Sengoku Rebirth: Chapter One: Winter is Upon Us


 * ''Notice: By entering this Arc you are here by faced under fair play, meaning there will be unbiased prejudice and equal rights to all those participating. Engage in conditions that are in character, and play in character. As of now, you are presently submitting to my GMing, by roleplaying in this arc you are permitting me to alter, change, or redirect the course of the individuals within said Arc, or prohibit any action that would alter the course of the plot by my definitions. Failure to concede will result in removal of those involved. Any sort of bias, prejudice, or meta gaming will result in immediate termination, on which I will not rethink. By entering this Arc, you understand that not all those who enter will survive, and the scenarios you have been given, will be taken, characters may, and will die. By entering this Arc you understand that you may not gain anything, but you also may gain untold treasures and a huge power in the turning point of the future Arcs. Good luck, and have fun.

In addition, to make things more random, I placed you all in random lands by simply rolling a dice. Thanks!''

"The season of death; winter is upon us.."

Fall is a season of peace, stillness and rest. During such time, shinobi meet with other tribes and establish alliances, migrate to different regions looking for new opportunity, and acquire food which eventually becomes scarce in the season thereafter. Every active volcano is at rest, earthquakes cease and the heavens no longer roar and strike the earth with its powerful bolts of lightning. For people on earth, fall is a hope; the New Year and a hope for something better. However, peace is short-lived as we all know thus autumn is the shortest season.

One week of this season remains and thus clans begin making choices on whether to stick it out in their current nation or move forward to another for the seasons to come until the next fall approaches. They begin to decide if trades with other clans should be made or if they should bunker up and find shelter for the season. Whatever clans decide, they realize that opportunities await that could either put them in danger or prove extremely beneficial to them. Whatever happens, it’s up to the leaders of the clans to decide and quickly, because in eight days every opportunity will be lost.

In the land of fire, herds of buffalo roam the plains prodigiously. Possessing several uses, buffalo are resourceful to those that can manage to truly kill and capture them. Their waste can be used as fuels for fire, their hides can be tanned into tough leather to serve as bags, jackets, etc. The buffalo’s hair can be used to make thick coats that protect your tribe from the harsh winters, the horns can be made into weapons and the meat of the buffalo can feed your clan for the entire winter if you acquire enough of it.

In the land of wind, larges caves are carved out among the land providing plenty of shelter for those hoping to stay bunkered during the winters. In addition, large supplies of oil lay under the sands of the land of wind, providing financial stability to anyone who can plunge for the black gold and secure it. Daimyo are willing to sell their own children for such a treat.

The Land of Earth is plentiful with shelter; underground caverns and hot springs that provide heat during the cold times during the winter. The ultimate land to remain bunkered and safe from the winter is indeed under the protection of the mountains in the Land of Earth, hopefully deep underground where the burning core of the earth can supply it’s unhealthy warmth.

The Land of Lightning itself possesses an incredible amount of metals; gold, iron, titanium, etc. These metals can be used for a variety of things such as constructing weapons, or even making shelter to protect yourself in for the harsh seasons to come henceforth.

Other nations are houses to other resources: Land of Iron host the strongest forest in the entire world, Land of Tea is host to the most powerful herbs known to the shinobi world and the Land of Demons hold secret artifacts that could prove helpful in future endeavors. While each land holds its own reward, the risk is equally influential. To travel inbetween each land would take a total of three days, thus options and places are limited. Mining for oil takes a total of one day, getting iron takes one as well. Supplies are limited, thus clans may clash. The last week of fall begins now.

Neichā Clan
Yokia Neichā sat on a throne made of plants, petting her personal summon. A crown made of flowers topped her flowing red hair, and the sun shining above made her skin glow. She fluttered her eyes, forgetting where she was. As her vison cleared, she saw her whole clan awaiting her orders. She slowly rose from the throne, causing it to disintegrate back to its orignal form. "My people, the harsh winter is approaching us soon. We either go north to create a better territory for our clan, or we unite the clans here." She paced around, and the clan members began whispering to one another of what action they should take. Placing her fist in the air, Yokia stopped moving, having an idea. "I've decided we should expand to the north, where the forests can provide for us, ability and resource wise for us." Raising both of her hands in the air, Yokia's body began glowing once more, showing off her beauty. "So who's with me?" She asked. The clan roared, signaling their decision to go with her. "Alright, start packing everything, to the north we go!" Yokia soon found herself being paraded throughout the territory, beloved by her people.

''Upon packing your supplies, one of your clansmen comes across your food supply. Rather than being strung up on a tree, elevated from the ground, he finds all the food spread out across the dirt and leaves from the dying trees. Upon inspection, he sees that almost all of the food has been consumed and the footprints suggest that racoons of such sort were responsible. The situation is dire, you no longer have enough food to get you through the winter. ''

As the clan prepared to start the journey, a fellow clansmen came to Yokia with dire news. Informing her of the food situation, Yokia thought of another good idea. "Our food supply has been cut short, so we must go after the next choice." She pointed to a path that was known for hunting wild animals. "We must hunt the buffalo, and reach the northern lands before it gets too late." At her command, the clansmen took arms and began ahead the main group, off to hunt for the winter supply.

''The path before you is littered with shrapnel and bits of kunai. Blood is scattered across the moody trail, turning the dirt a bitter red. It's obvious that a fight has broken out in this direction. To your left is another trail which seems to curve and bend more than this one. However, that trail itself is void of any signs of combat. Without much information, you can discern that the blood-littered trail is indeed the shortest but perhaps the most dangerous while the other trail is longer but less dangerous.''

The group ended up crossing two different paths, leaving the whole clan puzzled on which way they should go. Using her sensing abilites, Yokia tried to locate the best path to find the animals. "The right trail is our path. We must hurry." Yokia commanded them, and ignoring the weapon bits and blood, the clan headed through to find the buffalo herd.

Yakuma Clan
Takihiko Yakuma stood, motionless, outside his cave. He surveyed the vast expanse of the surrounding desert. Winter was coming, and it was at this very moment that the elders were deciding what should be done. They could move towards the Land of Tea. The curse had been harsh this year, and they lacked those able to fight. If anywhere would have a cure, it would be the Land of Tea, with its legendary herbs. On the other hand they could stay here. The caves offered ample shelter against the cold and other tribes. Takihiko was wondering on this matter, until an aging man emerged from another cave, leaning heavily on his staff. This was the chief of the clan. "The elders have spoken!", he proclaimed. "We stay! We have not endured so much only to be defeated by the winter. Now go! Find food, water, firewood, anything that we can use!". With this he slammed his staff on the stone floor. The sound echoed around the caves like a gunshot. Almost immediately, those that had heard his proclamation spread out from the caves to do just that. Takihiko sighed, and followed their example.

''Takihiko was escorted out of the comfort of his cave by a small group of Yakuma. In the desert, resources were scarce. While others were given the luxury of firewood -which could be burned for fuel- the Yakuma were given more sand than they knew what to do with. The true gift, oil, was primarily unseen to the clan as of late; they were more focused on surviving the night, taking one day at a time, slowly but surely. However, the same could not be said for other clans, who had traveled all this way with the specific purpose of gathering pools of oil. While the Yakuma struggled to make meet's end, a group of outsiders, bestowed with many more opportunities, sought to gather as much oil as they possibly could, before returning to wherever it is they came from. This would be greatly beneficial for them, and for all the same ideas, a great hinderance to the Yakuma. No resource is without limit; the Yakuma clan would be missing out on a very valuable chance to fill their pockets if they allowed for these outsiders to take their prize.''

''The group was hard at work, utilizing their various skills to gather oil from underground. It was at this very moment their eyes spotted the incoming Yakuma clan in the distance, to which they took precaution, preparing for better. Oil was just about the greatest fortune in life, as far as making a living went. These men were more than prepared to duel out the opposition if need be, and their minds were made on returning home with what they had come to the Land of Wind for the in first place. Standing their ground, some of the men continued to work while the others formed a circle around them, daring the Yakuma to move even an inch further. Oddly enough, however, not a single man wielded any sort of weapon, instead, each one of them removed their gloves, revealing their bare fingers.''

One of the group stepped forward from the rest of his kinsmen. "You men! Who are you? For what purpose are you here?" This was not asked out of curiosity. All of the Yakuma could see exactly what they were doing. They were not the first to come here for the oil, and most, when asked left peacefully. The Yakuma knew the oil was there, though they had no idea of the quantity in which it was present. They had even planned to attempt to excavate Takihiko could see, however, that these men would not be so easily discouraged. Although they stood in a defensive circle, the impression of agression was overwhelming. Some of his kinsmen felt it, too. Already, wisps of grey steam rose from the group, quickly dissipating in the air. Takihiko himself, stood, body tensed, ready for action.

''Each of the opposing forces revealed what was to them, a basic maneuver. Long threads of chakra lashed from everyone of their fingers, catching several Yakuma clan members by surprise, possessing their bodies effectively. The tables quickly turned, forcibly pitting Yakuma against Yakuma. The enemy cried out with a burst of vicious laughter, as they took control of numerous Yakuma like they were puppets; tools for fighting. "Your not really going to hurt your own family now, are you?!"''

''The numbers were now on the side of the enemy. Those few left on Takihiko's side could be counted on the fingers of a single hand. The opposing forces had numbers, and most of all, they had possession of Takihiko's loved ones. One of the possessed Yakuma clan members reached into his back pocket, revealing a kunai knife, before placing it against his own throat. "Unless you want to see these guys here kill themselves, I suggest you leave!"''

In seconds, each of the Yakuma under the control of the enemy mimicked the movements, finding kunai knives ready to slit their necks.

Although the Yakuma's movements were taken, their decaying chakra was not. One by one the kunai turned to ash in their hands. Simultaneously, the fingers of their puppateers turned grey, causing immense pain. Since the moment the chakra strings became connected to their bodies, that same chakra had crawled ever so slowly towards their controllers. Now that the Yakuma members were free from their opponents control, they were able to use their technique and their fighting style to its full effect, throwing the enemy over their shoulders so hard, that they created small craters in the sand when they hit the ground.

A single man was killed, as a result of the crawling chakra. Making it's way up the threads and towards his hands, forcing the man to scream in horror, before he was thrown quite viciously against the ground, his eyes rolling back and his jaw hanging low. Setting an example for his comrades, many other puppeteers would share the same fate, though not all. A handful of soldiers quickly disconnected themselves from the Yakuma clan members, watching in horror as they were being confronted.

"I-it's them..!" One managed, his voice trembling. "It's the Yakuma Clan!"

They began to set off like a handful of cowards, realizing they were powerless before the might of the Yakuma. However, this proved to be a difficult task in the desert, where the sand clung to their bare feet, forcing them to their knees. Crawling now, they looked back slowly, realizing defeat at this point was inevitable.

Seeing that all the hostages were now safe, and that the threat was now effectively neutralised, Takihiko breathed a deep sigh of relief. The question now, however was what to do with the remaining men. They were obviously fortune seekers, here to bring up the reserves which lay under the sand. They hadn't been doing too badly either, judging by the tools and equipment set up. Aside from that however, they seemed to be inexperienced. Judging by their reaction, they didn't know that this was Yakuma Clan territory. They were outclassed, despite their higher numbers. After a moment of hesitation, the leader of Takihiko's group stepped forward. "Which one of you is the leader here?", he demanded.

The soldiers of the still unknown clan gave up all hope of running, instead flopping onto their backside to accept their fate. "Our leader is not with us." One finally managed, through several huffs and puffs. "He would not be pleased with us at this very moment. Finish us, I beg of you... for a far greater punishment awaits us if we were to return empty-handed".

With that, the man who had spoken placed his hands behind his head, surrendering completely. His comrades, however, continued their escape; rising to their feet quickly and making a run for it.

Takihiko made a move to stop the soldiers, but was stopped by the Yakuma leader. "No, let them run. We have no need of them." The leader then turned to the man who had surrendered. "You man. I should kill you on the spot. Put you stayed whilst others fled. That shows courage. So I will let you keep your life on one condition. Tell me which clan you belong to and tell me of your leader. Do that, and you may escape with your life."

The man closed his eyes. "I am running on borrowed time. At this very moment, I am as good as dead. Even so, do you really believe that I would rat out my own nakama? I have brothers and sisters who I left behind. Jiwari-sama will protect them no matter what... his strength is eternal. You have been warned by his late disciple. If you know what is best for you, get out of here. After our failure here, he is sure to exact his revenge. Be it for my sake, or that of my people in whole... Jiwari-sama will crush you all!!"

The man pressed his eye lids shut tightly against one another, preparing himself for the end. He had served his purpose in life. These fools were as good as dead, he thought. They would be joining him within a few days. "Fear Jiwari-sama! Run for your lives! Run for your lives..!!" A tear ran down his face, expressing that he too was terrified imaging the terror that was to come.

"Jiwari-sama will come..!!!"

Takihiko himself stood motionless, frozen with the shock of the man's reaction and words. So too was everyone else, until the leader came forward and shook the man hard. "Hold on. If you give us some more information we can help you. Give us more on this Jiwari-sama and we could protect you. Your master maybe strong, but we have a defensive position. With your intel and our strength we could defeat him and save you. Perhaps your brothers and sisters too."

As the head of the Yakuma clan shook the defeated soldier, a set of chakra threads seeped from his body, attaching themselves to old man. The clan leader's eyes widened, as the man before him continued to utter non-sequential statements.

"JIWARI-SAMA WILL COME!!!" He continued. "JIWARI-SAMA WILL COME!!!"

Before the beloved old man had anytime to react, before the rest of his underlings had the chance to blink; the thread connected the hearts of both beings, preparing to take both into the afterlife. Clutching a kunai he had long since drawn from the back of his trousers, the solider impaled himself through the chest, taking the leader of the Yakuma along with him. Many rushed to the side of the scene, though they appeared too late. In a matter of seconds, the enemy -who they had been given several opportunities to slaughter- took the lives of arguably their most important clan member. This was the nature of the warring states period.

Yuiitsu
Yuiitsu stud motionless, hit toes flush with the edge of the trail, barely hanging over a steep cliff. Mountain had always been a kind of mixed blessing to Yuiitsu, being a frequent traveler. The were indeed an obstacle, something to hinder and slow progress. When traveling through a mountain rage, which was certainly plentiful in the Land of Earth, the effort and time required to travel a short distance was magnified, in some cases even multiplied several times over. But Yuiitsu saw a silver lining the the massive obstacles. At the present moment, he and the caravan he was protecting were nearing the top the the mountain trail, providing an unobstructed view of the valley forest that lay behind them. The collage of red, orange and yellow was a spectacle indeed. It reminded Yuiitsu of a paining he had seen many years ago, somehow having survived the catastrophic event of nearly three centuries ago. It was the only true artwork Yuiitsu recalls seeing in his lifetime, a marvelous paining of a still lake. He took a deep breath as he took in the spectacular view, framing it in his mind like another precious work of art, this one constructed by nature, not man.

"What are you looking at?" Yuiitsu heard a voice behind him ask between hard breaths. Yuiitsu turned his head slightly, seeing the young son of the caravan's leader standing behind him, out of breath. If Yuiitsu recalled correctly, Hiroto was the boy's name.

"I'm just enjoying the view." Yuiitsu replied, turning to fully face Hiroto. Immediately Yuiitsu could see something was not right. Where was the rest of the caravan? Why was Hiroto the only one here? "What's wrong?" Yuiitus asked.

"The lead cart is too heavy." Hiroto explained after a moment to catch his breath. "We can'y get it up the last stretch of the trail. My dad stopped it from rolling back down the hill, but we need to get it up quickly before something happens."

"No problem." Yuiitsu replied, a joyful smile crossing his face. Normally while escorting caravan's he did nothing but tag along and keep vigilant. He was beginning to think this would be a similar escort mission. He always enjoyed it when he was actually needed. "Lead the way Hiroto." With that, Hiroto turned and quickly made his way back down the mountain trail, Yuiitsu following close behind.

The scene was something Yuiitsu had seen on more than one occasion, a common issue on steep mountain trails. The head cart, weighed down with goods, couldn't make its way up the steepest part of the tail. Due to the fact the trail was too narrow to safely pass the first cart, the proceeding carts could to nothing but wait until the problem was resolved. Nothing to worry about. Yuiitsu knew exactly how to solve the issue.

"I found him!" Hiroto shouted as he and Yuiitsu approached the caravan.

"It's about time!" A scruffy middle-aged man said, Hiroto's father. "Where the hell were you? Your supposed to be protecting us. Why on Earth would you run ahead like that?"

"Just couldn't wait to see what it looked like up there." Yuiitsu replied, his smile remaining unchanged. Hiroto's father, obviously unimpressed with Yuiitsu's response, simply gave him a disapproving look and pointed to the cart.

Yuiitsu dropped to one knee and began undoing the leather straps on his right boot, much to the confusion of the rest of the caravan workers. Yuuitsu switched knees and undid the straps on his other boot before standing and kicking off hit footwear.

"What are you doing?" Hiroto asked Yuiitsu, confused as the rest of the caravan as to why it was necessary for Yuiitsu to remove his boots.

"It's for better grip on the rocks." Yuiitsu explained. "Wouldn't want to loose my footing." To the member of the caravan, this of course made little sense. "Could someone do me a favor and throw my boot in one of the carts?" Yuiitsu asked as he made his way around the two horses attached to the lead cart. "Their my favorite pair."

"Is it just me?" A young man whispered to Hiroto's father. "Or is this guy a little weird."

Hiroto’s father let out a sign and replied “He’s supposed to be some sort of skilled ninja. My brother recommended him, saying he fought off a group of bandits and saved the caravan. But I’m beginning to regret hiring him.”

Yuiitsu positioned himself behind the lead cart, cracking his knuckles before placing his hands on the back of the near half ton cart and began pushing. The caravan worker looked at the spectacle with disapproving stares, wonder why this obviously troubled young man try to push a cart that two strong horses couldn’t budge.

“Scratch that.” Hiroto’s father whispered to the young man. “I’m am really regretting hiring him.”

Just as Hiroto’s father finished his sentence, the cart began creeping forward. The workers that had just moments before been staring at Yuiitsu like an incompetent child not stared, jaws dropped in amazement. The sight had taken them all off guard, so much so that none of them moved to help Yuiitsu.

“Are the horses moving?” Yuiitsu grunted. “Because this would go a lot faster with their help.”

Snapping out of their momentary trance, the caravan workers quickly went to work. The young man that had been conversing with Hiroto’s father jumped into onto the cart and whipped down on the horse’s reign to order them forward. Several other worker removed the wedges of wood that had prevented the cart from rolling backwards down the hill. With the combine effort of Yuiitsu and the horses, the cart reached the trails peak in mere minutes. The proceeding carts, all notably lighter than the first, managed to make it up the steep incline without issue. Once past the high point of the trail, the caravan stopped to allow Yuiitsu a moment’s rest.

“That was amazing!” Hiroto shouted to Yuiitsu, who was sitting with his legs crossed in front of him, once again looking over the multicolored forest. “I can’t believe you’re so strong! I bet you could have pushed the cart all the way up here on your own!”

“It’s nothing.” Yuiitsu said modestly, his breathing already returned to normal. “The horses did most of the work.”

“Either way, you were a big help.” Hiroto’s father stated, walking next to Hiroto and placing a hand on his son’s head. “It would have been a hassle getting that cart up here without your help.”

“I’m just doing what you’re paying me to do sir.” Yuiitsu replied.

As his father talked with Yuiitsu, Hiroto noticed the bottom of Yuiitsu’s feet. They were dark black, and the sunlight reflected off them as if the soles of Yuiitsu’s feet were encased in metal.

“What’s on your feet?” Hiroto asked, interrupting his father as he was talking about adding a slight bonus to Yuiitsu’s pay. Hiroto’s father was about to scold his son for interrupting him, but stopped when he noticed Yuiitsu’s black feet as well.

“That’s my Ninjutsu.” Yuiitsu explained. “I possess the rare Steel Release Kekkei Genkai. I can convert any part of my body into a special steel and manipulate the augmentations to my liking. Right now, the bottom of my feet are covered on hundreds of thousands microscopic hooks. A technique of my own creation. It allows me to get better traction on the hard rock around here.”

“Well that’s quite something.” Yuiitsu’s father said, having never seen such ability in his lifetime. “Well, if you’re ready, we better get going. Don’t want to stay in one place too long. Never know when bandits may be lurking.”

“Good idea.” Yuiitsu agreed.

The caravan began mobilizing once again. Yuiitsu took his usual position, walking alongside the lead cart. Yuiitus took one last look out across the valley, knowing this would likely be the last time he saw such a site till the Fall of the following year. Yuiitsu momentarily turned to the peak of the mountain, still roughly a hundred feet above him and the caravan. He was tempted to scurry up to the peak for one last good looks at the valley, but decided against it. It wasn’t wise to leave the caravan again. Not on the last stretch of their journey into the heart of the Land of Earth. If something went wrong and he wasn’t there to protect the caravan, he would not only loose his payment of food and supplies, it would be a blow to his reputation and pride.

As Yuiitsu looked up at the mountain peak, he thought he saw movement among the stone. He looked for a few moments longer before determining that his eyes were playing tricks on him. Even so, Yuiitsu felt uneasy. Keep his senses alter, Yuiitsu averted his eyes forward, hoping he was simply being paranoid.

''Whispers crept from behind the rocks and the jovial cheering from the caravan only made those whispers louder. The earth suddenly began to tremble, and the earth shot downwards. Quickly, the earth that Yuuitsu and the Caravan stood upon found itself several tens of feet below their original elevation. Above them, they could make out simple figures being illuminated by the sun. “Surrender, and we won’t kill you” A voice boomed. "But if you don't, my men and I will destroy everything you love. Your choice"''

Taken off guard by the rather impressive use of Earth Release, Yuiitsu didn't have an intimidate answer to combat the figures above. The confine space put the caravan in danger, neutralizing the possibility of him using excessive force. Yuiitsu began playing with possible plays in his mind, but with the safety of the caravan at risk, his options were limited. He had four carts to protect, and two workers for each cart, with Hiroto and his father in the lead cart. With the enemies having the high ground advantage, protecting the entire caravan was near impossible. Fighting wasn't the best option here. He had to get the caravan to safety. With all directions but up blocked off, this put Yuiitsu at quite the disadvantage. He did however have one distinct advantage over the would be bandits; they had no idea he was a ninja. At least to his knowledge anyway. Besides having a sensory type ninja among them, Yuiitsu had no clue how they would determine such. For the time being, Yuiitsu simply waited for the right opportunity to strike.

"We don't want confrontation!" Hiroto's father shouted up to the bandits. "Please, there are people in this hand that need this supplies to survive the winter. We're willing to share some if you let us pass."

''“We want all of your Caravan’s shit, boy” the head bandit responds. Without warning, the earth around the caravan trembles. Pebbles drip from the walls and rain down upon your caravan, however no one is hurt in the process. “That’s warning number one. Two more and we kill you and the caravan, boy” the bandit yet again responds, shaking the foundation of the wall yet again allowing the same thing to happen. With the shaking of the foundation, a small slit appears on the bottom left corner of the wall just in your line of vision.''

"Listen, we're on a rather tight schedule." Yuiitsu shouted up the the bandits. "I'll deal with you losers in the very near future. But for now, we're going to be on our way."

Without giving the bandits time to reply, Yuiitsu strung together four quick hand seals, utilizing the Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall technique. In an instant, a massive stone wall erected from the edge of the pit, sealing the caravan off from the bandits. The bandits, having been aware that a ninja had been among the members of the caravan, were not immediately prepared to act in response to loosing site of their targets, though a majority of the bandits didn't see the need to act.

"What an idiot." one of the bandits said, folding his arms across his chest. "Why would you trap yourself underground like that?" "Fool!" the lead bandit shouted. "If he's an Earth Release user then he can probably tunnel underground! Get that stone out of the way before we lose them!"

Several of the bandits quickly went to work, forming hand seals, counteracting the Earth Wall formed by Yuiitsu. The Earth began shifting, sliding out of the pit and once again revealing the pits bottom. But all the bandits were shocked to see that the bottom of their pit was completely empty. The caravan, carts and all were nowhere to be seen. At the base of the pit, the entrance to a tunnel could be seen, heading in the direction the caravan had been traveling in.

“Damn it!” The bandit leader cursed at the top of his lungs. “Get down there and catch them before they get away!”

The rest of the bandits obeyed their leader, jumping into the pit, running along its stone walls on their way to the bottom. The bandits quickly reached the bottom of the pit and faced the tunnel, but yet again they were surprised by what they saw. The tunnel only went about twenty meters into the stone before abruptly stopping. The bandits gathered around the mouth of the cavern, all confused as to where the caravan had gotten to.

“He probably sealed it off.” one of the bandits stated.

“Your right.” another agreed. “Let’s get pad this before they get to far.”

The bandits stud clustered around the opening of the cavern, forming hand seals when there was a muffled voice behind them. Before any of the bandits even had time to turn around, Yuiitsu emerged from the stone wall behind them, his arms cracking with electricity and outstretched to either side. The bandits had no time to react as Yuiitsu sped towards them like a massive bullet, bad intentions written all over his face.

“Twin Lariat!” Yuiitsu roared as she smashed into the cluster of bandits. The impact was more than enough to send the bandits, nine in all, flying into the shallow cavern, smashing against the back wall and falling to the ground unconscious.

“That about settles that.” Yuiitsu said, whiping his hands off one another. Looking up at the bandit leader, a confident smile on his face, Yuiitsu shouted “I’d prefer it if you just left so I don’t have to waste more time on you. But it’s your choice.” Yuiitsu had barely finished his sentence when the former bandit leader made a sharp turn and began scurrying away. "Well that answers that."

Yuiitsu turned his attention to the moaning mass of downed bodies inside the cavern. Stepping just outside the cavern entrance, Yuiitsu began forming hand seals when a voice from behind stopped him.

"That was so cool!" Hiroto shouted, standing in the small hole in the pit's wall Yuiitsu had created when he launched his attack. "You took them all down in just one move! That's amazing!"

"You got them?" Yuiitsu heard Hiroto's father say from behind the stone wall hiding the entrance to the second tunnel Yuiitsu had created.

"He got them all right. So cool!"

The trick had been simple enough. Yuiitsu simply lacked the ability with Earth Release to quickly form a tunnel long and wide enough for the caravan to escape. So, after masking his movements form the bandits with the Earth Wall, he quickly formed the two tunnels, one in the direction the caravan was heading, to fool the bandits, the other to actually conceal the caravan. Yuiitsu had counted on the bandit not reacting too quickly, and was glad they didn't, as he had just sealed off the tunnel hiding the caravan when the bandits got past the Earth Wall. Once the bandits dropped down to investigate, it was just a matter of adding enough force to the attack to drop all of them. A simple enough trick. He had intended to bury the bandits in the tunnel, but with Hiroto watching, he was having second thoughts.

"I guess I better let you guys out now, huh." Yuiitsu joked as he turned to face Hiroto. Clasping his hands together, Yuiitsu released his Earth-Style Wall, revealing the caravan in the shallow tunnel. " I can get us back to the surface, We'll leave these bandits here to dig themselves out later."

Once the caravan was out of the tunnel, Yuiitsu again used Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, forming a massive stone structure beneath the caravan. Within a few moments the caravan was on level ground again. Yuiitsu, having excreted a notable amount of chakra, took a deep breath as a bead of sweat began forming on his forehead. Though he was far from exhausted, the excessive use of Earth Release wasn't nothing, and wear was beginning to show on Yuiitsu. As the caravan began making its way farther into the Land of Earth,

"Are you alright?" Hiroto asked, sounding concerned.

Yuiitsu looked at Hiroto, a warm smile showing through the minor fatigue. "I'm fine. Just takes a little effort using all that Ninjutsu is all."

"I still can't beleive you took all those guys out with one attack. It was so cool how you smashed through the wall and just whipped them all out!"

"Just part of my job Hiroto. Just part of my job."

The rest of the caravan's journey was uneventful. Not even was squeaky wheel was left to hinder the journey. Within a few hours the caravan arrived at a small town, nothing more than a small collection of single story buildings, nestled in a mountain valley. One of there few settlements were braving the winter was bearable. The settlers made great use of the natural hot springs and nearby caves. Though only a hundred strong, the settlers had carved out a decent living. Best of all, there was no social classes here. Everyone was an equal, just how Yuiitsu liked it. This was his 6th and final escort mission to this settlement this fall. All had been successful, ensuring the settlement had plenty of food to last the winter. With natural protection from the surrounding mountains making the area hard to access during the winter, the settlement looked set for the coming months. Many of them personally felt the need to thank Yuiitsu once her arrived, for all that he had done. But Yuiitsu always simply smiled and told them he was simply doing what he was hired to do. After helping divide up the supplied the caravan had brought, Hiroto's father presented five bags of food, perishable and nonperishable, and supplies, essential and luxuries, to Yuiitsu, two more than the original payment amount.

"A hefty bonus as promised." Hiroto's father said. "Oh and thank you."

"All in a day's work." Yuiitsu replied as he accepted the payment.

"Not that." Hiroto's father stated, his expression dead serious. "Thank you for not killing those bandits in front of my son. He's been luck so far in life, even with my wife's passing when he was born." Hiroto's father paused for a moment, whether in remembrance of his late wife or to let his words sink in, Yuiitsu was unsure. "It's a damn cruel world Yuiitsu, there isn't a lot of innocence left, in any of us. Thanks for letting my son keep his just a little longer."

Yuiitsu was unsure what to make of the man's words. Accepting the man's thanks seemed almost hypocritical, as he had fully intended to bury the bandits alive in that shallow cavern, bringing down all the weight of the rock above them to end their lives. It was true he changed his mind for Hiroto's sake, but even so Yuiitsu couldn't bring himself to accept the apology.

"I just didn't feel it was necessary to do such a thing." Yuiitsu lied after an uneasy pause. "I think they've learned their lesson. If not I'm more than willing to tech the lesson again." With that, Yuiitsu took his payment and headed home.

Home for Yuiitsu, for the last month at least, had been a deep cave hidden within one of the mountains near the settlement. Though the settlers had offered him refuge, Yuiitsu preferred a more naturalistic setting. Caves had been his primary form of shelter for a long as he could remember, though that was only about eight years. Caves were the best protection nature could provide, and they complimented Yuiitsu's Earth Release quite well, allowing him to reshape the structures as he saw fit. If he needed more space, he could make more space, if he needed more storage, he could make more storage and if he needed another exit he could make another exit. It was that simple. The mountain itself offered its own advantages. At its base there was a small crevice that lead to a small undergroup spring, one of the two used by the settlers. At its peak, Yuiitsu could store his perishable goods, taking advantage of the colder elevations. This made the possibility of him being robbed rather slim, as getting to the peak was difficult and the cold detoured most humans and animals. Yuiitsu often considered making this his permanent residence, settling down for the first time in his young life. Perhaps once the earth thawed with the return of the Spring, he would make one more trip across the continent. One more adventure before finally settling on a real home.

That was a quest for another day. This day was just about over. Entering his makeshift home with his goods, Yuiitsu immediately sat down on his sleeping mat. The day had been tiring, but not exhausting, leaving Yuiitsu still feeling wide awake despite wanting to simply rest his eyes. For times such as this, Yuiitsu had something to pass the time. Reaching into a bag not far form his sleeping mat, Yuiitsu retrieved a small book, the title reading "Life in the Leaf: A Villager's Memories" in faded black characters. The book, in Yuiitsu's opinion, was a timeless treasure, telling of what life was like hundreds of years prior. He had traded nearly five days worth of supplied for the book when he first started working for the settlement. It was nothing short of a miracle such an item had survived all this time, let alone was legible. At the moment, Yuiitsu was reading the villager's account of when ninja rained bombs from the sky onto the now long extinct Hidden Leaf Village, and his mourning over the loss of his youngest brother.

"Even after all this time." Yuiitsu said to himself, the light of a single candle flickering a dim light over the pages of the book. "It's been hundred of years, countless wars over things as trivial as land, so many lives lost, and human's haven't changed. We all strive to be superior to those next to us. We all need to be better than everyone else. Perhaps, peace, is simply nothing more than a naive idea. People will never see each other as equals. Without equality, there can not be peace." As Yuiitsu finished his words, his eyes began to close on their own, his mind drifting off as he fell asleep.

Isei Kigasei
Isei woke up later than usual; she knows it about that time where she goes and "feeds". She gathers her daily report from her bats. They say there is a large group heading towards the caves. Though most of the group seems harmless, there is one who possess unique strength and speed. He was able to take out a group of nine bandits on his own. Though he was unable to complete the task allowing the leader to escape.

Isei yawns and tell the two bats "Keep an eye on that man for me, I have a feeling I am going to have quite a feast"

"Sounds good" replied the bats.

"One more thing, make sure you tell the other to keep an eye on other groups outside of the caves, winter is upon us and I have a feeling that we are going to have a lot of newcomers" Isei says this as she begins to stretch and uses her dojutsu to see the bandits life force.

"No problemo Isei" that bats respond and leave Isei

"I guess its about that time, yes; he has a pretty good life force" tells her self in her head. After this she leave to go find her prey

As she waits for him at the top of the hill she thinks about the old times, when she was with "him". She hopes that his final words were true so she would be able to see him once again. Before she knew it, she could hear the man running up.

As the bandit reached the top, he was shocked to see Isei sitting there. He quickly asks "Who are you and why are you here"

Isei responded with "Does it matter, all you need to know is that just like your friends who were defeated, you shall be defeated and killed"

The man barely had time to say "So you are with them huh, you are gonna pay" as Isei rushed towards the man and punched him with all her strength. The man lost all his breathe and Isei got to work. After taking most of his cells, Isei returned to her younger, healthier look.

"Ah yes it good to be back, if that man with his is a threat, I must be a full strength if I'm going to face him" Isei states this and then decides to return to the cave to get an update.

Yaseimei Clan
Atsumu was starting off late getting off on his quest. Stuff had come up the day before and he had to leave for his mission a day later than he expected. He and a small team of his clan mates, consisting of a regular hunter and a pair of novices, were starting to head towards the land of demons, after rumors of a powerful artifact had surfaced as being in that land. His clan master did not take the risk of sending a few of her own so far away lightly, but it was an opportunity the clan could not afford to pass up. If it was as powerful as the rumors had said, the clan could definitely use it's abilities. So she assembled a small team to undertake the trek. Being only four in number they could not expect to handle an army by themselves, but with their animal forms and endurance they could probably outmaneuver one.

"Naka, Shallot, I know this is your first time to head so far from the village, but we shouldn't run into too much trouble, and if we do run into any, Mara and I shall try to handle it. Just stay close and don't poke your nose into a trap, and we should get through this just fine. Worst comes to worse, we can hide out til winter starts in earnest and slip out then. There is a reason we teach everyone to transform into Snow Ligers, they can move in the winter almost as easily as we can in the summer. Mara, I know you can be a bit headstrong, but let me take the lead on this one. An artifact of any real power isn't likely to be unguarded, and last thing I want is to lose someone to some ancient defense they have guarding the place. You guys ready?" Atsumu said to his team mates before waiting to see their nods of acknowledgement.

Mara was a veteran of more than a few fights, but both the novices were fairly new. The clan just couldn't afford to spare more than a top tier hunter and a single regular for such a low odds mission. So they threw in a pair of novices for backup. Both primarily were ranged form users, which hopefully would keep them out of trouble. Mara on the other hand was an extremely headstrong individual, preferring to get right in the middle of things. Hopefully she'd keep a cool head though, and play this smart. This wasn't their usual territory they were entering and none of them knew what was going to happen. All he could do was hope.

"Alright, let's get going" Atsumu said as his form started liquefying, morphing into the form of a dread wolf. The dread wolf was about three times the size of a normal grey wolf but about four times as mean. However it was a quick form noted for extreme endurance. It should allow them to move quickly, something needed for the far away land of demons, though the trip would still take several days to complete. Let's just hope nothing delayed them.

'The path before you is littered with shrapnel and bits of kunai. Blood is scattered across the moody trail, turning the dirt a bitter red. It's obvious that a fight has broken out in this direction. To your left is another trail which seems to curve and bend more than this one. However, that trail itself is void of any signs of combat. Without much information, you can discern that the blood-littered trail is indeed the shortest but perhaps the most dangerous while the other trail is longer but less dangerous.''

Yuiitsu
Storing his food up on the upper part of the mountain had seemed like an ingenious idea. The cold air keep his perishables preserved and few animals, let alone any people, were capable of reaching it. It was a simple and effective way to keep his perishable goods safe and fresh. There was one issue with it that Yuiitsu had to find out the hard way, and that was the fact that HE had to climb the mountain to get to it. A task only made harder by the icy winds approaching the mountain's peak.

Latched onto the face of a tall cliff, Yuiitsu was very much questioning whether or not the major drawback to his choice in food storage was worth it. Yuiitsu's hands, having been converted to steel and covered in the microscopic hooks, were scaling the rocks with ease, while Yuiitsu used simple chakra control to keep his feet to the rock. The combination of techniques decreased the likely hood Yuiitsu would make a mistake and fall off the rock. From this height, survival would be unlikely, even for him.

Now braving the coldest stretch of the mountain, Yuiitsu had dawned a black cloak to help shield him from the cold. Several pieces of rope were wrapped around his chest, keeping the cloak tight to his body while ensuring the bag of supplied slung onto this back remained secure. It wasn't a pretty setup, but it worked. Yuiitsu began increasing his pace up the cliff, not wanting to stay up in the cold environment longer than he had to. As soon as he reached to top of the cliff, he could drop off his food and hurry back down the the base of the mountain, where he could lay back and enjoy the hot spring.