Team Rin: The Sword of the Valiant

[ZeroNumerous]

That Afternoon

Team Rin spends most of their afternoon in quiet contemplation of the events to come. Most of the stories of the mountain place dangerous monstrosities made by ninja experimentation running amok. None the less, Rin seems fairly set on going and the genin don't have many options to the contrary. The wait seems to drag out for several days, but eventually the sun rises to the noon position and the four of you set out for the mountain.

It takes several days of marching, and you encounter the occasional ninja group who are planning to take the Exams but mainly the trip is a pleasant romp through a countryside that makes a rainforest look dry by comparison. Almost like clockwork there's a small lake formed by rainwater every ten feet. Adding gentle rolling hills, villages built at near sea-level and the ocean surrounding it on all sounds together makes you think this place was just a flood disaster waiting to happen.

All of that is put out of your mind when you see the Mountain. A veritable obelisk of obsidian thrusting forth from a valley that is below sea-level by your best guess. As you descend into the valley, you notice the foliage become more numerous and much more primordial. It feels like you've stumbled straight into the thickest of rainforests as you're forced to draw kunai and cut your way ever closer to the Mountain. After a day's travel through the rainforest, you eventually come to an ancient gateway.

It's a subtle thing at first. The damp stone covered by ancient lichen barely stands out against the rainforest background. But your attention is quickly grabbed by relatively clean red clay tiles built into the gate's roof. It appears to have been transplanted straight from a Hidden Village and placed squarely in this area for no discernable reason. Ancient wooden gates taller than even Konohagakure's and covered in creeping vines bar your path. There are no walls around the gateway, but you can't see through the trees surrounding it.

Just as you wonder how to get through, the ancient hinges creak and groan as something pushes them open from the inside..

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin's quick battle-scarred reflex moved her quickly, a shimmer of a hand and the next moment she held a kunai across her field of vision not willing to allow any chance for surprise slip her by. She had however already activated her sharingan out of raw reflex, so it was likely any human or human-like foe could at least make a guess as to lineage. "Formation behind me. Yuu in back." She growled, her powerful spirit resonating in her words, they brooked no argument.

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Hit Points: 64/64
Chakra Pool: 91/92
Armour Class: 33
Ongoing Effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1)

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Sighing quietly at his lack of ability to substantially contribute, Yuu calls Kuromaru over. There was at least one technique he could still perform with one hand.

Muttering "Juujin Ryuu- Seiga", Yuu's hand glowed as he enhanced Kuromaru's fangs.

"That's the best I can do for you, buddy. Be careful, and stay on your guard."

Straightening up, Yuu drew his sword, awkwardly. He was reasonably confident he could still perform the Gatotsu, but it did make sense for him to stay in the back. Focusing, he relaxed the restraints on his body, entering a state of heightened awareness and ability.

Spoiler

Show

HP- 79/79
CP 36/40
AC 20
Initiative- (1d20+1)[12]

Perform Juujin Ryuu Seiga- take 10 for autosuccess, even with the -4 from performing off-handed. Draw sword. Kuromaru gains +1 to attack and damage, with chakra-based fangs for overcoming DR. Activating rank 2 speed.

[/roll]

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

The figure pushing the door open pauses in surprise once it catches sight of people at battle-readiness arrayed in front of it. The raven-haired person wore the white mask of the ANBU, the animal face it was shaped into resembling a cat with the stylized leaf symbol of Konohagakure set in the middle of the mask's forehead, and straightens from pushing the door open to an un-imposing height of five feet and two inches.

"Uchiha Rin?" The soft soprano voice asks before the person steps out from the doorway and fully into what light the Mountain allows down there. A gloved hand came up to grip the ANBU mask tightly, lifting it free after a moment as it's wearer slipped the mask into the large shuriken pouch belted about her waist. And it was easy to tell that it was a her now that the mask had come off, icy blue eyes taking stock of each of those present before fixing on the Sharingan staring her right back. The girl couldn't be much more then fourteen years old, but age was hardly an indication of ability as most in the shinobi world knew, and the elegant silvery-gold battle armor she wears is testament about under-estimating her. The breastplate, with matching greaves and gauntlets, makes the teenager look more experienced then she otherwise would but also makes it close to impossible to get a good look at her body. Hell, until the mask had come off, it had been almost impossible to tell the slender figure was in fact female!

"You are Uchiha Rin of Team Rin?" She asks again, in a more formal tone of voice as her arms hang loosely at her sides though fingers clenched and unclenched nervously as the younger female stared up at Rin.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Looking back Rin relaxed and with a twirl her eyes returned to their natural emerald green. "Yes I am." She had let her arm move back to her side but still kept the kunai clutched in her hand. Certain children were beyond a childhood and while she hoped this wasn't on of them, she remained alert. "You?"

Her own clothes had changed since she first met her genin slightly. She wore an unfamiliar tan coat instead of her usual white doctors coat with the kanji 'Doctor!' drawn on the back. Her shirt and skirt were also both more conservative, more adult then before, but they both still displayed warm earth tones. Also gone was her usual Kazengakure vest with it's volcano motifs, instead she wore a light piece of armour under her clothes.

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Hit Points: 64/64
Chakra Pool: 91/92
Armour Class: 33
Ongoing Effects: None

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Some of the tension leaves the somewhat plain girl's shoulders when Rin answers her, a smile briefly touching across her face before she gives a short nod of her head. Fingers quite fidgeting, the shinobi's left hand going to the large pouch at her waist to pull forth a simple scroll that bore the mark of Konohagakure upon it.

"My name is Sumie. I was instructed to give this to you once I found you." Sumie says simply, finally letting her gaze drift from the Uchiha to the others once more. Maybe she was seeing if they were threats, or maybe she was just seeing what sort of condition that the 'genin' were in. It is hard to tell with a face like hers. "I didn't think I was going to get here before you. Did you have trouble getting through the jungle?"

The question was directed moreso towards Yuu and Hibiki, wanting to give Rin some quiet while she read whatever it was that the scroll said.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin's eyes flashed as she thought about Sasuke. She felt a knot inside and she knew she should have stayed, her presence might have allowed him to continue the exam. "Have you read it?" She asked the question but it was clear from how she spoke, how her eyes gleamed, and even from the slight hint of a battle posture from an apparently off guard woman, that she wanted to know if she knew her orders.

OOC:

Spoiler

Show

Hit Points: 64/64
Chakra Pool: 91/92
Armour Class: 33
Ongoing Effects: None

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

A batch of flaxen, blond hair peeks around the right side of Rin's waist, slowly Hibiki's head slides into Sumie's view; however, this was not the only head to appear around Rin. One head peered around on Rin's left, another came into view over the Uchiha's shoulder, another found its way above Rin's head, yet another came up through Chimera's legs. After taking a long, hard look at their new encounter, all heads simultaneously shift back behind Rin leaving no trace of what was behind the jounin of Konohagakure.

After a few silent moments, Hibiki walks away from behind Rin and tilt his head looking at Sumie; a sudden look of horror comes across the mad genin's face once Sumie's question registers in his mind. He runs back to Rin and tugs violently on her earthy toned skirt, "Rin-sensei! Don't answer that! Please, oh please, don't answer it!"

Thoughts of Hibiki taking hours in the forest to move his bowels and of the horror when Rin peaked in on him to make sure he was okay. The embarrassment was more than the crazed genin could handle. Hibiki snaps his head to Sumie and feigns a smile when he remembers about introducing himself.

Hibiki flaps around his white cape stitched by Umino-sensei and gives a peace sign to the stranger-nin. "Hi! I'm Hibiki!" As if on cue, a sudden gust of wind picks up his cape and flutters it around. Other clothing such as his gray flight jacket and jumpsuit pants (with one pant leg zipped off) cling to him and his ninja armor underneath.

A broad smile carries on through the silence.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"A pleasure, Hibiki-sama." Sumie murmurs softly, eyes widening upon the appearance of the multiple versions of the same person. Those must have been clones then, I'll have to remember that for later. Never have been too good at understanding ninjutsus. Outwardly, the girl's eyes had taken on hardened look as she thought to herself, but once Sumie returned her attention to the situation at hand it faded. "But why should you not tell me? Is it private or just embarrassing?"

The musings were disturbed when Rin asked about the scroll, the slight teenager taking in the other female's posture and expression and taking a swift step back away from Rin. "I have not. I do not pry into the business of others when I can. Especially when it might contain sensitive information I should not be privy too."

Sumie tilts her head to the side, reaching up to idly tuck her short hair behind her ears once more. Remember, polite and civil. She thinks to herself as she waits for an explanation, until finally the shinobi speaks up once more. "Is there something I should know?"

[Valgunn]

Rin

"Read it yourself." A quick whip like motion saw her scroll the paper back inside before tossing her the item. "At least you're not going to be a burden." In her own way she was trying to encourage self-reliance. One of the keys to being a good shinobi and a good person to her mind.

[The Unborne]

Inside Hibiki's Mind

Pride is sitting on his throne of gold raising his chin so high up that he banged his head against the back of his chair. "Sama! She used sama! Muwahaha!" The rest of the sins are sitting close to small television tube that served as their only link to the outside world.

"I don't know...What's your analysis Wrath?"

"She looks cute."

All activities inside Hibiki's brain stops. A thick silence fills the atmosphere not because what Wrath said was taboo, but because no one knew how to reply to that. Not until Envy spots the flying, "Scroll!"

Hibiki

The crazed leaf-nin diverts his attention from Sumie to the scroll moving through the air. Out of reaction the genin jumps in the air and catches the scroll right before it reaches Sumie. After a few flips through the air, Hibiki sticks his landing and pumps his hands into the air in exclamation, "See that Rin-sensei? What a catch! Now let's see what we have here..."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"I am not supposed to be. No shinobi should be." Sumie points out as the jounin tosses the scroll in her direction and one hand raises to pluck it out of the air. Only to have Hibiki snatch it away from her grasp and flips through the air before pumping his hands up in the air. Irritation flicks across her face and the girl steps up behind Hibiki as old training steps flash through her mind.

One foot between his, leg tense to break his stance. Twist the body around to the opponent's side and throw your forearm across the chest. Sweep arm back while using leg to trip opponent.

Taijutsu, the art of hand-to-hand combat. It was easy to see that it was Sumie's forte as she flowed around Hibiki and bent him backwards with a standard, but elegant, throw. However she didn't let go of him and let him crash down to the ground, as one usually would, instead her hand grabbed a fistful of his flight jacket to hold him suspended almost parallel to the ground. It was almost a parody of the classic 'swooning lady sweeped into the romantic kiss' pose, though the positions were obviously reversed, and Sumie's intentions only become murkier as she leans down until her face is but a scarce half-inch from Hibiki's and her eyes peer into his.

"You were not given permission to read the scroll Hibiki-sama, I must ask you respect the wishes of the one who sent it." The girl whispers, holding the taller and older teenager up with a little effort before pressing her lips to his for solid ten seconds. It was probably nice enough for Hibiki, but it proved to be a diversion a moment later when the girl plucks the scroll from his hands and breaks the kiss the very second after. She was polite enough to straighten Hibiki out though, instead of just letting him drop, before letting go and unfurling the scroll so she could read it herself as if nothing had happened.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

"Hey what are you doing? Wah, wait! Don't!" Hibiki squints as the kunoichi draws ever so closely to his face. The genin becomes as stiff as plywood during the interaction of lips and his wild bang of hair shoots up on end. Fireworks go off inside his head, and the Sins start celebrating with Karaoke. Lust is blowing off confetti everywhere.

Those ten seconds were the longest of Hibiki's short life. Who knew that the heavens would open and grant the lowly Hibiki a kiss from one of its angels. The forest soon disappears as the crazed genin's imagination runs wild, what used to be a mountain reverted in size to be a tabernacle and Hibiki's jumpsuit soon became a black tuxedo. Sumie became his bride.

Before Hibiki could reach his hand up to press the girl's face closer to his, the kunoichi broke off the kiss and daydream, and left Hibiki standing there with empty hands. The genin fell back and laid motionless on the ground.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Shinobi of both gender were trained to take advantage of the special weaknesses of the opposite gender, so Rin was not surprised when Sumie did what she did. She however was aware that Hibiki had received no such training, either offensive or defensive in nature. His reaction to this could range from nothing to the out right insane. She leaned back against her ever present non-existent lounger but then quickly she rose back up an incredibly devilish smile on her face. "I think you've made a friend, Hibiki." Worst thing that could come from it would be Hibiki's clumsy advances, or headlong charges as the case might be.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu had remained conspicuously silent throughout the proceedings. He was mulling over the concerns that this new mission might delay him getting his arm back. That was the entire reason they'd come here, wasn't it?

"Are those new orders, sensei?"

As the kunoichi intercepted and kissed Hibiki, Yuu turned to Kuromaru, grumbling.

"So when Hibiki meets a mysterious girl somewhere, he gets a kiss. I meet one and I get my godsdamned arm chopped off...life's not fair, buddy."

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin still was not happy with Yuu. He had in her opinion failed to learn anything about how the real world worked. She soon would resign herself to considering him an unrealistic dreamer. One of those stupid people who refused to compromise themselves, to adapt to a change was fundamental in a living being. "Nothing to concern you." Rin responded without looking back at Yuu who she had placed as far from the gate as she could. She turned to look at Hibiki, expecting some funny reaction, as she held out her hand for the scroll. "If you've read it. I'd prefer to keep it safe."

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

What Rin does see is Hibiki lying down on the ground straight as an arrow; his hair is still spiked up from the shock of the event, but a sheepish grin is plastered on his face. Overall, the genin had taken his first kiss quite nicely.

Inside Hibiki's Mind

The only thing better than frolicking through a field of poppies is frolicking through a field with someone heading in your direction. Enter Hibiki, a careless, naive individual with no care in the world, but that would soon change with the introduction of Sumie.

As the two lovers met in the middle of the field, Hibiki embraced the kunoichi into his arms and looked deep into her eyes. The future seemed cloudy to the crazed genin. He truly believed he would save the world a few times over, but with Sumie how would that be possible? She'd be his weakness, the single object of his being that a villain would use to cause the genin's downfall.

Hibiki tilted his head at his newest hamartia. Would he have to change himself for her? The genin shook the thought away thinking he could hold it all off for awhile, but Hibiki wondered when he'd have to experience the changes of growing up.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Sumie rolls the scroll up after pursuing it's contents, looking at it thoughtfully for a moment or so before raising her eyes up to Rin. The Chimera. The Chimera and her two students at that. The scroll had contained nothing that she hadn't already known, but it had revealed her mission to at least Rin and she wondered what sort of consequences that might have if she told the others.

"I would prefer to destroy it, if you do not intend to share the contents with Hibiki-sama and Yuu-sama. I know that this one," the girl stopped, nudging Hibiki with her foot as she tossed the scroll back over to Rin, "seems likely to try and steal the scroll again. Better if he does not get the chance, yes?"

After speaking her mind though, she pauses and looks back down at the ramrod stiff Hibiki and how the older teenager hadn't moved a muscle since he had fallen on the ground. I'm not that great a kisser. She thinks wryly to herself before looking back up to Yuu and Rin.

"Will he be alright? And what exactly is our goal here? I was not given enough time to find out your purpose in coming to this mountain."

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin slipped the scroll into one her jacket's pockets. "I'll bet." She said as a response. The Sharingan was a powerful asset for Konoha and it was not likely they would ever let it fall into such a persons hands. It meant that Rin would face death at this girl's hands before her eyes met capture at his. That was their plan. "I think Hibiki is far too interested in you to care."

Rin had hoped nothing would come of it. She had hoped. She hadn't believed nothing would happen though. "Even I'm not sure how he'll react. That was his first kiss." She continued on in the same manner as a mother would, 'unknowingly' telling people embarrassing things.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Like a rake being stepped on accidentally, Hibiki stood straight up with a flash of anger across his face. "Rin-sensei! You don't say things like that! Especially with Sumie-chan around! It's embarrassing!" The crazed genin snaps his head in Sumie's location and quickly fixes his hair down and then covers his mouth with his hand and breathes into it, hoping to smell if his breath was okay for his first kiss.

Hibiki races across the ground and joins up with Rin. The Leaf-nin positions himself behind Rin with enough room to see his new love-interest; however, Hibiki tries to avoid any prolonged eye contact with the girl. The child was simply not ready for any second helping of any kind.

The genin tugs again at Rin and asks her, "What did the scroll say Rin-sensei? If it was important enough to send and risk the life of a beautiful kunoichi like Sumie-chan, it must've been pretty important. Tell me!"

[Valgunn]

Rin

Lifting one arm she twisted her head around to look at the retreating lunatic. She had thought he'd perhaps do something stupid, get rejected, and declare her his enemy or something. He was acting normal, something had to be wrong with him. "Stop acting normal, Hibiki. It scares me." She dropped her hand on his head and ruffled his hair before turning her head back up the the summit of the mountain.

"I'm getting quite nostalgic here, I remember the time I made you climb the volcano. Let us try and avoid getting my chopsticks dirty before I eat this time." To the new addition to their little troupe the idle comment about chopsticks meant nothing, but to the small loony behind Rin it was a terrifying thought.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"I hope you realize what you've gotten yourself into, Sumie-san. I don't believe I've introduced myself. My name's Nagase Yuu, and this here's my bud, Kuromaru."

Yuu looks up at the gates and the mountain before him, up towards the top where his solution might rest.

"Do you know anything about this mountain here?"

[Valgunn]

Rin

As Rin stared up at the mountain her own mood influenced how she saw it. The mountain stood alone avoided because of it's dangerous reputation, a dangerous reputation it had earned through blood. Inside however lay hope, a strong spirit resided within, a healer's spirit. She smiled in a small and mournful way as she reacted to the world again.

"This mountain is dangerous, even for me. Along it's slopes reside beasts formed out of chakra itself, like the bijuu in that way." She sighed a little, already guessing her genin's response. 'We can do it' or 'It'll be tough, but we're tougher.', such stupid children. It was times like this Rin felt her age, but not in years. A weight of experience languished on her hard war-built shoulders. "The forest itself is dangerous, the climb would be hard without the bijuu-like beasts. It will likely be impossible."

"The technique we seek to be performed is also dangerous, both for user and subject. It calls upon the God of Death to grant a single wish to the subject, if it finds the users soul to be worthy. If not, it devours the users soul, and she will live in eternal torment within the God of Death's stomach. It is called Kami no Shuukyokuno Handan."

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu sighed. He looked at his sensei and his friend, people who had helped him through a lot of tough times. Sensei had already saved his life several times over, and Hibiki, crazy as he was, was a friend. He didn't know what the new girl was doing here, but he couldn't ask her, either.

"We came here for me. Because I was stupid and charged into a situation without thinking, and lost my arm as a result. Hibiki, I cost you and Matsuo your shot at Chuunin, when you two are probably better-qualified than I am. Sensei, I know I put you through a lot of stress, and you saved my life back there. So I can't ask any of you to come with me. It's not worth my friends risking their lives over just an arm. You all have your own lives to live, I wouldn't want you to put them in danger just so I can swing my sword a little better. Koromaru, you too. I'll be alright, somehow."

Koromaru growled, and butted his head into Yuu's leg. It was a very clear indicator that he'd stick with his friend and companion. Yuu smiled and shrugged. What could he do?

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The daft genin rubs his thighs remembering the pain inflicted by those damned chopsticks. He gives Rin a nasty look that says, "If you try to pull that off again, I'll send more kage bunshin at you then you could possibly- oooh that does look like Haigakure's volcano!" Hibiki gawks at the mountain in front of them, and he sees in it a challenge unlike anything he's encountered before.

"Wait...Rin-sensei you said there were strange animals up there? Made out of chakra? How does that work out?" The leaf-nin wonders about how his chakra looks when he performs jutsus and then he imagines animals made out of the same, shapeless stuff. A question arose in side his head, "I wonder what would happen if you ate one..." He thinks out loud.

Hibiki tosses the idea around his head while his sins caught it and threw it back, but once Yuu starts apologizing he stops for a moment. He lifts his hand as to stop his fellow comrade from speaking, "That's stupid Sidekick-san, you went in to rescue people! That alone is worthy of being awesome. The sacrifice of your life as a shinobi for the lives of others makes it just as great." Hibiki pauses, and tries to remember what else he wanted to say, "I think the reason why there are villains out there is because they don't know the benefits of being good! Sidekick-san, I'm going to climb that mountain and find you a really nice arm, all because you have become a pretty decent hero in the past few days, and because those animals seem really cool to meet. It'll be tough, but we're tougher! So chin up and follow us, we can do it."

The genin clenches his fist, That was cool, I bet Sumie-chan is impressed.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

It was interesting to watch the interaction between the various members of this squad, so different from her own but at the same time similar enough that Sumie could relate to what they were trying to do. Well...the reasons for it, the methods just seemed so inefficient if they went with Yuu's plan for it all.

"If what Rin says is correct, then you will not be able to survive a trip up the mountain by yourself. To try would be foolhardy and you would further delay the development of yourself and Hibiki-sama if you were to get further injured, or worse, killed while seeking your cure. Learning teamwork with new squad members can take much time, time that might jeopardize your squad's chances at the next Chuunin Exam." the girl points out bluntly, hoping that the direct route would be the best to convince Yuu that while he might not want to endanger anyone else in retrieving his arm, he would need them too in order to have a chance of success. "If we attempt it together though, then the chances of success are much improved, if for no other reason then Rin will be close at hand in case somebody is injured. Perhaps not a sure gamble that we will make it, but much better odds then if you attempt it yourself."

But it was Hibiki's comments about the chakra-beasts that had the raven-haired girl staring in surprise at him. Did he just keep getting odder, or was he trying to prove something? It was too early to try and tell. "Hibiki-sama, I do not believe it is possible to eat chakra. Let alone a chakra-beast. You were not seriously going to try that...were you?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The sensation of being watched becomes steadily more obvious the longer you stand around and talk. At first, only Rin and Sumie detect the sensation hidden by their conscious thoughts but promoted by their instincts. But over time both Yuu and Hibiki detect it as well. A search of the area with your eyes reveals nothing immediate. As you pass over the gate you see a little girl wrapped in a kimono of pink silk adorned with little crescent moon symbols. At first your eyes pass right over her, but a quick double take brings your attention back to her. Something in your conscious thoughts says to not look at her because she was unworthy of attention, but your instincts kick and scream like a child to draw attention toward her.

She sits cross-legged on the edge of the gate's roof. Sumie never saw the girl, but she seems to have been sitting there for quite sometime. Her kimono is carefully wrapped to ensure that nothing but her ankles show. Even her hands are crossed over her chest and tucked deep within her kimono's sleeves. A pair of pale white eyes stare in your general direction, but not at anyone in particular. Her light white hair is twisted into a single long braid, wrapped around her neck and adorned with a blue ribbon.

She waits, rather patiently, for everyone to notice her. She seems to have done.. something to either increase her ability to be noticed or something to decrease her invisibility. You don't quite no what, but it's rendered irrelevant by the first thing out of her mouth. "Good morning Leaf-nin. I assume you're here to see the Master, yes? My name.. Isn't important. But you can call me Charon for now." A soft smile little more than a twist of her lips spreads across her face.

EDIT: Due to visibility issues, changed her text color to Pink.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Feeling the instinct of being watched Rin continued with her pattern. Not a muscle and not a vein moved out of place as the instinctual feeling gave way to conscious perception. A sad slow turn of her neck saw her staring at the feeling made flesh. Her eyes flashed red and three tomoe emerged on the surface of her eyes. Her fully formed sharingan concentrating and feeling the flow of chakra. "It's quite rude and dangerous to spy on people, Charon." Her voice breathed out like fire. Her fiery presence engulfing her charges. "Not big on subtly, are you, Charon?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The girl appears as an utter aberration to both Rin's eyes and doctoral thought process. Her body entirely lacks any flow of chakra yet her chest expands and contracts in breath and her eyelids blink. Everything Rin knows about medical science says the girl should be dead as her chakra coil system is intimately close to her circulatory system. And yet, she sits, breathes, watches and waits. "Is it not also rude to step into someone's home without speaking to them first? And to even threaten a little girl? You wound me, Leaf-nin."

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"Ummm...hello. Does your master live on top of the mountain? Because that's where we're headed.

Yuu had accepted his team's help without a further word- he had just wanted to say that they weren't obligated to do so. Truth be told, he probably would have run off if no one else had followed. He was still enough of a coward for that. But he had a smile on his face, even as he faced down this curios child. His friends were with him. Bring on the monsters.

Of course, that would most likely change the moment they actually encountered one, but he allowed himself this moment of bravado.