Nothing he said had the impact he envisioned it would, Yohei's every attempt at apologizing rebuffed left and right. He figured at least one plea for forgiveness could save the situation from collapse, but he hadn't counted on Sumire being so adamant. Served him right, in a way. After all these years he should've known better than to underestimate her spirit.
Then after she pulled away, he was utterly speechless.
"..."
Unable to focus much due to the confusion riddling his thoughts, all Yohei could hear was the chattering of the shopkeepers. At that moment he had half a mind to kill the witnesses just to bring an end to their nosy behavior. Jashin wouldn't mind the bloodshed, that's for sure. Sadly, it would just cause more of a scene than he'd already been responsible for.
Gulping anxiously, he replied to his partner, "Go ahead. I'll...catch up." The last part was filled with hesitation. So much so that he couldn't even turn to look at her departure. Yohei was obviously afraid of saying something else that would sour the mood, his countenance tinged with no small amount of tension and unease. If he followed Sumire now, he was certain things would only turn out awkward.
Instead he needed to be alone with his thoughts for a little while. He needed to...to pray.
Without sparing another word to shame himself, the zealot moved away from the market stalls at a sluggish pace. Villagers around the scene pretended not to notice, resuming their daily activities like nothing had happened. Their bad acting didn't afford Yohei any confidence however, his mind still racing with guilty thoughts.
With the building partway collapsed and trembling from the damages, Yohei saw no other choice but to leap to the ground below. So, shielding his face from a burst of wooden debris and leaping backwards, the zealot collapsed into the closest alley with a grunt. "Argh." No part of the landing was graceful nor did he sound very comfortable when he rose back to his feet.
At least he was ready to fight.
"Don't get hasty!"
Whether that advice was meant for the enemy or for Sumire was unclear, but the missing-nin rushed into the fray nonetheless. He was determined to get some payback now, expression hardening with anger as he gripped his weapon's length of chain. Sickle spinning a short ways to his side, he trailed only a few steps behind his partner, prepared to capitalize on whatever she had planned.
"Hmph."
The Rain ninja had other plans. Slamming both palms into the earth with a burst of chakra, all the ground in the alleyway began to splinter and rise up at uneven angles. "Tearing Earth Turning Palm!" The quake continue to rupture and rumble for several moments, making any attempt at advancing a difficult endeavor. It was as if that technique was a response to the earlier provocations, the foe showing no concern for collateral damage as he forced the earth apart.
Fumbling from the bizarre shift beneath his feet, Yohei rolled a short distance across the dirt, getting pummeled all the while. Despite that initial blunder, he managed to swing his sickle toward the closest wall, grabbing onto the somewhat stable surface in order to pick himself up. "W-Watch out!" he then shouted to his companion.
A flurry of razor-sharp shuriken went flying by, impeding their ability to close the distance yet again.
Staggering through the smoke-filled room and waving his weapon in a futile attempt to disperse the air, it took Yohei longer than he anticipated to reach the window. By the time he crawled onto the ledge and cleared his lungs with a hoarse cough, the noises of battle had also reached his attention. As he feared, the target was fighting with Sumire.
"Hey! I'm not finished with you, heathen!" the zealot shouted as he hopped from the windowsill and landed on the roof. Honestly, he was still a little bit dazed from the last clash, but that wouldn't slow him down seeing how his partner's life was on the line. "Get over here so I can paint this town with your blood!" The outburst was merely a distraction to divert attention to himself. When Yohei closed the distance a second later, readying his sickle for a slash, he didn't even expect to make contact.
But he did! Cutting right through...a blast of smoke?
The realization dawned on Yohei the instant he finished the wide swing: he'd fallen for one of the oldest tricks. It was nothing but a mere substitution, evidenced by the bundle of firewood that clattered across the roof and the absence of a corpse. No wonder the Rain ninja hadn't turned around to face him!
In tandem with that diversion, the opponent could be heard on the street below. "Landmine Palm!" A rumbling force shot from the ninja's hands, tearing the base of the building which Sumire and Yohei were standing upon. The whole thing shuttered from the impact and began to lean to one side, wooden beams snapping and sections of tile crumbling apart.
Strike number two. Yikes. Sumire's despondent attitude was like a knife through the heart, her every muted response driving the guilt deeper and deeper. Yohei could barely stomach the shame of seeing her that way, each passing second furthering his concern since he knew there was nobody to blame but himself. Not once did it ever occur to him that bringing up home would have such an impact. Sumire must've been holding this in for a long time, he figured.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down."
Almost at a complete loss for words, the only thing the zealot could think of was to intervene more directly. So he reached out for a second time, grabbing Sumire by the arm and tugging closer. It was an act that drew both stares and gasps from the gawking villagers, their chatter growing with excitement as they watched the unfolding drama.
"You're not going anywhere. Not like this."
That earned a few more gasps from the sidelines.
Yohei did his best to block those noises out, concentrating instead on the miko's solemn visage. He couldn't hold eye contact for longer than a few seconds though, another pang of guilt tightening his chest and making him look away. "I'm sorry," the silverette repeated, the apology rolling off his lips before he fully thought it through. That was all he had to work with at the moment, so he followed with something that sounded...encouraging. "But I won't let you run off with such a glum look on your face."
Was it ironic that his own expression seemed just as downcast? Maybe. He might have been willing to shoulder the responsibility for making his partner upset, but he was doing a poor job at hiding the toll it took on him. If nothing else, Yohei's continued show of worry was a clear indicator that he cared.
Tugging Sumire a little closer again, he finished with a heartfelt plea, yet still averted his gaze. "If I ruined all this, then let me make it up to you."
Yohei slammed straight through the wall with unexpected force, shattered pieces of wood crashing all around him. Seeing the manner in which his weapon was crossed defensively, it gave the impression that he'd tried to brace himself. Yet it mattered little. He was still sent tumbling away from the unprecedented attack, precious few obstacles lying within his path to slow him down.
"Urgh. Dammit!"
When the missing-nin finally got his bearings again he was forced to fall on a knee, panting from exertion. After all, it wasn't everyday he had the pleasure of getting blasted through part of a building. To say it took a toll on him was no understatement. Luckily, the damage to his body wasn't all that bad; only a few cuts thanks to the flimsy craftsmanship of the walls.
Refusing to sit idly by in a dazed state, Yohei began to spin his weapon overhead. It was an awkward motion to manage in the enclosed space of a room, but his plan was just to buy time instead of delivering a real blow. "Get back here!" The sickle swept across the room with a rattle of chain, missing the mark and lodging itself partway into the floorboards.
Yohei was too late.
His opponent - a masked Rain ninja - dove out the nearest window as soon as the opportunity for escape presented itself. Not only that but a handful of smoke bombs rolled onto floor as the ninja departed, staving off a pursuit as black fumes erupted into the building. Jumping onto the next rooftop while the Jashinist was busy with the smokescreen, the Rain ninja hurriedly studied the surroundings and began to form handsigns.
"Sumire!"
The silverette shouted as loudly as he could, hoping the warning would reach his partner. Because, despite planning for a blunder or two along the way, the target was now headed right for the miko's position. Unlike the other scum they were used to hunting, this ninja knew they were coming.
What was this? Could the tables really turn that quickly? Yohei barely believed what he was hearing. A second ago he'd thought himself awfully clever for making a few quips, yet now he felt his chest tighten in distress. "Uh, that's not what I...wait Sumire," he fumbled through his words, gaze shifting nervously from side to side. Hell, even a couple of the shopkeepers were starting to whisper and point in his direction.
Had he really gone too far this time? It was situations like these that were the reason why Yohei always tried to hold his tongue. Deep down he knew it was only a matter of time before he said something he'd regret, and here he was getting his just desserts for that arrogance.
"H-Hey, come on. I didn't mean to..."
Wary of the attention that he'd drawn from the locals, Yohei slid closer to his companion and patted her on the shoulder. "I'm sorry. I forgot how...hard it's been." The zealot's tone was much quieter than before as he expressed an apologetic grin. That nervousness from being watched and judged by the locals was still part of his demeanor too, the unease showing in the crease of a brow. "Forget what I said earlier, alright? L-Let's grab a few ingredients and I'll help make some sushi!"
Yohei hoped that would reverse the sour atmosphere at least to some small degree. Even though he knew little of sushi besides the taste, it was worth the effort if it meant raising Sumire's spirits. And should that fail, then he would simply resort to begging for forgiveness.
"Sumire..."
The zealot continued to look over his shoulder every so often, feeling the oppressive gazes of the villagers bearing down on him from behind.
Shortly after the first orb was sealed away in a puff of smoke, Yohei took a moment to examine the formula as he slowly rolled the scroll up. He'd barely finished the process when Sumire tossed the other eye over, catching him by surprise. Good thing his reflexes were trained, because despite making a light fumble as the prize bounced off his palm, he managed to catch it with a second grasp.
Relief riddled his features for a brief flash as Yohei unfurled his fingers to see the eye undamaged. "Hmph. No promises," came the zealot's belated response as he shot his partner a joking grin. But she was already gone by the time the last word left his mouth, apparently quite eager to get some fresh air and wash her hands of all that guck.
Left to his own devices for the meanwhile, it was finally time for some fun. The Jashin sort, that is. Yohei rolled the Uchiha's eye around between his fingers like some plaything, pondering what method to use first. Given the abundance of blood still at his disposal, the zealot concluded it would be a shame to let it soak into the rocks without a use. So, standing up and striding back over to the body, Yohei grabbed a fresh scroll and draped it across the corpse.
"This better be worth it." He chuckled under his breath.
And so began another spree of grisly work, courtesy of his dark master's blessings.
Okay, okay. The flick to the forehead might've been deserved after all his playful banter, but did Sumire really have to take the fans away? Two for one deals were hard to come by, so they could've looked at the price tag first. At least the kunoichi suggested an alternative, if one could really call it that.
"Well now, there's a unique idea. Souvenir sushi."
Yohei gave an affirming snap of his fingers and narrowed his gaze a bit, giving off a pensive vibe as if he was really considering the proposal. "I bet lugging that around in my pocket for a while will keep the trackers at bay," he remarked in a hushed tone, holding back a devilish snicker. For some reason he was surprisingly committed to this sarcastic routine today. Raising a brow with intrigue, he continued, "Wouldn't hurt to have a snack at the ready either."
Then he backed up and paused, a glimmer of realization dotting his teasing grin.
"Oh wait. Unless...? I'm not the only one feeling homesick around here?" Yohei hummed in contemplation, cupping his chin like he was delving into deep and meaningful thought. In truth the zealot was just pushing his luck, because he knew there was no way to contend with Sumire's jabs. That didn't make it any less entertaining however. Wagging a finger in the kunoichi's direction next, he continued the charade in a cheeky tone. "Ah, I get it now. So you *were* after something all along. How sneaky." Was she a ninja or something?
"In that case..." Reaching past Sumire and grabbing another obscure object from the shelf, Yohei hid the thing from view but pressed a small piece of metal up to her ear. After the briefest inspection he gave a satisfied smirk, remarking conclusively, "I guess you'll be needing these then." He jangled a pair of sushi-shaped earrings before the kunoichi's eyes.
Catching the scroll when it was tossed his way, Yohei barely flinched from the move. Despite how prepared he seemed for that instant, his expression had shifted to something resembling hesitation. The thought crossed his mind that this Uchiha's eyes could've been defective. It wasn't like he remembered seeing a lot of the red glare during the fight, so it was a distinct possibility.
Maybe he should've prayed sooner?
At least where sealing was concerned, there was some tiny sense of relief to be had in the realization that ink wouldn't hard to come by. The blood which had pooled all around the desecrated body would supply more than enough material to inscribe with. So the zealot got to work without another moment to waste, unfurling the paper on the floor and wetting his digits in the blood again.
"We have two, don't we? May as well give it a shot."
It may not have been a good idea to act rashly with such precious resources, but they had a backup eye in case things went wrong. Worst case scenario? They just find another Uchiha, stage another ambush, and rid the world of another rat.
"Here. Aaaaand...done." Yohei's fingers finished their tireless scribbling upon the scroll, his bloody handiwork smeared in a diverse pattern of symbols. Crude in form but efficient in practice. A simple handwave to Sumire then signaled that she could drop one of the eyes for safekeeping whenever she pleased. "Chakra might do the trick, but we shouldn't push our luck. If those eyes are as dangerous as everyone says they are, it could be cursed." He was smirking when he made that assertion, though it didn't seem like a joke. In a way, it made sense to him that the trick behind the Uchiha eyes was some evil jutsu.
Grabbing one of his own scrolls and rolling it onto the floor, the zealot appeared to have a plan of action. "Let me take a crack at it first. You can wash all that blood off while I get the fun started, eh?"
Yeah right. Poor little homesick Yohei. Granted, he really did miss that scorching breeze from the homeland sometimes. But other than that, he'd had his fill of getting blasted by sandstorms and slipping into dunes. Getting the stuff out of clothing was nota part of his former lifestyle that he missed either.
Anyway. Upon setting his sights on Sumire's find, the silverette visibly cringed with unease. "Aheh. Yeaaaah. Stylish as it looks, I'm pretty sure twinkling tiaras are against my religion." Religious exemption - his greatest excuse nowadays. Jashin probably outlawed tiaras hundreds of years ago, especially the freakish ones made out of seashells and household baubles. Or so he would surely claim if the issue was ever pushed.
"Besides, when have I ever been the elegant type? I'd prefer something a lot more..."
He hung onto that last syllable as he poked around the next shelf, searching for an item more to his tastes. Or maybe he was just looking for one that could match Sumire's ridiculous choice. "Like this!" Yohei grabbed what appeared to be an ordinary folding fan and flicked it open, partially concealing his face in a dramatic presentation. The design that spread before Sumire was like a bejeweled turtle with giant eyes...or perhaps it was merely a very ugly fish. Whatever it was supposed to be, the craftsmanship was unlike anything one could find at a real market, rivaling the most talented toddlers in the land.
"See? Plain and functional." Yohei gave the thing a quick wave against silver locks, looking rather pleased with the meager breeze that brushed his face. "And would you look at that. They even come in a matching set," he continued with mocking enthusiasm, pulling out another fan from the rows of goods. The second one flicked open to reveal a pair of misshapen sharks...or maybe they were supposed to be eels. Again it was hard to tell.
Yohei stared with morbid interest as the dissection reached its climatic stage, the eyes of their prey looking ripe for the picking. He was tense the whole time, clenching his in concentration and holding a small breath. Every slice of flesh and snip of muscle that Sumire undertook was part of an intricate puzzle he had no knowledge of. Had Yohei been the one holding the knife (so to speak), he was sure that his hand would've slipped by now and ruined those ruby eyes for good.
Only daring to speak up again when both eyes were freed, the zealot finally exhaled. "Don't worry about the leftovers. I'll make sure it's disposed of, down to the last bit of bone." His stare shifted from one piece of the Uchiha to the next, each pile of blood-soaked refuse looking no more distinct than the rest. "Lord Jashin is sort of...picky about how we deal with heretics." An uneasy chuckle slipped from the zealot's lips and he shook his head with uncertainty, knowing full well the grim work he needed to perform. Sumire would be spared the finer details for now, but Yohei's reaction alone was a clear enough message.
There wouldn't be anything left. Not even for the crows.
That was for later though. First things first. Yohei was more interested in those peculiar eyeballs, leaning closer to his bloodstained partner in the process. "So these're the Sharingan, huh? Doesn't seem so great now that I get a closer look." The zealot almost reached out to grab one, but recoiled when he considered the danger of spoiling a good specimen. Of course those eyes deserved to be destroyed anyway, but he and Sumire still needed to do some poking around. For instance, there was one glaring detail Yohei thought worth investigating. "Aren't they supposed to be more...red than this?"
Upon closer inspection the orbs appeared totally inert.
Gruesome. There wasn't a better way to describe it, what with those innards scooped out and so much blood seeping into the stone. Thankfully Sumire hadn't lost her touch. Anyone less experienced would've been unsettled by having to dig through all that pink and red, but not her. And certainly not Yohei for that matter.
What's more, after hearing that the eyes hadn't been plucked out yet the silverette donned a gleeful grin. "How thoughtful." His knowledge of the Uchiha was nothing special though, like most in the ninja world, he knew the fame of their precious eyes. He'd been anticipating this moment since they chose their prey, the only regret being that Sumire couldn't wrench those orbs out of his skull while the traitor was still breathing. "There'll be plenty of time for a shoulder massage after we've got what we came for," he insisted, shooting his partner a look that bordered on pleading.
Yohei needed this. On the one hand he wanted to assure himself that their efforts hadn't been in vain and that there was something of value to learn here that could further their cause. On the other, Jashin wouldn't be very pleased with a half-done job. All the blood in the air was like a good omen anyways, so there was no reason to let it spoil.
"Harukage Uchiha." The name was uttered in a spiteful tone, marking the first time Yohei had addressed the victim face-to-face. Well, minus some of the face parts on the Uchiha's end, but the sentiment was what really mattered. There was a sense of hope - or maybe more of a curse - in the way the zealot addressed the dead, like he intended their names to never be spoken again. "What a waste of breath," he lamented with a sigh. "Can't believe this thing was ranked higher than us back in the village. So much for the Uchiha being elites."
Yohei clicked his tongue in feigned disappointment, pretending like the jig was up; his master plan had been thoroughly foiled. "Aww. Nothing slips past you. Looks like you found me out." He shrugged in defeat but wore an obvious grin. Sumire always had a way of reversing these situations on him. Not that Yohei was the type of complain. "Guess I don't have a choice now, hm. Wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to brag about you." After sparing a chuckle he rose to his feet, taking a moment to stretch his arms out. Then he added tauntingly.
"It better not be something tacky though."
With all that said and done, it was only a short jaunt down the street to where the stalls were located. Like Yohei had alluded to before, they weren't anything spectacular to behold in terms of presentation or products. Mostly mom-n-pop storefronts with bits and baubles on display. There were tiny ornaments made out of painted seashells, dishware made from driftwood, fishing rods and lures, and so on and so forth.
"So what's the amazing Sumire thinking about this impressive selection?" Yohei quipped after a few moments of browsing at his leisure. Although he never had a good eye for art, he wasn't very convinced that these goods were worth the advertising price. "Blown away by all the choices, aren't you?" he snickered, holding up an abomination of a toy made from nothing but fish bones. Before it had the chance to crumble apart in his grasp, the nukenin placed it back on the shelf with the countless other oddities. Roaming toward the next stall, he plucked a some kind of bottle from the display and gave it a hard shake. "Oh hey, I always wanted one of these as a kid," he remarked flatly, turning to show it off to his partner. The bottle was filled with...sand. Yeah. Just sand.
For some reason he felt like apologizing a second time. Not for the act he committed but because he'd ignored Sumire to do so. The exchange left him with an awkward feeling in his chest, like he should've explained why the prayer was so important. Then again, he was just going through the motions and wasn't even confident he knew how to explain the finer points. What little of Jashinism Yohei knew had some weird rules behind it, but he meant to follow them as best as he could.
"Yeah uhh. I'll start a fire." The zealot rubbed at his neck in an uneasy fashion, glancing around the mouth of the cave for anything flammable. "Nothing too big though. We can't draw attention to ourselves." He was only stating the obvious to detract from an anxious mindset. Quietly hoping to himself that the awkwardness of his ritual would go forgotten, Yohei marched off to find some firewood.
Shortly afterward, the promised blaze began to crackle at the mouth of the cave. Kindling was added here and there until a decent flame could be kept going, the smoke looking faint enough to go unnoticed. Once he was satisfied with that, Yohei took a branch and wrapped it in a bundle of old cloth, quickly assembling a tool to assist with the lighting issues.
"Here." Walking over to Sumire's space, he wedged the makeshift torch between some overhead stones and cast the flickering light across the corpse. "What's it look like so far? Figure we can pry anything useful out of this thing?" the silverette asked curiously. And yes, the use of 'thing' instead of 'him' was very intentional. At this point he didn't even see the Uchiha as resembling anything human. More importantly, he wondered if Sumire could rip those eyes out and find some of their weak points despite the corpse's battered condition.
"We have travel funds?" Yohei gasped and his eyes went wide in surprise. "I thought we agreed to give up all our worldly possessions and start our careers as nomadic hermits." He held the same astonished look for a second or two longer before withdrawing into a chuckle. "Or were we going to try soothsaying first? Can't remember." Although he was just making light of the situation, neither of those options were far from the truth. They would always be on the run now, forced to use their skills to scrape by.
At least they had their freedom. And each other to rely on.
"Anyway. Seeing as there's nobody in these parts that's...worth our talents," Yohei continued with a deliberate pause. It was both for emphasis and to give him a moment to snack on another takoyaki. "Wanna pick up a souvenir while we're here? I think I saw some little shops down the road." He gestured vaguely to the other end of the village where there stood a couple of tiny stalls. None of them were especially busy since it wasn't like the place was a tourist trap or anything of the sort. More so, the locals seemed keen on selling their old junk to whoever passed by. "My treat," Yohei offered with a munch, gulping down the last of his octopus. "I owe you for these."
Besides, who knew if they would ever get to visit the scenic fishing village again. There was just as good a chance that it would get swept up in turmoil before long. Nice communities tucked away from the reach of ninja didn't stay nice forever.
