It's about sending a message [Open!]

[Kuru Naohiro]

The white-haired rogue gave a grin as they began to attack. He wasn’t going to bother defending himself properly. As he saw his companions bracing for the imminent attack, he had only a moment to think back upon the crew he’d formed. The remnants of those that didn’t want to become what these three stood for. All this time when he formed the crew, from those that just couldn’t stand what they saw, he had been planting as many as he could, in hopes for something more then ... this. He might as well give some parting words, suspecting Katsu was likely to try and send it out. One last message to go with. Go out strong, right? He could only hope the others saw it.

“I represent that one thing you've never been able to kill, no matter how hard you try.” Riku declared with a smile of defiance on his face, “I am hope.”

He had to say. The next part hurt. No wonder people give death just a bad review, this was just awful … Riku felt as if he was on the ground, he couldn’t tell anymore. With any inch of strength he had left however, he gave a bloody grin. The blood-stained rogue knew from the beginning, he was never meant to be a true shinobi. He wasn’t going to be the one to finish the plan. They needed something to get behind, a symbol, a martyr. The concept horrified him, the 10 year old kept the fear quiet, for so many adventures, he was scared but he always knew Leaf would spell his end. The scoundrel could only hope he managed to do his part of the plan, if he was lucky, he may even be remembered.

I’m sorry. Sparks, Cuts, Buzz ... everyone. Riku thought quietly as he passed, choking back tears, for everything. I’m sorry it had to be us. I’m sorry I had to leave it to you. Live better then I did. I'm so sorry...

As the white-haired boys eyes froze, the bloody smile stuck on his face. From the rogues dying hand, his grasp on the deck of cards released. He’d always shuffled them, confident he had all the cards. As the blows from the others continued, the force knocked asunder only one, letting it fly free.

The king of hearts.​

<i></i>

[Killed!]
OOC: Don't worry, I made a post. I see a point in it!

 

[Kuru Watashi]

It seemed like only a second after Ryujou said, “Let’s go” when a flash of light engulfed everything and Ryujou felt what he could only assume was that nasty Butterfly God kicking him. Trying to blink away the brightness, Ryujou saw what seemed to be Riku on the ground. That was awfully weird, Ryujou had never really seen Riku sleeping. Easy opportunity to make fun of him!

Ryujou tried to run over to see why Riku was on the ground but his legs wouldn’t listen to him. Wait, He thought to himself, Why am I on the ground too? Ryujou’s arms clearly weren’t working either as he tried to push himself up so the tired boy just laid there. Boy, did everything hurt, the God of Honey could at least have given him some indication of what was going to happen.

With what felt like herculean effort, Ryujou shifted his head to see what was in the other direction as Katsu entered his vision. About to say something, he realized that there was something else in his vision! The bee hive that he had kicked out of the door! Mmm, Ryujou thought to himself, There’s still honey in there I think.</COLOR><COLOR color="#FF8000"> Would there be honey once he had ascended? There had to be, it was the land of the Honey God after all, where everything was nice and honey was plentiful!

It was going to be sad to leave his friends but Ryujou was sure that they would be fine. Those bunch of people that had come mentioned that Kenshin would be alright. Ryujou didn’t quite remember too much about Kenshin; thinking and remembering was always a bit fuzzy but there was one thing that he could recall. Kenshin said he’d protect his students with his life. Even Riku should still fall under that, Ryujou reasoned.

Ryujou tried blinking a few times, the fuzziness starting to extend to his actual sight for the first time. He didn’t really like it but maybe it was part of meeting the Honey God. Atleast he still had one hive of honey left. “Riku,” He tried to croak, suddenly wanting for some honey water to clear his throat, “Wake up, I got honey.”

Wow, was it getting hard to talk. Too tired to move his head, Ryujou just looked at Katsu who was still in his line of sight. “Katsu.. Guess I’m going to go meet Honey God. You guys never got to try my honey. The others never asked.” Eyelids drooping, Ryujou felt the pain dull as everything seemed to be numbing. “Make sure.. Riku gets to… try some when... he wakes up.” Maybe it was his ascension but Ryujou suddenly felt nervous for the first time of the night. He never did get his paperwork finished. Wait, Dad’s gonna be disappointed. I’ve gotta--

Finis

[OOC] Reicheru and Maikeru can do whatever they want with Bee Boy's body later!

 

[Hoshirei]

Hoshirei looked at the trio, making sure they weren't just playing opossum. Shinobi really should know better than to record and repeat a message from a possible enemy combatant. The only reason to do so would be to incite panic and leave Leaf vulnerable. She slowly drew her katana as she walked closer to Katsu's fallen form. She stopped a bit away from his side and looked down. "Pray I do not see you again, traitor," Hoshirei said while looking at his barely breathing body. She called crystal to cover her sword, further honing the edge, took a breath, and swung the blade to cleanly remove his head. With only a flick, she made the crystal recede before putting it back in its sheath. The jounin walked back over to her companions.

Spoiler: Original 2nd Paragraph

"It was a pleasure doing battle with you. Perhaps the next time we meet will be under more pleasant conditions," she paused and turned to look at the dead once more. She saw both of her companions eyes and knew they would be able to easily take care of the bodies. "Owl, you know what needs to be done with them. Perhaps you or your companion could burn them from existence?" Hoshirei said, alluding to their doujutsu and heritage. "I welcome you both to my home should you wish to join me." No matter what they decided, Hoshirei would stay until the bodies were gone before leaving.

"It was a pleasure doing battle with you. Perhaps the next time we meet will be under more pleasant conditions," she paused and turned to look at the dead once more. She saw both of her companions eyes and knew they would be able to easily take care of the bodies. "Owl, you know what needs to be collected and if you could move them to the morgue, it would be appreciated. Perhaps you or your companion could burn the remnants from existence?" Hoshirei said, alluding to their doujutsu and heritage. "I welcome you both to my home should you wish to join me." No matter what they decided, Hoshirei would stay until the bodies were contained before leaving.
______________________________________________
Due to Round 1's Edit: [Force Kill Katsu]
Edit 2: Bodies actually moved to morgue and burning only happening to remnants (aka blood) on the battlefield.

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Spoiler: old post

Just a blink that was followed by the actions that they have made, a few combos. This man she fought had been a Chuunin, but she expected more brains from one. Even when she was an academy student herself, a genin and training up from there. She always had troubles in her road. They reminded that of her, but even she had to her job. Which was, as for how it saw a one-sided part.
Once she had done the combo she watched the other kids, maybe slightly younger or even the same age as hers. "May the spirits be with you, as this is the end of your story." She said with a soft voice, still avoid got to her a little. They had done so much wrong at this point, and she was one to have to correct her. This was her mindset, it was her fault that they had come to this path if only she knew sooner this path was the chosen one of them, she might have had a slight saying it. Now she was hoping that whoever they were aiding, got a same something as they were about to murder her uncle from the sounds of that broadcast, but she had no idea how many people were even speaking in that language.

[Actions send shortly]

With just a blink of an eye, a lot of actions were made by her and her comrades. A few combos were swung, just like her own little trick as she called it still. From making water ice and add more pain towards it, yet she had hoped all her actions were at least quick towards no pain at all. The man in front of her was a chuunin, even for a child she had expected this person to be a little, even it was just a little, needed to be smarter. Even when she was a former academy student herself. A genin from there and then after that switching branches to follow where her parents left. They slightly reminded her of herself in this way, yet she stayed true towards the vow she made when becoming a shinobi of the leaf. Unlike these, she soon saw it as a one-sided job.

Once the attacks were ceased when all three of them were lying motionless on to the ground. She looked over them... They were around the same age as she was herself, maybe slightly younger. "May the Spirits be with you, as this is the end of your stories." She said with a soft voice. Never removing her secret idenity as she was in her full ANBU clothing and thus not recognizable as the daughter of the Hokage. Yet... This was something she wasn't quite ready to have on her hands, yet actions from their side had made it like this right now. In her own mindset, this was all her blame. If she was going through the files earlier, if she didn't let them go that one time in the harbor... and what if... she could actually have stopped them, a lot of things were going through her mind and she blamed herself at this point. Luckily her mask hiding that emotion. Now her thoughts went towards those who were in battle, hoping they had a better go right there and no deaths were taken yet, yet she knew that the sennin.. was for her a family member, fear was the slight bit over her mind. The broadcast earlier she even linked that voice towards the person that had been trying to help her around when she was younger.

3 motionless bodies were on the ground, one without a head and two were battered by their hands. "It was a pleasure doing battle with you. Perhaps the next time we meet will be under more pleasant conditions," Were the words of this Jounin, one she heard stories about from her uncle if she wasn't mistaken. Yet she couldn't agree more at this point, these were horrible times and you had to watch your back on all sides. "Owl, you know what needs to be done with them. Perhaps you or your companion could burn them from existence?" Her eyes narrowed a little, even under this mask the other had already seen her own eyes, slowly she let her gaze rest towards the bodies... And she started to speak once more. "I welcome you both to my home should you wish to join me." Kotori was nodding, that was all that she did right now. "We will have to see, the broad is a rather troublesome one to hear in the language of the leaf." She said and lowered her head a little. As needed as her job of an ANBU she took the necessary parts of the bodies and nodded towards the other, she was ready to make clearance at this part.' She would take the bodies towards the morgue, left for the other children to collect these bodies and she herself would roam around again.

editted due to request.
[topic left]

 

[Uchiha Asuka]

Asuka raised her hand with a sigh as lightning covered it. With a quick swipe down from her hand lightning that struck Ryujou, Asuka sighed "If only you had given up." Her wrist twisted, creating 5 different needles. She had hoped this could've been different. But well.... apparently this was the way to go. With another flick she sent them towards Ryujou, each impaling him.

The battle went on for a few seconds, and afterwards two were gone. Hoshirei quickly dispatching of the third. With a sigh she looked at her, listening to her words. "I'll take care of it." She closed her eyes and concentrated, her left eye started bleeding and as soon as she opened them. All three bodies caught fire with the black flames Amaterasu. This would surely take care of the job and turn them to ash. Asuka looked down and saw her
white Kimono stained with blood. "Oh man." She complained "This was new."

She shook her head to Hoshirei's offer. "It's appreciated, but I gotta go back up the boss. I know I shouldn't take the late kids statement as face value.... but what they told me about Kenshin worries me. I'm gonna go check up on him. Just in case."


With a quick bow to both the participants she smiled. "I appreciate you both helping me with this. I hope to see you around."

[Topic Left]
[Used Amaterasu to Burn the bodies]


------------
[Spoken OOC, bodies won't be burned but collected by others]

 

[Imaya Kuza]

They attacked without warning. Perhaps Katsu had put too much faith in their intelligence, to be able to resolve anything without violence. Ironic that the thought was coming from him, of all people, and yet he knew he was just taking out his anger on the world. These people, though… they thought they were righteous. He might have been mad, but it finally kicked him in the face that Leaf was undoubtedly crazy in the worst of ways.

“Riku, Ryu!” Katsu yelled as soon as he saw Asuka’s intent to attack. Lightning flashed, blinding Katsu for a moment, but sight was never something he relied heavily on. Feeling slight vibrations from underfoot, he knew the next attack would come from below, jumping back to evade.

His eyes adjusted, and he took a moment to catch his breath. “Guys, we have to ru-”

Riku and Ryujou were on the ground, a puddle of red pooling under them. Panicked, Katsu reached his mind out to them… nothing. They were gone. But they were right there, right in front of him. The white-haired rogue still had a stupid smile on his face, always one for a performance, and their local bee man still smelled strongly of honey, a delicious fragrance that Katsu had always been too awkward to speak up about. They were right in front of him, right here, but… in spite of what all his physical senses told him, his mind perceived their absence with the utmost vividity.

When his father passed, when his mother sent him to this village, when he had gotten lost on the way here, he had always felt a profound sense of isolation. He never felt a great necessity to speak, always having a keen knack for guessing what people were thinking thanks to his lineage. However that wasn’t enough, it was a one-way conversation. So Katsu fought, channeling that loneliness into aggression, and only when he was trading blows had he felt true human connection, even if it was from a fist connecting to his face. At least it showed somebody felt strongly enough to hurt him, and he responded to their feelings as he countered, a conversation written in violence.

But these people, if you could still call them that, felt nothing. Their violence lacked any genuity, like it was some sort of whim, comparable to tossing a homeless man change you didn’t want to lug around. Not like Riku, or Ryujou, or Kira, or Maikeru, or Reicheru, or… or…

Katsu’s cheeks wettened, only now realizing how blessed he’d become. His friends, his genuine and true friends, who performed everything they did with such emotion that the apathy and aloneness which Katsu was facing at this moment seemed so foreign to him in spite of the fact that it used to consume every hour of every day just a year ago.

“I’m sorry...” Katsu muttered, but not to the murderers of his friends. With the small amount of time he had in this break of combat, he had expanded his mind, reaching out to two of his remaining friends. “I just don’t want to be alone for this.” His voice was barely kept from breaking with effort, and he cursed himself for trembling. “Tell my mom I’m sorry and I lo-”

A roaring vortex of water cut him off. Crouching down on all four limbs, Katsu threw himself out of the way of the attack. Yet, just as he hit the ground again, a concentrated blast of steam surrounded him, and he felt the flesh burn at its touch. He covered his eyes with his hands, hoping to protect them from the pain of boiling. Only after opening them once more did he see the large contortions of water soon to be upon him. He closed his eyes again.

Instead, he looked at Maikeru through Reicheru’s eyes, and Reicheru through Maikeru’s. He held onto the connection to them, onto their presence as if they were with him, like a final embrace before a difficult farewell.



[And... Dead.]
[Only Reicheru and Maikeru have permission to move my body or do anything to it.]

 

[Hoshirei]

Hoshirei stoically watched as the Amateratsu fire consumed what used to be living beings. She was thankful to see that none of them came back as ghosts, even briefly. When Asuka rejected her offer, she just nodded her head. She hadn't necessarily meant now, she was worried about Kenshin herself. After all, she had watched Maki speed off somewhere after receiving a radio call. It wouldn't surprise her in the least if he was headed to Kenshin's aid.

"Perhaps later then. I was thinking of heading that way myself. My husband, Maki, headed that way earlier. It would be best if I made my way there as well," she paused and turned toward the ANBU. "If you want to head that way after you drop off the parts, I would imagine Maki would appreciate a familiar face. Even if the face is a mask." She smiled softly, wondering why the ANBU's demeanor felt familiar. She then turned toward the direction Maki ran, waived at the other two, and sped off.
________________________________________________
[Topic Left]

 

[Maikeru]

The village was nothing more than a blur as Maikeru sped across the rooftops of the village hidden in the leaves. His chest heaved, his muscles ached, his chakra was on the verge of empty as his body felt as if it could collapse under itself at any moment. Despite all of that, he couldn't stop moving. He had to keep going, he had to reach them. He could save them, there was still time, if he was just fast enough..

Hitting a roof particularly hard, he slipped, catching himself by sliding down on the roof top, using the edge to launch himself off to the next. Looking behind him he saw Reicheru on his tail, the kunoichi still able to keep up with him. As impressed as he was with her at this moment, he couldn't dwell on it. He had to push forward, he had to be faster. He activated his Sharingan, feeling the pain as his near empty chakra reserves burned themselves. He could feel it in his veins, the fiery sensation as his body began to eat at itself. That didn't stop him though, he grit his teeth and fought through it, watching as the world around him slowed to a crawl. He could see every detail in crystal clear clarity.

"DAMNIT!" He yelled, not caring who heard, not caring what attention he drew. "Be alive! Just.. be alive! ...Please..."

He landed on the final rooftop to their destination, and he froze. The gruesome sight before him caused his stomach to turn, caused his eyes to water as the tears began to fall freely. The way their bodies were mangled, the condition they were left in, it was too much for him to bare. Deep down, he knew he was too late, he knew they were dead. But.. he couldn't accept that. He saw the traces of black flames that licked at their bodies and jumped towards them.

"Asuka.." He muttered as his mangekyo sharingan spun, taming the black flames of Amaterasu to his whim, suffocating them out of existence. He landed in front of Katsu first, placing his hands on the younger boys chest.

He stared down at him, watch as the small droplets of water fell onto his hands. The young Uchiha grit his teeth against themselves, before letting out a loud scream of anger, of pain, of mourning. His hands began to glow green, a familiar chakra surrounding them that he had been taught by Mikasa. He felt the same burning sensation as before surging through him, but he didn't care. He didn't care if this killed him. He just wanted to hear their voices one more time, he just wanted to see their smiles..

"God damnit Katsu!" He yelled, the green flames around his hands dying down as his body finally gave out. He leaned forward, placing his head onto the boys chest. "You weren't like Riku and Ryujou! You were smart, you were so god damn smart. I saw so much potential in you, you could have been the leader for the swordsman I never could have been!"

He sat there for a moment, feeling small droplets of water fall onto the back of his head. He looked up, slowly, seeing the grey rain clouds that had gathered above him. He laughed for a moment, great sobbing chuckles coming from his chest. He looked to Riku now, moving over to his body. He placed his hand on his forehead, brushing the shaggy mess of white from the boys face.

"And you, Riku. You were so charismatic. You could have done so much good for this village. Even the sky is crying for all of your deaths. One last deal from god, huh? Had to get one last prank on me, leaving me here.. crying in the rain.."

Finally, he moved to Ryujou. The jar of honey was still in his hand, and Maikeru grabbed it, before taking off the boys glasses. He placed them both neatly on his chest, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry.." He said simply to the corpse of Ryujou. "I'm sorry I never asked to try your honey. You worked so hard on it.. I just thought you wanted it for yourself. I'm so, so sorry."

He took one last look at all of them, barely able to see through the mixture of tears and rain that clouded his vision.

"I'm sorry to all of you. You were.. you were my brothers, you were my family, and I couldn't protect you. I failed you, and I'm so sorry."

Between the exhaustion, the grief, and the anger, Maikeru went to his hands and knees. He slammed his fist into the ground, screaming at the top of his lungs.

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi allowed himself to land on the ground, it was the smell that caught his attention, that unforgiving smell of burning flesh in the wind that he recognised before he even had seen the black flames that wreaked havoc on the bodies of what would assume to be the students. Takeshi looked down to Maikeru, he had to give credit where it was due the boy had managed to get here faster than the Hokage, something that was almost comical if not given the situation in which they now found themselves.

Takeshi allowed his hand to come out as he put it on the boys shoulder looking at his comrades, it seemed that the boy was taking it as well as could be expected, his hand resting gently on the shoulder as he looked at them.

“Things will change Maikeru, I know you don’t believe me, I have not given you any reason to, but today is where the line is drawn. Grieve for your friends, morn the loss that you could not have helped, but never give up, we have all lost, we have all suffered, but we will make a better village, one that people known and expect to see from all of us”

Takeshi allowed himself to stand silent beside Maikeru, words would not take away the pain that had been done, even he knew that, but he would be here none the less. As he glanced down to the boy considering what needed to be done next, he just wondered if the boy would be able to cope with the information, he had a future that much was true but what he did with that future was down to anyone to guess, he would need to prove himself. Takeshi allowed himself to stand there with the boy.

“Where would they want to be buried?”

 

[Saitou Rei]

Reicheru stood silently behind Maikeru, taking in the bloody sight for a second time. She had begun to hope that perhaps she had mistaken a genjutsu for Katsu's mental link, though with how accustomed she had become to it she knew in the back of her mind that wouldn't be the case. Now in front of her was the cold reality that her friends truly were gone, that the link would never come again, that she had failed to keep them safe. Kashima, the swordsmen, they were supposed to live, fight, and die together. She hadn't been able to keep up her end of the promise.

Grief manifests itself differently in everyone. As Maikeru shared his last words and desperately attempted to bring them back in vain, Reicheru stood frozen as she processed the shock, tears continuing to stream that had not stopped since the link. She had so many regrets, so much anger, so many things she wanted to say but could not bring herself to verbalize. As public as her anger had been back at the dojo, her grief would be a private one.

It would not take long, however, for that anger to resurface at the appearance of a shock of green hair. Her hand clenched into a fist as she watched Takeshi place a hand on Maikeru's shoulder, her nails biting into her palm until she nearly bled. How could someone be so hypocritical? How could he not see the role he played in this? "You're right. We couldn't have helped this. But you could have," the words nearly choked her as she lost her composure. She thought for sure she was going to spiral into a rage, but instead the grief she'd buried so long rose up all at once and deep sobs followed her words. She was broken, and her knees weakened and threatened to bring her to the ground. "They were so close… I asked Kenshin to give them a second chance, and they were doing so well… until they found out about Nitish…" Saying his name aloud brought with it another deep sob. That was the last time she'd seen the Hokage in person, and the image of his blade plunging through the Uchiha boy's throat played in her mind again, now dancing among images of Riku and Ryujou smoldering on the ground in a pool of their own blood and Katsu drowning as his attackers encircled him. Being too prideful to allow Takeshi to see her give in to this grief was the only thing that kept her on her feet. She knew the answer he would give, but she could not help but ask "Why did you kill him? He was scared, he talked all the time about a darkness enveloping him, he didn't know what to do with it. We were his family, we were supposed to help him… especially you, his Hokage and his Clan Head! Why did you have to kill him? Why did my friends have to die for being confused, scared kids?"

Her words were less contemptful here than they had been at the Ishi clan house; now they would be coated with pain and genuine uncertainty. She closed her eyes and turned her face away as it contorted with her weeping.

[Topic Entered]

 

[Maikeru]

Maikeru just stayed there, his forehead laying against the hard ground for a moment. The tears continued to stream down his face, the weight of his actions and failure hung down on his shoulders. When Reicheru finished speaking, he finally rose from his position. He wearily stood up, resting a hand on Reicheru's shoulder for support. He took a moment to look back at the bodies before addressing the Hokage, drying the tears in his eyes with the back of his sleeve.

"You asked me why Asuka and company killed them, didn't you? Well, I'll give you the whole account. If you doubt the validity of my words have a yamanaka search my mind, I'd recommend a good one, but.." He paused, letting out a tired, defeated sigh. "I wanna start by saying that what they did, it deserved a punishment. Should they have been stripped of rank? Probably. Thrown in jail? Maybe. But killed? No.. no, they shouldn't have been murdered as they were."

"The boys decided it would be funny to replay Migoya's message that he had sent over the radios, they looped it over a couple times before the Anbu showed up and destroyed the radio tower. No idea why they destroyed a civilian radio tower but.. ANBU, what can ya do?" As he spoke, he moved his hand to the girl's other shoulder, pulling in her to comfort her, to try and help soothe her rage and suffering. "After the ANBU pulled the boys out, Hoshirei and Asuka showed up, and the boys tried to explain away what they did. Why? Because they're ten years old, and that's what ten year olds do when they get in trouble."

He stopped to laugh, shaking his head. He was so angry, so full of rage, every fiber of his being wanted to break away from here and drive a blade into their hearts. But, even with all his rage, he was intelligent. He knew that now was not the time, he knew that he had to at least give the Hokage a chance to make this right.

"They then proceeded to brand all of them missing nin, and claimed they assisted a missing nin. But, they didn't. Did they? No, they helped Migoya, the then Chief medical ninja." He swallowed physically at all the things he wanted to say, suppressing them to keep a cooler head, and a gentler tongue. "These boys were killed for a law they didn't break, by people who had no right to sentence them to death. So, I have a question for you lord fourth. The punishment for almost killing two genin and a Sennin is demotion, what's the punishment for actually murdering three leaf shinobi in cold blood?"

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi listened to the girl first have her say, it seemed that she was letting the anger get the better of her, as he turned to face her it seemed that the two of them where more grieving than thinking as he allowed himself to show the bemused face at the questions asked about Nitish. The man had to die that was clear, but for kids, it was something that could have been avoided, how he wished they knew how the world worked, but he would have to be the one that told them the harsh truth of the matter. He would have to give them the reason behind his actions, so be it. That is what they wanted, was it that they simply needed some closure?

“You ask why I killed Nitish, specifically me? Fine then I will tell you, two reasons first I am the Hokage, second, I am his Clan Head. Let me explain a bit clearer if you prefer, it would have been dishonourable to his memory if I let a nobody kill him, if I allowed him to die alone, without family around, without the honour around, that would have been something that I would not have forgiven myself for. And being scared, I get it sometimes we are all scared. However, we know what heading to those gates mean. I as Hokage must make that message clear, Nitish was the one to try it, he found the tip of my sword. I will not pretend that I regret my actions for someone trying to run. I will not hide the fact that his blood will stain my hands either, it’s a contradiction at that, but the message was sent, and he died by a friend, rather than in the dirt by someone he didn’t know.”

Takeshi turned his attention back to Maikeru, as he allowed himself to listen to the man speak for a few moments, wondering what he was trying to achieve with this line of conversation, but he would soon come to realised that Takeshi would not just side with them because they fought with him, they had earned the right to try and improve the village, that he would give them. However, that did not mean that the others that lay dead where in the wrong, and they needed to see that from the point of view of a Hokage. They had lost friends, he knew that grief but was it justified he would have to find out with time.

“Those that fought will run, they will breach the gates no doubt, it’s the next logical step after their actions. And Migoya betrayed the village, they died by hacking into a communication station and spreading the word of a betrayer and associating themselves with that side. For that actions they where caught, I cannot say what happened here but by looking at the state of them, they resisted and died for it. If it makes you feel any better take your pound of flesh from me Maikeru.”

His voice calm and cold and calculating with each word that he spoke, never missing a beat or giving cause for them to stop him in there moment, he allowed himself to stare Maikeru in the eyes as he spoke the words, making his intention clear.

“Violence to react to Violence will cause more violence, I will not have blood shed in the streets of Konaha any more, they died I am sorry for that, but make Konaha better not cause more issues. I can assure you now, when I find out why they died if it was for no reason, punishment will be given, however if I find that they resisted, that they did in fact broadcast a message during a time of war. An unauthorised one, the people who acted will not be punished. I am clear on that point, I hope? So, what will it be Maikeru, will you give your friends the burial they deserve? Or will you take your pound of flesh?”

 

[Saitou Rei]

As her tears soaked into Maikeru's shirt, her head pressed into his chest, Reicheru's sobbing quieted in the pause between the two Uchihas' words. She listened, unmoving, as she finally heard from the Hokage's own lips his reasoning for killing a child at the gates. And it was so… unsatisfying. Worse still were the words that immediately followed regarding this Migoya and company. Reicheru turned away slightly from Maikeru, still in his arms but facing Takeshi now as he continued his lecture. Her mouth slightly agape, the kunoichi attempted to make some sort of sense of what the man was saying, but nothing came. Only a tangled mess of contradictions remained.

"Allow me to back up a moment. You said, and I quote, there was 'no doubt' that Migoya and the others would breach the gates as their next step. So tell me, Lord Hokage: why are you here?" A violet hue flashed in the Nanjirou's slate gray eyes, unblinking in spite of the rain. "You just finished telling us that the entirety of the reason our friend died instead of punished in another fashion was to send a message about what happens when you head for those gates. Do you intend to uphold that message, or was his death in vain?" Maybe he was just afraid to pick on someone his own size.

Typically, Reicheru was not quick to speak. She always measured her words carefully, and even amidst the antics she often found herself wrapped up in with the 'crew' she found she could usually keep a level head. It was a trait she prided herself on, and for the most part it kept her out of trouble. Today, the doubts she'd been burying and rationalizing away burst through the chips they'd been making in that armor. Her fingers curled back into a tight fist as she took in the sight of the man who symbolized for her the death of her father's dream and the village she had once believed in. "Please, don't tell us what our friends do or do not deserve. You have no right. I know it must sound strange to say that to a man who thinks his power limitless, but these were our friends, and you have already denied them as your people in both your words and your actions. They shouldn't be buried here, this was not a home to them."

"It was to me though, at one point. I want it to get better, like you and Kenshin-sama both keep talking about. But how can any of us change anything if the man leading us ignores anything he doesn't agree with? From where I stand, from what I have seen, you embody a dangerous combination of arrogance and ignorance. I'll tell you why you can't fix the village - because you're the problem with it." The quickness with which the words came caught Reicheru off guard. She considered all that she had to lose in this exchange, but the reminder of her father and others who had paid the ultimate price to stand up against injustice made her price seem small in comparison. She knew flying into a rage would help nothing though, and so with a deep breath she turned to fully face the man called Hokage and spoke slowly and clearly but with no less passion than before. "Lord Fourth, if my words seems bold, I implore you to consider again what you've said, and how your words serve only to instill doubt and not confidence when you repeatedly justify the deaths of your village's youth for minor infractions while traitors and rebellion leaders get off with a slap on the wrist." She sighed; she'd said this before and been blatantly ignored. How could she put it in terms that would allow him to see the gravity of the situation he was causing?

Looking at her friends, she wandered to their bodies and placed a hand on one. Picking up the honey jar next to Ryujou, she examined it before continuing. "Aburame Ryujou's father works in your office, did you know that? A simple secretary is going to get news today that his son was killed by the very shinobi he entrusted him to, to train and protect him. And the Hokage, the man he works for, is going to defend the necessity of his child's death with all the feeling and empathy of a rock. Other parents will hear of this, and whether you see it as right or not, they will leave the village or disallow their children to join the academy. I most certainly would not stay here with a family of my own. In a few very short years as a result of the actions you have just defended, you will face a population crisis. The Hidden Leaf will implode under your leadership if it does not honestly wrestle with the morality of what happened here today. If you want things to get better, that might mean admitting some fault."

And now, she prayed.

 

[Maikeru]

The arm around that he had wrapped around Reicheru's waist tightened, pulling the girl tighter into him. Partly for comfort, but, mostly because he knew what was going through her head as she spoke. He was no stranger to impassioned decisions. To fly off the handle, to let your raw emotions take over and to throw logic and reasoning to the winds, as bother an Uchiha and a man he was very, very familiar with that feeling. As she spoke he looked between her and the Hokage, trying to get a better read on on the situation. His hand which was hidden by Reicheru's body rested gently on the hilt of Kusanagi, just in case..

"Lord Fourth, I think it's time for you to leave." He said, looking his superior officer directly in the eyes. "Reicheru and I need to grieve, and all your words are doing is making this situation worse, and making our anger deeper. However, I will promise you this. As long as I am a leaf shinobi I will not lay a finger on those who slaughtered the boys. I don't believe in murdering my allies."

 

[Uchiha Takeshi]

Takeshi allowed himself to look at them before a few minutes, he allowed himself to not to the two of them before turning on his heels and leaving, Takeshi left them there with the corpses of the fallen, he would not speak further and would not act, what had been needed to be said had been said that was all at the end of the day.

[Topic Left]

 

[Saitou Rei]

A small sigh escaped Reicheru's lips as Takeshi took his leave. Part of her wished that he had acknowledged anything she'd said, given some sort of indication that maybe he understood. The other part suspected as Maikeru said that any further words would only make things worse, or perhaps even end in violence, and so she took some solace in the fact that her brazen disrespect hadn't gotten both her and Maik on the receiving end of the Hokage's deluded sense of justice. At least not yet.

Turning to Maikeru, she gave a small smile and whispered, "Thank you." With that, she removed the now moistened scarf from her neck and placed the honey jar she held in the center of it. Looking over at where Riku laid only a few feet away, she noticed something in his hand; a sad grin appeared on her shaking head when she identified the deck of cards. Most shinobi died with a weapon in their grip… though, given further consideration, it would seem that Riku had as well. She moved to collect them, to save them from the rain though blood had already stained the edges. Her jaw tightened as she touched his hand and felt that the cold had already set in, and turned her head away as she pried the cards from his dead-man's grip. When they were free, she placed them in the make-shift scarf bag along with the honey, wrapping them a few times and overlapping the fabric before twisting the two ends together into a strap she slid over her arm.

When she finally looked back at Katsu, she started with a 'gasp'. Someone else had joined them, though she hadn't heard them approach, and was now walking around Katsu's body. His matted black hair causing his bright golden eyes to stand stark against the bleakness around them, scanning his fallen friend. Catsu. Reicheru tilted her head and gave an airy laugh, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes yet again. She slowly approached the street cat, and kneeling down she held out her hand to him. "You too? I'm sorry, budd--"
[lb2][/lb2]

[lb2][/lb2]
"…" Reicheru's open mouth closed and her face scrunched in response to the sudden light pain and annoyance. It took restraint not to smack the cat away, though not for long as the little jerk let go after a moment to move nimbly back toward the body. Reicheru watched as Catsu sniffed him, prodded him with his paws, and finally curled up in the space between his arm and torso. "We should get going," the kunoichi said to Maikeru, "and let the others know. Doesn't Danii live around here? We can't leave them here though, they should be buried outside of the gates. I don't know… how to keep the bodies, or how we could move them. Any thoughts?"

Almost as if on cue, a noise filled the pause after her words - a pained 'meow', the mourning song of their feline company. Reicheru turned back to look as Catsu licked Katsu's hand, noticing how the rain that was collecting on his charcoal coat almost looked like tears shed for his master (if you could call it that kind of relationship). Something more about this exchange caught the young girl's eye, though. "Wait a minute; what's that?" Reicheru asked, pointing to some sort of marking on the Yamanaka's hand. Had he left something more for the friends he'd left behind?

 

[Maikeru]

As the Hokage walked away, Maikeru let out a tired sigh. Today had been long, too long, he wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball on his bed and just sleep for a long, long time. When Reicheru pulled away from him to collect the boys personal effect, Maikeru himself went to work as well. He had regained enough chakra to perform the small task were now required of him thankfully, because he was not looking forward to the burning. With a few hand seals he would move to each body, gently place a hand on their chest as a green glow flowed through them, before dissipating.

"There.." He started as he pulled his hand off the last of them, looking down at their bodies with tired heavy eyes. "That will keep them from decomposing at least. But, we still need to tr-"

He was cut off by the sound of the cats mewing as it circled around Katsu's body, and judging by the blood running from Reicheru's finger, it wasn't exactly in a very cuddling mood. At least, not for anyone but Katsu. Maikeru looked at the cat with a sad smile, before locking eyes with it. He would watch as the cat's pupils shifted and changed, forming into a mirror of his own Sharingan for a moment, before reverting back to their slitted pupils.

"Sorry little guy.." He said, reaching out to stroke behind the ears of the now pacified cat. "You were really important to Katsu, so I can't leave you in the rain, but I don't have time to get you to trust me quite yet. It's a light genjutsu, it won't hurt you."

From his pouch he removed three storage scrolls, placing them near each of the bodies before unraveling their lengths. With a quick tiger sign, and a puff of smoke, the boys bodies were taken care of. Picking up the scrolls, then Catsu, he looked to Reicheru, before nodding towards town.

"Yea, Danni's house is this way. Follow me. We should tell her, plus, well.. her grandfather can really cook and I really need some food and someplace to pass out for a few hours. I'm barely going still Rei.."

And with that, he reached out to take her hand into his, before heading towards the home of Nanjirou Danerisu

 

[Santaru Kaede]

As the two walk up to Danii's house, they would see a thin line of smoke flowing out of the chimney. A look through an open window shows her grandfather cooking something in a pot over the kitchen fireplace. The two would arrive at the door and hear the muffled sounds of a girl and her grandfather preparing dinner and the table inside. The two would seem oblivious to the extent of the trouble going on in the village around then.

“Did you hear that weird broadcast earlier? Do you know what it meant by children dying at the gates? Do you think it was the frost? Are they in the village now?”

Danii rattles off question after question barely giving her grandfather any time to answer her from the other room.

“I wouldn't worry about it right now little one. If this was a full invasion, then the village would be on much higher alert. Just listen for any alarms and keep you gear nearby. Other than that, just relax and enjoy dinner. It will be ready soon.”

A knock at the door interrupts their conversation. Her grandfather looks at her for a moment and then waves her towards the door so he can get back to his cooking.

“Go see who that is. I can't look away right now or the base will burn. Go go go.”

Danii hurries to the door and opens it up. She spots her two friends standing at the door.

“Hey! What's up? You two are just in time for dinner, if you want to join… you look rough. Train too hard today?”

She pauses as she notices tears and mud in Maikeru’s clothes. Nothing major, but the small signs of a scuffle. She looks over at Rei and notices that both seemed to have been crying recently. Her smile fades as she looks her friends in the eyes.

“Get inside. Tell me what happened. Gramps, Mai-chan and Rei are here. Bring some towels please.”

 

[Saitou Rei]

The pair trudged silently through the rain and mud, and the walk to her Nanjirou kin's home seemed to stretch on forever. The reality set in and grew heavier with each step that they would have to verbalize what happened to their friend; she gave thanks that Katsu had linked to both her and Maik so neither of them had to break the news to the other. She began trying to rehearse what she was going to say, but all of that flew out the window when they finally came to the door.

"Danii…" Reicheru croaked, trying to explain as she stood outside in the rain. The words didn't come though, replaced with new tears, and as she and Maikeru were ushered inside she swallowed hard and attempted to regain composure. "Thank you," she said quietly as a towel was brought to dry her off. Taking a seat she wrapped it around herself, holding out a corner of the cloth and began unraveling her scarf to move the boys' personals into something drier. There was no time to stall anymore, as these items would surely prompt questions.

"It's the boys… Riku, Ryujou, Katsu…" Saying their names aloud gave her pause. "They were the ones who played that broadcast earlier. Or rather, played it again. There were some Leaf shinobi who ambushed Kenshin at his dojo; we were there. They played that as we fought, and apparently the boys got their hands on it and took it to a radio tower to play it again. They were caught by other Leaf shinobi, and…" Reicheru looked down at the blood on Riku's cards and her clothes where she had knelt beside them on the crimson-stained ground. "…they killed them, Danii. All three of them, without a trial or hearing. They didn't even fight back…"

Reicheru turned away as her face began to contort with grief yet again and held her head in her hands as the words hung in the air of the Nanjirou household.

 

[Maikeru]

As Reicheru bowed her head, Maikeru placed a hand lightly on her back. He began to rub up and down as he looked between her, and Danni, the grief and weariness of the day evident on his face. The sword that had been hanging at his waist he laid on against the wall, before accepting a towel from Danni's grandfather, running it through his mess of black hair. His mouth was agape as he tried to find the words, but, it seemed Reicheru had summed it up.

"Hey.. gramps.." He said, addressing the older man. "I should have some spare clothes here still from when Danni and I train, could you grab some of them for Reicheru and I? We're soaked and it would be nice to get into something dry and not.. soaked in blood."

As he looked at him, Maikeru gave the Nanjirou a look that almost screamed that they needed a moment. He waited for him to walk away, before continuing.

"I'm sorry.." He finally said, closing his eyes tight to the both of them. "I wasn't fast enough, I didn't train hard enough. If.. if I was stronger I could have saved them, I could have saved all of us..."

He let out a tired sigh, hanging his head in shame and despair as the fire from the stove crackled in the background. His head was swirling with a mixture of emotions, feelings, but mostly he was just tired. Physically, mentally, emotionally. He wanted nothing more than to lean his head back against this couch and never wake up. But, he couldn't. Not yet. There was still so much to do. He needed to eat, he needed to refill his stamina and his burning chakra. More than anything, he needed to be here for Reicheru and Danni.

It was never said by anyone, but, Maikeru had always thought of himself as the older brother of the group. The one who watched out for everyone, the one who put their needs and wants ahead of his own. It was why he went along with Riku's schemes, why he helped Ryujou during their class, why he brought Katsu into the swordsmen. He just wanted to see everyone grow up healthy and happy. But, he had failed. He had failed the boys, he had failed the group, but he would not fail who remained.

"Danni.. we're leaving." He said softly. "The leaf. I'm going to serve two years as chief med nin, and then we're gone. We want you to come with us."