So... You are a what now? Backpacking II

[Trusted Grader]

A few days had passed since they crossed the border between Crescent Coalition and former Holy Land of Forests, now known as Rock Country, the trio were riding along in a carriage, they hadn't really managed to get a job as protectors but helping hand when it came to feeding the horses. Yume was somewhat disappointed but figured that his brother would most likely take the time to learn a new jutsu, giving him plenty of time to read up on homework. Sitting in the small caravan the afforded the boys enough space to sleep tightly and have a small table for reading.

So he unscrolled his homework and began reading the fuuinjutsu seal that was described in front of him. Augmentation: Link, to be able to communicate via a seal, perhaps I can create my own version using the mind link. Yume started reading upon the scroll, his hands quickly searched for pen and paper to write down what his mind read and what his body wanted to describe. After a few minutes of reading and writing he boy would look over at his scripture and awe at the jutsu described, he would first connect with his friend then place the seal on them to be able to link with them without activating the eyes.

Yume closed his eyes and focused chakra to his eyes, activated his doujutsu and cast the link technique on his friend. He would then channel chakra to his right hand, specifically his index finger, he applied a black dot seal behind Ziv's right ear, then on Yami and finally apply the same seal on his own neck. He would then close his eyes and inactivate Musou, 'Testing, one, two? I know things aren't going the way we wanted but at least we are heading towards Iron Country.' Yume grinned as he finished writing the seal, he knew that he had to explain to the teacher how he figured out the technique in order to be graded properly, otherwise he could've cheated, right? I mean Yume could've cheated now, there was no way Ishi could spot them from where he currently was, right?

Yume shivered at the thought of even attempting to cheat, Ishi-Sensei was too fast to deal with, he'd catch him mid cheat, worst of all he'd be scolded if not sent back to school for being untrustworthy. 'Let's make sure we don't get caught cheating.' Yume didn't explain what he mean, for the link was already set up, Yami would just nod and lean out of the window taking in the scrolling forest environment.

---

432/400

*Augment Fuuinjutsu • Linked up
C-Rank Fuuinjutsu
Prerequisite: [Musou • Do you read me?!]
By performing the necessary hand seals, the user will then touch their target’s ear and on the lips, this creates an audio link between themselves and any targets they personally place this seal combination on. The act of speaking charges negligent chakra. Yume and the ally will be able to relay their thoughts to one another, transmitted to the other seals. Lasts for 5 posts, eliciting a -3 to Will Power for the duration.

[Zao]

After the mess the trio had managed to get themselves into, once again, things had quieted down rather quickly much to the surprise of the white-haired kid, expecting it to follow them around like flies on poop. Yet, the day after the encounter with the goons and the young girl with the supposed royal gem in her possession, Ziv nor the other two brothers had seen or heard anything about either party. It was almost like they had vanished out of thin air and with no leads the group was left to continue on their journey. Though not much to the boy's surprise, even calling themselves war orphans Yami spinning tails of their bravery and strength, no one in their right mind wanted to hire a couple kids to help protect anything remotely important and they ended up taking a few odds and ends jobs such as taking care of horses at a stable and miscellaneous task. But it would end up being enough to get them a ride to the next village, this one was further out in what was previous known as the Holy Land of Forests, but that was before the war and expansion from the Iwa nations that had even pushed as far sound as Wind country, placing the once great shinobi nation of Sand under their rule.

Even now it was still hard for the kid to believe that his father's homeland was dominated to the point of submission, yet no matter how great the legends and such of his father were, in the end he was still just one person fighting against an army. Those tales of one man standing against many were there to inspire the masses but seldom held much truth, as numbers would almost always win against pure strength. Shaking his head Ziv tried to clear the thought out of his head now as he leaned out the other side of the carriage, seeing the massive redwood like trees that stretched far into the sky causing one to have to crank their head as far back as one could just to look up at their great canopy. 'At least we're headed in the right direction.' With this group, you never really knew where you mind end up and to say that he was pleased they were still headed in mostly the right direction was a bit of an understatement. Shaking his head he turned back to the small puppet that set on the knee high table in the carriage, upon it was a model of Juuki, the eight armed odachi wielding puppet. While the interior of their ride wasn't large enough to accommodate his large puppets this model one allowed for Ziv to do thought experiements and practice his puppetry even without being able to pull out the real thing.

From his left hand, the finger tips glowed faintly as chakra threads attached to different parts of the model puppet causing it to stand up and then slowly float off the table. It was just at that moment that his friend reached over touching him behind the ear causing Ziv to look over in a puzzled manner, "Hm?' Unsure just what game his brother might have been playing at but after he actived the technique the familiar sound of Yume's voice entered his ears. 'I guess that's a win for us knowing how things have gone for us in the past.' Ziv couldn't help but let out an audible laugh as his deep blue eyes transitioned back onto the puppet and his other hand also activated the puppetry technique. It was then that the floating puppet with its eight arms and toothpick sized swords seperated from the main body, even the head and legs came off the torso now as all of them floated around in the air. 'Success.'

TrainedShow

638/550 words

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*[Puppetry Style • Puppet Separation Technique]
B-Rank Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: Puppet with detachable parts.
This is a Ninjutsu technique used by puppet masters. The ability to control a multitude of separate objects with chakra strings is a difficult one, but once mastered it can be most useful. That way, the puppeteer is able not only to give his puppet a better chance to avoid attacks by simply separating its various parts, but also the ability to attack an enemy from several angles all at once.

[King of Cats]

It had been three long, hard week in the Holy Land. Kazuma had been stationed outside of the nation to covertly learn some of what insurgents had picked up on Iwagakure's Fuuinjutsu style. Each country had their own quirks, and it was good to know what both your allies and your enemies were doing. Kazuma wasn't sure if Iwa was one or the other, but he was dedicated to the Crescent cause and promptly made his way to the Holy Lands. Kazuma was faithful to his country, through thick and thin. Being placed in a backwater nation was only temporary, and it didn't make a name for itself so Kazuma kept telling himself that this mission would be fine. He really didn't want to go though.

Waking up early in the morning, as he always did, Kazuma was inside of the rebels base. They were a small political group that sought to return The Holy LAnds to it's former rule. Kazuma didn't get too involved in what they had to say. He was under strict order to stay out of their business and not to aid them in any way. This visit was purely political.

Crawling out of his bed, Kazuma had flaming red pajama's on. The white haired youth swung his feet over the bed and tapped on his bell alarm. It shut off with a loud clack. Everything about this place reminded Kazuma why he was thankful to be an Anguin. The Anguin's had the most lucrative business ventures of all three houses, and that meant their dormitories were well taken care of, and finely furnshed. Living like a soldier sucked, but, never the less, Kazuma got out of bed and walked over to his dresser. He had his toothbrush sitting on top of it with a tube of toothpaste. Kazuma ddn't dare leave it in the communal bathroom. Once he had all of his toiletries ready, Kazuma waited for fifteen minutes for the bathroom to be free. After he was all cleaned up, he went to his room again to get dressed.

Adorned in a beautiful white kimono, with a black undershirt, Kazuma was dressed to impress. Today would be a very important day. On this day, Kazuma was to meet with Mrs. Wen. Mrs. Wen was the chief Fuuinjutsu expert of the rebel base. She had literally flown to the Hly LAnds from IWagakure. Kazuma thought it was most odd that she came from the place these people were against, but he determined himself not to mention it. Kazuma wanted to make a good impression on Mrs. Wen, but fate had other plans for Kazuma.

After Kazuma had made his bed, he left the barracks to find his way to the meeting room. It was room number 105D.Kazuma knew right about where it was and he anc=xiously speed walked to the location. Upon arriving, Kazuma opened the door softly and excuse himself into the room. Mrs. Wen was already there waiting for him, and she seemed quite disturbed by his punctionality. He was on time, but she definitely did not like waiting for Kazuma.

"Mr. Amegawa, please, seat yourself." Wen had a nasally voice that reminded Kazuma of a smoker. "Well for today- I will be here for three weeks you see. A change in schedule. Anyways, today, I will be inking the various Fuuinjutsu used by Rock Country. While I do this, please, tend to my horse. She's at the stable by the inn near downtown. Please, do take waste. Wabbles is a precious mare and deserve all the love you can must." Wen shot Kazuma a dark look. "Hurry back."

After he confirmed with Mrs. Wen just what he would be doing today, Kazuma calmly left the room, and then proceeded to storm down the hallway. He was furious. Anyone from Rock could reprint the generic Fuuinjutsu. Crescent Corp was paying The Holy Land big money for these findings, and Wen was wasting Kazuma's time .He was angry as all hell, fists balled up and feet stomping down the hall way.

"What if I ditch this job?" Kazuma said to himself. He had three weeks to catch up with Wen, what could one day hurt. Kazuma's's rage turned into a devilish grin as he thought about the possibilities of ditching Mrs. Wen.

With his mind made up, Kazuma decided to feed Wabbles the horse, and then leave for the night. Surely someone would come fetch the horse, and as long as it was fed there was nothing to worry about, right? That's what Kazuma thought anyways. The youth rushed out of the military base, and headed straight for the inn down town.

Once he got there, Kazuma found the horse and got it a bucket of pallets. Kazuma hung it on the hitch and prepared to scamper off into the day, when he turned around and saw a wagon with two young boys in it. Kazuma was shocked to see two boys he recognized. Yume and Ziv, underclassmen at Sky-Reach. Back home in Sky-Reach these two boys were quite the pair. Kazuma wondered just what they were doing all the way out here.

Picking up his arm to wave them down, before they left, Kazuma called out. "Yume, Ziv! It's me, Kazuma. What're you egg layers doing out here?" Kazuma grinned mischievously at the group of boys. Since he was playing hooky, Kazuma figured it would be interesting to tag along with the Sky-Reach boys. He wasn't real familiar with Yume and Ziv, in fact he had no idea just what Yami was, but never the matter, Kazuma was determined to make a good day out this one. The sun was still high in the sky and the winds of change were blowing hard in. Kazuma was happy to be out and about, but curiosity was getting the better of the Anguin. Usually he was cool, calm, but when he saw his classmates, Kazuma kicked his eagerness into high gear. Waving wildly, Kazuma ran over to meet the boys.

OOCShow

WordCount: 1,010
Training: +1 Control

[Trusted Grader]

Yume knew that Ziv's technique he was working on would most certainly be successful, in fact the duo were so natural at this game that they could almost pick anything up and within a couple of hours they would be proficient enough to be able to use it in live combat, not that it was ever a smart idea but just the fact that they can. Yume remembered when he tried to pull off one of his stunts on Rei, how he had almost managed to complete his set off attack but had just missed grabbing his sword in the air, That was a embarrassing... Fortunately, you came to our rescue. Well... I mean... You helped us stop those bandits but those Griffins were no joke.

A sigh escaped his breath, he knew that they weren't strong enough to protect them currently but if they continued to practice like they did then no one would be brave enough to attempt to steal another egg. Another sigh rolled off his breath as he then switched scrolls, he was a bit frustrated in himself for failing to procure the egg from the Anguin, heck, he shouldn't be because he was lucky to even survive that insane encounter. Yume turned to face Ziv once again as he nodded in determination.

The carriage stopped rolling right as they stopped by the local supermarket, the trio were hired as helping hands, which meant that whenever they stopped moving, work started. But, the boy was already prepped for training, so he started channelling chakra right as he left the caravan and kept his new genjutsu in the "chamber" so to speak, the second someone acted hostile, he would cast it. But what followed was something the trio never expected, a fellow Sky-Reach member had spotted them outside of the wall.

This genjutsu would cause whoever to be triggered to feel how their throats would swell up all the while their subconscious told them that Yume was the one that shut them up, this genjutsu technique was created for Yume to be able to make sure that the enemy wouldn't be able to communicate properly and also start slowly introducing the fear of him and his brother, something his fathers genjutsu scroll told him would be a smart idea.

Eeeh... Is that Kazuma? Yume squinted as he looked over at Kazuma, the boy wonder who the other teachers had praised for his miraculous rise only to falter in the later stages of his career. Let's make sure we don't end up like him. Yume didn't mean anything by it, but the trio were on an insane rise to rank that mimicked Kazuma's except the trio were 2 years his junior. Yume's eyes widened as he called them Egg layers, Yami busted out laughing as he typically did whenever someone roasted Yume, while the main body just sighed as he glanzed over at his shadowy twin.

He turned to face Kazuma and cleared his throat as he winked at him, which would trigger the genjutsu as he spoke. "I am sorry, I couldn't hear you tongue splitter" Yami grabbed Yume's shoulder and calmed the kid down, he was younger than Kazuma after all, and the Anguin had been allowed to travel out here without chaperone, causing the young boy to look down at his feet and sigh, he would let Ziv explain what they were doing before he'd cross his arms and grin back at Kazuma as he cancelled the genjutsu and the effect he had cast on him, there was no point in being hostile towards a fellow Sky-reachian on the outside world, for they were the only ones that truly had each others backs.

---

613/600

[Genjutsu • Don't Choke on Your Fear]
B-Ranked Warp Genjutsu
Yume will do a series of hand seals, then wink at their target. If the target witnesses Yume wink at them then they'll be caught within the genjutsu. The target sense their throat swell up, they will also start fearing for their wellbeing as as this genjutsu works to radiate horror from the user. If the user takes a step forward, the target will be more inclined to take a step back, threats will have a higher efficacy, and they'll be more inclined to simply do what they can to avoid having to fight the user. Lasts 4 posts.

[Zao]

It didn't take long after reaching their destination that the trio were able to find a job, which was an improvement over the last place were the best they could do was get hired on to take care of the stabled horses as they fished around for information about what was happening across the border. Ziv had been contemplating some attack formations that he could pull off with his puppets, his skill in the art of controlling them with both his chakra threads and through his black rods was slowly increasing. Soon enough he believed that he actually might be able to reach the maximum power for using them, something he could tell that he was still just a hair behind.

"Hmm?" The white-haired student had been facing the other way with his back towards the fellow student who called out to them, the kids had only been in the second year for a short time, but whispers and rumors spread around about one another as though it was any typical high school setting, they had found themselves in back in Sky Reach. 'That voice...' Kazuma's voice sounded familiar, but Ziv wasn't able to place it immediately as the boy hadn't really spoken with him directly before only heard him speak during one of the classes they had together. But being called an "egg layers" caused him to snap around, only another student from one of the other houses would ever use such a term.

There were quiet laughs coming from Yami as the puppet shinobi could only shake his head, not really one to get into verbal jesting with another but his brother and comrade in arms Yume seemed to always be quick witted and silver tongued in these types of situations. So, for the moment Ziv just shook his head at the two, but still raised his head and gave a gentle nod of his head to the older classmate.

[King of Cats]

Running over to the horse led wagon that Yume and Ziv were exiting, Kazuma was smiling. Watching the gang pile out was a surreal experience and Kazuma felt proud of his Sky-Reach classmates. Ziv and Yume were in a different house than Kazuma, but they still had the same tenacity that all young orphans of Sky-Reach had. Kazuma was glad to see them, and hearing Yume berrate him inspired a brotherly comraderie in Kazuma.

The Aguin raced up to Yume and stuck his fist out for the boy to pound it. Kazuma was a couple years older, and much taller than both Ziv and Yume. He was their senior in terms of ninja rank too. Kazuma was a highly accomplished ninja. He had served Hitogakure on over forty B-Ranked missions, and even more smaller missions. Kazuma had a wildly distinguishing record. Like Ziv and Yume, Kazuma was a young genius. He grew up studying the path of a Shinobi, and he excelled in it. Kazuma had incredible skill as a ninja, it was what he planned on doing for his future. As a Jounin, Kazuma was among the top elite.

Between Ziv and Yume, Kazuma knew very little. All he knew was that these boys were well on their way to climbing the ranks, just like Kazuma had done at their age.

Ignoring the tongue splitter comment, Kazuma beamed brightly and put his hand on his hips. "What brings you guys out here?" Kazuma learned a bit closer in. "I'm ditching this job for today. Can I join ya?" Kazuma lifted his eyebrow and looked back and forth at the two shinobi.

[Trusted Grader]

Yume was dissapointed that his genjutsu had seeminlgy not landed, which was strange because he could swear that the kid looked at him, but no matter, what truly mattered was that they would get on with the job as they had been ordered by Ishizuka. Yume looked over at Ziv as Kazuma continued to talk, the two of them would share a small pause, basically discussing if they should bring Kazuma along or not, seeing as it was their mission. Yume, asked Ziv without activating his doujutsu if this was perhaps a test, or if they would deduct points from them if they did but from what he could read of Ziv it seemed that they would come to an agreement that it would be better to bring him along.

"Ehm... Sure, I guess the more help we can get the better right?" Yume smiled and raised a thumb, Yami slipped past him and hi fived Kazuma before he slid back to Yume's shadow. A chuckle escaped the white haired kid before he shrugged, "It seems that he at least likes you, so we are off to a great start." Yume helped unpack and repack the caravan, the trio would finish their labour after an hour or two, unfortunately the caravan was travelling in the wrong direction so their ride had to leave them in the small village.

"Well, I guess we walk from here on. The driver said that there should be another village about half a days walk, so... We walk." Yume shrugged as he put on his backpack and vest. He turned to face Ziv, squinted then looked over at Kazuma as he nodded. Let's just hope that he isn't like that other Aguin we faced. Yume shrugged as he sent that message to Ziv's head, for the green haired Aguin had done a number on them, which made them question Aguins intentions, but so far Kazuma had been one of the "good" aguins, but only time could tell.

[Zao]

"Of course." Ziv agreed with Yume on the point that more hands were normally better, often said that many hands make light work. Hopefully that would be the case in this instance too. Plus, unlike the green haired tongue splitter that both Yume and him had met during that day they had climbed to the griffin nest, the kid had gotten a much better impression of Kazuma due to him being the jounin in charge of guiding the new second year around the Kage's building and discussing with him about different missions and assignments that would be given to them. Plus, he was also aware of the high record of completed missions that the fellow student had managed to rack up.

Whether or not he had stopped progressing as fast as he had been, the young man seemed to have a very stable foundation build and with that kind of experience it wouldn't hurt to have someone like him coming along for this task the trio had been sent on. Though he hadn't expected Yami, despite knowing the shadowy twin's persona, to immediately jump out and give the man a high five. "As members of the same academy, working together in the future is inevitable." These words were more for him, but he still said them out loud, because he was able to understand, even at his young age, that after they graduated from the houses of the academy, they would be in service of the Cresent Coalition.

It was unfortunate that the caravan they'd been with wasn't heading the direction they needed to travel, adjusting the strap of his pack a bit he commented, "Just like always it seems." The pair, or better said trio, were always out and about exploring and traveling before they had been put into lockdown due to the situation outside the borders of Cresent. It honestly didn't feel too bad to be back on his feet, who knew were this excursion was going to lead them to this time. Hopefully it wasn't on the same trend as the previous ones.

[King of Cats]

With it decided, Kazuma assumed helping the two Avian boys pack up their belongings. They had quite a bit in the caravan and it took some time to situate it all, but eventually they did and the trio was ready to set off into the wild.

Unlike the two white haired boys, Kazuma, the third white haired boy, didn't have any kind of backpack to carry. He was light on his feet for this mission. When he asked Yume and Ziv about what they were doing, the two boys explained themselves simply. Kazuma was glad to help them, he considered himself their elder and superior, but he didn't act like he was above them. Kazuma was a peer and he was glad to have the company. His mission in the Holy Lands had been terribly boring, and a little excitement was just what Kazuma needed. It would be a magnanimous occasion, there was no doubt about that, but Kazuma had little clue what abject horrors lay in store for him. Never the less, Kazuma set off into the woods with Ziv and Yume, confident and carefree.

[Trusted Grader]

Yume looked over at Kazuma and just smiled, their journey would take them another half day before they would find the nearest town, now, had this been any other day they would've possibly reached the village without any hiccups, but seeing as they seemed to attract all kinds of issues and problems they would not get to experience the smooth sailing that they deserved, no, instead what happened was that the boys managed to find the woman who had been chased the previous days. Yume and Yami were quick to face Ziv, their eyes told him everything he needed to know, 'This woman is as much of a troublemaker as us, if she is here then that means that trouble shouldn't be too far from her. Should we help her or move on with our lives?'

Now the odds that the magnanimous Yume wouldn't assist her were slim to none but the fact that they truly needed to make sure that they got to Iron Country without creating an international situation was also something that crept into his head. Yume sighed looked at Kazuma and nodded toward the woman who was lying next to the road, they could tell that she was wounded and exhausted, it seemed that she had gotten in trouble after she had run away from the trio the last time. The pool of blood under her revealed that her wounds weren't life-threatening but she could still use some help. "You good!?" Yume ran up to the woman but stopped once she pulled out a sword and held it towards Yume.

"Stay back!"

"Look, we are not here to hurt you, we just want to help you."

"I don't need your help."

"That's what you said last time, Ziv, can you hold her?" He knew that Ziv could grab her with his chakra threads, which would allow the boys to treat her wounds without running the risk of being attacked. "We are just going to treat your wounds, if you still don't want our help after that then you are on your own, but we did take care of the previous goons so..."

"All you did was make the situation worse." She was right, but the kids had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

"Hey, we did offer you our service."

"You are just a bunch of kids."

"War Orphans."

"Whatever." The young woman leaned back, she seemed that her abject lack of energy to fight the kids gave them ample opportunity to help her.

[Zao]

The day pasted rather quickly, the trio slowly starting to form a bit of a bond as a group from the same school, perhaps Kazuma was just an anomaly from his house or perhaps they'd just ran into a bad apple. It was hard for the youth to understand that means and reasoning of the green haired man who stole the griffin egg, perhaps when he had matured more, he would be able to look back and understand the situation more. Ziv had been just merrily chatting with his three friends as they continued to walk when he caught the look on Yume's face causing him to turn and take in the sight, it was the woman from a couple days ago. 'It's that girl again?' What were the chances they'd run into her again after she'd slipped away while being pursued by the other men?

Despite her wounds, be them not life threatening at the moment, the girl still held the arrogant attitude from the first time they'd crossed paths, only this time she wasn't surrounded by those thugs after whatever this jewel she was supposedly carrying. He shook his head, was trouble always bound to find them. Seeing the sword come out, it would appear she was even feistier than ever as Yume asked for a helping hand. Part of him wanted to just let Yume handle it and see what happened causing him to laugh lightly to himself, but in the end he nodded and extended his hands out towards the woman, fingertips first as gentle blue chakra formed at the end of each finger.

"Made it worse?" Even the young kid was a bit unsure how they'd done that, after all they had just been trying to help so he couldn't help but voice aloud his thoughts. As he did so five threads extended and quickly attached to each of her limbs and before she would realize the woman would become a marionette of the puppet nin, unable to fight back unless her injured body hide an immense amount of strength.

[King of Cats]

Walking through the woods seemed like it would be a peaceful time and Kazuma was enjoying himself. He trodded happily through the woods of the Holy Lands, cutting away at foliage that impeded his venture.

Walking through the woods, Kazuma was surprised to see a bloody girl happen upon the group. She fell in the ground, bleeding moderately and then quickly, she started a fight with Yume and Ziv. Kazuma was immediately confused, it seemed that the three of them had run into each other before. After quickly asking Yume about the girl, Kazuma got an understanding of what was going on. He immediately suspected the worst of this girl and kept his kunai in his hand, ready to throw it and end the damsels life. Kazuma wouldn't hesitate to end this quick, but he stayed his hand, waiting for Yume and Ziv to appropriately deal with the girl.

[Trusted Grader]

Yume watched as Ziv managed to restrain her, much to her complaint, Yami was quick to assess the situation and began applying bandages to her wounds, they lacked any real iijutsu but figured that the least they could do was to stop the bleeding. Yume tried to reassure her but she refused to relax. "Look, we are not here to hurt you, but if we don't stop the bleeding then I fear you might be in bigger trouble." Fortunately, Yami could move faster than she was and Ziv was stronger, so the process would only take a few seconds.

"Let me go!"

"You are so god damn annoying, shut up and let us help you." Yami's voice sounded deeper and far more sinister than his usual jokey self, she seemed to be triggering his shadowy twin, causing him to reveal a darker side to him. "Yami!" Yume stared at his brother, who quickly returned to his regular demeanor. "Tell me I'm lying." Yami shrugged and tried to laugh it off once he released her, Ziv would now be able to let her go as well as the bandages had been applied.

"Just leave me alone!"

"We will, just relax okay? Try not to move around too much, because these bandages will stop the bleeding eventually, it just needs to coagulate."

"I don't have time for that."

"Why? Are you still being hunted?" A twig snapped behind the trio right as Yume asked the question, they would all be able to tell by the looks of her eyes that she was scared, but the question was, who was after her?

[Zao]

The bandaging was quick as soon his comrade had patched her up, if only for the moment, before Ziv gently swayed his hand and the young woman was placed softly back down upon the grassy edge of the narrow road they had been traveling upon. At this point, even the normally stoic youth was slightly irritated with the harsh words from the woman. He'd not grown-up understanding that they should look out for the weak or the 'damsel in distress', instead it was the strong that led and the weak simply followed. Though his time in Sky-Reach had helped to mold him into a better person, at least a more normal one with his continued exposure to other kids around his age before they jumped grades.

"Maybe we should...' The whited haired puppeteer was about to suggest that they truly just leave this woman to her own devices and move one, they did have their own mission after all and it was simply just their luck, bad or good, that had caused them to cross paths with the girl twice in only a few days. If the first time had caused them a bit of a headache, then what would the second time be? As if fate was simply waiting for his thoughts on this matter as sounds of movement in the treeline off the other side of the road directly behind the group would signal the arrival of a handful of men by the sounds of them moving through the thick undergrowth.

'Was it a trap?' This was the first thought that entered his mind, with their interference the other day had they injured the woman to allow for the group to find her and let down their guard or was it possible they she was a part of this group? Ziv let out a quiet breath in frustration as his hand moved revealing a fuuin tattooed on his arm, with a surge of chakra the seal glowed and from it sprouted forth a three-meter cloud of chakra smoke. To the groups rear the massive puppet that appeared to have bulky samurai armor on its body and head was wielding an equally large shield with one arm and a monk like staff in the other. "Just our luck...' Ziv couldn't help but mutter aloud as he had turned to face the approaching individuals holding a single handed seal.

[King of Cats]

As it seemed, the girl was absolutely defiant. She fought with earnest at the puppet strings that were binding her, but Ziv wouldn't let go. Soon Yami and Yume had her bandaged up, but there was a presence coming at the group. Kazuma heard the disturbance as quickly as Ziv, and turned his back on Yume and the girl. He fully expected that Yume would treat the girl with respect, and he hoped that Yume would have enough sense to retrain her. Whoever it was that was coming for her, meant business. Stray arrows would be sure to miss their mark, and the girl was flying in a dissaray. Yume needed to buckle down and keep her out of harms way.

By foot, 13 armed warriors came marching through with their spears and swords raised. Some of the me had shields, but most were equipped with long, sharp spears. Kazuma wasted no time, in an instinctual reaction to danger, he started weaving together hand seals. In just a second, purple lightning began to crackle around Kazuma's hand. The lightning arced off his hand in a violent flash, and Kazuma had a mean smile on his face. The sounds of his Purple Raikiri was like the sound of 1,000 birds chirping in the wee hours of dawn. Kazuma absorbed the brief moment of clarity before killing, listening intently to the shirp of his Purple lightning.

Dashing forward, KAzuma had epic speed compared to the soldiers. He bobbed and weaved through the front guard, thrusting his Lightning cutter into the chest of his victims. Despite his quick action, Kazuma could feel all sorts of wretched bones breaking from the punch of his Purple Raikiri. The chest bone made a particularly gruesome hole in the body of a man, but Kazuma held strong. He had held strong before, and he had killed dozens of men. This was no great task for the Amegawa orphan.

Darting through the bunch of people, and killing some, Kazuma reached the center. There was a guard with particularly elaborate vestment, and his armor seemed to be made out of fine metals. Kazuma knew it would be no sweat for him. The white haired youth began fighting with the general, wielding his Purple Lightning Cutter as a fist blade. Kazuma traded blows with him, and it seemed that he was at odds with the general. The older man had more combat experience than Kazuma, and he passed himself well. Kazuma could feel his chakra draining quick and he knew he had to end this. Looking around, Kazuma saw that he had killed four grunts, but some had escaped him and were fighting with Ziv and Yume. Kazuma knew he could finish this quick.

Calling out through the mind link that Yume had bestowed upon Kazuma, he warned his comrades. "Duck!" He said. It was hard for Kazuma to speak clearly through the mind link, due to the Tenshigan's Curse of Hatred, but his words came out clear enough. The group all ducked, and without looking, Kazuma struck.

From the middle of the battlefield, facing the general, Kazuma shot his arm forward. The purple lightning shooting around his arm reached forward in a sharp spear shape. Kasuma was still grinning, and I anyone payed close attention to him, they would see a crimson light in his eyes. With the Tenshigan active, Kazuma traced the body movement of his opponent, delicately redirecting his arm as the lightning shot at the general.

The lightning came forward and pierced the general in the heart. The smell of blood suffocated the air around Kazuma. Everywhere around, Ziv, Yume and Kazuma could sense the warm, metallic scent of gushing blood on the battlefield. Instantly the man died, and as soon as Kazuma's Purple Lightning Cutter struck, he jerked his arm to the side. The extended blade swept around the battlefield and carved the rest of the bandits clean in half. Blood sprayed all over from the falling lower halves of the opposition. Kazuma had a satisfied grin on his face.

[Trusted Grader]

Yume grunted as he pulled out his sword. Yami was quick to grab his hand and tilt his head towards the wounded girl. "We should focus on protecting her; trust in Ziv and Kazuma." Yume narrowed his eyes before he scoffed, he didn't want to leave his brother to deal with unknown levels of foes, but they had faught against dangerous foes before, they had made it out of situations that appeared far more lethal than this situation, and to not show trust in his brother would perhaps make him feel weak, especially after the brothers had won against him during their first rank up.

"Fine!" Yume made sure to send a mental note to Ziv via the seal he had placed behind his ear, he told him that they were going to secure their escape route and make sure that the woman got away safely, he also left a final note to Ziv urging him to be careful. What the boys didn't know was that this was a mistake, if they had been regular goons, then Ishizuka would've already appeared, what they didn't know was that the samurai commander was dealing with his own battle, facing double the amount on his own, which left them without any backup. Had Yume linked up with him then he would've known that leaving his friends was a grave mistake, but life always seemed to find a way to mess with the white-haired kids from Sky-Reach and Kazuma seemed to be as much of a jinx as the duo.

Yume grabbed her hand and started running, Yami flattened down to 2d before wrapping himself around her legs to run for her as she still was wounded, most of his body claimed hers in order to protect her. She wanted to protest, but the second she understood that they protected her, she would comply. Yume and his brother would dash through the forest and attempt to avoid the main road, as it would be far too easy for the hunters to track them. Each twist and turn they took, he would relay back to Ziv.

They would continue running until they reached the edge of a canyon overlooking a river that ran 100 meters below, the fall alone could seriously hurt even the likes of the Sky-Reach students, but at least here they knew that they couldn't just be surprise attacked by anyone, for if they truly wanted to come for them then they only had one direction to attack from, though that didn't mean that they were standing their ground, no, they continued to dash towards the path that would hopefully lead them to the nearby village.

[Zao]

Ziv remained on the defensive, at least at first as Kazuma instantly went on the offensive, his level of experience in both the conduct of missions and fighting much more apparent than that of the two boy’s who were truly still green around the collar for such things. Most of their experience drawn from a few fights with outsiders and mostly the sparing matches that happened between the students during different assessments as a new second year student. Though the boy was always trying to hid his strength to an extent, preferring to keep some of his talent and skills hidden from the prying eyes of others.

The thought directed into his mind from the link they shared between the four of them arrived and Ziv simply spoke back a single word, ‘Alright.’ It made the most sense as the puppeteer was equipped for fighting multiple targets and Yume and Yami were already both helping the woman, so their proximity seemed the most efficient for escaping under the iron wall that was about to become Kazuma and his shield bearing puppet. A few of the bandit like samurai managed to slip through on either side of the fellow second year student causing for the young white-haired kid to have to step into action.

Manipulating the puppet through the direct control of his chakra being transmitted from the black rods on his body to those on the body of Tadashi, shifting it body to the right it rushed forward and in the blink of an eye its massive oval style shield was smashed into a pair of men. The immense strength behind the puppet was eye raising to say the least as it carried enough force combined with its heavy weight of the puppet and the shield that the two men who encountered it. Their extended weapons smashed against the shield but were broken in the exchange from the difference in size and force before the shield itself bashed them backwards into the group that Kazuma was fighting against.

The massive monk like staff carried in the right hand swung around as two other men on the right side that were trying to push past the puppet to intercept Ziv’s two friends and the woman as they tried to escape into the woods. This force was even stronger than the simple shield bash as it was allowed to build up momentum as it swung horizontal to the ground smashing a pair of swords and crushing in the chest of both men that were sent like human cannonballs back into the group injuring some along the way while knocking others down.

A smarter individual had already taken into account the range and speed of the warrior like puppet, yet it hadn’t accounted for the hidden senbon launchers within the shield as a panel flip open revealing a series of tiny holes as a blast of ten senbon ripped through the air at lightning speed. Yielding for no one as they easily punched through the thin armor worn by the man as the man gained an additional twenty holes in his chest collapsing to the ground a moment later adding to the smell of blood that was beginning to fill the air from his comrade’s lethal attacks.

It became obvious between the two of them that Ziv didn’t have the same level of sheer lethality and willingness to simply kill the opponent that his fellow classmate had. This was something the younger war-orphan was processing as he fought, if he had this kind of mindset would the woman have escaped with the relic gloves back then? Though it was something to late to think about this fight and those to come alongside Kazuma and his two brothers would truly start to shape the youth into the kind of warrior he would be in the future if he didn’t die. This was something that also caused a resonance with that shadowy entity that resided deep within the recesses of the man’s consciousness.

‘Duck?’ With the word filtering through his thoughts the boy was drawn back into the fight as the towering shield monk leap up and Ziv did the opposite as he ducked low and dodged backwards allowing for his comrade to deal a fatal blow to the group directly around him. This caused for blood to fill the air as droplets rained down lightly in all direction to include the man and his puppet that was floating a few meters in the air before casually drifting back onto its own feet. Yume, Yami, and the young woman were gone leaving the two men and the puppet in a field of crimson as Ziv couldn’t help but look side to side, for the moment there didn’t appear to be any more fighters coming.

But he couldn’t know that a good portion of the original force had ran into their chaperon or they would be fighting perhaps double the number with many stronger than the initial wave the pair had deal with. A strange silence fell over the field for a moment, something the kid hadn’t ever experienced, at least not on a level such as this as the smell almost made him want to throw up as he tried to stay vigilant. If no others advanced then he’d prepare to fall back with Kazuma to link back up with his brothers and the girl.

[Trusted Grader]

Yume believed things were going too well for his liking, leaving his brother and Kazuma to deal with the situation didn't sit well with him. Yami assured him that they would be safe but words meant little when other's lives were at stake. Focus on saving the girl. Yume gritted his teeth as he slid to a halt, his eyes managed to catch a glimpse of a small flicker of light, usually indicating that metal was moving towards them. He quickly blocked the incoming arrows as Yami moved the girl's body behind Yume, who began twirling the weapon around to block the multiple shots. Another ambush? Or more enemies?

Yami and his brother were already linked, from this range he knew that Ziv and Kazuma wouldn't be able to hear his thoughts as the level of control was not there yet. Yami's eyes caught a glimpse of another set of bandits making it out of the woods, though they didn't come from Ziv's direction, which signaled that either his brother was doing well... Hopefully. Yami stretched out in order to scare them, this significant size change caused the bandits to stop their motion which brought him enough time to shoot out multiple tentacles that grabbed the enemies. He used his immense strength to toss them over the edge and down the river.

The shadow twin laughed as Yume struggled to keep up with the raining arrows, he was about to call for help when he spotted a tan man with black hair dashing through the plentitude of arrows that rained on Yume, had Yume not been faster than he would've missed the man rushing in to attack the boy. With quick thinking, he would block the incoming kick that sent him sliding back to his brother. I don't think this guy is a regular bandit. Yume sent the message to Yami right as a roundhouse kick was dodged, but right when Yume responded with an explosive trigger strike a barrier shot up in front of the missing-nin, causing the explosion to backfire. Knocking Yume back to slam into his brother, who quickly turned around to engage with the Kazuma, each tentacle strike was dodged, thinning the umbral to the point where the Kazuma almost grabbed the girl from Yami.

His wily attacks almost cost them the mission but due to quick thinking the white-haired brother tackled the missing-nin, but due to him overshooting and using too much strength during his panicked response, they both slipped and fell down the ravine into the waters. "YUME!!!!" His shadow brother desperately tried to reach him with his tentacle but was stopped by another assailant, the one shooting arrows at Yume, now switched targets. Don't worry about me! Save the girl! Was the last thing Yume thought before they both plunged into the torrent. Had it not been for his elevated strength then the young boy would not be able to keep himself above the waters, but that was not to say that the force didn't knock him under multiple times.

The black-haired twin could only watch as his brother and the Kazuma were forcefully pushed away from him, while he was stuck performing guard duty. He desperately wanted to leap after but he was unsure if the girl would survive if he did, his heart raced as he wanted to help but he knew better than not to have faith, for what good would it do if he sacrificed the girl and saved his brother only to be yelled at? "DAMN IT!!!" Yami yelled as he expanded even larger, his frustration with the assault team was now causing him to lose his mind, death to the enemy was all that rang in his head, and more and more tentacles grew by the second as he continued to slash and grab at the enemies, cracking their bones and slamming them to the ground as he slowly moved towards the archer that had caused him to miss the chance of grabbing his brother from falling.

[Zao]

Ziv’s sharp blue eyes cut across the slaughter that had occurred, the life essence of those now at the two men’s feet was rising up into the formerly pure mountain air contaminating it and the nostrils of the shorter, white-haired puppeteer. In that moment the boy could only shake his head, his thoughts thrown back to over half a year ago when he had been thrust into the jaws of what he had considered to be death with the crazy serpent house’s headmaster. The crazy witch lady known as Nehan.

He couldn’t help but recall the dizzying sense within his mind at that time as he was swept up from the training ground as he was working on his puppetry techniques, and then in what seemed such a short time later while moving at speeds he couldn’t hope to understand or even contemplate back in his fifth-year self he was thrusted into life or death conflict with the thugs of one of the scattered villages. It even resulted in him being kidnapped by some of these thugs and held hostage for a short time. But back to the moment, the smell of blood and separated body parts was just like that day with the powerful witch.

Her strength was something that seemed to much for any human to wield, literally using just her brute strength to smash through people and armor alike and Ziv couldn’t help but recall the intense urge that he had barely held back in that time to vomit and run away. Yet, looking at the fierce gaze in the boy’s eyes and the sharp movements of his singular puppet with its shield and staff-like weapon, he seemed to be the complete opposite. A youth that had learned through the many trials that the brothers had been through that sometimes killing was the only option, especially if one wished to protect the life of another.

Before he could continue his brief flashback of the past, more figures began to emerge and from the sounds of it that original party had just been an advanced guard and these guys were the main force. Though Ziv had confidence in his own abilities and after seeing his comrade’s lethality, they were still only a single pair while it sounded like a large group was closing in and if they allowed for them to encircle them it would only be downhill. There was no need for Ziv to speak aloud or through thoughts to his adjacent partner, it would be to obvious and trite what he was about to say, that the pair should split up and divide the group to have the best chance to get away.

And the pair did just that, it would have been inane for them to attempt to stand and fight against so many thugs. There was a saying that enough ants could take down an elephant and this was just the kind of case were something like that could happen. Ziv didn’t understand what the four of them had gotten their selves into with this girl, but it was to late to complain about it now. Coordinating through their link fuuin, Kazuma and Ziv each instantly bolted off in opposite directions as the front massing of the group of about ten strong looking figures emerged. To top it off the puppet the boy was controlling grabbed two of its mala beads and tossed them out about fifteen meters apart from one another into the oncoming group.

“Boom!” With a kiai, the explosive orbs were ignited by the second year’s chakra releasing a massive pair of explosions that instantly decimated the front of the formation, causing immediate chaos leading to a gap of time for the two Sky Reach members to create some distance as they sprinted off into the woods. A few moments later after the smoke and flames were fading from the two explosions that each cleared thirty meters of forest several masked men stepped over the bodies of their comrades as though they were mere weeds under their feet, eight men separated into two groups of four. Exchanging glances they immediately gave chase after each of the two young men with speed only seen with powerful swordsmen or shinobi…