mission:

Sakamoto could feel the wind rushing past his paws as he would dart across the forest, his small size allowing him to flit betwixt much smaller obstacles than other ninjas. Being small had its advantages, however, attempting to fend off the relentless assault of a Senju while in the middle of a forest was not exactly the easiest of tasks. The forest that surrounded them, that lay under their very feet and that breathed the very name of this godforsaken village. Cursing under his breath as a thorned whip would burst out of the ground not far from the frantic feline, furrowing his furry brow before fancifully fleeing the frivolous flurry of thorns feigning finesse as he did so. Darting from side to side the whip would miss by a hairbreadth, Sakamoto, claws extended bounded up one of the noble trees of the wood that surrounded them, breathing in deeply and firing a passado of wind bullets in the direction of his opponent. Each of them was aimed for her, as well as the immediate environment surrounding her frame, the Panthera knew his objective, but, knew that the plan was ultimately meaningless, this woman which accosted him with such grace and prowess, Sakamoto knew so little of... who was she really? What was her temperament? Skillset? All of these unknowns created a mystery that gnawed at the back of Sakamoto's mind.

It felt as though the entire forest had become hostile, following up the projectiles which would pepper no doubt harmlessly into the surrounds as the impressions of pawprints that would careless the earth where they made contact would replicate brands. Sakamoto would finally break formation, moving away from mere avoidance, turning head-on to his opponent and making a bee-line for her position without so much as a second thought. Amber eyes glimmering against the green flora, burning like determined flames that sought to encompass everything within their passionate fury. Hoping that the turn would distract the superior ninja for but a moment, Sakamoto would let out a visceral 'meow' from his throat, The earth in a 3m radii from one of the nearest pawprints that collided with the arena would spark to life, creating fissures in the earth which would cave away from the center, attempting to strip the woman's footing from beneath her as the rocks and stone would jarringly part at awkward angles, seeking to drop her in the crater and pull several of the other pawprint symbols closer to their intended target. Should all go according to plan he would be ready for what came next, planting a solitary paw on the earth, leaving another of the solitary seals as he would bound in zigzagging patterns for the kunoichi's neck which would be poking out of the crater's horizon... In an instant, this battle would be over... yet Sakamoto could not help but dwell on how quickly their meeting had escalated

"I'll be going to that mountain, not you, or any other ninja can stop me!" His voice rumbled flatly, void of pitch or change in its monotonous baritone.

---

Sakamoto had been lounging for much of the day, the sun shining warmly though what little cloudbank crossed lazily across the baby blue sky. A tired yawn escaping the cat's lips as the concept of training or preparation seemed a foreign concept lost in the midsummer breeze that strode across the aromatic grassy fields outside the walls of the village. The sounds of birds seemed to drown out the labour of the farmers and merchants that strode in across the paved path which sat a couple hundred meters away from the sunbathing black cat, perched happily upon a solar scorched boulder erected within the center of the field. On a day like this, training could wait, the world could wait. Sakamoto enjoyed a few good things in life, but relaxation, sun, on a hot rock with a warm breeze stood out amongst them as some of his favorite. Leaving him to imagine that all which was required to ascend his current mode of thought to one of purest euphoria was a fresh salmon and bowl of crystal cool water to either side of him... But it was almost as if in answer to his mental fantasy, the sound of somethign falling into the brush nearby caused one of Saka's two amber-gold eyes to open, scanning the field for any sign of movement.




"Alright... mood ruined..." Sakamoto would scowl tiredly, moving to stretch his legs before standing atop the earthen stage overlooking the long grass, as a line of movement within it seemed to sway from side to side. Trailing a path of rustling disturbance towards the village, collecting some intrigue on the part of the curious cat. Dropping his stance low, Sakamoto's tail would twitch from side to side as he would creep to the edge of the rock, waiting for the moment that the curving trail of the hidden creature would curve away from him. Poised to strike at the imposter who deigned to ruin the peace which Sakamoto had meticulously carved out for himself.

Leaping with all the dexterity of a hunter, Sakamoto would be as an ebony strike of lightning soaring through the sky, crashing down on the disturbance and immediately tussling with the stranger. Claws would splay and loud shrieking sounds would emit from the brush as a fight between animals would break out, silenced within moments as the world would come into focus, Sakamoto standing on top of what seemed to be a predatory bird with silver wings and wearing some form of sash across its chest with a hitiate symbolically bolted to it. As Sakamoto took in the visage of the silver-white Kite and all of its majestic splendor, He would pull back his paw from its chest, revealing the copper-scented viscous crimson liquid that stained the creature's feathers across his body. Sakamoto had not lunged with claws, and the reality of the situation hit home quickly. The creature weakly holding up a talon to Sakamoto's chest, intense pride in its silver platinum eyes as it glared down the cat, void of strength yet able to defend itself so fiercely. This was no normal bird...

Within moments after hailing down a nearby Jonin, Sakamoto followed the trail they blazed across the landscape to a medical center where he would have to give a report on how he came across the creature, conveniently omitting the fact that Sakamoto had attacked him. It took an hour, but, soon enough the Elanus came to consciousness, looking over her surrounds as it exclaimed that her home was in danger. The response was immediate, ninja clamoring for information as they sought to rush to the avians' aid. However, at the request of the location, the creature seemed to recoil hesitantly. Sakamoto could read the hesitation from his perch on the windowsill, an outsider, and a skeptic like no other. He could almost visualize the emotional walls erecting and the internal debate raging within the creature's head as it doubted whether it could trust those in proximity to some piece of information... Sakamoto became immediately intrigued. Ears pearked and senses alert as he would stare subtly at the bird who would tread lightly, as if on eggshells, stating that the village was 'the hidden city at Mt Meru'

The place would fall silent in debate, to many, Mount Meru was a taboo, a supposed infinite mountain range on the border of Konohagakure which split the nations of fire and iron. Requiring ninja to take the route through Sand country due the perilous peaks. During ninja wars, the Mount Meru ranges were seen to be so dangerous, that although should they be conquered, they would have been the perfect staging ground into Konohagakure, no nation was willing to take the risk... Yet the thought of a village being hidden there seemed to be taken as immediate fiction, or at the very least, doubt of a missions plausibility. It would be a senior Jonin that rested a hand on the birds' head and stated that the Jonin counsil would need to deliberate on the mission and what it would require, but that they would do their best, before calling those in attendance to leave... Sakamoto, perched slyly in the window incognito, would cock his head to a side as the Jonin would leave. The matter seemed to be over, settled, but it had only just begun.




In attendance at the meeting, Sakamoto would once again leap to the window of the Jonin compound, a stray cat lazing near an open window was seldom suspicious in Konohagakure. Inside, a host of Jonin would begin an argument which, despite the usual secrecy of them all, the cat would sware could be heard by the marketplace halfway across the village.

"So..." One of the Jonin would begin, addressing the group. "How do you think we should handle this?"... It wouldn't be long before the negative answer rose above the crowd.

"well, we can't just send an army through probably the most treacherous location in the nation, we'd likely lose half of us just trying to get there. That's assuming that there even is a village in that hell-hole."

"I agree, there's no way a village could exist in those peaks, its impossible.





[1698 / 5000]

There was something therapeutic about soaring high above the viridian ocean that was the forests canopy. The last few weeks had been possibly the most stressful time of his life. Nights filled with blood and terror as he fought the acolytes of a mad god haunted his waking thoughts. This was not the worst of it either, twilight hours played host to the designs of a noxious plague of parasites unlike anything he had ever seen before. He didn't even want to think about how the Yatagarasu case had played out. The two lights in his world had been his friends Kirei and Nova who had traversed the same hell that he had. The other being Ess who was something more than a friend, dare he call her a lover?

For all their support each of these individuals were 'intense' in a way that in Di's current state was simply too draining for him to bear. Something in the internal alchemy that provided Kirei's sharingan with it's unearthly powers had gone terribly wrong. A dam had broke loosing the floodgates of ocular influence and as the old maxim stated 'The flame that burns Twice as bright burns half as long.' and Kirei was to the point where any Aburame caught in his vicinity would be instantly set alight.

Ess had broken the bounds of propriety. Di could understand this well for he too to a degree had committed himself to such a course. But she was a scion of the lunar families and a princess to boot. While Di's house had been as proper as expected for a dragon family she would have faced even more draconian expectations. A good wife must be learned in the ways of etiquette, possess ample refined arts such as calligraphy and classical music training and most importantly act in a demure and submissive attitude unquestioningly taking orders from her parents in all things. In the case of Ess this was like trying to fit an ocean into a teacup her passions far too great and her whims far too fickle for such a restricting lifestyle.

Finally Nova. Her drive less palpable than the other two. If Kirei was a bonfire and Ess a tempest then Nova was a faultlie deep beneath the earth. Something was beginning to stir there there was a deep fury building up there. Was it born of hatred? For those who had destroyed her home or those who had sat by and watched. Di didn't know. When the fault came to life though there would be a raging quake that shook the ninja world to it's very foundations. Nova and all living humans would likely be dead by the time the tremors had stopped but maybe Di and Ess could see where it all ended up.

But even these worries could not hinder the blissful tranquillity of the upper air.  And Di's thoughts turned to more frivolous matters. Travelling like this was much like the passage of a kite on the breeze. What was flying a kite in the air like anyway? Perhaps on his next long voyage he could take one with him and try it out. At this point Di began to become acutely aware of something happening below him. It was a strange sensation as if his body was reacting to a faint magnetic pull drawing his attention down to the earth.

Di had heard of this ability. Adult dragon possessed senses that allowed them to pinpoint sources of disturbance and trouble. This assisted with their duty of watching over and guarding creation from all manner of threats. That he had just experienced this meant that Di was maturing into his power. He still had a long way to go and it would be millennia before he reached his full growth but somehow his time among the humans had made him mature at a startling rate. As much as he was enjoying his short foray into the world of serenity and inner peace it looked like his presence was needed below.

Building up speed Di came down through the canopy like a bolt from heaven. Trees and branches snapped as the weight of the dragons form easily smashed through the foliage like it was nothing. Legs extended he landed hard on the earth talons digging into the soil. His sense of smell picked up what was going on before his eyes adjusted to the change of light. Two presences – first a cat whose scent told of chakra usage and alertness and secondly a human. Further scents told him that the human had smelt strangely of vegetation. Possibly a senju? There was estrogen though so it was a female unlike Mokuzai the only senju he had ever met before.  Di could see the little black cat his fur up and in a fighting posture It seemed that the animal had opened a hole in the earth using some kind of magic. Was the creature actually a Nekomata? Di couldn't see a second tail but cats though less accomplished than tanuki and foxes were shape-shifters and could hide such details. Best to find out what was happening here before choosing a side. Opening his mouth and speaking in the tongue of beasts Di asked a question to the soot-hued feline.

“What transpires here little brother? Why does a member of the human race hunt you down with such ferocity? If you are innocent then I shall aid you against the agressor but if you are a yokai and have worked some mischief on her then I must punish you for your misdeeds.”

Di felt that that sounded good and regal. He could imagine it coming from the mouth of his father or uncles. If he was going to get a truthful answer then he might as well play the part of the high and mighty dragon-lord. Everyone knew that dragons could tell truth from lies. Di just wasn't going to mention that A: The ability was no where near as foolproof as it was largely assumed to be (the dragons had actually made a concerted effort to talk it up as it made their job much easier) and B: that was one of the powers that he wasn't going to manifest for another half millennium or so.

Konohagakure's official hospital, a substantial large building of three floors made from stone that had been painted white, although the building itself wasn't as quite old as one would think after being renovated after a colossal attack against the village during the time of Tsunade Senju but was still slightly beaten as hinted from the many marks upon its frame from the continues weather effects throughout the years since then. From within its confined walls, one could hear the tapping of feet from those impatient to see a medical personal member, the sound of a semi permeant patient suffering from chronic bronchitis as they coughed every second and took a scuffling inhale the next in repeated cycle's, the harmonic lullaby of a medical solution from an IV bag dripping down into a comatose patient's tube connected to their arm through a hole just to sustain their life, Konohagakure's hospital was a place of both deep depression for those of good health and a ray of hope within the darkness for those in need of it's care.

But for Mikumi Senju of the Senju clan it was a place of learning, a place to hone her medical ninjutsu so that she may prevent some of the few patients that were shinobi inside the hospital from having to visit it so that the citizens who were of little power may be helped more, although at the moment it was a pipe dream because Mikumi was just a mere assistant to her mother for now as her medical ninjutsu was below sub-par. Today she had been assigned a shinobi suffering from a broken rib, her duties were to just fluff their pillow and rearrange their bed if the position was slightly uncomfortable for them, the point was to learn how to satisfy an injured person's needs even through little actions like that, it was a normal day at the hospital, at least, it was supposed to be.

Suddenly just as Mikumi was checking the patient's vital signs and I.V bag the sound of a medical cart's wheels rushing down the hallway could be heard while a medical ninja asked for those in the way to move as they zoomed down the hall into one of the facilities most spacious rooms, Mikumi had only caught a glimpse of it but it appeared to be a large bird, curious of the creature that was now in the hospital Mikumi called in for another medical personnel to resume her duties for her as she used her new authority as Jounin to do so. Upon arriving in the room it had already filled with quite a few other Jounin who were eager to find out where the beast had come from and why and at the window was a...black cat? No upon closer inspection it was wearing the symbol of Konohagakure on it, a Ninja cat a rare sight but unimportant at the moment, Mikumi on the other hand, investigated the creature's clothing but most of all took note of the symbol on its only clothing and recalled the symbol from a book she read, the symbol of the shinobi birds of Mt.Meru, Mikumi was intrigued already as in the past any attempt to dive deeper into the subject was meant with pale faces full of doubt, and the laughter of higher ranked shinobi claiming it never existed.

It wouldn't be for another hour until the shinobi bird woke up, it took a few seconds to study its surroundings before immediately pleading for the gathered Jounin to help his home that was under attack, however, upon the Jounin's asking where his home was the bird seemed to cower internally and Mikumi couldn't blame them, just her trying to get information on it was nearly impossible, but for an actual shinobi bird claiming its existence and that it was under attack...Mikumi didn't need to stay to know where the conversation was going to go, but she did anyway. Just as she had feared the information the shinobi bird spoke was a nearly impossible pill for nearly every shinobi to follow after friction of what to do about the situation one of the more older Jounins called a meeting to be held, and while Mikumi was relatively new in her rank, she now had every right to attend.

Upon a quick change of location they arrived at a compound that seemed to be somewhat hidden but in plain sight, however, just like before the black cat whom she could know only assume was following the situation closely was sitting at the window once more but Mikumi chose not to say a word as she focused on the words being said, however, the debate was over nearly minutes after it started as the Jounin had already been hesitant and now they downright refused to help as it was too big of risk.

Mikumi felt differently, although it's true that the mission to help the bird may be a rather difficult one, the bird's home was between The Land of Fire and Iron, despite all political issue's to Mikumi that only meant one thing, the bird was a comrade even if it wasn't official, once more the bird came to the Land of Fire's side for help, and even begged strangers to do so, how could she sit back and deny such a request? The Jounin's had made up their mind and began to return to their duties but for Mikumi, it was the start of a long mission.






Mikumi know found herself chasing after the same cat she had witnessed twice at the window during the meetings about the shinobi bird, he had hastily left the village no doubt angry as Mikumi had found out later in the day that a talking black shinobi cat had found the bird and even helped bring it into the hospital, she understood all to well the need to not sit back just because something was deemed too difficult, but still, she couldn't just let the black shinobi cat leave and her approach to doing so had initially come out wrong as it assumed she was trying to stop them from leaving the village entirely which was not her intent.

The situation had exploded into what it was now, Mikumi was now chasing them through the forest as the cat had turned aggressive as it saw air bullets at her, Mikumi had managed to successful dodge by weaving through the tree's of the forest, but soon after the little shinobi had managed to set another trap that caused the earth below her to crumble and create a crater, Mikumi, however, countered this by solidifying the very moisture in the air as she did a black flip creating a disk shape and rocketing herself off it completely bypassing the little shinobi trap.

When she caught up with the little shinobi a large creature stood,as she gazed into it she felt a sense of familiarity and then a spark of a memory happened, a shinobi transforming themselves into a dragon and Mikumi as her former self-riding upon it's back, this caused her to gaze at it until she remembered who it was, "Di...,Di is that you?" However, she quickly shook her head as she remembered her original intent and looked around to find the little shinobi, "YOU! WHY DID YOU RUN AWAY FROM ME!? I WAS TRYING TO TELL YOU YOU CANT LEAVE THE VILLAGE "WITHOUT!" AN ESCORT OF A HIGHER RANK!!!" Mikumi would say putting a huge emphasis on the word without while her face twisted into a angry scowl.

WC:1297

A cat on a humanitarian mission, that was something you didn't see every day. The fact that this cat was helping a bird of all beings only added to the sheer strangeness of the situation. Altruism among felines was rare enough that cases of it often ended up with the cat in question being enshrined as a deity. The fact that Nekogami were so much rarer than Inugami their canine counterparts said something about that general state of affairs. It was much more common for a cat to become a yokai and take the path of the monstrous bake-neko. Well it was shaping up to be a pretty weird day made even stranger by the fact that the Senju girl seemed to know him.

How could that be? He had only met one Senju before in his life and that had been a young lad by the name of Mokuzai. This one had the young part down but judging from her aura she was quite powerful for a human. Well he was a detective so it was time to think this one out. He would put her age at about 20 human roughly equivalent to his own developmentally. She was of average height for a female and quite pretty – though lacking the perfect inhuman beauty that his kind and goddesses tended to embody.

The most likely possibility was that she was a relative of Mokuzai. Di guessed that among humans meeting a dragon was a rare enough occurrence to warrant telling your friends and family. He guessed he couldn't blame the Senju lad for talking though things could get a bit tricky if it became common knowledge that there were a group of dragons who had decided to take up positions amongst the human race. Too young to be a mother and probably not an aunt so Di was gong to assume either sister or cousin. Looking to the lass Di spoke.

“I think you have me at something of a disadvantage here. From what I can ascertain you are a Senju of the royal house of Konoha. Either you are possessed of some great fortune telling skill or you have heard of me from my friend Mokuzai. Are you perhaps his sister?”

In response to the little black cat Di offered another reply.

“Mount Meru you say? I have actually been there before myself. As to it's existence that get a little bit more tricky. The location only partially exists within our reality. Mount Meru is to put things in way that doesn’t involve mass amounts of metaphysical digression a ladder that reaches across all the dimensions of Samsara or creation. It is one of the very few places in which mortals can ascend to heaven or hell while they are still alive. Because of it's importance as a celestial path it has to be closely guarded though.

Some of the things that would love to travel the mountain are not exactly what one would call friendly. Many of the more wicked of the yokai realms inhabitants would love to creep up the mountain and if a coalition of Asura princes led a large enough Rakshasa army to the ninja countries then I fear that what happened to Suna would look merciful in comparison. So it is that the gods and my ancestors set watch posts so that we might be alerted to any such activity.

The Earths birds under the leadership of the Feng Huang phoenixes act as surveyors taking care of such warnings. If something is amiss then they can bring word and a force of demigods, dragons or naga can be sent to deal with the problem. It is worrying that such a call wasn't made already as they are meant to report such business immediately. Since that is the case little brother I will help lead you there though I am not sure if you will be able to pass the barriers...”

Truth be told Di wasn't entirely sure he could pass the barriers himself. The last time he had visited the mountain had been with his father and elder brothers. Di had been what amounted to around five years old in human terms and had mostly spend the entire day clutching his fathers tail while being introduced to strange avian dignitaries and being too shy to make any real talk back.

Di could vaguely remember bits of the incantation that was used. If things came to their worst he supposed he could call his parents – though after all he had been through that seemed to be the ultimate expression of defeat. Possibly this sooty hued little feline had some kind of plan to bypass the locks. Cats were cunning creatures after all and rarely embarked on an endeavor without some kind of plan lurking behind their adorable little visages.

Mikumi was surprised to see Di but her attention was somewhat split at the moment, luckily his sudden appearance put the whole scene on a momentary pause allowing Mikumi the gracious time to explain what she meant earlier, once she made her attention that she wasn't chasing them to stop them but to make sure they go to this place and come back safely both the shinobi feline and the bird seemed to be at the end of their seats in surprise. As the shinobi bird landed on a nearby canopy Mikumi turned her head to see his bandages were slightly red as her chasing them must have reopened them, but he didn't care at his wounds but instead asked in an almost hush tone why she wasn't chasing to stop them, and why help them when none of the other's in her village took on the task.  

Mikumi gave a light hum as she looked at the bird's wound, she then bent her knee's and leaped into the canopy the bird was standing in, "It won't be good for us if you're wounded, so for the sake of our travels let's get you fixed up ummm, I don't believe I had the opportunity to get your name." While she waited for the shinobi bird to answer her on what was their name Mikumi focused her chakra and then with her left hand did a one-handed tiger seal and a  noticeably strong green-tinted aura started to surround her, with her right hand she touched the side of the bird and started transferring the healing properties of her technique healing up to any moderate wounds, including 2nd degree burns, cuts of 2 inches and under, bruises, muscle and bone wounds the traveler was ailed with.

Once she was done she finally answered the question, "It's not like I don't understand my comrade's attention for not wanting to come, they're not ready to stick out their neck for a stranger they just meant, it's not so uncommon in today's world. However for me it's a little different, I made the promise long ago that I would protect my comrade's and friends with everything I got," She then took her hand away as her job was finish to look the shinobi bird directly in the eye, "You're home lies between the Land of Fire and Iron, yet you came to us, by my account even if you're home is in between two lands a part of it is still in mine, that makes you my comrade, and I protect my comrade's no matter what. Even if it means there's a harsh punishment for me once it's all over, that's just how I choose to live. And besides..." Mikumi's eyes started shinning with star's as she smiled widely, "It's a new land I've never been too!!! It' like going on an adventure!!!"  

Snapping herself back into focus Mikumi thought she may have offended the shinobi's bird personal space and jumped back down to the ground with Di and the Shinobi feline, It was then Di spoke to her stating that he was taken back by her a bit, it was clear that Di automatically assumed that despite him being able to read her chakra knowing she was a Senju his first thoughts lead him to the conclusion that Mikumi was a relative or a close friend, she wasn't very surprised by that but she would make it clear who she was. "Hahaha, no Di. "I am Mokuzai!". Well I go by Mikumi now, it's a long story and I'll be happy the explain on the way, but as proof remember how I started a bar fight after getting hammered once I found out one of the strippers was actually a male that was transgendered? I don't think "Mokuzai" would tell anyone that experience, no?"

Rather or not Di believed her at the moment was of little importance to the rag-tag group for now as they had bigger things to handle, the shinobi feline had posed Di the question about Mount Moru, after that Di began to recall the tales and experiences of the mysterious mountain by stating that he had been there before but it actually exists within a space between their world and another making it somewhat of a celestial realm.

He then explained albeit with a warning tone that the creature's that loved to visit said mountain we're not of the friendly variety meaning it could prove dangerous, he even went as far as saying that if anyone such as war would break out the massacre of Sungakure would pale in comparison to what the unworldy creatures would do to the ninja countries, knowing Di it was not a threat to be undermined. He then finished by talking about how earth's birds worked like sentinels to alert the higher creature's of danger so they can send armed force's to deal with it accordingly, Di expressed worry that it hadn't already been done so and it leads to him offering the group to lead them there.

There was a pause as the group seemed to think about just what type of danger's were lurking for them on the mountain, Mikumi simply looked at them all and started walking forward a bit causing the group to shift their attention on her for a moment, "Come on guy's we're burning daylight," She looked at the shinobi feline, "We already knew that the mountain was dangerous before Di's speech on it,  nothing has really changed we still gotta help our comrade, right?" She then looked at Di and gave a light smile and a chuckle, "This reminds me of the first time we meet that late night, come to think of it that was the first time I had an encounter with unworldly presences and even had to fight that rotten descended bellied corpse."


Chakra: 380/400

Jutsu used:

WC:1,068

Total WC: 2,365

Today was turning out to be a most odd interlude indeed. As a matter of fact Di was beginning to suspect some kind of celestial machinations behind the scene. This felt a lot like the beginnings to some classical novel. A bird along with a cat , dragon and a noble who had been turned from man to woman were now expected to go on a quest to save the kingdom of the birds. Di had never met Sun-Wukong but he was sure that the Monkey King had plenty of advice to give him regarding this particular happening.  Turning to M̶o̶k̶u̶z̶a̶i̶  or rather Mikumi, Di replied to the Senju , his mask of being an august personage falling away somewhat and being replaced with a much less formal tone.

“Well that's something of a surprise. And yes I don't think any of us were particularly open about that night. It certainly wasn't my proudest moment that's for sure.”

Di could still blearily remember crashing into a Karisuma noblewomans flower bed in a haze and then nursing one hell of a hangover in the morning when he got up and made his aplogies before leaving as soon as possible.

“I'm quite fascinated to hear what happened. I heard that there are particular cursed hot-springs that will change your sex if you fall into or use them by accident. Some of the others even turn you into a panda if the legends are true.”

Would a Senju-panda be an expert in growing various kinds of bamboo? If so how much control over the bamboo would they have? Could they make entire forests of it and create massive bamboo-golems? Di didn't know but the possibilities seemed endless. Clearing his throat of some of the ever irritating pollen that permeated the forests of Konoha Di responded to the two animal members of their party.

“It's almost certain that they will be holding the incantation inside one of the governmental compounds. Thankfully from what I have read recently the great ninja nations with the exception of Kirigakure have been in decile recently thanks to the govenance or lack thereof of their respective kages. However discreetly attaining any kind of ninja scroll Yagu or otherwise is never easy and unless you want to lose an eye and be branded a ronin.”

Di let out a sigh indicatint that he was in thought. He was pretty sure he could pinpoint the location of the Konohagakure storehouses given his aerial vantage and and Mok...ikumi's knowledge of Konoha but the actual getting in might be a hard part depending on how it was guarded. He also didn't want to cause any unnecessary bloodshed. A plan was beginning to form though he just needed to talk it over with the other pair.

“Not to brag but I am quite good at teasing out the locations of hidden areas. Should Mikumi see fit to lend me her knowledge I could probably work out which is the most likely location to hide the scroll. Once we get there however we will have to adopt a different tact as we can't really just barge in the door and demand that they offer us a priceless treasure. Most people in Konoha are quite religious right? I know that the monks of the fire temple tend to house themselves there. It might be possible for me to lets say 'lead the guards into thinking that I am my grandfather and that they are receiving a divine visitation for whatever reason'. That way you can all slip around the back and get whatever scrolls are there without having to get into any messy fights.”

This was pretty dishonest and Di might get in quite a bit of trouble if he was found to be impersonating his ancestors. Dragons placing Confucian principles in high regard  were very touchy about respecting venerable relatives and claiming to be them in order to assist break-ins was not something that Di's parents would be at all happy about. But having to evade a team of specially trained ninja defending mystical artefacts doubtlessly resulting in bloodshed was not a great outcome either so Di supposed the point was moot. Well best clench ones fist and pray to the North Star that things turned out well.

A sudden and rather monotone cough pierced Mikumi's ears and she turned to the direction of the shinobi bird as they had obviously cleared their voice to speak but what caught her attention was how it was a split between a gurgle and a falcon cry, Xiao as they called themselves began to clarify about their destination by explaining that it was just as Di explained, a place that existed in a separate plane of reality but yet was still somewhat apart of the world, she also clarified that her home was much like the legendary Mount Myunboku where the toad's that the legendary Fourth and Seventh Hokage used as summons as well as their mentor Jairaya. She now began to explain that just getting across the mountain was one adventure but to actually get within her home was an entirely different matter, the reason  being is just as Di vaguely pointed  explained that there were seals surrounding its vicinity to protect the village and that it was formulated by Konoha's Hokage's in the far past as a way for them to make contact with the creature's and stated that without said seals it was impossible to even for themselves to get within the separate reality.

Xiao began to point her gaze downward, it seemed the shinobi bird was suffering from a twinge of regret upon the situation, but after a few moment's Xiao began to speak again getting to the real point of why she had spoken by stating that their current mission was that they needed to acquire the scroll that the past Hokage had made if they want any real hope of getting within the walls of her home, but it wasn't just any Hokage it was the very first, Hashirama Senju, Mikumi's great and powerful ancestor regarded as God among them. Mikumi lightly listened to the conversation following but she was somewhat ecstatic, she knew her all so great ancestor Hashirama was a beast compared to many but she tales other than his battles with Madara and the formation of Konoha was scarce, she felt just a bit closer to her ancestor knowing that he had an encounter with a place that was said to never exist and was even the one who helped make it that way.

It would be the small shinobi feline's voice that snapped her out of focus as they restated the whole conversation that their mission was to basically go to a mountain that exists in a whole another world that has creatures of the dark that may not have the best intentions but first they have to steal a sacred relic for its scrolls that belonged to almost the most powerful ninja that ever existed, the feline looked over the group before submitted to the quest and asking which way do they go first. Di, however, spoke saying that he was almost certain that the scroll would be a governmental compound and reinstated that the nations we're currently busy with the somewhat fragile situation of the Kage's around but made it clear that despite that fact doing this meant being either branded a traitor or losing a possible eye.  

While Di began to speak on his skills at finding things Mikumi began to think about where her ancient ancestor might have hidden such a rare item, he had gone through the trouble of creating a scroll only he had access to and didn't seem to exactly share the knowledge with other Hokage only stating that it was a reverse summoning seal but not stating where from, Mikumi began to put herself in her ancestors shoes, If she wanted to hide such a rare item that she had personally gone through all the trouble of making she wouldn't put it in a government facility, that was basically asking for trouble by making it so obviously well protected. No...if she was him she hide it in a place of plain sight far from the village, but a place that meant something important to her...but where would such a place be for Hashirama Senju? She began to recount all the tales of where he been and when the answer came to her she visibly smiled to the group.

"I think I know where it is, it's not in a government facility as Hashirama was a very tactical shinobi and with all the trouble he went through to create it and make sure no human had access to it he wouldn't put it right into their hands, no....most likely it's in the place where he cherished most, "The Valley Of The End" The place where Konoha was a dream that became a possible reality and then an actual place, and the death place of where he had personally slained his best friend Madara Uchiha. If it's anywhere It would be in that place guarded by traps he set force possibly hundred's of years ago."


WC: 845

Total WC: 3,210

The fact that Di wasn't the only one here with divine parentage was in a strange way somewhat relaxing. When you were the only figure in an area with claim to godly ancestry then it meant that you were required to keep up a certain level of decorum as you were a 'representative of heaven'.  Di didn't know if Hashirama had reached apotheosis upon death or if he was simply given the title out of superstition. Even if that was the case he had heard stories about minor spirits gaining worshipers and then being transformed by the attention that they lavished upon their patrons.  It was entirely possible that the old senju was  now and actual god due simply to the praise that was heaped upon him by his descendants.

Mikumi's words made sense. If the ninja was as canny as his scions claimed then he would doubtlessly have devised some kind of trick to hiding the scroll. Should it get into the wrong hands then the effects could be catastrophic. If tragedy had befallen the outpost already then it meant that things could very well be descending into chaos. Given the urgency that this entailed Di would put his faith in Mikumi to chart their course properly.

Sakamoto seemed to have a more grounded opinion on whether or not the group could locate the scroll in time to lend assistance. If being in the human world had taught Di anything it was to temper your expectations but in a case such as this he had to agree with the little bird. The small avian was right Di would employ the full force of his talents to finding the scroll. Between the two it would be done thing no matter how large the valley was.

Addressing both the Mikumi and Sakamoto, Di spoke.

“Since time is of the essence I'll do my best to fly our little band to the destination post haste. You have shrunk a bit since I carried you last Mikumi and my head is far less foggy so the journey should be quite smooth.”

Komori

Her consciousness lingered invisible around the forest. It looked like the young dragon was going on a journey with three companions. The bird was of little consequence with a chakra signature that suggested that it was little more than a messenger – though one gifted with supernatural clarity. The cat while possessing the cognitive advantages of the early stages of magical metamorphosis clearly hadn't progressed very far in it's growth cycle.  Finally the girl – she possessed much of the old blood. Though it wasn't at potent as those of the Uchiha and Hyuga lines it was still worth noting. Perhaps she would even be able to see Komori should she decide to present herself in her astral state.  Sending mental feelers through the forest she searched for worm hosts to act as mediums for her spirit in case she needed a more direct host to address the posse.

There were none in the surrounding area. That was a pity while the parasites didn't take well to animal hosts due to their lacking of Otsutsuki blood they could abide the creatures somewhat. Well that was probably for the best. If she got too forward then the master would notice her disobedience. That would mean confinement to that loathsome prison that was now her body. Once she had been beautiful dancing in the light of distant quasars, divine suitors travelling across the cosmos to hear her stellar dirges. Should she appear as she was of old these half-breeds born of Kaguya's union with one of this worlds primitive inhabitants would hail her as queen and shower her with the adoration she so rightfully deserved. What lesser days these were.

She had been following Di due to the young dragons interest with the worm phenomena but in hiding herself from the gaze of her master she couldn't appear to any dragon. Perhaps on Mount Meru she could entreat this Mikumi and cat Sakamoto. It was a boundary area and thus the influx of energies would cloak her presence. The one factor Komori didn't understand was the what the bird needed the trio to do. She needed to be circumspect and make sure her plea wasn't made in a time where the urgency of the birds task simply eclipsed her own.

"The Valley of the End would be an appropriate place to look for it, thats to be certain, but that area is huge, there's no way we could comb it all in the time that we're there, or in the time that we have to find that scroll. Getting there will take some travel, though that's no problem. However, color me skeptical that four of us will have the potential to scour two entire rock faces for a cache or entrance to something ninja haven't found in hundreds of years." When the feline shinobi put their task like that it certainly seemed that they both a time and area issue as the valley of the end was quite the momentous valley and without knowing what was going on in Xiao's home the task became even more daunting, however it seemed the bird shinobi Xiao had a clearer head at the moment because he elevated the feline's and Mikumi's worries by stating that perception was not an issue as both birds and dragons alike were born with supernatural levels of perception and furthermore Xiaos wings were able to detect airflow giving him even  more of an edge when it came to finding things that were hidden, in retrospect Mikumi didn't know why she had worries in the first place, she didn't have wings to fly or sense things nor borne with supernatural perception but in her case she had trained her eye's by observation and was also adept at finding thing's that were hidden.

"So, senju... what kind of traps do your clan tend to set up. Surely you have temples and the like you and your family have protected. It might be good to know in case we stumble across anything similar... though they've likely changed in the years." Mikumi looked at the feline with a hidden level of hesitation that came out as a blank stare, truth be told Mikumi had never traveled to a temple made of her own clan's and had no idea what would await them, all she could do was make an educated guess based on how she formulated traps of her own and the information she had on Hashirama, "Assuming that Hashirama made the traps himself I assume we might encounter weakened wood clone's of himself upon stepping on a seal, wooden spikes protruding  from multiple angles's and cages meant to trap as within the area. I can't say for certain except that once we do find clues be on the utmost guard."

Suddenly Mikumi's eyes darted to the forest nearby as she felt something there but when she looked nothing was physically there but she could still sense it, ever since she became a living wood being she had been quite different, not emotionally or anything such as that but she felt more close to an energy signature that seemed to be completely invisible to chakra, sometimes she would feel faint presences such as now and others not at all. Taking her mind off of it she looked back at Di who had made a comment about her size shrinkage as she  much have been heavier as "Mokuzai", she didn't dwell on it as much as she used to but to her who she used to be felt like lifetimes ago now, like a past life that she can still remember but couldn't feel anymore, today was just bringing about all types of thoughts.

"Yeah I must have been a pain to carry in the past, thanks in advance for your services Di~" Mikumi said while jumping into the air and landing on Di's back and petting his scale's as she never took the time to actually touch him due to being drunk the first and only other time she had the pleasure of riding his back, once Xiao and the feline got on his back they would begin to set out for the Valley of the end.

Once they arrived over the valley Mikumi would focus her sight in looking around from the sky view Di altitude provided, she could see plenty of...well rocks upon rocks but nothing concrete that provided any information to help them in their search, "Do you guy's see anything useful?" She would ask her allies in this task as she was surely not the only one searching the large valley by now but after they responded Mikumi would keep looking as she made her eyes scan over the area more slowly to catch even the tiniest bit of detail, Mikumi's eyes scanned one side and slowly moved to the other side but between the two side's there was a long and huge stream of water so she decided to her eye's scan that as well, but it wasn't until the sunlight hit a certain spot in the sky that bright light suddenly hit her right eye causing her to flinch and throw her hand over to block it out.

She looked at the strange light over her hand observing it for a few moments, her eyes then followed where it was coming from and when she followed it's location it seemed to be coming from one of the rocks higher up on the waterfall, "Di, move us over there, I see something."

WC: 921

Total WC: 4,131

"Think nothing of it Mikumi. You really weren't all that heavy back then either"

Di's gaze swept to the apex of the waterfall where Mikumi had pointed. Sakamoto had already made a leap from Di's back with all the grace expected of a literal feline ninja but the dragon prince decided that he would offer both Mikumi and himself a more dignified landing. Di felt that he had something to prove given the embarrassing conclusion of his previous aerial exploits. This time Di touched down in a much less jarring manner letting his feet meet the rock. There appeared to be an entrance of some kind hollowed out into the stone of the cliff face.

Possibly the remains of some temple or even a cave complex to keep the treasures hidden in. Di couldn't  quite figure out the source of illumination it appeared to be emanating from deeper in the recession. Given the seemingly complete lack of any sentient life in the vicinity the detective had to surmised  it was the product of magic in some way. From the stories he had heard Hashirama was considered to be quite a potent mage in his own right leading to his later dedication by his ancestors and their vassals.

Allowing enough time for Mikumi to vacate his back Di began the transformation into his human state so as to save space when the group headed down into the tunnels. Some species of dragon loved to live in and explore caves and cramped subterranean spaces but Di was not one of them. Give him either the open ocean or the streets of a human city over spelunking any day. By that same chain of logic Di wasn't really interested in any treasures that were not the key his family were wealthy enough already and he wasn't going to start sleeping on a pile of gold and jewels any time soon. Mikumi and Sakamoto probably felt the same way , the Senju already came from a prestigious family and well Sakamoto was a cat which meant that should he want to acquire money he merely needed to put his maneki-neko powers to use and rake in a fortune.

Now in his human state Di began to take in the surroundings. Nothing particularly strange about the mouth of the cave, he couldn't spot any obvious carvings or markings indicating significance. This didn't mean that they had the wrong place though. If Hashirama was to hide a priceless artifact then he wouldn't exactly make the entrance of the place easy to spot. Were the group approaching the cave from the ground like normal people they would have surely missed the entrance hidden as it was by the curtain of water.

There didn't seem to be any sign of boobie-traps here either. No obvious fuinjutsu, tripwires or raised sections of the cave to indicate pressure pads. No sooner had Di thought that then his now human sized foot ended up touching the protruding root of a cave dwelling plant. What transpired next happened almost faster than Di could follow. Bursting up from the floor of the cave came a large wooden form. Vaguely humanoid in appearance it might once have resembled a simple wood clone of Hasirama but centuries of growth had twisted the construct into a much more bestial form.

Before the young prince could cry out a log serving in place of an arm ended up meeting the flesh of Di's face. Flying through the air with the force of the blow Di could taste the coppery tang of blood in his mouth for the milliseconds before he hit the cave wall.

Damn that hurt.

To make matters worse vines like the tendrils of a grasping octopus were now snaking their way from the walls to wrap around his limbs and restrict his movement. Clearing his head of the pain Di wrenched the entangling extremities from the wall freeing himself to get shakily to his feet. Di was about to apologise to Mikumi for setting of the guardian when yet another wooden form burst out from the ground followed by a third. Readying himself into a fighting stance Di called out to his companions.

“Sakamoto when you get up here be ready. We have company and apparently I’m a specular idiot that can't see what’s right in front of my face. Sorry about that Mikumi – I'll make sure to keep a better watch on your back during the fight.”

While Sakamoto the feline of the group used a combination of his natural feline physique and the help of Xiao their feathered friend he was able to make his way albeit in a slightly embarrassing way closer to the shiny object Mikumi pointed out but while Sakamoto made his way upwards Di, however, allowed them a more graceful way of getting closer as he simply flew forward into the waterfall which revealed to them that what she spotted was something shining from inside a hidden cave proving her suspicions were right after all, Mikumi quickly jumped off of him, "Thank's Di, smoother landing then last time too~" Mikumi then went to the edge of the entrance and peered her head slightly over to see Sakamoto still making his way, Mikumi used a bit of her chakra to elongate her fingers into branch's that reached for Sakamoto as they proceeded to wrap around him carrying him the rest of the way up while carefully avoiding the water of the falls as much as possible before pulling him into the cave.

Mikumi then turned around to look at the cave taking note that the shiny object she was seeing was much deeper in, Mikumi was quite interested in what would be inside the cave but not in the way of wealth but instead she was interested in knowledge of her ancestors or just her clan's history in general, was what she was hoping to find but it would have to be a secondary task as their main goal was finding the scroll that would help them enter the hidden village that Xiao called home. A minute or two in the walk and there seemed to be nothing there except the strange light at the end of the tunnel which Mikumi found herself losing hope as there was no signs of boobie-trap fuinjutsu, or anything suspicious to make them think they were on the right track, Mikumi was beginning to think maybe what they were seeing was just the few light that entered the cave hitting a rock in such a way that it creates the illuminating object.

But before Mikumi could ponder on that any longer suddenly from the floor of the cave a large wooden form that Mikumi could see had the similarities of a human body, she was witnessing the remnants of Hashirama Senju's immense power in the form of a wood clone he made nearly four centuries ago that although was immensely deformed no doubt from time and didn't seem to carry the intelligence her own wood clone's carried anymore was still a feat that would make anyone's face drop in shock of it. Unfortunately, Mikumi didn't have much time to marvel at it as with a strong motion of what used to be their right arm they made a swing at Di that ended up connecting to his face causing him to start bleeding before he flew into a nearby wall, no sooner than the moment he hit it vines started to grasp and wrap around his limbs restricting his movement, Di didn't take very long to break himself free from the vines that seemed to be set up as traps but also was considerably weakened by the times.

Before they knew it from the floor another corrupted and deformed wooden clone of Hashirama had emerged and so did the third one, Di who had already felt it's pain got into a fighting stance as he prepared himself for a fight, Mikumi on the other hand closed her eyes as while Di had been hit she had already assisted the wooden clone's current strengths were just slightly above a genins but no quite a chunins, Mikumi put her hand on the hilt of B-rank blade she was carrying while thinking it was a shame to destroy such great testimonies of her great ancestor's power but making sure her allies was top priority, "I'll handle this Di."

With great speed and grace, Mikumi burst forward at a speed of 17 m/s towards the deformed wooden clones, for the one that attacked Di she cut cleanly through its torso cutting it into half, she then spun around on her pivot foot piercing the other clone in the back and then kicking it's foot destroying it while using her strength to bring the blade upward splitting it into two, the third one throw out its log arm in an attempt to strike at Mikumi but she let herself fall back while using her left arm to thrust her blade into a crack in the cave to stop herself as well as for her balance while her left leg was thrown up to kick the clone's log hand that ended up being broken off before Mikumi gripped her blade tightly as she swung out her left crossing over to her right to deliver a powerful downward strike to the third clone destroying it.

She took a moment to let out a sigh as she realized she may have just destroyed a relic from her ancestor, either way, she was happy Di was safe and Sakamoto wouldn't have to deal with them either, "Let's continue shall we?" As they continued to venture deeper into the cave they would suddenly realize that at one point it wasn't like a cave anymore but a wooden structure of sorts that had been constructed to match the cave's inner natural design, as they walked a little further they would see a skeleton of a shinobi wearing Kirigakure's headband with a wide gaping hole that was connected to a wooden clone that seemed to not be functioning anymore while a body of another Kirigakure ninja was further in but had been wrapped  up almost completely and a few of his bones was peeking out showing he was quite literally crushed to death.

When they finally made it to the shiny thing they had been seeking it was but a single scroll, Mikumi looked at Di and Sakamoto before grabbing it and when nothing happened Mikumi looked at it with confusion, she then opened it reading what it had to say reading it out loud, "The treasure you seek is not part of my body, it lies in the place where a friendship was formed by skipping rocks and where it ended in bloodshed of a friend, to my sworn brother whose vision of the future lead him into the darkness I present you with the light of hope of a new ally to our dream." Mikumi thought about it for a moment before speaking, "It's a riddle, to where the real scroll is hiding."

Mikumi thought about the words she just read out loud carefully, a friendship that was formed by skipping rocks...but ended in bloodshed, his sworn brother that walked into the darkness to pursue his own vision...she thought about it for a bit and only came to one conclusion, "I know where the scroll is I think, Di take us to Madara's stone face please once we exit" She said to the group before heading to the exit, once Di was ready they would all get on his back once more so he could take them where they needed to go.


WC:1,252

Total WC: 5,383

Returning to his dragon state following Mikumis dispatching of the deformed wood golems Di set off towards the statue of Madara. Mikumi having sensed something deeper within the initial cavern had chosen to stay behind as it was possible that the party could miss some important clue. As the dragon prince flew closer he could see an opening into the hollow that Sakamoto was occupying. Di didn't much like the look of the flowers as the little black cat had just exclaimed there was a strong chakra presence about them that hinted at an unnatural genesis.

"While I do have some training in botany I can't recognize this species of plant. I would say that it is highly probable that it has been created through Senju magic."

With Mikumi being busy Di had little means of actually getting to the bottom of what the flowers purpose was without collecting a sample. That could be dangerous as neither the dragon or the feline knew what effects might occur should they tamper. As Di was pondering this he saw some movement from the corner of his eye. Something small , green and with strangely smooth edges on its humanoid form. Now that Di's second sight was kicking in he could see that this place was the haven of what seemed to be an entire community of Kodama.

It was not like the sprites were exactly rare but only the older or more powerful ones could manifest into their tangible shapes. Clearly Hashirama's plants were aged and potent enough to warrant a gang of the little spirits. Perhaps they could tell Di and Sakamoto what the purpose of the flowers were and save their group the pain of learning the hard way.

"Greetings little tree spirits. Both my companion and myself were wondering if you could help us by explaining what exactly the purpose of these flowers is and if they must be passed before reaching the heart of the this labyrinth.”

The little spirits bobbed and nodded to each other making small gestures with their tiny limbs. It appeared that they were deep in discussion. Di hoped that Sakamoto could keep a good hold on his feline instincts as the tiny spirits would likely be almost too inviting for a normal cat to resist pouncing on. Somehow Di didn't think the tree sprites would be very happy to see one of their number devoured by what would appear to them as a massive black panther.

Finally one of the creatures stepped forward intending to address the pair. Communicating telepathically it imparted the knowledge that these flowers produced a terrible pollen that caused eternal slumber in those who partook of it. Being nature spirits though the Kodama could withdraw the life from the plants and causing the flowers and their pollen to simply crumble into dust. The flower spirits wouldn't be too happy but as tree spirits the Kodama outranked them in the great botanical hierarchy.

What followed was the most adorable battle Di had even seen as the Kodama confronted the Lilliputian spirits of the flowers. The lower spirits even faced with their superiors were not ready to vacate. Miniature limbs covered in buds met pudgy green fists and there was ferocious battle-cries that sounded like nothing more than the cheeping of small birds. Di was tempted to go against his dragonly virtue and just smoosh the flower sprites with a thumb but the Kodama seemed to be doing such a good job of things that he remained still till the conflict was over. The Kodama leader his little hands covered in sap bowed to the cat and the dragon and lead the captured flower spirits away to whatever their fate was.

Their animating force now gone the flowers became a harmless powder on the cave floor. Looking to Sakamoto, Di addressed the feline.

“Well it looks like we are all clear to proceed.”

After relaying the clue written on the parchment Sakamoto the feline shinobi of the group along with Xiao who had stayed further back into the cave quickly began to move, when Di asked if she was coming she told him that she would stay behind to further investigate the cave as she felt something radiating what felt like Senju like Chakra off the cave walls and it felt as if the energy was calling out to her, Mikumi traveled deeper into the cave until she reached it's end but the energy felt like it was right in front of her but she couldn't see it, thinking back on how Hashirama's clones had been corrupted and deformed by the sea of time Mikumi thought that maybe the cave had been deeper once upon a time but the times have eroded the earth around it making it smaller.

Going by that thought Mikumi thrust her hand into the cave wall in front of her and she noticed there was no real earth behind it, she balled up her fist and then quickly thrust it back out causing the loose earth to fall apart to reveal another part of the cave that had been lost, Mikumi continued to follow the new cave path and the energy got stronger and stronger until it eventually lead her to a box, when Mikumi attempted to open it she felt a shock of strong Senju energy like none other than before leading her to believe that whatever was in the box must have belonged to Hashirama himself, after a quick mental prep talk Mikumi got through the initial shock and fully opened the box to reveal a single ring that had an inscription on it, but before she could investigate further she heard the faint voice of Di saying they could proceed and Mikumi put the ring on her feeling the same shock before leaving the cave to catch up with her group.

When Mikumi got to the edge of the cave she jumped out of it towards where Di and the others were, moments before she touched the rock she took out a kunai and stabbed it into the rock so she wouldn't fall, she then put her feet upon it activating supernatural walking and walked up the rock formation to where Di and Sakamoto were waiting, when she made it up there she could see many little dots that as soon as they noticed her they started to swarm around her causing Mikumi to be startled until she could hear a voice, "This one has the same energy flowing through them as the traps we just disabled, they must be their kin~" "Indeed indeed, such energy us undeniable." Mikumi was confused, when she looked at the others she noticed they weren't hearing any voices but Di seemed to be able to understand them to a point, perhaps it was because she more a living tree being than she was human  that allowed her to commune with the very spirits of nature but regardless of that new knowledge it wasn't the focus but in fact the scroll, Mikumi cutting off the other two reached for it and the moment she grabbed it her human form that was maintained through an elixir started to reverse and her hand became wood again, it was a minor inconvenience but thankfully the trap put on it had waned in power drastically and through her own chakra shed was able to reverse the process turning her hand back into her human form, she then looked at the group and presented the scroll, "We have what we wanted, lets go save Xiao's home."


WC:621

Total WC:6,004

Stats:

Perception:
A-1 ~> A-2, 1150 words (4,854 Words Left)
A-2 ~> A-3, 1300 words (3,554 Words Left)

Reaction Time:
A ~> A-1, 1000 words (2,554 Words Left)
A-1 ~> A-2, 1150 words (1404 Words left)
A-2 ~> A-3, 1300 words (104 Words Left)

104 Words Wasted

The group would take their prize, the box containing the scroll of seals was theirs for the taking. Sakamoto seemed happy at the job the group of them had done, and now it seemed like it was time to move out and on to their next objective. The mountain that they were heading to was a dangerous place and there would no doubt be obstacles in their way. Xiao seemed excited to have gotten this far, for whatever reason the bird had a method to exit her home but no means to find her way back in... If only the group of them had an idea of the eminent darkness that had been following them, observing them and the bird Xiao over the course of their travels... Sakamoto looked over the group and gave a nod, saddling himself on the back of the Senju woman, clinging to her armour with his claws expecting her to be the person to give him a ride while the bird continued to fly in the skies above alongside the dragon Di.

"Its good that we got this far, though this really is just the beginning, we have the key to a door, but the path to the door will no doubt be another trial, and then there's the threat that remains on the other side of that door. If everything keeps going like this, time is going to be of the essence." Saka would be attempting to think three steps ahead, but there were so many parts of the moving puzzle, that without specifics, gauging the difficulty would be... difficult. Still, with the power of a dragon on their side, his brain, and the Senju woman who seemed to excel in the physical department. They formed a triumverative force that would not be easily dissuaded from their task. Then there was their guide, the creature Xiao, who, as much as they trusted the raptor, they didn't know many specifics about the creature. Could she be trusted? Who was she? Was everything that they had been selling to the team the truth or just a series of half truths?

Xiao had been holding off a couple of the details when it came to the battle that was to come, and the potential dangers that lay in the dusklands within the roots of the tree. A feathered beast with a thousand eyes that stared up at the worlds of sunlight at the pique, the summerlands of the great mountain and the envy of the world that hid within them. She hadn't told them the exact nature of Mount Meru, their leader or the strife that had been caused on either side. The radical position of the raptors politically and the strife which had befallen the heart of the mountain. Xiao had banked much on these outsiders, and in many ways was attempting to play as much of a political game as the creatiures whom had invaded her homeland. In some ways even more so. There was manipulation involved, this much was certain, but manipulating others into offering their lives to help save the lives of the innocent was the calling card of a leader... Not that, that was a possibility that was in the cards for the young raptor any more... Not since she left the great mountain after all.

The group would take their prize, the box containing the scroll of seals was theirs for the taking. Sakamoto seemed happy at the job the group of them had done, and now it seemed like it was time to move out and on to their next objective. The mountain that they were heading to was a dangerous place and there would no doubt be obstacles in their way. Xiao seemed excited to have gotten this far, for whatever reason the bird had a method to exit her home but no means to find her way back in... If only the group of them had an idea of the eminent darkness that had been following them, observing them and the bird Xiao over the course of their travels... Sakamoto looked over the group and gave a nod, saddling himself on the back of the Senju woman, clinging to her armour with his claws expecting her to be the person to give him a ride while the bird continued to fly in the skies above alongside the dragon Di.

"Its good that we got this far, though this really is just the beginning, we have the key to a door, but the path to the door will no doubt be another trial, and then there's the threat that remains on the other side of that door. If everything keeps going like this, time is going to be of the essence." Saka would be attempting to think three steps ahead, but there were so many parts of the moving puzzle, that without specifics, gauging the difficulty would be... difficult. Still, with the power of a dragon on their side, his brain, and the Senju woman who seemed to excel in the physical department. They formed a triumverative force that would not be easily dissuaded from their task. Then there was their guide, the creature Xiao, who, as much as they trusted the raptor, they didn't know many specifics about the creature. Could she be trusted? Who was she? Was everything that they had been selling to the team the truth or just a series of half truths?

Xiao would watch from her post in the skies, her eyes scanning the horizon to and fro as the troupe would begin to rush for the location of mount meru, each of them attempting to make their way as fast as they could, bypassing the trees, weaving through the landscape with supernatural swiftness. The endless glades of konoha would roll past them in a swathe of green and earthtones that would almost never seem to cease. From the skies above it looked like an ocean of emeralt rolling in waves as the cauliflower branches extended out to the heavens in every direction. Night had well and truly fallen, and the Osprey could see for miles in every direction under the light of the moon. But all wasn't well as she was cloaked in the unfamiliar wreath of night. She could feel the amber eyes of something that fluttered silently on the winds, anxiety of an enemy poised to strike had been building up on the back of her neck for a while now. She had been attacked, but no-one had asked her where or when, simply asking for her message and thinking that, that was all it was.

Could a young osprey, with wounds like she had recieved, flown all the way from mount Meru, to konohagakure no sato with wounds like that???

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The creature had escaped, the talons of the vicious being had been soaked with blood as plumes of feathers cascaded in the evening wind. Beady eyes scanned the skies for the creature, but, having battled away her attacker and escaped into the foliage of the green nation. A curse was muttered under the breath of the being followed by a cry as it would move to hunt, and observe. Flying low to the ground the droplets of blood in the outer forest were not difficult to find, and certainly enough the focus of the pursuer seemed to be at the rear of the drifting bird. Xiao was too weak to fly now, little more than a lost kite on the breeze as it fell close enough to the earth in the grassy plains outside of the village to be set upon by some form of black cat... They were too close now, he would have to back off and take a position to observe the creature, though, it seemed that the cat was not without its mercy... the creature was a ninja, that much he could tell by the way it moved and struck, and the trained chakra that flowed freely throughout the tenketsu that would act as the ethereal matter's veins.




Xiao had been hospitalized, but was recieving care, the stalker could not come to the conclusion that the cat had made him, or that he was guarding the most notable port of entry for the pursuer,  but it was evermore frustrating and seemed to be getting in the way. Taking a rest on a nearby building some blocks away, but in view of the hospice, it would keep watch at the feline who would be keeping guard all the while, sitting in the one point of entrance the watcher was able to gain entrance to the building without being detected. All to the watcer's fierce chagrin. Scowling at the feline under its breath, though it would never leave its post until there was a moment. The eyes of the cat almost seemed to meet its for a moment. Its ears would stick up, facing its direction as if it were paying attention, moving up on his front legs and leering directly towards the stalker in the shadows. Had he been made? There was no clue, though the panthera minora seemed to take it as a cue to enter the room, looking for something and vanishing into the window.

Time passed and there was no sign of the feline, finally, taking the time to approach the window and peer into the hospital room, its eyes widened as it came to the conclusion that the hospital bed was empty, a doctor who worked there had recently discovered it, sheathing her gown and taking off in pursuit after the birdnapper. This woman was no doubt a local of the nation, and would surely prove to be of benefit in the continuing race to the object of the creature's desire. Gliding across the evening sky never making a sound, it would leer down its baleful vision at the back of the senju woman's neck, trailing them from afar until they once again came into the forest of Konohagakure. There a battle seemed to break out, friend against friend as the Genin seemed to be outclassed in everyway. His combat style held craft... he was certain of that, but, without the ability to back it up he was a sitting duck and the senju woman was soon upon them... until another friend seemed to join the party.

A long serpentine beast would come through the canopy, crashing through the trees and interrupting their squabble. This distraction would catalyze the conversation that would form their team. Together they would travel to the great monuments of the old world, solve a puzzle and in the end through teamwork find their way in the direction of the watcher's home... back to mount Meru. A glare as golden as the moon hanging idly in the sky would be transfixed on the group from the shadows. Xiao was right to be nervous, right to be afraid. they were in the domain of night now, a place where they held all the power. This quartet could not be allowed to play on the grand stage of the events to come, they had the potential to foil the plans that had been set for an age. The watcher, the monster in the dark knew only one truth now...





[1970+197 = 2167 / 2000 words. C rank Story mission complete!]

[Exit]