NE1: GATHERING ROOTS

[osamu]

[atrb=style,width: 350px;] It had been only a few hours since he'd left the tea house in the Crater City but he could feel the eyes on him glaring with more and more intensity. He could feel it the moment he'd stepped foot into this country: the feeling of being watched. And the feeling grew more and more intense with every step he'd taken. It had been several months since he'd began his journey in search of his former master, several months since he'd left home and several months since he felt the uncertainty that his mission would ever be achieved. It wasn't a greatly appreciated bonus that this feeling was now coming over him. A sort of shivering feeling that gripped him deeper than he'd ever been gripped before. Osamu had been to war many times before... but he'd never felt an impeding sense of doom such as this in his life. The trees raised high above him reaching for the sky, bathed in the soft light of the moon. He could hear the silence of the forest, the choir of crickets and occasional hoot of the owls. He could sense the rustle of the leaves around him as mice dashed to and fro. The Land of Fire certainly was a land far different than the Land of Iron. "Hello, Osamu." He turned to find the voice, but it wasn't there. Her voice, croaking like a frog, though you were certain upon hearing it that the voice knew more than you. Where was she? Who was she? How was it possible that someone in these foreign lands knew of him? "Show yourself, woman." he replied, his voice not showing any of the distress he was feeling in his heart. Yet, he could still feel the gripping and now, a sense of despair. He'd never know the feeling before. Never felt it, never knew what it truly meant up until now. "Noble samurai of Takayama Castle, former senior retainer and disowned heir to the Nagachika clan," the voice continued as the choir of the night continued in the background. "You are certainly a far way from home." "He placed his hand on his katana now, his face still rock-hard as he scanned the area. Now, he would exert his own chakra in return in hopes of drawing the woman out. "So you live up to the legends of your land, I can see." she croaked once again, a small chuckle being heard from the forest as the animals of the area fled in response to his abysmally dark chakra. "Stop this, woman. Show yourself before I remove this forest from existence so that I might find you."

[shinpachi]

[atrb=style,width: 350px;] "It was your sensei who told me I could take you, Shinpachi-kun." He remembered the day well. A month had passed since then, and he was still confused by it all. But his duty propelled him forward into her arms and to do her will. Shinpachi was but a Genin, but his sense of devotion was strong enough even now. It was only a short time after the Tamers had made their way to Konoha. Just a short time after Sio was sealed away until his sensei could find a means of keeping her safe. Shinpachi knew his sensei to be busy in these times--how could he not honestly? There was no time to train his students when the very safety of the entire world hung in the balance. He would have to take a backseat to it all. But he knew better than to sit idly by while Masahige handled what the Hokage was tasked with handling. He took to training, as he usually did. Training to master what ever shinobi should. He'd spent countless hours, days, weeks even in the forest by himself, honing his skills to perfection. It was only while he resided in the forest that the black-haired woman had approached him and told him what she did. "Hatake Shinpachi, grandson of Hatake Kakashi. I am Shimura Kumiko, and I have come for you." He'd known Kumiko. What child of the Leaf Village did not? She was renowned by the children of the village for her kindness. Every year she was known to hand out cherry-flavored ice cream at the summer festival. It was one of his favorite treats and times of year. But something was different about the way she felt now. Shimura Kumiko flew in the face of the image of her uncle. Even a young boy like Shinpachi knew of him, and he was confused how they could be of the same clan. However, now, the feeling that accompanied her was not one of happiness, but determination... and something darker to go with it. He was stunned by it, locked in place and unable to speak. "Come, my child, come and speak." Shinpachi couldn't help but move in response. One foot in front of the other, almost robotically, as if he weren't in control of the movements himself. "Ku-Kumiko-san," he began, offput by this new feeling surrounding her. "What did you come for me for?" "I have need for young dutiful shinobi such as yourself, Shinpachi-kun." she began, her face hard and wrinkled, and not soft and nice as Shinpachi had known it. "Troubling times are coming. I have told your sensei this. As his former sensei myself, I asked a request of him." "What was that, Kumiko-san?" "To rebuild a group my uncle formed before me. A division of ANBU called Ne." "Ne?" "Yes, for it is only in the darkness of the earth, where the roots are, that the trees above can thrive in the light. We are necessary for it." "But wh--why me?" "Because, he told me of all his students, you are the most duty-bound. It is the shinobi who understand their duty is paramount to all other wishes and desires who attract me. It will be on your back that your teammates will continue to be able to be the free-spirits they are." "Kumiko-san, what would you need of me?" "Nothing yet, Shinpachi-kun." she said, kneeling down now so that she was on eye-level with the silver-haired boy. "For now, I will only train you, as I trained Masahige-kun. This sort of training, however, will be different than that you are used to. You will be tested like never before. You will learn to do things you've never imagined and become a man who the village as a whole will look up to and respect for your power and abilities. Just like your grandfather and his father before him." "I would like that, Kumiko-san. I would like to be someone the village relies upon." "Aside from the training, you and I will travel so that we might find more like you and I and recruit them into our ranks. We will form an underground army to support the village should we ever be required to do so." There was a moment of silence in which she placed her hands upon his shoulders and looked deep into his eyes. "You will be my right-hand, as the first root to regrow. Will you grow with me, Shinpachi?" "I will." ==== "Her name is Shimura Kumiko." Shinpachi began as he walked from the forest out into the light of the moon so that Osamu could see him. He was dressed unlike his usual attire, even unlike that of a Konoha shinobi. His hitai-ate was replaced with nothing. Even the standard ANBU attire was absent. Instead, he wore all black, his entire body covered safe his eyes. "She has come, for you."

[osamu]

[atrb=style,width: 350px;] It was a woman's voice that emanated from the forest, but now a boy presented himself; an emissary of the woman, no doubt. A fool would drop their guard in response to the boy's appearance, but still feeling despair gripping for his viscera, Osamu's grasp on his katana tightened instead. He moved his foot back so he could be better positioned to move should the encounter come to that. "Osamu-san, leave your katana be, no one here wishes you harm." the boy called out from behind his mask. Osamu tightened still. "What are you feeling now, Osamu?" the boy asked. "Fear." the forest answered for him. "He feels fear and despair; he feels the cold of death washing over him and he hears the Shinigami creeping forward from the forest." "Tell me who this woman is or I'll cut you down." Osamu threatened, unnerved by the accuracy of the forest's answer. Just who were this people? Were ninja all capable of such feats? If so, he might have bit off a little more than he bargained for when he undertook this mission into their lands. Perhaps it was time to run off back to the security he felt in the snow. And then, as if a lantern was lit and light drove out the darkness, he could feel no despair. Only pure joy and elation filled him now. It was too overwhelming, in fact, for Osamu to even be unnerved with the sudden change in feel. What was this? What was happening to him? "She has placed her mark on you? Believe it or not, you've already met Shimura Kumiko." He had no time to be bewildered by the words before she emerged from the dark fingers of shadow cast by the forest. She dressed in a bright pink kimono, a cigarette in her mouth and her hair smoother than anything he'd ever seen. She was old, but in her elderly look was wisdom and even more power. She looked small and weak, but he already knew she outclassed him at his peak years ago, even before he was born. "You're the woman from the tea house. But... you only just bumped into me..." "It is but a mere touch I need to leave my mark. And now that my mark is left, you are mine." "What do you mean, woman?" "I mean, either you can follow me willingly or I can infuse the purest rage into your soul and make you my mindless attack dog. Either way, you will bend to my wishes and will." "It seems I have no choice but to follow you in whatever it is you want." he said through the joy she was apparently forcing him to feel. She was a resourceful woman, to say the least. The joy was something like a wall. He was struggling to not give into it and speak his mind. If she could do this, what she suggested she could do also was not far off. "I would fight you for my loyalty, but it would appear that you would stop me in my tracks before I even drew my katana." "You're wiser than my little Shinpachi gave you credit for." she smiled, dispelling her hold over him. "So what is your--our goal?" "We have to track down a specific group of people who are troubling our realm." Shinpachi said simply, removing his mask now to show his face and a shock of silvery hair. Osamu was shocked to see a simple boy tagging along with a woman of such strength and it spoke to the potential lying within him... be it discovered already or not. He'd have to wait and see the boy in battle. "You have a particular chakra that interests me," Kumiko began, walking closer to Osamu who towered over her. She extended a hand slowly, laying it gently atop his chest. "Even now, with the low levels of chakra you are emitting, I can feel the skin on my hand corroding. Marvelous." she mused as she removed it before too much of her skin was corroded. "These people all have chakras similar to yours in that they are carrying special traits that allow them to combat the Tailed Beasts which roam this land." Shinpachi chimed in, looking at Osamu with a piqued interest. "We resolved that it would be best to fight fire with fire." "Well then, Shinpachi-kun, Kumiko-san--let's bring the fire."