[Yamamoto Shosuke]

Okay, this was starting to get humiliating for Kaminari...

Akazaya had never been the biggest city in the world. It was a pretty sizeable place of commerce within the country, hence why it had been chosen to host the Chuunin Exams, but that didn't make the size any bigger. Yet, despite that, Sho had been called in twice in as many months to deal with escaped convicts from their prison. One escape was a natural occurrence, as long as there were prisons there would be prison breaks, but two? Two was starting to imply a pattern, a certain laxness of security protocols. God help them if a third one escaped...

All of this was, of course, compounded by the fact that this was happening in the lead up to the Chuunin Exams. The eyes of the Shinobi World were on Akazaya, and so things had to remain spotless and respectable. This sort of mistake made not just Akazaya but the whole of the nation look incompetent.

As such, where they had summoned in a pair of genin last time, now it was a Chuunin and a genin with them to learn on the job. Which, he supposed, was appropriate considering the elevated threat from the last time Sho had had to deal with this. The last one had been a horse-thief and had threatened people with a sword. This one had actually assaulted people and robbed several stores with a kunai. A single kunai, though? No wonder the bastard got caught.

For his part, Sho had been expecting today to be reasonably peaceful, hence why he was outside of his armour. He was wearing relatively normal civilian clothes, a simple t-shirt and a pair of slacks with a pair of sandals. It was perhaps the most normal that he had ever looked, save of course for his black sunglasses that served the purpose of keeping the world in a state of twilight and protecting his eyes.

Unaware of who he was going to be accompanied by, he was simply standing at where he had been requested to meet up with the other, tapping his foot impatiently. He was, as he had tried to insist to the person who had dragged him out for this, supposed to be on holiday! He had explicitly taken the time off, and yet it seemed like he was just as busy and active as ever.

Well, at least he might get to show some kid how to act on proper missions. Speaking of, where was this kid?

422 words | Yamatsu

SPOILER: Click to show

C-Rank Mission: 1/15
Jutsus Used: None

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

Yamatsu was lost in thought as he made his way to meet with the chunin he was assigned to. He kept looking at the folded paper in his hand. An escaped prisoner and one that was prone to violence as well. He felt like he should be nervous but was not, he had just recently hunted a large black bear. No he was excited to be on the hunt again tracking his prey and taking it down. A low growl of satisfaction bubbled in his throat as he picked up the pace. His jacket grey instead of the usual white he wore fluttered behind him. The black tee beneath hung loosely over the waist of this pants. He did not fill the pockets sown in with much, two kunai in each with five shuriken to accompany each pair. The ends of each pant leg were tucked neatly into his boots. He reached over adjusting the Kumo headband around his left arm. It needed to be polished but he had not had the time. Yamatsu slowed his approach to the meeting area on the note looking around. A dozen or so meters away he saw a familiar face. It seemed he was to be paired with Sho the chunin who had taught him to walk on water. In the back of his mind he felt his ribs tingle as the memory of that training session came back to him. To him it was not a bad memory but a lesson on the toughness of shinobi life. With a smile he approached the other young shinobi waving a greeting. "Sho-Sensei it is good to see you again, it looks like it shall be you and I tracking down this missing prisoner." His voice audibly cracking at the thought of the chase.

Shosuke -- 299

LAIKA OF THQ

[Yamamoto Shosuke]

Shosuke had to be honest, he was surprised to see Yamatsu being the one that he had been paired with. It wasn't so much that it was a problem, but more so he had thought that Sage Apprentices were on a different career track than most genin. The idea of them doing a regular job like this seemed a little strange. Though, he wasn't complaining.

He could, however, feel the way that Yamatsu's heartbeat seemed to change when he recognized Sho. He was unclear the exact cause, but he could sense discomfort, or perhaps a light sense of pain. Perhaps it was the ribs, the boy was still recovering from the beating he got in their last training round. Honestly, Sho felt a little bad about that in retrospect, it had been necessary but that didn't mean he enjoyed doing it.

As he thought about that, the words of the Kusa-nin from weeks before stuck in his head, echoing like someone yelling into an empty canyon. The boy's demand to be knocked out, to not hold back. It felt like mental poison, a stone that sat at the core of his stomach. Perhaps lingering on thoughts like this for too long was bad for the mind.

Instead, concealing these emotions behind his usual friendly expression, Sho's hand shot forwards into Yamatsu's hair, giving it a short ruffle.

"There ya go again, being all formal - That'll serve ya well with most higher ranks, especially those that don't know you, but between us? I'm just Sho. We're barely a year different, no point getting all formal on me just cos I got a headstart."

Still, he considered the other thing the boy said for a moment, mulling it over in his mind for a second before popping the question.

"So, what do you know about this guy?" Sho asked, turning to start moving and encouraging the boy with a crook of a finger to walk and talk with him.

"You read his dossier? Nasty piece of work this one - Apparently they put him in the slammer for assaulting people. No domestic abuse or anything thankfully, though maybe the nature of his crimes are actually worse. Random assaults, just beating up random civilians almost at random."

Were it a one-off occasion, Sho might have been concerned that the man might have just snapped one day, there were definitely a lot of people facing jail time instead of receiving medical treatment. However, these incidents had been going back to the guy's childhood apparently. Nobody had pressed charges until he had been harangued on the robbery charge, but the moment that he was in the dock anyway people had added all sorts of additional charges.

Almost as if they were too scared of him to go after him until he was already secured. Pretty cowardly, but Sho understood where they were coming from. It took a lot of bravery to face your accuser in court, even more so when they could just abuse you again without concern.

"So, what've you got kid? Got any senjutsu that would be able to knock this guy on his ass or should I do most of the heavy lifting on this one?"

533 words | Yamatsu

SPOILER: Click to show

C-Rank Mission: 3/15
Jutsus Used: None

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

Yamatsu's smile did not fade as Sho tussled his hair. It was almost like that of an older sibling seeing their younger after time away. It made him feel a little bit of happiness deep within him. He scoffed at Sho when he was told not to be so formal. How could he not call him sensei? He was the first to teach Yamatsu anything since his return. When he was asked what he knew of the situation he answered as he fell in line next to the older boy. "I know he is violent but I assume being a Genin they left all the important info to you." His voice was not sad just disappointed that he knew little of his prey. He found himself clenching a fist as Sho told him of the crimes the prisoner they had been tasked with tracking had committed. How could someone just run around looking to hurt people? They needed to be punished, hopefully Yamatsu and Sho would get that chance. Before he knew of the full extent of the mans crimes he had been okay with letting him go back to prison. He was to dangerous however with this escape he proved it. Yamatsu almost missed Sho's question as he walked lost in thought. He turned his head and smiled excited to show his sensei what all he had learned. Would he show him the fireball jutsu? The tree climbing technique he had learned on his own? Maybe the jutsu he had trained after meeting Risi... No that would be for Risi's eyes first. He almost frowned thinking of nothing special to show Sho before his mind clicked. It might not be special senjutsu but he might have a way to track or help track this missing prisoner. "Well I have not learned any sage techniques yet but I am supposed to visit with the Wolf King soon to see if I am worthy. However I might know a few friends who can help us." He stepped back from Sho biting both his thumbs before placing his palms on the ground. "Kuchiyose No Jutsu." Two clouds of smoke appeared one on either side of him. Next to Yamatsu stood two wolves, the one on his left slightly smaller than the one on his right. To his right a wolf standing just over three feet tall stood there. Its fur pattern very similar to the one on the left. Both had white fur with patterns of black, brown and grey across their backs and face. However this one had a grey and brown chest patter where the smaller on the left was pure white. Their golden eyes matched those of Yamatsu as they looked around surveying the area. Yamatsu gestured to the wolf on his left scratching her behind the ears. "This is Ino and this is her brother Oki." As he spoke he reached over petting the larger male. "They are my siblings and love to hunt." The smile on his face turned to a wicked grin ready for the game to begin.

Shosuke -- 512

LAIKA OF THQ

[Yamamoto Shosuke]

A quirk of surprise and displeasure plastered itself across Sho's face, not even bothering to hide it from Yamatsu, however it was equally clear that it wasn't directed at the boy himself.

It would be one thing if Yamatsu had been given the information and yet he had chosen not to peruse it himself, there were plenty of genin who went into things half-cocked and without fully understanding the situations they were putting themselves into. However, the idea that he hadn't even been given the information in the first place seemed wrong. Did someone make a mistake? A part of his brain wondered if this was another part of those weird challenges he kept getting set, but he doubted that was the case. No matter what was going on in that department, he doubted they would put the life of a genin in danger just to test his abilities.

Perhaps under another kage, but he knew Kizumi would hunt whoever endangered one of her "kids" to the ends of the earth if they were caught. She was just that kind of person.

So deep in thought about the strange circumstances about the mission briefing was Sho that he completely missed what Yamatsu was saying about the Wolf King. Not that it would have mattered if he had, Sho knew nothing about the Sage Animals of Kumogakure. Perhaps strange, considering he had met multiple sage apprentices during his time in the field, but none of them had ever taken the time to introduce him so he preferred to keep his eyes on things he understood and could work with.

Indeed, his attention was only dragged back to the moment when Yamatsu bit both of his thumbs. Ah yes, the summoning jutsu - why it required blood he had never quite understood, but he knew that it did and thus spoke no word against Yamatsu as he moved to summon two of his larger pack. Large was the operative word - the pair were probably weak summons, considering Yamatsu was still quite young in his training, but even so they looked enormous. They definitely outsized any dog that he'd ever seen in or around the hospital, although perhaps all wolves did. Great danes rarely became service animals after all.

Whatever the case, Sho nodded patiently to Yamatsu's suggestion, before pointing out the obvious.

"I'm sure they'll do a wonderful job helping, Yamatsu, but how are they going to hunt without anything to give them the scent they're supposed to follow?" he asked, brushing momentarily over the 'sibling' comment. He had met with summoned animals before, he knew that they could speak, but their larger social structure and concept of human notions like families was not something he knew a lot about.

Turning away from them, Sho continued to walk down the street, his eyes closed as he did so. Not that his eyes being closed actually impacted the accuracy of his ability to walk in a straight line, his tremorsense traced out the safest path in front of him, ensuring that he didn't just walk straight into a wall. Meanwhile, his attention was elsewhere, casting out a mile-wide perimeter as they moved to try and find the figure.

As of yet, however, there was no results. Nothing was giving him any sort of result. So, as they walked, his hands shot together, forming together the same wooden pillars and human constructs that constituted one of his most commonly used techniques - Moku Bunshin no Jutsu. Once constructed, each of the clones shot off in a different direction, each one using their senses to triangulate the man's location.

"So, tell me more about your training. Have you actually gotten to meet your master yet?"

518 words | Yamatsu

SPOILER: Click to show

C-Rank Mission: 5/15

Jutsus Used
NAME: Moku Bunshin no Jutsu [Wood Clone Technique]*
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Mokuton
HANDSEALS: 3
DECRIPTION:
A clone that is created by altering the user's own cells with chakra to create vegetation. Possessing more endurance than the normal shadow clones. the doppelgangers are more resilient to damage. The clones have the ability to travel far distances from the user and are able to communicate with the original albeit the can only pass reconnaissance or simple messages with more complex thoughts and strategies depriving them from their full combat potential. The clones can be as simple in function as a wooden dummy for use in the Body Replacement Technique.

This makes this technique extremely convenient and a perfect clone technique that only the most powerful and fully developed dōjutsu will able to see through. By directly touching the wood clone with their hand, the user can absorb the information it gathered or change the shape of the clone. Because clone is made up of the user's own cells.

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

Yamatsu was kneeling there petting Oki and Ino before Sho asked him a very important question. He did not think about the fact he had nothing for the wolves to smell to catch a scent. He shrugged without answering just offering a slight head tilt with the movement of his shoulders. As Sho turned to walk away Yamatsu fell quickly in line with Oki and Ino following. Even if they could not track like he expected they were still good company to have. As they walked Yamatsu wanted to ask questions to see how Sho had been. The older of them seemed however in a world of his own and he did not want to distract. Oki and Ino bickered between them on who would catch their prey first as Yamatsu listened with a smile. "I shall find him sister, a nip to the calf will stop him in his tracks." Oki's voice always sounded like he was growling making Yamatsu Laugh. "If you can catch him first brother." Ino replied with a high pitched "laugh" was all he could assume. "That's to assume I don't catch him first my siblings." Yamatsu's voice hung in the air with the voice of the hunter personality within him. The evening sky was beautiful overhead, it reminded him of an oil painting. The streets were not as busy as he was used to seeing during the day. He supposed people were home with their families instead of wandering the streets. He let his mind drift to thoughts of his family, his mother and father. He looked back at the twin wolves, this was his family now. As he looked back again to Oki, the one he had the closest bond with, he heard the sound of three quick hand seals. Sho had summoned three wooden clones making Yamatsu stop for a moment. There was no reason for them to attack but he still flinched. In but a moment the clones ran off in different directions. He assumed they were tracking their own way. With a quick look Yamatsu nodded after two of the clones. "I want the both of you to each follow one, let the third do its thing. If you find anything howl to signal the area you're in. Be safe brother Oki, sister Ino." With one quick pat to the each of them they dispersed after the clones. He had hoped he was not going to ruin Sho's plan by sending the wolves with the clones. He could only hope it worked out well and not in disaster. Yamatsu jogged to catch up with Sho ready to ask his Sensei anything, everything, his mind was buzzing with questions and wants. When Sho asked him a question instead he answered quickly. "No I have not gotten to see Lord Kaede since he brought me to Kumo, I have been told he has been busy away from the village. I did learn the tree climbing technique though!" He was excited to share his accomplishment. "I've learned a few new Katon jutsu as well, I have one I learned after traveling with Kyuumu Risi. You should have seen his scythe and genjutsu skills. He is amazing, so fancy and cool and beau..." He stopped fast before saying something he was not sure he wanted out to the world yet. "I have not learned a lot but I am learning, I should be meeting the King of the Wolves soon to see if I am worthy to be a Sage's Apprentice." He spoke of the wolves but his mind lingered on the thoughts he had before.

Shosuke -- 602

LAIKA OF THQ

[Yamamoto Shosuke]

No matter how many times he saw it (or, well, heard it perhaps) the idea of talking animals was never not going to be weird to Sho. It had just not been a part of his life for so long that it now being something he was just expected to deal with casually was weird. He would probably get used to it at some point, but for now...

"Wait, to see if you ARE worthy? I thought you left the village years ago because you were worthy. What if this king of yours says no, won't that mean you've wasted years in the wilderness for nothing?"

The words might seem cold, rubbing an issue in the boy's face, but the tone was anything else. Despite only knowing each other vaguely, there was a sincere note of concern in there. Who had decided how these things should be run? 

Regardless, the three clones each shot off in a different direction, taking charge of a different section of Akazaya. Fortunately, Akazaya was a relatively small village despite its importance in the trade system so there wasn't a lot of ground to cover. So, they moved to take up positions around the village, sensing for anything that might give away the location of the threat.

The problem for Shosuke was? He had no idea what this guy looked like.

A basic sketch of the target had been given and handed to him, but it seemed that whoever had done so had forgotten something rather pivotal to Sho - he was fucking blind. He could feel the outlines of hundreds, if not thousands, of people in the wider village, but without anything to compare them to he might as well be groping around in the dark. How was he supposed to know...

A scream sounded from elsewhere in the village, followed by the sound of breaking glass. Immediately, sho's attention shot to the source, looking for it. One of his clones, the one that had been accompanied by the she-wolf, was already heading in that direction though it became immediately obvious that they were going to need more than just one clone to deal with whatever this was.

"Yamatsu!"

---

The man in question, a surprisingly lanky man who seemed to lack even a scrap of muscle despite all proof to the contrary, was standing in the front of a tailor's shop. The tailors shop was a small but undeniably luxurious thing, filled with fine clothes and wares stacked across various shelves. Nearby, the curtains flickered in the sudden bout of wind from the nearby "opened" window, the body of the shop assistant used to shatter it lying still on the street outside.

In one hand, the man held a kunai - a wickedly sharp thing, even more so than normal for knives. It looked like a single thrust with it would be enough to pierce through someone's entire body without so much as an inch of resistance. Yet, he hadn't used it on the shop assistant, and instead it was turned in the direction of the proprietress of the store.

"Alright - Put all your money in the bag, and make it fast!"

The man's body language spoke of panic, he knew that he was trying to escape a place flooded with shinobi for the chuunin exams and so had little time if any to get enough money to make a clean getaway. But without this cash, he would just be penniless and on the run, unable to afford transit out of the country. It was a lose-lose proposition, and he was clearly ready to make it everyone else's problem.

608 words | Yamatsu

SPOILER: Click to show

C-Rank Mission: 7/15
Jutsus Used: None

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

"well I uh, I wasn't living in the wilderness to prove i was worthy." He stopped for a moment, this was important for Sho to know. He needed to come clean so Sho would know he was fully there mentally. He could not have his sensei thinking he was not in the now. That he was not paying attention to the mission. "Sensei I lived in the mountains because the plague killed my family. Not only them but my whole genin squad as well. I had no one to turn to so I fled, I ran as my father told me to do." He did not feel that sense of guilt this time as he spoke. He wondered if he should say more, tell him about the pack of wolves that "adopted" him. No he had opened up enough for one day and did not want to compromise himself. With a sigh Yamatsu hurried to fall back in line until Sho shouted his name. He had not heard the scream or crash being to lost in his own past. The direction Sho was headed was the same one Ino and her clone Sho had gone. It seemed like she would be the one to win her wager against Oki. Yamatsu moved at the quickest pace he could trying to get before Sho. He wanted to prove he was ready to be a Sage apprentice, ready to be a Kumo Shonobi. He could see in the distance a body on the ground surrounded by what he assumed was glass. Ino had stopped next to her clone guide sniffing the air for her brothers. He bolted past them both making his way to the shop's door. His heart raced faster with every meter he drew closer to their prey. His mind folded back into the hunter, like slipping on a mask. In a moment he was there in the doorway no idea or worry as to where Sho, his clones and his siblings were. "Stop right there! Put the kunai down and give up." His voice stern but still with a youthful pitch rang out. Yamatsu moved to make the hand seals for a Katon jutsu before taking in his surroundings. If he missed he could light fire to the whole place, maybe even a good part of the town. He crouched down into his stance, knees bent almost on all fours leaving his hands free to weave the seals he needed.

Shosuke -- 410

LAIKA OF THQ

[Yamamoto Shosuke]

Well, talk about a gut punch (no pun intended).

The moment that Yamatsu explained exactly why he had left the village in the first place, all blood drained out of Shosuke's face. The way his skin grew paler was almost palpable, sweat beading on his forehead as he realized the faux pas he had just made. But more than that, significantly more than that, the mention of the boy's own experience with the plague caused him to feel physically sick, remembering his own experiences with the epidemic.

Fortunately, Sho had never caught it. But his family made up the vast majority of doctors, second only perhaps to the Shitai clan. He had cousins, childhood friends, classmates, all of whom who had caught the plague and fallen to it. Mentors and uncles who had killed themselves through overwork trying to cure it. Hell, his mentor in the Hospital System, Jokyu Rei, had been so scarred by her bout with the plague that even now all these years later she still appeared to have at least some of their symptoms. She had better days and she had worse days but it was always an active part of her life.

Unlike his blindness, it wasn't even something that they could hope to find a cure for one day. It was just nested within her, part of who she was now like rot in the center of a loaf of bread.

To think that even someone like him, someone who had had to deal with it so much closer and more intimately than many members of the village, could still make mistakes like this, still unintentionally be callous and dig up old wounds... well, to say it felt bad would be a truly incredible understatement.

He wished he could reach out to the kid, let him know that it would be okay. That there was a community willing to accept him and help mend those clearly still raw scars. But there was a job to do, and he couldn't both do it and show the boy the emotional vulnerability that would have helped him feel more accepted.

---

As the attempted robbery continued, the group sprung up out of the side-street. It was a rather strange looking collection; two mirror images of the same person, a teenager and what appeared to be a rather large, imposing she-wolf. It was, in fact, so surprising that just for a fragment of a second, the man hesitated, clearly not sure how he was supposed to take in what was happening.

It was only a fragment of a second, but a fragment of a second was all that was needed. Once upon a time, Sho might have hesitated, considered his options, tried to think of a logical solution to the problem rather than faced it head on. Instead, with Yamatsu considering his options and whether or not to use a katon technique and risking setting fire to the merchandise, causing more financial damage to the store than the robbery would have, Sho and his clone surged forth without even hesitating.

As one, Sho and the clone moved to strike. To the man's surprise, the clone brought down his fist against the tip of the man's kunai, dragging it into the core of his hand. Made of wood as it was, it served almost like a makeshift sheath to the blade, yanking it out of the man's hand and disarming him rapidly.

Sho, for his part, took the lessons he had been learning under Yusei to heart - A quick spin, his left leg brought up under the man's chin, and suddenly he was following his victim out of the window, his body sent flying across the street. For a brief moment, as the man sailed across the street and left the ground behind, Sho lost complete track of him, unable to see him within the void of his mental scape. Even so, the sudden violent collision with the pavement outside was enough to remind him of his exact location not a moment later.

So far, this seemed like a relatively easy pay-job. But if one worked in the industry long enough, it would become demonstrably clear just how rarely genuinely easy jobs were....

703 words | Yamatsu

SPOILER: Click to show

C-Rank Mission: 9/15
Jutsus Used: None

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

Sho moved fast as Yamatsu only hesitated, on a more dangerous mission it could have cost him his life. The wood clone sprung first disarming the man using its own hand to holster the kunai. It was pretty impressive and he knew he would not have thought of that himself. Sho was next his kick finding home under the chin of the man they had been sent to bring in to custody. Yamatsu made a mental note that even if he was not adept at taijutsu it could be more effective in specific situations over his ninjutsu. He moved quickly out the window vaulting through the shattered opening. He landed in a three point stance seeing Ino rush around the corner. For a moment he wondered how far Oki and his clone partner were before a howl pierced the evening air. They must have been on the way which would make it at least a six verses one situation. This guy, if he did not already, would soon know surrender would be his best option. He looked over to Ino motioning for her to cut off his flank in case he decided to bolt. "Ino shadow his movements, if he looks ready to run stop him. Do not kill just stop." He nodded when Ino sent her short nod in response. He turned his attention back to the man they had been hunting eyeing him up and down. Why had he resorted to this, why harm people instead of helping the village grow and prosper? "You need to give up, throw your hands in the air and surrender. There are four of us here with two more on the way. If you resist we will have to use more force than has already been applied." His eyes flashed to Sho when he spoke of force. He was glad he had She with him, he was afraid he would have made more mistakes or even failed had he been alone. Yamatsu's hands moved weaving three seals holding his chakra ready to release the flames if needed.

Shosuke -- 345

LAIKA OF THQ

[Yamamoto Shosuke]

If Sho had heard the boy call him "adept at taijutsu", he would probably have been unable to keep himself from breaking down in laughter. He was very certainly not, he was essentially just working with a month of extracurricular lessons. What Sho had that Yamatsu didn't was an awareness of his own capabilities, his own limits, and how to make those limits work to keep him in fights rather than leaving him hesitating at the side-lines.

---

Elsewhere, the other clones came to reunite, running across town with their new lupine companion, racing through the streets. As they ran through the town, it was hard not to recognise the horrified and confused looks upon the faces of the townsfolk as they ran by. Almost all of them were directed at the canine creature running with the clones, which Sho supposed made sense - they didn't know the context, they had never had an opportunity to interact with the Sage of the village, and a wolf at the end of the day was still a wolf.

"Don't worry about it, Oki." One of the clones said, treating them as if they would any other normal person. After all, these wolves were summons right? That meant that they had some degree of human-level intelligence and could probably feel emotions.

How did they feel, Sho wondered. Did they view humans as their equals? Did they even fully comprehend the difference between themselves and a human? Beyond the basic anatomy, WAS there any difference really? All these questions and more ran through his head as they ran through the streets, though it was clear that they didn't have time to really pose these questions properly.

---

For a moment, the man in question lay motionless in the middle of the street, leaving him face-down on the road. People had stopped to look, rubber-necking in the middle of the street. Still, after a small pause, the man began pushing himself to his feet, his face a perfect mask of irritation and indignation. It was pretty clear that he had no intention of surrendering, already pulling his kunai from his pocket and pointing it towards Yamatsu with a crooked smile.

"Pretty big words for a little kid - What, scared of facing me without your big brother? You talk a lot of shit for someone who was pissing themselves a second ago."

This time, Sho was the one to hesitate, although not out of fear but clearly out of uncertainty. On a nearby rooftop, a cloaked figure had just appeared and was clearly observing their situation with some interest. That alone wasn't suspicious in of itself, there were clearly quite a few people who had stopped to look at the evolving scene. What was more interesting was that based on their body language, they were taking pains to avoid being seen. Were Shosuke merely looking with his eyes, he was pretty sure that he would have had no idea they were there.

Turning to Yamatsu, he gave the boy a sympathetic look and a pat on the shoulder.

"Yamatsu, I want you to deal with this guy - He's just a civilian, even a genin should have no problem taking him out." He said, trying to hide the note of concern in his voice or why he was really deferring the duty of finishing the fight to his young companion.

"If you need me, let me know and I'll be here before you can blink. Consider this part of your ongoing training..."

580 words | Yamatsu

SPOILER: Click to show

C-Rank Mission: 11/15
Jutsus Used: None

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

Oki was not used to being without his sister, where he went she normally followed. The clones of Yamatsu's companion were fine company none the less. Not very talkative but he did not mind. The stares from the villagers did more to his ego than anything and in all honestly it did not do much. One of the clones seemed to try and ease any worry he might have felt. "I do not mind, they can stare all they want I am the one who runs free." The voice leaving his maw always seemed to have a natural snarl or growl. Oki was more focused on the task at hand. There had been no howl, no signal but the clones seemed to know more that he did. The hunt was on. -- Yamatsu growled as the man rose to his feet pulling his weapon free. The blade pointed at him as he taunted the young man. His moment of hesitation in the shop gave his opponent an opening to try and play mind games with him. As he prepared for Sho to leap in first the older boy tasked him with taking down this hooligan. His eyes fluttered to Ino as the wolf paced back and forth behind the man. He had the seals already in place for the Sage Fire jutsu but wondered if it would be to much. No he could not hesitate again giving this man an oppertunity to attack. He nodded to Ino before exhaling a small series of pint sized fireballs flew from his lips. He aimed and planned for them to strike his hands disarming and potentially maiming the man. It was a risk he felt nesicery to take him down with the rap sheet he had. He expected Ino to charge in at an angle to the mans back. He was not sure yet if she would slam her frame into him or lead with her fangs.

Shosuke -- 323

LAIKA OF THQ

[Yamamoto Shosuke]

The one who ran free, huh? But free from what exactly?

He was probably overthinking what was likely a throwaway comment, but Sho couldn't help but wonder how the wolf pup saw human culture that they would consider them enslaved or in chains. As far as Sho was concerned, humans were far more free than a wolf born indentured into the sage system. At least most humans had the freedom to choose their future and their destiny, whereas Oki... well, it seemed unlikely they had ever been given another option.

Whatever the case, they were coming in quickly to the fight scene at hand. Yet, as they were running, the clones both came to a sudden stop, their feet skidding a little across the stone floor of the village road. They, like their main counterpart, were able to sense the presence of another figure, standing on a nearby rooftop and overlooking the scene at hand, clearly confused by what they were seeing.

"Oki, go to your brother." The first clone said, ignoring that as the wolf didn't live within the village that he had no real authority over her. Said clone's hand shot to his belt, drawing a kunai of his own before the other clone nodded, running off to support the ongoing crisis site.

---

Back in the main fight, Sho was only half paying attention to the scene playing out in front of him, the rest of him focused on the cloaked figure on the rooftop. They had yet to move, yet to draw a weapon, yet to do... well, anything. They were simply stalking the scene of battle, as if they were deciding what to do and how to act. Whatever they were looking for, it was perfectly clear that they had no intention of jumping into this on either side, or they would have done so already.

Ironically, Sho took a similar decision, moving over to the injured shop assistant who was groaning from his position on the floor. His flight through the window had caused a few of the jagged pieces of glass to embed themselves in his skin, some of them deeper than others. Sho was going to have to give this guy medical attention on the scene or they might risk bleeding out.

"Alright, sir, I'm afraid this is going to hurt quite a bit." Sho said, his tone earnest even as he gave the terrible news. "But if its any consolation, pain is a sign that you're still alive so..."

Being careful with each piece to not end up cutting himself on the glass that he was pulling out, Sho began to take them out piece by piece, stopping only to cauterise the larger of the wounds to ensure minimal chance of the man bleeding out.

At the same time, the man in question took the opportunity to gloat, standing there menacingly for a second before, with little warning, juking, throwing his body to the right in the brief moment before the fireballs were due to impact him. In that moment, the pincer attack backfired, causing Ino to be in the way of the fireballs. Unless something was done, and quickly, she would be the one to take the brunt of the attack as the man charged Yamatsu instead, kunai out.

"You really think I'm going to go out like some punk bitch? I've beaten people twice your age and thrice your size, brat."

With that, the man lunged, aiming to slash across Yamatsu's face with his knife, deliberately going for as painful yet as nonlethal a strike as he could. It was clear in everything about him that sadism was the source of this violent streak.

614 words | Yamatsu

SPOILER: Click to show

C-Rank Mission: 13/15

Jutsus Used
NAME: Shōshaku no Jutsu [Cauterizing Technique]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [Medical]
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 0
REQUIREMENT: Chakra Control SA
DESCRIPTION:
A simple medic jutsu that needs little chakra, but some modicum of control. The user will gather concentrated chakra in the palm of their hand until the blue hue of chakra can be seen. Then, it will place the hand upon the wound and forcefully cauterize it.

[Yamatsu]

The Young Pup

The wolf ran through the town his senses working on overdrive. He had caught a faint hint of Ino but the food stalls all around them for the up coming Chunin Exams made his nose almost useless. All he could do now was keep up with the wood clones who seemed to know exactly where to go. At least that was his plan until they stopped abruptly. The wolf skidded to a halt until one told him to return to Yamatsu. Ino had to be with their brother then or on her way. He nodded giving a quiet snarl before continuing on the path they had been on. Oki never let the thought of something happening to Yamatsu or Ino enter his mind. The four legs of the wolf worked overtime taking him to his siblings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yamatsu watched the small flames pass by where the man had been. Ino watching the man had just enough time to spring to the side. Unfortunately her direction brought her further away from the kunai wielding criminal. The criminals taunts fell on deft ears however as Yamatsu focused on the Kunai. He lunged at the young boy, the blade aimed at his face looking to cut into the tanned skin of his foe. Yamatsu was done hesitating the mentality of the hunter again taking hold. The mans arm was about two meters away as Yamatsu made his singular seal. The kunai slashed at the air where Yamatsu had been standing just a moment before. About five meters to the side Yamatsu was already weaving four more seals. He had used the body flicker to make distance from his opponent. The distance was for him to have time to preform the needed hand seals. The chakra within him formed in his belly as he exhaled spewing forth a singular large fireball. He had lost the worry of injury as soon as the man tried to cut him. Should the fireball hit he was sure the medics in town could heal him enough. At least enough for him to be able to return to prison. Ino howled calling for Oki, the fireball she saw made her turn her head away from the bright light. The she wolf paced trying to stay off to the side in case her human sibling needed her to attack. If Oki was here they would have had him surrounded by now like they used to do to the rabbits and deer in the wilds. As if she summoned him herself Oki appeared behind Yamatsu running up the street. The pack was at full strength now and this human would know what it was like to be hunted.

Shosuke -- 446

LAIKA OF THQ

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Shunshin no Jutsu [Body Flicker Technique]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 1
DESCRIPTION:
By invigorating one's entire body with chakra, a shinobi can seemingly disappear and reappear in another location faster than most people can see. Often times one's movements are disguised with the use of an extra element, be it a smoke bomb, leaves, water, sand, etc. in order to hide the user's trajectory from those with skilled eyes. Though it mimics teleportation, it is important to remember this jutsu merely boosts the agility of its user. As useful as this technique is, it can only be used 4 times in a battle thread, compounding in exertion and difficulty each time. with any more usages beyond that result in muscle tears in the legs from overexertion. The hand seal for this technique must be held until the shinobi reaches their destination, making it impossible to utilize other techniques regardless of any preparation.

Name: Katon: Endan [Fire Release: Fireball]
Rank: C
Chakra Usage: Low
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Katon
HANDSEALS: 4
Description: After doing the necessary hand seals, the user molds a large amount of oil within their gut before spitting it out, simultaneously lighting it aflame with their charka. The result is a giant fireball, fueled by oil, which burns everything engulfed in it. Since it is both fire and oil mixed together, it is even difficult to be put out by water.

[Yamamoto Shosuke]

As Shosuke continued working on removing each and every piece of glass from the injured shopkeeper, he could "see" how Yamatsu was faring against the shinobi. Though his clone had successfully removed one of the man's knives, the man had simply drawn another and was going after Yamatsu's face. On the plus side, it seemed that Yamatsu had absolutely no intention of making it that simple for him, and as a result was actually showing off just what he was capable of.

It was a good thing too, as the man in question seemed to be unwilling to give a single inch in this fight. Yamatsu drew up a fireball and spewed it out of his mouth, firing it at the man. Once again, the man moved to try to dodge, however this time it was clear that he had overestimated his own abilities - he lunged to one side but fell an inch or so sort, leaving but a small fragment of his back within the range of the fireball.

In the very instant of contact, the man's shirt ignited, immediately going up in flames. At first, it seemed as if the man hadn't noticed, his face still one that whispered unspoken promises of violence and humiliation against the young genin, but this didn't last for long. Soon, the fire spread, going from the back of his shirt to the front, to his pants, and then to his skin and hair themselves, finally being engulfed completely in flames.

Such was the problem with Katon - though a man could suffocate from futon or drown in suiton, it was katon that had the highest chance of additional complications from any technique used. Fire spread, as it was want to do, and few were the techniques capable of stopping it once it started.

For a moment, for the briefest moment, there was nothing that Yamatsu would be able to do except stand face to face with the consequences of his actions and reckon with what, intentionally or not, he had done.

---

Atop the nearby building, the cloaked figure seemed satisfied with the results of the altercation and moved to turn away. The clone's appearance on the rooftop in front of them, already wielding a kunai of their own, seemed to be of little interest to them, as whatever mysterious purpose their presence had been intended to serve had clearly already be served, for good or ill.

With a flicker, their body disappeared, leaving nothing in their wake but the ghost of their image. Unfortunately for them, if they had intended to escape this scene clearly, they had chosen the wrong target. The clone, gifted with the same detection abilities as the main host, moved to follow their presence, chasing them away from the immediate scene of the battle. It wasn't clear how long it would take to catch up, but it wasn't planning to go back empty handed.

---

After the briefest of moments, Shosuke's other clone and the she-wolf appeared on the scene, the battle already having been ended and so quickly. Thinking quickly, the clone weaved together a few handsigns before casting a familiar jutsu, manifesting a waterfall of water, shooting down the entire street and engulfing the burning figure of the escapee, though it seemed the worst of the damage had already been done. He looked like a living steak, his skin seared clear of hair and burned a most vibrant reddish-black.

Turning to the boy, the clone shot Yamatsu a small look. It was quite hard to read the emotion behind it, but it was easy to see there was some conflict there, as if he wasn't quite sure how he should respond to the boy's actions.

"Well, we've caught him. Technically, that's mission accomplished." He said, before turning and muttering under his breath. _{"It may actually be kinder to kill him though."}

643 words | Yamatsu

SPOILER: Click to show

C-Rank Mission: 15/15

Jutsus Used
Name:Takitsubo no Jutsu - [Waterfall Basin Technique]
Rank:C
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium [Potential Continuous]
Type:Ninjutsu
Element:Suiton
HANDSEALS: 3
Description:
Takitsubo no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu utilizing the Water Element. The ninja will do the necessary hand seals to create a large volume of water. This is a go to for many shinobi who specialize in Suiton techniques. It should be noted that for continually pouring in a moderate amount of chakra the user may keep making water. However while creating water the user can only move at a brisk walk at most.