Re: The Wind Spirit [P]

Fri Jul 20, 2018 12:46 am

“Now, Shien, I want you to understand that we’re doing this in your best interest.” The voice was clear, sharp, and gruff. Despite the edge to it, it had an embracing quality. Wisdom. It was like talking to a hardened warrior from times long past. In fact, that’s exactly what it was. The man that stood before Shien was his father, a tall, muscular man with scarlet, scaled skin, and crimson hair that flowed similarly to his son’s. Bones decoratively adorned his body, a showy necklace in particular playing host to a skull with several smaller bones lining his collar.

Shien felt the warmness of the sun, its reflection on the swamp water giving it an orange quality. His skin dripped with the humid air, like he was sifting through a soup. The pair sat atop a tree, watching as the sun began its dip into the horizon, silhouetting the moss-ridden trees and their long, sweeping arms. What part of the sun didn’t etch through the opening in the swamp left a warm light casting throughout the trees.

The boy felt his father’s grip on his shoulder, stretching across his back in a tight grip as he pulled him closer, if only briefly. “I know you like it here, but we don’t have any choice.”

Shien spoke up, his voice shaking slightly, riddled with adolescence, “Dad, I don’t wanna be a burden for you two.”

The young man was met with a boisterous cackle that shook the tree they sat upon. “Shien! You’re not a burden. Don’t you forget that, either. I don’t want to hear anything like that out of you again, understand?” His father said, retracting his hand from his son’s shoulder and kneading his fingers through Shien’s viridian hair. His son winced slightly, showing his jagged teeth in a chuckle.

“Hey, cut it out!” he laughed, pulling away from his father for just a moment. Shien sighed, lowering his head and back. His grin faded into a thin smile, sporting one tooth that poked just out of his mouth from his upper jaw. There was a silence for a moment, the pair simply admiring the sunset before them. The only thing either could hear was the occasional dragonfly or the soft chirp of a frog nestled on a log far below their feet. The tranquility of the place, despite teeming with life, was unrivaled.

Shien’s needle-like eyes gazed on his father, recognizing a certain type of concern on his face now. A seriousness. He went to speak, but was cut off by his father’s powerful voice. It wasn’t loud or grave, but almost like a whisper, a murmur. Yet, there was strength in it. A hushed chime that commanded silence, but also the greatest empathy. “The Clan Leader is dead, Shien.
They’ll come for you. For us all. They want it. And they’ll get it from you in anyway they can. I don’t want to think about the hell they’ll put you through to unlock your Netsugan, but until another leader is found, we’ll all be in danger.”

The Doku sat in silence, his lips pursed and eyes narrowed. Tears dripped from either of his eyes, falling to the swamp water below. He raised his arm to wipe them, cracking a smile as he flared his nose and breath. “How long do you think it will be until another leader is found?” Shien said, looking around the swamp - their home, the houses drifting over the water, the many gardens filled with vegetables, his many neighbors and family. This was everything to his family. His father, his mother had grown up here. And to leave it all behind?

“A month. Maybe a year. I can’t say for sure,” his father replied, looking out at the horizon. His thin eyes turned to his son, granting him a small smile. He reached over his shoulders and hair, untying his necklace. “However long we’re gone, I want you to understand something. We’ll be right by you. Forever,” the hunter said, nodding at his son. “Here,” he whispered with base in his voice, wrapping the wire around Shien’s neck. He tied it at the end, allowing it to rest just over his son’s collarbone. “This was my first kill as a Kariudo,” he continued, wrapping his red fingers around the skull at the base of the necklace. “A rattlesnake skull.”

The Doku lifted it with his emerald hands, admiring the viciousness of it - the hate in something long dead - the cold lethality.

“Careful,” his father warned, rubbing his finger across the length of the fang. “Still poisonous,” he said with a wink. “I want you to hold onto that for me, Shien. Until we come back home. And maybe then you can keep it for good, huh?”

Shien smiled, looking up at the sun, the blazeball parting into a pink blaze that vitalized the sky just before dark. “Thanks, Dad,” he said, leaning into his father’s side.

“It’s gonna be hard, Shien,” his father said, gripping his son tightly. “But we’ll get through it. Ok?”

Shien gave a simple nod, offering nothing else.

“Now, go get your mother. We’re leaving soon. Oh, and remind her that she can’t take her pictures with her!” he said with a chuckle, patting his son on the back.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Shien swallowed, blue sparkling in his eyes, intertwining into a violet amidst his Netsugan, a razor-thin pupil parting either sides of his irises. He felt a rush of cold and warmth at the same time, like something bittersweet. Water rose in his eyes for only a moment, until his blinked once more.

Ikigai asked what he had meant, what had just occurred. The Doku, though, silenced his voice, turning his body to face his friend completely. His eyes stared at Ikigai, resonating with a power to them. They were close. The closest he had been with someone since he left home. But this wasn’t his to know. Not yet, at least. The secrets of his clan had to be safeguarded.

Shien closed his eyes, the sound of his friend’s heartbeat fading in his ears, and darkness returning to his sight. “Nothing. I was just using a medical jutsu I hadn’t practiced with,” he chuckled, brushing off the issue as best he could. “Finally got it to work!”

Before he could continue, the loud thud of footsteps boomed throughout the structure. Shien turned in a flash, raising his glowing hands to his face as he stared out into abyss-like hallway. His eyes narrowed, backing up slowly. Were there more of them
The footsteps grew louder, stronger than he had ever heard before. Wood twisted and splintered beneath its feet, running a chill throughout Shien as he stretched his arm out, trying his best to illuminate the area before him.

It grew louder and louder. Shien could feel his heart racing in his chest, pumping against his ribcage like a thundering knock. The Doku took another step back, his face straining with worry. It was on their floor, walking towards them. The Genin clenched his teeth, standing just in front of the ladder. Red took his eyes once more, and his vision flashed with a bright yellow.

“RARAAGH!” a voice shouted. Shien screamed, his heart nearly exploding in a violent horror. He blinked, with a contorted face of terror, his doujutsu fading. Before him, Boru was highlighted in the blue of his chakra scalpels, their flickering chakra illuminating his viking-like face in a fiery glow.

He let out a bellowing laugh, smiling with his large teeth and cheeks. “Am I interrupting anything?” he asked before starting into another laughter. “Seems you two have been busy.”

WC: 5698

Fri Jul 20, 2018 2:12 am

"Look's weird, I don't like it" He'd poke at his seemingly excited friend. Honestly he was really just jealous. While Ikigai had been a near prodigy when it came to swordplay, chakra control had never gone well for him. He found himself only able to perform the most basic of jutsu, and what Shien had just done seemed to be far from basic.

I've gotta get stronger or this kid's gonna catch up to me in no time

He'd make a mental note to himself, determined to log more training hours in the days to come. But his thoughts would be interrupted by the sudden roar of his sensei. His heart skipped a beat at the unexpected sound and he'd clench his beating heart in reaction to it. "WHAT THE HELL BORU" He'd shake his fist at the jounin, before gesturing angrily to the two long dead bodies on the floor.

"I HOPE YOU HAD A GOOD PISS" Ikigai's gesturing hands would turn to point accusingly at hakai's prized student. Boru, seemingly unphased by the boys frustration would give a jolly laugh, before shrugging. "It was ok" The man would mutter as he squatted down and inspected the bodies.

"Seem's you two got yourself into quite an eventful evening" The man would say holding the limp arm of the undead soldier Ikigai had sent a sword through. "Still, its odd don't you think" The man seemed to ask himself as he looked around at the rest of the outpost, seeming to search for more clues.

"They're not nearly as decomposed as the ones you'd find at the village gates...." He'd say as he slung the servant over his shoulder. The blood and rot would almost instantly smear across his shirt but he seemed to pay it no mind. "Ikigai, Shien. Grab the other two, these ARE kumogakure shinobi after all. I'd like to return them to their families"

Ikigai couldn't help but muster a disrespectful frown at the thought of having to lug the boy he'd pummeled through the rot forest. The stench alone would be unbearable, but the jelly like face and blood, would surely be a mess to handle as well. "...Okay" He'd say reluctantly as he gestured to the one on the floor at Shien. "Your kill, your carry" It was a rule he'd made up on the spot to avoid carrying one for however long he could, but it seemed to make sense.

WC: 3031

Fri Jul 20, 2018 6:15 pm

Shien’s heart throbbed against the inside of his ribcage like a booming knock on a door, vibrating about his body with a shaking thud. He panted, frantically breathing, the blood in his eyes straining from shock. “Gods, Boru,” he murmured, wide-eyed and breathless. Shien fell to the groan, sitting as he panted. “You scared the hell out of me!” He called air into his mouth with sharp whistles, wheezing as he began to choke into a light cough. Ikigai began to yell at the man, screaming about the quality of his little break. The burly man’s response would have coaxed a laugh out of the Doku had it not been for the circumstances of their situation.

The strawberry blonde man gave a bellowing laugh, plucking Shien from the ground with a grip on the back of his shirt collar. The Doku bent over, clasping his hands onto his knees as he took deep breaths. “You’ll breathe better with a straight back, Shien,” Boru said, plowing in large hand into the Doku’s curved back. The shock took quite a bit of air from the Doku’s chest, choking him momentarily as he nodded, seemingly taking in the information better this way.

The man inspected the bodies accordingly, narrowing his eyes as he spoke. He stated what Shien and Ikigai had already realized, giving him a certain glee for his detective skills, even among the tragedy they stepped in. The Doku gave an affirmative nod, looking at the corpses laid out on the floor. Boru wanted them taken to their families, but Shien asked himself if they would even want them back.

The mountain of a man grasped a corpse, throwing it over his shoulder without hesitation or apprehension. With his free hand, he stroked his summery beard, thinking to himself. These things are just like the Rot Villagers in the forest… The man’s keen eyes looked about the area, moonlight leaking into the previously pitch black of the room. He wouldn’t need his eyes to see the evidence of a struggle. This wasn’t some knee jerk response from either of his students - they were attacked by these… things. Concern painted across the older man’s face, his jovial attitude subsiding amidst the dead and the seriousness of such an attack. The Rot isn’t supposed to attack the villagers. And these two definitely show signs of the early stages. Boru turned, marching throughout the hallway to the stairs. Something is very wrong here… he thought, clenching his teeth.

Shien turned to Ikigai, disgust plastered all over his face like a canvas in an art gallery. He swallowed, looking down at the corpse. Boru had picked one up with ease, not even wincing. What kind of man did you have to be in order to do something like that?

“Fine,” Shien said, folding his lips as he took a deep breath. The glow of his chakra scalpels subsided, and he lifted the corpse, blood pouring from its neck. It splattered on the wood paneling, thick like a syrup, with a thud. The Doku reached for the body’s head, gripping it with chakra-infuzed fingers for fear that gripping the hair would shred the scalp. “But you get Mush-For-Brains,” the Doku replied, forcing spit down his throat, trying not to puke at his feet.

“Both of you, move it,” Boru commanded, stopping at the first step. His eyes cut to Shien. “And show some respect. These are your fellow shinobi,” he finished, proceeding down the steps.

Shien’s heart sank a little more, prompting a depressed sigh out of him. He pursed his lips and continued with his head slightly down, turning to face Ikigai briefly. “Come on,” he muttered, following behind Boru.

Dammit. Shien thought, frustrated with what he had said. He always did have a bit of a mouth on him. And, evidently, this was not the time for it. I didn’t mean offense, Boru, Shien rehearsed, shame almost palpable in his posture. I didn’t even think about them being… human. Much less fellow ninja… Despite what he recited in his mind, Shien said nothing aloud. He couldn’t muster the strength to say anything further to Boru. He felt sick enough as it were, and adding more nausea wouldn’t go ever well.

Shien came to the bottom of the stairs, staring at the still corpse, its head smashed into a help that stained the shinobi’s headband. Where he found disgust earlier, he now saw sadness. Regret. Even anger. What did this to them? Who? It wasn’t the Raikage was it? He’d been missing for quite some time. Maybe this was just an accidentally spread in the last guards stationed here. Maybe one of them contracted the rot’s disease before even setting foot inside the watchtower.

Boru interrupted his train of thought with his own concerns. “I don’t know what’s going on here, or how it happened, but I’ll look into it on my own. Neither of you are to investigate further. Do you understand me?” he asked, eyeing both of them interchangeable. There was the utmost seriousness and concern in his voice. You could tell he cared about them both just by his tone, his body language. “You both did exceptionally, tonight. Well done,” he congratulated, gifting each with a thin smile despite what had transpired.

Shien felt pressure fade off from his chest, but not entirely. At least that portion of their plan worked out. But to stop looking into what happened here? Shien didn’t like it, and it took a great deal of strength not to show any indication of it through his body language. He glanced at Ikigai if only briefly, emotionlessly, nodding in the process. “Alright, Boru-Sensei. Thank you,” Shien said, bowing his head slightly.

Boru pursed his lips, shifting his entire beard upward with the tightening of his facial muscles. He nodded softly, turning to face the outside of the tower.

Eyes lined the forest around them. White, glowing, and marred with the gurgling groans of the freshly dead. There were more - dozens. Genin, academy students, citizens, everyone missing in the village. The smell intensified, Shien tightening his fist in surprise. Boru’s hand rose, an open palm extended to Shien and Ikigai alike. “Don’t move,” he said, narrowing his eyes. Wind circulated around his hand in a torrent of visible, sharp hair, rattling one of his battle axes. With a sharp whistle, the blade called to him, entering his tightened grip and thrusting forward with a boom.

Shien had never seen such speed, a pulse of wind chakra that shattered the sound barrier itself. It sailed throughout the air, wind surging off of it almost as if a shield of atmosphere. The axe plunged its way into one of the beasts, turning as it tore through flesh and bone, spinning as if a metallic tornado. Boru’s thinned eyes turned to either of his students, the creatures charging at the rupturing of the atmosphere. “Let’s go,” he said simply, calling wind into his step as he dashed into the night, surging with a chakra unlike Shien had ever seen.

WC: 6887

Sat Jul 21, 2018 3:28 am

Shien reluctantly agreed to pick up the first corpse, thankfully buying Ikigai a minimal amount of time before he had to do the same. Boru had seemed to take issue with the way shien joked about the corpse waiting for him on the stairs, making it a point to remind the pair that these men had been there comrades at one point. The mere thought of it would cause Ikigai to shudder, he could hardly think of a worse way to die than what these three had gone through Trapped in your own body, as nothing but a violent tool of murder.

"Come on"

Shien's word's would pull the boy back to his reality and he'd follow the pair down the stairs, letting them both go first as he was the only one not yet carrying a body. Making a conscious effort to not show the level of disrespect that had irritated Boru earlier Ikigai would mimic his action's trying his hardest not to react in disgust as he lifted the body, watching as what had been the head, but was now a pile of bone brain and blood, all mashed into one soft pile separated from the body.

He hated the fact that he was unable to stop himself from gagging. But Boru seemed to pay it no mind, probably well aware of the fact that he was trying his damnedest to be respectful. "I don’t know what’s going on here, or how it happened, but I’ll look into it on my own. Neither of you are to investigate further. Do you understand me?" The boy's head would cock at the statement. Was he serious? They'd come close to losing their lives to this mystery, they'd killed fellow shinobi for it. And now they were supposed to just leave it alone? He thought not.

But before he could voice his discontent with the situation Shien had already agreed. What? He'd shoot a confused glance in the boy's direction. Why had he agreed to something like that so quickly, it didn't much matter at the moment however, as the trio turned to face outside of the outpost it became apparent that they where not alone.

"Don't move"

Boru's commanding voice would take hold of the situation, and his body would mimic that same confident and rehearsed tone. Precision and grace were the two words that came to mind as Boru's axe began to cleave through the air, effortlessly plunging through one of the few dozen zombies, and at a slight movement of boru's hand it would seem to change course making a u turn and cleaving through the trunk of a tree, sending it crashing down onto five more, before flying on a return path to Boru's hand.

Ikigai's jaw would drop at the raw power of the man who had just effortlessly taken out 6 combatantant. "Let's go" The man would say as he bolted out of the outpost with both axes in hand, leading the charge into the mob of servants before them. Getting his wit's about him Ikigai would follow closely behind one hand keeping the kumogakure shinobi in place on his shoulder and the other wielding the katana. Not that he really had any use for it.

Boru was a prime example of what a student of hakai could become, and Ikigai would watch in wonder as one of his axes swept from the ground upwards into a zombies chest and effortlessly flipped the thing over his shoulder, sending it flying towards Ikigai and Shien.

"HEADS UUUUP" The behemoth would call back as he used the other axe to send another sprawling to its head. Ikigai however was still responding to the zombie that had just been thrown over the mans shoulder. A swipe of the catana would split the thing in half it's legs flying to Ikigai's right, and its upper body to the left.

"SHIEN KEEP UP DAMMIT" He'd bellow through the curtain of blood that his cut had spilled from the beast.

WC: 3700

Sat Jul 21, 2018 4:25 am

Shien’s pupils tightened, thinning to the thickness of paper. He jaw fell, his viridian lips smacking with their separation. His eyes widened, and he found himself breathless, astonished. His heart shook, throbbing within his chest. The genin choked, inhaling with a sharp breath. It was amazing. This was the power of a shinobi under Hakai - this was something he wanted so desperately but found himself so little motivation in pursuing. He found himself almost fearful, afraid to recognize the work needed to attain this, the mere thought of what Boru had to give up to achieve such power.

But, in the same moment, Shien found something else - something to latch onto - something to snare. He found confidence, aspiration, and invincibility. His breathless face contorted into a smile, and, on Boru’s command to rush forward, Shien found himself with a grin. This battle, to fight alongside his sensei in serious combat, it sent adrenaline coursing through his veins, the excitement rushing through him like a venom. It boiled his blood, bringing new life to the muscles in his body, like a pair of jumper cables to a car. His engine roared, and he soared, following his sensei into the throat of the beast.

His eyes flared with a glowing scarlet, and the blue glow of his chakra coursed around his hands, surging with power and energy. Boru’s might was leagues beyond anything Shien achieved, but playing clean-up and minimizing the workload as best he could were things the Doku was good at.

Boru’s axe cleaved through the air, ripping apart flesh and shattering the trees with each swing, each glide across the air, wind chakra surging off of it like a blazing fire. But this was cold, almost invisible, like several blades rotating around the axe, cutting into the very air itself. Shien’s eyes widened with amazement, the Doku cleaving his hands through each of the rot that neared their sides, Boru handling the front with such finesse Shien did not expect to see from such a burly man. Brute strength and power were factors, yes, but the skill - the precision at which Boru wielded his axes with wind jutsu, was astounded, the jutsu themselves ripping the rot to shreds.

Groans of those no longer among the living, tore through Shien’s ears, vibrating throughout the air and Boru’s blades sailed around them, severing their torsos from their hips.

“SHIEN KEEP UP DAMMIT!” Ikigai yelled, prompting a surge of anger from the Doku. “Mind your own damn business, Ikigai!” he returned, plunging his hand into a throat, severing head from body and a spray of crimson.

Trees twisted and fracturing, shattering as they decided to the ground, smashing several of the undead beneath the massive trunks. The undead leapt over the fallen trunks, charging at the viking-like man with haunting, throaty growls that stretched throughout the night air. With a thunderous clap, Boru stood still, both of his axes returning to him, trailed by air seasoned with the red spray of blood. Each spun vertically, stopping just a meter from Boru. Each revolved around him like planets to a sun, cleaving through the undead as the entered his death trap. Those who made it through met with his fist, each strike pulverizing the rot creatures on contact, filling the air around the shinobi with crimson mist. What remained of their bodies hurtled into the trees, staining the bark with each strike against the wood. The sheer impact of even such little matter, sent echoes of fracturing trees through the air.

Shien glanced as the trap of slashing metal, amazed, with a certain glee in his eye. His red Netsugan pulsed, flickering with a brighter read as they turned, the yellow image of the undead appearing just before him. The Doku plunged his foot into its stomach, folding it over, parallel to his shoulders. With a blurred strike of blue, Shien tore through the air, then tissue, cutting across the beast’s head with a single strike. He twisted his body, drawing a kunai from his leg and thrusting it at the oncoming terrors moaning in the shadow, plowing the ninja tool through a skull, cracking the area around its entry point..

Boru’s hands extended, grasping each of his axes with ease. He closed his eyes, if only for a moment, and took a deep breath. The rot charged at him, an army of unseen silhouettes rising from the darkness of the forest, groaning, their throats marred with a moist scream,

And then it happened. Boru’s eyes opened, pulsing with white energy, a chakra Shien had never come close to feeling, even without his ability to use sensory techniques. This was chilling, a feeling about the air, something colder. It felt like a knife pressured onto the skin, begging to rip open what it so easily could. The Sensei’s chest expanded, air rushing into his nose. And, at last, he expelled it, release his energy in a torrent of sheer, devastating power.

The air he sent forward with the swing of his axe carried with it a thousand blades, tearing and ripping about everything in their path without mercy. It was a howl, a surge of wind release unlike any other, almost sentient in of itself. The bark of the trees before Boru stripped from their hosts, lost in his gust. The charging onslaught of creatures, pushed back, skin peeling from their bodies, then almost evaporating, leaving splintered bone behind, hidden amongst the woodchips of the trees.

The Rot forest, as it was called, played host to many, towering trees. However, in this very moment, in this place, Boru changed that. With one strike, The tree line for dozens of meters and whittled to nothing, a barren field marred by blood, bone, and disintegrated wood. Where the trees had previously shut it out, moonlight stretched amongst the trio, drowning them in its bathing, white light.

And then there was stillness. Quiet. Peace.

Shien took in a deep breath, falling to his knees as the scarlet in his eyes subsided, merging with the white. He let it all out, looking up to the sky as the air in his lungs escaped. The white light of the moon transitioned, the bloody mist rising it intercept its light.

Left behind was nothing more than a red haze, a crimson light cast on each of the three.

WC: 7946

Sat Jul 21, 2018 10:41 pm

"WELL THAT WAS PRETTY RUDE"

Ikigai would snap, as Shein told him to mind his own business.

"A LITTLE SILENCE WOULD BE APPRECIATED"

Boru would bluster as he continued to carve his way through the army of mindless creatures. And it was becoming apparent that even for someone of his skill, taking on all of these creatures and looking after two gennin at the same time was a burdensome task.

"THIS ISN'T EXACTLY A CAKEWALK"

Understanding dawned on Ikigai and he'd make an effort not to bellow out unnecessary noise as they continued their charge forward. Now nothing but the sound of footsteps axe slashes and the groans of the undead filled the air. While Boru was doing his best to hold off the massive amount of servants a few of them were attacking from the side, towards him and Shien. Not that the task was more than they could handle though, Ikigai had noticed that ever since the second attack his movements had felt more natural.

The shock of cutting a living thing was wearing off, the undead servants irrational and haunting movements where now becoming more predictable the more he saw of them, and the practiced techniques he had learned at the academy were beginning to show themselves in his movements. Hakai had prepared him for this.

Then Boru seemed to have had enough of the onslaught, and with a wind of his axe released a power the likes of which Ikigai had never seen from the man. Raw untamed power would devastate the landscape around them, tearing the bark from trees, skin from living creatures, and painting the barren landscape in blood. The wine red blood that painted the trees was the only semblance that anything alive had ever been here. The air that had been filled by the moans of the dead, now held only the chirping of birds.

The silence that came as a result of boru's attack finally allowed Ikigai's head to clear. and he'd stab his katana into the ground before leaning on it to catch his breath. "Where the hell did you learn to do that?" The question was filled with wonder, and his curious eyes reflected the same tone.

Boru would tilt his head before answering with his own question. "Where do you think?" Sarcastically, before checking his surroundings to make sure that they were all that remained. "Shien, on your feet. Ikigai, off the blade. We're still on the clock." He'd say simply as he re positioned the body over his shoulder.

He'd just devistated a few dozen of kumogakure bodies, but that had been entirely unavoidable. The fact remained that the three they'd killed in the outpost, remained for the most part intact, and after what the jounin had done today. He needed even the smallest of victories. "These men are going home"

WC: 4174

Sun Jul 22, 2018 1:20 am

Shien’s breaths were shallow, even after exerting himself so rigorously. He dare not breath in the putrid blood that drifted amongst them. The mere thought turned his stomach inside out, almost forcing its contents out of him. He restrained himself, however, walking to the rot creature he had thrown his kunai into. The tranquility about the air felt cold, chilling. As the Doku trot about the area, blood and chips of bone and wood crunching under his feet, he found his target, grasping his kunai, and, with the splintering of bone and tearing of flesh, he removed the lodged weapon with a moist hiss. Shien swallowed, staring at the lifeless husk laid out before him. His eyes drifted, eyeing the devastation Boru had caused. It was remarkable, astounding. Shien found himself in awe and wonder - he’d never seen power like this with his own two eyes. So much of what occured he could not even perceive. It was like a torrent of motion, a blur that halted all in its way, pulverizing all in Boru’s way. The power was immense. The flattened land that once housed hundreds of trees was evidence of this.

The Swordmaster’s final blast had sent a shockwave outward, tearing apart tree after tree, making barren and bright a once shadowed field. The damage extended outward several dozens of meters, perhaps over a hundred. Shien made note of his gaping mouth, quickly closing it before Boru spoke up once more. The man seemed to be catching his breath, his chest heaving and stomach retracting. The Doku expected as much. Whatever this was, it no doubt used up a lot of energy. The chakra use had to be immense. Shien didn’t take anyone at the academy to be proficient at ninjutsu, but it appeared he was wrong. One of the school’s greatest warriors was nothing short of an expert - at least with wind release.

Boru spoke up once more, fixing the body he carried over his shoulder once more. “These men are going home.” Little remained of those here, his wind release had reduced many to a crimson mist, but these three, the ones from the tower, were tangible enough. Rest their souls… I can’t imagine a mother will want an open casket with these three… Boru’s dark eyes switched between the three corpses, eyeing them briefly. And each so young… Dammit. He let out a sort of earthy growl, though it was not directed at either of his students, he made clear of that. The difficulty of what he had just done was evident on his bearded face. Not the taxing nature of his technique, but the emotional burden it carried. It was an oppressive weight, like a tightening grip of a serpent, crushing the ribcage with every breath - tighter and tighter. It was especially potent in his eyes. There was a laziness to them, a permanent narrowness that cut off his irises, like it pained him to open them fully.

Shien gave a slight nod, his pursed lips shifting almost to a frown. His actions weren’t out of disgust, but he felt something similar to Boru. No one deserved this.

With Boru turned and walking on, Shien followed slowly behind, eyeing Ikigai until the shark-like shinobi met with his gaze. There was a bitterness to Shien’s eyes, a cold. It wouldn’t be enough to conclude what the Doku was really thinking, but it was a start until Boru and the pair had separated. Despite what he had said, his strict orders, Shien couldn’t sit idly by and allow this threat to be forgotten - no matter the danger. He knew that’s what it was, Boru’s fear for the two, that kept them from pursuing this “mission.” But he had to do something. He had to find out why they were attacked, who had done this, and why.

The genin readjusted his shoulder, placing the body closer to his neck. The top of his head had been lost, an unfortunate loss due to the attack. The Doku felt terrible, but this was no way to present someone’s child regardless. They would be better off to mark Boru’s devastation a graveyard. Too many rested here, now.

The crimson air became pink, then grew white under the full moon. The blood fog had subsided, allowing the three to walk under the moon’s full light. It had been hell, to trod across corpse after corpse, not knowing if what snapped under your foot was tree bark or bone. Shien had never experienced anything like that, anything so unnatural, so lacking in humanity. Empathy, compassion, light itself had been deprived from this forest. The moon’s lumisense was nothing but a facade, an empty, hollow guide back to the village where they stayed.

Shien’s thinned eyes stretched out once more, finding Boru. He went to speak, the words reaching the back of his throat, but this was not the time. He could feel it. The invincible swordsman, Kumogakure’s very mountain, had been shaken. Anything Shien wanted to ask would have bothered the burly man, he knew that. Perhaps it was for the best, anyway. Too many questions would heighten Boru’s keen eyes. If he and Ikigai were to investigate further, Boru couldn’t have the slightest hint of what they were doing. The only other potential problem was convincing Ikigai.

The Doku thrusted his shoulder upward, sliding the corpse closer to his neck once more. He leaned his body left, balancing the corpse strewn over him. He turned to Ikigai, coming closer to them. He didn’t want to ask Boru directly, not now, but he cared for his friend’s opinion. “Hey, uh, Ikigai,” his whispered, swallowing and continuing in a soft murmur, “What do you think we should do with the other ones? What’s left. I hate to just leave them out there. Doesn’t seem right.” Much of what Shien spoke of came from guilt, shame, and embarrassment. But it knocked something into the boy, some incentive. It, paired with the Netsugan, had shifted him internally, flipping the kid on his head. It was an odd feeling, a strange one. He felt uncomfortable, so out of his element, but it also felt right, like he had to do this.

Whether it would stick was the bigger question. With strained hands and clenched fists, Shien hoped it would. But the transition would be a rough one. If he chose to continue it.

The adrenaline, having worn off, set the smell into play. It was rancid, and Shien himself was drenched in blood. It seemed he had a habit of getting filthy no matter where he was. “Hey, Ikigai?” he asked, taking note of just how much had seeped into his clothes. “You think you can teach me water release? Hakai-Sensei said something about it, earlier, and I think I’m about to make myself throw up,” he whispered, hushing his voice. The smell of decay got worse with each step, almost making Shien gag from sheer disgust. “I’d really appreciate it - if you know how.”

WC: 9018

Thu Aug 16, 2018 2:39 pm

Ikigai had covered himself in the blood of an enemy.

His fists had pummeled a skull into jelly.

He'd ran through horde's of the undead.

He was exhausted.

So when Shien asked him the question about what they should do with the body's that had caused all of the above, his response was less sincere than he would have liked, but it had come out before he'd really had any time at all to think about it. In a tiresome tone he'd look at the red sploshes of blood that painted the trees and ground, and the scattered bones that accompanied them.

"There's not much we CAN do for them. They're scattered all over the place Shien."

Although harsh, he was right. Apart from scrubbing down trees, and stacking bones into a wheelbarrow they really couldn't do anything. And both of the earlier options where equally unappealing to the blue skinned boy.

He'd shudder at the image as he adjusted the weight of the corpse he was carrying, as he did so he'd feel the dampness of his shirt, which had been caused by the blood seeping from its body. Everything about this was entirely disgusting, and it had been much easier to process when he was still in shock from being attacked, now all his senses and his rational thoughts were attacking him at once.

The dampness of the blood, the stench of death, exhaustion in his legs.

This mission had taken more from him than he'd initially realized. But even now, as he thought off all this, he couldn't help but feel the same as Shien, he felt he owed the dead something, and he couldn't shake it.

Boru had trailed a little further ahead, far enough that even his jounin senses wouldn't be able to hear Ikigai whisper to his friend. "We may not be able to do anything for their bodies, but I don't plan on stopping here. I'm gonna find out what happened to all these people... Are you with me?"

The question was confided to the boy in trust, as he was directly disobeying a jounin by even asking it. He wondered if Shein even had the stomach for it. The boy had developed a bit of a bond with the gigantic chef over the past few weeks, and he doubted he'd want to disobey him so soon into their training. But if he felt anything like Ikigai right now, it wasn't a matter of wanting, it was a need.

A need to do what's right.

Shien would have plenty of time to answer the boy's question as they trailed the rest of the journey back to Kumogakure with corpses in hand. After they finished that conversation, Shien would ask about his water element, and if he'd be willing to teach it to him, and he couldn't help but smile. It had only been a few weeks ago that he'd done the same for Kay, the new girl at their academy.

"Sure, when the bodies are returned."

And were back inside the village"

WC: 4688

Mon Aug 20, 2018 11:42 pm

Shien’s mouth parted, the Doku somewhat taken aback by Ikigai’s response. Leaving them? The work was undesirable, grotesque, and far from anything Shien wanted to do, but it ate at him like a bad cut. Every step he took from the carnage heightened the pain, like a sharp jolt, slicing deeper into his skin. He found the words caught in the pit of his stomach, unable to climb to his tongue. Inside, his lips pursed, and his shallow head fell into a faint nod. Ikigai was write. All there was to haul back to the village was mush. As inhumane as it was, the very issue surrounded the village. The Rot were mindless beasts save for one thing - loyalty to Kumogakure. These? This was a greater horror. This turned the village against itself.

Shien exhaled deeply, his demeanor shifting into something much more grim, lonely even. His heart ached. This was wrong.

As the team of shinobi maneuvered through the dampened forests, Boru’s pace, be it by a subtle inclination on Ikigai’s part or the Jounin’s remarkable endurance, exceeded their own. The former became all the more likely when the genin’s words reached Shien’s ears. His suggestion had already ran through the Doku’s head. The smile adorned on his face was difficult to harden, but, through a small murmur of a chuckle, he nodded, and whispered, “I was going to ask you the same thing.” The Doku’s razor thing eyes flashed the Boru’s back, then back to Ikigai. He was far out of range for the pair to be heard, even with his experienced senses. Added onto the sweltering stench of the rot forest and the dispatched corpses was a churning in Shien’s stomach, a tight pain as if it had been kneaded like dough. It was coupled with something of a chill and a heat that flustered his face.

The guilt was evident. There were few things Shien hated more than lying to his sensei. It hurt him deeply, and the strife was comparable to the filth surrounding him or the burning flare in his arms from carrying the body after such a battle.

It wasn’t until now that Shien realized how exhausted he really was. It was a rush of pain that surged throughout his muscles. The pain was tense, electric, burning throughout his entire body. The adrenaline pumping through his veins must have been subsiding. Fire flowed in place of blood now.

The Doku’s teeth clenched, Shien heaving the corpse forward in a large step, air escaping his mouth as if it had been trapped. He panted for a moment, pressing onward, sure to not allow Ikigai to pass him. For a moment, he was driven, focusing on each step ahead of him. When his thinned eyes fell on Ikigai once more, he spoke with a voice surprisingly cold, one Shien had never used before. It was grim, chilled, and rife with a hardened, icy passion. “We have to fix this. Nevermind orders,” he said. The words finally escaping his mouth were anything but relieving. They were painful, but he believed wholeheartedly in what he said. “I’m with you, Ikigai. Someone has to stop this,” he whispered, an intense expression taking his face. The pain in his body seemed to burn away, instead replaced with that same drive. Such a demeanor was rare for Shien, but this night seemed to change many things for him. There was meaning in his actions and words. A desire for justice. A willingness to work for it.

Even if it meant going against his master.

WC: 9612

Wed Aug 22, 2018 11:30 pm

He'd put his faith in the right man. And he'd smile to acknowledge that fact to his friend. It seemed that he and Shien shared the same goal, the need to avenge the fallen. It would take a few more minutes of treading through rot and forest before the group made it back to the village where the dead awaited them. This time however, they'd face no attack. But Ikigai's guard remained up nonetheless, he was not about to get tackled by another one of those damned things.

Boru would come to a halt at the gate, extending his hand outwards. "You two, hand me the bodies. I'll deal with them from here on out. A family shouldn't have their kin returned by genin" It wasn't a jab at their rank, and Ikigai knew it. It was about protocol and respect, one Ikigai wished to honor, so with some struggle he'd transfer the weight of the corpse to his elder, who seemed to carry it with ease, after all Boru was nothing if not strong.

Assuming shien did the same Boru would continue. "Alright you two, missions over, get some rest" And he'd turn his back, walking down the road towards the Kage's building, leaving the green and blue duo to themselves, at the village gates and conveniently near a pond. Remembering his promise from earlier Ikigai would turn to his friend before asking.

"You still feeling up to learning how to use water?"

WC: 4938