Uchiha Manor - Hitofuki

[Y]

??|40

But dreams and reality both were changeable, alterable to one's whims, especially in one's status of belief. Satisfied with the bodily shielding he had received, Ayumu wondered if he could abuse that state of simultaneous weakness and strength, uncertainty and ambiguity, failure and success to make his own body move with an even greater fervor. He'd tricked his mind into enhancing his body a half a dozen times before, but this was intrigiuing in a different way. Did he really know that his knife would be insufficient?

As he went forward, he alllowed the shadows to permeate through his very muscles. They gave him a new and genuine energy, as they certainly would have to. After all, there was at least a small element of real chakra coursing through his veins. But it was from enough to make the difference. Instead, he allowed the chakra to flow unevenly about in pockets, and hover about in an almost quantum sort of uncertainty. At any moment, he could have the entire chakra from the jutsu in one joint of his body, giving him an almost superhuman strength.

As he lifted the dagger, he began to think: What if I perform each strike with the fervor of my greatest strike? If I do not know when Chakra will come to aid my hand, I will be forced to live each and every moment as if it could be my defining one. My body will reach for reserves of strength which even it cannot determine to be there. When I strike with this dagger, I will imbue it with strength, strength which my body has imagined, strength which, by virtue of its possibility, I can guarantee to be an actuality.

[Y]

?? | 40

He allowed the dream of the military tribunal to slip out of his mind and stew in the depths of his subconcious with a thousand other fragments and thoughts he'd gathered over the years. Suddenly, he began to wonder whether he could apply this in an entriely different way. What if, like, he thought, I let the shadows wrap around me and give me little bursts of energy at random moments. So, when I need it, I can like lean into a little bit. I won't have to convince my body to overcome its natural limits anymore, because it won't even know what it's doing is natural.

His dreams shifted into a different direction. Suddenly, the uncertain world of lucidity he was in was the top of a skyscraper. He stood, looking across a busy street, compelled by the necessity of a dream; the uncertain motivations, the amibiguous circumstance, to leap across the gap and land safely on the other building. His stomach clenched for a moment at the thought of the impossible task, but then he realised - maybe, my chakra will save me. At least I've got a goddamned chance.

Ayumu ran forward and leaped with all the genuine fervor of a madman. He smiled and hollered a little bit as he picked up some speed. He would never have dared to even run towards such a dizzying height before, but the very potential that he might make the jump had allowed him to do it. Instead of the tremorous, uncertain leap he would've had to sell himself on in order to fall and die, he was able to amp himself up into a huge and powerful leap, one big enough, just maybe, to clear that goddamned gap.

[Starnaess]

Learned

[Y]

Umbral Fortification, Greater
Rank: "B"
Skill: GenJutsu
Effect: A stronger version of Umbral
Fortification.
Special: "Handseals"
Drawback: ---
Description: Affects 1 creature touched. The user is able to perform this technique on a willing target they touch. The duration of this technique lasts for 5 rounds per class level. As minor umbral fortification, except that greater umbral fortification grants 40 temporary Armour Points or it can be used to grant 2d4 points of temporary Might, Toughness, or Agility to the subject of the Jutsu, at the user's choice.
Limit: Must know the Shadow Perception. Must know Umbral Fortification.

0|40

The young sage began to wonder whether or not he would be able to go further in this suspension of disbelief. Surely, there had to be an upper limit, a physical limitation of what his body could do simply by ignoring apparent limitations? He couldn't simply believe in strength and be imbued with near infinite amounts of it based entirely on the premise that it could be, and therefore it would be. That powerful of a cognitive dissonance could not exist, could it?

Of course, when it came to such dissonance, Ayumu had years of experience, as a 'seeker of truth' or merely as a bum, he had wandered aimlessly, feeling his own emotions as contrived and his perceptions as completely seperate from reality. Slowly, he began to tap into years of wondering whether or not his body was really his, of wondering what the voice in his head really meant. He began to gather this doubt of reality into him, and let it well up to the size of a dominant force within his mind.

He allowed half a dozen recent visions to wash over him. Visions where we was composed of raw fire. Visions where he was a hulking, insectoid behemoth devouring all the world. Visions where he was a tiny king of the fay disguised in human form. Visions where the wind itself felt strong enough to move his arms and throw him about like a puppet. Visions of wishing that he was or wasn't what he is - these were visions of his deepest desires - his desire to be nakedly disguised or disguised as something naked. And these were the visions which would make his body entirely uncertain of the range of its own possibilities.

[Y]

With these visions for another sense of self, another sort of being firmly cemented in the core of his psyche, and flowing freely throughout the bublbing, free-form river of his thoughts, the half-asleep sage began to gather chakra again. This time he gathered the energy from the crown of his head, where all that meditative power had begun to gather. He let his thoughts and prayers define the nature of this energy - it was no longer energy of mere uncertainty, it was also the energy of Raw Hope and the Orgastic Power of the Unknown. And the feeling of that energy flowing through him was utterly sublime.

He began to allow this energy to trickle down over his body, but he kept it firmly tethered in his mind. He allowed his mind to process the interactions this fortification experienced as they came, for they were just as random and chaotic as the visions which created them. He felt breath pass against his own aura - was that the breath of a living man, the blowing force of an airy elemental, the exhaust from some sort of manmade automaton? The possiblities of being that came from every stimulus were infinite.

He had not yet begun to apply this principal, but already he was intensifying it. When he reached out to pick up a book off of his table, he wondered if he could not do so as quickly as an embodiment of pure, unbriled wind element might be able to. Afterall, who was to say, in that very moment, hidden beneath his cowl of shadows, was not the very strength of the essence of air itself? Even he could not say it wasn't, so he allowed himself to depend on it being there, to lean on a strength which could neither be proven nor disproven.

[Y]

He was becoming uncertain of his own limitations, and the feeling was relatively good. Finally crawling himself out of bed, the young sage would gather his strength and begin walking. There was a new and strange sort of dissonance to each step he took. Whereas in the past he had been accustomed to carelessly walking and letting his mind create its own reality, at this time he was creating dozens of realities to aid him with each and every step. The first step out of the room he supposed the existence of tremendously burly muscles and huge reserves of chakra to push his foot forward. The next he imagined a psychic and insurmountable force pushing him out the door.

He was moving, but his confidence in this technique had not reached its peak. Every once in a while, between the visions which he could create, the worlds of his own devising, he would catch a glimpse of simple Ayumu, the Uchiha of moderate build and human limitations. He would feel occasionally the little snag he felt sometimes when he moved his right knee, or the way the skin on his little toe was a bit sensitive. These glimpses kept him grounded when he attempted to sore higher. It was hard to accept genuinely the strength of a true deity, when that sense of humanity was lying in wait for you.

Deciding to put this feeling to rest, Ayumu followed a technique he had learned a long time ago. He once was told that exposing the brain to genuinely novel patterns and experiences can force it to move differently, and create new connections which can fundamentally change the pathways of thought. Ayumu needed to create a valid pathway which would allow his brain to streamline the process of turning visions and 'delusions' into raw, unstoppable actions.

He began to climb on to the roof of the manor. I sure as hell haven't done this before, he thought, before realizing he would need to think under a different framework then that.

[Y]

He decided it was important to frame this sort of thought not in the sense of his self, but in the sense of all. He had to accept this event as simultaneously natural and unnatural to him. While it was novel, and he did not know the result, height and the world and the wind and rooftops were fundamental aspects of the human experience. He could not be blind to all the signficance that bore - but simulteanously, he could not know exactly what awaited him on that rooftop. In this vein of thought he began to prepare himself.

Climbing up, he allowed uncertainty to make him more nimble. Each handhold he took with the intensity of mixed martial arts fighter, or a climbing goat, or a steam powered mountain-scaler. He could be anything he needed to at a moments notice. This was the mindset he had to adapt if he wanted to embrace the shadowy nature of his new fortification. Veiled in this quantum cloud, he finally reached the roof with a new vigor, and stood, arms spread, and let the winter wind of Hitofuki wash over him.

When the wind struck, he allowed the fluid nature of his mind to suit it. He was a human kite, one who was not destroyed or thrown-off by the wind, but powered by it, able to exploit its raw and natural energy for his own selfish wants and needs. He was half griffon, capable of soaring off into the night at a moments notice. He was Hitofuki, the city of Gust, the cities whose livelihood could never been blow away with the dust that settles on top of it. He was what he needed to be, and since that was not Lord of Uchiha in that moment, he was far more than Ayumu. He was what he was.

[Starnaess]

learned

[Y]

Having survived the manic fit that his training had consisted of that day, Ayumu would finally climb back down and grab some bread and fruit and eat it in the courtyard for breakfast. He would lounge about in the fresh air for a few minutes, enjoying the mild Kaze no Kuni winter. While he knew his presence here was somewhat controversial, and many of his kin thought that there was no need for the Uchiha to seek long-term solutions to settlement and expansion other than in Hi no Kuni or Kusa no Kuni, the terse relations between most ninja villages and his people had, at the very least, allowed him to find a place with no severe winter to live in.

Contemplating just how contentious his clansmen had been, and wondering whether there was any credibility to the claims of outsiders that Uchiha were prone to coups and attacks on the populations they lived among. Either way, the clan had a great and powerful tradition. It made sense, that they were feared and persecuted. Ayumu showered briefly, enjoying the warm water, dried off and put his clothing back on - boots, pants, loose shirt, jacket and hat. He stood in the mirror for a moment, contemplating shaving, but decided against it.

Stepping outside with the intent of beginning to pick up the debris outside the new manor, Ayumu just prayed that no ninja would come to exterminate his clan in this land. But he also knew, that if people came with intent of killing the Uchiha, he would be ready.

[Flower]

Homeless Dude?
Rank: "B"
IIC Length: 48 Hours
Difficulty: Medium
Objective: Find the squatter in the old mansion in Hitofuki.
Description: Some of the richer inhabitants of Kaze no Kuni's capital have been complaining that there is a squatter in their midst. An old manor, which has been unoccupied for many years according to local residents, appears to have a new visitor. With the manor being in the state that it is, locals are outraged, and would like Shinobi from Sunagakure to swing by and evict any possible trespassers. Rumors have begun to circulate that a person has been spotted using Ninjutsu in the area. There is the potential that this is a chakra user, or even a missing ninja.
Reward: 75,000 Ryo

[enter.]

Having traveled through the Land of Wind for several days, meeting strange and odd indivdiuals and learning new and wonderful things, she laid her eyes upon the city of Hitofuki (Gust) as it was called. Her knowledge of the Land of Wind was not perfect, but enough to know where the city was located and a little of its history and locals. She was on a mission for Shiki, the Kazekage, looking for an individual who she had heard had been squatting at an old manor in the city. From her knowledge concerning the cultures of the Uchiha, she knew that it was the Uchiha Manor that they pointed her toward (mastered skill) and wondered what could possibly be happening there. She stopped about two hundred meters from where she anticipated the gate to be with her knowledge of Uchiha culture and word from the locals.

She needed to meet up with her companions still, knowing that at least one person was on their way to meet her. Perhaps more if she met any travelers along the way who she recognized -- a high probability in the skin of Victoria. One of her faces. The girl stood about 5'11 and had blonde hair, golden eyes. Her Kedoin abilities had formed her clothing, a white and blue dress, while she carried a messenger pack that was strapped around her left shoulder and a butt bag on her right butt cheek. Her Sand Village headband shone at her forhead and underneath her blonde hair, a message to her comrades when she saw them. Victoria took a seat in the sand, waiting for them, and made sure that all of her items were still accounted for. She had what appeared to be a bundle of poles with a blade on one end in her right hand, what was actually her spear, Bitter Mercy, when it was fully unfolded. Although now it just looked like a foot long bundle of poles and a blade. She held on to it tight, excited for the chance to finally use it, as she dug through her pack and touched her bag.

Inside of Victoria's messenger pack was two flasks filled with a dose of fish float, a poison that she had recently acquired, as well as a tracking device, five tracers, and two spring razors. Inside of her butt bag were 100 senbon and two kunai. Just enough weapons to make the shapeshifter feel at ease, but really seemed unnecessary. Her true weapon was her body afterall. She also happened to have the vial of Shiki's blood inside of her pack, just in case she needed it to contact him or teleport. Additionally there were three empty standard shot vials in her pack, just in case she found something of interest.

As Victoria sat in the sand, the sun beating down on her and making her skin all over very hot, she wondered how it would turn out this time. Emi had been agreeable enough, but this was not Emi. Luckily she had at least his support to rely on, although she would have cherished doing such a mission on her own. Underneath the gaze of other allies, many of them good, Valerys (within Victoria) did not know if they would go along with some of her plans -- but she hoped that with a little trust they'd all be on the same page.

SPOILER: Click to show

Culture (Uchiha): 125/125
History, Local (Land of Wind): 37/125

Roll link if desired.

[Hamura]

Having received word of a mission that required his attention, he had first wondered how it had come to him to begin with, seeing as how he hadn't signed up for anything or had been even remotely looking for one. When it turned out that Victoria was responsible for signing up, he figured that he really couldn't decline. He had told her that he would be up for it when she told him that she thought it might be a good idea for the two of them to do a mission together, so it was to be expected that she would actually go through with it and sign him up. Aside from the fact that she was coming along, he had been told about how there was supposedly a third member to their party as well, but could not be bothered to look into it.

Moving through the sands with a somewhat minimalistic load-out, he wore an ivory mask that was devoid of any symbols, markings or really anything that made it stand out covering his face, his black hair falling around it like dark manes. On his left hip, he had his trusted Tanto, a weapon that was in no way unique nor special, but had been with him ever since he graduated from the Academy a year ago. Wearing two wrist guards that held two specially made quickloaders on the bottom filled with various shuriken and kunai, as well as a bunch of exploding tags, smoke pellets and even more kunai stored in a pack hanging from the right side of his belt, he was about as equipped as he needed to be.

Since it was rather logical to assume that he was going to be the youngest person on the squad, he really did not know what he was supposed to expect in terms of hierarchy. All he really knew was where they had to be going and that the mission was brought about by rich folks that had to go about waving their high and mighty status to get the Shinobi of the Sand to investigate a building that was likely just being used by a bunch of drifters or desert dwellers that needed a place to spend the night and recuperate. Knowing the building to be an old clan estate, he failed to see how it was anyone's business when the place had been abandoned anyway.

In the little amount of time he had to prepare, he had been looking into things in his free time, doing what he could to gain just the slightest bit of intel on the place. As such, he had learned that the clan compound had once belonged to the Uchiha clan, a clan he felt connected to due to some of the events that had transpired around him lately that had left him somewhat rattled. While he had some memories regarding them, or at least some of them, there was no telling how much of the things he had seen were true and which were fake. At the end of the day, the only thing he knew for sure was that he was an Ishikawa, and that was all that mattered. As some more time went by, it seemed that Victoria had already arrived, greeting her with but a single word.

"Yo."

[~Emi~]

Enter

T

he walk through the desert felt like it was never ending as he stalked the prints in the ground. They were vague and a lot of sand had covered most of them, but as the wind was active around him, he didn't think his target was all too far away. To make it easier on himself, he marked the route he was traveling on the map he had over the wind nation. For some reason it was quite straight forward, making him believe that Victoria had been at the location before. It wasn't very surprising as it was leading towards the capital of the nation, but that had him worry about the nature of her relationship with the target was.

Emi opened up his robe to let in the wind as an attempt to cool down. It was excruciatingly warm for him as he was normally walking in the rain, which gently strokes his skin with its delightful cool. The thought had him miss his home, but he knew that he couldn't return just yet, there were several things he wanted to do first. To avoid getting too hot though, Emi unequipped his metal gauntlets and placed them in his robe, which had started to get quite heavy with them, his crimson senbons and the dozen doses of saddilia that he had brought.

After a very long travel, he finally began to see things in the distance along with two silhouettes of individuals ahead of himself. That had him wonder what had happened with the second set of footprints. But as he got closer to the persons, he saw that Victoria was one of them. To avoid scaring the other one though, Emi walked up slowly and made sure to wave towards the group.

Greetings Victoria with friend.

Even though he didn't know how to acknowledge the other person without sounding a little rude, he hoped that he didn't sound too strange saying it. But as an attempt to fix his awkward approach, Emi made sure to give both of them a heartwarming smile before stopping almost 5 meters away.

Mind if I tag along on this mission? I thought it sounded like a good way to get myself an idea of how you approach new situations.

Emi then turned towards Hamura and presented himself while adjusting his robe using his right hand.

Greetings, My name is Hoshigaki Emi of the Crimson Rain and I don't believe we have met before.

Since the other shinobi was just a kid, several years younger than himself, Emi just gave him a nod instead of his usual bow, but it was no disrespect intended, he just didn't feel like they were considered social equals.

OOC: I dont have the skill, but sand wanted me to tag along on the mission, I hope it's okay Y. Also, I used tracking (46) to follow them to the area.

[Y]

SPOILER: Click to show

OOC Notes:

Hamura : This building did not belong originally to the Uchiha clan. It was recently purchased by a prominent member.

@flower : I didn't think you'd actually train the skill ... the mission should've been sufficient.

∴Sayu∴ : Of course, I assumed the mission would've contained directions to find the place.

Stepping outside, the young man would realise he was woefully unpreapred and unqualified for the task ahead. He knew almost nothing of taking care of a house, and he lacked the necessary tools to do any serious work. He stood outside the only livable wing of the house, still out of site of the road thanks to the couryard and debris field around the old manor house, and began to wonder if he could make some progress, if even in a small way.

For a brief moment, he wished that he was among those in his clan who studied the Fire Release. It was a popular Ninjutsu method which he had denied in favor of the more subtle art of Genjutsu. Unforunately, his neglect of that one area of his clan's practices denied him the option of burning down irritating vegetation and incinerating the remaining garbage.

However, he suddenly realised that he was not without hope. He knew a jutsu - it was a bit of work to pull off - that would allow him to control the plant life around him. Gathering his focus, Ayumu would perform a terse and efficient string of handseals, still standing in the doorway of his house, and shaded from view.

Once he finished this, he would feel his chakra welling up inside of him, From his body would flow thousands, if not millions of fragments of will and illusion. The illusions were simplistic - the mere semblance of the light of the sun, in a spectral form, perceptible only to those who view chakra or to plants themselves - would be sufficient to convince the plants to grow or bend or shape themselves to their apparent circumstance. The fragments of will were simplistic ties to Ayumu's consciousness. Plants did not resist - if there was even the slightest bit of Human Will resting inside of them, they would bend and obey effortlessly.

The trees would begin to rearrange themselves, shuffling branches about and shortening stray vines, until they began to take rounder, more sightly shapes. The grasses still had to work to do - with the help of the dessert vines, they were to begin dragging trash, debris, and anything they found other than Ayumu and his livable chunk of house towards the edge of the property, where Ayumu would deal with them later.

The flow of chakra was sufficient to cover the entire estate. Ayumu decided it was best not to interfere with vegeatation beyond the bounds of his property - the neighbors would be unhappy enough if they saw his courtyard gardening itself.

SPOILER: Click to show

Cast:
Dominate Vegetation
Rank: "S"
Skill: GenJutsu
Effect: Dominate Vegetation is capable of warding an area with a bewildering array of difficulties.
Special: "Handseals"
Drawback: ---
Description: A Mind-Affecting Technique. Affects all vegetation within 15 meter radius per Class Level. The user is able to perform this technique at a distance of 7 meters plus 6 meters per class level. The duration of this technique lasts for 5 days per class level. This technique may be negated. Sometimes hindering a trespasser is not enough, be it a tomb that needs watching or a Mage requires a more subtle form of guardianship than the usual tricks, traps and monsters. Dominate Vegetation is capable of warding an area with a bewildering array of difficulties. Be it the vines that seem to trip, to the poison that seems to be almost targeted as it drips from the sap of an over head tree, paralysing the unwary. This Jutsu also allows the user to be aware of intruders, and to provide a small amount of direction as to what the plants should be attempting. The exact effects of the defenses are dependent on what vegetation is in the area.
Limit: Must know the Compulsion Perception.

[Flower]

Victoria watched as the young boy she had met just days ago came strolling over the desert landscape. He did not seem particularly thrilled to see her, giving her a simple, "Yo," but Victoria got to her feet and attempted to put her arms around him -- hugging him. "Hamura! It's good to see you here. I was hoping for another person to come along. It seemed necessary." Just at that moment another figure emerged as well -- the one that she had been expecting. Emi Hoshigaki. A great craftsman from the Rain Village who she happened to be seeing quite a bit lately. But that was Shiki's plan afterall...

"Glad to see you've made it, Emi." And she would let the two men introduce themselves. Meanwhile, she thought on the nature of this mission and on what she needed to do. She would wait for Emi or Hamura, who she presumed would lead due to their higher ranks, to lead and listen to their orders -- giving her own input if it was required. Whether or not one of them began addressing the mission, however, Victoria would hold her polearm tight in her hand and close her eyes. The smell of the the two men, the sand, and the feel of the air on her skin made her contemplative -- just as the cells within her occular system would folding and bending within her eyes. It would take a little bit of time, and she would act as if she needed a moment to concentrate, and when she opened them again Victoria would proudly display the eyes of the sharingan -- with two tomoe in each eye.

Neither Emi or Hamura had been privy to knowledge about her being an Uchiha so this might have come as some sort of shock, specifically for Hamura who (unbeknowst to Victoria) might have really been an Uchiha clan member. Victoria would look at the man and the boy with her new, proud eyes and say, "That feels much better." She didn't know if they would take time to comment on it or not, but Victoria knew that it was a necessary appearance for the mission ahead. A powerful chakra weilder hiding out in the Uchiha manor? She could only assume that this had the potential to come in handy. Without saying much, Victoria had said a lot, and as Emi and Hamura got to know one anothr she would let her actions speak for themselves.

SPOILER: Click to show

Warped Visage: Growth of Eyes
Rank: C-ranked
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: Allows the user to grow a working ocular system and alter its appearance as desired.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: A technique that marks the final step of a true Kedōin Clan member. Normally the Kedōin are blind. They have no eyes, and cannot see. If the user so desire, they may simple command and organize the cells of the body in such a manner as to produce working ocular organs. The users grows a set of eyes, with functional optic nerves to the brain. The eyes grown through this technique operate and function in the same manner as normal human eyes. These eyes can appear in any color and design; with some users even shaping the eyes to blinded with cataracts. It takes one post to grow or alter a ocular system the user wishes to possess.
Limit: Kedōin Blood Line. Must know "Warped Visage: Growth of Nose"

[Hamura]

While he had been rather simplistic in his approach and not exactly emotional, he was rather surprised by how Victoria came to greet him. It had been over a year since he had last been hugged by anyone, which created for a rather awkward situation in which he really had no idea where to put his hands or where to look as his mask got moved around a bit by the sudden hug. Though it moved only an inch or two, he quickly put the mask back over his face properly as soon as the rather one-sided hug ended so as to hide the confusion and the slight blush on his face. He had trained how to deal with angry or crying people, though he had no idea how to deal with things like these.

As he took a moment to regain his composure, he was quickly pulled out of his somewhat dumbfounded state when someone else arrived at the scene. Darting his eyes in their direction while bending through his knees ever so slightly, he had his dominant hand resting on the hilt of his Tanto, ready to strike if this new arrival turned out to be a potential threat. Listening to what was said, it turned out that this person already knew Victoria as well, and that Victoria knew him too, which made sense. Refering to him as "friend", he figured that this guy had not been sent by the village and had either just stumbled on in or had followed them here. Either way, it rubbed him the wrong way as it kept him from properly figuring out what to do next.

"I'm Hamura, and I thin-".

Introducing himself as he always did with just his first name, he was planning on telling the guy that he wasn't exactly comfortable with people he did not know butting into his missions, the fact that Victoria was glad that this Emi person had joined kept him from finishing his sentence. Remaining quiet for a while, he would just listen as the two of them talked while processing whatever he heard and creating a mental profile in his head. Dropping down on his ass and just remaining seated while the adults spoke, his eyes fell upon those of Victoria, which had taken on an altogether different appearance. Not looking like any he had ever seen, it made him wonder whether this was one of those so called Doujutsu he had heard and read about. Regardless, he'd wait for the grown-ups to finish.

[~Emi~]

The Mansion

T

he kid either didn't show him the respect to even finish his greeting, or he just noticed Emi's physical traits. Despite that he always had been treated dkfferently in his home town growing up, the citizens of sands reaction to him had him alienated yet again. But he kept a indifferent face as he didn't feel the need to be accepted anymore. He was proud of his blue skin, gills, fangs and tail, even his earie voice was something he knew made him unique, the reason he had been chosen.

Thanks Victoria

As he turned around from looking towards the manor to watch her, he noticed that something had shifted in her appearance, but it took him a brief moment before he saw it was her eyes. As he hsd previous knowledge of sharingan users, he knew what it was, but he had not expected her to have two family traits.

For some reason it appears like you're part of two bloodlines, something ive never seen before.

But even though he was even more intrigued by her, he couldnt divert from their mission. So he turned back to the mansion and opened up his inner eye, scouting the area ahead for signs of chakra, which he found.

Since I followed you on this mission to determine how sand shinobis act, i would prefer for you to take the lead in this. But be prepared, the rumors are true, there is an overwhelming chakra right at the building.

Emi then got quiet as he awaited the others reply as he prepared himself to head forward through the gates. His tail moved back and forth, stiring up a small amount of sand behind him.

[Y]

The gardening was going quite well. While the crew made their uncomfortable acquantence, Ayumu's jutsu would finish moving out the smallish debris, making the lawn look rather good, despite the small heaps of trash which had been neatly placed at intervals around the edge of the fenced in courtyard. Ayumu decided it was time to kick it up a notch, and he had the grasses begin to reach up and grab whatever they could find that was organic matter - dead brush, logs, skeletons of dead field mice - and drag it down into the ground, where it would hopefully decompose out of sight and out of mind.

This process was far sublter than the previous, as there was little to actually do. Mostly, it was the thin threads of grass buried beneath the ruins of the three destroyed wings which were doing the work, but all the plants felt the command, and waited eagerly in the wind. The plants were vital despite the season, thanks to the hot desert climat that was Kaze no Kuni.

To the naked eye approaching the fallen gate of the seemingly abandoned manor, there was nothing unusual to be seen. Ayumu hung with his backpack in the shade near the doorway to his house, the entranceway to the front hall still between him and the gateway, leaving him out of site to the road.

[Flower]

Victoria saw Hamura look at her eyes and stop mid-sentence. At least he knew that this was important. And Emi, who she had briefly told about her bloodline but avoided the details, mentioned that she appeared to have two bloodlimits. "You'll find that you can't always trust your eyes with me," Victoria said and put her right hand up to her mouth and giggled. This was not exactly untrue, as she often liked to change her appearance and that of the world around her. Now when she blinked the sharingan eyes peered through, but Victoria was not quite done yet. Even as Emi explained that he would leave it more to the Sand ninja, her cells were still busy at work. On the surface nothing would appear to change about Victoria, but underneath, in her cells, she would be working hard to manipulate her actions and body language to hide any lies she might attempt (none yet).

"And it would appear that way," Victoria said, also privy to the knowledge of the powerful chakra weilder, and said, "But as long as we're together we'll be fine. I feel as if we are suddenly a powerful force -- the trinity. Groups of three's and all that jazz." She smiled at the two of them, trying to convey good energy to this suddenly begotten team. Victoria didn't know how Hamura felt about leading the mission, being a child, but if he wanted the spot then she would give it to him. He was a Chuunin, and better for her to be unassuming from the shadows. "As for the mission, I'm ready whenever you two are. The building is right beyond this, I know that it once belonged to members of the Uchiha but I have no idea who is here now. It once was connected to my family..." She seemed to peer off, as if remembering a forgotten memory.

Or she wanted them to believe for now. There could be time for explanations later, depending on how all of this turned out. "Well then, whenever you guys are ready!" The polearm was still in her hand, folded in the buddle, as well as the pack being strapped across her shoulder. It felt good to finally be properly equipped for a mission, although she almost missed that relience on her pure form. She looked off into the distance, eager for what they would find.

SPOILER: Click to show

Body Of lies
Rank: C-ranked
Skill: Taijutsu
Effect: Lie detecting skills and abilities do not work well on the user.
Special: ---
Drawback: Complex movements and techniques, usually of the "A-ranked" and "S-ranked" nature will break the concentration needed for this technique. Movement enhancement techniques (IE: Chakra gates) will cause this technique to end.
Description: This technique is often used to control the body in such a manner, as to deceive others attempting to peer into the body or read some kind of bodily function from the user for the purposes of lie detecting. If the heart rate, temperature, smooth muscle movement and breathing are being read to detect lying, the user can fool on lookers by maintaining consistencies within these automatic body functions. Rather than sweating, breathing heavily or having your heart race, the user can maintain a normal base line within all body functions, which fools on lookers. Control over these autonomic functions can be overridden by the user's cellular control nature. With this, the user may appear as if they are telling the truth, with no inclination of lying. If die rolls are used, the opponent automatically lose 50% on all die rolls. If a ranking system is used, then the user is considered a user one rank above their opponents. Animals are affected by this technique in the same manner. It takes 1 post to alter and maintain consistent body functions.
Limit: Kedōin Blood Line.

[Hamura]

Clearly sensing the shift in the air, he figured most of it could be traced back to how he more or less got cut off while talking. Whether this Emi person managed to figure out that he was going to say something about how he would have rather gone about it with people he had at least seen before, considering how it was still too early to say that he could fully trust Victoria. Even now as she talked about how not everything about her was at it seemed, it became that much harder for the young Shinobi to believe that she was just a kind person that had nothing to hide from him. Assuming otherwise would just be foolish, she was a Shinobi after all.

Putting that aside for now, he could tell by how Emi replied only to Victoria that the two weren't likely to become friends any time soon. Truth be told, he couldn't really care about it either way. He didn't need friends, nor did he need the approval of someone he hadn't even met before. Looking at the walls that surrounded the compound, he just thought of the things he heard going on between the two other Shinobi. Finding it somewhat odd that Emi believed that Victoria was of two different bloodlines, he figured that such a thing was most likely not possible anyway. But when the woman said something about the compound belonging to the Uchiha, and how it was once connected to her family, some questions rose within his mind.

"So if this place belongs to the Uchiha, it would make sense to believe that the person behind these gates is either one of them, or a different kind of decently powerful Shinobi who might have gone there looking for any relics or artifacts that had been left behind there. Regardless, the fact that there are three of us here means that the best thing to do would likely be to just show ourselves and ask whoever is inside about what is going on. If things do go south, there are three of us and likely only one or two of them."

Having said what he was going to say, he would leave the two older members of the group to either go along with his plan or make up something of their own while questioning his plan in the process. Either way was fine with him, seeing as he was always open to different kinds of input, he just wasn't always as willing to just drop his own plan and go with something else entirely. Getting up and walking over to the wall, he made his way to the top of it rather quickly, at which point he just sat himself down so that he could look out across the compound and maybe get a glimpse of things while still being capable of clearly hearing the other two Shinobi. And with that, he only had one last thing to say to the new arrival.

"And I didn't mean anything by it, in case you were wondering. I was just going to say that Emi is a girl's name."

[~Emi~]

Entering the uchiha domain

E

mi was a little curious on why all the instances where he had done a mission along with sand shinobis, they had always hesitated to get started. Even though he clearly had expressed that he was there to watch, he felt the urge to lead the way. He clenched his teeth a little while he took a deep breath and tried to calm down himself, the situation didn't need him to be frustrated, it would only make it all worse. So he instead listened carefully to what his teammates had to say and analyzed it.

Even though there's not much information to go on for now, I do agree with you Hamura. Since we do have the benefit of being more people we have the upper hand. But as I was asked by your kage to assist him with the education of his ninjas, I'd like to add that to make this a viable way to act, we still need two details. The first is what tactics would be used if something overwhelming would force us into a fight, such as an army hidden from us appears, possible formations and such. While the other is the safe zone to meet up on if the need to split up ever became an option. Because in the world of ninjas, we can never underestimate situations...

Emi then headed in along with Hamura while trying to be observant both to the changing surroundings as well as keeping track on the aura ahead of them. Even though he had suggested for the group to be a little cautious despite their upper hand, Emi preferred to experience the surprises in the world. So he smiled as he walked across the yard, excited to see who they were to meet.

What do you know about my gender identification?

The Hoshigaki said teasingly as a reply to the young shinobi's weird comment to his name. It did however make him remember how he always had been thought of being a girl before his muscles began to grow and his head got more toned.