A Promise - 1st Chuunin Exam

Tue Jul 11, 2017 9:26 pm

Mission:

Qualifications:

The night air was brisk and chilling, freezing the pale, Uchiha boy’s blood to the bone. The red liquid surged within his veins trying to keep his body warm. The light wind was like death’s breath over the boy’s shoulder, and it felt as if his skin had begun to freeze over entirely as if a thin layer of ice began to encapsulate him. Yurei clenched his hands tightly into fists and folded his arms. Below him stood a thin mound of packed dirt and a gravestone, his father’s.

The cemetery was dark, despite the numerous stars in the sky. There was a presence surround it that seemed to sap away all traces of light, of color, and of life. The very air around Yurei sought to take his own, but he continued standing despite the freezing temperature. It was to be day soon, and then the sky would bring color, light, and warmth, but Yurei could not resist coming to his father’s resting place.

Hoshigakure was ultimately a desert, and, as a desert, its temperatures varied drastically in the dark of night and in the light of day. The sunless sky was littered with stars, but it’s temperature was an unforgiving frigidness that could freeze the brightest of stars. The cold air filled the city as it did the pale, Uchiha boy’s body, and its deathly grip was matched solely by the equally unforgiving heat of day. Hoshigakure’s sands grasped the heat and trapped it like that of a snake and mouse. The snared light baked the city in a brutal furnace.

A memory of such heat called out to Yurei as he tried to warm himself, or rather, he called upon it. It was a distant memory, one he had long forgotten, but it was of his father who now slept before him six feet below the ground.

It had been smolderingly hot, as if the air around the two Uchiha were coals. Yurei recalled walking with his father on the sand and how hot it was. They were to visit the market that day. This was Yurei’s earliest memory of the place, but, more so than the market, he recalled the heat on his feet. The sand was molten lava, and Yurei’s pale feet had blistered and turned read, even with his sandals on. Roshi, on the other hand, had been stronger than the pale, Uchiha boy, and, seeing his child in discomfort, had picked up Yurei and placed the boy on his shoulders. Yurei rode like that to the market where his father would hand him supplies while Yurei held up a bit of cloth that shielded the two from the deadly son.

“I’ve got ya,” Roshi would say as he secured his son’s legs. Yurei smiled. His father’s height had added to his own, and he felt like a giant. The boy towered over everyone at the markets atop his father. In comparison, the people below him had taken the form of an ocean of roaring, natural-colored waters. The crowd crashed against one another and flowed only to crash once more. It was a violent sea, and Yurei was the captain of his own ship, sitting above the chaos below. Never before had he felt so safe, for he knew his father would protect them.

“These people are crazy,” Yurei said, gazing at the stands far away. His cloth shielded the sun from his eyes.

Roshi smiled, glancing up at his son. “Yep. Don’t worry, though. Not all of them bite.”

Yurei smiled in return, looking down at his father. It was utter chaos here. Everyone was swarming to get their goods, and, unknown to the pale, Uchiha boy, theft was certainly taking place. Everyone was eating each other, but whether it was competitiveness or hatred was unknown to Yurei. Perhaps it was both, looking back. Yurei knew hatred now. He witnessed it every day.

That memory kept him war now. As he stood before the grave, Yurei felt his father’s warm embrace, the glowing sun, and the breeze that carried a tamed fire. The boy smiled as he stared at the tombstone before quickly becoming somber, though this time he refused to cry.

“Hello, Father,” he called out to the filled plot. Yurei stood silent for a moment, clinging to that memory. “I’ve been training a lot more since we last spoke... and I want you to know that I won’t let my mistake stop me, ok? I’ve got to prove you wrong, no matter what, even if I have to do it alone. I’m gonna make Hoshigakure a better place, Dad. I’m gonna show you and Mom what I can do, and everyone here will be happy! There won’t be any more hatred. There won’t be any more violence. I’m gonna show everyone that we should be kind to one another, ya know? I’m gonna be the greatest shinobi in Hoshi!”

Yurei paused for a moment, thinking. “I’m gonna be Hogokage, and then everyone will see! I’m gonna open their eyes to the truth and help them understand that we don’t need to fight! And I won’t hurt anyone to do it!”

Yurei hadn’t thought of that goal, becoming the Hogokage. But what demanded more respect than the leader of the village? Who shined brighter? No one. The leader of the village should be a bright example for the future, and the pale, Uchiha boy was going to be the brightest, another star in this beautiful sky.

Yurei fell silent after his impromptu speech. Most of it felt redundant, but it was from that heart, and that’s what mattered the most. The boy slowly rose his head and eyes to look at his father’s tombstone. “I’m sorry for what I did to you, Dad,” Yurei said, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “I didn’t mean for that to happen, and I know you were just trying to protect me, but… I was too scared. And you couldn’t stop that fear. I’m not sure anyone can. But I want to try. I don’t want anyone to lose their father like I lost you…”

Yurei wiped away his tears with his sleeves. “I’m so sorry, Dad,” he murmured, the vibrating tone of a teary voice potent. “Without you here, I have to be brave. I can’t be scared anymore, because I gotta look out for Mom, ya’know? I gotta be there for her, but sometimes she’s there for me, and I don’t like that. I want people to see me and feel safe, right? So I’m gonna keep doing what I’m doing. I can’t let you stop me, Dad. No matter what. I’ll protect Mom, don’t worry. But I’m gonna become the best shinobi this village has ever seen, and then I’m going to stop all of this fight, ya’know? I’m gonna do it for you, for Mom, for me, and for everyone in the village!”

Yurei smiled, wiping away all of his tears. The starry sky had begun to fade into a light blue hue, and the peaking sun touched Roshi’s tombstone with its warm light. The pale, Uchiha boy felt like he could finally try again, but his father would always be a reminder of his greatest failure, but also as his motivation to go on. To prove him wrong. To make him proud. And to silence his grief.

Yurei gazed up at the sky. At last, the cold stars had been replaced with the bright, warm sun, sparse, cotton-like clouds, and a brilliant and light blue sky. Yurei smiled deeply, recalling that memory that had kept him warm. It felt real, now, with the sun beating on his face.

The boy slowly packed up his things, the glistening rock of the gravestone shining on him. The Uchiha took up his weapon’s pouch and sack, placing the pouch on his belt and the sack over his shoulder. Before he left, the pale, Uchiha boy took one last look at his father’s grave and smiled. “I think I’ll leave now, Dad. Watch out for me, ok?”

Yurei took a deep breath then proceeded down the marked path, following the loose sand through the black gates that surrounded the cemetery. A bit of weight lifted off of him once he stepped outside, but the grief was still there, and how long it would linger was uncertain. Perhaps it was to be indefinite.

Yurei walked down the trails and then onto the main, sandy roads ahead. Today he intended to live up to his promise to his father. He was going to help the village. And its people.

Recently, the pale, Uchiha boy had come across a group of religious zealots. They represented what was wrong with the village, that hatred and disdain, but Yurei believed they simply needed guidance. That was the underlying goal of Yurei’s plan, to persuade and change the hearts of people through genjutsu. That was his major, and even though it was but an illusion. Still, the potential was there, and the albino, Uchiha boy had known this to be the case on numerous occasions. He had changed the fate of a wedding with a mere finger, showing every protestor what it felt like to be a shinobi. Yurei hadn’t seen them since, but he hoped he had changed them for the better, even if the decision was, perhaps, a bit brash for his liking. The death of his father had taken its toll that die, and, despite his best efforts, keeping that under control was difficult, even for the disciplined shinobi. But, having seen the effect of genjutsu on people, especially the profound and potent effect he had accidentally placed on Damon, Yurei had complete faith in the techniques it presented.

The boy rubbed his hair with his hand and stopped on his neck, massaging it and relieving the built-up tension as he walked. Yurei could help but feel tired. He had been at his father’s grave for hours.

As Yurei wandered through the sidewalks, unsure of his destination, he came to hear a loud, yet distant noise, like a rumbling of some sort. It didn’t possess the power of an earthquake or any other natural occurrence, but it did carry a certain weight and urgency akin to one. The albino, Uchiha boy rushed toward the noise, his light brown, bamboo sandals clicking against the sandy concrete below.

The noise grew in volume, and it slowly began to take shape as to what it actually was. It sounded akin to the markets at its busiest, but those took place in the opposite direction. As Yurei neared the noise, he came to a stop at a line of tall, tan-colored buildings that blocked the path. For all of his years in Hoshi, he had never been in this area, but this situation was too curious, and perhaps dire.

Lining the builds was a set up pipes that ran up the roof. The albino, Uchiha boy leapt onto them, the metal bending, and he launched himself up into the air, forcing his built up chakra to his feet. It felt like the smoldering sand he had experienced with his father, only without the heat. Yurei used his moment to run forward faster, bolting up the side of the tall building and landing on the roof above. The noise seemed to be coming from just the other side of the building. Interesting. Yurei rushed over the building to find a group a people, just a little father, at what seemed to be the water gardens. Yurei had heard of them from his mother, but she had never taken him, and Yurei was otherwise occupied with learning jutsu rather than gazing at fountains. That felt more like a waste of time, and the pale Uchiha prided himself on his productivity.

Yurei generated his chakra to his feet once more, and cautiously ran down the building, trying to stay out of site. It would be best not to attract any attention here. The population of religious zealots in this area was unknown to him. Yurei swiftly untied his headband once he had reached the sandy earth beneath him. He closed his weapons pouch tightly and tucked away the metal band in his sack hanging over on his side.

As the albino, Uchiha boy neared the group, he could understand what they were yelling about. Or, at least, some of it. The conversation was muddied by droning noise and yelling, so much, in fact, that it sounded like beasts fighting in the middle of the City Blessed by the Stars, each trying to exert their dominance over one another.

Yurei peaked over the fountains and watched the arguing group, carefully listening to their conversation as best he could. It appeared to be shinobi… and the zealots. Yurei clenched his fist. This is what he talked about with his father. This was the perfect opportunity. This was everything he had trained for thus far, but he had to do it in a sensible manner, and one that didn’t require violence.

From what Yurei could tell, they seemed to be arguing over stolen goods. One of the villagers was accusing the shinobi as a thief, with several witnesses backing him up, each carrying weapons. Katanas, nunchucks, grass cutters, and sickles. Lovely. The Shinobi were in ready positions, each with their kunai drawn. There seemed to be ten of them, 4 shinobi and 6 villagers. An even match depending on competency, but Yurei wasn’t here to witness a fight, he had to dispel it.

Yurei ran out from the gardens and inbetween the two, raising his arms at both in a stopping motion. Yurei was shocked. He hadn’t commanded his legs to move, it was more like an impulse, and a potentially dangerous one.

“What’s going on here?” Yurei exclaimed, watching both groups. The two groups seemed to become tenser with the pale, Uchiha boy’s presence. The boy bit his lower lip nervously. Never before had he been required to dispel a fight on both sides with this many dangers. Right now, all that mattered was that no one got hurt. Persuading the villagers to stop this sort of hatred had to be a secondary goal, the end-game.

“Get lost, kid,” one of the villagers had said. He appeared to be the “leader” of the group. A middle-aged man, balding and possessing dark hair, the leader carried with him a grass cutter and bore short, raggedy clothes. He adored a flesh colored, perhaps off-white poncho of sorts that reflected the sun with its waxy gloss.

The pale Uchiha eyed him carefully before speaking up. “I can’t do not. Not until I know what’s going on.”

“Move it, brat! I’m not telling you again!” the main man exclaimed. His words hissed with a tinge of snake venom.

Before the man could say more, another stood in front of him. “Those shinobi took some of our good, so we followed them here! They need to pay us!”

Shinobi? Stealing? Yeah, right. The shinobi existed to change the village for the better, not resort to petty stealing.

“We didn’t take shit from you,” one of the shinobi spoke up. He adorned the headband of the village proudly, maybe even arrogantly, but that was not for Yurei to decide. Not yet. Still, the boy, albeit young, knew to assess posture, especially in combat. This shinobi’s stance was powerful and haughty.

“Like hell you didn’t!” spoke up the main man once more. “Give me my ryo you thieving bastards!”

The outspoken shinobi raised his kunai and pointed it at the man. “Mind your own business hold man. Or you could get hurt.”

Yurei understood one thing, that tensions were high. And not just with this situation, but amongst shinobi and villagers in general. Still, this shinobi’s behavior unsettled Yurei. He was talking down to the man the whole time, and, even if he was justifiably angry, it certainly didn’t help relieve any sort of conflict the two groups had.

“This is my business, dammit! Your kind is always taking from me and my family! I need that money, you know?”

“We. Didn’t. Take. Anything,” said the shinobi. His mood shifted from arrogance to a more concerned, abrasive one.

The old man leapt forward, only to be caught by the other villager. “We all saw you take it. You’re not as stealthy as you think you are.”

The shinobi become noticeably vexed, pursing his lips.

“Did you take any goods from them?” Yurei asked.

“No,” replied three of the shinobi in unison. The Uchiha boy took the fourth’s silence into account, though mildly and without any real curiosity.

Yurei turned to the group of villagers once more. “Do you have any way to prove they stole from you?”

“We all saw it,” one of the villagers said. This was treated with numerous nods from the others. “Just check that one’s bag.”

Yurei turned to the haughty shinobi and spoke. “Empty it.”

“What?” he asked, astounded.

“Empty your bag. Prove them wrong, by all means. After all, you said you didn’t take it.”

The man huffed and turned over his bag, emptying its contents.

“What am I looking for?” asked Yurei.

“A few bottles of sake. Some other drinks.”

“Ain’t nothin’ here, old man. Just like we told you,” said the shinobi.

Yurei’s eyes tracked the items that lay in the sand. Nothing but junk. A few kunai, some wiring, but that was it. “Seems he didn’t steal anything,” Yurei said, turning back to the old man.

“Bullshit!” hissed the man, trying to charge forward. “I saw them take it!”

“Listen, Dad. Let’s just go. It’s not worth the trouble,” said one of the villagers. His hair was dark and thin, much like the old man’s. He must be his son.

“No, I’m getting my damned sake ba-“

A kunai pierced the concrete beneath the man’s feet, stopping his words dead and cold.

“Move along,” said one of the shinobi. The other two laughed, leaving the fourth smiling thinly. Yurei noted this as the shinobi spoke up again. This one’s hair was blonde, and, unlike the haughty shinobi, this one was more serious and cold.

“Look, it’s best you just go. I can give you some funds to-“

“Pheh!” spat the old man. “Keep my sake, then. But if I catch you again, it won’t be pretty.”

“You can’t do anything, old man,” said the haughty shinobi.

The old man muttered the words, “Damned Shinobi,” as he and his comrades left the water gardens. They left silently, for the most part, but it was not without crude comment and murmuring.

“You coming with us, Kinru?” the haughty shinobi asked the more quiet one. This was the shinobi that seemed rather distant from the rest of the group.

“No thanks. I’ll catch up with you guys later, ok?” said the shinobi, now known to be Kinru.

“Suit yourself,” they said in unison, walking off and laughing and they gathered the spilled items.

Yurei stared at the villagers until they made their way out of sight. They must be headed to the marketplace. Yurei smiled, satisfied with his work. A job well done.

Then something happened. Yurei turned to the shinobi that straggled being, who appeared to be worried to some degree.

“Hey, kid,” the shinobi said.

Yurei watched him suspiciously. “Yeah?”

“Look, those villagers were right. Shinshou stole the sake. I was with him when he did.”

“You what?”

“I was with him. The villagers weren’t lying. I helped him steal it. I don’t know if there’s anything you can do but… Well, I feel terrible about it. So I just had to let you know, ya’know?”

Yurei paused, briefly shocked. “I see. Thank you. Do you know where they’re going?”

“They usually hang out at the gates. They’re probably downing the bottles now.”

“Alright, thanks,” Yurei said, rushing off.

Headed towards the gates, Yurei’s thoughts were scattered. For once, the shinobi were at fault and not the villagers. For so long, Yurei had thought that the villagers were the main reason for all the hatred, but these shinobi weren’t helping. Stealing? That shouldn’t be how a shinobi acts. A shinobi should help the villagers, not feed off of them like a leech. The pale Uchiha boy became infuriated, clenching his fist as he dashed towards the gates. His father’s words ran through his head. Were shinobi the problem? No, they couldn’t be. They were the oppressed ones. Not the villagers. Right?

Yurei pursed his lips in anger. He clenched his teeth tightly, leaping through the sidewalk. To think that the shinobi were using their powers to steal disgusted him. But what was worse was that he sympathized with the people that had preached against shinobi for so long. Everything he believed in was challenged. Who was the bad guy? How could he be so foolish as to think that shinobi were solely pure and good and the villagers solely bad.

Yurei came to a stop at the gates. There. The sake. Unopened too. And the tree shinobi. Yurei could not tell their rank, but perhaps he could theorize their power. Yurei closed his eyes and focused, cutting on the faucet that let chakra pour into his eyes: the Sharingan. Yurei stared at the group of shinobi. Their chakra was tame, nothing too extravagant or powerful. They had to be genin at the most.

Yurei deactivated his sharingan and moved in closer. None of them seemed to have detected him. Not yet, at least.

Well, time to ruin that.

“Hey!” Yurei yelled. “Where’d you get that sake?”

“Dammit, it’s that albino brat,” the haughty shinobi said, shooting up. “What are you going to do about it, kid?” he called out, chuckling.

Yurei assessed his opponent. It wasn’t difficult to find his weakness. Arrogance. “I’m going to take back that sake and give it back to who it belongs to.”

“You’re welcome to try,” the third shinobi said. His hair was dark unlike the blone, and he seemed more reserved than the arrogant one.

“Alright,” Yurei said, flaring his chakra.

“Hey,” the blonde said, lowering his eyebrows. “Is that brat a shinobi?”

“It doesn’t matter; we’ll take him out all the same.”

Yurei extended his chakra into his index finger, releasing it into the air around them. Ephemeral.

The pale Uchiha was careful not to injure them, but he did project a vision onto each that no doubt froze them in fear. Yurei had projected a vision of a ghost before them. It was tall, possessed long, black hair, and a weight kimono. He was the ghost, and he was going to get that sake.

Yurei marched forward, twitching and making his body appear as though it was convulsing. He gave his illusion horns and black veins, and he marched right passed them. Their chakra was difficult to manipulate, far more difficult than villagers, but he was able to hold it just long enough.

When the illusion ended, Yurei was far gone, and with all of the alcohol tucked away in his bag. The pale Uchiha released his chakra to recover as he made his way to the markets.

It was busy, even though it was in the heat of midday, but it was at least manageable. The Uchiha maneuvered through the crowd until he came across the villagers in their station who were serving out warm sake and other beverages.

Yurei entered their tent where he greeted the old man.

“What do you want, kid? This ain’t a place for you.”

“I’ve got you something,” Yurei said.

“Eh?” murmured the old man.

Yurei took out his bag and placed its content on the bar counter. “I got your sake back from those shinobi.”

“Hey hey hey! You’re not so bad after all, kid! Thanks!”

Yurei bowed, pausing. “I’d like to apologize, sir, but, well, you see, I’m a shinobi.”

The man raised an eyebrow as he looked at Yurei.

“And, well, I didn’t think you were telling the truth because you are a villager, and I’ve had a lot of trouble with them. I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry, because I was wrong. Those shinobi were bad people, and I was stupid to assume anything about them.”

Yurei remained bowing and exhaled deeply.

“You’re alright, kid,” the man said, smiling lightly. “Just be careful who you say that to, ok?”

“Yurei rose and nodded, saying, “Thank you, sir.”

“Now get out of my shop. This isn’t a place for kids, alright? But hey, when you’re old enough, feel free to come by, and maybe I’ll get you a drink,” the man said with a smile.

Yurei smiled in return, “Thank you, Sir.” The boy left the old man’s tent, challenged by new thoughts. The world appeared to be more grey than black and white. And maybe that was for the best.

WC: 4149

Exit
Requesting: 2,000 Ryo, 5 AP, Permission to move onto second exam

Tue Jul 11, 2017 9:56 pm

Approved, that was an excellent read by the way

A Promise - 1st Chuunin Exam

A Promise - 1st Chuunin Exam

Re: A Promise - 1st Chuunin Exam