Masao of the Uchiha had never been one to leave any mystery unsolved, or any curiosity unexplored. The peculiar meeting in the woods with the unnamed huntress had been on his mind just as much as the results of the encounter. He would still occasionally reach up and gently pull at the light bags beneath his eyes, as if in a state of shock. He still thought of the deer, and of how graceful and pure they were. An unfortunate fate to have been assigned the existence of prey. Nevertheless, the young man harbored no ill feelings in his heart toward the huntress for doing what she had done, and even found her amusing and interesting. She was someone he was determined to find out more about. As the rain drizzled down, Masao would grasp an umbrella he had come across in his exploration of the woods many years ago. It was black with crimson clouds outlined by white. He never had a second thought about that umbrella and what it’s design meant as he walked out of his home in a long-sleeved, maroon sweater, fashionably ripped dark jeans, and a pair of black rain boots. As he stepped into the rain and flourished his umbrella, he would tune in with a small smile to the unsteady beat of raindrops assaulting his barrier.

The path he took toward the forest was always the same, only changed up by the occasional spur of the moment thrill seeking. Masao made those sorts of decisions from time to time just to see new sights and engage in new experiences. Today was a day in which he would only slightly stray from the normal path, following a much less visible path through the woods that seemed to still lead toward the river as usual. It was interesting, the way the woods seemed to take on a different setting beneath the coat of a light drizzle of rain. The steady dripping made the eyes heavy, as Masao found rain and thunderstorms incredibly relaxing. The low rumble of thunder echoed in the distance as Masao looked around and took note of the loud sounds of the Naka River, flowing more intensely due to the runoff. In only the last half an hour, the river would have overtaken the banks slightly, pushing up to the point where an unfortunate mapping girl would feel water against her feet.

It was fortunate that right at that moment Masao would come across the sleeping girl and plant himself in front of her, smiling as he pat her head lightly with his hand to alert her of her near perilous circumstance. “If you take your nap here for much longer, you’ll end up swimming your way back home.” Masao would say from a decent amount outside of her personal space but close enough that he could move to help her to her feet if she would accept his offer as his hand extended, with the same genuine smile he always wore upon his face. Masao was genuinely happy to see the girl once more, although slightly concerned at how she had slept through nearly being overtaken by the roaring, angry Naka River.

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Since she was young Koharu always had issues keeping up with the pack. As a child, she didn't know she wasn't supposed to be able to keep up. The wolves were growing stronger and bigger than her. They moved faster than her and while she could barely take down a rabbit, the pups were downing elk with no problem. She tried and tried to run as fast them and take down prey as fast as them, to keep up. It was inevitable she would be seen as the runt. Nothing but a strange looking runt in a pack of wolves earned Koharu her fair share of problems. She ate last, only really being able to pick at the bones. She also was left behind a lot and later she began to get attacked in her sleep.

While that traumatized young Koharu, to wake up to the snarling face of a wild dog, she was also thankful for it. That was around the time Tsukiya began to show an interest in her. He would protect her from the bullies. He was larger than all the others in his litter and was more than capable of keeping her safe from the threat of death. From that point on they bonded and the two were almost never apart.

She doesn't know why Tsukiya stuck to her the way he did. Koharu fully doubts he knows why either but, nonetheless since those days of being pups in the cave they've stuck together. The always sleep together and that seems to ward off the night terrors she used to have. This outing was one of the rare times she left without him. The young woman would immediately kick her legs out wildly which she would feel hitting something. Koharu's eyes would snap open and she would look around wildly.

The rain had gotten much heavier than she thought it would have. The area under the tree was soaked and so were her shorts and hoodie. She felt a small pang of sadness upon realizing the beautiful flower she saw was no longer tucked behind her ear. She quickly rose to her feet. Koharu took a few deep and calming breaths after being startled and would look around for the source of her spook only to see Masao's head bobbing in and out of the water. Koharu would scream out for Tsukiya hoping he would hear her over the rain before running alongside the river to reach him. The water was crashing wildly and Koharu could barely make out Masao's bobbing almost black ponytail from the murky mud of the water. She would then rush to grab him as quickly as possible before swearing and then diving into the water to help.

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WC: 463
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There would have been no way for the young Uchiha to prepare for the shocked reaction of his wild acquaintance in the woods. Just as soon as he could attempt to evade her thrashing dreaming, he would slip over a rock and roll his ankle in a rather painful way, immediately losing his balance and plunging backwards into the roaring Naka river. In all of his days as a bit of an outdoorsman during his youth, Masao had only had the opportunity presented to him for swimming in rare instances. He was not very good at it, and for that reason the roaring entity that was the Naka river would become even more deadly.

Rocks which lined the bottom of the river would catch Masao’s feet periodically as he was dragged through the rough water, trapping him for brief instances beneath the surface without air. Large branches and bramble that had been taken by the waters would thud against his body as he moved at high speeds along with the current. It was an all out assault on the young shinobi, orchestrated by Mother Nature herself. He grasp a root at the rivers edge, attempting to hold himself in place long enough to call for help. As he pulled with his utmost strength to try and raise himself up the side of the muddy bank he was struck in the side of the head by a fast moving log and his grip quickly loosened as he felt consciousness attempt to leave him behind. He held onto that consciousness with everything he had as he looked back up to see Koharu swimming with far more skill and finesse than what he possessed.

Masao would have never thought the waters of the Naka to be as fiendish as they had proven themselves today. So often he has come to its bank for peace and admiration. Although, it was a foolish idea to think Nature in all of its apathy would care much about a thrashing human. So much had mankind taken from nature without offering much in return. What was one young boy for one trillion dead creatures?

The water washed over Masao as he slipped away into a cold sleep, unable to hold off any longer from the injury he had sustained to his temple, which had a stream of blood from the gash it had sustained. His shirt was mostly in ribbons now from the brambles and branches he had been battered against. He had been dragged through the ripping currents of that long river for almost half a mile at that point. His legs were in an unfortunate shape, his torso littered with scratches and tears, his head bruised and bloody in the left side.

Up to the moment of his fading consciousness, none of Koharu’s rescue attempts would have had any success, and as she looked upon the drifting visage of Masao she would most certainly notice the waterfall he was being dragged toward. At its base were mounds of heavy rocky obscured only by the white foam of the water.

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Koharu panicked when Masao missed his chance to grab her.  She ran along the river's side still as she called out for faithful dog Tsukiya once more. The river moved the young man too fast for her to follow closer. At one point it seemed that he managed to grab a root on the bank of the river. Koharu closed as much ground between to the two as possible before a log came barreling towards him and knocked the Uchiha under. Koharu screamed for Tsukiya again and sprinted to catch up to the young man but it didn't seem that his head was popping up above the water again.

The young huntress looked up only to realize the Naka river ended in a waterfall. A sense of urgency took over and before she knew it Koharu had dived into the water and was swept into away with its current. She opened her eyes even though it stung to do so and could make out a blurry image of her dark haired acquaintance floating languidly through the river. Koharu used the river's strong current as a boost and grabbed the Uchiha by his shirt. She pulled his body to him as quickly as she could using his shirt before she felt her back smack against a large rock. Koharu's breath was knocked out of her and she was forced to take in some of the water which burnt her nose and throat beyond compare. Still, her grip on the Uchiha's shirt was iron. The Huntress used the rock as an anchor and pulled herself up to air first and Masao shortly after.

Koharu coughed and spat as she sucked in as much air as possible. Her body was pressed against the large rock for support and she had Masao gripped around the waist with one arm. His head was out of the water but she couldn't give him the proper care he needed. She looked around wildly to see if there was anyway the two of them could get out of the river's wrath when a bark pulled her attention to the shore. There drenched in the rain was Tsukiya. The dog stuck his two paws into the river's water careful not to get swept up as well. Koharu reached her free arm out as far as she possibly could.

Tsukiya stuck out his snout and with one swift move, he was able to grip the sleeve of her hoodie in his teeth and pull Koharu and Masao onto the banks. Koharu immediately pulled him onto his back and before long he would begin to cough up water. As Koharu waited and tried to catch her breath she felt wetness on her face from Tsukiya giving her face a few licks. She threw her arms around her friend and squeezed tightly. After the tight hug, she looked back at Uchiha only to realize he was bleeding from his left temple. Koharu knew in her heart that she couldn't leave him out here. She needed to bring him back to her cabin. She tore off the sleeve of her hoodie and tied it around his head to keep pressure on it and with the help of Tsukiya she was able to bring him back to the cabin.

Koharu lit the fireplace and placed his limp body on the couch near it. According to his vital signs, the young man was still very much alive. She bandaged the wound on his head and cleaned up the small scrapes he had on his ankle. 'Most likely from the rocks on the river's floor' she thought. After Koharu was certain he would be okay she left him in the care of Tsukiya then went to shower and dress her own wounds.

[EXIT THREAD]

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WC: 636
TWC: 1,674

Reaction Time E-3 ~> D-3 1,475

199 extra words

“You step into this world with such a heart of gold. You are filled to the brim with compassion for every creature you encounter whether or not they care for you. The Will of Fire burns so brightly within you that nothing of this reality could ever douse it. The Curse of Hatred leaps at every opportunity to grab the wheel and captain the ship. No matter what you do, the odds are stacked against you and the people of Konoha will never make a monument of your kind.”

It was his own voice within his own mind that spoke such thoughts. As he faded in and out after the damage to his head had surely concussed him. He would flicker in and out of consciousness, his sharingan going haywire as it attempted to assist its bearer with perceiving his surroundings, to know avail. Within his dream state he could see Konohagakure’s Hokage Monument. The faces of each passed leader etched skillfully into the side of the mountain as a reminder to all. Those stalwart faces looked forward as a plume of smoke seemed to rise in front of the visage, the more that was revealed of the scene the more horrific it became to Masao. Flames that burned endlessly bright spread quickly from building to building. Market stands lay abandoned as the blaze collapsed buildings across the dirt streets and sealed off swarms of terrified citizens.

Those who became entrapped by the buildings would meet a terrible doom, quickly the power of this fire would be realized as no naturally occurring phenomenon, but a chakra compelled one. It was not but an instant before a man crushed beneath a burning beam of wood was reduced to a screaming, disintegrating ashen pile. Men, women, children...the flames were indiscriminate. From atop the stone faces of the Hokage would shimmer the reflection of two red eyes as a silhouette crouched upon the face of Tobirama Senju, the second hokage.

“Isn’t this what you sought to prevent, Tobirama. Forced my people into segregation and denied them part in the village they helped to found. And now you get to watch.”

Dozens more red eyes would light up across the mountainside. It was an absolute nightmare for Masao as he listened to his own voice narrating such disgusting thoughts, things he knew he could never say. Doing things that he knew he would never do, betraying Konoha was a thought that brought nothing but pain. These were without a doubt his minds greatest method of keeping him suppressed and petrified. Maybe it was trying to keep him from getting up and out into the world until he had healed from his damage.

[EXIT THREAD]

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