Naruto Fantasy (AU) : The Rise of the New Generation

[fieldbox=Katsu Uchiha | Konohagakure Team 6 Chuunin, lightblue]

A tall, white structure stood serenely atop a mountain in an otherwise grey world. Water poured down from the building down to the white meadows, covered with ill-coloured flowers along the foothill. Inside the mountain, someone made his way up, climbing towards the dome at the peak. The stairs he climbed went on and on, yet he didn't seem to tire. He reached the top, where the roof of the world was clearly seen for miles upon miles, yet it was just as colourless and banale as the mountain and the meadows. As the series of mountains became more distant, the focus was set upon the open sided room under the dome, where a red flower bed had sprouted. In the middle, lay an old man, smiling and laughing. Found strange, the man was asked what he could find to make him laugh in such a dark colour.

The old man stopped laughing and spoke.

"We have to go now, Katsu."​

The colorless scene turned dark. The mountains were leveled, and the building disappeared. Only tones of gray remained in the rain. There were short, wood and stone buildings as far as the eye could see. Beyond everything was a hill with a castle on top, and a gargantuan statue of a knight standing in front. Again, on the street, the familiarly brilliant roses had sprouted, around a young woman sitting on her knees, holding a bouquet to her stomach, crying. Found strange, the woman was asked why she cried when she had all that had colour in her hands.

The young woman stopped crying and spoke.

"Always, you have always..."​

The buildings and the woman turned to dust and scattered. Neither the hill, nor the castle on top was in sight anymore, but the knight stood tall. The dust stacked upon one another, turning into a bright gold as the sun shone over the side. The only sign of the colourless worlds they had left behind were of the grey, roofless pillars and the stones upon which they stood. In the distance stood a figure clad in red robes. The figure did not cry or laugh, but simply glared.

She spoke.

"... Always a disappointment."​


Katsu found himself sitting up, covered in sweat. Everything had lost its colour, turning to a rose red. His right hand went to his left shoulder, frantically feeling up and down the arm. He looked down, noticing bandages around his arm with a seal on it. He tried to move the bandaged arm, but couldn't make it budge. Panicked, he grabbed a part of the bandage and tried to rip it apart, his eyes growing wide as he failed. The stretcher he was in rocked as he wildly pulled at the bandages. The stretcher finally fell over and he rolled off of it, still trying to get the bandage off. He froze a moment later, hearing small vibrations in the ground. He quickly scurried to his feet and grabbed a scalpel left in a tray nearby and stood next to the door, his heart pounding. He remained there in anticipation. Just as he thought of trying to cut the bandage, the door opened and a nurse walked through. Just as he did, the scalpel found its way to the man's neck, stopping only short of drawing blood. The nurse froze, staring at the boy with wide eyes. Katsu's hand trembled and the short knife fell from his hand, and he to his knees. His sight returned to normal but for a faint blurriness.

The man picked up the scalpel quickly, and put it on the tray it was taken from. Another nurse came inside right after, kneeling in front of Katsu.

"I... I'm..." The boy looked up at the woman kneeling in front of him. It took him a few moments to completely come to grips with reality. He looked over at the man who came back to the corner Katsu was sitting at. "I'm sorry... C-could you take off the bandages?"
[/fieldbox]
 
  • Love
Reactions: Gerontis
Free Reign

Takeru and Kaizen

A collab between Gerontis and ChromeHound

Summary:
The Raikage and his Spymaster meet to discuss important matters. The looming threat that surrounds the village continues to grow and Takeru and Kaizen decide what lengths they will go to to keep it safe.
​
[spoili]
Pacing back and forth the masked man was clearly not in a good mood. Ever since his return from the capital Takeru had been in anything but a good mood. Orders were dispatched with a harsh tone and there was a silence ruling in the complex from which the administration worked out the paper work that went together with the military. It was almost as if people were preparing for a war and tried to be silent to not be noticed by the unknown enemy. The usual talks in the hallways were now just people mumbling good morning or afternoon, walking in a fast pace to their destination or a quick glance. Grumbling behind his mask Takeru knew that getting frustrated as that was what Chise wanted. But why? He tried to consider a reason why out of nowhere those idiots decided to meddle with his affairs. As if they were experienced with leading the military. They probably had all kind of fancy and nice ideas on how to improve it. Perhaps he should give them what they asked for? Just dropping his work on them and then take his leave.

Stopping Takeru would throw a look outside through the windows that provided a great view over the city. Perhaps he could then just become a nobody once more. With little to no responsbilities instead of being the one that people looked up to for protection. Biting his lower lip he felt guilt boling and driving his frustration and anger away as he thought of Rei. If he had only paid more attention perhaps he could've made certain that the boy had remained at home. Groaning softly Takeru would resort back into pacing back and forth through the spacious office.

Walking through the halls, Kaizen kept his face expressionless. This was a turbulent time and, though the spymaster was not one easily fazed, he found himself troubled by the strange events that had been occuring. Approaching the four guards that stood outside of Takeru's office, the man bowed slightly, awaiting their approval.

With the doors opening and Kaizen arriving in the office Takeru halted his pacing. The doors closed and with that Takeru started to speak. "Ah, you're here. Good, good. I take it that it isn't going to be much of a surprise what has caused my irritation?" Takeru asked, tilting his head slightly to the right. "Cause I do assume that my message with the report came without any... trouble?" There was a sliver of a threatening tone to the Raikage's voice. Not aimed at Kaizen, but already Takeru imagined that double agents could be at work for the benefit of the regency council that had made their demands.

Entering the room, Kaizen made a short bow. Raising his head as the Raikage spoke, the spymaster once again kept his expression neutral. Though Takeru's words were tinted with a harsh tone, Kaizen was not one to let that affect him. Nodding, he took a moment before speaking. "I would not be very good at my job if it came as a surprise now would I?" He spoke softly, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly.

"And you assume correctly sir."

"Good." Takeru said, starting to pace once more. "Those idiots are up with something. The whole situation also makes no sense. Keitaro and his father were close. From what I know is that the boy never was much of an ambitious person. Doubt that he ever desired the throne or at least wished an ill end on his own father." Takeru spoke out loud. He really doubted that Keitaro would commit kinslaying just to gain the leadership. Besides, why wasn't he lingering around after the deed? It didn't add up together in his opinion. But he doubted that Chise was responsible for the assassination either. She wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but Takeru couldn't doubt her loyalty and faith in serving the daimyo. "I need to know where Keitaro is. What is going on in Ranzaki and just..." Takeru made a short gesture as he grumbled. "I need to know things." He said, turning to Kaizen.

Sympathizing with Takeru's frustration, Kaizen would allow the man to finish speaking before folding his hands together in front of him. Bowing his head again, the spymaster took a breath. "I have already begun looking for the boy. He is... known to me, and from the information that my people have gathered, I believe you are correct. I do not believe that this was caused by his hand." Taking a moment, Kaizen turned his head to the side, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I can get you more information Takeru, but I need you to give the word."

"I need free reign."

The Raikage stared at Kaizen for a long moment. Placing his hands at his back Takeru remained silent. Clearly pondering on his decision a sigh would herald the answer. "You may, Kaizen. As long as it bring out results I will allow free reign." Takeru said, feeling a heavy weight leaning on his shoulders. While he trusted Kaizen there were various objections that rang through his mind. "The sooner this trouble has been dealt with the faster the previous plan can come to fruit. Though I hope it won't come to ending the lives of children. I rather sleep during nights than to be kept by guilt." The last was mumbled, but audible enough for Kaizen.

Nodding his head, Kaizen was relieved to here the words from Takeru. At least at first... Understanding the amount of responsibility that now rested on him, Kaizen paused for a moment. "Thank you, Raikage-same. I will not let you down."

Tilting his head to the side, ever so slightly, the spymaster chewed the inside of his cheek. "We aren't them you know." He said quietly, after a pause. "Don't let yourself forget that."

"Good." He said, though his voice sounding hoarse. Feeling the need to just throw something at the wall the man would take a seat behind his desk. Folding his hands together he tried to push his worries away to recompose himself. As Kaizen stated that they weren't 'them' Takeru nodded at first. "I know. I just didn't have enough sleep these last few days." Which was true, but he wondered if Kaizen didn't have enough to worry about with the newest developments that made their work only harder. "Then again, once we're done with all this drama then perhaps we can take it a bit easier. Heaven may know when that is, though."

Watching as Takeru took a seat, the exhaustion clear in his voice, the slightest hint of concern could be seen in Kaizen's eyes before he recomposed himself. "You should rest Takeru. Not all of this should be resting on your shoulders. That is what you have me for."

Cocking his head to the side, Kaizen took a step forwards. "While it is my job to keep you informed, it is also my responsibility to ensure you are fit to lead."

"You have shown that you are more than capable Takeru, but you are pushing yourself, that much is clear."

A smile moved behind the mask as Takeru shook his head. "Don't worry too much about me Kaizen. I wager that if I can survive wars then I should be capable of enduring some working stress." The Raikage joked, though he was certain it was nothing but a weak feigned attempt that wouldn't work. Clearing his throat Takeru nodded towards the spymaster. "Make sure that you get the results. I don't want to imagine what we will need to do if we can't get anything to work with."

Remaining silent for a moment longer, Kaizen nodded. "Nor do I, Raikage-sama." Letting out a sly smile, the spymaster raised his hands slightly. "If you are stressed Takeru, I do know of a place that can take those worries away."

A chuckle would be heard from the Raikage. "I hope you realise how suspicious this sounds, coming from you. Perhaps I will indulge later into matters that are relaxing. For now, I will just have to endure the stress." Takeru said, not hiding the fact he was a bit amused by what the words of Kaizen could imply. "If you have no questions, I suppose that I should dismiss you to attend to your affairs."

Raising an eyebrow playfully, Kaizen nodded and bowed once more. "Cannot blame me for trying," he said, his tone carrying a hint of amusement. The words and tone masked his concern. It did not bode well if Takeru was this stressed. It meant that the situation was getting more out of hand than Kaizen had realized and that was not something he could afford.

Thinking for a moment, before replying, Kaizen wondered if he should even ask... "Before I go, Raikage-sama, I need to make sure that there is nothing that you are keeping from me. I trust that you would not, but in my position... well, you understand."

"One indeed can't." Takeru became silent for a moment as he watched Kazien wonder before speaking up again. "There is nothing that I am keeping from you at the moment. I entrust that you and your network can catch Keitaro faster than my network can get me information about his whereabouts. And no worries," he stated as his right hand was raised to make a gesture. "I understand."

A slight smile touched his face and Kaizen nodded. "Thank you Takeru. If you have need of me, you know how to find me." With that, the spymaster would turn on his heel and exit the room.[/spoili]
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gerontis
[fieldbox=A talk]
Thoughts shared.

A collab between Sketching and Gerontis

Summary :
After the patrol, Koike and Katsu take some time to collect and share their thoughts. It is something that is troubling them as this has been the first defeat that they both shared and the abilities of the figure has left them confused, angry and frustrated.


[spoili]
He poured the dark liquid once more into his glass. There was a calm expression plastered over the face of the young man, but his eyes betrayed the fact that he was shaken, confused and frustrated. Raising the glass to his lips his thoughts were troubled and while he had managed to find it calming to drink something in the past, it wasn't working now. The questions drove him almost insane but he wouldn't go out and start a search. Pouring once more wine into his glass Koike threw a look over his shoulder. "Want some?" He asked in a rather casual manner. Turning around he would raise his glass to his lips to take a sip, instead of emptying the glass in another go. Briefly, the dark brown eyes lowered to glance at the arm that had to be treated. Wanting to say something Koike, however, remained silent. Taking another sip of the red wine.

Katsu stared out the window, biting the nail on his thumb. He glanced back at Koike before turning back around without answering. He stared out at the pouring rain for a whole minute, remaining silent. He finally turned around, rubbing his upper left arm uneasily. "It doesn't feel good," he said quietly. "I... Losing and being at the mercy of someone.... something like that... as if that wasn't bad enough..." He knocked onto his head frustratedly. "He was here. He..." His voice faded away, as he turned only his head away to the window, remaining quiet.

Remaining silent as he listened to Katsu there was some temptation to Katsu to get over with it. That he would likely suffer something like that before. But he didn't. Not wanting to admit it was bothering him Koike wanted to avoid the entire topic. He had already drank several glasses of red wine, but even alcohol and the sweet flavour of the beverage couldn't wash away the bitter gall. "Here," Koike said as he would put his own glass down. Pouring the other with some wine, he held it up towards Katsu. "Drink. Won't make you feel much better, but just drink." Koike instructed his friend as he tried to think of something to say. Something that would make Katsu be able to push the thoughts and troubles aside, but he wasn't sure what. The frustration started to only grow as he picked his own glass up. "Let us just assume that he isn't in our head anymore. Okay?" He said, though the usual confidence that was present in Koike's voice seemed quite faint.

Hesitating at first, Katsu took the glass of wine. He stared at it for a few moments before taking a sip. He placed the glass down afterwards. "Ugh... It tastes terrible! And my... my throat feels warm," he mumbled. Shaking his head, he turned to Koike. "Why, though... In the end... Why did he run away? And he was dodging and.... Maybe there was something we could've done. We let him get away and now--"

"Shut up." Koike said, a sliver of anger sounding through his voice. The brow of Koike frowned as he looked at his friend. "I am sure I gave it my damn all. I am certain that you did that as well." Letting a pause follow his words Koike shook his head now. "I don't know why he ran, but don't you speak as if we could've done more. We managed to get out alive and pass some information through. That's better than nothing, got that?" He felt a bit bad for speaking in a harsh manner to his friend, which caused Koike to look away while taking a sip. "We will get another chance, okay?"

Katsu recoiled, his eyes widening. He remained silent for a while and his eyes looked down. "Sorry," he said quietly before turning to the window again, leaning on the wall.

"Don't be." Koike mumbled before taking another sip of his glass. The silence that followed his words continued to plague the room for some time as Koike would place his glass down. He wanted to fill it again, wanting to drown the desire of another chance to face that figure. Drowning his guilt and other emotions. It wasn't going to work of that he was aware off. "I heard my mother." Koike said, his gaze settled on the bottle of wine. It was clear that he was searching for the words to describe the experience which had shook him to the very core. "Remember that I once traveled on my own? Not sure how long it was ago. Must have been at least three months? Four?" Grunting Koike closed his eyes as his right hand rubbed his neck. "Never knew my parents. Always had to hear other people talk about them. Telling me how great they were and that they were missed. Which didn't help, of course. But I am certain that I heard her. That... thing made me hear her. I am just certain that it was her." Confused Koike wanted to destroy something as he flexed his fingers. Growing restless he managed to stay just standing still. "I am sorry. I should've came right away when you reported in." Rubbing his eyes with his right hand Koike grunted. "Damn it."

"It wouldn't have made much of a difference, would it?" Katsu said, sounding more hopeless than conciliatory. After a few moments of silence, Katsu turned around and spoke. "Let's think back to what happened. We should try to get as much out of it as we can. If we're going to be seeing any more of that thing, we'd best know what it is. Maybe... Maybe we won't come up with anything, but it's better than moping around!"

"Probably not, no." Koike said, though not feeling much better for it. Lowering his hand he started to pace a bit. Not that the room was spacious enough to allow him to walk a lot, which made him feel only more restless. "Okay. Where to start... I remember that I started to hear whispers after some breeze. Which was odd as there shouldn't be much of a breeze in a place such as the city's sewers. But I am certain that it wasn't genjutsu else my technique to..." his voice trailed off as he decided it was wise to not end the sentence. "It would've else worked. But it didn't. Did you hear whispers? Shouts? You did, right?" Koike asked, coming to a halt and locking his eyes back on his friend.

"I did," Katsu confirmed, nodding. "As a matter of fact, right after I first called you, I tried to dispel it, thinking it was genjutsu, but nothing happened. But it's strange.... We didn't hear the same thing at all, right? I mean... I knew every voice I heard, and I didn't know your mother, so..."

"No. I only heard my mother. I am certain of that." Taking a deep breath to try to remain calm Koike was aware that he was close of walking out the door to find that figure again. To make it confess on how it was possible that they had heard voices in their mind. Was it perhaps a Yamanaka technique? Cursing the fact that he couldn't drag Saki with the summoning technique to aid them Koike frowned again. "Okay, okay. So it wasn't genjutsu. Or one that we could dispell." He thought out loud. "Was there anything strange to the voices you heard? Anything that they have in common?"

"They were all people dear to me. Though... I can't imagine him even knowing about the first one. I was still in the academy when he died," he said thoughtfully. "I guess they might've done thorough investigation on you and people close to you, thinking you're the jinchuuriki. But it's not likely that he'd know anyone's voices. So perhaps he doesn't really... do anything? He could be using what's already in our heads against us."

"Possible, but how? I never heard or read anything about such an ability. It doesn't make sense to me." Koike replied, clearly frustrated as he didn't even attempt to hide it anymore. "We ought to remember: We don't know much about these people in the first place. It's possible they use chakra very differently from us in combat. Or perhaps even something else." A grumble from Koike following Katsu's words as he knew his friend was right. He briefly wondered if their opponent was even human, but the figure had to be. "Okay, but then there is also the fact that we couldn't even lay a scratch. Though, you did seem to hurt it with your first move. After that, it was just as if our attacks weren't strong enough to even cause a dent."

"Something still annoys me though," Katsu mumbled. "If I was completely impervious to damage like that, I'd just stand still until the person attacks me and grab them. During the first attack, he moved to do just that, but he dodged your attack. Perhaps his armor was so pristine because only after a point would it start to take damage?"

Considering the words of his friend Koike nodded. "It makes somewhat sense, but there is also the fact that my chakra attacks didn't even seem to reach him. It just vanished unless I targeted the enviroment that wasn't too close to him." The Hon stated, once more frowning. "So that's it... He had a weird chakra cloak around him. Perhaps that was what was eating up all of the chakra?"

The idea of a chakra cloak that could devour chakra was a frightening one. Knowing from personal experience how dreadful chakra leeching could be, certainly in combat, the idea that a cloak shrouding a person doing that was anything but comfortable. "But how then... Did you notice him making handsignals? Anything made it clear it was a technique?" For a moment Koike wondered if he could achieve the same, but doubted it. He wasn't even sure if he had truly mastered his own ability, after all.

Katsu thought back, thinking, but shook his head. "No. As a matter of fact, he didn't even have it before we engaged it in combat."

"Gods," Koike cursed softly, "Okay. This isn't going to make me feel any better. Let's just try to focus on what we can do now. Try to put it at ease and next time make sure it doesn't get away." Feeling a familiar sensation running down his left hand Koike flexed his fingers. It didn't take much to push the sensation away as he took a deep breath. "We dealt some damage. And ---"

"Wait... He didn't have it, so my clone did damage. It might take chakra to keep the cloak up since he didn't have it on when he first reached out to me. Maybe that's why he dodged our attacks? Perhaps the physical shield works in a similar way? So with surprise attacks, we might be able to get good damage in, or wear its chakra out..."

Considering it Koike thought about the Guardian chakra cloak technique. Didn't it work in a similar way? Then again he doubted that the Guardian cloak technique was as powerful as what they had encountered. "Possible. The more I think about that the more that is what it likely should be. Else it wouldn't make any sense for him to dodge our attacks. The only other reason I can conjure for wanting to evade our attacks is to lure us in. Creating a certain opening." Becoming silent Koike rubbed his nosebridge for a second. "Okay, this is enough. The more I talk and think about it the more I want to find that bastard."

"I'm sure Amegakure has capable nin. They're sure to send a squad after someone preying on their people," Katsu said. "Maybe we should tell sensei about what we figured out. We might not be the only ones to end up encountering that thing."

"Will inform her in a bit." Koike replied. "Problem with the nin and police or any force or corps that can aid us here isn't just a source we can fully build and trust upon. There are various... factors that make it a bit more complicated." He said, shaking his head. "Though we will see what she will decide. All that we can do now is just to wait." And bring it down the next shot we have at it... Koike thought to himself.
[/spoili][/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox="Who am I?, skyblue, solid, 10, Tahoma"]
A collab between Fiery and Jason

Summary: Eiji is awoken by Ryu's scream, just as everybody except Sachi seemed to be in the household. He goes to check on the girl, and the two have a brief talk to calm her down.
Sleep was something Eiji desperately needed in these times. His job, taking care of Sachi, taking care of all the other guests in his house, there were so many things he had to do know that a good night's sleep was really necessary. That was why he generally fell asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow and didn't wake up until his alarm went off. Usually that alarm was Sachi, but just in case he had a real alarm clock as well.

This night wasn't going to be any different. That was until a scream echoed through the house. Eiji was half out of his bed and looking for Sachi, the list from this afternoon very clear in his mind, when it died down. Sachi was still in her bed. She didn't seem bothered. Honestly, that kid could sleep through everything. With quick, but quiet steps Eiji left his room. He had recognized the voice and thus made his way towards Ryu's room. A shadow moved in the hallway and for a moment Eiji held his breath. Then he heard Kei's tiny voice ring through the night. She said something that he couldn't understand before her footsteps retreated, presumably back to her own room. Eiji couldn't help but smile ever so slightly as he passed her and continued his search for Ryu.

He found her in the bathroom with the lights on, staring into the mirror. Eiji leaned on the doorframe as he looked inside. As an instinct he looked around for possible enemies.When he found none he spoke: "Hey, what happened? You okay?"

The girl had been so focused on the mirror, and trying to figure out what had happened that she completely missed the little girl, and didn't notice Eiji until he spoke. Startled, the girl jumped backwards and let out a soft yelp. She turned to face the person in a bit of a defensive position, as if she were ready to fight. Noticing the man standing there, she dropped her arms slightly, but still seemed a bit tense. "Oh... uh... Sensei. N-nothing! Just a bad dream is all! I am totally fine! No need to worry." she said quickly, a bit obvious in the fact that this was not the case. Alas, there was nothing she could do to control her unease, as she could only see the horrible scene from her dream. Eiji's lifeless body as she looked at the man standing before her.

Eiji gave the girl a quick look over. She didn't look very okay, but then again nightmares did that to you. He knew that very well. How often had he stood before the mirror in that year in which he didn't sleep. Staring at his own reflection as if that would somehow solve things. It never did. He brushed that thought aside. "That must have been a frightening dream. I think you woke up everyone in the house with that scream. Want to talk about it?"

Ryu frowned and looked away from the man, a little upset that she had woken everybody. "I-I did? I am sorry. I didn't... It was just a scary dream. Nothing else Sensei." she said, trying to convince Eiji of the fact that she was fine. She didn't want to scare him, by thinking there was something wrong with her. Ryu suddenly straightened up as her eye went wide for moment, as if something spooked her once more. Or maybe we just don't want him to suspect us, do we? the voice from her nightmare spoke in here mind. "I... maybe I should talk about it. But I don't want to keep you awake.." she said quickly.

Eiji send Ryu a resassuring smile. "Come on. Let's not stand in the bathroom." He didn't feel like facing a mirror when talking about a nightmare was a specifically good thing. Too much reflection possibly. "I'm awake already anyway. So let's talk about it downstairs so that we can allow the rest to go back to sleep." He ushed Ryu out of the bathroom and down the stairs. As they found a seat he waited for Ryu to speak.

Moving downstairs, Ryu looked over at Eiji and considered if she should tell him what had actually happened. However, what would he think of her after? That she was sick, twisted like her father? She didn't want that, she certainly did not want to be seen in that light. Perhaps she should just try to convince him otherwise. "It was just... Tadashi. He came back. He... er... hurt you and Sachi." she said, casting a look away from Eiji as she lied to him. Pauses interupting her words as she tried to come up with something believeable.

Eiji sighed as Ryu finished speaking and shot the girl a look. "Look, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I am not going to force you to spill the beans here. I am just going to say that I have a young daughter who likes to pretend she doesn't know where the cookie jar is. But I know she does. In the same way, I know that that is not what it was about. I would appreciate either a better lie or preferably the truth."

Ryu's face flushed with color as Eiji saw straight through her lie. "S-sorry Sensei. Its just... I'm scared. I... do you promise to not think of me differently?" she said, looking towards Eiji as she decided that she would just tell him what had happened. Perhaps he would be able to help her figure out what was wrong with her.

A frown spread over Eiji's face. "It's a dream. We dream strange things that not always have anything to do with who we are or what we are doing. I don't see why a dream would change my idea of what you are," he said. He honestly wasn't sure what Ryu meant with that statement. Dreams were interesting and could be scary but in his eyes should never be used to judge what a person was like.

She shook her head, looking over towards Eiji. "I am not sure if it was just a dream. But, the dream did have you and Sachi. But you were both... dead. Then I stood helpless and watched some girl murder John." she said, tears starting to develop a little bit as she recounted the dream. "Then I was led to the bathroom, and when I looked in the mirror... there was no other girl. Just me looking as if I had done the killing, and the reflection spoke. It made me remember... things." she said, her body beginning to shake slightly after telling Eiji about the dream.

Quietly, Eiji listened to the mumbling girl. He didn't seem to get upset about the girl's words, nor did he seem concerned in any way. He simply listened. As she finished he leaned fowards so that his elbows were resting on his knees. "I have had dreams like these," he said. "Dreams were people were dead, where I watched them die, where I blamed myself for their deaths. When Samaki died it was all I dreamed about for weeks. By not preventing her fight I felt like I killed her and the dream showed it like that. What I am trying to say with that is... The fear of losing people and it manifesting like this is not something new and it is not something that is wrong. It is awful, but I would be upset if you would not even care about these dreams." He paused for a moment. "What did it make you remember?"

She frowned as Eiji spoke, and desperately wished that what Eiji had said was the case with this dream. Looking up at Eiji, the girl said in a bit of a hollow voice. "I've done terrible things. Like Tadashi. I-I think he made me do them, but I did them." she said simply tears making their way down her cheek. "What I remembered, is I've killed somebody, hurt others before. That I had liked. That somehow, I used to be like him." she said, a frown on her face as she sat next to Eiji again. Then turned a pained gaze towards the man, as if begging him to help her stop the pain. "I don't want to be like him." she said softly.

Somehow Eiji felt like he had had this conversation before with another young shinobi. The image of a boy with red hair in the rain who wondered if he was the same as his dad. Eiji had told him no that time, but he wondered if it would be that easy with Ryu. For one, he had never met Tadashi personally and honestly he hoped he never would. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to do in that situation. He also didn't know what Ryu meant with having done terrible things. Was it still the dream talking or was she being awake and very much aware of what she was saying? "You are not like him," he said slowly, echoing words he had said before. "If you were, you would be out there with him doing whatever it is he does with his spare time. If you were like him, you wouldn't be talking to me right now, confronting your fears and facing them. Now I don't know what you have done in your past, but for me what matters now is not the past. I am not responsible for your past, but I am responsible to give you at least a good shot at a good future. That is my job and I take my job very seriously. And this future I see for you is nothing like Tadashi's. You are working hard to become a medical ninja, you have me and John and Kuni to support you and Naomi of course. You have friends, you have a goal, you have a home right here in Ame. All these things Tadashi does not have. As such you cannot ever be like him."

"I'm just scared sensei. I've told you that I killed somebody before, and I keep trying to tell myself it was in self defense. But I worry, what if it wasn't? What if I wanted to kill him? He probably had a family, and for some reason I had forgotten that I ever did." she said quietly, before falling silent for around a minute. "But... you're right. I can't be like Tadashi. I've got all of you. I just know that he is my father, and what if I am doomed to be like him?" she mumbled then shook her head, looking towards Eiji once more with a hint of a smile. "What am I saying? He may have been the reason I am here, but he's not my father. I'm not gonna be like him, I'd rather be somebody amazing like you." she said, almost as much to comfort herself as it was that she was rambling a little bit.

"I am not so sure if I am so extremely amazing as you make me out to be," Eiji said. In some way he was glad that Ryu had lightened up, but at the same time... "I've killed before too. A lot," he said slowly. "That's what you get when you fight in a war and this one was horrible. The people I killed probably had families too. Friends. Lovers. It's not like you can go to all those families and apologize personally to them nor should you. Both sides knew the risks when taking up this job. Just remember Ryu... remember the face of that person. Don't forget it. Regardless if you killed him in self defense or not, the moment you forget the horror you feel about that kill, that is the moment you'll be like Tadashi. So don't forget that face."

"At the time, I don't think I cared. I was fine with it, but Suguha seemed horrified. Since then, I can't say I have ever forgotten. He didn't look very old, but he went after Suguha. Sorry, I don't think you need to know all my burdens." the girl said quickly, stopping herself from relaying the entire encounter to Eiji. Unsure of whether or not she should continue.

"I don't need to know, it is about if you want to share them," Eiji said, but didn't press the matter. He honestly didn't think back to the days of war much, prefering to keep the whole matter behind him. But by touching on the topic there were a couple of doors that opened in the back of his mind. Those days had been awful.

"I don't know, it always has been bugging me. Sometimes creeps up on me. But still, I don't want to bother you with it. Thank you for everything so far, Sensei. I think I am a little more calm, the dream and suddenly remembering things. It was just scary and sudden." she said softly looking away as she considered whether or not she should tell him about the incident. "I do want to talk about it, but it is late and I am not sure if I want to give you any more burdens." she said, reaching up to wipe away the tears which had seemed to slow their flow until reaching a total stop.

Eiji smiled and then dragged a hand through his hair. A yawn escaped his lips. "Well think about what you want to tell me and tell me in the morning. Remember though, I am here to help with burdens." He rose up from the sofa and stretched. "You think you'll be okay with sleeping?"

"Yeah. I think I will, and... sensei? If you ever have a day free, that might be better. I... have a lot I need to talk about." sje said quietly, looking a little embarrassed about her having so many issues. Though that faded as a bit of a forced smile came back. "I will be fine sleeping, though I don't think I can convince you to let Naomi come in and cuddle with me? she said quickly, figuring it wouldn't work but was worth a shot.

"As if Naomi dares to come in with Sachi around," Eiji said shaking his head.

"You got me there. Okay. Goodnight Sensei, I am sorry for waking you. I do hope you can find time so we can talk." she said then went back upstairs, making her way back to her room. Just before falling asleep, the girl grabbed the small, slightly singed stuffed panda John had gotten her. Clutching it close as a way of comfort as she slipped back into the realm of sleep.
[/hr][/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox="Jail Visit Time, #1589FF"]
Eiji visits Kuni
A Collab between Fieryfly and Nim


Summary:
Eiji comes to check on his student and village Jinchuuriki while she is in prison. They talk.​

[spoili]

After the noisy wake up last night, Eiji hadn't managed to sleep much more before his alarm went off and a new day began. While there still were urgent matters to attend to he hadn't heard from Aiko again nor had he gained any new intel that could prove beneficial. As such he managed to push through that he needed some private time to visit his student and see how the current Jinchuuriki was doing. Of course, he just wanted to know how Kuni was doing and how she was holding up in jail, but giving that statement a little bit more flair helped him get out of the office faster.

It wasn't long thereafter then that he found himself standing before the police office where he was received with accurate amount of respect. Without much problems he was able to arrange a meeting with Kuni in the cell where they were holding her. It felt wrong in a way to think that. Kuni shouldn't be in jail and he was certain that she was not in there because of a crime she commited. If anything the only reason Eiji had allowed her to stay in here was because he knew it was possibly the safest place around right now. And with that list...

Seeing Kuni's name on that list somehow had rattled him more than it should have. He knew that, since Kuni was a Jinchuuriki now, she had become somewhat known to the world. People in Ame knew her name, might even know her face. People in Akino would have heard something about her. He should have realized that that would make her a target sooner or later. Not for who she was, but for what she carried.

Shaking off the thought Eiji arrived before Kuni's celldoor and knocked once even though there was no way that Kuni could open the door herself. "Hey, it's me," he called before he opened the door and stepped inside.

Sitting on the hard metal bed, her arms were warped around her legs and her foreheard laid on her knees. She had barely gotten any sleep since she was placed inside the cell, the bed was anything but welcoming for her. Kuni figured that made her a bit too spoiled. But that wasn't the only thought that ran in her head. Another major thought was how she was really alone right now. No contact was allowed from anyone who knew her, no visits or any kind of contact. The policemen that looked after her did not make any attempt to be social, and one of them even gave her a glare of contempt every time he came to give her a meal. Another person who feared her, she thought.

She wasn't sure how long she had been there because her cell did not have a window outside. The only thing she could try and make an assumption with were the meals brought to her. But as time passed and she could barely sleep, it was becoming harder and harder for her to keep track.

When she heard the knock, Kuni thought for a moment that it was already time for another meal. Has it been that long already? Felt like the last one was only a moment ago. Then she heard a very familiar voice and the cell door opened, something that never occured with the meals. Raising her head slightly and looking at the man tha stepped inside, her eyes widened.

It was Eiji.

She wanted to jump and hug him, she wanted to tell him how much she missed him, she wanted to hear from him about what has been going on with everyone, but she did not move an inch. Alongside the feeling of excitement was a second emotion that grew within her for the past few days.

Shame.

She was ashamed of her actions at the post office now. She tried to help, but most likely only made things worse by jumping in without a second thought. That was not how Eiji taught her. He taught her better than that. And yet she let her instincts get the better of her. She let herself do what she always did instead of doing the right thing. So instead of jumping at him, instead of showing all the excitement she had in her, she stayed still, because she felt like she didnt deserve to hug him, to even call him by his first name. All he ever did was care for her, and she constantly caused trouble for him.

"Hello, Emiya-sensei." Came a response in a somewhat weak voice, but no movements came from her after she revealed her eyes.

It was not exactly the response he had expected. Not what he expected at all. Honestly, he didn't know if Kuni had ever called him by his last name. Ever. As he stepped inside and closed the door behind him his eyes searched for something in the girl. Something that was wrong. Something that was bothering her. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was though he could make some edjucated guesses.

"Hey," he said in the same calm voice as he always said things. "I figured I would drop in to see how you are doing now that they are actually allowing me to get in. Which has taken a few days, but that is honestly no reason to sound so dejected about me finally coming over. Can I sit down?" He gestured to the empty spot on the bed.

This time no response what so ever came from her. He asked her if he could sit down, as if she had any real say in the matter. He already knew what she would say if she acted like she normally would.

He took the silence as a yes and sat down, leaning forward so that his elbows rested on his knees. He shot her a side ways look. Silence was really not Kuni's thing honestly and it was slightly weird to sit quietly with her on a bed. "What's wrong?" he simply asked after he had allowed the silence to settle a bit more.

Whats wrong. What wasn't wrong? She was in a cell with no exit from it in sight and no possible contact with anyone else except for Eiji who now arrived, she realised how much trouble she constantly caused to Eiji, she was feared and despised by many people in Amegakure, her father did not give her a break despite the fact she once made her feeling towards him clear, she did not recieve any word from her friend in Kumogakure. Those were the main things that came to her mind, but she felt like she should not start complaining to him.

"I'm sorry, Emiya-sensei."

He did not correct her or ask her to use is normal name. If she felt the extreme need to address him by his surname then that was fine. Sometimes creating a little bit of distance could help though drifting too far away would be less desirable. "What for?" was his simple follow up question. If Kuni was going to reply with simple sentences then he would retort with simple questions until some answer would get out.

"I've caused you so much trouble over the years, and I've failed to listen to what you taught me over and over. I'm sorry for being such a bad student, Emiya-sensei." The response came in the same weak voice as before.

"Okay," Eiji said still using the same calm tone. He understood the feeling of letting someone down, or at least thinking you did for honestly... Kuni might have had issues, but a bad student, he wouldn't say she was that. But he didn't voice that. "So what are you going to do about that?" he asked instead.

What could she do right now? There was nothing she could do right now. She was in a prison cell! She was stuck behind bars with no visible exit from there in the near future, and who knows, maybe they will decide it is safer to keep her there for the safety of the village "Can't do anything from a cell, Emiya-sensei."

"That is not true," Eiji retorted, glad that he had gotten more then four words out of her. "There are always things you can do, always choices you can make. For example, you could chose sit up straight and greet me like you would normally do because you missed me just as much as I missed you. Or you could keep moping. One of the many choices you can still make. You can chose to hide in self loathing, or you can chose to accept what you did and work with it. So many things you can do from a cell."

Eiji was right, which wasn't really surprising. He was a sensei for a reason. Raising her head a bit more, she let go of her legs and instead grabbed his arm "You make it hard for me to stay depressed and filled of shame, you know that?" Kuni said as she moved her legs from the bed and moved to properly hug him after letting his arm go "I am really sorry for the trouble I caused you before. For being in a troublesome position now. And you can bet I will do all I have in me to make up for the troubles I caused before."

A smile appeared on Eiji's face as Kuni hugged him. "I aim to annoy," he said. "What is a sensei to do otherwise than be annoying to his students after all. All the rest is just unimportant stuff like training and missions and all that. And I'll keep you to that promise." He shot her a wink.

Letting go of Eiji and seeing his wink brought a small smile to her "Thanks. I'd hate to think where I would be right now if it wasn't for you." Kuni said and moved a bit of her hair behind her right ear "I don't suppose you know how much longer they are going to keep me in here? It is difficult to sleep on this bed." She said. The shadows beneath her eyes would make it clear she did not get a proper rest for quite some time.

The smile disappeared slightly though Eiji tried to keep the light tone going. "I can't tell you how long, but..." He wondered how much he could say. He couldn't reveal the contents of that list. It was not information that Kuni was allowed to hear nor anything that she really should know. "At least a little bit longer. There is a lot that is going on and the police can't release you yet. Which is a shame because I think Sachi misses you. I could try and get you something more comfortable though."

Kuni shook her head slightly "I'll be fine. If the police are still handling that then I don't want to think how busy you are with that." She said and moved slightly back from Eiji so that her back was against the wall "You can tell anyone who asks about me that I am fine. And if you happen to see Haru Hon around, tell him to not wait around." She said and the smile as her smile on her face faded away "There isn't any real need for him to know what happened to me."

"I am busy and I will tell them," Eiji said slowly, not sure to think off her last request. "But are you sure about Haru? I know that you two are not on the best terms, but shouldn't he have a right to know what is going on?" It wasn't in his nature to meddle to deep into the affairs of others that honestly didn't concern him at all, but seeing as Kuni was his student and basically lived with him... well it sort of made him entitled to butt in every now and then.

"Yes, I'm sure about Haru. Tell him he can come back in a few months. For now, I rather keep the people who are worried about me to a minimum, hope you understand." Kuni said quietly and closed her eyes.

Eiji nodded. "Okay. I can pass that message along. Anything else you want to tell anyone else? I might as well become a glorified messenger by this point. Maybe to the people you have helping you at your new place?"

She shook her head slightly "My teahouse library should be closed until I let them know. I inform them personally when the next shift is, so there isnt a worry about that." She said in a calm tone. At least that was one thing she didn't need to worry about.

"Okay then." Eiji pushed himself off the bed and stood up, arching his back backwards to stretch. He should get out more which was honestly a weird thing to say for a shinobi. Who knew paperwork was the bane of every shinobi's existance. "I think I should go back to my office then. You sure you have everything you need. I could demand some hot chocolate or something. Some scrambled eggs?" He said it with a smile as he walked to the door and turned to face her with the questions.

"I'm sure I don't need anything else." She opened her eyes to look at him "But thanks for coming, Emiya-sensei."

"No worries. Chin up okay?" He said this time overly deliberately ignore her use of his surname with the proper suffix. He pulled the door open, shot one last look at Kuni and then stepped out of the cell. The door was closed behind him by the guards waiting for him. He thanked them politely and started to make his way out of the building.
[/spoili][/fieldbox]
 
Risu Amura - Genin
Kirigakure​


There wasn't a lot going on in Kirigakure at the moment, not for Risu at least. He had finished cleaning not too long ago and was now onto his daily physical training session, for today it was just strength-building exercises, push ups, pull ups, weights, squats and more, it wasn't too much for him to do on a day-on day-off basis so he was more or less able to keep it up.
The reason for this training was simple to him because if he's physically stronger and faster, he would have an easier time in the long run, besides surely being a shinobi wasn't much different from his daily duties at home. Maybe he'd have to be a bit more stealthy, but it was the concept of being told to do something and just doing it that made him see the two as similar.

Once Risu finished his work-out he cleared the weights away and did a few cool-down exercises to ease his muscles. "Mother, I've finished my duties and exercise for the day, is it okay for me to leave the house for a while?" He called down the corridor towards his mother's room, she never really wanted to be bothered by trivial matters and it's likely that she would say yes anyway, especially if he'd completed his daily duties. But Risu always liked to ask, just to be sure.

A slight sigh could be heard from his mother's room followed by a voice. "If you really want to, but bathe, change your clothes and then come see me, you may not notice but others will if you smell horrible and sweaty."
Risu wasn't one to disobey his mother's orders and so he was quick to wash himself, all he needed was a quick scrub anyway, that'd be enough to seem respectable. When all was said and done, and Risu had donned what he figured would be his signature red outfit, he approached his mother's room and knocked lightly. "All clean and neatly dressed, mother."

"Then you can enter."


His mother was a thin woman, looking rather pale and almost constantly tired whenever he was around her, it wasn't any illness or disease that caused it either. She was naturally like that and it didn't help that she hardly got out of the house unless there was a large gathering going on, at those times she'd put on make up and dress to hide most of her form. She still had the energy in her to smile as she began to speak.

"Risu, being the only child of the family you are a representative of what your father and I can contribute to the Republic, even as a child your appearance and attitude towards others is very important. If you make a good impression to other families and future acquaintances you're more likely to succeed. But if your appearance is rough around the edges and you smell like you just finished bathing in sweat, people will get a poor idea of who you are and what you're capable of. Whether they say it or not, people will always judge others on everything they do. I do it, your father does it, even you will find yourself doing it without a second thought.

It sounds selfish to do these things, but it's for your own benefit later on in life." She opened a drawer in her small desk and held something out in her hand. "You've earned your allowance for the week, just be careful how you spend it." Risu took the pouch and put it in his pocket. "I understand mother, I'll be mindful of what I do whilst I'm out. Thank you for the allowance." He bowed respectfully and turned to leave the room.

"I do hope you become a great shinobi, Risu." She then added once he was almost out of the door to her room, which was met with a "Don't worry, I'll do the best I can!"

The young boy didn't quite know what he'd do out in the village yet, perhaps he could go out to the market place and spend some of his allowance, so long as he didn't spend much it'd be a good use of it, right?
________

By the time Risu had reached the market it was fairly busy, but he steadily navigated his way through a sizable crowd, unsure as to whether he'd actually buy something or not. Aside from a snack, of course, he'd get himself something to eat without a doubt. At least there were quiet spots here and there where he could linger and think about what to get.

Maybe just stocking up on a few supplies would do, scrolls and shurikens at the like, you can never really have too much stocked up in case you lose any of it.
​
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Icy
[fieldbox=Coughing rats - Part II]
Team Meilin/7,
Catching the Bull by its horns.

A collab written between Icy, Oetje, Roran and Gerontis.

Summary :
After grouping together Meilin, Kensuke and Hideki discuss a plan of approach. On the suggestion of Meilin they decide to pay a visit to the 'Bull' in order to see if they can extract some more information about those behind the abductions in Keishi.

Previous Post


Moving to the position on the ceiling right above the Bull she heard his voice, able to make two words audible before resorting back to coughing. Pulling out two senbon Meilin would throw the weapons down, before she would drop downwards. The senbon would hit and hopefully confuse the large man before she would drop with her weight on top of him, to knock him down. Due to the actions she wasn't able to keep her breath in for much longer. Hopefully the others would make short or had make short work of the bodyguards by now.

The two guards outside helped their two companions escape the ash-covered room. Their heads perked up when they heard their boss' voice and coughing from right behind the two men. Both were about to venture inside to help him out when they heard a familiar voice, which made them hesitate and look at eachother in indecision. There were two reasons for that, none of which were that they knew the little thief from a few weeks ago. One was that the voice was filled with a cold quality they did not expect it to have, and second of which was that it came from the ceiling and was immediately followed by an ominous gurgling sound and the telltale sound of a falling body.

As they hesitated another figure appeared out of the ash like the inevitable villain of romance. It was the prisoner. They didn't need anyone to tell them that the ash-stained figure's chains were undone and that he was smiling at them with flat aggression. One last look at the odds, and the four of them darted. The Bull's nickname said a lot about his popularity amongst his men.

"Let's get out of here." Kensuke said as he watched the men disappear down the hallway.

Hideki pulled a morbid smile at Kensuke's scare tactics, feeling none the humour, his nostrils and ears clogged with ash and grime. "Roger that," he affirmed, helping Meilin with the insensate Bull as they moved toward the exit.

"Yeah." Meilin replied, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips. She threw a glance when Hideki came to help her. For a moment it dawned on Meilin what the two just had done. Blinking several times Meilin wasn't sure if she should thank them or just remain silent. Coughing lightly she would keep dragging together with the Hyuuga the large man away.




The unconscious figure of 'the Bull' was leaning heavily on a chair, bound and gagged in the next room of the abandoned construction project. Before both Meilin and Hideki could enter however, Kensuke took both apart.

"Listen up." He said with his usual stern voice. "We have interrogated Ezuri together, and I have observed you interrogate the ... thing in the sewers." He said. "While I don't contend that we need to learn everything this man knows, through whichever means necessary, ..." Kensuke said, voice low. "do not commit to needless torture. I would lie to you if I told you I haven't done it before, but there is no easier way to lose ..." He said, grasping for a way to phrase what he wanted to say. "... yourself. Your humanity. We may be shinobi, but that does not need to make us into monsters."

Hideki looked Kensuke in the eye, curious about something, then nodded his confirmation. He had little to say in response. Kensuke was the one calling the shots; he was a mere subordinate in this.

Taken apart by Kensuke, Meilin listened to the Nimatsu. As he spoke of the previous interrogation the teen would remain silent, even though she felt the need to speak up against the jounin.
"Understood." Meilin said, letting a pause follow the sole word as she slightly tilted her head to the right. There was more that Meilin wanted to say and state, but this wasn't a time and place to speak against Kensuke. While she understood partly what he meant it felt different for her. In her vision and opinion, the Bull wasn't somebody who deserved mercy. Or empathy. Besides, who cared for her humanity? It could very well be her desire for wanting to know more in order to save her remaining relatives, but her humanity was the least that she cared for now.
"So," her eyes darted her gaze between Kensuke and Hideki, "Who is going to have the honour of asking questions?"

Kensuke gave her a humourless grin. "You seem to know this individual better than we do." He said, not quite saying that she hadn't shared enough information to let the both of them interrogate him effectively. He suspected that she'd been honest with them and that she didn't have anything more either. That she was just desperate. "Let's get this over with." He said and opened the door for them.

While she had hoped for him to say that she could lead the interrogation it had still come off as a surprise. Nodding to Kensuke Meilin felt an itch running down her right hand. As Kensuke opened the door for them Meilin would walk a few steps into the room. Seeing the large man being tied down to a chair had something surreal to it. As if it was part of some weird dream where she was allowed to throw out her pent-up aggression and frustration. Where she would end up waking in the middle of the night, panting and all sweaty.
Her eyes would half close as she slightly raised her chin. Taking a few more steps towards the large man Meilin observed him better. Her body language was screaming that she was about to go violent. But just as she felt every fibre telling her to smash his face in the teen would lower a bit through her legs to bring her on the same eye-height as the man, removing the gag.
"Seems I am going to run today's show. So let us lay down the play rules. It will be quite easy, I imagine." She said in a calm tone, almost cheerful, as a playful smile started to creep on her lips. "I am going to ask you some questions. If you don't want to lose anything or don't make any of us believe you're lying then you pass to the next round. If you do it well then we're going to leave each other as good friends. Hell," she chuckled, "I might even reward you with some coins of my own. How about it, big guy?"

As the three entered the room it was just around the time that man was getting awake. A pounding headache reminded him slowly of what had happened. Trying to move, which caused the chair to creak, the Bull threw a glare in the direction of each of the present people. As Meilin spoke the man remained silent and still. For a moment his gaze moved to Kensuke, eyeing the jounin. He did the same afterwards to Hideki, clearly trying to get a good estimation of how he had to deal with them. "You lot think that I am going to talk? Tough luck. All I see are two punks and a guy that likes to play kindergartner teacher. How about you three line up and kiss my ass?" The man said, an arrogant grin present on his lips.

Reclined on a heap of metal beams, Hideki rolled his eye and made an exasperated noise at the Bull's comment. "Oh for heaven's sake, not another one..." He already felt enervated to the marrow; these tedious nights just kept dragging on...

Kensuke sighed in exasperation and walked up to the man who was posturing as an act of defiance. He'd never met a man who hadn't broken under torture before, nor did he hold the illusion that he himself wouldn't. It just wasn't a pretty thing to push a man that far. He nodded at Meilin to carry on.

Nodding as she took a step away Meilin seemed as if she was considering her words. Placing her hands on her hips the teen kept her gaze focused on something up at the ceiling. A sighed escaped her before she spoke up again.

"You see, this is just so unfair. I wanted, this time, to play it nice. Regarding my humanity." She said, the smile vanishing as a cold expression became apparent on Meilin's features. She then gestured to Hideki. "My friend's patience is growing thin, so instead of preserving my humanity? I say fuck that. And know what?"
Lowering her right hand Meilin pulled out one kunai from her holster. Letting the weapon roll around her index finger through the loop, Meilin narrowed her eyes. In a fluid movement, she grabbed the handle of the weapon and would slam with the loop right into the Bull's face.

In the strange language of before she grumbled something, lashing out again. And again, followed up by another strike. Lowering her hand with the kunai Meilin frowned. "If you don't want to play it nice, lets cut the chase. Where are the captives being taken?" Meilin asked, this time holding the kunai in a reversed grip.

Glancing at Hideki as the Bull heard what the former said, his attention went back to Meilin as she spoke up. He frowned, but as he wanted to say something she pulled out a kunai. Instantly the large man's muscles started to flex and it was clear he was trying to see if he could break out of his bonds. Before he could utter a reply the man groaned as the teen in front of him lashed out several times. By the last blow a few drips of blood would fall towards the ground. Shaking his head lightly the man looked up as a light flow of blood would move from his nostrils down his lips to his chin. "Is that all?" He just grumbled back.

Hideki said nothing; simply listened and watched with little in the way of excitement, knee quivering slightly in tiny spastic jerks. How come no-one ever spared themselves the trouble?

Without any warning, Meilin lashed out. Carving with the sharp edge of the kunai a long scar across the face of the man Meilin would use her free hand to grab the back of the Bull's head as she would lower herself to lock her eyes with his.
"I will ask, one more time before I will start to do something worse." Meilin almost hissed. "Where are the people taken? Those who are taken by the night. Start talking or you're going to make me laugh with eating corn. Without any fucking teeth." The sharp point of the weapon was just 'dangling' above the left knee of the large man on the chair.

The body of the large man would shiver as result from the slash. Blinking as he felt pain spreading over his face there was a moment where his eyes lowered to his left knee. Licking his lips he would try to look past Meilin. With that not being an option the man started to speak up. "Okay, easy now. I know that they are taken east. What's the..." his eyes lowered once more to the kunai above his knee. "The Noodle province. But they stop somewhere else first. Some cursed woods, fuck." He tried to shake his head. "Listen, can't we make a deal?"

Finally, she thought to herself. It was almost a shame that he wouldn't give her any excuse to continue with the physical abuse to probe him into a more 'talkative' mood. The suggestion of a deal made her feel disgusted more than she already was by the man. For a moment she wanted to just drive the kunai into the man's chest and stab him until he would've left this world. Restraining herself Meilin would lower the point of the kunai to pierce through the clothing of the man's pants. It would likely create an uncomfortable feeling, but the point wouldn't penetrate the skin yet.
"Sure." Meilin would suddenly pull the kunai away, raising it as if she wanted to make it clear she wasn't going to hurt the man anymore. "For old time's sake. So speak up. If we have the details then we will just let you go. You've my word on it." Storing the kunai away Meilin would place her hands on her back to place more emphasis on her promise.

A loud sigh escaped the Bull as Meilin backed away. A long moment passed by before he spoke up. He would share the information how some of his thieves would search for families with young children. Then his contact would send somebody around to 'check' the families. The Bull did state that he wasn't aware what kind of check-up they did, stating that he was just under the impression to be sure that none of the people had some disease that would lower their value. For a moment he seemed to consider what more he would share with them. Continuing with that he was aware that they had bribed and held some people in the local watch and authorities on a leash, the Bull also stated that they traveled towards the Noodle province. After that? He wasn't sure. After his words he threw a look at each of them. "That's all. Now, you made a damn promise."

Hearing the report, the cold expression didn't flow away from the teen's features. Her stomach twisted and her mind was tearing her slowly apart by doubts and fears, who were running rampant with her fantasy. What followed out of the Noodle province? How damn far east would they be by now?
As she thought about the words of the man the colour started to vanish from the girl's face. She knew a certain wood that was claimed to be 'cursed'. Not a place where she hoped anybody related to her would have to pass through in chains or held in a coffin. With the Bull demanding that she held the end of her bargain, a bitter taste would move up in Meilin's mouth.
"Yes, I indeed did. However," she said as she stepped backwards. "I didn't speak for these two. I am done here." She said, half turning away as her left hand travelled to her mouth. Her eyes were still locked on the criminal.

Kensuke got up and walked over towards the man with a gloating smile plastered across his features. "Oh we'll let you go alright." He said with the mildest contempt.

"But I won't have to tell you of course that, ... given that we've made quite the show in visiting you, your former allies will also come to visit eventually." He said. "Of course you'll also be ware that they have quite another way of tying up loose ends than we do." Kensuke continued as he produced a kunai with which he slowly started working on the bindings with slow, sawing motions.

"If you would be interested in another deal, we can arrange some things concerning your former allies and your safety."

It was clear that the Bull was expecting a grim scenario as he threw a look at Hideki and Kensuke. As the latter began to talk and even free the Bull there wasn't any answer back for a moment. "And what kind of safety can I hope on?" The man asked as he would raise up from his chair, rubbing his aching wrists. The man did throw a glare in the direction of Meilin. Clearly considering the possibility to lunge at the teen and give her own recipe back. Deciding against it the Bull lowered his hands.

"The degree of protection depends entirely on your willingness to cooperate with us in the future." Kensuke said. "You see, unless you prove yourself a valuable asset I doubt I can convince my superiors that protecting your life is a worthwile investment." He explained.

For a moment the large man eyed Kensuke, remaining silent. "I suppose there's little room to refuse." The man said, throwing a sideways look at Meilin before focusing his eyes back at Kensuke. "For now, I do wish to return to put my own 'investments' back into order." That having said the man already made it clear that he was planning to go, but still cautious if one of them would lash out at him.

Kensuke stepped aside and invited him towards the door. "But of course." Kensuke said, and waited until the man left.
[/fieldbox]
 
Path of Revenge,

A collab between Unyielding, Lesli, Chromehound and Aliceee.

Summary :
A few days travel and the group has reached their destination. It is here where they continue and dig for answers. Answers that are hidden in the dark and the shadows of the past.​

First Post
Second Post
Third Post
Fourth Post
Fifth Post

[spoili]
"Got it!" Saki replied as she did what Kiyomi requested. Cutting the latter from the telepathic bond she already had an idea what the other teen was plotting, upon seeing the kunai with the flash tag. "Get ready. Violet, she is going to create an opening. Shikaroku, I will need you to use your shadow binding technique." The young woman told the genin through the bond.

Crouching Saki would open her hands as blue energy started to gather in the form of two arrows. Pouring more chakra into the arrows she already started to aim. The snakehead at the rear of the Chimera was a head she wanted to get rid off as she noticed - what she assumed to be - venom liquid dripping from its lips. Hoping that the counter-attack would work, would depend on how the others would go about with their attacks.

Seeing the creature run at them was a scary thing. However, seeing how Kiyomi did not flee and run at the beast herself was inspiring. Despite the danger, she showed no signs of fear. Violet clenched her fist and ran her chakra through them. She could not let her down now. She had a job to do. She ran behind Kiyomi, careful not to get in the teens way. She locked her eyes on the goat head ready to strike. All she needed to do was wait for that opening Saki mentioned.

"I'm ready Saki!"

Hearing Saki's request, Shikaroku paused. Reaching back into his pouch, he deposited the shuriken and pulled his hand free. She wanted him to use the shadow binding technique... trouble was, Shikaroku had no idea whether or not he'd be strong enough to hold this creature in place.

Gritting his teeth, the Nara formed the seal of the rat and focused his chakra. His shadow began to expand and stretch across the floor, moving towards the chimera. Shikaroku kept the shadow moving at a slow pace, waiting for the signal. He didn't want to draw attention towards the shadow, it would eliminate the whole point. Hoping his teammates would keep the beast distracted, Shikaroku focused on his task.

He wouldn't let his team down... he couldn't...

As the beast closed in the distance it was clear that Kiyomi was its main focus. The teen was, however, not phased by the imminent danger. In a fast speed, Kiyomi would start to run forward, readying the kunai. Teeth flashed as the lion's head would open its jaw, from the looks of it being capable of biting and snapping its intended target in two with ease. Releasing a short Battlecry Kiyomi wouldn't dodge or make any evasive manoeuvres. Intending to stab the kunai into the lion's face the teeth seemed to be faster, catching the young teen between the strong jaws. Yet the remaining eye of the lion's head seemed to be surprised as it widened with Kiyomi in its jaws vanishing - revealing it was an afterimage.

Stepping aside as she used the Moon Shadow technique to fool the Chimera Kiyomi's eyes quickly glanced at the goat and snake's head. Using her already on-going speed of her last manoeuvre, Kiyomi would throw the kunai at the snake head, the room being filled with a loud hiss as the weapon managed to find its mark just below the snake's head.

The creature, in turn, reacted with trying to move to face the dangerous jounin better. "Now! Violet, knock! Shikaroku, pin and Saki, finish!" Kiyomi shouted as she would raise her hands with lightning flickering between her fingers.

When the lion head snapped, Violet heart skipped a beat. This sense of fear turned to excitement as Kiyomi appeared beside the creature and threw her kunai at the snake head. Finally she shouted weird orders to the rest of the team. Violet's job was to knock. She continued her path following the teen to the creature but all the excitement limited her ability to comprehend what Kiyomi was tell her. Ultimately Violet decided to just "knock" some sense into the creature.

"Delayed Assault!" she shouted. She jumped into the air and stomped on the lion head. Next she lunged at the goat head and charged her fist. "AMP!" She unleashed a barrage of punches the goat head placing 3 amp charges with selective strikes on a single spot. "ECHO!" Finally punched that spot and placed an echo charge set to delay in 3 seconds which would be enhanced by the amp charges, hopefully enough to topple the creature. Violet then flipped off the creature just in time for the echo charge to detonated sending the burst of force over 4 times the strength of a normal echo charge.

Upon landing she buckled and fell to a knee. She started breathing heavily as she recovered from the heavy chakra use. She still kept her eye on the creature hoping she did her part well.

Receiving the signal from Kiyomi, Shikaroku extended his shadow further along the floor. Violet was surging towards the creature and with her and Kiyomi acting as distractions, the Nara was going to have a better shot at landing his technique. Gripping his hands together tightly in the seal, Shikaroku concentrated. He had never attempted to restrain anything this large before. He wasn't even sure it was possible.

Timing it carefully, Shikaroku held his shadow at bay just long enough for Violet to finish her attack. As she flipped away from the creature and the charges went off, Shikaroku sent his shadow shooting forwards, reaching...

Contact.

Gritting his teeth, he could already feel the strain as his shadow held. "I cannot hold it for long. Go now!" Shikaroku sent out through the telepathic link, urging Saki to do whatever it was that she had planned.

Just a little longer...

Focusing on her chakra arrows Saki already had two spots she would throw them to. Waiting while moulding the chakra to the point she was certain that they would suffice the purpose she had in mind the young woman would wait for the signal. Her eyes weren't fixated on how Kiyomi and Violet were doing. Knowing Kiyomi and how she fought all too well Saki had faith that the young teen was capable of watching over the genin.
Even with Violet done with her attack Saki waited on Shikaroku's signal. Watching the shadow restraining the beast in front of them Saki's arms would move right a second later after Shikaroku's message through the telepathic bond.

The blue arrows would be thrown low and not directly towards the chimera itself. Piercing the ground below the stomach of the creature Saki narrowed her eyes. Bringing her hands together to form a seal she focused as the moulded chakra weapons would reveal a nasty surprise. While being already entrenched into the ground from both arrows a spike would shoot up to penetrate the chimera. Binding it further down in movements.

"There we go," Saki mumbled, more to herself than to anybody in particular. Slowly straightening her back as she raised herself from her crouched stance Saki kept holding the handsignal as she felt the beast resisting the chakra penetrating its stomach. She could keep expanding and multiplying the spikes to deal more damage, but further than one meter wasn't possible for her. Not to mention that she already had trouble with keeping the current spikes up.

A loud roar would escape the creature. The combined and followed up attacks made it being not only caught by the shadows of Shikaroku but also pierced and restrained by Saki's chakra arrows. Trying to move was something that only gave rise to more pain. The lion's head tried to snap at the nearby teens, but they were too far for the menacing teeth to even be considered a danger. The goat head softly whimpered, still dazed by the impact of Violet's attack while the snake tried to do something as more venom escaped the lips of the head.

Throwing a glance at the active snakehead Kiyomi was certain now that she had managed to find her mark with the weapon, that was stuck in the snake's throat. Without its ability to spew venom they were safe to strike from a small distance. Bringing her hands together she turned to the stuck creature in front of them. Weaving the required hand signal Kiyomi took a small breath before spitting out a small, focused column of blue fire at the chimaera. The roar of before was nothing in compared to the pained screeching of the creature. It was almost deafening as it tried to break free in order to do something about the vicious blue fire that started to envelop its fur.

Lowering her hands Kiyomi started for a second at the pained creature. The beautiful, blue flames dancing around and on the creature which did create an interesting lighting. Throwing a look at the group Kiyomi would turn and start to walk to the only way that they could go to advance. She could hear the faint whimpering and what almost seemed as a person crying originating from the Chimera, but would ignore it as she kept on walking.

Catching her breath, Violet jumped back into position behind Kiyomi. The whining of the whimpering of the beast did not leave the girl with an easy taste in her mouth. She turned back to see the suffering creature breakdown in a most glorious flame. It was the most beautiful fire and yet it was so sad. She knew it was bad and wanted to kill them, but did they have to leave it suffering?

"Kiyomi-sama... must we let it die slowly?"

She turned back to Kiyomi but kept her head lowered fearful of any backlash for feeling sympathy for the enemy.

Watching with a mix of awe and horror as Saki's spikes impaled the creature and Kiyomi's blue fire rained down upon it, Shikaroku continued to hold the chimera in place. The sounds that came from the dying creature chilled him to the core and for a moment he hesitated. Taking lives was a part of the job, one that he wasn't fond of nor proud of, but one that he had thought he was starting to accept. This... this felt different though. The sheer efficiency that Kiyomi and Saki had shown in orchestrating this devastating attack... it was fascinating. Fascinating and yet it also terrified him.

Was this the kind of brutal effectiveness that was expected of him?

Hearing the chimera's pained whimpers, Shikaroku could not listen any longer. Still holding his technique, Shikaroku closed his eyes and jerked himself downwards - an act that would cause the beast to mimic his movements, impaling itself further on Saki's chakra spikes and silencing it once and for all. Releasing his technique, the Nara kept his eyes cast downwards as he turned and followed Kiyomi. He did not want to look. Not any more.

The scent that came from the dying creature was anything but pleasant. A soft sigh escaped Saki, but she wouldn't release her technique yet. Noticing a shift in the body movement of the Chimera she threw a glance at Shikaroku. Noticing a shift in the genin Saki would wait before she would speak up. The main focus was to make sure that the Chimera wouldn't be capable of providing any threat to them. Wouldn't be a most enjoyable experience if they would be attacked from the back.

Dismissing the technique as soon as she saw that Shikaroku dismissed his Saki spoke up. "Best if we get moving on. Who knows what has been attracted by the beast's howling. Throwing a look at the genin she would rest her right hand on the handle of a knife while she would keep her position at the rear.
[/spoili]
 
[fieldbox="New Fate: Part 2, royalblue, solid, 10, Tahoma"]
A collab between Lesli and Jason

Summary: Taishiro and his father head over to the orphanage that Nina had directed them to, as they have no other place to stay. They meet the man running the place, and have a brief talk about what life will be like at the orphanage...
Looking over at his father, the boy wanted to ensure that the man was doing alright. The sickly man was making a slow, but steady pace alongside his son. Having some issues walking, but able to do so with his cane. "It is just up ahead, father. Do you need to sit down for a second? Remember you're not supposed to over exert yourself." he said, studying the man who simply shook his head and continued pushing onward. A bit stubborn and not wanting to look frail in front of his son, despite the fact he very much so did look that way.

Standing in front of the door, Taishiro would knock a few times then take a step back to wait for it to be answered. He cast a brief look at the man next to him, as his father was breathing a little heavy since he wasn't used to so much activity after being bed-ridden for so long. As the two waited, Taishiro waited for exactly what would await them on the otherside of this door.

The door wouldn't be open right away. There were some faint sounds with various tones making it clear that there were quite some people present. Eventually the door would be opened as a small girl looked up at Taishiro. Remaining silent she stood there with wide eyes staring at Taishiro while her left hand clenched a small doll that showed clear signs that it probably had previous owners. Raising her right thumb to her mouth the small girl just kept staring at Taishiro and his father, remaining silent.

Giving a kind smile to the little girl, Taishiro spoke in a polite tone as he figured that her lack of words meant she might be shy. "Hi, we are looking for the owner of the orphanage, a mutual friend told us to come talk to him. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?" the boy asked, looking at her as he hoped that she would go find the man they needed to speak to, he wanted to give his father a place to rest sooner rather than later.

The girl shook her head and resumed staring at Taishiro. Her eyes briefly shifted on the man, causing the girl to tilt her head slightly to the right. A voice became louder, clearly closing in the distance. Around the corner an adult man appeared as he shook his head. "I told you not to open the door. Shoo, come on. Little troublemaker." The man said as the girl would turn on her heels and run away, vanishing around the corner as briefly there were other voices heard a bit clearer. "Sorry, but she can't talk. Can I help you two with anything?" The man asked, eyeing both Taishiro and his father.

Taishiro tilted his head slightly as he studied the girl, feeling a little awkward that the man evidently wasn't here until a voice called out from behind the girl and a man approached. Giving a polite bow, Taishiro began to speak with the man. "Ah, yes sir, our house was burned down, and we lack a place to stay for the time being. My father is very sick and I would feel safer if he had some place he could rest and I could take care of him. A friend of yours, Nina, told us she would arrange a place for us here. I apologize for any invonvience it may cause you, and would be happy to help out to pay off any debt we may owe you." the boy said before giving a polite bow once more. "Oh, uhm, I am Taishiro Kanai by the way. My father's name is Kaneki Kanai. Pleased to meet you." he added.

"Pleasure to meet you both." He said, pondering on the words as he eyed them both once more. Rubbing his chin he would step aside. "Well come in. It is cold outside and I indeed had received a few hours ago a visit from Nina. Hadn't expected you guys this early. Are you two perhaps hungry? We still have some soup that is warm. Doubt that the bread is warm, but it isn't anything bad." The man said with a warm voice, briefly throwing a look outside. "As for debts, let us not talk about that. I owe a lot to Nina, so if I can help somebody that she wants to help then I consider you friends of mine. The name is Lee Hitaro. Please, come." He would walk ahead of them through the hallway towards a door. Opening the door would reveal a chaotic world of children of various ages. It seemd as if there was no order present, but as Lee would guide Taishiro and his father it was clear that the children didn't seem to get into the way or stare at the unknown duo. The girl of before was the only one who seemed to be apart, staring at the genin and his father.

Leading them to the kitchen where it was much more quiet Lee gestured to the seats at the big table. "Sorry for the noise. The time to do chores is in a bit, but they usually play a lot before needing to do their chores."

Taishiro bowed his head in thanks, then began following the man through the chaos. His father sticking closeby and watching the children. The look of amusement and pleasure on his features made him appear a little bit younger. "Oh it is no problem, I don't particularly mind children. Besides, Taishiro here always had to play a bit before his chores. I am quite greatful for your kindness, Mr. Hitaro." the man said as he sat in a vacant chair, and Taishiro chose the one across from his father. The two looked over towards Lee, as Taishiro spoke up towards the man. "Mr. Hitaro, I know you said there are no debts. But if I can help out around here in any way, I would much like to do so." the genin said in a pleasant tone, not eager to be anything like a burden on the man.

Lee smiled at Taishiro's father, clearly happy that there was no trouble with the noisy kids. "No problem. I hope that I will be able to help you both as much as I can help those children." He replied. Sitting in a chair as well he would reply back to Taishiro. "If you feel so inclined to help out then we can talk about that later. For now, I think it is more pressing to discuss how I can provide some room for you both. I will need to know if you either of you are allergic to something or something else that I need to know. I understand if there are some matters that are personal, but anything that I need to keep an eye on to ensure that you two won't get sick is of paramount importance to me."

Taishiro shook his head at the question. "Fortunately enough, I managed to come away without any allergies. I'm in pretty good health from what I understand. Father is sick, but I know where to get his medicine and don't particularly mind fetching it. Other than that he really can't do much because of the disease. So just a room for him really. Also, I do know some basic Medical Ninjutsu. So if somebody gets hurt around here, I can help out with that. It isn't really on subject, but I feel it might be something you'd like to know." Taishiro said, going through all the issues he could think of that pertained to the man's question. "Is there anything you want to know, which I mssed?"

"Lucky you." Lee said on a friendly manner as he would flash a smile. "As for your father, I am certain that I can make sure that he will be able to remain in a comfortable manner until you both have found something to move on. Cause from what I understand is that you want to use this as a temporary place, correct?" The man asked, throwing also a glance at Taishiro's father. For a moment he threw another look at the opening as the small girl of before stood there, staring at the men and Taishiro. "I will be there in a second." Lee stated, which made the girl flash a small smile before turning around and scurrying away.

"Yes sir, we would like to only need to use this temporaily then get out of your hair." Taishiro said with a small smile, then looked over towards the girl who had been standing there. He gave a small wave just before she ran off, then tuned his attention back to the man. "Thank you again for your generosity, sir." Taishiro added, a small smile on his features.

The man shaked his head. "No need to thank me. Perhaps we could use somebody that is capable of paying some attention to the smaller kids in the group." Lee replied back. "For now, I will make sure that you both will be able to sleep comfortable tonight and I assume joining us with dinner. We cook and eat together. Not much quality that one perhaps can imagine, but it is healthy." The man half-joked. "On several occassions there are volunteers that live nearby or even had somebody or lived here themselves. They usually come in small groups and allow me to conduct some affairs that are more private as I do have my own family. Now, if there aren't any more questions I will make sure that the rooms will be prepared."

"I think that is it on my questions," Taishiro began as his father nodded in agreement. "I believe Taishiro covered any questions I may have had." the man said simply, then the two seemed to be in agreement. "I'd be happy to pay attention to the smaller kids, if you need. Whenever I am not out doing things as a genin, that is." The boy added, then fell silent as he thought about how they even ended up here.

Nodding Lee would get up from his seat. "Understandable, but I reckon that you both are more eager to get some rest and put what happened in place before being overwhelmed with arranging all kind of matters. Or worrying about how to repay a debt." A smile crossed the lips of Lee as he would nod to them both. "Please, take it easy for now. I will make the arrangments." Once more he nodded towards the two before he would make his way out of the kitchen.

"You aren't wrong there, I think we both need some rest after everything." Taishiro said as the man nodded, then left. He then turned his attention to his father with a small smile. "What do you think?" he asked his father, wanting the man's opinion on the situation. "He is a good man, from what I can tell. I think this will work nicely until he can stand on our feet again. That woman, Nina was it? We are blessed to have met her." the man said, halfway smiling. After hearing all that, Taishiro smiled and nodded in agreement, perhaps everything would work out fine.
[/hr][/fieldbox]
 
A small talk,
Before departure!

A collab written between Roran Hawkins and Oetje.

Summary :
Meilin and Kensuke exchange some words before they will travel back to the imperial capital, Konohagakure. Meilin apologises as well making her intensions clear to Kensuke - wrapped in a sort of thanks for giving her a chance. With that done the two decide to join up with Hitomo and Hideki to get going.

​

[spoili]
She felt strange. It was both a mixture of disappointment and yet feeling she had achieved something. Uncertain what more she felt Meilin had retreated on the rooftop of the abandoned radio building. Her legs were pulled up as she admired the sight. The idea of going back to Konohagakure was slightly frightening. Knowing for a fact that she had forsaken her team to pursue her own desires to do something about the missing families and her own was something that wouldn't likely go unpunished. Surprisingly enough Meilin did already feel at peace with whatever the higher command would have in store for her.
Taking a deep breath in and releasing it a moment later Meilin did worry about several other matters. Hitomo was barely ten and Meilin was certain she couldn't raise her own sibling. Yet leaving her with just others also made her feel bad by just considering it. For the dozenth time today she raised her right hand and scratched her neck. Why weren't decisions like these just simple? Just picking out of two or three options and done. Without the guilt, frustration and other emotions that kept rocking her conscience.

Remembering that she had requested Kensuke for a talk before they would departure Meilin gathered her thoughts on the other members of the team. She was already certain of what she would tell the jounin, but it was just the manner how she wasn't certain of. Leaning backwards she placed her hands behind her as she for now kept admiring the peaceful scenery in front of her. Wondering for a moment if she would ever be coming back to Keishi.

Kensuke climbed the roof with unfeigned ease and sat down on a dysfunctional airconditioning unit. the sun was slowly rising over the horizon in the distance, bathing them in the earliest, warm beams of golden light of the day. Down in the streets the cold of night could still be felt, and it would be another quarter of an hour before the sun would inevitably reach there too.

"You wanted to talk?" Kensuke asked, storing his thoughts and worries of the present elsewhere.

Throwing a look sideways at the blonde, young man Meilin remained silent. Her gaze was focused on the rising sun as she kept her features in a calm expression. As he asked her if she wanted to talk Meilin was tempted to say no. She didn't want to talk but knew that it was only respectful. And even if she wasn't certain if she and Kensuke could really become close he had aided her in the last few steps.
"Yes," Meilin said, her voice kept on a soft tone, "First, I want to give you my thanks. Without you and Hideki I doubt I would have been able to survive the encounter with that... thing, we encountered in the sewers."

Pausing for a second the teen would turn to Kensuke. "I may not have been the most respectful or the most competent nin. I know that I have shortcomings and that, you know," raising her left hand Meilin would push a few strands of hair behind her left ear, "Not being around all the time. I do appreciate the fact that you gave me a chance. Might not be able to really... state or show it, but it means a lot to me."
Once more did she become silent as she weighed the words what she wanted to say to Kensuke. "While I know that I broke some rules and protocols, I want, to be honest. If I had to do this mission all over again, I would have done the same. Probably a few things different," she stated the last sentence in a more hurried fashion as an uneasy, short laugh escaped her.
"I guess what I am trying to say is that I want to apologise for several things, but that I hope you understand that if I have another chance to save my family that I will want to take it. That is if they are still alive, somewhere."


Kensuke stared at her with an expression that belied indifference while he took in what his latest teammate was telling him. A formal apology, declaration of intention and threat, all neatly packaged in one. He sniffed in amusement when she was done. It reminded him of himself so much it was uncomfortable. The memory where he coerced - there really was no other way to put it - the Hokage into letting him find Matsuri appeared unasked in his mind's eye. It stung, but like a trained fighter he took the wound and went on.

"Good. We can work with that." He finally replied after a brief, uncomfortable silence with a reassuring nod. He leaned forwards in order to get up, but then hesistated, as if deciding to say something or not. After a moment's thought he sat again.

"From experience," He began, and paused. "I can imagine how you feel right now. I can also tell you that, while noble, it is not always the smartest idea to take initiative on your own like that. Communicate." He said.

It made her uneasy that she couldn't see any emotion or reaction on his features. Worried for a moment that he would become angry or perhaps state what her future punishments could be, Meilin would just remain silent. As he sniffed Meilin's uneasiness only grew. It made her wonder what had made him do that. Was it perhaps her statement that she would do some things differently? Shifting herself to sit in a more comfortable fashion the teen would keep her light, brown eyes focused on his eyes.
As he spoke Meilin for a moment frowned. Work on what exactly? There was some faint hope that he meant on getting her family back. The movement of the jounin made her wonder if she had perhaps caught him off-guard with her words.

His words surprised her. There was a small doubt growing with his words, making her wanting to ask how he could relate to her exactly how. Deciding that it wasn't a smart move to speak up and question the Nimatsu, Meilin listened further to what he had to say.
"I will try, Nimtasu-san, sir." Meilin said, lowering her eyes for a moment. "There's something I want to ask, though. You let the Bull walk away." Raising her eyes, Meilin continued. "With what purpose? He will now continue to do what he did already. I don't want to further prey on him as I am sure you had your good reasons, but I just can't understand the decision."

Kensuke offered her a thin-lipped smile. "He knows we can find him and that we can take him wherever he hides. He knows our enemies will know we have, and that they'll know he talked. He knows their ways and that they can find him and take him wherever he hides too." He explained. "I offered him an alternative to trying to hide from them in vain. In the future our operatives could rely on him as a source of intelligence, without the hassle of catching and interrogating him we went through." He said.

Thinking about his decision made her agree, somewhat, with Kensuke. It was perhaps clever, but she was troubled with knowing how the Bull did his affairs. People were exhorted or worse under his 'tenure'. Knowing that the world wasn't black and white and that helping everybody was simply impossible Meilin wondered how Keishi would be without the Bull being around.
"I think I understand. I just wonder how many lives could have been improved if we had dispatched him or perhaps brought him along with us back to the capital." Meilin said, pausing for a moment. "Not that I want to come over as some righteous person. I think I am the last person in the city that is allowed to speak about morals, but I can't help but to wonder."
Becoming slightly uncomfortable Meilin coughed before she would make an attempt to get up. "Euhm, well, that was all. I suppose we should get going now. Right, Nimatsu-san, sir?"

"What do you think would've happened if we'd killed the Bull?" He said. "Another 'bull' would've appeared to take his place." Kensuke answered his own question. "The difference now is that while we can't prevent bad things from happened altogether, the bull will know we're watching. And we can learn from him." He said.

"It mightn't cure the world, but it's a tool for heading in the right direction." He said and got up. "Let's get going then."
[/spoili]
 
  • Like
Reactions: RoranHawkins
[fieldbox="A Bad Report, #FFFFCC"]
Karma Minami gives a personal report to the Konohagakure Jounin Commander, Zakito Hon
A Collab between Gerontis and Nim

Summary:
After arriving back in Konoha following her personal trip back, Karma goes to give a report to the Jounin Commander. The result of said report are not what she expected.​

[spoili]
It was going quite well today. The reports that had came in didn't irk Zakito further into the same foul mood he had suffered before. There were still questions unanswered, but most had been answered. Not that many would ever see or learn of the answers as Zakito kept it hidden and secured for a good reason. For a moment he would briefly consider something and after finishing the letter he was busy with the man would place the pencil down. Leaning back in his seat the Hon would glance at a small book that was present on the neatly organised desk. Deciding that it was time for a small break to 'empty' his mind Zakito moved back forward. Grabbing the small book, a soft sigh escaped him. Opening the book, it wasn't a history or novel that one could usually spot Zakito reading, the first poem was one that he had read somewhere before. Frowning, he wondered now where he had found the poem before.


Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more."​
​

Although he wasn't much of an expert on poetry Zakito was about to read more poems. Sadly enough the pleasant silence would be disturbed as somebody knocked on the door. Grumbling that the person could come in a member of the administrative personnel stated that a member of Team 7 wished to deliver a report. For a moment Zakito would frown, again. He wondered if it was Kensuke, but it had been clear that the Nimatsu jounin should be allowed to enter the office without being held back by the administration or the two guards posted outside his office. Nodding that he would have time Zakito closed the small book. Perhaps he could continue reading afterwards.

Entering the office with a clear limp, Karma glanced briefly at the door as it was closed behind her. Looking at Zakito, she bowed deeply "Thank you for seeing me, Jounin Commander." She said in the most respectful tone she could do, as she did very much respect her those in charge. Her right leg had a makeshift splint around a bandage, though both did not look good at all "I came to give you a personal report, one that my team leader and teammates are unaware of, sir." She said, still in a bow.

With Karma entering the office Zakito was wondering where the rest was. Deciding to remain silent his right eye briefly moved his gaze to her 'treated' leg. Folding his hands together on the desk Zakito would nod towards her. "Interesting. Go ahead." The man replied in a calm tone. Though he was curious on to learn more about how the operation had gone after his meeting with the team in Keishi Zakito hoped that this wouldn't result into anything that would spoil his mood to indulge into some more poetry.

Raising from the bow, Karma fixed her sight on Zakito "I did not arrive back in Konohagakure with my team, but on my own. I am unaware of the whereabouts of my team since I split paths with them after helping them inspect Meilin's family apartment. I believe I was followed by one of Kensuke's clones as both he and Hideki suspected I had a way of contacting Meilin. After a couple of days of waiting, I managed to secure my way back to Konoha via a cart transporting wine and a small fee." Taking a small breath, she continued "That is all of my knowledge past the meeting with you, and it is not why I asked to report to you without the knowledge of my teammates." Her eyes briefly moved to her right leg as she felt stings of pain from it, but quickly moved back to Zakito.

"I asked to report to you without their knowledge because I believe the way my team acted was unproffessional, bordering irresponsible when it came to this mission. I found the way they acted to be driven by emotions more than enough times, and taken risks that could have been easily avoided." She finished speaking.

Remaining silent as he would allow her to speak up Zakito slightly frowned as she ended her report. "Aha." Was all that the man uttered. "And can you elaborate or give me examples of that behaviour, perhaps?"

"Certainly, sir. When Hideki first found the Hyuuga called Ezuri, immediately Kensuke decided to put the focus on him. Upon finding out he merely did some kind of deal, we were completely unaware of the details, he removed all patrols and instead decided that we need to bring him in to questioning, and all of this because he knew him. It may have ended up being the right call, but it was done for the wrong reason, being his personal relationship with said Hyuuga, but at the same time it was possible we missed several other leads as we were entirely focused on this one hideout." Karma took a deep breath.

"Afterwards, during the interrogation of the Hyuuga, despite the seemingly cooperative nature of our new captive, Kensuke decided that cutting off two fingers was the right call, after the captive had already given us information, instead of attempting other, more subtle ways first, which I also believe was a result of him knowing the young Hyuuga captive. Hideki's cooperation without questioning showed me that he may have also been affected by his personal relationship with the captive, or possibly just his faithfullness to Kensuke, I am uncertain about that."

"The questioning made Meilin and me both question how much we could trust Kensuke and Hideki, as the connections they had to this mission just kept on growing. Meilin, however, following the discovery her family was at risk, decided to take matters into her own hands and go on her own. I did encounter her in her family apartment prior to her vanishing, and tried to convince her she could trust me, but I felt like despite the move I made she still did not trust me, and she made it clear she did not trust Kensuke and Hideki. So, I did not reveal this fact to the others, though I have repeated the fact she left to find her family. Meilin also told me a way to contact her, but due to not knowing if it could be a decoy to ensure we could not follow her, I decided to not use it, nor let the others know if it. Afterwards Hideki, Kensuke and I were ambushed, during which I broke my leg. I left after going over the family apartment of Meilin with Hideki and Kensuke, and also tried sending a message to Meilin that the others are looking for her over the communicator, not knowing if she even got it or not. I sent the message as a way to show they were worried about her, not as a way to threaten her."

Pausing for a moment, Karma looked down at her leg "While I have said that I came here to report my team acting in improper ways during the mission, I have also concealed information from them and acted in a way unsuiting of a shinobi in a team or of my rank. I fully understand this and I will be willing to stand trial for my actions, should it be needed, or face punishment."

Hearing out the full report and details there was no change in the body language of the man. Patiently and calm he heard out what Karma had to say. As she finished her report Zakito would lean backwards in his chair. Crossing his arms for a moment the right eye of Zakito was locked on the teen in front of him. A long moment of silence plagued the room while Zakito almost seemed like a statue. One that would release a soft sigh before he spoke up. "So you lied. Brought people in danger with holding information back and compromised the mission, knowing that fully well." His right eye lowered, back to the small book.

In a moment, however, the book would pass Karma as Zakito's voice was this time louder. "You brought civilians, team members and more in danger. Disrespectful and ..." More words would escape the man, but they followed another phrasing as he continued in an angry fashion. "And now you here, speaking ill of your team who is still trying to do their job? You're not just unfit for your rank and occupation, but unfit to be even in this realm. You're aware that this is bordering treason? Cause it damn well is in my opinion!" He would return to the silence, this time being more tense than before.

"You're going to face punishment indeed. Your gear and equipment shall be taken away from you and the police will be alerted of you. Until I deem otherwise needed, you shall not be allowed to carry out your status and vocation as kunoichi of her grace's imperial army or the shinobi corps. Together with that, I will also brief in your team leader as you will do tasks that he sees fit. Mundane tasks as doing the weed will befit somebody that is so disgraceful as you." There was no hiding of the disgust that the man had for her deed and the troubles that had came with it. "If I hear that this Meilin got wounded or worse then the blame is on you. Together with all those people who we were too late with rescuing. Now," a loud sound moved through the room as the right fist of Zakito slammed on the desk. As the door was opened the guards seemed a bit confused.

"Until Team 7 will return, you're going to enjoy some time alone in the cells. Perhaps in the comfort of being alone you will come to understand what damage you have caused with holding back information and being a liar." After those words Zakito made a gesture with his left hand on which one of the guards would walk towards Karma. Grabbing the teen by the right arm Zakito spoke up before she would be dragged out of the room. "Pathetic."

As the guards grabbed her and begin taking her away, Karma merely looked down at the ground. She had not thought about what she just did like that. She kept herself so focused on ensuring her family's safety, her own safety and tried to get away from what she thought was a disfunctioning team, that she had not thought about others and what consequences her own actions could have. What if something happened to Meilin? Or the other hostages her team was assigned to find?

Her heart did feel like it was slowly becoming heavier and heavier with each passing step, but she kept her expression neutral. As Zakito said, she did have a lot to think about, beginning with her own thoughts about her team.
[/spoili][/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox= The Boy in Red, Lime]
Ameko Flani
Kirigakure Genin
Exploring Kirigakure's Market

Upon entering the market Ameko knew the two things she wanted. The first would be a pound of rice. The second would be some premade curry pouches. She planed on cooking for the first time the normal way and as such had to start with something easy. Today she would master the spicy curry rice. Looking around the market something besides rice and curry caught her eyes. In a sea of cold and pale colors stood out a young boy in bright red garbs. The contrast was almost blinding and yet alluring. He had to be someone special because no normal person in her clan would wear something like that. Then again, there were at least a dozen outfits that she could picked out that would also fit that criteria. Like a moth to a flame, she caught herself moving closer and closer to him. Upon a closer look, she noticed a water village symbol his sleeve. That explained why nobody was bothering him. While she also wore a head band with that symbol, it was hidden under her cloak. Maybe next time she would wear it on the outside. Then again, maybe those street urchins would know not to mess with her.

Breaking out of though, she found her self closer to the boy. She was now probably 3 meters way now, and it would no surpise if he could hear the rattling chains from her Kusarigama. It was not a sound she purposefully made when walked, but she did adore how it would startled some of the villages, especially when she was walking slowly. It was like she was some dangerous bad guy from the her bed time stories. It was so exciting. She smiled a little under her hood, reminiscing those special times with her parents. Then she realized she stopped moving. In front of her, was the boy in red. He was taller then her by a few inches though glimpses of his face showed that he could have been 1 or even 2 years younger then her. She kept her head neutral not wanting to look up to him, however after a brief silence, she started becoming worried. It was one thing to be scary but now it probably was appearing to be creepy. She had to say something but what.

Taking a breath, she made her decision on what could only be the most logical statement.

"You look strong. I am Ameko Flani. Become my minion!" Despite her nervousness, her voice remain calm and neutral. Though the words were soft spoken, each one was spoken clearly so that the boy could easily understand them.

F Ninja Outfit 1.png<-- Ameko's outfit under her cloak
[/fieldbox]
 
Risu Amura - Genin
Kirigakure Market​

Whilst he was pondering on what to get with his allowance, a strange girl apparently found her way through the crowd to him, he hadn't noticed her yet but the strange sound of chains occasionally rattling together did confuse him somewhat. In what little peripheral vision he had with his gaze more focused on his allowance, he could make out a cloaked figure approaching him, perhaps they were actually just passing by? Maybe... Hopefully, he didn't really want to attract strange attention.

Once the figure stopped in front of him he furrowed his brow, understanding what his mother meant now about how one's appearance could make for a poor first impression. Surely they'd just move on if he left them be, although it could just be someone who was socially... awkward instead, it's not like someone would sneak into the village with malicious intent against a random kid after all. It was becoming increasingly awkward with them just standing there, he wanted to ask why they were there, but the cloaked figure spoke first.
​
"You look strong. I am Ameko Flani. Become my minion!"​
Click to expand...

...What?
Risu looked up from his pouch, gazing somewhat into the hood of the figure with evident confusion. "Sorry, Flani-san? But I... uhh... Feel like you may have the wrong person? Besides, I'm a shinobi, I don't think I can be a minion." He explained briefly, unsure about what exactly she intended with this strange approach. "I-I'm Risu Amura, it'd be rude not to introduce myself, right?"

At least he could tell that this figure was a girl, probably a very weird one judging by her introduction...

Risu's mother was definitely right, appearance and attitude definitely matter a lot when first meeting someone, but he couldn't figure if she was just awkward or rude going by what little she'd said and it showed in his perplexed expression. He couldn't even see her face, so it was even harder to try and guess what she would do.​
 
[fieldbox= Strength, Lime]
Ameko Flani
Kirigakure Genin
Exploring Kirigakure's Market


Wrong person? Ameko looked at his outfit again. "You dress in bright colors in this dark country, like the hero from my books." She took a few steps to the side with his band, touching it to ensure it was real. "You also wear the same symbol as me... Yet, you look younger." She stepped back and tilted her head back so that he could see her face. Though the hood kept a shadow over her eyes. Their strong blue and red coloring managed to remain visible. Her face showed no expression like her voice. "Risu... Amura," she repeated to order to learn the name. He was interesting. She wanted to know more about him and this city life.

"Do you like Curry?"

f-ninja-outfit-1-png.120434
<-- Ameko's outfit under her cloak
[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox="Dirty Information, magenta, solid"]

Niota Miyoko - ANBU for Kumogakure

Summary: Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.


[spoili]
Walking down the dirty street with trash thrown on the ground gave her the idea she was almost to her destination. That and the scantly cladded women that were about also helped drive that idea home. She seen some pretty dirty areas in her time, came with having to search high and low for certain tasks. Yet nothing came close to the amount of filth than a brothel district, although this one was one of the cleaner ones that she seen. Well people did what they had to do she supposed, although this felt like the lowest you could ever sink too. Niota saw the building up ahead, which had men entering somewhat drunk, and others who wobbled out. Mentally preparing herself for all the stupid shit she was most likely going to hear and have to put up with. Yet as long as the drunks said what she needed to know then play along she would.

As she neared it she casually unbuttoned just one button to show a bit of her cleavage while pushing her assets up to make them stand out among the others. With that done she would enter the building and be beaten with the stench of booze. You could tell men certainly relied on drunk courage to get places with women. Yet now it was her turn, all she had to do was stalk out the ones that looked like they would give you the deed to their house if you but asked and strike. Bonus if they made it easy and came to her. She would then start walking putting a little oomph in her steps, showing off her hips as they swayed left and right as she walked.

A man that clearly was of good wealth, the quality and purple coloured theme of his clothing showing off, sat at a table. A mug was sitting in front of the man as he threw looks around. A scant cladded woman approached him with a devious smile, offering him her service but after a frown the man shook his head. The woman tried to coerce the man for another time, but eventually left with a disappointed expression on her face. The man picked up the mug in front of him and took a swig of the mug's content. Lowering the mug he returned to look around. Judging from his looks and small beard one could safely assume that the man was around the age of mid thirties.

As she walked around a few men did come up to her, but since they tripped several times getting to her, and proceeded to destroy the language of which they speak. She simply told them to go wait upstairs for her. Needless to say she wasn't going to visit them, and they would either pass out or forget about her. She caught a scene of a woman trying to pressure this one man into accepting her services but was abruptly put down. So someone wasn't too drunk it seemed, but he was apparently picky about which whore he slept with. Well she would try but if someone pretty much naked didn't get him, she doubted she would get him interested. As she was walking by, so was a drunk who's footing was poor and ended up tripping into her, causing her to bump into the table the man was sitting at spilling the drink over.

The drunk just sloppily made his way to the exit, with Niota looking with a bit of a frown. She looked at the man and his drink and smiled. "Sorry about that, I'll go get you a new one. Anything particular?" She asked, as she could have slide out of the way of the drunken idiot but that would have been really flashy to have done. So least she could do was get the man a new drink, who knows maybe he would tell her something just for the drink alone.

"Damn it, watch it." The man grumbled as he saw his drink going to waste. He had been able to get up and avoid getting ale spilled all over him. Throwing a look at the woman responsible the man scoffed. "Doubt you would be able to afford it." He grumbled, eyeing her for a moment. "So, unless you want me to complain to the owner of this place, I think a discount will be fitting." He said, taking once more a seat upon his chair.

Well she got yelled at which was ever so polite of him. She was starting to see why he would need a brothel now, no amount of money would make any non whore like you. Yet when he stated that he doubted shed be able to afford it she smirked a bit. "You'd be surprised what one can afford." Although she kind of mumbled that part, as if she really wanted to she could easily have gotten double the money by now. After all she was pretty sure three drunks were waiting for her. He then gave the threat of complaining to the owner, which might get laughed at, since she was sure their was more booze on the floor than their was in the cups. He followed it up with asking for a discount, which confused her for a second as she doubted she could get him a discount on the drink. Then she got what he was referring too. Shit so much for paying for that dinner huh Gavin? She thought to herself before tapping her chin to think about this. "You strike a hard bargain sir, yet I'll accept only so I don't get yelled at by the owner."

"Good." The man stated, eyeing her once more. "You seem young, but that is hardly any of my concern." The man said, frowning. "What's your name, lass?" He asked, his tone being calm but not yet what one could refer to as friendly. For a second he did threw a look at the door opening as if he was expecting somebody. Mumbling something that wasn't really audible for anybody the man got up. "Well then, time to repay me lass."

A comment was made about her age which wasn't wrong, she was young indeed. The same could be said about the other women here though, they clearly weren't the oldest she just happened to be one of the youngest looking here. So far the most polite thing hes said to her was asking for her name. "Azure." She simply said as he got up and as he ever so charmingly put, was time to repay her. She brushed her hair to the side and gave a small smile "Oh I'll repay to the best of my abilities." she said before leaning in ever so slightly. "Hope you can keep up with me." She said as she held out her hand to escort him to the room.
-----
A while would pass and inside the room and under the covers, she and the male laid with clothing tossed aside. Her body was pressed against his both breathing slightly from their recent activity. "Despite the fact you come off clumsy as hell lass, you'd be a woman Keitaro would have wasted a week on. Maybe two if you were lucky." He said gazing down at her with his hand placed on her back.

Niota would slide her finger up and down his chest giggling to herself. "Oh really? Maybe I should seek him out then, get a little pampering for what I do on the regular." She said laughing only to see him chuckling and shaking his head in response, she tilted her head slightly confused on why he was laughing, but inside was hoping this is where information started coming in. "Whats so funny? Too high hoped for me?"

"Well high hoped yes, but considering he has been reported to have went north. Your odds at getting pampered by him are in the negative. He didn't even bring his recent whores with him, just up and left his few recent ones. Tifa, Tharja, Mist. You get the point, all his new ones were just left behind without so much of a care in the world." He said stretching a bit, although that was probably an excuse for him to just reach his hand further down and grope her rear a bit. "Thats what happens when you kill your own father though, don't have the luxuries to bring all your favorite whores with you. Hell he probably found a new one up north anyway, probably bribed that missing bodyguard with women to help him off his father. It only makes sense now." The man said as he got out of bed and picked his pants off the ground. Reaching in he pulled out his money and left a bit of it on the table next to the bed. "Thanks for the discount lass, maybe I'll take up your services another day." He said as he got clothed and left the room.

She would also get out of bed getting clothed as well, taking her dirty money and her new found information. That wasn't horrible, it was time she would never get back, but if that's all it took to get information then it was worth it. She stayed around and tried getting any more new information, but it all started to become rumors at this point. Like Keitaro killed his father so his little brother could be the next ruler. On the bright side she had some useful information and was now a good bit richer. She would leave the filthy building covered in the smell of shame and alcohol, and would leave this building for what she hoped would be forever.[/spoili][/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox=Rei Tsumetai | Kumogakure Genin , lightblue]

Rei squeezed his way out of the line for the supply convoy, emerging from the crowd with a deep breath of relief. He clutched in his hands a small package with his name on it, holding onto it tightly. He carefully made his way through the camp, finding a spot under a lantern on a pole stabbed into the ground. He hastily opened up the wrappings, to find a small bag and a folded letter inside. He placed the bag beside him as he sat and curiously stared at the letter.

"Dear Rei,

I write you this letter, cause father is a bit busy. You know how it goes, right? Hope that you're doing well. It is really quiet without you. Though father promised me that you will do just fine. Please do so. I really miss you.
But enough about that. I cleaned up your bedroom, because you seemed to have forgotten to do so. Didn't tell father a thing, so you owe me one. Got that?

As for how things are? I am currently trying to learn how to play the violin. Am not getting the hang of it and while father seems to be happy with my progress you should have seen his face. I don't think I have ever seen him cringe more. I also am trying to write some stories. Nothing truly amazing, I can guarantee you that. Think you would grow pretty bored. How is it there? Are there a lot of interesting people around? You do have a lot of friends, do you?

I don't. Sorry, this is probably something you don't want to hear. But I just find it so difficult without being able to fall back to you or father. Ever since you're gone he has grown more silent. I don't think he wants me to write this to you, but I think you should know. Last night when I couldn't sleep I saw some light from under the door. When I tried to listen I thought that I heard somebody cry. Can you believe that? Father wouldn't cry, but I am not sure who else had came over at a late hour.

Do please write back, okay? And watch out. I will do my best to write you something more cheerful next time. Best wishes and regards Rei. Come back home alive.

Yours truly,
Akira.


The boy stared at the page blankly for an entire minute after finishing reading. He brought his hand up to his mouth, biting on his thumb's nail. His hand went down to feel the bag before he placed it on his lap, leaving it there. After he looked up at the letter again, he noticed a part at the bottom he was covering with his hand.

P.S. I spent some of my money to make sure that there is some sweets being delivered. Had to work at the bakkery of the neighbour. You know? Chubby mister Toru. Hopefully is the candy still something you can enjoy. Else? Perhaps you can give it to somebody you don't like? Heh.


A small smile appeared on his lips as he looked down at the pouch of candies. He folded up the letter and put it into one of his pouches, and attached the candy pouch onto his belt. The boy got up and walked off.
[/fieldbox]
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gerontis
[fieldbox= Curry!, Lime]
Collab
Ameko Flani & Risu Amura
Kirigakure Genin
Exploring Kirigakure's Market

As Ameko seemed to be evaluating him to figure if he was the right person, Risu was relatively quiet but slightly on guard, it wasn't common for a stranger to approach a young boy, even if she was of a similar age. "Your books? I don't think I've heard of any stories with that kind of hero..."
He paused when his eyes met hers; it was even less common for someone to have two different eye colours, no doubt. "Oh, so you're a shinobi of the village too? I didn't even notice, you must be good at hi-" He was interrupted with a question about curry; he couldn't say he liked it, but he was happy to eat it if it was well made. "I wouldn't mind curry; I guess that's why you were in the market, eh?"

Ameko nodded, "I... never cooked on a stove before. Can you make it?" Her speech slowed as if she was not comfortable admitting the flaw. However, she did not break her gaze with him.

She didn't know how to cook... That was worrying to hear, if she'd tried to cook for herself without instruction she probably would've given herself food poisoning or something. "Well thankfully I do know how to cook, so I can probably teach you how to at least cook rice and make curry. Do you have any ingredients for it?"

Ameko shook her head. "I finished moving into the city this morning." She tilted her head up so that she could see the sky. "I am still learning about where everything is." She returned her gaze to the boy, "I would be grateful if you could help me though."

"Alright then, we won't need muchh just for curry and rice so it should be easy to teach you how to make that and give you an idea on where everything in the market is." Risu produced a confident smile and gestured for Ameko to follow him.

When Ameko started following, Risu would guide the girl throughout the market to show her what stalls and shops sold what, showing the cheaper stores for now as he didn't really know how much she had to her. After a short time they'd leave the Market with a decently-sized bag of rice, curry powder, a small assortment of vegetables and some chicken. "The best part with a simple curry is that you can cook a large amount for dinner and basically use the leftovers as breakfast the next day. Although it's better if it's fresh on the day it's still quite good."

He stopped once there was a quiet spot and looked to Ameko. "By the way, Ameko-san, where do you live?"

With enough supplies for a week of practicing the art of cooking curry, Ameko started walking back home, "It is... this way." Retracing her steps, she lead the way to her apartment. On the way back, she noticed the boy who robbed her earlier watching them from behind a broken down building. She stopped, debating if she should say something. "Sorry, lets press forward." After about 10 minutes, they arrived. Her apartment building was on the edge of the community and she lived on the first floor. She opened her door, and walked inside.

There was not much to show. She had wooden floors, a small table with a clean bowl and chopsticks on one side, a low to the ground bed with a thin blue comforter, and blue curtains. The room was very minimalistic and empty. She took of her shoes and cloak, which she hung it on a hook next to the doorway along with her kusarigama "I bought a lot of food... I wonder if I can store it all?"

The trip to Ameko's home wasn't too long, but it was still quite a way away from where Risu lived, and it really showed the difference between some areas of the village when they arrived. Things around here looked more simplistic compared to the ornate designs on the housing around his home. "If you have a pantry of some kind we should be able to store it in there, although the chicken might be too perishable to last in there for long. But we can worry about it all once the cooking is done. Where is the kitchen?"

Where was the kitchen? Ameko looked around her home, realizing she forgot to take out the stove. "I forgot to set it up..." She briskly walked into a spare dark room. There was a sound of clanging metal, followed by a loud moaning of the floor. Ameko appeared out the room dragging a small stove, big enough to cook one or two dishes at best. She moved it next to the window, beside a counter with a sink for drinking water. "I think this is the stove."

Bag of rice in hands, Risu would head straight to the stove to get started on the cooking, having left transporting the vegetables and chicken to Ameko whilst he had handled the rice. "Well... I'll admit I've never seen one like this, but it should work."

The process of preparing and cooking the curry was fair easy for Risu, but of course he would still work slowly as he cooked, explaining the steps to Ameko so she could learn for when she cooked for herself.

Ameko watched carefully as the boy started preparing the food. It took many steps, and gave her a newfound respect for her mother and every chief in the world. Despite never using this model of a stove, he managed to work if phenomenally. While she did help with some of the food prep by cutting the vegetables and bringing him the ingredients and water, it was not argument that he did the majority of the work.

Before he finished cooking the dish, she left the room to find another bowl. She did not expect to bring home a complete stranger to cook for her, so she also had to make sure to set the table and add another cushion so he could eat at the table. Bringing out the best cushion pillow and matt she had, she placed them on the opposite side on the table. She was unsure if he would eat with her but after all his hard work and help, she really hoped he would stay a little bit.

Somewhat lost in the whole process of cooking, Risu had hardly noticed what Ameko was doing after she'd finished helping with preparations. By the time he had finished cooking, the curry he only just noticed that she was elsewhere and looked around the room to find her setting up a space at the table for a second person. "You didn't have to set a space for me; you're the one who wanted curry after all." A brief pause made him realize that it could have come across the wrong way, as if he was just going to leave now that he'd finished cooking. "...But seeing as you already did it, it would be rude for me not to eat as well."

So he began to serve the pair of them a bowl of curry rice each, setting the pot back onto the steadily cooling stove with the lid on to preserve it for the next day, or for seconds. Risu would follow up with sitting at the table also, not wanting to comment on the cushion even if it was noticeably different to the other one that was at the table. He also noticed that he actually had a good look at the girl beneath the cloak seeing as she'd hung it up.

The darkness of the cloak had made her two-coloured eyes seem less bright but in the open light they had much more vibrance to them, as did her hair. He'd not noticed before due to the hood, but she had quite a strange colour to her hair for a young girl, a shade of grayish white that somewhat made her look a bit more mature than he thought when she first approached him.

With his hands pressed together, he dipped his head slightly. "Itadakimasu." After Ameko had clapped her hands together and looked up, he would start eating, half intending to wait to see if she would say anything. He'd not really eaten with anyone aside from his family before, so it felt slightly awkward eating with a stranger, even if he cooked the food himself.

Ameko slowly took her first bite. Pausing as the flavors melted into her mouth, it was probably the best tasting meal she had outside of the special ceremonies held by her clan's heads. Her face did not show this, staying neutral as always. Her focus however stayed on the dish as she quietly put each pieces in her mouth. "Mama and Papa would love this." She blurted out after getting use to the flavor. She did not even realize she spoke as she continued eating the meal.

The curry was definitely good, it wasn't the best Risu could make, but he wanted to keep the cost of it low so that if needed, Ameko knew what to get and where for the next time she'd want to make it. But as if to amplify how awkward Risu felt at the moment, the girl suddenly said something about her parents seemingly without a second thought. He didn't know what to say as he kept eating for a moment, finally figuring what he could say without sounding strange. "I'm sure you'll be able to cook it for them some time, right?" That didn't sound weird, right?

Talking to strange girls was probably not the best introduction to socializing, let alone with someone of the opposite gender.

Ameko paused after hearing the question. Realizing that she spoke out loud, she stared at the food, questioning if she should eat it. She did want to speak much about her parents as the clan heads did not enjoy the fact that she was born to such a lowly family. With them not around though, she thought it was safe to speak a little about them. "It will cost a lot of money to bring my family here," she put another bite into her mouth, "I think so though." A small smile formed on her face as she looked up at Risu. "Do your parents visit you?"

If clichés were anything to go by, when someone stops eating mid-meal during a conversation, something must have been said that wasn't supposed to be. Risu was lucky that it wasn't as bad a subject as it had seemed mere seconds ago. However, he didn't really want to say that he lived with his parents after hearing that she was trying to get hers to move to the village, they probably couldn't afford it if this was the case. He had to be honest though, lest it come back to bite him later. "I actually live with my parents, we're fortunate enough to be able to afford a family home." His smile was somewhat shaky and uncertain, as if he didn't know how she'd react to them having such a polar opposite situation, but part of it was genuine at least.

"So normal city folk live with their family." She smile a little, "I will save up so they can move too." After they finished eating, Ameko thanked Risu or helping her and they went off on their separate ways. Ameko turned back to her bowl before closing the door. "I can't want to see you again, Mama, papa, and my brothers"




[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox=", green"]
A collab between Oetje, Ice, Gero and Roran Hawkins
Inside the grumpy man's office


Team 7's getting scolded again or some shit. #confirmednewteammotto
It had been quite calm all day. Work continued as papers were transported from one desk to another or being put into files and archived. The administration personnel seemed to be more talkative as the tense silence that had clutched the atmosphere wasn't much promiment as it was before. There was still some anxious undertone being present but talks about what the plans were for next week were being exchanged. Or who was invited for the wedding of Takiya and Hiroshi. Inside the office of the jounin commander the silence was still present. Sitting behind his desk Zakito was already done with his paperwork. Reading instead of reports, letters and documents a small book that contained poems. He wasn't really getting the intention of all the poems and several times he closed and placed the book on his desk. To just ponder on what he had read, trying to come to an understanding. It wasn't perhaps something one would find fitting or expect from the man who had to run the military for the ruler of the empire, but it was something that helped to clear his mind and distract him from time to time.

As he was about to get up in order to take a walk the door would open by one of the two guards outside. A member of the administration personnel stated that Team 7 of Kensuke Nimatsu had arrived and was reporting in for a debriefing. Slightly annoyed by the disturbance of his desired walk Zakito sat down and stated that they would be allowed in. Opening a drawer he would pull out two small files and place them on the table. Waiting for the team to arrive, Zakito folded his hands on the table while he would await the team's arrival.

The return trip had been uneventful and without danger of any sort, which had been almost anticlimactic considering the past few weeks' weight of adventures and ambushes. He was drawn out of his pondering when the guard allowed them inside, revealing his former sensei buried under the telltale stacks of administration that betrayed his high position. He walked inside followed by his team and handed his superior a file in silence, filled with his report.

"I suspect you've already heard most of it, but ..." Kensuke said and cleared his throat.

"We have retreated from the town as ordered after tying up loose ends in our investigation and handing over the details to the ANBU cell replacing us in the area. We ambushed and slew a hostile undercover asset in the form of some sort of creature, most likely similar to the kind that ambushed us earlier. We also managed to liberate some more hostages, including Meilin's sister here." Team 7's sensei explained.

"Our final intel was aqcuired from the subject Meilin was initially investigating, whom I have managed to ... recruit to our intelligencing. Details are in the file." He added, and stepped back with a curt nod.

She managed to plaster a calm expression on her face. On the inside, she was, however, shaken and anxious. The whole trip she had focused on just making sure that Hitomo was doing okay. Carrying her sibling and being sure that she wouldn't have it cold or hungry, much at Meilin's own expense. As they arrived in the city it all started.
Her gut was telling her to brace for the worst. The possible doom scenarios that she had suffered over the travel back in her mind were quite close to reality in her anticipation.
The steps to enter the office were one of the hardest Meilin had to take in her life, so far. She didn't want to go in and was even okay with the uncertainty. It at least meant that she was with her sister. But not a single complaint moved over her lips as the teen remained silent - the skin a bit pale, hinting away at the growing anxiety of the genin.
Entering the office Meilin froze for a moment. The only thing that made her realise that she was locked up was Hitomo's yawn. Throwing a glance sideways Meilin gently ruffled the girl's hair, which caused the younger sibling to throw a 'childish' glare at Meilin.
Once inside the office, Meilin remained silent, only saluting towards the Jounin commander before putting her hands on her back. As Kensuke spoke Meilin threw a sideways glance at the tall, blonde jounin. With him handing over the file Meilin briefly closed her eyes for a moment, already dreading the revelation of her soon to be fate.

Under the electric lights of the Jounin Commander's office, Hideki felt strangely anxious and vulnerable — as though exposed, there was no way for him to defend himself. He'd been skulking around in the shadows for too long it would seem... Listening to Kensuke's report, he gave a slight, imperceptible nod, affirming his assent. Then he eyed Zakito, wondering how the man would respond. He'd been none too happy during their last debriefing in Keishi.

Remaining silent Zakito eyed the group that came in. He glanced for a moment longer at the present child, his right eyebrow perking slightly before focusing his attention back on Kensuke. With the jounin rounding up his report the silent of before moved back into the room. Slowly nodding Zakito took a moment to collect his thoughts and what he had been told before.

"I see," he slowly said, "I am going to await the report of the ANBU cell or a report from the Intelligence Division. Am..." For a moment it was evident that the man was searching for a word that would fit what he wanted to convey to the group. "Content, so far. Am wondering if your decision to recruit the subject of investigation and information of miss Cho was a wise one, but that will be a matter we can discuss better once I get the time to study your file." The man briefly threw a look at Meilin.

"You know, I can report that your chuunin, the one that is called Karma, has returned. She came back reporting about how the team functioned." The right eye of Zakito moved the man's gaze, locking on with Hideki's eye. "Hideki, would you be so kind on reporting to me about what you think about the end result of this mission?"

Clearing his throat, Hideki concealed his discomfort at being the object of the attention in the room and made a visible effort at reflection. A knot had formed in his stomach and incoherent thoughts chased themselves like rapid dogs in his head, rising and collapsing like waves. Licking his lips, he met the Jounin Commander's gaze. "I would be hard-pressed to say I'm completely satisfied with our efforts, and I do believe many of our drawbacks could have been easily avoided — as they consisted primarily of misunderstandings and notions without backing evidence. As for what we managed to excavate, however, I hope it may be put to good use..." he trailed off and fell silent, feeling a lump in his throat. There was little more he had to say, terse and laconic as it may be.

"Thank you." Zakito replied to the young man. His attention shifted towards Kensuke. "Sounds more promising than what your other chuunin told me. I will not repeat her words, but she called you incompetent in dealing with the mission. Personal factors such as the appearance of Ezuri and his ... purpose, had been key to leading you astray. Miss Cho, do you agree with that Kensuke Nimatsu is an incompetent squad leader?" Zakito asked, while locking his eye with Kensuke.

She paid close attention to what was being said. The commander spoke back and Meilin already feared for an outburst of anger or the demand of her being demoted or degraded. Perhaps discharged from service. Thoughts that made it hard for her to not speak up and request the man to consider that she wanted to save her family. To do everything she could to at least be certain that her remaining relatives were doing fine.
But no word escaped the teen, who remained silent as the grave. Her eyes shot sideways to look at Hideki as he was asked for his opinion. Meilin wasn't certain if the Hyuuga had anything positive to say about her, making her worry even more. Already she was constructing the plea, in her mind, she would give in hopes of at least reuniting her sibling with any relative that they would find. Her eyes eventually lowered as Hideki was done. This was going to be it then, she figured.

Her eyes moved up as she was a bit surprised with the fact what the jounin commander asked her. Locking her eyes on the man Meilin took a second to gather her courage to speak up.
"I disagree Lord Commander, sir." Meilin spoke up. "Kensuke Nimatsu-san is my team captain and in my opinion hasn't shown anything that makes me consider him incompetent. Lord Commander, sir."

"Very well. I don't mind hearing that I am wrong, but am glad that somebody at least agrees that promoting him wasn't a bad idea." Zakito said, mumbling the last part. He would lean backwards as he didn't break his gaze from the Nimatsu. "I have one more question and this is one you need to answer. I want you to think carefully as it is quite important." He spoke to Kensuke. "What would you have done different if you had that luxury?"


A cold, black anger played around, hidden under carefulyl constructed layers of indifference that protected him from the outside world as he heard Zakito mention the fact that he was incompetent. The notion still hit a snare despite that the situation was almost a week in the past now and Meilin had eventually returned, seemingly having changed her mind. At the same time it struck him more deeply than he'd imagined, discovering that he'd harboured a secret doubt about whether or not he was actually capable of leading a team of promising, young individuals after so many awkward attempts.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't relieved when Meilin fought back conflicting feelings and formulated what he'd hoped her opinion of him was. When the former Hokage turned in him however he was ready.

"Many things." He said with a faint smile and a dismissive gesture. "As usual of course.

"But all of these things are only afterthoughts." He said, and resided, but then frowned and spoke again. "I fear my personal feelings may have interfered with the objective when I discovered my former pupil was aiding in the abduction of children. If that makes me unfit for my position, then so be it."

Zakito frowned, but remained silent. Slowly he would lean forwards, placing his hands on his desk. Rising up from his seat he would look each of the present members of Team 7 into the eye before speaking up. "Very well, then my decision is going to be the following. I will let you deal later on with your own member that is now thinking about her breech of loyalty as I view lying as being disloyal with your comrades and superiors. I already ordered that her tools and gear will be taken from her and she shall not be send on any mission or regarded as part of her majesty's military. As for the fact that you perhaps..." Zakito slightly tilted his head to the right, considering his next words. "Might have suffered your feelings interfering with your work then we will shall just consider that an anamoly. Not much that we need to fear with your record, I reckon." Nodding to Kensuke, Zakito's attention shifted to Meilin.

"Miss Cho, however, broke several protocols as well. While I can't stand here and accuse you that you didn't have good intensions, you left your post. The team was not shortly afterwards ambushed and one of your comrades got wounded. Another falling prey to being in mortal danger or perhaps still is in danger." Zakito gestured to Hideki as he spoke. "And that on your first mission. I have yet to read the file on what results your decisions might have brought upon the mission in the long run, but I also must remember that you're a genin." A small pause followed that statement.

"I want to stress that you're going to experience hardships and moments that will test your mental endurance or tempt you to make your own decisions again. However, you also served the intelligence mission that was tasked without any flaw from what I have received. For now just be warned to watch your decisions. Regarding what the file reports further, I might consider to change my decision, but if you promise that you will not abandon your post we will not speak about this anymore." Zakito glanced at Hideki for a second. There was clearly something that the Hon wanted to say, but he decided against it. "Now, I suspect that you all wish to have some rest. You're dismissed." Zakito said, nodding to the group before taking his seat and opening the file to study the content.

Hideki caught Zakito's glance, but seeing the man's reluctance to expound, he bowed stiffly and made for the door. In passing he glanced at Kensuke, feeling a mixture of emotions, but the words died on his lips and he remained silent, his one visible eyebrow creased.

Meilin waited and suffered silently, becoming only more anxious. Listening to what the Lord commander told them she was perplexed for a second. She nodded to make it evident that she understood his message. Briefly, she wondered only if she could request something. Deciding against that decision she remained silent. It would be a lie if she would state she wasn't relieved over the outcome.
Bowing Meilin closed her eyes for a moment. A silent thanks were made before she straightened her back. Hitomo had been quiet, close to Meilin as she sucked her left thumb. Reaching out, Meilin grabbed the girl's right hand and would turn around to walk out of the office. While relieved on how the debriefing had went she now had other worries on her mind.

Kensuke saluted once Zakito was done and led the team outside the office. Once outside, he turned to Hideki, and saw his own conflicting thoughts mirrored in the chuunin's eyes. He slapped the man on the shoulder and nodded. "Go home, have a drink with some friends. Take some rest. Well done. We'll talk later" He said, and saw off the chuunin before turning on the genin and her sister.

Hideki forced a smile, one that did not quite reach his eyes. He felt disappointed by his own efforts. Perhaps he ought to have spoken more when given the chance, rectified things... "I'll do that. You take care as well... he hesitated, then said, Until next time, then," He threw a final glance at Meilin and her kid sister before taking his leave. The knot in his gut seemed to have multiplied in tightness as he entered the familiar streets of the village.

"Well." He said with a stern face and paused. "You heard Zakito-san." He said, after which a crooked smile broke his severe expression. "Officially I'm sending you home to think on your actions and how to improve in the future." He said. "Personally, I'd like to offer my condolations. You've gone through a lot of hardships, and I've seen a seasoned soldier break for less. Keep yourself and your sister well, and take a break. Aiko's quite something but she cares about her family." He said, and then knelt down by Hitomo.

"And you make sure your sister's a good girl, eh?" He said, ruffled his hand through her hairs and left for home. Alone.

A nod was returned to Hideki as she remained silent. With being still uncertain what to think of Hideki, she opted with just remaining silent. Perhaps he favoured that more than a formal reply back? With Kensuke speaking up Meilin turned her attention to her team leader. Listening to the jounin Meilin kept her lips on one another as she heard what he said. She already braced for what he had to say, which she at first didn't assume would be anything positive. Even as a crooked smile appeared on his lips.
The expression of Meilin remained calm, save it for the small twitch at her right eye as he said he was sending her home. A fitting sneer was already formed and ready to be launched as she wanted to let out some frustration on the fact that she didn't seem to be on shortage when it came to problems and headaches. Only for the 'compliments' that followed, causing her to frown for a moment.

"Yes, Nimatsu-san, sir." Meilin spoke back. Her eyes lowered as the tall jounin knelt down. His words didn't seem to be understood at first by the younger Cho, who shuffled a step towards Meilin. For a moment she opened her free hand and was about to raise it as if she was ready to accept another offer of the man if it was going to be candy. Instead, he ruffled her hair and the girl squinted her eyes close. Standing still the two watched how the Nimatsu left.
Hitomo looked up and frowned.

"I don't know." Meilin answered in Chonobi, already aware of what Hitomo wanted to ask. The same question that still hadn't left her, but remained in the back of her mind. Hopefully she would be able to get the answer on where the rest of her relatives were.
[/fieldbox]
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ganryu, RoranHawkins and Jason Diabolus
[fieldbox=The Wolf and The Fox, White]

Suzaku Uzumaki
The First Sword of The Empire
and
Hiroshi Hon
Captain Commander of The Tiger's Claw

Suzaku read through the scroll again, about the fifth time. He got a new assignment, and an important one. Getting to the basic idea behind it and looked at the maps of the world he had at his disposal. The Noodle Country, where his assignment will take him was far away, almost on the other side of the world. He decided to think about it as he was packing his gear, which did not take him long. He took his former ANBU attire and hid it under a travelers cloak, ideal to blend in on the roads he would travel on. He took a rather larger pouch of currency to be prepared for the inns he would encounter. Replacement gear was sealed into scrolls, together wit additional weaponry - he was carrying two sets of his standard equipment this time, all sealed in scrolls.

Strapping his sword to his back under the cloak he was wearing, he already had an idea of how to get into The Noodle Country faster. Leaving his apartment and locking it behind himself, he hid his reserve key as he always used to and walked away. He decided that he will do more in depth preparations on his way to the country, as he will have time to do that. He knew it could get him into trouble, but on the other hand Suzaku was wary of wasting time - planning could take a day or two, extending his journey. He also will have more information after arriving, so that would also make it easier to do some planning.

Sounds like this will be the most improvised mission in the improvised history of improvised missions.

That was about the best description Suzaku could find for this mission. He was walking at a steady pace and within a few short minutes, he was arriving at his destination - the barracks of The Tiger's Claw. He needed a fast means of transportation, and he could not think of a better place to ask for that kind of help. Upon passing through a friendly duo of Claws at the gates, he was instructed to the largest building where the Captain Commander was supposed to be located. A few staircases later, he was about to knock on the office of Hiroshi Hon, the man he was seeking, when he was interrupted by another member of the unit. " You are looking for The Captain Commander, euhm ... "

" Suzaku Uzumaki. Just call me Suzaku. And ... yes, I am looking for Captain Commander Hiroshi Hon. I was told he is in his office. " The member of the Claw gave him a short bow as he introduced himself, a bow which Suzaku returned. " Yes, he was here in the morning. He left for the Hon Library located in the Hon Compound, you should find him there." Suzaku nodded and after thanking, he was already on his way. He picked up the pace this time in order to meet the Captain Commander and in his running pace, it took him a few minutes to be at the Hon Compound. As he approached the guards, he showed them the sealed letter from The Empress and they bowed him and gave him the instructions to the library.

Another few minutes later, Suzaku was in the Hon Library, and he was awestruck by the place. Books upon books, filled with knowledge that waited to be absorbed by scholars, shinobi, just any kind of person willing to delve into it. He found a yellow haired man sitting in full shinobi gear there, with a bunch of opened books around him. Hiroshi was so lost in his current studies that he did not notice Suzaku approaching and was talking to himself as he was taking notes. " These dictionaries are ... fascinating. Bork ... to bork ... to kill an enemy, most usually with a blunt weapon ... totally have to use that ... " ​

Suzaku cleared his throat and spoke up a second after it." Euhm ... excuse me, are you ... Hiroshi-san?" The Yellow Wolf lifted his head, blinking in surprise." Yes, I am. To whom do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, a kind smile forming on his face." Of-of course, I am sorry. Suzaku Uzumaki, The First Sword Of The Empire ... it is a great pleasure to meet you in person. " Hiroshi looked for a few seconds at Suzaku, studying him up close. So this was The First Sword of The Empire. He heard of the position before, but this was the first time he met him in person. " A pleasure to meet you, Suzaku-san. I am Hiroshi Hon, Captain ommander of The TIger's Claw. Can I help you in any way?"

" Yes, actually I believe you are the only person that can help me. I was assigned a mission in the far away Land of Noodles and one quick glance showed me it would be no easy task to get there. That is why I would kindly ask for your help in ... providing a feasible way of transformation. The Claw already has a well deserved reputation for its mounts and I would like to ask for one of them to aid them in my task. If it is not too great of a burden on your unit, of course. "

Suzaku knew his request could sound selfishly and he hoped that Hiroshi was not too offended by it. Based on his facial expression, he was greatly interested in what Suzaku said. After contemplating a bit, the Hon replied." I understand. Since you are The First Sword, my guess is that the mission was assigned to you by none other than Kiyomi ... I mean, Her Majesty. I will not ask any questions about your mission since I believe it is secret. All I can say is that I understand your request, and in all honesty ... I am honored that you sought out our unit for a quick way of transportation. I am sure we can find a fine steed that will carry you to your destination, safe and sound. Walk with me to the Tiger's Claw base, Suzaku-san, and we will find the steed just for you. "
​
A bit baffled by how well Hiroshi reacted, Suzaku bowed his head in gratitude. Hiroshi closed his books and mentioned a fellow Hon to leave his desk in the state he is as he intended to return to his studies later and mentioned Suzaku to follow him.

" Folow me, please. It is unusual for a fox an a wolf to work together ... but I am confident we will be able to do so, Suzaku-san. "
" The feeling is mutual, Hiroshi-san. "

And so The Wolf and The Fox left the library,
to seek out the aid of The Stallion.​

[/fieldbox]
 
  • Love
Reactions: Gerontis
Meilin Cho

Genin of Konoha Team 7,
Konohagakure, near the Cho compound-district.

To rise, you need to fall.​

Meilin let out a sigh. The latest developments had made her ponder more and more. While she was relieved about how the meeting had gone with the Jounin commander, quite surprised with the result, there was also the other arrangments she had to make. Tightening the scarf around her neck Meilin wasn't sure yet how she could take care of Hitomo. Right now the girl was doing well in the small apartment that Meilin had in the Cho compound. The small girl hadn't stopped asking if Meilin knew where their parents and siblings were and with Meilin stating that they were on a journey the little girl had made the decision to start writing letters. Something that touched Meilin as well making her only feel more guilty.
Trying to think of something didn't help. She could request the help of some relatives, but most of them lived far away. Being separated too far from Hitomo wasn't high on the list of what Meilin desired, so that wasn't an option. Besides, how would she be able to get her sibling to the southern part of the Empire?
Grunting, Meilin cursed the fact that she didn't know any solution that would benefit Hitomo the best without making it a hassle to arrange or having any risks to it.

Walking down the street she pulled her hood up. The dark grey clouds obstructed the view of the sky blue, making her wonder how late it even was. Coming to a halt Meilin raised her head to gaze at the dark grey clouds. Somehow anger started to boil inside of her as she didn't want the situation to be like this. Why her? What had she done to deserve to be separated from her family? Who had given her the cursed talent to mould chakra in a fashion to become a kunoichi?
In a fit of anger, Meilin bites her lower lip as her left eye twitched. Frustrated that she wasn't able to conjure an answer Meilin lowered her head once more. Kicking a pebble away she started to walk again.


She kept at it. The steel sang a dangerous song as it soared through the air. Beads of cold sweat moved over her skin, turn warm by the constant movement. It was in a certain way a dance that Meilin performed, following the teachings that had been given her to teach her the basics of wielding the short sword.
Wielding the blade with her right hand Meilin kept focusing on how she moved and set her feet. In a fluid movement, she kept at it, trying to keep the fast rhythm up to produce a constant flow of attacks and defensive to evade and parry imaginary attacks.
While she was certain that it had a nice look she wasn't confident that her current abilities would be enough. Increasing her frustration, leading that she stepped wrong.
Coming to an instant halt Meilin froze in place. Her eyes lowered to her feet as she narrowed her eyes. Throwing the short sword down on the ground Meilin started to curse softly.

Clenching her hands into a fist she was glad that her hood hadn't been able to stay over her head during her exercise. Cause as something rolled over her cheeks Meilin could feel a few drops. Slowly as more tears would flow over her cheeks that were the product of her frustration, anger and guilt the rain would spare her of the view that she was crying. Closing her eyes Meilin would attempt to breathe calmly.

"You move with grace, but have much to learn."

It was a masculine voice that spoke in Chonobi. Causing Meilin to slowly turn her head and throw a look over her right shoulder. A hooded figure leaning on a cane was standing several meters behind her. How hadn't she heard him approaching? Frowning she turned half around to better face the stranger.
"You must be one massive sunshine in the knowledge department." Meilin replied, sarcasm dripping off from her tone.
The man chuckled and shook his head. "I indeed do consider myself at home with knowledge, child."
"Yeah? Well, just leave me alone," Meilin sneered at the man. She wasn't sure why she wanted, but the man caught her in a bad mood. Reaching towards her short sword Meilin froze. The cane of the man had moved in and moved the weapon out of Meilin's reach.
"Those who drop their sword shouldn't be that keen on picking it just back up, child."

Narrowing her eyes Meilin didn't think about her next action. Her pent-up aggression and frustration took the moment that she was most vulnerable. In a quick movement, the teen kicked the cane aside as she would raise her right fist to deliver a punch.
The man moved with her movements, turning his body and leaning slightly back to evade the punch. At the same time, he extended his elbow, delivering a strike at Meilin's side.
"Without a defence, you'll not survive long out there."

Stumbling quickly backwards Meilin glared at the stranger who was really starting to tick her off. Clenching her hands into fists she quickly stepped to move in the distance. Continue to attack Meilin used everything she had and been taught to try to land a blow. The man didn't attack back, just delivering soft taps whenever Meilin gave out an opportunity.
It continued like that for several minutes until the cane swept Meilin off her feet. Landing with a smack on her back, that slammed the air out of her lungs, Meilin's eyes widened. The end of the cane was near her face as she heard the man speaking up again.
"When one has nothing to lose, one becomes courageous. We are timid only when there is something we can still cling to."
There was something sad about the phrasing of the man as if she had disappointed him. Slapping the cane aside Meilin tried to get up again. Only for the man to push her off balance with the cane, causing her to fall on her side.
"You..."

Throwing a glare at the man Meilin shot up. As an arrow released from a bow, she moved fast to try to tackle the man down. With the teen managing to tackle the man down she didn't feel the foot at her stomach. Seeing how the man was on his back Meilin wanted to lash out but instead of landing a punch she felt how she was pushed into the air. Landing once more on the ground, being kicked back by the man, Meilin laid still.
Her shoulders trembled and shook for a moment as her hands would ball into fists. Eyes closed she didn't make any attempt to get up, instead of accepting the painful fact.
Rolling to lay on her back she slowly opened her eyes. Why? It was a constant start of the questions that never seemed to give her any moment of reprieve. Was this going to be her life? Just fighting against a growing mountain of struggles, questions and pain?

Noticing some movement she was once more greeted by the cane as the man spoke up. From her position, she saw some of the man's features that were otherwise hidden by the hood. The grey hair at his mouth and chin, the wrinkles and light, steel coloured eyes.
"Those who rise after have fallen can become great."

Was this man forever speaking in sayings, Meilin thought to herself. The cane was calmly held so that the end was near her face. Instead of slapping it away Meilin would reach out with her right hand to grab it. Not to move it away, but to use it to get up.
"Who---" She was about to ask, but as she threw a look in the direction of where the man was Meilin didn't see him or anybody else. Turning quickly around she noticed that she was once more alone in the field.

Her sword being stuck in the ground with the hilt pointing to the sky behind her. For a moment she was too confused that she wasn't sure what just happened was real. A look on her garb said enough as mud tainted her clothing. It had been real.
Throwing once more several looks around Meilin frowned. Lowering and settling her gaze on the short sword in front of her Meilin would reach out and pull the weapon out of the ground.

Staring at the reflection of the weapon Meilin half closed her eyes. Thinking about the sayings of the man she heard something. Turning around she spotted the hooded figure walking from the training field.
"Hey! You! Wait!" She shouted, sheathing her sword as she turned and ran to catch up with the person. The hooded person just vanished around the corner.
Pushing herself to go as fast as she could Meilin raised her left hand up, wanting to already shoot the question who he was and why he had come. But as she went around the corner nobody was there. Confused Meilin looked around. There was no sound that made it clear that he had sprinted away. No trace or hint was making it clear how the mysterious figure was gone.

Noticing a envelope on the ground Meilin crouched to pick it up. It was a bit wet, but couldn't have been before on the ground when she had come to the field. It was too dry for that. Opening the letter she tried to shield the papyrus from the rain.

"Come tomorrow to the statue of the Fire, where the greatest ideas and talents of men are forgotten and buried. Silent forever."

Meilin frowned. The greatest ideas and talents forgotten and buried? Unsure of what the mysterious note meant Meilin wanted to throw it away. She didn't need to indulge into this. Hadn't the luxury of time to indulge into some weird treasure hunt. But as she started to walk the note wasn't thrown away, but shoved into her pocket.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FrostedCaramel
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back