Chapter 66
"Come on Tomo, time to rise and shine," said Sen stepping into the girl's temporary bedroom.
"What?" asked Tomo. "But it's only eleven in the morning," groaned the girl. Slowly her senses started to sharpen and she gripped the duvet, pulling it up. "Don't you know to knock before entering a girl's room?"
"Technically this is my room," replied Sen. "And you are a student of mine."
"I don't you if you're worse then Kimura or not," replied Tomo suspiciously. "At least Kimura shows signs that he enjoys seeing me…erm in a state of erm…not fully dressed."
Sen seemed unmoved.
"Kimura's personality is well renowned," said Sen. "I'm still surprised a group consisting entirely of girls was assigned to his team."
"You know, I'm starting to think you are on the level," said Tomo. "Damn pervert," muttered Tomo.
"Well this is all a fun point of conversation," said Sen, "But I'm here to tell you to get ready. We're going off on a mission now."
"Mission now?" asked Tomo. "But I'm not in a team at the moment. Ooooh is it a solo mission?"
"I did say we're going on a mission," stated Sen. "And there will be one other, a ninja who told me she had nothing to do…and needed some practice in the field" said Sen in a distasteful tone.
"Oh really? Who?" asked Tomo.
"Hey numbnuts, looks like we're going on a mission together," said Yukari. "Try not to get me killed. Or yourself as well I guess."
"Yukari!" said Tomo excitedly. Seemingly she hadn't noticed what Yukari had called her. "I get to go on a mission with you? Cool! I've always wanted to go on a mission with you. I bet it'll be fun."
"Missions aren't supposed to be fun," said Sen.
"Yeah Tomo," said Yukari. "Besides this one's going to be boring anyway."
With little more then random chitchat the group continued on their way, half an hour passing by slowly. Very slowly.
"So what exactly are we supposed to be doing?" asked Tomo as the small group hiked its way up a hill. She glanced behind her looking at how high they had come.
"Well," said Yukari, interrupting her near incessant grumbling about having to climb the hill, "I think the general idea is to beat up the bad guy."
"Don't you mean stop the bad guy?" suggested Tomo.
"Heh, if both his legs are broken I reckon he'll have been stopped," suggested Yukari in an evil tone. "Talking of legs, mine are really hurting now dammit. I use to be able to walk for miles with no problems at all."
"Maybe you're just getting old?" suggested Tomo. Though the girl was not the smartest, she had learnt a few things. "I think I'm going to run now," she said aloud as she saw the look of ill intent appear in Yukari's eyes.
"The best of luck to you," said Sen as the girl started to run, Yukari directing mental waves of dangerous intent towards the girl. Luckily for the girl her former teacher possessed no telepathic capabilities.
"Ha the jokes on her, I'm not going to bother to chase her," said Yukari. She watched as the girl continued to run away. "She's not going to stop is she?" asked the teacher as the girl started to vanish from view.
"She does possess a great deal of energy," noted Sen.
"Chidori! Chidori are you done yet?" called out the man.
"Yes!" yelled out the woman as she stuck her head up from the dirt hole she had dug. "Why do I have to do this? Haven't you ever heard of chivalry?" she asked.
The man crouched down, overlooking the hole, staring at Chidori.
"Lord Saburou sent you to help me," said the man. "You have to work your way up the ladder. Eventually you might get into the position that you tell someone else what to do. But for now you follow my orders, just as I follow Lord Saburou's. Even though I know this will probably be futile, I still follow his orders."
"Fine, fine whatever," replied Chidori. "I've already dug the damn thing already." She grumbled quietly to herself. She wished Kasumi was around. She could do with some eye candy in this dull location. But just like Chidori, her companion had been drawn into a dull mission to help some (likely egotistical) other guy who worked for the same 'Lord' as they did.
"I think I've found it!" called up Chidori as she leant down, her sweating brow close to the dusty ground. Her soil covered fingers gripped down into the dirt as she pulled out a large object encased in the mud. Holding it, she was surprised at how solid, yet light it felt.
"Whatever it is it needs cleaning, but I think we have it," she said holding it up in the air.
"Good work Chidori," said the man as he reached out and took hold of the object.
"I see. Well I guess this completes the missi-"
"Stop right there!" yelled out a voice. "We're here to stop you Mister!"
"Tomo, try some damn subtlety!" called out Yukari just as loudly. Sen grumbled something.
"Chidori you escape with this," said the man handing the girl the object again. "It has to reach him. It must. I'll stall these people."
"I dunno, there are three of them coming over here," said Chidori watching as 'Tomo' and two adults approached. She wasn't truly worried about what happened to the man- she just felt in the mood for a fight. Though from this distance she guessed the younger one of the group looked kind of cute.
"Don't worry about me, I should be able to take care of those three amateurs," said the man. Chidori nodded and climbed out of the hole, quickly sprinting away. Thanks to the angle of the land and the man in front of her they were none the wiser to her presence. Or lack of. The man rolled up his sleeves and slowly marched towards the ninja trio.
"I don't know what you're doing here, but I must ask that you leave," he stated sternly.
"I'm afraid we cannot do that," replied Sen.
"Yes so get lost!" said Yukari. She paused. "I mean stay right there and don't resist!"
"I'm afraid I was born to resist," said the man, raising his hands as he began to perform a series of hand signs. Sen stepped forward, pushing Tomo back with his left hand which felt odd through the bandages. The man looked up. "An attack which can melt through skin. Hi-ka burning sphere attack!" said the man smugly.
Yukari started to say something but Tomo couldn't hear over the whoosh of the fire ball which was slightly larger then the girls head. Sen looked forward and held up one hand.
"That won't do anything you idiot!" said Yukari, "It'll incinerate all the skin and stuff like that…I think…!"
Sen didn't grimace as he caught the orb of fire in his hand. He was caught by surprise at the strength so rose up his other hand to control it as the orb began to diminish in size. Tomo couldn't see much, but she could smell the bandages wrapped around Sen's hands burning. Sen whipped one arm sideways and the fire was extinguished. The man who had launched the attack stood still, surprised. More then surprised, thought Tomo, quite shocked actually. Perhaps even horrified.
"Tomo," said Sen slowly turning to face the girl. "Let this be a lesson to you. Here is just one thing that can happen to you if you lower your guard, or as the young me did, get cocky."
Tomo stood rooted to the ground, Yukari letting out an ewwww sound. From the wrist downwards on the left hand of Sen only bone was present- yet they all still moved like normal fingers. The right hand had a normal thumb which looked all the more stranger as the four fingers were also bone.
"D-did that just happen now?" asked Tomo. "Doesn't it hurt?"
"No," said Sen, almost letting a smile free. "I have had these hands for nearly a decade now. And now to apprehend the man," he said, turning away from Tomo. He gripped the untouched bandage still around his arm and pulled on it, the white strip extending far longer then it should be able to. The bones of fingers clicked as a hand sign was performed, and then almost like a snake the bandage shot out, wrapping around the man before he had time to react.
"D-damn it…let me go!" said the man. "You're just like me dammit! Just like me! You'll never be accepted, they'll never want to know someone with those terrible hands."
"Quiet please," said Sen, raising a finger which caused the bandages to tighten. The man fell silent and his head slumped forwards.
"D-did you kill him?" asked Yukari.
"No, I merely helped him into a state of unconsciousness," replied Sen. He gripped the bandage and ripped it away. He wrapped the loose thread around his fingers, leaving his other hand exposed for now. The man stood, still bound. "I guess we have our prisoner then."
"W-well then," said Yukari. She had never known that Sen had possessed hands like that. "I guess we should be going back then."
"I agree."
"Hey teacher!" said Tomo.
"Yes?" asked Sen.
"How do you still move those fingers? Don't you need like, erm, ligaments and stuff?"
"I do have them, in a way," replied Sen.
"Huh? How?" asked Tomo.
"From practice and control I have a string of chakra running to each finger, allowing me to control every single one as normal. Of course, in the early days it was very tiring, but now it's just like an automatic process, as you would move your fingers," said Sen as he started to wrap up his other hand.
"But how did it happen?" asked Yukari, just as curious as her former student.
"Now then, I can't reveal all my secrets today can I?" asked Sen.
"Fine then," replied a grumpy Yukari.