Sumiko was enthralled by the beauty of the lake. Cherry blossoms lined the ring of the lake, and sweet scents filled every breeze as it passed through them. Sumiko bent down, picking up a handful of fallen petals in her hand before letting them blow away in the wind. As she turned to watch the petals fly away, her attention was drawn by the yelling woman. Something seemed to be distressing her and Shinsei was standing around like a plank of wood. She grabbed his arm, dragging him over to the woman. It seemed that she had tried to take a short cut around the lake by just putting on her good on a raft, but it had been to small to cross the lake. Now it was all sinking to the bottom of the lake. Volunteering herself, and by extension, Shinsei, Sumiko held up hand, giving the woman a thumbs up. "Don't worry ma'am, we'll get your stuff. You're looking at Uzushiogakure's premier gennin duo."
Shunshin no Jutsu, Heki no Jutsu [ Burst Technique ], Seidenki Ito no Jutsu [ Static Strings Technique ], Rakurai no Jutsu [ Lightning Bolt Technique ]
Modifiers: β’ Double Sealing: At body rank D and C costs are reduced by five [5]. At body rank B and A, costs are reduced by ten [10]. Finally at body rank S and S+ costs are reduced by fifteen [15] These reductions DO NOT stack and override their previous totals (D+C -5, B+A -10, S beyond -15). β’ Double Sealing Class: Learn 2 extra Ninjutsu per post β’ The Uzumaki learn 1 extra Ninjutsu per post. β’ The Uzumaki have deep chakra pools: +60 Chakra or +60 Stamina. β’ The Uzumaki have great life force, reducing effects of all sapping jutsu to one-quarter their normal effects. β’ No restrictions on Fuuin, other than normal ninjutsu learning limits and rank learning limits. Personal Attributes: β’ Overwhelming Presence: Sumiko possess vast reserves of natural chakra inside her body. +100 Chakra. β’ Soft Hands: Sumiko has really soft hands and prefers not to fight in CQC, allowing her to trade Buki and Tai style slots for 10 Nin/Gen slots (These can be split between the two, it isn't all or nothing). β’ Do As I Command: Sumiko has moved beyond needing even single handseals to preform Fuuin and Uzumaki Techniques. Only simple motions and gestures are required, but stronger techniques require more full body motions.
The Senju laughed at Sumiko's temerity. They were the premier Genin duo? He wouldn't have called them that himself, but . . . nevertheless, he supposed she was right. They were driven, and they had grown a lot in a short period of time, surpassing their peers in the Academy. From being an old Academy drop-out loser only a few days ago, to now feeling prepared to take on serious missions with a squad, Shinsei's confidence had been thoroughly boosted.
Now, they needed to complete this mission - for this person, and then they would know if they were actually capable of making impact with their jutsu. She explained to them further that her cargo had been lost to the lake -- the horse carrying it had keeled over by the road, and the carriage fell sidewards, only to float along the edge of the lake before submerging due to the incredible weight. The horse, then, was dragged in the water . . . and out of all of the objects and animals attached to the cargo, only the woman herself survived.
Shinsei brought his hands together and concentrated, imagining the layout of the lake. Firstly, from the ground spawned wood, a result of his Naturalization ability. As a Senju, he was capable of creating wood from any surface. After the creation of the wood from the ground, he used his will to shape the wood into a small canoe-like boat. The boat pushed forward onto the 'shore' of the lake, only to be anchored by a vine of wood reaching out from the nearby soil. Shinsei had already prepared the boat they would use to remain afloat on the water, from which point they could both dive into the lake after they'd noticed the shadow of the cargo from the surface of the water. They both had access to Suiton, and so they could both learn to breath underwater.
Shinsei decided to do that first, focusing his chakra into his lungs and concentrating, before awkwardly jabbing his head into the shallow water as he got onto all fours. Significantly, he did not actually feel suffocated, and he could keep his mouth and nose in a normal state whilst still breathing underwater. Raising his head from the shallow water, he glanced back to Sumiko, nodding. They would both be apt divers, and with their Fuuin and Mokuton alike, they would have more than enough of a skillset to retrieve the cargo -- he was certain. [Suimenka no Kisoku [ Breathing Underwater Technique ] Learned]
Shinsei seated himself on the small canoe, beckoning for Sumiko to come with him. Once she complied, he would paddle the boat along the water, keeping his eyes trained sidewards, on both ends of the canoe. He looked for any blurred shadows beneath them; anything disrupting the clear violet shade of the water, and the brightly colored 'sand' at the bottom of the lake.
He could not immediately see anything. It was strange to him that the cargo could've swam this far in so short a time, especially considering that due to the weight, it would have just sunk. His only conception was that the horse could have perhaps not actually died, and then proceeded to paddle the cargo in the water . . . but that sounded impossible for anything but a chakra-empowered summoning beast. The horse was certainly dead, there was no doubt about that. If it had only passed out from exhaustion, it would have certainly died upon drowning.
"Sumiko," he called to the other shinobi. "I don't believe there's any chance that the cargo would be very far out. The only other possibility is that it was buried by sand, somehow, but I don't think that's likely either. We're in the caldera of a volcano, so perhaps it was... burned somehow?" he questioned. No -- that, too, was unlikely. The lake itself wasn't conducting molten heat. It was just near in proximity.
So what could it have been? He could only wager and wonder. The shinobi decided to stop the canoe, rising onto his feet from the bottom surface of the boat, and diving into the water. He activated the Breathing Underwater Technique, and glanced around through the crystal clear waters. Everything should have been obvious - but it wasn't. He couldn't see the cargo at first glance, nor at second.
Then, at the corner of his eye, he saw a large eel-like creature wrapped around what appeared to be a thick collection of wooden boxes, held together by the circumference of a carriage. The eel, and the cargo alike, were half buried in sand. That . . . had to be the cargo, and unfortunately, it was guarded by what appeared to be their first enemy as shinobi.
Shinsei swam to the surface of the water, his head rising from the sakura-colored lake. "Sumiko!" the Senju called out. "I've found it! Come and help me kill the eel guarding it; it's not far from the shore, we can easily bring it back."
So, it seemed this wasn't going to be as straight forward as Sumiko hoped. Here she thought she was just going to rescue an old lady's junk and hopefully get a nice pay out, and now Shinsei was saying something about an eel guarding it all. Sumiko looked over the edge of the canoe, trying to spot it while simultaneously watching Shinsei swim around in the water.
Sumiko pulled out a sharp kunai from her pocket, preparing to join Shinsei. She knelt down in the canoe, cutting a small symbol into the floor of the makeshift boat for later. The symbol was crude but Sumiko assumed that it would suffice for what she needed to do. Putting the kunai back into a pouch on her belt, Sumiko took off her excess gear and prepared to jump into the water. She preformed the same water breathing technique as Shinsei and jumped off the edge of the boat into the water. The water was surprisingly warm, likely owing to the fact it was in the caldera of a somewhat still active volcano. It took her a moment to get her bearings under the surface of the water and she made sure to breathe slowly, testing how well the water breathing technique actually worked. She turned her head back and forth, trying to locate Shinsei, finding that he was right beside her. Oddly, he seemed to think that she was going to kill the eel and that he was simply going to get a free ride. Tattekuso. She thought to herself, afraid to speak underwater as she still wasn't sure about the integrity of the water breathing jutsu. Swimming cautiously towards the eel, it did not seem to want to attack, only snapping out defensively to protect its newfound treasure. That was going to be a problem. Under normal circumstances, she could have just led it away and grabbed the treasure right up from under it. But this eel seemed a little too intelligent to be led away. Sumiko did have on advantage. The eel could not use jutsu, let alone know what one was. Sumiko swam as close as the eel would allow her before summoning up her chakra. The water around her seemed to churn and hum with energy as she gathered up chakra.
The eel, content to just guard its treasure wouldn't notice that the pressure of the water around itself began to gradually increase. All across the surface of its body, it would start slowly. Its skin would be pressed tight to its body, and then its muscles would begin to compress. After a few moments, it seemed to realize something was wrong and began to look around itself. It couldn't see anything other than the strange leg-fish that was floating in front of itself. That had to be where the pressure was coming from. It let go of its grasp on the carriage and tried to dart at Sumiko. Too little, too late. The pressure was now strong enough that it's muscles and soft tissue were crushed, killing it. It's limp body slowly descended to the bottom of the caldera.
Sumiko now made her way cautiously to the remains of the carriage, wary of another adversary lurking nearby. Satisfied that there were none present, she pulled out a scroll pouch that happened to have waterproof ink, and sealed the entire carriage inside of it. Then, in an instant, she appeared back on the boat where her seal had been carved. Obviously, she would need to wait for Shinsei to actually swim back to the boat, so she relaxed and waited for him to ferry the boat back to shore.
Modifiers: β’ Double Sealing: At body rank D and C costs are reduced by five [5]. At body rank B and A, costs are reduced by ten [10]. Finally at body rank S and S+ costs are reduced by fifteen [15] These reductions DO NOT stack and override their previous totals (D+C -5, B+A -10, S beyond -15). β’ Double Sealing Class: Learn 2 extra Ninjutsu per post β’ The Uzumaki learn 1 extra Ninjutsu per post. β’ The Uzumaki have deep chakra pools: +60 Chakra or +60 Stamina. β’ The Uzumaki have great life force, reducing effects of all sapping jutsu to one-quarter their normal effects. β’ No restrictions on Fuuin, other than normal ninjutsu learning limits and rank learning limits. Personal Attributes: β’ Overwhelming Presence: Sumiko possess vast reserves of natural chakra inside her body. +100 Chakra. β’ Soft Hands: Sumiko has really soft hands and prefers not to fight in CQC, allowing her to trade Buki and Tai style slots for 10 Nin/Gen slots (These can be split between the two, it isn't all or nothing). β’ Do As I Command: Sumiko has moved beyond needing even single handseals to preform Fuuin and Uzumaki Techniques. Only simple motions and gestures are required, but stronger techniques require more full body motions.
Shinsei had found the eel and the cargo, and Sumiko had wrapped it up nicely. She succeeded in defeating the beast and securing the cargo, returning it to the shore where the grateful woman proceeded to hug them both, despite how wet they - and their clothes - were. The Senju merely smiled faintly to the lady as she proceeded to speak of how she would inform the Kage of their bravery, and the two discovered that she was one of the higher-ranked office workers within the Central Administration Building. She was a bureaucrat, and garnering her support was highly beneficial as a result.
Being that the two of them were only Genin, she expressed great amazement in their dutifulness and skill alike. But with her kind words ended their obligation, and the mission was complete. Shinsei nodded once as he reached his fist out to Sumiko, giving her a 'brofist' as the two of them sat upon the shore of the Caldera Lake.
"Alright. I think we're good. Let's go do some more missions."
Shinsei had already run off by the time the old woman was done thanking Sumiko, mumbling something about a mission. Sumiko naturally chased after her partner in crime, cursing under her breath once she was out of the old woman's hearing range. "Tattekuso, doesn't this guy ever take a break." -exit-
Modifiers: β’ Double Sealing: At body rank D and C costs are reduced by five [5]. At body rank B and A, costs are reduced by ten [10]. Finally at body rank S and S+ costs are reduced by fifteen [15] These reductions DO NOT stack and override their previous totals (D+C -5, B+A -10, S beyond -15). β’ Double Sealing Class: Learn 2 extra Ninjutsu per post β’ The Uzumaki learn 1 extra Ninjutsu per post. β’ The Uzumaki have deep chakra pools: +60 Chakra or +60 Stamina. β’ The Uzumaki have great life force, reducing effects of all sapping jutsu to one-quarter their normal effects. β’ No restrictions on Fuuin, other than normal ninjutsu learning limits and rank learning limits. Personal Attributes: β’ Overwhelming Presence: Sumiko possess vast reserves of natural chakra inside her body. +100 Chakra. β’ Soft Hands: Sumiko has really soft hands and prefers not to fight in CQC, allowing her to trade Buki and Tai style slots for 10 Nin/Gen slots (These can be split between the two, it isn't all or nothing). β’ Do As I Command: Sumiko has moved beyond needing even single handseals to preform Fuuin and Uzumaki Techniques. Only simple motions and gestures are required, but stronger techniques require more full body motions.
"This is so beautiful..." Niko was in awe of the lake front as she and Hisashi made their way through. "Look at all the trees. They look so peaceful." There was an air of calmness that filled Niko's mind with a memory of her mother. It was of a story she told her around the time Hisashi joined the family. They were on a low bridge at a lake very similar to this one minus the cherry trees. She smiled as she thought on it.
"Once, when you were about three years old, I took my eyes off of you for just one second, and you fell right off of this very bridge. I was so scared but I acted without hesitation and dove right in after you. I searched and searched but I couldn't find you anywhere. When I came up, all I could do was panic. I thought I had lost you. Then, by miracle alone, I saw you. You were doing something I could've never expected. I knew in that moment you were a very special little girl." Niko looked up at her with curiosity. "What was I doing mommy?" Niko's mother looked back at her with the proudest of smiles.
Niko continued to smile as she and Hisashi walked away from the lake area. They had admired it long enough and Niko had a strange urge to go to the market. She had been thinking about her mother so it was only natural where she'd go when she got there. Out of both of her parents, Niko loved and respected her father, but had a strong connection with her mother. She did everything she could to learn from her mother whenever the opportunity presented itself. Her father was of the Hatake clan, so there lied one half of her lineage. Her mother however, was no slouch either.
"Alright Hisashi. It's time to go poison shopping." Hisashi barked in agreement, and then they were off.
As Niko and Hisashi walked into the lake area, Hisashi was suddenly attacked by a bird that appeared to be a hawk. It was brown with a black and yellow beak. βWhat the hell?! YOU WANNA GO?!β Hisashi barked in hopes of scaring the bird. He wasnβt having it. The hawk just kept circling Hisashi pecking at him. They tussled for a bit before the bird got tired. It flew into the sky before stopping and turning to Niko. It flapped itβs wings and as their eyes met, Niko could have sworn it was trying to tell her something. Then, the bird flew off. βYeah you better run! Trying to mess with me? You MUST be out yo mind!β Niko just laughed as she approached the lake front.
This lake was now one of Nikoβs favorite places in the village. This place reminded her of her mother so much. She definitely missed her parents, but she knew that there was nothing she could do to bring them back. Over the years, she had pushed those memories to the back of her mind. Now that she was settled, she had the time to reminisce. She loved them so much and all the memories she had were all meaningful to her in some way.
βNiko, have I ever told you about the day I met your father?β Niko shook her head. βNo mommy. Was it a good day?β Her mother laughed. βIt was definitely interesting. It all started on a day much like this...β
βHey Niko!β Hisashiβs bark was enough to bring her back. She turned to Hisashi as he barked again. βIβm not sure what youβre doing but we gotta get going. Itβs almost time to meet that Ryota guy.β Niko has almost forgotten about the training session. She looked back at the lake one more time before heading to the dojo.
tab A paper sat waiting in her hand as Lahlil's feet carried her to one of the only real places that she truly adored in the village. She should have been off on her mission of course but no matter how she tried it always felt like she had to muster up the energy just to step outside of the village these days. There was just so much anxiety all floating around in her mind and this seemed to be the only place she could clear it all out. Thus she had made it a point to always come back to here. Lahlil took in a large breathe until she felt that her lungs might burst before letting it all spill out in a drawn out sigh while simultaneously pressing on the underside of left rib-cage, a practice that her therapists had commonly asked her to preform. It was supposed to release endorphins but to be honest she had always lied about how it made her feel afterwards. Probably because so many people told her that it should work that she just started believing them.
Taking a step toward the water Lahlil reached in and skimmed her fingers along the pink colored waters. The sight filled Lahlil with such wonder at how something so incredibly beautiful could actually be natural. Drip.. Drip.. Drip.. Droplets fell from her fingers in perfect rhythm, each one causing a ripple across the water. Her reflection waving to and fro and... Lahlil squinted her eyes and removed her hand away from the surface.. That was.. odd I could have swore I just saw it- Her thought was interrupted as her watery reflection placed both of it's hands to the surface, something that she was definitely NOT doing. Panic flared up in Lahlil as her flashbacks were pulled up in her mind of a time when she couldn't distinguish reality from illusion.
The reflection didn't stop there however, and soon it erupted from the lake spilling pink liquid around like a mini geyser. Lahlil fell back on her butt and scrambled backwards unable to take her eyes off her clone. There was no doubt about it that it was her but.. something was off.. the expression didn't look like it meant harm and yet every alarm in her brain was telling her to run. That was when the clone lunged for her, or to be more accurate it lunged for her eyes. Snapping them shut and raising her arms instinctively Lahlil tried to scream but even the words choked in her throat. Immediately curling in the fetal position Lahlil, the real Lahlil. Desperately repeated the mantra she had learned from her Bat mentor. Like a child hoping against hope that their words would be enough to scare away the demons. Darkness is my comfort. You're not real. I will not let my sight blind me. You're not real, I will not let my sight blind me. You're not real, I will not let sight blind me. You're NOT real, I will not let my sight blind me.
Yes I am. Three simple words echoed in response throughout Lahlil's mind, and yet.. she wasn't the one who thought them. Their cold weight hung ominously in the air. No.. NO"NO" She screamed as loud as she could at the empty air in front of her. The clone vanished or more likely was never there in the first place, and yet in it's place? Something had shifted. Her dojutsu was activated, it's unmistakably red color eclipsed her entire eye and was pulsating with a new latent power. Lahlil simply sat there breathing heavily hoping no one had noticed her outburst.
Karuto appeared in front of Lahill. He had his back to her and his arms up, ready to fend off an attack he was sure was incoming. The Raiken had been on a leisurely walk trying to clear his head when he had heard a woman scream. Without thinking he moved as fast as he could to her- unsure of who it was. His eyes darted back and forth and his head turned as he looked for an opponent he could not find. After a tense few moments, he gave up and, instead, turned around to face...Ferrah? She was seated, wide-eyed and breathing rather heavily. Karuto knelt down and placed a hand on her upper arm, concern sounding in his voice "Ferrah, what happened?! Are you okay?!" He didn't know her particularly well, but they had interacted a few times before the fall of Sunagakure and, as with all ninja of Uzu, he considered her a precious thing to him
Evanescently Magnificent
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 4:19 pm
tab For a moment Lahlil felt relief spread through her that no one had heard her outburst. Then of course that all come crashing down just as quickly. It was only a split second, but the movement was faster than her eye could even catch. A figure standing tall, broad, and defiant was in front of her. A tense lock up followed as she was certain it must have been another illusion come to torment her. Whoever the figure was however, made no moves to injure or attack her. Instead they turned around revealing shaggy blonde hair and a beard to match and.. was that.. Karuto? Oh marbles. There Lahlil was, eyes so big they could rival the moon and filled to the brim with dread. It wasnβt enough for her to make a fool of herself in front of any old stranger no, she had to go and do it in front of someone she KNEW.
At she thought she knew him until she heard the name Ferrah. Ferrah? Who is he talking about? Confusion was apparent on her face her eyes trailed down to where he was holding her. Could he be fake as well? It wouldnβt be the first time she had actually felt an illusion touch her no, in fact it was a pretty common theme for them to have. Narrowing her eyes with an active Sakkuguan she could easily see his life force bearing it's blaze. Could an illusion even fake that? Tentatively Lahlil reached a finger out to poke him in the chest holding it there. Well.. it feels real. Glancing first around her suspiciously and then back at Karuto she leaned a bit closer to him. βKaruto..? Are.. are you uhm.. real?β
She was high. Had to be high. That was the conclusion his dumb Raiken brain came to. It would perfectly explain how weird she was acting. Still, who was he to judge? As she stared up at him, Karuto tried to keep a flat face but was kind of alarmed internally. She was usually such a level-headed girl that to see her like this was strange. When Ferrah reached out and touched him he looked down at her poking his chest, leaning in to hear her whisper "Uh, yeah, I'm real" She sounded sad- shocked even. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he wanted to cheer her up. Stepping back, he struck a heroic pose in which he extended his arms and flexed his considerable muscle mass "I mean, you can't fake being this ruggedly handsome" He said, giving the girl a mischievous grin before falling into a deep laugh at his own expense. He then approached her and did his best to help her stand- hopefully, his attempts at cheering her up worked!
Evanescently Magnificent
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 7:56 pm
tab Lahlil recoiled like she just stuck her finger in a pile of burning coals, her face probably matching their color from how red it must have turned. Oh. My. God. Lahlil you fool you just made it a thousand times worse! Throwing up her hands to cover her face the young girl fell backwards into the grass, rolling on her side in response to Karuto jest though the man might be able to pick up a small giggle. "Noooo! Don't look at me I'm embarrassed enough! And don't make me laugh!" Ohhh jeez oh marbles.. Lahlil you just up n touched him! The REAL one, and that's on top of him catching me going off like a cut snake! What he must think of me now! I have to salvage this somehow. Bouncing up from her crouched position Lahlil desperately floundered for any kind of distraction to get passed this just awful chain of events. "So! um.. I.. uhh.. yeahh"Come on think of something already! I knew you aren't that good in social situations but.. wait that's it!"Hey, you called me um.. Ferrah? Where did you.. get that name from..?" Lahlil took a small step forward nothing out of the ordinary and yet in that one single movement she collapsed. It felt sort of surreal to be honest, Lahlil hadn't even felt it coming on. It was just the snap of the fingers and the corners of her vision went out like a light. Tumbling forward into Karuto.
He recovered from his display of athleticism as Ferrah fell back on herself giggling in awkward embarrassment. Karuto grinned as he helped her to her feet before raising an eyebrow in response to her question βWhat do you mean? Thatβs your name dummy!β It was at that moment that the girl passed out. Quickly, but with a grace betraying his bulk, Karuto scooped the woman up and held her in his arm. Looking down at her, his face was a mask of worry βFerrah! Wake up!! Ferrah?!β He began searching the treeline, both to make double sure this wasnβt an attack and to chart a quick course out of here
Evanescently Magnificent
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:52 pm
tab Waking up felt like going through a long tunnel you just spent days in. Nothing but a narrow stretch when suddenly a blinding light hits you right in the face. At least that is how it was for Ferrah whenever she woke up, maybe because she's been having to force it more and more lately while in the past it was just sort of natural. At first she could only hear a distant sound and the sturdy rigidness of something holding her. It felt.. odd? And warm. Her eyelids fluttered open to the sight of Karuto holding her up in one of his enormous arms. It was the expected outcome but still being so close to another human being felt wrong. Face turning a shade lighter than pink and looking a bit upset Ferrah let a small cough signalling that she was awake again and in the clear. With a bit of a struggle the little girl tried to wiggle out of his grasp but accomplished very little despite that fact that she was only being held in place by a single arm. "Karuto I don't know whatever you saw me doing but I'm fine now I promise. Please.. let me go so I can catch my breath. I have something very serious to tell you."
After a brief moment of pass-ey-out-ey-ness Ferrah awoke once more. She was obviously a little embarrassed by the situation, so Karuto quickly obliged to put her down. He wasn't out to put anyone in an uncomfortable situation after all. Still, he couldn't help but notice the look in her eyes had shifted. She was...more rigid; confident even! It showed in both the tone of her voice the way she held herself. At her insistence that she had something to tell him Karuto crossed his arms over his chest "Okay, shoot" He said, giving her his full attention. His posture was relaxed but he was ready to move again should the girl have another 'episode.'
