Search and Gather: Tutor

[Shouyu Hoshi]

The young warrior stood before the Torre Celeste. He was just about to make his exit and head toward Dragon Tooth Pass, the city gates. Hoshi has arrived at the break of dawn, just as twilight skies lit the mountains of Kumo ablaze with a fiery warm light. After his return, he intended to start off strong where he left off. He figured his protege Honnou was busy at the moment and thought not bother him with a basic search and gather mission.

Instead, the youth requested a Shinobi of the rookie class. He always loved to see the how the young rain clouds of Kumogakure would soon darken with heavy moisture in abundance, just waiting to shock the world beneath them. A chip tooth grin was painted across the Shinobi’s face as he pondered the previous class. They seemed to have all found their place in the sky.

Hoshi would wait for his partner to arrive. The mission notes would state a small debrief and separate piece of parliament that read;

“Dragontooth Pass.”

Hoshi awaited his comrade, jotting down notes into a thin small black book. He wrote with his chakra, so only those acute to chakra through visual doujutsu could only see his doodles. It was a failsafe in case things went south and he was captured. At this time, the boy didn’t even bother to wear his Kumo headband anymore. An Anbu chakra tattoo could easily give that away… if he was captured. He noted,

“Follow the trail of migration. Before the hailstorm and hibernation. All lies, lie inside the sky nation.”

He was attempting to break down a proverb of some sort which was his biggest I trail since fire country. Upon approaching, anyone could see the hyuuga deep in thought. His brows tethered together, while one of his feet tapped a steady rhythm.

Wc 307

 

[Saito Kyoshi]

Kyoshi had been preparing for this day his entire life. As his family had been sat around the table eating their evening meal, his father announced that Kyoshi had been assigned a mission, specifically requested at the behest of a genin. It was one of the few moments of praise his father had ever given him as the man remarked that Kyoshi must already be making a good impression at the academy. This praise was quickly followed by the stern, almost hateful glare as his father reminded his second born to live up to the expectations set by their clan's legacy.

This was Kyoshi's cue to finish eating an take get some rest, and for once his father actually left him be. No nightly training or studying. An hour before dawn, Kyoshi awoke to gather his things and ready himself to leave. The mission details relayed to him by his father the night before had set the location he was to report to, as well as the time. Kyoshi was just closing the door as he heard his father leaving his room, most likely making sure his son wasn't sleeping in on such an important day. Kyoshi couldn't lie, the petty satisfaction he got by surpassing his father's expectations was getting him fairly excited. Perhaps one day his father would speak as highly of him as he did Kyoshi's older sister Ayashi.

Placing his hand over the pouch of poisons his sister had gifted him when he made it into the academy, Kyoshi whispered a silent prayer to his ancestors to watch over his sister. As an ANBU in training, she was rarely around the house, even when she wasn't out on assignment or training, Kyoshi didn't think she'd rested at home since she left for the ANBU. He couldn't let such thoughts weigh him down though, and instead started off for Dragon Tooth Pass. This was also going to be his first ever time leaving the village, as he'd never even been to the village gates. The thought left both a deep seated uncertainty as well as a growing eagerness to see the outside world, the two conflicting thoughts occupying his mind as he walked.

Despite having never been to the location, Kyoshi found the passage rather easily, thanks to his father always drilling him on village evacuation procedures, he knew the fastest route and made it there only to discover his partner to be more familiar to him than he'd thought. Though having never met the shinobi before, at least that he knew, Kyoshi recognized the eyes of the Saito Clan. The teen's Byakugan might not be activated at the moment, but his eyes had the same dull white of Kyoshi's father, mother, and older sister. Two new thoughts began to struggle against each other inside the young boy's mind. Was this entire mission orchestrated by his clan, or has Kyoshi even earned the privilege of being assigned his first mission so young, or was this a test set for him by his father and the Clan leaders? Neither thought pleased him.

Walking up to the shinobi waiting for him, Kyoshi bowed to show respect before introducing himself. "Saito Kyoshi, I'm ready to begin when you are sensei." Kyoshi's father hadn't given him the name of his comrade, just the time and place to be. The older shinobi was writing on a blank page of a notebook, something Kyoshi had seen before amongst the shinobi of his clan, but he himself had no means of reading whatever secrets the teen had hidden within. Since Kyoshi had yet to awaken his Byakugan, it was impossible for him to decipher such scripts, a small reminder of his ineptitude.

618 wc​

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

From peripheral Hoshi could see a young Shinobi approach and bow. It was when he heard his name, that the pale eyed Shinobi would snap his booklet closed with a single hand. He rose from bent knees in a crouched position to face the Saito member. Hoshi returned his gesture with a bow more deeper than his clansmen.

“Saito Kyoshi. Perfect. I didn’t expect for the council to send one of our own.”

Hoshi had recently been appointed head of the Saito Clan in absence of the former Kage. He lead several delegations before his leave and left Honnou’s grandfather, Hoshi’s most trusted advisor to guide the clan during Hoshi’s manifestation of wisdom and growth. He smirked to see the youth and lifted his right fist up to pound if the Shinobi would.

“You seem to be another bright prospect of the gentle fist. Now tell me, have you yet to activate your eyes?”

Hoshi would inquire because this was not only a simple mission, but he wished to gift the favored comrade with a piece of wisdom and experience. Hoshi was proclaimed as one of the villages best eyes. A watch dog of sorts.

“Today we will be leaving the village. There is a community outside of the gates who could potentially pose a threat to the village. Our job is to remain hidden and discern whether or not they actually do a pose a threat. As if now, it is just speculation. But with hard evidence we can know the correct step to move forward. With or without your eyes, this should be easy.”

Hoshi would turn toward the gate. A guard would approach and ask for the necessary documents which Hoshi provided. His chuunin headband and paperwork of his leaving. The guard would look to Hoshi, chuckling and then looking to the young Saito.

Guard: “Go ahead. We appreciate your service! Thank you!”

From then Hoshi took off in a dash. A competition of sorts to test the abilities of the young Saito.

Wc 336

 

[Saito Kyoshi]

The teen's first words were enough to cause Kyoshi's mind to calm. If the council hadn't told him of Kyoshi's identity, then there was still a chance of this being a coincidence. It could still be a test of sorts, perhaps for them both, but that made Kyoshi more comfortable because it meant his father wasn't behind this. What really made the boy feel relieved though was the gesture so common among the students of the academy, the older shinobi holding his fist out as a sign of companionship and comradergy really did wonders to make Kyoshi feel at ease.

Returning the gesture, Kyoshi's sense of ease shifted as the more experienced shinobi inquired as to his Byakugan. The boy doubted the shinobi meant it in a negative way, but it still hit the nail on the head of Kyoshi's insecurities. After all, his sister had already awakened her Doujutsu by the time she was his age. "No, not yet sensei, but I've been training with my father and sister for years, I won't let you down." Kyoshi offered, hoping against hop that he didn't end up being a dead weight on his first mission. He had conveniently ignored the Gentle Fist comment, since his father was a strong proponent of Bold Step, and it wasn't Kyoshi's place to argue over clan politics.

As the chunin began to explain the rest of the mission the mission, Kyoshi listened intently, he wasn't sure how useful he'd be in a real fight it it came to that, but he knew how to scout. He'd been scouting with his sister atop the Saito clan's compound walls since he was old enough to climb. He'd always wanted to see the world outside of what his father had deemed to show of it, now he was literally setting out on a mission to see it for himself. Things started to get weird as they approached the gates though, the guard was laughing at him, which only made Kyoshi nervous, and then his team partner took off without him. It was all Kyoshi could do to try and keep up, but it was quickly made apparent that the eight year old academy student had zero chance at even keeping pace with the more experienced shinobi.

Word Count: 379, 997 Total​

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

His comrade bumped his fist and explained his lack of access to the jutsu. Hoshi recalled on he activated his. But within that same second he snapped out of that thought. He knew how most hyuugas activated their doujutsu. Intense training, or life threatening events. Hoshi hopes today wouldn’t be the latter.

“Remember, with or without your sight. You are gifted. And this, you must do for yourself, not for me, or anyone else.”

As they took off Hoshi could easily see the gap between their abilities. For this, he let up a bit as to let the young Shinobi catch his draft wind. He would bellow somewhat loudly so that his voice was heard over the passing wind.

“Eliminate every sound. We must move swift as the wind, and also quiet as a breeze.”

The two would cross many plains, some which lead to deep ravines one could take into the inner cities of lighting country. Although the two would cross many, each ravine would test their abilities of strength and endurance.

“Use a small concentration of chakra to increase the grip in your fingers as we scale these walls. Also, maintain the even flow of chakra by equally dispensing chakra into your feet. It will help maintain your balance, and conserve your energy.”

Thick veins suddenly appeared across the Shinobi’s eyes and even into his hues. He saw faint traces of chakra floating like a feather in wind, causing a trail which lead down one of the ravines. Hoshi signaled the boy, coming to a stop crouching beneath what would seem like a cracked mountain. If The Saito Shinobi was observant enough, he would have noticed a pattern between the ravines.

Each ravine would have some type of man made structure, if not a monorail, an escalator, or an elevator, some sense of common travel. This particular ravine lacked that modern technology but instead seemed to house old, rusted infrastructures from ancient times.

“Kyoshi. Stay vigilant. If we are to encounter, use your training.”

Hoshi has to make an opening somehow. He inhaled sharply, while cocking his right arm back tucking his elbow into his underarm. He light blue glow engulfed his hand. With his other Hoshi knocked against the stone walls of the ravine searching for any hollow echo and sure enough he found one.

“Eight Trigrams! Air palm!”

As an ancient practitioner of the gentle step, his grandfather taught Hoshi many techniques, and only one he favored over this mountain crushing technique.

“By the way young Kyoshi. What branch have you taken to?”

The small talk he hoped would keep Kyoshi occupied and not focused on anything negative that could erupt. Hoshi wanted his partner calm and collected, in case things did go south.

Wc 458

 

[Saito Kyoshi]

Kyoshi was really beginning to like this shinobi, he was nothing like his father and leaned more towards the way his older sister treated him. This was already starting to instill within Kyoshi a sense of respect for the older Kumo-nin. He took the time to remind him to be silent, without enforcing the command with physical force, and even offered words of encouragement. As they ran, Kyoshi found his footing and remembered his training, his father had taught him how to use his chakra to aid him in climbing as a small child, so crossing the revines came as second nature to Kyoshi, though the slight cuts and scrapes from the rough stone were a new layer to the process. Still, pain was something extremely familiar to the young Saito, almost comforting even, so Kyoshi was all smiles as he took in the landscape and let the wind sweep through his hair.

As they came to a stop, Kyoshi recognised the scanning motion of the older shinobi's head before he even saw that his Byakugan had been activated. The young Saito couldn't help but wonder when his own Doujutsu would awaken, and again he was reminded of his inability and lack of dependability on this mission. The ravine that the his teammate was scanning seemed out of places compared to the others, the buildings seemed dilapidated and forgotten, an obvious location for potential criminals to make their home. Once again his superior mentioned the possibility of a combat encounter, which while unskilled, Kyoshi had still prepared for. The teenager began bashing the side of the ravine, as if he was trying to bring down the mountain. Kyoshi had seen much the same sort of feats from his father and sister, as well as other Saito on occasion, so it wasn't a surprise. What did cause the boy to pause was the question his companion posed. "My father is training me in Bold Step, but to be honest, I lack the skill to be considered a practitioner." Honestly seemed like the best option, but Kyoshi hoped his fellow Saito wasn't looking for a debate, as far as Kyoshi understood them, Gentle Fist and Bold Step were basically the same, but Bold Step hurt more, or at least it did when his father hit him.

Tightening the weighted bandages around his arms given to him by his sister, Kyoshi reached into his pouch to retrieve a small bag of blue powder. A personal favorite, Lullaby Powder, Kyoshi's sister Ayashi had famously knocked herself unconscious while she was at the academy, a valuable lesson not only for her but for Kyoshi as well. Is your opponent better armed and trained beyond your abilities? Send them to the sandman with a pinch of poison, then slit their throat in their sleep. easy peasy. Kyoshi had almost no means of winning an actually battle against multiple armed criminals, but he could at least put up a decent fight.

Word Count: 494, 1491 Total​

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

After several attempts to find any plaster, paper or concealed locations through jutsu, Hoshi would cease his efforts. As he stood straight up, still scanning the area with his doujutsu, he sighed.

“I mean... you think that would be some sort of wake up call that someone is here.”

He muttered to himself, under his breath. Hoshi was still as a tree, in thought. His partner a fellow student of the bold step has tailed nicely, now it was time for him to learn something. He seemed well enough at tracking and keeping up, the slight blood and bruises from the journey didn’t seem to cause the young Shinobi to falter. Hoshi smirked.

“Here’s a lesson. In this world you will fight many opponents. Some, much more stronger than you. As a Shinobi, we should pick and choose our fights accordingly. Our enemy has foreseen our coming, with that I can see the abandoned camp. With that being said, thinking like an enemy, they’re probably already right on top of us. They could be plotting their counterattack. We will take a another path home to confuse them. Let’s make haste Kyoshi.”

Hoshi was just about to turn to leave when an arrow zipped past his face. Had he not tilted his head some it would have been a direct shot instead of a glancing scratch. A trickle of blood traveled down his cheek as Hoshi cringed. A giant flurry of arrows, enough to darken the light of an afternoon sun. Everything went black, Hoshi lowered in stance, sliding his right foot back while slightly contouring his body with a twist.

“KESSHO!”

From flat feet to the balls of each foot he stepped up and began to twirl at high speeds. The same time, Hoshi released a large amount of chakra from his open pores which poured and formed a defensive dome.

“KAITEN!”

It was about three seconds before Hoshi came to a stop and turned to run without a thought.

“Kyoshi! Today’s lesson is a tactical retreat. Heh, show me your wits young Saito!”

Hoshi began to dart in a general direction back to Kumo. He simultaneously moved both hands behind his back to his ninja pouch, he snagged a couple of smoke bombs. One he chucked in front of them to cover their near pathway and one behind them to conceal their back.

Wc 393

 

[Saito Kyoshi]

Making sure to listen to everything his teammate was saying, even when the older shinobi seemed to be mumbling to himself, Kyoshi heard the arrow bite into the ground just as the teen was speaking about the lesson of knowing ones' limits and engaging or not engaging opponents with those limits in mind. Seemed like a tactical retreat was the correct course of action, after all, the two Kumo-nin didn't really know how many hostiles were around. Attempting to keep pace with his comrade, Kyoshi took off behind him, coughing his way through the smoke, attempting to choke down the burning air so as to keep silent. It was all for not because as soon as he exited the smokescreen, Kyoshi felt himself being tackled and put in a headlock. Biting down on his attacker's hand, Kyoshi elbowed the man in the groin before taking off in the direction of the exit, grunts of pain echoing in the tunnel intermixed with the sounds of more footfalls.

Kyoshi made it within ten meters of the light of day as the sunshine glistened off a thin wire in the distance, the older Saito had been correct, their enemies had planned for them. The young academy student simply jumped high enough to clear the obvious trap, only to catch of a glance of a foot slamming itself into the side of his face a second before he felt the sting of the ground under his gut. Clenching the Lullaby powder in his right hand, Kyoshi stood on his knees to meet the fist of his second assailant with his left forearm, a deep ache ringing through the bone in his arm, spreading all the way from his fingertips to his shoulder. It caused him to simultaneously pull his injured left arm back while also thrusting out with his open palmed right hand. The resulting scream of pain from the small boy gave him the necessary wind gust to spread the poisonous powder outward, catching the man in front of him off guard.

Kyoshi didn't even wait for the man to fall to the ground unconscious, taking off as fast as he could while holding his injured arm. He felt the familiar sensation of warmth rushing down his face and neck, his nose was bleeding and his lips were busted but he knew he'd be fine as he cleared the exit and ran into the cascading rays of daylight. He'd lost track of where his comrade was, but he did manage to see the next would be attacker come for him in his peripheral. Crouching as a means of dodging, using his smaller stature to throw his taller opponent of balance, Kyoshi hooked his left foot behind the man's right ankle, turning to stand on his hands as his kicked with his right foot. Though the young Saito didn't possess the necessary strength to break the man's ankle, he was still able to trip the man up, sending the man falling over the edge of the ravine even as Kyoshi felt a hand on the back of his collar.

A second later, Kyoshi found himself being strangled by the same man as they both fell to the earth below. What seemed like a second suspended into an hour, Kyoshi felt the roaring rush of wind through his hair and the esaperated grunts and wails of the man grabbing at his throat. Thinking fast, Kyoshi ripped the mic off his headset and stabbed the man in the eye with the torn end. Letting out a shuddering cry of pain, his final assailant released him to reach for his face. The following punch in the gut wasn't from any enemy or opponent, the two of them had landed. With a heavy grown, Kyoshi rolled off the top of the man. It felt like he'd broken an arm and dislocated a shoulder. He had a pretty bad case of whiplash as well, but a full blown concussion would have been a lot worse.

Giving himself a moment to regain his breath, Kyoshi stood up only to fall down again, before eventually setting himself into a kneeling position as he leaned against the side of the wall and looked at the man that had fallen with him. It appeared he'd suffered a broken neck upon impact, and a deep-seated dread filled the young Saito as the realization came through him in waves, a quick sexsession of numb and sharp aches, one after the other. The first life of his career as a shinobi, a nameless combatant. Kyoshi couldn't help but sit there, seething through his wounds as his mind locked onto the screaming face of the dead man in front of him. The slight bulge at the bottom of his neck and the deepening shade of purple in the man's neck and face confirmed Kyoshi's conclusion of cause of death. In the back of his mind, Kyoshi knew he needed to find his fellow Kumo-nin and make a run for it back to the village, but he couldn't help but sit, frozen, staring at the corpse in front of him.

Word Count: 852, 2343 Total​

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

Hoshi could definitely discern by now that the unknown community’s lack of a civil introduction meant that they were for business. Hoshi could probably take them all out now, but he still lacked the necessary intelligence on them. It also wasn’t long before he lost his young comrade in the fray. Hoshi had no choice but to turn and fight. On his last leap he would land on his right foot, planting it firmly on the rocky terrain. Another twirling spin recreated that rotating sphere. One after another jumped into it, having been too late for them to adjust their trajectory to Hoshi’s sudden course of action.

As quick as he began, he had stopped meanwhile leaping back. Hoshi would quickly draw several shuriken placed perfectly in between his fingers and fire them from close range with a forward thrust of both arms. The eyes of the hyuuga flexed, veins present as well as diagram within his mind’s eye. The Hyuuga divination field. All were within range.

“Eight trigrams...”

Hoshi flooded a massive amount of chakra mixed with his own life energy to break through the gate of limit, the gate of view, and lastly the gate of wonder. His body instantly grew in muscle mass slightly, and light blue vapor containing evaporating sweat and Hoshi’s life energy.

“128 palms!”

The naked eye couldn’t see it. But at the moment with Hoshi’s divination field, chakra gates, and byakugan active, it was almost slow motion. Every tenketsu, every enemy, no matter the number, Hoshi saw it all vividly. Body after body fell to the floor crying out in agony with their chakra suppressed. The soldiers far behind could see the catastrophic damage a single Shinobi was performing on their ranks. Those of weak heart found a good time to high tail it out of there and turned to run. Tail tucked beneath their legs, the front line was completely demolished by Hoshi within seconds.

“Summoning Jutsu...”

Not even out of breath or a drop of sweat the youth weaved a series of handseals in coalescence with a blood oath. He wiped his bleeding cheek and slammed his palm into the ground. From beneath his feet a portal from another realm would slowly open. A large otter was would rise from the interstellar entrance that is with Hoshi standing at his right.

“Mizu-Kun. You can handle this right?”

Mizu: “It will be done Hoshi-Sama!”

Mizu was a deep blue furred otter. Yet, the blue was seldom seen beneath shining golden armor. Mizu wore a large breastplate which covered most of his torso. He also wore shin and arm guards, with a dazzling coil at his waist to summon his sword. Mizu also wore shoulder gauntlets and a helm in the form of a dragon head. Mizu’s hands reached for his hip, his left to the right hip and his left side mirrored his right. Two golden swords formulated from Mizu’s chakra stored inside of his armor. The beast charge swords ablaze in fiery fury of the sun’s scorn.

Hoshi would activate a clone jutsu, imbuing them no element this time as he released his hand seal. In three flumes of smoke appeared three bodies all in the likeness of Hoshi.

“Find the boy.”

They all dispersed leaving Mizu to handle the war time. Hoshi could smell remnants of a body, faint traces of chakra with his eyes. Before he lost the Saito, he remembered he was engaged in battle and only hoped the boy stood his ground. Soon he felt his clone poof. With no new info, he assumed the clone was struck down. A few moments later of more searching it happened again.

Wc 612

 

[Saito Kyoshi]

Kyoshi had managed to fight his mind away from the image set before him, the eyes bulging out of their sockets, the teeth shattered from the force of impact as the man bit down on himself, the blood pooling around his head like a halo after his skull split open. The child had never before seen death, he'd known it sure, but seeing a dead animal or attending the funeral of an elder was nothing compared to the visage that pledged his mind still. The young Saito found himself stumbling over his own feet, weariness taking over and the pain that racked his small frame was nigh unbearable. He was too wounded to attempt running up the cliff face, though it was only thirty or forty feet high depending on the exact location.

Kyoshi was busy looking for a means of scaling the rocks and dirt when the older shinobi he'd begun this mission with appeared, sticking his head over the side and peering down at him. A couple seconds later, the teen appeared in front of him, reaching out towards his arm to inspect the injury before peering back up towards the cliff above. "Get on my back, I'm Hoshi's clone, I'll take you back to him." The clone spoke briskly, crouching to offer the younger Saito a lift. Kyoshi was taken aback slightly, having not actually known the name of his compainin up until this point of the mission, Kyoshi hadn't realized just who Hoshi was. He wasn't simply another member of the Saito clan, he was one of the most important Saito alive. Kyoshi couldn't allow Hoshi to see him falter, nor allow any harm to come to him. Forget his father, if Kyoshi allowed any harm to come to Hoshi he would be banished or even killed.

Accepting the offered lift from the clone, Kyoshi was quickly ascended above the cliff face, only to be met with another threat as Hoshi's clone was quickly taken out buy a stray kuni to the chest, leaving Kyoshi on the ground. Holding his broken arm close to his chest, he turned to face the woman just as she planted a boot into his chest and sent him backwards. Kyoshi was running out of options here, it wasn't normal for academy students to be put into such a situation. Still, he was a Saito, and had spent his entire life training to give his life for his clan, and for his village. If today was the day he was to die, at least he would be earning his father's respect for the first time in his life. That thought enraged the young Saito, causing his chakra to flare wildly, the pain in his arm and elsewhere subsiding for a split second as a new sensation began to take hold of the young Kumo-nin.

The woman before him moved swiftly, taking advantage of his injured and delirious state to throw him against a large rock even as Kyoshi made to stand up. The air escaped him as he gasped. The woman hit him again, she had pinned him against the ground, beating him in the face repeatedly. One, two, three-and then it happened. Something overtook him as his rage calmed into a cold fury. The world exploded before him, his senses on fire as the woman seemed to slow. Kyoshi reached forward, snatching the woman's eye from her socket as blood fell upon his face and her wailing screamed filled the air. Another quick crack of his knuckled across her trachea left her soundless as she fell over, freeing him. Kyoshi left her there, crawling away from him as he ran in the direction he assumed Hoshi to be, a terrible pain in his forehead as his senses were still in overdrive. It wouldn't be until the young Saito found his companion, that the academy student would be made aware of his newly awakened Byakugan.

Word Count: 654, 2997 Total​