►Ryu Uchiha◄
►Team: Team 19 Genin
►Location: Amegakure Hospital
►Disclaimer: This post is a bit long so I put it in a spoiler.

The day had started like any other day she was supposed to be working at the hospital. First some training with Doctor Tsubaki on how to handle various wounds, illness, and even basics about poisons or venoms. Along with some chakra control training to fine tune the very basic medical ninjutsu she had learned. Then she had been shadowing a nurse, helping out with basic caretaking of those in the hospital. Yet only with the minor cases and in short bursts. Thus allowing Ryu to train a bit more on how to help and handle various injuries she might encounter, and always under the watchful eye of a trained professional. It was simple and calm, something that Ryu found she quite enjoyed about the days where she was on duty at the hospital. Along with helping the patients recover from their various ailments, Ryu genuinely felt like she was doing something to help the people of the city. That of course, put a rather pleasant smile on her face as she made her rounds. Following these rounds, she would've had another set of training with Doctor Tsubaki and was all set to head home for the day.

Of course, that had been the plan before everything descended once more into chaos. It had all come on so fast, the panicked nurses rushing in to tell the Doctor that men with weapons were coming towards the hospital. The ensuing evacuations of the patients who could be safely moved, and of course Ryu's decision to head off from the main group to check once more if they had missed any of the patients who could be moved. The last one was the decision that she was very much so starting to regret. Despite having collapsed the main entrance to the hospital after the armed men had attacked some of the civilians fleeing to the hospital, they had managed to find a way inside. Ryu wasn't sure exactly what their plan was when they first came in, but as she ran through the halls of the building searching for those she could move it had become rather clear to her. The death they left in their wake really didn't leave much room for interpretation as to their goals. Thus far she had managed to avoid being found by any of the armed men, but she knew it was only a matter of time before luck ran out. She just hoped that she could get the hell out before that time decided to roll around. Still, she had only a few more rooms to check before she decided to call it.

So far it seemed like Doctor Tsubaki and the nurses who hadn't died when the men first rushed the hospital seemed to have gotten as many out as they could, although Ryu worried for how many that meant would be left behind to whatever fate these bastards decided to bring about. Not even moments after thinking that, the girl looked into a room and saw a behemoth of a man holding a sword into the chest of a patient who had seemed to have just passed. Without even a second thought, Ryu charged into the large room and tried to knock the man off balance. Rage clouded her mind as the thought of that poor man who had been brutally murdered despite doing nothing wrong besides coming to the hospital. Ryu let out a grunt as she slammed into her opponent, catching him mid-turn and causing him to trip over the end of the patient’s bed and crash to the ground. The man’s fall sent the nearby little table that held various operating tools crashing to the ground along with them, sending the contents all across the floor. Immediately the Uchiha moved to pin her opponent, also lashing out with a vicious punch towards his face. However, it was as if the man simply didn’t feel the impact, and immediately fired back. Ryu’s stomach felt like it exploded from the swift punch he delivered, knocking the air clear from her lungs as the man used his chance to shove this attacking girl off him and across the room. Ryu pushed herself to her feet just as her opponent got to his own, and only then did it really occur to the genin how massive her enemy was. He stood at least a head taller than herself, despite Ryu already being abnormally tall, and was about as broad as a gorilla. The genin swallowed nervously as she realized what she had gotten into, and worse that he was between her and the door.

Even worse? He was surprisingly fast. Closing the distance with a presence similar to the animal he was built like, the man lashed out with a punch towards Ryu’s gut. Twisting out of the way from that hit, she continued her momentum to spin and deliver a swift kick to his side. Her opponent grunted briefly from the impact, and quickly pinned the girl’s leg against himself. Seconds later her face exploded in pain as he slammed a fist directly into it. Dazed for a second, she couldn’t even start to react as a second punch collided with her, followed by a third aimed at her stomach where he had hit her the first time. The girl groaned as she could feel a split lip starting to bleed, and something in her face pulsed in pain as it felt like something wasn’t right. As he swung once more for the next hit, Ryu tilted her head out of the way at the last second. Twisting her leg so her foot was now pointed up in his grip and against his arm, she pushed him away and forced the man to let go. Then jumping back in, the girl spun and drove a back kick home in his abdomen as he was off balance, causing him to stumble once more. The Uchiha did not let her momentum give, surging in to slam a shoulder into the man to push him against the patient’s bed. She then moved in close, driving a knee home to his gut and causing the man to bend slightly forward from the impact, her arms wrapping around the back of his head she pulled down as she brought a knee up to connect. Then she was met a sharp pain to her core as he fired back with a much more powerful knee of his own. As her momentum broke, her opponent grabbed her arm and spun around. Throwing her violently against the metal frame of the bed, Ryu cried out in pain as her felt something in her ribs shoot pain through her body. Her breathing became a bit more labored from the impact, Ryu gasping slightly as she figured she cracked a rib. A fist slammed into her face as she tried to brace against the bedframe, the girl spitting up blood as the inside of her cheek tore. Ryu came back up from the hit with a swift knee to his core, returning the favor from early as the man staggered back in pain. More blows between the two were exchanged in a violent fashion, both parties showing signs of fatigue and injury from their brawl. After a few moments the two broke, backing off for a few moments as they tried to catch their breath.

The both of them stood staring at each other for a few moments, Ryu wiping some blood from her face, eye locked on her opponent. Pushing herself off, Ryu hoped to take the initiative in the fight and get him off guard. But after only two blows were exchanged, Ryu found herself thrown to the ground. Before she could fight back against her opponent, he had already pinned the girl down. In the next moments, Ryu felt two powerful hands lock around her throat and start to squeeze. She gasped out, desperate for air as she flailed. She lashed out towards her opponent and his sickening gaze, trying to break the choke but unable to do so. Panic started to take root as this continued, her sight starting to grow black despite her eye being wide open. Her mind couldn’t focus on anything except the need for air, and the fear that she was about to die. Just as her vision was starting to fully fade, her right hand felt a sharp pain as something cut into the skin as she flailed. Knowing it was a last ditch, she grabbed for the object and brought it up quickly towards her opponent. His grip on her throat was suddenly gone, as the man grabbed for the scalpel buried in his eye. In the spur of the moment, she reached up and yanked her opponents head down into the bedframe above her head. After a sickening crunch, the man suddenly became very still and rolled off to the side. Pushing away, Ryu took a long few minutes to let tears run her face and try to find her breath again. Then forcing herself to wrap up her side to be looked at later, Ryu took a few more breathes to test the pain in her side. ”I can still breath, so probably a fracture. That can be fixed.” She muttered to herself, assessing the damage to distract herself from the thoughts of how close she was to dying. With her self check finished, she quickly left the room to just leave this accursed hospital already.

As she neared the emergency exit, Ryu heard the sounds of movement in a nearby room. The door was left wide open, which was not standard for the hospital, sending off warning signs in her mind about who might be inside. Quietly moving forward, she peaked inside to see if there was another enemy inside. Her investigations revealed that the room was, in fact, empty of any hostiles. However, it didn't take her long to find the source of the movement she had heard. A girl, about eight years old was hidden under what had apparently been her cot. From where she stood, Ryu couldn't really see any injuries on the girl, but the blood in the room made it pretty clear that something else had happened. As she stepped in, the smell of death was already hanging in the air. Just to her right, the corpse of one the nurses was slumped against the wall. Worse, Ryu recognized the poor woman and almost vomited at the sight. Misaka had always been so sweet towards everybody, and her children were still so young...

Turning her attention back towards the girl, Ryu approached the bed and knelt down. "Hey. We need to get you somewhere safe, can you come out for me?" She asked the girl in a strained tone, who only shrank back under the cot in response, and Ryu frowned. "I'm one of the nurses here. I worked with Misaka, she would want you to be safe." Ryu said softly, telling a white lie about being a nurse at the hospital but figuring it couldn't hurt too much if it got the girl out. "There are bad men here, and I'm gonna help you avoid the bad men. Although the truth is, I'm a little scared and might need somebody smart enough to stay hidden to help me. Think you can help me?" She added, still in a voice that could barely be called a whisper as she listened for movement in the hall. Asking for help seemed to get the little girl to respond, as she nodded slightly and started slowly crawling out with only one of her arms. As she emerged, Ryu noticed that the other arm was in a sling, and was able to guess well enough why the girl was here. "Thank you. Now hold my hand and try to stay quiet okay? We'll get out of here together." She said with a reassuring smile as the girl nodded and gently took Ryu's offered hand.

Together the two slowly and quietly made her way back towards the hall, now desolate apart from the pained moans of those who had to be left behind and the stench of death. The genin had a single goal in mind, to make it past the outpatient ward towards the emergency staircase that led downstairs. From there, it would be a short trek past the laundry room to the emergency exit on the rear of the building. With luck, the two would be able to quietly slip out into the alleys without being noticed. As they crept through the outpatient ward, Ryu noticed that the rooms were either empty or filled with the dead, it seemed whoever was attacking had done a rather thorough job with clearing this area already. Still, that was a good thing for them as they didn't have to worry as much about running into hostiles in this area. As they reached the stairs and started heading down, Ryu held out an arm to stop the trio. She could hear muffled screams, that were quickly silenced from outside the lower door. Apparently, the enemy was making their way through the first floor now. Unfortunately for them, this was also the only real exit that didn't include crossing the entire building and hoping that they weren't noticed, which Ryu was not really willing to bank on once again. Instead, she started to move once more, slowly and quietly down the stairs until she reached the lower door. Pressing an ear to the door, the genin listened to see if there was anybody on the other side. Fortunately for her, she could hear the men shouting then followed by receding footsteps. Maybe they'd finished their job and were moving to go terrorize some other part of the city? Ryu wasn't sure and unfortunately was not really in a place to do anything about it.

Slowly the door opened as Ryu peaked out to check that it was clear, and so far she didn't see anybody moving nearby. Instead what she saw was a little bit more terrifying than some brute. Like some hungry beast, yellow-orange flames flickered in one of the rooms opposite of where they needed to go. As she was watching, they spread with ease to clothes of the deceased spread around the hospital's hallway. Black smoke started to slowly drift down the hall as it came to suffocate them. Ryu swore and quickly pulled the girl into the hall as she started moving rather quickly towards the emergency exit. Remaining quiet and stealthy was thrown to the wind as she knew firsthand exactly how quickly flames could spread. Unfortunately, she was right to worry about the spread of the flames as she could feel her back starting to get warmer as they drew closer. The smoke had already overtaken them, causing Ryu to cough as she ran down the hallway, thankful that it was straight, and the door was simply at the end of the hall. Soon after the darkness imposed by the smoke gave way as Ryu burst through the door with reckless abandon, coughing still from the fumes from the flame. No sooner had they barreled out of the door than the flames also erupted through the open doorway as if giving chase. Had they been any slower, Ryu was certain they would have been cooked in there. "Alright. Doctor Tsubaki said they were heading towards the barracks, the City might be strongest there. So let's head there as well." Ryu said, aiming to help keep the girl focused on the task ahead.

"See? Not so bad, let's get goi-" She said, before hearing a shout from her left as apparently one of the men who had been assaulting the hospital came to check out the sound. "Run!" She said to the girl before turning and taking off down an alleyway as fast as she possibly could. Ryu knew where she had to go to reach the barracks, but not which specific alleyways to take. As such she was more or less guessing as the two ran, twisting and turning down various backways filled with garbage and other debris as both were unsure if they were still being chased by the man who had originally been coming after them. However, after a good few minutes of running, it seemed that the two had eluded their pursuer, or at least that he had decided two girls weren't really worth the effort of giving chase. The alleyway they were in led out to one of the main streets in the city, and Ryu made her way down to the end of it, looking out to check if they were still going in the right direction. Fortunately enough, it seemed the two were in the right area still as she recognized some of the buildings. They were about two blocks south of the Barracks, which should be easy enough for them to make it through. As she looked both directions Ryu found that the street was... completely empty. She found it to be a little bit odd, but it was also a direct path towards their goal. "Come on, it's about two blocks and this street looks clear. We'll get there in no time, promise." Ryu said with a smile towards the girl who nodded, slowly moving forward and grabbing Ryu's hand again. "Ai." The girl said quietly to Ryu, who seemed confused for a second before realizing that the girl had given Ryu her name. "I'm Ryu. Let's get you to safety, Ai." She said with a small smile before leading her out to jog down the street to cover the distance to the barracks.

They had almost made it when Ryu noticed movement off to her left. It was one of the men who was attacking if she had to guess by the nearby city guard corpse. He hadn't noticed them, and Ryu pulled Ai over into a side alley to crouch behind a dumpster. She watched for what seemed to be an eternity as the man seemed content to just lumber exactly in their path, and with their alley being a dead-end Ryu was a little bit low on options. The man bore a club but judging by his size and the shape the corpse near him seemed to be in Ryu figured that the weapon was all that he needed. Letting out a long sigh, the girl looked at Ai with a small smile. "Alright, I'm gonna distract ugly there. When I do, we’re gonna run past him and keep going until we’re safe, got it?” Ryu said before weaving a couple of hand signs, then a mirror image of herself appeared and darted the opposite direction down the street. It made no noise or seemed to impact the road at all, but the genin hoped it distracted the man long enough for the two to make their escape. Grabbing Ai’s hand, Ryu quickly darted out of their alley and the two were off towards the barracks.

Not long after, Ryu had managed to drop Ai off with one of the nurses and get the worst of her wounds healed a bit, thought it would certainly need attention after they were out of this mess. Then she moved off to find Mitsunari, having asked around and been told where to find the man. As she walked, the girl formed a small ball of healing chakra in her palm and held it to her side. Focusing on trying to get some of the pain to go away, although she could tell her bruises were already forming from the impacts, especially on her throat. Soon enough she found Mitsunari, moving towards the man quickly to see how she could help. ”Riojin-Sensei, Ryu Uchiha reporting in. What do you need me to do?” She asked her voice still not fully recovered, yet wanting to help get these bastards out of her city. Especially to pay them back for the hospital and her near-death experience.


 
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Time to Drink
Empire of Akino, Hon territory - House of Magnhild.
Small village of Alfstedt.

A (introduction) collab between Con, Oetje, Lesli, Frost, Oblivion and Aliceee.

Summary:
With some time to rest in the small place of Alfstedt, some members of Team 4 and 8 - accompanied by Astrid Hon and Yumi Hasewaga - decide to head to one of the town's taverns for a pleasant evening. This collab serves to set the tone and introduces the characters and readers to the scenery.



While the temperature would slowly descend and the sun lowering on the horizon, giving way for the moon to take its place, there would be some warmth and light inside the homes and establishments of Alfstedt. The small hamlet wasn’t a sprawling urban centre as the ones that they had been in before. Giving it somewhat of a different charm and atmosphere to it. The hamlet had two establishments that gave the clear idea that they were a large tavern. People from various age groups would make their way to one side or the other of the hamlet, to seek some warmth, song as well drink and food.

Located in the northern side of the settlement would one find the tavern, the Drunken Goat. It provided quite some room and ample seats at long tables while two large hearths provided light and warmth. Most people sat at these long table as they made merry in the form of eating, drinking and singing in their native tongue.
The door would be opened, allowing some of the cold to briefly sneak inside. Entering the establishment, Meilin threw a quick glance around. The scenery did bring up some warmth and brought back some hope that they would have a pleasant evening. It would, in her opinion, beat the sometimes slightly awkward gathering of the group that Team 4 was combined with. Certainly seeing there hadn’t been much interaction between Team 4 and those others.

Spotting an empty table, Meilin decided to head for it. Taking a seat, she would release a sigh and waited for the others to take their place. Due to the absence of people speaking Taika, she was hoping that the few lessons she gave to Madoc and Aoi would pay off a bit.
”I like it here. Bit noisy but still, charming.” Meilin said, speaking Taika to not exclude Madoc or Aoi, flashing a smile afterwards.

Well if it was anything to give props to, it was how they named their establishments. Drunken Goat was rather humorous to him, although he had no idea what Meilin had in store for them but probably wise she did it where booze was readily available in case they started getting sick of each other. Granted it was still far from his typical environments but it wasn’t bad by any means. No clue what was being said most of the time but still could be worse.

Sitting at the empty table with the rest of the team, it gave him time to look around and still be as confused as before. When Meilin spoke up he gave a shrug. ”Yeah but that how places like these are. If it was quiet then we have a true problem. Mostly since its called the Drunken Goat. Don’t want your customers being all silent in a place called that.”

Orun had been to many places, and done many things, but to him, taverns were like homes away from home. Perhaps that was why when he sat down at the empty table in the Drunken Goat with the other members of the combined group, he had such a cheery expression. He had travelled all over the country, but inns and taverns always offered a cheerful place to get a drink and good meal after a long day of travel no matter where he had gone. He turned to the rest as he sat. ”Right, well, any objections if I pay for the drinks? You all went and got your share of the action, and I was back guarding the rear, it wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t.”

The atmosphere of the tavern was most welcome in Dagrún’s opinion. With a smirk crossed across her lips, she walked into the tavern. The noisy environment reminded her somewhat of home and for a moment, her thoughts wandered off to that place as she followed the others to the empty table. Taking a seat, she would hear the comment that Meilin made and on turn her smirk turned into a wide grin. ”I am certain you would enjoy the halls of kin then, captain. But this tavern is quite nice, aye.”
Much like Meilin, Dagrún decided to speak in Taika to not alienate those among them that weren’t yet master of that particular tongue. When Orun spoke up, Dagrún was the first to respond. Slightly shaking her head, the young woman spoke up.
”As usual as it might be with a Hyuzu paying an Ylfing like me, I will decline your offer this time.” The Hon politely said as she would decide to focus her attention on Aoi. ”I want to buy you a drink. For the respect you gave little Dea.”

Sticking close to the rest of Team 4 as the mixed group entered the tavern, Aoi took in the view of the place. It was filled with the dull roar of the occupants already drinking and making merry around the long tables, and the warmth and heat provided by the hearths was a welcome feeling as she watched what snow stuck to her clothes quickly melt into the cloth.

Nodding as she took a seat at the table Meilin chose Aoi would smile, “I like it.” she agreed as the rest of the mixed group filed in and took their seats. Turning her gaze from the strange Hyuzu as he offered to buy Dagrún a drink to Dagrún herself as the Hon spoke up she couldn’t contain her surprised look as the girl insisted on buying her a drink for what she’d done. Almost dumbfounded Aoi struggled for words to refuse the offer but quickly found herself answering faster than she could think, “Sure, I’d appreciate it Dagrún.” she answered her cheeks a bit rosy.

It was quite different than most place she had been. Save it from her missions in the Framí province. Though, Yumi couldn’t state she had been into similar establishments like the one that they found themselves in at the moment. While not entirely comfortable, it was somewhat enjoyable that she had been asked by some members of Team 4 to join them.
Following the group to the table, the Scholae attempted to keep herself at the background. Able to understand somewhat of what was being spoken by other patrons, Yumi didn’t entirely mind the language of the locals being quite different to Taika.
Taking a seat, she didn’t yet react when the offer was made to buy drinks.

Being closest to Aoi and Meilin, due to the last interactions with them, Yumi took a seat next to the blue-haired chuunin. Remembering a past exchange regarding Hons, it was somewhat amusing and endearing to witness the moment between Dagrún and Aoi.
“Thanks for the offer but no thanks.” Yumi politely responded. “I also owe somebody a drink.”

Orun would shrug at the response of those who had politely declined his offer to buy drinks for the table. ”Suit yourselves.” Came the Hyuzu’s cheerful reply. In truth, he hadn’t entirely expected the table to agree to his offer, irregardless he still had done so out of courtesy. He held an amount of gratitude towards those who had risked their lives down in the caverns, and he felt it was only right that he attempt to repay them for their risk. After all, who would know that such a deed had been done? Those that worked in the shinobi service did not perform actions that bards would write songs about. Their work was that of secrecy, and heroic deeds would often go unsung for them. He ordered an ale from the barmaid that made her way around the tavern, and listened to the various songs that other customers were singing. In his travels, he learned both Taika and Chonobi tongues. In times where he needed coin he had often stayed on as an extra hand at farms during a harvest, and the honest work had taught him much about understanding the different dialects of both languages.
 
A Peek into the Vault.
Meisa Ichi,
ANBU Commander and advisor of Kiyomi Homura.


Empire of Akino.
The Royal Capital - Konohagakure.
Intelligence Division HQ.


Summary:
A post regarding various topics:
The ID HQ, located in Konohagakure.
Some information about the Vault and a few of its 'guests'.
A bit regarding the effects of mind techniques on a person.


A peek into the Vault.

Heading towards the Intelligence Division, Meisa wondered for a moment if the urban myths regarding the complex were still around. If she could recall it correctly, there had been various stories that the Intelligence Division was half made up to harbour the administration of the organisation. The other half was to detain important prisoners of war, dangerous thinkers and other unfortunate souls. Even while the complex seemed more like a small fortress with its defences both manned and patrolled by military guards, the lowest in rank being the equivalent of a chuunin, the complex wasn't that depressive or scary inside.
Even while it seemed all focused on efficiency, the complex seemed quite close to that of the HQ of the police corps in the city. Several regular shinobi teams of the regular military were in wait to be given some documents, likely to transport it to another location or handing it over to a specific person.

Spotting several members of said teams to be quite young and lacking in a flak jacket, Meisa concluded that these were genin being led by a higher ranked. Probably one of those thrilling missions where they would make an acquaintance with the Intelligence Division, ID in short. She could see the various emotions visible on the genin as she passed them.
Some seemed curious. One seemed rather unsettled and another downright bored by it all. Perhaps even disappointed, Meisa mused to herself as she was rather amused by that prospect.
Passing the teams, she made her way without being questioned by anybody. The security that was in place had already identified her without a doubt. The number of measures that were in place to prevent an unknown person to walk deep into the complex was numerous and it would take a highly skilled operative to move past them.

Moving deeper into the complex, Meisa would head towards a small room. It seemed a room that was pointless. As if there had been a mistake in the construction of the building and for convenience sake, it had been left empty.
Approaching the left wall, Meisa would gently press a spot in the wall. The number of times she did this had made it rather easy to know where the spot was. A soft sound would be produced as the woman would turn around and head towards the right wall. A clever design would make it appear as if nothing had changed in the room, as they were all painted in the same dull grey colour. But a section of the wall had been pulled slightly back to allow one to move around and into a staircase down, into shadows.
Closing the entrance behind her, Meisa would sigh as she started to descend down the staircase. A few candles providing some light as the woman kept descending down, deeper into the ground.

Though she couldn't see them, she was well aware that they were there. Guards clad in the shadows, watching the staircase and using various methods to determine who the person was and if they had to be taken down.
Finally, Meisa would be halted by a large wall. It was once more dull grey, standing slightly out against the dark brown walls around her. Knocking three times, she would state the code phrase. Waiting for a moment, the woman would then be allowed to advance further as an opening would be made.

Thus arriving into the Vault, the underground complex that resided below the Intelligence Division. The headquarters for some of the shadiest of organisations serving the Akinian Empire. As she kept walking down a long hallway, that seemed dull and simple, the woman took a turn. Only to enter a similar hallway. The design was the same in all of the Vault. Dim lighted, dull in colour and lacking any escape to the outside world. For many who would ever descend into the Vault, the experience of walking through these hallways was more than enough to instil a subtle form of distress.
Meisa, however, had to admit that she enjoyed it. The silence was welcoming and the dull design allowed her to focus on her thoughts.

Coming to halt in front of a wooden door, Meisa didn't bother to knock. Opening the door, she would enter the room where various other people seemed to be waiting.



The boy was sitting on the ground, hunching forward with his hands at the temples of his head. His eyes were spread wide as they seemed to emit a certain fear and lack of sanity, now and then twitching. Mumbling something inaudible, the boy would now and then release a chuckle or laugh. Only to whimper and return to the inaudible muttering or becoming silent for a moment.
The cell in which the boy was contained was rather bright. Not the conventional cell that many would bring to mind, with bars and dirty walls. These walls were painted in bright white, allowing the ray of a highly hanging candle to reflect the light much better.

"We have managed to pull some information out of the subject. It seems that his intentions were more for his own gain than any hatred or negativity towards the state." A man said. Judging by his appearance, one would likely to judge the man in his late thirties. "As you requested, we have been digging deeper until we hit the critical level. I suppose it would be best to end his life. He is taking space."

Meisa listened as she watched through the small hatchet at the young boy. He was likely the youngest person currently being contained within the Vault. Then again, Ezuri Hyuuga had committed high treason and collaborated with high ranking Zealots. Where one could argue that they were passing the line, one wouldn't need to start such a conversation with those who worked in the Vault. Mercy was considered an illusion.
”Has there been any information known about these 'Leeches' that he worked for?” Meisa asked, shooting a glance at the man.

"Not much from him. We know of three by some name. Regret, Arrogance and Blood." Was the answer. The man sighed and shook his head. "The reason for those names are eluding us, so far. We are starting to proceed with starting to delve into the minds of the latest arrivals. Hopefully, we will be able to decipher more about them."

A laugh escaped the young Hyuuga as he seemed to catch on that something was going on. Glancing up, he apparently had spotted Meisa and the man looking down on him. His eyes narrowed but he wouldn't be able to activate his Byakugan. For the chakra blocker, that sat tightly around his neck, would prevent him to mould chakra. The young boy would soon seem to ignore them, returning to the weird muttering.
”We are done with him. Schedule him for removal. And take me to the next subject.” Meisa said, her tone flat. The man nodded as he would pick up a notepad and scribble something down. He then proceeded to guide Meisa out of the room to another down the hallway.

"The next subject has been nicked '15'. We have conducted various experiments but have come to various conclusions." The man began as he opened a door. Holding it open for Meisa, he would close it behind them. Once more, the man would walk to a small hatch and open it. Allowing the two to look down on a woman that sat on the ground. She was leaning against the wall and seemed more dead than alive. Horrid wounds were visible on her body, almost like she had been attacked by a collection of dreadful predators.
Once the hatch was opened, the woman looked up. A scornful expression was visible but nothing further occurred. The glaring difference with Ezuri was that the woman had no chakra block around her neck.
"We have used the seals to contain number 15. She won't be able to mould chakra for as long as she is in the room." The man explained as he would step aside so that Meisa could have a better look.

”This is the one taken from Keishi, I assume? The one that Team 7 encountered and then was brought by the Uchiha ANBU operative?” Meisa asked, growing quite curious about the subject. She was no stranger to seeing mangled bodies and was certain that any normal human would have been quite dead if such grotesque injuries were inflicted upon them. This woman, however, seemed to be alive and almost well. And if Meisa had to believe the reports, this woman had been able to meet and walk away from a jounin, backed up by two chuunin. And requiring a highly experienced ANBU operative to be captured.

"That is correct. She has managed to wound five people while we tried to conduct the tests on her. Despite not being able to sport the abilities that were reported, she was strong enough to cause some injuries," the man would fumble in his notes as he then started to sum the injuries up, "One man got three broken ribs. She broke another man's right arm and dislocated his left. A woman suffered three broken ribs and almost perished by internal bleeding." The man calmly continued the list without any hint of emotion, despite talking about his coworkers.

"Various test have concluded that the subject doesn't require food. Much as expected from the field reports, these Leeches only require chakra. They seem to need to have physical contact with their victim to drain the chakra out. A sensory experiment has allowed us to learn that the subject has to 'open up' to their victim. Allowing them to be quite vulnerable if their victim is capable of attacking back. Likely resulting that the subject first tries to containt and overwhelm their victim before leeching them dry." The man paused for a moment. "We have attempted to breach the subject's mind. If anything, we have concluded that they were human before. Only undergoing a certain ritual or process has allowed them to become like the subject, 15. I suppose common folk would refer to the subject as a 'living dead'."

The hint of sarcasm in the man's last sentence wasn't lost on Meisa. Never the less, she was most intrigued. How had those Zealots managed to enable a person to live through such wounds? How was it possible that they could create artificial leeches? Despite the bad reputation and stories that surrounded the few people that had the natural ability to drain chakra, it was a most sought after ability. Many experiments by various intelligence organisation on the western continent had been striving to reach such a result: to essentially inject a rare ability or kekkei genkei into a subject, that didn't before had access to it.
More often than not, people subjected to such experiments would painfully leave this world. The 'fortunate' that went through such experiments would usually be scarred for their short life, either being put down to secure the secrets of these experiments or they died because of their bodies being warped.

”How much have you attempted to drain information out of the subject's mind?” Meisa asked, growing ever more curious to learn more about the Leeches of the Zealots. The man wouldn't hesitate to answer the question.
"We started with the regular level. Currently, we are attempting to go past the crucial level. The subject has shown no backlashes from the procedure. Only growing weaker by not being able to leech chakra. It seems that the subject is required to leech chakra, unable to produce any new chakra."

That was most interesting. Every living being body would continue to make chakra, which some scholars described as the spiritual life force of a being. Understanding why these Leeches had been dubbed as undead became clear to Meisa.
”Proceed further. I want to learn more about them. I think this requires a protocol S to gain what we want to learn from it.” The woman replied, flashing a polite smile at the contained Leech. Receiving a glare, Meisa felt quite satisfied as she stepped away and the man closing the hatch.

"Of course. Would you like to see subject 29? We have managed to gain some advances after your last visit." The man asked, receiving a nod from Meisa.



He was strapped to a chair and various stitches hinted to various experiments taking blood or tissue from him. If one would see Nakashima Senju in such a state, they would likely wonder why anybody had been afraid of the missing-nin.

"As per requested, we have attempted several experiments on the subject," the man started as he read the results from a notepad. "Usually delving into a subject's mind can leave annoying backlashes. I am sure that you're familiar with them, so I won't bore you with summing them all up."
Meisa just nodded. She was acquainted with the results of mind reading, memory removing and such actions. Most people thought that they were techniques that didn't have any backlash. Just mind techniques that could allow an operative to gain information or attempt to remove or alter a victim's memory with ease. The truth was that it was anything but that easy. The victim can attempt to put up a fight, hampering the mind delver's work and progress with putting up memories that have no value to what the mind delver is searching for. Prolonged sessions also can exhaust both the mind delver as the victim, putting either at risk of losing sanity or needing a long time to recover from the mental pressure.
Removing a memory? Now that was something Meisa was more than familiar with. Most people believed that the ID, ANBU and such organisations favoured removing one's memory. It used to be a favourite technique to protect sensitive information or hinder that an operative could leak out information about a covert operation. But there were a number of risks involved.

Removing one memory or altering it can have lasting effects on the victim. Their personality or attitude can shift, depending on the respective memory and personal attachment. Intelligence can also be impacted, causing a man of academic background to be unable to count or learn by having just a few memories altered. Not to mention that it can cause distress, for some will experience a certain void. Something that they are missing but unable to figure out what. Meisa could remember some cases of shinobi going literally haywire after being treated, constantly pestered by the drive to figure out what they had lost.

”So, what did you manage to learn?” Meisa asked, not feeling any pity towards the blind Senju.

"Luckily, he wasn't in league with the Zealots. Which means that they haven't the knowledge that the subject had on various operatives and high ranking people." The man reported, only to continue. "We have experimented with some of the new methods. Learning a bit more on how to prevent one to reach the critical state of mental fatigue from our current mind techniques. There is, however, a request to apply a certain experiment on the subject. For a few of my team believe that it might beneficial to see if we can see if the Wood Release is resting dormant in the man. He is, after all, a relative from the First Hokage."

Staring at Nakashima Senju, Meisa considered the option. Then as she turned on her heels, she would give her answer.
”As long as you are able to show me any advances gained.”
 
Operation: Flashlight
Neime Hayashi
| Kirigakure Genin, of Team 17/ Kukiko | Kirigakure - Near the residence of Kukiko Yuki |


Neime walked down the street. The garb she was dressed in didn't do much to make her stand out. She easily could pose for an average civilian teen that went on her way, either doing a chore or simply heading to meet up with some friend. Though today was the first start of her actual operation. The mere fact that she was part of the Republican military didn't mean that she was going to be entirely loyal to them. If anything, the clan's interests preceded that of the nation. A loyalty that some would condemn and consider back watered and nothing more than halting the efficiency which the state could work with if all clans would behave like that.

The truth was, however, that all sensible clans that had a semblance of power and influence worked like that. No reasonable clan leader would sacrifice his clan or their power to let their rivals get the better of them. Besides, there were enough opponents against the whole argument that clans needed to put the state in the first place: if the clans would grow in power, the state itself would benefit from it.
Banning the thoughts slowly out of her head, today wouldn't be without any political influence impacting her operation. After all, her task was clear: To gather intelligence on her target and then relay what she had figured out.

There were a few ways that Neime could go to work with. The first and most direct way was to approach her target. Pose as a merely curious student that desired to know more about her prestigious, high ranking mentor. However, Neime didn't see much merit in that. That meant she had to play a role and it could bring up some problems if her target would conduct some research on her.
Another method was to figure out if she could get her hands on the documents on her target. But considering that her target was a jounin, a respected one, Neime considered her chances below nihil to achieve information on her target in such a method.
The third method would be to stalk her target. While confident about her skills, seeing the relentless training and her previous experience, Neime didn't think that was going to work out. Her target was for a reason a jounin. It could go very well but chances were rather high that her target could spot her. Bringing the entire operation into danger. Even if that didn't mean that her target would do something to her, Neime was certain that failure wouldn't be tolerated. The previous marks of her slipping were still visible on her upper left arm and she was certain on her back as well.
Leaving thus all things considered only one feasible approach: to gather information from her target's surrounding.

Luckily, there was a small base of information that Neime had been given by the higher ranked Hayashi nin to work with. She knew some of her target's abilities, reputation and where she lived. Likely information fed from people under the influence of the Hayashi clan or members of the clan working in the military administration.
The neighbourhood wasn't that well known to Neime. For that reason, she considered to first scout out the area. Making sure where establishments were located that her target would likely contract and visit. Then possible points where she could watch over how the traffic of people moved around and thus possible ways on how her target moved around. And then, of course, possible locations from which she could later on attempt to stalk her target without being seen.

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Neime took a deep breath in as she would begin with the scouting.


Time: 11:23 AM
Weather Conditions: Clear.

The neighbourhood wasn't that bad. It had some good locations from which Neime could attempt to take a spot and oversee the area, without being easily spotted from street level. There were also some turns and alleys that could work in her favour. For it would be too obvious if she would run around over rooftops, attempting to follow her target.
Walking around in the neighbourhood, Neime did stay away from her target's home. The objective wasn't to approach that place anyways and it was best to not get seen by the target this early. It could impact later interactions and bring the operation in danger.

If anything, Neime couldn't discover anything of major interest in walking around and keeping an eye out for anything of interest. Eavesdropping on people also proved nothing of major use as this neighbourhood wasn't entirely tied down to one particular political faction that was present in the Senate.

Considering that she had avoided contact with her target, Neime considered the scouting a success.


Time: 3:24 PM
Weather conditions: Clear

The next phase would be to gather intel. Something that perhaps many that enlisted or got drafted into service didn't find much fun. It wasn't as exciting as fighting bandits or being assigned to escort some high ranked member of society. But it was something vital. And it could prove to be just as dangerous, if not even more.
Blowing gently on the warm surface of the tea residing in her cup, Neime would eavesdrop on two people. Judging by their attire, they worked in the establishment, Mizukuni Tea Shop - the place where Neime was located at the moment.
The conversation didn't prove to be that much of interest until one brought up that they hadn't seen a usual patron yesterday.
That sparked Neime's interest as she intently listened. The conversation continued as the employees briefly touched upon the subject of the quite polite but sickly looking woman. One mentioned that they often saw her at Books of Yasuaki. Then the two continued over matters that Neime found more trivial.

With this new information, the teen would finish her tea and pay for it. Promptly leaving the teahouse, to head towards the second place where she could attempt to discover more information. Making use of an alley, Neime decided to use the Transformation Technique. Thus concealing her true form as she would approach the desired location.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

"Ah, no sweetie, that book has been taken a week ago. By Miss Yuki." The old woman said, as a warm smile cracked on her lips. "I can try to recommend another book for you."

Neime visibly seemed to ponder on the option. "I was sent out to collect that book for my father. When do you think that Miss Yuki would return the book?" She would ask in return. This question seemed to briefly cause the owner of the bookstore to think about it.

"I honestly don't know. She does come to visit me regularly. To return some books and then take a few as she leaves. If you really want to know, I can ask her." The old lady kindly offered. However, Neime already knew her answer. Not being seen was one thing but it was best if nobody would bring up to Kukikko Yuki that somebody was curious about her.
"Thanks, but I will else try to come back later." Making a small bow, the teen seemed ready to take her leave. However, she would stop and turn back to the old lady.
"Though, what is Miss Yuki like? She is one of those war veterans, ain't she?" Neime decided to ask, feigning some childish curiosity and admiration into the mix.

The trick worked flawlessly as the owner of the small store, which was a hole-in-the-wall bookstore, seemed to be either amused or finding it endearing that the Yuki had an admirer. "She is and much more, from what I heard. She is a loyal patron of mine and I bet that I can boast that she visits my store much more often than that grumpy nasty man, Tokinao's store. I recommend you, young lady, you best conduct your businesses here when it comes to books. That old man will likely spit on you if you ask one thing too many." The old lady rattled and while she was clearly not a friend of this 'Tokinao', Neime mentally made a note about the name. Nodding now and then to indicate that she was paying attention, the Hayashi started to take in all the information the old lady would spill.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

This store wasn't much different from the previous one. It was like many others hole-in-the-wall bookstores. Only manned by a man called, Tokinao. A grumpy veteran of the Great War, if Neime's digging for information was correct. She had visited already a few similar establishments already and managed to get some more information. The last was Tokinao.
Approaching the place, Neime already spotted the old man's annoyed glance. He had a book in his hands but Neime couldn't quickly spot what it was about, as the layer didn't have a large enough print to reveal the context of the book.

"I don't sell candy or anything you young folk want." The man grumbled as Neime made a halt in front of his establishment. This didn't, however, seem to spook Neime or made her attempt to react back. Instead, she calmly looked upon the books there on display and seemed to take in what could be her options.
"You can't eat them and I would appreciate you rascals wouldn't do anything to damage them." The man grumbled, frowning as he noticed that Neime didn't seem to care much about him lashing out like that.

"I am looking for a book. To study more about the Great War. Preferably something by the likes of Takauchi's writing." Neime calmly stated as she kept glancing at the various books. The reply was getting somewhat of the desired effect as the old man frowned but didn't seem to sneer anything in response.

"Takauchi is a shit writer." The old man retorted, snorting loudly as he closed the book he was holding. Taking in Neime's clear interest in reading, he kept frowning. "You would do better to read something of Munenori."

"Muneori isn't great. He doesn't state where he gets his information from and neither does he explain well on how some situations escalated or why they resulted into following scenarios. I would learn more from staring at a rock." Raising her chin slightly, Neime didn't yet deign the shopowner worthy of a glance. "Do you have anything of Agurino perhaps?"

"Aah, yes. Of course." The demeanour of the man had shifted completely. He would grab the book and presented it towards Neime. Stated his price and without any hesitation, Neime would pay up. Though she was about to leave, she had seen the surprise and growing curiosity of the old man. Already have taken two steps away from the store, she heard the voice of the old man.

"Wait, come back young miss."
Hearing the words, Neime would come to a halt. For a second, just before turning, a smile crept on her lips.


Time: 6:32 PM
Weather Conditions: Clouded.

Quite content, Neime would head back. She had managed to uncover some information and thus made some progress regarding her mission. Not yet enough to confirm if Kukiko Yuki would be a thorn in the side for future plans and actions of the Hayashi clan.
So far, Neime had discovered that Kukikko was a veteran of the Great War. She was a jounin ranked member of the regular military. Most people didn't seem to personally know much about her as she seemed more of an introvert. There were some that seemed to wonder if she wasn't suffering from any illness but Neime didn't yet consider that important information. If the Yuki indeed would form an obstacle, then it was up to her superiors to decide whether or not striving to learn more about Kukiko Yuki's health would be a priority.

Furthermore, she had been a vital part of setting up her brothers successful business, being the driving force to establish business deals with other cities, merchants and what not. That could imply that she was serving in the military now to further aid the small Yuki clan's growth of influence.
The only other bits of information that Neime managed to dig up was that Kukiko had been spotted spending her time walking around, apparently aimlessly. Even talking to herself. But Neime didn't yet consider this to be a huge thing to pursue. As she didn't yet see it as vital information to learn more or having her superiors use it against Kukiko.

While heading to brief in her superiors, Neime's eyes half closed. The next part would be a bit more tricky. Attempting to move closer to the target and see if she could uncover more information.
 
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The Battle of Hitashi - Part 1
Lightning Country,
Hojo Clan Lands, - vassal clan land of the Miyara,
Hitashi is located south of Shimadaka.


The light fog that hangs in the air would shape a beautiful scenery. The tranquillity wouldn't last long though as Tameuji's force would move in. The beating of the boots on the stone, paved way. The sound of armour, wagons and horses that blended together with instructions shouted. The defiance of the Regency had its price and Tameuji's host had come to take it, with force. Small squadrons of horsemen scouted ahead of the bulk of the force. Together with some small teams of shinobi, that scouted the area as well, the reports would come back to Tameuji and his commanders. There were some militia stationed in the various small villages and the small town of Hitashi was enjoying a small garrison as well. At best, the present Hojo force counted up to nearly 1.000 troops. Not even a challenge for the army of Tameuji, which counted almost twenty times as much.

While having a larger force, Tameuji made a decision to not be too rash. Though they could overwhelm the militia and garrison of Hitashi, Tameuji wanted to consider his options first. As they had encountered little resistance, some officers argued that the Hojo hadn't expected an attack yet or didn't mobilise their troops yet, thus securing Hitashi would be best. Other officers were convinced that they should split their forces and overwhelm the various villages before taking on Hitashi. Thus preventing that the Hojo could learn of the presence of their army.
For nearly two hours, Tameuji would discuss the options with his officers. The reason why it took so long was for the strategic value of the region. Approaching the Hojo lands from the south meant easier terrain - despite the snowfall and cold. Smaller clans between the Regency and southern Hojo borders were also more willing towards helping and supplying the force of Tameuji, while attempting to keep themselves neutral as good as possible. This certainly after news spread that any opposing clan would risk being taken down by the Regency council and her forces.
Besides, once the small town of Hitashi was secured, this would leave the way open to advance on either the larger city of Shimadaka, to their north. Or to attack Kosami's Hold, the ancestral home of the Hojo clan, to the west. As evening would dawn upon the world, Tameuji army would encamp and keep a tight perimeter control.

Early in the morning, the first detachment would be a mix of some cavalry, supplemented by archers and spearmen. Trudging through the snow, the force was meant to scout ahead and be aware of any problems. While there hadn't been any opposing force, the vanguard would be greeted by a gathered force. The banners of the Hojo and their vassal, the Miyara clan - the vassal clan that governed the area of Hitashi.
Despite eager to face the small Hojo force, the vanguard wouldn't attack the Hojo force that seemed to await them. Messengers returned to the bulk of Tameuji's army with the news.



The cold made their breath become visible. Watching his own breath, Mochiaki wasn't yet sure how he felt about it all. He had volunteered as many others to be the one to be the sacrifice. To be the first to welcome the Regency council's forces into the Hojo lands. Much to his surprise, he had been selected. A great honour, they had told him. For he would be the first to defy the enemy with his steel. Dying for his clan, kin and their future.
The men around him had been under his command for years. They were mostly from the surrounding villages that he had governed. Some of them even had served his father. None of them had complained, seemed scared or had shown any hesitation when he had told them the news. They stared with determination back at him and simply got ready. Their families bid them farewell and then they marched to where they knew the Regency was going to strike.
While the Regency believed that the small clans were on their side, the Hojo had their own spies among those courts. They knew already where and with how many their enemy would attempt to strike them.

Yet as Mochiaki looked at the defences that they had made the morning. The nearly two hundred soldiers under his command had done a splendid job. A small trench and stakes were in place. A few shields were set and ready to be used. Due to the small terrain which their opponents could attack them from - due to the traitorous terrain to their side with the flooded fields - Mochiakiwas convinced that they wouldn't be easily swept away. Certainly not with the militia that had joined them, strengthening their numbers to approximately four hundred. A victory they wouldn't perhaps wrestle out of the imminent struggle but they would leave this life with more honour than they could ask for.

As the sun slowly started to rise, a man would run over the path towards the defences. Archers already notched an arrow and were at the ready to shoot. However, Mochiaki recognised the scout and raised his left hand, signalling the archers to hold their fire.
The scout came and did his report. The vanguard of the enemy had noticed them and would be soon upon them.

This news was taken in as Mochiaki knew that the troops around him listened.
"Very well. Report back and tell them that we shall fight to the last man." The scout bowed his head before he would continue on his way, to make his way towards Hitashi.
"Listen to me and listen well."
Mochiaki shouted as he threw a look around, gathering the attention of the soldiers around him. Now, Mochiaki could witness a sense of dread among them. Some of the men were old enough to be grandfathers, others barely old enough to likely have kids of their own.

"In a few hours, we will be dead men. Rotting in the dirt while the dogs of the Regency march forth, spitting on your corpses. Laughing as they have forsaken their honour." Mochiaki shouted, making sure that the force, that slowly started to gather around him, could hear his words.
"They will be eager to subjugate our homes, wives and children to the new rule. They will proclaim themselves as victors. But they won't tarnish your honour. Your dignity!" The samurai nearly spat the words as he shot a glare at a few men that seemed wary, scarred.
"Though we will die today. We will be remembered as the heroes that didn't waver. That stood their ground and fulfilled their destiny. Our ancestors smile upon us, the gods are with us. Let's make sure that we will go down with a smile on our face!"



Looking upon the defences, Kazufusa frowned. The troops that stood behind the trench, stakes and shields waved the banner of the Hojo and Miyara clan. If anything, Kazufusa would have turned his detachment back and try to convince his commander that they were walking straight into a trap. Things were too easy. Yet, Kazufusa had remained silent during the meeting as he would have been overruled anyways and he had only recently been assigned as captain. If he could avoid it, he would rather not sacrifice his promotion merely because he felt something was off.

"Deploy archers." The mounted officer calmly ordered. The order would be repeated by a sergeant, waving a banner. Only a few seconds later did the archers move forward and starting to their places.
"Notch." The captain instructed as he turned his attention towards the defenders. "Loose."

The arrows would be released, soaring through the cold winter air. As a large swarm of angry hornets, they would start to descend downwards, with some of them falling into the trench as others managed to fall behind the shields. From their distance, Kazufusa couldn't witness the sounds that their arrows had hit their mark. Before he was able to state another instruction, an answer was given by the defenders. A volley was shot from behind the defences, together unleashed with a battle cry.
Various archers of Kafusa would fall, breathing their last breath as an arrow mortally wounded them. Many more were unflinched as they weren't hit by the projectiles.
This exchange of volleys lasted a few times until Kafuza ordered the infantry to move forward. He had rather instructed the infantry to move around and attack the enemy from the sides. But the flooded fields would make such movement impossible as troops could get stuck or were too bogged down to effectively assault the enemy from the sides.

Watching the infantry move with their pikes, the defenders didn't stop unleashing volleys. The captain did notice that more aimed shots were taken, soon causing the path towards the defences to be littered with dying and wounded men.



Fighting on the front, Mochiaki felt the bitter sting of exhaustion. The enemy were coming with more numbers and though they had halted their volleys of arrows, to prevent shooting their own men, their pikes were now doing good work in thinning out Mochiaki's defence.
Wielding a yari himself, Mochiaki didn't have the reach to fight fairly against the enemy footmen. But they had to move through a trench, putting them at a slight disadvantage.
Stabbing an enemy in the shoulder, Mochiaki released another battlecry which was joined by his comrades at arms. They were starting to lose ground as their numbers started to dwindle but most of them still fought with the tenacity of a cornered tiger. Causing the enemy to pay dearly for each inch of ground they wanted to take.

Feeling a hot sensation at his right leg, Mochiaki gasped for air. Only to unleash an angry yell as he brought his yari down to the man that attempted to climb out of the trench. Feeling the satisfying vibration moving through the shaft of his spear, Mochiaki smiled. Just before an enemy footmen managed to slip past and stab the wounded samurai in the neck - thus ending his life.
 
The 13th Brigade
Eastern continent, Wolf Country.
The 13th Brigade of Akino - Disciples of (Lord) Akumu.



Koike Hon
| Leader of Team 6 | A colonel of the 13th Brigade, leading the Foot companions | Lieutenant-Colonel of the Guardians |


The march was ‘quiet’. As far as one could call a march of hundreds of soldiers quiet. The sound of the mumbled talk was drowned by the boots crunching through the snow, the jingling of chainmail, the clanging of armour and soft squeaking of leather. If they weren’t armoured or armed, one could almost mistake them for a religious march of some sort.
Among them, Koike marched with them. He had noticed that morale was surprisingly high. The men of the 13th were of the rough sort. The time that they had to spend waiting, patrolling and guarding had irked them. Training was a way to let the men get some steam off but it wouldn’t be enough. They were longing for a good fight. The question was if they were up for today’s fight.
If anything, these moments with his battalion had given a new experience. Their advance through the dark of the night and assembling in the morning had been different. With their resources limited and them not being allowed to take many camp followers, there had been only one priest that could do the rituals to appease some of their gods.Yet the men had gathered in utter silence. To wait and watch as the priest would do his work. The grey-bearded priest would end his rituals, mumbling words and requesting the favour of the gods. Valdar and Signý in particular.

Once the ritual had been completed, they had moved into formation and started to march. Koike had been able to catch murmurs that made him alert. There were certain officers and their men that weren’t happy with their role. Even despite most finding a certain joy and honour to commit to their role - taking on the brunt of the enemy and proving their weight compared to the allied force. There were elements within the 13th that were wary. These discontent elements were of the opinion that this wasn’t a role of honour. But that they were simply used to bleed out the enemy at the cost of men that fought underneath the standard of the 13th. That they were considered less valuable than the other two brigades and their soldiers.
Making the mental note to be wary of that and alerting Hayate, Koike realised that he shouldn’t worry about that yet. There was no telling, after all, if he would make it alive today.

Arriving on the destination, there was a light fog that created a particularly ominous atmosphere. Slowly breathing in and out, Koike tried to already picture the mass of enemies that would storm their ranks. But so far, the area in front of them void of any enemy unit.
Turning to his right, Koike saw how the Republican force tasked with same object would take place. Turning left, Koike could somewhat see some of the banners held high by the northerners of the Lightning.
Hopefully, they would be up for the task today.

Koike’s attention was caught by a small group of horsemen. It was Erling Hon, the brigade’s general. The man shot a stern look at his troops, followed by some of his personal picked guard - who were clad in the heavier plate and mail, of the First Battalion.
There was no speech given by Erling as he seemed to just inspect the ranks of his brigade.
Watching the man and his small retinue pass by, Katsu spoke up.
"So much from him, huh?"

Koike just nodded as he stared for a moment longer at the direction of where Erling had ridden off towards.
"So, what now?"
”We get ready.” Koike replied, raising his right hand to pat Katsu’s shoulder.



They were in position. And the sun was very slowly moving up. From their position on the hill, they had good sight on the area in front of them. The horde that came to assemble into a battle formation in front of them was terrifying. They outnumbered them and seemed to swarm to fill every inch of the field in front of them. The faint noise of their shouts, yelling and clanging weapons was disheartening, even for the eager ranks of the 13th.
Walking, Koike patted some shoulders and backs of the troops as he slowly made his way to the unit of Skoli. The large, bearded captain was at the front of his unit. The usual cheerfulness was gone and with a stern gaze, he looked down on the enemy.
”Colonel, sir,” Skoli spoke up, noticing who was approaching. He turned his attention almost immediately towards the enemy. ”Seems that we got quite the audience in front of us, eh?” The captain gestured to the much larger force in a most nonchalant fashion.

”Yeah.” Koike replied, nodding slowly as he would be followed by Katsu. Standing next to the taller and older man, Koike also watched the opposing side.
”Make sure to keep the lines tight. I don’t want any of those bastards to push through and get to Torrad’s ranks. He would curse for weeks if we won’t hold.”
A chuckle escaped Skoli as he would respond.
”More like months. But aye, you got my word colonel. The lads and I will give our all. I hope it will be enough.”
Koike decided to glance at the troops, half turning as he did so. Most men had seen battle and war before. They were aware that they could die today. But in all of their battles, they hadn’t faced such huge odds. Even in the Great War, there hadn’t been a battle where the situation had been this dire.
”Listen up,” Koike decided to shout, thus gaining the attention as he would make a bit of distance from the first rank. The faint shouting and noise of the enemy still pierced through the air as Koike continued, shouting.

”I am going to be honest with you lads. I could talk about your honour.” Letting his gaze move over the men, those who had been assigned to his captains, to his battalion. ”But you are here.” A pause followed as he tried to keep his mind focused on what he should tell the men. ”You know enough about honour.”
Inhaling, Koike threw a glance over his shoulder before turning once more to the men that silently waited. Their attention focused on the colonel. Anger started to take root as Koike realised that he wouldn’t be able to protect each and single one of them.

”I know you as men. But today,” not intentional, some of Koike’s anger started to slowly slip into his tone. ”We are the beasts our foes and rivals claim we are. We fight for the gods, our ancestors, our parents,” Koike’s voice started to become louder as his eyes narrowed. ”Our children and land. I don’t care as long as you fight.”
The silence would be disturbed as shafts of spears, axes and the blunt side of swords were slammed against the steel rims of shields. Men shouted and the uproar seemed a most fitting answer to that of their enemy.
Raising his hands Koike flashed a wry grin, waiting for the silence to return.
”After all, I keep hearing reports that they outnumber us. 5 to 1 even.” Letting his arms slowly fall to his side, Koike turned half around and threw a look at the enemy forces before turning back to his men.
”Seems to me that they are the ones outnumbered. Make sure that I am not wrong!”
Once more the battalion would let out an uproar, this time with more spirit to it.

Walking back to the lines, Koike received a large grin and pat on the shoulder as he passed Skoli. The large captain joined the uproar only afterwards.
Passing through the ranks, Koike would be followed by Katsu. The shouting and noise of the men were almost deafening but it drowned a portion the anxiety of the wait for the battle.
"Seems they liked it." Katsu shouted, the only way to get himself audible to Koike.
”Aye. Now, let us hope that they will indeed not prove me wrong.”
 
A Pleasant Talk
Village of Alfstedt, within the borders of the House of Magnhild - Hon clan heartlands.
Empire of Akino.

The Drunken Goat establishment.
A collab between Conman and Lesli.


Summary:
As the group enters the tavern, the Drunken Goat, they start to engage into interactions. This collab is regarding the exchange that is between Orun Hyzu and Yumi Hasewaga, as the two enter into a polite talk.




Orun sat and drank the brew in his hand, the dark ale’s color was matched by it’s taste, filling him with fire like a whiskey. Perhaps a housemade ale? He had never encountered the alcohol on the road. Many towns had their own special “brew” and Orun had tasted many over the years, so he would not doubt it if this place did. The whole scene brought him back to the days of travel. Years where he would ride his dragon and work in the countryside for a time. It was freerer to be certain, but the work as a shinobi seemed more fulfilling to Orun. Listening to the songs of various tavern goers in different tongues urged Orun to sing his own tune, but he refrained, instead humming as he drank the ale. It was a good evening for relaxing after such a tense time.

For a bit, Yumi had taken some distance. The mastery she had over the Chonobi language wasn’t very extensive and she wasn’t in favour to capture much attention. Content with watching the ongoing activities, she would briefly scan the room from where she sat at where the other members were. At the moment, she was more acquintated with a few from Team 4 and the leader of team 8. Taking a sip of her drink, she briefly wondered how Tsubasa and the others were handling themselves. Not having forgotten the request, Yumi doubted though that she could buy the requested souvenir for Tsubasa in a small hamlet let like Alfstedt.
Glancing at the other person that had accompanied the group, Yumi couldn’t recall much about the man. Only remembering that he had been assigned to guard the entrance during the previous engagement with the zealots in the caverns.

“So, you’re from team 8?” Yumi decided to start with. “I am sorry but I don’t think we had the pleasure of meeting each other throughly.” Pausing for a moment, Yumi flashed a polite smile, deciding to introduce herself first. “Yumi.”

Orun raised a hand in greeting to Yumi as she spoke to him. He offered her his own polite smile and listened as she introduced herself, asking him the simple question. ”Indeed I am, my name is Orun.” He saw no need to include his last name, as she had not offered her own. He was not one hundred percent familiar with all the members of their group, but he knew at least that she was not a member of either Team 4 or Team 8. ”It is a pleasure to meet you Yumi.” He took a short sip from his drink. ”I must admit, it is likely the fault of my own habits that we have not spoken before this. I trust your evening is going well?”

She would attempt to remember the name. Taking a sip of her drink, Yumi would follow it up by a nod to indicate her answer already. “So far, yes. Been some time since I have been in a place like this. Though I can’t complain about it. It is certainly a nice change from a barn or being on the road.” Weighing an option, Yumi decided to ask a question in return.
“You state it was the fault of your own habits? Is that because you don’t like to meet new folk or are you one of those shy types?”

Orun chuckled at the question, he couldn’t help it. ”Oh no no, I just tend to keep to myself. It’s an old habit from days when I travelled plenty. It is only in recent years that i’ve had the pleasure of company in my days, and even then old habits die hard.” He tapped the side of his nose. It was slightly crooked, evidence that it had been broken at one point ”I received this as reward for being too talkative a long time ago, and ever since I tend to keep to myself.” He looked around the tavern. ”Staying in places like these takes me back, and it’s nice to remember those times. Why so long since you’ve been in a tavern though? Don’t travel much, or just stick to a camp when you do?”

For a moment, Orun’s question made Yumi wonder if she could spill much about her time before Kiyomi had decided to appoint her as a Scholae. Then again, she prefers not to go over that with anybody of either team 4 or 8. They wouldn’t likely not understand or would start to question things. Both outcomes not really favourable, in Yumi’s opinion.
“Rarely had time. Downside when you’re constantly on missions. I don’t tend to drink or make merry when being assigned to complete an objective.” Yumi replied. “Though seeing that we are on some sort of wait, or well, leave. I figure that it wouldn’t hurt.” Would be her answer as she decided to leave the part out that involved Meilin and Aoi. “That and I honestly don’t like to drink much. So I guess that is also a factor to likely not spot me in any tavern on my own.”

Orun shrugged in response. ”I find a good ale and warm meal after a long day is a way to travel when you are alone. Though of course, back when I travelled I wasn’t on any mission. To each their own I suppose.” The music danced around them like the smoke of a pipe in the air, some of it markedly less pleasing than others to the ears. ”So tell me Yumi, what songs do the people sing in your hometown?” Orun switched the topic rather abruptly. Travelling stirred up feelings of nonstalgia in his mind, and he always enjoyed listening to the songs sung in the taverns of foreign places, it was a good topic to carry on with, he felt.

The question caused the Scholae to think for a second. “I suppose all kind of songs. I was born and raised in Konohagakure. Though I never was one to interact much around or with people that went to establishments like these. Let alone sing. I fear that I am a dreadful singer.” The young woman replied with the hint of a polite smile. “What about you though? You stated you traveled a lot? I assume that must be quite a different pace than being part of the Imperial military.”

He nodded back to Yumi. ”Born and raised in Konohagakure eh? I grew up near the city, in my clan’s compound.” He smiled a bit at the returned question. ”I can sing quite a few. I travelled all over the Empire, and singing in a local inn or tavern often earned me some coin. People enjoy a good song or ballad during a meal or while drinking an ale.” His gaze became more unfocused as his eyes drifted to the nearby hearth. ”Travelling around, moving from place to place. It was vastly different from the military. Nothing at stake. Only your pace and whims to direct you….” His words drifted off, his tone wistful.

Taking another small sip of her drink, Yumi listened to what Orun replied on his turn. As Orun seemed to drift off, Yumi waited a second or two. Then she spoke up, throwing a glance at the merrymaking that took place in the establishment. “In a way, that sounds great. Being so free. But to wander around without much purpose or a goal in mind. I don’t think that I would be able to enjoy it for long.” She replied, turning her gaze back at Orun. “Besides that, I do enjoy the prospect of a constant payment than to rely on what people would give me for singing. Though, I suppose that is because I am a horrible singer at best.” She would add, meant as a half-hearted joke.

He shrugged in return, his mind clearly returning to the conversation at hand. ”It was a different time for me. It had it’s own trials though.” He grinned at the joke. ”But I doubt your singing could be so bad!” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the table behind him, where several drunken patrons were singing an awful tune that sounded vaguely like a drinking song from the Chonobi, but it was hard to tell through the slurred speech and garbled voices that attempted a fractured harmony. ”Now that lot, they could do with a few lessons.” The words went unnoticed by the drunkards as they continued to nurse their ales and sing.

She reckoned, when Orun brought up that such a lifestyle had its own trials. “Well, it is likely not too far from their league.” Yumi replied back, a smile crossing her lips as she would then empty her mug with a last sip. “But I suppose that I will just stick to my own current set of talents.” Yumi added, wary of what could follow such a topic that they were discussing. “Though, where was this clan’s compound? You said nearby Konohagakure, didn’t you?”

”I will take your word for it then.” Orun replied, and then finished his own ale. ”The Hyuzu compound. We live a ways out of Konoha.” The reply should have, reasonably speaking, summed up what Yumi wanted to know. ”It’s a nice place, I just choose to live in the city now.”

So he was a Hyuzu? The new bit of information was interesting but she wouldn’t attempt to see what more she could delve out him. For while she wasn’t much acquainted with the Hyuzu - save it for some facts - there was the obvious return on which he could ask about her possible origin. “I have never been to the Hyuzu compound. Judging, however, by what tools and smithed work your kin produce, I imagine it must be a thriving centre.” Yumi replied as she would continue. “A friend of mine is actually a smith herself. She likes to collect various tools. Such as hammers and the like. As collectibles, you could say.” The Scholae decided to add to slightly steer the conversation to another topic. “What kind of hobbies did you pick up while you were galavanting?”

Orun smiled at the questions that were returned, but picked up on an attempt to redirect the conversation away from origins. Perhaps she did not wish to speak of the topic, and Orun could sympathize. Perhaps placed in her shoes, he would feel the same. Instead of asking the obvious return question, he nodded at her compliments to the Hyuzu. ”Aye, they say my kin are some of the greatest smiths of the land. I must profess, I learned the trade from my parents, but it has always been more of a hobby then it has been a profession.” He embraced the new topic, as the thoughts of smithing were prone to bringing him towards the thoughts of his family. ”Ah, well, let’s see….. I mean, I suppose you could call harvesting fields a hobby of sorts. Aside from singing, and the occasional small carving, I did little aside from travel. I just sort of stopped in and looked for work in villages I passed and stayed until the job was finished. So, I picked up a bit of knowledge about plenty of trades, not really any hobbies per say though.” He nodded towards her. ”What of yourself?”

Briefly, Yumi glanced to see if she could make eyecontact with a server. Managint to do so, she would gesture to order two more drinks before turning her attention back to Orun. Listening to what he said about his hobbies, she would straighten her back for a moment. “I am not sure if I can consider that a hobby,” she began, regarding to harvesting fields. “I have never worked in a field. Let alone in any other profession than in the military.” Taking a second, Yumi considered how she should formulate her hobby into words. Frankly, it wasn’t a hobby but merely to keep honing her skills and bloodline ability. Perhaps she had taken it over from Leo, who actually had made it into a living.
“I sculpture.” She finally said, feeling strange for doing so. “I make small sculptures from time to time. Nothing fancy but it keeps me busy and helps to clear the mind.”

He nodded in reply to the response. He had meant it more as a half hearted joke then a real hobby anyways. ”It does seem that the life of the military consumes all who decide to join in it. I am thankful I took time when I was younger to travel, I must say.” The server was quick, delivering to the table the drinks requested, and Orun paid her for the pair of drinks, taking a sip of the dark ale that was delivered to him. ”So, what do you typically sculpt? I have never had the pleasure of speaking to anyone who engages in the art.”

For a second, Yumi considered to show him what simple art she made. The Scholae assumed that he was thinking she worked with stone and tools to form the art. Not with using crystals and just her mind to visualise what she wanted. Raising her right hand, she would nod towards it to indicate that he should pay attention to it.
“I am not that creative as my sibling. However,” slowly the young woman opened her hand to reveal a small flower, the crystal reflecting the light. “I do consider myself adept enough to make small matters like these.” Placing the very small piece of crystal on the table between them, Yumi would take a sip from her drink before she spoke again.

“You can take it. Seeing you paid for this drink.” Yumi stated. “It is a bit brittle but it is a rather quick work, anyways.”

Orun’s eyes were wide as he picked up the delicate crystal flower, examining it in amazement. ”It is beautiful.” He twirled it around by the small brilliant stem, watching as the creation sparkled in the light of the fire and candles. ”Fascinating.” He nodded his agreement to the trade. He looked to her. ”A power of your bloodline I assume? You could make much money as an Artisan selling to nobles, i’m certain.” He cocked his head to the side. ”Hmmm…..” He thought for a moment as he continued to look at the crystal flower. After a bit, he looked up. ”If that is what you can do in only a moment, it leaves me to wonder what sort of creation you could make given time.”

An amused snort followed Orun’s statement, of selling her art to nobles. “It is, yes. But I prefer not to deal with nobility. Most of them are upstart cunts, if you ask me.” The Scholae brusquely stated as she would follow the comment with a sip of her drink. “For now, I will let you wonder about that. Anything larger and I might cause a ruckus. I doubt that would be appreciated by the others. Though, I am less creative with using my abilities for art. More so for straightforward affairs. Such as serving the military.”

He shrugged. Orun had never had a problem with selling any of his own services to nobles if they requested him. Smithing was less of a job and more of a hobby, for certain, but he had done some work in the past. He had been raised to become a smith like many of the Hyuzu of his clan, and his work was good enough if some nobleman wanted a sword. ”Aye, many of them are upstart cunts, but, coin is coin.” He looked around at the other tavern goers, the party of drunks that had so loudly sung before was being shooed out of the tavern by the barkeep, as they had started to cause trouble. They went without a problem. ”It also seems a shame that such an art would be monopolized by the military, but alas, such is the way of the world.” Orun drew from a small leather pouch on his side a small wooden dragon, modeled off his own. It was unfinished, quite clearly, a rough outline of what it would become, the extended neck, folded wings, and body defined, and a few details added, as if Orun had just begun work on adding the details to the carving. He placed it on the table. ”I cannot offer this one to you, it is not finished yet, but I figured I might show a bit of my own hobby in exchange.”

“And coin is not everything. For I never had much time to enjoy much of my salary.” Yumi said, quite amused by the mere fact she also never had fancied to earn much. If she were to be forced to work for free, she would hardly have trouble with it. When Orun brought up that it was a shame that it was monopolized by the military, she could bring up Leo. But she didn’t. “It sure seems so. I have only recently encountered another with this ability. Though I will need to mentor her before she can utilize it in any operation, I dread.” Yumi further commented, taking another sip of her drink.
When Orun revealed a piece of art on his own, Yumi observed it first without gently picking it up. She had heard of dragons, being actual beings. Supposingly being malicious creatures that burned and ravaged the land, much like their Chonobi comrades that apparently commanded or befriended them. A fitting beast for the reputation of dreadful heathens, if one had to believe the some written work.

“I like it.” She added an emphasizing nod as she would place it back on the table. “I imagine it is harder to work with carving wood. I can simply add a piece or correct an error. If you make an error. A slip and causing a flaw, well.” A gentle smile appeared on Yumi’s features. “You’re basically forced to redo it. Aren’t you?”

Orun shrugged. ”Aye, coin is not everything, but it is unfortunately something that is required for one to have a home and eat.” He could appreciate the observance as she first looked, then picked up the small wooden figurine. He wondered, lightly, what went through her head as she looked at it. He could guess. Few were fans of giant, fire breathing creatures that could consume a whole deer just to satisfy their hunger. It was a sad reality, given how close Chu was with Tireo. The dragon was a close friend of Orun, yet their time together was limited to places in which he would not cause a ruckus. He picked up the wooden dragon figurine and turned it over in his hand. ”A practised and steady hand is key, I must admit. It is not easy to create such things quickly, they all take time.” He recalled the countless wooden carvings he had thrown away upon making some mistake. Shave a little bit of wood too much here or there, and the whole thing could be ruined. ”This one will be the likeness of Tireo, my dragon.” He said absentmindedly. ”It took me two whole months to get it to this shape, and I suspect it will be at least another to add the details.” He placed it in the leather pouch at his side.

She wanted to reply that home and food were merely luxuries for when one would be constantly deployed on operations. But she would simply nod, keeping once more information to herself. “I figure it takes time. Only time I have seen a dragon was in a book. And that was almost a decade ago.” Yumi said, wondering if she could make a joke regarding the beasts without provoking Orun. She decided against it. “Though you say that you have a dragon?” A frown moved on the young woman’s brow as she slightly leaned forward. “Must be more trouble than keeping a hound or cat, I wager. Though, I have never dealt with more than a horse. Though, once I had to fend for a goat. My experience with animals is rather limited, unless I got to kill them.” The Scholae would take a sip from her drink, pausing thus before she continued. “So, Tireo. What are dragons like? Outside the stories.”

Orun scratched his chin thoughtfully. ”Aye, most people don’t see dragons outside of books. What are they like though? There are others in my clan who could go on for ages about other dragons, but Tireo is truly the only one I have met and properly interacted with.” He thought for a moment about the dragon, and then spoke. ”Well, they are not much for table manners, i’ll tell you that. But otherwise? I can’t say in mind that they are much different than people. Tireo, at least, can speak and hold conversations just as well as any other person? His voice is not easy on the ears, and takes some getting used to, but he holds wisdom beyond his years. He is not hard to care for, being a summon he can return to his homeland to feed if he needs to, he cleans his own scales. There is very little I have to assist him with.” He thought back to the time that he had been nipped at for trying to pet a dragon like a dog when he was a child. ”They are companions, first and foremost, and they hate being treated as pets for any reason. I am not so much an owner and master of Tireo as I am a friend and partner. Of course they are quite fearsome looking, but once you get past that, they are just as good as a cat or dog. Outside of that? Most are loyal and kind. But just like humans they have differing personalities.” He paused to take a drink from his ale. ”That is what Tireo is like. That is all I can generally say about them, but I can answer more specific questions if you have them.”

Enjoying her drink, slowly, Yumi would listen to what Orun would tell her. In truth, she found it hard to believe him. Not because she barely knew him but because she found it hard to believe that a large reptile could be much like a dog or cat. A pause followed after Orun’s explanation as his suggestion that he could answer more specific questions.
“I can’t really come up with any specific questions. Truth be told, I have seen dreadful creatures in my time of service. Actually, it is rather odd that I can’t believe that such creatures are real.” She subtly pointed at the small carving, as if she expected it to just rise up and fly across the tavern. The cryptic words would be followed with a soft chuckle. “But, I do wonder now. How do you properly communicate with a dragon then? If this Tireo is your companion and partner, do you sleep with… it? Must be comfortable if they can indeed spit fire. Certainly seems a welcome attribute for the cold seasons and nights.”

He found it odd that he would have to restate something he said earlier, but he figured the woman must not taken his words quite literally. ”Aye, he’s naturally warm. At times, I do not even need a tent to stay warm in the evenings. Just a wing that he folds over me. It’s hard to describe, sleeping next to a dragon. He isn’t dreadful, just dreadful looking. He talks normally enough, words in voice, or for those who don’t find his voice so appealing, he can talk in your head.” He tapped the side of his skull. ”But out of courtesy he tends to avoid such an invasion. To some, the mind is the only sanctuary they have left, and they can be hard to spot.” He looked out the window longingly. ”It is odd. He is well and truly one half of me. After the trials and tribulations that I went through to form a bond with him, he and I…. well, being separated from him is difficult I suppose. We do not typically spend much time apart, but, well….” He gestured around at the rest of the party that had been with them on the journey. ”Some do not take so kindly to fire breathing creatures coming to keep a member of their squad company.” He turned his head back towards Yumi. ”It is difficult for some to understand.”

It was somewhat endearing that he actually didn’t seem to take on her joke. That or Tsubasa had been right about her capability to clear out when she made out a joke. Upon hearing that the beast could communicate through the mind, Yumi didn’t feel her want to meet such a creature to increase. Even if the beast was ‘civil’ about it, that didn’t mean others weren’t. If anything, the Scholae could only understand more why common people were so wary of the beasts. “I see.” For a second, Yumi wasn’t entirely sure how to continue the exchange. While she understood that some people had a close connection to a pet or animal, she didn’t know what to think of Orun’s bond with his dragon. “Oh? Did any of your team objected then to the idea of having a dragon traveling with you?” The young woman asked, though already capable of thinking of arguments why one wouldn’t desire a creature like a dragon to accompany them on the road.

Orun scratched his chin a bit and then shrugged. ”When I find a fit moment to introduce him I will, for now I don’t have him summoned. If it comes time and they are alright with it? Perhaps then, but for now, i’ll travel without him.” He sipped his ale. ”Aside from that, travelling with a dragon is typically about speed too. If you don’t wish to draw attention to yourself you have to go on long detours around populated areas, and it becomes a hassle if you have a mission to go on. Typically on missions it is just easier to ride a horse.”

Nodding, Yumi replied in turn. “Fair enough.” Taking a sip, thus emptying her mug, Yumi would release a soft sigh. Flashing a polite smile at Orun, the young woman would slowly raise herself up from the bench. “I am going to see if I can score one more drink and then probably see what the others are up to. That or heading back to the barn soon.” Offering a subtle nod, the Scholae would turn around to do as she had said she would.
 
Ambush!
Gedric Hon

Summary: As the Raikage’s forces advance north, they are met by a surprise attack. Badly bloodied, they retreat along they same route they had just marched.

Gedric’s forces fought savagely in the face of arrows, archers and cavalry attempting to stem the tide of the sudden, and brutal, attack. He had the veracious courage of his cavalry to thank for the lives of his troops. Thousands of men no doubt had been spared death in the face of quick and sudden action of a few hundred horsemen swiftly reacting to the attack that was presented.

Gedric was about fourteen days march from the castle which he had left with his forces. An army of twenty four thousand men marched with him, thirty-five hundred his own mercenary troops, battle hardened men. Five hundred were the more hardened veterans and older men of the mercenary company, men Gedric knew could be trusted in whatever position they had to hold. They were the few in the army armed in the Chonobi style, with most being heavy or medium infantry, about a hundred and fifty being cavalry and a few hundred being archers. The rest were the Taika troops of the Raikage’s forces. Twenty thousand men, organized under new officers. It had been because of the relative inexperience of his forces, and because they were supposedly taking a route to the Regency that was controlled by the Raikage’s forces (Gedric had planned to take a well established mountain pass that had been fortified at the pass). Thus they had not put out many scouts to watch the path that they would take on the route to the battle, and of those, very few watched the road ahead of them to check for traps.

It was lucky that they were caught on the march, at least the troops had weapons and equipment on hand. If they had been ambushed in the night, it would have been all hooves and thunder for many troops in his army. He had seen it before. Cavalry riding like lightning out of the darkness and setting upon an unprepared camp, killing men and then fading into darkness with a wake of death and chaos behind them. Gedric’s forces were lucky though. The Regency’s forces, or at least those that he could see from the top of the hill he was on, were all cavalry. They had been quiet in their trap, but it had been caught by his scouts finally, a failed attempt at killing a small patrol had lead to a small forewarning for Gedric and the officers. He had immediately deployed his skirmishers to the front and given an order for an about face for his main body of troops, then ordered around a thousand more cavalry brought from their guarded positions to the field. The skirmishers and cavalry would make a stand as a rearguard while the rest of the army retreated. Gedric spotted a few companies of Regency warriors in the field, around three to four thousand men. A few were dressed in the style of the nomads of the steppes, raining arrows upon his defending troops, however most of the mounted troops were dressed in the style of the Taika, Samurai horsemen. The feared Lightning Cavalry, said to be the best shock cavalry available, smashed and battered the slower moving skirmishers like mounted death. Thousands of men would be slain on this field for his failures as a commanding officer.

The general of the first division, Lord Kazuyuki, halted beside him, his own mounted bodyguard holding position behind him. ”Lord Commander, you must retreat.” Gedric looked to the man who was mounted upon a stark white steed, a blue banner with a lone horsemen facing down a dragon emblazoned in crimson upon it. ”We cannot lose the leadership of the army, in the face of our foes, Lord Commander.” The stony gaze of the man met his. Kazuyuki Tukotomi, that was his full name, he recalled. The man was a veteran of just as many battles as Gedric, if not more. This fight was already lost, and they both knew it. He could already anticipated the Lord’s next words. ”I will stay behind and command the rearguard, you must escape with the rest of the army and lead them.” Gedric said nothing to the man but nodded solemnly. ”It is my own chosen fate to stay upon this field.” The man finished, and then rode off, his bodyguard forming up beside him as they rode off at breakneck pace. It was the fate of such an honorable man to defend the field to the last, and Gedric had a sinking feeling in his stomach, knowing that he was about to lose one of his most competent generals. Still, he turned his horse and, with his own bodyguard, rode off after the retreating troops.

The skirmishers that deployed were quickly overwhelmed in the face of the enemy cavalry. The men were lightning quick with their horses, eager and able on the field that was presented to them, riding like lightning into the midst of the troops. Still the fighting was brutal, skirmishers fighting like mad men to defend themselves in the face of certain death, selling their lives dearly and slowing the cavalry down. Nearby, the cavalry of the Raikage attempted to stem the tide of the enemy quite unsuccessfully, they were simply too few to make any real difference. Only three hundred upon the field to face at least four thousand? It was not a fight that favored them, and they had only been able to slow the enemy cavalry originally because of the fact that the enemy was surprised by the sheer audacity that three hundred horsemen had been willing to charge them. Now they had been swarmed and most were dead. It would not be long before they broke.

They had only to delay the enemy long enough though. Realizing that they would be ridden down, the brigade commander of the four thousand vanguard troops wheeled his men about and prepared to fight, forming his Yari Ashigaru into a rough line backed by his foot samurai, Katana Ashigaru, and Naginata Ashigaru. The four hundred Yumi Ashigaru formed up behind this line of men, facing the enemy cavalry with a look of grim determination, their officer on horseback with a few bodyguards riding up and down the line and shouting orders. Still, the faces of the men were doubtful in the face of the mounted foe they faced, and they were still outnumbered in terms of skirmishers and archers.

The cavalry that Gedric ordered, arrived and broke around the formed up position in two streams, forming into flying wedges and smashing into the enemy cavalry, the banner of Lord Tukotomi in their midst. The frontlines ground to a halt for a moment. Horses screamed and men cried out in pain. For a moment, it looked like they might hold, and the young brigade commander wandered if he should commit his own troops, but then all at once the floodgates opened. The inexperience and lack of inspiration of the cavalry officers in command proved fatal as horsemen wheeled about and fled the field, scattering. In a matter of minutes, only a few hundred cavalry of the Raikage were left once more to hold the line, Tukotomi at their center. The cavalry around them did not wait to crush the pocket of the few hundred men, instead wheeling about and dashing at the lines of Yari Ashigaru, but breaking around them before making contact with the spears. Helplessly, the young commander watched as arrows flew from the mass of cavalry troops, cutting down the shieldless Taika warriors. It was not long before the already wavering frontline attempted to flee in the face of the fight, pushing into the ranks of the men behind them and disorganizing the ranks. It was a moment that was taken full advantage of by the enemy cavalry, who drove the nail home, charging home with precision and ferocity. They killed men in droves. The commander tried to rally his men, but it was far too late. The cavalry broke through the roughly arrayed troops, attacking the unprotected Yumi ashigaru who dropped their bows in an attempt to defend themselves. The man raised his sword as the cavalry pushed past the lines and shouted encouragement to his bodyguards. They were the last of the combat troops.

When it was over, the commander of the Regency advance force picked his way through the field, looking solemnly down at the faces of the dead and dying. It was not great honor to fight his own countrymen. They should, by all rights, be fighting together, taking on some outside threat. It had been poor circumstance that they should battle upon the field against one another. they would stay to bury the dead. His men and their horses were exhausted anyways, it would do no good to pursue the force of men. They had, in their rush to follow the enemy, left their supplies behind with the rest of the troops. They would have to wait for them anyways, and they were several hours behind at best.

He rode over to where the last of the enemy cavalry had fallen, finding in their midst a boy, no older than seventeen, bleeding upon the ground, an arrow having struck him in the gut. He was still alive, babbling incoherently for various people the commander assumed must have been family members. He begged the gods to make the pain stop, to end his suffering. The commander dismounted from his horse and went to the boy who was still babbling, drawing his sword and giving him the mercy he had begged the gods for. Then he remounted his horse and spun it around. This was simply the way of things. The way of war.
 
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Between Grey and Blue
Village of Alfstedt, within the borders of the House of Magnhild - Hon clan heartlands.
Empire of Akino.

The Drunken Goat establishment.
A relative short collab between FrostedCamel and Aliceee.

Summary:
Aoi wanders a bit around the establishment, until she sees the Grey Guard that goes by the name of Astrid. The two share a talk and then part ways, Astrid revealing that she will be gone quite early in the morning.


Wandering her way through the tavern wouldn’t have been hard had the place been empty, but with the many occupants present even moving from one side of the table to the other became a bit of a chore as one had to press past groups of people and furniture items far more than would appear necessary. Stopping as a group of men pushed back from their table and made away laughing and joking in Chonobi Aoi would take the opportunity to take another drink of whatever it was that was in her hand, having lost track of what the names of the things she was drinking sometime before, before continuing her arduously slow journey to a destination she no longer knew. A small smile sprouting on her lips as she spotted her team and the others she was about to move to join them once more before noticing the somewhat familiar shape of a woman to the edge of the tavern, pressed in neatly against a stanchion with the wall at her back as she seemed to watch the crowd and enjoy a drink by herself. Hesitating, not wanting to disturb the Grey Guard, Aoi would take another drink before pushing her way through the crowd to slide in alongside Hon.

Pressing her back neatly against the wall to the side of Astrid, Aoi would offer a smile as her logical brain protested approaching the woman at all, “I know it’s too late to ask permission to join you,” Aoi motioned at the wall and the fact she’d already taken a place, “but I hope I’m not unwelcome after what happened.” she said, a hint of guilt obvious in her voice even over the dull roar of the tavern as the girl played a finger around the bottom of her glass.

An amused expression became visible on Astrid’s features. ”Too late. But you’re certainly welcome to join me, aye.” The woman replied. Taking a sip of her drink, Astrid kept observing the scenery in front of them. ”I was used to now and then visit a place like this. With my old man.” Astrid just began on a casual tone, like Aoi was more than just an acquaintance ”I always hear people wanting to reach higher ranks. To become more than what they are. But if you ask me,” Astrid subtly nodded towards the merry making patrons. ”Doesn’t seem so bad, at all.”

Taking another sip of her drink, Astrid would enlist a pauze. ”So, what is your opinion on it all? On these supposingly fur-wearing folk.”

Nodding as Astrid gave her the okay to join her Aoi would make herself a bit more comfortable alongside the woman as she raised her mug to her mouth for a moment. As she lowered her mug from her lips she’d take a quick breath before nodding to Grey Guard, “I didn’t often frequent places like this. Did most of my drinking with friends when my parents weren’t watching.” she admitted with a small laugh before tilting her head to the side and watching the tavern in front of her as she thought of an answer for the Hon’s question.

“I think…” she began as her brow furrowed in thought, “I think I was misinformed,” she motioned with her mug, spilling a bit down the side and onto her fingers, “about them. Of the Chonobi.” she said as she watched the myriad of people drink and make merry in front of her, nothing like the wild drinking and rampant fighting she’d been told of when it came to Chonobi. “I think it’s nice. I wouldn’t much mind to do something like this again given the chance.” she nodded again as she raised her mug up past her lips to lick at her fingers before lowering it back, “I think there are a lot of things I know that I need to… rethink? Rewrite with experiences of my own. That sounds a bit more right.” she stated with a shrug.

A soft chuckle escaped the Grey Guard, when Aoi revealed when she would drink. ”That is how I started as well. Until my old man found out about it. Though, I did it alone and winded up sick.” The woman replied. When Aoi stated that she was misinformed, Astrid’s eyebrows would form a frown on her brow. As soon as Aoi spoke about them, Astrid threw a glance at the present people in the establishment. Subtly, the Grey Guard nodded.

”It is okay.” Astrid began, on a softer tone, yet audible enough for Aoi despite the current ambience. ”I don’t like tea. But,” a smile started to appear on Astrid’s lips as she continued, ”I do like the tranquillity of a teahouse. Regardless of how much I like the bustling activity of a proper Chonobi tavern, sometimes the singing can be a bit painful for the ears.” Raising her mug to take a sip, Astrid would release a soft sigh. ”I am happy though. To hear that is your opinion.”

With a small shrug Aoi would find herself feeling a bit less awkward as the Hon seemed to agree that she too enjoyed something of the Taika just as she did with the Chonobi, “Maybe one time you could accompany me to a teahouse?” she asked with a small smile, “Of course, we’d need some very good luck to be somewhere that has one at the same time.” she finished with an awkward little laugh.

Sighing as she watched the room she’d find herself at a loss for words with the Hon as suddenly as she found herself approaching the woman. Opting to take a longer drink of her mug she’d wait a moment to talk, seeing if the Hon had anything she wanted to say.

”We will need the favour of the Gods. Or attempt to sneak off from service.” Astrid replied, not hiding her own amusement about the prospect of doing something like that. ”Though, I would love to take that offer of you at a later date. Perhaps I will even try some tea again.” Astrid added to her response. With the other patrons making merry with their singing and drinking, Astrid would let a silence hang between her and Aoi for a moment.

”I do wish that I had more time to learn more about you and the team. I find it most curious on how such a formation can hold. If anything,” Astrid flashed a smile as she winked at Aoi. ”It sounds like some sort of very bad joke. A Cho, a Taika, a Hon and a Yamanaka entering a tavern. But,” her tone would become a tad more serious, ”I have to admit that I am most curious on how you and those others will endure. Hopefully, I will have the pleasure to work with you lot soon again.”

“That would be nice.” Aoi agreed before listening to what the Grey Guard had to say about the team. Once more she was a bit surprised at the woman's interest in Team 4, as if she would be able to have another chance to meet and work with them in the future. “It was worse than a bad joke at first.” she admitted as she took another drink, “But we worked it out for ourselves.” she nodded before giving the Hon a smile.

“I’d very much like to work with you again if we ever get the chance, though like you said… We’d need the favour of the Gods.” she smiled before turning to survey the tavern once more, “I think I should continue on yeah? Will we be seeing you in the morning or is tonight it?” she asked as she made to leave Astrid at her perch at the wall.

The reply of Aoi would cause Astrid to seem surprised for a moment, likely not expecting for Aoi to say she would find it nice too. ”Only making me more intrigued.” Becoming silent, Astrid would respond to the question of Aoi a few seconds later. ”I fear that I will be heading off pretty early in the morning. I already had received instructions earlier today. So I suppose that it will be just tonight.
Nodding to Aoi, Astrid continued. ”In case we won’t have any other exchange this night, I am looking forward to meet and work with you in the future, Aoi of the Miyazato. May the Gods be favourable to you and yours.”
 
To Us!
The Drunken Goat, in the village of Alfstedt.
Hon Clan heartlands, the dominion of the House of Magnhild.
Empire of Akino.

A collab between FrostedCamel and Oetje.

Summary:
Enjoying their time, Aoi and Meilin share a drink. They briefly talk about two men and what their opinion is regarding these men. The collab ends with a small toast.

The evening was going well so far. Meilin felt rather good about it. Taking a sip of her drink, she was happy to see that her team seemed to get along. There were some worries but she decided to not waste time on pondering about what could go wrong. Telling herself that she should enjoy herself this night, Meilin would notice Aoi at the table where they had started.
”Enjoying yourself?” Meilin asked as she would take a seat next to Aoi. Taking a sip of her drink, Meilin spoke afterwards.
”Maybe, we can spend some time tomorrow at the local market. Perhaps we can find something for your brother. As souvenir.”

Turning her attention from a conversation taking place at a different table in Chonobi Aoi would give Meilin a nod to her question, “Something like it.” she responded with a smirk before raising her glass to her lips and taking a drink. She took a moment to think on the Cho’s offer, the idea of getting a souvenir for Miko was a nice but she worried that it may be quite some time before she could get it to him, possibly too long for clothes to still fit or a trinket to still be within his tastes.

“I appreciate the thought, but I’m not sure it’s the best idea.” she said motioning with her drink to the outside, “Don’t really know what comes next, a souvenir might not be worth much for a boy that’s grown into a man next time I’ve seen him.” she shrugged and took another drink, forcing away the idea of his ability growing with his age as she did.

She turned back to Meilin and offered a signature devious smile before turning her eyes quickly to the large muscles man from Team 8, the Chonobi that barely talked, “So are you going to drink with him?” she asked as she gushed her voice for only Meilin to hear.

The answer of Aoi made sense. More so, it made Meilin think about her own siblings. For a moment, she couldn’t imagine them growing up to be young adults when she returned. It was for a moment a joyous thought but then she realised what she could miss out on. Experiencing Irene and Hitomo’s first love, how Atsumichi coming home with a blue eye from his first fight. Moments that Meilin would be happy to be there for her siblings. But it would be hard if she wasn’t either alive or having a large gaping distance between them.
Taking a large sip of her drink, Meiline released a loud sigh as she glanced at Aoi. A smile grew on her lips before she would reply back to Aoi.

”Maybe. Truth be told, last time that I met him when there were drinks, I slapped him in the face. Kinda hard as well.” She told, the amusement ringing clear. ”Right now,” Meilin leaned closer to Aoi as she would hush her voice slightly. ”I am more or less just waiting if he makes another move. If he does, then I will play nice. I think.”

Unable to contain the small bout of laughter that assailed her as Meilin recounted slapping the brute of a man, Aoi would hold up a hand for Meilin to continue as she laughed away coming to a gasping halt as she reigned in her mind. Obliging the Cho she’d lean toward her friend as well and nod curtly to each little pause in the girls words, “If you two do play nicely…” she began as she turned her head to face Meilin’s ears and lowered her voice, “How nice are we talking? A dance nice? A drink nice? A kiss? Should I sleep in Madoc’s room tonight?” she finished as she nudged an elbow into Meilin’s side and backed up to take a swig of her drink, her rosy cheeks giving away the very obvious fact that she was very much feeling the alcohol.

Leaning towards Aoi, Meilin listened to what Aoi asked her. The eyes of the Cho widened as her cheeks started to fluster. Moving away from Aoi, she would react at first with a light and playful shove. But it took Meilin a moment before she was able to return a reply.
”No! Gods no.” Unable to hide her own amusement, or perhaps anxiety, Meilin would release a soft laugh.
”I was thinking,” she began, almost stuttering the words out as she avoided eye contact with Aoi, ”With perhaps a drink.”
Taking a sip of her drink, Meilin licked her lips afterwards. She threw a sideways glance towards Aoi.

”Though, I already assumed you were going to pay our favorite Yamanaka a visit anyways.” A smirk crossed Meilin’s lips as she would turn her head towards Aoi.
”What are you two exactly? Just very ‘close’ friends? Lovers?”

Smiling wide as ever at the reaction she got from Meilin, Aoi couldn’t help but to chuckle at her flustered friend before giving an approving nod, “Get a drink then why don’t you? Doesn’t always have to be the guy that does such a thing right?” she shrugged as she motioned in the mans direction. With another drink from her mug she’d take a moment to glance in Madoc’s direction as Meilin spoke of him, a slight blush rising undetectably in her already rosy cheeks as she looked back to Meilin.

“We’re teammates.” she stated quietly as she took another drink, “Friends maybe. Nothing more.” she shrugged and couldn’t help but to laugh as she put on a mocking face, “Strictly business.” she said as her composure broke again and she took another swig.

She wanted to laugh. Wanted to make a joke regarding Aoi’s answer. The fact that Aoi’s blush became more apparent as she threw a look at Madoc’s direction, Meilin wasn’t entirely sure if it was due to the alcohol. Or if it was because Aoi felt something perhaps for Madoc, past ‘strict business’. For a moment, the thought surfaced in Meilin’s mind if she should perhaps do something about it. As the leader of the team, she was aware of the protocols.

”And then waste my own coin on him? Pfft,” snorting and reacting in a fashion as if she was insulted by the suggestion, Meilin would raise her chin slightly. ”I bet that all I will get is some overly courteous compliment.”
Leaning slightly towards Aoi, Meilin would attempt to feign a more masculine voice.
”Oh my lady, how nice this ale is. Allow me to smile and then bore you to death. You remind much of a book that I read last week.”
Snorting again, Meilin would attempt to wrap an arm around Aoi shoulder.
”Though, you think I should? Or should I go for something more direct? Like asking if he enjoys some horseback riding?”

“Would it really be a waste though?” Aoi quickly asked as she tried to push past her teammates curiosity into Madoc and her, “I mean him? He’s got to be interesting, you seemed like you were having a good time at the feast with him if I remember correctly, and I wasn’t that intoxicated anyway, I was less drunk than Madoc.” she said triumphantly as she let Meilin slip her arm around her shoulder.

She nodded intently and pointed toward Kazumo where he sat, sloshing a bit of her drink from her cup as she did, “Go for it. He doesn’t seem to be making the first move anyway. Such a big guy and yet he appears to be a wimp when it comes to us women.” she said as she brought her mug back to her chest and quickly up to her mouth to finish the drink, “Who knows? Maybe I will go find Madoc tonight… Depending on how bold you get with blondie over there.” she smirked and gave Meilin a wink.

She wanted to react, stating that she had fun cause she had coerced Kazumo to give it another attempt. Wondering why she felt so defensive, Meilin didn’t want to just submit that Aoi had some right.
”Truth be told.” Meilin began, in a soft voice. ”I am kind of a wimp as well. Though, less than he is.” She added, a sliver of pride clear in her voice. Raising her drink, Meilin would empty it with a swig.

”I will give him this night. If he doesn’t make a move then I will do it next time. After all,” She would return a wink back at Aoi. ”I can’t let Madoc carry you back alone. Would be a damn shame if I have to search tomorrow morning because you two got lost.”

Her face twisting into a mockingly hurt expression Aoi would raise her empty mug over her head, “We Miyazato never get lost! We’re literal living compasses!” she exclaimed far too loudly for the Cho standing directly next to her, though not loud enough to over shout any of the bustle around them.

“Fine but just know, you’re definitely ruining any chance I have with pretty boy tonight if you help carry me home. He’s too self conscious to bring me to his room if he knows you’ll be there to watch him do it.” she grinned as she turned back to the blonde boy from the feast.

“I can always talk to him for you first. Place the seed in his mind you know?”

Meilin’s eyes would briefly squint as Aoi spoke up loudly. Managing to hold a snicker back at her first comment, Meilin did have a response as Aoi brought up that Madoc was too self conscious.
”And here I thought that more souls meant more fun. But,” she threw a subtle look at where the Sarutobi was, ”Know what? Damn it all. Just make sure that you mention that he should watch it if he doesn’t want to catch these hands!”

Waving a hand at Meilin’s comment she’d grin as she leaned a bit back to quite obviously look the Cho up, “Ho hoooo, and here I thought you weren’t the type for such a wild experience.” she stated matter-of-factly before laughing a tiny bit. Turning back to the blonde haired brute she’d shrug, “I don’t think I want to talk to him anymore. Took too long deciding you both did mhmm.” she slurred out. “Too drunk now, would embarrass you real bad if I went.”

Meilin reacted in a defensive manner, her lips already parting before she could reel herself in.
”I can be wild! Very wild!” She said, unable to resist a smile as Aoi continued on.
”Not? Well, then I suppose next time. Probably when you’re indeed sober. Likely less chance you will puke all over him.” Squeezing softly in Aoi’s shoulder, Meilin lowered the volume of her voice.
”I am glad you’re here.”’

Laughing as Meiling defended herself Aoi would lift her drink to her lips and tip it back only to find it unsatisfyingly empty. With a raise of a hand she’d call a server in her direction who simply nodded at the gesture. “I can hold my drink enough to not puke!” she exclaimed as if it were some lofted achievement as the server showed up with two new mugs and held them out to the two girls. Aoi wasted no time in taking them both and raising one of them to Meilin and the drink she was still working on, “Me too.” she said quietly before raising her mug higher and spilling a decent amount on herself as she did, “To us!” she exclaimed as she waited for a toast from Meilin.

Taking the new mug, Meilin did start to feel the soft and warm sensation of the alcohol. Deciding silently that this was going to be her last drink, Meilin’s eyes gained a glint as Aoi raised her mug. Following suit, Meilin would nod.
”To us!” She would shout in a cheerful manner, moving the rim of the mug to her lips as she would proceed with a large swig.
 
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A new Mentor
The Drunken Goat, in the village of Alfstedt.
Hon Clan heartlands, the dominion of the House of Magnhild.
Empire of Akino.


A relative short collab between Lesli and Oetje.

Summary:
With the evening going rather well, without any hiccups, Meilin shares a talk with Yumi. The latter expresses her curiousity in Team 4 as well giving Meilin a piece of advice regarding leadership. The exchange stops after Meilin requests Yumi's help regarding her chakra affinity.

She was pretty content how it was going. So far, it seemed that everyone that had come along was doing pretty well. Even despite the language barrier that existed with those that didn't yet know fluent Chonobi. After her time with Aoi, Meilin had decided to seek out the Scholae that had accompanied them into the tavern. The Yumi that had fought with Aoi against a daemon.
Spotting the Scholae, Meilin wasn't entirely sure how to approach Yumi. The information that Suzu had informed her before, of a capable Crystal release user being dead, seemed to point out towards the Scholae. But so far Meilin knew, it was impossible to bring back the dead. And Yumi seemed to be quite alive for an apparently dead person.

Approaching the Scholae, Meilin would flash a smile towards the other. Feeling slight intimidated as she was aware that the other massively outranked her.
"I hope I am not bothering you. I wanted to thank you for protecting Aoi." Meilin began, lowering her head slightly. "I hope you're enjoying yourself as well."

Just as she took a sip of her mug, deciding that this would be her last drink, Yumi noticed that the leader of Team 4 approached her. Remembering the Cho's name, Yumi found herself surprised when Meilin stated her thanks. "You are welcome. It was an honour serving with her. She is a most gifted and capable kunoichi, your subordinate." Yumi replied, at first, "I am, yes. I must admit that I wasn't sure if I was going to fit in. But your team is quite enjoyable. Interesting as well."

Glad about that the start of the exchange went smoothly, Meilin became curious when Yumi stated that her team was interesting.
"They are good people, each of them. I still need to learn more regarding how to lead them. Properly that is. But they are competent and willing. I think I wouldn't fair that well without them."
Throwing a sideways look at her team for a moment, Meilin turned her attention back at Yumi.
"But what is that you find so interesting regarding my team? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"From what I have seen, I can agree. Competent is the correct term to describe them." Yumi agreed as she would take a second to formulate the answer in her mind. "I find the team interesting because of their background. You got a Yamanaka, Miyazato and a Hon serving under your command. I imagine that your own background gives some connection with the Hon. Though that is a wild guess, cause I have little idea on how Dowhons might differ from you as a Cho. But it is clear that they are from origins that differ from each other. In a way, you could say that your team resembles what Akino is. A combined unit from different origins."

Agreeing with Yumi, Meilin did realise that things were going good, so far. They had survived a difficult combat mission and there was much less tension than before. A sting of guilt crept up as she remembered that Dea hadn't survived it. If the genin had been there, perhaps things could have been better.
"Yeah. They are a great bunch. I am lucky that they accepted my leadership so well." Meilin began, wondering for a moment what Kensuke would say if he heard about her current position and state.
"Certainly seeing I was much less obedient than they are to my instructions when I was part of a team." Meilin said, a wry smile crossing her lips.

She threw a sideways look at the team before turning her attention fully on Meilin. "Don't worry too much about that. Just remember your role. You are supposed to know on how to get them out alive and get the mission done. You aren't supposed to be their friend. Believe me," Yumi flashed a smile towards Meilin, "I have served underneath the command of a lot of douchebags. Not to mention the incompetent bastards that I served with. Just remember that friendship is great but loyalty can come from confidence in capability as well. Not just because you treated them on a snack."

Nodding slowly, Meilin did gain some doubt now why they were following her. Competence? Did Aoi and Madoc have faith in her abilities? Would Dagrún stay loyal or would she start to question the orders? Feeling the insecurity creeping on her, Meilin licked her lips as she remembered something.
"Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it, more than I can phrase it. I might even be a bit out of boundaries but I was hoping for your help. Correct me if I am wrong but are you known as Crystal?"

Pulling something small out of her pocket, Meilin would hold it so that Yumi could see it the brief moment that the chuunin revealed it.
"Cause I could use some help."

Flashing another smile, Yumi nodded. "You are most welcome." Taking a sip of her drink, the Scholae frowned slightly as Meilin continued. Growing curious, Yumi didn't answer right away when Meilin posed her question. Glancing at what the team leader showed her, Yumi's lips parted to form a silent 'o'. Another short moment of silence passed before Yumi spoke in return.

"I will help you." The response was told in a softer voice. "Since when did you know that you had it?" The Scholae asked, wondering how one could become a chuunin without the ability surfacing before.

A huge amount of weight moved from her shoulders as Yumi stated that she could be of help.
"Since a week or so. I learned of it when I made use of chakra paper to teach the genin on my team. To learn what chakra affinity she had." Meilin explained. "I have always been using Fire because, well, yeah." Not eager to bring up too many memories, Meilin hoped that would suffice.

"I understand," Yumi replied to make sure that Meilin wouldn't feel the need to bring more up. If she understood it then that meant that the bloodline ability had laid dormant or it hadn't been as smooth as it had been for her. Knowing of a few chakra theories and how one could have a dormant ability, passing it on their children or awakening it later in their life, Yumi wouldn't bore Meilin with them.

"I will be travelling with you guys for a while. So we can see what we can do when we have the time. For now, I would suggest enjoying this evening." Flashing a smile, Yumi already wondered how many more people she was going to take up on training.
 
Plans for the near future
Empire of Akino, near the small (Hon) village of Alfstedt.
A collab between Oblivion and Lesli.

Summary:
Aiko summons Kazumo to come and discuss some matters with them. Such as where they are heading next, from Alfstedt. Not to mention that the Cho has some revelations for what is planned already for Kazumo, to already make some small steps towards his ambition . The collab ends with Aiko going to further prepare plans while Kazumo decides to make the best of his time in Alfstedt.


It had been delivered a few hours ago. And the messenger was already on his way back to deliver her answer. Curious events were taking place and Aiko wasn’t entirely sure if they were going to play out in a positive or negative way. So far, it seemed that matters were going rather well and that nothing seemed to disturb her plans.
That didn’t mean, however, that she could sit idly. Already, the woman was considering her next steps and for that, she would need to leave Alfstedt.

Standing outside, the sky was bright and only a few dark grey clouds threatened the tranquil blue heaven.
Once more reading the encrypted message, Aiko had used the communicator to summon Kazumo, to meet her outside of the barn where they were allowed to stay. Though she reckoned that he wasn't aware of what most of these situations meant, Aiko did consider that it would be a good start for him. If he wanted to realise his long-term ambition.

The one battle was still weighing heavily on his head, while he may have got the killing blow on the zealot, by no means would he have without Aiko’s help. All the progress he thought he had been making, all the time and effort putting into getting better and in the end he still needed to be saved. Everytime he thought he could win without anyone’s help and he fell short and needed Aiko to save him. Someone he wanted dead was dead but not in the way he would have wanted. Yet he had no time to continue dwelling on such things, Aiko had summoned him and thus he needed to go and see her.

Arriving outside the barn he spotted his sensei and gave her a small smile and would walk towards her, gazing around he didnt see any others so it seemed as if this was meant for just him. ”No others sensei? Whatever do you have planned?”

Disrupted from her train of thoughts, Aiko half turned to throw a glance into Kazumo’s direction. The question if there wouldn’t be others involved gave way for a wry smile to cross Aiko’s lips. She doubted that Kazumo would like to discuss what was to come with the others. ”Just us.”
Waiting for him to close in the distance, Aiko briefly turned to the scenery. It was tranquil, simple and void of any excitement. Though not having the charm that a large city usually seemed to have, there was something to the scenery of a small place like Alfstedt.

”I received some news. We will be soon traveling to the city of Ardara. We will be going around the Blackroot Vale, through Pinedale. I expect little trouble as long as nobody blurts around that they are an Uchiha or such. Recent events have caused some Hon and Sarutobi to be quite jumpy. Certainly with a large meeting being held. An All-Thing between all the Chonobi clans.” Aiko explained, at first. She threw a sideways look at Kazumo. ”Naturally, seeing the importance, I have to be there. I can’t and won’t bring in any of the others into the meeting. I can, however, arrange you to witness the meeting. Not at the front rows but still being able to be there. It might provide some insight on the various people you are and will need to deal with.”

It was a surprising relief to hear it would be just them. Yet also made him wonder what it would be since it was just them. He wasn’t sure what she was like or even did with the others, she didn’t seem to be the type to hold back but that was on him. She might have a different teaching method for the others completely. Although he was thankful as it was a rather peaceful and relaxing day so far, he could appreciate the beauty in an area like this. May not be action packed but it was charming in a way a city never could.

When she told him what was going to happen, his eyes widened a bit in surprise. A visit to Ardara? Not that he was complaining, just the news caught him off guard. As she explained the path they would take and that all should go well as long as no one states they are an Uchiha as some recent events made everyone on edge. He mentally groaned at the damage Neji could possibly cause if he went and proclaimed his clan to the world. Yet it was for her too attend the All thing which she could get him to view from a distance. A chance to learn and know who he would and might deal with in the future. Smiling he would nod “Thank you for that sensei. Really. That means a lot.”

The change of expression on Kazumo’s face was endearing, in Aiko’s opinion. Though she did want to make something about it clear. ”Don’t thank me just yet. There are several matters and plans we need to discuss now, before we even set foot inside of Ardara.” Taking a more serious tone, Aiko continued. ”While I will keep Neji under watch, to make sure that he won’t get lynched halfway, I need you to keep yourself silent. Your lineage, ambitions and everything else. The moment we leave Alfstedt, you’re going to be a nobody. We can’t afford to draw attention just yet to you.”

Pausing to let her words sink in, Aiko would give yet another revelation of what he was going to endure. ”That and you will be needed to head towards the island of Rún. Pay a visit to the Voice of Bergjlot.”

When she started speaking about keeping neji from being hung from his surname alone, she did have an important matter to tell him and that was when they left Alfstedt. He was no longer a Sigeberth and he had no ambition. He could understand why she would say that, drawing attention to himself too early might cause his downfall before he even begins. It made total sense mostly if said people he wanted to unite were going to be there. It would not go well at all if he proclaimed he was going to unite them.

Yet what caught him off guard most was her saying he needed to head towards the island of Rún to pay the voice of Bergjlot a visit. He knew of the Oracle but to pay her a visit himself seemed like something he had never considered. ”I understand and I will have time to do such? Seems like quite a bit of time spent on me doing my own things.”

”You will. Else I will make sure that time will be made for such. I also caught word that you wanted to join an archery tournament. Seeing that Ardara will be the location where the All-Thing shall be held, the archery tournament that was going to be organised at Magnhild shall be held at Ardara. It could be a chance for you to gain a bit of renown. Though, there is another way.” The woman paused as she would produce a letter from her pouch.
”I had to consider it myself, if it would be feasible for your ambition. But the way of old haven’t really lost their meaning. Words and promises are powerful to seal a deal but to create an alliance or something even more important, you can’t always rely on people’s words. So, I am in the position to arrange a suitable match with one of the noble families within the clans. Giving you a footing, so to say.” Aiko would hold the letter towards Kazumo so that he could read it for himself, as well seeing the red wax with the seal of the Edani.

The archery tournament as well? He had almost forgotten that, when they were leaving Magnhild he had all but thought he wasn’t going to participate. So hearing that he still had a chance he couldn’t refrain from smiling. Only to once again be caught off guard as he prodcued an envelope with the Edani seal. Basically allowing her to make a suitable match, she was really going out of her way to aid him in his endeavors.” You really are going out of your way to aid me. Why not use this deal for your own use? Besides I’m not really the best with these things. Besides I could barely talk to Meilin when I spoke with her. You sure you want to waste this on me?”

It remained silent between them for a moment. Aiko weighed her words carefully, considering how frank she should be with him. ”In truth, I can’t say that I do this because I just want you to prosper for it. In the long run, I will perhaps enjoy the results. If you will succeed.” She said, for a moment turning to the scenery in front of them. ”I am certain that you’re loyal to me. And with all this support? I think you understand you will become indebted to me. Which shall, hopefully, allow me to secure the future for my children. As for the best of ‘these things’?”

Glancing at Kazumo, Aiko frowned slightly. ”There isn’t much to it. Keep yourself respectable, produce a heir and keep in mind who you work with. That is the basic. There are some that are against the idea of an arranged marriage. How void of love it can be. How selfish and ignorant it is for those who arrange it. You remember Korina Kusinaga? She was against it, yet claimed Koike for herself. If anything, Kazumo, all of this will not be a waste for me. You got to ask yourself, will it be a waste for you? Or will you make the best of it?”

Well he had a nagging feeling that part of her wanting him to succeed was because she would also benefit from it. Yet she could do that with any leader in the Sarutobi and get faster results that way and they would still be indebted to her. While he wanted to ask more questions he also felt it would be best not to as he slightly felt he knew the answers already. She sure knew how to word and twist things to her advantage. Granted any leader that heard this probably would back out at having to owe the Cho leader. So he appreciated the honesty as least.

Sighing he would smile but rub the back of his head.”You are honest I give you that much sensei. Yet I will agree to that. I may come to fear what debt you may ask but I agree. And I am always respectful to people. Name one time not counting Neji that I wasnt respectful.”

”I think you have little to fear from me, Kazumo. After all, I have no idea on to use you for some shady ambition of my own. All I want to use in my own advantage is for my children and own lineage. Which in a way can benefit you as well.” Aiko replied. Though she was slightly worried that he would now harbour some distrust, she did decide to not dig for it and entrust that he would likely aim to not disappoint her. ”True. You have always been respectful, so far I have seen. But I have no guarantee that you will be coupled with a pretty or gentle young woman. I fear that all I can do is set up an arrangement and that is about it. For now, the Edani have shown some curiosity. But they think it is for a relative of mine, not for a descendant of Sigeberth with the intention to unify all of the Sarutobi. Though, I suppose you need to be careful on if you want to call yourself Sarutobi or Scylding. Some people tend to favour one more than the other.”

”It’s fine it makes practical sense on many reasons why you would be invested in it. I trust you sensei.” Kazumo assured her as she went on to explain she couldn’t guarantee who he would be set up with as they think it would be with her relative not him. ”Speaking of that, won’t they be upset to learn that they won’t be arranged to one of your relatives but me instead? I know being a descendant of Sigeberth and being the uncle to the Empress has it’s perks. Yet at the end of the day I’m still a nobody.” He voiced as he knew he could find ways to increase his renown, yet at the same time all he had going for him were his lineage and whom he was related to. Granted that’s all that most people cared about at the end of the day.

A smile crossed Aiko’s lips as she winked. ”They will be. But breaking a marriage isn’t that easy. People always want a reason. I am not talking about those in power but the common people. They want a reason to go to war. To get something done. If those in power act without reason, it can bring doubt or fear amongst the majority. Somebody that is handling out of arbitary reasons can’t be trusted. So it is practically a scheme to enforce the Edani’s cooperation. The thing is, however, that your name is a lot worth.” Aiko paused as she considered how to explain it. She figured that he did understand a large portion of it already.

”You are close in ties with the Empress. While you might be a mere chuunin with no wealth, land or prestige to himself, you got the favour of the Empress. Together with being able to claim you’re a descendant of Sigeberth? You would be surprised how much that can carry you. Regardless if the Empress would listen to your council or if you can follow the path of your ancestors before you. Though if you want to make a name for yourself, the best way to begin is to seek the one that might know about your future.”

So basically this was in a way a subtle chokehold on the Edani, secure something and as long as a reason isn’t given, they can’t truly get mad over it without consequences. It was smart by all means, still the thought of being arranged to someone he never meet. It was a weird thought, they could be a unpleasant person all around yet at time like this it was how you secured alliances. If it was a chance for a ally out of the gate in his goal, then it was almost foolish to pass up the opportunity.

As she spoke that he had more going for him than he realized as just being in close ties with the Empress and being the descendant of Sigeberth. That was worth more in name than he was in person. Yet as she said one way to find out is to ask one who might know about his future. Taking a minute to think he would nod and smile. ”Then I guess I shall meet this woman. Seems I have quite the busy schedule coming up don’t I? Although I will say it now, even if the voice tells me I cannot do it. I’m still going to attempt to try though.”

The last comment, showing his resolve, made Aiko smile as she patted his shoulder. ”Good. I mean, it will give you some legitimacy. But I believe that the skalds can be quite inspired to make grand songs and tales of your endeavour. Let us hope though that the others will not make it more troublesome.” Aiko replied as she already considered how she could keep the others away from creating trouble. ”But you will have a most busy schedule. If all goes well though, it will pay off. Making your path to where you want to head off to, somewhat less daunting.”

Pausing, Aiko threw a glance at the peaceful scenery that they found themselves in. ”Not to mention, we got our orders to start assembling the 11th Brigade. So you might even be able to make a name for yourself before you start working more on your ambition.”

Hearing her mention the others made him mentally groan as he knew very well that Neji could make this a much more problematic situation without even meaning too. Hopefully he would listen to Aiko’s words though and not go bringing up the fact he was an Uchiha. Not until things settled down at least. ”That’s an odd thing to imagine, having songs and tales based on you.” he said slightly wondering if Aiko herself had any songs about her leadership.

Yet he didn’t mind a busy schedule it wouldn’t kill him and it would help him get more use to a busy life, should he succeed that is. He doubt he got to take it easy in that kind of position. Then she mentioned they had orders to start assembling the 11th brigade which true he could make a name for himself but in the same aspect he could die altogether. ”Well when are we to be assembled?”

The comment regarding having songs based on you being odd, caused Aiko to chuckle. ”Most people would love to kill another or dozen for it. Then again, the more odd thing is that if you manage to fail in a rather spectacular fashion that some might decide to compose a song or tale about it as well.” The question on when they would need to be assembled made Aiko’s smile slightly diminish.

”Soon. No need to worry though. We have enough time and I doubt that I will need you around to help me do my tasks. In fact, you won’t be part of my immediate unit anyways. I want you to serve with another unit. Specifically called Gwade’s Finest. I think you will like working with the bow more than you do with working alongside the others. Not to mention, if you manage to make a name in the unit, who knows what benefits you can reap later?”

”And that is why it would be odd, it works both ways both success and failures get sung about. Then again I’m not the type to do things in hopes a song gets made about it.” Kazumo stated while he wouldn’t admit to being curious about what kind of songs they could or would even make about him. He could imagine uniting but other than that he had no clue and would quickly focus back on the topic they were on about assembling. Although it went a direction he didn’t imagine.

He wouldn’t be with Aiko but in another unit called Gwades finest which he has heard about and does indeed suit him much better, but still being away from Aiko felt a bit unnerving. Although she did peg him right he much preferred working with his bow than the others in the team, so working with others that probably preferred that as well was right up his alley. ”Anything specific I should know about this unit in particular?”

”Well, a lot of things work both ways. Much like how people don’t mind it when others use chakra, as long as it is in their favour. But the moment that it is being used and others don’t know how it works or how it affects them? Oh, then it is something bad.” She grew a tad amused once more as she could understand the irony of these matters quite well. As Kazumo asked what he should know about the unit, Aiko pondered for a second.

”Well, you are going to be likely considered to be a recruit. Starting all over again, much like if you were demoted from chuunin to genin. Only now you will be drilled and instructed to keep up with professionals that train way more often and are quite more experienced than you.” A wry smile conjured over Aiko’s lips as she placed her gloved fists against her hips. ”Yeah, you should know that you’re going to be in for a tough ride. But if you manage to perform well, you might learn some stuff from them. They are, after all, operating like many other Sarutobi specialists. So I suppose that you already own some basics to what they will be doing.”

That was a fair and valid point he supposed, it was understandable that most wouldn’t want something that could risk them all being done by a single person. Hell he could understand it himself if some shinobi did they compulsively, like some of his teammates have done in the past. Well hopefully none of that actually would happen in a war like situation that whey would find themselves in soon enough.

Starting from scratch though didn’t really bother him though. If anything it was a way to measure himself. See how far he actually has come compared to the professionals, learn their tips and tricks with the bow was also something he would enjoy. So if that meant starting as a recruit and being drilled until he felt like collapsing then it was a much welcomed change of pace. ”I actually look forward to it. A chance to learn some things I didn’t know before.”

”And here I thought you would be putting up more of a fight on that you wanted to stick around with me.” The woman answered on her turn, feigning clearly that she was disappointed. ”But good. If the gods truly favour and my planning isn’t missing a point, all will be well. Perhaps you might even be ending up with a nice but yet pretty Edani.” Adding a wink to the last sentence, Aiko considered something. ”Anything else will now more or less be just doing it step by step and see what happens.”

”Putting up a fight? But sensei…. you are the one getting rid of me.” Countering her statement with a smile as he then feigned hurt from her shipping him off to a different unit. Although it was quickly replaced with him getting flustered at her comment of a nice and pretty Edani. She knew just how to truly win against him that was for sure. ”So wing it as it comes along then. Well hopefully it all goes step by step so we don’t have to wing things though. Yet sounds good to me sensei.”

Softly gasping for air, Aiko’s left hand traveled to her chest as she seemed briefly shocked by the retort of Kazumo. ”First eager to be away from me and now getting witty? My, I hope you will have that wit with you when you wind up with a fat one.” A grin started to creep on the woman’s lips. ”I hope I don’t need to explain certain manners. But you know, if you don’t wind up consuming the wedding night ‘cause she is heavy on the bones. I ain’t going to confirm it, cause I am your mentor.” Keeping a laughter away, Aiko nodded afterwards. ”However, you’re free for now. I heard that the others are planning to head into the village, visiting a tavern.”

”I’d need more than wit if I did sensei.” Kazumo said before stiffling his own laughter at her not confirming it. ”I respect you sensei but I have my limits on what I will ask of you and that will never be one of them. Rather swallow my pride there.” he stated as she would tell him he was free for now and that the others were going to visit a tavern which caused him to rub his head. ”I heard that too although I will probably sit it out as it isn’t really my type of scene. More props to them though.”

”Good.” She said as she prefer not to even dare imagine what kind of awkward scenery that could be like. When Kazumo stated that he prefered to it sit out, Aiko’s right eyebrow slightly shifted. But it was his decision. Besides, she wasn’t going herself anyways. ”Probably yeah. I hope they will be smart enough not to get drunk and puke. The barn might not be the most luxurious place we will ever sleep in but I am not allowing anybody drunk and puking to enter it. They can sleep it out in the cold.”

”Besides the peace and quiet will give me the chance to work on what I have been taught. So I’ll take any opportunity I can before they do come back drunk and proceeding to ask me about my sword randomly.” Kazumo mentioned before smiling and chuckling as she said anyone drunk and puking will sleep outside in the cold. ”Well that’s good puke isn’t the most pleasant smell to have in close proximity”

”Fair point. I might be able to read in peace with most of them gone.” Aiko thought out loud, a frown burrowing on her brow. ”Well, I am going to attend to some affairs. Make sure you aren’t caught up in any trouble or mess. Or else I will make certain you’re going to wind up with an extra heavy weighing Edani. Now, shoo, go.” The woman amusingly waved as a faint resemblance of a smile was still present on her features.

With the threat to behave and not cause any trouble or mess or else a extra heavy Edani awaited him, he would hold up his hands in defeat. ”Most cruel thing you said to me so far. But okay sensei, I will speak with you later then.” Kazumo said with a smile as he would make his way back to the warmth that the barn could provide them against the elements.
 
Team 4, Team 8 and Scholae Yumi Hasewaga.
Empire of Akino,
From the Hon heartlands to the Sarutobi Heartlands, the city of Ardara.

Summary:
This post is regarding the movement of the mentioned teams and character(s) towards their new location. What they experienced under the way as well some information regarding the situation that the city of Ardara resides in.


The next morning, the group would get ready. If any of them would be curious, there would be no trace or sign of Astrid Hon. The Grey Guard seemed to have vanished in thin air and neither Aiko or Yumi would give much of a clear answer if anyone would bring up where Astrid was.
Packing their belongings, it didn't take long for them to be on the road. Seeing that they had a long trek ahead of them, Aiko did decide that their best route would be to stay within the boundaries of the Hon clans heartlands, venturing towards their location while staying clear from any troublesome regions - such as the Blackroot Vale.

The first few days would be relatively peaceful and the pace would be decent. Not much communication would be exchanged with locals as the group didn't pass by any major sites. The reason why Aiko didn't deem it either necessary or better to find loges in larger settlements wouldn't be shared with the group but it would soon become more or less clear to many within the group.
The more that the group ventured further south, the more they would come into contact with armed patrols. While not an entirely unique thing for clans, to have their own military patrol their lands, the patrols that the group came across would certainly highlight the growing tension.

Thanks to Aiko, however, the group wouldn't be much more than halted at various moments and then after some talk with the Cho leader, they would be able to continue.
Somewhere halfway the trek towards Ardara, the group would establish a camp on an open clearing. Around midnight, they would be able to hear birdcalls. But something being clearly off about them. Regardless of anybody's worries, Aiko would state that they shouldn't leave camp and remain calm.

The next day following that, the odd bird calls would persist during the group's trek. The only order that the jounin passed on to the group was to not use anything regarding chakra and they would be left alone.
Slowly but surely, the group would venture towards the region in which the city of Ardara was located.
The first changes would be the forest that they moved in. Until that point, Aiko had chosen to avoided most routes that led into any woods. Even while most would gain the sensation that they were being watched, Aiko would once more instruct that they had to keep moving forward and not to utilize any chakra or draw any weapon.

Eventually, they would come across various patrols and posts before they would set sight on what seemed to be a small village within the woodland. There the group would briefly reside for the evening and night, only to leave early in the morning as they would reach their destination around noon.



The city of Ardara would seem to appear out of the woodlands, a clearing before its stout defences. In a way, it would perhaps represent something similar that Konohagakure had before the large Senju project - that saw much of its nearby woodlands being worked into agriculture and small villages.
Passing a large gate, Aiko would speak briefly with the city guard. The exchange was lengthier than those of before but finally, the group would be able to venture into the city. It seemed to be quite bustling as if something was about to happen.

Keeping the group close together, Aiko would lead them towards a rather large inn where they could have their horses stalled. Before taking her leave, the Cho leader would explain that she would have to attend to some affairs in the city. For the time being, both teams would be ordered to not venture too far from the inn. Not much long after the jounin left, Yumi would also not be present - despite having ventured to the inn with the rest of the group.
 
Blood and Snow
Eastern Continent,
Wolf Country.
Satoshi detachment.

A collab between Jason, Oblivion and Gerontis.

Summary:
Satoshi leads a part of the campaigning army, that is supposed to be the anvil in the plan of the allied commanders. Even with the desperate situation, the people of the North are more than ready for what is to come and to prove their mettle.


The march went well. In the deep of the night, they left the camp in groups. The officers managed to keep the troops in order but it seemed that there was little need to remind the troops what was at stake. The sounds of snow being crushed underneath boots, the soft jingling of chainmail, the faint squeaking of leather straps and clanking of steel plates would go mixed with mutterings and orders being dispatched. Luckily, the troops didn’t need to worry much about that the enemy would uncover their deployment. Various shinobi had been given the task to mask their deployment with sensory-masking techniques. Not to mention that the enemy had been occupied with various troops movements to the north.

Marching with the men, Satoshi did notice that the morale wasn’t high. The cold, the unfavourable odds and knowing that this was a desperate attempt to break the enemy didn’t do much for many among the ranks. His own presence seemed to bolster the men’s morale slightly. Making it seem less like a suicide operation, seeing that one of the three commanders was coming with them. However, Satoshi had to struggle to not feel as this would be their last battle.
The poetic death of a warrior, dying for his nation far from home, seemed less like a dream and favourable end now that it was close to reality.

Through the night, nothing would occur that disturbed the march southwards. Crossing the river, the large allied force would make a camp. The last rest before they would face their enemies on the field of battle.



The next morning, the majority would be woken up by their officers in an almost hushed fashion. A hearty breakfast would be given. Though some of the veterans seemed to catch on that this could very well be the last provisions that they could get - ignoring what they could attempt from foraging in the area.
Then the allied force started to march. In an organised fashion, it didn’t seem much different from the march at night. Save it for the absence of the troops mumbling or talking to one another. A complete silence had befallen them as they would move to the site where the battle would take place.

A light fog could be seen, hanging over the snow-cloaked ground. Being at the front of a column, Satoshi could turn around and witness the sight of allied forces marching out of the treeline. The hills were quickly occupied as various banners were held high, subtly moving due to the light breeze that passed by.
It wouldn’t take long for the enemy to notice them. Certainly not with that a small force had moved on earlier. Their task was to eliminate the guard posts at the river at the central crossing. But to allow a few survivors to warn what was coming.

From their position on the hills, they had a good sight over the plains that led to the enemy encampment. In the distance, a stream of bodies seemed to emerge from the camp. No clear organisation could be detected from the distance. In Satoshi’s opinion, it seemed more like a swarm of hornets, that had been agitated and were more than ready to avenge themselves on the culprits.
Taking a deep breath in, Satoshi would trudge through the snow until he was standing in front of his lines. Faintly, they could hear the roars of the enemy horde - that was still assembling on the plains in front of them. To their right, the northerners could witness the roars of the Imperials - as if the 13th Imperial brigade wanted to mark it clear that they weren’t intimidated.

Standing in front of the line and formations of his troops, Satoshi took a few seconds to eye and size them up. It was easy to spot a few younglings that were scared. Their pale features, the subtle trembling of shoulders and hands. It saddened him that he couldn’t promise them that they would survive this day. It angered him that he couldn’t promise them that they would see their homeland again. To be with their families and friends. The mutterings among the ranks became audible, upon seeing the horde in front of them increasing in size, an endless tide amassing and more than eager to rip them apart.
Known as a patient and friendly man, Satoshi’s voice was raised and the mixed emotions were more than present.
”Listen, listen well.” The commander began as his gaze became sterner. ”Today, we face an opposition larger than any of us has ever faced. I will not lie. I don’t want to be here. And I can see that none of you wants to be here.”

Letting his word sink in as well catching his breath, Satoshi half turned to point at the horde at his back - while keeping his gaze focused on the men. ”They are ready for a fight. Eager. I even imagine that they had a better night rest than any of us.” Turning once more, fully facing his troops, Satoshi kept hold of his anger and frustration.
”But today, we won’t run. We showed them before what it means to cross us. Us northerners. Clearly, the enemy is a slow learner. I say we show them that the first battle wasn’t luck.”
Clenching his right hand into a fist, Satoshi pounded his fist against his chest.
”Look to the ones that stand with you. Today, we fight with each other. For each other. For the gods! For our families! For the North!”

Raising his fist into the air, Satoshi would once more walk through the snow as the battle cry would be chanted among the ranks - each unit seemingly wanting to outshout the other until it rivalled the Akenians in noise. Being let through the ranks, a small company would be waiting for him. It weren’t his usual bodyguards - who he had dispersed among the formations.
”Sergeant Sanosuke,” Satoshi shouted, to make himself audible, ”On me.” Drawing his sword, Satoshi felt his heart beating. Even skipping a beat now and then. Heading to the left, Satoshi dispatched another order. Skirmishers would be moving to the front, waiting for the enemy to come in range for their volleys.

The marching did not bother her, the cold did not bother her, even the relative size of their forces did not bother her much. No, what bothered the Hojo was the somber air that held over their force. It seemed as if many had low confidence in how the coming conflict would go for them. She knew what that lack of morale could do, she was still haunted by the slaughter against that beast not very long ago. Marching just behind the first row of shields, she held the spear that would be her constant companion in the coming battle. She sent silent prayers asking for strength and protection in the coming battle. Though all fell silent once more as she stood ready, as the skirmishers moved and got ready to unleash their volleys.

To say she was nervous was an understatement, as today was the day they were going to attempt to cripple the enemy force by a large chunk, or fail and be crippled themselves. A true do or die moment really. Yet to make her more anxious her unit had a special task today, instead of being on the front lines like normal, they were replacing Satoshi’s personal guard and were following his orders directly today. Having the commander watch your performance while ensuring he stays alive would be enough to make most veterans rather nervous. Once the armies got into position it wouldn’t take long for the enemy to come rushing from their camp like a swarm. It was rather unnerving to see them engulfing the land and spreading towards them at a rapid rate.

The imperials didn’t even seem bothered by such a force rushing at them, Miu wasn’t sure what was more scary. Them welcoming this fight, or the odds they all die being rather high. Yet not one to be outshone, Satoshi would do his best to give hope the men he was leading with a speech. So when the men rivalled the Imperials, it made her chuckle a bit as it meant they had some hope after all. Once Satoshi made his way to them, she gave a grin and a nod as he dispatched the first order.
”Well ladies?! You heard the commander!” Miu stated as she drew her own sword and together with her men would move out with Satoshi.
 

►Mizuchi Hojo◄
►Team: Team 3 Chuunin
►Location: Wolf Country

The air had been filled with tension so thick it was as if somebody had placed a weight on her shoulders. Yet now? That tension seemed to disappear, replaced instead with pure adrenaline as the enemy charged up the snowy hill to try to break their lines. Standing in the second row of the formation, she stood ready with her spear to shove back any of them who dared get close enough to meet their fate. The enemy did not seem to be the most well trained to the chuunin, who watched with a critical eye as the enemy forces charged up the hill. Their formation had lost any semblance of being one, though one couldn’t expect it to hold too firm in a charge up a hill. The men themselves seemed to have armor of poor condition, and their weapon conditions matched that. Yet she could certainly tell that they were plenty strong as they got closer to the line with each step. ”Lets see who gets the most today, yeah?” She said quickly to the men on either side of her, one of who chuckled at the question. ”Don’t cry to me when you lost it then, lass.” He countered, finishing the statement just as the wave of shouting men slammed into their lines and the chaos of battle truly began.

Mizuchi didn’t wait, instead she pushed forwards with her spear just as the first man was about to slam into the shield-bearer in front of her. A sickening squelch could be heard as her attack struck home, followed by the sound of a wooden shield hitting something firm as the man in front of her slammed the defeated corpse off her spear and tumbling back down the hill. The body tumbled, and a few shouts of surprise from enemy soldiers knocked down by their careening ally could be heard quite clearly. Alas there was no rest for the girl as enemy combatants were replaced just as quickly as they were dispatched across the line. Shouts of defiance could be heard from both sides as they clashed, the sounds of weapons slamming against shields and cries of pain from wounded soldiers on both sides. Mizuchi continued her stabs and attempts to keep the enemy from tossing the man in front of her down the hill. Occasionally her weapon struck true, and dispatched an enemy to go tumbling down the hill.

She wasn’t sure for how long such a pattern kept up, the adrenaline coursing through her veins distorting how time seemed to pass. Yet she was forced back into a sharp focus on events as force their way forwards, through the enemy forces to push them back. Her spear moving in orders came through. It seemed the next phase had begun. Slowly the allied forces tried to quick, precise movements like an instrument of death itself, she tried to keep the enemy on the backpedal. However, it seemed the allied forces were not making the progress they should. Their movement was slow, and she could hear more screams from their side as the enemy would not let them past. Bodies fell into the snow, and started to change the white coloring to red as both sides kept racking up the casualties. Still they continued their forward movement ever so slowly.

Then suddenly there was a body slamming into them. A rather large man seemed to have decided to use one of the fallen to try to break the line. Throwing the corpse at the row of shields, causing a moment where the line was broken. In that slight gap, one of the enemy forced his way past and managed to shove one of the shield bearer’s down the hill before being struck down himself. Screams of pain could be heard from the poor man before the enemy tired yet again to break the line in a similar fashion. Only this time aimed towards the men in front of Mizuchi. As the soldier charged forwards to break the line, the girl was ready this time. Instead of breaking through and getting another victim on his list, the soldier was met instead by the tip of a spear through his stomach and a swift kick to knock him back down. As the men around her recovered and they continued to press forwards, they heartlessly marched over the dying enemy. Trampling the man to death under the soles of the very people he had tried to kill mere moments beforehand.

The chaos continued like this for a long few minutes. The enemy being slowly pushed back as the line pushed forwards. Bodies lay in the snow, and the former white of the field was slowly turning red from the bloodshed. Still Mizuchi pushed on through the battle, keeping the line with the men on either side of her. Each thrust of her spear was now seeming to find an enemy, though not always a lethal blow, from the sheer amount of them trying to keep the forces from moving forwards. She could feel the beads of sweat running down her forehead from the constant exertion to stay alive in this battle. Yet it seemed like there was simply no ending to the enemy hordes, who clambered over their former dead like some kind of frenzied animals on the battlefield. There was no order to these beasts anymore, not as far she could tell between the mass of bodies pressing together that seemed to be constantly refilling as they marched forwards.

However, the pace would very soon change, as the man bearing the shield in front of Mizuchi suddenly went tumbling forwards into the crowd. His screams were soon either silenced or dulled out by the roar of the enemy army, she was not sure. The only thing that the chuunin was sure about was that things were about to become a lot more difficult. Stepping forwards to fill the gap, the Hojo now was using her spear to keep back the enemy. The men that had been to either side of her assisting by changing the angle of their weapons slightly to help keep the raging enemy from overtaking the girl. The first to charge her was down before he even knew it, as three spears pierced into him and sent him tumbling back down immediately. The girl moved her spear to catch a sword on its shaft, pushing back roughly to send the man stumbling.

A metallic clang rang out loud in the girl’s ears, as she felt a sharp pain grow in her side. Moments later the sound of a man dying could be heard as her attacker fell to a nearby spear. A quick glance in between parries revealed her armor to unbroken, but dented inwards. Making it clear enough that she had just taken a hit, and as the pain throbbing in her side was anything to indicate… her armor had likely saved her life. The girl let out a grunt of irritation before attacking with renewed vigor compared to mere moments ago. She thrust the spear forwards in aggressive, fast motions to try to bury it deep in each of her opponents that came within range. Anger clouded her mind, rage over the fact one had nearly gotten her the only thing present in her mind. These emotions clouded her thoughts, keeping her from registering even the small nicks and cuts she gained along her path to get her opponents. With her rage, however, Mizuchi also grew sloppy in her actions compared to usual. Several cuts formed along the softer parts of her armor which were less often exposed. Hit had even managed to dent in the armor where she had been hit earlier even more, the pain in there only lightly registering in her mind.

Then the spear was sent from her hands, crashing to the ground as a rather large man with a club came in closer. He had her exactly where he wanted her, and the chuunin could do next to nothing about it. Before she could properly react, the man was suddenly impaled by two spears from either side. Staggering him back enough that she was able to grab her own weapon from the ground and finish the job with a strike clear through his throat. At that same time, a mighty cry could be heard off to the side of the clashing forces. Confusion seemed to swarm over the enemies like a wave ripping through their ranks. Then a mighty cry tore through the ranks of allied forces, signaling to Mizuchi that it had been their forces who gave off such a cry. Before her eyes the enemy started pulling back, like an animal beaten in a fight they seemed to start to tuck tail and run. Even as the allied forces continued to pick them off.

Mizuchi turned to look at the men who had been supporting her earlier with their spears, and who had likely saved her life mere moments ago. ”Thanks.” Was all she said as they nodded briefly. No more words needed to said in that moment, their looks did the talking for them before they all turned their full attention back on the battle. Confident that it was far from over.

 
Operation Stormfront

Kukiko Yuki, Shion Kobayashi, Saito Shiori, and Yuyuko Takeda | Near City Port -- Republic of the Water Country, Kirigakure |

Team-17 began their attack on Yasuda Shipping Company and was met with heavy resistance.

A collab between the Frostiest of Camels, Walter, Selko, and Paradox


Leaned against a wall at the edge of an alleyway, Kukiko was watching the empty road for any signs of movement or unwelcome guests heading towards their target that would make their night harder. She leaned a bit forward and watched as her dragons breath quietly floated away into the night sky and listened intently to the lapping of the waves against the ice of the bay and the wooden pylons of the dock. She quietly wondered if any of the ships currently moored in the port were their targets, that maybe they should check and make sure he wasn’t on them for one reason or another, but quickly threw the notion out. Pulling her half scarf up over her mouth and the hood of her cloak over her head she’d lean out from the alleyway and take a quick glance to try and spot any of her team as they made their way to the meetup.

“Seriously, training? At this hour?” Ryudo grumbled as he watched Shion put on her straw slippers and socks, “That jonin of yours is such a slave driver!”

“I’m a shinobi now, tou-san. Things like that are to be expected by now,” the genin replied as she stood up, adjusting her black jungchimak and cloak, “Besides don’t act like you didn’t know about these. You were a shinobi after all.”

“W-well, you did have a point there,” he admitted in a tiny voice before continuing to grumble, “But that’s besides the point! The Republic is peaceful now. She could at least cut you some slack!”

“But I prefer it if she didn’t cut me any slack,” she said with a smirk, putting her hood up as she opened the door, “See you later, tou-san.”

“Yeah, yeah. Good luck on your nights out,” Ryudo said, closing the door as she left. As he went back into the house, the man grumbled to himself, “Sending genins on a mission like that. What in the void were they thinking?”

Shion walked through the empty streets leading to the docks, her hand tightly gripping onto the pommel of her katana. She wondered if her team could handle such a high-stake mission, one where she might have to murder the innocents. The genin quickly shook her head of such thoughts. After all, the only time when they would have to resort to such methods would be when they slipped up. Right now, she just have to hope for the best. Noticing Kukiko in an alleyway, she waved her hand at the jonin as the grip on her pommel relaxed slightly.

“Good evening, sen-I mean, Number-One,” she greeted the jonin as she put her hood down, “Thank you for the address by the way. Had a great conversation with Sh-Number Four.”

“Oh hooo, a night time stroll, Yuyuko? I guess that's why you went to bed early, who is it with?” Came the voice of Masakage in the living room

”Myself, I feel like exercising and i think the night scenery would do me some good. Like how the stars are so bright tonight”

“Oh, I see. But why can’t you wait for daytime, I do not remember any special night-time scenery.” Masakage asked curiously as Yuyuko adjusted herself at the door while wearing her eyepatch over her left eye.

“But the scenery does change and there are caves and all the insects.”

Masakage blinked silently as he tried to comprehend what his daughter just spoke as he replied. “Right..oh yeah, and be careful outside, I have been hearing from my students in class that there has been weird goings-on in the town. I don’t want you involved in any of it if there really is anything going on, Nao already worries me everytime she goes on her missions so be a good girl and please don’t make me lose what is left of my black hair.”

”Like what can I do if I really was there, they would probably hide away and by that point, won’t an ANBU or Mama be sent to deal with it if something weird is going on? Bye dad.” Yuyuko replies back in her sing-song way.

“Yes, that is true but--” Masakage blinked as the slamming of the front door cut him off as he wondered for a moment. “Is it just me or did she actually speak something logical and simple for once? And If it were me, I might actually send a genin team because it’s completely unexpected and so the genin can gain a lot of battle experience….oh well,surely the top brass would not be that crazy to do that.”

Soon after, Yuyuko made her way down quickly but silently to the docks, arms raised wide like a bird and she sported a fixed eyepatch over her left eye behind a half mask she also wore while her attire was relatively the same as her attire from earlier and her pouches all showing that they each held something Yuyuko felt necessary to bring. Yuyuko also brought a spare wakizashi strapped at where she normally kept Fuurai since while the reach is lesser, it afforded her more mobility. As she arrived at the meeting point, she smiled as she went over while swinging her arms forwards and backwards in a carefree way in not a particular hurry while waving at the two who were there while taking off the eyepatch she wore.

Shiori’s caretaker was fast asleep as planned. Luna was hard at work all day, since early in the morning Luna has been out of the house running errands for her boss and dealing with clients. So when she did come home she always would wind down by having some tea, with a spot of liquor just to add that extra kick. Sometimes, Luna would even let her take a couple sips from time to time just so she could have a taste. But this time was different, this time Shiori refused a sip from the tea cup, because it was laced with valerian roots.

Shiori bought the roots a while after Shion left her home. It wasn’t expensive at all, and was already grinded at the marketplace. That made her job that much easier. Mixing it into the tea was easy, took a couple mixes for it to dissolve and thirty minutes later Luna remained on the couch, fast asleep. Perhaps Shiori may have put too much of the herb, but it didn’t matter at this point, part one of her mission was done. Out of kindness, Shiori startled her out of her slumber to move her to her room, and Luna would groggily walk herself to bed.

Afterwards she would prepare for the mission, dressed in a hoodie, black pants, and a pair of sneakers that could keep her nimble on her feet. She put the half mask on, and climbed out the window into the guise of night. It didn’t take her long to reach the team, and when she did she saluted everyone with a nod. “Evening everybody,” She looked around the alleyway and the docks, noticing they may have been alone, “Beautiful night, isn’t it?”

Turning her head only slightly as Shion arrived Kukiko would give a simple nod to the girl before the next two would follow close behind. She smiled, the act lost beneath her scarf and motioned with one hand down and across the road and completely ignored her students attempts at small talk as they arrived, “That building,” she said pointing at a two story building that was casting muddy light out of its windows to the road in front of it, “is our target. We go in now, Two you have the clone to watch the outside for unwelcome guests, but you’re otherwise with the team.” she said quietly before reaching into a pouch that was concealed beneath her cloak. She pulled out three bottles of paint and tossed them to each of her students one after the other, “We use that to deface the area once we’re done. Quick stuff, use your fingers, at least a little convincing replicas of the images from earlier.” she said before closing the pouch and abruptly leaving her perch on the wall to make her way down the street, “Keep up.”

Making her way down the road at a brisk pace she was actually hoping that her sudden move would keep her students, her genin, a bit behind her so that they wouldn’t be in the way for the initial entry into the building. As she approached the building the door at the front slid open and two men, the mercenaries that the mission parameters had spoken of, stepped out leaving the door open and washing the road in front of it in light. She cursed quietly and plucked a two kunai from her pouch as the men seemed to chat and light two hand rolled cigarettes between them.

She was only a few meters away when one of them noticed her and began to turn, placing a hand on the pommel of the sword at his hip and opening his mouth to yell at her she lifted her hand in a fluid motion and loosed her kunai at the guards. The first one, midway into his yell found himself only producing gurgles as he suddenly was the owner of a new kunai lodged in his throat, the second hadn’t even begun to react to Kukiko as she approached and simply found himself teetering over as the kunai severed his spine. In the span of only a few seconds Kukiko had summoned a clone and moved at a sprint to catch the falling bodies of the guards before they could clatter to the ground in the armor.

As her and her clone placed the guards down gently she’d turn to her students as they arrived, “Caught up, good.” she said simply as she let go of the body and pushed through the door. The sudden light was a bit disorienting but she could make out five more men sat around a round table playing cards and another at the far side of the room working at a counter preparing some sort of a meal. She let loose another kunai that took one of the men over in his chair in a loud crash that certainly got the attention of everyone in the room. Someone yelled and table was very quickly knocked over as the armored mercenaries stood and began to pull their weapons.

Shion let out a whistle as she watched Kukiko swiftly dispatch two of the guards. An efficient kill with little moves wasted, it was fascinating for the genin to witness such a perfect technique. She made a mental note to ask the jonin to train her in shurikenjutsu after the mission.

As the jonin and her clone were putting down the body, the genin summoned a water clone with a command to hold position outside the building. Following the jonin’s lead, Shion moved by the door as she drew her sword and pulled out a kunai from her back-pouch. As Kukiko took out a mercenary in the room, the genin threw her kunai at the leg of the nearest guard before she delivered a downward cut aiming at his skull.

The mercenaries, though initially stunned by the sudden appearance of the intruders quickly found their wits and reacted as the intruders took their first chances at striking them down where they stood.

The nearest man to Shion fell to a knee with a grunt in sudden weakness as the girls kunai landed squarely in his thigh. He roared an adrenaline filled noise as the girl came down on him and brought both arms up to catch the girls wrists as her blade neared his head. With a rage fueled by pain and a will to live the man stood from where he was knelt, easily dwarfing the young genin as he simply tore her from the floor and tossed her like a doll into the nearest wall. Before Shion had even landed the mercenary had pulled the kunai from his thigh and spun it in his hand to use it on the genin.

Yuyuko nodded as she saw the two guards fall to the ground, her eyes taking a good note of the surroundings. Quite well done as expected from a Jonin class ninja which made Yuyuko remember her own goal.

Upon arriving at the door, Yuyuko readied her pebbles and a kunai while taking in the surroundings and on how to attack as Shion and Kukiko made their moves. Just as the two was about to strike, Yuyuko threw her kunai at the one on the far side of the room to hopefully.take him out. Then she turned her attention to other ninjas as the table was knocked over and the mercenaries begun to draw her weapons she quickly flicked 4 pebbles, one each at mercenaries and each being aimed at the eyes of them so that they either be forced to block it or feel a hard smack right in their eyes, probably stunning them and allowing Shiori, Kukiko or Shion to follow up with their own killing blows.

The farthest of the mercenaries easily sidestepped the kunai that came his way as he unsheathed his katana and edged his way forward, wary of any more projectiles coming his way and watching out for his comrades safety as they seemed to become more injured by the moment. He watched as one of his comrades was taken over by a kunai to his cheek, screaming in pain for a few moments before pulling the blade from his flesh and coming to a hunched position as he moved back toward the farthest of the mercenaries from the group of intruders.

The injured mercenary, now joined with the mercenary from the far side of the room rushed Yuyuko, bellowing yells as one of them tossed a bag of something at the girl and the other moved in at her side, sword ready to slash.

Shiori was able to keep up with her teammates as they approached the entrance of the building, she was the last to catch a glimpse of Kukiko dragging the corpses into the building and her heart began to pound. This was the first time she ever seen a dead body so up close, the body of a human being that was alive just a few seconds ago. This was an important mission, so she shook off the emotions of dread she felt, but it remained in the back of her mind either way. Despite this, she refused to show any of these emotions on the surface and as they entered the compound her hand reached into her pouch. She slipped her fingers into the loops of three kunai, amazed at how swiftly everyone moved and worked with one another, as they disposed of two out of the six mercenaries.

Shiori smirked as Yuyuko attempted to launch pebbles into the eyes of the mercenaries, one of the men blocked the pebbles with the blade of his sword, the other simply moved out the way and made a mad dash towards Kukiko, the other got hit in his left eye. As soon as Shiori saw this she launched a kunai at the man who was blinded, having it protrude into his right cheek with a painful snap, sending him sprawling on the floor in pain. She meant to aim for the windpipe but that worked too. The other two were sent to the man who rushed toward Kukiko, one of the kunais were blocked off by his blade and the other clanged off the man’s armor.

“One, watch your eleven.” Shiori told Kukiko in a calm tone, as her eyes shifted to the far right of the room. The one mercenary in there stopped making his meal and was now stepping out with his sword held out ahead of him. She looked around the room swiftly. Two out of six were down, one of them was injured and writhing in pain, another was rushing towards Kukiko, and the other two men were ready to charge on in. They had to act fast was all Shiori could think as she reached back into her pouch for another kunai.

The final two mercenaries that weren’t occupied took a moment to seem to communicate in some non-verbal language before moving in to circle what appeared to be the second most capable of the intruders as their comrades seemed to take care of the others. With a whistle one of the mercenaries leapt forward, slashing out with his katana before fainting and jumping back in time to reveal the archer perched at the top of the stairwell on the opposite side of the room as he loosed an arrow for the young genin. There was a whistle as the arrow made its way across the room in the blink of an eye and embedded itself solidly in the wall directly above Shiori’s shoulder and a frantic reloading from the archer as he realized his miss.

Not letting the young genin much time to react the two mercenaries would move in once more as they watched the archer fail. A slash was loosed for her legs as the second mercenaries katana came in from above at her head.

Kukiko turned to face the charging enemy as Shiori called out a warning for her and sidestepped the man so smoothly that it almost appeared they had been dancing, were it not for the blood now gushing from the mans open throat as he clutched helplessly at his neck and fell to the floor to convulse and die. She cursed herself as she heard the whistle of an arrow and quickly surveyed her team to see which of them had died only to be pleasantly surprised when she saw the arrow had missed its mark. Pushing into the remaining chairs and tossing them out of the way, Kukiko would sprint for the archer on the stairs, bounding up the steps four at a time and tackling the man into the wall with such force that the boards the archer hit cracked under their combined weight.

With a flick of her wrist the kunai she held normally flipped around to a reverse hold and quickly plunged into the man's skull with a solid thunk. She watched in disgust as the man’s eyes widened and lulled in their sockets before she wrenched the weapon around for good measure and tore it from the man’s brain. Standing quickly she turned to ready herself to jump back in to help her team as the oversized katana from the mercenary Captain sliced cleanly through the Jounins torso, sending it tumbling down the stairs with streamers of blood and innards as it came to a wet stop at the ground floor in the midst of the fighting.

“Ow...” Shion groaned as she got up to her knee before noticing the mercenary dashing towards her with the kunai held in a reverse-grip in an attempt to stab her. The gallops of her heart reverberated through her head as the genin brought her sword up, with her off-hand pushing against its blunt edge.

The mercenary’s wrist was stopped by Shion’s blade as his attack was pushed away from her body with the tip of her katana was pointing at his face. Her sword shot forwards like an arrow as the genin suddenly stood up, placing her body’s weight into the thrust with the intent to pierce through her opponent’s skull, while her leg attempted to trip the mercenary to unbalance his body.

As the man’s weapon came down he was surprised to find it blocked by the smaller girl beneath him. Stunned for a moment at the girls recovery he noticed as the attackers weight shifted and the blade moved to skewer him as she stood, the mercenary let out a grunt as he confidently stepped away from the girls rising blade and brought his own weapon up and away to come back at Shion from her side. He smiled as he let out a gurgling war cry before crashing to the floor as the large gash that Shion’s blade had managed to leave in his neck leaked his life from him in gushing waves.

Yuyuko breathed as she saw two who seemed to take notice of her as a dangerous target while she was readying a second volley of items to throw at the mercenaries, this one consisting of her right hand being 3 to 4 shurikens and her left being 2 to 3 pebbles due to how the mercenaries, particularly her foes would be paying attention to her.

As they moved to rush her, Yuyuko’s eyes noticed the bag about to be thrown by one as she immediately moved sideways to her right as she threw first with her left hand the 3 pebbles at the one who was going at side with his sword aiming at his shoulder level before using her right hand to throw the shurikens she carried at the one who threw the bag at her, using this distraction on both to try to follow up with a quick rush forward to do an iaido slash with her wakizashi on her closer foe at his stomach level since he would probably still be distracted by the pebbles she threw.
The distraction that was the bag not having worked on the young intruder the two mercenaries did what they did best and charged Yuyuko at the same time. The mercenary that had thrown the bag managed to dodge one of the girls shuriken but was unlucky enough to catch the other two shuriken to his chest as the third embedded itself deep in his eye socket. Falling over in a fit of convulsions the mercenary made a few shrill noises before his life finally left him, but this did not deter the second of Yuyuko’s attackers.

With a laugh the man simply continued to charge as the girl threw tiny rocks at him as if it would do anything. Bringing his sword down from his right he’d meet the now desperately charging girl in front of him with his own blade, watching with a satisfied smile as the sword bit deep into the girls hip and down the front of her leg followed by a steady flow of crimson as his sword finally finished its destructive path through Yuyuko. Bringing his sword up to finish the job the mercenary would drop it as he recognized that the girls desperate rush had in fact worked as he clutched at his stomach desperately trying to keep everything that was supposed to be inside of his body where it was meant to be before falling over as he screamed in pain at the grisly wound.

Shiori’s eyes widened in shock as she laid witness to the arrow drawing ever so closer, there would be no way for her to avoid the projectile. This would be where her journey ends. Just as the acceptance settled in, she winced when she heard the thud and realized she was okay. It was time to act, she couldn't quite comprehend what happened, only that she wasn’t hit and she was being approached by two mercenaries. Finally drawing for her kunai, she pounced back as fast as she could, but it wasn’t quite quick enough as her leg suffered a laceration from one of the mercenaries blades. She rose the kunai that she drew from her pouch to hold off the oncoming downward strike from the second mercenary, hoping that it would be able to hold the blade off long enough for her to roll out of the way and reorganize herself. She had to move fast however, because once she was out of this sticky situation they’ll come right back to finish the job. She knew that she was at an ultimate disadvantage against two possibly jounin level mercenaries, and if she didn’t do this right it could mean her life was on the line.

Confident even as their fellow mercenaries fell around them, the two mercenaries continued to press Shiori not letting up as she blocked and rolled. A simple slash as distraction came from one mercenary and was quickly followed by the other as they began to circle the girl and split her focus to two sides as best they could in the cramped space.

With the advantage in the fight against Shiori clearly in their favor the two men wasted no time as they finally felt they were in position to easily dispatch of their foe. The mercenary to her right charged her with his sword low, bringing it up as he neared to pierce the girl through her side as simultaneously the second mercenary brought his sword up and made his move forward from the opposite side, his sword too raised to run the genin through just as his partner had.

With her most recent threat lying dead on the ground, Shion swiftly scanned her surroundings. Yuyuko was wounded but it looked like she managed to bring down both of her attackers which was quite impressive, considering she was outnumbered. And Kukiko...was lying in a pool of blood, her body dismembered by the mercenary leader descending down the stairs.

“Sensei!” the genin screamed as she turned to face the mercenary leader in anger before noticing Shiori getting surrounded by her opponents just outside of her peripheral vision. Gritting her teeth, the genin turned her attention towards her comrade as she dashed towards one of the mercenaries from the side and slammed her blade down onto his, redirecting his thrust into the floor. With her off-hand, the genin covered his head with her cloak before delivering a stab aimed at his throat.

Yuyuko winced as she tried to keep herself from screaming as she was slashed by the blade falling to the ground as she tried to look at the others who were in there. At least Shion seemed alright but the shout alerted her to the fact that Kukiko is certainly in worse shape than the rest.

Yuyuko winced leaning on the side where she was injured quickly reaching into her pocket and taking out two shurikens. While she would normally want to take a pebble like she would with the other mercenaries and opponents and not have to worry about badly injuring her teammates, now was not one of them as she threw them and shouted “FLY!”

With that she looked back at the foe who was screaming pulling out a kunai and threw the sharp end at him with all her might at his face to ensure the kill, or at least injure him until she is able to get to her feet and stab him in the heart.

Shiori had to react fast, she was pacing backwards as the men circled her. They were slashing wildly and she dodged the majority of them with rolls or quick backpedaling. She did suffer a couple of minor lacerations to her arms, but that wasn’t anything to worry about right now. Kukiko Sensei was in danger, and who knew what was going on with her comrades. Yet here she was being cornered. Finally up against the wall, she thought of a last ditch attempt. She reached into her pouch, pulling out a small kunai to defend herself the best she could.

‘This is it,’ kept playing through her mind, as her once shaky hands were calm and steady. This was the life a shinobi had to lead, one where she would one day die whilst in combat. Today could have been that very day, until Shion saved her life. She quickly swept the small blade up, using it to defend herself from the other mercenaries sword for as long as he could. That’s when Yuyuko threw her shuriken, and all hope went into those two shuriken making contact. If they did, while the guard was staggered she would sweep up with her blade in an attempt to slit the mercenaries throat. Shiori may live to see another day.

The final two mercenaries went down quickly as the genin came together to finish them off, caught off guards from sides they’d thought protected until it was too late, but any celebration was to be short lived. There was a loud yell of indistinct words from behind the grotesque mask of the mercenary leader as he raised his katana up and brought it to point directly toward the three genin across the room as he stood at the bottom of the stairs.

Bringing the katana down to both hands he’d begin to charge forward before stopping dead in his tracks as a single thin blade of ice slowly pushed through his breastplate and out in front of his own eyes. The mercenary captain seemed confused as he watched the ice simply melt away, replaced by a steady flow of his own blood. Tottering for a moment he’d be pushed over to his side by the woman standing up behind him.

”Four grab every shred of paper you can from the office upstairs, Two get everything that seems important with Four. Three,” she looked over the bleeding genin at her place on the ground with a slight look of disgust and sorrow, ”Clean yourself up, I trust you can handle yourself.” she finished as she pulled her tube of paint and made to the front door to deface the walkway.

Several minutes later Kukiko would look over her work with a morbid pride, symbols of the Suzu Clan were sprawled about the premises, Yuyuko sat on the curb being watched over by a clone of her sensei and the remaining two genin had just exited the building with bags full of documents slung over their shoulders. ”Time to go, we head for--”

“YOU THERE! STOP!”

Kukiko turned in slight surprise as two Shinobi, towns guard, appeared around the corner of the road and made their way toward them with weapons drawn. She cursed herself at how long they’d taken inside before cursing aloud, “Great work with the clone two.” she said as she quickly weaved a series of handsigns before the men could notice the bodies out front of the building.

“Just what the hell is going on he--” the voice of the man was silenced as a spike of ice as tall as him plunged straight down through his shoulder and into the ground beneath him. The Shinobi to his side jumped in surprise at the massive sound it made before he too found himself skewered through in a similar manner.

”Go now.” she stated as she watched the ice melt quickly and the bodies fall from their held up position, ”Now!” she yelled before setting the side of the building ablaze and turning for the darkness of the road beyond them.

Shion covered her mouth in horror as Kukiko executed the guards. They were only shinobi doing their jobs, just like her team. They could have avoided these senseless deaths if only she made sure that her clone was working. As the jonin’s shout snapped her out of her shock, she hurried over to Yuyuko’s side, placing her partner’s arm over her shoulder and wrapping her hand around her waist to support her body.

“Tis but a scratch, Number Three,” Shion poked fun at Yuyuko as she helped her up with a heave, “So move thy buttocks.”

Without the usual cheer in her voice, it was clear that the genin was teasing her friend to hide her own anxiety. With her friend in tow, Shion followed the jonin, with a soft smile doing a terrible job of masking her sullen expression.

Yuyuko’s eyes had widened as she noticed the shout from the town guards. A part of her wanted to shout as she remained silent and forced herself to see Kukiko sensei brutally kill the two shinobi guards, something that she tried to rationalise as an unfortunate accident.

However she had little time for that as Shion helped her up. But when Shion poked fun at Yuyuko, she did not make any of her weird antics or even seem bothered by it, instead replying “Thank you, 2.” in a monotone voice, the tone of which that Shion may recognise from the previous mission but still a voice that seemed very unlike the normal or whacky voice the normally masked genin would have.

With that, Yuyuko rested some of her weight on Shion so as not to aggravate the injury she had any further as they followed after Kukiko, Yuyuko glancing to see if Shiori was following behind after them in the rear of the group.

Shiori didn’t have enough time to comprehend what was done throughout the mission. There was blood on her hands, blood on the hands of her teammates, and it finally settled that her sensei was a lot more dangerous than she could even begin to realize. Before she knew it, without thinking about it she was following orders, rushing up the stairs and stuffing a duffle bag full of papers and intel. Once the bag was full and they got everything they needed, Shiori rushed after the rest of the group. She was a little bit towards the back end, but quickly caught up, “Let’s get the hell out of here,” She mumbled and then split off towards a dark alley, quickly being shrouded from darkness.
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Making Camp!
A week away from Amegakure, inside the Rain province, Empire of Akino

A collab between Jason, Conman, Nim, and Lesli

Summary: As the convoy comes to a halt for the night, the shinobi gather around the fire to eat. After the watch is decided they retire, but a surprise visit will change everything.

As the day settled down to an end and the sun started to set over the hills, Fugam flew over to Sai and hovered near him, contacting him with telepathy that conveyed the words of the bird. The words would seem to just sort of appear in Sai’s mind, without any real tone or voice behind them. The bird first introduced itself, and then informed him that he was to rendezvous with the rest of the caravan, as they would be making camp. Chu and Sai had split up earlier in the day, and thus Chu could not have conveyed the message himself.

Not long after, the wagons would be pulled off the road and supplies for camping were brought out. Firewood was quickly cut and a small fire made by the merchants, who were not worried about the fire itself being seen. They were accompanied by quite a few guards after all. At least they had the good sense to pull the wagons into a small thicket of trees though, as it helped to hide the fire.

The horses were quickly picketed to a place where they could graze without a problem, and the Caravan guards agreed to take first watch of the evening, two of them setting up at opposite sides of the camp. Tents were being picketed, and Chu himself rolled out his own one man tent and quickly set it up, before stowing his saddlebags and saddle inside the small cloth structure. A small comfort for his horse, but one he would provide nonetheless. When he was done, Chu stood and walked to the fire where the merchants were cooking a small pot of stew with food they had brought along with them to eat off of. There would be none that was shared with the guards or the Shinobi, Chu had been informed of that, and had in turn informed the other two with him. Chu’s meal tonight was travelling rations, dried meat, bread, and his canteen of water. The man, with his small meal, sat down to eat, leaving seats open for his team members beside him on the long logs that had been brought around to sit on.

Sairento was a little concerned by the words seeming to just appear in his mind from a bird, but still gave it a simple nod by way of response. He rode towards where he was directed for the camp, and arrived before very long. Just as Chu was sitting down to eat, Sairento what was getting off his horse and making his way to the rations he had brought. Much like Chu, he had simple travelling rations that were easy enough to prepare and eat. No point in wasting too much time preparing or eatting food. Sitting silently on the log next to Chu, Sairento gave the man a simple nod as he thought back on the day. Trying to figure out if he had noticed anything that might allude to a threat later in their trip.

Getting off the wagon she sat in, Kuni stretched her arms and legs before looking around. The merchants were setting up their own little camp, and having been informed that the team wouldn’t be joining the merchants’ camp, she looked around for a moment. Once she spotted the small circle of logs that had been set up, she walked over. While both Sairento and Chu chose to sit on the logs, Kuni took a seat on the ground, before unpacking her own pack of rations. Starting to eat, she turned to look at the night sky above them.

Chu finished his meal in silence, eating and occasionally passing a bit of meat or bread up to Fugam, who would snatch it from his fingers. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the left arm and shoulder of Chu’s uniform had a bit of sturdier and thicker cloth sown to it, preventing the hawk’s talons from biting into his clothes and cloth. He looked over to Kuni. ”Anything eventful happen while we were up ahead?” He asked simply. His tone was casual and uncommitted, as if his mind was elsewhere while asking.

Hearing Chu ask her a question, Kuni turned to look at him [color=1589FF]”Not really. The merchants mostly talked among themselves, on the way, and the guards were focused on performing their duty. As for the surrounding area, I couldn’t spot anything or anyone out of the ordinary.”[/color] She answered, before turning her gaze back to the night sky. After a moment, she moved to completely lay down against the ground, appearing to be quite comfortable that way.

Fugam ceased to accept bites of food and instead just stood up on Chu’s shoulder, looking ever regal. Chu took a drink from his canteen and then turned his head over to Kuni. ”Oh? I suppose that’s good then. Let’s just hope that the rest of the trip is similarly uneventful.” He capped his canteen and slipped it back into the leather holster on his hip designed for it. He glanced over at Sai, who had yet to say anything, and then back to Kuni. ”We’ll be on second watch.” He said after a moment, informing them both of the plan he’d made with the guards, then he walked over to the tent he’d set up, rolling up into his bedroll.

Near to the fire, the three guards that had been hired to accompany the merchants were talking in hushed tones, they seemed to agree on something, perhaps the placement of the pickets for the camp, before separating, moving to different posts throughout the camp and silently watching for any intruders, hands on the hilts of the longswords at their hips.

Listening to Chu’s brief response, Kuni kept her sight on the night sky. It would be nice if the rest of the trip was quiet, but she did hope she could maybe talk for a bit with the merchants. But, with the way they were at first, it felt like it would be rude and inappropriate to approach them. Maybe she would have a chance when they next depart.

When the team leader got up and went into his little tent, Kuni turned to her own things and grabbed the bedroll. Placing it over herself like a blanket, she went back to looking at the starry sky above her, and after a few moments, closed her eyes.

Sai personally wished the mission wasn't so damn quiet as he listened to the two talking. The man much preferred knowing who and where his enemy was on a mission as opposed to not knowing. Those missions were always the one he felt to be risky, even if he doubted they would get much more than some common bandits here. Hearing which watch they would be on, Sairento gave a nod and affirmation he had heard before heading to catch some rest on his bedroll. Silence hanging over him as he kept to his own thoughts regarding the team, mission, and recent events.

The tranquility of the night wouldn’t be disturbed. Not even as a hour later, a figure would head towards the smaller camp of the group. Donned in a garb that seemed to blend well with the shadows of the night, the figure would slowly approach the team of team Chu. The dark hood masking the features of the figure in darkness, only supplemented by a scarf covering the lower part of the face of the unknown person.
A small distance would remain as the figure would come to a halt. His left hand, dressed in a fine leather glove, would rest on the hilt of a sheathed short sword - hanging in the scabbard at his hip. Observing the scenery for a moment, the unknown figure would throw a glance at the two figures sleeping out in their bedrolls.

Throwing a look over his right shoulder, a few other silhouettes seemed to flow silently out of the shadows. Numbering up to eight, the group was garbed in a similar way as the first cloaked figure. Though some didn’t seem armed at all.
The first figure would take a few more steps towards the camp, silently approaching the young girl in her bedroll. His pace, despite being silent, betrayed his caution and wariness for either Kuni or Sai to suddenly awake from their sleep.

In the branches of a tree was the hawk, Fugam, watching silently over the camp. The creature was fierce, and Chu, who was not exactly trustful of the caravan guards to stay awake, had left him to watch the camp until the rest of the shinobi were awake for second watch. A wise strategy it seemed. The hawk’s black and white nocturnal vision spotted the quietly moving figures in the darkness. It did not make a noise, instead choosing to contact his master telepathically, waking him from his sleep. If the figures were observant, they might notice Chu inside the tent stirring and coming out, dressed in his gear and with his sword drawn at his side.

The cautioned movements of the figure that was approaching Kuni had successfully ensured she wouldn’t wake up. Without any interruptions or calls to her from a different source, the girl remained asleep underneath her bedroll, resting ever peacefully.

A force of habit from his former profession, Sairento slept in short bursts. Because of that, the man was quite aware of the presence of at least one person trying to move quietly through their camp. Not daring to move, he simply let his training do its work. He first tried to sense the intruders, his training with the technique allowing a small range where he could passively sense them. At the same time he also listened for those small sounds denoting that the enemy might be growing closer to him. The man was positioned nearby Kuni, having selected a position among his team so he could easily wake them if needed. From his bedroll, the man did not move as if he were still asleep. Yet he was ready to strike the moment one of this strange group was within range. Seeking to use the element of surprise upon his foes.

The unknown figure would halt his movements, pulling his hand back. Straightening his back, the figure seemed to radiate a calm attitude as something seemed to go on in Chu’s tent. When the Omari moved out, clearly ready for a scuffle, the figure would show his hands up. The scarf and hood, together with the dark of the night, prevented to gain much of a view on the figure’s features. Though a masculine voice would speak up. ”No need for violence.” Lowering his hands slowly, the man would take a few steps back before he spoke up again.

”I rather would not have disturbed you all. Simply came with a request.” The hooded figure would fold his hands together, in front of himself.
”We would like to take Yoshikuni with us. I understand that this must seem very sudden and out of place. But I would advise to return a more diplomatic response. No need to shed any blood this night.”

Chu focused on the man, his sword still unsheathed, but not yet raised in a threatening manner. He straightened up and drew his shoulders back. ”You came into my camp in the dead of night, got past the guards and then creep towards where we sleep.” He cocked his head to the side. ”That, if nothing else, tells me that you don’t hold good intent, else you would have spoken to me in broad daylight, not skulked around in the darkness. Who do you work for? Answer quickly else I fear this conversation will have to turn violent.”

A chuckle seemed to escape the figure. ”If I had came during broad daylight, the situation would have been very different. Much less to my liking. I prefer to handle without the possibility of others emerging into a possible exchange.” Pausing for a moment, the figure would give an answer on the question that Chu posed. ”I work for somebody. But I doubt that it matters little if you would hear of their name. As for violence, I doubt that there is a need for that.”

The seven figures, hardly seen by the dark of the night would stand where they stood. But the speaker of the group would briefly gesture towards them, the movement betraying his calm and confidence. ”You are outnumbered and not prepared. However, much like I said. No need for violence. I simply request you let the young girl travel with us and we will part in peace.”

Chu sighed, and lifted his sword, easing into a ready stance. ”If you will not give me the information I need, then I trust you will understand that I am honor bound to at least attempt to capture you, superiority in numbers or not.” He drew in a breath and prepared for the fight, counting the seven figures that were in the area. They had the camp surrounded, but he figured if he was fast enough, he might be able to grab the figure in front of him. That, and he could even the odds a bit by waking his companions. He couldn’t let all of them leave without attempting a capture, after all they were after Kuni for a reason.

”Honor as a shinobi? Amusing.” Was the man’s reply. There was no change in the man’s stance. A second of silence echoed, only to follow as three of the figures would throw a smoke bomb. The smoke would be blasted into the area, effectively blinding anybody in Chu’s camp for a few seconds. But as the smoke would descend down on the ground, the group that came before would be gone.

The man's eyes flew open the moment he heard the sounds of the smoke bombs, lashing out but in that same moment the group was already gone. Sairento grumbled something about cowards, but immediately moved towards Yoshikuni. Their words had made it quite clear they were after her, and he wanted to make sure nothing had been done to their jinchuriki. He already didn't trust her, he didn't want to see what a beast would do in the hands of somebody who sneaks into camps. Kneeling closer to her, Sairento held a single handsign and began sensing the chakra around him once more. Checking to make sure the Jinchuriki hadn't had something done to her.

Chu’s eyes watered as the smoke bombs dropped, and he coughed reflexively as smoke filled his lungs. He lashed out with his sword, but hit nothing, the blade whiffing at the air. Fugam took flight, attempting to follow the group, but he could not find a trail and soon returned to his master, settling on his shoulder as the merchants emerged from their tents, and the caravan guards moved into the treeline to look and see what had happened. The enemy had apparently been so stealthy as to easily pass the pickets that the caravaners had set, or so they claimed. The merchants were not overly enthused with the commotion, and pull Chu off to the side, gesturing angrily. Snippets of conversation were all heard, but most of it involved them questioning what sort of danger Chu’s group had put them in. They had listened to the exchange from the tents, still up late to confirm their guards would do the job they had payed them to do and realized that those that entered the clearing weren’t after any of the caravan goods. It wasn’t long before the conversation was brought to an abrupt halt after Chu simply removed a bag of coins from his hip pouch and placed them in the hands of the merchant.

Chu made his way over to the fire where Sai and Kuni were at, and woke Kuni if she was not already awake. ”Get your things, we’re parting ways with the merchants and heading back to Amegakure.” He stood and moved to his tent, breaking down his gear and packing it neatly back into the saddlebags and small pack. He nodded towards Kuni. Then to Sai. ”You’ll ride double with me on my horse. Sai, you stay close to us on yours, i’ll have Fugam scout the route ahead. We’re going to be riding hard for the city, no stops. It’ll be hard on the horses, but i’m afraid we must.”

Having been woken up abruptly by Chu, Kuni listened to his instructions ”Wh-what? Why? What happened?” She asked, but still began to start pack her things ”And do you even think we can make it back, even on horses, without any stops? Won’t it tire out the horses? Especially if one of them is suddenly carrying two people instead of one.” She further asked. They had still made some distance from Amegakure during the week travel, and to expect the horses would be capable of making it back in one go like that felt to her like it was asking too much of the animals.

He waved his hand back at her. ”Operatives of some group or another just tried to take you away Kuni, we don’t have time to just wait around. It will be hard on the horses, but we must make as quick time as possible.” He stroked the ring on his finger, he could feel the pool of chakra swirling just below the surface of the gem, just out of reach, but still it sent tingles through his hand just to touch the item. ”If we come across any villages along the way I will purchase fresh horses and sell ours, but we cannot make any delays.” He swung himself into the saddle. He sighed though, as Kuni was right. ”But you are correct, we cannot run the horses to go on for a week’s worth of riding. We’ll make as few stops as possible.” This entire situation had just become a dangerous one. They could not afford to rest. ”You are, from here on out, authorized to engage any resistance with lethal force by my official command.”

Sairento nodded along with Chu's words, agreeing for the most part. ”If they were able to enter camp that easily, then we should not allow her our of our sights. Period. Until we are back home, neither of us takes our eyes off her.” Sairento explained simply, figuring it the safest option to ensure that Kuni was not stolen. ”I'll find their chakra trail, then keep sensing on the way back. If they get close, I'll know.” He added, voice betraying not a single emotion as Sai awaited their responses.

Once she was done packing, Kuni approached the horse that Chu got on. After a bit of difficulty, she got onto the horse, and gently wrapped her arms around Chu’s lower body for stability during the ride. She certainly didn’t feel the most comfortable on a horse, given how she didn’t know how to ride herself, and how she only rode on a horse one other time in her life, and that was with her mother during a small carnival [color=1589FF]”Ready.”[/color] She told Chu, hoping the horse didn’t mind the sudden extra weight.

Chu stared hard at Sai for a moment. Should it not been obvious that this was the course of action they should be taking, given the circumstances? Oh what he would have given to have Ferra instead of Sai in this moment, things would have been a lot less frustrating when talking to this shinobi. ”Yes, you do that Sai.” The horse did not seem to mind Kuni’s sudden ascent, or the extra weight. Chu waited for Sai to jump on his horse, and then he would set the stark black mare below him at a brisk pace, trusting Sai to follow.
 
The Sun Sets
The Lightning Country | Kumogakure | Raikage Office.

Takeru Destrushia, the Fifth Raikage.


The reports kept coming in. Various spies that wrote back about the discontent about various clans, commanders and what not. Nothing that surprised Takeru much. They were in a civil conflict. Nobody was perfectly content in a war. And certainly not in a civil war. If the same spies were working for the enemy, they could basically just shift some names and the situation would still be the same.
A sigh would escape behind the mask as Takeru would raise his left hand to support his forward-leaning head. Finishing the report, he would stare at the contents for a moment.

If this situation would persist, it would weaken the nation. Their neighbours would already be aware that the civil strife was ongoing. And then it was a matter of when, and not if, they would make their move.
Grunting softly, Takeru closed his eyes. The mere idea of also having a foreign invasion force moving on them was enough to worsen his headache.
Not much time would be given for Takeru to try to refocus on his papers. The faint sound of somebody knocking on the doors leading to his spacious office attracted his attention.

Straightening his back, Takeru would subtly nod. As if by a mere reaction on the masked man's nod, the double doors would open. Revealing a young maid that stood with a tray at the ready. Beckoning her to come forth, Takeru would wait as the maid stride forward. The doors would slowly close behind her.
The young woman would place the plate on the desk, careful to not let the plate disturb the paperwork. Her eyes were averted to not glance over the content of the paper nor make contact with the masked leader in front of her.

The calm and gentle motions of the maid had something calming. Takeru wasn't a big fan of lunch but he had skipped breakfast today. That and the distraction was most welcome.
Once the maid was done, she would make a deep bow and step backwards, still in a bowed stance. Subtly, she was waiting for his permission to take her to leave. Which she didn't need to wait long for as Takeru mumbled thanks.

The maid would slowly walk backwards a few paces before turning around to then head towards the door. Watching the young woman for a moment, Takeru would turn to the food. It was a simple meal but another welcome distraction.
Slowly he would move the mask from his face. It always felt so much better to undo the mask and breathe freely again. Not to be Takeru Destrushia. But to be Chase Irozaki.

Raising the glass in which cold tea was located, Takeru took a sip. It had a weird taste and he wondered for a moment what kind of herb they had used. It certainly had a dry aftertaste. Frowning, Takeru would raise the glass and drink more of it.
Placing the glass down, he blinked rapidly twice. He noticed that something was wrong. His lips parted, trying to move oxygen down into his lungs. But it felt like nothing was moving in. Moreso, the world started to blur and slowly, gently move. Like they were all on a big ship, guided by calm waves.

Pulling himself up, Takeru tried to raise his right hand. A cough escaped him as he tried to speak up. Without any hesitation, a few figures seemed to appear into existence. The ANBU Guard that usually kept themselves cloaked, watching their leader from the shadows, moved in quickly. A few would quickly move in on the maid, who seemed to be far from being bothered.

Falling to the ground, Takeru rolled on his back. Trying to move any bit of oxygen into his lungs. But every effort seemed to make the next more difficult and the world blurrier with each inhalation. There would be a blur moving into his sight as distant voices resonated in Takeru's mind.

"Lord... Breathe... His..."

He registered faintly somebody touching at his shoulder. The world moved but it was too blurred to figure out what was going on.

"It will be alright."

Surprised, Takeru wasn't sure if his mind was now collapsing as well. He did realise that he was dying. The pain started to take away and so the need to try to get oxygen in his lungs. Once more did he hear the whisper, this time clearer. A masculine voice whispered in his mind.

"Come with me."

He didn't want to. He had much to do. He didn't want to die in this way. Choking wasn't the way he wanted to die. Then again, fighting himself to the death didn't seem appealing either. If anything, he rather would be on his bed. Having the last talk with his adoptive children. The last drink with Naruko Jun. Perhaps...

"It is okay. I can show you the way."

The voice was soothing. Closing his eyes, Takeru felt sorry. He didn't want to go. But this time, he wouldn't let his friend go alone.

"Very well, Natsuki. Natsuki Hikaru."
 
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Through the Void
Few days distance from Amegakure, inside the Rain province, Empire of Akino

A collab between Nim, and Lesli

Summary:
The group that have previously attempted to take Yoshikuni with them succeed in their task. After a brief talk between Kuni and the group's leader, a realization occurs, and Kuni begins heading in a different direction with the group much more willingly.


The peace had returned once more. The earlier disturbance was gone and while it might have awaken the members of Chu’s team, any presence or traces of the unknown figures would vanish. A soft breeze would take its place, gliding through both the camp of the merchants and of the shinobi team.
In the distance, there was the sound of wolves howling. The faint sound indicating that the predators were far away but nonetheless awake and on the prowl.

In the absence of light, a gloved hand would move towards Kuni’s head. Barely a sound would be produced as the leather gloved hand extended towards the girl’s head. A soft green light briefly emitted before it touched the girl’s head, whisking her away with her bedroll into another place.
As the hand pulled back from Kuni, the transmission from the camp where she had stayed with her team would be quite different. The area seemed distorted and night had shifted for something that seemed obscene, out of place. The person closest to Kuni seemed to be one of the hooded figures, who calmly moved away from the girl while a quick glance would provide the insight that the other hooded figures had gathered around her. Yet, a safe distance kept between them and the jinchuriki.

”I apologise for this rather inconvenient manner of travel. But please don’t be alarmed. We mean you no harm.” One of the figures moved forward, the same unknown man that had spoken before. ”I am certain you’re have quite a large amount of questions. But first, I would like to request you to please come with us.” The tone and phrasing were quite polite, though the man continued with a certain addition.
”I do have to state that this isn’t a request. You are coming with us. Preferably, peacefully.”

After getting touched on the head, Kuni immediately woke up. Before she could get up, however, she felt like something was different. She couldn’t feel the night breeze anymore, nor hear the nearby crickets. There was no feeling as long as her eyes kept closed. A moment passed, and she heard footsteps. So she wasn’t alone, where ever this was. Beginning to slowly rise from laying on the surface, the bedroll slowly dropped from her. One of the people started speaking, apologizing and then trying to reassure her. Despite their words, it was a bit hard to feel reassured when she was just taken by people she didn’t know to an unknown place.

Turning her head up, Kuni finally opened her eyes. Upon seeing the area around her, she was speechless. No moon, no area around. There was some kind of path, that she and the others were on, but that was it for anything in close proximity. Looking in the distant, she could spot what appeared to be floating islands. That on its own seemed so bizzare. Upon looking behind her, she could spot the camp that she came from, yet it seemed off, as though it wasn’t quite there.

Hearing the man speak up once more, Kuni turned to look at him. All of the people were hooded and it was more than clear that they were much more accustomed to this place than she was. So they had an advantage in both knowing who she was, and how this place operated. Standing up, Kuni quickly grabbed the bedroll, holding it under her arm, and looked at the hooded people ”You are right that I have a lot of questions. And while you said this wasn’t a request, I think I wouldn’t have put up a fight anyway. You have the upper hand in various ways. Lead the way, though I already want to ask my first question. Who are you?” She immediately asked, before they could even take their first step.

The man would reach to the dark scarf that hide the lower features of his face. Pulling the scarf down, he would reveal a wry smile. Several small scars could be seen, attributing to his chin and one crossing his lips at the right corner. ”I fear that my name wouldn’t mean much to you. But to put you at ease, we are at behalf of our Lady. Lady Cho.” The man would take a step aside, gesturing to the direction behind him. ”I will explain what I can along the way. But for now, I do request we start to get going. I fear that your vanishing might cause some distress. Not to mention, I prefer to not keep the Lady waiting.”
Waiting for Kuni, the others of the company already started to move in a relative easy pace towards the direction the man had gestured at. The man would, however, patiently await till Kuni would close in the distance and walk alongside with him.

When the man revealed his face, Kuni felt that the smile he held did more to reassure her than his previous words. As he answered her question, Kuni briefly wondered who did he mean. Only a second later, she remembered who is normally addressed by titles of Lords or Ladys, and it hit her. They were sent by Aiko. Nodding as he said that he would explain what he could along the way, Kuni began making her way towards him, and upon catching up walked beside him.

”Hearing that certainly reassures me. Though, even if your name may not mean what it normally means, I’d still like to hear it. I don’t think I can address you as ‘Lady Cho’s servant’ the entire way without being annoyed. Not to mention, I like knowing the names of those that I travel with. If they are willing to provide their names, of course.” She quickly added the last bit, thinking back to the times where she was escorted by guards who barely spoke a word to her.

Turning to face the direction where the others had headed, the man would alongside with Kuni. Now closer to the man, the shadow that the hood casted over the man’s face was less prominent. Revealing a face with many cuts and eyes with light grey irisses.

”I am glad to hear so. It certainly makes this current operation much smoother if you were to cooperate.” The wry smile would slightly vanish, seeming more genuine. ”As for my name? I fear that I am not keen on sharing. But you can call me Asmund.” The man would reach towards his hood, pushing it back. Revealing the short brown hair that the man had, with at the temples shaven short.

”Obviously, I can’t tell you everything. And it is up to the others if they are willing to share a name with you.” Asmund calmly explained, shooting a sideways glance at Kuni. ”But I can reveal that I am in charge of this operation. If anything, you will be under my protection until we reach our destination.”

”Well, even if you can’t share your actual name, I appreciate giving me any name. You probably know my name, but you can call me Kuni if you’d prefer.” She told him, taking a look at the man and offering a smile. His appearance certainly gave the feeling of a rough man, one that has seen quite a bit, but his willingness to reveal himself also made her feel like they got off on the right foot.

As he started detailing some of the things, Kuni nodded. There were many reasons to choose not to reveal a name, and the less you trusted a person, the more it made sense too. When he revealed that he was the man in charge, she briefly wondered why he decided to share that particular detail with her. But instead of questioning it, she offered another nod ”Understood. I am in your capable hands then, Asmund-san.” She said.

He simply nodded regarding Kuni voicing her appreciation. ”If that is what you desire. It certainly rolls a bit easier of the tongue, Kuni, that is.” Asmund replied. There was no more any sign from the other hooded figures that had been there before. Yet as they continued with their walk, Asmund didn’t seem concerned in the slightest.

”I can already state that we will be heading east. Because I assume that your team members will state that you’re being kidnapped or worse, we will avoid large settlements. Not to mention that we will have to keep your identity hidden. If you won’t protest, I can see what I can do to gain something comfortable for you to wear.” The man explained. He continued as he would reach for something in a pocket. ”Ah, I almost forgot. To make sure that you have a bit more assurance, I was tasked to give you this.”

Asmund would reveal a small round object, tied to a simple and thin rope. The object seemed to be made out of silver with a curious symbol inscribed in it, resembling a snarling hound’s head. Holding it, subtly gesturing that Kuni could take it.
”If we do have the poor luck to come across anybody. I will require you to be silent. If anybody asks or speaks, you best act like you’re mute. I hope you can realise that it is best for us all that way.”

Listening to Asmund, Kuni appreciated the mention of trying to get comfortable clothing for her. When he suddenly took out the silver object tied to a thin rope, Kuni hesitated for a brief moment before taking it. While she held it in the palm of her right hand and looked at the hound’s head that the silver object was inscribed with, her left hand moved to touch a spot just above her chest. After a moment, she went ahead and placed the new necklace’s rope around her neck. Yet another necklace from Aiko. Kuni felt like she should think of something to bring her in return, but decided that it should be something meaningful.

Once Asmund finished speaking, Kuni nodded ”Of course. I’ll be as silent as a drop of water that falls into a rushing river. Though I have to ask, what if a sensor comes asking question? I can’t quite hide my chakra signature.” She asked. It was a legitimate concern, after all. Her chakra signature could probably compare to very few, with the Bijuu inside of her.

Asmund didn’t seem to require much time to consider the answer as he flashed a more mischievous smile towards Kuni. ”That isn’t going to be an issue. We have our ways to keep your well hidden from any sensors.” Was his cryptic answer. ”As long as you don’t pull anything that can endanger this operation, everything will go smoothly. Only problem we must keep in mind is if we take too long to get to the place where we are supposed to bring you to.” The smile vanished as the man didn’t make any further mentioning of what could follow if they wouldn’t reach the place within time.

”Otherwise, we just got to improvise. It would certainly be a good learning experience for some among us, I wager. Yet, I must admit that I am not fond of surprises. So, I hope you won’t deliver any.”
After the man finished, the two would enter a clearing. But instead of seeing a treeline at the other side, they were met with the others of the group waiting at an edge.
”Don’t get too close to that edge. I prefer not to jump after you.” Asmund explained as he would nod towards the group. Each of them would turn around, facing the edge as a faint green chakra seemed to flow around them. Only making them vanish with a blink a few seconds later.
”Now stand still and keep breathing.” Were the only instructions Asmund gave as he placed a hand on Kuni’s shoulder.

The next moment that Kuni blinked, they were once more in the clearing. But underneath the usual night sky with the ambiance of the forest returning. Up ahead seemed to be two similar garbed figures, like Asmunds group, were cleaning up what seemed to be a small camp.

”I assume that you already traveled today. And soon you can enjoy some sleep. But for now, I do need you to stick close with us. It is best if we move to a safer spot, now that we get our own camp cleaned up. I rather not have your team finding our tracks, somehow.”

The response that came from Asmund, along with that smile, helped reassure her once more ”I don’t intend on trying to slow us down in any way.” she told him. Upon entering the clearing, Kuni watched in awe as the other people in the group seemed to start to vanish into thin air. Not moving from her spot, she briefly wondered what was going to happen as Asmund came and grabbed her shoulder. Maintaining her breathing, she blinked.

And before she knew it, there were trees around her once more. There were stars above her, and crickets making their distant sound in the bushes. They returned to the actual world from whatever that place had been. Soon enough, she spotted two people that were cleaning up a camp. As both were dressed like the others in Asmund’s group, Kuni figured they probably weren’t threats. Turning to listen to the man beside her, she nodded once more ”Well, I did have an hour rest, and being energetic most of the time means I can keep going for a while. So, lead the way, Asmund-san.”

”Just Asmund will suffice.” The man responded. He would silently gesture something, causing the group to get moving. The camp was quickly cleaned up and weight would be distributed among the members. The hooded figures moved with little to no sound produced, yet not slacking in speed as they continued on.

Finally after a hour of traveling, the group would make a stop on the order of Asmund. He would voice something in a hushed tone to a few of his people, which seemed to blend and vanish into the dark of the night. Beckoning Kuni, he would explain something to the chuunin. ”We are going to have a small rest here. You can attempt to sleep and gain some stamina. For tomorrow we will be traveling a large distance. Hopefully, making it far enough from the route that your team might be taking once they discover that you’re gone.” He shot her a questioning look. waiting if she had any questions remaining.

Once the hour of walking passed and Asmund gave the order to stop, Kuni turned to look towards him. As he explained what they were doing now, she nodded her head lightly ”Understood. Though I do wonder if they will actually keep going with their mission or not.” She briefly said, before noticing his questioning look ”Oh, my only question for now is how long do you think we’ll be travelling for? How long until our destination?” She asked, wondering how long they will be on the road in the manner he described earlier.

Asmund briefly shrugged. ”I am not familiar with either of them. But if I had to guess, they either continued on with their objective. That or they will attempt to find you and report that you were taken in.” The man replied, rather calm about the fact that they could be reported of having abducted a jinchuriki. Not the most smallest of crimes one could come up with. ”If things go well? Two weeks. There might be changes to the plan. And we can’t accurately pinpoint the duration, due to several factors. Nothing which you need to worry about.” Hooking his thumbs behind his belt, the frown returned on the man’s brow, once more waiting in silence if she had anything to ask.

Two weeks. So at best it would be that period of time before she gets to see Aiko again. Of course, wishing that everything would go well is one thing, having everything go smoothly was another ”I understand. Thanks Asmund. I’ll go ahead and get some sleep now.” She told him, offering a smile before taking a couple of steps away. Dropping the bedroll onto the ground, she moved to lay down and then cover herself with the bedroll, effectively going back to the same position she was at when Asmund’s group first grabbed her
 
A Talk Outside
Flashback Post!
Empire of Akino, Hon territory - House of Magnhild.
Small village of Alfstedt.



A collab between Oetje and Tim.

Summary:
This is a flashback when Team 4 and Team 8 were residing in the small village of Alfstedt. The collab is about an exchange between Neji Uchiha and Meilin Cho, as the two decided to go outside for some fresh air.


The sky was turning dark and while the tranquility in Alfstedt was soothing, it didn’t entirely remove the stress, frustration and anger. With the lodging of the teams been given by some of the more prosperous farmers, Meilin had decided after a collective supper to head outside.
The surrounding was dominated by the cold snow, that stretched as far as the eye could see. It covered the roofs, plains and leafless trees. It brought up something sombre and yet beautiful to the mind.
Warming her body by slowly moulding a bit of chakra into the fire nature, Meilin watched how a small cloud of vapor escaping her. It brought up some memories of how her mother told stories of their homeland. That the winters in the southern part of the present day Empire were sterner than in Keishi. That snow wasn’t a rarity and how her mother had countless times played with her siblings on how they were the terrible dragons of old, that were used by the Hyuzu to burn the countryside.

The thought and memories briefly caused Meilin to grow happy. But that happiness soon turned sour as the memories of more recent events came up. Almost like those memories wanted to remind her that she would find little joy in the idea of children playing to be dragons in winter.

The day had been a long one. Following their mission against the zealots squads 8 and 4 had made their way to this small village to rest for some time. Each member of the two squads had come face to face against a formidable foe while fighting the zealots. This included Neji as he and Aiko sensei had fought against a pretty dangerous woman who was talented with ninjutsu. In the end Neji and Aiko were able to overpower her with Neji delivering the final blow. Luckily the young Chuunin had not suffered any real injuries. A few scrapes and bruises but nothing to worry about. He had done pretty well against the enemy, but he still needed to improve so that he could do better.

The village they were staying in was called Alfstedt, it was in the eastern part of the empire and it was a rather small village, mostly farms with a few shops and such in the center of town. The squads would rest here before getting on the move again. Neji finished his meal and decided he wanted some fresh air. He took his cup of warm cider and made his way out into the cold atmosphere, the day was continuing to grow later as the sky turned darker. Neji would look around and see nothing but white for as far as his eyes could see. The snow making it harder for them to move around. Neji would take a sip of his warm cider to try and stay warm. That’s when he would turn his head and notice the girl a few years older than him standing off not too far away from him. She was a member of team four. Neji decided he should introduce himself. ”I thought I would be the only one to brave the cold at this time of day.” Neji would place a faint smile.

The sound of snow crunching as somebody walked towards her caused Meilin to throw a look at the direction of her would be approacher. Hearing the comment, the young woman slightly frowned. But the frown vanished as she would reply in return.
"I like the cold. Being all packed inside with too much warmth tends to be irritating. In my opinion, at least."
Pausing for a moment, Meilin decided to question something.
"But I assume that an Uchiha is supposed to brave unknown dangers, yes? Ever experienced a cold winter like this one before?"

Neji would listen to the woman speak and that would make Neji smirk. ” Yeah I know what you mean, sometimes you just have to brave the cold to get a moment to yourself.” Neji would take another sip from his warm cider as he looked back out into the snow covered field, his breath visible to his eyes from the coldness that was there.

Neji would turn back to meet the gaze of the woman as she asked him a question. ” Well thats certainly like we like to tell ourselves, I assume that goes the same for you.” Neji would have to think for a moment about her other question. ” Yeah when I was a child, my family went to stay in the Uchiha clan lands with some relatives for most of the winter. It was the first time I had ever seen snow and it was pretty cold, I can remember my older brother teaching me how to make and throw a snowball.” Neji would laugh a little as he looked back on the memory. ” I wanted him to teach me how to throw a shuriken, but he said that snowballs were close enough.”

A wry smile briefly touched on Meilin’s lips. She decided to not give an answer to verify his assumption. Listening to him, Meilin rubbed her hands briefly to bring back some warmth. The hint of a smile briefly appeared on Meilin’s lips.
"I never had an older brother. Must have been quite great to have one.” Meilin replied, briefly thinking about her siblings. Even while she wasn’t that much intrigued about Neji’s family life, she decided that it had no harm to prolong the conversation.
"So, did your older brother ever teach you how to throw a shuriken? Or did you never got past throwing a snowball?” Meilin decided to ask, trying to sound a tad amused while holding on to a polite tone.

Neiji would take the final sip of his warm cider, it helped to keep him warm in this freezing cold that they were currently in. Neji faintly smiled as he remembered his brother. ” Yeah it was nice growing up with and older brother, someone to look up too.” Neji would set down the cup and then rub his hands together to try and get some warmth. ”A year or two later he would eventually show me, but on that day in the snow it was just snowballs, not a bad training though for a young kid.” Neji would lightly laugh. Neji then looked over to the older girl and would extend his hand. ” I’m Neji Uchiha by the way, I know we haven’t had a chance to meet yet.”

She wondered how different it was for the perspective of her siblings. But Neji’s comment about his older brother didn’t bring up the thought of her being the older sister. It just brought up that Irene and the others were just missing their oldest brother.
"Not a bad start at all, no.”
When Neji offered a hand, Meilin nodded. Extending her own hand and briefly shaking his, she would reply in return.
"Meilin, leader of team 4.” She replied in short. Pulling her hand back, she shot a quick glance at the scenery before turning her attention back at Neji.
"So, how what is your opinion so far on the lands of the Hon? I imagine that it must be a popular question to ask you, seeing your origin.”

Neji would take a scan out into the field, though there was very little chance that they could face any enemies out here, it was always good to be at least a little bit on guard. Neji turned his attention back to her as she spoke. She mentioned that the snowballs was not a bad start at all and then she took his hand and shook it, she then introduced herself. Her name was Meilin, she did not give a last name which Neji wondered why, but he wasn’t going to pry for that information. She also said she was the leader of team 4. Neji nodded at her, she was only a few years older than him and she was a team leader. It was impressive, but there were other shinobi around their age who were doing things like that as well, but still, she must be good at what she does. He then focused on her again as she asked him about what he thought of the Hon Clan lands. Neji would think on the question for a moment before answering.

” Well this has been my first time in the Hon clan lands which I’m sure isn’t a real big surprise to anyone, but so far the lands have been nice. The country side out here is beautiful and they seem peaceful. We also spent some time in Magnhild, the city was nice, besides the looks I would get every once in a while from the people of the city, but that is to be expected I suppose. Not often a Uchiha walks around a Hon city.”

"Ah,” Meilin wondered briefly how it came that he got the looks. She was most aware of the bad blood that ran between the Hons and Uchiha. Rival clans usually didn’t seem to mix well. But she wondered how people could see he was an Uchiha. Unless he would wear something to stand out, like a clan symbol. If anything, Meilin found herself a tad wary. The force that had been taken down in the Pinedale region was supposingly send by the Uchiha. Even while she didn’t believe it, she had nothing to prove that the Uchiha had nothing to do with that drama.
For a moment, Meilin wanted to bring up if he had ever spoken to Dagrún but she decided against that. She didn’t want to initiate any friction among the two teams.

"This is my first time as well.” Meilin decided to bring up, hoping that it would thus not make Neji not feel alone in that aspect.
"Seems indeed way more peaceful than some people may say about it. I have yet to see a band of marauders on the loose, throwing axes and curse words at every bypasser. Or wearing only fur.”
Flashing a smile, she would rub her hands to bring once more a bit of warmth in them.
"Where more have you been so far?”

Neji would stare back out onto the cold snow covered field as he would listen to Meilin talk about her first time so far in the Hon clan lands. Neji would smile as Meilin would say it was her first time being in the Hon Clan lands as well. ” Yeah from what I have been told these lands are violent, but they seem very peaceful to me. I have been to Amekagakure and thats really it. I’ve been to my own clan lands of course but have spent most of my time in Konohagakure what about you?”

"I grew up in Keishi, so not sure if I can count that.” Meilin replied, at first. Pondering for a second, she would then start to sum up the places she had been to. "Other than that, I have been to the Blackroot Vale. To Pinedale and to the River province. Hanaguro, the capital of that province. Rather interesting city. I have been to Magnhild, which isn’t surprising as I imagine Team 8 was stationed there as well.” Considering it all, she couldn’t really argue that she hadn’t been able to travel a lot.
"But I would like to head south of the Empire. See what is there. Experience the people from there.”

” I would like to eventually see some lands outside of the empire. See what other countries look like and see what their traditions are like and such, but i’m not sure when I will be able to do something like that.” Neji would look back out onto the snowy field. His breath clearly visible as he would exhale. ” I guess unless we were at war with one, but then wouldn’t really be the best time to visit another country now would it.” Neji would lightly chuckle.

She wouldn’t join in chuckling or finding it funny. The mentioning of war brought up the memories of facing the forces that attempted to barge into the region of Pinedale. Attempting to prevent remembering that gruesome day, Meilin decided to think of something else.
"Perhaps a mission. You could try to petition for such a mission. Maybe you will get a mission to travel to another nation.” Meilin brought up, deciding on something.
"But I will need to check on somebody. Thanks for the talk, Neji of the Uchiha.” Meilin would offer a curt nod before she decided to take her leave.

Neji would quit his chuckling as Meilin hadn’t joined in, She was older than he was so he assumed that she had seen much more combat then he had, so she probably had her reasons. ”Yeah possibly, it would be nice, but for now i’ll just have to stick around the empire.” Neji would think back on his own battles and wonder what it would be like to be in a war. He was then pushed out of his own thoughts as Meilin would speak again. Neji would smile and give a polite small bow back to her. ” It was nice to meet and talk to you as well Meilin of team four.”