Yuusuke lands on a branch, pausing to reorient himself. The forest is shadowy in the midday light but not dark, per se. He runs through the mission again in his head and shifts uncomfortably on his branch. He'll never understand how Konoha shinobi do it. Not that he particularly wants to get into a position where he could ask- everyone knows Konoha shinobi are all screwy in the head. Not a single sane one among them, civilians included.
He hops another few branches and pauses again, frowning at the tremors running through the wood beneath his hands and feet. Everything seems to be vibrating slightly. There are snow leopards, of all things, as well. He hopes he hasn't accidentally activated some trap-
Several feet away, a group of trees are flattened with ominous cracks by what looks to be a huge cat paw. Yuusuke swallows nervously, raising his head to look at what, exactly, is beside him. It's the nibi. Beside it is the ichibi because why not- the sage clearly hates him-
Is that a person.
There is a person on the Ichibi's head.
There is a former Konoha shinobi on the Ichibi's head.
Yuusuke watches, perfectly still and hardly breathing, as the group passes by his tree. He doesn't dare move, even when the tremors wracking the tree he's stuck to begin to numb his hand. When they're all finally passed and he has gone apparently unnoticed, he collapses on his tree with a huge breath of air which may or may not be a sob.
Crazy, the lot of them.
He is never, ever, taking a mission in or around Konoha, ever again.
