[Hyūga Shigure]

"followers of blood". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." APOSTLES OF BLOOD A little more than a year and a half ago, a group of bandits were reported to have been killing people and draining their blood around the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning. They called themselves the Blood Heralds. Their victim's dead bodies would then be string up on a tree as display of their deeds. A group of Leaf and Cloud shinobi had been dispatched to take care of them, and - for a while - it seemed like the problem had been solved. A few months after that, however, the group apparently re-emerged and continued to carry on the same atrocities under the same name. Their members looked a bit different, with extremely pale skins, and visible, black-coloured veins. With the change in appearance, their power was also increased, and it took a team of Leaf, Cloud, and Sand shinobi to take care of them once again. While the population believed that had been the true end for the Blood Heralds, the Hidden Leaf Village continued to study the case and remained vigilant, and just as they suspected, there was more to the group than initially anticipated. Intel reported that the one behind the formation of the Blood Heralds was a wicked religious cult that worships some sort of blood deity. Members of that cult call themselves the Apostles of Blood, and were responsible for the physical enhancements of the Blood Heralds. The Leaf asked for the aid of the Grass, and together they tracked them down one of them to a small village near the border between their lands, with plenty of reason to suspect they would once again try to revive the Blood Heralds. The Leaf decided to send Hyuuga Shigure to team up with Akira from the Grass. The former's doujutsu would help them find the culprit in the area, while the later's religious knowledge would enhance the chances of the mission being successful. Meeting up in a small town about five kilometres from their destination, the duo would depart with the goal of stopping the Apostles of Blood from once again wreaking havoc in the land. Once they meet up, Shigure would greet the man with a respectful bow. "It's an honour to work alongside you, sir." he said to the council member. "What do you know about the Apostles of Blood? I'm not very knowledgeable about the world's religions, if I'm being honest." the young Hyuuga admitted to the council member of the Hidden Grass Village. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." B-Rank Mission [1/20] Meeting in a town [@akira] [423 words]

[Deleted]

He had been so pleased to find the joint venture between Kusagakure and Konohagakure, especially where it pertained to stamping out the blight of other religions. Akira wanted to... do more than just end it- he would desecrate their temple, its teachings and all things it stood for. So, he had been all too helpful in providing his own hand for the mission. Sozin bowed back to Shigure as well; not customary, but he felt it was the right thing to do. He felt more at ease with this kind of meeting, if they hadn't met before then he was free to be himself.

It was hard keeping up a lie, so the best workaround was to live it: actively changing his fate. He was Sozin, Shinobi of the leaf. But, he knew that the shinobi from Iwagakure was in there.... somewhere. Whoever it was, Sozin had some knowledge up his sleeves. The Apostles of Blood were... inferior products. Poor shelflife: and he was there to help put an end to it. "Of course! The Apostles of Blood are just that: they see it as life, the giver of chakra. What keeps our body running, what kills it in the end." Akira's body didn't have traditional blood, either, considering who's it was he was borrowing. "Their god is a budget one, a minor: Gods exist in these lands, and battled the Bijuu. Beings that siphoned chakra from followers." He himself had met two; well. Kind of. "More followers; more power. They had their own at one point in time, but the Bijuu mostly came out victorious. But, they preach, unlike my own religion: to defile. They must be stopped." His tone changed a bit, they would have to get to where they were going soon enough.

And those eyes, just as he had seen them many times before. In name: he had killed a Hyuuga. During his own Chunin exams; but had run into it that it had even made place in his journal, kept of his former life. "Your telescopic eye abilities will be invaluable for this mission." He nodded warmly, quite brazen: quite brashly, almost flaunting the knowledge of the Hyuuga at Shigure - even if his tone of voice indicated a blase, relaxed turn of phrase. "I will rely on you to find their dens, whatever denizens and hovels they live, so we can end their blight for good."

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[Hyūga Shigure]

"followers of the blood". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." SHARING SOME INTEL The man, who he knew as Sozin, was quick to respond to his question regarding the Apostles of Blood, and he seemed to be indeed very knowledge about them. Their god seemed to be a minor one, not very strong, and as such, having more followers was within his main goal, as it had a direct influence on its power. What he was surprise to hear, however, was about the conflict between the Tailed Beasts and such gods. "I see... They look like the dangerous kind. Faith can be quite the motivator, so I'm assuming we will have to fight to kill. That is fine by me." he assured his partner. Sozin's knowledge was astounding, for he did not only know a lot about the world's religions, but he also seemed to be familiar with the abilities of the Byakugan. "You know about the Byakugan? I'm impressed. You can count on me to track them down, I'm actually a specialist in tracking and interception. I can see for around four kilometres, so once we are closer to the village, I will start searching for any signs of our targets." he revealed. Letting the man know the range of the Byakugan was important for the sake of the mission, and he saw no harm in that, especially considering the fact that he was already aware of the ability of the doujutsu to see in the distance. "And since you are familiar with my eyes, I assume you are also somewhat aware of our fighting style. I'm mainly a taijutsu specialist, but I am also competent with ninjutsu, especially with fire release." he added with a firm nod. As they talked, the two would depart towards their destination. They were not in a crazy hurry, and it would be wise to not use an extremely fast pace in order to preserve their stamina. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." B-Rank Mission [3/20] Heading to the village [@akira] [319 words]

[Deleted]

He nodded. "They are." But not more than his own. No, the seeds of manifested decay was not one that Sozin would bring up: his religion was a peace loving one. He was just an arbiter of justice, to force peace. The sowing discord was one that required much more finesse, and much more time. "Excellent." What Akira didn't know however, was the chakra aspect of the Byakugan: all he knew was that they could see through stuff. But the thought to kill and the man's range was astounding!

"Actually, no, just the eyes. I'm sure it's unpleasant." So, some of the man's secrets were still safe. As to how he knew... He couldn't exactly say that a Hyuuga had tried to run him down like a rabid dog, nor that they drowned as a spectacle: oh, and it was in a body that did not belong to Sozin. If it was worth mentioning by Shigure, then it was definitely something memorable. "I am a weapons user, I follow a non-chakra deigned path. But I am enhanced, so, please do not be alarmed by my physique should you see it." It was because of a very pertinent concern that popped in his mind the moment Shigure passed his own eyes: telescopic vision, plus the ability to see through things meant that they might've even been able to see inside Sozin's body.

And that, would reveal the artificial heart; not completely unlike that of a normal heart, but clearly wasn't a human one. He wanted to get ahead of the curve, so to speak, and be nonchalant about it. He didn't nor wouldn't go into any details the enhancement whether chakra borne or from his religion: but, he needed to get it out of the way. "I haven't had an opportunity to mingle with Konohagakure Shinobi, but I hope to do it more." He had never really gone into Hi no Kuni very much as an Iwa Shinobi. But, Sozin likely knew more about its workings.... Akira however, did not. "Many great clans. Better ramen." A complete lie, he hoped the man was not capable of detecting it.

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[Hyūga Shigure]

"followers of blood". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." IN RANGE He was surprised he only knew about the Byakugan, making him wonder under which circumstance he learned of it, as it seemed like the situtation did not involve the Gentle Fist. "Maybe he went on a scouting mission, or maybe it was under a more casual circumstance..." he wondered, but he honestly didn't put much thought into that. Call it naivety if you may, but he didn't feel extremely suspicious when paired with allies, especially considering the good relationship he had with Grass Shinobi, some of them he would be so bold as to call friends. The man informed him he was a weapons user, and that his physic was enhanced, but what shocked Shigure was the information that he did not use chakra. "Interesting... I never met a shinobi who didn't use chakra. But I was informed you were strong, so I will put my faith in you." he said, with a friendly smile on his face. He had yet to look inside of the man's body, which he would eventually do as the mission progressed, but for now, he didn't want to activate his doujutsu just to satiate his own curiosity. Shigure was happy to hear that the man wanted to interact more with the Hidden Leaf, and he laughed when he said they had better ramen. "I've gotta say, our Ramen is indeed the best one I ever tasted. But I appreciate international food a lot, I enjoy cooking in my spare time." the lie went undetected, as - again - Shigure was not trying to read too much into the man's words, and he was finding him pleasant enough. As they continued their path, they were getting close to the village, or at least close enough for Shigure's eyes to do their work. "I'm in range." he said, with a more serious tone, and with a quick frown, the veins around his temples bulged, activating the Byakugan. Focusing ahead, and to the small village. It was a lot of area to cover, and it he had to carefully observe through the walls, and search for chakra signatures, so it would take him a little while before he had something to report, but he looked quite focused. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." B-Rank Mission [5/20] Spots the village up ahead, starts scouting it with the Byakugan [@akira] [381 words]

[Deleted]

theme

He smiled. That brought up a memory in mind. People really didn't believe in the gift of his lord, nor his adjustment to the blade from that of a Ninjutsu savant in the past. "Appreciated." He needed to develop some more skill, finetuning the body in the way that was best to serve his Lord.

"It likely comes from the abundance of fresh and arable farmland. Good quality farming, creates good quality food." The receptive response allowed Sozin to keep going, but to be fair it wasn't new information: the world knew definitively the quality of Hi no Kuni, just Akira hadn't likely tasted it himself.

So when the man signified his beginning of the usage of the Dojutsu, Sozin would walk around - briefly taking in their area. It was a nice place. A couple of flowers, a downed tree. It gave Sozin some unpleasant memories. But then again, that man back then was also inferior. Who he was, was better than that man.

Akira wai- Sozin waited.

But as well, they'd finally come into range and the telescopic vision would come up - though Sozin didn't know of the method of vision, expecting it to just be where his eyes could see didn't expect nor believe it would be better than that. The eyes were unnerving, even by his own standards. Sozin spoke in the mean time to offer more insight on the Apostles.

"The Apostles have been run out of most of the places they congregate, their particular method of sacrifice is gaudy, almost theatrical. But, it kills innocent civilians or weak Genin. Your more typical stalk the night criminals, I doubt they would be bold during the day. Not unless somebody strong was out." Sozin's left hand was guiding its way around the blade sat there rhythmically as he spoke softly. A new tic?

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[Hyūga Shigure]

"followers of blood". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." SITUATION His logic regarding the quality of the food in the Land of Fire made sense; they did have an abundance of farmlands and were self-sufficient in food production, to the point they had enough to export to other nations, making it a good chunk of their GDP. "I hear the Land of Fields is also quite arable, and the food in the Hidden Grass is amazing. I've been able to experience a couple of times." he added with a firm, enthusiastic nod. It was clear that the young Hyuuga liked food, and enjoyed talking about the subject. But now that he had the village in range, he needed to focus on the task of scouting it so he could provide his partner with some valuable intel. As he assessed the situation, Sozin continued to share information about the Apostles of Blood, and they matched what he had read in the reports, and indeed, in broad daylight, things seemed to be more calm in the village. People were clearly tense, looking over their shoulders as they walked, and the village seemed oddly empty, which was quite suspicious. Piercing through the walls of the houses, and looking for hidden rooms, he found a particular house, quite normal from the outside, but it hid a very large basement, where they had five stone beds, forming a pentagram of sorts. In a room next to this one, around seven people were locked in a cell. "I found something..." he warned his partner, before describing what his eyes had seen. "I don't see anyone there watching over them, but they are deep underground so they wouldn't be able to be heard from outside... Trying to find the culprits now, but no luck so far." he admitted. The cultists could very well hide among the normal people, as they didn't have any clear trace of their allegiance, unless they unleashed their unholy power, so what he was looking for now was patterns. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." B-Rank Mission [7/20] Finds a place where people are being kept prisoners, looking for suspects now [@akira] [340 words]

[Deleted]

Akui, did the man have a talent. As they were so far out; the Hyuga were known laterally as a great clan. Widely known throughout history and this was why. There was the use of chakra, but he couldn't deny its use. They had pulled the bingo of bloodlines. He himself? Never a clan member. That was his painful, fickle mortal mind talking. He would have a great time in breaking down him and any other person he could claw his way into.

"Okay, and any other exits or entrances?" Sozin wanted to know if he could enter, and be the sole barrier between them and their escape, or if there were other exits in the dark that he might've not been able to perceive or follow. "Or perhaps, anything that looks too normal? Slats in a floorboard, for example, to hide under? We can go closer if you need to get more of a view." He did note he might've had to adjust his approach a bit, but he obeyed the laws. They would not have a healthy, painless death. Mercy would make sure of that.

If it was a one way system and no in or out, he would be sure to go in himself and let Shigure to pick off any stragglers that got past him. Not likely to be the case he hoped. "Also, try and see if you could find a place with.... hooks. Somewhere someone can be strung up, or placed on, if you can perceive it. Thanks, Shigure-san."

In the mean time, Sozin withdrew a single, simple Kunai. Cold to the touch; not as cold as it could have been in part because of the proximity to his own body, and began to flip it lackadaisically. While they gathered, or rather, Shigure gathered information he was just being... well. Observing the man.

Akira was going to be so pleased to get going.

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[Hyūga Shigure]

"followers of blood". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." PASSAGES AND HUMAN FLESH Shigure nodded at Sozin's question. "Other than the one inside that house, there's a tunnel that leads to the woods to the northwest of the village... It goes twelve hundred and forty two metres into the woods, leading to a ladder and a hatch hidden by fake grass and a couple bushes. We could use that entrance to reach for the hostages and avoid fighting. It does have a lock, but I'm sure we could break it." his tone sounded rather confident. It was a decent lock, but at the absolute worst, it wouldn't be able to withstand the power he had just acquired. With further instructions, knowing what he was looking for, he searched for a place with hooks, or something that could be placed on it, and there was some there, near a butcher shop that also seemed eerie to say the least. Upon noticing that, he widened his eyes and covered his mouth, gagging for a moment before getting a grip on himself. "Seems like... Seems like they are also operating on the butcher shop... That is... Not pork." and the explanation hopefully required no further words; they were passing on the leftovers of human bodies as pork meat to the locals. The person running the shop was looking rather suspicious as well, and upon a closer inspection on his body, he confirmed his suspicion. "The man there... I checked his veins, and his blood is blacker than any I've ever seen... Maybe that's the enhancement they talked about?" he asked, and at this point, he finally noticed the odd heart that his partner had. "So that's what he means... Is Sozin-san even human?" he wondered, but quickly shrugged those thoughts away from his head; he needed to focus on the mission. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." B-Rank Mission [9/20] Finds another entrance to the dungeon, finds another shop where they are operating and one suspect [@akira] [315 words]

[Deleted]

Unbenownst to Sozin, Shigure's investigation and seeing Sozin's body would reveal the artificial heart, but if he investigated any deeper and exerted the same sort of scrutiny that he had upon the people inside the smaller village he would have also noticed that Sozin himself did not have normal blood. His own blood was similar to that of the apostles of blood, and perhaps igniting a fear or concern and suspicion that Sozin might've also been one of them. This was not the case but Sozin would know no differently, nor would Shigure.

When Shigure had his physical reaction Sozin stopped flipping the Kunai, wondering what may have made the man gag. The face he made when the two dots connected was immediate, one of abject disgust - the turn of his nose and sneering. Sozin's expression was dark. "That is disgusting." He let his disdain be obvious, to consume human flesh was worse than deviant behaviour. "That's interesting." Sozin spoke plainly. Was it a similar procedure? Was this god imitating Akui? "We shouldn't delay if there's lives on the line. I propose that I go in through the back, you stay out the front - keep an eye on me and help out if anyone comes running. Happy to take alternative suggestions." If Shigure objected, he would be happy to hear any alternate plans.

But if Shigure went inside instead, Akira already knew he was going to take a trip to the butcher for his own carving session. Their virtues were already corrupted but not in worship of his own God made things excruciatingly obvious the right way to deal with it. "We might also have a Kuronmeru on our hands, just be aware. You said black blood? That's a clan from Kirigakure with the ability to manipulate it. It's highly unlikely if they're a Religion, but I would take warning." There were reasons that blood could be different, but his own knowledge was just - far and wide ranging. His former lover had too given him that pertinent knowledge from another life. Back when Akira had ambitions to murder.

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[Hyūga Shigure]

"followers of blood". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." SPLITTING UP As he analyzed the blood of the enemy, he also noticed how Sozin's blood was eerily familiar, and that made the hair in the back of his neck to bristle a bit. It was spooky to say the least, but perhaps that was why he knew so much about it: maybe the man was once a member of a similar cult and had reformed himself, or so he hoped. He would have time to think more deeply about it later, when they didn't have a group of lunatics to deal with. Fortunately, the man shared Shigure's disgust for their practices, which helped calm the Hyuuga down. "He is different... Maybe it's just a similar technique of body enhancement..." he thought to himself, trying to find comfort in that theory. The idea of splitting up was good, as it made use of their unique abilities to its best so he nodded. "I like this approach, Sozin-san." he said, as they got close to the village. He listened to his warning, he had heard of the Kuronmeru when he was in Kagamino no Shi for the exams, and he could only hope that was not going to be the case. His body was scarred from a fight with Mist shinobi - the Mizukage no less - and he knew how dangerous they could be. With them ready to go their separate ways, Shigure would just show him a changed tiger hand seal. "Use this if you need me to go your way. I will keep you in my sight at all times. I will walk around the place, and see if anyone suspicious approaches, and take care of them." he said, waiving a hand seal and using the Transformation Technique in order to look like a normal villager, a more elderly one for that matter. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." B-Rank Mission [11/20] Uses transformation technique to look like an elderly villager [@akira] [312 words]

[Deleted]

He explained his plan while happily unaware of Shigure's internal dichotomy at realisation of his own internal body mechanics.

"Understood." He would be doing no handsign of the sort, much less an item to use chakra. The thought sickened him. But, if he was watching, there was no harm in Sozin simply agreeing and then just... not doing it. If he was in a pinch, then Shigure would come to help. Sozin didn't anticipate needing help.

The transformation technique was a welcome one for how simple it was. He wouldn't have personally done it himself if he could still use ninjutsu: an elderly chap walking about a village would be more noteworthy if they didn't have a travelling part for themselves... they didn't tend to travel all too much. But, that was simply his own opinion.

Finally upon their position, he would let Shigure point out the spot before assessing the lock, and then breaking through it with a drawn knife, the Kunai having found its position back in his other equipment. "See you on the other side." Sozin quietly spoke. Going into the darkness was worse than if they were coming out of it: as an area, it was unlit and generally darkened. It steeply went downwards, a sort of V-shape occuring naturally from either the formation, as well as the traditional M shaped scaffolding to keep the land from heaving in on itself. Shigure would observe Sozin's light touch on one of the walls as he walked downward and through.

On Sozin's side, no sounds were being made from anything alive, he kept his own breathing to a minimum and the rustle of his clothes were the only sounds as of right now. Right now, he had no reason to start revealing the boons of his religion: but the one that Shigure would not be able to observe was the dark whispers, and he had no use for that right now.

He continued walking.

---

Shigure on the other hand would not draw attention as they neared the village. The only peculiar thing would have been be that they seemed more at ease than that of the other people in the town. People weren't exactly rushing about these days but they definitely had a guard up about them.

Nobody would appear to be any out of the ordinary though, smaller villages tended to have simpler lives: that was the affect of less Shinobi intrusions in their life and they bore the abundance of both the combined lands of Hi no Kuni and Nohara no Kuni. A bell would start to ring - Shigure would have observed the top of one building, larger than the rest. Inside, another cloaked (but not hooded) pulling vigorously from inside the church.

The sound was unanimously heard across the village, and he would feel or more appropriately see that individuals heard the bell, were finishing off their routines or were getting ready for something. Was this a congregation? Was this related to the religion they were sent here to deliver from hell? Or, was it another guise for something else - or even just innocent piousness?

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[Hyūga Shigure]

"followers of blood". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." CONGREGATION The village seemed peaceful enough, and he wondered if the people were just unconcerned about the prisoner's he had located underground, or just trying to ignore. Ignorance is a bliss, as some say. Still, the bell gave him an idea of where to go, and mingling with the flock of people, he started walking towards the church. He wondered whet this temple was about. Was it salvation from the harm that befell upon them and their simple lives? Or were they ready to accept a deal with an evil God in exchange for not being the next victim? There was no way to know until that happened, but the hooded figure looked rather suspicious, and he would try and sneak peak inside of his body to get any further insight regarding his true nature. In any case, Shigure would try to find a place closer to the front of the church to be close enough in case he needed to act. The people had these apprehensive look on their faces, but they didn't seem to have the energy to do much about it. Placing their lives at the mercy of a higher power, he wondered how life would feel if that was the path he followed. In a way, they were instruments of the will of their village, their feudal lord... So, was it really so different? The more he thought about the realities of the ninja world, the more he realized that things needed to change. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." B-Rank Mission [13/20] Goes with the flow and enters the church to see what's going on. [@akira] [261 words]

[Deleted]

There was initial movement as they recoiled instinctively thinking it was an apostle. "Quiet." The shuffle of metal and chains and excited whispers of someone else showing up that wasn't an apostle was great for them but not himself. Sozin spoke slowly, quietly, and off beat - to the natural sounds of the cave, of little there was. ^{"I am.... going to unlock this cage.... through the ...."} and explained the way back out the way he himself had come in.

The reason for his quietness? Because he went back to the door separating the two areas and looked through it, wondering if anybody showed up. This was going to be extremely loud. He kicked down the doors of the two cages, creating an almighty crash of noise as the metal contorted: not pulled off their hinges, but leaving gaps for them to move through. He quickly made work of their binds: for which time, Sozin was the first to be out of the room and into the sight of three who had come, in wake of the noise created. "Come through." Akira commanded them rather simply, and they did. These people, were insufferable - but the mission required it. For now, he could come back here at a later date and corrupt their virtues and introduce them to the loving god who cared. That filled him with more pleasure.

The others filed out of the room and through the route Akira had come in from, and Sozin stepped forward when one of the three went to try and stop them. "Uh uh." Akira waggled a finger at him.

Akira pointed the dull appearing blade at the three of them. "You will all suffer... so much." Akira's voice spoke more strongly, abandoning the quiet voice for the authoritarian herald he had become. The following room filled up with a sense of dread, and the three of them definitely noticed it as it seemed though Sozin's shape was getting larger. It was like an invisible fog filling up the room with an unnerving, stomach churling ability, amplifying the feelings in the room. Akira though? Very relaxed. He dropped the knife down on a side table, and quite plainly retrieved one of his brand of kunai. "You are all pathetic, invaluable, insignificant bugs."

But religion was scarcely for the humble. One of them started laughing, another stood guard - opposite side of the room closest to the door. "You underestimate our Lord's abilities, for which you shall die so painfully." They grinned, undeterred by Akira's arrogance. "Oh, I'm sure I do not."

---

The bell was causing people to move toward a church in a rather rapid fashion: you would have thought of this being a free town but it did not appear as such. Sure, it was small: perhaps no more than 50-60 people? You could nearly put them all in one room. It was the concept, the people disappearing that provided the suspicion. There would be more to the scene than the one they had arrived for - and less straightforward they would have wanted.

True to form and as expected the view Shigure was provided was none other than one of their enhanced by their blood - the power they held in this town was a bit more than was initially expected. This was not a bell to call for piousness, this was a bell to call for command. Order and authority. But these people were in no position to speak for authority. It would remain to be seen why they were calling everybody at this one time but it would also provide Shigure a reason to either intercept as one of the others or to stray from afar, as well as seeing Sozin himself free the captives and begin to fight with the three apostles.

As the church hadn't even started yet, he would have observed that there was a sort of blood related ability, as one of them cut themselves, followed by the other two: what would become of them in this self mutilation?

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[Hyūga Shigure]

"followers of blood". "No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living." THE RITUAL BEGINS With his Byakugan, he could see that Akira was freeing the prisoners, but was soon found out by the cultists and was readying himself to fight. He had to believe the man could handle this himself, for he also had his hands quite full at the moment. He was in a groupd with a little more than fifty people. They all seemed almost afraid, eager to obey, seeking the relief of performing the tasks demanded by their masters. The cultist began their ritual, revealing the secret behind their enhancement. They were more dangerous than they had initially anticipated, but it was a good thing that the people there were obeying out of fear, for fear can be fought with hope, and shinobi were the hope of their own nations, especially one that preached principles such as the Will of Fire, like the Hidden Leaf Village. Shigure would move around, placing himself at the front. If this was a ritual were they would subject the people to ingest the blood and be tainted into their servants, he wanted to be among the first people offered that, so he could prevent others from joining their ranks. "Soon... There aren't that many of them... If I'm quick, I can take some of them down, and focus their attention on me while the people flee. I believe that's most of them, at the very least." he thought to himself, eyes peeled to the ritual about to be initiated. "So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams. And, whatever happens, protect your honour as a Shinobi, for the price of freedom is steep." B-Rank Mission [15/20] Moves to the front of the lines, waiting to see how they will interact with the people before choosing the course of action [@akira] [270 words]