Open Darting to Destiny: Building Bonds that Last

[Chikamatsu Shin]

It was once again a break the young shinobi had between missions. With the new promotion to Genin, the young man finally felt like he was making strides to become a notable shinobi. It is hard for him to believe that only has he finally proven himself enough to graduate, but he has been given teammates that are to be with him until at least the rank of Chuunin. Sitting a top of the hand of the more northern figure he could hear the crashing waters below him. WIth his newly acquaired headband in the palm of his hands he had a soft glow to him.

"Yamanaka Shusuke, Genin of Konohagakure, soon to be Captain of his very own ANBU Squad."

He nearly chuckled at the thought of it. To think, everything that Asuka-Godaime and Daiji-Sensei put him through has accumulated to this. Shishiwakamaru-kun and Haniki-chan were going to be by his side for all of it. He truly felt, in his soul, they were going to make a difference. His eyes overlooked the forest and running water. He rarely got a chance to spend time out here away from everything and everyone, but he was going to soak in this moment. Tying his headband back to his side he extended his arms and laid back onto the stone statue of a now forgotten hero...

...or perhaps the villain?

He couldn't remember the stories of these two aside from the fact that they were friends that came to clashes. He knew that the hero that prevailed helped find the Land of Fire and the Village Hidden in the Leaves. But the name was lost. Both of their names were lost. He was curious if this relationship has repeated throughout history. He didn't know how often friends ended up clashing with one another to the point where their friendships ended and lives lost.

Closing his eyes his mind kept wandering. Would he every have to come to that point with Shishiwakamaru or Haniki?

He hoped not...

...for their sake.

 

[Hoshirei]

It was not very often that Hoshirei allowed herself the luxury of coming out to the Valley of the End just for relaxation, but today was certainly one of those days. The clan elders were getting on her nerves again, asking about the next generation of Isaki. Yes, she understood that she and Maki needed to choose someone to succeed them should they both fall in battle, but the pressure on Hoshirei to provide that heir was annoying. Who were they to tell her what to do with her body? Perhaps she needed to start putting a firmer foot down instead of skirting the question. Boundaries were important after all and if they couldn't get that through their thick skulls, she would just find a way to pound it into them.

She came out of the woods leading up to the river and took a deep breath. Her eyes closed of their own accord and she allowed the sound of flowing water to temporarily engulf her senses. It would not due to relax fully while outside the village, but a moment of respite is really all she needed. She walked closer to the cliff's edge and saw a young man sitting on the statue's hand. It seemed that someone else likely had a similar idea to hers. Hoshirei traipsed up to the base of the statue, getting a good look at the young man on the statue. He was fairly young, but she knew there were some rather advanced shinobi who were young, so she did not automatically assume he was a genin. It was possible, but either way, it was still an impressive show of control to sit on the statue's hand.

She climbed up the statue to sit on the head, using chakra to stick herself to the statue without causing damage. She did make certain to make enough noise to alert the young man of her presence. After all, she didn't want to startle him off his perch. After a few moments, she decided to speak and said, "Hello. Beautiful day, isn't it?"
_________________________________________________________________

Spoiler: WC

WC: 344

 

[Shishiwakamaru]

​

A brilliant hue of colors dazzled Shi's eyes as he gazed upon the beautiful rainbow that was created by the falling waters. It brought a smile to his face, seeing such things. To him it represented a promise, a promise that would reassure him of good things to come. The sound of the rushing azure-esk water helped to drown out the sound of village responsibilities in his mind. It was a most welcome reprieve to venture out this far from the village. The newly attained title of Genin gave him more freedom than that of a mere student. It was a blessing he would be sure not to abuse, it would not be in his character to do as such.

Looking upwards Shishiwakamaru would squint his eyes as the sun's glare obscured his vision a bit. He could see two people atop a statue, one on the hand, the other hanging above him clinging the the rocky side of the statue. He did not immediately recognize the two, but he would be quick to investigate. He didn't expect there to be others out here, apparently it was a popular spot to hang out. As Shi neared the side of the monumental statue he wondered how he would get up there. He was not fully under control of his chakra these days, the tumor was getting worse and made it difficult to concentrate. But he had an idea that would fit his style. With a flick of his wrists multiple strings of chakra would fly out from his fingertips and grasp the statue like anchors. And so the climb began...

It would only take him a minute or so to reach the top, he was slightly out of breath from the climb. But Shishi would quickly gain his composure as he realized one of the figures was non other that Shusuke-kun. The other person, a older lady by the looks of it, spoke about the nature of today. "You can say that again, I can't believe how wonderful the day is turning out." Hoping onto the hand that Shusuke was lying upon he would extend his hand outward to help him up if he wanted. "I was wondering where you ran off to, you doing ok, Shu?" Putting a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun he would look upwards towards the woman. "The name's Shishiwakamaru, who are you, ma'am?" With a polite tone he would introduce himself to the stranger. Hopefully she was not some foreign ninja about to gank two newly created genin...

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

Shusuke was trying to have a nice easy-going day free of people where he could convince himself that there truly was peace in the world. He knew that there was a harmony that some ninja had with nature, and he felt like he should have this connection as well being a member of the Yamanaka Clan with their connection to flowers. Letting out a sigh when he sensed someone arrive her tried his best to ignore them, that was until a second person began to arrive. looking over, finally, he noticed a winded Shishiwakamaru approaching him with his hand outreached.

Grabbing his friend's and he quickly pulled back the other and balled his hand into a fist as Shishiwakamaru began to speak. "I am just fine, you're supposed to be resting aren't you?" As he spoke he swung his left fist into his friend's shoulder, a little harder than a payful jab to try and get the point across. His once calm brows drop into a scowl at his out of breath teammate. "The last thing we need is to have a medic called out here for you.' Exasperated as always, Shusukes dusted off his pants before finally looking over at the woman.

...She looks like there's more to her than meets the eyes...

He drops his hands and connects the ring finger of his left hand with the thumb triggering his Yamanaka Style: Third Eye Blind jutsu to connect his mind with that of his friend. `Be careful, I don't know who this is, and being out of the village she could pose a threat to us if she so chooses. She gives off a strong Chakra Signature that I can feel with my Chakra Sense.` His mouth unmoving as he telepathically communicates with Shishiwakamaru and eyes the woman over.

Spoiler: Yamanaka Style: Third Eye Blind

CRPJ's Effect: This allows the user to connect mentally with anyone within a close proximity, approximately half a kilometer. The recipient of this connection can feel Yamanka's extended use of Audial Genjutsu and the two may communicate telepathically by the use of hearing each other speak despite not being near one anoher, but the connection is easy to sever and requires no more effort than it does to blink to break the said connection. As the connected individuals move further away the delay in the message increases and the volume in which the message is heard is diminished until the limits are met and the connection is automatically severed.

 

[Hoshirei]

Hoshirei watched another young man come over to the river and climb up the statue using chakra strings. Hoshirei was a bit impressed at his ingenuity in all honesty. She was also happy to see the first young man helping the other finish his climb, though he did seem a bit annoyed at his apparent friend for making the climb. She heard that the second boy was supposed to be resting and grew a bit concerned. She would definitely offer to escort them back to the village once they got that far and even carry him if he got too tired. The second young man introduced himself as Shishiwakamaru and Hoshirei smiled at him. She shifted how she was sitting to make the hitai-ate around her waist more apparent to them.

"My name is Hoshirei. It's nice to meet you, Shishiwakamaru. And you as well, Shu was it?" she asked while making eye contact with the blue-eyed blonde boy. She could tell he was a bit warier than his companion, which could keep him alive if he ever came across someone not from the village. "I'm a jounin from the village," she said as she lifted her hitai-ate belt so the light could catch on the leaf engraving upon it before dropping it back into place. "It is nice to make use of our surroundings when there are no missions to be had. I generally favor Hokage Rock, but I wanted to see the river today." Hoshirei reached behind her and pulled her braided hair over her shoulder. She then proceeded to un-braid it, allowing the young men to see her in a more relaxed state. She knew encountering a random shinobi could be daunting and did not want to come across as scary to them.

As a habit, Hoshirei cast her eyes around the area looking out for anything out of the ordinary, including a bothersome summon who would sometimes show up at random or ghosts who wanted a chat. Nothing struck her as odd so far, but she would keep an eye out. She had two people to protect right now, even if they could probably handle themselves against many of the weaker possibilities they could encounter.

 

[Shishiwakamaru]

With a clinched fist Shusuke rose to meet Shishiwakamaru. "I am just fine, you're supposed to be resting aren't you?" As he spoke he swung his left fist into Shi's shoulder, a scowl forming in response to Shi's arrival. A swift punch to the shoulder caused Shi to recoil in pain. "Ow! The heck was that for?!" Shi didn't understand why Shu would be upset, but he would soon find out. "The last thing we need is to have a medic called out here for you.' Oh... That's why. Still worrying too much over the safety of his friend I see. It was cute, in a way, how he worried about his friend. More so that he resorted to physical violence to show it. Someone isn't in their executive state...

"My name is Hoshirei. It's nice to meet you, Shishiwakamaru. And you as well, Shu was it?" Shishi would smile back at the women and respond. "Hoshirei, that's a pretty name." Resorting to flattery wasn't meant to be just so, he was just being kind and polite, as Shi often was. Suddenly a voice cut through the mold, a familiar sound rang throughout his mind. `Be careful, I don't know who this is, and being out of the village she could pose a threat to us if she so chooses. She gives off a strong Chakra Signature that I can feel with my Chakra Sense.` Shi glanced over to Shusuke and responded in his mind. "Wait, really? We're so fucked if something happens, she feels really strong to me. What do we do?" Shi was already formulating some ideas as to how best deal with the women should she attack. But he wasn't confident that they would prevail given the power level he was reading off this Kunoichi.

"I'm a jounin from the village," she said as she lifted her hitai-ate belt so the light could catch on the leaf engraving upon it before dropping it back into place. "It is nice to make use of our surroundings when there are no missions to be had. I generally favor Hokage Rock, but I wanted to see the river today." Shi's shoulders suddenly relaxed upon sight of the headband with Leaf's engraving. Thank goodness it wasn't an enemy. Shishi was so relieved he didn't even consider the possibility that they simply could have stolen the headband. But he was young and naïve, something that he would have to grow out of in the future. "Samesies! The waterfall is so beautiful when the sun is shining. I saw a rainbow down there just now, such amazing, much wow. haha." Already infatuated with the older woman's status, or rather how strong she felt. She surely had to be a Jounin or higher even. Oh the stories she could tell! Shi had to know more about this women. "You seem like you know how to handle yourself, you have any cool mission stories you could tell us?" He asked most inquisitively. Shi glanced back toward Shu. "I think she's safe, I don't sense any hostility from her, do you?" It was true they were never truly safe, but honestly this women seemed legit to Shishiwakamaru.

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

Shusuke's eyes never shift as he keeps an eyes on her. `I don't sense hostility, no...` He makes sure to position himself slightly between Shishiwakamaru and himself, in a non-confrontational manner, also like he was just stepping up to speak. "The sound of the crashing water really helps clear your mind, and the spray of the cool mist raising from the falls are wonderful." He looked at Shishi as he spoke about the various missions she has gone on and that peaked his interest some.

Turning back towards her he raised an eyebrow. "How many people have you killed?" His childlike curiosity peaked. He personally has taken the life of four people who were a threat to the commonwealth of Konohagakure. He wondered what sort of body count a higher level shinobi would have, if any. That would truly be the threat level he would assign to this self proclaimed Jounin of Leaf.

((Sorry for shorter post))

 

[Hoshirei]

Until Hoshirei heard Shishiwakamaru comment on the rainbow created in the spray of the waterfall, she had been ignoring it. She took a moment to admire the beauty of it with a small smile. She then registered the young man's shortened phrases brought to mind her fox summon, Kayo. She could almost picture the summon's face if she compared the young one to her and could not help but make a small huff of amusement. "The sound of crashing water really helps clear your mind," the other boy said, "and the spray of the cool mist raising from the falls are wonderful." Hoshirei nodded and hummed in agreement. The mist would certainly make a hot day more bearable if one came in the summer.

The first boy asked about any missions she had been on and Hoshirei tilted her head a bit, trying to think about an instance she could tell the boys about that might be cool to them. She was not sure any of the missions she had been on were particularly flashy, especially since she tended to be pulled for missions that dealt more with information gathering. While she was thinking, the other boy asked about her kill count. It was not a bad way to determine how much of a threat another person could be, though counts could be misleading. Her own was not incredibly high, but some of the circumstances around the kills were interesting. "Most of my missions deal with information gathering. Sneaking into and out of places is kind of my specialty," she said with a mischievous grin. "Most of the time right now I am teaching the younger generation. I did go on a diplomatic trip to Kiri and Suna around the time our village's relations with Kiri soured. That was an interesting conversation."

She shook her head to rid herself of the memory and moved on. "As for a kill count, do not let the low number deceive you. I have killed 8 people. A few of them were people purposefully sent to kill me." Her grin was almost shark-like as she recalled removing Nobu's head from his shoulders and she blasely added on, "Clan politics can be a bit of a bitch."

_______________________________________________________________________
WC: 370
OOC: Don't worry about the shorter post. Still got plenty out of it.

 

[Shishiwakamaru]

Shishiwakamaru listened intently as Hoshirei regaled them with the story of how she normally went about her missions. An intelligent and sneaky intel gatherer, Shi appreciated this. Being a Nara meant he did well among the shadows. Although upon mentioning Sunagakure Shi's disposition turned sour as he recalled the news about the attack on the gate. Not a lot of information was given to him, but he had rumors that the one that did it came from Suna. Soon he would be a Chuunin and would be able to read the actual report to gather more information about the incident.

Shi's eyes grew wide as Hoshirei told them she and taken the lives of eight people. For someone like Shi, who's never seen death in such a fashion and never taken a life himself, the number felt high to him. Regardless of Hoshirei saying to not let the low number deceive them. The young Nara wondered if he too would have people sent to assassinate him. He shuddered at the thought. Pushing his luck he worked up the courage to ask Hoshirei about the incident at the gate. "Say, Hoshirei, you wouldn't be able to tell me any details about the attack on our gates a while back, could you? Like who it was that did it?" Shi needed to know, he had to avenge his father's death. While Shishiwakamaru was not malicious in nature, his blood often boiled at the thought of who it might have been. Someday, somehow he would track the individual down and take their life. He swore it.

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

Shusuke raised an eyebrow as he heard the woman before him talk about her usual type of work. Almost sounded like she was a member of the ANBU Black Ops. His eyes narrowed as he looked her up and down. She may be a member of the Black Ops, but Shusuke wouldn't find out until he passed his assessments and was recruited by the branch. "Only eight as a Jounin? I just became a Genin and already have four under my belt." He looked over to Shishiwakamaru. "And I am sure between the two of us we match your body count. Are you su-" He instantly stopped talking when he saw Shishiwakamaru's body language change. An attack at the gates? When was this? Shusuke wouldn't lie and say he kept up with the news in the village, hell until recently all of his time outside of class was dedicated to training to become a Genin, almost Chuunin, at the age of ten.

His once curious face fades away and it was replaced with genuine concern. Why was Shishi-kun seemingly upset about an attack at the gates. Stepping slightly closer, Shusuke's little finger would gently reach out to grab the little finger on his friend's hand. `Is everything okay? You seem tense about this...`

 

[Hoshirei]

Hoshirei could not help but frown a bit when the young genin before her seemed so blasé about having already taken four lives. He seemed a bit young to have done so, but she believed him. If he was a genin so young, he must be skilled in what he does. She knew of a few younger children in her clan that were promising. The apparent Yamanaka was probably a bit of a prodigy in his clan. Hoshirei had noted that the other boy was almost the opposite from his friend. He possibly had not killed anyone yet which Hoshirei found a bit more standard for genin, especially a newer one. "It's not a competition, Shu. I have killed in defense of this village and of my family. It is enough to know I have sent people on to the next plane of existence. I do find myself happy to not have seen them since then. They could be avoiding me, but I highly doubt it."

Shishiwakamaru seemed to be drawing up a spot of courage before he asked her about an incident at the gates a while back. Her frown was back, but this time her brow also furrowed in concentration. "I'd heard something about an incident at the gates, but I hadn't looked into it much. I did hear about a shinobi going down as a result, but not much else. Guarding our gate can be dangerous and it is always sad when one of our own passes," she said truthfully. She hadn't heard much in the last year, as focused on her clan as she had been but now she was curious. Was the young man related to the man who lost his life, or was he worried about a possible invasion? She'd have to see if she could view the reports surrounding the incident.

 

[Shishiwakamaru]

The gentle caress of Shusuke's pinky finger startled Shishiwakamaru, perhaps even a little bit of confusion. Not that he was against holding hands, but it just seemed odd that Shu would so willingly come into physical contract with Shishi. Gently rubbing his own pinky up against Shu-kun's he would finally take it in his own. Holding tightly he would tense up, a fluttering feeling in his stomach came out of nowhere. `Is everything okay? You seem tense about this...` Shusuke's voice would ring out in his mind, telling Shi that their minds were now connected. Shi would be quick to respond, still nervous not only about holding Shu's finger, but the subject matter at hand. 'It's hard for me to talk about, but... I know I can trust you.' He started, still listening to Hoshirei in the outside world. Being a Nara he had learned how to multitask, even with multiple conversations. 'My father was killed in that attack, you see. And the one that did it came from Sunagakure. I have to avenge his death, Shu-kun, I just have to...

Unsatisfied with the answer Hoshirei gave his expression saddened. 'So she doesn't know... that really fucking sucks' A telltale sign that Shishiwakamaru was upset, he never cursed, or at least not in public and not very often. "Oh, I see. I was hoping you would at least have some sort of information." Still connected to Shusuke's mind Shi would reveal to him that he was leaving. 'I'm gonna go, I'm not feeling very well' Shishi would release his hold on Shusuke's finger and give a half-assed wave to Hoshirei. "Well, I should be going. Nao-san is probably wondering where I am. It was really nice to meet you Hoshirei." And with that Shi would begin to talk away.

[OOC - Leaving topic unless stopped]

 

[Chikamatsu Shin]

A startled look was clear as day of Shusuke’s face as Shishiwakamaru responded telepathically. He sat there and listened to the conversation between the Jounin and the Genin while maintaining his connection to his friend. Shusuke knew about Haniki’s family but he realized he knew practically nothing about Shishiwakamaru’s personal life, let alone his family. ”It was nice to meet you Senpai, but I want to make sure he makes it home okay.” He says to Hoshirei as Shishiwakamaru starts to leave before following after his friend, breaking the mental connection so that his friend can have privacy in his mind again.

[topic left]

 

[Hoshirei]

Hoshirei watched the interplay on the two student's faces. Now she was really interested in the incident at the gates and was determined to look into it further. Maybe if she found something she could track Shishiwakamaru down and let him know what she found. She smiled at them softly as they said their goodbyes. "Goodbye for now. Get home safe, both of you." She waved at them as they walked off.

She sat still for a while on the statue before phasing through it to the base and making her way back home.

[Topic Left]