Shinobi

[DrPhil2501]

"Hey guys! What a coincidence! I just happened to be passin' by!"

 

Kaneda squinted, as if confused in a relaxed posture. "... But I thought you were coming with us anyway--"

 

All of a sudden, something strong and powerful wrapped around Kaneda's neck. His hair was given a hard ruffle by large hand. Kaneda turned purple from suffocation.

 

"A fine morning to you, Kaneda-kun. I trust you have been fine-tuning your senses during the past three days?"

 

"I be... *cough* fine tuning your senses if you dont let go of me old man!" Kaneda wheezed. Tategami let him go, and beamed.

 

"Where are the rest of the others?" he queried. Kaneda recovered.

 

"They're probably on their way... Or maybe they havent bothered to get their asses out of bed..." he grumbled.

[SkywalkerRules]

"Funny how things work out like that...hey, I just wanted to appologize for the little rage incident I had a few days ago. I don't know what happened back there, I guess I just lost my cool."

 

Asuka placed a comforting hand on Takeda's shoulder. "It's all right. I was angry myself too. I too apologize..."

 

When she saw Tategami give Kaneda a friendly greeting, she laughed. It was always funny to see Tategami annoy Kaneda sometimes.

 

"Good morning, Tategami-san," Asuka said, bowing her head.

[CommanderQ]

Akagi had spent the early morning hours alone at a small lake a little ways away from the village.

 

To a bystander, it would seem that he was doing nothing, just staring into space and sitting absolutley still, but he was doing far more then that.

 

He was preparing himself, not only for battle, but for any struggle ahead, which he feared may not be too long from now.

 

The Samurai felt peace near the Lake, so for the past 3 days he had come there, each early morning. He had found his peace...as short lived as it may be.

 

He walked into the village, clopping about in his armor. Akagi saw his friends near the main gate and he began to walk in their direction.

 

"Hmm...I see everyone is having a pleasant gathering, what exactly is happening?"

[Cyborg Ninja]

"It's all right. I was angry myself too. I too apologize..."

 

"I suppose we both have to work on our anger issues. Its nice to know we're going through the same thing with your uncle and my parents."

 

As soon as Tategami began bugging Kaneda, Specter appeared in a flash as if he sensed everyone meeting now. He turned to Tategami and bowed.

 

"I gave Asuka's father a soul check. All I could see was Karela in a dark room, alive but indeed captured."

 

"Hmm...I see everyone is having a pleasant gathering, what exactly is happening?"

 

Takeda looked up to see Akagi.

 

"Were going to go look for a man in the Hidden Rain Village, it would be honor to have you come with us."

[DrPhil2501]

Tategami beamed at Asuka. "A fine morning to you too, Asuka-chan."

 

He glanced at everyone else, making a little roll-call inside of his head. Kaneda, Asuka, Takeda and Akagi...

 

"The only ones missing are; Dai and Specter." he announced. "We'll wait around for a little longer; if they dont show up, we'll leave straight away. I am confident enough that they will catch up to us."

 

The discussion about yesterday caught Kaneda's attention. He glanced at Asuka. "So... are you feeling ok since yesterday?"

[SkywalkerRules]

"So... are you feeling ok since yesterday?"

 

Asuka glanced at Kaneda when he asked her that. Then she had a downcast look. "Um... yeah. I guess. But ya know what? I learned something. Even if your family member is evil, doesn't mean you kill them. They're your own blood."

 

She could feel tears well up in her eyes. "I guess... when my time comes... I'll deserve the same fate."

 

Asuka bit her lower lip sadly and scratched her head.

[Cyborg Ninja]

Takeda turned his head to hear Asuka's very sad response to Kaneda. He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes.

 

"You do not deserve such a fate. You have control over your fate, it has no power over you. What we do in this world and why we do it is up to us. You saved your friends from your father, if I were you I would have done the same thing. You are strong, you can overcome this."

 

-------------

 

Specter had been teleporting for the past three days. By now he had gotten the hang of it and could control it. He could even teleport others with him. Specter teleported back to the meeting spawn after visiting a lake.

 

"Is everyone ready, or do I have time to go around the world and come back again?"

[Shana]

Kokoro had been staying by the river. She had not had any luck finding any of the three masters that Naruto spoke of, it seemed this was not a very good time since it appeared that there was a lot going on and all the masters seemed to be involved in investigations.

 

"I wish I could be a part of everything", Kokoro said and Jupo went over to her and rested his head on her lap. He then suddenly jumped up and heard something. He barked two times at Kokoro as if telling her to come with him. She ran behind Jupo and arrived near the gate where everyone was assembled. She found Dai there and he heard her speak her name.

 

"Did you call for me?", Kokoro asked. "Sorry, I am staying by the river. I feel calm over there".

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Did you call for me?"

 

"As a matter of face I have been for some time now. Tategami-sensai has extended you an offer to join our mission to the Land hidden in the rain. Would you like to come along?"

 

What did this girl want again? Oh right. She wanted to learn some new techniques.

 

"I'm sure you can pick up a few new techniques along the way from the rest of our party. I can teach you a few basic Konoha techniques like the Shadow Clone technique if you wish."

 

Dai was about to head back when a Green Blur flashed through the trees and landed in front of him.

 

"Good morning Lee-Sensai."

 

Lee looked around cautiously before speaking. "Dai. You may wish to leave the village as soon as you possibly can. Anko is looking for you...and she seems quite angry."

 

A-Anko? The scary snake lady? But I made sure I was well hidden when I...I need to get out of here.

 

Dai shakily nodded at Lee as he took off again. "T-Thank you sensai."

 

He turned back to Kokoro. "I suggest we meet up with the others as quickly as possible. No need to waste time standing around when a Mission needs to be complete."

 

He said this all with false cheer. In reality he was terrified of what the Snake jonin would do to him if she caught him.

 

I need to leave as soon as possible.

[DrPhil2501]

Kaneda glanced at Dai and Kokoro approaching the team. "Finally... The rest of the team are finally here!"

 

Tategami crossed his arms and glanced at every member. "Moving on... From what I have been briefed, the man named Ryuu Mikita is an escaped prisoner from the Arashi's hideout. Our mission is to find him, and bring him back here to Konoha."

 

His eyes told everyone to be cautious. "Remember: The Arashi never intended for his escape. There will be people after him, and perhaps even non-arashi personel. Thats why it is our job to protect him for the journey back here. Understood? Excellent! Lets get moving."

 

Tategami and the team walked out of the gates of Konoha and back into the forest...

[Shana]

"As a matter of face I have been for some time now. Tategami-sensai has extended you an offer to join our mission to the Land hidden in the rain. Would you like to come along?"

 

Kokoro lept a bit with excitement.

 

"Sure! I'll be honored to", Kokoro said and heard as Dai spoke of teaching her Konoha techniques and Kokoro's eyes shined with even more excitement. "Of course I'd love to learn more Dai, I'll do the best I can".

 

"I suggest we meet up with the others as quickly as possible. No need to waste time standing around when a Mission needs to be complete."

 

Kokoro nodded to his words and followed him but he seemed to be distracted, as if something else was bothering him. Kokoro was excellent at picking up this kind of things, being a girl even more so. But she did not comment. She simply decided to follow Dai closely in case he needed any help.

 

As they approached the group, Tategami-sensei spoke to everyone about the mission. Ryuu Mikita, the name sounded familiar for some reason but there was no need to dwell on it.

 

"Remember: The Arashi never intended for his escape. There will be people after him, and perhaps even non-arashi personel. Thats why it is our job to protect him for the journey back here. Understood? Excellent! Lets get moving."

 

Kokoro nodded to Tategami-sensei's words and followed the rest of the group outside the village.

[CommanderQ]

"Were going to go look for a man in the Hidden Rain Village, it would be honor to have you come with us."

 

Akagi gave a small bow, "No, the honor would be mine."

 

"Remember: The Arashi never intended for his escape. There will be people after him, and perhaps even non-arashi personel. Thats why it is our job to protect him for the journey back here. Understood? Excellent! Lets get moving."

 

The Samurai squeezed the grip of his Wakizashi blade, "Tategami-San....what exactly is the importance of this Ryuu Mikita? What does he know or have that makes him so important as to send a task force to retrieve him?"

 

Akagi hoped it was because this man knew the layout of the Arashi, as they were definately in need of that info.

[SkywalkerRules]

"You do not deserve such a fate. You have control over your fate, it has no power over you. What we do in this world and why we do it is up to us. You saved your friends from your father, if I were you I would have done the same thing. You are strong, you can overcome this."

 

Asuka smiled at Takeda. "Thanks, my friends. I appreciate you cherring me up..." Suddenly, Tategami spoke.

 

"Remember: The Arashi never intended for his escape. There will be people after him, and perhaps even non-arashi personel. Thats why it is our job to protect him for the journey back here. Understood? Excellent! Lets get moving."

 

Asuka nodded with a smile.

[Cyborg Ninja]

"Remember: The Arashi never intended for his escape. There will be people after him, and perhaps even non-arashi personel. Thats why it is our job to protect him for the journey back here. Understood? Excellent! Lets get moving."

 

Takeda followed Tategami out of village. Within that short amount of time he already had a question.

 

"Tategami-sensai, if the Arashi are looking for this man wouldn't at least one of them remember one of us and try to attack us? Shouldn't we stay hidden when searching or at least put on a disguise?"

[DrPhil2501]

"Tategami-San....what exactly is the importance of this Ryuu Mikita? What does he know or have that makes him so important as to send a task force to retrieve him?"

 

Kaneda breathed a heavy sigh. And I thought everyone was well informed... he thought.

 

"As I have explained many times before..." Tategami began calmly. "Ryuu Mikita is an escaped prisoner from the Arashi's hideout. He may be the only one who knows where it is. He can help us find them. Thats why we need him."

[Chevron 7 locke]

((I'm going to modify my post that deals with the fate of Pain and the other old bad guys to better make this fit.))

 

"Remember: The Arashi never intended for his escape. There will be people after him, and perhaps even non-arashi personel. Thats why it is our job to protect him for the journey back here. Understood? Excellent! Lets get moving."

 

Dai nodded and followed Tategami from a distance before catching up. "So tell me...Is Konan still in charge of the village these days? Or did someone else take up the buren of leadership?"

[DrPhil2501]

"So tell me...Is Konan still in charge of the village these days? Or did someone else take up the buren of leadership?"

 

"So the Hokage tells me; she still governs the entire village. Must be a dificult job, with all the crime syndicate activity and the missing-nin occuring. Hopefully she put an end to all the conflict."

___________________________________________________

 

That night...

 

They made they're journey halfway to their intended destination. As of this moment, they camped in a clearing surrounded by forest. The moon was shining very brightly tonight.

 

The team already set up camp; Tategami took the liberty of making the fire using his techniques.

 

After everyone settled down, there was a huge silence among the group; staring at the fire.

 

"So..." Kaneda broke. "Anybody know any scary stories?"

 

"I recall the time where I had to undergo the Chuunin Exams, from where I originally came from. We had to undergo a physical examination before participating." Tategami announced. Kaneda frowned in disgust.

 

"Uhh... thats a little overboard then we wanted to hear..." he added. "Wait, you're not from Konoha?"

 

"That is correct." Tategami said proudly. "I transfered myself to Konoha by choice. I originated from Getsugakure, the Moon Village."

[Shana]

"Anybody know any scary stories?"

 

"I don't know any, I've never even heard one. I've been living alone with Jupo for a long while now, and in my village, people weren't too fond of stories, they just went by their tranquil little lives. I never fit there", Kokoro said and remembered how some of the kids in the village used to hit her with rocks because she was different than them. Her eyes began to tear and so she looked away from everyone and started to pet Jupo so no one would see her.

[Chevron 7 locke]

"Anybody know any scary stories?"

 

"I have one. Be warned though...this is not a tale for the faint of heart."

 

Dai leaned away from the fire to mask his face in the shadows as to create a scarier effect.

 

"Many years ago...During the Second great Shinobi war, a young man from the Village Hidden in the Mist was sent on a mission to recapture a defector who wanted to defect to Konoha. The young man followed the tracks that the traitor had left until he came to a clearing where the traitor would most likely be escorted back to Konoha by their ANBU black ops."

 

Dai slowly leaned forward.

 

"The man looked down at the clearing and his blood stopped cold at the sight that he saw."

 

"There were bodies in the clearing. Everywhere he looked he saw nothing but the mutilated bodies of the Defector and the Konoha ANBU who were supposed to escort him. There were other bodies as well. Cloud ninja, Rock Village Shinobi and Jonin from the Hidden Sand Village. The pit was filled with bodies."

 

He looked left and right before continuing.

 

"But then he noticed that there was something...moving in the pit. Something that was slithering under the bodies and dragging them down into the depths. Suddently...the slithering was getting closer and closer to him... He turned and began to run just as a figure emerged from the pit...A figure dressed in a white robe and with a bloody ANBU mask attached to his head."

 

"The man was frozen with fear as the figure approached him but he finally managed to fight off his fear and he pulled out his decapitating carving knife and sliced the figure across the head...only to see the figure disappear back into the fog that was moving in."

 

The man...who was later came to be known as Zabuza Momochi didn't tell his superiors about the encounter...but only his closest friends from his days in the village knew the truth. Eventually the story spread and people began to search for the figure."

 

Dai leaned in even closer to the fire. "No one has ever returned from searching for the figure...they say he steals your soul when he finds you...the very thing that makes you...you is taken. But they say...that on Dark Nights just like this one, when the fog is rolling in...you can hear the sound of the figure slithering under the bodies that it's collecting."

 

Dai grinned. "What do you think Kaneda? Scary enough?"

[Cyborg Ninja]

"What do you think Kaneda? Scary enough?"

 

Specter turned his head over to Dai to speak before anyone else could.

 

"A soul stealing psycho? Sounds like me on a bad day." he replied perhaps making his first joke in what was probably ages.

 

---------

 

Takeda had been sitting away from the group, looking up at the moon. He waited until Dai had finished speaking.

 

"Maybe, if your goal was to scare a genin."

 

Takeda had been in and out of the group's conversation. He had been thinking about the Rain Village when something Tategami had said crossed his brain. He looked at the moon and then turned around to look at Tategami.

 

"My mother came from the Moon Village too! Did you know anyone there named Edenia Quan?"

[SkywalkerRules]

Asuka, who was in the group, was asleep on her sleeping bag. Suddenly, she snorted, and sat up tiredly. "Huh?! Whu? I wasn't asleep!"

 

She wiped her mouth, and found out she was slobbering. As she stretched, Asuka looked at everyone. "So... what were we talkin' about just now? Scary stories? Monsters? Paying bills?"

[CommanderQ]

"So... what were we talkin' about just now? Scary stories? Monsters? Paying bills?"

 

Akagi had been resting on one of the nearby trees.

 

"Anything scary, I suppose...if paying bills fit, then yes."

 

He thought for a moment, trying to think on the stories that he and his friends used to tell eachother everytime their Sensei's brought them into the forest for extra training.

 

"Hmmm...have any of you heard the one on the Shadow Khan?"

[DrPhil2501]

"What do you think Kaneda? Scary enough?"

 

"The name Zabuza does sound familiar... he too was a scary man himself, I hear." Kaneda smirked. He looked over to where Kokoro was sitting, who was turning away from the group. He made a note to himself to talk with her later.

 

"Hmmm...have any of you heard the one on the Shadow Khan?"

 

This caught Kaneda's attention. "mmm... no. Is he some Undead Samurai Warrior, or something?"

____________________________________________

 

"My mother came from the Moon Village too! Did you know anyone there named Edenia Quan?"

 

"Cannot say that I have..." Tategami replied, while the others were telling each other camp fire stories. "Like Konoha, there are so many Shinobi and residents within the village."

[SkywalkerRules]

"The name Zabuza does sound familiar... he too was a scary man himself, I hear."

 

Asuka raised her eyebrows. "Zabuza. Zabuza... hmm. Oh yeah! I think I've heard about him! My Uncle told me about some guy by that name. Yeah..."

 

"Hmmm...have any of you heard the one on the Shadow Khan?"

 

The young girl also turned her attention to Akagi. A big smile could be seen on her face. "Uh-uh! Tell us, tell us!"

[Cyborg Ninja]

It was worth a shot Takeda thought to himself after hearing Tategami's reply.

 

He looked over at Akagi and was curious as well.

 

"I too would like to hear this story Akagi."

 

Specter stayed still for a bit and stared over at Akagi when he began speaking.

 

"Alright samurai, you've got me interested in this as well."