Naruto : A New World [IC] [M]

[Yamagi Sosuke]

Nyichi Nobu

Nyichi, like Shin had not spoken for most of the trip. Besides the fact that it was hot, he was feeling a little anxious about his first mission. Sure it was your regular run of the mill intel mission but this would also define his place in the Kurotenshi. Would he be another let down or would he be the sixth missing member they'd been searching for. He scratched the back of his head as he thought about the implications of actually working for the organization. It would be a tough road, cause not only would he have his own village after him but now he'd have other villages after him as well. His eyes hardened as he thought on it. " What a dirty path that I've chosen to walk. " he told himself.

It wasn't long before night had started to settle in the sky and by this time Shin was already talking about setting up camp for the night. Nyichi stretched his arms high above his head, cracking his spine a bit in the process. " Sure thing big guy. " he replied. Not fully hearing Shin when he talked of going hunting and such. But soon the conversation had taken swing for the better. Nyichi was beginning to feel a bit stiff since joining the Kurotenshi, he hadn't been given the chance to swing his sword at anything lately. Let alone spar with anyone. A cocky grin came over his lips. " Okay, sounds fun. " He responded calmly.

Once Shin had left for the food, Nyichi had made himself comfortable on the ground, his cloak -while still on- was zipped down and his legs were sprawled out on the ground. " I'll show that bastard a little of my power. " He had never forgotten what Shin had said about his skills being questionable when he had first introduced himself earlier that day. " Tomorrow will be enjoyable. "​

 

[Trev]

Klicer & Soneshi

Klicer heard the sound of the branch behind her creaking and immediately whipped around, a kunai already armed in her hand. However, she dropped her guard when she noticed that it was only Nev, coming to say hi. "Oh, hey Nev! Glad to finally see you! Still as loud as you always are, huh?" She grinned, happy to see someone other than the wonderfully annoying Gothax.

"I guess you met Gothax, or his clone, seeing as you're here now. How was your little trip here?" She questioned. She still stood on the branch she had landed on simply because Nev looked a little on-edge for some reason. Of course, there was rarely a moment when he relaxed, so it wasn't really that unusual.

Wait a minute... Klicer looked at "Nev" questionably. She then threw the kunai into the him, watching the clone disappear. She sighed yet again. "Way to go, Gothax, you've made them suspicious of us. Now they probably think we're impostors or something."​

 

[Tetra]

Chapter 1
Ayame Ibaraki
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Well, let's go Ayame!" Asina hurried and got off the boat and offered her hand to her partner. "Let's hope you guys can complete your mission we sure will!"

Ayame took Asina's hand and she got out. "It's getting late. I think we might have to set up a camp for now. If we go at night, something bad could happen. Once we find a good spot, we'll stay there for the night. Then we'll be going in the early hours of dawn. Asina agreed. Ayame thought Asina wasn't too bad. She quite liked that she was partnered with her. They were in front of a big forest, presumably leading to the Land Of Fire. "We'll go this way." Ayame said to Asina.

The branches seemed familiar, Ayame wasn't so sure going to the Land Of Fire. Was she going to meet any of her old friends? The smell of herbs and plants was strong. Dusk was nearing. Ayame stopped and looked around. Could there be something here? All the other members had probably gone far by now. They found a considerable amount of space to camp for the night, and there was a lot of firewood around. Ayame sent air slices to cut some trees around them. She made a fire using the firewood and keeping it lit with her Fire and Wind natures.

She asked Asina "So, I guess I need to know stuff about you then. What kind of moves do you use? You're the Burier, right? Nice name. I also have heard you don't have an original village? That's cool! So... Want to have a little practice match?"

Ayame didn't think properly. It could of created a ruckus, but this was a practice match, so there was no harming. She waited for Asina's reply...

 

[<Challenger>]

Haru Nashimura and Akihiro Hamazaki
Conversations in the Dark

Haru looked to Aki. "You seem as if you want to ask something. What is it?" If Haru was good at anything, it would be reading people's demeanor. Aki eyes said a lot too. "Don't be shy. If you're safe from judgment anywhere, it's here." He gave a smile and crossed hands behind his back. "Believe me, I'm not as bad as the others think." It was true. Asina, Shin, and Ayame were dead set on the fact that he would stab them in the back at any moment. Their trust issues would surely be the downfall of them. Haru really WAS a nice guy.

Aki looked at Haru as thy walked through the dirt beaten path. "It's just..." He started to speak. "...my family. They have the most unrealistic view of me as being the perfect shinobi or offspring that would carry the clan name." Aki frowned. "or should I say they did." Aki figured that ever since he ran away, they had probably given up on their son. "I wanted to ask you how you got along with your family. Did they constantly pressure you...? Telling you to follow paths you didn't want to take?" Aki started to speak slightly more frantically but quickly readjusted his voice to avoid seeming like he was on edge. All he wanted was to know that he wasn't alone in this whole Kurotenshi business.

Haru listened intently as Aki described the situation with his family. At the end of his tale, he gave a sympathetic nod. "Honestly, Aki, I never knew my family. I was adopted." He sighed. "I was raised by the village blacksmith and his wife, and they had a natural born son." Haru clenched his fist at the memory of the monster that killed his only friends. "My father and mother...They were kind, but it was obvious they preferred...him. He was an animal, a monster. I hate him!" He almost lost his cool for a minute. "Ahem. I'm sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the path they were following. "The son...he killed my squad so he could advance in the Jonin exams...That damned bastard!" His voice had grown cold with hate for a moment. "I guess...the Leaf hated me. They all did, though I've never done anything to deserve their scorn." Haru was very sentimental about the way the Leaf hated him. All he had wanted to do was help them...

Aki felt sympathy towards Haru because of his situation. His parents shunned him it seems and his brother was a jerk. "The villages...they don't understand what some of their shinobi go through. They don't realize that the reason people like us exist is because of them." Aki said coldly, looking down at the ground. As they continued to talk, Aki's hatred for his own village and clan grew. Even the Leaf...they can all suck it. "When the time comes, they will know pain." He said assuringly to Haru. Aki had said everything he neded to get off his chest, and felt satisfied that he wasn't alone in this. I'm sure the other members feel the same way...

Haru nodded, although he was a bit hesitant. "They have wronged us, yes, but that does not make it right to kill the innocent. Remember, Aki, our true goal is peace. Like the Akatsuki before us. Like their legendary leaders, Nagato Pain and Konan, as well as Yahiko." He knew all about the previous Akatsuki, and admired the lot of them. "When we have our peace, I will seek out the ones who wronged me the most. I will give them an excruciatingly painful death." Haru clinched his fists. "Listen...There are those like Asina and Shin who kill because it's what they know, almost all they know." He sighed. "Aki...I'm not that way." He looked down to his partner. "I am no monster."

Peace...yes that is our goal... Haru's statement knocked Aki back to what the goal in the end was really about, and was not about killing the innocent. "I'm no monster either...it's just my emotions like to get the better of me at times." Aki wanted to end the conversation from going to personal as he really didn't want to show Haru his more 'vulnerable' side. "I think we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves, Haru. We should probably just do this mission before we get all antsy about things like that..." Aki frowned as he quieted his voice.

Haru nodded in understanding. "We still have a while to go before we come out to the Ninja Alliance, but when we do, we'll let them know good-and-well that we mean buisness. "Aki, if all turns out horribly and one of us dies, remember this quote, 'No matter who you are, you don't know what kind of man you are until the end. One realizes one's own true nature at the moment of death.' My father Itachi said that to me long ago..." Haru had loved his foster parents, but they didn't love him... "I apologize. Now, let's move on. The Hidden Sound isn't going to raid its own store of valuable knowledge!"

The quote kept replaying in Aki's head, understanding the message. Haru was trying to tell him that keep going until the end, and only then will he figure out what kind of man he has become. "Alright, yeah. We should get a move on..." Aki said agreeing, but somewhat quietly. "How long is the supposed trip estimated to take?" He asked, trying to change the topic.

Haru wracked his memory, and finally came up with the estimation. "A day and a half. We'll be on the road all day today, and most of tomorrow." The Sound wasn't as far as other places, but it was long enough to be a daunting trip none the less. "We should take our time. If we arrive there tired, then we'll be far more vulnerable. Besides. They don't know we're coming. Why draw attention to ourselves?"

"Yeah, alright. That seems good to me." Aki could get where Haru was coming from, and not wanting to get tired from travelling too quickly. After all, if they screwed up their first mission, this whole operation could get incredibly messed up. "When should we take a break though? Seeing as how we should take it easy."

Haru's analytic mind began to race, thinking of possibilities and options. "Well, I'd say we can take a break anytime, and we might even be able to take a break in the Sound if we hide these robes carefully. They don't know us by face, I would think." There were many more extreme options, "We could take a break once night falls. They wouldn't expect us to attack in broad daylight. That's just plain stupid. And that, Aki, is why it is pure genius." He laughed and winked at his young partner.

Aki laughed as well. It was good to lighten the mood up a bit. "Besides, I don't think these robes are recognized by anyone yet." Aki went by his gut, thinking that since they really haven't done much to make themselves known, it would be highly likely that only people aware of the 'Akatsuki' would be either Kages' or high ranking Shinobi. "And I like my robes, they're kind of comfy." He said, stretching out his arms and limbs. He wondered how the others were doing, and if they were having personal conversations like Haru and himself.

Haru nodded, noting that they weren't as well known as he would think. "I suppose they wouldn't know us..." A grin broke across his face. "And they ARE rather comfy." Haru let out his deep, booming laugh. After a minute or two of laughing, he managed to revert to his normal state. "But we must be careful. Our mission, no matter what, will always be dangerous. We can't afford to be reckless."

"Hehe...you don't got to worry about me." Aki said giving a devious laugh, but in a comedic way. The thought of taking a break in that instant did pop into Aki's mind, but he honestly did not care when they did take one. "What do we even have to do again? I can't even remember what the scroll said.." He had already forgotten what the point of this mission was, but Aki had a habit of forgetting things or being oblivious.

Haru chuckled lightly. "Well, if half of what I heard about you is true, then we'll be able to pull it off." He reached into one of the pouches lining his leg and pulled out a kunai, flicking it to the left, taking out a bandit who thought he could make way with someone's goods. "Scum..." He muttered and turned back to Aki. "Well, we're going to raid the Hidden Sound for scrolls on kenjutsu, forbidden jutsu, and special weaponry. We'll have to store them on scrolls if we hope to get out stealthily."

"Ahh alright then. Sounds straightforward enough. Hopefully we won't run into any roadblocks of the sorts." Aki once again stretched out his limbs and gave a slight yawn, as he continued to walk next to Haru through the forest area towards their goal of the Hidden Sound.

Haru nodded, and gave note to the fact that it was getting dark. "We should make camp soon." The pair found a clearing a bit off the less-trodden path, and made camp. "I'll take first watch." He watched Aki drift off to sleep, and stared into the fire. One thing ran through his mind. 'No matter who you are, you don't know what kind of man you are until the very end. One realizes one's true nature at the point of death.' He took his attention off the world, preferring to think. What kind of man am I? Am I doing the right thing? What will happen to me when I die?

 

[Nathan]

Gothax Nakamura

​

So the ninja attacked his clone huh? Maybe they were enemies in disguise. He couldn't underestimate them either way. Then the Klicer girl started complaining to him again. Did she ever stop to complain? "And how do we know they aren't also enemies in disguise? They could perfectly have used a technique to transform into your friend." And she said her brain was great. That Nev guy moved, he was fast. Too fast to observe. Gothax didn't have any other choices, one of his techniques could do the job. But he wouldn't risk killing a potential partner. "Nev, this is Gothax, the partner of your friend Klicer. I do not wish to harm you so show yourself or I'll be forced to attack. I repeat, I do not wish to harm you!" If he didn't respond, he would have to use one of his lightning techniques.

 

[Trev]

Ch. 2: Squadmates

Klicer rolled her eyes as Gothax began to threaten Nev. "Chill out moron, I know it's Nev. If it wasn't him, do you think the enemy would have been so loud? I know my teammate better than you do. Nev might be very fast, intelligent, and good at fighting, but he's terrible at sneaking around. He's the loudest person I know when it comes to that."

Klicer jumped down from the branch and landed in the grass below. "Nev, it's actually us. Gothax is just too on-guard for every little thing, as well as completely paranoid and extremely annoying. Just ignore him and you'll be better off than I am. Where did you go?"​

 

[Retro Bug]

Asina Paoi

At Ayame's recommendation Asina nodded her head, they might as well set up camp sooner than later. That way they would be more much rested for the next trek, which she suspected was a long one. She didn't like going through forests they were always so creepy and also that's where a lot of shinobi would attack. What if they got attacked before they even got to the site where they needed to be? Asina hoped that she, rather, they could reserve their chakra for the trip back so they could use a lot more of it. The Land of Fire wouldn't want this information falling into their hands so of course it would be heavily guarded.

At the feeling of heat on her skin Asina was thankful she was paired with someone who had fire nature, the wind nature was an added bonus. Setting a fire out here was dangerous, as the smoke was a signal to any shinobi out there to hone in on them like a moth to a flame. Asina just knew she wouldn't be getting a lot of sleep, she had to stay guarded incase someone thought they were easy targets.

A worried look crossed Asina's face as she sat down next to Ayame, "I know I might've sounded paranoid earlier, but Haru has spies. The only reason someone actively spies on their allies is to use that information in the future. As far as I'm concerned Haru is a threat. A threat I'll be ready to deal with when the time comes." Asina sighed and hoped she didn't sound too crazy. "The less he knows about us the less prepare is he about us."

"We should make sure they're not following us by being alert at all times. Haru wouldn't hire any Chuunin leveled shinobi that we would be able to detect easily, no, these are professionals. I can't sense any chakra besides yours but perhaps you could cast some genjutsu or something just to make sure they aren't out here. If they are we bury them." Asina perked up at the end of her statement.

Now that Asina had gotten that out she felt much better. If she was going to be partner with Ayame they were going to have to be on the same page as each other for the most part. Asina didn't trust Ayame fully yet, no, it wasn't wise to give one's trust to any S-Rank criminals even if they were currently an ally. She wanted a practice match? Well, Asina hadn't done one of those in a while it could waste time if it didn't give their location away to any nearby shinobi. Oh well, they could surely dispose of any that tried to intervene.

"I'm primarily an earth style user," Asina began once they were sure there weren't any spies around. "I also use water style, a very little known fact. A practice match sounds splendid."​

 

[DeuceClubs]

Artaria "Aria" Susuki​

"Why the frown? There's more to life than just sulking around with beauty all around you~"
1​

Her eyes felt heavy as her mind started to wake up. Wincing, she sat up and rubbed her eyes to try to force them open. Unfortunately it only made it worse and they felt rather numb. The wind gently kissed her skin, giving her goosebumps.

"Did I sleep outside again? Silly me," she mumbled, finally opening her eyes. Brushing the hair out of her face, she let out a long yawn. Following that with a stretch, she noticed the trees in front of her were burned. Beside them was a box of matches. Smiling at the thought of more training, she stood up. She was about to pick up the matches when it hit her... she was late.

She was late.

"Oh my god I'm late! How did I not remember?" she blurted out, snatching them and immediately hopping up to the trees. She front-flipped, back-flipped, and did all sorts of silly maneuvers to get to the location she had to be. Deep inside her pocket was a small note. A friend of her's had told her to meet her at Ichiraku Ramen early in the morning. Since the sun was high up, it could only mean it was noon.

She did a drop and roll as she landed in front of the Leaf Village's gates. Standing up, she lifted her arms and smiled. "Well well, let's see if she's still there! If not... I hope she at least left food for me to eat." Walking through the small village, she glanced at every person that passed by. Judging them inside her mind, it wasn't long before she reached her destination. Once inside, she was surprised to see a hot bowl of pork ramen just sitting there.

"Are you Artaria?" a voice asked, making her turn. She nodded, smiling. "Your friend left an order just for you.. so eat up before it gets cold. Then it won't be good anymore."

"Oh thank you so much! Hehe, didn't think she'd leave me food after I failed to arrive on time," she said as she jumped and landed right on her seat. Quickly devouring her soup, her ears slightly moved at the sound of yelling. Not wanting to waste the food, she started gulp down everything on the bowl. One of the workers there looked at her with shock and disbelief.

"Don't eat it like that! You won't savour the flavors!"

"How else would I eat it fast?!" she barked back, finishing and leaving her bowl. Quickly dashing out, she was surprised to see that it was only a girl tickling a boy to death... in the middle of the road. Aria leaned against the nearest wall, disappointed. "Aw come on. I thought I was going to do some fighting or something today."

Flipping her hair, she proceeded to walk to her apartment. It wasn't very fancy, nor very good, but if you were to take a step inside then you would feel as if you were in some sort of messed up dimension. Decorations and furniture looked futuristic and too modern. However, once you enter her room, it's rather... sad. Nobody is allowed to enter into it.

Right when she was about to enter her apartment, she felt a presence behind her. Turning around, she was surprised to come across an ANBU. "The Hokage would like you to report directly to the Land of Tea! It is a matter of importance!" he paused for a moment, then said one more thing. "You are to be partnered as well... with Ileana Kirsch."

"Oh? Sweet!" Aria sang thinking about all the fun, yet the ANBU was gone by the time she finished her daydream. "Wait...now?"

- - - - -​

She pushed through the doors of her room. Unlike most, who would be tensed, nervous, or trying to act calm, she was jittery and quite happy. Not only would she be able to talk to and mess with a ninja who MIGHT be taking this seriously, but this mission could seriously give her some money, fame, and possibly get her to travel to secret places! Just thinking about it made her squeal with delight!

Fixing herself up and packing some items she may need on a one-strap bag, she thought about the real reason for the sudden urgency. Why her? She isn't really known around her. In fact, the kids know her more than the adults do! Is that why she was chosen?

Shaking the thought away, she walks out of her apartment and steps outside. Filled with such joy, she does a quick front flip and continues on with the day. The thing was... who was Ileana? How was she? Did she like clowns? Did she like fire? Did she like fighting to the death? All these questions would be answered at Ramen Ichiraku... yes. They actually met before after being talked to by the ANBU. They told each other to meet each other at the restaurant at 8 am in the morning. Although pretty early, she didn't mind it.

With that thought out, she began to dash towards the restaurant. Once inside, she leaped and happily landed on an empty seat. She said she didn't want an order, since she already ate at her apartment, and waited patiently for her new partner.​

 

[Daisuke Mitsuharu]

A heavily wearisome sigh eluded her vividly moist, tender lips. "The tribe can act on its own accord, without my supervision."

Leonardo, a considerably senile fellow, fumed, his zealously impassioned expression vibrantly emblazoned with striking fevered ire. "But, milady! Please, reconsider such a rash decision! You bear the task to lead this clan, and you simply cannot abandon it!"

Ileana, albeit placidly, demurred. "Leonardo, my decision is absolute. I simply will not reconsider. The task of defending this village is of equal importance to my duty to lead this tribe."

"I will speak no further."

The voluptuously azure- haired maiden then ambled the festively vibrant, smoothly sculpted pavements of the predominantly blithe municipality. Taking especial notice of the typically diligent 'Ichiraku Ramen,' Ileana began a leisure stride, ambling ever closer to the setting of her proposed rendezvous.

Approaching the young maiden, Aria, she spoke, her tone richly vibrant. "I sincerely apologize to have kept you waiting."

She smiled lightheartedly, "Artaria, was it.. ? You must be quite an exceptional shinobi to have shouldered such a task."

 

[Nathan]

Gothax Nakamura

​

She called him a moron for doubting that there could be a potential enemy. What was this girl? He would deal accordingly with the situation. But not like he had originally planned. He made some quick hand signs. "Chidori!" It was his most used technique. Fast and deadly. He used his other hand to make another clone. He was ready to attack. Nev was probably behind them. He whispered to Klicer. "I'm gonna check if this is Nev. I'm not gonna stab him. Don't worry. When he leaves his hiding place, paralyze him or something. Got it?" He really hoped she wasn't going to mess things.

 

[Trev]

Ch. 2: State of Emergency

"Good lord, put that stupid lightning bolt away." She scoffed. "If this actually was an enemy, they could easily find us from the noise and brightness of that thing. I know it's Nev because I have enough common sense. Just like you right now, he's loud and can't sneak around to save his life unless I help him. No one knows that about him besides me and his stupid raunchy crow. Stop acting like you know my teammate better than me. Besides, direct paralyzation isn't possible; only through the use of immobilization techniques like Tree Binding Death could you stop somebody from moving. Did you even study Genjutsu in the ninja academy? You act like it's the first time you've ever learned about it."

Klicer turned back from Gothax and looked around, trying to spot Nev. "Once again Nev, please ignore this idiot. There's no reason to be alarmed, it's obviously me. Do you think I'd be this rude if it wasn't me?"

Soneshi nosed her way out of Klicer's bag, hopping down and transforming into her human form. "Nev, it is us. There was just a simple misunderstanding. There is no cause for alarm."​

 

[DeuceClubs]

Artaria "Aria" Susuki​

"I may sound silly, but like all tiny packages, I carry a huge surprise ~"
2​

As she awaited for her new partner's arrival, she began to fiddle with her two identical weapons: small hula hoops with spikes on their outside. She wanted to use her move so bad right now, but she knew it wasn't safe, so she started to juggle them instead. That's when she heard footsteps approaching. She withdrew her weapons and sat there obediently. Just as she thought, Ileana entered the Ichiraku Ramen. When she got near Aria, she spoke up first before the teen Chunin could say anything.

"I sincerely apologize to have kept you waiting," she spoke. Artaria smiled, seeing as how apparently she thought she was keeping the clown waiting. "Artaria, was it.. ? You must be quite an exceptional shinobi to have shouldered such a task." The girl leaned back happily, feeling quite spoiled. Not only did she get a compliment, but she said it with such a good vocabulary. It was so fancy in fact, she forgot she was late in the first place.

"You speak very fancy, you know that?" Aria said the first thing that popped into her mind. "But I like it! Makes you feel all 'pro' and awesome, doesn't it?" she giggled. "But yes! The ANBU guys suddenly show up out of nowhere and tell me I have this huuu-" she raises her hands to put emphasis on the word 'huge', "-uuge mission. Of course I was excited though, and quickly packed up my bags and came here to meet up with you like we planned! Makes me feel all funny and warm inside, you know?" she felt like a kid speaking. Most people thought she was very slow and upbeat thanks to her way of speaking... however, it fools every ninja she comes across. They always think she's only a kid who knows nothing, but her attacks and fighting style sure tell them otherwise.​

 

[gimmepie]

Shin Kaito

​

Shin was soon to return to the clearing he was camping in, where Nyichi still sat seemingly deep in thought, a dead boar slung over his shoulder.
Breaking character so soon? Interesting. Wordlessly Shin got a fire started, manually so as not to give away what he was capable to Nyichi, and began cooking the boar. He didn't bother trying to conceal there presence - few people travelled through where they were and if anyone did realise who they were they wouldn't live long enough to tell anyone.

Within the hour he handed a slap of meat to Nyichi, sitting across from his comrade with his own. Shin was far from the best cook around of course, but he was going to enjoy the surprise on Nyichi's face when the food didn't completely suck - as an added bonus the forest contained plenty in regards to various herbs and spices, some of which Shin had collected for the food and others because of medicinal properties.
"We should be sure we don't take too long tomorrow morning, I think it is advisable to - aside from this little sparring match of ours - be sure we finish this mission quickly and without complications. Your thoughts?"

 

[Daisuke Mitsuharu]

Ileana thanked the rather welcoming maiden, "Thank you. Though, I was raised to speak like this; I cannot help, but speak the way I do."

She apologized, albeit briskly, "My apologies, if my way of speech is, at times, bothersome."

Ileana smiled, "Unless, of course you can teach me your way of speech. That would be delightful." She briskly cleared her throat, and began a succession of phrases, her tone retaining its blithe, albeit with a subtle hint of a weary rasp; truth be told, she was considerably jaded, though undemonstrative of the aforementioned. Of course, it was also a considerably paramount errand of sorts, that they had underwent as well. "Well, shall we get going?" She paused, "-- But firstly, tell me about your strengths, that way, we can effectually support one another, if conflicts arise"

 

[DeuceClubs]

Artaria "Aria" Susuki​

"Being happy is just... what I do!"
3​

"Well um," she folded her arms, looking up as she blinked. She lifted a hand and pretended to touch the ceiling above her. After wasting a minute of spacing out, she sat back down the correct way and looked at her partner. "I like to play with fire and electricity! And I move around fast and a lot... always have to move or else I don't feel right, you know?" she tried to explain it. "Besides... I like fighting! It gets me all excited and jumpy!"

With that said she hops off and starts walking out, hoping she was following. She skipped, wondering what her partner could do. After a while she turned around and started to walk backwards. "Since I already told you my strengths, tell me your's! It's fun to know!" Aria wondered as they made their way out the village. Being late as it is, they should hurry and reach the others.​

 

[Daisuke Mitsuharu]

Ileana smiled merrily, "Haha. You amuse me."

She continued, her tone retaining its vibrancy, "Well, if you put it that way, I like to 'play with water and fire,' just as you do with yours."

Her expression became slightly embittered at the thought of fighting, but nevertheless, retained its smile. "But.. I'm not one for violence. I've never really been fond of such a thing." She paused. "Oh, yes. I am also one for genjutsu, though primarily genjutsu conveyed through sound and reverberations. Yes, one could say that I am a singer of sorts."

"Now, personally, tell me about yourself. What are your hobbies?" Ileana asked, purely out of lingering curiosity, as they had ambled the verdant forest, emblazoned with bright, emerald leaves that interspersed within the crisp breeze.

 

[Khawill]

I looked to the skies for my raven, but he wasn't nearby. I couldn't even sense him. Saiyuu spoke quietly, "I don't think they are enemies disguised as our village's ninjas." She said, "So could you please get down."

I didn't believe her until Soneshi transformed into a human form. I climbed down and transformed as well. "Apologies." I said formally, "I lack the ability to detect genjutsu." I kept my eyes down, just in case. "Do either of you know the details of this mission beyond arriving here?"

"So far neither of us have seen any enemies, but Nev's raven went into the village to check." Saiyuu added in.

"So Klicer, are you guys getting along well?" I asked humbly, "Isn't that the boy from the ramen shop?"

 

[Trev]

Ch. 2: State of Emergency

Nev finally revealed himself, allowing Klicer to breathe a sigh of relief. "God, you can't just show yourself to anyone, can you?" Klicer noted that Nev wasn't looking at her, which irritated her even further. "Up here, genius. The ground isn't me."

She continued on as Nev asked about the mission details. "Um, please tell me you didn't forget them. You're supposed to have a photographic memory, if I recall." She rolled her eyes. "We're supposed to be going the Land of Tea to get briefing on our missions. And no, I haven't been getting along with this one." She motioned to Gothax. "He decided to employ his wonderful 'I'm superior to every living thing' attitude, and has more or less destroyed any hope of him and I being friends. Not that it matters, seeing as I won't have anything to do with him after this mission is over. How's it going between you and what's-her-face over there?"​

 

[Nathan]

Gothax Nakamura

​

Dear god, not again. That woman started complaining again. Did she ever stop? He seriously wondered how he was supposed to survive with such a teammate. If this continued, he was going to let loose all the anger he's been keeping inside of him. He reverted his Chidori. Nev was no longer an enemy. He turned to Klicer. "I am making considerable effort into suppressing this attitude and it really doesn't help when you criticize me every second of the day. Could we perhaps forget this incident? I'm not really at ease with people I don't know." He had to use the big words if he wanted this woman to stop annoying the hell out of him and besides her genjutsu skills could come in handy so he needed her. And that was so shameful to admit for him. He looked back to Nev. "We aren't quite getting along but if the both of us make an effort, we could be good teammates. And I am Gothax Nakamura."

 

[Yamagi Sosuke]

Nyichi Nobu

While he waited for Shin to return, Nyichi took the to time to care for the blade on his back. It was an essential piece to everything that he was, from his unknown birth, to his identity now; it was just about his entire life. He sighed as a sulking feeling weighed on him. " Funny how everything about me can be reduced to a single weapon. "

He held the claymore-esque weapon into the air, inspecting its white steel for any chinks or cracks. As usual the blade was as beautiful as it was the first day he had held it in his little hands. Honestly, the blade the was amazing. It must've held some ancient properties that allowed it to grow with its wielder because the blade had always staid a manageable and yet intimidating size over him. " You still haven't seem to have made a name for yourself my friend. You have given me the name Dawn Slayer and yet you still remain nameless... How sad that must be. " he said, before laying it flat beside him.

When he heard Shin step back into the camp, he turned toward him, a light smile evident on his face. The boar over his shoulder was an impressive size. Nyichi looked towards him with a wide grin. " Ahh Man ! Nice grab Shin. " he said.

A hour later and Nyichi was chowing down on Shin's well prepared meal. He gobbled down on his food, his mouth sounding full as he spoke. " M~~ Opi-i-iinoonn..? " Nyichi swallowed his food with a giant gulp before making his expression a bit serious. " Uh yea. I agree with you. I'd rather not sully my blade with blood so early in my career. " His lips quirked to the side as he realized he had accidentally tarnished the tension in the air.

" I wonder how the others are doing ? " he asked, remembering how he had told them not to die.​