A Leaf on The Wind

[irukandji]

Tick tock tick tock...

A wind rippled across the open meadow, hissing through the tall grass. Framed against a backdrop of snow-capped peaks the valley was a vivid, lush green, veined by streams and populated with birds. It would have been absolutely peaceful  if violence had not visited it. 

Towards the center of the field a fight had broken out; a whirlwind of cloaks and blades. A man sprinted across the grass, moving like the wind itself he moved lightly; ducking and skirting projectiles. Handsigns were woven, and the other warrior, a red-haired woman exhaled a plume of scarlet fire. Immediately, as soon as her lungs were exhausted, the cloaked man was by her side, fingers splayed. It took only a moment, with a swift exchange of grappling, tight grips and a failed side-kick, for the man to clap his hands across her ears. With a cry, her eardrums exploded, and he pressed his attack. 

He dashed over the charred ground, and their blades met with a clash of sparks, raised above their heads. He twisted his wrist, and a second blade appeared in his palm. Her eye must have caught the flash of steel, as a swift parry deflected the knife, and sent him staggering to the side. She seized the moment, and hopped forward to drive her knee into his side with such force that it sent him reeling. 

Tick tock tick tock...

His hood fell to his shoulders, revealing a shock of blonde hair. He had hoped to keep his identity unknown. They locked eyes, both opponents fixated on ending the other. They had finished exchanging blows, sizing each other up. Clutching the side of her head, she clenched her teeth and cursed under her breath. 

"Officer Rience!!" she hollered over the wind. "Stop this immediately! You are committing high treason--!" 

A white grin escaped Rience's lips now. She was a scout, sent out to the Land of Lightning to survey Kumogakure for military buildup. Rience rotated his wrists, his fingers curled into fists and brought to bear. Now she knew who he was, and she wouldn't give up without a fight; He sucked in air, his lungs pumping. Officer Yakamura was in far better shape than he, and he stole a glance at his watch. 

Tick tock tick tock... 

He had less than a minute to end this. Konohagakure's forces were on radio-silence while the infiltration of Kirigakure was being carried out. Right now a squad of shinobi were infiltrating the sea wall, slipping into the Hidden Mist via its tunnels and docks. Then, once they began their attack communications would be wide open. Yakamura tentatively began to step to the right, and Rience followed to the left, initiating a circle. The two of them glistened with sweat, their chests heaving like belows. 

"Twenty-three seconds until communications resume, Officer Yakamura." Rience said between breaths. "Team Sixteen is breaching breaching the wall right now, disabling electricity and gas-lines. And surprisingly we're not with them." He flashed her a wry grin, "Is it because of your relationship with your Jounin?" He goaded, continuing their circular dance. 

"You son of a bitch!" Yakamura growled, and brandished her sword, and slowly stepped forward, tightening their orbit. "The Hokage will learn about this, and ANBU will be on your tail by sun-down." Her eyes narrowed to slits, and she returned his expression. "And I'll make sure to leave you crawling out here." The wind echoed her fury, whipping her hair into a scarlet tempest. 

"Oh... Oh I bet." 

And suddenly she was on the ground, her face pressed against the cold soil, rocks digging into her cheeks. A searing pain erupted from her breast, as a blade pierced her back and transformed into furious, liquid heat.  A hand gripped her hair tightly, and pulled her back up, exposing her throat to the sky. An apparition of Rience stood across from them, a Genjutsu illusion, dissolving into a flurry of organic shapes on the wind. 

"Five, four, three, two..." 

He twisted the blade between her ribs, prying apart soft tissue before sliding the weapon sideways, cutting it free from her cavity, and threw her to the ground. "One." Rience hissed, boring down on her now with his knee, pressing on her neck and shoulders. "Lord Hokage will find out about this in time, but I think Kumogakure will be much more interested in learning that Konoha was watching them; that Konoha was planning something...." He slipped his blade against her forehead protector, cut it loose, and plucked it from her. "Thank you Officer Nakamura..." 

Rience stood now, pulling himself back from the dying woman, and secured her headband around his arm with another two. The Land of Lightning, home to the Village Hidden in The Clouds, was just over the next pass. He could be there by nightfall if the alpine environment didn't summon a storm.

Dingo 

[Dingo]

It Sat on a stone, not too far off the beaten path. Motionless, but for the occasional breath. It's eyes were trained on the ground, un-moving, and a thousand miles away were it's thoughts. A simple red jumpsuit was it's only attire, with a collar so high it threatened to hid all of it's features, except for a small nose, and a shaggy head of black, untamed hair. Sei was the guardian of these lands, as one of the only few journeymen in his village. He was adept at guarding. His training allowed him to survey large areas without moving a muscle, and detect threats long before they were upon him. So it did not surprise him that their would be a buzz, and a hint of blood on the wind. His minions were chattering and relaying the news, but he was already pressing on the position of their alarm. His pace and gate did not match the urgency of the situation, nor did his emotionless gaze emit a hint of urgency on discovering the sudden bloodshed. He was a trained soldiers accustomed to these lands, and a beast in it's own territory had nothing to fear. Where ever his foot hit the ground, the grass was abuzz with activity. The hiss and chirp of numerous insects filled his ears, and he could identify everyone, though not a single one mattered. They were prey, the whole lot of them. Simply food for the larger predators of these grasslands, nothing of note. nothing like what he had.

Soon he was set before a seen many would consider ghastly in nature. A blade, piercing the heart of a other wise attractive woman, and a man with a head of gold holding the steel that bled her of her warmth. Sei did not move an inch, simply watching the scene unfold from across the grass, eyes betraying nothing. It was not until the presence of a head band was made known, that any interest flashed inside him, but even then, his eyes betrayed nothing. Never was there such a stoic child until him. All the adults said so.Finally when the scene seemed finished, and one of its actors was dismissed from its earthly existence, did the boy speak in a hoarse tone that seemed hushed, yet somehow dominating.

".....Name yourself....State your intentions..."

A thin milky hand flicked torwards the soon to be corpse on the ground, demanding an explanation for the blood spilled on his home's soil. Suddenly the chirp of the insects in the grasslands were muffled and hushed, but the grass was still swarming with life all around them. Eyes so blue they seemed black gleamed at the stranger, measuring the distance between them. 8 small meters separated them, but somehow it seemed like much more. The grasslands had a way of stretching ones view, totally opposite to the cramped mountains just pass the horizon. Finally training his eyes back on the suspicious fellow, Sei would yet again demand..

"Speak.....now...."

[irukandji]

The Kumogakure-nin had finally come down from his perch. Good! He saw the whole thing play out; how Rience had betrayed Yakamura and thoroughly laid waste to their mission. Yakamura's radio crackled softly with static as comm-lines reopened, and a flurry of chatter spill from the device. During the opening fray the Mizukage had been murdered outright; blasted off a cliff with her subordinates by explosions. All lines were confirming her death-- what a pity, he rather liked her.

"My name...," He said, retracting the wrist blades. "....Is Rience Keimusho.... Of the Yamanaka Family," He spoke, eyeing the boy. Rience's heart was still racing from the fight. He'd just killed her like that! Stabbed her through the back. One moment they'd been conversing about the mission, the next she was spitting fire! Oh what a rush! But now he was on stage. As an Intelligence Officer, he was trained to encrypt, decipher, and mine the world for information; he wasn't a hardened child-soldier.  

"Speak... Now." The boy said, this time with a sharp edge.

"We were sent to the Land of Lightning on a reconnaissance and saboteur mission." Rience explained in between breaths. He plucked the radio from Yakamura's body, and tossed it towards the boy. More commentary came forth about the condition of the Sea Wall, the Mizukage's complexes, and its Navy. "Konohagakure sent us to monitor your military during the Invasion of Kirigakure, and execute a series of strikes to head off your military in the event of a response. I don't like Konoha's militaristic style, and their advances on outlying territories-- Nor do I trust the Hokage."

Rience gauged the distance between the two of them; it was healthy and respectable. But he was wary of this one; He had seen this boy about 30 minutes ago through a scope, and had already assessed his chakra signature. The Kumo-nin's stoicism, and calm chakra-wavelength if anything was an indication of his confidence. Like a wolf eyeing a weasel. 

Dingo 

[irukandji]

Reminder for Dingo

[irukandji]

Reminder:
Dingo

[Dingo]

iNFESTATION OF THE STORM.

.....The Hokage.... Fire Shadow!

Suddenly his mind flashed back to the odd boy encountered only a few weeks earlier. Naitome, the mad man who had sent them careening off a building in a village engulfed in flame. He served the fire shadow, and this man said he did as well. Though he didnt emit the same aura as the pail serpent Seishin had battled. Whether this was because of the apparent lack of insanity, or because this was Seishin's home turf, was an anomaly. One thing was for certain, they shared a certain blood lust and lack of concern for the living that seemed unethical even in the world of war.

"...So the flames reach this far..."

Seishin spat on the ground, yet his eyes never left the man. He claims no loyalty to the Hokage who ran rampant through the Land of Water, and he even killed one of his own companions. Though this could all be a ruse. Shinobi in association with the Fire Shadow had a sort of ruthlessness that would see acts like these as a necessity, though the idea of more information on the location of this land and it's leader was too becoming to pass up.

"...So... you here to defect?"

It was a question Seishin had no real interest in. He had already made his decision about what actions to take on the matter. A swift wind whipped through the meadow, and their seemed to be a soft hiss, or chirp whispering through the grass. The boy blinked, still holding it's stoic demeanor. His influence returned to his agents, and he immediately put them back to work.

"... I've hard about this Hokage. A blight on a peaceful land..... Well, relatively peaceful..."

A pale hand reached up and scratched at the black matted hair atop Seishin's head.

"Now what... am i gonna do with you?..."

SPOILER: Click to show

_____

---

Made by VERSE of GS

[☆ F ☆]

Iruka: +18
Dingo: +18