The Good, the Bad, and the Hyuugly

Mon Feb 07, 2022 11:18 pm

Mission:

Walls of stone and iron, chilled so much in that icicles had frozen vertically in those winds, housed countless shinobi. Innocent or otherwise, the prison was more a death sentence than its title. Locked away in Snow Country no less, to escape, stripped of all possession, was equally damning. Outside intervention was necessary if any were to live, and that is precisely why the Uchiha were here.

Two days ago, Esu had delivered a contract. Accompanying the Uchiha had been too dangerous, even for a ninken, and food was scarce. As such, Yurei had housed him in neighboring villages in line with their travels. Only this time, the dog had decided to stay, adamant he convoy the pair. Without any knowledge of Inuzuka training regiment, Yurei had elected to keep him in a shelter two miles from the prison, with the promise to return for him shortly. Besides, the dog had been through enough. Through pain and loyalty, Esu had earned a quiet life Yurei intended to keep. Unfortunately that meant much time away from him.

Yurei leapt down as if thin air, light shining from the grate’s opening above him. His eyes shown through his silhouette, the white light of snow framing him to match. He looked down either end of the hall - no one. The corridor amplified the wind, howling, screaming, as if a wounded animal. Vents on either side carried that sound through the entire complex, a mechanism of psychological torture and suppression. The means were cruel, but effective. In a more competent legal system, perhaps even meritable. The Uchiha glanced up, signaling Damon to drop down. If he’d done so, the pair would continue, making their way through the corridor.

The sounds of rats scurrying across the stone floors entwined with their footsteps, Yurei’s sandals softly clacking against it. Eventually the two came to an opening, a vent stretching out into the prison cells below. They were several stories tall, thin bridges stretching from either end of the walls housing criminals. Despite the sheer number, they were all silent, likely beat into submission, physically or otherwise. Even in layers of black bandages, Yurei could still feel the chilled air, even here. Narrowing his eyes, he could see a corpse turned purple being carried across the corridors.

The contract detailed little, only that the man they were to retrieve was innocent and convicted via corrupt means - nothing new to either Uchiha. He hadn’t so much as a description, neither of his contractor nor this man. He did however, find one vital piece of information - the man was to be executed today, merely two days after they’d received the contract, seven after it had been written.

Yurei glanced at Damon, narrowing his eyes as the guard just kept to his patrols. He spoke as to not let him hear. “They’ll likely have him housed somewhere more secure, away from the rest of the prisoners. Given the circumstances, this is likely to be made public. We’ll need to find a prisoner manifest. That should have the execution dates listed, but it won’t mean much if we can’t find him. But, we’ll have a name, at least. That, or we can listen out for gossip and word of mouth. One of the guards is likely to talk about it.” Yurei glanced over once more. “Or, we can make one talk.”

WC: 560

Fri Feb 11, 2022 12:03 am

Damon had never quite understood the purpose of prisons. Good people do bad things, yes, but the majority of people who ‘belong’ in prison so to speak, are horrible people who commit atrocious crimes. The men who set his adoptive father’s house aflame and beat him to death in the streets? Some might say they deserve to rot in prison in atonement. The stitched man who had killed his one time friend and comrade Akio? He had never even gone to prison, as far as the Uchiha were aware. In fact, Damon much doubted the man had ever been punished for what was undoubtedly one of many crimes he had committed. Yet, in the young man’s mind, who knew little of the world save for his own personal experiences, it seemed so much more efficient to simply kill those that disobeyed the law. If those men had been killed during a presumed earlier offense, they would not have been around to kill his father figure. Had the other man, who bragged about wanting to set the world aflame, been put to death for an earlier crime, who knows how many people would still be breathing. At the very least, Akio would still be alive, and the trio would still be together. When you kill someone, you don’t only take away everything that that person was, but everything that person could become. In spite of that, killing a mass murderer would save countless more lives by merely taking the life of one person whose actions made them forfeit their right to live. What good is a hero if he values the lives of his enemies over those he is meant to protect?

These thoughts and more plagued Damon’s mind as he descended from the grate that he and Yurei had just been crawling through once again down to the stone flooring, cool to the touch. His fingers caressed the stone, worn from being trodden upon by guards for countless months, if not years.. Damon sighed as he brushed the dust from his cloak. The pair really needed to find a new means of infiltration. Eventually, these no-names would catch on to their gimmicks, and any survivors may spread such news to nearby outposts the two would later need to infiltrate. Unfortunately for Damon, he lacked the ability to traverse the boundaries of space and time as Yurei did, so this was primarily his own issue to tackle. The biting chill of a land in permanent winter howled through the hallways, akin to a hoarse woman crying for her life. Ironic, in a structure designed to house murderers for whom this sound was no stranger. He himself had grown used to this very sound from those who sought to inflict pain on others for their own personal gain. This cycle of killing was an exceedingly bloody one.

Following Yurei’s lead, Damon took note of the sound of silence, interrupted only by the scurrying feet of rats, their own speeding footsteps, and the ever howling wind. In the near silence, Damon once again debated the validity of such a system against the outline of the contract. An innocent man, sentenced to prison to await a sentence instead of being killed on the spot. In situations like this, it was beneficial that they had not outright executed him. Yet, was this trade truly worth it? Is the weight of a few innocents worth the cost of annihilating as many guilty as possible? His thoughts were cut short again, this time as Yurei spoke in a whisper to him. Damon appeared as though he were on the fence for their course of action. “We don’t have the time to spare,” he whispered back, accompanied by a grimace as he realized what he could do to save more time. “I’ll make one talk.” His eyes swirled red as he looked from beneath the tengu mask of the same color towards the nearest patrolling guard. “You get a hold of the manifest or a map. It might have information on where he’s being kept. If-no, when I get the name, that will make it easier for us.” He glanced back towards Yurei. “Try to rendezvous at this spot, or I’ll find where you are. Good luck.”

WC: 713

Sat Feb 12, 2022 12:39 am

Komon had been here for some time now, the exact nature of which he’d lost track of long ago. Here days bled to weeks, and weeks to months. His cell had no view of the world outside, and his only perception of change of day came from the daily relighting of his cell’s torch. He’d been kept in isolation from the moment he arrived. The very same torch was now beginning to wane, it’s light receding backwards towards itself. Behind long unkempt hair the hyuugas eye’s focused on the flickering of the light. A new day was coming soon, and with it his execution, he sighed as he leaned his back against the wall, sitting on the cold stone floor of the prison trying in vain to find a position of comfort.

He didn’t exactly fear death, in fact his upbringing had made it a somewhat familiar friend. He’d known more loss than most experience in a lifetime before he’d even reached eighteen years of age. His shallow breath created vapor in the air, visible even in his ever dimming cell, the chilling air of Yukigakure causing goosebumps on his skin. He found the location ironic, he was set to die in a country he’d helped tear down for a crime he *didn’t* commit. The Hyuuga smiled at the thought, it appeared the universe had a sense of humor.

He’d been alone with his thoughts for a few hours now, so the sound of sandals clacking against the hallway floor was easily apparent, as the steps drew closer he’d straighten his posture, removing his back from the wall. His arms, which were bound together at the hands by steel to prevent the weaving of hand signs, sat firmly in his lap. Such a task might seem simple, but even one as small as that was exhausting for the former shinobi. The prison had a habit of draining his chakra daily, leaving him with barely enough lifeforce to walk. Couple that with the occasional beatings, and he wasn’t in the best shape of his life.

Still, he pressed the steel restraints on his hands against the floor, using it to lift himself so that he could stand. The footsteps were close now, barely more than a few yards away. Komon wasn’t sure who was coming, it could be a guard coming to relight his torch, a warden to beat him into submission, or the executioner to guide him to the noose. It didn’t matter much either way, if today was indeed his last day. He intended to go out in kumogakure fashion... standing on his feet.

Senshi would have expected nothing less.

WC: 441
TWC: 441

KOMON HYUUGA

AP Remaining: 400/400

* Vigor: 40 *

* Chakra: 10 *

* Speed: 50 (+25) *

* Strength: 25 *

Sat Feb 12, 2022 12:46 pm

Beneath his mask, Yurei’s eye cut to Damon’s, though his mask did not move. He studied him for a moment, narrowing his already thin eyes. He saw that fire in Damon he’d seen not days ago. Not the rage or searing malice and contempt, but drive. He’d stoked his own flame for the first time in years. Since their journey together started, Yurei and Damon had shared the same goal and saw through the same eye’s - Yurei’s. Rather than pursuing fame or glory as he once had, Damon had inherited his brother’s spirit rather than his own. The Damon he knew was gone, and he had been replaced with a mere echo of the white Uchiha. Almost as if a follower rather than a brother, a partner.

The sensation had made Yurei uncomfortable. He possessed several qualities of a leader, fell into the role easily, but he could not help but blame himself for Damon’s direction or lack thereof. They worked together as a duo, equals, partners, brothers, rather than master and apprentice, but so long as Yurei had looked to the future, Damon’s footprints had been in his brother’s shadow. Perhaps he was content there. Perhaps enduring his own goals was, understandably, too difficult. This was still the case, but something had changed, or was beginning to. Yurei could see it in his brother’s eyes. In the way he spoke. How he walked. Each Uchiha moved as if they were carrying something weighing them down, but, now, Damon had forced himself upright.

Yurei nodded, turning his eyes back to the labyrinth below. He chuckled, his mask giving his voice a stringed quality. He placed his thin finger into Damon’s palm. Years ago, five, six, or more, the two had placed mark seals on one another. “I’ll find you.”

Tomoe spun, and Yurei fell into the earth. He traversed through the prison as if water. Within Kamui, the world shaped and warped as he saw fit - raising and lowering the pillars within that realm as he moved through the world he’d been born into. Yurei’s hands clasped behind his back as he slipped through space, moving as if on a staircase. His Sharingan flashed beneath his mask, staring at each of the inmates as he passed their cells within the very same walls that made them up. Each had chakra flowing within them, but something was wrong. Like those attached to the machine, each inmate’s chakra was dwindling. They’d been drained, likely regularly. Yurei paused, standing still as he shifted his focus. It was all of them, each bound at the hands and sapped of their strength. He stared, gazed at each. It was simple, but effective. Each would rot away here. Unable to resist mentally. Physically. Where there were simpler methods of exhausting the world of criminals, this was effective, more so than Yurei had initially given credit. Impressive, even.

The Uchiha turned, resuming his walk. Before him, a room lie at the end of the chamber, lit in a warm yellow, a sharp contrast to the cold blue-gray present everywhere else. It must have been the warden’s office. Yurei began running, silently slipping through wall after wall until he’d reach the room. His head slipped through the ceiling, that visage looking at all below him. The office was decorated in fine furnishings, artifacts from a bygone era, perhaps even before the great eruption. Leather seats made for its chairs, lamps for its light, and the steady ticking of a clock valued more than any life within these walls.

No one was here.

Yurei allowed himself to fall, slipping through and landing upright, out of view from the prison cells. He winced.

The Uchiha paused, clasping his hand into a fist. He felt his heart thud in his chest. Something warm and wet trickled down his face - beneath his mask. He moved to touch it, but stopped himself. Yurei knew what it was. He'd been overexerting his eyes, as Damon had. It was senseless to leave blood on anything he'd touched. The cloth binding his face would sop up the liquid as to not leave a trail, anyway.

This chamber overlooked them all. His chakra signature erased, Yurei began to move about the room, studying its contents. A framed picture, half as tall as Yurei, was mounted on the wall. The warden, Yurei assumed, was a hardened man with scars lining the frame of his face and with grayed hair. To have lived long in this world was an achievement in of itself. His role in the corrupt sentencing of the man they pursued now was unknown. Yurei harbored no ill contempt for the man other than his allowance for events to unfold as they had, but such were the actions of those out of sight. The Uchiha had actively ignored directing his brother in this way, to restrain himself while interrogating the guards. None would die, and that was enough to satisfy Yurei in the likelihood of innocence.

The Uchiha moved to the central desk, a scroll haphazardly laid out before it. He strode around it, stroking his forefingers against its frame. His hands found the scroll, pulling it apart - the manifest. Names were not listed, scratched out, even, in accordance with their death sentences. It did little more than confirm what they already knew, that their target was to be killed today. It seemed the warden had hastened to delete the man they pursued from record. The Uchiha fell the scroll, meticulously setting it to its previous position.

He moved about the room, coming to another framed picture in its back. A map of the entire complex. It sat on its wall as if it were a trophy or achievement. The pride was sickening. Yurei moved towards this, scanning it with his eyes. He could memorize techniques, jutsu, and replicate them in real time, almost faster than their users. This was child’s play. The prison was not complex in any case, simply massive. Yurei’s eyes fell to one spot in particular, at the very base of the structure - below the earth.

It was as he presumed. Public execution.

The door clicked, and Yurei turned. By the time it had fully opened, he was gone, emerging in a swirl of space and time next to Damon.

WC: 1048
TCW: 1608

Sat Feb 12, 2022 4:15 pm

Damon had forgotten, years having passed by in the blink of an eye, that the mark seals even existed. It had been so long since they had even needed to use them, the two practically sharing a mind in the meantime. Perhaps this was the subtle effect of the mark seal, or just a result of how close the pair had become. He shook his head as his brother disappeared into the ground, as his own plan should be over much quicker than Yurei expected. With the Oni departed, the Tengu made his way towards the nearby guard. His eyes predicted the steps he would take before he even took them, as though the guard were moving in slow motion. He drew a kunai and sliced at a worn brick of stone, grabbing the now detached piece in the same motion. Sheathing the weapon once more, he tossed the rock in his hand once before, causing it to skip along the stones and echo down the length of the hallway. Damon stood just around the corner as the guard turned around, curious as to the source of the noise and banged on the cell bars. “Who threw that!?” he demanded angrily. Yet, no response came, the hunger or the cold having worn down most of the inmates’ desire to respond. He signed a few handseals, sending a bolt of lightning to strike the unresponsive prisoner he had first asked. The target winced in pain, but made no effort to fight back, almost as if he had developed a tolerance to the action. The guard’s footsteps approached deftly, filled with caution. Damon adjusted his stance, preparing to meet the guard face to face as he walked around the corner. The black tomoe of his eyes swirled into a single black form and left a three pointed red shuriken surrounding his pupil, as Damon stood within inches of the guard’s surprised face. The man had time to begin taking a deep breath in surprise before being interrupted by the mangekyo sharingan staring back at him.

My own world that exists beyond time. Tsukuyomi.

The red sky above was only broken by an even deeper crimson moon. The guard stood freely in a pool of shallow black water, ripples spreading out from his panicked steps. His formerly dark hair was now a white more akin to Yurei. He looked down at his hands, breathing heavily, only to see them as an inky darkness contrasting against his once dark, now light clothing. After a few shaky breaths, he looked around, wondering aloud, “What’s happening…” Hours passed, and he had no answer. He was alone, forgotten, the only sounds were his own nervous breathing and the slight ripples of the water below him. After another few hours, a voice echoed from around him, coming from everywhere and nowhere. “Do you wish to leave this place?” came the encompassing voice, sounding like the same voice overlapping several times. The voice of the caster. A wall of black flames, reminiscent of Amaterasu, appeared in a circle around the guard ten meters in all directions. “Please, you don’t have to do this.” These flames expanded closer to the man in stages, flames sprouting up and filling another meter’s worth of space. “Why are you doing this!?” he pleaded. Another row of fire appeared from nothing, inching ever closer. “What do you want?!” The guard cowered, holding his head in his hands. The fire picked up speed, closing the gap up until the man had only a handful of room to himself. The overlapping voices continued again, “The prisoner scheduled for execution today. What is his name?” He slowly lifted his head from his near fetal position, “Is that all? If I tell you, will you let me go?” Damon was silent for a moment before his overlapping voice continued. “Yes.” The guard fully stood up now, breathing ever so slightly slower than he just had been, lulled into a sense of security and trust. “Komon Hyuuga.” More silence. “Come on, I told you what you asked of me. Let me out now, please!” The world began to collapse around him, the sky fading to black, the water vanishing into nothingness. However, the fire moved closer towards him, consuming him as he screamed.

The man returned to the true world, the remnant of a breath of air still in progress before the action was cut short as his body began to collapse to the floor. His breathing was labored and slow. Despite having been wandering the nightmare realm for hours, only a few seconds had passed. The guard slumped like a ragdoll as Damon caught him on his way down and dragged him off towards the corner. His body was intact, no burn marks to be seen. His face had been left in a state of fear at the belief that he had been burning away in fire. It was unfortunate, as he did not necessarily have to suffer like this. For all he knew, the guard was just doing his job as he was taught. Yet, as ghosts for all intents and purposes, the two Uchiha needed to maintain an ephemeral presence, with no one active to be able to identify any identifying characteristics of either of them, such as a red eye trapping someone in a prison of their own mind. Damon had allowed for the flames to leave him alone after a set period of time, but the man would still be unresponsive unless treated. The Uchiha closed the comatose man’s eyes, and walked back down the hallway to see if Yurei had arrived within the mere minute or so he himself had been gone, to find nothing of the sort. Time moved differently in the world of Tsukuyomi. With the knowledge that Yurei would find him regardless, the black clad Uchiha continued to wander down the hallways in directions that had not been explored, out of the eyesight of others.

Yurei’s ghostly facade appeared in thin air next to him, which would have been grounds for being frightened had he not grown so used to it. “You really love doing that, don’t you?” he whispered as he peered down another hallway to ensure they were alone. Without waiting for an answer to his rhetorical question, he continued without missing a beat. “Komon Hyuuga.” He let the name linger in the air for a moment. “I had trouble placing the name for a moment, but that’s your friend from Kumo right? The hell is he doing in a place like this?” Damon would then listen to whatever information Yurei had found out and begin developing a plan to rescue an old acquaintance.

WC: 1118
TWC: 1831

Tue Feb 15, 2022 11:56 pm

Through iron bars the Hyuuga’s gray eyes met those of his executioners. They were tired eyes, with very little joy, empathy or really anything at all resting behind them. The observation wasn’t one which surprised Komon, after all he doubted many emotional men would pursue the job the man had taken. And if they did, it wasn’t likely they’d last long in the field. “Well” He’d say taking one last look at his cell. “Get on with it” He’d gesture with his bound hands to the cell door.

The guard scoffed, before speaking in the raspy voice of a heavy smoker. “You know Hyuuga, you should probably refrain from telling me what to do” He’d threaten as he lodged a key into the door and wedged it open. Gesturing for Komon to walk out. The ex shinobi of Kumogakure couldn’t help but chuckle at the threat as we emerged from his cell “And why’s that? What are you going to do? Kill me?” He’d pry.

The executioner gave a half assed attempt at a laugh before he shoved the weakened hyuuga, crashing him into the ground. “Don’t push your luck Hyuuga. You’re set to die by guillotine, a nice quick death” He’d say squatting, pressing Komons face into the floor. “But if you want to keep pressing your luck, we can find a slower method” The man’s tone had turned sadistic, but he’d gotten back on his feet, and released his hold on the prisoner.

“Now, pick yourself up. We’ve got places to be” He’d taunt, having gotten the last word in. Komon spit angrily, getting the dirt out of his mouth remaining from the man’s push. The man’s shove had been a cheap shot, and if Komon was at full strength, he’d never have landed it. Enraged he’d slam the iron bindings against the tiles, before lifting off and silently rising to his feet.

Was this really how he was going to die?

He’d always pictured himself dying on the battlefield, it seemed the logical conclusion. But was that the death he deserved? Under Maku’s rule Kumogakure had been particularly ruthless, especially to surrounding villages like Yukigakure. Given the circumstances it wasn’t fair to claim he deserved an honorable death, in fact it might even be fair to say he deserved this one. He huffed as he used his bonded hands to brush the dirt off his clothing.

None of that really mattered, what was fair and what wasn’t was of little relevance to him. The only thing that did matter was his son. Komote was only three, and Komon knew all too well what losing a father at such a young age could do to a boy. He would not repeat his father’s mistakes, and this was not the way he died. Justice and Yukigakure be damned. He’d let the guard walk him a few yards further, until they’d passed the remaining cells and entered a narrow corridor.

If he was going to take a chance, it seemed like then would be as good a time as any. He knew he didn’t have much chakra, and even if he did his hands were bound so weaving hand signs would be a challenge. But even under these circumstances, certain techniques were manageable. Suddenly and without warning he bounced to the wall, running up the side until he was dangling from the ceiling with the surface walking technique, the guard who had only just started to react would then find himself hoisted into the air lifted by the neck with Komons bindings. He couldn’t muster the breath to speak, and soon an audible pop let the Hyuuga know his job was done.

He sighed as he released his hold on the now lifeless corpse. “Hope that was nice and quick for you” He muttered quietly, before a wincing pain shot throughout his body, and he fell from the ceiling crashing into the ground. Even the surface walking technique was a lot to ask for in his current state it seemed. He took a moment to catch his breath, watching vapor rise and fall from his mouth as he did so. About a minute would pass before he felt strong enough to follow through with activating his byakugan.

Normal vision changed to shades of blue, walls that were once concrete may as well have been made of glass now. He could see everything, including the two guards seconds away from rounding the corner ahead of him, and the alarm horn on ones waistband.

“Crap”

He’d manage to muster before the alarm sounded, his byakugan receded, and his strength left him. He’d used the last of his chakra in the attempt. And he had no energy left to run.

WC: 787
TWC: 1228

KOMON HYUUGA

AP Remaining: 400/400

* Vigor: 40 *

* Chakra: 10 *

* Speed: 50 (+25) *

* Strength: 25 *

Wed Feb 16, 2022 1:52 am

Yurei smirked, gathering himself beside Damon. The pain was more intense now, prompting a cough he'd managed to repress. The blood, too, was worse, but he was careful not to let Damon know. Time was short, and distractions couldn't be afforded. His brother continued, starting with a name Yurei had not heard in over three years. The Uchiha stood silent, cutting his head towards Damon in surprise. “Komon?” he repeated. Yurei nodded, raising his fingers to his mask’s chin. “Yes, and of Saya’s. I’m glad you remember them.”

The two had not seen either for some time now. Since leaving Kumogakure, Yurei and Damon had dedicated themselves to the little people while the great nations managed themselves - opting not to intervene in Kumogakure specifically. Yurei had taken on the role and moniker of observer, allowing the new Raikage and those who offered the Uchiha refuge to shape their village’s future. As outsiders, it was not their place. Or not yet. Last Yurei had heard, Komori Hozuki, Komon’s brother, was the Raikage. Had the Hyuuga been sent all the way out here on an operation for Kumogakure? If so, why were two missing ninja assigned to save him in place of the Hidden Cloud’s agents? Surely his brother had not abandoned him.

The Uchiha rose from the wall. “We’ve been disconnected from the larger shinobi world’s politics for so long. Perhaps this is our sign to reacquaint ourselves.” Haste took him, a new sense of urgency taking hold of the oni. Regardless of the outcome, now, more than ever, he would have to use his eyes. He had precious few left he could lose. Yurei descended through the hall, coming to its end. On either side, catwalks ran the length of the prison walls, each lined with prisoners in their cells. The lights held by passing guards glowed dimly on each level as if fireflies, descending hundreds of feet into the public execution square at the base. The Uchiha stepped forward under cover of shadow, looking down at the lit floor below. If Komon wasn’t being taken there now, he would be soon.

“I found a map of the complex in the warden’s office. They publicly execute each of the inmates on the prison’s central platform,” Yurei continued, pointing dozens of stories below, “just there. There are cells connected directly to it. He’ll be escorted to the guillotine for everyone to see.” Yurei paused, noting the same structural designs present where they entered. Resonance of sound. Echos. “Or hear.” Yurei placed his hands on the guardrails, perching himself atop. “No time to waste,” he said, leaping off.

Wind rushed through him, his clothes billowing behind him as he fell silently, floor after floor, meter by meter. He could feel the wind rush through his mask, calling tears forth from his eyes. His chakra flared, and from Yurei’s sleeve, a kunai glinted in the dim light. The weapon launched, finding its target and nestling itself within stone. The wire attached, tightening as force collected onto it. The Uchiha’s flight ceased, and the chakra within him flared in his palms. For a brief, silent moment, he lay suspended in the air, dangling as if a spider on its first thread. The chakra in his palm pulsed, falling the Uchiha to a comfortable rest just outside the execution platform. He looked up for Damon, noting if he had followed.

Around the raised platform were shadowed chambers, each barred as if to house beasts or creatures larger than human. To his left, Yurei’s eyes fell to a wooden door, likely where Komon was being kept. He crouched, then flashed. Coming to the door, he opened it slowly, the old wood resistant but largely silent. Assuming Damon to be close, he entered, stepping through. Immediately, the splintering wood was drowned out.

Alarms blared. Yurei halted, shifting to Damon. Beneath his mask he wore a grave expression. Had they been discovered? Voices came from the hall, Yurei bracing himself.

“He’s killed him!”

Before the sentence had finished, Yurei was at the end of the hall. He rounded the corner, finding two guards on either side of a young man, battered, bruised, and sunken. Komon Hyuuga.

Yurei appeared as if a spirit, launching himself onto the ceiling and charging at the pair. The kunai in his sleeve received its call to the Uchiha’s hand. Metal wire hissed, and the blade sliced through air, finding itself buried the closer of the two guard’s throats. Time was of the essence. The Uchiha wrapped the cord around his palm, yanking the man towards him with a metallic zip. He presumed Damon to take care of the other, now exposed.

Despite the gravity of it all, the thought of what was going on inside Komon’s head at the sight of an oni and tengu coming to his aid was almost amusing. Perhaps Yurei had retained a shred of humor.

“Komon,” he said. Since last they met, Yurei had grown. He was no longer the boy that the Hyuuga knew, but a man. Taller than Komon and with a voice not entirely his own. He knelt beside the Hyuuga, hoisting him up. “It’s good to see you, but better on your feet.” His signature pale Sharingan glowed through his mask. Even without Mangekyou, any who knew Yurei would recognize it instantly.

“Damon,” Yurei said, “you see it too.” To the eyes of the Uchiha, Komon’s chakra was dwindling. Any further use and he would likely die. “We need to get out of here, now. Come closer.” The tomoe surrounding his pupil warped, condensing and shifting into a kaleidoscope. Space and time began to warp around them.

His heart seized. He could feel it in his skull.

Yurei winced, falling to his knee. He clasped his palm into Komon’s chest, holding the man upright so as to not fall. His breath was sharp, each slicing into his throat, and an indescribable pain fell over him. Blood fell from his mask’s eyes, and, coughing, its mouth. He grit his teeth, propping Komon up. His mask bit into his sleeve, sopping up the blood dripping from it as the prison’s guards fell upon them.

Blindness Counter: 4/100
WC: 1006
TCW: 2636

Sat Feb 19, 2022 1:21 am

Remembering was a bit of a stretch. Truth be told, Kumogakure had occurred during a point in life where Damon was not mentally prepared to be. Escaping Hoshigakure after the village seemed to turn against him had been a driving goal that, once accomplished, left him feeling as though he was floating through the void. It took him some time to return from this void, but by that time, the pair had already moved onwards from Kumo, which did not allow for him to have interacted all that much with those who had been Yurei’s friends. On the outside looking in, as it were.

Yurei quickly explained the layout of the execution chamber before quite literally leaping into action. “No time to waste,” he echoed as he walked off the edge himself and plummeted, opting not to fall in style. The air split along the beak edge of his red tengu mask and brought his now three tomoe sharingan to tears of salty water, instead of metallic blood. The oncoming ground was fast approaching, and he channeled chakra into his hands, extending them outwards to make contact with the walls as his fall turned into a controlled slide. He gracefully continued down to the floor upon which Yurei had extravagantly landed. Yurei had already begun moving towards the wooden door, so Damon followed. Upon opening, the alarm began to cry out, prompting him to look around the doorframe. His first thought had been that the door itself was linked to some kind of system and despite its antiquated appearance, it might have required a passcode to open or some other such security measure. The voices in the hallway and the hurried footsteps away from the pair of infiltrators was enough to confirm that this initial suspicion was unfounded. Instead, he heard cries of murder in a section of the prison entirely different than from where he had left the still breathing, albeit comatose guard.

Yurei sprang like a serpent, launching himself and his kunai at one of two guards that were fast approaching two still bodies. One of those bodies, Damon recognized, had lilac tinted eyes and bore the face of a man he had indeed seen several years ago. And it was still breathing. The other guard turned to look at his friend, and before he was able to react, Damon dashed in and pulled a kunai. The alarms covered his steps, but the movement drew the guard’s attention which was followed by a sharingan genjutsu freezing him in place. A well placed kunai pierced a gap in the guard’s armor. He withdrew the blade as red seeped through the guard’s clothes and began to pool as he collapsed to his knees and hit the floor.

Damon allowed Yurei and Komon their reunion, opting to not intervene. He was on guard for any more guards approaching towards them, as the hurried footsteps suggested. The call for his name made him retreat backwards towards the Oni, casting his gaze at the prisoner for a brief moment, but that moment was enough. His chakra, his very life force, was being drained from him, not unlike the weapon the two had just dismantled. The similarities would have to be explored another time, however, as the now trio needed to reconvene elsewhere. Stemming from his brother’s eye, the familiar swirl began to rip into the fabric of reality. A clean getaway. Or so, they thought. Instead, Yurei collapsed to a kneel whilst having been supporting Komon, causing him to stagger as well. Damon shot a look of concern, as the sanguine liquid began to drip from his eyes, something he knew all too well. Yurei was careful, at least, not to allow Komon to fall outright.

Dammit, was the only thing able to be thought of that time allotted, as more guards approached the narrow hallway in which they were now trapped. Damon signed the seals for Swamp of the Underworld to appear within the middle of the intersecting passageways, careful to not have the jutsu overtake his two weakened companions. Cries rang along the walls as the first to arrive found themselves stuck within a muddy prison, but it might not take long for them to find a way around it. He would rather not have to use his own Amaterasu for crowd control, lest he end up in the same state as Yurei. Instead, he attempted to help to hoist both Komon and Yurei on either side of him, and bring them closer to the wooden door from which the Uchiha had entered, now their primary means of escape.

WC: 770
TWC: 2601

Sat Feb 26, 2022 5:42 am

Through strained vision the Hyuuga watched as two demon dashed down the hall, half convinced he’d used the last of his chakra, and had come to drag him to the afterlife. Fortunately, it appeared the oni and tengu were here to aid him, and judgment day could wait. He watched with what little consciousness he had left as the oni leapt to the ceiling and embedded a kunai into a guard's throat before ragdolling him backwards.

Brutal,

..but effective.

While the tengu took the high ground the tengu took to the floor, flashing a familiar red eye at the remaining guard, before lodging a kunai in the now motionless man. Leaving just the hyuuga and the masked men to talk, at least momentarily. The oni was close now, and spoke in a voice Komon recognized, but couldn’t quite place. One which was familiar, but also vague like that of a distant relative you hadn’t seen in years.

He was, however, not kept guessing long. The Uchiha flashed a set of eyes that he’d only ever seen on a single man. He struggled to lift himself off the ground and throw his weight onto Yurei’s shoulder. “Y-Yurei?” He’d manage to muster as he clung to his former friend. Not that he’d be conscious enough to hear any answer to his inquiry. Shortly after his body would go limp, and yurei would feel the dead weight of his body collapsing on top of him.

WC: 238
TWC: 1446

KOMON HYUUGA

AP Remaining: 400/400

* Vigor: 40 *

* Chakra: 10 *

* Speed: 50 (+25) *

* Strength: 25 *

Mon Feb 28, 2022 12:04 am

Yurei found himself in the dark. The chaos of ensuing battle, rescuing Komon, alarms blaring, and the quaking of armies came to a standstill. It was quiet. Still. Yurei could hear his heart beating in his ears, It carried its rhythm through his chest, his body, like a drum’s resonance. And for that moment, it was all he could hear. All he could feel.

The Mangekyou Sharingan, the kaleidoscope copy wheel eye - the staple of the Uchiha, though rarer than every form before it. With it came extraordinary power - and risk. He and Damon had used their eyes so often. Their prowess was on opposite ends of the spectrum. Yurei was the hand that bent reality - that truly warped it. Damon burned away at it. Made it manifest, deluded others into realities of his own making. Such jutsu were not common outside of the Uchiha clan, outside of their visual prowess, and yet…

That risk.

This was not the first time he or Damon had encountered the penalties of their eyes, but Damon was always the more constitutional of the two, the more durable. He was more suited for battle, and, though their sparring matches proved otherwise, Yurei had always attributed it to creativity - planning. In terms of sheer destruction, of sheer output, Damon was the deadlier of the pair. A scalpel and a kanabo. Perhaps it was fate that their eyes had been made to match. Or perhaps their Sharingan was molded by their own choosing, conscious or otherwise.

The warm, red liquid trickled down his throat, his sleeve. The fire in his lungs that spat sickening flames. He felt the warmth fade from his soaked hand, the specs of red dimly lit against the darkness.

And then he woke up.

Fire surged around them - black. It gave off no light, rather taking it in, hoarding it. Amaterasu, the gluttonous flame. That distinct roar echoed within Yurei’s ears, deafening him from his dream’s silence. He narrowed his eyes, feeling Komon’s chest against his hand. He braced himself, lifting the Hyuuga upright and standing tall himself. The most excruciating part had subsided. Now Yurei was left with a numbness, and droning pain that lingered over him rather than pulsing.

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes, squinting in the darkness. Damon’s flames surged on. They were surrounded by a flowing beast. With the alarms sounded, there was only one way out.

Through him.

Yurei strained. His dulled eyes shifted. Tomoe spun, and then the distinct shape of his Mangekyou Sharingan emerged. The Uchiha collected himself, taking in a deep breath as he rose. Kamui.

The air around them swirled, and space bent to the Uchiha’s will. Damon’s everlasting flames twisted around their visions, and the walls of that prison became snow - its darkness, the white light of the sun.

Blindness Counter: 5/100
WC: 467
TCW: 3103

-EXIT-
Claims:
Mission rewards with the ryo doubled from the Beloved Presence skill (12,000 ryo, 45 AP)
9 stats to Speed = 40
MAX STATS ATTAINED
44 AP from remaining WC
2750/2750 Mastery I for Great Fire Annihilation - Half Handseals
737/2750 Mastery II - No Handseals
2k Bonus Ryo for completing mission

The Good, the Bad, and the Hyuugly