The dense forest. So named because... well, it's a forest, and it's dense. Look, when people were coming up with names for areas around the village, they had to hurry so you really shouldn't be making any comments, no matter how silly that name is. It always seemed to Oshi that people never put enough time into things like this, and thus they always came off either a little cliche, or stupid, or just very on the nose. It was so on the nose, in fact, that it had broken the nose and was now giving direct damage to the brain through the skull. Long story short, it was very simple and pretty stupid. Though, that wasn't what he was thinking of when he came out here. In fact, he'd only come out here because he'd heard there were stray dogs around this area of the forest, although he didn't know why they would be here (Maybe from a group of dead Inuzuka, or maybe they were born stray and thus had nowhere to return to?) he had to hope that they would be. At least, he had to for several reasons.

The first of that reasons was that he didn't want to be out here for  nothing, he was an Uchiha and many people would willingly go out and jump on him simply to try and kill him and either get his eyes or to "purify the world", those judgemental cunts. Secondly, he loved dogs and if they were stray then he had the chance to try and domesticate them. Thirdly, he didn't want anyone to get hurt by stray animals if he could help it, and not just because he didn't like people to get hurt. Animals got abused because people linked them to things that weren't their fault. Also, honestly didn't want to have wasted time doing something like this without any results. He had a four year backlog of work to catch up with, he didn't have time to screw around with things like this, it was just going to go badly if he tried doing something like that.

Though, as he walked through the forest, he was beginning to get more and more unnerved by the fact that he hadn't seen anything. If there were any dogs, there would be a few tell-tale signs. Firstly, he would have found at least some markings already, whether they be dead prey or they be fecal matter. Secondly, he would have heard something. All that he could hear was an eerie silence and he couldn't help but wonder if the person that had told him this information had not been purposefully misleading him. He didn't normally think that someone would, especially not someone like this - He'd met him at the pound, and they had bonded over animal loving, although the bastard liked cats -, but the more and more it continued to be fruitless the more his mind wandered unpleasantly, as if it was trying to sabotage him.

Ukiyo reclined in a pit of her tree, picking specs of dirt and pieces of bark out of her hair. It was about half an hour from sunset and Ukiyo was considering taking a nap before then, in preparation for her nightly adventure. As she lied there, nuzzling into the dirt and moss of her bed, she was accompanied by the (now common) voices conversing with her. Why would you pick bark from your hair? If it breaks down, the roots of your hair will absorb the nutrients. When you bathe, the excess foliage will be washed out.[b] Because, unlike your roots, mine can't break down the nutrients. Believe me, I've tried. [b]You seem to digest them just fine. That's because humans have evolved to eat plants. We still don't have the necessary components to absorb them through our skin. You're not absorbing the plant, just nutrients. And those are microscopic, how could you possibly be unable to absorb that! I don't know, I can't explain it. It has to do with enzymes or cells or something. I really would like to learn more about that stuff though... As Ukiyo relaxed, she watched leaves create a web against the sky. Their overlapping puzzle-pattern let through a few beams of light, silhouetting the rest with leaves. One dropped down and floated gently into her cubby. Ukiyo picked it up and stared at it intently, observing the veins running throughout it, starting at the base. She turned it over and felt the velvety front. Ukiyo then brought it in close to her face, smelled it a few times, and proceeded to bite off pieces of it one by one. She ate all of it, then threw the stem down below.

Suddenly, Ukiyo heard footsteps approaching. They were heading in her direction at a steady pace, though clearly walking. The consistency of the rhythm and obvious bipedal nature told Ukiyo it was a human. What's somebody doing here? If I was being summoned, they would have sent a messenger bird, or at least be running. Maybe they're lost, or just on a stroll? Hm. Ukiyo peeked out from her tree and saw a young man making his way through the brush. Tall, dark hair, and in some kind of uniform. Now who could you be? Ukiyo hopped over the edge of her tree and fell swiftly to the forest floor, landing only about a foot in front of Oshiki. Her speed was enough that the man nearly walked into her, but stopped just in time. Oy. You seem to be a long way from home, boy. Don't you know this is my territory? The other animals of these parts know it quite well. I guess that would make you... a trespasser. Ukiyo grinned a devilish smile, considering what to do with him.

Now, if Oshiki was a more paranoid sort of man, he might have been expecting someone to drop out of the trees like that, but when Ukiyo came out from the trees in front of him he almost jumped. Almost, but not quite. Instead, his body seemed to move naturally into the form that would be ready for boxing, but the fact that all she did was land in front of him seemed to calm him down a little bit. She was a young girl, a fair few years his junior, in fact she didn't even look like she was old enough to be truly called an adult yet, so it was rather strange to get this feeling from her. She was young, but there was something about her that was putting him on edge. He shouldn't be acting like this, because he was sure from her position she was another member of Konohagakure. She would have probably been detected by now if she wasn't, and the fact that she was walking around as if she owned the area seemed to add up to that answer. He could be wrong, that she was simply an over-confident enemy scout, but that didn't feel awfully likely so he was going to have to go with the more likely answer. After all, the way that he reacted in this place was going to result on how things moved from here, he didn't want to get into a fight with this girl for many, many reasons. The first reason was that he had no desire to go out of his way to fight someone right now, and secondly his attacks would be a little bit cruel to use on a random stranger. They'd be effective, but he had no desire to unleash them on her right now. Especially if there were wild animals around, they might sense her weakness and jump on her. Although, as she spoke, that little concern of his washed away.

"Oy. You seem to be a long way from home, boy. Don't you know this is my territory? The other animals of these parts know it quite well. I guess that would make you... a trespasser." This girl was cocky, he'd give her that, but cockiness was not a very good thing to have when you were stuck in things like this. He moved his position from one ready to fight to one who simply could not care less, his gloves slipping into his pocket as he looked her in the eyes. Any other time something like this might happen their eyes meeting would spell out this girl's torture, but not now. Now, he was just looking at a girl who clearly had an inflated ego and a serious problem with overgrown personal space. This area was her territory? Hah, don't make him laugh. There were only a few territories of this forest that actually belonged to anyone, and those belonged to clans rather than any singular person. The nara, for example, but judging by her bright green hair and the fact that she was being egotistical, she was clearly not a Nara. More than likely, she was one of those hotblooded clans like the Senju, the Aburame or the Uzumaki. Either way, he was going to have to speak or she was going to assume that he was ignoring her.

"Don't call me boy, girl, I'm much older than you are." he said, his voice teasing hers not just with his word choice but the very tone of his voice. "Besides, this is not your territory. There are no territories for us humans within the area. It belongs to the animals, the boars and the bears and the deer, every single one of them has stakes on this territory, but you're a human, just like me. Neither of us have those rights, and if you think you do then you're wrong. I'm not trespassing anywhere, I'm walking through the forest. Is it so wrong that someone might have the desire to come out and bond with nature?" he asked, trying to appeal to that side of her. If she was so fond of animals, he had to assume that she had a fondness for nature, just like him.

The young man relaxed, lowering his guard to Ukiyo. Good. At least he knows his place. She smiled, about to introduce herself, when he began speaking,

"Don't call me boy, girl, I'm much older than you are. Besides, this is not your territory. There are no territories for us humans within the area. It belongs to the animals, the boars and the bears and the deer, every single one of them has stakes on this territory, but you're a human, just like me. Neither of us have those rights, and if you think you do then you're wrong. I'm not trespassing anywhere, I'm walking through the forest. Is it so wrong that someone might have the desire to come out and bond with nature?"

This infuriated Ukiyo. The arrogance of it all; claiming that She of all people didn't understand that nature could not be owned. Her smile receded into one of pity as she realized such an answer was likely to be found from any such ninja residing in the village. The young man seemed like he may have had some form of moral fiber, but she knew deep down it was tainted by society's lifestyle. She closed her eyes, normally a form of trust among animals but in this circumstance a sign that he didn't threaten her in the least bit. He was right in that he was physically older, but Ukiyo was confident her knowledge of the woods far surpassed his. Her words were calm and authoritative.

You are older than me in years, but don't confuse that with wisdom. I've felt the millennium of tragedy in these woods; something a boy like you wouldn't understand. She then opened her eyes and shot a glance into his, her smile wiping away completely as her voice became stern. You pitiful humans have no right to speak of ownership. You yourself live in the village of Konoha, a place built from the corpses of nature. Territory is that which belongs to all animals. It is the natural way to prevent unnecessary loss of life. I've marked this area as my own so as to not have to kill a stray predator with too much pride. Ukiyo paused for a moment, staring at Oshiki. She realized he fit well with the description, but pushed this though aside as she continued to speak. Yet humans have a different idea of "territory", don't they? They see it as wiping out any form of life, whether it threatens them or not, then building "homes" where a thriving community once lived. Yet you say you're bonding with nature? Tsk, the trees of these parts would rather see you buried beneath the ground and fed to their roots. Ukiyo casually slid her hand into the connected front pocket of her shirt, forming two hand signs. So by your "human" definition, no, this is not my territory. I guess you would call it my sanctuary; the place I protect against any such threat. Ukiyo waited for his response, unsure how he would take hearing this and prepared for the first sign of trouble.

Chakra:290/300:

There was something strange about this girl, something that he didn't understand. He knew that she was a strong ninja, yet how could she be that way if she was such a recluse as this? But, when she talked about how he'd not witnessed tragedy, he looked at her with fury in his normally attractive eyes, overflowing with anger!
"You have felt the tragedy of the forest? That's nothing! Nothing compared to having suffered it first hand! If you could say you WERE the forest, then you might have a point, but you have not lost anything. Every tree cut down from this land is an attack against the forces of nature, but they're not an attack against you. Tell me, what have you personally lost that you can never get back, rather than something you can feel from someone else. Are you telling me that your sympathy pains are anything close to the pain of the forest or even mine?" he almost spat, before taking his finger and pointing at her, looking her dead in the face as he did this. He would have looked her in the eyes, but she had closed them already, something that infuriated him.

"I have lost every single member of my family to humans like you and me. My father was killed trying to protect people, my sister killed by someone she saw as a friend. My mother and little brother were killed by the people that they were trying to protect from the cancer that's eating away at my family. I am an Uchiha, the bearers of a millenium of suffering and cruelty from others, we are forced to lose ourselves if we want to protect those we care about, so don't you DARE claim that you are my emotional elder. Until you have lost your entire family and known you couldn't do anything to stop it, until you have been forced to watch someone laugh about the death of your beloved sister, until you have wasted four years of your life trying to be the carer of an entire family and then been forced to watch as one after another they were killed. Until then, claiming to see the misery in the forest simply because you can empathize is nothing but pathetic egotism laced with stupid self-pity!"

This girl... As much as he disliked her for what she had claimed, of how she had claimed to be better than him simply because she could be empathetic with a forest, but when she talked about what Konoha was... Oh, if she was a few years older, Oshi might have actually fallen in love with what she was saying. She was speaking in a way that few others had ever spoken, something that he had never felt another would understand.

"We are both humans, girl. That makes us both pitiful, but I know which one of us is out there trying to help rather than sitting in your little "territory" talking to plants and animals. If you want to do good for the world, then help to protect it, rather than sitting in your little woodland home and insulting passers by that you neither understand nor know. I am not the monster you clearly claim me to be, humans are just animals but not all animals are the same, and if you claim to understand the forest then you should damned well know that! Some bears will steal all the honey from the bees and let them both starve to death because of it, but some bears will take only enough that the bees can still survive and make more,  letting the world continue in harmony. To claim all humans are just the pathetic warmongers that kill innocent animals for no good reason then you're as stupid as they are, acting on a prejudice you should be wise enough to understand!"

As he spoke before her, Ukiyo couldn't help but grow more and more tired of his ignorance. Her eyes drifted, almost bored by his shouting. A few things struck her in a terrible way, however. The way he compared the plight of the forest to the plight of a clan was absurd to her. Let alone the Uchiha clan, which was known for causing widespread violence for generations. Ukiyo almost wanted to insult his family, make him feel the same lack of respect that she felt at that moment. A dull rage slowly built in her stomach as voices reached out to her, Another human, same as the rest. I don't suppose you'd let us take over, would you? There is no need for that. If he wishes to insult you further, I will deal with him. Ukiyo redirected her eyes into his as she spoke in a clearly insult tone,

You pitiful human. She was no longer in any mood to explain. Every word he spoke was drenched in the influence of his emotions, taking her statement personally. She had no reason to listen to these insults any further, and would not treat him or his feelings with an ounce of respect. You say I am egotistical, that I pity myself? Look at you, whining about your clan as if they were any good for this world to begin with. I don't care about my own anguish, and I certainly don't care about yours. Humans are a virus in this world, and I for one am committed to curing the Earth. The fact that you still dwell on your loss like this is just proof that you truly don't understand the suffering humans have caused for this world. Humans are not to be mourned over, their actions are. As she spoke these words, the memory of her parents swept across her mind. Their bright, joyful faces only making Ukiyo miss them more. I wonder Ukiyo, do you believe your own words? ...It is irreverent whether I believe them, they are the truth. It's time for this boy to realize that.

I've never seen a bear be so egotistical that it wished to control the world. I've never seen any animal besides humans upset the natural order of things the way they have. Living in that village is the easiest way to show you don't give a damn about nature. You act like you care, yet you still live comfortably in the spoils of genocide. I may appear human, but unlike you, I serve nature's agenda. As she said this, a flower grew on Ukiyo's shoulder, blossoming beside her face. I'd never expect a human to understand, let alone an Uchiha. They have spread nothing but hate and violence in this world, killing all forms of life in their path. If I could eradicate the entire Uchiha clan, I would. Ukiyo said this sternly, knowing it wouldn't fall on deaf ears. Her stair pierced through Oshiki's, gazing into his eyes with the resentment she could feel only for the Uchiha. Better?

Now, he had been willing to basically put up with nearly everything that she could throw at him, the most that he was planning to do to her was to have an argument, there was no need for anyone to have to suffer here today, but when she began to speak again his eyes opened wide and he felt his stomach turn. This... this stupid bitch... how dare she... His fists balled up as he walked forwards for the first time. He hated her, he wanted her to suffer, he wanted her to feel his pain.

"Oh you self-righteous, stupid, irritating, god-damned BITCH!" he yelled at her, clearly frustrated. "You think that humans are the problem, and you know what, we fucking are. But whether or not you're a tree fucker or anything else, you were born a human. If I cut you, you would bleed, if I knocked your teeth out they wouldn't grow back, and you don't have to be made of wood for me to burn you to a crisp. But I'm not going to do any of that, because no matter what you say humans are not simply monsters. We are the apex predator, and that will always give people a sense of superiority that they didn't earn. Do you think lions would give a shit if a gazelle had children? No, because it's the food chain. I don't like what humans do either, but we're not a virus. We're nature as much as a tree or a plant is, the only difference is that we're intelligent enough to take the world into our own hands. Every creature has it's apex, there are summoned dogs that can move so fast they break the speed of sound. There are wolves so stealthy they are actually invisible. Everything has it's apex, and humans are just an entire race of that. We're bastards, but that's not every one of us. And it's definitely not enough to justify anything that you just said." He said, his body almost shaking with fury as he said it.

"So, I'm going to remind you just how human you are. I'm going to make sure that you stop thinking you're a tree or a bush or whatever the fuck you think you are, because I'll tell you something. Those people who live in the village? They have something you don't. they have compassion. If you can ever look at a race and be glad that some of it died without it personally serving you then you're not a nature lover. You're an arrogant bitch who needs to be re-educated." as a flower grew on her, he took his own little agenda and... smiled at her, his eyes almost sparkling as he looked at her. And that wasn't a metaphor, as he actually cast a genjutsu on her. Inside her mind right now, unless something had gone wrong, she would be feeling an uncontrollable urge to piss, or actually pissing if she was that unfortunate, and she'd be shivering like she was ill. Because, the fact was, she was ill. It was the only natural poison that he knew of, and it had no symptoms that she would be able to understand, but he would probably refer to it as "Chakra sickness" It would get even more entertaining in a moment or two, the poor bitch. If she hadn't been so offensive, he might have actually felt sorry for what she was about to go through.

Chakra - 140/150:

All of the Uchiha's words fell on deaf ears. Ukiyo knew he was wrong. She may have appeared human, but through the years Ukiyo has been experimenting with her own body in ways unimaginable. She had come closer to becoming a living, non-breathing plant than anyone else would dare, and she didn't appreciate her hard work being dismissed so easily. The name calling was nothing she hadn't heard before, and nothing she'd have any reason to lash out over. However one thing stuck. Compassion? The word echoed in her mind, as if the meaning was more than the word could represent. Did he just say I lacked...compassion? An Uchiha, a human, just told me that I lacked compassion. She remembered the scores of deaths caused to nature by the ninja world, the massive battles instigated by the Uchiha, everything that resembled the utter lack of compassion present in the human "spirit". They kill for their own progress, their own comfort, and yet he lectures me about compassion? To kill one life to save two is moral, isn't it? Yes. Then how the hell could killing humans to save nature not be considered compassionate? As he said, humans are nature. As he said, they have taken the world into their own hands. Humans have long lost their place in nature. What was one a balanced ecosystem is now a world taken hostage. Perhaps he is the one who needs re-educating.

As the last thoughts trickled through her mind, Ukiyo planned to reach out her hand and take the young man by the throat. You will see what it is like. You have merely witnessed death. I will bring you within an inch of it and then you will know the suffering you cause every single day. As she began lifting her arm, Ukiyo suddenly felt an intense pressure on her bladder. Cold sweat formed beneath her bangs, and a shiver crawled up her spine. The hell? Where did this come from? Why am I- An intense pain ached in her stomach, and she bent over, grasping it. Her throat was dry to the point where it burned to breath, and Ukiyo's movements became extraordinarily sluggish. Did he poison me somehow? This feels completely unnatural from a second ago. Ukiyo, relinquish control. We can suppress the body's immune system. And kill me? Yeah right. Do you believe we'd let that happen? We need you. ...Fine. Ukiyo closed her eyes as she grasped her stomach tightly. In a moment, she would lose all sense of self. Her consciousness would be wiped away, along with all of her senses. Then, the plant-life that resided within Ukiyo's body, the very essence of her jutsu, took control. Ukiyo's eyes opened as she stood up straight, her hand now falling off her stomach and hanging beside her.

Silly Ukiyo, it was all in your head. She said in a monotone voice. Ukiyo looked at Oshiki, who seemed surprised. Arrogant bastard. In the blink of an eye, Oshiki's clothes were covered in grass. At the same time, Ukiyo let forth a burst of dandelion seeds that enveloped both of them, as well as shot her arm out at Oshiki's throat. Her speed was unimaginable, clasping his neck before he had any chance to think. She gripped it tightly, looking into his eyes as the dandelion seeds floated around the two of them. How dare you speak of compassion. You vile humans have killed more of our kind than any other force in history. You are a plague, no matter how innocent any individual thinks they are.

Chakra: 265/300:

She was about to attack him when the genjutsu came in, grappling her with the effects. He could see the sweat on her face already, that effect came in quickly as she almost doubled over, her hand covering her stomach. Good, even someone on her level couldn't avoid being human. Being human was every ninjas worst weakness, everyone had their immune systems there to become his victim and the fact that she was affected by it clearly showed that she was being held hostage by her own humanity.

"Do you feel that, girl?" he asked, his tone using her own cocky, cruel and condescending tone. If she was so damned convinced that humans were monsters then he was going to prove just how right she was. Humans weren't monsters, but they could BE them, and as long as she continued to be a threat to everything that he worked for, as long as she continued to insult and abuse and act like everyone owed their lives to her and whatever force she worked with, he would keep her stand against her up.

"That is the proof that you are human, your body is rejecting itself, everything feels wrong inside it. Let's just say you're surviving a poison that most people would have thrown up from already." Even with her nature abilities, she was not a dryad. She was not part tree, even if the trees spoke to her as they claimed to. She did not understand nature, she was just a puppet being fed information from trees that spoke to her as if they were another human. Humans weren't the only apex predator, and it seemed that even trees had evolved it's own apex. It was this very fact that became obvious as she released her body into the control of a plant. Although, he had no idea what was happening to her.

The only thing that he knew for sure was that he was in trouble, and quite a lot of it. She dropped her hand suddenly despite the fact that her body was still sweating. He could tell that she was different simply by the way that she talked, as if it was someone else. This wasn't one of those little trips where people called themselves by their name, that was clear by the fact that she was no longer being affected by his genjutsu. Crap! That was his strongest ability, and if he was being forced to rely on his taijutsu then... he didn't have time to finish that thought as she came towards him and grasped him by the throat. He could barely breathe like this, he had to do something... And so he did. His hand slammed forwards, catching her in the middle of the chest simply because, holding him like she was, there was no opportunity for her to dodge and there would have been no signs that he was planning for an attack like that. The air would have been forced out of her lungs, and his hand would then move up to her neck, grasping it as she grasped his, looking at her with fury. This girl was human, but whatever it was that was controlling her right now was not. He didn't know exactly what it was, but from the way that she had been speaking earlier he had to assume it was some sort of plant life. He'd heard of trees having basic sentience, but this was insane!

When he had come out here today, he had expected many things. But being attacked by a crazy lady who was possessed by trees and had a choking fascination was not one of them. Time to test if she could still feel pain, he thought as he moved his leg up rapidly and slammed her in the crotch, his hard leather boots compiling onto his strong taijutsu ability to make it a very painful thing, if indeed she was still capable of feeling pain.
"Don't... act.... like we're all the same." he choked out, barely able to speak with the small amount he was able to breathe. "Your friend Ukiyo... she was good enough for you to trust. Don't.. tar us all... with the same brush."

Chakra 130/150:

OOC: No senses means she wouldn't feel pain.
IC:
As Ukiyo held her victim hostage, she felt his hand move forward towards her chest. She kept her grip solid and let him land his hit. Ukiyo noticed her breathing becoming slower, but other than that, she was fine. She merely grinned and continued "staring" into his eyes, feeling the life slowly drain from his body as the roots of her grass coated the inside of his clothes. She noticed his leg begin to move up towards her crotch and, while it wouldn't have much of an effect on her, decided to stop the attack to protect Ukiyo's body from taking too much damage. Her hand moved swiftly to catch his ankle mid-swing, holding it tightly just a short distance from her crotch. Just like an Uchiha to fight to the end. That's right, he's an Uchiha. Hm. Ukiyo squeezed Oshiki's ankle, breaking it instantly. She then dropped it, knowing he wouldn't be using that leg to attack again, and brought her hand up to his eye. Ukiyo always did want the sharingan... Grinning, she positioned her fingers above and below his eye, grass on the edges of them so she could feel. Right before she continued with this, and as Oshiki struggled for air in her grasp, Ukiyo's grasp loosened and she retracted her fingers slightly. It appears you haven't activated your Sharingan yet. Pity. With that, Ukiyo released her grasp on Oshiki's neck, dropping him on his legs (and on his broken ankle). Ukiyo spoke to him in a calm voice,

The next time I see you in my territory, I will not hesitate to take one or both of your eyes, Sharingan or not. You should know that you're wrong, by the way. You are all the same. The very, very few exceptions, such as Ukiyo, should not be lumped into the same category as the rest of you humans. She's an entirely different species, and we are thankful for that. I don't expect you to accept this. It is hard enough grasping reality in one's own world, let alone two. You will continue living, believing you are just in your actions and one of the innocent few, but you're not. You never will be. You are merely human. And so long as you walk this earth, you shall be a plague among it. Now I suggest you leave before I snap that wrist for hurting Ukiyo's lungs.

2571/2500

Chakra:

{thread closed}