bad Oni are bad? (Patrol mission C rank)

C rank mission:

This was crazy. Tsumi couldn't believe that this whole time there had been a mission board in the administration building and he hadn't thought to look there. Courier work was easy enough but he had been craving a mission forever. He had just reported into the administration building to ask where he had to go as the thought had occurred to him weeks after graduating to ask there. Imagine his surprise when they pointed to the other side of the room where missions were posted. Of course the first one he had picked had been a B rank mission but they (With some considerable patience) informed him he didn't qualify for it. Instead they brought up a simple patrol mission around the restricted training grounds and that he would be assigned a partner. Something about evil spirits haunting the place. Of course the spirits part was an exaggeration. He was one of the things they were sending them to hunt after all. Well that was fine. Send an Oni to take an Oni down made sense to him. So he was told his partner for the mission would be selected soon and he should wait to be notified. Surely this would be soon he thought.

So instead of going to his registered address and waiting there he would sit in the waiting area in the administration building. At first Tsumi was excited. his first real mission. Go and defeat evil doers and he would do so with his own bare hands. What Tsumi failed to realize was that his mission partner wasn't so much assigned involuntarily but was based on who was asking for the mission. Which meant that the time limit was open. From just after noon Tsumi sat there in his blue jeans and black tank top with the Oni symbol on the front. His hair tied back by his kumo headband into a pony tail. Combat boots on his feet. For the first couple of hours his bright yellow eyes watched everyone that came and went trying to determine his partner on appearance alone. However as the hours dragged on he began to idly fiddle with things. Flipping through magazines. Lounging here and there in different chairs between potty breaks. He only left briefly to get a cup of noodle and slurped that down real fast. Night began to fall outside and Tsumi would be found laying on his stomach across several chairs snoring in the waiting area. Dedicated to be there when his partner was assigned to him even if it meant fighting at night. He would spend the night there like that if he had to.

Marcus yawned, not bothering to cover his mouth as he did so. The young Kumo genin hadn't gotten much restful sleep the night before after he had been informed of the mission he was to partake in today. A courier had delivered an order to him to await at the administration building for a partner that had yet to be determined for a higher ranking mission that he had done for the village yet up to that point. He had done a few D ranks as well as a B rank mission for the Emporium, a fact that had apparently gotten him some attention among the people running the show in Kumogakure. It wasn't often a relatively new genin succeeded with one partner on a mission meant for chuunin and jonin, so here he was on a C rank mission with a fellow Kumogakure shinobi he had yet to meet. At least, that's what he thought the reason he was going on this mission was anyways.

He had his sensing abilities active like he almost always did, constantly practicing as he moved throughout the day. Doing so was somewhat tiring, but he had enough stamina to keep it up most of the time. Of course, that didn't count the days when he got assaulted by a jonin level woman capable of creating small lakes at the drop of a hat. But hopefully that wouldn't happen today. That would be... unfortunate for him to say the least.

Today he was wearing a full set of clothing which was a bit odd for him. Black trousers that were very loose fitting covered his legs with shinobi sandals protecting the bottoms of his feet. Various pouches and bags were strapped to his thighs and waist, each containing a healthy array of weaponry and field equipment that every genin should possess. He wasn't exactly proficient with any of it, but it was always better to have the stuff and not need it than need it and not have it. A burgundy colored sleeveless shirt covered his upper body, long slits cut in the sides to show a relatively well muscled body. Not anything spectacular or particularly toned, but one could tell he took care of himself. Marcus's hair was combed back in a slick manner today rather than in an unruly or spiky fashion, his emerald eyes having small bags under them to indicate his lack of rest.

The cause for concern was this mission in particular. He was supposed to go clear some ghosts out from the training grounds or some such nonsense. Marcus wasn't a superstitious man, but if the village was saying ghosts were real then it gave him cause for concern. Ghost stories had never sat right with him, and now he was supposed to go live one? What the hell was that? Thinking about it sent a shiver down his spine and goosebumps prickled his skin as the administration building came into view. Taking a deep breath, he made his way to and inside it.

Marcus made his way to the area where the missions were handed out including a board for missions that were available to any who wanted to take them. The genin walked up to the desk and tapped on it a couple times when the woman behind it didn't pay him any mind.

"Morning," he said tiredly and with a small smile. "I'm supposed to do a mission today hunting some Oni and was told someone would be meeting me here." The woman smiled and pointed towards someone resting in a seat nearby.

"Your original partner was unable to make it, but luckily there was someone near their rank looking for a mission today. He's sitting over there." Marcus thanked the woman and then made his way over to his partner. She had also given him his name, a person named 'Tsumi". Once Marcus got to him, he would tilt his head in a semi-formal greeting.

"Good morning," he started, trying to hide the exhaustion in his voice, "the name's Marcus Fujio. I'm told you're supposed to be my partner for a mission today." He extended his hand to shake Tsumi's own, trying to be polite without seeming like a stickler for formality. Marcus's sensory abilities read this man's signature, taking its initial impression so he could mull over it and see what kind of person Tsumi seemed to be.




Using:


Sensing, .5 upkeep


05/110 stamina used

To be honest Tsumi ha managed to fall asleep in the waiting area for the entire night. He had shifted three chairs to make a sort of bed and like any good idiot he could fall asleep anywhere. He spent the night sleeping there and getting up occasionally to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water from the water fountain. One staff member brought him a bagel to chew on as soon as the sun started to rise with a cup of some really bitter coffee. Truth be told he hadn't even really slept consecutively long enough for any of it to really matter. Naps here and there had him fairly aware of everything but slight bags had formed under his eyes. He would rub them with the bottom of his right palm once the sun started to shine through the windows. He had begun to wonder if he was getting punked by the admin staff. They seemed nice enough but maybe they were playing a game? Taking bets on how long he might stay there was the most likely solution in his mind. They weren't taking him seriously enough. His yellow eyes still looked to everyone that came in for a few minutes but after his bagel and coffee were gone he went back to crossing his arms and leaning his head back for some more shut eye.

A good morning greeting brought his attention back to the room groggily. One yellow eye opened as he sat forward. Yawning openly like an animal might. His vision blurred for a moment as his brain worked to catch up to what the guy had said...Marcus something....mission partner? What mission? OH SHIT YES! Tsumi would slam to his feet excitedly like all the lack of sleep just melted off of him as he placed his hands on Marcus's shoulders and bowed his head. Only the length of his arms keeping the long black horns from being a threat. Tsumi was more than just well built though. He was ripped. He didn't have any ninja tools on him and his chakra signature wasn't that impressive. If anything he would register as barely your average genin. With no gear, barely any chakra to speak all he had was his physique. But that muscle definition was impressive. He would make for a decent work out partner at least. But for a mission?

"Aye Marcus my man! You and me gonna go put a stop to some bad spirits yeah? Name's Tsumi and no other Oni out there is gonna stand up against me. I'm straight up gonna be a legend my dude!"

he would raise his hand as both bright yellow eyes took him in now. There was an almost childish like excitement in those eyes behind that wild red hair and red tinted skin. However there was something different about Tsumi's chakra. It seemed almost pure. As if he had never taken a life or done an evil deed. He had the chakra of a well meaning child. Which despite his appearance gave off a warmth in his smile. He would release Marcus from his shoulders and rub the back of his head as he stretched. Sniffing in a little as he cleared his nose from the lingering slumber. One word would easily describe the young Tsumi at the moment though. Naïve. He was a muscle headed fool and that much was clear already. However he would look to Marcus as he blinked a little before rubbing a single finger on his own cheek nervously.

"So uh...should I assume you're mission leader than? My role is typically more of a uh...physical thing."

(Feel free to learn stuff if you'd like, by the way. I don't mind)


Marcus blinked and started slightly at Tsumi's reaction to his greeting. The young man leaped to his feet and seized Marcus by the shoulders, completely ignoring the outstretched hand that had been proffered to him. Marcus's mouth dropped open a touch at the excitement with which Tsumi spoke of the mission, those horns of his missing Marcus's face by only a small amount with the movements. He let the hand drop, noting that Tsumi referred to the things they were supposed to exorcise as if they were similar to him.

How that could be, Marcus didn't know. From what he could sense of Tsumi, he didn't have much chakra and what he did have leaned more towards the bright side than the dark despite his appearance. He was... what? How to describe the feeling? Clean? No, not quite clean, but cleaner than most. Everyone had done some bad in their life even if it was nothing compared to the black souls of the true criminals. But still, Marcus got the feeling this Tsumi was a decent person if not a good one.

After a few seconds, Tsumi would release Marcus from his strong grip. He was definitely more powerful than the Fujio was, that much was plain to see. The grip didn't bother Marcus too much as he could take more shots than the average person could. If you put Marcus in a ring with a champion level citizen boxer, he would be able to take shots with the best of them and his stamina was on par with their own. Compared to a shinobi it was nothing, but he was still young with a lot of room to grow. His partner asked if Marcus was to be the mission leader somewhat sheepishly, saying that he was more of the physical type when it came to missions. Judging by the grip, Marcus could believe that.

"Well, I'm not sure about being the leader, but I guess I could take on that role if you don't want it. I'm not exactly a genius with tactics or anything, I'm more of a take a couple shots and strike at the right moment type of person. Either that or a spam ninjutsu until the other guy disappears kind of guy." Marcus smiled at the last part, trying to lighten his own mood more than anything. With a slight fidget, Marcus would pull the orders from his pocket and look at the paper.

His next words had a bit of nervousness to them that he couldn't keep back no matter how hard he tried. He hated that, but it wasn't something he could really help. "So, um... do you, uh, know anything about Oni? I'm... I'm not too big of a fan of ghosts... and stuff," he finished with a slight tremor in his voice near the end. Yes, Marcus Fujio, the genin who didn't really fear anything or anyone... was afraid of ghosts.



Using:



Sensory, .5 upkeep



1/110 stamina used

Tsumi looked relieved that someone else was taking the lead here. The guy said he wasn't much of a tactician but truth be told the highest score he ever got in a tactics test was a D. He always felt like they just ended up giving him a D because they were tired of him and the only way to get rid of him was to graduate him. He was a simple guy that liked to fight but didn't like to kill. He was usually really careful in any street fight he got into not to permanently harm anyone. He had to win of course but not if it meant killing somebody. Still the guy mentioned ninjutsu and not just one or two but spamming it. Tsumi would look away as his lips scrunched up a bit. So yet someone else supposedly his rank already knew a bunch of ninjutsu. Tsumi knew some fighting moves but when it came to actually using chakra...even his element of fire, he was worse than a novice. He had been tested for elements but had never actually managed to produce any flame. He wasn't sure what he was doing wrong but so long as his muscles made up the difference it was fine.

Tsumi would shove his hands in his pockets and casually start to walk out of the admin building trying only to hold pace with Marcus. His yellow eyes casually glancing around himself as he seemed to show interest in anything colorful or loud they passed. Marcus would speak up asking if Tsumi knew anything about Oni. It would earn Marcus a glance of disbelief for a moment before Tsumi would glance up and seem to be in thought for a moment.

"The Oni huh?"

For a moment he was surprised about the man with him not really having any knowledge in the matter. He had to put some thought in how to word it without revealing most of his knowledge was from a children's story book. He had never directly interacted with one himself but he had seen members of the clan making deals with them or dispersing them if they were being a nuisance. But it rarely actually involved a human. So it made some sense that a human didn't know much about them.

"Well I guess for humans it's different...but I am a type of Oni. The horns and red skin mark us from the others in the clan. As for spirits, they aren't all that scary usually. When one gets out of hand someone usually disperses them. They have a sort of...physical body created by uh....Aunty said it was spirit energy. Basically you can hit them until the spirit gives up and is exorcised. It's not like they can die again but its definitely a time out. Though the really big bad ones have to be sealed away I guess. I've never seen it really. But I hear they are like....up to a bijuu level ya know?"

Marcus followed along with Tsumi as they made their way out of the building and towards the place that had a bunch of oni haunting it. Tsumi seemed to think a bit about how to reply to Marcus's inquiry before responding, and that response wasn't... exactly what Marcus wanted to hear. When Tsumi said he was a type of Oni, Marcus missed a step and stumbled forward. He managed to catch himself and recover his balance, but the look of shock on his face was plain to see for anyone. Yes, that little revelation had shaken him and that's not even counting the rest of the stuff that Tsumi revealed to him.

"-up to a bijuu level, you know?" Marcus's mouth dropped open and he straight up stopped in place at those words, staring at Tsumi's back. Bijuu level?! Marcus had NOT signed up for that! This was completely and totally unacceptable!

He gulped down a protest and forced himself to continue walking though now he was behind Tsumi. His heart thundered in his chest, beating hard enough he could hear his blood pounding in his head like a distant drum. "B-b-b-bijuu sized...?" he said breathily. "I-I-I don't think I could f-fight a... an Oni the s-size of a b-bijuu." At this, Marcus would glance to Tsumi's horns and his general appearance. Despite what he could read with his sensory abilities, now that Tsumi had basically admitted to being something Marcus wasn't exactly fond of, he couldn't help but see him in a somewhat negative light. "You're not... you're not going to try and eat m-me, are you?"

A foolish question, yes, but what else could he really do to make sure? Attacking someone who was obviously part of the village would only get him in a lot of trouble and abandoning this mission would make him look bad. Shinobi were supposed to be fearless, weren't they? So why couldn't he help feeling like he was marching to his death? Was Tsumi hiding something? How was he making his chakra signature so much lighter than the rest of the people he knew? Was he faking it somehow? Was Marcus being led off to a feast for the spirits of the training grounds? Was today the day he died?!

All these questions and more cycled through his mind as the trekked to the training grounds. Marcus would be sure to reply to Tsumi's responses on the way there, but his heart wouldn't stop rattling his ribcage the entire journey there. What was this training area going to look like? Was it a cemetery of some sort? Or perhaps it was where the village secretly executed people by making it look like training accidents? Secretly Marcus just hoped it was some kids playing pranks. That was easy to deal with. Spirits? Bijuu sized spirits? That just... that just didn't sound like much fun to him if he was going to be honest.



Using:


Sensing, .5 upkeep


1.5/110 stamina used

Tsumi would fail to notice his allies trembling at first. He was excited to finally be one a mission with someone again. This was only the second mission he had really ever been on. To Tsumi this was the path the hero took. In the stories they always started off small. The every man kinda guy. But through being fearless and relentless the heros always grew into something great that everyone loved. Of course he had never really seen the distinction between reality and fiction. So he had put his effort into being a hero one day. Doing good deeds built into epic adventures. The somewhat scary looking man was his companion this time. Tsumi didn't really know how to put it, but something told him this guy didn't fight for fun like Tsumi did. An instinct suggested to him that if they scrapped Tsumi would be fighting hard to come out on top. Still he kinda wanted to try just a little. Someone strong didn't scare him. It excited him. You had to fight strong guys to get stronger. That was an easy mind set for Tsumi. If you win you are getting stronger....if you don't, try harder.

the guy was stuttering a little now though. Tsumi would look back at Marcus as he seemed to virtually be sweating fear. He would frown a little as he figured that would be scary learning about it for the first time. To his clan it was just tradition and crap like that. Stories passed down mostly. Tsumi himself had never seen anything all that strong from the spirits. Still when the guy asked if Tsumi was gonna try and eat him it would earn him a grossed out scowl. Stopping where they were for a second. Staring at him awkwardly.

"Dude.....what kind of people do you hang out with? That's just sick bro.....dudes don't eat dudes."

He meant dudes as people but Marcus was free to interpret that how he saw fit. Still Tsumi would shrug it off and keep walking towards the training grounds. It was a good bit before they would get there and he mostly would be trying to ignore the awkwardness of the team now. Heroes were supposed to have great team ups right? Well there were the stories where two rivals eventually became friends after growing stronger from it. He supposed that could be it. At the edge of the training grounds Tsumi would hop up as he reached for a tree branch and used it to swing up and land on a thicker one a little higher up. Bracing himself against the tree with one hand he would point to some pale shadows moving around. Most took on the form of animals like rabbits and foxes but one or two were the outline of a man?

"See over there? Those are the unruly spirits. Mostly harmless. I mean one can knock you on your ass if you aren't careful but if you land a solid hit it disperses them. More of a chore than a mission really. Besides if anything bigger was here the village wouldn't send us. It would be on high alert. Ya know?"

Tsumi's reaction to his question was... unexpected? He hadn't gotten the point of what Marcus had been intending to get across and that left the Kumo genin a little baffled on top of the panic that was a constant, seething mass in his gut. "I didn't.... That's not..." he began to reply, but Tsumi had already turned and was happily marching on towards the training grounds. Marcus had stopped again to stare, slack jawed at how giddy the man was. Marcus got the distinct impression that had Tsumi been a child he would have been skipping and humming all the way to their mission location. That in and of itself was just odd to Marcus. How could one be so happy about going to fight ghosts?

Marcus would follow just behind Tsumi, wondering the entire time just what was going on in this guys head. Was he hyper focused on the mission? Trying to figure out special ways and tactics to get rid of these spirits? Was he trying to size Marcus up? The happy go lucky demeanor was definitely throwing him off to be sure. There just weren't many shinobi with that kind of attitude. At least, none that survived for very long or didn't have that world view crushed out of them by the firm boot of death and war. It wasn't too long until they got to the training area.

His companion pointed out a few vague shapes down below which caused Marcus's stomach to jump into his throat. Again his heart began to pound hard enough that it could have kept beat for an entire band, the constant thudding a minor distraction as he followed Tsumi's finger and listened to his explanation. And that explanation was not exactly what Marcus had expected. Hit them? That was all he could come up with? If it was that easy then this would likely have been a D rank mission, right?

Marcus made sure to express that thought once Tsumi was done speaking. "Y-yeah, I guess so... but if they were so weak then w-wouldn't this be a D rank mission rather than a C rank? That implies a little danger at the very least. M-maybe these things are going to be a bit more of a hassle to deal with than you think," he finally managed to spit out. Marcus had no doubts in his mind whatsoever that these things could possibly be more than they could handle. It was a possibility he most assuredly was not going to put out of his mind. "Do you think w-we should just... go up and punch them?"



Using:

Sensing, .5 upkeep

Tsumi would blink a moment as the man questioned the legitimacy of his explanation as he mentioned the level of the mission. He supposed he was right. The Yokai clan were naturally stronger than their human counter parts. A kid was about the same strength as an adult on average. Humans had a tendency to fear them because of it. Still he would frown as he glanced back at the field. Most of them were animal spirits but the oni....he counted them as he scanned the field. One...two...three in total. The spirits were not a problem really. They could pack a wallop but they weren't malicious in nature. The other three though he didn't really care for. They were called oni and so was his branch of the clan. So it was a bit of a sore spot for him. Still he would speak up while his yellow eyes focused on the three. None of the spirits or Oni had noticed them yet.

"I guess it's because of the Oni out there. See the ones who look almost human but kinda....I dunno shrouded? They are different than the other spirits. The animals are mostly just playful spirits being naughty....but those three are people that died in bad ways. They are nothing of their former selves. Just malicious intent. The others will hurt a little if they attack but not by much. The Oni though will try and beat you up badly. I've never seen them kill anyone. Not at this stage anyways. But they put a friend of mine in the hospital once."

Tsumi would grit his teeth as his fist clenched. Damn them. This lot was his clans responsibility since they were more attuned to the spirit world. Still though now he understood his allies fear. Scary as it was this was all new to him. Still Tsumi would sigh letting his fists relax before he smiled and turned to Marcus. Holding out his hand with a grin. His chakra almost shining in pure white. It was so odd to think of him as a demon. There were hints of red streaks in that chakra but he seemed...nice?

"Don't worry bud. I'll take on all three of em alone if I gotta. I will always protect anyone who needs me. Especially my friends. And since you're out here with me that makes you my friend. Right?"

Tsumi pointed out a few things to differentiate the types of Oni that were present at the training field at that moment. Mostly to alleviate some of Marcus's indecision on the topic, he assumed, though he wasn't sure what with Tsumi's lackadaisical attitude towards the entire thing. He still wasn't entirely sure if that was a character quirk or if he truly was that excited to go punch some ghosts in the face, but he sincerely hoped it was the former rather than the latter. If it was the latter, well, that shit was just weird in Marcus's opinion.

The other Kumo genin then told Marcus not to worry because he'd fight all of them by himself if push came to shove because he wanted to protect his friends and allies. That was actually a fair approximation of how Marcus thought, though he figured the only real differences were semantic more than anything else. Taking a deep breath, Marcus forced himself to calm his racing heart and get a grip on himself. He was still off put by the whole fighting spirits thing but he had a mission to do and an ally who needed somebody to watch their back.

Marcus looked to Tsumi with a more determined expression on his face than he had before, resolve renewed. The other guy might seem to be a bit too carefree, but he still had a way of being uplifting at the same time. Perhaps that light to his chakra signature wasn't a fluke after all? He didn't know, but time could fix that. Tsumi, despite his appearance, seemed to be the type of person Marcus could get along with. "There won't be any need for that," Marcus replied, cracking his knuckles. "I can take a shot or two from most things, and all we've got to do is hit them hard enough, right?"

If Tsumi reconfirmed that, Marcus would nod. "Well alright then, let's do this. I'll lead, you hit them when they're distracted." Assuming Tsumi was fine with that, Marcus would hop to his task and charge towards the first vaguely humanoid shape nearest them. He could sense... something from it, but what that was he wasn't quite sure of. When he was close enough, the shape would turn and attack with a wail meant to induce fear into people. Marcus felt a spike of panic at the sound but did not waver. Instead he stopped and braced himself, crossing his arms in front of him defensively as the thing slammed into him. Hopefully Tsumi was nearby to get the drop on the thing, as the impact was enough to send Marcus sprawling and they still had a few more to take care of after this one.




Using:


Sensing, .5 upkeep

Tsumi would watch the man gain some confidence and smile. Stepping out of the way as he passed with some new found sense of certainty. So the guy was durable huh? Well that would do them some good. Still he was likely to be sore after this. Tsumi would nod and move to the mans right a little as he moved forward. Looking to engage the humanoid shadows first. It was probably a good idea. If they saw an opening while the two of them attacked the smaller ones or got too close on accident they would attack them. So it was best to deal with them first. Still Tsumi would watch with yellow eyes as they moved down to the training grounds. Hopping down and staying to the side. It was important for him to take an opening when presented. If he missed the window his new friend would be in danger. So he was hyper focused now. Controlled breathing with slow and methodical fingers closing and opening into fists. Normally as a kid he was told to stay away from the human ones. They were strong the adults said as they dealt with them. Making it look so simple.

Tsumi would set up just to the right as he took up a running stance. Lowering down to the ground and placing both hands in front of him with the fingers straight out on the ground. One foot was further back with the toes dug in. The other was further forward and flat. He watched as Marcus stepped forward. He looked nervous but serious. As he stepped close enough the phantom Oni would jerk its head to look at him and let out a frightening scream as it attacked. Marcus put up his own defense to take it head on. Already Tsumi was moving as he burst forward with all the speed he could muster. It landed its blow on Marcus's cross guard and sent the man flying back but Tsumi was already on top of it. Or rather under it. He would slide in under it and as it looked down it opened its black maw to scream once more only to find it snapped shut again as Tsumi rose in an upper cut. The power making a loud cracking noise like a jaw breaking as the oni lifted off the ground and faded into black mist. It appeared a solid blow would do the trick.

Tsumi would turn and grin at Marcus. His knuckles red even in comparison to the red hue of his skin. His hit was powerful for a genin but his endurance didn't entirely match up. However this would show how naive this fresh genin was. He had lowered his guard during a mission against something dangerous. Already the second one was flying towards him from behind and it was clear that Tsumi was completely unaware of the danger. It was responding to the cry of the first one. It was clearly going after Tsumi from behind. As if it knew that Tsumi had dispersed the other one and now was aiming to put him down.

Tsumi managed to follow through on Marcus's plan of action, striking the first oni with a strong uppercut that managed to do it in as Marcus pushed himself into a squat. Tsumi was grinning at Marcus in victory and the genin couldn't help but feel the same sense of success. His arms ached a bit from the initial impact but were starting to recover well enough. He'd likely have a bruise there tomorrow, but he wasn't too worried about it right now. Marcus had sensed the other Oni rushing towards them before he saw it as he had been flat on his back when it had started its attack. There was no way for Marcus to adequately warn Tsumi so he'd have to shorthand it and hope the man understood what he meant.

"Go left!" Marcus was already moving as he yelled. Hopefully Tsumi would listen and dodge to his left as the Oni was coming in from his right. That's where Marcus was headed to intercept the thing. Assuming Tsumi would dodge, Marcus would manage to get there in time to get an arm up to block the sideways blow that had been intended for Tsumi's neck. The blow shook Marcus and sent him into a spin that he would use to twist his body and counterattack.

He ducked a bit and came around with an uppercut of his own into what would have been the ribs of the spirit. A solid blow... for Marcus. The spirit seemingly barely felt it, only shifting slightly before backhanding Marcus across the face and sending him sprawling again except this time Marcus was a little daze. Enough so that he temporarily lost his sensing ability while his mind tried to focus itself. Thankfully he should have been able to buy enough time for Tsumi to get in another one of those strong strikes though perhaps with the other hand or a leg this time.

Marcus pushed himself up to his hands and knees, shaking his head slightly to try and clear some of the fuzz from his mind. He managed to get enough of it loose to get his sensory abilities back on and found that the third Oni... was not charging at them like the second one had for some reason. That was a bit odd. Perhaps it was a bit more of a cautious spirit than these two? It seemed as if the two of them would need to find it before they could get rid of it. Marcus would stand, a little woozy, turning to face Tsumi and giving a shaky thumbs up.



Using:


Sensing, .5 upkeep

Tsumi was a fool but when it came to someone barking orders at him his days of martial arts training kicked in and fast. In school it was said a moment of doubt could cost you the battle. If one did not respond quickly to changing circumstances they would be useless in a battle. So when Marcus gave a direction he launched himself out of the way. Not cleanly but he did follow directions. He would throw himself down and to the left to sprawl in the dirt before looking back. Marcus had already taken the first blow by the time he did and slammed a gut punch home. However much to Tsumi's surprise it didn't do enough. Instead the shadow Oni would raise its hand and slap the ever living shit out of Marcus. It would step forward after as if intent to punish the human for laying a hand on him before it stopped. Turning it's attention to the side. There it stared as Tsumi had risen to his feet. But something else was off. That pure chakra was churning with a white hot fire. There was anger there as those yellow eyes looked to the shadow oni.

The other Oni had sensed him as well and chosen to hide away. Even in death it sought to flee from harm. The other that had struck Marcus turned to fully face Tsumi and let out a screech designed to terrify its opponents. It's prey. However this only had the opposite effect on Tsumi. As the thing finished screeching Tsumi would step forward. Around his temples just above his head..as if supported by his black horns what appeared to be a crown of fire flickered to life briefly. Barely a flicker of a flame but it hinted to something much more. Still the shadow oni would lunge forward at this new threat. No where for it to run it had to eliminate Tsumi. Instead as it lunged forward a hand launched out. Before the shadow Oni could react it was caught mid air by the throat and held there. The part of its neck held by Tsumi squeezed and turned white hot. Slowly it would let out a frightened scream before it too turned to a black mist. When it faded away the area had grown significantly warmer but the crown of flames that had barely flickered to life before faded and Tsumi blinked looking bewildered before turning to find Marcus on the ground.

"Huh? Did you take him out? Where is the last one? I must have taken a hit across the head or something."

Marcus blinked a few times in rapid succession, unsure if he had seen how Tsumi had killed the second oni properly or not. Did he have a concussion from that blow? He didn't think he did. It had been a hard shot for sure but he hadn't landed on his head when he hit the ground. To be fair, he was a little dazed from the impact, but that was clearing up fairly well. Marcus hadn't taken another shot immediately so he had had some time to recover. But for a moment there, Tsumi had appeared... different. Marcus hadn't had his sensory up for it yet from his lack of ability to focus, but his eyes had seen something. When he could sense again, Tsumi's signature was as it had been before which just made him even more concerned about his state of mind.

"No, you didn't really get hit at all. You crushed one of them with your bare hand and the other one fled deeper into the grounds for some reason," Marcus explained as he walked up to Tsumi as steadily as he could manage. Thankfully he didn't stagger on his way over, but he still wasn't certain of his state of mind. Once he was a little less than a meter away Marcus would stop and rub his head where he had gotten slapped by the second oni. "So... hey," he started, a little unsure of himself as he spoke. "Are you able to use fire release?"

He would look towards where the third oni had been before retreating as he asked the question. Upon completing it he would motion for Tsumi to follow as he replied, taking off at a brisk walk towards the last known location of the oni. "Because I swear I saw some fire on you when you killed that second oni," he finished as they began to head that direction. Hopefully Marcus would be able to pick up on its signature. Now that he knew the things could be beaten his fear of them had lessoned to a manageable level.

Every time he heard of oni, he couldn't help but picture monsters he couldn't do anything to defeat. Stupid stories his father told him as a child and the existence of a metaphysical thing like chakra in his life made Marcus a bit suspicious about things. Truth be told, he would likely have an anxiety attack later once he stopped to think that this mission had confirmed the existence of an afterlife of some sort what with ghosts being a thing. Yes, today would be an earthshattering day for poor Marcus. He wondered briefly about this before brushing it aside in favor of focusing on what Tsumi would say in response, if anything.



Using:

Sensing

Tsumi would blink as Marcus informed him he had crushed another one and he tilted his head. The other one fleeing was no surprise really. They had a tendency to hide once they discovered they were at a disadvantage. The illusion of invincibility shattered for them. Even in their after life they understood fear. Still it bothered him that he didn't have any recollection of eliminating the second one. He would frown and fiddle with his horn idly as he tried real hard to remember. He had seen Marcus hurt and then he was just standing there. Did he black out or something? It was irksome but Marcus would continue to ask him if he had a katon affinity. Mentioning he had seen some flame around him briefly for a moment. This made Tsumi light up with the brightest smile. He would rush over and pick Marcus up to hold him above Tsumi by the arms as he spun him around a couple of times before setting him back down. As if Marcus was a little kid. The weight of a full grown man meaning little to Tsumi really. Still he would speak in an excited tone over it all.

"I was tested as a kid and they said I had a katon affinity but I've never been able to channel it. Did you really see it? Oh man that means I must be close to unleashing my real power. I'll be so cool as a hero with fire fists. Incendiary kick! Hya!" Tsumi would say before making a quick fake axe kick at nothing. Not just once but a few times. Lost in his own little world for a moment before finally realizing they were still on a mission. His yellow eyes would look around to the spirit animals in the area before he would sigh and speak again. "Listen buddy, Imma take care of these small fries yeah? It's more of a chore if they aren't the Oni than anything. You can like sense them though yeah? Why don't you hunt the last one on your own? You have a feel for their power now so you should be able to take them. If not, I'll be you're personal hero mate!"

With that Tsumi would grin with a thumbs up before turning to his own task. Rolling his right shoulder before taking in a breath. Letting it out slowly as he looked at all the spirit animals. Someone hadn't been tending to their chores it seemed. Still with a sudden jolt of movement he would charge them. Starting with a rabbit because it was the fastest. He would pounce down on it with a downward fist and in a puff of white mist it would disperse. He would continue to rip through the spirit animals with a cheerful laugh. Some fought back but they were no match for him. Watching Tsumi there was no malice there or anything. He didn't feel like he was being cruel. Just releasing the spirits to the afterlife.

"Hey, wait a min-" Marcus would begin to say as Tsumi rushed to lift him up. It didn't do much good, the other genin being able to pick him up with relative ease. Marcus just kind of had to hang on for the ride at this point and did so, making sure he didn't get jerked around too much by Tsumi. When he sat Marcus back down on his feet, Marcus would take a couple steps back while catching his breath. Tsumi was asking him questions at this point too because he thought Marcus would be able to answer one after tossing him around like he was Tsumi's least favorite stepchild.

Tsumi began to do his ax kicks before Marcus could adequately reply to anything. It wasn't the physical strain that had gotten to him, but the mental shock from Tsumi's reaction to Marcus's question. "There was definitely some fire," he said, watching Tsumi do his kicks. The other genin got tired of his display and returned his attention to Marcus. He shared a plan of action with Marcus that involved him beating up helpless little animal spirits while Marcus got the one mean one that was left. Yeah, he could see how this was going. Tsumi probably wanted to see if Marcus could get hit like that again and be fine a second time. After all, Marcus probably would have thought it would be funny to watch what had happened to him.

Taking a calming breath, Marcus drove those thoughts out of his head. He was just a little on edge because of the nature of the mission. Tsumi probably didn't want to see him get slapped around more than was needed.

Hopefully.

"I think you just enjoy watching me get slapped around," he joked, throwing a mostly certain grin up to go with the jest. "You getting the small fry is fine, I'll take the boss on." With that, Marcus turned his attention towards where the last oni had run off to. He walked further into the training grounds as Tsumi began his wholesale slaughter of helpless ghosts, sensory abilities on high alert to see where this thing had gotten to.

Surprisingly it only took Marcus a minute or two to find the last oni. It popped back up nearby when it saw that it was only Marcus. Not really thinking about it, Marcus would react to its appearance by channeling chakra into his hand and swiping it across his chest. The jutsu made small blades of wind appear that then formed together into one larger attack that slammed right into the oni. It being a ghost and all, it wasn't cut apart from the attack but instead let out a screech before poofing away. Marcus sighed in relief, a tension he hadn't noticed dropping off of him. He wondered how Tsumi was faring with all the little ones and would turn to begin walking back in that direction.



Used:


Sensing


Wind Release: Slash

Tsumi would smile warmly at the man as he jested about Tsumi wanting to see him take a hit again. If anything Tsumi was relieved the guy could take a hit. Though having a blank spot in his memory over eliminating that one was troubling. But for a simple mind like Tsumi's it was quickly forgotten in his rejoice for having utilized katon. Instead as they parted ways he would take a breath and focus on trying to mold chakra in his fists. It wasn't working like how he wanted to though which was frustrating. He flexed his muscles as much as he could until suddenly he let out a fart. He would blink and look around. Making sure Marcus hadn't heard before making eye contact with a spirit deer. It's nose wrinkled as if it was offended at the action as the two just stared at each other a moment. Before it shook its head at him. With an eye twitch Tsumi would clench his fists and shout at it. "Shut up! Spirits can't even smell!" With that he charged the now alarmed spirit before punching and kicking his way through the lot of them. Dispersing the spirits one by one in his rage over being judged for a natural body function!

By the time Marcus came back Tsumi was laying on his back panting from the effort it had taken to disperse the lot of them so quickly. He had strained himself over a fart which spoke a lot about how simple of a person Tsumi really was. Still Marcus need not know that. Still when he finally noticed Marcus approaching there was nothing left of the spirit animals in the area. He had rapidly finished up their job while Marcus easily dispatched the last one with one move. Tsumi would sit up with sweat dotting his brow and a little bit of dirt on his clothes and hands. He may have gotten overzealous but the task was finished at least. Still he grinned like a foolish child as Marcus returned in much the same way as he had left moments ago. Marcus had said somethin about sensing them or something or another so more than likely he hadn't been unable to find his prey. Still Tsumi was practically beaming with pride for both himself and his companion.

"See? Nothing to it. And don't feel bad. This helps them move on to the afterlife. Kind of like a prayer but with like...fists."

(Bro, I'm so sorry this has taken so long. Life got a bit more shitty and a lot more hectic all at once. I keep getting distracted and, honestly, falling asleep on the couch after about half an hour of chilling after work. Not a good excuse either way, sorry man.)



Marcus did not, thankfully, hear the fart Tsumi made. Or rather, he did, but he was focused on other things so it occupied a less important part of his mind and was brushed aside much to Tsumi's unnoticed relief. When Marcus returned to where he was the other shinobi had just gotten done beating up the other spirits in the area and showed a few signs of physical exertion. Marcus had noticed his attempt to try and make katon style chakra earlier subconsciously and was only really thinking about it now that the mission was over. His companion hadn't really done much to mold his chakra into the katon element, but had flexed his muscles a lot. Perhaps he was equating physical power to metaphysical power?

Tsumi made a comment to Marcus, attempting a joke at the end which Marcus would oblige with a shaky smile of his own. "Or a blast of wind capable of shearing through trees," he replied honestly but in a slightly sarcastic tone. Every good joke has truth to it, after all. "Hey, I noticed you trying to use katon style chakra earlier before we split up. Has anybody ever taught you how to actually... mold chakra into a nature?"

The question made Marcus cringe inside but he didn't see another way of going about asking. He wasn't the best at wordplay and preferred just saying what came to mind most of the time with a bit of social tact tossed in. Getting punched because of one's own mouth got old after doing it for a few months. The people in the Land of Lightning were much more quick to jump to a fight than the people he had known back in the Land of Wind. To be fair though, he had lived with his father outside of the village of Sunagakure in a small village near the border. Most people there thought like he did and spoke similarly, with more disregard than not for what your feelings might be.

To demonstrate, Marcus held out his right hand palm up at waist level. The pose was comfortable to hold and relaxed looking. A flame flickered to life in the palm of his hand as he sparked it with a small feed of katon chakra. Not enough to really be called a jutsu, just enough to create a fist sized ball of dancing flames in his open palm to demonstrate the ability. "I could try to show you how," he began before hesitating a brief moment and then continuing with a bit more caution to his voice, "but I'm not sure how, um, -effective-, I would be right now."

Tsumi would listen and laugh warmly at the mans suggestion that something other than fists worked too. That said Tsumi had no idea what he was talking about when it came to using katon jutsu before. He had no memory of the event but still he would watch Marcus as he offered to teach him what he knew. To that Tsumi would frown before clenching his own fist in front of him. Opening it to reveal a spark of katon before it faded just as quickly. Like a torch with very little fuel. He would look to it before shrugging it off and returning to his usual smile. Fists shifting to hips as he looked around them a moment. Seemingly satisfied with the days activities. Speaking as he looked around. "Nah I never much liked school. I'm getting the hang of it I guess anyway. Besides it seems for now all I need are my fists. I am strong after all."

Tsumi would grin a moment before holding out his hand. Like he was looking for a hand shake for a moment as he spoke up again. "It's good to work with you Marcus. You seem like a good fella. Look me up sometime when we ain't on a mission so we can spar. I wanna fight someone tough like you and really see where my abilities can take me. Ya know?" If Marcus shook Tsumi's hand the grip would be extraordinary. Not enough to do any damage but certainly stronger than your average human. With the hand shake done Tsumi would hop up to the trees and wave to Marcus. Excusing himself politely. "Until next time we meet big buddy! If you wanna spar I'll be sure you remember it! Don't stay out here on your own too long though! One human might attract more mischievous spirits ya know?" Tsumi would laugh as if he had just said something funny before taking off. A burst of speed launching him back towards the administration building to report the mission as complete. Not really bothered by how everything went down. One thing was certain though. Tsumi wasn't just some fool kid. He had raw power backing it up.

Exit thread
10 posts at 20 exp a post = 200 exp
Mission complete = 25 exp