. She saw crimson seals running across the carpet like rays of light from the sun, they quickly lost their red glow, and turned black. Then in the most beautiful burst of smoke Coco had ever seen Kurdoi popped up in the middle of her seal.

"Tada!" Kurdo announced spinning around.

Coco let out a loud woop and jumped to her feat. "Yes! Kurdoi you're the most beautiful reptile I've ever seen!"

"Well actually I'm an amphibian." The fish corrected.

"Don't make me summon you over a pool of Lava Kurdoi."

[TWC Exactly 2000 words. so +10 stats, unt learned Summoning Jutsu.]

approved [Sorry for the wait]