The Witch of the Woods [Mission-Lerisa and Olan]

Posts : 811

Spoiler:

The time had finally come, it had to sooner or later but now that it had Shiro could only wonder if he was actually ready. If he were alone, it might have been different story but he would be accompanied by two genin for this mission. It seemed that someone or something was hiding out in the Forest of Death, causing rumors of a child kidnapper to spread around the village. From what he was told during briefing, no children had gone missing but to put these rumors to rest, he was assigned a temporary squad and sent to investigate the Forest. This was his first B rank mission since well, his first mission ever, although now he stood as the leader as opposed to an inexperienced Genin just trying to follow orders. He knew this was more of a trial mission for him than anything else, to see if he was ready to take on the more dangerous missions. A simple investigation of the Forest of Death could be considered 'safe' for a B rank mission. He'd heard stories from his father about how they used to be used as training grounds for Genin looking to increase their rank to Chunin, although that practice had been lost over the years since his father was young. As it was now, it was more just a habitat for dangerous beasts, but nothing a coordinated team of shinobi couldn't handle.

The question was, could he lead his team effectively enough to survive in there. The only real leader he'd seen in action was Makoto, and it was likely that he was as clueless as Shiro was now during their mission. While he did have a squad leader in the form of Yoroi-sensei, they had never undertook an actual mission thus far, in fact, they'd barely interacted at all since their first encounter at Ichiraku Ramen. Sighing, Shiro scratched at the back of his head "I hope I'm up for this". Looking up, he stared into the massive fence that surrounded the forest, standing nearly as tall as the trees themselves, even from this distance he could hear the humming of electricity flowing through the chain links. Should any creature touch that fence they would be barbecued in seconds, even the mighty beasts that inhabited the forest couldn't survive simply glancing the fence. The only way in was with special permission granted by the administration offices and given to one of the various guard stations.

At least the weather was on his side, glancing up to the clear blue sky overhead, a slight cool breeze blowing through his hair. The temperature was perfect for anything one could think of, whether it be a dangerous mission or simply relaxing in one's backyard. Taking a seat over by a nearby tree, Shiro could feel the eyes of the gate guards on him, he was pretty sure they'd been informed of his squad's coming so let them gawk for all he cared. Crossing his arms and legs, his head leaned forward with eyes closed, appearing to be almost asleep to anyone who may approach him. In his mind he began running possible scenarios for how this mission might play out. They were just here to silence rumors of child kidnapping so they shouldn't need to go in too deep. Just go in, take a look around, and head home in time for dinner while trying not to become dinner themselves. Wild beasts were the worst threats they could face, over sized and hyper aggressive beasts yes, but they should be safe enough.

With that in mind, he wondered who his squad mates would be. He had not been informed during briefing as they were still in the process of selecting available Genin at the time. A light orientation to educate everyone on their skills would likely be in order before they entered the forest, going in blind and without some knowledge of his team's skills was one sure fire way to get hurt. They should be arriving soon, all he could do was wait and think.

Posts : 30

767 words

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n spite of having a (though not so) known interest in the scientific aspect of things (mostly on the human anatomy and how it works; how it moves and twists and breaks; the precision of every little thing to do and not to do to it, to say the least anyway), Nai was one of those very few who were (actually) drawn to the supernatural side of life; taking immense joy in hearing the various stories floating amongst the air breathing life to Konoha's history, the many legends that littered the great roads of their village. The unknown was something so significantly difficult to comprehend by so many people, a mystery that surrounded the very nature of life that constantly piqued her interest, regardless of the massive untruthfulness that tended to overshadowed it.

Nai was a believer, for short. Or rather, she was so open-minded to accept them without so much as batting an eyelash.

So, after having read her summons for the nth time and tucking the particular piece of paper it had been written on neatly beneath her clothing, the genin finally found the urge exhale before allowing a giddy excitement to replace the fear that had initially settled on her features before she had properly read the letter. Without even asking the pinkette, her mother (the only witness Nai had when she opened the door to the messenger earlier) knew that her daughter was oh so eager about whatever news she had gotten. It was early morning (minutes ago, to be quite specific) when the memo came, a folded note directly handed to the young genin instead of the usual carrier-pigeon flying in with the details. And yes, she had felt a swarm of terror upon being handed the thin sheet, wondering what it could have been about, all the while racking her thoughts for some sort of reason for the sudden arrival of a letter. Though all that had vanished the instant she'd read it, and now the female was raving to set off, one that her mother allowed her to do after a little peck on her cheek.

It was a B-rank mission that the pinkette found herself included in (for the whole walk to her destination, she repeated the phrase in her head, over and over like a broken record) and while Nai hadn't the darnest clue as to who her companions would be for today's task, the initial dread of meeting new people couldn't overwhelm her complete anticipation over their main objective. It would probably be silly for any other person to feel even a bit of thrill for something so simple, given that they were only to check the forest itself for a supposed kidnapper, or at least the insistent rumour of one. But that was precisely why Nai was so keen on reaching the forest. Having lived within the busier districts of Konoha, Nai was susceptible to the many rumours that circled the village. From the gossiping housewives that swept the dusty roads in the morning, to the many countless ghost stories that children shared to each other a night; Nai had heard of them all. And this particular one, the witch living in the forest of Konoha as it were, was one of the more notorious of the rumours. Apparently, children were taken from any part of Konoha to the Forest of Death by a witch, but what that person looked like, no one had the faintest idea. Nor did anyone have any idea if there were any missing children that supported the rumour, though from Nai's knowledge, no one had been missing for the past few years.

The girl's arrival near the gated forest caused no commotion, though she did notice the guards and their gazes; darting from her then to another figure that was sitting some ways from her. The genin took this as a signal, a little sign that this person might be one of the two people she would accomplish the mission with (the details about the other two were very fuzzy, to be honest, though she could surmise that this could be their leader, since he was the first who arrived, probably?). Regardless, the pinkette knew it to be rude to remain standing where she was, which was why she found herself walking to the sitting body, announcing her presence with (a rather awkward) cough, before introducing herself first (even without being prompted to do so) with just as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

"Itoshii Nai." And a biiii~iiiig smile. "You're here for the mission about the witch, aren't you?"

Age : 25 Posts : 183

Not too far from the Forest of Death, the third and final member of today’s team was approaching with much enthusiasm. Through the messenger system, Makoto had received a mission scroll. He immediately opened the seal and begun to unroll it. The red stamped letter on the corner was all he needed to see to raise his spirit. The council decided it was time to have him undergo a B ranked mission again. Finally, redemption… The now fully recovered genin had just that thought in his head. After his last B ranked mission he was waiting for the chance to take on another one. Their chances of success were slim, being only two genin to escort the package. Ambushed and robbed of their package. The two of them returned in failure. Well, one carried the fatally injured other home. He would always be so eager to prove his worth. To have such an opportunity crash and burn on him hurt bad… The only way for those kinds of wounds to heal was to take on another, and do your best to make it a success. Once he read the scroll and all its information for the mission. He was skeptic to the rumor, but eager for the truth.

Urban myths and local legends were a way to entertain society with the environments around them. People would tell stories of the supernatural haunting or occurrings somewhere to add more interest to whatever it may be. Ninety-eight percent of the time they were just harmless tales and proved to be no real threat. But sometimes, the story gets to the point where the village council has to act on it. Such as the one described in the scroll. The rumor about a witch in the forest of death, who kidnaps children, was going around the village. No real reports of missing children were received, but the sighting of someone inside was proven to the council. The team’s mission was to investigate the forest of death and file a report on what they find within. Though some were very fun to hear about, age had thrown away his interest of supernatural stories. There was usually a reality to things like that. People may say a witch, but there are more logical guesses on what the figure may be. That was why they needed to find the truth to it all

The perimeter gates were in sight and so were the few shinobi around it. Two guards stood nearby the gate, while another pair was nearby a tree close to the gate. That must be the others he’d been assigned to be with. After years of using the forest of death as a combat ground for genin who wished to become chunin, it was now just a giant pen for the beasts inside. Though he had doubt of a real with being in there, he knew there was still danger all over inside the perimeter. So he equipped himself with everything he had. His main weapon, a hunter sword, hung at his right side. He also carried a machete and kanabo to his left. While his daggers crossed over his back. Included with a large pouch for his tools, he was prepared for a long fight. His Kimono and scarf rustled loosely in the wind, even with all the gear strapped onto him.

He approached the two others near the tree. Of course the small woman with the pink hair was a complete stranger to him. The other one looked familiar at first glance. A large fellah around his age, but once he got close, he knew the face. A smile slapped across Makoto’s face, he was going to undergo this mission with the partner of his failed B ranked mission. Shiromaru Akimichi. It seemed him and Makoto were not done working together. The council must’ve played some hand in this. ”Shiromaru, are you here for the witch hunt?” At first his attention went directly to Shiromaru. But then went on to the pink haired woman next to him. A younger looking kunoichi, who definitely wasn’t equipped like Makoto was. None the less, no one should be judged by their looks Makoto nodded into an introduction. Quick and simple, ”Neroku Makoto, a pleasure.”

Posts : 811

Lost deep in his thoughts, Shiro was unaware of the approaching pink-haired girl, still playing possible scenarios in his head, her coughing brought him back to reality. The 'cough' as one could call it, felt extremely forced as well as high pitched, more like someone clearing their throat. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw a pair of skinny legs in front of him. Raising his gaze, a young girl, somewhere around his age, stood at attention. Her hair a striking pink and face beaming in the early morning sunlight, she introduced herself with enough energy to rival Isha. "Itoshii, Nai huh?" Shiro said, confirming it for himself to ensure that he wouldn't forget it in the near future. Uncrossing his legs, he planted his right foot on the ground and pushing off his knee with his right arm, he pushed himself to his feet with a light grunt. Once upright, he dusted himself off and looked down on the girl. While he only stood a few inches taller than her, his bulk would make him appear to tower over the Genin.

Once he finished removing the dirt from his clothes, he smiled at Nai "Yeah, the name's Akimichi, Shiromaru. I'll be the one in charge of this mission". He said with a polite bow, standing upright again, his gaze moved from the girl to the forest beyond the fence. "Although honestly, I don't think there's going to be too much trouble here. So long as we're careful we should be able to avoid the beasts and be in and out in a few hours". Shiro really didn't pay the rumors any mind, while housewives may spread it about as gossip for cheap thrills, initial surveys had not brought up anything truly of note. The 'signs' of someone in the forest was likely just some shinobi sneaking in for training, getting past the guards and fences would be a good way to practice one's infiltration skills and the beasts perfect for any combat based jutsu. Turning back to Nai, he gave her a soft smile "Really we're just here to silence some rumors. If it weren't the Forest of Death this would be any old D rank mission".

From the corner of his eye, some movement caught Shiro's attention. Casting his gaze past Nai he could see a familiar figure approaching the two. A smile creeping across his face to match the approaching figure's, Makoto. It looked like the council's attention wasn't focused solely on himself. "Makoto! HEY! I didn't expect you to be here!" He replied as Makoto caught up with the group and introduced himself to Nai. Giving the two a moment to get their own introductions out of the way, Shiro started thinking to himself as to how he would proceed. "Right then" He began, looking to the two Genin now officially under his command for the next while "Well, I'll admit this right now, I have no experience leading a squad. That being said, we are entering dangerous territory, once inside we'll be on our own" Taking a quick breath, he turned back to the two and crossed his arms "So first off, I want us to get as acquainted with one another's skills before we start. That way we'll have a basic understanding of our strengths and weaknesses and hopefully be able to cover each other should something happen".

Looking around the field, Shiro took several steps further away from the forest into more of a clearing. "So, we'll begin with myself. We're just going to give a quick explanation of our abilities and what we specialize in. My name is Akimichi, Shiromaru, I know Makoto's heard of my clan, but for your convince Nai, my clan specializes in powerful taijutsu techniques. In addition I have some ninjutsu to help fight at mid range, mostly using the Earth element. If we encounter anything in the forest, I'll do my best to draw it's attention to myself. At the very least I think I can take a few hits and buy you two time to find and opening". Looking towards Nai, Shiro gave a nod, indicating that she should be the next one to speak. Hopefully this little bit of information sharing would create some kind of bond between the three and help them move as one cohesive unit.

Posts : 30

750 words

A

t least that atrocious little act Nai had the gall to call a 'cough' caught his attention. And here the pinkette thought she had to repeat it a second time, had the male not responded in any way to that obvious (rude was more like it) way that she decided to get his attention (and adding her name, with beaming smile and booming voice, really, probably was a little bit too much), but it got her that desired effect in the end.

Grateful for it, really.

The genin's reply to the male was a straightforward yes (not that she had to reply, he was repeating it to himself, more likely than not), followed by a slight nod of her head as he repeated her name, as though verifying it for himself even though she had said it loud and clear. Not that Nai felt any offense to the action, beaming grin still bright and big while she watched the male stand (complicated motions aside) while she blinked back, gazed at him with her smiling face from a height that she would only be able to achieve if the other was sitting or kneeling or even laying, only to feel that happy optimism on her face fall (only for a tinsy, tiny bit) once he had reached his full height and absolutely towered above her.

Absolutely meaning anything above an inch taller than the female Itoshii. It's not as though she could help being so, petite. Sigh.

A few gestures from him later (including getting rid of stray dirt clinging to his clothes), he introduced himself as an Akimichi, adding to that uncomplicated introduction the rather important fact that he was the leader of today's activity. While she processed that newly acquired information in her head (now dubbed Shiro-kun in her pretty little head, from a particular clan she'd heard, though not a great deal about compared to the bigger families in Konoha... no pun intended), he continued to speak (and she noted more of his movements while he did so), reminding her that they were merely scouting the forest for any truth on the rumour about the witch. From D to B-rank, he had implied, and all because of the location of their mission. The Forest of Death was, indeed, a dangerous place to even be around at, with guards plastered in every entrance and fences rising high above the ground - it was to be expected. And rumours, while still holding a chance of untruthfulness, had the same chance of truthfulness... so it was also to be expected that they'd look into this, regardless of the location.

Before she could even respond to his words though, the third member of their little squad had arrived. Nai noticed a (very much) obvious fact then, glaring back at her as he made his presence known to her and Shiro-kun. "You already know each other?" came from her lips, blurted out so suddenly that she involuntarily covered her mouth in surprise. Still, she made it a point to introduce herself to the newly arrived (or Makoto-kun, as she silently thought), a soft, muffled whisper of her name escaping her still covered mouth.

With the preface of their meeting now over with, Shiro initiated with what she could only surmise as a little debriefing of their current objective. As she should, Nai listened to him, befitting the status of a genin following orders from her superior. And the moment he had said as such, the pinkette already regarded him as her superior, with her head bobbing up and down with every word that he spewed, understanding the new point he was trying to make.

About each of them knowing their skills, that is. Just in case anything happens inside the forest, probably. Hopefully not.

With that, the Akimichi turned towards her, a signal for her to contribute to his suggestion. Nai cleared her throat then, spoke with more or less little confidence, a far cry from her earlier expression of optimism in the form of her greetings. "Well, I'm not much of a fighter so I won't be of any help in the front-lines, but in case any of you get injured, I'm practicing some medical ninjutsu so I could at least be a little help in that aspect." A pause. "But I do have some ration and suiton jutsus I can utilize in case I really have to get into a fight, though I'm better off not fighting at all."

Another pause, awkward as it is.

"I guess that's it."

Age : 25 Posts : 183

(short, couldn't think of much to write up)

His arms crossed, but ears wide open as Shiromaru spoke as the assigned leader. The scroll had indicated that a chunin would be leading the team. It seemed that in Makoto’s time of absence, He had been promoted. There was no doubt in his mind that he deserved it after what he did. But Makoto still felt a little envious of him. He yearned for the day his advancement would come. But those thoughts were for another time. This was Shiromaru’s first mission as a team leader. Not to mention the forest of death was extremely dangerous. But as he said, knowing each other’s abilities before going in would make them more effective if something does happen. He went first and told Nai of his abilities as an Akimichi clansman. Including his strength in element and how he sees his best role in combat.

Next was their team mate, the kunoichi cleared her throat to speak of her skills. Nai, which she had mumbled in the air before, was a medical shinobi. She claimed not to be much in a fight but can defend herself with ninjutsu. Makoto would keep that well noted about her. Unlike Shiromaru and himself, she would be better off playing a support role if anything happens. With the tone in her voice it was clear she wasn't confident as a combatant. Fair enough, both Shiromaru and Makoto would be in better safety having someone watching their back if trouble starts. In response, he kept most of his thinking buried; only giving a clear nod of his head as she summed up what she could do.

And so it was Makoto’s turn. A cough cleared his voice “Well. As you can see from what I'm carrying, I am a weaponry specialist. Shurikens, blades… I can keep a very quick pace and carry well in a fight… With that my skill in the elements of fire and wind are both well tuned. So I can definitely cause damage to what ever enemies we may come across.” Makoto wasn't the type to hesitate about his abilities. He’s worked hard to make them that way. Now was the test to see if they can handle the job this time. Now that they were all acquainted with each other’s abilities, it was time for them to set off. ”Considering our skill set. Nai, you should keep between us while moving in the forest. I’ll take the rear , and Shiromaru takes the lead just in case something comes at us head on.” An opinion on formation, but a little out of place for him to say. Makoto wasn't leading the team, Shiromaru was. Probably because of their previous work together, in which Makoto had taken charge to lead the mission. His friend wasn't promoted to chunin for nothing. Maybe it’d be better off Makoto just keeps his mouth shut and be a good little subordinate. But would Shiromaru prefer that? Knowing how he is, probably not. *Time and place for everything Makoto… speaking of which. They were now ready to enter the forest and begin the investigation. An irrelevant and harmless chuckle came from under his breath. All upon Shiromaru’s command of course.

Posts : 811

Nodding as Nai described her abilities, he couldn't help but feel a sort of familiarity to the girl. While they had never met he understood all too well the feeling of uncertainty in one's skills, hell he still felt he was extremely weak and not suited to the position as leader. His own declaration of taking the lead and drawing the enemy's attention was more something he felt was needed of a leader than confidence in his own strength to withstand any assault. He gave her a reassuring smile as Makoto began to clear his throat and begin his own description of his skills. While Shiro knew already he specialized in weapons, namely due to the amount of gear he carried, he felt quite reassured at the confidence Makoto had. If he were anything like himself, Makoto would have been training himself harder than he'd ever done in his life. He just hoped that his own promotion wasn't annoying Makoto in any way, as he deserved the rank of Chunin far more than himself, this feeling only increased as Makoto gave a suggestion for a formation when they entered the forest.

Nodding to Makoto, he gave him a small smile. "Good plan" He said to Makoto before turning his attention to the forest again. "As I mentioned, once inside we'll be on our own. On the off chance we do encounter something we'll need a battle plan". Looking back to the group, his gaze moved from Nai to Makoto and back again. "While we're lucky to have your medical skills Nai, you'll need to have more confidence in your other abilities. I'm sure you're not as weak as you think. That said..." Shiro moved his head to look Makoto in the eyes. "Makoto, I'm relying on you to protect Nai. I know the two of you are faster than me, that's a given. So you should get Nai to a safe distance before engaging anything I might be fighting" Taking in a deep breath, giving them all time to process his plans, he continued. "It doesn't matter if I get hurt, Nai should be able to fix me up. However, If I go down, Makoto you and Nai should get out of there. Again, this is the absolute worst case scenario and I doubt it will come to that".

At this point, Makoto would likely be remembering the mission, Shiro knew the boy was extremely thankful to him for taking him home where he was able to be saved. His gaze went from soft and welcoming to dead serious as he stepped forward and placed his hand on Makoto's shoulder. "Listen, I know you think you owe me but this is a bit different from the last time. If anything happens to me, just run. I'm too heavy and will only weight you two down" With that, he lifted his hand and began to return to the dirt path leading to the forest. Makoto would likely protest, he was almost certain of it, but Shiro felt like that was something a leader would say, or at least he thought so. Besides it was true, if he were to be taken down like Makoto was during their first mission, the two would not be able to get him out alive. The thought of it sent chills down his spine, in his mind he remembered what he told Nai moments before. This was simply a D rank mission in a more dangerous zone, in and out, the work would be simple.

Approaching the two guards, Shiro pulled out a scroll and presented it to them. The guards looked over the paper quickly before nodding and approaching the gate. Both performing several quick hand signs and touching a single tag on the gate, it glowed for a moment with a light blue light and the humming of the fence died down, the gate slowly opening by itself. The guards then turned and looked to Shiro "Your time limit is six hours. After that you will be considered MiA". With that, they turned and returned to their positions. Shiro turned once more to the group. "Alright, remember the formation and keep you're eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. We'll go forward for three hours, then turn and come back. Ready?. When the two gave their responses, he would nod and turn, heading off into the forest first, with Nai following directly behind and Makoto taking up the rear.

The first hour into the forest was quite uneventful. The gates long sealed behind them the group made their way down a narrow game trail. For a place known as the Forest of Death, the place lived up to it's name. The trees here were massive, rivaling ones even in the jungles where the monkeys resided, their thick branches and leaves all but blotting out the sun. It was the silence that stood out most to Shiro, the forest was as quiet as death itself, the quiet he remembered when Makoto was injured, the kind of silence that paralyzes a man. Shiro imagined the place would be alive with the distant howls of the beasts of lore. Instead, more silence. It all left a bad feeling in his gut.

Another twenty minutes passed without incident when the group finally stumbled upon their first clue that something was indeed wrong in this forest. Jumping over a large root, Shiro held out his arm to halt the party. Before them was a scene of utter carnage, over the next hundred or so meters the landscape had been torn apart and blood was splattered everywhere. Chunks of fur, flesh and bone littered the ground, all but unidentifiable to most people. The smell of fresh blood hung in the air, Shiro could almost taste the iron on his lips. "Well, looks like this won't be so simple..." Shiro said as he took a couple steps forward. "No idea if this is common place or not here, but I don't like this. Spread out a bit, try and find a path or something where the 'victor' could have gone"

Age : 25 Posts : 183

[Sorry lerisia, but we're going to move this forward. Its been over a week.]

"Good plan… As I mentioned, once inside we'll be on our own. On the off chance we do encounter something we'll need a battle plan… While we're lucky to have your medical skills Nai, you'll need to have more confidence in your other abilities. I'm sure you're not as weak as you think. That said... Makoto, I'm relying on you to protect Nai. I know the two of you are faster than me, that's a given. So you should get Nai to a safe distance before engaging anything I might be fighting… It doesn't matter if I get hurt, Nai should be able to fix me up. However, If I go down, Makoto you and Nai should get out of there. Again, this is the absolute worst case scenario and I doubt it will come to that". Shiromaru certainly had an effective plan. He was right, if by chance something attacked them. The best thing to do was to ensure Nai’s safety. As Shiromaru said, Nai can fix him up with her medical arts if he got hurt. But his last words caused a lump to grow in his throat. The chance that Shiromaru would be taken down was there. Of course Makoto didn’t like hearing that. He frowned on the thought of leaving Shiromaru behind. On their last mission, Shiromaru had saved Makoto and brought him back to the village. To not do the same for him would be unforgivable. Shiromaru placed his hand on Makoto’s shoulder. His head rose to meet eyes. Shiromaru had a stern look on his face. "Listen, I know you think you owe me but this is a bit different from the last time. If anything happens to me, just run. I'm too heavy and will only weight you two down" Makoto couldn’t argue with him; he was absolutely right. This was different than last time. This time they would be in a completely hostile area. He didn’t have to calculate the risk. Nai and Makoto would not have the collected strength to carry him back. Even if they could muster the strength, they would be just too vulnerable. Trying to bring him back in the forest of death would be the death of all of them. Makoto forcefully swallowed the lump in his throat, and nodded.
With that, Shiromaru turned around and approached the guard. He pulled out a scroll and showed it to the guard. With a nod, the guards turned and opened up the gate for them. "Your time limit is six hours. After that you will be considered MiA". With the doors open, there was nothing left do but the mission. . "Alright, remember the formation and keep you're eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. We'll go forward for three hours, then turn and come back. Ready?.” Makoto nodded with more clarity. Shiromaru slipped through the gate first, then Nai, then Makoto. This area was going to be much different than the usual environments he had been in. Creatures were everywhere, even if they didn’t see them. To be surrounded by threats, how could he feel comfort being here? Makoto kept a serious look on his face. But inside he feared for the worst. His left hand took a grip on his machete and drew it from his side. His fingers slid and rubbed on the handle like a stress ball. The one good thing from the forest was that it would keep them on their toes.

Through the first hour, it seemed Makoto’s tension was all for nothing. The gates were far behind them, and yet they still hadn’t come up to any sort of encounter. They moved along a small path, keeping their eyes on everything around them. It was possible that creatures were watching them, and keeping quiet about it. His machete was back in it’s sheathe. Still, he didn’t let up observing the area around them. Not even the crickets made a sound. It wasn’t looking good, but they had to keep moving. A little while after, they finally came up to something other than trees.

Shiromaru leaped over a large root to an opening. As soon as he landed his arm rose up. It was an order to hold up. Nai and Makoto stayed on top of the root, just to keep an eye on Shiromaru. What Makoto saw placed him in awe for a small time. Ahead of them was a giant scene of carnage. A fight had broken out between beasts, or something. The creatures must’ve been huge to leave so much damage. It was savage; blood was scattered all over. Chunks of flesh and fur riddled the landscape. It was something Makoto had never seen in his life. *Ruthless.* There wasn’t any other word he could describe it. The creatures in the forest have to fight to survive. In a world governed by animalia, there was no other way.

"No idea if this is common place or not here, but I don't like this. Spread out a bit, try and find a path or something where the 'victor' could have gone." Now that they had something to follow on, the real investigation could get started. Both of them leaped from the root and landed nearby Shiromaru. Makoto took the right side and walked along the treeline. Looking at all this, his previous thoughts became more factual. Shiromaru may have had the abilities to expand his size and strength. It would still be difficult to take down creatures that size. The circumstances in this mission were much more dangerous than their mission to the hot springs country. Makoto was under conflict inside. But all he could really do was hope it wouldn’t come to that.

He continued along the treeline. His eyes peered all around, hoping to find something. Looking down at the blood, it wasn’t sitting well with him. So much blood and gore. He had yet to get the stomach for it. Well, the scene was very excessive in carnage. He had to begin a tolerance to this. As a shinobi, he had to keep a level head even with such a sight. Good thing it was just creatures. If this was all from a human battle, Makoto would’ve felt worse. Animals’ killing each other was just a part of their nature. So it was easier to disregard mourning them. People though, that’s something else.

Following the edge of the opening, Makoto walked up to a small hole within the treeline. ”Hm?” Looking down at the blood, there seemed to a trail of it leading into the hole. Makoto turned to project his voice to his team mates. ”Think I found something.” Once he got their attention, he looked a little farther in the hole. The path was thin, only enough space for a small animal… or a human. He then noticed some blood stained on the ground, it was small, but the blood stains continued along to path. This didn’t truly confirm that the reports were true. Some evidence was there, but nothing that has a solid confirmation. He crouched down and wiped his finger on the blood. It hadn’t completely dried up, so the trail wasn’t dead cold. By the time Makoto got his theory, Shiromaru and Nai had gotten to his position. He turned to them and pointed down the trail. ”Reports might be true, this path was made by someone leaving this fight… Looking at the size of the collateral damage, I don’t think an animal this size would’ve been able to walk away... If I'm right, then this person has to be a chakra user. No way they'd survive this without it.”

Posts : 811

Just looking at the scene of carnage was enough to churn Shiro's stomach, the act of walking among it was even worse. Every step he took he had to avoid the remains of beasts. Bones and blood were everywhere, the stench overwhelming as the scent and taste of iron were on the tip of his senses. He had ordered the group to split up and try to find if anything had survived this. Nai had taken the right side of the clearing while Makoto took the left, before them rose a gigantic tree, at least ten meters across at it's base. It's roots covered in the gore of the defeated, Shiro looked to the ground just in time to avoid stepping on the remains of....well something he couldn't even identify. With a loud sigh, he moved around the remains and began scanning the area for more minute signs. Scanning the field, he couldn't make out anything of note, the carnage of the battle obscured his senses more than he'd have liked. 'Great, something else I'll have to work on...' He thought to himself as he reached the base of the tree, looking upward on the massive roots something did catch his eye. Four extremely large and deep claw marks, hidden under the remains of a rib cage, were gouged into the bark. "Hello, what do we have here" Shiro said to himself as he looked to the bloodied bones concealing the mark. Ew, wish i had gloves... He moaned as he grabbed the bones and with a grunt, threw them off the tree, landing with a sickening splat as it hit something. Looking to his palms, he let out a groan of disgust. His palms were a sickly red and covered in things he didn't even want to think of. Crouching down he found a spot of grass yet untainted by the battle and did his best to clean himself. Sadly he'd need to find some water if he wanted to get it all out.

Standing back up he had a much clearer view of the claw marks, whatever made these was one hell of a beast. The cuts were at least five meters lone and half a meter deep, surprisingly there was little blood in the gouges. Perhaps a missed blow? Following the cuts upward, Shiro noticed another sight that the group had missed on arrival. Up near the first branch of the tree, there was something impaled into the bark. It took a moment for Shiro to identify what exactly it was but he was pretty sure on his assumption "Rocks?". Before he could try and investigate further however, Makoto called out from the bushes. Looking over to Nai to make sure she was coming, Shiro made his way over to Makoto's side. Pointing out a small blood trail, Makoto assumed there was a chakra user somewhere around here. "Most likely. This could get nasty. Back in formation and keep it tight" Shiro said, nodding to Makoto and Nai before leaping into the brush, following the small blood trail. He wouldn't lie, it was quite a relief to get away from that scene. The air was cleaner around here, the taste of iron slowly fading from his tongue. Unfortunately, the relief wasn't something he could dwell on. There was something in this forest, or at least someone, and whatever they were doing, it was clear their intent was malicious. Judging from that massacre back there, they weren't one to be trifled with. Whatever they may encounter next, they had to be ready.

It did not take them long to find the source of the blood, finding another clearing mere minutes away, a single body lay in clear view. Probably ten to twelve meters away, it lay motionless on the ground in a pool of blood. Judging from it's clothing they appeared to be a Chunin of the village and from what he could tell, the body was missing it's right arm. "Get down" Shiro whispered as he motioned for the squad to take cover behind him. "I don't like this... Shiro whispered as he searched the area. He couldn't find anything out of place but something just felt wrong, like they shouldn't be there. "Get ready to run guys, this might be a trap". Taking in a couple deep breaths, Shiro continued to search the area. He felt he should turn tail and run right now, but he had a job to do, he was a shinobi, he had no choice. "I'm going to check to see if they're still alive. I want you two to cover me. Should the worst happen though, I want you to run as fast as you can back to the gates. No questions". With that, he slowly got to his feet and as quietly as he could, made his way into the clearing.

Approaching the body, Shiro took one last look around before crouching beside the body. Indeed it was a Konoha ninja, a male, about early twenties perhaps. Eyes unfocused, staring into the brush beyond him. Placing his fingers to the ninja's neck, he felt no pulse, but was still warm. He'd only been dead a short time, if Shiro were more experienced in the medical arts he might have been able to discern a time of death, but the only one who could do that would be Nai, and he didn't want to expose his squad mates to possible danger. Sighing heavily, he removed the fallen shinobi's headband and tied it to his belt. He couldn't carry the body back so this was the best gesture he could offer. As he stood up, his suspicions of this being a trap were all but confirmed as a haunting giggling echoed through the woods.

"Hehehehe. Well well, another Leaf come out to play. I wonder, will you be more entertaining than our last toy?" Bracing himself for an attack he frantically searched for the origin of the voice. His search was fruitless however, until the person revealed themselves. Up high on a branch of a nearby tree materialized a cloaked figure, clad entirely in black he could not make out any features beyond a wild grin and a rather short height. Somehow the person was projecting their voice to echo in every direction, but there was that hint of femininity to it. "Who are you!?" Shiro called out, only to be met with more hysterical laughter. [b]"Me? Hahahahaha! I'm not the one you should be worried about! HE IS!!" The figure screamed her final words as a hand flew out from underneath the cloak, slamming against the trunk of the tree the bark was covered with black seals. Seals he recognized, a summoning jutsu.

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Jumping back to gain some distance, a cloud of smoke burst from the tree and from it came an unholy roar. Bursting forth from the cloud came a beast both recognizable and terribly disfigured. What was perhaps at one point a black bear now stood towering over Shiro. At least fifteen feet tall while on all fours, it's mouth was peeled back revealing row upon row of jagged, carnivorous teeth, each one the length of a small sword. Along it's spine, massive spikes of bone rose into the air. It's legs covered in smaller ones and extending into massive claws at the end of it's paws. With another blood curling howl, it slowly began to approach Shiro.

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Age : 25 Posts : 183

"Most likely. This could get nasty. Back in formation and keep it tight" Shiro pushed on forward, following the blood trail deeper into the forest. With Nai following in suite, Makoto continued on behind them at an even distance. It was good to get away from the area. The destroyed beasts that were scattered across were not easy to look at. All that flesh and bone of what used to be creatures… Makoto can understand the need to kill another creature. In the forest of death, almost everything inside was a dangerous threat. Judging by the size of the carnage those creatures were no different. Those animals probably attacked without discretion. If it were someone defending themselves, they would’ve put them down quick and painless. The blood, guts, bones, and brains were turned to shreds. This “witch” was not holding back at all. The mission was leading to a dangerous person. Someone who would turn even monsters into piñatas must’ve had a twisted mind. This was going to be a real challenge for the three of them, if worse came to worst.

Shiromaru kept a close eye on the blood trail, while Makoto kept behind Nai and him, his eyes always kept around him. It only took a few minutes to reach to another clearing. Makoto trailed behind, but could see what was in the clearing. Someone was lying in the center of the area. From Makoto’s distance, all he could see was some blood from him, and that he wasn’t moving. ”Get down” the short whisper from Shiromaru was clear enough. Makoto and Nai kneeled down and did as they could to lower their chance of detection. This wasn’t good at all. Shiromaru waved for them to get close. They moved close to him quickly, and he whispered out to them. "I don't like this...” He had all the reason not to. It wasn’t right, this whole situation in front of them was sketchy, a shinobi from the leaf all alone, just laying dead in the middle of a clearing. Makoto grew tense and anxious about them, this seemed too familiar. "Get ready to run guys, this might be a trap". A trap. Shiromaru must have had the same feeling Makoto was having. This all just didn’t feel right. Makoto began to tense up. The environment around them was just too quiet. It screamed “ambush”. But nonetheless, they had to make sure the body was really a leaf shinobi.

"I'm going to check to see if they're still alive. I want you two to cover me. Should the worst happen though, I want you to run as fast as you can back to the gates. No questions" Makoto kept a little more distant behind Nai and Shiromaru. His attention laid on the issue in front of them and what was all around. Should the worst happen, they would have to be completely prepared. Shiromaru collected himself before moved forward and begun to examine the body. The body didn’t jump at him or grab him while he examined it. Makoto was relieved, but sad for the loss of another comrade. Shiromaru didn’t seem too quick with him. The man must’ve died recently. Makoto tilted his head down, in short mourning of the leaf shinobi. Once he was done, Shiromaru grabbed his headband and tied it to his belt. He rose from the dead body to return to them. But an almost bone chilling giggle echoes through the trees of the forest.

"Hehehehe. Well well, another Leaf comes out to play. I wonder, will you be more entertaining than our last toy?" The three of them were in a small shock. Makoto and Nai looked where they could see in their hidden positions. But Shiromaru was wide open. He looked all over until he focused on one point high in the trees. Makoto tilted around and quickly notice the mysterious figure; their witch. Shiromaru was standing right in a clearing by himself. He was sitting duck. ”Nai, stay hidden” Makoto whispered across to her his orders. He then slid around his tree to keep it in between him and the figure. Without force, his chakra molded around his feet and softly gripped onto the tree.

"Who are you!?" Shiro called out, the stranger replied with a strong laugh, Makoto had bgun to climb up the tree as quietly as he could "Me? Hahahahaha! I'm not the one you should be worried about! HE IS!!” The figure with the feminine voice was loud and threatening, Makoto pushed himself to reach up at a good height, getting to almost ten meters above ground. His hands and feet held on well thanks to the chakra he applied. His eyes couldn’t see right through the tree, but the puff of smoke was big enough to grab his attention. He didn’t need to look over to know Shiromaru had something dangerous in front of him. That earth trembling roar was enough. Makoto peeped over and looked down at the beast. The thing was enormous. The beast was born to kill. It’s size was overwhelming compared to Shiromaru. *No* Makoto switched his footing and moved himself around the tree. He kicked off and landed on a higher branch. He kept hold onto his momentum and leaped forward at a quick speed.

The giant beast had all its attention on Shiromaru. The smoke was still trying to disappear. It was a good moment. Makoto couldn’t leave his friend, not to die. Mid-flight, Makoto pulled out a pair of tagged kunais. He dove in toward the beast inside a blind spot. His landing winded up roughly between the shoulders of its back, with the kunai breaking his fall. The sudden stab and impact forced him to lose balance. Makoto held on tight to his kunai, against all the thick and pointed hair on its back. Of course the thing was in pain. It bucked and shook to get the pain off his back. Makoto was quickly turned into an amateur rodeo rider. The beast shakes and twisted in sheer pain and anger, Makoto had to let go. Leaving his kunai inside the beast, he pushed off the wicked beast as best as he could. Finding his balance in the air and landing onto his feet. He slid down to a slow halt, not too distant from Shiromaru. Makoto turned to him still panting from that short, but intense ride.

”*Pant*Pant* the worst aen’t gonna happen!” It wasn’t going to happen again. This time, Shiromaru and Makoto weren’t looking at this so naïve. They had grounds to fight back. The beast grabbed its balance back quickly and turned to the two of them, pissed that something stabbed it in the back like that. It prepared to attack. But Makoto wasn’t through. His hands immediately locked together into the tiger seal. The kunai still in the beast’s back carried an explosive tag, they each light up like small fires, then blew into sudden combustion. The blast caused even more misbalance and damage to the ferocious beast. It wasn’t enough to do anything serious, but the beast was disoriented. It gave them time to think. Makoto moved quickly nearby Shiromaru, his voice was quick and direct. This was a serious fight in their hands. ”got a plan?”

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