The Task Force(Private, Flashback)

Located in a secluded area on the mountain stood a simple wooden building that looked a lot like the Senju compound within the village.  The only difference was that this lacked the paint the Senju compound had and was only a single closed in building with only one door.  Inside, seated on the floor with his legs under him, was Katsuro who was waiting for his new squad to show up.  He had had picked his squad specially after many months of intelligence gathering.  They were the most likely candidates to accept and also keep their mouth's shut if they did accept the offer for the task force.  He spent many hours going through every possible shinobi who called Kumogakure, including those shinobi from Iwagakure and Sunagakure. Despite favoring Kumo and Suna shinobi, he allowed for Iwa shinobi to be considered despite none of them peaking his interest. Of course anyone who refused to join would probably end up missing presumed dead with no one in the leadership batting an eyeball at it.


So, there he waited for his three hopefuls to arrive.  He had sent them each letters saying exactly the same thing as the others.  Both cryptically asking them to go to the Abandoned house on Cloud Mountain and sit before The Wooden Man.  Little did they know the Wooden Man was actually the head of the Senju family in Kumogakure who wasn't afraid to kill them if they refused to join. As he waited for the group to arrive he recalled who he had invited and what he had learned. He started with the youngest and most malleable of the trio.


The first on the list was Akki Setvixs. A twelve year old genin from the Setvixs clan who specialized in Dark Chakra. It reminded him of the stories of the Nara but it wasn't exactly the same. He saw that instead of controlling people, the Stitvixs Clan could cause their shadows to become physical and actually use them as weapons. That is one of the main reasons he had chosen Akki Setvixs. That and he had shown signs of incredible loyalty to his village despite the awkward behaviour he sometimes exhibited when he thought no one was watching.


The second on his list was Kuraudo Sütomu. A fourteen year old genin from a normal family that had no special talents. Having a clan with special talents wasn't a requirement and was actually prefered to not belong to one. Less influential family means less likely someone would be following you. The main reason Kuraudo was chosen over his peers was because of the fact he was a decent sensor despite being only fourteen and a genin. Other than that he had no other interesting qualities about him. He wasn't fiercely loyal as far as he had seen and he was going to be the biggest gamble of the small group but he would be sure to watch him closely. Maybe he could instill a bit of passion in him for his village.


The last one on his list was the former Sunagakure shinobi Kasai Shiruku. She was a twenty year old Jounin who, after many weeks of watching, was found out to be a Ninjutsu user who used Weaponry to offset any weaknesses that being solely Ninjutsu focused would cause. While that still made her slower than someone who was a taijutsu focus it also gave allowed to her see things moving rapidly easier. Comes with working with small objects thrown faster than someone could run. Despite this, she was like one of his other candidates. Showed no signs of being fiercely loyal to Kumogakure and should she turn out to not be a fit, would be useful as a distraction. One thing he would have to look out for was the boob hugs. They looked vicious.


Eventually his mental examination of his targets was interrupted by the sound of knocked, exactly as he asked them to do in the letter.

((OOC:  Basic information used with permission from Players.))

Akki had been laying down in his bed, resting his head on his arms as he looked up at the ceiling. The sun was coming down and the shadows that were strewn across the wall looked almost alive. Claws, teeth, horns, a menagerie of things that hide in the dark. Akki had a single candle lit on his floor, providing a small but ample amount of light. He loved watching the shadows that danced, ones created by the flickering flame. It was mesmerizing, causing Akki to start to drift in to an alternate reality of things that one would normally see as a nightmare, but was a dream to him. His eyes started to slowly close, as they grew heavy, and Akki's mind began to wander of the dark things that excited his insides.

A fluttering in the window caused Akki's eyes to snap open and make his senses become acute. A light click followed, then a small sliding noise, then repeated fluttering that faded away. Akki sat up in his bed and looked at the window. An envelope sat there, with the seal of a high ranking kumo nin on it placed in wax. Akki grabbed the envelope and broke the wax seal, pulling out a piece of paper. It was a hand written letter, giving him directions to a place he was supposed to go and meet someone. Akki sighed, knowing he couldnt opt out of the demand. Standing up, he slowly slid on his garb, taking his time to prep himself before leaving.

You sure this is a good idea? Why not just burn the letter and pretend we never got it? Like, play hookie.

You know that wouldnt work, this person probably used extra care to make sure this thing got here, and knew that i would get it.

Cant blame me for trying...

Akki only shook his head, quieting his inner darkness. He walked over to the candle, blowing it out, creating a near pitch dark environment. Akki walked to his door and stepped out into the twilight, looking back inside the dark abode, and smiled before closing the door. Turning towards the cloud mountain, Akki began his trek to this special meeting he was summoned to. He walked out of the village common area, and continued to the base of the mountain, lookng for the specific markers stated in the letter. The markers gave directions, up a winding path of rocky steps and dangerous cliffs. This journey alone would be too challenging for any normal person. As Akki climbed, the sun fell, causing the light on the land to diminish. The cold air further up, in addition to the dark night, gave Akki a boost in charisma.

Finally Akki had reached a flat area, where the was an out of the way, in the middle of nowhere, run down, abandoned looking shack. He recalled from the letter that this was the hidden hideout. To him, it looked like natural land formations caused this place to become normally unreachable so it was just forgotten. Akki walked up to the door, and knocked three times in rapid succession like the letter explained to do. The door slid open, as if the code unlocked some sort of hidden mechanism. Inside was a man sitting on the floor, his legs crossed in a relaxed position. The man looked real, not made of wood, his skin made of flesh and not being covered with bark. Akki noticed the man had the wear of a high ranking kumo nin, and assumed this had to have been the wooden man. It was possible that wooden was code for the man's skill, making him that of the senju clan, but at first glance Akki didnt notice any clan symbol presenting such hypothesis.

Akki bowed in front of the man, and then stood back up facing him.

"My name is Akki Setvixs, you requested my presence?"

Akki noticed he was the only one there, besides the man. Did that mean he wanted him alone? Or were there others coming, and they were behind him, most likely soon to come if that be the case.

[WC: 682]

It took a bit of time before the shinobi of her time begun to wake during the day, even with the sunlight blaring through her window it merely felt like a blanket making her want to sleep longer. It was only after hearing some kids laughing and yelling outside that she woke up. She sat up quickly with a large yawn and completely flustered gold hair that strewn about. She blinked a few times with many stretches then groggily got up and went over to her hair brush and brushed out her hair even with the tightest knots and tangles that came from it. It hurt of course however after a few grunt of getting the mess in place she took a band to tie her hair up tightly before walking over to her clothes.

She decided to pick out her orange dress rather than her red one today considering it was tarnished by some ash from the last time she had to use jutsu. She swung the dress in front of herself, swaying to bottom edge before putting it on. She felt much more jumpy and free flowing with this outfit that she rarely wore. However of course the only reason to her choice was her jounin outfit was too stuffy and her other outfit was restricting. If anything she wanted to be her jumpy self as per usual. With such she barely noticed from the corner of her eye a piece of paper on the floor near the front door. She picked it up and noticed it was mail addressed to herself. She opened it up and after a throughout read over she started to giggle and jump happily.

With that she escaped her house quickly but not without picking her weapon up to her back. She then made her way to the mountain and looked at it for a while before beginning to climb. "Well I might as well get some sorta work out." She said to herself before pushing herself up. If anything she wasn't perfect at climbing however she easily kept her balance which was her excel towards many things. Once she made it she could tell it was already dark out as she looked around for something, anything to give her a hint to the place. With that she decided to lift a stick to her hand and spark a flame with her weapon so she could see in the pitch blackness that was the night. She'd prefer the day time to the cold of the night but with this enthusiasm she always had it was hard to get down about things.

It took some time before she saw the shack, it was small and near invisible in the dark save for her torch. She knocked on the door what seemed like multiple times before it opened even while she was still knocking on the air. She opened her eyes to see her silly matter and made her way inside. With that she saw what seemed to be a full grown man on the ground and the guy from a few nights ago that she helped with his jutsu. She smiled quickly clapping in excitement and went up to the boy hugging him tighter than air could give shaking her head. "Oh my gosh Haiiiii! It's been a while! How have you been, how's the jutsu...why are you here to? Did you get the post?" She asked quicker than one could answer, each question was right to ask however it was a bit much at once that she said them.

She then turned her attention to the guy on the floor still hugging the boy fiercely then asked. "Oh wow, are you the guy that sent the letter? Well I'm that Kasai you need, pleased to meet you!" She said waving to him with one arm in a cheery manner. It was only after the introduction that she let go of the poor boy and stood up to her own stance with a sort of jumpy way and wide smile that acted like a child ready for a school picture. She's definitely a distraction, whether it be good or bad was the decision she made cluelessly.

WC: 701
((OOC: I hope you like boobhugs guys >D ))

Kuraudo awoke to his mother informing him that a letter had come in the mail for him. He slumped his head under the blankets and told her to get out of his room. He immediately realized his mistake and shot out of bed before his mom had the chance to grab a frying pan to crush his skull in. On his hands and knees he begged for forgiveness as she handed him the sealed letter. It simply gave instructions saying Kuraudo had been "chosen". He was to "Go to the Abandoned house on Cloud Mountain and sit before The Wooden Man." How cryptic... It was clear a long day would be before the Genin.

The Sutomu dressed himself in his tattered black cape as well as nettings. He placed his headband on his forehead, adjusting slightly so that his eyebrows were still visible. He'd taken a shower the night previous so his smell was that of his bed. It was a rather comfortable smell, though the thought of his own bed's pleasantries reminded him of the task before him. He was to hike up a really tall mountain and sit before a wooden man. What the hell was a wooden man anyways!? Was he half tree? Was this message literal?

It didn't matter too much fore he was up to rising to any challenge in reality. While he wondered why he was chosen as a contender, it suggested that there were other ninja chosen as well. Admittedly, Kuraudo possessed no special skills yet. However he had clear potential. Perhaps this was simply a test of that potential, though a mountain climb wasn't that much of a challenge. His true ability wouldn't be able to flourish in this task, though he would grudgingly accept the tolling climb to the top which required so much effort...

He began walking towards the mountain, following the village's roads. He practiced balancing Chakra in his feet, allowing it to splash like a fluid motion of water as he walked. He'd been told in the academy that this way to maintain Chakra control, though he never had much trouble in that particular area. He would still regularly practice however. He had no interest in getting rusty. As he made his way to the edge of the road, a path was etched out for climbing the mountain. However, Kuraudo was foolish and would prefer to make his own path. And so he did. He chose wilderness over a trail and fought through trees, branches, barbs and rabid squirrels. As he reached the clearing towards the top, he imagined himself as looking quite a mess. The parts of his skin that'd been exposed, such as his face and neck, had scratches all over them. This was the result of his hard work.

He now stood before the house in which he was asked to come. It was clear that the wooden man would be inside, however Kuraudo wasn't sure he was ready to enter. He looked to the ground for clues and it was clear that others had already made their way here. Three shoe sizes could be seen in the snow. That led Kuraudo to believe that he'd definitely not been the only one invited here. Either this was an ambush or this was a gathering of a select group of folks. However he realized his own lack of importance for the moment and wondered why either scenario would be the situation. He swallowed all of his inquiry and made his way inside, slowly opening the door and entering.

(WC:593)

Katsuro had chosen to keep his motionless seated position on the floor as the first of his applicants arrived. With his head bowed, he had no line of sight on the first man to arrive but the brief introduction told him exactly who it was. Akki Setvixs. His personal favorite of the three but he would need quite a bit of work to be molded into the perfect shinobi for Kumogakure. His skill had been forged in the fires of battle and he would offer the same chance for anyone who allowed him to teach them. Which was basically what would happen with the Genin. They would be molded by their experiences of serving in the Task Force Lightning while he proved who was truly loyal out of the bunch.


Not long after Akki had arrived he heard the unmistakable sound of knocking again. This time it was quickly followed by the sound of a woman talking to Akki. Obviously it was the former Sungakure Jounin, Kasai Shiruku, the only female he had invited into the group and who was infamous for her nearly deadly boobhugging. He could barely stifle the smile on his hidden face as he listened to the girl. Apparently she had already met the young Setvixs and both were on relative good terms. Of course if those good terms developed into something more than a friendship, Katsuro would probably intervene. Relationships with your squad-mates often put everyone at more risk should something happen.


This time he heard no knocking on the door. Something he had asked them to do in his invitation. He ignored the fact that Akki and Kasai had chosen to not sit as he launched himself into action. Quick rocking motion of his body brought him to his feet before he brought his hands in front of him to form the ram handseal. He could only guess that it was his third member but he disregarded an order. Plus there was always a chance that it was an enemy.


"Wood Release: Blunt Stake."


As soon as the door opened enough to allow entry, the ground made a slight rumbling noise and then, like a bullet, a four inch by four inch block of wood flew out of the ground and raced towards Kuraudo's chest. Of course Katsuro would stop the block of wood before it could do any damage to the Genin. He just wanted to get the blood pumping in himself and his squad mates. He waited for the third member to actually get into the building before speaking.


"There are two things that were not followed through with. One. Kasai and Akki did not sit when they entered. I do not care for the reasoning behind it. Two. Our last member did not knock on the door before opening the door. I know what you are thinking. 'Why was I summoned out in the middle of nowhere to meet with a supposed Wooden Man when I could be doing things more constructive with my time.' There is only one explanation for this but before I reveal this I have one question for you. Are you willing to kill to protect our great village? Even if it means killing someone apart of the village who has been declared a traitor by the highest power."


He made sure to stare each of them in their eyes as he talked. His face remained entirely emotionless as he spoke, to hopefully add to the fear factor the three were feeling. Or they could not have been phased by the display or the speech. But what fun was that.

Jutsu:

The air was still and a certain tension seemed to hang above their heads as Akki stood up from the bow. He proceeded to get into the motions of sitting on his knees when there was a rapid succession of knocks coming from the closed door behind him. It opened to reveal a lascivious women, still knocking at the open air, like the blonde from her hair didnt show enough. That was when Akki heard a hiss come from the deep recesses of his mind. Lifting a single eye brow he looked once more at the figure standing in the doorway, her outfit standing starkly against the night sky, her too bubbly attitude seeming to penetrate the room like a poison cloud, her hair causing Akki to squint. Thats when it hit Akki, and his eyes widened slightly.

Its that vile woman with the giant fat filled sacks of flesh! Burn it! Burn it with fire!

Akki stood there stunned as the woman rushed to him, extending her arms around him and pulling him into a hug, shoving his head into her cleavage. Instinctively Akki wrapped his arms around her, and gripped the back of her shirt. His attempts were actually trying to pry her off, but it would have looked like he was hugging back. Her grip was something abnormal, and Akki had to shake his head slightly in order to allow small pockets of air to seep in so he could breathe. The woman's shirt would snag on one of his canine's, forcing him to use his tongue to try and get it unstuck, which in turn would cause his saliva to transfer from his tongue to her breast as it slid across her her skin.

Dammit boy pull out pull out! Youre making this look like some hentai in this shit!

The woman began repeatedly asking him questions as he tried to free himself for the sweet taste of the mountain air. She acted as if he could even respond! He could feel the warmth of her bosom seeping into his cheeks, and her bubbly personality seemed to permeate his soul. It was dreadful, and to top it off the natural reactions of the human body kicked in. Akki started to get aroused, forcing himself to think of the most sexually grotesque things (to him that is) that he could think of. His inner darkness started thrashing about, being bombarded with the cruel images, and Akki could hear it screaming inside of his head. That was when Akki noticed the man who sent them the message get up and head towards them.

Aww fuck, i'm in trouble...

Akki stood still, accepting his fate, but the man just walked past them and towards the door. That was when he saw the man perform a hand seal as another kumo nin walked in. The boy had forgotten to knock and the man must have used his insolence to make an example. A flat wooden beam appeared from the ground, stopping mere moments from the boy. Akki smiled in joy, as his assumption of the man being a senju was correct. That was when the man turned around and started talking again about being loyal, and doing anything for the village.

Akki was finally able to pull himself from the woman's grasp, ripping her shirt slightly, part of the cloth hanging from his enlarged canine. The area around her shirt, and on her skin, was moist with his saliva. He glared at her for a moment as he pulled the clothing from his mouth and threw it on the ground.

Sadly...i must say...i kind of enjoyed that.

Akki sighed and looked at the man, not even taking a second to ponder about killing people. He made a small salute with the tip of his front two fingers, aimed towards the wooden man. His eyes locked with the man's glare, keeping a hold on them and never wavering. Akki has seen things worse than death, a simple glare wouldnt frighten him.

"I'll do what i must for the village, even if it means ridding the world of those who wish to harm it. For kumo!"

[WC: 685]

She smiled at the boy gleefully before fixing her outfit up as best she could. "Well geez you didn't tell me you had the teeth of an inuzuka! I would have watched out for them..." She giggled puling a small pin from her hair to fix the dress to cover the hole. It was then that the man jumped up at the door with the wood jutsu at the entering member. She jumped in some shock then rolled her eyes into a smile as if to say she was relieved the boy wasn't killed by accident. She then heard the man's words that were somewhat annoyed but primarily strict. She put her hands to her hips in concern. "Well I didn't know we were supposed to sit, I just was in a rush to get here! It's so booooooooring around here anyhow!"

She then looked at his glare and perked up to a smile. Even with the note of killing others she was still happily going on. She looked at the room before speaking in a clear happy voice. "Well I'd have no problem with that, so long as it wasn't my own family...which then I'd have to burn the one who harmed them in a fiery blaze~" Even with such sharp words she was still smiling as if it was just a small demeanor. If anything she was willing and capable, that was what she knew however her family was a fairly stronger bond than any village. Perhaps that is why she was never made anbu. Her loyalty only faltered with her bloodlines and that was that. If he didn't like it then she'd have to explain it better and leave.

Of course she expected other's reactions to what she said however. This cheery young woman who hugged a boy till near suffocation and was an all around gleeful sight just gave out such a sharp and intimidating tone out of no where. She didn't expect the Wooden Man who had told them of this to react however, he's much to hardened for that, however the younger ones quite possibly could. You never know until they speak.

WC: 358
Total: 1059 wc

Upon his arrival, he was assaulted by what seemed to be a wooden block flying at his torso. While it was rather thick, it wasn't very hard to dodge. It moved at a relatively slow speed that gave Kuraudo a chance to react, jumping vertically into the air. He focused his chakra into his palm and the bottom of his feet, allowing him to stick to the wall and look down at his attacker like a hanging feline. He glared down causing an intensification in the air. The stress thickened like a dense cloud of smoke. "What the literal fuck old man!?" Kuraudo yelled at the man that was more than likely his superior.

He was forced to hike up a mountain, fight off rabid squirrels only to get ambushed by a grown man as two teens gawked at him. One saluted at him though it seemed to be of mockery. Kuraudo slid down the wall, safely planting himself on two feet. All the people in the room were seemingly Kumo ninja. However he still would have been killed had me moved a second later. This was all absolutely ridiculous. A drop of sweat from his brow ran into a cut in his flesh on the cheek, causing a stinging. [Color=gray]"You've got some nerve ya old coot."[color]

He noticed his sense of smell was either a bit off or simply overflowing with the scent of trees. Was it the mountains? Not to mention, his opponent used wood as a method of attack. It didn't take much for Kuraudo to realize what the wooden man really was. He pieced things together rather quickly before exasperating. "Old coot, You're a Senju?" He really hoped he hadn't just been banded in the wrong group of folks. All Kuraudo desired to do was grow up, become a Genin and take his hard earned place as a Raikage. He didn't want any of this extra business.

He simply watched the over excited Kuraudo shout at him for his life's troubles. Or something like that. As soon as he felt the change in tension in the air he began ignoring the cat boy. He simply listened to the other answers as he was being yelled at. Just like he suspected, Akki was an extremely loyal individual and it looked to have been a good idea to have him on the top of his list of Genin candidates. The entire time, despite having ignored him, he never took his eyes off of the suspected airhead that he had chosen to take the second Genin position. Then he listened to Kasai's explanation. Nearly as expected, though he didn't expect her to say she didn't have a problem with it. He more expected her to say something along the lines of 'I would do almost anything. Dead bodies are kinda scary.' Though he probably expected that because of her outward personality. In continuation with the stare down, he gave a mental shrug before turning his listening back to Kuraudo just in time to hear him ask if he was a Senju. Before giving an audible, he took a step towards the Genin.


"If I had wanted to kill you, kid, I would have done it. If you look," he pointed towards the beam of wood sticking out of the floor, "it never would have reached you. And yes I have Senju DNA in me." In actuality he was surprised none of the shinobi had heard of the Jounin teacher who routinely put his students through a grueling training regime. That he had nearly ended one of his Genin's careers during a training bout. "Now answer the question, kid. Are you willing to kill to protect our village? Even if it means killing someone you know or love?"


As he waited for an answer from the Genin, Katsuro reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a sealed document the held the seal of the Kage, which the people in the room could clearly make out. The document detailed that the holder was a member of a Task Force authorized by the Kage and no one was to interfere in their business. It was basically a license to kill anyone they thought deserved killing. And should Kuraudo's answer be satisfactory, he would hand it to Kasai first. She had fought her way to a Jounin position in Sunagakure and was able to keep the rank after arriving in Kumogakure with her family. He would let her read how it basically says:


'The holder of this document is an agent of the Raikage tasked with protecting the village at all costs. No Kumogakure shinobi are authorized to interfere with their business as long as they hold this document on their person.' At the end of the document contained the signature and seal of the Kage yet again.


Katsuro would wait for her to finish reading it before passing it to Akki and then to Kuraudo. He would let each of them read it as many times as it took for them to understand what the situation was before he would reclaim the document and light it on fire with his zippo, careful to burn every scrap into ash. "You each have earned a place on this Task Force should you want it. If you think you cannot do the duty entailed in the letter then you need to leave, forget about this place, and forget about those who choose to stay. Before I continue I need your answers. Do you want to serve your village? You must know that what you do will never be known about to the public. You will go down in history books as a regular shinobi who did nothing special. If you are a person who wants to have their name written down in the history books then this outfit is not for you. You will never earn medals. You will not be buried with honors should you die on a mission. You will be a ghost to the people you love and to the people you protect. The village will not know your name. It is very likely you will die while carrying out your duties as a member of this Task Force. If any of this does not suit any of you," he paused to look each in the eye, "then you are, again, free to leave right now and forget this ever happened." He pulled out three more envelopes from his pocket and held them out. "If you would like to take on this terrible burden then take a letter but do not open it." He held two letters in his left hand and one in the right. He didn't know how they would respond to the risks and outcomes of joining the Task Force.


He had a sneaking suspicion that Akki would accept without a thought against it. He suspected that Kasai would take it after some hesitation. As for Kuraudo, he had no idea what the young Genin would do. He was a hothead and might not have a love for their village.

Akki watched as the boy jumped jumped onto the wall, right next to the ceiling. Akki thought to himself what a waste of chakra, even if he was using only tree climbing practice to grapple the side of the shack. The man continued to talk to the boy after everyone else had made their statement. Akki was surprised that Kasai accepted, her jovial personality seeming to  light and not at all endearing to accept such an outrageous task. The man seemed pleased with Akki's response, and that was always a good sign. Might get some extra stuff for being a fan favorite he assumed. After finishing berating the boy the man pulled out a scroll with the seal of the kage written on it, which interested Akki.  The man opened the scroll, its paper tan in color and seaming to crackle as it opened, obviously proving the paper old.

Kasai was shown it first, she not taking much time to read it, it seemed, and then on to Akki. Akki read the paper carefully...
'The holder of this document is an agent of the Raikage tasked with protecting the village at all costs. No Kumogakure shinobi are authorized to interfere with their business as long as they hold this document on their person'
As Akki read this he made sure to save a mental image of the letter in his mind, making sure his inner darkness was present and wide awake while reading. As Akki finished reading he straightened his back, standing back in the position he was before reading. Thoughts started running through his head, thoughts of how he could do things and no one could get involved or interfere, thoughts of how this task force gave him higher priority than normal, thoughts of the things to come.

Do you know what this means, boy?

Yea, i am WELL aware of this.

We will be able to reach our goal even faster now.

I know, and without prying eyes as well.

Akki smiled to himself.

Oh i know that look.

The darkness chuckled with its demonic voice inside his head as the man showed the last boy the letter. It was too good to be true, this new found power Akki could already feel beginning to permeate his very core. The man continued to go on, explaining about serving the village, and how this group wouldnt become famous. How their actions will be kept a secret.

Even better!

How they would be ghosts to the village, might die on missions, and if thats what they didnt want they could leave now. This was too good an opportunity for Akki to pass up, he was actually excited, yet he held in his joy and happiness at the new position. After finishing his speech the maan pulled out three envelopes, obviously specific rules or instructions would be encased in these paper cages. Akki, without much hesitation, reached for the envelope in the man's right hand, the envelope that stood alone among its peers. He had to fully focus on his muscle movements as to not reach out with a quick motion and snatch the paper. Akki slid the envelope in one of his side pouches, zipping it closed for safety.

Akki awaited the final order, one that was probably to leave and read the envelope in solitude, then destroy it. He was fighting the urge to smile like a raving lunatic, the envelope burning in his pouch, wanting to be read by his eyes and held in his hands. He couldnt wait to see its contents...

[WC: 583]

She nodded to his answers and once was given the post first to read she read it over then smiled widely. "Oh wow! Such an honor isn't it?" She said still looking it over before passing it to the next to read. The paper was a bit dingy and riddled with old marks here and there with it's orange hue. She barely dusted her hands off from the parchment before listening on about it and what is to be done for it. She listened about the non-publicity of this act, the fact she'd be nothing more than another shinobi and she almost started to laugh in such a serious situation. "That's all I need, but being known as the most cheery person doesn't count does it?" She asked in such a gleeful manner.

She then looked at the posts of letters and seemed to see the three with one in the right hand snatched quickly by the boy she knew. She picked out one of the envelopes on the left hand and smiled an odd kind of smile. "I'd rather have something to do anyhow, and I certainly wouldn't want my actions known anyway." She then looked to Akki seeing his excited smile from this opportunity. She then turned her attention to the last boy of the room who hadn't done much other than nearly been impaled and walk on the walls whining on it. Of course she didn't mind this, her happy nature wouldn't allow her to mind it anyhow. "Aw why such a rude tongue! Does someone need a hug to fix that attitude?" She giggled slightly at the boy on the doorway. It was sort of a friendly and happy manner she said it but something in the sentence was also part of a threat. She had much more respect for those over herself, even that of another village. Once again reiterating she could have been anbu if not for her wild personality.

WC: 326
Total: 1385 wc

So much information flooded the mind of the young Kumo Genin. He had indeed heard of a man who absolutely tortured his students. While Kuraudo was definitely in need of a ninja squad, was this the one for him? He was going to be the Raikage one day, and for that he had to be known. There was no way that he could remain an anomaly. A ghost could never become the leader of their country, however this was an opportunity that seemed not too many were given.

"The holder of this document is an agent of the Raikage tasked with protecting the village at all costs. No Kumogakure shinobi are authorized to interfere with their business as long as they hold this document on their person"

The evidence of this business was clear. They were to be raised to become shadows. Shadows that stick to surfaces and hide from the others. He would basically become nothing. His parents would probably be informed that he was dead or something of the sort. He'd be taken off the shinobi roster. He would be gone, isolated from the rest of the village. His head hung as his hair rested on his face.

"Listen here ya coot. You're absolutely crazy if you think I'll disappear forever. I'm gonna be the Raikage, get it straight. However..." His eyes closed as he imagined his uncles expression finding out that his nephew had died. He fought off tears of obvious reason, never changing his angered expression from earlier. "I will die for now. But don't get it wrong. I will be reborn one day." The determination was obvious on his face. He would endure the torturous training with utmost rigour. He wouldn't be beaten by this Senju. Besides, the Senju were known for their brawn, perhaps he could pick up a thing or two.

Hesitantly, Kuraudo extended his hand and accepted the letter. He looked at the other two in the room and wondered how the other two accepted so quickly. The girl seemed rather nice. Though there was something off about the guy, like he had some sort of anxiety. It was clear in his eyes.

WC: 363

Katsuro watched eagerly as each letter was removed from his hand one at a time. The first was the very eager Akki and then was the the former-Suna Jounin. And the last was more hesitantly taken by the last member of the group, Kuraudo. Katsuro didn't know but the kid seemed sad when he took the sealed letter. Probably was thinking about what an opportunity it was to work with Katsuro Michiki in a squad where it wasn't likely you would get abused mentally and physically. He looked over the currently rag-tag group of shinobi as he thought about the task at hand. He was to get this lot to Yukigakure and to assist Sabo in his invasion of the village there.


He would probably have to approach the former Raikage alone, without visible support of his squad and make contact. Then he would assist as much as he could in the battle and have his squad on standby should he need assistance. This was probably something he could do by himself but he didn't want to leave anything to chance should he slip up at some point.


He looked back over his group and gave a smile. "For those of you who don't know, I am Katsuro Michiki. Head of the Michiki family in Kumogakure and have simply more than Senju DNA. My family is said to be descended from the the founders of Konohagakure. My loyalty has always been to Kumogakure and will always be to Kumogakure. I have watched you three for a long time and it is from this watching that I have decided you three are the most fit for this job." He didn't mention that fact he didn't look at any ANBU for the position. "Now. We will be starting rather fast. I already have our mission. We must go to Yukigakure and assist in the invasion there led by former Raikage, Garuda Uchiha. I will make contact while you three wait near the gates for my signal. When that signal comes, you will come in from 3 different directions and focus on the person I am fighting. We will then return to our homes victorious. As for right now, you three return to your beds and meet me at the gate tomorrow morning."


He nodded to his three squad-mates before assuming his sitting position on the floor. He had to work out a combat plan for the oncoming battle.

Akki payed attention to the man as he stood there, explaining his name, his position, and his goal. The goal of the team actually. The inside of the shack was now almost pitch black save the light of the moon creeping through a single window. The air seemed to thicken as katsuro finished his speech, and told them to go home and rest.  Akki waited for a moment, pondering what the other people might do, and what the envelope in his pocket contained. He looked down for a moment, running a mass variety of thoughts through his head. His inner darkness thought with him, the two of them shooting ideas back and forth in a matter of seconds. Akki then looked out the window for a moment, the moon reflecting off of his dark eyes.

Without hesitation, or saying goodbye to anyone, Akki turned around and headed out the door. He let the door close behind him of its own will as he followed the same winding path down the mountain that he came up. He slid down rocky paths, used a few trees to avoid some obstacles, and hopped over a small cliff. The moon gave him more than enough light to see, as he was more than well accustomed to the dark. Akki landed at the base of the mountain, and started heading home. Even for it being in the middle of the night, the village was still busy with the nightly hustle and bustle. Akki continued to walk, keeping his head down and his thoughts straying to the dark areas of his brain. His feet slowly came in contact with the ground each step he took. His hands were placed in his pockets, resting there as he slightly hunched himself. Akki heard a slight rumble in the distance, pausing for a moment to look at the sky. In the distance he saw thunder clouds rolling in, and a few strikes of lightning as well jumping from cloud to cloud. Akki sighed and let his head fall back down to its original place.

Akki reached his small abode, and walked in, then slowly closed the door behind him. His candle was still burning though it was almost fully burned out. Akki crawled onto his bed, laying on top of all the blankets, flopping onto his back and looking at the ceiling. Akki lay there for a moment, his mind blank before he drifted off into a sleep filled with nightmares he enjoyed.

[exit]

[WC: 413]

She looked at the closed envelop with such curiosity that she almost looked like a cat with string in it's face. However she soon set that curiosity aside and listened about the strategies the leader was compelling to the rest. More so he mentioned a Senju DNA he had within himself. So that's why he had wood jutsu, she pondered in her head. However whatever he may be she just knew he was the leader giving out orders, that's all. From what he said however she was a bit confused, Yukigakure where was that, and how would she get there. Not to mention it 's an invasion, there would be plenty of places she could get found or be attacked, then again she was a distraction. A huge target who could run quickly and avoid trouble whilst others could get by, sounds like her use would be useful here. Not to mention it was one person, whether strong or not it was just one and not many so she didn't have to worry on multiple targets.

It took her a while before she nodded to Katsuro. She then took the letter in a much tighter grip and begun to walk out of there with a huge smile instilled upon her face. Once she was out of the doorway she jumped for joy and was cheering in such a happy way. It didn't take her long to pull out her weapon from her back and use it to stab the mountain so she could get down easily. It was so late in the night and she was tired, even with as much energy as she spends in her gleeful moments. She gave out a yawn before finally making it to the bottom and swinging her weapon to fit on her back once more. She then begun to walk to her home, the clacks of her steps echoing in the empty streets that stayed asleep. Once she finally reached there she closed the door behind herself, put her weapon on the wall and then headed to her room where she took her hair down and it brushed like a mane of a horse over her shoulders. it took her a minute but she traded her clothes for a more comforting sleep wear, finally she made it to her bed and fell onto it harshly beginning to sleep in a awkward position however the exhaustion her body went through didn't allow her to straighten up anyhow. Even so it seemed she didn't care either as she begun to dream.

WC: 426
Total: 1811 wc

Upon the administration of their letters, Kuraudo didn't open his. It stayed sealed as he assumed if he was a true shadow he would never need to use it in any situation. He watched his peers toyed with their own, unsealing it and observing them. His new "teacher" gave a large lecture on the fact that he was a splinter from the clan of wood. Immediately after that he explained that the squad was already planning to go on a mission so soon. They would travel to Yukigakure to meet up with the former Raikage. Much antics.

Upon the witness of the exit of his new teammates, Kuraudo was tempted to stay back and inform his Sensei of how useless he would be in a fight. He had no particular Jutsu set and barely knew how to harness the lightning from his Chakra. He had absolutely no clue what to do in a proper combat situation. It would be selfish of him to not inform his sensei of such. He stepped closer to the wall and said, Katsuro-san... I'm not exactly skilled at... Well anything yet. I haven't had a teacher so I haven't been taught and new techniques... I can use my lightning Chakra to make sparks... But that's about it." A thousand different things rushed through his head at that moment. He was so far behind his peers. Kasai obviously had some sort of strength and Akki seemed to have a sense of power within his lack of compassion as well. As for the teacher himself, well he was a Senju! They were one of the two strongest clans in all of the old world. A simply, Jutsu lacking, clan lacking Genin had no chance at keeling up with them. Surely he would be kicked out immediately. He would need another way to fulfill his uncles dream and become the Raikage for him.

WC:317

He had just opened the door to retreat down into his Mind Palace to begin drawing up battles plans when he heard a voice that brought him back down to full consciousness. It was the fourteen year old Kuraudo who seemed a mite disrespectful. Keeping his normal lackadaisical expression on his face, he casually pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tapped one out of the pack before lighting it with a quick flourish of his zippo. He inhaled the cherry flavored smoke into his lungs as he listened to the young Genin air his concerns about...himself. Well that one was new. Normally people didn't tell the truth about their abilities. Even he did it on occasion when he wanted to embellish. He exhaled the smoke with a deep sigh as he nodded to what the Genin has said.


"This is true. You did not show any aptitude in any one area of a shinobi. You can barely perform ninjutsu. You can are adequate at taijutsu. And you are even deplorable in some areas. But here you are. Did you not think there was a reason behind this? That I don't know what I am doing when I gauge the abilities of a shinobi?" Paused to rock himself onto his feet like he did when Kuraudo first came into the building. "You have something you can't get from training or from having a prodigious clan. You have something that you have to be born with. You have heart. Not many shinobi would have insulted someone who they know is faster and stronger than them. You have heart. Even the bravest shinobi would think twice about back-talking someone that is known for beating children up. And not many people would tell their boss that he doesn't trust in his abilities let alone someone who his comrade in arms." He extended two fingers and attempted to poke Kuraudo in the chest above where his heart is. "Trust in your love of the village and you will go far in the shinobi world. Trust in that and you will achieve your dreams."


Katsuro knew that sometimes a soft hand was needed more than an iron fist when instilling confidence in a young shinobi. Waited to see if Kuraudo had anything else to say before he would once again resumed his seated position on the floor. If Kuraudo had chosen to leave, Katsuro would wait until Kuraudo was about to step outside the building before he would say, "The road will be tough for you but any fame or title you earn will be one you earned without the assistance of a last name like Senju or Uchiha or any of those other clans. Something that people will say 'He earned that by himself with his own sweat, blood, and tears'."

His new mentors soothing voice allowed the violent shaking in his hands to cease. After a few moments of silence, Katsuro-san began to tell him of things such as aspiration. While he acknowledged that the Genin was currently paling in comparison to his team mates, he mentioned that fact that Kuraudo had heart. As he said this, Kuraudo's own hand made its way to his left chest, feeling the rhythmic beats that his soul muscle gave off. He couldn't change the rapid pace at which it was moving. 'Heart...' He thought to himself. 'With that... I'll catch up.'

Succeeding his teammates was the first thing on his to do list. It would most likely take some time, probably even years. However that was more than enough time for greatness. Rome wasn't built in a day but through diligence and hard work. He would get stronger without a clan. His team would likely help him along the way, but for the majority of the way his strength would have to come from himself. His heart would be put to work. And through his experiences, his heart would grow stronger.

Before exiting, Kuraudo looked at his new sensei in a new light. He pounded his left chest with his right hand and shouted "Osu!" He wouldn't make Katsuro-San regret his decision. He would be proud. After the chest beat, Kuraudo turned around and went through the door. Though as he did, he heard the last words of his sensei and almost began to tear up. He was reminded of his uncle, though he wasn't sure exactly why. Just that he'd shared this feeling with someone else once before. And with that, he walked home. He made his way to his house and was home within an hour. Upon asking how his day was, he replied to his mother telling her that it was nothing out of the ordinary. He placed himself under his bed sheets and closed his eyes before once again drifting into a deep sleep, eager for the sun to rise.

[Exit]
WC: 342

Katsuro smiled as his Genin left the building. He had definitely chosen right for his squad.

{End Thread}