Need to roll below a 25 to find bamboo leaves. If not rolling a D4 if odds he goes the wrong way. If even he goes the correct direction
Driven on by the uneasy feeling in the clearing Shinken was able to eventually spot a path of broken bamboo. The young Uchiha smiled to himself. This was the stroke of good fortune he was looking for. Now he could leave behind this mangled barren corpse, and continue his investigation of the area.
Shinken quickly pushed through the bamboo being careful not to stray from the path. Now he was concerned more with speed and stealth as he felt himself closing in on what ever had killed the giant lizard. With the uneasy suspicion that the animal had been killed through unnatural means, Shinken had a pretty good idea that this traveller had been following was no ordinary traveller.
As Shinken pushed his way through the bamboo he could hear it snapping under his weight. They leaves were coarse and cause irritation on his skin as he pushed through the bush. The young ninja had to stop himself from over eagerly charging down the path. If he wasn't careful he might veer off the trail or lose it entirely. After all of this hard work and all of this effort that was the last thing Shinken wanted to do. As he continued in this direction the rain began to drop through the canopy overhead again.
"So much for small favours." Shinken thought wishing he had an umbrella or something to shelter him from the pounding rains. If he was being honest with himself Shinken kind of missed the desert. Not only had been his home his entire life, but he had become accustomed to as whether. This cold damp feeling was very uncomfortable. It was something that he would love to get out of as soon as possible
Unfortunately that was not the case as the path let him out into the open again and onto the road. He had no idea which direction the traveller had taken. Shinken was forced to stop for a moment and go back towards the bamboo. He began searching for footprints, or anything that would give him an idea of the direction of travel. Any small hint could mean a world of difference. He activated his sharingan and began to scan the area for any little details he may have missed. What he saw as the movement of all of the leaves in the slight breeze that picked up. Shinken cursed loudly and scuffed his foot into the dirt.
"Goddamnit the trails gone cold. What am I supposed to do now? If only I could get a better view. There has to be some kind of clue here I just need to find it. There's no way anyone passes completely without a trace." Shinken said to himself trying to keep calm. He knew that in the worst-case scenario would simply have to pick a direction hope he was correct. That was something of the young ninja definitely didn't want to do because it could throw him completely off the trail.
Again he went over the end of the small trail in the bamboo forest, but found nothing. His level of frustration slowly began to grow. If only he had some kind of tracking ninja with him he might be able to find his way. He had to hold back a laugh at the thought that Hanako Hyuuga, would've been of great help in this situation. She probably had more of the reasons want Shinken and Michio dead than anyone in the village. Shinken had badly injured her leaving her burnt and scarred for the rest of her life. And Shinken had done it all to protect Michio. Had that been his intention the entire time? The cause Shinken to damage the forces of the hidden sand? Even though he now held no loyalty to his old village Shinken still felt incredible anger and being manipulated like that. It took everything he had to remain calm clearheaded.
"I just have to keep looking. I will find something to lead me to this traveller whoever he might be. It's just going to take some time and patience." Shinken thought to himself as he re-examined the road.
Quote:
+690 words 2739/8000 words to hidden village 12,160 non team words 1883 team words
Shinken spent a good 15 minutes looking over the road but he couldn't find anything. Not a single trace of someone passing through. He knew now that whoever he was following was a ninja. If they weren't leaving footprints they were likely using the water walking Jutsu to walk on top of the rain. That would make tracking extremely difficult, and looking for any other traces would be a waste of time. Shinken didn't like the fact that he was just gonna have to pick a direction and go. It would leave him completely and utterly at the mercy of fate.
Though he did realize that the water walking Jutsu would serve him in this country just as well it as it was serving where he was following. Not leaving tracks would help him in the long run. If sand didn't already have a bounty out on him they soon would. That was not something that Shinken was looking forward to. Unless he could find a group people to keep him safe he would constantly have to be on the run. Even if he did find a group of people he would be putting them in danger. That was a fact that the young Uchiha wrestled with. Was it worthwhile to put his comrades in danger just for his own safety? He could always inform them of the risks and let them make the decision. That seemed like the best course of action. Of course he would have to find allies before any of this meant anything. That meant that he had to find Michio quickly, because if he did not he would be left exposed and would be both running and hunting at the same time. That would most certainly make his job incredibly difficult.
The young boy could not believe that he had ended up in a situation like this. There were so many factors and so many different ways all of this could've gone. Still he couldn't stand to stay in that village another day longer, and in a way he owed Michio his thanks. The older ninja had taught him the value of keeping your senses about you. If it weren't for him he would still be a blindly trusting idiot, happy to go on turning a blind eye suspicious activity. He also would never a found his brother's journal, and would've been serving the sand village the rest of his life. The same people that had gotten his brother killed.
Shinken tried to figure out which way he would go if he was Michio. But he didn't have enough data to go off of. If he had known exactly where the rain village was, or exactly what Michio was looking for he might've had the advantage. As it was he was a stranger in a foreign land, at the very least hours behind his quarry. He might even be following a completely different person for all he knew. That would've made this entire endeavor a giant waste of time and almost assured Michio's escape. That thought did not sit well with Shinken. It made his stomach churn and his fists clench. No matter how long it took him he would find Michio and he would get justice.
Knowing that he had wasted enough time on all of this, and that if this was a waste of time spending even more time trying to find clues would just make finding his target harder Shinken pick the direction and began to walk forward.
Quote:
+586 words 3,325 Words to hidden village 12,746 non team words 1883 team words
Need to roll below a 40 to succeed at finding the bloody foot print
Quote:
Stealth Check 265(2) + 270(2) + 762 + 438 = 2270
Shinken side as he look the left the right for finally picking a direction and beginning his trek. Since he was on the road he decided that he would use the water walking Jutsu was to not leave any footprints for anyone that might be following him. Because he was on the road walking on the surface of the water Shinken was able to make pretty good time. The young ninja decided that if he didn't find anything within the next couple of hours he would have to reevaluate his strategy.
The walk along the road was long and quiet despite the pounding rain. Only the sounds of the bamboo forest to the side broke the silence occasionally he would hear the hooting or howling of an animal, with a skittering of an insect. That surprised him. He would've expected most insects in this area to drown. Perhaps there was an interesting variety of aquatic insects living in this country. Obviously the wildlife would have to adapt. That made Shinken wonder how for in the desert must have seemed to people who came from places like this. It was interesting how out of place a simple change of environment could make you feel.
The wind began to pick up and shook the bamboo stalks in the forest. The rain went from a simply unpleasant to a major annoyance. The wind had turned it into a biting stinging pain. Shinken's stomach growled again. All he had eaten for the past six hours had been a simple piece of fruit, and he had been pushing his body to the extreme. The young ninja looks down into his pack and grabbed the other two pieces of fruit. He knew it would be unpleasant because of the sour taste, but he had to eat something.
Shinken bit into the fruit with a voracious hunger. Even though he had to squint his eyes and pucker his lips as the sourness of the fruit overtook his tastebuds somehow was still satisfying. As he took a bite after bite he began to notice less and less the sourness of the fruit, and in place there was sweetness. This sudden change surprised Shinken it was a pleasant surprise and he was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, but he had to wonder was he really that hungry, or had the fruits actually been sweet.
When Shinken was done he tossed the cores to the side of the road, and began to pick up his pace. While on the road there was no reason not for him to make good time. Not to mention the fact that the faster he got out of this rain the happier he would be. The young Genin would continue to walk for nearly forty-five minutes before he noticed something out of the ordinary. There was a faint metallic smell in the air, and at first Shinken couldn't quite place it. But as he grew closer he began to realize that it was the smell of blood. At this the young Uchiha quickened his pace, because it meant that there could be another lead, or someone in trouble. Either one of those was great enough reason to expedite his progress.
When he arrived at the source of the smell he found what looked to have been the scene of a massive fight. There was a large pool of blood and stones everywhere. Shinken couldn't count the number of stones but they were all jagged and sharp. They were embedded in the ground as if they had thrown with some great amount of force. The blood had begun to thin in the constant onslaught of rain. The entire road was drenched in red, and since there was nobody Shinken was safe to assume that this was Michio he was following now. That one little tip had paid off.
After all of his effort Shinken finally had a solid lead. Inside he was jumping with joy, but on the outside will calm and collected as he analysed the surroundings looking for an indication of which direction Michio had fled in. He saw that there were several sizes of stone, and the look like some of the pieces fit together. That meant someone and hurl the much larger stone, and while that information was interesting wasn't exactly useful.
It was at this point that Shinken summoned his pro-to get a birds eye view of the situation. Perhaps there was something that was obvious from the air the hero ground-level. The Crowell spread its black wings and with three mighty flaps soared into the air. It circled overhead silently and examined the surroundings. It was in the air for at least five minutes before it came back down to land. Shinken brought up his arm and allowed it to land on him like a trained bird of prey. The crow looked at him and shook his head. For the first time it spoke.
"I'm sorry Shinken I didn't see anything. It certainly looks as if there was a large fight here but that much is obvious from the ground. I believe the rocks were thrown from somewhere in the bamboo thicket, but I don't think that helps you either. I wish I could be of more assistance, but for the moment I've done all I can." The bird said in a squawking voice. Shinken gave the bird a slight smile and nodded.
"That's alright. I'm sure you'll be of assistance at some point in this journey. For now I will just have to pick through this disaster again. Hopefully I can find something that we both missed. If not we will have to continue travelling in this general direction, and you will be my eye in the sky. If you see anything out of the ordinary let me know." Shinken said giving his instructions to his summon. He really did need to find just one more lead. If he could find Michio fast enough he could turn his attention to looking for allies to protect him.
Quote:
+1012 words 4,337/8000 Words to hidden village 13,785 non team words 1883 team words
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 7:26 pm
Hanako Kaguya
There had been some time and some distances covered since the team from Mist including Hanako had come from all the way to this point in Rain Country. The forested areas and the amazonian type of rainy climate seemed to resemble a mixture of Water Country and Fire Country terrain mixed together, which would make it an interesting area to battle around, it also provided ample moisture in the air for Hanako to practice her stealth technique. "So guys, I had been working on this one for a while...", she said with a grin as she made three hand signs. Rat, snake, and ram all issued forth before water began to condense around Hanako in a dense foggy vapor, making her appear to be a cloud of fog that seemed to slink along with each movement as she paired it with her Silent Killing : Demon Stance. "Suiton : Asakiri no Jutsu, The Morning Fog technique.", she said as she slunk across the path, following behind Kaito, in the hunched over stance that gave her a little more agility due to more contact she shared with the ground. Though she did not maintain it for very long, it was a nice demonstration and bit of practice with ninjutsu all the same. She was more of a physical sort, and as such required a little more practice with the chakra based arts, though she tried not to let the difficulty show.
Though after a bit of walking, she wondered when they would reach their destination or what exactly might lead them to who or what they were looking for. Hanako had grown quite bored of not knowing precisely what they were to be doing here in Rain Country, and how little she seemed to know in comparison to her team members, but in the end, it seemed like there was an okay aspect to being blissfully ignorant to a degree. She had more time to focus on thinking up new strategies to implement killing techniques on the human form. It was intriguing about how much that the White Rose enjoyed inflicting injuries on others, even to the point of fantasizing about how she might execute their would-be target. 'Will I impale him on my arm? Put my foot through his skull? Oh, the possibilities! Maybe I could crush his lungs!? YES, watch him suffocate and bleed from the mouth. I love it!', she thought to herself, which the thoughts brought a blush to her cheeks as she felt herself getting excited from the prospect. She was not normal by the terms of attraction, an extreme sadist would probably be the label for Hanako, though she was doing her best to not let her boredom consume her to the point were her lust for inflicting pain and injury seemed too obvious to her team members. The goal was not to unsettle them too much, even if they had endured the family meeting of the Kaguya branch that Hanako hailed from.
Then Arina seemed to suggest something that stopped Hanako in her tracks as she was snapped free from her violent and murderous thoughts. "A rest? We can rest when we're dead.", she replied indignantly, but eventually she sighed softly, "I suppose finding a place to have a bite to eat would not be out of order. I feel like I haven't had a solid meal since we left Water Country." which was true to an extent. Rations sucked, and if they could find somebody who was either selling food or at least ingredients for Arina to smack together something delicious, that would suit Hanako just fine and justify a reason to stop and break from their current mission in hunting down Michio for the price on his head.
Quote:
Words: 624 Word Total:707 + 819 + 624 = 2150 EXP: 642 Note: 2150/8000 for travel to Rain.
After searching the area for another 10 minutes Shinken found nothing else could use. He set the crow up for a Birdseye view of the road ahead but it was empty. He decided that he would continue on this road hoping that it would lead towards Michio's goal. If his goal was the hidden rain village Shinken would at least be able to track and that location, even if he didn't know exactly where he was within the village. The young Genin called the crow back down onto his arm and began to walk. It had been a long lonely day and he was eager for some company.
"Where are we Shinken? This blasted rain is dreadful. It's soaking through my feathers and I feel cold. Is it really necessary to have me out right now?" The crow asked in its scratchy squawking voice. Even though it was complaining Shinken still felt better for the company. He pulled up his cloak over his arm to shield the bird as he walked.
"No it's not exactly necessary that I had you out. I thought you might enjoy some time to roll around see the world. Besides it's been a pretty lonely journey and I could use the company." Shinken said to the bird as the two of them began to make their way down the road. The wind was slowly dying down and the cold stinging sensation of the rain had begun to change back an annoyance rather than a discomfort.
The pair travelled down the road for some time and eventually the wind and the rain let up. Shinken found this audit as it had been raining the entire time he'd been in the country. Something set him on edge. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. It's just didn't feel right. It wasn't as if the animals and stop making sounds. It wasn't as if he was in utter silence, but he still felt vulnerable. Perhaps it was his paranoia but he felt as if something would strike out at him at any moment.
" Shinken you seem on edge. Is there something that I should know? Should we be preparing for a fight? You always bring me to the worst places!" The crow squawked angrily. Shinken bit his lip to stop himself from shouting at the bird. He didn't want to give his position away if he was being watched. The rain to stop like this could very well be a natural occurrence, but it could also be the use of ninjutsu. Shinken really didn't want to have to fight off a rain ninja in their home turf. They would most certainly have the advantage, and if he had to run Shinken had no idea where he would want to go. He couldn't run back towards the sand village he was a wanted man there, or at least he would be soon, and if he ran to the rain village he would simply be running into more of their forces.
"Would you please be quiet!" Shinken hissed at the bird. The crow visibly recoiled from this and snapped its beak shut. Shinken activated his sharingan and analyse the surroundings looking for any kind of movement. When he found none he listened carefully trying to extend his senses. He wanted to take in every detail of the surroundings to be entirely sure there was no one on his trail. When he was satisfied that they were alone he let out a sigh of relief and looked to his summon.
"Sorry about that. It's just when the rain suddenly stopped like that it made me uneasy. It didn't seem quite natural. Then again I don't really know how this weather works. This is a foreign land after all. I shouldn't have snapped at you. Why don't you take flight and check out the area. Maybe we'll find a clue here somewhere." The young Uchiha said as he pulled the cloak off of his bird. The crow gave Shinken and almost angry stare but did as it was told. It spread its wings and launched itself up into the air. It's climb was slow as it began to circle in wider and wider arcs around the area. While most crows would not be ideal for surveying an area this crow was different. Its eyes were more akin to that of an eagle than a crow.
Shinken watched anxiously as his summon analysed the surrounding area. With every turn he was expecting to hear a loud warning caw. Each time he didn't get one he gritted his teeth until the bird finally returned to land upon his arm.
"I don't think there's anyone around. I think we're safe. The only movement I noticed in any direction was that of wildlife in the bushes. That doesn't scare you doesn't?" The crow asked teasingly. Shinken had forgotten that sometimes is crow could be a bit of a trickster. At least it tried to be. Most of the time it was really more of an annoyance than a trickster. Still it was a useful bird, and on occasion good company.
"Know that doesn't scare me. I guess we just keep moving. Thank you." Shinken said exasperatedly. He felt like he was so close to Michio he could touch him, but he knew that his goal was still far out of reach. The two travelled for about another hour before the crow spotted a group of two rain ninja. About a mile behind them there was another group of two. It let out its shrill warning cry. It was high enough in the sky that it didn't look any bigger than a normal crow, but it's cry carried clearly to Shinken's ears. The young Uchiha darted into the bush and off the road. He kept about 10 to 15 feet of bamboo between himself and the road as he continued to move in that direction as silently as he could. He must've walked for several hours before he heard the caw of his crow again. Knowing that it could be an indication of danger or an all clear sign Shinken slowly crept back up to the road and peeked out through the bushes. He saw no one and looked up to see his crow slowly spiraling down. The young Uchiha stepped back out onto the road raised up his arm as a landing platform.
"Well that went better than expected. " The crow cawed quietly as it landed. Shinken had to agree. That was certainly a close call and it could've gone a lot worse. For now they were safe but they would have to be far more cautious from now on. If there are patrols of rain ninja out here than they were likely getting close to the village. Either that or they were out on a mission.
As he walked down the road Shinken began to weigh the value of stopping in at the next village versus the danger of being caught. However after a few moments he came to the conclusion that stopping in at the village was not only a smart thing to do but a necessity. Shinken definately needed to get out of the rain at least for a little while, and he could use a chance to buy an umbrella and get some hot food in his belly.
"Well as pleasant as your company has been I think I'm probably going to have to dismiss you soon. It wouldn't do to have me walking into town with a giant crow. Once I've rested and got some food I will re-summon you and we can resume tracking Michio." Shinken explained to his summon. The crow cocked its head at him before letting out a squawk.
"Really I would prefer if you didn't resummon me at all this weather is horrible. But if you do make sure you get some kind of food for me you greedy b*****d. I get hungry to you know. You know how hard it is to go and fly up there how much work it is? I bet if you were doing that for hours on end it be a lot grumpier than I am." The crow scolded. Shinken let out a sigh shook his head and release the summon in a puff of smoke
it was still another half hour before Shinken finally reached another village. When he did he saw that it was larger than the village had previously encountered but not anywhere near as big as any of the villages he'd seen in sand country. It made him wonder if all villages were this small, or if it was just this country. Certainly it didn't seem as prosperous as the nation of sand. Its villages were not nearly as busy, and the people generally seem to be more downtrodden. That made the young Uchiha wonder if the entire ninja world suffered somewhere in other. If it did that was something he had to change.
It took Shinken a while to find somebody that didn't just dismiss him. The people in this village seemed less friendly than the one he had encountered when he first entered the country. Perhaps they were just less trusting of outsiders. From what he understood Shinken knew that this country had been the site of many battles so it didn't surprise him the farther in the country you got, the closer to the center, the the less people seem to trust outsiders.
"Please I just need to find some place to stay. An umbrella or a hot meal would be nice too. As learned in any of the harm them just a loss traveller. I can pay you. I have money. I really don't want to be more of a bother than I have to be." Shinken said pleadingly to the first person who would listen. The woman looked at him through narrowed eyes with a disdainful expression.
"We really don't get many outsiders here, and those we do usually cause trouble. It was all the same to you would like you to please just move on and leave our village." The woman said sounding like she was scared but trying to sound intimidating. Shinken knew he was losing the only person who was even willing to acknowledge his presence. In a final attempt to secure her attention slowly reached down and pulled the pouch of ryo out of his pocket. He jiggled the bag slightly to make the coins jingle. This village looked like it had seen better days, and Shinken was hoping that the incentive of money was enough to at least get a little bit of help. The woman paused for a moment looking Shinken up and down before responding.
"I guess I have a spare umbrella you can use and maybe I have a little bit of spare food, but after that you have to move on leave our village. Get out!" The woman said as she reached out with a trembling hands to take the pouch of coins. Shinken turned the bag over and Port half of his coins into the woman's hands.
"Please just a hot meal and maybe some food for the road. If I could just get out of the rain for five minutes I would be very very happy." Shinken pleaded. His expression and desire for food and shelter were genuine and that must've come across to the woman. Though she must've known Shinken looked a little bit like trouble the amount of coins in her hand swayed her judgment.
"Alright five minutes but that's it. Come on follow me." The woman said as she led Shinken to a small ragged building. It had certainly seen much better days, but it was shelter from the rain and for that Shinken was eternally grateful. When they stepped inside Shinken saw the poverty in which these people lived. The furniture, where there was furniture, was old and beaten or broken. The walls were cracked and leaking. The corners filled with mildew. Seeing the state of this house Shinken realize just how lucky he had been to live in a prosperous village. That had been a blessing he hadn't counted. Even if the village was oppressive and brutal their quality of life overall was much better than this.
"Thank you for letting me into your home it is a much welcome shelter from that downpour." Shinken said choosing his words very carefully so as not to offend his new host. The woman if she heard him did not respond. Instead she stepped into what looked like a kitchen and began to pull out fruits and vegetables. She began to place them into a bag and then pulled out a small package of rice.
"This is all I can give you. You can stay here for the five minutes I promise you then I'll give you an umbrella and you have to leave." The woman said sounding rather nervous. She obviously didn't trust Shinken in the young Uchiha couldn't blame her. He was a criminal after all or at least he soon would be. Still he valued the kindness this woman and shown him even if it had taken much of his money to earn that kindness.
" Thank you that's more than enough. I do really appreciate this. I promise I won't bring any trouble to you I'll just take this umbrella, the food and I'll go." Shinken said truthfully. He really didn't want to bring this person anything but good fortune and he knew the longer that he stayed in this village the more likely he would be to get caught. Not only that but the more time he spent in this woman's house more likely he was to bring trouble to her doorstep.
The woman still looked nervous and scared, but she looked a little bit more at ease now. Shinken spent just long enough inside that house to begin to dry off a little using his chakra before he grabbed the umbrella, and the small bag of food and leaving the village.
When he was a reasonable distance away Shinken re-summoned his crow. The crow fluttered down onto his arm and eyed the bag of food greedily. Shinken let out a sigh and pulled out what looked to be a sweet potato. He broke apart the root vegetable and held a small chunk of it to his summon.
"Here you go food for both of us. It won't taste great but it's food. As soon as you're done eating this I need you up in the sky I can't get caught off guard. If those rain ninja find me I could be in real trouble." Shinken said before bringing the chunk of sweet potato in his other hand to his mouth. He bit into it and it was tough and starchy. It tasted a little bit musty but it was certainly better than those fruit he had eaten earlier and definitely better than the rice balls he had his bag.
"I guess this will have to do for now. I'll get up there when I'm good and ready." His crow squawked as it hungrily gulped down pieces of the sweet potato. Occasionally his beak would get stuck in Shinken was forced to hold back a small chuckle. After about five minutes of walking the bird was back in the air again. He didn't take the crow long to reach soaring heights. As he watched the crow circle overhead Shinken began to feel a lot better about a situation. He didn't think that there was any reason for rain ninja to be moving stealthily through their own country. More than likely they would be openly travelling on the roads and that was something in his crow would see far in advance of any encounters.
By this point even Shinken's cloak was completely soaked through. He was sure that he was going to get sick the matter what he did. Not only that it was also getting dark now. That meant it was going to get much colder, and as what is he was he couldn't afford that. His exhaustion was also starting to catch up with him as his eyes began to grow heavy. The young ninja needed a place to rest. Even if it was only a few hours of sleep it would dramatically improve his perception and performance. Not only that if he didn't sleep his immune system would become weakened and that was him he couldn't afford either. So he went off into the bush to find a place to set up camp at least for a little while. Eventually the forest became so thick that the rain no longer got through the forest floor. The ground here was slightly softer because of the carpet of leaves. This made it the ideal spot for Shinken to stop.
The young Uchiha laid out his things, brought out another vegetable, and began to eat it as he set up camp. He did not make a fire because that would easily give his position away instead he channeled his chakra outward using its fire element to dry himself and his clothing as he had done many times during this trip. He then gathered up his things into a pillow laid his head down and slept for two hours.
Shinken probably would've slept for longer if he hadn't told his summon to wake him up. The crow pecked at his four head violently not wanting to squawk or make a sound. Shinken batted it away at first but then shot bolt upright. His eyes were wide and held a fearful expression but as he looked around he quickly calmed down. He was safe his summon was not warning him of danger but simply acting as his alarm clock.
"You know you really need to work on your skills as an alarm clock. I thought we were under attack or something. You scared me." Shinken said with a sigh of relief. The crow couldn't hold back throaty guffaw.
"Maybe you should learn to wake yourself up." The crow retaliated. His summon was right that was a skill he was going to have to learn if he was on the run. Shinken let out another sigh but this time it was an exasperated one. He knew he had to get going again or he would lose the trail but he desperately long for a good nights sleep.
"Yeah that something would have to work on. What you get up in the air and see if there's anything around that I need to be wary of or if I can take the main road again." Shinken ordered as he rubbed his eyes. His vision was still slightly blurry from his short nap. It took his vision a few moments to clear and as it did he stood up stretched and let out a yawn. Shinken's body was stiff and sore not only from sleeping on the forest floor but also from the long hard work he had done the past two days and the journey before this one. He was really gonna need a vacation after all of this. Maybe he would visit in Hot Springs, or maybe a nice restaurant. The thought of these luxuries brought a smile to Shinken's face. Though the thought occurred to him he might never be able to have those luxuries again now that he was a wanted man. He would have to learn to disguise himself, or learn the Jutsu that Michio had learned. The ability to change his form initiate would certainly make his life much easier.
The crow let out three sharp calls signifying the path was clear and Shinken could emerge. The young Uchiha made his way back to the road pushing bamboo stocks out of the way as he did so. He knew he was leaving a trail by doing this but simply travelling the road and using a water walking Jutsu was not exactly an option with rain ninja patrols in the area.
The two travelled for another 4 to 5 hours as darkness fell. When the moon hung high in the sky a faint fog began to creep in. The rain intensified the droplets becoming large enough that the force of each impact could be felt. The winds died down to nothing and yet still the fog creeped in. At one point it became thick enough that Shinken had difficulty seeing through it. He called his crow down with a whistle but he had to hold the note until the crow actually found his position.
"Where the hell did all this fog come from? If you like it just came out of nowhere." Shinken asked his summon. The summon shook its head and gave him a confused look.
"I have no idea where it came from. There's a giant wall of it and we walked right into it. I don't think it was this thick when we first came in though." Crow squawked. Apparently Shinken wasn't the only one that didn't like suddenly being caught in a wall of fog. The pair continued to walk forward trying to follow the road. It was no use having the crow up in the air if he couldn't see anything, but if something did happen Shinken still wanted his summon there to fight with him.
"It's almost like this rainstorm is trying to hide something. I remember watching sandstorm's from the top of the canyon back in the sand village. They would always hide the village from intruders. Maybe this is the same sort of thing. We must be getting close to the village. I just hope this clears up eventually I'd like to be able to a see more than a foot in front of my face if I have to fight Michio." Shinken muttered thinking to himself out loud. The crow nodded in agreement seeing no better explanation for a sudden cloud of fog. With no other option Shinken and his summon began to travel further into the fog. They wandered lost for many hours in this fog desperately trying to find a way out. Shinken was beginning to think that entering the fog in the first place was a mistake. He suspected that it may have been some kind of trap set by the patrols. If it was he was caught like a rabbit in a trap. Except he didn't have the option of gnawing his own leg off to get away. If the ninja did show up he would have to fight them and that was something he didn't want to do it would only increase the size of his bounty, or place a new one on him.
Quote:
+3797 words 8134/8000 Words to hidden village 17,582 non team words 1883 team words
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 9:39 pm
Michio had been walking through the bamboo forest for hours and he was starting to get thirsty. He wish that he'd been more prudent when planning what he was taking with him rather than just grabbing stuff and running out of the door back in the Village Hidden in the Sand. When he'd left, he'd grabbed a single change of clothes, a picture of Shisara, and the three packs of cigarettes that he'd had stashed in one of his clothing drawers. No food. No water. And the rain that fell around him would have quenched his thirst if he had been smart enough to bring something capable of collecting the water. 'Water water everywhere...” he muttered, his voice that of a small child, “And not a drop to drink...”
He looked around, hoping to find something that had collected water, but found nothing. The surrounding bamboo stalks shifted around him and he found himself startled.
A big kid, no older than thirteen, emerged from the brush nearby and looked around, then spotted Michio crouched low.
“What the hell? Where'd you come from, kid!” he asked, placing his hand on the sword he had strapped to his back.
Michio put his hands up but then brought a finger to his lips as he pointed out a pair of Rain Village shinobi that were nearing their position. He motioned for the adolescent to get down and thankfully he did after he spotted the rain shinobi walking by.
Once the two were past them and out of ear shot, Michio walked over while still crouched and came up alongside the kid. “You almost gave me up. The hell is the matter with you?!” he hissed, his voice still a whisper.
The kid was taken aback but scowled, “How was I supposed to know that you were hiding?”
“Oh I don't know... maybe because I'm in a bush, crouched low, and wasn't making any noise?” Michio said, unable to keep the snark out of his voice.
“Don't sass me, kid. I'll smack that s**t right out of your head.” the boy told him, and Michio couldn't help but snicker. “You have no idea who you're dealing with. You threaten me again and you'll find out real fast.” “Is that so?” he asked, and pulled out his sword, standing up and moving to strike.
'Great... maybe that wasn't the best thing to say...' Michio thought, waiting for the strike to nearly land before dodging out of the way and darting off deeper into the forest, moving as far away from the main road as he could. If he was going to fight, he wasn't going to do it near the road where he could be discovered by anyone looking for him. It wasn't a stretch to think that the Sand Village was on his tail by now and thinking back, he cursed himself for not cleaning up the scene that he'd caused when interacting with that little girl back on the road.
Not only would the Sand Village see it, but so would the rest of the Rain Village ninja who came across it. In fact, it would only be a matter of minutes before the first two Rain Village ninja found the scene and were alerted to someone else being in their country without passage papers. That was going to be the biggest issue that Michio would face in trying to enter the Village Hidden in the Rain. The situation in which Michio left had made it so that he wouldn't have been able to get the proper passage papers. Not that the Kage would have given them to him in the first place. The mission in Aren had screwed him out of any chance of getting favors from the Kage.
As it was, Michio darted around bamboo stalks, taking small gaps and other ways around the bamboo and maintaining his silence as his feet fell. Meanwhile the kid was chasing him, making footsteps that almost rivaled the crashing sound of the heavy downpour. He dodged in and out of the bamboo stalks, though without nearly the grace that Michio had.
After a couple of minutes of running, Michio came to another clearing. The only difference between this one and the one he'd found before was that this one had a circle of children surrounding a fire that they were protecting from the rain by having a threaded blanket of bamboo leaves placed far enough above the fire that it wouldn't catch ablaze.
Before Michio could say anything, the other boy was upon him and swung his sword in a downward strike, one that Michio had to roll out of the way to avoid. The children heard the commotion and turned, then all got to their feet and created a wall of a kind, circling around them as if they were fighting boys in high school. They were way too close though, and if that bigger kid started swinging his sword around, one of them might get cut. “Back up!” he called to the other children, still attempting to keep his voice down, but none of them listened. Michio didn't come to the Country of Rain to get some child injured and put another burden on his conscience. He shoved his way through the kids, his strength vastly outweighing theirs, and stood just feet from the fire. This had to end. He let the disguise fall, the blood from the transformation technique reabsorbing through his pores and back into his bloodstream as he began to get taller and taller. Now, he towered over the kids.
“Enough!” he said, commanding them to stop. “Are you kids goddamn stupid? You're going to stand that close to someone swinging a blade around? You all could have been hurt!” The kids, more shocked at Michio's sudden transformation from a child to a full grown adult, began to back up with fear in their eyes.
“He's just like her!” one of them said, and the boys began to scatter. Michio frowned and reached out, tendrils of blood shooting forth and wrapping around each and every single one of the children, even the one with the sword who had fought to cut down the blood. Learning his lesson, Michio reached out with another tendril and assimilated the fallen blood, not willing to lead the Sand Village here by leaving a trail of his blood.
Quote:
+1064 words 5429/8000 Rain Country to Rain Village 900/800 Wind Country to Rain Country 196/xx from non-combat Wind Country
831/xx Roku vs Michio combat words 1883/xx Team bonus words
With every child now wrapped up in a tentacle, Michio looked at each and every single one of them. “Now then. Why the hell are you all out here in the wild? Don't tell me I came across the 'Lost Boys', here...” he asked, folding his arms as he lowered the kids he'd snatched up to the ground. Almost immediately they began to struggle and Michio frowned.
“Hey! You! Let the rest of them go and you can have me! I picked the fight with you!” the big kid called to Michio, who looked over lazily at him.
“And let them go running for help? That would be about the stupidest thing I could do right now.” he told the boy, turning back to the group. “Names. Now.”
Of the seven, some were too scared to speak. But the biggest of the bunch, the adolescent that had attacked him, answered almost immediately.
“Kunihiko Yashima, stranger!”
Michio scowled. “Keep your damn voice down!” he hissed, baring his teeth,“Do you want every shinobi in the area to find us? Me they'll just kill. The rest of you? They'll drag off to some orphanage where you'll be treated like slaves until you reach the age of adulthood. And that's after they spread you all out and keep you from banding together ever again. Trust me on that one. I grew up in an orphanage.” He let his angry expression fall back to a calm demeanor. “Continue. I need to know your names before I can start to trust you. Any of you.”
As a sign of trust, he let the biggest kid, Kunihiko Yashima, out of the tendril and used the tendril to give him back his sword. To his credit, Yashima made no move to run and instead took the sword. Michio eyed him as the boy held it in his hand for a second, but turned away as Yashima sheathed the sword, removing himself as a threat.
The Ketsueki went down the line, having the children give their names in order from left to right. Kunihiko Yashima, Chizuru Shino, Kiyomasa Mako, Kawaguchi Senzo, Miyazaki Maeda, Nakamura Takeda, and surprising to Michio, the last kid was named Ketsueki Yahiko. As each child gave their name, he released them from the tendrils. Only Nakamura Takeda tried to run, but as the tendril hadn't retracted far from the kid, Michio caught him in time to bring him back. Ketsueki Yahiko was the only one who wasn't worried, and Michio wasn't surprised.
“Ketsueki, huh?” Michio asked, taking a seat near the fire and beckoning the kids over. Most of them stayed put and Michio sighed exasperatedly. “If I was actually going to hurt any of you, I wouldn't have let any of you go.”
Yashima and Yahiko were the first to come to Michio and have a seat, then one by one the kids came over, although they moved to the other side of the fire as if it would be any barrier between Michio and them if he actually wanted to harm them. But he didn't. Michio had a soft spot for children. If any of them forced him to kill them, he'd do it. But he'd never forgive himself for it.
“So, Yahiko. How much do you know about the Ketsueki bloodline?” he asked and the question caught the kid off guard. “Enough to know that you're a Ketsueki too. You and that girl that walks around the country.” Yahiko replied and Michio smirked.
“Yeah, I ran into her. She's irritating.”
“She's a monster.”
Michio chuckled and picked up a nearby stick, which made some of the kids across from him flinch. He noticed this and rolled his eyes.
“Oh stop it. As I've clearly demonstrated, if I wanted to hurt you, I could do it without a stick.”
He shook his head and chuckled again, stoking the flames of the fire that the kids had going. The flames were low and if another source of fuel wasn't added soon, it would go out. Michio turned around and reached out, his blood shooting out in another tendril, grabbing from the pile of dried, dead bamboo that the kids had gathered and turning back to the fire. He retracted the blood and placed the bamboo in his hands before the blood fully replaced itself inside of his wrist's pores.
“Mister?” Yahiko asked, looking up at the rogue ninja with eyes that held no fear, “Does that hurt? Doing that?”
Michio looked over, then tossed the bamboo into the fire. “Every time.”
Quote:
+758 words 6187/8000 Rain Country to Rain Village 900/800 Wind Country to Rain Country 196/xx from non-combat Wind Country
831/xx Roku vs Michio combat words 1883/xx Team bonus words
7291/xx total non-combat, non-team bonus words
Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 7:07 am
The kids looked from one to another, unsure of how to react to the situation. One moment, their leader Yashima was fighting with a child, the next they felt like they were being held hostage by this stranger who used his own blood to capture them and keep them from running. Just like the boogeywoman of the Rain Country, Lilith.
Michio looked around to each of them and unslung his pack. Instinctively, some of them flinched but this time Michio ignored it. He dug through his pack and pulled out the box of food that he'd bought back at the village on the border and handed it to Yashima. “You're in charge. See to it that they each get a fair share.”
Yashima took the box and looked warily at it then back up at Michio, but the criminal had gone back to stoking the fire. Slowly, Yashima opened the box to reveal the grains of rice, the stalks of corn, and the pods of edamame. Yashima looked up at Michio in surprise, but when the stranger continued to ignore him, he stood up and ran to one of the makeshift tents, then returned with a set of pots and pans, a metal grate, and a canteen of water. Using a series of bamboo stalks, Yashima crafted a support structure for the metal grate, keeping the bamboo as far from the fire as he could. He then set the pots and pans on the grate and poured water from the canteen into each of them, each pot and pan getting a different level of water. “So tell me about yourselves.” Michio said, setting the stick on the ground and crossing his legs. He was nearly dry now and was in the mood for conversation. As Yashima worked on setting up the food, one of the other kids spoke up. “We come from the Rain Village. Our parents were all killed in the last war that the Sand Village and the Leaf Village used our country as the battlefield for.” After the one kid, Kawaguchi Senzo, spoke up, the next kid to speak up was Kiyomasa Mako.
“The village didn't care that we left. Not until they started the foster care system. Now they want to find us because the foster care workers get paid for every kid they enroll in the system. They even made a mission for someone to take us.”
Michio frowned and shook his head. “I can't say that this way of life is better as far as being able to live healthily goes, but believe me when I say that no matter what country you're a part of, the foster care system is terrible.”
He looked to the other Ketsueki and nudged him. “Is that true for you too? Are the Ketsueki gone from the Rain Village?”
Yahiko nodded, but clarified. “My parents are dead, yeah. But there are still Ketsueki in the village. None of them are my family though.”
Michio cocked his head to the side. “There isn't some kind of clan hall or anything?”
Yahiko shook his head. “No. They're spread all over the village. My parents told me that the AmeKage didn't want them to band together and try to take the village from her, so she told the Ketsueki clan that they weren't allowed to live together.”
Frowning, Michio grunted. “Yeah, I get the feeling that if we'd had more than just one Ketsueki in the Sand Village, the Kazekage would have done the same thing.”
At that, one of the boys across from him, Nakamura Takeda, stood up and balled up his fists. “You're from the Sand Village?!”
Michio looked up at him, still frowning. “What did I say about keeping your voice down?”
The boy, still mad, went to open his mouth, but Yashima snapped his fingers at him. “Takeda, this stranger could have killed all of us, but instead he gave us food. And he doesn't sound like he's a member of that village anymore from the way he's talking in past tense.”
Michio looked over and Yashima and nodded. “He's right. I'm on the run from the Sand Village. The Kazekage and I don't get along and something bad happened that made it so that I had to leave. They're chasing me right now, but so long as we all keep our voices down, they won't find us.”
Quote:
+731 words 6918/8000 Rain Country to Rain Village 900/800 Wind Country to Rain Country 196/xx from non-combat Wind Country
831/xx Roku vs Michio combat words 1883/xx Team bonus words
Surely it was safe to say the entire group was some sort of nervous or other, well, besides the exception of Hanako who just seemed like she was just taking a walk through the park. "Damn Kaguya people are nutty..." Arina specialized with water style healing which was great in a defensive sense as she could counter his weaknesses with her techniques. On the other hand, Hanko was doing some stealthy based stuff similar to the hidden mist technique, just with her own little twist on it. Maybe she worked more like an assassin than an actual melee fighter, surely he would see soon enough. Battle was right around the corner. "I mean I'll be the first to tell you that ability looks sweet, but turn the mist down I can't figure out where I'm going!" Kaito let out a small laugh as they continued down the path, he actually knew this area pretty well. He might actually be able to navigate through a thick fog if that was ever needed.
Kaito turned his attention now to Arina who spoke up about bounties and that jazz. "I mean they would almost have to send someone out right?" Honestly he really wasn't sure of the process of bounties and what not, this was the first he'd ever taken so being knowledgeable on the topic wasn't anything he was. "Unless they're all tied up with something else, but I couldn't imagine that something as big as the sand couldn't have dispatched someone." Kaito lifted his arms shrugging, these were all just guesses at the very best.
It was at this moment another bird carrying another scroll quickly would approach the group. "Oh hey, must be an update... Wonder if they caught the guy?" The bird began to hover just infront of them, Kaito took it upon himself the grab the scroll and the bird would quickly return from where it came. Wasting no time he'd pop it open reading it's contents. Not aloud, mostly just to himself just spurting out a word here or there at random. "Oh s**t.. They raised the bounty even higher!" Kaito looked towards his teammates with a devilish grin on his face. The greed was showing. "Looks like we gotta bring em in alive though, supposed to take him to some guy names Shinken? Wonder if he's out here in this forest as well?" Still they hadn't any valuable information to work off of, but surely they would figure out a way to find and defeat this Michio fellow.
Kaito would continue walking once more, they needed to keep a move on to make sure they wouldn't fall too far behind. "We have only one village along the way according to this. Shouldn't bee too much further ahead. Food does sound preeeeeeeety good right about now!" Kaito's face lit up in excitement now, probably the happiest he's looked since they started this journey. His rice balls had been polished off hours ago and that wasn't real food either way, the Akimichi could certainly plow through some food.
Takeda sat down again, but he continued to glare at Michio.
“What?” Michio asked, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow at Takeda.
“Even if you're not a Sand Ninja anymore, you were one of them when they used our country as the place for their war.”
“Yeah, I was. And I had just joined the academy. They don't send academy students to war. Therefore, I didn't fight in the war. I was too young to even know what war was.” he said flatly, then sighed. “Look kid. I don't know how much it's worth, but I'm sorry that the people who want me dead caused the death of your parents and put you in this situation. But it's not my fault that the war happened in the first place. Just one more sin that rests on Jin's shoulders.”
Yahiko sucked in a breath suddenly, a small gasp, and Michio turned to him. “No, not that Jin. The name of the Kazekage is Jin.” Then it hit Michio. “Wait a minute... how much do you know about Uchiha Jin?”
Yahiko looked down and away, shaking his head. Michio's surprise turned to another frown, but he didn't press the issue. If Yahiko didn't want to talk about it, there was probably a good reason why.
Michio looked around and saw that all of the kids were watching Yashima cook up the food, their faces looking expectant and anticipatory. Michio smirked and stood up, dusting off his coat. “I'll be right back. I need to use the restroom and then I'll come back with some meat to go with those vegetables and grains. You all stay put. If you go running off, the nearby Rain shinobi might discover you and then you're all screwed.”
The kids stared up at him, but one by one they nodded. All except for Takeda, who didn't even look at him. Michio tapped Yashima on the shoulder and pointed to Takeda, and Yashima nodded in response. Michio nodded back and stepped out of the clearing and into the woods once more.
After he had used the restroom, he washed his hands by rubbing them on bamboo stalks that were drenched with rain water and used the leaves to wipe off whatever bacterial particles may be left. It wasn't as good as using soap, but hopefully it was good enough. Michio reactivated his transformation to appear as the same small child and reactivated the technique that kept him silent when he walked, then began his hunt. It wasn't long before he came across a pack of wolves, five in total, and Michio couldn't help but feel nostalgia. It reminded him of the wolves that he'd slain as a small boy, back in a time where life was simpler. But it was that very kill that had turned his life to hell.
--------
Michio had been forced to his knees, one hand placed on his shoulder while the other gripped both of his wrists painfully behind his head. He struggled but to no avail as he saw his parents be brought out to the street and forced to their knees before him. He looked at them with fear in his eyes and the had the same look.
“Kaguya Michio. You killed my companion. I should kill you for that.” one of the group that held him hostage, an Inuzuka, told him. “But I have an even better idea. You took my family away from me. I'm taking yours from you.”
Michio cried out in protest, struggling to break free and stop the man, but the person who had a hold on him was too strong. He cried out, begging and pleading for the man to not kill his parents. It was a sad display, as booger bubbles had begun to burst as he cried and cried, pleading for his parent's lives to be spared.
“God what a sorry scene... I don't know what makes me more mad; the fact that you're supposed to be some hardened dog murderer or that my companion was killed by you.” the Inuzuka had said just seconds before he walked behind Michio's mother and made the hand sign for the tiger and took on the features of a beast, then used his newly lengthened and sharpened to bite into the neck of Michio's mother, Ayako. Blood began to spurt almost immediately, but the Inuzuka didn't care. Ayako screamed until her blood began to bubble out of her mouth, and her screams only invigorated the Inuzuka, who shook his toothy grip while latched on, ripping and tearing the flesh of Ayako's neck.
Michio screamed out and struggled, his cries of pleading becoming cries of horror and he closed his eyes, looking away. But the group of Inuzuka wouldn't have that, and one of the Inuzuka who had been just standing nearby ran over, turned Michio's head back, and held his eyelids open, forcing him to witness every gory detail.
Michio's mother eventually passed out from the shock before she died, but the Inuzuka who had sunk his teeth into her neck wasn't satisfied. He reached around and under her arms and began to grope her breasts, then ripped her shirt off, revealing her bare chest to the entire village just as he pulled away with her neck's flesh still in his mouth, tearing a human mouth sized hole. She fell forward and into the dirt, her heart pumping her blood into the earth that she now lay still on. She twitched once... twice.... then died.
--------------
Michio was now glaring as the Alpha of the pack stared at him, having finally noticed him. The Alpha snorted and the rest of the wolves looked in his direction and Michio couldn't help himself. He was pissed. The memories of his traumatic past had come to the forefront and these wolves were going to die. Blood seeped from the pores in his knuckles, extending and creating a pseudo set of claws that matched the ones he'd lost when he'd become a Ketsueki.
The wolves smelled the blood and it caused them to rush him. Michio snarled and leaped at them, bringing down his blood claws and impaling one of the closest wolves in the right foreleg's shoulder, crippling the animal. Immediately, he kicked off of the wolf and just missed getting bitten by the Alpha, who was faster than the rest of the pack.
With one of the wolves out of the fight, Michio leaped to another, dragging his blood claws along the body of the wolf as he passed by it and tearing it's muscles apart. It yelped and fell to the ground, then struggled to get up again. Michio took the opportunity to spin and use his velocity to slice it's throat. Once it was given a killing blow, the wolf laid still as the life left it.
That left three more. They circled Michio and snarled and snapped at him, but seemed wary to move against him. “Smart dogs.” the nine year old's voice rang out. Then he snarled again and jumped at one, who tried to dodge out of the way. But Michio was too fast and the wolf caught a claw in the left foreleg. It fell to the ground and the other two wolves moved to attack. Michio did a backflip and landed behind the wolves, then sprung at them, growling as he did so.
He snarled aggressively and of the two, only the Alpha got out of the way in time. He sunk his claws into the chest of the other wolf, who had leaped back at him, but not before the wolf's open mouth grazed the Ketsueki's cheek, cutting through the transformation jutsu. If not for the blood coating, he might have actually been cut.
Only the Alpha remained in any fighting condition and was crouched low a couple of feet away from him. The nine year old stood up straight with a satisfied look on his face and the bloody claws stretched, becoming tendrils once again. “You should have avoided this forest, you filthy mutt.”
The wolf snarled and barked, continuing to crouch low as it watched Michio's movements. One of the tendrils shot out and downwards, impaling the wolf who's leg he'd injured. It yelped but then lied still as it died. The tendril pulled itself out and then swung towards the Alpha, who recoiled backwards but not in time to avoid the splatter of wolf blood that Michio had flung at it. The wolf shook it's face, then snarled again, rushing right at Michio. He lashed out with one, then two, then three tendrils, but the Alpha dodged each one and leaped at Michio, going for his neck. Michio bent over backwards and used the tendrils to grab onto a group of bamboo stalks, pulling him under the airborne wolf and out of the danger of being killed by the alpha wolf's snapping jaws.
The wolf landed and spun just as Michio's bloody tentacles reached it and coiled around the wolf with an incredible speed, wrapping it up just as Michio had done to the giant lizard. Once it was fully enveloped, Michio crushed it with an impossible force and began to assimilate every part of it, even breaking down the bones. He did this to all but one of the wolves, leaving no trace, then repaired his transformation's cheek, making it look as if he'd never been grazed in the first place.
Michio retracted all but one of the bloody tendrils and used it to carry the last wolf back to the clearing.
Upon arrival, he saw that the boys were scrambling.
“Woah woah woah!” the nine year old's voice called out. “What's wrong?”
“It's Takeda! He ran off and Maeda and Yahiko ran to stop him, but they haven't come back yet!” Yashima told him and Michio growled.
“Yashima, I left you in charge! God dammit!” he swore, dropping the wolf and retracting all of the blood that he'd used to hold it. From beyond the bamboo he could hear voices approaching.
“They're coming. They're coming and they're going to take you.” he told Yashima, who's face went pale almost immediately.
“What do we do?!” Yashima asked in a panic, but Michio shook his head.
“Run. Hide. Or surrender. Either way, I can't be found here. You guys are on your own now.”
“What about Yahiko?!”
“They've already taken him. Get out of here while you still can. If you still can.” Michio said, stretching out with a tendril and grabbing his backpack. He slung it over his shoulders and the blood transformation molded it into the disguise, shrinking it to the point where it was no longer visible. He turned and ran, maintaining his transformation and his sneaking techniques as he darted through the bamboo stalks, getting as far away from the raiding party as he could, vowing that he would free all of the children from the orphanage when he was able to.
He ran for what seemed like an hour before he came across a thick wall that stretched for miles and he just had the feeling that he'd found the Village Hidden in the Rain. He scaled the wall and somehow avoided detection.. for now.
Quote:
+1874 words 8792/8000 Rain Country to Rain Village 900/800 Wind Country to Rain Country 196/xx from non-combat Wind Country
831/xx Roku vs Michio combat words 1883/xx Team bonus words
Awareness vs Stealth = 1572 Vs 1,012 Need a 99 or lower to succeed Need to roll 99 or lower Forgot to add roll to post when I first put it up. Will post again in this thread just for roll
Quote:
Stealth Check: 2270
Shinken continued to wander in the mists for a time before he finally punched through the barrier. He could now see the outskirts of the hidden village. He was still partially obscured by mist. He took this opportunity to travel into the bamboo forest up to the edge and release his crow. Before he released his summon Shinken gave it orders.
"Get up there and get me a view of the village if you see anything suspicious come back down. Look for people entering and exiting the village." Shinken said to the crow. He had made really good time thanks to his ability to enhance his physical abilities as well as his speed. The crow wasn't in the air for more than 30 minutes when it swooped down and landed in the bamboo.
"I saw what looked to be a small child, maybe a small man scaling a wall to get into the village. It was highly suspicious. Any member of the village and simply gone to the gate. At the very least that means that person isn't supposed to be here. The summon croaked. Shinken smirked a little bit, he might've picked up the trail again after all. Michio was using a disguise but he still needed more details before he could make a decision. Scaling the wall was a feat that a normal person would not be capable of, and Shinken and Artie ruled out a hidden rain ninja. That narrowed his options enough to merit further investigation. Shinken released the summoning Jutsu on his crow and a puff of smoke and began to sneak toward the village. When he got there he would scale the wall in approximately the same place as his crow had seen the child.
Quote:
+291 words 8425/8000 Words to hidden village 17,873 non team words 1883 team words
INDENTArina watched Hanako as she proudly displayed some of her techniques. She smiled giving a small nod of approval, “The weather suits your technique, though Water Country would be even better.” She had assumed that Hanako performed more like a bruiser but looks could be deceiving. The assassination arts were skillful and would be helpful but this left their team a little unbalanced considering there was not anyone to front the blows, maybe Arina would surprise herself with how the makeup of the team really came together when the time was necessary for them to. They always had her medical ninjutsu to rely on if the time really came but hopefully, it would not come to that because she had not yet put those jutsu into combat practice. There was always the worry that theory would not be realized in a practical form.
INDENTKaito continued to touch on a few topics during their travels maintaining the sole entity and source of entertainment for the time being. He agreed that the Sand Village would probably want to prioritize catching their own bounty. That meant there was a high probability of meeting someone along the way; hopefully they could be allies instead of a hindrance to their accumulated goals. Everyone wanted all of the glory in this type of situation but it would only make everyone’s chances of failure exponentially higher if they tried to get in the way. While thinking about all of this, the trio was approached by a messenger bird and when Kaito pulled the scroll from within his claws, the young man became quickly excited and almost giddy from the prospect of a raised bounty. “Shinken,” the girl quietly muttered to herself. He must have been the one who was going to return the bounty back to the village. That meant he was probably the face which they would eventually find in their attempt to capture the bounty. The girl curiously wondered what the Sand Village shinobi were like considering that once upon a time – their practices were almost as brutal as their own country was. While the practices had long been put to a stop, there was still a lingering atmosphere and expectation left behind from those savage ways.
INDENTHanako did not seem pleased with the idea of putting their trip on hold temporarily to regain their strength, though she bitterly accepted probably realizing the necessity of it all. On the other hand, Kaito was more than happy to oblige much like Arina had expected him to. “Okay,” Arina chirped happily, “Let’s go!” The young girl picked up her pace slightly allowing her awareness of the environment to fade if only momentarily. Hanako was right that they had not had anything really of substance since beginning this mission. Arina had packed many small things to keep them going and their stamina at an all time high but the girl was really hankering for something to fill the void. She was thinking something warm and homey. There had to be some form of protein too or else, it was not really a meal in her eyes. Her eyes were hungrily scanning every piece of new area which appeared before them waiting on the appearance of a building or human body which would mark the identity of a village being close by.
INDENTDuring the voyage, she did enjoy the ever changing weather and really loved the rain which she was expecting to encounter sometime in the near future; otherwise there was some real false advertising using the name Rain Country. The wind was beginning to pick up and she could feel her snowy white hair being pulled around at the whim of the changing winds. “What is your favorite food or foods?”Arina asked questioningly closing her eyes only for a moment enjoying the smell of rain in the air which would be quickly approaching. “I could make them sometime when we return home… kind of like a celebratory dinner or something; if you wanted that is,” the girl trailed off for a moment with a hint of red in her cheeks. She was trying to be friendlier and more approachable to bridge the constant gap of silence between the trio. It would really help their ability to work together if they could find some common ground. Kaito and Arina seemed to have a similar interest in food which was good because their relationship was the sketchiest. While she did not seem to have much in common with Hanako outside of their gardening hobby, the two of them seemed to get along well enough and really tolerate the differences. Their vocal communication was lacking but with time she hoped that problem would alleviate that issue. It was in that moment that the sky opened up and released upon them a torrent of rain which would quickly drench them and soak through to the bone; luckily given the time of year, the weather was a little bit warmer and more comfortable than it could have been. Arina began chuckling and quickly escalated into a hearty laugh. “I knew it,”she exclaimed displaying the most genuine smile that she might have ever demonstrated within eye’s view of her own team ever. Picking up her pace a little more to accommodate her team who might not have enjoyed the weather in quite the same fashion that she did herself, the girl jogged comfortably sometimes taking a moment to look towards the sky enjoying the pelting rain which poured down her face though admittedly it was inhibiting their vision somewhat of the vicinity surrounding them at least in comparison to clear skies and open view for miles when not being hindranced by the local green and shrubbery.
INDENT“There it is!” Arina pointed towards a rather simple looking village with very few accommodations. The young girl wondered whether or not the trio would be able to find suitable cover and provisions within such a plain village. Not to mention, the girl had not really studied the popular opinion and demeanor demonstrated towards shinobi or outsiders from this particular country. That would have been a really good idea if Arina had thought about these kinds of interactions previously. The fact that she had overlooked something that could potentially be so important was kind of disappointing. “Should one of us go to scout first?” She questioned the team coming to an abrupt stop half a mile from the village entrance. If they decided to scout, it meant one of them would be alone for a small portion of their time. Naturally, Arina assumed that her personality would be the best for interacting with the civilian population; however Kaito seemed more capable of combat and retreating from a difficult situation tactfully. The only thing that she knew was that Hanako should probably remain outside of the village until they observed the situation and overall community public opinion of outsiders. The girl stayed deadly silent not daring to say such a thing verbally where Hanako could take offense and possibly ruin what little of an understanding they currently had.
Traveling to Rain Travel Words:2694 + 1181 = 3875/8000 Team Words: 8034
Hanako Kaguya had felt the rain dripping on her from the periodic rain storms that washed through the area as they traveled together. It was not an environment she was uncomfortable with, but the fact was that if she were worried about appearances, her clothing was mostly white and the black patterns only strategically masked the underclothing clothing beneath, more for her own benefit than anything. She was not the type to mind ogling, but she would likely attempt to brutalize anyone who would be noticibly checking her out in that manner. It was a problem for her in the academy as she was known to be the type who would actively look to challenge those who came out and were so bold to tease her or try to hit on her. There was no desire for love or even the more carnal desires in her heart, especially with the every day weakling. There was no room in her road for love or lust to become a factor that she even considered as a valid avenue as activity, and there was little to gain from that prospect anyway. The death of their enemies was her only concern, and that single track mind she had was often a boon more than it was a curse. It just made her the type that did not seem to invest much into interpersonal relationships. It was not likely to be her mode of operation, as a diplomat, and she was more the type to get things done and do her duty to the best of the ability that she possessed.
The passions of battle and the way that she restrained herself emotionally outside of combat likely had an effect on her ability to relate to Kaito and Arina, and it was a detriment she wanted to solve or at least find a way around before they found themselves in the heat of the moment and a lack of communication or understanding would be their undoing. "So, you've seen my family, and know that I come from a line that prides itself in combat. I would think outside of the pruning and shaping of rose bushes, combat is our main source of fun and enjoyment.", she said in an idle, off-hand manner as she tried to make conversation, at least with Arina. There was not a whole lot for her to talk about, but the attempt was made regardless. She had been bred and raised to be a weapon, and trained to bring forth honor and recognition to the Kaguya family. It was hard to feel the same way emotionally as the other two in her group, which seemed more 'human' if there was a word to describe it. Hanako was more like a demon in the shape of a human. A force of violence, that given time, would grow into a powerful ally or a lethal enemy. It would just take the patience and understanding of the other two in the group to give her the time and opportunity. Much like the fight ahead of them with Michio. Soon they would see her worth and value as the experience was likely to make her richer and with more to offer the squad.
There was also the disparaging factor of the fact that this group lacked a Jounin instructor. They were all sort of working on their base instincts and raw knowledge, rather than actual developed and guided growth. It was going to be interesting to see how it shaped them, but in the end it was also likely to make Hanako, Kaito, and Arina all a little more focused in their fields of specialization, rather than have an overall branching knowledge of general skills as a ninja. It would be a lot of learning through trial and error as well as finding ways to compliment each other's skills and bridging gaps to overcome even the strongest of enemies. It was all about becoming able to take on the rigors of battle, while at the same time, insuring the group's survival so that the aforementioned growth of all involved could take place. The Hidden Mist Village would benefit from each one of their skills once they reached a stage of maturity; From Kaito's unrevealed mastery with flames and jutsu, to Arina's ability to utilize Suiton and Medical techniques, and then to Hanako's knowledge of Assassination and blood-line retrieval. There was a confidence in Hanako that each one of them would become a jounin asset to the Hidden Mist in their own right and would eventually lead squads like their own.
Then they came to the small village in which they were likely to take a small break and get some food to eat, before Arina suggested somebody should scout ahead. "I would take point, and you two can follow, if that is okay? I may seem like the sneaky type, but if anything, I can certainly take a hit. Just stay on guard.", she said with a glow of confidence about her that almost made her seem normal in that light, before she then shattered that aura of normality by holding her palm out, and with her other hand, ripping out a ninja-to shaped bone sword from her hand. The dead bone pulse was, by far, one of the weirdest and most grotesque of all bloodline limit abilities that existed in the ninja world. There were few who could even fathom the idea of growing bones or even ripping bones out of their bodies to use as weapons. Hanako then took it one step further as her bones grew and bulked up before several flower-petal shapes sprouted from her elbows, knees, ankles, and around her neck. Two horns sprouted from her forehead, which only made her look like a demon as the Bloom Armor technique was employed to increase her durability in case anything awaited them there in the Village. It made her a frightening sight to behold, and Arina was right to think the way that she did about the fact that Hanako could unsettle people who were not used to seeing somebody with the rare ability of the Kaguya family. That, paired with their reputation for being brutal and savage, would likely be enough to scare a person to the point of voiding their bowels at the prospect of one walking into their quiet country settlement. She then made the three hand signs demonstrated earlier before her body became shrouded in a mist-like fog and she was no longer the visible demon of bone, but a cloud of fog that slunk across the ground as she employed the Silent Killing art's stance. As long as the commoners were not ninja with the ability to see through the guise, she could easily infiltrate and spy on them. Though she dared not move from her place as a cloud of fog and mist about Kaito and Arina's feet until they either agreed to let her scout, or to let the more jovial and amiable hedonist take point and just let Hanako follow up in the rear, staying out of view until she was needed or it was deemed safe. Either way suited her just fine, and she was more than willing to work with the team than against them. This was a sort of micro sized test of their ability to work together before they came to the real test of taking down their real target.
Quote:
Words: 1241 Word Total:707 + 819 + 624 + 554 + 1181 + 1241= 5126 EXP: 1536 Note: 5126/8000 for travel to Rain.
Kaito had a look of confusion grow on his face as Arina began asking about their favorite meals and possibly cooking it once they returned from their mission. This was a congratulations of sorts for completing the mission, but Kaito was still confused by the kind of gesture. Up to this point Arina realistically hadn't been very friendly towards him, realistically it was his fault from the night before that she acted like this, but maybe she was starting to get over it a little. Either way he wasn't about to pass up this opportunity and try his best to make amends. "Favorite dish you say?!" His facial gestures jumped from confused directly to happy and excited in the mere blink of an eye. "Yeah yeah, errr uh... It's such a hard choice!" Food was pretty much sacred to him, so leaving him with one solo option was near impossible. Thus, he would give some options. "So there's about no way I can pick one ya know? How about a few options?!" His voice was super enthusiastic and gave high tones of excitement as well. "Okay so I reaaaaallly love Sushi! It's gotta be the cooked stuff though, the raw stuff makes me gag!" His face looked as though he'd eaten something sour upon talking about it as though he were acting out his face when eating the gross raw fishy sushi. "I like ramen a lot, not so picky with that I just love everything about it..." He paused for a second, looking to the sky as though it began to rain as though he were looking for answers. "If I had to pick one more.... Probably Gyoza. Damn those little dumplings are good..." Kaito had to catch himself dazing off thinking about the food otherwise he would have quickly been drooling on himself. "I've never been more motivated to finish a mission now, I wanna see how good of a cook you are..." The akimichi boy smiled joyfully, surely she would be an amazing cook!
The next matter at hand was whether they would sneak ahead to the village and check everything out beforehand. Kaito thought about the situation at first, throwing variables around in his head but thought to himself that not being necessary, especially as Hanako began doing her creepy bone things. "Do you guys really think that's necessary? Let's think about this for a second. We're not at war with anyone and I'm sure if our guys in this village by chance he's gonna see Hanako doing sneaky bone things and skip outta town the minute we sit down and start eating. I say we just walk into town and act like were just traveling right now, don't let em know were ninja and just play it cool." Kaito was unsure how his teammates would take his plan, but he was getting hungry and mostly wanted to just get his eat on. "Either way let's just decide on something, I'm starving..." His stomach began roaring loudly as he spoke. There was a pretty high probability that Michio was in the actual village hidden in rain, so surely they wouldn't face any real issues in the small civilian village ahead.
