Earlier Sero had been keeping to his camp in the abandoned mine away from the sane. He hadn't had many encounters since arriving but most knew to keep away from that mine entrance in particular. Other entrances were open for gathering materials as needed and the one Sero had picked had been nearly scavenged clean anyway, However what kept the norms out was the two rotting corpses chained to the roof of the entrance. Their eyes long since pecked out and their entrails just hanging from them in strands. Carved into their chest was keep and out. It was obvious that whatever had killed them had been inhumane. Still Sero more sensed then actually heard a set of hesitant foot steps outside the cave. He moved through the dark tunnel as his dark eyes took in the look of a man with glasses pacing in front of his cave. He held a document with an official Kumo symbol on it but he did not look eager to be here or enter. Still he flinched as as he felt Sero moving closer. That shift in his soul with that fight or flight response that simply froze him with indecision. As Sero reached out and reached for the scroll the man felt like a huge beasts claws were reaching for him. He couldn't move or breath as he simply felt sweat dripping down his chin. However he flinched when Sero plucked the scroll from him and then faded into the darkness. As soon as the man felt free of that sense of dread he wiped off his face and made his way away from the area at a brisk pace.

Still Sero had read the document in his seclusion by a small fire. So they wanted him on a simple hunt mission. This time he hadn't had his partner named for the mission. Instead a simple meeting place and time. He supposed they would know him when he arrived. Still if it was that girl again....he looked down as the paper trembled and realized his main blade hand was trembling. He still wanted to hurt her...she took his kill from him. His body wanted to lash out....he wondered if he would be able to train his body against its own impulses. Either way he had burned the paper just to wipe out any evidence of his position as a shinobi should someone find his camp while he was away. Nor did he carry official documents on his person. Still it only took about an hour to get to the meeting place. However in that hour he had grown a little excited. They wanted him to hunt someone finally. He could almost feel the surge of energy in each step. His blood lust was overflowing. He was more then prepared to kill. He was designed for it.

As Sero arrived Han would feel him well before he saw him. Like a chill creeping in and ever so slowly reaching for the vitals. Even from so far away Han would feel Sero's excitement. A pulse like a dark sludge poisoning the little pond of the area Han awaited him. What was unnerving was the feeling wasn't directional. As soon as one could feel Sero it would feel like it was coming from everywhere. However Han would be able to easily pick it out well before the civilians could. Yet he would also figure the direction rather quickly. By the time the civilians would feel a sense of unease the edge of the rocks alongside the main path would roll along with a thin fog bank. For a moment the fog would roll into the area. Hardly blocking vision for anyone but still it was unnerving enough to the civilians for most of them to retreat indoors. Along the main path Sero emerged at a slow walking pace. Somehow the mist seemed to cling to his grey robes as if they wanted to claim Sero as a part of them. He seemed to let parts of himself fade into his background and back again. His long grey pants meeting grey boots and finally a baggy grey hoody. The hood raised to shadow his face. Grey eyes peered out from under the hood and looked around for a moment. He couldn't sense his partner. Whoever they were they were above his level of detection from this far away. Still his own ANBU gear was under his baggy clothes. Nothing hinted at it however. Still he stepped forward and the gates creaked even more open then they were before as if they might crumble if he touched them. His steps carried him within before he stopped in the square just within. The gate guards watching him ready to act should that killing intent turn on them. Still Sero rose one pale right hand to his face and dragged it downwards. A small part of the mists breaking away to form into a solid grey horned mask with a crooked smile over his face. His Anbu mask even carried some devilish mannerism. Still when he spoke it enhanced his voice. Like a set of voices echoing behind a main sound. Some said the souls of the dead resided in that mask. Still he only spoke one sentence which carried.

"Reporting in for the mission."

895

A flock of birds emptied the canopies and took to the skies in a fit, as though they were fleeing from some nearby danger. Han dismissed the phenomena as trivial, thinking the birds had been startled by something undeserving of his attention, though the thought of a nearby intruder hadn't quite left his subconscious. The wind swept through the trees from the north heading east, kicking up clouds of dust as it went and moving the scents of the village towards the ANBU's direction. Han took a long drag of the aroma, but it didn't smell like anything he expected. The scent of perfumes and food was polluted with the all-too-familiar stench of dried up flesh and blood. It wasn't enough to unnerve the swordsman, but it alerted his senses and captured his curiosity. Furthermore, the dust he saw wasn't dust at all, but a thin gathering of mist that radiated from and swam around a dark figure in its center.

 As the figure made it's way through the streets of Kumogakure the villagers showed disturbed expressions on their faces, before cowardly making their way inside the nearest building they could find and locking the doors. Those who stayed put had done so out of their control, perhaps the stranger's eerie presence had been enough to leave their minds petrified and bodies paralyzed. Children as young as two burst into tears of sorrow and the parents dared not stop them; they too were transfixed on the horrifying sight of figure seemingly gliding past them with death following closely behind, the grim reaper himself ironically too frightened for his life to remind the figure it was mortal. The stranger was unnerving at best in the eyes of the Sannin, but the swordsman couldn't be frightened away that easily. He had too much pride and reputation riding on his calm demeanor and he wasn't going to throw all that away at the sudden appearance of a mysteriously grim-looking figure that might have been an ally of his for all he new. But still...

Han watched the figure make it's way towards him, but his gaze didn't rise above the gates to meet the swordsman's. 'He can't see me?' Han thought to himself, having forgotten about his ANBU armor's ability to hide his presence from detection. Admittedly the ANBU had hid from plain sight as to avoid drawing any attention towards himself lest their target was still lurking about, but he had expected Sero to have spotted him somehow given his title. The swordsman watched over the figure's appearance as it came closer and closer,but all he could see was grey. He couldn't spot the man's ANBU armor, though the ANBU mask he should've had on was far more disturbing than his own; it had a creepy smile carved carved out from one end of the mask to the other and when the man spoke it sounded as though an entire choir of voices - if the choir was comprised of demons and ghosts - was repeating his words only a fraction of a second after he had spoke them. "Reporting in for the mission," he'd say, confirming his identity as Sero Osada, the man the Kage had partnered him with to take on the mission.

"Good. Let's go," Han would speak up, only now emerging from his 'hiding spot' above the village gates and jumping down to meet his partner below. The village guards were too fixed on Sero's dark demeanor to react to Han's sudden appearance - fear and bewilderment plastered across their faces in shocked expressions, their bodies frozen in their last positions and their hands shaking and sweating uncontrollably. This man was nothing like anyone he'd seen before; he hadn't done anything but approach the gates and along the way he had frightened a large mass of people, young and old and had inflicted fear into the hearts of men who were trained to resist such emotions. Still, Han couldn't let his thoughts of the man get in the way of his objectives. Without giving the man the chance to respond the ANBU took off into the forest before him, leaping off of the ground and taking to the forest canopies, making his way towards the Kaminari border.

Sero didn't have long to wait. His dead grey gaze shifted as something from above the gates spoke in response. It was all that could be seen behind his mask and yet it may as well have been just as inanimate. Those eyes stared through the holes of the mask as if they were simply the eyes of a corpse. Lacking any sense of emotion or soul within. He simply watched as the man he had been sent here to meet descended from above the gates. With the attire he was wearing Sero couldn't really get a read on him beyond simple height and maybe gender though that was likely irrelevant. Another individual of considerable talent. Anbu hid a lot about a person but he didn't carry himself like the girl had. She was easy to detect and even more so Sero could tell he was on her level if not superior. Simply put she was flawed and outspoken. Even if she had fallen into his mindset by the end of it he would of been fine had she not been there. If nothing else she was just there to be there. However Sero got a distinct impression from this individual. They were on a level beyond Sero. That level Gin and the Raikage were on. Perhaps it was how he carried himself or how he didn't waste time. Confidence dripped from the person so much that they neither were hindered by Sero being near nor did they simply fall into his mindset to manage. A whole new level indeed.

Still had no intentions to waste time measuring each other up. By the time he hit the ground he was already leaving. Sero didn't even see the guards at this point as this new character interested him. His right hand flexed and relaxed repeatedly as his knuckles popped from the pressure of it. He wanted to reach out to this person too. Prove he could touch him. Mark him in some way. Just like Gin and Sanosuke he could almost feel a rush. Like killing intent finally flooding into him. He knew he wasn't ready for that stage yet and even then Ayakashi probably wouldn't allow it. Still not much stirred him when it came to interacting with anyone. He considered most people simple cattle around him. There were herds he needed to protect and herds he needed to end. However a truly strong individual...someone who he actually doubted himself against made him eager to grow stronger. To be able to cut anyone. To be strong enough was his goal. Only then would he be out of his fathers shadow. His chuckle was a dark one as he watched the individual pass the gates. His aura seemed to pulse steadily like heartbeat as he walked passed the guards. His own eyes trembling with excitement as he virtually ignored their labored breathing and shaking forms. It was warm now at the gates. Not only that but the air would feel heavier. So much pure aggression was wavering the spirits of everyone nearby. It was ambitious in the least. Likely another complaint against Sero heading to the Kage.

Still as Sero stepped passed the gate he was well aware the pace the other was setting was not a simple walking one. Simple enough to follow at least but he wouldn't be able to relax for the moment. Was well enough to him anyway. After all he could distract himself from the blood lust with a good jog. As his foot stepped passed the gate he immediately changed pace in an instant and he flash stepped to catch up. By the time he had the blood lust had settled to a dull growl. His eyes slowly slid to eye the other as he easily kept the pace while avoiding obstacles with only the occasional glance. Running was a rather simple thing to master. He figured they were heading in the right direction as they were heading away from the village. The mission was a hunt and eliminate one. He wasn't sure on any details beyond the fact that the individual needed dead. Still he was fully prepared to do just that. He held up both his hands as they ran with palms facing upwards. Mist formed in his palms and spread out until finally breaking away in wisps. Where mist had been he now held one thing in each hand. In his right hand was a kunai with a flash bomb attached to it and in his left was a kunai with an explosive tag on it. He once more looked to Han...his voice echoing out like a dozen voices quietly echoing a single one.

"When we find the target I will have to engage at a range in order to get in an attack before I am sensed. I will blind and then blow up the area directly in front of the target. Since I assume you are more here to make sure I behave them to assist I suggest you move ahead when we detect the objective and cut off retreat. Even if the Explosive device is not effective in disabling the targets movement I will immediately follow up with close combat. Any issues?"

1779

The individual accompanying him did not appear interested in any communication. Perhaps the report of his last encounter with one of their own left an impression. This man (Gender assumed) was just here to witness him and make sure he didn't step out of line. Likely he was on his own for this combat. He smiled a little to himself as a dark killing intent flooded over him and chilled the area. He was hunting now and he was excited. Another individual to add to his list of accomplished kills. He was invested in this mission in particular. After all rarely was he allowed outside of the village hidden in the mist to actually slaughter people. He could almost feel his skills rusting over after going so long without actually watching the life fade from the eyes of another victim. That aside he could feel an increase flux in his chakra and his control of it too. He had been designing a new jutsu that functioned a lot like one of his originals but he had yet to actually test it on a live target. This poor soul that had decided to go against his own country for whatever reason was the one who would be his experiment. No mind could be paid to his silent partner from that point forward...A witness was just that to him. He felt his world narrowing on just the one goal. End his target. Eliminate the threat as he had been trained to do.

As the followed the tracks Sero pulled ahead and rose to higher in the trees. His steps switching to a more silent tip toe while maintaining his speed. He seemed to almost fade into the mist that came with him except that feeling that lingered. The feeling that a near rabid beast was drawing ever closer and it was hungry. Sero was a monster far more than he was a man and that much had to be expected. The tracks were becoming fresher though. He knew his target was up ahead and he felt a little surge of passion as he let his dark nature take over. Ahead he spotted the man. A sole figure casually taking a break in the woods towards the border. Oh he should of kept running...he would feel Sero before they got close enough to do any real damage. Yet as the man looked up he barely had enough time to register the kunai flying at his face and side step it before a flash of light blinded him.

There he stood...his sense of sight taken from him and to top it off he could feel the danger all around him. He was blind and there was something far more terrible than anything he had witnessed before hunting him. He jumped backwards just in time to avoid the second Kunai but not the blast that followed the moment he recognized. the sound of the hissing. He was tossed backwards and smashing into a tree before he righted himself. Blood trickled down his face from a gash of debris but he shrugged it off as he reach up to his face and roared out a massive jet of flame. Trees were incinerated in an instant as he blindly fired off an Aoe in the direction the attack had come from. He needed to buy time. He needed to get his sight back so he could fight and a wall of flame should...

It was that moment that suddenly he felt a discomfort. He couldn't place it really but he couldn't feel his chest. His breath wouldn't come to him and he was feeling his life fading. The smell of burning trees was dominant yet he could smell something already smoldering...ashes almost. He saw his sight returning as he looked down. At first it was too blurry to make out but as his sight began to return he began to realize what was wrong. A sword as black as night stuck out of a sizzling hole in his chest. A perfect circle that seemed to have melted away flesh and bone alike. He knew he was dead..yet he looked behind him to see an ANBU in kiri colors he had never seen before. He choked out blood and trembled as he fell to his knees. "Why?" was his dying breath. As he fell to the ground Sero flicked his blade as the black fell away from it to reveal a mist coated blade. It had worked wonders. Still as he walked away to let Han handle the body he said one final sentence. "Because you lacked strength."

779/2558
2500/2500 Mission complete
Exit thread.