Mad Lads [IO]

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An interesting and easy mission that would bring him easy money, this one was supposed to be. However as this particular ANBU made his way through the desert, he started to believe that these fine claims might not be that true after all.

He had traveled a decent amount of kilometers outside that sparkling village of his before he reached the location where birds of prey circled in a pale blue cloudless sky. 
In the overheated sun, half-buried in gold sand the caravan and the dead horses that carried it in life. 

"Why did you have to go and do that?"

To some extent, the Byakugan heir understood the kidnapping, the stealing of swords, shields, bows, and arrows….but the horses, those they could have spared. The blood-encrusted necks of the dried animal carcasses was a horrific sight. The smell was even worse. Both had been struck by the same sharp blade.

He had spotted the birds a good couple of miles away from them. But now, pale eyes would move aimlessly at the area surrounding him. A never-ending wasteland of sand. At least the sandstorm that raged for most of the day had ended. It would be nice if the still air and the blazing hot grains of sand, would end as well.

It felt wrong leaving the animals to rot in the sun like that and make a feast for the crows, but the dark-haired shinobi could not risk a fire right now. The enemy would not have to possess the Byakugan to be warned of his presence then, smoke would have done that just as fine.

Instead, from there he would walk, gray shinobi sandals leaving small prints on their wake. 
When he was briefed earlier today on the mission to recover at the same time a shipment of stolen weapons and a kidnapped victim, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t hoping to be saving a blonde green-eyed damsel in distress. But alas, the information that was given to the guard in question was balding and overweight. That definitely did not sound like a damsel in distress.

The gang of bandits known as Jaws of Grima, that Ayato had fought nearly three years ago, had long since perished. Instead, they had been replaced by the way worse gang of Jack Skellinger. An informant from the Black Market had tipped the Nova Corps that it was them behind the ambush.

Though sadly he would not be saving any beautiful princess today, perhaps he could extract some information on the whereabouts of the former Hoshigakure Shinobi and ex-student of Akabayashi Terumi, turned Crime Lord. Akabayashi was the second in command of the Nova Corps, behind Ayato. And the young Hyuuga had to wonder if been his association with the S-rank missing was that made him second and not first.

The wondrous desert. Ayato headed further out, with excessive use of profanity underneath the blazing sun while doing so. It was a treacherous walk, honestly torture. At first, he believed it to be a bad idea to head out so far without any backup. However, if there was any coming they’d catch up soon enough, knowing where the turned over caravan was and the prints of Ayato were there to follow.

The sight of a small wooden house he was met with interrupted his private musings. 

The door of the hut was an old ran down thing with rusty hinges. However, it had proven stronger than it looked, judging from the ax strikes that the bandits had left all over it, in an attempt to take it down.

Opening the door, the most curious thing that Ayato witnesses were the furniture. There were note. Immediately after, he took note of a flight of steep stone stairs leading down, lit by lanterns throughout the narrow hallway. So it was a hideout below the earth for this gang of bandits.  

The taijutsu expert entered this place and proceeded to walk down the stairs until he gazed his eyes upon an open room once coming out of the corridor. It was, of course, a sand room, but the sand seemed to hold itself and not collapse on the underground hideout. It was relatively bland, though having torches lit in a symmetrical fashion throughout the whole room. To his left and right were another flight of stairs that would bring him down to the basement.

The guard of the caravan was tied up naked in the middle of the room, his mouth closed by a ball gag. most likely to keep a good eye on him. The two kidnappers were scattered throughout the soundproof walls of the room, sharing jokes between them as they made fun of the man’s predicament.

“I thought you were supposed to wait. Why is there blood all over him?”

“Not my fault he tried to resist.”

“So who goes first?

“Wanna flip for it?”

Ayato was covered behind the staircase that he used to peer over the edge and scouted out the area and locating the lost shipment. At this point, he ought to take it and leave in a puff of smoke. This was getting too weird for what he had expected, and had half a heart to leave the man there. But no one deserved such fate.

[WC: 905]

The black spiky haired had long knew his clan lord, ayato, though, not personally. Well respected by his clan members for his great skills, sakuragi was not an exception.  For the past few days now, Sakuragi had been following every trail of the young master. He wanted to learn from him, but since the young hyuuga master held a high position in hoshigakure,  getting to talk to him would be something rare to find. Most importantly,  sparing time for some strange kid may be impossible to find. Sakuragi never had the chance to speak with ayato. He was always busy doing one thing or the other. Aside that, talking personally to someone who held such a high position in the village won't  come on a piece of free plate. 

Days have passed, the brown skin black spiky haired boy got to know that the young hyuuga master would take on a mission. Though, he does not yet know the mysteries behind the mission. He would continue to tail Ayato just like he had been tailing the young master for days. He would stealthy and secretly follow the young master when he embark on his mission. 

Definitely, the clan lord was blind to see that a curious kid had been tailing him for days.  Not a tone of worry would ring his mind about the mission. 

The day finally was here. The black spiky haired already knew which route ayato would take.   He got there some minutes before the young master would walk past the route. The curious spiky haired would hid himself on top of a tree. The leaves and branches would serve as cover for the boy. He would have no luck with not being seen would if the clan lord activate his byakugan.


 Most of the time, wielders of the byakugan activate them in  combat or in some certain situations. His heart  would beat calmly. Any moment from now, ayato would walk past this route. Sakuragi also knew the clan lord would be doing the mission alone, probably because he thought the mission would be an easy one.


He had hid himself on the branch of the tree. Since ayato would not have his byakugan active, he probably would not notice sakuragi. The black spiky haired let the young master walked a considerable distance before jumping safely from the tree and tailing him. He would walk past horrific scene. The sight of the dead animals was disgusting. Why would those thieves do this?.  This is no way to give an animal a proper burial. Ayato was walking some meters ahead of him, the horrific sight of the carcass made him even wanna help ayato in this mission. He wouldn't care if the young master eventually find, but for now he has to continue tailing ayato. 



The sun wondrously beat him in rays. His footsteps left footprints on the golden sand  as he walked. If only ayato would activate his byakugan, if only the gods would alert the young master that a living ghost was tailing him from distance. 


Sakurgi would continue to follow ayato until he saw the young master entered into a small wooden house. The black spiky haired was curious to know what ayato was going inside. He would curiously enter the house and began to walk Down stairs . He wasn't sure what the mission was all about. Have the Young master come from rescue some one or was he on a tour  , Sakura nt be sure. 


The young master was at the stairs ,probably observing the kidnspper. Sakuragi would see a figure tied . Perhaps that was the kidnapper. But would he be tied?.  His guess changed when he started hearing voices ahead of him away from the direction where the their was fine. Sakuragi would stay at a considerable distance away from Sakuragi. 



Unfortunately, for the black haired. His feet stumble, the boy would fall and roll from the where he was,  he would roll like a ball past Ayato . Unless the hyuuga lord was able to see from distance , able to notice on time to grabbed him on time. The noise and the rumbling would properly alert the kidnapper. The black haired is at the mercy of ayato. Hopefully,  he would grab  him Before he rolled in to where into where the kidnappers are .


TWC: 720

It was quite unfortunate for the kidnappers  that the rumbling and rolling hyuuga could not alert them, thanks to the sound proof walls. The hyuuga would activate his dojutsu the momment he stopped rolling. He was now few meters way ahead of Ayato. His hide and seek game was over since the hyuuga clanlord now see another uninvited shinobi in this domain. Sakuragi would stare foolishly at the Hyuuga Master, not knowing what to say.  He would take a bow, if the clanlord was still at his position. “Im sorry Sir, I have wanted to meet you for a very long time, I know now isn't the best time for that, my name is Sakuragi's” he would say and paused for a sec or two, if the  clanleader would say anything on that, the hyuuga genin would pay close attention to that and react according, If not, he would continue his speech as fast as possible. “ It seems that there are some bad guys here, my dojustu has captured everything here. Now, I see you're on a mission. I've been trailing and tailing you for some hours, wondering where you could be going” he would say to the hyuuga master if he hasn't moved in to attack.  




It was a good thing that the walls are sound proof, the kidnappers would not be able to hear Sakuragi talking, or Ayato, if he did at all. Sakuragi could see the kidnappers' location in the building. They are just two. The white eyed genin knew it would be unwise to move in alone , so he was relying on the clanlord. In the young boy's , he saw the kidnappers as a share, a cake. Ayato would take on half of the cake while the hyuuga genin takes the other half. The genin had never had a real fight before, at least , not like the one he is almost to have. It would be hard to predict or tell how skilled and experienced the harden criminals are, so it better to prepare for the unexpected. The hyuuga genin had learned to prepare for the unexpected at all circumstances, that sounds a bit tricky to do but not impossible.  He just need to be prepared, and with Ayato here, he sure feel safe.




The white eyed genin would begin to approach the kidnappers location. He doesn't have to walk stealthy , the walls and rooms of the building are so sound proof that you wouldn't be able to hear the person in the next. Who wanna be in an hideout like this ? . The kidnappers must be so dumb stupid to even think of being their hostage to a place like this. How would they know when someone invades ?  How would they know if there is something that they needed to attend to urgently. It's really just plain stupid of them, but it's to the two hyuugas advantage. Even though Sakuragi can't hear a sound from them, he could see them with his Byakugan and prolly Ayato too, if he activates his Byakugan. 






The genin was now at the corner of the room in which the criminals are, he could see them both talking, white eyed doesn't really cared what they were saying, he would move in to attack unless Ayato stops him. If he did , he would follow Ayato's orders, but if he didn't , the genin would throw a smoke bomb into the room, the smoke was not meant to suffocate them, just to annoy them enough to come out of the building. Sakuragi did so as to avoid the hostage getting hurt during their combat. The two kidnappers would rush out of the room as expected, but before they got out of the room , Sakuragi had already hid himself in another nearby room to where the criminals are. The kidnappers armed with swords would check around to see what could have caused the smoke, they would even split up just to find  out who or what could have caused that, that was exactly what Sakuragi wanted. One of the armed guys was in red clothing , the other was in blue clothing.  It times for him to engage these bastards, the one blue clothing was approaching Sakuragi's direction while the red clothing guy was closer to Ayato's mark.  Once the blue guy walked past the entrance of the room where the white eyed genin was hiding,  the spiky haired would dash out of the room where has been hiding , he would  charge at the blue guy , hoping to end him in one swift blow, his palm thrusted forward, he would attempt the mountain crusher tech but the opponent was fast enough to enough by dashing to the dash. He could hear Sakuragi's footsteps as he charged, alerting him of the danger and making him able to dodge the hyuuga's attack. 


Sakuragi was not surprised that his attack was dodged. The blue guy would attempt to Pierce the genin with his sword , but sakuragi was just fast enough to dodge the attack. Sakuragi would now attempt to go for one of his lethal techniques , but just as he was about to use the technique , he remembered that Ayato is still probably around here and since the technique he was about to was a wide range attack , it might damage  the whole surrounding, kill Ayato and even the hostage, and he doesn't want that, so he stopped. Instead he would pull out a kunai and attempt to slash the opponent. The blue guy easily blocked the attack with his sword and threw a kick the genin's torso which would send the boy flying across the area.




Sakuragi the rolled across the area,and only stopped by a wall, which he collide with. The genin would let out a smirk as he rose to his feet. Even though he expected this, he  was kind of  underestimating this guy , but it was time to have a real fight. He could have ended this battle in one swift attack but he might hurt the hostage and his comrade in the process, because of the wide range attack. The white eyed genin charged at the opponent once again, the guy would react by attempt to slash him with his sword, but sakuragi was able to disarmed him by striking with his palm, the fist that held the sword. Now unharmed and at such close range,  hyuuga would deliver a push kick to the oppoent torso. The force of the attack so strong that it sent the blue guy crashing through two walls before being stopped  by the third wall, which itself was cracked by the flying body. Sakuragi would walked towards the kidnapper, who was now lying helplessly on the ground, he wanted to make sure he was dead.  Once he got to where he was, he would give him a mocking look. Just then, the blue guy would mutter some words, which was unclear to sakuragi, and would attempt to rise to his feet. Sakuragi would simply channel chakra through  his feet and then would deliver a head stomp to the blue Guy's head , stomping his head through the ground , the force would crush the head, brains spilling on the ground, instantly killing the guy.  The genin need no words or even to question who they work for or stuffs like that, he just wanna get this mission over with. He believes Ayato is way more stronger than he is but hopefully, the clanlord is doing much fine with the other opponent or probably had him killed already. The white eyed genin would walk up to the hostage and release the chain and gag tied around him. So much joyous expression from the hostage. The spiky haired would await the clanlord, hopefully they will leave this place with the hostage soon enough if there's nothing else to do here.


TWC: 2028

Claiming Ayato's Signature (  Don't forget to Claim my signature too, Clanlord Ayato )

Everything happened in flash. A boy that appeared out of nowhere slipped on a banana and when tumbling down the stairs, Ayato made no effort to save him whatsoever. As even his Byakugan couldn't possibly react to this. Having given away their location, a combat sequence was initiated.


Of course, there would be a fight.

Which man would he face and which would he turn his back on? He had to choose soon before they were both on him, unchallenged. One. He flicked to the smaller man, coming in from the right. Two. His attention shifted to the larger man on the left, his eyes more unfocused, and his footing a little more unsure. Three. Ayato jumped and feigned right before moving all of his weight to the left. The man was slow, but his bicep rose just in time to block Ayato’s blow with his forearm. The Gentle Fist thrust dug deep into the leather-strapped to his skin, and though blood seeped through, it was not enough. Ayato pulled, but the fingers had dug too deeply and Ayato could not get them free. The man reached with his uninjured arm, wrapping long fingers around his throat. The man was too big. He kicked as his grip tightened. His breath wouldn't come.

A scream came from Sakuragi’s direction. 

The smaller man's skull had been smashed down by what appeared a stomp—his insides oozed out onto the stone floor. Ayato looked forward into the fearful eyes of the big man holding him and then, the Hyuuga shinobi knew what to do. The Outlaws muscles held him, so he jumped, using his arm as an anchor, and kicked both of his feet against the man's chest - utilizing the Gentle Step: Front Kick. A second later, the ANBU Captain landed on the ground with a loud thud, banging his already sore head against the dirt.

The bigger man stumbled back, and Ayato’s tanto came into view, ramming into the bandit's chest with its point end. The wilding began to fall, coughing up blood - the impact of the collision with the chakra infused tanto sending him flat on his back. Ayato reached for the sword -that the other fallen captor had dropped - and then stood.

 "You fucking idiot, you almost killed us both!" Ayato yelled at Sakuragi. Like the rest of his companions, the Big Man was also dying, he could see.  “Shifuro Akimichi” The Hyuuga Prince recognized. Also known as Shifuro the Cannibal. One of the most feared lieutenants of Jack Skellinger’s gang. No wonder why Ayato couldn’t get away from his grip. 

The strength had left of his enormous limbs, the knowledge of his own mortality seeped into his features. Ayato arched back, brought the knife deep down into Small Paul’s neck, and twisted until the body stilled. The ANBU dropped the weapon and stumbled back, shuffling his feet closer to the stools by the walls until his body fell heavily on top of one.

“What a mess.” Ayato's white eyes traced to the carriage driver that was tied and imprisoned in the middle of the room. He came very close to being dinner for these degenerates. The relief was apparent on his windburnt face, and after taking a few seconds to catch his breath Ayato stood back up and freed him.

As for the elephant in the room.

Maybe this Divine Palm was our hero. After the battle was over he gave a motivational beautiful speech which Ayato barely understood any word of it. Maybe, it was due to the fact that -like a wise old samurai from another universe said once- “A person cannot be this crazy without a shred of geniuses within them. Then again why take the risk.

“Listen, kid, I’m not going to bullshit you okay?” For a moment he was no longer Lord Ayato Hyuuga, but Ayato the sharp of tongue Genin. “I don’t give a good fuck why you’ve been stalking me for days now. But you are going to keep the clan’s secret safe one way or another. I can’t have someone with the Hyuuga last name be a loose cannon.”

The Hyuuga heir then cast a quick hand seal and with a few quick steps jammed a finger at Sakuragi’s forehead. Provided the kid had not escaped somehow, he would feel a burning sensation that would shake his very being, as the Hyuuga Curse Seal would be carved across his forehead. Once it was done, Ayato would continue.

“Do you believe I don’t know who everyone in my clan is?” The boy commander proclaimed, feigning ruthlessness. The secrets of the clan would be safe, both in the life and death of Sakuragi.  In truth he despised this ancient practice, tracing back to the founding years of his village of origin, and perhaps further deep in time. It was both ruthless and inhuman, the Hyuuga Curse Seal practice. However, this particular Byakugan heir understood sometimes you can’t be both the hero and the cold and calculating professional at the same time.

“This is for you Divine Palm, to protect yourself at all times. Good trade for the seal if you ask me.” From inside Ayato summoned a tiny wax-sealed yellow parchment. and handed it over to the bronze-skinned kinsman of his. “The moment you open this a reverse countdown will begin, and the scribbling within will disappear in two days’ time. The contents are impossible to copy so do not try to. Within that time it’s up to you to learn the jutsu.” Shina's fuinjutsu formulas were always the best.

"Now help me carry this stolen cargo, and escort their prisoner back to Hoshi."

WC: 968

[EXIT]

Claiming mission rewards
Rest of the claims coming at a later time

Sakuragi, without doubt knew that the older hyuuga and Anbu wouldn't have much problem dealing with the other kidnapper. He watched as the supposed clanlord. He would watch as Ayato jammed his finger on his forehead, placing a seal on on his forehead. The hyuuga genin was not expecting it, but it's for his own good. 

Once the mark had been placed on him, Ayato would summon and hand over to the genin, a tiny wax-sealed yellow parchment. He told him what to do with it. The Divine Palm of the Haven would consider it a gift and would receive it with gladness. He would then carry the stolen cargo and would escort  the prisoner back to hoshi, alongside Ayato.

TWC: 2146
Exit

Claiming 4100 ryo  + 10 AP
Using Max stat 
Adding 2146 to Disruption field(2146/3750)

Approved claims for Sakuragi

Claiming mission rewards 

4k ryo +750 bonus Ryo (ANBU at the time) +10 AP

1873 words to Lion Palm A-rank[1873/2750] no discount

18 ap

Approved