Dunewalkers (Solo)

Inbi waved at the gate guards as he rode out of the village. Today was the day. The bi monthly weekend he would spend in the desert. At his families small oasis in the depths of the Demons Claw. Even now he couldn’t help but smirk at the name. It really was a well kept secret. So secret he didn’t know about it for sixteen years. Bright green eyes flicker to his driver. His brother Ren. They looked nothing alike. In fact none of his immediate family really looked like him. Where Ren was fair skinned and blonde Inbi was swarthy with dark hair. Theirs a story there Inbi is sure. What it is he knows not..yet.

They rode in silence. The day passing by quietly as the camels plodded through the dunes. Having been here a grand total of once Inbi is curious whether they’ll make it before nightfall. They had their necessary gear to survive a night in the desert, as every Sand Ninja did. But it was still a unpleasant affair.

“Do you know what our great great grandfather called your abilities?” Ren said abruptly. His question surprised Inbi, though he’d never tell him. Ren didn’t talk much. And when Inbi began manifesting the Nisegan he seemed to grow even more distant. The fact that he may know anything about his abilities, especially when his parents had been so tight lipped was astounding. That he would willingly tell Inbi about it was down there legendary.

“No.” Inbi responded after a brief moment to collect himself. “I couldn’t find anything about it. And mom and dad are being tight lipped.”

Ren snorts and directs the camel to the side of the road.

“That’s because their stifling you!” Inbi was shocked. Ren rarely exhibited emotion, now he was down right passionate.. “They don’t want you to develop your techniques. They‘d rather our line never manifested the Nisegan again.”

Inbi blinks once. A single motion that spoke volumes on his surprise. What Ren was saying made no sense. Any Shinobi worth their salt couldn’t help but want a Kekkei Genkai. And those who had them never did less than try to Master them. Such secret abilities were strength, and these days and ages Strength was key.

“I know” Ren murmured, clearly watching his brother. His silent nature had made him very good at watching people. He could easily follow his younger brothers face.

“It sounds unlikely but its true. They don’t want you to Master your Dojutsu. They want it to die away so we never produce any Shinobi again”

“But why?” Inbi was still having trouble believing it. On an intellectual level it made sense. Every demand his parents required had made it harder and harder to train and advance. Logically it was all there. The only question was why.

“I don’t know. But I can bet you won’t learn anything real when we get there” Ren gazes down the road.

“W-what am I going to do?” By this time Inbi was furious. How could they do this to him!?

“You learn on the way” Ren draws a small leather book from his pack. “This is great great grandfathers journal. His brother had the same Abilities as you it looks like. It seems like he documented as best he can. Its secondhand, but it’s the best we have until you can convince Mother and Father to help.”

Inbi took the book with a grateful nod. “Why are you helping me Ren? Not that I’m not grateful or anything.”

Ren spends a long moment considering his brothers question before he shakes his head. “We were great once. I found out a lot when I dug through our archives. I want to be great again. And it starts with you.”

Inbi nods slowly. This was something he could believe. Cracking open the book he gives it a cursory glance before something catches his eye.

“This looks promising.”

“What is it?” Ren moved over to study the book. A moment later he paled and sighed.

“All right..let me make a pallet.”

“I doubt its going to hurt that much.”

“Its just like in the Academy Inbi” Ren came at Inbi with quick slashes. His kunai danced in the firelight with sleek graceful movements.

That Ren could use a kunai had surprised Inbi. Until then he had thought he was the only one of their family to have gone Shinobi training that generation. It had seemed his brother held more secrets than he had originally thought.

“I don’t remember this lesson. And the journal was very vague about it!” Inbi barely kept away from his older brother. He was good on the defense but Ren was apparently better.

“The best defense is a good offense. You know what to do. So do it!” Ren jumped back, drawing a second kunai from his robes he slid forward, fully intent on jamming it into his brothers chest.

“Oh crap! H-hey stop that!” Bringing his own kunai up to deflect the brutal strike Inbi darts back, head tilted to one side as he considers the information he gleaned from the journal. It was a different concept. A detailed but brief imprint, an illusion that did for him what a teammate would. Was it possible?

“We don’t even know if the seals will work” Inbi bites his lip. He had a good idea of the technique and his capabilities. It would probably work.

“Tch, really?” Yeah, Inbi didn’t think Ren would believe it either.

“Okay, all right, fine! I’ll try it. Just give me a moment”

Spinning his kunai in his fingers he considers the problem. The jutsu wasn’t extremely difficult. It wasn’t more advanced than anything he had begun. The problem was the Bloodline. It drew on the Nisegan, and that was always tricky.

“Fine.” Tossing his kunai into the air Inbi darts forward, hands rising to form the odd half seals the journal detailed. At first he was leery of the seals. Messing with jutsu was dangerous. It usually took years to create one. But he swiftly grew comfortable. It helped that the chakra expended in the jutsu was negligible. That would limit the backlash if any.

“Focus Inbi!”

Half-Dog, Snake, Dragon, Half Tiger. There. Clasping his hands together in a ram seal Inbi catches the Kunai and dashes at Ren. “All right, lets see what this Doppleganger does” Darting to one side he expels his chakra. He could feel his eyes pulsing and could see the ripple as the Genjutu settled on his brother.

Feinting left Inbi watches as Ren dodges an attack from nothing and spins his kunai to jab the rounded end into his brothers sole plexus.

Ren doubles over with a grunt. “Yeah…it worked.”

“All right. This one actually takes some time. We won’t be working on anything today. I need to focus.” Inbi sat with his back against a large pillar. His head tilts back with a solid thump and he exhales softly. This one was hard. It actually came with first hand notes from his great great grandfather. One would think that would make it easier..no.

The mental exercises he had to go through to even consider putting the jutsu together was staggering. On top of that he couldn’t begin to discern the hints. ‘Press into the Nisegan’ What did that even mean?

“All right. I’ll just work out” Ren gives his brother one searching look before he drops to the ground and begins to pound out a set of push ups. Perhaps he had excess energy, perhaps he was simply annoyed that he couldn’t help his brother this time. It didn’t surprise him. He had known going into this he wouldn’t be able to walk with Inbi every step of the way. Still, it grated.

“Dog..snake…rat..” Inbi mutters to himself. He could work on the seals while he tried to keep the mental construct built in his head. It was strenuous beyond reason. But it could work, possibly.

The sun sets and Inbi remains in his position. Running through the seals, executing the mental exercises the jutsu required. Ren has taken to watching his brother with apprehension.

“All right” Inbi murmurs after several hours. “I’ll need your help with this one Ren.”

Seeing the growing apprehension on his brothers face Inbi flashes a wolfish grin. “Relax, this won’t hurt at all. I just need you to stab me.”

“Stab you? All right” Rising to his feet he draws his kunai and moves forward. He catches sight of Inbi for a brief moment, notes the darkening of his bright eyes and rushes forward.

Despite his intent he was surprised to actually connect. He didn’t see any seals and his brother didn’t move. The kunai pierced his sternum just as Ren intended.

Oh..no..oh *@#!! Inbi! Tearing  off a strip of his robes he hovers over the kunai. If he removes it the blood will flow swiftly. Can he bandage it enough to save his brother? Maybe he should just cauterize it. Time was growing short.

Inbi leaned against the wall and observes his brother. Before him the air swam with color as his jutsu painted the hallucination for all to see..He didn’t think it would work, but it seemed to function exactly as intended.

The rushing desert wind cast a pale of sand around the Shinobi as they danced around each other. The occasional spark of light flared as metal meet metal. The rustle of thick cloth, grunts of exertion, panting breath. The night passed on and the Shinobi gave no sign of tiring.

“I think that’s about it don’t you brother?” one asked.

“Y-yeah” the other gasped out, nearly bent double from exertion.

“Good, now I’m going to be coming at you fast so watch out.” The younger Shinobi rose from his crouch as the other pounded through half a dozen hand seals.

“Wind Style. Razor Torrent!” The elder Shinobi gestured and wind howled through the dunes. The younger raised his head and formed his own seal. The quick emission of chakra hazed the air around him before he darted to one side. He made no sound as the wind twisted in his after image.

Drawing his specialized weapons from their holsters the younger Shinobi darts forward, arms whipping out to send the mass of material spinning at his opponent.

“Fire Style: Heat Wave!” A shimmer ripples through the air, cloth smokes and detaches as the younger Shinobi once again forms a seal, and as before the air distorted, twisting as he rolled away from the arid atmosphere.

“Very good kid, very good.” Inbi watched his uncle carefully. Ren hadn’t showed up. Instead his uncle Kai did. Why would he, and why would he be so well informed about his antics. He had taken them straight to the training ground he and Ren used, asked him what he was working on, and then proceeded to help him.

“Thanks..” Inbi murmured cautiously. If it looked to good to be true it probably was.

Wiser than his six foot two hundred pound frame of shaggy hair suggested Kai took one glance at his nephew and offered a wide grin.

“Look Inbi, I know you don’t trust me. And that’s fair. But trust that I want the best for you. For us.”

Inbi stared at his uncles earnest face for a full ten seconds before smothering a snort.

“Where’s Ren?”

“Your parents started getting suspicious so I volunteered to handle your transport for a bit.”

“And if they get suspicious of you to?”

Kai shrugged before winking. “Then someone else takes my place.”

Inbi didn't believe him. After all, he was supposed to be the first Shinobi in their family in generations. If that were true. Who taught Kai Ninjutsu...

Inbi dashed across the surface of the oasis. His hand slid through the space in his sleeve and flashed out. A hint of smooth brown, the flicker of light, and then the kunai danced through the air, twisting around to strike its target high in the shoulder.

"Solid hit!"

His opponent grinned and pressed on. He didn't care about the kunai lodged into its shoulder.

"Oh hell!"

"Duck" The large man rumbled as he swept a ninjato in the space Inbi's head was.

"Stop trying to kill me you jerk!"

"Best way to train" The man replied, executing another series of quick slashes. He didn't expect them to hit, but keeping Inbi off his game was tantamount. If he gave him time to recover it would be problematic.

"Fair enough" Inbi flashed a bright grin as he lashed out with a rippling sleeve and danced away to gain distance.

"But to late!" Forming a single seal Inbi allowed his grin to widen and his eyes to darken.

The man squinted but pressed his attack. He could work through whatever the tricky shinobi had up his sleeve or take it to the head. Ah, there it is.

Diving away from the second Inbi that had cropped up after the first he parried the hardened cloth and slashed at the other. Confusion and amusement at the third Inbi drew a choked laugh before the man slashed into this one.

"Turn about is fair play you know"

"Is that a-" The taunt choked off as he felt a length of cold steel slide into his gut. He looked down to see a black katana a foot out of his stomach. Disbelief, and pain warred in dark brown eyes as they refocused on the Shinobi fading into existence.

"Y-you.." Blood spilled from the mans lips as he tried to reconcile what he felt with who he faced.

"Killed you? Yeah, sorry big bro..."

Inbi's grin shifted to something between amusement and excitement. "Lets see how long it takes to completely wreck you."

"Your going to have to be creative kid. You can't shell out the punishment like those Ninjutsu masters. You need to bring it another way." Kai's hands flashed into three seals.

"Fire Style: Blazing Wind!" A rush of heat blasted through the cold night sky as super heated wind rushed at Inbi.

"Damn it!" The younger Shinobi throws himself to one side. A muttered curse slips from his lips as his shoulder bashes on the ground as he rolls out of the water of the scorching jutsu.

"Fine!" Forming a seal Inbi began to formulate an illusion. It only needed to be a small one, something to distract.

"You really need to work on your speed, kid" Kai plucked a kunai from his bag and sent it spinning at his nephew. He didn't bother waiting for Inbi's evasion, he didn't even stop to see if it worked. He simply slammed his hands together and spat a globe of viscous liquid flame.

"Napalm Barrage!"

Kai allowed himself a moment of amusement as the napalm exploded over his flustered nephew. Inbi's cries struck a chord, but the older Shinobi put it out of thought. Pain was the best teacher. It's lessons were rarely forgot.

"Your getting slower old man, maybe its time you retired" Inbi chuckled from behind his uncle. He moved immediately after his first word. Kai had time to turn and then time to find himself pulled into the black Abyss of the Nisegan. Panicking he formed his seals once more

"Napalm Barrage!" This time the liquid exploded point blank, scalding the shinobi out of his panic. He looked around to see his nephew several paces back, studying him with those empty black eyes.

"What was that?" He stammered in bewilderment. Inbi had played many tricks on him since training began, but this was a complete first.

Inbi smiled, and gestured.

"Round two."