"Tenmei? Hey, are you okay?"

The young female opened her eyes and looked to the familiar dust covered window. A few beams of light had escaped the coverings of the pale, moth eaten curtains and shot towards the wall like sabers cracking through the darkness, dimly lighting the small two room house.
She remembered this place well. With the larger than necessary table that had one too many cushions and the slightly broken bathroom door, hanging vicariously on it's top and middle hinge; it was a place she had often dreamed about back when she was little. Back when her life seemed to have a few less complications and one too many confusions.
She almost missed the time she had spent questioning the snowflakes.

"Are you okay?"

Once more, the young girl's attention was brought back to the window. But this....this time where was a man standing there.
He was taller than most of the other men she had seen wandering about the village, and was built like he had been training and fighting for years. His skin was a darker shade of brown, his hair as black as the coals in the fire place; but those eyes...they reminded her of swirling pools of mercury. A type of silver she had never seen before. It was strange. But not as strange as his attire. Even though it was snowing outside and the air inside these walls was enough to tickle the goose bumps over her arms. he was only wearing a thin open vest top and loose trousers which looked similar to the ones she was wearing herself.

“Dad? Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

She remembered that smile too.

Almost hesitantly, reluctantly he lowered the curtain and walked over to the futon where she was lying, bundled in a cocoon of woolen blankets, and placed a warm hand on her forehead. Shifting away the tangled dark raven strands that framed her softly narrowed features.
That feeling...that niggling at the back of her mind; pulled at another memory. Another scene just like this.....and suddenly she was thirteen years old again. Snuggled up on the thread bare futon with her head resting lightly in the man's cradling lap, the edge of his fingers caressing warm tinged lines down her innocently blushing cheeks.
It felt so good like this. So comfortable....so right; the younger child simply forgot the about urge to fight the heaviness of her lids...how tired her eyes had become. Soon...the temptation to fall back to sleep became too strong. Persistent. And Tenmei no longer cared about fighting for those snow flakes.

“No. You have to stay awake Tenmei. You aren’t well”

“Why? I feel fine”

His smile faded along with the light from the fractured window, as he picked up her own hand and gently guided it.....placing it on her forehead where his own fingers were but a moment ago. But she was as she said she was. The female felt normal. Fine. Sure, Tenmei was running a little hot but that was normal. The Sotsuji could not remember a time where her skin had not been feverish to the touch.
But then she felt it..... Her eyes went wide, filling with a stinging mix of tears and panic as she looked to her father who slowly, pulled his hands away and took a step back. Looking down at her  just like he had done many years ago. With that same expression of sadness...of pity. Of complete and utter helplessness.

"I'm sorry. You can't fool me, my little candle. I know how you are feeling. I can feel it too....and those voices in your mind. I am so sorry Tenmei. They were not lying"

She had tried to forget about it. Pretend it had never happened. Blanked it out from her memory and gone to sleep telling herself over and over again that it wasn't real. That it was all a lie....
It didn't work. It had never worked. Tenmei still remembered those past few hours as if she were reliving them again...and again. 

She had just gone out for a simple walk along the beach. Tea in one hand, a handful of sand in the other, feeling the grainy substance slip through her fingers. It was a simple feeling. The ice water grabbing at her ankles, the salt bitten air playing with her breaths: she had nearly missed the sudden pain that stabbed through her chest.
Of course, then, she thought it was nothing. Just a recovering ache which could be cured by some hot tea and a day of sleep. But as she stepped through the door a voice....two voices talking as one, chimed in through her thoughts. "The Lady Mizukage....has fallen" they had whispered to her. "We are so sorry. We need you to stay strong."
But those words stole every ounce of strength she had left.
No energy to move, not even to close the door Tenmei was frozen there for what seemed like hours. But a shuddering breath broke the spell, and gravity reached out to claim her. Then....the special Jounin sunk to the unforgiving floor boards and waited in shaking sobs and uncontrolled tears until sleep had wrapped her in it's merciful embrace.

She never wanted to wake up again

"She is gone Tenmei. They are all gone. Kichirou hasn't forgiven you for beating him in the exams. He waits in Suna because he knows you wont go back there again for a while. Strafe is tired of having to rescue you over...and over again. Masanori. You couldn't save him either could you? He died saving you from that man. But you couldn't do the same for him. You weren't strong enough. Just like you were not strong enough to save Izanami. That little boy so much like her. If you had opened up and accepted him sooner....you may have saved him too. But he is gone.....they are all. Gone."

"Please stop. I don't want to hear this anymore"

"It's okay to be hurting Tenmei. It's okay. You lost Aya. I know she was more than a friend. She was family. You miss your family, don't you? Me, the old man. Who do you have left? Who is going to take care of you now.....when they are all gone? Who is going to save you when they find out that it was you who let this war happen?"

"No...no one..."

"That's right, my little candle. But it will be okay. Just let it go.
Let it happen...."

But she couldn't. She wouldn't.
Despite the pain...the aching through her chest and lungs; the young female scrambled from the mattress, the woolen blankets falling from her shoulders in a tangle of dust and loose threads.  There had to be a way. There always had to be a way. But there was nothing here.
The wooden table was as bare as her desolate pantry and nothing would come from the rickety taps. Tenmei tried running for the windows, the doors. Catching splinters at her feet as scampered like a frightened mammal for the way out of this house sized tinder box.
But the windows were just out of her reach...and when she grabbed the door handle...when she pushed against the fiber of the solid barricade to break free in to the cooling night mist; the door burst in to flames. Filling the open space with white hot tendrils that licked and whipped at anyone who would try and break free.

There was no way out.

It was all around her: the acrid stench of smoke intermingling with the musty, stale air. The taste of something vile at the back of her throat.
The young girl tried to desperately to hold it in. Force back the feeling that welled inside her stomach...her chest. The feeling that grew with every inhale of burning oxygen....it wasn't working.
The oil treated matting started to smoulder beneath shaky steps, the clothes that clung to her placid skin started to singe at the edges. Her skin was growing darker with every passing moment of panic...and the pain. The stabbing, aching...throbbing pain in her head, her stomach...

“Dad! What do I do? I can stop it” Tenmei desperately pleaded, looking up to the man who had taught her everything she knew. The very being that had been instructing her for years on how to stop this from happening and control the raging furnace inside her. 
“Father! Please! I don't want it to happen.
Please make it....make it....”

He was gone.

'I'm sorry Mei. There is nothing I can do.'

The pain....was incredible. Unbearable.
Tenmei tried to turn, run for the mirror in the next room to see how far she was gone. To see her skin darkened in to a tender red. The rippling of pressure beneath the encompassing surface....
but she couldn't move. She couldn't....breathe. Tenmei slammed her hands to the side of her head and let out a scream.
Her fingers gripped at her hair, her nails drawing blood across her palms. Not even that weak sense of balance she had been maintaining could support the weight of the pressure. Her skull was going to crack open. Her skin was going to tear from her muscles. She was going to fall apart just as they did. Just as He did.

"Daddy help me!!"

Tenmei. Screamed.


-------------------------------------


It was just a dream


-------------------------------------------

Tenmei had not yet fully opened her eyes when she leaped from the bed early that morning. One hand on her stomach, the other over her mouth, stumbling, tripping across the tatami matting floor through the house. She had only just made it to the bathroom in time to keel, half bent over the toilet bowl and release what little she had consumed in the hours before. It tasted vile. The clenching and unclenching, the churning and twisting. Again, again and once more... she emptied out the entirety of her stomach. Until there was nothing left. Nothing inside but the deep, empty, pit inside her abdomen which reached to devour her from the inside out. She never should have woken up. She never should have moved.

Tenmei wanted to sleep forever

But with a heavy sigh and a shaky hand, Tenmei felt around her corner of the room. Searching for something to grip on to. Something to get her back to the faulty excuse she knew as balance.
To say she felt awful was an understatement. Her head throbbed with the force of a migraine, her stomach continued with it's torture. And while her head swam and span her vision out of focus, she could still  feel the sickly damp sheen that tried and failed to cool the fever which clung to her skin like damp sheet. But none of this....not one of these ailments could compare to the pain that lingered about her chest.
The stabbing knife which leaked an unparalleled pressure around her heart. Filling her with a numbing nothing.

"....It's okay to be hurting Tenmei. It's okay. You lost Aya. I know she was more than a friend. She was family...."

Tenmei hauled herself up on to the faulty excuse she knew as balance and braced herself against the cracked sink. She switched on the water, waited for the rickety pipes to give her some relief....when her dulled grey eyes found the small sized mirror, mounted half halfheartedly on the wall.

No. No no no. Please....NO!!!!

Tenmei. Screamed.

It was there. She could barely see it at first...but it was there.
The darkening of her lightly tanned skin. The red flare that spread from her centers. She could see the light traces, rippling under the flesh like someone had lit her veins on fire and they wanted to be free. They wanted their escape. Tenmei needed to escape
Pulling her hands from the black marked porcelain, the special jounin turned for the door and headed towards the balcony and the cooling... soothing, early morning mist. It would save her. It had to stop it.
One step. Two steps....and her legs froze underneath her. Locked from the pressure that came from within her bones. The heat that tore through her muscles like jet fueled adrenalin.

'Tenmei....what are you doing? You can't fight this this. Not this time.
They had to let go, and now so do you'


'I can't. I don't want to. Please don't make me'

'Why not? There is no one left here for you. No one left for you to protect. No one left for you to live for. Come and join me.
It will all..... be okay'

'No..I....'

'Let go'

It was gone. Control over actions. Control over her emotions.
Tenmei didn't even know she was able to move until her fingers had wrapped themselves around the hilt of her dagger and pulled it from it's resting place...before slamming it viciously. Painfully in to the meat of her thigh. Not even the scream that tore and scraped at her shredded throat could express the pain that attacked her nerves.
But this time.....This time it was enough.
Before he could tell her to stop. Before the ground could grab at her legs and feet once more, the female was sprinting out the door, tearing through the fog that tried to claw away at the heat on her skin, as she ran and sprinted with every last bit of energy she had; away from the village as far as she could go.

She could feel the pressure building inside her. The pain in her head...her chest...her stomach. Building and growing until she felt like it was going to tear her apart at the seams. No howl of agony could wake her from this nightmare. No hand could comfort her. He was right all along. There was no stopping it this time.

And then....

Tenmei let go.

---------------------------------------

The eyes of the village, watched it happen...

-----------------------------------------

The explosion was nothing like anyone would have seen before.
A fire ball pluming like a beautifully chaotic red and white flower, spawning and blooming from the within the depths of the forest. Nothing living would be untouched. Nothing within forty meters could have escaped it's fiery wrath. Every tree, every flower. Every nesting creature that had failed to sense the incoming destruction was simply.....gone. And in their wake, in their place was a flame, so intense...so uncontrolled that even the air itself; the skies behind the clouds of smoke; wavered and ripped to the heat coming from ground.
And then it  would spread. Like a hungry beast on a rampage, it would spread and it would grow....and it would not show mercy to any who would dare attempt to stop it from taking out the entire forest. It would not stop for anything.

She would not stop

But a young messenger wouldn't see this.
Barely at chunin rank: He had been assigned here by the twins to help out with some medial tasks to keep the place organized while the war was going on. Cleaning, taking the kage's messages to people who needed to be told their missions. Running on supply errands when the occasion called......and that was when he heard it. Along with the entire population of the village hidden in the mist, he had heard it and turned to the tree line to see the explosion just as it reached it's zenith. It was beautiful. Deadly. And he knew who was responsible.

As fast as his youthful speed could carry him, the young boy ran to what was left of the administration building and sought out the Twins, and anyone who was around to hear....who was around to help.

"Please! Anyone! There was an explosion just outside the village. A fire. And I think it's Miss Sotsuji. If we don't hurry. If we don't stop it in time. It's going to wipe out that entire forest......

Someone! Anyone! Please!"

40/200:

---
Words: 2725

His tea, it had spilled. The cup had been resting graciously on the counter, as its owners eyes had immediately shifted over to the window that was facing the direction the loud audible cue had been. There was no mistaking what the noise was, though he had no clue whether it was the beginning of the next onslaught, a freak accident, or something else. While it may have looked like the Aisu clan had had been doing nothing, which he had, and unproductive, which it certainly was, in a time of need, everyone needed moments of downtime, to gather there thoughts, to be able to piece things together. To keep their sanity. He had been, until just a few moments later one of the younger shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Mist had burst through the door, shouting loudly.

"Yuudai-sama! There was a giant explosion... fire... they need your help! They say a Miss Sotsuji needs help! I... administration building... heard."

"Relax, Taoru. I'll leave immediately."

His tea would remain on the counter.


Aisu Yuudai could remember the one meeting he had with the only Miss Sotsuji he had come in contact with, Tenmei. How long ago had it been since he found her in that alleyway, unable to gather her own belongings with her own hands. Was there any relation to that one event and the explosion? Or was it another attack launched by the Seven Bells Clan, this time targeting the female he had once carried back to his home. He had hoped that the explosion wasn't as bad as it seemed when it rang in his ears, the noise still faintly remembered by one's sensitive eardrums. Was it just her alone that was caught? Or were there more people that had been near the brunt of the explosion. Too many scenarios could be played out, so the best thing one could possibly do is just to erase all thoughts, to just prepare for the worst, hope for the best, yet don't imagine anything at all.

The sun had barely risen, the layer of mist still hanging above the village; as to continually prove the namesake. While Kirigakure no Sato was famous for various things, dealing with explosions was one of the things that had seemingly lined up with the various chaotic events that the village had to go through. As if being burnt down wasn't enough. Linking his thoughts back to the current disaster and by relation the sole individual whom he knew has in the middle of it, Yuudai wondered how she had been faring since he had last seen her. Though the events of today certainly wouldn't allow him to find out, as this was likely to be a scarring moment. If not for her, the entirety of the week so far had been growing, as if the first few tragedies bestowed on Kirigakure no Sato were not enough for the higher beings.

As he reached the location of the explosion, his eyes immediately were upon the widespread fire in the area. That had to be dealt with. As much as hyōton chakra was resilient against flames, his own body was not. In fact, it was far more sensitive to heat than a non-Aisu's sensitivity would be. That and he needed to stop it before it could potentially spread. Fire was something the village didn't need to deal with at this particular time, not again. It seemed to remind him of his first and last meeting with Tenmei, her body had burnt his hands, the result of having carried her back to his home. While he had seemed to hide his pain back then, he also had time to deal with it as Tenmei had been unconscious for quiet some time. Yuudai wouldn't have time this go around. He would also need to be particularly careful with how to deal with the fire, as Tenmei was likely be in the center of the explosion. Maybe, the excess heat had finally escaped. Or it could have been something else. In the end, he needed to take out the fire with a strong technique, yet still making sure that he'd be able to extinguish the fire without harming what he assumed to be the sole living thing inside of the flaming boundaries.

Closing his eyes, he shuffled through the various jutsus he had once heard about, though this particular one being of the Suiton nature, something that he was certainly lacking. He may as well try and extinguish the fire with it, seeing as how it was either that or letting everything burn to a crisp. The Great Waterfall Technique from his recollection could potentially be dangerous in any given situation, but it could extinguish this fire as well. Limited option left Yuudai with a single choice. To use that one option available to him as of this moment.

Gathering up chakra, of the suiton nature, something he needed to expand upon, Yuudai watched as a vortex of water appeared before him, standing 7 meters high. It wasn't difficult to do so, as the Village Hidden in the Mist was located on the Land of Water, thus Suiton was of primary nature to most individuals. With the eye of the vortex centered at himself and facing the forest, Yuudai would aim it so that he would be extinguishing the fire on the outside of the area, such that the fire would be contained in a much smaller area, as it would be likely Tenmei would not be enclosed in that space, making it a safer alternative than extinguishing it through the middle. The water would expand outward, though only acting to limit the area that the fire would be spreading. If Tenmei were to be caught, which was highly unlikely, once the water was allowed to cover more ground, it would be a simpler task for the Aisu to get her out of there if he could find her exact location. Though this was all if the vortex would be strong enough to extinguish the fire. With that, the vortex shot forward, to the far left from Yuudai’s perspective. Now, it was just to wait and see the effect the jutsu would have upon the fire and the forest... and ultimately, if Tenmei was still breathing.

---

Chakra: 325/350:

Daraku had woken up early that morning, checking the clock as he rolled off to the left of the bed. His arm hung over the edge and his piercing blue eyes were set on the time: 6:12 AM. He was never an early bird kind of person, and on average he woke around 10 or 11, so seeing those numbers through his tired eyes only irritated him. He found a comfortable spot more towards the middle of the mattress and buried himself in the blankets, muffling his sorrows with a pillow. Just 4 or 5 more hours and this wouldn't have been a problem, but he never seemed to get what he wanted when he wanted it. He lay there silent for a long while, keeping his eyes shut tight, wishing that the sandman or something would come and bring him back to slumber. After he realized his wishes would never be granted, he finally rolled to the edge of the back and let his feet hang over and touch base with the ground. He stared at them. They were long, with stubby toes, and they made him look like a monster. Daraku the Foot Monster. Had a nice ring to it. He stood and slumped his way over to the shower to get ready for the day ahead of him.

As the hour progressed, Daraku finally left the inn. He'd spent a relatively large chunk of his time fixing his hair, which was still sporting a new jet-black hue. It fell across his forehead and was swept to the right, and the rest of it was spiked in various directions. He felt like a badass; no more being called blondie. He was now a successful brunette, and he was loving every second of it. His little bubble burst when he heard screams while he was walking down the road. A woman came into view, crying hysterically. He gripped her arm as she passed, keeping her from leaving just yet. "Hey, hey! Calm your shit, lady. What's wrong?" She muttered the words inbetween sobs, but he could still understand them to some degree. "There was...an explosion! I need to run, she's going to kill us all! We're all going to burn!" Daraku had heard that phrase before, his mind reverting to his mission with Kajiya for a moment. He then considered two possible scenarios in his head. The first was that this bitch was crazy and she had no idea what she was talking about and he could dismiss her entirely. But the second scenario was much more realistic; judging by the plume of smoke visible in the distance, there was some truth to her story, meaning that this "she" the woman was referring to was probably a Seven Bells ninja who had decided to play "Make Kirigakure Go Boom Boom". He released her arm and ran towards the forest region in hopes of stopping the commotion.

The Ishido arrived to find a flaming woman, so bright he could hardly look at her. The destruction around the area was widespread. There were people injured, trees were aflame, and the air was smoldering hot. There was another silhouette in the burning light, though, a man by the looks of him. Daraku's eyes adjusted to the light after a moment and he realized just who it was. "Heh, Yuudai and I seem to be seeing a lot of each other around." he mumbled to himself, wondering whether to come closer or not. The woman was no Seven Bells ninja...she was a victim of something, the fire engulfing her against her will. For now, he was a safe distance away from the flames so he ultimately decided to stay there and attempt to help her from afar. Just as he began to make the appropriate hand seals for a Suiton jutsu, Yuudai beat him to the punch. Water flooded the area in a huge waterfall, putting out the fires and covering everything. Certainly, it was enough to extinguish the poor woman, but Daraku couldn't well enough just stand there and stare lest he had a desire to drown. He jumped to avoid the water, landing on the apex of a nearby tree and surveying the situation from there. It seemed that Yuudai was alright, as expected since it was his own jutsu that caused the flood, but nothing else was visible besides the water and other treetops. Daraku gave a smirk. Wouldn't it be ironic if the woman ended up drowning? Hopefully that wasn't the case.

The bustling of the diner was a pleasant sound, a sound that had been missing for quite some time. It was an assertive move to slowly reverse things back to the norm, for moral’s sake. It was morning, and Kenji was dressed even more casually than usual: wearing only a black t-shirt and blue jeans and comfortable sneakers. His sword lied on the floor next to him. Anticipation welled up as he longed for a nice hot breakfast, from what he heard he wouldn’t be disappointed. A few meters over at another table was a couple who were having a… one sided conversation. Kenji heard the clicks of shoes tapping against the linoleum, signifying that the waitress was perhaps on her way to take his order; he would wrench around to confirm his assumption.

There she was walking briskly to take the patient man’s order. “I’ll have pancakes, eggs, and orange juice to drink please.” With a heart stopping smile she took the menu and hurried back to put the order in. His food was brought to him quickly and he enjoyed every bite. As he drunk the last bit of his orange juice he could overhear the couple talking. “Those kinds of things happen.”
“Really, getting chased by a man eating bear on the beach… you really weren’t listening to me were you?” Kenji sat at the next table over to the guy who had been foolish enough not be paying attention to the women he was having breakfast with. “Poor guy, he’s going to pay for that later for sure.” His blue hair jerked as he did a double take to get the attention of the waitress for her to bring the check. The delicious pancakes and eggs with a tall glass of orange juice had done the trick. He was ready to venture back into the city, before things got too heated between the couple next to him. Kenji hated drama, and liked to veer as far away from it as possible, he had enough of his own already anyway.
The waitress scurried back with the bill in hand; the shinobi paid it promptly and exited the diner. He stood off to the right of the door for a few moments to slide his gloves back on. He looked at the reflection of himself within the gloves to see if there were any crumbs on his face. “Not a smudge.” Moving forward throughout the village with a confidence in his stride, the ninja had thrown himself in the arms of danger several times for the safety of Kirigakure. It had been too long since Kenji fought, let alone fought for something. He was honored to have the opportunity to assist.

Interrupting his haughty gait was a disturbing rattling of the cement beneath his shoes, then from his side vision the appearance of smoke and the faint melody of screams. “Could Seven Bells have invaded this deeply into the village… there is no time to waste, I must go to see.” Kenji had only his Katana on him, but the use of weapons was only a cover up for his most dangerous skill. He would utilize the katana in battle to its fullest extent, and then if it came to it, resort to other tactics. The explosion was surely impressive, so he expected to have his hands full.
He took to the tree line so to avoid the blotches of distraught citizens fleeing the detonation zone. The air grew thicker and the heat more intense the closer he drew to the vicinity of the explosion. The ember flickered across the greenery setting everything in its path ablaze. From his perch he made out two other people. The first person he recognized was already releasing a water jutsu, and that person was Yuudai. A shinobi Kenji had trained in the art of Genjutsu, and had actually run into him just recently as well. “He has some impressive water ability… he’s been holding back.” The next person seemed familiar… He bore a strong resemblance to the man he partnered with during the strange events of the Namahage Festival. They fought the mythical horseman and walked out victoriously. He remembered being in awe of the man’s unique evasive skills, defensive abilities that far surpassed his own. Anyway, Kenji saw that he was standing off from the area that was currently being rinsed by the powerful water jutsu. Kenji was about 5-7 meters away from the man with black hair, from his squat on the branch Kenji called out to him.


"Sir, what is going on, are we looking at another cruel act of Seven Bells?” Upon reaching the area he also saw that it wasn’t an ordinary explosion, he wasn’t sure what to make of it really. But at the core of the blast was a burning angel. She seemed at peace as the flames warped around her body only to flare outwards spanning a massive area. It was too bizarre of a scene for Kenji to arrive at any conclusion as to what exactly transpired. This could have been an affliction put on her by some cruel person, an act of martyrdom, or maybe a freak accident. Kenji would await the response of the strikingly familiar man with black hair before he decided what his next actions would be. For now the fire was being dealt with quite well by Yuudai, dowsing the perimeter flames.

Rivers upon rivers of obsidan colored hair cascaded onto Sanosuke's shoulders as he awoken in his apartment in the morning. The sun hung high in the sky and the remaining remineants of the sunlight was coming in from the window of the jounin's apartment and onto his face. Quietness laid thickly around the room as Sanosuke rested on his soft bed that was no messy. No clothing whatsoever was on the man as he was holding a naked woman with silky, long black hair close to his body. Her name was Arya Uchiha and was older than Sanosuke by a couple of years. This woman was in her early thirties and was from the village hidden among the rocks. There was just something about those sharingan eyes that made Sanosuke go crazy. Mizuru was amazing, possibly the best woman he was with, but this woman and her body was something else. Around his neck were tiny bites marks and hickeys; even though her body was covered in blankets, Sanosuke knew that there was a handprint on the woman's ass that made the woman's white skin glow red from the punishment she took the night before. Her hair was in a frizz as she cuddled very closely to Sanosuke's side. The smell of chestnuts filled the air and it was coming from this woman. Her eyes flickered awake as Sanosuke was taking the time to look at him and smirked before kissing his neck. "Morning" she moaned out gently. The entire integrity of the apartment building shook violent from the ground that caused Sanosuke and Arya to bring themselves out of their fleeting moment of lust to look around their surroundings to find out what was happening. "What the hell was that?" she asked pulling the blankets closer to herself trying to spot her own clothing so she can investigate what was going on.

Leaping from his bed, Sanosuke pulled himself from the Uchiha and quickly got on his boxers before putting on his pants and his usual shinobi attire that he wore for combat. Was it an attack from Seven Bell's forces? If so then the question was how the hell was this possible when they were pushing back Seven Bell's forces away from Mizu no Kuni by a significant amount of pressure. If there was such a chance of that happening, Sanosuke had to be sure he was prepared for combat. Putting on his black fitted long sleeved shirt with a high color on first, Sanosuke put on his wasp chakra armored clothing over his shirt before getting hisg gauntlets on. Finally, Sanosuke got out his kumogakure headband and tied it on tightly on his right forearm. It was time for him to get to work and defend Kirigakure from whatever was happening to the village. From the look of things, Arya was still trying to find her own clothing that was scattered throughout the room. "Duty calls Arya-chan. Catch up when you can." Sanosuke smirked before kissing the woman deeply before leaving the room and got outside to observe what was going on outside of his apartment building.

Leaping from the window of his apartment building, Sanosuke began leaping from rooftop to rooftop to figure out what was going on. Based off of what he could actually see from his running, Sanosuke saw that there were no other enemy shinobi that had infilitrated into the village hidden in the mist. What he saw outside was much worse. The apartment he was given was close to the administration building so he was at the heart of the village. For him to actually see flames from the border of Mizu no Kuni was something that could bother him. The rumbling of the earth also didn't make Sanosuke feel comfortable. He had to investigate this issue. Sanosuke took off running faster than he had ever ran. Chakra was pounding in his boots with each step he took as Sanosuke was running at speeds that would equal that of a sannin. Navi was flying next to her partner but was having trouble keeping up. There was no time for Sanosuke to slow down, he had to get to the forest as soon as possible. Fire burning down the forest would travel and lead to the village. They were still occupied with the war, so their forces around the village would be wearing thin and thus might not be able to defend the land from the fires.

After getting to scene of the fire, Sanosuke was relieved to see that it was in the process of being put out when he got there. Fires wasn't something that he could handle, after all Sanosuke was someone that fought with a person not the forces of nature. The source of the person whom was attempting to put out the fire was the man that he fought alongside to defend the Mizukage against Io and Mizuru; Yuudai, the sannin of the mist. Sanosuke always knew that Yuudai was strong, since he was a sannin, but for him to put out this large scaled fire was amazing and awe inspiring. Around the Kiri Sannin was the fellow Kumo shinobi that went by the name of Kenji, he had fought along Kenji to fight off the undead shinobi of Io's forces. There was another shinobi with jet black hair that was with him but he did look skilled. Hopefully those shinobi would be more useful in putting out these flames than the wasp sennin.

"What in Kami's name is going on around here?" Sanosuke as he was beginning to feel a bit agitated at the flames that were still existent. He asked this question to the entire group of shinobi that had gathered in the area to respond to the crisis.

The Mizukage is dead; the Seven Bells have won Kirigakure no Sato…

The words didn’t seem right in Mitsuo Sarutobi’s ears; he couldn’t believe what he was hearing about one of the most powerful people in the world. The Seven Bells had risen out of nowhere and Mitsuo had completely underestimated them up to this point, having taken out one of their generals in combat alongside the Sannin Yuudai Aisu and helping around the village to repel their attack. It had seemed as though Kiri was striking back and doing rather well for themselves. He had helped the village score small victories since journeying out to this part of the country to visit the man who had saved his life and he was quite proud of the feats he had accomplished so far. He had formed friendships and met up with people who he knew from the Chuunin Exams as well, and was enjoying his time here for the most part, glad to see that even through the siege of the village Kirigakure no Sato was holding strong. This all changed when the messengers ran through the streets to tell the Sannin of what had transpired when the Mizukage had fought against Seven Bells. Mitsuo overheard the news and his heart sank, their mission failing despite his best efforts. Though this was not his home it was the home to people he cared for and a person who he loved and he felt as though he had failed them.

He sat in a local pub with a pint of ale sitting in front of him. Mitsuo didn’t drink often and when he did it was because something was deeply troubling him. He enjoyed the taste of beer, unlike most that preferred the spirits for some reason. He slowly drank his beer and sighed with a heavy heart before draining the mug and taking a look around. The building was strangely empty for what had just transpired and Mitsuo assumed that not too many had heard the noise, otherwise the bars would be flooded with depressed people. He chuckled to himself slightly thinking that it was better that people didn’t know what had happened yet. The bartender took the glass off of the stone cut counter that Mitsuo was sitting at and went to offer him another one, which Mitsuo graciously declined. He looked towards the walls of wood and heard the rain pounding on the rooftop, a sound he had become rather used to since venturing to the Village Hidden in the Mists. He looked towards the round tables on the way towards the solid wooden door and sighed once more, placing his ryo on the table and grabbing the cloak off of his barstool to pull over his shoulders. He heaved the heavy door opened and finished putting the cloak over himself, becoming a blur, a true shadow’s shadow, to anyone who looked his way.

He walked out towards the border of the village, to a place where the army had held off the attacks of the Seven Bells army and where he could soak in the beauty of nature around this area. His mind wandered to thoughts of the man who he had fallen in love with upon his time here, the handsome and incomparable Strafe Aisu, the medic who had saved his life. He thought of how he would take the news about the Mizukage, as well as the Sannin who he had fought off Seven Bells’ general with, Yuudai Aisu, and the one who was closer to the Mizukage than any other, Tenmei… Poor Tenmei, Mitsuo had no idea how she would hold up when she heard the news. He was worried about her though. She had seemed unstable when he had ran into her at an earlier time and he hoped that she would be okay. He knew that she had a rough time working with her power and he couldn’t even think of what it would be like to be her. She essentially had his Cloak of the Will at all times, something that he couldn’t fathom.

He was scanning the area when he began to see what looked like a light off in the distance, though he couldn’t immediately figure out what it was. The second telltale sign of what he was seeing was a wave of heat and sound whooshing past him and then the loud bang. He could see smoke and a mushroom cloud in the center of where the wave had come from and suddenly there was a massive fire. Mitsuo had no idea what was happening but he knew that he had to help if he could. He wasn’t one for putting out fires, but he knew a thing or two about them and he didn’t think that this was a natural fire at all, being oh to familiar with Katon based jutsus. He only knew of one person in all of Kirigakure no Sato powerful enough with Katon to make a blast this large though, and that person was one of the people he was worried about; Tenmei. He wasn’t sure if it was her of course, but no matter who it was the person at the center of that explosion would need help, as the fire began roaring out of control. He could see other shinobi coming to help and he was glad that some of the water users of the village were going to lend assistance. He darted into the burning forest, making his way towards the center of the blast and hoping that he would make it in time.

The burning trees around him combined with the thick heavy smoke were making it extremely hard to navigate the forest, but he didn’t fret about it, making his way through and taking several minor burns in different places. He could feel himself becoming slightly light headed and knew that this could eventually get dangerous but he pressed on, making himself move at his top speed so that he could make it to the origin of the blast. As he ran he yelled out the name of the person he thought was in trouble, hoping he was right but at the same time not really caring as no matter who was there, if they were conscious they would know someone was coming for them.

“TENMEI! WHERE ARE YOU TENMEI! PLEASE ANSWER ME!” His pace didn’t slow at all and eventually he made his way towards the center. Eventually he came across her while simultaneously seeing the water coming towards him. He didn’t know what to do, nothing preparing him for what was about to happen, and so he did all he could think of. Tenmei was indeed at the center of the blast, and he knew that what he was about to do was stupid and potentially dangerous but he ran right into the center of it all, the Fire Angel walking into the flames, and took the burns that he was given before extending his arms and walking right up to Tenmei, the girl at the center of the fire, the one precious thing he had come here to protect. He had hoped that the attacks would not harm her but he only had one way to be sure. He jumped and wrapped his arms around her, taking her to the ground and clutching her in his arms. He could feel the heat ripping flesh off of his body but he didn’t care, he would use himself as a shield to save this poor girl if he could. As he held her he whispered into her ear; “It’s going to be okay Tenmei, it's me, Mitsuo. I’m here for you, I will protect you…Everything will be okay…Please just calm down…” It was a gamble and he knew that if it didn’t work she would fry him, but he had to try…

(1351)

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Words: 2176
Total: 4901

Everything had a reason behind it. Whether it be a person deciding to become a genin or not, if they wanted to live their lives to the fullest, or even as far as attacking an entire village, they all had a source that could be traced back to. The sounds of the ever present wildlife, once chirping peacefully, allowing the sounds to be carried off into the distance, were now stilled, and struck completely silent. No longer did the familiar noises echo in his ear, they haven’t for the past few days, as he watched the steam rise up from the ground, portions of the fire being extinguished completely from the jutsu he had used. More practice with it was definitely in order at a later date, for now the task at hand involved survival and extinguishing the raging flames caused by the early morning explosion. The steam fizzled out as it went higher up; mixing in with the mist that had reorganized itself after the explosion had driven portions of it away. It seemed it would work, there was little control he had of the damage already done, though it would likely be taken care of by Mother Nature herself, instead his focus was upon eliminating the primary threat to the village and the surrounding forest at the moment, as that held the utmost priority to the Sannin. Everything else would surely fall into place.

His presence at the edge of the forest was not the only one, as more individuals had eventually arrived, almost arriving one by one, though with him being the first at the scene. As he was preoccupied dealing with the issue, instead of gawking and watching and doing nothing at all, he did not pay mind to any of the individual whom arrived after himself. His attention was solely focused upon using the Suiton jutsu to put out the rest of the fire sooner rather than later. It seemed he would be the only one to be taking care of the main issue at hand while others would watch. Tuning his ears away from the language that was spoken around him, he would instead focus on the faint sounds in the distance, hoping to gain a clue over what exactly had occurred here. For now, it was just him and the burning forest that needed to be put down. With the jutsu he used moments ago doing the majority of the work needed alone, it would do for the clan head of the Ice Release clan to finish off exactly what he started, as no one else would be joining in anytime soon from the looks of it. The only person with any sense of doing something productive, however idiotic it may seem at a glance, was the one person whom he had fought with against Mizuru just a few days ago. The shinobi that had aided him on the second day of the attacks was the sole person to rush in to the burning forest, seemingly searching for Tenmei, if she were to still be inside of the fray. Yuudai’s priorities fell elsewhere, to the safety to the rest of the village and its well being, for he knew that the Sotsuji’s survival was pretty much already determined based off the consequences of what occurred to date, and it was solely up to that person. His duty would always be towards the village and his family first; he only had one meeting with the person that was caught in the center of this event.

As the first vortex did it’s job, Yuudai pushed off with his outer leg, his left, to quickly propel his body to the right as his job wasn’t finished just yet. The first would continue, but with Yuudai adding in even more chakra, he would launch a second vortex, identical to the first, but focusing on condensing the fire even more. Tendrils of water formed seemingly out of the ground, taking the lingering water from the mist and the steam that was produced, both coming from the same stem but branching out to Yuudai’s left and right before they would curve back inward to form a circle. Allowing just a bit more time for more water to gather around himself, Yuudai watched as the second vortex of water was propelled forward with uncatchable speeds. The roaring fire that was met in just a moment was instantly turned to steam as the vortex pushed itself deeper into the forest, wanting to submerge the forest and the fire with water. While the method wasn’t the best suited for expelling the fire, the purpose was clearly served and there time truly didn’t allow him the moment to quickly procure another jutsu, just what he had access to at the moment. Again, this second vortex acted just like the first, diving straight into the forest, reaching as far as it could before the water escaped its typhoon shape and just flooded the remaining area. If all else failed, he could just rely on a hyouton technique to cooldown the area, maybe even just force it all away. Though that would have to wait and see how much of the fire would remain. His eyes would scan the forest standing before him, seeing if anything could be spotted out of the raging flames, but the burning sea of red blocked off whatever view he had and the steam added to the visual obstructions presented. He supposed he could figure out who exactly was here, thus letting his eyes wander to the corners, but his head remained forward, still aimed to the forest that was just three meters in front of him, the heat of the steam and the flames that were once present surely felt by his body. It was just like the Aisu clan, being able to combat one of their weaknesses with their jutsu, it was just that their bodies were far too cool in body temperature that heat was one thing that held an advantage against them.

---

Chakra: 300/350:

The whole spectacle was getting to be interesting, but Daraku preferred to stay behind and watch from the shadows rather than playing a direct role. Getting involved in things was never a good idea, and with a woman as unstable as that, it wasn't even an option. Staying back and watching was safe, not that Daraku was one to run away from danger, but in this case, he'd rather not die in a terrible fire. The problem was, the fire around was still actively burning and it was soon to reach the tree he was perched in. He'd have to move soon but he took in what he could as he waited for the fire to reach him. He looked back down to the scene below; one by one, people began to come in to help. They all seemed to be ninja, by the looks of them, and Daraku wasn't surprised. Only natural for a bunch of ninja to come running when there's an explosion, right? They were all turned to Yuudai, asking what was going on, but he didn't answer them. Just before the large vortex of water created by Yuudai's jutsu struck, someone else dashed into view at such violent speed that they were a blur to Daraku. He gave a curious grin at the figure before dashing away, off of the branch and onto the ground, still nearby some of the trees that were left unscathed by the flames for cover to keep him hidden.

When the Ishido was settled and far from the blaze, his eyes set on the scene once again. The blur had pushed her out of the Suiton jutsu's path, and although they were still engulfed by the water, they were not crushed by its pressure. From what Daraku could tell, the man who had tackled her had paid the price, as his body was covered in severe burns. Her fire had petered out, though, making Yuudai's jutsu a success. Daraku changed footing and sank to a seat, leaning back against the tree's bark. The relief didn't last very long, as slowly but surely, the woman's flames began to return, as she screamed "no" over and over and fought the man who had tackled her. It was annoying, in Daraku's opinion, both in the fact that she was resisting their assistance and in that she was screaming at too high a tone to be comfortable for anyone's ears. At that point, he would've just given up and left, but he wasn't the one directly helping her, he was just sort of there. Within seconds, upon seeing her flames return, Yuudai regained his stance and prepared the jutsu again. The water was still surging, and more was forming near him, creating another vortex in the lasts' place. Maybe this time they would actually put the fire out for good, but Daraku doubted it. He surveyed the area, taking note of the other peoples' positions...a man with long, dark hair and dark skin was off to the side, and a familiar face from the Namahage Festival: Chikara, Kenji, was nearby as well. I should already be gone, this is getting boring, but what else do I have to do today? Meh, I'll stay for a little while longer. The trees around were being soaked by Yuudai's last vortex, keeping the fire under control, so Daraku relaxed a bit as he watched the next one unleash. He stayed in the shadows and observed as the shit show unfolded.

Water blasted from the one shinobi whose strength was staggering just from witnessing him blast suiton based chakra to douse the flames that was threatening to engulf the entire forest in a wave of fire. Some of the trees that were near the source if the fire from whom that might be. Sanosuke didn't know what was happening but from the look of things, the shinobi from the village hidden in the mist seemed to have things under control. It still irked the shinobi that there was little for him to do in a situation like this. After all Sanosuke had barely put in the work needed to fully master suiton. Seeing an expert at the art of using water based jutsu was just another lesson for the shinobi that hailed from the village hidden in the clouds. Soon the group of shinobi that had met up to investigate the sudden fire that was running rampant in the area of Mizu no Kuni died down. Instead of waves of fire that were surrounding the group, it was replaced with a large coat of steam. It baked his skin and made Sanosuke's skin crawl from the amount of sweat that was dropping down his body. He had to put up his arms to cover up his face so that the steam wouldn't punish his face too much. At these temperatures, the fire's steam could blister his body if he wasn't too careful. Navi hid under his shirt so she would be completely protected from any steam that would buffet her tiny body.

When the steam died down, there was a girl whom was badly burnt and being held in the arms of another shinobi that he never seen before. Based on the ashes that were on her body and how badly she was burnt, there were about a few reasons why this might be; but the only reason that made sense, by a long shot that is, is that this woman caused the fire by herself. But it seemed as though she couldn't control the flames and it caused her body physical harm. Something that he learned in his senjutsu training; when you cannot control your own own chakra, then it will rebound against you and damage your body for you weak control you imposed on your own body. Sanosuke then realized where he had met the woman, it was at the bar of Kiri a few days ago. It was strange how at peace she was back in then at the bar just waiting for bottle of wine to drink at home. To think that she had such a dark side behind that calm face of hers. Then again Sanosuke had never known her, and knew her just by face; he had no idea what torment she was put under. However Sanosuke would get a peak from the torment that the woman was under.

When he heard the words of the woman, Sanosuke felt as though he was punched in the guy hard with a iron hard fist. Her words that were filled with grief and angst made the kumogakure jounin remember the mission he was to do for the Mizukage. Sanosuke was instructed to join with the sannin of the village hidden in the mist to defend the Mizukage from the attacks of Mizuru and Io's combined forces. Even though they outnumbered the enemy shinobi, they broke through and left a heavy blow on the leader of Kiri. The fatal blow was enough for Seven Bells to overwhelm her and lead to her death. So this woman that was most likely burnt from head to toe was rather close to the Mizukage. It made Sanosuke looked down in grief and shame. If only he was as strong as the sannin of Kiri, then he would have made a difference in the fight. All around the woman was the other shinobi that were circling around the woman being held by the one shinobi; some of them were giving the woman words of comfort at the woman's frantic cries.

Sanosuke went up to the woman and got low to the ground. When he was low enough, Sanosuke bowed to the woman so his head was low to the ground. "It was my fault, if your looking for someone to blame it was me; I'm the one responsible for her death. I was with the Kiri sannin when the Mizukage was attacked by Seven Bells' forces. If it wasn't for my weakness, then the Mizukage would have be strong enough to hold back Seven Bells with ease." Sanosuke said as he was choking on the words to give to the injured woman from his bowed position. If only he was stronger, then this wouldn't have happened. It was solely his fault, he was the weakest link in the mission to protect the Mizukage. "Please, don't punish your body. I will take all of your pain! I can't allow you to kill yourself because I wasn't strong enough to protect your friend. I can't ask for forgiveness, so this is the best I can offer. Take your anger out on me, please!" Sanosuke closed his eyes as he let his body get tensed up to brace himself form any hits that the woman might inflict on him in case she took up his proposal.

Nothing was the same anymore. Nothing would ever be the same.
From the luscious emerald sliver leaves that curled black away from the fire, to the pieces of bark which fell away from their dry armoured bodies. The voice that screamed desperation to the footsteps coming closer, the pain....the fear that rung out with every pathetic... useless attempt at being the hero. Everything. Every detail of every crackling, fractured sound. It all felt so.....alien. Strange. Hopeless. Like the very world around her was giving up because it saw that she had.
What happened to this place? What happened to her? What happened to the contorted mess of fight and survival that reached out from doubtful eyes to touch the mist. All the young Sotsuji knew... was that the girl standing amidst this scarred land: Was not a person that Solstice Aisu would be proud of.

Eyes open. Ears listening.

It wasn't over yet.

Tenmei looked towards the Sanin Yuudai; concentration and focus, etched deep around those powerful blue eyes.
His jutsu. His strength. The flames that tore through the bowing trees and tumbling smoke clouds were nothing short of an easy meal for the powerful cascading torrents. Even as a column; it plummeted through the black mass, crushing what plant life survived but suffocating the embers that were hiding beneath. It ate and consumed and suffocated the damage.....right until it gave way from it's structure and washed over the area, dousing the grasping cinders in to oblivion. But was it enough? Was his abilities enough to stop the devastation that had scarred this landscape? Was it enough to heal her damage? |
To a young girl's wide, frightened filled eyes; it appeared that there was still hope for this place.

And then she heard them....

Mitsuo's echoes gave way to the voices of the two new comers. Faces she no longer recognized through the haziness of this heat.
And yet.... she found her empty irises locking on to them, watching... observing with impatient curiosity.
  "It was my fault, if your looking for someone to blame it was me" she had heard one of them say over the constant wailing roar of the fire around her. "Take your anger out on me, please!".
She would have fallen for those words once. Allowed those whispered phrases to shift the heavy burden of blame from her shoulders on some other. Someone less deserving.  But this time was different. Losing her. Losing everything. It was a chemical reaction on a downhill run.... and no thought out remorse, no calming inner voice; could stop the increasing velocity that spiraled out of control beneath the flimsy flesh made barrier. The fierce furnace that was threatening to pull her skin apart like a burst balloon in the hands of a child.


".....Those you have lost, you loved them, and I'm sure they loved you. But, there is no love without forgiveness... so I know they don't blame you...."


How....how did he know?


If Tenmei had been strong enough...if she had been better then the female would have stopped those people from coming in to the village. The buildings would be intact, the people would still be at peace, her friends would still be alive...And Solstice would be here.
She would be here embracing the terrified Sotsuji with that icy touch of hers, engulfing her in a feeling that reminded her of the home she once dreamed of. But now her home was gone. The memories faded, the dream forgotten.... and all that was left was the pitted feeling inside her. An abysmally back hole that was rapidly filling up with an untamed heat. A relentless force that grew and pushed and lashed out in the only way it could.
How did he know? How could he know that they wouldn't blame her for this. The fire and the war...the deaths of so many; it could have all been stopped had she been some one....better.

"You're wrong"
The voice was no more than a whisper. A strained rasp as cracked and fragile as the charred trees around her. "I couldn't stop it....I can't.... How could they forgive me when all I have done is leave scars and walk away? Why would they? Look at me. Look around you.
I loved this place. I loved... but I couldn't st......."
Whatever she said next was strangled in to distortion as the female grasped at her chest....her stomach, fingers clawing through the clothes, digging in to the rippling skin as if that would ease the pressure coming from within. The immeasurable force that threatened to crush her bones to shatters and leave her muscles a shredded mess of bloody fibers. The stifled scream that sat behind her lips. The sheer pain..the agony that reaped havoc through her shuddering form. For the second time that afternoon, Tenmei was staring down the barrel of her ancestors fate....but she wasn't ready. Not now.

"Please....please help me"

I don't want to die here

In that moment; Tenmei was transfixed by this stranger's actions.
The way he slowly...cautiously reached out his hand to brush his finger tips across the side of her face. Caressing the heat like it were a fragile crumbling leaf, before slowly pulling away. Slowly. Carefully.
Lulling her in to accepting the powers of his open palm and allow him to end the pain that arched it's way across her nerves....
She wanted to let him. She needed to accept his offer and have this stranger lead her away to the same sleep she had been lost to before all of this. To just sit there...still...while his hand inched closer to her chest and the blissful numbing sensation that would surely follow.
But in that moment.....all the pain in her eyes. The absolute sadness, the anger. It was completely consumed by a look of pure and utter terror. 


And Tenmei lost control once more.

It was not as bad as before...but the earth itself would feel her pain.
The ferocious heat ripped from her being like a wave through a damn wall, tumbling...coating the ground in layer of embers.
The dried grass beneath her blood flecked feet. The mess of splintered shrapnel and ashen leaves flicking out in to the scorched air. Nothing...nothing around the young Sotsuji was safe. Not the tiny blades of grass which had used up their first miracle during the early flames, or the shinobi who stood close enough to feel the pain from her words.  Not even the breathless young female who was covered in lesser burns, bleeding from her thigh and a fresh cut across her arm; was safe standing here in this crimson tainted forest....
And it could only get worse.

She couldn't speak. She could barely move.
Yet Tenmei somehow managed to stumble back in to the clearing where that smouldering tree she had collapsed against earlier, still held together. What had she done? What had she done? What was she going to do now? The Special Jounin no longer knew.
Her silver eyes darted through the smoke, flashing silver from corner to corner searching for the answer...for the breathing corpses. The words they had promised before her flawed defenses cracked deeper. 


"Let me..."

"I will take all of your pain!"

"Make it stop! I hurts.....please. Help me"


The smoke was too thick, the flames too bright. She couldn't see.
'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry'
And so Tenmei ran. Gripping the pain in her chest and grasping at the ache in her abdomen, the female sprinted off through the forest. Stepping..... stumbling, tripping her way over the roots and through the spark lit branches. Until even her legs gave up on her will.
And that was it. There was no more. The shinobi collapsed down on to her knees, in to the soot .... in to the dirt, her hands gripping at her head as she embraced for a third release. She had nothing.  Tenmei had nothing left to offer these flames. She had given her life to the village, her trust to it's people. The smoke had all but stolen away her breath. And when the heat took what was left of her body.... she would ensure that this female would be the only to one to suffer.

"....I'm sorry....."

Chakra 20/250:

------------------
Words: 1428
Total: 4950
(Reaction Training E to B - 4950/4950)

Remaining Total: 1379
(Strength Training  C3 to B - 700/700 )

Final Remaining Total: 697 words

It was enough. Enough to control and nullify the true damage that could have possibly been caused by the explosion that occurred just mere minutes ago. The forest was still blazing in flames, though only in a much smaller and far more condensed area than it had originally been taken up with. It could easily be taken care of by other shinobis, even if they did not have access to higher ranking suiton jutsus, as the flames were pretty much contained and not raging any longer. His purpose he was pretty much served entirely, to an extent, though he did want to see how Tenmei was faring, considering she was in the epicenter of the flames that were once engulfing the entirety of the forest. Maybe, after this entire mess here was sorted out, he could finally have his cup of tea, though he’d definitely need to make another one. But, he may as well finish dousing the fire entirely. Considering that the fire was far more condensed, he’d have a simpler time dealing with this last portion of the flames. This method would surely cause some damage to the forest, but given the amount of damage that was done, it would have to recover, regrow, and begin anew with the directions Mother Nature would provide the forest with. Drawing out his favoured weapon, Setsura, Yuudai began channelling a substantial amount of chakra into the weapon. Roaring to life, a trail of ice extended from the blade before splitting into three separate directions, they darted straight up in to the sky before diving downward, aiming themselves for the remainder of the fire, upon impact, the fire would be no more.

Closing his eyes, after glancing at the charred forest one last time, Yuudai turned his body around, this time to face Tenmei and whoever else had gathered here, all the individuals who just pretty much looked on and watched the spectacle occur. Ignoring the chance to see whom each individual was, Yuudai instead focused upon the person whom was at the center of this entire mess from the start, though the negative connotation that was assessed with that certainly wasn’t the matter Yuudai was concerned with, more so with the wellbeing of the person in question. His steps were small, almost calculative, as he wished to resume his idling as he had done earlier, prior to the explosion, but he knew that this took priority for the moment. As much of a stranger the Sotsuji was to Yuudai, he had given her shelter once before, so it wouldn’t be much different, in fact, he actually really had to deal with less this time around. But, it was in his nature, in his being, to make sure that she was perfectly fine.

As he approached, he stopped just short of Tenmei, barely paying attention to the others around the area. Words were never his forte, never his choice of approach, given his nature of being reclusive to a certain extent. But, in this moment, they felt somewhat necessary to be said out loud, though he did not have the moment, as before he was close enough to even say anything, she had darted into the forest. Letting out a brief sigh, Yuudai turned his attention back towards the village, walking off to his home to resume his earlier activities. Given the nature of the events that had transpired out here, he’d also need to send a messenger to the Administration Building to report the events, something he did not want to deal with at this particular moment.

---

Chakra: 280/350:

The exchange of glances that was shared between the slim blue hair shinobi and the girl on fire was a moment to treasure. The pain falling upon the female was one of passionate sorrow, one that Kenji cold sympathize with. His words latched onto her inner will, attempting to revitalize it. He inched closer, only to find that the fire spewing dragon that dwelt within return with a glorious bang. A part of her called to him, but the imploding dragon that swirled inside could not be contained. Kenji pleaded with the woman, his heart aching with every word that sizzled through her steaming lips. She fled from the area, retreating into the woods.

The jutsu the woman was using didn't depend on movement, or even chakra control. This powerful source that was secreting from the woman was one of unbridled internal rage. Kenji tracked the distraught woman inside the woods, initiating the hand seals for his most powerful binding Genjutsu. With the formation of 5 hand seals, Tenmei would be embraced by the comforting cloth. It would hold her tight, giving her something to feel, a sensation of a hug, from a loved one. Constricting so tight to the extent of completely immobilizing her. Phase 2, If I can somehow throw her internal systems out of whack, I can get a better chance at saving her. The ground that he ran through was sploshing with water, some from rain, some from Yuudai. Kenji plunged his sword into the ground, coursing lightning chakra through the blade. Given her already weakened state, the shock would knock her out, allowing Kenji to yank her from the teeth of her demise. Kenji had blistering speeds sped towards the still Tenmei, and placed his palm over the female, feeling her vitals relaxing. Stay with me a little longer... Even his thoughts became muddled in the smoke, all he could focus on now was keeping this burning pillar of passion from simmering out.

275/320:

"Sano look out!"

The sounds of Navi's desperate calls rung hard in his ears as she desperately called out to him. There was no way that Sanosuke could tell just how long he had been in the crouched position; completely bowing to the scorched woman's whim. But it had to have been long enough because he seemed to have missed quite a bit. There were many shinobi that were already acting upon the actions of the scorched woman's jutsu that would have punished any whom were too close to avoid it. Navi must have seen the jutsu take shape and ran over to protect Sanosuke. The only reason he had deducted that was from chakra barrier that was surrounding him in a tight cocoon to ensure that he wouldn't be harm by the jutsu' effects. Looking up, the flames licked at the force field that Navi had created to protect her partner. As he looked around and softly thanked Navi for saving his life, Sanosuke saw one thing that made his heart sink: the woman's eyes as she tried fleeing. When the flames died down, Sanosuke could have easily caught up with her in a matter of seconds. But the look she gave him was just too heart wrenching that the words he wanted to say out loud to stop her from running stayed gagged in his throat to keep him from saying anything.

Whenever he did have the energy to say something, that same energy would lodge back deeper in his throat to the point where Sanosuke couldn't even move. It was all his fault. The mental turmoil she was going through was because he couldn't fight at the capacity of the other Kiri Sannin to protect the Mizukage. And because of that, Ayakashi was killed. Clenching his teeth tightly to the point where blood was trailing down his lips and finally to the scorched forest ground. Sanosuke's body shook in anger. From the corners of his eyes, Sanosuke could see Navi looking at him with empathy. This war had brought nothing but pain and sorrow to anyone whom had fought in it. He was here to stop the war from happening, he was here to use his powers to end this war, and yet here he was responsible for someone's death. His fist shook tightly as he just stood there in the wet burnt down forest of Kiri as the mist hung high in the sky.

"DAMN IT ALL!!" Sanosuke roared as he sent his fist flying through a nearby tree that was directly beside him. With his now superhuman strength, the already burnt and weakened tree didn't stand a chance against the angry sennin's strike. It topppled down with ease, as Sanosuke just stood there looking at his work. There was a chance that Sanosuke would have stood there for days just looking at the burned tree just remembering the face that the Kiri woman gave him as she ran away from him. That was when Navi floated over to Sanosuke's face and looked at him without saying a word. Normally Sanosuke would've been able to tell that Navi was about to scream at him or something. But not under these circumstances, instead she spoke to him calmly and understanding.

"Come on. Let's go back to the apartment, you need to bandage up the fist of yours." she suggested supportingly as Sanosuke looked down with his eyes at his bloodied fist that was dripping blood down on the floor. He was so angry that he just didn't notice the damage he had inflicted on his body.

"Yeah....let's head back." Sanosuke mumbled gingerly as he trudged his feet back to Kiri with Navi at his side. He hated this war and everything about it. The next time he saw Seven Bells, he would rip the tycoon's spin from his body. But until then, he had a wound of his to bandage up.

The scene that was unfolding in front of the Sword Saint's eyes was something that was deeply upsetting. The poor girl had suffered so much, and he couldn't help but feel terrible for her and all she had gone through. He had taken a lot of damage from her flames but he wouldn't allow it to deter him from his current course of action and he would save the girl. He watched as one of the shinobi was able to use an ability that he recognised as an ANBU technique, one that he knew oh too well, to relax her and put her to sleep, and as she slumped Mitsuo caught her in his arms, smiling softly as he held her. He nodded to the ANBU and began carefully making his way back to the village so that he could take her to the hospital where she would be able to heal up her wounds. He had only met her once, but Mitsuo was a caring person and he hated to see anyone in pain, and so he would do anything to help anyone.

When he got to the hospital he laid her down and demanded that he be allowed to stay by her side until she regained consciousness, making sure that she would be alright before finally leaving and going about with his tasks in Kirigakure no Sato...
[Exit Thread]