Quiet! You'll Expose the Assassination! [Free RP]

[Kazu]

NPC: Mitsuyo Takeyashi

The pale moonlight glistened behind a dark figure, obscured from the light poles dotting the streets. The fresh scent of salt water permeated the area, and the constant churning of the waves against the shore filled the ears of all the civilians who walked about the harbor. There was a chilling breeze in the air, a wandering air current from the oceans that had made its way here. The breeze brought with it whistle of wind, loud enough to obscure the sound of the figure's movements. They climbed up a nearby building, something odd with the way that they so deftly and easily climbed. Practically sliding across the rooftops, the figure leaped from rooftop to rooftop, their footsteps nothing more than a soft crinkling sound. As they moved, however, their silhouette became more pronounced. Not two, but six arms seemed to extend out of the figure's body. It was like some sort of demon. Had it come to haunt the people of the harbor?

The demon stopped at the edge of one building, which seemed to overlook a small boat that was docked. Men were scuttling about down below, moving boxes and crates to and from the ship. As the figure crouched down, they brought all six of their arms into the folds of what appeared to be a cloak they were wearing — presumably, this was to make them look smaller, and less noticeable. One of the arms, however, lingered just long enough for the demon to reach for the brow of its head. A hand, sun-kissed and golden brown in color, grasped at the top of a hood. Pulling it down, a young man's face was revealed — he couldn't have been older than perhaps 14 or 15. His brow was furrowed, but his eyes were covered by a thick piece of black cloth. Still, his head swiveled over the positions of the people below. "Where are you, scum. Show yourself to me." The young man waited. Patiently. Restlessly.

Finally, the young man stirred to life. The man he was searching for, a business man by the name of Toyoda Kiichiro, had finally revealed himself. A smile crept upon the young man's face, malevolent and gruesome. He seemed almost excited for what was to come. "At last. You're a tough man to find, Toyoda." His arms reached out from underneath the cloak, an unnatural sight to behold. The young man opened his mouth, and out of it a thick yellow fluid began to flow. Two of the six hands began to grip the substance, mushing it as if it were some sort of clay. Quickly it dried, and as it did the arms worked furiously to shape it. A few moments later a large bow began to take shape, it's form unlike any other bow that would be made by man and yet somehow graceful, still, in its own right. As solid as steel, the odd substance had reduced its flow greatly until only a thin dribble continued. A thin piece of the substance was used for string, and a slightly thicker piece made an arrow. Stringing the bow, the young man had to use two of his six arms to steady and bend the great bow. A tool this powerful required a great deal in order to use it. Two of his hands gripped the string, drawing it back a length greater than most other men would be able to manage with such a weapon. His other fours arms had to steady the bow, and added extra support for a much greater level of precision. Aiming, the young man brought the business man into his line of fire. How he saw him, however, was another issue entirely. "A clean kill. And a mission well done." The young man released his grip on the string, and let the arrow fly.

[ooc: I'm testing out a new character that I was thinking of in this RP, to see whether I liked them or not. Anyone is free to join, either with a character they've been thinking of trying or with their normal NC character.]

 

[Maki Kichiru]

Today was to be an exciting day for Kichiru, as finally the great diamond storms had passed and his family had allowed him to travel outside of their subterranean home and into the world of sunlight and fresh air, with the companionship of his father of course. Kichiru's smiling face gleamed up towards the open sky “Father, isn't it exciting? Look how far we can see! And wow the sun is awfully bright, is it always like this?”

A deep chuckle bellowed out from his father “Yes, though if you stare any longer you might go blind! And you certainly don't want that on your first day at the Academy.” Kichiru seemed to pay little care to his father's warning and continued looking up into the bright sky. Today is going to be just an amazing day. I can feel it.

Within an hour or so they arrived at their destination, Soon's Haven, where commerce was bustling as businessmen and workers alike were running about attending to their increased workload now that travelers were able to traverse the desert and come to trade. “Alright, we'll be here for the rest of the day. I have a friend here who I have some business with and will give us passage back in the morning. Try not to get into any trouble, alright?” His words trailed off as he watched his son run off into the trading hub, ready to meet new people and enjoy the rest of the day as he saw fit.

A few hours pass...

Huh, these adults seem so busy. I'm sure one of them would appreciate a break! And then I could tell them all about the village and how I'm going to become a ninja just like my sister! Kichiru looked out over the remaining people still out and about, attempting to find the perfect person. Someone who really looked like they needed a break. Perhaps one of the workers? Though Kichiru didn't want anyone to get yelled at...

Ahah! Him! Kichiru smiled as he noticed a man in fairly decent attire walking about. He ran off towards the man and shouted “Hey, mister!” in an attempt to get the businessman's attention.

Time to make a new friend!

OOC:

Edit: Let's not make the businessman magically younger!

 

[Kazu]

NPC: Mitsuyo Takeyashi

The gentle whizzing of the arrow through the air reached the young man's ears only as it flew. Its path was straight, that much he could tell. However, another sound cut through the air — it was a young boy's voice, probably not much older than seven or eight. What was a boy doing here, of all places?! There was nothing the cloaked man could do to stop the arrow, though it's questionable if he would even if he could. The boy's call had changed the situation rather drastically, however. The businessman, the target in question, had stopped walking to turn around and look for the source of the young voice. Unfortunately, this meant the arrow didn't strike its intended target: his heart. Instead, the arrow pierced through the man's right leg, instantly sending him crashing down to the ground as he let out a bloodcurdling scream. He was filled with agony, shouting obscenities and curses that probably shouldn't have been repeated in front of such a young boy. Instantly, Toyoda's men sprang to attention, taking only moments to realize what was going on. The cloaked man cursed, throwing down the bow as he fled from the roof. As it left his grasp, the odd weapon dissolved into dust.

His ruse discovered, the cloaked man began to crawl down the walls of the shadowed alleyways. And by crawl, he meant that quite literally: with all six of his arms extended out, he crawled along the walls with his arms and legs. As the men down below scattered to try to find the source of the attack, the cloaked figure tried to assess his situation. He still needed that man's life, one way or another. The tricky part was not getting caught — his employers had specifically forbade him from revealing his own identity or drawing any trace of this event back to them. If only that kid hadn't interfered at the last second like that...

Perhaps this could still work out, though? Maybe he could make use of this kid's appearance? No, the kid was too unreliable. However, an idea began to spin its way into the assassin's head, and so he began to slink closer and closer towards the edge of the courtyard. There were only a few more men there, guarding the wounded Toyoda. Still just beyond the edge of the light, the cloaked figure used two of his six hands to form a handseal. As he did, he began to gather a small amount of the strange material he'd made his bow out of in his mouth, molding some of his chakra into it. A moment later the assassin spat out a globule of the material, which shaped itself into a long and thin needle as it left his mouth. The needle flew silently through the air until it landed in the neck of one of the men guarding Toyoda. If the boy still down there was quick, he might notice the needle sticking out of the man's neck with a strange purple substance glistening at its tip. It didn't take long, though, until the needle dissolved just like the bow had. Was the boy sure it had even been there? Was he imagining things due to the shock of the events that were transpiring?

He didn't have time to contemplate for long. Suddenly, the guard let out an angry yell and turned around and began to tackle the other guards. A look of pure anger, unbridled and unrestrained, had contorted the affected guard's face into a terrifying scowl. Chaos would quickly erupt, and the young Kichiru would be caught right in the middle of it.

[ooc: Realized I should edit in this little footnote for clarity. Forgot that you were new! There's a link in my post that leads to the Jutsu "Venom Needle". That's the little dart thing he shot at the guard. The poison he used is called Fury Gas, and can be found with all the other poisons on the site, here: https://ninpocho.com/viewforum.php?f=358]

 

[Maki Kichiru]

It all seemed to transpire within a second. In one moment, Kichiru was lifting his arm to greet the stranger with his trademark grin crossing his face, and in the next he noticed something in the corner of his eyes. Before he could even think to react, the man had fallen onto the ground, him screaming out obscenities Kichiru had only heard once before when a drunkard had gotten into a fight right outside his home. His mother had attempted to console him, as he had only been about six at the time of the event, and he was simply terrified of the loud noises, not knowing what was going on and if he would be safe from the raving madman.

And then there was the blood. He had certainly seen blood before, from when he had scraped his knees, or had a particularly bad nose-bleed... But never like this. Never so much of it at once. Perhaps it had hit the man's... what did his sister call it? Artery? Or was it vein, his memory in that instant wasn't necessarily the clearest. His eyes momentarily peered down toward his shirt, which was specked with the businessman's blood. This sight, this raw sight of a man in utter agony, coupled with the yelling of his guards as they rushed to his aid, was what shook him back into reality.

“Wh-... Sir!?”, he choked out in confusion, attempting to run towards the injured man before being pushed back by the man's bodyguards, who appeared to be getting ready to comb the area for the attacker. Kichiru stood a few feet away, looking around, hoping his father would show up at any instant and know what he should do. But it seemed as fate would have it his father was nowhere to be found. All that was left was the decision of whether Kichiru would stand around, perhaps in an attempt to help the injured man, or if he'd simply run off, abiding his father's wishes to “stay out of trouble.” If the gash in the man's leg was not enough of an indicator, the frantic nature of the man's guards certainly told Kichiru that the situation was dangerous.

I should... No, this is what Kasumi would do. She'd stay. She'd help him! And that's what he planned on doing, even though he didn't have even a single day of the academy under his belt. How hard could it be to wrap something around the wound? Especially since none of the guards seemed to be doing anything besides guarding the wounded man. “Here, let me-” were all the words Kichiru could muster before his attention was caught by a shimmer of something whirring through the air. For an instant, he thought he saw something sticking straight out of the neck of one of the guards that remained. But.. now it was gone? “Wah!” Kichiru stepped back instinctively as the struck guard instantly ran and tackled one of the other guards.

He should run. Everything his parents have taught him told him that he should run screaming and trying to find his father and stay safe. Even his sister, whom he admired so greatly, would tell him to run away. But that's not what she'd do. And that's not what I'm gonna do.. But he needed to find an opening in the chaos. Some way that he could run in to pull the injured man away from everything that was happening and find an adult. At least an adult that hadn't gone mad and could actually do something. He hadn't a single clue what he was doing, simply being driven by instinct as he ran forward into the fray, with his mind set on pulling the man out and helping him retreat to somewhere safe enough to help him stop the bleeding.

“Sir. Come on!”

[MFT]

 

[Kazu]

NPC: Mitsuyo Takeyashi

As Toyoda's men scrambled and fought among themselves, the man of the hour began to limp away as fast as he could. The arrow was still firmly lodged in his leg, causing every muscle flex of his leg to spew more blood down his leg. The offer of help from an eight year old boy was not very comforting, and so he continued on ahead without him. "What do you intend to do, boy? This isn't a game, my life is in danger! Run away, or something, before he kills you too!" The business man was limping even faster now, trying desperately to escape the specter of death. High upon his perch, the assassin chuckled softly to himself. This couldn't have gone any better than this. He watched the man scamper off into a side alley, probably thinking that he could lose the assassin in the unmarked streets. Unfortunately for him, the young man with six arms was thorough. He'd scoped out every inch of this place two nights ago. He could navigate this place blind.

Springing from his hiding spot, the young man took off across the rooftops. His speed easily outpaced the limping business man, and even the child too. He scouted ahead of them, waiting for the man to fall into his trap. Like a spider spinning its web, the man knew it would be just a matter of time before a pair of juicy flies managed to get stuck in his web. And that wasn't exactly a metaphor, either. As Toyoda, and potentially the young boy as well, turned a corner, they'd see what could only be described as a massive spider's web blocking their path. Its strands were thick and viscous, and looked like it would ensnare anyone who touched it. Toyoda tried to back away, fear rising much quicker in him. "No, I won't die like this! Not like some criminal!"

As he turned around, though, he'd hit into the body of the young man. Alarmed and confused, the business let out a cry as he reached for a concealed knife. A hand shot out of the cloak's folds, preventing the business man from striking him with the blade, while another one grabbed the weakened man by his shirt collar and dragged him into the air. His face was hidden by the cloak's hood again, obscuring anyone from identifying him. "Toyoda Kiichiro, a pathetic worm not fit to be called a man. What do you have to say for your crimes?" The businessman stuttered, barely able to spit out his words. "P-Please, no! Oh gods, I'll do anything! I-I-I know I haven't always been the nicest p-person, but who is?! Come on, please, give me a chance!" The young man did not flinch. He did not loosen his grip either. The businessman's words had no effect on him.

The assassin turned his head away from the coward he held in front of him towards the young boy. He'd followed all this way, seemingly trying to aid him in some way. Did the boy think this man needed his help? What a foolish child, indeed. "You there, boy. You have tried to aid this maggot, no? Do you know the crimes for which he is guilty? Perhaps you would not be so eager to throw your life away for his sake if you knew, hm?" The young assassin wanted to know what drove a boy so young to want to help someone so much, to the point of endangering his own life in such a needless way. Maybe it was because the young child reminded him of himself from a long time ago? Or perhaps, he just liked to watch these little flies squirm in his web? Either way, the assassin waited for the young boy's answer.

 

[Maki Kichiru]

One could suppose it would be expected, that perhaps the presence of an eight-year-old boy wouldn't be the most comforting against the overwhelming fear of one's own imminent demise. Though Kichiru's heart had already overridden all hope of rational or logical decision making. Anyone else would have, and understandably should, run as far away from the scene until they couldn't run further, and then simply keep running. It was clear that whatever fiend had been targeting the businessman would be able to end Kichiru in nearly an instant with their two bare hands. With not even a day of experience at the academy, he was essentially as useful to the man as a shield would be.

Fortunately, for Kichiru's sake, the man wasn't planning on attempting to block any projectiles with the young child's torso. Unfortunately, however, this didn't mean he would even hesitate to continue after the businessman as he limped off. “Sir, you need to stop the bleeding and get to a hospital! I'm sure your guards have already-” And there it was. As they turned the corner down an alleyway they were faced with a giant spider-web, which stopped Kichiru's train of thought just as well as it stopped the businessman's retreat from the scene of the attempted assassination. “Impossible... I don't understand...” were the only words Kichiru could mutter as he stared off toward the web in disbelief before he noticed the businessman refusing what looked more and more to be his fate and turning to run away.

Though what met Kichiru's gaze as he turned around to follow the businessman was perhaps even more terrifying than the seemingly paranormal display of webbing behind them: A young man wrapped in a cloak who seemed to appear out of thin air, as if he had always been there and neither the businessman nor Kichiru had realized. His crimes? Oh.. no, what have I done?

His mind began to race, wishing with every fiber of his being that his father would miraculously come upon the scene and help chase the cloaked figure off. Even if this man had committed crimes in his lifetime, that certainly didn't mean he deserved to be executed in the middle of the night? Right? “I'm not throwing my life away!” Every part of his mind screamed at him Run. Say anything. RUN! And yet he stood his ground, only a few feet away from the assailant. “You're the one trying to kill someone else! That's the crime I see!” His eyes locking straight towards the young man's, whilst every part of his insides tensed up in fear of what was about to happen.

Kasumi... This is what you would do... This is what a hero does... Right?

 

[Kazu]

NPC: Mitsuyo Takeyashi

"What a fool. You're still just a kid." The young assassin wrenched the knife out of Toyoda's hand and threw him to the side, his body hitting the ground like a rag doll. Without giving it a second thought, he threw the knife with the accuracy and precision of a trained marksmen straight at the injured man. The knife found its mark as it lodged itself deep into the man's hand, going so deep that it struck into the graveled road. Toyoda let out another painful cry, but a quick and angry look from the assassin shut him up quickly. The young man couldn't let his screaming alert the men who were searching for them, after all. Turning back to the young boy, the assassin sized up this annoying little fly. His buzzing was starting to get on the young man's nerves.

"To kill or be killed is the way this world works. If you don't kill the enemies of peace, then who will keep the scum you spare from killing your friends?" The cloaked man knelt down to an almost even level as the kid — he would be able to make out the dark brown color of the skin on his chin, but that's about it. The hood covered his nose, and everything above it. "I used to be like you, you know. Innocent. Naive. Utterly foolish." A prolonged silence filled the air. The sense of tension grew, and the uncertainty of what would happen must have been overwhelming for the young boy. The assassin was honored to have the chance to instill this life lesson into the brat. "The world will turn on you, one day. When that day comes, think really hard about who your friends and enemies are. The ones who stay by your side, and accept what you are, are who you should consider your friends. As for your enemies? Can you take a guess?"

The man stood up and walked away from the young boy. Looming over the pinned businessman, the assassin must have looked to be some sort of angel of death. An emissary of the afterlife, here to escort this poor deranged soul to the next world. If only he was carrying a scythe. "Your enemies are everyone else. Everyone and anyone who might threaten your friends." Stepping down hard on the business man's hand, the young man pulled the knife out of his palm. A terrified shriek could be heard from the man, almost an ethereal wailing. Blood dripped down the edge of the knife, staining the road with crimson tears. The businessman's men would surely be on them soon. "Heed my lesson, brat. The sooner you learn it, the better off you'll be." The demon brought the knife down, towards the man's throat. He would finish this mission, once and for all.

 

[Kouin]

Demise and death. These things plagued our very existence to the core. Pain and suffering, guilt and deceit were the ways of showing; embedded into our very genetic coding as people. Death was a simple fragment of a much larger picture of shinobism. People live, people die; we can only hope to remember those who have perished protecting what we or they fought for. This is the only solemn truth of the shinobi world.

The night was grim and blood permeated the air. A bloodcurdling scream resonated in his eardrums. His eyes shifted around the area, scanning for any abnormalities. Everything seems usual in a shinobi community, yet one thing stuck out; an obstruction through someone's like, causing a disruption in chakra flow. Someone had been attacked. With a simple set of signs his body melded into a vat of darkness as a flock of shadows fluttered around the area. It didn't care if the injured lived or died, he was more curious of the perpetrator than anything else. He was a man who was curious of motive and intent.

His body reformed from a mist of a murder, hidden from sight in an alley shrouded in darkness. His eyes glazed over the scene; a boy, seemed nothing more than a mere academy student, someone who didn't even appear to be capable or wanting to end the life of another, and he sat over the body of a man, potentially aiding or attempting a final blow; that question was left unanswered. The second body seemed more powerful. His body's coils were circulating much faster; tightening and releasing slowly as if he had just attacked in a way.

He took a heavy step from his shroud, his singular step would be audible to all present parties. His hands placed comfortably in his pockets as he had no reason to be hasty with his actions. Kill or be killed? This is true, but you can turn that into 'Protect or be Protected', everything is perspective. Naivety is thinking their is only one way the world works when it itself is a circle, allowing multiple directions. His voice was stern and forceful. He pulled a hand from his pocket, which it didn't matter, his hand crackled with the essence of storms. The world turned on you the moment you departed from the womb. It stripped you of the certain protection the walls gave you; leaving you exposed to the corruption and ill-intent of others. His hand pointed a single finger at the 'assassin', Foe and friend are subjective, he who has wronged you has no wronged he nor i. You shouldn't scorn one who desire to aid than to harm. He shot the energy built up in his hands; lightning and plasma rippled and coursed around his hand, Step aside child. The energy tore through the air, he chose not to directly aim the pulse at the assailant, instead fired in between. The built up charge created a high density, low air pressure compression field; the force cause the assailant, and if the boy hadn't moved, him too. Who are you to decide who lives, and who dies?

He watched the force propel the knife from his hand; twirling in the air and slowly falling back down. His mind began processing a possible solution but he had already reacted in a way that prevented his hands from reacting.

He grabbed hold of the mans leg and began to observe. An arrow was punctured through his leg, the tip of the arrow was hollow and could find what he assumed was a poisonous liquid dripping from the tip. The injury itself wasn't too bad, but the poison raking the mans body was worrisome; he didn't have an in-depth knowledge of toxicology, he sort of regrets sleeping through that class. The knife had lodged itself four centimeters from his heart, yet it still punctured a lung, which was slowly filling with blood and other bodily fluids. He hovered his hand over his body and emitted his prowess over the temporal state to place the almost corpse in a temporary stasis.

His eyes turned to the boy, holding a solemn look of regret. Death is inevitable. People will live, but they will also eventually die no matter how hard you try. His rippling eyes closed for a moment as he placed a hand on the boys shoulder and released a sigh. Speaking of death was simple for him, but to a child the concept was fairly new, I've held many of my friends, allies and family in my hands as they were on the cusp of death, unable to do a damn thing about it. He took a brief pause to gather the proper words, but he didn't want to sound 'cliche', All we can do is keep them their, and fight for them everyday. He turned his attention to the assailant, his eyes were no hollow of emotion; he neither knew the attacked nor the attacker. The injury won't kill the man, but the poison certainly will. I don't care who he was, or his occupation; all I care for is why you did it? What did he do to you to cause you to lash out at him, and in the end cause his end? As he finished he was standing at full height again and staring at him in the eyes.

 

[Maki Kichiru]

The words cut through the child as the young assassin spoke them. They were words that the child had never been told, as he had always been encouraged by his parents. They wanted to kindle that spark of heroism and optimism within him. They wanted Kichiru to grow up to be a decent person, even though they knew that one day he would have to make impossible decisions as a shinobi of Sunagakure. However they couldn't bare to teach such lessons of cynicism and deception to their young smiling child, for fear that it would steal from him just a few more days where he could continue to truly be innocent. Not necessarily naive or foolish, but innocent, and genuinely happy.

His eyes darted away for a quick moment as the knife drove itself into Toyoda's hand, only to be wrenched back into focus on the cloaked figure as he stepped forward towards Kichiru, running thoughts through his mind that had never once occurred to the young child. Sweat began to drip down his brow as he considered the life he had chosen for himself, the life that his sister and his ancestors before had chosen for themselves as well. The decisions that had led to his sister's sudden death at the hand of the rampaging Djinn. Was this truly the way of the world? That the youthful and genuinely kind-hearted would be forced to take the lives of others in the hopes that they would not lose those most precious to them? Was that a life he wanted to live? Did he have any choice?

Oddly enough, as the cloaked figure knelt down, the slight semblance of a chin that came into Kichiru's vision put him slightly more at ease. Although the man's words still echoed throughout his mind from the moment they were spoken, he had not yet gathered enough of a skepticism to think that he would be in any danger. In that moment, he was reassured, but also terrified to know that he was indeed speaking to someone who appeared to be entirely human. Someone who was absolutely normal, likely another citizen of Sungakure. Was that kinship to put him at ease? Or should it be a point of worry, that two people who could have possibly lived minutes away from one another could be so wildly different in thinking? Was it simply a matter of time before the young Kichiru's mind became that of the assassin he now faced?

Utterly foolish. The words pushed Kichiru back a step, as if their sound itself had assaulted the innocent child. The world will turn on me? But I am among my friends. Among my fellow villagers. We protect one another. Isn't that what we do? Right? He wanted to speak out against the words, but no sounds would follow any of his attempts. To be in the face of death, and to realize it bore a visage similar to your own? It was the worst kind of torture, to know that the monsters you read about, the monsters you dreamed of fighting and defeating? That you would likely become the monster day by day as a shinobi as you justify your acts as those of adoration to those you hold most dear. Would they write stories of the cowardly Kichiru? Of how he had failed time and time again to make those impossibly difficult decisions? Kasumi... How many lives had you taken?

His gasp was sudden as he watched the knife fly through the air as quickly as the man's sharp words. Would he look? Would he watch as the man who had been struggling simply to survive but a few more moments, bleeding from multiple wounds, as his life was wrestled away from him in an instant? Would it be instantaneous? Or would Kichiru have to watch as the life slowly drained out of the man's eyes? No, he couldn't. He tightly shut his eyes moments before he expected to hear the final cry of agony. Perhaps the man had cried in anticipation. Did he pray for his loved ones? Would he do the same for them as the assassin did for whoever he cared deeply for?

A second too long had passed without a single sound? It couldn't have... And then the words of a new voice, having suddenly appeared out of the air itself, sliced through the tension in the air as quick as the knife would have the flesh of the wounded man. Kichiru's eyes shot open, half in their continued state of terror, but also in a state of relief and excitement. Had he and the businessman been saved?

“Wah!” Or is this only the start of something worse... Kichiru yelped out as he jumped back a few feet, noticing the crackling energy begin to gather in the newly arrived man's hand. It then leaped out, not at any of them in particular, but at the knife as it left Toyoda's hand. Kichiru's mind began to spin for just a moment, having been put into such a state of stress that everything had seemed to halt to a stand-still. His eyes watching as the burst of energy shot forward and sent the knife twirling off harmlessly into the air.

Shortly after, as the man seemed to thrust himself further into the situation by examining the body in a, at least what Kichiru hoped would be, some sort of attempt to save the businessman from whatever fate had nearly been enacted upon him, he began to recollect his thoughts and reassess what words the man spoke whilst Kichiru was in his state of absolute shock. Protect or be protected? Was that any different? Must you kill to protect? Must you watch life be ripped away from the universe in order to be protected?

Kichiru simply now could watch as the man stepped away after having done some sort of technique to calm the bleeding businessman and toward the assailant. Should he run away? He most certainly should, especially since it seemed that the businessman was now in little danger from the would-be assassin. He absolutely should. He was certain the new visitor would likely not even pay him any attention, wrestling the assailant's focus towards him instead as the more powerful entity in their presence. But he wouldn't. His feet didn't even strain to move, instead waiting as his curiosity took the better of his judgment, wanting ever so badly to know what would drive another to take a life. To know what could possibly happen.. That would make me take a life.

[MFT]

 

[Kazu]

NPC: Mitsuyo Takeyashi

The assailant's arm swung towards the dying businessman, his mission mere moments from completion. At the last possible moment, however, a ripple of force swept its way through him, knocking the knife out of his hand and sending it clattering loudly to the floor next to him. Unseen by the child and newcomer, a scowl began to form on the young man's brow. "Gods, why must you thwart me at every turn?" His voice was venomous and terse, his patience running thin for the night. He stood from his crouched position to face the new man, whoever he was. The first thing the assassin noticed, even before hearing his words, were the rippling eyes he wielded. They were an odd feature. He'd never seen eyes like that before, and wondered what must have caused such a disfiguration. His words were sweet, coated with sugar, lies, and a whole lot of justice. Was the demon cursed to meet only foolish thinkers this night?

"You talk a lot. Do you think yourself a poet?" Suddenly, the ripple man revealed a hand of electricity and crackling energy. Before the young demon even had the chance to understand he was a shinobi, the man had shot the blast of energy towards him. The demon jumped back, evading the energy blast by pure reflex. Cursing under his breath, he watched as the man approached the wounded Toyoda and examine the businessman's injured leg. Would he try to heal his target? The assassin couldn't have that — he needed his head to confirm the kill. His mind was already working on a way to get back to Toyoda, so that he could take the head and burn the body. Why did things have to become so damn complicated?

His mind snapped back to the situation at hand when the ripple man spoke again to the assassin. He questioned the demon's motives, wondering what harm the businessman had caused him. The young man let the question hang in the air for a moment, until he spoke. "He didn't do anything to me. I don't even know the man, aside from what I've read in my dossier." The young man pulled out a slip of paper, revealing only one of his arms in the process — he didn't want to reveal the secrets of his anatomy quite yet. He threw the slip of paper towards the other man, watching as it slowly floated towards the ground. "This man is a criminal. A weapons trafficker, and a sympathizer to many of the local gangs and thugs in this area. Not to mention pirates, as well." If the ripple man read the slip of paper once it had settled on the ground, he'd find a printed picture of Toyoda with the words 'Wanted Dead or Alive' beneath his portrait. A list of crimes were documented at the bottom of the page.

"I'm merely responding to this bounty. I have no quarrel with him, personally." The young man's voice was icy cool, his conviction in his words apparent. He had been careful, as well, to avoid revealing his employer or his own connection to them. There was nothing noting who had hired the assassin on the businessman's bounty, meaning the ripple man would have to take him on his word. "Now, will you kindly step aside so I may complete my mission? I need his head to confirm the kill. Like you said, he's as good as dead with the poison circulating through his veins." The assassin studied the businessman's failing features, trying to see what his condition was like. "He only has a few minutes left, anyways. You're wasting your time at this point."

[ooc: Kouin, I switched up the order of your post a little to make the burst of energy knocking the knife out of my hands happen first. Otherwise, Toyoda would already be dead!]

 

[Sanyu]

Ronin was merely following his older brother as they traversed through the outskirts of the Sand Village when heard the blood curdling cry. Ronin could tell which direction it came from, but before he could say something to his brother he vanished in a flock of ravens. 'I really wish he'd teach me that...' Ronin sighed to himself before he made his way toward the sound via rooftop.

He was beginning to get lost, as there were no more loud noises to follow, until a bright light, a burst of energy with the sound of thunder drew his attention. He immediately went into panic zone, his brother was fighting and he wasn't there to back him up, not that his brother needed it. His brother was amazing. Ronin pinched himself for thinking his brother needed him there. He contemplated not going for a moment, but he was beginning to get lonely not being as his brother's side.

He turned toward the bright light and came upon a very disturbing scene. His brother, looking awesome, a child who is seemingly just a civilian, or a student, an injured, slowly dying person, and someone that looks quite intimidating. One was his brother, two were clearly no threat to either of the brothers, clearly the perpetrator was this man.

Ronin hopped off the building behind the child, creating a bow made of the storms he can control. He stepped in front of the child, attempting to obscure his vision, there was no reason for him to witness any more bloodshed at his age. Ronin maintained his silence, he lets his brother do all the talking.

[MFT]​

​

 

[Kouin]

It took little time for the assailant to discern his position, especially when he gave off audial clues of his location. Some people call me a god, others a legend. You may simply refer to me as 'Akashi' A snarky smile worked across his face the the child spoke of gods thwarting his plans; what did he know about Gods and Demons? What did he know about true misery and pain? Could he even begin to comprehend that which he couldn't even fathom? Who knew...

The 'child' didn't appear to be anything special, but he dodged the vulcun lightning mega cannon Mk. 7, or something, and avoided losing an arm. The younger boy by shock alone escaped what might've been a fatal blow on his well being; if he had been aiming at either of them directly he was sure he could've blown them away in a singular strike, but that was neither the time nor the place for such a display. A tirade broke between the two, Kouin held a stern and calculated look, he was about ready to be blindsided by some two-bit runt. He made a glance around his surroundings, he felt like he was missing someone.... Where the fuck in Ronin.... He held up a hand to the man asking for a moment, One moment, I need to find my brother. He placed a second hand above his eyes to block out the glare of the sun. He knew he liked to stick to higher ground, but he also tended to stay hidden in his shadow; Kouin was always the more forward brother, which he as fine with. He didn't mind handling people straightforward and to the point.

Scanning the ground level revealed very little to him, it was all just dirt and some blood, but as his gaze soared higher he caught a glint of an arrow head drawn from the rooftop. His eyes focused in; he could see the patience in his drawn hand, which is held patiently for his signal if need be, or if he felt it was apt. He offered a distant smile, but soon returned to a stern demeanor as he turned back to Takeyashi. He'll find me eventually, he always does. A dossier was thrown to feet. He carefully picked it up and began reading through it, and nodded solemnly. Well the dossier doesn't lie, but. He allowed his contradiction starter to linger for a moment, you have to build that dramatic suspense sometimes. We are all criminals to another person. We ourselves traffic weapons; hell we are living weapons used by the country for their purpose, not our free will. We are born into a world we think something that is in the name of your village is good and right. He felt a sickening taste well up in his mouth, he almost felt like a hypocrite to his own words.

And we fight for what? Glory? Money? Lust? Maybe pride... Who made it the villages right to use us as weapons and elements of chaos and catastrophe? His words seemingly began to sear with hate for the village lifestyle; even though he had been 'acclimated' to the lifestyle again, he didn't approve of the approach on use of shinobi. Shinobi are practically adults by the time they can wield a kunai and taught how to 'kill'.... He allowed the phrase to settle in for a brief moment before continuing, Instead of taking orders from people who just use and abuse, why not carve your own destiny? Claim your own path and not follow some measly 'bounty' He tore the dossier to shreds and allowed the fragments to teeter down to the ground. Plus...

His ripple eyes glanced over the body one last time. I sadly can't let you leave with this body, not even the head. His hand brushed the blood splatter from the wound. He could feel an aura with him that he could use. Something that would strengthen him to an extent. In this man that was so filled with evil and malicious intent, he could feel a beckoning spirit lingering within his body. Something that he could mold into his own; his own array of dead yet 'living weapons', yet all extensions of himself and no more; they are no more to him like a sword to a swordsman. You see. I want his body... As he is near death he has no use for his corporeal form, yet I can repurpose it. Make him better, a much better payoff than allowing you run off with such a treasure.

He clasped his hands together and began muttering a chant in some archaic language. His hands began to unconsciously form the appropriate seals for his intent. A rift to the nether tore through the grounds; if one were to look down they would be looking at the essence of the void and be lost in rapture until they overcame the madness of the emptiness. From the rift an outer worldly path began to rise from its quiet sanctum. He channeled the essence of lightning into his fingertip and began tracing a circle around him, the path, and the hopeful path. As the lightning traversed the sands they instantly glassed over. His eyes glowered at the young man. You step foot in this circle... His hand pointed to his brothers perch with arrow on standby, He won't miss on purpose like me.

His right hand waved over the near corpse and allowed the stasis to remove its hold; he knelt down to the man. He would speak quickly and blunt. You are about to die. You're injuries are very far along, and we can't do anything here nor do we have time to evac you. He would quickly gauge his fortitude on his forward statement. You are a man who has caused many people strife and sorrow, but you have not done me wrong, yet here I am the one near your death-bed. He was unsure of where he was going with all this, but he couldn't create him anew if his body and soul are corrupted... I give you the choice of repurpose. The maw of the Path began to shudder open slowly; a ghastly haze poured out of its mouth. It gave off the dreaded scent of death and decay. Where once you created nothing but hate, I offer you use and purpose to better the world rather than fuel the never ending hate and war. He placed a flat palm firmly on his chest; if the man attempt to escape he would grab his shirt and slam him back down.

His mouth wouldn't move, but the man would hear an eerie voice resonate in his head Absolve peccatis tuis, et ne dimittas* Kouin's eyes stared down at the man expectedly.



[ooc:
* Absolve your sins, and be forgiven
Path RP 1/2, second part at Ginji reply.]

 

[Maki Kichiru]

Kichiru watched on as the two men, Akashi and Takeyashi, faced off against one another in what seemed like a battle of ideologies, at least for the time being at least. The young student wasn't quite sure what he had gotten himself into, trapped in this alleyway with two people who could easily strike him down within the span of a second if they decided they did not want witnesses to the actions that were about to take place. All he had left at this point was hope; the hope that they wouldn't succumb to such a low standard of morality as to end the life of one that has barely began to sprout their legs into this world.

Thankfully for the child, it did not seem like either man had any interest in Kichiru as long as he kept his distance. His nature demanded that he attempt to help the bleeding man, but he simply wasn't sure if he could at this point. He wasn't nearly as skilled as either of them, and if they were incapable, or in this case unwilling, to save the life of the businessman, it was unlikely that the child could either.

“His crimes don't mean you have the right to just end his life in the middle of the streets like he doesn't matter! We have jails for a reason! You could have just taken him alive!” The outburst was sudden, likely cutting off one of the men in the middle of their ideological spat with one another. It even surprised Kichiru for a moment as he stepped towards them, though not nearly close enough to act as any sort of threat to their individual goals. “We don't have to just be tools of murder.”

Right?

A figure quickly obscured the boy's vision of the scene as Ronin, assuredly the ripple-eyed man's brother, jumped into the alleyway, his bow trained forward in case he needed to spring into action at a moment's notice. Should he simply stand behind the figure, hoping that whatever was going to happen would go quickly and he would be allowed to leave with his life?

No. If this is the life of a shinobi, then I can't always be the one being protected.

And with that he stepped towards the side carefully, not to advance further towards anyone, but simply to regain his line of sight with the events as they transgressed. He wanted to look away as Toyoda slowly withered away due to the effects of the poison. This was necessary, the innocent boy needed to watch what would happen so that he could prevent it from ever happening again when he has the power to do so.

Wait... Repurpose?

His eyes widened as he stared onward towards Akashi, unable to believe what unfolded before him as the man removed Toyoda from his stasis and began emitting a strange mist from his mouth that soon began to creep around the dying man. A renewed purpose for the dying man who had committed numerous misdeeds throughout his life. But the stench was unmistakable, causing every muscle in the child's body to tense up as feelings of dread struck him unable to move. This was madness. What was happening?

I'm not scared.. I'm not scared.. I'm...

[MFT]

 

[Kazu]

NPC: Mitsuyo Takeyashi

A wry grimace made its way onto the young man's lips. This man before him was toying with the demon, making quips and expecting him to sit patiently while the ripple man's brother made his way to the location. That meant one of two things: the ripple man was far too cocky, or he was indeed a very powerful fighter. There weren't many other likely options that the demon could think of that would make sense. The assassin was prone to anger and wrathful action, but he knew a potential threat when he saw one. In the same way an animal senses danger by pure instinct, the demon assassin knew that this man was troublesome. However, mixed into the feeling of danger he got from this man was the inescapable frustration of his ideological ramblings. Virtues and sins, relativistic criticisms and ramblings on politics, and even infuriatingly biased assumptions as to what his motivations were. This man really did talk a lot.

"Cut it out with your ideological bullshit. You don't even know who I am, and you're already making stupid assumptions about what drives me. Don't pretend like you understand who I am, or why I act." If tones of voice were venomous, the ripple man would be as dead as Toyoda right now. The assassin had practically spat his words out at the man, his anger clearly audible. "Keep your political ramblings to yourself. Nothing you've said comes close to applying to me." The young boy cried out, yelling something annoying about the possibility of bringing him in alive. The assassin would hardly even pay attention to such small and childish thinking. It was hardly worth his time to explain how little he cared about whether this man received proper "judgement" or not. That kind of thing wasn't his concern. To the young demon, Toyoda's life didn't matter at all.

But then, the conversation shifted. This was no longer about what was right or what was wrong. This was about opportunity. The demon practically hissed with disagreement, perturbed completely by this man's bold actions. Not only was he hear to lecture the assassin on his morals and to expound his own self-righteous views upon strangers, but he also planned to take advantage of the young man's work and steal his prize. This ripple man was completely offensive in his actions. "You spineless bastard! You lecture me about morals and virtues, and yet you turn around and take his life for yourself! You're nothing but a liar that twists the world around you as you see fit, doing anything in your power to play the saint." Perhaps the assassin had been wrong about his position. Maybe the man before him was the demon, and he was the only rational one among them? Sometimes it certainly seemed that way. "At least I know who I am. I don't try to warp my role into being some hero on a holy mission."

The ritual began, and the demon was powerless to intervene. He had an arrow aimed at him, sure to fire if he were to make any sort of advances. He knew already, he wasn't going to get his kill. Cursing every god he could think of for this bad luck, the demon's mind turned instead to vengeance. The clinking of armor could be heard reverberating through the alleyways — the businessman's guards were homing in on their location. They'd surely heard Toyoda's screams from earlier, and had come in search of their employer. After all, he was the one who controlled whether they would be paid or not. A malicious idea began to form in his mind, wondering whether this could have possibly played out better. "Well, I wish I could say this has been fun. But you've gone and ruined my mission, so I suppose it's only fair to ruin yours. I wonder how well your morals hold up in the real world?"

The man placed his hand up to his throat, a surge of chakra centralized to his vocal cords manipulating the sound of his voice. Taking a deep breath, he yelled at the top of his lungs with a voice that wasn't his own but sounded very familiar. "PLEASE, HELP! THEY'RE GOING TO KILL ME, TOO! PLEASE, SOMEONE SAVE ME!" And with that, he removed his fingers from his throat. His voice returned to its normal tone, instead of sounding like the little boy cowering in fear. The two brothers and the boy would be able to see a hint of a hideous grin before the demon began to fade into his surroundings. His appearance seemed to become invisible, and his movements made no noise. He was practically a wraith, formless and corporeal. Just as he disappeared, a group of bodyguards turned the corner and came face to face with a rather incriminating sight. Their employer was on his death bed, with some man performing some shinobi technique on him. There was a boy, who must have been the one they'd heard crying for help a moment ago, who appeared to be a hostage. And then, there was a man with a bow and arrow aimed right at them, as if to ambush their arrival. It wasn't difficult to figure out what they all thought.

And angry sentiment began to well up in the bodyguards. Some of them because their pay was in jeopardy, and others because they couldn't stand these lowlifes using a kid as a hostage. A battle cry was heard ushering from the middle of the twenty or so mercenaries. "Get them! They're the ones who attacked Toyoda! Save the kid!" And like that they charged, brandishing swords, clubs, and an assortment of other weapons. They would be on the two brothers in a moment.

[ooc: Links seem to be busted, so just mentioning that the link is supposed to lead to Actice Camo. He used it to escape, and hide his presence. Please note the character is supposed to be capped, and is trained very highly in stealth.]

 

[Sanyu]

Ronin's eyes and arrow were trained on the boy as his brother proceeded to lay down some rules. Ronin knows his brother was referring to the boy but he interpreted the instructions as 'if anyone enters this circle, kill them.' Ronin didn't need to give any signal of affirmation, Kouin knew his brother would follow without question. He paid no attention to the boy he was blocking, though he knew he moved to see more due to the sounds, but Ronin decided if he wanted to see violence who was he to stop the boy. He's a shinobi, not the boy's guardian.

Ronin watched as his brother crouched next to the dying body, began murmuring something about a second chance. Ronin would never question his brother but he was confused, he's never seen his brother perform this act and it was slightly scaring him. The haze that came out the body's mouth caused everything to be eerie, even more than it already has. As soon as the killer began to talk Ronin's focus readjusted back to him. Ronin ignored most of his words, as they spoke badly about his brother. While that aggravated him Ronin had instructions that he planned to follow, though if the boy decided to attack Ronin would still take his shot.

Once the boy grabbed his throat the arrow made of lighting flared, but the boy screamed in a voice that seemingly wasn't his own. Ronin was caught off guard for a bit before the boy began to blend into the background and several footsteps could be heard. Great, they would have to deal with guards, this looked incredibly bad for both his brother and himself. He knew what the boy did, he can do it himself after all, but there were more pressing matters.

The guards were there now, ready to fight, Ronin moved his arrow to face them now. "Look it wasn't-" but it was too late, someone had stepped into the circle and Ronin immediately released his arrow, creating a hole clean through the guard's head. As more approached the circle he pulled another arrow, but this time it wasn't as straight and it was a blue color. Releasing the string released several bolts of bright blue energy. Several of the guards fell prey to Ronin's quick shooting and storm ninjutsu. "Do not step into the circle, if you want to live at least."

[MFT]​

​

 

[Kouin]

The man was ready to be brought into the fold. Everyone was iffy about it while on the cusp of death; some want to move on to the afterlife and allow their body to rest, but some yearn to continue even after death, and those are the chosen. The chosen are the ones who yield an innate ability which he wanted even if they didn't know it themselves. His eyes allowed him to see hidden potential in people, it allowed him to select his paths through a selective picking. He nodded at the man I promise a swift passage to the other realm He placed his hand over the man's heart, Safe passage to that who is about to cross. Touching down he would send a torrent of electrical impulses through his body and into his heart. His body would give way to a last few pumps until it shorted out, and slowly died to rest.

The statue's maw opened wider, the depths of his mouth were an abyss to anyone who would try to look in; the sheer blackness would be enough to still even the strongest of wills, but he doubt anyone would be foolish enough to step near him with his brother watching him. Just keep them off me Ronin.. I need a bit of time. He formed a set of archaic seals, his hand began to glow in an eerie purple hue it gave the same dark feeling as the statue. Tutum peregrinatione ad animam* His hand would pierce through Toyoda's spiritual body and would rip hold of his soul, his essence. His soul was dark from misdealings, but with his body now empty of vessel he could now make use of his latent abilities. Remittuntur tibi** He let go of the soul, the statue sucked the soul in like a vacuum.

Sound mind. Sound Body.

To gain something must be given. What will you sacrifice this time I wonder?​

He winced slightly at the sound of the foreign voices in his head appearing suddenly, but he had grown accustomed to the bizarre voices rampaging his head, it was easier to pretend they didn't exist, but these were different. They spoke of another sacrifice he is required to pay; after all nothing is free, and to obtain something, something of equal value must be paid in full. A child-looking being stepped forth from the maw of the statue. A grimace encompassed his face which depicted his snarky demeanor. They began to wage through mental communication; as they were one, but also separate entities, tied only by the Outer Path. I see you request upon me again... Not strong enough I assume? Kouin could feel the ice in his voice. Do you live in a freezer, or are you always this cold? Banter was pointless here, neither of them would gain any ground between the other. The air between was growing thin between them; they both were powerful forces but on different sides of the spectrum. One was then physical embodiment of power and cunning; while the other was the spiritual embodiment of intelligence and deception.

I'm giving this man a second chance. The entity raised an eyebrow, Why? He has nothing to give you, and he serves you no purpose. What reason do I, or you have to even use him? He was right. What reason did he have? Why was he even taking the body? His first path was one slain in combat, yet was medical brought back to a pristine condition for a corpse. He gave Narumi a second chance, something someone else wouldn't have given. Did he even have a right to bring back the dead bodies for his own selfish purposes? Who are you to care? I give up a part of my being to will these bodies to live. It is my driving essence that allow those that have fallen to rise again, only in my steed though.

He clutched his hand and rose it into the air; the man named Toyoda would begin to rise into the air. The status our upbringing is unimportant. He spoke his words in a slow cadence; he pulled a fine dust from a pouch at his waist and threw it around the circle. The dust resonated with the latent chakra and ignited into a ritual pyre. It's about what we leave behind; the action we've done matter little here or later; they will still have an after effect even in death. This mental interaction was different than the one before; before they engaged in a mental combat, but this time he appeared content just speaking, but he wouldn't be fooled and lower his guard for even a moment.. We all come across times where we either live or die. Kill or be killed. This man will die either way; either by his, and then taken from some measly hit. Or his being could be put to use for a higher purpose. My higher purpose. What was his higher purpose now? What was he trying to achieve? Overthrow the daimyo, join his legion and aid his conquest? It was difficult to say exactly.

The motto of his family was simple, Your limit is the sky, and the sky is boundless. It spoke of an undying tenacity to reach for the stars and make the impossible possible. He balled his hand into a fist, And I don't need you patronizing and critiquing my every decision. You either take the back seat and shut the fuck up, or you take me out and pilot this ride. He let the question between them sit in silence. Who do you think helps keep the mental link stable? You think your flimsy mind could micromanage up to six separate bodies internal functions? You need me, I don't need you, but I find you intriguing so I keep you around. His mouth flared into a devilish grin revealing a row of jagged teeth. Then leave, I need anyones help but my own, and my brothers.

He let out a sigh and unclenched his fist. He brought his hand down the middle of Toyodo's shirt, ripping it off. Kouin formed solid black brush with his chakra. The brush gave off a light blue hue, I don't need you to establish a link, or control them. You underestimate the mental load my people can withstand. You know nothing of the Kaze clan, but you will learn today. He began to scribe a chakra base ink on the skin of Toyodo. Per ictum remittuntur tibi . Per operis vos nasci denuo.*** He spoke in cadence with his strokes, each being bold and definite marks; as he finished over Toyodo's heart would read a new name, Kaze Yurushi

He placed his hand on the mans face, With this name you are born anew; through a pact of unknown forces and unprobable circumstances. See the light of day in a new shade, Kaze Yurushi A light yellow hue began to embody the two of them, starting from Kouin and slowly reaching Yurushi. His body was beginning to feel slightly sluggish and tired, but that was a side effect of pouring part of his consciousness into a completely empty body. Yurushi's chest would begin to compress and decompress as the hue cut off, and the remaining essence poured into Yurushi.

His body was a bit clunky at first, as were all new paths; the rigidness had been a commonality by now. His new rippled eye body stared at the outer path, The circumstances one faces does not limit their potential, but only multiples it. You have much to learn about the human race.

[ooc: Loose Latin Translations:
*May this soul travel safely
** You are forgiven
***Let each stroke forgive you, and let this name bring you back anew.
WC: 1275+1137 = 2412 Total Words.]

 

[Maki Kichiru]

It didn't take very long for this already awful situation to get even worse as the tension between the two elder men seemed to rise with each passing moment. A mixture of emotions coursed through Kichiru as he simply watched from only a few meters away: frustration, desperation, anger. All focused on the simple fact that, no matter how much he begged and pleaded, it was likely that the man Toyoda was going to die. Not an ounce of his being wanted to accept this, as this wasn't the type of heroic death he had always read about, nor the one he had told of his late sister. This was sad. Regardless of the misdeeds of the man, he likely had a family, those that cared for him and that he cared for. They would never get to see his face again, only left wondering where their father or spouse or brother was until the realization suddenly dawned on them that they were lost.

He wanted to scream. Scream at each and every one of them for violating every moral Kichiru held dear to his heart. But he couldn't. He wasn't just angry at them or frustrated at himself, he was scared. It was a selfish emotion, but he knew that there was an extremely realistic chance that he'd never see his...
Father.. Up to this point Kichiru had simply been stunned, watching as the events unfolded before him, but now tears began to build up as he imagined his father going through the same depression he had when Kasumi was lost. Yet this time he wouldn't have Kichiru there to help him through it and his mother would be far too grief-stricken to do anything.

The screaming voice shook him awake, his eyes widened and the tears now starting to stream down his flush cheeks as he realized why the voice shook him so much That's... My voice!? Somehow the original assailant had managed to completely mimic his voice before vanishing in an instant, seeming to want to lure Toyoda's guards to this location in order to escape in the ensuing chaos. It didn't take much longer before the shouts of the men were heard, and then the sound of lightning erupting from the bow that Ronin held pierced the air and threatened to tear Kichiru's eardrums through the shear power of the strike. If he had blinked, he would have missed it. He wouldn't have seen what was about to happen to the unfortunate man who stepped within the circle containing the eldritch ritual that took place.

The boy did not blink. He took every detail of it in. Saw what it meant to see the life instantaneously ripped from an individual who was breathing and speaking just moments ago. The lightning itself seemed to cauterize the original wound, though the sudden hitting of the ground certainly didn't do any favors to the man as blood began to pool beneath him while his fellow guards likely stood in fear for their own life. The tears soon stopped as he just stared down at the lifeless body of the man, not paying attention to his surroundings as he simply observed, praying that there would be some sort of motion. Some indication that it was not yet too late for the man simply doing his job and had the misfortune of being the fastest runner. Or perhaps he just cared for the man he was protecting the most? Was he passionate and needed the money to support those he loved? Any of that. Any of his hopes. His dreams. His aspirations. Stripped away in the blink of an eye Kichiru wished he had taken.

It took a new motion in the corner of his vision to move his attention away from the corpse as a young child seemed to erupt from the statue that Kichiru had only just noticed the existence of. Normally he was quite observant, though this wasn't a normal day. The boy didn't speak, only stared towards Akashi in silence. This was the world he had thrust himself into. A world where people stomped out life as if it were an insect under their foot. They cared not for the value of life and only for their own personal gain. All this talk of ideology was for naught.That is, if he let it be.

Everything that defined the being known as Kichiru became isolated deep within him, struggling to survive as the weight of the situation threatened to crush it in it's entirety. If he gave up, even for a few seconds, he would be lost forever to the pressures of the world he had found himself in. For all intents and purposes, Kichiru would be dead. Reborn in an instant into a creature he dared not consider the possibility of. One that accepted death as a necessity and perhaps even craved it for his own selfish aspirations.

Everything became dark as his eyes slowly drifted towards the open maw of the statue. His brain began to filter out everything else, whether it was further casualties or the continued success or failure of the strange ritual Akashi was performing. Instead, he stared deep into the void as all that was Kichiru felt the pressures forcing him deeper and deeper into his very being until he would have nowhere left to hide but the heart that still beat within him. It would only be a few moments now before the darkness of the void collapsed in on his heart; his last remaining sanctuary for the vestiges of him that managed not to be tainted by the horrors of death. Perhaps this darkness wasn't something new, simply waiting patiently within him until the right moment to take control. What was left of him continued to fight, staring hypnotized into the abyssal maw of the void.

Until something looked back.

Everything flooded into reality in an instant as Kichiru seemed to burst free from the darkness emitted from the statue. Perhaps what he saw was a part of him. But he refused to believe that. A vile darkness oozed from the ritualistic circle; a darkness that likely attempted to persuade Kichiru into tossing away everything he cares for in order to embrace this new twisted version of reality. It offered him the strength to do as he pleased without having to fear the pain of taking a life.

Kichiru refused. Without another moment of doubt, the boy broke into a sprint further into the alleyway which now seemed clear of the strange web and gave him a possible way to freedom. In this direction he would be moving farther and farther away from the circle drawn around Akashi, and therefore should theoretically be safe from the archer's wrath. He hoped.

[Topic Left Unless Stopped]

 

[Sanyu]

The guards slowed their advance but still watched Ronin and his brother intently. Ronin's eyes moved back and forth between his brother and the guards, what was he doing. Ronin normally doesn't question his brother, even though he knows he's by no means lawfully good, he follows what his brother says and does with the utmost devotion. But this was a side he wasn't comfortable with. It was almost as if his brother pulled the soul out of the man's body, Ronin watched in slight horror as the body that was basically dead was renamed, with their surname, and begin to move again.

The guards also watched as their boss regained consciousness and slowly began to lower their own weapons. As they did that Ronin realized that the boy he was guarding had began to run. Kouin barely turned, diving his attention between his brother and the boy and turned his lightning long bow into dual lightning hand crossbows. He didn't point the crossbow at the boy, but above him, releasing an arrow before it split into several streams of lightning, connecting between one another attempting to trap the boy within the cage.

He had no intention in hurting the boy, he was originally protecting him, but he had witnessed some pretty incriminating actions committed by both his brother and himself, letting him go so quickly was out of the question. If Ronin missed he would take off after the boy, his brother seemed fine now that he successfully did... something to the corpse and the guards had calmed. His heart was racing, so much had happened in a short amount of time, and while Ronin wouldn't dare accuse his brother of anything... did he just commit necromancy?

[MFT]
[OOC: Skipping Ginji due to not posting in 5 days]
[Stopping Kichiru]​

​

 

[Kazu]

NPC: Mitsuyo Takeyashi

The assassin moved silently through the shadows. Naught was disturbed as he shifted unseen, observing the events unfold before him. A thin smirk made its way over his lips as the bolt of pure electrified energy blasted a hole in the guard's chest. All credibility was lost in an instant, and the monsters in angel's skin were revealed for what they truly were. A false angel is arguably worse than an honest demon; unfortunately, the world seemed to be full of the former. Casting thoughts of ideological controversy aside, the young man knew there was still one more practical matter to attend to before he could consider the mission over: the boy was a witness. He knew that the two brothers would be no issue, as thieves and necromancers tended not to involve officials in these sorts of matters. If they couldn't handle an issue on their own, they'd more than likely drop the whole thing. But the kid? He was the kind of fool who would go running straight to the authorities. The assassin needed to make sure that wouldn't happen, for his own sake.

The assassin climbed a shadowed wall, making sure to keep his small frame concealed by both the natural darkness and his ANBU technique that would actively conceal any noise and change the color of his clothes and body to match his surroundings. He hugged the top of the walls, a spot most forgot to check. He watched as the boy — his target — made a run for it. The little brother noticed too, and shot out a lightning based jutsu that was clearly meant to capture the child. The young man couldn't have that. Shooting out a line of what appeared to be webbing, the assassin aimed it at the child's legs. He intended to trip the kid, causing the lightning trap to soar right over Kichiru's head. If his aim had been true, and the young boy had fallen face first into the ground, the demon would have just enough time to finish this. Like he did earlier to the guards defending Toyoda, the young man shot out a thin needle made out of the special mucus that he used to create his spider webs. Since the boy had fallen and was bound by the leg, it would be impossible for him to avoid the deadly needle. Once he'd confirmed that the needle had pierced the boy's flesh, he'd make his escape.

If affected, the poison would swiftly spread throughout the young child's body. Initially, it would fatigue the child — he would get dizzy, he'd feel as if his strength had left him, and breathing would become harder for the child to do. Then, he'd begin to ache — every muscle would flare up in intense pain whenever he tried to move. Eventually, the poison would take its long term toll: death. One way or another, the symptoms would become too much for the child. The poison would take about 30 minutes to fully take affect, but the symptoms would begin to appear within a minute or two. Either way, unless he was given medical attention immediately, the child would surely die. The demon didn't really have anything against the boy, but the boy knew too much already. He needed to be disposed of, or else he'd be a risk to the assassin's identity.

Of course, it was possible that the young man would miss his initial shot of webbing. If that happened, and the boy became unreachable, he would begrudgingly admit that his prey had been stolen from him. It didn't make sense to the young man to engage in a 2-on-1 match, all over some kid. Yes, the child was a potential risk to him. However, he could still mitigate that risk as much as possible. He'd have to do a lot of lying, but this wouldn't be too catastrophic.

Either way, the demon was on his way out. Whether he was able to poison the child or not wouldn't change the fact that he knew when it was time to go. He had already lost his target, and wouldn't be able to reclaim his prey by force because he was outnumbered as well. This whole debacle had been a disaster, unless you count the battle of ideologies. In that respect, the demon felt confident in his victory. He would take that silver lining as he slunk away over the rooftops, disappearing into the shadows of the night.

[ooc: Topic Left Unless Stopped]

 

[Kouin]

The newly reborn Toyodo was now in the link. His mind was washed anew, and absolved of past misdeeds; his eyes were a striking green hue with rippling eyes. Kouin began looking through the mans eyes; he feel and see more, the sensory increase was always a bit weird, but more surreal than anything else. He stared at the dead bodies than surrounded his circle, arrows lodged deep within their bodies. His eyes washed over Ronin and gave him a nod; he scanned around for the spidery son of a bitch, but he had decided to make himself scarce, but the air reeked of a foul odor.

He could feel his hairs standing on end as the air became polarized with storm energies. He saw the arrow arc into the air then split into a myriad of streams as they attempts to encase the boy in a prison of lasers. The boy had seen a lot here, there was a voice in his head that said end him out right, lose ends end lives, but.... He oddly reminded him of his youngest sibling.. Sadly he couldn't have him blabbing it would just be bad business, or he would have if not of a silky, sinew web needle that he could only assume poisoned the lad. In a hushed tone You mean to end a poor child too? Know you any honor? Who was he to preach honor though? He scoffed to the side, seeing as he had a much similar thought as the assassin, but with the connection of him and his sister being made, he couldnt just let the poor fool drown in suffering; he wasn't about to mercy kill and path two people in one day.

He walked towards the boy with his new body; moving was always the tricky part after this procedures, but he didn't really have time to spare to properly adjust. The boy had stumbled over due to the web and avoided his brothers prison, for better or for worse he wasn't sure yet. The once dark and desolate man, now had a slight radiance about him; it glowed like an evening sunset. His eyes stared into the frightened childs eyes, The only thing to fear is fear itself; the depths of the abyss are not for the faint of heart; the feeling of dread will pass.... But... The poison was running ravage through his system, he had to act before the pain became excruciating.

His palm glowed in a white flame, the flame gave off a faint rejuvenating aura. May the eternal flame heal your soul. Kouin would let the flame wash over the boys body; the flame wouldn't burn his skin, but he would feel a light tingling sensation. He drew a small star with his chakra on the back of Kichiru, and poured his spiritual chakra into the boys body. Bear with me for just a moment, the poison should be rid of you in just a moment. As if on queue, the white flame ignited into a burst of green, and then simply fluttered away in pale green embers.

Kouin would pick him up by the arm and place him on his feet. It would be best of you not to speak of this; my brother and I won't pursue you, but that man, and myself included can be very dangerous. Watch your back for what lurks in the shadows, and keep your resolve. It will never let you down. His head shifted towards Ronin, It's time we leave, we've meddled enough in affairs that we had no business in. I think it's time we actually enjoy this time off.

[Topic left unless stopped]