As promised here's chapter 2!
I knew a man who once said, "death smiles at us all; all a man can do is smile back." ~Gladiator, written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson, 2000
One sometimes wonders why rainfall must be so dark and dreary. For a time when the heavens drop their life giving liquid, the occasion sure doesn't convey the feeling it should. Some praise the rain for giving their crops life, for quenching their thirst, and on some strange occasions, for putting out fires. Others on the other hand curse the rain as they seem to believe it comes just at the time to mourn the fallen, to show them that "the heaven's weep for them as well". Yet more often than not, in this day and age, rainfall signals the latter. Take Ame for instance, perpetual rainfall in a land just teeming with death. It is where the people who fight for their freedom feel that only when they get what they desire will the rain end.
My observations today I guess stem from the fact that I am holed up here in a tree trunk passing the night and the heavy rainfall outside. Honestly, I am surprised this tree is as roomy as it is, more so that I found it in time before all that water decided to dump itself all over the region. Storms like these I hear are quite common this far south.
At least now I feel like I have calmed my mind down from the earlier hunt. My sanity once more flying out the window at the prospect of a fresh soul to add to my growing collection. The sin and death just radiated off that man like the smell of week old cheese, so surely no one would miss him and the imbalance he has been causing my father.
On the topic of souls It is my sincere wish that I do come upon a worthy soul to add, all these small fry souls just not doing much to sate my own taste.
Actually now that I think about it that last soul did kind of taste like rotten cheese.
Journal entry 276 end
Silently snapping shut the worn out blue booklet, he tucked it and the pen he brought along with him inside the folds of his jacket as he leaned back on the hard wood of the hollow tree he had found. Outside the rain continued pouring as relentlessly as it had been for a few hours already. By now the darkness of night had settled in and while it would have been a good night to begin his observations of the small community nearby, the rainfall had pretty much washed away the idea.
With nothing else to do but wait out the night, the demonic entity wriggled a bit in the space before settling down into a comfortable position to rest. Turning his head slightly towards his lantern he noticed the lamp glowing a bit brightly as if ready to reply to the question he was about to ask.
"Wake me up when the sun rises again"
"We'll try our best Mr. Warden in case you sleep in again" came the reply of the children's voices
"Which luckily won't cause me to fall out of a tree this time around" Thresh grumbled before closing his eyes to the giggles of his very own lantern.
"But I'll bet they'll find a new way to wake me up in pain anyways"
After all that storm and rain the next day yielded no better weather. While the rain had now stopped it's treacherous downpour, the skies were greyed out by the clouds and a fine mist now hung in the air. Another dreary start to a what might be a dreary day.
Groaning and feeling the ache of his muscles, Hatake Kakashi the famous copy ninja awoke and immediately took note of his surroundings. Wood floor, comfy futon, a even comfier pillow and the fact he couldn't seem to feel his legs? He realized that after the fight with Zabuza yesterday he must've passed out and his team made the last legs of the trip to Tazuna's house. Tentatively he tried to sit up but wound up hissing as a wave of pain in his muscles hit him.
'I must've burned out more chakra than I normal' he thought, irritated at himself and flopping back down onto the futon just as the door to his room opened and in walked Sasuke carrying a tray of food and a glass of water.
"Usually it would be the nurse who brings the food you know?" Kakashi stated bluntly as Sasuke sat down beside him and handed him the food tray but not before taking an piece of bread for himself. Noticing the slight tenseness in his posture despite sitting down Kakashi placed the food aside for the time being.
"Sakura's helping with the dishes downstairs, heard a thump and assumed you tried straining yourself which meant you just woke up" Sasuke fired back before biting down on his bread. A chuckle escaped Kakashi as he thought about the team medic before he quieted down.
"Something bothering you?" Kakashi then asked staring at the ceiling. A minute passed by in silence as the boy seemed to contemplate something.
"Do you believe in premonitions?" Sasuke finally asked, a bit of worry laced in his voice
"You mean like fortune telling?"
"No! Not like that, I mean real premonitions" Sasuke answered quickly standing up after finishing off his bread to lean on the windows, staring out towards the dark clouds over the city.
"Look Sasuke, not that I don't believe you, but the only experience I've had with premonitions is when I found that week old expired Milk Cartoon in the Hokage's house" Kakashi replied with a dry tone as he managed to right himself up despite the stinging sensation and replace the tray on his lap.
"But haven't you heard the stories?"
"Hmmm?" Kakashi mumbled out, as his mouth was currently full of food. He did trust his student not to turn around anyways.
"I've heard things from Itachi" Sasuke admitted "ANBU has apparently been on the case of a few mysterious deaths of some high ranked missing-nins"
Kakashi frowned a bit at the information. While being a retired ANBU captain did have its perks, he was no longer privy that much up to date information. As if sensing the coming question Sasuke answered quickly "Itachi himself warned me about this. He was a bit worried with my safety considering we were going in the direction of the last investigated ninja"
"So what did you hear?"
"Alright so as I said a few missing-nins suddenly dropped off the radar" Sasuke began "At first this was just routine until a pattern started forming. The spy network then caught wind of some new player on the field and soon the two incidents started linking up. According to Itachi the last event just happened a few weeks back somewhere up north of Wave"
"What event?" Kakashi asked now genuinely curious as to what had his student spooked
"A storm" Sasuke answered simply "Itachi says news of dead missing-nins would come up after weird storms. What was even weirder was the state they were found by different hunter divisions, all dried up like husks and their bodies contorted as if they had been running from something terrifying. The weapon marks were even the same, chain and slash marks, but the cause of deaths were all listed as unknown. There was a bigger incident a year or so back but Itachi couldn't say what. All he could tell me was to stay on alert during the upcoming mission in case something like this would happen"
"Definitely fits the criteria then, I can see why you'd be worried" Kakashi mused, his mind taking in the info "A known, high-ranked missing-nin is in the area, just in time for a storm that came suddenly with almost no warning at all" Kakashi the fixed the tray of finished food and laid it out beside him just as Sasuke questioning stare turned around to see his sensei's masked face looking at him
"Anyone else in the team know?"
"No one else, just you now. Itachi told me to only divulge this info if we got into this kind of situation"
"Well it could just well be coincidence" Kakashi stated
"I'd hope so but as I said, I got this bad feeling about all of this. And what's this about a high ranked missing-nin in the area? I thought Zabuza was the only one?"
Just as they were about to continue, the muffled sounds of footsteps could be heard ascending the stairs and the two turned to the door just as Sakura opened it, effectively ending the conversation.
"Oh good you're done" Sakura said as she eyed the empty tray of food before she sat down beside her sensei and started some basic diagnostics "Feeling any better?"
"Just some minor fatigue" Kakashi answered "I should be fully up and running in a few days time"
"You're right," Sakura concluded as she finished and took note of her findings, pulling out and writing on a notepad she got from her coat "Your chakra levels are normal but there's still some muscle strain from the physical portion of use. Just take it easy and don't strain yourself"
"Oh how nice it is to see my cute little genins all worried about their dear sensei" Kakashi joked, his lone eye showing his amusement.
"Oh shut up!" Sakura huffed "I do this to all my patients in the hospital, you're no different"
"Oh you wound me with your harsh words" Kakashi said, reeling back in a over dramatic fashion before falling back into the futon muttering small cries of pain.
"Oh see what you did to yourself now!?" Sakura cried out as she helped out Kakashi while Sasuke chuckled, leaning back in the corner he had taken to "I just said to take it easy and here you go with your usual antics"
"And you!" Sakura said, now fixing a glare on Sasuke who promptly shut up "Go bring that tray of food back to the kitchen and wash it up"
"By the way" Kakashi interrupted as Sakura managed to prop him up again "Where's Natsumi?"
"Out in the city doing some information gathering" Sasuke replied as he picked up the tray "Why?"
"Zabuza is still alive" Kakashi stated with a smile, waiting as the information sunk into their heads
"WHAT!?"
"Have you heard the stories? Of a reaper in the forests that appears when it rains?"
"Wasn't that suppose to be from the other village?"
"But the weird weather..."
"Weird weather be damned! Those are just stories!"
"But one of Gato's men has been reported to be missing..."
"Once again shut up! You're going to get us in trouble if one of the guards hears that!"
'Ah gossip' Natsumi thought as she walked around, a henge of an old woman over her form. 'Easy info if you know what's truth and which are the lies'
Ah yes, reapers. Though the info about those weird stories being passed around might just be some weird rumour that goes around with Zabuza in her opinion. After hearing what he did to his graduating class, she wouldn't be surprised at all with this reaper stories
Suddenly two men rushed passed her, one carrying an oddly shaped but big bundle wrapped in bandages. From what she had gathered so far, those two would most likely be some of Gato's hired thugs. Wondering what the rush was about she ducked into an alleyway parallel to the main street and began following them, ditching the henge along the way.
It didn't take long for the people to thin out and soon she took to the roofs to avoid the number of thugs now popping up all the while also tracking her 2 targets. Luckily it didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination, a storehouse right across a lavish mansion that stood out among the derelict houses that surrounded it.
'Gato's most likely' Natsumi thought as she halted her pursuit a few roofs back 'Matches what I heard about him at least' she then took note of the guards and whatever she could notice before hightailing it out of there.
'Even though I should totally be busting in there right now' Natsumi thought annoyed though she knew better than to storm in guns blazing with no plan whatsoever. 'If I want to be a hero then do it right! At least that's what dad would say, mom though would just kick the door down and terrify everyone else into submission'
Now back at the more populated part of the city, she adopted the guise of a nondescript teenage girl and blended into the crowd but not before bumping into a person. Immediately she apologized and continued on without looking.
Had she looked at the cloaked stranger she might have noticed his unnaturally bony hands wrapped in bandages before he walked towards the direction she came from.
(A few days later)
A growing disaster in progress, that is the only way the tyrant tycoon Gato could describe what he was seeing.
It all started when one of his men went missing a few days back and was found the day after by his buddy who went out to look for him. He heard reports of a small smuggling sighted by the man's friend who went to investigate but found nothing much but a wreck of a boat.
His body was found near the boat which was now floating due to the tide, tied to keep the boat from drifting far like some macabre anchor of flesh. It terrified him a bit when he saw the recovered body, nothing but a dried up husk with a face permanently etched into a scream of terror. At first he thought it was the work of those pesky ninjas that were hired by the bridge builder but according to Zabuza that wasn't the M.O. of any known Konoha ninja that fought him.
Now here he was attending to another death, word was starting to spread across town and his main killer is currently a bedridden cripple. The silver lining here was that of the 2 that went missing, one was alive!
"The children! They sing! The last song will ever hear!"
Of course what could be said about his mind was another thing entirely.
"Get yourself together you sorry excuse for a hired hand!" Gato yelled, shaking the man who lay in the bed of their makeshift hospital within one of the many buildings he 'bought' around his mansion. "What happened!? Who did this!?"
All he received in return were incoherent babblings about children and nursery rhymes that sounded like a botched version of 'ring around the rosie'. Growling at the lack of response he wacked the man upside the head with his cane in anger, knocking him out, and telling the other thugs to deal with him if he no longer has any use.
"Gato-sama" a voice called out. Turning around the midget was confronted with his secretary who handed him some letters before heading back where she came.
Deciding it best to put his frustrations aside for the meantime and handle business instead, he headed back to his main office in his mansion and had his two other burly guards stand post outside the door. Pinching his nose in annoyance at all that was happening he dropped the letters on his desk and plopped down and reclined on his comfy leather chair. Reaching into one of his desk cabinets he pulled out a jar of sake and poured himself a saucer before reaching out and opening the first few letters.
"Trash, trash, trash, some 2-bit smuggler with a threat, dead in the morning" He realized most of these letters were just those peasants asking for money, with the occasional actual business deal mixed in between the weak death threats.
Slowly his anger started coming back thanks to the lack of trade for smuggled goods. He would have tossed his bottle in frustration against the wall had he not noticed the last letter which caught his eye. It was at the bottom of the pile which explained why he hadn't noticed it before but now it had his attention for one reason.
It was red.
Curiously he picked it up and examined it. A red envelope who uses something like this nowadays? A thought crossed his mind that he had caught the attention of a big time mafia group but the lack of any distinctive mark made him think twice, unless the envelope itself was the sign of the group. He also noticed that it was quite thick and decided to open it up.
Inside he found a small stack of photos, the first photo was that of a forest with what looked like a person standing just far enough that Gato couldn't make out his features.
'What the heck' Gato thought, previous thoughts of business flying out of his mind. 'Is this one of my men who died?'
Flipping to the next photo he now noticed that the person was standing a bit closer. Shuffling to the next few photos, he noticed that the scene remained the same except for one chilling thing.
With each photo the man, who he could now see wore a cloak, came closer and closer. He soon could make out more features, except the face which was always blurred out. A lantern by his side, some chains wrapped around him, black boots and a weird green glow.
He couldn't understand why he didn't stop, it was easy right? Just drop the photos, they didn't mean anything. Probably someone playing a prank on him, yeah that was it! But here he was, rooted to the spot as his hands moved without him willing them, his mouth open as he tried to scream but no sound came out. With horror now building up inside him he saw that the face was coming closer and it was staring right at him. By the second to last photo, he saw the most horrifying face as the blur disappeared. A skull stared back at him, a predatory smile on its face as if knowing what would come next. With slow agonizing movements his hand tossed away the photo and revealed the last picture.
This time it was all white, with the words 'close enough' written in red ink.
Suddenly two bony hands grasped at his face and then he found his body in his control once more and screamed as loud as he could. Immediately the two guards outside his door busted in, swords drawn.
"Boss what's wrong!?" He yelled as looked around frantically for a threat
"What do you mean what's wrong!?" Gato screamed at him "There's someone..." his response died out in his throat as he realized nothing was holding onto him. Looking around to confirm he was alone by his desk, he rubbed the slight sweat off his forehead and told his guards to get back to their posts. Giving him weird looks, they complied nonetheless and left the man alone once more in his study. Looking back at the desk his heart almost stopped as he saw a familiar stack of photos piled neatly in front of him. Picking it up, he noticed that the last photo he saw was now on top but underneath the words 'close enough' was a new addition he swore wasn't there before.
'Think on your sins'
Shuddering at the thought of the pictures, he tossed them back in the envelope before placing them in his drawer.
'Maybe those 2 know something' he thought suddenly thinking back on his 2 hired ninjas. 'This sounds like one of their illusion things from what I know'
Making a hasty decision he pressed the call button on his intercom on his desk and rang up his secretary.
"Yes, Gato-san what do you need" came the sickly sweet reply. Cursing slightly at the thought he was heard throughout the mansion when he screamed, he answered quickly with an irritated tone. "Tell Zabuza or his bitch companion to get here quickly"
"I've got something they need to check out"
Anyways here we are with the actual chapter 1 part 1. Sorry for the late post, as I mentioned in the last chapter I would have posted earlier if my wifi in Hamilo resorts didn't conk out on me and whoop de do it did. So I just got back tonight and hooked myself up to my working wifi and got to posting this chapter.
Sorry for those who were expecting some action right off the bat but I'm trying to tie in a mix of both personalities as a being taught by death, remember also that lore states that thresh loves to play with a targeted victim's mind so hopefully I managed to convey that. Also you might have noticed that the chapter has a 'part 1 indicator', this is because originally this went on to be a lengthy 16 page chapter which was way over my limit and may cause proceeding chapters to appear too short. So I sliced this chapter into 2 while being careful not to slice in the middle of the action but at a part which can leave a sort of cliff hanger.
As one reviewer did notice, I am trying to steer this away from the instant OP pub stomp Naruto stories which have been popping up (that's not to say I don't read those) which dive into the action right away. So here you have a whole lot more psychological warfare before the fight with Thresh now beginning his reign of terror.
I'll be posting the next chapter (which is completed already so don't worry about delays, I don't have any other trips planned out next week) by Thursday so watch out.