Let's Get Down to Business!

Kaz just stared at the events that took place. Ryu rambled on about not knowing what snow was, at which point Kazuo began to ignore him, even his antics with melting the snow. After Kazuo asked his question, Ryou answered, explaining that he had been hunted for his… his pelt]? Normally, Kazuo would stop and question this, but he had met people made out of tendrils of thread, priests who could not be slain, and men and women made of shadows themselves. He had long since deemed it wise not to ask so many questions. He explained that he found the girl and she asked to join the group. Then, before Kazuo answered, the boy placed a knife to the sleeping girl’s throat.

Alice’s words might have gotten a chuckle out of Kazuo in another moment. Ryu’s threats were surprisingly heartfelt, given his previous interactions with Kazuo. The girl awoke, introducing herself calmly, despite having a knife pointed at her throat, which in itself was rather strange, but again, Kazuo knew better than to ask such questions. It seemed they were at an impasse; A knife to the throat of their newest recruit, and every inhabitant of the camp ready to pounce should it be drawn across her throat. All it took was Kazuo’s orders to end it all.

Do it. Yomi said plainly.
Absolutely not. Kazuo retorted. Yomi frowned, and he saw her now in his mind’s eye, standing beside the boy who was ready to take the girl’s life.
These ungrateful little shits have been nothing but disrespectful to you since you took over, and you want to pass up the chance to let ‘em all off each other?
I will not turn my own soldiers against each other. Kazuo replied. Yomi bent down and looked into Ryou’s face, ran her eyes across his form, to his once-bloodied hands.
This one’s a killer with a lack of self control. You know that much to be true. What if he snaps? She inquired, tempting him.
He can be taught to resist his urges, just as I have. Kazuo responded smoothly. Sighting, Yomi rested her hand upon the girl in his arms.
What about her? A stranger in your midst, recovered by a boy who cannot even remember how he met her? Do you really wish to trust such a person? She cooed
If I do not, I am no better than the evil I claim to fight. Thought Kazuo. Yomi frowned and moved on to Alice, caressing the side of the girl’s face thoughtfully.
This one’s a snake, you can sense that, can’t you? She flirts, she flatters, but she’d slit your throat in a minute. You can tell by the snide way she spoke to dog boy just now. She doesn’t care about you or your cause. Said Yomi
You can’t possibly know that. Was all Kazuo responded. Defeated, Yomi moved on to Ryu, with a new sense of vigor.
TELL me you don’t want to kill this one? The insolent, idiotic brat that’s been nothing but a migraine for you since you met him? She hissed. Kazuo hesitated.
...He means well, and he has a good heart. He replied, shaking his head. Go, I won’t be tempted by you again.
I was just trying to look out for you. When things go wrong, don’t come crying to me… Shrugged Yomi, vanishing from his mind’s eye.
All this happened in the span of a moment, and suddenly, Kazuo was on the spot. The answer is obvious.

”Put her down, boy, and get close to the fire. The cold makes good men and women mad if they stay too long.” He said dismissively, brandishing the sword he was sharpening contemplatively, but not inherently threateningly. Alice’s words came next, information as to the absence of Ezra, which Kazuo noted, and what was obviously a jab at him, one which Kazuo took in stride.

”If you wish to question my authority, you need not mince words, princess.” He retorted, the sarcasm dripping from his voice. It wasn’t inherently full of malice, and in fact, Kazuo would seem to be enjoying the banter quite a bit. He did so miss having someone who could match his wits. Too often he was forced to work with scoundrels and ruffians, thick and stubborn as they come.

”Otherwise, continue.” Kazuo sighed.

The members there didn't seem to like the idea that Ryou planned to kill her. Which wasn't his intentions, in fact, he didn't even know why he did it in the first place. Alice and Ryu both made comments on his wolf form. Maybe this whole missing ninja thing is getting to me. He thought while he put his kunai back in his weapon pouch. Ryou just got up and said, "I'm gonna go train." He turned into his wolf form so he wouldn't freeze to death. He walked away, leaving large foot prints behind himself. He was embarrassed, he needed to get time by himself. Plus, he noticed that Alice didn't want him around.

Exit unless stopped

This really was one hell of a group. We had an idiot who apparently didn't know what snow was, a child attack dog who thinks it would be a good idea to slit the throat of a sleeping girl, and a bossy, sarcastic leader with a knack for theatrics. At least there was one good thing about them: they all refused to let dog-boy over there just murder the child in cold blood. All in all, the rest of the interactions taking place weren't worth much note to Alice. The only thing piquing her interest was Kazuo's brazen response to her own comment, calling her princess and asking her to come out with whatever complaint it was that she had against him instead of being coy. Now that was something she could work with. 

"Aw how cute. You don't have to call me pet names and butter me up, though. If you wanted to get me into bed you could have just asked," she responded, a playful smile appearing across her face as she spoke, punctuating the words with a flirty little wink. Though, having an eye patch on, the wink probably didn't look exactly the way she meant it to. She let her words hang in the silence for a moment, hoping to get some kind of a reaction from the man. Whether it did or not, she would simply continue on to other, more important, matters. "Right," she would begin, all playfulness lost now, "it seems that Kumogakure has most of it's forces currently deployed elsewhere. Specifically..." Her words were cut off by Ryou's sudden attempted departure. If looks could kill, this one certainly would. One of the many things Alice hated was being disrespected. Who did this little brat think he was, simply walking away in the middle of her sentence?

Her hands already folded in front of her as she sat on one of the many logs near the fire, it took only a slight alteration for them to form themselves into the Rat hand seal. Her own shadow lengthened outward at an incredible pace, latching onto the wolf's own and no doubt catching the boy by surprise. A crimson red figure began rising from Alice's back until it stood over her, ten feet in height. It's hood only revealing two feint crimson dots within it's immense darkness. A large scythe was tucked behind the figure's cloak, its blade wrapped comfortably in front of it's legs. A small lantern was held in the Reaper's left hand just below her waist. Several crows fluttered quietly around the figure's head and shoulders, adding an even more creepy and menacing feel to the display Alice was causing. "I suggest you come back and take a seat," she would say flatly, her tone colder than the snow-capped mountain they were currently seated on. Anyone listening would be able to feel the lingering threat in her words, one that would be swiftly carried out if she wasn't obeyed.

Ryu would just nod to Kazuo’s words of sitting by the fire. “We won’t need that fire for long if I can get this jutsu down, I’m bringing the desert!” He would say looking up at the sky making a series of handseals, only pausing to see if it worked. “Nope.” He would make the seals again and look at the sky only to have more of the same happen.

As Ryou said he would go train, the jounin thought it was a good idea. He was already starting here, so there was no point in leaving. Taking a scroll from his pocket he would unfurl it. “Not enough pictures…” He would say looking briefly over the scroll, before he heard Alice call Kazuo cute and invite him to bed. “You know the hokage’s wife just tried to do the same with me. I told her no, you should too man girl’s are smelly.” He would say his voice honest as he went back to looking at the pictures on his scroll.

The flare in chakra was enough to cause him to look, but it only seemed the girl was making threats as part of her own training. “Calm down, lady.” Ryu would then say whispering to Kazuo. “See she’s crazy I’ll get her away from you, buddy.” Of, course with a ninja’s sharp senses and their proximity he knew she’d heard what he said, but he’d talk to her nonetheless.


“So I’m Ryu and you are?” He would say pointing to himself. As soon as she said her name if she said it, he would cough and say “Psychopath.” Using the cough to cover the word. “Must be this weather giving me a cough.”


WC: 285

The word exchange continues with or without her presence, undermining her importance; That is not important at this moment. Looking at the way things are, she would let that continue as she makes her way to keep herself warm beside the fire; Ryou made a freezing upward dash to get here anyway.

As Alice attempted to flirt, Kazuo’s eyes darted for a moment to the symbols carved into the back of his hand. “A.K.” It was a painful reminder for him, and the mere suggestion sent uncomfortable thought through the mind of Kazuo. He’d rather not think about the mark on his hand right now.
I told you so. Yomi giggled victoriously. Do you hear that? It’s the sound of me, Yomi, being right! Kazuo sighed.

”I’m flattered, but I already have too many women in my life.” Kazuo said, partially speaking to Yomi, who scowled at him from her seat beside Alice. ”Continue.” He said, idly running a whetstone across his blade. As the girl began to speak, Ryou decided to stand and leave. Annoyed, Alice told him to come back. As she made the hand seal, a sort of reaper figure appeared, seemingly from the shadows themselves. Kazuo had seen this technique before, or at least something like it. She was a Nara, then. Interesting.

”Sit back down, child, this concerns you as well.” was all he said, before turning back to Alice. ”...Where did you say you got this information?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Upon the threats Alice gave, Ryou was even for infuriated. Luckily for Alice, Kaz told him to calm down as well. The Lycan gave a low growl and stared at Kaz. Then he stared at Alice before reverting back to the young shinobi and, assuming Alice let him go after turning back, sat on the ground near the fire like before. Ryou had nothing more to say so he just listened.

The wolf looked infuriated by Alice's actions, almost ready to pounce on her and rip her throat out with his fangs. Luckily, he was still stuck in place by Alice's shadow technique and couldn't really do anything. Kazuo had also told the boy to come back and sit down, at which point the puppy transformed back into that of a human and so Alice would release her technique and allow him to return to his position by the fire. The crimson reaper would fade away back into nothingness, the girl's chakra returning to normal as well as the tension in the air being relieved. 

Where had she gotten the information? Well, she could tell their brilliant leader the truth, but somehow she sensed that wouldn't be the best of ideas. So, only a half truth would be spoken. "Well when I was in Hoshigakure, one of their Jounin let me stay in her apartment. I had disguised myself while in the village, not wanting to cause any trouble since I am a rogue ninja. The girl I was staying with thought I was just a tourist there to see the library and was very trusting and helpful. She showed me her report on Kumogakure and it's forces and described to me how she had went about obtaining the information in detail. Honestly it was all very fascinating. All in all I ended up with information that I thought would be of great use to us and brought it back to report to you. Not the report itself, obviously, but a memorized copy of it," she answered with a smile. Sure, it wasn't exactly what had really happened, but hopefully it would satisfy the man's suspicions. How tedious.

If Kaz was satisfied with the answer he had been given, Alice would continue to describe in detail the enemy's numbers and abilities as well as anything else that was listed in Hikari's report. At the end of her debrief, Alice would almost change the subject entirely. "Oh, by the way how did you just show up out of the blue in that purple light? Is it some sort of teleportatin ninjutsu? It could be useful if I was also able to get the hang of it." She was obviously fishing for an offer to be taught the technique, it would be useful indeed to be able to teleport to anywhere she needed to go. It also held tremendous uses in battle if it ever came down to it.

Keeping herself warm, she would remain to do so as these new faces seems to have something else more important to discuss on. She could guessed the leader of the group by now. Everyone in her current vision possesses some form of strength that surpassed hers; Maybe that was why they unite in the first place.

“Oh, that. That’s easy I learned it right as I was leaving Suna. Its how we traveled to the borders.” Ryu would say doing some hand seals before turning into a ball of light and appearing behind Alice rather quickly. Of, course Ryu knew it was Kaz that had done it, but they both knew the jutsu so either could answer.  “I’ll show you how to do it in a bit.”


The male would continue to make seals for the scorch dragon, this time creating a flicker of dry heat before it fizzled out. “I’m gonna make this place a desert watch. It just might not be today or tomorrow.” He would say looking at Ryou. The jounin wasn’t doing it because he liked the desert or anything, in fact he was quite enjoying the snow. The frost filled his body with the feeling that the desert nights did. A feeling of bone chilling cold. If he could feel that, why not the kiss of the sun’s warmth.

Maybe, Ryou would enjoy that and the thoughts of murder would be replaced by thoughts of Koroshi and his anti-killing ways. The suna way. Maybe, the suna ninja he once knew had abandoned the act of mercy when their village fell. Maybe it was a thing of the past now forgotten to those besides himself. He would remember though, he would remember it all.

The day he fought Koroshi to become a chuunin. The moment he was ready to give up before the fight was called and he became a jounin. The day a blonde haired man from kumo came demanding money and soldiers and his village was torn asunder. His uncle eaten by the sky. Ryu would remember it otherwise it would be lost. Any Suna that involved tossing away its most precious beliefs was not a suna in spirit, only one in name.


To return to a true suna, Ryu would be left to remind people what Suna truly was. A place for opportunities, a sandy , hot, shrub-less mess that he used to call home. He would get it back someday, but he wouldn’t kill to do it or even have someone kill for it. That would ruin the point.

WC: 371