Mission name: Far from the Tree.
Mission rank: C.
Objective: Protect the groves!
Location: Deep Forest.
Reward: 300 Ryo +2 EP.
Mission Description: The Sarutobi have somehow pushed the high brass of the summoning monkeys off-kilter in their clan leader's absence, leading relations to be less than amicable. The primates need a lesson on unacceptable behavior, or the orchard will be ruined! Yakiniku Q is spreading flyers to end the apes' rage and protect their precious smoking wood.
Mission Details: This faction of summon-monkeys only travel in ninja-like squads to avoid detection, and thus you'll likely only encounter three or four at a time. These monkeys are Taijutsu masters, adept in physical combat with two stats each of C-3 and C-2, but are universally a bit dull, with Perception of D-2. They all have access to the standard Katon libraries for ninjutsu, as well as being proficient users of the Transformation Technique, which they use to ambush those they detect coming after them.

Being rather single-minded, blunt, and obviously peeved, these primates won't cool off until defeated in battle. They are no splinter group, so even if you defeat this batch it's unlikely the arbor-arson in the area will cease....Nonetheless, turning them over to the Sarutobi clan's acting head is a requirement for mission completion. Additionally, you can fail this mission by injudiciously using techniques that burn or otherwise destroy the wood beyond use for smoking. (While no collateral damage whatsoever is appreciated, cutting techniques at least make it easier on the laborers.)

The Chuunin exams brought a variety of shinobi from all the lands known to the shinobi world, whether it the rolling hills of Konoha, the mountains of Kumogakure or the plains of Suna-....well, not so much that one. Regardless, Xiao took it upon himself to truly get to know a large variety of people as best as he could and one of these folk. It faired well that roughly at the same time of this desire not only were the large variety of shinobi gathered he created a small flier asking for assistance from what was essentially "Anyone Not from Kirigakure" though perhaps the flier itself may have seemed more like a shinobi who hated the mist village it was birthed from Xiao's innocent mind that seemed to be quite straight forward and lacking the ability to understand nuances and often finding it getting him in to trouble. Regardless of who appeared he was mostly just excited to hit apes with sticks and see the offspring of King Enma up close having read the stories of the great handsome monkey king in his youth, a popular tale in his homeland.

The young Xiao had made his way deep into the forest, webslinging all the while and stood at roughly 25 yards away from the base point having followed the traits of the apes, constantly following the scratching, fecal droppings or even the odd banana or two left behind. Apes were far smarter than people gave them credit for, Xiao knew this, but the concept of summon animals running rampant did make him slightly uncomfortable as when it came down to it Xiao was descended from that very beast himself and not entirely human really. He had decided to don a special outfit for this specific mission though, a gold trim about his spider mask, his red flak jacket holding golden tassels and sigils to ward off evil. It was his tribute to the demon Ginkaku who was a notable rival of the Monkey King back in the day and having placed one golden horn on his spider like mask the shinobi felt accomplished in his design. If only he could afford real gold and not merely the paint.

He awaited whoever it may be that would come to his aid to beat the monkeys away. When an ape had escaped the best thing to do was always to grab a large net, some running shorts and to hope that you could capture them all. It was the way of nature and the way of the tiny net to see the tiny monkeys all trapped and screeching for aid. It was the way of true love. He tapped his foot as he waited, whistling as he hoped to pass the time, really and truly hoping that whoever came was someone of interest and not the typical gloomy bunch he was acustom to in the shinobi world.


487

Tomohiro wasn’t amused that he had all of this extra free time. It seemed all well and good at first, but it just wasn’t right. His usual days were spent training generally with clansmen or not. Sometimes his days were spent taking on missions or mining ore in his clan’s mine. It was as if he wasn’t accomplishing anything. Regardless of what role he was to play in his clan’s actions, there was no getting around the very lax periods of time throughout the day. Tomohiro knew that he couldn’t train himself into the ground here. It was too risky. Being in a foreign village and wearing yourself out without knowing what dangers could lie ahead, wasn’t a wise move. The weather here was a bit warmer than what he was used to in a public setting. The weather didn’t compare to the heat of the Nakir mines.

The mission he accepted would be to capture the primates of the Sarutobi clan’s summoning. It was a bit ironic. From the books he read in Kumo and the history book he read in Konoha, the Sarutobi clan could have been a rival clan back in the days of the third and fourth shinobi war. Both the Nakir and Sarutobi clans were proficient katon users. He found it interesting that he hadn’t met one yet that he knew of. Though, he wasn’t trying to meet one casually. A spar between them would more than plausible. It would be interesting to see who would win a katon specialist of Konoha or a katon specialist of Kumo.

Tomohiro saw that Konoha had a lot of interesting history. The history aspect was what he found most appreciating about the village. There were a lot of good people here that had admirable goals. As time went on, he started to slightly get over his complications with the village. It was almost like a weight being lifted over his shoulders. He figured that if the clan actually visited the village and experienced the things he did, they wouldn’t be as hostile as they have been in their labyrinth of caverns in Kumo. Tomohiro already had most of what he was going to send back to the clan already prewritten. It just needed to be finalized with additional research. It would be a success on his part, but he still needed to find his exiled clan members. He wasn’t going to directly report back to Kumo after the exams. There were things that were unsaid that needed to be done on his part.

The mission he had taken was supposed to be with another shinobi. He wasn’t given many details about who they were. Tomohiro figured that it was probably due to all the individuals that were here. Forming a registry of shinobi would take too much time. He just hoped that he would get lucky and figure out who else was supposed to be on this mission. Regardless if they were Konoha shinobi or not, he would care too much at this point. Representing Kumo in a positive light was something that he was more worried about. He wished to form a positive relationship with other villages, but he would be naive to think that taking two or three small time missions would ever change that. There was a lot more that was too it than what meets the eye.

Tomohiro approached the large ghostly forest and noticed another shinobi. What the shinobi was doing, he did not know? He decided to keep his distance and follow him. As he followed him, he noticed the signs of primates. It wasn’t often that he saw these signs though. It was a fact that the primates in Kumo hadn’t really been prevalent. Though, he was unsure about the far reaches of the Land of Lightning. It just got colder the further north you would trod. Now that he thought about it, he would make it a possibility to travel across the Land of Lightning. It was really the time for such thoughts. He needed to continue to follow the shinobi before him. Tomohiro purposed to stay out plane sight. It was just natural to keep his distance and somewhat undetectable.

After following the shinobi for awhile, the shinobi stood waiting for something. He carefully watched as the shinobi seemed to be impatient. Tomohiro figured that the shinobi was probably the one he was supposed to be on the mission with. Taking a deep breath he walked out from around a large tree root before notifying his presence.

“Hey, I’m Nakir Tomohiro of Kumogakure. Are you here for the Sarutobi mission as well?” he inquired as he walked closer. He didn’t want to get too close just in case the person in question was hostile. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t really need to introduce himself and village affiliation. His forehead protector was in plain view over his forehead.

840

As he awaited his prospective partner the young Spider shinobi couldn't help but trace his mind back to Haka and her treatment of the little shinobi. Though she was fierce, logical and cold the fact was that he was in part here in the land of fire for that single person. The person who had taken his mother's request to protect the little spider without anything but her word. Kyutai, as he was called by the spider clan, had something of an immense guilt about the fact itself. Regardless here he was in a foreign land under the command of his adoptive mother who still remained something of a stranger to him and of course in hopes to meet someone he would have never met before. Perhaps that could entertain him, obviously he wished to become a great shinobi one day but as it was right now all he really wished to do was to enjoy his time climbing the ladder of combat and enjoying the time as he did so. He didn't even wish to be chuunin just yet, feeling as though he had barely experienced what it meant to be a genin and truly wished to take the time to ride it out as long as he possibly could. The way he saw it, even though he may have been ready progress when it came to his physical abilities he was still lacking in mentality as well as array of jutsu having to forgo those he once knew in place of a new array of strange and different skills all together.

Heck he wasn't even sure if he was human anymore or something entirely different. It was hard to know when your entire biology can shift on a whim of emotion and that was the constant in Xiao's life never really knowing where he was in regards to the whole 'humanity' spectrum. He certainly had a big heart, he knew that much but when it came to working out biologically what he was the question was a tad more complicated.He was quite naive even for a human or a spider his age, not knowing much outside of Kirigakure or Konohagakure for that matter and though a historian as a passion certainly didn't have much of a desire to know much of modern or recent history at all scarcely even knowing the history of Kirigakure let alone the rest of the shinobi world.

Approaching him appeared a fairly average shinobi that held a fierce face, his age not being much more than his late teens or perhaps early twenties though it was quite hard to tell. Though not entirely all that tall he still loomed over Xiao own 4'9 height that even after a year of training with the spider clan hadn't seemed to shift in the slightest, perhaps he was stuck with such genetics for life. If so it didn't bother him too much as he really didn't mind being the small shinobi he was, it was why he was named Xiao after all. Looking to the man with raised eyebrow and some fright, worried that perhaps this may not be his ally he was put at ease with an introduction.

Nakir Tomohiro of Kumogakure. That was an interesting name for for Xiao to get his head around, namely the Kumogakure aspect "Oh wow! Kumogakure? Wow! I've never been, that's the uhhh, lightning village right? that's so cool!" Xiao stated walking forward to the newly met shinobi as he leaped forward grasping the mans hand in a deep shake as he grinned though obscured through his mask his aura and the facial positioning certainly allowed for others to see his cheerful nature. Slapping his head he looked up to Tomohiro "Sorry, sorry, right I'm Kyutai of Spider Island. Y'know Kirigakure? The big spooky place with webs and 8 legged monsters?" he stated cheerfully immitating and miming the look of spiders "So! We have to round up apes! What uhh, Do you know anything about them because honestly? I just left the academy and this whole summoning thing confuses me" the little shinobi stated, unsure of how to actually approach the situation outside of speculation.


707

Tomohiro wasn’t sure how to react to the genin’s remarks. He wasn’t sure why the genin had been excited about him being from Kumogakure. It wasn’t like Kumo thought it was cool. He had been in the village all of his life. This just happened to be the first time he ever stepped away from his home country. Seeing different places sort of caused him to feel a bit adventurous. Tomohiro would hold off his emotions about it because he still had a job to do. The clan was counting on him and he would hate to let them down because he wanted to travel. He believed that the village was in need of him to complete the mission his clans assigned him. There was no denying that. He would need to make sacrifices. All shinobi had to make sacrifices sometimes in their lives.

The genin introduced himself as Kyutai of Spider Island in Kirigakure. One of the first things he thought of was that spiders needed to be exterminated. He remembered when a group of genin decided to play a trick on the clansmen and released millions of spider into the mines. Tomohiro was only a kid at the time, but the memory was prevalent in his mind. He took a sigh as he knew that this little genin didn’t have anything to do with that. Tomohiro would be curious about the spider island. Though, he wasn’t sure if it was a place that would accept visitors. The idea of an island of spiders started to become less thrilling as he thought about it in depth. The terms “big spooky eight legged monsters” wasn’t thrilling in any respect.

Upon being asked about the knowing anything about the monkeys, he would shake his head. Tomohiro wasn’t fond of monkeys, but he was tracker. The fact that Kyutai said that he left the academy recently and was confused about summoning. Tomohiro wasn’t too fond of summoning either. He only knew of what he read in books. The chuunin formulated thoughts before turning them into words. He could only speak on what he knew. Tomohiro wasn’t about making false remarks that could confuse the genin. The genin seemed nice and innocent. There was almost not an ounce of ominous aura coming from him. Well, that’s from what he could tell any way. There seemed to only be good vibes. He was a bit surprised that the genin shook his hand, but he returned the gesture.

“From what I read, summonings are a products of forming a product or creating sealings. Certain beings will allow you to sign a contract with them. Sometimes it’s just one while other times its a species of a specific group. I can track them. My clansmen occasionally go on hunts. The markings that are here aren’t very old. Maybe even a few minutes. Stay close, they may no we’re coming.” he stated as he looked up to the branches.

Tomohiro hoped that the genin would follow him. As he walked, he noticed that there were burn marks on the trees. The orchard was definitely damaged. It looked like it was created with ninjutsu by the way the fire spread across the trees. He knew burns like that all too well. This would make things a bit complicated as he wouldn’t be able to rely solely on his katon techniques. It would be a waste to have all this wood go to waste. The fact that some of the trees could be saved, but others were far too gone. Tomohiro occasionally checked the ground as he noticed sizable droppings. He then heard primate noises coming from up ahead. Tomohiro motioned to Kyutai to stay low. It didn’t seem like they noticed them. There were about three of them in total. It would be easy enough to handle them swiftly. Looking at the damage, he was limited to basically C-Rank and below techniques. Though, he was actually sure that he could get away with one technique that wouldn’t cause burning to the trees.

Forming a hand seal, he summoned three clones just to be safe. He wasn’t quite sure what the primates were capable of, but he didn’t want to find out the hard way. Tomohiro sent two clones around the circumference of the area that the apes were in. They all seemed to be taking a break from their arson to eat fruit. Where they received the fruit, he knew not. It wasn’t like they had anything to carry it with. Tomohiro would turn to the genin as he started to formulate a plan.

“I’m going to put a clone with you to make sure that nothing happens to you. Not trying to disrespect your skills as a shinobi, but I don’t want to have to carry you back with me. I hear that summoned animals can be tricky. They also may have katon techniques based on the burn marks on the trees. My clan like the Sarutobi are katon specialist, so I’m a bit up to speed on how to deal with them if they do attack. If I take damage from a burn, I’ll just add it to the collection. Are you ready Kyutai? You are free to do what you will, just be careful.”

904/1744

Chakra 201/300:

As Kyutai looked up to the Thunderous Shinobi the little spider was deeply excited, he was a historian and not too much into modern knowledge but the concept of things "out there", outside the waves of Kirigakure meant adventure and excitement. It meant change and adventure and exploration which was everything that Xiao wished for whether consciously or not he had a lust for both life and adventure, he wished to know the world he lived in as well as explore what he could whilst he could. He was a spider of course but so too did that mean that he saw the world with new eyes and new desires of the world like a young child gazing at candy for the first time unknowing whether or not this was life or a dream. The thrill of adventure enticed and called out to Xiao and the prospect of a land of not only foreign establishment but so too one that was notorious for it's power was enough to make Xiao truly wish to investigate just what that land was like.


As Tomohiro shook his head Xiao's heart responded by beating slightly faster worrying that perhaps neither of them were all that adept at actually dealing with summoned animals. Xiao was somewhat aware of the historical sarutobi but when it came to the modern incarnation he was entirely blind to what sort of customs or culture they held at the current date. If Tomohiro didn't know anything either than the two were as good as two headless chickens at a voodoo convention. As Tomohiro luckily explained his conception of summons the little spider would nod along, his index finger and thumb holding his masked chin in a pinch as he eyed the shinobi trying to work out what he meant by sealings and the like as the little one wasn't too familiar with fuuinjutsu outside of what he had seen Haka do with her webgates and the like. As Tomohiro mentioned his clan though Xiao's eyes lit up, a clan he hadn't heard of was something even more exciting than the concept of summoning to the spider.

"Clansmen? Oh! Oh! That means you've got a unique ability right? Wow that is just simply amazing!" Xiao stated almost jumping on the spot with excitement at the prospect of a jutsu that might wow him or amuse the little spider in a way that only a unique magic trick could. He was genuinely interested "Clans are so exciting! I mean you guys have those hiden jutsu...oh and some guys even have mutations! Kumogakure must have some scary ones I'm betting! In Kirigakure it's pretty much just ice, ice and more ice with the occasional Shark-Man in the mix...So much white hair..." Xiao stated as he recalled the amount of shinobi in Kirigakure that fit that exact bill.

Skipping behind Tomohiro as he took in the sights of the foreign land the little lucky spider made sure to identify the trees about him noting their difference from the constant willows of Kirigakure No Sato. Orchards, Birch, Elms and gorgeous greens he just had not been acustom to with fauna that was more furred than scaled, less slithering and more bounding, it was a place that Xiao admittedly felt more at home in. Konohagakure was the Land of Fire and in all of it's land the Will of Fire was surely evident in all aspects of it's beauty. Xiao admired that, though he preferred cold weather it was at least something unique to be in the sun. As the two walked Xiao asked his typical questions "So what's your Kage like? I hear Iwagakure doesn't even have one...Our one is the God of Shinobi, never met her, but I hear she's nice. What's your favorite food? Do you have a family? What do you do for fun? Do you think Dogs know that we love them? What's your favorite type of music? Do you have a favorite song? I play Guqin I could totally play that" and an assortment of other strange requests and comments wrapped in the small webbed package that was Xiao.

Tomo stopped near the burned tree much to Xiao's confusion squatting and trying to examine the burns, was this an indication of a fight or perhaps just a wild fire or something of that sort? He wasn't entirely sure but he did know that Tomohiro had deemed it interesting enough to make note of and thus Xiao accepted it as so. It was then they heard the chittering. Apes. Those damn dirty apes. Xiao kept low to Tomohiro with a swift nod as he adjusted his spider mask over his face, it's makeshift golden horn working as a decent handle for positioning. As they approached the apes Xiao made a mental note just as Chigetsu had taught him to count the number of apes, three to be seen but that was only within visibility, Xiao certainly knew that when it came to shinobi it was assumptions that got one killed. Watching as Tomohiro summed his clones Xiao gave a double thumbs up in excitement, he loved the bunshin arts, he didn't really have much of an aptitude for them but whenever he saw them in action he could really admire their artistic value. He was excited to see what would happen and though instinctively he may have wished to create a few webs to hoist himself up into the tree line he opted to obey the chuunin and instead stick low to a squat as he watched Tomohiro's clones.

The two clones were sent to the flanks of the apes that seemed to be in a time of luxury and not war, perhaps a chance that they could be reasoned with? It was possible of course. Xiao had never talked to an ape but he certainly knew that they were close to a humans relative which in turn caused Xiao to consider whether they were his relative being a spider and all. What would be his equivalent? The Scorpion? The Crab? It was hard to fully know when one didn't even understand their own biology. Tomohiro proceeded to instruct Xiao that he would leave a clone with Xiao to ensure his safety and wavering his hand as Tomohiro tried to explain himself "Hey Hey no worries! I totally get it, I'm barely even a genin" Xiao jested with a laugh understanding why in some sense not to mention somewhat relieved as Katon did tend to put him at a disadvantage.

As he asked if he was prepared Xiao gave a swift nod "Let's go for it!" Xiao stated as he created a webbing that allowed him to leap up onto a branch of a tree so that he could ensure he had full vision "Just call me your air support" he stated, he would assist Tomohiro from the tree if so needed utilising the web based nets that he organically created from his Unmei Chakra.


1192

--

Spoiler:

“Ice?” thought to himself. Then he remembered the name, Yuki. He didn’t to have to fight one of them that was sure. The stories he heard about them gave him chills. That would be a cold that he would probably never forget. He preferred flames over ice any day. Though, he wouldn’t mind meeting one. He would have to put that on his bucket list of things to do. As he would continue to listen to Kayutai, it really stirred an appetite for adventure. Tomohiro took a breath as he attempted to calm his mind. Kayutai was a very talkative, but a very interesting person. It made him wonder what kind of shinobi he would become. He hoped that he would gain some experience from him even with being from a different village.

The fact that he asked about Hastur made him cringe. Tomohiro wasn’t sure how to respond to the question. He missed the other questions just contemplating his thoughts about Hastur. The Thunder God himself was to not be underestimated. He hadn’t seen his power first hand and didn’t want to experience it. The rumors of what he could do was good enough for him. He figured that if Hastur and Ayakashi went head to head, The whole world would probably crumble in their wake. Tomohiro was quite imaginative in his thoughts. Though, he decided not to respond to Xiao’s question out of respect for himself and his village. Speaking bad about your Raikage out in public especially in front of a noncitizen of Kumo was the utmost disrespect one could commit. Tomohiro wouldn’t bring that level of disrespect on himself. Regardless of how he felt about Hastur, he wouldn’t do it. Though the genin seemed innocent, he was more worried about other whispering ears.

Tomohiro played different scenarios of how he wanted to do this, but nothing seemed to end in his preferred outcome. He rubbed his temples slightly as he tried to figure out what he would do. After a brief moment, he would make his decision. He would need to subdue them with a jutsu. It was one of the only katon techniques that wouldn’t go uncontrolled. If it worked, it would be able to subdue the primates without damaging the grove. He motioned for his clones to engage as they drew both of their clone blades. The third clone would make his way into the trees to stay out of sight for the time being. Tomoihro was a bit thrilled that his partner found his own little niche on this mission. Though, he wasn’t sure how durable the guys web would be. Though he would be interested to see how his clones would take on the primates, he figured it was safer that they would easily be subdued. He sort of wished he brought some kind of bait. Tomohiro knew that he would have to deal what he had available. There wasn’t much else he could think of. He would need to subdue two of them and hope to use Kyutai’s web to get the last one.

The young Nakir took a deep breath as he exhaled two separate flames. The flames quickly formed into giant tigers and pushed their way toward the primates. The tigers loudly roared in anger as the primates literally dropped their fruit at the sight. The plan was mostly successful as the tigers were able to hold down the primates with their mighty jaws. The primates struggled to break free as they couldn’t find any other way out. They threw out a bunch of curses as Tomo’s clones had already advanced on the targets. Two of his clones started taking on the free monkey as one stood near his twin dawon’s as they burned the flesh of their targets. His clone would then say to them, “Surrender. Promise that you won’t cause any more trouble and we come with us.”

The primates nodded in agreement as Tomo’s clone stood over them, “That didn’t look promising enough. The dawon’s flames won’t be burn the grove only you.” The apes looked at his clone like he was a mad man. Who would torture them and then beg them to give up? They thought he was sinister, but it would be a decisive way to get what he wanted with little resistance. The primate struggled to deal with the clones as their weapons continued to strike the summon’s fur. As the primate was busy he would yell up to Kyutai to uses his web to trap the beast. The web came down and captured the summons from above. His two clones held their weapons to the other primate’s back in a threatening manner. Tomohiro slightly smirked as he walked over the three trapped primates. He observed his work and made note of it. His twin dawon was adequate enough that it didn’t need tweaking. Tomohiro’s face returned to normal as he looked the squirming screaming beast in the eyes.

“Give up, and walk me to Sarutobi-sama’s place. Struggle and I won’t hesitate to kill you,” he stated as his violet eyes began to show a glint of red showing dark empty slits for pupils, but only for a moment.

“Nakir! We give up. You don’t have to treat us this way. We’ll do it we...swear! Just stop this madness. I’m starting to lose feeling,” the summons responded, “We have no qualms with the Nakir.”

Tomohiro released the technique as the apes remained sprawled out trying to manage their wounds. Their fur was burned and he figured they they would need medical attention or be forever scarred by his technique. It was like he had no empathy. Tomohiro just did anything to put his foot down. Over the years, he learned that showing mercy was a weakness. Sometimes you had to use wisdom to determine when to enact harsh punishment. Tomohiro didn’t see any reason to actually kill them. It was a bluff mostly, but he would need them alive to be able to turn in his mission.”

“Good job, Kyutai!” he praised as he pointed for his clones to help up the injured.

It seemed like only two of the primates would actually need help walking. Tomohiro would walk over to the remaining one and dared him to try something with him. The primate insured he wouldn’t do anything as Tomohiro released him from the webbing. He didn’t care for the webbing getting slightly stuck to his sword. The attempts made to get it off were in vain. Tomohiro would need to clean his blade anyway. It had been awhile since he last cleaned it. He sheathed the blade as the less injured primate attempted to remove the web around him. Everything seemed to be doing alright. He hoped that the primates  would honor the deal. Tomohiro figured they would. He had a lost worse coming for them once they left the grove if they tried anything else. Something that he found interesting was that they recognized his kekkei genkai. He wasn’t sure how they knew what clan he was a part of. There wasn’t much else they could have used to guess that.

“Time to move on, Kyuta. We have a mission that needs to get completed,” he said as the clone he originally sent into the tree top would take the lead as they moved to the Sarutobi’s residence.

1266/3010

Total Combined Thread WC: 5396

Chakra 181/300:

As the little spider watched Tomohiro rub his temples in slight frustration as well as contemplation the webhead couldn't help but make a mental note of the action. He'd always 'mirrored' others in a sense when it came to those he respected such as Chigetsu, Haka, Verdandi and others of the shinobi world. He noted the time spent on the meditation of the action, something he hadn't really been doing himself as he mostly opted to rely on his impulses, letting his heart lead him to whatever he may need rather than having a concrete idea of what to actually do that was premeditated or even somewhat planned. Tomohiro was showing him, whether he knew it or not, that perhaps with age did come the acceptance that one must make - that sometimes you can't just go in swinging and hoping for the best.

The Chuunin Exams first rounds were coming up and such a lesson would certainly be something needed, especially for the little spider and his desire to become an aid to all shinobi rather than just a select few. As the clones drew their blades Xiao stood in amazement at the fact that such a thing could be possible. The bunshin arts were something he was near obsessed with when it came to the philosophical implications but the duplication of an item so too meant a host of thought experiments spewing forth whether they were tangible or able to damage among others. He watched Tomohiro with an eagle eye, focusing in on the shinobi and trying to trace his movements. The shinobi was faster than Xiao by far but he would continue trying, trying to trace where he was headed and where he would be. He would time his webs, though only as strong as a basic attack they would hold a certain surprise advantage.

As he watched on placing a web where he could, flinging web and slinging to aid his temporary commander in an effort as more of a distraction than anything he watched as two enormous tigers made of flames appeared causing his eyes to widen in amazement. It was just beautiful to watch, actual animals roaring and leading their way against the apes which caused Xiao to grasp his cheeks as he watched them attack before snapping back to reality to proceed to once again volley the webs as much as humanly, or spiderly, possible. As the tigers bit down on the primates Xiao's instincts began to trigger, making him wince in concern, he didn't ever want to really kill another let alone harm those that were acting on instinct but as a clone came to give them an option Xiao sighed in relief. Tomohiro was certainly more of a shinobi that he aimed to be, someone who always sought out another way other than a flash of steel and a pose but a strategist who efficiently dealt with problems.


As he was given the command Xiao gave a swift nod and with a flick of the wrist unleashed an onslaught of webbing causing the webs to fall as if snow as it unravelled gently around and stuck to the beasts covering them in the thick unmei chakra-web that held them firmly to the ground causing them to be unable to escape the ruthless authority of Tomohiro.

Xiao watched as the scorch apes yielded, but his heart still sunk deep in his chest, he couldn't utilise his medical jutsu any longer as much as he may wish to do so and any aid that he gave could jepeoridise this alliance of the two villages. He decided to make peace with the fact, the apes belonged to the Sarutobi and if history served right they would most likely tend to their wounds if needed. He swallowed his guilt as Tomohiro appeared...and seemed to help the apes. Truly impressed Xiao was beaming when he returned "You've got a good heart Fire-Blade Sensei" he stated with a grand smile at the shinobi adding to his habit of speaking his mind and inventing nicknames on the fly.

As he was told to move the spider shinobi gave a swift nod "Of course! And...Hey....thank you for coming. You know, not many people think of their opponents...and, y'know, I always thought I was weird for doing it...It's nice, y'know?" Xiao stated in his own disjointed way of forming sentences as the two bounded from tree top to tree top "Can I ask you something...I mean, like, more than that question, and that one...anyway, Is Kumogakure, y'know, are they all like that? Big hearts? Kirigakure has been...well, as I said a lot of ice..." Xiao admitted hesitantly not trying to dismiss his village as ruthless but still hinting that he didn't seem to quite 'fit' within their rankings.


-
820

The summoning monkeys didn’t put up much of a fight after they had been taken down. He was glad. Tomohiro didn’t want to put out any more energy than he needed. The clones were holding on pretty well. They were a great deterrent when dealing with multiple opponents. This was a strategy that he learned from his brother. If you were in a tight spot, summon more clones to assist you. Unlike others who used clones, Tomohiro wasn’t in the business of casually sacrificing his clones. He found that his clones were better working for him at all times. If they did get destroyed, he had not feelings lost about it. Katon clones were quite reliable, but he figured that they would be less useful as he gained higher ranks.

"Can I ask you something...I mean, like, more than that question, and that one...anyway, Is Kumogakure, y'know, are they all like that? Big hearts? Kirigakure has been...well, as I said a lot of ice..."
The question as an interesting one. He figured in theory that there were probably a good number of shinobi with good hearts. Most of those who lived in the village were more than supportive of keeping the village whole, but nowadays the village seemed to be at arms at each other. Tomohiro wanted to be truthful to the younger shinobi, but he didn’t want to lie. Good intentions didn’t always amount to positive actions. His actions depended on who his character truly was. Just the way the genin handled himself, he seemed to not have taken a life, but he wasn’t totally sure. Tomohiro had lost count at this point. Most of the chunin that he met had to make a critical decision of having to take someone’s life. There were times where he didn’t have to take someone’s life, but choose to. Sometimes he didn’t have a choice. Missions required it. Killing a man could change one’s heart, but he had overcome the creature that would have become. The question wasn’t easy, but it also wasn’t hard.

“Sure, kid. There are a lot of people with big hearts that live in Kumogakure. Though our village has a lot of thunder. If you get permission, you come visit Kumogakure no Sato. Send me a letter and maybe I could show you around sometime.”

The summoning monkeys lead them a good ways from the deep forest. Tomohiro was confident that they were taking him the long way. His clones also weren’t appreciating any form of extended walks either. After walking to and fro, they arrived at a large estate with a man sitting at the front door. Tomo and is clones would walk all the way up to the man before attempting to engage in conversation. He didn’t care for being there long. He dispersed his clones as he then started to feel the chakra flow through him. It was like a breath of fresh air. The Sarutobi was grateful for the duo’s good work. Tomohiro started walking away, but before he did he would turn to Kyutai and attempt to propose a question.

“I was just curious, but would you be interested in learning combat with a katana? I mean I won’t be there to oversee how you progress as a whole, but I can teach you the basics. We can easily meet up later and I’ll walk you through it.”

587/3597

Thread Total WC: 6803

Chakra 265/300:

[Thread Exit]

1500/1500 Mission
Mission EP: 2
Max Bonus EP: 2
Misson EP + Bonus = 4 total EP

2097 wc remaining from mission

Spec Training:

Doton: [1500/1500][D to C]

Jutsu Training:

[400/400][-20%/Clan] Minimalist Flame

197 words unused

Tomohiro mused over the question, it was one that he seemed to wrestle with somewhat which made Xiao feel especially noticed and valued. It took a lot of actual kindness to really think of an answer to a question, especially if said question may be subjective or tied to you so firmly it's hard to give an honest unbiased answer. It was something that truly made him feel, well, special as odd as that sounded and he embraced it so whole heartedly. The shinobi of the grey blade seemed to be a man with a good head on his shoulders, someone Xiao could aspire to be like in the future for certain and the happy go lucky spirit of his seemed to never end. Xiao's question was somewhat loaded, he had obviously heard of Kumogakure's fall from grace though not indepthly from those he had interacted with but never anything concrete which did indeed plant seeds within the small spider's mind as to whether it was optimal to pursue his curiousity and venture towards such a land in which he had heard nought but cursed words and phrases. The reason why he needed the clarity was the similarity with Kirigakure, though if facts were facts despite some of the more aggressive characteristics and indeed 'icey' hearts when it came to the more stoic of Kirigakure most of the mist ninja were Xiao's friends and they did tend to be the ones that supported each other as a unit, an entire generation who had gained outsider friends along the way to create a team without uniform but a deeply connected root. It was why, no matter the cause, he would always remain loyal. Not to the village nor to Sero despite the efforts of those who wished to twist his freedom seeking mind to their will but rather he had a loyalty to the bonds he had made in whatever shape they took.


He was still inexperienced of course, but in his short time alive as well as his short time as a shinobi it seemed to be that Xiao was created for the purpose of uniting folk and creating bonds even when he didn't seem to intend to, he wasn't important in any sense nor the hero of any of these stories - how could one be when ninety percent of the time they were falling over, getting stabbed or doing prat falls? Xiao rather seemed to find himself with the right person at the right time with the right thing to say, a glorified gandalf or a exposition spouting elrond, Xiao seemed that no matter where he went the web of fate continued to put him in situations where he might help others ascend and yet when meeting with Tomohiro things had shifted. Xiao was finally following along, feeling invigorated and ready to take on the world after their brief meeting. Was Tomohiro his Gandalf or was there a nice symbiosis going on? It was hard to tell for Xiao but the fact that he felt this way indicated that something was very right.

As Tomohiro invited Xiao along to the land of lightning the spider gave out an excited yell and pumped his fist in the air "Ohhhh that's so cool! Do you have the bijuu temples? Oh! Oh! Do you guys have jinchuuriki? What about that waterfall the seventh visited? Oh wait! What about that island! Do you guys still rap?" Xiao's obsession with history shined through having not much of a taste for modern news but always adamantly cemented in his knowledge of fairy tales and half truths. As the apes lead Tomohiro and Xiao away to their desired location, the webs ensured to be holding and Xiao focusing on ensuring this would remain true no matter the distance along with Tomohiro's clones, Xiao made his way to
collect on the mission from the Sarutobi leader Xiao couldn't help but beam at Tomohiro as the two walked off in tandom being posed a question as Tomohiro gained speed walking far faster ahead of Xiao.

"Yeah of course Grey-Blade Sensei! That'd be, just amazing!" Xiao stated with a large leap in the air as Tomohiro made his way out along the track cupping his hands and yelling out to him "The next time you see me Tomohiro, I promise I'll have way more fire-power than now!" he enthusiastically stated "Thanks for everything!


--
Exit
Personal WC: 3960
Total Thread WC: 7557

EP - 2(WC and Cap) + 2 (Mission) = 2 EP gained.

3960/1500 - Mission Complete
2460/750 - D Rank -  Wind Release: Air Bullets (Fūton: Kazejuugan ~ 風遁・空気弾丸)

1710/750 - D Rank - Wind Release: Gale Palm (Fūton: Reppūshō ~ 風遁・烈風掌)

960/750 - D Rank - Wind Release: Slash (Fūton: Kiritateru ~ 風遁・切り立てる)


210 to the shadow realm.