Dim sunlight slipped over the horizon, filtering over snowy mountaintops into the valley beneath. Silently, a man sat in the branches of a tree, his breathing slowed, patient - focused.
Far from perfect, the occasional sway of branches could give away his location. Sharp hearing too - but there was no point in focusing on the possible failure for the man. Not that he could; his mind was racing.
-if I could wire the brainstem directly without the need for extensive nerve repair, reaction time could be increased by more than two hundred percent, but then the bottleneck of perception comes into play. The visual cortex might be modifiable, but not without risking severe injury for blindness. Dojutsu might provide some form of backseating -
It had been going on for hours, and given time, it would go on for several more. Kageyoshi was on the hunt, not particularly picky for whatever crossed his path. Food was running thin enough for it to be a worry, but research subjects were always his priority. A faint breeze pushed against him, his face being pushed against the lining of his jacket.
A hiss of pain was held quietly as his shoulders tightened - Mental note: Remove nerves in face. Again.
Akari hadn’t been back in a while. It seemed like ages since she had fled Otogakure, taking off the headband that she had held to such high regard. All because of that man…the girl clenched her fist as she stopped, the wind gently washing through her hair. The Uchiha had tried to forget, tried to live life as though that part of her past was gone. But no, that would never be the case. She had paid the price for her deeds by leaving her village, her clan and becoming an outcast. And that was perhaps a good thing, She had never been truly that loyal to the Otokage anyway. [break][break]
No…that was never going to happen. [break][break]
So, it had been a good thing, to leave. Her fist unclenched as she calmed down. Even though she remembered very little about that night, what she could remember were not pretty. Akari had killed, and from what she had heard down the grapevine, killed those closest to her. At first, she couldn’t believe it, trying to justify to herself why she would possibly lay hands on her father and half-brother. But later, she found that it no longer mattered. Finding out why she did it would never undo what she did, and would never give her the excuse to return to Konoha. [break][break]
She was on her own now. [break][break]
The girl walked into the forest, north of the country. Before being taken over, she always loved sleeping on the tree branches here. It was a perfect little spot to be hidden and away from people. It had been her sanctuary, where she came whenever she was sad or angry. It was rather ironic that even as a neukenin, her feet would naturally take her back here. Her dark brown eyes scanned the peaceful forest, the only sound came from the gentle breeze, rustling the leaves. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Nostalgia overtook her for a moment, as she became lost in thought, reminiscing the past. Flashbacks of her genin days overflowed her mind, images of her teammates and her teachers played before her eyes. She would have continued to stand there in her own little world had she not heard a sound. Her eyes opened quickly, narrowing as her hand flew to the handle of her sword. [break][break]
Was it paranoia? [break][break]
Ever since she became a neukenin, the girl would think that everyone was out to get her, even the slightest of sounds made her heart skip a beat. Akari walked cautiously, making her way deeper into the forest. Her head turned left and right, her guard heightened by what she thought had been sounds of human activity. It made her especially on edge as this was Hi no Kuni after all. Had she been anywhere else, in any other country, perhaps she would have been slightly more relaxed. The girl quietly walked, her footsteps slow and quiet, trying her best not to bring attention upon herself. If it was an ambush, she would be ready. And if not, she was still prepared for anything or anyone who came her way. [break][break]
[attr="class","wonderFoot"]i can't say what i might believe but if god made you he's in love with me
[attr="class","APP3"]Movement. The man's eyes swiveled from staring off into the distance, locking onto the woman's seemingly leisurely stroll. The faintest traces of what would've been a smile twisted against his scarring, arms twisting out from their huddled position in front of him.
The next part was always the trickiest; staying still, and quiet - that was easy. Turning from quiet into an ambush? There were always points of failure. Slowly, the man reached into his jacket, producing a pair of knives that he'd clutch between tight fingers. A toss over, he'd grip the weapons in both hands, thoughts growing silent.
Muscles tightened, Kageyoshi's knuckles white underneath his gloves. The measuring of footwork against the tree wasn't perfect by any means, but with a spring-like jump, he'd launch himself downwards. The snapping of tree branches would alert the woman beneath him if he didn't meet her first.
Both daggers were aimed down, a downward stab propelled with his jump. If he was successful, he'd no doubt leave the weapons in the victim and disengage, looking to return to the foliage that surrounded them with as little noise as possible - and unsheathe another knife. Otherwise, he'd be stuck with handling her more directly.
Pierce minor arteries, capture when incapacitated. Dead flesh does not work well.
She would have continued to stand there in her own little world had she not heard a sound. Her eyes opened quickly, narrowing as her hand flew to the handle of her sword. Was it paranoia? Ever since she became a neukenin, the girl would think that everyone was out to get her, even the slightest of sounds made her heart skip a beat. Akari walked cautiously, making her way deeper into the forest. Her head turned left and right, her guard heightened by what she thought had been sounds of human activity.
Itada watched her through the eyes of Mugōn, the white porcelain mask replacing the boy's true visage from those who were lucky enough to see him. It was eerily obvious the girl was on guard, paranoid and nervous – she stepped with caution through the forest, almost as if she already knew the hunt was upon her.
He moved efficiently betwixt the treetops, from one branch to the next, utilizing his apprentice-level stealth to blend in with the forestry and remain hidden from his quarry. The steady pacing of the kunoichi made it easy for the young Uchiha to keep track of her as he never got within twenty meters of her rear.
It was as it was plastered in his bingo book – a young woman, about the same age as him, a kunoichi, missing in status, & wanted for murder – it was all the information Itada had on her, but her name told a story that his bingo could not.
This girl – kunoichi – was an Uchiha. Had she unlocked the secrets of the Sharingan? And if so, could she help him in developing his own?
The measuring of footwork against the tree wasn't perfect by any means, but with a spring-like jump, he'd launch himself downwards. The snapping of tree branches would alert the woman beneath him if he didn't meet her first.
Both daggers were aimed down, a downward stab propelled with his jump.
The espionage continued as they trekked deeper into the forest, the moment he would reveal himself to her was almost upon them, and yet before he could bring himself to drop from the canopy above, the Uchiha would notice another would move first. The glint of metal would flash before his eyes as the figure attempted to pounce on the girl below, twin daggers bearing their fangs as the man fell through with his attack.
Instinctively, Itada would draw a kunai from his pouch and launch it toward the unknown assailant from his hidden position. The kunai would soar through the air toward this man – his intention was not to cause any lethal harm to the man, but to serve simply as a moments distraction to give the girl a chance to react.
It would be in his favor if this encounter did not end so soon – he still had yet to get the answers he had come for.
Last Edit: Nov 5, 2021 1:39:35 GMT by Itada Sōsuke
Perhaps it had been a good thing to have been paranoid and nervous, her eyes darting left and right while she walked. But she had not anticipated the attack from above, which from where she was standing, would have required at least a few seconds for her to react. She had heard something, that was for sure, although she wasn't sure what it was. The girl stopped dead in her tracks, her dark brown hues scanned the trees, before she finally tilted her head upward, just in time to catch a glisten in the sunlight. Something metal...Akari's hand flew to her wakizashi, unsheathing her blade in one swift motion. She had instinctively took a couple of steps back, perhaps trying to steady her footing. An ambush? [break][break]
The Uchiha could hear the snapping of tree branches from above her, which indicated to her that there was definitely someone that was possibly plunging downward for a surprise attack. Even though she had pulled out her sword just to be careful, she had not expected it to be an actual onward ambush. The daggers didn't connect with her though, as a kunai was thrown as a detour. Another person was there in the forest. A party, I see...the woman mused as she jumped out of the way of the daggers. Akari whipped her head around in the direction of where the kunai had originated from, even though she was still weary of the stranger from up top. "I didn't think I'd warrant having so many people want my head..." she whispered. [break][break]
In a louder voice, the woman would call to both her assailant and the person who she guessed was trying to help her. "Although I am a fan of ambushes, I'd like to see who I'm dealing with..." Her voice was cold as she gripped her wakizashi tighter in her hand. Never did she think she would have to worry about sudden attacks like this, but then she remembered that every neukenin was technically subject to being eliminated no matter where they were. Tch...in one swift motion, the young woman would take two shuriken from her weapon pouch, aiming one at the assailant from above and one in the direction of the person who had thrown in the kunai. Of course, she could not see either person, but she had a general idea of where they would or could be. "If you want to play, let's play fair..."[break][break]
This was going to be an interesting day... [break][break]
[attr="class","wonderFoot"]i can't say what i might believe but if god made you he's in love with me
[attr="class","APP3"]Hidden daggers found company quickly, Kageyoshi's descent joined by the arrival of another. His vision wouldn't be able to grasp the man's face, only the glimmer of an approaching kunai. A shift in body weight might've been able to counteract any offset of trajectory, but the kunoichi's movement proved the more difficult of the two to follow.
With his knives meeting air, the man's descent would force into a roll, pushing himself away from the two wanderers, a kunai falling lifelessly from his chest, the torn fabric showing light metal glimmers. Still wielding both weapons, Kageyoshi took to use them as distractions, throwing one in either direction as he continued to backpedal.
With his ambush having failed, a shattering sigh rattled its way from his scorned jaw. The rapid cracking of his neck as he moved head side to side audible, faint glances at the new arrival came easily - a mask. Specimen should know well to hide. More valuable? A thought darted quietly behind the glare of his glasses.
Breaking line of sight, seals began to weave between gloved fingers. Not-so-silently snapping through branches and undergrowth as he fell further back into the woods.
With one backpedal setting him behind a tree, molded chakra shed itself from his gut, two Kageyoshi splitting into opposite directions from behind; one falling back further, and one looking to route 'his' self around the new arrival.
