Open Weapon of choice

[Akamine Sota]

Clouds showering an empty street counts as relaxation for some. For others; the song of birds and rivers amidst a quiet forest. Sota? The sound of metal lodging itself into thick wood. The muted thud that gauges the strength of your throw. The heavier it is, the less echo follows. The boy isn't aware of the way his nerves melt to the sounds, but he's got about five kunai pinned against an unfortunate tree. Large maple, posing as his training wall for the evening. Reason he doesn't notice is this:

He isn't training. In fact, he's less concerned with his aim, more so with his weapons. Seems to be surveying his own blades. Follows his eyes along the rim, towards the pointy half. Rotates it in his hand and glares at the handle.

Then, what little cogs occupy his brain give in and an angry breath escapes his teeth. Sota throws this kunai, too. Adds another to the pile. But he doesn't seem to be done just yet. From the pouch sitting at his hip, he shoves his hand and brings out several more blades. This time; smaller shuriken. Begins inspecting these too, as if he's only now seeing shinobi knives for the first time.

Clearly has something on his mind.



—
wc 208

 

[Kiriyomi]

Kiriyomi has taken to his new job quite seriously, donning his mask and protecting the village from the shadows as befits his position. Today, he was simply patrolling the Forest of Death while getting in some training. If he was to move undetected through the village, then what better way to hone those skills than against the beasts and horrors hidden in the forest? Their senses were on par with some of the shinobi he had encountered, so he took his training seriously, sneaking through shadows and eliminating any traces of his path as he leapt through the branches of the trees.

Up ahead, he heard a thudding sound, which itself wasn't that odd. What did throw him off, however, was the faint chakra signature coming from that same direction. He wasn't aware of anyone else training out here today, so of course he had to stop by and investigate. He remembered the days when he was younger, just a small academy student, sneaking into the forest to train on his own. At the time he was unaware of the dangers lurking further in the forest, and wanted to be sure that whoever found themselves out here today was strong enough to defend themselves from any threats that may come from within the forest. As Kiri drew closer to the sounds, he took to the higher branches of the trees, so that he would have an aerial view of what was going on , lessening his chances of being seen. There below him, further down in the forest, was a child he hadn't yet seen around the village. Based on the way he was dressed, and his apparent age, he could only assume this boy was an academy student. The question was, should he reprimand the boy and punish him for breaking the rules, or should he just observe and keep the boy safe for now?

Dropping down from his perch high up in the trees, Kiri lands softly on the ground below and takes up a position behind one of the trees near Sota and simply observes him for now. He allows some of his chakra to leak out, so as not to alarm the boy, seeing if he would react to the presence of someone else in the forest with him. He narrows his eyes behind his mask, sensing for any others in the forest around them, so that he could be sure that the boy was safe to continue his training. For now.

 

[Akamine Sota]

Like a feather hitting the ground, the noise that should've signaled a 2nd party's arrival is non-existent. Yanks Sota's mind down from the clouds, and pins his brows together in a furrow. He does the thing of whipping one's head from side to side, and realizes that the threat isn't as close as he'd hoped for it to be. Because, as we all know, if it isn't in sight, then it isn't actually near you. So, like any other kid with a great sense of self-preservation, Sota rests two fingers over his lips and lets out the loudest whistle known to mankind.

Hopefully that'll attract it to his location.

And, once he, she, or they arrive, Sota should be good to test out his many, faultless theories. Readies the shuriken in his left hand, shoves and retrieves two kunai with his right one.

"Out," he demands.



—
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[Kiriyomi]

Kiriyomi rolled his eyes as the boy whistled loudly, sighing to himself. Clearly he had no idea what lived in the Forest of Death, otherwise he wouldn't be making such a ruckus. But it seemed that he needed to be taught a lesson, and who better to do so than a member of ANBU. Scare the boy a little bit before giving him some menial task as punishment for being out in the forest alone. Stepping out from behind the tree, he walks closer to Sota, inspecting the weapons the boy has in his hands.

"Boy. What is your name, and what are you doing out here alone? Don't you know it's against the rules for children to be in the Forest of Death unaccompanied? Also I suggest you lower your weapons, unless you are looking to get hurt. I'm not here to play games. I came to make sure that you were safe and to escort you back to the village. So, drop your weapons and follow me." Kiri turns around and starts to walk away, expecting Sota to follow suit, his ears open for anything coming towards them after the loud whistle pierced the air. Thankfully nothing was heading their way, yet.

 

[Akamine Sota]

Sees: a feline's mask.

Whatever vigor Sota had poised with is quickly washed away, replaced with his trademark indifference. A set of slumped shoulders, a small "not you clowns, again," mumbled under his breath, and a very displeased roll of his head. Rocks it around his neck before begrudgingly pulling it back to face the questions. The reoccurring theme was beginning to get on his every nerve.

"I was accompanied," he lies. "You think I don't respect the law? We just got separated at some point, that's all." As for going back...

That bit is easily ignored. Sota only digs his heels further into the ground. With his name, he leaves out his reasoning. Settles for a long, wordless stare in the ANBU's direction. So long, in fact, that the cogs begin to pick back up within his head. Slowly — comically so — his eyes begin to peel wide. Like a sun draping its light over the world. See, when the idea of a lifetime hits him, it hits him slowly.

"Holy shit, you're perfect," comes the sudden bark. "Hey, hey — help me out here." Then they can leave. Sota promises.



—
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[Kiriyomi]

Kiri stopped walking when he realized the boy behind him wasn't following, and sighed to himself. This wasn't going to be as simple as escorting him from the forest, it seemed. A small flying ant crawled out from under his mask, hovering before his eyes. Hey. Do you want me to go bite him? I don't mind. It'll hurt, and it might put a little pep in his step. You know how kids are these days, they need a little motivation to follow the rules. I haven't had some fun in a while. So why don't you let me at him, I'll bite him a few times, and we can get this brat back to where he belongs?

He shook his head, shooing Kohara away. His friend had gotten antsy as of late, seeing as Kiri hadn't allowed him to partake in any of his work for a while. He didn't want to risk losing his friend, not like that. He had already lost too many people in his life, he wouldn't be responsible for losing his best friend as well. Better to use the mass of insects inside his body instead, those that hadn't formed bonds with him. But that didn't appear to be the tactic that he would be taking today. A gentler hand was required here, it seemed, so he turned around and listened as the boy spoke to him. Conveniently, he left out his name and lied to Kiri about coming out here with someone else. During his travel through the forest, he would have easily identified any other shinobi out here.

Rather than call Sota out on his obvious lie, he just leveled his eyes on the boy and took a step forward. "What, exactly, is it that you need from me? Because you were careless with that whistle just now, the chances of something finding us are rather high. While I am confident in my ability to defend myself, I can't guarantee your safety as well if we are ambushed by multiple creatures. The Forest of Death is named as such for a reason."

 

[Akamine Sota]

Brows contort into confusion, but Sota doesn't let the question slip through his teeth. Was this guy asking for words of gratitude? Or...... "I'm sure you can, Mr. ANBU. You're good enough. Believe in yourself, yeah?" Aside from that, it was his fucking job to protect Sota — and whoever else enjoyed leaping into fire headfirst. But that was a conversation for another day. Hopefully one that would never come.

Sota's patience runs out. He doesn't wait for an answer, goes on to explain: "you're used to fighting, right? Stabbing, killing, whatever. Listen — "

"I need to come up with a sick weapon that'll make a fucker bleed. Like, I'm not talking stab stab then death. I'm talking I can slice you and walk away knowing you'll bleed to death." It's times like these where the boy's age comes into display. When he blabbers away, he throws up excited gestures and uses his arms to illustrate his point, curling his fingers and biting down on a grin when he's explaining how his weapon should slice through skin like paper. How it ought to be this long, that strong, and so on.

Finally, rolls back to a quiet when he's finished his spiel, and awaits with bated breath. "So??????" Because if there's anyone fit to answer this, it's an operative from the Hokage's best assassination team. Not a weaponsmith or what have you.



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[Kiriyomi]

Kiri's eyes go wide as the boy describes what he is looking for, and a familiar feeling falls over him. This child... he reminds Kiri of Shusuke. He enjoyed making people hurt and bleed as well, so yes. He had the knowledge that Sota was seeking, but why would he just simply share it with him? He knew nothing of the boy, except that he was a student at the Academy. As Sota excitedly babbles on about the weapon's dimensions and capabilities, he stepped closer to the boy, staring down at him from behind his mask.

"What makes you think that I'm just going to share this information with you? What right do you have to create a weapon such as that? For what purposes will you use it: to harm or protect? Do you want to be up close and personal, watching the life bleed from your opponents eyes? Or do you want to strike from afar, leaving them wondering where the next strike will come from?"

 

[Akamine Sota]

Does the man know to shut up? When was the last time Sota experienced a whiplash this bad?

If the boy knew his math, he'd count at least five questions in one; first two suggesting he wasn't getting his answers, and the rest back-pedaling — suggesting he was. A brow cocks, and he feels the throb of a headache follow.

"Gaaaah," he grimaces. "Slow down, slow down." A hand rises to his head. Brushes the tips of his digits over his temple. Nothing soothing, but he uses the moment to think. Realizes he's already forgotten half the questions, and lets out an irritated breath that clips short. What the hell were they feeding these operatives?

"Okay so; from afar. And, uhm. Yes to whatever else you asked." A switch flickers, and his eyes light up again.

Untold: well??



—
wc 134

 

[Kiriyomi]

"Well, the first thing that you're going to want is a sharpened blade. Something curved, particularly, so that when you slash into your opponent it will dig deeper and hopefully cause internal bleeding as well. If you want to be able to recall it to you, perhaps attaching it to a chain so that you can control the trajectory as well, aiming for vital areas. The problem with a kunai or shuriken is that the blade is straight, so it will only pierce into the opponent before stopping. You want something that will pierce and tear as you pull it out. Might I suggest something like this?"

Kiri will grab a nearby stick and start drawing on the ground, showing Sota a kusarigama. The small sickle like weapon seemed to be a fit for what the boy was seeking, allowing him to strike from a range while causing his opponent to bleed out without risking himself in close combat. Why he was sharing this information, Kiri wasn't sure. Obviously this could go very badly, if the boy didn't have the proper intentions for using the weapon. But something about the excitement behind Sota's eyes had caught his attention, and he wished to see what the boy would accomplish. Kiri would have to keep a close eye on him in the future; if he took this knowledge and used it to harm anyone in the village, he wouldn't hesitate to step in and correct Sota's actions.

 

[Akamine Sota]

God answers his prayers! Not really, Sota doesn't pray. But, at last! An ANBU with half his brain still in tact!

If Sota's teachers were around to witness this, they'd look to Kiriyomi with envy. In fact, they'd glare daggers. For one, he's totally classing the wrong kid on this. Or so they'd chant. Wrong kid learns wrong thing = bad happenings. But their biggest gripe, perhaps; a shot of their worst student zipped to a quiet, the fact that he was capable of holding his tongue and yet never tried to with them. Whereas he'd usually be bellowing out interruptions, today's storm of excitement is contained. Easily so in the face of the ANBU's answer. A long winded explanation that, for once, Sota doesn't appear to mind.

Hell, he even plops down on the ground, seeking a better angle of the drawing. Thinks he can do better, but that's beside the point. "Sick!!!!!" A grin hasn't broken his face for some time like this. After a moment, the boy leaps back to his feet and curls two hands around the air. Swings his arm, and imagines this kusarigama rest within his grip as he cuts down his imaginary foes.

(Now... where to steal one.)

"Would you look at that. You're not bad, ANBU-guy. 'Least not like the dog one. But alright," his hands shove into his pockets. "I'll go back." As promised, and all. Totally not because he had a kusarigama to swipe.



—
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[Kiriyomi]

Kiri looks down at Sota, plopped on the ground, getting a better look at the drawing he was making in the sand. At least the boy was passionate about something. Maybe he could strike a deal with him... Kiri wiped the image away, tossed the stick over his shoulder, and began walking back out of the Forest of Death. He needed to get Sota to safety, before anything decided to stumble upon them, and report to Keniwa that there are students out in the forest alone. He also needed to decide what punishment he was going to give Sota for being out here unsupervised.

"So. You are old enough to know that being out here alone is breaking one of the laws of Konoha, therefore I have to give you a punishment. I think that going to the Inuzuka Clan and cleaning up after their animals is fitting. IF you can do this, without causing anymore trouble, I will swipe a weapon for you and hand deliver it so that you can begin training. How does that sound?"

 

[Akamine Sota]

Behind Kiriyomi, Sota follows. Dangles head from side to side, letting mind and thought be enveloped by the clouds above. A big shroud that pops when the ANBU starts up again. Big, long speech; reminds the boy of Keniwa.

"Punishment?" His face contorts. But let the mind settle and let the cogs twist. A realization follows a blink. Back over his face, a cheshire's smile stretches wide. Reads demeanor, the way in which statements are offered rather than given. Replays the face of the question in his mind like a casette, then decides.

"What, is someone monitoring you? C'mon, ANBU-guy, let me off the hook. Just this once."

And if he needs a deal, Sota has plenty to trade. For starters: "I'll be good?"



—
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[Kiriyomi]

Kiri stops in his tracks and turns around, examining Sota. He knew that his duty was to report the boy to Keniwa or any of the higher ranking members of the Main Branch. But really, he had been caught in the forest before by Keiyaku and had gotten away with a slap on the wrist. Perhaps he could allow the same thing, so long as the boy before him promised not to enter the Forest of Death again. Not alone anyway.

"You know... You really do remind me of someone that I know. He would try to twist the situation to his advantage, as well. To answer your question, no. I'm not being watched, and you can stop calling me 'ANBU-guy'. You can address me as Mantis, if anything. As for letting you off the hook... I suppose I could do that. Why don't we make a deal? You stay out of the Forest of Death, unsupervised, and I will forget that I found you out here. I'll procure the weapon you are seeking, and deliver it to your home. I'll be sure to keep this interaction discreet, but you have to promise the same. This deal remains between us, and if broken, just know that I have skills you can only dream of. I could make your life a living hell if you betray me.

 

[Akamine Sota]

A sudden pause in step forces Sota to mirror the other; look up to the ANBU with half a question. "Mantis? What, like the insect?" Begs the question of why he hadn't thought to pick a fitting mask. Nothing Sota feels curious enough to voice out loud.

See, with more of Mantis' words, Sota's face stretches. Wide and big, until pearls shine through behind the gate of a smile. "You'll never catch me here again." Shit, he'd throw him a wink if he wasn't so busy grinning from ear to ear. The whole ordeal felt like a movie, and — perhaps the biggest climax: an authoritive figure that didn't seem to have a stick up his ass. Who would've thought?

"Don't worry," he shrugs. "Already got what I came for." But he knows a threat or two is needed to soothe one's conscience. It's like when Sota thinks to gift his sister with the jewelry he'd stolen the day prior.

Regardless, if Mantis decides to move on, Sota would wordlessly follow.



—
wc 168
[topic exit unless kiriyomi says/does more]

 

[Kiriyomi]

[Topic left]