Spooky Season In The Mist

Missions:

As he walked through the market Kirigo could hear the sound of children laughing and playing between the stalls. Wasting time away while their parents shopped for whatever last minute odds and ends they needed to complete there holidays. The market was crowded with people who, like him, had put all the shopping off to the last minute.Not that he hadn't had good reason too, he’d been training on improving his ketsuryugan.He’d already gotten the hang of activating and deactivating it at will and he felt like his vision grew a little stronger each time he used it. Not only that but he’d recently realized that he had some weird control over his blood. He was able to infuse his chakra into it and control it, using it for his techniques just like it was water. He’d already started thinking of ways to incorporate the new ability into his repertoire. He figured he could start by just taking the water style jutsu he knew already and just start slowly adding his blood. He could do this until he had completely phased the water side out, at least until he had a better feel for blood release and could start forming techniques of his own. He’d already started doing this with his Water Style: Drip technique, able to form the blood and water around his hands and having it at about a 90 percent blood consistency. Once he had the last little bit of water sapped out of it and could keep it going with just blood he’d have a steady source to start working on the rest of his techniques without having to cut himself and draw blood. Kirigo scratched his chin, raising an eyebrow and looking off into the sky as he walked, lost in his thoughts. He almost walked right into the little kid that was stopped in front of him, crying as he spoke to his parents about his awful predicament. They were all three dressed in fairly nice clothes, though they weren't wearing any clan insignia. Kirigo wondered which part of the village they were from, not remembering them from his parents' shop.

“I don't want that one though… I want an ugly pumpkin. It’s supposed to be scary. I want a pumpkin with bumps and warts and an all weird shape.” The kid stomped his feet as he whined, clearly irritated with his parents not listening to him. Kirigo looked around at the stands. They all seemed to be selling pumpkins one way or another but he could see what the kid meant. All these pumpkins were handpicked to perfection. Bright orange globes with big straight stems and smooth skin. Perfect pumpkins, well, for most. The kid was clearly not pleased with perfection. Kirigo felt a bit of sympathy for the kid. Maybe even a slight admiration at him wanting to stand out from the flock by picking a pumpkin that most wouldn't even look at.

The kid's parents were pleading with him quietly. Begging him to quiet down and choose one of the pumpkins on display so that they could go ahead with their holidays. It didn't look like the kid was willing to back down though, and the parents were clearly rushed. Kirigo decided he’d offer his help. He didn't have any other plans today and he’d already done fairly well with progress on his training this week.

“I could help,” Kirigo said smiling at the group,”You seem like you’re in a hurry and I don't have anything going on today. I don't have a problem taking him around to look for a pumpkin. My name’s Kirigo. I just completed my exam and became a Genin.”

The mom and dad of the boy looked him up and down skeptically. They didn't seem to fully trust Kirigo and he couldn't really blame them. He wasn't exactly looking the part of a shinobi today. He’d grabbed a wrinkled shirt off his floor on the way out of his room, and there was a mysterious reddish brown stain down the front, probably blood from his practice. The stain streaked down the design on the gray shirt giving the normally happy looking jack o lantern there a ominous look, the blood appearing to have dripped from its eyes and mouth before drying to his shirt. His pants would probably be covered with the same gore except that the dark black material didnt let it show. He gave them a slight nod as their eyes met his smile widening more.

The parents looked at each other then turned back to Kirigo giving him a nervous smile. They looked down to their son who was gleaming excitedly at the idea of getting to keep on with his hunt and gave a sigh of defeat. The father pulled out a business card, handing it to Kirigo and telling him that he could bring their son to the address provided when they had finished their selection. They both hugged their son before turning and disappearing into the cross of people moving through the market.

Kirigo reintroduced himself to the boy and gave him a fistbump. They walked around to some of the nearby stalls talking about how disappointing all these perfectly selected pumpkins were. The kid told him his name was Kabo, and that they had just moved there recently for his dad’s work. Kabo said that they had just moved to the village from a small town on the coast of the mainland where his father ran a small group of fishing vessels. Apparently his father had always said the fishing was better on the islands and had saved up until they could move the whole operation to Kiri. They'd been in the village about a month apparently and seemed to like it quite a bit. When Kirigo asked if his father was right about the fishing, Kabo shrugged, explaining that he didn't really care or pay any attention when his dad was talking about that stuff. He talked about how his dad had to spend a lot of time working to keep everything running and he didnt wanna be busy like that all the time.

They walked and talked as they moved through the stalls. Stopping every now and then to break their conversation and take a second look at any pumpkins they thought had an unusual shape. None of them seemed to exactly pique Kabo’s interest though. Kirigo was beginning to worry about whether they'd be able to find a pumpkin at this rate. They turned the final corner of the market and came across a stall that was covered with a dark red tent. The loose fabric fluttered slightly in the breeze. As they pushed aside the fabric at the entrance and walked in a fog rolled out around their feet. There were candles at each corner of the tent, the flickering light causing the shadows of the products on display to dance eerily around the tent. A hunched figure stood behind the counter, in a long hooded robe that matched the dark red fabric of the tent. There was a gold trim lining the hood and arms of the robe that seemed to flow in the dancing light.

“Weeeeelllllllcccccome,” said the hooded figure slowly, drawing the word out. Its voice was low and raspy, as if it had a throat full of glass. The sound grated against Kirigos ears causing him to clench his jaw against the assault. “Enjoy the wares. Let me know if you have any quesssttiiiooonnss.”

Kirigo simply nodded to the figure, a tingle running down his spine. He looked at Kabo to see if he was as bothered by the voice as he was but he hadn't even seemed to notice. He had a huge smile on his face and Kirigo followed his line of sight to see what had excited him so much. When he saw it he understood. There in the corner of the tent sat a pile of pumpkins for sale. Kabo walked over to the pile and picked up a pumpkin off the edge. It wasn't orange like the rest but an off white color. It had a sickly green color in the valleys and pockmarked all over the surface with large bumps of the same color. The stem on the top was a thick coil that had been cut at about a foot long where it finally began to taper. It wasn't the biggest pumpkin, the large stem dwarfing the body by comparison, but it definitely met all the other criteria and the huge smile never left Kabo’s face as he walked back over carrying it.

Kirigo grabbed the pumpkin by its stem and sat it on the counter in front of the shopkeeper. As he was about to inquire about the price Kavo stopped him, tugging gently on his shirt. He told Kirigo that his parents were supposed to help him pick out a costume today too but that they hadn't had time with all the trouble they ran into finding a pumpkin. He asked Kirigo politely if he'd help him find a costume before they went back to his house too and Kirigo agreed.

The shopkeep upon hearing the conversation pointed them to the far back corner of the tent. There Kirigo could see a few racks of costumes hanging up and decided it was worth a shot. He guided Kabo over to the racks and they began to browse the small selection. There were quite a few options for such a small collection, none of the costumes seeming to appear twice. This seemed odd to Kirigo but he figured it was just because it was so close to the holiday. The shop had probably just sold out of the rest. Kirigo asked Kabo about what kind of costume his parents would like him to get and Kabo assured him they didn't really care they'd let him get whatever. After browsing through the costumes for a bit Kabo let out a large sigh. Clearly, he hasn't found anything that sparked his interest. He walked back to Kirigo, throwing his hands in defeat. He told him he wanted something that was really scary. He didnt wanna be some ordinary skeleton or monster. He wanted to be something people were really afraid of. Kirigo assured him they would keep looking at some of the other booths and they walked back to the counter.

When they got back to the counter the shopkeeper was gone, the counter abandoned. Sitting on it were two sets of the same robes the shopkeeper had been wearing. There was a piece of parchment pinned to the front of one of them that read: “Priests Of Jashin.” Reading the tag caused Kirigos heartbeat to speed up and he quickly activated his Ketsuryugan. Using his chakra vision he looked around, he could see the people walking around outside the tent and he could see Kabo, but if the shopkeeper was around he wasn't making it obvious. He quickly deactivated his ability allowing his eyes to return to their normal color before making sure Kabo hadn't noticed. Of course he hadn't, he was holding an arm of one of the robes up in the light. Watching as the gold trimming danced around the edges. Mesmerized by the way the dark red fabric seemed to flow like blood as he ran it over his hand. Kirigo wanted to stop him but he could see in his eyes he’d already made his decision, this was the costume he wanted. Kirigo took the piece of parchment and shoved it in his cargo pocket where it would be safe before grabbing both the robes and rushing Kabo out of the tent.

Kabo looked satisfied as they left the tent and began to make their way past the stalls and out of the market. Kirigo pulled the business card out of his pocket reading the address. Kabo told him not to worry about it; he knew the way and they set off through the village streets as the sun began to set. They had been walking for a bit and the fog was starting to roll in with the waning sunlight. They turned down a dark alley that Kabo assured him was the last one before they reached his house. As they walked through the alley a dark figure peeled itself away from the wall to their right, moving to block their path. Kirigo stepped in front of Kabo shielding the boy behind his body and telling him to stay put. As he moved Kabo behind him he activated his Ketsuryugan to give him a better picture of their foe. Kirigo could tell by the chakra signature he could see from the guy that he wasn't very strong, still he hoped to avoid a fight with Kabo right there. The figure raised a hand pointing towards them in the dim light of the alley but he couldn't tell exactly what he was pointing at. Kirigo put his hands together slowly beneath the robes he was carrying and formed the Tiger hand seal for the Cat Eyes Technique. His vision cleared as the technique activated his pupils, expanding to take in all the light they could. With his improved vision he could see that the figure was pointing directly at the robes in his arms.

Kirigo thought for a moment before holding the robes up slightly towards the man. The man nodded slowly confirming what he had come for. Kirigo nodded back and began forming the hand seals for his next jutsu Ox -> Tiger -> Ram -> Snake. He crouched as he made the seals, finishing them just as he reached the ground. When the seals were finished his opponent would be caught in his Blood Dragon Illusion Jutsu. Kirigo would use this to make it seem as though a copy of the robes he was holding had appeared on his right arm as he separated them.Kirigo lowered his right arm to the ground making it appear to his opponent that he had surrendered the robes to them. At the same time he quickly tucked his left arm with the real robes on in behind his back, shoving the ball of material up the back of his shirt as he stood.

Kirigo backed against Kabo and slowly pushed him back until he was between him and the wall, His right arm held out to shield the boy. Kirigo watched as his jutsu played out to perfection. Kabo would see the man walk quickly up through the alley to the spot they had just been standing at before scooping and trying to pick up what he thought were robes before hurriedly leaving the alley clutching his arms to his chest tightly. He would be several blocks away before the genjutsu would wear off and he would realize he’d been duped.

Kirigo deactivated his Ketsuryugan and pulled the robes from beneath his shirt before turning back to face Kabo. He quickly checked to make sure he was ok before escorting him quickly out of the alley and back on the path to his home. As they walked Kabo asked about what had happened in the alley and why the man had acted so strangely in the end. Appearing to pick something up and leave when he hadn't actually received anything. Kirigo explained the concepts of genjutsu briefly before going into more detail about what he had actually had done in the alley. Explaining to an intrigued Kabo how he had made it appear to the man that he had left the robes in the alley before he backed away and that the man would have truly believed he had the robes as he left. Kabo Laughed at the man for being fooled and continued to question Kirigo as they walked up the steps to his front door. Kirigo knocked, still answering his question enthusiastically until the moment his mom opened the door for them and beckoned them in.

There were photos of the small family lining the hallway leading to their main room. The three of them smiling at different locations, seeming to enjoy themselves. Kabo talked excitedly to his mom about how his day had gone after they had separated before walking over to Kirigo and taking one of the robes from his hands. He held the robe up to his mom showing her the soft fabric and the bright golden trim. She smiled and shook her head as he talked and showed off his find enjoying her son's amusement. When Kabo looked around her face seemed to change slightly, a little bit of sadness showing through the smile. Before Kabo could ask she began to explain that his dad had to leave on urgent business. Kabo’s face grew irritated and he threw the robe to the ground before running from the room. Kirigo could hear a door slam somewhere else in the house. Kabo’s mom raised a hand to her face, rubbing the creases between her eyes. She turned to Kirigo with a small smile returning to her face. She asked him if he’d be willing to take Kabo to get candy in her place to which he agreed enthusiastically.

Kirigo walked down the hall towards the door Kabo’s mom had pointed out. He could hear quiet crying coming from the other side. He raised his hand and knocked before opening the door slowly and proceeding in. Kabo was on his bed with his blanket over his head. Kirigo balled up the robe he’d picked up off the ground and launched it at Kabo’s head calling his name as he did so. Kabo poked his head out of the blanket just in time for the robe to hit him right in the face. Kirigo told him to get dressed and they had candy to grab. Telling him to hurry before they missed out on all the good stuff. Kabo’s sad face instantly turned into a bright smile as he bounced up out of his bed and began to get ready for the night. Kirigo went ahead and changed too, enjoying the soft feel of the fabric as he slid the robes on. He adjusted Kabo’s robes and tied his belt before doing the same for himself. They had not thought to grab bags while they were out so they decided they'd have to settle for pillow cases. Kabo made Kirigo agree to give him a quarter of his candy in exchange for pillow case rental and off they went.

As they stepped back out of the house and into the streets the fog had become thicker. There were kids moving up and down each side of the street both older and younger than Kirigo himself. He told Kabo to make sure he stayed close to him while they were out tonight and Kabo promised he would behave. They began making their way along the streets going door to door and collecting their fill. The bags were getting full pretty quick and they were having a good time eating candy as they went. They saw a few groups of older kids running around causing trouble here and there but it wasn't anything Kirigo was going to concern himself with right now. He had his priority already and that was to make sure Kabo had a good night even though his dad hadn't been able to make it .Kabo’s mom had explained that she would have taken him out herself, that's why she’d stayed behind anyways, but she thought he’d prefer to go with Kirigo. Kabo continued to ask questions about shinobi and their techniques as they made their way along. At one point he even showed interest in joining the academy but reflected that it would probably take even more time than the fishing line would and decided against it.

When they had filled the pillow cases to the point that they were getting difficult to lug around Kirigo suggested they head back to Kabo’s house and call it a night .Kabo agreed, reminding Kirigo of the rental payment for the pillow case he was using before turning and heading back the way they had come. Kirigo agreed with him, laughing at the reminder. They walked past groups of kids enjoying their night and collecting candy. Kirigo had kept his Cat Eye Jutsu active after the incident earlier, allowing him to see perfectly in the dark night. He noticed there was a group of three teenagers that had been staying a couple houses behind them the entire night. Now that they had finished getting candy it seemed the group had stopped too. When Kirigo looked back over his shoulder he could see them tailing them at about 10 meters behind. Kirigo put his arm around Kabo’s shoulder pulling him close as he explained the situation to him. He then asked Kabo if he wanted to see him use more of his jutsu to which Kabo agreed. Kirigo slowed their pace, allowing the group of teenagers to get within 5 meters of them before turning right down a dark alley.

When they turned into the alley Kirigo spun, grabbing Kabo and pulling him close to him. He covered his mouth with his right hand stifling his startled cry and pressed them up against the wall hiding in the shadows. The group of teenagers came running around the corner holding bats in their hands. Kirigo hadn't seen them earlier and figured they were hiding them in their candy bags. Kirigo whispered to Kabo to keep quiet and not be afraid as the group ran past them into the empty alley. He then removed his hand from Kabo’s mouth and brung his hands together in front of Kabo’s face making the hand seals for his Mist Servant Jutsu Boar -> Rat. He explained exactly what the group of kids was seeing to Kabo as it happened.

The group of boys stopped suddenly as the ground and walls around them seemed to waver slightly. They watched as 5 copies of Kirigo seemed to pull themselves out of nowhere. One of the clones seemed to pull itself out of each wall. Slowly peeling themselves away from the hard coles brick. Another three seemed to be slowly dragging themselves up out of the ground. When the teenagers turned to run back down the alley the way they came they would find their escape blocked by the same. All 10 of the clones began to slowly make their way towards the group. One of the boys panicked and launched his bat at the head of one of the clones directly in the center.As the bat passed through the clone's head it seemed to dissipate before suddenly regaining its solid form and splitting down the middle to make two of itself. Seeing this the other two dropped their bats and ran straight towards the line of clones, hoping to be able to squeeze past them and make it out of the alley. They were so caught up in their fear they didn't even notice as they passed harmlessly through the illusions, the clones simply splitting into two more copies as the boys collided with them.

When the alley had cleared Kirigo took his arms from around Kabo letting the boy free. Kabo turned to Kirgo expressing his excitement at seeing him in action Kirigo told him it was no big deal and explained that all the stuff Kabo had seen tonight was really just simple stuff. There were people out there that could do truly amazing things and even put Kirigos illusions to shame. Kabo's eyes widened in excitement at the prospect asking if he’d ever be able to see any of them fight like he had Kirigo, but figured it probably wasn't likely if he stayed home. Kirigo assured him that he had plenty of time to decide what he wanted to do before showing him out of the alley and back to his house. When they arrived Kabo’s mom was already waiting for them on the porch with his dad next to her. Kabo ran to him, hugging him excitedly and beginning to ramble on about his time with Kirigo. Kirigo climbed the steps to the house with a smile on his face. He shook Kabo’s father’s outstretched him, accepting his gratitude before turning to walk off. He heard Kabo clear his throat loudly behind him and turned back to see his outstretched hand. Kabo reminded him once again about his rental fee and Kirigo laughed, handing him the entire sack of candy and explaining that he wasn't really a fan of sweets. Kabo jumped up onto him giving him a hug before running into the house to rummage through his collection of sugar. Kirigo gave a nod to his parents before turning and heading back into the foggy streets of Kiri.

[EXIT]

Spoiler: