June 3, 12 AK
My hand slides over the smooth bark of the tree noiselessly, a bare whisper of chakra helping me cling to the surface just long enough to change my vector of motion. The off hand, stretching towards the next target, extends a fine spray of chakra threads which latch on and extend the arc of my swinging leap unnaturally far with their gentle pull.
The next branch gets a similarly short period of contact, the smooth contraction of my legs absorbing and neutralizing the force of gravity and adding the subtlest upward force so the near pause has no effect whatsoever on the rate at which I am moving forward.
My eyes shine in the shadows of my hood, the artificial shade now secondary to the nearly invisible and seemingly decorative swirls of black on my wine-dark face mask, which are actually my own first successful attempt at a seal based Genjutsu, inspired by some of the Owl's own work. Although, calling it a Genjutsu might actually be somewhat misleading since what the technique actually did was more akin to a medical jutsu. It changed how memories formed.
Looking at the seal would implant a neurochemical trigger in the target's hippocampus that modified the image which would eventually be stored in long term memory. The seal even edited itself out of the subjects vision, so anyone looking at my face would only remember a fairly average, if slightly pale, Konoha ninja wearing a dark red face mask and a dirty sage and heather hood. Unusual and unanticipated characteristics of my features such as the Sharingan and the seals themselves would be omitted from the record formed in memory.
However, calling it the perfect disguise would be a gross overstatement. I was still memorable for a litany of other traits; the technique wouldn't and couldn't make people forget me entirely, or even have more than a mild amount of difficulty describing my features in general terms. But the beauty of it was that it played to the normal habits of the human brain, to show you what you expected to see. The Sharingan was unexpected. Seals were unexpected. So the target didn't see them.
It was pretty great, because it meant I could keep my eyes on in public with near impunity, and this method of travel, delightful for its similarity to flight, was only possible with the instinctive understanding of forces and vectors of motion granted by the Sharingan. Right now I was moving at almost terminal velocity… horizontal to the ground. It is glorious being so fast.
Oh. Right.
My feet stick low on the curve of the next branch, allowing me to swing upside down under it and offering an unobstructed view of the trio of experienced Genin and a single Chunin following behind me… a bit too far behind.
The soft huff of irritation at their lethargy was lost in the wind of my flip back to an upright posture.
Slow, slow, slow, slow, slow….
...Do as you are told.
I correct my course and bounce up higher into the canopy before diverting backwards and circling around in a wide arc behind the munchkins.
"Ugh, now where is he?!"
I raised an eyebrow at ... Chubei? Meh, it was so hard to care about the little buggers in anything other than an abstract sense. I mean, they were my squad, so I would murder literally any number of non-squad humans for them, up to and including every person not currently affiliated with Konoha, but sometimes they could be a little trying. And since our current mission was mainly an evaluation of their abilities (unbeknownst to them) some of them would definitely be getting less than stellar performance reviews.
"At least he isn't staring at us. So creepy."
The slight downward curve of my lips progresses into a genuine frown at the other Genin's comment. It's not creepy, I'm just watching over them! It's my job.
"Heh! I know right? Now I get why Matsuhiro called him the Pariah."
"I would appreciate it if you didn't call me that. Yumi-san, you are using too much chakra when you push off the branch; it leaves an imprint of your foot."
The pair of Genin freeze in midair, stumbling slightly on the next landing, and the Chunin in front sighs heavily as they turn slowly to face me in my position wafting along directly behind them. I flash him an approving smile and make a mental note of the situational awareness. Someone noticed my change in position at least.
"Ahh… sorry Hiroki-Jounin."
I give Chubei and Yumi a long, assessing look, humming noncommittally.
"We should be at the target location in twenty minutes or less if you'd stop dawdling."
Chubei lets out a squawk of affront but Yumi flushes in embarrassment, the pink clashing with her orange hair rather unattractively. Or maybe I'm just not feeling very charitable, whatever.
"Sorry Hiroki-Jounin. We'll go faster."
I hum again, eyebrows knitting slightly as I flick a practiced eye over their slightly sweaty faces and the elevated pulse in their necks.
"Don't wear yourself out. If you arrive early but unable to act you're worse than useless. I need allies, not liabilities."
"We'll be fine! We're not little kids!"
Chubei seems to be getting a little worked up over the condescension. It really isn't doing anything to improve my initial impression of him. Although to be fair it must be galling to receive even gentle chastisement from someone two years younger and two ranks higher. I wouldn't know.
"What is that technique you're using?"
I blink at the Chunin who has fallen back a half step to trail above our loose cluster.
"You noticed. Good. Chakra Strings."
Illumi-Chunin frowns a little in curiosity.
"Isn't that usually used in puppeteering?"
My mask shifts slightly as I give him a somewhat broader smile, eyes half-lidded with appraisal.
"Yes. But I have found more applications for the technique."
I offer a noncommittal shrug, gaze resettling on the path ahead as the leaves rush past.
"I am currently merely experimenting; I am doubtful it will remain a core piece of my repertoire. The cost in chakra is slight, but it requires more concentration to maintain than I would like. This mission will be a test case."
The mission in question only barely rates a Jounin's attention in the first place, as it is only narrowly a B-rank. A few experienced Genin and a Chunin should be more than capable of exterminating a handful of bandits, even if a couple of them are likely to be academy dropouts with a basic grasp of chakra control.
We burst into their camp in a flurry of leaves… or we would have if we were incompetent; as we aren't we froze on the edge of the clearing, forward movement dying a sudden but silent death, perching in the trees for a moment before one of my summons does a quick circumnavigation, taking note of guard postings and the absence of visible prisoners.
"Well, you're the boss, Illumi. Plan?"
The Chunin rubs his chin thoughtfully, gaze scanning contemplatively over the campsite.
"I only sensed five decently developed chakra signatures down there, I don't think we need much of a plan. You and I can take the potential problems and the Genin can handle the rest. Yeah?"
"I believe we should keep Hiroki-Jounin in reserve for the moment. Why? Because he will be able to get a better estimate of our skills."
I am the only one who doesn't show visible signs of surprise at the sudden voice, even Illumi twitches slightly and Yumi and Chubei almost fall off their branches.
Right. Three Genin. Huh.
Aburame Hanako is quite good at avoiding attention. I knew she was there, peripherally, but she was suppressing her chakra signature enough that combined with the interference of her kikaichu it was easy to lose track of her. My eye roved over her approvingly. She was also apparently an expert at minimizing her physical and audible presence. Not totally silent, no, but quiet enough that her timed motions were obscured by other noises. Someone's ready for Chunin.
I smiled lazily at her, eyes smoldering with a slightly predatory delight.
"Don't give away the punchline too soon Hanako-chan. But good point. If nothing else, there is always the possibility that one or two of them are competent enough to hide their chakra signatures. I'll play overwatch, sure. Well, shall we?"
The rest of the squad exchange brief nods before leaping from the trees and into the camp.
Hmm. Yumi and Chubei are obviously used to fighting together, but they aren't taking advantage of Hanako as much as they could be. Chubei's swordsmanship needs a bit more space to be really effective, close quarters isn't his thing, but the Aburame Taijutsu style is pretty good at taking advantage of openings in a melee which would have helped him. Well, at least Illumi seems to be paying attention to the lady bug; they are proving quite efficient with Hanako's insects guarding their rear and flanks while his jutsu tear bloody swathes through the bandits.
Ahh, one of the developed signatures is engaging the Genin pair. That is a very big hammer, but Yumi is none too shabby with her shurikenjutsu and wire; Chubei's odachi takes off the missing-nin's head as he stumbles at the surprise entanglement.
A sudden flare of chakra draws my attention to where Hanako and Illumi are finally encountering some real resistance. A geyser of water smothers Illumi's next fire technique and almost hits the pair before they dodge out of the way.
Hmm. A Chunin? Equivalent anyway, there wasn't one listed on the report… then again, there isn't a rule saying missing-nin can't improve over time. Generally they don't of course, because figuring things out without the support of a village is a tall order and only those already powerful enough to have invented a technique or two on their own are likely to continue doing so. However, most of the ninja who run away from their home villages are flunked academy students or washout Genin, shinobi who got too strong a taste of the ninja life and found it not to their liking but had few options left.
Ooh, and there's another sneaking up behind Illumi and Hanako while they're distracted. Very low chakra signature, definitely suppressed. Well. Time to interfere.
The Genjutsu is subtle, and insidious. Each of the enemy nin gets a trickle, but the demonstrably more skilled will receive more time while the effect slowly builds where the fodder will start feeling the shift almost immediately. Maintaining 6 threads at once is enough to give me a headache if I need to hold it for too long, but this should be over soon.
He's going to betray you! He'll try to stab you in the back and beg for mercy! Traitor! Kill him before he kills you!
The little voice is only a nudge, a suggestion in their minds, an easily dismissed flight of fancy if they were paying attention… or if they trusted each other much to begin with. But that is not my favorite part.
One of the Genin-ish ninja fighting Chubei and Yumi breaks first, taking the opportunity to fire a spear of rock at the pair's other opponent before turning to run. The betrayal sets off the rest of the missing-nin, the implanted suggestion of the illusion giving rise to a self-fulfilling prophecy.
That is my favorite part.
Putting thoughts in a target's head is all well and good but illusions become more complex, and thus harder to maintain and easier to dispel, the more you put into them. Normally this sort of technique would be paired with a visual component, something obvious for the subject to latch onto which would light the spark. A tokubetsu Jounin or higher would probably be able to figure it out then, depending on the skill of the caster and similar variables, reducing the effectiveness. My version is subtler though, generating the symptoms of a fear response in the target instead. Elevated heart rate, increased perspiration, darting eye movements, a little tickle of adrenalin, and like magic the enemy turns on itself. I might still need to do something physical, but my jutsu repertoire is large; I can usually think of something to 'confirm suspicions'.
It wouldn't work well on a tightly knit group, against a squad who has known each other for years or composed of good friends. It would probably always fail on a target from Konoha; teamwork and loyalty are fiercely ingrained from the very first day in the academy. Honestly, I'm pushing it a little hard too; normally I'd let the effect build very slowly over several minutes to keep it undetectable. But because many of the effects are physiological, even dispelling the Genjutsu won't quite put everything back the way it was; a lingering unease will persist, potentially enough to disrupt combos and give me an edge even against long term battle buddies.
Sneaky falls to a tightly focused spear of water from the Ninjutsu user, who is now realizing that something is very wrong as he stands alone against four Konoha ninja who are still in fighting shape. Hmm, he might know a suicide technique; best to get this over with.
"Hey, it's okay."
The missing-nin relaxes as my arms settle around his waist, my body pressing against his from behind and my chakra whispering sweet nothings in his ear alongside my voice. My hands are gentle as they turn him to face me, warmth radiating from every pore as I smooth away the stress and worry with quiet touches.
"Everything is alright. You did so well. I'm so proud of you. Ohh, sweetie, come here."
His eyes are glazed and his pupils are dilated, the hypnotic rumble under my words and total lack of killing intent serving to set him totally at ease as one hand cups his chin and the other pulls down my mask, my mouth touching his and our energies seeping into each other.
Ninshu, the intended use of chakra, to feel the soul of another person, to know them as they know you. The Sage was a fool of the highest order, but I can see the appeal, I admit. I pull back a fraction and murmur quietly to him, my hands resting on his face as my thumbs gently stroke his cheeks.
"Ohh, Toshi, I'm so sorry. I'm here, I'm here…"
His life flashes before my eyes and he whimpers slightly and pulls me closer as my own flickers before his. A few tears trickle onto my cheeks from my taller partner and my Yin chakra starts to diffuses through him, delicately tracing every inch of his coils with a soothing caress, and merging with his chakra as the kiss deepens, desperate and hungry.
Then I change my chakra nature to fire.
The effect is immediate, and I drink in the screams as Toshi's brain tries to maintain two threads of thought at once, his extremities glowing with an inner heat as his soul burns its way free of his flesh warring with my radiant sympathy which continues to assure him of his own safety.
But in seconds it is over, and I let the slightly steaming corpse fall with a lingering sigh of wistful regret.
"Poor Toshi. Oh you poor little missing-nin."
I stretch out a few kinks and shift my attention to the gaping Chubei, my expression still languorously relaxed from the fleeting encounter.
"That is why they call me the Pariah. Though I still don't like that name. Maybe something nicer, like 'Kiss of Death', or 'Tragic Slip'... hmm. Well, I think we're done here, but it seems a waste of such a nice day to start heading back now. I'm feeling a bit peaky; anyone else in the mood for a rest?"
Illumi, who has probably seen weirder things if he's already gunning for Jounin, merely shrugs indifferently at the suggestion before settling himself onto a nearby boulder and closing his eyes. Yumi pats her friend on the back and leads him a little ways away as Hanako drops into a squat to inspect the newly deceased Toshi.
"I have never seen such a technique before. Why choose that one?"
I shrug and leap to a large branch to lie down, a foot hanging indolently off the side, swinging in the light breeze which is carrying away the smell of death from the clearing.
"I wanted to see if it would work. Genjutsu is my specialty after all, and getting one to suppress the pain reflex is tricky. Too much instinct involved, not enough higher brain function. And it's an exercise in control, and not very tiring besides. Much neater than a fireball."
The Aburame nods in understanding as she joins me on the tree.
"Would you like me to keep watch while you sleep?"
My eyes drift slightly more closed but I hum in negation.
"No… thank you though. I don't really sleep so much, just… rest."
I flick my gaze over to the girl, peeking around the edges of my hood towards the shadows of her own.
"Conversation would be welcome though…"
I trail off leadingly and Hanako shifts slightly in acknowledgment before emitting a small cough of embarrassment.
"I am not sure what to talk about."
I smile faintly as a memory tickles the edge of my thoughts.
"How about I tell you a story?"
I resettle myself a little and take a deep breath.
"Once, long ago and far away and ever so long ago, before man had learned to use chakra, there was a young goddess named Skitter…"
. . .
A/N: Meet Hanako, the flower child who eats people alive with her bugs! Also, how could an Aburame not love Worm?