The Fourth Mission! Team 3's Will of Fire!

Posts : 132

Mission Details wrote:: Mission Title: The Missing Fiancé
Mission Type: Generic
Mission Location: Fire Country
Shinobi Requirement: Genin+
Mission Rank: C
Mission Objective: A woman's fiance is a day late arriving home from his fishing trip and she is becoming very worried. She believes he is lost, for he even admits he is not very good with maps nor fishing. You are to look for this fisherman. He owns a small white boat with a yellow stripe across it and can be seen wearing grey overalls and a blue hat with an orange star on it. Bring him back to his worried fiance.

Team 3's fourth mission only had two open spots. As fun as it was breaking down doors and stuffing merchants in jail, there was no more time for small fry. Yusuke and Hiryuu stood at the village gates at the crack of dawn, a fire lighting their eyes as they waited on the guards to arrive. Yusuke had been the one ahead of time, a look of grizzly determination on his face. Despite his vehement frustration towards the village after the criminal Shinjin Shikyo escaped, he still managed to keep calm when talking about it.

The power that fueled his anger was broiling low. Instead, he shoved those burning coals over into his body, his mind and his willingness to see justice on every turn. Hiryuu worked out with him in light sparring sessions, the two never able to decide on a victor after hours and hours of training. The Hyuuga clan did their best to keep Hiryuu away from Yusuke, bullshit about how training with Yusuke might turn him into the Hyuuga's worst enemy. But blow for blow, jutsu for jutsu, there was only one thing going between the pairs heads.

Criminals cannot have such a lax response from the Leaf. As strong as the village was collectively, they were nothing without a response. What Yusuke and Hiryuu trained and spent hours beating themselves or their master was not only their physical strength, but the re-kindling of something ancient. The flames of the Uchiha and Hyuuga were strong, but there was nothing capable of smothering the Will of Fire in both of them.

Ishii schooled them day in and day out, but she had not seen such burning desire in her comrades out assassinating threats or her days as a genin.

Hiryuu stepped forward eying Yusuke. The village guards yawned at their posts, grabbing the massive ropes that would open the gates. Yusuke and Hiryuu stood at the precipice of the gates, the dim light of dawn cracking between the immense walls that broke between them. As soon as enough room was open, the boys launched out into the forest in a display of speed that left guards with hands above their brow. They were gone.

Trees and leaves swished by them as they danced over branches, delving their way into the forest. Yusuke's vigor pushed him slightly ahead of Hiryuu, leaving worry in his face. A simple mission – they were to simply reunite a couple. Yet the freedom brushing over their skins, the excitement and openness, being attached to vulnerability like this...

Nothing would be the same for the duo. Not now, and for all intents and purposes not ever.

Posts : 358

The mission was simple, but the prospect of finally getting some time away from the village after the tragedy left Yusuke excited. An amateur fisherman hadn’t returned from one of his fishing trips and his wife was worried. Dollars to donuts the old man had just gotten lost or was off somehow getting drunk knee-deep in prostitutes, but was still working checking out. Deep down, Yusuke was hoping for something more sinister, something more exciting, something with bloodshed. He tried to reconcile those hopes with his genuine care for this man’s well being.

Yusuke and Hiryuu were faster now than they had ever been before. Between the tournament’s progression and their own furious training sessions, their bodies had never reached this level of coordination and power in either of their lives. Yusuke’s arms and legs were still bandaged, covering wounds he’d received both from shattering trees with his bare hands and also from taking one too many tenketsu strikes from Hiryuu’s Gentle Fist style. It was nothing life threatening, and nothing he hadn’t returned: two days ago, he almost caught Hiryuu with the Uchiha Clan’s famed Great Fireball Jutsu. Yusuke’s Hyuuga companion still had some light burns from where he’d almost been hit.

A part from the bandages, Yusuke had on a black, short-sleeved shirt with a high collar. The Uchiha uchiwa was very small, today, hardly noticeable at all; just a small fan centered on his back between his shoulder blades. Yusuke had on charcoal pants that hit him mid shin. His tools and equipment were arranged in his standard fashion, but his over eagerness regarding the mission mean he was running with his folding windmill shuriken already drawn. Still folded, of course, but he held it haphazardly in his left hand as he leapt between the trees.

On his back he wore a small pack. Yusuke and Hiryuu were heading out toward one of the largest lakes near Konohagakure, a popular spot for fishermen both amateur and professional alike. Given the aquatic nature of their assignment and the fact it could possibly turn into a search and resuce, Yusuke had brought along a pair of binoculars, a collapsible litter, bandages, splints, and a neck brace. There was no telling what condition they might find this old man in and he wanted to be prepared should they have to administer first aid. Additionally, he had a small inflatable life raft.

After about an hour of traveling they reached their destination. The lake was absolutely massive; it housed a complex ecosystem of flora and fauna, boasting a wide variety of fish. Yusuke and Hiryuu had approached the lake from over a plateau. Upon reaching the plateu’s edge, they stopped, perched in a particularly large tree. The lake seemed suspiciously barren today. From his current position, Yusuke didn’t see any boats at all. Usually it was teeming with fishermen. That was strange.

Yusuke took off his pack and set it in front of him. Unzipping it, he removed the binoculars and cast a snarky glance toward Hiryuu.

” I would have brought some for you, but, you know. ”

The only reason he had even brought any for him was if they happened to split up. Hiryuu’s doujutsu prowess was developing rapidly, a fact Yusuke had trouble hiding his jealousy from. Yusuke’s Sharingan hadn’t progressed since they had started working together. While he’d become more attuned with it, more adept at employing its many talents, a second tomoe had yet to grace the young man’s eyes. Unlike Yusuke’s doujutsu, Hiryuu’s rewarded hard work, determination, skill, and intelligence. Yusuke’s, as near as he could tell, worked when it wanted to work and not a moment sooner. Despite his relatively decent reputation with Konoha’s Police Force, he still hadn’t approached his clan about training or issues surrounding his genetic abilities. Unless his eyes started developing soon, however, he’d have to bite the bullet: Hiryuu was starting to build a dangerously noticeable gap in their abilities.

Yusuke’s envy aside, the Byakugan was a remarkably useful trait on all kinds of missions. Its clarity and visual acuity surpassed even the Sharingan. In fact, there was a decent chance Hiryuu was about to have this entire mission solved with a single flaring of his eyes. Yusuke tried not to sound too agitated.

” Well, ” he said, with his binoculars in one hand while he put his pack back on. ” Do you see anything? ”

Posts : 760

There was nothing too obvious about the man walking to towards the lake with nothing but a fishing pole over his shoulder and a green tackle box. Well, that statement alone was a lie from the very get go, or at the very at least a half truth. To say that there was nothing obvious about him would be to say that a green cloud was quite the norm on a partly cloudy day where the sky was full of white nimbus clouds.

To say the man was tall and that was his only prominent feature would also be a lie. He wasn't exactly a tower over man, nothing that boasted the size of someone being seven feet tall or higher, but he was a size that could look down at a man and could put the fear of god in them. He was built too. He had the musculature of a man who balanced both his vanity and his physical prowess. If one were to also assume that his skin was another indicator of his standout appearance, that person would also be right. He did have the skin tone of the familiar shinobi that hailed from Kumogakure or from the sandy deserts of Kaze no Kuni. With the hair that was styled on the top of his crown, he could've been from the islands. Wherever this man was from, the sun had bathed this man with its rays letting his melanin soak in the light giving him a cocoa color skin tone.

To put it simply, he looked rather intimidating just by his very features alone. He looked like someone who stood by a Yakuza boss with his hands behind his back and his eyes looking to see if a weapon would drawn. How the man hid that feature was by the way he dressed.

The man dressed simply. He wore navy blue shorts with a white tank top and no shoes. The necklace he wore, an old and ancient thing made of buffalo bone, bounced off his chest gave him a bit of a rustic look. He looked like he was on vacation, he looked like he could have came from his home just to a little fishing.

The man could smell the rich earth and water smells that a lake can produce. This place was rarely touched by man, a few visitors would come on and take from the lake the fauna to survive. Yet, the visitors would rarely come back to take more from the lake. Months, years would go on by and the lake was populated with the next generation of creatures. Time gave its sweet kiss towards this part of the world. The man could see it, smell it, and feel it.

There was a wooden dock that was created ages ago. It was along the path of this part of the woods, but it was not an obvious spot for anyone to see. The birds sang their tune, filling the open space with songs of morning and wakefulness. The man did not feel this wakefulness as he made his way. Although he was granted sleep, he did not dream or rather he couldn't remember his dream. He woke when the moon was still out and the morning sun was ready to make its arrival.

He wondered as he sat down at the edge of the dock, dangling his long legs over the side, what he dreamt that night. He remembered waking up with a taste of the dream, an echo of the sort. It tasted bitter like black coffee, reminding him of something had haunted him in the past. The moment he sat up from the bed, that echo had faded away into nothingness.

His thought of the dream left and the of fishing came back. He opened the tackle box and pulled out the lure and a nightcrawler. He hooked the small creature letting the little juices run out of creature, then he threw the line out into the water. The lure landed on the surface of the water making a blop noise, stirring the water. The awater settled just a moment later.

He didn't notice it before, rather he did but didn't take notice of it until he was sitting down, but he saw a thick cord of water dangling off the left side of the harbor.

"That's interesting." The man said "Someone must be fishing here." He assumed that whoever was fishing in a boat probably came early, probably around the time he woke up and was off somewhere wondering about his life. "Shit, who the fuck wants to wake up at an unholy hour to fish?" he said turning his attention back to the water. "Not I, said the pie."

Posts : 132

Yusuke's humor knew no end. Hiryuu's Byakugan served them well on whatever mission – and search and capture missions like this became nothing but a walk in the park. Unfortunately for them, this forested area was extremely large. Fifty meters was a lot of space to take in at once, but Hiryuu had no problem scouting the entire area. With a single pulse of chakra, soft veins flared about his eyes¹. Hiryuu's immediate field of vision caught nothing but a few rabbits, a deer and of course a pack of bugs hiding inside of a rotted log. He fanned on to the edges, looking further out until he noticed something odd about the lake, or rather what was beyond it.

Hiryuu's body prompted Yusuke's to do the same as the Uchiha realized something was up. Hiryuu took a squat and moved slowly, edging his way off of the plateau and closer to the bank of the lake. A dot at the edge of the lake grew brighter, a huge surplus of energy signaled danger and curiosity.

“I.. I haven't seen this much chakra ever... None of the Elders have this much chakra. He's easily beyond Jounin.”

Hiryuu's words were calm, but stifled with surprise. The duo was far enough away from the stranger to avoid instant detection as Hiryuu was operating within his full sight range. Upon closer inspection he zoomed in as far as possible, able to see the stranger in complete detail.

“This isn't the guy we're supposed to be looking for. This is wrong, Yusuke,.”

The stranger was humongous. A towering, dark-skinned giant if he were to stand up. His physical frame was built, the implication here being that he looked almost fake. All of his muscles were extremely tight and swollen with training as if he had been forged by some type of human blacksmith. His hair was long but unusual, matted locks of ebony curls that bestowed an earthen appearance.

“This guy is a shinobi Yusuke...”

Just in case he was going crazy, Hiryuu fumbled around in his ninja pouch for the mission scroll and read it again, with the Byakugan on for extra clarity. He mumbled the mission contents to himself, reading over the rank twice.

“C Rank. A C. Rank. Mission...”

And then his mind clicked. About 48 hours ago they were branding the leader of their village as incompetent in response to the attack on Konoha's holding cell. Now all of a sudden a man fitting the description of the attacker was sitting on the edge of dock fishing. He'd gotten away from Konoha, but now there was a high chance Hiryuu was staring right at him.

“Yusuke, this could be the Shinjin guy...”

If the stranger noticed them, they were as good as dead. Knowing Yusuke there was a high chance that he simply felt like not caring and might approach him head on. Hopefully he'd turn his Sharingan on and get a gauge for how strong he was before doing anything. Dying on a C Rank mission after giving the Hokage shit would only prove they weren't ready.

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Posts : 358

“Yusuke, this could be the Shinjin guy...”

Yusuke’s eyes combusted¹. Staring through the binoculars, Yusuke saw what Hiryuu was talking about. This man, whoever he was, emanating a nefarious chakra unlike anything Yusuke had ever seen before. What kind of a monster was this?

Yusuke lowered his binoculars and exchanged a glance with Hiryuu. They were both scared, both nervous. Yusuke, for his part, was intent on pushing his fear down with an overabundance of anger. Setting the binoculars down, Yusuke brought his left hand up to his mouth. Biting into his left thumb until he drew blood, a rapid succession of hand seals heralded a jutsu’s arrival. Yusuke had no question about what he was doing. Slamming his palm down onto the branch, a black fuuin mystically appeared before exploding in a small plume of smoke². Fortunately, given their distance and cover from the trees, their target would almost certainly be unable to see it.

As the smoke cleared, a small brown bat appeared in its place. Big ears relative to its 10 cm tall body, the bat’s wings were wrapped around itself like a cloak, while it was perched carefully on the branch. Eerily blue eyes scanned its summoner, then shifted over to Hiryuu. If the creature’s youth wasn’t evident by its size or coloring, it quickly became clear by his excitable, young voice.

” Hey! You’re Hiryuu! I’m Tantei! Yusuke’s told me so much about you! You’re the one with the Byakugan, right? The one Yusuke’s afraid is going to beat him some—UNGH! ”

Yusuke silenced his summoning. Wrapping his right hand around the tiny creature’s body, he squeezed it until he couldn’t speak. For a bat, seclusive and loyal creatures by nature, Tantei was surprisingly lousy with secrets. Yusuke faced him toward their target and eased his grip slightly to allow the poor thing to breathe.

” Shh, we’re on a mission, ”

Yusuke raised the binoculars up to allowed Tantei the opportunity to peer through one of them and gaze at their opponent.

” Ooooh. He looks tough. ”

” We think that he’s a criminal who attacked the Hidden Leaf a few weeks ago. We’re going in. Flank right, stay in the trees, and watch him. Try and gather as much intelligence about him and his abilities as you can. And, you know, if I end up over my head, come save my life, ”

” Usual package. Got it, boss, ”

Yusuke let Tantei go. The small bat spread its leathery wings and took flight, silently gliding between the branches. Tantei was a surprisingly fast flier. He’d keep low and to the shade, hopefully completely out of this strange behemoth’s sight. Yusuke, meanwhile, shot Hiryuu a cocky grin.

” You ready? ”

Summoning Tantei was, apparently, all of the forethought Yusuke felt like giving to this operation. Instead of settling on a plan of action or even discussing whether or not they should really be engaging an S-Ranked shinobi on their own, Yusuke took off. While Tantei flew right, Yusuke dashed left. Speeding through the trees, he didn’t even wait to see if Hiryuu was following him or not; this guy could be the one who attacked the village and killed innocent civilians. Yusuke had already made up his mind on what was going to happen to him.

Yusuke moved through the trees in a wide arc around the lake. Finally coming around it to the side that the muttering fisherman was on, Yusuke leapt down from the trees and landed dramatically in the dirt, plainly announcing his presence. Stealth was for pussies. Landing on a single knee, Yusuke threw the pack from his back and stood up, crimson eyes burning into the giant man’s figure. There was rage in those eyes.

” Shikyo Shinjin! You are wanted for crimes against the Hidden Leaf! Surrender now and come in peacefully and you’ll live to face trial. Resist, and I will happily peel the skin off of your face before I drag you back to Konoha, ”

In hindsight, perhaps Yusuke should have opened his little ‘I’m an angsty soldier and I’m mad’ routine up with ‘Hey, are you Shikyo Shinjin?’. How was he to know that he had the wrong guy? Talk about egg on your face. At approximately 7 meters away, however, with his bat-back up hidden off in the woods and Hiryuu no doubt right behind him, Yusuke was confronting this titan with the type of misplaced confidence only youth and inexperience could provide. Regardless of this freak’s chakra reserves or what he had done to the village, however, Yusuke wasn’t deterred: he was ready to fight.

Bloodline ⋅ 63/70:

Ninjutsu:

Tantei ⋅ 25/25:

Posts : 760

The man wished the fish was biting. Right now, at this very moment, he had little to no patience for this. He was hoping that this would be enough to put the man to sleep, or at least start the small process of getting tired, thinking about the idea of resting his head on a soft pillow, closing his eyes, and let the sweet carriage of sleep take him away into his dreams.

Instead, he was rather getting frustrated at how not a damn single fish was biting on his lure. He was saying to himself to be patience, but again, he was hardly up for it. He sighed. "Maybe if I walk out a little further-"

He heard someone land behind him. A rustle of a branch. Normally that wouldn't even bat an eyebrow, but it was the way the branch sounded to him. It was like someone, a human being, landed on the tree. He raises his head in alertness now. Who in the fuck? was his first thought. He turned around to look at the trees only to find that a kid had landed just a few meters away from the wooden dock.

A kid? It was some boy who had landed one knee in such a dramatic fashion that he was embarassed to actually see it. His eyes, red and furious, stared up at the man with such intensity. He thought the boy, at first, had pink eye or at the very least, had smoked some ganja before he thought it was good idea to jump him. He was use to someone not even trying to talk to him with any type of rationale. His second thought was Did this guy just land one knee like some character in a thriller novel?

He looked at the boy, hair spiked and unkempt. This was the hairstyle of most children of that boy's age were familiar with. Some did it intentionally, others did it because they hardly gave two damns as to what it is they looked like. He believed this one was a part of the latter category. He shouted " Shikyo Shinjin! You are wanted for crimes against the Hidden Leaf! Surrender now and come in peacefully and you’ll live to face trial. Resist, and I will happily peel the skin off of your face before I drag you back to Konoha, ”

As his forehead protector stated around his arm, he was from Konohagakure, and that alone peaked the man's interested. So they know my cousin? Well, he supposed that was dumb question to ask himself. Shinjin was the one who did infiltrate the village and was arrested on being publicity intoxicated. Such a stunt couldn't go unnoticed. He knew that he was Shinjin skin tone, but did that small factor really mistake him for being Shinjin?

He could see the boy was high on adrenaline and fear, any wrong move and the man would have to engage the boy in combat. The man stood up from the dock, slowly creating a look of surprise on his face and raised his hands up in surrender. He couldn't act like his normal persona. That alone would create problems if he was to outright murder the child just for being stupid enough to say all of that and not try to stab him in the back. No, he wasn't going to discipline the boy. At least, not yet.

"I'm sorry to say this, and to disappoint you, but I'm not the guy you're looking for." the man's words were polite enough. It was surprisingly cordial despite being threaten a good face peel. "If I'm not mistaken, Shikyo Shinjin was a seventeen year old young man. I am clearly not that age. Granted black don't crack, and I'll take that as a compliment, but I hardly look like some seventeen year old teenager."

When he finally got a clear view of the boy, he realized that the eyes were not the side effects of substance but the eyes of those who were gifted the blood of hatred. An Uchiha. He didn't have the distinct three tomoe he was so use to seeing. He was looking at a boy who barely got the one tomoe down. If the man were to blitz in, the boy could see him come only to see that his body could not react fast enough to make a move. But why was this boy out in the open like that trying to accuse him of being a criminal. Even if he was Shinjin, it wouldn't be smart to be a hero and try to apprehend a dangerous criminal

Unless, of course, the boy wasn't alone. The man still made no move. If he wasn't alone, he could still blitz him and attempt to track down the rest of his team. He was fast enough to kill, and he had no doubt he was fast enough to kill the rest. If he wasn't, well then this would be easy. No the man thought Keep it cool, keep it civil. I rather not be exposed out in the public just yet. Let us play the dangerous game of life and see how I can play this boy like a guitar.

"Are you still going to accuse me of being a liar, and arrest me anyway, or are you at least going to hear my story of why I'm actually out here at the break of dawn trying to fish?"

Posts : 132

Hiryuu barreled out to the bank, almost tumbling over his feet with an arm outstretched to stop Yusuke. Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Ninja, Yusuke Uchiha at it again. Hiryuu was still looking into anything surrounding the shinobi before he made way. With his focus temporarily elsewhere, his eyes were jarred to Yusuke as he rushed off. Playing catch up wasn't a game he wanted to participate in, but Yusuke couldn't get himself killed. Not now.

As Hiryuu stumbled up to Yusuke's side, it became clear that they were outmatched. Whoever he was, he was a giant. Some biologically altered human being. Hiryuu's Byakugan could alter the way he viewed him, he could look at him eye to eye but that didn't stop the feeling of begin dwarfed. As far as he knew, his Byakugan didn't show him any hidden traps on the guy – he was just out relaxing. But he knew something about Shinjin, he knew his age and was considerably older in comparison. That single thought shocked him, Shinjin Shikyo had only been seventeen years old.

A clan prodigy as he was, Hiryuu expected time to be his only vehicle to the higher ranks. The Hyuuga's were masters at the Gentle Fist but it look decades to fully grasp it. But yet there were people capable of this level of strength at sixteen.

Hiryuu moved to interject, shaking his head as he walked out in front of Yusuke. The gleam of the Hyuuga shined upon him, those pale eyes giving him a sense of royalty and power amidst the scourge of the demonic Uchiha. Hiryuu was the voice of reason – this much was obvious because the birds and woodland animals all happened to chirp up as he took stand.

“This guy, is UN-fucking-belieavble,” he murdered under his breath.

Hiryuu's attention snapped to the behemoth in front of him.

“How do you know Shinjin was sixteen years old? Also, why are you out at this lake? Do you know you're on Fire Country soil?”

Hiryuu was trying to be a smart-ass to figure out how much this stranger knew. The age was wrong intentionally to see if he'd be corrected, and if he was out here just for kicks they'd be able to get him on suspicion. As regal as he was supposed to be, Hiryuu couldn't shake this feeling gripping him that this man was some how a criminal. Just something about him made his hair stand on edge.

Posts : 358

" If I'm not mistaken, Shikyo Shinjin was a seventeen year old young man. I am clearly not that age. Granted black don't crack, and I'll take that as a compliment, but I hardly look like some seventeen year old teenager. "

Twitch. Yusuke turned to Hiryuu as he was walking up, obviously annoyed at the fool he had just made of himself.

” CHALK ANOTHER ONE UP FOR THE BYAKUGAN! ”

Yusuke threw his hands up in the air and stormed in a small circle while Hiryuu engaged in his line of questioning. Yusuke had gotten all fired up over the prospect of capturing the bastard that had attacked the Hidden Leaf and instead he’d turned into some wannabe cop whose main method of deduction involved racial profiling and threats about face peeling. How silly.

Yusuke walked about a meter toward the side, hands on his hips, viewing the confused and obviously startled giant out of the corner of his eye. Between Yusuke’s Sharingan and Hiryuu’s Byakugan, it was obvious that he wasn’t using the transformation technique or some other jutsu to mask his real appearance; this definitely wasn’t Shinjin in disguise. Still, he was concerning. He had enough chakra to fight for days, and his physique definitely hinted toward a Taijutsu background. If the big lug was carrying around absurdly ostentatious swords Yusuke would have pegged him for a ninja from Hidden Cloud, but he wasn’t. Unlike 95% of Kumogakure, this guy was clearly secure in the size of his penis.

Yusuke pivoted and turned to face the man, hands still on both of his hips. He was a meter to Hiryuu’s left, now, and he was waiting to hear the giant’s answer to his Hyuuga compatriot’s questions. Chakra level aside, this guy had been remarkably cooperative, civil even. There wasn’t much reason for Yusuke to peg him to be a threat. Almost without realizing it, torn amidst his frustration and his embarrassment, Yusuke began to let his guard down.

“ How do you know Shinjin was sixteen years old? Also, why are you out at this lake? Do you know you're on Fire Country soil? ”

Yusuke knife-handed the man, chiming in with a question of his own.

" And one more thing! . . . have you seen a lost fisherman? Middle-aged, overalls, wears a blue hat? White boat with a yellow stripe? Any bells going off? "

No reason they couldn't question this guy AND try to make some progress on their mission.

Fortunately, not every member of Team 3 was as sloppy. Tantei the bat was about 15 meters behind the errant fisherman, hanging upside from a branch. Hidden beneath a myriad of leaves, Tantei was almost certainly invisible to everyone except for Hiryuu; Yusuke, despite facing that direction, couldn’t see him. Tantei was studying the man carefully. He noted his posture, his body language, and his reaction to the Doujutsu Duo’s probing. You could tell a lot by the way a man stood, where his weight was, what his back and hips and knees were doing. Tantei was trying to catch it all, establishing a baseline for the fisherman’s reactions to measure his future responses against. Tantei was a notoriously devious little scout.

Yusuke, meanwhile, was trying to figure out when the best time to work stairs into the conversation would be.

Bloodline ⋅ 61/70:

Tantei ⋅ 25/25:

Posts : 760

His question of whether the Uchiha was alone was answered when he saw another young boy stumble up beside him. He was around the same age as the Uchiha, same youthful look, same energy. What was different was how this boy displaced that energy. Just from his appearance alone, this boy looked to be the antithesis of the Uchiha. He looked formal with his long hair tied back, and the attire that looked familiar to what priest or monks would wear. He was certain the boy was hardly a monk (the hair was the giveaway) but he did have a certain air to him that made him appear like he was from another clan.

The man's eyes caught a glimpse of the boy's eyes. The enlarged and featureless white irides gave him away as a Hyuuga. It had been a long time since he last seen a Hyuuga, a young one at that. They usually stayed close to Konohagakure and were the 'honorbound' clan of Hi no Kuni. So he acted as a scout. He would be as intimidated as the Uchiha. He knew he had a surprisingly large amount of chakra. He could admit to that. A Hyuuga could see deep within the inner linings of his chakra network. He wondered if the boy could see the infinite colors that roamed within his body.

He probably could, but that was an afterthought as the Hyuuga looked beside himself on the actions of the Uchiha. The Uchiha had his hands on his hips, circling around as if he had been caught stealing a cookie out of the jar and he was contemplating how to get less of an ass-whooping from his father.

The man watched this entire spectacle with an raised eyebrow. It was so funny to see two boys, genin just by the way of their actions, try to act tough and when their plan went to shit, they sort of fell into shit as well. The Hyuuga spoke out again. “How do you know Shinjin was sixteen years old? Also, why are you out at this lake? Do you know you're on Fire Country soil?”

"Well I just said-"

" And one more thing! . . . have you seen a lost fisherman? Middle-aged, overalls, wears a blue hat? White boat with a yellow stripe? Any bells going off? "

Well shit, ask me more questions why don't ya?He didn't know whether the Hyuuga or the Uchiha were trying to pull the whole 'good cop, bad cop' routine. The man shook his head, not out of answering the two genin's question, but just to get his mind set straight. He was still tired.

Still, he could make this work for him. If he said too little, they would be suspicious. If he said too much, they would be suspicious. He's been in plenty of situations like this before. All he really needed to do was put on a good show. The man was quite good at putting on a show.

"Well to start, is it a crime for a man, a black man mind you, to be fishing out in the morning? Just because I have the same skin tone as him, doesn't make me a criminal. Besides, it's all over the newspapers that Shinjin had escaped the village. He was taken in for public intoxication and was held there for a year. Anyone and their mom's uncle third cousin removed knows that." He rolled his eyes at them as if they were saying "Duh" to them.

" The only reason why I know Shinjin is seventeen not sixteen, is because my cousin works in one of the building offices in your village. He kind of-well, he told me all the gossip. She's terrible with that kind of stuff and I was really wanting to know what all the hub bub was about. I didn't know that was supposed to be secretive."

He points to his right. "About a few kilometers away from here is a valley where I'm visiting family. Yes, family. It isn't no excuse, I can show you where I'm staying at too if you need further proof. I know how you guys are when someone just says "Oh he's visiting family and shit, woooooooow what a lie doe" and here I am being truthful and shit.

He paused. "Sorry, I get sort of irked when I'm falsely accused. I know you're just doing your job. Anyway, I just got in just a few days ago. That's where I learned about the whole incident. I mean, it's big news knowing that some criminal escaped out of Konohagakure, who is suppose to be a powerhouse of a village. It makes me wonder who was in charge handled the situation. He or she didn't do a good job from what I can tell. Obviously, they have two genin out here racially profiling me."

His hands were still up when he bent down to slap the rope. "I don't know about the man you speak about. I sort of just got here really. I know that this was probably his rope to make sure his boat didn't go off somewhere when he was about to, I don't know, get his stuff ready to fish or something. You guys on a mission or something?"

Posts : 132

Well, to be fair Hiryuu didn't know much about the Shikyo fellow, nor did he have an actual description of him. He was operating with rumor based on conjecture, but he still accomplished what he wanted. To test the giant's knowledge. Despite Yusuke's upset, Hiryuu kept his eyes and head held high.

“Yeah, whatever Yusuke. You're the same idiot that marched up to a dangerous shinobi as if your balls werent he size of peas. Why do Uchiha's feel the need to run into danger? Didn't you learn anything about your ancestors?”

Low blow. Really low blow. Hiryuu went there though, and went all the way. Hopefully that comment might spice up their next training session. Hiryuu made a mental note to grease himself up with healing ointment for their next sparring match.

As time went on, it turned out that the giant in front of them was just that, a friendly giant. With the swagger of a businessman and tongue of a public speaker, Hiryuu's guard naturally swindled down from blind racism to comfortable stranger. Whoever he was, he had qualities of all the things a man should strive for. Intelligence, wit, a bit of charm swirled great training all based in a big bowl of common sense.

Hiryuu looked over to Yusuke, who no doubt was feeling less inclined to cause the stranger more trouble.

“Well, I think he checks out. We can probably get away with waiting here for the old man to show up.”

He turned back to the giant.

“Yeah, we're on a mission. My friends untrained, so taking him out in the wild is kind of dangerous. Sorry about that.”

Before Yusuke got a chance to butt in, he continued.

“But, it still seems a bit weird that you know so much about Shinjin. Who was this guy? Why'd he bust out of jail? How's he so strong at only seventeen years old?”

It didn't make sense to Hiryuu at all. The duo were stunned by the fact that Konoha hadn't responded properly to the break out, but never really thought about how someone could be so strong as to actually escape. That person, whoever he was must've been exceptionally talented. Maybe talented enough for Hiryuu and Yusuke to pick up thing or two.

Posts : 358

Well wasn’t Hiryuu a pretentious twat. Yusuke drew a breath to speak but the ornery Hyuuga cut him off. Whoever this big guy was, he sure was a chatty one. Yusuke’s Sharingan studied him carefully. This was the scene in movies where Yusuke would notice something that contradicted his story: a bloody knife, a dead body somewhere nearby, or one of those exchanges where he was like ‘Blah, blah, blah, KILLER’S NAME, blah, blah, blah’ and then Yusuke could be like ‘. . . but we never told you KILLER’S NAME!’ and then there was that moment where everyone’s eyes got all big and it dawned on them that HE was the actual killer.

Sadly, nothing like that happened.

Yusuke had started meandering off during the dude’s monologue about how indignant he felt. He had muttered something under his breath while the fisherman pontificated on the woes of racial injustice – ” Actually, we profiled you because your chakra supply is bigger than a blue whale’s dick . . . ” – but he was positive Hiryuu was the only one close enough to hear it. Regardless, it hadn’t kept the big guy from talking on and on. Yusuke ended up walking around to the chakra whale’s side; Hiryuu was standing roughly 7 meters in front him, while Yusuke had wandered about 8 meters off to his right side, directly facing the dock and the lake. Tantei was still in the trees, studying the scene carefully and silently questioning Yusuke’s professionalism.

Yusuke began to glance around hoping to find a severed head or something to spark things up a bit. Failing that, he was searching for any tracks or signs that someone else had been there. If the missing fisherman (the man Yusuke and Hiryuu had been sent to find) had a rope set up for his boat, like the large dude claimed, but his boat wasn’t around then surely there had to be some signs that he had dragged the boat off, right? Scanning the environment, he couldn’t see anything; at least not from here. There weren’t any boats parked along the shore. Instead, Yusuke was searching for any freshly disturbed dirt, anything that might suggest the man and his boat had been around recently.

What would he find?

Bloodline ⋅ 59/70:

Tantei ⋅ 25/25:

Posts : 760

“Yeah, we're on a mission. My friends untrained, so taking him out in the wild is kind of dangerous. Sorry about that.”

The look on the Uchiha's face was some breathtakingly priceless that the man almost could not hold back the laugh that rose from his throat. He didn't look at the Hyuuga per se, but those eyes just did a momentary twitch. It was just a single instance where the Uchiha had that thought of "You got the audacity to say some shit like that to me." It sounded like something he would say to his younger brother, or vice versa. They seem to have a rivalry, one that only could described as combat brothers. The man was reminiscing his time as a child when he would have this same rivalry with his blood brothers.

He nevertheless kept his eyes sharp on the man. He did the normal thing any investigator would do by checking for any little disturbances of the environment, any traces of incriminating evidence that could lead to perhaps further questioning and arrest. The man was looking for any disturbances on his own accord. The last thing he would need is for the Uchiha to actually find something deem suspicious. The man was in the area, he would be the first person to be accused. The man was in no position to be accused, not right now. What would the boy find he wondered?

The Hyuuga's question was an honest one. Of course, the man could've lied to him. He could've told him an absolute lie that would eventually get exposed. Instead, the man decided to add some truth into his words.

"A few years ago, I was doing business in Kirigakure. I'm a bit of an investor you see. The village was in need of new businesses after the new regime change so of course I had to stay within the village for a certain amount of time. And of course, people talk and people will eventually tell you the exploits of some individuals. Kirigakure was no exception. I heard about a young man who was rising among the ranks of that village because of his surprising skill as a shinobi. I had my eye out for him because everyone seem to be talking about him. I had tabs on him until two years ago when he suddenly disappeared. I naturally lost track because business was booming for me."

Every so often he would look to see what the Uchiha was doing. Still doing his investigative work, still away from the Hyuuga. He was measuring his options while he was talking. "From what I know, or rather what I shouldn't know, because this is supposed to be some sort of secret, is that the boy was supposedly trained by a man among the high ranks of the village. He was a part of the council if my recollection serves me."

"He was a good student..." The man said softly, purposely out of character. He made his face looked rather sad at that. It was probably because the man was sad that he had lost a student, his family, and one good friend. He saw the look on the Hyuuga's face. Any normal person would've hated a man who was deemed a criminal because of that status. Yet, he was getting the impression that the Hyuuga was admiring Shinjin.

That was good. That was the opening he was looking for. He was glad he was a Hyuuga. If he was the Uchiha, he would've seen the movement of his arms go towards his collar. Despite this particular Uchiha who was moving around looking for clues was young and had the one tomoe, he was still glad it wasn't the Uchiha he was trying to grab. His giant arms and hands grabbed the Hyuuga with such speed and guile. One hand grabbed his collar, the other one grabbed his neck. It was small in the man's hand, so small that he could've made small twitch to that arm and crushed his esophagus with such ease. He was able to wrap his hand around his neck. He turned in the direction of the Uchiha, who would no doubt be on the alert and ready for action after realizing that the Hyuuga's current predicament. This was also good. He wondered what lied within these two boys. A Hyuuga and an Uchiha, they are cousins in the scheme of their clan but they are brothers.

"The one thing I taught Shinjin was in order to deceive an opponent, one must have their guard down. One must find an opening similar to how your gentle fist is a style that caters towards weaknesses." He spoke low now, the actor was gone, the innocent friendly giant of a man had disappeared and here was the image that they probably saw when they first glanced at him.

His voice, deep and "If you move or try to wriggle free, I'll break your neck. Try to use that gentle first on me and I'll break your neck. Do you understand me?" He confirmed the answer then his eyes looked at the Uchiha.

"Tell me, my young friend. What can you do now that I have your comrade in my hand? Any moves from you and I break him. You understand that yes? I would be dumb to assume that you were dumb. If you have any assistance that I cannot see, you call them off now, do you understand?"

Posts : 132

All is years of training had been invalidated in a single move. Helplessness didn't scratch the surface of how he felt. Hiryuu felt his shoulder obey the giants command, his entire body listened without pause and followed orders. His control was robbed from him, and in the instant he realized he was moving, he was sandwiched between two dumbbells – or biceps in this case. His innocence had been taken away in fear, and for a second he wanted to cry out for Ishii to appear and free him. This giant had stolen him of the one thing, trust. Hiryuu's first mistake had been letting down his guard, and he was paying for it dearly.

Hiryuu sat in his arms like a ragdoll, listening to his demands. His question was stupid, Hiryuu couldn't move if he wanted to.

“Yusuke, just run and get help!”

Fighting was out of the question, Yusuke knew just as well as Hiryuu did that this giant turned monster was impossibly powerful. For the sake of their own lives, the quicker Yusuke could get his pet flying back to the village the better. One call to Ishii and this guy would be running for his life, all of Konoha kicking his ass back to where he came from.

Hiryuu hoped to calm him down, his voice low and peaceful. Filled with reason.

“Why don't you let me go and we can act like this never happened? This Shinjin guy, if someone like you taught him how to be a criminal then you need to be exterminated.”

To think that Shinjin could deal with training a behemoth like this, how exactly did he wake up every morning for it? Hiryuu was forced through all sorts of combat training at a young age. The Hyuuga started early, as early as three years old and Hiryuu wasn't an exception. Therre were others out there that trained this way? Hiryuu felt betrayed by the exclusiveness that the Elders showered him with. Praise as a Prodigy meant nothing now.

But these criminals, these ninja running around with this much power couldn't be tolerated. As much as he hated feeling helpless, he also felt a fire burning within him. Maybe Shinjin had done the same thing to the prisoners caught in the explosion. Hiryuu could see them, hopeless, held against their will. Not on his watch. The face of the Hokage illuminated before him and instantly vanished. No.

Not him, there was no way he could rely on him.

His pupils locked on Yusuke's.

“Remember what we said. There is only us, Yusuke!”

Posts : 358

” . . . You’re his teacher, ”

Yusuke was shaking with rage. The fisherman’s movements were fast – too fast. His One-Tomoe Sharingan, despite its notable powers, was hardly any use at all in tracking the older man’s movements; Yusuke had barely made out more than a blur. He was focused now, staring down their attacker with the full focus of his visual prowess, but it was still obvious he wouldn’t be able to track this guy’s movements with his usual degree of precision. He didn’t care.

They had come looking for the dog and instead they had found its master. It didn’t matter that this man had Hiryuu, it didn’t matter that he was stronger than both of them, and it didn’t matter that he was threatening their lives. Yusuke could barely stand still. It looked as if he was about to rush the master at any second.

And then, it didn’t.

Yusuke glanced at Hiryuu, ignoring his words. Without warning or cause, Yusuke stopped shaking and got ahold of himself. He found his composure, and he looked the attacker up and down, noting the exact grip he had on Hiryuu’s neck. Taking a deep breath, Yusuke slowed himself. He stared into the criminal’s eyes with his own, the attacker’s words echoing in Yusuke’s mind.

" Tell me, my young friend. What can you do now that I have your comrade in my hand? ”

Yusuke would show him.

” You’re right. There’s nothing I can do. ”

Yusuke’s voice was eerily calm. He spoke in a dark, deep tone, like he was trying to hold himself back from screaming. Regardless, whatever rage Yusuke was holding back was confined well below the surface: he hadn’t appeared this composed since their arrival. He wasn’t moving a muscle.

” You know, we have a teacher, too. Heh, ” He grinned. He actually smiled in the face of certain death. ” She would kill us if she could see this. The way we let our guard down, the fact we let you get too close. She would absolutely kill us. ”

Yusuke exhaled, his nostrils flaring, shaking his head. He could almost picture the look on Ishii’s face if she knew.

” But, like you taught Shinjin, she taught us some things, too. She taught us to examine an opponent, to study them, to notice every single detail we might be able to use against them in combat. ” Yusuke paused, drawing a breath. His eyes hadn’t left the fisherman’s this entire time. ” For example, against you I might note your size, and your speed. He and I both noticed your chakra before we even approached you. But I can also tell you’re not afraid of us. You’re confident. You let him live because you’re curious to see how I’m going to respond. These are details we can use to make strategies, to try and anticipate how you might act in combat, to try and figure out how to defeat you. Guy like you, I’m guessing you spent a lot more time breaking necks than you did learning that froo-froo Genjutsu stuff, am I right? ”

Yusuke arched his eyebrows – he was legitimately looking for a reaction. It would really suck if this freak was as well versed in Genjutsu as he was in Taijutsu.

” Now, with him, you obviously noticed his eyes. You might notice how he moves, how carefully he takes every single step, how fast he is. You can learn a lot about a man just by watching. Against me, for instance? You could notice my eyes, too. ”

Yusuke’s eyes narrowed; his Sharingan rotated like malevolent pinwheels, the tomoe revolving around his pupil before finally settling back into place.

” They’re dark, aren’t they? They give me away. I need to work on that. They give away the fact that I want to hurt you, that I want to torture you for any information that you might have about Shikyo Shinjin, and that I want to rip your beating heart out of your chest for laying a hand on my comrade, ”

Yusuke smirked.

” You’d do well to notice these eyes. They can tell you a lot about me. But sometimes, the biggest things aren’t the most important to notice. Sometimes, it’s the finer details that can save your life. For example . . . ”

Yusuke turned his hand slowly; he kept it down by his side to ensure the fisherman didn’t mistake it for a threatening gesture. Rotating his hand, Yusuke showed him his open palm, the bottoms of all of his fingers, and the thumb he had bitten.

” . . . my thumb is bleeding. ”

” Kami Oroshi!!!³ ”

A tornado erupted from the trees behind Hiryuu and his captor. Spiraling toward the pair in the form of a large vortex horizontal to the ground, the cyclone was fired directly at their backs. If the attack was successful the column of wind would buffet both the villain and the Hyuuga center mass; the wind’s force would certainly be enough to put both of them on the ground, possibly breaking bones in the process.

How had the attack originated from that direction? Tantei, as was previously mentioned, had been observing the criminal the entire time. He had caught a hint of his actions in the his shift in body position just before he had struck, but by the time Tantei could have warned the Doujutsu Duo, the malefactor already had Hiryuu in his clutches. Dropping from his perch, Tantei had soared around the scene in an arc through the trees, positioning himself behind Shin’s sensei while Yusuke spoke, still concealed in the forest. Even if the attacker had been expecting reinforcements of some kind, which he evidently was, Tantei’s small figure and chakra signature afforded him an amazing level of stealth. The bat’s thin wings beat almost soundlessly in the air, and he hadn’t been forced to land; Tantei was still airborne when he initiated his attack.

The aim of Tantei’s attack was to break the monster’s hold on Hiryuu. By its nature, the scale of Tantei’s jutsu meant it would certainly engulf Hiryuu as well as his attacker due to their proximity. However, Hiryuu held an advantage that his captor didn’t: the Byakugan. Tantei was trusting that the young boy would activate his bloodline as soon as his captor turned his attention toward Yusuke, and in doing so, just might be able to spot Tantei’s movements/attack coming. He’d afford himself the ability to plan, to perhaps block the attack, or at least to synchronize an escape attempt when the jutsu erupted from the forest and (hopefully) caught the wayward bastard off guard.

Yusuke, for his part, acted as soon as he could. Once the attack was underway, his hands came together and began a string of seals, preparing his next attack⁴. This guy was too fast to react against; Yusuke was trying to keep the offense as best he could. Facing the direction of the attack, our Uchiha hero saw the attack coming and (theoretically) could therefore react slightly faster than the comparatively unaware criminal. With the speed he had shown before, Yusuke doubted Tantei’s jutsu would be able to finish him off even if it did catch him by surprise, but it just might save Hiryuu’s life and in turn set up Yusuke’s next attack.

Bloodline ⋅ 57/70:

Ninjutsu:

Tantei ⋅ 18/25:

Posts : 760

The Uchiha had a momentary look of panic in his eye. He saw panic for an instant, and then he saw rage within those eyes. The bloodline of hate was strong in those fierce eyes. They were wanting to kill the man, destroy him, rip him to shreds. Would the Uchiha go into that instinct. He could let his bloodlust overtake him, or he could maintain his composure. The man looked at him just for a second. Don't be too sure he is giving up so easily. Let him process it. He did not loosen his grip on the Hyuuga but he did not tighten either. He had no intention of killing the boy, not here, but he wanted to see what they would do. He wanted to see if the Uchiha would panic and run or stand his ground and fight.

The boy's eyes darken then. He saw within those eyes now a determination to not only defeat him but to save his friend. His resolution was clear to the man. He could've smiled then, he could've smiled and let the boy go right then and there. He instead loosen his grip just a bit on the Hyuuga. It was enough for the boy to get free if given the chance to move.

The Uchiha began to talk. He was talking slowly, precisely, as if he was giving his essay to a teacher in class. He was noting about how the man clearly showed his pride and joy among being a man of the body rather than the mind. That would've normally brought a smile to the man's face, but he was keeping both his act and his wits about him. The Uchiha was playing his cards right. He wasn't showing his hand outright nor did the man want him to show him his cards. The man was listening, but he had lived long enough to know that when he talked it was meant to be a distraction. He played this off to his brothers when he was little, he did this when he killed that nukenin group in cold blood when he learned his operation was compromised from the very beginning. He did this same tactic to them to lower their guard as well. The Uchiha was doing just that to buy time for someone. Who it was he did not know, but he couldn't let himself be trapped. He didn't compromise which is one I like about this kid.

The man eyes looked left, then right. He didn't see anyone come from the side so the next thing that could happen would be-

Kami Oroshi!!!

A screeching, shrilled voice like a human with a very high pitched voice screamed from the forest. His backside. The man turned his head to find a gust of wind moments away from hitting him and the Hyuuga. All of the alarms in his head began to go off then. Of course, that was when the man let go of the Hyuuga by throwing him out of the way. He did not want the Hyuuga to get hurt because the man's actions. If he kept a hold on him, he would most certainly get hit by the attack and receive damage.

The man had no other choice of action but to move out of the way. But could he move out of the way in enough time. He had no time to think of a proper counter. The wind made contact with the body of the man. The man went flailing across the surface of the water, taking the brunt of the damage and-

Turned into broken pieces of the wooden from the deck the man was standing on. The man seem to appear on the surface of the waters away from both the Hyuuga and the Uchiha. That was hardly the case of him just appearing. If their attention wasn't towards the replacement clone, they would've seen him jump out of the way and towards the water giving himself distance from the two boys. The man was looking at the direction at the two of them. The Uchiha had hi s hands ready for the next attack. The Hyuuga was still offset but it wouldn't be long until he was on his feet. There was a rush of excitement that filled his heart right then. I suppose this is what my father felt like when he was training me. he thought, and he found that surprisingly funny. Only thing that made it different was that these kids were hardly his sons and he was hardly their father.

"Your teacher would be proud of you, young Uchiha. She certainly taught you a thing or two about strategy. You certainly show promise. Well done." The man was smiling. No, the man was grinning at the two of them. One big childlike grin that made him look so much more younger then. It would later be considered, were they ever in any danger? Was this simply a test? It was hard to say with that almost cartoon like grin on the man's face. "I'm impressed. You remind me of myself when I was younger kid. You're going to be one scary ass adult when you grow up."

The man sprinted on the water. It seem to cut through it, creating a large wave towards the shore. Of course, as the Uchiha said, he was fast. He had no doubt his eyes would see somewhat of a blur move across the lake and out of view. The man, the man who was known as Kyuseishu in the past, and was known as Alayasha would be seeing those two boys again.

Jutsu used:

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Posts : 132

Hiryuu was released from the brutes evil clutches, twisting his body for a quick landing. His hair streaked wildly across his face, subtle veins pulsating around his eyes as his blood boiled¹. In a quick flip he extended his feet to brace the toss, coming to a sliding halt just a couple of meters away from the bank.

Yusuke was on the offensive as Hiryuu gathered himself up for a sprint. Instead of filling his back with shuriken, logs were falling from the air and the criminal swapped positions with, or rather what was a wooden deck. They had to play catch up, with no time for talking. Hiryuu dashed forward, thrusting his palm² out as he reached the bank of the river. His aim locked onto the water the giant was standing on, an obvious attempt to rob him of his footing to send him into the water.

“Don't forget about me.”

Hiryuu was upset that he'd been captured so easily, disgusted with the fact that Yusuke had to save him but ultimately was frothing with anger mentally. They'd no hope in catching this dude if he decided to run away, and probably would end up going home with no hard intel on him. All they knew was that Shinjin had a dangerous teacher, one who probably eclipsed him in power. Their job was the mission, and as much as Hiryuu wanted to seal all of his points, he knew failing was not an option.

Yusuke was the only variable. He'd succeeded in saving his comrade, but could he keep a level head? Hiryuu could see his chakra bright and active, his body itching for action and release. Would he---?

No.

The water tore up into two white walls, and the beast vanished. Yusuke moved after, throwing his speed into his legs as he dashed off after. Yusuke's grizzly face shrouded all reason, the chase was on. His eyes were locked on the beast no matter how fast he was, determined to bring him down. Hiryuu ran after, clocking the speed of the giant. At this level, Yusuke's speed simply wasn't enough to hold any bearing over this fellow.

It was on Hiryuu. Splotches of water splashed his face as ran after Yusuke's wake, hoping to catch his comrade before he ended up following him out of the Fire Country.

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2:

SC:

11 CP

Posts : 358

Yusuke kept his head about him just long enough to light a signal flare. Completing the hand seals he had initiated, Yusuke brought his left hand up to his mouth.

” Fire Style! Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!!!⁴ ”

Yusuke sent a single fireball back toward the forest where Tantei had attacked. Soaring above the trees, Yusuke’s familiar glided down from the treetops toward its Uchiha master. In a rather impressive display of aerial coordination, the bat released another powerful Wind technique toward the fireball⁵. Fanning the flames, Yusuke’s Katon chakra set Tantei’s Fuuton chakra ablaze, turning his cyclone into a firestorm. In an instant, a massive section of the forest was on fire. Being only an hour from the village, the smoke and commotion would certainly warrant a response. With any luck, Team 3’s backup would arrive while there was still a Team 3 left to save.

Not that Yusuke was worried about being saved. Immediately after surging to the top of Smokey The Bear’s Most Wanted List, Yusuke pivoted toward his fleeing adversary. Discharging several more fireballs, Yusuke ended up sending four toward the monster’s frame: one center frame, and three all around his profile to catch him if he tried to escape. Yusuke’s attack, as luck would have it, would arrive at the same time as Hiryuu’s air palm. It didn’t matter. They hit nothing but air.

Yusuke was on the move. By the time the fireballs, air palms, and waves cleared and he saw that their opponent was gone he was off⁶. Tantei, luckily, had caught Yusuke before he began. Landing on his shoulder, Yusuke was tearing across the lake at full sprint. It wasn’t long before he was in the thicket of trees, desperately using every bit of his visual prowess to track any trace his opponent had left behind: broken twigs, dents, overturned grass, moss, he was taking it all in. The longer he ran, however, the more hopeless it was becoming. He didn’t care. He kept going.

Yusuke knew he didn’t have to catch the fugitive, he just had to keep up long enough for the rest of Konoha to see his smoke signal. If ANBU Black Ops could arrive, they’d have a fighting chance . . .

Hiryuu caught up to him. Yusuke barely noted his presence at all, and immediately began speaking. He was speaking mile-a-minute.

” First of all: ‘just run and get help’? ‘There is only us, Yusuke’? Get it through your thick Hyuuga skull that without the both of us we can’t accomplish what we want. There’s no point in going back to the village without you. Without you, I don’t have a village, ”

Yusuke paused for a moment to reflect on what he’d said.

” . . . wow, you could really cut the homoerotic tension here with a knife, ”

Gritting his teeth, he immediately moved on.

” Now use that pathetic excuse of a Doujutsu you have and find him! ”

The Sharingan was only so useful. He was looking for any track that their opponent had left behind, but the further they went into the forest the more he began dedicating his eyes toward trying to catch any traps he might have left behind. A trip wire would get them both killed. Hiryuu, on the other hand, would be able to see him from several dozen meters away, through the foliage. Hiryuu was their only hope of keeping up with him long enough for the ANBU to arrive.

It didn’t even occur to Yusuke to stop trying. It didn’t even occur him not to give him chase. It didn’t even occur to him that, the deeper they went into the forest, the more likely it was they were going to die.

Bloodline ⋅ 52/70:

Ninjutsu:

Special Characteristics:

Tantei ⋅ 12/25:

Posts : 760

Alayasha was curious as to how bold the two boys would be in giving chase. Alayasha had come off the water and jumped up to the tops of the branches where he jumped from tree to tree. If they had the reasoning of a soldier, a blind one at that, then they would definitely give chase. The Hyuuga would have second thoughts. It was the Uchiha who would do the chasing. This was good. He knew he would have no time to play with the boy or try to reason with him of his "innocence". The Uchiha would have one thing in mind if he was trying to catch up to him and that was reinforcements. They would try to catch up and stall for as how much time it was possible. When Black Ops arrived, which Alayasha had no doubt would come, they would do the standard protcol of trying to eliminate him.

He was quite annoyed by it all. It was a bummer he didn't bring his weapons nor his gear with him. This would go a lot smoother if he at least had some ink to write some seals. A knife would do wonders right now. Instead, he was caught with just his shorts on. He couldn't return back to the valley. He did not want to involve the House of Kuro with this sort of matter. Their job is to remain a secret and him coming with a group of shinobi would compromise that. So he was alone out here, and quite vulnerable.

Well, almost vulnerable. He had the advantage of being much faster than them. He could easily go back, strike them a few times and then leave. Even if ANBU were to arrive, they would still have to tend to the two boys while the rest would go after him. It would spread them thin giving him enough time. Problem is, they already got a good look at him. They know what he looks like and they know that he had some association with Shinjin.

Wish I was a Shikyo right about now. He could at least then hide his chakra signature and hide himself. Even if the Hyuuga could see 'him', provided the Hyuuga was with the Uchiha, it would give Alayasha some time to escape.

Dammit, he didn't want to hurt the kids. He only wanted to surprise them, to see how they would react if they got the chance to engage with someone stronger. They did so perfectly but now they were upset that he pulled a tactic and it caused him to be in a pickle. He sighed now starting to regret his decision.

His hands began to rise beginning to formulate the handseals, then he stopped in the rat sign. Both his hands began to glow a slight red and yellow color before the glow resided into the palm of his hands. He looked to see the kanji of the seals. He could see the formula already moving through the kanji itself. "You kids..." he murmured. "I'll play with you another time."

The next branch he leapt to, he grabbed with one hand and used his mometum to cicle around the branch itself.. He spiraled around the branch giving him enough time for the seal to seep out of his hand and be set on the branch itself. He spun and then propelled himself onto the next branch before he continued his pattern of jumping from branch to branch.

When he knew he would be out of the blast radius of the first seal, he did the handseals again and formed another pair of kanji into his palms. This time, he didn't jump onto the next branch. He jumped and rolled onto the ground. As he rolled, his hand with the seal made contact with the ground and as he got up, the seal on his hand was gone and the seal he made slowly began to fade in the

He could guess how far they were but it mattered little in the long run. If they were t He raised a hand to his face and placed in the seal similar to Kai. "Katsu..."

The first note that he placed on the branch exploded then. It had the same concussive force as ten explosive tags. It would do its damage, destroying the branches causing them to act like shrapnel into every direction. Even if they weren't in the immeidate range, the wooden shrapnel would do its work of causing them to dodge out of the way. He sprinted a bit faster than, not at his fullest potential, but it was enough to get him further away from the Hyuuga and the Uchiha.

Would he have to activate that next one? He didn't know just yet. He didn't believe he would have to do anything of the sort. It was simply there as a means of back up if all else failed. What he did do was the moment he got into the clearing, he turned on the boosters within his legs. His body was beginning to zoom past trees as his body propelled him forward becoming a moving blur through the forest of Fire Country. He was sprinting, yes, but that was all he really needed to do. At least I'm getting my exercise

He would run and he would continue to run. He could do this all day, he knew. He wondered if the Uchiha and the Hyuuga would follow him once he was at his maximum.

[exit]

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Posts : 132

Yusuke's stubbornness came with a ticket, a one trip way to the land of annoyance. Yusuke resided there, cocky as ever, the mayor of the town and the resident hero that saved the child and got the girl. Hiryuu docked at the station and never wanted to get off the train, but as time drew on he eventually became apart of Yusuke's world. He'd become a sidekick most of the time, the little angel on Yusuke's shoulder reaffirming his bullshit and stopping him just in the nick of time so he might show mercy to the scum of the earth.

But not today.

Hiryuu's eyes flared, he'd been tracking the Jounin ever sense the start of the chase. Too bad for Yusuke, Hiryuu wasn't about to warn him that he was running into impending doom. Hiryuu's Byakugan out did the Sharingan in terms of chakra sight – it saw not only the build up of chakra but it saw exactly where the build up was. Hiryuu noted the seal he placed, how he placed, how much chakra it cost him and understood the threat.

And then he saw something else. Hiryuu gasped, his face strained and his speed went into over drive. Just underneath the seal on the ground was their mission objective. Yusuke's stubbornness dragged them into the whirlwind of the chase. That whirlwind was about to drag this woman’s fiance to death.

Yusuke's raw strength was unmatched, but what he lacked was finesse and grace. Hiryuu had been scared of Yusuke ever since they trained together. What kind of boy was capable of picking up trees out of the ground to chuck in the air? Not just any old trees, actual stumps from trees several times larger than himself. Hiryuu had witnessed him pull up thick tree roots for fun, the kind of roots that laid in the dirt when his parents were still swimming in someones scrote.

But strength had no bearing here, only Hiryuu's subtle touch would⁰.

Hiryuu swore he could remember Yusuke yelling at him after his strained sigh panicked both him and Tantei. Hiryuu noticed the guy wearing gray overalls and blue hat with the signature orange star. He was tired, littered with dirt and dust. His steps were labored and slow, but his face was happy and relaxed. He carried a large make-shift fishing pole, along with a tackle box. He was on his way to go fish, unaware of the insanely fast brute that passed overhead who'd now bordered the edge of Hiryuu's visual range¹.

Things went into slow motion. Hiryuu saw the fisher at the same time he saw the explosion activate. What to do?

Hiryuu brought his hand in front of him, his left elbow pointed to Yusuke's side as his hand was brought up for a backhand slap². Instead, he flipped his palm outward. Hiryuu slapped his comrade dead center in his chest, aiming specifically for his heart. Yusuke was out of it, going too fast to stop, too fast to care what he'd done. Once his comrade was down from the shock and pain, Hiryuu floored it from tree branch, using chakra³ to increase his traction. The fishing fiance just barely saw a blur of movement before him and his fishing pole were shoved away.

“Katsu.”

Hiryuu saw the words roll off of his lips as the fuuin they were standing under exploded to life. The seal blew the branches to bits, sending shrapnel everywhere. Splinters ranged from needles to tooth picks to chunks bigger than kunai. Hiryuu twisted his body, rotating⁴ into a blooming dome of chakra in front of his mission target, deflecting every single projectile with the accuracy of the Byakugan.

Yusuke had stopped outside of the blast range, as Tantei tended to his annoying master. Dust settled and soon after and Hiryuu checked range, the giant completely gone. The fisherman looked between his arms that covered his head, unsure of what just happened. His mouth was agape, he didn't know if he'd thank his savior or run away from the attacker that threw him.

Hiryuu walked over, bending down to offer him a hand as he picked up his tackle box and fishing pole.

“What the hell just happened?”

Hiryuu had to lie. If anyone found out about what they were doing, things might not look so well if the objective had almost been... well, killed.

“We were out looking for you and...”

Yusuke was beginning to walk up from their rear, the look of rage stayed on his face just as well as his skin did. Tantei looked unsure, the uncertainty of keeping Yusuke calm spelled plainly over his fluttered movements.

“My partner and I ran into an old trap set to detonate around here. These old security measures needed to be deactivated, but you accidentally set one off by walking into its range.”

The fiance checked his fishing pole and tackle box, still shaky from the sudden explosion.

“Oh, I'm sorry. I've been fishing around these parts for a while, I've never had anything like this happen before. Must've had something to do with that guy I saw before. A big brute sitting at the docks.”

“Yeah. We just wanted to bring you back to your fiance, per her request.”

Remembrance filled his face with an 'ahh'.

“Mhm, she's been looking for you and she panicked and wanted ninja to go out to find you. If you could kindly let us escort you back to the village that'd be great.”

He quickly patted his body down. Being behind the walls of Konoha sounded soothing.

“It's been one hell of a day, but I do owe her dinner... Ready when you two are.”

Yusuke was probably ready to kill Hiryuu. Ehhm, whatever. Uchiha were always mad, spoiled little brats. Yusuke would have to tough it out. Hiryuu could hear about it later, after they walked the man back to the village.

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Yusuke had crashed like a cartoon. Hiryuu’s palm sent him from racing across the treetops to tumbling into the ground repeatedly. Yusuke kicked up a gigantic cloud of dust as his body rolled across the ground. For a second, it looked like he was going to recover (he tried to leap from the ground back to the trees when he happened to roll onto his feet) but instead he just ended up jumping dick-first into a large, thick, and spikey tree branch. Yusuke fell back to Earth and stared straight up in a neutered daze.

” . . . heeeeeey, ”

Yusuke had laid on his back, staring up at the sky, while Hiryuu actually saved their lives/the mission/was cool; if the Uchiha clan could see him now. Tantei had abandoned his shoulder post and took to the sky to avoid getting squished. Now that Yusuke had finally crashed back to earth, Tantei was flittering over him, trying his best to offer sympathy.

” You, uh, you okay big guy? You gonna make i—”

Tantei suddenly interrupted himself by swooping down and grapping a large, juicy, flying bug. He returned to flying over Yusuke as he munched down on his meal, slobbering and dropping bug bits all over Yusuke. His sincerity was a tad compromised as he talked down to his master with a full mouth.

” So, ” Chew, chew, chew. Munch, munch, munch. ” I’m gonna go. ” Chew, chew, lick, lick, gulp. ” But this has just been loads of fun. You stay strong there, Chief. Let me know when you get enough air back in your body to speak. ”

Tantei vanished in a burst of white smoke. Yusuke remained on the ground for what seemed like an eternity before summoning the sheer strength of will to drag himself over to where Hiryuu and the civilian lay. Yusuke limped over, clutching his bruised balls, staring at Hiryuu with frenzied wild eyes.

” HEY! THANK YOU! INSTEAD OF BEING TOLD ‘STOP, THERE’S AN EXPLOSIVE UP AHEAD’ I WOULD PREFER THE PALM TO THE GUT SO THAT I CRASH WHILE I WAS RUNNING AT FULL SPEED! YES! I AM SO ETERNALLY GRATEFUL THAT YOU ARE MY PARTNER AND NOT, SAY, A RABID FUCKING DOG! ”

The sudden burst of energy required to scream at that level felled Yusuke like a . . . sad, pathetic tree. Yusuke fell face-first into a thick root, smashing his nose.

” Ow! ” Rolling over in an attempt to get away from the root, Yusuke rolled face-first into a patch of thorns. ” OW! WHY!? JUST WHY!? ”

In hindsight, Yusuke was willing to admit that he may not have been up to the task of taking down an S-Ranked ninja. By the time Hiryuu got him back up on his feet, both he and the civilian they were technically ‘rescuing’ had to carry Yusuke most of the way back to the village. Fortunately, their civilian mark was a very kind man who – for a VERY reasonable bribe⁶ – agreed not to mention anything about the criminal, the fact they found him by sheer happenstance, or (most importantly) Yusuke’s aching ball sack. Team 3’s reputation was in tact, even if Yusuke’s pride was quite bruised.

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