Naruto: Shadow of the Beast


Hyosuke only shrugged. Sophie was a problem child no matter what. Despite her cautious parents nad generally cautous nature, she always had a way of involving herself in some trouble or finding toruble. Of course, like all protagonists, she made it out alright in the end. Hyosuke wasn't really sure how the girl conitinued to get out unscathed, but she did and that was that. And he knew that Marako blushing wasn't a good sign. It was never a good sign. He had to remind himself to slip out later on without Marako and go see his family. He didn't want the other boy getting any ideas. Maiko probably wouldn't want to come and he was sure his aunt would faint at the thought of having a jonin in their living room.

Ritsuko smiled at Ayako for her words. What a sweet girl. "Believe me, a little manure isn't going to kill me." Ritsuko waved it away with a laugh, "I mean, I was buried under the stuff for nearly two days!" She laughed sharply, making Hyosuke question just what she'd been up to before becoming a sensei, "But that's a story for another time!" Of course it was. Anything she mentioned about her life was 'a story for another time!' It was another time now!

After they were settled in the house and met the old man and his daughter, Hyosuke wasn't too surprised to find out that their mission involved working on the farm. He only took off his bag, putting it on the back porch and watching Chiko dig around for some gloves. "Just like back home, hm?" It was no secret that Hyosuke and his family were farmers. They grew a great amount of the crops that were sold within Konoha, due to his family's 'affinity' for plant life.

"Maa, Marako." Hyosuke sighed, "She didn't want you to be dissappointed." Hyosuke looked over at his sensei, "But it was a bad decision on her part." He shook his head, "Terrible. Foolish. Not too thought out." Ritsuko could feel herself getting mentally stabbed by each other Hyosuke's words. She whined, frowning at the boy. He really knew how to lay one on a person, didn't he?


He watched with mild amusement as Ritusko seemingly shrunk, holding her hands up in mock-surrender at Marako. When he had finished yelling at her, she closed one eye and stuck out her tongue at him. "Sorry, Marako." Ritsuko said, "But really, you should've known. I even told you earlier ninjas don't get to go chasing after A-rank, let alone C-rank missions when they became genin about a week ago." Ritsuko looks around, "But I'll help, I guess. It's been so long since I've been near a farm, though."
 
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"There's some equipment in the shed over yonder," Ayako pointed over the top of a small hill and there rested a broken down shed. For such a very small house, they did have a couple acres of land. Luckily for the ninjas, there was merely a small plantation to plow. But that confused Maiko, the old man could tend the rest of the field with his daughter but when it comes to this small piece of untended soil he called a bunch of genin to do the hard work? Maiko glanced over at Ritsuko, wondering if she thought it was all a bit strange, but it didn't seem like she noticed.

Ayako waited by the back door as she watched the group of genin's walk up the hill. Marako was silent, his face stained with anger and disappointment as he didn't say a word to the other three. Maiko stood besides Hyosuke and she giggled crossing her arms, "He can be such an idiot sometimes huh?" She looked over at Hyosuke and gave him a soft smile. Hyosuke couldn't be too surprised now, she was finally starting to open up. Well, at least to him.

After gathering the hoes from the shed they made their way back down the path to accomplish their simple task. The sun was finally in the center of the sky, blazing over the group as they started their task. It was a sweaty assignment as they pounded at the soil non stop, Marako stayed away from the rest of them, it seems like the boy was taking it a lot harder than expected.

"Hey guys, break time," Ayako's accent was apparent in the midst of the silence and hard work. She was holding a tray with four cups of lemonade. Marako twisted his face slightly then sighed, "I am kinda thirsty..." He told himself and walked over to get one of the cups. Maiko, Hyosuke, and Ritsuko all took theirs and enjoyed a small conversation with the kind girl.

"So, how's working in the fields going for you all?" Ayako asked, placing the tray down by the steps. "I know you're used to it, Sophie's cousin right? Damn, I didn't know that girl's whole family was good looking." She said in a playful tone but Maiko blushed and furrowed her eyebrows. She took a sip from the lemon juice and looked at Marako who seemed to notice the flushing of her cheeks. The boy pulled up a mischievous smile, oh, this wasn't going to be good.

'Payback's a bitch,' Marako thought.
 
Though Ritsuko thought it strange, she couldn't say anything about it. There were so many warning bells ringing in her head .The distrust of ninja being the first and foremost, yes, ninja were on the decline in popularity since the fourth shinobi world war, but Ritsuko didn't think it was this bad. Maybe in the smaller towns, she guessed, but hey, what could she do? They had a job to do and unless stated otherwise, they'd do it and leave. Ritsuko'd then report to the hokage about the strange behavior. She looked at her students. Marako was in a bad mood and Hyosuke and Maiko seemed alright. You can't please everyone, Ritsuko thought. Words to seriously live by.

"That's true." Hyosuke chuckled, shaking his head. Though he did feel bad for Marako, the boy was really excited and his hope had been dashed by this. But Maiko seemed fine--she even laughed. How often had she done that in the small time they'd known each other? Not very often. He'd have to get her to do it more, to open up. They were going to be teammates, but Hyosuke wanted to be friends. They began their task somewhere between leisurely and earnestly, Hyosuke cast a glance over at Marako as Chiko whined, he was sure the boy wouldn't want him over there. "Damn, Marako's really taking this hard..." He mumbled to the small lemur who chittered sadly. Okay, yeah, Hyosuke felt super bad. Ritsuko, however, had gotten over it. With a shake of her head, she looked at Maiko and Hyosuke, allowing her voice to carry to the distant Marako.

"Sometimes a ninja has to do things they don't want," She started, "And that usually means the common D-rank mission for the common genin." Hyosuke nodded along. He was going to point out that Ritsuko had lead the naive boy to believing that this would be a mission fit for a high rank, but it was common sense that ninja don't get the good stuff when they first start out. At least, that's what his everyone told him. Hyosuke looked up, he hadn't even realized it'd been so long. He was so used to plowing the fields like this, he didn't even notice. He, along with the others, approached the back porch.

Hyosuke sipped at the lemonade, it was slightly bitter, but he'd make due. "Yeah, I--" Hyosuke's sentence faltered at the compliment. Of course he'd noticed it. He cleared his throat, "Oh, um..." Ritsuko just stared at the girl. That was pretty bold, especially considering she was many years his senior, "Uh, thanks?" He eventually said after Chiko chittered at him.
 
Ayako was always extroverted, it would get to the point that she would blabber something out that is taking in a whole other way. She was a kind farm girl, with manors, and surprisingly a lot more literate than others. But she still had her own little negative traits and that was one of them. She gave them a bright smile and giggled, "Anytime Hyosuke-Chan!" She patted the silver pan against her thigh as she continued with the small talk.

Maiko raised an eyebrow, Hyosuke-Chan? This girl didn't even know Hyosuke, at least she thought Ayako did. Sophie seemed to be close to her, but that didn't give her any right to Hyosuke her Hyosuke-Chan or anything personal like that! It seemed like as Maiko thought all of this to herself her markings seemed to glow in anger and Marako stepped over ready to put in the finishing touches to her anger.

"Hey, looks like somebody's jealous," He whispered. In his hand he held an empty glass that was once filled with lemonade. He was the fastest one to gulp it down, not even savoring the taste. But before Maiko could react to his words and probably punch the stupid grin off of his face, Ayako swooped in and gently took the cups out of their hands.

"I'll be heading into town, my dad's inside. Tell him when your done with the job alright?" She smiled and strolled off. But that smile quickly escalated and became a frown as she saw her father bent over a shrine with a picture of her mother. He was praying for no harm to come to him as what he had planned was coming together. She put the plates down on the counter besides the sink and walked into the doorway. "Father, we have enough money to pay the men. Are you sure you want to do this?"
 
Hyosuke blushed deeply at the nickname. Was she seriously calling him 'Hyosuke-chan'? His mom didn't even call him that! Ritsuko watched the two interact, her attention being drawn over to Marako and Maiko, each of them reacting to the completely obvious attention that Ayako was giving Hyosuke. And the boy himself was so nice, so oblivious that he still didn't realize she was flirting with him. Oh, these kids. All of them were anive in their own way. With Hyosuke, it came down to how people were towards him. He could easily see how others were towards each other, but when it came to feelings and words directed towards him, he was as dense as a stone in water. Marako was much the same when it came to believing in what everyone told him and it often came back to bite him in the ass. Maiko, however, had a hard time contorlling her emotions and such. These kids were a mess in Ritsuko's opinion.

She sighed, shaking her head slightly. She watched Ayako go back into the house and clapped her hands, "Well let's get back to it so that we can travel back before dark. They say the wolf of night comes along and takes the soul of ninja around this area." Ritsuko told them, "Now I don't know if that's true, but I'd believe it, especially in the world we live in."

The old man looked up as Ayako walked in. He listened to her words and nodded, looking away from the shrine. "Of course." The old man says, "It's what your mother, bless her soul, would've wanted." His wife was a strong woman and very hot-headed. She wouldn't have stood for this kind of treatment in the village. "That money is for you," He said stubbornly. The old man knew he didn't have much time left. That money, all the money he'd saved for a long time was for Ayako to finally leave this village. She had dreams. A beautiful singer, she was, she wanted to leave, but stayed because him.

He wanted her to follow her dreams and as such, this had to be dealt with. And soon. "The sensei seems to already be suspicious. Everything is going fine, Ayako." He nodded.
 
"Father," She paused and bit her lips looking out at the blue sky that seemed to be mellowing out after the blazing heat. She attempted to blink away the tears, it was to no avail because they seemed to seep down her cheeks effortlessly despite her attempts. "Just, be careful for god's sake. Please." She knew her father was an older man, a man that accomplished all the little things he wanted to do in life. But that was still her father, no matter how much she tried convincing herself he had to go someday she never wanted that day to come. The doctors told her about his condition, and how it's deteriorating rapidly. She remembers it like it was yesterday.

(
)

-Flash Back-

Her father waited in the other room, waiting impatiently at that. He never liked doctors, despite how much help they are now in his dog days, and he hated being away from his farm with a passion. Other than her and his other kids, that was his pride and joy. Something he made with his wife, his highschool sweetheart, who was now gone. He sat there with a stern face tapping his cane against the ground and mumbling angrily. The words coming out of his mouth were inaudible and definitely not understandable.

It didn't matter anyways, Ayako and Dr.Miyuni were in the other room, analyzing the information they drew from him. He pointed at the screen that had some microscopic photos of his cells, "Ayako it's hard to tell you this but," he took his finger off of the screen and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Your father, he's uh...not getting better. Infact he's getting worse. The cancer is overflowing in his body, we don't think that he will make it past this year."

Ayako froze, she opened and closed her mouth, trying to say something but the words wouldn't come out. She was immobile, her mouth agape, and her eyes watering. Finally the words came flowing out of her mouth, spilling out all at once. She was choked on most of her words before she could get them out, "Doctor, are you sure? Isn't there anymore medicine you could give him? Please doctor!" She was saying this in a hushed whisper but her words were overwhelmed by sadness.

"Ayako, there's nothing else we could do. I advise you spend as much time with him as you possibly can. Don't tell him, it wouldn't help the situation." The doctor told her, trying to sound calm, but in a small town like this everyone knew each other. So even he was affected by the news. After sharing a moment with the middle aged man, she walked back into the other room.

She was met with the face of her stern father who quickly stood up and grabbed her by the arm. If she wasn't given the news she would swear her father was perfectly okay, that's just how much energy this old fart had. He yanked her along, "Let's get out of here Ayako! I'm tired of all these doctors wanting to poke at me with those damn needles." He was speed walking down the hall, his cane leading the way. But he froze quickly when he looked back to see Ayako's red face and her eyes, they were filled by sadness. The man that raised her could read her like a book.

"What's the matter?"

"No, it's nothing."

"Ayako," His once stern face quickly became that gentle face of her father, the wrinkles on his face scars of his old age, "You know I don't like it when you keep things from me." Usually when he would tell her this as a child, it was to scold her, but this time she could her the sincerity in his voice. That made her burst into tears and she hugged him, the most passionate hug she's given him in a while.

"Daddy," She cried into his shoulder, "You're, You're-"

He basically knew what was coming back, every night he's been waking up wheezing and out of breath. He was dying. "Hush Ayako...let's go home."

-Flashback End-

She received that news last year, and now it's February.

"I love you..." She whispered and walked away, not looking back. This was probably the last time she would see her father. She convinced herself not to look back, because if she did she would go back. That wasn't a part of the plan.

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Marako stuffed his hoe into the dirt and sighed, "Mission accomplished!" He threw his hands in the air in victory. "Now let's get out of this town! Please?!"

Maiko growled slightly as she shook her head at him, "We may stay the night here genius, too dangerous to roam the streets at night especially at this distance to the village." Her face was dirty and she patted her clothes of any soil that got on it.

"There are no inns here, genius!" He remarked, mocking her insult. Maiko grabbed his shirt and he did the same as sparks surged between their eyes. Only way they could stay there is if Hyosuke's family allowed them to and Marako definitely didn't wanna give them the idea. He wanted to get home and far away from this lame mission as possible.
 
"Okay kids, break it up." Ritsuko claps her hands. Hyosuke watches the two fight and argue, frowning as he does so. Chiko chitters from on his shoulder, watching the two distastefully. "Maiko's right." Ritsuko said, "It's much too dangerous for you guys to roam the street around here, especially since I'm sure you've all guessed that there's something going on around here." Ritsuko crosses her arms, scanning over the three, "And as much as I'd like to, I cannot, whatsoever, intervene. Whatever happens, happens and underneath my contract with Konoha, I can't intervene unless a formal complaint has been made, unless the situation escalates too quickly."

Hyosuke watches his sensei. He didn't think she'd be one for rules, but it certainly seemed like she followed them when it really came down to it. "Well, I don't know how well they'd take it, but we can stay with my cousins." They wouldn't outright deny Hyosuke and his team somewhere to stay. His mother would raise hell about that. He shook his head, the last time his father's family did something to upset Hyosuke's mother, they didn't hear the end of it and learned never to upset such a woman again.

He looks back to the old man's house, seeing him standing on the porch. "Y'all be needin' a place to stay?" He asks, leaning heavily on the door frame. It strikes Hyosuke immediately that there's something wrong with the old man. Something he didn't notice earlier because he was too busy dealing with the mission. He looks frail. Old--much older than he should and deathly pale. Ritsuko watches the man for a moment, eyebrow raised.

"Just how much did you hear old man?" Ritsuko asks, taking a step forward, her eyebrows raised. The old man shrugged as best he could, a permantent frown on his face.

"Just enough," He shook his head, "There be a town meetin' tonight and they won't take nicely t' some nin' runnin' around town tryin' t' leave. It's best ya stay here for th' time bein' and leave in the mornin', yup."

"Where's Ayako?" Hyosuke finds himself asking. Ritsuko shoots him a look, as if the thought just occurred to her as well. The old man shrugs.

"She's gone over t' a friend's." His words don't match the slightly pained expression on his face, "She'll be back near mornin'."

"Very well." Ritsuko smoothed down her clothes, "We'll take up your hospitality, thank you." She gestures for them to enter the home, walking ahead. "You can go see your family now if you want, Hyosuke. We're done with this mission." Hyosuke nods but follows them into the house anyway. He'll wait until they're situated before he even thinks about leaving.
 
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Maiko's argument with Marako came to a sudden stop when the old man stood by the doorway. He was leaning against it as if the cane by his side wasn't enough to rest his weight on. It was obvious he wasn't healthy, but yet he was able to walk on two feet. Maiko looked over at Marako who stared at her and nodded slightly, the same thoughts racing in his mind. Marako walked towards the old man and bowed trying to show respect, that was surprising to see from someone as immature as him. "Thank you for your courtesy," He mumbled, glanced back at Maiko almost in anger for them having to stay there, before he went inside.

Maiko looked between Hyosuke and her mentor then followed up the awkward stare with a shrug. She stepped forward and bowed at the old man before stepping through the door and finding a place to put her backpack. The old man shifted himself against the cane, waiting until Hyosuke was inside to look over at Ritsuko. "Nin' leader, huh?" He looked her up and down then signaled for her to come inside. He slowly paced himself towards the sink and turned the water on to wash a couple of dirty dishes, "When dem' kids leave, we gon' talk bout' somethin'." Those words were followed by a weak cough then some wheezing, he raised his hand up reassuring her that he was alright.

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Maiko tied her hair up in a bun, which wasn't normal of her to do. They were so used to her half shaven head with the signature purple hair hanging off the side. But it wasn't surprising to them that there were still parts of Maiko they haven't yet seen. Even if it's as simple as this. "So, Hyosuke, you're going to introduce us to your family right?" She was still rustling around with her hair as she spoke, her equipment throw upon a bed that she would be sleeping in tonight.

Marako sat at the end of that bed, his big brown eyes shifting between the conversation the two were having. "Hey Hyosuke, what connects you to them? Like, is it your mother's sister or brother? Oh, oh, wait! Another question, do you still have more of that DELICIOUS food your mom made?" He had a wise ass smile on his face knowing how embarrassed Hyosuke was this morning when his mother came rushing by, but he was asking an honest question. Well, Hyosuke could figure out it was a honest question due to his stomach grumbling louder than usual.

"We just had lunch up at the mountain top..."

"That miniscule of food cannot contain the monster in me known as hunger!"

"And I thought I was a monster." Maiko rolled her eyes and Marako followed up the remark with a chuckle.

"Seriously though, is there any left?"
 
Ritsuko watched her students head into the room the man indicated, she turned to him, frowning as she did so. Crossing her arms, she looked the man up and down. "You're sick." She commented easily. She didn't know if the kids knew, but she could smell it coming off of the man in waves. Maybe it was an animal thing? She did spend quite a lot of time with her summoned animals, she'd learned to be able to distinguish smells something fierce. It wasn't in the way he carried himself, he was a confident man, walking with a cane but not relying on it. He had a lot of pride, it was evident. "You're dying," She adds.

She knows that this isn't what he wants to talk about. It's obvious, but it's what she wants to talk about. "Is that why you sent your daughter away? Is something happening here?"These were all questions that could be answered without her even asking, but she wanted to hera it from him. There was something going on here and she couldn't exactly place her finger on what it was. Besides, they couldn't help. They were only paid to do a D rank mission--and that's what they accomplished. If Ritsuko was really feeling like it, she could've used a transportation jutsu. She was considered one of the fastest around--she didn't get her nicknames for nothing, after all.

But Ritsuko was too noble apparently. Maybe it was her parents' teachings, she didn't know, but she wouldn't leave, even after all that shit she talked about not being able to interfere. She'd deal with the Hokage when it came down to it. But she was just being noble like... Ritsuko frowned minutely before her face became hardened and neutral. She couldn't think about that now. She had things to worry about.

--

"I think I might," Hyosuke dug through his bag, pulling out the boxes, "Unless Chiko ate it all." He shakes his head, but the lemur doesn't look guilty at all. Either he'd perfected his face or he didn't touch the food. And it turned out to be the latter when Hyosuke opened two of the boxes and found them nearly full of food. "There's a lot left, actually." He sounded mildly impressed. Sure, they hadn't eaten much, but his mother's cooking was too good to resist. Usually it'd be all gone by now--that is, if he was with his family.

"Hm?" Hyosuke rose an eyebrow, "Well they're relatives on my dad's side. My mom's side are more... noble." That was the impression his mom had given him anyway. That they were of some importance, that's why Hyosuke got her good looks but his father's build for the farm. Their children were a product of two different social classes, or so his mother claimed. He held the boxes out for them to take, "But they weren't exactly keen on the idea of me and my brother being ninja, but I don't really care." He shrugged. And he didn't. His mom told him he could do what he wanted and that's what Hyosuke was doing.

He still helped out around the house when he wasn't training, so it's not like there was much to complain about anyway. Hyosuke was a good kid.
 
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The old man rinsed his hands in the warm water, closing his eyes as it brushed against his overworked skin. His white skin was cracked, almost anemic. It was obvious this man was a hard worker both in and out, and possibly a lot more sagacious than he truly seemed. He let out a puff of frustration before finally cracking a smile, his bushy eyebrows furrowed together, "Is it really that obvious?" He asked, attempting to let out a jolly laugh. It failed horribly as he went into a coughing fit, hacking up some mucus and spitting it out into the sink. He pulled his weight over the counter and shook his head.

"I was always scared of death, but now it's coming so quickly that I accept it," The smile vanished and the V shape frown formed against his lips again. "There are bad men here, in an hour or two they'll come back for the tax. They'll call us all out in the middle of town," He pointed out towards the window in the living room, "You could see it from here. I will need you and nin' to stay hidden and watch. Watch what these men do, I'm an old man, I don't have nothing left to live for. But they've done this to others, much, much younger than I. People not much older than my daughter, people who had things to live for! If she stayed, they would've done the same to her."

He never said what these people did, but Ritsuko got the hint, these men were killing the very few villagers that lived here slowly but surely. Less people means less money made in the markets, which mean less sellers, then less buyers of crops, eventually this whole town would just be gone. Sadly for the old man, his time has come. "Just watch...and you'll see how ruthless these men are."

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Maiko leaned against a wall and glanced up at Hyosuke just as Marako snatched away one of the boxes of food and Chiko ran down his arm to snatch a rice ball. She half smiled, "You have a brother?" Seemed as if Maiko's interest was peaked because the whole time she seemed distracted. She wasn't into the conversation at all, instead she was extremely concentrated on something else. The conversation happening behind the closed door in the kitchen. "Is he a genin as well?" She asked, glancing back down to the floor to check on what was going on now.

"Hey, I don't care about your brother but," Marako swallowed down all the food he had stuffed in his cheeks, "If he can cook like this, consider him my new best friend."
 
"There isn't much I can do besides that at this point, hm?" Ritsuko replies, crossing her arms with a heady sigh. She didn't like sitting by and watching things happen, she never did and that amplified after that happened. "Do you think they're ninja, old man?" Ritsuko keeps her voice down. She can feel Maiko's want and need to know what was going on while the boys occupied themselves. Those two needed to learn to keep an ear on their own conversation as well as on their surroundings. Inwardly, she shook her head, still staring at the old man. She didn't move to help him, she could tell when someone was trying to appear stronger than they were. She overlooked it, instead choosing to stare out the window.

"What are you planning, old man?" Ritsuko then asked, "I won't have anyone dying while I'm around. Not ever." She shook her head firmly. She may have been a ninja who has seen more than her fair share of death on the battlefield, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try her damndest to save them.


--

"Yeah, an older brother, two older twin sisters and three younger siblings." Hyosuke scratched his head. These two were only children, weren't they? Hyosuke's family was large. That's generally how families who farmed were. They had quite a few kids, so they had more hands to farm with. Hyosuke was lucky his parents weren't in too much need of more hands, so that he and his brother could become ninja. "No, he's trying to become a tokubetsu jonin, but he's on leave right now, so." Hyosuke shrugged. It wasn't that big of a deal.

"We can all cook pretty well," Hyosuke shrugs, "I mean, you can't expect us to just rely on my mom all for food all the time, huh?" Hyosuke knew that Marako probably wasn't the best chef around if his favorite food was ramen. That meant he hadn't been opened to other foods. If his mother heard the boy's favorite food was ramen, she'd have a heart attack and insistently put it upon herself to make the boy a lunch everyday. That'd be embarrassing, not to mention a hassle. Hyosuke was sure the boy would be over his house all the time if his mother decided to cook for him.
 
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Takashi shuffled around to face her, his legs shaked weakly and he closed his eyes as he reached for the dirty tablecloth that was flapped over the counter. He clasped it tightly with both hands, opened his eyes to look at it for a few seconds before a furious fit of coughing erupted from his lips. He brought it up to his mouth quickly as a mixture of spit and a strange dark fluid dripped on it. He brought it back down, but this time showed it to her. Small splotches of blood blemished the old rag, he then placed it back down where it was.

"Ritsuko, is it?" He asked, clearing his throat, his shaky hands reached for his cane. "I lived here, all my life and to be fair, I lived a happy life. I want my daughter to be able to live the life I was able to live. I don't have much time, you and I both know that. So I'm telling you, when I say you must watch what happens, you must accept my last wish. Please, I beg of you ple-" There was a sudden knock on the door and the man suddenly went still. Everything froze. The tear that was slowly sliding down his eye seemed to have stop in its tracks. Even Maiko's breathing was audible, everything went silent.

Then the knocking came again, even harder this time. "Old man! We know ya in der! Ain't cha hear?! Boss Man is havin' a town meetin' today. Wouldn't wanna be late, that'll make Boss Man reeeeeeeeal angry!"

He glanced at Ritsuko, wiped the tear from his eye and signaled her to go to the other room. "Hurry up, when I leave, watch through my living room window. This'll give you justification to help us farming folk..."

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The knock seemed to stop Marako before he could continue the conversation with Hyosuke. He glanced over at Maiko whose eyes shook in a bit of shock and fear. She quickly glanced at the two boys and pulled her finger to her lips. "What's going on?" Marako was the idiot to say something after obviously receiving the gesture to stay silent.

"Shuddup! Something's happening!" Maiko said in an angry whisper as Chiko rushed up her shoulder and pressed his long furry ear against the door.
 
Ritsuko didn't move to help the old man. He had pride, and that pride wouldn't allow her to help him at all, even if she wanted to. She frowned inwardly, yeah, they were getting in too deep and Ritsuko hoped that her students wouldn't get too involved. Maybe she could handle this quitely and never again mention it to anyone. Hopefully the villagers in this town would keep it quiet. Her eyes, as well as her nose confirmed the fact that the man had indeed coughed up some blood, however she didn't feel sorry for him. She nodded once he called to her.

It was intuition that told her what he was going to ask of her. And how could she deny it? It wouldn't be nice, or pretty, but Ritsuko would have to refuse. She opened her mouth to reply, but when she heard the knock she stopped, instantly drawing out a kunai, out of habit. When she heard the other man's voice, she tensed, looking around for somewhere to conceal herself. She did as was told and entered the other room, telling the kids to be quiet with a signal.

Hyosuke felt the tension in the room and Chiko chittered almost inaudibly. "Sensei..." Hyosuke whispered. RItsuko shot him a look and he instantly stopped, looking between his two teammates. It was obvious something was happening, but they didn't know what it was. Once Ritsuko stood up fully, which wasn't much, she turned towards them. "What's going on?" Hyosuke then asked.

"Something's happening out there. The old man wants us to witness it." She answered. "If you don't want to watch it, don't come out of the room. And if you do come, make sure you conceal your presence." She said then left the room.
 
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Maiko quickly jumped away from the door when her Sensei barged in with the swiftness and stealth of a cat. The girl was thrown aback by the sudden shift in the atmosphere, an intense sense to the air, so thick she could almost choke on it. Her eyes shifted between Ritsuko and the door, the only sound present for a second was that of her own heartbeat and of the faint voice of the old man speaking to the strangers out front. Chiko crawled onto her other shoulder and wrapped his striped tail around her neck, watching the door intently his nose twitching as he sniffed at the air.

"Ritsuko Sensei-" Marako's lips was quickly met by Maiko's hand, she used her other hand to pull a finger up to her nose. Chiko shifted, adjusting to the way Maiko was hunched over trying to keep Marako quiet and he leaped onto Ritsuko's shoulder as she left the room. Maiko looked at both Hyosuke and Marako, then using two fingers she pointed out to the living room, telling them to follow.

In the deepest parts of her subconscious she was thinking, 'Time to finally see what the hell is going on around here.'

The once rambunctious Marako became a silent hollow of himself, his face was for the first time filled of perturbation. He looked over at Hyosuke and put up a cheesy smile, trying to act as if everything was alright. But from that sight Hyosuke can tell that, despite his natural talent and his background with his father, Marako may be the least experienced out of the three. His posture is off, his logic on the battlefield is putrid, and he can't stay calm during a simple operation. It was going to take a while for him to develop his skills, but when he does, he'll definitely be a reliable asset to the team. Maybe stronger than Maiko...just maybe.

Maiko abrupted his train of thought by standing up and following them out the door, now it was all up to Hyosuke. Should he stay, or go see what's going on in this town?

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He vaguely bowed, showing respect for the gangsters who didn't deserve it, before apologizing for taking so long. There was one thing not many people knew about old man Takashi, well two things. One, he was extremely good looking back in his day, and two, he was also an amazing liar. "I was using the restroom when I heard you all come a' knockin, kinda startled me there. At my older age, I can't really move fast y'know."

One of the gangsters, dressed in a plaid suit (probably bought it at a local pawn shop) smirked slightly, twirling a toothpick between his teeth he shook his head. "Fuck old man, always wasting our damn time. If we didn't need your money I would've beaten you half to death myself."

"Nice to see you too Jim," Takashi smiled softly, angering the Mobster known as Jim by not being intimidated, then walked in between the two sacks of meats who worked as "body guards".

The bigger one, with the three chins grunted in anger and grabbed the old man by the arm, forcing him to speed up. "Faster, boss man don't got all day." His deep voice much different in contrast from Jim who had more of a nasal tone.

Takashi grunted and the grunts of pain and anguish finally came to an end when he reached the circle of citizens who were giving their money up to "Boss Man", each paying their share of "rent" for the month.

"Thanks for the money Shinsuke, great making business with you. Just letting you know though, once your daughter hits eighteen, she has to pay rent too. Even if she lives in the same household. You know the rules." The fat man reminded Hyosuke's uncle, his cocky voice hidden behind his acrid breath of cigar smoke.

"Yeah, I know Mr. Arc."

"Good...Ah, look who it is, the old man."

"Out the way folks!" The big bodyguard, known as SLim Joe (ironic huh?), shoved the crowd out the way and threw the old man onto his knees against the dirty floor.

"We got him for you boss, he should have the three months worth of rent he owes us. Today's his last strike huh? Don't that mean we can kill him now?" Jim smirked his eyes like daggers attempting to penetrate into the scalp of the old man.

"That's right...got the money Takashi?" Boss man asked him, bending down on one knee, his heavy build making it hard for him to get down to the old man's level. He held the cigar by his face, "Well...do you?"

"No." He answered, then was met with quite a horrible pain that sent the crowd into a fit of gasps. Mr.Arc was burning Takashi with his cigar and the old man shrieked in pain.

"Stop this!" Sophie shouted but was slapped away by Jim, and when her father was gonna intervene Slim Joe pulled out a blade.

"Step back, before we make the body count two instead of one."

Shinsuke growled and helped his weeping daughter up, covering her eyes so she wouldn't witness the terrible event all the townsfolk were being forced to watch.

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Maiko gasped, and her markings began to glow in anger, "We have to do something...Ritsuko, we can't be this patient. We're not gonna act on this?" Her whispers were full of rage. "I never heard a man scream like this before."

Chiko closed his eyes and his ears flopped forward, he had seen enough. But sadly for him, it had only just begun.

"Guys, what's going on out there?" Marako whispered, finally catching up to them by the window sill.
 
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Hyosuke gave Marako a half smile. It was clear to see that the other boy was nervous. Hyosuke, too, was nervous, but he was defintely better at hiding it, due to his already quiet nature. The boy only watched the others leave for a moment before he sighed. He knew there was something wrong with this village. Of course, he hadn't been to it in years, but he couldn't believe it. He guessed that these outlier villages, if they didn't get big over time, theyl fell to this type of stuff. A small sigh escaped his throat as he decided to leave the room. Hyosuke followed them out, easily concealing his presence as he and the others stood by the window. Ritsuko watched silently as the men led the old man onto the line of other villagers. Years of training beat into her made her realize that she couldn't, under any circumstances, interfere. The world of the ninja was still corrupt, even after the times of the seventh hokage and his world-changing war, and there were certain things ninja were and weren't supposed to do.

With that beacon dead and gone long ago, things had mostly retuned to the way they were before. Ritsuko assumed that not before long, they'd be heading into the fifth shinobi world war. Hyosuke watched the scene with interest. The only thing he could do. He couldn't see too well nor could he hear what they were saying. And they couldn't very well go up on the roof. They'd be spotted from a mile away. He looked to his sensei, seeing if she'd had a plan but the blond remained rigid in her stance, she didn't move not an inch yet. That was scary by itself.

Hyosuke tensed upon seeing his cousin try to help. "Sensei...!" He whispered urgently, anger building inside him. He looked back at his sensei who hadn't moved an inch yet. Then Maiko spoke up. Hyosuke turned to look at her. The screams were loud enough to penetrate through the window.

"No!" Ritsuko almost barked. "We do nothing!"

"Why?! Because he didn't pay us enough?" Hyosuke nearly yelled. "Sensei... that's low."

Ritsuko turned to look at them for the first time, her green eyes blazing. "Because it's what he wanted. You stop them now and you'll make it worse on all of them. It's what he wanted." Ritsuko turned to look at the three of them. "I hate to say it, but he was going to die anyway. And he knew that. That's why he decided to do this."

Hyosuke quieted, pressing his lips into a tight line. He looked away from the window as the screams grew louder.
 
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Maiko caught the eyes of her Sensei and they were at a stalemate now. But then she remembered the conversation they had up at the mountain besides the lake that they were forced to cross through using chakra. That conversation helped her gain a new sense of respect for Ritsuko sensei, the same respect that if she did not earn would've led to the mutiny of Maiko. She would've already been out there kicking ass and taking names, but that wasn't the case anymore, to her even thinking about an impetuous thought like that was bad. Now she was here to play the role of the pupil and listen, no matter how much it angered her inside.

By the time Marako realized what happened he was already attempting to convince sensei Ritsuko to do something. "You can't just let these men do this, so what he was going to die sooner or later, how would you feel having someone close to you just get murdered?" He whispered into both the ears of his sensei and Maiko. He flinched at the sound of more ear wrenching screams, they were of that of something you can never imagine. It was worse than that of a dying animal and ten times as shivering than that of a puppy dog in pain. Who would've known such an old man, could scream in so much pain. "We have to do something!"

"Orders are orders...if you can't handle it hide away in the other room and we'll get you when they're gone."

"You guys obviously never lost someone you love through murder..." He stood up and walked away, mumbling something incoherently under his breath before stepping away into the other room. Chiko followed not wanting to see anymore.

"He's too childish, you'll stay right Hyosuke?" Maiko glanced over, she half smiled but noticed the look on his face. He sided with Marako, she could tell. But instead of even acknowledging it she just turned her attention back outside the window where the situation was getting worse. Without no elucidation at all, the fat man that seemed to be the leader, started to beat and pound on the man. It seemed like he was having fun too.

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"Look around folks!" He shouted holding his hand out for a cigar that Joe gave him then Jim lit,"This is what happens if you don't pay me! Three strikes, and you're Mutha' FUCKING out!" He stomped on the old man's hand, the sound of snapping rung through the crowd. He laughed as the old man cried and screamed underneath him, writhing in pain.

He lifted his foot off of the decrepit and now broken old man, after a couple grunts he helped him up by force and whispered, "Now...do you have any last words you wanna say?"

The old man paused for a second and took in a breath of air. He looked over at him and with the little bit of energy he had left spit in his face. "Get the hell out of my town."

In a fit of rage Mr.Arc pulled a blade from his pocket and started jabbing at the old man's midsection. Until all the squirming and turning came to a halt and he lay dead in Arc's heavy arms. His suit was stained in blood and he dropped the body to the ground, sheathing his knife back into his coat pocket. He fixed up his suit and took a few breaths, gathering himself before whispering, "Next time, I don't expect anybody to not pay after witnessing this. Now, someone pick up the trash and bury him somewhere I can't see him." He flung his hands around before calmly walking away with his henchmen.

The crowd stood there, stunned. No one moved, some cried, others kept their fist clenched. But the sounds of grocery bags hitting the floor and a screaming girl broke the silence. "Dad?!" She cried and started running towards the circle.

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"Sensei..." Maiko whispered, the glowing markings faded back to normal but her eyes quaked as if she would cry.
 
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"I know exactly what it's like to lose someone you love, Marako." Ritsuko said without turning around. "You live to be my age as a shinobi and you'll see more than your fair share of death--especially the deaths of those close to you. So don't you dare say something like that. That's the reason he's doing this." Hyosuke turned to look at Marako's retreating form before he frowned. "One death over many? That's the question being thrown around here and this man made the decision for those who could not. His life for all the lives in the village."

He did see where Marako was coming from and it was wrong but... they couldn't exactly go against orders. Especially not knowing how strong these guys were. They could probably mow down the children without much of a thought. Even Maiko, who had some demon within her. If she couldn't properly control her powers, she'd wipe out with the rest of them. Hyosuke looked back to Maiko who'd turned to look at the window once again. He'd need to see things like this. It would always be like this. After all, he did want to be a medic ninja. He needed to get used to these sights and the fact that he wouldn't be able to save everyone.

It pained Ritsuko to stand by and watch like this. It always did. From when she was young--with her team and her sensei--to that time and all the times after that up until now. Ritsuko dug her fingernails into her palm, deep enough to draw blood. The pain was enough to remind her to say put. She couldn't disrespect his wishes. She'd never disrespected anyone's wishes. Ritsuko frowned as she heard the screaming of the young girl. She thought he'd sent her far away. "Shit..." Ritsuko said. She looked from Maiko to Hyosuke. "If something happens..." She already knew what she had to do. There was no question. When an unknown ariable came into the equation, ninja had to keep calm. And Ritsuko remembered the man's words. The underlying meaning told her 'protect this girl' if she were to come back to the village anytime soon.

And that's exactly what she would do. Ritsuko looked around for a moment, pulling off her vest ridding herself of anything that could be considered a weapon. She was still in her jonin greens, but that would change in a matter of minutes if something were to happen. "If something happens," She starts again, "I want you all to stay here. I'll handle it."

"Sensei..." Hyosuke began, "I thought we weren't supposed to get involved."

"If she hadn't returned, things would've went the way they should." Ritsuko ran a hang through her hair. "Shit..."
 
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"We should go with you Sensei," Maiko stood from her crouched position smashing her fist into her open palm,"I understand you're strong enough to handle yourself, but you're still outnumbered. Let's even out the odds." Her smirk was overflowing with confidence and eagerness to beat one of the men to dust after the terrible crime she witnessed. She never did know what vengeance tasted like, but she certainly wanted to find out. The sun shined brightly against her radiating caramel skin, her purple eyes (now still, as she calmed herself) contrasted that of the color of her skin yet simply added to her beauty. If it weren't for her boyish attitude, the demon within her, and her tough guy demeanor, she would be considered girlfriend material in the eyes of all the teenagers back at Konohagakure.
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"Y-You bastard!" Ayako reached down and grabbed a rock off of the ground. She yanked her arm back and launched it towards Mr.Arc and if he was a inch more to the right it would've made contact with the back of his skull. He froze after the rock had been thrown and turned around to look at the girl.

"This...bitch," He snarled, and in one swift motion turned around, marching towards the girl. Mr. Arc was a short man, but even so was a few inches taller than Ayako. His goons followed behind him, giggling at the fear the girl showed afterwards. The crowd of people started shouting to leave her alone but everyone was too afraid to interfere.

As Mr.Arc got ever so closer he lifted his hand, "You-Fucking-Bitch," He swung,"Huh?"

(
)

A short boy stood before him, he had a mask, spiky white hair, and some weird lemur sat on his shoulder. He was grabbing Mr.Arc's heavy hand, stopping him from slapping Ayako.

"I-It's a ninja...from Konoha!" Shouted someone from within the crowd and suddenly everyone broke into an uproar of cheers.

That's when they realized-

"Wait..." Maiko froze and looked outside the window, her markings glowed and her cheeks flushed out of pitiful anger, "Is that..."

"MARAKO?!" Hyosuke and Maiko shouted concurrently and ironically at the same time Marako lifted his mask to reveal his identity, he glanced at the man with angry eyes.

"No more." He whispered and drove a fist into Mr.Arc's boulder sized stomach, forcing him a few steps back where his goons stopped him from falling flat on his ass. Chiko stood on two feet and lifted his two arms in the air, as if they were already the victors. To the normal eyes of the people it was a cute sign of victory, but the trained eyes of his master it was obvious the lemur was still too young to know when a battle was won. The two were able to climb out of the window to stop this from happening, going strictly against orders.

"They can take him off the team for this, that fucking idiot!" Marako shouted forming fists with her hands.
 
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"You're not going anywhere." Ritsuko snapped her head towards the two. There was no way they were going outside. "You're barely even genin, I can't send you out there." These kids were too foolhardy, too ready to put themselves out there with hardly enough training to fight off a nest of wasps. Ritsuko sent a harsh look at the two, turning back to look at the window for a moment. Hyosuke grunted at his sensei's words. He could understand where their sensei was coming from, but he also understood where Maiko was coming. After all, some of these people were apart of his family, he couldn't just sit idly by and let something like this happen.

"Sensei..." Hyosuke spoke up, just as they heard the commotion outside. Ayako had started something. Hyosuke could understand where Ayako was coming from, after all, her father had just been murdered, but surely she knew better? "Sensei!" Hyosuke yelped, "We have to do something!"

"Tch, dammit!" Ritsuko frowned, moving away from the window and towards the door when she felt something off. "Where's...?" She pulled open the door, gazing upon the scene that unfolded before her. Hyosuke's eyes widened at Marako, who was out in the middle of the crowd. Something was going down. "Marako, you idiot!" Ritsuko paused for a moment. There was something off about this whole situation.

--

The man yanked his hand from Marako's grip, stumbling back in surprise by the boy's sudden appearance. "Konoha ninja are here?" He grumbled incredulously. How could this even happen? He was sure that he made everyone... wait. That old man! Mr. Arc backed up, snapping his fingers and pointing at the boy. "You may have stopped me now, but I can tell, you're nothing but a genin." Sensing something was about to happen, Chiko jumped down, running away from Marako just as one of the goons surged forward, disappearing in a momentary flash and appearing behind Marako, easily knocking the boy out.


Ritsuko stood, almost involuntarily frozen on the spot as she watched them knockout Marako and heft him over their shoulder. Hyosuke moved towards the door, "Sensei, do something!" He yelped, nearly tripping over his own feet and slamming into Ritsuko, only to be frozen on the spot. Hyosuke could only look on as his teammate was taken in the middle of the town square.

"You're lucky, girl." Mr. Arc said, smirking at Ayako, "This ninja-boy has kindly decided to take your place." He gestures wildly to the entire town, "Let it be known to any other Konoha ninja or villagers who try to oppose us again, will end up just like this boy here!" With another snap of his fingers, they disappear in a whirlwind of smoke.

"Dammit!" Ritsuko runs out into the main square, seemingly unfrozen with Hyosuke and Maiko right behind her. "They're gone!"

"Sensei, what happened to us?" Hyosuke asked. "One minute we're walking and the next we're frozen!"

"Someone used a jutsu on us." Ritsuko replied, a narrowed gaze scanning the area. "It caught me by surprise so I wasn't able to counter it. Whoever we're dealing with knows their stuff." Ritsuko looked over at Ayako, who'd collapsed near her father's body. "Ayako." Ritsuko approached the girl. "There's nothing you can do for him." She crouched near the girl, putting an arm around the weeping woman. "Maiko, Hyosuke, come get Takashi-san, we'll give him a proper burial before we begin looking for Hyosuke."
 
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The small agricultural village of Takakumo, the same village where this mission was being held, was never recognized in the eyes of the world. They provide Konoha with an abundance of food, mostly wheat and corn, the village's specialty in crop making. Before the arrival of Mr.Arc and his take over of the Towns leader's den, this was a simple little village. Everyone was close with one another, each worked side by side. After Arc, the villagers attempted to stay strong and united, but it's hard not knowing who to trust anymore. One second Arc comes into town, dressed as a Merchant who wants to speak to the town leader with a chance of increasing the profit in the area. Next second, he walks out of the Leader's den, has Mr.Baiko in handcuffs and declares himself leader of the village. That was two years ago, two whole years that the leaf village did not notice a thing. There was no change in the food being brought in since the Leaf village owns a lot of little farm towns, but it doesn't justify the fact that non of the towns are being defended by at least a few ninjas from Konoha.

But there was something special about this location within itself, the great Mount Yama. This mountain, even though it wasn't properly named by the Hokage, is one of the strangest mountains in geographical history. The inhabitants of the village go up there for fresh water, and during the winter months, they also use it for the hunting of animals. Yes, that is right. This mountain is warm during all times of the year, and animals (mostly elk) will go up there to stay warm during the cold and harsh winter days. This provides the village with an increase in food (fish and crops since it is warm and provides them with a good source of water). But who would've known, that on this day, something evil would be lurking in the shadows. Watching over the events that are unfolding within Takakumo.

"Watch, Koriyama. Why must you look away?" Questioned the mysterious cloaked figure sitting on the edge of the mountain. His feet dangled like that of a smile child enjoying a beautiful day, but his face with solemn and grim. The eyes of a trained ninja, one of the many techniques he showed the boy. What would look like ants to a normal human eye, was the sight of an old man getting beaten to death by Arc. "Watch Koriyama, death is a frequent thing in life. Something you must come to accept, if you want to be strong in both mind and body. One cannot be strong in the body, if they're weak in the mind." The soft breeze of the wind and chill feel in the air up on the mount Yama was ironic with what was going on down bellow. The breeze then slightly picked up, blowing the hood off of his head. The tattoo inked under his eye became apparent again, Koriyama has already memorized the words marked under the flesh of his eyes. "Awaken the beast, for I am his shadow."
 
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