Shashu crouched, hidden behind the crown of leaves that adorned the old oak she had chosen for her hideaway. It was a wonder how well the Yamanaka maintained the Nimbus Delectatio, even allowing trees that normally failed to grow at this altitude to take root. Pines and other conifers provided little cover to the discerning Shinobi, so Shashu was grateful that such trees were allowed to take root. It made her job much easier.
Of course those same trees drew families out to picnic and relax out in the forest on the warmer days, which was the problem in the first place. Not a bad turn of events on it's own, nothing wrong with a family enjoying some downtime on a nice day. However, occasionally some of the seedier elements of Kumo took the opportunity to divest such innocent civilians of their hard-earned cash and comestibles. Or tried to, at any rate. If word got out that picnickers and families enjoying themselves in the forest were being attacked by vagrants and ne'er-do-wells it would be a PR disaster for the village Shinobi, so they assigned students to the Nimbus Delectatio as a form of stealth training.
The objective was simple: the students were to use whatever force necessary to repel any prospective assailants while ensuring that the civilians remain undisturbed. In essence they were to beat up any wannabe bandits out of sight of the civilians so as to maintain the illusion of safety. There was a catch though: for this exercise they were to use Genjutsu and non-offensive techniques only. The instructor and a few helpers were standing by to catch any targets that slipped through the students' grasp, so there was no danger to the people they were protecting. The mission was as close to a live situation as they were likely to get without leaving the village, so it was the perfect training exercise.
As the family she was assigned to went about their afternoon, playing catch and generally having a good time, Shashu pondered her assignment. Genjutsu... The word echoed in her mind. As a discipline, it was all about manipulating others' perceptions, tricking their minds into believing in a reality of your own creation over the one that lay before them. Not a particularly lethal discipline on it's own, but extremely dangerous when used in conjunction with other forms of attack. One could lay a trap in plain sight that none would see, increase a target's susceptibility to a jutsu, distract them momentarily to allow an attack in their blind spot...the possibilities were endless.
Like a spider and it's web...how fitting. She thought, turning over scenarios in her head. Before long a tugging sensation on her fingers jolted her back to reality, signalling the approach of an outside presence. Prior to settling in to her perch she had laced the area with hair-thin threads of silk, all of which led back to her lookout position, set up so that she would have advance warning of any threat before it got close enough to do any harm. Swiftly and silently she jumped from tree to tree, coming to rest on another tree that gave her a vantage point on the intruders.
There were three of them, two male and one female, dressed in grungy shirts and ripped jeans with hair and skin to match. They were armed with knives, little more than sharpened pieces of scrap metal really, and the female carried what looked to be a pair of Molotovs on her belt. The last bothered her; Molotovs were not something one carried unless they intended violence whether or not they were able to part their victim of their valuables.
Even more important that they not make it any further then. Shashu thought as she formed the handseals for the False Surroundings jutsu. Within seconds the group changed direction, being led about by subtle changes in the terrain that only they could see. It wouldn't last forever though, and Shashu had to send them packing before they found a victim. Fortunately for her, the three didn't seem to be all that great of friends. As she observed them from out of sight she listened in on their conversation, which revealed that they were there at the prodding of a local gang boss. Apparently they were on thin ice, and needed to bring in a good haul or that ice would break out from under them. They knew how slim a chance they had, and tensions were high. Shashu nodded to herself. She could use that.
As the trio wandered about in circles, nudging and poking fun at each other, Shashu set up a few surprises. The first came into play as the first of the three hopped over a non-existent root, only to trip over the real root and stumble into a previously invisible web stretched between two trees. He cried out in panic and his two friends moved to cut him down, but a quick use of the Distraction jutsu bought Shashu enough time to pull him up into the upper branches of her tree and bind him up out of sight. Encased in silk as he was he wouldn't be able to move or make a sound for some time, and he could be retrieved later. One down, two to go.
The remaining two were now obviously spooked, and easily fell prey to further uses of the Distraction jutsu to keep them on their toes. They were on the verge of bolting as is; they just needed a little encouragement to push them over the edge. Further use of the False Surroundings jutsu slowly darkened the version of the woods Shashu allowed them to see, the sky darkening as spider webs began appearing between trees left and right. The Eye Strain jutsu made their vision swim, causing them to see shadows in the corner of their eyes, and the lightning chakra infused in her jutsu caused their limbs to jerk and twist as if their bodies were slipping from their control. It wouldn't be long before one of them snapped.
Shashu began circling the group, careful to remain just out of sight. She intentionally let herself be seen for brief moments, just long enough for their eyes to register movement but too short for them identify her. Her efforts paid off when the woman broke down and started shouting for whoever it was to come out and show themselves. Alright, I'll show myself, but you might not like what you see... She thought, her mouth curling into an evil grin. Another set of handseals formed the Transformation jutsu and she staggered out from behind a tree when the change was complete.
A shriek greeted her as she lurched forward on her new legs, a look of abject horror on the woman's face. The other man whipped around, shocked recognition spreading across his features as he laid eyes on her. "S-S-Shiro?!? What in Raiden's name happened to you?!?" The man stammered, not believing his eyes. She had taken the form of their missing comrade, with a few changes of course. Four pairs of eyes bulged out of her forehead, and her borrowed face was distorted by a pair of mandibles protruding from her mouth. Her clothes had changed as well, consisting of an even more tattered version of what her victim had worn, serving more to accentuate the swollen and inflamed spider bites that marked her transformed body than any real concession to fashion or modesty.
All in all she presented quite a gruesome picture, one that was made all the more horrifying when she opened her mouth. "C-Coooome c-closerrrrrrr..." She rasped, the sound distorted by the same mandibles that twisted her face. "H-Help m-meee....C-Come c-cloooooseeerrrr....." Her performance, coupled with her terrifying visage, would have put the fear of Sin into anyone, much less the pair in front of her, so it was no suprise when the woman went berserk and began flinging her entire arsenal of Molotovs and knives at Shashu's shambling form. She wasn't a bad shot, all things considered, but her panic threw off her aim and Shashu was able to deflect the flurry of projectiles, her arms moving in a blur of speed that belied her form's apparent clumsiness. In short order the woman ran out of projectiles and backpedaled furiously, tripping over a root to fall backward and press up against a tree. Shashu kept lumbering forward until the woman was an arms length away before slowly reaching out towards her face, causing the the terrified bandit to faint on the spot. Not pausing for a second Shashu blurred into motion once again, her arms twirling the woman like a spindle as she wrapped the woman in a shroud of silk. Two down, only one left.
She turned her attention to the remaining man who immediately turned and ran for his life. Before Shashu could give chase however, a hand fell on her shoulder. "Let him go. I doubt he'll be back for a good long while, if he ever does. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the bastard kept running til he couldn't see the mountain after that." Came a voice from behind her. "You can relax."
Shashu let the transformation fade as she turned to face her instructor. "I guess that's mission complete then? How did I do Hidetsugu-sensei?"
"How did you do?" The older Shinobi laughed incredulously. "Jesus Saito kid, you damn near made them shit their pants in terror! I know I said any means necessary, but fuck!" He reached into a pouch and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, one of which he lit with a flick of fire chakra from his fingers. "Look at this shit. You just took down a trio of armed and hardened criminals, easily two or three times your age, without putting a scratch on them. And the way you did it...kid, I've seen some shit in my day, but this one is gonna give me nightmares. What branch did you say you wanted? ANBU?" Shashu nodded. The instructor took a long drag off the cigarette, then exhaled and flicked off the ashes before answering. "I'll be recommending you to Sennin Kogami then. Don't take this the wrong way kid, but I won't be sorry if I don't see you in Main." He took another long drag off the cigarette before putting it out on the tree, then reaching down to sling the bound woman over his shoulder. " Don't worry about the other one, I'll pick him up on my way back. You can go on home now. Consider yourself passed." With that Hidetsugu walked off a bit before jumping into the trees, shaking his head and muttering something about 'damn scary-ass kids these days'. Shashu, on the other hand, was just happy to have passed, and headed back into the village proper with a spring in her step.
Hmmm...maybe I'll stop for takoyaki on the way back...
A wicked smile spread across a pair of ruby lips as the image faded slowly into blackness. The girl was growing even better than expected, and the smile's owner was more than pleased. All that remained was one final test, a formality really, but in no way insignificant. Should she prove inadequate there Kanka would have to rethink her plans, and she hated when a good plan went to waste. A single finger tapped thoughtfully against those lips for a moment before reaching out to trace a symbol in the air, revealing yet another image. Ruby lips smiled again, for this pleased Kanka as well. Soon now, everything would be in place, all she had to do is wait. And if nothing else, spiders are excellent at waiting.
Of course those same trees drew families out to picnic and relax out in the forest on the warmer days, which was the problem in the first place. Not a bad turn of events on it's own, nothing wrong with a family enjoying some downtime on a nice day. However, occasionally some of the seedier elements of Kumo took the opportunity to divest such innocent civilians of their hard-earned cash and comestibles. Or tried to, at any rate. If word got out that picnickers and families enjoying themselves in the forest were being attacked by vagrants and ne'er-do-wells it would be a PR disaster for the village Shinobi, so they assigned students to the Nimbus Delectatio as a form of stealth training.
The objective was simple: the students were to use whatever force necessary to repel any prospective assailants while ensuring that the civilians remain undisturbed. In essence they were to beat up any wannabe bandits out of sight of the civilians so as to maintain the illusion of safety. There was a catch though: for this exercise they were to use Genjutsu and non-offensive techniques only. The instructor and a few helpers were standing by to catch any targets that slipped through the students' grasp, so there was no danger to the people they were protecting. The mission was as close to a live situation as they were likely to get without leaving the village, so it was the perfect training exercise.
As the family she was assigned to went about their afternoon, playing catch and generally having a good time, Shashu pondered her assignment. Genjutsu... The word echoed in her mind. As a discipline, it was all about manipulating others' perceptions, tricking their minds into believing in a reality of your own creation over the one that lay before them. Not a particularly lethal discipline on it's own, but extremely dangerous when used in conjunction with other forms of attack. One could lay a trap in plain sight that none would see, increase a target's susceptibility to a jutsu, distract them momentarily to allow an attack in their blind spot...the possibilities were endless.
Like a spider and it's web...how fitting. She thought, turning over scenarios in her head. Before long a tugging sensation on her fingers jolted her back to reality, signalling the approach of an outside presence. Prior to settling in to her perch she had laced the area with hair-thin threads of silk, all of which led back to her lookout position, set up so that she would have advance warning of any threat before it got close enough to do any harm. Swiftly and silently she jumped from tree to tree, coming to rest on another tree that gave her a vantage point on the intruders.
There were three of them, two male and one female, dressed in grungy shirts and ripped jeans with hair and skin to match. They were armed with knives, little more than sharpened pieces of scrap metal really, and the female carried what looked to be a pair of Molotovs on her belt. The last bothered her; Molotovs were not something one carried unless they intended violence whether or not they were able to part their victim of their valuables.
Even more important that they not make it any further then. Shashu thought as she formed the handseals for the False Surroundings jutsu. Within seconds the group changed direction, being led about by subtle changes in the terrain that only they could see. It wouldn't last forever though, and Shashu had to send them packing before they found a victim. Fortunately for her, the three didn't seem to be all that great of friends. As she observed them from out of sight she listened in on their conversation, which revealed that they were there at the prodding of a local gang boss. Apparently they were on thin ice, and needed to bring in a good haul or that ice would break out from under them. They knew how slim a chance they had, and tensions were high. Shashu nodded to herself. She could use that.
As the trio wandered about in circles, nudging and poking fun at each other, Shashu set up a few surprises. The first came into play as the first of the three hopped over a non-existent root, only to trip over the real root and stumble into a previously invisible web stretched between two trees. He cried out in panic and his two friends moved to cut him down, but a quick use of the Distraction jutsu bought Shashu enough time to pull him up into the upper branches of her tree and bind him up out of sight. Encased in silk as he was he wouldn't be able to move or make a sound for some time, and he could be retrieved later. One down, two to go.
The remaining two were now obviously spooked, and easily fell prey to further uses of the Distraction jutsu to keep them on their toes. They were on the verge of bolting as is; they just needed a little encouragement to push them over the edge. Further use of the False Surroundings jutsu slowly darkened the version of the woods Shashu allowed them to see, the sky darkening as spider webs began appearing between trees left and right. The Eye Strain jutsu made their vision swim, causing them to see shadows in the corner of their eyes, and the lightning chakra infused in her jutsu caused their limbs to jerk and twist as if their bodies were slipping from their control. It wouldn't be long before one of them snapped.
Shashu began circling the group, careful to remain just out of sight. She intentionally let herself be seen for brief moments, just long enough for their eyes to register movement but too short for them identify her. Her efforts paid off when the woman broke down and started shouting for whoever it was to come out and show themselves. Alright, I'll show myself, but you might not like what you see... She thought, her mouth curling into an evil grin. Another set of handseals formed the Transformation jutsu and she staggered out from behind a tree when the change was complete.
A shriek greeted her as she lurched forward on her new legs, a look of abject horror on the woman's face. The other man whipped around, shocked recognition spreading across his features as he laid eyes on her. "S-S-Shiro?!? What in Raiden's name happened to you?!?" The man stammered, not believing his eyes. She had taken the form of their missing comrade, with a few changes of course. Four pairs of eyes bulged out of her forehead, and her borrowed face was distorted by a pair of mandibles protruding from her mouth. Her clothes had changed as well, consisting of an even more tattered version of what her victim had worn, serving more to accentuate the swollen and inflamed spider bites that marked her transformed body than any real concession to fashion or modesty.
All in all she presented quite a gruesome picture, one that was made all the more horrifying when she opened her mouth. "C-Coooome c-closerrrrrrr..." She rasped, the sound distorted by the same mandibles that twisted her face. "H-Help m-meee....C-Come c-cloooooseeerrrr....." Her performance, coupled with her terrifying visage, would have put the fear of Sin into anyone, much less the pair in front of her, so it was no suprise when the woman went berserk and began flinging her entire arsenal of Molotovs and knives at Shashu's shambling form. She wasn't a bad shot, all things considered, but her panic threw off her aim and Shashu was able to deflect the flurry of projectiles, her arms moving in a blur of speed that belied her form's apparent clumsiness. In short order the woman ran out of projectiles and backpedaled furiously, tripping over a root to fall backward and press up against a tree. Shashu kept lumbering forward until the woman was an arms length away before slowly reaching out towards her face, causing the the terrified bandit to faint on the spot. Not pausing for a second Shashu blurred into motion once again, her arms twirling the woman like a spindle as she wrapped the woman in a shroud of silk. Two down, only one left.
She turned her attention to the remaining man who immediately turned and ran for his life. Before Shashu could give chase however, a hand fell on her shoulder. "Let him go. I doubt he'll be back for a good long while, if he ever does. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the bastard kept running til he couldn't see the mountain after that." Came a voice from behind her. "You can relax."
Shashu let the transformation fade as she turned to face her instructor. "I guess that's mission complete then? How did I do Hidetsugu-sensei?"
"How did you do?" The older Shinobi laughed incredulously. "Jesus Saito kid, you damn near made them shit their pants in terror! I know I said any means necessary, but fuck!" He reached into a pouch and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, one of which he lit with a flick of fire chakra from his fingers. "Look at this shit. You just took down a trio of armed and hardened criminals, easily two or three times your age, without putting a scratch on them. And the way you did it...kid, I've seen some shit in my day, but this one is gonna give me nightmares. What branch did you say you wanted? ANBU?" Shashu nodded. The instructor took a long drag off the cigarette, then exhaled and flicked off the ashes before answering. "I'll be recommending you to Sennin Kogami then. Don't take this the wrong way kid, but I won't be sorry if I don't see you in Main." He took another long drag off the cigarette before putting it out on the tree, then reaching down to sling the bound woman over his shoulder. " Don't worry about the other one, I'll pick him up on my way back. You can go on home now. Consider yourself passed." With that Hidetsugu walked off a bit before jumping into the trees, shaking his head and muttering something about 'damn scary-ass kids these days'. Shashu, on the other hand, was just happy to have passed, and headed back into the village proper with a spring in her step.
Hmmm...maybe I'll stop for takoyaki on the way back...
____________________________________
A wicked smile spread across a pair of ruby lips as the image faded slowly into blackness. The girl was growing even better than expected, and the smile's owner was more than pleased. All that remained was one final test, a formality really, but in no way insignificant. Should she prove inadequate there Kanka would have to rethink her plans, and she hated when a good plan went to waste. A single finger tapped thoughtfully against those lips for a moment before reaching out to trace a symbol in the air, revealing yet another image. Ruby lips smiled again, for this pleased Kanka as well. Soon now, everything would be in place, all she had to do is wait. And if nothing else, spiders are excellent at waiting.
[WC-1954, Mission Complete! Marking this for Ability apps!]