Shippo smiled as he and his partner Tsume ran through the woods together. They were on one of their usual hunting trips. In fact, it was perfectly natural and normal for those of the Inuzuka clan to go out on these kinds of trips in order to better themselves and become closer with their ninken partners. The pair weren’t hunting anything in particular, but they were doing very well when it came to the usual game. Tsume growled low in his throat causing Shippo to stop and come up next to his partner considering the foliage “What do you see boy?” he asked as he adjusted the string of squirrels, rabbits, and other small game across his body.

He didn’t have to wait all that long before he saw what Tsume saw, and it was a snake. This thing was fairly large and it slowly raised its head giving out a low menacing hiss as it did so. Shippo smirked lowering himself onto all fours growling deeply right along with Tsume “Well partner, do be careful. We can’t have ourselves getting bitten we don’t know if this thing is venomous.” He said looking it over. Tsume gave a bark of agreement before he dashed to the left while Shippo dashed to the right. The serpent wasn’t sure which way it should attack, and by the time it had turned to follow the smaller of the two targets Tsume was sinking his fangs into its body. The snake gave a pained hiss lurching to snap at Tsume as best it could. Of course, when it did this Shippo was right there to stab the serpent in the head with his kunai sinking the blade up to its handle before it came out the other side of that flat head.

With a few last death throughs it finally dropped under the attack dead as a doornail hitting the ground. As soon as it did Shippo removed his kunai wiping it clean of the blood on his pants smiling at his partner “Well, that’s a big one. We can’t really carry around that much dead weight.” He said as he knelt down and began to slice through the serpent’s body making large sections of it to make the carrying much easier. Tsume gave a small groan of complaint and huffed through his nostrils. Shippo laughed at this nodding his head “Well, alright then we can take a quick break we shall have some snake. Go out and get us some wood.” Tsume gave a bark of joy before moving into the foliage returning with the twigs and sticks he could find that were big enough for him. As soon as they had all they could want Shippo started the fire with his Kunai and a stone. The sparks caught and soon the cooking fire was going well.

Having stabbed several chunks of snake on wooden skewers he began to cook these chunks. It was easy to eat snake and he had always enjoyed eating his kills much like most hunters. For now, he had to wait for the food to cook.

What he could never have counted on however was just what the smell of the food would attract. Having cooked the food well enough to purge any venom or any kind of bacteria he and Tsume were about to dig in when a great roar filled the air. He and Tsume jumped to their feet just in time to see a huge bear burst through the undergrowth. This wasn’t a fight that either Tsume or Shippo wanted or could have so the pair ran as fast as they could heading away from their attacker. The bear was hot on their trail giving another great roar. The pair continued to run, but when Shippo turned back to look at the bear he made a fatal misstep and went tumbling down a short cliff and towards the river below. Tsume turned to the right and kept running not noticing that he was now alone. Shippo cried out loudly “Tsume! Be careful I’ll be back!” he hoped he was loud enough as the river swept him downstream towards the village. He tried to swim towards one bank but found the task was harder than he thought in this part of the river.

Tsume kept running not noticing the lack of his partner until he stopped hearing the bear chasing him and slowed down to a stop looking around in a hurry trying to find the human that was always with him. Yet, he was alone and Tsume didn’t know how to handle that at first but he decided he would have to find his human and get him home safely.

WC 785

Perhaps it would seem obvious as a pastime for one among a place renowned as the “village hidden in the leaves”, but, it was a pastime that a particular Hyuga member had found himself partaking in for a variety of reasons. Nonetheless, regardless of reason, he walked. Clad in a kimono of blue and white, with patterns of clouds adorning the attire in neat shapes and consistent sizes. The wooden soles of his traditional footwear clicked against the stones and roots of the less trodden path that he decided to manoeuvre this time. His long black hair was tied neatly into a delicately positioned, perfectly horizontal ponytail, one that trailed down his back in an organised matter, barely swaying due to the methodical way of which he stepped, the tight and formal posture he walked. Soft grey eyes that held as much emotion as a rainy day gazed out, looking through the branches, the trees, the leaves, and practically anything else he might spy upon this walk with such a serene silence behind them that, perhaps the gentleness of the grey was merely a delusion for an intense malice. Nonetheless, this young man had a smile upon his face, and was chipper in step as he walked, seemingly overwhelmed with sheer joy. This, was Izayoi.

As he wandered, allowing his thoughts to trail upon various concepts, ideas, and memories that plagued his conscious form, the Hyuga branch family member simply continued his aimless stroll. After roughly half an hour of such a walk, he found himself hearing the sound of rushing water. Perhaps a river of some sort? Regardless, such things tended to be great for reflective thought and clarity filled thinking. So, he decided to allow his inquisitive side to take hold, following with curiosity to investigate; suiton jutsu could also be a potential after all. Unsurprisingly, it was a river, and Izayoi made a mental note to remember the location in relation to his usual route, so as to perhaps redirect himself to this part of the woods sometimes. Yet it seemed to him perhaps the river was rough, violent waves a torrent, and lapping against the naturally formed barriers of dirt and stone, as if threatening to flood. A threat it could not quite reach up to the expectations of.

Yet perhaps the peace of listening to rushing water was one that was too desperate to expect. For almost as if to mock him for wishing quiet contemplation, the sound of a person was heard. The sound of desperation? Or perhaps annoyance? Izayoi couldn’t tell, and decided to look first with his Byakkugan before caring for any further thought. Nothing for a moment, however, this soon changed, replaced instead with the arrival of a humanoid figure, the chakra and tenketsu networks visible to his eyes. If he had to guess, they were caught in the river. Inconvenient, however, Izayoi had a chance before him. A chance to perhaps make himself gain further positive reputation. After all, what better way to spread knowledge of his kind nature, than to save a life?

Taking a breath, he adjusted his stance in an instant, focusing chakra into his furthest arm from the river as he waited, preparing to time his strike with the arrival of the person – to get them out of the river. One. He stepped forwards with his leftmost foot, bringing his right hand from away from the river, and closer to the torrential water source. Staring intensely ahead, he thrust forwards.

Two.

A blast of chakra erupted from his hand, aiming for the person in the river, albeit not directly. Rather than aiming it at him, Izayoi allowed himself to guess from the waves and his general trajectory where he would be, allowing the blast of chakra to instead hit the water directly in front of the individual. Were this to be successful, the blast would break apart the water, knocking the stranger flying several feet away from the source of the attack – Izayoi. Regardless of the result, he would dust off his robe – if it went as intended, the stranger would be on the bank of the other side of the river, relatively unharmed. If not, well, he tried didn’t he?

705

Chakra: 120/150 (-10 for C rank Byakkugan, -20 for vacuum palm)

Jutsu used:

Tsume looked around the forest sniffing the air as if he was trying to locate the scent of his human. There was only the scent in the way that they had come and so he headed in that direction his head turning and trying to keep the scent directly in front of him. He trotted through the foliage ducking into bushes if he didn’t smell trouble and tracking his way down towards the way they had come. He shook his head running faster keeping the scent ahead and hoping he could find Shippo sooner rather than later.

Shippo on the other hand was being pushed further down the river and he was trying his best to get to one shore or the other. As he struggled in the current he could feel his clothes becoming heavier from the water they were taking on. It would only get worse as time went on and he couldn’t allow that to happen. So he finally made his way closer to a shore, but before he could get his feet to touch the bottom he saw that there was someone on the shore. His kimono was strange to be sure, but what he did was only stranger. He took a stance of some kind and shot something right in front of Shippo. The shot that caused the water to explode did indeed send Shippo flying through the air. Thankfully it was in the general direction of the closest bank so he was able to get his feet under him clawing himself up onto the bank panting heavily as he collapsed well enough on the ground not to be swept away again, but still his feet were in the water.

He was utterly exhausted from his efforts and he had to rest. It took a minute before he could push himself up using his hands “T-thanks for the save…” he croaks out in exhaustion before he shakes his head pulling himself up to his feet shaking, but stable enough. He then looked up river “I have to get going! Tsume needs me!” he barked suddenly before he shook his head “Tsume…m-my Tsume!” he started to move following the river back the way he had come “I have to…get to…Tsume!” he said tears in his eyes.

Suddenly, his brain seemed to catch up with him and he whipped around looking to Izayoi with a desperate stare his head tilted in confusion “W-wait…you can help me…” he rushed forward tears streaming down his face now “Please I have to find my Tsume! He is alone out there! He is still a puppy! He needs help keeping himself safe and fed! Please help me!” he begged his headband slipping down over his eyes a moment letting him catch his breath and get his brain to catch up with the rest of him giving a chance to calm down and gather himself up. Adjusting his headband he looked at Izayoi panting softly as he shook his head “i-I’m sorry….I lost my Ninken…h-he and I were attacked and got separated. I-I need to-to find him as s-soon as possible…Please I need your help. My name is Shippo Inuzuka.”

WC: 529

Total: 785+529= 1,314

Izayoi watched, head tilted, and with a positive yet neutral expression upon his face as the person climbed back to the safety of land. Upon being, well, not in the rushing water, the stranger simply gathered their breath, gasping and lying down. Izayoi just watched, waiting patiently on the person to gather enough of their strength to get up and speak. To his surprise, the person’s priorities were not to recovery, but, to a task they seemed to have. It sounded strange to Izayoi at first, and he couldn’t help but be curious about the story this person must have. Yet it seemed these were soon to be answered, as just before limping off, the stranger turned to Izayoi, pleading for aid. It was hard to tell, given how wet the person was, but if Izayoi had to guess, he’d say he was even crying.

As the request for aid was finished, the Hyuga nodded slowly, processing what had just been said. So, it seemed this individual was looking for his dog? The dog must mean a lot to him. Izayoi had to refrain himself from grinning, turning his outward expression into a solemn look as a thought crossed his mind. If he aided this one in finding his companion, surely the person would think positively of the Hyuga. Another Konoha ninja that believes him to be a pure of heart child. Emotional manipulation was more powerful than any weapon or money, threat or power. So, as the shinobi introduced himself, Izayoi would simply nod, adjusting his posture to be standing straight, as one would expect from a Hyuga.

Veins still apparent at the sides of his face, the recognisable features of the active Byakkugan, Izayoi nodded. “Well, mister Shippo, my name is Izayoi, and if you couldn’t guess, I am from the Hyuga clan.” He gave a thumbs up, before walking up stream, before looking behind him. “You stated that you were looking for you dog, right? I am assuming it is this way? And any other details you could give would be useful. We can walk and talk, assuming this is the right way – which I’m guessing it is considering you were about to run back this way.” At that, the boy turned away from the Inuzuka once again, stepping lightly along the natural pathway up the river.

Byakkugan active, he turned his head from side to side, keeping his mind open and keeping an eye out for anything in his vision. He had the fortune of being gifted in the visual art of Byakkugan, allowing his vision to be superior to those outside his clan. Izayoi couldn’t fathom a life without this gift, a life where things were so… Narrow in perspective. Birds flew, rustling the leaves of trees overhead and disturbing their canopies. A small mouse ran from a snake, rustling in the bushes. Yet no sign of a dog as of yet. Sighing, Izayoi shrugged. “If there’s any details that you think could help, please share.” And then, with a nod, he continued walking, resuming his sensory search. Oh, the tasks one had to do to get reputation.

523 + 705 = 1228

Chakra: 110/150 (-10 for C rank Byakkugan)

Shippo nodded his head quickly a smile and a look of absolute hope coming over his face as Izayoi decides that he will help Shippo. He smiles widely and jumps up and down trying not to hug the Hyuga being that they had only just met and most people didn’t like strangers hugging them. Still, when he was asked which way to go he quickly headed along the trail going up river “Y-yes this way! This way! I-I was swept downriver… I’ve been in the water only a few minutes, but that’s enough time for anything to happen to my Tsume! I’m so scared! He’s never been alone out in the woods without me, I-I haven’t been without him since he and I met! What’s he going to do if that bear finds him again!?” he started to get hyper snarling, growling, and looking around flexing his clawed fingers nervously serious.

He kept looking around whimpering and calling out Tsume’s name. Upon hearing the question about additional information. Shippo stopped dead as he looked to Izayoi “Tsume is a dog, he is still a puppy so he isn’t very big at all. He is a blue/grey with a X scar across his little chest. He is the perfect Ninken! I can’t believe we got separated!!” he started to move forward again calling out Tsume’s name repeatedly hoping that his pup would hear his voice and respond to it. After a few more steps, he inhaled and gave a loud howl which ripped through the air. The sound while it may have attracted unwanted attention to them, but it was also the best bet for Shippo to give Tsume a clue to his location so he could find him.


Tsume tried to move through the foliage as fast as he could following, the river downstream in order to locate his human. As he moved down river he could scent the trail they had taken in order to get to the point they were at when they got separated. His nose was much sharper than Shippo’s, but the human was indeed learning how to scent like a proper canine. As Tsume started to work down the path his nose caught on to the scent of something else. He whipped around and saw that it was a raccoon. Yet, this Raccoon seemed larger, and more feral that others. It hissed at him and Tsume stood his ground snarling back at it the fur on his spine was raising up in threat of violence.

The Raccoon snarled and charged towards Tsume in anger. When it charged forward towards Tsume he snarled and rushed right at it. He wasn’t going to lose and this damned creature wasn’t going to get in the way. The pair met and they began to wrestle in the foliage snarling violently, he snapped biting and clawing at the Raccoon. When they broke apart Tsume snarled and lunged for the Raccoon again this time sinking his fangs deep into its side shaking violently for a moment. After a moment he let go of the raccoon and it rushed off quickly. Tsume on the other hand rushed forward down the message trying to find Shippo. He suddenly stopped dead hearing the howl from Shippo and this in turn made Tsume lift his head to respond giving off a howl as loud as he could.

WC: 562

562+ 1,314 = 1,876

Izayoi continued stepping forwards, somewhat… Amused, by the jolly nature of this one, who seemed legitimately gleeful – something the lying Izayoi wasn’t. Still, often those that seemed happy were also the most gullible, and to Izayoi, that was perfect. The more happy, the more they were fooled by the happy. So, he kept grinning, looking from side to side with his active Byakkugan to try find this lost pooch. He wasn’t the best at knowing how to track with more than his vision, relying on it intensively and primarily. Still, this was Izayoi’s first time meeting an Inuzuka. He’d heard about them, as all in Konoha would, and it seemed the rumours weren’t far off – he was very much like the dog he was looking for. Still, as he mentioned concerns about the bear, Izayoi decided to try sound more cheerful than brave, chiming up with “Well, I’m sure dogs can run faster than bears. They’re pretty slow aren’t they?”

Realistically, Izayoi was already imagining the dog to be dead.

Still, as the Inuzuka just kept talking, Izayoi listened, continuing his walk forward and listening to the words that spewed forth. He kept exaggerating and emphasising the fact that this dog was just a puppy. Izayoi, personally, couldn’t care less, as if the dog was truly at risk by being alone, was it really a ninja pet? Not that he was particularly vocal about these thoughts, as he continued to do his sensory work. He had half the mind to query on if this person could do any sensory tracking of his own. Inuzuka had a good nose, right? Which offered an even bigger reason Izayoi felt the need to be nice to this one. Inuzuka covered a form of sensory knowledge that Izayoi couldn’t do himself. If he managed to make an ally out of him? Well, it’d be great, and perhaps allow his plans to become true sooner than anticipated. Yet, that was a thought for another time. For now, to distract himself, and not make himself seem odd, the Hyuga began humming quietly to pass the time, continuing to look back and forth.

The dog person then began calling out his dog’s name, multiple times. A rather fruitless task, as one could imagine. Then suddenly, to Izayoi’s frustration, Shippo stepped forward, and howled wildly, like a primal animal. It’d have been appreciated if some warning was given, as he soon put his hands to his ears for a brief moment, just from the initial shock. He turned to complain, but, before he could verbally show distaste for the sudden loud noise, a noise occurred from the distance – other howling that wasn’t too dissimilar from the hyper boy that was with him. Perhaps this was his dog? If not, and it was instead a hostile source, the combat would prove a good opportunity for Izayoi to learn about the Inuzuka boy’s abilities. So, with a shrug, he turned, now walking towards the source of the sound. “Let’s go investigate that, okay? It sounded canine enough, and was this way. If you have any fancy dog person smelling skills, they could probably be useful about now. If not, I’m sure my eyes can make do… Although, please give warning next time you make a loud noise.” He replied, with a nod at the last point. He’d rather not lose his ability to hear, there was only so much his eyes could see. So, he walked forwards in the direction of the sound, resuming his sensor-like look around.

588 + 1228 = 1816
Chakra: 100/150

Shippo tilted his head in confusion as he thought about this “Bears…b-bears can outrun men…their top speed….wolves move faster….dogs are wolves….account for youth….accounting for the young age of Tsume, and the food that the bear came to get from us…H-He should’ve made it away from the bear.” Just at that moment he surged towards Izayoi jumping in front of him “H-he’s alive! He’ll be alive I just know it!”

It was after this sudden realization was when he howled. Upon hearing the return howl his heart soared and he whipped around following the scent “TSUME!!! OH, MY TSUME!!!” He rushed ahead of Izayoi as fast as his legs would carry him. He didn’t care about noise, he didn’t care about anything else in the world. Of course, that meant he didn’t hear or even notice that he was indeed being watched by the same great bear that had driven them away from the food. The great ursine watched as Tsume passed right by the spot where the bear was eating his stolen meal. With a great below he rushed after Tsume who continued to rush forward away from it heading towards the direction of the howl.

Shippo gave another howl as loud as he could in order to fill the air with the sound. Tsume was quick to respond this time howling again to match the call that came from his human partner. It was loud enough for both Shippo and Izayoi to hear this only made Shippo stop dead in his tracks. He wasn’t going to risk running past Tsume as he came forward, he inhaled deeply and he could scent Tsume. His nose got better the closer he was to Tsume, and sure enough his nose was getting better. It didn’t take very long, but soon Tsume burst from the foliage up in the air like a speeding bullet. He slammed into his human partner and the two went rolling backwards closer to Izayoi barking and laughing in joy tears of joy streaming down Shippo’s face as he loved and nuzzled his pup. Once they had stopped rolling Shippo moved and held up his hands with Tsume wiggling in his grasp “Oh thank heaven! My Tsume!”

He turned rushing towards Izayoi smiling as he held Tsume in his arms “Thank you so much! Without you I would’ve been washed so far down stream I could’ve never gotten back up here. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” he repeated as many times as he could. Tsume gave several yips of excitement giving his own thanks to the man. Everything, was interrupted however as the bear came bursting from the foliage giving a great bellow of rage stomping its feet in great anger.

WC: 453
Total: 453 + 1,876= 2,329

It wasn’t really a surprise at this point when the erratic, hyperactive Inuzuka ran off, shouting his dogs name, upon the return howl. For someone so concerned with the health of his dog, he was very… Unsubtle. But, Izayoi wouldn’t say anything about that. Right now, he was but an observer, and an aid – the sort that was meant to follow and assist when needed. That was the persona he would show, to get this one to like him. Once more without warning, the Inuzuka howled, causing Izayoi to flinch somewhat and squint his eyes, refusing to cover his ears in case of danger. Still, he’d just asked this one to be at least warning if he was going to be so loud, right?

Still, it seemed to work out in the end, with the loud mouth running on ahead, and Izayoi following behind at a walk, before stopping suddenly without warning, during which time Izayoi caught up. The bushes nearby rustled, and Izayoi braced himself, ready for an ambush, or a wild animal. Instead, a small canine rushed out, leaping at the Inuzuka, who fell over backwards while hugging his dog friend, laughing, smiling, and crying. It would have been a wonderfully happy sight, if Izayoi was the sort to care about that stuff. Still, he smiled, watching as the Inuzuka got up while holding his dog. When the boy thanked Izayoi repeatedly, Izayoi simply nodded, shutting his eyes for a brief moment. Only a brief moment however.

The sound of rustling was the first thing Izayoi noted, opening his eyes once more in alert and looking to the side, now facing the source of noise. The noise escalated quickly as he spotted the source, a loud roar erupting from the lips of the bulky bear. Izayoi sighed, deciding to first take the moment to dust himself off. It was likely the creature wouldn’t be quick to go down, so, perhaps it were time he worked with his fellow ninja, no?

Sharply, Izayoi pointed to the side, out of the line of course of the bear, while with his spare hand he took a senbon out from his weaponry pouch. “Shippo! Tsume! Get to the side! I will distract it, and while I do so, please strike at it from the side!” he instructed, before throwing the senbon at the bear to get its attention and anger it further. The expression, don’t poke the bear? Well, Izayoi just poked it, with a stick of flesh piercing metal. The metallic weapon hit the bear right in the right side of its foreleg, however, Izayoi didn’t stop there, stepping backwards carefully while taking a second senbon out from the pouching. With the three hundred and sixty degree vision provided by the Byakkugan, he could see a rock nearby for him to use. Perfect. He shifted the grip of the senbon, trading the hands he held it in before throwing it towards the rock, clattering against it while looking directly at the bear, and continuing to step backwards, the bear now running forwards, enraged. Genjutsu active, it was only a brief matter of time before the creature could hear nothing. “Whoops…” he said lightly, pretending as if he hadn’t intended to not hit the bear, so as to hopefully not let the Inuzuka not know he was using genjutsu. Some techniques were best kept secret, no?

564 + 1816 = 2380

Chakra: 75/150 (-10 for Byakkugan, -15 for C rank jutsu)

Jutsu used:

Shippo was over the moon having been reunited with his beloved Tsume. Yet, as the bear came roaring out of the foliage a darkness crossed over Shippo’s face. This was the bear that had caused him such pain, this was the bear that had threatened Tsume’s life. Shippo carefully set Tsume down on the ground snarling low in his throat. Slowly he turned around to face the bear reaching back into his weapon’s pouch to pull out a kunai. Hearing what Izayoi wanted Shippo gave a single bark that sounded deeper and even more vicious than a normal bark. Tsume looked up at Shippo with concern but Shippo had already started to move in the way that he had been instructed. Tsume was quick to follow suit however running to the opposite side so the pair of them would converge upon the bear between them.

Shippo looked feral and vicious like a dog filled with rabid anger. As he drew closer to the ursine he gripped the Kunai harder ignoring the fact that the first Senbon had sank into the bear’s flesh. The second attack that was used to activate a Genjutsu went completely unnoticed by Shippo whose focus was on a single purpose and will. Tsume however noticed the not attack, but the meaning of it was lost on him being that he didn’t know anything about Genjutsu, or the like. He would tell Shippo about it later right now he and his ninja were nearing the bear.

The great Ursine shook his head as he tried to get some hearing back, but the pain in his leg was distracting him so he instead roared charging towards Izayoi as fast as his wounded leg would carry him. That wasn’t far enough or fast enough to actually reach the Hyuga before the Inuzuka was on him. Jumping onto the bear’s back Shippo drove his kunai into the bear’s flesh repeatedly as fast as he could manage to pull the blade free and stab it back in. Of course, just holding onto the bear with his claws was painful enough. He didn’t stop there either no he sank his fangs as deep as he could into the bear biting and biting over and over in different places to cause bleeding wounds, if nothing else.

The bear rose on its hind legs reaching back as best it could to try and swipe Shippo off of its back. As it focused on Shippo Tsume was in there sinking his fangs into its back-right leg snarling and tearing away as best it could a thick chunk of flesh and fur in his mouth. Shaking his head as fast as he could he tore at the flesh. Feeling this new pain the bear didn’t know how to take it he roared in pain swiping in the air in front of him as he shook himself trying to dislodge both of the attackers he had clinging to his body. Still, he swiped down towards the canine who nimbly jumped back out of the attack only to run around and sink his fangs into the opposite leg chewing and biting on it repeatedly. All of these pains were easy distractions for Izayoi to take advantage of.

WC: 539

Total: 539+ 2,329 = 2,868

Incredibly unsurprising to the Hyuga, the Inuzuka paid no heed to the doings of Izayoi’s trickery, and both Shippo and Tsume played their parts perfectly in the attacking of the bear, leaping upon it and causing wounds to the beast before it could get close enough to hurt Izayoi. Izayoi watched on, unflinching, the endless void of his grey eyes staring daggers at the bear. Now, he had an opportunity to get in there and assist, and with what he could do, this fight would end as soon as it had begun in terms of suddenness. The somewhat insane genin had to supress a smile that he could feel about to crawl across his lips. This beast had dared to disturb the quiet in the air, and disrupt that of his new found ally… Well, more like a pawn, but, the Inuzuka didn’t need to know that Izayoi thought him the lesser, did he?

While the bear reared onto its hind legs, Izayoi sprang into action, hopping just a tad off the ground as he burst fuuton chakra from his tenketsu, quickly closing the gap between him and the bear, adjusting his stance, with his back leg bent, foremost leg stretched as far as possible. His arms mimicked this posture, his ponytail swaying with the direction of his pointed hands from the momentum of his sudden stop. Chakra gathered at the tips of his fingers, hands tensely kept straight, as if attempting to copy the shape of a knife. At that instant, Izayoi’s face was pit less abyss where emotion went to die, replaced entirely with simply malice and a hatred that could rival that of the Uchiha curse.

Suddenly Izayoi sprung forth from his posture, using his hind leg to propel himself into a spin as he first struck the bear in the chest, before mid spin halting, hands thrusting like a blur to hit another two times. Feet planted so firmly on the ground that the dirt beneath crunched with the pressure of Izayoi forcing all of his weight downwards, he withdrew his hands just before springing up to strike in an instant another four times across various parts of the chest. Not hesitating for a moment, he stepped nearly face to face with the bear, striking all over the bear and even its forelegs another eight times. The Hyuga stepped back once, before all too violently striking another sixteen times, the bear visibly dazed and messed up from the sudden ferocity that its tenketsu were closed with. Still, as the large mammal began to drop forwards, Izayoi didn’t stop there, closing his hand into a fist before just blatantly punching the bear in the face. Sighing, he turned, stepping away from the downed animal and dusting himself off. Calming himself down, he began patting his hair back into its tidy place, adjusting his clothes, and generally taking himself back to his prior state. Voice back to the chipper of its prior state, Izayoi looked behind him once, face now softer, the veins of the Byakkugan all but gone from his once more young face. “I’m happy for you that you found your dog, mister Shippo. And I hope I was able to be of help! Do what you want with the bear – while I’m not the sort for over the top violence, I will understand entirely if you feel a need for revenge, and to satiate it with blood. The bear threatened to kill your Tsume after all.” He nodded, before looking back ahead of him, and going to retrieve one of his senbon from the ground. He had fully intended for the bear to be dead, however, this would be a test of Shippo’s personality in Izayoi’s eyes – would he succumb to rage so quickly, or would he restrain himself? These traits were important to know.

640 + 2380 = 3020

Chakra: 35/150 (-10 for Byakkugan, -30 for 2 C rank jutsu. Izayoi is now too tired to use jutsu anymore, however, I didn't write that in, since, he's not allowing his fatigue to show.)

Jutsu used:

Shippo was far too gone to notice that Izayoi had started to attack. He was constantly stabbing the kunai, and his claws into various spots he could reach in order to continuously deal more damage. So, when the bear’s body suddenly started to lurch and react from being hit he had no idea what it was from. Still, the bear wasn’t going to be able to withstand attacks from a shinobi, especially not the powerful gentle fist that was bombarding it. It tried to turn itself and get away from the various attacks, but with so much pain being sent into it from various places it had no idea where it was safe to run, or where it should run. Tsume was the one who noticed the attacks and he was quick to back off the attack wanting neither to get in the way, or to be there for when the bear fell. Sure, enough the attack that was launched on the bear was enough to bring it down. It slammed down to the ground with Shippo on top of it when it landed Shippo slowly let go snarling and moving back away from the fallen ursine. His face was dripping blood, and his claws were also dripping blood due to the wounds he inflicted upon the bear. Breathing heavily, he stood there snarling with each deep breath outwards watching for the bear to try and make some kind of move against him.

After a moment, he started to calm down and looked to Izayoi as he made his little speech. He nodded his head slowly his lips curling back in a snarl even as Tsume neared him nuzzling his leg and trying to get him to calm down even further. With a deep inhale and exhale of breath he moved in front of the bear’s head but not too close “Cut off a wolf’s head it can still bite you.” He muttered more to himself than anyone else. Looking down on his foe he finally chose to speak up louder aimed at Izayoi and the bear “I don’t believe in over the top violence. However, we live in a dog eat dog world. Do you think this bear would’ve stopped just because I fell? Do you think this bear would’ve stopped if it had hurt Tsume and he wasn’t moving? No, that’s not how this world works. Only the strong survive. We Inuzuka understand that better than most.” With a deep snarl, he tightened his grip upon his kunai “I am going to kill this bear, but I shall not dishonor him and waste his bounty.” He glanced back at Izayoi “Being that without your help I would likely not have found Tsume so quickly, or gotten out of that river until it came to meet the ocean, and had a much harder time defeating this bear a share of the kill is yours. The death blow is mine however.” He looked back to the bear this time nodding his head “You fought as best you could, your mistake however was threatening my Tsume.” He said in a voice that was as cold as steel. This was a drastic difference from the chipper and happy boy that he usually was, but Izayoi hadn’t seen this side of Shippo yet.

Without waiting a moment longer Shippo jumped onto the bear’s back and sank his blade into its neck slicing through and opening the creature’s throat. When it stopped moving and was clearly dead he began to skin his kill as best he could using claw and Kunai. Tsume stood nearby watching Izayoi, but also glancing back at Shippo to make sure he was okay.

WC: 614
Total: 614 + 2,868 = 3,482

As the bear fell, Izayoi watched, the features of his face softened and relaxed. The anger that so quickly overcame him quickly faded like a passing wave, and instead, Izayoi watched, simply. The Inuzuka was practically covered in blood, and if he wasn’t so cruel, perhaps Izayoi would have cared. The Inuzuka looked more primal than the fallen bear in that moment, crimson dripping from his lips and extremities. The puppy that they went to this length for nuzzled at the almost inhuman Shippo, and Izayoi simply watched, silently, as he walked in front of the creature. The bear was simply limp, likely unconscious from the intense stimuli of pain. It was at that moment, Izayoi simply listened while the dog person spoke, going on his rant and rave about the dog eat dog world. Izayoi raised an eyebrow, simply watching and listening, and keeping a neutral expression throughout it all. It seemed, this Shippo person would be a good person to keep contact with, perhaps make a bond with. The tide was washing up, and Izayoi would be happy to be there when it eventually flooded over the frail boundaries – the more droplets of water he could add, the more people he could have to his side, the better.

Still, after Shippo finished and leapt up onto the bears back, even Izayoi felt a tad bit of surprise. The ferocity that drove the kunai into the back of the neck of the bear… He was not expecting it, but even more so, he didn’t expect what came next – in the middle of the woods, the Inuzuka began skinning the creature, removing its fur and skin with just his claws and knife. Blood seeped into the grass, likely to be little more than nutrients for the soil now, and he just watched as always. Izayoi walked over to the corpse, being careful to pluck the senbon he’d thrown out without getting blood on himself, or without disturbing the act of Shippo. Blood covered senbon in hand, the Hyuga then walked over to a nearby bush, taking a leaf and beginning to wipe the blood off onto the leaf. Almost symbolically, Izayoi placed the blood covered leaf next to a stone, a grim, emotionless expression upon his face. Finally he sighed, allowing the neutral and carefree face of his façade to return to him, looking to the cruel sight before him with a nod. He stepped back to where he was, slipping his senbon away, before sighing a light exhale. “If that is your view of the world, I understand mister Shippo. Regardless, I am glad you and your dog, Tsume, are reunited. I will admit, this was a lot more adventure than I am used to on my walks. Usually, the most interesting event is simply that I find an interesting shiny stone on the path.” He bowed, letting a cheerful smile cross his lips. “Regardless, putting the adventure aside, I can say it is an honour to meet another member of the village of leaves, despite the wild circumstances. I am glad I could have been of assistance today, and if in the future you ever need me for anything, I can usually be found in the Hyuga clan compounds.” He nodded, then adjusting his hair to make sure it was still neat. “Just ask for Izayoi, they can usually tell you where I am.”

566 + 3020 = 3586

Shippo skinned the bear the best he could taking every last bit of fur from the neck down. He would have to cut out the sections that had holes in it due to his attacks. Still, the fur was nice and it would truly be a fine pelt, and he would sew more pants, cuffs, and perhaps some gloves for the winter out of this bear. He then went and cut the claws out of the forelegs and the hindlegs making sure to keep them intact. With these he had some plans in mind, but that was only the beginning as he took the long fangs upper and lower of the ursine creature smiling widely “Thank you for aiding me and Tsume. I owe you a debt and I shall not forget it.” The smile was bloody and didn’t seem to work considering how much blood was on his face, along with the chunks of fur and flesh hanging from the edges of his mouth.

Glancing to his partner he nodded “Say thank you Tsume. Hyuga- senpai gave us a mighty fine hand.” Tsume looked to the Hyuga before standing up slowly bowing his head just enough to be noticeable, but never took his eyes off of the shinobi. Bringing his head up he gave a few short yips sounding happy as he did so before looking to the kill that they had made of the bear wagging his tail slightly hoping to get some grub.

Now with the thanks out of the way Shippo went back to finishing the skinning job on his kill “Well, I am happy to have made your walk more exciting. It’s always a good thing to keep your skills sharp, and to have the unexpected happen. If you ever need me to give you aid just come by my home. You can find us Inuzuka generally around the same area. Put the word out and I’ll come calling.” He suddenly smiled wider showing off his fangs “Better still just howl and we will come running.” He said with a laugh before he slowly rose from the kill and using his kunai he cleaned the majority of skin from the flesh that had stubbornly stuck to the skin, but soon decided he would have to wait till he got home. Carefully folding his prize he slung it over his shoulder nodding his head “Well, Hyuga- senpai I am glad to have met you and once again I thank you for your help. See you around!” He started to walk off in the direction of the village Tsume following behind him, the paws leaving red prints in the grass as he did so clearly indicating that Tsume had been at the bear. Calling back over his shoulder Shippo called out “You may want to leave soon! Fresh blood will attract more predators!” then he was gone heading out towards home a new friend and his newest adventure under his belt.

[Exit Thread]
WC: 494
Total: 494 + 3,482 = 3,976

Training
Strength: E1 to D = 675/675
Tsume: E to D = 750/750
Doton: C to B = 2000
Total: 3,976 - 3,425 = 551 WC remaining

Izayoi gave a light chuckle as both Shippo and Tsume thanked him, returning Tsume’s little bow with a smile upon his face. Truly, he was pleased in some form or another, although the true reason for his pleasure was not what one would imagine. Izayoi wasn’t fazed by the blood and fur, or the gruesomeness of the sight. Izayoi made a mental note of the offer the Inuzuka made, nodding slowly. “I am sure I will be visiting you at some point in the future, although perhaps simply for a chat, my new friend.” He grinned, laughing more at the suggestion to howl for aid, and as Shippo began gathering up the dead bear carcass to carry, Izayoi stepped out of the way, so as to make sure he didn’t get blood on his clothes. As Tsume and Shippo walked off, the Hyuga simply waved them off, smiling as he did so. “Understood my friends! Safe travels!” he called, before turning, and walking off in a different direction.

The walk hadn’t exactly gone as planned – Izayoi had intended for some quiet, yet it seemed on these woodland walks, this was never the case. First a psychopath that burnt Izayoi’s arm to the bone, then a duo of blood thirsty dogs that so easily accepted the leash Izayoi provided. Yes, he would one day take them up on their offer for aid. The dog duo had so kindly offered to help Izayoi in the future, so, would it not be rude to ignore such an offer? The smile upon his face turned grim. He finally had his first true pawn in the game of chess he was preparing to play. Or perhaps they would prove more useful, perhaps a bishop, or a rook? Regardless, they would no doubt prove… Key to his plans. And thus, his malicious intent let out in the form of an almost childish giggle, Izayoi walking off home, to go wash his hands.

326 + 3586 = 3912

[EXIT]

Training: