Starring:
Date: May 23, 2015
Summary:
Hige has decided to assist Zori in finding the man who betrayed him and killed his friends, even if the murders were years prior. So the hunt begins with some information gathering at a nearby village.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Cold Case - The Hunt Begins"
Land of Fire
And so Hige, Konsho, and Zori are all on their way out to a village to meet up with someone who might be, or at least might have information about, the man who had slaughtered Zori's friends years hence. After going over the general rules of this with Zori, basically no killing or fighting unless attacked, they had left at top speed to the location using the always useful trees. Now they're nearing the location and Hige motions for the group to drop from the trees so that they can approach the village on foot. They are clearly marked as Konoha shinobi, Hige having done something he rarely does in wearing his forehead protector. Konsho's Chuunin vest also clearly identifies the pup. "Alright, you remember what I said? No fighting unless you're attacked, and even then no killing. If this man is the one you remember then let me know and we'll go from there. Otherwise we'll try to get information. The leads were very cold but we do know this guy supposedly had some contact with the man."
Zori nods at Hige when he gives the signal for him to drop down. When he drops down he turns and looks at Hige. "Alright i wont fight unless im attacked. I got it." Zori noticed that Hige was wearing his Konoha headband and Konsho was wearing its Chunnin vest. Zori "hmms" for a moment droping his backdown on the ground as he goes through searching for something. Zori pulls out his headband and stares at it for a moment. He then wraps it on his knee, facing the symbol out for indentification. Closing his backpack and slinging it back on his back. He glances at Hige "Its wierd seeing you wearing a headband hehe".
Hige mentally grumbles a bit as he reaches back to tighten the knot on the headband. "Don't get used to it. It's only when I have to be really official. Or I'm ordered to. There's a lot you can do when no one suspects who you are." With that he leads the way towards the village ahead.
The village itself isn't large but it isn't small either. Housing at least a few hundred people, it's one of the more common stops for travelers that are moving between two of the well used main roads. Everything is here from a forge, to an inn, and everything in between. While the two teens and ninken walk through the village some people stop to whisper before looking away and hurrying on. Hige leads them through the village without seeming to pay much attention to what's being said. But there's something to be said for those Inuzuka ears.
Zori smirks "Understood but im sure if they will know who you are regardless Hehe. I mean.. who else has those feral eyes? Also i will let you know if i recognize anybody." Zori then says right after "Atleast with that headband on, you look normal. Hehehe" Zori chuckles as his tease makes its way to Hige's ears. "Theres no need for the headband to go on my head, I mean.. who could forget this face." Zori grins wide toothed." Zori follows Hige as the people in the village begin to whisper, Zori's ears dont even hear it. Zori just remains eyes forward, focused.
"I can hide the eyes and the markings, and not everyone knows every clan either, especially outside the land of fire." Hige rolls his eyes at Zori at the tease before shaking his head, "No one could forget that ugly mug. I'm kind of depending on that actually." If he scents surprise off the person they're looking for that'll be a good indicator of something. Hige stops at a crosspath in the village and looks around slowly, turning in a circle. "Be on your best behaviour," he says quietly to Zori. "We aren't wanted here. I heard some villages were starting to mistrust us but I didn't think it was this bad."
Zori's grin subsides returning to normal. "Heh, whatever. You should get those eyes checked" said in a calm tone. He crosses his arms over his chest turning his head slightly away from Hige, in a -i am annoyed- manner. "Ill be a good little boy. Hehe. I believe that" Zori pauses for a moment then says "They hate us because, they aint us." Zori likes what he just said and grabs his notepad from his pocket and writes it down. That could be our team motto.
"No, they hate us for other reasons. I don't think they're going to do anything though. Just be careful, and not stupid. I know it's hard, but I'm sure you can do it." Hige says, glancing to Zori again with a smirk before he turns down the new road and heads down a short ways before breaking off the road and walking along a dirt path. He'd memorized where the house was earlier so it wasn't hard to find it. The place looks kept up though there are a few things that need working on. Some wood on the porch is starting to rot, a window shutter is missing, but all in all the place looks clean and lived in. "This is it," Hige mutters, partly to himself before walking forward to the door and glancing back at Zori again. "If you recognize him tell me right away."
Zori "grrs" a bit from Hige's comment. He scoffs and glares at Hige expelling a soft "Heh". Following Hige down the new road, he arrives in front of the house. When Hige speaks and starts to walk toward the door. Zori responds "Alright i will let you know, if so" Zori uncrosses his arms and catches up with Hige jogging a bit in pace. Zori looks over at the window and gets a idea. "That window over there, i can look through it." Zori walks over to the window and begins to look through it.
Hige waits, not knocking quite yet since Zori goes to peek through the window. He doesn't go to the window himself but instead just crosses his arms over his chest and tilts his head slightly, watching the other teen. Konsho nudges Hige with his nose and the boy glances down at the pup, then looks around with a frown.
When Zori looks through the window there's nothing of immeidate evidence. There's no one visible though, like the outside, the inside looks well kept up and clean. While no one is immediately visible there are a number of vibrations that Zori's wires would pick up, coming from multiple sets of people walking inside.
Zori continues to peer through the window but no dice. "I dont see anyone, Maybe i can sense some vibrations coming from the inside." With a quick motion Zori makes a handsign, summoning wires in the inside of the house in various places. The wires sprout up and movement is felt. "I can feel some vibrations on the inside, theres multiple sets of people walking, right now." Zori turns his head away from the window giving a look at Hige and Konsho.
Hige shakes his head a little as he frowns deeply. "That's not right. The most recent information said he lived alone…" Hige trails off as it suddenly clicks into place. "Oh track, Zori it's a trap!" He says just before a blade slices horizontally through the door, attempting to skewer Hige. He slips aside just enough so the blade misses by a fraction of an inch. The boy jumps off the porch and back a short distance, sliding to a stop with Konsho. "Zori, retreat to here. Now!" He yells, but it's already too late to do so immediately as a kunai is coming from inside right through the window towards Zori's skull.
Zori gives Hige a confused look as he says "Huh?" Zori watches as a blade goes through the door in attempt to stab Hige. With his focus on Hige, the glass shatters with the kunai going to Zori's head. He sees it out of the corner of his eye in a knick of time. Zori moves his head over a bit as he gets ready to drop and roll but the kuani still manages stab through Zori's shoulder. When Zori finishes his drop and roll to the ground. He stands up and jumps back landing over by Hige. "I couldve died right there. That kunai was aimed at my head" Glaring at the house Zori goes and grabs the kunai lodged in his shoulder and pulls it out. Holding the kunai in his hand, he says "Permission to attack..granted." Zori says in a dark tone.
"Need at least one alive," Hige reminds Zori with a soft growl before he slips down onto all fours just as the door bursts open and and five figures pour out. None of them are the man they came to see and Zori wouldn't recognize any of them as his attacker. Hige doesn't wait as he and Konsho launch themselves forward, spinning in the air as they aim to land right in the middle of the group and cause as much damage as possible.
Apparently whoever these people are they aren't some simple pushovers much like bandits would be. No, they're trained and likely Shinobi of their own, one way or another. Hige smashes into the ground but the men have all split into different directions and jumped away. They jump back in, two of them coming at Hige and Konsho with swords while the other three split off to go after Zori who, despite his valant attempt, is still known by these three. They come at him, one throwing a kunai in the air while another slashes with a sword. A third starts making hand seals before the earth erupts in front of them and small mud bullets shoot towards Zori.
Hige and Konsho smash into the ground but despite their best efforts the five escaped. Hige lets out a curse before looking around to see what's happening, using all of his senses. With the three going after Zori he knows he doesn't have much time to take care of the problems here. While he escapes from one blade the second bites into his leg, causing blood to flow. Hige hesitates only a moment before taking out a kunai and taking some of the blood off of his leg before throwing the blade towards Zori. "Time to get serious Zori." Then he turns back to his two and attacks with Konsho, allowing some of that anger out as they slash at the men.
Zori hears a whistling sound, looking over he spots a Kunai coming at him. His wires instantly lunges up and deflects it away. Thinking Zori was in the clear, he turns his head in attempts to peer inside the window. But the attacker sneaks up behind Zori and swings his blade slicing across his back with quickness tearing through his hoodie. Zori shouts "Argh!" But then a barrage of earth bullets then smash into his back as well with such impact it sends Zori off the porch. Zori staggers as he stands up, he hears Hige speak as a soft clang could be heard near him. His eyes narrowed over at the bloody Kunai "Hehehe..Bet." Zori looks at his fingers for a minute. I could just draw out the blood from my index finger by biting the side of it. ..Oh i know what he wants to happen. Zori lashes out at the kunai grabbing it, he lifts it up to his mouth and licks it once. Zori pauses for a moment long enough for it to take effect. He drops the kunai, The madness begin to enter his mind the sounds of battle echo along with a voice..More..Blood! Zori grabs his head with both hands dropping down to his knees momentarily glancing up at the three attackers with red bloodshot eyes and a serious facial expression. "All of your blood is mine!" Zori extends his arm at the attackers the wire shoots out in a straight line, moving his fingers the wire branches out into a multitude of wires in pursuit of pinning the three attackers to a object nearest to them.
The men who attacked them seem surprised by this sudden surge of strength from the three attackers. Hige and Konsho each score a strike on their individual men while Zori captures two of the three who had attacked him. The two that are captured are cursing loudly as they try to free themselves from the wire but it only digs deeper into their skin. The single free man jumps towards Zori with a shout of rage as he brings his sword down at the boy. Hige and Konsho have wounded their two but they have yet to put them down. The attacks from the swordsmen come from either side, slicing down at the pair as they try to dismember the four legged freaks.
The change for Hige is nothing that physically shows besides a little more ferality in his eyes, mentally seeming to sync up more with Konsho. After their strikes hit the pair prepare to move, but one of the swordsman makes a quick change at the last moment and manages to scrape the boy. A low, guttural growl escapes from Hige and Konsho both as they land and face the two. A fire is in their eyes that is rarely seen, and even then it's a low smolder instead of a full on fire. "Fine, let's end this." He growls before the pair launch at the two men again, bouncing around to come back for a second run.
Zori notices that 2 of them were caught but 1 managed to escape. Zori does not even look over at the escapee. His focus focused on the caught attackers. When the attacker goes in for another attack, his eyes still on the others. Zori moves a bit just enough to avoid critical injury, getting sliced on his arm. As the blood pours out, Zori lets out a slow calm "Heh..Heh..Heh..Heh". Zori puts his index and middle finger together and with a quick motion he shifts it upwards, causing the bound wires to collapse. Squeezing and twisting the caught attackers.
Men cry out as the wires cut into them and dig deep, drawing blood and chopping off a limb. Just a flesh wound, assuredly. The men collapse to the ground, bleeding messes, while the third man doesn't appear to want to give up. He attacks again, giving two quick slices towards Zori angrily. Meanwhile, though the men manage to avoid the Inuzuka duo on their first go around they don't seem to expect the second. The men are smashed into and also left as little torn up corpses.
Hige and Konsho land in the mess they created, eyes feral, fangs and claws bloody and with that small flame in the boys eyes. Despite his anger only one of the men appeared dead. The other was not doing well but he was still alive. That left only the one remaining. Hige straightens, leaving it to Zori as he goes to work binding up his wounds, then binding up the attacker enough so that he won't bleed to death.
As the blood pours unto the wires of the men, all the blood merge unto the one line of the string Zori was holding on to. Zori shouts "Blood!" He lifts the wire up to his mouth, with one lick the trail of blood was gone. Zori catches the attacker out of the corner of his eye. His wire reacting quickly unwrapping themselfs from the men as theyre bodies fall to the ground, lashing back towards Zori's direction slaping away the man's sword strikes. Zori turns his whole body facing towards the last remaining Attacker with a bloodthirsty wide tooth grin. Zori begins to walk slowly towards the man, stopping in directly in front of him. His wires slithering on the ground would then be in pursuit of wrapping the attackers legs up. Zori doesnt say anything he just lets his actions do the talking.
The swordsman lets out a wild string of curses as he dances away from the strings, but eventually they catch up with him. As they wrap around his legs the man slices at the wires but his sword can't cut through the chakra strengthed tendrils. "Let me go you little sport or I'll your life nice and slow." Even as he falls to the ground, unable to move his legs, he raises his sword and points it at Zori, hands steady despite the dire situation.
Hige finishes staunching most of the blood flow from the unconscious man before he stands to look back at Zori, frowning slightly but not commenting on it. This was the type of situation where he needed to let Zori freely enjoy his lust so he can have control at other times. The same way some of his anger, though a very small portion, fired up for a few moments before he finished his own problems. Instead Hige leaves Konsho to stay with the unconscious man while he heads towards the house to start investigating.
Zori smirks when his wires wrap up tightly around his legs. When the man points his sword, Zori's wires slaps the sword out of his hands. "I would calm down if i were you. Your only alive because my squad leader said so. Other then that you would be laying on the ground like your buddies over here" Zori points his finger to each of the bodies. Zori's wires continues to slither up past the mans legs wrapping up his arms as well. Zori eyes flicker over to Hige before the Inuzuka had entered the house. When his eyes flickered back to the bound man, Zori grins. Zori shouts to Hige "Hey im going to stay out here while you investigate the house. I dont want anyone to escape. Hehe.."
Hige offers a small wave over his shoulder at Zori's words before he disappears inside the door. Almost a minute later an explosion sounds and Konsho darts towards the house. However before the pup can get in Hige shatters a second story window as he breaks through, landing on one knee and coughing a few times. "I'm okay Konsho, don't worry." He says to the pup before motioning with his hands for the pup to turn around. After he does Hige slips a piece of cloth into one of the pouches on his vest before standing and walking to Zori. When he arrives he shakes his head, "Guy was dead inside and they'd set a trap. They were smart about it too, would've needed a seal master. So I just blew it." He hands a picture to Zori of a man in his sixties, too old to have been the one involved in the murders and completely unfamiliar. "This was inside. Looked like the guy. Was it him?"
Zori hears the explosion coming from the house and turns his head a bit in that direction. But when Hige jumped out, Zori was relieved. When Hige shows Zori the picture he shakes his head. "That man looks to old to be involved, i doubt he has anything to do with it. Also i dont recognize him." is said in a stern tone. Zori's eyes glances back over to the bound man. "So what you wanna do with this guy?"
"He and his other buddy," Hige thumbs over his shoulder to the breathing-but-unconscious man, "will be coming back with us to Konoha so we can find out what they're doing here." And more importantly, how they knew that they would be there. But Hige doesn't voice that one. He's already got a bad feeling about it all but he won't be able to get much confirmation until they get back. Hige walks over to the bound man and with one swift strike knocks him unconscious. "Can you carry him back?" Hige asks as he moves to heft the other man over his shoulder, grunting a bit at the added weight. But he manages to handle it despite his size.
Zori listens to Hige and responds "Ok that sounds like a good idea. I really want to get to the bottom of this." With a slight nod at Hige, he picks up the unconcious bound man. Slinging him over his shoulder turning his head over to Hige. "Yeah i can manage". Zori grunts himself, but maybe not as much as the slightly shorter Hige. Zori's wires retract back up under the sleeves of his hoodie wrapping around his wrists securely.
With Konsho acting as their patrol guards Hige leads Zori out of the village a different way so they don't drag their captives through the center of town. After they're out Hige takes to the trees again, though the going is more slow thanks to the added weight of a full grown man. Really Hige is going to need some good rest after this. And then he's going to have to ask these men some questions. This first part of the plan to find the killer did not go well, and the attackers were unexpected. What does it all mean
