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Post by Kensei Takezō on Jul 1, 2013 16:26:25 GMT -5
Hiatari had been relaxing, for once. Taking a little time to practise his calligraphy was one of the very few things he did purely for his own enjoyment. In fact, it was, perhaps, one of the few things that helped him keep his sanity in the brutal, yet subtle, (and often almost contradictory) life of a ninja.
Naturally, it never lasted long. For once, however, this was truly an emergency. The guards at Konohagakure's gates had been ambushed by a couple of Chūnin, both of whom had been investigated for some time and, just today, were to have been brought in for questioning over the suspicious death of their former Jōnin Sensei. Hiatari, being one of the ANBU who were on duty at the time, had been one of those contacted to pursue the two, now Nukenin, shinobi.
Having been alerted the moment there was trouble at the gates, Hiatari regretfully abandoned his immaculate calligraphy. Naturally, being the fastest Shinobi of all those in the village, let alone of those on duty, Hiatari had arrived at the guard post fully equipped and ready long before any of the rest of the squad. The tight-fitting black clothing, grey flak jacket, polished metal arm guards and three tool pouches strapped to the back of his waist were part of the standard ANBU uniiform. It was the bare feet, lack of gloves, panther-like style of his porcelain mask and white hooded cloak indentified him as "Hyourama", the name he took on with his ANBU persona, and the current leader of the rapid response squad.
Hiatari quickly ascertained the situation from one of the injured guards and activated his Byakugan, the veins around his eyes bulging from the increased blood flow. Focusing his sight directly ahead of him, Hiatari's view could extend up to five kilometres. They could not have got any further than that in such a short time, could they? Turning his head as he stared out of the gate, Hiatari was positive he would quickly find the rogue ninja.
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Word Count: 342
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Post by Kensei Takezō on Jul 2, 2013 8:06:31 GMT -5
Catching sight of the chakra systems of two persons, one supporting the other, rapidly moving directly away from Konoha, Hiatari smiled beneath his mask. It seemed the injured Chūnin was suffering from his wound more than expected - it would not be difficult to catch up to them. Keeping his Byakugan active, Hiatari nodded to the guard he had spoken to, simply saying "That way."
The man would know what to do; when backup arrived he could tell them the direction to search and, since Hiatari was not the only tracker in the squad, they would find him with relative ease. Disappearing in a flutter of leaves, he set off. Travelling at a fraction of his full speed he would still reach the newly proclaimed Nukenin within a matter of minutes.
The cool air blew past his face as he sped along the ground, feet barely making contact with each step. His hair fluttered and flicked behind him, catching in the wind and moving at its whims. Hiatari could feel the dry, dusty earth beneath the soles of his naked feet slowly become marginally softer; as expected, they were heading towards the forest, hoping to lose their pursuers there.
Unfortunately for them, Hiatari was no ordinary tracker. With a visual range of up to five kilometres and the ability to see chakra in such detail as to see tenketsu from fifty metres away, few could hope to successfully flee from him - certainly not two Chūnin-level Nukenin, one already significantly weakened. There was no escape for his prey, the panther could not be evaded.
Nevertheless, Hiatari noticed a momentary increase in speed in his quarry as he neared them - it seemed one had some decent sensing capabilities. Their desperate attempt to gain some distance was, simply put, pathetic. They could not hope to outrun him, especially with such an injury - Hiatari was close enough, now, to make out the disruption in the wounded one's chakra flow. Without medical aid, he would likely bleed out within a few hours.
Sure enough, the young man fell to the ground in the middle of a glade, just as Hiatari emerged from the trees, coming to a stop a mere thirty feet from them.
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Word Count: 374
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Post by Kensei Takezō on Jul 3, 2013 14:12:34 GMT -5
Hiatari took in the scene before him as a snapshot in time. The injured Chūnin, a young man of perhaps eighteen or nineteen, was crouched on the ground, clutching his side. His head was turned to face Hiatari, fear and panic filling the wavering pale blue eyes at the sight of his ANBU pursuer. He was drenched with sweat, his light blond hair and the standard green uniform of Konoha shinobi darkened from being soaked through. A large amount of scarlet liquid was dripping from his concealed abdomen, creating a small pool on the grass. His forehead protector was askew, almost covering one eye as it drooped down, presumably it had been knocked as he fell, or in the fight at the gates. Hiatari doubted he would have had the inclination to right it in his feverish attempt to flee.
The other, a girl seemingly no older than Hiatari himself, was also garbed in the standard uniform of Konoha shinobi though her 'forehead protector' was tied around her upper left arm and though sweat glistened on her exposed brow, her clothing and immaculately straight waist-length brown hair, tied back in a low ponytail, appeared to be quite dry. A blood-stained kunai was gripped so tightly in her right hand that the skin on her knuckles had gone as white as the bone it concealed.
Hauling her partner to his feet with her free hand, she spoke, the determination in her voice concealing her lack of confidence in her own words. "Come on, Daisuke, there's only one. We can-"
"No!" The man interrupted her, straightening himself up and moving his hands from his wound. There was a gaping hole in his side, one that Hiatari could only assume had been made with a tantō. Judging from the size and location, Hiatari guessed it had pierced its stomach - a guess backed up by the pattern of the disruption in his Chakra Circulatory System. "By the time we took care of him, the others would be here."
He looked up at Hiatari with a sudden change of character - true strength lay behind his eyes now. It was almost worrying. "Run. I'll hold him off."
Hiatari looked on, a very slight bemused frown on his face, hidden beneath the porcelain mask. The girl began to protest, but knew it was in vain. Before she had even finished her sentence, she gave in. Taking one last look at her friend, the suppressed tears in her eyes glinting in the sunlight, and disappeared.
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Word Count: 420...
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