Shattered Egos [D-Ranked Mission]

[Hashashin Tensai]

The full moon was high and bright in the middle of a star-filled midnight-blue canvas. There wasn't a single cloud in sight, and the night air carried a subtle chill that forced goosebumps onto the skin of the unprepared. It was late, and the three-story pagoda that formed the Aurora Eruditio was almost completely empty. No classes were being held at such a ridiculous hour, as the clock's hands ticked little by little toward's its twelfth number. Save for a few lights visible with a window here or there, the school appeared to be little more than a darkened skeleton of itself, creepily looming over all before it in the pale moonlight.

Standing in front of the large building, and gazing upon its magnificence was none other than Hashashin Tensai. Having felt that his inability to attend classes has set him back, the young Shinobi hopeful decided to take matters into his own hands. With the lessons taught to him by his Granduncle, he was armed with the basic knowledge to begin practicing on his own. It was something he did on his own, in the form of studying and writing down things, but practicing combative skill at home simply would not do. He'd been unable to sleep, feeling that time was being wasted as he laid in bed staring at the ceiling. Grabbing his clothing and his tools, he slid off inconspicuously and ended up right where he then stood. "Now, if I can remember where that obstacle course was..." He muttered to himself softly as he stood at the entrance.

Word Count: 262

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Ah, so this is where he was headed to. Shashu thought as she padded along the rooftops. She had been rambling about, following her fancy while trying to learn more of the city, when she had spotted Tensei moving through the streets with purpose in his steps. Since she had nothing else to do, and he was taking all kinds of shortcuts she wouldn't mind learning, Shashu decided to follow him. At first she followed him in the streets, ducking behind doorways and other obstructions to avoid notice, but after a few blocks she decided to try something different. Looking around, she spotted a water pipe in the alley she was in. Hehe, even easier than the trees back home. With little effort, she had climbed up to the roof and followed him the rest of the way without being spotted. No one ever looks up. She thought with a smirk. Now I wonder what he's here for... So far Tensei had just stood there, as if he was trying to remember something. Maybe he left some homework? Or maybe some equipment? Or.....maybe he's sneaking in to learn secret techniques! Shashu grinned fiercely. Definitely a good idea to follow him. Now, if I can just stay out of notice, who knows what I'll get to see?

Word Count-217

 

[Hashashin Tensai]

For a second or two, the boy paused his thinking to raise a brow. The hairs on the back of his neck felt raised, and the nagging feeling that had been knotted in the pit of his stomach seemed to tighten. It was much like the feeling he got a few days ago, as if someone had been watching him. He looked over his shoulder for a moment, but giving a small sigh he decided that he was simply being paranoid.

Ever since his youth, Tensai had been the type of individual to notice things that others apparently would not. He wasn't one that the other children could scare with pranks, or surprise in general. His instinct was unique in the sense that it seemed as if he was lucky sometimes, quickly knowing where to look for one thing or the other...However; with the way that his life seemed to be, luck couldn't have had much to do with it. If anything, the boy could simply be described as having an ineffable sixth sense of some sorts...Unexplained, and without any way to prove whether it existed or not to anyone else. It was simply something he could feel within himself at times.

Upon deciding that it was a pointless endeavor to simply stand there, not when he came here with a goal in mind. Sucking his teeth slightly in annoyance, he marched forward and hoisted up the small bag that was slung over his shoulder, just a little more. His memory apparently began to recall all the necessary information about the academy, for he seemed to be moving around the dark campus without need for pause. Eventually he found himself standing at the obstacle course's entrance, seeming quite dank and dark for a moment.

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light that caused Tensai's left hand to shoot up and cover his eyes partially. The light died down as quickly as it came, and in the fading light he could see a young Kunoichi. She wore rather simple clothing, a dark gray traditional set of garbs reminiscent of Shinobi from the distant past...Even her mouth was covered in a similar style. Her skin was slightly tanned it seemed, and her hair was long and wavy. The girl had apparently fired off a lightning attack of some sort on a dummy, because bolts of lightning still crackled softly before fading away. She seemed exhausted, on her knees breathing heavily with a brow dripping copious amounts of sweat. Her forehead itself boldly wore the emblem of the village, and it became apparent to him that she must have been a Genin. Either way, she was an official Shinobi of the village, and he was not.

It couldn't be helped, the pang of jealousy that echoed through his soul threatened to disturb his serene countenance. Scoffing slightly, he started moving forward, still in the shadow of darkness cast by the large building. Before he could emerge however; he could hear the sound of laughing...The laughing of multiple voices. The laughs didn't sound welcoming or innocent, but rather cruel and jeering. Did the sources of said laughter have anything to do with the feeling he had of being followed? Perhaps not, but a group of three girls were now standing around the exhausted Genin. "Hahahaha, awww- Isn't this cute? The old fashioned bitch has worn herself out on a piece of wood..." The one speaking paused for a moment, letting the duality of her words sink in. She had white hair, similar to Tensai, but was much more pale and wearing a significant amount of makeup.

One of the other girls, without any significantly distinguishable features, sent a swift kick to the ribs of the wavy-haired Genin. The girl could only scream out, loudly in pain for a split second before clutching her ribs. She rolled a little, and then tried to stand up, but her movements were slow...Which resulted in the made-up instigator's foot finding her face. The girl's head hit against one of the other wooden dummies, and some blood began to flow. The trio of vindictive young women didn't seem bothered by it, and the ring leader opened her mouth again. "You really think you're better than us, don't you? I'm pretty sick of seeing your face, and hearing our seniors talk about you like you're something special. A stuck up little cunt like you needs to be shown her place in the world..." Harsh words, followed by another annoying laugh as the trio started to kick and step on the girl.

Tensai didn't quicken his pace, not even marginally. He watched as he kept walking forward, and it seemed with each passing moment the look in his eyes became more and more stern. His lips curved downward into a disgusted frown, and stepping into the light revealed crimson pupils that seemed vibrant enough they could have been glowing. The group appeared far too busy to notice to softly approaching footsteps. He could feel his temper rising inside, the heat welling in the pit of his stomach that melted away the previous knot. The heat was rising, raising the temperature of his heart and lungs. His right hand raised to cover his mouth, but suddenly a single ember floated out from his gently opened lips. Without warning, the hand before his lips pulled away quickly, and his mouth opened to let forth a ball of fire. The flame was caught loosely in the same hand, and he'd sprint forward just as suddenly with a swift three-sixty degree spin. The result was the ball of fire being hurled right into the back of the ring leader, knocking the three girls off their target. They all seemed thoroughly upset, trying to out the flames on their fancy clothing, glaring at the boy. "What the Hell is your problem!? Mind your own business!" Shouted the white-haired girl, throwing Kunai in Tensai's direction.

The blades ripped through the air quickly, but entered a cloud of smoke instead of its intended target, and the sound of hitting nothing but wood let it be known what had taken place. Tensai appeared standing in front of the weakened Genin's body, with a few embers flickering forth from his almost fully closed lips. "He doesn't even have an emblem, does that mean he's a student?" Asked one of the two lackeys, to which the other responded. "He's so dead! Someone who hasn't even graduated doesn't stand a chance three to one...So he can spit flames all he wants!" It seemed this was going to go down the hard way, and Tensai himself would later wonder why he even got involved.

Word Count: 1108
Total Personal Word Count: 1370
[Marked for Dojo Training, using 100 words out of this for Sixth Sense.]

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Following Tensei into the Academy, it became quickly apparent that he knew exactly where he was going, and it wasn't long before they came to a training area. The intermittent flashes of light revealed a young Genin practicing jutsu against a dummy. From the looks of things, she had obviously been at it for hours, and was near her limit. Was he meeting this girl here? Shashu then heard laughter, of a kind she was intimately familiar with. Harsh, mocking laughter. Still sticking to high roofs and catwalks, Shashu maneuvered around to get a better look. When the light flash died down, she could see a group of three girls around the Genin, and their posture clearly indicated what they were up to.

Even at this distance Shashu could hear exactly what they were saying, and her teeth clenched in anger.So....even here...... She could feel her fists clench in a white-knuckled grip as the girls started kicking the Genin. Immediately after, Tensei charged in, blasting them with fire, then poofing away from some thrown kunai, a log taking the attack for him. Thats right, Shashu thought. I might not be able to do that...but.... She reached behind her and unslung the over-sized shuriken that hung on her back. Her last birthday present from her mother, after she had decided to go to the Academy. I'm a ninja now! And I'm not going to stand here when I could be doing something about it!

The girls made a move towards Tensei, and Shashu put all her force into a throw, sending the weapon on an arcing path towards the girls. As it flew, she kept hold of the cord attached to the center wheel of the shuriken, and pulled slightly to cause it to gouge into the ground in front of them, dust and debris flying into their faces. Shashu pulled the shuriken back and caught it by the center wheel, the outer bladed edge still spinning ferociously. "That was a warning shot. If you know what's good for you, you won't stick around to see what comes next." Maintaining her position on a nearby roof, the light played upon her in such a way that her entire body was shrouded in darkness, except for the angry flickers of torchlight reflecting off her eyes and the whirling blades of her shuriken.

Word Count-393
Total Count-610

 

[Hashashin Tensai]

He exhaled sharply, causing the small embers to roll out and coil into the gentle breeze before fading to ash. He'd inhale through his nose just a little after closing his eyes and then opened them slightly. "I've got to keep calm...Remember what Granduncle said." He told himself, preparing to square off against the bullies alone. Just as the leader stepped forward and tossed a volley of Kunai, but Tensai wasn't the one to react to it. He was about to, but the sound of metal cutting through air at rapid speeds caused his eyes to dart upward. He witnessed the ridiculously large Shuriken dig into the earth between himself and the females with enough force to kick up a dusty smoke screen. Steel clashing against steel signaled the Kunai crashing into the over-sized projectile.

When the dust cleared he noticed the projectiles sprawled in the dirt, and then the departure of the Shuriken. His pupils followed its ascension only to see it returned to a familiar figure and face. He could see her, standing atop a nearby structure and framed by the moon's light. He could see the long dark brown hair billowing in the wind, and sharp silvery eyes staring down at them all. "Shashu..." He thought to himself, recalling her name and their previous interactions. "Another dumb bitch, too stupid to mind their own business." Remarked the leader of the trio. "As if we'd back away from two students! You don't have an emblem either!"

Simply turning away from Shashu as if the young girl's threats were of no consequence, the ringleader took a step towards Tensai and quickly ran through hand seals. The two lackeys took it a step further, pulling out weapons. "Are they actually trying to kill us?" Tensai asked himself, taking note of one's Katana and the other's bladed knuckles. When the ringleader finished her seals in second or two, she'd thrust her palm forward. At first Tensai could see nothing at all, but the debris between them began to part ways in a path directly for himself and the wounded Genin. It was dark, and so the slight mirage-like alteration to the space before him due to the Wind-Styled technique made it hard to see coming. By the time he knew what was coming, it was too late. If he dodged, the girl would take the attack, and there was no way he could evade without leaving her behind.

Quickly he crossed his arms in a guarding stance, only to take the attack full force. The impact was more than he imagined, and he was pushed back violently. He pushed against the force of the attack though, maintaining his balance despite his feet sliding backwards to the point that his heels were pushing the girl he stood before back also. He felt his stomach press against his insides as the attack finally faded. Without giving him any time to move, the other two rushed in. The one with the Katana swung right for his head, and raising his crossed arms Tensai managed to block with his forearms. The blade of course ripped through the sleeves of his garment and cut into his forearms. Raising his right leg, he thrust it in a sidekick, crashing his heel into the Katana wielder's ribs with enough oomph to knock her out of the air. From his side came the lass with the bladed knuckles, swinging once furiously. He barely managed to dodge, having the sharp tips put three slashes across his cheek. Blood streaked the air for a moment, and his pupils darted around swiftly trying to find an opening.

Word Count: 603
Total Personal Word Count: 1973

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Shashu's eyes narrowed Alright, I guess we do this the hard way "Tensei! You take the blasty one, I've got the other two." Shashu threw her shuriken in a line drive along the ground towards the two weapon wielders, forcing them back from Tensei and across the training yard. Then, using the resulting dust cloud to mask her landing, she jumped down grabbed the cord with both hands, wielding it like a kusari. "Not so easy when you have to pick on someone who fights back now is it?!" Shashu yelled as the two girls staggered back from the initial blow, which was immediately followed by long, sweeping strikes meant to use the large size of the shuriken to force the two on the defensive. "You act all big and tough, but when it comes right down to it you don't have what it takes, do you?" Shashu would keep up the pressure, blasting the ground at their feet to keep them off guard and following it up with strikes that forced them to block, not really trying to inflict damage, but buying Tensei time to deal with the Jutsu user without interference.

Word Count-204
Total Count-814

 

[Hashashin Tensai]

His opening would come in the form of Shashu's interference. The large projectile sped towards them all once more, with enough accuracy to sever the line of sight from Tensai to the bullies. The ringleader moved swiftly, jumping over it and into the smoke as Shashu simultaneously landed. Shashu got immediately to work keeping the two lesser talented individuals at bay, and since both of them were melee oriented for a while it seemed all they could do was back and attempt to deflect. Shashu's words burned, and it was obvious by the way their faces turned a deep shade of scarlet. "You don't know what you're talking about! You lanky bitch!" Screamed the Katana user, before she stepped forward and attempted to block Shashu's weapon.

Sparks flew into the air as metal collided, but Shashu's weapon had more weight and had been thrown with more momentum, resulting in the Katana wielder being pushed back even further. The one with the dangerous knuckles slipped back, trying to find a way to flank Shashu at the sides or perhaps from behind. Meanwhile, the ringleader's leap had turned into a flying kick, landing squarely on Tensai's bleeding defenses. Before she could push off and away from him, he grabbed her pant-leg and pulled her in the same direction her kick was sending him. They rolled over the wounded Genin, so quickly that their full weight wasn't able to sit on her long enough to do too much damage. Tensai's quick maneuver resulted in the ringleader's face smashing right into the dirt. Taking advantage of the momentum he rolled backwards and over her fallen form, slapping his palm against her back in the process.

He pushed up on her and launched himself into the air and landed in a sliding crouch. The ringleader groaned and then screamed like an angry banshee before quickly rising to her feet and charging towards Tensai again. Tensai continued moving backwards, mid-slide turning around as if fleeing and causing her to chase him further. "Come here you little shit! Look what you did to me! You'll pay for this!" She bellowed harshly. When Tensai was sure that they were a safe distance away from the fallen Genin he'd turn around and smirk. "Lay down." He muttered softly, but easily enough heard by all nearby. The place where his palm had slapped on her back began to glow brightly, and it became apparent that he had laid a micro chakra bomb onto her. She felt the heat, and tried to reach around to tear it off but it was too late. The explosion sent her flying towards Tensai, who sprinted towards her and the concussive force of the small blast, slamming his elbow into her cheek.

She went reeling back into the dirt, landing on her face once more before falling flat. Tensai quickly shifted his attention to Shashu, just in time to notice the knuckle wielding Kunoichi heading for her from the side. "Haaa!" The boy shouted as he turned in her direction, kicking the dirt towards her. The earth followed suit, raising up and crashing into her to knock her off course. At the same time, the one that was keeping Shashu busy had finally come up with a cleaver idea. The next time the Shuriken swept across her path, she jumped into the air and stabbed her Katana through its center, impaling onto the earth. However; when she looked up and noticed the battered condition of her two associates her mouth dropped open. "I-You-What...How!? This...This is stupid! Neither of you are even real Shinobi! This isn't fair!" She screeched before charging Shashu.

Word Count: 604
Total Personal Word Count: 2577

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Shashu waited a half-second as the katana wielder charged her. Yeah, cause that's going to work. Idiot. Right as the girl got to her Shashu dropped to the ground in a slide, letting the recoil from the ripcord pull her along the ground towards the shuriken and knocking the legs out from under the girl in one smooth motion. She then retrieved her shuriken and the girl's katana, holding the latter against the fallen girl's neck while kneeling on her back. "See, its funny. What I find unfair about this whole situation is not that you were beaten by mere students, one of whom doesn't even know any Jutsu to begin with, but the fact that someone like her," Shashu nodded towards the fallen Genin. "Has to deal with people like you." Her eyes flashed. "She's obviously worked hard, and is still working hard, to be where she is. but you...." Shashu's eyes narrowed in disgust. "You're just trying to bring her down out of jealousy, cause you can't do what she did!" She wiped angry tears from her eyes and stood up, looking at Tensei. "Can you keep an eye on them? I'll go get a teacher or....somebody." Assuming he would agree, Shashu would leave in search of some authority figure to handle the three.

Word Count-217
Total Count-1031

 

[Hashashin Tensai]

As the last of the trio made a futile attempt at charging them, Tensai dropped a small flash bomb into his palm, from somewhere up his sleeve. His expression remained as indifferent and unconcerned as ever, except his eyes, they remained looking quite stern and unpleasant. He never had to use the flash bomb through, because Shashu took care of her in a stylish but quick move. He watched and listened quietly as Shashu gave her little speech, and simply kept himself quiet for a while. The girl being reprimanded didn't have it in her to speak anymore, and simply laid there at the end of her own blade sobbing.

He noticed the tears streaming down Shashu's face also, and it made his stomach feel as though the bottom had dropped out and everything fell to the floor. His eyes softened just a little as he lightly touched his own stomach. Sucking his teeth for but a moment once more, he let his hand fall to his side and looked towards the battered Genin who had needed his help...Their help. In the back of his mind he made a note that Shashu herself had just admitted to not knowing any Jutsu whatsoever, but her performance was still impressive. If she could move like that without having any mastery over her chakra...Well, that spoke volumes about her future potential. She'd be someone to keep an eye out for in the future.

Shashu spoke of getting an adult or something like that, to which Tensai's nose wrinkled a little in annoyance. She took off quickly, and left him there with the four fallen females. He casually walked over towards the Genin who had been victim, and after wiping his own blood from his cheek, took his time hoisting her onto his back. He knew that there would practically be no teachers around, but if Shashu looked hard enough she'd surely find some authoritative figure to give her complaints. Tensai however; wasn't going to stick around. He heard his wounded charge whisper a weak thanks into his ear, to which he simply replied "Don't worry about..." As he walked away, he stepped over each of the downed bullies. "You three can stay here...On the floor...Like the trash you are." He muttered softly, uncaring of whether or not they heard him. The person he was carrying was in need of medical attention, and so he'd drop her off at the hospital and slip away discreetly. He didn't want to answer any questions, and he wasn't going to sit at this stranger's bedside either.

What a night...On the bright side, he did get a little training in, if one wished to see it that way.

[Topic Left/Mission Complete.]​

Word Count: 448
Total Personal Word Count: 3025

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Get it together Shashu. No use getting all worked up, its over and done with. She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes again, clearing the last of her tears. No matter where I go these sort of people are always there, holding me back, holding others back... She lifted up her shuriken, then reslung it and clenched her fist, a triumphant grin on her face. But this time I did something about it! She looked to a constellation of stars to the north, towards her home. I showed them mama. I'm not going to let anybody hold me back.

Then, turning a corner, Shashu ran smack into a Shinobi, a Chuunin she thought. Well, that worked better than I thought. Shashu thought. "Going somewhere?" The Shinobi asked. "Actually I need your help! Some students were attacking another student, and she's really injured! We managed to beat her attackers, but she needs help!" The Shinobi gave her a grave look and nodded sharply, motioning Shashu to lead the way. When they got there however, Tensei and the Genin were both gone. What? They were just here a minute ago.... "They were just here, Tensei must have taken the girl to an infirmary...." The Shinobi gave her a skeptical eyebrow, then examined the three assailants. After assuring they were in no immediate danger, he returned and asked Shashu for the full story, which she gave. The Shinobi then had Shashu help carry the three to the nearest infirmary, where they also found the wounded Genin, but no sign of Tensei. After corroborating her story, the Shinobi told her to go ahead and go home, he would take care of the rest.

Finally back at the inn, Shashu flopped into bed. Not bad for my first real fight, I think. She grinned. I bet those three will think twice before trying something like that again. Thinking about the wounded girl, she frowned a bit. I hope she's alright, she definitely deserved better than that, whoever she was. Then Shashu glowered at the ceiling. Especially better then getting dumped off at some clinic with no one to be with her! I'm gonna slap that kid upside the head next time I see him, abandoning a girl like that. She smiled again, then fell asleep. At least it ended ok though....zzzzzzz

Topic left, Mission Complete!

Word Count-388
Total Count-1419