1
Learning Legends [Mizuki] Sun Nov 04, 2018 3:22 pm
Katsumi
![Katsumi](https://i.imgur.com/S1QJu57.jpg)
D-rank
The rocks slid between his fingertips as he gripped violently on to it and felt his feet dangling for a moment. The sudden surge of adrenaline as he pressed his fingertips as hard as he could for an instant before his other arm grabbed quickly to the nearest rock in desperate hopes to maintain his climb. He swallowed his breath as his head looked down, only another 20 meters up from the latest perch, the fall wouldn't kill him there but if he rolled, it was hundreds of more meters downward. His eyes would shudder before he would brace himself and turn his vision back upwards and gently but quickly slid his foot over the base to gain his step and begin climbing again. His mind wandered aimlessly back to those words he had overheard before from the civilian in that shop,
"It's insane! I heard from Shiji that it's a goddess who lives up there. He got mixed in with a bad crew and all but they had been looking to set up a camp in the mountains but ran into this Akuma. She beat them all easily, though he wouldn't give any details, it could have been as many as hundreds of guys..."
"Sounds like exaggeration"
"If you don't believe me then go ask him yourself! He said a single swing of the sword was enough to cut down hundreds of them. Controlling blue lightning like some kind of God!"
"Will you keep your voice down, this is nonsense. It was probably just some ANBU that got to them and scared the life out of them..."
"No! That's where you're wrong, they've been hiding as much as they can and have been using prayers and wards to fend off that demon. Apparently, it's been working?"
The other man would shake his head, "I think I'll have to say a prayer for you and the criminals you've been dealing with..."
Katsumi's hand would reach out and grab hold of a loose rock that would fall past him, breaking his concentration of the memory and how much closer to the next path he would be. Climbing to avoid the attention of most of the bandits that would be lingering near the base of the mountain and waiting for travellers. His stealthy approach all but beginning to tire himself out and threaten to break a bunch of bones from the fall.
With an outstretched hand, Katsumi would grab hold of the thin path that was carved out, finally able to pull himself up onto flat ground where he would feel comfortable having avoided most of the bandits. It had taken a while but sitting on the edge now and looking down, the trees that lined near the base were becoming dots, like miniatures of some kind. Feeling the much thinner air and the cool persistent breeze across his face as his breathing was tougher and more audible while he adjusted. Sweeping his feet, he would slide so that his back could rest against the makeshift stone wall while he relaxed and enjoyed the view for a brief moment. The two pouches on his side were pulled up slightly so that he wouldn't be sitting on them while he also pulled his hair to the side and over the top of the Iwagakure headband that was tied to his head.
It was calm and peaceful, he wanted to find any signs of this 'akuma' and the truth behind it. Whether or not a powerful demon existed up in these mountains or if it was just the village as the rational part of his mind wanted to believe. In any situation, his motivation for this was... shakey at best. Katsumi's recent entrance into the chuunin exams was a moot point for himself until his sister put fear into him, at the powers of others and what they were capable of. He'd trained relentlessly for almost a week now but the chance to see real power in action and maybe even harness a glimpse of it was tempting. But he was only a genin without a plan, there was nothing he could really do, was there?
His mind wandered over the long horizon as he sat there, almost feeling helpless against the scale of it all. If it did turn out to be a demon, he supposed that he could just escape away as quietly as he had come? That was the plan he would have, but every nook and cranny to catch his attention would play at him violently. A slipping rock that fell to his side had him turning his head quickly upwards to find who was there. Enough was enough, he would keep moving and play innocent to the subject. Gathering to his feet and beginning to continue on the path, he would quickly come to find himself scuttling across the narrow pathing of the mountain while hugging the wall and feeling the height he was at very intimately.
Eventually, Katsumi would reach a clearing with some tress and running water down the side of the mountain, a space that seemed carved out right before the mountain began a heavy turn upwards and really gaining in height. To his right was another shorter mountain peak, the area has a small creek that seemed to run downward and puddle in the corner. The path itself tailed off to the right but Katsumi was frozen in place as he was met with the sight of three bandits that had blocked the path to refill their water. Katsumi's dumb stroll to them gained their attention and they quickly dropped their water to pick up their weapons, menacing grins on their faces as the three spread out to face him.
A singular, "Hey" rang out from the one in the middle as his chipped and broken sword pointed his direction and he began to step forward.
[997 words]
"It's insane! I heard from Shiji that it's a goddess who lives up there. He got mixed in with a bad crew and all but they had been looking to set up a camp in the mountains but ran into this Akuma. She beat them all easily, though he wouldn't give any details, it could have been as many as hundreds of guys..."
"Sounds like exaggeration"
"If you don't believe me then go ask him yourself! He said a single swing of the sword was enough to cut down hundreds of them. Controlling blue lightning like some kind of God!"
"Will you keep your voice down, this is nonsense. It was probably just some ANBU that got to them and scared the life out of them..."
"No! That's where you're wrong, they've been hiding as much as they can and have been using prayers and wards to fend off that demon. Apparently, it's been working?"
The other man would shake his head, "I think I'll have to say a prayer for you and the criminals you've been dealing with..."
Katsumi's hand would reach out and grab hold of a loose rock that would fall past him, breaking his concentration of the memory and how much closer to the next path he would be. Climbing to avoid the attention of most of the bandits that would be lingering near the base of the mountain and waiting for travellers. His stealthy approach all but beginning to tire himself out and threaten to break a bunch of bones from the fall.
With an outstretched hand, Katsumi would grab hold of the thin path that was carved out, finally able to pull himself up onto flat ground where he would feel comfortable having avoided most of the bandits. It had taken a while but sitting on the edge now and looking down, the trees that lined near the base were becoming dots, like miniatures of some kind. Feeling the much thinner air and the cool persistent breeze across his face as his breathing was tougher and more audible while he adjusted. Sweeping his feet, he would slide so that his back could rest against the makeshift stone wall while he relaxed and enjoyed the view for a brief moment. The two pouches on his side were pulled up slightly so that he wouldn't be sitting on them while he also pulled his hair to the side and over the top of the Iwagakure headband that was tied to his head.
It was calm and peaceful, he wanted to find any signs of this 'akuma' and the truth behind it. Whether or not a powerful demon existed up in these mountains or if it was just the village as the rational part of his mind wanted to believe. In any situation, his motivation for this was... shakey at best. Katsumi's recent entrance into the chuunin exams was a moot point for himself until his sister put fear into him, at the powers of others and what they were capable of. He'd trained relentlessly for almost a week now but the chance to see real power in action and maybe even harness a glimpse of it was tempting. But he was only a genin without a plan, there was nothing he could really do, was there?
His mind wandered over the long horizon as he sat there, almost feeling helpless against the scale of it all. If it did turn out to be a demon, he supposed that he could just escape away as quietly as he had come? That was the plan he would have, but every nook and cranny to catch his attention would play at him violently. A slipping rock that fell to his side had him turning his head quickly upwards to find who was there. Enough was enough, he would keep moving and play innocent to the subject. Gathering to his feet and beginning to continue on the path, he would quickly come to find himself scuttling across the narrow pathing of the mountain while hugging the wall and feeling the height he was at very intimately.
Eventually, Katsumi would reach a clearing with some tress and running water down the side of the mountain, a space that seemed carved out right before the mountain began a heavy turn upwards and really gaining in height. To his right was another shorter mountain peak, the area has a small creek that seemed to run downward and puddle in the corner. The path itself tailed off to the right but Katsumi was frozen in place as he was met with the sight of three bandits that had blocked the path to refill their water. Katsumi's dumb stroll to them gained their attention and they quickly dropped their water to pick up their weapons, menacing grins on their faces as the three spread out to face him.
A singular, "Hey" rang out from the one in the middle as his chipped and broken sword pointed his direction and he began to step forward.
[997 words]