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 Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 10:29 am
The Forest of Death is located not far from the Hidden Leaf village and is actually considered as one of the training areas for its shinobi. This huge forest is sometimes used for the chuunin exams, however most people come here to train and test their perception in the forest of death because of the many hazards it holds, some seemingly unnatural. This forest greatly differs from the other ones in Fire Country. Its huge trees grow so dense that it is always dark inside. Many vicious animals lurk in the forest, making anyone who dared enter stay on guard all the time. This place is so dangerous even jounin might not get away unharmed.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 2:26 pm
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They both sat there, after that, silence lingering between them, though Haikyo felt no need to say anything further. Instead he enjoyed the feeling of the breeze through his hair. He had not gotten the chance to change his clothing, as he had stayed in a new apartment and had no time to shop. So, as it stood, his peasant robe he wore, from before, to blend in to the Rain Country people he lived around, was burned and torn in multiple places, and there were still blood stains on the ragged attire. The wind ruffled the loose-fitting robes, but it was welcome--cooling his body and his turbulent mind. When the man spoke again, mentioning that the cart was approaching, and to have his money ready, Haikyo reached into the folds of his robe and pulled out a small sack of coin from the missions he had completed the previous day. The man stood up, preparing himself for the up and coming cart, and when the man stuck his hand out, grinning like he knew something nobody else did, Haikyo quirked a brow at him. Haikyo took a firm hold on the man's hand, and that was when the man spoke his name. Haikyo's jaw immediately clenched, and his hand unwittingly did the same as he looked at the man in front of him. Again...he felt no sign of a lie.
A good liar. Nothing more. Nothing less.
As soon as he had reached his feet, he let go of the man's hand, looking him up and down skeptically. "Do not insult my intelligence. Your strength barely rivals mine, let alone such a man. You've done an excellent job with your costume, but I am no idiot." He stated, clearly bemused by the man's attempt at impressing him. Who would be stupid enough to honestly believe such a farce? The man who ran the cart took their money, and when Haikyo got into the trundling vehicle, he did not speak, but instead sat on his own, his legs crossed and his eyes closed. He would remain this way, periodically opening his eyes to gaze around himself, and keep his bearings, before returning to his meditation. It didn't take long before they had arrived at the Forest of Death--easily recognizable by the massive tree structures there. He stood on the cart, hopping off the back of it and thanking the driver. "I hope you find your own way, sir. I honestly thought, when I first met you, you could be a great man. But no great man wears another's sandals." He stated, turning and beginning to walk toward the tree line.
[ooc: ]
Travel Word Count: 2067 Words
New Word Count: 620 / xxxx Words
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 3:03 pm
Sai raised a brow towards the boy. Restraining the need to squeeze back, he ignored the protest of his bones as Haikyo pressured his hand. It was not the first time he had experienced such a reaction nor would it be the last. Sai was not a common name and so to carry his full name was highly improbable. So while he was known to the world and his reputation carried a weight in and of itself, who would truly believe they were actually talking to the Sai Orasakai. It brought power to the meaning of hiding in plain sight.
Taking his hand back from the boy, Sai offered him nothing more than a shrug and followed him onto the back of the cart, paying his dues to the driver as he did. Resting his back against the side of the cart, he stretched his legs before him and leaned his head back so he could stare into the sky. Breathing in deeply, he let his eyes close for a moment..
The cool breeze turned to a freezing wind that attacked him relentlessly. He could hear the metal panels on his arm and leg guards whistling against the harsh winds. Hail pelted against him but he was unfazed as he waded through the thick snow until he found himself facing-
...Sai reopened his eyes as the cart came to a stop. The dense cluster of trees that blocked out the sun and cast deep green to the world told him that they had arrived at the Forest of Death. Pulling himself to a stand, he noticed that Haikyo was also getting off the cart here. "I don't wear sandals. No real foot protection, very unfashionable." He replied, climbing down from the cart. "You should honestly find yourself back on this cart before it leaves." Sai said absently, his eyes searching the tree tops, sighing only as the cart itself began to rattle its way back down the road. "Ah.. hurry, if you run you'll still catch it. This is no place for idiots." Sai turned to face the boy, his head cocked to the side, a grin spreading across his features. "Well maybe it's the perfect place for suicidal idiots."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 4:03 pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the car slowed to a halt, however, the man woke, and as Haikyo got off of the cart, giving his little spiel, Sai commented back--making a mockery of what he had just said. "I will be sure to remember that the next time I have a mission in a blizzard. Until then, they aught to do." He stated, tapping his sandals against the dirt for emphasis. As Sai continued on, however, stating that Haikyo aught to get back on the cart before it leaves, Haikyo ignored him completely. He dusted off his ragged, torn, and burnt clothing, and he began to walk his way through the grass along the side of the dirt road, moving in toward the trees, once again. "So, I take it you'll be getting back on that cart soon, then...or are you the suicidal one, I didn't quite get that." He stated, loud enough for the words to reach Sai, regardless of whether or not he was following in a similar direction. However, he did not turn to look at the man, he just kept his senses keen, in case of the man trying to blindside him in this secluded area.
Haikyo was neither an idiot, nor suicidal. He was a man who wished not to be observed. He wished to be alone--and he was confident in himself to a fault, always. He knew, from the people he had asked on his way here, that this was a dangerous place. However, dangerous or not, Haikyo was intent on practicing his skills, and with getting in touch with the Yomi lineage that he had long left to rust. Though he could not help but wonder if the man would be lurking around...perhaps he was a member of the Shadow Veil, sent here to get close to him. Perhaps he was an agent of the Land of Iron, here to exterminate the son of the Yomi Head. He did not know, but, he stopped, not too far from where they had gotten off of the cart, and paused, looking for a decent path before he followed forward again, keeping himself on high alert, though his body stayed relaxed, and without signs of his paranoia. He took a deep breath as he stopped, once again, this time having traveled a few hundred meters away from the road, into a thicker bit of forest, though not deep into the depths by any means. He could see the edge of the trees and the field beyond it, though he no longer saw the road. He decided that this area--a lightly forested section, rife with trees, though not overgrown, would work nicely for his training. He closed his eyes, feeling his soul reach out around him to the living things that were everywhere. They would tell him if he was in danger--they always did.
[ooc: ]
Travel Word Count: 2067 Words
New Word Count: 1625 / xxxx Words
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 6:26 pm
The child's voice carried away in a storm of cold fury, lost to the howling sounds of wind and ice that filled Sai's mind.
The boy knew. He wasn't hidden, he wasn't fooling him, the boy knew who he was and knew what he was thinking. No. That was impossible though.
The muscles in the man's jaw bunched with frustration. His vision focused in on Haikyo, on his movements. It was as if the boy was moving through molasses. Every movement was excruciatingly slow with every minute detail given ample enough time to examine.
But was it impossible? No. Sai knew better. The effects of Genjutsu were subtle and pervasive. He knew first hand how easily one's mind could be broken open and laid bare for another. He had suffered it... countless times..
The corner of his right eye pulled and twitched. His breathing became labored. Every muscle in his body tensing and relaxing like that of a beast.
He thought he had learned to control his barriers. He had trained, forced to train. Every day an eternity in the nightmarish hell that Vaun called home. He would not go back. Never.
The features of his face contorted until the guise of death itself was the mask he wore. Cautiously he watched his target enter the forest deeper. He took a step after and then another...
----
A rock shot at alarming speed in the general direction of Haikyo. It wouldn't have struck him from it's natural trajectory but it would be alarmingly close. From the direction it came from, Sai would be there. Leaned against the trunk of a large tree, a wolfish grin plastered across his face. "So.." He began, turning so he would roll from shoulder to back against the bark, his head tilting to look at the canopy above. "What did you mean by that?" He mused, a look of mania coming over his features as he let his head fall to his shoulder in a dangerous angle, his bright blue eyes shimmering eerily in the shadows of the tree. "And mind you... I'm not fond of lies. Let's just say, they give me the desire to carve out the truth myself."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 10:19 pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And then it was still.
As he entered the forest, the fear that had crept up his spine abated. The hair on his neck had found its way down to its normal position, and he knew he was safe. It had been one of the few moments in his life that he had doubted it--his own ability to survive. But he smiled as he stood there, feeling the living energy of everything around him--basking in it. With his submersion into the energy of life, his confidence and clarity were restored.
As Haikyo stood there, the trees around him gave him alarming feelings--his body growing still and alert. He knew the rock was coming as it cut through the forest, and he knew it was not going to strike him, so he stayed utterly still, allowing it to pass so close to his head that he could feel the breeze from the small stone. As he turned to face the man who had thrown it, his eyes widened and his body stiffened once more. The alarming feelings from the life around him persisted, and grew more intense. It was not very reassuring when everything around you thought you were toast. But he took a deep breath and breathed out heavily.
Sai spoke to him, and the look that etched its way into the porcelain mask of madness was frightening--though Haikyo stared him in the eye without faltering. When Sai had finished, he reached into his robes and he pulled out an ornate dagger, unsheathing it and slamming the blade down into a log, setting the sheath beside it. "My name is Haikyo Yomi, of the disgraced Yomi clan of Iron. The son of Shohan Haikyo, head of our clan. If I dishonor myself by being a lowly liar, then you can use my knife." He stated, his voice strong, confident, and unwavering.
"Ask me more specifically--Shinobi. And I will give you your answers."
[ooc: ]
Travel Word Count: 2067 Words
New Word Count: 2338 / xxxx Words
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 10:40 pm
It was as if his world shattered at that the very moment his eyes laid upon the dagger. A cold, tight hand gripped his throat. The pressure of it was immense, threatening to crush him. 'My son...' The dagger that Haikyo held in his hand was a rare weapon, there were only four ever made. Crafted in a city from a far away land, the weapons smith had died mysteriously after a stranger had paid him a visit to acquire the set of blades.
"That doesn't belong to you..." The words were strangled. They sounded so distant, so foreign to Sai's ears. His body felt heavy and hot. He wasn't sure when he had stopped leaning against the tree. Nor was he aware when he had unsheathed his own exact copy of the dagger. The fact that it was his own hand gripped tight against his throat, nails digging deep into skin, was too lost upon him.
The world was tilted wrong and all he could see was the boy before him. "..why?" The question was little more than a hoarse whisper that lingered in the air a moment too long, too slow... as it chased after the man who spoke it.
He had only taken a single step forward. One movement. And his face was inches away. His breath a warm pressure against the boys ear. His hand was no longer against his own throat but moments away from grabbing at the boy's own with a grip that would crush stone. The dagger clutched tightly in the other hand to ram into the midriff of the child.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 11:00 pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sai's speed was astounding. As Haikyo stood, his body loose, but prepared, he had no chance to guard against the man's speed. He was in front of him before he could move. It was, in fact, the man's own madness that stopped him from killing Haikyo right there. This feeling...was this man for real?
What had happened to Sai Orasakai? Could it truly...be?
He asked, 'why' as he clutched at his own throat, and Haikyo stood as still as death itself. He dared not move a muscle and provoke a nervous reaction or violent outburst. This man was unpredictable...this...ninja. His eyes trained themselves on the hand so near to his throat he could feel his beard hairs shift against his hand--the knife, tickling his side so closely that he could feel the razor sharp tip of it tracing over his skin. This ninja was willing to kill him.
Haikyo would die a man.
He stood straight, and though he did not move, he did not shy away from staring Sai directly in his blue eyes. Though, as his eyes drifted to the knife that Sai held against his side...he could not help but see the resemblance.
"That dagger was a gift from my father. I found it, addressed to me, before I left the country of Rain to come here. It was a gift--and it does belong to me." Haikyo growled, his voice was that of a caged tiger--rough and ferocious. "Why do you have the same knife? Is it truly such a common blade...? I was told the craftsmanship was...immaculate."
[ooc: ]
Travel Word Count: 2067 Words
New Word Count: 2919 / xxxx Words
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2017 11:22 pm
Sai's hand fell to the boy's shoulder, Throwing his full weight into his step, he slammed his forehead against' Haikyo, pulling him in as he did so before pushing back against his chest to knock him to the ground. Blood dripped from the point of impact. Whose blood it was was of no concern.
Dropping to kneel onto the boy's chest, Sai stabbed the knife into the ground beside his throat. "You must confuse me with someone else." He pressed against the hilt of the knife, the edge of the knife cutting through the ground like butter until it's edge hovered a breath away from the boy's neck, it's tip still firmly wedged into the earth.
For a long moment, Sai held his silence. His jaw muscle bunched but his seething anger was cooling to fast. With every passing moment he was being reminded that he was dealing with a child, and despite himself he was finding it disarming. "When your life is in someone's hands, you don't try to understand.. you try to live." He found himself saying. It was alarming, perhaps it was old age that left him wavering from hurting Haikyo. With a grunt he removed the pressure of his leg and rose to his feet, pulling his dagger with him.
Backing away, he pulled free the other dagger from where it had been stabbed. Holding the two blades against each other he looked at the boy. "There's only four in the world... I left one to my son. The other two are out there bouncing around." With a sigh, he dropped to a seat on the stump that had originally held the knife. Exhaustion was rapidly growing on him, he could feel the weight of it on his head, robbing him of his awareness and energy. His grip loosened on the two knives and he looked off to the side, his eyes seemingly watching something in the distance before grunting again. "Don't drop your guard." He grumbled, bringing his eyes back to focus on Haikyo. "Now tell me about your father. How old are you. And did you say Rain?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2017 11:08 am
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He clenched his teeth, still. If he were to die today, he would die has he had lived. Without fear. Without regret. A strong man. He would not unfold for this man. He began to push the knife toward Haikyo's throat, but he knew well enough by the man's soul. He could see it in his body--slowly calming from its roiling anger. It did not have the properties of a man who wanted to murder someone.
The knife stopped.
As Sai spoke to him, Haikyo hung on the man's words, but he scoffed at it as Sai stood up from kneeling on his chest. "Perhaps in many situations, your logic is sound. But, I decided to understand--and here I am. Alive after facing the legend of the Orasakai Clan." Haikyo stated with a grin, looking at Sai with growing relief and also respect.
"How can this be possible...if you truly are Sai Orasakai. How did you become...so weak? Pardon my saying, but the Sai of legend crushed kages, crushed bandits, he could destroy any foe that stood before him--there are few ninja in existence, or in the past, who have done the things attributed to his name. If you are he...how did this happen to you?" He asked. Grabbing the dagger that the man spoke about, wondering just what it all meant. How did his father get one of these daggers? A blade that there was only four of in the world...he hadn't realized just how rare a weapon he had been gifted.
"And you didn't think that it just might have been one of the other two of them? The ones that are just 'bouncing around' as you put it. A little quick on the judgement call that it wasn't mine. My father must have obtained one of the other two." He stated, thinking about the knives. When Sai asked about him, he stroked his beard, wondering just what to tell him of his father. "My father is a good man...and a strong man. Though he is cold, and unyielding, he is also warm, and compassionate. He is the head of the Yomi Clan, alongside my mother Galea Yomi. He is from a long line of the heads of the clan, a strong Yomi bloodline. He is forty-two years old. I am eighteen years old. And yes, they currently live in the Rain Country. We originated from the Land of Iron, where my clan's holy ground still stands. However, after a civil war within our Clan that almost ended up destroying the Lords of Iron alongside our entire Clan, we've been pushed across your shinobi lands." He stated, trying to explain his clan's history without going into details that weren't currently needed.
His eyes had been continuously scanning his surroundings as he spoke, and he felt something off within these forests, but he could not put his finger on it. It was as if the souls of these trees were worried, still, even though Sai had abated in his rage. "What did you mean by that? Not to drop my guard? Do you sense something?"
[ooc: ]
Travel Word Count: 2067 Words
New Word Count: 3909 / xxxx Words
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Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2017 11:13 pm
Sai touched his forehead absentmindedly. The warm blood stained his fingers red and sticky. With a shrug, he wiped them clean on the ground before regarding the boy before him. "Many people face me and live to tell the tale. Look I face you and you live. If I turn and face that tree or the ground, the sky or an animal, it would live wouldn't it? If I killed everyone I faced there would be no one to tell my tale and that would be quite boring." The man said calmly. Returning his dagger to it's sheath, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. For a moment he could feel the pressure in his body ease but it wasn't by much and it didn't last long before the exhaustion pressed against him yet again. "In any case, show some respect. Yes, I'm weak, as weak as you but you've never been in battle have you? You don't have a fear for death... yet. You'll learn that fear is your friend, it keeps you wise and sharp. Those without it die young. Tempt me and I'll prove my own words true."
Reopening his eyes, Sai let his blue eyes refocus on the boy. A hand raised to attempt in vain to rub the exhaustion from his face. "How? That's a good question. I should be dead if I remember correctly..." He closed his eyes again, the image of that b*****d Notwen shoving his sword through Sai's chest formed in his mind but it didn't stay. Yet again the shadowed face assaulted his mind and recoiled mentally. "But here I am.. in the wrong country, in a body that is mine yet not. Either someone has resurrected me or this is a cruel joke." The man casually shrugged and rose from his seat, "Not the first time I've died and returned or was supposed to die and survived. When you've lived for as many decades as I have, you learn to simply roll with it sometimes. Also... we're in the Forest of Death, never drop your guard."
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2017 1:32 pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After Sai rose, taking his leg off of Haikyo's chest, and allowing him free motion, once more, he listened carefully to what Sai had to say, hanging off of his words, though still skeptical of whether or not this could possibly be some sort of truth. He could not be convinced without tangible evidence. Though, he had to admit, the man did seem to fit the bill. Haikyo scratched his chin as he looked the man over, glad to have been released from the man's knee. Haikyo reached up and cracked his neck, the audible pop sounding as he freed the pent up stress in his body. "Quite the mystery...resurrected, but without knowledge of who might have done the deed...or why." He stated, stroking his beard. He was merely thinking out loud, though, and didn't mean it in a skeptical or judgmental way. When he finished off on the note that they were currently in the Forest of Death, and that they should always be vigilant, Haikyo nodded.
"Of course, yes. I just wasn't sure if you had noticed something in particular that I had not, as of yet. As for my guard--I will make sure I keep myself alert." He stated with a nod, his eyes keeping watch on his surroundings. He thought about it for a second--a question, due to the circumstances, that he was not able to ask before. He looked at Sai and stroked his chin with a quirked brow. "If you don't mind me asking, why is it that you came here, to the Forest of Death?"
[ooc: ]
Travel Word Count: 2067 Words
New Word Count: 4711 / xxxx Words
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2017 1:59 pm
Sai raised a brow towards the boy and grunted softly, "I know one thing, the b*****d who stabbed me. I never forget a face and his is one that has plagued me for years." The man tapped the bridge of his nose with his finger, his eyes shifting to watch something move through the canopy above before resting back onto Haikyo.
"Oh, yeah, I did notice something but don't worry about it." The man said. With his free hand he twirled Haikyo's dagger before tossing it towards him hilt first. "Of course, keep that handy. If it is from your father, I'm sure he wouldn't want you to loose it. But just think on this for a bit: four daggers, I own two and two are freely circulating the world, if the daggers originate from a city in Earth Country and they are as powerful as they are rare, what is your father doing with one? Just think on it, maybe try to track back on it and should you come to the same realization that I have, return that dagger to me because it is mine."
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2017 2:26 pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sai brushed off the question about if he had noticed something or not, and he nodded slowly. Well, if Sai didn't want to share...it must just be nothing...or something that Sai didn't want to make a fuss about. Perhaps because he wasn't sure himself if something was there or not. It was at that point that Sai tossed the dagger back to him, and Haikyo deftly caught it by the handle, snatching it and returning it to the robes quickly, securing it in a pocket along the side of the robe. Haikyo stroked his chin, slowly, wondering just what this man was getting at. The daggers were rare...and from Earth Country...meaning it was likely that they wouldn't make it too far out of the country, without some extenuating circumstances. People would want to keep them as close as possible. However, he had given his son one of these daggers.
"So...if your son had the other blade of yours. Then...perhaps my father met your son...sometime before the dagger was left to me, by my father. Perhaps they had some sort of run in where your son gifted my father the blade? But...to me, it still seems far more likely that it must be one of the other two blades. Nobody in their right mind would part with something of that rarity. Do you not know where your son is? Might he have the answers readily available if we just asked? At least that would eliminate the question of whether or not it is one of yours." Haikyo asked, wondering why that didn't seem the easiest answer of all. Though, of course, the man's son might live on the other side of the world.
[ooc: ]
Travel Word Count: 2067 Words
New Word Count: 5264 / xxxx Words
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