Halloween with Mitacho

With the matter of how to get into the place largely settled, Ryō settled next on mulling over the question of how to get through the place. The ominous feeling that surrounded the place had not ebbed; in fact, the feeling had grown stronger. What was curious, and intensely disconcerting, was the manner in which it grew stronger. It wasn't a steady increase in the aura, but rather a feeling that came in waves; It would grow in strength, wane ever so slightly, and then grow again. It was an incredibly strange sensation... almost like a monstrous heartbeat thudding gravely. 

Shaking that feeling off, Ryō refocused as another member of the group changed. There was still the question of how to get through the interior of the place without raising alarm. The answer to that question came from the Jōnin once again with her suggestion of a decoy prisoner. It was deceptive and simple, and wouldn't require a great deal of skill to pull off from whoever took the role of prisoner. Much as he hated the idea, Ryō volunteered to be the would-be-captive to better allow the others a chance to slip in without drawing any suspicion or raising alarm.

Although his skill with the Transformation Jutsu was more than adequate to have passed the Academy's graduation exam, and having had ample time to practice in his long time away from the village, Ryō nevertheless remained somewhat nervous. Of all the applications, inanimate objects were perhaps the trickiest part of the jutsu. Facial features were easy enough to get down, and clothing wasn't exceptionally hard if one studied how it fell against someone's body before transforming. But for this, he was going to need to project a rope as well to ensure the ruse was successful, and that meant getting the look, feel, and weight of the rope right.

Taking a moment to relax his breathing and let out the tension in his shoulders while he began to get a feel for the transformation in his head, Ryō briefly considered giving himself a few injuries to elevate the ruse further. His mind turned towards using a kunai to make a few cuts, perhaps draw some blood, and cut the plain and meager robe he was wearing before deciding against it. It wouldn't do to create any signs of possible errors for the group, and the few individuals who did not appear to be cultists all wore pristine clothing. A few had sported signs of a struggle, though those seemed subdued; perhaps a genjutsu had been placed on them to ensure their obedience. 

Ryō knelt down and got some dirt and smudged his face with it in a few places. Turning to the group, he briefly explained his train of thought and observations about earlier captives before he asked one of them to strike him. He knew he wouldn't be able to convincingly land a blown on his own that would give the appropriate bruising, and so Ryō took a moment to prepare and prevent himself from making a sound that might alert someone before he took a blow to the face. Immediately he tasted copper in his mouth and his ears were ringing. Taking a moment to compose himself and steady his breathing, Ryō brought his hands together and weaved the signs to perform the Transformation Jutsu. 

A brief wall of smoke obscured him before dissipating, leaving him standing there in some much simpler clothing and without the presence of his headband to ensure no suspicion was cast upon him as a threat. A length of rope coiled at his feet, already tied together around one wrist. He gave the rope an experimental heft and frowned. It was about the right weight, and it certainly looked right, but it felt off in his hands; rather than being coarse like its appearance indicated it would be, his rope had a rather soft, almost plush texture to it. Glad then that the rope wouldn't be handled by anyone other than one of the group, Ryō handed the one he knew to be the Leaf Jōnin the end of his rope and allowed himself to be led into the complex.

-----

WC: 696
TWCL 2,315

"That could be a good idea but if we get caught in the process we may have to try a more...direct method. If it comes to that let me handle it. We don't need to use any ninjutsu or anything that could cause some major issues inside...a very face to face method would be better yeah?," So since two of them had already been transformed into the cultist that would leave it up to the others to get into position. Disguised as a cultist, Mita would move beside Goto and wait for him," Whenever you are ready we can get this over with and hopefully get us to wherever we need to go...Actually I have an idea...How good can you fake being knocked out?," he would allow the question to sit for just a moment and once Goto had replied, Mita would begin to pick the silver haired male up and over his shoulders. One thing about Mita was while he didn't look like he had been physically strong, he was indeed stronger than most of his age group. Slinging the male onto his shoulder was no hard feat and as the group began to move toward the citadel. Inwardly Mita had been weary of the plan but also knew that if he had shown that it could probably be picked up on. For the most part he would remain silent as he stayed to the left of Lachasis, letting them do the speaking if they felt like it. The silent monk was something he could fit very well into and thankfully that would be the case for him.

When they arrived there was a strange quiet above them as the new guards looked them over and then let them into the citadel, no words being exchanged or questions asked. That was probably one of the best things that could happen in this particular plan and one Mita was quite happy with to be honest," We got in which is the good part now where do we go from here...," the thought was silent, yet floating within his mind as he looked about the inside of the large structure. Going past them had been many people, cultist fluttering to and fro going places Mita probably didn't even want to think about. What he was curious about was what this place's true purpose was for. As the group moved forward, Mita could feel the eyes of one...no two peering onto him, and from the darkness of the hood he would peer back. Something about the two struck him as odd even though they seemed to have been cultists as well...what was it that struck him as odd. One walked over to the group, while Lachasis was dealing with other guard, asking Mita specifically what he was doing with the one on his shoulder.

It was a time in which quick thinking was going to play a key role and he needed to do something quickly. Clearing his throat he would get a feel of the voice that he was about to portray quickly and speak," Found these two in the outskirts on our way here...Perfect beings for sacrifice who put up some resistance but fell in the end. Where might these prizes be taken?," it was a gamble and one he did not want to lose. If he had failed this that would put all of them in a bind, one that could spill the end for them. As fate would have it however, the one asking the questions would smile almost gleefully as he took a step back," Good job. We are preparing a ritual at the top of the complex and are in need of more...willing...well subjects to accept our Lord's love. Continue on the right path and make a left after the fourth tunnel and it will lead you to a spiral staircase to the ritual room. Do not be late," what Mita saw from the smile that the person had given him confused but also perplexed the young Suna Shinobi but it would be something that he would bring up later.

Giving a quick nod he would turn and walk toward the area the cultist had spoken of hopefully with the others in tow and without any other issues. Once they were out of ear and eyeshot he would turn to the others and sit down Goto so he could walk about," Noticed that cultist's teeth were....odd almost as if i had seen it before. Never the less we are where we need to be...Once we get up here we need to be on alert. Never know what might happen," and with that he would continue up the stairs at a slow pace, mentally preparing himself for whatever would come next, but the real danger would be whatever they were doing in this chamber upstairs.

811 WC

Before they would knock on the door it appeared the female shinobi had an idea that might be better suited given their situation. Goto listened attentively as the kunoichi explained what exactly she had in mind, paying attention to the details she mentioned. Considering they were dealing with people bringing in human sacrifices the woman suggested for both Senju to act as one, a proposal the other two found themselves agreeing with. "I suppose it's never too late to discover my acting skills" the silver haired replied to Mitacho's question before taking on the role of a lifeless body and letting himself being thrown over his companion's shoulder.

Assuming the four of them were now ready to continue their plan Goto did his best to play his part perfectly. With both eyes closed his other senses were sharpened, the smell of blood and the sound of people inside increased the ominous feeling he'd been having all that time. Some moments passed, not that much but still enough for the silver haired to nervously wonder if they were going to succeed in getting in without getting caught. From what he could make out of it Goto figured so far so good, the door opening for them as he was carried inside by Mitacho. Even though the youngster had gotten curious about what he would be able to see if he opened his eyes it would be for the best if he continued playing the role of sacrifice not to give away their cover.

While the kunoichi talked to one of the guards another of those pests came closer to Goto and the Sunagakure shinobi whose transformation was still being maintained. "Did we get caught?" were the thoughts inside his mind, worrying if their plan failed and they had to fight their way out. Preparing for the worst the Senju then listened as Mita took the word and explained why and what he planned on doing with the person being carried over his shoulder. Proceeding with what they agreed on it appeared the guard was more than happy with what he was told. "How sick can they be", once again Goto would think to himself, growing frustrated and disgusted with the poor excuse of human beings they encountered.

The guard then gave them directions of where to go, the silver haired noticing they started moving again. To the right, then take a left after the fourth tunnel and eventually it would lead them to a spiral staircase to the ritual room. Still being carried the Konohagakure shinobi made sure to make a mental note of said directions in case they needed to make it back rather sooner than later. Assuming nothing else stopped their group from moving forward it would only be a matter of time before they came to find what had been taking place inside the building. Once they were out of sight it was no longer required for Goto to be carried around as he was put down and back onto his own two feet.

Looking at the others the Leaf Deputy followed behind, carefully making his way up the stairs wondering where it would lead them. According to the guard who sent them that way they'd soon find themselves close to the ritual room. Even the name alone gave him the chills, the sound of it enough to imply nothing good was happening there. The same ominous feeling as when their group entered the building came over him again, a sign that whatever was waiting for them wouldn't be what they hoped for. "I suppose we're about to find out". Cautiously moving forward Goto prepared to react to anything coming his way. 

(WC: 614, TWC: 4131)

The cultists were vile, true, but what they had done to civilians was likely no less horrid than the things she herself had inflicted on others. Despite being assigned to Interrogation at a young age, at some point, the blame lay on her and her alone. Had they not been directly interfering with the lives of the group, and perhaps other ninja, Lachesis imagined that most villages would have turned a blind eye to Yugakure’s plight. It was awful, but Hot Springs was out of the way, and Konohagakure was ill equipped to waste even a couple capable shinobi on a mission such as that. The fact that three of them had been pulled into a dream was coincidence and coincidence alone.

Perhaps in a better world, Lachesis mused, such stinginess wouldn’t be necessary. Then again, in that better world, would she still be alive?... Did the other Konoha natives know what she herself had done to what the former kage- Kinzoku- had ordered her to do to those deemed enemies of the village? It didn’t matter if they were born in Konoha or not, or if they were adults- threats had to be interrogated and neutralized. Who was she to say no? The answer was simple; she was a coward. She wouldn’t make up for her failures today or tomorrow, but perhaps she could start today. The falsely unconscious shinobi on her shoulder jostled slightly as she took a turn up the stairs. She wasn’t a sensor, but even she could tell that there was something ominous waiting at the end of the hallway.

Oddly enough, there were no guards to be seen on the second floor. Perhaps they were all on the first- or otherwise, perhaps whatever resided up here was strong enough to not need the common support networks utilized by regular shinobi. Underestimating the enemy would get them killed, but any overestimation could be dangerous as well. She took a sharp right, following the guard’s directions. The door seemed to be locked with a complex fuuinjutsu array- the cultists likely used another method to get in. A few moments pacing down a damp and mildewy building had her take a left. Up a staircase. there were seven separate hallways here, but their group was looking for the fourth. And… She assumed their destination would be up the grand spiral staircase before them. The Onomori looked around- there were no evident guards, and the pressure of the foreign chakra was nigh unbearable.

She placed Goto down gently, waiting for Mitacho to do the same to Ryou. She didn’t know any of their names yet, of course; but names were easier to use for reference than an endless string of ‘he said, she said.’ After a moment, she dropped the transformation, shaking out her arms and legs. The transformation was shorter than her own height, and furthermore, had… Many features she was deeply unfamiliar with. She was clad in familiar leggings and a baggy shirt- both black Konoha standard, featuring the Uzushio spiral on either shoulder. Her boots were a bright gray- she’d nabbed them from clearance a month or so ago, and they hadn’t led her astray yet.

Inhale. One, two, three. Exhale. Two, three. The leaf jounin looked towards the rest of their group, wordlessly asking if they were prepared for whatever mess stood ahead. She looked briefly at Goto and Mitacho- she’d take the lead, unless the two protested. Ryou was the least experienced out of the four of them. The rest of the group had seen her create senbon before, but the exact technique wouldn’t be showcased until now. Her fingers rapidly flexed through five handseals- Bird, Horse, Dog, Tiger, and Bird again, and the air seemed to grow colder and colder. She grabbed an icicle as it formed mid air, and the weapon expanded in her grip to a nearly two meter long spear of translucent ice- well, it was off by a handful of inches, but she doubted anyone was counting.

She glared at the other participants in this impromptu mission, wordlessly daring them to speak up or ask why a Yuki clansman so blatantly flew the Konoha colors. Her gaze turned back to the door, and she held up her left hand. Her fingers would gradually lower as she began a countdown. Five. Four. Three… She clenched her spear harder. Two… Parallel to the ground, dominant hand closer to the bottom for increased leverage. One. Inhale.

Lachesis slammed forward with all the speed and force of an experienced weapons user. The door cracked with near deafening volume as it slammed inwards on its hinges into the other side of the wall. There were seven cultists in all; six appeared in some sort of formation surrounding the center figure, and the center figure seemed to be the source of whatever foreign chakra she had been wondering about earlier. Despite her noise, only the six men reacted; she didn’t know how long the center figure would remain indifferent, though.

Her boreal spear tore through the throat and spine of one man before the rest caught on. One down, six to go. She was on to the next with a clash of iron and ice; another man was eyeing her like he was about to attack, while the other three were eyeing the group.

The central figure still had yet to move, despite all of this. What the fuck was he doing? Lachesis wasn’t sure, and she personally hoped that she’d never be put in a position to find out.

[WC: 1,000]
[Total WC: 2,754]

Anxiety coursed through Ryō's veins as they moved deeper and deeper into the complex. It was rapidly becoming apparent to him that they weren't dealing with run-of-the-mill cultists and crazies this time. There was something truly sinister going on in this place, and Ryō was doing his level best to not panic and screw it up for the rest of them. In some ways, his anxiety was actually a boon; what sort of person would be a captive in a place like this and not be nervous? He struggled to keep a lid on it however and ensure that he gave nothing away.

He did his best to memorize which way they traveled within the complex, but between the many turns and his own inexperience under such high pressure, he quickly became lost. Fortunate to have been in a group with more experienced shinobi, Ryō instead focused his thoughts on what to do once the fighting broke out. As much as he hoped that they'd have an easy time cutting the head off of the snake, he doubted his own optimism in this situation; the group was far too organized to be taken out easily, and the vile energy that had permeated the place was a sure sign of power.

When they finally stopped and Ryō was allowed to stretch, he did so gratefully while dropping the Transformation. Relieved to be back in more familiar garb, he massaged his wrists and did some quick stretch while the group conferred and prepared. Checking to make sure his own weapon pouch was in place and ready, the Senju gave a calming breath and steadied his chakra. A fight was sure to break out now, and they weren't going to be taking prisoners if he had any guess about it. It was kill or be killed time. 

Watching the Jōnin make a spear of ice was incredibly fascinating to Ryō; he had heard of the Yuki Clan and Ice Release before, but seeing it up close was still a novel experience and it made him wonder about what his own capabilities truly were. He was no stranger to the heritage of his clan and the oft occurring Wood Release. Perhaps with time... but this wasn't the time to dwell on that. Tensing his muscles in preparation as the countdown began, Ryō stared past the door and waited for the signal to be given. When the door was violently kicked in, Ryō leapt into action.

Stopping behind and to the right of the group's Jōnin, Ryō quickly produced several shuriken in each hand and volleyed them at one of the cultists who raised a dagger in alarm. They were quick to deflect the shuriken, indicating some proficiency with ninja tools and tactics. However, their reaction was just what Ryō was hoping for. As the shurikens arced and closed on their target, only to be deflected, Ryō quickly wove several hand seals and molded earth chakra in his mouth. As he spit towards the cultists, the chakra coalesced into small, half-fist-sized rocks that slammed into the opening created by his shurikens. Several of the rocks caught the cultist across the chest, sending him tumbling backward while the last hit higher and cracked his nose, sending him reeling backward with blood spurting from his nostrils. 

As the rest acted, Ryō's eyes fell on the central figure who seemed more than content to merely kneel as the others were attacked. Something about that level of calm spooked Ryō, and he pulled out a pair of kunai and clutched them tightly in his hands while waiting for the next move to be made.

-----

WC: 602
TWC: 2,917

The silence that crept as the four went up the stairs had been deafening, almost as if they were walking into their deaths or the discovery of something that would shake them all to their core. Mita kept his nerves as calm as the flame that had been building inside of him for if he became scared there would be no going back for him...he'd run. But he wasn't a runner anymore. He acquired the nerves and courage to stand and continue to push forward with his life, and with that power he would see this through. The Konoha Kunoichi had decided to take the lead up the stairs which Mita didn't outwardly oppose though why she wanted to be the spearhead of the team was a bit odd to him. He did not have a preference on who took head, but with the silence between them at the moment each of them must have had something going on in their brains. Of the four he had only seen a combative display from his earlier "friend" Goto in the graveyard and the display of the Kunoichi just outside the citadel which only begged the question of how would the 4th react to an actual combat situation. He had honestly hoped it would not come to anything severe but the closer the group of four came to the door the more the smell of blood leaked. Finally at the top and staring at the door with the Cultist symbol on it, his hands gripped slowly into fists as his mind continued to wonder one thing. "What is on the other side of this door...and will it be the last for us?" The question kept replaying in his mind as he continued to think it over and when the subtle shift in the air changed, he knew it was time. For the others it might have gotten cold, but Mita never knew the cool embrace of the cold, his body couldn't. The warmth over his body began to ebb and flow as he rolled his shoulders and the moment the countdown began he knew what was about to come. This was it. There was no going back and there was no punking out. To the other three this would be their final battle in this hellscape that held them captive.It was almost poetic and comforting knowing that this could potentially be his last bout, but knowing that he could do it was enough for him. Four. Three. Two. One.

The door was pushed in and buckled, the swinging of half broken hinges and splintering wood signaled the assault as the four moved in. In the middle he could see the seven that were pointed out by the Kunoichi but while she only focused on the center she forgot about the dark corners in which the candles that littered the circle did not cover. Keen eyes could see more...claws and teeth. Disfigured and transformed faces that told Mita that this was a den of monsters and demons. What would have scared an inexperienced shinobi only made Mita smile. While the other two had jumped into the frey to deal with those within the circle, Mita quickly pointed out to Goto the left side of the room," There are some hiding within the darkness...While the other two deal with the middle lets take the sides," hopefully Goto had heard him as Mita performed four seals and slung his arm forward toward the right. From his hand flames would sprout cutting off the right side from the middle and left, revealing about eight more cultists. A smile appeared on his face as he stepped through the flames and declared to the group," You will not make it past these flames...and you will not make it past me. Bring your all or die," it wasn't him bolstering about his skills...it was a matter of fact. The cultists cursed and snarled under their breath toward the Suna Genin, but the closer they got to the sooner they would find out that they were dealing with a true flame. The eight tried to size Mita up as he took his stance and waited for the first victim. Of the eight two looked at one another and charged blindly toward the Suna Genin who only smiled. He counted the steps and slid his right foot back before taking in a deep breath and nodding," One." As the word came out Mita would slide into one of them with swiftness, his hands grabbing for two areas. His right hand would grab at the inner thigh while the left moved for his waist. With one swift movement he was thrown into the fire and once the other got close the only thing it felt was the flat fingers of Mita piercing its throat.

As he came forward, the motion was fluid and without error as he flattened his hand to imitate a blade, and with the precision and speed he had trained day and night on, his hand would find the spine underneath flesh and blood and pull it out. A body would thud as he shook his hand free of the blood, the smile being replaced with a serious look as he waived his hand forward," If you keep playing around with me you will all die before this is over...come at me," the other six were enraged...maybe even mad that a kid just took out two of them almost effortlessly. The flames behind Mita began to dull and lessen though the Fire Meijin did not falter. Around him was still warm because of the dying fire, but the temperature didn't drop...it kept rising. From the body of Mita strings of steam would begin to slowly erupt and continue as he held his right hand out, flat with each finger tip pointing to the sky as his right eye began to burn a strange green color, and his body began to flicker with flames. He didn't know how far the others were to completing their task and leaving only the main cultist in the middle. The flames would finish erupting and bursting around his body like a cloak, the heat itself enough to burn the body that was in front of him. The others were not impressed, they all charged in at once in hopes to overpower the young male. A small smile erupted on his face as he brought his right foot up an inch off of the ground and with a stomp, an omni-directional sphere would erupt from his body bombarding the others and incinerating the six as their ashes fed the fire. Maintaining the fire like cloak, he would turn to the others and see how their endeavors fared, hoping they would be done with this so they could deal with the kneeling cultist together.

Though the fires on and around him burned, he maintained the heat to a meter around himself so that the others did not get burned or even maimed on accident. Fire was volatile after all.

1,173 WC

Shit was about to go down. Goto had to think back at the time where Mitacho and himself needed to battle a mass of dancing zombies, but this time their opponents were going to be able to put up a fight as well. The young Senju watched as the female Jounin formed a set of hand seals after inhaling deeply, the surrounding air growing colder by the minute only for the kunoichi to grab an icicle which she then turned into a weapon that closely resembled a long spear. "Impressive" was the first thing coming to mind, witnessing the abilities of those of the Yuki clan firsthand, an advanced element capable of being as powerful as his own.

The door in front of them went down with a simple breeze, the woman carrying her spear and slamming down whatever was separating both groups that would evidentally lead to a clash between a couple of cultists and people who were still trying to figure out how and why they got there. Looking ahead Goto noticed seven weirdos, one in the middle with the others centered around him. With his silver hair fitting perfectly in the area that had been turned into an ice cold dome the Konohagakure Deputy watched as her spear pierced the throat of one of the cultists, alarming the others of their presence.

From the looks of things it appeared Ryō, the more inexperienced of the bunch, was completely in awe and fascinated by Lachesis' performance. The Senju could understand why, witnessing the powers of a Yuki up close would be quite an impressive sight to behold. However, the boy soon realized actions needed to be taken immediately lest they wanted to give the Jashinists a fighting chance. Goto watched as his fellow companion reached for a handful of shuriken before throwing each projectile at one of the other opponents, the ninja tools used as a diversion for what could be considered the actual attack.

With an opening created the youngster would use the momentum to launch the second part of his assault, several rocks made out of earth being shot and successfully hitting their target both in the chest and nose. Two down, four more to go. Up til that point his Sunagakure companion had remained on the sidelines, calmly observing what went on. The fire inside Mita appeared to have started burning as he signaled Goto to take the left side and deal with those while he himself would handle the right. A quick nod to confirm to be in agreement.

It appeared there were more cultists than the seven they originally thought, another eight coming at Mitacho before the Sunagakure dealt with them using his flames, similar to what the boy showcased at the graveyard a while ago. In the meantime Goto noticed how he was suddenly flanked by an equal amount of worshippers, all enraged that their ceremony got disturbed and interrupted by a couple of youngsters. Deciding he wouldn't let the others outperform him the silver haired Deputy followed the example of Mita, showing he as well knew a couple of burning tricks.

Inhaling deeply Goto would then spit out a total of six fireballs before launching them at their target. Although the volley would be far from enough to take the Jashinists out in one swoop, they'd still inflict damage even more so the Deputy made sure to cause an explosion from each single one of the fireballs. Using the diversion created by the smoke of his first attack the Senju followed up by forming three different hand seals, Snake-> Ox-> Tiger. A river of mud spewed out from the boy's mouth, flowing away from the direction he was facing.

As it traveled the river would sweep those with not enough strength to resist the approaching mud, losing their balance in the process. Considering he didn't bring any ninja tools with him Goto figured he might as well use a technique as an alternative. Forming yet another set of hand seals a total of eleven water shuriken were formed within his mouth before being shot at the cultists who remained. Through the use of Needle Jizō the Leaf shinobi wrapped his silver hair around his body in order to protect him from the incoming attacks.

Figuring it wouldn't hurt taking a second defensive measure the Deputy created a wall made out of water which circled around him and rose upward. With his vision not obscured by the jutsu it enabled him to prepare another move to deal with those still standing. Manipulating the same water wall he sent it in the direction of the cultists, the volume taking on the appearance and shape of a six by three meter long shark, with additional water following in its wake. Riding along within the water shark as it moved allowed him to travel faster, closing the distance between both parties.

Three branches were then created from his right shoulder, firing them at yet another target. Transforming his left arm into eight, one-foot thick trunks the Senju extended the wood to impale as many enemies as possible. Now standing on solid ground again he'd touch the surface, creating ten earthen spears which were sent at the opponents. In case all of that wasn't enough the youngster began preparing a final set of hand seals, preparing to activate Majestic Fire Direction if need be. But for now he decided to check on the aftermath and if any of his companions were in need of assistance. 

(WC: 919, TWC: 5050)

The next cultist fell with a ruptured lung and trachea. Blistering heat assuaged her skin from the corners- Mitacho’s doing?- and she sidestepped a hail of bullet shaped rocks, looking around briefly as she slicked the blood off the blade. Everyone seemed to have it roughly handled- but that left just the head honcho in the center. She spit blood from her mouth, looking him dead in the eye-

…

Eye sockets. Ritual scarification had rendered large chunks of his body with winding and twisting marks that may have been beautiful on anyone else. He was missing chunks of flesh, of his fingers, and other parts that she likely couldn’t see. Even with his apparent hindering disability, he felt the most dangerous of everyone in the room. As the last of the cultists- save for him- collapsed, the odd candles went out with a puff of smoke as a vast seal below him began to light up with an ominous yellow glow.

Shit. The glance(?) they shared was simple- and she understood with a sudden clarity what he was doing. The ninshu user- what?- shared with her something simple-

The technique required sacrifices.

Who they were or where they came from was ultimately irrelevant.

They’d inadvertently completed the ritual.

Fuck.

She could barely comprehend what he took from her, so focused was she on the immediate shitfest that was about to occur. A sharp, multi toned whistle left her lips and a six foot spear of ice launched from above her into his leg.

He rolled out of the way, and as such it only nicked his outer thigh.

“Destroy the circle!” she ordered firmly, leaving no room for argument. She launched forward with a devastating swipe towards his neck, barely avoiding a seven fingered grab towards her ankle.

She lunged towards the spear, currently buried in the floor, effectively dual wielding two weapons that were not meant to be used together. What followed next was instinctual and at near dizzying speeds. The ninshu using cultist was trying to lure her attacks into comrades, and she was trying to herd him away to provide them room to destroy the circle in whatever way they saw fit.

He got in some good hits with chakra claws of some sort- maybe a scalpel?- towards her left hip, staining her sweatpants with sticky red fluid. She clipped his ear, cutting half of it off, and noting dimly that that was his ONLY ear. The fuck was he doing?

An idiotic strategy came to mind as she ducked beneath another scalpel swing. None of what they did carried over into the real world, right?

Obviously that wasn’t the case for whatever weird ritual they were doing, but.

…She hoped she wouldn’t die for this in real life. Oof. Instead of dodging the cultist’s next attack, she leaned into it, allowing him to get a nasty scrape across her face, nearly missing her eye and revealing muscle, jaw bone, teeth, and partially exposing her sinus cavity to the world around them. And with that, she plunged a stolen weapon through his heart and a glacial spear directly through his throat.

With a hearty yank, his head was hanging on naught more but dangling sinew and skin.

She severed them with no second thought. And…

Assuming the others had done their work, the ritual circle was broken. She blinked; it was difficult to see. Lachesis wiped her face with her sleeve, probably not particularly sanitary, but…

Hm. Was that mucus?

Did he cut part of her nose as well? The Konohagakure ninja shook her head, bringing small amounts of water to her hands from an E ranked technique to wipe off a few bits of grime.

The world shook minutely- perhaps they were beginning to wake up?

Lachesis turned to the fellow mission participants. Mitacho- evidently a fire user from Sunagakure, if his headband was an indication- and two strangers who she’d possibly see around the village.

Nearly none of what happened in the past few dreams was recalled in the morning- vague impressions at most, and nothing as concrete as faces or names.

Part of her wished to remember this- logically, any intel on the situation was good.

Plus, she wanted to remember the capabilities of her two village members, to see if they could reach such heights in the waking world.

Blood dripped disconcertingly down her face, and when her eyes slipped shut, she was in her bed.

…

…

…

Her face was sore for some reason. What was she dreaming about again…?

Oh well. If she couldn’t remember it, it probably wasn’t that important anyway.

[WC: 773]
[Total WC: 3,527]

(Exit)

Completed 4 missions (Splatter puzzle, the event arc)

Claiming:
+10 stats into chakra
+25 stats into vigor
+4,500 ryo (Splatter)
+6,500 ryo (arc 1)
+10,500 ryo (arc 2)
+13,000 ryo (arc final)
+in total, that's 34,500 ryo. yee haw
+163 bonus ap
+36 tickets
+1 golden ticket

+400 words into https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t50240-winter-breathing-style#380791 ; rest in topic with https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t50321-the-great-furry-escapade-mission-shin
+2,750 words into https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t49920-water-release-starch-syrup-capturing-field a rank yo holla
+remaining 377 words into https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t50335-water-release-mouth-shot

The fighting that broke out was brutal, the sort of thing that's taught about in the Academy. Ryō had heard stories of real shinobi fights and how the techniques exchanged could sunder whole groups of people or even small buildings. That was the sort of power that Ryō aspired to possess and utilize but was certainly far beyond his current capabilities. Great gouts of fire and mud, streams of wood and ice; this was how a real shinobi fought. Even with his raw inadequacy put on display so blatantly, Ryō wasn't about to sit on his hands and let them do everything. 

Running at a cultist who pulled out a lightning bolt-shaped dagger, Ryō quickly began exchanging blows. Blocking an overhead plunge of the dagger with his kunai, crossing the blades to catch the cultist's blade, Ryō threw the blow to his right before using that momentum to wheel about and kicked the cultist into a wall with a heavy blow from his right leg. Only staggering the cultist, Ryō quickly found himself beset once again, this time with wild stabs and slashes that made it difficult to predict exactly how the cultist would attack next. 

Rather than continue to engage in close-quarters combat with a deranged man, Ryō instead opted to throw his kunai into the ceiling and vaulted backward, flipping several times to open some distance. Quickly weaving the hand signs for his Stone Pistol Jutsu once again, Ryō sent out a second barrage of stones to harass the cultist. This one was smarter than the first however and avoided the rocks or slashed them to bits. There was a great deal of power in his blows that only further solidified that choice to avoid more melee with the man. It did provide just the opening Ryō needed, however.

As the man charged him, Ryō sprang his trap. Flooding his muscles with chakra, his vision of the world abruptly shifted as he briefly accelerated at inhuman speeds. Rather than catching a dagger to the chest, the blade impaled the wooden support beam as Ryō reappeared against the ceiling, clutching the two previously thrown kunai. Pushing off the ceiling with everything he had, Ryō blitzed through the air with his kunai spinning before he crashed against the back of the cultist; each blade slipped easily through cloth and buried itself into his back and lungs. 

He could hear the wetness in that surprised cough from the cultist as he stumbled forward from the blow. Ryō jumped off his back, leaving his kunai buried in the man, and skidded to a stop several meters from him. The man turned, his hood falling away to expose empty, bloody eye socks and a mouth twisted in rage and pain even as blood spilled from the corners of his lips. He took one heavy step forward, raised a shaking arm up with the dagger as if to attack the Senju again, and then fell against the ground, dead.

All around him, Ryō saw that the others were similarly wrapping up their much larger fights while the Leaf Jōnin was engaging the figure at the center of the room. This time he had no opportunity to stand in awe and watch as a firm order was given and his mind immediately latched onto it. Destroying the ritual circle wouldn't be too hard; a far easier task than having to tangle with that monster of a man. Grabbing another kunai, Ryō quickly set out leaping from support beam to support beam, only briefly letting his feet skim across the floor as he would skid past, dragging the bladed edge through the wood and ruining the carefully etched patterns and lines of the circle as he did. 

With a sickening thud, Ryō looked up as saw the central figure's head fall and splat against the floor. As it did, the world seemed to shift out of focus for a moment before an odd sensation began to build in the back of his head. Everything seemed to lose cohesion; bodies and buildings alike began to fall apart into smoke.  He gave a final glance at the others in the room, some part of him hoping to remember their faces as the dream came to an end. It was a dream, wasn't it? Though... that didn't mean it wasn't real.

...

...

...

Ryō stared up at the ceiling of his room, waking up for the second time that night. His earlier feelings of disappointment and shame from his first nightmare had long since vanished. There was something to this most recent one that stuck with him, further cementing his drive to become better. It wasn't unusual for him to remember his dreams, particularly the more vivid ones, so remembering flashes of them wasn't unusual for him. To have had two in one night was a little surprising, though he chalked that up to his personal feelings finally becoming clear in his mind after his time back in Konoha.

It was still early in the morning, far earlier than he normally would have been up. A part of him wanted to turn over and go back to sleep for a time. But as he lay there, staring at the wall, a thought began to crystalize. That was what he had always done before... more of the same behavior and patterns. If he wanted to get better... Ryō threw off the blanket and got dressed. He knew he would regret this later, but he was desperate to improve himself, to be a better shinobi; for his sake, for his clan's sake, for his village's sake. 

Feeling that some invisible hurdle had been passed and that perhaps something had been accomplished in his dreams that would never have happened in the waking world, Ryō jumped out of his window and made his way to the training grounds. There was more to do, and he felt, finally, that he might have a real chance to improve and grow stronger. And maybe, one day, he would be proud of himself. 

-----

WC: 1,002
TWC: 3,919

[Completed 4 missions; Splatter Puzzle & The Truth Arc]
4,000 Ryo, 20 AP, 6 Tickets (Splatter Puzzle)
6,000 Ryo, 30 AP, 8 Tickets (The Truth Part 1)
10,000 Ryo, 50 AP, 10 Tickets (The Truth Part 2)
12,500 Ryo, 63 AP, 12 Tickets, 1 Golden Ticket (The Truth Part 3)

Total: 32,500 Ryo, 163 AP, 36 Tickets, 1 Golden Ticket

3,500 WC (4,000 Total) spent for Ryō's second element, Water Release.
Stat Gains: 5 to Vigor, 15 to Chakra, 5 to Speed, 10 to Strength

The night was endless and the battles long. He had not known how long they were fighting but he could easily tell things were coming to an end. The only thing that stood in the way had been the praying cultist and his circle. The Konoha Kunoichi had already engaged him which mean maybe this was about to be done. What he didn't think about was what she shouted....the circle. The cycle wasn't broken and it made sense. Blinking he would ignite allowing the flames to flicker and burn brighter as he weaved through a few hand seals for one of his strongest fire techniques.

Instead of releasing it through his mouth his hands would glow an incandescent red as he brought his hand down toward the part of the circle. The fire wasn't the powerhouse.... it was the power of his punch that would break and destroy the very ground that the circle had occupied.  With the combined might of all three the circle would Crack and break ending the endless night. A sigh would escape his lips as the flames that flickered around him slowly retreated inward before disappearing and leaving his normal form for all to see.

Looking over to the others he would give a small thumbs up as he felt something change in the air," thus the night ends... it's not a bad end to this but...I'm glad. Maybe we'll meet again Goto and we can actually hang out instead of fighting zombies, ", there was a small chuckle as he felt himself falling into a coma once more. In the night he found himself in the night air of Sunagakure,  his mind trying to regale the dream but nothing came to pass...whatever it was had been something grand but for now he stared into the night sky hopeful of the future.

[Exit]
TWC: 5,731
Claiming the following:
40,500 Ryo
203 AP (Mission)
50 Tickets
1
Golden Ticket

Justu Claims:
Mastering Blast Wave ( No Hand seals) = 1850 WC
Learning Fire Dragon Bullet (2,063)(Mastering it for No hand seals for 2,063)
Learning Perfect Body B Rank (1500)
Putting 314 Words toward Crimson Blazing Heart C Rank