Mitsuru was busy whipping off the excess blood of their sister's face. The adorable munchkin got too excited tonight during the ritual and soaked herself in blood. Mitsuru was a little annoyed at the mess she made but her beaming smile was enough to placate those desires to punish. She was coming along so well for not having been born in the cult of jashin and Mitsuru could not claim to be the perfect practitioner of the noble art of death, they managed with what they could. As this was the night of the fall equinox, the powers of the world were quite powerful and it would have almost sacrilegious not to honor lord and lady jashin and have a good healthy sacrifice to thank them for their blessings and honors. This was also the first ritual Alice was able to fully participate in so it was extra special. Since Alice was born, Mitsuru has been keeping a careful eye on her to see whether or not she would be useful as a pawn or weapon. Somewhere along the way she wormed her way into Mitsuru's tainted heart and become like an actual sibling. Mitsuru was sure they would never risk life or limb for her but they enjoyed her company the most out of everyone and loved her in their own way. It was easy to be alone with her and spend a copious amount of time with her, reinforcing the image of a doting caring older sibling. Teaching her about Jashin was however much harder than their other tasks as children had less to hide and to hide anything in a ninja village was a momentous task to undertake but they managed all the same.

However looking at the time, Mitsuru knew they needed to attend to more pressing matters. Once they successfully cleaned Alice up and got her dressed into bloodless clothing, they pat her on the head. "Imotou, I have some pressing matters to attend to tonight. So we will finish cleaning up as fast as we can. It is not much left since I made sure we routinely cleaning during the process so it would be easier on the both of us.  Do not worry about the corpse disposal part of it. This cave belongs to a pack of dire wolves who will be back within the next hour or two so they will feast of the offering."

After a few more minutes they had finished cleaning what they could and packed up their belongings. As they reached the village gates, they could hear the ominous howl of wolves, making the pair smile as the gift they left for them. When they reached the outside of their house, Alice decided to be a little stubborn and cling to Mitsuru. "Mitu, where are you going to do? Why can't we celebrate a little longer? Why are you leaving"

Mitsuru smiled, amused by this display and removed Alice from their person "Jashin has sent a test of devotion to me. I know they will want me to see it through fully. It is a test and I am not sure what kind of test it will be. I know simply that it is something I must do. Remember what I've always said. Whatever happens, happens. I know that Jashin will do whatever they think is right and if I prove unworthy, I hope at the very least I die a good death. Now head inside and I will see you tomorrow" Then they left Alice to go inside whilst they headed to there destination.

Upon arrival, Mitsuru saw a young woman, at least younger than they were, waiting on the opposite side of the field from what appeared to be Genin. The usual hustle and bustle they associated with the forge were absent as it was eerily quiet and emptied of life. Hatsur was probably nearby or something and would come out when he deemed he would. As Mitsuru observed the female, they desired that it was good to see the playing field as they were going into this operation blind. Mitsuru gave the woman a soft smile, one with practiced warmth and held themselves in the way many saw healers, weaker, quieter, less confident but also warm and inviting, as if accepting their weakness and using it to advertise no harm would come to those assiociated with them "Hello Miss...? We have not met before. I am Hayashida, Mitsuru. I take it you have come for this test as well?"

758~

Tasatsuke had received an invitation to the ritual combat for his service to the Hidden Cloud. It was a test of his abilities as a growing shinobi beneath Hastur's reign, it was designed to determine if he was strong enough to continue this service or merely be a stepping stone for another more worth warrior. Tasatsuke squirmed about nervously, he understood what this test entailed and he had never truly made a sacrifice for Jashin, the cult had kept him "pure".

The cultists had instead intended for Tasatsuke's first sacrifice to be one of impact that would teach the young boy an important lesson. It seemed that today was the day Tasatsuke would be given that decisive instruction from his Lord. As such, the young boy knelt in his small living quarters and gave a silent prayer to Jashin, he asked the deity to watch over his battle and to give him or make him a worthy sacrifice in his name. With that, Tasatsuke returned to his feet and strode out of his home, the Jashinist's temple, and towards the Skyforge to take part in his first true testing.

When Tasatsuke arrived he noticed several familiar faces. Some were those of his siblings that he had been raised alongside, others were "friends" he had made within the village, but others he did not recognize entirely. His yellow eyes danced about the different faces until they fell to Aikiko. Tasatsuke rose a single hand and waved at her, his face remaining expressionless and blank as he greeted his traveling companion from across the room.

Even as Tasatsuke waved to Aikiko he silently prayed to Jashin that he wouldn't have to face her. He had a feeling that her access to the Sharingan alongside of her natural prowess would result in his immediate death by her hand. Instead, Tasatsuke began to look at the other genin present and wondered how many of them also were far beyond his level of power but quickly admonished these thoughts. He understood that his fate was no longer in his hands, instead whatever happened next would be exactly as Lord Jashin intended.

That being said, Tasatsuke still inspected his potential opponents and the weapons they had armed themselves with. Tasatsuke had come with no armor, no weapons, and limited understanding of jutsu. Many of the Genin here had brought a Katana and likely a decent knowledge of various jutsu techniques. This put Tasatsuke at an inherent disadvantage, one that he was beginning to understand.

A touch of anxiety swelled up within his chest again, despite his earlier prayers and his religious understanding. The fingers on his left hand danced frantically on his leg, they tapped a nervous rhythm as his right hand lightly pulled on the high neck of his sweater. Tasatsuke let out a small yet tense breath in attempt to exorcise the negative energy from his body. At first, it didn't seem like it worked but slowly, that fear subsided and Tasatsuke felt at peace once more.

Soon, Hastur would arrive and greet his chosen competitors. Soon Tasatsuke would be paired against his opponent. Soon Jashin would receive his sacrifices and view Kumogakure with favor in the coming war. Tasatsuke just hoped that he would be a part of the coming conflicts.