The battle was underway, and Mitsuo wasn't going to get to have anything to do with it. He had never liked Sanosuke, but he couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for him. He had pissed off Ayakashi, which was never a good idea as she was a terrifying force of nature, and one who should simply not be reckoned with. He had gotten away from the battle as quickly as he could, making his way towards Momaru and the young Kumo ninja who had been brave enough to stand up to the ice witch herself, a move that Mitsuo personally had seen as quite foolhardy, though he was also quite brave. He was a little impressed with the kid's spunk and his apparent testicular fortitude, but he also wanted to get him the hell away from the battle that was about to happen. He was around Mitsuo's daughter's age, and Mitsuo wouldn't have him suffer at the hands of three titans clashing.

He was a little bit sad that he was going to miss out on the fight, as Mitsuo lived for good fights against strong opponents, but he also knew that there wouldn't be much of a good fight there, as it would be more along the lines of a mugging. Sanosuke against Ayakashi and Tsuyo would be an obvious enough outcome, throwing the Sword Saint of Konoha into that mix was completely pointless and would be a waste of his time. If Sanosuke survived perhaps one day Mitsuo and he could settle their score, but until that day Mitsuo would simply imagine what could have been. He was curious to see how far Sanosuke Flint had come since the last time they had met, when he had been utterly unimpressive, but he also didn't particularly care as he personally had no respect for the man. If he lived or died it wouldn't affect Mitsuo at all, so why should he care? All he cared about was rescuing Gin, as there was really nothing more important than that task right now, besides maybe making sure that the boy was safe.

He would catch up to him and smile, speaking to him. "You know kid, that was pretty stupid what you did back there. You stood up to the most dangerous ninja in the world, she could have killed you by flicking you, and yet you didn't back down. That takes some serious guts, or a serious lack of higher brain function." He would laugh at his own joke, not sure if the boy would find it funny or not. "You don't have to worry about me, I have no intention of hurting you. I have a daughter around your age, and I don't like to see kids getting hurt. My name is Mitsuo, by the way." As he and Momoru sauntered over towards the place where Gin was being held, Mitsuo would keep his eyes pealed for any potential threats to the group of them...

516

He didn't look back as he rode away from the Durian Tree of Demonic Knowledge. His fingers balled into fists, grasping firmer the fur of the lion which carried him from the small war being fought behind him. The creature that carried him wasn't his, rather it belonged to one of his... adversaries? At least he seemed like he was an adversary. Despite that, he'd commanded a valuable asset of his, this beast, to carry him away from the scene of the battle.

The leader of his village stood against seemingly insurmountable odds. Satoshi had done what he could to protect the man, but realistically all he had done in that time was put himself fruitlessly in danger. Sure, he'd made a show of puffing out his chest and defending the land that fostered him. But his grandstanding served little if any purpose in preventing an entire nation from securing an audience with the one they'd come to claim, Sanosuke Flint.

It was exactly as these thoughts passed through Satoshi's head that another of his would-be adversaries caught up to the great feline that carried him. He chastised him... Or complimented him? It was hard to tell which. Much about this scenario was confusing for the young man who was getting his first taste of the world at large and it's petty grudges.

"Kozue-Obaachan taught me that a man is measured by how he fights against adversity." He offered after a moment of silence to process what the man said. He wasn't sure whether or not he should or could trust this person, but he hadn't done anything to harm him. It would be impolite to judge him harshly for the actions of his peers.

"I would have rather died a man than lived the rest of my life as a coward who sold out my friends." He then looked directly at his new traveling companion. His eyes were closed and his lips were pulled up in a tight care-free smile. His tone was almost sing-songy despite the darkness of the sentence's source material. His expression was unrepentant. Prideful.

He took a moment to examine the somewhat grim looking man who was the first member of his escort. He was garbed in foreign anbu armor and a hood hung behind his head. He looked, in a word, roguish. Like a delinquent. But again, one mustn't judge a book by it's cover. Satoshi after all was always wearing headphones and rarely paid attention to what those around him said, and he wasn't a bad kid, right? More concerning were his weapons. He could feel that while that ice-woman was a great mountain he could never hope to scale, this man was forest of insurmountable depth. If Satoshi received reason to challenge him, he would find himself right back in the fire against a foe far beyond his capabilities. What else is new, huh?

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Mitsuo. I'm Satoshi Kazuhiko. You don't need to bring me home, I can find my own way from here. Besides, Kozue-Obaachan is allergic to cats." He gave the lion an apologetic look as he began to swing his right leg up and over the animal to dismount as it ran. The action wasn't hurried. It was slow and careful and lacked the gravity of the situation the boy unwittingly found himself in.

[WC|583]

Strafe ran behind Momaru carrying Satoshi and Mitsuo. He was on the constant look out out for any attackers, though he doubted he would find any. They were most likely headed towards the huge battle happening at that very moment. The turn of events were truly odd, as the group was headed towards freeing some people from enslavement, which Strafe was all for. No one deserved to be stuck in Kumogakure unless they wanted to be stuck there. His eyes looked over the young ninja, noticing his strong stance despite all that went on around him. He obviously had some guts on him, and courage wasn't always a bad thing. He just hoped it didn't get the poor kid killed. He would watch silently as Mitsuo began to speak to him about the events they just witnessed.

"You know kid, that was pretty stupid what you did back there. You stood up to the most dangerous ninja in the world, she could have killed you by flicking you, and yet you didn't back down. That takes some serious guts, or a serious lack of higher brain function. You don't have to worry about me, I have no intention of hurting you. I have a daughter around your age, and I don't like to see kids getting hurt. My name is Mitsuo, by the way."

Strafe looked at the man he once called lover and started to add his two sense, but decided against it. He wanted to hear the young man's perspective before adding anything else to the conversation. He would look to Momaru, who looked back with a grin. It seemed the lion was thinking the same as Strafe. The kid actually favored the Sannin in some ways. It was then that Satoshi spoke up.

"Kozue-Obaachan taught me that a man is measured by how he fights against adversity. I would have rather died a man than lived the rest of my life as a coward who sold out my friends. It's nice to meet you Mr. Mitsuo. I'm Satoshi Kazuhiko. You don't need to bring me home, I can find my own way from here. Besides, Kozue-Obaachan is allergic to cats."

With that the boy began to dismount from Momaru. It was at that point that Strafe sped up and caught him, placing him back on the lion gently as they ran. "My name is Strafe Aisu, and our daughter." He gave a sideways glance to Mitsuo that meant he better get used to the idea. "Is a lot like you in many ways. Just a brave, that's for sure. However, I think it's better you stay with us for now. We mean you no harm, or your people for that matter. We just have a task that you might be able to help with. Nothing that will get you in trouble though." He spoke honestly, as any ruler who punished the boy for helping them when he had no other choice was a tyrant and unfit of their position. He would move beside Momaru from this point on, just to be sure. "Momaru, the lion you are riding, is quite friendly and actually doesn't mind giving you a lift. Have you ever rode a lion before?" He decided that keeping the child talking would be for the best.

Another glance to the Sword Saint was all it took for him to convey his thoughts. He hoped they got there soon, as he was ready to get this over with and return to his country. He wanted these people free, and he even felt like Satoshi could learn a thing or two from them on their little adventure. For now, he kept moving and decided to stay quiet until he was needed again.

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