The Beast Within [Event Suna]

A sudden void caused a tremor to pulsate through the gate of the village, a sudden rupture of sand descending quickly caused a vortex of grains to funnel downward, filling the void. "quicksand?" the small ninja thought to himself, remembering the river of sand near his ancestral home. No, quicksand, contrary to it's name was quite slow. And unlike water, didn't create whirlpools. But, being exactly like a full tub whose stopper had been pulled, was funneling down into a unknown abyss. What was at first a meter wide quickly enlarged, extending out toward the gate before drawing it's final grains out from underneath it's foundation as the sinkhole settled.  The gate would soon crumble. No matter a man's strength, pull out the rug from under his feet and he will surely fall.  The creak and groan of the sandstone bricks began to fill the air as the stones began to separate from the mortar that bound them, and fell down into the hole underneath them. The integrity of the structure would soon be compromised, and Vaati knew this.  He needed't shout a warning, for the other nin should have quickly reached the same conclusion. With great speed he dashed out and back into the village, landing on a nearby roof that was still on solid ground as the large stones continued to fall out and down, eventually  collapsing into the pit.  Vaati observed the feat and suddenly had a realization that the sudden destruction would prevent travel out of the village, albit for a short time while cleanup would be underway. But if the village walls were strengthened with this in mind and the foundation properly arched to support the weight, a sand vortex like that one would make quite a good defensive trap. even better if it could surround the whole village. With proper support the village would be raised above, while enemies would be ensnared and drug to the central vortex to their deaths. Wait! Vaati stopped himself, What did he care about village defenses for. This wasn't his home, these ninja weren't his friends or family. Quite the contrary, this village had killed his father and stolen his birthright. But... Why did he suddenly feel anger over the recent destruction, Resentment to those that caused it, and sadness over the losses that were suffered?  These people meant nothing to him, or did they? No, he denied it. He wouldn't allow himself to feel emotions for these people. He was Vaati Kazekuro, and he would still have his revenge.

His attention returned to the sudden silence. It was too quiet, the collapse of the wall crumbling had died down, and the other nin had yet to move. Vaati's eyes shifted to the creature in the sky, only to find it was nowhere to be found. What exactly caused that vortex Vaati suddenly wondered. Originally he had thought it was just another jutsu formed by chakra, but did the sudden disappearance of one equate to the sudden disappearance. "Where'd they go?" he heard another nin shout in the distance. He was not alone in his confusion. Their departure was just as sudden and unexpected as their arrival. It didn't make any sense. Both creatures were primed to finish what they had started. While a resistance had formed, their blitzkrieg tactics had caught the village off guard. Even in a fight with the remaining shinobi, massive collateral damage would have been inflicted upon the village. They had the proverbial high ground, why then would they stay their hand. Unless, Vaati pondered, they had yet to reveal all their cards. They didn't want the village destroyed, merely wounded. They wanted our attention, our focus, our rage... but for what reason Vaati had no clue. All he understood was that Suna was just pawn in a much larger chess game. This pawn was threatened, it's attention diverted. As soon as it decided to move to take the queen, another piece would slip by and checkmate. Game Over.

Vaati caught himself again. He had used Our when describing the village. Had he really begun thinking of himself as one of... them? No...no no no no no. He shook his head and looked down to his hand, trembling in a fist. "I'm not" he reaffirmed. Feeling ashamed of his own weakness. If the entire situation had taught him anything, it was that he needed to grow stronger. Suddenly, as if on cue, his mother's words rang into his ear across the wind "It's time". He knew what she meant. it was time for him to return to his ancestral homeland and begin his trials. Attack or not, he would return to his house for the remainder of the day, setting out the following day to awaken the power coursing through his veins. It would only be a matter of time before the dark winds were his to command. [exit]