Limit Testing

Mission Details:

Another dawn, another day to cause mischief. As much as Sayuri did not enjoy doing paperwork or following rules and laws, she did very much enjoy having power. And as luck would have it she found herself with a good deal of power very suddenly. Part of that power was having access to everyone’s mission files. Since the death of Madrigal she was going to have to find a new companion for her many adventures, someone that she could mold and bend to her will. She would take Sero, but despite his apparent lack of empathy his morals were. . . higher than her own, and she assumed it would eventually become problematic. She had thought that with the Hyuga transfer from Konoha that she had finally found someone just stupid enough to obey her without question, and just smart enough to be effective in combat. Alas, it was not meant to be.

Today though she had a mission of her own, something to take her mind off the bloodlust that had been steadily unfurling within her and was in desperate need of release. Quickly. Before she found herself in another situation like in Ota, and a hapless bathroom attendant had to take the brunt of her rage. Sitting cross legged on top of the Mizukage’s desk she was going through a stack of files that listed out the various Shinobi and their careers. She had found the cup of pens and pencils returned to its spot on the desk again and with a giggle the very first thing she had done when entering the office had been to knock them onto the floor. She got an insane amount of joy from this activity, knowing that whoever saw it would be frustrated. She hoped it was Kitsuki. After going through dozens of files, she finally came across one that she found interesting. A man named Esen Uzumaki. Firstly, an Uzumaki was fascinating in its own right, but what was more interesting was that there was a note about a mission he had been on when he was barely out of the Academy. It was just a note, a comment, not an official report. The mission in question was far above what he should have been doing at the time. Filled with curiosity she would search through the files until she found the mission report in question. “That’s just. . . delightful.” Her glee was impossible to hide as she looked at the name of the shinobi who had actually been sent on that mission; Yavuz Uzumaki. Based on the age of the two men and their general appearances she quickly came to the conclusion that they were related, closely. A youngster brought along on a mission that ended from the description, with vast amounts of blood and suffering, was undoubtedly severely traumatized now. Someone that was damaged was far easier to manipulate into going along with her schemes.

For once she picked up her mess, putting away the files as she found them as she didn’t want anyone else to understand her particular interest. Once she was done she would pick a mission request at random and sign both herself and Esen up for active duty. She was looking forward to punishing the delinquents that were apparently terrorizing the local shop owners. And she was equally excited to see how far she could push her newly chosen companion. She would send word for Esen to meet her just before dark at the edge of the training area. She would make her way there to wait for his arrival, amusing herself with creating small ice sculptures that depicted scenes of hellish torment and conversing with Jareth.

It had been a typical day for Esen, starting off with overseeing his siblings' attempt to perform various techniques. None happened to be in the academy thus far, so it had been more entertaining than it should have been, but Esen relished in their innocence that had yet to be robbed from them. Perhaps one day it would, but he would make sure to delay that as far as possible, perhaps even keep it intact entirely and stray them off the path of becoming a shinobi of Kirigakure no Sato; a difficult task given the ever so delightful presence of his father, but once could only dream about the impossible becoming a reality. That had been his morning, a boring, yet entirely welcome start to his day, but it lacked something, like most days did. Esen knew exactly what was missing, yet he was in no rush to sate that need. A time would come where he could enjoy himself fully, and he could handle being content for slightly longer.

Eventually, when lunchtime rolled around Esen had made his way to the marketplace and ventured the streets for a solid twenty minutes before his desire for a meal landed him at a restaurant where a particularly cute waitress worked. While the food was good, he more or less frequented the place to let the girl enjoy his presence, something he knew she enjoyed. There was always the light brush of her skin against his and her venturing too close to him when asking for his order. Esen would always entertain her desire at work, knowing full well she wished for more, yet never going beyond what was acceptable in a public setting for what were two complete strangers. Lust was not an issue for him, he could let that go, so he had not pushed on that front, something he figured would eventually irritate the girl, which in turn would make his discount at the restaurant disappear as well. Perhaps he’d solve that potential problem one day, but just not today. His adventure at the restaurant ended much like usual, with a slightly better than average tip left behind and his hunger sated.

The rest of the day had been spent leisurely at home, enjoying what one could of a mundane day that served no purpose. It was not that he did not seek out more, it’s just that he could not be bothered to, at the current time. Eventually, the time would come. When more cards were present on the board that he could play with. Right now, he was just limited to that of his immediate surroundings; his family.

When it came time for the sun to set, a messenger arrived at his house to inform him that he had been signed up for a mission, by none other than Sayuri Yuki, one of the three Princess’ of Kirigakure no Sato. That certainly perked his interest; perhaps it could be a potential card to play with the demure princess. A card that could be of the most use to him, if all was well and good. It was his presence that was being summoned for a mission, so there had to be a reason for it; a Tokubetsu Jounin summoning a genin for a mission. It eerily reminded him of the time his father had taken him along for a mission, the one that made him who he is now. Knowing he was to meet the Princess just before dark at the edge of the training area, Esen would promptly get ready and rush over to the training area; it was not proper for him to make a lady wait, especially one that had requested him.

Having run non-stop to the training area, Esen was a bit out of breath when he reached the training area. With his hands on his slightly bent knees, stopping just a couple of meters away from the young lady wearing a white dress and no shoes, his audible breaths could easily be heard by the Yuki Princess. “I hope I’m not late Hime-sama. I ran here as fast as I could once I got the notice.” His appearance was relatively normal, aside from the clothes he had thrown on haphazardly, something he wished did not matter too much, but for one in Sayuri’s standing, it would be easy enough to judge someone based on their appearance alone. He would eventually stand up to his full height, still attempt to catch his breath before realizing he had yet to introduce himself. “I’m Esen Uzumaki. Though, I figure you already knew that, considering you asked for me.” He would scratch the back of his neck with his right hand, the limb going in front of his neck to wrap around to present a nervous tick.

Sayuri was silently conversing with Jareth when her thoughts were broken by the sound of gasping breaths and pounding feet. She looked over and saw a orange haired man was leaning over with his hands resting on his knees, clearly trying to catch his breath. She had been leaning against a tree and she pushed herself off the trunk with one hand and advanced towards the handsome specimen. Her blue eyes sparkled as they passed over his form, her feet padding softly on the earth as she began to circle him slowly. She had already seen a picture of him in his file, but in person he was much more alive. She made no attempt to conceal her assessment of his physical appearance, it wasn’t as if reviewing your mission partner was so terribly odd anyway.

As he spoke her face would twitch as he called her ‘Hime-sama’. The fact that she was a princess within Kirigakure was something she was still having difficulty getting used to. She had been given the title long before, but under other, less official, circumstances. The transition to it being her known title was still somewhat jarring. She would grin and laugh quietly as she responded to his apology. “I can see that. You’re not late, the sun has a few breaths left so no punishment is necessary.” She would watch for his reaction to the idea of being punished for being late before continuing. Watching him scratch at the back of his neck widened the wicked smile on her face. This was going to be fun, he was so incredibly innocent looking and given his past she knew he’d be easy to break.

“Pleasure to meet you, Esen Uzumaki. I am Sayuri Yuki, and I will be your mission partner this evening. Tonight we will be punishing a group of criminals, and if everything goes according to plan it should be very violent. I hope that won’t be a problem for you.” She smiled warmly as she spoke to Esen, putting slight emphasis on the words ‘punishing’ and ‘violent’, hoping to draw a correlation between her earlier implication that he may need punishing for tardiness. She wanted to see him squirm, she imagined it would be very enjoyable to watch.

As the Princess would circle him, the arm that had been scratching the back of his neck continued to do so; picking up the pace a slight bit to an eye that would be paying attention to that tick. His eyes would trickle down to the bare feet of the Yuki clan head as she would circle him; his curiosity was piqued as to her outfit and the mission she had summoned him for. He doubted it would involve anything too… physical, but he could just as easily be proven wrong. From the general demeanour of the Princess, it could just as easily be something more diplomatic oriented; though what could a Tokubetsu Jounin need him for such a thing. Hell, he still doubted his presence was actually truly required for a mission with someone that clearly outclassed him. His eyes would travel away from the ground the Princess covered and to her outfit; clearly not suited for combat, perhaps she opted for something she found comfortable and fashionable? Esen was not sure entirely, but he could only make so many assumptions about someone he did not know. The lack of punishment was certainly relieving for Esen, a grin forming on his face. It wouldn’t do anything for him to tarnish his name, along with his clans, for being tardy.

Esen took a gulp of the saliva and air that was currently occupying his mouth when the Yuki Princess the words ‘punishing’ and ‘violent’. A violent mission was certainly the last thing he had been expecting. Just a whiff of blood could offset him and there was little control he had over that little aspect of his, especially when his adrenaline would be running. He assumed he would need to try and control his urges, he had been good with them as of late, having not needed to cause unnecessary conflict with another individual. For Esen, he could leave things be as is if time continued to pass by normally, though once he got a taste of it, it would be difficult to control those urges.

“Of course it won’t be problem.” His words and tone were the exact opposite; apprehension at possibly losing control in front of an influential member of Kirigakure no Sato. Esen was not looking forward to the reprimand that would be coming his way; perhaps they’d simply enforce upon him he relinquish being a shinobi and the head of the Uzumaki clan; that was the best he could hope for. The fact the Yuki Princess had requested him to accompany her along on a mission she could easily handle on her own, added to his own hesitance. Shifting his weight to his right leg, his right hand scratching the front of his, next to his adam’s apple, he would hesitantly ask, “Are we just simply arresting them?” It would be easier that way, he supposed; if they could just force them to surrender. Though, Esen would remember her recent words of tonight being very violent, if everything went according to plan. Did she know? He wasn’t sure how she could… nor where that information was stored. He had been doing good keeping his… body under control. He would gulp once more.

“I mean… it would be quicker and better for everyone if we just have them surrender.” He tried to backtrack a bit, perhaps he had heard her wrong. Doubtful. Regardless, it was worth a shot that Esen try and make this as non-violent as possible.

Sayuri could clearly see the discomfort and apprehension on the orange haired man’s face. She smiled warmly as he tried to ensure that the criminals in question wouldn’t be harmed. It was amusing and exactly what she was hoping for as a reaction. She would pause as she paced in front of him and move well into his personal space, having to crane her neck back to look at him from the distance she had closed between them. Bringing a pale hand up to his throat as he anxiously scratched at what was most likely a non-existent itch, she would gently attempt to pull his hand back down to his side, her voice soft and comforting as she did so. “Don’t worry Esen, this will be a simple matter of dispensing justice. There will be no arrests necessary. You will simply follow my lead and it will be over before you know it. Consider this a. . . test. . . of your capabilities and how useful they may be to me personally. But we will get to that later, for now we must find them. Tell me, if you were an unrepentant and delinquent vandal, where would you hide?” She wasn’t exactly lying to him, she did not foresee a future where these criminals would require arresting. It was difficult to arrest a corpse.

She would wait to hear what Esen suggested, if anything before pulling away from the man and gesturing towards the side of a building near to where they both stood. It was covered in graffiti that clearly depicted the leaders of Kirigakure in fairly compromising positions. She didn’t actually mind, but it was enough to fuel her disingenuous need for ‘justice’. “This is what these people think of us. Of me. We cannot live in a city that allows this type of slander and disrespect to go unchecked. Wouldn’t you agree, Esen?”

Esen would watch the princess as she would pause in her motions and stop before him. He was apprehensive when she stepped in towards his personal space, his breath becoming more laborious. This was definitely not what he had in mind today and definitely not what he had expected when he was selected to be on a mission with the Yuki Clan Leader. He took a tentative step backwards with a single foot, yet not enough that it would insult the woman before him, he hoped, nor add any extra distance. As she brought a hand towards his throat, Esen would once more gulp, the cold of her touch at his arm did not do much to calm him down from his train of thoughts. This was definitely not going to work in his favour, it seemed the Princess was intent on bringing out his more unpleasant side. How she knew about that, Esen could only guess. Tonight was a test he’d surely fail. The notion of his near fading future was driven home when Sayuri was insistent that an arrest won’t be necessary; he knew the implications fully well. Resigning himself to his fate; likely a forced resignation of being a shinobi, Esen’s expression would match that of his feelings with his eyes downcast, not looking at the woman before him, but rather the ground that lay between them.

Regarding her question, he knew of a few places where ‘unrepentant and delinquent’ vandals would hide. He knew a few by name at least, though not enough to know what they did on a daily basis. His answer for the Ice Princess was simple. “Somewhere abandoned… preferably away from the eyes of crowds. An abandoned building is the most likely place to find them.” His words lacked the emotion that he had released earlier; he knew how tonight would end up for him, and he certainly wasn’t looking forward to finding a new future for himself.

As the Yuki Princess pulled away from him, his eyes would only lift up a bit to follow her movements. Trailing the direction she indicated, his eyes would find graffiti art of the three princesses in compromising positions. It certainly was not a tact Esen would use, after all, that was no way to get on someone’s good side; not that it mattered for him anymore, it seemed. As for her question to him regarding the images, he would only slightly nod. “Of course,Hime-sama. Those responsible must meet justice.” Still drowning in the resignation of his future, Esen’s words did not have the motive or drive that they would usually carry when provided an opportunity such as tonight. It was not often he had the opportunity to get an influential clan leader and village leader on his side, yet tonight seemed to paint his efforts being all for naught. There was no point in trying he found. “I shall follow your instructions, Hime-sama.” He knew there was no getting out of this situation anymore, it was best he at least enjoy the last few hours he had of his current freedom.

Sayuri noticed the distinct change in Esen’s demeanour. It seemed that she had been spot on regarding his apprehension and she was excited to see just how deeply the events she foresaw this night would play out. Would he break? His timidity overshadowing his competence? Or would he flee, the sight of blood and violence too much for his delicate constitution and rendering him all but useless? She could imagine both scenarios and the beautiful tragedy that would result, but there was also a third path that she could see. And one she hoped the man would take.

He could be a fighter. One of the stalwart defenders of the innocent, that insisted on self sacrifice and protection. She saw some of those traits in Sero, and they weren’t inherently distasteful, though she did not understand them fully, most specifically why protecting people you had no connection to was important. The why though was less important, it was Esen’s actions that she was interested in. She wanted to see how he would react, and the only way to see that was to push him.

“Come.”

Turning to face the melancholy man she would issue an order and without waiting for a reply would begin walking towards an area of the city she knew to be relatively abandoned. Assuming he followed her she would point out a rickety looking industrial building that had the faint glow of light coming from inside. The light filtered through tiny cracks and loose boards along the wall they faced and from within could be heard the soft murmur of conversation. Even with her relatively poor eyesight she could see graffiti on the walls of the building that she thought was a decent match to the style they had seen earlier. Not that she exactly needed justification for what she was about to do, it would just look better on a mission report. A sweet smile graced her red lips as she turned her head to look at Esen. She was obviously enjoying herself, and had only a mock look of concern on her face for the potential danger the mission held. “An abandoned building like this? That art there, seems about the same as the other paintings wouldn’t you say? And if it is, then it appears our criminals are inside. All that’s left is to punish them.” She would move closer to Esen as she spoke, and if he didn’t pull away she would be close enough to whisper into his ear.

At the ice princess’s instruction to follow, Esen would hesitantly take the first required steps to follow his superior. Only when the princess would be a few decent steps ahead of him, would Esen pick up his pace slightly to only just trail behind the princess unless he was ordered to otherwise follow at a closer distance. Sayuri would lead him to an area he had described prior, one that filled all the mental checkboxes that Esen had listed when it came to a place where delinquents would hang out. He knew they would be in such an area; delinquents had their uses when you earned their trust, yet were never fully associated with them. Esen never fully had the opportune moment to get them in his back pocket for a rainy day, and it looked like the rainy day was today for himself. A doomsday for his future.

When Sayuri would speak out once more, as she approached him, Esen would hold his spot. It was both a slight mixture of standing his ground while not letting his last few moments as a shinobi go to waste; he may as well enjoy his final actions as a shinobi of Kirigakure no Sato. The princess whispering into his ear made a visible shiver run through his body; whether it was due to the power she held over him, the resignation of his future, or the fact an attractive woman was that close to his body, Esen could not tell. “A building exactly like this...” The words were quiet as they left him, and far more audible if she did not pull away. “The art does have a similar style...” His words were a bit louder, his posture getting more to his usual self. If this was his last bout as a shinobi, he may as well enjoy it instead of being a sheep. Regardless of if the princess moved away from him or not, Esen would bring up a hand to the side of his neck where the princess had whispered into his ear. He would crack his neck in that direction and if the Princess remained, the skin of his cheek would likely brush against hers. Not thinking too much about that, Esen would then do the same with his other hand and crack his neck the other way.

He was preparing himself for the things to come.

Blood. It was an inevitable sight. Rage. It was always lingering just beneath the surface. And a whole lot of fun. What wasn’t there to enjoy when it came to getting rid of the excess energy he had stored up.

“Lead the way princess.” Esen would state in a quiet whisper.

Sayuri was thrilled that her new toy was following her cues so well. It was going to make this a whole lot easier on him if he just played along. Her assumptions regarding the vandals were correct, but she didn’t actually know that, and any person that would have pointed that out in the moment would have been met with swift retribution for the impudence. Which would also, potentially, be quite fun although it would be irritating to have the lifespan of her fun cut so short.

With Esen it seemed that she would not have to concern herself with that possible future, even his body language and tone of voice were shifting. Where he had once seemed to be scared or worried, he now seemed almost. . . eager. As he cracked his neck their cheeks brushed and she would smile slyly and then turn away from him intent on heading inside the dilapidated building. She had noticed the shiver, and she had been very tempted to press the issue. . . but even she knew that sometimes you had to wait. She wasn’t content to simply do nothing however, and she would allow her fingers to trail from his shoulder and down the length of his arm, resting for a moment on his hand and attempting to tug him along behind her. She would release him should he either pull away or begin moving along with her.

Her footsteps were near silent as always, bare feet made hardly any noise so it wasn’t as though she had to try especially hard to be stealthy. Once she approached the door to the building she would raise and hand to the doorframe and begin channeling her hyoton, whorls of frost would extend past her fingers and dance along any connecting surfaces as she pushed open the door with her other hand. Inside were four people, all obviously feeling guilt as they looked up with shock at who had invaded their space. Their ‘space’ was a few sofas that had seen better days and clearly were not part of a set, a tattered area rug on a heavily damaged concrete floor and a table scattered with the remains of illegal partying. On the ground near the table was several cans of spray paint, some knocked over and without caps, but all of them had definitely seen use. The entire sorry scene was lit by a hanging lightbulb that flickered as it swayed in the drafty room and two candles on the coffee table that looked like they were less for light and more for heat and fire.

Two young men and two young women stared up at the Ice Queen as she casually strolled into the room as though she owned the place. For her part, she smiled knowingly as she soaked in their fear, breathing deeply as she released her grip on the wall and spreading her arms to her side as her smile grew wider. “Well, well, well. And what do we have here? It looks to me like we have a bunch of criminals that seem very resistant.” She moved to sit on the sofa facing the door as she spoke, the smile never leaving her face as she summoned her ice talons and very slowly drove a single talon through the palm of the girl who now sat beside her which effectively pinned her to the table. The girl yelped and just like clockwork the other three stood and started posturing aggressively. This was exactly what Sayuri wanted, for them to fight back. She needed them to at least try to defend themselves. “Hey lady, you get the fuck out of here! This is our spot!” She noted that they made no mention of the fact that she was currently stabbing their friend and that maybe that was why she should leave. The absurdity of it made her laugh and she released the girl’s hand, taking a second to lick her talon clean of blood as seductively as possible. Once she’d had her fill of that part of the game, she would grin and goad them all. “And who exactly is going to make me?”

And as expected one of them drew a knife, and pressed it to her throat. Even if the knife had been wielded by someone who knew how to use it she wouldn’t have been worried. Sayuri didn’t even flinch as the cold metal pressed against her skin. Instead she would reach up and take hold of the wrist that held it and press the knife deeper, just enough that a single ruby red drop of her blood would slide down her pale neck. Her eyes, now frosted over, would turn to look for Esen trying to catch his gaze and hopefully silently indicate that he should participate now.

His eyes would briefly follow the fingers that would travel from his shoulder, down the length of his arm and settle for a moment on his arm. The slight sensation of a tug registered in his mind as he noted his arm being pulled along behind the Ice Princess. Esen’s steps would eventually lead him to follow after the Princess, her touch absent from his the moment he would begin to trail after her; though his mind was still anticipating what was to come. While Sayuri moved near silently, Esen’s own steps, trailing behind by two or three steps, would produce a soft thud each time. He was not trying to hide his own presence, he had no reason to.

Once the door fell open to that of the princess’ hyoton, Esen would watch the princess enter the premise, while he lingered on the threshold of the entrance. Perhaps it was a chance for him to leave, though that in itself would provide him with a whole new world of troubles. Four people were inside the place, yet Esen’s eyes never travelled upwards to them, his eyes were solely focused upon the ground, just off to the side of the Princess who summoned him tonight. It seemed she was intent on bringing out that side of him. Cans of spray paint were what his eyes would focus on, particularly the ones that were not red. The light in the room, or lack thereof, perhaps would help him ignore the urge, if it ever came, but he highly doubted he’d be able to control it.

As the Princess spoke, Esen would focus on her words, particularly her earlier words; her promise that tonight would be very violent being at the forefront. He missed the rest of what she said until an intruding shout reverberated through the room… or at least that’s what Esen though was happening. Eyes would slowly trail up, noting the blood surrounding the ice talon driven through the girls palm.

Everything blanked out for a moment.

Laughter.

The press of a blade against the Yuki Princess’ neck.

A look in his direction.

Blood.

His eyes would solely focus on the trickle of blood sliding down the Princess’ neck. Esen ignored the other four in the room, three of whom could easily attack him at a moment’s notice. He would stop just within a half of a step of the hyoton user; a hand reached up to grab the knife against Sayuri’s throat and toss it at the wall; where it stuck. Extracting his glove off his hand, Esen would reach up to clean the blood off of Sayuri only to inspect it with relatively blank eyes. “What the fuck are you doing?” The sound was the only thing Esen registered before a fist connected with Esen’s cheek.

There was no hesitation from Esen, a knee would quickly be driven into the intruders abdomen; spittle would be ejected from the man’s mouth almost immediate upon contact, yet Esen had just begun his fun. A straight thrust with Esen’s palm would send the man careening back, landing upon the couch and causing it to tip backwards with the momentum of the force behind Esen’s thrust.

The expression on Esen’s face was a mix between cruel and pure and utter joy. This was something he needed that he did not have in a long while.

“Shall we begin? There’s far too little blood for my taste.”

Spoiler:

-Trained Arhat Fist
-Trained Shatter Palm

Sayuri was perfectly in her element. She had complete control over a violent situation and everyone in it. The vandals were suitably terrified and just indignant enough to fight back. And Esen was quietly averting his eyes much as he had been since she’d first informed him of the mission and what it would entail. From an outside perspective it may have looked reckless, her walking into a group and starting a fight, even letting. . . no, forcing them to attack her. But she was in no danger from these trivial mortals. They could stab her all day, and even assuming the blades broke her flesh, not only would the damage be negligible but she would enjoy it. Even as the first blade sliced her and a single drop of blood rolled down her neck she could feel her temperature rising. She wanted them to fight her, to actually try to kill her. She welcomed the fear and the pain.

Blood.

Sayuri had the entire scene prewritten in her mind, she knew exactly how this was going to play out. So when Esen walked up to her, casually and expertly flinging the knife aside, she felt. . . surprise. How could she have missed it? What she had mistaken as fear or distaste had been something else. As his hand moved to her neck to wipe at the blood there, she trembled slightly at his touch, her eyes fully dilating and looking as though they were completely black. She had released the wrist of the man with the knife as soon as Esen had approached, and now that hand reached unconsciously towards Esen. For a brief and fleeting moment she forgot that she was on a mission, she forgot that she had picked a fight and that there were now four angry and apparently violent people that likely wanted some form of vengeance for the intrusion. All there was was orange hair and blue eyes and the feeling of the smeared blood on her neck where he had touched her. “Esen. . .” Her voice was a whisper, an unfinished request for more.

She had been wrong about him. And she had never been happier. He wasn’t traumatized or fearful. He was powerful and violent and loved blood at least as much as she did. When the knife man dared to punch Esen, her gaze shifted to the interruption that got hit hard enough to topple over the couch. The look on her face could only be described as venomous. Were it not for Esen’s request for more blood she would have killed the knife man on the spot. Instead she would turn her attention back to Esen, her eyes full of adoration and excitement as she thought she may have inadvertently found a kindred soul once more. Standing she would wave a hand and bind three of the observers to the floor with ice that crept like a living thing up their limbs. Her eyes stayed fixed on Esen though, casually torturing people as a mere afterthought. Her clawed hand would trail up the Uzumaki’s arm if he didn’t pull away from her, and come to rest delicately on the back of his neck while she stood on her toes to whisper sensually into his ear. “Their blood is yours. Take it.”

The glee Esen was feeling at the current moment was only slightly disturbed by the sight of the remaining delinquents being rooted to the spot they stood in. Princess Sayuri must have taken it upon herself to have them remain unmoving for one reason or another. If anything, he did not prefer it for it ruined the chaos of the scenario. What was better than fighting one delinquent? Fighting four at once. Though, with the Princess’s interference, Esen would take it upon himself to provide the other three with a demonstration of what their future fate would be. He did not move upon his enemy right away, letting the lingering touch of the Yuki Princess’s clawed hand crawl up his arm to ultimately rest upon the back of his neck. The whispered words had no effect, except for the chill it sent up his body due to the proximity and cold of the Princess’s breath upon his ear.

“Their blood is not mine… it’s for the walls.” Esen would lick his lips at just the thought of blood being splattered around the area. Slowly, he’d make his way over to the goon that was sprawled on the turned-over couch. “Come on, I’ll let you get up.” There was a groan coming from the individual on the ground, a bit of motion of him attempting to move, yet the individual still had not been able to get on his feet promptly. “Here, let me help you up.” Esen had every intention of helping the man to his feet, even if it would be briefly before he would make his next move. With one hand, Shin would grasp the man, forcefully, by his forearm and yanking him off the ground. The delinquent was unable to get his footing immediately, and as such, Esen took advantage of the opportunity. His grasp would shift to the back of his head and Esen would drive the man’s face into the nearest wall.

As soon as Esen let go of the delinquent, the man quickly crumbled to a crouched position, blood oozing on the wall where it had met face. “Let me know when you’re ready. Use the wall to help you get back to your feet. I want a bit of a challenge.” Esen had not forgotten about the other four occupants in the room, but he had no desire to turn away from his current target, especially when the only one able to move was the one who wanted him like this.

Sayuri laughed wickedly at Esen’s reply and watched with joy as he moved slowly over to the man he had knocked to the ground. It was a thing of beauty and she could feel her heart beating faster as Esen took his time to toy with the knife man. There was a delightful ‘crunch’ noise as the knife man’s face collided with the wall, a trail of blood smeared along the wall and back to the floor where he had ended up. The man was no match for Esen, that much was clear. And Sayuri was so filled with bloodlust that she wanted to see just how much would be a match for the orange haired man.

Walking over to the other three delinquents she would crouch down behind them as she stroked the hair of the nearest one. They whimpered and grunted, trying to get away from the ice to no avail. “Sssshhhh my little music boxes. I am not here to hurt you, I see now that you care for your friend. It must be awful to sit here, unable to help defend him. To allow that monster to murder him right in front of you.” The one whose hand she had stabbed turned and glared at Sayuri with hatred that was ineffectual at masking her pain and horror. Sayuri just smiled sympathetically. “I know, I know. It hurts doesn’t it? I will make you a deal. I will release you and no further harm will come to you. . . if you kill him. Defend your friend, destroy the monster and you can go free.”

Unsurprisingly, the three were fairly receptive to the Ice Queen’s deal and nodded emphatically. It was an easy decision; get rid of the person who was hurting their friend. She had made it easy on purpose, it was only natural that they would agree to something they thought they wanted anyway. The rest of the deal however was implied - do anything else and they would die. Whether they were cognizant enough to realize that. . . only time would tell. With her right hand still gently stroking one delinquents hair, she would lean over and plant a comforting kiss on the top of the girl's head on her left side. Her voice was slightly muffled as she waved her left hand and released them from their icy shackles. “Go my pretties. Kill him.”

They rushed immediately after their target; one of them stopped to grab the knife that had been thrown into the wall, making the other male lag behind a few seconds. The two women launched themselves towards Esen, fists flailing as they sought to rip and tear at any part of the Uzumaki that they could reach.

Sayuri stood and moved over to the table between the two couches and perched atop it, just watching. She was fairly confident that even between all four of the delinquents Esen wasn’t in any real danger. Not of dying. And she wanted to see what he was capable of, in her mind there was no better test of someone’s abilities than when they were in a lethal situation. If Esen turned to look at her, she would offer him a warm smile while she observed the fight with coal black eyes.

Esen waited. He had waited oh so long for this very moment. What was a few more seconds or minutes to let his opponent get back to his feet? He could feel his heart pounding, his ears ringing, and the want of a coppery taste. Esen missed this feeling. A feeling that could be replicated so easily, yet the feeling never subsided or waned each time it happened. Having already extracted one glove from his hands, Esen would casually extract his other glove, tossing it over his shoulders in the general direction of the Yuki Princess. A conscious effort would need to be made to keep her out of harm's way; he really did not wish to deal with the repercussions of harming a Princess of the Triumvirate.

Esen missed the ordeal that was Sayuri conversing with the three remaining delinquents, his own attention was focused solely on the man he had bashed into the wall. He had not expected a blow to the back of his head, rocking him forward; only to be quickly halted by someone grabbing the back of his shirt, being yanked back, a ripping sound screeching, before a club to his back had him stumbling forward once more. The only thought that rung in Esen’s head, at that moment, he stated out loud, “Well, you’d be dead right now if I really liked that shirt...” He would firmly plant his left foot and pivot to his right, his elbow connecting with one of the girls; a crunching of her jaw would follow. “Instead, you get to live out a few more minutes.”

The one who was reeling from the blow to her jaw was on the receiving end of Esen tossing her aside, directly into the other woman. His eyes narrowing in on the male charging him with a knife. He did not react quickly enough, resulting in the knife cutting slightly into his right cheek. More blood. Esen would catch the hand that swung at him with the knife at the end of his swing with his right hand. Adjusting his grip to the man’s wrist, a wicked gleam would shine in Esen’s eyes. “Mistake number one… don’t hurt yourself.” Forcefully, the man’s wrist would twist, the grip on the knife remaining firm, only for Esen to drive the arm back to have the man stab his own eye. Blood would sputter out, some of it getting on Esen’s face and ruined shirt. “I’d get that looked at if I were you.”

Sayuri was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. She had taken a seat on the table and pulled her knees up to her chest, sitting there and observing with a malicious gleam in her jet black eyes. If the fight turned too dangerous she would step in and end it, the last thing she wanted was to lose such a valuable and interesting project such as Esen.

She was a bit disappointed to see Esen’s shirt get ripped, but was intrigued as well, giving an appreciative nod as she looked on. She loved the chaos of everything, and she found herself smiling widely as she clasped her hands around her knees. When one of the delinquents came at Esen with a knife she would lean forward just a bit, trying to get a better look. She was expecting that someone would at least get cut, but more likely stabbed. What she hadn’t expected was for Esen to make the man stab himself in his own eye. And the words that came from Esen’s mouth caused her to laugh uproariously as she hugged her legs tighter. “Oh my, that is just. . . gold.” There would be a slight pause in the attacks of the delinquents as they looked in horror at the princess who found their misery so incredibly hilarious.

“Aww, come on. Don’t get distracted from the fight.” The male with a knife in the eye was kneeling before him, clutching at the hilt of the knife, unsure of if he should remove it or not; not that Esen cared. “Someone might get hurt if you don’t face your enemy.” Shin would strike the man before him as hard as he could with his leg, kicking him back, causing him to fly across the room and crash into one of the female delinquents; one still remained completely unharmed, while the other had been cut open by Sayuri earlier. She was the one that remained standing.

“You’re lucky, you know… Someone lost an eye today. Someone else has a broken nose. Another has been stabbed in the hand. Yet, you remain before me unharmed.” Esen would stalk forward, prepared to lash out at the female at any moment, yet never once did. He would circle around her, much like a predator intimidating their prey. He would circle her a couple of times before stopping just behind her, stepping closer and whispering in her ear. “Now, should I let you leave unharmed… or should I punish you?” Esen would step around and this time stop right in front of her.

“Tell you what… if you apologize to my Princess for the crude drawings you helped make, I’ll let you leave the building unharmed.” Esen’s eyes would sparkle with glee as he watched the girls eyes nervously skitter between himself and the Yuki Princess.

Sayuri had to keep from openly laughing as she saw the terror and pain in the delinquents. She was truly enjoying the savagery that she saw from Esen, and would sit there smiling wickedly as he worked. When he eventually turned his malice towards the as yet unharmed woman, she sat up and looked regally at the frightened girl. The girl stammered as she bowed, getting an apology out despite her fear. “I-I’m sorry your Majesty. Please forgive me.” Sayuri would look at the woman sternly, seeming to judge the worthiness of her apology. Sayuri didn’t care one way or another whether the woman apologized. She could see that Esen was just toying with them all, and so she expected that this was just another game. So she played along.

“You are forgiven. Consider yourself lucky that I am in a forgiving mood. Now. Run.” And the woman, unsurprisingly, ran. She was slow however, even slower than Sayuri - who was not exactly a sprinter. Sayuri would stand and move to the door way, making it there just before the woman did and allow her to pass. The woman hesitated though and Sayuri used the opportunity to apply Hyoton to the ground just outside the door, the delinquent would freeze in place the second she touched it. With that done, Sayuri would look over her shoulder towards Esen, a sly and approving smile on her face. “I will fill out the report, you finish up here. You’ve done well, and you will be rewarded.” And then she walked off into the night, leaving nothing but a trail of cold air in her wake as she headed back to the Mizukage’s office to report the mission.

[Exit Thread]

The apologies the girl muttered towards Sayuri went unheard of by the Uzumaki clan head. Esen’s head was ringing with the potential outcomes the girl would face when she left the building. Would she be quick enough to escape all harm? Would she stumble and trip and make it all the easier for him? Hell, would he simply let her walk home without striking her once. How much blood would decorate the ground when he was done? Esen did not know what the outcome would be, yet he already knew what his plan was for the girl. She would survive. Whether she welcomed it or not would remain to be seen.

When the command to run was given by Sayuri, Esen merely stood there for a moment, letting the girl at least escape the building before he would follow after her. There was fun to be had in a chase; a prey not moving did not provide any entertainment for him whatsoever. Once the threshold for the building was crossed, only then would Esen pursue after the girl. Sayuri had conjured up some ice causing the freeze in place outside the door. He would nod at Sayuri’s words as she departed, yet his focus would be on the girl that had her back towards him. “I’ll be generous today. Since the Princess stopped you in your tracks, I will be sure you will not be harmed too much. But you do need to be taught a lesson in respecting your superiors.” At this, Esen would lean in further, his right hand gripping her shoulder. “I do advise you not inform anyone of today. It won’t turn out to well for you.” With that, Esen began with his plan. The girl would remain physically unharmed, except for a bruised rib and some broken fingers.

[exit thread]