Yuumaru dashed the main street of the Hiiden Jungle. He breathed the fresh air, felt the warm embrace of the humid jungle climate. This is my home, and I will finally make a change in it, no matter how smal!! After about an hour of dashing, smelling the fresh air, and greeting Kusamura villagers along the way, Yuumaru realized he had no clue where he was going. He stopped to collect his thoughts. Focus, Yuumaru! Don’t blow your first mission! He took out the now-crumpled mission paper from his pocket and reread it. He put his face on his left palm.

Wow, I must’ve looked like such an idiot to the Sakurakage! “Romeo” is a young man in love with “Juliet,” not a villain! Okay, it says here that the address is the 9th Residence, Naruto Street. The girl’s name is Hida Naomi, and the boy’s is Chiba Nobuo. Hm, both names start with “n”! Maybe they are destined after all!

Before the restless genin headed to Naruto Street, however, he chose to stop by Kusamura Bento, to get himself some rice balls. ”Remember, a rice ball a day keeps the enemies at bay!” (OOC: means that riceballs make you stronger) Yuumaru remembered his grandfather telling him. “Yo, five rice balls please. Fish on the inside.” As he waited for his order, Yuumaru looked at the busy scene in front of him; a typical morning in Kusamura Main Street. Then he heard someone whistle to the right of him. He didn’t look, he just listened for a minute. It had a mystical and unique melody to it. Then it took a sudden turn. The music became dark, until finally, the whistle ended. “Yo, Yuumaru! Here is the bento you ordered. Fish-riceballs. Enjoy!” As Yuumaru picked up his food, he looked at the direction of the whistle. It was a beast of a man. Bald, with a dragon’s head tattoo on the very top of his scalp. He was munching, nay, devouring a large helping of chicken and pork bento. He then looked at Yuumaru. Yuumaru looked away, and headed to do his mission. Geez, what a weird-looking guy. He was a pretty good whistler, though.

Okay, the mission said that Nobuo doesn’t come until sunset, because that’s when Naomi’s father leaves for his night shift. The sun’s almost down, okay, now to wait for “Romeo”….Henge no Jutsu! Yuumaru transformed into a squirrel and climbed the tree beside Naomi’s window. Sure enough, about nine minutes later, a dashing young man came and climbed the tree as well. He was clearly a wealthy civilian, judging from his designer attire. And that’s when Yuumaru saw it. There was a piece of clothing, an insignia, sewed on the back of his shirt. A dragon’s head.

“Heyy! You!!” Yuumaru called to the young man. “I have to talk to you!” (OOC: Yuumaru forgot to transform back into himself!) “Huh? Who’s there?” The young man looked around, then finally saw a squirrel standing behind him. “Yeah, I’m the one talking to you. Listen--” The young man shrieked in the most unmanly manner in the history of mankind. He picked up Squirrel-Mode Yuumaru and threw him at Naomi’s window.

Oof! What the?! Where am I? Yuumaru struggled to pick himself up. What’s this smell? It smells so good…. Another scream. “AAHHHH!! An ecchi squirrel!!” This time, a girl was screaming. It took Yuumaru a second to notice that he had landed squarely into Naomi’s cleavage. Yuumaru felt a hand grab his tail and, a second later, he was again flying, this time out of the window into the bushes outside.

He landed on his head, and passed out. Before he was completely knocked out, however, he could still make out the sounds...and the screams….”Come on, Naomi!” …”No, I said no!” …”Fine, if you don’t want to come with me, I’ll take you by force!”....THUMP!! …..”Boss, looks like we racked up good merchandise tonight”.....

Yuumaru awoke the next morning, still the bushes of the 9th Residence. He was now in human form. Was that a dream? A nightmare? Yuumaru put both of his hands into his face, struggling to compose his thoughts. Then he remembered. There was both a dragon’s head on the man in the bento store, and on Nobuo...and the sounds I heard last night….oh no! I was right! I’m pretty sure Nobuo was the one who said “Boss, looks like we racked up good merchandise tonight!” “Romeo” was an enemy, a villain! Naomi’s in trouble!

(OOC: Plot twist! Didn’t see that coming, did ya? ;) )

Yuumaru went to the one place where he knew he would get answers: Lady Senju Chieko. She was the same woman who told him of his elemental affinity with her unique jutsu: Hidden Nature Technique. She had also collected vast amounts of facts and knowledge during her travels as an adventurer. Now, nearing the age of 50, she transforms herself into a woman in her twenties with the Byakogou jutsu. Yuumaru knew she would know something about the Dragon’s Head.

He rushed to her humble house and burst the door open. “Lady Chieko! Chieko baa-chan! Oh, there you are! Listen--” As Yuumaru approached her, he didn’t see that there was some spillage of liquid ingredients (Chieko was an alchemist, as well) on the floor, and slipped backwards. Yuumaru, however, had quick reflexes, and pushed himself forward. But, alas, the laws of physics sometimes do not apply to Yuumaru, and for some reason, he landed on the floor with Chieko, head buried in her cleavage and hands grabbing her breasts. Chieko sighed and said, somewhat tiredly, “Yuumaru, the King of Ecchi, as always…”

After a punch on the head and a minute of scolding, Yuumaru finally told Chieko the matter at hand. Chieko then told Yuumaru to wait, and when she returned from her library, she was with a giant book with the logo of Kusamuragakure on the cover. “This is the records of the Hidden Jungle. Since I am the de facto head of the Senju Clan, being older than even our Senju Sakurakage, I ask Kouketsu-kun to give me a copy of the records of the village, both ancient and updated. This book is chakra-powered, meaning each new update that Kouketsu’s officers put in the official record back in the kage’s office also gets to my book here.” Yuumaru was impressed. Aside from her knowledge and adventure in the past, Chieko-baachan was also playing a major role in the current time as well. “Anyways...okay, Dragon’s Head...here.”

---

Armed with knowledge, Yuumaru headed out of Chieko’s residence and dashed towards the hideout of Dragon’s Head. (Chieko:) It appears Dragon’s Head is a non-shinobi human-trafficking organization. They have been around only very recently, but have managed to create quite an empire of connections. The shinobi are aware of their existence, but the Kusamura ANBU want them alive for now for classified reasons. They only have one hideout because they know that the shinobi won’t hurt them. Yuumaru hated evil-doers above all. He just didn’t understand how people could live with themselves while doing something bad. The rage swelled within him. His feet moved faster and faster, until he finally came to an unsuspicious-looking house in Sasuke Drive. (Chieko:) Yuumaru-kun, I suggest not going. I know the ANBU has good reason for keeping them alive. Maybe you shouldn’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. But I already know I can’t stop you from going. And i know that, if I was you, I’d do the same thing. Just be careful, Yuumaru-kun.

Yuumaru kicked the door open, and sure enough, five men immediately came rushing towards him. “What the?! Intruder!” Yuumaru had a deadly stare about his face. His eyes were burning with anger. Yuumaru...when you stare in the abyss for too long...the abyss stares right back. Yuumaru remembered his grandfather telling him that. With a deep breath, he resisted the urge to kill and instead used Katon: Black Smoke Jutsu. The nearest guard, however, was close enough to him that he still managed to make out Yuumaru’s figure. The guard slashed with his axe. Yuumaru easily dodged the sluggish attack from the brute and incapacitated him. HE then made quick work of the untrained Dragon’s Head criminals. The smoke cleared, and with all of the guards fainted, he walked towards the living room. The room was filled with graffiti and banners of Dragon’s Head. Naomi nor Nobuo was nowhere to be found. There must be a secret entrance somewhere, this is a criminal syndicate after all… Yuumaru then looked again at the Dragon’s Head posters one by one. The one on the center and on the left both have blackened eyes, with no iris, but the eye on the one on the right has an iris, and the iris was looking back, to the poster’s right. There was a bookshelf to the poster’s right. There! Yuumaru moved the bookshelf, and sure enough, there was a sealed door behind it. He opened the door slowly, careful so that he might not endanger the life of Naomi or possibly any other victims of Dragon’s Head. There were stairs leading down to the basement.

Yuumaru stealthily crept along the stairs, and as he reached the bottom, he saw a huge underground basement eerily lit only by weak light bulbs. He could make out numerous cages lining the walls of the basement. He could also hear sobbings and some screams from the women in cages. Then, as his gaze shifted, he could see that at the right corner of the basement, there were three figures. Two standing….and one tied up on a chair! That must be Naomi! Yuumaru sneaked further into the room, nearer the figures.

“You shoulda came when I asked you nicely, Babe! Now look what you made me do!” It was Nobuo. So the dashing young man that I saw was just a facade. Deep inside, Nobuo was nothing but a common criminal. “And besides, how could you have been so blind? You clueless Babe! I had a dragon tattoo across my back and you never questioned it? What. A. DUMB. Babe!!! HAHAHAHA!!” Scratch that, Yuumaru thought. he’s not just a criminal, he’s a psycho! “Quiet, Yoshi,” the other man said. So Yoshi is the real name of Nobuo… Then Yuumaru heard it again. The whistle. Then he looked at the other man. Bald. Brute. Dragon head tattoo on his scalp. “We have a visitor, Yoshi. But I wonder where could he be?”

Then, suddenly, two arms grabbed Yuumaru from the back, and threw him across the room towards the three figures. Yuumaru tried to get up, but the brute kicked him and this time, he was sent flying towards the wall. “No! Don’t hurt him!” Naomi screamed. The women in the cages stopped crying. They were watching the scene unfold before them. Yuumaru picked himself up and wiped the blood from his forehead that scraped the floor. He saw now three figures beside Naomi. He couldn’t believe it. The one who threw him was a shadow clone of the brute.

“You didn’t know that my aniki was a genin once, did ya? He was a special genin because he already learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu!” Nobuo, nay, Yoshi, taunted. The brute in the center then spoke. “Nice to meet you, ninja boy. My name is Kenta. Just Kenta. You see, my impoverished mother left me out in the forest since they couldn’t take care of me. I grew to be strong, and so, when I grew up, I vowed to take revenge on privileged little bitches like this one.” He pointed to Naomi. The other Kenta then held Naomi by the hair and pulled her face close to his. He smelled her hair. “You smell so good, lady. I’m going to have fun with you once I take care of this weakling.” The Kenta talking earlier continued, “And you might wonder, why only women? Well, can you take a guess why?” The Kenta talking held a wide grin on his face. “So, how are we going to do this, boy?”

(OOC: If you don’t get kenta’s motivation, it’s because he’s mad at his mother for leaving him, and that’s why he’s targeting only women)

Yuumaru then grinned himself. Both Kentas and Yoshi were surprised. “I guess it’s my turn to introduce myself, right? My name is Senju Yuumaru. Nothing really bad happened to me in life. I guess that’s why I hate pitiful losers like you guys, who, just because life didn’t hand you gifts, want others who have gifts to feel miserable as well. Do you know what I want to do to losers like you?” Yuumaru then removed the smile from his face. “I want to kill you.”

Yoshi was obviously shaken, but the Kentas replied back at the same time, “Heh! We’re not scared of a small, lanky guy such as yourself! In fact, I bet you’re bluffing! What are you going to do when i kill this girl, huh? Nothing!! ‘Cause you’re nothing but a loser!” Yoshi looked at the Kentas. “What the heck are you doing, aniki! You promised she was MY possession!” When Yuumaru heard this, he became even angrier. Yoshi continued, “Don’t hurt her, she’s my Babe!!!” The Kentas told him, “Shut up, there are many more bitches like this one.” But Yoshi wouldn’t have it. He rushed to tackle the Kenta holding Naomi. As he did, the Kenta not holding Naomi turned around and grabbed Yoshi by the head, and twisted it. Yoshi laid on the ground, dead.

“Babe. That’s what you get for messing with me. I was going to kill you, anyway. I don’t want to share my profits with you. Besides, this Babe is special, I even had to kill her monster of a father just to make sure there were no loose ends. So, boy, Yuumaru, was it? Yuumaru-kun, kukuku….now, let’s see what you’re going to do--” The Kenta holding Naomi continued the sentence. “--when I do this!” He took a kunai from his pocket and slashed at Naomi’s head.
*TSSSUUKK!!!!!* (knife sound)

Blood splattered everywhere. “Huh? What the?” The Kentas said.

(OOC: Music starts playing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daPo6q4FXDw)

Yuumaru was carrying Naomi. Naomi was shocked. She thought she was going to die. Tears filled her eyes, until she couldn’t hold her sobs. “Thank you…” She hugged Yuumaru. It took her another moment until she noticed the huge gash on Yuumaru’s forehead, made by the kunai. Blood was dripping all over his face. “You’re hurt--”

“Don’t thank me yet.” Yuumaru jumped to a far corner of the basement. “Wait here.” He laid Naomi safely on the ground. He then walked towards the Kentas. “Now, to deal with you two….My grandfather once told me to kick out the hate inside me. That when i look into the abyss, the abyss will stare right back. Looking at you two makes me so mad! But I wanted another way. I wanted to forgive you and put this behind us. But obviously, that isn’t going to happen. Especially when you almost killed Naomi.” Flame enveloped both of Yuumaru’s fists. “This jutsu...is called Hoken no Jutsu. Phoenix Fist. It is a jutsu that I made….to exact justice, and in some cases, vengeance.” Both Kentas stepped back in fear.

Before the villains could react, Yuumaru rushed the Kenta on the left, hitting him with both his left and right fists. Smoke puffed. It was the Shadow Clone. Yuumaru looked at the remaining Kenta. His eyes were brimming with fury. “It appears I am unlucky when it comes to randomly picking stuff. Like this mission, and your clone. But, it’s all over now. Burn in hell.” Kenta replied: “Wha-What do ya mean it’s over! It’s not over ‘til I say it’s over, punk! Take a load of my final juts--” Yuumaru’s fist went through Kenta’s mouth, destroying his jaw. Yuumaru continued his punch, screaming in anger. He lifted Kenta to the air with his fist still wedged in Kenta’s skull, and brought his fist to the ground, going through Kenta’s neck, breaking his cervical spine and essentially beheading the brute. “A fitting death…” Yuumaru gasped for breath. “For a criminal like you…” Then he fainted to the ground.

---

When he opened his eyes, Yuumaru found himself in Kusamura Hospital. Chieko was beside him. “So you’re finally awake, huh? The ‘Blue Beast,’ was it? I swear, when I promised your grandfather, my sensei, to take care of you, I didn’t know what I was in for.” She shook her head. “But you really do take after him. All in all, he would have been proud of what you did. Speaking of which…an ANBU officer spoke with me and told me that he was very impressed with you. But they are very disappointed with what you did. They are asking you to refrain from interfering with their agendas in the future. But, seeing as the whole village now knows about you and your heroic deeds, they had no choice but to destroy the rest of the Dragon’s Head gang, scattered all over Sakura Country. The ANBU and the Kusamura Jounin and Chuunin have also rescued the victims of the human trafficking facilitated by the gang. So, don’t stress that meddling head of yours, everything’s taken care of.” Chieko then frowned. “But, that kunai slash is going to leave a huge mark. It was so deep that the medic-nin here couldn’t even properly close the wound for hours.”

“It’s okay, baa-chan. Besides, I want to remember this. My first mission. My baptism as a shinobi.” Yuumaru then looked down, suddenly sullen. “But, I killed that man. I couldn’t control my feelings. I--” Chieko went to Yuumaru and hugged him. “It’s okay, Yuumaru. We all have to make choices. It’s no use crying over what already happened.” Chieko smiled at Yuumaru.

“Baa-chan, is Nao--” “Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Here,” She took out a letter from her pocket, and handed it over to Yuumaru. “I’ll be back tonight. Get better, Yuumaru.” Chieko then left.

Hmm, I wonder who sent me this letter? The letter read:

Yuumaru-kun,

I can’t tell you enough thanks to make up for what you did. I really thought I was going to die. I hope you’re okay. Don’t worry about me, I am fine. The ninja took care of me and sent me home after rescuing the other girls.

When Nobuo, or should I say Yoshi, betrayed me, I lost faith in men. I was losing faith in life. But when you came! I...

Anyways, this letter doesn’t do justice to what I want to tell you. When you get better, please stop by my house.

Love,
Naomi

Yuumaru smiled. He had a warm feeling inside him. A feeling he had never felt before. A feeling towards a girl...

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