Tomb Raiders (Zyxis, Hoshi)

Mission:

Cloudy day. What a surprise.

Ryūka woke up more energetic than usual. It was one of the few days every year where he had pre-existing plans. His friends Zyxis and Hoshi would have gotten a letter each from Ryūka letting them know where to meet him for a mission. It was obviously, the front of the mission boards nearby the headquarters. What Ryūka originally had in mind was actually a chill training day, and possibly a spar afterwards, but he would have never said no to a mission, and he knew that all of them could use some experience in actual work, where the pace was much faster than regular training. It was a difference that threw many inexperienced Genin off balance when they had to face real threats for the first time.  He quickly got ready and got out of his house, by jumping off the window of the third floor room he was residing in, like usual. He landed in a pose which almost looked like a superhero landing pose, but maybe of an old superhero, not having posed his back correctly. He was still working on that. The dream was to one day be identical to some of his heroes.

He made his way through the streets to find the mission boards, and waited for Zyxis and Hoshi to show. Ryūka didn’t bother checking the boards and picking them a mission though, since he had done so beforehand. Neither Hoshi nor Zyx knew what mission they were going to, so Ryūka was going to brief them when they arrived. It was in fact, a C-Rank mission, supposedly a dangerous one. Ryūka didn’t know what to expect. He had never gone on a C-Rank mission after all, but he had gone through D-Rank’s like they were chips at Danny’s Chips Emporium (it was one of his favorite snack spots in Kumo). He didn’t really know whether or not a C-Rank mission would have been harder or not. He wasn’t even sure how the ranking of missions worked, and whether they were based on difficulty, pay, or reputation. He knew that some would only be given to Chuunin, and that was the extent of his knowledge on the situation. Either way, he was about to find out, and he couldn’t wait to leave and start the investigation. He strolled as he waited for his friends to show.

The day before Hoshi recently received a sort of vague letter which unbelievably managed to reach his house out here. He guessed that the mail team was probably some poor lad stuck with the short side of the stick. Yet the context of the letter was pretty interesting. To which it told him pretty much that Ryuka picked out a mission for him and Zyxis and that he was at the mission boards. He was surprised at how Ryuka had planned a mission. But the mission boards? Hoshi didn't even know where they were! But he decided not to worry about it and stayed in house

The next day after Hoshi packed up his bags in a hurry with drinks/food *All particularly spicy* And his good ol map he decided to reach there first. But it was soon that he realised on his 5 year old map that the old mission board place had been moved in recent years! This meant he had no direction and only so much time to find it! Hoshi panicked and started running at max speeds [30] looking for any ninja to ask where to go! Any at all! 

Whilst in this panicked state he finally ran into a genin who looked pretty serious "Stop right there criminal scum!" The hell was his problem? Hoshi just wanted to find the misson boards and this prick has not only stopped him but called him a criminal "Hey what gives! Why am i such a criminal. All i've been doing is searching around for him damnit!" The genin started to look afraid "I.I.I.i'm just saying you've been running around sort of in a violent -twitches- way to which some folks. OF COURSE NOT ME! Complained about it and so i came here on an E rank mission to stop a public's complaint..." The young looking Genin in front of him was pathetic. He seemed to recently graduate and has no back bone at all. Though he's at least trying right now. 


"Look here i just need to find the mission boards. That's why i've been running. So if you tell me where they are i'll stop running and your mission would be completed. That's correct right?"As Hoshi stated this the young genin looked relieved. Hoshi could tell there was a stark difference between Ryuka and Zyxis as they seemed like they could go on to be great. But not this person in front of him. "Really. Thank god sir. Right you see the mission boards are just a 5 minute walk to your left right now with no change in directions. Now could you please walk quietly" Hoshi didn't respond but just walked off. And sooner or later he managed to see Ryuka right at the mission boards. Damn he was just abit late. "Hey Ryuka! How have you been today hehe. I've just had quite a little experience on the way here."

Zyxis didn't feel the best today. Clothes were thrown on, food was eaten, and teeth were brushed. He looked in the mail. A note from Ryūka? He read it and nodded to himself. Maybe it would be good for him to get out of the house and to get some fresh air, a mission would be good for him. He ignored the whispers of "why would you still want to be a ninja", the excitement of a C-Rank mission taking over his emotions. Although, he was noticeably muter and to himself, he wouldn't let it affect his career right now. He took a deep breath and walked through town, easily ignoring all the citizens and annoyances. He didn't have any time for them.

He was surprised by his coldness, he wasn't usually this bitter. He sighed and took a detour, heading towards the library. Everything seemed mute, the only thing existing in his own little world was him and- "Hey there Zyx-" Hana stopped short. "What's the matter?" The Genin couldn't help but feel surprised that she picked up on his mood so quickly. Well, they had known each other for almost their whole entire life. He went to wave her off, but before he knew it, he was pulled over the counter. Right, she's a shinobi. Soft arms wrapped around his back and he blushed as her bosoms pressed against his chest.

"It's okay Zyx. We can talk about this later," She stopped hugging him and handed back his letter. When did she get that? "Your friend is waiting for you." Zyxis frowned and turned to leave, but she grabbed him and spun him back around. "Be happy today, okay? Your normal no-emotion stuff, 'kay?" He went to pull away, but she pulled him back even firmer than before. Her crystal-blue eyes seemed to stare into his heart. He blushed, "Okay." She rolled her eyes, "That's the most I've heard you talk in like a month."

He chuckled and hugged her back, enjoying the scent of her perfume for a second before he pulled away. He left the library and headed towards Ryuka and Hoshi. Today seemed like it might become a good day. He appeared right as Hoshi finished speaking, his cheeks still a little flushed from the proximity of a 'hot' girl.

He nodded towards them, his sign of a greeting.

Ryūka grabbed the cold greetings he got from both of his new friends (one much, much newer than the other one, to be fair to Zyxis), and mentally crushed both of those greetings, squished them into a ball, and then mentally created a basketball hoop out of his insecurities and his paranoia, and scored a perfect 3-pointer from under the other hoop, colored in all the colors of rainbow, and covered in sparkles, with a neon sign over it constantly changing it's colors that read the "Hoop of Friendship". There was a scoreboard that read "PARA 122 - 4 FRND". Ryūka not-so-quickly shook that fantasy off.

He decided to first engage the one that at least gave him a sentence to go by, rather than the one that gave him absolutely nothing, even though as he was just thinking in his mind, they were older friends - even if just slightly older. "Hey Hoshi" Ryūka said, trying to sound as calm, friendly, excited and as non-paranoid as he could. It almost sounded sincere. "I'm doing fine, thanks. This experience... What kind of an 'experience' was it exactly?" he asked with sincere interest, that could be easily read from his face. He continued, without any break, "Tell me on the way.". He then started to lead the two towards a destination unbeknownst to them, as he still had not acknowledged Zyxis' presence with his words, even if he did so with his eyes and expressions.

As they started walking, Ryūka kept talking to Hoshi, "I also want to add something. It may sound weird, but sometimes I just speak my heart without giving much thought to it. Here it is. I really appreciate you asking me about my day and offering to tell me about yours. I know conversations may be hard to start, but if nobody did it because of that reason, we would just not be having them, and nobody would like that, right? Anyway that was what I had to get out of my chest. Oh also, before I forget...". He turned to Zyxis, "Sorry, I guess I forgot to say Hi to you too Zyxis." he smiled, "Welcome back to the team. How are you feeling today?".

They kept walking. One of the two might have caught on to it now that they were heading towards the village gates, since their mission was going to take place outside. If they didn't know the streets like the back of their hands, and if they didn't have a great sense of direction, they might have missed that fact though. Either way, Ryūka knew it was time to let his teammates know the kind of mission they were going on anyway. He started talking, starting his speech with a sigh, "I guess I have to brief you two on the mission before we get too far into it, right?" he said with a smile and continued, "We are heading out of the village, if you guys couldn't tell already. Our investigation will start at the mountains, though I can't guarantee where we will have to go after that. We might keep going on the mountains, we might have to come back to the village, we might even have to go far, in the search of the criminals we're after. Oh... Also, we're after criminals, for your information. Anyway... If it turns out we'll have to leave for some time without notice, we'll come back to stock for our travels. Otherwise, there's no real issue, and hopefully won't be. So... Here's the deal. Do you two know about the temple right outside of Kumo, a little bit higher into the mountain range? Apparently, the place has been getting attacked lately, and people haven't so much as seen the people behind these attacks, let alone recognize or locate them. We will hide and wait for an attack, and counter. If we can. In case they don't show up, we'll have to investigate more deeply to potentially locate them by ourselves. Let's see how it goes.".

Ryūka smiled and shook his head. There was hope in his expression, but also stress that stemmed from the slightest bit of fear and hesitation. As they got through the village gates to head to the temple, As soon as they were out of village territory, far on the horizon, Ryūka saw a shadowy figure. When he blinked, it was closer. He blinked again. Closer. He tried not to make a deal out of it, as he was sure Zyxis and Hoshi were not seeing this figure in his vision. He tried not looking that way all the time, but only sometimes, even pretending to check the clouds and the direction of the wind as a means to look experienced and also find a reason to look at the direction of the shadowy figure. Two birds, one stone. After what Ryūka felt was 30 seconds, which in reality was something closer to 10, he could see the shadowy figure was close enough to him to make up what it was. The shadowy hoop of insecurities and paranoia. It was catching up to him. Unlike the fated two had met last time, it had whip-like shadow arms that it wiggled perhaps in an attempt to intimidate Ryūka, or simply to look cartoony for a visual joke told in a written format, a joke that had no chance of working. The hoop was right behind Ryūka now, shadowing over him. It was a shame his friends couldn't see the hoop. If they did, maybe they could have killed him together. 

"Temple's in sight'" Ryūka exclaimed, pointing to a higher point in the mountain where 3 tall white towers stood. There still some road to walk there, "I'll let you guys lead for a bit.". He followed the road, alongside his friends.

Hoshi managed to spot Zyxis who simply sneaked into here with a slight greeting. Great the gangs all together and Ryuka began to lead us towards the mission. Hoshi tried to begin what he believed would ba a very one sided conversation's once he tried to communicate with Ryuka and Zyxis ,unsurprisingly Zyxis was closed and quite as he was when they first met, but surprisingly the man of few words ,for all the time he knew him, Ryuka was entertaining the thought of engaging into a conversation for once! Hoshi could barely believe this Ryuka was the same man he sparred with as he seemed to be much more engaged and even replies back and begins his own side of the conversation!

Hoshi discussed to Ryuka pretty much what happened before he arrived but within his "own terms" "Well ya see the map i have is pretty old and it turns out the mission board on my map is different to the current one. I even ended up getting lost and scaring a genin trying to deal with me as i sprinted around the village searching, even going as far as to ask that said Genin for directions! Even with me leaving the shack at a reasonable time i still managed to come here later then i wanted. Though not as late as that Zyxis eh." Hoshi winked at Zyxis is a mocking way as if to say he should've been alot earlier and this joke was simply a way to criticise his tardiness. 

Though Zyxis was more silent at the beginning he looked alot more calm ,then usual, infact abit of glee within his eye's was visible as if his mind was thinking back on something pleasant  that he alone experienced. Perhaps he's learnt a new killer technique? Did he even manage to get stronger alike Hoshi himself? Who knows what Zyxis is even thinking right now as Ryuka is now yet again stealing the attention from Hoshi before he can even start communicating to Zyxis again yet this seemed to be a much more sensitive topic about to come out for Ryuka.

"but sometimes I just speak my heart without giving much thought to it." To Hoshi this almost seemed almost a complete stark contrast to his original thoughts on Ryuka with just this one statement he went from respecting his strength to almost admiring how upfront about himself and his life is. A strong warrior not only in his body but his mind as well and personally to Hoshi starting a conversation isn't too difficult all you got to do is just do or say something, though others usually have trouble doing even just that to begin one... Like Zyxis though that maybe less of lack of trying and more so that he isn't interested in joining a conversation as Ryuka is talking right now, taking all the attention that goes with it. Until Ryuka finally asks hos Zyxis feels today and even mentioning how we are a team unit. 

To be honest Zyxis isn't someone Hoshi would end up hanging out with on a normal basis since in general he's abit too... Loner like in how he operates, which is find to Zyxis but Hoshi just does not really understand why someone would be quite alike that without any secrets. But he might as well try to get to know Zyxis abit more. Who knows it maybe a Ryuka scenario all over again "Yeah Zyxis. I didn't end up saying hello since you don't seem like the type to greet properly but hey there. I'm also intrigued at what you've been up to. Since you seem jolly today so i'm just wondering why the sudden change in the colour of your face." It must be a new technique, 100% It's what Zyxis would be happy about learning and bashful about telling us. 

Hoshi noticed how they'll probably reach the outside of the village soon ,probably the main gate exit, since they've been walking at a decent pace and the village from his own estimates isn't big enough to keep being a village much longer, since even if the village's contents are pretty much unknown to Hoshi the village itself and how big it's basic structure actually is well known to Hoshi with this confirmed as Ryuka began to explain the mission so they must be close enough to the mission location without even fully leaving the village gates. The with a little smile on Ryuka's face gave away how this mission may not be too difficult but it will probably be entertaining to say the least.

Mid explanation Hoshi was already excited and grinning ,although looking around the place could be a hassle, it's within the mountains so what better a time to spend today then in the mountains. Not including the criminals who may know Ritsu after all -or at least be one of his lackeys which he can just beat up- to find within these mountains and perhaps even within the ruins themselves as they could explore all they want! Perfect. But as the conversation went on the internal excitement started to fade away as Ryuka was trying to make ,a reasonably, smart decision to hide and await for the thieve's. 

Though once Ryuka saw the temple the joy of doing the first mission overwhelmed Hoshi as he could take the lead with his own steps and so Hoshi decided to lead the team to the temple to reach right besides the temple door. "So here are the options we have. One- We can either wait here outside the temple to get the advantage on possible thieve's once they either come in or out via a surprise attack   Two- We can hide within the temple to gain the upper hand and catch them whilst they are within the act and solid evidence to support us. Three- We sneakily follow them to learn of where they live and their base's of operations allowing us to defeat them whilst they're well separated which will take time and is pretty pathetic but it works i guess. Four- Punch some dude's as they arrive in straight up brawl."


"I think all of these options are equally as good to do but i need your guys input since ya know. First mission and i don't have too much an idea how to prepare for criminals of whatever power they really are."This mission the more He thinks about it this Mission has the chance to become a truly fantastic experience or a pathetic one. Only time will tell really Hoshi whether he should've answered Ryuka's call to a mission.

Zyxis watched Ryūka blank out for a second before he went to talk to Hoshi. He listened somewhat to their conversation as he thought about what would be needed for this mission. So, the temple had been getting some unwanted visitors. Basically, people were trespassing and stealing stuff from the temple. He began to wonder, what kind of sick person would go grave-robbing? Go rob a traditional bank, why would you choose to go digging through the dirt to find carcasses and bones? He guessed he had no right to judge, he didn't know the people. Maybe it was some raccoons that had smelled dead flesh and went, trying to reap the benefits. Perhaps there were relics, weapons, and items that could be beneficial to shinobi? It would make sense as it was an old temple, notable people were most likely buried there. Whatever it was, it made him sick to his stomach. He would most definitely bring them in for questioning, see how their brains worked. Maybe he should see someone else's train of thought. He wasn't really fond of his own.

He was knocked out of his concentration as Ryūka explained to Hoshi how he really enjoyed him asking about his day. He stared blankly at the back of Ryūka's head as he continued to speak about the subject. He raised an eyebrow. For some reason, he felt like he had just been attacked. He internally shrugged. Zyxis always loved being by himself. Reading, writing, and running were some things that made him happy. People, instinctively, were just immoral. Annoying, irritating, irrational. Those were things that described the people he knew during his Academy Days. He had a firm belief that if he created no bonds, nothing would be able to - emotion-wise - hurt him. Then he met Ryūka, and he really enjoyed him. His outlooks on life, his calm attitude, his skill, and precision. If Ryūka died today, he'd be heartbroken, and he knew that. For some reason, he was okay with having a weakness. Ryūka was a worry worth having. It wouldn't be the first time Ryūka stoked the flames of his ideas and beliefs. He turned to Hoshi. He wouldn't really be upset if he died, maybe a little bit. In general, it wouldn't be nice to see someone go.

So, hopefully, he would understand why it hurt for him to sneak-diss him like that. Ryūka was a rapper indeed. He didn't let his emotion appear on his face as Ryūka began to speak to him. "I feel okay. It's nice to see you." He would say. He continued to walk alongside his two compadres, heading towards the location of their mission. It was still around day-time, so he assumed that when they got there, they would create a plan on how to catch the hooligan temple raiders. He listened to Ryūka's lengthy, but a needed explanation. As they went over hills, across the prairie, and towards the temple, Zyxis wondered how pleasant it would be to run outside the village. He knew Kumogakure like the back of his hand, sans how he knew they were leaving the settlement, but they weren't allowed to go out. He felt some sort of relief when they left, the site of a sunny day and fewer zombies brought joy to his heart. 

Zyxis silently watched Ryūka. He seemed to be looking at something. His hand brushed against his kunai holder as he turned to look at the same direction. There was nothing there. Maybe it was a false alarm. He seemed to be avoiding looking in that general direction. Was it an enemy? He decided not to look back over there, so Ryūka knew he wasn't on his trail. He let out a gentle sigh, "You okay?" Two words left his mouth, sent towards Ryūka. Loud enough for him to hear, but quiet enough for Hoshi to not. If he answered or not, he would continue to keep walking. His eyes fell on the temple, and he nodded in some sort of form of respect. The place was beautiful, way more gorgeous than the art gallery he and Ryūka had visited for some missions. 

Earlier, Hoshi had winked at him, but Zyxis easily ignored his attempts to rile him up or embarrass him. He came as needed. Just cause Hoshi was a bit earlier than he was didn't mean anything in his view. He once again caught his interest as he began to talk to him again. He took a deep breath and got rid of all signs of anger. If they were to be on a team, and they were going to do missions together, he couldn't be eerie with him. By the time Hoshi asked about his blush, it would be long gone. He was assuming that he was speaking about earlier, "New technique." He would say blandly.

Zyxis listened to Hoshi's opinions on what they should do to capture the thieves of the crypt. He didn't think it would be a good idea to raid the raiders, so he gave his two cents, "Wait and sneak attack." He turned to Ryūka, "Since you've been a Genin longer, you pick."

He would watch him expectantly.

The evil hoop was nowhere to be seen for now, at least. "You pick.". Ryūka took a deep breath. It always started like this.


One.

He looked around. The grave was generally large and empty. The gravestones were at most large enough to reach Ryūka's knees when he was standing. There were a few trees, though none of them looked like they could cover Hoshi. He wasn't too large to be fair, it's just that the trees were lean. Ryūka approached one, and put his hand on it. He nodded. It was not easy to tell what was going on his mind.  He looked around a bit more. The earth on the ground was softer on the parts farther from the trees. He had learned in school what caused this, but barely remembered what it meant to be able to use it in the potential upcoming battle.

Two.

"Okay. Hoshi. You'll have to wait inside the temple. Go in and wait behind the wall, right next to the entrance, so you can come in as soon as you hear a fight break out. Zyx. You have two options. You can either choose to crouch behind one of these tombstones, I assume you can fit your figure behind one; or you will have to find a tree large enough to cover you. Also, both of you... Try to be as silent as you possibly can. This is no joke.". He did not make eye contact with either of them, still watching the surrounding area.

Three.

He took out his katana, and made sure it was in perfect condition. He counted his kunai, shuriken, and any other items. He stretched, cracked his fingers. He moved around the cemetery constantly, to grow a feeling for every inch of the cemetery, the battleground of the potential battle. He smelled the air, to get familiar with the place's usual smell to be able to pick out any potential changes in it. He turned in every direction, and figured out which way the wind was blowing. He checked every tree one by one to choose the one he would hide behind. He considered every possibility, and every potential advantage and disadvantage each tree offered. He picked one, close enough to the entrance of the cemetery, but not too close. He wouldn't have been seen no matter which direction any potential thieves came from. The sky was red. Ryūka looked over to notice the sun was about to set. "It's almost time. Everybody to their positions.".

Four.

Ryūka hid behind one of the trees. He was watching the earth, not that there was anything interesting going on. It was the opposite, in fact. It was the fact that nothing interesting was going on there that Ryūka chose to watch it. To heighten his sense of hearing instead. After a while, his eyes landed on a caterpillar. It was slowly crawling towards him. Looking around, Ryūka quickly noticed the leaf on the ground that the little caterpillar was moving away from. Well, it was trying, to be more accurate. The road was tough for a small creature like that. Stones, pebbles, slow earth hills, even rocks. It was getting stuck from time to time, having to change its direction. Ryūka, fighting his instinct to chuckle, let out a quick breath, only to take a deep breath next, to fix his 'mistake'. A few seconds later, a crow landed in front of him. It skipped around in what seemed like random directions, until its eyes settled on the caterpillar. It quickly skipped over, grabbed the small creature with its beak, and took off flying. Ryūka didn't even flinch.

Five.

It was already dark. Ryūka had been standing on the same spot, motionless for far longer than he would have liked, but he had the discipline and patience to not be bothered by it. This was textbook execution, and he relied on that. Minutes later, his ears finally picked up sounds. Faint sounds. Sounds of footsteps. Ryūka waited for them to approach him, for the footsteps to get as close as they would get. When they were close enough that Ryūka assumed they were in the cemetery grounds, Ryūka's hand went to the hilt of his katana. There was no talk happening. There were multiple sets of footsteps. These had to be the thieves, even though there was no way to know %100. Either way, it was Ryūka's job to find out.

Six.

"Since you've been a Genin longer, you pick.". Ryūka looked over to Zyxis. This was his job. He didn't even know whether bringing Zyxis was a good idea, and he had become assured by recent insight on the two, that bringing Hoshi was almost definitely a mistake. Ryūka didn't want them to carry the burden he was carrying. He sofly waved towards Zyxis, whom he could see from his hiding spot, and he could see Ryūka. He used his body language to tell Zyxis to wait, as he got out from his cover, his hand on the hilt of his katana.

Seven.

There was just two of them. Not much of a band. One of them had a baseball bat, even though that was not a popular sport in Kumo, so Ryūka couldn't even figure out what it was off the top of his head. The other one, the one carrying a hammer (not one intended for battle from what it looked like - but one more for hammering in nails to walls. It looked weird being held by a criminal, but Ryūka didn't pay too much attention to that), noticed Ryūka. They both looked at him with a mix of fear, anger and hate. When Ryūka pulled out the katana, flashing the headband on his arm, their expression became even stronger. They didn't notice it at first, but him pulling out his katana was not only an act to flash his headband, nor only an act to get ready for a fight, in which case he would have pulled the weapon out sooner, when he was hidden behind a tree, to save time.

It was a Bukijutsu move. As he was pullng out the katana, he dashed towards the one holding a hammer, and pulled the katana out, attacking him with great speed. The attack connected. The blade of the katana entered the man's shoulder, but Ryūka soon after felt something contacting the bottom of his arm. The hammer striked him, forcing Ryūka to pull out the sword upwards, slashing the man's shoulder badly, as they both fell back. The other man, the one holding the baseball bat tried to attack Ryūka, but he got out of the attack's way at the last second. Ryūka did not escape back as they expected however, but towards the one with the hammer. He was still in shock of the pain Ryūka had caused him earlier; so he was an easy hit. Ryūka slashed away at his chest, not deep enough to kill him, but definitely enough to knock him out.

After that, he dashed back to create a fair distance between him and the man with the baseball bat. Ryūka looked around. If he saw Hoshi and Zyxis were coming to aid him, he would let the two handle this man. Otherwise, he would attack the man.

Either way, if the battle was won, Ryūka would speak to the two "Okay, let's grab the evildoers and return them to headquarters... And claim our rewards, obviously...".

[WC: 2617]

Ryuka took clear control after Hoshi summarised the plan. Yet Hoshi was not pleased with his position to hide within the temple as Ryuka and Zyxis would be above ground waiting for the robbers. Hoshi hated this since it would be more then likely Hoshi not dealing with any action at all. Yet the inside of this temple looked more and more decrepit then Hoshi could think off. Cracked walls everywhere and yet it also looked pretty ransacked compered to what he heard about it. Perhaps they were too late to save this place.

The ancient tombs everywhere were foreboding to say the least as Hoshi knew the dead could easily come back to life as evidence from his village as undead were plentiful. Yet as Hoshi looked around the temple looked alot more empty then he could of though as nothing looked expensive or even too historic as he looked around.

Hoshi could hear confused sounds outside and so prepared to come out and attack the grave robbers. But as he did that he heard a voice from within the temple and clanking. Someone was here. Hoshi readied himself as a particularly large man entered the view. Dragging behind him a large sack of ,what's presumed to be anyway, stolen goods. As soon as the large (fat) man realised Hoshi it was too late for him as Hoshi's dynamic entry kicked him straight in the gut. Instantly knocking him out and cracking some bones... Yet his body flew backwards which broke one of the well. Vases in the bag sadly. Hoshi thought to himself he needs to learn a different kind of technique. Perhaps a punch? He hasn't learned a straight up powerful punch yet

Hoshi was immensely disappointed at this mission as he expected to deal with a fight, but this was just a pathetic little skirmish which even in his free time he would be in much more danger then he was currently. But Hoshi still had a mission to do ,even if he cared nothing for it at this moment, and now after dealing with that man grabbed him and the bag and hurried back outside the temple too see how the others have currently fared vs the current well "threats".


[TWC-1972]
[Claiming, 2000 ryo, Arhat Fist Gankei 1972/2100
+5 AP]

Zyxis watched Ryūka as he examined the graveyard, trying to come up with a plan. The white-haired Genin knew that he could've come up with one as well, was it rude for him to tell Ryūka to do it? Maybe they should designate a team leader. He wouldn't mind. He had to learn someday if he wanted to become Raikage. He began to look over the graveyard as well. Right now, this was a battlefield. He had to use every advantage he had. Different types of gravestones and tombs were littered across the place, so were trees and branches, anything that he could hide behind. He was pretty tall, so he knew that he would have to choose something that would fit his size. He eyed a gravestone that was just a bit taller than him. Most likely someone important. That would work perfectly.

He turned to Ryūka as he began to speak. He smiled inwardly to himself as Hoshi was told to go inside the temple. He would be out of his way. He nodded as Ryūka explained what he had already thought out. Smart minds thought alike. He warned them to be quiet, and Zyxis nodded once again. That wasn't something that he had to be told, he did that by himself all the time. After the explanation was done, Zyxis went and took position behind the tomb. He took a deep breath and began to check everything. The smell of the deceased, the current of the air, and the ground around him. After Zyxis established that he was familiar with the place he was in, he calmed.

A kunai found itself in his hand. The cold steel felt strange in his hands. His killing intent revolved around him but then condensed into one point. Into the hand that held the kunai. He was completely calm and ready to kill and maim if needed. He was still, and his breathing was absolutely quiet. His eyes studied the cemetery every few seconds. Listening for any sound. Every leaf that had fallen off the tree was noted. The crow flew down and snatched the caterpillar. Zyxis tightened his grip on the kunai and made sure it wasn't a Genjutsu or any other type of ninja deception. He wasn't sure who the people were he was going after, but he knew that it could be fatal to underestimate them. 

The wind howled as it had been for the past thirty minutes. Wild animals scoured the ground. Bats and owls chirped as they flew throughout the sky. It had gotten dark, so dark that he swore that his eyes radiated a red color. His mind didn't stray, he was ready for anything. He wasn't bored, every single second count. He instantly heard the sound of footsteps when they arrived. He didn't move. His eyes met Ryūka's. He continued to wait, the surroundings around him seemed to flash and burned into his memory. Zyxis didn't recognize the hat at all, it just served to confuse him, but he didn't let it distract him. The other one wields a hammer. Why would they want to destroy such a sacred place? He watched Ryūka move, slashing him up.

It was cruel, but at the same time efficient. Dark-red blood seeped. The man cried out in agony as the thin, firm blade tore through his muscles.  Suddenly, everything paid off, and the world around him was his.  An ebony comma swirled the ruby-red sclera of his eye. Ryūka wouldn't have seen as he was still slicing up the man. Zyxis moved, he noted the increase in speed. He didn't know why, but he would gladly accept it. He flipped off the ground with one foot and closed his eyes feeling the wind flow throughout his body. His body spun, and he lashed out in a reverse-grip with the kunai slashing straight across his chest with more force than needed. He flew backward and hit the ground with a thump. Blood, the same color as his eyes, fled from his body. 

He opened his eyes, and the world turned back to normal. Was that-? He clenched his fist in fear. He wasn't glad about this improvement at all. He was just happy that no one had seen it except for himself. He turned back to Ryūka, his eyes normal. "You're right. Let's go." Zyxis moved his hand pointing back towards the village, "Follow me." He picked up the man and hefted him over his shoulder, taking off in a fast sprint. He knew for sure that Ryūka was faster than him. Hopefully, Hoshi could keep up. They made it back to the village quick with how fast they were moving. Zyxis threw the scumbag down and turned in the scroll. The man looked at him, "Good job, Zyxis. Keep up the good work." He would then deal with Ryūka and Hoshi before he went back to reading his book. Zyxis got his pay and waved at the two, "I'll see you guys later, I have something to take care of. Have a good day."

Zyxis turned away and ran off, leaving the two to their own things. He rushed home as quick as he could and rushed to the bathroom. His mother tried to say hi, but he moved right past her. He threw the bathroom door open and stared into the mirror. He went to replicate the feeling of what he assumed was the Sharingan. He sighed. There was nothing. Maybe it was just a fluke after all.

He went and jumped in his bed, hoping that the Sharingan never appeared.

Ryūka peaced out as well.

[Exit, WC: 2622. Claiming:

2000 ryo, 5 AP

Cloud Style: Reverse Beheading (2000)
622 wc towards The Body is A Weapon  (2811 here making the total 3433/4000)]