Zu was beginning to question how people survived here in this harsh environment especially on this scorching day. The sun was unforgivingly hot as Zu made his way through the crowds of people in Sunagakure. Many of them were working hard while others were just shopping. The worst ones though to Zu were the ones that were trying to sell him something. Zu never kept much money on him, just enough to get something to eat. One of the merchants even got aggressive enough to grab Zu's arm to get his attention, however, the merchant was met with a quick jerk away and a calm low tone telling the man to just leave me be. The merchant was nonchalant about it and went on to the next person not giving Zu much thought after that. To him, Zu was just a numbers game, but to Zu, that unwarranted grab made his skin crawl. Shrugging it off the best he could, he moved along with his hands in his pockets wearing a cut off sleeved thin hoodie with the hood up to cover his face from the looks of others and the sun. He was just trying to make it to a small diner that was usually quiet which was a blessing to Zu. Something about being around large crowds made him uncomfortable. His breathing was heavy as his heart hammered. There were just too many people for him to stay calm. With his size he often would accidentally run into some causing them to fall over, but Zu always apologized and kept his pace towards the diner. He did not want to have another run in like before and have someone grab him. It was not particularly his style to converse with others. Zu tried his best with his sensei, but he was unsure how much social interaction from him he picked up on. Zu was still just as awkward and nervous around people just as he was when he took refuge in Sunagakure. To him, The more normal he could make others believe he was, maybe he would not feel like a monster. Though anytime he thought or felt normal it seems images of bloody violence swarmed his head as if reminding him of what he could do... or has done.

Just as the small quiet diner was in sight, Zu felt two people behind him before each one grabbed an arm and quickly dragged him deep into a dark ally surrounded by tall buildings. Zu tried to twist and get free, but his efforts were all for naught as their grip was not letting go. Further into the dark alleys they finally let him go as two people jumped from the top closing off the way he was dragged in. Zu got up and looked around to see he was surrounded. Five men in total, three in the front and two on the other side with walls blocking off any escape route. Zu was cornered but kept quiet until he heard one of the three in front of him speak, "Is he the one that did it?" The man speaking pointed right at Zu as another came from behind him, pulling the hood from his head rather violently before he shook his head up and down. Zu turned a little to see if he could remember anyone. The one that took off his hoodie was a stout fellow, only a few inches shorter, but still just as large. The man's face looked like it was recently beat up as half his lip was busted and the man's eye was so swollen he could not open it. For the life of Zu, he could not remember him or why they would have a problem. Regardless, he took deep breaths and tried to calm his nerves before he did something he would regret.

In but a moment, the two of the men grabbed him, while one man relentlessly beat on his face. Blow after blow though, Zu made no effort to resist the hit nor break free. The man who was doing the punishment rubbed his knuckles after hitting Zu more times than he could count. The man who spoke before walked up, grabbed a handful of his hair before talking in a high and mighty tone, "This was the man that beat you senseless little bro? Look at him, you've taken down guys twice the man he is.

The other man replied quickly, stammering a little, "B-but brother he was not like this. He was an animal I...." his sentence stopped when he looked back into Zu's eyes. The man was slightly afraid of Zu, and Zu remembered why now. A few days before, Zu had encountered this man harassing a ramen shop waitress to sit on his lap. When the kind waitress, or at least she was to Zu, denied the man's proposal, he became infuriated and threw a large stack of money on the table saying that for this much she should be happy to sit on his lap. The young woman refused again saying she is not a whore who can be bought and she was happily married before storming off. The man advanced grabbing her from behind and pulled her close causing Zu to intervene. Zu remembered turning his fists solid so that he could do more damage to the man. In fact the tough attitude was an act. Zu remembered making the man beg for her forgiveness which he did numerous times. The question deep on Zu's mind was how could he forget so easily. Were these encounters meaningless to him or was his mind trying to block out the bad. For now Zu cannot know that answer.

The older brother, the one with Zu's hair in his hand prompted his younger brother to hit him. Despite being a little afraid, he obeyed his brother's command. With one hard hit that landed square on Zu's lip causing it to bust out a rather lot of blood. That one hit caused the younger brother felt empowered as if defeating a monster deep in his mind and swung away like the last man did without remorse. Zu tried to close his eyes for most of it, he did not want to remember their faces for he did not want to hold resentment towards them. Zu would have felt the same way if someone beat up his brother... if he had one. Zu took the hits knowing what he could do to them if he wanted to. He could change his arms into blades and spikes on his face so they just hurt themselves. He could do far more damage to them than they could do to him. These hits were nothing compared to the past beatings he has undergone. Zu kept his heart rate low, tried to ease his mind as the beatings continued. He kept telling himself he could not kill them, he will not because he did not want his sensei to hear his student killed people in his village. So, he just took the beating as best he could. Even taunting them when they get tired asking if that's all they got? Each hit made it harder and harder to keep calm. Zu was not one to protect himself, but if someone else was being beat like this, Zu would be a totally different person. All he could think about now to keep his mind off the pain was the food that was just out of reach. The food was so close to him and yet so very far away from him.

WC:1281

It was an unseasonably warm day, brutally so in fact.  Izumi started sweating just from getting dressed this morning, since most of her warm weather clothing was tucked away in drawers; unneeded during these cold months. The brutal 33-degree air hugged her body, surrounding it with its unforgiving heat. Izumi opted for a shorts and tank top combination, figuring it wouldn't kill her to give her skin some sun. The young Karisuma woman was about to set out on one her quite regular walks through the village. While she hadn't found a mentor yet she still did her best to maintain her physical form as best she knew how. She hadn't been able to progress much further since leaving the academy, however she has not declined in anyway. To her this was something, even if it wasn't ideal. Besides, there was always something new to do or a stranger to befriend when she went out on these walks. As she stepped into the sun, its blazing kiss warming her skin, she would notice a light breeze. The breeze was pleasant and made the heat much less uncomfortable. Izumi began her walk heading towards the village center and trying to keep as best she could to shady areas. Despite her best efforts she couldn't help but build up a sweat from the exercise. She figured she'd get something to eat while in the village proper, rather than make something for herself. Izumi has enjoyed the relatively recent luxury of having money to spend for herself, since while she was attending the academy and waiting tables after classes her money only covered the essentials. Being a full-fledged kunoichi and being able to take ninja contracts meant that she was able to make a decent amount of money for someone her age. Her wardrobe and diet have both taken a sharp increase in quality since becoming a genin.  


Finally, having left the slums and entered the market district she began to see signs of life that actually made eye contact when you passed. Merchants were heckling left and right trying to get the attention of passerby heavy of purse but light of sense. As could be imagined for a market district, they were fairly successful.  The familiar sounds of business filled the air, along with the alluring scents of various eateries and food stands. However, today there was something quite out of the ordinary in the market, there was a giant of a man in the press making his way through the crowd. Normally it's hard for a stranger to stand out in a crowd, however this man couldn't be inconspicuous if he tried. Izumi picked up her pace to try to catch up to this man. Izumi decided that she just had to meet him, after all she would have to approach the unique and dangerous to write her book. As she approached she noticed that the colossal man was stopped by one of the merchants, the man would jerk away and put his hands in his pockets clearly not wanting to be bothered.  The man continued on his way a bit before something else strange happened, two men approached him from behind and grabbed him, dragging him into an alley. The manner of the men made it seem they weren't interested in just a light chat, Izumi quickened her pace in case the man was in trouble. As she approached the alley she felt a grab on her left arm, which startled her beyond belief given her focus on the situation before her. Her neck snapped to her left, eyes sparkling with the power of the Karisuma and sporting a look that could glass sand she would see the same merchant who stopped the large man. "I will burn everything you know, if you don't stop touching me." The man's eyes found her sand village head protector on her left bicep finally, and his ignored pitch immediately became a terrified squeak, however once her eyes met his the familiar glazed over look of a man under her charm replaced his fear. The man unhanded her and she continued on her way towards the alleyway. Izumi turned down the alley just in time to see and hear a quite vicious blow the monstrous man who was being surrounded by a gang of five.


Silently as she could, Izumi approached the group of six men, her target in the middle being held by two men while a third went to town on him. The other two watched on jeering and taunting the herculean figure.  To her surprise the man appeared to be taking the beating willingly, even throwing taunts back at that asking for more punishment. Regardless of the context, Izumi detested the men for not fighting fair, however by the look of the specimen before her she can understand why they wouldn't.  Izumi took a deep breath, gathering chakra in her mouth and throat, when she exhaled a noxious odor would be noticeable for all the men in front of her. Next, she began focusing on one of her fingertips which began crackling with electricity.  Izumi spoke with a loud, however not shouting, voice "Smell that? It will get really hot back there if this spark on my finger were to accidentally come in contact with that gas I just released on you boys.  While it looks like you're having a ton of fun back there, I'm sure it would help your odds for spontaneous combustion if you were to just go about your day and let this man go about his." Izumi stood waiting for their response, her eyes still sparkling with the power in her blood.

[962]

125/150:

The iron taste of blood was not an unfamiliar taste to Zu as he spat out blood towards them. With a bloody smile, he chuckled lightly to himself. The thought of just killing them became more enticing as they stood defiant above him. A gang of cowards that would break at any sign of resistance. Zu sat there contemplating the choice before them and even rationalized his thought of killing them. The guy that Zu had beat up just days before reared back and landed a hit as hard as he could with full force. Zu's body felt limp as the men holding him let go and his face hit the ground hard. The last hit caused him to slightly lose consciousness which is terrifying to Zu because he could wake up elsewhere with memories of violence in fragmented images. Between the taste of blood and the ringing in his ears, Zu only wondered how long he could keep himself from losing it. Sooner or later, his ability to care for them even as a useless human would vanish. On the ground, he tried to look around to see what they were doing. Zu could not open his right eye because it was swollen shut, however, in the corner of his left eye he spotted another figure down the alleyway.  Since the sun was behind this mysterious figure, it seemed to Zu to be a shadow with hair that shone with a brilliant red. The blurry image was hard to focus on but having someone else here kept his sanity, even if it might be brief for he does not want to hurt someone innocent in a matter he caused. Zu tried to get up, but the fearless men made sure to give him a swift kick in the gut, before sniffing oddly. Zu's nose is filled with blood, so he could not smell what they are. That was when the mysterious figure in the light spoke which got their attention quickly. His hearing was muffled but he could make out key words and that it was feminine. She explained to the men that it would be in their best interest to shove off, however, with their current victory over Zu, they would not be swayed by words. Why is she trying to help me.... she should have kept walking. Why is everyone in this village so ready to help someone they do not know. he thought while laying there considering the fact that should he need to kill them, would he have to kill her too as to not leave a witness. Zu shuddered a little at the thought of his sensei hearing that Zu killed someone from his village. Perhaps not because of what he would do, but more of the fact Zu would have lost another person in his life. The choices weighed heavy on his mind.

Zu coughed as he was laying on his chest, spitting out more blood in the process. No organs nor bones were broken. If he needed, he would kill these men before it got out of hand and run away from the village. Indubitably there would be a bounty on his head even though the world would have been better off without them. Zu had enough strength needed to slaughter them, but this person, made him hesitant and alert. When the men got a good look at her, Zu could hear whispers before they moved a little apart. One of the underlings aside from the two brothers spoke in a cocky and demanding tone, "Aye, finally someone showed up to arrest this wandering criminal. We were trying to tie him up and drag him to you but he resisted so we showed him why you do not mess with Sunagakure, am I right? Look, we have five witnesses that claim he stole from my house and..." The man's cocky demeanor vanished as a small fake tear rolled down his face as he spoke again, "he did unspeakable things to my sister. So please take him away and lock him up for good so that no more innocent girls like my sister are hurt from men like him." The men all nodded in agreement towards his claim. One even spat on the back of Zu's head before calling him a disgusting pervert. The man who spoke went through Zu's pocket, taking the little money he had on him claiming it was his and that Zu spent a rediculous amount of it. Zu went to speak in his defense, but was met with another kick except this time to the face, more blood came out of his mouth as his head his the ground hard again. As hard as it was, Zu remained conscious, he remained himself. For if he were to lose it in his current state, he feared what could happen not only to him but to others. If he was lucky, she would just burn all of the monsters in the alleyway including him. Laying on his stomach, he prepared for the worst, even though he was unsure if he could conceptualize how bad it could get. No, his mind would never allow that, not yet.

WC: 871+962=1833

As Izumi was making her threat, the giant man took another hard combination from the cowardly man wailing on him. One of the cronies watching on woke up, addressing the Karisuma, ”Aye, finally someone showed up to arrest this wandering criminal. We were trying to tie him up and drag him to you but he resisted so we showed him why you do not mess with Sunagakure, am I right? Look, we have five witnesses that claim he stole from my house and..." to add the the man’s oddly specific story he allowed a single tear to fall down his cheek adding a hint of genuineness to the outlandish claim, "he did unspeakable things to my sister. So please take him away and lock him up for good so that no more innocent girls like my sister are hurt from men like him." Now, if they had just left it at that, Izumi may have reason to believe them. When they spit on the giant man and kicked his face when he tried to offer his words of defense, the doubt really starting winning out for Izumi. The men were afraid of her albeit small, power that was for sure. However it took everything Izumi had to not snap and ignite them all where they stood. Their audacity to lie to her, made her furious. Originally, Izumi’s threat had been empty, she was not going to roast the men alive for this, just give them a scare and leave them to live their miserable lives. Unfortunately for them, they had triggered the wrath of the young Karisuma. She had a plan to both save the man and to punish the men where they stood. Izumi deactivated the spark on her fingertip and grinned, ready for a lie of her own, ”There is no place for vigilante justice in the sand, however you have done well to capture such a monster, I will be taking him from here.”

Izumi walked forward and grabbed the man gently under one of his massive arms, whispering in his ear ”You’re okay, trust me here.” Izumi began to lead the man to the end of the alley, leaving the still noxious smelling dead end filled only with the band of thugs. Izumi would release the man and turn again to the thuggish brutes her eyes still sparkling with the power of her clan. ”I’ve watched you the entire time, clearly you have a problem with this man. However, I don’t think you’re telling me the truth. Honest people don’t feel the need to silence a man speaking in his defense.  Now, I’m going to let you keep his money you’re goin to need it after I’m done with you anyways. You really should have just let him go. This guy was being nice to you, he didn’t even try to avoid your punches. Me, I’m much less forgiving to vile men.” As Izumi was finishing the last sentence she formed the Tiger seal with her hands and with a cruel smile, sent a fireball into the gas. The Karisuma’s stunning eye gave these men no time to react to what was happening to them. The moment the fireball made contact with the gas in the back of the alley, the area covered by the gas quickly exploded into a cacophony of flame, smoke, and screams. A satisfied smile could be seen on Izumi’s lips as she listened to the screams of the men, some of them might even die of these injuries if no one was to help them in a timely manner. Izumi looked up to the giant of a man who towered over her, ”My name is Izumi Karisuma, I am a kunoichi if the sand. If you’d like, I can heal some of the more minor injuries you received. If you don’t want that, at the very least let me buy you some food. It seems those apes took the last of your money, and I doubt it survived the fireball.” Deactivating the power that was draining her eyes of moisture, Izumi conjured all her charm and smiled up at the monstrous hulk before her, waiting for his answer.

[713]

Zu was within despair and frustration, as he heard the stranger thank them for handling him till now. He let out a long deep breath as a genuine sadness overcame him. Was it because he just wanted someone to hear him out? No, something deep inside was sad he could not rip them apart. Beat them with an inch of their lives. He could have done it here was he not worried about others seeing and now that this other person is here... he gave up that thought. The stranger walked towards Zu, helping him to his feet. A small whisper came from her, telling him to trust her. Zu's heart raced as even he was convinced she was about to lock him away or worse. He tried to think if he had seen her before, but she was no where in his memories and he would remember someone like her. Why would she help a stranger? Zu had no choice but to trust her. If it goes poorly, he would resort to violence. When she was helping him, he could get a good look at her.  She was quite a beautiful lady, strong and slender too. Her red hair shined even more brilliantly in the sun this time than last. Her eyes seemed to shine in the light and for a moment, he was star struck by her beauty and confidence. The stranger let him go and he stood there, watching her intently to see what happened next. With conviction in her voice she commemorated Zu for holding back, while offering little to no mercy for the men that attacked him. Zu could not help but to watch as the stranger quickly formed a hand sign and shot a fireball. Tunneling down the corridor and making true to her promise earlier, everything caught aflame. With horrendous wails of pain echoed through the ally, the stranger introduced herself as Izumi, Karisuma. A shinobi from Sungakure, the same as the others that helped him. Another strike to his pride made sure to dwell deep within. Her voice was kinder and softer than earlier as she offered Zu medical help or at least food, but he could manage on his own. With the cries in the background it became hard for him to focus on anything but that. Glancing over, he could see them writhing about on the ground reaching for a non-existent savior. To Zu, it was a cruel death despite what he would unknowingly do to them had she not shown up to help. Perhaps it was for the best she did it than he, for he knew not how little more his mind could take.  Ideally, he needed to get as far away as possible for, everyone at the current moment. The screaming of the men became enticing to Zu, when she finished speaking a smile formed on his face. The smile perhaps came from gaining a possible new friend, or from the screams, only time could tell. With a deep breath he regained his posture and stopped fronting as a helpless person. His voice spoke in a low and deep tone, "Thank you Izumi, without your help who knows what would have happened. I appreciate your offer, but I have somewhere urgent I must be. My name is Zu, farewell." With a small wave and a smile, he left quickly.

Zu took off towards a direction, running as far and fast as his legs could take him. This time he made it from rooftop to rooftop, avoiding crowds. He needed to be away from them, these people. The feeling of insanity was intoxicating and starting to become addicting. If he stayed in the village it would only be a matter of time till he woke up in blood again. At least if he is far enough away, only the sand will suffer. Little to his knowledge that when he passed out from running and lack of nutrients, instinct took over. During the night, nearby small villages recall a grotesque humanoid that slaughtered their cattle. The few farmers that tried to defend were injured, one leading to a death later that night. Zu would take his prized meat far away before eating and calming down naturally.

[Exit Thread]

WC:709
Total:2542