RPG Konoha Chronicles - The Torn Earth [M - V, L]

[Isabella-Black]

Hotaru walked the rest of the way home with a soft smile on her face. She had to hand it to Matsuda, his plan had worked - perhaps not perfectly, but it had done it's job - and now they were finally an official team. She was a little surprised at how grateful she was about that. She mused silently as she hopped onto the fencing along side the road and walked across it with perfect ease. They worked well together, and if today was to be any indication, their combined strengths would turn them into a strong team - stronger than she'd ever imagined.

She would never call Matsuda a coward again, that was certain. He'd fooled her, perhaps not intentionally, but she'd underestimated him and so had Ryokotsu. He wasn't a strong a shinobi as Okaru or herself, but undoubtedly, Matsuda's level-headedness and ability to see underneath the underneath made him a valuble addition to the team. All he really needed was an ounce of self-confidence to improve, and she could already see the difference Okaru and sensei's comments had made. He was still shy, and a little timid when he'd been speaking with her, but he'd met her eyes when he spoke.

Maybe someday she'd tell him how impressed she really was.

She continued balancing along the edge of the fence, even as she made her way inside her clan compound. Today she was a real gennin, on her way to becoming a powerful kunoichi, and she didn't want to hide that from anyone, not even her family.

She'd hoped to make it to the front door without anyone noticing but her brother Itsuki chose that moment to walk around from the side of their house and caught sight of her.

He dropped the nag he'd been carrying unceremoniously and let it crash to the ground. He rushed over to the fence, "What do you think you're doing?" He scolded her and Hotaru scowled. "Get down from there before someone sees you. You could get hurt!"

She was feeling particularly bold today, so rather than obey, she shifted her balance and cartwheeled once before flipping off the fence and landing perfectly on her feet. She glared at him, petulent, "I'm not helpless, Itsuki," she should have left it at that, but she was feeling reckless tonight, "in case you forgot, I'm a kunoichi."

Her brother laughed. "Hotaru," he smiled patiently, as though he was dealing with a disobediant infant, "you're just a little girl. Granted a very... balanced one. But you really need to be careful. Don't worry your big brother like that okay?"

"I'm a gennin!" Hotaru insisted, "I passed the test yesterday, I'm on a team and I'm going to go on missions with them."

Itsuki frowned lightly, "You [I]passed[/I]?" Hotaru swallowed the bitter taste his incredulous tone left in her mouth. Her brother seemed to shake himself after a moment and addressed her seriously, with all the authority that he had over her. "Do mom and dad know about this? I didn't think they'd let you."

"I don't need their permission."

"Hotaru!" Itsuki snapped, "This is ridiculous, mom and dad were very understanding to let you go to that academy-"

"They didn't let me go! I had to beg for months!"

"-and after you threw that ridiculous temper tantrum when they said 'no' the first time-"

"They were the ones who had a fit!"

"-you still continue to act like a rebellious infant."

"[I]I want to be a kunoichi![/I]"

"Hotaru!" Itsuki never raised his voice to her, neither had he ever hit her though it was within his rights as clan heir to do so. He did both then.

Hotaru pressed a hand against her stinging cheek, staring up at her brother in absolute horror. Itsuki sighed, "That's enough, Hotaru. I won't tell mom or dad about this, but honestly you need to start growing up and pull your head out of the clouds." Hotaru stood mute before him, and he took her silence as an answer. "Let's go inside." He left without making sure she would follow.

[Drizzt Do'urden]

Nightfell in the clearing Okaru was sleeping in. Part of him wished he would have walked farther with his teamates, but he had allowed himself to much today, it was getting to him, and doing it in a bad way. Okaru had propped himself up on a rock and rubbed the scar on his chest, for some reason it was always so comforting to him. As he gazed up at the stars, he noticed something move out of the corner of his eye.

Jumping to his feet, Okaru already had a hand on one of his Kunai's, ready for whatever it was. Chozo stood, just a few feet from Okaru with a wicked smile on his face. "Out late Okiori?" His voice was different from before, he sounded...well crazy. "I was just out for a stroll when I saw you lying there. I thought I should probably pay my respects."

"Respects? Is that a threat? You couldn't even handle Hoto, Chozo. What makes you think you'd have a chance against me?" Okaru's blood was boiling. This was the second time Chozo had acted aggresively against him. He wasn't about to let there be a third. "Oh don't take it as a threat Okiori....I'm surprised at you. I figured this was a great day for your clan. The last child of your clan passed his gennin exams, I bet there's all sort's of goodies to be had."

Okaru had enough, he had been scanning for any of Chozo's friends who may have been circling him. The only thing he found was a weak chakra signature that showed where Chozo actually was. This was apparently a clone in front of him, odd it seemed stronger then the real thing.

Okaru charged the clone, feinted a kick and rolled onto the ground. He sent his kunai sailing as if he missed his mark and kicked the legs out of the clone. As it went down he grabbed its throat, slamming it into the earth. In a splash his water clone was gone, and at the same time a cry came from the tree above, apparently Chozo got the message.

"I'll kill you Okaru, after my father destroy's your clan I'll kill you." Okaru could feel Chozo leaving, but he spent sometime checking the nearby brush before returning to his bed. His father would probably be the next to show up with Okaru's luck.

Okaru allowed himself to drift off in the clearing, tomorrow was another day. Hopefully a less eventfull one.

[Adas]

Ryokotsu frowned as he leapt away from the tree branch he had been occupying. The Okiori boy had defended himself, and he was grateful that it was only against the one attacked – he didn’t want to have to intervene, but he knew that he wouldn’t stand by and let the two boys kill each other. [i]If he doesn’t know already, he’ll learn soon enough…[/i] Sadly, it was only a matter of time until Okaru found out about their long, sordid history with the Otaka clan, but that was an issue for another day.

Matsuda had made him home alright, and after speaking to Junichi – his father – he was bound to receive the praise he deserved. Ryokotsu smiled. [i]That kid really surprised me[/i] he reflected. [i]Maybe he won’t hold the other two down after all[/i].

Hotaru seemed to be having trouble with her family, her brother especially, but seemed alright none the less – nothing that needed his presence be known for. Overall, it was a quiet night, and he was glad for it.

His momentum began to slow as he neared his destination until all of a sudden, he was still. The complex he occupied was shared by many jounins, a couple of which nodded to him in the lobby as he passed by, to whom he nodded back. [i]An interesting test indeed…[/i] he thought to himself, still running over the results of the exorcise from earlier that day. Matsuda had been only half-right – the test was not only to teach the lesson of teamwork above objectives, but for the instructor to gauge his pupils.

Okaru was physically strong, and with excellent chakra control, forming jutsus that were far beyond his level. Hotaru, while not nearly as physically strong as Okaru, had also perfected jutsus too advanced for gennins – he had never before seen a gennin able to execute such a potent genjutsu. Then there was Matsuda – physically weaker then either of his teammates, relying too much on his katana, average jutsu capabilities – despite a high chakra level – but a sharp wit.

[i]An interesting day indeed…[/i] Ryokotsu mused, already forming training schedules and exercises for his students.

[center]~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~[/center]

“Please, Ryokotsu-sensei, just a moment…” Matsuda begged, hoping against hope for a moment’s rest.

“When you’re in the field, staring down a ninja who’s prepared to kill you, will you ask him for a break?” Ryokotsu asked, his face rock-hard.

“Well, no, but—“

“Then continue” Ryokotsu interrupted. With a sigh, Matsuda raised his practice sword, and lunged forward. The wooden replica flowing freely in his hands as he preformed different sword stances and attacks, dancing the forms against wooden dummies scattered across training ground fourteen.

The sun beat down on team eight as they practiced once again under the watchful eyes of Ryokotsu-sensei. Matsuda continued to train with his sword against lifeless enemies, envying Okaru who stood back, mustering up all of his chakra to once again run up a tree. Hotaru was doing laps around the training ground, leaping from tree to tree.

It had been three months since the three graduated from the academy and formed team eight. Since then, they had undergone several high priority missions – from finding lost pets, to raking leaves, they did it all. Once even, they were asked to help spread manure in a local’s farm, a mission they could all agree one was the worst, despite Ryokotsu-sensei’s obvious strain at holding back laughter.

They had followed a strict schedule over the past several months. Instead of performing countless missions without a moments rest, Ryokotsu-sensei decided to only take a new mission every few days, giving them rigorous training exercises for several hours each day between missions. Despite their obvious exhaustion, their skills and abilities were already getting better, and in the short time they had been training, rumors had begun to reach their eager ears of harder missions to come.

“Alright, pack it in” Ryokotsu-sensei called out, and at once, three weary gennins crawled their way over to him. Matsuda was exhausted, barely wanting to move, but sadly knowing that this day was only half over. A half hour rest for lunch would be just enough time to get their strength back.

Matsuda plunked down in front of Rykotsu-sensei, and began pulling food out of his bag, but was stopped by a blank stare from his master. “The fact that you were the first to sit means that you’re the most tired in this team, and thus, the weakest. Perhaps we should find harder ways to train you to catch you up to Hotaru and Okaru?” Matsuda leapt up to his feet, his face going red. “Good” Ryokotsu continued. “We’re heading out.”

“Where are we going?” Hotaru asked, packing up her things.

“To see the fifth.” Ryokotsu-sensei replied dully.

“But we just completed a mission yesterday” Hotaru interjected. “Remember? We had to save that woman’s cat…” she trailed off, and Matsuda was thankful that she did – the scratches that cat had left still stung today.

“I’ve decided that you’re all ready for something a bit more… serious.” Ryokotsu revealed, his monotone voice devoid of any excitement.

“It’s about time…” Okaru muttered under his breath, and for once Matsuda agreed with him completely. Despite being nervous of the challenges ahead, he was growing bored with the basic displays of manual labor that was forced upon them. And for that matter, anything to get them away from the daily training routines was a blessing in disguise.

The group made casual small talk, predicting what the mission would entail. Matsuda was nervous and didn’t join in on the conversation, but the jokes made about kidnapped princesses who needed rescuing, and evil ninjas bent on taking over the world made him smile. Ryokotsu-sensei, like always, remained unconcerned, and seemingly uncaring.

Once again, they found themselves in the Fifth Hokage’s study. The full windows behind her desk illuminating the room, silhouetting Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage. Before she began, she looked at Ryokotsu-sensei, and at his nod, started the briefing.

“As I’m sure you’re all aware of, current construction projects are underway to expand Konoha. One week ago, a shipment of lumber and supplies that we commissioned from Tanzaku village was sent to us – the shipment never arrived. Although this may be the work of local bandits, we’re not ready to rule out enemy shinobi activity, which is why Ryokotsu-sensei will be accompanying you. Your task is simple – recover the missing shipment of supplies and see to it that it arrives safely in Konoha.”

[Drizzt Do'urden]

As the group walked out of the room, Okaru finally allowed the smile he'd been conceling burst out. It was finally time for a real mission, no cat scratches, no blisters from raking, it was time for the big show. [I]"This will show dad that I'm a real gennin."[/I] Okaru's father had been increasingly violent as of late, he kept screaming that Okaru would never be as good as he was, and his beatings were growing more and more severe, a fact that Okaru thought he hid very well.

He'd been worried that his father's actions would push him away from his team, put him back in his solitary hold he'd known for so long. But instead he'd tried harder, and now he really felt one with his team, though he longed to be as happy as the other two seemed to be when they were laughing and joking around, he knew it would come though.

"Can you believe it? A real mission from Lady Tsunade." Hotaru always seemed to be in a great mood after leaving the 5th Hokage's office. "Yeah I know, finally a chance to prove ourselves" this time Matsuda was equally excited.

Okaru hung back with Ryokotsu, not that he wasn't excited, he still wore the smile on his face. Rather, more that he was worried. Sensei hadn't been on a single mission, and it wasn't often that they accompanied their gennin on missions. Only when they were either of the upmost importance, or incredibly dangerous.

Okaru didn't bother looking at Ryokotsu when he spoke, even though the senei appeared preoccupied, he would be paying attention to every little thing. "It seems like the missions you've sent us on must've won some recognition Sensei, a mission of this caliber usually go to people stronger then us don't they?"

Ryokotsu didn't look up, if he was worried you would never know it, "You three have done well so far, this will most likely be the first [I]real[/I] test of your abilities so far. You should be celebrating with the others while you still have some free time." Okaru took the hint and quickened his step to catch up with the others.

"Okaru, how awesome is this?" Matsuda patted him on the back as he spoke, Okaru looked up and smiled at his teammate. "It's great Matsuda...great" His voice trailed off, and he was afraid he'd show some of his hesitation. Hesitation that he knew was unwarranted, he was just nervous about the importance of the mission. Nothing more...he hoped

[Isabella-Black]

Hotaru gave Okaru a strange look. They were finally going on a [I]real[/I] mission, far away from manual labor and cat hunting - hopefully - never to return. And yet he seemed ... down. Nervous, she could understand. She didn't doubt that all of them were at least a little anxious about what would happen, even a little frightened. But depressed? That was very out of character for Okaru.

She shrugged and chose not to ask. They were FINALLY getting recognition for their hard work and she wasn't going to let anyone spoil the moment for her.

"Alright," Ryokotsu-sensei spoke up once they had returned to their normal training field, "we're going to call it a day for now. I need you all at your best for this mission tomorrow. So go home and get some rest. We meet at the gates at 6:00am sharp, understood?"

All three genins nodded. "Don't be late." Ryokotsu warned (somehow it still sounded vaguely threatening even with his perpetual monotone) and disappeared.

Hotaru shrugged her pack onto her shoulders and turned to face the other two. There was still plenty of time left before she had to return home and she was hungry. Her mother was packing her smaller lunches and serving her less at the table on the grounds that she 'didn't want her little princess getting fat'. Hotaru scowled.

She faced the boys with a small smile however, and asked, a little awkwardly, "So... you guys want to go for ramen or something? My treat."

[Once again I apologize for taking so long. University is eating my soul. I will attempt, to the best of my ability, to post as often as I can. Also, if you guys don't want to drag the day out anymore, just refuse her offer, I don't care either way.]

[Adas]

It took a moment of rifling through his pockets for money before Hotaru’s words registered in his head. [i]… Her treat?[/i] He looked up, slightly abashed. “Well, uh… if you don’t mind I guess… that sounds nice.” He tried his best to sound confident, to not sound like a nervous wreck, but he was sure he had slipped up somewhere.

“I suppose…” Okaru answered, noncommittally, with a slight tinge of caution in his voice.” Hotaru smiled at the two of them.

“Well, let’s go then!”

As the three walked down the bustling streets of Konoha, Hotaru and Okaru made casual small talk, mostly discussing the mission ahead, of what they would need to bring, and of the dangers they faced. Matsuda didn’t say a word, instead absorbing the conversation, listening carefully to everything that was said. He felt more comfortable this way, just listening to his teammates speak. He was… happy, he realized with a smile.

“Matsuda… isn’t that your friend Akoma?” Hotaru turned back and asked him. Matsuda looked up from watching his feet, and found to his surprise that Akoma was in fact just down the road. Flanked by his teammates Kagoya and Hatoma, he gave Matsuda grin and a wave, to which Matsuda waved back. [i]Akoma! I haven’t seen him since…[/i] Matsuda’s thoughts were cut off as the three gennins before them turned down a back alley and were quickly out of sight. [i]Oh…[/i] Matsuda sighed, dejectedly. He gripped the hilt of the katana sheathed on his back. [i]Some day Akoma… some day you’ll see how strong I am…[/i]

“Well that was weird,” Hotaru muttered. “I thought he would have come over and said hello.”

“He’s not the same as he used to be,” Matsuda spoke for the first time in ages. “I guess we’ve grown apart since becoming gennin…”

“C’mon, we’re almost there” Hotaru said with a smile. Okaru continued to stare at the alley where they had gone, and with a little [i]tsk[/i], continued with them towards the ramen shop.

It was a small corner store, just off the main road that ran through Konoha. Although it was only able to hold a limited number of people at a time, the portions were large and at a very cheap price – perfect the hungry gennins who usually flocked to it. Matsuda dug into his bowl, unaware of just how hungry he had been. He was nearly halfway through when he spoke again.

“So, tomorrow… do you think we’ll run into any ninja?” he asked, trying his absolute hardest not to sound timid.

“I’d say there’s a high chance of that…” Okaru replied, fingering his kunai absent mindedly.

“Eventually we will,” Hotaru cut in. “Either enemy ninja, or at least just bandits, but it won’t be anything we can’t handle… the Academy taught us well”.

“I suppose” Matsuda trailed off. What if they had to fight? He wasn’t scared about his abilities in combat – against bandits, he was sure he wouldn’t have a problem as far as skill was concerned. But what if he had to kill, to take life… would he be able to? Matsuda continued eating his bowl, but the pork and noodles suddenly had no taste, the conversation between Okaru and Hotaru suddenly not so comforting anymore. Tomorrow would bring change, and he silently prayed that he was ready for them.


[OOC: Ok guys, sorry about the delay - been busy seeing my girlfriend over her week off from university. From this point on, I will be checking the site regularly, and making sure to post as soon as I can. Let's get this story going :)]

[Drizzt Do'urden]

Okaru grew increasingly worried about Matsuda as the trio placed their bowls atop of each other in the center of the table and continued talk about the coming day. "Hotaru, I know Ryokotsu will be with us, and will most likely be taking point, but I believe we should have a plan in the event we are split from him. That plan being you taking point."

Hotaru smiled and nodded as she sipped her tea.

Okaru's face reddened slightly, as he tried to keep his calm demeanor he was accustomed too. "I guess that was sort've implied wasn't it." He couldn't help admire everything about the female gennin, her skill, knowledge, and courage surpassed anyone at their level.

"Well good thing we won't have to worry about that, since Ryokotsu-Sensei will be with us the entire time, right? The nerves in Matsuda's voice were as apparent as the setting sun at that moment, Okaru saw Hotaru look at him with the exact same expression that Okaru had on the inside.

"We'll be just fine Matsuda, they wouldn't send us on a mission we can't handle."

"Yeah Matsuda, and don't worry you'll be fine when the time comes. You've already established yourself in sensei's eyes, as well as ours. If your body ever catches up with your mind my class rank will be torched."

The three shared a stifled laugh, apparently Matsuda's worries had migrated to the rest of the team instead of the desired oppisite. "Thank you for the ramen Hotaru, but its getting late and I need to be heading home." Okaru rose from the table and started walking towards the door.

He caught their server at the front of the tent, handed her the money for the dinner and ordered the two remaining teamates desert.

Out on the street Okaru began in the direction of his home, he had been avoiding his father who luckily had been on business for the clan. Tonight Okaru could sleep all night without being awoken for late night training, or whatever form of torture his father had cooked up for him.

Okaru glanced back at the small restaurant from the edge of the block, worried about Matsuda, but knowing [I]he[/I] couldn't do anything to quell the boys fears. [I]"Talk to him Hotaru, things could get ugly if we don't have him ready to go tomorrow"[/I]

Okaru turned and resumed his trek towards home, and hopefully no father.

[Isabella-Black]

Hotaru waited until Okaru's chakra signature was well out of range before she, very deliberately, scooted into the seat right beside Matsuda, a knowing, and very mothering expression replacing her normal blank. "Alright, emo-boy," she teased, half playfully, half reprimanding, "what's up with you? You look like you're preparing to go to your death tomorrow, not our first real mission." The look Matsuda gave her made her think that perhaps that had NOT been the right metaphor to use in this case.

She squirmed a little under his incredulous expression - she wasn't used to this. At home she was quiet and usually answered questions rather than inquiring after others herself (outside of the customary politeness her mother drilled into her skull); at the academy she had been withdrawn and serious, toughening herself up against the disapproval of her family, and the future she had chosen for herself - a future, she had anticipated, which would be mostly solitary and brutal.

Being concerned for her teammates was hardly something to be ashamed of, it was only natural, but actually interacting with them and 'bonding' over stuff like this, was not exactly her area of expertise. Hotaru mentally shook herself; she could create complex genjutsu illusions which were [I]years[/I] above the normal gennin capacity and yet she couldn't figure out how to comfort her own teammate. How pathetic.

"Sorry," she apologized in a low voice, "what I meant was... you should be worried about tomorrow. Like I said, they wouldn't have sent us on this mission if they didn't think we could handle it. And we've all become stronger since the Academy, especially you."

Matsuda smiled a little at that, but it was somewhat disbelieving. "Thanks, Hotaru."

"No I mean it!" She insisted, "I mean, when I first noticed you at the academy, I never thought you'd pass the exams" - she bit her lip when Matsuda winced -" ... and by that I mean... you were so... you just didn't seem like YOU thought you were ready. I mean you were always good, but you never seemed to think it was good enough and so you'd just... give up a little, before you even started. But... but," she paused, unsure, "now you've just kinda... you're good and you [I]know it[/I] now. I mean, Okaru and I, we've always known we were talented and all.

"I mean, I always thought Okaru would graduate before either of us, really, cause he always works so hard at everything. And not even Ragia-sensei could see through my illusions... but you always seemed like you were trying to prove something to someone, like you had to justify your place there. But now... you've really grown and..." she trailed off and slumped pathetically into her seat, at a loss for how to continue, "... do you get what I mean?"

Matsuda actually laughed a little at that and nodded, "Yeah, I get what you mean." Hotaru sighed, relieved, but didn't dare sit up again in case Matsuda saw her red face. "I'm actually not worried about that... not [I]really[/I]," Matsuda continued, and the girl raised her head off the counter, "it's just... this is gonna be our first real mission... we could end up fighting rogue ninja and... if we do we'll probably have to kill them."

Hotaru rose completely now, comprehension slowly dawning on her. "Oh yeah... well, I mean, it's got to happen eventually right? We're shinobi and that's part of what we do." She sounded confident when she said it, but the realization suddenly weighed heavily in the pit of her stomach. Was she really ready to take a life? Were any of them?

Hotaru straightened her back and nodded harshly to herself. She hadn't come this far just to wimp out and back down now. She'd chosen this life, and she'd see it through. "We'll be fine. And whatever happens," in a rare show of compassion (and also of dependency) she placed her hand on top of Matsuda's and gave a gentle squeeze, "we're a team, we'll get through it together."

Before Matsuda could react, Hotaru snapped their server over and demanded the bill, only to curse Okaru when they were provided with deserts and the change for the bill.

[Adas]

After enjoying his desert, Matsuda bid farewell to Hotaru, thanked her for everything, and parted ways with his teammate. They had been inside the ramen shop for a lot longer then Matsuda had realized ? it had grown dark outside, the city lights helping the moon illuminate his path home. He walked slowly, deep in thought, about both what had happened over the course of the night, and what he knew would come tomorrow.

[i]Am I ready?[/i] he asked himself, knowing there was no answer, that there wouldn?t be until the following day. He though back on all Hotaru had said, all she had done for him. She had seemed so awkward, so out of place, so very? un-Hotaru. And yet there she had been, attempting ? and succeeding ? to comfort him, to ease his troubled mind. She said all the things he didn?t want to hear, all the things that hurt, that she didn?t think he was going to make it out of the academy, never had the self confidence to succeed at anything, and most importantly, that she had seen right through him, had seen the sense of needing to belong, to prove himself. It hurt him to the core, but he knew it was exactly what he needed to hear. He smiled. [i] But now... you've really grown?[/i] Her words kept echoing through his mind, and the smile only deepened.

Approaching the Yotoro complex, he leapt over the gate, and landed gracefully on the outer wall. He let himself down carefully, and walked casually towards the front door, where he took off his shoes, slid the door open, and entered. Smells of fried rice drifted from the kitchen, but still being stuffed after the delicious ramen dinner, he simply passed by and continued towards his room.

In the central courtyard, there stood Regara, taking a momentary brake from his rigorous training. Matsuda stood there, eyeing his older brother, taking note of the broken wooden dummies that littered the once scenic courtyard. Biting his lip, he approached his brother carefully, but before he had a chance to ask if he was busy, Regara spoke.

?What do you want Matsuda?? Sounding slightly annoyed, he turned and faced his younger brother, face bruised and scratched, sweat dripping off his chin. Matsuda flinched.

?It?s ? it?s not important, older brother..? he bowed, and tried to turn away, but a firm hand caught his shoulder.

?What do you need Matsuda?? he said, an attempted, but weary smile cracked his serious face.

?It?s uh? it?s about tomorrow?? Matsuda sighed. ?Tomorrow is my first mission, as a gennin.? Regara eyed him, disbelieving. ?No, no, no? Matsuda back-peddled. ?My first [b]real[/b] mission.? The two sat down on the grass, and Matsuda told him everything. When he was finished, Regara took a moment before he said anything.

?And you?re afraid?? he asked, casually.

?No no.. well yes.. sorta?? Matsuda replied, embarrassed.

?What are you afraid of? Fighting? Dying??

?Killing?.?

The two were silent for a long time. Finally, Regara let out a long sigh. ?Have I ever told you about my first kill?? Matsuda shook his head, and Regara continued. ?We were on a mediocre mission, sent to take care of some bandits that had been terrorizing a local town ? to subdue them, but most of all, to make the village safe. When we arrived, the village had already been burned ? we were too late. Some of the survivors had been taken by the bandits as hostages, so we took it upon ourselves to rescue them. When we arrived, it was decided that, since I had the least amount of combat experience, would guard our rear flank while my two teammates and sensei infiltrated the enemy camp and rescued the prisoners.?

?I was to remained at the tree-line, with a good vantage point of both the road and enemy encampment. A few minutes after my teammates began the raid, I heard voices from down the road. A small group of bandits were coming back with a fresh group of prisoners? women? children? bound, and beaten as they attempted to walk amidst the jeers of their prisoners. I lost my temper, and was among them before I could stop myself. My katana out, I made short work of them, my blade taking limbs, my shuriken taking throats, my steel taking lives. Within seconds, they were all dead??

Matsuda was horrified ? it was one thing to hear about taking lives for the betterment of Konoha, but it was another entirely to hear of his older brother, someone he had played with as a child, massacring his enemies. ?What are you trying to ??

?Shut up and listen? Regara interrupted. ?What I?m trying to say is this ? you won?t be ready to take a life until that life is before you. You will have to find your reason to kill, a reason that justifies the action of killing itself, and you won?t find it until the moment before your blade takes its first life. Now, get out of here, I have to get back to my training.?

Matsuda hurried away to his room, not wanting to interrupt his brother?s training any longer. He lay in bed, fingering the hilt of his sword, his memories drifting between the dinner with Hotaru and Okaru, and of the story his brother had told him. Finally, before sleep, his mind focused one last thing ? of Hotaru squeezing his hand and telling him, ?we're a team, we'll get through it together.?

[i]We will?[/i] he thought, no longer afraid. [i]We will?[/i]


[OOC: Unless anyone has anything to add to the night before we move on, I think it?s safe to say that the next post can begin with the mission. Whoever posts next can feel free to begin the mission.]

[Drizzt Do'urden]

Okaru's eyes snapped open at first light to the smell of eggs. Why that surprised him he didn't know, but it did for some reason. Perhaps it was the prospect of the eggs being such a comfort food, the clash with the possible meaning of today seemed almost...evil in its own way.

Arriving downstairs to his mother's smiling face meant only that his father had been out. Okaru wasn't the only victim of his father's obsession with the 'glorious Okiori clan'. When Okaru proved to be a dissapoint meant, many of times his father wailed on his mother. Those times of course when Okaru's body had been beaten to close to the thin line between life and death.

Okaru sat down, only dismayed to find three plates. "Father's joining us?" He grimly observed as he sat and began eating. "Yes, but don't wait on him. He just wants to say good-bye before your mission."

Okaru nearly spat out a mouthful of eggs. How did they know of the mission? He had not wanted anybody in his clan to find out. For his father would most likely ridicule him, saying that he was probably about to face a bunch of teenage bandits, no real danger, and therefore not a real mission.

Okaru stood in respect as his father entered, dressed in his leisure robes. Apparently not planning on training today. "When were you going to tell me of your mission son? I heard it comes down from lady tsunade herself."

In the Okiori clan you were taught only to speak when spoken too, and even then to only answer questions when speaking to a "superior", which meant Okaru's father. "Yes sir, investigating bandits. ryokotsu-sensei will be traveling with us."

His father lite his pipe and smiled. "If they're sending somebody with Ryokotsu's skill, it must be a legitimat mission. Perform well and you will gain favor in the ladies eye. Favor that would bring much to our clan, report to me when you succeed."

Okaru wanted to throw back at his father and say, [I]"and what if we fail father? what if we end up facing shinobi far too powerful for us? What if they kill me? Am I allowed to report back here if I fail?"[/I] But alas, those words would have earned him a beating and a goodbye. He should just saver the moment, treat this as a 'good' moment.

Okaru excused himself and made his way to the meating point with Ryokotsu. On the way he saw Hotaru approaching, and wondered if she was praised by her clan as he wasn't in his? Wondered if she receieved the recognition she desereved for her skills? He found himself staring at her when she looked up.

He decided to wait for her to join him on their last walk as cat rescuing gennin.

[Isabella-Black]

Hotaru waved at Okaru and hurried to meet him at the crosswalk. She had expected to be the first one there having woken up so early that morning after a fitful night's sleep but wrestling her bag out of the tree, which had served as her bed that night, had delayed her somewhat. She made a mental note to 'accidentally' toss a few shuriken at those squirrels the next time she was in the area. Obviously they had some sort of vendetta against her.

Her family had not taken the news of her first mission very well - to say the least. Her father had been livid, raging around the room like a caged tiger and her mother had gone into absolute hysterics. Itsuki had simply sat in a corner of the room, saying nothing, occasionally giving her a disappointed look and shaking his head.

She'd tried to reason with them, she really had. It was, after all, a mission from the Hokage; she couldn't just refuse to go because it wasn't 'proper behavior for a young lady' and she'd only be gone a few weeks at the most. Predictably, that hadn't helped. Her parents had launched into their routine degradation of shinobi, saying the profession was dangerous and foolish and the cause of all the world's problems. That the influence of those insane individuals had warped the mind of their only daughter.

In retrospect, she probably shouldn't have started to yell back. It never solved anything, in fact, they used it against her. [I]"See what those ninja are doing to you? A lady must never yell, she must never speak unless spoken to and she must respect her superiors."[/I] Her mother had quoted religiously.

Hotaru had called them all hypocrites and cowards, along with several 'unsavory' adjectives she had picked up at the academy. She was lucky her grandfather hadn't been there or she'd have gotten in far more trouble than a simple banishment to her room until she 'learned to respect her betters'.

She might have sulked in her room all night, perfectly miserable. Then her grandmother had crept into her room and handed her her travel bag, packed with a change of clothes, her gear, and a box of her famous home-made bento. The old woman had hurried her out of her pajamas and out her bedroom window, all the while chuckling to herself at the trouble they'd both be in later. Neither had cared.

Her grandmother had shooed her away with a parting 'kick butt now, you hear?' and locked her bedroom up again as Hotaru slipped away into the night. She'd spent the night in the woods of her old training grounds and freshened up in a restaurant bedroom before heading over here.

Her family wouldn't notice her absence until midday at least, and she'd be long gone by then. It was the homecoming that Hotaru dreaded - like an execution, which it would most likely be.

For now, however, she didn't care. She gave Okaru a sideways smile and asked why he had been staring at her, enjoying his bumbling explanation as they approached the gates. This was really it. Her first real mission as a gennin with her team. After this she vowed she would never weed another garden or hunt down another old lady's cat even if her life depended on it. She was one step closer to being a real kunoichi today and not even her impending doom could dampen her spirits.

She grinned slyly at Okaru, who had stopped trying to stutter out an explanation in that semi-confident way of his. That was one thing she really admired about Okaru; he was always confident, always ready for anything, no matter what the situation. She could draw strength from that, she could depend on that. Mentally, she took back her assumption of him on their first day of team 8. She [I]could[/I] trust Okaru, with her life and Matsuda's - and she did.

Ryokotsu-sensei was waiting for them, arms crossed and leaning against the wall bordering Konoha, just beside the open gates. He acknowledged the two gennin by looking at them each in turn. His eyes lingered on Hotaru a second longer than Okaru; she wondered if he knew about her stay in the woods and was unnerved.

He stood up straight then and she snapped to attention. He nodded to the both of them, "You're on time, good. Now, the sooner your teammate gets here, the sooner we can leave."

Hotaru turned her head to stare at the path behind them, expecting to see Matsuda's approaching figure any second.

[Adas]

Matsuda rounded the last bend, and was finally face to face with the gates of Konoha. The impressive, towering entrance seemed to reach towards the heavens, but it wasn’t what caught his eye today – there, beside the gates, stood his team. Ryokotsu-sensei was leaning casually (or, as casually as he could ever be) against the wall, while an excited Hotaru waved at him, a smile and a nod from Okaru. Matsuda waved back, and jogged the final stretch over to them. [i]Damn, last one here… hope I’m not late![/i]

“Hey, sorry if you guys had to wait for me at all…” Matsuda said slowly, but was greeted by a smile from Hotaru.

“Not at all – we just arrived ourselves.” Matsuda quickly eyed her up and down. She appeared exhausted, a rough night of sleep perhaps, and traces of dirt on her clothes. However, despite her physical appearance, she appeared excited, if not a little nervous, but above all confident. Okaru was just… Okaru. Matsuda began asking them if they were ready, when Ryokotsu-sensei began the final debriefing.

“Today we set out to complete a C rank mission” his voice was surprisingly serious, a departure from the normal monotone trait he seemed to have perfected. “As lady Tsunade briefed us yesterday, our mission is simple – to locate the stolen supplies, and reacquire them. If we are met with resistance, they are to be taken by force – taking back those supplies is our objective, and we will not fail.” All three of his genin students nodded in confirmation. “Good: check your supplies – when you’re ready, we’re off.”

Aside from his normal black shirt and long blue pants, Matsuda had donned a shinobi utility belt, pouches lining his waist. He stuck his hands in each gingerly, fingering the kunai and shuriken in each, as well as the wires and explosive tags for traps, and basic first aid supplies he hoped he would have no use for. His sheath was secured tightly on his back, the hilt of his katana poking out from behind his shoulder like always.

When they were all prepared, Ryokotsu-sensei nodded, took a long, lasting look at the village, and then turned his back and proceeded down the path. The three genins had to hurry to catch up to him, but soon after the four shinobi were walking away, leaving the village behind.

Despite it being no later than half past six, the morning’s heat promised a brutally hot day ahead. Dew still made its mark on the lush grass that flanked the road, and the birds continued to chirp, hunting for their breakfast. Matsuda, with hands in pockets, walked silently while Hotaru and Okaru made small talk. Every once in a while, he would intervene with a question pertaining to the conversation, but for the most part, stayed out. After walking for what seemed like hours, Matsuda finally spoke up.

“Ryokotsu-sensei… where exactly are we going?” he hoped he didn’t sound like the fool he knew he was. Ryokotsu-sensei never broke his stride.

“The supplies that were stolen were commissioned from Tanzaku village – we’ll be heading there first. Hopefully we’ll come across something along the way… if not, we’ll begin our investigation once we reach the town.

“Makes sense...” Okaru said thoughtfully. “If the supplies were stolen while en route to Konoha, then there’s a good chance we’ll find something on the way.”

“Precisely” Ryokotsu-sensei spoke bluntly. “We still have a long way to go before we break for lunch, so keep moving.”

Matsuda shrugged the pack that weighed his back down, filled with food and his sleeping bag. He silently prayed that lunch came sooner rather then later, as the day’s heat was already beginning to get to him.

[center]~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~[/center]

Ryokotsu made sure to stay ahead of the three genins, his actions having a dual purpose. The first was to physically guide his students, to force them to want to keep up, despite how hot the day was. He secretly wished that he was working alone, or at least with other shinobi his level, and could leap through the trees, but that would come in time. The second was to show that he was in charge, in command, and above all else, the strongest shinobi in the group.

Like always, his eyes darted from the left of the path, to straight ahead, to the right of the path, never taking more then a moment to scan between the trees before his eyes bolted again. Silently, he prayed that his genins hadn’t noticed yet.

His three students behind him were speaking of the mission ahead… well, two of them at least. Matsuda seemed to be hanging back, offering one worded answers to questions not always directed at him. [i]He tries not to speak because he doesn’t feel comfortable around them yet, but talks enough to try and be a part of the team, to show them his wanting to become comfortable with them… this has to end, soon[/i] Ryokotsu sighed – the shinobi’s lifestyle was one not intended for shyness, which Matsuda seemed to have in spades.

“Ryokotsu-sensei – not that I’m complaining, but how much further to Tanzaku village?” Hotaru piped up. She really wasn’t complaining, only trying to make conversation.

“As long as it takes,” he answered. “Keep moving.” Ryokotsu’s eyes continued to search through the trees, his eyes lingering off the path for a moment longer then had let them originally. He was sure now.

They were being followed.

OOC: Hey guys, as you can see, posted this really late. Probably a lot of spelling/grammer mistakes, so sorry for the parts where you need to try and figure out what I'm saying :D

[Drizzt Do'urden]

Okaru had been watching Ryokotsu intently as he spoke with Hotaru. Something had been wrong, it wasn't him leading so far ahead that was common for the point ninja to be the strongest, and lead enough ahead so he can alert those in the main group early.

Though he tried telling himself he was just paranoid, he couldn't fight it any longer. "Hotaru, don't take your eyes off of sensei" He didn't want Matsuda involved, he was already too preoccupied with the thought of hurting or killing another, "something's up, sensei's movements have become erratic. It's as though he's trying to keep somebody from guessing our next move. I think we might have somebody on our tail."

Though it seemed natural for the point man to notice danger in front, Hotaru didn't miss a beat. She had caught on as well. "I think you're right, I'll switch positions with Matsuda since we're more likely to be hit from behind."

Okaru nodded and cut his speed before Hotaru had a chance to. He knew she was probably the better pick, but he didn't want to have to worry about Matsuda if anything happened. He just wasn't ready yet, hopefully he would be when the time came, but Hotaru knew how to talk to him better then Okaru did.

"What's up Okaru?" Matsuda asked, just as he proved with the bell test. Matsuda was certainly the smartest of the three, hell he'd probably figured out what sensei was doing before Hotaru or Okaru did. "Nothing, I'm just getting tired of listening to Hotaru. I need some time to myself, why don't you take right flank position beside her for awhile."

"Are you sure everythings okay?" Okaru was at a loss for words. He was never one to be comforted growing up, and had no euphemisms for "Shit's about to hit the fan."

"Of course, I just can't stand listening to Hotaru anymore. Talking about genjitsu this and genjitsu that, makes it hard to ask her out ya know." Okaru smiled a bit when Matsuda's jaw hit the floor, it widened even more when he saw the boy turn a nice shade of purple.

"You...and Hotaru!? I...I..." Matsuda turned and took up his position on the right flank.

[I]"Matsuda's smart, he'll figure out I'm teasing eventually. But at least that'll hopefully keep his mind wondereing for a while."[/I]

Okaru's smile turned into a stern look when he glanced behind the group. Though it was dark, he could swear he felt something...or rather someone shadowing them.

[Isabella-Black]

Hotaru sent Okaru a scathing glare over her shoulder. She had offered to take the flank position, hadn't she? She shut out the little voice in her head that whispered it was because he didn't believe she was good enough to protect their backs. Okaru knew better than that, and so did she. This was no time for her to endanger her teammates because of her pride.

Matsuda moved up beside her, but Hotaru kept the majority of her attention on Ryokotsu-sensei. Just as Okaru had pointed out, he was leading too far ahead and his movements were slightly erratic - something was wrong. She sent the slightest beckon of chakra out through her feet, letting it illuminate the hidden details of the forest to her senses. There appeared to be nothing for several feet - just brush and foliage, nothing for them to be overly concerned about.

Hotaru was a genjutsu prodigy, however, and she knew better than most that nothing was ever as it seemed. She sent a larger beacon out, expanding her search another few metres.

She nearly faltered in step when her chakra hit something that clearly, was not a squirrel. There was more than one.

She tried to keep her voice calm and even, but failed to conceal the subtle shock in her words, "Sensei..."

"I know," Ryokotsu-sensei replied evenly. His movements were less erratic now, but whether that meant their pursuers were of no threat or that it was useless to try and loose them was unclear. "Keep your eyes forward and your chakra to yourself."

Hotaru obeyed without question. Ryokotsu-sensei was the experienced one here; she would follow his lead.

"Hotaru?" Matsuda's voice broke her from her intense concentration. She faced Matsuda, who was still clearly confused about what was going on, "What's going on?" She said nothing at first, only giving him a pointed look and facing away. He was a smart boy - the smartest in their group by far - he would figure it out on his own. "Are you..." Matsuda continued, even as Hotaru continued to vigilantly face forward, "... I mean... I know it's really none of my business..." Hotaru gave him a sideways look, completely confused by his nonsensical ramblings. Matsuda continued, his head down, "... are you... and Okaru really...?" He trailed off, hoping she would get his meaning.

She did, and this time she really did falter, nearly tripping over her own feet. Her head nearly twisted around 180 degrees as she sent a look to Okaru that promised swift retribution before she addressed the oblivious Matsuda.

"No. We're not." She said coldly and curtly. Matsuda still looked confused. "He's messing with your head, Matsuda," Hotaru explained through clenched teeth, "you should spend less time listening to that block-head and more time paying attention to your surroundings."

This time Matsuda understood, and Hotaru could see the wheels in his head start to turn, placing all the pieces together. "How..."

Before he could finish they were ambushed.

[OOC: I feel like a bit of a douche leaving it like this, but I'm out of ideas right now. Sorry this took so long!]

[Adas]

[i]How could I miss something so bloody obvious?![/i] the thought resonated in his mind, embarrassing him, and angering him. He still couldn’t understand why Okaru had been teasing him, or more importantly why he believed him. What really bothered him was that he had cared so much about something so apparently trivial, that he had lost focus on his surroundings. In a sense, he had already let his team down.

“How –“ but that was all he had a chance to say. He felt something strike him in the back of the head, and he crumpled to the ground, the hissing of the kunai he narrowly avoided made his eyes bulge. Hotaru yelped and leapt back, dodging a pair of fatal shurikien. Okaru hollered and began running towards the tree line. Matsuda struggled to get up, and was once again saved from the enemies’ deadly kunai – in a flash, Ryokotsu-sensei was standing before him, holding the kunai that had been about to strike the boy. In another flash, he was gone, among the trees.

Matsuda leapt to his feet, his hand already exiting the pouch that contained his weapons – the kunai in his hand would be far better at deflecting enemy projectiles then his katana was. Matsuda took a moment to survey his surroundings. They were on a dirt path running through a forest. A considerable amount of trees on either side made for perfect cover for an ambush, and the path the perfect ambush spot. He could here shouts of combat from the trees, and with only Hotaru in sight, he was sure Ryokotsu-sensei and Okaru were taking care of their attackers. The kunai and shurikien assault had ended, but arrows continued to fire from the trees. Matsuda smiled – finally, something he was good at. He made for Hotaru, dodging arrows and crossbow bolts all the way – having spent the past three months working on his agility with Ryokotsu-sensei gave him the edge he longed for in this situation.

He made it over to Hotaru, and placed his back against hers, deflecting an arrow just in time. “Move for the trees now – GO!” he shouted above the din. Seeing that he was alright, she nodded and leapt for the trees, Matsuda right behind her. They moved through the brush together, moving as quickly as they could, until finally they stopped behind the cover of a large tree. The two panted, trying to catch their breath in the shade and relative safety of the tree. Hotaru turned to Matsuda, sweat dripping off her face.

“How many –“

“I don’t know.”

“Did you where –“

“No.”

He tried his hardest not to sound like a jerk, but he was lost in thought. When he was satisfied that he was correct, he straightened and leaned against the tree. “Judging by the types of projectiles used, I would say we’re up against several bandits, and one, maybe two shinobi. Either way, we should be relatively safe – if we run into any of them, we can take care of each other. “

“Yeah, I guess, but about Okaru? And Ryokotsu-sensei?” she asked, her usually strong demeanor broken by the sound of hidden fear. Matsuda was doing the best to suppress his own.

“We just have to trust that they’re both ok…” Matsuda trailed off, his ears perking up. He heard voices off in the distance. “Shhh…” he silenced Hotaru, and inched closer towards the sound of the voices. Two gruff voices were arguing, the sound of the foliage trampled underneath nearly disguised by their tones.

“I’m telling you, they went this way!”

“No way, they would have stuck together back there – nobody came this way!”

“I saw them, they both ran this way!”

“And I’m telling you they didn’t!”

The voices were getting louder. [i]I don’t want to do this… I don’t want to do this…[/i] he thought desperately, but was already unsheathing his katana. He nodded at Hotaru, but she already had a kunai in hand. The voices were getting louder still.

“At least tell me you brought the rope.”

“What?! I thought you were going to bring it!”

“You didn’t bring any rope?! When Kaguro hears that you didn’t bring rope for the new slaves, he’ll have your head.”

[i]Something’s not right…[/i] Matsuda began to worry. [i]Why are they giving their position away? No one is that stupid… NO![/i]

But the realization of the diversion was far too late. He felt a firm hand grab his wrist and twist it behind his back, the pointy tip of a kunai tickling the back of his neck. He could see Hotaru out of the corner of his eye, in the same position. [i]Damnit! How did I fall for something so obvious![/i]

Two bandits crashed out of the brush ahead and began laughing. “I can’t believe that worked!” Matsuda’s face was red – he didn’t know whether it was from fury, or sheer embarrassment. His mistake had not only resulted in his own capture, but Hotaru’s indeed. He had felt before that he let his team down, but now he knew that he had.

[Isabella-Black]

[I]Damnit! How did I fall for something so obvious![/I] Hotaru's thoughts echoed Matsuda's. Her captor laughed maliciously, digging in his kunai to draw a pinprick of blood from her neck. Hotaru stilled completely. From this position, she couldn't determine whether the assailants behind her were shinobi or very sneaky bandits, but regardless of either situation, if he pressed any harder, that kuani could sever more than a few key nerves and leave her paralyzed for life. However short that would be in the aftermath.

Out of the corner of her eye Hotaru glanced at Matsuda, captured as she was, and looking.... defeated. The girl felt a dangerous mix of sympathy and irrational fury well up at the sight of her teammate looking so pathetic. Yes they were in a tough spot; yes, this looked bad; but a true shinobi never gave up. She narrowed her eyes at him, challenging him to do [I]something[/I] to redeem himself. But Matsuda kept his gaze securely to the ground, defeated and self-admonishing.

[I]Then it's up to me,[/I] Hotaru thought and repressed a sudden shiver that ran up her spine. The man holding her leaned his body closer to speak clearly in her ear. "Drop the knife, sweetie," Hotaru's blood boiled, but she forced herself to simmer down. He had said 'knife', not 'kunai'. No shinobi worth his head band would do that. They had a chance. The kunai twisted dangerously, drawing more blood, "Drop it now. Or else [B]somebody[/B] might get hurt."

The bandits in front of them chuckled lamely and Hotaru made a face. She let the kunai slip from her hands, refusing to flinch as the man unstrapped her weapons pouch from her side, and saw Matsuda being similarly disarmed. Her face remained a careful neutral as she concentrated.

The bandit holding her yanked viciously on her arm, drawing her backwards and off balanced. He replaced the kunai at the side of her neck, hovering over her coronary artery. "Now stand up, and you might live long enough too..." He trailed off suddenly, his eyes growing wide at the sight of a clear fluid dripping onto his hand. His grip still tight on his prisoner, the bandit looked up to see a 12 foot long boa constrictor eying him like it's next meal.

The bandit lashed out at him, his self preservation instincts telling him to kill the serpent before it got to him. His kunai missed the snake by a mile and it hissed at him, saliva dripping from it's open mouth. He grabbed it's neck to hold it still and the boa fell upon him. Forgetting his little prisoner, the bandit jumped back, failing and writhing widely as he tried to wrestle out of the boa's hold, but the more he struggled the more entangled he became. He was chocking. Why wasn't anyone helping him? He was going to die. Going to die. He was -

"The Hell?!" The bandits stared, confused out of their minds as on of their comrades screamed and rolled around on the forest floor, struggling against a loose branch as though his life depended on it. It took them a moment to remember the girl.

Hotaru appeared from the trees behind them sending the first bandit toppling to the ground with a chakra enhanced kick to his back. The second recovered from his shock and tried to grab at her only to find his hands filled with a piece of tree. A hand crashed out of the ground, latching onto his ankles and pulling him down into the earth until he was submerged up to his neck. Hotaru pulled herself out of the ground, dusting herself off as the bandit struggled uselessly to get free.

The first bandit recovered from his fall tossing a bunch of kunai at her back, one after another. Hotaru dodged the first three, grabbing the fourth and sending it hurtling into the path of the last kunai, sending it flying off it's intending course.

The bandit came after her with his last blade, slashing viciously at her, becoming increasingly angry as she dodged with a smirk on her face. He glowered, "Stay still you little bitch!" Hotaru caught his hand, disarming him with a vicious twist to his wrist. She attacked him in earnest now, returning blow for blow. She dodged an uppercut punch and dropped down to the ground on her back. The bandit stumbled forward, unprepared. Hotaru caught his neck between her feet and used his momentum to flip him onto the ground, face first in the dirt - he slumped to the earth, out cold.

The girl flipped herself upright and dove for the abandoned kunai on the floor, ready to send it at Matsuda's captor. The remaining bandit stiffened and quickly forced Matsuda tightly against him, pressing the cold metal of the kunai against the skin of his throat.

The bandit grinned at her, "One move from you and the boy gets it." Hotaru paused, eyes wide and concerned, and stared at Matsuda. The boy struggled slightly against his captor, but couldn't move for fear of the blade at his neck - it would carve his skin open in a heartbeat. The bandit continued, "Drop the blade and hands at the back of your head, missy."

Hotaru dropped the kunai, imbedding itself into the soft earth and raised her hands above her head, slowly. All the while she glared daggers at the man. "My name's not missy," the bandit smirked, then felt something strike the back of his neck. The world went dark and he crumpled to the ground. Hotaru stood behind him, her arm still extended from when she had hit his central nerves. "It's Hotaru."

The other Hotaru gave Matsuda a grin before vanishing in a puff of smoke. The real Hotaru didn't spare him a glance as she walked over to the body of the now-unconscious victim of her genjutsu and retrieved her belongings. Once set she walked over to Matsuda and offered him a hand. "Come on," she stated, coldly, "the others might need our help."

[Adas]

"Come on," she stated, coldly, "the others might need our help." Matsuda was sure his mouth was wide open, his jaw permanently dropped, but he couldn?t help it ? he knew Hotaru was good? but that good? [i]She?s improved so much in such a little time[/i] he marveled, his feelings a mix of pride for his teammate, discouragement at his own lack of progress, and joy to be alive. But above all else, he was still fairly frightened, the cool-headed strategist that sometimes took him over during combat now replace by his usual demeanor. He finished packing up the rest of his things, and nodded hurriedly to Hotaru. The two set off through the forest.

?How did you do that?? he asked, hoping the question didn?t sound too stupid.

?Do what?? she replied curtly. [i]Great? she?s mad at me?[/i] Matsuda sighed. It was probably for walking them into such a stupid trap ? he would apologize later, once he found the words. Hotaru stopped, and turned her head. ?You think I?m mad at you, don?t you.? Matsuda stumbled. [i]How did she?[/i]

?I?m sorry we were captured, it was my??

?Save it,? Hotaru cut him off. Matsuda nearly shied away from her. ?It?s not your fault that they caught us ? we both fell for it. But after we were caught, you just stood there ? you didn?t fight back!? Matsuda couldn?t meet her eyes ? she was right. He had been outsmarted by the enemy, but gave up before the fight was over. He tried to sputter something back, but she was already walking away.

?Hey, wait!? Matsuda called to her, and started to chase after her. That?s when he heard it. A rustling in the bushes. A man leapt out ? one of the bandits Hotaru had dispatched of, Matsuda noted ? with knife in hand, and made straight for Hotaru. Matsuda?s eyes widened. [i]I don?t have time to pull out a kunai[/i] he fretted. His grip tightened around his katana. The man raised his knife, growling before his kill causing Hotaru to turn around with a yelp. The knife came quickly, but Matsuda was faster.

A shower of blood marked the end of his life, the blade of Matsuda?s katana entering his lower back, and protruding close to his neck. He sputtered, blood dripping out his mouth, and crumpled to the ground, pulling the katana free with his fall. Blood dripped off the blade, and Matsuda stared, horrified, at his now crimson sword. His hand was shaking furiously, and try as he might to stop it, he couldn?t. He slouched, and nearly collapsed, but was caught at the last moment by someone from behind.

?It?s good to see you two are alright,? Ryokotsu-sensei said in his usual, non-caring voice. ?Seems I taught you well after all??

?Ryokotsu-sensei!? Hotaru shouted, happily. ?You?re all right!?

?Of course I am? he replied, as though what he had said was the most obvious thing in existence. ?Now, tell me what happened.?

Hotaru began recalling everything that had happened, Matsuda stayed silent. His eyes moved from the katana he had dropped on the ground, to the body of the slain bandit, his sightless eyes staring at the sky. His hand wouldn?t stop shaking.

[Drizzt Do'urden]

Okaru had broken from the group first and entered the treeline, he'd seen at once where the arrows were coming from and made a V-line for the nearest of them.

As he burst through the only clearing allowing sufficient room, the lead bandit turned with an arrow loaded. "Hehe, boy you must think something of yourself to take off like that. To bad all you got is a one way ticket hell."

Okaru smiled as he stepped out of the bushes beside the man who was locked in on Okaru with his deadly arrow.

"How the hell? I thought they said there was only 4 of umm, this kid makes 5" The man quickly twisted around as he heard one of his partners scream as he came out of his tree top hiding spot, twisting at an odd angle.

"What...what the hell is going on here?" Being a simple minded bandit, he hadn't realized yet Okaru's wind clones were causing the distraction.

"Screw this, sorry kid looks like you die now." He loosed his arrow at the first Okaru....

Okaru could've sworn he heard him scream as his kick landed squarley on the back of his head. Rendering him unconscious before he hit the ground. His arrow had hit its mark on his first wind clone.

"Only two of you to go, and two of me. Why don't you throw your bows down and make this easy?" Okaru listened closley as the two drew back their bowstrings, thinking about how easy the kill was going to be.

His hand on his Kunai pouch he listened closer, closing off his other senses. *TWANG* Okaru and his clone were rolling simultaneously, narrowly missing the arrows that cried death as they wizzed by. Coming to a crouch both loosed the kunai they had drewn.

Their dance ended with two sickening thuds as both men, dead before they hit the ground, landed in unison. Okaru allowed his chakra to flow, searching for Matsuda and Hotaru. Eager to tell how well his first combat experience went, when suddenly a man strolled out of the forest.

His headband marked him as a shinobi, but his movements were somewhat like Ryokotsu's. Smooth, unhindered, uncaring. It was almost like he could care less whether Okaru struck him down or not. "That make you feel powerful boy? You've just killed 3 people today. Boy oh boy you're a big man." Okaru smiled and turned to face his opponent.

He was obviously older then sensei, but that didn't always matter. Okaru tried looking him up and down to get a "fix" on him, but so far he couldn't tell whether he should run or stay.

The sudden rush of wind startled Okaru from behind. It didn't surprise him that his clone had been destroyed, the shinobi had been most likely watching the battle unfold to get a fix on the types of attacks Okaru would use in combat. What did surprise him is the intensity of the heat the wind brought with it.

"A fire ninja eh?" Okaru knew the heat well, his own clan used fire as a secondary element. Only a handfull of clans were able to successfully weild dual elements, that gave the odds of this one knowing much other in Okaru's favor.

"I hope you got more then that. It would be embarassing for such an aged shinobi to lose to someone as young as me."

The ninja's calm demeanor faltered as he drew his kunai and charged Okaru full steam. "I'll kill you you runt!"

[I]"Ryokotsu where are you? I'm not sure if I can do this alone"[/I]

[Adas]

“So then, neither of you have seen Okaru since we split up?” Ryokotsu-sensei asked, his usual, monotone, borderline sarcastic voice sounding just as uncaring as always.

“That’s right” Hotaru replied. “Like I said, me and Matsuda made for the trees... we thought Okaru would be behind us.” Matuda remained silent. Hotaru had done an excellent job at recount exactly what happened – his opinion wasn’t necessary.

All at once, Ryokotsu’s head whipped around. “Wait here,” he hissed, and ran off through the trees. Matsuda gaped.

“Where the hell is he going?” he asked Hotaru. She answered his question with a flat look.

“It has to be Okaru,” she sighed. “Well, I guess we better get going?”

“Going? Going where?” Matsuda asked. “Sensei told us to wait here.”

“If it was something that was strong enough to worry him like that, he might need backup.” Hotaru said as she packed her kunai pouch once again. Matsuda stared at the ground. [i]If whatever it was was enough to make sensei run off like that… should we really be heading straight towards it…?[/i] Matsuda wiped the blood off his katana with the help of leaves on the forest floor. He looked up then, into Hotaru’s eyes, and nodded.

“Let’s go.”

[center]~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~[/center]

The leaves blurred as Ryokotsu leapt from branch to branch. He could sense an abundance of chakra, somewhere due west of his position. [i]Too strong for Okaru… he’s tough, but that’s not him[/i]. He picked up his pace considerably.

All at once, he broke through the trees into a clearing – there, standing before Okaru, was another shinobi. With one look, he understood his opponent completely. A renegade shinobi, older than himself but less powerful, most likely at chuunin level. Arrogant. A limp in his left hand. Right eye nearly useless, left eye in working condition.

“Okaru, down!” Ryokotsu shouted. The shout surprised his student, but he complied quickly, narrowly dodging a fire-based jutsu that was about to hit him from behind. The fireball sailed carelessly into the forest before exploding, and then dissipating with a lack of chakra to keep it burning.

Ryokotsu landed in front of Okaru, blocking his enemy’s view of his student. “My name is Ryokotsu of Konoha – I make it a practice to tell my name to those I intend to kill.” The man in front of him smiled.

“Tamura Ochida.” His smile was death, his face twisted in a sick thirst for blood.

“I’ll ask you one question before I end your life – was it your group who stole building supplies from Konoha?” he asked, his voice serious. He had learned from the best how to mask his voice.

“Yes… yes it was…” Ochida answered, softly licking the kunai in his left hand. Ryokotsu prepared himself, mentally taking note of the surroundings, of the weapons he had left, and of course memorizing what he had noticed about his enemy prior to their conversation. He knelt down to Okaru’s level, and whispered into his student’s ear.

“I’m going to begin the attack – the moment you see an opening on his right side, you take it. Understood?” Okaru nodded.

Rykotsu leapt back, and in one fluid motion produced a set of shuriken from their pouch on his combat vest. He threw them at Ochida, but began to run at him the moment he hit the ground, making straight for his left side. Ochida deflected the projectiles with his kunai, but it was too late – at a dead run, Ryokotsu formed the seals for his jutsu.

“Earth Style – Ground Spear Jutsu” the very earth underneath his enemy trembled for a moment, then the ground shot up, sharp points heading directly for Ochida. His enemy leapt out of the way, narrowly avoiding the near fatal attack. Ryokotsu smiled – Okaru had chosen the perfect moment to attack.

“Wind Bullet Jutsu!” the wind bullet was fired perfectly, straight at Ochida’s blind spot. The attack was perfect, the strategy was flawless, but even when he told Okaru what to do, he knew it would fail – he was counting on it to fail. Ochida formed his hand seals quickly, and fire spurted from his hands, destroying the wind bullet.

“Did you really thing I’d be that easy? Did you really –“ he was cut off by a kunai pressed against his throat – Ryokotsu stood behind him, holding his right arm behind his opponent’s right arm behind his back.

“One leg was placed further ahead then the other – I could tell you were arrogant. I knew that an attack from a child would be blocked with your full force to try and intimidate him. You held a kunai in your left hand, licking it to try and instill fear in us as well. The kunai in your left hand was in open display to hide the one in your right from our display – your left hand is wounded. The way you looked at my student and nearly missed my entry, coupled with the scar near your right eye indicates that you can’t see very well from it, meaning that you would pay extra attention to an attack coming from the right side – your blind spot.”

Ochida sputtered, his mouth hanging open, terrified.

“The very way you stood told me exactly how you would die. Your stance told me everything I needed to know. But it’s too late now – you’re going to die.”

He let off a sickening scream as the kunai slit his throat, and he crumpled to the ground. [i]Flawless…[/i] Ryokotsu mused.

“Are you alright, Okaru?’ he asked, his attention now fixed on his student.

[Drizzt Do'urden]

Okaru was panting, he put almost all he had into his wind bullet jutsu, only to have it knocked back his way. [I]"Am I really that weak?"[/I] was all he could think.

"Yes sensei, I'm fine. Thanks for helping me." Okaru bowed low, because truth be told he did save him. Sure Okaru could've dodged for another few moments, maybe landed one attack, but the result of that happened anyways.

Ryokotsu scanned the surrounding area, seeing the dead bandits lying around. "You did well Okaru, you took care of the foes that needed. One of those arrows those bandits were lobbing our way could've been fatal."

The praise came as a shock to Okaru, he'd expected to be ridiculed for failing to beat the shinobi. Probably because that's what his father would've done, but instead sensei gave him some thread of hope.

Then came Matsuda, bounding as excited as could be. "Wow Okaru, you did a great job apparently. Me and Hotaru fought some too, isn't this an awesome mission."

Okaru let his guard down, he couldn't help it. He laughed harder then he'd laughed in a long time. He reached a hand up and patted Matsuda on the shoulder, "You've sure come a long way from the scared to fight Matsuda we brought with us. Are you sure this isn't one of Hotaru's Genjitsu's gone bad?" That drew a laugh from both Hotaru and Ryokotsu sensei.

It was the truth though, something had happened to Matsuda. At the start of this he acted like he didn't want any part of it, and now he seemed ready to face the day.

Though that was short lived as a rustle in the bushes drew their attention. Then Ryokotsu's voice broke the silence "Okaru, Hotaru up front. Matsuda right flank." Before they could react Ryokotsu shot off to the left flank...

[Adas]

?Me and Hotaru fought some too! Isn't this an awesome mission?" Matsuda hoped he had done well masking the fear in his voice, and heaved a sigh of relief when Okaru laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. [i]I will be stronger? I will be stronger?[/i] he kept telling himself. The first step to becoming stronger was to have everyone else think you were ? how could he improve if his teammates thought him weak?

Although he didn?t find Okaru?s joke particularly funny, he smiled warmly, and focused on being one of the team. He was shy, he was scared, and sometimes, felt downright uncomfortable with his new allies, but he had to get over it, and that was that. He smiled, half at the joke, and half at knowing they were all making true progress.

Suddenly, Ryokotsu-sensei tightened the grip around his kunai. ?Okaru, Hotaru up front. Matsuda right flank?, and with that, he leapt into the forest.

Not knowing whether or not he had enough time to draw his katana, he settled on a kunai which he drew while leaping into position. He heard a whistling sound, and had just enough time to throw his kunai at an incoming projectile, defelcting the surely lethal attack. In one fluid motion, he completed the throw, then let his arm drop, grabbing a pair of shurikein from his back pocket and hurled them into the trees ahead. Each was deflected by an unseen enemies kunai, the small steel weapons beginning to litter the ground.

?Cover!? he shouted, and at once, Okaru and Hotaru leapt in front of him, kunai raised, ready to deflect any incoming projectiles. Now with a moment to breath, he drew his katana quickly, waiting for the next hail of enemy attacks to be warded off. With the reassuring [i]clang[/i] of steel meeting steel, he leapt over his two defenders and into the woods. There standing before him was his enemy.

He was older them Matsuda by a few years, no headband to distinguish his village of origin. He smiled confidently at Matsuda, who was aware of his hand trembling against the hilt of his katana. He was taller then Matsuda, with tanned skin and dark brown eyes. He had long brown hair tucked into a messy ponytail like Matsuda?s, and held a short blade in his hand, ready for blood. ?So, you decided to come alone, did you?? he chuckled. ?Well, your funeral??

[i]Calm?[/i] Matsuda inhaled, and exhaled.

[i]Calm?[/i] Matsuda tightened his grip on the hilt.

[i]Now![/i]

He rushed forward, meeting his opponent dead on, his katana clashing against the rogue ninja?s short blade. He danced through the sword forms he had been taught, exchanging blows with his assailant, driving him back. His enemy leapt back into the trees, rising higher and higher along the thick branches, but Matsuda stayed with him every step of the way. [i]My taijutsu is poor[/i] he lamented, [i]and my genjutsu is poorer, but this is what I?ve trained for.[/i] The training over the past three months had paid off ? Matsuda?s agility was superior to his enemy. ?I?m faster then you!? he yelled, appearing behind his enemy. The next blow struck home.

With a wild slash, he managed to cut into the ninja?s arm. With a howl, he lost his balance, and screamed as he fell off the branch, falling towards his grave, his scarlet blood streaking out of the gash on his arm. At the last moment, he saved himself by grabbing onto a stray branch and throwing himself onto another, but Matsuda was there with him every step of the way.

?I said I?m faster then you!? he hacked and slashed through his enemy?s defense, until finally from sheer exhaustion, he dropped his short blade. Matsuda spun, and unleashed the killing blow, stabbing the ninja through the chest. He sputtered, coughed up blood, and disappeared into a field of smoke.

?Shadow clone?!? Matsuda panicked, and felt the kunai press against the back of his neck.

?You may be faster, but I?m smarted?? his opponent sneered.

?Is that so??? Matsuda replied casually, and disappeared, the smoke of his own shadow clone dissipating into the forest.

The rogue ninja?s jaw dropped, and uttered a single, agonizing grunt as Matsuda?s katana drove home. A foot of steel extending out of his chest, which Matsuda pulled free, watching his enemy crumple to the ground. His body shook, he began to spasm, and then he was still, disturbed only by the blood pouring out of wound in his chest and mouth. Matsuda dropped his katana, his right hand shaking so badly that he could no longer carry it. His thoughts drifted back to the first man he had killed, to defend Hotaru? the man?s face was burned into his memory.

He looked at the ninja?s corpse, the man who?s life he had taken. ?I didn?t even know your name?? he lamented softly. ?I didn?t even know your name??

[Drizzt Do'urden]

(Alright back in action!)

Okaru and Hotaru looked at each other with worried eyes. They heard the death screams meaning the battle was over before they'd even a chance to follow Matsuda into the bush.

Rushing forward with their Kunai still drawn, they feard the worse for their friend. [I]"There was no way that scream came from Matsuda...no it couldn't be" [/I]Okaru thought to himself as they erupted into the small patch of forest where a body lay on the ground, blood still oozing from the wound.

Okaru sheethed his Kunai and began rushing to Matsuda to check and see if he was okay, he was halted by Hotaru who held him back. "Look at him Okaru...something's wrong." Okaru then looked at Matsuda's face, really looked at it. The look on the boy's face was that of triumph and misery, though he vanquished his foe he seemed...distraught.

Okaru shook Hotaru off and ran to Matsuda, who had dropped his blade to the ground. "Matsuda...Matsuda are you okay?" Okaru put his hand on the boys shoulder but didn't get much of a respone except a faint whisper, "I...I didn't even know his name..." Okaru waved to Hotaru to come help him.

"Matsuda...Matsuda hey snap out of it. You did it, you got him." Nothing, it seemed like he was in a sort've daze.

A rustle in the bushes drew Okaru's attention, it was Ryokotsu Sensei arriving on the scene. "What happened here? You guys defeated him already?" an obviously surprised sensei asked.

"No sensei, Matsuda did it by himself." Hotaru did well in hiding any surprise in her voice, apparently Ryokotsu sensed the boys distress and changed his tone immediatealy barking orders.

"I've checked the area and it seems like we've gotten them. Though we need to locate the stolen supplies still, form up and follow me. Matsuda do you understand?" Without waiting for a reaction Ryokotsu took up the point position and began leaping into the trees, his students behind him.

Okaru glanced at Hotaru, Matsuda had taken up the rear and nobody questioned him. "Can you believe Matsuda knocked that guy off by himself? I just can't believe he did it that fast, that guy had to be a chuunin, or at least an experienced Genin, man." Okaru was proud of Matsuda's strength, though he thought he felt a darker aura around Matsuda. Apparently Hotaru was worried as well, she kept shooting him glances as they ran, one time almost losing her footing on a branch.

"I just hope he's okay Okaru, he hasn't said anything since it happened." Hotaru muttered

"I'm sure he's fine...but we'll keep an eye on him." Okaru assured her as he began wondering how strong Matsuda really had gotten...

[Adas]

Matsuda paid little attention to his comrades as they leapt through the trees, trailing Sensei. There was no need ? words were unimportant. Hotaru and Okaru were talking up ahead, but he paid them no mind, focused intently on the branches before him. After using most of his chakra to increase his speed, he was running low and was afraid of missing a step and falling.

The blade, wiped clean from the ninja?s blood, was bound to his back, protected by the sheath ? he tried not to think about it. Flashes kept appearing before him, the man?s face, the look in his eyes when he knew he was going to die, the spasms that took him before life left. His right hand shook violently, and try as he might, he couldn?t control it.

The three genin broke out of the trees and into a clearing, where Sensei was waiting. Bundles of lumber littered the ground ? the supplies had finally been located.

?This is it?? Hotaru asked, incredulously. ?I had expected more.?

?They had that many men, and two shinobi two guard? [i]this[/i]?? Okaru scoffed.

?Hmm?? Ryokotsu-sensei mused, deep in thought. ?Set up a perimeter ? nothing comes in, and nothing leaves.?

?Yes, Sensei? all three genins said at once, and departed, each taking a different section of the camp. Ryokotsu-sensei, armed with a single kunai, made his way back into the forest. Matsuda, in position and watching the southern border, finally lost the strength to stand, and fell hard onto his bottom. Rubbing it tenderly, he looked back, and was relieved to see that no one saw him fall. He eased up, pulled the sword free of its sheath, and set to watching the trees.

Dark clouds began to appear overhead soon, and the rumble of thunder could be heard from off in the distance. ?Well that?s inconvenient?? Matsuda muttered. He turned his gaze back to the forest, but nothing had changed. He could hear the rustling of leaves as the animals that inhabited the forest made their way. A pair of birds were chirping off in the distance, and Matsuda sighed ? his hand was still shaking.

Ryokotsu-sensei reappeared with the coming of the rain. Everyone gathered in the middle of the camp, and waited for Ryokotsu?s report. Matsuda hid his shaking hand behind him, shifting his body slightly, and prayed that no one noticed. ?It?s as I suspected,? he began, as though confirming suspicions had made vocal prior to his departure. ?There are several camps spread out in the forest, each no further then a mile from the last. There?s no way we?ll be able to bring back the supplies by ourselves. However, I managed to neutralize the guards at each camp, and mapped the location of each. Our mission is over, we are to return to Konoha, give the map to the Lady Hokage ? she can then send out teams to extract the supplies.?

Matsuda was dumfounded. [i]That?s it?[/i] he thought to himself. [i]All of the fighting? all of the killing? and we?re going back empty handed?[/i] It bothered him to no end, despite knowing that it really made no difference ? the supplies were found, and soon to be recovered, so the mission was a success.

?With the rain coming,? Ryokotsu-sensei continued, already beginning to get wet, ?I think it best that we make camp here for the night ? with no hostile threat, the map can be delivered in the morning. Get some rest,? he ordered, then left, leaving the three genin staring after him, getting wetter by the second. Matsuda flashed his two comrades a quick, albeit shy smile, made a hasty goodnight, and departed too.

He set up his sleeping bag under the tarp Ryokotsu-sensei had provded, climbed in, and pretended to fall fast asleep. Since he had killed the man, he had finally come to realize that if he hadn?t he would have been the one lying in a pool of blood. He knew that he had done what he had to do, nothing more, nothing less. But, even knowing that, under the heavy sleep bag, his hand continued to tremble, depriving him of any sleep he had hoped to the get during the night.

[Drizzt Do'urden]

Okaru stood outside the tarp, his head facing the black sky, enjoying the feel of the rain on his face. Looking back under the tarp, it appeared Ryokotsu was already fast asleep, though Okaru was sure that if a threat came from anywhere he'd up be and engaging before the others knew there were a problem.

He looked to Hotaru who, feeling his eyes, woke up startled. "What are you still doing up Okaru...and why are you in the rain?" She asked, "I'm just having a bit trouble sleeping, you know the excitment over the day and the like. I'll head to bed shortly."

"Be sure you do, you don't want to look a mess when we deliver the news of our find to lady Tsunade." Without another word Hotaru turned over and was again fast asleep.

Okaru waited a moment to see if she stirred and made his was to Matsuda who was doing a horrible job of pretending to be asleep.

"I understand how you are feeling all to well Matsuda, and believe me it's natrual. Let me just tell you what my father told me...during one of his rare slips into a real father instead of the thing i grew up with." Okaru paused to listen to Matsuda's breath, to ensure he was still awake.

"He told me "Don't even think about getting under the tarp tonight son. You need to be out in this beautiful weather...you'll learn one day that the rain is a beautiful thing. The rain washes the blood away" he told me that right after he made me run a knife through a man's chest."

Okaru paused, he started to feel a little sick thinking about the events of that day...

"A rival chuunin broke into our clan house...my father caught him and beat him to a pulp. He threw the man, rather a boy really, into our families sparing circle and made me watch him beat him into oblivioun. Then when the poor guy couldn't move he made me come down. He shoved a dagger in my hand and, grabbing my hands, forced the blade into the man's heart...so believe me when I say I know exactally how you feel."

Okaru was choking up, the thought of today's events coupled with the dreaded day 7 years ago he sat against a tree in the rain, starring up at the sky, until he drifted off into a deap sleep.

[Adas]

Matsuda was stunned, to say the least. He hadn?t known what to say to Okaru when his story was finished, had to react even. He couldn?t meet his eyes, partly due to his own shyness, partly because he wasn?t sure if Okaru was crying ? he wouldn?t like to be seen crying, Matsuda decided.

His story concluded, Okaru had slipped back out from under the tarp, and had fallen asleep next to a tree. Matsuda was half tempted to join him, but was afraid of the cold he knew he would catch. Even still, he stepped out into the rain.

It was pouring, a straight-downpour with little wind, lightning illuminating the sky in quick, violent bursts. Matsuda sighed, already soaked. The rain came down, and Matsuda took it in. He brushed his slick, wet hair back, and stared up at the sky, the rain drenching his face immediately. [i]I never knew his name.[/i] He sighed again, and, sure that no one could see his face, began to cry silently.

It only lasted a moment, but he felt refreshed in a sense, letting it all out. Beginning to sneeze, he realized foolishly that he had spent too long out in the elements, and quickly returned under the tarp. Drying himself off with a towel from his belongings, he thought back to the men he had killed today. The bandit he had slain from behind to save Hotaru, and the ninja who had tried to kill all three of them. [i]I didn?t know their names? but that doesn?t matter[/i]. He climbed back into his sleeping bag. [i]Names don?t matter ? dead is dead, and I can?t change that.[/i] Finally feeling at ease, he fell asleep.

[center]~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~[/center]

In the morning, the Rykotsu-sensei ordered his three genin to clean up the camp. They set out before first light along the wet path, still slippery from last night?s storm. The walk back to Konoha was uneventful to say the least ? the four shinobi walked in a line, while the genins made small talk about the day beforehand. Ryokotsu sighed.

[i]This was far too difficult for a first mission[/i] he thought to himself, regretfully. Despite being nearly amazed at how well his team preformed, he was frustrated with the mission itself. [i]There shouldn?t have been any ninjas among the enemy[/i]. The mission had been full of eye-openers for him.

The first of which was the strength of his students. Okaru had held his own against an enemy ninja for quite some time before he intervened. Hotaru had dispatched numerous bandits on her own, facing multiple at a time. Matsuda, on his own, had killed an enemy ninja, despite the fact that he was weaker then the shinobi Ryokotsu himself had fought. They were growing, and far faster then he had expected.

The second was the amount of supplies he had found while he was out on his own. The camp they had originally found didn?t contain as many supplies as he had been lead to believe, but upon inspection, he had found numerous other camps, with enough stolen supplies to build their own town ? they had found far greater then what they had been lead to believe.

Third, and most troubling, was the appearance of the enemy shinobi. The intel on the mission suggested that they would have to fight bandits, and [b]only[/b] bandits. It was in his nature to always assume that the enemy?s numbers would be greater then expected, but two rogues ninjas was pushing it. He sighed once again.

Konoha?s enemies were growing bolder.


OOC: Ok, this is basicly the end of the mission ? we?re just going to go back to Konoha, hand in the map, and then we?re done. The next mission is all yours Drizt, so take it away :animesmil