Cross Counter 1

[Chae]

HatsuJinsei (translated to 'New Life') or 'Hatsu' for short, had been the new name assigned to the ex-cloud hopper after having been defeated by his master Hana and recruited by her own personal sword. Acting to be her weapon, shield, and sword, Hatsu intended to perform his role perfectly as he assumed the lead role in making their way through the sizable village that was Kirigakure. Clad in his tattered ebony coat that'd been washed after being stained by his own blood, his usually bare torso was wrapped up in bandages despite his wounds being properly mended within Kirigakure's medical facilities. 

With a freshly opened bottle of booze in his right hand, his chestnut hair retreated away from his face as his head slung backwards which allowed the liquid courage to smoothly run down his throat. Head & bottle brought back down, his lips smacked together as the strong, and disgustingly bitter taste ferociously attacked his taste buds. 

Making his way through one of Kaminari's lesser known pathways to the village itself, he turned back and laterally held out his body and pointed to it, using the guesture as a means to offer Hana a sip...or maybe four.

"Man, Mizu had some damn good booze. Definitely gonna be a regular at that bar...holy shit."

Well on their way to the Uradana district to forcefully shut down a circuit of underground boxing notorious for the abduction and mistreatment of children. While not really a fan of children himself, Hatsu still maintained a sense of what was right & wrong.

SPOILER: Click to show

Fight Club!
Rank: C
Description: Kirigakure's Uradana District is known for its seedy underground boxing clubs. They force young children to fight until exhaustion while making money on the subsequent bets. Break up three of these fighting clubs and confiscate the cash. Take any wounded children to the infirmary so that they might feel better.
Restrictions: None/May be completed multiple times
Rewards: 50 EXP and 1000 Ryo.

[Nujabes]

“What have I told you about drinking in public?” Hana snatched the can from the man’s hand, effortlessly crushing it into a frothy, bubbly mess before she discarded it against the ground. “I don’t care what you do when you’re skulking around the compound, Hatsu, but when you’re in public you not only represent the Kushinada House, but me as well.”

Shaking her hand free of a few clinging bubbles, she wiped the rest on the chest of the man’s kimono. “Stop being an ass and act your age. We’ve got a lot of work to do, which means we need to manage our chakra wisely. You aren’t going to know your right from your left if you’re drunk.”

It was a shame that a twelve year old possessed more reason and maturity than her eighteen year old counterpart, but there was a reason he was in service to her and not the other way around. “Anyway, be sure to try and get a name or two while we’re here. I doubt any of the head bosses will be here, but it may things easier down the road if we know who we’re looking for.” Emerald eyes watched as their surroundings took a noticeably darker, scummy turn for the worse. Uradana wasn’t far. “And remember, we aren’t here to take prisoners. These scumbags are making kids – civilian kids, mostly – fight for sport. You understand?”

[Chae]

Guiltily, Hatsu hurriedly went for another swig of his booze, however, the moment he had, his dry lips tasted nothing but moist air that often fluttered throughout Kirigakure. Although she had a point, Hatsu often found himself falling victim to his drinking addiction, especially considering he -for the most part- embraced it.

Finally, Hatsu agreed to follow her every command, so if it meant no booze, well, the outcome has already been seen. Moving on, Hatsu nodded clearly to show Hana that he acknowledged her commands and expectation as they drew closer and closer to their objective, most notably due to the minute changes in the environment. 

With each advancing step, the surrounding area adopted a significantly darker atmosphere, ominous even. 'Acting more his age', Hatsu's eyes bounced from place to place, person to person, and prying eye to prying eye. The Citizen's of Uradana soon made it abundantly clear that they recognized Hatsu as a new comer, a face so overly fresh that hadn't gained respect or notoriety unlike Hana.

"No Booze, get Names for bosses and no prisoners....."

Almost comically, he leaned over and down towards Hana where his right hand covered the opposite side of his mouth as though he seriously masked his words from open ears.

"So, does that mean I get to be lethal since this guys are child abusers and what not? Just double checking y'know."

Regardless of her answer, Hatsu straightened up once more as both hands were shoved into the confines of his pants' pockets before his demeanor finally changed; taking a serious and more dangerous turn for the worse...or in the duo's case, better.

[Nujabes]

“Of course,” she chirped with hard side-eye. “These men and women are a bunch of kidnappers and child abusers. Kirigakure will be better off without them.” While organized crime did little to bother the child’s moral compass, there were certain things she simply couldn’t stand for. “But I wouldn’t expect them to put up too much of a fight, so as I said, try to conserve your chakra. Put them down the good ol’ fashion way.”

Though jutsu grew to play a critical role in every shinobi’s arsenal, it could equally be seen as a crutch at times. Many ninja had forgotten the true art of assassination, the founding principles of their art. In her eyes, relying solely upon one’s ninjutsu or genjutsu was the quickest way to end up dead.

“Let’s see if we can get some directions.”

---

Hana drove her right hand into the man’s jaw as hard as she could, sending him off his feet and crashing into a stack of rotting wooden crates. On the ground, he moaned in pain as he massaged his jaw, completely unaware the girl stood above him now with her sword drawn. The blade glinted in the early morning light, focusing a light on his face. “The arenas,” she said. “Where are they?”

He spit out a wad of blood, and a tooth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

With a quick thrust, she sheathed the blade in his shoulder. “How about now?”

The man groaned, and then screamed when she twisted the sword.

“I’m waiting.”

“Just up the street,” he sobbed. “Take a left and look for an old restaurant—Danzou’s Place. The ring’ll be in the basement, I swear.”

Hana ripped the sword free from the man’s shoulder and slung it over her shoulder, turning and striding out of the alley. “This way,” she said to Hatsu. “We’re almost there.”

[Chae]

A menacingly wide grin crept across Hatsu's face as Hana's confirmation to 'kill' went in one ear and cozily baked inside his mind. Listening to her following words, Hatsu nodded in response and would've used as little chakra necessary to dispose of their intended targets and anyone else that'd gotten in the duo's way. Still casually strolling behind her with a steady gate, some time had passed after truly reaching the Uradana district, Hana seemed to have found the initial victim that would soon provide the necessary information she needed.

Hatsu cringed and whistled as her fist squarely slammed into the man's jaw which lifted him from the ground itself. Thereafter, it seemed that Hatsu found himself cringe harder and harder in seamless succession as Hana physical abused the man time after time. After all, he brought it on himself considering he could've just answered her question the first time, oh well. Nevertheless, he'd given up and the answer hurriedly leaked from his bloodied mouth to which Hatsu nodded with a slight grin.

"Right!"

Hastening his steady gait -but still walking- Hatsu moved ahead and reach the door to Danzou's 'restaurant' first with Hana just a handful of meters behind her. Acting as her shield & aggro, any and all hostile attention would've been directed towards Hatsu, that was if anything went down the moment his finger lifted to press the aforementioned buzzer. For a moment, nothing happened; impatient, Hatsu rocked back and forth along his heels as his right, dominate hand removed itself from it's respective pocket. 

While his external demeanor said otherwise, his mind desperately held back the urge to let loose on every single adult that existed inside this 'arena'. Thereafter, Hatsu awaited Hana's orders....and for the door to be answered.

[Nujabes]

After a moment or two of waiting, a slot slid open with a thunk, revealing two beady green eyes. "Whaddaya want?"

"We heard this is the place for fights."

The eyes narrowed, focusing on the young girl to Hatsu's side. "I don't know what yer talkin' about."

"The fight clubs," she said. "We know this is one of them."

"Like I said, brat, I don't know what yer talkin' about. Now run along before ya get yerself hurt, ya hear me?"

They always choose the hard way. While it made little difference to the kunoichi, she would have preferred to establish their cover inside before the fighting started. Even though the arena was beneath the building, who knew how many guards they had on the ground floor? Either way, it was obvious Hatsu needed some exercise -- all of that liquor was starting to show in the slight pudginess in his gut. "Hatsu," she said with a sudden sharpness in her voice. He knew what it meant.

[Chae]

"Hatsu" 

The sudden, sharp voice called out to him. He knew what it meant and as such, responded immediately. 

With a quick second pivot and light rotation of his hips to provide the necessary torque, a spinning back kick landed squarely in the middle of the door. Material dented, the door itself buckled beneath the pressure and shot off its hinges where it smashed the man behind it that desperately denied the obvious. Once the dust settled, Hatsu stepped in and his eyes immediately went cold from the sight. 

"....."

Without batting even an eye back towards Hana, Hatsu lunged forward and withdrew his ninjato from his waist the moment the loose end of his coat like kimono fluttered behind him from his forward momentum. Before him had been a narrow hallway that ended with the entire stadium itself, clearly visible from the entrance. Children, mid-match, were forced to beat one another to a pulp as the crowd of ill-minded adults sat back and watched without a care in the world. Savage cheers roared through the entire establishment, still unaware of the duo's presence, save for the three initial bouncers that stood up from their seats as Hatsu pressed on. 

Ninjato held with a reverse grip, a casual forward-dash propelled Hatsu towards his initial soon-to-be victim. Swift and smooth as silk, a quick right to left swing sliced through the man's thrown fist, horizontally severing it through the middle. The bottom half of said arm immediately hung beneath the upper as a returning, mirrored slash swept across his neck, bringing Hatsu's right arm back to a neutral state. 

Pressing forward still, a quick - rudimentary bolt of chakra ejected from all four fingers in a similar fashion to Hana's bone bullet technique. Striking the second bouncers left leg, he dropped to a single knee where Hatsu launched himself above his head and used his free hand to acrobatically use his head has a platform. In tandem, using his mastery over raiton, surge of electricity naturally generate from Hatsu's body transferred into the man's head, attacking his nervous system. Unconscious upon contact, a flying kick slammed into the chest of the remaining bouncer after having propelled himself even further with the use of the previous' limp body. 

He slid back and attempted to recover, however, by the time he looked up from getting kicked, the tip of the ninjato had already been held idly an inch above his right eye. With the most simplistic 'push' Hatsu could perform, its dip drilled into his skull via eye-socket. An audible thud snapped through the air once Hatsu pulled against the ninjato; the crowd seemed to have stopped, swallowed in a bubble of complete, momentary silence. 

Hana had been clear to enter.

[Nujabes]

He's a decent killer, Hana thought to herself as she watched her guardian unleash hell upon the room's immediate occupants. Of course, she still hadn't entered - standing back just beyond the doorway, well beyond harm's reach. It wasn't until Hatsu finished the last of the guards foolish enough to try and thwart their entrance that she, the little puppet master, decided to make herself known. Stepping into the purposefully dim-lit room, she eyed women, men and children around her.

"Who the hell are--"

The man's words fell short as a bone bullet cut between his eyes. Blood spurt from the wound, a thin river that drizzled over his nose and down his face, as he slumped back in his chair. The spectators behind him were covered in gore, fragmented bone and splattered brain matter.

"We've been sent to shut you down," Hana answer the unfinished question, lowering her hand. "Your days of forcing children to fight have come to an end. Every child in the room -- if you value your life, get down on the floor and don't stand up until I tell you to." Emerald eyes narrowed as she inspected the face of every adult in the room, judging them.

"As for the rest of you..."

She smiled.

"... Hatsu, show them how the shinobi of Kirigakure handle kidnappers and child-fighters."

[Chae]

Standing behind the crowd and the dimly-lit arena itself as Hana made her way through the aforementioned hallway safely, she carefully and thoroughly observed the underground facility. Flinching not even an inch in reserve as she put down a sharp-tongued bastard, she went on and explained her reason for gracing the arena with her presence. Short, sweet, and to the point, it couldn't hadn't been hard for anyone to understand, especially the children that hastily succumbed to her sharp words and jetted to the floor where they stood. 

The only beings that remained standing had been the filthy & pathetic excuses for 'adults' or better yet, Hatsu's target practice. Clearly with a higher tone of confidence, Hatsu's name was called upon once more, his own personal cue to act beneath her command.

As such, like a sword kept on her person, he lashed out as a weapon she controlled just as effectively as the bones in her body. Equipping his free hand with a Kunai, a quick flick of his wrist sent it hurling towards the electircal circuit box to his north-east, zooming past a mans' head before crashing into the circuits. 

The dim-lights weakened and flickered furiously until it died out entirely. The entire room went black, however, with eyes and senses as acute as Hana's and Hatsu's own, picking out the targets hadn't been overly difficult. So...the slaughter ensued. 

The unpalatable sound of a man screaming in agony broke the momentary silence that followed after the lights went out. Scream after scream confirmed each person and kill Hatsu performed as he sifted through the crowd of standing adults, easily able to miss any of the floored children. Charging, spinning, and rolling from foe-to-foe, the screams eventually ended and the lights poetically returned.....

A curious child's hand could've been found flicking the emergency generate 'up', eyes wide the sight he witness. Despite that, his face had seemingly been filled with a mixture of sadness and profound happiness. Standing to Hana's north just a few feet ahead, covered in the blood of his victims, Hatsu breathed deeply as he attempted to calm himself.

"Burn in hell...."

[Nujabes]

Hana's lips curved into a smirk of approval as she watched Hatsu dispatch the crowd, painting the chamber red with their gore. When it was all finished and the screaming had subsided, there was only silence -- the calm, cold silence of death. "Well done," she congratulated her guardian while stepping even further into the room. "You kids need to get out of here. You don't want to be here when word gets out what happened and the other adults come looking for who's responsible." The cluster of children in the room, covered in blood, bolted down the hall and out of the restaurant's front door.

Cough, cough.

A man crawled out from behind one of the bodies, a deep gash across his abdomen and blood spilling from the wound. "Please," he groaned in pain, moving toward the heiress. "Mercy."

The girl couldn't help her airy laughter. "Hatsu, did you hear that? A child-abuser begging for mercy? Have you ever heard something so ludicrous?"

"P-please..."

"I'll tell you what," she chirped. "You give me the name of your boss and I'll have my friend here heal you with some medic jutsu."

"I- I can't, my family."

"Your family was dead the moment you decided to get in bed with a criminal," she replied. "They're accomplices to this little-- shindig you've got going here. But, if you tell me what I want to know, I'll be sure the other teams of shinobi don't pay them a visit."

The man paused before coughing up a thick wad of blood. "I have your word?"

Hana smiled. "Of course. Tell me your surname."

"Hanabashi."

"Well then, Mr. Hanabashi, consider your family spared... so long as you tell me what I want to know. So, who is your boss?"

The man nodded. "Takeda..."

Takeda, huh? I doubt he's the big fish around the parts - this little circuit wasn't large enough. The kunoichi stood and turned from the dying crone, gesturing for Hatsu to follow. The man gasped and reached out, grabbed at their ankles, but missed. "B-but wait!" he bellowed. "The medic -- you said he would heal me!"

Hana came to an abrupt halt. "Oh right, I almost forgot. Hatsu -- heal this man and put him out of his misery."