[Flashback] Fear Itself II

After the fight Dorlath, or what was left of him, was dragged from the courtyard and the other ninja were dismissed, except for Satomi who was asked to remain behind. Once everyone was gone and it as just Satomi and the Chuunin, he was led into the inner warrens of the Uchiha headquaters and down a hall until they reached the Chuunin's office. It was clear when they entered that the man rarely used the space, it was dusty and the desk was littered with old papers. The Chuunin lit a pair of candles, casting a glow about the room, and then motioned for Satomi to have a seat.

"You did well today. You have been doing well for some time now.. I wonder, do you feel you are ready to prove your devotion to the clan? Are you ready for your test?"

Satomi had a moment of elation. He loved the feeling of winning, no matter the cost. It was this type of thinking that would push him to do whatever he wanted, for himself and Furak.

[1/15]

Speaking of the devil, Satomi was summoned into the inner warrens of the Uchiha clans main house and down a hall until they reached the Jounins office. Where he was mentioned to take a seat. He was hoping this would lead to where he thought it would.

"You did well today. You have been doing well for some time now.. I wonder, do you feel you are ready to prove your devotion to the Uchiha clan? Are you ready for your test?

"Yes, I am ready to prove my worth to Furak and the clan. I've been ready for a very long time." Time to put his skills to the ultimate test. To please the most powerful clan to bless this land. Uchiha.

[2/10]

Of course he was ready. Satomi was used to victory. He thought it was impossible for him to fail, that he was infallible, that he would always succeed. At least, that was the Jounin’s view of him. In the commander's eyes, Satomi was just like any other Genin he had met, though Satomi had a better knack for killing than some. They all thought they were ready, whether it was true or not. The Jounin was neither surprised, nor impressed by his response. But it was not the wrong response. If he had said he was not ready, that would have surprised the Jounin, and he would have likely just failed Satomi there and then.

"Hmm... we'll see," replied the Jounin, entwining his fingers together as he leaned forward, just as Satomi felt a blinding pain on the back of his neck, and everything went black.

[3/15]

Soon after
Location: Unknown

Satomi woke to the sound of birds chirping... no.. not to the sound of birds chirping. It was the lack of birds chirping that actually woke him, for all along they had been chirping, and then suddenly, they had stopped. Everything had gone still, silent, and it brought about in him an unease that caused the Genin to stir.

He found himself alone, naked, and unarmed, stranded somewhere in the forest. The air around him was cold and bit at his bare flesh. The only sound was that of his own breathing, and the soft rustling of leaves as the wind passed through them. The sun in the sky was low and slowly setting, and if he knew anything about navigation that would tell him which way was west.. though such knowledge would not help him, since he had no idea where he was to begin with. A quick search of his immediate surroundings would turn up with only one thing, lying on the ground not far from where he was himself, a crude iron Kunai. It's edge was worn from use, but it was the only thing he had.

[4/15]

It was unlikely that Satomi had ever spent much time out of the village, few Kiri citizens had, and being from a privileged family such as the Uchihas made it even less likely. He certainly had no training in wilderness survival to speak of, but even an untrained person would know that they needed to find shelter or start a fire before dark.

It was fall, and while the city of Kiri itself was always pleasant and comfortable, the surrounding wilds were not and temperatures could plummet suddenly. Fire would keep him warm, especially with his lack of any sort of clothing, and fire would keep away the animals.

There were rumors of wild things in the forest, unnatural and warped, which had begun to appear after the great storm that nearly flooded the city at the beginning of the year. Not to mention the normal creatures, the wolves, the cougars and bobcats, and whatever other wild beasts lurked in the woods. Whatever Satomi decided to do, he needed to decide quickly, because soon it would be dark.

[5/15]

Satomi shook his head. Still unaware that the scene before him was real. And not some vivid dream or some vision. It was to his immediate attention that he was now naked. The cold bit at him and snipped like an impatient mother. He did not know why he was here or how he got here. But he had to do something for the meantime.

The cold was to hard to ignore, so he would have to start a fire before the sun set less it get even colder at night. He looked around his immediate surroundings for anything useful. And to his great surprise there was a dagger there. Used and worn out but it was something, better than nothing.

So he would use this to get what he needed at the moment. He didn't know to much about making fires, but his family had told him the basis before. Humans were good at surviving in places like this. His antics would not put to shame of his heritage.


[6/15]

He activated his Sharigan and began to scavenged around the area, looking through pathway for a certain type of rock. The Uchiha didn't find any so he walked away from his now open camp, to look for rocks. He was walking for a couple of minutes. Being sure to leave marks of his own passageway back to his camp.

He came upon a bed of rocks, some of it looked like the type of rocks he was looking for. Sato had to relinquish his Sharingan as it began to tire him, but allows him to see much more clearer. He bent down to inspect them closer, with the kunai in his hand he went to experiment. He struck it with the kunai. A small shower of sparks flew from the rock.

He smiled, but the smile was short-lived as the cold slapped him back to reality. He collected a bunch of the rocks and went back to the camp to drop them off. For now he needed the ingredients to make a fire. So he went to the trees to get wood and small piece of grass so that he could start a fire.

[7/15]

He stuffed his face and brought a handful back to the camp. He laid down close to the fire as the sun was setting, beginning the peak hours of night. He didn't know what was in store for him. But he would be ready for whatever it was. He was sure that Furak would be testing of his Sharingan skills soon. And it was only at the One tomoe still.

Even with the fire the night was still bitter and cold. Without any clothing it was hard to stay warm. One side of him would face the flames while the other froze. Not literally, it wasn't that cold, but it would certainly make sleep uncomfortable, if not impossible. That was assuming he even tried to sleep. The sound of the forest came alive around him. Strange sounds that were never heard in the city. It was hard to tell if they were friendly, or the sounds of predators. Food would be a problem, but for the night he at least had the berries. They were sweet and ripe, and quickly filled his belly. At least he had that, if nothing else.


[8/15]

As the night wore on, Satomi found it impossible to sleep. He found himself jumping at every sound. His paranoia grew with every passing bell, and soon he began to see shadows moving around the edge of his camp, though real or imagined he could not be sure. Sato activated his Sharingan once more but any time he sought to investigate he would find only empty darkness. Whatever it was, it did not want to be found, but luckily, neither did it seem ready to approach him.

The night passed slowly and he was afraid to shut his Sharingan turn off so he let exhaustion put him to sleep. But finally the suns rays began to shine down onto the forest around him. The birds began to sing once more, and soon it would warm up enough that Satomi could stray from the fire without shivering to his very core.

He tried to meditate, calling upon the nature to work his with him instead of against him. Reaching out and with his mind and concentrating his chakra. Any attempts he made at hunting that day were a failure. There were animals in the forest, but he could never seem to catch one. And none of them fell for any traps he might have laid. Even hunters would have had a hard time catching something with only an old Kunai, so Satomi found his chances very slim.

[9/15]

Luckily there were plenty of berries in the area, and while they were lacking in protein, they still gave him the energy he needed to keep moving. His paranoia never faltered, however. Something was out there, and it was watching him. Every time he tried to find it, however, it was gone. Nothing was there. It was almost as if he was being haunted. By the time the sun started to set once more, Satomi could not shake the feeling that he was being watched. Constantly he would see movement out of the corner of his Sharingan eye, but still he could not catch a good look at whatever it was.

Always it would vanish before he reached it. He was becoming more aware of the chakra drainage from the Sharingan and he was only using it to try to detect whatever it was that was out there. As he started his fire once more, a much easier task since he already had warm embers to work with, he heard something in the bushes behind him. A branch snapped. It was the first time he actually heard the creature. He wasn't just seeing things. A branch snapped! ..but what would he do? With only a dagger, would he risk venturing into the twilight to find the creature, or wait at the fire for it to come to him?

Satomi Uchiha was raised by the military ever since birth. Even though he had never been in a situation such as this before. His training always taught him something. Always avoid doing foolish things in battle. Satomi had no way of knowing what prowled the area around him. Stalking him it seemed as the sound it made came closer and closer.


[10/15]

He would wait for the creature step forward where he had the protection of the fire and so that he could at least see something with the light it gave off. "Venture forward beast, at your own peril."

He said what he could at the moment he did not believe he could actually fend anything big off with this Kunai and no armor. He grabbed a burning log that had only started at one end. He held it up with the dagger in his other hand. He was ready for whatever lay ahead if ti decided to step into the light.

Satomi could hear more branches breaking and more twigs snapping. The noises were coming from all around him. He could see things moving in the shadows, though he could not make out their shape or form. They were fast, incredibly fast, flashing by and gone before he had a chance to turn and look. And the sounds they were making.. it was like something out of a nightmare. It cut deep into his core, pulling at his soulstrings, enhancing his paranoia more and more. And he was practically defenseless, with nothing but an old dagger and a flickering log to protect himself. Even the fire seemed to be taunting him as it danced and swayed, threatening to go out in one moment and flaring back to life in the next. He was tired already from the mental stress of the situation. Yet he activated his Sharingan again.

[11/15]

Satomi heard more sounds, though these were different than before. Twigs broke, and he could hear the crunch of feet, though they did not sound like what he might expect an animal to sound like. They were the hard, booted steps of a person. His focus was drawn to the treeline, where the booted steps were coming from.

There was a pause, silence, after he spoke, inviting the beast into his camp, and then out stepped a young woman. She had long, dark hair tied into a ponytail, and was clad in the gear of a hunter, with a bow slung over her shoulder. Her weapons were not drawn, and she did not initially appear threatening.

"Well, I don't know if I'd call myself a beast, considering you are the one naked with a stick and a knife. ..what are you doing out here, and where are your clothes?"

[12/15]

The woman held her hands up, trying to appear nonthreatening as she took another step forward. She did not seem dangerous, but Satomi could not shake the paranoid feeling. She was not perplexed by his active Sharingan. The shadows were still dancing around him, and when she wasn't speaking he still heard the noises coming from whatever feral creatures lurked just beyond the light of the fire.

"Here, take my cloak," the strange offered as she set her bow on the ground and pulled the outer garment off, stretching out a hand to offer it to the naked boy.

It was a hard pressed moment for the young Uchiha. Here he was, slowly freezing and starving to death, wondering what creature wanted to tangle with a desperate man. To his complete surprise, a woman stepped out instead to greet him saying, "Well, I don't know if I'd call myself a beast, considering you are the one naked with a flaming stick and a dagger...what are you doing out here, and where are your clothes?"

[13/15]

Satomi wanted to answer, but was to shocked by the sudden appearance of the hunter. She came to him in an unthreatening manner, putting up her hands as if to show mercy. "Here, take my cloak." She took off a cloak and handed it to Satomi.

The man had seen his share of miracles before.This hunter came at such an opportune time. Was this the work of a higher power protecting him, or did the Uchiha send her? It seemed unlikely but he was freezing nevertheless. And the cloak seemed mighty enticing. But he had to be sure, it was the most intelligent way not to die. "I am here, because I am a devote follower of the Uchiha. My will has brought me here. What say you?"

Still cautious, Satomi did not let his guard down instead of taking the cloak. He would not take it just yet.

"Uchiha?" He asked surprised.

[14/15]

Satomi was evidently freezing from the elements. His matted blonde hair matched with the warm rays of the sun around him but offered him no solace. However there was a strange woman in the middle of nowhere offering him the only warm garment in vicinity.

But as he felt every urge to bring his hand forward to take the cloth. The strange noises and shadows could not be ignored. Something was off, Satomi couldn't exactly understand why. So he withheld the urge still.

The woman aimed to know more about his being there. His eyebrows arched upward inquisitively as he replied, "Lets just say your guess is as good as mine. Nothing is revealed, not easily anyways."


[15/15]

(Claiming Sharingan 2nd Tomoe)

He couldn't shake the feeling, that something was watching him still. Oblivious to the woman in front of him, Satomi felt that it only had eyes for him. But he did not take the cloak. She was suspicious until proven otherwise. "And yes us Kiriian's may seem strange. Because we serve but only one purpose, for a greater cause.”

"But what are you?" Satomi asked with some venom in his voice. He wanted answers quickly before the cold overcame him.

"What I am is the only thing offering you a way to stop your petcher from freezing off, but if you'd rather trust yourself to frostbite than to me, that's none of my business."

The woman withdrew the cloak, throwing it back around her shoulders. She glanced around the campsite, noticing the way Satomi was looking around, but could not spot anything out of the order. That is, until she noticed the dark red stains on his fingers. Something clicked in her mind, and suddenly she realized why the boy seemed so untrusting.


[1/20]

"We're not alone, are we? You're seeing things in the shadows, right? I've seen them too."

She knew exactly what Satomi was seeing, but she knew he wouldn't believe her if she told him. Not now, anyway. But she knew if he continued along his course, along with the hypothermia that would set in before long, it was going to become much worse for him. She had to play the game, because she knew it was the best way to get him to cooperate. The woman drew her Katana and tossed it to him, a bit worn, but well made.

"I hope you know how to use that," she said as she pulled out her bow and nocked an arrow. "Hopefully you won't have to though. My names Liandra. I'm from a nearby small village. I suggest you come with me, unless you want to be caught out here alone. I know a safe place, so keep quiet and follow."


[2/20]

After that, Liandra took off into the forest. She didn't know if Satomi would follow or not, but frankly, she didn't care all that much. Giving him the Katana was a risky move, but she was confident that she could deal with him if she had too. She ran through the forest at a rapid pace, easily traversing the terrain that a less experienced person would likely find difficult. Eventually, she arrived at a cave. There was a campfire burning low just outside. It was her cave, or at least, it was where she had been staying.

It seemed that after the woman, now going by Liandra, was out of the question. He had had his doubts about her but the long katana laying in front of him was a present he could use. If she did betray him. He could always cut her arms off. He bent down and brushed the cold snow off the blade. Exchanging the makeshift torch for the katana. He was proficient in double blades, one wouldn't be a problem.

[3/20]

His snowy hair ruffled slightly with a breeze that made the young Uchiha aware that he was still in the cold. With a shrug of his shoulder he took off after Liandra. Being sure to follow the obvious tracks she left behind for him. However the speed it took him to traverse some of the obstacles in front of him was burdening.

He was not used to going through such physical limitations before. But he went on anyways. Taking extra care as not to injure his already brittle red body. The shivering returned almost immediately after he left the fire.

He came upon a cave with light flickering inside. Fire! He walked in and asked with his voice raised slightly so that it could carry, "Mind if I join you?" He held his hands up in surrendering position as he came into view.


[4/20]

She gave him a nod before looking at him and cracking a smile at his absent-mindedness. Forgetting he was still naked, he put his hands back down covering his private area's. "I think I'll have that cloth now."

Satomi was given the cloak, and the woman commented that though none of her other clothing would likely fit him, he was welcome to try them on. She had an extra pair of shirt, boots, and pants, but all for a woman of smaller size than Satomi. Even the cloak was likely a tight fit, but it would help to warm him, if nothing at all. It took less than half a bell to get the fire raging again, and Satomi was able to fight off the chill air. His body stopped shivering, though he still could not shake the sense of paranoia he felt. The relative safety of the cave, however, helped to ease his troubled mind.

"The night is gonna be hard for you," Liandra commented after Satomi had taken a few chimes to get himself comfortable."The cold will be the least of your concerns, soon enough. Try to stay here, in the cave, if you can. Don't venture off."


[5/20]

After a while Liandra went to bed. She, unfortunately, did not have any spare bedrolls or blankets, so Satomi would have to make do with what he had. Not that he would be sleeping much that night. Shortly after the woman dozed off the strange sounds returned. The shadows deeper in the cave seemed to come to life. Even the fire seemed to dance oddly about, making the shadows come to life. Satomi could see eyes peering back at him from within the cave. Outside, the forest seemed alive as well.

A bell passed, and Satomi began feeling sick to his stomach. It grew worse and worse, and soon enough he was forced to find a place to relieve himself. The berries he'd eaten before came wretching up, and they too seemed to have an evil look about them. And then Satomi heard it, a terrifying roar, louder than anything he had ever heard before. When he turned to look back at the cave he saw the beast, a great monster with a pale white face. It hissed and growled at him, and slowly approached. He could tell by the look of it's eyes it intended to make him it's next meal.

The katana? Had he brought the katana with him!? He had.. somehow, in his daze, Satomi still thought to carry his weapon. The beast was coming at him, razor fangs ready to tear out his thread. Satomi would have to defend himself. A new feeling took over him as fright with might mixed together. He activated his Sharingan, and it felt different, he felt different. He had fully unlocked the 2nd Tomoe and he could feel more power waiting to be unearthed.


[6/20]

The Uchiha was not exactly calmed, because he had never trained to fight a creature such as this before. This beast was a monster and it looked to make him his next meal. "Liandra wake yourself we under attack!" The beast however had it out for him. With its amazing speed it charged forward, hungry for his blood.

All of a sudden a strange flashback occurred in his head as he saw a running Dolath. Instantly he dove to the side as the great beast pounced where he was just standing. The thing roared at Satomi in its beastly tone, it was a terrible roar. The Genin beside himself with fear and testosterone, he pushed his fear to the side and gave the monster a retaliative roar back.

[7/20]

The beast did not stop his assault and came after him again. It closed the very short distance between it and the Uchiha. Satomi brought his katana up to defend himself. But this beast was not something you could fight with just brawn. It was obviously stronger then he was. He looked to the side and saw that there was a slight elevation of rocks beside him. The beast only a few feet away dove at him baring his fangs.

Satomi already in motion used his foot to step on top of the rocks. He pushed as hard as he could upwards. He propelled himself in the air as the beast came crashing down again where he was just at. He however wasn't exactly an acrobat and came crashing down on top of the beast. His blade was still in hands and he rolled off the back of the beast to the ground.


[8/20]

The monster got back up and turned around furious and discombobulated. Satomi quickly got back up on his feet and plunged his katana into the beasts chest before it got time to recover and attack him again. He knew not if it would kill it but he hoped it would. He could feel the final tomoe forming in his eyes as death seemed to loom so closely to him.


The beast let out a terrifying roar, but it was not one to intimidate. It was a roar of pain. Satomi plunged his blade, piercing the heart of the mighty beast. It let out a few more of the pained roars before finally quivering one last time then falling still. All the while Liandra watched, an expression of mild amusement on her face. When it was finally over, she clapped her hands and came forward.


[9/20]

"Amazing! You saved us both," she exclaimed with a hint of sarcasm to her voice, though Satomi was likely too exhausted from the fight to notice. "I was worried about bringing you here, but I'm glad I did. I don't think we'll have any more troubles tonight. Come inside, come get your rest."

Satomi, though exhausted, found that there were no longer strange noises in the night to haunt him. The adrenaline, the excitement from defeating the beast pushed away any fear he had, at least for the time being. He had defeated it, and it would serve as a lesson to any other creature that might attack them that they should stay away. The night, whether he would sleep through it or remain awake, would pass in relative peace. Eventually, however, sleep would overcome him. It was irresistible, as irresistible as the urge to vomit had been earlier. It would be midday before he finally woke, and it would be to the smell of roasting boar on a spigot.


[10/20]