Spoiler:

The city of Kirigakure was a city that mirrored Konohagakure in it's rich and shaded history. Hidden away among the utopic branding was the truth of it's history - the bloody mist. Some remembered it as such, others believed it a history better covered up then to be taught to the youth but Xiao Guan was first and foremost a lover of history and tradition and in this he found a blemish on the record of the mist.

At a time, genin were instructed to slaughter one another. At a time, all of the elites bar a few were missing nin. At a time, the Mizukage themself was a mere puppet of a idealistic boogeyman and now the village was one of equality, peaceful negotiation and merriment. It was quite a shift but not all was as it seemed. They were tasked with a mission to bring in a small cell of dissidents that had been planning a coup in Kirigakure.

The two shinobi were quite different, Xiao Guan a medical based puppet master naive and new to the art of combat and Samuru standing as a firm stone wall of iron that had been beaten and shaped into a living weapon. The two may have been different but over the time spent together it was becoming evident that they made quite a duo in terms of their chemistry in battle.

Xiao Guan stood perched a top a rooftop as the raindrops pattered down from the purple darkened sky above sounding like tapping from fingers on a tin roof as the little crow looked down to the streets. A group of Genin met in a small circle about a lightpost, each with a band on their arm that held the a small triangle of black and red. They spoke in hushed voices, each about 15 in terms of age and each holding a small telescopic baton in their hand that they hid quite poorly.

"Mmm...Assuming that's them" the young shinobi whispered looking down upon the group and examining them  indepthly as he weighed his options. There were roughly eight of them all up. "I don't think their leader is there...or if he is, then I can't tell him from the others...What should we do Oni-sensei?"

375

Samuru stood on top of the building with his new companion. He thought that they were pretty petty to start a gang like they were doing. It was a poor showing. This mission was quite suitable for them. Samuru’s first instinct was to just go down there and take them out one by one, but he wasn’t aware of their strengths and weaknesses. The young Hatake was also not too familiar with how they would handle “reason.” This was definitely a proud village and the people in it were proud. Samuru wouldn’t really care what the lowly genin were doing, but he was going to get paid one way or another. From his standpoint, forming a gang would be considered treason to whatever affiliation you were currently with. Treason equated to death.

They weren’t his countrymen, so he didn’t care what happened to them. Even if they were, he would slaughter them the same. It seemed like there was almost no purpose to what they were doing. Gangs normally ran a cycle of death with people trying to get to the top or was that a mafia. To him they were all in it for themselves. Samuru would probably had probably joined a criminal syndicate if he knew he wouldn’t be tied down. The ryo was there, but getting stronger seemed to get lost to the idea of keeping power or making extra change. At this exact moment, it would be a worthless endeavor.

“I say we go down there and get a closer look. If they reject us, we kick their ass. Plain and simple. It may seem like they’re waiting for some one. Actually, let’s wait for that 'one' person to show up,” Samuru responded while flipping his hood over his red hair.

Samuru took a knee as he continued to eye the small ensemble of brats. He played through different scenarios that he could wipe them all out with one blow. It was probably best to keep their distance. The hidden mist technique could work, but he wouldn’t be able to see the group and they could easily escape. That’s not what he wanted. It was either fight or flight. These guys looked like they may fight back. There were too many likelihoods of things going wrong. It would be in their best interest probably to wait it out. He wasn’t sure what the little crow would do. Would he follow or jump straight in.

Samuru’s curiosity continued to peak. He wondered what the group would do if they attacked straight from the jump. Perun almost picked Xiao up by his clothes and threw him off the roof. Crows had to learn to fly sometime or another. Though, he would refrain from such vile activities. He hadn’t quite put that past behind him. It wasn’t the first time he flung someone off of a ledge. It probably wouldn’t be the last either.

500

The hooded shinobi spoke with a great authority, something that Xiao Guan truly respected from him. He was unlike others he had encountered, composed but with an air of trouble about him that showed his deeper emotional scars that the wandering ninja hid so well. The little crow admired that, he was still a little too wreckless and a little too focused on the dramatics. That was the curse of youth, he had so much energy and hope within him that the very concept of failure seemed like an imagined curse not one of reality. The little crow clasped his hands together as he began to smile to himself. "Yeah...whoever the big bad is, I wanna get a good look" the little shinobi retorted hoping to sound professional but coming off more desperate. He was in fact attempting to be that cool and calm shinobi who would execute his commands without a second thought but the truth of the matter was simply that he was excited to do anything that could push him further to his dream of becoming a great hero of Kirigakure and see his name written in the stars.

He trusted Samuru to make the right decision, despite being roughly the same rank the wandering shinobi truly had a greater history than the little crow and his personality and even stance showed this blatantly when compared to the small bundle for energy that the little crow was. It was then that the great push he needed was found, quite literally as the little crow was hurled through the air. Though Samuru may have opted for a gentle nudge the small stature and lightweight of the shinobi was relatively minuscule in comparison to even a standard nodachi and thus as the little shinobi was hurled heavenwards his eyes began to bulge as he soared upwards further than Samuru may have first assumed, as he soared through the sky his black feathered cloak began to flutter and shift in the wind resembling that of wings.

Think think think! the little crows mind rushed as he soared onward before reaching his hands outward and spreading them under the cloak of feathers truly resembling a crow in this moment as he landed some feet near the thugs with feathers drapped about him as he slowly attempted to find his footing, not stumbling but instead making an assessment.

"Eh? ANBU?" one of the ruffians stated adjusting his collar as he gazed at the little shinobi and grasped his baton firmly eyeing him down as he began to loosen his shirt somewhat. The other ruffians following suite as all eyes focused in on the little crow as he looked upon the crowd of shinobi "Naww...looks like one of the Mizutyrants Dogs." the ruffian continued before scoffing and throwing his head back "Yeah though more like a puppy, Laoban Shīzi will dig this" he jested as he gave a gesture towards the little shinobi.

The little shinobi's eyes widened as he gazed upon them unsure of what to do exactly but he knew of one thing - all eyes were on the little crow and perhaps in a way that was a good thing. The small shinobi did all he could, he had no offensive jutsu nor was trained in any way that could best the shinobi forces but instead he could provide a decent distraction. "Come get it." he barked knowing he had no real way of doing much at all.

578

Samuru watched Xiao trying to figure out what the little crow was possibly doing. He didn’t expect him to take flight as the redheaded shinobi attempted to grab the boy by the cloak and missed. Samuru tried to figure out how to fix this, but it seemed like it was too late. The group had already spotted at least one of them. Samuru thought to take out his boy and attempted taking them out one by one, but it would be too risky. The young wanderer thought that it would probably be better. To attack them head on, but it then seemed like the group wasn’t too bothered about Xiao’s presence. That was until the little shinobi challenged them to a fight. The genin seemed to take him as a joke at least, but a couple seemed a bit serious.

The other Hatake wanderer stood up and leaped down grabbing himself on a flagpole that was protruding from the side of the building and dropped himself to ground level. The other shinobi eyed him as his drenched hair somewhat covered up his face. Samuru wouldn’t respond right away, but would stand there giving death glares to all of the other shinobi. That was one face could get right at least. Though, it seemed a bit more sinister than usual.

“So, you want to pick on one of your own? Trashy village shinobi. I thought that Kirigakure shinobi were better than that. I guess you’re the outcast who aren’t even worth being called shinobi. I’m no one’s dog. I fight on my own terms. Only cowards need to form gangs. Where’s your inner strength?” he stated as he reached back unsheathing his Drobilka.

The genin started to tremble a bit at the sight of blade of Samuru’s axe touching the ground and fly up sparks. The genin kind of backed off a bit. The fear he saw in their eyes proved his point. These guys were weak. They seemed like they thought to be better than everyone else, but they were cowards. If they attacked together. Him and the crow may not have had a chance, but they scurried backwards from their gathering spot. He didn’t expect to draw fear as he did. That was something that he wasn’t counting on.

One of the genin drew a kunai and yelled out as he charged toward him. Samuru lifted his bladed and brought it down upon his poor attacker. The genin’s kunai had been knocked out of his hand as the weight of Samuru’s blade caught it. The blade came down across the boys chest as a slash now emerged from its formal spot. Samuru let the rain water rinse the red life liquid of his attacker wash up and strain to the cobblestone below. The now downed shinobi whispered solemn cries as he began to bleed out on the street. The redheaded ronin cocked his head to the side and showed a twisted smile.

“Who wants to be next, or are you all cowards?” he sternly asked a rhetorical question.

The next thing he heard were footsteps coming up the street. It was a shinobi wearing a Kirigakure flak jacket. Samuru was interested in the newcomer who watched as the genin were now terrified. The chuunin wasn’t alone though. There was another. He hoped that Xiaos would take a note out of his book and tried to act tough. Though, he wouldn't say it out loud. The intimidation so far that he was doing was working so far.

“Have you come here to talk or do you want to be like your friend bleeding out here? He had more guts than the rest of them. Maybe he can be healed. He should survive. A little blood lose won’t kill him. Though, maybe I should strike again. This time, I’ll aim for his neck.” he said sadistically as he lowered the axe to the young genin’s neck. Samuru pressed the heel of his boot to the genin’s head as the genin started squealing.

691/1191

Spoiler:

As the little crow cowered in fear though feigning his own sense of bravery and composure he watched and waited to see what fate awaited him. He assumed, in fact, that it would be soon that he may feel blood gushing from his face or so too perhaps the sweet abyss that was offered by the feeling of unconsciousness. A sense of neurosis enveloped his body as he felt the freezing sensation of fear overcoming him. The best he could do, in this moment, was what he had always done - jest and pretend that all of life was a mere joke. As he proceeded to open his mouth to anatoganize the hoodlems further he was met with the standing presence of the wandering hatake. He stood there as a if he had every intention to slice and scatter them about and yet these hoodlums who once stood proud now lived in fear.

Xiao Guan decided to watch from here as he who he deemed his teacher continued to eye them down before roaring towards the group to bring them immense shame. The little crow simply grinned cockily as his commander's words spilled forth, folding his arms as his commander chewed out the hoodlums causing them to scatter in terror as one who remained somewhat composed lashed out towards the Hatake only to be parried and cut down the agitator and began to question him. The little crow watched on as his sensei continued to bring the smackdown upon the agitator. It was then that only the sound of footsteps could be heard echoing from the distance as the little crow watched his sensei take on the criminals that loomed in the dark demanding to be given answers the boom rained outward.

"If he will not fight for the people, then they each deserve to die." the deepened boom replied as from out of the light Xiao Guan felt his spine tingle. His eyes bulging as he slowly turned his head to gaze upon the features he knew all too well. His fathers flowing beard and wild golden hair that made him resemble a great beast. It couldn't be. Perhaps he had mistaken the turn and thought this was an attack, or perhaps this was something of a mistake "Do you fight for tyrants...or for the people?" the chuunin boomed back as Xiao Guan remained fixated with his eyes though tried to hide his face. There was no way...no way that it could be him. He couldn't think of a way to explain it, a way to articulate it and so he was stuck in that moment simply staring. "I am the people's guardian! Shizi Guan! You stand with one of the great revolutionaries. Unhand him and rise up with us..." the great hulking beast of a chuunin stated as he proceeded to open his hands outward displaying two zhua style knives each with five blade upon them matching each finger as he beaconed outward.


470

“Let him go?” he retorted back at the newcomers. His boot increasing into the young genin’s back.

“I’m sorry. How about you give up this whole charade? There’s no reason for me to. The village doesn’t want your kind. You should be glad that you live in such an illustrious village. Here’s thing thing. I can either let you all get off and you never meet up again or I kill you and I definitely won’t have to see you again. Is that clear?”

The blade of his axe seeked itself closer to his victim’s threat. The screams had continued to increase as he pushed harder and harder. He could even subtly hear the cracking of the kid’s ribs. Samuru didn’t really care what happened to him. The whole point was to drive fear into the one’s watching. It would have left a bad taste in his mouth if he had kill them all. Though, they would be considered traitors. The Mizukage wouldn’t really care if any one died, but Samuru was a bit curious on how Kiri’s justice system worked. These guys may get put to death anyway. Regardless of what he decided to do, there was no coming back from the decision.

“To answer your question, I fight for myself. You say tyrant, but you rather be fooled. The only one who you can truly fight for is yourself. I’ve never been involved with a village, but it seems like you’re doing pretty good here. You’re alive aren’t you. The world you wish for is a world where you must kill to survive. You obviously don’t understand how war works. All of you, keep it moving live to see another day!”

A few of genin decided to leave while the others seemed to stick around to see what would happen next. The genin didn’t seem to want to put up a fight. The man and what seemed to be like another chuunin stood in place. They didn’t make it any better for the guy underneath Samuru’s boot. It seemed like the boy’s screams came to a halt. He wondered if the genin passed out already. It was probably likely. He wasn’t sure of the pain threshold for humans. There was only apply enough pain and they would either faint or die.

“The tyrants are those who obviously sent you,” the other chuunin who watched his bloody friend being crushed said.

“Oh, is that so? Wait, did you say your name is Guan? Like this kid over here? This is what you would call interesting. Xiao is this guy even related to you?” If so, you need to ‘reason’ with him,” Samuru stated.

This wasn’t something that he expected to happen. Even if they weren’t related. Samuru would find it interesting on how Xiao would handle himself. Samuru wasn’t quite interested in fighting two possible chuuning alone. He hoped that the little crow would be willing to help. At least he had been able to kill the attitudes of the genin. They would be less to deal with later on. Samuru began trying to contemplate if they should fight it out or try and get the genin to help fight this “revolutionary.” These guys seemed gullible enough that they may take it into their own hands. There were enough standing around him and Xiao that. If the two chuunin would attack with a jutsu, the genin would take part of the attack. With it raining, Samuru could easily shocked the lot of them, but Xiao would be in the way too. That made things a bit more complicated. All he decided to do now was bide his time. It was either talk his way through this or attack straight out. He was willing to bide his time.

653/1844

His hands were sweaty, his knees weak and his arms felt heavy. He felt as if there was stress on his mind already, his dad could be dead-y. He felt hopeless and far from calm or ready but there stood his sensei dropping bombs on his father. He was torn. Completely so without much of a concept of what to do and so remained silent watching on as he looked directly forward with a blank expression.

Something made him feel an absence deep in his spirit, like a hole was being melted into his heart as he stood there. A humming noise drowning out all external noise as his head began to ring. He couldn't focus. He couldn't hear a thing but instead his eyes simply focused in on his father, his hands trembling. He was quickly ripped back to reality as he heard the name once more 'Guan'. The name of his ancestor. The badge of honor all members of his clan would bear and need to uphold more than anything more in life. To bring shame to that name was a fate worse than death and yet here he was looking at his father, his very flesh and blood who no longer was a simple foreign merchant but a radical? It was heard to know.

His father was he who sewed the seeds of heroes and great pride. Of caring on a name of virtue and honor and he could not even respect the rules of the land his son and wife were born to? The little shinobi answered bluntly. Coldly. Without a single thought of what was slipping from his lips as he faked a smile looking directly forward "Never seen him in my life." the little shinobi stated looking to his sensei with a knowing smirk, hopefully getting the point across that perhaps this subject was more complicated than he wished to give out. "Hey...Oni-Sensei" the little crow stated as the great hulking lion of a man glared down at his son.

The little crow proceeded to leap high grasping on to the side of a roofs edge and sat perched "I think you should enLIGHTen these individuals." he whispered with a smirk

367

“I see,” he responded to the little crow as the multiple genin continued to watch.

Samuru took his foot off of the passed out genin’s back and placed a knee in the flowing water beneath him as the rain had begun to pick up. He quickly formed half hand seals as the man known as Shizi Guan charged at him. Chakra started forming around his palms as he slapped them into the water. Raiton charged chakra flowed through the water causing an immense shock to those close by. The other chuunin who stood next to Shizi had started forming hand seals as soon Samuru had started his attack had come up short. The genin and the chuunin had taken on more than they could chew. Perun had warned the genin to leave and forget about this whole debacle, but they disobeyed. This would be just punishment.

Shizi and the other chuunin had then sunk down to their knees. The genin had been laid out in the water and refused to move. This worked a bit better than he had anticipated. Samuru wouldn’t standby and watch his work this time around. He needed to acted. It was a turning of the tide. Once they had been outnumbered, now he just needed to take out two remaining individuals. If they just couldn’t take a few first degree burns, how would they try and take a village from a god.

After his attack landed he adjusted his kneeled position and propelled himself forward. He drew his axe and cut the stunned Shizi’s carotid artery. The man grabbed his throat as he slunked into the puddle of flowing rain water. The other chuunin started to come out of his nirvana as he formed hand seals. It wouldn’t do him much good though as Samuru swung his axe down onto the man’s neck. The chuunin didn’t even bothered standing up. All they had to do was run. They didn’t even have the will to fight. If they truly wanted a revolution, they should of had more heart than what they put out. This was beyond the saddest excuse of shinobi he had ever seen. They could of at least put up a decent fight.

“Your death was pointless,” he stated as kicked the guy in the chest to dislodge his axe.

Blood literally ran through the streets. Samuru was quite content with his work. He just grunted slightly as he started to walk down the street. He didn’t even want to make sure they were dead. The mission was over now. There didn’t seem like there was much else to do. He didn’t even get to try out his new techniques on them. They would have been the perfect subjects for it. It was too late now to even bother thinking about it. All there was left to do was get paid.

“Come on, Xiao. There’s no point in being here. Let them pick themselves up. They won’t ever form up again.”

[Thread Exit]
510/2354

1500/1500 = Mission Completion
800/800 = 200 extra ryo

54 words unused

Chakra 240/250:

As the little crow watched on as his new master, the Oni-Sensei, Samuru danced the bloody dance of war his mind began to race. He was to be the shield of kirigakure. He was to be the defender of the land of mist and a grand hero that stood in the way of all that would taint the pure mist that gave comfort to his family...but there was the issue. There was the problem. He had pledged himself to the mist and yet here was his own father rallying against them and not in any historic or powerful way but instead as a mere thug. The man who had run a small store by day was now handling youths and pushing them to rise against the village that had provided them comfort and now, as a shinobi as his own father had hoped for him, he was now in a position to stop him. It may have appeared that the little shinobi was taking this lightly, throwing away what was happening and not giving a care in the world. It was all but a joke but it was far from the truth. The truth was in fact that the shinobi himself was being ripped apart emotionally and of course mentally. Everything he was basing his life on was to ensure that his father and mother would be proud of their heroic son wielding the sword of the mist slaying the enemies that may oppose the intimidating village, but to then throw that away for what? For revolution? What were they even revolting against? It drove the little shinobi mad thinking of what could possibly be the motivation for this heel turn.

Samuru was someone he could rely on, and yet Samuru was not a native of Kirigakure instead opting to serve the village out of a mere whim. Does that make he the hero of this tale? Does it make a stranger who had no reason to be around a village with no attachment to that place the true hero of kirigakure for striking down those that meant no harm? The little crow began to place his hand on his face, slowly rubbing his temples as he began to think or rather try to capture the thoughts that were spinning about his head. The flash of blood sprayed from his father causing Xiao Guan to attempt to steel his resolve, trying his best not to react and lash out. His body lurched forward and tensed as he tried to remain in a state of an audience rather than a participant. His hand tensed as he could feel that familiar 'bloat' of emotion his stomach growing slowly and yet present enough that it was almost unbearable not to strike something. He grew more and more frustrated as he opted to instead strike the roof top as hard as his frail body would allow. Striking again and again until he felt his flesh splinter and shift as they began to rip and tear pieces of the terracotta of the roof being found within his wound as blood began to gently seep forward causing the shinobi to feel the stinging sensation of a scrape. The shinobi continued to watch on, his mouth grinning and a fake smile plastered firmly across his face. Inside he was a thunderstorm but outside he was simply a grinning side kick loyal to the great mist village.

As Samuru continued his assault swinging his axe, as it flew through the air the little shinobi watched with a twisted face, a smile still firmly stuck on it but inside his body feeling as if it was in complete tortion ready to explode outward. He almost cried out, almost screamed shouted, he wanted to scream for the wandering shinobi to leave his father alone. He had assumed they would just arrest him, assumed they would just shackle his father and question him but that was not the way of the shinobi, instead the axe flew threw the air and Xiao Guan finally understood. It didn't matter what he felt. It didn't matter what he wanted. He was a cog in the system of the shinobi. He was a tool, not a person, he was just something kirigakure could use. But what did that mean? Was his father and mother shaping him to be their own downfall? Were they hoping to build him up just to use against the village? He wanted answers, he needed answers, he just wanted to know why. Why was this happening and why did it have to be this way? The little shinobi had no idea how to articulate it fully, he had no concept of this melancholic emotion he was feeling, the growing nihilism in his mind of how pointless it all was, how pointless every last thing he had wished for done and been raised towards was pointless.

Then, there it was. An axe had hit his own fathers neck as blood sprayed across the street. Samuru emotionless retort and motion as he cut down the remainder, shaming his father as he watched the crimson life force drip down the cobbled streets of Kirigakure. With no care that he had taken his father's life. Was this what it meant to  be a shinobi, to bring harm to others with no care of the ramifications? To only further the goals of whoever pointed you at the 'enemy'. The concept was alien to the naive young shinobi and it drove him to grit his teeth glaring down at Samuru. As Samuru dislodged his axe...so too was Xiao Guan's ambitions of heroics, of the way of the shinobi dislodged.
He began to walk away but little did he know that Xiao Guan had made a promise right then and there. A promise he would keep in his heart. Shinobi, in all their forms, in all their works, in everything they do were weapons. Not heroes.

“Come on, Xiao. There’s no point in being here. Let them pick themselves up. They won’t ever form up again.”

His sensei called out causing the little crow's body to react in a curious way. For some reason, one he couldn't fully understand he didn't cry out and scream, he didn't rage and didn't wish to bring pain on Samuru. No, instead he pleasantly smiled a hollow smile while his entire body screamed out. He grinned, calmly placing his hands behind his back as he hopped next to the wandering shinobi.
As he walked slowly he passed his fathers corpse, staring at it for a moment as he watched the crimson liquid flow down the street. Just like that his entire life had changed. Just like that everything had changed. He knew he should have followed Samuru. He knew he couldn't show weakness. Closing his eyes for a minute and tensing his hand he made a promise to himself, something hidden and deep within but it was no time to reveal this as of yet. It was not time to reinvent himself when he had not even taken a step.

"...One day..." he muttered to himself as he began to follow Samuru.

WC: 1,190

[EXIT]

1500/1500 = Mission Completion
Total Word Count: 2980