It wasn't exactly a standard affair, but doing joint missions wasn't so uncommon, either. Diplomats representing Heart's more progressive side had been pushing for more of such events to introduce the youth to the ninja world outside of the confines of the minor countries in which they'd grown up, so that they could, hopefully, come to their own conclusions about the greater countries, instead of just listening to their fathers and grandfather's whose views on the ninja world had been forever tainted. Maybe even tainted for good reason. It wasn't for them to decide if the youth of the day were going to get along with them, though.
Josuke hadn't been assigned to a squad yet since his recent graduation into being a full-fledged member of the military, and so he seemed like the perfect person to pick on for just such an opportunity. He hadn't argued. It seemed exciting, moreso than being assigned to listen to some stuffy captain order him around at the very least! While technically mercenary work that fire country was paying the Heart Empire for, it counted as a military operation, and so the young Higurashi was dropped off without much more than the equipment he always carried around, dressed in his usual uniform, unbuttoned in the fire country heat, revealing a dark shirt with bright firework patterns underneath it in a variety of colors.
The mission was written rather simply, and had Josuke bothered to read the scroll before being dropped off, he might have been less excited to be here, but as he walked down the road to the agreed meeting point, he grumbled it aloud to himself.
"Meet the agent from Konoha at checkpoint 12, see map..." He said, rolling his eyes, flipping past the map to continue reading. "Assist the agent from Konoha in a routine border inspection, conflict is unlikely... Gah!" He gripped the scroll casting tighter and almost ripped it up, holding it up to his head and ruffling his hair. "Of course they'd send me out on some bullshit! They just wanted to get rid of me for a week or two!" He complained, loudly enough to scatter some birds from a nearby tree. "I bet there's not even any hot babes in Fire Country!"
Brights! Camera! Action!
Brights! Camera! Action!
"It's so sad!" the reader said to the writer with a frown. "The character in my book just died!" The author turned to her and burst out into tears, "I know!" he said, "So did mine!"
Ninja Info CardsShow
| Suzuko Just another girl |
Brights! Camera! Action!
Tsuki read through the mission scroll again, sipping on some green tea. In a few minutes, she will have to leave. It felt good, to always have what to do, and she did not feel overwhelmed - her days were filled with activities, and since she joined the academy, some of them even gave her purpose - of duty to the village.
Interestingly, this time she will have a joint mission with a ninja from another village, and she couldn’t contain her excitement, well, atleast at the comfort of the Hyuuga compound. Mission gear check, sandals check, weapon pouch check, ointment check… And with a firm nod, she stepped out of the compound gates, walking to the checkpoint 12.
As she did, she raised her head to meet the sun, and noticing how it was nearing the middle, she panicked for a split second - wasn’t she almost late? Pale eyes widening and lips slightly parting, she started to jog, a shameful blush creeping on her round cheeks. Imagine the shame… A Konoha shinobi, late! She won’t let that happen. She understood that a mere jog won’t do, so instead, Tsuki took to the roofs of the buildings.
Once near the agreed meeting place, the young Hyuuga jumped down, and started to walk normally, evening out her breathing and her pace. Rosy cheeks and shallow breaths, even if hidden, could still be noticed by another ninja. Her heart was beating faster as well from the unexpected exercise, and soon she arrived.
And she noticed the birds fly away from a nearby tree, pale lavender eyes narrowing a little. She approached the ninja from Heart and, keeping her hands to her sides and her back straight, she bowed her head slightly. “Good m-morning, I believe we were assigned a joint mission.” She said and looked away then back at the ninja in front of her. Subtle, but evident - she was ashamed of her stutter, but, she will quickly overcome it, if she’s not stressed out too much. Yikes.
Brights! Camera! Action!
Josuke was not the most perceptive samurai alive. Or even the second most.
Tsuki sneaking up behind him, even if unintentionally, gave him a start, and as soon as she started speaking, he turned around with Iaido-like speed, hands held up in a classical knifehand martial arts stance, a wild look on his face. "Villain beware!" He shouted rather loudly, before noticing the headband around her neck, blinking, and dropping his hands. He gave her an appraisal with squinted eyes, not answering her just yet, before slowly reaching a hand up to his chest height, and waving it from side to side with the palm facing the floor. "Six out of ten. Sneaky, though." He said, not elaborating upon this idea any further.
"A mission! Do you have a scroll too? I'm supposed to verify with the scrolls!" He said, sounding like one of the most high-strung men in the world for a moment, before finally cracking a big, bright smile. "Cool to meet a ninja! I thought you guys always only ever spoke from inside the shadows, or from a reed inside of a river?" He nodded, as if this was new information he needed to record in the annals of history. "I'm Josuke!"
Tsuki sneaking up behind him, even if unintentionally, gave him a start, and as soon as she started speaking, he turned around with Iaido-like speed, hands held up in a classical knifehand martial arts stance, a wild look on his face. "Villain beware!" He shouted rather loudly, before noticing the headband around her neck, blinking, and dropping his hands. He gave her an appraisal with squinted eyes, not answering her just yet, before slowly reaching a hand up to his chest height, and waving it from side to side with the palm facing the floor. "Six out of ten. Sneaky, though." He said, not elaborating upon this idea any further.
"A mission! Do you have a scroll too? I'm supposed to verify with the scrolls!" He said, sounding like one of the most high-strung men in the world for a moment, before finally cracking a big, bright smile. "Cool to meet a ninja! I thought you guys always only ever spoke from inside the shadows, or from a reed inside of a river?" He nodded, as if this was new information he needed to record in the annals of history. "I'm Josuke!"
"It's so sad!" the reader said to the writer with a frown. "The character in my book just died!" The author turned to her and burst out into tears, "I know!" he said, "So did mine!"
Ninja Info CardsShow
| Suzuko Just another girl |
Brights! Camera! Action!
She did not inquire about the “rating”, but curious levander eyes followed the hand, and then back at his face. As if remembering something, she nodded, and quickly produced a scroll of her own, slowly extending it in her palm to the ninja. ”Right, and once we confirm, we can-” and then he went on and on about ninja’s hiding in reeds and Tsuki couldn’t contain her amusement, as she looked away and laughed again, this time, holding a hand on her tummy, before collecting herself again. This laid back attitude was unacceptable for a mission! But… She was enjoying herself.
”Josuke… I’m Tsuki. Nice to meet you!” She said, and as they confirmed their scrolls, she looked around the wall of the village, then back at Josuke. Tilting her head to the side slightly, she took a step forward, and then looked back at her mission partner through her shoulder. WIthout words, she continued forward, onwards to inspect the border!
”Josuke-san, if you don’t mind me asking… What is your village like?” She asked, curious… She never visited another village. A Hyuuga was as Konoha as it gets.
Brights! Camera! Action!
As the scrolls were swapped, Josuke's eyes practically glazed over, though one of his eyes was nearly permanently glazed over thanks to the unfortunate injury from before. He was also, obviously, not the most attentive person in the world. Or second most.
Regardless, she seemed to be leading the way after their individual scrolls were stashed back among each of their personages, he took one large step forwards to follow behind. He was technically the backup here, and even if he WANTED to lead the way, which currently he did not, he was more likely to get them lost. The forests of fire country were not the most easy to navigate, likely on purpose. He made a mental checklist of what he knew about Konoha, and the list went something like:
They have ninja.
-
-
Fill later
-
Unknown
-
-
His sections for "fill later" were interrupted by the girl in front of him asking questions, however, and his attention returned to her backside, and then the back of her head. "We call it a city!" He declared, without any hint of malice in his matter-of-fact tone. "Xincha is great! We've got lots of food, and beaches, and all these big statues of big, important samurai! I'm gonna get one some day too!" The blonde boy continued. "These uniforms are kinda stuffy though, they don't make you wear uniforms? No I guess ninja are too sneaky for uniforms, that makes sense." He nodded to himself, stacking up to his knowledge of ninja that they could not, in fact, wear uniforms, because they needed to be sneaky and pretend to be butlers or whatever until they were needed.
"Konoha's probably pretty different, huh? With so many ninja, I bet the streets are pretty much always empty!"
Regardless, she seemed to be leading the way after their individual scrolls were stashed back among each of their personages, he took one large step forwards to follow behind. He was technically the backup here, and even if he WANTED to lead the way, which currently he did not, he was more likely to get them lost. The forests of fire country were not the most easy to navigate, likely on purpose. He made a mental checklist of what he knew about Konoha, and the list went something like:
They have ninja.
-
-
Fill later
-
Unknown
-
-
His sections for "fill later" were interrupted by the girl in front of him asking questions, however, and his attention returned to her backside, and then the back of her head. "We call it a city!" He declared, without any hint of malice in his matter-of-fact tone. "Xincha is great! We've got lots of food, and beaches, and all these big statues of big, important samurai! I'm gonna get one some day too!" The blonde boy continued. "These uniforms are kinda stuffy though, they don't make you wear uniforms? No I guess ninja are too sneaky for uniforms, that makes sense." He nodded to himself, stacking up to his knowledge of ninja that they could not, in fact, wear uniforms, because they needed to be sneaky and pretend to be butlers or whatever until they were needed.
"Konoha's probably pretty different, huh? With so many ninja, I bet the streets are pretty much always empty!"
"It's so sad!" the reader said to the writer with a frown. "The character in my book just died!" The author turned to her and burst out into tears, "I know!" he said, "So did mine!"
Ninja Info CardsShow
| Suzuko Just another girl |
Brights! Camera! Action!
As he continued and they walked, gravel crunching under their feet soon to be replaced with soft step sounds on the grass, she tried to recall something about Heart but she really couldn’t. And then he asked about uniforms, and she started putting the two and two together that, in fact, this was not just some branding of their ninja - he was just… Not a ninja.
When he asked her, she blinked a few times, more to herself, since her face wasn’t really visible to him. ”Oh… Konoha has a lot greenery, which now, in s-spring, is in it’s own glory.” She said, a gentle smile playing on her lips. ”We have a lot of shops and businesses here, a lot of very crafty people. Of course w-we also have some great chefs and cooks… If you have the time, I h-highly recommend visiting Akimichi clan’s restaurant.” She added as they continued forward.
Soon, she felt some chakra signatures - it was not out of place, they were still pretty close to the village, but just in case, Tsuki stopped, and was about to activate her Byakuugan. Conscious, she felt the tips of her cheeks blush, so she placed her hand on the side of her face and activated it, veins popping on the sides of her face. Nothing out of the ordinary it seemed.
”I s-suggest taking to the trees… We could cover a bit of distance. If you’d like to, Josuke-san.”
Brights! Camera! Action!
"Yes! I've heard you ninja types are crafty people!" Josuke said, completely misunderstanding her meaning, even with the obvious context of talking about craftspeople right in front of him. "Xincha is pretty green too, until you get further out west!" He proclaimed proudly. While Tea Country, formerly Shark Country, was technically a desert area, Xincha was located on a large, natural oasis, and since the Heart Empire took over, it had taken steps to add areas of natural greenery, nature parks dedicated to their constituent states, where the refugees who made up its citizens could feel at home. Josuke was particularly fond of the irrigation, and loved visiting the Tea fields, himself. That wasn't really on his mind, however.
He looked over to her as she stopped, unaware of what she was trying to do, only seeing her blush. He blinked. Was she flirting with him?! The light user squinted again, giving her body another look up and down, before shaking his head. Even if she WAS flirting with him, this was probably some ninja seduction trick! Kunoichi were apparently known for such things.
"Take to the trees...?" He asked, relatively quietly for his usual loud tone of voice. "How would taking to the trees be faster than following the road? You know some kind of crazy shortcut? ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE ME TO SOME SECRET FOREST MURDER FIELD, WHERE I'LL BE MURDERED?" He shouted the last part, once more loud enough for nearby birds in nearby trees to decide to take flight.
He looked over to her as she stopped, unaware of what she was trying to do, only seeing her blush. He blinked. Was she flirting with him?! The light user squinted again, giving her body another look up and down, before shaking his head. Even if she WAS flirting with him, this was probably some ninja seduction trick! Kunoichi were apparently known for such things.
"Take to the trees...?" He asked, relatively quietly for his usual loud tone of voice. "How would taking to the trees be faster than following the road? You know some kind of crazy shortcut? ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE ME TO SOME SECRET FOREST MURDER FIELD, WHERE I'LL BE MURDERED?" He shouted the last part, once more loud enough for nearby birds in nearby trees to decide to take flight.
"It's so sad!" the reader said to the writer with a frown. "The character in my book just died!" The author turned to her and burst out into tears, "I know!" he said, "So did mine!"
Ninja Info CardsShow
| Suzuko Just another girl |
Brights! Camera! Action!
Her eyes widened at his accusation, and she blinked at him owlishly a few times. ”...T-To jump through the branches, Josuke-san…” She explained timidly, flinching at the loudness of his voice. If he preferred walking, sure, but at this rate they will be here for far longer than the mission was expected to be.
”W-We can also sprint thought the forest floor…” She suggested, placing her left hand on the middle of her right, and gently squeezing herself to remain calm. Was this… A trap? Was he really a person from the Heart empire, sent on a friendly patrol mission? She tilted her head to the side, and then turned around again, waiting for his decision.
The louder he became the less she talked, and it was only natural, keeping the universe in balance. They will near the border, check the area they were suppose to check and be on their way. She will probably ask him if he has enough food to sustain him for his stay in Konoha, suggest a few places, and be on her way as well… Tsuki’s eyes darted to her standard issue sandals, staring, and waiting for an answer. If he decides to just walk, so be it… But the danger only increases as darkness comes.
”W-We can also sprint thought the forest floor…” She suggested, placing her left hand on the middle of her right, and gently squeezing herself to remain calm. Was this… A trap? Was he really a person from the Heart empire, sent on a friendly patrol mission? She tilted her head to the side, and then turned around again, waiting for his decision.
The louder he became the less she talked, and it was only natural, keeping the universe in balance. They will near the border, check the area they were suppose to check and be on their way. She will probably ask him if he has enough food to sustain him for his stay in Konoha, suggest a few places, and be on her way as well… Tsuki’s eyes darted to her standard issue sandals, staring, and waiting for an answer. If he decides to just walk, so be it… But the danger only increases as darkness comes.
Brights! Camera! Action!
"Oh." He responded, rather quietly, staring at her with an almost entirely blank expression on his face, before looking rather incredulous. "You jump... through branches...?" He asked, as if that was the most ridiculous answer she could have given, perhaps more so than the secret murder field. "And that's... Faster than walking?!" He got even more animated, throwing his arms up into the air and looking incredibly dour. He wasn't much taller than her, but in the moment, with the sun to his back, and his body puffed out like a cat trying to make a point, he would appear as a gigantic figure, looming over, waiting to crush...
"That sounds really cool! Could you show me?" He asked with the world's biggest, brightest grin on his face, the sun twinkling off of one slightly elongated canine as he spoke with the same genuine interest as a child learning about their new favorite hobby. "We don't really have big forests like this back home, but I know some of the samurai go from rooftop to rooftop to avoid the crowds of the city, at least!"
"That sounds really cool! Could you show me?" He asked with the world's biggest, brightest grin on his face, the sun twinkling off of one slightly elongated canine as he spoke with the same genuine interest as a child learning about their new favorite hobby. "We don't really have big forests like this back home, but I know some of the samurai go from rooftop to rooftop to avoid the crowds of the city, at least!"
"It's so sad!" the reader said to the writer with a frown. "The character in my book just died!" The author turned to her and burst out into tears, "I know!" he said, "So did mine!"
Ninja Info CardsShow
| Suzuko Just another girl |
Brights! Camera! Action!
Blink blink. She felt the ends of her lips curl upwards, and with an energized nod, she looked up to one of the branches. ”Try to follow me.” And if something, I’ll help you . Quickly and with almost no sound, she jumped, and the next moment she knelt on one of the branches and tilted her head to the side, silky strands flowing to the side as well.
”Come on up, Josuke-san!” She’d call out and patiently wait for him to join her on the branch. As he did, she straightened her back and stood. ”The trick is to concentrate your chakra to your feet… And then, f-following the rhythm, we can cover a greater distance faster.” Tsuki lingered for a moment, and jumped to another branch nearby, then to another, as if showing an example. She stopped, turned around and stood, pinching her index finger with her other hand, patiently waiting for him to join.
”Come on up, Josuke-san!” She’d call out and patiently wait for him to join her on the branch. As he did, she straightened her back and stood. ”The trick is to concentrate your chakra to your feet… And then, f-following the rhythm, we can cover a greater distance faster.” Tsuki lingered for a moment, and jumped to another branch nearby, then to another, as if showing an example. She stopped, turned around and stood, pinching her index finger with her other hand, patiently waiting for him to join.
Brights! Camera! Action!
Josuke was, maybe surprisingly, somewhat of a natural at this. While he'd never formally trained on tree branches, or even rooftops, he'd always been top of his class in the ability to control his chakra. Close to last in his class in most other ways, though. Still, his lack of experience in the matter would show, as he eagerly pushed chakra into the soles of his feet, crouching down lower, lower, until his butt almost touched the dirt and his knuckles dragged along the road lightly, before...
His shoes exploded outwards in all directions, the leather and cloth that made them up rocketing off in shreds, the laces flying high up into the air towards the same branch Tsuki had landed on, followed swiftly by a now barefoot Josuke only milliseconds behind. Alright, maybe had more 'power' than 'control' of his chakra. "Woo!" He exclaimed as he flew through the air at speed, in a position not too dissimilar from a hawk swooping down to pull prey up off the ground. He hit the branch with the soles of his bare feet somewhat gracefully, before slightly slipping, tilting, almost falling, and catching himself.
"That was so cool!" He exclaimed, smiling towards Tsuki who was now several branches away, and making a couple of leaps to meet her. "I hope I don't get in trouble for ruining my uniform shoes..." He grumbled to himself, swiftly catching up with the Hyuuga girl. "You ninja types do this kinda thing all the time? Wow!" He said, leaping up and ahead of her in the same general direction they'd been travelling. "How do you keep track of where you are, or even what direction you're going without a road? I can't even see the sun through the canopy half the time!"
His shoes exploded outwards in all directions, the leather and cloth that made them up rocketing off in shreds, the laces flying high up into the air towards the same branch Tsuki had landed on, followed swiftly by a now barefoot Josuke only milliseconds behind. Alright, maybe had more 'power' than 'control' of his chakra. "Woo!" He exclaimed as he flew through the air at speed, in a position not too dissimilar from a hawk swooping down to pull prey up off the ground. He hit the branch with the soles of his bare feet somewhat gracefully, before slightly slipping, tilting, almost falling, and catching himself.
"That was so cool!" He exclaimed, smiling towards Tsuki who was now several branches away, and making a couple of leaps to meet her. "I hope I don't get in trouble for ruining my uniform shoes..." He grumbled to himself, swiftly catching up with the Hyuuga girl. "You ninja types do this kinda thing all the time? Wow!" He said, leaping up and ahead of her in the same general direction they'd been travelling. "How do you keep track of where you are, or even what direction you're going without a road? I can't even see the sun through the canopy half the time!"
"It's so sad!" the reader said to the writer with a frown. "The character in my book just died!" The author turned to her and burst out into tears, "I know!" he said, "So did mine!"
Ninja Info CardsShow
| Suzuko Just another girl |
Brights! Camera! Action!
Her smile widened, seeing Josuke concentrate his chakra so easily at a chosen location of his body. Some ninja took a lot of time to get it right, and it seemed that he got there swiftly. On second thought… Her eyebrows knit together as she watched pieces of his shoes fly around him, and she did feel panic for a second there. When he slipped, she even moved her body a little, but he caught himself and so she eased into her previous position as well, and all this just made her chuckle more to herself than to him.
She met him on her branch and with a nod, leaped forward, him following along. ”I’m sorry for your shoes… You do have a lot of chakra piled up.” She said in a friendly manner. ”Josuke-san, you keep referring to me as… Ninja-type. H-How do you call yourself then?” She asked and ducked, avoiding a lower branch as they continued their journey on the trees.
”Oh, well… We know the woods pretty well. I personally o-orient myself by chakra signatures of our ninja.” The ones I can feel… Not the hidden ones. Usually they’re super faint, but you at least know where the checkpoints are. ”Is life at your city and around it really that different?” She was so curious of this, and she really hoped that Josuke will tell her more about it.
They went through the branches for some time - and they were nearing the border they needed to check. Suddenly, Tsuki stopped, and she didn’t know if Josuke felt that (she was confident he did) and knelt. She didn’t really need to say anything, because below them was a man with a cabbage box and two other men circling him. The situation seemed easily understandable, but Tsuki wanted to make sure, so she stopped and listened to what was happening.
She met him on her branch and with a nod, leaped forward, him following along. ”I’m sorry for your shoes… You do have a lot of chakra piled up.” She said in a friendly manner. ”Josuke-san, you keep referring to me as… Ninja-type. H-How do you call yourself then?” She asked and ducked, avoiding a lower branch as they continued their journey on the trees.
”Oh, well… We know the woods pretty well. I personally o-orient myself by chakra signatures of our ninja.” The ones I can feel… Not the hidden ones. Usually they’re super faint, but you at least know where the checkpoints are. ”Is life at your city and around it really that different?” She was so curious of this, and she really hoped that Josuke will tell her more about it.
They went through the branches for some time - and they were nearing the border they needed to check. Suddenly, Tsuki stopped, and she didn’t know if Josuke felt that (she was confident he did) and knelt. She didn’t really need to say anything, because below them was a man with a cabbage box and two other men circling him. The situation seemed easily understandable, but Tsuki wanted to make sure, so she stopped and listened to what was happening.
Brights! Camera! Action!
Josuke shrugged, rolling his shoulders and tapping his feet against the branch like he was just warming up for a fight. "I'll make 'em get me a new pair when I get back home! At least it wasn't my personal pair." He smiled brightly at her comment about his chakra, though, and made a big show of flexing in a strange pose, showing off... Not much at all, since he was fully clothed. "Thanks! I'm pretty good at this sorta ninja-y stuff, my dad was too, I think!" He thought about that comment for a moment, he'd never seen his dad fight, and the man had only really taught him some of the basics of his light jutsu. In his defense, he had an awful lot of kids to teach.
He quirked an eyebrow at her when she asked what he referred to himself as, staring rather hard, and then looking around as if searching for an audience to agree with him that such a question was insane, and maybe even rude! Wasn't it obvious? "What, did you think I was a ninja?" He said, pulling his fist up to his chest with his thumb extended. "We don't have ninja in the Heart Empire!" He continued, sweeping his hand out from his chest in a grand gesture. "I am, like all my brothers and sisters, am... Samurai!"
A spotlight shone down upon him, and he faced the camera proudly. "And don't you know what it means to be a samurai?" He asked the audiences at home, and presumably, Tsuki. "It means letting your Heart lead the way!" A cheering sound could be heard. What was all that? A genjutsu, perhaps? But just as suddenly as it began, the spotlight turned off, and Josuke turned back to face the Hyuuga girl. "Seeing chakra signatures is pretty cool, though! ...I can't do that, can I?" He asked, as if she was hiding some secret from him, the same way that tree hopping had been hidden from him until now. "Of course it's different! There's not nearly so many trees, for a start."
He quirked an eyebrow at her when she asked what he referred to himself as, staring rather hard, and then looking around as if searching for an audience to agree with him that such a question was insane, and maybe even rude! Wasn't it obvious? "What, did you think I was a ninja?" He said, pulling his fist up to his chest with his thumb extended. "We don't have ninja in the Heart Empire!" He continued, sweeping his hand out from his chest in a grand gesture. "I am, like all my brothers and sisters, am... Samurai!"
A spotlight shone down upon him, and he faced the camera proudly. "And don't you know what it means to be a samurai?" He asked the audiences at home, and presumably, Tsuki. "It means letting your Heart lead the way!" A cheering sound could be heard. What was all that? A genjutsu, perhaps? But just as suddenly as it began, the spotlight turned off, and Josuke turned back to face the Hyuuga girl. "Seeing chakra signatures is pretty cool, though! ...I can't do that, can I?" He asked, as if she was hiding some secret from him, the same way that tree hopping had been hidden from him until now. "Of course it's different! There's not nearly so many trees, for a start."
Last edited by Nick on Thu May 08, 2025 2:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"It's so sad!" the reader said to the writer with a frown. "The character in my book just died!" The author turned to her and burst out into tears, "I know!" he said, "So did mine!"
Ninja Info CardsShow
| Suzuko Just another girl |
Brights! Camera! Action!
She was… Stunned, really. These Heart… Samurai. Were so different. Tsuki stared at him for a few moments, then her eyes trailed to the spot he was addressing, and then back at him. Was this really a genjutsu? But genjutsu did not work on the byakuugan… Whatever that was… It was equal parts interesting as it was entertaining.
"Seeing chakra signatures is pretty cool, though! ...I can't do that, can I?"
She slightly tilted her head to one side, then to another, thinking. ”I’m not sure, but you do have good chakra control… Your sensory ability is something a little different. Can you feel anyone besides us somewhere nearby?”
And then they noticed the men under them. Waiting a moment longer, she nodded, concluding that they were really bandits. This did not look like a trap or a setup, the older man with the cabbages seemed very scared as well. In a tone barely above whisper, she said: ”Bandits are not really our mission, but… It is border patrol. I can’t sense more than these two.” The veins popped on the sides of her eyes just to confirm, and then she continued. ”I suggest keeping the element of surprise, jumping down, prompting the man to run and each of us take one bandit on…. I-if that’s okay w-with you.” She added a bit unsure - there was no “leader” selected for a border patrol mission.
"Seeing chakra signatures is pretty cool, though! ...I can't do that, can I?"
She slightly tilted her head to one side, then to another, thinking. ”I’m not sure, but you do have good chakra control… Your sensory ability is something a little different. Can you feel anyone besides us somewhere nearby?”
And then they noticed the men under them. Waiting a moment longer, she nodded, concluding that they were really bandits. This did not look like a trap or a setup, the older man with the cabbages seemed very scared as well. In a tone barely above whisper, she said: ”Bandits are not really our mission, but… It is border patrol. I can’t sense more than these two.” The veins popped on the sides of her eyes just to confirm, and then she continued. ”I suggest keeping the element of surprise, jumping down, prompting the man to run and each of us take one bandit on…. I-if that’s okay w-with you.” She added a bit unsure - there was no “leader” selected for a border patrol mission.
Brights! Camera! Action!
Josuke closed his eyes as she asked if he could 'feel' someone nearby... And the answer was a resounding 'no', not spoken aloud, but maybe implied in his silence. Obviously, the boy was not silent very often. It did look like he was concentrating rather hard, and if Tsuki stared close enough she might have noticed him shake a little bit, maybe even vibrate as she spoke about the bandit beneath them, before he finally opened his eyes, looked down, then back up at her, gave her another one of those gigantic face-splitting smiles...
"Sounds good to me!" He yelled, perhaps losing the element of surprise almost immediately, but as the last word left his mouth, his head was already below the branch, falling the distance to the ground as he channeled chakra throughout his body, more of a reddish color now than the blue that had exploded outwardly from his feet previously, condensing into his hand in a sphere of solid light. "Turn around and run, cabbage man!" The blonde boy yelled, landing on the man's cabbage cart, prompting him to dramatically shout "My cabbages!"
"Villains, beware!" He said dramatically, striking a pose from atop the cabbage cart, one hand partially concealing his face, the other with the Red Dwarf inside of it raised high to the sky. "You've chosen the worst possible day to be bandits, for I, Josuke, will be your opponent!" There was a bit of an awkward pause, the bandits looked at him, then at each other, and then back at him... And started to laugh.
For obvious reasons, Josuke did not take kindly to this, and his righteous look on his face quickly morphed into one of anger, as he yelled and his voice cracked, throwing the Red Dwarf directly in the middle of the two.
"Sounds good to me!" He yelled, perhaps losing the element of surprise almost immediately, but as the last word left his mouth, his head was already below the branch, falling the distance to the ground as he channeled chakra throughout his body, more of a reddish color now than the blue that had exploded outwardly from his feet previously, condensing into his hand in a sphere of solid light. "Turn around and run, cabbage man!" The blonde boy yelled, landing on the man's cabbage cart, prompting him to dramatically shout "My cabbages!"
"Villains, beware!" He said dramatically, striking a pose from atop the cabbage cart, one hand partially concealing his face, the other with the Red Dwarf inside of it raised high to the sky. "You've chosen the worst possible day to be bandits, for I, Josuke, will be your opponent!" There was a bit of an awkward pause, the bandits looked at him, then at each other, and then back at him... And started to laugh.
For obvious reasons, Josuke did not take kindly to this, and his righteous look on his face quickly morphed into one of anger, as he yelled and his voice cracked, throwing the Red Dwarf directly in the middle of the two.
Jutsu UsedShow
~Light Release • Red Dwarf
D-rank Ninjutsu
Performing hand seals and then holding out their hand, the user produces a softball sized ball of light that is the same color as their personal light in the palm of their hand. This ball glows with an intensity equal to the user’s [Control]. It can also be thrown or used in melee combat. When it hits something it acts like a gas and spreads out over the impacted area, causing a blinding flash of light and heat with a strength equal to the user’s [Control] up to an area of [Control]x[Control]x[Control] meters. This jutsu lasts for 4 posts unless used earlier.
D-rank Ninjutsu
Performing hand seals and then holding out their hand, the user produces a softball sized ball of light that is the same color as their personal light in the palm of their hand. This ball glows with an intensity equal to the user’s [Control]. It can also be thrown or used in melee combat. When it hits something it acts like a gas and spreads out over the impacted area, causing a blinding flash of light and heat with a strength equal to the user’s [Control] up to an area of [Control]x[Control]x[Control] meters. This jutsu lasts for 4 posts unless used earlier.
"It's so sad!" the reader said to the writer with a frown. "The character in my book just died!" The author turned to her and burst out into tears, "I know!" he said, "So did mine!"
Ninja Info CardsShow
| Suzuko Just another girl |
Brights! Camera! Action!
As Josuke yelled, and they indeed lost the element of surprise, Tsuki’s lips turned to a flat line to focus. While everything went down, she saw the cabbage man running, and nodded to herself. The bandit’s did have their hands (or minds) full with Josuke at the moment, and that allowed Tsuki to approach them.
She jumped from her branch, landing behind one of them, and hitting the upper arm chakra point with her byakuugan activated. While that worked, it definitely caught their attention, and she had to start evading the punches from the bandits. She did so, and it looked more like dancing, since all she did was redirecting his punches, and thinking what her next move should be.
“Josuke-san, I really hope you’ll get the other one… She thought, and then winced mentally, understanding that she probably should prompt him aloud. ”Don’t let the other one get away! She kept evading and re-directing with the other bandit, but she was running short on her plan. She would knock him out, but now her hands were full with not getting beat up.
She jumped from her branch, landing behind one of them, and hitting the upper arm chakra point with her byakuugan activated. While that worked, it definitely caught their attention, and she had to start evading the punches from the bandits. She did so, and it looked more like dancing, since all she did was redirecting his punches, and thinking what her next move should be.
“Josuke-san, I really hope you’ll get the other one… She thought, and then winced mentally, understanding that she probably should prompt him aloud. ”Don’t let the other one get away! She kept evading and re-directing with the other bandit, but she was running short on her plan. She would knock him out, but now her hands were full with not getting beat up.
Last edited by Lunanana on Sat May 10, 2025 3:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
Brights! Camera! Action!
Being a bandit in a major country must only go one of two ways, thought Josuke. Certainly, the biggest targets were likely coming and going from major countries and into minor ones, and therefor the biggest pay dirt of your life was only one successful robbery of just the right caravan away! However, being in a major country also came with the problem that samurai and ninja would be patrolling the roads, ready to pounce at a moment's notice! That meant that in order to be a bandit in a major country, you either needed to be incredibly strong, or...
Well, Josuke actually didn't think all of that, he more thought What a couple of idiots! -- Which might have been a little of the pot calling the kettle black. He was a little annoyed about Tsuki calling out to him, the momentary blindness provided by his flash bomb earlier would have more than given them the element of surprise they needed to take these two down! He turned around to look at her incredulously for a moment. "I got him!" He proclaimed rather loudly, with a tinge of a teenager telling his mom he'd clean his room later in his tone.
"You wont escape that easily, villain!" Josuke proclaimed, giving chase on foot as Tsuki expertly took care of the one in front of them, taking off at an immediate sprint, his legs staying perfectly straight but his body tilting close to 90 degrees to the left as he passed past the first bandit that Tsuki was engaging with. "Acting like I don't know how to capture a villain, because I'm a samurai, probably..." He grumbled as he flashed through his handseals, a series of rings forming around his arms, which were then held out towards the fleeing bandit, wrapping him in three bands, one around his ankles, the next around his waist, and the third around his elbows, locking him down, as he fell and skidded through the dirt, being lightly burned and flashed by the capture rings.
"Are all your bandits kinda... Weak cowards?"
Well, Josuke actually didn't think all of that, he more thought What a couple of idiots! -- Which might have been a little of the pot calling the kettle black. He was a little annoyed about Tsuki calling out to him, the momentary blindness provided by his flash bomb earlier would have more than given them the element of surprise they needed to take these two down! He turned around to look at her incredulously for a moment. "I got him!" He proclaimed rather loudly, with a tinge of a teenager telling his mom he'd clean his room later in his tone.
"You wont escape that easily, villain!" Josuke proclaimed, giving chase on foot as Tsuki expertly took care of the one in front of them, taking off at an immediate sprint, his legs staying perfectly straight but his body tilting close to 90 degrees to the left as he passed past the first bandit that Tsuki was engaging with. "Acting like I don't know how to capture a villain, because I'm a samurai, probably..." He grumbled as he flashed through his handseals, a series of rings forming around his arms, which were then held out towards the fleeing bandit, wrapping him in three bands, one around his ankles, the next around his waist, and the third around his elbows, locking him down, as he fell and skidded through the dirt, being lightly burned and flashed by the capture rings.
"Are all your bandits kinda... Weak cowards?"
JutsuShow
~Light Release • Rings of Saturn
C-rank Ninjutsu
After performing the necessary hand seals the user will then create three rings of light around their arms. They can throw these rings out towards a target up to 25 meters at a speed equal to the users [Control]. These rings will then wrap and bind whatever they make contact with a strength equal to that of the user’s [Control] constricting constantly. These bindings last for 4 posts unless broken.
C-rank Ninjutsu
After performing the necessary hand seals the user will then create three rings of light around their arms. They can throw these rings out towards a target up to 25 meters at a speed equal to the users [Control]. These rings will then wrap and bind whatever they make contact with a strength equal to that of the user’s [Control] constricting constantly. These bindings last for 4 posts unless broken.
"It's so sad!" the reader said to the writer with a frown. "The character in my book just died!" The author turned to her and burst out into tears, "I know!" he said, "So did mine!"
Ninja Info CardsShow
| Suzuko Just another girl |
Brights! Camera! Action!
She gasped for air, cleaning the sweat from her forehead. Whatever was happening, Josuke was the main character of this show and she was more than confident in his ability to take care of the second one. However, the first one was whimpering now, asking them what they will do with him. Um… You will be taken to the village, sir. And interrogated. She answered politely, and then stood beside the already cuffed bandit, watching Josuke. Of course, the restrained one wanted to say something else, but Tsuki flashed him her byakuugan, and it worked like a charm.
"Are all your bandits kinda... Weak cowards?" She tilted her head slightly to both sides as if thinking. She didn’t really have much experience, but from what she heard, sometimes they are not only bandits. These, however, didn’t seem to have prominent chakra signatures. Unless, they were suppressing, of course. She couldn’t tell. Not yet, anyway…
She patiently waited for Josuke, ready to jump in, if needed. Then, they will have to take the bandits back to Konoha and report.
Brights! Camera! Action!
The boy looked at the bandit in front of him, the one that wasn't in front of him a moment ago, and then looked past him to Tsuki, squinting and throwing up his hands. "This one was yours!" He complained, not taking this nearly seriously enough, as similar to the bandit's attempt against Tsuki, he threw a punch at Josuke, and Josuke... Did not dodge in time, moving his head to the side a bit, but getting socked right in the nose for the indignity he presented in the face of having more work shoved onto him. "Ow! Fuckin... What the fuck!" He complained, bent over a bit cupping his nose with both hands, blood pouring pretty freely from the wound. "What the fuck was that for!" He asked the bandit, as if that wasn't part of some carefully plotted choreograph.
"Here! Take him back!" Josuke complained from his bent-over position, turning it into a full-force tackle, shoving him bodily back towards the Hyuuga heiress.
"Here! Take him back!" Josuke complained from his bent-over position, turning it into a full-force tackle, shoving him bodily back towards the Hyuuga heiress.
"It's so sad!" the reader said to the writer with a frown. "The character in my book just died!" The author turned to her and burst out into tears, "I know!" he said, "So did mine!"
Ninja Info CardsShow
| Suzuko Just another girl |
Brights! Camera! Action!
Tsuki blinked a few times, looking to Josuke, and then started to dig through her equipment, producing a tissue and handing it out to him. ”Y-You did well, Josuke-san… Thank you.” She said and looked at the bandits again, one whimpering and the other one unconscious for the moment. Probably needed to cuff the second one too. Now, there was a question on how to carry them, but once that’s sorted out, they will be able to wrap up the mission.
”...How’s your nose?” She asked, a little embarrassed, and looking away with a slight blush. It was essentially her fault and she felt very guilty. Her mission partner seemed like fire, and she was almost shrugging into herself, ready to hear him shout at her.
Brights! Camera! Action!
"Gah!" He said, his voice nasally for a moment, before letting go of it to accept Tsuki's handkerchief. "Thanks." He said, probably the most gently of anything he'd said since the two met. He tested it with his pointer finger, and wiped the blood off, keeping it held to stem the bleeding so it didn't get all over his uniform. "Not broken I don't think." He said, not catching onto the social cues that she was likely blaming herself for it. "That was pretty cool though!" He finally shouted, his voice back to full volume. Now that the initial shock of being socked in the nose was gone, he didn't seem all that bothered by it.
"Can you show me how to do that..." He trailed off, making a palm thrust motion in the air like he'd seen her do. "Pew! And he went down! Well, maybe I don't wanna do that actually, it wasn't quite... big enough, you know?" He laughed raucously, echoing throughout the woods, when he heard the grunt of the man he'd locked up with the solar bands. "...How do y'all deal with these guys now? Normally we'd radio in and have a cart pick them up to go to jail in the empire... You ninja types probably prefer like, execution, right?"
The bandit with the solar bands around him struggled and whined at the thought.
"Can you show me how to do that..." He trailed off, making a palm thrust motion in the air like he'd seen her do. "Pew! And he went down! Well, maybe I don't wanna do that actually, it wasn't quite... big enough, you know?" He laughed raucously, echoing throughout the woods, when he heard the grunt of the man he'd locked up with the solar bands. "...How do y'all deal with these guys now? Normally we'd radio in and have a cart pick them up to go to jail in the empire... You ninja types probably prefer like, execution, right?"
The bandit with the solar bands around him struggled and whined at the thought.
"It's so sad!" the reader said to the writer with a frown. "The character in my book just died!" The author turned to her and burst out into tears, "I know!" he said, "So did mine!"
Ninja Info CardsShow
| Suzuko Just another girl |
Brights! Camera! Action!
When Josuke complimented her skill, she beamed, all of the Hyuuga heir training going out the window. To a keen eye, her chin was up just a little bit more than usual, as she side eyed the captured bandits. ”Well, um… It’s my clan’s technique. To put simply, we force some chakra out of the tips of our fingers and block certain tanketsu points. Uhh…” She tilted her head, looking away and then back at Josuke. ”I blocked his chakra point in the back of his head just enough to knock him out.”
She followed Josuke’s gaze, holding back a laugh when the ambitious samurai in front of her deemed her technique not as flashy as he liked. ”We’ll take them to Fire country prison, and leave them there… They didn’t seem like a very organized duo, not to mention their…” Lack of skill. With this explanation, she turned to the bandits and started thinking how they would bring them there, deciding that cuffs and chains would be enough to tie their hands together, and guard them as they walked. ”I can lead the way in the front, and, if you will, Josuke-san, can follow behind them, that way we ensure they are watched.” Tsuki finally answered, looking back at Josuke.
Brights! Camera! Action!
He stared at the tub of balm for a moment, squinting, and briefly wondered if accepting strange, vaguely medicinal creams from strange ninja was a good idea, but like most thoughts in Josuke's head was, in fact, brief. "Wow!" He proclaimed, snatching it from her hand with the same fervor as a thief ripping a hundred ryo bill out of a hungry customer's hand before it could be handed to a store clerk, and while he didn't say it out loud, Tsuki may have even heard the delinquent that lived inside of Josuke's head say 'Score!' quietly.
He opened the little cannister and dipped two fingers in lightly, bringing them up to his nose to sniff, before shrugging and starting to apply it to his nose, wincing a bit from the sensitivity, and the coldness introduced, before handing it back to her, now looking like someone that had applied too-much sunscreen at the beach.
"Pretty cool, clan-technique-girl!" He said, giving her a very clever nickname off the cuff, because he was just so clever like that. He didn't really get what tenketsu were, maybe he'd heard the word a couple of times before in one of his classes, but he was never big on all that 'theory' stuff. He followed her lead and dropped in behind the pair after helping make sure they were bound with some conveniently placed rope from the rope tree nearby.
"So the prison is where they get executed?" He asked with no inkling of concern at the thought, nor malice at the idea, just asking questions rapidfire like a young child interested in a new subject for the first time.
"Is it like a beheading thing?"
"Or maybe you hang them?"
"Oh! I bet you ninja types light 'em on fire!"
He opened the little cannister and dipped two fingers in lightly, bringing them up to his nose to sniff, before shrugging and starting to apply it to his nose, wincing a bit from the sensitivity, and the coldness introduced, before handing it back to her, now looking like someone that had applied too-much sunscreen at the beach.
"Pretty cool, clan-technique-girl!" He said, giving her a very clever nickname off the cuff, because he was just so clever like that. He didn't really get what tenketsu were, maybe he'd heard the word a couple of times before in one of his classes, but he was never big on all that 'theory' stuff. He followed her lead and dropped in behind the pair after helping make sure they were bound with some conveniently placed rope from the rope tree nearby.
"So the prison is where they get executed?" He asked with no inkling of concern at the thought, nor malice at the idea, just asking questions rapidfire like a young child interested in a new subject for the first time.
"Is it like a beheading thing?"
"Or maybe you hang them?"
"Oh! I bet you ninja types light 'em on fire!"
"It's so sad!" the reader said to the writer with a frown. "The character in my book just died!" The author turned to her and burst out into tears, "I know!" he said, "So did mine!"
Ninja Info CardsShow
| Suzuko Just another girl |
Brights! Camera! Action!
They walked until well late into the night, and once they did, the prisoners were taken from the two. She turned to Josuke and thanked him for his help, appreciated his strength and fighting spirit, and together they sat and wrote out a report to give back to the people in charge.
Josuke and Hyuuga Tsuki went on a patrol mission to scout the Fire Country border. On their way there, they found two bandits interfering with vegetable supply to Konoha, and took both of the to the Fire Country prison for further assessment.
The duo did not consider the bandits to be of larger organized crime group.
Josuke suffered a broken nose injury, full recovery expected.
The border in the assigned area is otherwise clear.