Sweeter than Candy

[Inoryu]

    Having decimated the statues that worshiped his mark, he was driven to find the creature that they depicted. It was his duty, in lieu of national security concerns. Though these missions were off the book, he would fully commit to them. He was doing good for Kusa no Kuni by his own volition rather than being ordered by the chain of command or accepting only the missions available in Kusagakure. This drive would carry him through the night. If there was a domestic invasion of the undead, he had faith that it was already being handled. 

    Inoryu continued the search with a certain pleasure he called 'flow'. It was mindfulness that he applied to the genjutsu enhancement that made him extraordinarily focused. The hag in the book had been calling them so he was confident that the book was providing a direct route to her. He charged through the drizzle and marsh hastily to meet her, overflowing with anticipation. In an effort to increase their search, he would ask his allies as he ran, "Those statues...do either of you know how to bait that creature?"  

ck|GgR_P1-100

[Candy:23]
[MissionPost:5/7]


1-100

[Utahhikari-Satu]

    Satu had studied the nature of divine rituals. It was innate to him and so he approached a statue and knelt before it chanting the mantra of his meditation. He would attempt to discern the nature of the worship taking place. The soot and ash was a mixture of what smelled like sage, not any sage but a dragon's blood. The candles were black and the wax flowed from them as their wick's burned. Satu continued his chanting and placed his hand over his left hand to intensify his prayer.

    Attempting to lure her by way of transparency was dangerous. She could overtake him if he was not careful. His intent must be clear of his own desire and ego. This would draw her to his purity, at least this was what he believed to be true. Lesser divine beings always wanted followers of pure heart to more easily divine to them their purpose and intent. The statue began to weep tears of black viscous. What could this mean to the group in relation to their search. 


1fhatdVR1-100

[Candy:23]

[MissionPost:5/7]



1-100

[Inoryu]

    Inoryu skid to a halt to allow Satu to try and bait the creature. He presumed that's what he was doing per his inquiry. Standing a few meters away from Satu and the statue, he kept his awareness outside of him, expanding through the brightly-lit, fog-less environment. If the hag were to show her face, he would definitely see it coming from a long ways away. The rain had picked up again and Inoryu was thankful that he had brought his hoodie. 


_hCoIHPL1-100

[Candy: 24]
[Mission: 6/7]1-100

[M$]

[??|40]
[second post]

A little more focus and the bird withered a bit in its' movement; nothing drastic, but under the scope of a Sharingan it was a significant difference. The bird reacted curiously to the strange ceiling that was beginning to overcome it. A simple creature with a simple mind- it could not even fathom that it was being assaulted telepathically, or infected with a foreign energy. A shrug later and Itada watched as the energy projected from within his eyes spread throughout the sky walker's physique.

His main goal here was to use his eyes to not cast a genjutsu, but to take that same concept and turn it into something far from an illusion-- he aimed to use his doujutsu prowess through the art of ninjutsu. The tomoe within spun again as he once again aimed his power toward the flyer, this time projecting even more of his chair at it. He visualized a talon as he grasped toward the creature, using the predictive capability of his eye to keep it in front of him.

[Candy:25]
[missionp:5]

[Utahhikari-Satu]

Satu took a knee as he finished his prayer. "Hmm interesting, from what I am feeling the sacrifice.. and it is an alter of sacrifice.. indicates blood worship." Satu took his parasol and pricked his finger to draw a little blood. He let a few drops into the hands of the weeping idol and the black tears intensified. "Interesting, but what does it mean?"

The undead crave flesh this was common knowledge, but why sacrifice blood to appease this menace?, Thought Satu. He examined the viscous tears and upon touching the statue it let out a shriek and crumbled. "I guess it will not accept me it must sense my divine upbringing." He shrugged it off and muddled his finger in the dirt to clean it of blood and grime secretions from the statue. He then healed himself and fell back behind Inoryu to continue aiding him with the search.


vqPjvoyU1-100


[Candy:24]



[MissionPost:6/7]

1-100

[Inoryu]

SPOILER: Click to show

Learning 0/10
Acrobatic Throw
Rank: "C"
Skill: TaiJutsu/Supplementary
Effect: User compensates skill for awkward attack positions such as hanging upside down from a branch, sliding down a slow or dropping from a balcony.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Normally a Throwing Specialist must have solid footing on the ground in order to throw proficiently. The Throwing Specialist is only able to throw at 1/3rd of their normal proficiency. With this technique the user is able to throw at awkward positions. They are able to throw upside down from a branch, sliding down a slope, jumping and falling, or even rolling on the floor. With this technique the user may throw at 1/2 their proficiency . When the user learns Throw on the Run they are able to throw at 2/3rd of their proficiency.
Limit: Must be a Throwing Specialist. Must know Precise Shot.

    

    Like the sentries in Kusagakure, Inoryu maintained steadfast focus of his surroundings as Satu attempted to summon the hag. He listened to Satu's analysis of the type of worship and let him do his thing, not once taking away his focus of the surroundings and looking every which way. When Satu acknowledged that it wouldn't accept his blood, Inoryu would of stepped forward to offer his own, but the statue had crumbled. So he was resolved to return to their seeking method of hunting when he caught the glimpse of a slow moving figure about a hundred meters away appearing to slowly move towards them. "Could it be?" Inoryu wondered. 

    "There, 3' O' clock," Inoryu addressed to his allies. It was too far to make out what creature it was from that distance so he moved closer swiftly with the aid of the enchantment. As he closed the distance, he was able to determine it was the same creature depicted of the states but with rotting, forest green flesh, jaundice colored eyes, blue veins and patches of black-decaying skin all around. A patch of her hair was missing in the upper left quadrant to instead reveal gray brain matter. Her teeth were black with sludge that may have come from the marshy environment, and as if she had spent ample time submerged in a lake, seaweed hung about her mouth and peasant rags. As Inoryu approached closer, she was making gruesome sounds like a unintelligent and rabid animal. 

    Almost immediately, Inoryu classified it as a zombie, and it definitely qualified as a mark for his mission. He figured killing the wench would be simple; physically damage the brain so that it is unable to function. The chunin unsheathed his tanto from his thigh and targeted her head where a piece of her skull was missing. Though she might be able to see and smell their location, her movements were sluggish and Inoryu's confidence was raised with the aid of Itada's genjutsu, the subconscious boost from Itada would make his taijutsu extremely difficult for her to keep up with. 

    His charge was more quick and elegant than usual. The enhancement would also apply as he closed in to just ten meters and jumped over the zombie. The wind release: air buffer aided him as he inverted in the air for a direct line to the zombie's brain. He threw his tanto precisely, landing a direct hit and driving the entire two feet of blade through her brain and down her throat as he continued to front flip and spin 180 degrees to face her while landing firmly on the ground ten meters away. He stood up fully to his natural stance, and to his dismay, the zombie changed direction and moved towards him, unaffected. 

    The Yamanaka carefully observed the situation and meditated to the sounds of the zombies incessant growling. Against his better judgment, he pulled out the mysterious book from his torso armor piece and it quickly flipped to the page of the green hag on its own. There she was, mystifying and menacing. He quickly read the details of the page and learned that sea hags sometimes were practitioners of black chakra. He compared the picture of the hag in the book to the real creature, back again, and when he looked back at the picture, it had transformed into the very creature in person, taking on a zombie appearance, and moved so that it appeared to reach out towards him. Inoryu slammed the book shut and returned it to underneath his torso plating. It was obvious that this specific hag had been dabbling in black chakra and her vindictiveness and taste for flesh had transformed her into the being she was today. Perhaps his method would've worked on any other zombie creature, but this one had powerful chakra to back it up. He could try beheading the creature, but even then he couldn't be sure it would kill her. There was only one sure way.

    If his allies had been observing, they would see his attempt had been ineffective and he would call out to them saying, "I need help. It's chakra is too strong and the only way we can be sure to kill her is through medical ninjutsu." He let that comment sink in and looked over at Satu as he was unaware of Itada's medical capabilities, "I can hold her down, and I will stake my life to protect you but I need you to use some form of medical ninjutsu on her if you are up to it." If Satu agreed, Inoryu would nod, dismiss the shadow clones that were scattered throughout Ame no Kuni and with the single hand seal, produce ten around him with the chakra artificer trait.

    The shadow clones would go forth and five of them would attempt to control her at a time; one for each appendage. One by one they grabbed each arm, gripping it underneath their shoulders. When the zombie tried to strike out with its teeth, another shadow clone grasped the tanto firmly lodged in her brain from behind and kept her head and neck still. Two more shadow clones held her legs firmly to their bodies. In an instant, she was completely immobilized under Inoryu's influence and was reduced to her growling and mindlessly gnashing with her teeth though her head and neck were kept in place. Inoryu had four more shadow clones on stand-by if they were needed and Satu would be kept relatively safe as he works his medical ninjutsu. The sooner she was dead, the less likely there would be a mishap.    

[Candy: 25]
[Mission: 7/7]

[M$]

Sharingan - Shackling Stakes [??|40]
[3 post ungraded]

They had action!

Following his comrades movements and words brought the undead creature across the Uchiha's vision; those same blood-stained eyes that infected the bird moment ago would now be focused toward the sea jag. It was nothing like he had seen before, and even stranger the chakra that protruded from its skeleton was far from normal. Whereas chakra was normally the essence of life, holy and clean in its' purest form, the chakra that emanated from this creature was quite the opposite; from the lens of his chakra sight, it appeared toxic, blackened.. Deathly.

Itada was surprised to see the zombie standing after the tanto of Inoryu had pierced the skull, but it was a zombie after all. As they had done many times before, the time in his eyes spun once again, coagulating chakra, and forming it into an invisible palm that would stretch outward toward the zombie in an attempt to grab it. It was more difficult to do with the agile flying bird, but an almost motionless and brain dead monster? This would be a cake walk. The hand extended from Itada's epicenter as he focused more, honing it to the sea hag before it attempted to wrap itself around it. Held in place by both his Sharingan and Inoryu's kage bunshin, it would be a simple exchange for Satu to induce his medical chakra into the undead.

If he, however, lacked the technique to do so, then Itada would step in to eliminate the target. His main focus as of now though, was to hone his doujutsu prowess.

[Candy 26]

[Utahhikari-Satu]

    Satu stepped forward and knelt at the hag's side. The lackey deity writhed and grunted against the grip of the shadowclones and some unknown force perhaps belonging to Itada. Satu placed his hand over the hag's forehead and began administering the first wave of medical jutsu. To gauge its effectiveness he would begin with healing hands: light. Her undead flesh began to froth and seethe as the chakra's purity came into contact with her own noxious menace. This indicated at least it was effective against her.

    Satu began to understand this was going to take more effort. "Idol hands are the devil's playground," he muttered to himself as he placed his other hand at the undead's forehead. He let loose a second channeling of healing hands: light on her and the grunts became screams. Satu leaned in and spoke softly to the hag, "What now, wretched false god. None will appease your blood lust any longer." Satu steadied his breathing and began to channel healing hands: minor on the hag at the two points he placed his hands. The intense rains would not befuddle his concentration.

    The chakra flowed from Satu into the hag. Gaping holes began to bore into her head and chest. She was becoming a translucent pile of muck before everyone's eyes. The grip of the shadow clones and some odd force unknown to Satu kept her in place. Satu shouted, "Keep her still!" He began to chant, "Blessed be the touch". This would be the paramount of his capabilities as he channeled his innate trait of the 'Blessed Touch'. His healing hands: minor became healing hands: moderate.

    Satu's once juniper eye began to glow a fluorescent deep emerald. The blessed touch's power he tapped into sent chakra overflowing from him into the hag copiously. The screams became gurgles of vapor and mist. The hags upper body was a pool of muck. In the pool all that lay was a few bones dripping with decay. The channeling from Satu ceased, his eye returned to the normal shade of juniper as before and he stood upright dusting off his shins."What could have happened to her in life that led to such a malicious and accursed spirit to manifest in the thereafter I wonder," Satu noticed her legs still writhing, "Ugh gross..."

[Boss killed: 6]
[Mission Complete: 5]
[Mission: 7/7]
[Candy: 37]

[Inoryu]

    The shadow clones that kept the zombie immobilized were successful in their endeavor as Satu made quick work of the undead creature. As the zombie eroded, the shadow clone that restrained the zombie's head was able to retrieve Inoryu's tanto and toss back at him. Inoryu caught it, violently swung it about and spun it around his fingers to fling off the excess zombie muck, away from others, before wiping both sides of the blade with his left arm sleeve and returning it to its sheathe.

    Before he knew it, the zombie had been decimated by Satu's medical ninjutsu. He grinned at Satu and rubbed his shoulder in approval and admiration, "Great work!" he exclaimed. Inoryu was jovial because Satu's actions this night made him believe that Satu had what it takes to be a ninja of Kusagakure and would vouch for him in every way with a firm belief in what he had to offer. If the recruitment was successful, Inoryu would be making an excellent contribution to the village and it would affirm many lessons he had learned under his father's tutelage.   

    There was a sudden easiness through the Ame no Kuni that had been absent prior to defeating the zombie hag. It felt as though they had successfully cleared the land of the undead invasion, as if a weight had been lifted from the atmosphere itself. There was still a couple of hours before the first hint of sunlight so they could continue to hunt the undead if they were up to it. Inoryu would rather take in the relief of the land and spend the next couple of hours replenishing his chakra, yet he wouldn't refuse his allies if they wanted to be thorough in the extermination of the undead.

    A laugh escaped him as a product of the culmination. Inoryu had been working hard, and it felt as though his hard work and chakra had paid off to the highest degree. He felt that so many things had been accomplished and couldn't alleviate his happiness. He pulled out the mysterious book from underneath his torso armor piece and looked through it. To his surprise, all of the pages were blank. "Hey Satu, check it out," he said as he would hand the book over for him to investigate. 

[Mission complete: 5]
[Boss Kill: 6]
[Candy Count: 37] 

[Utahhikari-Satu]

     It occurred to Satu that this was what Inoryu did for a living. Things are bound to be more adventurous from here on out so long as he acted in the greater good for the group. It struck Satu as a wonderful insight to live the life of an adventurer in the land of grass. Still  it was only a fantasy since he was still undergoing his due process to be accepted in Kusagakure. 

     All seemed to be calm as rain drizzled overhead the three and the large cat. Such calm was welcomed from Satu and it would last as they sojourned the meadows in their accomplishment. How long would this peace last though. It always seemed short but it was always appreciated like the breezes that dry the wet brow of the hardworking that drive towards their endeavors relentlessly. Rest is good, thought Satu and this was well deserved.

[Candy Count 38]

[Cadoc]

Grading missions up till the last instance. For future reference please do not post back to back missions, instead wait for the prior mission to be approved by staff.

+38,500
+38,500 to all involved.
By my count M$ is on 6/7 posts. Send another PM when they have posted and I will grade this last mission.

Also please reframe from training during the missions going forwards per "No training during missions."
+29 tp for Money
+10 tp for Jyuuken

[Inoryu]

SPOILER: Click to show

Thank you, Cadoc. I'll definitely keep that in mind in the future, sorry about that.

    The pleasant cool down of a hard night's work washed over Inoryu as did the rain of Ame no Kuni. The last of the adrenaline coursing through his veins gave his mind and muscles a relaxing sensation. A pleasant hum escaped the Chunin as the lucid dream of life slowly became reality. Yet, it was reality that had become surreal and out of the norm. Before this night, the undead only existed in his imagination, and now he understood that they held a place in reality. This return to his senses was an elated transition and the faith he had in his recruit grew more potent. 

    The night was near its end and the Kusa-representative and his prospect would need to return to shelter and rest. Inoryu looked over at his friend Itada, cool, mysterious as ever and was grateful for another encounter as he said, "It's about time Satu and I return to Aokusa." The rapport that had begun on a random, fateful encounter had increased now that he had worked with Itada side by side on a mission. It was odd that he felt closer to Itada, a ninja of Amegakure and a politically neutral party, than all of his acquaintances in Kusagakure. He wouldn't find it concerning and rather trusted in the way things were going. Inoryu led the way to where the broker said he would be and presented the zombie leg as evidence of their success to receive their rewards. 

[Candy Count: 38]

[Utahhikari-Satu]

     It was really a shame to be leaving Ame no Kuni so soon. With their mission complete Satu would not compromise the victory for the sake of sightseeing. Satu bid a wave of farewell in Itada's direction. The Ame nin was one of stoic valor for sure and the kindredness was apparent between him and Inoryu.

     Satu would once again prop open his umbrella to seek shelter from the drizzling splendor of Ame no kuni and step lightly behind Inoryu upon there departure. "Shame I never got to pet Itada's sabretooth," he said to Inoryu. Satu glanced back at all the halos littering the field and smiled as he motioned them behind him. He laughed, "Even when it's rainy all I ever do is shine." to Inoryu.

[Candy Count 39]

[Inoryu]

    Inoryu smiled at Satu's remark after the lights of the environment were transitioned to Satu's back. Satu had some sass and Inoryu thought that was another endearing quality of his prospect. "My God," the broker said as he witnessed the dismembered zombie leg, "You folks actually did it." Inoryu nodded and weaved the hand seals that activated the great wind drill jutsu another time to drill through the ground and bury the leg beneath. Hopefully that would be enough to keep the disease from spreading. The broker meanwhile reached into his purse and handed the ninja their due. Inoryu would receive it graciously along with Satu and Itada.  

[Candy Count: 39]

[Utahhikari-Satu]

     Satu hummed in delight as they approached the broker with their mark in hand. It was now truly over and had been a true test of the team's determination and skill, especially Satu. He consided he had never before been pushed to those limits. In his thoughts he dreamed of pushing far beyond them in the future. He watched complacently as the leg was buried, a proud smirk appeared on his face. When he received his share from the broker his eyes lit. He had never seen so much ryo before. He bowed to the broker as he collected his payment for services.

[Candy Count 40

[Inoryu]

    With the transaction complete, it was really time for Inoryu and Satu to return to Kusa no Kuni. The sky was becoming more light as the sun was beginning to peak over the flat horizon. It would surprise Inoryu how quickly the day started, so abruptly becoming morning in Ame no Kuni compared to that of the patient and longer transition of Kusa no Kuni's sunrise. Before he knew it, the rain clouds reflected an orange hue that lit the entire sky with an orange sheen. It was beautiful, full of peace, calming, and Inoryu enjoyed it thoroughly. He would have the privilege to thoroughly enjoy the sunrise to his fullest content since Satu and he needed to go East, in the direction of it, to return to Aokusa. "This couldn't have turned out any better," he thought.

    He looked over Itada and his fierce sabretooth now truly ready to depart, "Safe travels, friend," he said. With that, Inoryu bowed respectfully to his friend and rival before turning and setting out. His attention turned to the assortment of colors, divine white clouds with gray-lined underbellies, parting for a time to reveal the sun-kissed and lavender hues of the skyline. The rain had paused as if to let the full atmosphere of the morning influence his mood with further elation. "Who knew that the sunrise was so beautiful in Ame no Kuni, where even the rains take pause for the wonder of it?" Inoryu asked Satu. 

[Candy Count: 40]
{Exit after Money's post or Nov 11 at 12 am when the event ends} 

[M$]

Through an apathetic gaze did Itada watch the final moments of the sea hag's life; it was the same stare that had rendered the creature immobile, paralyzed throughout every part of its' body. He could see in the way her muscles jerked as she fought for her freedom, the way her chakra levels spiked the more she realized that her fight was futile. He could see the hope leaving her body and the despair settling in.. As if that wasn't harsh enough, another surge of chakra into his eyes would work the tomoe once more, tightening the Uchiha's psychic grip even further.

In a way, it was cruel what the three of them were doing to this creature; irony at it's finest .. The ninjutsu designed for medical purposes and healing was the tool that would bring this monster's life to an end. The Sharingan could read the technique that Satu first used, and through his knowledge in the medical arts, he deduced that Healing Hands:Light would not be enough for an undead this powerful. He input was unnecessary however, as it seemed Satu was simply testing at first, gradually increasing the levels of medical chakra he was pouring into the hag. Before long, her grace was reduced to a pool of liquefied undead flesh, and whatever remained of her would be fine with the wind.

It seemed the hunt was over, and his friends needed return back to their home country. It was fun while it lasted.. He bid his comrades farewell until next time, shrouding both him and Burakku under a curtain of invisibility. Comrades yes- but he couldn't afford to be followed back to the village.

[Candy:48]
[MissionPost:7|7]

[Utahhikari-Satu]

{Exit with Inoryu}

[Cadoc]

Mission approved 77k added to all