[center][b]The Funeral[/b][/center]

Yep, this day was pretty crappy alright. Hiroto, at the beginning of the ceremony, had stood alongside his teacher and mentor, Master Satsuma. For a ninja, Satsuma was awfully brutish in appearance, being a man of fairly large size and arms like pythons. The man stood there in stoic silence, arms crossed and eyes closed tight. No one knew why he was seemingly refusing to open his eyes, but Hiroto had a theory. The boy was convinced that the reason his mentor wouldn't open his eyes was because if he did, Master Satsuma would reveal the tears in his eyes, and for a man who is supposed to represent the sheer strength of Iwagakure, showing his tears might lower morale or something. Of course, that was just a theory, and one Hiroto dared not suggest aloud, not when he knew his master would likely beat the snot out of him for it. As the funeral progressed, and the Tsuchikage spoke his words, Hiroto began rubbing the muscles in his arms. They were pretty sore from the morning's training session. Yes, even on the day of the funeral, Master Satsuma made him train. In fact, Hiroto had to wear his bandages to the funeral, to hide the cuts and bruises that commonly formed when routinely punching training dummies made of wood, straw or (in Hiroto's case) stone. So yeah, this day sucked. The funeral was somber and depressing, and Hiroto's body felt like it was made of jelly.

[center][b]Early Morning[/b][/center]

"Hmph, at last some improvement. Again!" barked Satsuma at Hiroto at their morning training. For this session, Hiroto was practicing against hanging dummies that were swinging at him from all directions at random intervals. Generally, the boy would last a few precious moments before one of the dummies caught him off guard and knocked him square on the ground, but he was managing to last a little bit longer with each attempt.

"Geez, only you would keep training even on the funeral day." complained Hiroto. It was true. Most, if not all, the other ninja in the village, had been given the day off for the sake of the funeral that would take place later. Not Hiroto. Nooooo, Master Satsuma basically dragged him out of bed before sunrise as usual and out onto the training ground. They were literally the only ninja using it that morning, or likely for the whole day for that matter. When Satsuma only raised an eyebrow and glared as a response, Hiroto immediately shut up and resumed his exercises.

"Hmm, recite the creed." said Satsuma bluntly, having had enough experience with Hiroto to not let the boy's behavior get under his skin too much.

Hiroto sighed, "Everything it takes, everything's a thre-" Satsuma's sudden kick into Hiroto's side caught him off guard, the man's strength literally sent him flying a few feet before hitting the ground. Hiroto, seemingly unfazed by this, staggered to his feet and glared at Satsuma, "What the hell was that for?"

"A reminder that the second half of the creed is just as important as the first. Anything overlooked can turn out to be your undoing. Comrades, too, can become a threat given the right circumstances, and you have to be prepared to deal with that, unless dying happens to be on your to-do list. Now, start again!"

[center][b]The Funeral[/b][/center]

Hiroto felt his side and winced. Sure, Master Satsuma needed to make his point, but did he have to do it so damn hard? [i]Everything's a threat, huh?[/i] Thought Hiroto to himself as he saw the caskets pass by. Seeing Masters Rei and Hirorama like they were, it hit him harder than he expected. He'd only known their names and the stories of a few of their exploits, and yet it still somehow felt like losing a family member. Was this what he meant by "Everything"? That even something like pain and sorrow could threaten to be one's undoing in the end? If so, Hiroto now knew the real reason why Satsuma wouldn't look at the caskets, and Hiroto now tried to do the same. He crossed his arms, closing his eyes in an attempt to be as stoic as his teacher, to not cry.

...He failed.