Starring:
Ryuutai, Itami, Keiji, Konsatsu, Aoitsuki, Kanrai
Date: March 19, 2012
Summary:
A team from Sunagakure is taking a shortcut through the Land of Rain to get to the Land of Fire. A team from Kirigakure are attempting to track down a pair of blades that belonged to a deceased member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. The unending rains of the Rain Country seem to be swirling about a single figure who wanders the land without knowledge of the misery that is focused upon him externally to match the suffering he holds internally. He also carries the blades that are sought… And that have wounded the leader of the Sunagakure team once before…
Poster's note: Profanity filtered in obvious places.
"Worth Dying For - The Thief and The Darkness Pt. 1"
Drenched Plains - Land of Rain
The Land of Rain is a country northeast of the Land of Wind, north of the Land of Rivers, and west of the Land of Fire. For those who have just finished trekking through the Northern Deserts of the Land of Wind, the drastic difference in environment may be a bit of a shock. How a desert can exist side-by-side with a country practically drowning in constant rainfall is a mystery for the ages. Life is present here, just as with the desert, but it is of a different sort. Plants, and few noticeable animals. Even fewer human beings.
It is composed mainly of what one might expect in a country of near-perpetual rain — grass and mud. There are sections of gravel, some boulders scattered around, and similar, but most of the solid terrain is, as noted before, grass and mud. There is nothing else. This is not to say the terrain is uniform, however. There are cliffs and ravines, streams and rivers, burgeoning lakes, muddy waterfalls of various heights and intensity, and similar. But there are no clear roads anywhere, no signs of habitations other than the occasional hut, shack, or VERY small collections of low-quality buildings that are situated more or less near each other in what one might consider a 'community'. However, they do not even qualify as hamlets, let alone towns, villages, or any other large-scale settlements.
The rain is continuous. The unceasing drumming of droplets upon the mud-paddies that compose most of the terrain is almost hypnotic. How the legendary 'Kiba' blades got here is unclear, but the only survivor out of the group of skilled bounty hunters who came to claim said blades from their thief has positively identified the weapons. They're here, in this land of dull-grey monotony.
Kirigakure wants them back.
The other Villages want them.
Others want either the blades or the bounty on them.
But the thief doesn't appear to be willing to give them up without a fight.
It was a dangerous gambit to trek through the Land of Rain to get to the Land of Fire. Constant rain and a new environment to be acquainted with as well as new dangers. Only bits and pieces of knowledge have come to some travelers about this place and seeing it in reality puts all description to shame. It was a long cut across Sunagakure to get to this area, a tiring one at that especially fighting the various storms that blew through the area. Yet, the group endured and would be greeted with a blessing from the sky that isn't often experienced in Sunagakure.
Itami made sure they came prepared for this, though only as prepared as she could manage as she'd never been in this land before. They each had cloaks with hoods that would protect well against the rain, but other than that, not much else. The rain was sparse at the border, but drawing further in showed what the rain truly was like around here. Drop, upon drop, upon drop leaving the ground entirely saturated and almost aggravating for the ignorant traveler. They would probably be enduring this for a while until they crossed over into Konoha. Despite loving the rain, the Watanabe was surprised at how quickly she could grow tired of the rain, though perhaps it wasn't the rain itself more so than the conditions it created in this place. "Please, be careful…" She spoke to Konsatsu and Keiji. "I don't know this land well, so we have to keep sharp vigilance on the area."
After travelling across his desert home, Keiji was feeling pretty excited to see the Land of Rain. He had never been there before. In fact the only other land he had visited besides the neutral zone was Konohagakure. Even then he had not visited the village. It was simply a trek through their lands to catch Kirigakure shinobi using ocular jutsu to fire off a giant lazer cannon at specific targets.
Though as the boy's dark pupils scan across the land at the border, he becomes even more excited. He loved the rain. It was kind of odd as he spent most of his life underground. His body's movements would not show it but the smile on his face did. He did not even bother putting up the hood on his rain coat. He glanced towards his brother pondering if he found the same excitement in the rain. The two of them did not really seem to talk a lot since the start of the year. ***, Keiji was unsure if the boy had even attended the Exams to watch him in the tournament. He figured Konsatsu was probably training to some day over take him instead.
Then Keiji's attention is snapped back towards Itami as she speaks. "Understood Itami-sama." He then pulls his hood up as now the rain is starting to get heavier. It was time for buisiness.
Travelling through the land of annoyances with the woman and Keiji, it almost made the boy forget why he even agreed to come in the first place. There was nothing about this trek that made it worth while. The conditions were horrible and he was sure the woman chose this route simply to bother him and it was working. Slowly pushing him closer and closer to that edge of no return where he would lash out and strike simply because he could. Sure, like the other times, this time would be no different and he would quickly be put in his place with a punch so hard it sent him to the ground unable to retaliate even though he wanted to.
If it weren't for the necessity of needing to study and learn from the woman all that he could, Konsatsu would not have came. If there was anyone else to learn from, to teach him what he needed, he would jump on it and take every advantage he could so that some day he could strike the woman down. However, since the first day he met her, no person has ever been able to stand up to Itami. If nothing else, he could at least respect that. He had to. She had a strong right hook.
"…You be careful." Konsatsu said from underneath his drenched soaked hood that masked most of his face. Each step that the boy took was hard as he stomped into the mud that was before him, showing his disapproval of this place. A quick glance given to his brother when he was sure to have felt the others eyes upon him. It was only momentarily, for even Keiji at times he would be mad at. Another person that he was struggling to catch up to, but no matter. Some day…some day.
It wasn't much of a surprise to see a well dressed snow princess moving throughout the area, if anything if there was any two villages Aoitsuki was normally scene in, The Rain village would be number two with the Mist being her no 1. She had been through the areas numerous amount of times, though she wasn't native to the area she knew how to get to Kirigakure and back with her eyes closed. The astonishing beauty was dressed in a luxrious pale blue Kimono with a black sash trimmed with silver holding it tightly. An umbrella was preped over her head as she held it simply, keeping her long golden locks from getting wet for the most part.
Aside from that she decided to come without any shoes, knowing fully well that soggy muddy terrain was going to cause a hinderance anyways… She was here on a mission by Hikan-sama… To retrieve a few items which were naturally theirs… She hums quietly to herself with each step, despite her beautiful noble apperance she was an experienced shinobi… And she would stop at nothing to completely accomplish her goals, for now she was to scout around for anything unusual, and pick up on the leads which hopefully would guide her towards this so called thief…
Kanrai did not know her way through this area and was therefore trudging along behind her cousin(?). She had hemmed a kimono specifically for this so that, unlike her normal attire, it wouldn't come anywhere near the ground. It was blue, like Aoitsuki's, but darker with some small details in green. After walking for so long and with no real interaction with the other Shirayuki, she sighed. This was obviously a rather important mission but she wasn't really interested. She had simply decided to do as told without argument to save herself the problems it would cause.
Fiddling idly with the umbrella she held, she hummed thoughtfully. "Aoitsuki-san, do you suppose we're getting any closer? I am sorry to be a bother, but I'm growing tired of the scenery." She was bored. Not tired; she could likely keep going for many hours to come, but it didn't quite sound appealing and, from her perspective, it didn't seem as though they were gaining any ground. Hopefully her cousin felt differently.
The pace the two different groups set through the Drenched Plains of the Land of Rain may be the same or one may be travelling faster than the other. Either way, mile after mile of squelching mud, displaced grass clods, puddles ranging from foot-sized to the size of large ponds, and not another person in sight beyond their own companions appears to be all that this country has to offer. A momentary flash of light, so brief it could very well be a hallucination of the mind brought about by boredom, casts a different coloration to the landscape. A shift away from 'grayscale' may be welcome, but the rumble of distant thunder that follows likely is not.
The intensity of the rain picks up. The pattering becomes like bullets of water striking over and over, endlessly. It's like the Sky is trying to erase the Land with its tears. Another lightning flash illuminates the terrain — brighter, and the interval between bolt and the thunder that follows is shorter.
Seven seconds later, another bolt of lightning comes down, along with another somewhere further north. Lightning and thunder of such frequency, and even the rain feels 'larger' than the 'normal' droplets of before… Who would want to live in a place like this? Then again, the same could be said of the Land of Wind's denizens, or the Land of Water's. The former is a desert, and the latter is subject to hurricanes and tsunami yearly. This is like some bizarre middle-point between the two extremes. Full of water and yet no more hospital than a desert or stormy island.
For those who dare to look in the direction of the lightning, they may make out in the momentary brilliant flashes of blue-white and violet that there's a protrusion on the horizon. A rounded shape, like a very narrow mountain or… No, wait. That's closer than the horizon. Maybe a couple miles away at most. It's a person.
The next lightning bolt strikes somewhere behind him or her, though still distant. It's almost like the storm is FOLLOWING this individual. Whoever he or she is, his or her path seems to be cutting across the Land of Rain, heading south. The team from Sunagakure and the team from Kirigakure are approaching from opposite directions, but they are converging on more or less that same line of travel. They should probably be able to see each other, at least, if not the stranger.
Itami ignored the remarks Konsatsu made and nodded to Keiji's reply in understanding. So long as they were on the same page, this trip should be less problematic than it already is.
With the surrounding landscape being the way it is, it's difficult to tell how far they've traveled as the hope is to finally find someplace that's dry. The only places that may even have a remote chance at that are the collections of huts and shacks around that look as if they can barely protect against the weather, let alone exist within it. Who would want to live in these parts? Aren't there parts that are more…plausible? There has to be, given the ravines and other formations around here. Itami doesn't know their mechanics, though so perhaps all parts are dangerous. She sighs and shakes her head to herself only to cut it up to the air when the flash of light crosses the sky. She frowned…
Thunder… She holds her hand out to capture some of the rain and observes that the drops are becoming more frequent. The only time she's seen rain of this intensity was when someone utilized the Rain Creation technique. He was from this place, but…is he here again? As more flashes of light erupt from the sky and around the area, a particular bolt flashed somewhere north. Indeed, this was an odd occurence.
Upon looking in that direction, she takes note of the flashes of light on the horizon, but what's more important is that person? She knows it's crazy enough for them to be traveling in this weather, but this one looks like they're in the thicket of it. There's…something different, though. Rain Creation never caused weather like this. This is something different and…is all of that moving closer?
The rain drops were nearly splashing water up from the ground with how much they'd grown. She's getting a weird feeling in her gut. Why does this feel familiar? She reaches up to her shoulder and rubs it gently. Another look is cast toward the storm and then the individual that's approaching. This doesn't feel right. "I think we have a new objective. This man," she states before calling out to him above the sound of the storm, "Identify yourself!!" She glanced back to Keiji and Konsatsu saying, "Be prepared." Mostly because people don't typically answer to her all that well when she does these things. She gives a quick scan of the landscape to figure out who else might be around and takes note of some others a short distance away. Are those people with this guy?
As Konsatsu answered Itami, Keiji grimaced. It reminded him exactly how different the two of them were. Keiji himself had come to the village as a sort of refugee from his clan. His brother on the other hand chose to come after him. The path they walked was similar, but for very different reasons. The black pupils scan towards Itami. She was the one who chose not to kill Konsatsu when he attacked her the first time. Then again the boy had to admire his brother's continued tenacity.
At first Keiji found the rain neat. Now it was not so much. The sight of lightning followed by the crack of thunder caused the boy to pull his hood further down, slightly over his face. After seeing the larger rain drops the boy comments, "It seems the land is in pain. It looks like we are heading into the heart of its sorrow." The sloshing foot steps in the mud no longer worried him. "If things continue at this rate we may end up having to walk on the water."
The elder of the two Shippodoku then turned his eyes directly forward. It seemed to be the main spot where all of the lightning was striking. Though it caused him minimal pain to look at the flashes of light, for a moment he spots the man. The wall of rain seemed to lessen the pain by blocking out some of the flashes. It is then that Itami yells out towards the man. "It seems to me we found the heart of the sorrow. It also seems that he is the cause…" The boy then pulls back the sleeve of his coat revealing his pincered finger. He had not even noticed the others on the far side of the man.
The rain was intensifying and surely the group would catch some sort of cold for being out in weather like this. "Shouldn't we find shelter or something?" Though he knew above all else, no matter what sort of advice he offered, he was going to be ignored. He was the 'litter' of the three. The one with the least experience and yet the one who would rush head long into any danger without concern for his own safety. Something that would catch up to him sooner or later. His luck in the matters were sure to run out.
When the flash appears, Konsatsu turns his head away out of habit, wanting to protect his vision that is more accustomed to seeing in the dark then taking random bright lights to the retina that has the possibility of momentarily dazing him. "What the **** Woman." Instinctively he raises a hand in front of his face as a sort of shield that offers some protection as he peers out ahead. Not in the same direction as the lightning storm itself, just out in general. "You've led us to our dooms! I'll have your blood on my hands before I allow some ****** land to claim me!"
Though his outburst was quickly disregarded by himself when Itami shouts out as if another may be here. Scanning forward, he makes out…little to nothing. The rain and lightning being too much for his eyesight to bare when it comes to seeing long distances ahead. His brother seems to not have much trouble, but that could be expected of the boy who won the chuunin exams. "Be prepared for what? There's a lightning storm that we're moving toward for some reason and you two call me the fool." He crossed his arms, tucking his hands behind his cloak and grasping his pincered weapons in his hands.
Aoitsuki was rather bored as well, though never once did she voice her opinion, she kept her walk steady and sharp, her pericing sapphire eyes gazing and observing the area. it was difficult to see with so much rain slamming down around them but this rain… She knew there was something different about it. Her hand reaches out, feeling the water pelt her flesh like bullets, it almost hurt..the droplets were heavy… Much heavier than normal but was it just the oddness of these lands or was it something else…? After further investigation she takes note of the thundering and lighting above, watching it cone and shape not like the usual arcs, they were moving along with them, and it seemed to be honed in on a speck of a person maybe a few foot ball fields ahead.
"We won't need to be bored any longer… I believe we have arrived at our location…" Aoi finally spoke, her eyes train around, she could see a few more people not to far away also coming from the other side, however she couldn't tell who or what they were, the best thing to do was to play her part and just relax. " We should be cautious… But too much vigliance will spoil our own surprises," Aoi suggested, leading her cousin forward towards the center of this storm…
The thunder was not entirely bothersome for Kanrai. It was mostly expected, but she still turned her gaze toward the source. She squinted, also using her umbrella to help dim the light as she tried to examine the area. That was strange… Humming thoughtfully as she took note of the single person on the horizon, she considered whether to greet the person or not. Just as she was turning her gaze toward her cousin to see if she'd seen the same thing, she heard a shout. Blinking several times in surprise, she looked toward Itami, who had called out so loudly toward the stranger.
Hearing Aoitsuki, she nodded her head and shifted to follow after. At least something was happening, though she had to wonder about the other group. This was potentially a very dangerous situation and she didn't like the feel of it. That wasn't going to stop her, of course, but it put her a bit on edge. Not one unidentified person to deal with, but four? It was troublesome…
Itami's voice calls out over the pounding rain, chasing the growl of thunder that rolls ever closer. The figure in the distance stops moving, a hood and cloak clinging to him fluttering weakly. He appears to be drenched by the rain, and that cloth does not appear to be the non-absorbant type. Further, strong winds are suddenly swirling about, sending the rain slanting towards the group from Sunagakure at the same time the hooded man looks in the team's direction. The direction the wind is blowing in then… Shifts. It moves back the other direction, and then further towards the two girls who are preparing for trouble. Visibility is low, and doubly-so with the rain now seemingly being directed by this man's gaze. Even though Itami's voice carried enough on the flat plains to be heard by both the distant man and the Kirigakure ninja, as the rain returns to a simpler downpour, centered around the man himself… There are no echoes of the Councilwoman's words.
The storm drowns them. The mud swallows them. The rain… This land… It just pounds and pounds and pounds away at everything until it gives up, sinks into the ground, and dies a dismal, meaningless death. Even Speech is not immune.
But there is something else in the Land of Rain that causes death. That something is 'ninja'. The man suddenly turns and runs, trying to flee without responding to the shout from Itami. He's faster than a normal human, whoever he is, but he's not moving so quickly that neither group can catch up with him. However, if they don't give chase, he'll have a significant lead that might not be able to be made up later.
Mud and water splash with each footstep, and the clouds overhead are suddenly alive with lightning that jumps from one black mass to another, thunder so loud the earth seems to shake. The storm IS following him! And he's headed northeast, away from both groups!
"That was strangely poetic," Itami called to Keiji regarding his words. They were true, of course and she could appreciate them to a degree, though the event felt a great deal more dramatic. "Well, I'm hoping to get some answe—" She's cut off by Konsatsu who feels the need to voice his opinion on the current conditions. "Take this as a chance to train yourself against this land, then! Don't complain to me about it! And I'm not talking about the lightning storm, I'm talking about the cause of it!" No sooner than she finished this statement, she received her reply with the wind rushing toward them and guiding the rain right to them. She stumbled a bit, but reclaimed her balance, though it was a bit difficult with the rain pelting her with those heavy drops. She lifted her arms and lowered her head to try and protect her face, but it didn't seem to be helping much.
Besides, it all changes direction anyway and manages to push her forward a bit. She didn't like this at all. The visibility was reduced enough for her to have some trouble in identifying who it was that was ahead of her, but she at least knows it's the two she spotted earlier, Aoi and Kanrai. Refocusing back on the source of this storm, she watches the figure closely until she sees it seemingly fade within the rain, but it turns out he was fleeing and the storm began to go with him.
"Let's go. We have to follow after him!" She doesn't know why she's trying to fight against the thundering of the storm with her voice, so she tries another method to give a signal away to follow her. She handseals and spits a few darts of fire into the air after finishing before gesturing for her group to follow her after this guy. She gives one last look to Aoi and Kanrai and turns her attention to the figure, following him northeast.
By now Keiji had learned to ignore his younger brother, though he did smirk a bit when Konsatsu blamed Itami for their doom. He always seemed to find her at fault for something. Then the burst of wind came. Keiji was able to brace himself as to not lose his balance. The boy looked towards Konsatsu. "That man is controlling the weather. He is the heart of this lands sorrow." Yes, it was poetic in a sense. Perhaps it was simply his time thinking during the chuunin exam or maybe it was this odd nation.
When ordered by Itami to follow the man, Keiji takes off running towards him. He is moving at full speed though he has not transformed yet. He was unsure if the extra limbs and tail would help him keep his balance or weigh him down into the muck beneath his feet. "Come on Kon!" he yells back. He did not think it was safe for his brother to be chasing after this creator of the storm, but it was equally as dangerous for him to remain behind in the muck. Especially if he had not yet learned to walk on the top of the water.
With the woman taking enough time to acknowledge him with harsh words that may only seem that way as she tries to be heard over the thunderous crack of the lightning and drumming of the rain, Konsatsu loosens his grip on his weapons and shakes a clenched fist in her direction. "Train against the land? Are you crazy? You want me to beat up the land now…BALURGULR." The boys mouth instantly filled up with the rain that seemed to have hovered directly over the group, fueled by the wind that increased its intensity.
His hands went to shield his face once again and he smacked at his lips and stuck his tongue out in disgust when accidentally swallowing the free and unwanted drink of rain water. "What the…I don't…" Konsatsu brought his hands down seeing Itami already running ahead, ordering them to follow. He sighed at the thought, not understanding why they are in fact chasing a man that has done them no harm, but knowing when you corner someone that doesn't want to be you will find the pain you did not expect. It left him wanting to wave his hands at the idea until his brother, Keiji yelled for him to come as well.
"Fine!" The slowest of the group, he would be forced to bring up the rear. Unable to send any ranged attacks or even get in a surprise attack. His only purpose for following now was to not get lost and left behind in this land of neverending rain. After this is done, whatever this is. Itami owed him. Definitely.
Aoitsuki was a little at ease with another Shirayuki at her rear, it meant she didnt have to worry about some other random Kirinin go crazy and mess up the mission. Nevertheless she keeps an eye forward despite how strong this storm seemed to become, as it becomes more powerful it literally sweeps the umbrella from her hands, causing the nicely dressed snow princess to become drenched in a sea of pelting water bullets, however as she watched the Suna-nin breaking out in a full out all run towards the target, she notices that the man this storm seemed to be revovling around was breaking out in a dash also. " We have to move!" Aoi finally shouts out at her counter part, moving along the path towards this retreating fellow, she knew it blew their cover but she wasn't goign to let this man get away… Not a chance when it took so long to track him.
As the umbrella fluttered from Kanrai's loose grip, she sighed lightly. Mildly annoying… As she looked forward, she narrowed her eyes slightly. This was not good… Hearing the exclamation from Aoitsuki, she nodded and started to run. If not for the Suna-nin calling out, they probably could have just hid and caught the man. That was a rather annoying circumstance. It made her wonder… why now the group was chasing after the man. Clearly the situation was becoming more chaotic and Kanrai really didn't like it. Still, a mission was a mission. Her feet carried her rather obediently after a man who, in all honesty, she was not sure was guilty of anything besides picking up some discarded blades when he came across a scene with several dead shinobi. She just assumed that wasn't the case.
He's being chased. The storm is following him, but as he is chased by people, the weather actually slackens a bit. The wind quiets, the rain slows to a pattering, and the lightning flashes become few and far between. They actually seem to be moving AWAY from him now. A return to natural weather patterns? He doesn't know. The man in cloak and hood doesn't know much, actually. What he knows is that people tried to hurt him and now they are dead. He doesn't want to be hurt. He doesn't want anyone to hurt him. So he runs. If he has to kill again, he will. But he'd rather flee.
That second group, a pair of girls he had barely made out in the rain before, also seem to be running towards him. He sees this when he looks over his shoulder. But maybe they're chasing the trio who are chasing him. Are they trying to help him or do they want to hurt him too? He doesn't know. He doesn't know!
He speeds up as desperation and fear grip him, twisting his pained body with worry. This man speeding up means that BOTH groups of ninja who chase him might as well be jogging in place by comparison. One moment, fast but catchable, with both groups closing on him at a reasonable rate. The next moment, he's almost out of sight over the horizon. An empty space where he was inbetween those moments trails him, the air absent of rain drops in a way that matches the outline of his form. That kind of speed is unheard of. Ninja can nearly teleport over short distances with their speed. This man just ran faster!
In his mind, he just keeps going over what he feels. He would rather flee than run… But he'll kill if he has to… If he HAS to… If it's… If it's… ("…Necessary," said the murderer. "It was simply necessary.") …Necessary to kill!?
He stumbles as jagged shards of memory agonize him such that he loses control of himself, slips, and falls in the mud. He slides, rolls, and eventually comes to a stop a couple hundred feet later from his momentum. By the time the two groups get close to him again, he's just starting to get from hands and knees to a crouch. His thoroughly muddied hood has fallen away, exposing a shock of white hair, but he's hanging his head also, so his face isn't visible yet. However, he has both swords clearly at his hips, along with a bundle on his back. And he's no longer running.
Itami would be lying if she said she wasn't following this person out of curiosity. She tried to keep close, despite the mud sometimes creating suction against the sandals of her feet in areas where it's deepest. That isn't to say that he curiosity is so important that she'd leave her group behind. She looked back to make sure that they were keeping up with her and once assured that they were, she continued, but not sending off a few more 'flares' of fire bolts to ensure that they can follow her within all the rain and wind.
Though, they became unnecessary as the storm began to clear up and made way for the normal weather to return to the landscape. It was established that the fleeing man was the source of the storm, but she isn't sure /why/ he is. She didn't even know it was possible to control weather in that way, aside from what she'd witnessed before. Yet, that couldn't even be called actual weather. Just when she thinks the group is close enough, she's treated with the guy more or less disappearing ahead as he picks up speed. She frowned, baffled even, by that kind of speed. This just keeps getting odder as this chase progresses.
She's almost determined to slow down, but with Aoi and Kanrai still running, she's determined that this is something that she can't simply give up on. The dash towards him seems much shorter than anticipated as Itami expected the person to be gone and not collapsed in the mud, but she begins to slow down and signals for her group to do the same so they could approach more cautiously. When she draws near enough, she takes in the individual before her, scrutinizing this man for a bit. Her eyes zero in on the swords at his side. "I recognize…" she didn't finish her sentence as her voice trailed off to continue looking over the guy. That hair? She remembered it. What she /does/ remember is the pain that those blades caused her. Recovery from that wound was not easy. "Who are you?" She thought to ask again, in a much less demanding tone than before.
Keiji followed behind Itami. He was tempted to stop as the man seemed to be able to control his speed like someone might the volume on a radio dial, but Itami does not give up so neither does he. He continues until Itami comes to a stop. He was simply glad to quit running on the top of the mud. The weather also seemed to improve. He listens to the words of the jounin as she starts to say she recognized… then asked who he was. It was obvious that she recognized something about him, but maybe not him. The boy then turns back to look for Konsatsu. He holds his hand out for him to stop. He did not want the boy attacking a man the jounin had reason to be cautious of.
It wasn't easy trying to run through mud, it was quite difficult actually. Like trying to run through molasses or quick sand. Each step felt heavy as it pushed into the mud, almost taking off his shoes each time he pulled a foot back out. Surely water walking would help in an occasion such as this. He would not know though, something Itami had failed to teach him. There was that incident when the lake froze over, but that did not count.
For now all Konsatsu could do was continue to strive forward, even as he watched the other two ahead of him slowly continuing forward. A curious glance would be given off to the side and back a bit only to spot two ladies, well dressed, plowing through the mod. An odd sight indeed. Odder still was that they were gaining ground on him. At this point he dug in deep, pushing in hard to not be beat by two other woman that would only show him shame.
Then, the running was over, not noticing the man darting across the field in a blur, he was barely even able to see Itami. So it came to a shock to him when he spots Keiji holding up a hand for him to yield. It was confusing to say the least. Now was the time to strike, to gain the ground before the individual takes off running again. Then again, Konsatsu held no ill will toward the man and had no interest in robbing the other individual. Though he wasn't going to be caught off guard by someone that could possibly control lightning storms. Slowly he began to sink in to the mud, but of his own free will. Doing so until he was completely submerged. o.o
Aoi wasn't as forgiving or caring for this person, as they finally began to catch up and the storm began to settle it made things easier for Aoitsuki and Kanrai to actually see things clearly and take grasp of the situation… They lost there element of surprise, they were out numbered… it was going to be difficult for them to move things along, she was assured that this meeting wasn't conicendence. Finally though Aoitsuki took steps forward, nearing the man as if investigating what might happen if she even touched the blade, she didnt care about his name or where he was from, their mission was to recover the blades and that was all. " We aren't here to hurt you, just hand over the blades by your sides, they are property of Kirigakure no Sato and having them undoubtly draws the attention of our hunter-nin… We are here to resolve things with "restraint" and "mercy". Aoitsuki speaks up, her voice bold yet chilling at the same time, she met exactly what she said. She was almost pretending that the other group didnt exist…
Kanrai's eyes at first widened when the man seemed to nearly vanish due to how fast he fled. Then they simply narrowed. Annoying… She followed after her cousin and peered down at the man that held the blades. After hearing Aoitsuki's words, she looked briefly amused before her expression dulled back to apathy as she turned her gaze toward the Suna group.
… Wasn't there a third one? Her attention flickered back over the terrain they'd run through to get to this point, but still didn't see the youngest one. Perhaps she was imagining things… That was so unlike her. Returning her attention to the fallen man with the swords they were after, she kept attentive and quiet. The other Shirayuki had already stated their intentions so there seemed to be no reason for her to reiterate or question farther. It was still a little surprising to her that Aoitsuki had said those things. Was that her opinion or instructions from Hikan? The latter option seemed unlikely, but the former made her wonder. Regardless, it was interesting.
'Who are you?' the woman asks him. The white-haired man hears the words but doesn't know how to answer. He isn't even sure they're not in his head at first. He takes in a breath as his hunched shoulders occasionally spasm. He's not sure how he ran so fast. It didn't seem particularly hard, but it also seems to have hurt him to do it. He hurts. He doesn't like hurting. Why does everything hurt so much!? Who… Is he? Who? Meaning what? He is him.
…Isn't he?
Then another voice, a different girl this time. He raises his head finally to see who these people are. They don't seem to be attacking him. They're just standing nearby. They're standing there like the only person who didn't attack him before in that cabin. The only one he let live. If they aren't going to hurt him, he'll let them live. Yes, that seems best. Only kill when necessary. It isn't necessary to kill.
Not yet.
'We aren't here to hurt you,' she had said. But she wants the swords. The blades that previously hung dormant at each hip send out a static crackling noise in the air, even though they have yet to be drawn. Like beasts that know when they are being spoken of and intend to show they are aware of it. But that's their nature, after all. They are not just swords. They have the Lightning Nature of Chakra living inside of them. They might as well be the very embodiment of lightning itself. Some random discharges aren't out of the question.
But something more unexpected may be if the two kunoichi of Kirigakure realize they're looking at the scorched-white, scarred, but perhaps still-recognizable face of Yotsuki Ryuutai, the same member of the Seven Swordsman who wielded these weapons before he was reported missing. His left eye is cooked-looking. His dark-toned skin is only such in places, with splotches of ashen pigment across the exposed parts of his body. He has holes in his clothing surrounded in the dark stain of long-dried blood, and inside of those holes are masses of scar tissue so thorough that no sign of unscarred skin is visible around them.
There were five people, weren't there? He doesn't know. Maybe the fifth is him. Yes, there are five here now. He counts as he looks from the two who told him the swords belong to… something. Kirigakure no Sato? What's that? It… It seems… "Who… Am I?" he asks hoarsely, his voice nearly gone from lack of use. "I don't…" Shaking his head, he holds up his right hand and stares at it like he'd never seen it before. The left hand, he lifts as well. It is white, like the half of his face on the left. ("I'll be removing all your scars, all signs of past conflict, rebuilding your whole body. Size, eye color, the works.") 'Wasn't I white to begin with?' he wonders. 'So, why…'
"No…" he utters eventually and begins to rise from his knees, lowering his hands slowly. "Kirigakure… That's… The place where…" he places his right hand to his face and closes his eyes as his head pounds painfully. Then an image flashes through his mind. An image of fire. Lightning. A red eye with black dots circling the center. Pain. Tears. ("We have to escape, Kei-sama!" "You filthy mutant! You ruined my creation!" | "Go… Get out…" "I'm not leaving you here, Mimi-chan!" | "You'll pay for this, Uchiha witch. You've burned me too many times to get away! You'll both die here!")
"…You won't take them!" The swords are in his hands then. Electricity surges up and down their lengths. "These fangs are mine! You won't hurt me anymore!"
Great. One of the Seven Swordsmen is an amnesiac. And he doesn't appear to be willing to go peacefully.
