Senior Student [solo mission]

Dark clouds loomed over the quiet countryside. The animals had fell silent and only the wind dared to even whisper. ...At least until two travelers strolled into view along the beaten path. The smaller of the duo, a silver fox in a dark kimono, kept rambling on and on about... something. "...I didn’t approve of his methods, but it was too late to reason with him. Thus, I was forced to banish my best student in centuries from the Garden, before he misused more of Senjutsu secrets. Regrettable, yes, but it was the only option." His travel companion, the trickster known as Hara Kin could only listen. This was the first time she had ever seen the old fart nervous over anything.

And something told her she wasn’t the person he was so desperately trying to convince...

With sigh even heavier than the memories, Don finally managed to get a grip. "Does that answer your question?" Hara merely lifted a brow. "...I didn’t ask anything." Her tone couldn’t have gotten any flatter, even if she had intentionally tried. The worried fox flinched at the realization. Luckily, the carefree trickster was there to comfort the old fool. "Sheesh, geezer... Just relax. I’m not going to blame you for what your previous student has done." She tried to pat him on the back, but after awkwardly brushing his ears, she had to settle for encouraging words instead. Kind of encouraging. "By the end of this, we’ll see who was right... And who will be left."

Upon reaching their destination, a small village without a name, the not-so-dynamic duo walked into quite the scene. A monstrous creature resembling the unholy combination of a fox and a man stood in the middle of a large crowd, holding a large sack open and roaring orders. "Quickly now! I, the great Fox Sage, need more sacrifices to appease the fox gods! Everyone pitches in, lest you all wish to face divine punishment!" The trembling villagers were obediently carrying what little valuables they had to the sack. Food, money, tools, whatever they could find were hurriedly offered as sacrifices to the greedy creature. Mere peasants could not refuse a Sage.

Don was about to charge in, but Hara managed to drag him into the shadows where they could observe the situation. "What are you doing? That’s him. Stop that impostor at once." Even up close, the frustrated hiss was nearly lost in the commotion. Hara hushed the impatient old-timer and shook her head. "Not yet... Too many bystanders... Let’s wait until he’s alone..." What she actually meant was that there were too many eyes around. The world didn’t need to know her little Sage secret... Regardless, Don accepted the excuse and stayed put, even though the sickening sight made his fur bristle.

Patiently, the two spies waited until the show was over and the sack was full. The monster was pleased and seemed to vanish into thin air. He was far too fast for regular folks, but not for trained ninja. Hara and Don tailed the target closely through the dense forest. With the Kitsune’s specialty working its magic, he never suspected a thing. The chase continued until they arrived to a small clearing around a huge tree stump. With unreal strength, the Fake Sage tore it aside and revealed his secret stash. Sacks upon sacks of valuables had been gathered in the hole. Jackpot. Finally they could get to the fun part.

Within a heartbeat, Don was right behind the target. His glare and tone were like ice sliding down one’s spine. "I see you are back to your old ways, Yori boy..." The startled swindler spun around and instinctively looked down. "Ah, sensei, long time no see." He was mouthing for the right words to butter up the cranky geezer, but the fox stopped it cold. "Don’t call me that." Squirming from the scolding, the monster fox tried to stay cheerful. "Heh hehe, old habits die hard, you know." In many ways, the trickster felt like she was looking into a broken mirror.

Suddenly, the fake Sage spotted the kunoichi creeping closer and a devious smirk took over his features. "Oh, but what’s this? You have a new student now?" His razor-sharp smirk only widened as he jabbed for a reaction. "Or did you just pick up a street girl for company, you dirty old fox?" At this point, the irritated teacher looked like he might soon pop a blood vessel or two. Hara, on the other hand, found the attempt hilarious. "Pfft hah, you should leave the jokes to the expert, dropout. And while you are at it, drop the whole Sage business too. I wear it better anyway." And just to prove her point, she dived into deep focus, a state even the wannabe Sage recognized. Oh, it was on now~

While Hara gathered energy, Don tried to buy time, by rambling as usual. Of course. "Call her what you will, brat. Actions speak louder than words, even if the words are shouted from the top of a mountain when no one is around to hear. And why would one even climb a mountain if not for-" Hara’s focus flickered. She was almost done, but this nonsense was too much even for her. "Sensei, get to the point alrea- gaah!" Yori had taken advantage of the moment and blasted her back with a single punch. She crashed into the trees with a disgusting crack. With the student taken care of, the fake Sage turned to deal with the teacher.

But Don didn’t even budge, he didn’t need to.

After several tense seconds crawled by, the Kitsune rose up, with wispy patterns on her face and a mad grin on her lips. "Too slow~" Without wasting another heartbeat, the two students clashed in crazy contest of Kitsune Kenpo. Claw for claw, kick for kick, on each hit they were frustratingly equal. Even as the bleeding wounds piled up, they continued their maddening frenzy. Only running out of energy stopped them and even then they just had to knock each other back with low blows. Hara lost the markings on her face, but her opponent’s transformation was far more drastic. The monstrous features shrunk and the red fur receded until he looked like an average human again.

Gasping for air, Hara struggled up and closed her eyes. "Huff... Not bad, but... I’ll just go into Sage Mode again... Haa... And kick your ass..." Of course, her stubborn opponent wasn’t going to get beaten by some lousy joker. "Tch, not if I do it first!" He immediately assumed the same focus. ...And fell right into the trap. By the time Yori realized something was off, it was far too late. The transformation was too quick, twisting his flesh and bones. Petrification crept through his body like a horrifying disease, until he was nothing more than a statue, forever frozen in blissful meditation. That certainly was a way to become one with nature.

Even upon collapsing onto the ground, the exhausted trickster still found strength to gloat. "Woops~! Looks like someone got stuck between a rock and a hard place~!" Her mindless giggling was stopped by a quick smack from Don who, frankly, didn’t share her sense of humor. Nevertheless, the fake Sage had been stopped for good. With some help from the geezer -who actually carried pretty much everything- Hara managed to take the loot while leaving the lone fox statue behind in the forest. The past had been buried and now someone was a little richer because of it...

The villagers.

After waving goodbye to the cheering people, the old teacher turned to his student. Again he was trying to peer into her soul, to see what that mask was truly hiding. "Why did you decide to return the stolen goods?" It was a pinpoint question, aimed at exactly where it hurt the most. He knew, better than many, how badly she needed money. The Kitsune just brushed it off with a snicker. "Hee, so now you start telling jokes?" However, his quietly boiling glare made it crystal clear he had no more patience for joking today. Hara smirked and tossed a haphazard answer just to get him off her back. "Because I’m cool like that, duh~" As she headed off, just for a fleeting moment, her honest mutter made even the sour fox smile.

"And... Because that’s what the Fox Sage does."

_{Jutsu used:
Sage Mode
Kitsune Kenpo}