The moon hung high in the sky and the night was quiet, save for the usual sounds of the forest. It was the first time Kennosuke had been outside the gates since the night he was attacked and his reason for coming out now was to look for clues. While he was sure the area had been gone over by other Ninja, he wanted to give it the once over himself. He wore a simple black sleeveless undershirt with his normal pants and sandles and his hair had been done in three tight braids on the sides, leaving the top straight with it all gathered in a pony tail. Rekka, his sword had been wrapped tightly in a black wrap, hiding the scale pattern that decorated the hilt and sheath.

With what happened, he was feeling extremely disenfranchised from both his village and his clan. The village had shown little official interest and there was no one in the clan he could talk to except Takao. But he still couldn't knock the feeling of being totally alone, which is why his headband and his Kimura insignia had been left on his bed.

With a sigh, he arrives back at the spit where it all happened. Standing the place he stood, looking at the deep gouge where the fuma shuriken struck, he was assaulted by vivid flash backs. He could feel his friends blood as it spewed onto him, could see the disembodied head resting on the fuma shuriken, ita face at peace even after the carnage. Kennosuke takes a deep breath and turns away. Perhaps this was too soon to revisit but it's not like he could sleep anyway.

His eyes studied the trees before him for a moment, searching for the exact spot the attacker stood. He finds the spot, a perfect line of sight from the elevated tree branch to where he stood now. Leaping forward, he sticks to the path he took that night. It wasnt hard to follow with the broken limbs and scorch marks. He moved slower this time, more deliberate, trying to peice together anything at all that would help him identify the man.

Before long he stood on the same branch as that night. He could see the mark where he was pinned to the tree and the dark stains on the bark itself from his blood. He places his back to the tree trunk and closes his eyes, asking himself a series of questions about the attacker. His eyes snap open and its as if the shadowy attacker stood before him again. He was tall, easily 6' 4 and had a Muscular build. But that was it. No identifying marks or other tells, other than the Kimura Dojutsu. He sighs and slides down the tree trunk to a sitting position on the branch. Whomever it was Kennosuke would find him and bring the traitor to justice.

WC:484