Gisei Lake, the main source of water, believed to have been created by a lone Shinobi whom of which died securing it for Iwagakure's use, would have a visitor today. Today, where it would still be morning upon a clear day, where the most common of sounds would come from the lake itself, where the waterfalls from the cliff above would come crashing down, disturbing part of the generally calm lake with constantly moving currents. It would be on that cliff where Hitoshi would be standing, overlooking the beautiful sight of the lake, taking and soaking in every little detail with great interest. He loved being away from Iwagakure, away from his family's grasp and from the troubles of the civilized world. To be able to just stand here and just... look.

It would be times like this where he so wished for a musical instrument, so he may play it while relaxing, just wasting the day away. While he isn't exactly one to be especially lazy or useless, the thought of just taking some time off to be himself without anyone else chiming in is something he likes to have from time to time. Instead, however, he came out here for one reason, and that was for him to be able to get a thrill out of his time here, to fuel his energy for the week, and to still show himself that he is his own man. Out here, his siblings such as Oishi or Watari can not stop him from being able to be a risk-taker, to take a rope and tie it around his waist, hanging over the cliff. Out here, he can be the deciding force in his life, and out here, he can have control.

His chest would beat like a drum due to his racing heart at the thought of risking himself once more, the adrenaline pumping through his veins, fueling him like a drug does with an addict. He would stand at the edge of the cliff, looking over it while his short-sleeved blue jacked flapped in the wind. He would swallow, the developing adam's apple in his throat softly moving up and down as he continued to overlook the cliff, looking downwards towards the waters below. This would be the first time he actually attempted this without any sort of safety equipment, but he felt it to be a personal test of sorts to him, where he has to try this out at least once or else he allowed his own fear to overtake him. To only rely on the Supernatural Walking Practice is something risky for an inexperienced Genin like him, but it would be sooner or later where he would have to try it.

Focusing on himself and beginning to clear out the surroundings around him, he would think back to when he would be instructed by his father on how to do the technique shortly after one of the times where he actually won the weekly tournament, gaining the man's favor. "Boy, it is all about concentration, but not too much. When you concentrate too little, you immediately lose your ability to maintain the technique, and when you concentrate too much, you lose your sense of your surroundings." It was one of the few lessons his father had taught him personally, and he was efficient in figuring out that balance more quickly now than before. It was all about first clearing your mind of your surroundings, and then after utilizing the technique you would then allow yourself to take the environment back in at a steady pace, allowing one to be able to continue focusing while paying attention, and as he did so, a faint blue glow would appear on the bottom of his sandals, signifying that he was now ready.

Taking a step forward, he would let gravity handle the rest, and before he knew it he would be standing upon the side of the cliff face, his heart pounding even faster than before, making him inhale and exhale deeply as he would begin to look down towards the water. At this height, landing in the water would surely break bones, as after a certain amount of meters, it is similar to falling on concrete, which made the Genin wish to panic even more, but after he was sure his technique would be maintained, he would begin counting down silently. "Ten... nine.... eight... seven.."

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twc 744

"A few simple tasks are required of you, Yurei. Accomplish these, and your loyalty to us will be proven. The first is simple in execution, yet still massive in its undertaking. You are to journey to Iwagakure and meet with our 'partner' stationed there. When you are done with the task, you will be directed to the next one."

Those words echoed through the male's head as he departed the chambers; delighted at the fact that he was finally given a chance...

---

In the darkness of the forest, a shadow darted through the canopy, headed for the lake. The figure was as quick as the wind, and as silent as the night as he moved, leaping from branch to branch, from tree to tree, taking care to leave no trace of his passing, lest someone discover his trail and attempt to follow him. His being here was supposed never supposed to be known; and yet, he was doing this in broad daylight. Why?

It was easy, really. Patrols often increased during the nighttime, and the male had been watching the area for several days at this point, keeping a careful eye on the patrols. It would seem that his theory was true; Iwagakure increased thier patrols coming through the area on the assumption that if someone wished to do harm to the village, they would attempt at night unless they possessed a force large enough to attempt a daytime invasion. Unlucky for them, Yurei thought a bit differently than most. He did not need the cover of night to accomplish a task; all he needed was patience and time.

When you have both, they will never see you coming, Yurei.

And so, the creature moved through the shadows of the canopy as quiet as his forename. His choice of clothing did well to keep him out of sight;  a bluish-gray, bandage-like carapace around his torso, right arm, neck, and over his nose and mouth in a mask like fashion. Black, flame-like markings cover across his chest and wrap around his left arm, and the remains of a tattered black cloak cover his lower body,  held up around his waist by a thick chain. His feet are covered in bandages to dampen the sounds of movement. Tucked away somewhere on his person was a kunai and several senbon for his own protection, as well as a small scroll. Housed within that scroll was his reason for being here at the lake. What was it? Time would tell.

For now, the male kept at it, pushing himself through the forest at leaps and bounds in an effort to make it to his destination. Soon enough, the male could see something in the middle distance; a break in the tree line, and could clearly hear the sounds of rushing waters. It could only mean one thing; he was approaching the river that led to the waterfall that fed the lake known as  Gisei. It was a welcome sign; it meant that he was close to his destination, and that his mission was nearly completed. With the water on his right side now, the male would follow it, heading in the direction of the falls that he knew to be there. He needed to reach those falls in order to complete his mission.

What was so important about those falls? It was simple; the male, Itazura, Yūrei, this Mischievous Ghost had a mission, and it was a simple one, but it would have profound consequences. You see, Itazura Yūrei was here to poison the village of Iwagakure no Sato. The scroll he carried contained a powerful toxin that easily spread through water; Gisei Lake was one of few sources of fresh water to the villages of Iwagakure no Sato. To poison the lake would be to kill most of the population of Iwagakure no Sato, a feat that would no doubt take much longer if done by conventional means. His employers assured him that the toxin he carried would do the job quite easily; they simply needed him to prove his loyalty to them. He was more than willing to sacrifice the village of Iwagakure no Sato to achieve this; after all, he was not from this place, nor did he care for anyone here. It was no dirt off his shoulder, and nothing for him to stress about.

All he had to do was get in, do the job, and get out.

His plan was simple; he would approach the lake from the top of the falls so that he could scout out the area one last time before heading to the base of the falls to release the poison. From there, it would be a simple escape, he would be free. But as he approached the falls, he took note of something; a young male taking a step off the side of the cliff.

.....

Was there something in the water already? The Ghost was sure that he just witnessed someone commit suicide; perhaps this was a tragedy that could be exploited into an opportunity? Perhaps, he could plant some sort of evidence that would 'tie' this persona to the crime he was about to commit and frame him with the poisoning. Yes, it seemed like a good idea; a depressed persona taking his own life, and wanting to take others with him to share his pain. Yea, that could work. Carefully, the young male would approach the spot on the cliff where he saw the other male go over at; red eyes peering down to catch site of the other male with a rope around his body, and attempting to stand on the cliff face.

Fuck.

946

"Six... Five... four..." Just then, as the Genin would reach the fourth number from zero, he would pull out a Kunai, cutting the rope and allowing his body to almost fall, only for it to stop suddenly, making himself lurch over for a moment, the sudden movement making his heart skip a beat as now a faint blue coating of chakra covering his feet would be the only thing standing between himself and certain death. His heart would beat faster and faster as now more than ever he felt as though he would fall at any moment, fear nearly breaking his concentration. He would attempt to breathe heavily, taking deep inhales and exhales, he himself trying to convince his body that it is in no immediate danger. "Three... Two.... One... Zero.." As he would say that final number he would immediately lean backwards while also taking a step back with his right foot, causing his body weight to shift, and he himself to fall backwards.

Landing on his butt, he would breathe a sight of relief before laying on the ground, just looking up into the sky. He must admit, he hated the fact that he liked doing this, that he liked the adrenaline rush that stuck with him through it, and the hastened beating of his heart which continued even afterwards. He never really figured out why he made something like this his hobby, or even why he liked feeling as though he needs the rise in the first place. Perhaps right now, as he was all alone, he would ponder on this, finally figure it out and, perhaps, even reach some sort of important point of maturity in his life. To finally enter the cocoon of a child and hatch out, a newly formed, mature and responsible man, ready to grow and take on the world and be the best he can be.

That required too much effort on his part, however. He was Hitoshi Yasuko, an honorary embarrassment of not only his family but of Squad Two. Honestly, it was a self-proclaimed title, but even then it was one he would wear to himself from now on, until he decided he finally grew out of it. With that title came consequences, like a loss of self esteem, nosebleeds from erotic sights, and the hallucination of a dragon man making him his pile of treasure to sleep on. Instead of looking within himself to learn more about himself and make this daily routine into somewhat of a learning experience, he figured it better to just relax a bit and wait for the rush to go away. After all, he was only a Genin, nothing of importance anyways.

"Wah!" Cried the Genin that was just recently lost in thought, his body immediately reacting, causing him to sit up, scrambling backwards before getting on both feet, as he would just now take notice of the stranger that had been staring at him during his little ritual. Who was this oddly dressed stranger? This person that wore a blueish-gray carapace that appeared to be bandages around his torso, right arm, neck, and face, masking his identity for the most part in regards to facial appearance. Who was this male, whom of which has flame-like markings on his left arm and the remains of a tattered piece of clothing along his lower body, which would be held up by a thick chain around his waist? Who would be this mysterious individual with red eyes? Was he an assassin, someone hired to kill an Iwagakure Shinobi? If so, why visit the Genin? Is he one of those emos Hitoshi had heard about?

"H-Hi there?" He would stammer out as he began to regain his bearings, his arms beginning to tense, ready for if this odd stranger was going to attack him.

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"H-Hi there?"

Fuck. It seems the persona had spotted him. No matter; he could still complete the mission. He was already here,a nd so close to completion anyway. All he had to do was get the contents of the scroll into the water, and he was all set. At that point, all the Mischievous Ghost had to do was make sure that this persona did not attempt to stop him, or alert anyone to his presence in the area.

This kid, this persona; He would have to die.

The persona did not look to be very strong; the Ghost assumed him to be no higher than a chuunin at the most. Given the fact that he was out here practicing what appeared to be the Supernatural Walking Technique, he was more than likely a fresh genin, recently graduated from the academy. All the better for Yurei; it would be an easy kill. He would go with his plan of faking the method of this child's death to look like a suicide, and leave the indication that he had poisoned the water supply as an act of spite against his village. While it was not the perfect plan, it would hopefully buy the Mischievous Ghost enough time to get out of the country before he could be connected to the crime. And so, the Mischievous Ghost inhaled deeply as he moved towards the other male and reached up, pulling apart the bandages that covered his mouth just enough to exhale a gas from his mouth as he came within seven meters of his target. Yurei was even sure to aim the gas down towards the ground to ensure that it would billow around his target's feet before rising into the air. As the invisible gas would spread over the area, this child would not be able to discern it until it was too late for him; it was only recognizable its its distinct smell, and by that time, the mischievous ghost would have already followed up with the second part of his combo. With another deep breath and the formation of the 'Tiger' hand seal would come the exhalation of a flame style technique, one known as Dragon Fire Jutsu. He was not worried about his flame attack outright connecting with the child with the flame attack; no, the range on it was too short for it to do so. But the gas, however, was perfect to bridge the range gap, and provide a wonderful boost the original flames abilities. The Dragon Fire Jutsu was noted to cause major second degree burns upon contact with opponents, but special properties of the gas caused flames to burn hotter, increasing the damage done by a single degree. What was originally a seriously inconvenient second degree burn would become a disabling and potentially life threatening third degree burn in the blink of an eye. If this genin was not smart enough to move out of the way, he was done for in this moment, and Yurei would be off to complete his mission like his namesake....

But, people were resourceful, and if this kid was truly a shinobi, then perhaps he had a trick or two up his sleeve. Underestimating your opponent was as sure as committing suicide; Yurei was sure to keep his eyes open, and his senses on high alert for anything that might happen. Who knows, maybe there was someone else nearby that he did not see as he approached. Maybe this kid was not truly alone out here. Time would tell, and if it were to come to pass, then Yurei would act and respond to the threat accordingly.

613 | 1559

125/150 Chakra:

It was something about this person that rubbed Hitoshi the wrong way. Whether it was the way he was dressed or the way he looked at him, it was clear that this wasn't a run of the mill traveler, he was appearing to be more and more like someone the Genin would have loved to go a lifetime without meeting, and that's being kind. As a result, he would be wary of this stranger, especially of the lack of greeting he gave when he would decide to approach the Genin, reaching up to his bandages. Hitoshi would back away as he approached, keeping the distance between them both at around nine meters, and when the stranger wrapped his fingers around his bandages, unraveling them and exposing his mouth. Hitoshi couldn't tell what the other male was doing at first, as he would be seemingly making no outright offensive attack just yet. At first he couldn't tell what was happening, keeping him from increasing his speed for his retreat or anything else of the sort. Instead, as an act of warning, he would form the Tiger hand seal, openly letting the stranger know that he was someone with at least some Shinobi training.

It would be then, however, that he smelled that disgusting smell, such a smell that wasn't anywhere near the area before. What was it, sewage? Certainly it can't be, this is the wilderness, and they were both next to the village's main water source. All in all, it would only serve to pollute the water, which would do nothing but harm the village itself. It had to be something else, but what? Seeing the stranger form the Tiger hand seal as well, Hitoshi realized all too late what it was, and to his shock, and the forming of the watery being that would be appearing out of his mouth at that moment, he wondered if it was too late.

It was gas.

The water clone Hitoshi would be forming would already be on both feet in front of the Genin, standing with arms outright and Hitoshi attempting to back up another half a meter away from it while his left hand rose to his mouth next, and just in time too. The fire would have already expelled from the stranger's mouth, this fiery technique igniting the gas, creating a wave of flames which would come directly towards Hitoshi and his clone before him. Thankfully the clone would have served its intended purpose, as all it was meant to be summoned for was to decrease the intensity of the flames before the Genin, while the remainer around him would still be at their same intensity. Following this up and adding onto the steam that appeared as fire consumed water, the Genin would begin firing a steady stream of water out of his mouth, the stream of water colliding with the flames in front of the male, creating even more steam. He would direct the stream in front of him until all that was left coming directly towards him would be steam, and all that would be in his throat was a sort of dryness, leaving him in the midst of the currently raging flames around him, and the steam before him, with his opponent, if they're still there, before him.

Forming the Boar, Ram, Snake, Horse, and Dragon hand seals, Hitoshi would touch the ground before him, causing multiple streams of electricity form into a surge, which flew at twenty five meters per second towards where the stranger was in response, aiming to quickly cover the nine and a half meter distance between them both and then some, reaching ten meters in total in less than a second. His heart would be pumping with panic as the Genin would still be amidst the flames, though thankfully he is glad he at least has a path to get out of them. Standing up fully, coughing, Hitoshi would begin readying himself to get back and away from the already raging inferno. The smoke will soon enough be something that he didn't want to deal with, and if he had another second, perhaps the Genin can lead them both to the forest, where he could possibly have a better chance in regards to terrain. That large fire should already be enough for surely someone else to want to investigate, the Genin hoped his opponent won't aim for setting the very forest on fire should they both head there as well. Yes, that will be his plan, make a break for the forest, and that will be something he will do soon enough.

wc 781

twc 2167

Str: E
Speed: E-1(Hattori)
End: E
Perc:E
React: E-1

105/150

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