Hakari and I had only been out of the ninja academy for ten minutes but already it was beginning to feel like an hour of searching. We first went by the Achieves where they told us the thief had attacked a few ninja, there we were given a direction to where he headed off and a sketchy description. There after we were told by civilians and off duty ninja a whole collection of stories and directions that made little or no sense. To sum it all up, our progress had started from searching and dropped us off at lost. Still the wind blew by, stretching time and filling our ears with gossip and false leads, as we leaped over roof tops and chimneys.
"Sooooo…." Hakari casually called while we hung in flight. "How do you plan on catching this guy, if he hasn't already left the Village?" She kindly added her second verse under her breath.
"*Sigh" I felt the weight of our mission only add to me on that exhale. It was so important that we caught this guy, if only to rub it into the faces of those academy teachers. "Everyone has such a lack of faith in us inter-village nin." I whispered absentminded of the fact my words weren't alone to me.
"What was that?!" Hakari shouted over the clamour of crowds below us as we leapt over another break in roof tops.
I pretended my mind wasn't off the mission and responded to her earlier question. "I was hoping the Leaf village was capable enough to picking up on suspicious characters, and competent enough to do proper background checks." I slowed my pace and Hakari came to stop with me.
"Ya and these are the ninja who got promoted to Chunin..." I looked to Hakari as she spoke, her face was very unyielding in her argument yet the sunlight hit her cheeks to shine a flustered red that made me blush. "They get pushed into high-end positions because of their rank and yet they can't handle them, while we inter-village ninja can't even be signed into the Chunin games without a sensei or team." I had the feeling this meant she heard what I whispered but I chose to say nothing, I was too distracted by her elegant beauty. Although she was quite short for her age, and as a ninja being short meant you lacked many advantages and gained few, her voice spoke with the sweetest maturity.
Bringing my senses back into line, I looked over the village from our height on the dull blue tiled roof top we took our stop on. I gazed into the distance and the task spat in my face at how impossible it was. "I'm not a sensory type ninja, I haven't the ability to detect a henge, but surly if this thief is still in the village he must be in disguise." I raised my foot to rest it on the steeple of the roof, and leaned my arm to it to survey the distance. "He likely entered the Village in disguise, which makes me question the ability of our gate guards, or he entered the village with a fake ID card, or he…"
Hakari interrupted "Or if you give the village guard the benefit over all you doubts… He was a ninja without any previous offences, giving them no reason to suspect him." She had a point.
"It may be" I agreed with the input of my team mate, after all I shouldn't be the only one to come up with a plan. "Since we do not have an actual identity to go by, the thief could be anyone from the village or from elsewhere." I hummed in ponder over our next decision. "If I were hiding something from the Leaf Village, and I suspected they did not know who I was, would I stay in the Village?"
Hakari frowned but followed through with my new vantage point. "If he suspects that we know what he took, it wouldn't matter to him who we thought he was." I buzzed with questions to Hakari's insight to which she responded by furthering her explanation. "If the thief thinks we knew what he took, he probably has already considered the possibility of being tracked by whatever he stole. We have our tracker dogs and bugs which can sniff out and find the faintest of smells, the Byakugan users who can probably see what was taken, and the Sharingan which can see through henge's if he is in a chakra construct disguise."
"Huh" I slide a finger across my lip in thought. "Sasuke is in the land of Tea right now with Naruto, and since he is the only Sharingan we have-And well known-the thief is lightly in henge disguise." I let my expression brighten as optimism stuck me. "Which means he is probably still in the Leaf hoping for the heat to die down until he can pass by the gates without being molested."
"Why do you say that?" Hakari's voice perked on hearing the excitement in my own.
"You said it yourself" I arced a wicked smile at her because it was clear to me that having a team mate was already showing benefits. "Tracking ninja can identify a thief by the goods they steal. Which means right now, if my faith is not misplaced, the gate guards have tracking units stationed right next to them checking everyone who leaves." Hakari's face lit up and it was apparent she agreed, it was a good guess, and so I added. "They'll be checking goods and trade too."
With my mood on a high note, I watched the same mood slowly drop from my team mate's face. "Let's hope his intention wasn't to destroy these records that he stole, and that I can use my crystals to find him."
…
We completed another patrol around the village, making sure to stop by the most popular areas of social activity; Shops, public centres, libraries, and yes even the larger Leaf Village toilets. With Hakari placing the last of her markers I again reiterated my interest. "I've never seen or heard anything like this before, are you sure it will work?"
"It works but I…" Hakari planted another crystal in an inconspicuous place, she said before that she had concerns about people stealing them but I wasn't sure why just yet. "I can't really explain it, but I can sense 'things' near them. It's difficult to describe yet in a way I can feel them even though I don't really know how. Like when the hairs on your arm stand on end and you turn around to find someone staring at you, do you get what I'm saying?"
"No, that has never happened to me" I shook my head to the peculiarity of her 'Ability' even though I let her follow through with it, although now I was beginning to feel a bit sceptic.
"Whatever, just watch!" She hendged a pebble into a small man, a representation of our thief I believe, and brought it closer to the crystal she dropped into the public fountain. Then lifting up her arm she showed the goose bumps forming across her forearm on bringing the henge closer. She removed the hendge and her goose bumps disappeared.
"Wow that… proves nothing." The mock excitement in my face muted to the facts.
"You know what, leaving my crystals all over the place isn't worth this." Hakari reached her hand into the pond to retrieve her crystal, she visible shivered and on pulling her arm out I saw the same effect on her forearm as before due to the cold water.
Well that proves it. "See, that happened without a hendge!" I declared.
"That's because it wasn't mine… the thief must be nearby!"
"Really?" Before my question could be answered Hakari pushed passed me and into the low scatter of the crowds around us.
"No…?" She said to herself, holding out the crystal in her hand like a divining rod.
I can't believe her, does she really think she can 'feel' things with her crystal? "Why wasn't the crystal affecting you before?" I called out criticising the fact that she carries around a Big Chunk of rock on her back, but yet somehow a small piece of it has 'special powers'.
…
Argies followed unwillingly after his first partner on their test mission. A trial period meant to adjust her but now he could see how it played to his benefit in regretting ever thinking a team would be fun. Feeling his will was not his own as he reluctantly watched over her perform her 'special' technique. He considered whether picking her was the right choice, after all if he decided to form her into part of his team the decision would be final. The Leaf Village took the custom of forming squads very seriously; it was in many ways a commitment that bonded three members for life; a bond that nothing but death or betrayal could sever.
"This is getting ridiculous Hakari" Argies pulled at his partners clothing to slow her down as she followed an imaginary trail, however the response he received was equally grabbing.
Ploughing up dirt clouds, her steadfast pace came to a stop as a result of Argies added weight. "WHAT!" Hakari turned from her tracking to face the ninja she dragged behind her.
"Bleeding kunai!" Argies jumped to the red in her face "What's wrong with you." He statement the catalyst that cause her pot to boil over.
Grabbing a fist full of Argies clothing in return to his grasp of hers, she pulled him down to her height and vented "I was about to ask you the same thing!" her teeth gritted with steam clouds puffing out of her nose.
"I-I…" Argies blinked out the image in his mind of her rose red checks run asunder by the ferocity he faced now. Humbled by the change in authority he thought he held, he cleared his throat to speak again. "I-how is the tracking going, are we close?" he rushed to say, fearing he had little time to reason with long winded explanations.
As sudden as that, an eerie smile washed away the aggression on her face and concealed it once again with her cherry red. "He is somewhere down near the crystals in those areas" she pointed, circling her finger giving a general area among the heavily populated buildings.
"Oh I see" Argies politely inclined his head, as if he wasn't holding aside caution against a possible re-offense.
Following after Hakari he watched as she shook the chill in the air that was absent to him. Wondering if perhaps she was truly feeling something, he began to accept the possibility that this unheard of ability was in fact a reality.
…
"It's coming from over there" Hakari pointed and walked off, judging that it was best not to upset her again I followed ahead of her this time instead of from behind. "No, now it's over there" We turned to follow another crowd of people, weaving in and out among the masses.
"I guess" I said squeezing past a few members of the throng as I kept in step next to her. "That because ninja hounds and insects are after this guy… that he can't really stay in one place!" I shouted over the volume of chatter as people haggled over prices in the market place.
"He can't really ditch the artefact either" Hakari pointed off to a new direction and continued to speak. "If he thinks we know what he has, he wouldn't risk them finding it, leaving it alone for the sniffer dogs to tack it down."
"Assuming he wants to keep it" I chided.
"Wait!" Hakari held up a hand and I walked into it before stopping, so used to the flow in step after her.
"What" I jeered "I'm not being a sour pus" I smiled at her but the tick of her eyebrows told me I crossed some unseen line. "No seriously it was just…"
"Shut up you idiot!" I instantly pugged my mouth like I had tasted something very sour indeed "His here!"
Stunted I looked at the 'here' of where he was, it was a small restaurant with only five stools and five people seated. "What now?" I asked her, because she was clearly in charge of tracking in our team.
She stared ahead with a lost look on her face. "I don't know, they are all henged" then a frown crested her forehead and her hands settled to her hips. "What kind of an idiot uses a henge in a ninja Village just for the grub?" Looking to me she disclosed "I can't tell who it is, but a full body henge would raise more goose bumps"
"Sooo…." I folded my arms leaning back to stare up at the sky Shikamaru style. "Will we just have to play hot cold until you get a chill?"
"Maybe" starting from the far right she stepped behind the women seated on that stool.
"Hmm" I hummed "I would give it a breezy, not really cold three"
Standing behind the next seat she couldn't help yet stifle her laughter at how silly a game we were playing on a mission. Or maybe it was the chills running up her arm as I examined it.
"Uh?" I inspected. She looked at me eagerly, bubbling with excitement. "This is definably a four"
"A feverishly cold five"
"An winter chill six"
"Huh look at that… this guy gives you chills all over." She laughed to my jest but then coughed the laughter out her throat and placed a hand on the man's shoulder.
"You're coming with us" The man just looked at Hakari and started some laughter of his own.
"And why would that be little girl?" he looked down on Hakari and I stepped back fearing the same reaction from her as she did me…
""
"Perhaps we could handle this in another way Hakari" I cracked my wrist nervously to all the eyes upon us, looking on embarrassed as Hakari pulled the heavy man by his arm seemingly trying to rob him of his seat.
"You ask too many questions" She pressed the words out of her mouth, struggling against the effort, the man's hairy arm dwarfing her small form.
Finally she succeeded, sort of, nearly falling over as the man stood up. "What is this about, does someone need me, who sent you?" Now standing up it was clear we weren't about to lift this guy up and carry him off, well not Hakari alone anyway. He was more than double our height and if I was to guess nearly three times our weight put together. His face was unusual, bearing a beard that was whisked outward giving the man a beastly appearance, but I guess not too suspicious since we have many foreign traders who come to the village.
I spoke up indirectly to the man, both reassuring him and giving him cause to worry. "I'm pretty sure we can't 'arrest' this man without at least some evidence?"
Hakari shot me a mute look of disapproval. "Did I stutter, you talk too much, and I've been doing this longer than you." She let go of his hand, already reaching back to her now baby sized crystal.
"Hey!" I snapped my fingers and reaffirmed my command with the raise in my voice and pointed finger. "What do you think you are doing, you can't just cuff this guy for no reason?" I stood in her way, blocking her from the man behind me. She mouthed again, 'you talk too much', provoking a doubt in me. "Me? I don't talk too much besides we can't just tie the guy up we don't even know if he is the guy yet"
Hakari turned to her side to dart her eyes from me with attitude. "It obviously him, his got that criminal look" She moulded the crystal in her hands until they unveiled a distinctive jailors hand cuffs look. "I've been arresting people long enough to know when a guy is guilty"
Immediately I took offence "Hey I'm not totally inexperienced, I'm Chunin after all"
To which Hakari replied "Yeah like the Chunin I was speaking about before, pushed into positions they can't handle…"
Unexpected laughter broke out which was neither I nor Hakari's but the man's, who on turning we found to be far from our reach. "Great team work, good luck catching up." I felt his chakra shift, in the process of phasing out of existence, a chakra enhanced speed. Time seemed to slow in my grasp. My muscle reflexes instantly charging my hands with my gentle breeze, I latched onto him but without my blood I was unable to slow his escape. Faltering I suddenly realised 'that' was not going to slow him down, and just then in that moment I saw chakra blue crystal wiz past my face and latch onto the man's arms bringing them together .
The man was fazed, looking down on his shackles, to which Hakari declared "We have great team work!" She boasting a smile, and in a chakra bust of speed he vanished to that declaration.
"We are a great team"
…
"What was that?" Hakari asked Argies as they headed off in the direction her senses told her to go.
"What was what?" Argies responded not sure if her question was directed at him.
"I saw you do something with your hands before he disappeared, what was that?" She said again to the sound of the pitter-patter of tiles heard under foot as the rushed across.
"Huh?" Argies responded with interest in the note of his voice. "You must be the first person who has noticed that, it's an ability of mine. I am able to open pathways of chakra that send out a gentle breeze of energy, undetected, or so I thought."
"It didn't do anything… unless, did it?"
"It's an ability I'm still developing" He says, not wanting to bring up his dead or missing guardians, his family jutsu or his clans customs of teaching tools but not teaching hows.
"I understand" Hakari sympathised, a wink of understanding in her eyes. "I'm the only crystal user in the village, no one here knows what I am capable of; making it hard for them to teach me. It's one of the reasons why I haven't been invited to join anyone's team before."
"You are a crystal user? Huh I've read about them before in mythology, so that's what you are. I guess it would be asking too much if you can shoot thunder out of your eyes like some of the stories I've read."
"Really!" She giggled and then blushed for good measure. "You should introduce me to these books of yours …" Then the placard of emotions ceased and plain faced a question hung on her lips. "What does your ability usually do? I mean what were you planning exactly?"
"Come to think of it…" Argies came to a stop to ponder the question. "Maybe it will still work…?" He asked it of himself, 'Would it still work even over this distance?' and then he pull a kunai from his pouch and angled it to slash at his own wrist. Hakari Shrieked out but before her words could exclaim 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING!', the jutsu make it clear. The moment the kunai pierced flesh, the blood lifted up and floated off to the current of his chakra breeze.
The blood did as not what the user expected, Argies recoiled from it as instead of its hunt of enemies blood it sought to bite at Ages. Attaching its self to his body, a tendril of red, the wisp of crimson now whipped at the air.
"What is that!" Her face hung in horror, his own burning with disdain.
"Tss… don't look so disgusted" He retracted from his team mate who rushed in to lock a hand around his open wound. The soft moment when their hands touched, the icy pain clamped shut by warmth enveloping his hand. In her palm, that moment pushed aside too soon before appreciation dawned, he yearned for it but now it was gone. "This is my ability; I am the blood manipulating ninja of the Leaf, and although this ability is new to me, I will not refuse my gifts because of the distaste it brings to others." He jilted himself and scorned his quick tongue, but he could not retract what was already said.
"What! Hakari shook her head in incredulity, and on a very different thought she asked. "You've, never done this before?"
"Correct, now let's find this guy and discover exactly what it can do."
…
Their tracking lead to the Village gates, where, there was no need for them to discover which of who he was. The thief, now with his disguise cast aside, stood a hulk of a man with short axes in hand and a grizzly beastly nature all about him. It was clear this was no ordinary Shinobi; he towered over the others, his huge pectorals exploded with dominance, his colossal size grinned fiercely with the intent to harm. A killing intent that radiated so primal with ferocity that the crowds vanished the moment he appeared. He stood there, baring teeth to the guards at the gate and the tracking units posted there to seek him out; his stance, open to attack because he feared none, his arms gripped with pending rage. He roared a battle cry and the air itself felt the impact in the depth of his voice, booming panic in the chests of those who could hear it, reverberating weapons and armour to tremble against each other and clang with fragility.
The Leaf guards and their tracking units made ready. Their hounds barked, their weapons drawn, their Shinobi face set so that no fears could creep in.
"You!" The word stretched out in the impact of his deep voice. "Shinobi of the Leaf. Surrender to me!" the inhuman quacking that extended from his throat, silence the dogs. "Raaaagh!" He thundered again when the trebling Leaf Shinobi, now holding fast against the coming winds, did not make motion to accept. "Join me my brothers" He shouted, but this time it was not to the Leaf ninja.
Two more beastly ninja took their place at the sides of the thief, their bodies paling by comparison yet still out matching the muscle of the Konohagakure ninja. Together all three roared and this time an unexpected thing happened, the hounds of the Leaf turned against their masters, growing wild their tame nature rotted away, savage sneers replacing their loyalty.
…
When we joined the battle already nine Leaf Shinobi were down; killed by the beastly brothers or by our own Village Hounds. The blood on the battle grounds thickening into mud against the earthly soil. Kunai, cloth armour and flesh, scattered across the way gate entering our village. I stood there looking around at the carnage about us, wounded ninja, dying Shinobi, casualties of this monstrous bandit who stole from the Leaf Lives as well as secrets.
"Send word to the Hokage immediately!" Hakari shouted to a man, who still shell-shocked by the loss of his comrade cradled the decapitated corpse. Removing himself from the dead the man took Hakari's words to task, listening to her command rather than her age.
"I have seen the dead before" I spoke my words as if they were not my own, whispered from my soul rather than my breath. "Shattered and beaten, bleed and broken, disembodied by death's lance… but then that was never Leaf Shinobi, they were never skilled men and women of war, they were only children like you and me." I looked to Hakari who remained composed but now paled to the vision of me. "I have turned from my blood, my wounded soul, and moulded the conquest of my enemy through the wading of my crimson hold. I have taken from their desire and now they will fold. Rue in my fulfilment, for vengeance is cold!"
"Argies, you cannot do this"
"Hakari, look to the dead and know that my will is right." I gathered more of what I needed, of what they spilt. "They would have wanted this; they who gave their lives for the Leaf deserve their retribution"
…
Argies summoned his will and using the Gentle breeze, gathered more of the blood collected from the dead. Filling the air red, the darkness pulled in towards him, as crimson clouds of mist settled on his skin to for new tendrils of blood mist jutsu.
Now with the quaking of eighteen lashing tendrils of blood mist, they set off to capture these slayers of men.
…
Licking the blood off their fur, I heard the twins discuss the recent battle. "Those Leaf shinobi spill their blood like cattle." They grunted among themselves.
"Weak, small and pathetic, see how their hounds were called to our might. The Leaf has weak will." They spat out their insults.
"We should return brothers, return to steal more secrets from these undeserving weaklings." Oblivious of the sacrifice, they sniggered like weasels.
"Yes! Return brothers, return to rip more flesh from their hides. Nehaha-nehaha"
"Enough!" I turned to confront them. "The prey fought well" They coward in reverence of my dominance. "Never show disrespect for animals who fear the beasts they fight."
My twin brothers shrank "Yes brother" they said in unison.
I sniffed at the air and snarled at their stink of fear. "Come now brothers, we have much to celebrate… and your pale skins make my mood sour and my throat bark with reprimand"
" "
"Tell us brother, tell us of the scroll you took from the Inuzuka clan."
"Such secrets are hidden from their own people, I could not find it with their clans men, but I found other scrolls on taming the beasts they keep. Found in the Ninja archives." I retrieved the scrolls I took and showed them the three I had selected explicitly for my brethren. "Kuma" I pulled an arm around my brother hugged him close. "Take this scroll of the great dire wolf, who is known for its abilities in shadow melding." To my other shoulder I took his twin. "Tora, take my scroll of the great white hawk, whose powers of thunder master even those of legendary technique."
Together we laughed with joy for the catch we had caught; this feast of knowledge will make us proud beast masters and feared warriors.
"Kemono!" My brothers looked up at me with concern in their dark eyes.
"What is it brothers?"
"You have gifted us such powerful training scrolls, but what scroll did you save for yourself?"
I grinned, savage toothed and with wisdom in my eyes, I knew what my brothers truly asked of me. "Do not be so… quick hearted to cast concerns for your strength, I would not hurt my brethren by giving them weak pets." I retrieved the scroll I took for myself. "Nor would I fault them for fearing my loyalty. I have selected an animal that complements those of your own, and gains momentum through our strengths and magnifies our beastly natures; I have selected the Dark Bear who shows loyalty to only one master throughout its life time. HAHAHAHA!" We laughed together, my brothers bending to my will laughed uneasy not knowing where my mirth traced from. "Wolf kills Bear, Bear kills Hawk, Hawk kills Wolf. With this combination there is no animal that we together should fear. Wolf is swift and its teeth sharp, it is able to overcome the strength of Bear and kills without being hurt. Bear is tough and its muscles powerful, it is able to kill hawk with one blow. Hawk is cunning and its eyes foreseeing, it is able to steal wolf from the earth only to send wolf plummeting back down."
Now they understood so now again we laughed together as masters of the Beasts I picked for them, yet with the change in wind I and my brothers sensed the great tide of blood coming.
"We have been followed"
…
They sat in wait for those who pursued. They sat in wait for those who they elude. With dark axes, crest in blood, with happy faces masked in mud. They hid in wait, to disguise the trap they included. They hid with bait, to take vantage from those they precluded.
A girl and a boy, too young for a dying age, a lady and her mate; to ignorant be alive for their date.
"Do you really think they are here Argies?" Hakari stopped walking forward, just before the trap, she turned around to face Argies in question even though she had been leading the way as he tracked.
"I don't think they were in a hurry to leave, it was easy for them to slaughter all those people. If you killed so many in a space of minutes, would you fear the three man squad they sent after you?"
"How could you say something like that Argies! I would never…."
"three, four, a dozen… it wouldn't matter! You would feel impervious; you would feel like a deity. You wouldn't keep your feet off of the path you were on, you wouldn't fear being tracked. You wouldn't fear being found."
"*Sigh* I see your point, still it's such a horrible thing to comprehend"
"It's what we must do Hakari, we have to think like our enemies in order to take vengeance for our losses!"
They walked ahead together on that statement, they walked off in agreement on their commitments to vengeance… right into the heart of a trap!
The ground on the path they were on, fell out and sucked in their legs. Their screams echoed as sharp javelins pieced into their feet, cut at their shins, embedded into their thighs and immobilised their waists.
The two twin brothers came out from hiding to throw off bolas, the rope and weights whipping around the fragile forms of the young Genin and Chunin. Now with the axes at their hips returned to their hands once more, their third brother came out from the woods. His axes ready to timber their bodies like trees and fall their blood to the earth's thirsty soils, despite the blood already spilled to quench the thirst of the greedy earth and these men who desired for lives like the grave took the dead.
With his axe lifted overhead, and his brothers holding the heads of its victims steady, their cries died down to the sudden puff of smoke as the cleave cut through thin air. Replaced, the two bodies held stiff in the earth but now no longer as flesh but as timber already chopped.
"Substitution!" Tora cried out and darted his head around, ears perked for the attack that was bound to follow.
"What is that sound?" Kuma halted their snarls in preparation, and their attention suddenly drew focus back to the logs that would have been bodies. The sizzling burning and the scent in the air, all too familiar "Paper Bomb!"
…
"How did you know that would work?"
"I'm a bit of a trap novice; I could smell opportunity when I figured they would be able to smell my blood tendrils."
"Sick, when did you start calling them yours?"
"Come on, time to take advantage of our counter trap." We leapt out from our cover, the small bush before their traps.
We waited for the smoke to clear, not knowing whether it truly worked or not. When it had cleared we could see three bodies, stumbling about with their hands over their ears.
I was ready, but it seemed Hakari was faster, before I could act Hakari had already begun. Throwing off kunai into one of the smaller men's thighs and slashing another kunai at the remainder of the two smaller shinobi. It meant that I had a target, I got to fight the big guy.
"Who dares attack us, brothers of the South, Beast masters of the Horde?" The Larger man was still trying to rub the dirt and smoke out of his eyes from the explosion I caused.
"Dare! Dare you!" I spoke with a thunder in my voice, my flesh running cold and then my skin rushed with heat. "How dare you, you slaughtered and spill the blood of the Leaf and then challenge my Authority to attack you!" My tendrils reacted to the anger in my voice, coming together to cloud my vision with red before fuming over him.
He caste a hand out, knocking back the mist of crimson in the air. Sun light piecing through the shin of red as steam lifted from the arm that struck at the extension of my wrath. Realisation penetrating through his animalistic sideburns, he looked at the scorched skin on his hairy arm, as I drained him of his chakra taken from the blood he tried to disarm.
He sniffed at the air, "What an unfortunate gift you have" and then he looked down on me and I stared into his eyes as I listened to the battle cries of my team mate and the clash of muscle and steel. "To gain power through the loss of your comrades, it must make you so angry." He leered to the cost of the powers I wield now, and his words did boil my blood.
I struck forward and this time I moved with my blood, colliding a fist against the man's chest, but! The hulk of a man did not move back, my efforts making no sway to his great mass. He stood there a stone in my path, But! I fumed and my chakra flared, so that I could move him just as I moved that bolder in my path; Striking with technique, the pattern and rhythm of combat enforcing my desire, the tendrils growing restless with my focus, my fists pounding into his flesh- Till the large man stood no more, now knelling to my enraged temperament.
His axes casted down, his hands on the ground, he looked up to me with a smile on his face. "Good" He stretched the word, his voice thunder and my heart the rain; pitter-patter. "Yes, let your rage out, let it consume you! Let it burn your desires into a flame, give you strength, make you stronger. Fight me!" His voice boomed and shook my very being, I stepped back as he stood up with axes back in hand.
"What are you doing Argies!" I turned to Hakari who was managing the two ninja quite well although I could see she fought with a strength that would not last. "Use your kunai! We don't have time for pleasantries"
I pulled out my kunai as instructed, and just then! An axe swirled in to cut off my head. In reaction I pulled back and used my kunai to further impede the attempt. Metal VS Metal, steel ringing and the air whooshing as attacks fell through guarded attempts at calling death. The ground still upheaved, from my explosion and their trap, filled the air with an earthy musk as dirt was scattered about underfoot in patterns of retreat and advance.
Rattled by his words and his forbearing hunger for my hatred, I was called aside from war and instead my mind was lost to defence. Then, with his arm reaching in to cut at me, I saw the red mist. The blood of those he had taken, and it did not fill me with fear but with righteous anger. Like a swarm of wasps, my blood mist heeded to my cry and came in to consume his arm in stingers of pain.
He retracted his limb with screams of agony, huddled as he was I took vantage of his savage nature condensed to an injured animal by the look in his eyes. Cutting with my kunai, striking with my fists, kicking him down to the dirt with my legs; the feeling was surmounting and the feeling was good.
"You broke the shackles that she bound you with" I pointed to Hakari who was still battling her foes, he looked at her but then again to me. "But you will not break the shackles I will place on you, for they have been forged in the hell fires of retribution and smelted by the hammer of justice, for my shackles are made from death!"
A calm half smile replaced the beastly man's wounded composure. "Hahahahaha, as I am about to die I cannot help but admire your savage nature." His laughter deafening the righteous intent I held in my heart as I confronted the truth. Killing him would make me every bit the monster he is. Coming to terms with this insight, I felt the harmony within myself. My chakra infused with his, that was why… that is why I am like this. It is the disharmony of yin and yang. When one is more than the other, if invites in evil. I instantly sealed my hands into the hand sign of snake and then bird, together forming the symbol of metal which is how spiritual harmony is focused.
My opponent stood up from the ground leering, "Did you decided instead to defeat me in honourable combat, very well." His wounds already healed due to the unintended recuperative effect of donating nurture in exchange for chakra.
I held my hands in the dual symbol of metal and faced him, I would have to fight him while between these symbols… and that wasn't going to be easy. I looked to Hakari who was tiring.
…
These guys are tougher than I assumed. Yes they killed at least fifteen of our Leaf shinobi, Chunin and Genin, but I would have thought they would be worn out by now. No, they don't show any signs of chakra exhaustion. It is as if they were built for this, killing, their fur protects them from glanced cuts and their strong bones allow them to hit with the greatest of force. Unlike them, my chakra was depleting. My crystal now only one one-hundredth its normal weight, siphoning off its mass to enhance my strength and speed, I didn't have long until I was out of chakra and out of it…
…But I will remain, for I am Hakari Kessho, and the Leaf Village Will know my name!
I pulled my now plate sized crystal off my back, which had been acting as a shield -guarding against being stabbed between the shoulder blades- up until now. If I was going to make use of my crystal, it was going to be now before it was all gone. I had the feeling these guys couldn't be handicapped by my handcuff tricks, although it seemingly restrained the container of the fox demon, these guys would just break it like it was made out of candy. I didn't have a lot of it to waste either… hmm.
I wonder how I will go about killing flies with honey when I have a big rock in my hands. One of the beastly brothers took a swing at me so I held up my crystal and darted away his attack. They always go for the head, how rude. I can never tell these two apart, I guess I should have made more of a dent when I first attacked so that instead of one gash on the leg I would have eliminated that first guy before his lookalike showed up. My crystal is growing smaller, melting away in my hands even while I use it as a guard. Uh, these guys have weapons… why don't I have weapons… NOT FAIR!
I turned around, directly after one of my opponents tried to axe me before flying past, he had his back to me. I waited for his double to do the same. "Wham! WHAM WHAM! That's what you get for bring an axe to a rock fight!" I could hear his bones break under the force of my rock, hopefully he has a concussion along with the broken ribs.
"Brother!" I heard his call before being tumbled to the ground by a tackle from behind. After knocking down his brother I was hoping I could turn the rock on him, too bad it disappeared along with the last of my chakra.
The wolfy looking guy, who tackled me, ran to his brother to check on him. I put an elbow under my weight to shoot him a disappointed look, if I wasn't out of chakra I would teach him a lesson in good manners, I couldn't believe he just abandoned me like that. From that one tackle alone, I was completely out of the fight. The best I could do now is throw off a few kunai. These guys are heavy, at least eighty Kgs of muscle and bone and don't forget the fur. How long was the Leaf taking anyway, when exactly do they intend to send back up.
Maybe Argies is right… our village is incompetent, either that or they just don't care very much about their Shinobi and artefacts.
I reclined against the bare ground, my hair scattered about me, I lied their staring up at the now resentful bit-bull of a man as he leered seeing an entirely different opportunity from my defenceless stance.
"You hurt my brother, that wasn't nice, but I can see more than one way you could make it up to him when he wakes up." he retrieved the bolas they used earlier to tie up the log versions of us, but I could clearly see his new interests by the bulge in his pants.
"Ugh, sick gross… ARGIES! HELP ME!"
…
"Hakari!" Shippuden, they got her and with these blasted hand seals I'm next. The Beast Master- as he called himself- who was beating the snot out of me, took full vantage of my distracted mind; punching me in the gut before I could return my focus on him. Hakari was completely helpless now, tied up physically where I was tied up emotionally. Ninja chopsticks, I have got to do something fast but what!
While I thought it out, ducking and diving from the Beast masters attacks, I couldn't help consider retreating. These guys couldn't match my speed, their bodies' heavy and not built for the chase, besides they wouldn't need to chase after me when they have her. I could fall back and see what is taking the leaf so long to find us! No that's a terrible Idea, then they would have a hostage and Hakari would defiantly be dead. I could try letting the evil half of my corrupted yin yang balance go mental and kill these guys, but that wouldn't leave anyone safe and I would probably die too when the Leaf shows up. Well I guess this is just the end then, those other options suck and I don't want them to do what they intend to do to Hakari. I guess it's time to turn just plain suicidal, activate all eight of my remaining paper bombs at once and hope we all die in the resulting explosion.
Boy are Hakari's parents going to be so disappointed with me, I suppose it's a good thing that I'll be dead by that point. With my mind set in this grizzle option, my jaw locked and clenched as I committed to it. I plunged forward to latch onto the Beast master, making sure he would be paste by the end of the blast. Then!
Hakari's opponent, now done binding her, suddenly caught alight! Screaming out in flames of agony, pausing momentarily as if he was trying to determine if it his torment was only an illusion and then continuing his agonising screams until his throat wrenching wails were turned to wheezy gasps and then finally a death rattle. His last breath escaping the blaze in a blood curdling shriek, his lungs turned crisp.
Distracted by this, his comrade turned to smoulder, the beast master caught the butt of my retaliation unprepared. Unfolding my hands from seal, blood poured in to consume him once more. Driving in I pressed a hand against his chest and drank of his living chakra.
He stiffened, the consequences of such a dramatic loss of chakra, he stood there strangled by the surge of power I felt fill into me. Magnifying my Strength, the bones in my body hardening like iron kindled by the fires of pure energy. Augmenting my Chakra, the flow of blood and the sting of power entering my being like a flood of heat. Amplifying my essence, I felt a thousand thoughts surge through my mind my soul pressing ever on for more!
"You're killing him Argies; keep him alive we still need to report him in"
I heard Hakari as if from another plane of existence, for I was in another place. An empty land were only I ruled, the mindscape of my throne sovereign of all. "I am paramount, my power is all ending and all beginning. Earth and Water, Air and Fire, Metal, thunder, Spirit and desire, for body whole and soul; I am your entire!"
"Stop it! You said you would let go of their blood once we caught these guys, let go of their blood Argies… they are avenged." Hakari spat from her bindings, unable to reach over and smack me out of my unreason.
"…" I closed my eyes and felt them, the dead, striped from me in waves. Their power leaving me, making me grow weaker yet ecstasy overwhelmed me as they departed. Light, weightless, falling, ever drifting my mind felt free…
I collapsed to the ground feeling the last leave me, dropping me from the pure Zen I was in. Taking a breath I put one foot under me and stood up, almost expecting the ground to continue moving away as I got up. The Beast master was out cold, his body shrunk from the hulk he was before.
"Hakari, quickly…" I rushed to unbind her. "Before anything else happens, I don't want you to be helpless to prevent it."
"Chhhh… your Shippuden right!" Hakari dusted herself off. "What was that?" she asked bunching her brow.
"Something new, what about you… how did you set that guy on fire when you were tired up? Was it some kind of new seal trap, like a 'paper incinerator'?"
"We'll have to work on the name, but to be honest I have no idea who set that guy on fire... it was a miracle"
"Looks like the Great Kami is on our side…too bad the Leaf isn't. Now let's get back to the Village and see what took them"
"The Great Kami? I've always wanted one of those" Hakari smiled, picking up the unconscious twin… the charred one wouldn't be answering any questions anytime soon, what with being dead and all. I got to work picking up the massive man of the Beast master, it would be much easier if I could chop off his legs with his axe, but he wasn't as heavy now that he lost considerable mass due to the dead's' blood mist.
…
It had reached dawn by time we managed to drag our mission report in, but on returning we could already hear the lecture in advance through the judgmental eyes from the village nin.
"What were you thinking continuing your mission!" Iruka scolded me from behind the mission report desk, standing up to lean his hands down on the surface in order to provide that overbearing attitude to his words.
"I was completing my mission!" I Vindicated.
"A mission of B rank statues." Daikoku declared slamming our written report down on the table.
"A mission you assigned to me and my team mate!" I rectified knowing that the possible implication of my words could result in my future exclusion from such underrated missions, still I intend to project that my team will always be capable despite the odds.
"You entered a battle with no consideration for your team mate's capabilities." Suzume angled her glass making sure her condescending glare could be seen through them.
"And yet she surpassed your expectation!" I was along in the room to confront their attack, yet somehow I felt stronger standing alone against their bombardment then if I had to contend against it with Hakari while staving off the embarrassment of being reprimanded… in front of her.
"Luck is no excuse for recklessness Ages!" Iruka sank to his seat establishing that I was not about to break down crying like the child they treated me as.
"I told you I was able, that B rank is no match for my ability." I took a breath in and broke the surface of their facade "Admit it, you only runt at me now because you were wrong!"
"You are out of order Chunin, step down." Daikoku the weapons teacher placed a kunai onto the desk, showing the degree of which he was willing to take my argument.
"And if I do, will you doubt me again, or will I have to cross those lines and proof your hand against ever underestimating me again!" I grit my teeth because he didn't know me, he didn't know the stress I was under and I felt I might just mean what I said.
"Enough!" Suzume cleared the room of conflict with her brittle voice, harnessing control despite her frail personality "You are looking at a demotion for your recklessness Ages! You better keep your tongue if you know what is good for you."
I muttered under my breath, 'How can they demote me for what Hakari and I have accomplished.' If I didn't feel like killing them all before, I certainly felt like strangling the life out of them now. I stood there pensively considering it and all the resulting difficulties, so I rattled my hands at my sides trying to control my growing anger. I took deep breaths, but on breathing out the hot air only made me feel madder. I stood there as a bull seeing red, puffing out clouds of the coming storm.
Iruka cleared his throat before saying, "I think it is best Argies that you leave this council before you can say more to damage your reputation."
I bowed politely, shacking as I did, before leaving the room to find Hakari on the opposite side of the door.
Her welcoming smile pulled back in gauging the look of me. "Woe, who kicked your hornets' nest" She chuckled before throwing me a half smile that made me more embraced for my anger than anything else.
"Paper work" I lied shrugging my shoulders as if that was an explanation, trying my best to disguise the resentment.
"Don't worry I got the same lecture. What do they know anyway, as far as I am concerned they don't have the right to speak. Hey, if they took down three A rank ninja when assigned a B rank mission… then maybe I could understand the reaction, but until then they don't have the right to judge."
"*Hmm, Wooo haaa* doesn't make the tightness in my chest any better, but it's nice to have someone who agrees with me."
"Yeah, it was nice and if you will have me… I say yes!"
I blinked at her blind offer. "Aaagh… I don't know what you mean, I'm not that kind of guy."
"What? No you didn't… augh you're so gross" She palmed a hand against her face trying to wash out the disgust. "I meant I'm in, I want to be part of your team."
"Oh!" I stretched the apprehension. "Ya I was saying I'm not that kind of guy who, ergh, rejects additional team mates… Ya that's it." I snapped my fingers but from her shy blush and chuckle I knew it was fooling no one. "So- Want to go to the hospital and get these abrasions as bruises cleaned up?" It wasn't necessary but some Ninja did it, it was part of the whole Ninja ready idea. That getting even the smallest wounds cleaned up would speed up your recovery so that you could get to the next mission as soon as possible. That and the fact that I used my blood jutsu, which burnt the ninja chop sticks out of my chakra network, and Hakari had depleted all her chakra, which leads to damaged cells throughout the body.
"Na, we could head to the spar… a hot bath will heal up all my bruises nicely" Hakari rubbed at a sore elbow, I wondered in the back of my mind if that bruise came from them hitting her or the other way around. The thought had just dawned on her, judging by the look on her face. "Hey! Speaking of hospitals, why didn't you tell me our team is classified as a medical unit. You know you could have warned me at least!"
"Yeah I don't like it either, it means they will always belittle what we can do but it's better than being classified an inter-village ninja. Besides" I shrugged "Tensue our Sensei tells me that being a Jounin enables him the ability to assign us missions himself, meaning we won't need to worry about D-ranks"
"Tensue, is that his name?" She pocked a finger at my gut unexpectedly and I keeled over like it ruptured my abdomen, lucky I was able to pass if off as a joke. "Haha who knew I had this power over you. Come on tender tummy lets go to the spar"
"Treats on me, it's the least I can do after sending us on this mission… after all we could have died because of the Leaf's reluctance to send a search party"
"You sir are a doll"
"…and that's a good thing?"
"Very good"
"K…. now I wonder how much this is going to cost me." I stroked at my walker beads absently. 'I'm going to be pissing blood for a long time after today… man I feel like that guy punched right through me, but it's worth holding in my gut like a champion when it means I get to spend more time with her. My team mate, was a beautiful thought'
…