A/N: Yet another edit...yaaay...not much to say here other than as of now, I've made some decent progress in regards to the chapters I've written, yet haven't released. I'm currently writing the Chuunin Exams, but sometimes you gotta just take a break from writing and edit your old stuff, amiright or amiright? Hope you enjoy the chapter! :)
A sharp pain was present in Ketsui's nose, it's constant subtle pulsating being just enough to slowly bring him out of his unconscious state. He was breathing slowly, dazed and confused by the blinding light which beamed into his face. He blinked a few times and squinted, realizing that the blinding whiteness was a simple ceiling light. Still confused, his eyes slowly panned the room. He was in a clinic of some sort; the walls and ceiling were white and the ceiling lights beamed as if they were brand new. From what he was able to see, he was on the far right side of a room, the only other people in there with him being a rather bored Sakana along with a quivering Tsuyo. He decided not to let them know that he was awake yet, wanting a small moment of peace to himself before resuming his role as a jounin leader. He tried moving his neck, but gritted his teeth and shut his eyes when the strained muscles in it tensed up like a knot. Unamused, he turned his attention to an open window right next to him, the crescent moon's light beaming down on him. The sight was a calming one, and probably would have helped Ketsui relax had it not been for the heart rate monitor attached to him, which was beeping constantly.
His eyes wandered back to the ceiling directly above him as he began to think. Just what was he doing here? How long was he out? How badly was he hurt? He had so many questions, but didn't know if Sakana and Tsuyo would have the answers he wanted. He slowly lifted his trembling hand to his nose and felt it, noticing that there was a bandage applied over the bridge of it. He winced a bit, the slightest pressure making pain shoot through his face as if a thousand needles had pierced it. He groaned and sat himself upright on the medical bed, his entire body trembling from chakra exhaustion.
"Sakana, he's waking up," he heard Tsuyo say in a very excited tone from across the room. Sakana, who was practically falling asleep, snapped her head up and looked straight at her sensei to see if it was a bluff.
The Man of Five looked to his side to see both genin quickly making their way to him, Sakana sporting fresh bandages on her arms. Ketsui sighed quietly when he saw this, relieved that she didn't do anything reckless when he had left her.
"How do you feel, sensei," she inquired with slight concern in her voice, which made Tsuyo look at her in a somewhat amazed way. In fact, Ketsui was a bit surprised to hear an emotion other than anger come from her as well, the slight raise of his brow portraying it.
He just stared at the two genin, slightly dazed. "What happened...where am..." and then he remembered. He remembered what happened before he passed out. He remembered Jiyuu, his unconscious body laying inside that glass shell as he disappeared with Senshoku into the mirror. His pupils shrank as began ripping the wires off of himself as he got off the bed, the heart rate monitor flat-lining and letting out a loud, continuous noise after he pulled it's wire off of him. "Jiyuu, I've gotta find him," he said to himself like a crazed maniac.
"W-what happened to him," Tsuyo asked as he backed away, both scared and worried.
Ketsui noticed that his vest was not on and his pouches were missing, meaning he was only in the dark blue, long sleeve shirt and pants that most Mist shinobi wore. He began searching the room frantically for them, looking in drawers and cabinets that held nothing but medical supplies. "Senshoku has him, I've gotta find him, I've gotta-"
"Sensei, you have barely any chakra. You can't do anything," Sakana said in a more skeptical voice than before, crossing her arms slowly. "You need rest, we'll look for Jiyuu when you finish recovering."
"No Sakana, we're headin' out to look for him NOW! He's your teammate, and my son. If anythin' happened to him..." he stopped looking for his stuff and gritted his teeth as a light growl escaped him, trying hard to ignore the fact that it was a cold-hearted killer who had taken Jiyuu rather than some ordinary thugs. He quickly snapped his head around and looked right at the genin, only Tsuyo visibly flinching from the sudden movement. "Where's my gear," he asked impatiently.
Tsuyo nervously bit his lip, as if not wanting to tell him. He didn't want to see Ketsui do anything rash, knowing that being rash was the very reason he ended up here. Sakana, on the other hand, didn't think too hard about the matter at hand.
"In the clinic's main office, right by the entrance. We'll grab your stuff when we get out of here," she said calmly.
Ketsui looked over at the damn heart rate monitor which kept on making that obnoxious sound. He went over to it and shut it off by ripping it's cord from the wall, and then looked back at the genin. "Let's get movin', now."
"Where are we g-going," Tsuyo inquired as he fixed his glasses.
"The Hidden Smoke Village. No doubt, if Senshoku's got a forehead protector from that village, then he's guaranteed to have some sorta hideout there. We're wastin' time, come on," Ketsui ordered as he left the room in a hurry, walking past all the medical personnel who were on their way to his room to see what the flatline was about. Sakana and Tsuyo followed silently, ready to find their missing comrade.
A few hours had passed as the team dashed across the sandy dunes between the previous village and their destination, the sun beginning to rise in the distance as the moon retreated behind them. Ketsui had been informed about a lot of things ever since they departed, like the fact that the head of the village they just left had contacted the Kazekage about what happened. Apparently the Kazekage had sent a team to assist Ketsui in the hunt for Senshoku, and they would meet up with each other at the entrance to the Hidden Smoke Village. While this brought some ease to Ketsui's mind, he still couldn't help but worry for the safety of his son...his son who he had so recklessly brought into this mission when it became S-ranked. He felt extremely guilty, knowing that anything Jiyuu went through would be on his head.
"Ketsui-sensei, can you tell me what that Freezing Release thing was," Tsuyo asked as he attempted to bring the man's mind out of it's bottomless abyss of worry.
Ketsui stayed silent for a moment, contemplating if he should tell the boy of his secrets. He was your average man who had the fortune of coming across the right person at the right time, granting him a tool which would be with him until the very end; a forbidden tool which granted him the title of 'The Man of Five'. However, the tool was forbidden for good reason: if the user was not careful, then death would be imminent. He could be labeled as an S-ranked criminal himself had he not been on good terms with the Mizukage.
Well...I guess he'll just find out overtime anyways, Ketsui thought before deciding to share his secret.
"Freezing Release is one of two advanced Ice Release techniques, the other bein' Frost Release. Freezing Release is brought out by addin' yin chakra into the Ice Release. And before you ask, no, I ain't part of the Yuki clan. I can't use the Ice Release naturally."
Sakana found herself knitting her brow in confusion, not knowing how to piece the puzzle together. "If that's the case, then how can you use it?"
"Simple: I found another way to use it, a very harmful way that I don't tell anybody about."
Tsuyo seemed worried. "Harmful? Why is it harmful?"
"My natural chakra's wind-natured, but I dunno what my second nature is. In fact, I don't think I'd even be able to bring it out. The Yuki clan's kekkei genkai, Ice Release, is a combination of water and wind chakra. I found a way to use water chakra, among others, despite not having the correct chakra nature, but...let's just say that the method I used is forbidden. Forbidden 'cause of how easily it can kill you if you're not careful."
The two genin fell silent as they glanced at each other before Sakana looked back at Ketsui. "So, when you used that Earth Release technique back there, was that also-"
"Yeah, yeah it was. You remember when Senshoku called me 'The Man of Five?'," he asked the genin before looking over his shoulder at the two. They both nodded, anxious to hear Ketsui's explanation for the title. The jounin looked ahead and furrowed his brow, somewhat reluctant to reveal the truth.
If I tell them now, there's a chance that they'll talk about it in public without thinkin'. Do I really trust 'em enough to let 'em in on the secret? Well...not yet, not exactly...but Tsuyo's a good kid, and Sakana's pretty loyal. Besides, we're a team. We should know everythin' 'bout each other...yeah, what the hell...
"They call me 'The Man of Five' because I'm capable of using all five elemental chakra natures...well, technically I can use all seven, but I only know how to perform jutsu with the main five." He didn't need to look back to see the expressions on the faces of the genin. He felt like he knew them well enough to guess how they reacted. Tsuyo, being a bookworm, probably never heard of such a thing from someone other than the Sage of Six Paths, so the boy's jaw was probably hanging from the rest of his head. Sakana, more reluctant to show emotions other than anger and blood lust, probably would just squint at him with curiosity. Ketsui decided to glance over his shoulder quickly, and smirked when he realized that his predictions were spot-on.
"B-but that's impossible!" Tsuyo stammered. "How can you-"
Ketsui looked ahead again, focusing on the distant horizon as the sun started to rise higher and higher, bringing forth light to the dead, dry desert sands of the country. "I've got seven seals on my body, each one representin' a specific element. They look like normal tattoos and spread across my entire body, but they absorb small amounts of excess chakra from people around me. Overtime, it all builds up and grants me enough to actually use the seals for their intended purpose: They allow me to change my own chakra nature once I open them, and I can open more than one at a single time, but the amount of chakra it takes to open a single seal is disgustin'. I've gotta choose the nature carefully durin' battle 'cause I can't afford to just switch constantly; I'd die before layin' a finger on the enemy. Also, although it's pretty obvious, the more complicated natures need more chakra to use. Freezing Release is a combination of wind and water to make ice, plus the yin chakra that needs to be added on top of that. That's more than half of my full chakra supply, plus it also needs a large amount to just cast a jutsu usin' Freezing Release. I was practically empty when I found..."
And that's when Ketsui frowned, remembering why they were in such a hurry to get to the Hidden Smoke to begin with. Jiyuu...don't worry, kiddo. Dad's comin' to get you...
"Found what," Sakana said in a rude manner, snapping Ketsui out of his thoughts.
Ketsui just shook his head, not looking back to make eye contact with the girl. "Nothing...let's just keep moving."
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Hidden Smoke Village, a certain genin was waking up from his long, unwanted nap. Jiyuu's eyes opened slowly, his vision being blurry and his head pounding. All he could tell by his surroundings was that he was indoors, his scrambled senses not allowing him to process any more than that. He frowned and shut his eyes, feeling like his brain might explode any minute by the way it painfully pulsated inside his skull. He was laying down on his side somewhat curled up in a fetal position as he rubbed his cheek against the ground when he tried moving, realizing that the ground was actually some sort of wood. He opened his eyes again, this time trying to focus as he squinted, and looked at the floor to see just what it was. The wood planks layed out for this floor were old, somewhat rotten, most likely home to termites. Wherever he was, this place has been around for long enough to allow mother nature time for it's discovery.
Jiyuu attempted to move his arms and legs, but felt like he was bound by the wrists and ankles. He glanced down at himself, and sure enough saw fine glass rings wrapped around his hands and feet. The genin's brow crinkled as he looked at his hands, realizing that they were encased in glass as well. With his hands like that, he would not be able to perform hand signs, meaning he could not use his Mighty Gale for any attempted escape. He mumbled something and straightened himself out on the rotting floor as he stretched, trying to get some blood going through his uncomfortably stiff body. He rolled over onto his chest slowly and pushed himself up, careful as to not topple over due to his feet being bound at the ankles. He stood up straight and wobbled slightly, but was able to regain his balance quickly.
"Alright...alright...I'm good now...so where am I..." Jiyuu whispered, thinking outloud to himself as he panned the area. In doing so, he realized that he was in some small room comprised of old wooden logs and planks, the only light source being a single light bulb in the middle of the ceiling as it buzzed softly. The genin slowly closed his eyes and focused his chakra, feeling the veins on his temples start to bulge as the world became much more visible to him. He used the Byakugan's x-ray vision to see through the walls, and noticed that he was actually inside a small shack in the the middle of some forest. Although his range of vision was 50 meters, he couldn't see much else that told him where he was. He deactivated his Byakugan and began thinking about it all. He was in a shack, which was in a forest. A really hot forest, actually, because Jiyuu felt sweat rolling down his back and face. The temperature inside the shack had to be at least 95 degrees, which meant that he was either in some area where the climate was typically hot, or the forest was on fire. Judging by what he saw with the Byakugan, he figured it was smarter to consider the former as fact. Wind Country was known for it's deserts and warm climate, so he figured that he was still somewhere in Wind Country. He frowned though, realizing that said member of the Five Great Nations was a large area, meaning that he could be anywhere from two minutes away from where he got knocked out, to the opposite side of the country.
He looked at the glass which bound his wrists, seeing that the chakra flowing through it was rather intense-looking. Density of steel, huh...then there's no way I'll be able to break this. Jiyuu slowly sat down onto the floor, trying to keep himself balanced the entire time as his rear made contact with the old rotting floor. He looked at the glass around his ankles too, seeing the same chakra intensity that flowed through the glass around his wrists. Well...can't hurt to try, right?, Jiyuu thought as he began banging the glass binds against each other. Unfortunately, no matter how much he did this, the only thing that would happen would be the glass binds going 'dink' as they bounced off of each other harmlessly.
Jiyuu frowned at this and looked around the room for anything that he could use to help him break the links, but the room was bare; no furniture, nothing on the walls, not a single thing with him. There was a small door on one of the walls, sure, but there was no handle. If there was, Jiyuu may have been able to use that somehow.
Then, suddenly, Jiyuu's eyes widened as the obvious had hit him: it was a door, which meant he could open it and get out! However, he hesitated. He knew that Senshoku wasn't just some simple-minded goon, and probably would have already done something to keep the door from opening. Jiyuu reactivated his doujutsu and focused his vision on what was behind the door. He was able to see a handle on the outside, as well as a large wooden latch. He sighed, realizing that the door was locked on the outside. But, he had an idea: he could use a kunai to pick away at the glass! He swiftly reached for his pouch...and it was gone. Jiyuu paused as he took in this fact, and slowly began nodding as his eyelids lowered. That clever bastard...he took my stuff.
Jiyuu looked at the door again, staring at the outside latch with his Byakugan. He began plotting ways of breaking through the door, but paused when he saw a figure approaching in the distance. This person was walking straight towards the shack, and Jiyuu would bet anything that it was Senshoku. He quickly hopped into a corner of the shack which was close to the door, and waited.
Senshoku walked to the entrance of the wooden shack, and stood in front of the door as he stared at the latch. He was fully prepared to do just as he had planned; trade a pair of eyes for money. It was simple, it was the kind of thing he was used to. He had been doing dirty jobs like this for so long, but...why did he feel so...doubtful?
Look at yourself, Senshoku...what are you doing with your life? He is merely a boy, and yet you treat him like some sort of wild animal. Your only reason for bringing him here was to remove his eyes, sell them to the highest bidder, and then butcher him. What happened to you? Why are you so... Senshoku's eyelids lowered as he rested a hand on top of the latch, still unsure of his plan.
There's no denying it...he reminds me of...'him'. Staring at this boy is like looking back into my old life, before all of this. Before becoming a crime lord, or becoming "Lord Senshoku" to the civilians here...before the war...before my new life began.
Senshoku sighed, finally bringing himself to undo the latch. He had to accept the path he had chosen, there were no more alternate paths in life to take. The only escape from this daily cycle of pain and suffering for the innocent would be death, and he was not ready to die just yet. He craved an honorable death, one at the hands of someone worthy. Had he found someone like that? No. Anyone he met on the field of battle died eventually, if not right away. He stared at the undone latch blankly, ready to continue on with his objective. Once Jiyuu's eyes were cashed in, he decided that he would disappear forever. Living off of the boatload of money that he gained for a single pair of eyes, that would be a better way to live than doing what he did now.
He slowly opened the wooden door, an eerie creaking noise accompanying the motion of the old thing. Senshoku stood in the doorway, seeing nothing but the rotting, wooden interior and the dim, flickering light bulb. However, he was not stupid. He knew that there was no possible way that the genin had escaped; the boy was incapable of performing jutsu, and being bound kept him from using any taijutsu to damage the walls effectively. Logically, Senshoku realized that there was only one place he could be hiding: in a corner by the entrance. He took a single step into the room, and turned to the corner on his left; nobody there. That meant that the child had to be behind the door. However, before Senshoku had the chance to turn, Jiyuu had already pushed the door closed and leapt onto his back, knocking both of them to the ground. Senshoku's chest hit the floor hard, small bits of rotting wood springing up off the ground from the sudden blunt force. Jiyuu was right on top of him, and began slamming his glass-encased hands against the back of Senshoku's head, hoping that either the glass would shatter or Senshoku would die from blunt force trauma.
"BASTARD, WHERE'D YOU TAKE ME, HUH," Jiyuu shouted in anger as he lost control over his emotions, his strikes progressively becoming slower and heavier. Senshoku gritted his teeth as he began pushing himself up off the floor. He shoved Jiyuu off of him using an arm, annoyed by the genin's antics. Jiyuu flipped onto his back and landed flat on the floor right in the middle of the shack, but found Senshoku holding a glass kunai to his neck before he was able to do anything else.
Senshoku's kunai was trembling, indicating that he was not too fond of the sudden attack, even if he had seen it coming. He was now kneeling beside the boy, frowning at him. Jiyuu, who had decided to show no fear towards the Glass Man, simply frowned back with more intensity. The two locked eyes for what seemed like forever, the only sound being the buzzing from the dim light overhead as their unwavering wills collided.
"Stupid child...why do you resist even now...you've lost, so accept your fate," Senshoku uttered as he began breathing slowly in an attempt to cool his shaken nerves.
"Bastard...the only fate I'm gonna accept is the one I make. Do you hear me? I'm not scared of you..." Jiyuu retorted sternly while intensifying his glare even more. On the inside, he was very afraid. He was well aware of the dangers that came from tempting someone like this, and only hoped that his comrades were close enough to save him in time...though, he wasn't about to hold his breath.
"...stupid words from a stupid child. You should be afraid of me, very afraid. Your fate rests within my hands, contrary to what you may think."
"Then why don't you just end it, huh? Quit dragging this whole thing out and just do it!"
Senshoku paused, and slightly pulled the kunai away from Jiyuu's neck. He could feel Jiyuu's leg trembling slightly against his own, causing the Glass Man to lower his eyelids. He could see right through Jiyuu's facade, knowing that the boy did not wish to confront death so early. "Why are you so eager to die...are you truly that foolish? Do you even know what you are requesting?"
Jiyuu was silent for a moment, looking away from Senshoku's gaze. "No, I've got no clue what I'm asking for. I just know that my father would've done the same thing if he was in my place."
Senshoku looked confused, and Jiyuu had seen this when he made eye contact with him again.
"Is Ketsui Tamashi your true father," Senshoku asked as he drew the kunai away from Jiyuu's neck more.
"...no, my real parents are both dead. What's it to you, anyways? You're just another one of those cold-blooded bastards who'd kill for money, ain't ya?"
Senshoku frowned slightly, his mind reaching deep into his beloved memories as it picked out a single phrase from his old life:
"I'm never going to quit! I don't care how good those jerks think they are, I won't give up! I don't give up...just like you, dad!"
He felt something well up inside his throat, and couldn't help but gulp quietly as he supressed his own emotions.
"Even monsters have hearts, child," was all he managed to say as he put away the kunai. The sight of the weapon disappearing overwhelmed Jiyuu with relief as he took a deep breath, trying the best he could in his current state to relax. However, this moment of peace ended when Senshoku grabbed Jiyuu by the shirt and forced him onto his feet as he made the bind on the genin's ankles shatter into pieces. "Try to fight or escape, and I'll grant you your wish for an early death. Am I clear?"
Jiyuu, satisfied by the feeling of blood rushing back into his feet, simply nodded as he shook his legs. He was smart enough to realize by now that he couldn't pull off an escape from this guy.
"Good, then let's take a walk," he said as he swung the door to the shack open, revealing the gloomy, dead forest. Jiyuu cautiously stepped outside and slowly looked around as he deactivated his Byakugan. The trees seemed to have been burnt in a old forest fire, their trunks black with ash and their branches leafless. The afternoon sun's light had made the scenery fill with all types of orange hues, making it seem like the whole area would burst into flames at any moment. A small gust of wind blew by; the dry, hot air made Jiyuu blink a few times, uncomfortable with the climate. The air reaked of ash, and there was also a small hint of smoke.
"Where are we," Jiyuu asked his warden.
Senshoku took in a deep whiff of the warm air, slightly lifting his face up to the orange, cloudless sky. "...home," he said as he exhaled, finding no other word more fitting. He tightened his grip on the back of Jiyuu's jacket and began walking with him through the dead, blackened forest.
They had spent about 12 minutes walking through the apocolyptic-esc forest, the blazing-hot sand being shuffeled with each step they took, burning Jiyuu's feet. The genin frowned at the slight annoying pain that it caused. He wished to be back at home where the gentle mist would have cooled down his singed feet, or maybe sit down on one of the many fishing docks by the large lake beside his home as he stuck his feet into the refreshing water. A slight grin formed on his face as he daydreamed of home. However, his thoughts of home were rudely interrupted when Senshoku pulled back on Jiyuu's jacket, forcing the genin to stop walking; good thing, too, because they were on the edge of some mountain which held the dead forest behind them. There was only enough space between the forest and the cliff edge for two people to walk, but Senshoku had not started walking along the path just yet. He was looking out into the distance, taking in the scenery. Jiyuu, curious as to what the Glass Man was seeing, looked out into the distance and was amazed bu what he saw.
"What...is that," he found himself whispering out loud.
"The Hidden Smoke Village," Senshoku said stoically. Unlike the previous two villages that Jiyuu had been to, this one was massive. There were a plethora of endless winding streets snaking in between the multiple circular buildings, which looked to be made of sandstone from where Jiyuu stood. The only thing Jiyuu found odd, upon closer inspection, was that he saw nobody walking in the streets. Further out into the horizon was a large, endless desert, the wind carrying large plumes of sand along the many dunes which favored the harsh environment. Jiyuu was amazed; the Hidden Mist Village was nowhere near this big, and the thought of living in a place like this overwhelmed his senses. And, oddly enough, considering the circumstances...he thought it was beautiful.
"This is your home?" the genin asked in amazement as his eyes rolled over the scenery, attempting to take it all in.
"Yes. This is where I was born. Although, the sands of time are a cruel thing to bear; they cover all that is old, all that was once sacred, and feel no guilt when they are done laying the foundation for the next generation." Senshoku's glassy eyes slowly scanned the large village, some emotion clearly visible for once on his face, though it was not exactly positive.
Jiyuu looked at him and lowered his eyelids, finding the sudden poetic words to be a little overdramatic. "Geez, talk about depressing. I don't get what the big deal is, you were born here, right? Just how much changed, anyways?"
Senshoku's eyes looked towards the village entrance, and he managed to spot four ant-sized silhouettes standing in front of it. He furrowed his brow, as if he knew who they were. "Everything changed here, child. This place was once known as the Hidden Ash Village, a community which my people strived in." He turned to his left and began making Jiyuu walk again, practically dragging him along the ground. He was reluctant to eliminate any chance that the four people in front of the village may have had at spotting him.
Jiyuu glared at the Glass Man for the sudden pulling as he regained his footing and began walking normally, but noticed something amazing when he looked in Senshoku's direction; they were walking right next to a massive volcano. It towered over them, and there was a small amount of smoke escaping from the top. He gulped loudly before asking "is that thing active?"
Senshoku shook his head, keeping his eyes focused on the path in front of him. "No, it hasn't been active for a very long time. I doubt it would begin to show signs of activity anytime soon."
The path that the two continued walking along wound around the towering behemoth that was the volcano. Jiyuu's pace began to slow somewhat as he got more nervous, noticing that they were headed along a path which rose upwards to the very top of the thing. As silly as it seemed, he had a large fear of heights. He constantly found himself glancing over the edge of the path, which seemed to be getting closer and closer as they rose higher up towards the orange sky.
About halfway up, Jiyuu found himself bumping against Senshoku to stay away from the edge. The Glass Man's gaze shifted over to the genin, curious about the child's strange behavior. "What's the matter," he asked Jiyuu in a non-threatening manner, pulling the boy away from the edge somewhat.
The genin, not noticing the change in tone, continued staring over the edge of the narrowing walkway. "N-nothing. Who said there was a problem," he spat before he glared at his warden. Senshoku shook his head, ignoring the child's petty attempt to seem fearless.
They reached the top a few minutes later, and a small elevator lift was right in front of the walkway's end, which caused Jiyuu to shift his attention to something other than the death-defying height that he was at. The walkway angled down sharply into the volcano, leading to a simple iron-grated floor which was connected to a pulley system and some cables. The contraption looked very old-fashioned, but clearly did what it needed to do if Senshoku had bothered to walk the genin there.
"...that leads to inside the volcano? You actually go inside this thing?" he asked as he turned his head towards Senshoku.
The Glass Man simply nodded as he stared down the sloping walkway at the lift. "Yes. This is where I take refuge," he confirmed as he turned his head to face the village one more time. This view was better than ever, allowing Senshoku to see the majority of the desert as well as a few neighboring towns. Jiyuu glanced at him, curious as to why they were not moving. However, instead of saying anything, he turned to look out at the village again, impressed by the improved view.
"It's a huge place, a real huge place," Jiyuu said, causing nothing but an 'mmm' to come from Senshoku. Jiyuu looked up at the Glass Man, a sudden question coming to his mind. "Why don't you live down there like everyone else? You're a part of this village, right?"
"I'm not merely a part of this village, child. I own it, all of it," Senshoku said stoically.
Jiyuu looked at him bug-eyed, clearly surprised. "You OWN this village? How?" he asked, forgetting that he was talking to a criminal.
"Why does that matter to you?" Senshoku countered as his glass eyes slid their gaze onto Jiyuu. "I am your enemy, correct? There is no use in getting personal."
"I'm your prisoner, so it's not like I can do anything. I'd like to know," the boy said.
Senshoku hesitated, another quote from his past flowing into his thoughts:
"Come on daddy! I want to know! Pleeeaaase?"
The Glass Man exhaled slowly as he shut his eyes, allowing the memory to pass. "Very well...but let us be on our way, first," he said as he began walking with Jiyuu again. The two carefully walked down the sloping walkway and onto the grated metal floor, the thing wobbling in an uncomfortable way. Jiyuu bit his lip as he stood on it, thinking the cables would snap any moment from the combined weight of him and Senshoku. However, his fears were disbanded when Senshoku pulled a level near the pulley mechanism, beginning their smooth, slow descent in the home of The Man of Stained Glass.
Four shinobi of the Hidden Sand stood before the entrance to Hidden Smoke Village, waiting patiently for Team One of the Hidden Mist to show up. The Sand shinobi consisted of one jounin and three genin; a standard team. The shortest member of the three genin had his hands in his pockets as he patiently waited, but couldn't help wonder what the hold-up was. "Kankuro-sensei, how far away do you think they are," the boy asked in an exhausted voice.
Kankuro, who was now sporting a tanned jounin vest to accompany his usual attire, looked at the boy with slight amusement. "What, you're not getting anxious to take down Senshoku already, are ya Sakyu," he teased as he folded his arms.
"No sensei, I was just curious," Sakyu said as he rubbed one of his eyes, both of which had heavy bags under them from a lack of sleep.
Sakyu of the Sand, a simple child who was blessed with the task to be the jinchuuriki for the One-Tail, Shukaku. The genin's eyes were a dark red hue with rather small pupils within them, as if the iris had begun to consume them. His hair was the exact same color of his eyes, and was tied up into a short, wild ponytail in the back of his head. He wore a short-sleeved mesh shirt in order to keep somewhat cool in the steamy desert heat, though it usually did the opposite of what he intended and caused him to feel more hot. The only unusual thing about his attire was his pants: the baggy, pale-brown pants that nearly covered his black shinobi sandels had cargo pockets...lots of them. In fact, the pants he wore sported 10 cargo pockets on the front, back, and outermost side of each pant leg; 60 pockets carrying who-knows-what. Whatever it was, it had to be heavy enough to make the pants weigh a lot, which is why Sakyu also tied his forehead protector around the top of his pants, acting like a belt.
Sakyu slowly lifted a hand out of his pocket as he rose his forearm to his head, wiping away a few beads of sweat. "Why must the desert be so hot..." he asked noboy in particulr before letting out a quiet sigh. Oh, how he would much rather be back in his village, lying in a bed as he attempted to get some rest after having a nice warm meal that his mother had prepared. He had been going for about a week now without a single wink of sleep, and the only food he had to eat on his way to this village was cheap and tasteless.
Kankuro snickered at the genin's comment. "What can I tell ya, kid? I can't do anything about that," he said as he redirected his attention to the volcano which towered behind the large village. "Say Jari, you came from here, right? Is that volcano active?"
The second genin, a girl with bleach-blond hair, calming green eyes and a warming smile gave Kankuro a slight chuckle before looking in his direction. "Of course not, sensei! If it was, then I'm sure that the head of the village would have issued a wall to be built!".
Jari Hitsugi, one of the few people in the world whom you would ever want to be your best friend, was also one of the more skilled kuniochi from the Hidden Sand. Originally from the Hidden Smoke, she moved with her parents around the age of 10, and was now a proud citizen of the Hidden Sand. Her hair was shoulder length while the hair on the front of her head came down past her face in small strands, usually stopping right in front of the Hidden Sand forehead protector she wore around her neck. Her entire upper body with the acception of her forearms and hands were covered in bandages, and a grey sleeveless button-up coat that was a little too small for her was being worn on top of them. Her lower half's attire consisted of grey short-shorts with bandages emerging from underneath, wrapping around her legs and stopping just above the knees. One of her more notable features was the scythe she had strapped to her back; the blade had a very artistic design to it, the blade having some sort of tribal pattern to it while forming the typical shape of a scythe blade.
"I think I see them coming into view," the third genin said as he narrowed his eyes, staring into the distance. "Wait...waaaaiiiiit...nah...nope, my bad. I'm just seeing things," he said before sighing impatiently.
Sakyu drearily glanced at his teammate, this having been the 30th time for him to see things that weren't there. "Kyofu, I told you to drink up back at the other town. You know that you start seeing things when you get too hot," he said in one of those 'as-a-matter-of-fact' tones while still sounding tired.
Kyofu grew a tick mark as he snapped his head around to shout at his teammate. "SHADDAP MAN, THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS DRINKING THAT MURKY STUFF! I'D RATHER DRINK MY OWN PISS!" He then shot a glare at Sakyu as his teammate began to sweat-drop, and turned his attention back to the distant sands.
Kyofu Chikara was the final genin in the Hidden Sand team. Short-tempered and ready for anything, he was the group's main source of muscle (and he enjoyed showing that fact off as much as possible). He wore a black bandana which had the Hidden Sand forehead protector plate attached, and his short black hair poked out from underneath it. He wore war paint, much like his sensei, although he preferred it to be dark red as opposed to his sensei's purple. He wore a worn-out flak jacket with all the pockets removed, and had dyed it to a fresh tanned color similar to the modern flak jackets worn by today's Hidden Sand jounin. Underneath it was no shirt, which he excluded on purpose to show off his...unnatural muscle tone for someone his age. He wore metal-plated gauntlets, which reflected the orange desert sky's light into his fierce, narrow, dark-blue eyes as he continued to stare into the distance. He was kneeling, being to tired to stand, and his black pants were getting covered in sand along with his black shinobi boots.
After a few minutes of silent waiting, Kyofu practically leapt up onto his feet. "THERE, THERE THEY ARE! FOR REAL THIS TIME, I SWEAR," he shouted at his teammates sounding both happy and psychopathic.
Kankuro squinted and took a few steps to position himself in front of his team, keeping his arms folded as he watched the three Hidden Mist ninja approach at a steady pace.
Ketsui stopped right in front of Kankuro, a worn-out Tsuyo along with a sweat-drenched Sakana following right behind. Normally, Ketsui would have smirked and said something friendly, but right now he was hot, uncomfortable, worried and angry. "Is your team ready, Kankuro?" he asked, already knowing the Sand jounin for having led the secret attack division during the war.
Kankuro's face became serious as he nodded. "We're ready when you are," he said, but then looked a bit confused when Ketsui's eyes wandered over his shoulder. He turned his head to see that the Mist jounin was staring at Sakyu.
"I see you've brought the Hidden Sand's jinchuuriki. I heard lot's of good things about him," Ketsui stated, which caused a small smirk to appear on the genin's face. Sakyu was rather proud of his title, and it amused him that even people in the Hidden Mist were aware of his status.
"Yeah, the Kazekage sent you some real muscle. We'll help you out any way we can," Kankuro said with a smirk.
Ketsui nodded, and all seven ninja turned their attention to the Hidden Smoke Village. After each of them took a long deep breath, they dashed through the entrance.
The hunt was on...