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As he rushed towards the location where the consciousnesses of his team mates were, Notwen felt a disturbance in the area. It appeared that one of them had awoken the bears, which meant that they were in danger.
Crap... thought the dark-skinned blonde. He would have been able to move faster, but his fight with the big black bear had left him exhausted. Hopefully they don't get badly injured. After a few minutes of traveling, Notwen found the others not far from what appeared to be a den of bears. Pausing on the branch above them, the three-eyed Uchiha assessed the injuries they had taken. They weren't severe, but if being struck by the bears did that much, they couldn't afford to fail at sneaking past them more than two more times. "You guys should have waited for me before trying to sneak by the bears. Let's wait here. I need to catch my breath from dealing with that brute of a bear before attempting to sneak by. You guys should also tend to whatever injuries you've taken." After a pause Notwen resumed speaking. "I will go first next time. I have more of a chance at sneaking by the bears so i can help you guys through if the need arises. What happened to cause the bears to notice your presence anyway?"

Once in a safe distance, Takeshi could breath a minor sigh of relief knowing that they weren't in direct danger at the moment. It wasn't long until he noticed Notwen had re-joined them. It seemed that Notwen wasn't all that happy about what had happened, which he couldn't blame him for. They'd went further then what they were instructed to. But then again, they weren't told to wait for him. Ether way there was no need to argue about minor details at this moment. What was truly on his mind right now was the blood he could feel trickling down his back. He rolled his shoulders trying to get a feel for exactly how bad the cuts or gashes on his back were. He listened to Notwen speak about how they should have waited, and how after he catches his breath that he wants to attempt this again but with him going inside first this time. Then the question of how the bears noticed them happened. It was then that he heard Cruxis softly mutter that he was sorry. It was this point in which he looked over to Notwen and said "What happened was that Cruxis was attempting to some what fly over the bears.... But they ended up noticing the movement and woke up..." It was then that he moved over to Cruxis and moved both of them a few steps from where they were originally. "As of right now, there's nothing to be sorry about alright? What happened was a simple mis-calculation in which I had to react to. Nothing more, but what I want you to know is that if you're pride trying to show that you're more then dead-weight is apart of you jumping ahead of everyone yet again... that's even worse then what happened, it can get people hurt worse then me, or maybe even killed. I'm not trying to frighten you, but I just want you to know that there's no reason to show off alright?". It was then that he felt the wound again. He wasn't sure how bad it was. He then moved back towards Notwen and sighed. "Unfortunately I don't know any medical skills... Can you tell me how bad it is?" It was then that he turned his back to Notwen so he could assess his wounds.

Upon weaving the final seal Notwen planted his palm on the ground, pouring as much chakra as he could into the technique.
"Griinza Redentoora!!" he bellowed. Instantly the trio was surrounded by a ring of emerald flames which solidified and expanded and solidified, sweeping away the charging bears and knocking down some of the surrounding trees. Without waiting for any more bears to get any wise ideas, the Chuunin rushed over to the two gennin and placed one hand on each of them. Yoga Teleport! he thought, and immediately they warped to the mountain pass they had come from. "Change of plans. The bears are too alert to try and sneak past them. For now we will return to the village and tend to Takeshi's wounds. Let's go." With that, Notwen began to walk back up the mountain pass toward the village.

Notwen again found himself outside of the village, the evening air cool against his skin. Now that the sun had set behind the mountains, the large formations took on a more menacing and jagged appearance. The dark-skinned blonde seldom left the village at night, due to there being poor lighting on the roads and the possibility of falling into a ravine or gully. In situations like these there was always one method of travel that Notwen used; his longtime companion, Kaala. Using the regular method to summon the sparrow, the dark-skinned blonde drew a rune on the ground and weaved the unique set of four seals necessary to activate it. A blue glow began to emanate from the rune on the ground, and after he placed his right hand on it a pillar of golden flames whirled up from the blue mark. Seconds later, Kaala appeared from appeared from the fire. The light glinted off of the bird's polished ebonite armor, creating an apparition of crimson-gold feathered majesty.
"I have arrived. What's the matter, Notwen?" spoke the Sparrow through their mental bond, his thoughts warm, yet fierce.
"I need to head towards Gryu'jiong to get some supplies for myself. I haven't been keeping my items up to date so i thought it would be a good idea to head over to the market." Kaala nodded.
"It has been some time since i visited. Come, climb onto my ack so we van get going before it gets too late.

As Cruxis walked to up the path to his grandmother’s village, he looked up into the trees. The trees were so dense this part of the way that if you didn’t know where you were going, it was easy to get lost. He thought about all kinds of things he would tell his grandmother about his travels and how he’d survived on his own, travelling as a bard while he was looking for someone to help him. He was actually quite proud of that and smiled at the treetops. “Well, seems I’ll be meeting family after all!” he exclaimed to the trees before looking straight ahead. He would be able to see the village soon and he wanted to see his grandmother’s home as he came up the hill. He was so excited, and could not help but wondering what his grandmother looked like, and if she would know him for who he was. Cruxis frowned at that thought, a single tear crept out of his eye and he quickly wiped it away. Despite the fact that he was following the main path, he began trekking up a densely forested hill. ‘Almost there…’ he thought as he pushed past the trees. Why did the road look like this anyway? Did no one come to cut the branches? He took out his tachi blade and started hacking away at a few limbs and vines in the way. He was sure he’d taken the right path. Did something happen to the village recently? That question lingered in his head. ‘If something happened to the village… Oh no! Grandmother…’ He thought as he hacked away, almost recklessly, at the branches and vines. If something had happened, that would explain why the path was like this, lost in vines and tree branches. An active village would never let the path look like this. His good mood that he’d maintained on the journey here was short lived, for when he got to the top and saw the village destroyed.
“No…” Cruxis said as he stood at the top of the hill and saw the homes in ashes. He couldn’t move for the longest time. Although it was only a few seconds, it seemed like hours. What could have done this? Who would have shown an enemy to the village? What was their purpose of burning it to the ground? He didn’t the answers to these questions and he flew down to seek out survivors. He ran past the burnt down buildings and the bodies of slain men and women, knowing he could not help those beyond the grave. Was it his fault they were killed? He didn’t seem to make it to thehouse fast enough as he ran. Why did his grandmother have to live on the other side? He wasn’t paying attention to where he was stepping and heard a loud “oof” from under him. He quickly stopped and looked down to see a man that really didn’t like him, but he stopped to help him anyway.
“… What happened… who did this?” Cruxis asked as he carefully helped the weakened man up to his feet.
“Don’t touch me you insolent monster! Your kind are no better than the other ninja that was here! Leave the village to die in peace!” Cruxis was quite shocked that this man would say such a thing as he left spit in his face and said such a thing as a choice of last words before he slumped over and died. “Dear Lord…” He spoke the silent prayer, looking down at the now-corpse as he stood up. He didn’t know what to do now. He had come on the thought of he would be welcomed by a loving grandmother, fresh baked treats, things that were always in stories of grandmothers and family, but was he really? He shook his head and continues to look for his missing family; now focused solely on the goal. If there were survivors, he didn’t pay attention. He just wanted to find his grandmother. That’s what was important to him. If the other remaining people didn’t want him there, he would leave as soon as he rescued the one he was looking for. ‘Grandmother… where are you?’ he thought as he continued to scour the village for an sign of them. ‘If they’re not in the village… they might be at the shine!’ he though as he headed towards the shrine area, a safehouse of sorts for healing. He decided that if he ran along the remaining rooftops, he wouldn’t disturb the bodies on the ground. A flash of history as he glanced out over the waste, and for a brief moment the only thing he could see were the laughing, loving and caring faces of the people whom had lived within the village surrounding him, before the vision faded and he could see the once joyous faces now dead and lying in the road.
“Hell, why did that have to happen now… of all the times for this sort of thing to happen?” he asked to himself as he made himself not look at the bodies so he could focus on his goal, but what if he was too late? What if she was dead? Could he have saved her had he been able to intervene on the attack? “Damn it..” he said. He didn’t want to think of all these things. He just wanted to find his grandmother, or a sign that she was alive and well and hiding out in the forest somewhere waiting for aid. He reluctantly activated his Ryuugan eye as the shrine came into view, not wanting to come across an ambush despite the risk of past visions entering his sight again. He couldn’t help but smile as he saw it still intact, untouched by the force that had destroyed the village down the hill below. He burst through the door, panting as he looked around. “Grandmother?! Yukiko?! Are you here? Grandmother? Yukiko!” He looked around the large room, but there were no signs of life in the room. He decided to look in the other room. He just had to find them. If not his grandmother, at least someone who could have survived. He smiled when he saw the door to the other room there, but horror filled him up when he saw the pool of blood seeping from under the door. “No…” was all he could say as he slowly made his way to the door. He reached to it, his hand shaking from fear that he was too late and his family was here. “G-G-Grandmother?” he called out, but no answer. He finally just opened the door.
“No… grandmother!” he cried as he ran to the other side of her and flipped her over. Tears rolled down his face as he turned her on her back. “Grandmother… why… why did this happen to you?!” He didn’t notice that he was kneeling in a pool of blood. As he sat there crying, he remembered the happiness he’d felt at seeing her photo and the chance to meet her.
As he held her, the vision of the past launched into his memory through the active Ryuugan; “Excuse me… I’m looking for a Cruxis Ichtaca.” He heard. He looked up and saw through the sepia of the past an elderly woman with teal colored hair in a tight bun talking to a woman at the registry. The woman smiled at his grandmother and asked if she were a relative. “Yes. I’m Yukiko Kokoro, his grandmother on his mother’s side. I would like to see my grandson please.” The woman blinked and then smiled as she directed her to a list of archives, instructing her on getting in contact with the office in order to notify Cruxis.
As Cruxis came back to reality, he was sobbing like a child. Knowing what could have been hurt, viewing the path empathically hurt worse, knowing what they were feeling; so much hope now trampled in blood. He thought he was past that point. During his training, his instructors had told him that it was pointless to be cry over the fallen. They were gone, you were still alive and that’s how it had always been. It was just so hard to say goodbye to someone you cared so much about. He could feel the heartbeat failing as the woman slowly opened her eyes recognizing the boy. “I’m happy… to have seen you… at least one time…” she said as she clung to his shirt.
“Don’t say that!” Cruxis said as he held her close. “You’re going to be fine! I’ll take care of you! Your grandson will take care of you…” Cruxis looked down at the woman. Even though his eyes were full of tears, she just smiled before she started coughing. He had to get her out of that place. He didn’t want her to die in a pool of her own blood… But he knew there was nothing more he could do; with that last seizure of coughing, her heart at stopped completely. He had lost everyone now. He had no one to fall back on. He walked towards the lake and gave her body to it, allowing the current to take her away as the full moon rose into the sky. Cruxis turned away made three handseals before touching the ground, demanding the past to show him the murderer… But the past was silent, a shroud lay over it.
“Difficult, isn’t it?” a voice spoke from behind him as a man rose from the ground, who Cruxis recognized as his worst pickpocketing mistake… Beilborg, the lord of fallen warriors; who utilized a powerful necromantic style of ninjutsu in order to attack his opponents; “Barbaric is what it is, leaving corpses strewn about, odds and ends everywhere… Truly a mess of things, and normally destroyed villages such as these are a necromancer’s playground.”
“You… You’re not turning any of these into blight walkers, or corpse walls, or… zombies… or, or… Anything!” Cruxis’s eyes flared as he launched a warning shot towards the necromancer, a single kunai which the necromancer substituted out of using a corpse clone, before placing his arms in hands up position before he spoke again.
“Now now relax boy. I’m not playing with blight anymore, it might empower the dead for a brief time but it really only makes things more complicated, for one the blight loves to eat dead flesh and I can’t restock my losses fast enough. Secondly, I nearly lost my arm to the blight, and if not for your friend’s white fire and a little necromantic knowledge, the plague would have spread throughout Hidden Cloud. I advise you thank me for that help and accept that I’ve been pardoned.” Beilborg was far too collected for Cruxis to lower his own guard, but the gennin calmed to a degree and at least put away his remaining kunai, and allowed the necromancer to continue. “That noted, you seem to be doing well. I’m interested to see just what you’ll become truly. Now then, whoever did this stole several scrolls full of valuable research I’d intended to study in this village. And by those puffy eyes, tear marks, and your red-as-rage face, I imagine someone who cared about was killed. I would like to propose a truce of sorts.”
Cruxis eyed the Necromancer warily, before speaking, “What would you possibly gain from a truce?”
“Because two are stronger than one, and that is precisely what I need. You see most of my power came from playing with blight, and as my blight was cured, I’ve lost a great deal of strength from the purification… I would almost hazard a guess that you’re an even match for me, if you would put aside that temper long enough to realize it. Secondly, I can manipulate the dead, so long as the corpse is intact and has not been tampered with by another necromancer. I can learn what whoever did this looked like, where he went upon the completion of his massacre, and I daresay my flying zombies will be most helpful at tracking him down.”, the corpse raven at his shoulder let out a soundless cry, as if to emphasize the point. Sure his power might have been reduced, but Cruxis had little leeway to give sighs of relief. Even reduced in power, he was still older, more skilled at tactics, and given Cruxis’s necrophobia and previous encounter with the man still lingering in the back of his mind, Cruxis had the feeling that despite his assertion that they were equals in power, Beilborg could easily win the battle with intimidation alone.
“Alright… It’s agreed then. I don’t like the idea of working with you, but between your ability to gather information from the dead, and my ability to notice fine details, I think we can track down this murderer and bring him to justice…” Cruxis cautiously extended his hand out to Beilborg to seal the deal, the Necromancer only nodded briefly before leading the way back into the village, unsheathing a small ritual knife from the inside of his cloak and moving towards the nearest dead body, kneeling before it and taking the knife to his finger before slicing a slit in the man's temple, allowing a single drop of his own blood to fall onto the wound and striking a handseal to form a curse mark on the forehead, the man's eyes fluttering open before sinking beneath the ground
Cruxis was left blinking, unsure of just how to react to the scene before him, but Beilborg noticed and did not even give Cruxis the chance to speak; stating in a very matter-of-fact tone; “Oh don't look so shocked boy. You knew very well that I manipulated the dead, what did you think the harvesting process looked like; hugging kittens?”, before repeating the process on another body, “My technique relies on corpses. Quite honestly my supply has been short lately, due to a combination of combat, the blight, and most of my supply being confiscated by your laws as price for my pardon. Unless I restock my supplies, I'm next to useless in combat. Whoever destroyed this village wanted the village scrolls; and obviously had the means to destroy it to get what he wanted. Judging by the damage, any attempt to face him, or her, at less than full strength would be foolish. If you truly want to help, go scout for a trail. This is going to take some time, go make yourself useful and try to learn something.”


{ Mission Step 1 : 136 / 200 }

“It's simple really. I know three things that you did not when you picked out your locations. Firstly, the southeast cave is where I took up residence before coming to this village. It took me three hours to travel from there to this village. Anyone attempting to hide out would have had to be hidden right under my nose in order to have done so. And I'm not that diminished that I wouldn't notice someone hiding right under my nose.”
“And the second location?.” Cruxis noted, agreeing that the first point made sense.
“The rogue was seen heading south. Therefore, the only option is the southeast cave you located. I highly doubt that he would head south, then loop around for an addition fifteen miles in order to swing Northwest. He seems like the type to go in, butcher everyone, and get out; not the type to strategize escape plans.”
“At the very least we've narrowed down his location. If we move out fast enough, we can still catch him before sunset!” Cruxis picked up his gear, and led the way, using his magic map technique in order to track their movements. If they kept a good pace and arrived before sundown, they might be able to use the twilight to their advantage, as Cruxis at least could see well enough during the waning light with his Ryuugan; perhaps enough of a benefit to take the raider by surprise!

{ Mission Step 1 : 200 / 200 }
{ Mission Step 2 : 2 / 75 }

Cruxis was mostly recovered thanks to his white fire, and so he began to lead the way up the mountain path. The ground began to become more of a rocky surface as he began to elevate his climbing. Rocks began to take on the normal form of an almost volcanic material, and some were quite hot still. Muttering a curse, he brushed it off, making the way up the last hundred yards to the top; nearly slipping before Beilborg used a technique to draw them both into the side of the cliff and up the other side.
The last fifty yards up the mountain path weren't too strenuous upon his body, though the heat was increasing as he made his way to the top. Steam vents blocked his way in several directions he attempted, though eventually he found a empty area safe enough to pass through. Grunting, his hand clasped the outer rim of what would be the top of the mountain, pulling himself the last foot, raising his head to see what lay beyond. As he raised his head, a massive swinging bar trap slung towards him and cracked him across the head; knocking him down the mountain, slipping unconscious.

**** DREAM SEQUENCE ****
'Ahoy!!! Wake up Spartan!!!' the gruff voice called to him, reminding him of three weeks at sea; braving several northern storms and a powerful series of rip tides, the ship had finally gotten out of the waters of Hidden Snow; As The Spartan arrived at the docks, he quickly made his way towards the harbor's smith; checking to see if his Spartan Armor was fully repaired; most of it having been severely damaged in a prior battle with a member of the Kaguya Clan, whom had impaled it, and his stomach, with a bone... Prior to its repair; a massive hole with scorched edges lined where his stomach was; a very unsettling thought for The Spartan, since it practically gave his opponent a bulls eye mark. However, the armor had been repaired beautifully, and The Spartan swapped out his silver armor styled with marks of the lotus flower to again don his spartan armor only for a moment, before returning it along with his lotus armor in order to have the two forged together to make the Infinity Armor... Waiting three days on the outskirts of the village, The Spartan paced and paced, his lotus armor slowly being fused into the spartan armor to strengthen the metal tenfold; and to offer a powerful defense for him in battle. Finally, on the dawn of the third day, The Spartan walked into the shop to see the armor completed, gold trim and demonic symbols shining on it... Oftentimes, the Spartans were known as Demons in battle, and thus The Spartan had requested an armor that would represent that myth as he rode into battle... The result was beautiful, and having only costed him the remaining metal that was left over from the old armors. Donning his new armor and replacing his headband from the symbol of Hidden Cloud to that of a Spartan Warrior; The Spartan was not fully ready to mark himself as a member of the clan, and as far as he knew, the last Spartan still alive... He intended to make sure his people were not forgotten in the depths of the past... He would make a name for his clan, and for his village... This armor, known as Infinite Armor, was a special craft which could absorb Chakra, pooling it from anything that acted as a store for Chakra particles and absorbing them into the user's body. Also known for being nearly invincible, the armor was a valuable piece for any shinobi to have; and as the last of his Clan, and only survivor of the village; it placed The Spartan in the position, though not on paper, of strongest in his village, technically a kage in its own form. Though the village was near forgotten, claiming himself as the strongest in his village was still the truth, though in a twist of irony this could also be reversed by a clever man to call him the weakest in his village as well. Still, when the circumstances arose, he was not afraid to refer to himself as such, and used the title in this circumstance, the forger was more than happy to give The Spartan priority; also having seen the extent of damage to his original armor; the chest plate having had a massive scorch hole by where his stomach would be... It was easily seen that The Spartan needed better armor, and it put a high prestige on accepting the job; though The Spartan himself knew there was little he could offer to the man anyway; he did make a promise to assist in removing bandits from the outskirts of town in return for recieving the armor when complete; needing only to pay the blacksmith with the metal that remained from reforging his armor. Now that his armor had been received, fitted, and his satisfaction given; Mugen Kougai allowed the spartan warrior to be on his way; a slight annoyance at having required approval... but still; it was understood, as the people of Hidden Craftsman Village were very prideful in their work.
Recalling that, it was also understood in that his armor had taken three days to complete; as the a armor was truly forged to perfection; lighter than his original, yet after several tests it was easily proved to be stronger. 'This armor will work well for me... I can already feel the difference between this and my old one; and the additional jointings won't limit my movements as much, meaning I'll probably be able to swap between a spear and swords if I want to without having to remove armor segments... That will be valuable since I wont have to sacrifice defense in order to use different weapons... Mugen Kougai, you did well, very well... I'm more pleased with this armor than I can express in words... so let me repay my thanks by handling your bandit problem...' The Spartan held his spear at his side; holding it about halfway down the shaft as he approached the cave where the bandits had made their base... Keeping a firm grip on his spear; The Spartan made took a look around the surrounding area, determining no back entranceways that he could see, meaning there was only one entrance, or exit... It meant they could focus their power on one place to defend; but also meant should that defense fall they would have no escape... 'They must be pretty confident in their abilities if they're pulling this gambit... best not to underestimate them...' the Spartan thought to himself as he crouched down behind a rocky outcropping, determining a plan of action...

The Spartan's calculations were quick and unhesitating; he was patient enough to wait it out, not wanting to make a move too soon else he could spring a trap; the most obvious question being that of why there was only one entrance to the cavern... 'Odds are these are just ordinary rabble, based on their appearance and numbers, so I've no clue why they would hole themselves like this; but I'm pretty sure that it's not just for show... This cave was probably here long before they were; so it's probably safe to say that there's more to this group than meets the eye... It's not that they're hoarding something in there; they're searching for something that already exists...' the Spartan thought to himself slowly pooling in chakra particles from the air around himself and using the pattern in which they arrived to him to use sort of a reverse sonar wave system; taking in details of the surrounding area... Unfortunately the mountain itself was a massive maze of tunnels, their intricacy was far too much for the armor's limited chakra drain abilities to successfully operate at a functional level for such an intricate detail as to the tunnels... 'Since this armor can pool chakra in my surroundings, I should probably use it to pull a string of chakra, almost like a rope, behind me... It will prevent me from getting lost inside that series of tunnels, and lead me quickly to a way out should the need arise, although I hope it won't...' Quickly using his Henge no Jutsu, a technique which allows its user to transform themselves into any person or object, The Spartan transformed himself into a Bat, taking wing to fly into the Cavern. It would be easier to avoid confrontation as much as possible until he'd discovered what these bandits had planned. Another value to this form was that it relied on the abilities of Sonar to see; and thus any potential sight based genjutsu hidden in the cave, which would require his eyesight in order to work properly, could be avoided. By not seeing a Genjutsu; he could not fear what did not exist; and would be able to see any walls hidden by illusion. Thus, he left the trail of chakra in a thin string formation behind him; creating a guideline to get back outside when need be...

{ Mission Step 1 : 200 / 200 }
{ Mission Step 2 : 75 / 75 }
{ Mission Step 2, try 2 for Cruxis : 75 / 75 }
{ Mission Step 2, try 3 for Cruxis : 7 / 75 }