Farmer in Need! [Modded Mission]

[Kaen]

Tatsuo had already received his orders, prepared his gear and said farewell to loved ones for the day. He had left early in the morning, not sure just how long it might take to travel to this remote farm. It was about midday by the time Tatsuo arrived, the sun hung heavy in the sky pelting the earth below with its ever scorching rays of light. It was near unbearable, really, the temperature surely had to be nearly 100. The air was still, relinquishing no fresh breeze to cool this arid day. Not a single cloud in sight, there would be no respite from the hardship he would endure today. The hastily scribbled orders in his pocket made it to appear this was a last minute ordeal, perfect for a pre-chuunin such as Tatsuo. The farm slowly came into sight as Tatsuo crested the hill, flush colors of green and slight hues of red gave notice that fall was soon approaching. It seemed like a simple enough farm, at first glance, surely a humble family dedicated to the agricultural way of life lived here. The address was right, but nobody in sight. Only one thing left to do then.

-Knock Knock Knock-​

The large wooden door felt sturdy and thick, most likely fashioned out of the many fine trees that surrounded the farm's land. There was soft sounds seeping through the cracks along the edge of the door, signs that someone was indeed home. An undistinguished voice was lightly audible and the sound of footsteps approached. A younger man, no older than Tatsuo himself, opened the door to greet him. He wore simple clothes and spoke with a slight... accent is the word, but less educated perhaps? "Afternoon, wut might a boy such as yerself be doin' all da ways out here? We aint got no spare scraps if you came a beggin'." Perhaps he was made unaware of the mission that was ordered, that or they just didn't expect such a prompt reply for such a lowly matter. In any case, Tatsuo was faced with his first order of business, explaining who he was and why he was there. Assuming he did as such, as any respectable shinobi would, an elderly voice echoed from the back of the house. "Don't just stand there gawking, boy. Invite the young lad in. Hurry now, hurry!" As Tatsuo presumably entered the modest home, his senses would be met with that of a strong hickory smell, fresh herbs and spices even. Seemed they had a stew cooking over the fire, right where the old man was waiting for Tatsuo. "Come now laddy, you must be the help I sent for, please please. Tell me your name. As such, Tatsuo would give it to him. "Ah yes, a fine name indeed. Well I'm sure your time is valuable, god knows I paid a pretty sum just for this. Now now... My sheep boy, I fear there are bandits about. Each night a few more disappear never to be seen again. My boy here is near useless, can't even keep his eyes open long enough to catch the hoodlums. Think yer up to the task boy?"

 

[Tatsuo]

The scorching heat was actually a welcomed change to the usual freezing temperatures of Kumo. Certain times of summer in Konoha reached this climate, so Tatsuo had some experience with it. When he grew tired of the heat he would cast a few hand seals, sprouting out of his shoulders came two branches of wood which met together to create a small and mobile canopy for the boy.

Using the map to find his way through the country side, he would retract his shoulder canopy back inside him. Wherever that wood went, he wasn't really sure. But always seemed to just go back inside. Tatsuo wondered for a brief moment if maybe all of his wood was just one big piece inside him, and if he made something long enough, all the wood would just pop out. For a brief moment he grew fearful of the idea before shaking his head. "Nah no way.." he said to himself before knocking on the door.

Tatsuo had a very, very, vague understanding of what this mission entailed. Something about sheep and a farmer, was all he knew. Luckily the elderly man laid out the mission for him right then and there. This was technically a D rank mission but it wasn't uncommon for small folk to understate the severity of a mission to bring the price down to something more manageable. Nevertheless Tatsuo was more than capable of handling a bit of combat. "Yeah, sure, i'm up for it pops. I don't really like thieves much so i'll be sure to give 'em a few good hits for you!" He grinned, he always tried to foster a connection with his clients, mostly because he liked making new friends.

Tatsuo hadn't time to truly prepare for this mission as much as he would have liked, in the span of three hours he was out of his bed, at the mission office, and now here in some farmers home. He actually liked the aesthetic, if he was not a shinobi, being a farmer did not sound too bad. He was wearing his Konoha headband proudly displayed on his head, using it to keep his messy brown hair from covering his face. He wore a pair of black pants with a matching shirt. A kunai loader was on his left leg and a few goodies here and there divided between two pouches on the back of each hip. Inside were an assortment of ninja tools, that he wouldn't go into detail as he had a fight with a certain pyromaniac soon.

Breathing in heavy he really took a moment to enjoy the plethora of smells around him, the fresh stew was particularly enticing, but he thought it'd be rude to ask for a bowl. And it probably costed the old man an arm and a leg to afford a shinobi to come all the way out here. Even if was just a Genin. Kaji's letter probably hadn't arrived in Konoha yet and if it did, Umashi's reply certainty has not been sent. And because of all that fun village bureaucracy he was stuck doing simple missions like these. Not that he minded that much, helping those who could not help themselves had slowly become the boys mantra over the last two or three years. A growing sense of empathy for the poor, the disheveled, and the broken after quite a few run ins with the pains of humanity.

WC: 573/3000

 

[Kaen]

"Very good son, first things first. I prepared a bit of stew for us all. I hope you don't mind lamb." The old man would gesture to his son, the boy who answered the door earlier. The boy would rush to the kitchen to retrieve a set of bowls and spoons before returning and setting them by his father's side. The old man would wearily carry himself over to the cast iron pot that was deliciously boiling over a fire. With a shaky hand he grabbed the ladle that was conveniently located on a hook nearby. The old man stirred the stew, releasing a plume of aromatic smells into the air, catching Tatsuo's attentions. One by one the old man filled a bowl and passed it along, first to his son, and then to Tatsuo and finally one for himself. He would re-take his seat from before with a sigh and relax a bit, putting his weary feet up on a stool. "So then, boy. Might as well get comfortable. It will be a while longer before nightfall. Enjoy a helping of my homemade stew and chat with an old man. The names Kuru, Shiga Kuru. But you can just call me whatever you like. Tell me about yourself boy, I'd love to hear a story about your adventures, I'm sure they are riveting." The old man would give the boy a look and in turn the boy would leave the two in peace. Kuru would take a hefty spoonful and begin to eat, awaiting Tatsuo's response.

 

[Tatsuo]

If there was one thing that was always on the boys mind, it would be food. Any one who offered him food was considered a friend, and the boy himself was quick to offer it too. "Yea! I love lamb, it's like.. in my top favorite foods!" He said counting on his fingers quickly as he took a seat on the wooden bench. He nodded and thanked the man as he offered him a bowl and was already busying digging into his food, which, once again gave him a scolded tongue. He wondered how his mouth ever healed because anytime someone put something tasty in his mouth he could not resist. He tried to pay attention the best he could as the man introduced himself, despite the burning sensation bringing him so much pain.

No one had asked Tatsuo about his adventures, he was so young, and for the most part the journeys he went on, were quite tame. At least compared to that of older shinobi. But he understood the sentiment, these men here probably hadn't has as much experience travelling as Tatsuo had. Scrunching his face and scratching his chin as he thought, he began to weave a story for the two with.. only a little exaggeration. To improve the story of course.. "Ya I got a few stories! Once while travelling with Kaji-sensei through some mountains in Northern Lightning Country, we spotted a merchant caravan getting attacked by a horde of spiders! I'm telling ya', they were nasty. Though they were nothing compared to Kaji-sensei and me! I was able to kill like.. three by the time he had sliced up the others into bits. The merchant people were real nice. They let us ride back into Port Cirrus with them.. and they had cheese! Lots of cheese, the old man let me eat as much as I want. The daughter really had a crush on Kaji-sensei, though, he really didn't seem to be interested despite her forwardness. She wasn't ugly though, I guess not his type." Tatsuo was truly capable of talking a mile a minute if you'd let him, most people seemed to get annoyed by his rambling which lead him to quieting down as he got older. But hey, these people asked for it.

"And there was this other time, where I fought a giant lizard!" he exclaimed as he brought his hands parallel from each other as far as he could to show size. "It was like.. three times the size of this."

He then pointed to the scar on his cheek that went up above his eyebrow, he pulled back some of the hair to give the two men a better look. "Ya see, this lizard had a poison tail. I had avoided almost all of his blows, but he played a dirty trick on me, which allowed him to get in a cheap shot. Kaji-sensei had to stop me from tearing him into bits." Taking a few moments to catch his breath, he panted and grinned at the two. "Those are probably my two most interesting ones. Other than the time I slew the Ghost of Ushani, but that's a real long story.. and my food is getting cold.." he said frowning before taking a big bite of the tasty meal.

It brought him an odd sense of relief to open up to these people like he did. In the back of his mind, he always felt like no one truly cared what he had to say. It was a nice moment of relief for the boy, who for the most part kept to himself unless he was out adventuring with Ikko or Hoshi. Kaji was nice enough to bring him in, but they barely spoke unless it was about chores or a mission. It was nice to eat a home cooked meal with someone else for once.

WC: 1220

 

[Kaen]

Kuru listened intently at young Tatsuo's tale of glory and adventure. Such exciting tales meant the boy was full of spirit, full of precious energy... Life energy. The old man smirked fiendishly as he witnessed the boy wolf down his helping of "lamb stew" and called out for his son. The boy returned to the room quickly with a black bottle. Inside were numerous white, unmarked pills. Kuru took two and swallowed them swiftly. Just about now, Tatsuo would be starting to feel a little strange, a sensation of euphoria would begin to overtake his mind. Should he try to move, he would find himself almost unable to do so. Now now, my boy. Don't struggle, it only makes the poison course through your veins quicker. I want you to be able to enjoy the moment when it comes..." Kuro motioned for his son to come over. "I got the chains pa, u wants me to ti'em up now?" The old man rolled his eyes before grabbing his cane and started to head out of the room. "Yes yes, of course. Take him to the basement, I am going to get prepared..." His son nodded and set out to bind Tatsuo with the chains he brought. Of course this would cause no issue for a shinobi of his caliber, but the poison running through his veins would...

The binding process was complete and the boy lifted Tatsuo's stiff body over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. For as small framed as the boy was, he was surprisingly strong... suspiciously strong. The boy carried Tatsuo through the kitchen, previously unseen but open for his viewing pleasure now. Atop the counter was a large chunk of meat. it would be hard to distinguish what exactly the exact cut was, unless Tatsuo had in depth knowledge of such things. It would appear exotic in nature, to him as it resembled no animal he had hunted before. A large butcher's blade was planted firmly in a cutting board next to it. With a sudden sensation, the boy dropped Tatsuo onto the hard wooden floor. It sounded hollow. The boy lifted up a rug to reveal a trap door. Swinging it open, he turned to Tatsuo and dragged him to the hole, sending him plummeting to the cold, damp stone below. The boy followed down by means of a wooden ladder, arriving safely at the bottom. Picking Tatsuo back up, he carried him to a stone table of sorts. Upon it lay strange inscriptions and the strong smell of iron coupled with dark red stains throughout its surface. "It's best if ya dun anger pa, jus let it be an ur pains'll be ova soon." The boy spoke softly to Tatsuo, under his breath. Seemed pa had an effect on his son as well. After the boy anchored Tatsuo down to the stone table, he left by means of the same wooden ladder, leaving him to his lonesome... At least until Kuru came.

The room was dark, the only source of light was a small candle in each corner of the room. The walls were made of a heavy stone, perhaps limestone. A wooden workbench lined the outer perimeter, filled to the brim with various tools and other strange instruments. Near the head of the stone table was a dusty old book, its cover seemed to be made out of a leather of sorts. The floor also had a drain installed, for what only Kuru knew why. Tatsuo would have some time to himself before Kuru arrived, but the poison was still effecting the majority of his body. By now he could speak, perhaps even move his head a little. What would he do now?

 

[Tatsuo]

After Tatsuo had consumed a bit of the meat he could feel something was off, his movements were slowed and his senses dulled. It marked a transition that mimicked his home life in general. As things seemed to be looking up for the boy, it always got worse. Perhaps Tatsuo was too brave for his own sake, he didn't feel fear. The betrayal didn't scare him, nor did the drugs, nothing seemed to scare him. He really did not value his life all that much. Watching the young boy arrive with the pills was just a final act of betrayal by these two. He wanted to scream, fire off all the jutsu he had. Being brought down to such a state made him angrier than anything he could imagine. Despite all of the hardships a shinobi endures, the boy had always managed to keep a smile on his face. But in a situation so dire it made him think of all the things that really hurt him. The death of his mother, the abandonment of his father, the very idea that people like this existed in the world. It made him sick.

As he was bound, he made no attempt to struggle. He just went through the motions, grimacing as he was dropped down into the hidden room. He tried to take in as much of the environment as he could in the short moments he had. The room was bare and dark, the blood stains continued to feed into his growing anger. He wanted to break out of these chains so bad, get his revenge, if he could just get out of this he could defeat everyone in here. The rage swelling up inside him was primal, like something he'd never felt before. When the boy picked him up, Tatsuo thought of biting him.. with a good enough grip he could probably do some major damage. Rip out a major artery or something.. but he'd still be in these chains. Just as he felt the culmination of all his rage begin to bubble over, something brought him back. "It's best if ya dun anger pa, jus let it be an ur pains'll be ova soon."

Instantly Tatsuo felt his heart soften, this boy was his enemy. He wanted to hate him, he wanted to.. want to tear his guts out. He just wanted to be angry, he deserved to be angry. These men lied to him, drugged him, threw him on the floor and were probably going to kill him. But he had this overwhelming sense of empathy towards him. The boy.. he.. didn't deserve any of this either. He had a father who lead him down a path of darkness. Tatsuo would've done anything for his father to lead him down any path. As he was being anchored to the stone table, Tatsuo looked him in the eyes and said, "You don't.. deserve any of this." he spoke softly and showed no other sign of struggle. To the naked eye it'd look if he had all but given up. But his Bloodline always provided him with a reliant source of energy that most did not expect. Natural energy flowed through his veins, and most poisons weren't ideal for damaging the natural energies. With whatever power he could muster, he focused on gathering as much natural energy as he could.

He could feel the power swelling inside of him, he had another reason to fight now. Not just for himself, but to help the boy who was misguided by his father. A betrayal from ones father is worse than that you can do to any stranger and for that very reason, Tatsuo had to get out. Every fiber of his being would force him to get out of this place. One way or another. His earlier rage was replaced with a sense of duty, to himself, to his country, and to the boy. It was silly, as dense as Tatsuo was, he could realize it. He shouldn't care this much, but he did. And he was always one to use his gut first instead of his brain.

If he were to get to the point where he'd be able to formulate any chakra, he'd begin with a small growth from his wrists into the metal cuff. Just a small chunk of wood that would grind down on the metal on the back side, slowly but surely until both of his hands were free. If he could formulate hand seals.. perhaps even with the poison he could do more complex jutsu. There was only one way to find out. So with every ounce of chakra and natural energy he had access to he would direct it into his wrists. Hopefully he could dig enough to break them before anyone noticed.

WC: 2020

 

[Kaen]

​

A moment later a creaking noise could be heard up above, some muffled discussions between the boy and his father was had. Heavy footsteps approached the trap door leading down below where Tatsuo was being kept. With a load groan and a crash, the trap door swung open. A cloaked figure descended down into the room, his face turned away from Tatsuo. Though it was pretty clear who it was, the balding head and the white hair, it was Kuru. He was garbed in a thick, black robe with a high rising colar. He wore upon his chest an amulet of sorts, dark crimson and round. Inside was a swirling mass of ethereal black waves of mass, it was unclear of what could be inside. He turned to face the still bound and poisoned Tatsuo, upon his face was a look of pure glee, sinister and vile in nature. "I'm so glad they sent someone on such notice, I wasn't sure how long this old body was going to last without another transfusion..." Kuro hobbled over to the head of the bed, where the book laid. He was completely unaware of the tiny saw like piece of wood Tatsuo was using to carve away at the old, rusty chains on his wrists. The old man began to turn a few pages until he found the one he was looking for. "Ah yes, here we are. The incantation for chakra transference... You might be asking yourself, Why is he telling me what is happening? Well i'll tell you why, boy... You are a lowly ninja, low man on totem if you will. Someone denoted to a D rank mission such as i requested surely wouldn't pose a threat to the likes of us and my special concoction. I intend to use this mystical amulet that I purchased in a black market in Sunagakure. Coupled with this tome of the spirits, I can transfer the living energy from one to another, from you... to me... AHAHAHAHAHAH And with it... I'll be young AGAIN! Now... let us begin."


The old man put his finger to the the paper and began to read aloud, it was in a language that surely Tatsuo could not recognize. The stone table he was placed upon began to shake and glow, strange radiant strings of energy began to flow from underneath. The hovered and criss-crossed above Tatsuo, like a shark circling its prey. The mysterious amulet that the old man wore began to glow, in that instant the strings of energy pierced Tatsuo's chest. He would immediately feel in chakra being drained from his body at an enormous rate. His skin turning from a bright normal color to a dull, grey paste. What Kuru didn't know was the store of Nature energy Tatsuo held secretly within, and was still utilizing to break free, and he was nearly there! But it would be too late, the damage was done and the transference complete. Tatsuo would feel immensely drained, barely able to stay conscious due to the reserve of nature chakra within him. Evidently this incantation wasn't designed to harness the power of nature, as Tatsuo was so capable of. The energy that once flowed through Tatsuo was now being channeled into the old man, encompassing him fully, shielding the change from Tatsuo's gaze. -Cachink- Tatsuo had done it, his bonds were broken, his body was his own again. What would, or could rather, he do now that he was drained of all his natural chakra, only a small pool of nature energy left to him. Run, fight, eat?! He had a choice to make, he would have only moments to decide and act before Kuru's transformation was complete...

 

[Tatsuo]

Tatsuo had begun to formulate his battle plan, the natural energy flowing inside him was immune to the poison's effect. It wasn't a lot of strength, but it'd be enough. It had to be. Tatsuo's head shot upwards as he saw the trapdoor fling in. The shadowy figure who came down filled Tatsuo with a sense of dread he hadn't felt before. Something about this man just.. it was evil in it's purest form. It made him sick. As the old man began his evil rant, Tatsuo ignored most of it, as to concentrate on building up as much energy as he could. However, when the man began to explain why he asked for a D rank ninja, Tatsuo couldn't help but smirk. The only reason he was on this mission was because of pointless village bureaucracy. While Tatsuo might have not been the most formidable of ninjas, he definitely was above and beyond the skills of your average Genin. The sense of irony almost made him forget the earlier dread he felt. That was until he began casting his spell.

Tatsuo clenched the muscles of his torso as Kuru's chakra strings dug into his chest. Just a little more strength.. it was all he needed. He could feel the metal begin to buckle, under what power he had left. His chakra was being drained. As stubborn as ever, he refused to scream, he'd give this man no further satisfaction. He could see his skin turn a pale and sickly color.. thoughts of his death flashed across his mind. There were so many things he hadn't done yet. Things he needed to do. He was too young to die; he'd never had his first kiss, he hadn't become a Jounin yet, what would Kaji say, who would Hoshi adventure with.. who'd teach Ikko how to fish!

Even after all of his chakra was drained from him, he felt the wrath of nature inside him. The gift of life; from every blade of grass, every tree, even from the moss in between the cracks of the stony walls. It all gave Tatsuo the power he needed to fight this evil. To fight every evil. The boy let out a roar, as he ripped through the metal chains, launching him onto his feet. Even if he only had access to such a small amount of his energy, he felt like he could take on the world. "That.. might be true.. I might be low on the totem pole...but even the weakest of Leaf Ninja could defeat you all!" Bringing his hands together into a handseal, he began to mold the natural energy left inside of him. He crouched and spread his arms across the room, one aimed at Kuru and the other at the ceiling.

"SUPER EVIL CANCELLING DOUBLE WOODEN DRAGON BIND!" out from the arm aimed at Kuru shot two wooden dragons that would hunt down their pray with impunity. The dragons had a different element to them however, life to a Kyoubaku was more optimistic than that of others. Life was naturally good and it sought to root out evil wherever it could. His dragons were no different. As they wrapped around Kuru, they would begin to dig into him and attempt to dispel the transformation he was undergoing. Tatsuo had never practiced this move, it was something that just came naturally to him. It'd happen before, just like the very first time he used his wood jutsu to protect that old man from the collapsing roof. Once again the natural energy inside him would give him guidance when he needed it most.

Having not forgotten about the two on the first floor, he sent another wooden spike through the ceiling. While some may have aimed to impale them from underneath, Tatsuo had a different objective. As the wooden pillar crashed through the floor, it avoided the elderly man and his son, but struck the door in such away there was no way you'd get out without a hatchet and a lot of time. Now, just like he was moments ago, they were trapped. With those two taken care of for the moment he brought his hand back to meet with his dragon bind. Using both of his hands to control the powerful suppression technique he would attempt to stop this transformation with all of his might. "You're going to regret the day you messed with Tatsuo of the LEAF!" the boy shouted as he struggled to dispel the evil in front of him.

WC: 2775

 

[Kaen]

The wooden dragons began to eat away and the dark malignant energy that surrounded Kuru, shaping him, transforming him, rejuvenating him. While Tatsuo's attack was righteous and filled to the brim with his intrepid hero like spirit, It just wasn't enough to do the old man in, or young man rather... The swirling mass of energy, what wasn't eaten away by Tatsuo's attack, swelled up inside a new figure in front of him, Kuru reborn! "Yes, Such life force, you were a lively one it seems... Oh? What's this... you still have some spunk in you yet, no matter. I am reborn, you now pale in comparison to Kuru, the mercenary of DEATH!" The old man would direct his finger towards Tatsuo, sending forth a black orb of negative energy into him, sending him flying back into the stone wall with such force he crashed right through it and into a secret room.

The smell would be the first thing to invade his senses, such blistering, awful aromas. The room couldn't be any larger than the previous, but inside it would forever be imprinted on his mind. Bodies... naked, rotting bodies. A large pile of them in one corner with a few "nicer" ones on hooks, hanging from the ceiling. They all seemed to be skinned, only muscular frames remained. The nicest of them laid on a table, it's left leg missing, it would be then that Tatsuo would make the connection to the piece of meat on the counter upstairs. It was a perfect match to this body here... could it possibly be, it wasn't lamb at all...

Kuru stepped into the room with a scowl imprinted upon his face, he was displeased that Tatsuo had survived the transference, but was confident enough he could manage. "I don't know how you survived, perhaps an incantation mispronounced, or a hand sign out of place. But it matters not, you will meet your end here and now. And you will become next weeks "lamb" stew! MUA HA HA HA!" Kuru would begin to focus a sizable amount of chakra into a compounded ball of energy, so much so it seemed to be draining his life force he so carefully extracted earlier. His hair turned back into a silky white, but it seemed it was worth it to defeat his next meal. The hum and static noise increased as the ball of energy built up, what now would Tatsuo do?!

 

[Tatsuo]

Tatsuo gritted his teeth as he pulled himself up against the wall. He hadn't seen the bodies surrounding the room until the dust of the collision settled. While Tatsuo wanted to vomit after his sudden realization of his 'lamb' not being lamb, it also confirmed his beliefs he had no choice but to win here. To let these people continue their evil ways would be against everything Tatsuo believed in. He finally gathered enough energy to stand and saw that Kuru was preparing a second blast, this one Tatsuo wouldn't be so unprepared for. He formed a hand seal, which made vines sprout his shoulders and cover his body in a chain-mail like fashion. After he had been wrapped head to toe, wooden plates sprouted out to create the true strength of his armor. Razor sharp wooden plates that were tough but moved allowed Tatsuo movement as if he was unarmed.

He brought his arms up to block the negative energy ball that was fired at him. The pressure nearly slammed him against the wall, but he was strong enough to keep it at bay. When he felt like it'd finally grown weak enough, he sent it flying into the wall. The explosion sent a mix of rock and debris that was like shrapnel, had it not been for Tatsuo's armor he would've been peppered more than a duck in hunting season.

Letting out another roar, "You'll never hurt another again!" Tatsuo shouted as he rushed back into the room, through the smoke and dust he emerged just a few feet from Kuru. Tatsuo lifted his arm and shot off another bind. It was not as powerful as his dragon bind, but with the man in his weakened state it was enough to trap him in a bind that would slowly drain his energy. The attack wasn't meant to kill him, just to disable him from using any more techniques. Tatsuo could still feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, ready to see if the man had any other dirty tricks.

WC: 3116/3000

 

[Kaen]

The intrepid hero valiantly caught the orb of energy, to Kuru's surprise. His eyes widened as he bared witness to the amazing feats of nature that Tatsuo was accomplishing. The marvelous naturistic armor that encompassed Tatsuo gave off the visage of a great wooden warrior. What's more is Tatsuo so casually casted the negative energy to the side, causing an explosion of dust and debris. Through the resulting debris of smoke, dust and rocks, Tatsuo emerged with red in his eyes. He was mad, furious that this old man had tricked him into committing vile acts of cannibalism and intending to eat him himself. But Tatsuo had him now within his tendril-y grasp and began to suck the energy out of the old man. But Tatsuo's rage was to great, to far overstretched past his limit. It seemed to be too late of Kuru...

Kuru was dead, Hoshi had absorbed all the energy Kuru had stolen and more... Surely this wasn't the intent, but Tatsuo had gone too far none the less. With the now shriveled body of Kuru at his feet, and adrenaline starting to fade, Tatsuo would realized what he had done. There was very limiting options for him to do now, though Kuru's son still remained upstairs, what would the intrepid hero do now?

 

[Tatsuo]

Tatsuo looked down to the drained body, his stomach dropped as he realized what he'd done. The man probably deserved to die, who knows how many countless lives he stole, how many people he terrorized before Tatsuo. But to the boy, it made no difference. He looked to find the good in everyone and he never managed to find any good in Kuru. Something that would most likely haunt him for the rest of his days. Taking in a deep breath he went over to the ladder and slowly ascended it.

He saw no reason to try and scare him any further he was intimidated enough. His armor of thorns maintained itself, the wooden knight popped from the trap door and looked to the boy who was now cowering behind a bench in the house. Tatsuo sighed, feeling guilty enough now that he'd slain his father he felt like he owed him. As dumb as that sounded. "Hey- uhh-- I'm sorry you had to deal with this." he said as he retracted the wood armor back into him. "I'm probably the last person you'd listen to.. but I don't want to hurt you.. I didn't want to hurt him either." When he climbed up that ladder he had some bad ass speech prepared, but looking at the boy he couldn't do it. He'd just slain his father, he was just as bad as Kuru himself. It made him clench his teeth as he felt truly guilty for his actions. "I probably.. should bring you to prison, but you're young. You've got a whole life ahead of you.. and I don't want you to spend the rest of it in prison. Just.. don't be like him." he said as he dug his hand into his pocket, retrieving all the Yen he had on him. It wasn't a whole lot, but definitely enough to get the boy to anywhere in the Lightning Country with ease. "Just take it, you're strong, go find a blacksmith, dock-master, or something in Port Cirrus."

Whether he took the money, Tatsuo'd probably never know. He left it on the table and left the small farm. As soon as he was far enough to not see the place, he dropped to his hand and knees. The boy broke into tears and vomited. He'd heard all the banter of how tough ninjas had to deal with this and that, how some older men could kill a man and not even flinch, but if this was the life of a shinobi.. was it worth living. Tatsuo stayed in that spot, crying and vomiting for what felt like hours. He perched himself up against a tree and buried his head into his knees. He'd sit there for a long time, contemplating everything. Once night began to creep upon the forest, he decided to start walking back.

He'd make it back into the village after a few hours of travelling. When he arrived at the mission office, he explained it was just a simple mission and there were a few children acting as would-be sheep-nappers. He lied, partially to save himself from the embarrassment of explaining what he'd had eaten and he didn't want to have anyone hunt after the boy who Tatsuo deemed innocent. It was about an hour past midnight, when he finally arrived at the small house in the forest. Tatsuo saw Kaji awake, he waved hello before heading to his room. Once inside, he sat upon on his bed and felt the tears swell up against his eyes before shaking his head. He wanted to confide in Kaji about it, but he'd just think less of him because of it. He barely spoke to him anyways, no point in bothering him with something like that.

Mission Complete!

 

[Kaen]

As Tatsuo emerged from the cellar and started to explain what had happened, the previously frightened boy cracked under the pressure of this new found news. At first a look of shock washed over his face, his eyes staring outwards into the infinite unknown. His mouth hung open ever so slightly, his facial muscles relaxed entirely. Kuru's son was in complete shock, the death of his father was too much for him to bear. Though his father was cruel to others, he was only half as horrible to him. Without his father to teach him how to be a man, how to tend to the flocks of sheep or even how to run a farm in general, this boy would need to learn it all the hard way.

The mention of prison struck new found fear in the boy's eyes, he looked up to Tatsuo with eyes set to burst. He heard rumors of such places, they were always painted in the worst kinds of light. But it seemed that was not Tatsuo's intentions, though it brought the boy no solace or consolation. His father was still dead and his house torn to shreds. All his life he was told what to do, the mere thought of having nobody but his own for company scared him to death. The young leaf shinobi dumped out a large sum of yen onto the table and offered some advice on where to start. The boy had only one response, utter devastation. The boy could take it no longer and burst into a flood of tears that could have very well threatened the flood zones of all of Lightning country. His bellows and cries would be heard for quite some time after Tatsuo left, leaving a lasting impression. For now, it seemed his mission was over...

---

A few weeks later...

-Crash-

Kuru's son was hard at work, attempting to cast off the shamble like state his newly acquired house was in, no thanks to that leaf ninja. The upper portion of the house was cleaned up, for the most part anyways, and that left the cellar to be dealt with. He had already hired some men to retrieve his fathers body a while back, to hold a proper funeral. He buried him out back next to the maple tree they had planted together when he was just a few years old. Shaking the memory from his head, he continued downward into the chaotic mess that was the cellar. It took him a few days to get past the initial broken beams and collapsed ceiling bits, but in time he uncovered most of the main room. It was on that day, that fateful third day a gleam would catch his eye. The light refracted off of something buried beneath the rubble. Naturally the boy was curious, shiny usually meant valuable and he had already spent most of the yen Tatsuo had given him a while back. The boy casually strolled over the mound of dirt, wood and rock and began to dig. It took little to no time before what he had seen. A dark and eerie chill crept up the boy's spine as the object met his eyes in totality. A whisper upon the winds crept into his ears, an un-heard voice making promises of immortality filled the boy's head. "My will is your command..." The boy spoke aloud, his tone dead and void of emotion. The boy methodically placed the crimson amulet around his neck and began to search for it, the book. It seemed the tale of the farmer In need had not quite come to a conclusion...


To be continued...

[OOC Tatsuo's mission is complete!]