Dreams and Nightmares Mission Thread

[Tatsuo UchihaGenin]

Mission Info:

Total Ryo Reward: 16,250 Ryo
Total AP Reward: 80 AP
Total Dream Tokens: 50 DTs
Total WC Required: 6,500 WC
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[Tear in the Fabric]

Tatsuo rolled over in bed, a spot of drool dripping onto his pillow while he wore a sleepy, satisfied smile. For in his dreams, it was his birthday, and his mother had made all of his favorites - red bean buns, tri-color dango, and mochi snacks. But just as he was about to dig in to his feast, a harsh beeping sound roused him from his slumber. Tatsuo's eyes fluttered open, and he groaned as he flung his hand out to hit his alarm clock. For a moment he just lay there, still disoriented from the sudden yoink out of his dreams, and grumpy because it had happened just as he was getting to the best part. After a moment, he sighed and sat up, stretching and rubbing his eyes as he got out of bed and went into his kitchen to see if his mom was awake.

As he entered the kitchen, he saw there was some food left on the table, but there was no one else in sight. His stomach growled at once, prompting him to go closer and take a look at what there was to eat. When he saw the spread, though, his mouth dropped open in shock. Everything that he had dreamed of was on the table, from the plates of mochi and dango right down to the pile of steaming bean buns. "No way," he breathed, picking up one of the buns and biting into it hungrily, relishing in its mildly sweet flavor and devouring it in an instant. He was elated! It wasn't even his birthday, but his mom had gotten up early to make all of his favorite treats? He definitely had to go and thank her.

"Mom!" he called out as he ran down the hall toward his parents' bedroom, throwing open the door and sprinting to the bed. With a mighty leap, he jumped and landed between his parents, rolling over and hugging her tight. "Thank you soooo much!" Both parents startled awake as soon as Tatsuo barged in the room, his mother now hugging him with a look of confusion while he father stared on, his brow twitching with a bit of annoyance. "I... I'm glad you're so happy, Tatsuo, but... what are you thanking me for?" Looking up at her, Tatsuo's brow wrinkles a bit. "For the treats you left in the kitchen... You made all my favorites!"

Tatsuo's mother and father exchanged confused glances, before she looks down at Tatsuo again, hesitating. ".. Tatsuo, I haven't been up this morning... Are you saying there's food on our table?" Tatsuo sits up, staring at his mother with utter confusion on his face. ".. Y-... yes..." His father gets out of bed, then, standing up and walking to the kitchen, intent on seeing what all the fuss was about. Sure enough, the food was there before his eyes. "Suzume.." Frowning, his mother got up and followed her husband to the kitchen, her arms folding with concern when she saw the table. "I've been asleep, Kazuo..."

His father's eyes narrowed slightly, before Kazuo turned to Tatsuo quickly. "Did you eat this?" Tatsuo held his arm nervously, looking down and nodding once. In the very next instant, his father was upon him, and he gasped as he was dragged to the toilet. "What's wrong?!" was all he managed to get out, before his father's fingers were down his throat, forcing the boy to vomit into the basin. Tatsuo choked, losing the small meal he had before his pushed his father off him, glaring at him. "Dad, why?!" Kazuo stepped out of the bathroom, a stern look on his face although his shoulders seemed to ease in relief. "We don't know who put that food there. It could easily have been poisoned. You must learn to think about these things, Tatsuo. You don't just eat any food that you see without first knowing where it came from. This applies to your own kitchen table just as much as it applies to the world outside. You are a shinobi. You must be vigilant."

Tatsuo frowns, angrily storming out of the kitchen and back to his bedroom to find his clothes. His father was probably right, but he hated being told off. He got dressed quickly, grabbing his shoes and pulling them on as he stepped off the porch to go to Zainketsu's house. He needed some space from his family, and a proper breakfast.
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WC: 739 | TMWC: 739/15,500

[ZainGenin]

Zainketsu awoke from an incredibly vivid dream. In his dream he was opening packs of cards for his ninja scrolls collection. He was surrounded by delicious breakfast foods and stuffed his face as he went through his booster box. He was so excited as he went through pack after pack in search of the rarest new cards. He hit peak ecstasy when in his dream he drew a rare foiled collectible of the first Hokage. It had alternate art and was probably a one in a million pull! He was disheartened when he awoke and realized he had been dreaming the whole thing.

Lame, It felt so real! That card was so cool! I'd trade my whole collection for it in a heartbeat!

With a deep sigh he quickly suited up in all his shinobi gear. He didn't have an agenda for the day but it never hurt to be prepared. Hopefully he would get a mission soon. The young Uchiha had been growing restless and a little stir crazy as of late. Maybe he could find Tatsuo and get some training in.

He made his way across his home and towards the back door. His feet suddenly stopped and his body froze up. His eyes darted toward the kitchen. His table was set up with plates of food. There was eggs and bacon, breads and fruits, and multiple syrups to drizzle over all of it. It looked delicious and absolutely tantalizing.

What the fuck? I know that old bastard wouldn't go through all this trouble!

Immediately the young Uchiha reached for the handle of his katana. His guard was fully raised. His posture grew tense as he scanned the room for threats and clues. The only two people who lived here were Zain and his father. His father had not been right since the loss of his wife and eldest son. He had turned into a bit of an alcoholic and an absentee father. Even when Zainketsu's mother was alive his father wouldn't make breakfast. Something was definitely fishy here.

There were no signs of a forced entrance. Nothing except the dishes seemed  touched. Nothing was blatantly stolen or out of place. Zainketsu knew better then to eat the food so he began cleaning it up. As he picked up one of the plates he noticed that it had a card under it. This was not just any card, It was the exact same holographic card that he had pulled in his dream! Everything to the very the last detail was there. He looked the card front to back over and over again. Each time that he flipped it he hoped that it would change or simply dissapear. He was in utter disbelief at what he was holding.

This can't be real!  I must still be dreaming. How is this card here? Thats not possible! Is someone pranking me?

His mind started racing before it was stalled out by the sound of approaching foot steps. Zainketsu pocketed his found carc and quickly raced to the front door. His hand was still on the handle of his katana as his heart started pounding. In his brief state of paranoia he aggressively pushed open the door fully prepared to strike down whatever was on the other side.

He was surprised to see that it was Tatsuo coming up to his house. He immediately felt kind of silly and loosened the grip on his katana. His hand shot to his head as he nervously ruffled his hair and entered a more laid back demeanor. He chuckled slightly as he greeted his guest with a big smile.

Hey Tatsuo! I'm glad to see you. Sorry if I startled you! It's been a bit of a wierd morning! I think someone may have broke into my house while I was sleeping and...made me breakfast? I'm not really sure what to think, Im still processing everything. What are you up to? Did you come to get some training in?

Wc 660

[Tatsuo UchihaGenin]

Tatsuo was surprised when Zain flung open the door before he could reach it. The look on his face suggested he was expecting danger, which made Tatsuo's brow furrow with confusion. But The other boy's countenance soon lifted, and so Tatsuo relaxed as well, sliding his hands into his pockets while Zain explained his reaction. At the mention of breakfast though, Tatsuo's eyes widened. "You too??" he said, trying to peer behind Zain and into his house. "Somebody left food on my table this morning too! I um... ate a little of it, and my dad got mad." He looked a bit sheepish and disgruntled, shrugging a shoulder. "I don't get it though... who's going around leaving food in people's kitchens? None of us even woke up... and it was so hot and fresh, they must have made it right then, right?" It was puzzling for sure. But Tatsuo didn't really wanna think about it right now. "I'm actually still pretty hungry... You wanna walk with me to town so we can get some food? At least we'll know it hasn't been tampered with..."

Cocking his head towards the road, Tatsuo turned and started to walk out past the Uchiha district and into the village proper, kicking a few stones on his way. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something about the air felt off. "I don't like today," he finally said out loud to Zainketsu. "Something feels weird... doesn't it? Almost like we're walking in a dream... but I'm pretty sure I'm not sleeping." At that moment, something bizarre caught Tatsuo's eye. A small child, running from a group of devil imps, small creatures with pitch forks that were chasing her down the road toward the village center. Tatsuo quickly rubbed his eyes, but the image didn't disappear. Then, as a last ditch effort, he closed his eyes and surged chakra through his mind, aiming to disrupt and foreign presence there - but when he opened them, he could still see the strange creatures. "It's not even Genjutsu," he whispered, before taking off at a sprint toward the imps and the girl, following them into the square. There, he made a series of quick hand seals, blowing out a stream of fire at the imps and watching as they shriveled away and evaporated into mere mist. There weren't even any bodies to speak of. Tatsuo frowned, considering this. He knew his fire wasn't strong enough to vaporize anyone. What were these things even made of?

He stepped over to the girl, who was now sitting and crying on the ground. He knelt down quietly, putting his hand on her arm comfortingly. She was maybe a few years younger than he was. "Hey," he said gently. "It's okay now... do you know where they came from?" The girl sniffled and hiccuped, rubbing her eyes and looking up nervously. "... They're the mean monsters from my dreams... The ones in my nightmares," she explained, before getting up shakily. "I-I gotta go home now... I want my mommy..." Wiping her face again, she quickly ran back down the street to her home, leaving Tatsuo looking perplexed. "From her dreams...?" He stood up, looking to Zainketsu and crossing his arms, a thinking frown on his face. "Hey, Zain-kun... she said those monsters came out of her dreams? What if... What if something weird is happening to our dreams? The food on my table.... I dreamed about it before I woke up. What about you?"
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WC: 581 | TWC: 1,320 | TMWC: 1,980/6,500

[ZainGenin]

The day had been strange from start to finish. Unfortunately these were just the start of things to come. It began with breakfast and a ninja card and expanded to include monsters and all sorts of absurdities.

Zainketsu was floored when the two boys ran into the crying girl. Tatsuo made quick work of the imps and quickly rushed her to aid. Zainketsu followed up behind in a state of disbelief. His brain was working tirelessly to try and make sense of what he was witnessing.

Yah I was dreaming about a rare card i pulled from a pack while eating. When I was throwing the food away I found that exact card under a plate. This girl said these imp things were her nightmares! This all can't be a coincidence, There has got to be someone or something behind this. I don't know what kind of jutsu or ability could do something like that but it's got to be wicked powerful. It feels sinister. I don't like it! We should go report in with this right away!

THREE DAYS LATER

It had been a busy couple of days since the dreams started merging with reality. Small little pockets of chaos had been errupting all over the village. The two Uchiha boys had been working tirelessly to quell all the fires that had been popping up. The vivid imagination of the villagers made each situation unique to handle.

Right now the two genin were heading over to one of those unique situations. Reports were coming in about a young boy had dreamt himself up a fortress and was anchoring himself inside. The situation was still emerging so he didn't have the most details but he would be lying to say wasnt curious to see what all the fuss was about.

It wasn't long before the mystery was solved. As they got close it was easy to see the disbelief that was coming in. A 40 meter high cylindrical tower stood overlooking every nearby building. A small body of water circled the tower preventing anybody from just walking over to it. It's walls were a cold gray stone smoother then silk. There was nothing to grab onto and it was virtually impossible to scale without chakra. There didn't look to be any entrances or pathways in the stones he could make out at first glance at the base of the tower. He quickly noticed there was a small opening up towards the very top.

As the two boys reached the base a high pitched screaming could be heard. It was more of a chant really. It was coming from the very top of the tower and boomed throughout the area.  

I AM THE DREAM KING! ALL OF KONOHA WILL BOW TO ME! I AM NEVER LEAVING MY CASTLE

Zainketsu couldn't help but chuckle at the kids high pitch but assertive tone. He also found the wording he used funny. It was a pretty good tower but he would hardly call it a tower. He struggled to keep his voice serious and giggle free as he yelled back up to this "Dream King"

AYO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP THERE BUDDY? THATS A PRETTY COOL uhmm...CASTLE... YOU HAVE THERE, CAN WE COME UP AND CHECK IT OUT.

NO PESEANT! NOBODY WILL EVER COME UP! THIS IS MY CASTLE AND MY CASTLE ONLY!

AHHH COME ON DONT BE LIKE THAT! WERE REAL LIFE NINJA! WE COULD SHOW YOU SOME THINGS IF YOU JUST LET US UP!

This seemed to catch the boys attention. He waited for a minute before responding. For a minute Zain thought that this was all it was going to take to convince the brat. Sadly Zainketsu was mistaken.

YOUR LYING! MY PARENTS TOLD YOU TO COME GET ME DIDNT THEY? THEY KNOW I LOVE NINJAS. THATS SUCH A DIRTY TRICK. THERE IS NO WAY YOU TWO PUNKS ARE SHINOBI. YOUR BARELY ANY OLDER THEN I AM. I MIGHT EVEN BE BIGGER THEN YOU ARE PIPSQUEAK! GET LOST! IM NEVER COMING DOWN!

Zainketsu started fuming to himself. He knew he was small but to be called out like that was just low. He clinched his fist as he began barking back up again briefly before turning to Tatsuo.

THAT DOES IT IM COMING UP THERE TO KICK YOUR ASS YOU BRAT!

Hey Tatsuo you ever lay siege to a "castle" before, cause i havent. Lets go see what it looks like. It looks like the only way in is that window up there. I say we climb up there and get this kid out of there. If he calls me a pipsqueak one more time i may just throw him out of the window though

Zainketsu smirked with a devilish grin so that Tatsuo knew that he was kidding. The young Uchiha then focused chakra in his feet so he could cross the dreamed up moat that stood between them and the tower. When further inspecting the moat he realized it was only about a foot deep. It was more like a kiddy pool then anything that would prevent access. The tower was so vivid that he almost forgot it was a dream for a mimute. The shallow moat reminded him that this was all constructed from the mind of a six year old!

WC 880

[Tatsuo UchihaGenin]

Tatsuo may still be young, but he was a Leaf Genin. It was his responsibility with all the others to tackle the threat of dream monsters appearing everywhere, and the threat was only getting worse. He’d been working alongside Zain for the past few days, getting rid of all sorts of small beasties, but today there seemed to be something larger afoot.

Tatsuo followed Zain to where a crowd was gathering, looking up at the tall, smooth tower that had been suddenly erected out of thin air. It seemed to be surrounded by a shallow moat, with nothing but a small window up top by way of entrance. Tatsuo squinted towards the window, where he saw a boy standing within. The window was too high up for him to see the boy super clearly, though. All he could hear was a high pitched holler.

“I AM THE DREAM KING! ALL OF KONOHA WILL BOW TO ME! I AM NEVER LEAVING MY CASTLE”

Tatsuo smirked alongside Zain. The kid obviously thought highly of himself. “How’d he conjure that tower, though?” he wondered, looking toward Zain with a cocked eyebrow. “Do you think he’s like… sleepwalking?”

Whatever the case, Tatsuo listened with crossed arms as Zain shouted back and forth with the boy, finally settling on trying to climb up. “Can’t say I’ve ever seized a castle, no… But it doesn’t look that hard to climb.” Saying so, the young Uchiha dashed forward, leaping onto the surface of the wall and using chakra to stick himself to it as he ran up its side, all the way to the window. He watched as the boy jumped back in surprise, and that’s when Tatsuo got a good look at his eyes.

They were strangely clouded over, hazy looking as if the boy were still asleep. Tatsuo looked toward Zain, and nodded. He was sure the other Uchiha would notice that they needed to wake the kid up, somehow. “Could try a zap,” he suggested, not wanting to give too much away to the kid and make him run. He also had a feeling that as soon as the kid woke up, the fortress around them would disappear and they’d need to be ready to make a landing. Tatsuo stood ready, bracing himself. He’d grab the kid once Zain woke him up, if Zain didn’t do it himself, that way they could all get down as safely as possible. After that, then… it was off to the next job. This problem was far from over.
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WC: 421 | TWC: 1,741 | TMWC: 3,281/6,500

[ZainGenin]

Zainketsu scaled the side of the wall and pulled himself through the small window. Tatsuo had a great idea to shock the boy awake. Zain began making the required handseals to perform his shock jutsu. It was the weakest of all his techniques so hopefully it wouldn't hurt the kid to bad.

Well if he is sleep walking he is about to be in for a rude awakening. Just be ready for a rough landing. Im not sure what is gonna happen when he wakes up but i have a feeling this fort is going to dissappear!

Lightning arced around Zainketsu's hands as he reached out and touched the boy on his shoulder. The boy screamed out as he snapped out of his walking slumber. Almost simultaneously the floor he was standing on vanished as the fort dissapeared back to the nethers it was summoned from. The three boys would suddenly find themselves in a free fall. Zainketsu would let Tatsuo catch the boy on the way down. They were higher up then he realized. The impact from the fall hurt the young Uchihas knees as he hit the hard earthen soil with a thud. Any sign of the incident vanished and it looked like things were back to normal now that the young kid was awake.

Well that is one to do that. Im getting tired of all these damn dreams! This is the wierdest thing i have ever seen in my life! I cant wait to get to the bottom of this. My curiosity cant take much more of this mystery!

Zainketsu chuckled as he spoke to Tatsuo. He had just finished speaking when a carrier pidgeon showed up. Attached to its leg was a small scroll secured with a tightly wrapped ribbon. Zainketsu outstretched his arm so the bird could land on his forearm. He carefully removed the note and began to read it and then paraphrased it so that Tatsuo would understand what the message said

Alright Tatsuo it looks like we already have our next mission. According to this scroll an anomaly has formed. It is believed to be a rift or possibly a gate of some kind. It is believed another person may have dreamt this up or that it is correlated to what is going on with the nightmares. Our mission is to investigate what is going on and to seal or contain said situation as quickly as possible!

Zainketsu huffed as he finished explaining the situation. The village was certainly making him have to  work extra hard recently. At least he got to hang out with Tatsuo during all of this. That certainly made the tasks much more entertaining and pleasant to accomplish. It was almost like they got to be real kids and play around even though what they were doing was very serious. He wasnt used to that. His whole life so far had consisted of training and adulting so getting to run around with Tatsuo almost felt like a vacation.

Alright buddy lets get to it then while the day is still young. Duty calls!

Zainketsu began to take off toward the mission and then stopped to look at the boy they woke up. He still seemed a little jittery and his hair was standing straight up from being electrocuted. He seemed super confused as to what was happening. The young Uchiha spoke to him with a wide face stretching grin. He flipped him a thumbs up just to check that everything was ok with him before the two Uchiha genin took off to their next assignment.

Just go ahead and go on home. Everything should be fine now. Just dont take any naps along the way and you will be alright. Your parent must be worried sick! That was a really cool fort by the way. Once we finish our mission id love to come hang out with you. Maybe we can build a real version of that fort for you to hang out in!

With that Zainketsu took off towards the location of the anamoly. He was  excited to start getting to the bottom of all the chaos. His carefree demeanor grew a little more serious with each passing moment. Zainketsu did not have any sealing techniques so they were going to need to find a clever solution to shut this rift down. He had a feeling this mission was going to be much harder then the previous one and challenge them in a way they previously had not been. If the two boys worked together though they should be able to solve this problem. Where there was a will then there was a way

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[Tatsuo UchihaGenin]

When the carrier pigeon arrived, Tatsuo cocked his head slightly as he listened, before taking the scroll from Zain and looking it over himself. "In the forest?" he questions, looking toward the gates. "Just outside... Okay. Let's go!" Handing the scroll back, Tatsuo takes off at a run, eager to help the next group of people. As serious as it was, it was also more action that Tatsuo had seen, ever! So of course he was enjoying himself.

When they arrived at the scene, Tatsuo first noticed a group of investigators from the village that had gotten there ahead of them, and were observing a swirling rift in the sky about fifty meters up. It looked like sealing specialists were among them as well, and they seemed to be formulating a plan, poring over scrolls in huddled groups. "Looks busy," he whispered to Zain, before walking closer to try and find someone in charge. He approached a tall man in a flak jacket, who seemed to be giving orders to people. "Excuse me.. Excuse me," he said, as clearly and loudly as he could. It took the man a moment to find where the voiced had come from, looking down to see the pair of young boys and raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"So you're the Genin they sent me... Can't say I'm impressed. Well, just try not to get yourselves killed. The sensory team has been observing this rift all day, and they figure something's gonna come out of that thing up there. Your job is to help keep the creatures at bay while the sealing team work on trying to get it closed. Think you can handle that?" His eyes narrowed on the kids a bit. Tatsuo swallowed, but stared back in the man's eyes resolutely, his hands balling into fists. "We can do it," he said with confidence, before looking to Zain and nodding.

"Well, alright then.. show us what you got. It's time." The Jounin nodded toward the rift, as a mass of creatures of all kinds started pouring out of it. Some were as small as cats and some were as large as a man, some flew and some ran on four legs, but they were all on the warpath, charging toward the waiting shinobi. Gasping, Tatsuo ran into the fray, quickly weaving hand seals and spewing out a volley of phoenix fire, the fireballs colliding with several winged beasts as they flew toward the group of sensory shinobi. A pack of mutant dogs then ran at him, teeth bared and jaws snapping, Tatsuo jumping back as quickly as he could while he wove the signs for his great fireball, unleashing it in a powerful blast that consumed three of the beasts in one blow. The fight went on like this for the better part of five minutes, as more and more creatures appeared. Tatsuo worked hard alongside the others to fight them off, while the sealing specialists prepared their scrolls.

As the last of the beasts were defeated, they set up and four points surrounding the rift, unfurling their scrolls and placing their hands on them, all of them activating simultaneously to create a barrier around the rift, hopefully enough to prevent any further creatures from getting out. But in reality, none of them knew how effective it would be, or how long it would hold. The Jounin in charge wandered over to the boys, having had his own share of the battle, and nodded his thanks. "You boys did well. I can see why they sent you. Don't worry about reporting in, I'll write all of this up for you. Go on back into town, and see who else needs help."

Tatsuo grinned quietly at the praise. After the stink the old man had raised, he'd better acknowledge that the kids had been capable, after all. The task done, he tugged on Zain's sleeve and started walking back through the trees and into the village square, sighing. "Man... it's been no rest lately, huh? Hey, um... you wanna go get a snack? Maybe a drink?" He tilted his head at Zain a bit, walking backwards toward a cafe, which was surprisingly still running, although the wait staff appeared to be running on fumes. Regardless of the answer, he would turn and jog for a table, grabbing a seat and looking over the menu for a minute. Soon enough, a waitress came by to take their order.

"Um, I want some daifuku and hot tea please," he said, thinking maybe the caffeine would help stave off the drowsiness he was accumulating, much like everyone else in the village. He would wait to see if Zain wanted to order something, watching the waitress walk away when she had gotten it all before turning to look at Zain, sighing wearily and resting his elbows on the table, laying his head down on his arms. "... What do you think's going on, anyway...? I heard people talking, earlier... they said those weird rifts are popping up in lots of places, now... Is it happening cause people are falling asleep? We've been trying to stay awake but... nobody can stay awake forever, right? I heard that in the bigger rifts, even stronger, scarier monsters are appearing... But nobody knows why yet."

He frowned at this, his brow wrinkling. The lack of information was really frustrating, especially when the problem was only getting worse. The waitress returned with their orders, and Tatsuo picked up his daifuku, biting into it and chewing contentedly, his expression relaxing slightly.
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WC: 925 | TWC: 2,666 | TMWC: 4,986/6,500

[ZainGenin]

The two Uchiha Genin made there way to the forest where the anomaly was reported to be. The area was populated with both villagers and shinobi alike. There was a feeling of panic that was sweeping through the area. Tatsuo led the way as they hunted out who was in charge. They stopped before a Jounin who was barking orders. Zainketsu looked past the elders dissapointment in their arrival. It was petty common at this point for everybody to underestimate the young boys and think little of them at this point. Needless to say he was used to it at this point. There was no point in complaining about it at this point. Actions always did speak louder then words anyway! The senior shinobi gave them pretty straightforward instructions. They just needed to stop the creatures long enough for the sealing team to seal the rift. He felt like that was something they would definitely be able to manage.

Stay on your toes Tatsuo! Dont let your guard down! who knows what these things are capable of or how many of them there are!

Zainketsu began making seals as the winged beasts started pouring out of the anomaly. Two clones made of lightning spawned in right next to him. The three Zainketsu's grinned and held a devious smile that looked even more menacing with their red sharingan eyes glaring at the hoard of creatures. The two boys and the clones quickly went to work dispatching the monstrosities. They all seperated away from each other to cover as much ground as possible. Zain found himself dodging and slicing with his katana as the beasts came near him. Most fell without too much effort though some were definitely stronger then others. On two different occasions it looked like he was about to be overwhelmed with numbers before his clone would explode with a concussive blast of electricity. The shock would make quick work of every nearby creature.

The boys went on in this manor for a couple minutes until the numbers started thinning. The sealing team had done its job and only the last surge of nightmares remained. Zainketsu made a few seals and an aura of lightning surrounded him like a cloak. It extended well into the sky before branching off into three independently moving dragons. The dragons barreled through the creatures until only a couple remained. Zain snatched the last remaining creatures with the dragons mouth and had it bite down on them until they faded from existence. It was a rather definitive ending to the confrontation. The young Uchiha took a second to catch his breath as the Jounin praised the boys for their effort and a job well done.

Wow that was awesome Tatsuo! your fire techniques have gotten so much better! Those nightmare gremlins stood no Chance! Yah i am starving! Id be down to go get a drink and a snack. With how crazy things have been we probably should take care of ourselves. Who knows when the next ordeal is going to pop up again!

The two boys made their way over to the cafe. Zain was starting to feel the adrenaline from the last couple days starting to catch up with him. He couldnt remember the last time he felt so tired. With all that was going on he was becoming afraid to fall asleep. Who knows what chaos the imagination of a child shinobi could summon. He took his seat at the table with Tatsuo.

Id like a bowl of beef ramen and a coffee please. Extra espresso if you dont mind!

The waitress nodded and trodded off with a big smile. She seemed taken aback by his order of coffee but did not question it. She simply carried on with her job and remained extremely pleasant.

Well its safe to say that these things are not genjutsu! They certainly are very real. I have never heard of any type of ninjutsu that could produce living dreams. It sounds like its a problem that extends much further then the leaf village. There has to be a person or a group of people behind this. Whoever they are they must be incredibly powerful to have such a wide reaching ability. If i had to guess i would say that if whoever is behind this is stopped then all these nightmares will stop happening. I wonder if the Hokage and the higher ups know any more information about this that they are not telling us about!

Zainketsu nodded politely as the waitress brought his food and drink. he immediately inhaled his coffee. The sudden burst of caffeine caused his eyes to spring open and his hands to become jittery. The extra energy was much appreciated. Without it he did not know how much longer he would have been able to stay awake. He then proceeded to pick at his ramen like bird looking for the most tasty worm. He didnt get very far into his meal before a panic started to errupt throught out the village. The caffe began to clear out as everybody started rushing outside.

What's going on now?

Zain dropped his chopsticks and made his way outside, he ushered for Tatsuo to follow him though the instruction was probably not needed. It only took a moment to realaize what all the fuss was about. In the sky was a similar looking anomaly to the one that was just closed. Only this one wa dozens of times the size. It was far off in the distance and still looked massive. Zainketsu wasn't the best with geography but it looked like it was off above the land of Hotsprings.

What should we do Tatsuo? That thing is huge. It would take a long time to run over there. Im not even sure how to help here. Should we tell someone? If creatures come out of the one like it did before then the entire land of fire could be in danger! The small one we just closed caused all kinds of havoc and it was tiny comparatively speaking. What monster creature do you think could live in something like that? I am scared to even think about it!

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[Tatsuo UchihaGenin]

Zain talking about how much his fire style had improved, had Tatsuo shaking his head. "Not as much as you, I saw that cool stuff you did with lightning! You gotta teach me sometime." Though his lightning style was progressing, he had yet to see the kind of results that Zain had. "The dragons were super cool," he added, remembering seeing them in the fight earlier. "I can make dragon heads out of fire, but not lightning. But it would be awesome if I could do both." He grinned, though his chin rested on his hand wearily and there were tired bags under his eyes.

Tatsuo was also a little surprised to see Zain ordering a coffee, but maybe 10 year olds drank it more. He knew that adults drank it to stay awake, but he'd never tried it himself. "What does that taste like?" he asked hesitantly, his curiosity getting the better of him. It smelled pretty good, regardless. But he still wasn't sure his parents would let him drink it yet. He ate the rest of his daifuku, finishing off the tea in his cup and sitting back, swinging his legs a bit while he listened to Zain talk about the anomalies. "I'm sure the Hokage knows something by now," he guessed. "They're probably just not telling us everything yet cause we're still Genin. I bet it's all on a 'need to know' basis," he said, offering air quotes around the official term he knew the higher ups would have used. Still, he'd been wondering about the origins of the problem for a while, himself. "Do you think it's like a space-time thing? Like the monsters live in another dimension, and are getting through somehow? They only appear when we're sleeping though, right?"

Just then, the startled noises got his attention, and he jumped up with Zain to go and check out what everyone was looking at. A large, storm like rift had appeared in the sky some distance away. It looked a lot like the one they had just seen in the forest, but this one was much, much bigger. "Who the heck is dreaming that big" he wondered, his eyes wide. He could already see people rushing toward the administration building, likely on their way to report the sighting to the Hokage. It was doubtful that the two boys would need to do anything further for a while. "It looks like it's being handled," he said, pointing to the older shinobi rushing around. "Maybe we should just go home for a while and wait for orders... we gotta trust that the higher ups know what they're doing. And if we try to help without having all the information, we might screw things up on accident..." Looking to his friend, he nodded. Though he knew that they both likely wished that they could do more, as of now it seemed to be out of their hands. Going back to the table, he left some money out for his meal, waiting for Zain before taking the long road back to the Uchiha district.

[Exit]
______________________________
WC: 518 | TWC: 3,184 | TMWC: 6,534/6,500

Mission Claims: 16,250 Ryo, 80 AP, 50 Dream Tokens

WC Claims:
+62 AP via Max Stats
* 2,062 WC for Chidori (A) -> 1,122 left
* 1,122 WC toward Sharingan 3 Tomoe (1,122/4,500) -> 0 left

*Max Stats 25% training discount

[Ayato HyuugaHogokage]

[Exit]
______________________________
WC: 518 | TWC: 3,184 | TMWC: 6,534/6,500

Mission Claims: 16,250 Ryo, 80 AP, 50 Dream Tokens

WC Claims:
+62 AP via Max Stats
* 2,062 WC for Chidori (A) -> 1,122 left
* 1,122 WC toward Sharingan 3 Tomoe (1,122/4,500) -> 0 left

*Max Stats 25% training discount

Approved