Traveler from the Mist- (Past Thread)

[Renkai]

This project had been a long time coming. Just about his entire life had been spent preparing for this very adventure, but was he ready? He'd already been called a fool by almost everyone in his village for traveling alone. After all, the war torn Land of Fire was dangerous even for an experienced squad of shinobi. Renkai was confident in himself, though. Maybe a little too confident for his own good, but he thrived for challenge, pushing himself to exceed his own limitations and become a truly remarkable ninja. The forest was silent, only the sounds of birds echoing through the foliage while small breaks in the canopy allowed for patches of sun to illuminate the forest floor. For as far as the eye could see there was nothing but forest, stretching on for miles. It made you feel small. The eerie silence was foreboding, and Renkai listened intently for any indications that he was not alone. His apprehension kept him alive during many skirmishes, and that would not change now. Though he pushed on at a relatively brisk pace, he'd be ready for an ambush.

Several long hours passed, the scenery appearing to be stuck on repeat. Tree after tree after tree, it was like it would never end. However, in the distance, the low rumble of the coast began to extend its reach into the mainland which indicated that he was getting closer to his destination. He still hadn't figured out exactly what he'd do once he met the ocean, considering what he was looking for was likely hidden within the depths. The man was a strong swimmer, but where he was heading had earned its nickname for a reason. The Land of Whirlpools proved to be one, if not, the most treacherous bodies of water in the world. Sailors would generally avoid passing through the gulf if at all possible; swimming through it would be tantamount to suicide. "Finally," he muttered to himself catching sight of the waves breaking against the rocky shore. His travels had lasted three solid weeks, a long time to be on your own in a foreign warring country. Nothing had gone awry, however, and reaching his destination rekindled the fire that had kept him pushing forward.

Renkai found a perch on one of the many large boulders jutting from the ground, letting out a heavy sigh. In his head, he knew the hard part of his task was only about to begin. Clearing his thoughts, he'd close his eyes and began to meditate, gathering chakra from the surrounding area to replenish his strength. On the horizon, the sun had started to set, casting an auburn glow across the sky, hues of pink and purple lining the scattered clouds. With the sound of rushing water, the place was incredibly peaceful, and Renkai would have to set up camp for the night so he could continue on with the next phase of his plans the following day.

[Kali]

As the sun glinted off the powerful waves, a few small dots appeared on the horizon. They did not move with any great sense of secrecy or urgency. As they drew closer to Renkai’s location it became clear that they were people; four to be exact, walking in single file up the shoreline. They moved with purpose, but didn’t rush, even as they all spotted Renkai and strolled by. Their forehead protectors all glistened with the symbol of the Rain. Each wore a plethora of tubes and breathing-masks and it was clear their gear was meant for underwater operations, and to add an air of near ridiculous comedy, each held a simple stick with string attached – children’s fishing poles – and from each line dangled a small fish that would barely serve as more than a bite and a half.

They ambled by Renkai wordlessly, not stopping, not sparing more than a quick glance to him despite both parties’ clearly not belonging there, and patrolled onwards down the beach, their fish dangling behind them like penguins in a comic strip.

They stopped about two hundred feet away and two of them vanished into the forest line. The two remaining nin conferred to each other privately before one walked slowly into the waves and sank beneath the water. The shinobi who was left alone seemed content to stare out over the waves for a long while. Eventually the figure reached up and disconnected the tubes from the breathing mask, pulling it from her head just as the others returned with dry wood from the forest. They set to making a fire and were soon toasting their fish over a happy flame. The woman of the group who also happened to be the captain of the squad, brushed through her long blue hair with an alabaster comb while the other two dragged a large log into the clearing and sat on it, joking and turning the fish when necessary. The aroma of their hot meal wafted up and down the shores and when the final member of the Rain squad returned from the waves, they ate together in silence.

The woman finished first and set two of the fishing rods back into the water before slowly heading back up the beach in Renkai’s direction. She left no prints in the sand and the natural flow of chakra in the earth pulsed unnaturally as she passed by before returning to its normal rhythm.

Her voice broke the song of the ocean in a friendly tone, almost teasing, as if she were searching for a pet or lover,

“Mysterious shinobi, are you there?”

[Renkai]

As natural energy continue to flow into his body, Renkai began to reach out with his senses. The mix of natural chakra with his own bolstered his sensory abilities which he was originally going to use to scan the depths. However, there was an anomaly. "People, huh?" he muttered to himself, opening his eyes and glancing off in the direction of the disturbance. From where he was sitting, he could see four cloaked figures walking along the shore. That he'd be spotted was imminent, and he began to ready himself for an encounter. Being alone, he figured his safest option was to keep to himself. After all, what was he doing wrong? Either way, he'd have to be on guard. As they neared him, it didn't appear that any of them were paying any attention to him sitting on his lone perch. His eyes followed them though he remained facing forward. He was ready to act in an instant, but it didn't appear that would be necessary as the group continued on. Once they stopped and split up, the man simply shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes once more to pick up where he had left off.

He was looking for an enormous source of chakra, something that would be impossible to miss for a sensor. Though sensory wasn't his strongest suit, he could get by with what he knew. And it was enough. Though it wasn't an exact location, he was able to sense something big deep beneath the surface of the water. It was ominous, and the reality of what he was going to attempt started to sink in. Mortality was a real thing now. That would have to wait, though. Not only was the sun setting quickly, but now he was being approached once more.

As the sound of a female voice rang through the air, Renkai opened his eyes again and looked to its source. He could only assume she was addressing him, though he wasn't entirely sure. He hadn't sensed any other foreign objects other than the occasional deer foraging within the treeline. "Hmm? I'm sorry, were you talking to me?" he asked, trying to sound as friendly as possible. Getting himself into trouble now would set him back quite a bit, which was something he'd try to avoid at all costs.

[Kali]

Shumi crossed her arms, a look of mild disappointment flickering across her feminine features.
“Yes I was, unless of course you’re not the only Mist shinobi in the area.”
She gestured lazily to the headband around his neck before drawing a circle in the sand with her toe, indenting it carefully with different sized holes,
“Did you come to fish?” Her tone was soothing and her eyes flickered closed as she began a new circle, “It’s a long journey for something so simple, but I suppose there are catches worthy of such a trip.”
Five circles completed and she twirled carefully to stand at the center of them where she left another quick pattern of holes, “The manju here grow up to six feet. The pash only three in their adult size, but they have fantastic teeth for selling. And of course the mana-mana have the best meat.”
She danced back to the water’s edge until the waves were barely lapping at her ankles. She studied Renkai intently for a moment. The observant eye would notice that her eye color swapped from its current shade to match his entirely. Her eyebrows thickened and bent to mimic his and then her hair color and length followed suit as well. Within moments her entire face minus the soft feminine angles and difference in nose and ears matched Renkai of the Mist’s almost identically.
“Or perhaps, brave Shinobi… you came for the Biju?”

She was challenging him openly now.

“Where is Jino, brave shinobi? If you tell me, I won’t stop you from entering the waves. Deny me what I want-“ She smiled sweetly and curtsied playfully in her red kimono, “Well.. you really don’t want to do that.”

[Renkai]

He knew it would only be a matter of time before something like this would happen. Even coming from a distant country completely uninvolved in the war, there was no peace for a shinobi. Though he was confident he could take the small group, that would only create further problems for him and likely his home. With a bit of a scoff, Renkai stood and hopped down from his boulder to start walking into the treeline. "First off, my business out here is none of your concern. Second, I don't know who the hell you're talking about." His expression had gone from blank to stern quickly. Obviously he didn't take kindly to being threatened, especially when he was out here in the open minding his own business.

He started for the trees, stuffing his hands into his pockets with his back turned to the woman. Though he couldn't see her with his eyes, he hadn't stopped reaching out with his senses and could detect every move she was making, from the rhythmic pace of her breathing to the flutter of her lashes each time she blinked. The fact that she'd changed her appearance in front of him seemed odd, though he paid no mind to it. Before he disappeared into the darkness of the forest, the man stopped and called out over his shoulder, "But hey, thanks for interrupting me!" Usually he wasn't one to become irritated like this, but after months of traveling, and specifically three weeks of tracking down the tailed beast, the fact that the group happened to stumble upon his location right as he got there drove him nuts.

[Kali]

Shumi’s eyes narrowed as Renkai scoffed. He turned his back on her – a true insult in the ninja world and the loudest possible boast of silent arrogance – and began to walk away. She did not draw her kunai despite her immediate angry desire to do so and instead dashed in front of him. Her medium of battle excelled in close quarters and so she fearlessly placed herself directly in front of him, once again blocking his path. She stared at him with his own eyes and sneered, unappreciative of his stern tone as though he had any right to reprimand her,

“First off,” She spat the words, mimicking the vocabulary and tone he’d used with her, “A rogue shinobi who kills for pleasure should be the concern of all ninja – regardless of what territory they stand on.”
At such close range she became wildly aware of just how much chakra he possessed. It was an astounding amount; an amount she had only ever sensed before in her brother. Shumi was not interested in fighting this man, but he was being both difficult and rude and she didn’t appreciate being tossed aside so carelessly.
“Second, I didn’t realize the nin of the Mist had become so tastelessly primitive that one would be so swift to turn his back on a lady speaking with him. I’m disappointed. I’ve met many of your people and never been treated thusly.”

She took a step back, waving her hand. Her squad mates had become acutely aware of the action and were approaching slowly. They retreated at her motion.

“I don’t know your name and frankly I don’t care to now,” She crossed her arms stiffly, “but you have no fear in your eyes. I believe you when you say that you do not know of my quarry. Whether you are here for the Biju or not, you should know: there is a rogue ninja somewhere in this forest. His name is Jino and he is after the Biju. His intentions are foul and my motive is to stop him. He will not hesitate to engage you should you get in his way and he will utilize any method to slaughter both you and the Biju.”

There was a hissing down the beach as her fellows put out the fire and collected their gear. Though still ready to ring his neck if necessary, Shumi’s expression lost its irritated glaze. She sighed,
“You remind me of someone I knew once. He didn’t have fear in his eyes either.”
Her face returned to stoic. Ninjas didn’t survive by being soft and she had given him plenty of free information already.
“Asshole or not, I wish you luck. We have been monitoring the Biju. Your foe is close at hand. I have no qualms with you.”

She spared him no farewell and vanished into the forest; her squad following close behind as they rapidly climbed the massive trees and melted into the foliage, disappearing down the shoreline much quicker than they had arrived.
“So?” Asked Sotelo, Shumi’s best friend and her first recruit to her squad when they set out months before.
“He was a dick.” She responded curtly.
Sotelo laughed.

Yet as she monitored the chakra of the earth and forest as they sped from tree to tree, Shumi felt unease. Jino was there – but he had somehow found a way to block her from tracking his chakra signature. It was only a matter of time before he reared his head and struck.

[Renkai]

Watching the female walk down the beach to meet with her comrades, Renkai couldn't help but smirk slightly. So he'd managed to keep himself out of trouble for now, but stepped on a few toes to do so. He'd been raised better than that, and what she'd said about the people from his homeland was fairly accurate. Though many of the clans had feuds amongst themselves, to outsiders they were generally inviting and kind. Still, with the current war, one could never be too careful.

"We're not all bad!" he called out, cupping the sound of his mouth with one hand. He wasn't sure if she'd turn back to respond, but she'd definitely hear him considering she hadn't gotten too far. He continued, "And if I see this Jiro guy, I'll make sure he doesn't get his hands on the tailed beast!" Now that she had proved not to be an enemy, Renkai would make his way back over to situate himself on the same bolder, closing his eyes and beginning to focus on drawing chakra in once more.

The sun had just dipped below the horizon, and several stars began peeking through the orange glow as the sky gave way to an inky black night sky. In his meditative state, Renkai was able to rest his body and allow his senses to keep him aware of his surroundings, though it wasn't quite the same as sleep. It did what he needed for now, which was to return his energy while he continued to keep tabs on the eight-tails. He still wasn't sure of how he'd be able to lure the creature out, but he was sure to figure something out. He'd have enough chakra at least.

[Kali]

Deep in the forest, the Rain’s squad patrolled onwards even as darkness began to fall and cast her graceful stretching shapes over her forest boudoir. Shumi was deep in thought as she led her comrades until a stray branch just barely caught the skin on Sotelo’s left ankle. His chakra just barely flickered as his nerves registered the brief flare of pain. Blood welled up in the tiny scratch.

“Stop.” She murmured.
They all landed on the next imposing branch and faced her.
“I’m a fool.” She stated simply and then laughed. She pointed towards the ground, “We’ll make camp here for the night. I have an idea.”

Shumi had recruited the members of her pursuit squad nearly two months prior. In the time she had spent running them ragged in the Forest of Death and the journey to reach it, they had run out of rations and brought very little with them in order to maintain their ability to move quickly when necessary. She had not intended to keep them away from their families and friends this long. Sotelo had wanted to apply to mentor a Genin squad and missed the registration time because of her mission. He’d never said a word about it though they both knew how much it had meant to him. Shumi knew he was placing her need to catch Jino before his own desires – and it strengthened her already monumental trust and respect for him. The other two followed her with dogged determination. Jino had wrought destruction in their personal lives as well and it was a silent oath between the four of them that Jino had to be brought down.

As Sotelo began boiling water on the forest floor, Shumi sat beside him and listened fondly to their banter.

“Gods above,” Inushin said dreamily as he sliced his kunai into the bark of the one trees and began to peel off long strips of it before tossing them into the pot, “you know what sounds good?”

“Sex.” Responded Sotelo, “And a lot of it.”

They all grinned.
“Well yes!” Inushin cackled, “But I was thinking more along the lines of a big fat plate of crisp potato wedges.”

Shumi grunted in approval, “Spices?”

“Oh tons of them. The kind where you smell it before you even see ‘em and your nose has a feast of its own.”

“I was thinking ramen.” Sighed Ganichi, “Jiro Wakahasi’s famous ramen. That’s a form of sex in of itself. I’d give up all my jutsu right now for a bowl of that. A huge steaming pile of it. My ninja life be damned.”

Shumi laughed as Sotelo tossed her a piece of boiled bark and she began to gnaw on it, “Jiro Wakahasi? Who’s he?”

Sotelo dropped his stirring spoon, “You’re joking right? He’s only famous across the entire world for his meals. Have you been living with your head under a rock?”

She tilted her head, “I guess so. Where is he?”

“Konohagakure.” They responded in unison.
She raised her eyebrows and accepted a small tin of pine-needle tea from Sotelo with a grateful nod,
“Once this is all over: drinks and ramen on me at his place then.”
They raised their tins to her in a toast. Shumi watched them suck the nutrients out of the softened bark and sip the tea they’d been having for weeks on end with sadness. She knew that if she asked them to that they would follow her to the ends of the earth. They were good nin – all of them. The mission had to end. She was going to write recommendations for all of them.

“God though, I just want some bloody salt.” Ganichi groaned, chewing his lip until it bled.

His chakra flickered just as Sotelo’s had when the branch caught his leg and Shumi leaned forward, setting her tea tin down.

“You’ll have it soon enough. Listen, we’ve crawled and climbed through damn well close to every meter of this forest. Jino isn’t letting himself be found. He’s blocked my tracking, but something occurred to me today when Sotelo cut his ankle. What if Jino isn’t coming from the forest?”

Her words sank in.

“He’d have to be fucking crazy…” Sotelo muttered with a stern shake of his head.

“That’s exactly what he is though.” Inushin admitted, deep in thought, “He knows Shumi’s chakra connections are so extreme that she’d find him if he tried to get to the Biju by land. But your connections don’t include the sea, do they?”

“They’re blocked by water.” She said softly, excited that they could see her logic and agreed with it, “It’s an obvious blind-spot. He’s gambling that I haven’t found Heaven’s Water Plate yet and he’s exactly right. If he came by land, I’d be able to pinpoint a very general location if he stepped anywhere near these trees even if he was blocking his chakra. Yet all I’ve gotten these past weeks are distorted signals. Flickers like a firefly’s light. If he’s blocking his chakra signature using jutsu and approaching from the sea then the only thing that would give him away is blood.”

They all sat in silence. One by one, they began to nod.

“Shit.” Inushin growled, “That son of a bitch.”

Shumi activated her kekkei genkai and took on Renkai’s appearance once more, “He’s going to be the key.” She said, motioning to her own face, “We use him and his attack on the Biju as bait. If Jino has been waiting and hovering, he’ll strike when the Biju is distracted with someone with the gall to go in on his own. He’ll let someone else do the heavy lifting and then strike when it suits him best.”

Sotelo clapped her on the back, “You’ve got it. So what do we do?”

“We turn the tides. Now it’s our turn to be invisible.” Shumi grinned, and began to draw in the earth, “Here’s the plan.”

They grouped around her and chatted a while longer before extinguishing their activity and dropping off to sleep one by one.

Shumi stood watch through the night as she usually did to allow her team complete rest. She sat in the middle of the clearing and drew circles around herself identical to the ones she had drawn for Renkai back on the beach. Once finished, Shumi activated the jutsu. The five circles gleamed softly and the soft indentations brightened before soft blue orbs rose from them and began to slowly circle Shumi. They were not random as they might appear at first, but were actually graphs of the stars. The orbs circled around her just as they would in the sky and she drew chakra from them and the surrounding while setting up a quiet perimeter of sensory chakra. Like a spider’s web, anything that trespassed upon the area would alert her as though something were touching her directly. As the actual stars in the sky rose higher and higher, the jutsu’s strength intensified and her chakra supply filled to the point where she could contain no more. She gathered the orbs together then, and began a new set of secret techniques, borrowing the heaven’s chakra and storing it for the battle ahead. She smiled to herself as she wove the miniature stars around her and bestowed chakra back to her sleeping teammates.
“Brave shinobi,” She whispered though Renkai was many a mile away and unaware of the unfolding events, “I hope you are ready.”

[Renkai]

By now the sun had risen, which meant that it was time for the lonely shinobi to move onto the next phase of his plans. Attracting a tailed beast was something that he had no experience in, and so far he had failed to devise any plan at all. Something was hatching in his brain though, something that might just work. He'd spent the entire evening meditating, slowly gathering up as much chakra as he could from the surrounding area, and at this point his chakra reserves were practically overflowing. What remained to be seen was whether it'd be enough or not.

A gentle breeze had started to stir the leaves of the trees which were at his back, and the rising sun gently kissed his skin with its soft warm glow bringing him out of his meditation. Slowly opening his eyes, Renkai took a deep breath in through his nose and rose to his feet, earthen brown locks of hair occasionally obscuring his vision due to the wind. With the task at hand it'd be all or nothing, and he couldn't afford to stall anymore. Standing atop the same boulder he'd been meditating on all evening, the man placed two fingers in his mouth and gave a shrill whistle to which a large hawk would respond, swooping in and taking a perch on his arm which he now held outstretched. As the bird landed, it held out on of its legs for Renkai to attach a message. "Take this home," he said to the bird as he tied the small rolled up piece of paper to its leg. Before the bird would depart, Renkai gave the bird a small treat and sent it off. "Now for the fun part."

Renkai hopped down from the boulder and stood just out of reach of the cold shore, gazing out across its rough and choppy surface, observing the whirlpools which never ceased to churn. Closing his eyes, Renkai would place his hands together forming a single kata. In doing so, he would activate his kekkei genkai and mix his own chakra with the natural chakra he had collected over the past several hours. It was a lot more than he had usually gathered, but he was quite gifted with his abilities now, and his transformation would go incredibly well. As the natural energies coursed through his tenketsu, red markings appeared all over his body which indicated that he'd entered an altered state, one that granted him immense strength and speed. After his transformation was complete, Renkai would weave another set of kata, this time causing electricity to envelope both of his arms as well as his hands. Aiming his right hand at the sky, he'd launch an impressive bolt of lightning into the sky which would cause static electricy to start collecting, forming dark almost black clouds. After a moment, arcs of electricity would start jumping from cloud to cloud gradually becoming larger and more frequent until finally a massive beam of lightning would tear down through the skies and strike the surface of the water, directly into the belly of the largest whirlpool in the center of the small gulf.

[Kali]

Early in the morning before the sun had even begun to consider making his descent up to his throne in the sky, Sotelo Hamachi woke. The clearing was quiet as the earth and her forest inhabitants still slept. The nocturnal ones stayed well away, busied with the silent but swift lives they lived in the darkness. He listened intently for a bit before crawling through the brush into the small clearing where Shumi continued to meditate and keep guard.

Her jutsu had transformed the clearing into an alien world. The area was lit by a gentle sea green shroud that lapped against the trunks of the trees and dripped in giant fluorescent drops off of the leaves of the undergrowth. Stars and planets, their light ebbing and pulsing with tiny heartbeats, circled Shumi with sleepy sweeps. Her eyes were closed but Sotelo knew she could feel him near. Her hair floated around her lazily, each soft tendril looping gracefully upwards and then sloping off in different directions as the shroud moved on – a tiny weather system of its own. As he slowly made his way towards her, careful not to collide with any of the major stars or planets, he could feel a physical heaviness making his progress slow and difficult. The air felt thick though it was easy to breathe and even to the non-shinobi, it was clear the difference was in energy instead of composition. The sheer amount of chakra contained in that timid clearing was enough to grow a forest. Sotelo knew it was merely borrowed – a looking glass into the celestial bodies of the midnight sky. The entire scene shifted as he sat beside Shumi and opened his chakra veins to her, sharing with her and the already flowing star system. A smile began to grow at the corners of his lips until he noticed the glistening lines that wound their way down Shumi’s cheeks. Even as he watched, concern growing in leaps and bounds, a single tear loosened its grasp on her wet eyelashes and took a pilgrimage to some place known only by gods and the dead.
The stars in her small chakra system began to burst, entering super nova as her emotional state wore on the status of the jutsu. Sotelo reached out and took her hand and her eyes snapped open. Every star exploded sending out a shockwave of chakra. The planets expelled that energy out with an unforgiving gust as they dissolved. The jutsu ended as Sotelo drew her into his arms while the blast created by the collapse made the foliage shake and whipped their hair for a few moments before silence fell over the clearing again. The energy dissipated immediately except in one small area that pulsed beside them. Sotelo knew immediately what it was and grimaced. He felt Shumi’s hands tighten on the back of his jacket as she cried on his shoulder. He held the back of her head with one hand and shushed her gently,

“It was just a dream.”

To Shumi, it was so much more. Images of her dying father and his terrifying words as he prophesied the falling of Namkao’s heart into darkness flashed through her mind. He had told her of the Forbidden Jutsu of Chakra Return; told her to use it to kill Namkao before it was too late. She hadn’t listened. A week later brought the deaths of thirty-five innocent people, six of whom were young children, two under the age of four including the kage’s son. Jino had slaughtered them before escaping Amegakure with her father’s research on the five plates of Heaven.

She could still hear the banshee wails of the mothers as they sat in the streets, the limp bodies of their children in their arms, blood flowing freely into the gutters. The rain had yet to wash those wounds from her heart and mind’s eye. She saw Namkao there, elbow deep in the blood of one Ame’s Jonin as he carried him to the village center while the people looked on silently and in shock. Namkao would soon lose his mind after the ninja had been buried and honored.

Thirty-five boxes side by side; six coffins so small that it was a wonder and a horror and a nightmare and a testament that there was need for them to ever be built.

Thirty-five graves that caused so much traffic in the rain to visit the burial grounds that the area became inaccessible and dangerous because of the deep and slippery lanes of mud.

Thirty-five stricken faces frozen in terror - frozen in death.

Thirty-five reasons for Shumi to cry.

She held still as Sotelo comforted her. She clutched the Rainstone that hung from her neck.

“Sotelo…” She finally whispered, “I am afraid.”
He was silent for a bit, thinking carefully. His eyes wandered to the object that rested on the forest floor beside them that still vibrated with a powerful current of chakra.

“You took one of the Plates out.”

“It was a precaution.” She whispered, touching the scar on her chest that marked where she sealed the Plates within herself.
He shook his head, gritting his teeth. “Shumi.”

She tried to respond but could not as he took her face in both hands and raised it to his, “I want to be the one who holds it then.”

Should any of the Plates’ seals be broken while within her, the power each held would be released in an unending current until utterly spent – an outpouring so intense that it would kill its bearer within a minute by eating it away from the inside out. Shumi’s kekkei genkai required so much chakra that she might be able to expend enough chakra to survive the breaking of one Plate, but she held two within herself and two would be too great.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She sighed.

Sotelo shook his head several times again. The fight would leave her exhausted and on the brink of death. Their squadmates would be rendered useless due to the massive elaborate genjutsu needed to initially protect Renkai and trick Jino. Sotelo was the only other piece on the chessboard that would be able to move and they didn’t know how Renkai would respond to the entire situation. It could go very wrong. It was a gamble. It would come down to a handful of crucial seconds.

“Marry me when we get back to Ame.” He whispered. It was neither a question or command.

Her breath hitched in her throat and her hands moved to touch his as they framed her face. He kissed her once, twice, again, and again.

Shumi reached out to grab the Plate of Earth and pressed it firmly into his hands,

“My life – “She murmured.

Their teammates pushed through the brush. “It’s time.”

Shumi’s appearance melted away and was replaced with Renkai’s. They stood as a small group; each considering what was waiting beyond the forest-line.

“Well then gentlemen…” Shumi tied her Village band tightly about her neck, “Shall we?”

They bounded back into the trees, swiftly approaching Renkai as he began to summon the Biju.

[Night]

The terrifying powerful chakra monster sat at the floor of sea. Gyūki's eight tails whirled behind his powerful oxen form, swirling with intense strength at the base of the whirlpool. The Hachibi growled. He had of course detected the presence of humans earlier; he found them pesky. A handful of times now the little creatures had attacked him, they weren't like the Sage of Six Paths.

Having been monitoring the chakras upon the shore, the Hachibi was prepared when the mist man's lightning strike came down. As a fire grew in the beast's belly, he pushed his tails out of the whirlpool to avoid the blast and propelled himself forward and up, toward the surface and the shore. As Gyūki approached the surface, he focused his burning chakra into his mouth, which swelled as he began to produce ink. The beast opened its gaping maw and released the ink into the water, which spread quickly.

Above the surface, Renkai's ominous clouds overhead would seem to darken further in the aftermath of his lightning strike, and the water below would mirror the sky, growing black as the whole area was tainted with ink. The massive chakra gained in speed, rising to the surface.

At last, Gyūki would breach the surface, breaking through from under the waves. The massive ushi-oni slammed his legs down, shaking the earth and filling the quiet sky with the sound of thunder. Behind him, all eight tails would break the waves as well and thrash wildly, kicking up high tides upon the shore and spraying sea water on the beach. The Hachibi leaned forward on its haunches and roared in the mist man's direction. How dare the pesky thing strike at him.

[Renkai]

Renkai couldn't help but grin as he watched the massive creature emerge from beneath the murky depths, causing waves to crash against the shore and break on the large rocks jutting from the sand. A look of determination spread across his face, eyebrows furrowed with a certain excited gleam in his eyes. He stood his ground firmly as the creature reared up, thrashing its many tails, and roared at him. His intention was not to further irritate the beast, rather he sought to challenge it in fair combat. One on one with no cheap tricks, simply his own skill against the beast's massive innate strength. Needless to say, his greatest challenge now stood before him, causing the very earth to tremble beneath his might. A normal man would be scared to death at the sight, but this man seemed to welcome his almost certain death sentence.

His eyes were fixed on the creature, readying himself while his brain ran several scenarios and various outcomes. He needed to carefully consider his situation and the options that were at hand. For him to achieve his goal, he'd have to get the beast to agree to a simple fight with no strings attached. It was common knowledge that the tailed beasts were not fond of humans given that many men had put forth failed attempts to capture them and use their strength as their own.

Holding his right arm outstretched, Renkai opened his hand with the palm facing out toward the creature, allowing the crackling electricity to dissipate and eventually go away completely. The dark clouds overhead continued to roll and produce the occasional flash of lightning and after a few moments a light rain started to fall over them. "Please, do not be angry!" he called out to the creature, crouching down with his hand still reaching out. His fierce green eyes locked onto the beast's inky black pupils in an attempt to prostrate himself before the creature. He thought that maybe that would put its mind at ease, though that was purely a guess and could do nothing at all. Either way, he was taking a gamble with whatever he did from here on out. The beast could just as easily swallow him whole.

"I just want to speak with you," he continued, the rain now having kicked into high gear. His hair and cloak were completely soaked, causing the hair to stick to his face, which he wouldn't bother with until he got a response of some kind from the tailed beast.

[Night]

The beast closed its mouth, a rumble of a growl still humming in a deep bass from its broad chest. A human that wanted to talk? That was a little less normal.

"Hroom.." Gyūki let out a guttural sound, "I am not fond of speaking with your kind, human. You shot lightning at me!" The Hachibi roared. "You have no respect. Speak your peace quickly and leave me be."

[Renkai]

Still crouched down with his arm outstretch, Renkai cleared his throat and lowered his arm. "Please, accept this apology, mighty tailed beast," he started. The massive creature looming over him was intimidating, however his face showed no fear. In his mind he knew that he meant no harm to the beast, it was just getting that point across now. "I didn't know how else to get your attention," he explained. "and humans are hardly capable of navigating through these treacherous waters, let alone diving to their depths. I have come to issue a challenge. I'm sure it must seem laughable, but I wish to pit my own strength against yours; I wish to test my own abilities and limitations."

He was expecting the creature to laugh and return to his comfort beneath the surface, though there was nothing more he could do but wait and hope for the best.

[Night]

Gyūki blinked, stupefied. A challenge? It was laughable; the boy had to be mad! After processing it, the mighty beast indeed laughed, throwing his head back to the sky and unleashing the unrestrained bass volume of his massive resonance chamber.

"Ahahahahaha!" The biju roared before dropping his head again to look at Renkai, "You want a fight tiny man? So be it!" And it was then that a wicked smile broke out -- as much as one could -- on the ushi-oni's face, and he leaned forward on his haunches again, growing closer to the shore. In a low tone, the beast thrummed, "Let's dance!" And again he spread his maw wide and released a mighty roar as he prepared his immense chakra for whatever the mist man had to throw at him.

In the back of the beast's mind flashed again the memory of the Sage of Six Paths. As Gyūki now prepared to defend against the man before him, he remember the kindness of the Rikudō Sennin. No other man since the great Sage had been so warm and beneficent. The Hachibi had fought other men as the shinobi wars had escalated, and again he found his heart turning cold at the beginning of a new fight. Although, the other men had not had quite the same peaceful, or at least respectful intentions that this newcomer seemed to... But still, no man could live up to the all-wise master the beast once kne. Gyūki grieved again that the Sage of Six Paths was no more and turned his mind to the imminent battle.