Meeting Saya (IO)

Yurei Uchiha stretched his arms out as the sun shined upon his white hair. He yawned, shifting his body over the side of his bed. It was morning, and the orange sun had just risen over the sandy horizon, silhouetting the buildings in front of its rays.
The genin walked over to his kimono, wrapping it around his body. The silk robes came together with a tie around the waist. Yurei reached for his headband and tied it neatly around his forehead, his white hair draping over it. The Uchiha took up his weapon pouches and opened his bedroom door. The white-haired boy walked through the halls and came to a stop at the front door, putting on his sandals, and, with that, he set foot outside.
He took a deep breath and paced himself, moving forward with the light breeze brushing hot sand over his feet. His bamboo sandals clicked over the concrete sidewalk as he moved forward, pondering what the day would entail. He had planned to make his way to the training grounds. Walking forward along the side of the streets, Yurei made his way to the markets where he would have to cut through to get to the training grounds.
The area was vibrant with goods. Aromas, flashly clothing, and fruits and foods of all colors filled his senses. However, the crowd seemed louder than usual. Something was going on. Yurei turned to the source of the noise, the epicenter, and discovered numerous people clawing and punching one another with bloodied fists. The shinobi took off in the direction of the brawl, activating his Sharingan. The white doujutsu blossomed in his eyes, the three tomoe circling around his pupil perfectly. He could make out a few potent chakra signatures. It seemed to be a fight between five zealots and two shinobi. And the shinobi were losing.

WC: 310

By the time Saya had exited the public baths in Hoshigakure the sun had risen in the skies, lighting up the entire village. Everyone was out and about now. Luckily for the young girl she was wearing civilian clothes, and her headband was nowhere to be seen though it was safely tied around her waist and hidden underneath her thick top. Not one person even spared her a glance, happy to go on with their daily tasks.

Grateful and praising herself for dressing up as a citizen, Saya shouldered her bag of clothes and started on her way back to the slums to drop off her things. As it were the girl had been up for quite some time, training in an open area in the dirtier parts of the village. This left her quite famished and the scent of delicious goods lured her to the street market. There were stalls raised on either side of the wide pavement, selling everything from cheap jewelry to drooling snacks.

Saya was already bent on buying a couple of sticks of dango, and maybe something more fulfilling. Just as she was handing over the money to the vendor, there was a sudden outburst of shouts and jeers. Taking a bite of her unhealthy morning breakfast, Saya made her way towards the commotion and immediately frowned. There, kneeling pathetically on the ground, was her fellow genin and yearmate from the academy, Kaho. And next to the girl was another yearmate, Kaho’s alleged best mate - Michiko.

They were, of course, dressed in the standard ninja attire but more fashionable. Because that’s the kind of shinobi they were - ones that cared more about their looks than their skills. She sighed. They were making Kumogakure look bad. Saya stood off to the side, watching and waiting for the next move. Despite being from the same village their relationship wasn’t that great, and the dark haired girl had no obligations to help them out.

Her eyes flickered to the group that had seemingly won the first round. Two men and three teenagers varying from ages twelve to sixteen. They looked quite muscular and strong willed. Ah. No wonder why her fellow genin had failed to take first blood. The people of Hoshigakure had this overwhelming distaste for ninjas that it was hard not to notice. Surely Kaho and Michiko were aware of it? Taking another glance at their expressions Saya had to guess that they did know, and that their pride at being shinobi was clouding their judgement.

”Don’t you get it, little girl? We don’t take orders from ninja scum like you,” spat one of the teenagers. He had a scar that started from his cheek and ran all the way down the side of his neck. The two adults behind him nodded as if they were proud, and the other two adolescents voiced their agreement. An echo of what had been said, really.

It was at this moment that Saya felt a small burst of chakra, instantly causing her to activate her Mind’s Eye of the Kagura. She, of course, couldn’t tell who the person was but where he was became clear to her. He would be nearing the dramatic scene soon, and if he didn’t redirect his path the boy with the flaring chakra would end up on the other side of the incident. Just opposite of her.

”Excuse you! We’re not scum. You are! We just wanted something to drink,” Kaho was now standing, bruised fists clenched at her sides. While both Michiko and Kaho were relatively good genin and had potential, they were slackers. Saya sighed and shook her head. This was going to be a lot of yelling back and forth, and maybe another dumb brawl. ”Who hits a girl anyways?! Like, ugh. Seriously. My hands are turning purple now.”

WORD COUNT: 641
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 641

Yurei’s righteous anger festered within his body, his blood boiling. So often had he seen this. So often had both shinobi and villager been the subject of the other’s hatred. He wouldn’t stand for it. Not now. Not ever. But he was getting tired of it.Despite his anger, despite his frustrations, this only served to motivate the boy towards his end goal: peace in the village. And peace through genjutsu-influenced understanding.
The albino Uchiha widened his eyes. His white Sharingan scanned them all like a lioness ready to pounce. They were brimming with analytical hate, but also with sorrow. Such conflicts saddened Yurei more than anything. The pale genin leapt forward, quickly weaving handseals. It was the Temple of Nirvana technique. Nothing that couldn’t be dispelled later, but it would cease the conflict without anyone getting hurt. At least as a direct result of him.
In Hoshigakure, rain was scarce. But a different kind of rain filled the sky here. White feathers fell from the heavens, trapping all those within the genjutsu in a blissful slumber. The feathers filled the sky, littering the ground below with small shadows.
Should it be successful, they’d all fall into a deep, genjutsu-induced slumber. It didn’t serve Yurei to cause them any harm, despite how much he wanted to. This lacked the hatred a broken arm would induce within the villagers. Simply falling asleep was cautious and benign, and it wouldn't serve as a catalyst for the pursuit of revenge.


WC: 556

With another bite into her dango treat Saya shook her head when Kaho had that particular look on her face. It meant that she was going to try and hit hard, and most of the time it worked. That was not good. Again, the pair of genin were strong in their own right, and that meant that mere civilians wouldn’t be able to do anything to them. Saya hoped that they would keep their emotions and overwhelming pride in check before they did anything stupid that would result in a detriment to Kumo’s reputation.

Fortunate or unfortunate for the people gathered around, the chakra that Saya had kept track of with her Mind’s Eye had arrived. His chakra was flaring, not in the way a jutsu was being channeled (though something was draining him of his reserves) but the feelings he emitted. It was the first time Saya had ever used the technique on someone that she wasn’t familiar with, and it intrigued her to see its flow rushing a certain way. The chakra seemed agitated. Angry.

The hero entering the scene was oddly colored. Very pale and very white. Almost as pale as her fellow ninja, Sakana. Before she could do or say anything, his hands went through a series of handsigns. Her body immediately tensed. A jutsu? Why? What was this boy going to do? White feathers falling caught her eye, and it was the strangest feeling she had ever felt. There was a strange disconnect in her body. One moment she was normal - silently judging her fellow genin - and the next, Saya was in a state of euphoria.

Having the Mind’s Eye of Kagura still activated, the girl became aware of the genjutsu wrapping around her form. Saya didn’t like this aggressive approach. Well, on second thought, she did, but not when it involved her. Pumping more chakra into her own jutsu, she lowered the effects of whatever the genjutsu was and brought her hands together to dispel it. The return to reality was slightly jarring and the girl swayed precariously to the side for a second before Saya gathered her bearings.

A single brow was raised as she finally took in her surroundings. Every person within twenty meters had fallen to the ground, almost as if they had simply decided to take a nap in the middle of the street. And aside from her the only person standing was the one who had made it all happen. Saya felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand. That had been a powerful technique and she had only been lucky enough to have learned Mind’s Eye prior to her departure from Kumo.

Despite the tension and tightened muscles in her body, Saya wanted to appear calm and collected. She was both afraid and excited. An encounter with a foreign shinobi, and most likely stronger than her as evident of a single technique. Call it nerves or whatnot, but Saya nonchalantly took the last bite of her dango and chewed slowly. Her orbs remaining on the white haired boy.

”That was a bit overboard don’t you think?”

WORD COUNT: 521
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 641 + 521 = 1162

Yurei took a deep breath once the deed was done. Everyone around him had fallen into a blissful rest. Save one. Yurei noticed a chakra signature just within the area of effect of the Temple of Nirvana technique. It was brimming with alertness. At least compared to everyone else.

The pale Uchiha turned his gaze to the girl, his white Sharingan still active. Her faded blue hair stood out amongst the dull, neutral colors that littered Hoshigakure. ”That was a bit overboard don’t you think?” she would say.

The pale Uchiha gave out a bellowing laugh that quickly faded into a nervous chuckle. He rubbed the back of his head and gave a light smile. “It worked, didn’t it?” Yurei sighed and bent down, touching the two genin and initiating the genjutsu release. He’d take the villagers and prop them up against the nearest building, sound asleep.

“If you could help me release everyone else, that’d be a big help,” Yurei would say, giving a thin smile.




WC: 723

The young boy wrapped in thin layers of a kimono noticed her, laughing and chuckling at her question. Saya wasn’t sure on how to take that. Should she join in on his laugh? But nothing seemed funny to her and so kept quiet. It might been awkward for him as it quickly died away, and instead made his way to the two genin. Her eyes widened. That was not going to be a good move. ”Wait! Don’t!” Saya started only to stop and groan when he had released the girls from their blissful nap.

They stirred slowly like kittens before they finally grasped the situation. Both of them vaulted to their feet, alert and ready for what may happen. At least until their surroundings registered and all they saw was Saya and a pale boy already planting the citizens against walls. ”You did this didn’t you?” Kaho was quick to point her finger at the dark haired genin. Because, obviously, the pale boy with a dojutsu and a Hoshi headband was no threat at all.

Saya released a heavy sigh, preferring to ignore the girls and started release the civilians from the genjutsu. ”Instead of complaining, why don’t you help out in releasing these people from the genjutsu. It’ll be faster with four people instead of two.” As usual Saya’s tone brooked no argument. But Kaho never liked taking orders from anyone, especially from Saya; she did have a weird and huge dislike for the petite genin.

Michiko, ever the sidekick and side character in everything, would only watch in trepidation as something was about to go down.

WORD COUNT: 271
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 1162 + 271 = 1433

Yurei smiled at the two small genin as they waked. They were a humorous pair. Hoshigakure needed some playful banter. As the group, or at least Saya and Yurei, released the remaining citizens, the lanky boy returned to the blue haired girl, eyeing her carefully. He had never seen her before, and, with the low number of shinobi in the village, that was a rare occasion. Maybe she was from outside the village? She didn’t seem to have a headband, on. Perhaps she came with Komon and Sakana.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before,” Yurei said with a polite smile. “Are you from Kumogakure?” Yurei’s glance shifted to one of the genin. Something seemed wrong.

WC: 841

Saya was quite aware of Kaho’s position. She didn’t need the help of Mind’s Eye or her chakra sensory skill to know where she was. The amount of malice pouring from the girl saturated the immediate area, causing some of the woken villagers to swallow thickly and leave the premises. Really, how childish could she get? Saya shook her head and stood up after finishing the last of the civilians, deciding to interact with the white-skinned boy instead.

”You’re quite straightforward,” Saya told him, choosing to ignore his question for now. She didn’t like to give out her information all willy-nilly. It just wasn’t wise for a ninja in a foreign land. Her tone was easy-going, not at all like the brash reply she had just given to him. Aside from the obvious high level technique, Saya had spotted the headband that stated he was a shinobi of Hoshi, and she wasn’t one to start an uneasy tension between them. ”But yes, I am new around here.”

In the background Michiko had somehow managed to get Kaho on a proverbial leash. Saya eyed the pair from her peripheral vision, wondering if they were going to leave or possibly make things worse. It seemed that they were whispering angrily to each other whilst eyeing the boy she was currently conversing with. ”Does this happen a lot?” She asked him before her attention was once again diverted to the five men that had been involved in their earlier scuffle.

Saya frowned. She wasn’t exactly sure how other people felt or reacted to the jutsu in the aftermath, but it seemed as if they were filled with mix emotions. Three of them seemed to be more “chill” and relaxed, while the other two somehow retained their animosity. Was trouble about to brew once more? Saya hoped not. She wanted to enjoy her morning and her breakfast.

WORD COUNT: 319
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 1433 + 319 = 1752

Yurei glanced at Saya, noting that she refused to directly answer his question. Odd. Was he not trusting enough? Or was this girl too cautious? Then again, that wasn’t a bad trait to have. Yurei often worried about how open he was to new people.

“Well, welcome to Hoshigakure,” he’d say with a smile. The pale boy eyed the group of men as Saya spoke and sighed. “Too often. It’s Hoshigakure’s biggest problem. But I’m gonna fix it! Eventually. When I get strong enough. But I’m rambling.”


The Uchiha scratched his head for a moment, before life sparked in his eyes. “Oh! I’m Yurei, by the way. Shinobi of the Hidden Stars! And you are?” Yurei would gesture to his headband with his thumb and give a bright smile, waiting for Saya’s reply.

WC: 974

The boy was friendly and didn’t openly boast his strength. It was simply there for her to observe. Unfortunately, Kaho and Michiko weren’t taking advantage of their skills as a shinobi. Saya sighed as the duo continued to hiss between themselves before they finally decided that it was more beneficial to them to leave the premises rather than getting into another fight. And for that the dark haired genin was grateful that they had at least that much common sense.

Saya mirrored his smile, though it seemed less exuberant than his own. ”Thank you. It’s been...” She trailed off. They were allies and while she was more inclined to simply state her thoughts on her experiences so far, the girl had been explicitly told to mind her words around the citizens and her actions. ”... an interesting place.” In all honesty, Saya had been excited about Hoshigakure but it just wasn’t what she had been expecting. She was disappointed and every minute and second she remained in the foreign land, the girl longed for Kumogakure.

Either way, the girl could sympathize to an extent on how he felt about his village. While Saya didn’t quite think that her own home needed an overhaul of change, there were some things that she too wanted to be different. ”That’s a respectable goal. I too wish to do the same thing with my village.” She told him, a nod of approval to go with her words. It was going to be a hard and arduous road for the boy, she knew. Because one cannot simply change the minds of people and the hatred that had long rooted itself in their hearts.

”Nice to meet you, Yurei. I’m Saya,” she replied, bowing slightly at the waist. A proper greeting. Traditional, but judging from how the pale boy dressed, he seemed to be that kind of person. As the two were getting acquainted, however, two of the five from earlier peeled away from the group and started walking in the direction of where her fellow genin went to. ”I’m sorry to cut it short, Yurei, but it seems that I need to go and talk to my friends from earlier.”

This time the girl stuck out her hand for a handshake, ”I’m from Kumogakure, by the way.” Despite the girl withholding her village from him just moments before, Saya couldn’t fault the boy for being open. It made her feel slightly guilty, really. And as such, giving him the name of her village wasn’t that detrimental, was it? She hoped not. ”If you ever need help or find yourself around Kumogakure, look for me. Saya Kirihara, okay?”

With that she nodded once more and power walked to follow Kaho and Michiko. Presumably to give them a scolding. ”See you around, Yurei."


WORD COUNT: 473
TOTAL WORD COUNT: 1752 + 473 = 2225

CLAIMING: Yurei Uchiha's chakra signature (2000 /2000)