Airi, If i were a goddess... I'd end the world.

The words themselves were heavy, but the girl who spoke them said them in such a way that it sounded happier than what was physically said. Not wanting to leave the sentence on that note, Hanbei would quickly follow up, turning to face Airi who had no doubt looked a tad worried at what she'd spoken moments ago, smiling faintly to attempt to drain some of the dread from the moment. "The world at the moment is chaos, so many nations doing so many things, so many people are afraid of the ninja and what we can do. I'd want to usher in balance and carve a free world where guardians of the peace aren't needed anymore and where all manner of people stand equal. I would end the way of things as they are now, and usher in tangible peace between heaven and earth." She would finish, hoping to have cleared up any misconceptions about what she had claimed her divine intentions to be.

Although, all was not quite right...

Not so far away, men in brown and red clothing stalked the forests of Konohagakure beyond the sensory barrier. Time and time again they had probed past it, testing the ANBU response rate before seeking to make their final approach. It took hours before they had decided on a plan, taking a team of 26 men, they would form a tight group that would act as a trijan horse for the 6 of them who were hiding in among their signatures. As soon as they were through they would body-flicker away in separate directions. When the group came into contact with the ANBU they were scatter and run back across the barrier and move to safety, leaving the team of 6 who had sneaked by to sleuth into the nation, find one another and search for their target. Konoha was a big place, but they knew who they were looking for, it was really only a matter of time.

From the shadows they would move through the jungle, asking about for the boy who, due to his high profile status at the Inuzuka compound, was not hard to catch wind of, one thing led to another and they were hot on the Guanyins' trail keeping to the shadows and tree-tops until the girl was finally in view, talking with what seemed to be a friend as the team of six were plotting their attack, moving to surround them with deadly stealth.

With at least Hanbei none the wiser

Hanbei would turn to Airi her hair blowing some-what in the wind. "What about you? If you came into that kinda power to change anything you wanted, what would you do with it? Also, is there anything decent to eat out here? I'm starving." She spoke placing both of her hands on her stomach and trying to smile the pain away, she hadn't eaten since the morning and it had been hours, each and every one of her recovering wounds, although healed, were still taxing her energy reserved considerably in the mean time as her body was still in a sense recovering.

A world in chaos, fear. A dream of balance without necessity of guardians. It seemed so different than the sort of balance Airi thought about. Where Hanbei seemed to look for equality, Airi knew this would never be able to be achieved. There would always be hunters, and prey. The smart would manipulate the dumb until they got beaten up for it. If anything, the balance Airi believed in was a natural one rather than a humane one. A certain order in the chaos of wildlife, she guessed. To think two people could be so different despite believing in a similar idea. Peace. Balance. Equality.

When prompted to explain her world as a goddess, Airi really had to think deep. Such a power seemed so... unreal to her. She couldn't see divinity as something that rose above humanity to look down upon the creations it had brought to existence. No. Airi looked down at the very earth she walked upon when she thought of divinity. A power that carried the whole world, allowed it to exist. And rather than to look down, it looked up to those it had created to see it flourish.

"I would make sure all people had something to eat.", she stated with a smile, looking for the bush with berries she had spotted a bit before. As she laid eyes on the half-hidden bush, she pointed at its direction. "Those have some berries you can eat, even though it's still a bit early in season"

But what would she do as a goddess?

"I'd end civilisation. Allow the world to be returned to our brothers and sisters in nature. As you say, equality for everyone, even the animals and the plants. No more houses that separate us from the fresh air, no more streets that deny our feet the touch of grass, no more technology that resists the cycle of life and death. We would no longer need a daimyo or kage, as Mother Earth would be the only sovereign to put one single rule - be prey or predator."

It wouldn't be a safe world, not even be an easy one. But it would be one where everything had an honest chance to win, where everything would be in balance again, and where nature would be loved and feared all together.

Resting her arms in her neck as they moved to the berry bush, Airi felt a sudden dread. Or rather, she remarked a certain disturbance in the natural flow of the forest she was used to. Turning her head as her eyes searched for something unknown, her ears couldn't hear the song of birds anymore. No chirping, no crickets, just... silence, and an uneasy feeling she could only describe as the presence of a predator waiting for the right moment to ambush its prey.

"So quiet... Too quiet", she whispered ominously, but despite all effort her eyes couldn't find anything out of place. The predator was hiding its presence too well for the genin to be able to spot it, but in a natural environment as this one required more than just a good disguise to fool Mother Gaia. On full alert, Airi held still, waiting for the predator to appear and ready to retaliate. "There's a predator. Be ready."

wc 554

Hanbei thought about the idea of a world where mankind returned to nature, living off the land, but, in that world, if mankind still had extraordinary power that differed from person to person. If one's blood mattered more than the determination of the individual, then hierarchies would form, the weak would rally under the strong and the world would simply rebuild itself in the shadow of what it once was. Though, perhaps she was overthinking the idea, if people just came together against a seemingly infinite harsh world perhaps... just perhaps. The mind of the girl after that moment would be awash with the idea of people rallying over a seemingly unbeatable threat, or a savior. Though the girl was processing the information at a relatively quick rate, Hanbei would for a time literally zone out and submerge almost entirely into a world of her own. She could only see the world that her mind had projected before her as she strode down the philosophical trail of possibility for the next few moments that seemed to pass.




Silence washed over the scene like a toxin, so deafening and daunting that it would even manage to pull Hanbei from her world. Her eyes darting up as Airi uttered her warning. Hanbei would reach into her clothing and draw three long, thin black needles per hand, each of them didn't seem to catch the light as steel needles would due to the paint that was drawn upon them, instead their mat black surfaces would blend with the shadows of the Guanyins' long sleeves as she would scan the horizon for other threats. Hanbei's trained eyes were keen, but not as keen as they had once been before the chuunin exams. Torture was a curious thing, although she was sure now she was stronger than she once was, she still felt as though she was held back, as if there were an artificial wall on her capabilities not allowing her to reach her full potential. Hanbei, rather than hide would usher Airi to a side, to the tree line, whatever the case, Hanbei was a chuunin of the village hidden in the clouds, and Airi was a Genin of konoha.




"Keep back, feel free to help if we're engaged but don't put yourself in any unnecessary risk, ok? If you feel like things are too much, you run for help, ok?"

Fear was not unknown to Hanbei, but she had dealt with far worse in her life, but as the subtle sound of a semi silent string of someone's short-bow pulled taught. Hanbei would pivot on a dime and with the momentum of her spin she would launch all six of her needles directly at the canopy of the tree where one of the ambushers lay in wait. There was a distinct sound of puncture and a delay as a man in red came crashing to the ground, hitting branches violently on the way down before coming to an abrupt stop, breathing shallowly, but still breathing. Slipping her hands back into her cloak six more needles would find the in betweens of her fingers. With outrage the other assailants would make themselves known, men in red, tattooed and scoundrel looking. Hanbei would look shocked as a sweat would bead at her brow...

"There's no way... how... how are you here!? Hanbei would question aloud as the self appointed leader of the bandits would look towards the young Senju, motioning to one of the men and telling him to; 'take the girl, we can use her as leverage against this one.' One of the bandits would turn to the Senju and draw what seemed to be a falchion, striding towards her. The men seemed to be deeply tanned and dressed in desert attire. They definitely weren't locals.

Hanbei was almost frozen in place, she didn't know what to do, she watched as one of them began to move for Airi, but as soon as Hanbei looked as though she was going to make a move, the remaining four looked as though they were ready to intercept. Two more of them were bowmen, and the other two had an assortment of knives and a sword each on their person. These men were dangerous... there was no two ways about it... Alone, Hanbei thought that she would be able to handle the group, but with Airi here, many of Hanbei's techniques were made moot.


[823]

From behind her, she heard the swish of light clothing, followed by the heavy thud of a man garbed in red hitting the floor. Airi wasn't sure how Hanbei had discovered the man, but she guessed the Guanyin's senses had to be real sharp since she hadn't heard anything at all herself. Whoever it was, she was certain the exotically dressed brigand wasn't alone and therefore formed the hand seals to create three mud wolves out of the nearby ground.

Even if the brigands considered them prey, and even if Airi might generally be the delicate flowery type, her demeanour shifted almost a 180° degrees when the other brigands showed themselves, weapons brandished, to come get her. While she might not exactly be the strongest shinobi out there, Airi wasn't one to consider herself the running sort of prey. No, much like the mud wolves she had conjured, she lowered her head a little, eyes growing with the cold, determined look of a predator who was ready to defend its territory.

As one of them ran towards her, she flicked her hand in command to the wolves to counter-tackle the brigand running towards her with the three of them. Even if he could take down one of them, it would require quite a well-trained man to handle a small pack of wolves on his own. Yet, while he would be occupied, Airi didn't leave it at that. With another Snake hand seal, three thorny vines of 10 meter length grew next to her, ready to lacerate or bind whatever had decided to approach her.

Even if Hanbei had suggested to run when things became too much, she knew running away only made her a much easier target. Not to mention that she'd abandon her new friend, and giving the others an even better strategic advantage. No. Running would be the last of options she'd consider in this case, trusting that Hanbei could properly estimate their skill, considering she seemed to know them somehow.

"You may have fooled our senses, but you will not fool the forest you walk in. I'll warn you once. Even if you defeat us, your presence here has already been communicated."

Bluff or truth, Konoha-nin were home here, and the sudden out-flight of birds was a sign not easily missed. They would know what to look for, and where to look for should the two girls not be able to fend off the intruders. It was just a matter of time - time the brigands probably didn't have, considering their urge to strike now that their element of surprise was gone.

wc 448 + 554
= 1002

Chakra 125/150:

As the wolves tackled the bandit one by one, Airi measured the speed at which he turned and twisted to take them down. He was fast, and skilled, towering out far beyond her own skills. It worried her, but there was no backing down now. As the bandit attempted to dispatch the wolves, whom reformed time and time again, he slowly came within the vines range and was severely punished for it. However, against all expectations, a fuuinjutsu seal activated and blew away the whole area in a burst of fire.

Barely on time to avoid most of the fire as she jumped back, protecting her face with her arms, the heat had nonetheless been enough to leave major burn wounds on her arms and blacken her dress. Airi bit her lip in pain, trying to divert the suffering on her arms with the taste of blood from her lips. Seeing her wolves, vines and the general area burned to a crisp, a most annoyed frown covered her face, and she felt the consequences of her laziness. Airi had barely the condition or the jutsu to deal with bandits of this potential.

Yet, most seemed preoccupied with Hanbei and Airi guessed that was somewhat her advantage. She might not be able to fight them, but by distracting them she might offer Hanbei the opening needed for a counter offensive. She saw the last man reach Hanbei within taijutsu range, and flung a first doton pebble towards his head. Since he had seemingly halted briefly in place to be able to beat her up, the arcing stone hit him straight against his head, the spinning stone leaving a a nasty scratch against his temple. While the blow didn't take him out, at least it interrupted his attack long enough for Hanbei to retaliate. Not hesitating, the second arcing pebble followed, hitting the man a little above the middle of his eyes as he confusedly, if not somewhat dazedly, turned his head to look at the brat that had dared to attack him from a distance. Another bleeding wound, but still the man didn't go down, and Airi had little other means to retaliate. She hoped the chakra stones had proven their worth, since all she had left now was just a close up thorn blast.


wc 386 + 1002
= 1388

Chakra 120/150:

A thrown stone may crack the hull of the strongest armour cast right.

With the casting of a single stone Hanbei would feal no impact in the moment where she should have, opening her eyes quickly she would notice that her opponent seemed distracted as a second pebble slammed them in the face. Reacting quickly, she would draw the last of her needles between her fingers as the bandit would turn to Hanbei in a renewed attempt to put the Guanyin down. However, in this renewed attempt, Hanbei was finally on equal footing, her partner had granted her the time and the space needed for Hanbei to calibrate an attack, falling backwards as she would do so, her attackers' swing would go over-head as Hanbei's needles would strike deeply into the body of the bandit leader, many of them exiting out the back of them as they would cough momentarily before slumping to the ground to one side of the meek Chuunin... Whatever the case, Hanbei stared in disbelief for a moment as she would begin to move, standing up and dusting herself off she would look to Airi quickly to ensure she was ok, her eyes widening when the realized that she was not.

And with a second rush of energy she was at her side.

Otstretching her arms to cradle Airi's underneath the burns Hanbei would usher a hasty question as she saw the wounds that had been dealt by the explosion, worry lingering brightly in her eyes as she would speak in a rushed tone. "Airi... I said to be careful! What happened!? Quick, keep them still and let me do this, I'll have them better in no time." Closing her eyes for a moment, Hanbei would use the Mirror Cast technique in conjunction with her Kekkei Genkai Dharma needles, focusing deeply and drawing two of the long blue needles each of them glowing faintly with the Yang aligned healing energy. Carefully Hanbei would measure the width of the burns, thankful that they were not any longer than a foot in total down each arm, meaning that they were well within the scope of Hanbei's healing technique.

Carefully placing each of the needles into the center of each of the wounds, there would be a deep warming sensation as the chakra would spread out of the entire surface of the wound. The sensation would grow to the point of being hot, but not painful... like dancing the line between comfort and pain as the chakra would begin to mend the burn wounds to their primary state, revitalizing the skin cells and even the muscle beneath it should the burns have managed to get to the point of third degree. However, they would take 2 posts to do their job in full, the process was well under way.

"What did i tell you about running away if things got bad!?" hanbei would huff, before thinking about what she was saying... "Though, then again, if you had run and not stayed like you did, that last guy probably would have gotten me, and then i would have been in a lot of trouble, that's for sure. So, you probably saved me actually, thank you so much." She said with a hug as finally several Special Jounin would arrive on the scene, looking over the dead and immediately identifying them as the kind of people another team seemed to have come into contact with east of here. Hanbei in a couple of sentences would explain to them what had happened before saying that she needed to take her patient away from the grisly scene.

yet it was off to a side, Daji could be seen eating a charred piece of one of the bandits.

As they would likely begin to move back, Hanbei would say regrettably. "Sorry about back there... those were the people who captured me in Suna, I didn't know they were still chasing me... i thought they were all gone. I ruined our afternoon. I'm really really sorry."

Seeing the distracted bandit being taken out by Hanbei, unlocked a brief grin from Airi. What a fool, to lose sight of his prey so quickly. Her smile was rather of short duration as the burning pain washed over her, and she greeted her teeth again. Deep breathe of quiet suffering was all she could express if she didn't want to black out where she stood, her eyes glazed and looking in the distance without any particular focus. She had yet to release her feral mask, however. Airi didn't realise Hanbei stood by her side, taking her arms in hers, until she felt a pang of pain pulling her back into reality.

What happened. What happened? "Fire Seal", she muttered between clenched teeth, drawing in fresh air afterwards, watching how Hanbei pulled out two blue needles and put them into her arms. Once more, pain washed over her conscious mind, almost washing her away to a darker realm, but it had a strangely fuzzy feeling. Much like basking in the warmth of the sun. Or taking a nap under a freshly laundered bed sheet. In the whirl of warmth and pain, words drifted through. Running... staying... saving... It was quite hard to make out the entirety of its meaning, but the emotions associated with them seemed to explain more than the words themselves. Airi offered a weak smile in response. "A lone wolf is a dead wolf.", she said with soft voice. "Alone, we would have been picked out easily."

Unlike the bandits, the two had fought together, filling up the gaps in the defence and tactics the other had, while the brigands were just out for their own glory. If they had worked together properly, the two would barely have stood a chance. But Airi's idea had never been one of winning. It had been one of stalling. Rooting her enemies in place while she waited for the cavalry to appear.

In the end, they did appear. Just not son enough.

As the two walked back, Airi clearly exhausted by the whole ordeal, yet revitalised by the healing, she heard Hanbei apologise. Bandits from Suna chasing her. She had to be someone special if they ran this whole way to find her. Someone of greater importance she let on.

"What do you mean, you ruined it? I found it quite thrilling to defeat a pack of hunters like this. The rush of life coursing through the veins, senses wide open. Don't feel bad now, if anything, I only learned from it."

Mostly she learned about her limits. And her own weakness.

"Will you be fine? If those tracked you all from Sunagakure, more might be out to find you."

wc 454 + 1388
= 1842

Right. A reputation to hold up. Airi scratched the back of her head with a chuckle. It was true that the Senju were had a good reputation throughout the entire world, and surely she'd have to spend some time working on training, but in all honesty... she wasn't exactly bothered with that sort of reputation. She wasn't looking to be the next kage, the best kunoichi or the legendary 'will of fire'. She just wanted to be herself and take care of nature and the people just like she had done so far all these years.

"Hmm...", she mused. "I know what my future will bring. I can see a warm bath, a nightdress and some stargazing happening soon. If you wish, you could sleep over. I build my room in a tree, and I even got grandfather's telescope installed. I'm not too sure how it works, but he was always peering through it and mumbling about odd things."

Grandfather knew a lot of things. Herbs, stars, survival techniques, odd things like 'geomancy' that gave him answers with just a handful of earth. He'd then sniff it, taste it and spit it back out. Somehow, the earth gave him answers to questions only known to his own mind. Sometimes it seemed like he was a bit crazy, but whatever he told the people was always right. Airi had never been able to do what he did, aside from picking up his knack for herbalism then.

Still, that didn't mean Airi couldn't share his world or invite some people. Since the treehouse would be at the Senju's clan domain, they'd be well guarded by her family in general. It would allow Hanbei a safe night of rest, and offer Airi some company for a change. Who knows, maybe Hanbei even knew how the telescope worked. And if not, then at least they could share stories about their families, their adventures or jutsu techniques.

In any case, whether Hanbei agreed or not, Airi would be walking back home to find some rest, a good bath and get ready for a relaxing evening after saying her goodbyes, if those were needed.

Today had been a heavy day for the genin.

[Exit]

wc 377 + 1842
= 2219

Training:

 
"That sounds fantastic, I'd love to come." Hanbei would say as she would follow Airi back to her room within a tree. Over the course of the night Hanbei would regale Airi with mythic stories of grand scope as she would point to the stars and reveal the stories of the shapes that were immortalized within them. She would talk of the deeds of some of the stars of destiny mostly, a topic she could go on about for hours and hours before finally revealing. "One day Airi, I'm going to be one of them, It's my goal to become the last of the stars of destiny, somehow, I will become a star and help light the night sky. Every star has a story of ascending to greatness... and mine will be just as great. "

She'd muse as he would gaze up at the stars with her new friend, the celestial candle-light twinkling in her eyes... time would pass, and eventually, the guanyin would find his rest

[exit thread.]


(3700 words Trained: 2 B rank jutsu. 3000 / 3000)