Tales Of Shinobi

Mornings for the village were not dull around this time. Waking up before dawn in preparation for a long day required a certain level of energy. Kotetsu awoke annoyed at this energy as the sounds of industry easily cut his sleep through the thin walls of their mini-stead. Not able to fall back asleep, Kotetsu found himself leaving the cabin and wandering the village before any of his peers woke up. He idly walked, observing men pulling huge laden carts out to their fields, women sorting and repairing equipment, and children helping anywhere in between. Kotetsu jumped as a sharp voice from behind caught him off guard.

"Boy, lend me a hand, will ya?" Came the voice of an old male.

Kotetsu turned to eye the speaker. The man was old; older than anyone Kotetsu had seen. The man had short gray hair that puffed out to either side of his tanned wrinkly head, and a mustache of the same color that coiled and barely covered his mouth. Kotetsu stared wide-eyed at the man for several seconds before being jolted from his hesitation.

"You just gon' stare, or help me lift this cart, boy? This wheel ain't gon' fix itself." The seasoned farmer's gravelly voice questioned.

Not having any frame of reference for this situation, but wanting to help, Kotetsu meandered over and eyed the cart. The farmer glanced at Kotetsu- lingering on the sword strapped to his hip, then kept his eyes on the cart as he spoke.

"The wheel here is chipped, needs replacin'. I can lift the cart if you can get the wheel out. Y'know how to change a wheel?" The farmer asked.

Kotetsu found his voice after a moment. "N-no, sir."

The farmer didn't look at Kotetsu again as he asked his next question. "You're one o' them shinobi, aren't ya, boy? If so, you should be just fine liftin' this cart, and I can get that damned wheel instead."

Kotetsu shuffled past the old man, unstrapping his sword and leaving it on the cart for the moment. His fingers found perches under the cart as the old man pointed out the wheel he needed to get to. Grasping firmly, Kotetsu focused on the feeling of Chakra rushing through his body, and lifted the cart with a single heave. Kotetsu kept the cart balanced as the farmer wriggled the wheel loose, pulled a new one from in the cart, and expertly reattached the new wooden wheel.

"Right, set it down carefully." The old man instructed, moving to grab the cart alongside Kotetsu. The two set the cart down gently, then the old man stepped back with a huff, hands on his knees. Kotetsu inspected the new wheel, a strange feeling of fulfillment washing over him. The old man glanced at Kotetsu to see he suffered no ill effect from lifting the cart.

Brushing his hands off, he walked over and patted Kotetsu on the back. "Thanks for the help, boy. The name's Ozaki."

Kotetsu flustered at the conversation. "Uh, my name is, uh, Kotetsu. Sir. I am at your… Service."

"I'm not payin' you to hold a cart, boy." Ozaki said amusingly. Then, he asked a question. "You needed somewhere else? I could use a hand right now.."

Kotetsu didn't even know how his group was supposed to catch these supposed thieves. Thinking that, he wondered if he should go ask Keina for instruction. Then the rest of his brain caught up and he thought better. If they were supposed to be catching thieves, it would be best for the group to split up, Kotetsu reasoned. That would give them the best chance. So, with his decision made, Kotetsu nodded up at Ozaki.

"I'm free as long as you need me, sir."

"Right. Just stop calling me sir."

"Yes si- I mean, Mister Ozaki."

Ozaki gruffly sighed at the boy's strict formality.

—

The three Uchiha woke to the shaking of the door as a fist excessively pounded it. Pulled from slumber in an instant, Keina was the first to reach the door, pulling it open to reveal a woman with a small stature. She stood awkwardly in the door frame, a stricken look sitting on her face.

"You, er… Ichita wishes to speak with you all. Immediately." The woman spoke hastily, her eyes darting between the three, giving each one a strange look.

"We will be out shortly." Keina automatically responded. Turning around, she found Atsuo and Teruo ready to go. Despite her recent mood, she teased a slight smirk at the boys. It became a frown as she glanced more openly around the room.

"Where's Kotetsu?" Keina whispered. Atsuo and Teruo looked at each other before shrugging in unison.

"He's never had a consistent sleep schedule. He's likely getting familiar with the village." Atsuo quietly guessed.

"Yea, I bet he's getting real familiar with the farm animals…" Teruo said with a straight face. Atsuo barely managed to keep his face from twisting into a laugh, but his shoulders betrayed his restraint.

"Let's hope he keeps his familiarising to a minimum." Keina flatly stated with a small twinkle in her eyes. Atsuo couldn't tell if he had imagined that or not.

Pulling themselves together for a long day, the group trudged out and followed the woman into town. As they marched down the street, Teruo noticed a strange absence around him. Just earlier that morning, everyone seemed to be working and moving around. Now, it was like no one wanted to breathe. People stood in sparse huddled groups and murmured quiet words back and forth. The three continued to follow their skittish guide to the opposite edge of the village, where they found a small gathering of people standing on fresh-tilled farmland in front of a large red barn. Ichita stood in the midst of the group, with everyone seeming to have something to say. A large cloaked figure stood off to his side.

"...Yes, Satomi, we will find- Ah, there they are." Ichita cut his discussion as he spotted the group out of the corner of his eye. The three had paused somewhat to absorb the sight, no longer sure of the situation. Ichita shuffled out of the group and toward the Uchiha.

"We have… A horrible situation. Terrible. One of our older boys was… Found this morning. His- His father discovered his body." Ichita stammered, clearly shaken.

One man moved out of the way, and Keina saw the body. Her breath caught in her throat at the visceral scene. In front of the barn, over a dozen feet away, was a body. It was lying face down on the ground, revealing the large puncture wound in the back of the head. Keina could not tell, but from her distance it resembled a stab wound from a blade. The body was covered in dried mud. Worse than that was the body's clothes. Whatever- or whoever had done this, had taken them. The body was left completely stripped.

Ichita had continued the half-report while Keina stared down at the broken body. She picked up what he was saying after realising the man had not stopped talking.

"...The hunter thinks he may have died sometime early last night. Our own hunters mostly handle smaller creatures, you see, so this has them shaken. Which is why we are lucky Mister Sochua was nearby." Ichita was spouting, unaware of Keina's lapse in attention.

"When was the body found? And, who is Mister Sochua?" Keina questioned.

Ichita hesitated, his sentence interrupted. Before he could respond, heavy stomps brought the group's attention to the cloaked figure. The tall man stepped away from the crowd, forcing people to move out of his way as he walked without care for anything in his path. Keina appraised the man as he approached. His cloak was stitched together from large patches of black leathery hide. In between the patches were long slits, like cuts that had yet to be patched up. The man wore large sturdy boots which made deep footprints in the mud. One defining feature were words that seemed etched into the skin of his face- a language that Keina did not understand. This was particularly strange. Stranger still, was the set of dark scars like claw marks that were dug like trenches across his face, disrupting the trail of made up symbols. The scarring looked recent.

"A-Ah, allow me to introduce Mister Sochua. He is a wandering beast hunter. He wa-" Ichita attempted to explain, but he was cut off by a deep and surprisingly quiet voice.

"I am a monster hunter."

Ichita glanced down at the soft mud, trying to tamp down his nervousness. No one spoke, creating a silence that stretched for an awkward moment.

"What kind of monsters?" Teruo asked with all the blunt nature of a twelve year old. Keina, Atsuo and Ichita all felt their shoulders tense slightly.

Sochua slowly turned his head to fully catch the boy with his sight. He answered with deliberate patience.

"The kind that turns men to cowards and leaves fear in their hearts."

Teruo knew that feeling. An image of large tusks rushing at him flashed through his head.

"Why is a monster hunter helping with a murder?" Atsuo couldn't help but ask.

While the Uchiha and Sochua had their back and forth, men and women from the previous group joined to form a loose circle around the conversation. Keina noticed that many of them carried various weapons from blades, spears, and bows with satchels of arrows strapped to their shoulders.

Sochua's smile did not reach his eyes as he continued to stare down at the shinobi.

"Because not all monsters are beasts. This village has only dealt with nice, simple vermin; I seek a greater challenge." Sochua's eyes widened slightly as he spoke.

"A monster that thinks. A monster with the cunning of a man, the ferocity of a beast."

Catching her breath, Keina took a second to think.

"What makes you think that this was one of these… Monsters? Why couldn't it just be a person that did this?" Keina reasoned.

Keina almost stepped back in surprise as Sochua closed the distance to her and lowered his face down into hers. His face had returned to a neutral expression, his mouth closed and his short curly black hair fell around his forehead as he moved into her personal space. She caught a faint smell of something rank on the edge of her senses, like rotting teeth.

"...Allow me to show you." Sochua spoke after a moment, before turning back and making long strides to the barn doors. Keina began to follow along after a few seconds. Atsuo and Teruo kept pace behind the mission leader. Ichita stayed with the other villagers outside, not wishing to see that sight again. The Uchiha kept their eyes facing toward the barn as they had to pass the body of the boy.

It didn't take long for her and the others to figure out why Sochua was so sure of his words.

Laid out before them was the gruesome evidence. Scattered across the ground of the barn were animal carcasses in various states of devourment. The larger cows and horses had large puncture wounds punching straight through, while the smaller pigs and goats were left half-eaten, and in some cases- headless. The macabre display spread to every corner of the building, everyone unable to stop their eyes from wandering the disturbing scene. Sochua stood in the middle of the carnage, his back to the group, unbothered by the chaos.

"Now you see why I am here." Sochua quietly stated, turning to look at the shinobi. The three were unable to speak. Sochua continued unabated.

"You understand the situation now, yes? We must begin the search."

Sochua ushered the group out of the barn, who were more than willing to leave the unsettling scene behind. The body of the boy had been wrapped in a set of sheets and was being delicately carried away by a pair of men. The men and women who must be the village hunters, Keina realised, had loosely circled the group once again.

Sochua revealed an arm hidden within his cloak, pulling a long thin black rod. The rod had a distinct handle in the middle, made of pale leather strips that wrapped around the smooth stone. Both ends of the rod ended in sharp points. In the morning light, one half of the rod was slightly rougher and grained compared to the other.

Sochua anticipated the question before any of the shinobi could ask it. "This is my marking tool. With it, I can determine who among us is a monster in disguise."

Keina felt her eyes squint in suspicion at that claim.

"I can see your doubt. Allow me to demonstrate." Sochua began, turning to one of the men that stood in the circle around them. The man had a pained expression as he stepped forward.

"I'll do what's necessary, but surely we don't all have to take the test again?" The hunter asked, before holding up one arm. Keina noticed what appeared to be a slight burn on the man's wrist.

"Of course." Sochua said, before pressing one end of the black rod against the man's arm. A hissing sound like meat cooking filled the air for a split second, before Sochua pulled the rod back. The man looked down with a restrained expression to inspect the second burn mark adorning his wrist. Sochua explained in an unhurried manner.

"The black stone of this rod is hostile to Chakra. It has no effect on beasts and monsters alike. So, when it comes within contact of something possessing Chakra, the stone seeks to destroy it."

Sochua turned to the three shinobi with a smile. "Now, then. Who's first?"

Teruo stepped forward without hesitation, raising his arm.

"Let's do this."

—

Kotetsu wished he had stayed in bed. His morning had been spent lifting heavy carts, towing piles of dirt, fertiliser, and other unmentionables. Whenever he got the chance to sit down and rest, that fiendish old man, Ozaki, who tricked him into this cruel labor assigned him another task. It wasn't long before Kotetsu was busy wrangling goats to be sheared of their winter coats. He spat mud after being dragged through a meadow by a particularly strong goat, leaving him pondering the situation.

"Brat, what are you doing? You let it escape again." Ozaki yelled from across the field, holding a goat down while he expertly trimmed it with his shears. The goat passively observed the event with an almost serene expression. Kotetsu felt his ears turn red as he got up and attempted to brush off the clumps of dirt and grass.

"What are you even feeding these goats? I've fought shinobi with less strength than that damn thing." Kotetsu complained. Ozaki gave a broad smile that stretched from ear to ear.

"You just need to get the knack!" Ozaki cheerily returned.

Kotetsu shot daggers at the cursed goat from across the field where it was lazily chewing on a tuft of tall grass. He could have sworn it looked at him with disdain. Rolling up his sleeves, Kotetsu prepared to chase down the goat once again.

—

Keina and Atsuo were somewhat hesitant to allow the black stone rod to touch their skin after Teruo's incident. Upon brushing the tool, his skin sizzled with a horrific sound, and a short scream wretched itself from his lips. The contact with the stone was incredibly brief, but was apparently enough to leave a burn that was worse than what the village hunters had experienced. Nevertheless, the two older Uchiha allowed the rod to touch them at the insistence of the hunters, plus Ichita. Their reaction was just as bad, if not worse. All three held their arms in varying levels of pain as they backed away from Sochua.

"Well, it appears that you are all who you say you are." Sochua said with a monotone.

After recovering from his shock, Teruo grew curious at how the stone could destroy Chakra, and he activated the Sharingan to investigate his wound. The usual solid color that he associated with his Chakra was disrupted along his arm. Teruo attempted to circulate Chakra down his arm and through his wrist, only to be surprised. Strangely, it was as if the stone had not just damaged the Chakra, but the pathways that Chakra uses to get around the body. Teruo could not see those pathways of his Chakra network, but he could tell that the rate at which his Chakra flowed was reduced.

Teruo glanced from his arm up at everyone around him, finding another surprise. To his eyes, the Chakra of every person was clearly visible, with the Chakra belonging to the hunters obviously being lesser than that of his fellow Uchiha. What surprised him was the fact that he could not see Sochua's Chakra. He felt his eyes uncontrollably widen. His mouth almost asked a question, but he stopped it. Thinking for a few seconds, he asked the question anyway.

"Mister Sochua… Have you tested yourself?" Teruo asked a question that seemed too obvious, but felt stupid after the fact.

Sochua turned his eyes down at the boy, staring with an unreadable expression for a few long seconds. One of the hunters stepped forward and grabbed Teruo.

"How dare yo-"

"No. He has a point." The hunter was cut off as Keina stepped forward, staring at Sochua. Atsuo stepped around Teruo and broke the hunter's grip.

"We have all been cleared, according to your test. It's only fair for you to test yourself in front of us." Keina continued, glancing back at Atsuo and Teruo. The hunter who stepped forward sneered, then took a step back, his expression falling. The other hunters began whispering, and Ichita closed the distance to Keina.

"I-I'm sure… Mister Sochua is fine. However…" Ichita stammered, before glancing at Sochua's imposing figure.

"However, would you be willing to test yourself, as an act of goodwill? It is simply to keep the peace, you see." Ichita reasoned, growing more assured in his speech.

Ichita and Keina stared at Sochua, who continued to stare back with his blank expression. The silence lasted for several seconds.

"Very well." Sochua quietly replied. From his cloak emerged two arms. One holding the black stone rod, covered in a long sleeve and ending in a black leather glove, and the other arm devoid of clothing, somewhat dirty and untouched by any cuts or marks. Teruo could see the arm's Chakra, and somewhat relaxed before the rod even touched the arm. The skin sizzled slightly as the black stone made contact. Sochua kept the rod pressed against his arm for a second, then another, then several. His skin continued to make an awful cooking noise, and everyone saw blood begin to trickle down the wrist.

"Th… That's enough. We understand, Mister Sochua…" Ichita trailed off as Sochua kept the stone rod pressed against his arm, his expression unchanging. Keina stepped forward and ripped the rod away from the monster hunter's arm, revealing a potent red burn that began to rip and flake. Keina's own hand reflexively released the arm as her hand felt a sudden burn. She saw her palm had turned a deep red in response to grabbing the man's black glove. She stepped away with a pained expression on her face.

Teruo suspected that the man's clothing was capable of blocking him from seeing Chakra, as he noticed that the Chakra of a hunter standing behind Sochua was partially obscured. On top of that, his clothes were apparently capable of disrupting and destroying Chakra as well, as demonstrated by Keina. Teruo idly wondered where the man acquired such hefty Chakra deterrents. He failed to wonder why.

Pulling both of his arms back into his cloak, Sochua began walking toward the village.

"We must inspect and test every person in this village. Sooner or later, we will find the monster. Or it will find us."

Keina, Atsuo and Teruo all looked at each other with hesitation. They were all thinking the same thing. They hoped that Kotetsu was not getting himself into any trouble.

—

Kotetsu had not gotten himself into any trouble, on account of being driven like a mule across the village. After spending his entire morning helping old man Ozaki trim his goats, Kotetsu thought he would finally be free and could escape to find his group. His dreams were violently crushed as Ozaki informed him that he needed help towing the cart full of goat wool back to his workshop. So, Kotetsu was now pulling a dangerously balanced cart filled with goat wool and other items Ozaki just 'happened' to remember he needed. Kotetsu kicked a rock out of his way as he trudged along the wide stone road. Eventually, Ozaki ordered him to stop, causing Kotetsu to drop both the cart and his body to the ground, exhausted.

"Nicely done, kid. I'll get my sons to help unload this cart. You're free to stay for lunch today if ya want." Ozaki spoke with amusement.

Kotetsu felt his head raise to stare daggers at the old man.

"Sons?" Kotetsu breathed. Two well muscled men came out of the workshop, causing Kotetsu to finally understand the meaning of a headache. Ozaki and his sons went back inside the workshop, talking quietly. Kotetsu pulled himself up and rested his back against the full cart. Taking deep breaths, he contemplated his morning and afternoon so far. All things considered, it was not the hardest he's pushed himself. Realistically, it was a decent training regime, and Kotetsu could see himself doing it again. He pushed those thoughts out of his head as he stared up at the long clouds drifting through the sky. Idly, he wondered what his three teammates were up to. His thoughts wandered and he stayed like that for several minutes, eyes closing.

"You. Boy."

Kotetsu did not respond. He figured there was a passing conversation. After a few seconds, the voice spoke again.

"You, lying against the cart. Get up."

Kotetsu peeked one eye open to find a small group of men standing beside him on the not-so-busy road.

"Uh… Yea?" Kotetsu replied after a moment, trying to figure out what the men wanted. One man, impossibly tall and covered with a large black cloak, stepped forward. The man had oily curled black hair matted to his forehead, and seemed to have strange markings written on his face. There was a scar like claw marks that raked down his nose and eyebrows. The man's eyes bore down with scorn at Kotetsu.

"You are with those shinobi, yes?" The tall man questioned.

Getting to his feet slowly, Kotetsu nodded. "...Yes."

From within the cloak, the man pulled an arm out, revealing a large sleek wooden object. It was long and sturdy, leaving Kotetsu confused for a few seconds. Then he recognised it to be a crossbow. There was a bolt already loaded, tipped with a smooth black stone. Atop the crossbow near the stock was a crank with a handle, used to help load new bolts. The man kept the crossbow pointed at the ground between him and Kotetsu. Kotetsu did not move an inch. His sword was left in the cart just out of arm's reach.

"If you try anything, I will not hesitate to end you. I am here to-"

"What the hell is going on out here?" The voice of the old man, Ozaki, burst from the workshop. Kotetsu did not dare turn around as he heard heavy foot stomps of three people come from behind, and Kotetsu saw the old man plus his two sons step around Kotetsu's side.

The tall cloaked man did not falter. "There is a monster lurking in this village. With the help of your hunters, I am rooting it out."

There were four hunters following the cloaked man, and they stepped out in a fan formation, aiming bows with arrows knocked at the three men and Kotetsu. One of the hunters almost shouted at Ozaki as he moved forward slightly.

"Old man, don't move. Let's just get this over with. Step forward and hold out your arm." The hunter ordered.

Ozaki paused for only a moment, then moved forward with his arm out to follow the order.

"There better be a damned good reason fo-"

The cloaked man pulled a long black rod from his cloak with his other arm, and made a slashing motion at the old man's outstretched hand. Ozaki pulled his arm back in pain as the rod left an angry burn mark on his wrist.

"-ye-OW! You bastard! Warn me next time!" Ozaki spat as he cradled his wrist. His two sons stepped forward with anger on their faces. All of the hunters pointed their bows at the two men.

"Choujo, Reito, be reasonable about this. We know you and your father aren't monsters. We just need to be sure." One of the hunters tried to reason. The two sons looked at each other, then stepped forward with one arm out each.

The rod appeared again, and each man quickly pulled their arms back as the cool black stone made contact with their wrists. The two stepped back in line with their father as they cradled their burned wrists in unison.

All of the hunters were now aiming their bows at Kotetsu, and the tall man stepped forward, beckoning at Kotetsu with the rod.

"It will be quick." The man said.

Kotetsu hesitated. Based on the reactions of the three men beside him, and the burns he could see on the wrists of the hunters, the black rod seemed to hurt a lot. He glanced down at his sandals for a moment, before looking back up and staring directly at the cloaked man. He reached one arm out slowly.

"Okay."

The cloaked man flipped the rod around once in his hands, then he carefully moved the rod in range of Kotetsu. Kotetsu instinctively recoiled as the cool black stone made contact with his wrist.

But nothing happened. No pain. No hissing noise. The rod remained pressed against his wrist, and Kotetsu looked down in surprise. A feeling of cold dread rose from his feet and left his legs heavy. Kotetsu looked up to meet the eyes of the man, and found the black tip of a bolt staring back instead.

"Found you."