The Wolf Inside - A Naruto Fanfic - Watty Award Winner 2013

Chapter 75

Ashley's POV

I feel my wet clothes, soaked with a mixture of water and sweat, sticking to my skin, as I grit my teeth together and stare hard at the target only a few metres away. I swipe my long fringe from my face, my hair determined to stick to my face, as I take another tentative step forwards.

I can feel my arms and legs trembling, both from fatigue and from pain. I've been walking on the lake and trying to retrieve my headband for three hours already today, not to mention the previous four weeks or so of doing the same thing.

All while still wearing these weights too. I barely notice them anymore if I'm honest, but they do start to feel heavy after a few hours of wear. Not to mention, being blown up over and over again, almost every day.

I've been getting so close to retrieving my headband from this stupid lake, but controlling my chakra like this is still so difficult, and I always end up stuffing up before I can grab it. What makes it even harder, is that every time I get blasted from the lake and land back on the dirt, I have to hurry and step back out onto the water, without a break to recover.

Kyoku watches me like a hawk. If I don't get back onto the water immediately, she lunges for me, almost as if she's just been waiting for the opportunity to hurt me further. She's merciless.

And yet, any time I ask for help, whether it be how I should be channelling my chakra, or how to visualise what I'm supposed to be doing, she's always more than happy to advise me. Mind you, she does it in that cool, calm voice that really grinds my gears.

I've yet to see any other expression on her face. It's like nothing phases her. Like she's above such stupidity. Whether she's beating me up, or I'm celebrating a goal with my training, her expression always remains the same. It's really frustrating.

A big part of me still hates her, but there is, admittedly, a tiny part of me that finds her interesting. She's not like anyone else I've met before.

Which, in the end, is probably a good thing. Kyoku has shared very tiny details about herself and her time in the ANBU over the last five months, and it certainly makes me even more wary of her. It's like she inferred when I first met her. People with kind hearts don't belong in the ANBU Black Ops, and some people are more suited to the work than others.

Kyoku seems to be very well suited to being an ANBU.

"Ack!" I grunt, my lapse of concentration causing one foot to suddenly pass through the water's surface. I squeeze my eyes closed, just as something explodes beneath my feet.

Feeling that familiar, yet excruciating, blast of a bomb lash against the skin of my leg, I am blown high into the air. I am unable to control myself as I tumble wildly, before suddenly slamming into the ground on my side, hitting my head.

I lay there for a few moments, completely winded, as my shoulder and head throb with pain. My legs shake, as if I am cold, though in actuality, I am just in a lot of pain. I suck in a sharp breath and release it slowly, turning my head to look up, as Kyoku leans over me, her arms crossed.

She watches me with those half-lidded eyes of hers, no expression on her face. I know that she's just waiting for me to move though, seeing as I always immediately jump up and go again. Instead of climbing to my feet however, I find myself beginning to scowl at her expression.

I get really tired of Kyoku standing over me while I writhe around in pain on the ground, like a helpless worm. I'm tired of constantly worrying about her hitting me, and I'm tired of feeling the skin of my legs and feet burning from those bomb blasts. Not to mention, the soles of my feet stinging from having my chakra focused in them for such long periods of time.