The main goal of the trip was to run. As much as it made Shuu furious she knew that flight was the only real option. If what happened was exactly as the rumors said, then with Mist a giant icicle, they needed to get somewhere, and fast. Of those with her she had eight civilians--one of which was severely wounded in a fashion that she could not heal with chakra alone--and four genin, all of them only recent graduates. She had them moving in a diamond formation around the civilians, trying desperately to keep them protected, but knowing that skill-wise the Genin were not much better. It was three days into the trek that the first incident occurred. The group was ambushed by a small team of Bandits, but it was clear that these bandits were not ordinary, as they had the ability to manipulate chakra. The ringleader who stood back and smirked as they moved in was likely a missing-nin who was training his own fighting force in the shinobi arts to give them an edge. Cursing quietly, she realized that the bandits were all about Chuunin level in skill. Her genin wouldn't stand a chance.
She ran in as quickly as she could--which was faster than just about anyone on the field--as they all attacked the Genin. Meanwhile, the young ex-Misties all knew their jobs were to protect the civilians, and so decided to do that. Two of them fought valiantly but in the end lost their lives as Shuu was busy dispatching the other two Chuunin. Then in a flash she was there and destroyed the remainder. The ringleader, a man with long silver hair and a cold red gaze, smirked at her as she cursed the death of her people, looking up at him in a rage.
"You're next, asshole."<i></i> In a flash she was on her opponent. He was about Jounin-level in skill, but even with that she was taking him apart with skill that he could never have matched. She didn't even bother to use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. Through using only her unarmed prowess she utterly destroyed the nameless man without hesitation. Turning she saw the remaining two Genin had fled. Cursing quietly she went to two that were downed and utilized all her skill to save them from death if she could, in spite of their damage and stopped hearts. One made it. The other did not. And as he stood--wobbly but alive--he admitted to her that he didn't have the heart to be a ninja anymore. Everything he knew and loved was gone, and he'd almost died just trying to escape that madness. He was done. He vowed to never use jutsu again, and seemed very apologetic, but in the end it was clear to Shuu that he simply didn't have the heart in the face of all that horror. She understood, and sent him on his way to do as he pleased. He would not be a threat to anyone. The two who ran she could not say, but the haunted look in the eyes of the boy who left to make his own way in the world told her everything she needed to know. No one should have to endure this hardship. Turning she continued their escort, ensuring the injured man remained alive. The genin were gone. One was dead, one was retired, and two were cowards. It was just her, now.
~*~
That night they made a stopover in the fishing town of Aoiumi. Not the most imaginative name for a fishing village, but the people were nice enough, taking them in. Shuu offered coin from her recent gambling victories to pay for lodging and supplies, and the villagers were more than hospitable, though there were little medical supplies to be had.
They were close. A sharp turn inland and in about one or two days travel they'd reach the lands of Suna. The injured man was taking a turn for the worse, though, and broke out into a fever. He couldn't travel in that condition. They stayed an extra day in town. The following morning, a family had been butchered in their home, and their youngest, sickly daughter gone missing. All eyes turned to the strangers. The injured man was still in no position to go anywhere, so leaving was not an option, but clearly Shuu as the most powerful and leader of the group was considered the most likely suspect. She asked for twenty four hours to solve the murder and in the meantime allow the others to remain unharmed and unmoved. The locals agreed. She left to go to the home of the victims and found many things that disturbed her. By all rights the family in the household were either victims of something elaborate, or something was very wrong. She also learned through medical observation that they had all been sliced apart by a dull knife. The only real blade she bore was a medical scalpel, and that would have left far cleaner--though admittedly much shallower--cuts. This wasn't a surgeon's weapon or indeed even a tool of war. This was done by a mundane, every day blade, like those the fishermen used to gut their catches or the butcher used to slaughter her herd. Shuu spent hours scouring the city for a matching blade with her special eyes and keen senses, and still she found nothing. It was night and she was going over the scene again when she heard a noise.
Curious she turned, realizing she'd never examined inside the house. The killer might still be present! Using her eyes she found a small figure, still living. When she approached she saw a young girl, emaciated, severely bruised, and covered in blood. One look and Shuu knew she was not sickly, simply incredibly malnourished. With food Shuu coaxed the girl from her hiding spot, and though she was silent, it didn't take long to realize what had happened, especially since she still clutched the blade that had murdered the family.
The next morning the injured man's fever had broken, but there was something more pressing that needed to happen. She brought the girl before the elders of the village. She was freshly dressed, and the knife and dress was bagged into quarantine. The silent girl was munching on the crust of a bread as they stared at Shuu, aghast as the stranger told the tale of a man who was twisted and broken. So broken that he'd broken his wife many years before kids had come into the picture. He impregnated her and when they had a son, broke him too. Not physically, no. Mentally. Emotionally. Psychologically. The man had learned how to twist both wife and son into the perfect little psychotics who would do whatever he said unquestioningly. He was horrifyingly brilliant. When another child came, he already had an heir and so she was unwanted...but could be a source of amusement. So they kept her in her room, almost never letting her outside and certainly never out of their sight. They starved her, deprived her of basic needs and wants like a place to go to the bathroom and clothes, and beat her for their amusement. There was even signs that she'd been the victim of acts even more sinister, which she refused to go into the details of, but horrified them. Then, one day, they got sloppy and left a dull fishing knife in her reach. She grasped it and attacked each of them in turn, just wanting her nightmare to end and escape their tortures. Just when they were about to declare her defense preposterous The little girl stood in front of Shuu and uttered two words.
"She's right." Everyone else was aghast, though the girl was more amazed that Shuu, a stranger, had uncovered this only through what she discovered in the house. A total stranger knew this family better than the citizens who spoke with them every day did. One of the elders agreed to take the girl into his own family, and declared Shuu free to go.
They left the village that hour, and never looked back.
~*~
One more day of hard travel and they had made it. As the storms kicked up, Shuu knew she had come to the right place. Uri hadn't steered her wrong. He'd told her where to go, and she'd followed, though she could have sworn there was part of his directions she was forgetting. That didn't matter, as they'd finally found Sand's gates. Just in time, too, as the injured man was going septic. He wouldn't have lasted another day without extensive medical care. They made it, though with having seen some particularly brutal things along the way. She'd lost some people, but the civilians had survived. That would have to be enough.
WC: 1473
She ran in as quickly as she could--which was faster than just about anyone on the field--as they all attacked the Genin. Meanwhile, the young ex-Misties all knew their jobs were to protect the civilians, and so decided to do that. Two of them fought valiantly but in the end lost their lives as Shuu was busy dispatching the other two Chuunin. Then in a flash she was there and destroyed the remainder. The ringleader, a man with long silver hair and a cold red gaze, smirked at her as she cursed the death of her people, looking up at him in a rage.
"You're next, asshole."<i></i> In a flash she was on her opponent. He was about Jounin-level in skill, but even with that she was taking him apart with skill that he could never have matched. She didn't even bother to use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. Through using only her unarmed prowess she utterly destroyed the nameless man without hesitation. Turning she saw the remaining two Genin had fled. Cursing quietly she went to two that were downed and utilized all her skill to save them from death if she could, in spite of their damage and stopped hearts. One made it. The other did not. And as he stood--wobbly but alive--he admitted to her that he didn't have the heart to be a ninja anymore. Everything he knew and loved was gone, and he'd almost died just trying to escape that madness. He was done. He vowed to never use jutsu again, and seemed very apologetic, but in the end it was clear to Shuu that he simply didn't have the heart in the face of all that horror. She understood, and sent him on his way to do as he pleased. He would not be a threat to anyone. The two who ran she could not say, but the haunted look in the eyes of the boy who left to make his own way in the world told her everything she needed to know. No one should have to endure this hardship. Turning she continued their escort, ensuring the injured man remained alive. The genin were gone. One was dead, one was retired, and two were cowards. It was just her, now.
~*~
That night they made a stopover in the fishing town of Aoiumi. Not the most imaginative name for a fishing village, but the people were nice enough, taking them in. Shuu offered coin from her recent gambling victories to pay for lodging and supplies, and the villagers were more than hospitable, though there were little medical supplies to be had.
They were close. A sharp turn inland and in about one or two days travel they'd reach the lands of Suna. The injured man was taking a turn for the worse, though, and broke out into a fever. He couldn't travel in that condition. They stayed an extra day in town. The following morning, a family had been butchered in their home, and their youngest, sickly daughter gone missing. All eyes turned to the strangers. The injured man was still in no position to go anywhere, so leaving was not an option, but clearly Shuu as the most powerful and leader of the group was considered the most likely suspect. She asked for twenty four hours to solve the murder and in the meantime allow the others to remain unharmed and unmoved. The locals agreed. She left to go to the home of the victims and found many things that disturbed her. By all rights the family in the household were either victims of something elaborate, or something was very wrong. She also learned through medical observation that they had all been sliced apart by a dull knife. The only real blade she bore was a medical scalpel, and that would have left far cleaner--though admittedly much shallower--cuts. This wasn't a surgeon's weapon or indeed even a tool of war. This was done by a mundane, every day blade, like those the fishermen used to gut their catches or the butcher used to slaughter her herd. Shuu spent hours scouring the city for a matching blade with her special eyes and keen senses, and still she found nothing. It was night and she was going over the scene again when she heard a noise.
Curious she turned, realizing she'd never examined inside the house. The killer might still be present! Using her eyes she found a small figure, still living. When she approached she saw a young girl, emaciated, severely bruised, and covered in blood. One look and Shuu knew she was not sickly, simply incredibly malnourished. With food Shuu coaxed the girl from her hiding spot, and though she was silent, it didn't take long to realize what had happened, especially since she still clutched the blade that had murdered the family.
The next morning the injured man's fever had broken, but there was something more pressing that needed to happen. She brought the girl before the elders of the village. She was freshly dressed, and the knife and dress was bagged into quarantine. The silent girl was munching on the crust of a bread as they stared at Shuu, aghast as the stranger told the tale of a man who was twisted and broken. So broken that he'd broken his wife many years before kids had come into the picture. He impregnated her and when they had a son, broke him too. Not physically, no. Mentally. Emotionally. Psychologically. The man had learned how to twist both wife and son into the perfect little psychotics who would do whatever he said unquestioningly. He was horrifyingly brilliant. When another child came, he already had an heir and so she was unwanted...but could be a source of amusement. So they kept her in her room, almost never letting her outside and certainly never out of their sight. They starved her, deprived her of basic needs and wants like a place to go to the bathroom and clothes, and beat her for their amusement. There was even signs that she'd been the victim of acts even more sinister, which she refused to go into the details of, but horrified them. Then, one day, they got sloppy and left a dull fishing knife in her reach. She grasped it and attacked each of them in turn, just wanting her nightmare to end and escape their tortures. Just when they were about to declare her defense preposterous The little girl stood in front of Shuu and uttered two words.
"She's right." Everyone else was aghast, though the girl was more amazed that Shuu, a stranger, had uncovered this only through what she discovered in the house. A total stranger knew this family better than the citizens who spoke with them every day did. One of the elders agreed to take the girl into his own family, and declared Shuu free to go.
They left the village that hour, and never looked back.
~*~
One more day of hard travel and they had made it. As the storms kicked up, Shuu knew she had come to the right place. Uri hadn't steered her wrong. He'd told her where to go, and she'd followed, though she could have sworn there was part of his directions she was forgetting. That didn't matter, as they'd finally found Sand's gates. Just in time, too, as the injured man was going septic. He wouldn't have lasted another day without extensive medical care. They made it, though with having seen some particularly brutal things along the way. She'd lost some people, but the civilians had survived. That would have to be enough.
WC: 1473