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Gokaroh entered the room just as Yuki finished his bit about exhaustion. He scratched the back of his head, and said rather sheepishly, "Well, it turns out I don't know the streets as well as I used to. I meant to find a restaurant, but things have changed a bit since the last time I've been in this side of town. I decided I should come back and see how you're doing, perhaps keep you company, but I ran into the third fellow in your group, and he says that you completed the puzzle. Is that true-" He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes fell on the opened box, "Brilliant! Brilliant indeed. I owe your squad a debt, as I offered before. Here, split this pile amongst yourselves. It should come out to about one hundred and fifty ryo a piece. Give or take." Gokaroh had pulled a moderate sized coin wallet from his belt and threw it on the table, "I'll be on my way then. I can't wait to see the looks on the other archaeologists' faces when I show them the insides of this puzzlebox! It's just a piece of junk, they said. It probobly doesn't even do anything, they said. Now, I'll show them otherwise. Hehehe..." Gokaroh chuckled to himself as he analyzed the box.

Hisaki entered the room as he began. His eyes darted to the box in hand, then to the coin wallet on the table. Kaching! Hisaki walked over to the group and said, "So, does that mean we're done for the evening?"

(239 lines)

Hiaski looked at Yuki with a certain brand of contemptment. He knew that his friend was skilled as far as genin go, but Jeez, does he have to sound like such a royal a**? Missions are missions. Deal with them... Hisaki stood up, and shook Gokuro's hand, "Well, it was surely a good time working with you sir. Please enjoy your puzzlebox." In the backround, Yuki began to speak again, ""I also think we should sign up for the Chuunin exams before we leave the office, it'll be good training for us both physically and mentally. I heard they were coming sometime soon and figured we can pull through it with our teamwork capabilities."

Hisaki's jaw dropped at the idea, but he did his best to maintain a calm, collected, business-like, and professional attitude. Unfortunately, Hisaki's control wasn't that great, "THE CHUUNIN EXAMS?! We can sign up for those! I'm totally doing it!" Hisaki jumped pumping his fist in the air.

As soon as he touched ground, Hisaki mentally noted his loss of control, and turned to the older man with the box, "Well then. Like I was saying... Ummm... Why don't I give you directions out of Konoha? Come on, I'll show you to the door." Hisaki lead the way out of the room, and said, "Yuki, put my name down for those Exams, and Aya, you should totally join too! It'll be a great chance for us to Team up for real. I'll lead him out of the village. You guys ought to go home and get some rest. I heard a rumor that the exams are starting in the next few days, so we'll need our strength up if we plan on getting anywhere." Hisaki gave his teammates a thumbs up, then escorted Kagetsu Gokaroh down the nearest staircase and out the main doors of the Mission Offices.

(269 lines)

((Sorry to blast this out like this, but I need the lines sweatdrop . There's a summary below btw.))

Hisaki lead the Gokuroh out of the village without trouble. Unless you count the endless babblings of an excited oldster. As Hisaki walked home, the echoes of the archaeologist stuck to his head like peanut butter. After losing Gokaroh at the gates, Hisaki was able to pick up the pace and sprint home. He freeran over buildings and fences, and made it home in record time.

Hisaki slammed the door shut on the way into his parent's house. Upon entering, he followed his parent's custom of removing their outdoor shoes, and replacing them with a pair of indoor slippers. Hisaki's stood out from the normal ones that his father and mother wore, as well as the extras meant for guests. His were made of a brown towel-textured material with a cushioned toe area that ended in a flat face. On each flat face were a pair of black buttons and a red and white area that looked like a mouth. Two plush arms were on each slipper, making the slippers seem to cry out in surprise or excitement. With Domo slippers on his feet, he entered the main hallway of his house. To his left was his kitchen, which was dim. The only light came from a small night light across the room. Hisaki looked to his left. The living room seemed empty too. It was dead silent, and the television wasn't on. Chances were, his father and mother were upstairs watching the TV or getting ready to sleep. Hisaki began to walk up the stairs to the second floor when something soft came from nowhere and hit him in the face. The surprise of the sudden plush attack sent him falling down to the floor with a loud thud.

“WHAT THE HELL DAD!” Hisaki yelled as the lights flickered on. Like he'd predicted, his father stood on the stairs, foot in the air. Hisaki got up with a grumble, “Good evening to you too. I WAS going to come up and tell you and mom that I'm joining the chuunin exams, but I really don't feel in the surprising mood anymore.”

Kasei frowned at first, then erased the sour face with a grin, “Awesome kiddo, why don't we have a chat about it in the living room, eh?” Kasei didn't waste a moment. He jumped through the air, and toadstool hopped off of Hisaki's face over to the threshold of the living room. Hisaki grumbled, rubbing his reddened face, and followed sulkily after his father. Not even a second after he entered the room, he was pelted by a small scroll. The wooden center left a red mark in the center of his forehead. Hisaki rubbed the pain away rabidly as his father spoke from across the room, “Son, what you have at your feet is the last technique scroll I'll be giving you. In it is a secret. Now! Don't act too excited! This is serious business.” Hisaki maintained a poker face the entire time, really regretting being born to such a goofball, “Now listen, kiddo. In this scroll is a secret I've been hiding from you for a pretty long time; in this scroll is the truth about where your power comes from. Like... the Realm Justu I've taught you. This scroll will show you how to find my... 'source of inspiration' so to speak. With it, you'll be able to find and learn your own jutsu, not just the ones I've passed down to you.”

Hisaki picked up the scroll, and opened in it. Inside was a single line of text, followed by the name of the Technique: “First Realm: Visions of Parallel Torments?” Kasei nodded, and following his father's gesture, he read the incantation. It was short, but so were many of the easy ones, “I see the World with another light. First Realm: Visions of Parallel Torments.” Hisaki paused, nothing happened because he said it without meaning. Intentionally of course. “What does it do?”

Kasei grinned, “Astral Projection, my boy. With this, you can project your soul outward to about fifty feet maximum. After that, things get a little weird. In some cases, being able to do this is actually better than using the Byakugan. It lets you see a scenario from another perspective, hinted at by the incantation. Before you ask, it has another use. Remember how I said that after fifty feet, things get strange? Well, when you extend past that fifty foot range, you enter a sort of spirit world. From there, you can actually visit other planes of existences, such as the afterlife. Now, most afterlives are difficult to get to, but the one I want you to is a bit simpler. Just follow your instincts. If they say go left, you go left, if they say up, you move up. Got it?”

Hisaki nodded, “But why are we doing this now? I have to get rest and train for the Exams! I don't have time for meditation and whatever else you want me to do!” Hisaki's mouth was suddenly covered by his father's hand. Kasei's other hand wrapped around his child, and a gentle whisper traveled to Hisaki's ear, “This is your training, Hisaki. I can't let you risk your life in real, unadulterated combat without having a clue where these powers are coming from. The power in your hands is very destructive, and to control it, you need to understand it. You know I'm trying to be a cool dad most of the time. Your mother and I try to let you control your own fate as far as being a ninja goes, but I don't want you getting hurt because you're unexperienced.”

Hisaki pulled back from his father's embrace, and scoffed, “Don't worry pops. Hisaki won't be going down in a test like this. I'll be fine, not just fine, but I'll be coming out a Chuunin at the end. You can count on that!” Hisaki gave a goofy thumbs up. Apparently, the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree.

Kasei gave the genin a pat on the back, “Why don't you go upstairs and try out that technique, ok? Just follow your instincts when you explore? That's how you'll get to where you need to go. Oh, and bring the scroll that holds the Sword of Oblivion. It's one of the ones I gave you earlier today. I know how much you hate swordsmanship, but you'll need it, believe me. Now get to it.”

Hisaki nodded, and sprinted up the stairs into his room. It was messy, just like a teenagers room usually is, and it was small, just like a teenager's room usually is. There was an unkempt bed to the far wall, a small television to the right of the door, and a cabinet with all sorts of ninja gear hanging off of it. On the top of the cabinet were a few caps which Hisaki would routinely switch. Today, he was wearing his three pointed jester one (or his everyday hat), but in the coming days, he'd switch to his single point hat (his lucky hat). The single point one looked a lot like a sleeping cap, except for the fact that next to it was an entirely separate hat made for sleeping in.

Hisaki quickly got dressed in his night clothes, and took a seat on the floor. Before him, he layed out two scrolls, the first was the one that had the incantation he had to memorize, the second had the sword he needed. Hisaki first activated the sword-carrying scroll, and pulled out the sword his father called 'Sword of Oblivion'. With a poof of smoke and steam, it appeared layed out on the scroll. It was a generous gift indeed. It was a full sized katana. Every part of it was jet black, but it seemed to sparkle with the gleam of an ocean wave. As much as he hated working with swords, Hisaki didn't mind this blade. It was truly beautiful, and something seemed right about it. He laid it in front of his knees where he kneeled, and concentrated his chakra. He made one final check with the incantation text, then said, “ I see the World with another light. First Realm: Visions of Parallel Torments”

Suddenly, his body convulsed, then slumped over the sword in front of him. His knees slid backward, making him fall into a sort of coma right in the middle of his bedroom. Meanwhile, in another state of existance, Hisaki watched his soul-less body slink to the floor, “Well, it definitely worked, didn't it?” Hisaki looked at his pale, ghostly hands and feet. He wasn't really touching the floor, but instead it seemed like he was floating slightly. Hisaki tried to make contact with things around him, to try to propel himself, but his hands simply phased through objects. “Maybe if I will myself?” Hisaki imagined himself moving forward, and forward he went. Hisaki strafed around his room, floating up and over objects, trying to get a hang of how he was supposed to move while projecting. Once he felt secure with that, he remembered his father's instructions: First off, he needed the Sword of Oblivion. Second, he needed to follow his instincts when it came to direction. Following those instructions would bring him to where he needed to go. Hisaki looked down at the black blade with the blue sheen and grabbed for it. In this state, he had few expectations. He had glided through every other object in the room. Surprisingly though, when his hand touched the grip, the sword was solid. Hisaki pulled the blade up, or maybe the soul of the blade, he wasn't really sure. Nevertheless, he had a ghostly duplicate in his hand, and another solid one on the floor. Hisaki gazed at the glassy spiritual blade in his see-through hands, and tried to find a spot for it on his person. Luckily for him, his night clothes seemed to have room for a belt, so it wasn't too hard to make a temporary hold for it until he needed it.

With a quick recap of the instict-order, Hisaki took off through the walls of his house into the world outside. From here, everything seemed to be the same. The mailbox hadn't changed, neither did the house next to him, or the one across the street. From here, he could even make out the Hokage faces! The genin made a frown, “I thought things got weird at fifty feet? How can I make everything out so perfectly then?” Hisaki shrugged, then flew off into the streets.

As soon as he got a block away, he began to see what his father was talking about. Things didn't look right. Some things were warped and distorted, and others seemed out of place. Hisaki saw that entire buildings were missing, and others that he had never seen before. The air suddenly seemed cold, unseasonably cold for this time of night at this time of year. Hisaki shivered slightly, and as he observed his surroundings, they seemed to shiver with him. With a white cloud coming from his mouth, Hisaki said, “He wasn't kidding when he said that it would get weird... Where am I supposed to be going again? I was supposed to follow my gut, but I'm not feeling too keen on any direct-” His eyes caught sight of a shadow on the ground. It looked rather like a hole. That's when the taught came to him, “Go down?” His mind didn't like it, but his insticts told him to go. Hisaki knew his orders, and let himself sink into the ground.

Hisaki was sinking into the ground. Inch by inch and foot by foot, all he could see was sand and dirt and rocks. Occasionally, he'd stuble into a cold watery cave or a pocket of geodes. As beautiful as some of the sights where, it was all very claustrophobic. If being stuck in a closet or a box was bad, taking up the same place in space as a rock was terrifying. Not to mention, it was wicked cold down this far. Without the sun to warm it, these rocks were ice cold. Well, up until a certain point. Hisaki delved down so far until he chanced upon a cave, hollowed out by a river of lava.

This cave, he could feel that he was supposed to follow it. The cave was stifling hot and seemed to be made of flames. Fire ignited in the stagnant air, and black clouds of smoke rose from the burning rock below. Hisaki flew through the passageway, and reached a great opening. Rivers of fire circled a central rock, and some sort of structure.

In the shimmering heat, Hisaki could barely make it out, but it seemed to be a torii, a sacred gate. Hisaki flew down, and landed on the massive platform that the gate stood on. He was definitely right. It was a torii, a massive ornamental Myojin Torii. The legs and lower shelf were a charred red, with the top piece an ashen black. Hisaki walked up to the gate, and stood a few feet from directly underneath the massive arch, “What the hell is this thing?”

A croaking voice to Hisaki's left said, “This is hell. You're holding up the line, so get out of the way.” Hisaki jumped, away from where he stood, and twenty or so blue flames shot under the gate, vanishing as they went through. Hisaki looked for who had spoken. It was then that a mirage-like image began to appear. There was a large stand that looked like it was for a judge, and inside the judge's seat was a demon.

Sitting, its body stretched above the table eight feet. It had an anorexic build, with light purple skin and long, messy, white hair. Two black horns curled out of the silky hair. Its long, white cloak flowed over the beast's entire body, although it barely covered the tight skin of his chest that revealed almost every rib. The demon's face was long and skinny; on it were dangerous jet black eyes with bone white irises that seemed to stare into your soul. Below them were angry curling lips that revealed shining black teeth.

Hisaki was paralyzed with fear. He fell backwards, “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU!?” The demon groaned, and pulled his soul reaping tanto from the stand as he got up. The demon exploded into a cloud of gas, then reappeared in front of the gate, “I am Shinigami, the god of Death and the Judge of Souls that pass into the netherworld. So stop staring at me like I'm a freakshow, it's rude.” Hisaki closed his mouth, and got up shakily, “S-s-sorry, I've never seen any... one like you before... sir...” Hisaki was trying not to hit the wrong cord with this guy. Messing with death just sounded plain stupid.

Shinigami stared down at Hisaki, “Well... Don't do it again. What are you doing here anyways. You don't look like the type I deal with down here.” With an explosion of smoke, a giant tome appeared in his hands. The pages flew open themselves, and the Shinigami looked down at the pages, “No. You're not dead... not yet... So kid, what are you doing in hell?”

Hisaki looked around, “This is hell? I expected it to be... more tormenting.” The death god put his hand to his face, and Hisaki got the message, and pointed to the gate, “Oh, it's through there, isn't it.” The Shinigami nodded, and Hisaki made a, “Ahuh,” sound, before he said, “Well, you see, I'm here to find out the source of my powers. I assume it's hell, so I guess I can go then...”

“So you're one of them. No kid, you aren't going back yet. Ninja who come here to understand their jutsu don't just see the gate. Well, I've never seen them take a look then leave before. Usually, they go in and take a look, then maybe come back again later. You're probably from the Yakedo clan, right? They tend to send their ninja-children down here, but I haven't seen one in decades. Besides that one guy, Kasei... Are you his kid?” Hisaki nodded, “Ahh, that makes sense. Come on kid, Limbo is right through there. You need to at least get that far.” Hisaki nodded, and stepped through the gateway. Colors flew around him and engulfed his senses. As the mixtured turned to red, his mind began to whirl and blur.

* * *


Hisaki's eyes opened and he felt himself laying on the cold, hard floor. He had a headache as painful as he could ever have, but he felt somehow... enlightened. He sat up, and looked out the window, it was morning. He'd be training with his squad in hours, but he felt like he didn't get an ounce of sleep.

Hisaki got up, and opened his door. As he opened it, there was a blast of sound, “G'MORNING HISAKI!” The young genin fell backwards, slamming into his back wall and to the ground with a loud thud. Standing over him was his father, who must have been waiting for him to come-to, “Hisaki? How'd it go?” The hell-bending ninja scratched the back of his head, “It was weird. I don't remember any of it right now... It's kinda like a dream... But I remember... how... to do this!” Hisaki stretched out his right hand, and beneath his breath, said an incantation: “Scorn chastity and spite purity! These are the Claws of the Succubus! Second Realm: Talons of Eros.” Visible, red chakra exploded from each finger on Hisaki's right hand. The chakra formed a claw over the tip of each finger, and extended outwards by six inches. After making a definite shape, the claws grew bright red and yellow, and visibly heated the air. Watching the jutsu in action Hisaki donned an evil smile, “I think I just found my new trump card...”

((TLDR: Hisaki lead Gokaroh out of the village, learned how to astral project, and took a visit to Hell. After coming back to the real world, Hisaki can barely remember his trip as if it were a dream. However, he does a new technique.))

((284 + 162 = 446 lines))

Kasei glanced over at his son, "That's all well and good. I'm glad that you learned a new move, but don't those exams start later today?" Hisaki's sleepy eyes widened, and his jaw dropped, "CRAP! THEY'RE TODAY!?" Hisaki jumped and slipper-kicked his father out of his room, "GOTTA GET CHANGED!" Hisaki slammed the door behind his bewildered dad, and quickly threw his hat onto the shelf behind him. In a haste, he threw off his nightclothes and rustled through his things to find a fresh pair.



Hisaki ran out of the house, and started running in circles, "We're gonna be late! I don't know where to find them! They could already be at the gate, or at the offices, or at home! They might not have even gotten up yet! GAH" Hisaki saw the grinning face of his father in the doorway. Instantly he stopped running, "It isn't really today, is it? Son of a..." Hisaki turned away sulkily, "It's tomarrow... Ain't it... That means that if we leave today, we can make it there by tomarrow, on time..." Hisaki turned around and waved, "See you around, old man. Be back after the exams..." Hisaki walked off, trying to figure out where his teammates would show up.

((534 lines))

Hisaki decided that his first stop would be the Northern Gate. If the others were on there way out, they'd go there first. Hisaki picked up the pace and dashed from building to building, doing what training he could do before walking to Otogakure. It wasn't long until he caught site of the gates. With an added burst of speed, he jumped off of a building, and slid into the clearing in front of the Northern Gates.

Upon sticking his landing, Hisaki caught sight of Aya Hyuuga, cousin and teammate. He straightened up and brushed himself off, "Hey there Aya! You ready for the- Cart?" Hisaki walked up to the cart beside her, "Is this for getting us to the exams?"

(553 lines)

Aya smiled as Hisaki lands and then a little after was Yuki she then waved her hand over the cart, it wasn't really that grand but it was green and looked fairly well made. "Yeah I got a cart, well my mum did, it takes about one to two days to walk to Otogakure but it onlys takes about six-ish hours with a cart like this, also it will give us sometime to get to know each other, so lets go unless you guys still have stuff to get". Aya said happily as she hopped into the cart and waited for the others, she had taken the far corner of the carts sitting area, once they were all on the car set off.

While traveling Aya talked a little about her self, and on the mission she had been on before joining there team, how the mission was only meant to be going to check on the town of Markry, how she had taken a boat off to a small island town only to find it was now a devoid of life, then headed toward a mountain or volcano on the other side of the island when it started to go off, followed by her getting separated in a forest from her teammate Phaeton while dodging a large chunk of flying rock, once she got to the mountain she found some ninja fighting some strange guys in a robes, which she held defeat followed by the monstrous worm they had made with the dead bodies of all the villagers of Markry, which she then again help them defeat using her fire jutsu, once it was turned into a pool of sludge she ran off to the boat where she meet up with her Phaeton before heading home.



|| OOC - If you guy want to do another round of posting, that's fine, if not lets just move to the other thread. ||