Uchiha Geretsu (Finished)

Geretsu does not look like the average Uchiha. While his eyes are black when his sharingan is not activated, the similarities end there. He is of a modest height, about 5 feet and 10 inches tall, and instead of the wiry frame indicative of an Uchiha, Geretsu has broad shoulders and a stocky frame.

Geretsu's motion appears as a confident affair. When standing, his posture is almost preternaturally straight, but when sitting he relaxes. Outside of combat, Geretsu almost never moves quickly, preferring to do things right the first time instead of rushing and messing up. His precision marks almost everything that he does.

When Geretsu smiles it is always a crooked one, as if he is admitting to something. He never shows his teeth or the inside of his mouth, as this is generally considered to be rude. Despite the fact that his emotions are flat, his facial expressions are dynamic.

He wears his hair at shoulder length and messy in the front and in a high pony-tail in the back, reminiscent of an unkempt samurai. His facial features are heavy, shadowed by a strong brow and chin. While his hair is dark, it is not nearly as dark as other members of his family. His skin is the healthy tan of a person who spends quite a bit of time outside. He speaks in an extremely deep voice that seems to come directly from his wide chest.

Geretsu's outfit is simple and effective, consisting of a dark blue kosode, a white haori, and a dark blue divided hakama tucked into black shinobi boots. It conceals a light tactical armor similar to a flak jacket that consists of a heavy cloth vest with jointed plate defense to protect Geretsu's chest, shoulders, and back from light attacks. His wrists and lower forearms are wrapped in bandages and his hands are bare. He does not wear any equipment pouch.

Geretsu is a sociopathic assassin with absolutely no sense of social humor. He appears calm and collected, yet very insistent, and no man alive knows what actually makes him tick. Almost always smooth and methodical, Geretsu is always a man of his word, and seems to prefer talking to fighting in most cases.

Normal activities seem to bore Geretsu, and if he is seen in public it is often difficult for even experienced shinobi to make sense of his activities. Everything about Geretsu seems strange, down to the slightly mocking and unmistakably dangerous tone of his bottomless deep voice.

Geretsu subscribes to a strict belief in the laws of cause and effect. He believes that everything is exactly as it should be at any given moment, and that things could not possibly be any different. He exercises the careful and tactically minded planning of an experienced ANBU shinobi.

Outwardly, Geretsu is polite and civil with most everyone that he meets. Even in heated altercations he does not lose his manners. His tone is almost always conversational, as though he is not bothered in the least by the actions and reactions of others. He calls young women miss, older women ma'am, and all men by the slightly inappropriate monicker of 'friendo', though when he says it there is nothing friendly about it. His perfect manners tend to make others uncomfortable, as he insists that other be polite as well.

Geretsu refuses to go about things in a round-about way. He generally lets all of his targets know that he is present before killing them, not out of a sense of vanity, but out of a sense of fairness. Geretsu believes firmly that the world is a fair place, and will gladly argue with someone who would say differently.

The Uchiha clan descended from the elder of the two sons entrusted by the Sage of the Six Paths with his power and will. When it came time for the Sage to chose a successor, he questioned the two on what course of action they would follow to bring order to the world. The elder believed that might was the way to bring peace, while the younger believed love was the way. The Sage favoured the ideal of the younger brother, and therefore designated the younger as his successor, causing the elder to be filled with jealousy and hatefulness. From the younger boy descended the Senju clan who would be the eternal rivals of the Uchiha.

Before the founding of the ninja villages, the Uchiha were one of the many mercenary clans for hire. Because of their Sharingan, the Uchiha clan came to be known as one of the two strongest clans, the second being the Senju clan. Madara Uchiha was particularly powerful, and, upon attaining the Mangekyō Sharingan, he took control of the clan. Under his leadership the Uchiha grew stronger, conquering whatever clans they came upon, such that, whenever the Uchiha clan was hired for a job, the opposing side would hire the Senju.

Konohagakure: Hashirama Senju, the leader of the Senju clan, grew tired of the endless fighting, and approached the Uchiha clan with a peace treaty. Madara feared that an alliance would lead the Uchiha to ruin, but his clan disagreed, and he was forced to accept. The two clans came together to form Konoha, with Hashirama being selected as Hokage. Madara believed that this was proof that the Uchiha would be made subservient to the Senju, but his clan saw this only as his attempt to rekindle the flames of war. They turned their backs on him, and he defected. Following Madara's betrayal, the Second Hokage gave the Uchiha control of the Konoha Military Police Force as a sign of trust. According to Madara, this was really just a way of keeping the Uchiha in check and out of Konoha's governing affairs. Over the years, some Uchiha, such as Setsuna, have figured out this motive's true meaning, and tried to rebel against the village as Madara did, but they find that it was too little, too late to make a difference, as the Senju had already completely suppressed the Uchiha.

Massacre Main article: Uchiha Clan Massacre

The Uchiha clan after the founding of Konoha.Decades later, after the Nine-Tails' Attack on Konoha, Konoha began to suspect that an Uchiha was behind the attack. The Uchiha were relocated to a corner of the village so that they could be more easily monitored. The Uchiha interpreted this as confirmation of what Madara had warned them of years earlier, and began to plan overthrowing the village. One Uchiha, Itachi, disagreed with the coup d'état, and informed Konoha's leadership of what the Uchiha were up to. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, tried to negotiate for a more peaceful approach. This failed, and to prevent an uprising that would create another war, Itachi was ordered to wipe out the Uchiha.

Itachi spared only one Uchiha: his younger brother, Sasuke. Sasuke would spend the next few years trying to avenge their family by killing Itachi, something Itachi had planned for from the very beginning. Once accomplishing this goal, Sasuke learned that Madara was also still alive. Madara told Sasuke about the Uchiha's history and why Itachi had wiped out the Uchiha, prompting Sasuke, with Madara's help, to resolve to destroy Konoha.

Unsettling insight: Geretsu's insight into people and situations unsettles those around him, usually to the point of nervousness. Simply being in Geretsu's presence causes shinobi of lesser standing to second-guess the situation, making it easy for him to throw people off balance with simple words or actions. Quite basically, Geretsu's attention makes others uncomfortable.

Disenchantment: The happenings of the world that seem to bother others are simply shrugged off by Geretsu. This gives Geretsu the almost unnatural ability to react evenly even when "surprised". For instance, injury does not cause Geretsu to panic, as it does not effect him psycologically. Physical impairment is not dispelled.

ANBU training: Having been trained as a member of the Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai corps, Geretsu is exceptionally skilled at tracking, surveillance, stealth operations, and assassination. He is extremely knowledgable of human anatomy, and knows how to quickly heal or destroy the human body. His precision, awareness, and general shinobi skills have been greatly hightened through vigorous training.

The first of the Sharingan's powers is being able to see the chakra flow. The Sharingan can tell if a person is under a genjutsu because the person's chakra flow would be irregular.

The Sharingan's second-most prominent ability grants the user an incredible clarity of perception, allowing them to easily recognize genjutsu and different forms of chakra, though not to the same extent as the Byakugan. This also allows the user to pick up on subtle details, enabling them to read lip movements[3] or mimic something like pencil movements.[4] As the Sharingan evolves, gaining more tomoe seals, this ability extends to being able to track fast-moving objects before finally giving some amount of predictive capabilities to the user. However, even though the user may be able to see an attack or know it is coming, their body may not have time to react.

The Sharingan's third and most well-known ability is that it grants the user the ability to memorize any technique that he or she witnesses, apart from other Kekkei Genkai techniques. The user can memorize ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu with perfect accuracy, allowing the user to use the techniques as his own, or even modify them to create his own new techniques, much like Sasuke Uchiha's Lion Combo. In order to reproduce a copied jutsu, however, one must have the necessary skill or ability to perform them. A prime example is Rock Lee's brand of taijutsu. While Sasuke was able to copy some of Lee's moves, they put a much more significant strain on him since he hasn't trained nearly as much as Lee has. In addition to physical skill and kekkei genkai techniques, the Sharingan cannot reproduce jutsu dependent on other factors, such as summons that the user has not signed a contract with.

The Sharingan's final commonly-used ability is capable of inducing a unique brand of hypnosis that involves suggesting actions and thoughts to the opponent through simple eye contact. When used against animals, the eyes of the target take on the pattern of the users Sharingan while under its influence. When used in conjunction with the other aspects of the Sharingan, this allows the user to perfectly mimic every move their opponents make even before they do, making it appear as if the user can "see the future". More advanced Sharingan users can take the hypnosis ability even further by tricking or even trapping their opponent within an illusion. The potency of the Sharingan's illusion is dependent on the user's knowledge and skill with implementing genjutsu.

In addition to these commonly used techniques, the Sharingan allows the user to perform the genjutsu Izanagi. Using Izanagi, the user can warp reality for a short amount of time, changing reality into illusion and illusion into reality. However, this technique has been dubbed kinjutsu, because use of it causes the user to go blind.

Although the Sharingan consumes the user's chakra while active, the chakra levels that the user must exert is so insignificant that they can keep it active constantly. In fact, Itachi Uchiha was so masterful of it, he was able to keep it active for most of the time, only once deactivating it after using Tsukuyomi on Sasuke and Amaterasu to escape Jiraiya. However, when a Sharingan is transplanted to a non-Uchiha, the chakra drain is significant, leading them to cover it up when not in use, to stop the drain.

Name: Kawarimi no Jutsu
Rank: E
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: N/A
Description: This jutsu lets the user quickly switch places with another nearby object, such as a plant (normally a section of a log), an animal, or even another person within reach, leaving the opponent open to a counter-attack. Explosive tags can be attached to the replacement for an added surprise. Fundamentally, all ninja know this technique.

Name: Henge no Jutsu
Rank: E
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: N/A
Description: This jutsu allows the user to assume the appearance of another person, animal, or object. This is one of the basic jutsu taught at the Konoha Ninja Academy. Fundamentally, all ninja know this jutsu. The transformation jutsu is considered to be among the more difficult E-ranked techniques, since it requires constant emission of chakra while mentally maintaining the form. On top of that, the user would be, most likely, interacting with the environment. This puts much mental strain on the inexperienced ninja.

Name: Bunshin no Jutsu
Rank: E
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: N/A
Description: This technique creates intangible copies of the user. The clones are simply illusions and will dissipate when they come into contact with something. The illusions can be seen through by the Byakugan and the Sharingan. A person with normal eyes can also distinguish the clones from the original, since the clones will not disrupt the area around themselves with their movement (won't kick up dust, crush grass, etc.).

Name: Nawanuke no Jutsu
Rank: E
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: N/A
Description: A basic jutsu taught at the Konoha Ninja Academy, this jutsu allows a ninja to free themselves if they have been tied up.

Name: Genjutsu Kai
Rank: E-S
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: N/A
Description: Kai is a Ninjutsu technique which allows the ninja to avoid the effects of a Genjutsu illusion. After forming the needed handseals, the Genjutsu technique will not affect the ninja. The ninja can also use the technique on another individual who was unable to avoid the attack. After forming the needed hand seals, the ninja touches the one affected to end the affect of the spell.

Name: Shunshin no Jutsu
Rank: D-S
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: N/A
Description: This jutsu is a high-speed movement technique, allowing a ninja to move short to long distances at an almost untraceable speed. To an observer, it appears as if the user has teleported. A puff of smoke is occasionally used to disguise the user's movements. It is accomplished by using chakra to temporarily boost the user's reflexes. The amount of chakra required depends on the overall distance between the user and their intended destination.

Name: Ayatsuito no jutsu (String/wire reeling technique)
Rank: D
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: -
Description: Using the detailed vision of the sharingan, an Uchiha shinobi is able to manipulate fine wires to bind or confuse an opponent in conjunction with shiruken techniques.

Name: Goukakyuu no Jutsu - Great Fireball Technique
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Katon
Description: Katon • Goukakyuu no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Fire Element. The ninja does the necessary hand seals, draws chakra from their mouth into their chest and them immediately exhales it. They then blow a stream of fire which erupts into a large sphere of flames. To better manage the flames the ninja will bring their hand to their mouth to control it.

Name: Housenka no Jutsu - Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Katon
Description: Katon • Housenka no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Fire Element. The ninja does the necessary hand seals and then emits a series of small fire balls. The ninja can also hurl a projectile which is covered in these same flames. To the opponent the attack appears to be only the balls of flame, they do not see the hidden threat within the flames. Meaning that even if the flames are put out, the projectiles still converge on the target. The flames can be used to cover different projectiles like shuriken or kunai.

Name: Ryuuka no Jutsu - Dragon Fire Technique
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Katon
Description: Katon • Ryuuka no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Fire Element. After binding the opponent, the ninja uses a guide wire to unleash a large torrential fire burst onto the target.

Name: Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu - Water Clone Technique
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Suiton
Description: Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique that utilizes water to create a Bunshin clone. Unlike a normal Bunshin, the Mizu Bunshin has the ability to interact more with the environment due to it having physical substance. This allows the clone to carry out limited attacks on its target. The range of the clone is limited however; it can not travel very far from the original body. If the Mizu Bunshin is injured, the clone will usually revert back into its natural water state.

Name: Mizuame Nabara - Starch Syrup Capture Field
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Suiton
Description: Suiton • Mizuame Nabara is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Water Element. After forming the needed handseals, Izumo will expel a sticky liquid from his gullet. This liquid can cover approximately 20 square meters. If the target runs on top of the liquid, their feet will become glued to its sticky surface. If the ninja focuses chakra to their feet before touching the surface, they can hover above and move over it without hindrance. This allows Izumo or a comrade to charge and attack without fear of becoming bogged down as well.

Name: Moguragakure no Jutsu - Mole Hiding Technique
Rank: C
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Moguragakure no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. This technique allows the ninja to burrow into the ground and hide out of sight. This allows them to avoid attack or travel underground.

Name: Kage Shiruken no jutsu (Shadow Shuriken)
Rank: D
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: -
Description: Throwing a shuriken, a shinobi hides another in the shadow of the first, making it difficult for the opponent to see.

Name:Oboro Bunshin (Haze Clone)
Rank: D
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Suiton
Description: After forming the needed handseals, a shinobi creates a large number of clones that are merely phantoms to the touch, but are dense in number and do not disperse through normal means.

Name: Art of Water walking/Art of tree climbing
Rank: D
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: -
Description: focusing chakra to the bottoms of their feet, a shinobi can stand on surfaces that others would find it impossible to stand on.

Name: Kokohi no Jutsu – False Place Technique
Rank: D
Type: Genjutsu
Duration: Until Kai is used, or the person realizes they’re under the Genjutsu.
Description: Kokohi no Jutsu is a simple Genjutsu technique which changes the appearance of a nearby object.

Name: Kori Shinchuu no Jutsu - Sly Mind Affect Technique
Rank: C
Type: Genjutsu
Duration: Until Kai is used.
Description: Kori Shinchuu no Jutsu is a Genjutsu technique which causes the target to travel around in circles. If the ninja is unable to detect the illusion very quickly, they can become exhausted mentally and physically when they are unable to reach their desired target by traveling along the same path over and over.

Name: Karyuu Endan - Fire Dragon Flame Projectile
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Katon
Description: Katon • Karyuu Endan is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Fire Element. The ninja does a string of hand seals and the proceeds to blow a large jet of fire from their mouth.

Name: Gouryuuka no Jutsu - Great Dragon Fire Technique
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Katon
Description: Katon • Gouryuuka no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Fire Element. After forming the needed hand seals, the ninja will expel dragon head fireballs at their opponent. These powerful fireballs can punch through concrete.

Name: Haisekishou - Burning Ash Accumulation
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Katon
Description: Katon • Haisekishou is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Fire Element. After forming the needed handseals, Asuma will expel an ash from his mouth. This large cloud begin to envelope his foe and when Asuma clicks his teeth, the cloud will ignite in an explosion.

Name: Raiton Bunshin no Jutsu
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Raiton
Description: Raiton Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique that utilizes lightning to create a Kage Bunshin clone. Because it is a Kage Bunshin, the Raiton version shares the ability to interact with the environment due to it having physical substance. This allows the clone to carry out limited attacks on its target. If the Raiton Kage Bunshin is injured, the clone will revert into its natural lightning state. Like in other Lightning Element attacks, should the target come into contact with the electricity, they will be momentarily stunned.

Name: Kokuun no Jutsu - Black Clouds Technique
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Suiton
Description: Suiton • Kokuun no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique used by the Rain ninja Kagari which utilizes the Water Element. After forming the necessary hand seals, a black mist will emit from his body and rise into the sky. Black clouds will form, releasing a flammable rain of oil onto his targets.

Name: Suijinheki - Water Encampment Wall
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Suiton
Description: Suiton • Suijinheki is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Water Element. The ninja will first do a string of hand seals and then proceed to blow out a jet of water from their mouth to act as a water barrier from incoming attack.

Name: Suikoudan no Jutsu - Water Shark Projectile Technique
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Suiton
Description: Suiton • Suikoudan no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Water Element. The ninja does a string of hand seals which then causes a column of water to rise from the water and then strike their target.

Name: Doryuu Katsu - Earth Style Split
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Doryuu Katsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. The ninja will do the necessary hand seals, then place their hand to the ground. This will cause the earth to rise up and split apart. Once the ninja removes their hand from the ground, the earth parting will end.

Name: Doryuu Heki - Earth Style Wall
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton • Doryuu Heki is a defensive Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. The ninja will do the necessary hand seals and then spew a line of mud onto the ground. The mud will then grow into a large mud wall to help defend against incoming attack.

Name: Doton Kekkai • Dorou Doumu - Earth Barrier • Earth Dome Prison
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Doton
Description: Doton Kekkai • Dorou Doumu is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. After striking the ground with his hands, a ninja is able to overturn the earth and cause it to rise up around his opponents. Placing his/her hands against the dome he/she is able to suck out the chakra from the people trapped inside and bring it into his own body. At the same time the user will use his own chakra to spread throughout the dome, this allows him to repair any damage his opponents manage to inflict on the inside. The chakra is not evenly spread out though, as the chakra flows away from the user, it becomes more and more weak allowing the dome to be broken on the far side if hit by a hard enough force.

Name: Sharingan Hypnosis
Rank: - (Probably B or A)
Type: Genjutsu
Duration: Until another shinobi intervenes
Description: Through eye contact an experienced Uchiha is able to manipulate a foe in a number of ways. The first is showing complex and detailed illusions. The next is a brand of suggestive hypnosis in which the target performs actions suggested by the user. Lastly, the sharingan has been shown to be able to induce sleep with brief eye contact.

Name: Magen • Jigoku Gouka no Jutsu - Demonic Illusion • Hell Fire Technique
Rank: A
Type: Genjutsu
Duration: Until Kai is used.
Description: Magen • Jigoku Gouka no Jutsu is a Genjutsu technique that causes its target to see a vision of fire. After Yoroi forms the needed handseals, a huge ball of fire will descend from the sky to envelope his target. The victims of the genjutsu will believe they are being engulfed by a torrent of fire and flee their location for safety.

Name: Kokuangyou no Jutsu - Journey into Black Darkness Technique
Rank: A
Type: Genjutsu
Duration: 10 posts
Description: Kokuangyou no Jutsu is a Genjutsu technique which causes the ninja's opponent to be enveloped in total darkness. While in the black void, the ninja will be unable to see any incoming attack or threat.

Name: Demonic Illusion: Mirror-Heaven and Earth Change
Rank: - (Probably B or A. K.G.)
Type: Genjutsu
Duration: Until Kai is used
Description: Using the genjutsu abilities of the Sharingan, a shinobi recognizes genjutsu and turns it back onto the caster.

Name: Utakata Genjutsu (Ephemeral illusionary technique)
Rank: A
Type: Genjutsu
Duration: Until another Shinobi intervenes
Description: The user points at a foe, and if the foe looks at the finger used, the illusion begins. The user torments the foe with visions of their closest friends and shiruken in various forms.

Name: Lightning Blade creation
Rank: B or A
Type: Fuuinjutsu/Kuchiyose
Element: -
Description: After sealing a high volume of weapons into a body part or object, a shinobi is able to call them forth at will, allowing for a 'lightning fast' barrage of shuriken, kunai, etc.

Name: Raiton Engai no Jutsu
Rank: A
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: Raiton
Description: The user’s body is surrounded by an electric shield from the user’s, which can protect the user from Taijutsu. Any one who tries to hit him will be electrocuted and sent back. However, if the Taijutsu is powerful enough, then it can break through. Also, Hyuuga techniques can penetrate this shield. This will last for one post, due to the nature of the technique, and the user is rendered immobile.

Name: Raiton Ookami
Rank: A
Type: Lightning
Element: Raiton
Description: This unnamed Ninjutsu technique utilizes the Lightning Element. After creating Raiton in his hand, a ninja will send out a wolf made of lightning to attack his target. Lightning will run from a ninja's hand to the wolf itself, limiting its range.

Name: Bunshin Bakuha
Rank: A
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: varies
Description: After forming a substantial clone, the user performs a handseal, causing the clone to explode with great force.

Name: Nehan Shouja no Jutsu - Temple of Nirvana Technique
Rank: A
Type: Genjutsu
Duration: Until Kai is used.
Description: Nehan Shouja no Jutsu is a Genjutsu technique that allows the caster to place a large body of people into a unconscious state. The target can avoid the spell by forming and using the dispel skill.

Name: Fukumi Hari (Hidden Needles)
Rank: D
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: -
Description: A shinobi hides needles in their gullet to be called upon when needed. These needles can be fired from the mouth with high velocity and accuracy.

Name: Kanashibari (Body paralysis)
Rank: D-A
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: -
Description: A secret ANBU technique in which a Shinobi makes a quick jab with their fingers into the opponent's body, paralyzing them and leaving them open for attack, capture, or allowing the shinobi to escape. The greatest practitioners of this jutsu can employ it with simple eye contact.

Name: Kuchiyose- Ookami (Summoning-Wolves)
Rank: B
Type: Kuchiyose (Summoning techniques)
Element: -
Description: Certain members of the Konoha ANBU unit are able to summon three wolves, Kazemaru, Rikimaru, and Jinmaru. These wolves are loyal to Konohagakure, and hence do not take kindly to being summoned by missing shinobi such as Geretsu. They will attack him on sight.

Name: Konoha Kage Buyou
Rank: C
Type: Taijutsu
Element: -
Description: A technique often used after Shoufuu, the user will move at high speeds below an opponent as they're in the air, as if becoming their shadow. Because the move is used so quickly after the enemy is launched into the air, it gives them no time to counter, allowing the user to proceed to strike with ease.

Name: Kekkai Houjin (Barrier encampment method)
Rank: B
Type: Ninjutsu
Element: -
Description: The shinobi places four explosive tags around a particular area. When an enemy travels through it, the shinobi activates the seals, engulfing the foe in an explosion from all sides.

Geretsu was born to Honda and Inami Uchiha in the village of Konoha. Honda was a famous village shinobi, known for being a fierce defender of the streets for the police force. His mother was a stay at home parent. Geretsu, curious about everything as a child, grew under the watchful and loving eye of his mother. Honda was all but absent from Geretsu's early life. Two years after Geretsu's birth, Tadakatsu, Geretsu's younger brother was born.

The two grew up together, and by the time Geretsu was six he had entered the ninja academy. He progressed extremely quickly, often surprising even the most jaded teachers with his insights and prowess at such an early age. However, his time in the academy was not without incident.

Soon after Geretsu had entered the academy he realized that he was not like the other children. Growing up with Tadakatsu, Geretsu never felt out of the ordinary. However, when exposed to the other children he realized that he was never truly happy or sad. Even with the simple intellect of a six year old Geretsu realized that he was different.

The boy grew bored with the rest of his class, and instead focused on other things during his free time. One afternoon, during the recess from academy, the academy teacher came across something extremely troubling. One of the other students, a member of the Inuzuka clan, had complained that his dog was missing. The teacher soon found the dog.

Geretsu had gone of quite a ways from the rest of the children, as was his custom. However, this time he did not seem to be preoccupied with his normal digging or observing. When the instructor found him, Geretsu was covered in blood and holding the pelt of the young Inuzuka's dog. The other children were a mixture of frightened and intrigued by his actions, as children are wont to be.

When Geretsu's parents were told, and a meeting over the incident was held, Geretsu proved unremorseful. He told the adults that he had demanded that the puppy not follow him, saying that he would kill it if it did. "I am not a liar." Geretsu told them. Geretsu was punished with essays, community service, and a formal apology to the Inuzuka clan. He seemingly finished the academy in the next year without incident, but continued his unwholesome activities in secret. He became a genin at the age of 7.

Geretsu was immediately assigned a Jounin as a sensei, a man by the name of Hirameki Tenzen, and two team-mates, Ishida Idono and Nara Shikahiro. Training began, and while Geretsu was physically no match for any other member of team 9, his chakra control and knowledge of genjutsu made him competitive. Team 9 began to undergo official missions when Geretsu was 8 years old.

As was expected, none of the missions were above C ranked, and the only fighting that Geretsu ever did with other shinobi was sparring with his team-mates and sensei. He learned a rather large number of new jutsu during that time in his life, and proved that his talents as a ninja had the potential to be formidable. Shikahiro and Idono were both 13 years old, and the Chunin exam was upon them. At the request of his Jounin sensei, the 8 year old Geretsu was held back.

Geretsu was left stagnant in the progression of the teams. His sensei, Tenzen, moved forward, becoming the captain of a now Chunin team 9. The young Uchiha was reassigned to team two on the day of his 9th birthday. Izumo Fugaku was the Jounin mentor, and he chose Geretsu because the other two members of the team, Yamanaka Udono and Inuzuka Kei were both 12, and would wait two years before participating in the exams. Team 2 was born.

Geretsu immediately found himself in the bad graces of Kei. Kei loved his own canine, and stilled held a grudge towards Geretsu for the death of his cousin's dog. One day, in training, the ill will came to a head. While Fugaku was busy tending to a wound that Udono had recieved, Kei and his dog took the opportunity to attack Geretsu with full force. Now 10, Geretsu was a better physical match for his peers. However, his prowess with ninjutsu far outshone them. Geretsu unleased his Goukakyuu no jutsu, engulfing both of his assailants in flames.

The two were badly burned, and Fugaku quickly sprung into action to extinguish the inferno. Once again, Geretsu was faced with a panel of his parents and his Jounin sensei at Kei's bedside in the hospital. Udono sat holding the unconscious Inuzuka's hand. The dog had died. Fugaku asked Geretsu why he had done what he had done. Geretsu's answer chilled everyone present. "It doesn't matter why I did it. Something is either done or not done. There is no why."

Udono rose to Geretsu's defense when he would not defend himself. She had seen the initial attack, and through her tears told her sensei what had happened. After much deliberation, the matter was dismissed as self defense, much to the ire of the Inuzuka clan. Geretsu had now killed two of their prized ninja dogs, and Kei would never be in any condition to be a shinobi again. A washout from last year's exams was added to team 2. His name was Uma Seiko.

Seiko immediately established a ruputation with the group as its hardest worker. Fugaku encouraged him, and spent extra time with him. Udono fell in love, and Geretsu's team-mates grew close. He stayed the same. Geretsu was now 11, and more than prepared for the Chunin exam in the eyes of the Jounin council. Even though the new team 2 had only been established for a few months, they entered the exam.

The first test was a standard written exam. It had no tricks and no traps. Both Geretsu and Udono stood to pass with flying colors. Seiko was not so bright. Geretsu, knowing that he could not pass without Seiko, concocted a plan. Rigging a 'grenade' from a bottle of rubbing alcohol and gauze from his first aid kit, he sparked his flint and lit the 'fuse' on fire. He waited for the examiner who was watching him to look down, and then surrupticiously tossed the improvised explosive under the desk of the student in front of him. The ensuing explosion engulfed the unwary teenager.

The room burst into an uproar as all of the examiners rushed to move the students away from the blaze. Geretsu remained calm. He had finished the exam. Standing, Geretsu walked to Seiko's desk and switched his exam with his team-mate's. The flames had now been extinguished, and the damaged done revealed to be minimal. The student that had been in front of Geretsu, however, was in critical condition. After the confusion died down and order was restored, Geretsu and his team-mates finished the first test.

The second test was an exercise in team coordination and objectives. The teams were released into a training area and tasked with collecting the other portion of a map that would show where the objective area was and how to access the safe house. Seiko and Udono were excited to begin, and so Geretsu had no choice but to follow them as they rushed into the fray that would ensue at the center of the training area.

Team 2 soon arrived at a massive battle scene between three other teams. Seiko rushed in. If one good thing could be said about the boy, it was that he was very good at taijutsu. Udono began trying to formulate a plan. Geretsu shocked every present. He unleashed a flurry of shiruken, kunai knives, and steel wires, striking and trapping many members of the other teams. As soon as the metal stopped flying, he unleashed his Ryuuka no jutsu, setting the other genin ablaze.

Seiko and Udono were horrified and motionless. As the remaining members of the other teams scrambled to helf their fallen comrads, Geretsu struck again. He picked each on off with more shuriken and kunai knives. After about three minutes every member of the other teams lay motionless, too wounded to continue...or worse. Wordlessly, Geretsu found the least charred piece of map that fit with the one that he carried. He turned to his speechless and frightened team-mates, his boyish face calm. "I found the map...let's go...". Somberly, they finished the second test.

There was no third test. The field had been all but decimated in the second task, as Geretsu was not the only shinobi who had taken life during the task. It was a sad day for the village, but each person who had survived graduated to Chunin. Geretsu was 11.

It was as a Chunin that Geretsu truly began to come into his own. During the two years after the Chunin exam, team 2 developed a reputation for completing missions quickly and effectively. It was then that Geretsu's training began to take a back seat to his duties to the village, and that his family came back into his life in a major capacity. At 13 Geretsu began to go through puberty, and his future physical characteristics began to take shape.

However, while he was able to perform the Great Fireball jutsu, and was seen as an adult by the Uchiha clan, his family began to look down on him. Although Geretsu had proven to be an exceptional shinobi so far, he had not activated his sharingan. Tadakatsu, Geretsu's brother, had activated his sharingan during a wild boar attack when he was 9, and had already practiced with the famed Kekkei Genkai. Honda looked on his eldest son as being left behind.

Despite the views of his family, the former Hokage saw Geretsu as a very valuable asset to the village, and quickly promoted him to Tokubetsu no Jounin for skill in ninjutsu. At the time Geretsu was 14 and had been a Chunin for three years.

It was not long after that Geretsu became a Jounin. Tadakatsu graduated the academy and passed the chunin exam. Geretsu worked on his skills with his younger brother in his off time, and often used experimental methods during missions. He was highly successful, maturing even further to almost his full height and developing his deep bass voice. Seeing Tadakatsu's progress with the Sharingan, Geretsu questioned his father about it.

Upon learning that that sharingan only manifested in times of stress, Geretsu came up with a plan. He snuck into the hospital. Realizing that his mind did not produce the emotions necessary to activate the sharingan, Geretsu knew that he would have to throw his chemical glands into overdrive. He stole three syringes of epinephrine and walked to the remote outskirts of the village. He administered the first dose of adrenaline.

Geretsu soon felt the effects. A pulsing headache, which he had felt before, and several things that he had never felt before. He felt sexual arousal, physical hypertension, and something creeping into his mind. He injected the second syringe into his veins and knew that the job had been done. He felt anxiety for the first time, and his body began to spiral into confusion, outside of his normally careful control. His vision grew slightly sharper, and Geretsu knew that he had activated his Kekkei Genkai. The adrenaline had almost killed him.

Geretsu stayed on the outskirts for several hours while the chemically induced effects subsided. When he returned home and looked in the mirror he saw that he had developed two tomoe in his left eye and one in his right. His venture had been a success, and now simple practice could sharpen his skill. He also had another tool. Geretsu had felt fear, and now knew exactly what it could do.

As Geretsu's physical prowess grew the ANBU black ops recognized his potential and recruited him. By then Geretsu was 16 and had been training for quite a while with Tadakatsu. The two had sharpened their skills with the Sharingan, but in the end Garetsu had proved a far superior shinobi to his younger brother. Upon getting the news of his son's induction into the ANBU training program, Honda swelled with pride.

Honda commissioned a blade to be forged for his son while Geretsu was training. With the ANBU, Geretsu's natural intellegence, precision, and methodical approach allowed him to thrive. He was leaps and bounds ahead of the other men who were being trained with him, and was accepted into black ops with no trouble. He soon became Konoha's most skilled assassin, sent on missions where lesser men would have very little chance of coming back.

Geretsu rose quickly in rank, and eventually was promoted to captain. However, his promotion to being the leader of a squad was reluctant. The higher-ups had reviewed his record. While he had only ever failed two missions as a genin, there were black marks all over it. Geretsu had started killing as a child, and now that he was an ANBU assassin he had raised it almost to an artform. He was known amongst his peers as a cold and ruthless killer, who could murder in one moment and hold a polite conversation in the next. The body-count surrounding Geretsu grew larger and larger.

Nobody truly knows what caused Geretsu to perform the actions that he did in his 20th year of life. By then Tadakatsu had grown into a fine young shinobi and was a junior member of the ANBU. Honda was past his prime, and his health had been failing. Inami had settled into taking care of her sick husband. Both parents were proud of their sons, and the stress that the family had felt in the past was just that...a thing of the past.

Geretsu's short career had been extremely successful, and he was widely considered the most valuable member of the ANBU. He and his team were sent on an S-ranked mission. A high profile assassination of a corrupt political figure. Highly guarded and difficult to reach. On an early morning the team of three Shinobi set out. Geretsu, behind his mask of a snarling wolf, and his subordinates, codenamed Torii and Rashoumon. Two days later a falcon flew into the village carrying news that the mission had been completed, signed not with Geretsu's codename, but his true name. The team did not return.

A team was sent to find the ANBU assassins but were able to find nothing but Geretsu's tactical gear, sans body armor, on sale at a local shop in the town that the mission had been completed. A while later they found the site outside of the small town where Torii and Rashoumon's bodies had been dutifully destroyed in the fashion of a hunter shinobi, their secrets forever burned away and their heads removed. It appeared that Geretsu had followed the protocol to the letter...everything except returning to the village.

Geretsu became a wanted man in the Fire Country. However, he had all but disappeared, and a team of skilled shinobi would be required to even begin tracking him. The former Hokage acted quickly, before the trail had gone cold. Three ANBU assassins were tasked with hunting the renegade Geretsu. Their names were Roshi Kurenai, Uma Seiko, and Uchiha Tadakatsu. Tadakatsu, tasked even by his father with restoring the honor of the family, was given his brother's sword, Sadaka Keiro, and charged with bringing back Geretsu's head.

The group came to be known as team wolf, and their hunt began only six days after Geretsu had defected. Two of the shinobi had known Geretsu very well, or at least thought that they had. It was a dry summer, but the scent had gone cold. Two weeks were spent trying to quietly investigate the matter. The ANBU team was not quiet enough.

One night an explosion rattled the edge of the ANBU camp. As the shinobi rose to respond, Kurenai was attacked quickly from the other side of the camp, her body temporarily parylized and her throat slit with a kunai knife. Tadakatsu and Seiko turned to find Geretsu within their camp, his calm face illuminated by the flames of the explosion. His smile was modest, wistful, almost apologetic...but Seiko saw through it, and saw Geretsu for what he really was. The two attacked before Geretsu could get a word in.

Seiko, always overzealous, was the first to arrive at Geretsu. As his childhood companion attacked, Geretsu recognized his motions and immediately identified him. He fired a senbon needle quickly from his mouth through Seiko's mask and into his eye. As Seiko flinched in pain, Geretsu placed the adhesive side of an expolosive tag onto the man's shoulder before bodily hurling him towards his brother, who had circled around in a flanking attack. Geretsu dove clear of the explosion. Seiko and Tadakatsu were not so lucky.

Seiko was killed instantly, his head and shoulders removed in one violent sweep. Tadakatsu, using a doton technique, had partially shielded himself from the blast, and now struggled to extract himself, dazed and damaged, from the dirt. Geretsu walked calmly to his brother's side and picked up the sword that his father had forged for him. He kicked Tadakatsu over and sat on a nearby stump as his brother writhed on the ground.

"It is funny, isn't it?" A short pause. "Funny that our paths to this place were almost identical?" His deep voice was level, even as the horrible scene continued.

"You've changed Geretsu," Tadakatsu said from the ground, "You can never come back to the village...somewhere along the way you killed your heart...I am ashamed to call you my brother."

Geretsu let out a short laugh. The same laugh that he would use during training or when the two used to play together. "If you were to go back to Konoha that's what you would tell them? That I've killed my heart?" Geretsu let out his short laugh again. "There lies the particular problem for those that will meet me under these conditions." Geretsu shrugged and gestured to the now decimated surrounding area.

"There is a type of person who does not have to kill their heart. A person who can kill and then eat dinner as though nothing had happened. Did you know, that the difference between a living human body and a dead one is so small that most people simply appear to be asleep?" Geretsu seemed to have forgotten what was going on and talked to his brother like he always had.

"And I suppose you're one of these people Geretsu?" Tadakatsu spit at his brother's feet. "You're a damned liar...people are made monsters, for whatever the reason...you've changed, and I couldn't stop it."

"Accept it with dignity then..." Geretsu's voice was forceful. "I have not changed. In no way have I killed a part of myself. That's the problem. How will they overcome that which they refuse to acknowledge the existence of? I could not have been any different than I am. This situation could not have been different. To say otherwise would be to second-say the world. So far as I know, no man has the power to do that."

"Then I suppose you're going to kill me then, and it's not even your fault?" Tadakatsu's body had given up, and there was no way that he could fight his brother in this state.

Geretsu let out a heavy sigh and removed a coin from his pocket, showing it to his brother. He flipped it, masking its landing with his hand so that Tadakatsu's sharp eyes could not determine to outcome of the toss. "Call it...this is the best that I can do for you..."

Tadakatsu's face was twisted into an expression of hatred. He tried to move, but could not. "Heads!" he roared disdainfully. Geretsu looked at the coin beneath his hand.

"I'm sorry..." he said.

Two more teams were sent after Geretsu, and neither returned. Each time the bodies were found having been disposed of properly. Confident that the secrets of Konoha were safe enough to not warrant any further loss of manpower, the former Hokage simply issued a standing kill order for anyone who came in contact with Geretsu. The Uchiha had disappeared, becoming a ghost in the faded memories of the village.

With the death of his brother, for all intents and purposes the person closest to him, Geretsu realized that due to his lack of sadness or guilt he would never awaken the fabled Mangekyou Sharingan. He accepted this, as it was simply not a part of his path. Traveling to the Water Country to the east, Geretsu began his career as an assassin for hire.

He chose his clients, seeming to appear whenever there was a need. His skill became well known and feared throughout the underworld of the Water Country, and he was even hired by the Mist village ANBU in secret on three separate occaisions. That was until one day when he was tasked with a simple job of recovering gold stolen from a very wealthy politician and sending a message to the organization that had stolen it. He set out with his goal in mind.

Geretsu tracked the carrier of the gold all the way to the border of the Fire Country in the land of Waves before catching up to the man. One-hundred pounds of gold had been stolen, and the man who carried it and his animal were tired. They were an easy kill. However, Geretsu had not known one crucial thing about the mission. Upon searching the man's body, Geretsu found a Konohagakure forehead guard. Two Konohagakure shinobi had arrived to collect the gold, and found Geretsu waiting for them.

The elder of the two, now well into his forties, was the familiar Hirameki Tenzen. The younger was his student, Ishida Idono, a few years older than Geretsu, who was then 24. The reunion was a bloody one. Tenzen, past his prime, was no longer a match for Geretsu, who felled him with a combination of Katon and Shuriken no jutsu in the form of his Mystical Phoenix flames technique. Tenzen had told Idono to hang back, afraid that his student would be injured. Once Geretsu had finished with Tenzen he still had his mission in mind.

"Take your teacher and go. Killing you two was not part of my task." Geretsu's deep voice was unaffected as he pulled one of Tenzen's shuriken from his upper arm. "If you want, I can come back and finish when my mission is done..."

Idono had been hesitant at first, but had decided that saving his teacher was of the greatest importance in the situation. He picked up his mentor and spoke. "Meet me back here, at this exact spot, in three weeks' time. By my honor, I will come alone and defeat you. We'll have our duel Uchiha Geretsu, you can count on that.

"You have my word..." Geretsu had said.

Retrieving the gold, Geretsu delivered it to his client without incident. However, he had some questions after he had received his payment. He found out that the man had been raising a small army of shinobi to attack Konohagakure after Konoha had demanded payment for an S ranked mission that the politcian had defaulted on. Geretsu killed the man for not telling him the entire story. With this man's death, Geretsu became a marked man in the Water Country.

By then Geretsu was a wealthy man. However, he still dresses quite simply, and was wearing his trademark outfit when he travelled to the land of waves to meet with Ishida Idono. Geretsu was a man of his word, but he was not stupid. He scouted out the area for days before Idono arrived, finding no traces of scouting parties or other shinobi. He watched as Idono approached from the west. As promised, the man was alone.

At noon, Geretsu stepped out onto the path where the two men had met three weeks ago. It seemed to Geretsu that every year or so he was putting down another person from his past. However, this did not bother him. Idono had been one of his first team-mates, but had not been a part of his life for very long. Idono certainly felt no love for Geretsu. The two faced off, hands on the hilts of their swords.

Geretsu's skill and precision with his blade proved to be fare too much for Idono. Idono had never progressed past Chunin rank, and was a member of the police force when not on missions. Geretsu took both of his foe's hands with his blue steel katana. Idono knelt before Geretsu, left arm amputated at the elbow and right arm amputated at the wrist. Idono's quadraceps had been cut just above the knee on his left side, and his kneeling posture was more of a slump. "What became of your teacher?" Geretsu asked.

The other man had simply groaned and nearly swooned. "What?" Geretsu grasped the man's shoulder, holding him steady. The man's eyes were rolling and he was very close to passing out. Geretsu thrusted two knuckles into the man's diaphragm. "Cough!" he commanded as the man seemed to regain ground. "Cough...it will keep you conscious...what became of your teacher." Geretsu seemed to have forgotten that he had just maimed the man in front of him.

"Tenzen-sensei...*cough, cough*...survived..." Idono had smiled a crooked smile. "Good," Geretsu said, "your life for his...are you happy with this? It could not have been any different...this is a good death friendo..."

"Hehe...*cough, cough, cough*...Tenzen will be able to teach the future shinobi of Konoha to defeat you...I'm glad to die like this you scoundrel..." Idono stopped coughing and began losing ground once again.

Geretsu waited patiently for the man to die and then disposed of the body. He decided not to go after Tenzen, knowing that the man had not seen enough to inform anyone in Konohagakure of anything that was not already known. However, he did want to meet with the old man, as he was a firm believer that differences should be settled face to face. Geretsu was going to infiltrate Konohagakure.

Knowing that Konoha's eastern gate held the least security, Geretsu approached the village from that direction. Along the way he transformed into the shape of Ishida Idono, bringing back Idono's credentials. He had learned to copy Idono's handwriting from the man's signature on the mission order, and signed the registry book that his mission to assassinate Uchiha Geretsu was a success. He wrote that the sword, Sadaka Keiro, had been destroyed in the battle. After filing the necessary report, no more questions were asked.

Geretsu ate in a small steak-house and bought new clothing in the same fashion as those he normally wore. He bought a bag to put them in and took them with him to Tenzen's apartment. There he waited for the old man to return from the day's activities. He sat with his his disguise abandonned, and had his sword in his lap as Tenzen entered. Tenzen did not seem surprised at all. "I knew you would come..." he said. "Idono?"

"Ishida Idono is dead." Geretsu stated this as simply as one would relay the weather to an old friend. "I am not here to kill you."

"What?"

"I am not here to kill you, I said." Geretsu rose and crossed to the door, not yet resuming his disguise. "You know, I never understood why a man would tolerate such a silly thing as an enemy..."

"An enemy? A rival?"

"No...not a rival, that is not what I said...a man who seeks only to defeat you. A sworn enemy. Tenzen, I will not permit such a silly thing, do you understand?" Geretsu's tone was level, but the danger in his voice was unmistakable. He looked at Tenzen and smiled his modest smile. His eyes met with the old man's and he induced a hypnotic sleep. When Tenzen awoke, Geretsu was gone. The very next morning Tenzen retired from service as a Shinobi and went into seclusion.

::The man's horse was spooked. Travelling through the tall bamboo in the pale moonlight also weighed heavily on Sakumo's nerves. The Earth Country's landscapes were generally unforgiving, and Sakumo's journey had been a cautious one. His horse was tired, but he knew that he could not stop. Geretsu was after him, and he knew it. Every day that he progressed farther he wondered more and more if the money in his saddle bags was worth all of this. He shook the thoughts from his head. He was nearly out of the Earth Country and into the wild lands of the far west. He would return as soon as soon as the search had ended.
Just as Sakumo began to relax, his horse neighed and bucked, nearly throwing him off. Looking up, he saw a figure standing silhouetted against the moonlight. Fear rose from his chest into his throat. He choked out a question.::

"Has my time come?"

::Geretsu spoke in his bottomless voice. His features were obscured by the light at his back.::

"I'm afraid it has, friendo...are you ready?"

"You don't have to do this, you know? It's just a little bit of money..."

"It was never about the money Sakumo...I gave my word that I would see you dead. It's simple."

::Sakumo swallowed hard as Geretsu stepped forward. The bandage dropped from Geretsu's left sleeve and he pulled a single kunai knife from it. His legendary sword was nowhere in sight. He threw the small blade, taking out the large artery in the horse's neck. The blade ended its flight lodged in Sakumo's right shoulder.
The horse fell over backwards, falling onto Sakumo before rolling over and running off to die. Sakumo struggled to stand, his leg broken. Geretsu walked slowly over to his quarry, the chase now very close to over. He marked the direction of the horse, knowing that he would have to retrieve the money later.::

"I find it hard to believe that you did not know how this was going to end...men tempt each other, never stopping to think of the probably outcome. There can only ever be one way for something to end. This is the way this ends."

::Garetsu's voice stayed level, but his emphasis on his philosophy was insistent. Sakumo tried to crawl away, wallowing in the dirt. Geretsu's eyes never waivered, staying focused on the other man.::

"You won't accept it then? You know, they all say the same thing...they say 'You don't have to do this...'"

"Well you DON'T!!!"

::Sakumo's voice cracked in desperation. Geretsu revealed that his sword had been in his belt, running down the back of his leg. He drew it and waited for Sakumo to stop moving. He shook his head, refusing to raise his voice as he spoke.::

"As I said: I certainly do. I gave my word. You, like many others, will be unable to accept that."

::By then Sakumo had squirmed to a the edge of the clearing, where a rock outcropping met the rising bamboo. Geretsu took a seat on a rock adjacent to the man on the ground. He looked up into the branches of the bamboo.::

"Amazing that even this close to winter the bamboo still sprouts...your horse should be dead by now..."

::Sakumo had stopped talking, resigning himself to what would follow.::

"That's good...it's good to accept it Sakumo."

"Just do it you bastard..."

"That's good..."

::Geretsu rose from his seat, holding his katana in his right hand and his saiya in the left. He thrusted the sword once, directly through Sakumo's heart. The man's life would be over in a matter of seconds. Geretsu bent and cleaned the blade on his target's clothing, careful not to soil his own clothing.::

"It could not have been any different..."

::Standing, Geretsu sheathed his blade and leaned it against the rocky outcropping. He performed handseals and placed his hand to the ground, splitting it up in a small field. He dragged the body into the crevice that he had created and once again performed the handseals, closing the crevice over it. Geretsu retreived his sword and walked off in the direction that the horse had gone.
He needed to retrieve the money. He found the horse not fifty meters away from where he had caught up to Sakumo, lying dead between two thick patches of bamboo. He gathered the saddle bags, slinging them over his broad shoulders and made his way out of the bamboo grove under the moonlight.::