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Tame

Tame


D-rank
It wasn't long, now. Everything was coming to fruition, even better than he'd planned and hoped the first time around. Several contacts to barter with instead of just one....and that snake wouldn't have him. Something about her was not quite intimidating, but....unsettling.

A fitting place for an end, here in the lifeless expanse. Each of his last wishes had been taken care of. He had nothing, physically or otherwise, tying him yet to this world. He was empty, much as the sky and dunes of the Wind Country, and yet not in nearly as sad a manner as these had come to be.

Perhaps it was something else that kept him calm in the face of voluntary demise. Each grain in his wake, the last area he would see - a glittering ocean of whites.

Dear gods, was this...hope? In the wake of the Door to Hell, was there really something like that left inside him? By chance it might have been that all of his options hadn't been exhausted until now. Or maybe it was that he'd already entrusted everything to one person, so he had no choice.

The grassy-haired fellow that used to be a name that struck fear into the hearts of every household in the Five Great nations stood in the emptiness of the Sand's grave, his shirt and one sleeve fluttering in the arid wind. A cactus was his perch, so to speak - standing upside-down in midair, his hair draping below him and nearly touching that single flower.

Mostly....armless.



Last edited by Tame on Fri Aug 03, 2018 12:10 am; edited 1 time in total

Nova Makato

Nova Makato


A-rank
Nova limped along the surface of the dunes, though her progress was easier and faster than it had been before due to the acquisition of the modified snow shoes from the man who identified himself as the Jackal. Though it was a small gift, they had proven to be more useful than expected. Not only did they allow her to walk through the shifting sands without the heel of her prosthetic foot sinking into the sand they also masked her footsteps fairly well. Besides her strode Izumi, her companion and lover and many other roles, but for now a traveling partner. As the sun had set they had broken down their camp with the efficiency of those who had done so several times with practice, packed the bits into the compartment within Kurogokegamu who had become a sort of pack mule for the pair, and set off to their next destination despite the uncertainty in exactly where that would be.

As the sun began to graze the horizon, they were faced with the decision to cut through the crystalized remains of Sunagakure or to make a detour and walk around the perimeter. Despite the increased chance of danger with a trek through the city, a sense of curiosity and homesickness would drive Nova to push to walk through the city. Besides, any threats that they would pass by would be diminished by the fact that they would not be making the trek alone as well as the fact they were both skilled combatants, albeit in different manners. Not only would there be the threat of those driven to stalking from the shadows with the destruction of the city, but the landscape itself was a hazard on its own. Whatever had happened after they had left had created a sparkling landscape of glass, shards and broken pieces with keen edges glinting in the sinking sun. Nova kept her eyes downwards, the combination of those wide attachment to her feet as well as ensure she did not step on one of those glistening edges as they moved onwards. Though her feet would carry her onwards, Izumi's touch on her shoulder would signal her to stop and look onwards to what could have possibly been the most peculiar thing she'd ever seen.

[381 WC]

Izumi

Izumi


A-rank
It was early morning when Izumi woke, as she did on many mornings and she dressed as she normally would in light silks in combinations of green, black, and white. The colours were an homage to her home but it was one seldom noticed and when it was it was ignored. People from Suna were invisible these days and those carrying the headband are further made into pariahs. For their purposes this was perfect as if the puppets weren't obvious enough both women sported the sigil of their home, the destroyed Village Hidden in the Sand. Izumi loved traveling by the early morning light it was the coolest part of the day before night falls. To further help avoid those Izumi would rather not be seen by she elected to become the masked woman Zhi today. The raven haired woman in the mask filled the lovers space and their surrounding area with her Raiton chakra, an early warning system to help put the paranoid Karisuma at ease. The mental state of the pair had been poor as of late, had she not visited the Jackal, Ryu Myugan, she'd have surely lost her humanity by now. Izumi had been trying to avoid conflict lately to try to keep her sanity at bay. The culmination of her recent violence being the near killing of her old comrade Chigetsu Hozuki. Had the young Karisuma just held her temper it would have been much less effort and time on her part. She could have just offered the boy protection until the fight ended, but no, she had to lose her temper. It was a wake up call when she was performing remorseful surgery on the young man's collapsed lung. Luckily her act of blind rage did not end in the young man's death.

Nova wanted to take their walk through the ruins of their home and Izumi happily obliged, anything she can do to make her lover happy. Nova was not proud of Izumi using the Chidori on the Hozuki, in fact she'd gotten quite the scolding for nearly killing the innocent lad. So gaining some girlfriend points was a good idea for the raven haired woman. Izumi walked at Nova's pace with her arm around her lover's waist holding her close while they traveled. Nova walked with her eyes down but Izumi sensed some odd on the horizon, a chakra nature she'd never encountered before and a strange element running through his tenketsu. When the man was in view Izumi immediately moved her hand from waist to shoulder warning her that it's time to be worried. Izumi's heart was racing, the man was none other than the criminal called Tame. What was unsettling was that he was seen. He was notorious for being a sniper and was wanted in Suna for a murder of an ANBU. Izumi gestured for Nova to stay put and walked to meet the man suspended above a cactus, her suna headband proudly shown on her left bicep. Izumi looked the man in the eyes then bowed, “We only want to pass through, we won't even tell anyone we saw you. If we keep walking would you let us pass or should I expect an arrow in the back?”

551 words.

330/350:

Tame

Tame


D-rank
Yikes. How many people did he meet all the way out here? It was only irony that could have brought others to such a remote location: a stretch of dunes so expansive the singular succulent ornament was out of place and yet at home in the most homogenous sense. Those spines barely grazed the tips of his hair, threatening a bad time for the coming days - but his locks were ever so out of reach. It was a droll analogy for the past years of his life, cutely enough. The greatest tracking ninja known to the shinobi world, two renowned Sages, and many more ninja had the chance to track him down. None of them could - he was always just out of sight, and until recently he'd thought himself out of mind as well. There wasn't enough proof to decide whether they had stopped looking for lack of leads or for lack of drive. Either was a possibility with the people that'd taken charge of late... not to mention that the Mizukage placed a rather idle bounty on his head. If the Hunter-Nin of Kirigakure were as good as everyone said, then without a doubt they would have sussed him out by now. Then again, clout and competence often exceeded the canard. Even the rumors about one's country were nothing but additional ammunition when it came to interacting with the other Nations.

It was, then, a half-surprise that someone had taken his back with such ease. He wasn't using his Mind's Eye, granted, nor was he paying any true attention to his surroundings. His upturned form jolted as the nameless, thus far faceless figure began to speak....or rather, supplicate. She believed their lives were in jeopardy here -

which only could mean she was privy to information from the Bingo Book. Tame knew well that he was a tracking target and otherwise a kill-on-sight S-rank criminal. To approach him like this was both bold and humble; it was wise not to hide from those with superlative sensory capacity, indeed one of his trademarks. After that unbecoming reaction, he gave a sigh. It wasn't any use making trouble here when all they wanted to do was pass by. Dropping to the ground in a backflip, he landed on his feet in the sane (ahem, barely). Patting the top of his head twice with a flat palm, he returned some words:

"I see my reputation both precedes and exceeds me. But, uh...You're not gonna have any trouble. The guy that killed Tatsumaru died when he killed Reika,

He wiggled his left shoulder, flapping his empty sleeve, only noticing halfway through his dialogue the...former allegiance of these two ninja.

"...but he didn't ever mess with your lot. I did fight one of your ANBU at one time in Konoha....

It got cut kinda short, though. Erm, he got cut short? I'mma go out on a limb and say you know of one Ishido Daraku. Aoi Bara, used to be a big thing. You look like you've done your history.

Aaaaanyhoo, I've been outta commission for a good long while now. Not only am I a lil' rusty, I jus' don't have the urge any more.

His tone was extremely informal, half due to not caring and partially his lack of recent experience with...the words. Not speaking for an entire year was a record he didn't want to repeat, approach, or break.

It had been a good few years since anyone had even mentioned Aoi Bara aside from in the past tense. Needless to say, the rancor he once had at the thought of being bound by a group of missing-ninja had dulled to mere annoyance and contentedness with being a thorn in the side. If they even existed any more.

These two didn't seem the type to be afraid of anything; their chakra indicated they were quite adept for their stature and age-apparent. What could he do to assuage their fear...?

Not really for their sake. More so nothing sudden came out of this....

445/460:

Nova Makato

Nova Makato


A-rank
“We only want to pass through, we won't even tell anyone we saw you. If we keep walking would you let us pass or should I expect an arrow in the back?” , Izumi would not name the man they had encountered but she certainly seemed to recognize him. Nova could not say as much, Izumi was far more knowledgeable about those major players across the lands. At the very least, she too was able to feel that terror of meeting one who likely far exceeded her own abilities. In a bizarre alteration of what Nova knew to be the rules of nature, the man who currently was suspended in the air would do an odd flip in which he would land with his feet on the sand rather then turned overhead. As he moved his hand Nova would flinch as though she would even be able to react in time to see only that he was merely patting the top of his own head. "I see my reputation both precedes and exceeds me. But, uh...You're not gonna have any trouble. The guy that killed Tatsumaru died when he killed Reika...”

These names all seemed so familiar... Nova probably ought to know all these names and she knew it, though was almost as certain as that though she wasn't familiar that Izumi would be. At that moment it would be  made obvious that he was in fact missing a limb, much as Nova herself was though he bore to faux representation of one. "...but he didn't ever mess with your lot. I did fight one of your ANBU at one time in Konoha.... It got cut kinda short, though. Erm, he got cut short? I'mma go out on a limb and say you know of one Ishido Daraku. Aoi Bara, used to be a big thing. You look like you've done your history. Aaaaanyhoo, I've been outta commission for a good long while now. Not only am I a lil' rusty, I jus' don't have the urge any more.” Again, another string of words that seemed rather foreign to Nova. Perhaps she ought to have paid more attention in the history course she had taken rather than sketching fantastical creations. She would look to izumi for her cue, unsure exactly of how she ought to be reacting to this man and his rather laid back and careless way of speaking of matters that seemed so be of such importance.

[417 WC]

Izumi

Izumi


A-rank
Appearances were not always what they seemed and Tame’s voice and mannerism was definitely not what one would expect from a man of his reputation, nonetheless he was what he was, "I see my reputation both precedes and exceeds me. But, uh...You're not gonna have any trouble. The guy that killed Tatsumaru died when he killed Reika, ...but he didn't ever mess with your lot. I did fight one of your ANBU at one time in Konoha.... It got cut kinda short, though. Erm, he got cut short? I'mma go out on a limb and say you know of one Ishido Daraku. Aoi Bara, used to be a big thing. You look like you've done your history. Aaaaanyhoo, I've been outta commission for a good long while now. Not only am I a lil' rusty, I jus' don't have the urge any more.” It was strange to here this version of events, this was certainly not the official record yet another reminder of the imperfections and corruptions of the ruined Sunagakure. That is, if the man was even being truthful and accurate in his account, in Izumi’s memory Tame was the one blamed for the death of Ishido Daraku a Suna ANBU member who was murdered some time ago.

Tame seemed almost weary of his life, like he was bored with it. This was a man who was known and feared far and wide yet Izumi was here having a conversation with him. Izumi removed her mask to get a better look and he indeed looked strikingly similar to the picture that was in the Suna Bingo Book. There was something far more intriguing than that to Izumi however, sure she would ascertain the truth herself but she really had to know now. “Aoi Bara. I’ve only heard whispers of such a thing existing it’s never referenced and the members are like ghosts I wondered if it was just a story…” Izumi produced her journal and a pen from her person as she spoke quickly, her previous tension having dropped the woman had an enthusiastic expression and was speaking rather fast,
“Do you know about this Aoi Bara? Who they were? What they’ve done? I’m sorry, I’ve been a bit rude I’m just very … excitable,  I am Izumi Karisuma and behind me is my lover Nova Makato. If you have no desire to speak to us that’s just fine and I hope your offer to let us pass unmolested stands. I just … couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this.”

437 words.

315/350:

Tame

Tame


D-rank
It was pretty obvious that these people were....genuine enough. And throughout his isolation, he'd found the bits of chitchat he'd gotten since he'd emerged to be acceptable. Not grating, but certainly no grace to his ears. It was enough. Or maybe he just didn't care any more, in the face of what was planned.

"Rrrright, Aoi Bara. A bunch of criminals like me who either felt that they were wrongfully hunted or could help from places the normal rules didn't apply. Beats the fuck outta me. I figure you guys know about the whole Tsuchikage fiasco if you're from the neighboring Land. The, uh, Akira equals Tsuyo detail that everyone missed. Seriously, his chakra signature wasn't even changed....are the ANBU that stupid?"


It was half exasperation, half bemusement. The ninja from each and every village were a joke to him, in a meaning both good and bad.

"No wonder none of ya managed to catch me. But, uh....Ishido Daraku killed Chikamatsu Noboru. The rest were fairly well known in other ways. Kuroka Gin was a wild card like me. Didn't like taking orders. Hyūga Tsuyo.... that guy was a lot more sensible when I first met him, though his ability to hide his identity only went as far as his face. Few others I'd never heard of and don't really care about, though I did sense a few notable ones after that fiasco....an Uzumaki and a Sarutobi, both pretty damn strong. Heard rumors that the old Raikage replacement Sano hooked up with them, though I wouldn't trust that as far as I'd throw it. No one's seen him in a year or two. See, like me -"


Summoning an arrowgun in a light glow of purple, the strands of crystal connecting in midair to a handle and unique barrel, he brandished it at nowhere in particular, then let it dangle from its aesthetics-only ring lazily to show he meant no harm. A small yawn punctuated his pause...

"He has a calling card. Known pretty well as the guy who transforms into a lil' black animal creature.

But I'm off topic. Aoi Bara as a whole....I never knew what they really wanted. Control of the criminal underworld? Purging the world of evil? Political power outside the law? Or maybe it had to do with all the riches inside their manor outside of Iwa? Those guys didn't tell even someone like me anything. And y'know, I'm not really an egotistical guy, but c'mon - I had the power to kill everyone in that group n' there wasn't much respect for my skill there. It made me mad. So I killed the Raikage and framed them all for it.


Ech, I don't like talking this much. Tell me what you two are doing all the way out here."

He scratched the back of his hair lightly, keeping the arrowgun only on his pinky finger as he slouched a bit. He didn't expect much, but conversation was a two-way street. And for once he was willing to listen.



Last edited by Tame on Mon Aug 20, 2018 9:31 pm; edited 1 time in total

Nova Makato

Nova Makato


A-rank
“Aoi Bara. I’ve only heard whispers of such a thing existing it’s never referenced and the members are like ghosts I wondered if it was just a story…”, Nova would feel the comforting touch from Izumi pull away as she would quickly withdraw a beaten journal from her robes and an expression of excitement that was so rarely flashed these says would slide across her face. Voice almost raising an octave and flowing much faster and less cautiously Izumi would fling questions to the strange man. “Do you know about this Aoi Bara? Who they were? What they’ve done? I’m sorry, I’ve been a bit rude I’m just very … excitable,  I am Izumi Karisuma and behind me is my lover Nova Makato. If you have no desire to speak to us that’s just fine and I hope your offer to let us pass unmolested stands. I just … couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this.”."Rrrright, Aoi Bara. A bunch of criminals like me who either felt that they were wrongfully hunted or could help from places the normal rules didn't apply. Beats the fuck outta me. I figure you guys know about the whole Tsuchikage fiasco if you're from the neighboring Land. The, uh, Akira equals Tsuyo detail that everyone missed. Seriously, his chakra signature wasn't even changed....are the ANBU that stupid?"

The tone that the pair were met with seemed..... unattached. There was something dangerous about the lack of care he seemed to speak with, and to one such as Nova with so little standing when considered among those people she did recognize it was frightening. Turning her gaze to Izumi with worry flashing in her eyes, she hoped Izumi knew what she was getting into. Inwardly now she would turn with her fears as Izumi was so at ease. Nearly begging that Sasori return from his self induced solitude. "No wonder none of ya managed to catch me. But, uh....Ishido Daraku killed Chikamatsu Noboru. The rest were fairly well known in other ways. Kuroka Gin was a wild card like me. Didn't like taking orders. Sarutobi Mitsuo.... that guy was a lot more sensible when I first met him. Few others I'd never heard of and don't really care about. Heard rumors that the old Raikage replacement Sano hooked up with them, though I wouldn't trust that as far as I'd throw it. No one's seen him in a year or two. See, like me -"

This talk of the death of a Chikamatsu, unfamiliar as she was with the name sent a pang of grief through her. Followed by that, the mention of the one known as Mitsuo would spark a flame that always glowed dimly within her. Anger would flush her cheeks for a moment, and though the context was still unfamiliar the very name would rile her up. It was he who had laid waste to Suna, at least in part. As he spoke Nova would shift her gaze at him for a moment as from nothing he would pull a sort of bow from air and twirled it deftly in his hands. Almost lazily he would pause as he yawned before he would begin again, "He has a calling card. Known pretty well as the guy who transforms into a lil' black animal creature.But I'm off topic. Aoi Bara as a whole....I never knew what they really wanted. Control of the criminal underworld? Purging the world of evil? Political power outside the law? Or maybe it had to do with all the riches inside their manor outside of Iwa? Those guys didn't tell even someone like me anything. And y'know, I'm not really an egotistical guy, but c'mon - I had the power to kill everyone in that group n' there wasn't much respect for my skill there. It made me mad. So I killed the Raikage and framed them all for it.

Pausing for a moment more he would fall silent after a last comment, “Ech, I don't like talking this much. Tell me what you two are doing all the way out here." Nova would shyly defer to Izumi, who excitedly grasped the notebook and pen in her hands. His words would not fall on dead ears however. The magnitude with which he spoke with comfort was beyond her comprehension but not her will to listen. Speaking of things like the desires of a group such as Aoi Bara was something that Nova just never thought she have to consider. Perhaps even one struck a chord with her, that of power outside the 'law' of Kiri that she had once resided under That last bit however reinforced that fear she held before, the casual mention that he could kill all those powerful men as though it meant nothing, and even more that he admitted to killing the Raikage. It left Nova shaking in fear, so much so that she even felt the pang reciprocated feelings from Sasori within her mind.

[854 WC]

Izumi

Izumi


A-rank
Izumi quickly jotted down notes as Tame spoke, "Rrrright, Aoi Bara. A bunch of criminals like me who either felt that they were wrongfully hunted or could help from places the normal rules didn't apply. Beats the fuck outta me. I figure you guys know about the whole Tsuchikage fiasco if you're from the neighboring Land. The, uh, Akira equals Tsuyo detail that everyone missed. Seriously, his chakra signature wasn't even changed....are the ANBU that stupid?" While this man wasn't what you'd call a hero, it was starting to make sense to Izumi why they tell you never to meet your heroes. Her family was full of monsters and it seems so was the rest of the upper echelon of shinobi. Izumi began to wonder if there was any sanity among the strongest shinobi. It seemed to her to be a trend among the powerful to also have madness. "No wonder none of ya managed to catch me. But, uh....Ishido Daraku killed Chikamatsu Noboru. The rest were fairly well known in other ways. Kuroka Gin was a wild card like me. Didn't like taking orders. Hyūga Tsuyo.... that guy was a lot more sensible when I first met him, though his ability to hide his identity only went as far as his face. Few others I'd never heard of and don't really care about, though I did sense a few notable ones after that fiasco....an Uzumaki and a Sarutobi, both pretty damn strong. Heard rumors that the old Raikage replacement Sano hooked up with them, though I wouldn't trust that as far as I'd throw it. No one's seen him in a year or two. See, like me -"

Mid sentence the man had summoned weapons of some kind to which Izumi clutched her pen a little tighter, her mind reminding her that the man was dangerous and that she could easily be killed by this man as she had gotten information. Information was something rarely given and it would do Izumi well to remember that. The only duel she'd ever lost was thanks to her hesitating against the threat of Nova's puppet shows. "He has a calling card. Known pretty well as the guy who transforms into a lil' black animal creature. But I'm off topic. Aoi Bara as a whole....I never knew what they really wanted. Control of the criminal underworld? Purging the world of evil? Political power outside the law? Or maybe it had to do with all the riches inside their manor outside of Iwa? Those guys didn't tell even someone like me anything. And y'know, I'm not really an egotistical guy, but c'mon - I had the power to kill everyone in that group n' there wasn't much respect for my skill there. It made me mad. So I killed the Raikage and framed them all for it. Ech, I don't like talking this much. Tell me what you two are doing all the way out here." Story time was over it seemed, so Izumi put her journal away and smiled at the strange man who at this point was without a doubt Tame.

“Thank you for your time, that was more information than I could have ever hoped to learn when I woke up today. The two of us? We're wandering these sands killing and looting as many Kumogakure ninja as we can. We don't quite like how the villages are treating our home and have decided to take vengeance into our own hands. The villages are corrupt, that much is clear to me. They need to pay, the world needs to reset or history will repeat itself. The world is going to war again that much is obvious. The mad Raikage Hastur thinks himself a god and has a great many convinced that's the truth. We seek to show them otherwise, and further to restore our home. The villages' guilt is plain to see in their actions. Konoha for instance they come flying a banner of peace to hide the fact that not only did they birth the monsters that destroys Sunagakure but they also tried to exonerate them after the fact. They not only allowed Mitsuo Sarutobi, whom I think is the man you mentioned, to walk free but they supported Hastur's plan to allow him to join Kumogakure. I met with the man himself wearing their colors during the Chunin Exams.” Izumi's manner of speech quickened as she ranted and at the end of her speech shook her head to calm herself down and refocus on the present. “Today, we're just on a walk though trying to have a nice day together it's not all doom and gloom for us. You know the shear odds of running into a man like you in the middle of the desert at this cactus really makes you wonder if we're really in control. Again, sorry for bothering you. Izumi gave something of a bow with her final apology hoping that the man hadn't spilled the information he'd shared with the intention of killing them either way.

875 words.

Tame

Tame


D-rank
He could only furrow his brow in pensive repose, a stature that was rare for him. Almost unbecoming given his résumé.

"I'm not gonna say that I know better than you here, because I'm the last guy that can talk about morality and have any ground to stand on. But I can tell you for sure that violence doesn't get any of us anywhere. Complete extermination can't erase history. And people will hate you for the past even if they have no connection to it other than name and land.

You should know I attacked Konoha once ago. That time...is a dim memory. I murdered Uchiha Tatsumaru and Misora Reika ---

Brandishing his right arm, a small Sealing Tag fell from his sleeve. The kanji for 'Shadow' adorned its face as it fluttered to the glimmering ground. As he finished his statement, the shining powder obscured the vision of all as statues of his marks appeared before them. The Raikage without a left arm, the Hokage without a head but replaced with a facsimile notably transparent compared to the rest. Originally he was even without clothes, but for modesty and posterity's sake he was granted his original attire, notably different in color to himself.

---for blind rage and shits n' giggles. And it got me nothing but ire, and Aoi Bara, an entirely unrelated organization, removed from the spotlight. It doesn't matter why you do something, only that you do it. People can be so driven by their emotions that they fail to see those intricacies. Sounds like the villages have been busy plotting their own little bits and not cleaning up after themselves. This is what happens when there isn't an enemy to fight....you either find them where there are none, or you become it yourself.

A tsk-tsk-tsk as he shook his head preceded his last sentence, as if in disappointment.

Nova Makato

Nova Makato


A-rank
“Thank you for your time, that was more information than I could have ever hoped to learn when I woke up today. The two of us? We're wandering these sands killing and looting as many Kumogakure ninja as we can. We don't quite like how the villages are treating our home and have decided to take vengeance into our own hands. The villages are corrupt, that much is clear to me. They need to pay, the world needs to reset or history will repeat itself. The world is going to war again that much is obvious. The mad Raikage Hastur thinks himself a god and has a great many convinced that's the truth. We seek to show them otherwise, and further to restore our home. The villages' guilt is plain to see in their actions. Konoha for instance they come flying a banner of peace to hide the fact that not only did they birth the monsters that destroys Sunagakure but they also tried to exonerate them after the fact. They not only allowed Mitsuo Sarutobi, whom I think is the man you mentioned, to walk free but they supported Hastur's plan to allow him to join Kumogakure. I met with the man himself wearing their colors during the Chunin Exams.... Today, we're just on a walk though trying to have a nice day together it's not all doom and gloom for us. You know the shear odds of running into a man like you in the middle of the desert at this cactus really makes you wonder if we're really in control. Again, sorry for bothering you. Izumi was acting far more flustered than Nova had seen before, though it was a feeling she herself was familiar with.


"I'm not gonna say that I know better than you here, because I'm the last guy that can talk about morality and have any ground to stand on. But I can tell you for sure that violence doesn't get any of us anywhere. Complete extermination can't erase history. And people will hate you for the past even if they have no connection to it other than name and land.

You should know I attacked Konoha once ago. That time...is a dim memory. I murdered Uchiha Tatsumaru and Misora Reika ---


Nova stood with Izumi placed strategically between herself and the man before them. His words flowed like honey and, for a moment, it was impossible to perceive him to be one of such vigor and violence that he could have slain as many as were claimed. But repentance was a mark of the actions he had taken, and even he could not condone his own actions. Nova had to agree with his blunt and true observation; that violence would not bring a positive outcome for any involved. At best the loss of life would be for the goal of obtaining territory, and at worst the deaths would bring no victory at all and only loss would come from the time and effort put in. From the folds of his clothes his right arm would extent, a single small tag fluttering out and down towards the earth.

It seemed time would slow for a moment, clarity coursing through her mind with a rush of adrenaline. A glittering dust would obscure her scene before her, heart skipping a beat for a moment as a waiting threat not far from where she stood would vanish from her view. Her own body was slow and feeble, the fraction of a second with the disadvantage of blindness would easily cost her her life should his actions be the preface for an attack. Even with Izumi standing beside her, the terror that would course through her veins in just a brief moment of time would come from somewhere deeper than her own feelings. The fear of one who had experience as close to death as one could come while still having come out the other side, Sasori would send a jolt of chakra through Nova's body to unseal the scroll in which his body was sealed. As that cloud before her of powdered crystal would plume upwards, one of her own would twist towards the sky just behind her.

Slowly the dust would settle, and though flecks would float down slowly around them for a while afterwards the air would clear. The figures standing in this cluster had doubled in that second in which the air was clouded, leaving the trio from before to soak in the arrival of the others from seemingly nowhere. A cold stiff body stood beside her, his slightly cool, slender fingers wrapped gently around her arm where it bore white stripe of indented skin in a stretched scar across the top of her upper arm. The arm on the other side lay flat along his side, though its color and substance was noticeably different from the one that grasped at her shoulder. Though it was one thought he hid quite well from her, Sasori's fear had not stemmed from worry about her safety, rather the safety of her chakra that he could not be without. In the time since the battle at Ibayama, Nova had repaired the horrible damage Sasori' body had taken as well as repairing the robes that he donned from ages ago. The black and red robes seemed like a void of darkness amongst the glittering field of destruction they stood upon. Like statuesque guardians, the two figures besides Tame seemed oddly..... lifeless. As though they were perfect replicas of living beings, but the artist who had created them had not been able to convey the idea of movement. Nova did not recognize either form, though they both bore peculiar marks. One was without a head and, upon first glance appeared to be wearing oddly sparking clothes, though a second look would, to Nova's embarrassment, reveal a nude form covered in layers of slightly opaque crystal.  The other was mostly whole, with the exception of a glittering arm in place of a real one.


---for blind rage and shits n' giggles. And it got me nothing but ire, and Aoi Bara, an entirely unrelated organization, removed from the spotlight. It doesn't matter why you do something, only that you do it. People can be so driven by their emotions that they fail to see those intricacies. Sounds like the villages have been busy plotting their own little bits and not cleaning up after themselves. This is what happens when there isn't an enemy to fight....you either find them where there are none, or you become it yourself.


Was she the enemy?... with the feeling of all the villages creeping around the edges of the land of wind to find their way in, it certainly seemed that she were the hero. But all the more often it is the minority that is evil, rather than a righteous rebel cause and she feared that perhaps that was what she would become. A feeling all the more enforced by the hand that rested on her shoulder of one who had been part of a such an organization. As she contemplated this, she realized that another issue had arisen from her carelessness. The woman beside her, a fierce and determined representative of suna all in her own, would soon be made aware of the dark secret that Nova bore. Protectively, Sasori would pull Nova's shoulder closer though it drew her away from Izumi's form.

[1260 WC]

Tame

Tame


D-rank
Oh-ho! Didn't expect to see something of this persuasion today.

He dangled his arrowgun's hilt with a tad more swing at the sight, grinning wildly - that calm, sardonic figure had shifted his weight onto his right heel, leaving himself just as precarious as his weapon off his finger. His posture was at once slightly hunched and yet brimming with energy - those that paid attention to his exposed skin could see a hint of a jitter every so often. A wanton sneer slid across his face and opened into a toothy grin, his eyes widening at the sight. He should really have been tense here. Or readied himself at all for combat. He pulls out a few harmless statues and this lady brandishes a full-on human puppet? Surely danger rang imminent in situations like this. Yet - there wasn’t any urgency in his mannerisms. No fear, no stress. Only hilarity. That someone like this would be roaming around in the desert and have met him just as he was about to

N’ here I thought no one interesting was gonna show up today. So I thiiink... .

With that final word and a lilt in his tone, he cocked his arrowgun on his shoulder, still not yet having condensed the contents into a ‘barrel’ - he wasn’t quite ready to fight, but the gesture surely would communicate just as well as he was. Yet, the more his dialogue - monologue? - dragged on, the more punctuated and even proper his speech became. Far from staying at his feet and a few meters out, the sand’s silica began to crystallize nearly the entire dune behind them, only leaving the stone structures to the south untouched. His left knee bent, and his toe began to tap the ground aft his other heel. The puppet itself was clenching itself to her shoulder, pulling her away from her companion. Was it a will of its own, or an elaborate show by a puppetmaster?

We won’t be parting ways so soon. I’d be rude not to entertain such an intriguing character.

Oh, the old itch was coming back. The grating in his ears.

Poor gals.

They seemed nice.

Izumi

Izumi


A-rank
The situation had devolved quickly around the Karisuma woman, her lover had been hiding a secret it seemed. If they survived the day Izumi would have a serious discussion with Nova about how she came into possession of the artifact she was wielding, the puppet had been so lost to time it was a thing of legends by now but her frequent readings in history when she had clued her in, this was something far more sinister than any design of Nova's. The crimson haired human puppet was none other than Sunagakure's Red Scorpion. The chakra buildup in Tame could mean only one thing, this was kill or be killed. Izumi had little time to think of a solution and it seemed the time for diplomacy had long since passed. It was curious as well that the puppet seemed as if it moved of it's own accord to pull Nova back. Question after question was arising but the answer would have to wait. Izumi could sense a gathering of chakra in the environment belonging to Tame surely he was planning something. Izumi knew in this fight a moment's hesitation could be her death or Nova's. The kunoichi had wished it hadn't hat to come to this. She wanted to just walk across the desert as it seemed they were about to do. Nova had panicked and summoned what seemed to be a very old relic. Izumi knew if they were going to win it would have to be quick the young women would have to attack him quicker than he could get back from them and start using his famous weapons. How did such a non threatening situation escalate into such a debacle?

Izumi was worried that Tame would be much quicker than her. While she was nothing to laugh at with her speed, she assumed he would react quicker. She wouldn't truly know until they were fighting if she would be able to keep up with him. There was still a slim chance that the situation would be resolved peacefully but to do that Izumi would have use her dojutsu against Tame and hope that he is unable to resist her supernatural charm. Izumi hoped that she would still be able to walk away from this without a fight but it all hinged on her having time. The chakra would gather in her eyes as she prepared to use her innate power in a last ditch effort to maintain civility in a seriously escalating situation that seemed do or die for either party involved.

Izumi gathered her thoughts if she was going to buy time she would have to use her tongue. “We don't have to do this. Nova and I could still walk the way we were headed and we could all forget any of this happened. Nova just wanted to show off a bit,” Izumi nudged her partner hard in the ribs with her elbow with a big smile, “right babe? She's the best puppet mistress in hundreds of years she has to show her craft to some. Besides isn't it pretty cool that she has a genuine relic of our nation's history sealed away in a scroll that she apparently never told me about?” As Izumi spoke her irritation grew, not at Tame but at Nova. How could she hide this? I thought I knew everything about her. Izumi had hissed the words after history hopefully only loud enough for Nova to hear but the anger would be obvious to her partner. Izumi would have a lot of fuel if her plan failed.

608 words.

Exit.

Total Thread WC up to this point: 7,504 (6 Passive EP. EP doubled due to PVP.)

395/450:



Last edited by Izumi on Sun Apr 14, 2019 2:17 am; edited 1 time in total

Tame

Tame


D-rank
He wasn’t impressed. The first sign of danger and this one shirks away - pathetic. The moment she looked at him, he knew what he was up against. She wasn’t the first of her ilk that’d crossed the Sniper’s path, though the last might be a different story.

“Oh, I can relate to wanting to get the blood pumping a bit and let everyone see what you’ve got. What she’s got there, however…. Well. I won’t grace it with a description.”

He let the handle of his arrowgun twirl about his index finger, barrel-less and spinning parallel to the ground. He could feel that chakra entering his body. Some part of him even wished it could perform the task it was sent there to do. But his Mind’s Eye knew better than to trust the eyes of a Karisuma - or allow them to have their way with his thoughts. The line of thinking he was single-mindedly set on now was unfortunate. At least in the sense that it was unlikely that everyone was going to make it out unscathed.

“I don’t wanna delay your little excursion, so let’s just get to it.”

His voice half came from his body, yet trailed off to become omnipresent as the entire area filled with refracted light - a pure white obfuscation that left them in the center of a fairly sizable rectangle surrounded by a chasm, waterfalls of sand the only thing left on the horizon. Nothing said boring like guerrilla warfare - and Tame knew firsthand how drawn-out finding a target only for them to flee again could be. Before the dust settled, he had appeared to their left, standing on what appeared to be absolutely nothing - above absolutely nothing. The tiny tracks of crystal installed below eye level in the chasm served well enough for his reverse footing. From his new vantage point came a single shot, not at either of the two innocents before him, but at the space above, about five meters; dead in the center of his newly-created space, it would detonate, whipping up a hurricane of grating gem-powder. An ample distraction, if a countermeasure to those pesky enough to be peeking in on this one-sided bout.

And he’d be ready to jump again, vanishing from sight to another part of the battlefield or the surrounding void. He had to make it a little fun, after all.


385/460:

Nova Makato

Nova Makato


A-rank
And now Sasori was no longer a secret. Though as tense and prepared for confrontation as she was upon the beginning of this strange encounter, her guard had been slipped through in the direction she had not expected it from. In a moment of what was the closest approximation of fear that Sasori was able to experience, for not the first time taken a modicum of control over Nova's body and chakra in order to release himself from the scroll in which he often remained sealed. It would be easy to mistake the protective stance and appearance for a concern of the young lavender haired maiden's wellbeing, and perhaps it may even start to feel that way for Sasori himself, but what had been so rousing to him that it would enable his action was the desire to defend her chakra. Still a back hole remained in his chest where the chakra of his own once rested, but now he relied so heavily on hers. Even he was aware that his existence had been kept a secret from the fiery spirited woman that the puppet mistress fancied for a reason, but the strength of the chakra before him and those who were no more than trophies of his conquests was enough of a threat that those reasons did not outweigh erring on the side of caution. While his appearance in the physical world beside Nova was an act of defense on his side, it would bring the situation to a boil. Nova could see it in Tame's body language, and the aura of his chakra that changed the world around him. Sand that already glinted slightly in the light would change, faceted flecks of crystalline powder glowing with chakra and running like rivers in the sand.

Izumi could sense it too, the way the chakra would ebb and flow from this man's body. What reaction his visage would ellicit from Izumi would not cross Sasori's mind, but Nova knew that she would feel as though she were under attack on two fronts, one from this previously unknown man that stood across from them and the other one that had flown under the radar as being a threat due to Nova's secrecy. Between the two, Nova would stand feeling weak and helpless as ever while framed by two being she would never desire to face. Izumi's voice would come, a forced tone trying to maintain a sense of normalcy despite the terror it hid. “We don't have to do this. Nova and I could still walk the way we were headed and we could all forget any of this happened. Nova just wanted to show off a bit,”Nova would yelp as a sharp elbow would poke into her ribs as Izumi spoke with a huge worried smile pasted on her face,”right babe? She's the best puppet mistress in hundreds of years she has to show her craft to some. Besides isn't it pretty cool that she has a genuine relic of our nation's history sealed away in a scroll that she apparently never told me about?”. Nova would flush bright red. The flattery was quite something coming from her, and even with the timing being less than ideal it would make her stomach flip at the idea that Izumi thought so highly of her as “best puppet mistress in hundreds of years”. Following that however was a comment on her secrecy, and Nova knew no matter the outcome here she would be hearing an earful about this from Izumi whether it be in this life or the next.

“Oh, I can relate to wanting to get the blood pumping a bit and let everyone see what you’ve got. What she’s got there, however…. Well. I won’t grace it with a description”, the sideways glance at the Scorpion of the Red Sand at her side would indicate that which he did not wish to speak of. Skilled hands would spin a device around his finger as he would begin to speak with a voice that seemed to start from where he stood and ended filling every inch of space around her, “I don’t wanna delay your little excursion, so let’s just get to it.” Without any indication Nova's vision would go blank as bright light shone from a manufactured source. Despite the pain from the bright light, Nova would squint as her eyes would begin to adjust to reveal that Tame no longer stood before them. Not only that but they seemed to be in a created arena now, the once endless desert now separate from them by a several meter wide and seemingly bottomless chasm into which the sand trickled down into slowly. It was this symbolic representation of their separation from the rest of the world within this space that was only emphasized by the glittering haze that surrounded their manufactured battlefield.

They were trapped, contained to this confined area of sand for the foreseeable future and that got Nova's heart racing. If Sasori had not already been by her side even she would have unsealed him now. Even with him there she felt a pang of fear unlike any she had felt before. When in situations that posed a threat to her health Nova often found herself far more prepared, safe within the shell of Doku Tsuki and likely several meters beneath the earth. Safe and sound from danger, and prepared to attack if need be. Instead here she was, out in the open and vulnerable. There was a reason she wrapped herself in the layers of protection her puppets offered, and she knew even against the weakest of opponents she held no chance physically. It would amuse those who wished her harm that she could do no more than hobble away and cower without the objects that she was able to channel her skill set through at her disposal.

Even so, she could not use her weakness as an excuse to leave Izumi to this fight alone. Even without looking she could feel the chakra that flowed from Izumi's gemstone like eyes. It was a gaze that she had felt the end of many times, though never in a moment before battle such at this. When it was directed at her it was in moments of romantic spontaneity on Izumi's end... and so much Nova wished that she could be laying in her partners arms. Only minutes ago they had been walking along with not a worry in sight and just enjoying there time together again, now a life or death situation was thrown in their face. From where their opponent had reappeared, a shard of crystal would shoot towards them. Not at them. But a few meters above their heads. With no indication of what its purpose was, it would combust and send more of that crystalline powder glimmering through the air. Nova would pull Izumi down to her knees as the explosion would rattle in her ears, simultaneously matching metal wings would slice through the akatsuki robes that Sasori still donned. A number of blades extended out from the metal appendages, and after fully extended would begin spinning so fast that it appeared two discs of silver above them. Shards of crystal would be swept away from the momentum of the blades leaving a small dome of clear air beneath them. Keeping her right hand on Izumi's back, hoping she would understand to keep down and let the blades spin freely, with the other she would dip her fingers into the slot in the back of her prosthetic leg where her scrolls were hidden. Using a burst of chakra of her own, she would unseal the one that contained Doku Tsuki. The sand beneath their feet would be displaced slightly as the puppet would emerge into the world beneath the sand. Only a bladed tail protruded from the earth behind where Izumi and Nova crouched. Now she was prepared to fight.

chakra 330/375:

1348 WC

Hika

Hika


D-rank
I couldn't feel anything from him.

It was....liberating? Exhilarating? Terrifying?

My knack for telling when others were feeling certain things was not unprecedented. It was no difficult task for those empathetically inclined to read expressions and put words into multiple levels of meaning and context, to say nothing of scanning the impulses of the brain to more directly learn of emotions and whether the truth was being spoken.

Him? A cacophony of mental noise, almost an audible dance of radio static. Insurmountable yet intentional. A surrender of the mind to something far greater, yet….so very small.

Of course I’d been giving chase this entire time. Meeting with the Sealer for little reason apparent, then vanishing into nowhere? My inquisitive thoughts would never allow it. I had a gift much like he had insinuated to me in our first encounter, before I used an ability of my own the ninja world was theretofore unfamiliar with. That was likely why he paid me no mind. Or perhaps the dregs of memory that availed him granted me some favor that these...unfortunate souls were not as welcome to. I had, through my abilities, a knowledge well enough of what transpired between them - a vignette that made sense enough given his comments in the confidence of that former Hokage. He couldn’t control certain things about himself. I could relate. But I didn’t have the impulse to murder people.

So I get why he stayed in self-exile.

I too quarantined myself from their location, throwing my own perception over to them such that I didn’t have much cause for raising alarm. The Sniper wouldn’t attack me, not with those vague words of trust uttered in that place beyond time and reason. The other two might well not know of my existence with the sandstorm and sudden change of surroundings that took place around them - a gaping blackness swallowed the dunes that bridged whatever distance between us, even my own perception blocked by such a transition.

In the cloud of blinding white, I’d failed in paying mind to the actions of the one who opposed him - or was ‘victim’ more of an accurate way of phrasing it? Her preparations were just as swift, readied with puppets and jutsu alike. Yet those advance provisions weren’t anything to a seasoned soldier. He was behind her before a blink could elapse for someone with eyes. My omnipresent sensory there-ness ought to have caught it. That moment lasted a minute, the futility only in my analysis. At some times, sheer height can eclipse breadth, that shadow created by experience and power plunging everything I knew into the gloaming of confusion and ignorance. I knew it well from my time with the Sealer, that Hokage who tutored me in silence.

Whatever the strange weapons he wielded were, they loosed what almost looked to be light - a rhomboid prism that almost held itself in midair for those microseconds that stretched ever on. That pinkish glowing shape, defined yet blurred, met strands of auburn and crimson. He wasn’t bound by gravity - surely any other aspect of logic might have been a bit suspended for his actions. Despite the perfect setup, the lavender-haired one couldn’t protect the one she seemed to hold as the highest priority. There was nothing more hateful in this world than to be the cause of such harm, or the inability to stop it.

And in almost the same moment, he vanished. Words escaped his mouth, becoming ever brasher now that it seemed like he had control of the situation.


"C'mon, hon, you've gotta give me somethin'.
A surge of realization. I knew that he was on par with the Fire Shadow that once stood at my side, but I never understood his reason for living outside of society. Perhaps growing up in a smaller village and not staying in the loop was detrimental in this....notes for later. Keep an eye on murderers and criminals.

He gallivanted about the small square he'd created for what were now the two of them, vanishing from anything I could manage to see and popping back into perceptible reality seemingly at a whim. It was frustrating even as an onlooker to attempt to track him. Yet all I felt now was an unstable expectance. Perhaps from both sides. One for hedonistic bloodshed, the other for forced repentance.

Now it began.


745

Tame 360 chakra remaining:

Hika:

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