Rotted Rowan

Wave

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Warning: All warnings are addressed at the bottom of chapter 2.

Beta: Cyndaquil123

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

"Everyone is cheating, constantly competing,
So many are dying,
Nothing stops the fighting,
People will desire what they can't acquire
Happiness, they dream of what's ahead - just out of reach."

-Sam Luff, Solitude

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

(KISAME)

Kisame sipped on his on drink, completely relaxed. His legs were submerged in a pool as he sat on the edge, watching his adorable students train with his sharks.

He had tied their hands together, gave them some weights, and told them to keep a float for an hour while fending off his sharks. The idea was for them to use their chakra to do so—either by manipulating it to do a bastardized water walk, or some other creative way.

If they started to drown, his sharks would push them back up, but they'd get a little nibble, too.

About halfway into the hour, the sharks would also start trying to pull them down.

His cute little students did not enjoy that.

He outright laughed when Seiko panicked and accidentally froze Reo and Itsuki.

What fun, Kisame thought.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

(HOTORO)

In the capital of Water sat a handsome man.

He was wrapped head to toe in expensive clothing and adornments. His pale skin was well-tended to, and he had big almond shaped green eyes. His long white hair was pulled into a neat bun, and the attractive man sat with perfect poise and grace in his office.

Like the man, the office was gorgeous. It had rows upon rows of archaic scrolls and textbooks, and there were priceless artifacts perfectly placed in between the shelves. The carpet was a deep royal blue, and every piece of furniture had an immaculate drawing carved into it.

Truly, the office and the man were pieces of art for the eye.

Unfortunately the man kept frowning, as he was feeling more than a little stressed out.

Lord Hotoro Usashi was the daimyo of Water.

And he was in a very, very bad spot.

With the destruction of Kirigakure, his entire country had suffered tremendously. They lost their biggest military power, and his homeland had become filled with chaos and anarchy. There were no shinobi to enforce order, or protect his borders, and Hotoro knew it was only a matter of time before the other countries swooped in for the kill.

He needed Kirigakure, and he needed it now.

Oh, how he wished he had paid better attention to the civil war. He wished he had sent in troops to support the Mizukage instead of sitting idly by. He hadn't realized how crucial his village was until it was stomped to the ground by the rebellion and he lost thousands of people.

Thousands of soldiers.

His samurai were working overtime just to keep the capital and nearby villages safe from the roaming raiders. Hundreds upon hundreds of refugees flooded into his precious city, more than tripling the homeless population and causing Hotoro's more prejudice nobles to throw temper tantrums in his courtroom.