iLiB - Infinite

--Premise--
Ninja. Legendary fighters who pledge themselves to a powerful warlord, or remain rogue, terrorizing the lands they inhabit like a plague of wolves. They have existed for as long as records have been kept, sporting powers most could never dream of. Shaping the flame, carving the air, charming the water, and molding the earth; with hand signs called Jutsu that call on powerful reservoirs of energy inside of the individuals, energy known as Chakra.
For many years these lands have been torn. Warlords and armies of their followers sweeping over the lands, only to recede as the next, more powerful wave sweeps over them, taking command for a brief time, before eventually seceding to the next upstart. The man with the most ninja at his disposal rules the lands with an iron fist, warring with his competitors and crushing those who speak against him. But times are changing. Many groups control similar amounts of ninja. Despite varying skills, their power levels check one another, cancel each other out. And so a great standoff has begun. Five lords with five armies, controlling five different lands, vying for total control. Each striving to develop their own ultimate weapons to use against their enemies.
Who shall win remains a mystery, even to the monks in the central mountains, who claim to know the future through meditation and alignment to the natural chakras.

--Characters--
Damxge - Shiku Gyu

Spoiler:

Conor - Rom Sung aka The Rain Dragon

Spoiler:

LordTomyh - Tei Tatsumaki of the Red Sands

Spoiler:

"No!" Bellowed the tall man garbed in a blue trenchcoat, standing from his seat at the head of the long table, a single flame flickering in a lamp hung above his chair. The lack of light made the others lining the table appear as sharply carved statues, completely still in the semi darkness, many dressed similarly to the man at the head of the table, though all of their masks bore different markings and symbols.

"I cannot allow the assembly to send all of my troops to the blood grounds. Who will defend the village? We don't even know their numbers!" He bellowed at the stony figures.

"We understand that you are not confident in your troops, general, but we as the Assembly are," replied a calm, feminine voice from somewhere at the opposite end of the table, where the darkness was most thick.

"My troops are each worth twenty of whatever scum the Order of Fallen Leaves had scraped together and called an army!" He interjected angrily, pointing broadly at the individuals before him, "After all, oh grand assembly," he started with scorn laced in his voice, "It was you who prematurely advanced on the Order in our last reach for power, against my advice. And how did that turn out?" He finished, a small smile gracing his thin lips beneath his dragon shaped mask. Slowly, he lowered himself back into his seat, the Assembly left in silence, the air growing still and silent.

"You claim to have a scout on his way back from a month long surveillance mission in the Land of Fallen Leaves. Upon his arrival, we will reconsider our attack with whatever information he provides," came a voice directly to the general's left, from a hunched figure bearing a mask resembling a wolf.

"I knew you would see reason!" Exclaimed the general, slamming a fist down on the table. Shaking the various fine silverware and China.

"Under the condition that he returns within the next two days," chimed in the female voice again, her words causing the general's heart to sink. The Land of Fallen Leaves was a solid week long trek. And even if the scout were already on the way back, chances were good that he wouldn't make it in time, particularly with the inclement weather.


Many miles away, in an ice coated cave I sat. Clutching scrolls telling of thousands, if not tens of thousands, of Fallen Leaf soldiers stationed right at the passes leading out of the mountains and into the forests, ready to ambush anyone who ventured out of the icy hell that was the northern mountains.

"What do you mean it's not worth anything!?" I bellowed at the merchant, who recoiled in shock.

"I'm sorry sir," he began, stuttering "but... this locket isn't even made of real gold! It's a fake!" Lies! This couldn't be! What's more, his gleaming bald head bounced the sun in my eyes, disrupting my eyesight.

"Listen, you idiot! The guy that gave me that thing knew his stuff! Anyone could tell you that that's real gold right there!" I would not be defeated in this debate.

"Look, i'm not going to argue with you." He leaned forward, and the burning in my eyes intensified "I ain't buying that thing, so you may as well just leave!"
I had met my match. This man knew how to heckle with skill far greater than my own. I huffed. "Fine."
I snatched the locket back, the bald merchant's sunlight deflection attack impairing my vision just that little bit more. but I would make it. And so, I took my leave, out of the markets of town, and back home.
I'd had no luck in my ventures. I managed to sell an old pipe for three copper pieces, but spent five on a crow. I was told it could talk, but upon finding the truth it was too late - the fraud had already escaped. And so it perched solidly atop my hat, cawing occasionally to nothing I knew about. But it would not leave.
So not only was I down on pocket, I also had an animal following me. What's more, the locket was, in fact, a worthless fake.
I strolled down the path out of town, thinking over my failures when the crow cawed again. For some reason, it sounded like it made sense for a split second, and so I looked up from the ground and peered under the brim of my hat. I hadn't even noticed until now, but I was in a thick forest. Usually a calming place, yet, something felt aloft.
I spied left and right, and shuffled my feet wider.

"Who goes there?" i exclaimed into the forest. No answer.
The crow cawed again, then flapped its wings and departed behind the carpet of treetops above me. Leaving me alone.
I began to walk again, when suddenly...

The sound of shouting woke me, followed immediately by an explosion, jerking me straight from my dreams and into the real world. I sprung up like a cat, abandoning my blanket and bolting to the entrance to the cave in which I had taken up residence. Upon emerging into the snow, it became apparent that the fighting was going on almost half a mile away, near the edge of the mountain range, where it sloped down into thick forest. For fear of it being a Gyu squad coming under attack, I sprinted toward the sound of action, my feet barely touching the deep snow beneath me, letting me glide across as if it were solid ice.

Upon reaching the forest, I immediately spied the cause of the commotion. In the middle of a circle of Fallen Leaf soldiers stood a man wearing a straw hat, crouched low in a fighting stance, several dead soldiers littering the forest around. The soldiers shouted wordlessly, edging back slowly. Whoever this man was, he was an enemy of the Fallen Leaves, and that meant he was a friend of mine. Upon deciding that I should introduce myself after he finished his fight, which he seemed well prepared for, reinforcements arrived, appearing in the trees around the group, weapons drawn. And suddenly it looked like I needed to help if there was to be an introduction.

Cracking my knuckles, I readied myself and then leaped forward, out into open space from my perch on the cliff, arms spread wide as I fell toward the confrontation. I slammed down just outside of the circle of men, performing a sound distortion jutsu as I landed, causing the air around me to vibrate and warp, like looking into a swirled mirror. It was on this burst of action that the man in the straw hat sprung into motion, darting toward the nearest enemy, his fist darting out like a snake, making contact with the ninja's throat with a disgusting cracking noise. As the man reached for his throat, the straw hat ninja spun on his heel, bringing his other leg up to perform a savage jab kick that threw his victim back into the forest, shattering ribs and bursting organs. Another ninja went for him, falling from the sky with a ferocious war cry, his face distorted with his scream. Without breaking movement, the straw hat ninja caught the kick and redirected it, spinning the attacker around, using that momentum along with a knee strike to crack his skull and neck, letting him fall to a heap on the ground, either dead or close to it.

Not to be outdone, I burst from the cloud of distortion, slashing through the jugular of a confused enemy, dropping him without breaking pace as I sprinted to the next, leaping into the air as I let out a high pitched whistle, causing her to stumble back, clutching at their head in pain and confusion. Using the disorientation to my advantage, I dove forward, driving a dagger hand through her chest, as I brought my other hand up in front of my face, forming a hand-sign. Instantly, a blast of sound exploded from my fingertips that protruded from the ninja's back, obliterating several other soldier with blades of sound and chakra, cutting at their bodies and clothes and throwing them back. Drawing my hand from the dead enemy's chest, I leaned forward and let them fall over my shoulder, their corpse blocking a flurry of inbound stars and knives thrown by her allies.
Letting the body roll aside, I watched as the straw hat ninja lay into the enemies who threw the weapons, his strikes so precise and done with apparent ease that I immediately regretted my decision to get involved. It was clear he could have handled them all on his own, and that now I was involved and if he turned out to be an enemy, I was in deep sh*t.
Putting this to the back of my mind, I reacted to my new opponent, a heavyset ninja wielding a cleaver.

I did not expect a fight, but I'm glad i got one. These goons might actually have something of value on them!
Suddenly, a rush of crimson blurred past me, sending a heavy-set ninja flying in its wake. I watched as the enemy collided with a tree, almost cutting the trunk in half, shattering his bones like glass.
I looked, and ducked, a projectile cleaver soaring over me and into the chest of another unlucky ninja. I looked for the red blur again.

WOOSH

There it goes! Out from the trees and slashing at the necks of more ninja prey. Was it a spirit? No, it was a man!
I carried on the fight. One ninja tried to ambush me from overhead, but I managed to roll and bat his sword away like a stick. As it went, the red-cloaked man returned out of nothing, and volleyed the sword in such a way that it span like a top; one, two, three more foes down, their heads razored from their shoulders.
I got to my feet, creating some distance between me and the now unarmed ninja. Or so i thought, until my opponent through a bustle of kunai straight for me. As he flicked his wrist I flicked mine, sending out my rope dart. It batted each projectile away, like swatting flies, before burying itself in the ninja's eye socket. He dropped, I yanked, I looked around.

"Watch out!" came a strong voice. I then heard the screech of steel on steel, and looked behind me.
There stood the red-cloaked ninja again, his back to me, his arm stretched forward. In between his clawed gauntlet's fingers was the tip of a katana.
The rest of the blade was also there, wobbling slightly, and completely horizontal. I peered over the man's shoulder, to see a rather bewildered looking Leaf foot soldier.

"Nice catch." I chimed. The man's head turned slightly.

"Thanks. Now watch this." The man then emitted a howl so powerful it shattered the katana, sending the fragments rocketing towards the soldier. The steel pelted him like a blizzard until there was no skin left.

"Very dramatic. I'd give it an eight out of ten." I complimented wholeheartedly, the man now turning around.
We were around the same height and build. His eyes bladed through me, but his expression was not a malicious one. I looked around. Everyone else was dead, or dying.

"Where did you learnt to fight like that?" he asked bluntly.

'Practice." I replied. The man cracked a smile.

"My name is Shiku, and I think you may have need of your services." he said again. "Where are you headed?"

"I am heading back home after a lousy day of bartering. I live just a bit further up the mountain, where these woods break." I explained. "My name is Rom."

"Allow me to provide you with company for the trip." Shiku offered, his eyes glistening beneath his mass of hair. For some reason, I said...

"HELL NO! What, you think I'm just gonna invite a stranger into my home!? You must be really stupid if you think I'd fall for that one!"
Shiku looked shocked. He tried to apologise before I continued.

"That's what I would say, if I was a rational person. Come. It is not far."

"hmmm," I mused, stroking his chin in thought as I watched the two. I crouched high above in the trees, hopefully out of sight.
"Let's go. They look like easy pickings," said a young rust-haired girl to my left, already with her weapons drawn and her body tensed for combat.
"There are two of them, but we should not underestimate them." The girl to my right replied, standing with her arms behind her back watching the pair below in an analytical way.
"Aunt Sabuka would have us already there kicking their arses."
"No, she would have us kicking their arses in a strategic way."
"Either way, we'd already be-"

"You do now they could hear us right," I said as I stood up, putting my hands in my pockets. I looked at the two girls, twins, and flashed a slight smile. "If you're going to argue our course of action, do so in sign."

"Besides," I added, lifting my gaze to the two men. "There is something about the one in the mask, something that gives me pause. I think we'd need Kitsune and Sabuka if we want to take them on."

"So," the warrior girl asked, looking at her twin. "What do you we do then?"

"You two head back to camp," I said tilting my head towards her without looking away from the pair. "I'm going to follow these two. See if they're interesting enough."

"But."

"No buts," I say holding up my finger and turning to face the two. "Go. I'll see you for tea."

Flashing the twins a smile I leaned back and fell off the tree branch. As I fell to Earth I spun so I went feet first. Landing in a brush, causing a racket that no doubt would have been heard I stroll out of the foliage, hands in my pockets with a smile on my face.

"He with you?" Rom asked casually, poking a thumb over his shoulder as we strode away.

"Nope," I replied, " was probably watching the fight,"

And that was that. We continued on at a casual stroll for almost half an hour before we made it to a small house, nestled into a pass into the mountain. I was extremely curious about this man. He bore no markings of a clan but fought with the grace and finesse of a well trained ninja. In short, he could be a valuable asset to the Guy, should he assist in the coming battle with the Fallen Leaves.

"Just f***ing go away!" Rom shouted, flailing his arms above his head, trying to shoo away the crow that had been pestering him for some while. All it did was sit atop his hat and caw periodically, a strange pet indeed. This exclamation along with the bird's noise made me lose my train of thought as we walked up onto Rom's front porch.

"So Rom," I started once we were seated inside. His house was small, mostly one room with a stove and sink at one side, a bed on the other, "why do the leaves hate you?" I asked, leaning back and taking my mask off.

"There's a good chance that I may have sold them some, let's say, lesser quality goods," he said, waving his hand nonchalantly.

"They want to kill you over some bad goods?" I asked. How bloodthirsty were these people?

"Well, it may have been explosive that they needed for mining. That weren't too happy when they found out they were just fireworks," he laughed.

Of course, it was my own laughter that resonated the room. Shiku, on the other hand, managed a slight smirk. At that point, he turned his attention to my desk, his head motion mechanical. he walked over, having never taken a seat in the first place, and observed the piles of etched paper - to most, the scribbles of a madman, but Shiku had more sense than that.

"Tatsokumi Kiato?" Shiku asked, softly "Who is this man to you?"

"Dead." I laughed, pouring a sudden cup of chai tea "But more imperatively, who is he to you?" Shiku gave a puzzled look.

"The son of Kinumaki Kiato, the current general leading the Sand forces. Did you say he's... dead?" My head lowered, hidden by my hat.

"He was a murderous psychopath. Far worse than his father," I peered under the brim "but he shan't escape justice for much longer. Did you know that boy used to feed his women to his bear after he'd had his way with them?"

"I did not..." Shiku mumbled, his eyes squinting. An intense look of thought seemed to strike him. "Rom..." he began, walking back over to me. His steps made no noise "Does the symbol on my shirt mean anything to you?" I assessed it, but nothing came to mind. I shook my head.
"You must have been living up here a long time." Shiku scoffed.

"I... don't really have time to take in the goings on of the world. I choose this life because it is quiet. Private. Peaceful..."

"Or more, because it makes for a good hideout." Blast. How did he know? Maybe it was the dead thing...

"Look, I-"

"So it's true... There was a name that came up a lot while I've been travelling recently..." his eyes pierced into mine "They said The Rain Dragon killed the Sand General's son?"

"That's a stupid f***ing name for an assassin." I replied, sipping my tea. Shiku's look of study dropped into confusion.

"Wait, so you're not...?"

"Yes, okay, i am." I folded. I couldn't take the secret any longer. I felt a gush of relief swell me. "I killed Tatsokumi, I'm the Rain Dragon. Why do I leave stuff like that on my desk!?"

"Well that didn't take much detective work." Shiku chuckled, picking up a cup of tea for himself and sipping. "At least the Rain Dragon makes good chai tea." i shot him the best sour look I could muster.

"So do you have the mask?" he suddenly asked.

"The mask?" I asked back.

"Yes, they say you wear the face of a dragon? Obviously, meaning, a mask?" I didn't know what to say, and Shiku rolled his eyes "Look."
From a buckle on his hip he unstrapped what i could only describe as a white noodle bowl. But as it slipped onto Shiku's face with a tailor-made grace, I could see that it was, in fact, a mask.

"So you're doing the whole revolutionary leader thing too, huh?"

"Not exactly..." Shiku added.

"I've been on a mission for my clan the last two months," I explained, "I've been gathering intelligence on the Fallen Leaves and their forces,"

"For what?" He asked, his eyes drifting to where the crow had positioned itself outside of his window, staring in at us.

"We tried to attack them years ago. Unfortunately, we underestimated them and most of the clan's fighting force was wiped out," I explained grimly, taking another sip of my tea, "We retreated into the mountains where the Fallen Leaves dared not follow and founded our village,"

"That's all very dramatic," Rom said, glaring out the window at his bird, which had begun tapping the glass with it's beak.

"So how did you kill him?" I asked, abruptly changing the subject and bringing Rom's attention back to me.

"Who?" He asked, a bit of confusion in his voice.

"Kiato, how did you kill him? It was rumored he was the most powerful ninja devoted to the Sand," I said, dropping to sit across the table from Rom, staring expectantly at him.

"Why does it matter? He's dead," Rom replied, taking a swig of tea.

"I just want to know," I said, suddenly growing very self conscious. Perhaps I was being too forward, but the most renown ninja in my own village was the war leader, and he wasn't particularly anything to idolize. It had come out shortly after our losing battle that he'd simply hidden in his home the whole time and only made an appearance to call a retreat. In short, there were vast, powerful armies with ninja of great repute and our most known warrior was a coward that shamed us all.

"I drowned him," Rom said flatly, staring me directly in the eye, "In the blood of his guards," I blinked several times, shocked at his bluntness and the brutality of the killing. I could only imagine the battle..

"With- with your jutsu?" I asked hesitantly.

"With my jutsu," Rom replied, his gaze fixed on me. I felt a chill run up my spine and the air seemed to cool around us. Just from his fighting earlier I could tell he was a capable ninja, but after learning his true identity I truly feared the man, and that fear must have been evident as he quickly cracked a smile and said, "Damn bird won't leave me alone,"

"Where did you come across the thing anyway?" I asked, turning to look at it as it persistently pecked the window.

"Accidentally bought it and I guess it took a liking to me," He replied.

"

"You don't strike me as a soldier," Rom said after a few minutes of silence, his hand idling up to stroke his chin.

"What do you mean?" I asked defensively, my gaze snapping to him.

"Calm down, I didn't say you weren't a capable fighter," He said with a chuckle, "It's just that you seem more suited to a rogue life than one tied to a clan,"

"My clan gave me life," I said, taken aback, "They raised me, taught me all I know,"

"I know the Gyu, and you do not fight like a Gyu," He shot back, narrowing his eyes, "You don't stand back and throw sh*t at the enemy. You dive into the conflict, you relish the pace and skill it takes,"

"I thought you said you didn't know of my kin," I pointed out.

"Don't change the subject," He said firmly, "I was covering my ass and you know it,"

"It doesn't change anything, they are my kin," I huffed, crossing my arms like a child who'd been scolded.

"Just because they gave you life doesn't mean they own you," Rom said, shaking his head.

"Are you speaking from experience?" I asked, growing slightly more interested.

"No, not personal experience, but I've seen it. A weak clan can drag down even the most skilled of ninja," He replied, sipping the last bit of his tea.

"It sounds like you're trying to convince me to defect," I pointed out.

"I hold no stake in the matter," He shrugged, heaving himself to his feet and walking over to the stove where he placed a new kettle over the flame, "But I know of many clans like the Gyu. Clans who believe that their gifts," He spat the word as if it were poison, "will carry them despite being severely outnumbered,"

A tension filled the room, but Shiku broke it with a slight chuckle.

"I don't wish to exchange blows, Rom." he began, softly, bring the atmosphere back to a more formal time "I actually have need of your service." My eyebrows raised. I peered over my straw brim.

"What do you mean by 'service' and what do you need it for?" I asked.

"Your combat skills, obviously. The Gyu clan needs soldiers of your capabilities."

"I am no soldier." I grumbled, my head lowering again.

"Perhaps that was the wrong word to use. More, a mercenary. A wild card. Something the enemy won't expect." Bird song interrupted the conversation. For some reason, we both let them chirp until they had ceased.

"And why would I do this?" I asked, suspiciously.

"Because i know you want to make a difference too, Rom." Shiku leaned in close. Again, he moved like a machine "But you will succeed little without help."

"I have succeeded fine thus far."

"And yet here you are, in a shack in the mountains, talking to a man you met only today." A smirk grew on Shiku's face "This revolution of yours can't be that important, I suppose."

"So we're exchanging blows again?" I growled. "I have dedicated my life to this cause."

"And yet, the war goes on." Shiku announced, his voice becoming more commanding "When do you plan on starting your master scheme?"

I wasn't taking this today.

Suddenly, I sprung up, a fist forming at the end of my right arm. With the speed of lightning I thrusted up from my seat, rocketing my knuckles towards Shiku's face. My muscles tightened, and my veins pulsed with raging strength. From the brim of my hat i spied his face, my target. And then...

TSHHHH

A strong block. Perhaps I should compliment him on it.

"A strong block." I murmured, my fist caught like a ball in Shiku's grip.

"The strike, not so much." he replied, and an astonishing pain stung me n my midrift, sending me through the wall of the house and out the other end.
After tumbling I laid there, my hat gradually floating its way back down onto my face.
Then i heard it. That blasted cawing again. The crow glided down onto my chest, as if to say "That wasn't very smart."

But like f*** was I gonna take sh*t from a bird.

I wasn't expecting the man in the dragon mask to come flying through the wall of the shack and almost hit me, but I couldn't help but laugh.

"Well," I said as I propped my arm on a low branch and leaned on my hand, flashing the man a smile. "That was certainly interesting."

The man jumped to his feet, his hat going flying, and turned on me. I gave him a wave with my free hand, and said with a cat-like smile "I'd give you a six for the dramatic exit, but a two for your landing."

"Who the f*** are you?" the man growled; the other man appeared at the hole in the wall, but he didn't look exactly surprised to see me.

I uttered a short laugh and stood up fully, putting my hands behind me head. "Just someone passing past when I saw something interesting. Like the magpie spots something shiny, I couldn't resist a look"

"What the f*** is that suppose to mean?" The first man asked his voice rising with his temper; I'm sure I wasn't helping that. I shook my head, but not the smile, and raised my hands in an unsure gesture.

"It means I found something interesting, So I fancied a-"

I didn't feel the fist connect, or the force behind it. I felt hitting the second and third tree. Laying on my back surrounded by broken trees and bark, my body sore and I'm sure starting to bruise, I started to laugh, a deep rumbling that started to build in my stomach and echoes through the area. I rose to my feet and pushed on my lower back, cracking my spine.

"Ah," I sighed, twisting my body to further crack my back. I looked to the man, and smiled. "Good hit. My turn? Fairs fair."

I punched fowards with my fist, a tornado erupting from the limb picking up the fallen leaves, small twigs and bark as it went. The vortex hitting the man square in the chest and knocking him backwards through the house and out the other side.

Dropping my arm I admired my handiwork and turned to the second man. "Hi there. I'm Tei Tatsumaki, leader of the Tatsumaki clan. How are you?"

"STOP RUINING MY HOUSE GOD DAMMIT!!" I exclaimed, my face flat on the grass.

"I'll fix it," I said, slipping my mask from my belt, keeping my eyes on the ninja in red.

"That'd be much appreciated," Rom said, walking up behind me, kicking a stray piece of wood out of his way as he stepped out of the gaping hole in the side of his house. If it came to a fight, this was the perfect spot for me. Cliffs on either side of the pass with dense forest to the south.

As our standoff stretched on, the breeze blew gently, tugging at our clothes and tousling our hair, pushing cotton like clouds across the azure skies, the grass swaying softly around us, the rustling of leaves filling the air. The sun beat down on us from it's noontime perch, warming our necks and glinting off of Rom's metal armor and my own gauntlets, refracting the light into millions of stars that scattered through the dim forest before us.

"CAW!" Came the annoyed screech of Rom's bird, absolutely shattering the mood as it descended from the heavens to perch atop the Rain Dragon's head, settling into his tangled mess of hair.

"f***ing BIRD!" The ninja bellowed, the perfect signal for my assault. Without warning, I spun in a full circle, tearing grass from the ground below me, hurling my mask like a blade toward our new friend standing in the tree. I heard him grunt as he blocked the disc, the sound of metal deflecting off metal filling the forest with a loud ring. Completing my revolution, I rocketed myself toward the ninja, Tei as he'd called himself.

He gave a small smirk and sidestepped my charge, letting me charge into the forest, my claws whistling their deadly song as they passed an inch short of his throat. As I recovered, I circled around a tree and picked up my mask, hurling it toward my opponent as I sprinted back. As before, he deflected it easily with a knife, sending it straight up into the sky, through the tree canopy.

"I'll wipe that smile off your face!" I bellowed, touching down ten or so yards from him and pointed my hands behind me, blasting toward him with the propulsion of a sound blast.

"How, you're too slow?" He laughed, deflecting my incoming swipe and stepping out of the way, letting me stumble to a halt seven or eight yards from him, near Rom, who was busy swatting at his bird. The thought of "This is the mighty Rain Dragon?" crossed my mind for a moment before I focused in on the battle again.

"I don't need to be fast if you can't move," I spat, my mask reentering the canopy just as I said it. Tei, leader of the Tatsumaki Clan, realized it too late, turning in vain to dash away as the mask burst in a cloud of smoke, a clawed hand reaching out of the haze to grip onto his neck and slam him downward into the ground, shattering the earth and creating a sizeable crater, my shadow clone disappearing as I knelt on the spine of the ninja, my metal fist still clamped firmly around the back of his neck, forcing his face into the ground.

"f***," He said, his voice muffled by the dirt. I was about to lift him up when he turned his hand around, a blast of air throwing me backward into a tree, splintering the wood, but not felling the tree. Visibly shaken, Tei stumbled to his feet, holding his head. Slowly, I stood upright, groaning as I cracked my back, the chunks of tree that had decided they liked me still protruding from my shirt. I wasn't sure what kind of blast that was, but it felt like I'd been hit by a freight train, even if it hadn't thrown me that hard. I could feel blood trickling down my face from my nose, several new gashes adorning my cheeks and neck.

"This is for my house!" I heard Rom bellow, and I looked up just in time to see him drop from the sky, piledriving the shaken ninja into the ground with a flying axe kick.

"Sorry for the house," I grumbled, walking over to where Rom was standing over the unconscious ninja. I hadn't been in a battle that closely contested in years. Had Rom not been there, I wasn't sure who would have won.

"You're fixing it," He shrugged, picking up our friend and carrying him inside, where I assumed he was going to tie him to something, "Today!" I heard him shout from the gaping hole.

The red haired ninja was disabled by chains. On a wooden stool he sat, still unconscious, but beginning to show movement.
Oh, how i cursed. I cursed in the kitchen, the living room, in the front garden, and all throughout the crow just hovered above me slightly, its wings like a constant breeze on my face.
The force from the fighting had cause quite a stir, and I suspected you could see - and hear - the action from quite a way away. This was not what i wanted.

"It won't take long to fix, I promise." Shiku mumbled, as he stared at our captive.

"Wouldn't have had to fix it at all if you hadn't thrown me." I grumbled back.

"it was either that, or an additional hole in your ceiling from where you'd have sent me."

"I wasn't gonna hit you that-" the red haired ninja's eyes opened. He wiggled slightly, but soon realised he was trapped. A stareoff commenced, and ended with a caw. Shiku decided he would be the first to make his voice heard.

"Okay... listen-" he was cut short. A blast from above erupted my organs, sending my knees week as the ceiling fell through. i heard the sound of bodies hitting the floor softly, but amidst the rubble and dust I could see nothing.

"Smokebomb!" I heard Shiku's voice yell, followed by the hiss of one exploding. The air turned thick and blinding. I heard the swoop of wind travel past my ear, then a yelp soon after from in front of me. Then bones breaking, and bodies blocking. This would not do.
I summoned a simple water jutsu, creating a thin, almost transparent blanket of water at the top of the room. Like a funnel, i brought the water down with enough force that the smoke leaked from the open holes in the house's structure, making us no longer blind, just wet - and if the enemy was wet, i had an advantage.

I stood over the body of a dead Fallen Leaf ninja when my smokebomb cleared, a spray of water coating me instantly, pulling on my clothes and making me significantly heavier. It wasn't normal water, either, it was laden with chakra. A water manipulations jutsu cast by- I looked around, my gaze falling on Rom, who was crouched in the rubble, his hands still together from forming the signs. Slowly, steam began to rise from my shoulders as the hot summer sun beat down through where the roof had once been. All around us stood ninja. At least twenty, all in fighting stance, but no one moved, the dead ninja at my feet proof enough that we were dangerous foes. I glanced over to find Tei, disgruntled and wet, coated in a heavy layer of dust, roof shingles, and splintered wood; and still chained to a chair.

"Attack!" Bellowed one of the ninja suddenly, lurching toward me, his katana raised above his head, a jagged war cry escaping his open mouth as he charged. Then suddenly, he fell, face forward, onto the ground, his blade bouncing out of his grip, disappearing somewhere into the rubble. And there he lay, convulsing on the ground, trying desperately to get up. None of his allies dared move, their eyes fixed on their fallen comrade. It took a while for me to realize what was happening, but eventually I picked up on the chakra, Rom's chakra, coating the man, weighing him down to the ground. I realized only then how little effort he had to put forth to command such power.

With a fluid motion, Rom sprung upward, sweeping his arms out in front of him, the flash of darts appearing only for an instant before the steel blades buried themselves in the necks of two separate ninja. The rest of the Fallen Leaves tried to attack, but the weight of the chakra infused water slowed them considerably, and as Rom turned his gaze to each in turn, they fell under the concentrated power before being dispatched by a blade on a rope. He moved with such fluidity it was hard to believe he wasn't made of water himself, striding with grace through the enemies, blood splattering the ground with each step he took, with each wide sweep of his arm. Not wanting to be left out, I sprung toward the nearest enemy, slashing through his hip and lower ribs in a single devastating swing, dropping him before he realized I was there, his eyes too intently focused on Rom.

Without losing speed, I sprinted to the next as he turned, raising his blades to me, a pair of kunai gripped in his fists. The weight of the water slowed him considerably, though, and as I leaped toward him, all he could do was watch in horror as I planted a foot on his outstretched arm, spinning over his head, the tips of my claws filleting his back, all the way up to the base of his skull, a trail of blood following my as I landed, slamming my hands into the ground with the momentum I gathered, letting off an ear shattering shockwave and stumbled the last man as he ran toward me. Just as I turned to face him, Rom came from the side, slinging his rope dart around the man's neck, wrapping it tightly before giving it a merciless yank, turning the grimacing ninja's head one-hundred eighty degrees. Almost in slow motion, his lifeless body dropped to it's knees and then slumped to the side with a wet splat, the floor of the wrecked house running rich with blood and water.

We didn't have time to celebrate, though, as the cries of more ninja drowned out any thoughts of victory we may have felt.

"They want you back real bad, don't they?" I spat at Tei, turning to face the oncoming horde of ninja.

"The f*** you mean? They're trying to kill me!" He yelled, rocking violently from side to side in the chair. I glanced over to find that he wasn't lying. Several kunai were protruding from his chair, several barely missing his skin but pinning his loose clothes to the wood.

"You're kidding? Then who the f*** are you?" I asked, looking to Rom, who just shrugged, his crow giving an indignant "Caw!".

"Let me help you fight and I'll give you the answer, if we survive!" He said loudly, his eyes glued on the dozens of ninja gathering in the woods, preparing for an assault.

"You turn on me, I'll show you as little mercy as I did them," I growled, unchaining him from the chair. Without warning, he bolted, blasting forward with the strength of a hurricane, streaking like a red missile toward the forces accumulating in the forest.

"Let's get em!" He screamed, an explosion of wind buffeting me, causing me to stumble, and Rom to almost lose his hat; the screams of Fallen Leaf soldiers ringing in the air. I looked slowly over at Rom, who looked more bewildered than I felt.

I ran through the ranks of the Leaf soldiers, cutting and slashing as I went till I reached the center. Sliding to a stop I stood to my full height and looked around at the soldiers, holding one of my swords over my shoulder, the blade dripping with blood.

I cracked a smile as I saw the shock on the soldiers faces as I appeared almost out of nowhere morph into anger and rage. The first charged from my read, aiming a Qiang at my back. I sidestepped and broke the head off the weapon before spilling the man's blood and blasting his corpse into his companions. Another attacked from the right with a jian while two more came at me from my left. I caught the blade with my own while I looked to the left and raised my hand, performing a quick one-handed jutsu and blasting the attackers aside with a vortex cannon, this one twice as powerful as the one I used on the hatted ninja. Looking back to the right I kicked the man in the stomach and cut him down before spinning once and drawing my second sword.

I was now more surrounded than I was, this time with soldiers of competence. Those with shields stood in the front while those with the Qiang's stood behind with their weapons held over the shoulders of the first ranks. A formidable wall with a spikes, a headehog defence. I laughed at analogy, and turned in a slow circle, counting the soldiers.

"Let's see, there's one, two, three, four, five... twenty of you, and only one of me." I said with a hint of mock despair, holding up my sword hand. With the other I reached into my bag of tricks.

"What's a poor ninja to do?"

Whipping my hand out I spun, releasing several kunai which dug into the wooden surface of the shield. The men behind the defences laughed, just as the paper tags attached to the kunai's exploded, destroying half the defenders. I darted through the opening, cutting down any soldier still alive as I went. I slid to a stop and turned back to admire my handiwork; my smile dropped from my face as I saw more Leaf soldiers charging me than I had killed.'

"f*** me," I breathed. I looked around and saw the two ninja's, a plan forming in my head. Reaching into my back I pulled out a scroll and ripped open the wax unfruling the parchment. With my free hand I performed a quick jutsu before biting my thumb to draw blood and running the digit down the length of the scroll. The ink on the scroll glowed a pale green and erupted into small gusts of winds which built together into a giant funnel hanging just above me. The vortex changed shape, taking on the appearance of a large raven made of the winds.

"Find the others, lead them here then follow me. Go." I said to the conjuration before turning and speeding to the other two in a red blur.

"There's too many for me to handle alone," I say slidding to a stop behind. "I say we fight unless you two are actual decent fighters."

"There's too many for us to take," I said, watching as more and more faces appeared from the woodwork, "Eventually we'll run into someone who knows what they're doing,"

"Tactical retreat?" Rom asked, his eyes darting from soldier to soldier.

"CAW?"

"I'll give us some cover, head straight up the pass into the mountains, there's a cave about five miles up we can take refuge in," I explained, putting my hands together to form signs, "And pray they don't find us,"

"On three?" Rom asked, bouncing on his toes, getting ready to sprint.

"Three!" I said loudly, twisting my gauntlets together, letting off an ear piercing shriek, the air around is distorting as the sound mixed with my chakra, twisting and fogging, obscuring the view of anyone on the opposite side of the cloud. I heard Rom take off first, his footsteps light and agile.

"This is cowardly," Tei spat from my left, obviously displeased.

"Then by all means, stay," I shot back, "Your life means nothing to me," And with that, I pushed my hands forward, sending the cloud of sound distortion into the forest like a tidal wave. As soon as it passed the first set of trees I turned on my heel, sprinting into the pass as fast as my legs could go. It wasn't long before Tei caught up and passed me, darting away deeper into the mountains. I eventually made it to Rom, who was jogging at a leisurely pace to allow me to catch up and show the way to the cave.

"You never went further into the mountains than your shack?" I asked, looking over at him as we picked up our pace.

"Never needed to," He replied, "Honestly didn't think anyone would live up there," It was honestly a strange coincidence that he'd never gone any further up, and our scouts had never gone any further down, a thin line separating the territories. Eventually, we found the cave where most of my gear still remained, Tei was already there waiting for us, huddled next to the fire, obviously freezing in the higher mountain temperatures. Rom, however, looked comfortable, his bird less so, which was huddled on his shoulder, seemingly snuggled up in his hair, giving off low grumbling noises.

"So who the f*** are you?" I asked, my question pointed at Tei as we entered the cave, which was significantly warmer than the outside. As I made my way to the fire, Rom stopped at the door, waving his arms dramatically, ice slowly creeping its way over the cave opening, leaving a small hole for the poisonous fire fumes to escape.

"I told you, I'm Tei Tatsumaki, leader of the Tatsumaki clan of the Desert Mesas," He said, puffing his chest out.

"Never heard of you, where do your allegiances lie?" I responded, rolling my eyes. First Rom, who refuses to admit that he's a renown assassin, and then this guy blustering about his titles.

"Our allegiances lie to ourselves," He responded, a bit put off.

"The Leaves already showed that they don't like you, and I assume the Sands don't like you judging by how far a 'Desert Mesa' clan is from any desert," I said, breaking down the obvious, "I assume your clan thought they were in line for the crown of the deserts and warred among other desert clans until they were driven out, meaning your clan is probably pretty small. Am I getting close?"

"We are small, but elite, we work as mercenaries," Was all he said.

"I've heard of you," Rom spoke up, lowering himself to the ground next to the fire, his bird hopping from his shoulder to nestle in his lap, closer to the flames, "You're the boy who killed his father,"

"CAW!"

"You assumed leadership, your father's loyalists split, and you were left with a ragtag group of women and youngsters, so you realized your only chance at survival was to move," He continued, glaring at the bird, "I've heard stories of your services, supposed to be one of the better mercs that have come from the sands,"

"So I was close," I said with a grin, drawing a glare from Tei.

"The rest of my clan should be arriving shortly," He said, looking to the sealed cave entrance. I glanced at Rom, a bit nervous. Rom, on the other hand, looked comfortable.

"Wish I'd known this cave was up here," He commented, "Might have made a summer home or something out of it," He looked around, nodding approvingly, "How far into the mountain does it go?"

"Only a bit further, ends in a spring of fresh water that's always warm. I've been coming here since I was young, using it as my base," I laughed, "Back when they'd send me out here to watch the pass,"

"Cute," Rom nodded with an amused look. It was hard to believe this was the infamous Rain Dragon. It was with that though that there was a loud howling noise, and the ice blocking the door seemed to explode of it's own volition. Rom let out a soft "What the f*** now," as he jumped to his feet.

"Tei! We're here!" Came a voice as four figures burst through the entrance. I already had my hand up, braced with my other arm, ready to blast them back out the way they'd come, I paused when they called his name, though. A young girl sprinted toward me, blade in hand.

"Wait!" Tei yelled from behind me, but she was already set in her attack, the other three hanging back. Rom simply watched her run past him toward me, snorting loudly in amusement.

"CAW!?"

As she neared, I reached out and grabbed the blade as it swung downward toward my shoulder, my other hand darting out to grip around the girl's neck at a speed she obviously didn't anticipate. Her free fist came up, forming a sign, one I recognized from watching Tei fight, a sign that produced a powerful wind jutsu. This actually startled me slightly. Without warning, my shirt ripped open, another hand extending out, clenching her wrist in a death grip, holding it in place, her jutsu firing into the cave wall, a vortex cannon, though of drastically lower magnitude than Tei's from earlier.

"The f*** is that?!" Rom bellowed, pointing at the arm, stepping away as if I carried a disease.

"What he said," Tei added, blinking repeatedly. The girl looked equally confused, though her confusion was mixed with a fair amount of terror.

Slowly, I pulled her toward me and leaned down so that my mouth was right next to her ear, "I'm not the enemy here girly," I growled, releasing my grip and turning away, the arm retracting back into my torso, though the hole in my shirt remained. Luckily, I had my pack in the cave with us, along with a few changes of clothes.

"Don't worry, he's alright, he protected me from the Leaves and then showed me this safeplace," Tei said, walking over to what I could only assume were his clanmates. I noticed he left out the part where we captured him. I considered saying something, but felt it would be overly spiteful.

"But seriously, what was that?" Rom asked, walking over to me, ignoring our guests. I ripped off my gauntlets and grabbed a fresh shirt from the bag before answering.

"It's a forbidden jutsu the Gyu have passed down. They say that the Gyu statue taught the first of us the secrets," I explained, keeping an ear out as Tei spoke with his clan. I needed to be returning home, and I couldn't do it with them around. While Tei wasn't overly aggressive at the moment, they could still turn out to be enemies. We would probably end up having to spend the night in the cave to be sure that the Leaves didn't find us as we left, if they hadn't found us already by following our visitors.

"I'm gonna make a bed," Rom yawned, wandering toward the back of the cave to where the pool was, his bird hopping along on the ground after him, cawing obnoxiously. I had to agree. I was sore and annoyed from the whole day. But to be fair, Rom had taken the complete destruction of his house pretty well and was rolling with the punches as we went. I'd hoped he may ally with the Gyu, but I had a feeling he wasn't going to pull through, not with the way the Gyu leadership was. They would boss him around, or try anyway, and he would rebel. I sighed and walked over to my bedroll, it was going to be a long night.

"You guys are welcome to camp out here for the night, it's dangerous to travel with that large a force of Leaves out there," I said loudly, drawing the small group's attention before rolling out my bedroll.

i was in a white room. There was nothing, only a sea of snow-like nothingness. I was naked, and could not hear any sound, even when i spoke. I wasn't even sure there was sound here. But alas, I felt an abstract sense of calm here, in this void between worlds. Despite not being able to do much as I wandered aimlessly to nowhere in particular, I knew one thing for certain: I could not die here. And that was comforting. But then, a noise...

CAW!

God f***ing dammit! I can't get a moments rest! Even in my obscure inner monologues of environmental description i still can't get away from that blasted bird!
It landed quite a way away, looking at me, cawing from afar. From one spot to the next it hopped, but it never seemed to get any bit closer or further away. I stood for a moment, analysing it. It was, after all, the only thing here apart from me. But why was this? WHY!?

"Go away." I grumbled just loud enough for it to hear, and I could tell because it tilted its head to look at me, with those lifeless, black marble eyes. But it didn't go away, so I did instead, spinning on my heels and washing my hands of this madness.
But the madness returned. More specifically, it swooped over me and landed in my path, blocking my way. "You're not making this easy." I said.

CAW!

"You always say that." I tried to renegotiate a route, but every time I moved away, the crow only flew and hopped it's way closer. It was irking me, to say the least, but what was still to be answered was why this bird was here. Still here. Refusing to leave. I looked around, but still nothing but me and the crow. I turned again to the bird, who was just that bit closer. I tried scaring it away, even hitting it, but it was both too fearless and too quick.
"What do you want?" I asked it hopelessly "I no not what you seek. I am not a crow, like you. Or corn, or a worm, or whatever. I am Rom. So please go away." No effect. This was beginning to get embarrassing.
"Look, I don't even like you. You are annoying, and you make too much noise. It wouldn't be so bad if you were speaking words, but you don't. You just caw. Like a cro-"

"YOU."

-The next day-

"I had a weird dream last night." I grumbled, my head still fuzzy from last night's slumber. We were walking in a small group through the forest.

"Why was it weird?" came Shiku's voice, who was leading the group on its trek.

CAW!

I jumped as the sound came from above me. The crow was still on my hat, but i'd forget it was there after a while. i cursed beneath my breath before answering.

"I dreamt my house had been destroyed and I'd been attacked my a clan of ninja and sept in a cave." The group let out a laugh individually.

"I promise I'll rebuild your house." Shiku replied.

"You and the whole f***ing Gyu clan at this rate. Why are you taking us to them again?"

"Why are we going with them Tei?" Lily asked, shooting daggers towards Rom and Shiku. I sat off to one side of the cave holding Sai in my arms as she dozed. I smiled down at my little girl, bending my neck and lifting her so I could kiss her blue and red haired head before looking to Lily. My cousin and one of the only family left from my mother's side she was the shorter of the twins, juts coming to my shoulders, with tanned skin, rusty red hair cut short-styled to fall in spiked layers. Her blue-grey eyes were filled with a fire and passion but also, a bloodlust and anger stemmed from the long war. I felt sorry for the 16-year-old, but could do nothing to help her but try and guide her the best he could.

"The Leaf is after us, in a large force as well," Lily's twin Rose answered for me, sitting beside me crossed leg and preparing some tea. The more level headed and calm of the two Ruby's skin was lighter and her hair a more muted reddish-brown, but her eyes were a brighter blue, calm and serene but with the traces of toughness and fire. She glanced up from her teapot to her sister, "we cannot take them on like the bull you wish to be. Nor can we rely on the monkey's arts of tricks and traps and hit-and-run. There are simply too many of them."

Lily growled and turned away from us, crossing her arms. "I still don't see why we're following these two. The people in this land are poor and without value. We should move onto lands with more resources, and more work."

"The Leaf is becoming more aggressive, taking more from the people than they can produce," I replied, looking to sleeping form on my right. Her blue hair hid her face in an unruly mess, every now and then a snore escaping the tangle.

"So what?" Lily said. "Why should we care for them if they can't pay their taxes."

"It's attitudes like that that cost this clan their prestige," a hissing older tone said as a shadow slid behind Lily. I looked up and met eyes with a tall lithe woman with dark tanned skin, short curly magenta hair and piercing yellow eyes. The woman, my paternal aunt Sabi looked to the younger woman and flashed a warm snake-like grin. "The Tatsumaki was once a great clan in the Sands, but our indifference to the plight of farmers and citizens cost us our clan's support and our army."

"So when the Stone army came for us what was once powerful and proud was reduced to a band of six living as mercenaries," I finished, glancing over to the other two to see if they had heard us. Rom seemed preoccupied with his bird, and Shiku...

"So what? You afraid that-"

I held up my hand and cut Lily off. "Despite enjoying our profession as mercenaries, I want this war to end, or at least die down enough to raise my family, grow old and die before it picks up again. I don't want to have to raise Sai like this."

I looked up and caught Lily's eye. "I don't know if this is the right path. Hell, I don't even know if this is a good idea or one that'll get everything I love killed. But there is something about the Gyu one, something that interests me. Maybe that something will give us peace, or the respite, or get us all killed. I don't know. But I'm sure going to find out."

Dropping my gaze I looked over to Shiku again, meeting his eye. The air was about him, something so familiar, so settling yet agitating, like a dream forgotten.

[Sorry for the confusion with two of the names. Sabi is the aunt. I accidently called her Sabuka, who was Tei's uncle and Sabi's brother. Also I'll put some character bio's up of Tei's clan. Not background just the basics. Tomorrow.]

You also started off in the cave despite the previous post having us walking. Was that post a flashback post, and if so, could you maybe include some physical story progression and not just character developement next time? I know it's early in the story but I can only read about a characters anime hair and eyes for so long lol lets push this story forward and make it exciting, interesting and driven. I liked learning about the Sand Clan's demise though!

[We'll call it a flashback and move on.]


"Because, we can shelter you, give you food and water, and pay you for your services," I responded, trudging through the knee deep snow. This caught the twins' attention immediately.

"How much can you pay?" Lily asked, rushing up to my side, her sharp eyes locked on mine, a look of suspicion on her face.

"I believe the last you were paid was five thousand coins for your efforts in defending the Hashumada Clan, yes?" I responded, glancing back at Tei.

"That is correct," He replied, "I though you said you'd never heard of us?" I glanced over to Rom who just laughed. Same trick he'd played on me and it didn't turn out any better.

"How long was that campaign?" I asked, directing my question to Lily, who was by my side.

"About a month and a half," She responded, "And they gave us apartments and food," She licked her lips. We hadn't eaten the previous night, besides the baby. Apparently when they abandoned their camp to come save Tei, the Leaf had already taken it over, with all of their food inside. I only had a single piece of jerky and didn't want to eat it in front of everyone, and it was too small to split, even between two people. She must have been starving, having trekked for the last twelve and a half hours, through deep snow and steep terrain.

"I can offer you three thousand for the same length of time, including homes and food," I responded, watching the horizon.

"What?!" She spat, "You just said you knew we were paid five for the last job!"

"And I also know that the clan was overrun and slaughtered," I said harshly, my eyes darting back to her. She looked a bit more uneasy, "Losses are bad for a merc's record,"

"Three is adequate," Came Tei's voice from behind, "Until we regain our repute,"

"But-" Lily started up, but I silenced her by dropping low, squashing myself into the snow. Rom may be disconnected, but his reflexes were on point as he did the same with a tiny delay. The others dropped as they noticed, instantly on high alert.

"What is it?" Tei's wife asked. I didn't know her name yet and this was the first time I'd actually heard her speak.

"Something is wrong," I replied, "The lookouts are gone,"

"Maybe they're off for tea?" Rom asked, "We should join them,"

"Stay here," I said, removing my mask from my belt, "If anyone finds you, show them this and say you're with Shiku," I tossed the mask to Rom and then leaped out of the snow, landing atop a nearby boulder, hidden behind which was a small cave where the lookouts usually sat, but it was empty, and the fire was cold. My only hope came in the fact there was no blood. Swiftly, I followed the trail of boulders that led to the village, allowing me to jump from one to the next, saving me from trudging through the snow.

After a few minutes, I landed at the mouth of a cave, ornately carved pillars framing the dramatic entrance. Just inside of the cave was a massive iron door emblazoned with the Gyu clan symbol, ringed by dragons and jutsu formula. The seals on the door had no been broken, but the guards were nowhere to be found. I glanced around the small cave at the jagged walls, again, no sign of combat. The sun was beginning to go down, so I returned to the others, signalling silently for them to follow me.

After a short time, we were all standing before the door, in almost complete darkness, the sun having set beneath edge of the taller mountains, a soft orange glow filling the sky, the temperature already dropping fast. I knelt down before the door, forming several quick hand signs before pushing my palm against the metal, right in the middle of the crease in the middle, where two dragon heads met. With a loud creak, the doors swung inward, revealing a massive cavern before us, lit by soft torchlight. Pathways were carved into the walls, doors of peoples' homes dotting the pathways, most of them with ornately carved trims and supports. Massive pillars stretched into the darkness above from the center, supporting the weight of the mountain on top of them. At the center stood a lone wood structure, a mansion of sorts, built around the main support pillar, stretching upward into the dark, pinpricks of light piercing the shadow where the windows were.

"Halt!" Bellowed the first guard I'd seen all day, standing just inside of the doorway. And it was no guard. It was a boy, Ho Jin I believe his name was, a student of the ninja battle academy. I'd been the enemy on mock missions he and his team had performed. He carried a longsword and wore a halfmask that covered only the bottom half of his face, the mark of a student. Once he graduated, he would be given his full mask.

"Where is everyone?!" I bellowed, shoving past him into the cavern, my eyes darting about, yet I saw no movement. His two teammates appeared to my sides, in full battle gear, their half-masks gleaming in the low light, "Come inside, find a fire and warm up," I motioned to my group, who were still standing just outside, a look of shock and awe on the twins' faces. Tei and his Aunt looked mildly impressed, and Rom was feeding his crow pieces of old bread. They wandered through the entrance before Ho Jin closed the doors, performing the sealing jutsu once again, "Well?" I asked, grabbing the nearest apprentice by the front of her shirt, pulling her toward me. She gave out a soft squeak and dropped her kunai, cringing as if I were about to hit her.

"T-they sent everyone else out to the assault," She stuttered, glancing up at me, "It's just us and the civilians here, and the council,"

"No!" I shouted, letting go of her and leaping off of the stone balcony, dropping a hundred feet to the stone floor, landing with a thud. I rushed across the open space toward the central pillar and it's accompanying building. I was exhausted from the day's trek and moved sluggishly, bursting through the doors and rushing up the stairs.

After a few minutes of stair climbing, I made it to the council chambers and pushed against the door, only to find it locked. Angrily, I pounded on the door.

"Come back later, the council is closed," Came the voice of the head councilwoman.

"f*** you!" I bellowed, smashing my fist against the doors, sending them inward with a thunderous crash, causing everyone at the table to jump up, looks of bewilderment across their old, wrinkled faces.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Asked the head councilwoman, moving from her chair to walk in front of me, a look of aggravation and distaste gracing her face.

"You launched the assault?!" I yelled, causing her to blink and cringe slightly. I shoved past her to stand at the head of the table.

"Yes, we launched the assault," She said, "And you should go join it immediately, soldier,"

"YOU SENT THEM TO THEIR DEATHS!" I slammed my fists down on the table, shattering the wood and causing the table to crash to the floor, crushing one or two council members' toes.

"The Gyu army is competent, they will take the towns bordering the mountains, announcing our presence to the world, we'll then move to take the heart of the Fallen Leaves, their precious hidden village," Said another councilman, glaring at me from across the room.

"You don't understand, the Fallen Leaves are far more powerful than you could ever believe," I responded, murder in my voice, "Why didn't you wait for my report? What does the rank of Master Scout mean if my reports mean nothing?"

"We could not wait any longer, and your mission was for one month, it has been almost two and a half. We couldn't allow them to fortify their strongholds for another day," Responded the head councilwoman.

"Their fortresses are already fortified, they number in the hundreds of thousands, their towns are guarded by armies triple the size of ours with generals of skill levels far exceeding even our warmasters," I yelled, "We are not a powerful clan! We may have skill individually, but our numbers are inferior and your strategies are pathetic," With that, I turned and marched out of the room and back down the stairs.

After some searching, I found Tei and his family, gathered around a fire, talking among themselves, Rom nowhere to be found.

"Well?" Tei asked, standing up as he saw me.

"They sent our army to attack the Fallen Leaves," I spat, looking over at Ho Jin and his team, who were standing nearby, watching our visitors.

"So, we catch up with them and f*** up the Fallen Leaves?" Tei asked, cracking his knuckles.

"No, they're already dead," I responded, the anger leaving my voice as I sunk to my knees in front of the fire. My brothers and sisters, my friends, all sent to their deaths by a group of detached old people who hadn't been outside their cave for fifty years, much less been in battle.

"What?" Tei asked, stopping his stretching, mid stretch.

"Our army was small, only a few hundred of us," I sighed, "That's why I was looking to hire you and Rom, we are severely undermanned,"

"And they attacked the Leaves?" He asked, crouching down next to me.

"Our leaders are old and see nothing of the real world, they're detached from reality and called a full frontal surprise attack on the nearby villages. Even if they manage to take one or two, the Leaves will fall on them like a hammer, taking them back overnight. Our only hope was to sneak in and strike at the heart of the Fallen Leaves territory, cut the head off the snake so to speak," I explained, gazing into the fire.

"You can't just assume, let's go make certain," Came Rom's voice from behind me. He was right, I could help the people trying to escape. I jumped to my feet, it wasn't time to give up yet.

"Alright, you ready?" I asked him, but the expression on his face answered me, "Right, let's go," I took off for the entrance, flying up several flights of stairs, the assassin on my heels. As we made it to the door, Tei intercepted us.

"Will my family be safe here?" He asked, looking back down where they were, watching us.

"They will, Ho Jin and his team will protect them with their lives," I responded, "You coming with us?"

"I am, but you owe me," He said with a smile. I nodded and opened the doors, the frigid night air hitting us like a slap to the face. We weren't going to make it like this, the snow was deep and we'd likely freeze to death.

"I've got a plan," I said, stepping out into the snow, thinking hard about what I was about to do. Quickly, I formed several hand signs, holding the final one. Then I reached over and tapped one of the plates on my gauntlet, causing a soft tone to fill the air, like a thick copper bell. Instantly, the air around me began to warm, increasing in temperature until I began to sweat, the two behind me wiping the perspiration from their faces, and around us the snow melted away. And off we went, sprinting through the mountain, the tone emanating from my gauntlet vibrating the water molecules in the air, warming it and melting the snow at a rapid speed. We had to slow to a steady run to make sure the snow melted away before we ran through it, but it was still far faster than trudging through.

After a ways, Tei performed his own Jutsu, pushing the warmed air further forward with a steady breeze, increasing the range of the heat. We also weren't freezing to death. It was only a few hours and we passed the cave we'd spent the previous night in, and a few minutes later we made it to the pass where the remains of Rom's home sat, surrounded by dead Fallen Leaf soldiers, and Gyu, fresh blood splattered across the ground.

"Kill any Fallen Leaves you see, and try to help wounded Gyu," I said, pointing into the darkened woods, ending my jutsu, letting the cool night air creep in.

My journey began with risky slides down sharp drops and cliffs, but as the land flatted out so did my footing. I ran into the deep forests lower down the mountain and, by Shiku's orders, hoping to find fallen Gyu there. Though the crow abandoned my hat as soon as I entered the forest, I could always here its caw above me as I went.
But it wasn't with my eyes that I searched, but with my ears. Amidst these thick woodlands at the South side of the mountain, the trees grew for miles, and if one were to look in any direction they would see only wooden pillars, stretching up into the sky and spanning as far as the eye would allow.
But sound roamed these woods like a demon. As I walked, i would hear yelps in the distance, unsure of whether it was a battle between humans or beasts - or a mixture of the two. Wolves roamed these parts, and they grew big, but I never felt the inclination to travel through the treetops. These branches were thin. I can fight a wolf, but not gravity.

But then i heard it. A clear call for help coming not too far away. I tried to work out the source as the sound bounced off the trunks around me, and for a moment it was as if the forest was singing.
But the call came from the East, this I then knew. It was only a short run to the source, whereby I saw a young woman, clad in Gyu Ninja uniform, and slumped at the base of a tree. Around her were four other dead Gyu clan, face down in the mud. by the looks of it, a clean slice to the throat killed each of them.

"Help me!" the woman exclaimed suddenly, making me jump. "My leg!" It was bleeding heavily. I observed the scene.

"What happened here?" I asked, not moving, but instead planting my feet firmly.

"They killed my friends! The Leaf! Just help me to my feet!" Her voice showed her pain. I took a step closer.

"But, where are they now? Did you kill them? Where are the bodies?" I asked one more, but she interrupted me with a cry of pain. My questions erased from my mind, and I took to her side. She reached out her hand for me to grab, and I did so. And as I gripped around her knuckle, helping her find her footing, I felt each of her fingers move in a manner that was not accidental.
I blast of smoke emitted, and I recoiled away from it. It dissipated with what seemed like another gush of air, revealing a young woman in Leaf Ninja uniform. My eyes widened. A transforming jutsu!? How could I be so naive!?
Unfortunately, there was no time for these actions. I felt a blade pierce me through the left of my abdomen, and out the other side in a strange angle. I had been stabbed before, and though the pain was blinding, with my senses I could see.
The blade entered with ease, sliding through my armour, and therefore thin. This indicated towards some sort of katana, but as the metal travelled I felt it slice both sides of the flesh, making for a low-effort stab. The blade was double edged, and therefore a sword.
Why does this matter, you ask? I Leaf ninja katana has no hand guard, both for more freedom when performing techniques and to practice defense more effectively. But their swords do, ones famous for their protection as the hand guard wraps fully around the knuckle of the user and around the hand, making the hilt more like a strap-on knuckle duster with a blade on the end. How do i know this? I felt the start of the hand guard slam into my stomach when the blade had stabbed me fully.
All this in the split of a second. I looked down to find I was correct, then looked back up at the Leaf ninja.

"You have bad aim." I spat. With a single hand I grabbed her wrist and twisted it in such a manner that it was trapped in the hilt of her sword. The blade only twisted inside my so far before the ninja's wrist snapped, the joint doing a full circle. My foe squealed, giving me time to throw a rope dart into the eye socket, and yanking it back in to my sleep. Her body went limp, and she dropped. I stood there, the sword still in me, then dropped to my knees.
Shiku's voice rattled into my brain. I looked up, his figure stood above me, the mask tilted down. I then felt hands grip my shoulders, heaving me to my feet. But my body was too numb to even feel the sword be ripped from my abdomen, so Shiku's grip must be strong.

"Thanks for showin' up." I managed to speak.

"Are you okay!?" he yelled "What happened!?"

"Find Tei. I need him." I grunted, slipping from Shiku's hands and performing a water jutsu. A snake-like tube of dew formed around me, and as i unrobed myself I directed it into the wound, filling it as if it were my flesh. "Did you know the body's made up of 80% water?" I chuckled.

"Tei? What for?" Shiku asked.

"To heat this water up and cauterise the wound. Otherwise I'll probably die." I grunted "So sooner than later, preferably."

"I can do it," I said hurriedly, beginning to perform the hand signs for the jutsu I used to melt the snow.

"No!" Rom said loudly, smacking at my hands, "I think blasting sound into an open wound is the best course of action,"

"f***," I glanced around, making sure no one had heard him shout, "I'll be right back, then," I said before turning on my heel and sprinting into the forest in search of Tei. It didn't take long to find him, all I had to do was follow the intense bursts of wind that would tear through the thick woods every couple seconds. At last, I burst into a clearing, only about fifty yards across and perfectly circular. The tall grass that grew there was blown down in sheets, blood splatters decorating the golden waves. At the center of the clearing stood Tei, or rather, floated Tei. He was hovering a couple feet above the ground, a torrent of wind swirling around him, keeping him aloft and the enemies' thrown weapons at bay.

With a nod from Tei, I sprinted around the clearing, staying just under the cover of the trees, to position myself behind the small group of Leaf ninja that had gathered there, formulating a plan of attack. As I broke from the trees, I brought my hands together, forming hand signs while I closed in on the group. I took them completely by surprise, the roar of Tei's vortex covering my approaching footsteps. The first one to die was the one at the back of the group of five. I slashed out at the back of his neck, severing everything but a few strands of muscle at the front of his neck, killing him before he could call out. As I landed amidst them, I brought my right arm down on my left gauntlet, aiming it toward the pair to my left, a pulse of sound exploding out from my open palm. The damage was immediate, throwing them away with a booming sound on par with a small bomb going off, blood trailing out of their mouths and noses as the sound wave burst internal organs.
Now the other two were onto me, spinning on their heels to face me, their surprise turning to anger as they realized they were the only ones left in their squad. Before they could rush me, I brought my hands up and formed a hand sign, the power of the jutsu launching me forward at the speed of sound, my claws extended before me, tearing through the body of the nearest ninja, leaving him with a human sized hole in his chest. I touched down in the forest behind them, almost two hundred yards away, spinning on the ball of my foot, my hair, face, and chest coated in blood and scraps of tissue. With the loudest war scream I could muster, I charged again, this time with my left arm outstretched, rocketing through the forest and back into the clearing, a streak of red following my fingertips as I came to a halt, the winds of Tei's jutsu tugging violently at my clothes.

"Rom needs you!" I bellowed over the sound of his dissipating jutsu.

"That was impressive," He commented, looking over my shoulder as the body of the last ninja fell over, a sizeable chunk missing from the left side of her chest, her left arm completely detached and laying several yards away.

"Come on," I panted, jogging off into the woods, past the corpses of at least a dozen ninja Tei must have killed before I found him.

As we made it back to Rom, Tei immediately set to cauterizing the wound, without Rom's instruction. It appeared he was used to dealing with such situations. And despite a grunt of discomfort, Rom showed little reaction to the process, suggesting he had endured this kind of treatment before. Satisfied Rom had been taken care of, I turned to go look for more Gyu, but a hand wrapped itself around my wrist, holding me in place. I looked back to find Tei had grabbed me, a sad look in his eye.

"It's no use, Shiku, they're all dead," He said softly, a gentle breeze blowing through the silent forest, the rustling of leaves filling the air.

"I have to make sure there aren't any-" I started to argue, but Rom cut in.

"They executed all of them, if any were able to get away, they would have returned to your village," He said, "I don't think you're going to find anyone still fighting, just listen," He was right, the forest had grown quiet, the chirping of birds and slither of leaves the only sounds to be heard.

"No," I said, my face turning under my mask, suppressing tears. My friends, my family, they couldn't be dead.

"Your elders are fools, Shiku," He went on, "They ordered this with no intel, with no strategy," Tei's hand slipped off of my wrist, his eyes locked to my mask.

"The Leaves will find the village soon, there's no way they won't follow the trail your army left," Tei said, looking back through the forest, at the looming mountains bathed in moonlight, "Your only chance to survive is to run,"

"I can't run!" I spat, turning away, getting ready to sprint back to the village.

"Shiku, it's over," Rom's voice cut through me like a sword, "If you want to survive, you have to sever your ties to the clan, fight for yourself, not for them,"

Dyl needs to post, but if he doesn't I will to keep this epicness flowing. iLiB shall live on!