Post by Yōsuru Shin on Jul 24, 2023 19:14:33 GMT 10
Splash!
The clear water dripped down the face of Yōsuru Shin. A small fire crackling behind him as his squad rested, fixed up their equipment, and prepared for tomorrow's missions. The moon was full in the sky, illuminating one of the large bodies of water the Land of Lightning was famous for. Within it, Yōsuru could see his pale reflection as the disturbed water reformed and became still again.
He turned his head to the right, and then to the left. Noticing the blood and dirt still caked onto his face, not to mention his beard. "Hmmph..." He hums to himself, pulling down on the rough hairs with a puzzled expression on his face. "When we get home, first thing I'm doing is shaving." He mutters, quietly, but loud enough for his squad to hear him.
The first to respond was Nori, the squad's sensory expert and tracker. "What? Why? I think it looks good, very distinguished!" She argued, looking over to her Captain. "Heh...distinguished is a nice way to put it. All it does is cover up the old man's face a bit." The second voice joked. That was Ryo, weapons expert, forward striker and all around loudmouth. "Looks like Ryo's volunteering to carry all the packs tomorrow." Yōsuru replies with a grin, splashing his face once more to try and do away with the dirt and grime. "And I'll have you know I'm very handsome for a man my age."
"So why aren't you married yet?" The third and final voice came. The flat monotone of the group's medic. Tanimushi, they were a good and stalwart ally, they never usually spoke much, but when they did. They were often more blunt than others would wish. "Tani makes a good point Cap! You're not a young man anymore."
Yōsuru made a noise that was halfway between a disgusted grunt and a laugh. "Because all the eligible women see that I already have to babysit you lot, and don't want to add to my pain." This caused an unamused gasp from Nori. "Hey I didn't say anything!" To which the older Shinobi simply shook his head and chuckled. "Guilt by association. Teach your teammates to be nicer to me."
The squad laughed together for a few moments before silence fell again and they sat and watched the fire. "And just for the record. I'm only in my thirties. If we get this war squared away any time soon then maybe I can get in on the dating scene." He jabbed the fire with a stick to keep it alive, but not so alive as to draw attention. "All of you need to get to sleep anyway. We're gonna have a long few days ahead of us. This might be the last chance for a good night's rest." He warned, there was a couple of grumbles and such, but eventually his team complied and all of them lay in their bedrolls for the night.
He turned his head to the right, and then to the left. Noticing the blood and dirt still caked onto his face, not to mention his beard. "Hmmph..." He hums to himself, pulling down on the rough hairs with a puzzled expression on his face. "When we get home, first thing I'm doing is shaving." He mutters, quietly, but loud enough for his squad to hear him.
The first to respond was Nori, the squad's sensory expert and tracker. "What? Why? I think it looks good, very distinguished!" She argued, looking over to her Captain. "Heh...distinguished is a nice way to put it. All it does is cover up the old man's face a bit." The second voice joked. That was Ryo, weapons expert, forward striker and all around loudmouth. "Looks like Ryo's volunteering to carry all the packs tomorrow." Yōsuru replies with a grin, splashing his face once more to try and do away with the dirt and grime. "And I'll have you know I'm very handsome for a man my age."
"So why aren't you married yet?" The third and final voice came. The flat monotone of the group's medic. Tanimushi, they were a good and stalwart ally, they never usually spoke much, but when they did. They were often more blunt than others would wish. "Tani makes a good point Cap! You're not a young man anymore."
Yōsuru made a noise that was halfway between a disgusted grunt and a laugh. "Because all the eligible women see that I already have to babysit you lot, and don't want to add to my pain." This caused an unamused gasp from Nori. "Hey I didn't say anything!" To which the older Shinobi simply shook his head and chuckled. "Guilt by association. Teach your teammates to be nicer to me."
The squad laughed together for a few moments before silence fell again and they sat and watched the fire. "And just for the record. I'm only in my thirties. If we get this war squared away any time soon then maybe I can get in on the dating scene." He jabbed the fire with a stick to keep it alive, but not so alive as to draw attention. "All of you need to get to sleep anyway. We're gonna have a long few days ahead of us. This might be the last chance for a good night's rest." He warned, there was a couple of grumbles and such, but eventually his team complied and all of them lay in their bedrolls for the night.
Hours later
Yōsuru sat, still awake. He realised he'd accidentally assigned himself to guard duty by suggesting his team sleep. This happened a lot. He kept forgetting that they were supposed to be his comrades in arms, not some rowdy teenagers under his care. It was difficult, to look at the faces of children who had barely lived their lives and know that any order you give could be the end of them.
So he sat, looking out across the landscape, keeping his eyes peeled for any sort of spy or other intruder. Until he spotted a blur out of the corner of his eye. He turned to look but saw nothing, then it was again, on the other side of his vision. A brief, almost invisible flit. He narrowed his gaze and stood up. The fire had died now so he had only the moonlight to rely on. He could see nothing, except...maybe if he...
A cloud rolled past the moon, and in the ensuing darkness, chaos erupted.
Within an instant an enemy assailant was upon him, striking him hard in the chest and knocking him back before appearing behind him and sending him up into the air. They appeared again in an instant and slammed him back down, knocking the wind out of him. He had studied this foe, but had never encountered them before now.
"Chi...so...ku-" He spat out through ragged breaths. He spotted out of the corner of his eye his team emerging from their beds just as he started to catch his breath. "Scatter! Don't clump together!" He barked, watching his comrades flee into the nearby tree line, he saw too more blurs set out to pursue them.
He stood again, calling to the natural energy of the Land of Lightning to assist him. Taking on the Serpentine form he had become known for. "Hmmph, it's him alright. The Serpent of the Sands." The Chisoku assailant spoke smugly, but sounded as if they were talking to someone else. Swiftly Yōsuru spun around, able to narrowly block and incoming strike from another attacker who had been approaching behind him. Until the first one surged underneath him, knocking him off balance for the other one to strike him down. Both of them sent a spinning kick at him with rapid speed, sending him flying off towards a nearby rock formation.
He slammed into the Earth hard and coughed up blood as he regained his footing. The assault was unrelenting, and soon they were coming for him again. Lightning surged in his arm as he sent a forking arc of blue electricity surging for the pair of them. But they were able to blitz through it like nothing, one attacker cut a gash in his arm while the other broke his right leg with a flying kick. Yōsuru howled in pain but tried to remain conscious and focus, one lapse in attention and he was done for.
The two Chisoku had disappeared for a moment and he took a moment to catch his breath, meanwhile silently slipping a kunai down his sleeve towards his hand. The arm that had been slashed was breathing heavily, and he needed to draw their attention towards it again. With a breath he allowed lightning to spark off it again, which as predicted triggered them to attack. The swift shinobi struck true, and cut his arm again, but he used his position to pivot his body swiftly and jam the blade of his Kunai into their neck. Direct hit!
The Chisoku slowed before staggering and collapsing to the ground, dead. The other attacker roared in fury, and before Yōsuru could move they came in with rapid speed and slashed the tendons in both of his legs, forcing him to collapse to the ground in pain before they retreated.
His serpentine form dropped, and he slowly crawled over to the corpse of the fallen Chisoku, blood pouring from his legs and arm. It took everything he had to pull himself over, but he managed. He dragged himself up and examined his legs, trying to bite his tongue through the pain. An incredibly skilled medic could probably fix it, but he had no idea where Tanimushi was, and he wasn't finished with his training. The best he could likely do is numb his pain before he died.
But if his theory was correct. The amount of speed and energy that a Chisoku generated likely destroyed their muscles many times over, at least while they mastered the skill. If that was the case, their legs were either sturdier or regenerated faster than most other Ninja. And if that was so...he needed their DNA.
It was risky, so many things could go wrong, but he had no other choice. It was emergency surgery or bleed out in the dirt.
Usually, the medic would have all the medical equipment with them, but Yōsuru was cautious, and liked to always keep a few tools on him just in case. And now he was glad he had. He popped a health pill, emptied one of the syringes, and used the kunai as a makeshift scalpel. Whatever was going to happen to his body, it wouldn't be delicate or pretty, but it could save him.
As the Chisoku's body grew colder. Yōsuru did what Shin were known for, set upon their body and harvested their DNA and Kekkei Genkai for his own use.
Everybody spits on the scavengers, but very few ever ask why they scavenge.
So he sat, looking out across the landscape, keeping his eyes peeled for any sort of spy or other intruder. Until he spotted a blur out of the corner of his eye. He turned to look but saw nothing, then it was again, on the other side of his vision. A brief, almost invisible flit. He narrowed his gaze and stood up. The fire had died now so he had only the moonlight to rely on. He could see nothing, except...maybe if he...
A cloud rolled past the moon, and in the ensuing darkness, chaos erupted.
Within an instant an enemy assailant was upon him, striking him hard in the chest and knocking him back before appearing behind him and sending him up into the air. They appeared again in an instant and slammed him back down, knocking the wind out of him. He had studied this foe, but had never encountered them before now.
"Chi...so...ku-" He spat out through ragged breaths. He spotted out of the corner of his eye his team emerging from their beds just as he started to catch his breath. "Scatter! Don't clump together!" He barked, watching his comrades flee into the nearby tree line, he saw too more blurs set out to pursue them.
He stood again, calling to the natural energy of the Land of Lightning to assist him. Taking on the Serpentine form he had become known for. "Hmmph, it's him alright. The Serpent of the Sands." The Chisoku assailant spoke smugly, but sounded as if they were talking to someone else. Swiftly Yōsuru spun around, able to narrowly block and incoming strike from another attacker who had been approaching behind him. Until the first one surged underneath him, knocking him off balance for the other one to strike him down. Both of them sent a spinning kick at him with rapid speed, sending him flying off towards a nearby rock formation.
He slammed into the Earth hard and coughed up blood as he regained his footing. The assault was unrelenting, and soon they were coming for him again. Lightning surged in his arm as he sent a forking arc of blue electricity surging for the pair of them. But they were able to blitz through it like nothing, one attacker cut a gash in his arm while the other broke his right leg with a flying kick. Yōsuru howled in pain but tried to remain conscious and focus, one lapse in attention and he was done for.
The two Chisoku had disappeared for a moment and he took a moment to catch his breath, meanwhile silently slipping a kunai down his sleeve towards his hand. The arm that had been slashed was breathing heavily, and he needed to draw their attention towards it again. With a breath he allowed lightning to spark off it again, which as predicted triggered them to attack. The swift shinobi struck true, and cut his arm again, but he used his position to pivot his body swiftly and jam the blade of his Kunai into their neck. Direct hit!
The Chisoku slowed before staggering and collapsing to the ground, dead. The other attacker roared in fury, and before Yōsuru could move they came in with rapid speed and slashed the tendons in both of his legs, forcing him to collapse to the ground in pain before they retreated.
His serpentine form dropped, and he slowly crawled over to the corpse of the fallen Chisoku, blood pouring from his legs and arm. It took everything he had to pull himself over, but he managed. He dragged himself up and examined his legs, trying to bite his tongue through the pain. An incredibly skilled medic could probably fix it, but he had no idea where Tanimushi was, and he wasn't finished with his training. The best he could likely do is numb his pain before he died.
But if his theory was correct. The amount of speed and energy that a Chisoku generated likely destroyed their muscles many times over, at least while they mastered the skill. If that was the case, their legs were either sturdier or regenerated faster than most other Ninja. And if that was so...he needed their DNA.
It was risky, so many things could go wrong, but he had no other choice. It was emergency surgery or bleed out in the dirt.
Usually, the medic would have all the medical equipment with them, but Yōsuru was cautious, and liked to always keep a few tools on him just in case. And now he was glad he had. He popped a health pill, emptied one of the syringes, and used the kunai as a makeshift scalpel. Whatever was going to happen to his body, it wouldn't be delicate or pretty, but it could save him.
As the Chisoku's body grew colder. Yōsuru did what Shin were known for, set upon their body and harvested their DNA and Kekkei Genkai for his own use.
Everybody spits on the scavengers, but very few ever ask why they scavenge.