Offerings - [Yurei, Damon]

Fri Dec 10, 2021 8:50 pm

Mission:

Rain trickled over the statue, carving its way through cracks made through years of erosion. It was stone, and though its features had waned, the figure before the man was still recognizable. It depicted a God or monster of some sort with a face not dissimilar from the porcelain mask Yurei wore on his face. Fangs bared and a furrowed brow, the adornment hid the Uchiha’s eyes in shadow as he gazed at the mirrored image before him. A yokai.

Again. He thought, lowering his head to the base of the statue. At the creature’s feet lay a basket. Yurei had grown accustomed to it and its contents. This was the fifth time this month alone. Beneath the tapestry encasing the basket were pastries, rice, and other foodstuffs meant to thank the nearby village’s protector - an offering.

They’d not been in Forest Country for two months and already their notoriety had spread here as well. It was no achievement in truth, tall tales had spread quickly among the villages laden on the outskirts between the powers of the shinobi world. Small towns such as these had few points of interest, and what amounted to gossip was far more fervent amongst them than it ever had been in the major villages Yurei had lived in.

The shinobi parted his kimono, stepping forward and clasping the basket with his spindly arms. He stood straight, much taller now than he had been back in Lightning Country, and went on his way.

“She’s visited the shrine again,” Yurei said matter-of-factly. The woman in question was elderly, perhaps in her seventies - extraordinarily old by the standards of the time. She, Aoi, Yurei had heard her called, was the only one left in the nearby village with reverence for the old Gods until recently. Now, rumors of monsters chasing off bandits had made it difficult for children to be lulled to sleep at night. However, the Uchiha’s exploits had made it so that rogue shinobi had nights just as sleepless.

Yurei lifted the cloth acting as the cave’s door, finding Damon Uchiha instead. Their temporary setup was modest. Two chairs, a small fire, pots and the like they’d collected in their travels. The walls were made of rock with specs of ore sprinkled about, lights dancing around the pair from the embers still toiling at the wood. “We’ll need to leave soon. Do you have their location?”
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Chakra Supression

WC: 401

Sat Dec 11, 2021 2:00 pm

The sound of rain was a comforting one. It drew his mind back to his life on the road, traveling in a wagon, spending entire nights camped out with the rain pounding against the roof. Just like the pitter patter against the walls of their makeshift abode now, where he had been peacefully listening to it in one of the few chairs. This transience was interrupted by the familiar voice of his clansman notifying him of yet another offering. Having been away from any semblance of a proper home for years now, the pair had grown accustomed to suppressing their chakra consistently. Since leaving their former village, Yurei had never looked back. Always forwards, towards the future. Meanwhile, Damon would cast glances behind them to ensure their past would not come back to haunt them. For if that time ever came, his red eyes would be there to meet it.

“Awfully kind of a woman to feed demons.” His silver eyes met those of the entering oni, the mask still adorning the face of his brother. He was taller now, the sleeves of his own clothing beginning to look shorter on him. He compensated for this with gauntlets that gave him the bearing of a swordsman, despite his inherent lack of skill with a blade. He stood, sauntering over to grab a pastry from the basket and quickly taking a bite from it. The black clad figure ate as he meandered towards the rear of the cave. “They’re over by-” He spoke in between further bites. “The ruins of what might-” Another bite. “Have been a temple.” He swallowed the last remnant of the pastry. “It’s the only building capable of hiding a group.” His eyes drifted to his own tengu mask, placed off to the side. It resembled the red beak of a bird rather than a long nose, a striking scarlet red that matched his eyes at certain times. “That we haven’t already cleared out, anyways.”

The pair had all but cast off their names, save for within their own company. Instead, they were ghosts in the night, haunting those who would seek to do wrong. They had become what went bump in the dark. Bandits, gangs, murderers, and highwaymen. Here one day and gone the next. On Damon’s end, a combination of genjutsu and the demon lantern technique had all but solidified their standing as ancient gods of a time since forgotten here to reclaim their place. Crows served to disorient any potential survivors who would tell their criminal friends of the demons who had come to punish them. Legends, myths, superstitions. He would have it kept that way.

“They go by the name Kuroi Taiyo.” Damon stooped down as he doused the small fire that had been burning within the cave. “Rumors have it they raided the village closest to our friend Aoi’s.” He stood, meeting Yurei’s eyes. “Which means we might be running out of pastries if we don’t put a stop to their hoarding soon.”

Chakra Suppression
WC: 501

Sat Dec 11, 2021 10:09 pm

The Uchiha nodded to himself. “In the old times demons were held in reverence.” Yurei looked out at the cave’s entrance, watching the rain as it spread through puddles and trickled down thick leaves and rock. “Ogres, monsters, wive’s tales really. To keep children from misbehaving. They are said to only punish the wicked. It’s for this reason she leaves the offerings.” Yurei paused, turning to look at Damon. “Tengu are more mischievous.” Though the mask hid his face, Yurei was smiling beneath it.

Their travels had waned on them, perhaps more on Yurei than on Damon. He was considerably colder than he had been, and it was rare that anything exceeded what he’d just said as far as jokes went. He’d smiled less, talked less, even. For the last three years, only his goals had driven him to move, to act, and to train, and there was little else. His passions he had fallen out of touch with, as well as himself.

As Damon spoke, the white-haired Uchiha nodded, raising his thin fingers to his mask’s mouth as he waited for his brother to finish chewing. Damon had grown older, firmer in appearance, but he’d retained an almost childlike quality Yurei had lost. Looking at him was almost like looking into a warped mirror. Their only matching features were their height. “So,” he started, pulling the curtain from the cave’s opening, “there’s only one place left to look, then. I want you to be on your guard. They won’t be like the patrols we’ve fought so far. The Kuroi Taiyo’s leader will be there, and with the recent rumors of ghosts attacking his agents, I imagine the money he’s been pulling from the nearby villages will be spent on fortifying whatever’s inside that temple. These types are cowards, always are. Whatever forces he has left will no doubt be skeptical or paranoid, and both work in our favor.”

Yurei turned. The grey sky’s dull light was dimming, and the rain was only growing fiercer. Lightning silhouetted his pale mask, and thunder rippled through the cave. “We’ll have the cover of night and a thunderstorm soon.”
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Chakra Supression
WC: 356
TCW: 757

Sun Dec 12, 2021 12:09 am

“Tengu are believed to be what becomes of those who are arrogant in life,” Damon would quip back as he sauntered. “I don’t really consider myself to be mischievous, per se.” Moving on, Damon grabbed the pastry and continued his initial course. “I’m always on my guard,” he muttered, not necessarily under his breath. It was a good thing that the leader was meant to be in attendance during tonight’s endeavor. After all, the best way to kill a snake is to slice off its head. “The more superstitious the better,” he would add. With this information in tow, Yurei had already decided to move on, without even a pastry for himself. He had always been the lankier of the two, but it was clear to see why. The very goals that drove his every action also prevented him from considering the small things. Tucking an extra pastry away for safekeeping and donning the mask of the Tengu, Damon would follow Yurei out into the darkness.

The duo darted through the forested land towards the direction of the temple. The growing darkness of the cumulonimbus clouds above were intermittently splashed with brilliant lights and the accompanying roar of thunder. Many might consider this storm a foreboding omen, a sign to stay indoors tonight. And it was that which the Uchiha were targeting. The rain and thunder would only help to mask their presence and their masks illuminated by flashes of lightning would strike fear into the hearts of lesser men. The rain made conversation difficult, so he would not try to speak lest his voice get lost among the downfall and thunder.

As they neared what used to be the temple, torii gates in various stages of disrepair dotted the landscape. Moss grew up from their bases, now soaked from the precipitation. The once vibrant red paint was now faded or chipped away altogether, revealing the interior of the wood, the rain water only serving to make them develop rot and inevitably collapse. Keeping off the pathways, Damon would opt for the cover of the trees as the stony path winded up the hillside. At the precipice sat a torii gate mightier in size than all those leading to it, yet just as decrepit. With the assumption that Yurei would stop with him, Damon would stop at the edge of the clearing that had been made for the temple and observe any bandits that may be in eyesight.

Should Yurei bunker down next to him and observe as well, Damon would knead mild fire chakra and withdraw the pastry, warming it mildly. "You forgot to eat before we left," he whispered. "Here. Just a quick pre-hideout snack." He kept his voice low, at a level only Yurei could hear. "I know you're an 'oni' and all, but I also know that you can't sustain yourself by eating our 'prey'." Despite the mask adorning his face, it was apparent that he was smiling beneath it by the tone of his voice.

Hold onto that. He thought, realizing his actions. Don't let it slip away again.

Chakra Suppression
WC: 1014

Sun Dec 12, 2021 12:22 am

“Mischievous as you are arrogant. Always were, even if I had to knock you down a peg from time to time.” Yurei sauntered on. Wind accompanied the rain now, and the air sweeping around them pelted the Uchiha with rain as the sky’s percussions created their symphony. The journey was modest, and the conversation between the two was light and not at all significant. It was wasted air given the weather in any case.

Chakra infused within them had propelled the pair forward. It was second nature, now, ingrained in youth as genin of the village of stars all those years ago. Lightning and thunder accompanying it crackled, illuminating the two as they trekked much like ghosts - the brief flashes creating a strobe effect of sorts. It gave them an inhuman quality, as if they were not truly moving as living creatures or even things of this world - phasing in and out of reality in distortion. The rumbles charged Yurei with energy, filling his chest with the vibrations of the world and its skies.

What fell before them in flickers of lightning was the ancient temple. Yurei had no real estimate of its age, but one thing was obvious - it was nearly gone. The tori gates leading to the temple were in as much disrepair as the shelter itself. Rain had withered at the stone base, and the temple itself was riddled with holes in its walls and roofing. Yurei’s pale eyes flashed, and the three signature tomoe of the Uchiha’s Sharingan swirled around his pupil as he focused in, kneeling beside Damon.

“The temple’s dilapidated. Be careful going inside.” Yurei had grown accustomed to warning Damon, not for his friend’s own lack of awareness, but habit. In fact, Yurei had complete confidence in the Uchiha, though he neglected to say as much as often as he should.

“Let’s-” Yurei started before Damon had cut him off. Yurei watched the chakra surge into Damon’s hand, out into the pastry.

"I know you're an 'oni' and all, but I also know that you can't sustain yourself by eating our 'prey'."

The Uchiha stifled a laugh, a derisive snort or chuckle rumbling out of his mask. He extended his hand, allowing Damon to slap the item into his open palm. His free hand clasped his mask, pulling it up and over from his face. “Figuratively,” he replied. His voice was sharp, though not as distorted without the mask. Lightning flashed, bringing light to the Uchiha’s fair skin and giving it an almost luminous quality adjacent to his eyes and hair. He bit into the pastry, not breaking eye contact with the temple. Unlike Damon, Yurei hadn’t developed the need to spit food as he spoke. “I’m not sure I can stand to be much thinner,” Yurei said with a smile. “Or stand at all before much longer. Hrm. Meat, too.”

Yurei swallowed and sighed, grasping the mask’s chin and pulling it back into place. He fashioned it as a custom glove and stood. His eyes swept the plains between them and the temple. “A few chakra signatures. The rest must be inside, below the temple, or suppressing their signatures.”

The Uchiha’s eyes fell onto the sky. Another flash of lightning. Yurei’s eyes narrowed, and the few suppressing their chakra came into view. “We’re here to make a statement, Damon. Leave none alive.”

With that, the thunder following boomed, and Yurei had already vanished.
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Chakra Supression
WC: 571
TWC: 1328

Mon Dec 13, 2021 9:47 pm

Firstly and arguably most importantly, Yurei had not been paying attention when Damon was eating, as he merely spoke in between bites, no food having been spat in the process. His own grey eyes gave way to three black tomoe swirling among an iris of red, almost on instinct as a reaction to seeing Yurei’s eyes activate as well. The two had always been in sync, but these last few years of surviving with nothing but each other had only made their bond stronger. "Meat sounds good right now." It had been quite some time since he was able to sit down and enjoy a feast. The pair primarily lived off of what offerings were given to them and rationed them out to the best of their ability. One day, when things settled down and their goal had been accomplished, they could sit at a table and enjoy the simple aspects of life once again. Yet, that was a far cry from how the world worked.

"You tell me to be careful as though we haven't been for some time now." As Yurei vanished, Damon would move out a single heartbeat after Yurei. These suppressed signatures offered little to no cover due to their being out in the open. Perhaps many of them were not even suppressing their signatures as they were simply incapable of chakra. Patrols. I need to clear a path. He prioritized those with chakra signatures, sprinting along the edge of the compound. His eyes switched between two guards who were approaching a third from opposite ends of the perimeter.

As soon as all three were in range, Damon dashed between the three targets and began to sign a series of handseals. His body appeared to be scattered into an unkindness of ravens, dashing apart in a cacophony of cawing and beating wings. They flew about the three guards, disorienting and pecking at them. Damon, however, took this time to gather his chakra into the Fire Release Demon Lantern release. With the guards barely able to perceive anything aside from the darkness of raven wings, these three flaming lanterns charged at the chests of their targets, one of each, and would combust into a searing wave of fire.

WC: 1386

Mon Dec 13, 2021 10:43 pm

“Patrol duty, again, huh?”
“Yeah, Boss Watanabe must be really pissed at me.”
“I would be too if I had botched that op as bad as you.”
The man smirked and gave a cough more than a laugh. His grin quickly flashed to disgust. “Yeah, didn’t figure you’d forget.”
“Who could after what you pulled?”
The second man scowled, glaring up at the one approaching him.
“So I’m stuck with you all night in this freezing rain watching the damn grass grow, huh?
“Yep. I hear singing makes it grow faster, too.”
Just keep your mouth shut before I slit it open permanently.”
Rain filled his ears, and the silence had only just struck him before the blade had.

Yurei stood over the corpses, his white eyes flashing. The kunai in his skeletal grip dripped, and he turned his head. To those looking at him, he was a silhouette. A void where the stars should be amidst a backdrop of trees miles in the distance. His fingers twitched, and the kunai spun in his grip, stopped in the comfort of his grip, and soared. The distinct sound of blood and gasps were lost in the rumble of thunder. Lightning flashed, and the white mask adorned by the Uchiha turned. He flicked his wrist, and wire glowed in moonless reflection before the lightning had even ceased, recalling the kunai to his hand.

Two guards watched in horror, stunned and inching away. Yurei walked slowly towards them, letting the kunai fall, tethered to its string. It hung in the air, swaying like a clock’s pendulum as he advanced. Red light flashed, and the sky ignited into blazing color. The oni eclipsed its light, and the crimson flames lined the horns on his mask.

Hm. Yurei thought. Is there someone capable of such jutsu amongst them? No. It must have been Damon. He always did favor theatrics.

One of the guards clasped her hands together, and the pale shinobi saw her chakra surge forth. It was pitiful, trace amounts, no more than a mere genin’s. In a way, this was almost nostalgic. It reminded him of the chuunin exams. He tilted his head to the side, the eyeless slits in his mask staring down the woman, but said nothing.

“Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!” she spat.

Yurei stood in silence, his hands clasped in the last handseal, the snake sign.

“Hatsune! Your jutsu-”

Frustration and confusion took her face, and her eyes fell to Yurei’s hands. “W-when did he-”

The kunai hissed, and the lightning dancing in the sky never found her eyes. The Uchiha’s arm cut through the air. Wire tightened around his forearm and the kunai tethered to it found itself buried in the other man’s throat. Moments later, he fell to the ground with a thwump. Yurei's eyes danced on the plains. Damon’s fires were still burning brightly despite the rain. He’d grown so much more powerful in these years. Yurei could feel the heat from where he stood, even from such a basic jutsu.

A flick and the weapon was returned to his hand. The Uchiha turned his head slowly, glowering at the temple before him. Whatever was inside was guaranteed to be worse.

WC: 522
TCW: 1863

Tue Dec 14, 2021 10:24 pm

Theatrics? Damon had long since given up on the dream of international fame and glory, of history. Surely, he could not possibly live in the minds of others with his meager feats. Nor would he want to. Since those days, he had honed his genjutsu far more than his ninjutsu. There were moves which he had not used in so long, they were all but forgotten to him now. And his most powerful genjutsu was to be used only on those who deserved it. Leave none alive, he had said. While no stranger to killing, the Uchiha was even more familiar with having loved ones taken away. Yet, people still base their lives and their worth on their ability to take these very same aspects away from others. For these reasons, he did not relish in the slaughter of others. It was a necessary evil, and he had donned the mask of a demon to carry it out. To separate his sense of self from his duties.

"What the hell was that light?"
"Look over there!"

Cries came from those who bore no name, and they were snuffed out just as fast. The rain felt more familiar now, but still as cold as ice. It howled in his ears as he made his way towards the entrance of the temple proper.

WC: 1607

Tue Dec 14, 2021 11:07 pm

Yurei’s sharingan flashed to his side, though he did not turn his head to look at Damon. He instead lowered it, looking at the temple from the mask’s accentuated brow. “Good work,” he said simply, the flames just now dying down. “I doubt with the weather they heard much, if anything at all. They should still be inside.”

Yurei squinted his eyes. The statues at the base of the temple were yokai, similar to that of which he saw today. Their features were even more worn with the night’s added darkness. Years of rain and upkeep had waned their details, but he could still make out the horns, noses, and other distinct features. “Ironic,” he said, looking down at the ground. “I don’t expect them to be inside the main structure. Cut them off at the basement’s entrance. We’ll pin them.”

Yurei took a deep breath, and the humid hair faded. It was replaced with a cool emptiness. Still air, static and lifeless. The rain passed through his body, his image, and found its place uninterrupted in the amassing puddles at Yurei’s feet as he sank into it. Further and further he descended until the horns adorning his mask disappeared into the water.

Kamui was an ability Yurei had frequently experimented with. It was an amazing jutsu, capable of a plethora of abilities, intangibility, teleportation, and a connection to a world outside their own. Of course, Yurei saw the domain as nothing more than practicality with no real passion for its existence outside of its role in Kamui’s other abilities and a quiet place to train or meditate. Yet, as he sank into the earth, he’d come to almost enjoy the sensation - a testament to his growth and an appreciation for how ergonomic the ability was.

More importantly, it made stealth all too easy.

A statue lay dormant. Untouched by weather, and only by age, its features were significantly less eroded. There was no doubting it. An oni, demon, ogre. A guardian of this place - its domain. Yurei pushed through, his mask merging with the statue’s face and erupting out of it. He fell onto the earth, slouched over, and rose, standing straight.

The shinobi before him stood in silence, aghast, and fell quieter still. Yurei turned his gaze, and the mix of collective shock, threat, horror, and anger fell across the room - all present in that of the group’s leader - Hasashi Irobuchi.

WC: 406
TCW: 2269 heh

Wed Dec 15, 2021 9:17 pm

The pair had no need to look to acknowledge one another. Instead, they had been together for so long at this point, it would have been stranger if they had not trusted the other wholeheartedly. In front of the entrance to the temple, Damon merely nodded at the words of his brother. The rain pounded against them both, perhaps helping to make them look even more haunting than their normal apparel. While loose, dry clothing fluttered about like a shapeless beast, the heaviness of wet clothing made their every movement more pronounced while also making them appear thin like walking corpses. Yurei spoke once again before he phased through the ground. There he goes again, thought Damon, watching as the tip of the horns vanished beneath the puddle. Is it possible to learn this power, I wonder? There was a time where he thought that he might be able to achieve the same level of prowess in matters of space and time, but now he was uncertain. It seemed his destiny lay elsewhere, perhaps in the realm of illusions or even mastering elemental affinity.

His robe clung to his skin from the ever persistent rain as he made his way to the entrance to an underground basement via the scenic route. The foreboding statues told of a culture that sought to worship that which went bump in the night, the creatures of darkness that the two Uchiha had adorned upon their faces. These masks that served to hide them from the world that once betrayed them. Rounding the corner, the entrance to the basement was off to the side of the central building which held no chakra signatures save for the two guards stationed slightly below ground in an attempt to seek shelter from the rain. Other scattered fragments of chakra lay beneath the ground. What was once surely a storehouse for donations and treasures alike was now operating as a makeshift hideout from which Kuroi Taiyo was seeking to make their permanent base of operations. He stalked towards them, his eyes primed. The one furthest from him cast a wary glance about, no doubt on edge from the flashes of light earlier. Yet, once his gaze met that of the red tengu mask, the guard froze in fear, collapsing to the floor with eyes that would never close again. The second guard was taken aback, looking around sporadically. A rain slick kunai sprouted from his neck, a river of red bursting in its place. Hearing nothing from the top, save for the splashing of raindrops into puddles, the Tengu would descend the steps to the basement below.

WC: 1824

Offerings - [Yurei, Damon]

Offerings - [Yurei, Damon]

Re: Offerings - [Yurei, Damon]

Re: Offerings - [Yurei, Damon]

Re: Offerings - [Yurei, Damon]

Re: Offerings - [Yurei, Damon]

Re: Offerings - [Yurei, Damon]

Re: Offerings - [Yurei, Damon]

Re: Offerings - [Yurei, Damon]

Re: Offerings - [Yurei, Damon]

Re: Offerings - [Yurei, Damon]