The Wolf, The Snake, & The Young Buck

MISSION:

Miyamoto had been watching the camp for little over an hour now with no signs of anything suspicious happening.  Other than the fact that the Jaws of Grimma were camping two miles out into the forests of Hoshigakure.  They were becoming bold, and their audacious movements against larger caravans was beginning to cause trouble in Hoshigakure.  He was not asked for any missions formally, but still he was given a few scrolls explaining as to what was happening and how it needed to be kept quiet. He ventured out to create a log on how the bandits moved throughout the countryside.  Miyamoto knew that there were many little houses on the edge of Hoshigakure that did not rely on the safety of the village proper, but regardless they were still apart of the country he was sworn to defend.  

In his travels through the forest and surrounding countryside he came across many farms and temples of monks that kept exclusively to themselves.  They knew who he was because of his uniform, but non hindered his investigation.  Early off he actually stopped by a squalid looking house deep in the woods, it was in a small clearing with a couple of pens for livestock and shacks for when they needed to hunt or when Miyamoto wanted to play hide and seek as a child  He really did love this place, and was happy to be visiting again even under the circumstances.  The family there gave his family shelter when they were still refugees.  Miyamoto made a point to stop there from time to time to thank them and to offer an help he could.  Upon his arrival they welcomed him with hugs and handshakes as they saw what he had achieved since his last visit after graduating the academy.  As he enjoyed a drink of mineral well water they told Miyamoto of a Jaws of Grimma camp that has been moving through the woods.  They were scared that they were going to take over the area, and their family would be in danger.  Their child, a six year old girl with no shinobi talent seemed unafraid, but with Miyamoto’s Mind Eye of the Kagura he could tell she was lying.  He smiled and assured them that he would take care of whatever was going on as they told Miyamoto where the camp should be located he thanked them all and with a soft smile he walked out and back towards the direction of the camp.  

The surprising thing about it all was that the ones at the campsite seemed more like foot soldiers with no real leader.  Miyamoto thought about taking care of the camp, wiping them out before they could become a problem would be easier than taking out a few, leaving some to escape, later having to handle a large group that was coordinated by stronger leaders and guerilla tactics by a foe that knew the countryside better than most.  He remembered when he was on a mission in the past to help save a foreign dignitary.  The fact that he never had the chance to complete the mission in its entirety made him still uneasy, but at the same time he now was more at peace with what he had to do when confronted with an enemy.  As he continued to watch, more and more seemed to gather, some were armed with weapons of a caliber that was not usually seen with bandits, then there were some dressed like shinobi.  Miyamoto saw that the day was growing shorter by the minute, so he silently maneuvered his way down the tree, making sure to cause as little noise as he could.  His plan would be to knock out as many as he could, before sending word back through a summoned shinobi messenger pigeon, that he was given at the beginning of his missions.  If everything were to go as planned  the shinobi forces would arrive quickly to capture or dispose the fools here and question them away from the public eye of Hoshigakure to find their leader.

Now on the same level as the bandits he moved silently, taking care to only have one hand out ahead of him so he could defend use jutsu if needed, his other hand was on his ninjato underneath his cloak ready for the attack if he needed to.  He reached out using his chakra and the Mind eye of the Kagura ad was able to find that there was a grand total of twenty eight bandits in and around the camp.  Of those twenty eight, four had enough chakra to be able to use jutsu if they wanted.  He targeted the nearest one that remained in the forest to provide watch.  As he moved within a meter of him he used the hiding like a mole technique to get under the watcher, then drag him down using the headhunter technique.  The moment the watcher felt himself being pulled he panicked and nearly yelled.  Before he could though, Miyamoto was able to close his mouth.  He quickly knocked the watcher out before darting to each watcher surrounding the campsite.  He was quick and thorough so that he would not be discovered, and so far only one of the watchers had been mortally wounded due to Miyamoto having to resort to fighting the bandit even after Miyamoto had buried him, it seemed that the bandit was a bit stronger than anticipated.  The fight was swift and neither had a moment to speak as Miyamoto was quick to assess the situation and without much struggle he was able to incapacitate his foe.  Strong willed bandits were always the worst to deal with...but as he found out, a good, quick hand chop to the side of the neck with ample force would of course cause any bandit to go limp as they would be knocked unconscious.

“The more you fools try...the harder I have to hit you…”  He would say under his breath as he took in a sigh

After the watchers were taken care of Miyamoto stuck close to the camp so that he could watch and listen.  As he did so he learned that the one that they referred to as Grigg The Goat.  Apparently Grigg was a former shinobi from a foreign land, he commanded the men at the camp through fear due to his strength in earth and water jutsu which he liked to use whenever he could to drive home his orders in the bandits heads.  Miyamoto continued to watch, moving whenever someone came closer to the edge of the camp.  As he blended in with the background of the brush there was talk of mounting an attack on Hoshigakure under the cloak of the next heavy rain.  Their plans included raiding a queensmen armory located near the village gates.  It was bold even for the bandits, and Miyamoto made a note of this in his head he began to formulate a plan on how to take care of the issue as soon as possible.

As the evening grew long he noticed that there seemed a different air about the camp.  Everyone seemed tense, then it occurred that his observance mission might have gone on too long due to the fact that none of the watchers have come back.  He could have gotten away with maybe an hour or two more, but the air around the camp suddenly changed.  Grigg suddenly  ordered a group of five men to go to the positions of where the watchers were supposed to be located as the sun disappeared behind the trees.  Telling them that something was definitely up, he felt he was being watched.  He continued on to say that if they were not back in ten minutes that they were tearing up the camp and moving on due to Grigg not wanting to be caught so close to Hoshigakure.  They would have to venture deeper into the forest to make sure to establish a better route to the roads to gather supplies and so that they could remain undetected by shinobi forces.  With a sharp grunt Miyamoto pulled the scroll out quickly, he would not have another shot at stopping these fools, and surely they would know what has transpired here if they found the watchers.  As he opened the scroll and quickly nipped his finger, but before he could activate the seal he heard the trigger of an alarm near the other side of the camp.  Grigg and his men all grabbed weapons and hurried to see what the commotion was.  Miyamoto quickly put the scroll away before taking a few deep breaths.  It could have been an animal or something else, as far as he knew he was the only one investigating this area at the time.  He put the seal away, and in his confusion he did not realize that in the camp was Grigg’s tent.  He followed the bandits as the camp seemed empty during his pass by.  He was able to quickly catch up to the group as they seemed to move with an urgency and coordination unlike anything that he was told about the group before.  Making a quick note as he scanned over the group, he found Grigg.  Located in the back, watching the group, he made no noise as he walked and barked no orders...it was like the group was all on the same page, yet another surprise card this group was holding in their unseen hand.  They came upon the cause of the alarm then as Miyamoto’s eyes grew wide.  There was an female, dressed in what appeared to be rags, caught inside of a pit trap.  She seemed to be ok, but scared beyond her wildest dreams.  As the group surrounded the trap there were a few laughs, some jokes, but still an overall silence until Grigg made his debut before the pit.  Upon further inspection, Miyamoto saw that there was many wires all attached to a few trees with seals that were now broken and burned...where were they getting the information to use shinobi arts like this.  As Miyamoto watched Grigg retrieved the girl from the hole, she appeared to be roughly the same height as Miyamoto, and the way her voice quivered when she spoke, as well as how the rags hung from her body further proved she was some sort of refugee who was so scared that she might even pass out from fear.  Miyamoto had a tight grip on his ninjato as Grigg seemed to whisper to the girl which made her stiffen up before she became limp.  She passed out on his shoulder just as another group joined Grigg and the others as they cheered for a few moments.  They seemed like a wolf that just caught their prey, and even though Miyamoto was high enough into the trees to not be able to hear, he could see the body language they all used.  This girl was being blamed for the attacks on the watchers, and they seemed to be one short.  Apparently one of the watchers had a stab wound that was so clean that they think the girl is bad.  Miyamoto was thinking of something he could do now, but found himself at a loss.  He had trained to take on multiple enemies, but the technique he was currently learning could take everything around him out quickly, but he might kill the girl.  Miyamoto punched the tree a bit harder than he should have as he noticed Grigg make a small movement.  With a quick thought he performed the transformation jutsu to appear to be apart of the tree as Grigg looked over to where Miyamoto was located.  A wave of his arm and the group began to walk back to camp, in a tighter formation than last time.  AS they left the area, he transformed back and sat on the branch.  Thinking to himself as the evening turned to night he was frustrated, but even if he could signal shinobi forces tonight...the girl might still die.  He had to do something...and he needed to do it quickly.

A loud thud rocked Miyamoto as he fell from the tree. As he hit the ground his vision was fading in and out. He looked up as a bandit grabbed him by the collar of his jacket. Miyamoto slowly faded into unconsiousness he heard a voice call out.

"We got another one here Big Boss!" a voice called out as laughter filled his head that was not his.

"Damn it Ayato...why do you always have to be right..." He thought to himself.

WC:2050/4000 for Antlion Technique

The Chuunin moved to the opposite side of the bank to examine the print further. Most definitely a boot. He looked close by, scouring the ground until a second print identified itself. Ayato stepped closer, repeating until he had a solid trail to follow. Crushed branches and chopped bushes created a line through the normally untouched forest, a track that was easy for Ayato to find. 

Before long, Ayato happened upon a camp. A few tents were set up. Weapons lazily rested against a tree. A fire was still warm though the flames had died. And behind, stacks of logs were piled up, tied together in tight bushels like those resting beside the fires in his house. The loud noise must have been a tree falling, but why? Why so much wood? Unless they were planning to make camp for a while" Or for a much larger crowd— Jaws of Grimma band, perhaps. His mind spun. This was more proof than Ayato had ever hoped to find, more information than he was prepared for. The Kage had to know, immediately.
 
No trace of Miyamoto, though. 
 
Ayato was not leaving without him. He had been tracking him for a while now, holding the ram seal to keep the C-rank Fuinjutsu Mark Tracking activated at all times. When the younger shinobi did not show up at their rendezvous point after their scouting should by all accounts have been over, there was no need to take into consideration what might have happened. “Always check behind you.” A lesson that had been drilled into him since infancy and Ayato had told his teammate a hundred times. But Miyamoto for all his talent had been always all heart and no brain, bushes rustling would sooner make him forget all about it and charge, believing it in his excitement to be the enemy’s secret hideout. And best case scenario he would only find Shouhei Sato taking a shit.
 
Laughter. Deep, boastful, taunting laughter. The sound of men who thought they had won without even realizing the fight had yet to be fought. Using the growing darkness as a cover, Ayato moved closer to the noise. In the following moment his body, his very soul felt as one with the forest. The dirt seemed to soften upon contact with his feet, muting any sound his footstep might have made. The trees opened wide, letting his slender figure move swiftly between them. Even the animals quieted, as though they were in on the same mission as he was. As the moon disappeared, behind iron black clouds a fire brightened into view, flickering through the woods like a beacon for Ayato Hyuuga to follow. “ I have happened upon another camp.” Ayato crept as close as he dared before stopping behind a large tree trunk and peering around the edge to survey the scene. There were five people —four men smiling, and one kid distinctly more sullen. “Miyamoto the hero.” Ayato thought dryly, taking in the straps binding his ankles and the harsh angles of his arms, which must be bound behind his back.

It was their laughter that had rung through the trees. They were not particularly large or threatening, more like weasels than wolves, but still, he was outnumbered. Ayato looked at the red tint to their cheeks, the jugs in their hands, the wide smiles plastered on their plump lips. Something was odd about them like they had learned too long over a fire and breathed in too many fumes. Their eyes were vacant, open, but unaware. Perhaps it would be easier than the taijutsu user had realized. Ayato reached for the needles at his waist but grasped nothing. He looked down, wincing at his idiocy.
 
The weapons pouch must have dropped into his earlier fight. His needles probably a long distance away, back in the forest lying useless on the ground. Using the firelight, he searched the ground for something that might substitute for a needle, but a branch would not be nimble enough to wield with pinpoint accuracy against four foes. On the other hand, if he charged in for a fistfight he could knock out one maybe, but four? No. Ayato turned back to the camp. They had to have weapons. He crept in a circle, moving behind the trees and just out of sight. The men looked unarmed and relaxed. But surely they kept protection with them.
 
And then a bright light caught his Byakugan, and he looked closer. "The hint of flickering blades" Ayato sighed, it will have to do. It looked like a kunai, slightly longer with a curved edge rather than a straight one, and a cuff circled the handle. But it was a few feet out of reach. Ayato would have to expose himself before grabbing it, would have to leave his hiding. If one of them held a weapon he couldn't see, Ayato would be dead before he even reached. This, not a superhero story where you leap in to save the day while being severely outnumbered and survive with plot armor. Slamming a fist against his leg in frustration, he searched for another option. But there was none.
 
A croaking sound caught his ear, echoing closer and closer. From his peripheral, Ayato saw the one who had the watch look up with a gleam of horror, the smallest hint of a frown. A squeal sounded through the darkness. All four captors looked up from the fire, brows furrowed. "Brynden", Ayato realized. Ayato’s control over his Crow summon hadn’t been tight enough—thank the gods  The thunder got louder, quicker. The men stood and turned toward the darkness on swaying feet, searching for the cause of the noise. Before he had time to second guess, Ayato jumped from the trees and ran the short distance to the gleaming knife, gripping its cool hilt. Ayato looked up, right into the crystal green irises of his teammate. They were wide, shocked, and then satisfied.
 
A deep yell interrupted his focus, and Ayato stood swiftly, swinging the palm of his hand into the throat of the man reaching for the weapons at his feet. Blooded spurted out, raining on him like a wave as he crashed to the ground. Before it was too late, Ayato gripped another blade from the pile, this one smaller and more like the kunai he was used to. Another man turned from the darkness, looking straight at him, and he acted out of reflex. The blade landed with a thud against his forehead, sinking until only the hilt remained. All life left the wilding’s face before he fell, knees first, to the ground. 

The last two men spun, taking Ayato in with surprise. He was smaller than them it seemed,  but that didn’t mean he was any less threatening. And two of the Jaws of Grimma companions were already down. They stepped apart, circling him, coming closer at two different angles, and his heart sank. These men were trained—intelligence reflected in their eyes, their movements. He had never been in such a real, life-threating fight before, not one where he was severely outnumbered. Cowards were different; they tried to run. Tacticians like Genevieve Oasis were used to bidding their time. But these Jaws of Grimma had turned in the challenge.
 
He took the Gentle Fist Stance and brought the open palms up in front of his face, flicking his gaze from side to side, never taking either man out of sight. They were creeping in. Miyamoto was wriggling his body, trying to get free of his bindings, was yelling out to Ayato, but he couldn't hear his words.  Ayato’s own breath - loud and ragged was the only thing that filled his ears. His head was pounding and his heart hammered with the decision to move left or right. 

Which man would he face and which would he turn his back on? He had to choose soon before they were both on him, unchallenged. One. He flicked to the smaller man, coming in from the right. Two. His attention shifted to the larger man on the left, his eyes more unfocused, and his footing a little more unsure. Three. Ayato jumped and feigned right before moving all of his weight to the left. The man was slow, but his bicep rose just in time to block Ayato’s blow with his forearm. The fingertips dug deep into the leather strapped to his skin, and though blood seeped through, it was not enough. Ayato pulled, but the fingers had dug too deeply and Ayato could not get them free. The man reached with his uninjured arm, wrapping long fingers around his throat. The man was too big. He kicked as his grip tightened. His breath wouldn't come.
 
“It’s useless, shinobi. Small Paul killed one of yer kind with a hug, once.You won’t be as lucky. I’ll cut yer ass to tiny pieces.” The other bandit said jollily,  as Small Paul’s fingers squeezed, lifting Ayato onto his toes as he tried to fight. "Have I only lived, to die like this? Could I really be that hopeless?"  Over his shoulder, the other man grabbed a weapon and raised it high over his head. Ayato tugged at the hand trapping him, but it did not budge. The other man readied his aim, preparing to lunge the metal straight through Ayato’s back. Ayato closed his eyes, prepping for the blow, his family's faces flashing in the darkness.
 
“Ayato-kun, what do you want to be when you grow up?”
 
A new sense of failure and helplessness penetrated him. But the pain never came. Instead, the flapping of wings broke into the clearing and a terrifying human scream sounded in Ayato’s ears. The grip on his throat tightened. He opened his eyes, looking over his shoulder at the broken body under the crow's talons The man's skull had been slashed down by what appeared to be saws—his insides oozed out onto the grass. He looked forward into the fearful eyes of the big man known as Small Paul and then, the Hyuuga shinobi knew what to do. The wilding’s muscles held him, so he jumped, using his arm as an anchor, and kicked both of his feet against Small Paul's chest - utilizing the Gentle Step: Front Kick. A second later, the Chuunin landed on the ground with a loud thud, banging his already sore head against the dirt.

The bigger man stumbled back, and the figure of the raven soared into Ayato’s view, ramming into the bandit's chest with its beak. The wilding began to fall, coughing up blood - the impact of the collision with the red crow sending him flat on his back. Ayato reached for the sword -that the other fallen captor had dropped - and then stood. "If not for my crow summon, this sword would have pierced my gut." Like the rest of his companions, Small Paul was also dying, he could see. The strength had left of his enormous limbs, the knowledge of his own mortality seeped into his features. Ayato arched back, brought the knife deep down into Small Paul’s neck, and twisted until the body stilled. The Chuunin dropped the weapon and stumbled back, shuffling his feet closer to the stools by the fire until his body fell heavily on top of one.
 
“A thing of beauty” Brynden the Bloodraven croaked as it landed on the dead man’s chest. How could that damnable crow summon dare to say such a thing in front of his master? Ayato had just killed people how could there be any beauty in that...these four bodies were now limping on the ground, useless and heavy. And why had he killed them? 

Ayato’s white eyes colored like snow moved across the dirt, over the fire, and into the wary expression of the only other living person around. That feeling could swallow a man, could make him lose his sanity, could make him lash out at the nearest living being…which just happened to be Miyamoto, still bound like an infant in the crib.Ayato moved towards Miyamoto, dagger in hand.  A second later, the binds around his ankles had been slashed.

WC:2014|4000

He did not know where he was being moved to, or even if he was being moved, all he knew was that he had been captured by the enemy and he was unconscious.  He was talking to himself inside of his head as he was in what could only be described as in his dream world. He was sitting down cross legged as he sighed in frustration.  In front of him was two other versions of himself, he interpreted these two as the two entities that had been with him since he was a child. One posing as Worr Terumi, was more like his desire and will, and the other was a glum looking version of Miyamoto that often spoke ill of him. He looked at the two of them as he sighed again, the two others walked around as if they were just pacing.
 
“So you had to take this mission huh?”  Asked Worr first as Miyamoto opened a single eye and glared back at him.
“No...just the fact that the Jaws exist are enough to spurn the hero of Hoshigakure.”  The Visage of self doubt spoke up with a sharp jab at the ego of Miyamoto.
 
Miyamoto stood up as he looked to the two of them.  He of course had other feelings and of course they all manifested themselves in some way, but not nearly as solid as these two.  He walked around with the pair as it looked like a circle was being drawn in the mud below their feet. 
 
“The Jaws of Grimma are a threat to the country, and with the abilities of rogue shinobi they could become an even bigger pain than what you two fail to realize.” Miyamoto started.
“Plus during the scouting they managed to capture a girl, I have to save her.  It is my duty.”  Miyamoto finished as the two looked at him.
 
“Big hero swooping in to save the day, big and powerful saving the damsel in distress...better at least get a kiss.” His self doubt said with a sly style.
 
Miyamoto stopped for a moment at that as he began to think, although he did present the thought that while he imagined this, he was indeed thinking this...he was deviating from his own plan.  So he sat down again as the two disappeared from his view before he closed his eyes again.  It all went black again as he began to think of a plan.
 
“The Antlion technique could take out this entire camp, and at the time of this very irritable moment...that would be just fine to kill every last bandit in the area. However, Ayato was somewhere out in the forest...and that girl would be caught in the area as well.  Damn it!”  He said to himself as he felt his body being slumped over before straightened back out.  
 
He opened his eyes as he saw nothing but black, it was itchy...apparently they had placed a bag under his head.  He made no sudden movements as he could hear a muffled talking in front of him.  He checked to see how he was restrained.
 
“Legs...at the ankles, and arms...at the wrists...along with a bit of rope at his waist.  can’t feel my weapons...those cost me a bit too...they can’t possibly be too far away.” He said as he activated Mind Eye of the Kagura once more just to get a glimpse of what was around him.  
 
Using the technique he was able to find that there were five signatures...four of them match up with the bandits...the third belonged to his partner, Ayato. He could not help but smile underneath his bag.  He was uncomfortable, but he did not move as he knew what was about to happen.  It was over in a flash as Miyamoto watched it happen using the Mind Eye of the Kagura.  Ayato dispatched all four of his captors, even with minimal resistance.  Ayato was quick to grab a dagger after finishing off the captors as he cut the rope at his ankles.  He had to make sure this did not happen again...he knew that his partner would be pissed at him already for not watching his back properly. He was going to take the offensive here.  Removing the bag from his head, Miyamoto smiled at Ayato before looking pissed at him, glaring at him.


“You know I could have gotten out by myself ass hat.” Miyamoto said without a simple thank you, then with a quick scan he was able to see his coat near the far side of the fire with his weapons all attached. 
 
Miyamoto skillfully executed the rock fist technique to bust the ropes as he stood up and made a mad dash for the coat so he could retrieve his weapons.  With a quick glance back Miyamoto tossed a few kunai to Ayato, they landed in front of him in the cool dirt. Just as he did he felt the chakra of someone approaching fast. Miyamoto spun to the direction of the chakra indication just to see the very people that he did not want to see. Grigg the Goat and the rest of his men, the girl they had caught in a trap was slung over Grigg’s shoulder.
 
“Shit…”  Miyamoto said through gritted teeth.
 
Grigg saw the scene as he shrugged and pointed at Miyamoto and Ayato.
 
“Kill em’ both...whoever brings me their heads gets to keep their items.” He said calmly as Miyamoto pulled his ninjato from the sheath.
 
Miyamoto looked to the girl, then to Ayato, then to Grigg.  He was quick as backed up to where Ayato was, the bandits surrounded them with drawn weapons.
 
“Well Ayato, get the girl and get your fucking ass out of here...I am going to finish these bastards all by myself with that technique I told you about...also just in case neither of us make it out of this mission alive...” Miyamoto considered his few options of what to say before finally
"I hate your guts."  He proclaimed with a sly nervous grin as he got low into a fighting stance.  The wind died down around the forest, of course in his head Miyamoto said that if they died here he would find Ayato in the Afterlife and kick his ass, but every bit of the thought fell away as the wind fell to the sound of footsteps and breaths of the bloodthirsty.
1,040/3060

Ayato’s mission record spoke for itself, giving him a depth of technical know-how that most shinobi in this village seemed to lack. One of the reason when he had agreed on taking this mission, the higher ups had agreed and courteously commended on his courage. Ayato was positive he could finish it without leaving a trail of corpses behind. Tracing the Jaws of Grimma to their camp was more proof than Ayato had ever hoped to find, more information than he was prepared for.
 
Some bolder notions crossed his mind of course. All he had to do was kill Grigg the Goat, leaderless the Jaws of Grimma would scatter or panic, leaving enough time for a larger shinobi to swoop in and arrest them. With no leader to rally them up, it would be as easy as carving a cake. But Ayato had always been more cautious than bold if truth be told.
 
Yet things had gone south anyway, with Miyamoto getting captured. Judging from the lack of the havoc that Miyamoto Terumi usually left behind whenever he fought, Ayato figured he must have been taken unaware. It had always been a possibility if truth be told, but this had alerted the bandits and now they were on the lookout, searching the forest for any other shinobi lurking around. “They must have expected, I would flee instead.” The honor guard they left behind to watch over Miyamoto, lying dead on Ayato’s feet. The Hyuuga Gentle Fist work also salted with Brynden’s most magnificent claw - face tearing attack that even women with polished fingernails would have been jealous off.
 
The boy ninja was brave and loyal, and Ayato thought less of a problem dealing with straight up assholeness than with a sly cunt.Ayato wouldn’t really ask him to answer for his action nor would he start giving him a lecture, besides one would think the bump in his head and soreness of being knocked out senseless would have sufficed. Then again perhaps not.
 
Miyamoto proclamation that he had the situation under control, did not come as much of a surprise, Miyamoto had been too prideful and the incident outside the Gates a month ago had soured the two’s relationship. “Without a doubt, you looked so terrifying while being tied like a baby on the crib, I bet the bandits had been pissing themselves,”  Ayato said dryly. “I can deal with your sullen pride another time, right now we need to make haste and head back -” Ayato’s Byakugan peripheral vision came across a faint, blue light that was no doubt a chakra signature. How could he have missed it before, when he arrived at the clearing? Even Brynden the Bloodraven seemed to have been taken aback as well, croaking loudly and bobbing his head to the side. A kid.  Ayato realized as he peered closer. For a moment a part of him hoped to it may have been Natsuki, yet the realization came too soon and crashed all his hopes. The hair color was wrong, and upon closer inspection, the kid was younger than she looked.
 
“What is the kid doing here? Is she being held a prisoner for ransom?” Ayato asked his teammate but he did not wait for a response. Either way, the girl was too far away from where she should. Ayato drew out a knife to cut her binds but the girl shrieked at the sight. Or perhaps it was at Ayato’s white eyes and the veins that bulged at his temples. Ayato not wishing to scare the girl any more than she already was, put the blade away and de-activated his Byakugan. With rough callused hands, he went to undo the knots of the thick rope that she was bound under. She eyed him with terrified gray eyes, not breaking contact even once as he undid her bonds - yet she remained silent in the meaning, not uttering as much as a word, only her ragged breath could be heard. Perhaps too scared to talk. Ayato made to calm her down with reassuring and quiet words that everything was alright now and that she was safe.
 
Then sudden clop of hoofs was heard in the distance, then a voice that belonged to a man, no two voices. “They are here sooner than I expected.” Ayato bristled - and they were coming for all of them. Moving his fingers as deftly as he could at that he to finish untying of the ropes that held the girl and restricted her movement.The thunder got closer and closer, and only a few moments later a column of Jaws of Grimma emerged from the darkness of the trees. Brigands dressed in ragged furs, holding torches and drawn blades, whitewood spears, and shields made of boiled leather.
 
“Kill em’ both...whoever brings me their heads gets to keep their items." Grigg the Goat proclaimed and with gust of cold wind the sheepskin cloak he wore billowed behind him for all the world to see. With all those rags he wore, it was hard to tell how big and strong he actually was. Other than his prolonged goatee, the bow he wielded as a weapon of choice was the only thing that stood out about him. Dark oak, smooth and featureless.
 
“Kill, kill” The red raven croaked, in a tone that came to look uncomfortably like amusement. Wretched bird, he better assists Ayato in combat this time, more efficiently than he did moments before. This made for the perfect to make a last stand against the wildlings. Their best choice would be to split up under different circumstances, then incorporate a hit and run strategy then, taking one opponent at the time. But currently, that would mean that one of the two had to stay back and keep some of these fuckers pinned on him as the other charged and broke through their shitty formation.
 
“Ayato get the girl and get your fucking ass out of here...I am going to finish these bastards all by myself with that technique I told you about…” Miyamoto Terumi proclaimed, for all to listen once again showcasing his twelve-year-old bravado that defined him. He must have been thinking the same thing as Ayato….and to have reached the same conclusion.
 
“Just in case neither of us make it out of this mission alive...” Miyamoto paused only for a brief moment, yet if felt like an hour in this haunted forest, surrounded by enemies. "I hate your guts." Ayato scoffed at that. “Aye, likewise mate.” The Chuunin said and the flapping of red wings followed. Brynden the Blooodraven landing on the girl’s shoulder. his claws tearing into her soft flesh lifting her into the air and flying high, as she gave a muffled scream feeling with pain and terror. The bandits below bellowed orders and threw curses at the Ayato’s crow summoning. Then it was spears and arrow at him that loosened at him instead of words, yet all seemed too slow to reach him. Genjutsu, Ayato realized. But there was no time to dwell on it, he had to go now that they were distracted. And he went.
 
Running through the dark forest, the hooves of horses and clanking of mail behind him. The ground was a dump and muddy rocks and roots hidden under the crust that had formed on a new ground, waiting for the careless and the unwary to trip him up. After he had gained some distance from his pursuers Ayato jumped up high, onto a branch of giant sentinel tree. The branch was thicker than he had expected, and it did not tilt from his weight.
 
Ayato reached his pouch and pulled out a thin and sharp senbon needle - so sharp that he could shave them both it. Combined with his skill Gentle Fist: Senbon Needle he infused bits of his chakra within it. Then they came. Two bandits side by side, both were dressed in dear rags, one slightly bigger than the other yielding an axe. The other man of shorter stature had a bow and quiver strapped on his back. He would have started with him, arrows would sooner reach Ayato than the axe. However, it was the bigger one with the axe that also held blowing the horn on his worn gray belt.
 
“Don’t see a fooking thing, you sure it’s this-” The bandit with the horn barely managed to say as the needle landed against the nape of his neck. His vertebrae were severed and he was unconsciousness before a rough pockmarked face landed in the mud with a thud.
 
Ayato made to throw another, but the second bandit was quicker than Ayato had expected. And was already with a bow in hand, ready to set the oiled string loose. A “thum” followed, and the loosened shaft pierced through the meat of Ayato’s shoulder as if it were cheesecloth, before landing on the bark of the tree. Severe pain followed and the Hyuuga made a muffled scream as he stumbled back.  He was falling from the edge of the enormous wooden branch he stood upon. His fall was short with a shifting focus to the soles of his feet, Ayato’s high laced boots remained glued.
 
The world was upside down but he spun all the same. The veins of his uninjured hand bulging red with pressure, the air projectile left his and traveled diagonally towards the ground and the adversary there. Yet the shot was too clumsy to reach with actual precision and Ayato had executed with his right non-dominant hand. It missed the target by a good two meters - kicking up dust and wooden splinters from the ground. And that was a better result than he could have ever hoped for.
 
The bandit loosened his shaft a second later than he should, and not with the same steady hand as he did a second ago. It was still traveling for bullseyes, but all Ayato had to do to not suffer was break his focus and fall - for real this time. Spinning mid-air he landed with a soft thud on the ground and he hissed in agony from the pain in his injured shoulder. There was no time to lament on it - not even look at the adversary. immediately leaped into cover behind the rock, as an arrow hissed past his face.
 
He had made the right call it seemed.
 
A moment earlier when the cloud of dust and splinters had yet to settle, Ayato with Dojutsu could see the enemy’s figure clearly through it. That may have been the perfect opportunity to launch an attack and settle this fight. But that was only wishful thinking, the bandit was able to track him even when he had his chakra suppressed. Perhaps it was just a fluke.Truth be told it was the precaution that made Ayato leap into cover, yet came to an arrow from the cloud of smoke all the same. This was no ordinary sensory technique to keep track of someone and that bandit was too good to be just a common foot soldier. Those dark onyx eyes, he could feel them upon him, a killer’s eyes - gray, cold and full of bloodlust. “Is that you Goat? Come ahead, I never feared anyone, much less a dirty brigand smelling of piss like you.”
 
There was no time for provocation though, Ayato was too far away to do any damage his adversary. But provoking the Jaw's captain into close quarters was his best chance. Ayato couldn’t possibly reach him with fifteen-meter vacuum palm, and even with his needles and there was no way to outspeed the brigand’s bow and arrow. Worst of all, Grigg Goat knew all that. He had positioned himself a good thirty meters away from where Ayato was hidden and was ready to loose an arrow, the moment Ayato popped his head out of cover. There was nothing to gain even from acting up, at this rate Ayto couldn’t do anything.

“This is a good hunt.” Grigg the Goat croaked in a rasping laughter as he readied yet another arrow with a steady hand.”But won't be for long. Your life will soon perish, you reek of blood and death. I can feel your ghost's presence.” He laughed “So it's you who should come on and make it easy on of us. Come on,  you've caused me a lot of fookin trouble, already.” The light of moon and stars fell upon the dark oak bow he held in his hands, giving a unique beauty as the wood swallowed the moonlight.

Ayato pressed his back against the rock, stiffening - clenching his jaw so hard that for a moment he thought it might break.This was his best shot, a technique he had not yet perfected. He had heard from someone that when you search for hope, you are so fucked up the point where hope is all you have bloody left. Today he found this out to be true - perhaps he would have given a small chuckle, in his amusement - but he was hurt too much to laugh now. The black haired Hyuuga gingerly touched the boulder and focused chakra upon a sweaty palm of the hand. Blood trickled down from his shoulder to his finger and then the fallen leaves on the ground. As he unleashed the technique, the bones in his arm gave a sickening crunch as they snapped - his figured blown away from the recoil, hurling through the mud. The boulder cracked from the force, and the whole thing broke off. The adversary’s onyx eyes opened in shock as the Four Sky Vacuum Palm projectile traveled onwards along with hundred pieces of stone. That was the last that Ayato Hyuuga saw of Grigg the Goat, notorious raider of the Jaws of Grimma.

WC:2306

Miyamoto heard the flapping of wings and the unfamiliar cry of something that only Ayato knew of what to do.  As he agreed with Miyamoto the girl that Miyamoto wanted to save was being flown away by some sort of large raven.  With a sly smile Miyamoto gripped his ninjato tight until he heard Ayato leap from the earth that they stood on.  Then the switch in his head flipped as Miyamoto reached into his weapons pouch and let loose two kunai that were expertly aimed as they caught two bandits between their eyes as he exhaled.  Taking a step forward he would bring his ninjato quickly through the neck of another bandit as a group broke off to fight an unseen enemy.
 
“Good pull…” Miyamoto said under his breath as he felt his core temperature rising.
“Have to be faster…”  He continued as he brought down his ninjato into the foot of a bandit as he ducked low from a swing of an axe.
 
The screams of bandits filled the forest as Miyamoto brought the ninjato up, stabbing the blade through the soft flesh under his chin, going up through his mouth. The bandit fell limp as Miyamoto kicked him away, the axe he held fell silently as with his other hand he caught it as the men surrounded him.  He swung the axe perpendicular to his waist as they moved in for an attack.  The swing cut the men like a hot knife through butter as he kept his breathing calm and even. More men filled the holes that the others fell, and Miyamoto saw no real end in sight, he never counted this many men earlier.  With a low growl he moved faster, striking as fast as he could as he tried to think of how he could execute the Antlion technique even though it would be his first time doing so.  It was not until he heard the muffled scream of his friend Ayato that he lost his track on the current situation.  He looked towards the scream to see his chakra signature, but again failing to watch his back as he felt a dagger being pushed into his back.  The cold iron caused Miyamoto to scream in pain as blood sprayed from the wound. Miyamoto moved as quick as he could to activate the temple of hephaestus technique as the bandits were bringing their weapons down.  He burst from the group and up above them as he had realized he had lost his cool. The blowing of a war horn signaled an even greater danger however, and Miyamoto was quick to use the Demon Lantern technique as he was in the air. Detonating the bombs as they spread around the camp another explosion near where Ayato was alerted him to the dire situation before the forest floor was filled with a heavy haze as the ground erupted in flame and dirt. Miyamoto landed on a leaning tree that seemed to have been damaged in the blast, the haze cleared to show that some of the group still remained.
 
“Shit…” Miyamoto said audibly as he launched off of the tree and hit the ground as men that were left seemed apprehensive to continue.
 
Miyamoto without a second thought used hiding like a mole technique as the remaining forces began to collect themselves and their weapons.  Using the Mind Eye of The Kagura again he saw that Ayato was far enough away from the theoretical reach of the technique.  With a sigh of relief he cleared his mind except for the technique itself. Picturing it in his mind he began to slow his breathing, he performed the hand seals slow and deliberate as he finished the last sign he quietly exhaled.

“See you all in hell.”  He said as he executed the Antlion technique, the ground quickly caved in around him as the screams were taken over by a dull roar as the ground seemed to swallow everything topside.
 
When Miyamoto came up from the ground, the technique finally ended. There were no signs of life on the forest floor at all.  With a heavy sigh Miyamoto kneeled to the ground as he focused on the wound in his back.  Slowly the wound became numb and so Miyamoto stood up.  He sat down there in the forest floor as he waited there.  He was out of energy at the moment and so he would wait for Ayato before leaving the forest to go turn in the girl and the mission briefing.  His body was battered, but he only felt pain from the stab wound he suffered.  It was shallow enough that by using Yin Healing Wound technique he was able to recoup easily.  Taking another look around and then hitting his hand against the earth he could see that his technique really did work as it was said to.
 
“This technique is strong enough to bring about the destruction of an army if it needs to.  Good, I need to be able to have an ace up my sleeve if I am to beat Ayato...I hope I do not have to use it on him though if it can be helped.”  He said softly before yawning.
 
He laid down across the ground, still remembering that he had killed today made him think back on the first time he was faced with the dilemma.  How was it so easy now...he had not aged much, and as he brought his hands up he saw that they were stained with the blood of his enemies...and he did not care about it. He was able to do a good thing. The disassembling of a Jaws of Grimma, saving a girl, he felt accomplished.  With a quick chuckle he just whistled, taking the chance to relax until it was time to leave.
 
If Ayato were to happen onto the scene Miyamoto would stand up and crack his knuckles before telling about what he did.  Noticing that the dried blood on Ayato looked like he had suffered a massive wound to his shoulder he chuckled as he showed Ayato the now sealed wound on his back.
 
“Guess we both have something to remember this mission by eh?”  Miyamoto would say in an almost inquiring tone.

[EXIT]
WC:1045/4105
Claiming: Antlion Technique with discounted WC: 3750, Mission rewards, 355 towards Iron Fortress

When he came back into consciousness he felt the deep throbbing ache in his left shoulder, where the arrow was jutting out the front. The forest had grown quiet...too quiet. What could have happened? Ayato was too weak to use the Byakugan right now. But the Mark tracking seal on Miyamoto indicated he was still where Ayato had left him. Has Miyamoto been taken captive once more, if so why did they not move him somewhere?  Or was it that the bandits kept true to their word and had killed the twelve-year-old where stood? No, it couldn't be that. If this happened to be the case Ayato wouldn't have been left alone to slumber into unconsciousness and back.

Ayato shook his head. He had no answer. It was too hard to think now...about Miyamoto, the girl, Grigg the Goat, any of it. Dizzy, he grabbed hold of the shaft and gave it a tug, but the arrowhead was sunk deep in the meat of his chest, and the pain when he pulled on it was excruciating. Clumsily he made to stand up, the throb of pain in his shoulder made him wince and then he had to swallow a scream. This is going to be ugly. The arrow had to come out, though, and nothing good could come of waiting.
 
Medical Ninjutsu was the solution Ayato was certain. As it happened he had recently started to familiarize himself with art. As far as a shinobi without that specialty could go at least. He had discovered the mechanics of the Medical Ninjutsu in one of the books that Hibari Hyuuga had brought along with their packs in Hoshi from their old compound in the clan's home village.
 
Ayato had even managed to successfully learn one, Chakra absorption that involved absorbing another's target energy upon contact.When Ayato read of the jutsu that upon contact with the user's skin he could use a complex algorithm to drain chakra and add it to his own he couldn't help but be fascinated. Ayato realized that if he added that technique to his arsenal he could potentially use the Chakra Absorption in conjunction with his Gentle Fist techniques - unleashing a flurry of palm strikes and absorbing chakra at the same time. Small good it did to him now.
 
There was another Medical technique though, one that through refined chakra control (an art that thankfully the Hyuuga clan was known for), could seal up a wound. Basic Medical Ninjutsu was categorized as C-rank so undoubtedly, Ayato’s shoulder would require further treatment afterward, but for now, it would suffice. Ayato focused chakra in his hand that glowed with a dim green light and curled his hand around the fletching. He took a deep breath and shoved it forward. He cursed aloud. It hurt so much he had to stop. "A Hyuuga bleeding like a butchered pig." and there was nothing to be done for it until the arrow was out he grimaced and tried again...and soon stopped, trembling.  This time he did scream, but when he was done the arrowhead was poking through the back of his shoulder.
 
Ayato’s arm had grown as stiff as wood, and pain had made him so light-headed that he twice he found himself having his vision blurred. Ayato pushed back his bloody Flak Jacket to get a better grip, grimaced and slowly drew the shaft through his shoulder. How he got past that without fainting he never knew. He laid on the ground afterward clutching his prize and bleeding quietly too weak to move. After a while, he realized that if he did not make himself move he was like yo bleed to death. Ayto crawled to the shallow stream, washed his shoulder in the cold water, and bound it tightly with a strip of cloth torn from his cloak. He washed the arrow too, turning it in his hands.
 
It was all he could do to force himself back to his feet and walk back into the camp where had left Miyamoto. A thick cloud of dirt and dust had been raised over the forest (courtesy of Miyamoto's technique), making Ayato unable to look past a few feet in front of him. The trees around him look like twisted shadows, roots waiting for Ayato to trip him up and break his neck. His only guide the Mark Tracking seal he had placed on Miyamoto...and somehow thanks to the pulled through. When he arrived at the clearing he came across a shadow that moved- and undoubtedly it belonged to younger shinobi. He was there after all, next to him another figure, smaller. 

The captive they had taken away from the hands of Jaws of Grimma. It seemed his summoned creature, Brynden the Bloodraven had succeeded in keeping her safe during the confrontation - the fact that he did not see him anywhere suggested that he had reversed summoned himself back into the forest of dreams. Without Ayato's knowledge or permission of course, but it didn't matter Brynden was far from the most amiable of summons.  Back to the person of interest, the captive was only a girl, and could be no older than ten. What was a kid doing in the forest in the first place? They hadn't heard of any recent raiding in the area nor that anyone had filed a missing person's report. Before he could process this, he was interrupted by Miyamoto's chuckle. 

“Guess we both have something to remember this mission by eh?”  Miyamoto would say in an almost inquiring tone, as he pointed at a closed wound on his back. Ayato could only scoff at that."A shame they didn't rip off that tongue of yours instead, then."  Ayato responded dryly, even talking seemed to make his shoulder throb. "Get the girl, we are going home," Ayato announced firmly to best of his abilities.



WC: 969
TWC: 5289
Claiming A-rank Thinning the Ranks mission rewards 
1875 to V6 Medical Ninjutsu 2500 - 25% = [1875|1875]
1500 to Mark Tracking 2000 - 25% = [1500|1500]
375 to Mark Seal  500 - 25% = [375|375]
1500 to Summoning Technique 2000 - 25% = [1500|1500]

Discarding remaining 39 words

Approved @both. You created an interesting story, good job guys.