[Graded] Tougher Calls

[Willoria]

Ume sat alone in the darkness. She was surrounded by stone, there was no campfire, and she wasn't far from a nearby town. She was far enough from the road to keep from being seen, a cigarette resting between her lips as the smoke rises from it. By the light of the end of it between puffs she looked over the scroll again with the mission details. She waited for her partner to arrive before they set out on the mission.

She knew her target would be in the town ahead. Some malcontent, a local farmer that had learned basic ninjutsu from a passing missing ninja had been trying to recruit other criminals. Not all the details had come out but it seemed the village had deemed this a threat that needed to be taken out early before it could take real root. "This is stupid." she muttered. "A genin could practically do this." She shook her head as she spoke to herself, sighing as she took another drag off her cigarette.

In truth, she just wished she could have a drink as she waited on him.

[TyDie]

A Light, soft, even series of steps is all Ume would hear as her partner crept up on her, treading through the darkness with an even gait. This was to be his first assignment with the woman, and if all went well he'd be able to report on her ability to perform and follow mission protocols. And those protocols were very simple; Kill the target, and only the target. He waved his hand in front of his face as he closed in on the woman, the smell of tobacco crossing his sensitive nose. "Ugh... I do hope you've brought a means of covering that scent. It's a dead giveaway." Jinsai commented on the cigarette, sitting a couple meters away from her. "And that light at the end of it can be seen for miles if you aren't careful..."

He didn't expect much of an issue though, all things considered. He doubted their target, some hapless farmer who learned how to use ninjutsu and started to rally a few locals, was the type to look over his shoulder all night. But in his mind, every mission should be treated with the same care and respect, regardless of it's perceived ease. "Well? This is your wheelhouse, not mine. How do you want to go about this?" His job on this mission was to observe and intervene only if necessary, this was sort of a 'trial' mission to make sure Ume could work well with Jinsai, and keep her head on straight throughout a mission. Of course, it was two fold; no one was sure Jinsai would be able to work with her either, given her heritage.

Still, he was actually quite pleased with his initial meeting with the woman. As far as he could tell, this would be a simple, by the books assassination... He hoped he was right about that.

[Willoria]

Ume rolled her eyes as Jinsai spoke up. "The target is a farmer, he's really not going to notice the smell." she remarked. She took a long drag off the cigarette to finish it off before pinching off the end with two fingers to drop the lit cherry out and put it out with the tip of her boot. The rest she pocketed before pausing to look at him a moment. "And I already scouted ahead before I lit it, we're far enough away with enough obstacles that the light isn't visible in town." she added, very obviously rolling her eyes at him. "I'm not entirely stupid... or new to this." She added as she stepped closer to him.

"Oh, I probably won't need it tonight but something I should have warned you of before but..." She moved to step past the man but suddenly reached over to grab at his belt and pull him closer to him, intent as always to make him uncomfortable as she smirked at him, looking up at him in the now lack of space between them. "You should get good at avoiding genjutsu if you aren't already, if you're going to work with me. I'm pretty good at getting my targets to feel infatuation under its effects and I really doubt you want to feel that way for me."

Ume snickered as she released his belt and started to step away. "Should be simple, get close, slip in a window, slit a throat, slip out. It's just a farming community after all and the middle of the night."

[TyDie]

Jinsai couldn't object to the obvious observation she had made about the farmer; he had come to the same conclusion after all. But he honestly wasn't sure she would've done the legwork to ensure her nicotine habit would be safe to indulge in, so hearing that did actually put him a little more at ease. The smoking was stupid, but at least she was smart about it. She got closer to him after discarding her cigarette, her approach earning a slight amount of concern from the man as she got within arm's reach. Sure enough, she reached out and grabbed his belt, pulling him close to her as she mentioned her genjutsu abilities. He couldn't help but look to the sky as she spoke, trying his best to avoid feeling even more awkward than he already was. "Yes yes, I've read your files and I understand your capabilities well enough. I swear, you enjoy my discomfort a bit too much..."

He'd finally wrestle himself out of her grasp and dust off his vest, then reach behind him to retrieve his sansetsukon. Grabbing hold of the center section of the staff and pressing a button to cause the other two loose sections to retract into place, forming a quarterstaff. "Seems like you've got it all figured out then. You know our target's location, and you have the means of dealing the blow. Now... what shall I do? Unless you have a task you'd like me to fulfill, I'll stand by until needed." It was another thing made very clear to Jinsai; while he outranked her, this was Ume's mission, and her calls to make. He was to follow her lead and give her the chance to make the right calls... or the wrong ones. So, he'd bow to her whims, whether that mean hanging back or following her close behind.

The choice was hers.

[Willoria]

"I've never met a man whose discomfort was so damn entertaining... then again I've never met a man who gets uncomfortable at so damn much..." Ume remarked with a laugh, yet again shaking her head. "I swear though, you must be the most vanilla, boring sort of man in the sack." she added. She sighed as she started leading the way towards the town ahead. She didn't take the road though she kept it in sight so she knew where she was going. As Jinsai asked about her plans for his role, she wrinkled up her nose a moment, growing serious. Naturally she thought of jokes to make but she didn't make any. It was hardly the time. If this was Koyama she'd have a more proactive role for him to take, but he wasn't Koyama and she had already resolved herself not to let him get so involved.

She shook her head almost vigorously. "I'll signal if there's an issue. Stay in sight of the window I'll use for entry, keep an eye out for trouble. But do not come in unless absolutely necessary. Two of us would attract too much attention in such a close knit community." Of course that was mostly an excuse. She hardly knew him, she hardly cared about him at all, but she was determined to make sure no one else died on her watch.

[TyDie]

Jinsai simply rolled his eyes at the woman's comments about his discomfort, but seemed slightly offended by her even speaking of his love life. "I don't believe that's any of your business... It's not like you'll ever see it." He muttered to himself under his breath, not really trying to speak back to her but not holding it back too hard either; if she tried, she'd hear him. But the conversation turned serious once more, much to Jinsai's pleasure, as she gave her edict. So he was to sit outside and act only if signaled... Well, it worked for him. "Understood. Be quick and clean and we can be home before sunrise." Jinsai gave a nod as he received his orders, and the two began to close in on the small farming community. There was a spattering of people near the center of the community, a few raucous members at what appeared to be an inn, but their target was a small farmhouse on the edge of town.

Nothing special, a simple two story home, but many of the windows seemed boarded up, and he had no doubt that the doors might be reinforced. After all, their target was beginning to delve into criminal activity; he'd be stupid not to prepare some kind of defense. "I know how easy this seems, but don't underestimate them. Get it done, i'll be listening." Jin would post up outside a window on the bottom floor, motioning up to a window on the second story that was clearly unprotected. How silly... their target, some farmer with a grudge to bear, had learned the basics of ninjutsu, and yet didn't realize that his second story was just as vulnerable as his first.

This is why the masses shouldn't have such power available to them.

[Willoria]

Ume only smirked through Jinsai's responses to her insults. She'd gotten under his skin and that was enough to keep her entertained for the night. She moved along to the farming community with him and also noticed the sounds coming from the center of town. She immediately dismissed it as she noticed the farmer's home wasn't near the noises and knew it didn't pose a risk to her work that night. If anything, the noise might provide a good cover if anything went wrong. She followed him to the window on the bottom floor, rolling her eyes at his tip before giving him a simple look. "Just try not to stare at my ass during this." she remarked before forming the handseals needed to walk up the wall of the building.

A moment later she had slipped into the upper window.

For a moment she remained crouched under the window, allowing her eyes time to adjust to the darkness as she reached for and drew one of her push daggers. Once her eyes were used to it she crept from one room to the next and was happy to see her target laying in bed alone. 'Too easy.' She stood up straight and walked into the room, looking down at him for a few moments, tilting her head as she looked down at the man's sleeping form.

She reached out to put a hand over his mouth just as her other hand moved swiftly and shoved the tip of her dagger into the front of his neck and dragged outward. What would have been a gasp of shock quickly turned into a muffled gurgle under her hand as she leaned down and whispered into his ear. "Iwa has ears everywhere. Goodbye, fool."

[TyDie]

Jinsai rolled his eyes as the woman made her way up and into the window, and for a moment he simply leaned against the wall and listened patiently. Truth be told, there wasn't much he could do in terms of sensing what was going on within the house; he lacked sensory ninjutsu, and his eyes were by far his most powerful sensory organs. But still, he just listened quietly, as if waiting for something to go wrong. He heard her shuffle around for a moment upstairs, moving out of the room she started in to a hallway no doubt, but from there... silence. He'd hoped that'd be all he heard, and she'd eventually come back out the window to him so they could be on their way.

He was wrong. The next noise he heard was the sound of conversation leading up to the front door of the farmhouse, and the opening of a door.

"Haa... Nothing's ever simple." He wasn't the sneakiest sort, but he wasn't going to leave her in their alone now, knowing there were more people coming in to the home. With a few hand seals, he'd cling to the side of the wall and walk up to the window. Then, he'd silently poke his head out of the door and into the hallway, looking for Ume's path of travel. There were only a few doors opened, she had to be in one of them...

[Willoria]

Ume kept her hand clamped over the man's mouth as his blood flowed, not even remotely bothered by the amount that had sprayed across her at her initial slash. She kept him quiet until he stopped twitching and his eyes glazed over. She waited an extra moment before releasing him and straightening up, observing his corpse for a moment. When she was content that he was well and truly dead, she turned to leave but was met with a shock. There was a flash of steel as she turned and her hand with the dagger lashed out in reflex and she heard a scream that was not her own.

At her feet was suddenly a young woman of maybe thirteen, a large gash in her throat from Ume's dagger. She stared down at the girl in shock for a moment, quickly putting away her own weapon before grabbing a blanket from the bed and tearing off a section of it. "Damn it, kid! No!" she hissed, pressing the cloth to the girl's neck before pulling her up to prop her head up on her lap. "Just hang on..." She formed hand seals quickly, only releasing the cloth a moment as her hands glowed green and she pressed them over the wound, using the Iijutsu technique for blood clotting as she cursed herself. 'Stupid bitch, after Koyama you still haven't learned Mystical Palm! Stupid!'

She hadn't even noticed yet the dagger on the floor that the girl had wielded against her, or the gash in her own side from it that already had blood running down and staining her own skin.

[TyDie]

Jinsai poked his head in the room just in time to watch Ume lash out against the teenage girl, and he hissed a curse under his breath as he strode into the room. He quickly assessed the scene, noticing that both Ume and the girl were bleeding, and the girl had dropped a dagger to the floor. He also heard a bunch of movement downstairs too; no doubt the other inhabitants of the house heard them. Jinsai would crouch over by Ume, who was already freaking out about the situation, and look at the young teenager's wound with a grimace. "There's nothing you can do Ume, we need to leave." Even in this moment, the man's tone was calm and collected. There was a window in this room leading outside, it would drop them out front of the house but afterwards they could make a speedy getaway with ease.

As the footsteps downstairs hit what sounded like a staircase, Jinsai rose and grabbed hold of his staff, and a blue vignette of chakra surrounded him. "You've got about 30 seconds to get a grip Ume." As he finished, the end of his staff suddenly expanded out into a spherical barrier that would serve as a means of keeping the enemy out. Sure enough, within a few seconds, there was banging and slamming against his staff, but his strength was more than enough to hold them back... for now. "She had a dagger. You're cut. It's self defense. That's all there is to it." He spoke through stifled grunts as he felt the pushing against his metal shield, but in reality he wasn't sure how long that shield would block the doorway. Ume needed to get ahold of herself, fast... or he'd have to start drawing blood himself.

JutsuShow

Kouton • Shield Form
B-Ranked Ninjutsu
Jinsai will channel chakra throughout his body, funneling the chakra into his Sansetsukon. In doing so, he will cause one end of the staff to extend outwards and spread out into the form of a hemispherical barrier up to 5 meters in diameter. This barrier retains the strength of Jinsai's staff, and lasts for 5 posts or until Jinsai wills the weapon to return to normal.

[Willoria]

Ume heard his voice, and looking into the girl's eyes she could see he was right. The girl was already gone. She stopped the flow of chakra and the green glow went away. She slipped out from under the girl with a few whispered words as chakra glowed over her body and her shiin manifested, but only her Eroshiin wings unfolded from her back. "Come here!" She snarled at Jinsai, motioning at him to follow her. Assuming he did as she asked, she'd quickly slip behind him and wrap her arms around his shoulders to hold him in front of her. "Don't freak out, and don't kick me." she told him quickly, at the same time kicking backwards out of the window.

She dove backwards out of the window, for a brief moment her wings wrapped around the both of them but the moment they were clear of the window her wings snapped outwards to glide the both of them down to the ground. When they were close enough she turned and set him down on his feet first before landing next to him and pulling her shiin back into herself and running beside him. She'd move as quick as she could to try and get away from the place as quickly as she could, trying to put distance between themselves and the village though she was certain they weren't being followed.

Jutsu UsedShow

~Basic Formation: Eroshiin
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
Channeling chakra to their shiin, they cause it to inflate, fully forming into its full glory. Taking the form of wings, they are incapable of flight on their own, however are very aerodynamic, allowing for the user to slowly float down, based on their prerequisite taijutsu. The Eroshiin has a strength equal to 3/4ths the user's strength.

~Glide
B-Ranked Maneuver Taijutsu
Type: Eroshiin
Requirements: ~Feather Fall
Effectively the same as the prior technique, this allows the Akari to glide in all measure of the word. They are able to 'ride' the wind, gaining height through the use of the natural wind or [Fuuton] techniques.

~Dismiss
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
A partially automatic technique once learned, but can be stopped if need-be, the user is able to cause the manifested form of their shiin to deflate at command or whenever they go unconscious. While the uses of this aren't directly obvious, it does allow them to hide the fact that they do in fact have a shiin.

[TyDie]

Jinsai cursed under his breath as he heard the metal of his staff beginning to give way. They might not be strong, but enough strikes would eventually work through his shield, and then the blood would have to start spilling. But as he was getting ready to let the shield down and start breaking skulls, Ume stood up and ordered him over. With a grunt, Jinsai nodded and slammed the other end of his staff into the wood beneath his feet, bracing it against the door to hold back their enemies. It was pretty clear what she was going for, and sure enough, the two of them spilled backwards out the window with a loud crash. He had to say... it didn't feel safe to him. He was definitely not pleased with it, they could've just jumped like normal he thought. But either way, they hit the ground and made their escape fast, leaving two corpses behind them.

As they ran, Jinsai took a moment to create a new weapon for himself, gathering blue chakra around himself before funneling the chakra into his hand as it took the shape of metal. A few moments later, he held another Sansetsukon in his hands, though it was plain gray metal instead of the stylized red and black weapon he normally carried. "Well... Mission accomplished I suppose." Jinsai stated it matter of factly, clearly not too fussed by what had transpired despite feeling bad that an innocent had to die. Sometimes it was unavoidable... Once they were safely away from the little community, the sound of their yelling fading into the night, Jinsai would slow down and look to Ume's side. "You... might want to treat that. If you can. It looks painful."

JutsuShow

Kouton • Replacement
D-Ranked Ninjutsu
Jinsai will channel chakra throughout his body, funneling the chakra into his hand. This chakra will seep out of his palm and form rigid metal that shapes itself into a replica of his traditional Sansetsukon. The weapon is formed with [control] speed and can withstand [control] strength without breaking.

[Willoria]

When Jinsai slowed down, so did Ume. As he mentioned the mission was complete she couldn't help making a sound of frustration through her teeth. She was pissed at herself. The kid had snuck up on her, had injured her, and she had killed her out of reflex. None of it was anything she was proud of. Yet again she had given into the violence that lived in her clan and in her blood, and she hated herself for it. But none of it was anything she voiced aloud. She made the way back to the small area they had started at to begin with before finally finding a spot she felt was suitable to sit on a large rock and look down at her own wound. She took off her jacket and tossed it aside, already shredded from manifesting her shiin without removing it int he first place, to get a better look at the wound in her side. It was a nasty looking gash, the bloodflow beginning to slow but still looked rather dangerous to simply leave unaddressed.

"I've had worse." she said at first, looking up and noticing Jinsai's expression she made a face at him. "That isn't me being reckless, I'm being entirely serious." she told him. "Honestly I didn't even feel it it first." she told him, suddenly biting into her thumb and forming the hand seals for the summoning jutsu before slamming her hand down beside herself. "You talk so much about my clan's violence its like you forget how much pain we go through in our lifetime. This is nothing compared to wounds I've taken when someone's come after my shiin before."

She sighed as she saw the little creature that appeared in the summoning circle that had appeared and couldn't help a smile. "Hello, Kantai."

[TyDie]

Jinsai raised an eyebrow as she mentioned having suffered worse wounds, and he was about to chide her for being reckless... which was funny considering she immediately stated she wasn't being reckless. It was almost like she knew what he was going to say. But as she went on, he slowly started to understand... at least, somewhat. He knew that had to eat each other to attain more power, a grisly thought if ever there was one, but it hadn't really dawned on him how savage that could get... "I suppose I hadn't considered that before, you're right. The fact remains though, aggravating that wound could slow us down, or get you infected. Neither bodes well." He was about to urge her to act again, knowing full well she could at least clot herself, but instead a summoning jutsu was performed... and a strange creature appeared before them.

"Ahh... I didn't know you had formed a pact with any spirits. Interesting." Jinsai stroked his chin in thought as he slipped his sansetsukon away. He would've expected her summon to be as barbaric as her clan... but if he was being honest, this thing seemed absolutely adorable. What powers did it contain, that she would summon it instead of using iijutsu? "I assume this spirit can heal you?"

[Willoria]

Took everything Ume had not to continuously roll her eyes at Jinsai. Every single thing he said just seemed condescending to her. But before she could say anything, it was actually Kantai that replied. "Of course I can!" Her voice was small and just as adorable as she was, but she seemed quite indignant at the question. She looked much like a small rabbit with green details except that her ears formed into feathery wings. She hopped lightly around Ume to get to her other side, her nose twitching from side to side until she got to the wound. "My my, dearie. Always in some form of trouble, hm? Just tell me it wasn't this buffoon, hm?" she asked, giggling in her tiny tones as she clambered up onto Ume's lap and settled unto a bit of a furball and a green glow seemed to emanate from her.

Ume groaned as Kantai started her healing, finally opening her eyes to look up at Jinsai and it finally became clear that while Ume had learned to become very good at ignoring pain it didn't mean it didn't affect her. She had been near passing out before she summoned the little creature. "You know, some day you're gonna have to climb off that high horse and walk in the mud with the rest of us." she told him. "Or at least shut up once in awhile, if I roll my eyes much more I might pass the fuck out." At her use of language there was a slight interruption in the flow of Kantai's chakra and a squeak from her. It made Ume smile as she looked down and put a hand on her. "Sorry, I'll watch my language." she assured her before looking at Jinsai again.

"You're lucky she's a child by her kind's standards. I have to watch what I say."

[TyDie]

The prim and proper Fukusha couldn't help but smirk and chuckle as the little creature made clear her upset at his questioning attitude. He gave a small bow of respect to the clearly powerful healer before him, delivering an apology in kind. "Ha... My sincerest apologies ma'am. I'm sure you're up to the task." His momentary humorous sarcasm was quickly interrupted by Ume's reaction to the pain that she had clearly suppressed up until now, and in an instant Jinsai was next to her, resting a hand on her shoulder to keep her steady. "Easy..."" His hand was firm but reassuring, meant to keep her awake and alert but also help her if she began to faint.

It was strange, truth be told, for him to step in like this. Perhaps it was something she said, or this creature clearly aiding her, but Jinsai felt a need to assist now. Even when she called attention to his high and mighty attitude, it didn't get under his skin like it usually did. "You should watch what you say anyway, Ume. And you should also avoid straining yourself. Let your friend do what she was summoned for, keep your eyes open for me." Once he was sure she was strong enough to keep herself up, he'd take a seat on another nearby rock facing Ume and Kantai, and let out a small sigh as he decided to address her comment on his attitude.

"It isn't my intent to portray myself as superior to you Ume. I've gone through my share of mud, or did I not tell you that I abandoned my family for over a decade to come and join with Iwagakure? That I was one of the first Fukusha to set foot in the village, much to the chagrin of my nomadic family? That many of them still haven't forgiven me for what they saw as a betrayal of their trust? I may not know what the life of an Akari is like, but neither do you know what my life has been like." He wasn't trying to make it all about him, but it came out that way for sure. He just was trying to tell her that it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for him either.

"Perhaps I haven't been fair to you though. We both clearly have a lot to learn about each other, and I have preconceived notions that should be discarded. Likewise, I think you could stand to clean up your act a little... If for no other reason than your friend there." Jinsai gestured to the young rabbit spirit in her arms, that she seemed to cradle like a child as it's healing power radiated through Ume's body. It was intriguing to see, he'd never seen a spirit with such a healing power. Even though it was clearly so young, it's healing would save Ume's life it seemed.

[Willoria]

It was strange, feeling Jinsai's hand on her shoulder. It might have been the first time he willingly touched her. Any time prior to that was either during a spar or because she had closed the gap between them just to make him feel awkward. It was a different kind of touch and almost made her feel uncomfortable for a change though she didn't show it. In truth, she was too preoccupied with her own pain and the creature in her arms to really show it. As Jinsai told more about himself, Ume simply shook her head. "It's not like I ever had a file on you, Jin." she admitted quietly. "You at least had that much on me. I knew nothing about you before you walked through my door, and I only know what you've told me so far. You haven't exactly been forthcoming. What do you expect from me? You've been sent by someone who hates me and wishes me dead to, at best, keep an eye on me. I have to expect the worst, that any time I let my guard down you might put a knife in my back." She looked at him a moment, her eyes open but her expression still a bit groggy. "After all, I'm lucky enough that my violent ex is the strongest person in our village, and any order he gives has to be followed to the letter. So call me a bit paranoid."

She sighed and looked down at Kantai a moment, reaching a hand to stroke the top of her head with a single finger a moment. "Ears honey."

Kantai lifted her head and looked at Ume a moment before nodding. She lifted her winged ears and folded them over her head carefully, clearly doing so to make sure she didn't hear what was to be discussed next.

"You want to learn more about me, Jinsai? Fine." Ume took a deep breath and let it out slow. "As a child my mother always salivated over me, even as an infant. They knew from an early age I would have a highly coveted shiin. The astrashiin, the one that looks like the helmet, is incredibly rare. I only know of two including myself that even have it right now. She wanted it, and the moment she suspected I had it she wanted it, and she tried to rip it from me before I was old enough to manifest it. She had gone nuts with her desire for it, and by sheer dumb luck I survived and she died. Later in my life my father started to show the same desire. He also died trying." She lifted her head and opened her eyes to look at Jinsai a moment. "That's what it is to be Akari. I can't trust anyone, anyone close to me in the clan is trying to literally tear into me for my organs. Some have come close, some have managed to nearly disembowel me trying. I've nearly died more times than I can count. And now someone who absolutely hates me leads the entire village so I have to worry about literally anyone being sent to kill me just because he wants me to vanish."

"Do you understand me better now? Or are you still going to try and tell me to clean up my act?"

[TyDie]

Jinsai wasn't expecting the woman to go so in depth on her past. True, they had both experienced hardship in their own way, but at least his family didn't want him dead... Letting out a small sigh, Jinsai leaned back on the rock and crossed his arms as he thought. "Your clan... Truly is a curse, Ume. I couldn't imagine such a life. Even if my family hated me for my decisions, I was never in danger of my very organs being harvested for power. That's just insane." Jinsai found himself conflicted, his leg crossing over the other as he wondered if the way Ume was, the way her clan was, was truly any of her own fault.

How could you not grow to be so vulgar and paranoid, when your entirely family's lifestyle was built around such a horrible thing?

"Perhaps one day your clan will make a change. Maybe even one instigated by you. But for the time being, we work with what we have available to us." Jin looked down to the small summon in Ume's arms, a small smile crossing his face as the creature seemed to snuggle in to her body, letting her radiant glow flow through Ume. He could already see Ume's wound responding to Kansai's chakra, a little bit longer and she'd likely be able to move again. "I've been upfront about my role in your life Ume, and I haven't lied to you. I simply want to assess you and inform the village that you are still of value as a shinobi. And thus far, I can safely say that you are still quite skilled as a shinobi, and are capable of making the right decisions for Iwagakure's best interests. Had you slaughtered everyone in that farmhouse, we'd be having a different conversation, but that's not what happened."

He wasn't sure if it was putting her at ease or not, but the fact was that so far, Jinsai was of the mind that Ume was still a valuable asset to the village. Truth be told, the realization made him happy... and that was strange, considering he really didn't care for Ume at first. "I entered out partnership with prejudice, having already formed conclusions based solely on your surname. For that, I have to apologize."

[Willoria]

Ume could feel Kantai tiring in her arms, and also that her wound was healing enough for strength to return to her body. She nodded and slowly nudged the creature that she might unwrap her ears from her head to be able to hear her again. When Kantai had done so and looked up at her, Ume smiled down at her gently. "Time for you to go. I can make it home now." she assured her. When Kantai looked rather pointedly at Jinsai and turned to look at Ume again, Ume spoke up before Kantai could. "You can trust him to make sure I get home. I swear, he didn't do this to me, and it isn't his fault. I'll summon you again tomorrow to just spend time together, okay?"

Too tired to argue, Kantai nodded as Ume moved her over to an open space of rock and the young animal vanished as the summoning expired. Ume took a deep breath and looked down a moment, noticing her hands for the first time. She swallowed hard, starting to rub them together as if trying to rub the now dried blood off of them. It was as if she didn't even hear Jinsai's apology. For a moment she was simply the girl in that village again, after Koyama's death. She just wanted the blood off.

She tried rubbing her hands on her clothes, but nothing worked. Her breathing sped up and tears stung her eyes. "Not again.... not again not again not again..." she whispered over and over. "I can't.... I screwed up.... damn it she was just a kid..."

In her mind all she saw was blood down a hallway, parts and pieces everywhere, blood in her mouth and running down her chin. She didn't even notice as her own breathing sped up in pace. She was rubbing her hands against her clothes, the stone, and herself so hard they were becoming sore.

[TyDie]

Jinsai gave a small nod to Kansai as the creature vanished in a poof of smoke, and was about to suggest that he and Ume continue making their getaway now that she was stable enough to keep going. But suddenly, her breathing quickened, and she began to shaking and work fervently to remove the dried blood from her body... the blood of the young woman she had slain in self defense. She was becoming hysterical, rubbing her hands to the point he thought she'd begin to bleed herself. Ordinarily, Jinsai was the type to take a step back and allow someone to get ahold of themselves; his intervention might only make things worse. But with Ume, he felt differently... and so he dropped down to one knee and grabbed hold of her wrists, forcefully but not painfully pulling them away from whatever she was rubbing them on to prevent self injury.

"Ume, snap out of it!" The calm and collected man rarely raised his voice, but it was the only thing that he thought might get through to her in her current mental state. "Easy, take deep breaths and focus. Listen to me; That girl slashed into your side. She was working with the enemy and she attacked you, that gives you full right to do what needed to be done to protect yourself and finish the mission. It's tragic, but it was unavoidable." He didn't realize it, but he found that he wasn't just holding her wrists anymore; he was stroking her hands, his thumbs slowly rubbing across the wrist and palms. "Now look at me Ume. Look into my eyes." He'd stare up at her, not even realizing that in the heat of the moment his Shogo-Zumi had manifested, replacing his stormy blue eyes with the purple doujutsu.

"Are you going to be okay?"

[Willoria]

Ume gasped when he suddenly grabbed her, flinching hard, her head snapping up to stare at him as he spoke. Her stare was simultaneously blank and panicked, as if the only thing running through her mind was old memory and his words weren't even registering. In truth it took time for her mind to catch up to what he said. It wasn't until she started to catch up, blinking away her panic and noticing the deep purple of his eyes that she started to realize what was going on and what he had said. She swallowed hard and nodded slowly. "I... I should have more control than that though." she said quietly.

"She was protecting someone, I should have had enough control to stop her without being deadly, I... I shouldn't have to resort to death every time I..." she shook her head again and took a deep shaking breath as she hung her head a moment. "Too rash, unthinking... that's what always gets me in trouble... that's my problem."

He asked if she was going to be okay, and the girl shook her head slowly. "I took more life than the mission required. She was just a kid, I should have just knocked her out, nothing more." She looked down at her hands and saw his for a moment. She stared at the contrast, his were clean while hers were stained and her mind wandered. "There's more I need to tell you about me... just not today. We need to get back." she said quietly, roughly attempting to yank her hands out of his grip before moving away from him and turning to start the trek back towards their home village.

[TyDie]

Jin sat silently as he watched over her, looking over her every move to see how she was reacting to his talking her down. She seemed to still be kicking herself for what happened, but repeating himself wasn't going to fix any of that. Finally, she finished, shook her head, and then yanked her hands out of Jinsai's before standing to depart. She clearly had more she wanted to talk about, there was a lot that weighed heavy on Ume's mind... stuff that likely even her files didn't contain records of. And if Jinsai was going to set her on the path to becoming a great Iwagakure shinobi again, he'd have to get through these walls of hers and find the root of these problems. Of course, his mind jumped to the horrid practices of the Akari again, thinking that it was no way to raise a child... especially with her rare shiin.

But there was more to this, of that there was no doubt. More than just her upbringing in that savage clan. "Right... let us be on our way then. We'll... talk... more..." She had already walked away from him... probably wasn't even processing his voice anymore. "Hm. Poor woman... I can't imagine the stress going through her mind." Jinsai slowly stood and walked away from the stones, trailing behind Ume as they made their way back to Iwa. He wasn't sure what else he could do for now...

But he figured it was going to be a quiet walk home.