Recent Posts

The shade which passed over the pale visage of the genin would cast it into temporary darkness. Adding an unneeded hint of mystery to the boy's already allusive emotion, his eyes would peek through the shadow as his eyes would meet with his current commander. His eyes were dull, and hazel, and perhaps it was an odd feeling to be under such constant shade, but they appeared to narrow as they locked with her own. He was significantly shorter than her, but from what his look would emit from him- he clearly felt as though he was seven feet tall.

"I've been ordered to escort you for as long as need me, Akira-chan. There's no use wasting your breath on apologies and assurances- an order is an order, and I'm pleased to follow through. Although, I must admit that I did not approach this mission strictly professionally..." While Matsumoto was never one to smile, he offered her a curt nod to which would hint to her a semblance of respect before turning back towards the road in which they traveled. He didn't appear to offer much follow up to the open ended sentence he had left her with, perhaps the shyness associated with men his age with women her age.

The scenery had changed only slightly from their passage from Hi no Kuni beyond the borders of Mizu no Kuni. The trees were plentiful, and had a great number of leaves, insects, and other soft wildlife. It was something that he had still not gotten used to. The occasional jump or rustling of the foliage sending his hand directly to the hilt of his tanto. It was odd how simple the desert worked. If something was moving towards you, then it was likely coming to kill you. Here, in the forest, things seemed to simply 'live.' There was peace for the first time in his entire life, outside of Kaze no Kuni. What an odd experience for someone his age to experience for the first time. 

The countryside road seemed to be quite barren at this time of the day. It was considerably early, with the sun having only recently peaked over the mountaintops to their backs. To the front of them, they would be approaching the city where they were told would be the best in order to have access to a boat that they might be able to commission to begin their journey towards Kirigakure no Sato. This would be where Matsumoto would allow his commander to go about her mission solo, but there was something biting at the back of his brain, and it was becoming more evident as their journey continued.

Raising his head to look at her once more, he would begin to mouth something before quickly shifting his head forward and shaking himself out of it. Running a little ahead of the woman, he would turn back quickly with a serious expression.

"We're coming up on the town, sensei."

Approaching the gates with a collected expression, Ushinawa's eyes would quickly focus with their exposure to the light. The pair of silhouettes which remained at the end of the pathway which lead to the outside of the village remained as such until the young man had reached a reasonable distance. Equipped with a large burlap satchel, and a sand colored sun hat, he would lift it slightly above his eye level to be able to look upward at Mu-n and Akira. There was something going on with the two of them- something that had not yet escaped Ushinawa's pubescent understanding of things such as 'affection.' It was despicable. 

Having taken the time to discard any mentions of his affiliation with the village, which extended to his headband and his ID card, he knew that this mission would remain confidential to much of the village. For now, he would simply be accompanying Akira to Mizu no Kuni, which was something that he had been eager to do for quite some time. During their short time together, Ushinawa had grown to appreciate the woman's power. It was not outside of the realm of possibility that he might be able to pick a few things up from her. If she was anywhere near as powerful as the man who stood adjacent to her, then he would have to be sure to listen to her every word while so far from the village.

Between Kaze and Mizu the entirety of Hi no Kuni stood between them. He hadn't heard much about it, but he knew that the ninja of Konoha had a reputation for having a considerable amount of power. If they were going to stay alive, they would need to make sure that they played it safe. He had never left the desert, so the journey would be both exciting and informative. If he ever hoped to have another mission outside of these gates, he would have to make sure he made it back alive. Finally getting within a noticeable distance, he would move past the two of them without really hesitating or slowing. The words that left his lips carried their way to their height in a cursory fashion.

"We should get going, Akira-chan. I will see you in a few weeks, Kazekage-sama." He said with a sigh, adjusting the tip of his hat as he continued his jaunt.

So much for respect for your elders.

Watch as Daichi made his way around the corner, Ushinawa would nod at his arrival. Perhaps his boy had some sort of battle etiquette, but only in the most linear ways. It was funny, for being such a normal boy, he seemed to be rather resilient. As the commander would depart, her final words seemed to linger in the air as the smallest of the lot would look at his partner. Perhaps he would lead himself to an early grave, but could that really be helped? 

Turning back to the man who seemed to be still somehow resisting the restraints that had been placed upon him. With the scenery closing in on him, the smoke, noise, and no doubt attention of the ANBU imposing, he would make quick work of the remaining mission. With a quick parting at the back of his cape, the boy's tanto would reveal itself for a short portion before stepping over the gangster- looking down at him between his legs. Two deathly calm eyes made some sort of connection with the gangster before the shinobi dropped to one knee, moving the tip of the knife to where the man's heart could be found a few inches below.

"She's right, you know," He said before giving a quick thrust of the blade, maintaining the eye contact between himself and Hanzou as he began speaking to Daichi. "One day the time will come where you will die- and there will be no one to mourn you, just like him. You should consider taking your life more seriously, or no one will." 

Pulling the knife from the now warm cadaver, he would begin to strip the body of whatever sort of bindings it had while still alive. Tossing them into a nearby trash can, he could only assume that whatever police force would investigate the murder would eventually come to the conclusion that there was no loss to society. He was just another criminal, after all. Turning to Daichi, Ushinawa would give him one last look before disappearing in a flash- the various papers and trash unsettling for a moment under the force of his escape. 

-- exit.

There seemed to be some sort of connection between himself and Daichi that neither one of them seemed to really appreciate, however, as sure as the sun was shining, wherever one seemed to go, the other was sure to follow. Not more than five minutes after Ushinawa had made his way into the small encampment, he would hear the familiar voice of his 'partner.' Turning his focus away from the man who stood before him, his gaze would focus on the dreaded imbecile who would now be rapidly approaching them. Cries for battle and instigation tactics seemed to work on those with nothing to lose. With nothing more than a sack of whatever the man might have carried, it was clear that there was not much else in this world that he seemed to care about- aside from fighting. It was evident, from the beginning, that this would end with a fight. 

Standing from his crouching position, Ushinawa would begin to backtrack the way that he came- wanting to clear as much space as possible between himself and the impending brawl. Keeping his eyes keen on the image of the behemoth of a boy, dressed in gi, he would begin to feel the power of his chakr- no, this was something else. The power of his willingness to fight, kill no less, that seemed to have turned on as if it were a light. His eyes darting between Daichi and the stranger, he would ensure that he was at least twenty meters from the well (twenty-seven from the stranger's last noted position). The small group of vendors who had gathered there today would also see the incoming battle- spreading in unison with him. None of them would dare to stop them, Ushinawa included. If things got bad, then he would act, but until then- maybe this fellow would be able to teach the brute a lesson.

As the chain of his weapon would follow the trajectory of his Kama, the sudden jerk and pull at the end of the genin's weapon would alert him to what might have followed. With a sharp expression covering his face, his only evident option would be to release a portion of the slack that he had gathered within his hand. Pulling him slightly closer, the instant feeling of the chain slithering away from his grasp would alert him to the fact that he was no longer in control of the bladed end. The only clear option would be that he would have to gain control of the only piece left: the weighted end. Slipping from his fingers, the kama would continue on its path up and over the duo's heads. Switching the loose grip to his right hand, he would continue to fall until the tip of the chain would brush past his hand, and into the screen of smoke which covered the entire top of the gate.

Ensuring that he would be able to catch his feet against the side of the wall, his chakra would come alive as they planted firmly against the stone which would lay the foundation for their battlefield. Within instants of his enemy having hoisted the weapon from his position, and having fallen behind the cover of the wall in case the smoke was somehow cleared, his hands would move to activate a quick handseal to begin his counterattack. Given that his enemies were at the top of the wall, while he was roughly three meters below them, on the side, the debris which might have affected him otherwise would no doubt be negligible. 

tch-BOOM.

The explosion would no doubt shake his portion of the wall, the vibrations sent down the wall would startle him. Within a crouching position, would slightly raise, however his stature and all-black attire would no doubt keep him less obvious than otherwise. The force of the explosion would send his hair and cape in a powerful thrust behind him, his right hand raising to cover his eyes from the dust which would expound outward. The smoke would partially scatter before being filled with the dust of the stone wall's surface. Of course, this was a short lived reflect, his hands instantly moving back together to continue to form seals as he would skip backwards, increasing the distance between him and the masked men.

"If you're after me, then you know that I won't be losing so easily. Who sent you?" He would shout, confident that the two had survived the explosion. 

While he would be giving up his position, the explosion would no doubt alert others to the scene. If it was more ANBU, or a cursory ninja, he had a better chance at trying to find help than not. As it stood, these two had shown expert battle technique- and if he wanted to get out of this alive, he would have to continue his focus on the still spreading screen of smoke and dust for any sign of movement.

-- x1 explosive note used
-- fubaku houin used (190/200)
-- ______ prepped



Comatose

The scene was a rather rudimentary bar scene. Various men sitting and standing in various locations, speaking to each other about various ways to change the world. It was an interesting scene for a child who had yet to be associated with such drudgery, but it was not unlike the times that he might have spent in the academy before and after class would begin. The difference might have been the alcohol, however. Either way, before his eyes a series of men who could have possibly fit their targets description surrounded the room. While there were a number of jovial expressions and conversations making their way around, it was the sudden expression of anger that would catch his attention. 

A large man at the bar would turn with a sudden jerk, his fist having already been raised to prepare himself to engage whatever foe dared to challenge him. Immediately after, a small band of his cohorts would react in the same way- the conversations cutting short under the pretense of danger. He was of significant stature, and his ocean blue kimono seemed to be only slightly more colorful than his pale blue hair, rough and spiky despite being trapped into a messy ponytail. Interesting, Hanzou had traits quite similar to this man, in fact, the more that Ushinawa would observe the scene, the sooner he would notice the man's mangled visage- a vertical scar running down the side of his face. They had located their man. His attention would swiftly raise to his partner on the other side of the building. Exchanging nods, it was an acknowledgement that it was time to engage the enemy.

Hanzou bent forward to reach for something that had caught his eye- something that Ushinawa hadn't noticed before. Pulling at what appeared to be a thread, he and a few of his cohorts would begin to follow its trail. Making their way towards the back door, things would begin to connect for the genin. The thread was undoubtedly Akira's doing, which meant that if she was prepared to trap him, he would have to prepare for the diversion. 

Reaching into his bag, the genin would place two small slips of paper on either side of the window. Hastily making his way up the side of the building, a quick hop would leave him atop the roof of an adjacent building. Given Hanzou's position at the front of the pack, the impending explosion behind the group would no doubt leave him out of the sight of the rest as they would turn to investigate it. He could only hope that Daichi and Akira were ready.

Raising his fingers to his chest, a single seal would ignite the seal- and the soon demise of the gangster.

-- fuubaku houjin (185/200)