The Hunt for Knowledge

[Dr. Gaz]

When she arrived in the capital, she expected to see some kind of damage, but from what she saw, the city had not suffered to badly. Though the looks she got from the people all around her, she knew they were not happy to see a snow ninja walking through the city at the moment. looking to see if there was anything to do, she usually got a lot of snide comments or rude remarks when ever she asked.

Seeing that there was nothing she could really do, she went to a local pub. she really would like to have somethign other then soup and frozen cold water. Ordering what she wanted from a waiter, she sat against a back wall rubbing her eyes. She came to help, but the people now would not let her. Was it really her fault? She was young and caring, but they acted as if this whole mess was because of her.

As the food was brought to her, she paid for it and began eating. Since no one would let her help, she decided she would do what else she wanted. She wanted to learn anything she could about the shield she was looking for. she was sure there was some one with in this large city who would know somethign about it. The thing was finding the right people and hoping they were in the right mind to answer.

Looking around, she noticed no one really looked liked the kind of people who would know anything. Or at lease not what she was looking for. "Except", she paused for a smile, "you my good friend". She said this soft and quietly. She noticed a quiet looking man who sat in another corner. something she had picked up on with working with her father, is that the people who usually wanted, or knew something, always sat in the darkest areas.

Gaz looked up and called the waiter back over to her and told her to bring the man some sauke. When the waiter looked at her, she only smiled and nodded. He shrugged and moved on to do as she asked. When he brought the man the drink, she saw the waiter point over at her. The man drunk a little bit then silently waved her to come over there.

She got up and walked over there with out making any noise. She then would sit down across from the man and awaited for him to speak.

[Dr. Gaz]

The man ate, and drank very slowly. He often cast a look at her as if admiring her in a small way. Through out this though, she kept silent waiting for this man to talk. It was a common practice for the smarter organized criminals to offer a gift of some sort when they wish to work with, or find out information on another organization. In her case, she offered the man a drink and a meal. It was a small gester, but it should she was willing to pay for what ever she wanted.

Finally, he wiped his mouth and looked at her again. "It is not often i get children buying me drinks. So i can only assume you are smarter, or more connected then most children your age." He looked at her raising an eye brow. Gaz smiled and thought about her answer. "Both." She finally said. "Smarter, because i know what to look for, more connected because i have met and spoken with plenty of criminals. Or, at lease i know enough to know you are with Oso gang."

The man in the corner suddenly got real stiff and real quiet. At what seemed to be an eternity, he put his hands in his lap. "Young one, i must know, how do you know this?" She let out a friendly giggle. "oh it is nice to meet some one who will humor me. But, i know you because i was the little girl who saw you sell Oso and his goons out to my father. Don't worry, i won't sell you out so easily. Though, unless you give me what i want, i might just sell you out to him and see if He will give me what i want. "

There was another long momentary pause. "You know how to play our game then? Then i am sure you will go and backstap us regardless of what i do?" he asked as if half interested. Gaz shook her head and pointed at his drink. "I bought this as a symbol of my honesty. Now, if you were listening," she said rather harshly. "I said if you didn't give me what i wanted, i would sell you down the river."

This got the mans interest long enough for him to pour himself another drink. "And, what sort of information may you be looking for. For I, i am nothing more then a lonely criminal. What sort of information could a ninja like yourself not know that i would hmm?" Now many here would have been polite. Not gaz. "You can stick that garbage up your ass. I know you better then that. You know things that even God would be surprised about." this drew a chuckle from the man. He nodded none the less.

"Aye, i might know something like that. but i must ask again, what is it you wish to know?" Gaz looked at him for a long time ignoring his God complex that this conversation seemed to have made. "Shield of Kyoku." She said this while he was drinking. Anything this man had in his mouth sputtered out. He looked at her, then across the pub that seemed to have turn to his direction. Thinking quick, he bent lower toward her.

"You seek for what is hidden?" He asked quietly now, trying to suck in anything she said. "Aye, i seek for what must be found." He sat back in his seat and shook his head. "Tis a fools quest it is. Many of Oso goons went to look for it. We only had three to come back. They never spoke of what happen and why only three returned.

A flashy smile came to Gaz lips. She took a cup and grabbed the drink she had bought for him and poured herself some. Brining it up to her lips, she said "you forget. I am a ninja of the snow. I will complete any task i set before myself." with that, she would drain the cup and sit it back down on the table.

[Dr. Gaz]

He looked at her clearly unsatisfied with her answer. "I suppose you are" he said to her his voice going quiet once more. "Though i guess it couldn't hurt to tell you what you would like to know. If at lease to keep my own neck safe. Ask away then." The look the man gave her when she asked the first question made her think that he had already guessed the first one. "Were is it?" she asked. "I have no idea." was his answer.

"Surly you have some idea of where it is located?" He nodded and thought about it for a second. "It is located in a cave some were south of the Snow village. And if my contacts are correct, which most times they are, it should be somewhere on the boarder. Though, i must say they were out of there mind when they told me this. They were under some sort of genjutsu." He chuckled at her as she grimaced. There really was no true defense against Genjutsu. They only ones who could truly fight it are the truly gifted or other masters of genjutsu. For they were the only ones who understood it enough to fight it.

"So what you are saying is..chance are some people already know where it is and protecting it?" He smiled and nodded his head. "That my friend is the greatest question. I would assume so. But we can't be to sure now. It is very possible that the group turned on each other and one had enough power to fight the others all on his own. Then cast a powerful enough jutsu t hide the real information. Because, between you and me, i have been following this for some time. Every time it seems someone gets close, they suddenly die or they go home and forget everything. You tell me, does that sound normal? No i would think not."

Gaz had to give the man a credit for that. What he had said was true. So, chances are she was going to fight some one for the shield. It would be a bummer if it turns out that way. She didn't really one kill anyone for this. Though she would if she had no choice. In truth, she then would be taking a weapon away from someone who has been using it to terrorize others. So in a way it was her job to do this. "Thank you" she said. "You have been a big help. "

Taking out the folder the kage had given her, she made a few notes about were its guessed location was and possible enemies. As she finished writing, she looked up and saw that the man was gone. How could that be, she would have noticed him getting up. When she got up, she noticed a little note. Picking it up, she read it to herself but had to reread some things several times before she understood it...Beware little angel for sometimes what was hidden was never meant to be found. When all seems lost, look for the cave that eats the river...

She looked around and noticed no one seemed to be paying any attention to her. Or noticed that the man had disappeared with out a trace. she was about to put the note down when she noticed a p.s. Look out for the man with the snow white eyes. Few can match his heritage. She was lost and confused by the whole letter. More so with the last part. What was he talking about? She turned to leave when she noticed something. There in the seat she had occupied before she came in here, sat a man with a long scar on his face. He had snow white eyes.

[Dr. Gaz]

She had to keep moving. She was trying to pull off that she had not noticed the man. But she doubted she did. For the look of his face was fresh on his mind. He had jet black hair. But his eyes were white as snow. There on his forehead, he had a mark or a seal of some kind. His hands, which were holding each other in front of his mouth, were wrapped up. He wore clothing that did not fit in very well for the snow. It was full of black and green. As if he had come from a forest somewhere.

Where he came from was not her problem. Her problem was getting out of there. She had been told to watch out for him. So apparently there was some bad blood between her and him. Even though she knew nothing about why she should watch out for him. But the line 'few can match his heritage' was fresh on her mind. He must have some sort of bloodline she decided.

Rushing out of the pub, she walked down the street and taking a back ally. She hoped if he followed her, she would loose him. She spent maybe and hour randomly going all through out the city. Taking random turns here and there, and even at one point, walking through several peoples houses as a 'short cut'.

She went down another alley, and stopped. It was a dead in. But no matter, she figured if he had some how manage to keep up, then he deserved to find her. Course, when he started walking down the alley, her mind change rather quickly. The man, was only a few inches taller then her and looked to be in his early twenties if that. Yet, his face, which she could see from the moon light, was aged beyond his years. "About time." he said. His voice was slow and venomous. Full of anger and hate.

As he walked closer, Gaze got in her Gouken no Kamae Bansu (Iron Fist Stance Advance) stance. "What do you want?" He stopped were he was and looked at her. His face as ugly as it was lit up into a smile. "Why, i want those papers concerning the location of a certain shield." She stopped and looked at him. "You can not have them. They are the property of the village of the snow. Taking it from me makes you an enemy of the snow and of the Yukikage of the hidden village of the snow." He looked at her and laughed. "You think i fear him? A mer child? Please girl. Give me what i want now before i have to hurt you."

She shook her head in defiance. "I am sorry, you are mistaken. One for making fun of my Kage, and two, thinking you can hurt me." With that, she went from her stance to charging at him. As she ran, her arms behind her, she grabbed two shuirkens before she performed the After image technique. As she went from running at him, to bouncing off the wall above him, she threw one at him. As she hit the other wall, she threw the other one at him. She watched in amazement, as he simply threw up his hand and hit every shuriken she threw it at him. Angered, she charged at him again in the Gouken no Kamae Bansu stance from the wall. As she reached him, grabbed his shirt, which she saw in his white eyes that it had taken him off guard.

Something she noticed was that he had three vain sticking out on each side of his head. She thought it was weird, but when she started her attack she thought nothing more about it. Performing the Inazuma Kakato Geki. She first sent a punch at hi face, which he blocked as if second nature. Then she sent a series of punches at him. all increasing with speed. As her momentum built up, she threw one last punch that was strong enough to throw him back some. The problem was, he had manage to block every punch.

He gave her a wicked smile as she looked at him amazed. "My turn" he said coldly. And with that, she charged her using the same stance she had used. Yet when he got up to her, he changed his stance so quickly she did not have time to react. Much less try and figure out what it was. It was with out a doubt something she had never seen before.

[Dr. Gaz]

Te skill of the man was obviously above her own. He had knowledge of a technique she had never seen nor fought before. The speed at which he threw his punch was nerve racking. He threw his punch with lightning speed. The power behind the punch was so strong that it knocked her back into the wall. That may not sound impressive, but when it was 10 meters away, and she would have kept going had it not been there.

As she hit the wall, she let out a gasp of pain. He was strong, and very skilled. There was no denying that. And, she had some skill of her own, jumping back up, she performed the hand seals for the Goukakyuu no Jutsu. As she took a deep breath, she released it and was met with a huge fire ball coming out. As it soared down the alley way, she watched in triumph. this was the end for him, he had no were to go.

Well no where to go expect up. He to preformed the after image just as she had. He bounced off the walls p and over the great ball of fire. Then, he turned and headed her way. Performing more hand seals, she performed the Housenka no Jutsu (Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique). But he some how managed to avoid every single fireball she sent at him. Now it was his turn, as he came up apond her, he looked at her and smiled. Then he started to send two finger punches at her. At first he started out slow, then speed up, but every time he hit her, she could feel more and more of her chakra slipping away and out of her reach. The harder she tried, the more she realized she could no longer mold it. (He used Hakke: Rokujuuyonshou)

What had he done to her? that was the only thing that could run through her mind. He had done something and now she could no longer control her own chakra. "There, that should take care of your ninjutsus." He said as she fell to the ground back, against the wall. "Now, if you don't mind, this is mine." He said taking the folder she had tried to protect. He then began to walk away from her. She tired getting back up, but fumbled adn fell to the ground again.

He stopped and looked back at her. He walked closer to her and bent down right in her face. "I am jace Hyuuga. I am better then you will ever be. No sleep and forget you ever saw me." with that, he would touch on the neck and and into the darkness she went. She had failed.

[Dr. Gaz]

When she awoke, the sun was once more shining down on her. The pain she felt was dimmed. Looking around she found she was no longer in an alley. Instead she was in a small room. To her left she saw windows letting the sun in. Like a punch to the face, the previous nighs adventure came rushing back. He had taken what she needed to find the shield. He had beaten her badly. She was a failure. A complete and utter failure.

She rolled out of the bed she was in. She got dress and walked out of the room. She found all her things right by the door. She grabbed them and put them on. As she walked out of the small room, she found she was in a hall way. Walking to the end of it, she came to a flight of stairs. Walking down them, she realized she was in a hotel. "What the.." she said to herself and moved froward to leave.

But before she could make it to the door, she found a hand placed on her shoulder . Turning around, she saw it was an older man. "Excuse me miss, but the fellow who brought you in here told me to give you this." she thanked him and took the note. she looked at it and realized it was the note from the pub. She turned around and looked for the man again. "Sir who gave you this?" He thought a moment and described the man she had been speaking with in the bar. Son of a gun she thought. He had rescued her and healed her.

With that, came a more disturbing thought. The man she had fought was a Hyuuga. she should have known from the beginning. Had she not been so stupid, she might have realized fighting with taijutsu was useless as it was stupid. She left the hotel and went to leave the city. She no longer had the need to stay here. She found out what she needed. and learned that she had an enemy on this quest. A powerfully strong one. It was now a race to the shield. One which was unfair since he now had a head start.

{exit}