Sand District

[Jeriah]

Satsujo’s breath slowed as she assessed the situation with acute focus. The battle had been intense, with every move calculated and executed in an effort to best her opponent. Yet, the mistake had come at the most critical moment. She had underestimated Hariku's speed and the destructive potential of Sunagakure’s signature Iron Sand. As her swords, one in each hand, slashed through the air, the metallic edges gleamed with the promise of cutting through anything in their path. But as soon as the blades came into view, something had shifted. Hariku’s fabled Iron Sand seemed to almost sense the metal’s presence, drawn to it like a magnet. There was no time for a second thought or hesitation. The very instant Satsujo felt the resistance in her swing, she knew something was wrong, but it was already too late. The Iron Sand had latched onto her swords with a force that sent a shudder through her arms, pulling the blades to an almost impossible standstill.

Her heart skipped a beat as her swords, once her trusted extensions, turned against her. The steel glinted dangerously, poised at her neck, ready to cut with a mere flick of the wrist. A fatality in the making. Satsujo could feel the weight of the situation, the coldness of the blades that mirrored the seriousness of the battle. Yet, there was something else—an odd thrill, a spark of admiration. She couldn’t help but smirk. “Well played,” she murmured under her breath, almost impressed by Hariku’s skill. "This is what I’d expect from a capable kunoichi of Sunagakure. Seems like they haven’t lost their touch." Her focus shifted briefly as the Iron Sand clone that had been advancing on her disappeared, crumbling into grains of sand, leaving behind only the controlled power of her own blades. Just as she prepared to adapt, a voice echoed softly from behind her.
​

“So, you’ve been elected to be the next Kazekage, Satsujo. I have orders to bring you home.”​

The words caught her off guard for a brief moment, and her eyes widened slightly as she instinctively tensed. A sharp awareness washed over her as the situation took a new turn. She knew the voice before she even turned—Hariku, the blonde kunoichi, was closer than Satsujo had expected. Satsujo, still in a poised stance despite the perilous situation, sheathed her twin wind swords back at her waist. She kept her composure as the weight of Hariku’s words settled in, but her expression remained unfazed, almost neutral. “Like you said,” she replied evenly, her voice steady, “I’m on an important mission, and I don’t have the luxury of playing politician for a village that’s already got capable Kunoichi like yourself.” Her words were measured, but there was a quiet undercurrent of determination that was impossible to ignore. Her gaze remained locked ahead as if she could already sense the direction this confrontation was heading. “I would appreciate your help," she continued, her voice now more serious, "but I can't promise you that I’ll be returning to the village...depending on how this ends. This matter has gone on for far too long." The words carried weight, each syllable a reminder of the complexity of her position. Satsujo was no stranger to difficult decisions, and this mission—one that involved personal, political, and strategic stakes—was one she had no intention of abandoning, no matter how much pressure the village might try to exert on her. The wind whistled softly around them, swirling the grains of sand in the air as the desert's heat pressed in, matching the pressure mounting between them.

Location: Suna Peninsula
Posting Order: Satsujo -> Hariku
Post Time Limit (PTI): 3 Days
Skip Points: ll​

 

[Yozu]

Hariku, Angel of Hell

Hariku remained vigilant, her eyes observing every inch of Satsujo's movements, every jerk of her muscles, every breath like a symphony of music, every sound rippled like the drums of war, the call of ones own, immeasurable bloodlust began to build in Hariku's body, she wasn't annoyed, she was truly holding back her desire to fight, her words held some form of comfort, being recognised was something she truly wished Sunagakure would give her, for she is destined for more.


"Maybe, in time I find myself on the seat of Kazekage. But today isn't that day, the council have chosen you."

Hariku dropped down from the branch, now landing directly beside Satsujo, as each foot planted firmly onto the ground, continued the symphony of music, adding her own additional drumbeats, a calming rhythmic dance between two warriors standing side by side.

"Very well. I will aid you in your mission. Perhaps we will uncover something about the previous Kazekage while we're here."

Her voice remained calm, yet stirn, she had no desire of going home empty handed, nor did she wish for one to fatally injure the other, so the easiest choice is to aid in Satsujo's mission.

"Give me a debrief of what you have, I have followed these.. things here, they left behind tracks from the greenhouse to here and are no where to be seen. The creator of whatever they stole is still alive and secured, the area is closed off till other officials arrive to examine the scene and see if anything else can be uncovered."

Location: Suna Peninsula
Posting Order: Satsujo -> Hariku
Post Time Limit (PTI): 3 Days
Skip Points: ll​

 

[Jeriah]

Satsujo stood still, the cool desert breeze lightly swaying her hair, but her mind was anything but calm. Her sharp eyes were fixed on the kunoichi beside her, Hariku, whose very presence exuded a deadly aura. Satsujo could sense it—the raw power, the lethal intent. Hariku was undoubtedly one of the strongest Magnetic Release users she had ever encountered. The sheer magnitude of her abilities was palpable, and it made Satsujo's fingers twitch, the weight of her twin blades a constant reminder of the battle ahead. As much as Satsujo respected Hariku's strength, she also knew that with such a force came the risk of things escalating quickly—too quickly for Satsujo's liking. Yet, despite the initial tension between them, Satsujo couldn't deny the potential for cooperation. She needed Hariku’s help, especially when faced with the insurmountable challenge of infiltrating the underwater base.

Her gaze faltered as she let out a sigh, her frustration evident. The idea of being chosen as Kazekage never sat well with her. She had never asked for the title, never craved the responsibility, but it was thrust upon her anyway. As Hariku mentioned the previous Kazekage, Shishio, and how he could shed light on the mystery surrounding their disappearance, Satsujo couldn’t help but interrupt with a sharp edge in her voice. "Trust me, that dimwit has nothing to do with this. Instead of assisting me, he became a political figurehead—a mascot to show how ‘powerful’ Sunagakure is," she spat bitterly, her tone laced with disgust.

The animosity she held for her former teammate was obvious, and it was more than just political frustration. Satsujo had always been a hands-on leader, someone who took action. Shishio, on the other hand, had succumbed to the politics of power, leaving the real work to fall on others’ shoulders. Satsujo clenched her fists, her hands subconsciously tightening around the hilts of her twin blades. Her eyes darkened as she continued, her voice quieter but filled with a fierce intensity. "There was once this shinobi of the old world, who could temporarily boost your strength through a curse mark, that could give you certain animalistic traits. A mad scientist, who wasn’t particularly born with exceptional shinobi abilities, reopened this research of the old one to one day use on himself."

Her voice trailed off as she recalled the horrors of that time. "There once banded rogue shinobi and orphans, who participated in their experiments. They were strong enough to take out a whole platoon of my men and even managed to destroy small neighboring villages. I was defeated by them," she paused, her face grimacing as the memory resurfaced, "but before they could kill me, all the members under the curse mark’s influence...their bodies' cells were destroyed." Satsujo’s eyes darkened as she stared at the ground, the weight of those lost lives pressing heavily on her shoulders. The air around her seemed to thicken with the emotion of that day—the day when she had failed, when she had seen the devastation unfold before her eyes. "That day, I didn’t know if I was spared by God or given a mission by God. While there was rumors that the scientist died, I couldn’t believe it until I saw with my own eyes, and until this day, I’ve been tracking him." Her voice was low now, almost a whisper. "This ends today."

The finality of her words hung in the air, a quiet determination in her stance. Satsujo's hands clenched tighter around her twin blades, her knuckles white with the intensity of her resolve. There was no turning back now. This mission, ten years in the making, would be the one to set things right, to make sure that the lives lost would not be in vain. Satsujo’s path was set, and she was ready to see it through, no matter the cost.

Location: Suna Peninsula
Posting Order: Satsujo -> Hariku
Post Time Limit (PTI): 3 Days
Skip Points: ll
​

 

[Yozu]

Hariku, Angel of Hell

Hariku listened in silence, letting Satsujo’s words settle between them like dust in the wind. The weight of them, the history behind them, the bitterness dripping from every syllable, painted a picture of someone who had long since abandoned the luxury of choice. Someone who had been fighting this battle alone for far too long.

Her purple eyes remained steady on Satsujo, watching the way her fists clenched, the way her entire body tensed as she relived the past. There was something raw about it, something that made Hariku feel as though she were standing on the edge of a storm, just waiting for it to break.

Finally, she exhaled. Slow. Measured. Her Iron Sand drifted lazily around her, the fine black particles catching the dimming desert light. There was no hostility in her movements, only an ever-present reminder of her power, coiled and waiting.

“You sound more like a soldier than a Kazekage, maybe they were wrong” Hariku remarked, her tone even, neither condescending nor sympathetic “More like someone who’s spent so long fighting a war that they don’t know what peace looks like anymore.”
Her voice was steady, but beneath it was something deeper, something knowing.

Hariku had seen this before, shinobi so consumed by their own missions, by their own sense of duty or revenge, that they forgot what it meant to live for themselves. She wondered if Satsujo even remembered what life was beyond this chase.

She took a single step forward, closing the distance between them slightly. The sand beneath her feet barely shifted. “You think I don’t understand? You think I don’t know what it’s like to chase a ghost for years, to hunt something that has already taken everything from you?”

Her purple eyes locked onto Satsujo’s, sharp and unwavering. “I was raised to be a weapon for my village. To be the perfect wielder of this.” She gestured slightly, and the Iron Sand shifted in the air, moving with effortless precision, waiting for her command. “And when I finally became strong enough, I realized that the people I was fighting for didn’t care. That no matter how many enemies I cut down, how many victories I won, it would never be enough.”

A pause stretched between them, the wind filling the space with its eerie hum.
Hariku exhaled “I don’t care about Shishio or what he did. I don’t care about Sunagakure’s politics.” Her voice was softer now, but no less resolute. “But I do care about you throwing your life away.”

She tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable, though the faintest smirk ghosted across her lips. “You can talk about destiny and divine missions all you want, but I know what this really is. This is vengeance.”

The weight of her words pressed between them.

Hariku knew the fire that burned in Satsujo’s eyes because she had seen it before, had felt it before. The kind of fire that made people reckless, that drove them into battles they weren’t meant to return from, that was something she would not allow.
The desert wind howled, picking up loose grains of sand, swirling around them in a moment of uneasy silence. Then, Hariku’s voice cut through the air like a blade, smooth yet unyielding.

“If you want my help, say it plainly. If you want to go through with this, then you need to trust that I can help you see it through.”
The Iron Sand shifted around her, twisting through the air like serpents, forming sharp black needles in an instant.

“But if you’re planning to die chasing a ghost, then I’ll drag you back to the village myself, kicking and screaming.”

She met Satsujo’s gaze head-on, unwavering, waiting, not just for an answer, but for something more. For Satsujo to prove to her, here and now, that this wasn’t just a suicide mission. That there was something beyond vengeance driving her forward. That there was still a part of her that wasn’t just running toward death.

The silence between them stretched.

The wind whipped through the desert, lifting the sand in thin spirals that danced in the dimming light of the horizon. The tension between them was tangible, a silent battle waged through locked eyes and unspoken thoughts then, finally, Hariku sighed, rolling her shoulders slightly as if shaking off the weight of the moment. “If you’re not planning to die,” she continued, her voice softer this time, “then you better start acting like it.”
The Iron Sand around her shifted, retreating back into her body, flowing like liquid metal. The air grew still again, but the pressure in her gaze did not waver.

“I’ll help you,” Hariku finally said, her voice leaving no room for doubt. “But not because of the village, and not because I owe you anything.” She crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly. “I’ll help you because I want to see this mission through, and because you clearly won’t last much longer if you keep letting your past cloud your decisions.”

There was something almost teasing in her tone, though her words carried an undeniable truth.

Hariku took another step closer, now only an arm’s length from Satsujo. The space between them was tight, heavy with a silent understanding.

“But if you want my help, then you’re going to do this my way.”

Her voice was calm, yet firm.

“No reckless heroics. No half-baked plans. No throwing yourself into danger without thinking things through.”
She leaned in just slightly, her eyes glinting in the dying light. “Agreed?”

There was no challenge in her voice this time, no threat only a genuine demand for commitment, because Hariku had already decided, whether Satsujo liked it or not, she was not going to let her face this fight alone.

Location: Suna Peninsula
Posting Order: Satsujo -> Hariku
Post Time Limit (PTI): 3 Days
Skip Points: ll​