Mission:

Mizu no Kuni, it had been so long since the young shinobi had seen it's shores. Nine years as a matter of fact, the boy that left these shores now returning as a man. Ruvaak inhaled a deep breath as he walked out onto the deck of the ship as it was coming into the Harbor that was Temuri City, the smell of the sea air was like heaven, a smile would form on the male's face, finally after all this time he was home. He had begun to think that he was not going to be able to make it here with all the trouble he has had as of recently, but thankfully all of that was behind him and it was not time to move forward. As the ship docked the male would toss his travel pack over his right shoulder and begin to make his way towards the starboard side of the ship to disembark wishing to put as much distance between him and the ship as possible as fast as possible, his long dark blue hair billowing behind him as he strolled across the gangway, before finally feeling solid ground beneath him once more. Ruvaak would clutch his talisman tight within his left hand to the point that his knuckles were pure white from the strain, of course there was no reason for such a grip as the talisman was attached to a small chain wrapped around his wrist. Yet still something in the air felt wrong, something was a miss within the land of Water. He had had this odd feeling for most of the twelve day journey to Mizu no Kuni from Kaminari no Kuni, originally he assumed it was just because he did not like traveling on water and that it would subside once he was back on dry land. Unfortunately that was not the case, in fact it seemed to have intensified since arriving. He watched the faces of those he passed by, as well as an occasional check behind him to ensure that no one was following him. Why he was so paranoid even he did not understand, he was finally home he should be happy to be here without a single care in the world and yet something was tugging at the back of his mind, something unsettling. Whether it was just Temuri City or all of Mizu no Kuni he did not yet know but he aimed to find out one way or another, but first he needed to make it to Kirigakure no Sato. If the Hidden Village gave the male the same feeling as Temuri City then there would be no doubt that whatever was plaguing his mind has spread throughout the whole of Mizu no Kuni, and if that was the case then that would mean that his return home was just in time to deal with this plague haunting his homeland. Although he hoped he was just imagining things and being paranoid, he would not drop his guard nor would he accept it as being all in his head, at least not yet.

As he drew closer to the edge of Temuri City heading further into Mizu no Kuni the male's gaze was met with the sight of a merchant caravan that looked to be readying itself for a journey. Thinking to himself that it might be better to travel with them both to hide his own arrival back with the country and to help gather some information as to the happenings within the countryside while he had been away, he only hoped that they were heading to the same place he was. "Hello there, you wouldn't be headin' towards Kirigakure by any chance would you?" The male would ask in the politest tone he could muster, one of the women with the caravan looked up from the cart just long enough to give a harrumph before returning her attention back to what it was she was doing. Ruvaak thought perhaps his words were not as polite as he thought they were, after all he had not had much human interaction over the past nine years, however before he could say something else to the lady the male felt a hand on his shoulder. "You must forgive Kaede, she doesn't like people she doesn't know." Came a male's voice as Ruvaak turned to see who had grabbed his shoulder, "my name is Haru and yes we are going to Kirigakure, who exactly is asking." Ruvaak would step back releasing his shoulder from the man's hand before he would speak, "my name is Ruvaak Sogeki, I have just arrived here and my destination is that of the Hidden Village. I was hoping that I might travel with you along the way." To his words the male chuckled slightly, "you're more than welcome to travel with us, although I'm not sure you will want to." Ruvaak looked at the man with a puzzled look upon his face before the man finished, "Bandits have been attacking travellers, especially merchants travelling to Kirigakure." The man finished with an ominous tone as if what he spoke was inevitable. "Why go there if the road is so dangerous?" Ruvaak asked genuinely curious as to why someone would put there life at risk like this, "the village is in need of supplies." The man answered, Ruvaak could not help but smile, here was these people willing to risk everything to help others, however before the male had time to congratulate the man on his bravery Kaede chimed in. "Don't lie to the man Haru, we're doing it because the village is offering three time the pay for our goods." Haru would glare at Kaede, but Ruvaak would not say a word. These people were just looking for some quick cash, and while he could not really blame them, he no longer found them brave. Ruvaak just shrugged his shoulders, "everyone has to make a living," he said nonchalantly as he began walking towards the front of the caravan, "I will do my best to ensure that you reach your destination intact."

---

1031

A lot had changed very quickly. Without Ayakashi the entire country nearly fell into chaos overnight. It was a slow process, of course, happening over the course of weeks, but at the same time they felt like overnight when there had been years of prosperity before that. It turned out that Kirigakure’s strength was merely an illusion, propped up by Ayakashi but rotten to the core beneath that. The crime and chaos that had been thrown up into the air by this mess was giving him a headache. Truly, Chigetsu wasn’t fit to rule a nation. It was some sort of divine error that he had even been given the position of Mizukage in the first place. He was barely competent enough to patch things together, often just by the seat of his metaphorical oversized clown pants. Most of his time had been cooped up doing paperwork ever since the position had been filled, along with the occasional mission of putting down bandits and those who were dissatisfied with the state of things in the nation. Considering he was more or less universally hated, often simply for just not being Ayakashi, that was a good percentage of the country that was dissatisfied. The only reason that he had been able to seize control of this position was due to his connections with the Land of Snow. As this was something that he essentially forced over the council and Daimyo, he was with very few allies now that he actually had the position. There was nothing he could do about that though, at least not yet. Repairing this country would be a gradual process, and something he would have to do inch by inch. Each little thing he did here mattered, and hopefully if he continued to do good there would be those who would soften up on him. He was no Ayakashi, of course, and it was doubtful that he ever would be, but at the same time Chigetsu earnestly wanted the best for the village. Right now, any Mizukage was better than none. Well, that may not be strictly true, but still. He would do everything he could.

Something that he could do was assist in destroying the massive amount of banditry that had suddenly appeared throughout the country. It as if they all crawled out of the woodwork the moment Ayakashi disappeared. All of the Land of Water was infested with swarms of bandits now, and they were having such a significant effect on supply lines that it had significantly raised the prices of several core goods that were often traded in Kirigakure. Even simple things like food and quality fish were hard to find cheaply anymore, and with the population of the village being what it was this was a very serious problem. How soon would it be until some of the poorer members of society would begin starving to death? That wasn’t a question that Chigetsu wanted to find the answer to. With the lack of funds that Kirigakure had in general due to this catastrophe it wasn’t as if they could send squads after these bandit groups. Already there were shinobi protesting over their lack of pay, and even abandoning the village over it. This was an obviously unacceptable situation, and so it would come down to those who were willing to work without pay to solve this mess. Of course, there were very few willing to do so. Occasional missions would be done due to the loans and other promissory notes that Kirigakure was given, along with the loot that they had received form Sunagakure being used as a form of currency, but that well was beginning to dry up.

“Excuse me, Lord Mizukage.” Just as he was beginning to doze off from the pile of paperwork that he was going through, Chigetsu would be snapped awake by the sound of one of his assistants. As much as he wanted to be out and about taking care of these problems, it seemed that the inherent bureaucracy of the position prevented a lot of action on his part. Who she was exactly Chigetsu wasn’t sure of, as he was still in the process of adjusting to the office he hadn’t learned the names of all the staff yet. “The papers you requested.” She would be carrying a manilla envelope, which she would put down on top of his desk after a moment of glaring at him. Despite the fact that she continued to work for him in the administration office, it didn’t seem as though this woman was all too fond of him. Why she continued working in these conditions he was completely unaware of. Perhaps he would have to investigate once he had some more free time.

He would take a look at them, opening the folder and then immediately recoiling back as soon as he saw what was written on it. Financial reports. It nearly made him want to throw up. He thought of himself as being somewhat good with money, but that was in part due to how frugally he lived for the majority of his life. These massive numbers were beyond what he was dealing with, and any experience he had regarding finances before this were incomparable. Slowly he would close the folder, averting his eyes from it. This was something he wanted to forget.

“Well?” She would ask a bit impatiently. Watching the way she grimaced he could tell she was a Hoshigaki, although she did a good job at hiding it. Her gills seemed to be hidden by her hair, and the blue tint of her skin hidden by makeup. It was only through her teeth that he could tell her heritage.

“I’m going to go clear up a few trade routes. Hopefully that will help with this situation a bit, if we can lower the price of goods coming into Kirigakure, and free our ports for exports again. Maybe I’ll be able to bring in a little bit of money as well. Hopefully.” He would stand up quickly out of his desk. Exiting the administration building, Chigetsu would be very quickly off and out of the village.

---

[1050]

Samuru sat under a tree in a small clearing. The majority of today, like he spent most of his days, had been spent it alone. He had closed his eyes and started to contemplate what he should do with his time as a Kiri shinobi. There had been quite a few things that seemed to interest him within the village. The missions he had been provided thus far had kept him busy and his pockets lined. The village didn’t have a shortage of techniques he could learn either even though he preferred creating his own. Everything seemed alright for the time being. His clansmen that also stayed within the village were willing to help out with training. Life was grand or so he thought for the time being. There wasn't much else he cared to do outside of getting stronger. It was part of the reason why he joined Kirigakure in the first place. Samuru learned of rumors surrounding Ayakashi’s strength and it enticed him to join. Now that the queen had left her throne, another had taken her place. Samuru could instantly see the difference between the regime changes. Though, he knew that the replacement Mizukage couldn’t be responsible for the dissent in the land. It was no one’s fault. He knew from his travels that when leadership changes a backlash of events were to follow. It was either people didn’t like the current leadership or people just couldn’t handle the new policies. Samuru just went with whatever worked. It had been the first time in a long time that he had planned to spend years of his future life dedicated to a way of life. The nomad’s way definitely had its problems that he didn’t have to worry about anymore, but he was content with where he was currently. Samuru didn’t regret his decision. His cousins seemed to be right that there had been plenty of benefits by having moved here. With all the rumors of villages going to war, he was curious on how these lands handled warfare.

The break he was taking was long enough. It was time for him to get a move on back toward the village. The last mission had led him out here toward what seemed like nowhere. Some villagers had a problem that they needed to sort out and tasked the village to send someone to fix it. A lot of the villagers crops were going missing and they couldn’t figure out who or why. Come to find out that it was just one of the villager’s cattle that were eating all of their grain. Samuru fixed their problem by simply telling them to keep the bull locked up or at least in a stable. He was sure why they would also leave their stores open as they did. Bandits could have snuck in and taken loads without them knowing. Samuru didn’t find any signs of bandits there. It was probably only a matter of time before someone figured it out. He learned himself, when he was a raider, that rural villagers weren’t generally resourceful when they had to protect their things from other humans. It was only one or two times that he could think of that he had to face a man that was formidable. The guy ran off all of them off and Samuru was really weak back in. Things had changed and he was no longer the weak bodied individual he once was, but he still had a few ways to go. Gaining strength would take time. The way Samuru would weigh his strength was by combating others. It wasn’t sure way to judge his strength, but it was the only way he was certain of. Just fight until he could be beaten. The chunin exams were a great way to test that strength and he figured out where he stood among others.

The redheaded man made his way through the clearing as he forced his way through the brush. Upon moving down the road, he started to get lost in thought. He would take his time as he wasn’t in any rush. Samuru would have put some pep in his step, but there was not really much else for him to do. It started to concern him a bit if he was heading in the right direction. He was generally good at finding his way around, but he would occasionally forget the direction he was going. It was either that or go the wrong way because took a turn too early or too late. He just shrugged his shoulders and kept moving. His thoughts caused him to contemplate forming new techniques. There were different physical ways he wanted to make an attempt at manipulating his raiton. One, was possibly forming a moving blade out of raiton. There was a large saw that he had seen during his last mission and he found interest in the mechanics of it. Samuru thought that he could manipulate his chakra into a saw of raiton. Though, he would need to do some more research to find the right seals to create it. The other thing he wanted to do was replicate the Sixth Hokage’s Raikiri. Based on what he read, it probably was near impossible to recreate it, but one could only try. They said that the man was a genius and had achieved more in his first thirteen years of life than he did in his entire life. Samuru would have smiled at the thought of pushing his way to greatness, but it wasn’t in his character. The Hatake wasn’t the kind of guy to truly find excitement. He was more motivated by fighting and discovering new techniques. Those things were what he thought that truly made a shinobi unique. Though, that was what he had learned through life. Other skills that could be developed generally fell flat. Even with his discovery that he was quite adequate in the use of iryo ninjutsu, he didn’t want to heal or fix people. He wasn’t actually any good at healing people anyway, but he was interested in breaking people down. Why help create when he was quite proficient in destruction? Destruction is all he knew and he wanted to perfect it. He did find interest in torture. Maybe, that was his schtick.

1072

"Strap in, it is going to take us a week to reach Kirigakure," Haru stated as he climbed onto the cart at the front of the caravan. "What are you talking about, the main road through the Forest of Silence only takes two and half to three days tops?" Ruvaak would ask to which the man let out a chuckle, "you're joking right?" The man would question, but would get his answer from the serious look upon Ruvaak's face. "Look Mister, I don't know what kind of game you're trying to play here, but no one that travels through the Forest of Silence makes it to Kirigakure. That's like bandit central and they don't like travellers on what they have claimed as their land." The man seemed genuinely scared at the thought of going through the forest. What had happened to his homeland that the people would be so afraid of bandits, did the shinobi of the hidden mist no protect the roadway like they did when he was young. Has the land of Water fallen into so much decay that the low lives have taken over, are the people no longer protected by those who had sworn to protect this land. Short of all of them being killed he saw no reason that they should have allowed this to happen. "Look I don't know what has been going on here while I have been away, but I promise you this. If you follow me through the Forest of Silence, I will ensure that you reach Kirigakure unharmed with all your supplies in tact. I know you're only in this for the money, but if the village is in need of these supplies as much as you claim then they may not be able to wait a week to get them." The male's words came in a calm and confident tone that would say he was more than capable of handling this situation, however Haru still seemed wary of the idea of travelling through the forest. Luckily Kaede would chime in, "let's do it Haru, this guy looks like he can handle himself and if it means less time on the road the we should take it, and I'm sure everyone else would agree as well." Haru would sigh heavily, but he knew Kaede was right. With a nod of his head he turned to Ruvaak, "alright Mister, we will do it your way, but if anything happens it will be on your head."

Ruvaak wouldn't say a word he would turn to face down the road that would lead them through the forest and to the village hidden in the mist, closing his eyes he would open them to reveal eyes that were not the soft brown eyes that he had looked upon the caravan with. His eyes now stood a bright emerald green with his pupil a slit with four other slits diagonally around his pupil, his Demon Eye would be the perfect tool within the young Archer's arsenal to ensure that nothing would escape his sight. Ruvaak would begin the journey down the road motioning with his right hand for the rest to follow him. Of course the journey would be so much faster if he was on his own, if what the man said was true that the village was paying three times the normal price just for basic supplies then he had to do what he could if it meant getting it there faster. As an added bonus, once they get through and word spread of the main road being free of trouble once more then perhaps the village wouldn't have to pay such a ridiculous price for goods.

It was nearly sun down when they arrived at the edge of the Forest of Silence, "we should just rest here for the night." Haru's voice broke through the silence of the journey, it was clear to Ruvaak that the man was scared of the journey through the forest so to appease him the shinobi agreed. "You're right, we will leave at first light in the morning. I'll keep watch with the guardsmen." Ruvaak said as he began to scan the perimeter to ensure nothing was out there wait for them, however fortune was on their side as the night passed without an incident. At first light they began their trek through the forest, despite the fact that Ruvaak felt they were slow he soon realized that they were actually making good time on their journey. It felt so nice to be back in his element once more, his Onikeigan active once more keeping a watchful eye out for any sign of trouble. With over half the day gone and not a sign of trouble, Ruvaak began to think that Haru's fears were widely misplaced. But then a slight glint caught his eye, running a long the ground across the road was a thin wire, obviously a trap. Ruvaak motioned for Haru to hault the caravan as he clutched his talisman bringing his chakra bow to life in his hand, pulling the string of his bow as an arrow formed with it. Ruvaak loosed the arrow an watched as it hit it's mark perfectly, setting off the tripwire causing a small explosion and a large smoke cloud to begin to rise from the aftermath. Ruvaak could hear voices in the distance as whoever had set the trap ran to see what it was that they had caught, Ruvaak pulled the string once more notching an arrow and readying it to be loosed at a moment's notice. Sounds of confusion and anger soon filled the Archer's ear's as the trappers found no bounty within their trap, Ruvaak locked eyes on one of the men before loosing his arrow striking the man right in his left eye.
The scream of pain from the man was like music to Ruvaak's ears, it had been so long since he had put his skills to the test. Quickly drawing the bow the Archer would loose another arrow which struck another in the leg, followed by another one which struck the other leg. By this time the young Shinobi had managed to get the attention of the other four within the little bandit group, he would draw his bow a fifth and final time looking at the faces of bandits trying to find the leader. He loosed the arrow at the one standing the furthest away from him, striking the man directly in the jugular. The young Sogeki could not help but smile as the man tried to stop the blood, but to no avail as he soon fell to the ground his body writhing as blood flowed from his body.

---

1142/2173

Patrols were the worst sort of mission. Especially since it involved simply walking around all over the place. Going out here in casual gear was a big mistake. In part just because of how boring it was, and also because in his casual clothing there wouldn’t be a soul who would recognize him as who he was. Even sensors likely wouldn’t be able to tell him apart from the average jonin, which was pretty pathetic considering he had become the new Mizukage. That line of thought was rather depressing, so Chigetsu would do his best to try and think about something else. As it turned out though, he would quickly run out of things to entertain himself with when the mission he was on was this simple and monotonous. He hadn’t even come into contact with any bandits the entire time he had been out looking for them. Perhaps it was that there were sensors among the bandits but… that was rather unlikely. There were shinobi who had deserted from their posts and likely joined forces with the bandits that were now terrorizing trade routes, but at the same time there was no reason for him to assume that there would be a sensor with every bandit group. Really, he was hoping that the reports of shinobi joining together with bandits was either some sort of mistake or extremely exaggerated. The idea that people would abandon their duty and start committing crimes only because there wasn’t any flow of money coming in was… Didn’t they have any loyalty? It was disheartening. Didn’t it mean something to be apart of Kirigakure no Sato? The Village Hidden in the Mist?

An explosion would ring out, not too far away from his current location. A scream of pain would follow it shortly after. It seemed that things were about to get much more interesting. His immediate assumption was some sort of trap being sprung by bandits, but as far as he knew it could be anything. While he had never been the best at sensory or tracking, despite his time as a Hunter-nin, this would be more than enough to track a person by. Hopefully he would be fast enough to ensure they didn’t flee the area before he arrived. Chigetsu would leap forward, jumping to the nearest tree branch and then using that to propel himself forward. It would be a matter of moments with his speed before he would arrive on the scene of the metaphorical crime.

He had come just in time to catch the beginning of what appeared to be the beginning of a square down. Six men in one camp, and a merchant caravan in the other. From what he could see, one already was fatally injured with an arrow to the eye, and another down from an arrow stuck in both legs. Just as he came to watch another arrow would soar through the air, landing itself square into the neck of what he assumed was a group of bandits. While normally merchant caravans didn’t exactly hire quality protection, it seemed like what they had now was hyper competent. Rather than getting involved himself, Chigetsu was content to watch on the sidelines. He would rest down on the tree branch he had landed on last, sitting down and making himself comfortable.

---

[566/1616]

As Samuru walked, he started to came to the edge of a forest. He thought back to what he remembered about the surrounding area. Studying maps of Mizu no Kuni’s multiple land masses, but he should have done a better job. What was this place called? Forest of Silence or something. The chunin vaguely remembered how long it took to go from one side of the other. Though, he wasn’t sure of what side of the forest he was on. He couldn’t remember if it was the Kirigakure side of it or the side that lead toward the ocean. Samuru let out a small sigh as he figured that he had to make a decision. He only just realized that he was no longer on the main road and cursed himself under his breath. Well, he wasn’t sure how long it was going to take him to get through it. The worst thing that could happen would be that he would end up spending weeks within its depths. Though, he figured that it would probably cost him a lot of paperwork. Samuru didn’t want to get into trouble just for trying to make his way back to the village. It seemed like it was inevitable. The chunin entered into the forest and made his way into the trees. The trees weren’t difficult to maneuver through at first.

Five days later…

Samuru had already possessed a fully grown red beard that matched the rest of his hair. He would have to admit that he needed to shave. He totally blamed himself for his predicament. Samuru had slept within the trees and lived off the land the last few days. Luckily, he found a small pond within the forest that happened to be freshwater. He used medical techniques combining both suiton and raiton to purify the water. There were fish that populated it, but it seemed like there weren’t enough of them to truly them consider a meal. Samuru spent a good portion of his time hunting or making snares to capture small game. It was the best he could do with what he had. He believed that he could have been in a worse position than he was in. It was like there was a voice resonating in the back of his head trying to convince the man to keep moving. Samuru ignored it as he was to focused on trying to find food. Eventually, he was able to a boar. It wasn’t too big, but it would feed him for a couple of days.

He built a fire and used a flint against a kunai to start it. The time he took to gut and dress the pig was careful and precise. It was an interesting thing about swine. They were the only animal that shared a similar internal anatomy with humans. Spending years of hunting made it easy learning medical techniques. The human body was a very intriguing thing to learn about. If only he only he made better decisions when he was travelling as he did with food preparation. That would have made a big difference having been stuck in his current situation. He understood surviving in nature and he had seemed to be content staying here. The redhead wasn’t do for a check up for another two weeks. That made things a bit easier, but there were better ways of handling this situation. Even after a couple of more days passing, he didn’t care too much for going back. Though, he did remember that he needed to get stronger and sitting around here wasn’t going to help that. Samuru needed to begin making his way to wherever would get him back to the village. Samuru had put out his campfire and cleaned up as much traces of him being there as possible. Upon turning away from the pond, he heard a large explosion. It was strange. It wasn’t the first time he heard one, but this one was the closest. His curiosity got the better of him as he began running toward the explosion.

Making his way through the trees after a short while, he noticed a caravan that was stopped on the path. Samuru sighed at the thought that he could have been out of this place a lot earlier. It would have been simpler if he just kept moving. Though, it may have been a good thing he got lost. As a Kiri shinobi, he had a responsibility to take care of Mizu no Kuni’s people. Though, he could have easily just watched and observed. Samuru hadn’t participated in much action over the last few days. Fighting would have been a good way to loosen up his body. Killing bandits should be simplistic. They were just wasting their life away for nothing. He might as well have assisted in bringing their lives closer to death’s door. At the same time, the bandits already seemed like they were sort of busy with another individual. The stranger that guarded the caravan was an archer much like himself. The man’s aim was true. Unlike the man, Samuru would have attempted to aim for their vitals if he went for a first strike. He wasn’t sure what was going on exactly and he was a bit bored. There was an easy shot from where he was of the other bandits. The strategic path of attack would have been to take the bandits out from where he currently sat. The closest bandit was about thirty meters away and he could have easily take him out from this distance.

Samuru drew his Necrosis and drew three arrows in his quiver. Two of the arrows went into the shinobi’s mouth. He turned the bow sideways as he kneeled down on the branch he rested on. The first arrow was notched as he pulled back against the retention of the bow string. He released the bow string having sent the arrow rocketing toward his target. The arrow hit the bandit square in the chest as he quickly grabbed another arrow from between his teeth. Another arrow was notched before it was release hitting the bandit the carotid artery. The bandit hit the ground as he began to bleed out. The third arrow he notched and quickly drew it back as it landed in an uninjured bandit’s gut. Samuru grunted slightly as he replaced his bow and made his way to the front of the caravan. He leaped down from a tree branch as he got close to the caravan’s guardian. He stood within two meters of the other archer before he decided to speak.

“It looks like you didn’t need help, but I wasn’t going to let up an opportunity to shed human blood. You’re also much welcome, stranger,” he said as he removed his scimitar from it’s sheath.

“I guess it’s time for Dragatha’s bloodletting ceremony. Too bad it had to get wasted on a bunch of nobodies.”

1182/2254

The bandits still seemed as though they were in shock as the third man Ruvaak had shot choked on his own blood from the chakra arrow in his jugular, the  three of them that were still standing just stood there watching him unmoving. The first man he shot was already dead as the arrow pierced straight to the man's brain before disappearing, and the second man was no longer a threat as he laid writhing on the ground screaming about the two arrows that had pierced his legs before disappearing as well. Ruvaak didn't take his eyes off the bandits, but the rustle in the tree tops did not escape his notice. As the young archer pulled the string back on his chakra bow once more notching another chakra arrow that formed from the movement, the male watched an arrow fly out from behind him and strike another of the bandits. It seemed as though he was not the only archer in this caravan after all, but he did not take the time to look at who it was that fired that shot, it was not important right now. Before the Archer could take aim on the final two they were also stuck down by the second archer, leaving only the wounded one that he had shot, and the one that was up in the trees. Ruvaak felt the approach of the man from behind him but kept his eyes forward as it seemed unlikely the man would help him just to attack, the man spoke as he drew his blade but his words fell of deaf ears as the male was more focused on the possible threat from the stranger in the trees.

As the other male went to step out with his blade towards the wounded man Ruvaak would hold up a hand to signal the man to stop, "we aren't alone." The male would say in a soft voice, but loud enough that the man standing next to him could hear him. Ruvaak's eyes were transfixed on the tree branches above, though the crying of the man on the ground was beginning to get annoying. With a quick pull of his bow string the male would loose an arrow that would strike the wounded man right in his mouth piercing out the back of his head before dissipating, his eyes still locked on the tree branches as he zoomed his vision in on the unknown man he readied another arrow. In the matter of a few seconds the young archer would launch three arrows one after the other at the stranger, the first would strike the tree directly above the strangers head followed by the other two striking it on either side of the man. "If you have been watching then you know that I don't miss, those were warnings. I know you're there, why don't you come on down here or the next shot will be between your eyes." Ruvaak would call out to the forest that surrounded them as he notched another arrow and took aim on the man in the trees, if he tried to flee the Archer would loose the arrow aimed for the man's chest, not to kill the man but to bring him to the ground. His intention was to have left one of them alive so be could get some information about other camps, but with the crying of the wounded man being annoying and driving ruvaak to kill him, the only option left was the man in the tree.

---

598/2771

The bandits fell. They were all slain with relative ease. Chigetsu was right in assuming that he would just be getting in the way if he got involved. Playing around with children wasn’t exactly something he was fond of either. At the same time, watching the two who had stood up to the challenge became an interesting form of entertainment. It felt strange enjoy watching people die, something which Chigetsu had never exactly done before as he usually had a hand in whatever killings he witnessed. It was especially strange as the people being killed were likely either former Kirigakure shinobi or those who had been loyal citizens of the state only mere months ago. It was a shame how things like this happened. Of course, it was disappointing that they left in the first place, but also it was disappointing that there wouldn’t be any chance to convince them back. The loss of manpower would stunt Kiri’s capabilities for a while. Of course, this was something of a no win situation, as it was questionable whether people with uncertain loyalties would even be wanted or allowed back into the general military. He completely understood people who stopped working out of pay during times of peace, but those who turned to banditry and criminal actions were more or less a lost cause.

The arrows striking into the bark behind him interrupted his thoughts. He hadn’t immediately realized that the archer on the ground had spotted him, nor that he was being aimed at. It came as a bit of a surprise, to be honest. The three arrows had given him a bit of an outline, striking right above his head and then to both sides. It was clear that his position was completely visible, and that he was perceived as a potential threat. Chigetsu couldn’t help but break out into laughter and giggles at the situation. Especially at the threat that followed. Not that he was being dismissive to their skill, but it was just a funny mess that he found himself in now. He would eject himself up from where he was sitting on the tree branch and hop down to the path below, putting a bit of a kip up in his hop as to land in the center of the path rather than at the edge. Chigetsu, out in the open, would turn to face the two shinobi who had taken these bandits out. Very amused, he would put both his hands into the air as if he were surrendering. Given that he had only recently taken the position of Mizukage, it would be completely possible that these two wouldn’t recognize who he was.

“You got me, you got me~ I surrender, so you don’t need to shoot me with your scary arrows~” There would be a notable sing-song to his voice, and it was sort of clear that while speaking he was trying to suppress his own laughter. “Please have mercy and take pity on me~”

---

[500/2116]

Samuru watched as the bodyguard took out the remaining bandit. Shrugging, he seemed that he would just have to wait later to bleed someone out. There didn’t seem to be any appropriate time for him to kill. Spending a whole week, he hadn’t seen or even heard of one soul until today. Well, he was fine with just getting the kills he earned. There was a wish that he could have gotten more, but the fates seemed to think otherwise. Samuru was curious about who this other individual that the stranger was able to pick up. Was he a sensory type? Samuru wasn’t too big on sensory abilities. He had a couple up his sleeve, but nothing to the extent of the other guy. There weren’t too many options for who the individual that had been watching them. He wanted to say that it was either a shinobi or a bandit that was trying to get the drop on them like the others. Samuru was ready to kill anything that came out from the trees.

Hearing the person’s voice caused him to be confused. Looking carefully, he could the figure within the trees. There wasn’t much thought about what to think about them. The individual’s voice caused to think that they were joking. He was not impressed. Why would any speak in that way? Samuru still had a lot to learn about human emotions. They were still a bit confusing to him and he just wanted blood to flow. Salting the earth as they called it. Tomohiro held a hand seal up before saying anything. He still wasn’t sure if she was trying to kill them. Samuru didn't take the tone lightly. His prior experiences suggested that this wasn’t going to be pretty. The Hatake had been wrong before. Though, he didn’t want to be careless and attack an innocent person.

“I’m not sure who they are, but they better have a good reason to just be watching us. I only just got here.”

Samuru flipped his scimitar into his left hand and drew his axe with his right. The axe rested on his shoulder as he waited to see what the other person would do. He wasn’t sure how dangerous the person was or if it was even worth an attempt at fighting them. The sight of him rushing into his now sighted target, but he resisted. Samuru’s eyes started to become more serious. Though, the look he presented made him looked more concerned than serious. It was a face he didn’t always get right. Samuru didn’t really care for facial expressions either. Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure if he could trust the other guy either. The man probably wouldn’t have let him walk up so close if he didn’t think that he was friendly enough.

“Well, I’m not much one for showing mercy. I’m Samuru Yoshimatsu of clan Hatake. A shinobi of the Hidden Mist. Where do you hail from stranger?” he stated as he yelled up toward the trees trying to get an answer. Hopefully, the individual hiding within the trees would respond in a way that he could interpret correctly. The last thing he wanted to do was make a wrong move and get both him and the bodyguard killed.

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The other man called out to the one in the tree introducing himself as a member of the Hatake clan as well as a shinobi of the mist, a slight sigh of relief washed over the male as his initial belief that the man was an ally was confirmed. When the stranger leapt down from the branch Ruvaak was slightly taken aback by their appearance, he originally thought the person to be a male however looking at them now gave him the impression of a female. Their long pink hair in braids behind them, and a shirt that didn't even cover their stomach, however the male would not question their gender aloud. Either way the stranger did not look like a bandit or that they had any connection to those that they had just killed, as they surrendered Ruvaak could tell from the sound of their voice that they were either not taking his words seriously or that they thought the whole situation to be a joke. The male would scoff as he let his bow fade from existence as his grip loosened and his talisman fell from his hand caught by the chain he wore around his wrist to which it was tied, "I don't have time to mess around with children, just get out of our way so that we can get these goods to Kirigakure. We have already wasted enough time with that scum and the village needs these supplies." So long as the pink haired stranger move out of the path of the caravan, Ruvaak would guide the caravan the rest of the way to the village and complete his goal.

---

{Exit Attempt}

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Quest Mission complete -2000
Training Onikeigan to C-Rank -1000

It was just really funny. Chigetsu couldn’t help but laugh, despite that he knew neither of these young men deserved to be laughed at. If he could hold back from his giggling and natural sing-songy-ness maybe the little prank he was playing would be a bit more convincing, but at the same time he couldn’t help but laugh at his own jokes. It was just really cute that these two were talking to him like this! Chigetsu was more than willing to let them do as they pleased for the sake of the joke as well, in case they wanted to try anything funny. He was more than willing to play dead and everything if it came to that. It seemed however that his fun would all be cut short. Big scary archer man apparently had better places to be, and the arrow that was knocked and ready to pierce through Chigetsu’s chest would be lowered. It was a bit of a shame. This would still be a situation that Chigetsu could mine for humor later though. Slowly he would move out of the way, walking out from the center of the path in order to allow the caravan to pass. Of course, they would have to run over the myriad of bodies that had been left behind from the combat earlier, but that would probably not be a problem at all for the wagons.

“I’m from the Mist as well. I was watching you two from afar, and you both were pretty good. I hope it didn’t make you two uncomfortable though~” The idea of giving trained shinobi stage fright was rather funny. “I’ll get out of your way though. If you’re in a hurry, I wouldn’t want to keep you~”

“And good luck with your journey!” Disappearing back into the forward, Chigetsu would give a wave to the group, a bright and beaming smile still gracing his face.

---

[339/2455]
[EXIT]

Samuru shrugged as he placed his weapons back in their respective sheathes. The pink haired one continued to sing or chuckle. He couldn’t tell the difference. This seemed to have no merit in it. With the black haired stranger, walking away. It was simple that he just travel along. The caravan would just lead him back to Kiri. He didn’t want to harm another Kirigakure shinobi. There were no qualms about him or her helping out or not. The word uncomfortable was one that he couldn’t quite grasp yet. The closest thing he could pin it too was being in a situation he rather not have been in. Samuru just grunted slightly as he attempted to make his way on the top of one of the carts. The Hatake was more than ready to go back home and didn’t want to stand around any longer than he had too. Samuru had seen some weird things here and there. The pink haired one didn’t really top his list, but it was up their with it. There was great uncertainty on how he should have thought or handled the situation. Samuru wasn’t the kind of individual to let people make fun of him. The whole mess with the confusion of the mind would just be put off. He would hope to figure it out later. The only thing he could think of right now was getting back home and learning new techniques. He still had this technique he wanted to try out. It may have been better to see if one of his clansmen within the village would help him with developing it. Though, he had plenty of time. Samuru closed his eyes as he rode with the caravan. The only thing that would be left for him to do would to make sure he woke up before they arrived.

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[Thread Exit]

Mission: 1500/1500

1637 reserved wc