Starring:
Date: March 12, 2016
Summary:
Daisuke takes Tatsuo out to show him how to properly take care of a large number of bandits. Fear always leads the way.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"A Nara's Tail of Fear"
Land of Bears
It had been quite some time since Daisuke had left Tatsuo to his own devices in order to regain some of his life and take it in the direction he wanted to go. That doesn't mean Daisuke hadn't keep up with Tatsuo's progress, of course. On the contrary, the Hokage was actually quite interested to see what direction Tatsuo went, the ability of Wave Manip, medical ninjutsu, all the things the boy was doing on his own. And so, a few days ago, the Hokage would've sent out a scroll to Tatsuo inviting him on a mission that had come up that he had hand picked for the two of them to try out.
Meeting time, six in the morning, outside the front gates. Reason for such early meeting time? Quite a long walk/run ahead of them. They were heading into the Land of Bears to respond to numerous reports of a roving band of organized bandits, numbering anywhere from 10-40 people. The Hokage waits outside the gate, enjoying the view as the sun begins to peak over the Hokage mountain.
Tatsuo was of course unaware of the Hokage's watchful eyes…on his paperwork and such. He never would've really suspected the Hokage to be keeping an eye on him but then he hadn't seen the man in many many months. In fact Daisuke had kind of left his mind and been replaced with the various duties he now had as a Chuunin as well as Kenta's medical assistant. On top of that all the time volunteering at the hospital and still training…well, he had a lot going on. But then came the scroll…
After making sure he had everything he'd need in his small backpack the teen had left Kenta's house to meet up with the Hokage. He found it a little strange that they were going on this mission alone but who was he to question someone of Daisuke's status? That was Hige's job…ahem. When he exited the gates he gave Daisuke a bow in greeting. "Hokage-dono, good morning."
Daisuke finishes watching the sun rise before he looks over towards Tatsuo as the boy arrives, greeting him with a smile. "Good morning, Tatsuo. i hope all is well." he says to the boy as he straightens up, dusting off his haori. "I hope you are awake and ready to go, we have quite a hike ahead. That is, unless…of course… you have picked up on a certain skill my last protege with Isobu had, then things would be a little easier." he says to Tatsuo, raising an eyebrow out of curiosity.
Tatsuo blinks in surprise as he looks up at Daisuke uncertainly. "Um…a certain skill?" He's learned lots of skills so he's not sure which Daisuke might be hinting at. He goes over what he knows, chewing his lower lip in thought as he considers. "Well…I can use water to travel if that's what you're talking about Hokage-dono."
"That is indeed what I am talking about." Daisuke says with a nod to Tatsuo as he moves to the dirt, placing his hand on the ground gently before the earth begins to rise up and turn black and red, molten rock levitating in the air beneath him producing a ton of white smoke that quickly surrounds the chunk of rock. He turns back to Tatsuo with an expectant look. "Shall we go?" he asks the boy, floating there in the air on what looks like a small cloud.
Tatsuo just watches in shock as Daisuke pulls up molton rock, his mouth hanging open a little. He hasn't ever seen the Hokage use any of his special jutsu before! He stares for a few moments before he shakes his head to clear it, then makes a hand seal. He jumps into the air and lands on a platform of water that floats around briefly, then over to Daisuke. "I haven't really used it to travel much…no one else can do it."
"Which is why we are doing it today." Daisuke says with a grin to Tatsuo after seeing the boy produce the same board his former protege, Kaito, did. Feeling a bit nostalgic, Daisuke challenges Tatsuo, "Race you there?" before taking off with a zoom, high up into the sky in the direction of the Land of Bears. He would slow a bit, enough for Tatsuo to catch up, before he would start to relay information. "The Land of Bears and our country are currently allied thanks in part to a team I lead with Atsuro and a few others. Their ninja have unique abilities that come from a spacerock that hit the ground there years ago, and so their Hidden Village and surrounding areas are usually pretty secretive. But lately the country itself has been 'hit and run' numerous times by an organized group of bandits. The numbers are the reason I invited you out. While we may be single ninja, we fight together with powerful Beasts. I, myself, before becoming the Hokage, had to fight off over 100 low end ninja at once while Atsuro secured and extracted vital information near the Land of Water. By using your chakra arms, you should eventually be able to do the same."
Race?! Daisuke is gone before Tatsuo even fully digests that. It just didn't seem very…Hokage-like. Tatsuo shoots off after him however though he'd have no chance to catch up if Daisuke didn't slow down. Luckily he did. "I've never been to the Land of Bears before. Um…what did the spacerock do to them?" He glances over to Daisuke as he travels alongside him, keeping pace for the moment. When Daisuke mentions he fought off over a hundred ninja though…"I-is that even possible? To fight off so many? How did you keep him from taking control of you?"
"It infests their chakra and, from what we can understand, gives them a type of radioactive cloak, almost like ours. Unfortunately, those that use the rock in that way don't live very long." Daisuke says to Tatsuo as they continue to soar, making a full day's trip into mere hours. "In terms of fighting, the closer you are with your Bijuu, the more you two begin to share emotions. Son Goku happens to be very competitive like me, and so faced with those odds, it became more of a 'Challenge accepted, lets go' type situation, and we rocked. It was quite the feeling, like a non stop adrenaline rush, but the key is having full control of your cloak so that you can keep up with the sheer numbers surrounding you. Arms, spears, the ability to manipulate your cloak defensively. These are all vital to keeping yourself from getting overwhelmed when outnumbered." he explains to Tatsuo. "We are approaching." he mentions as he spots the land of Bears borders ahead, beginning to descend and, eventually, land within the forests away from eyes.
A similar cloak to theirs? Did the spacerock have a bijuu inside? Is the spacerock a bijuu? So many questions…and the discussion of the bijuu brings one to mind. "How…long did it take for you and Son Goku to be able to work together so well?" When Daisuke starts to descend into the forest Tatsuo follows though he looks ahead to to Land of Bears as they sink into the trees, seeing if he can see…anything. People, bandits…bears. The water takes him to the ground, simply vanishing either into the air or the ground itself as he then is just simply standing on the ground.
"I was made a host when I was a baby, due to an illness I had contracted. So I would say it took a good 13 years for Son and I to be partners who fully trust in one another's judgment and allow each other to take control when needed without thinking 'Is this the day I lose control'. But the hosts we select these days don't have the luxury of that kind of time, and things get lost in the process. So take your time and do it right, ok?" Daisuke says to the young jinchuuriki. "I guess it also helped that my aunt was my teacher. Yeah, it definitely did." he adds as they walk through the forest towards a town, the town they had intelligence on, the one that was supposed to get hit next.
"When you were a baby? But how come Son Goku just didn't take control then?" Yep that makes Tatsuo quite surprised that the bijuu hadn't just taken control of the rather defenseless baby. Even when Isobu first went in he had to fight to keep him from getting control. He can't imagine someone so young having any chance. When Daisuke talks about taking his time…well…"I'm always worried that something's going to happen, on a mission or traveling, where I won't have a choice but to give him more freedom or let people die. It always seems like there isn't really going to be enough time." He has no clue where they're going, he just walks obediantly beside Daisuke, hands holding the straps of his backpack as he stares ahead.
"When a beast is sealed in the way Son was within me, it suppresses their power behind a powerful seal. Unfortunately, that method requires a sacrifice, and is no longer used. But because of it, and my Aunt's watchful eye, I am the only remaining original host of a Bijuu. The rest have almost gotten used to being passed around like they are, but they definitely do not enjoy it and harbor a lot of resentment each time." Daisuke says, not explaining further any of the barbaric method that was used on him and how it completely messed up his family dynamic. "We are here." he says as they arrive in town, spotting a somewhat rotund man in a tophat pacing back and forth outside a large building, probably the village hall.
"Akio-san I assume?" he asks the man, who looks up hopeful and visibly calms as he spots the Hokage and Tatsuo. "Oh thank god you arrived, we have word that the group of hoodlums are amassing a few miles from here. Please please PLEASE take care of them before they ransack our beautiful village." Akio says, almost begging the Hokage. The Hokage raises a hand in pause to try to quiet the man before smiling. "Just point us in the direction and we will be off."
With directions to the camp that had been scouted out prior to their arrival, Daisuke and Tatsuo would leave the village almost as quickly as they arrived, heading out into the forests, on foot this time, bouncing through trees and running along forest bed.
A sacrifice…It must have been something very powerful then. But sad to have someone give up their life in exchange for it. Tatsuo might have more questions, but they die as they arrive in the town and he sees the man pacing back and forth worriedly. The movement causes Tatsuo to tense and look around quickly as if he expects the attack to be immiment. And while it turns out that it's close it's at least not going to attack them immediately. After taking a deep breath to help set his frame of mind of settle his body Tatsuo takes off after Daisuke, dark eyes scanning ahead as the run towards the camp. "What is the plan Hokage-dono?"
"The plan, young protege, is for you to walk into the camp and tell them it is time to stop and move out of the country… or else." Daisuke says to Tatsuo, not looking back to see his reaction, though he could imagine it. "While this mission is important, my true purpose was to see you in combat versus multiple opponents. We started with these because they house no chakra techniques and most likely very little taijutsu. It should be a piece of cake!" he says as they continue to run, and run, and run, before the Hokage raises his hand and stops on a tree branch, spotting the camp. "Hm. About 30, less than I had expected but that will work." he says as he turns to Tatsuo expectantly.
Tatsuo stumbles a few steps when he hears Daisuke's plan but he manages to catch himself, then catch back up. Surely the Hokage was just being funny. Hah! What a comedian he must be trying to be. When he continues on though, explaining why they are at there for the mission, he can feel his heart rate spike upwards. NO, no he's still just joking that's it! Whew, gosh, he should start a comedy club in Konoha! Stopping at the Hokage's hand motion, Tatsuo crouches to peer through some leaves at the camp, then looks up to see what the /real/ plan is. But then he sees Daisuke's expectant gaze. "Y-you're kidding right?"
Daisuke looks back to Tatsuo, raising his eyebrow. "Does it looks like I am kidding?" he asks Tatsuo in a stoic voice before motioning with his hand towards the camp. "Go on then. It's time you started to feel like the powerhouse you really are, Tatsuo. Just wander in there, right to the center of camp if you can, and call attention before giving them the ultimatum. I'd suggest a few leaps or something to get there right away and catch them off guard." he instructs before turning back to watch the camp.
Mouth agape, Tatsuo stares at the back of Daisuke's head for a few long moments. Then he swallowed loudly and stood up straight. Oh boy, how was he going to do this? They wouldn't listen to him would they? He looks over the camp from their position, dark eyes seeking out a few items before he gets started. Go in strong, that would be the best bet to push them off balance and maybe scare them away. Tatsuo makes a hand seal, gathering his own chakra and pulling at a few things under the ground, moving them to where he wants them before launching himself forward.
The Nara makes quite a show of it as steps of nearly invisibly thin water helps him further up so that by the time he front flips forward it drops him right in the center of the camp. He does a superhero landing, down on one knee with one hand hitting the ground. When he lands he also draws on Isobu's chakra, his eyes turning from black to a dark red and sending out that sickening feeling to any close by. Part one and two of scaring them complete. Part three comes a fraction of a second later as the ground around Tatsuo breaks open with the force of water that rushes upward, shooting into the sky in a circle around him before it slams back down. It won't do much more than douse them at the moment, but he's hoping that's enough. He doesn't really want to hurt anyone…
"You are not allowed to be here," Tatsuo says in a surprisingly firm tone as he stands, hitai-ate in full view. "Leave this Land now or face the consequences."
Daisuke watches as Tatsuo moves forward, making his show of force. It wasn't bad for a first time, probably a 7 overall. He gets a better vantage point and waits to see what would happen.
As for the bandits, They are certainly surprised, and a few of them, while doused, are chakra sensitive enough that they still take a few steps back with that sickly feeling present, but most see a kid of the Leaf flexing his muscles. Tatsuo would have to do a bit better than that next time. The leader of the group pushes through the people standing around watching, a large club in hand, entering the circle of men to eye Tatsuo up. "What's this then? Little boy making commands to us, when he is outnumbered 30 to 1. Little boy is going to realize his mistake and hopefully learn his lesson for his next life." he says, as they all charge.
Little? Well he's not super tall or anything but he's about average for his age. Tatsuo just smirks at the man, seeming much more full of himself and secure in his abilities than he normally is. He can put on a good show. When they charge Tatsuo jumps high into the air unleashing a torrent of water needles down over the entire group of men in such a number that he doubts many will avoid it. It won't kill anyone, but maybe it will scare some away. Using another sliver of water he launches sideways, landing on his feet outside the group as he waits to see how they react to /that/.
As Tatsuo leaps up in the air, some of the bandits take fire from his water needles, stuck in various places on their body. But these bandits have taken their fair share of licks, whether from blunt force or sharp blade. This does not deter them, nor will some water used in fancy ways. As the Hokage looks on, most of the men are still up and able, and quickly gain their bearings again, finding Tatsuo and charging forwards, their leader in front. "You little paranoia!" shouts the leader as he charges in first swinging that large club around in a powerful sweep.
"That's not very nice," Tatsuo says with a frown, water manifesting itself to stop the club with barely even a shudder. "This is going to be your last warning. Leave now or face the consequences." To show that he meant business more water burst from the ground, splitting and chasing after a number of the other men with force this time. It won't kill them still but it might not them senseless with the speed and strength behind it.
The water knocks a handful of them senseless but their group still numbers around 19 to 1. The Hokage looks on as Tatsuo continues to hesitate, which is going to get him into danger as the men slowly make their way around him, circling him. While Tatsuo had done a good job, he wasn't using his tools correctly and it was time to show him a little more things to use in his arsenal.
As the men continue to close the gap on Tatsuo, a flash of orange light streaks across the sky and lands in front of Tatsuo. It is the Hokage, though his cloak is shaped in the form of a large chakra Ape, feral-like in appearance with giant golden glowing eyes. "LEAVE." shouts Son and Daisuke both, the voice reverberating in the heads of all those around as they let out a giant sonic Bijuu roar, the ground beginning to rip apart all around Tatsuo and Daisuke as the men start losing their footing, some getting flung back into horses and tents, others generally wetting themselves. Only the leader remains, though his knees are wobbling terribly. The cloak housing Daisuke looks over to the leader, its 'mouth' spreading wider and wider in a demonic smile, which is the last straw for him, calling for a full retreat.
Tatsuo's cloak was just starting to bubble into form when Daisuke is suddenly there in all his beastial glory. The teen blinks, the blue dissipating before it even really had time to take hold. When they call a full retreat Tatsuo frowns. Why couldn't /he/ get them to do that? Probably because he couldn't look as scary as Daisuke. Not even on Tatsuo's best days. While he'd been about ready to start laying some more smack down it would've taken longer and more energy, and they wouldn't be running so much as incapacitated. The teen chews his lower lip as his eyes lower to the ground. This means…he failed in whatever Daisuke had been testing him on.
Daisuke settles as the men clear out, his cloak poofing as if someone had just extinguished a fire. He turns to Tatsuo with a smile, reaching out to rustle his hair as he catches the teen looking down. "While your eyes may be different, your water isn't anything new or fearful to hardened men. You did well enough today, and if you do take anything away from this, it is to use your unique abilities with Isobu in order to strike fear into men who do not understand, and even those who do." he says to the boy. "This is why I brought you out here today without an official team. I wanted you to try 'being scary'. But it's not something you just learn instantly. I want you to try striking fear into men and women on your missions going ahead. That way no one has to die and it could very well reduce the numbers in a situation from against you to in your favor."
Tatsuo looks up a bit after the hair ruffle and Daisuke's words of wisdom. "Um…hai, Hokage-dono. I guess I didn't really think about it that way. I thought they'd be scared enough by the water. I'm…still not used to showing Isobu to people I don't trust. But I see it can be an effective tool. Although…what was that you did? You made the air /vibrate/."
"Showing off what you can do to a bunch of hoodlums is fine, its not like you will ever see them again." Daisuke says with a smile. "You might as well use everything in your arsenal when you are alone or with people you know and trust. As for the technique, it is modified from a Bijuu's wild roar. Once you learn to be able to create it by yourself, you can use it to even break apart the strongest chakra attack at a molecular level just by roaring, or push back physical attackers. I'm sure you've heard Isobu howling before in some form or another."
Tatsuo nods slowly at that question. "Yes…" He just doesn't want to talk about when he's heard it. "I didn't know it could have such power behind it…I'll…talk to him about it." The teen glances around the area for a moment before making a hand seal, mist momentarily appearing before vanishing again as instead tendrils of water move into a few of the tents, returning with various food stuffs and weapons. "Should we take these to the village?" Tatsuo's control of a large of amount watery tendrils is…rather large.
Daisuke nods, "Indeed it can. Lets head back to the village with the supplies and then we can actually race back to Konoha this time." he says with a smile, turning in the direction of the village and heading out towards the village with Tatsuo. Mission complete!
