[OOC: The events of this topic have taken place between the previous post and this one.]

As Shikaruto made his way through the forest, he wondered if Yoroi was watching him leave. He was wary of the shinobi, following their encounter. “Likewise,” he heard the other ninja say as Shikaruto made his departure. Maybe our meeting hadn’t been that bad after all, Shikaruto smiled to himself at Yoroi’s parting words, but still continued to walk away. He didn’t look behind him to check if Yoroi was watching either, because that could be seen as a sign of weakness. Their entire conversation had been a power struggle, and Shikaruto felt relieved to walk away unharmed. With every step he took, the possibility of a surprise attack became less likely. Their parting of ways had ended on neutral terms, so Shikaruto wasn’t expecting a fight anymore. However, he didn’t let his guard down until he was sure he was a good distance away from Yoroi’s camp, and he had passed a totem pole marking the other side.

Once he was out of Yoroi’s camp, Shikaruto picked his pace back up to a run. He wanted to get the hell out of there. He had lost a lot of time today with Yoroi and although he didn’t regret it, he knew he needed to catch up with his mission. If he hadn’t been stopped by Yoroi, he would probably be at his destination by now. He wasn’t sure how long Haruka would stay in the Mountain’s Graveyard before moving on. Nukenin and wanderers were known for their capability to simply disappear into thin air if village shinobi got a whiff of them. As he ran further away from Yoroi’s camp, the sense of freedom he had felt leaving Konoha breezed around him again. Looking up, Shikaruto could see the jagged mountain tops ripping into the sky as he approached. I’m close, he thought to himself, slowing down to a jog. He didn’t want to be out of stamina when he reached the mountains. They had a reputation for being arduous to climb and covered in traps laid out by nukenin, so Shikaruto had to be on his guard.

Finally Shikaruto broke free of the forest and was back out into the full light of day. It was around midday, and the sun was beaming high in the sky. Shikaruto’s eyes had trouble adjusting to the change in brightness, so he shielded them with his arm. Now that he was directly underneath them, the mountain’s had never looked so tall. Shikaruto could barely see the peak. For some reason, he felt unprotected without the cover of the trees. Nevertheless, he followed the dirt track and began to climb the mountain ahead of him. As he ascended, he looked back down at the forests below him, wondering what Yoroi was now doing down there. The time alone had given him space to think about all the things Yoroi had said, and how other people perceived him. Allowing his eyes to trace the treetops, Shikaruto saw nothing out of the ordinary, so his gaze flickered over to Konohagakure no Sato, which was little more than a spec on the horizon at this distance. Shikaruto could just about make out the Hokage’s Monument, with it’s red banner and symbol of Hi no Kuni gleaming gloriously in the sunlight. He wanted to feel a sense of pride, but instead he felt nothing. Rather than worry about it, Shikaruto shook his head and carried on with his mission.

Turning his attention back to the path in front of him, Shikaruto noticed just how far he had climbed. The edge of the mountain was unguarded, and if Shikaruto were to fall it would mean certain death. I can’t exactly expect it to be safe up here, given its reputation, Shikaruto thought to himself, treading carefully as he made his way up the mountain. The higher he got, the more unstable and narrow the paths got. There were gaps for him to jump, ledges for him to walk along and parts of the mountain path that crumbled beneath his feet. No wonder only shinobi come up here, it’s the perfect hiding place. Shikaruto thought to himself. He continued to ascend the mountain, albeit at a slower rate, until he reached a point where there was a gap in the path too big for him to jump. The mountain had crumbled apart at this point, probably a scar from where two previous shinobi had collided in battle. Looking down into the gap, Shikaruto flinched away, a wave of nausea passing over him. Turns out he suffered from vertigo.

Shikaruto stood for a moment, thinking about how he should proceed. He couldn’t stop until he found Haruka. Otherwise he would fail his mission, something he hadn’t done before and didn’t intend to do. It was likely that this gap had been here for a while and considering how he hadn’t passed anyone yet, other shinobi must have found a way to cross it. If they can cross it, so can I! Shikaruto thought to himself in determination, pulling two kunai from his ninja pouch. He knew it was too big for him to make the jump, but if he could slam his kunai into the mountain edge hard enough, he would be able to pull himself up over the edge. Shikaruto held kunai so firmly in his grasp that the metal started to dig into his skin. His hands were shaking and his sweaty palms made it hard for him to grasp the kunai tight enough to feel safe. It doesn’t matter how tightly I grasp them, nothing about this is safe! Shikaruto panicked, and took a few steps back to allow himself a run up. He psyched himself up for the jump, hyperventilating and then taking deep breaths in through his nose and exhaling out his mouth.

When he knew he was as ready as he’d ever be, Shikaruto ran at full pace to the edge of the cliff and jumped, just as his foot reached the ledge. He had underestimated his speed and hadn’t had a good footing when he jumped, so he didn’t reach maximum distance. Shikaruto began freefalling and cried out in horror. I’m going to die here, he thought, thinking of how he had failed his father and how distraught his mother would be. But if there was one thing Shikaruto knew how to do, it was survive. Time seemed to slow down as he fell, and the wind whistled around his ears, lulling Shikaruto into a peaceful, zen like state. He knew he was falling and it was as if his body had accepted the fact he was going to die. It was possibly a rush of endorphins and serotonin secreted by his brain so he would die in a relaxed state. Despite being able to analyse all this, Shikaruto couldn't seem to break himself out of his stupor. There was nothing for him to do, but accept his death with open arms. So much for being a survivalist. NO, Shikaruto’s mind exploded and he felt some external force extending his arms outwards and slamming in kunai into the mountain face as hard as he could. Sparks ignited from the impact and Shikaruto shut his eyes, clinging on to the kunai with as much strength as he could muster. After a moment, everything went quiet and Shikaruto opened his eyes.

He was suspended in the gap he had fallen down. He looked up, and the pathway was about fifteen feet above him. Looking around, Shikaruto knew there were only two ways, climb up or fall and die. He gulped, a lump in his throat. Shikaruto tried to use Kinobori no Waza to climb the mountain, but he couldn’t get his feet at the right angle to climb. I’m going to have to use my kunai, Shikaruto thought to himself, trying to keep calm. Pulling one kunai out of the rock, Shikaruto rammed it back into the mountain and repeated the step with the other kunai. When he was balancing his body weight on one kunai, Shikaruto seriously felt like he was going to fall. Thirty kunai swaps later, Shikaruto had managed to climb back to the ledge, and pulled himself up onto it. He grabbed his kunai from the mountain face and shoved them back into his ninja pouch. Leaning against the mountain fast and breathing hard, Shikaruto took a moment to appreciate his escape from death. I hope Haruka isn’t much further up, I don’t know how much more of this I can take. Shikaruto shook the excess lactic acid from his arms, so his muscles wouldn't cramp from all the exercise. He wasn't exactly a strong person, and that was one of the toughest workouts he'd had in a while.

As Shikaruto set off further up the mountain, he began to see signs of life. There were piles of burnt logs where fires had been littered in the indents of the mountains, where shinobi had obviously shielded themselves from the harsh winds and rains that accompany living at such an elevated level. Shikaruto felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck as he climbed, almost as if he were being watched. Everything was silent. Shikaruto was just about to turn the corner of the spiralling path which accompanied the mountain, when he saw some ninja wire glinting in the sunlight. It’s a trap!

Shikaruto jumped back just as a kunai with an explosive tag hit the floor at the point where he had been standing. He was just out of range of the small explosion, but he still felt the warmth from the flames and the ground beneath him shook a little. Looking around, he still couldn’t see who had thrown the kunai, which put him at a great disadvantage. I’m just a sitting duck like this, Shikaruto thought, just as a barrage of shuriken came flying at him. Pulling out a kunai from his ninja pouch, he knocked away the incoming projectiles with relative ease.

On the ledge above him, Shikaruto saw a woman with brown hair and a blue headband, just like Haruka had been wearing in the picture on the scroll the Hokage had given him. She disappeared behind the ledge as soon as she had appeared, and Shikaruto used this time to put his kunai away and form the hand seals required for Bunshin no Jutsu. The clone appeared where Shikaruto had been standing, with the same confused expression Shikaruto imagined he must have been wearing. He could never get over looking at an exact replica of himself whenever he used Bunshin no Jutsu. It was amazing to be able to see himself through his own eyes, like others must see him.

Shikaruto ran across the pathway until he turned the corner and was on to the next ledge of the mountain. Up ahead, he could see the woman, who he now confirmed as Haruka. She was wearing the same royal blue combat trousers, with a black shuriken holster bandaged to her right thigh. On her upper body, she wore a translucent bandeau covered by a revealing baby blue kimono, which had been customised. It had white strips on the edges and she wore it open, revealing her bosom. In her ears were a pair of expensive looking pearl earrings, and Shikaruto wondered if perhaps she had stolen them on her travels. Judging by her now, he couldn’t assess how far into darkness she had fallen.

Shikaruto had never heard of Haruka until this mission. Therefore she must have been quite a well behaved citizen of Konoha, because those who were not were put in prison and word spread like wildfire around the village. It was often easy to identify troublemakers by their name alone, but Haruka’s had never came up. Shikaruto felt sympathy for the woman; he knew what it was like to lose your father. Overcoming the gut wrenching pain at the reminder of his father’s death, Shikaruto peered around behind the rock he was using as cover. Haruka had fallen for his clone, as was proceeding to attack it with projectiles. Shikaruto’s clone must have been putting up a good fight, evading the projectiles, as it managed to consume Haruka’s attention whilst Shikaruto performed the seals require for Kagemane no Jutsu. As Shikaruto finished performing the jutsu, he used his chakra to extend his shadow out towards Haruka. She was stood quite some distance away, so Shikaruto was nervous that she would turn and see his oncoming attack.

Suddenly, Shikaruto heard a loud popping noise, which told him one of her projectiles had hit his clone and it had disbursed. Haruka noticed as well, and she turned from facing over the ledge to look towards Shikaruto. Their eyes connected for a moment and Shikaruto saw her facial expression turn from confusion to shock once she took in his form, crouching, his hands clasped in the rat seal, his shadow extending out from beneath him and towards her. By the time she had realised what was happening, she attempted to jump backwards, but, aided by the shadow of the rock she was hid behind, Shikaruto caught her in his jutsu and felt their shadows connect.

“What did you do!?” Haruka shouted at Shikaruto, her eyes wild with anger. Keeping his chakra flow constant to keep the jutsu in motion, Shikaruto stood up from his crouching position. “You’re immobilised by my jutsu,” he explained for her calmly, keeping his tone even. “I just need to ask you a few questions regarding your father’s trade, then I’ll leave you alone and we can both go our separate ways.” Shikaruto was about to start his interrogation without waiting for a response, when Haruka broke out into laughter. Shikaruto was puzzled by her behaviour, but before he could inquire, she spoke, “You’re one of those Nara brats, aren’t you? Always hiding behind your shadows. Well, Haruka looked down, then Shikaruto felt her chakra fighting against his shadow. No! Shikaruto thought, his expression strained. How could she know about such a fundamental flaw in my jutsu?

Haruka exerted enough chakra to break herself free of Shikaruto’s jutsu. Rather than attempt to catch her in it again, Shikaruto stopped exerting his chakra and allowed his shadow to retreat. There was no point, if she had enough chakra to simply break through it again. Now free, Haruka’s hand disappeared into her shuriken holster, but Shikaruto was faster. They threw shuriken at one another, knocking each other’s projectiles to the floor, littered all around them. Shikaruto was just about to throw another shuriken when he noticed that Haruka’s panicked expression and her hand explored her obviously empty shuriken holster. Shrieking with rage, she began to run towards Shikaruto whilst forming hand seals. Pulling his body up into a defensive stance, Shikaruto waited to see what she would do.

“Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!” Haruka screeched as she approached, stopping momentarily to allow a stream of katon chakra to escape her mouth and form a fireball, which came flying at Shikaruto at an alarming rate. Knowing that no jutsu he possessed would be able to counter it, Shikaruto looked to his sides, but saw no escape route, as he was now out in the open of the narrow paths surrounding the mountain. Acting on instinct, Shikaruto formed the tiger seal and just as the fireball would have hit him, he substituted himself with a shuriken from their early attacks.

Now behind Haruka, Shikaruto wasted no time in charging at her back, kunai held in his hand. Haruka stood unaware, waiting for the smoke to clear from her fireball. Shikaruto finally reached her, and pressed his kunai threateningly into her lower back, whilst holding her front with his arm. “If you so much as attempt to move, I’ll kill you,” Shikaruto threatened her, his voice heavy with deadly intent. Haruka just laughed, but remained still nonetheless. “You can’t kill me, remember?” She taunted, her breathing heavy from exertion of chakra. “I have information you need.” Knowing that she was right, Shikaruto balanced her words, but never loosened his grip on the kunai that was digging into her body and had now pierced her skin and drawn blood.

“True,” he said, his voice no more than a whisper in her ear. “But I can drag you to the village and have intel retrieve the information from you, by force. Which would be much more nasty than anything I can do to you here. Be smart, Haruka-san. Give me the information I need; then walk free.” Shikaruto felt Haruka tense up at the threat of being returned to the village, and he knew he had found her weak spot. She was silent for a few more moments, and Shikaruto could feel her heart rate increase beneath his hands, which was resting just beneath her breasts, holding her tightly to him, so she couldn’t escape. From a distance, they way they were stood might seem intimate, but it was completely the opposite.

“Drag me back to the village, you say?” Haruka breathed, obviously grasping at straws. “And how do you imagine could do that?” Removing his hand from her front, Shikaruto jabbed his kunai slightly harder into Haruka as a warning not to move. She yelped in pain slightly, but stayed still, knowing from their shuriken battle that his reflexes were faster than hers. Rapidly pulling some ninja wire from his ninja pouch, Shikaruto looped it through the hole in his kunai and flung it around Haruka, wrapping around her and tying her arms to her side, leaving her immobilised. “Now,” Shikaruto continued, “I have more than enough ninja wire with me to complete wrap you up in and drag you back to the village with. It’s uncomfortable and it will cut you, possibly infect you. Do you want to risk that? Or would you rather tell me what you know?”

Resigned to the fact that she had lost, Haruka sighed. She had one more thing for bargain with, though. “If I tell you everything you want to know, you’ll let me go free?” she asked, her voice thick with concern. “Yes,” Shikaruto promised her. “Okay. My father set up a card stall in Konoha and offered people the chance to gamble for money. He placed two black cards on the table and one red, then put them all under cups. All the player had to do was pick the cup with the red card underneath, and they would double their money. However, before every reveal, my father would rig the table so there would only black cards, so the player would always lose. He sometimes threw a red card in there to avoid detection. It was petty theft, and I wanted nothing to do with it. But that’s how he made a living, and there was nothing I could do to escape that. Until he died.”

Untying the wire from around her, Shikaruto heard Haruka exhale with relief, although he did not put his kunai away, simply because he didn’t trust her. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, “Arigato, Haruka-san,” then ran down the mountain path, back the way he had came. “Who are you, shinobi of the leaf?” Haruka called after him. Shikaruto stopped running and turned to face her, a great distance now between them. “Whoever you want me to be,” he smiled, and turned and ran, leaving Haruka free to live the rest of her life without being a target of Konohagakure no Sato.

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Shikaruto descended the mountain much faster than he had ascended it, mainly because he knew what to expect from it. He had been lucky to avoid the alleged infestation of nukenin that inhabited the mountain, but Shikaruto assumed that was because Haruka had been quite low down on the mountain overall. The nukenin would want to avoid any incoming village shinobi, so they would be even higher up the mountain. Haruka probably didn’t have the skills required to climb the mountain that high, or even defend herself against the nukenin. Shikaruto felt slightly worried for her. She hadn’t wronged the village, neither was she their responsibility anymore. She was simply looking out for herself. She had chosen a dangerous lifestyle over being surrounded by memories of her father.

Shikaruto could sympathise with her. Everywhere he looked around Konoha, he saw memories of his deceased father. The sights pained him, but Konoha was his home, and there was no escaping it. In a way, Shikaruto was jealous of Haruka. She had left the village freely. She didn’t have any bonds to break before she left. Shikaruto couldn’t just up and leave, or else he would have by now. He was restrained by his bonds with Konoha. His mother, his clan, his fellow shinobi all resided there. They were all reasons for him to stay, and obstacles for him to leave. They would all try to stop him if he tried to defect, or else he would have done it by now. Also, being a shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato would make him a Nukenin if he left the village and he would have to spend the rest of his life running from hunter-nin. At this point in his life, it simply wasn’t worth it. These restraints made Shikaruto resent his village somewhat, but he shook the negative thoughts away. He didn’t like to think about it too much.

The sun was beginning to set, glowing a burnt orange shade all over the evening sky. Shikaruto finally made his way to the bottom of the mountain and sighed once he realised he would have to run all the way back through the forests of Hi no Kuni to make his return to Konohagakure no Sato. Shikaruto set off at the fastest pace he could muster, wanting to get home before nightfall. He used the word ‘home’ loosely. As he ran, Shikaruto made sure to avoid Yoroi’s camp, having made a mental note of where it was earlier. The shinobi he had met in the past few days had given him a lot to think about and his mind was cluttered as he made his way back to the Hidden Leaf Village.

The forests of Hi no Kuni seemed to go on for hours. No matter how fast Shikaruto ran, the end of the treeline never seemed to come into view. Shikaruto began to feel trapped by the trees, like a bird in a cage. No matter how fast he ran, he simply couldn’t get out of the forests. The sun was threatening to set behind the horizon and Shikaruto knew he had to get back soon. He couldn’t stand to spend another night outside of the village. It was too cold, in the early spring. He just wanted the comfort of his own bed. A burst of inspiration shot through him and Shikaruto sprinted as fast as he could in the direction of the village. Eventually, the edge of the treeline was in sight. He smiled with relief.

Breaking out into the open, Shikaruto felt the night breeze gently against his skin, which erupted in goosebumps. He returned to the path back towards the village. The chuunin guards are the gate greeted Shikaruto, “Mission success?” one of them asked, to which Shikaruto simply nodded, not wanting to stop and chat. If he stood still, he knew his teeth would start chattering and he would begin to shiver. Running through the mostly empty village, Shikaruto made his way straight towards the clan headquarters. Once he found the Nara section, Shikaruto slipped into their headquarters and found his house immediately. Unlocking the door with his key, he locked the door behind him and climbed the stairs, collapsing on his bed without another thought, simply exhausted.

Topic Exit~