Ghost in... Kettle? [D Rank SMTM]

[Kagami Miro]

Standing in front of the young kunoichi loomed a tall figure with hidden features. Kneeling before him Mirō was briefed of a new up-and-coming mission. “Disturbances have been located within the Cevitate Attonbitus. Due to the lack of shinobi you and another academy student will fulfill this task.” Looking down at the respectful nin a devout “Yes” echoed out from behind a plan mask. Reaching behind himself the tall figure bestowed a scroll to her. Clutching it tightly it was stored safely in the pouch on her waist. “You’re dismissed.” That booming voice commanded, hidden features watched as the motionless girl vanished in thin air.

Within Kumogakure sunlit days were a rare occasion. Day in and out the skies were heavy with overcast, filling the air with a dreary anxiety that plagued many civilians. The sunlight gave others happiness and smiles while others knew it meant that lurking within the darkness would become even more challenging. It wasn’t that Mirō didn’t like the passersby in the village streets, keeping a low profile felt more comforting that gathered around people. That was why bringing a student along felt strange to her core. ‘A learning experience for both I suppose.’ Whispering to herself her head tilted back to look up at the warm sky.

Resting against a column at the village that laid within the Cevitate Attonbitus, the nin in traditional Anbu garbs and fishnet mesh clothing awaited the arrival of the academy student. A calloused hand rose from her side to unhook the mask that covered her distinctive features. Taking the villagers into consideration it would cause eyes to fall on her with ease if she stood out too much. Her own gold hues wanted to catch a glimpse of the new student. Mirō figured this rendezvous point would be easy to find. A few miles before the intended destination it was simply a matter of time before the academy student. ‘I hope…’ Refraining from placing mistrust on her heart so early for the academy students Mirō had faith that her paper note got into the students hands.

WC:345

 

[Uchiha Moeka]

Prematurely worming her way up the ladder took some doing, and she couldn't be sure how much her efforts actually contributed to this outcome and how much of it was simple circumstance. Nevertheless, Uchiha Moeka, a mere Academy Student, managed to land herself with a great opportunity, a chance to stand out from her peers - a real shinobi mission. On her way towards the meeting spot she was practically frolicking, and it took until almost halfway to her destination before she managed to compose herself. Now more than any other time, it was vital to make a good impression, so she couldn't afford to be seen doing something childish.

She strolled into the village wearing a sporty outfit of black and some red, the symbol of the Uchiha adorning the back of her shirt. Her black hair was tied into a long ponytail, and her likewise dark eyes scanned the settlement for anyone who could pass as a shinobi. Upon noticing one such person standing by a pillar, she gave a small, polite smile and approached.

The girl introduced herself. "Greetings. I am Uchiha Moeka, from the Academy. And you must be..." She trailed off, expecting Miro to pick up the conversation.

 

[Kagami Miro]

With arms folded under her bust Mirō patiently awaited the arrival of the student. Frozen still, golden hues cut to their left to watch a young girl wander towards her. Black hair tied into a ponytail, pale skin and on the smaller side. To top if off, ‘An Uchiha…’ One of her own bloodline. It was stunning to see the resemblance in this Uchiha compared to herself nearly four years ago. One thing stood out the most, which separated them entirely.

With hair tucked behind her cloud headband Mirō’s bangs would rustle back evenly when she fully looked up to view the student in front of her. Reaching into her back pouch fingers grasped onto the scroll and handed it to the student. “The scroll includes distinct details of the mission at hand. I’ll put it briefly, we’re going to be exorcists.” Pushing off the wall with her back, hands fell to her sides and the sound of gravel shifting. “I’m Mirō Kagami. You’ll be following my orders for this mission. Let’s hurry.” The branding scar gazed back while she looked over her left shoulder. Continuing her momentum forward to the destination was a few miles north east. It would give her time to deduce her own ideas for the Uchiha student.

​

Following the pathway the two made their way through the thickening forests. The closer both of them drew towards the destination the darker it would get. Keeping track of the Moeka’s presence the two finally arrived at a long house surrounded by heavily wooded forest. Fog lingered around the house. Trusting her gut Mirō could sense the house lingered with a strange energy. Unfortunately for Moeka she would have to deal with Mirō’s Anbu tendencies.

Hidden in the darkness behind a wide tree and brush Mirō whispered out Moeka. “From the information given the house should be empty. Villagers claimed bandits left after being ambushed by shinobi months ago. Though... we can never be too vigilant. Some could still remain.” Gold eyes focused intently into the students dark hues. “It’ll be safest to head through the window to avoid traps but once we’re inside follow me. Head up first while I surround the trees with seals.” Turning back to face the building an barely opened window was seen against the far wall of the longhouse. Pointing to that window Mirō moved her finger as if to actually tap on the window twice. “That one right there. Get inside and wait for me.” A test of her abilities some would say. Getting up to the window would test her chakra control sure, but how Moeka would enter would generate a good understanding of her abilities.

WC:446

 

[Uchiha Moeka]

Moeka unfurled the scroll as Miro turned away, studying its contents carefully even as she kept up the pace. The girl briefly cringed at the prospect of having to deal with supernatural elements yet again, but she wouldn't show any discontent. As the two of them overlooked the decrepit building they were to investigate, she played it cool.

"Understood." Moeka replied curtly, still with a small smile, and then set off to the task.

The young Uchiha had made her way up a tree, and then began to approach the building in an indirect fashion, hopping from branch to branch. Even if there were people inside, Moeka banked on the idea that they wouldn't be on the lookout from threats coming in from above. She landed softly onto the edge of the roof, immediately lowering herself down onto the wall beneath. She started to crawl vertically on all fours towards the designated window like some kind of spider, keeping herself attached to the surface with chakra. Moeka circled around the entry point to discreetly peek into the window from all angles, and only after such an inspection would she carefully set foot inside.

 

[Kagami Miro]

Gold hues watched the student bound from tree to tree. Cocking a fine brow into the sky Mirō evaluated Moeka’s movements and observation skills. “Like a cat on a hot tin roof.” Snickering to herself suppressed footsteps made their way to nearby trees. Slapping a barrier seal on trees thirty yards apart to encase the haunted home in a barrier that would alarm Mirō if anyone, or any spirit, tried to leave or enter.

Sliding her hands together to dust off her palms Mirō made her way towards the longhouse. Dipping in and out of the shadows Mirō scaled the building to find another window to sneak in too. Subtly gold eyes peered inside to notice an all black room with another darker figure standing in the corner, unmoving. With a frown of visible disgust on her face she decided it was best to pull back and venture into the same window Moeka had entered. Hopping over the roof Mirō entered the same window Moeka had. Quiet footsteps and whispers could be heard filling the halls with echoes. Keeping her composure to not alert Moeka of the wicked creature at the far end of the building she whispered, “We will need to stick together from here on out. We don’t know what lurks within the shadows.” Pressed against the wall the stillness of the house sent a chill down her spine.

​

“We will need to venture into the center of the house to place the final seal to banish the spirits away. So let’s ven-” Her whispers were cut off at the sound of a low grumble whose pitch gradually got higher and higher. “Rrrrreeeeeooowww…..!” A horrendous sound vibrated against all the wall, unable to find which direction it truly came from. Newly experienced in her sealing techniques she didn’t imagine she would have to seal away haunting demons. “That made me feel awful…” Beckoning Moeka to follow her the pair quietly made their way down the hall and to the right. The hall had three doors on each side of the wall. “I doubt any bandits are within this hellscape. We’re going to look in these rooms for signs of where that sound came from. If you find anything just grab me or shut the door.” Handing Moeka conjured seals of paper for her to place on the doorways. “Anything horrific, use the seals. Anything normal just note it and move on. I’ll take the left you take the right.”

WC:411

 

[Uchiha Moeka]

Moeka nodded to indicate her approval at the idea to stick together. As a bizarre noise began to reverberate through the wooden walls, the Uchiha girl froze, her eyes gradually widening in tandem with the rising pitch. Miro's beckoning brought her back to her senses, and she followed her down the hall, her footsteps quiet, but her body language anxious and on edge.

"I was hoping this would be a hoax and there'd be no ghosts here..." Is the unvoiced thought that went through Moeka's head, though it was easy enough to deduce from the look on her face. Holding the paper seals in her hands seemed to do very little to alleviate her worries. Part of her wanted to ask what exactly Miro meant by "something horrific," but in the name of leaving a good impression on a higher ranking shinobi by not sounding like a coward, she decided not to. The young student followed her senior's instructions and began peeking into the rooms on the right side of the hall. She had done so slowly, letting the door to open up bit by bit to minimize the squeaking of its hinges and immediate exposure to the interiors of the dark rooms.

"There's definitely something in there..." The girl would think as she watched the first door move. It was tempting to merely pretend that she had checked it and lock it up with the provided seals, but even more worrying was the thought of running out of these things before coming into contact with an actual ghost.

There turned out to be nothing of note behind the first door other than an empty, decrepit bedroom. The next room turned out likewise. Judging by the sink and rusted bathtub, this was once a bathroom. The uneventful nature of her discoveries provided Moeka with some relief.

Upon opening the third door, the girl froze. Inside yet another bedroom, the moonlight seeping through the dusty windows illuminated a silhouette that looked like a person sat on the edge of the bed. Moeka spent a moment in silent panic before she could even begin to weigh her options. Her first thought was to slam the door shut and seal it off with one of the paper tags; the next idea was to take it a step further and burn the entire house down in flames. But she couldn't let herself act rashly in these circumstances, being observed by someone else. Ultimately, Moeka decided to gesture towards her partner, trying to get her to come over and take a look for herself.

 

[Kagami Miro]

Once Moeka grabbed the seals from her hands the two set off to venture down the hall. Pressed quietly against the wall finger coiled around the dusty door knob of the first door. The sound of the springs turn made her heart beats quickened, peeking through the door to notice something wicked. A room full of dark ‘mud’ against the walls and the room torn asunder. A large woman in tattered clothing was pressed against the standing mirror talking quietly to herself as fleas and flies lingered around her. Noticing her door was open with a sudden turn she stumbled over to the door. Ferociously gripping the handle the filthy woman looked into the depths of Mirō’s eyes. Screaming at the top of her lungs “Stay.. THE FUCK… OUT.” Before slamming the door in her face. Jumping back Mirō blinked twice, heeding the wicked woman's warning. Quietly she placed a seal on the door and moved on to the next one. Taking a brief moment to recollect the strange things she witnessed it took guts to push through the creeping anxiety of opening the next door.

Slowly Mirō opened the wooden door and peered inside. From the corner of her eyes Mirō caught a glimpse of broken floorboards and a faint light. A wide hole from a fallen out floor was the only thing in this room. Wanting to investigate further her attention had been pulled away by Moeka. Turning towards her the horrific vision of the creature inside peered back through the crease of the door. A hand covered in boils and blisters slowly reached out to touch Moeka however Mirō’s hindsight had saved her plenty of times before. With haste hand seals executed a paper sealing ninjutsu to plaster the door with many seals of paper. Slamming the door shut and sealing off the cackling monstrosity behind the door.

Turning to face Moeka a expression of dread comically lingered on her face. “We should hurry this up.” Deciding not to have an episode in front of the student Mirō beckoned Moeka to follow her down the stairwell. Through pitch darkness the crept down the stairwell to face a hall with an open area down at the end and an open doorway on the right. “Reeeoooww….. Help me...” The voice lurked out the door frame into the hall this time calling for aid. Forcing the pair to freeze in their place Mirō turned to the open doorway. “Is… someone there?” Sniffing the air for ill intent, Mirō turned to Moeka. “Did you want to investigate that.. sound or head into the center of the building?” The clinging of metal could be heard in the room that cried out to them. Further down the hall a faint glimmer of light was cast in the far corner of the room, possibly the center of the house. Moeka would need to choose between saving a life that could be a trap or pushing foward against sound morals to do anything to complete the mission.

WC:501

 

[Uchiha Moeka]

Moeka stepped back as the deformed person reached for her. She had almost resigned to the idea of having to fight a desperate battle against disgusting thing, but Miro sealed the door shut and brought her a great deal of relief. The girl planned to play it cool, hard as it was in this situation, but seeing her partner just as terrified as her forced her true feelings to inadvertently leak out. Moeka intensely but silently shuddered for a little while before she could return to her pretense of not being anxious at all.

"We should solve the core problem..." Moeka muttered, just loud enough to be heard over the noise, as she pointed down the hall. "Or else we're going to be chasing noises all night long..." Her tone made it clear that she wasn't thrilled by the prospect of staying here for longer than necessary. The girl had neglected to wait for her partner's opinion before she began to sneakily move past the door from which the awful noises emerged and deeper into the house.

 

[Kagami Miro]

“Heh, I’m surprised you even walked past that doorway.” Whispering to herself, Mirō would applaud the courageous young student if it weren’t for the lurking darkness all around them. Quieter than a mouse the kunoichi evaded the possible trap in the doorway. Sneaking a small glance within the darkness the faint silhouette of shoulders could be seen in the light. Terribly faint cries could be heard. If it were another person stranded they would have to turn a blind eye. Tallying up that the dark presence within the house… it would’ve just been another spirit.

Behind Moeka Mirō hovered behind her. Peeling off and away to slip into the dimly lit room. All against her better judgement, but Mokea was right. “I’m ready to get the hell out of here.” Literally speaking. A home plagued by darkness had no purpose to exist freely in this world. At the end of the room they had entered was a small podium and a marble prayer table with a dusty dark red cloth over top. Sitting centerfold on the prayer table was an iron kettle with a tattered seal on the underside of it.

Signalling Mokea to follow the pair would slowly approach the pedestal past the many rows of knocked down and broken benches. Eager to approach the kettle, Mirō read in a scroll from her family’s history that gourds, kettles, and certain jars can contain spirits. It must’ve once contained the entities that loomed in the building. Approaching the kettle a voice rang out, “Hello…? Is someone there?” Freezing in place Mirō stood in bewilderment. Wondering if Moeka heard the voice it called again. “Someone’s there right? Please let me out!” Hesitant the voice of the kettle sounded strangely squeaky and small compared to the guttural noises she has been hearing. With an iron will Mirō answered back. “There’s someone in there?” The kettle grew happier “Yes! I’m Samei! Bandits sealed me away in here!” An inquisitive ‘hmm…’ escaped her chest, contemplating if it was another trap. “This tea really is piping up…” In any trail of events it’s the at the worst time Mirō would make a joke. “Yeah yeah, aren’t we funny. Come on let me out! I want to get back home.” Growing tired of conversing with the kettle Mirō sped up the charade. “Home? You know you’re sealed in a kettle… in a haunted house?” Growing annoyed Samei replied “I was sealed here by the bandits. I didn’t know anything about spirits…?” As his words trailed over a sudden chill ran down Mirō’s spine. “Did you feel that? Something big is coming.” Quickly digging into her back pouch. Pulling out a handful of paper seals with a red swirl in the center Mirō handed them off to Moeka. “Make a perfect circle by placing the seals vertically within the circle. I’m going to take… Hopefully this truthful Samei out of the jar and seal this place clean within the kettle. Now hurry… I don’t believe those seals upstairs worked on that creature.”

WC:504

 

[Uchiha Moeka]

As she listened to the kettle's story, Moeka's face quite clearly expressed her skepticism. She decided to voice her doubts as well. "How did a bunch of bandits manage to put you in there?"

But it had suddenly become clear that there was no time to perform a thorough interrogation. The girl grew pale as the strange presences all over the house had seemingly began to converge towards them, absentmindedly clutching the paper tags until Miro verbally spurred her into action. "We're letting the kettle ghost out? Are you sure?" As she spoke, she had already began to move and lay down the seals as ordered without waiting for an answer to her questions. Nevertheless, even as she carried out the order, her wavering composure forced her to barrage her partner with incessant questions. "What's going on? What's coming? How much time do we have left? What was that thing upstairs? Can we fight it?"

 

[Kagami Miro]

There wasn’t enough time to play two truths and a lie. The kettle that had sealed Samei away can seal away the darkness inside the building. A few factors were left up into the air. Why was Samei placed in a kettle anyway? Can we trust anything inside this corroded building? With no actual tools or ninjutsu to seal the building entirely a key item had to be used. Trading off the good versus the bad it was a coin toss to let Samei out of the kettle. Demented cackled and the sloshing a fluids could be heard making its way down the stairwell.

“No time. No time. No time… NO TIME.” Repeating her thoughts Fingers picked and scraped away at the seal underneath the kettle. Peeled away at her fingertips the top of the kettle started to rumble. The top of the kettle popped off and out came Samei. And for a moment everything froze, watching in awe as Samei spiraled out of the kettle into a grand entrance. Samei stood on his hind legs, flexing his furry black arms. Sporting a tiny scroll on his hip they were true to their word. “Finally! Free at last! I gotta stretch my back…” In a moment of crisis he began to attempt to corral everyone’s attention onto him. Turning a cold shoulder to him Mirō grabbed the sealing kettle.

Placing three stronger seals around the kettle Mirō moved quickly towards the ring Moeka had made. Placing the open kettle in the center of the makeshift ring Mirō felt the agonizing call of the creature stumbling down the stairs. “Shield Samei and stand back Moeka.” Commanding the student, her attention turned back to the task at hand. The window growing smaller, biting on her thumb to draw blood another marking was swirled on the kettle. Followed by hasty complex hand seals Mirō threw her blood soaked hand in front of the pot, activating her sealing jutsu. The kettle began to shake and rattle at darkness within the house. Swirling into the abyss of the kettle Mirō noticed the creature on the stairs began to dart towards them. Unable to move for the sealing process Mirō hollered out to Moeka. “You’re an Uchiha right?! Set fire to that thing!” Hoping any type of interference would allow her sealing jutsu to pull the resisting black gore beast into the kettle.

WC:396

 

[Uchiha Moeka]

"I'm on it!" Shouted Moeka as she briskly hopped in front of the recently released Samei. In the darkness she could barely make out the figure approaching their ritual site, but for what she was about to do, delicate aim wasn't necessary. Her hands weaved the necessary seals to surge her chakra forth in the proper fashion, and she breathed out roaring fire from her mouth. This was the traditional Fireball technique the Uchiha clan was well renowned for, second in fame only to their ocular ninjutsu.

The dark house lit up with the warm hues of open flames, but the resulting smoke made it so that there was little change in terms of overall visibility. The flames took to the rickety wooden structure nicely, eagerly consuming the material. The main projectile had definitely hit the demon head on. But apparently even this much carnage wasn't enough for Uchiha Moeka. Once again she had began forming handseals, going through the identical sequence for yet another fireball, and shot yet another one towards where she last saw the thing. And again the surging flames stopped and erupted into a fiery explosion before reaching any of the house's walls, indicating yet another direct hit.

"How much more do you need?!" The girl yelled past her shoulder at Miro, but then turned her attention back towards the stairs. Her dark eyes focused intensely on the raging flames, trying to spot anything still lurking amidst the heat. She was confident that she had landed both shots simply because evading them would require more creativity within the confines of these narrow hallways than she expected to see from the creature, but her intuition still nagged at her to keep her guard up.

 

[Kagami Miro]

The swirling of darkness into the kettle continued behind Moeka’s barrage of fire. The flames spewed forth, coating the wicked beast in rampant fire. A sight to see, however the young Uchiha failed to take in the space where the beast lurked. Flames plastered the abomination, some deflecting off it’s body. The fire would lick the walls causing a small inferno within the hallway. Another fireball had been sent out, this time the flames dazed the creature that hurdled towards them. A bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the house. Loud enough to pierce their bones, it was a sure sign the creature was injured. It’s grip shifted, allowing the seal to suck in the beast. Pulling it’s flame covered body into the sealing kettle.

“Wait for it….” Muttering to herself Mirō waited for the perfect time. As the last of the abominations were getting sucked into the kettle Mirō quickly slammed the lid on top. Placing another strong seal on top before she jumped back. The kettle shook violently, settling down within a minute Mirō fell back onto her butt. Letting out an exhausted sigh, Kunoichi tried to regain her mental state before Moeka noticed anything different. Gold eyes looked down the hallway to see that sealing the beast had also extinguished existing flames against the wall. Looking around further, that chilling presence they got when they entered no longer existed.

The rain outside faded away, the clouds separated to let the sunlight bathe the once haunted house in a heavenly golden light. The light slowly illuminated the inside of the desolate house, a wave of respite washing over Moeka and Mirō. “I’m glad… that’s finally… over…” Speaking between breaths Mirō rose slowly to her feet. “THAT WAS IN THIS HOUSE?” Samei screamed taking cover, and scurried into the back of Mirō’s grey vest. “H-hey! OW! WATCH YOUR CLAWS YOU RAT.” Cursing out the frightened Nincat Samei yelled back. “Get used to it! I had no idea that those… THINGS were in here.” Poking his head out from underneath her long hair. “Just because I’m a ninja doesn’t mean I don’t frighten easily.” Taking refuge back into her jacket Mirō shook her head side to side. “Scaredy cat..” “I can hear you!” “GOOD.” Mirō barked back at him. “Just take me back to my master in Cronopolis. He’s probably worried sick.” Samei whimpered to Mirō, causing her to roll her eyes in annoyance.

“Well…” Stretching her back and arms it felt good to slightly relax after a night of horrific visions. “The dark presence can not long be felt here. I’d say mission accomplished.” Turning her attention to Moeka to see how she was handling the situation. “Good Job Moeka. You showed me you can handle yourself in a sticky situation. I wouldn’t mind doing this again sometime… With less… spirits.” Chuckling to herself her arms fell to her side. “Let’s find the front door out of here.” Folding her arms underneath her bust Samei popped out once more. “It’s in the next room. Can we hurry this up?!” Poking Samei on the head Mirō beckoned Moeka to follow.

Turning the corner the double door exit felt like the exit of a twisting cave. Mirō couldn’t be more relieved to see it in all its glory. Before both of them could even make their move the sound of a windows shattering froze them in time. The jiggle of the door handle caused Mirō to grimace at the fact of a new enemy. Slipping into the shadows Mirō pulled Moeka in with her. The door flew off its hinges from a massive kick caused by a large bandit. Centerfold in the doorway a woman with a sharp commanding voice screamed out to her lugs. “Scan the place clean! I need that kettle in my possession as soon as possible.” Moving past Mirō and Moeka the leader growled at her subordinates, the bandits panned out to search the house. “Shit! The kettle.” Mirō whispered to Moeka. Holding it in her hands Mirō motioned moeka to stay low and quiet. Unfortunately for Mirō within the darkness she bumped into a table stored off to the side. A vase fell over, loudly breaking beside her. Immediately she gained the attention of the bandits. At the top of her voice the leader called out “GET THEM.” “RUN.” Mirō called out, booking it to the doorway, out to the trees. “Run through the forest away from the village! If we split up I’ll tr-” Mirō’s sentence cut short by a set of shuriken darting past her lips and into a tree. Tossing the kettle to Moeka, Mirō had her own plan in mind. Will Moeka be able to evade the chasing bandits? Can Mirō come up with a plan in time to stop the chase? The coin toss would see the light of day and not fall short into water.

WC:813

 

[Uchiha Moeka]

"Huh?" Moeka gasped in surprise as she watched the kettle fly towards her. It took her a second to comprehend the situation before she desperately lunged at the kettle in turn, terrified by the idea of it breaking upon the floor. "Why did you throw it at me?!" She screamed. That turned attention away from Miro and towards her.

Upon securing the container in a firm hug, the girl briskly rolled away, avoiding more shuriken tossed her way. She deftly hopped to her feet and began to run deeper into the house, seeking shelter in its darkness. Moeka ran up the stairs and went inside one of the rooms they've explored before, ducking into a gap in the floor where the floorboards had rotted away. She could hear the brigands stomping around in search of her; the little student began to crawl underneath the floor past them, her path dimly lit by the torches of the criminals above her, the light of which seeped through the slight gaps in the floor. The kettle kept her hands occupied, so she couldn't fight back with her best tools.

"I wonder how long it'll take for her to come back." She silently mused, only to instantly frown and discard the thought. She wasn't going to sit around in this filth, cowering from a bunch of ingrates. But until she could come up with a suitable plan, she would have had to. Having given up on finding her on the second floor, the bandits spread around the house in search of her. Their people outside hadn't seen her leave, so they would rightfully assume that Moeka was still inside the house, the kettle with her. They would find her eventually, but for now, she had a little time to think.

 

[Kagami Miro]

Tossing the kettle to Moeka turned their eyes from Mirō herself onto her. A beginners mistake on their part, which left Mirō unattended and unfollowed by the enemy. One horrific downside to her plan was Moeka had ran back inside the house. Sliding to a halt Mirō turned to face the once haunted house. “Why would you run back inside?!” Gritting her teeth in anger the escape was supposed to pan out nicely with a chase and deception, not returning to the belly of the beast.

Bolting back to the house quiet footsteps pounced from tree to roof and into the broken window they entered in. A bandit stomped loudly ahead of her and before turning a corner a swift karate chop to his neck was all it took for him to fall limp. Catching his body before it hit the ground Mirō drug him underneath a hall table. Dusting off her hands gold eyes darted in all directions. Performing a complex handseal, two more identical copies of Mirō appeared at her left and right. The skin on her arms peeled away into thin sheets of paper, recreating the kettle perfectly, a paper clone taking hold of it. “Now we just find Moeka…” Mirō whispered to herself, Samei keeping quiet. Gold hues turned into beautiful red orbs in the blink of an eye. Looking for changes of chakra each clone went their separate ways in order to distract the bandits to give herself more time to search. Mirō hoped Moeka didn’t fumble her escape and with the help of her clones she could find Mirō faster.

WC:266

 

[Uchiha Moeka]

Before the commotion began, Moeka had the kettle in one hand and a kunai in the other. She had cut two sides of a floorboard with her knife. When a bandit, rushing to respond to the ruckus downstairs, stepped on one end, the other end of it flew into his face. Still hugging the kettle, the girl leaped out from her hiding spot and threw a kick at the man's legs, sending him into a freefall onto the floor. She ran through the second floor's hallway, stopping briefly into one of the rooms to evaluate the situation further ahead.

She was surprised to discover that it was Miro herself causing all the ruckus, lugging around an identical copy of the curse-bearing kettle. Moeka decided that there was no time to signal her and let the clone carry on; the bandit she kicked down was most likely up to his feet by now, so she simply used the provided distraction to full effect and hurriedly snuck back into the room that they had originally entered from.

 

[Kagami Miro]

Clones dashed away from each other. Making their way towards the sounds of bandits to intercept attention from Moeka. “Ah?” Mirō spun around to notice Moeka turning the corner. Her footsteps were inaudible. Slithering to quietly meet up with Moeka, Mirō finally got her attention.

Her entire life Mirō couldn’t raise her voice or express her true emotions. Leading her to stray away from direct confrontation and small talk. Yet Moeka’s foolishness worked her the wrong way. At this moment, Mirō didn’t like having someone under her wing. “Why the hell did you run back inside?” Eager to await her answer, Mirō continued. “We could be halfway down the river by now.” Staring into the Uchihas mind, Mirō turned away, flustered. “Come on now. If we follow the river down we can have them fall into traps then veer off into the distance towards the village.” Mirō commanded, stepping onto the window sill she flipped herself up and over onto the roof. “Listen up for the sound of the river. Keep up with me.” The loud thumping of bandits echoed out throughout the house. Multiple contacts. One of her clones had been compromised. The vanishing of her chakra clone was a sure sign they engaged her. The only question was… which one?

A booming voice pierced through the house and into the wide forests. “Those damn ninja! Return the kettle! Or suffer my curse!” Mirō sucked her teeth. A sour taste was left in her mouth. Handing over the kettle would settle this charade. However, it wouldn’t sit right in her stomach to let bandits take control of something truly evil. Gold eyes glanced down at Moeka. “Bolt past the barrier to the river. Only then will the trap go off." The seals placed before they entered the house were rigged to incapacitate anyone with ill intent. Moeka could use it to her advantage. As for Mirō, unfinished business must be dealt with.

WC:323

 

[Uchiha Moeka]

Moeka got startled by the unexpected appearance of Miro, whom she had seen going in the opposite direction just moments ago. Her partner's question quickly replaced shock with irritation. "Why would you throw the kettle at me?!" Moeka retorted. Realizing she had inadvertently raised her voice, she paused and glanced around to make sure their pursuers weren't tipped off to their argument, and then continued in a hushed tone, still fuming. "You should have just kept running, I would have been right behind you."

The girl once again went quiet and listened to the commotion beyond their room. "...In any case, we'll talk about it later." She followed the older girl up to the roof, heard her out, and then leaped towards the nearest tree branch without so much as a nod of acknowledgement. Her escape was promptly noticed by the brigands, but Moeka paid them little heed as they pursued. Her eyes were searching for Miro's barrier tags, while her ears tried to catch the sound of a river through the stampeding and hollering of the bandits.

And as it were, she noticed one of the tags on a tree, hidden right above a branch more than thick enough for Moeka to put her weight on. She was a single leap away from carrying out Miro's instructions. But Moeka stopped, crouching right in front of the tag, and set the kettle down to her side.

With the kettle still on the branch, the girl stood upright. She began to lightly tap the tip of her foot against the bark she stood on. Her expression was tense, irritated, but also quite deep in strained thought and some kind of uncertainty. With each passing moment, the pursuers were getting closer. Moeka suddenly stomped her jittering foot onto the branch and swirled around, her hands erupting into swift motion as they shaped one handseal after the other. She inhaled air and blew it out as flames, sending a roaring fireball at the unfortunates below, which enveloped one of the men in full and caught the arm and leg of another. The rest of the group stumbled over each other in a brief panic, getting away from the deadly heat.

With that done, Moeka twirled back around, took the kettle back into her hands, and finally crossed the threshold designated by Miro with a long jump, soon sighting a river past the trees. The traps were now free to trigger upon anyone brave enough to continue the chase.

 

[Kagami Miro]

Gold eyes watched the younger girl grow irritated with her. Some would say Moeka carries promise within her. Able to act quickly is a good thing, acting too boldy has been the dreaded fate of many ninja. ‘Tch.’ Mirō glared at Moeka’s fleeing back. ‘Bratty ta boot too…’ Thinking back when Mirō first saw Moeka. Identical aesthetics and appearance, wildly different world views and ways of thinking. The young Uchiha couldn’t grasp the concept of why she even had the kettle. Black locks swayed side to side as Mirō shook her head. Fading from existence to appear on tree branches towards the middle of the enormous trees. Observant eyes watched the leader of the bandits stay a few bodies behind her henchmen. Just like Mirō had planned, they were all chasing Moeka.

‘Good. Good. Just a little further…’ Watching the chase ensue, Moeka was nearly towards a sealed trap. ‘W-what?’ Losing her train of thought, Moeka has done the unpredictable. Within seconds a bandit had been engulfed in flames while another was burned. The bandits' cries echoed through the forest. ‘So defiant. It’ll kill her one day.’ Unable to truly follow orders Mirō wanted the unfortunate to happen to the Uchiha. She had to give her credit where credit was due. She had gotten away from them at the cost of charring the woods and putting a bounty on her own head. The seals would’ve been quieter and less noticeable. There was no time to act any further. Moeka still had the leader and a few more bandits on her tail.

Charring a bandit came with another price. The leader and two other henchmen now caught a glimpse of what she was capable of. Making them cautious and more observant. Howling at the top of her lungs the leader threw multiple shuriken in Moeka's direction. Acting quickly Mirō intercepted and deflected the shuriken away from their target with her own Heartseeker. Dashing from tree to tree Mirō caught up with Moeka. “We need to incapacitate the leader. Unless you set up a pitfall without my knowledge, we will head towards a seal. Then we can get proper information.” Glancing over towards another seal in the distance Mirō hoped Moeka would travel towards it. “They will follow whoever has the kettle, do NOT kill anyone! That’s an order.” Fading away Mirō looped back around to flank behind the rest of the ensuing bandits.

WC:403

 

[Uchiha Moeka]

Moeka turned around, surprised to see Miro, and listened to her without breaking pace. Her words indicated to the young student that the little act of insubordination had been witnessed. Nevertheless, Moeka seemed less tense than before.

"Got it." Was her reply. The girl then started jumping around, twisting and turning her trajectory, darting around at random like a bat out of hell. She wanted to give off the impression of both trying to shake the bandits off her tail with obnoxious and confusing movements and also of having no concrete destination that she was headed to, while at the same time demonstrating to them without a shadow of a doubt that she had the kettle in her possession. Moeka was purposefully sloppy about her obnoxious maneuvering, annoying her pursuers as much as she could, but never actually escaping them, and to the contrary, allowing them to ultimately get closer and stay on her track. They flung throwing stars to try and knock her out of the sky, but she took cover behind trees to avoid them, and then continued to play at this game for a while longer.

She then suddenly straightened out her path, firmly set in the direction Miro ordered her to move towards. Moeka crossed the tag, luring the bandits towards the trap. This time there would be no interruptions to the plan.

WC: 225