[ Kirigakure, capital of the Republic of Water | Republic of Water ]
[ Aya Oda | Genin of Team 14 | Jinchuriki of the Six Tails]
[ Home again.]

It was strange to her, she never deemed herself important. The talk of her clan was always her father and his impressive swordsmanship, her brothers skill in his job, Chie and her soon to be marriage with the Akechi. She was just Aya, yet now she was one of the only two survivors. She had the six tails sealed within her, some crystal woman was hunting her down, she had all these eyes constantly watching her and she honestly didn't understand the point of being important. She wasn't even important, it was the thing inside her that made everyone keep their eyes on her. Yet what was her only choice in the matter? To simply get stronger than those that would want to use her, or steal her. Maybe that's why she started to grow detached from every new member that joined.
Aya would sigh as she looked around her room, well her new room. Mika claimed Aya as hers which was nice, she trusted Mika yet at the same time this was her fourth new room within a year. She was able to keep most of her belongings, such as the Akiyama flag crest. Only thing that hurt was that crystal operative took her family sword, it was the last thing she had of them and now she might never see it again.

Standing up she would walk out of the room and head to the kitchen where a note was waiting telling her where to go. A team meeting with a new member, a sour feeling grew inside her as she tossed the note out and started to walk to the front door. Her hand trembled a bit as she reached for the doorknob but she clamed herself enough to convince herself that this crystal operative wouldn't try to claim her in the middle of the city. Not with probably several ANBU watching her. Leaving the house she would make her way to their training field, yet she still kept looking around every chance she could. She knew she looked weird just looking around but to her, she had to otherwise she would just be another name on this team that died. If they even killed her.

She would arrive at the field and rubbed her arm as she smiled at Mika, it felt odd to her. Was it the missing sword she always carried with her? Was it the things said during the attack? Aya couldn't quite place her finger on it but today just felt odd like she was naked in front of everyone. Well all that mattered now was to await this new team member of hers. She could only hope they had some rational thought process to them.
 
✾ Kirigakure, capital of the Republic of Water | Republic of Water ✾
✾ Kayleen Akechi | New Genin recruit of Team 14 ✾
✾ Team meeting in Kirigakure ✾

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"Huahhh..." yawned Kayleen, as she hung her rain cloak over a mossy stack of timber. Arriving an hour and a half earlier than what was expected of her, got her to the meeting place close to the bum crack of dawn. She wanted it this way however, so that she would have ample time to meditate by the water if able. Conveniently for her, there was a small patch of woods with a bubbling brook nearby the designated training field. Kicking off her sandals, she strided over to plant herself at the water's edge to submerge her feet in the icy cool water. The sudden shock of coolness fully waking her. Her eyes began to droop intently under the delicate misting of rain, as she let her mind focus on the dribbling water sounds that she was now immersed in.

Mere minutes turned to over an hour, as Kayleen allowed time to disappear. Rousing herself out of her meditation, she stood with a satisfying stretch of the lungs. "Is an early morning swim out of the question, Kazua?" She tittered, patting a turtle shell hanging from her back. The sharp turquoise shell gave no indication that anyone was home. Her dwarf sea turtle would have no such business at such an hour. "Very well. Let's go introduce ourselves then." She walked over to reclaim her cloak and equipment. She refastened her retractable harpoon spear horizontally to the small of her back and holstered a rigid set of toxic sai daggers to her thighs. "ALL SET." She said, swiping clear her forehead protector which she instead tied around her upper left arm.

Mildly rolling her eyes, Kayleen looked over her shoulder toward a thicket close by. "I can still see that you're there... You can go already. They'll be here any minute..." She sighed, turning away to continue her leave. Her father had sent along a pair of capable escorts from the clan to accompany her to the site. The silhouette of figures remained where they were in utter silence. It wasn't until Kayleen made it out of the woods that the pair quickly dissolved away. "How embarrassing... it's not like I'm the daughter of the Dictator." She mumbled as she went. Kayleen abandoned the clearing and appeared from the edge of the woods. She was still early, and yet there stood two ninja awaiting in the foggy field.

One of the two, was clearly the superior based upon her surefire demeanor and professional attire. The other was younger and seemed lost or uncertain of something. As Kayleen arrived in front of them, she didn't immediately recognize Aya when she proceeded to introduce herself. "Good morning. I am Kayleen." She said, with a brightening smile. When her cheery eyes met the crimson red of Aya's irises, she paused to sneak in a breath... careful to not seem gobsmacked. This is who father said I'd recognize... Now she knew why her father kept it as such a surprise. She'd only seen her once or twice at family events, but she was an Oda for sure. It was unmistakable. Kayleen became aware of her own staring and quickly apologized, "Sorry... I didn't suspect I'd see you here." She admitted to Aya. Overwhelming feelings threatening to resurface. As a result, she'd forgotten to introduce Kazua in the moment who began to squirm alive on her back.


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[ ???? - ????? | The Rongese Theocarcy ]
[ ????? - Hall of Whispers and Silence ]
[ Regret, A Vrykyl ]


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"It had happened during the night. Cloaked priests with a small security detail had come to their house. They briefly spoke with father and it was unclear, at first, what they needed. Then they approached me and I would never forget what followed. What seemed like a blessing from the Maker, a change of destiny orchestrated by the divine priests, was far from a blessing.

I became a shadow then. And still, to my horror, I can't turn the process back. I am doomed and blessed. While others are able to enjoy his love, I am tasked by the arrogance of those old men to serve as a twisted shadow. Forever bound to the dark, to serve the light that is Him."



------------------------------------------------------------------------------​


"Honestly, my life wasn't that interesting. I was born in poverty. My parents were of the working class. My dad was a day teller, someone who did simple work for a simple salary. My mother? Well, let us just keep it that she was an entertainer. I suppose that is a nicer way to describe her vocation.
I had siblings but they bear no importance to my origin. All that I can hope and say is that they perhaps lived better lives than I did. I sometimes wonder what could have become if I had decided to intervene in some of their lives. But a shadow shouldn't meddle with the living. A shadow is something you need to ignore.

At the age of eight is when the priests came for me. They spoke with father alone for a good while. What they discussed wasn't clear to me. I only remember that my father told me that my life was going to change. That he and mother were proud. Pride? A strange thing for someone born and forced to live through poverty. I imagined, at first, that pride just belonged to those who could afford it.
Stumbling through the dark, I walked with the priests and guards. The streets were mostly abandoned. No good folk dare or want to linger when the sun has already settled in the west. Bad folk linger around when it turns dark, is what most people tell you. Or those that have other affairs, that you can't conduct during the day.

But we made our way to the Hall of Whispers and Silence. A large temple complex that most people avoid. Not because you can't pray there. Out of fear and respect. Many don't know what is held in the Hall of Whispers and Silence, you see. We always thought that the priests had a vault there. One with mythical weapons and items. Meant to arm the righteous and heroes of the Maker. To ensure that we forever prepared to deal with heathens, heretics and worse.
How silly those thoughts are. How wrong they actually, it is too much to actually be shocked. It is one of the few things that amuse me now.

No, the Hall of Whispers and Silence isn't a place of prayer. It isn't where the faithful hoard tools to arm themselves against the forces of the dark. It is a place of shadows and penance. A place where they create shadows that will shun the day and work in the dark, to serve that light. Pure irony but it has a bittersweet taste. I still believe in the cause, after all these years.
When I entered that place as an eight-year-old boy, the priests bathe me in water and soap. Holy water, even, if you would believe that. The ritual continues as a group of priests will start to chant. The words aren't Rénese. I didn't understand them. But I felt the meaning of those words. It felt wrong, painful and occult.
And they continued chanting. While I ate. As I tried to sleep. Every time that one of the priests seemed to grow tired and unable to continue, there were two ready to replace them. To keep chanting. I couldn't do anything to stop them. I tried, I did. I tried to yell, throw stuff at them and curl up in the corner while covering my ears. Their chants continued to affect me.
The deep unsettling fear would twist into pain. I didn't know what was going on. Only that I wanted to go home. I preferred back then to live in the mud of society rather than to endure the occultist chanting. Every day when I woke up, they were still going on. And with each passing day? I felt how my body responded. How it tried to fight off the change, the twisting of my flesh into something else.


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On the eighth day, I saw them when I woke up. My right arm had already begun to shift, my flesh turning into something dark and twisted. But their appearances? They wore cloaks and masks. Yet, I knew by then what they were. They were my elders of some sorts. The boys and girls who had undergone the ritual and transformation. Dread started to fill me, at first. But that rapidly shifted as the other shadows guided me. Took me in and accepted me.
They became a family of some sorts for me.
In the dark, they taught me what was expected of me. How to handle my fledgeling powers and not to resent the change. But to embrace it. To become one with my new nature.




I don't know how many years have passed. How many times I have used my knife to claim the souls of the sinners, heathens and enemies of Rong. I have lost count if I ever started to attempt to count my actions. Some of the older shadows have passed away. Destroyed while attempting to execute their orders. Several of us have avenged those who perished.
A new enemy, however, arrives. Their intention is clear and transparent; to dismantle the faithful work and scatter us. But I and my new family will be awaiting them. We will provide a reason for these heathens to worry about the shadows.


The Maker's embrace awaits all that serve him dutifully."
 
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~ GM Post ~

Events in the known world.

This GM post serves to bring news and rumours of what happens in the world. While some events might be vague rumours, twisted by the many mouths that spin the tales into something unimaginable, there are many more occurrences that will impact the clans and nations across the known world. Some events might be orchestrated in secret or openly by nations and clans, in a bid to weaken neighbours or rivals. At the same time, some events are the result of decisions (or lack thereof) in any shape or form.

The current year is 477 ADS,
The current month is May,
This GM post is not without plots and secretive actions of others.~



The Previous GM Event Post!


* ADS = After the Death of the Sage.

In the West.

[ Wind Country / Sayyadian Kingdom ]

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The violent clash between the Sayyadian forces against the Fang legions continues. The bloodshed hasn't spread out of the combat zones where skirmishes and worse are taking place. Various rumours indicate that the Sayyadian force has taken heavy casualties to pay for their advancement past the first barrier of Fang defences. But once more, their progress has come to a dead halt. The combination of rough terrain, fortifications and tenacious Fang legionnaires has prevented any new advancement for the Sayyadian troops.
This, however, hasn't been without problems for the Fang either. Already various intel corps can provide evidence that the Fang is hastily searching for mercenaries to fill in the ranks and needs.

Some that have kept an eye out on the conflict are reasoning that it won't be long before one side breaks. And when that happens, it is clear that the war will shift or end in a treaty. It is, however, difficult to estimate which side is winning truly. A few whisper that discontent is growing among the Sayyadian top, who secretly question the actual profit of this conflict for their kingdom. Others whispers that the Fang is getting desperate, willing to invest wealth and effort to gain foreign support to keep the Sayyadians out of their heartlands.


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[ Earth Country ]

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The succession crisis continues in the Earth Country. The Sorrow of Shangtou merely created a brief pause before the conflict escalated again. Spreading from the inside to the border areas, many more are dragged into the war. Opponents of the Dragon Mother have rallied underneath the reasoning that tyranny should be resisted.
Allies and supporters have their arguments, more than willing to use lethal force to 'persuade' the opposition. Despite the cruelty and gruesome fighting that occur, mercenaries from various directions of the world flock towards the Earth to gain wealth, notoriety, and more. What makes it worse is that foreign investment has become more noticeable.

The Dragon Mother is accused of having begged funds from the Empire of Akino. While the faction led by the Dragon Mother have tenaciously refused this to be the truth, the opposing side has gathered some evidence to strengthen their accusation.
However, the opposition hasn't been clean either. Foreign investment has arrived from the North. Various reports state that Northerners have come in multiple theatres of war - opposing against those loyal to the Dragon Mother and her faction.

What has made the whole struggle flare even more complicated has been the assassination of the Third Tsuchikage. The old Tsuchikage has been found poisoned in his mansion with no evidence of who committed the crime.
Both sides of the succession crisis point at each other, fully committing to avenge the Third Tsuchikage.
If that wasn't enough, both sides of the succession war have even appointed their own Fourth Tsuchikage; causing a rift within those that were once loyal to the late Tsuchikage.

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[ Empire of Akino]

[ The Tokugawa Clan ]
@Oblivion666

Various cities and regions within the Tokugawa clan have seen a moderate increase in covert violence. The rise of security and multiple measures has limited the spread of the unrest to become anything more than frustration or irritation for the Tokugawa clan. What has been troubling is that it isn't sure who is behind it. Some within the Tokugawa leadership have turned to the Senju, being confident that they haven't taken enough with the verdict and investigation of the Imperial Crown.

None of the Tokugawa nobility has raised a spear in 'defence' of clan and kin, but some are lobbying at the court of Lord Leo Tokugawa to take more direct measures against the Senju clan. No other clan that the Tokugawa cooperates has a stance regarding the apparent rise of anti-Senju among many Tokugawa nobility.

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[ The Hyuuga Clan ]
@GlitchyBugger

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The attacks have diminished with the increase and presence of Hyuuga troops in the region of Tateri. Complaints have reached the various native minor nobles that have banded together and requested the Hyuuga in the first place. Complaints that seemingly portray the Hyuuga forces in a bad light - even pillaging and orchestrating some of the attacks themselves. However, it is apparent that these complaints are either fabricated by some party or originating from anxious or wary locals, who instead see the Hyuuga leave their 'region'.
Some of the nobles have voiced their concern, but most of the minor nobility seems most pleased with the Hyuuga forces. Cooperation between the Hyuuga troops with that of the local elite has shown Hyuuga readiness to step in with feuds and problems. With the Hyuuga incorporating the local nobles in their plans, more trust is gained between the Hyuuga leadership and the Tateri nobles. Some argue that this change of management is paving a better future than what they had to endure underneath their previous masters.

A somewhat problematic event, however, has been the assassination attempt on a Hyuuga captain. The culprit managed to escape, just merely wounding its target before fleeing from the scene. The security detail attempted to chase and capture the culprit but to no avail. This event has been received with all kinds of reactions among the local populace. Some people worry about what type of retaliation it may bring if the Hyuuga see this as a direct attack. Others are confident that no repercussions can be dealt with as that would be against Imperial law. Yet, a few are arming themselves - believing that it is better safe than to be sorry.

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[ The Fief of Mitsuokan | Riojin Clan ]
@Oblivion666 | @Aliceee

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Development continues within this Imperial fief, underneath the management of the Riojin clan. A surprising event has caused a slight increase in population numbers; several people leaving the Rain province in the hope to find a more secure economic future elsewhere. Interestingly enough, all of the people can trace their origins from the Omari heartlands. Some people have questioned these newcomers, only to learn that various events have caused some economic slide within the Omari clan - causing some unrest and disdain to nearly cleaving the clan's leadership in half. Surrounding clans have been kept in check with the current Amekage working hard to keep the peace.
Most of the newcomers are merely farmers and labourers - which has led to increased production within the fiefdom.

Demands, however, have been made. The remaining Omari leadership have made steps to contract the Imperial Crown to bring the Riojin clan to court. They are confident that the Riojin clan is behind various disasters that have recently occurred, creating more economic issues and disturbing their clan's stability.
A reply has yet to come from the Riojin clan as the dilemma is now being brought to the attention of the Empress, rather than keeping it at provincial court.

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[ The Senju Clan ]
@Nim | @Gerontis

The rise of Anti-Senju sentiment among some of the Tokugawa nobility hasn't surprised the Senju clan. But what has taken many Senju by surprise is what many now refer to as the 'Crime of Shinraha'.
The crime has seemingly seen a patrol of Tokugawa soldiers being led too close to a Senju settlement. An argument has broken out and led to a clash between the two parties. With the villagers being less well equipped for physical violence, they suffered various casualties. At the same time, the Tokugawa patrol managed to slip away before a few days later, Senju forces could enforce the village's safety.

The 'crime' has created a lot of upheavals within the Senju leadership. Many want to see a proper response from Gakuro regarding the 'incident'. More so because various reports have stated that there have even been 'barbarians' among these soldiers. Several people have even pointed at that the Hon clan has been involved - due to their close cooperation with the Tokugawa clan, even allowing Honnic settlements to be established within Tokugawa land.
A response, however, has yet to be stated from the Honnic settlements within the Tokugawa clan, who seem to be entirely apathetic towards the incidents that they wave off as 'Taika insecurities'.


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[ In the North ]

[ The Dominion of Lightning ]

[ At Daigo ]

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The joint-Chuunin exams at Daigo have begun in full earnest. The arrival of the Dictator of the Republic as the Empress of Akino has been well received. The Daimyo of the Dominion has even made an entrance, guided by his ceremonial guards and advisors. So far, it all together seems to bear a festive atmosphere as none of the participating nations have shown any aptitude to commit to any schemes.

The start of the Chuunin exams has already led to exciting developments. The first few matches have favoured the Republic - with their participating genin not suffering a single defeat. Despite this having lead to frustrations among Northerner and Imperial participants, the festive atmosphere hasn't been dwindling.
The Northern genin has also made some success, with the Akinian genin having suffered only losses thus far in the Chuunin exams.

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[ The Saemund and Sanosuke Clans ]
@Nim | @Aliceee

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The various defeats at the hand of the Framian squadrons have sent various pirate activities to a stagnant point. While most affairs have turned back to a calm state, the increased presence of security at the hands of the Framians has allowed them to steer trade from the Saemund and Sanosuke ports.
The Saemund have even ceased their attacks on other ships - retreating to their naval territory. Not much is known on Saemund stand towards the Framians and their sudden step up against the privateering within the region.

The Sanosuke have, however, taken another route. Merchants attempt to prevent the steering and have nearly begun a trade war against the Framians within the region. Fierce competition has even lead to various incidents between the two clans.
Even as the Sanosuke has reduced their privateering activities, they certainly are willing to put up a fight against the Framians, increasing their presence.

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[ In the South ]

[ The Republic of Water ]


[ Kirigakure, the capital of the Republic ]


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All victims of the last sudden outbreak of Crystal Blight have been treated. Sadly, a few have succumbed to the somewhat mysterious disease, but most have gone through successful surgeries and treatments. This development has increased Jirou's popularity among the common masses, who compare his tenure already to the heydays of the nation. There have been a few sceptical that wonder if it is genuinely the doing of the dictator that has seen an increase in security against the outbreaks of Crystal Blight, pondering how the dictator can be both in the far north as orchestrating a rapid response.
These doubts and pessimists are drowned out in the mass that has started to see Jirou in a better light.

In response, various reports have stated that an increase of volunteers has been noted in nearly all Republican institutions. Some of the branches of the government have already made good use of this grown enthusiasm and nationalistic sentiment.
Some individuals have concerned their worries, though, fearing that this growing sentiment of nationalism and enthusiasm to serve the Republic can lead to various problems. A few notables have carefully stated their worries that the clans might entirely object and demand more de-centralization if the government makes particular moves.
However, with the dictator far north, no necessary party or faction has made a move yet.

Another sensational development has been the arrival of a foreign envoy. Three ships of Sayyadian design have arrived at the port, bringing forth a group of diplomates. They state that they desire to establish an embassy within the Republic's capital and discuss some crucial plans with the dictator - hoping for a future that will be bright for both the Republic and the Sayyadian kingdom. The absence of the dictator and unfortunate timing has made the diplomates decide to wait it out. They have already shared that they were harassed and followed by strange vessels on their way to Kirigakure - only for the attacks and chases to end after the envoy arrived in Republican waters.


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[ The Akechi Clan ]
@Oblivion666

A traveller has arrived within the dominion of the Akechi clan. This stranger has been nicked the 'Soothsayer of the Sea'. He has promised salvation for all that are willing to follow him, absolving people from sins and taking their coin in trade to do his holy work.
While gaining a large following and popularity among the masses, some nobility followed the development with wary eyes. Concerns have arisen if this Soothsayer is a charlatan or might create a religious disaster, developing a disorder if left unchecked.

Some notables claim interjecting can lead to anger and disappointment among the common folk, regardless of whether this can lead to a cult. Whatever the leadership of the Akechi clan decide, advisors are certain that caution must be part of the approach.

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[ The Mizuno Clan ]
@Lesli

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The Mizuno clan is one of the oldest and most powerful clans within the Republic. Their reputation has been often enough to deter people from waking up the sleeping giant, avoiding gaining the Mizuno's irk. But a recent event has caused a shockwave to ripple through the Mizuno clan.
One of the children of Lord Mizuno has been found dead in their chambers. The cause of death is, without a doubt, violence, as she was found with a knife embedded in her throat. As if that wasn't horrifying enough, a note written in blood was located next to the corpse. One that has left all that read in confusion and agony.

"The Shadow bears its greeting."


Grieving and enraged, the Mizuno clan has risen from its slumber. Security at the leading family has been increased immensely. Travellers from the Mizuno's dominion have been investigated and interrogated - but to no success yet. A time of mourning has been announced, which has been accepted and followed by the ordinary people. Much sorrow and confusion have gripped those underneath the rule of the Mizuno. Only to be followed by fear, as none is entirely sure who could be bold or foolish enough to commit such a heinous crime.
Some individuals already have thrown accusations at the Hayashi and Akechi clans, which can be considered the competing clans within the Republic.
 
[ Sevudia, A desolate village | Eastern Continent ]
[A collab between Alice, Autumn, Mary, and Oblivion | Hylli Hyuzu(Genin) Dagrun Hon(Chuunin), Meilin Cho(Chuunin) Madoc Yamanaka(Balla Chuunin) Kazumo Sarutobi(Chuunin)
|The Devastating Goose]




About twenty or so minutes went by and the trap layout went a bit faster with more hands pitching in, to a normal person it was more obvious where the traps were but to an animal? And one that seemed to not really care about its destruction. Well it should work anyway, making sure everybody was ready as they were going to be. Kazumo poked his fingers into the soot and ash of a nearby pile and ran two marks down from each eye.
He gave a wave with an arrow to Dagrun to let loose with her noise to get the beast's attention. Meanwhile Kazumo had an arrow at the ready with a paper wrapped right over the shaft.

Preparing the taunt for the so called ‘bazelgeuse’, Dagrún started to channel a large amount of chakra through her system. It felt like a whirlpool of energy, that rapidly spun faster and faster; till it nearly felt like she wouldn’t be able to control it. Flashes of electricity started to appear, jumping from Dagrún’s fingers and around her limbs.
Concentrating on her breathing, the Hon grumbled something - the sound of the gathering lightning easily overwhelming whatever the blonde Hon stated.
Suddenly without any warning, Dagrún seemed to aim the energy upwards as a rebellious sign. The lightning travelled far, the sound enough to rival the roar of an angry beast, before it would suddenly halt. The subsequent explosion would send a shockwave of warm air, only to be heralded by an intense clap of thunder.

Winded, Dagrún felt the beads of cold sweat gathering on her skin as she leaned forwards. Flashes of lightning still sporadically seemed to jump around Dagrún’s body. ”Heh, now come out and play, ye oversized pigeon fook.” Dagrún mumbled as she tried to straighten her back.

The sound would certainly echo throughout the area with the sound still going off into the distance. It would be silent until just as loud as the electricity was, a roar unlike any animal they ever heard of echoed through the sky right back. It continued roaring out of sight when over the mountains a massive figure swooped in towards the area it heard the sound coming from. It was high up in the sky and it was still bigger than any beast from up close. Its size only growing as it seemed to bombdive towards the ground at an alarming rate.
Slamming down with enough force to send dirt flying, The giant reptilian creature looked right towards Dagrun with a snarl. The Razor sharp teeth of the beast opened up as the creature seemed to try to stand up straight and let out it’s roar once more. Nearly deafening from up close.

It was more than evident that this thing was larger than any normal sized house, and that you wouldn’t want this beast to hit you even by accident. Then it charged towards Dagrun, eyes locked onto her with every determination to kill the blonde woman. That was when it stepped onto one of the traps they had laid out, from underneath the kunai and shuriken they were willing to use jotted up from underneath it and several explosions would go off, sending dust into the air. The Bazelguese still stood prominent in the smoke, it did however whine a bit but still stood its ground. This time though red started the glow around it’s scales and underneath it. It once again charged right towards Dagrun, a bit cut up underneath and some cuts on its wings. However it seemed like the attack made it more upset than actually wounding it.

For a moment, Dagrún’s eyes widened. A glance of pure fear, awe and excitement seemed to mix and cause the blonde Hon to utter a laugh - that was silenced by the arrival of the monster that she had challenged. The deafening scream of her opponent caused her to flinch but didn’t rid of the grin that seemed to grow from ear to ear.
Briefly, Dagrún lowered herself as she raised her arms - protecting her head as the monster rammed itself into the trap she had laid out with Hylli.
Looking up, Dagrún seemed more relieved to notice that the bazelgeuse wasn’t done for it.

Flexing her hands, lightning surged and produced a sound that was different than before; as if it whispered a promise of violence and bloodshed back to the enraged monster.
Without a hint of fear, Dagrún sprinted forwards. Pulling out her grandfather’s sword, the Hon swiftly moved across the scorched field. Just a few meters before she was bound to clash with the beast, Dagrún changed her approach and jumped. Only to slam against the monster’s head, lighting aggressively sparking and bouncing from the iron-hard scales.
”Remember the name, Dowhon,” Dagrún grunted as she latched herself with chakra, trying to hold on as to find a place to slam the sword into the skull of the enraged beast.

Watching the arrival of the bazelgeuse, Meilin felt her heart skipping beats several times. The beast seemed more akin to the demons that heroes of yore faced and died fighting. Flinching heavily as what seemed the embodiment of primal rage to roar, Meilin quickly shifted her attention to Dagrún.
”Oh fuck,” she muttered as she realised that a normal person would know they were facing death. Dagrún? Meilin had come to understand that this was something that the Hon wouldn’t be able to resist.
Crouching, Meilin breathed deep as her hands swiftly went through several hands signs. Finishing the last, Meilin narrowed her eyes only to slam both hands against the ground. Channeling the crystal chakra underground, she wasn’t sure if she could keep it locked on the ground. The mere sight of the muscled legs were enough to make herself feel like a child trying to scream back at a hurricane.

From her hiding spot, Hylli had a clear vision of the tyrant that came from the sky. The sight of the beast made Hylli feel small and meaningless; causing her instincts to shout at her to make a run for it.
But spotting the creature to move to the trap gave Hylli an inkling of hope. ”Come on, just damage its...”
The aftermath of the trap was enough to smash Hylli’s hopes into smithereens. Only to then be overwhelmed with confusion. Spotting that Dagrún wasn’t making a run for it, Hylli’s eyes widened. ”No, frigging, way,” Hylli whispered as the scene between Dagrún and the Bazelgeuse unfolded. If anything, it briefly made Hylli feel bad; that the Dowhon had more than enough courage to face the monster on her own.
The fact was that she had almost nothing on her. Nearly everything had been used in the trap. Glancing at the enraged beast and Dagrún, Hylli gained an idea.

Running out of her hiding spot, she attempted to move to the beast’s tail. Maybe she could try something to distract the beast or get close enough to its wings.

Madoc simply stared around the corner at the descending monster. Doing a scan he saw this thing was just terrifying, it had a good amount of chakra and he didn’t want to know what it did. As it triggered a trap and the explosions went off, the Bazel looked unfazed and that only further made Madoc feel scared. When suddenly he felt Meilins Chakra shoot underground which had him lock onto the beast his hands in a diamond.

Kazumo was bewildered by this thing, it defied all possibilities for a flying creature yet here stood the Tyrant. It went right after Dagrun who didn’t falter even after the trap damaged it. Yet now It glew red and continued it’s charge. Kazumo fired his arrow at it’s wing which caused an explosion. Yet the beast didn’t care it’s full attention was directly on Dagrun. Unfazed by the sight of her sword, simply doing a growl at her as it ran right towards a partially destroyed house. When it was temporary halted by crystal wrapping around it’s leg.

Having been halted it looked around roared again and jumped. Ripping the crystal from its leg and slamming back down on what it considered a brittle substance. It’s eye looked back at the blonde woman on it when suddenly it’s eye widened then it’s whole body froze. It seemingly shook a bit. Then it dropped. With a loud resounding thud the beast dropped to the ground. Still very much alive but not there?
Then a peculiar sight was Madoc letting out an almost primal roar as he came charging out looking all around sniffing. Then he locked onto Kazumo, and started running at him. Kazumo looked confused as to why Madoc was charging him until Madoc Rammed his whole body into Kazumo into the side of the building.

Kazumo blanked at the hit and fell only for Madoc to then jump right on top of him a couple times before Kazumo pushed himself away coughing. ”Madoc? Stand down!” Yet words were on silent ears as Madoc locked onto Dagrun. This seemingly sent Madoc into a frenzy as he charged the blonde only this time Madoc seemed to be pushing off with his wind Chakra attempting to ram into the Hon much like he did Kazumo.

The mere fact that the enraged monster showed that it was nearly unstoppable caused Dagrún to bellow a loud laughter, her grip tightening on the iron-hard scales. The jump almost caused Dagrún to lose her grip but she kept holding on, grunting some sentences or curses in Chonobi.
When the beast suddenly froze and shook, Dagrún quickly raised her blade - gripping it with both hands.
”Huh,” she halted the swing of her weapon, the tip of the steel blade halting in front of a small opening between the scales. ”What in Valdar’s name,” Dagrún mumbled as she frowned when the beast was just laying on the ground.
”Hey,” she was about to shout until she saw Madoc. The way how he behaved was odd as he charged around.
Only when the Yamanaka charged at Dagrún in an odd fashion did she realise something.
”Oho! I like ye! Come on then,” Dropping her sword into the dirt, Dagrún would ready herself for the rampant Madoc. A soft grunt escaped Dagrún, being pushed some inches back as she grabbed Madoc.
”Oho! Fiesty mongrol, eh? Oi, cap and Scylding,” Dagrún said as she attempted to pin the angry Madoc down, ”can we keep it? Seems that they kinda swapped or something, eh?”

Surprised, Hylli watched how the beast went down. It was still alive but it seemed nearly as if they had tamed it. Only for Madoc to act weird.
As Dagrún wrestled the Yamanaka, Hylli frowned. Pointing at the two, she shot a confused look at Kazumo.
”Is that normal? What is going on?” the genin asked, growing confused as Madoc was acting like some rabid dog. ”Can’t we just now chop that beast’s head off and then be done with this?” The Hyuzu asked, trying to figure out what the next step was or what the problem was that prevented them from advancing further.

The fact that the beast went down without seemingly being injured enough made Meilin less tense. She already had a hunch on what had happened, halting her moulding of chakra. Already wanting to check on Madoc as the beast wasn’t moving, Meilin frowned upon sighting the Yamanaka. His behaviour was irrational, wild and hostile. Watching the scene unfold with Madoc attacking Kazumo first, only to slam into Dagrún. Luckily, Dagrún seemed able - for now- to keep the enraged Madoc down.
”We should take advantage of this situation,” Meilin stated as she threw a glance at Kazumo. ”I reckon that Madoc is still holding that beast down. If we can, we should aim to kill with a trap or cripple the beast. So that Madoc can swap without getting hurt.”
Already thinking, she wondered if she could amass enough crystal to bind the monster down in a binding - long enough to buy some precious seconds for Madoc to leave back to his original body.

Running up to Dagrun basically locking horns with Madoc, Kazumo stared at the beast as Meilin spoke. He didn’t even voice anything but simply walked over to the beast and motioned for Hylli. ”Advantage we shall take, I don’t think Madoc planned for this but we can make it work.” He had poison that could paralyze it for a time being but that was made for human sized things. His might not even be able to fully paralyze it.
”Okay any rope we have, I want one tied from its one leg to it’s head and the other one tied to its tail. This will hinder it for a bit as it will confuse it when it goes to move. Any other bomb tags I want on it’s wing flaps. I’d say cut them now, but damage done to it will go right back to Madoc’s body.”

Kazumo then looked at it’s scales underneath it’s body. ”Meilin you used Crystal right? Could you by any chance make a….holding? Like use your crystals to keep these things on it? Doesn’t need to be all of them but a good portion if you can.” Kazumo then looked at Hylli as he took rope from his bag then tossed his bag at her that had his remaining bomb tags. ”On the wings flaps!” Kazumo stated as he started wrapping one end around it’s ankle to it’s tail.

Meanwhile Madoc was resisting against Dagrun, still glaring right at the blonde woman, who was trying to pin him. Then, he grabbed with his hands tightly onto her shirt, and fell backwards on the ground. Yet started kicking off with his heels pushing off with wind. Dragging his back along the hard ground. Keeping a hold of Dagrun, he aimed to slam both of them right into a wall.

Frowning as she slowly started to pin the enraged Madoc to the ground, Dagrún noticed the shift. ”Ohoo! It learns fast!” Dagrún laughed as she dragged her feet into the ground. As the enraged Yamanaka tried to slam them into the wall, Dagrún simply used her chakra to keep herself grounded to the earth - causing them to only slowly slide forwards.
”Ahaha! Come on, lad!” The Hon bellowed a loud laugh as she seemed to enjoy the current scuffle. ”Got to give more than that, eh!”

Listening, the revelation that Madoc had shifted places with the bazelgeuse confused Hylli, at first. She threw a look at how Madoc acted like he was possessed by some enraged entity, slowly dragging itself over the ground as Dagrún laughed and thwarted its attempts to slam her against the wall.
”By Signý’s spear,” Hylli mumbled, ”I had heard some stories about the mind swap. But to think it wasn’t some made up mess,” she further mumbled, unable to hide her amazement.
When Meilin and Kazumo spoke, Hylli turned her attention back at the two; who clearly were in command and sported an aura of experience as professionalism.
Catching the bag that Hylli would nod afterwards. ”Yes, Master Scylding,” Hylli reported as she jogged towards the beast’s wings. The massive span was intimidating and the sight of the beast still breathing made her hesitate for a second.
”Eh, sorry, Madoc,” Hylli mumbled as she started her work. ”If its of any consolation, ” she began to talk to the beast while conducting her work, ”you can consider me impressed. I will make sure to not ignite these until you’re back in your own body.”

Once done with her work, Hylli made sure to review her work before calling back to Kazumo. ”The tags are the ready. I will ignite them on your command, Master Scylding!” Afterwards, Hylli would make some distance. Her heart was skipping beats as she hoped that this would work. The idea that the beast would be able to endure this kind of damage and able to fully fight on? That was a situation she didn’t want to experience.

Meilin threw a look at Kazumo, giving a subtle nod to emphasize that she would try so. Sinking on one knee, Meilin focused her attention on the large beast. Inhaling and exhaling slowly, Meilin brought her hands together. Performing the handsigns she focused more chakra into the technique. A sensation of heavy vibration moved from her fingers to her shoulders as the technique worked as intended; forming thick crystal bindings that moved over the beast’s neck and midsection.
Beads of sweat started to roll from Meilin’s forehead as she seemed to struggle while the thick crystal expanded over the creature. Eventually to the point that she couldn’t continue.
Releasing the ground she had placed her hands on, Meilin briefly focused on her breathing. This continued for a few seconds before the Cho visibly struggled to straighten her back and act as neutral as she had done before.

Just upon hearing Dagruns words, Madoc’s pupils seemed to have shrunk as he yelled with one arm he grabbed the Hon by the hair. With the other hand slammed into the ground and then pushing air out to start lifting him up slightly enough to prop himself into a kneeling position. Then glaring at the blonde, he moved his head back then blasted it forward towards her own head. It was very evident that the beast was very adamant in taking its anger out on the woman.

Kazumo tying up the last part of it’s limbs looked at the scene escalating and got a bit worried, this thing was actually starting to learn how to better use Madoc’s chakra more and more. Which made him hope his plan would work out in the end. Seeing that Hyli and Meilin were done, he went over to help Meilin move away from what was essentially a raging time bomb. ”Madoc! Let the beast back in!” Kazumo said but the Bazel simply opened it’s eyes and nudged it’s head towards Madoc who was still raging.
”.... Fuck… fuck…..Umm okay. Dagrun! Can you disorientate Madoc’s body? Maybe enough to allow him to kick the Bazel back to it’s own body?”

”Hm?” The humour seemed to fade away as Dagrún felt the pull at her hair. Resisting, she tried to keep the enraged Madoc down. Convinced that she had more strength than the Yamanaka, the near unnatural rage seemed to turn the tide - slow but gradually.
”Working,” she managed to shout as a heavy vibration moved through her free harm - the headbutt slamming against her forearm. ”Fucking little,” Dagrún cursed as she would push to lure the enraged possesed Yamanaka to push back. Only to suddenly give in and use his own momentum to slam it against the ground.

Annoyed that she had to be moved away, Meilin observed the current situation. The idea to disorientate the enraged beast meant the same for Madoc. Whistling hard, Meilin tried to catch the attention of Hylli before she pointed at the Yamanaka’s body.
”Help Dagrún out!” Meilin managed to produce, though yet moving fully on her out of the danger zone didn’t seem to be an option, yet. Begrudgingly, she would allow Kazumo to move her further away.

Distracted briefly by the struggle between Dagrún and the possessed Madoc, Hylli almost didn’t register that they were about to force the beast back. Moving away from the large beast, Hylli briefly allowed herself to marvel at the thick crystal that had wrapped itself around the beast.
Once more, Hylli realised how much out of her league she actually was amidst these people and this enraged beast. ”Oh!” Registering Meilin’s instruction, Hylli quickly turned and sprinted towards Madoc’s body as Dagrún seemed to slam Madoc against the ground.
Using her weight and speed, Hylli attempted to aid the process by slamming a fist against the temple of the possessed Yamanaka.

The enraged Madoc wound its head back to swing it again only for Dagrun to shift the balance and use it’s momentum to slam it back on the ground. Snarling this time he went for a bite, only to be stopped when a fist connected with it’s face, which caused Madoc’s head to bounce off the ground with a whimper. Yet in that moment all resistance from Madoc stopped and swapped with Madoc grumbling. ”I hate this mission… Now Dagrun you are pretty and normally I wouldn’t complain, but get the fuck off me.” Madoc said rubbing his temple as his head and back aches like hell. When suddenly a roar echoed but larger and very close as the bazel started to shift and try to stand only for it to yank it’s own head. Looking at the Bazel it was thrashing around hardcore trying to stand, bashing its body all over the ground yelling.
”Hylli! Make the bombs explode now!”

Pulling her fist back, Hylli hissed softly as the pain echoed through her fist. But with Madoc apparently back in control, the Hyuzu released a relieved sigh. Only for the sound of the bazel, back in its original body, to announce his anger verbally.
Wanting to ask in disbelief how it was that the beast was still capable of going on despite the restraints, Hylli heard Kazumo’s command. ”Oh! On it!” Forming the Release sign, Hylli already moved to crouch and make herself small as a second later: the bombs started to go off.

Scoffing as she would release Madoc, Dagrún took a look at the enraged beast. The sight of it, still rearing for a fight made Dagrún grin. ”Heh, I like this one,” she managed to produce before the sequence of explosions started to go off. They were too far for shrapnel to be a danger for them. A small pebble did fly towards Dagrún but a jump of lightning seemed to shield Dagrún, as the Hon seemed to keep her attention on the black cloud - in which the explosions continued to torment the beast.

Peering at the dark cloud, Meilin hoped that it would be enough to disable the beast for perhaps a killing blow. The explosions muffled any sound, if the creature was still resisting their attempt of restricting and bombing it to the afterlife. Already Meilin moved her hands together, ready to risk more chakra to manipulate the crystals - in case she would need to try to wound it.

From the smoke you heard whimpers followed by growling, followed by multiple red lights glowing through the smoke. Then stomping as the beast walked out of it glaring around it. Its wings had tears all through it, making flight difficult if not impossible for it right now. Blood leaked from cuts on it’s side. Yet it still had this determined glare, like anger was honestly fueling it to keep standing. Then it raised it’s tail and went to swing it’s scales underneath it at Hylli, Dagrun and Madoc when the scales didn’t come off. The Bazel even seemed confused when suddenly all underneath it started to explode causing it to yell in pain as multiple explosions kept going off one after the other. The dust cloud getting bigger and bigger, one could hear it running trying to get away from the explosions but it kept following it. Then finally they stopped with the smoke clearing and blood just pouring out from underneath it. It seemed to pant a bit, unsure who to direct it’s anger on. It looked at the group of three and started moving towards them when it suddenly blasted fire towards them.

”Of course it breaths fucking fire!” Madoc said getting up and blasting wind at the incoming fire to make a wind wall blocking the fire as he looked at Dagrun and Hylli to stab it or something.

Watching how the beast kept going on, Hylli felt her courage plummeting briefly to her boots. What took it to bring this beast down? Raising her arms briefly as the intense heat of the colliding wind and fire pushed up dust and debris, Hylli had a plan. Pulling out a kunai, she would dart to the right - utilizing chakra to boost her speed as much as feasible possible.
The blade of the kunai started to glisten and slowly adopt a change, the metal appearing to be as if Hylli just pulled it from a forge.
Aiming it to the best of her ability, the Hyuzu threw the weapon towards the face of the beast. Softly counting down, the projectile would hopefully bite into the scale near the eye or head - only to explode a second later.

”Glorious!” Dagrún mumbled as she was about to ready to try something. Madoc, however, managed to deflect and hold the technique for now. Not needing any further hint, Dagrún dashed away - picking her sword along the way as she kept an eye on the enraged beast. The scales were hard, so she needed something to pave a way for her to really deal a blow to the beast.
Spotting Hylli and the kunai that she threw, Dagrún skidded to a halt for a brief moment. The kunai sank near the beast’s right eye before it exploded.
Whistling, Dagrún moved quickly forwards - lightning shimmered around the edge of her blade. As the beast recoiled from Hylli’s attack, Dagrún swiftly jumped and latched herself against the beast’s left side. Like Dagrún expected, the beast threw his head up as it unleashed a deafening roar.
But instead of intimidating the Hon, it provoked laughter as Dagrún used chakra to keep herself latched. Positioning herself on top of the beast’s head, Dagrún gripped her weapon with two hands.
”þú barðist vel,” the Hon whispered before slamming the blade into the open wound - lightning jumping and spreading over the beast’s head.

The Bazel was already having a tough time of it moving around, its roar of anger at Madoc blocking its flame a sign of its impatience. Then a kunai struck near its eye causing a growl followed by a whine when it exploded. The eye was missing as it was probably blown to shreds, then that blonde slammed her blade into the open wound before lighting danced over the blade and into the skull of the beast. A roar echoed followed by convulsions from the beast as it suddenly remained still. Then a sudden lunge from the beast with its jaw wide open, not caring for the Blonde but going for the Hyuzu this time. Promptly trying to bite right through the woman. When a sudden twing sounded followed by an arrow hitting it’s other eye. Causing the beast to lose sight entirely as it slammed its face into the ground.

Then the arrow traded places with Kazumo who was gritting his teeth. Gripped the top of it’s head and pulled his sword out and coating it in his chakra, thrust the blade into the open eye hole created by Hylli. The Beast yelped and stopped, before dropping on the ground. Sitting on it’s skull Kazumo breathed heavily as he looked at the others. Dagrun looked fine, as did Madoc and Hylli. Meilin used a lot of chakra and was currently using his clone to help support her. Kazumo then slumped to the ground staring up at the sky.
”Everyone…. Lets not do this again. Dagrun, mind getting proof that we killed this thing?” Kazumo asked as he looked at Hylli and smiled. ”Good work Hylli, Couldn’t have done it without you.”

Sighing as everything calmed down, Meilin couldn’t resist the small smile that dawned on her lips. Glancing at the large beast, Meilin wondered for a moment if this was even a large specimen or not. How many twisted or dangerous beings were calling this continent their home? Shaking the thought from her mind, she decided it was good enough for today that they had achieved their goal.

A chuckle escaped Dagrún, who hopped off from the beast’s head. Placing her fists against her hips, she tried to avoid the sight of her right hand trembling from the fear from a moment ago. This beast was quite something, she mused to herself. Not just the size but the determination to keep fighting had impressed Dagrún.
Hearing what Kazumo ordered, the blonde Hon whistled softly. ”Sure, I can try,” she mumbled as she grabbed her sword and slowly pulled it out of the bazel’s head. Once more, she inspected the scales carefully. The dark and brown scales were seemingly as hard as iron. Using her sword, Dagrún attempted to pry the tip of the blade between the scales.
”Ye still a tough bastard, aren’t ye?!” Dagrún grunted, slowly becoming more irritated as she imbued her weapon with lightning. Starting to hack at the beast, she was making some progress but it would take a while before her bloody work would be done.

Hylli was still frozen in motion for a moment. The sight of the wounded beast charging at her and her stubborn will not wanting to flee had frozen her. Once Kazumo had dealt the killing blow and made the beast lay dead, Hylli sighed deeply. Leaning forward for a moment, she placed her hands against her knees. Her head felt light as she tried to stop her heart from skipping beats.
”Hm?” Looking up, she registered only a second later what Kazumo had said. A wry smile flowed on Hylli’s lips as she returned the compliment with a nod, at first. ”Thanks, master Scylding.”
However, Hylli sincerely doubted that she had been that much help as she looked back at the dead beast being carved up by Dagrún.

Kazumo sat up and looked around the former town, the beast was dead but he doubted anyone was going to come back to this place. His body still ached from when the beast in Madoc’s body jumped on him, but he would live. Standing up he would watch as dagrun carved away at the beast. ”Well rest up while you can everyone, but as of now. The operation is a success. Good work everyone.” Kazumo stated as he proceeded to go and help Dagrun finish carving before they would head home.
 
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[ Sevudia, Encampment of the 13th Imperial Brigade | Eastern Continent ]
[ Koike Hon | Scholae of Akino, Colonel of the Foot Companions ]
[ From relaxation to moving out. ]


With some interest, he watched from afar as a new caravan seemed to reach the Republican camp. Comfortably perched on top of a rock, Koike pondered briefly why the Republican army was so small. Didn't the three nations enter into a joint campaign, recognising the danger that was in the far east? Or was this perhaps the best that they could muster? If so, that was comforting in a way; their neighbour and rival lacking the military numbers to operate a large scale invasion force. But at the same time, he had seen how countless the enemy numbers were. For every slain Rongese, it seemed that five took their place. And right now, despite his disdain, he rather had a larger number of Republicans cooperating with them.

"What are you looking gloomy about?"

The voice of Katsu disrupted Koike's thoughts. Throwing a look at his right, he saw how his best friend approached him further. Katsu threw a look at the distance - also catching the sight of the Republican caravan. Frowning, it seemed evident that even the young Uchiha was aware that caravan was larger than the ones before.
"Perhaps they managed to find a few unlucky ones to join us, hm?" Katsu cheerfully said as he threw a look at Koike, pointing at the Republican encampment. "Though, I still don't get it. If that large fortress is in the way, why don't we just, you know, avoid it? Go around it? Seems so much easier."

Koike didn't give an answer right away. He knew Katsu much better. All the answers wouldn't fit or help to reduce his frustration. And that was fair, Koike thought. Sieges weren't meant to be spectacular events. His experiences with them were scarce, yes but all studies he had done on previously done sieges had proven the same: it was a matter of waiting, now and then fighting and then more waiting.
"Who knows?" Koike calmly responded, lazily turning his gaze to the Republican camp. "Bastards might decide to throw a party."

Katsu's lips parted but it seemed he caught on that Koike was serious. A sigh instead flowed out of Katsu's mouth as he sat down next to Koike. "I am just done with this. I thought that war was going to be more," a frustrated gesture introduced a pause, "thrilling? Gruesome?"

Koike scoffed audibly. "Cause we haven't been wading in blood enough? Fucking gods," Koike frowned now as he gazed upon Katsu. "We should thankful that we aren't sent on a scouting operation. Or once more fighting against those fuckers with the beasts. I am actually enjoying doing nothing for now."

Katsu shook his head lightly. "Yeah, but that isn't my point," he began, which already made Koike mentally sigh but he opted to remain silent as Katsu continued, "we could easily infiltrate the stronghold, wipe it clean and move on. We are wasting our time now. What if the enemy is gathering troops and trying to take the battle to us? Hm?"

"Then we fight," Koike said, shrugging lightly. He wasn't feeling to continue the conversation but he already knew that Katsu wasn't done with him. This particular exchange seemed to occur every few days until Katsu was done or gained somehow an answer that satisfied him.
"Oh yeah, then we lose troops and then we are once more stuck waiting. Can't you--"
"Use my Scholae rank to take over command? Let us see how well that goes," Koike now replied, his frustration surfacing, "more than half of the brigades here are loyal to Erling. If I try to even take command over, how quick will it be before I am found in a trench with my throat slashed?" Koike asked. He already saw that Katsu's lips parted, wanting to give an answer but Koike decided to speak before his friend and aidé could.
"I will give myself two weeks and that is rather generous. So no, we wait and see what will happen."

Frowning, Katsu seemed to be ready to argue back. But much to Koike's relief, the young Uchiha also turned his gaze and stared back at the Republican camp. Remaining silent as they seemingly enjoyed the warm weather.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

The 13th Imperial Brigade seemed overall to take things a tad easier. At least, so it seemed at first sight. Walking through the camp, Koike rubbed the bridge of his nose. New supplies were expected to arrive over a few days, together with perhaps letters and news from home. It would do the men good to know that nothing bad happened home, Koike thought to himself. Much like Katsu, there were plenty of members of the 13th brigade that had gotten restless.
Last two months, they had fought against Rong without much as a pause. Only now to find themselves situated and getting ready for a prolonged siege. Knowing fully well that it was only logical that they prepared for the siege as good as possible - not leaving an opening for an imminent enemy force to cut off their supplies - Koike did agree with some of Katsu's points.
The enemy had much more resources, that painful fact had been made clear as there seemed no end to their numbers - no matter how many they had already cut down.
"Oh fuck," Koike grumbled as he rubbed his eyes, realising that Katsu was getting to him.
Reaching his own tent, Koike pushed the canvas aside as he entered. Letting his eyes get used to the darkness, he quickly spotted the pair of yellow coloured eyes observing him.
"Not a day to lounge outside, eh?" Koike mumbled to the large wolf-like creature, that sank its head down to the ground. Content with the direwolf's silence, Koike would grab a few tools to perform some maintenance on his gear.
Exiting the tent, he sat on an improvised stool - a mere tree stump that he had gained from a quartermaster.

Starting to examine his weapons and gear, Koike continued his train of thoughts from before. Perhaps if the Republic could send more, they would be able to hold the damn southern flank themselves. Allowing him and the others of the 13th Brigade to pack their bags and head north, to rejoin their own kin and countrymen.
Using a whetstone, Koike started cautiously to sharpen his blade. Slowly repeating the motions, he did wonder how many enemy forces were lurking in the stronghold. Scouting reports had given an estimation of a few thousand troops. Which would promise a difficult siege, seeing that they were likely well supplied as well.

"Ahaa, colonel, sir," a jovial and deep voice called out. Upon lifting his gaze, Koike noticed that one of his captains approached him. None other than the large Skuli, whose mood seemed to only dampen when there was a lack of women, alcohol or fighting.
"I have been looking for you, colonel," placing his large hands on his hips, Skuli grinned from ear to ear, "I was told by nobody than that cunt of Erling that we are to brace ourselves. He wants us to ready raiding expeditions. To cut off the enemy supplies," Skuli reported with so much joy, that it almost seemed equal like him becoming father.

Koike frowned as he halted his motion. "He wants the entire battalion to conduct raids? Why not," Koike began but he shut up. Frustrated, he wanted to rise up and have a conversation with the Brigade general himself. However, it was no secret that out of all colonels, Koike was disliked by Erling.
"Fucking hell, when are we expected to move out," Koike asked as he sheathed the sword and rose up. He already had a hunch of what the answer was.

"At dawn, colonel, sir," Skuli said, inhaling deeply and throwing a look around. "Ah, I can't wait to wet my axe again with the blood of those fuckers. Ahaaa, Valdar is going to get his sacrifices from me, ahahaaa!"
Despite usually enjoying Skuli's optimistic nature, Koike couldn't help but feel disdain for Erling. But orders were orders...
 
[ Sevudia| Eastern Continent ]
[A collab between Lesli and Oblivion]
[ Kazumo Sarutobi(Chuunin) Aiko Cho-Hon(Jounin)
[Project Obsidian: Water release]
[Kazumo sets out on his project to create a brand new release called Obsidian, his first stop is with his mentor Aiko




The day so far had been far from eventful. There had been a few verbal reports of scouting parties that had came back. The enemy had yet to discover their positions - despite the ongoing operations that the 11th Imperial Brigade conducted. Communications with the forces of Hiron was also rather easily set up - through the Void Rose technique, the two could easily conjure plans and discuss anything that was required.
Yet, there was an evident mark on the features of Aiko as it seemed clear that last few nights she had slept quite poorly. The dark rings underneath her eyes were hard to mask away without the luxuries of make-up at hand.
Detecting that the flap of her spacious tent was pushed up, Aiko didn’t look up right away.
”One moment,” she calmly stated, continuing to write something on parchment. Finishing whatever she had written down, Aiko looked up - a curious expression mixing in with the tired face of the woman. Recognising the familiar figure right away, the tone became softer and friendlier than what it had been before.
”Ah, you. Yes?”

Patiently waiting for Aiko to finish with her current matter at hand, he began to wonder how to explain his concept to her. He had the idea of how it could work but it wasn’t a sure fire. When she finished and looked at him with a soft tone, he gave a smile as he couldn’t help but notice how exhausted she looked. He would enter the tent more and clear his throat. ”I was wondering sensei… would you be willing to help me learn water release. I have this concept in my head about a release that would be in a league above my earth. Yet to do it, I think I need both water and fire. I’m trying to create Obsidian.”

If anything, Aiko had already a hunch of what Kazumo could request her aid for. But upon hearing him desiring to learn water release, Aiko’s interest was piqued immediately. Leaning slightly back in her chair, she gestured to him to come closer to her desk.
”You want to learn water release? For another purpose than just being able to use water release, judging from your words. What is the full idea?” Aiko asked, her brow gaining a frown. ”And fire? For Obsidian? Okay, start with step one, sugarcub. What is your idea?”

”Well I’ve done my research and asked various people that would maybe know the process? Like smiths since they get some wacky orders sometimes. Honestly its a pretty intricate matter.” Kazumo stated as he would take a seat before continuing, a certain sparkle in his eye.
”So Obsidian is basically stone itself with some metals kind of mixed in being heated to such a high degree but then cooled rapidly. The normal stone then becomes a much much harder material. So if I could do something similar, by combining all three together I can make Obsidian possibly. Which could have great uses for defense, even offense capabilities. In fact one of the smiths even told me someone wanted a sword with an obsidian blade, but to get it to the temperatures needed and then cooled without shattering was too much of a hassle, also very difficult. So primarily I need the fire for heating purposes only, the water for cooling but I can find more uses I feel for water release should my idea end up busting.”

Kazumo finally stopped and looked at her and tilted his head. ”By the way are you okay? Have you been sleeping at all?”

Aiko remained silent, intently listening to what Kazumo explained. The woman’s expression didn’t betray her thoughts. When Kazumo asked if she was okay, she raised a hand - subtly waving his concerns away.
”I am fine. Just busy,” she decided to respond before considering what Kazumo wanted to achieve. ”Honestly, you want to create an advanced chakra nature. In essence? Sounds achieveable but sadly, my knowledge regarding Fire release? I can’t teach you that. You’ll have to find someone who knows the basics of fire release to work from there.”
Perhaps there were some within the ranks that could help but at the same time; she decided that this was Kazumo’s own project.
”I honestly can’t say that I ever remember if Obsidian was a release or not. But your idea seems plausible enough. Use earth as a core and then heat it up, only to cool it down again.” Rising up, Aiko evidently pondered more about it.

”I am curious to see if this will work. I will teach you the principle of water release and how to cool down. It is tricky but let’s see,” conjuring a shadow clone, Aiko nodded as the shadow clone took her place. Gesturing Kazumo to come closer, Aiko decided to use a familiar technique to whisk them away. Once they had made the quick jump, Aiko gestured to Kazumo to head out first. ”Do for now keep this idea to yourself though. In case that this works, you might become the first to utilize this advanced chakra nature. And it is best to not have others try to copy it already.”

Well he already had someone in mind for the fire release but standing up he would walk towards her and shortly enough they would be in the void. Been a little bit since he was last here so the change in color was still a bit perplexing. he would nod to her as he looked around. The last he was here after all that thing attacked them, granted he had the idea how to combat them, and was more confident than before in close quarters.
”This is one way to get away from everyone’s questions. Makes me wonder sometimes if I'm talking to the real Aiko .”Kazumo said with a joking smile.

The woman returned the smile with one of her own, adding a wink as well. ”That is what you're wondering about?” She playfully returned before they would arrive at the training fields. It was empty, save it for those who seemed to be stuck in their frozen animation - suspended by the odd reality that they seemed to be in.
”Okay, water release. You have seen me use it a lot of times. But what do you think when someone mentions water release? What makes it different from earth, you think?”

It was also odd seeing people stuck in place, so when she asked her question he thought for a second what earth was to him. ”Well… Its more straightforward I would say. A flow that can be small yet also easily be a huge torrent should it build enough. Something that is easy to direct but more difficult to stop.”

”More straightforward? Hm,” Aiko placed her hands on her hips as she gazed upon the scenery in front of them. ”You did hit the nail right on the head. Water release is vastly different from earth. Earth can be manipulated and is solid. Chance is also high that you always have an abundance around you to manipulate and utilize for your techniques. Water? Well, it can come from a few sources.” Pausing, Aiko half turned to Kazumo as she continued to explain.
”First, a large body of water could help to preserve chakra. A river, nearby lake and such. Then you use your chakra to guide and manipulate the water. Another source is the air around us. Most advanced water release users are capable of this as it is quite hard to perform that feat early on. Another is to use more chakra to mould it into water from within to use a technique. There are some more but those aren’t what you’re looking for. You want to know how to use water element within rather than using it as an external force.”

Pausing, Aiko threw a sideways look at the field that would provide them with plenty of space. ”The problem with water is that it can’t be solid as earth. It is flexible and requires a creative mind to use it to the best. Once it is summoned, you can’t just dismiss it as you already stated. It is more difficult to stop than to create and dismiss a wall of earth.”

”I guess that’s the same for using it within? That I have to find a way to utilize it before trying? Not entirely sure how it would work from creating it within.” He wasn’t sure if he was imagining it wrong or not. Earth for him was everywhere water he wasn’t sure at all. If he formed it within was it just coursing through his body waiting to be expelled? Water required creativity…. Kazumo looked at Aiko and chuckled a bit. That made a lot of sense now that she said it.

”It is in theory easy. First, settle down.” Sitting also on the ground, Aiko raised her hands before moving them closer together. ”Each of the basic natures has two affliated signs. For water, that means the Horse and Rat sign. You will eventually see that many water release techniques use these. As such, let us start with moulding water chakra. Form either of these signatures and make the flow of chakra in your body go slowly but keep a firm control over it. Still losing control of it will bring its painful consequences. Give it a try!”

Hearing settle down made him smile as he rubbed the back of his head. Taking a seat he would listen to her explanation, horse and rat were common in water. That made sense earth had its own common used signs. Yet start the flow of chakra slowly, also easy enough they did teach this in the academy after all. Taking a deep breath he would form the Rat sign and concentrate on creating the flow from within. He wasn’t quite sure where he was suppose to stop so he just kept slowly moving it from within while listening to anything else Aiko would tell him.

After a few minutes, Aiko spoke up, ”Usually, learning the basic of a new element takes time and diligence. You got the advantage of this,” she paused, throwing a glance around, ”space. Seeing that time is drastically running slower here, you’ll be able to train longer or well, what appears to others faster. For now, keep moulding the chakra as you do. You might experience a slow shift of some sort. Once you do, lock on to it and alert me when that happens.”
Placing her hands behind her head, Aiko would slowly sit down and rest her back against a wooden post.
”This is perhaps not exciting but necessary.” She further added, closing her eyes.

Still focusing on his chakra he would just silently nod to show he understood what she said. Exciting no, but it was still intriguing to him if not a challenge to himself as most tend to stick to one maybe two elements. He however was trying to get the hang of three to then make an advanced version. So in silence he kept moulding the flow of his chakra, waiting for this shift that she spoke of. Which did indeed take quite a bit, he wasn’t sure how long but all he knew was that as he would letting it flow an oddity occurred which he figured was the shift. ”Got the shift.” Kazumo said continuing what he was doing as to not alter anything just yet.

Opening an eye slowly and half, Aiko didn’t respond right away. Slowly, the woman raised her arms to stretch before she would get up. "Good. Now stay focused on that shift," Aiko instructed, at first. Rolling with her shoulders, she wondered how much time had ebbed by. Not that it mattered much anyways.
"This is just the start of getting to the basics. Once you have the idea that you grasped that oddity? Try to expand it. See it as stretching it out and placing it out in front of you. However, don’t get too excited. Lose control? Well, it will be unpleasant. Far more than you can imagine," Aiko explained as she now kept an intent watch of her pupil progressing.

Focus on it he, that was something he could do for sure. So first thing was to make sure he grasped it. then expand it without losing control. So in other words expand it slowly, thankfully he had someone to remind him of how bad a mistake could be. He smiled to himself as he locked onto the shift. He assumed this meant being able to keep this shift going with confidence before expanding it. So that’s what he did, he took his time and kept the shift going for a bit. It was slightly calming actually. Just focusing on this simple thing. When Kazumo felt more confident though, he put a bit more chakra into the shift, making the shift grow slightly more and more. Indeed a dangerous thing, could be calm as a small creek or as scary as a flood.
”I think…. I got it. Not sure how much to stretch it though.”

"Don’t worry, that is something that we’ll do now. With a most basic water technique. Slowly rise up, hold that handsign," Aiko instructed, keeping some distance between them - but still close enough to dash in if he would required aid. Waiting for Kazumo to rise up, Aiko would stand next to her pupil.
"What we will do is a basic water technique. You will do the same handsigns. A sensation will rush from your stomach to your mouth but try to restrain it. You should remain in control, understand? Okay, just take it slow and," performing the four distinct handsigns, Aiko would inhale and spit out a jet of water to the terrain in front of them. Once done, she would wait and show the handsigns slowly again so that Kazumo could copy it and attempt it, for himself.

Opening his eyes he would look at her and nod, slowly standing up as he held the rat sign. A sensation from his stomach to his mouth but hold it. Nodding as he watched her, she would take a deep breath before spitting out a jet of water whichwhile common, indeed seemed crazy for him to do. Grasping onto that expanding shift he would weave the same handseals, which sure enough a sensation did come from his stomach and moved its way towards his mouth. Taking a deep breath in he would try to hold it in, but this was certainly a different force than he was accustomed too. He could feel a trickle of water escaping his lips before he would spit out a jet of water too although it was a bit smaller in comparison to Aiko’s.
Kazumo stared at the wet ground as he excitedly turned his head towards Aiko with a gleam in his eyes, like he couldn’t believe he just did that.

For a moment, it returned. The soft whisper that spoke in the odd language was accompanied with the dizziness that suddenly came up. During that brief moment, Aiko felt her heart skipping a few beats. Blinking rapidly, she managed to gain control without much hardship.
And just in time to see Kazumo perform his very first water technique. His excitement provoked a smile on Aiko’s lips. Placing her fists against her hips, she couldn’t hide her own joy.
"Well, look at you. Performing your very first water technique. Come on, try it again. Make sure you got that feeling tied down and don’t forget it. It is important for the next step."

Yeah this was something to practice on, as it was a whole new beast to take on in of itself. The difference between earth and water was certainly different, water could easily catch anyone off guard if they weren’t careful in the slightest. Focusing again as he held the rat sign. He would make the flow and then the shift, expanding it slowly as he weaved the handseals again, Inhaling as the sensation came again from stomach to mouth. This time more aware of the feeling, still though had to hold his own on keeping it from just firing. Finally he would exhale this time and it had a bit more to it than last time, still a obvious difference between his attempt and Aiko’s example.

Watching the growth and the joy that Kazumo had was something that Aiko could enjoy all day. Tilting her head slightly to the side, she felt bad for the mere fact that she had to halt his excitement to practice his water jet technique for now.
"Good, now this isn’t actually the basic yet. It is just an aspect of water release. As you might have come to understand, water is an element that also cools down. For example, Ice release? Is made out of two elements," raising her right hand, she raised her index and middle finger. "Wind and water. Together, they form the elements that the bloodline ability of Ice uses. There is some debate on if water or wind is the cooling factor. But the truth is? Both can work as a cooler, in their own aspect. In Ice? I would say that water provides the form and wind is the cooling factor. For what you have in mind, water works much more efficient, seeing you are planning to heat up your earth element and want to cool it rapidly."

Gesturing Kazumo to sit down, Aiko would do the same in front of him - though making sure she would drop her bottom on the wet ground. "Now, mould your chakra again and try to spin it around fast. This is much more advanced and risky but the reward is worth it. You see, most people tend to do the chakra practice at a slow pace to learn the basics and then expand it from there. What we are going to do is take a certain shortcut I have learned. Technically, this is the same step you will need to do with fire. But make sure you’ll learn or do it with someone that you can utterly trust. You know what consequences can be brought but if someone doesn’t help you rapidly, you might lose your entire ability to mould chakra. Am I clear?"

Still rather elated he would listen to her explanation on the other cooling factors like Ice most likely using wind as it’s cooling factor. Yet for his idea water was indeed the right choice, taking a seat on the ground after she gestured him to. He would listen closely cause now it was going to be more tricky, she wanted him to mould his chakra but this time spin it around faster. This is one of her shortcuts much like the moon symbol for the void, yet obviously if he messes up and has no help. Well his Obsidian idea could be shot then and there. Nodding that he understood. He would close his eyes and focus, starting with the rat sign he would mould his chakra again however instead of letting it flow slowly. He took it and began to spin it and spin it and spin it more. However the faster it started to become the more nervous his expression started to become. It felt like a whirlpool inside him, yet one he was trying to create. It took a good amount from him to just focus on it so he just remained silent waiting for the next instructions.

Crossing her arms out front of her chest, Aiko remained silent and focused. Though this was a good shortcut, there was a reason why most didn’t know or rather avoided it; the risk was way too high. Remembering her own training, Aiko gained a frown on her brow. Pushing everything to the back of her head, she solely focused her attention on making sure that Kazumo wouldn’t slip and suffer the heavy consequence.
But talking or trying to comfort him in any way was a mistake; even a single second of Kazumo slipping would have drastic results. Watching as his expression became more concerned and focused, Aiko waited.
She was already considering what the following steps were. If his logic would work, then he needed to master the basics of fire release. Knowing someone that was far superior in mastering the release, Aiko wasn’t so sure if it was smart to summon that person. Kazumo would have questions and she wouldn’t be able to provide answers. Not yet, at least.
As time slowly went by, Aiko noticed that sweat started to form and roll down the skin of Kazumo. Preparing her chakra at her hands, Aiko would slowly and silently move to get up.

Placing a hand on Kazumo’s head, she spoke. ”That is enough. Slow down carefully.” Aiko instructed, keeping her chakra at the ready to be inserted and slam down any malfunction.

It was spinning too fast. Kazumo didn’t even need to spin anymore, it just seemed to keep spinning faster without his need. So when he finally heard to slow down carefully, his expression stiffened. He…. he couldn’t. Was he supposed to reverse spin it? Yet moment he tried he knew he fucked up. It felt like it exploded, and he opened his eyes and looked at Aiko.

The mere second that Kazumo opened his eyes, Aiko was about to say something. But the desperation that Aiko detected in her pupil’s gaze was enough to trigger her to unleash her chakra. It felt like a wave of warmth flooded Kazumo - starting from his head, crawling rapidly to his toes. The second of painful shock was quickly numbed by Aiko’s handling.
Releasing a sigh, Aiko pulled her hand back and inspected it. It was trembling heavily for a moment before she flexed her fingers, seemingly ridding herself of the ‘annoyance’.
Turning her attention to Kazumo, Aiko only nodded as she would rise up and offer a hand.
”Slow. And see,” a twinge of pride became noticeable as Aiko verbally pointed the fact out, ”your breath is visible. You lowered your temperature. Though, next time, hopefully without needing me to intervene.”

It was certainly a good thing Aiko was there, as her chakra was slammed into him sending a warming feeling, he could feel the chakra he had been spinning slowing down to a much easier controlled pace. It allowed his body to relax as he exhaled in relief. He looked at her as she talked and then breathed out again and his breath was indeed visible. ”Noted. Don’t spin it as much next time… Thanks for helping. Water is pretty wild indeed to stop once it’s going.” This moment only further cemented how terrifying his sensei was, to control such pressure with what looked to be ease.

"You were too eager, I wager. It is all okay. First times are always the wildest," Aiko said as she once more raised her hand. This time gently ruffling Kazumo’s blue hair. "Over time, it will become easier to manage it. But in essence? This is what you’ll need to practice. And your first step of creating this Obsidian is done."
Pulling her hand back, Aiko pondered visibly about something. "The thing is that anybody that mastered fire release is back at home. Have you considered how to tackle that step? I have, of course, some knowledge. But I lack any experience and thus it would be a huge gamble. Bigger and way more riskier than what you just experienced."

So practice the spinning for the cooling process. He could do that for sure. It was only until she asked the next question that made him pause again. She was faster at this void technique so she’d simply be waiting for him on the otherside so running wasn’t an option. ”... I was going to ask Meilin. She knows fire. so even if the process takes longer I figured her expertise should still be helpful in learning the heating process.”

The shift of Kazumo’s body language was already betraying what he was going to bring up. Aiko’s expression didn’t shift as she kept smiling. Mentally, she sighed but it was something she knew that couldn’t be avoided. Besides, what else? Her idea of summoning suddenly someone from Akino would raise questions. Not even the Void technique would sate Kazumo’s curiosity or confusion, seeing he had experienced it enough to know the limitations by now.
"Good. Make sure that you don’t take risks. Though, I do wonder. Once you have accomplished that step, what follows? You know then how to cool and heat. But to combine them, have you given that a thought?"

Huh less angry than he imagined. She then asked what follows once he learns the heating, but what about combining them. That was indeed something he considered but he was also hoping it wasn’t going to be complicated. ”I… have but as I saw today, it might be more tricky than I thought. Mostly considering I don’t know what the fire process is yet. I would assume to be very careful, however careful will only get me so far.”

This time, Aiko did release a sigh. "Oh, it is quite complicated. After all, you know that each nature has its respective signs, yes? Now imagine that you use two elements at the same time. How do you do that with only two hands? In theory, that is just impossible. However, I think someone can help you. After all, we have someone in our midst that combine three releases already to utilize a whole other. Granted, it is a bloodline ability but I am sure that Hylli can shed some more light on it." Aiko responded as she continued. "Once you have that down, I think it is safe to say that we can make a small step with realizing this Obsidian release. If it works, that is. Else? You have learned two new releases in a quick and dangerous way. That accounts for something, I suppose."

Hylli knows three elements already? Kazumo blinked a few times as he already pictured Hylli bragging about this. Hmmm the dangerous way seemed less likely to instigate bragging. However it was indeed the safest option. And the bright side as AIko said, he learned two releases in a quick and dangerous way. ”I’ll be hearing her brag until the dead of night, but I suppose it is the safest and smartest way to go about it. I suppose I will ask Hylli after I learn fire release from Meilin….. oh shit… I never considered she might not teach it to me.”

The smile returned on Aiko’s lips as she placed her hands against her hip.s "And now you think about that? I may have a backup plan in case Meilin doesn’t want to teach you fire release. Of course, no questions when that happens. But before you fret and overthink, just ask her and see what happens. Unless you have done something, why wouldn’t she teach you the basics? Or," more amused at the prospect that went through her mind, Aiko continued, "are you afraid that Hylli doesn’t want to teach you? I can else try to pull my influence in that matter. But I doubt she would reject helping you. She seemed to be quite cordial towards you."

….. oh he was going to be blackmailed for sure by Meilin. Yet kazumo kept that to himself as he shook his head at the thought of Hylli rejecting the idea. ”I think Hylli would do it just for the bragging rights. But thats fine, she is quite capable so I suppose even if she brags that I can live with that.” Kazumo said with a chuckle but gave a shrug. ”I mean Meilin is a smart woman, she probably will only after I promise to do something for her too. I mean I did borrow her entire team basically for the Bazel….. By the way this country is freaking crazy to just have those things flying around.”

Aiko decided to not respond. So far, she was gaining reports that this Meilin was indeed a competent figure. But it just sat wrong with Aiko that Kazumo seemed to lean more towards Meilin, than to continue paying full attention to her mentorship - or so, at least, it seemed in her opinion.
"Bazel? Ah yes, that beast. Don’t worry. Hopefully, we can conclude this whole dreadful affair and go back home. I am sure that we all long to be back in a place that isn’t riddled with zealous nutjobs and what else that seems to lurk around here. Now, I think we have achieved enough. I suggest we head back and you rest out before approaching either Meilin or Hylli."
 
[ Sevudia| Eastern Continent ]
[A collab between Mary and Oblivion]
[ Kazumo Sarutobi(Chuunin) Meilin Cho(Chuunin)
[Project Obsidian: Fire release]
[Kazumo sets out on his project to create a brand new release called Obsidian, his second stop is with Meilin Cho]

Sitting down at an open spot for the shinobi of the army to practise any of their techniques, Kazumo was in the meantime waiting to see if Meilin would show up or not. He did leave a note in her tent stating he requires her help to learn something. He debated going to the Void to make it faster but with the fact it was a clan secret technique, he doubted Aiko wanted it being known he knew how to do it. While he waited though, he gave it time to work on his Samurai Sabre. He knew how to do it fine, but with water now added to his arsenal. He found it a bit harder to apply it to different aspects that he once thought were easy. So he would change between his sword getting a brown hue around it, to a blue hue.

Heading over to the training spot, Meilin chewed away the last bite of her apple. Throwing the remainder to the side, she had little trouble to spot out the blue-haired Sarutobi among the few others that made use of the field. Slowing down her pace, Meilin observed Kazumo for a moment. It was intriguing for a bit to notice the differences that they had in how they trained the same technique.
”So,” Meilin began as she closed in the distance, ”you need my help, again? You know, I begin to wonder how many favours you are indebted to me. First, you take half of my team for a hunting operation. And now you want to learn something from me?”
Despite frowning, there was a slight ring of amusement to her voice as she waited Kazumo’s response.

A small smile appeared as he looked up at Meilin and sheathed his sword. ”Well not my fault you are so talented at the stuff I wish to learn. It’s like you are trying to make me further in your debt.” Kazumo said as he judged their distance from the others. Should be safe enough to learn it though.
”Well I won’t waste any time then. I wish to learn Fire release from you. It has many useful situations in which I can apply it. So I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind teaching me the basic. Like… I guess it would be considered the heating up process? Not quite sure how to word it. I normally just take the ground around me as my substance, you are able to create it. So something like that, the creating process which I would assume is heating up?”

Listening to what Kazumo said, Meilin frown didn’t vanish. In fact, she even crossed her arms out front of her chest as he continued. It remained briefly silent as Meilin seemed to consider the idea of teaching him the basics of Fire release.
"So, you just woke up and considered, let me try to learn how to use Fire release?" She asked, not hiding her suspect that there was more to it. "I could teach you indeed how the basics of Fire release work. It is in theory not that hard but more so at practice, I guess. But really, what made you decide to request this?"

Yeah he still needed to work on his story making skills. ”Well it is still useful too apply in certain situations. Yet I need it for an idea of mine that might not even work if done correctly. I wish to combine earth water and fire to make a new release. It would be called Obsidian, but I need the fire aspect to heat the earth up to high degrees to then cool it down with water. In theory it should work but that is in theory after all, should it not then I simply have several useful releases under my belt. Granted I could do a lot of subterfuge with fire release, so I still have plans for them should my plan not work out.”

Obsidian? Meilin wondered what had made him consider that into a viable idea. Then again, she knew that the material was dark and something earthy? Mentally shrugging the thoughts off, Meilin slowly nodded.
"Okay, I will teach you the basics then. I can’t say if it works but true, at least, then you know something useful from me. Hmmm," wondering where to start, Meilin wished that she had more time to prepare for this. It would have helped to prepare some practice material but he just wanted to know how to heat his chakra with Fire release.
"You know that every basic element has their own two handsigns, that align with said element. For fire? That is Ram and Tiger," Meilin began, lightly scratching the back of her head as she carefully formulated what she had learned in the Academy.
"The thing with fire release is that the energy comes from within. Like, it feels like you mould it in your stomach and then work it towards your mouth. A sort of not disgusted puking, you know?"

Realizing that wasn’t perhaps the most handy example, Meilin continued after a soft sigh. "Heating your chakra is a process that happens with Fire release, regardless if you want it or not. The idea is that the longer you keep it working inside, the more heat you will generate. Downside is that you need to be careful or else you will cook yourself from the inside out."
Lowering her hand, Meilin would form the Tiger sign and continue her explanation. "Just try to use either Ram or Tiger. Mould your chakra till you feel it swirling in your stomach. If it gets hot, then stop. Don’t worry about the unpleasant feeling, it will go away. Usually."

The difference in teaching was charming, they both had far different ways they went about it. Granted one was a teacher with more years of experience but it was still interesting to see two different approaches. So Kazumo listened intently and for all purposes it seemed easier to control than water if he could handle the heat anyway. Forming the Ram sign he would do as she said and start moulding his chakra in his stomach. He chuckled a bit as he tilted his head. ”So nothing else I need to worry about or think of? Just if it gets too hot then stop? Different elements indeed. I do that with water then I'm in trouble.”
Kazumo would remain silent for a bit before he looked at her with a curious look. ”So when did you learn Crystal release?”

"If it gets too hot, you will know it. Best to then stop before it becomes painful." She replied, at first. The question when she had learned crystal release wasn’t answered immediately. If anything, Meilin didn’t want to talk about it. But she figured that there would be little harm except for a few details.
"When I received my first genin. I did the paper chakra thing, you know? The ones that show your affinity. Turns out that fire isn’t my affinity. Which explains a few things. After that, I managed to come into contact with someone that taught me some basics of the Crystal Release."

Wasn’t Crystal a bloodline element though? Either way though it was still intriguing. ”Well that’s one way to figure it out. That’s pretty neat though.” Kazumo said leaving it at that, he was after all given the very basic explanation which usually meant one didn’t wish to talk about the subject that much. After a bit more of moulding he felt the temperature inside his body grow and grow. When it felt like he was standing next to an actual fire he let the sign go and looked at her. Sweat formed on his forehead as he took a deep breath in and out. ”Well that was indeed certainly warmer than expected.”

"Good," Meilin simply stated as she saw how he started to gain a sweat. Scoffing in an amused fashion, she continued. "At least, it will be good to take a bath afterwards. I feel like you’re going to reek of sweat afterwards. But yeah, that is a start. The trick is to keep control of the heat now. Make sure it stays at the temperature you can handle."
Considering that was the essential step he wanted, Meilin considered how she could demonstrate it. Which was honestly not the easiest, seeing how was he supposed to detect her chakra heating up?
Realizing something, Meilin gestured to Kazumo to wait before attempting again.
"Place your hand with the palm against my forehead. I will demonstrate that it is possible to quickly change how fast you can heat yourself up."

Waiting for him to place his hand against her forehead, Meilin formed the Tiger sign. Her temperature remained the same for a few seconds, before it started to flare up - her skin noticeably warmer to the touch. But instead of further heating up, it remained on the same temperature.
Slowly moving her hands apart, she would take a step back and gesture him to try to reproduce the process now for himself.

More than likely he would be smelly after this, he was sweating from the water release. He would be surprised if fire didn’t make it worse. She decided to show him an example of the fire release at hand, as such he placed his palm against her forehead and much quicker than him her internal temperature rose. Then it stuck at a current level, then she gestured for him to do the same thing she did. He would form his sign and start moulding again, but gave a puzzled look. ”So… how exactly do I stop it from growing without stopping?”

The question was met with a few seconds of silence before Meilin gave the answer. "You slow down the moulding of chakra, keep it at a calmer pace than what you use to gather it. It is a bit tricky to explain but you’ll get it eventually. From what I have seen so far, your chakra control shouldn’t be that bad you will burn yourself."
Considering some other fact that she had learned in the Academy, Meilin decided to add it to her answer.
"From here it is basically experience and repeating it. See it as getting used to the process. Eventually, you will be able to withstand higher temperatures from your own fire chakra. To the point you may do what you have planned or using fire jutsu effectively."

So a rinse and repeat kind of process until he's got the temperature part down, and the more he does it the better he can utilize it. Certainly tricky then considering he needed basically lava level of heat. So he moulded away, his temperature would rise and rise then fall as he kept repeating the process over and over trying to get it to stick at a consistent temperature. Eventually he found the right amount of slowing down to keep it nice and toasty inside without going much over it. Granted he felt like he was visibly steaming which wasn’t the case.
”Yeah that’s one to practise. Feels like I’m about to ignite any second with how hot it feels.”

"Not that surprising," Meilin said, "you need to get used to the process. It is now simply a matter of repeating and practicing, I fear. I don’t know any method on how to grasp the basics faster. All that I can try to teach you is perhaps a basic jutsu. But that isn’t the same as heating your chakra and keeping it, for that plan of yours. More of rapidly heating up and then expelling it before it can actually harm you."
Then again….
Frowning, Meilin placed her hands against her hips as she tilted her head slightly.
"Unless we take the idea that you will need to heat up rapidly and use the other elements at the same time, to not delay the process or harm yourself. The question is how we can attempt that now? Perhaps we shouldn’t and just stick to a basic jutsu?"

”I have no idea. Never done fire release before, so not sure what it’s like to perform it or how hot it gets. It might help me get the idea of what temperature I’m looking at. As for how to combine them, I was told to ask people that combine several elements already. I figured it started with the component which is earth then using fire to heat it to extreme levels then quickly cool it with water. So I’m still in the same boat when it comes to how to utilize all three at once.”
Kazumo then smiled at her. ”I won’t say no to spending more time with you though if it means learning a jutsu.”

That was fair, actually. Maybe it would be a good idea to pass a fire technique, so that he could use it to practice his ability with it? Considering what techniques she knew, Meilin knew which one she could try to teach him.
"Yuck, hardly the place or time for trying such lines," Meilin did respond to his last comment, "less charming when you are sweating a lake. Anyhow, I will teach you a basic fire technique then. It is quite straightforward."
Making sure that he or others wouldn’t be in the way, Meilin readied herself to showcase what she wanted to teach him.

Rapidly going through six seals, Meilin held the last - which was Tiger. Inhaling slowly, the young woman would seemingly expulse a large torrent of fire from her mouth. It lasted only a few seconds before the flames subdued and Meilin straightened her back. Taking a second to catch her breath and recompose herself, she gestured to the blackened dirt in front of her.
"Great Fireball technique. A good technique to start with. It has six handsigns and it is a C ranked technique, so a basic elemental technique."
Once more, Meilin would show the required signs before taking a few steps back so that Kazumo could attempt to reproduce the technique himself.

He gave a shrug and chuckle, ”Valid point.” Kazumo said but he was curious which jutsu she was going to pick. So when she rapidly went through the hand seals and expelled a good amount of fire which was certainly hot up close. He looked at her as he backtracked a bit to the seals she rapidly went through. Doing a quick practise of the signs, he took a few seconds of pause before going through the seals and holding the tiger one. Already he felt the heat building up like crazy. Which was then expelled in a torrent of flames much like Meilin’s but a bit smaller.
Gasping a bit as now he actually did visibly steam a bit. ”Well that was fucking hot. Props to you for doing stuff like that.”

Watching the flames that Kazumo conjured, Meilin subtly nodded as a result. "Thanks. But that is all that I can teach you regarding fire release. I have yet to advance to higher understanding and manipulation of fire myself," Meilin replied as she turned her attention from the scorched earth to Kazumo. She had more questions regarding his idea of ‘Obsidian’ release. But she considered it best to wait it out.
"I suppose that I will wait to see what I will demand in return to absolve you of this new debt to me. How about that?"

Well even if it was all she knew, it was still exactly what he needed. It felt odd though. He went from knowing one singular element to now having the understanding of three. ”Sounds fair to me. You know where to find me should you think of anything to demand. I appreciate this Meilin I really do.” Kazumo said as he wiped sweat from his forehead.
”I am going to go take that bath now. I suppose I shall talk to you later then.”

Unable to resist a chuckle, Meilin just nodded. She had a hunch where to find him. But she imagined that the change was bigger that he was going to seek her out sooner than she would cash in the favours.
"Be careful not to burn anything to the ground. I won’t risk my hide for you becoming a pyromaniac. For now, take care, Kazumo.”
 
[ Sevudia| Eastern Continent ]
[A collab between Autumn and Oblivion]
[ Kazumo Sarutobi(Chuunin) Hylli Hyuzu(Genin)
[Project Obsidian: …. Obsidian?]

[Kazumo sets out on his project to create a brand new release called Obsidian, his last stop is with Hylli Hyuzu as she should be able to teach him how to utilize all three]


He was a bit nervous to say the least, he had water and fire now and all he needed now was someone who knew how to combine three elements to maybe point him in the right direction. That someone was Hylli, according to Aiko she could do such a thing. The actual results though depended on how well he went about it. As such though he left a note on Hylli’s gear to state he required her aid on an important project of his. As such he made sure that they had ample amount of space on the field for this, since this was a wildcard idea he wasn’t sure how well it would or wouldn’t work.

The note that Kazumo wanted to meet up had been a pleasant surprise. Heading towards the place where they would meet, Hylli wondered briefly what Kazumo wanted to do. It wasn’t some training, seeing he had stated he needed her aid. But with what? Frowning as she kept walking, Hylli wondered briefly what he needed help with. He was more experienced than her. Mentally shrugging it of she continued to head towards the training field.
Arriving, Hylli briefly raised her hand to wave at Kazumo.
”Hey master Scylding,” closing in the distance, Hylli flashed a friendly smile, ”I received your note. You required my aid?”

When Hylli had arrived he smiled both cause she wasn’t horrible and a bit out of relief that she actually came. Now honestly there wasn’t much way to keep this secret so he decided to just tell her. ”I do indeed, it's only something you can help with as well as I don’t really have an idea where to start with it. I know Earth, Fire, and Water. I wish to combine all three into a new element. I was told you would be able to teach me how you went about combining three elements into one. So I need you to teach me that principle.”

Placing her hands on her hips, Hylli listened to what Kazumo said. He wanted to know how to combine and use three elements at the same time? Tilting her head slightly to the side, she remained silent as he continued on, ending with requesting if she could teach him that principle.
”I could certainly try,” Hylli said, nodding as if she needed to emphasise her answer, ”I guess I am a great help seeing the number of elements you are trying to combine. Eh,” trying to figure out where to start, Hylli decided to open the pouch which held her special alloy.
”Metal release makes use of earth, fire and water as well. The difference is that you can’t reproduce it, you need basically my blood to utilize it.” As she spoke, Hylli held the bit of what seemed to be a jelly that rapidly turned into all kind of figures at a rapid pace. Only to stop when it was forming a raven that spread its wings, as if it was about to fly any moment towards Kazumo.

”It is tricky but from what I know is that there is a main component. From there, you basically mould that main component into something new with the new elements. Does that make sense to you?”

He was relieved when she stated she would try, so he paid attention to her as she explained her release also used all three that he was planning on using. Only hers was a bloodline and thus metal was a Hyuzu only type of release. Made sense plenty of clans had their own bloodline ability, he didn’t plan on learning metal anyway.
Yet her explanation while simple to understand felt a bit underwhelming. ”It does make sense but is that it? I just have to mould the main with the sub elements and hope it works basically?”

A wry smile found its way to Hylli’s lips as she nodded. ”Were you expecting something spectacular, Master Scylding?” Hylli asked, clearly teasing the fact he seemed to expect something more or trickier. ”Though, I imagine it sounds simple, it isn’t just easily done. You need to understand the elements and what you want from them. If you just start tossing random elements together, you will not get any result. You may actually just cause harm to yourself if there is too much instability. No,” shaking her head lightly, Hylli continued, ”you need to know what you’re doing and what you want from the sub elements.”
Slowly the metal raven seemed to return to its original state as Hylli stored the alloy back in her pouch. ”Sorry if that disappoints you though.”

Kazumo chuckled and smiled at Hylli. ”Quite the opposite actually, I’m actually a bit happy. You see I know what I wish to do but I wasn’t sure what went into it. Knowing that’s all I have to do. Well I can see if my troubles will bear fruit. See I want to take earth and heat it up to high degrees much like lava but then cool it rapidly in hopes it turns into obsidian. Obviously I don’t expect for it to instantly work. Granted it may not work in general but worth a shot right?”

Frowning, Hylli took in the information. Granted, she wasn’t sure if it would work. But it was much like how she explained that he needed to know what to want from the sub elements. His idea? It seemed aligned from what she knew how to combine and utilize an advanced chakra element.
”I suppose it is worth a shot. If it helps, you could use handsigns. I use those as well when I was trying to master my affinity, Metal.” Hylli said. She wasn’t sure if it was fate or mere luck that his idea was so close in process as her Metal release.
”My affinity uses earth chakra as main component. It is either as base or to draw metals from earth to then heat up and rapidly cool down. Allowing me to manipulate most metal, if I have the skill and creativity for it. How about you just try to mould you chakra first with manipulating earth, then switch to fire and then to water?”

”It’s certainly worth a shot.” Kazumo said as he sat down on the ground, thinking for a few seconds before making the Ox sign. He knew Earth easy enough so he could mould his chakra but this time he hardened it. Earth was solid but Obsidian was even more solid, so to get that density he had to tighten it until he couldn’t anymore. Once he had finished that, he began moulding the fire into it. Slowly he could feel the heat building and building inside of him. He wasn’t an expert in Fire or even simply good with it, so the heat was very much uncommon for him. Still he kept on pushing it.
Eventually while holding the sign, his complexion started to become a bit redder and slight steam rose from him as he kept his focus, taking in deep breaths while he could. He had no idea how hot it truly was or even how hot he needed it to be. All he knew was he felt like his body was going to burst into flames at any given moment.

When he physically felt like his organs were drying up and cracking from the heat, he stopped fueling fire chakra but then quickly started to mould his chakra the way Aiko showed him, but this time on that condensed point. He felt the change in temperature instantly and it felt like a weight was being lifted from his shoulders. He had cooled it rapidly and would release the sign, he then placed his right hand on the earth. At first nothing happened, but then the ground around it started to change to a darker hue, Kazumo’s hand then sunk into it as it enveloped his hand.

Staring for a second he pulled his hand up from the ground and the dark earth was wrapped around his hand almost like a glove. Panting a bit from the whole endeavor, he just looked at it almost amazed but confused at the same time. ”Obsidian huh? It… actually looks like it’s already sharp.” Kazumo said as he looked at the crate next to them, then he thrust his hand at it. Sure enough like a blade his hand pierced right through the crate, right up to his forearm where his jacket halted his movement.
”Yep its sharp..” Kazumo stated as he yanked it out. He simply studied his hand while it was covered in the Obsidian. He then held his hand out.”Stab my hand Hylli. Don’t worry if it actually goes through.”

Observing Kazumo, Hylli did feel slightly out of place. She wasn’t more experienced than him, so what could she do now? Shifting her weight, she also didn’t feel like walking away. Her curiosity was piqued now and perhaps she could learn something out of this. Noticing steam rising from Kazumo, Hylli wondered if it wasn’t smart to get someone with more experience. Perhaps if she would hurry, she could get the lieutenant to help? Or one of the sergeants of her platoon, just to be sure that Kazumo wasn’t going to harm himself.
But then the steam seemed to vanish away as Kazumo continued his motions. Intently watching the Scylding, Hylli couldn’t help but hold her breath. As he pulled his hand out of the ground and even managed to jab easily through a wooden crate, Hylli’s smiled.
”Damn, Master Scylding! Look at you. It does rather looks menacing,” she replied, at first, only to appear surprised when he asked if she could stab his hand. Her lips parted, already at the ready to give her discontent of stabbing his hand.
Pulling a knife, she did understand why he wanted to test this. Inhaling slowly, Hylli tightened the hold on the knife’s handle. Then without holding back she moved forward, lashing out with the knife.
The sharp steel of the knife moved along the dark material with leaving only a line of a long scratch in it - the line that the steel edge had moved across.

”Nice,” Hylli said as she checked her knife as well, noticing no blood on the blade. Holstering the knife, she threw a questioning look at Kazumo. ”So, how does it feel? Can you move your fingers with some ease?”

If it was any ease to his mind, she did at least look very hesitant of the idea to stab him. Then she did it, yet her blade found no purchase in his flesh. Only scratched off the surface which was a breath of relief, it held up to its durability test at least. Hylli would then prompt him with a question of his maneuverability with it casing his hand. He would move his fingers a bit before he would answer, ”It’s slightly more resistant to move, but I think because of my chakra coursing through it, it makes it easier to move it. Although now I have to be careful it seems. I didn't intend for it to be sharp yet the edges all seem to have a sharpness to them.”

”Good, then I suppose it does work similiar to some of my techniques,” Hylli mumbled, more to herself than as a reply to Kazumo’s answer. Thinking about it, she just grabbed Kazumo’s wrist and started to study the black material. The texture of the material seemed coarse and seeing the damage done to the wooden crate, Hylli was willing to just assume it was indeed sharp. Added the weight it likely gave an extra punch to it.
”I like it, very menacing, Master Scylding,” Hylli said as she released her grip and grinned. ”Now, you learned something from me. Which means you,” raising her right hand, she pointed at Kazumo as her grin grew, ”you are indebted to me!”

He remained quiet as she suddenly grabbed his hand and looked at the black rock that now covered his hand.Then when she let his wrist go she looked at him and then suddenly pointed at him with a very evil grin. She proclaimed he was now indebted to her which caused him to laugh a bit before smiling. ”I suppose for your aid that’s a fair demand. Is this a debt I will be called upon later for or you going to tell me about it now?” He was a bit curious as to what she could want from him. Maybe she knew something that she knew he had?

Thinking about several things, one did come to mind. Lowering her hand, her expression shifted - becoming more serious. ”Yeah, I want to have a second chance. Just you and me, sparring it out. Once I have proven to be a chuunin, I want to settle it again with you. Last time, you totally embarrassed me but now that you got this? I want to make sure that I am catching up to you.” Understanding that he maybe didn’t have the same drive to oblige to the idea of a rivalry between them, Hylli extended her hand and wrist towards Kazumo.
”Well? Wanting to risk your hide for that?” She asked, a glint visible in her eyes.

Ahh another spar against him normally he would be against such an idea, he was not one to just spar for the fun of it. Yet she did help teach him and she atleast had some valid points for wanting this. Smiling as the Obsidian would crumble off his hand and fall to the ground, he would shake her hand and shake it. ”I suppose I can agree to your terms, do note though that just because you are improving doesn’t mean I was slouching either. I also don’t do pity so no hard feeling when you lose again okay?”

Tightening her grip on his hand, she nodded slowly. ”I wouldn’t have it any other way, Master Scylding. No holding back then.” Smiling as she would withdraw her hand, she threw a glance at the crumbled obsidian. Understanding that she had a lot to catch up to, Hylli took a step back and scoffed towards Kazumo.
”Besides, the playing field is now more even. I am going to test you then. And we will see if your Obsidian skills will match my Metal… hehe, get it? My metal?”

As she made her pun he simply stared at her and pat her on the shoulder. ”...Maybe I’ll go slightly easy on you at this rate.” Kazumo said with a smile before he would walk away.
 
[Sevudia, Republican Military Camp | Eastern Continent ]
[Yuyuko, genin of Team Kukiko]
[Considerations and Practicality.]

As the routine and preparations begun to set in at the camp, Yuyuko on her part shook her head knowing she would need to improve herself.
Originally she tried to ask Karuko for some extra training but only for her to find out that he had left on a mission.
With that, she instead focused on getting into the routine of the camp while using any free time to do additional training, for all the good it gave her as not long after, she was occasionally posted on guard duty to learn the ropes with some of the seniors.

As the week wore on, she paid them little attention as she wanted to become stronger, she kept to herself as one of the seniors by the name of Nobushige, though he noticed her drive to try to improve but also noted how she went about it seemed flawed.
After some deliberation, he decided to spy on her training watching her as she practiced her kenjutsu, chakra control and bukijutsu with her own side of using pebbles, though in her case, with her mask on, something which baffled him greatly.
Luckily, not long after, Yuyuko noticed Nobushige and asked him what he was doing. With that, Nobushige braced his mind and decided on a straight-forward apporach.
"You are Takeda san right? I am Kousaka Nobushige and was curious as to...that."
Nobushige said emphasizing her mask.
"I mean we have met on guard duty a few times, so i know you are not blind, so why are you hindering yourself so unnecessarily?"
Yuyuko let out a shurg of annoyance before she replied. "...extra training...well...Karuko and Kukiko did not appreciate it but it is to help me get stronger more quickly. Like how some taijutsu users wear weights while they fight."
Nobushige blinked for a moment in shock as he thought about it while remembering some rumors among some in the captial about such a genin with a thought process. At the time, he laughed off the rumor as just a bad joke but now, realising it was truth and the ridiculously logical but at the same time large leap in logic was something he just found utterly baffling.
"Are you seriously telling me that is your idea to train....and what is your reason for such a big handicap that you must take away half your vision practically every and anytime you are not on duty?"
"So that i can get stronger so that mother does not need to keep working so hard. Esperically after the tailed beast ravaged the capital.."
It was then that Nobushige blinked as he thought about it for a moment before while not entirely, he realised roughly how her thought process that ended up to this state, along with why she kept to herself.
Nobushige:"I do not know your seniors that well, sure i served with them well enough but i also seen enough to know that your method in theory and on paper is solid. But that is as much as i will admit because if i had to be honest, that wont fly in anyone's book in battle, and plus you dont have the skill nor experience to fight what is coming. And before you give me any crap on how much you are training, i can tell you that the missions you probably were on, the people there probably were thugs."
"I can handle myself...with some more training."
"Then answer me this, do you even have an elemental jutsu that you can use? Are you sure that you can defeat me even if there is interference in your favour? And lastly, have you properly practiced with anyone besides your parents and sensei more than twice in the last few months. If your answer is no to any, then i can tell you now that you are will have it tough."
"I mean i have lightning release and i have been practicing chakra control for it over my weapons."
"Bullshit. Self-training is cute and by nature not a bad method to learn techniques...or cram for an exam. But at the end of the day, you still need to learn actual techniques..and i know for a fact that finding a person in the republic with lightning release is not the easiest thing."
Yuyuko was about to retort before it hit her and glanced away as Nobushige chuckled.
"So you do have some brains after all. Well, for now i did roughly see what you have been practicing and so for now, i have a gist of how good you are. That being you really need something to at least help you disengage and fight at range, i am not dissing your method with stone throwing but until you learn how to enhance your stones with your lightning chakra that you can break armor with that, it is annoying at it's best and a cute love tap at worse. I heard and know of this method and will admit their effectiveness but against people who wear helmets, they are cheap tricks used by frauds, nothing more than that."
Yuyuko on her part was stunned as the thoughts swirled in her head, as Nobushige had essentially argued points that while not perfect, was enough to at least make her see his point as he shrugged.
"If you really must, do your in my opinion, silly mask practice when we go back to the capital where you can actually beat thugs one eyed. For now, since i am also practicing the Samurai sabre techique, i will practice with you since i do believe in the idea that teaching others helps oneself train. And for Lightning release.....i will start you off with...hmmm...Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang."
He said as he raised his hand showing the start of the technique causing Yuyuko's eyes really widened.
"So you do know of it, next in line is Spider web and then any other lightning release technique i can squeeze into you before the brass decides to bring us for war. That is for the basics, so you at least can fight well enough so you wont get slaugthered in your deployment. And if you are paired with a water release user, you will have a field day.. that i can testify...from practice." He said with a chuckle.
"And for your chakra sabre...how about this, work on it enough that you can coat your weapon with chakra like this.'
He then drew his blade as she could sense his chakra coating his blade for the chakra sabre technique.
"If you can manage this much, then we move to this...Rupture." he said as he waved his sword upwards into the sky, Yuyuko feeling the wave of chakra being released causing her hair to stand on ends.
"But for now, to start, take a training sword and charge it with your chakra, elemental or otherwise and imagine your sword having a longer reach and a wider blade and then brace yourself, how well this goes and what happens will dictate how we will progress with your training."
Yuyuko on her part nods as she goes to take a wooden sword emiting the glow of chakra in it as it begins to extend slightly with some sparks on it.
Nobushige noting it, took a wooden sword and charged ut with a low amount of chakra before hitting her blade with his own , the clash causing her to shiver as she felt it but her chakra at least held together like Nobushige's one.
"Hmm. Not too bad a control...at least and leaning...or is it safe to say trying to use elemental chakra. Ok, now change the shape of the chakra blade to an axe and then a spear tip and then back to a extension of the blade, 3 rotations."
Nobushige said while demonstrating it while Yuyuko straightened up and acknowledged it Nobushige's instruction nodding. During her training with him the first Axe head, spear tip and then sword extension went well, then the second and third though the spearhead tip for the second was abit more shaky and it took roughly an interval of 5 seconds per change.
"Alright then, i see your control with chakra is at least better than the fresh recuits, i guess? Now for the next week, when you are off duty if i am not busy, use that time to practice charging your chakra, everyday for preferably an hour before you sleep doing this set of 3 rotations and shorten the rotation change to one. Also make sure to charge it with Lightning release chakra as with how soon the enemies might come, i want you to learn fast so you dont become a burden as at least when you die, you cant trouble us."
While that remark made Yuyuko indignant, she did acknowledge it was right.
"And as i said earlier, lose the mask until you are back in the capital.
Any loss to your balance is a chance that you end up injured or killed, and as a bonus, here is sometbing i learnt from someone in my younger days. Every journey has it's final day, don't rush needlessly but learn pace yourself moderately, if not, you may lose sight of your goal. Remember this as if you dont, i suggest forget about that stupid idea becoming strong enough to convince your mother to retire, so i hope you prove me wrong, Yuyu."
Nobushige said as he headed to his tent to prepare, leaving Yuyuko much to think about as she pondered on his words, steeling herself to do so for the next week.
 
[ Abandoned Farmhouse | Near Kirigakure, capital of the Jirou Authority ]
[ A meeting between two 'Terrors'. ]
[ A collab between @Oblivion666 and @Lesli ]
[ After being located by the gifted ANBU, Yuki Miyoshi, Kimi heads out to confront the Terror and Bringer of Crystalblight. The meeting, however, turns quite dark as the Zealot learns that she is competing with a far more sinister force. ]

[ Note: This collab has a very dark ending. One that we would personally never condone in real life. This post is best skipped for those who can't seperate IC from OOC, are faint of heart or don't like to dive into the shadows of minds that we would be disgusted by in real life. Read at your own discretion. ]


Walking towards the abandoned farmhouse, Kimi had her thumbs hooked behind her weapon belt. Garbed in the typical ANBU gear, there was no hint of fear or grim determination. In fact, a smile adorned Kimi’s features as she approached the desolated structure. Halting at a respectable distance, Kimi eyed the building. In the dim and dying light of day, it had something regretful to it.
Sighing out loud, Kimi would then raise her voice, making herself audible for what was remaining inside the farmhouse.

“Bringer of Blights, Terror of Kirigakure, I have come to bargain.”

Waiting patiently, Kimi seemed to be most patient for an answer to come in.

A silence would follow after Kimi spoke out to the house, a few moments passed with still no response. Then the bottom window would open, with a slim figure cloaked in black and a white mask covering their face would show themselves. They stayed in the window and seemingly chuckled.
”Cute titles. You say bargain. Though…. I doubt.” came the benign accent from the woman. Who seemingly watched and observed the woman in the distance.

Kimi flashed a friendly smile upon sighting the ‘Terror’. Tilting her head slightly to the right, Kimi then spread her arms. “Do you by any chance see anybody else? Come now. We both know the truth. You are surrounded and this can either end in a last stand for you. Or we can be civilized and talk. You and I,” Kimi’s smile gained something sinister, “are different. But that doesn’t need to mean we have to resort to violence, no?~”

A low sound resonated from the woman before she started laughing. ”Of course I am. I was wondering when mama bear would show.” the woman said before moving out of sight and opening the front door. This time having a spear in her possession as she stepped out a bit more but stopped and pointed at her with her left hand. ”Well? I am curious. Country being attacked and you… talk with enemy? The Maker is odd with humor today.” The woman said resting her weight on the weapon in her hand.

Shrugging lightly, Kimi turned half around - throwing a look at the distance, where the city’s walls and such were visible. Only to lazily turn back to the Terror and speak up. “The country being attacked? So far it seems to prosper and do rather well. Aside from a few hiccups,” Kimi friendly replied, “besides, do you prefer to fight and die? How meaningless. We could easily resolve this with a polite discussion. Or are you that eager to make yourself a martyr?” Kimi asked, her tone still sweet and friendly.

”A few? I’d say more than a few but you buying yourself time is pointless. Say whats on your mind. Were both busy ladies after all.” The woman said her accent, while odd to hear, was easily sounding more irked and annoyed by the passing second. She had the idea that she was indeed surrounded but not by as many as this woman wished for.

The smile turned into a smirk as Kimi shook her head again, as if she was dealing with a mere child - whose ego was far too amusing and big. “Maybe you’re right. A few is too much of a compliment for the small handiwork that you caused. But indeed, I got more pressing matters than well,” gesturing to the Terror, Kimi made a gesture that radiated amusement and mockery towards the other, “whatever this is. So,” placing her hands behind her back, Kimi continued, “I want to propose that you surrender. We can easily figure out a sensible punishment for you. And if you cooperate, you may even enjoy some privileges. Think of it as a lighter punishment than if you resist. You understand? Or do you require me to speak slower?”
Tilting her head, Kimi narrowed her eyes as the smirk returned.
“Or do you have to make an offering to your Maker, who probably is as short-sighted as you are, my dear.”

Well she certainly was a condescending woman, either hoping she would attack first or something. Yet the mask hid the obvious glare that came from the masked woman, yet the glare faded to laughter. Small things? Sensible punishment? Was this woman even from the places that were under quarantine? The attitude from start to now made it seem like everything was in this woman's power and who knows? Maybe it was.
Her right hand moved up and grabbed her hood and lowered it and then moved behind her head and undid the strap, causing the mask to fall down to the ground. Her purple hair then shifted in the breeze as a smile was on her face.

”Hahaha I like you, I haven't even fought you and I can feel my hairs standing on end. I heard this Dictator was in charge but I feel like you are the actual one.” The woman stated as she looked around. ”Well. I say I have two conditions then. One, I rather like fighting, so I don’t do this babysitting. Second, I will still pray to the Maker.”

“Oh, wait, you think you have the ability to make demands?” Kimi shook her head and to emphasise, even raised her right index finger to wiggle it - as if she was speaking to a mere child. “No, you don’t have anything else but a choice. You either work with me or you die here. Though, believe me, I will capture you rather alive. But I would rather not spoil surprises. Well,” frowning for a moment, Kimi tapped her chin as she seemed to ponder out loud for a moment. “If you get captured, you will want to pray that you went down fighting.”

Pausing, Kimi placed her hands once more behind her back. “So that is it. You aren’t dumb, you know I got this place surrounded. And you may have some interesting abilities but against enough numbers and actual competent people? We both know you will not last for an hour. So take the reasonable path. Will you cooperate or go down fighting?”

Well worth a shot but she hates to admit it but the lady wasn’t wrong. She could fight but while she may have fought a couple high skilled people. It was never a good majority at the same time. Although it was a little cliche to throw the suffering part out, really ruined the mood that was already set. Giving a sigh she shrugged but smiled.
”Well I suppose I will cooperate then. Can’t go home anyway, if I do I’m just going to be executed. Well played…. ” The woman stopped as she was about to ask her name but smiled knowing she wasn’t going to get it. That’s just how her type was besides if she did get a name it would likely be fake.

Slowly but surely, the expression on Kimi’s face changed. The mockery and amusement seemed to ebb away as Terror made her decision. “You likely will be executed. But you aren’t going home. Besides, it is waste to see someone of your potential and interesting abilities go to waste.”
Signalling something, an ANBU seemed to appear out of nowhere at Kimi’s flank. The ANBU would rise slowly and hold a pair of restrainers.
“You are accepted into the Jirou Authority. I hope you do understand the cautions we have to take for now. But if you keep cooperating, life will become easier. Many of my subordinates can tell you later about that.”
Twisting her head slightly, Kimi nodded as a signal. The visible ANBU calmly walked towards the Terror and seemed to wait for the woman to extend her wrists.

Many of her subordinates could tell her about that? How many of these people did crimes?? Jirou Authority though? Well it made sense for a dictator to name it after himself. She looked at the ANBU though who appeared out of nowhere which only made her wonder how many were actually around her person right now. Looking at her spear she stabbed it into the ground and held her wrists out. ”I do ask that you don’t leave that there.” She said with a smile. The woman still very much was intrigued and scared of this woman, she just had the presence to her that just radiated utter fear. She would have offed her ruler back home within months.

The ANBU clapsed the restraints around the Terror’s hands. Suddenly behind the woman, another ANBU appeared and clapsed a ring around the woman’s neck. Within mere seconds, the Terror would feel something to be wrong. If she wanted to mould chakra, it just seemed like her abilities had never existed.
“Don’t worry. We won’t leave anything behind.”
Smiling gently, Kimi tilted her head again.
“After all, you are going to be used in my own schemes. Like I told you, you have no rights to make any demands. I am going to make use of you to produce a line of operatives loyal to the Jirou Authority. You see, bloodline abilities are nothing more than impressive tools. But this crystal release? We have no clan or people in these parts of the world that gain access to it.”
Spreading her arms, Kimi’s smile widened and turned into something more wicked. A memory returned to her, when she had taken that brat from Mika Hayashi.
“You are going to serve the Authority and bring forth a new clan into being. From the very depths of the shadows, you will be forgotten by all. Yet, you will live and bring forth something to the Authority that we couldn’t achieve without your blood.”

After the restraints were on her wrists, a ring was then clasped onto her neck which made her turn her head, before looking back at the woman in front of her. Use her to make a line of operatives loyal to the Jirou Authority? Bring forth a new clan into being? A moment or two passed in silence before she started chuckling to herself. ”Wow you are one dark woman.” The woman would simply shake her head before relaxing her body. She would then mumble something in a different language altogether, as she indeed couldn’t mould any chakra in her body.

The ANBU behind the woman pushed her harshly as the other grabbed the restraints, nearly dragging her forwards as well. More ANBU seemed to appear, silently witnessing how the threat that had brought so much death and misery to Kirigakure being just captured and taken away.
Kimi’s smile slowly faded away as she then rolled her shoulders. Placing her hands on her hips, she released a soft sigh.
Whereas some people would have been taken aback by what she had just arranged, she was just wondering what she should take for dinner.
 
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[ Sevudia, Eastern Continent | Near an enemy outpost ]
[ 11th Imperial Brigade | Operation Bright Fire ]
[ A collab between @RoranHawkins , @Autumn Song , @RedFox and @Lesli ]
[ Operation Bright Fire involves various squads descending from the hidden encampment of the 11th Imperial Brigade, to take out a suspicious enemy outpost. A small unit involved is underneath the leadership of Aiko, who provides leadership to a squad of genin. However, what seems to be a simple mission turns out to become much more difficult with each passing minute. ]


The sky slowly shifted in colours. The crystal blue started to darken while at the horizon, a beautiful mixture of colours began to show, the signal that the day was reaching its end.
Yet, that didn't mean the night would go without any trouble.
Crouched in the shadow of a tree, Aiko peered into the distance. The woman seemed to wait for a specific signal, her attention fixated on something unknown.
Today, after all, people had been rounded up and readied for a large scale operation. Many of the details were unknown for the genin operating underneath Aiko's current leadership; their part to play was one of support and relatively small compared to the operation's objective.

The only details that were known were that a point of concern rose among the 11th Imperial Brigade troops. For reasons unknown, the enemy had decided to build an outpost on a large hill. But the scouts saw little security detail with a large abundance of cloaked men. For that reason, an operation was planned out by the 11th brigade leadership. Various teams and units assembled and readied themselves for what seemed to be a night raid.
The team underneath Aiko's leadership had a simple task; to take in a position as soon as the signal was given. Any enemy contacts along the way should be disposed of. And once they reached their point, hold it until the last signal would herald their retreat back to the 11th encampment.

Slowly, Aiko threw a glance over her shoulder. The genin lacked the combat experience or the rank that they could do these tasks themselves. Hopefully, they could make up for their lack of expertise with determination. Or desperation; it didn't matter, as long as they would not collapse and become obstacles themselves.

Waiting, Hylli couldn't decide what was plaguing her more. The excitement that she was now part of an actual crucial military operation. Or the fact that she couldn't shake the itch at her hands. Of course, she firmly denied believing she was nervous. It was exciting to prove herself. Yet, that didn't do much either to make her hands burn lightly. Peering at Aiko, Hylli wondered when the signal would be given. And what kind of signal were they waiting for? Back at camp Hylli hadn't asked questions cause she felt like she shouldn't; she was ready to tackle this mission.
Her left hand slipped towards her belt. Almost like the motion eased her mind, she checked if some knives could be pulled with ease from their sheath.

Licking her lips, Hylli would exhale softly and slowly. The waiting was the worst. But was it proper to ask Aiko how long she expected them to sit and remain silent? The tension certainly didn't make it comfortable enough to start small talk. That and it didn't seem like it was the right time; being on a mission and all that.

Mamoru remained silent throughout the entirety of the day, and nothing seemed to be about to change in that regard. He did his preparations back at the camp in total silence, he marched to the assigned position in silence and continued to wait in a similar fashion. The situation they were in possessed an almost tangible sensation of generosity. The operation they were taking part in was a crucial one, and he felt it. He managed to suppress negative thoughts that could decrease his combat efficacy, but he could not find a positive thought to boost his self esteem either. He was kneeling down on his right knee, looking alternatively over Lady Aiko, Hylli, Hideko and the ground. His right hand was resting on his knee, his left hand resting on the ground. A run and kill operation, he thought for himself, clenching his jaw at the thought. He was still getting used to taking lives, but orders were orders and he knew better than to doubt them.All I need is a steady hand, and the will to guide it, he thought to himself, his eyes resting on Lady Cho again.

This was her first operation. Operation Bright Fire. Could’ve been a bit clearer on the name for that one. I guess this was called that because they’d suddenly appear out of nowhere, as a bright flame you could sometimes get when camping outside, but it was still light. Well, nightfall was coming, but she didn’t feel the need to actually call the operation after that. Maybe Operation Nightfall was better for that, because it seemed cooler. She imagined killing enemy troops under operation Nightfall until boredom took over. She had been all too pleased when the order came to gather outside. She went there, all troopered up and ready. It’d taken just 15 minutes of waiting for her to feel bored when she started imagining things.

Goh, why does this take so long. If this is what her mother Hiroko said about ‘joining the army’ then she admitted she had a point. This waiting was definitely not for her. Ugh. All of this time just wasted and she still hadn’t ever seen the enemy. She sighed. Maybe it was best that she didn’t actually see the enemy though. She didn’t like inflicting pain on others. She just wanted them to not get hurt. It was all fun and games when the worst that you could get was a proverbial slap on the wrist, but this was … worse. She didn’t like to think about that. Yes, she was here because those enemies shouldn’t be there, and if she came face to face with an enemy, it would be do or die, but still. She shook her head. Think of happy things! But once that thought was over, that didn’t work so well anymore.

The group would be continued to be plagued with waiting for what seemed to be another eternity. Suddenly, the dark night’s sky was disturbed by a soft sound. The howling of some animal but it was a far cry from being anything canine. Whatever or whoever produced the sound, Aiko shot up as she started to pick up a pace - signally with a hand gesture to the genin to fill in and follow her.
Navigating through the dark, Aiko kept a reasonable pace. The dark seemed to hamper the Cho barely as she easily vaulted over obstacles and avoided getting branches slapped in her face.

Slowing her pace eventually down, Aiko raised a closed fist to signal the group to come to a halt. Up ahead, there were some sounds - voices to be exact. The language that the voices spoke were completely alien from any Imperial known languages. Crouching down herself, Aiko waited as she continued to listen and peer at the darkness.
The voices slowly became louder, accompanied with the jingeling of chainmail and rustling of vegetation. A total of four dark figures emerged at the other side of a small opening from where Aiko and the genin were located. The four figures seemed to be lost and evidently started to argue.

Aiko softly whistled, barely audible for the genin as she slightly raised a hand. Raising two fingers, which was Hideko’s number, Aiko then signalled to the right - thus instructing the genin to flank them from that direction. Repeating the signal with three fingers, thus Mamoru, Aiko directed him to flank the four from the left. Once more, Aiko raised her hand and used four fingers but then made the sign that the Hyuzu among them should attack from the front.
”Wait for my signal. I will take one down and attract their attention. That is the sign,” Aiko whispered before she gestured that the genin should ready themselves. However, even if the genin were trying to be observant and keeping an eye where Aiko was going; the woman seemingly vanished in thin air.

Glad that they had to move, Hylli attempted to keep up with their leader. Struggling with some vegetation, Hylli didn’t utter a curse or remark. Her mind was focusing on what Aiko was doing, where Aiko was going and keeping in mind that they could be deep in enemy turf.
The realisation that if something went wrong and they couldn’t rely on some magical reinforcements made Hylli’s stomach turn. Then again, Aiko’s presence had to account for something, right?
Following their leader further, she heard the whistle and saw the sign. Near instantly, Hylli came to a halt as she wondered what the orders would be. Then she detected the masculine voices up ahead - slowly becoming louder.

Spotting the sign with four fingers, which was her number, Hylli waited before she moved. Listening to the order that followed the signs as what the signal was, Hylli went to her position. Her hands gained an annoying itch as her stomach seemed to detest the current situation. The realisation that she would score her first kill was weighing heavier now that the moment was close. Beads of cold sweat started to roll over her back as she had to focus on not breathing too irregular - even she was unsure if it was her nerves or excitement.
And they were off! Finally, Hideko thought to herself. Any longer and she would’ve stoned on the spot. She smiled. Heh, fortunately even then she could have moved! She moved silently, or rather as silently as she could, but when Aiko suddenly stopped realised she’d come too close, and just caught herself without making a noise. That would be bad, of course. It seemed she was listening, but with her heartbeat shouting in her ear it was almost impossible to make out anything but her immediate surroundings. Eventually she heard four dark figures beginning to argue, but she couldn’t quite make out what was being said.

Aiko ordered her to move towards the right, which she did as ordered, and waited. Despite everything she was tense. Finally it had arrived: her first mission on the frontlines against enemy soldiers. It filled her with a certain kind of glee, but it also filled her with another kind of dread. This was an ambush mission. They got in, killed, and got out before they ever knew what hit them. Aiko said something while she was moving, but she didn’t quite hear her over her heartbeat, and so she was confused on what to do. What was the signal? Where they meant to stay back? She didn’t know. She swallowed. Hopefully it’d all go as planned, and readied her initial attack.

When the signal came to move out, Mamoru darted forward like a released spring. He did his best to keep up with Lady Cho, avoiding most vegetation on the way. Making his way from branch to branch, his eyes were fixated on Lady Cho, but also keeping track of his teammates. They were moving close to each other, their pace synchronised well. And just like that, when he spotted the raised fist, he stopped in an instant and observed what caused them to stop. Voices. He knew what that meant. His stomach twisted and churned and remained that way, his mind going blank, his eyes deafened by the surrounding silence of the forest, interrupted by their enemy talking.

The first signal was given to Hideko to move off to the right. He was next up and was to go left relative to Lady Cho, with Hylli going from the front. Upon given instructions, Lady Aiko vanished into thin air. Knowing better than to wonder about it, he leaped a few branches in the way they were moving, on their left flank. He managed to stay completely silent as he assumed his position, observing the group without blinking. His right fist clutched tightly around the hilt of Oak, waiting for the signal to come. To the young Senju, it seemed like another eternity.

The four figures started to engage into a fiercer debate. The crude foreign language didn’t seem to make much sense to their ambushers and it became painstakingly clear that the debate was taking all the attention of the figures. They lacked a military uniform, unlike the Imperial military. But the sight of their weapons and fact that they were here said enough; these were the designated enemies.

One of the soldiers suddenly jerked his head. In the dark it was hard to figure out what he was looking at or trying to see. Half turning, his head was now turned to the direction of Hylli. As the enemy soldier turned towards his comrades, a gurgling sound started to escape from his throat. His hands shot up towards his neck as some dark liquid seemed to spray out of it briefly with violent force. Collapsing to the ground, his comrades quickly grabbed their weapons and formed a circle - their backs against each other. They continued to speak in a softer tone, their voices betraying their anxiety and growing despair.

A sharp whistle rang through the air and one of the men was struck in the shoulder. Drawing the attention of the others, as his grunt made them panic. One of the three turned to the wounded comrade, his back now perfectly towards Hideko as only one of them remained on high alert - his frantic movements making it clear that he was far from calm.

Mamoru observed the group, the way they conversed made him feel incredibly uneasy. Their language was rough, coarse, and somewhat irritating.Or perhaps they made it seem that way, he thought to himself. Their weapons were like their way of speech - crude. One of them turned his head to take a look at something that piqued his interest, and as it turned out, it was the last thing he did. He clutched his throat that was seeping a dark red liquid. Taking the hint, Mamoru built up his chakra as the enemy quickly guarded their backs, only to be distracted again, cousin them to break formation. His eyes didn’t register anything, but he had no doubt about who’s work it was.

Leaping as high as he could, he unsheathed Oak and started to surround it in a thick layer of earth, holding the blade above his head. As he was coming down, the blade got heavier and heavier, and he was heading directly for the enemy that showed panic. Given Lady Cho’s reputation, it was understandable. At the last possible moment, he spotted Mamoru and raised his weapon above to guard against the attack. His weapon had no chance against Mamoru’s weighted weapon, combined with the Genin’s swing aided by gravity. The weapon shattered, managing to deflect the blow aimed at his skull into his shoulder.

The weapon landed on his right shoulder, without a doubt causing devastating damage to said part of the man’s body. Still standing, the man dropped his shattered weapon, his left hand reaching behind his back and pulled out a knife and took a jab at Mamoru. The Genin’s eyes opened wide, and he was too late to dodge it - a bright red line appeared on his right cheek. He reached for Ash with his left hand, pulling the wakizashi from his back and delivered the finishing blow into the man’s heart.

Hylli kept her breath for a moment as one of the enemy turned and looked at her direction. She had remained silent, so what was going on? Was it his guts? Was he sensor? Did she make some sound without knowing? The grip on the knife’s handle became tighter as she readied herself. Then things took a turn far grimmer than she had expected.
The respective enemy suddenly gurgled and fell to the ground, startling even Hylli. She hadn’t detected anyone yet that was the sign, wasn’t it? Hestating for a second, Hylli wasn’t so certain on what to do. The training and preparation for this exact moment were replaced with doubt and anxiety.

Then Hylli sprang into action. Swiftly, as the scenery became more chaotic, Hylli moved in. At the moment that Mamoru attacked from above, Hylli flanked one of the other soldiers. Tackling the man to the ground, using her momentum and weight, Hylli quickly crawled to remain on top. All the while, her hand holding the knife continued to make jabs forwards and be jerked backwards. The motion itself seemed merely like a reflex - Hylli didn’t notice it as she used her other hand to keep the man down. His ragged breathing and grunting were going unnoticed until Hylli felt something warm splashing against her glove. Becoming aware of the constant jabs, Hylli’s eyes narrowed. The dark did hide many details but she could see the places where the knife had punctured through cloth and skin - biting into the man’s flesh and ripping it apart when pulled out.
Raising the knife, Hylli planted it firmly into the man’s throat. Her arm trembled but she gritted her teeth. Continuing to drag the knife over the horizontal length, she could feel the man’s resistance to ebb away as blood started to flood into his throat - effectively choking him rapidly.

The four figures continued talking very excitedly, until one of them suddenly dropped, struck by something unseen. Where in normal circumstances they would take care of their wounded companion, that was not what happened. They formed a defensive circle, weapons drawn, until the second man would be struck. Good! She thought frantically. But when was it time for her to strike? The downed man lay on a patch of earth that was perfectly suitable for her to strike out from, but she waited. Only when she saw movement from the other genin in her team, she haphazardly moved. Was that her call? Shit!

She got up from her hunched position and moved the earth with her handsigns. ”Earth release: gravel technique!” She whispered. She wanted to completely bury her target and finish him off within the earth, where no one could hear him. Stealth was after all, an important asset on this mission. But she was late.

By the time both Mamoru and Hylli had struck and finished off their target, hers was still standing. He turned towards the new attackers and executed a strike towards Mamoru with his daodao.

What followed happened all in the blink of an eye. Hylli followed up immediately and dispatched her foe ruthlessly, but effectively. As his mortally wounded adversary dropped the knife that landed a glancing blow on his right cheek, he pulled out Ash from the man's heart, just as disaster was about to struck. The last man from the group who was supposed to be taken out by Hideko was still standing, his daodao raised above his head. The weapon coming down could end his life at the spot and instinct took over in the young Senju.

He yanked Oak from the shoulder of the now dead man, but it couldn't make the guard in time. He raised his left hand to block the strike, but managed only to deflect it. The weapon that could split his head now merely glanced him. The tip sliced into his face, cut through flesh and scratched against bone on his right zygomatic bone - a centimeter or two to the side and he'd lose an eye. The blade continued it's path across Mamoru’s right cheek, than hit the ground and the tip buried into the ground.

The victim turned hunter now gathered his weapon for a finishing strike when suddenly the ground tore up beneath him and shot up, covering him in a sheath of earth. At first, it immobilised him, then, when no escape seemed possible, it continued upwards until he was gone. Oh. Shit shit shittt! She thought. The ground started flattening again, when Hideko bleakly approached.

”Sorry! I couldn’t hear what Aiko said! Are you alright?” She said hushedly while approaching Mamuro for any more wounds. Suddenly, tears weren’t that far anymore.
 
[ Daigo | City within the Dominion of Lightning ]
[ Yumi Hasewaga | Scholae of the Empire of Akino ]
[ Returning to the Empress ]

The journey was long, but that wasn't what bothered Yumi. Leaning against the railing, she watched how the horizon slowly revealed her next destination. The city of Daigo was the current location of the international Chuunin exam between the Empire of Akino, Dominion of Lightning and Jirou Authority. A joining of nations and individuals that already would provide some intriguing mixing. Without, hopefully, any powderkegs blowing up.

Releasing a sigh, Yumi maybe felt no longer the aching from the confrontation against the Six-Tails and her mentor; she did wonder how Kiyomi was going to respond. Part of why she had been handpicked to attempt to take a jinchuriki was Kiyomi's trust and praise of her skill as loyalty. Not that Yumi felt any regret. It just had been too much for her to handle the unknown capability of the jinchuriki mentor and protector. After all, wasn't Mika Hayashi supposed to be dead? Executed by the very senate that she had helped to establish after her revolt?
The shouting of the captain and the deckhands broke Yumi from her thoughts. It seemed that the ship she was on would soon pick up more pace?

Straightening her back, Yumi continued to stare at the horizon. Hopefully, in Daigo, she could bring her rapport to the Empress. Resting her left hand gently on the pommel of a particular sword, Yumi was else more than willing to present some fine Oda steel to make up for her mistake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


[ Flashback ]
[ Unknown Location - Somewhere in the Republic of Water ]
[ Team Hayashi (Mika) - Attacked by Unknown Operative ]
[ A collab made by @Oblivion666 , @Nim , @Lesli and @Aliceee ]
[ For a while now, Mika has overseen the training of the jinchuriki. Under her care, they are starting to show some progression in becoming better shinobi. However, their location is compromised as a certain Crystal operative has figured their trail. Now it is time to answer who will win: One of Akino's Scholae or the combination of an elite jounin together with her pupil(s)? Found it out, next time on... ]

[ Part 2 - final ]
[ Previous posted part. ]


Hearing the scream made Aya’s mood perk up until her left foot was encased in crystal, and the aftermath was everything was scorched but the woman. It left an empty feeling in her as she looked at the ground. She raised her hand up in a seal, but her hand shook again and lowered. This was it? This was all she could do. Nothing worked. Not a single thing. It was all useless. She shivered, she didn’t want to die but she wasn’t going to trust her over her sensei. She was petrified of this woman, she was an outright nightmare. Then it crossed her mind, her sensei would have come by now if she knew Aya was nowhere to be found. Mika was an expert, finding her student who should have simply run into the woods? That should be easy. Where…. was her sensei. What did this woman do? She didn’t did she? No… No.. No!

Aya was gritting her teeth as she shook her head denying everything that was running through her mind. She heard the woman talk but it all sounded so muffled at this point. Aya was too easily focusing on the fact that the third person she trusted was gone. ”.....Saiken I don’t care anymore. Blow my body to shred with power, just kill the bitch.

"Is that so?” Aya would hear Saiken’s voice echoing through her mind for a brief moment, before silence fell again. Through the strong emotions that Aya was experiencing, Saiken could feel it may be possible "Lets see how much you can entertain me.” Saiken would speak up again, before Aya would feel a surge of heat and power starting to go through her body.
Not a moment would pass, and the heat and power would start becoming overwhelming. Pain would now surge all around Aya’s body, as slowly, a faint reddish aura would begin to form around her body. Her skin would feel as though it is constantly burning, and the aura would make its way around her entire body, until it completely covered her - shattering the crystal around her left foot.

And all she would feel now, was rage.Then her gazed looked at Yumi and she pushed off the ground swinging her hand towards her with a growl as she clenched her teeth. Her vision looked hazy and red, her body was acting like it was splitting apart, but this woman was in a crystal clear picture to her. Her mind only had one thought on it and that was to break her neck.

The sudden flare of killing instinct as chakra made the masked woman stand still. It was a familiar feeling, one that brought a chill down her spine. Her right hand trembled slightly as she witnessed the rapid transformation of the red bijuu chakra starting to encase Aya. Before the masked woman was able to respond, Aya charged her with incredible speed - the collision enough to break through the sheet of crystal. The violence and shattering drowning the surprised gasp of the masked woman.
Smacked against the ground, the right hand was raised in what seemed to be an attempt to fend off the berserking Aya. But instead the woman seemed to explode in a violent burst - causing a large serpent of crystal to wrap around Aya and hold her in place.

”Ah, the ugly truth is out.” The woman’s voice resonated as the crystal serpent tightened its grip - almost as if it attempted to choke the life out of Aya. ”Too bad, I am too aware what a jinchuriki can do.” The woman would come into sight for a second, before a fist slammed against Aya’s face. A bit of pink dust seemed to fall from the woman’s knuckles as she launched several more punches.
”Oeh,” shaking her hands the masked woman cocked her head to the left, ”got more fight in you or?”

Her hand felt like it connected with some hard substance but the fact she hit made her grin widely. She went to slam her foot on the woman but instead her foot slammed into the ground when she changed into a crystal serpent wrapping around Aya. Aya went to free herself but it quickly squeezed down on her, causing her to cough which was followed by a shout of pain, as she looked around. Only for her head to recoil from being punched. Her eyes wavered as that was so not an ordinary punch. It had so much impact behind it. She looked up only to get hit left and right by more of those punches. That crystal clear image of the woman was now very hazy. She felt some blood in her mouth, and she tried to headbutt the woman but she was out of reach. So instead Aya spit her blood on her cloak. It was getting harder to breath and her head was aching. The bijuu chakra was agonizing, but she still kept her glare on the woman.

Closing her eyes as the blood spat at her mask, a sigh escaped the woman’s lips. ”This is a pity indeed. Surviving your clan’s massacre. Losing your current team,” the left hand of the woman reached out and grabbed Aya firmly by her hair. ”Don’t worry though,” the woman moved a bit closer, now her purple coloured eyes clear to Aya - a depth in which seemed to be void of emotions. ”Your suffering is just starting.”

Releasing the girl’s hair, the masked woman formed a seal with her right hand. Not a second later, pain would start to engulf Aya’s body as shards of crystal started to puncture through the cloak - originating from the crystal serpent that kept the enraged jinchuriki in place.
”Hm?” The masked woman turned her gaze to the right as something rumbled in the distance. ”Seems a tad too late now, doesn’t?” Turning her gaze back at the suffering jinchuriki, the masked woman tilted her head once more slightly. Almost as if she was waiting for a response from the suffering girl and her bijuu cloak.

The rumbling seemed to become louder with each second, at an incredible pace. Almost as if something had pissed off mother nature. In a split second, a huge volume of water slammed through the wooden house. Yet, the structure didn’t seem to halt the vortex of pure raging water that headed towards the masked woman and Aya.

"I give you power, and you let me feel this?” Saiken’s voice would echo through Aya’s mind, before she would begin feeling even more heat and power than before. Her skin would not just feel as though it's burning, it would begin to actually burn now, as the cloak around her would start to darken into a deeper reddish colour. Aya’s features would begin to vanish behind the redness, as the gaze of her eyes would look towards the masked woman. When the cloak finished shifting into this new, deeper red shade, Aya’s mouth would open, before acid would be spat towards the woman’s face. While the crystal was still very painful, Aya would also begin slobbering acid from her mouth, which would begin to reach the closest bit of crystal at the top and dissolve it.

The shattering of the building nearby caused the masked woman to throw a sideways glance before back at the trapped jinchuriki. The sight of the acid seemed to do nothing for the woman as she raised her right hand, snapping her fingers. As a result, the woman seemed to crumble into crystal dust, just before the violent force of water slammed into the area - easily shattering the crystal with its pressure and creating a crater into the ground.

The huge vortex of water started to drench the entire area - almost creating a makeshift lake with the amount of water. Then something seemed to dash through the water with the same speed as the vortex had raced into the scene. A sharp reflection would shine through as Mika slammed the berserking jinchuriki out of the water. Several cuts and bruises were visible on the jounin, indicating that her previous skirmish hadn’t gone all too well.

Narrowing her eyes, Mika would form the Rat sign. In a near instant, blue chakra seemed to radiate from the dark cloak that surrounded Aya. And in a quick pace started to move the black bijuu chakra into the body of the young girl. A heavy sigh escaped Mika as she balanced on the surface of the water.

Everything around her was black, she seemed to just be standing there looking around when in a quick jolt she was brought back and looking around as her skin had this lingering burn to it. She remembered being punctured but those wounds weren’t there anymore, but what was above her was her sensei which caused her to sniffle but smile as Aya would use her chakra to balance on the surface next to her.
”Sorry.” Was all Aya said as she felt much more safe than before as she looked around. ”So fight or flight?”

A smile escaped on Mika’s lips as Aya apologised. Still crouched on the water, Mika threw a look from where she had come from. It took a second before the jounin answered the question posed by her pupil. ”We won’t be able to get far. That and Taishiro is dying already,” Mika replied in turn, ”I tried to hold her off but she seemed to just hold my attention while she was going for you.” Mika further added as she straightened herself. Visibly, the woman flinched as she did so.
”We can try to keep her off. But just avoid close range if you can.”

Well so she expected he was dead or about to be anyway. Yet couldn’t run so they had to beat this person then. ”So shes not an ANBU then. Here I thought I was going to be a Missing Nin with you for a second.” Aya said with a slight smile as she recommended to not do close range. ”Well lost my sword in one of my plans so rest assured I will try to avoid her close range. Didn’t work that well when I tried.”

”She is something far worse than an ANBU,” Mika replied as she scanned the area in front of them. ”This is no time to show my bingo book. But I recognise her out of it. Let’s just say that if we can last for another five minutes, we are either lucky or more competent than we thought we were,” Mika said as she threw a sideways look at Aya. ”Don’t worry about your sword. If we make it out of this alive then we can go look for it. Just try to not let her get to you, okay?”

Something seemed to move through the water. A shade of darkness seemed to come into vision, only to split apart and form smaller forms that moved in a wide-spread formation. Only to race quicker towards the two Republican operatives. Once close, slender dragons of crystal moved out - their crystal jaws opening in an attempt to bite and drag their targets into the water.

Seeing the dark shadow move closer to them Aya mumbled shit under her breath before it split causing her to dart away as crystal jaws swallowed the spot she would have been in. ”So am I avoiding long range too cause I don’t have a plan for that!” Aya said as she kept her eyes on the water below her to dodge if needed

Moving away as well, avoiding the crystal creatures, Mika pulled out a kunai with an explosive tag. Throwing the weapon at one of the crystal dragons, she would then ignite it a second later - the small explosion repelling any further advancing that the crystal monsters might have attempted.
”Just,” Mika said as she tried to get an idea where their opponent was, ”be on guard!”

Seeing the two targets clearly, Yumi narrowed her eyes as she descended upon them from above. Clutching the hilt of the Oda’s sword, she would move downwards on Mika - the Akinian attempting to cleave the weapon into the Republican jounin. Having discarded the broken mask from her actual fight with Mika, she didn’t seem in a much better state than the jounin - various cuts and damages visible on her garb.

Detecting something, Mika pulled out a kunai and twisted her body. Holding the blade in between herself and the incoming slash of Yumi, Mika felt the pressure moving through her arm. Gritting her teeth, Mika would attempt to slide the weapon to force the sword aside.
”Screw it! Aya!”

Mika had just pulled out a kunai in time to turn and block the woman’s attack with Aya’s sword. Mika was struggling when she said screw it and called her name. What did screw it mean?! Close range she was in danger and long range risked hurting Mika. Aya thought to herself but also said screw it, and ran in as well weaving handseals as a clone appeared. The real Aya attempting to re-take her sword while the clone went for a tackle on the crystal operative.

Feeling the vibration moving through her arms, Yumi grunted. Hearing the shout of Mika, Yumi slightly twisted her head. With the two Ayas moving in, Yumi could think of only one action to take.
Taking her right hand off the sword’s hilt, she stretched it out - opening the palm of her hand quickly but in a cramped fashion. Suddenly, from the water spikes of crystal would shot up towards Aya and her clone.

Trying to push back Mika noticed that Aya tried to move in close. The situation wasn’t getting any better as their foe started to conjure sharp crystal spikes towards Aya. Releasing her weapon with her left hand, Mika reacted quickly; grabbing Yumi’s wrist. Attempting to pull her away, Mika slided the kunai in hope to deliver a quick strike.

Oh shit was the thought from Aya as she pushed herself off her clone to avoid the spikes, while her clone got punctured and poofed a second later. Mika however reacted to the situation change, and so should she. She pulled her own kunai out and pushed in towards Yumi. Thrusting the kunai towards Yumi’s chest, Aya slowly started having more hope, she herself couldn’t but maybe together itd be enough pressure to cause the woman to flee.

Narrowing her eyes Yumi felt her rage flaming up. Being pulled away the Akinian decided to move with the pull. Positioning herself so that Aya was now charging in between Mika and Yumi, the Crystal user stamped on the water with a foot. As a result, the surface trembled before it rapidly started to crystalize.

Trying to respond quickly, Mika released her grip on the enemy. In a fluid continuation, the jounin would skid backwards, her other arm wrapping around her genin to pull her away from their current foe.
Glancing at the water surface nearby Yumi turning into pure crystal, Mika felt they should come with a better plan. The problem was that they had no real counter against the woman’s crystal abilities.
Releasing Aya, Mika kept her attention on their foe. ”We are going to fall back,” the jounin instructed firmly.

Skidding in motion, she turned, kunai at the ready when the water started to crystalize. Aya gave a tired sigh as she nodded to Mika. But this woman was able to catch up the distance pretty quickly, yet staying in an area she was slowly making a crystal? Weaving a couple handseals she blew fire out of her mouth at the surface of the water about ten feet away. Causing Steam to spring up from the water with her technique evaporating some of the liquid but hindering Yumi’s sight of them. Aya then started to fall back following Mika to wherever away from this woman was.

Catching on what was said, Yumi’s eyes narrowed. ”I don’t think so,” the Akinian whispered as she weaved three distinct handsigns before slamming her foot against the crystalized material. Despite the steam cloud, the crystal would burst and suddenly be launched towards the last direction the two were at with high velocity.

Readying herself, Mika felt a twinge of pride as Aya created the near perfect distraction. Half turning, the jounin was ready to move out until she heard the distinct sound of crystal bursting and breaking. As her body was moving, Mika didn’t register the pain as the objects pierced her jacket and clothing. The warm steam obscured the sight for a moment but the pain radiating from various spots was enough for Mika to understand what had happened.
Standing now in between Aya and Yumi, Mika realised the irony of her deed. An odd sensation moved from her stomach to her throat. Only for blood to be thrown out.

She thought it was good, yet as she was running, the sound of something breaking was evident. As Aya turned her head though all she saw was Mika blocking her from what would have been several crystals piercing her. ”What no… why did you….” Aya said with a small whimper, Aya knew that Mika wanted her to run but Aya frowned and moved back to Mika. Taking a quick look at her wounds, her eyes widened. The steam still there. Aya would give a quick hug before darting through the steam.

Watching as the steam slowly started to vanish, Yumi felt an itch growing at her hands. It rapidly started to expand to her arms. A sensation that she hadn’t experienced for a good while. Breathing heavily, the Akinian watched as the two Kirigakure seemed to be standing - the jounin taking the hit.
”Hm,” frowning, Yumi decided to focus on the genin. But with her own chakra nearly exhausted, she only had her physical abilities to capture the jinchuriki. Inhaling soflty, Yumi took a step slowly with her right. Only to follow it up with her left foot moving forward. Flexing the fingers of her right hand, she already had an idea on how to knock the jinchuriki out cold.

It was exhausting to stay standing and ignore the pain. Trying not to look at where she had been hit, Mika kept her gaze focused on their opponent. color=royalblue]”Not the way I imagined,”[/color] was the thought that flashed through Mika’s head. Only to notice that Aya hugged her briefly, before moving towards Yumi.
Inhaling slowly, Mika’s hands moved towards each other - in a cramped and evidently painful fashion. Going through a short sequence of signs, Mika whistled hard - hoping to alert Aya as a few sharks started to take shape in the water, rushing alongside the genin.
color=royalblue]”Fuck,”[/color]
Slowly, Mika would collapse backwards.

As Aya ran forward, she heard Mika whistle causing Aya to turn her head to see Mika collapsing into the water. Aya would growl before taking a deep breath and letting her chakra go so she could sink into the water. Grabbing onto one of the Shark’s fins, it propelled her forward which she then let go when she got close, to send her out of the water towards Yumi, where Aya then took a swing with her right arm towards the crystal shinobi’s face.

Watching the genin coming at her, Yumi was more than eager to finish the fight and give the beating the jinchuriki was heading for. Noticing only as Aya moved into the water, the various shapes that raced towards her - Yumi debated to try to evade them. Trying to mould a bit of chakra, a sharp pain moved through Yumi’s body - a sharp reminder of her current exhaustion.
Raising her arms in front of her face, the Scholae braced herself for the impact of the first water shark. Barely able to keep herself standing, the second caused her to stumble. The sound of crystal cracking underneath the blunt trauma would be audible. As Aya swooped in, Yumi attempted to block the swing but felt instead a vibration ringing through her head - before she was violently slammed backwards into the water.

Her right hand throbbing after the hit as she panted heavily, she knew where the woman was. Reaching towards her pouch she then remembered… Her family. Aya cursed and ran back diving into the water, swimming towards the bottom she would see Mika sinking more. Grabbing the Jounin, Aya would swim back towards the surface, to make sure Mika didn’t drown. Pulling both of them up onto the surface of the water. Aya would look around before checking if Mika was breathing.

It took a second before motion came back with the woman. Coughing out water, her right hand seemed to reach forward but the motion betrayed the heavy exhaustion and pain. More water would be coughed out, followed only by a grunt as Mika’s hands went to the few shards of crystal.
”Oh fuck,” Mika grunted as her gaze went down. The shards had missed her vital organs but had bitten deep. Turning her gaze to Aya, Mika felt too exhausted and in too much pain to ask how the other was doing. Or what had happened to their enemy.

Aya simply gave a soft and exhausted smile as she led her sensei to a more safe location where there was less water and more cover for them. Setting her against a tree she would sit down as well and mumble softly. ”Think we're safe for now… She either ran or drowned. I’d offer bandages but they are really drenched.”

Ignoring the statement of Aya for a moment, Mika briefly wrapped a hand around one of the shards. Feeling a sharp pain as she tried to nudge it out, she reckoned that it would cause a lot more damage. And bleeding out wasn’t really ideal now.
”Good. We,” Mika produced as she closed her eyes, trying her best to remain awake despite the numbing pain, ”stay.”
Aware that her clone was on the way - with the sealed five tails, Mika wagered that their last assault wouldn’t likely kill such an opponent. But perhaps, they would now gain some time to recover and move away.

Nodding, Aya would grab the wet bandages in her pouch and squeeze the excess water out of them. She would then make a small flame in her right hand and hold the bandages near them so they would dry up. ”You aren’t allowed… The others are fine if they die. Yet not you. ” Aya mumbled softly, turning the bandages in her hand.

Watching her pupil attempt to prepare the bandages, Mika closed her eyes briefly. The words that rang through the air were registered but Mika didn’t have the energy to command Aya to focus just on her task. That and judging what they had survived together, she reckoned that it was earned - for this time.
Slowly, the woman’s lips curled up in a smile. A moment later, a laugh escaped Mika before the pain made her grunt. The irony of this situation was getting to her.
 
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[ Sevudia - Authority's Encampment: Medical Ward ]
[ Alsanna Shirafuji - The Shinsetsuna Ishi ]​

[ Alone on a Rainy Evening - Interest Piqued and New Angles ]



Alone In This Strange World​


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A little bit of rain blessed the Authority’s Sevudian campsite as the evening was approaching. Mud became abundant and mobility limited in certain un-paved areas. A rather ironic phenomenon given Alsanna emerged from the communal showers just as the drops started to befall her brethren. All that sweat from Nishi’s hardass drills could have been dealt with all the same with the rain than with the questionable quality of water that ran through the hygiene resources they had available. Although her precious boots would have no chance against the liquefied dirt nearby. The half-Sayyadian could only grimace in revulsion at the thought of trekking through this camp, and yet she fully intended on doing so.



Her reasons always remained vague, but she had made clear that her talents could be milked far more than they were right now. The medical ward was her target when the twilight came, barely visible through the cloudy skies, for she had an itch that needed scratching. No parasol or anything fancy, not even a scarf to add some class. Just a usual soldier’s attire with hair tied into a generic bun.



The medical tents were further away from the barracks she was relegated to. More mud to trudge through. But it was hopefully worth it. Once there, she could already notice that sanitary precautions were not the top priority. It made sense, after all, given this was war and makeshift hospitals were not exactly top notch in palliative care. Still, she snarled at the notion, going out of her way to at least scrub her footwear with whatever wipes and dampened towels she could find.



The next step was to blend in. Navigating the camp was simple with this outfit, but to get to work in the medical ward? A little bit of prison-acquired skulduggery had some scrubs and a mask in her possession after some brief snooping around. Very little left to identify her, and no VIP to justify any sort of advanced vetting. Good. Her eyes slanted slightly into a smile, as she commenced her little venture from large medical tent to the next.




Alsanna’s goal was not obvious, nor did it seem quite clear to herself either. She just seemed content with skimming through beds, checking the patient files one by one whilst giving a passive, indifferent glance to each victim it corresponded to. This went on for about a quarter of an hour until she smelled a specific odour in one of the more isolated and smaller tents. The stench was not only quite foul but laced with a strong number of substances that reeked of typical hospital care.



So this is where they keep the crisps. Huh.



She mumbled quietly to herself, a faint smile forming behind her mask. Without any reluctance, she opened the tent that supposedly housed the revolting smell. What she found was exactly what she expected. A burn victim. A woman with her eyes opened but fixating the ceiling, barely reacting to Alsanna’s presence. Burns covered what seemed to be about 60% of her body, including portions of her face. The burns on her core were so bad, one of her breasts was even removed. And yet the young physician did not seem perturbed. A ludicrous number of ointments and other medicines were applied to the horrifically painful wounds, which were likely what prevented infections from relieving this woman from this pitiful situation. The patient’s chart was consulted, and this time Alsanna explored the multiple papers while giving sporadic glances to the agonizing burn victim. She then peered over to the morphine, having yet to hit its limit, though it did not seem like the patient was given a means to regulate it. Shirafuji pursed her lips upon making that observation.



Good evening, Ms. Fujino Tensu.



Her tone was as conventional and proper as one would expect from a professional in the field, with a clear hint of sympathy combined with a soft gaze fully dedicated to the patient during the salutations. “I trust you are content with the treatments, yes? I’m sure my colleagues are doing all they can, for you.” her tone became more passive, lowering in strength as she shifted her gaze after her rhetorical query, directing it to the morphine. Without asking for any sort of consent or informing the patient, she turned the dosage to the absolute limit. Her eyes then turned to the Tensu’s, the same eyes that remained unresponsive until this very moment. The woman closed her eyes, showing no signs of burns on the eyelids, and then opened them to have her pupils shift about before slowly directing themselves toward the supposed doctor.



Alsanna’s bright smile under her mask could be deduced from her eyes’ shape. The patient then attempted to speak, only for nothing other than a barely audible wheeze to escape. Shirafuji rose had hand, and allowed her gloved index to set itself upon the unburnt lips. “Shhh. Your throat and lungs were exposed to great heat and considerable smoke inhalation. Don’t hurt yourself, love. Just blink or not for yes and no. We’ll figure it out.” her voice was normal, perhaps a bit playful now. Perhaps an attempt to ease tension? Her attention then went to a nearby locker, and there she would discover the few belongings of the patient. A few clothes, some tools, a deck of cards, and a ring with a photo of the patient with a civilian. Upon discovering the latter, the pseudo-doctor tilted her head in slight intrigue.



A stool was dragged over next to the hospital bed just so the girl in scrubs could have a more comfortable spot next to the patient. “Sixty percent of your body is burned, Ms. Tensu. Although, can I call you Fujino?” the question was answered with a blink and a very weak attempt at a nod. “Good, good. Fujino. Many of your muscles are also compromised, with a high chance your left leg is to be fully amputated. Are you afraid?” the question was left with a brief pause, pupils shifting downward, before she finally blinked.



In turn, Alsanna was left speechless for a moment, instead letting her eyes scrutinize the devastated body of the Konoichi. “I would be too. Chances of survival are low in these conditions. And … You’re all alone.” her tone was sombre, echoing the likely melancholy the agonizing patient was starting to feel, now that the pain was only slightly dulled. “No proud Nation to congratulate you. No comrade left to remind you of better times. The staff is overworked, barely noticing your painkiller intake. And of course.” the ring she had found was held by her index and thumb, risen for the patient to see. “No fiancé to lean onto in your time of need.



The woman just stared at the ring. A good minute of silence reigned and Alsanna merely watched with adamant eyes. Finally, from the edge of her eye a tear was allowed to flow through her burnt cheek followed by Fujino’s eyes sealing shut. Meanwhile, Alsanna carefully and methodically reached for the patient’s hand, and with as much care as she could, attempted to slide the ring. With all the disinfectants applied, the risk of contamination was none. “And with this loneliness comes fear. With what you’ve now become, will your lover accept you? Your family? Anyone?” the more Alsanna spoke, the more rapid the patient’s heart rate went. It did not seem to distract or alarm the dark-haired teenager. Not one bit.



A glove came off, and the naked hand rose to gently caress the portion of hair that was not cremated away. Very slow and careful strokes that Fujino would feel on her scalp. At first, she merely stared- no, GLARED toward Alsanna. But after the third stroke, her features relented. One tear drop became multiple, and the heart rate had surprisingly dropped back to normal. There was something at play here, a sort of ability applied via the physician’s bare touch. The oh so discreet Hex: Placebo. A means to adjust one’s mindset, and with that adjustment comes a physical reaction.



But I am here. I see you, and all your pains. And you are not alone in this forgotten hole.” she whispered, her visage approaching Fujino’s just a tad. The creeping dread, the mind-numbing agony, the hopelessness of her condition, it was all numbed by this peculiar ability. “And no matter what happens, you will persevere, for you’ve got something to fight for. Whether they accept you or not, you’ve devoted your life for them. If not for them, then for yourself, because that is all that truly matters, in the end.” and the more she spoke, the more the patient’s brain could dedicate its attention to cherished memories, to the hidden will within the Konoichi, so she could potentially see her loved ones again.



Noticing this change, Alsanna grinned under her mask. Her bare palm now gently setting itself upon Fujino’s cheek. This act of tenderness was not trivial nor mere affection. She was seeking something with that gesture. The burn victim could feel the lightest of sparks from this touch, nothing painful or bothersome, but it would be rather bizarre indeed. On Alsanna’s side, she was looking for something. A connection of sorts. A way to reach into the complex nervous system she had specialized herself in. “Show me your spirit, Fujino, your will …” she continued with her hushed tone. Attempting to feel what Fujino felt, to see what she was imagining, to taste the ash that remaining in her throat.



At the end of this strange interaction, Alsanna merely smiled. “Heh. Maybe one day, I’ll even fix ya’. Hmmm.” her demeanour was more relaxed as she retreated back, her hand now reaching for the card deck she had found. “This is a trick deck, yeah? Saw a few of those in prison, haha.” she asked while the equally relaxed Fujino blinked with slight amusement on her eyes. “Mind if I borrow it? I’ve spotted some turds with stuff I like.” she winked. In the midst of these pleasantries, the woman in agony had her crisped, red hand attempt to seize Alsanna’s. Chuckling, her bare hand was offered and kept at the patient’s disposal.



Alsanna remained until Fujino Tensu finally found the ability to sleep despite her agony. It would be a long, pleasant rest without any drugs involved beyond a higher morphine dose. Her body would also react more positively to treatments with less moments of absence, although the excruciating pain was still there, prompting near heart attacks.



A short female in scrubs continued to wander the medical ward for about half an hour, whistling a pleasant little tune from time to time.
 
[ Sevudia, Eastern Continent | Near an enemy outpost ]
[ 11th Imperial Brigade | Operation Bright Fire ]
[ A collab between @RoranHawkins , @Autumn Song , @RedFox and @Lesli ]
[ Operation Bright Fire involves various squads descending from the hidden encampment of the 11th Imperial Brigade, to take out a suspicious enemy outpost. A small unit involved is underneath the leadership of Aiko, who provides leadership to a squad of genin. However, what seems to be a simple mission turns out to become much more difficult with each passing minute. ]

[ Part 2 ]
[ Previous Post ]

Pulling the knife out, Hylli had to focus on her breath. Staring at the man she just had stabbed to death, Hylli couldn’t help but to feel a tad strange. Realizing that there were more enemies, Hylli quickly straightened her back and got up. Her eyes widened as she witnessed how an enemy seemingly struck Mamoru.
Tightening the grip on her knife, Hylli was about to move in but the enemy got swallowed by the earth. It took a second before Hylli remembered that Hideko could use earth release.
Turning to Mamoru, Hylli couldn’t see how bad it was due to the dark. Hearing Hideko hushing that she hadn’t heard what Aiko said, Hylli threw a venomous glare at Hideko.
”What do you mean?!” Hylli hissed as she gestured to Mamoru, ”This shit is real, why didn’t you ask if you didn’t know? By Valdars balls,” Hylli cursed as she knelt down on one knee. Her attention back at Mamoru.
”Hey, you okay? Mamoru?”

The young Senju almost bit off his own tongue, trying to suppress a scream that could potentially give away their position. His face, especially the struck area, was burning up with a sensation he never experienced before. It was pain beyond measure, a burning sensation accompanied by what felt like a head splitting pain. He fell back and only managed to prevent himself from falling by stabbing Oak into the ground and he leaned against it. The world started to spin around him, forcing him to fall on one knee. Blood was dripping from his face and mouth, from his bitten tongue. He heard commotion around himself, voices. They sounded distant, and he couldn't make any sort of distinction to whom they belonged. He fully accepted the fact that this is how his story ends. Emotions begun to overwhelm him.

He didn't want to die on a far away continent. Not like this. He wanted to see his family one more time. He wanted to see Meilin, to thank her. To meet Dagrùn, and Madoc, Aoi, hug them. Thank them, wish them the best. He was prepared to be struck down. He wanted to raise his arms, to defend himself. His body was not obeying him. There was a figure approaching.This is it, huh. I guess I'm not as stubborn as you think, dad, he thought to himself, his final thought going to his father.

Instead of being struck down, a voice, asking him if he was alright, got through. He raised his head and managed to focus in at Hylli, who was kneeling beside him. He turned his head away a bit, spitting out the blood in his mouth and wiped his lips into his sleeve, another burning sensation adding to the head splitting pain that was already present, as he pulled the skin on the right side of his face. He turned back to Hylli, attempting a smile. In combination with the blood pouring from the wound, it must have been a horrific sight. ”I - I'm, I'm fine, I think. It's only a s-scratch.” He struggled to speak, his wound cleanly a bit more than just a scratch. His left hand sheathed Ash into its sheath with a shaky hand. ”I c-could use a bandage. And some green t-tea. And a m-minute or two. Maybe more.” It was apparent Mamoru didn't realise the gravity of the situation, his mind clouded by the pain. His head was starting to spin again, together with a feeling of light-headedness from the blood loss he suffered. His mind was becoming hazy, incapable of forming any coherent thought, let alone words. He felt a warm sensation of a liquid on the right side of his collarbone, and realized he was still bleeding. He turned to look at Hylli again, with a dazed expression, hoping they could soon stop the bleeding.

Appearing seemingly out of nowhere was Aiko. The woman didn’t ask or say anything but moved to action. Gently pushing Hylli away, Aiko kneeled next to Mamoru. Producing some bandage from a pouch.
”Sit still, it might sting a bit,” Aiko friendly stated as she worked to bandage the wound, the bit of alcohol staining the material would give a light sting to Mamoru’s head.
”There, that should stop you from going dry. Try to keep yourself standing right and don’t fret over it. It was a minor wound. Nothing that will bear any worry later.” Aiko further stated, patting Mamoru’s shoulder. Rising from her previous stance, Aiko twisted her head to glance at Hideko and Hylli.
”Mistakes can be discussed later. Or punished. Right now, it is of paramount importance to make a vital decision. Whether you guys can continue this mission or not.”

As Lady Aiko appeared out of thin air, he had some trouble to maintain focus on her. He saw her moving her hands and thought he heard something about something stinging. A second later, a bandage soaked in alcohol was pressed against his face and the stinging, burning sensation made him regain his focus immediately. He kept looking forward, and he was glad he did not have to face Lady Cho. He felt the bandage tighten and soak with his blood, but it managed to stop the bleeding. Mamoru focused on the burning sensation and it kept him up and running, as he called it. As he felt a hand pat his shoulder, he slowly raised his head and looked at his comrades. He could see blurs coming back into focus, as they all stood over him. He heard the question asked about continuing the mission. He reached for the hilt of Oak and used it to hoist himself up, than using the blade as a support. He was not sure whether Lady Aiko asked him as well, but he was the first to reply. His voice, a bit shaking, his breathing heavy.”I just need another minute or two, Lady Cho. People are counting on us. We cannot let them down.”

The appearance of Lady Cho calmed Hylli slightly. She threw a worried look at Mamoru when Aiko posed the question if they could continue or not. The Senju seemed to possess the will to still fight on and finish the mission. But where they?
Throwing a glance at the fresh dead, Hylli couldn’t ignore the questions that now gnawed at the edge of her mind. Were they ready for this? Didn’t they need more training? More forces with them?
With the dark casting a shadow over her features, Hylli felt grateful that nobody could just easily read the fears that radiated briefly from her face. Turning towards Aiko, Hylli firmly nodded.
”To the bitter end,” the Hyuzu stated with a clear voice. Yet, as she did so, her left hand trembled heavily and Hylli had to form a fist to prevent herself from losing control.
Hideko gritted her teeth at ‘mistakes’. That’ll probably be me, she thought. She threw a look at Hylli, but that wasn’t answered. Mamoru seemed to be doing ‘fine’, and that was confirmed by Aiko-sensei, so she backed away until he had recovered. She feared it would become a scar when it had healed, but that was something for another time, or so she attempted convincing herself. Perhaps it was best to let him do the recovering part by himself. She’d apologize later, or something, glad that the shadows hid her blush right now. Right now, there was a mission to continue.

”I’m good.” She said away from Mamoru, and scanned the horizon. There wasn’t much to see other than shades of black and white, but at least it brought her away from the action.

There wasn’t an immediate response from Aiko as she simply listened and watched the three genin. They could consider themselves as unique individuals but Aiko only saw the near textbook genin team in front of; willing to prove themselves but held back by their inexperiences. Softly sighing, she would consider the options that were now available without possibly endangering the mission. There were some more patrols while the main unit had already breached the enemy outpost. Turning to the genin, Aiko’s lips parted.

”Good, listen up then. You guys---”

Aiko’s eyes widened suddenly as a sharp sound was followed by her gasping, as if she needed air. The dark made it hard to see but as Aiko collapsed on a knee and her hands shot to her throat, it would become clear that the sharp sound had been an arrow that had found its mark. Before Aiko could utter another word, she just collapsed on the ground - deforming into a pool of water as various more projectiles started to soar through the air. So far, all of the first volley seemingly narrowingly missing the genin by a mere inch as in the distant strange voices shouted in a foreign tongue.

Frowning, Hylli didn’t understand what was going at first. Had something captured Lady Cho’s attention? Then when the arrow became visible, Hylli’s face became as pale as a ghost. Looking around them, the first volley of arrows caused her to duck and remain low. Now they were in some real shit. Without someone of Lady Cho’s calibre to save their hides.
”Hideko, can you block those arrows?” Hylli decided to speak up. There was little of a point to act as if they enemy didn’t know their location anyways. Meanwhile, the Hyuzu attempted to come up with a counter-plan. But Mamoru was wounded and what could she and Hideko do?
”Fuck, fuck, fuck,” went through Hylli’s mind as she tried to avoid being skewered by the arrows that continued to fly and puncture them like angry wasps.
Did she really see that? Nah, it must’ve been a part of her overly active imagination now Mamoru was wounded and that occupied a large part of her mind right now. She tried to not lose control over herself and- … What?

An arrow landed just in front of her. It skidded away, the ground too hard or too shallow to penetrate, until it disappeared into the darkness. That wasn’t normal. She looked at Aiko, only to see her collapse in a puddle of water. That definitely wasn’t normal. The first thing she did was to panickally look around for someone with higher command. Narutally, she didn’t see anyone. Aiko was the only person who knew what to do. She continued to balance over the edge of losing her composure until Hylli called out her name. ”Uh, yeah!”

Ofcourse, she couldn’t see anything in the darkness surrounding her, and that was making things way more difficult. In her head the resounding words of her previous sensei resounded. ”When you can’t see the enemy, make it so they can’t see you.” Huh, maybe her previous sensei wasn’t such a tool after all. She formed a couple of handsigns and suddenly, the ground seemed to swallow them up. Or rather, they were lowered, removing them, for a moment, as targets.

Mamoru nodded at Hylli’s words.To the bitter end, that has a nice ring to it, he thought for himself. Before Lady Aiko could instruct them, she - or rather her clone, as it turned out, dissolved into a puddle of water. A split second later, they came under fire from a hail of projectiles with various degrees of accuracy. None seemed to find their marks yet and Hylli was the first to react and made Hideko spring into action. The threat, together with his face frowning made his pain spike up again, flooding his system with another dose of adrenaline. As he realized Hideko was lowering them into the ground, to a potential deathtrap, he decided to take a separate course of action. He created a regular Clone and sent it towards the approaching enemy, while he leapt as high as he could.

He landed on a high enough branch to have the high ground and leaned his back against the trunk. He sheathed Oak back into its sheath and reached for his tool pouch. He took out both his explosive tags and a pair of kunai. Quickly wrapping the tags around the tools, he than reached for a few shuriken and held them in his hand as he pushed his back against the trunk.This will either get me killed, or I'll survive and Lady Aiko kills me, he thought to himself. This would be a bold, incredibly risky move without his current condition. Taking a deep breath, he climbed as high as he could on the trunk and did his best to pinpoint the encroaching enemy as closely as he could, his two explosive kunai at the ready.

The volley of projectiles halted for a moment. The indistinct chatter, likely the enemies, seemed to turn silent. Only for one sound to probably send chills down the spine of the genin. Barking by some creatures, but much heavier and louder than ordinary hounds. The voices returned, slowly closing in on their position - sounding much more exciting as they did so.
From his spot, Mamoru would likely spot the half a dozen torches lit and coming their direction. A mixture of brutes without a proper uniform being led by two men in straw hats and distinct red cloaks.

Peeking from one of the highest spot he could climb to currently, Mamoru saw the sight he never wanted to see. Several torches were visible, illuminating their bearers as something that resembled an army without an uniform, led by two figures that caused his stomach to churn and twist. A second later, the most monstrous bark he ever heard filled his ears - chills shot down his spine and he had to put away his ranged tools for a moment, lest his shaky hands drop them.”Hylli! Hideko! Red Cloaks! You can't stay there!” He knew he risked giving away his position, but his teammates had to get out of there.

His words were followed by more barking, and it grew closer with each second. An idea popped up in his mind. He bit his thumb and performed the Summoning Technique, Tenko appearing in a puff of smoke in front of him. He quickly reached out with both hands, holding the fox that let out a low whine under his nose, rubbing it.”Shh, it's okay, it's okay, buddy. Sorry to call you in at this situation, I need you to try and get those things off our tail. Can you do it?” The fox turned its head and straightened its ears, locking eyes with Mamoru for a second.”You can do it, buddy. The second they get too close, I want you to leave. Every second you buy us will count. Go!” With a twitch of its ears and a pressing its nuzzle into the genin’s hands, the fox made its way down to ground level and Mamoru once again took out his ranged tools. He leaned out and observed the way the torches move. He tried to hurl his two kunai in the path he predicted they will take, not waiting for confirmation of hitting anything as he changed position to another tree.

Red Cloaks? Here? She looked over the edge of the inverted dome, and saw that a ring of fires was indeed approaching. ”Fuck!” She said in general, overviewing their options of escape. Running for it really was their only option. ”Just run back to camp!” She opened up the side where they had initially come from, and dashed away, hoping to escape the Red Cloaks for long enough that someone would come to their aid.

The whole situation seemed to just progress from bad to worse. Listening in, Hylli already was working on a plan but then Mamoru decided to move away. Without a real way to communicate, due to the dark and other circumstances. Rubbing her nose bridge, Hylli was sure that she could adjust her plan to perhaps allow them all to run away.
Only then Hideko just started to run without any kind of plan. Not to mention; did she forget that the enemy wasn’t even aware of their camp and that it should remain as such?
”Dear gods, what have I done to deserve this?” Hylli mumbled in her native tongue, wondering what she should do now. It was clear that things were going south but at this rate, it would become way worse.

Ditching her plan to use smoke bombs to disorient their hounds and provide them some means of escape or opening, Hylli remained in the inverted dome. Attaching some material to kunai rapidly, Hylli felt her heart pounding as she mentally cursed her team members. The sounds of the possible enemies closing was anything but comforting.
Inhaling deeply, Hylli would peek over the edge before she would throw several knives in direction towards the enemy.
”Come on now, just one chance,” Hylli thought to herself as she climbed out of the vault and grabbed more knives for the next barrage.

The silence of the night was already disturbed by the presence of the patrol of Rongese troops, with their beast-like hounds. As some of Hylli’s knives hit their mark, the disturbance would become only more audible - with something ringing so loud that most in the vicinity started to gain a headache. The headache rapidly would develop to become worse, causing some of the men to draw their weapons and in confusion swing it around - their speech indicating that they were disturbed something clearly.
This effect would spread to even Mamoru as he moved to another place - the ring of something followed by a splitting headache. Worse was that the Senju would start to see multiple images of the confused enemies, creating a truly weird sight.

Aiming the next volley of knives, Hylli threw them in a more controlled fashion. The Bell Ring genjutsu would only last for so long with the first volley, after all. It sure helped that she wasn’t suffering the crippling effects, allowing her to throw the knives at vital areas of a few soldiers.
Waiting for the knives to hit their mark, Hylli would crouch and perform the release sign to detonate the various explosive tags attached to the knives. Hopefully, the explosions as shrapnel would provide enough to lay waste to several enemies at once.
Mamoru took a mental of the approximate location of the kunai - slightly to his left by now. He wanted to draw at least one of the Red Cloaks towards them, but at the same time to stay close to the shelter to provide cover from above. To his surprise and disappointment, Hideko seemed to turn tail and run away.So it's just me and a person that loathes me, this will work well, he thought to himself as his hands reached for his pouch, taking out several more shurikens, ten in total, to the six he already held. He hurled them at the general direction of the closest Red Cloaks, He sent all of the shuriken flying and heard a fox barking in the distance- Tenko trying to get the attention of the hounds, with not much to show for his effort so far. He landed on a trunk and went for one, back towards Hylli - who was holding her ground so far.

He was mid leap when his head exploded with a headache that made his previous wound feel like a minor scratch. He groaned out, gritting his teeth, his body jerking. Further adding to the confusion were the several images of his enemies swinging their weapons around each other like madman. Instead of softly landing on the branch, his stomach slammed against it and he barely managed to keep himself up, the head splitting pain clouding everything. He spit out some more blood - he probably bit his tongue when he slammed against the tree. Gathering all of his strength, he pulled himself up and rested his back against it, waiting for both his headache and its cause to lessen a bit.

She kept running, until she realised that she was the only person running. Wait what? She thought. Huhn? She looked backwards, where she saw omnipresent lights moving, but no real figures. Heck, even Hylli had disappeared. Mamoru told her to run after he’d discovered that they were Red Cloaks, didn’t he? Urgh! Of fucking course did he make a stand against them. To, I don’t know, prove that he was worthy or some shit? Even Hylli has fallen for it, and now she was the only one running. Really, some kind of A-class team that she was made a part of. She couldn’t even see the figures that were trying to catch up to them, it’d all come down to a close-quarters match when you suddenly ran into each other. She hated that. She spent a while waiting for her team members to return from the battle, but they didn’t.

If they survived they would laugh at her. They would call her the ‘first to retreat’. She knew very well how that went. Heck, she’d even participated in some. She really did not want that. But she also didn’t want to die. Fuck. My. Life. She thought, on the verge on panic.

They weren’t coming back. ”Fuck fuck FUCK!” She said, hoping that by saying this, all would be better. It didn’t. Well, that was proven, she thought, and ran back into the fight.
 
[ Daigo | Dominion of Lightning ]
[ Imperial Akinian Pavilion | Kiyomi Homura I and Yumi Hasewaga ]
[ A short collab between @Lesli and @Aliceee ]
[ Yumi debriefs with the Empress and informs her of what she has learned from her time in Kirigakure. Surprised by some of the news, Kiyomi then instructs Yumi to take some rest, while already considering what to arrange next. ]


As she watched the Chuunin exam continuing from the specially reserved pavilion, Kiyomi's expression didn't showcase her irritation. It wasn't that she was annoyed that none of the Akinian genin had won a match. All of the matches were ending in crushing defeats. An embarrassing showcase of skill, indeed. Worse was that it looked terrible on her without her being able to rectify it. Lightning jumped around the Empress, her right hand briefly cracking loudly in the air. Once she would return back in Akino, measures would be taken to drastically improve the conditions of the Academy. Such a big display of incompetence was unworthy of being displayed in front of rival nations.
Remembering that Áki was also a genin made her want to twist her head slightly to say something to Katashi, who stood at her flank.
However, before Kiyomi could say something to her trusted guard and companion, there was a faint knocking on the door. One of the Sworn Sword present at the door opened it, allowing a figure with a hood to walk inside.
Kiyomi's eyebrows slightly raised as she waited.

"Your Majesty," Yumi began, kneeling and bowing her head towards Kiyomi. "I have returned." Through her eyelashes, Yumi peered at the Empress.
Kiyomi made a gesture to stop before she nodded to another Sworn Sword present. The respective royal guard seemed to prepare something, only conjuring a barrier around the Empress, Katashi, Yumi and themselves.
"Please, Yumi, rise. We can freely talk now," Kiyomi said, focusing her attention back on the Scholae.

"Yes, your Majesty," rising and straightening her back, Yumi wondered about the barrier. But it wasn't the place or the time to wonder about it. "I have done my tasks in Kirigakure. It seemed that the new leadership has quite some struggle. They barely could contain the Crystal Blight, which is in fact nothing more but a crystal technique. I have been able to study it and have figured out ways to combat it if it ever shows up in the Empire." Yumi started, "I have also managed to interrogate and assassinate a Swordsman of the Mist. Thus being able to locate a possible jinchuriki. Despite my precaution, I wasn't able to take or kill both jinchuriki. They were guarded by Mika Hayashi, your Majesty."

Kiyomi frowned, this time seemingly confused as Yumi spoke of a certain Hayashi. "The person who led the Revolution and brought down Rika Suzu? Intriguing, I thought that our sources stated that she was dead? Are you absolutely certain that it was the very same?" Kiyomi asked, her mind already processing what it could mean if the Hayashi was alive.

"Yes, your Majesty," Yumi said, nodding subtly. "Her prowess in Water release and stealth proved that. I had a hard time to capture either of the jinchuriki she was apparently mentoring. As per your orders, I switched my goal to kill when unable to capture. I managed to kill one but the other one got away. I deeply regret fai--"

"No, I have failed you, Yumi," Kiyomi stated firmly, her expression showing genuine regret. "I should have provided more aid for this task. Clearly, I have been stupid and didn't think what could happen. I am most grateful that you're back in one piece. The fact you only murdered one jinchuriki and obtained information on one of our rivals, is more than enough to applaud you. Have you eaten or drunken anything yet?"

Slightly taken back, Yumi flashed a small smile as she bowed her head briefly and lightly. "Your Majesty honours me greatly with her concern. I am fine. I have managed to find some inn where I could eat and drink before finding my way to you, your Majesty," Yumi replied. She then proceeded to remove the sheathed sword from her weapon belt.
"I have something that belongs to the surviving jinchuriki of the Authority? I believe they have changed their name and ditched the Republic? Anyhow, I did some research and it seems that this belongs to one of the two only surviving members of the Oda Clan. Aya Oda."

Leaning forward, Kiyomi observed the details of the sheath, hilt and guard of the blade. Her sharp eyes could catch already some details but the katana wasn't much to her liking. Then again, she already had an idea. "Very good. With this information, we can act upon it and perhaps use it to our advantage. Knowing is half the battle, after all," Kiyomi grinned as she leaned back in her seat. "Have you also managed to uncover what beast is sealed in her or the other?"

Lowering the scabbard, Yumi shook her head briefly. "No, your Majesty, I only uncovered later that I was dealing with the jinchuriki of the Six Tails. When enraged and close to berserking, I noticed that the Oda was drooling something that seemed to resemble acid. But before I could really bring the beast out and exhaust it, the Hayashi intervened. Even managing to seal the beast back, which only further confirms my belief that I was dealing with the one and the same from the Revolution."

"Ah, what a fight it probably was. Much more exciting than watching these damn idiots," frustrated, Kiyomi gestured to the still ongoing match. "I wish that I could show how it is done properly, instead of the shit show they are giving me and others. So far, we haven't managed to land a single win. It is a shame, a damn shame," Kiyomi said as she briefly glanced at the match. "Anyhow, I want you to rest out. I already have a new task for you. But first, you need to take some time for yourself. And this time, I will ensure that you have some Sworn Swords with you."

Curious about what Kiyomi had in mind, Yumi would bow her head and slowly take her leave. "As you desire, Your Majesty," Yumi replied before she walked backwards a few steps, only to gracefully turn around and take her leave. She wasn't interested in the Chuunin exams. But the fact she was given some time to rest and take it easy was something she didn't mind in the slightest.

Nodding as Yumi left, Kiyomi made a subtle gesture - the Sworn Sword. that was holding up the barrier that protected their conversation, to release their technique. Watching the chuunin match come to an end, Kiyomi spoke up to Katashi.
"My dear Katashi, arrange a suitable squad of your operatives. I think it is time to make sure that the Dragon Lady of the North starts to take her affairs seriously." Kiyomi said, her tone soft but a threat clearly implied.

The Sworn Sword captain-commander nodded as he watched how the match ended. "Of course, your Majesty," the man replied calmly. "I will arrange veterans that," he spoke but Kiyomi shook her head lightly.
"Yumi is capable to give nearly everyone hell. You said that a new batch of rookies came in? Deploy some veterans and some rookies. I want to make sure that your rookies don't disappoint me as much as these miserable genin," Kiyomi said, her eyes narrowing in disgust.
 
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[ Kirigakure | Capital of the Jirou Authority ]
[ Training Fields | Team Mika ]
[ A collab between @Oblivion666 , @luelle , @BlueFlameNikku and @Aliceee ]
[ Returned to Kirigakure, Mika decides to arrange and mentor a meet and training sessions. Kayleen and Aya, however, are no strangers to each other. But as the training continues, a new challenger joins the training and the team. ]

~ Part 1 ~

The arrival of both Kayleen and Aya made Mika just respond with a subtle nod. She observed how both genin approached the field but made no remarks on it. When Kayleen spoke, some of Mika’s suspicions briefly surfaced - deciding, however, not to respond to it, Mika listened further. Waiting patiently as Kayleen introduced Kazua, Mika wondered why the Akechi girl had a turtle with her. In truth, Mika wasn’t fully aware of all the Akechi traditions and manners, seeing that their clans did not engage that much with each other. Not to mention she had barely worked with the Akechi clan. Deciding to speak up, Mika’s tone was quite formal.
”You both are familiar with each other? Good, that means we can spend less time on introductions,” the jounin calmly stated, ”I will kick it off further. Mika Hayashi, I have been a jounin for a while and my affinity is water chakra. I suppose that I am familiar with seals, stealth and close quarter fighting.”
Pausing for a moment, Mika wondered about something. Only to then gesture that one of the genin could take over and introduce themselves better.

Kayleen watched as her new Sensei gave only a nod in recognition to them. Straight to business… I like her already. The sooner we start, the faster I can improve my technique. She thought, keeping her composure in the face of a ghost from the past. Whom of which being Aya. The last person she expected to see at the start of her fresh new beginning. She supposed it was poetic, given her goal to bring Kiro Oda to justice. However, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was her father or an ally of his in the higher-up who requested it to be this way… for them to team together... or was it really by mere chance? Regardless, she couldn’t be sure if she was for or against the notion of being teammates with someone who’d remind her of painful memories… nor would she want to be a haunting reminder for Aya if that be the case.

The team leader’s gaze over Kayleen’s shoulder, reeled her back into her present awareness. Noticing the floundering of her turtle against her shoulder blades, the tops of Kayleen’s cheeks briefly warmed red. Her eyes formed upside down smiles upon her explanation, “This is Kazua. My shield from flankers. Oh, and also my trusty confidant.” She silently giggled, glancing back at the purple turtle. In response, Kazua’s beak slowly fell agape into a jagged smile. Maybe it’s too soon for jokes… For a moment, Kayleen began to second guess herself. Thankfully, her newly assigned superior would give her something to work with. Kayleen cleared her throat to get serious upon listening.

“Somewhat…” Kayleen commented with a polite glance to Aya, when the sensei asked if they knew each other... careful not to uncover any sympathetic undertones in her voice. She then gave a nod in understanding of the formal introductions. When the team leader revealed her name, Kayleen dissolved back into her mind. A Hayashi? Kayleen’s first thought went to the Hayashi clan’s Oath of Silence. Zero tolerance for double-crossers. But most notably to Kayleen, An unforgetting avenger... Her eyes lowering at the thought of her older brother who now tortured himself for the sake of vengeance, amplified by her father’s grievance. Unallowing herself to be overtaken by emotions upon her first impression, Kayleen quickly lifted her eyes just in time to notice the gesture given to them for introductions.

Wasting no time, she would start them off. "Kayleen Akechi, here. Daughter of clan leader Mitsuhide. I too have a water affinity." A shimmering smile returning to her face upon acknowledging their commonality. "Summon implementation is my main focus. It is the Akechi way to prioritize the mastery of a single skill before moving on to another, to ensure its effectiveness." She explained, giving a finishing nod to cue Aya.

Kayleen? That was certainly a face she hadn’t seen in a long time. She had some mixed emotions about this, she was Chie’s best friend but at the same time Aya still didn’t trust new team members. Simply giving a nod to her, Aya would listen to the introduction which felt like the sixth time she’s heard this start. Then when it came time for Kayleen Aya kept quiet and simply watched and listened. Summoning was new for the team that was for sure, although she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about a turtle strapped to one's back.
Then it came time for Aya to introduce herself, which felt like a chore at this point. Something she had to do every time someone new joined. Letting out a small sigh she would clear her throat before speaking.
”My name is Aya Oda, I have an affinity for Fire. Decent ninjutsu and better Kenjutsu. Yet at the moment…. that’s a touchy subject.” Aya said, referencing the fact she had no sword on her. She made it short but got to the point of what she could do.

There was little to nothing that Mika learned from Kayleen’s introduction. But that was something she had expected already; the profile had given more than enough for Mika to know what the girl was specialised in. Subtly, Mika kept an eye on Aya - trying to gauge how the girl was responding. But there wasn’t much beside Aya touching upon the fact that she had lost her sword.
Crossing her arms out front of her chest, Mika decided to not say anything regarding that. It was in her belief that the loss of a weapon could be replaced. Either in making it up with skill or actual material.
”Good. More can be exchanged later when it is the right time and moment. For now, we aren’t assigned to any task or missions. Today, we will just be focusing on the general skills.”

Pausing, Mika would gesture to them to stand where they were. Raising her right index finger upwards, she continued. ”This is a simple test. I will conjure a projection of a target. First? You will use a tool only to try it from a distance. Second time? You will attempt to use a technique. Good?”
Not giving much room for questions, Mika would weave the distinct signs that were required to conjure an illusion clone. The clone itself took a shape of what seemed an ordinary soldier, staring straight at the genin. Pointing at the illusion, Mika spoke again.
”Don’t worry, you guys can’t dispel or harm it. It is intangible,” she said, waving a hand through to emphasise her point, ”just remember. First a tool and then what kind of technique you would use to take out a soldier. Who wants to go first?”

Right off the bat, Aya appeared to be the reserved type to Kayleen due to her lack of verbal response. Maybe Aya was silent because Kayleen actually was a trauma trigger for her? For that matter, she certainly hid her emotions better than even herself. Or maybe she was simply just shy. That, or she was uncomfy with the idea of a new person in general. As Kayleen had been introducing herself, she was lowkey studying Aya from her peripheral nonchalantly. From what she picked up on, Aya made no response in regards to Kazua and bore an unsure expression. Maybe she doesn’t like turtles…

Overall, it seemed as though Kayleen had some work to do to show her new team that she could hang. When Aya presented herself, it seemed to be done begrudgingly. When she finished, she revealed that kenjutsu was a touchy subject for her presently. I wonder what she means… thought Kayleen, noticing that Aya didn’t appear to be carrying any significant weaponry. Perhaps she shattered her favorite blade or something during an assignment. She supposed it would remain a mystery to her for now. After introductions, the team leader addressed them once more. No mission. I figured as much with the dictator away.

Kayleen gave a nod of her own, listening carefully to the team leader’s instructions.The test seemed easy enough. They were to hit a projected target by the means specified. Flashing before them, now stood an unidentifiable soldier conjured up by the sensei’s hand formations. She watched her designated sensei wave her hand through the soldier like a ghost. She then proceeded to ask them who would go first, but this time Kayleen would hang back. She’d allow Aya the opportunity to take the lead. She quietly cleared her throat, glancing in the direction of Aya. Let’s see what you have going for you… Kayleen thought, patiently waiting.

No mission? Was this because they simply had none or was Mika worried after last time that what happened might happen again? Yet she had something planned for right now though, a training exercise. Hitting a target with a tool, then a jutsu. Simple enough anyway. Her jutsu’s weren’t made for assassination attempts, more so for fights with people. Yet if this was for an exercise then she was sure Mika knew this. When Mika asked who would like to go, Aya normally saw her teammates going first but this time silence. Aya would turn her head to see Kayleen waiting for Aya to go first, which Aya shrugged at but would step forward so she was out of close range of Mika and Kayleen.

Reaching into her pouch she took out a kunai and did a simple throw at the illusion clone. The blade went through the clone’s torso and stuck in the ground a bit further away. She then weaved the signs needed and took a deep breath in and exhaled a widespread amount of flames that engulfed the clone. Heatwaves in the surrounding spot indicated the change in temperature, but the clone remained untouched. Aya having finished her part would take a step back then motion for Kayleen to go next.

Kayleen carefully observed Aya’s demonstration. She began with a clean shot of a kunai, and immediately proceeded to swarm the projection with a breath of flames. Even from their safe distance, Kayleen still felt the heat of the dispersed fire against the bareness of her cheek. [color=9ce7ef] Impressive. [/color] As soon as she began, Aya was already done signaling for Kayleen to take center stage.

Sucking in a silent breath, Kayleen stepped forward and unsheathed one of her sai daggers straight away. Akechi's signature Dragon Steel, openly on display. With an underhand thrust and flick of her wrist, she flung the single sai straight for the target, passing it through the neck. Straight after, she lifted her right hand into a closed fist and firmly set her left hand flat on top. The fog enveloping them, suddenly wisping inwardly towards her.

There obviously weren’t any bodies of water on the field, but it was lightly sprinkling with plenty of fog… at least plenty enough for a suitable jutsu. Kayleen jumped back, reaching a hand behind her waist to retrieve her retracted harpoon. Thrusting it outward, the spear extended to its full length. Amassing around the point of the spear, formed a stream of water that began to spiral down the shaft of the harpoon causing the low hanging fog around the field to dissipate.

Whirling the water entangled weapon above her head, she reared back to launch it head on toward the projection. The rear of the spear detached from the front, sending a cord stretching onward with the pointed end. The barbed spearhead of the harpoon shot through the chest of the soldier to crushingly pierce the surface of the field. The jet of water with it, proceeding to rip up the grass before scattering away. With one forceful tug from the end of the cord wrapped around her wrist, Kayleen snatched back in the front half of the harpoon which normally would hook forward a physical foe. The head of the harpoon instead hurled back to retract to its complete form. Shrinking it down, Kayleen returned the disengaged weapon horizontally to her lower back. She then eased back in line to stand with Aya for further instruction, but not before recovering her dagger a few yards away from where her harpoon had made impact.

Patiently, Mika waited and observed how the two genin responded to the instruction. Neither of them seemed to provoke Mika’s ire or disappointment. Clicking her tongue in satisfaction, the illusion of the ordinary soldier slowly vanished away.
”Very good. Now let’s conclude the warming up with a more tense practice.”
Forming a distinct sign, the fog seemed to return but only rapidly becoming thicker. Soon enough the distance between the genin and Mika prevented them from sighting the jounin.
”Opponents will often try to neutralise a sense or ability, in order to gain the upper hand. You two need to figure out together on how to counter my mist technique, without leaving yourself open.”

The odd thing seemed that Mika’s voice was suddenly closer than before, as if the woman was standing behind them - giving the instruction calmly over their shoulders. What made things more difficult was that the fog seemed to grow thicker with each passing second - already making it difficult for the genin to see each other.

Aya watched as Kayleen performed and she wasn’t super flashy which was nice, she had a unique combat style going on but so far no real complaints. With both back in line Mika would bump up the difficulty. That was when the fog rolled in and started to grow thicker and thicker. The objective this time was to counter the mist technique without being wide open. Talk about a difficulty increase. Mika’s voice over her shoulder didn’t make the pressure any more gentle either. Aya already moved and placed her back against Kayleen. Aya didn’t look at her but kept her eyes alert

”Keep silent, and only alert when anything is incoming.” Aya whispered to her. She knew this technique hindered their vision, yet at the same time it hindered the one using it as well. So the less sound they made the better, Aya simply nudged Kayleen with her elbow to indicate her to move and she would follow with her back to hers.

It's already been a couple of days since Sugi’s return to Kirigakure from the Honey Country. Earlier today he’d received a message detailing his reassignment. He didn’t bother trying to understand what concofiny those brain dead higher ups were doing. Chucking it up to be some convoluted power move against Neime or something akin to it. Her and Sana would still be present in the back of his mind even as he made his way to the training fields. Since he’d been told his new team leader would be there today. [color=ed3d3d] Another Hayashi...[/color] Sugi mentally sighed. He wondered if this Mika was anything like Neime.

The genin ended up arriving rather late to the training grounds on account of his usual routine of helping out his various neighbors with morning duties. To his dismay the training field was covered in a thick blanket of mist, at least more so than usual. It was eerily silent but it didn’t take long for Sugi to put things together that some exercise was clearly going on. Instead of yelling out like a fool the genin decided to act a bit more tactfully. Just in case this Hayashi may have no qualms about chewing him out like Neime would.

Sugi quietly slipped into the mist himself and positioned himself behind a tree. Weaving the signs for the hidden in mist technique, Sugi breathed in sharply. He pinpointed on the chakra used to thicken the mist and proceeded to use his own technique to thin it. Much of the mists' thickness would funnel into the genin’s mouth and disappear.

With the mists reduced to a more manageable level, Sugi stepped out from behind the tree; info scroll in hand. ”Excuse me. I’m looking for a Mika Hayashi?” He looked blankly at the now two quite visible kunochi standing back to back.

Kayleen listened carefully to the sensei’s next set of instructions. She gave a nod of affirmation, witnessing the air around them becoming hazy once again. This time, it was much hazier. Team Leader Mika disappearing into the fog. Her voice became like an intimate whisper behind Kayleen’s ear which made her spine lightly tingle. The fog closed in on her and Aya, making even her teammate fuzzy. Kayleen remained calm and drew in a silent breath, but it was interrupted by the unexpected pressure now against her upper back.

Quickly peering over her shoulder, Kayleen could barely see the outline of Aya’s dark hair. She held back a sigh of relief, listening next to Aya's low spoken suggestion. When given the nudge, Kayleen began to shuffle away from their original location. She kept their backs touching in order to guide Aya along the way. Before she could take another step, the lingering fog all around suddenly began to... lighten up? What… Kayleen instinctively ducked down into a crouch, in case it was a tactic of surprise. Their location was jeopardised.

Giving her a spook, Kayleen instantly snatched off both of her sai daggers and spun around to hurl them straight for a random figure stepping from behind a nearby tree. The first would pin the bystander’s scroll to the tree, and the second would hopefully be blocked. Kayleen just gave a few squeaky blinks at the newcomer followed by a puzzled expression. He was asking about their new sensei with a non-threatening tone. Kayleen could feel her face beginning to flush. “Sorry about that… Who are you?” She spoke up, offering him an uneasy smile.

The first dagger pierced right into the outheld scroll, getting pinned to the nearby tree. The stranger's eyes widened in surprise as the second dagger came in and punctured through the person's throat, pinning them to the same tree simultaneously. A small squirt of fresh liquid spilling out from the entry wound. The new arrival pinned there in place with his head down, eerily silent in the thinned mist.

Walking back to back all seemed well even in the dense fog, until it suddenly became lighter. Where a new figure was then standing asking about Mika. Of course Aya was puzzled, yet Kayleen seemed more startled than confused as her reaction stated as much. There was nothing Aya could do before the two sai’s punctured the scroll and the boy’s throat.
”Well he's dead now, keep focus Kayleen. Mika would have stopped this if this wasn’t part of the test.” Aya said to the blue haired woman as she kept her eye still on alert scanning around them.

Kayleen choked out a verbal gasp realizing that her daggers were successfully executed… and then finding herself goggling in disbelief at the young man who was now pinned by the neck to the tree by her dagger. He showed no sign of poofing away initially which made her stomach sink. Vibrant blood spilling from his throat. “I uhh- Did I just-”

Struggling to get the words out, her focus was now escaping her. “R-r-right… It must be a part of our practice…” Kayleen said to Aya in a broken whisper, unconvincingly to herself. Her heart seeming to have stopped, while her head became as fuzzy as the mist around them. Kazua sank into his shell, sensing his ride about to crumble.

The impaled stranger continued to stand there limb for another moment or so until the entire form dissolved, splashing onto the ground as a puddle of red tinted water. The real Sugi was still standing patiently behind the same tree, a wicked look in his eyes. He’d sent out a water clone with the mist he’d gathered and mixed in a little red paint that he had.

Sugi thought to himself in silence. Those two, they were nothing like Sana or Neime… and they were to be his teammates? They weren’t deployed anywhere so why were they so quick to dismiss a would be casualty? Could it be a punishment for being late from the team leader or maybe they thought this is a part of their training. The worst case scenario made Sugi’s blood boil. What if it was on purpose? These two have already addressed each other in a way that supports that theory.

Whatever the reason Sugi was less than pleased and decided to not take this slight lying down. With a coldness in his gaze Sugi weaved the signs for the hidden mist technique once more and returned its thickness to the surrounding area. Afterwards, he retrieved a kunai with an attached bomb tag and threw it towards the ground at the last position he saw them. Before it landed and likely exploded he stealthy advanced to flank the blue haired genin, a second kunai at the ready. He’d continue to track them based on their banter back and forth if they kept talking.

Perched on a thick branch, Mika was observing the situation. The fact that the genin moved close to each other was a good start. Getting separated would only allow the enemy to abuse the mist disadvantage even further. Upon the mist becoming thinner, Mika frowned as she straightened her back. Her mood had plummeted as she figured at first it had to be some outsider intervening in their training.
When she sighted a boy holding a scroll, requesting for her, it clicked near immediately for Mika. A new addition already? That was fine, Mika thought to herself as she was about to interrupt the training.

But instead of dropping down from her spot, the jounin would become surprised by the following sequence of events. Kayleen’s reaction earned silent approval from Mika as the accuracy of the throws were excellent. Observing the result, there was something not entirely right with the new kid being impaled. Narrowing her eyes, the jounin wondered what was going to follow.
”Huh,” Mika mumbled, ”maybe I have been training her a bit too hard,” she told herself as Aya thought that it was a trick to throw them off. The Oda genin wasn’t far from wrong. Such a distraction would have been excellent if it hadn’t devolved into a puddle of red tinted water.
”Ah, old trick but nice execution,” Mika mumbled to herself further as the mist became thicker again. Detecting something moving through the mist with a certain whistle, Mika figured that it was best to step in now.

Sugi’s kunai would soar through the air towards its mark. But halfway it would suddenly be intercepted by a kunai from Mika. The mist itself started to flow away rapidly, revealing the two genin for Sugi again.
”I would give you a 7 out of 10,” Mika’s voice resonated behind Sugi. The woman looked with a calm expression at Sugi with no sign of hostility or aggression. ”If you had time that mist better, you could have made a better score. But, I suppose that was kind of decent, for a genin.”
Following her words, Mika gestured Sugi to the other two genin. ”I suppose it is best if we now do a short introduction then? Unless you want to have another chance? Hopefully, this time without aiming to wound, hm?”

The red haired genin stopped dead in his tracks as the woman’s voice sounded off behind him. Seemed like this Hayashi did bother to step in after all. The young man breathed out a sigh while putting his ninja tools away, regaining his composure. ”If that was a seven then your standards are way more lax than Neime’s were.” Sugi spat out as he rested his arms behind his head and looked back at her, wanting to see if something like that would get under the woman’s skin.

He’d turn back to the other two, his cold expression fairly unchanged as he gave the stereotypical intro spiel he was supposed to give. ”The names Sugi, Sugi Masageru; and I’ve been assigned to this team. I have an affinity for water style techniques and I specialize in genjutsu and utilizing strategies.” Unlike his former teammates whom the genin had respect for, these three were strangers much as he was to them of course. Needless to say, first impressions of burning buildings went smoother than the trainwreck that just occurred.

Aya kept her composure and sure enough the boy pinned to a tree with a red liquid pouring out would dissolve into a puddle of water. Prompting Aya to nudge Kayleen silently to show that she didn’t have any need to worry anymore. Then the mist thickened once more which probably meant Mika was attempting another thing. Granted it was weird to use a random guy as someone to cause distress. Maybe an innocent casualty? Nudging Kayleen slightly again to move, they wouldn’t need to as the mist would vanish altogether. This time Mika and the boy are visible. Only Mika was rating him on something, then followed it up with another question.

This time without aiming to wound? Aya looked around and spotted a kunai with a tag on it. Her stare fixated on it before returning to the boy as he introduced himself. Water release much like Kayleen, Genjutsu, and utilizing strategies. The last one he said made Aya chuckle. She would give his strategies so far a three out of ten. Yet Aya then simply folded her arms as she looked at him. She remained silent on this, she had already introduced herself and she didn’t plan on doing it again for a hot head who would most likely end up dead.

Thanks to Aya’s nudge, Kayleen was presented with a miracle. “O good…” Kayleen nearly sank into a puddle of relief at the sight of the collapsing water clone. Under normal circumstances, she might be concerned with why the water was red, but she knew a real body wouldn’t just melt away like that and frankly... all that mattered was that she didn’t actually commit murder against an innocent. [color=#9cef7ef] What’s with you, Kayleen?... [/color] The chain of events which transpired weren’t all that unusual in the day in the life of a ninja. Was the stress from worrying over her family’s grief finally getting to her?

Distracted by her thoughts, Kayleen didn’t even notice the fog’s thickness returning. An additional nudge from Aya, bringing her back to the outside world. She stepped to move just as the sound of a metallic ping pierced the silence. Unbeknownst to her, it was a life save by Mika from a soaring, explosive kunai. The fog around them instantly dropped from the air and she and Aya stood face to face with the ‘would be casualty’ and their team leader. The two of them exchanging rating opinions. The red head’s delivery of his presumably provoking.

Kayleen caught notice of Aya staring at a tagged kunai upon the ground, not too far from them. So that’s what I heard, but... why didn’t it detonate? Kayleen wondered as she continued to quietly listen to their exchange. She wondered if it might be defective or was just a fake to scare them. Either way, the new guy clearly wasn’t happy with her knee jerk reaction. To make matters worse, he was now standing there introducing himself as a new member of the team. Awk...ward… Her cheeks pinkening. His introduction was followed up with a chuckle from Aya.

“Ahrrmmm…” That was Kayleen’s cue to say absolutely anything. “Hi, Sugi... What an impression I’ve made! I assure you I normally am not so... reckless.” Kayleen gave herself a massive facepalm on the inside. “Sorry again… I truly am glad you’re alright.” She could only hope he’d hear the sincerity in her voice. Just when she thought the first day was going to be like a cool summer breeze, the breeze abruptly sped into an angry, thrashing tornado.
 
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[ Sevudia, Eastern Continent | Near an enemy outpost ]
[ 11th Imperial Brigade | Operation Bright Fire ]
[ A collab between @RoranHawkins , @Autumn Song , @RedFox and @Lesli ]
[ Operation Bright Fire involves various squads descending from the hidden encampment of the 11th Imperial Brigade, to take out a suspicious enemy outpost. A small unit involved is underneath the leadership of Aiko, who provides leadership to a squad of genin. However, what seems to be a simple mission turns out to become much more difficult with each passing minute. ]

[ Part 3]
[ Previous Post ]

Loud explosions rang through the night. The flashes of the violent occurrence rocked the world briefly. Dust and small pieces of debris were flung high into the air before screams of wounded pierced through. As the dust settled slowly, it became clear that half of the patrol was wounded - to the point that a few were laying in a puddle of their blood.
The motion of the wounded were odd but it was clear that they couldn’t fight back in their current state - except clearly begging for aid or an end to their agonizing pain.

The ringing that caused the headache also seemed to be gone - effectively ridding Mamoru of his mysterious and sudden headache.
A sudden snap of a branch would perhaps Hylli and Mamoru as a red cloaked figure moved from the flank. Armed with a set of hooked blades, the Red Cloak made an attempt to slash Hylli at her right - a trace of blue chakra tracing his weapons.

Watching the explosions shred the patrol apart, Hylli released a sigh out of relief. Still crouched, she leaned slightly forwards. Hopefully, they could now regroup properly and discuss what to do next.
Turning her head, Hylli heard the snap of a branch. Her eyes widened as she quickly turned her body towards the sound. Spotting a red cloaked figure coming at her, Hylli drew a knife in each hand and attempted to parry.
Pain shot through her arm as she felt the edge of the enemy’s blade graze her skin. It was a hot sensation that was most unpleasant. Jumping backwards, Hylli eyed the new opponent. The distinct red cloak and straw hat seemed so out of place. Noticing the blades cloaked in chakra, Hylli took a defensive stance.
”I am fucked,” She thought to herself, trying to come up with a plan to get away from this foe.

As suddenly as it appeared, the headache was gone. He allowed himself a second to catch his breath and stood up, his head still ringing a bit - but at least he could think now. His ears were filled with several explosions. He pushed the thought about Tenko being caught in them and looked over the area this skirmish was taking place in. He thought he saw torches gathering above the area where his explosive tag wrapped kunai were. He wanted to explode them but had too little information about their surroundings, and he really didn't want to blow up his teammates.

Noticing that Hideko was still nowhere to be seen, something else caught his attention. Hylli was engaged in close quarters combat with one of the Red Cloaks. Gritting his teeth as he stood up, he leaped from a nearby branch, maneuvering himself behind the back of the Red Cloaks and hopefully into Hylli’s field of vision. Unsheathing Oak, he leaped from the branch, blade above his head - hoping Hylli saw him, and that the Cloaks would be in the correct position.

A large explosion occurred just when she entered the fray as if to say ‘tadaa! She was here. Still, it was painfully loud, and the moment she heard the screaming of men, clearly in pain, she winced. That could be her. Paying no mind to her thoughts, or so she hoped, she sped along the battlefield towards the pit she had dug initially. After retracing her steps, she found it! She looked around and saw a figure she knew. Hylli! She thought, and went towards her. She was about to call out her name, when she noticed the Red Cloak she was fighting against. Oh shit… She thought, and began making handseals to perform an Earth release Rock Armour on both of her hands. Hopefully he couldn’t see her nor hear her, for she, as always, mentioned the name of her technique out loud before doing it. Once complete, she charged in with all the fury that a reckless teenager that was also afraid of death could muster.

The Red Cloaked enemy seemed to tilt his head, his body language betraying even in the dark that the figure was about to start his assault. The blue chakra surrounding the blades started to hiss audibly. Suddenly the Red Cloak started to spin as crescents of chakra soared towards the approaching Mamoru and Hideko.
Finishing his spin, the figure would end the motion with a downwards slash - unleashing another but bigger crescent of chakra towards Hylli.

Mentally cursing as the Red Cloaks literally spun into action, Mamoru braced for the coming attack. He poured his chakra into his blade and a thin coat surrounded the blade, the best he could do in such a short span of time. By the time he launched his arc of chakra, the one launched by the Red Cloak was travelling toward him. The two arcs collided and the one Mamoru launched was easily overwhelmed by the opposing one. He managed to grit his teeth before the impact. His armour protected his torso, legs and arms from most of the damage, but it still made him feel a dull sensation of pain.
Her rock armour was only complete on one of her fists when the first attack came in. Her previous sensei had been right after all. In the real world most attacks came in long before she had a response ready. Well, unfortunately for her she didn’t have time to think about what she was doing. She tried blocking it with her newfound rock-armoured hand, and then went on the counter attack with what remained of that jutsu. ”Just. Die?”” She said in a confusing mix of desperation and wishful thinking.

For a split second it seemed that the tables had turned; the Red Cloak was outnumbered and Hylli gained an inkling of hope that they could prevail without any sort of loss. But their opponent’s reaction already drove them all into the defense.
Even seeing the attack coming, Hylli took a second before she made the evasive maneuver - taking a dodge roll to the side.
Swiftly moving to her feet, she tried to conjure a plan on how they could perhaps deal with their current threat.

Not hesitating, the Red Cloak brought his weapons up again as a quick glance seemed sufficient for him that his attack had forced the three genin back into a defense. Softly, a chuckle could be detected as the figure spoke in the unknown language - utterly alien for the three genin.
Once more did the Red Cloak proceed to spin, unleashing another wave of chakra at the genin. However, instead of halting its spinning, the hooked blades would link together as the Red Cloak lashed out again. Instead of just an arc of chakra being send flying towards the genin, they now had to duck or move away as the extended hookblade would attempt to slice through them - the mixed sound of soaring steel and hissing chakra producing a terrible song.
Now it was her turn to strike, or so she hoped. The Red Cloak seemed to move at a pace that was too fast for a normal human. She would’ve found that incredible if she had the time to think about it. He swung his swords together in one motion and was suddenly doing the same motion again, but with double the reach. She didn’t have enough time to dodge, as she just was too close. Nor did the thought of dodging ever appear in her mind. She acted purely on instinct, whether that be good or bad. Charging forwards, she brought her hand up for the second time that day in an attempt to block the energy-waves made by both swords. For the second time she managed to do just that. Only this time, there was a catch. For a second the situation was clear to her. Then the pain began. Overpowering waves of pain forced her to her knees, and Hideko, for the first time in her life, thought she was going to die.

Frustrated, Hylli wanted to go on the offensive. Tightening the grip on her knives, she had trouble to hold herself back as she observed her opponent. Once more, the Red Cloak swirled and threw sharp arcs of chakra at them.
Only this time, Hylli would lower herself to avoid getting hit. Yet as she rose up, the Hyuzu pushed herself forwards. Shifting the knife in her right hand, her aim was to prevent the Red Cloak from continuing into another spin.
”Oh fuck,” went through Hylli’s mind. She was already too late to halt herself as the scene in front of her unfolded. Hideko catching the enemy’s and with her motion downwards brought the blades of the opponent down. It was uncertain how badly Hideko was wounded by her attempt or how deep the blade of the enemy had bitten into her ally.
Pressing on, Hylli simply aimed to slam the point of her knife into the man’s neck - wanting to use her weight and motion to drive the man backwards, hopefully digging her weapon deeper.
”Mamoru!,” Hylli yelled as she started to also swing her second hand in a jab, hoping that if her attacks didn’t mortally wound their foe that Mamoru could perhaps attack from the back.

The feeling of sand being flung at his face at high left him with a rather unpleasant feeling. Quickly regaining his bearing, he noticed that he had another threat to solve. A hookblade attempting to slice him in two was now aimed at him. Mamoru instinctively swung down with Oak and managed to deflect the blade. The silver lining in this was that the Red Cloak was pinned in place. Thanks to Hylli’s and Hideko’s efforts, and partially his way of attacking, he was still motionless - and now partially exposed. As he was landing, he brought Oak in a single handed swing, aimed to slice at the Red Cloak from his legs through his back.

Blood flowed violently from the deep gash caused by Mamoru’s weapon. A loud grunt escaped the Red Cloak, whose facial features betrayed his frustration and fear of dying - his eyes widening as the sudden pain from Mamoru’s attack caused him to weaken. As a result, Hylli’s jabs weren’t being held back, the steel knife effortlessly slicing through the clothing and flesh. Despite still attempting to throw a defence against the stab in the neck, the pain proved too much for the Red Cloak.
As soon as the genin were done with their attacks, the Red Cloak sank to his knees. His lips parted but a wheeze only escaped before he fell forward, gurgling sounds escaping him before he became silent and motionless.

Adrenaline pulsed through her veins, and as she saw the Red Coal going down, she felt that through their newfound connection. She tried seeing clearly, but there was something in her eye, and then when she instinctively tried to wipe that away she gasped for breath, as her hand was still wounded and attached. She wiped away the tears with her left hand and now she could see. The handguard of the second sword has penetrated her hand almost entirely! Heck, it was through her hand! She tried moving her hand, and another wave of pain hit her. Hideko decided that it was best to not move her struck hand, and use her left hand to support the right. Finally, she looked up at Hylli and Mamoru, tears still on her cheeks, as if she realised that they were also here for the first time.

”My hand is cut.” She said bleakly.

Mamoru stood over the downed Red Cloak, his hands visibly shaking. His mind was tearing itself apart at the parting wheeze of their now deceased enemy. He gave a brief look to Hylli, then turned to Hideko. Tears present on her face, Mamoru was shocked again. Nodding back at Hylli, he turned back to Hideko. He wanted to say something, something comforting, something calming - he was at a complete loss of words.Another one! Another Red Cloak! His mind was screaming this out loud he raised his hand, suppressing the shaking in his hands. He tried to give her at least a brief, reassuring smile. His face burned up with pain, momentarily forgot about his own injury.”Hideko. - you. Sorry. ” That's all he managed to get out of himself. His mind screamed at him again and taking a deep breath, he forced himself to speak again.”There's another one. Another Red Cloak. He won't be far.”

Staring at the dying Red Cloak, Hylli wasn’t sure what she felt. Accomplished? Content? Confused? Glancing at the bloodied knives and gloves Hylli then realised that was the first taste of real combat. Her attention then went back to the current situation. Turning to Hideko and her wounds, Hylli would quickly kneel next to the wounded girl.
”Just keep your hands like that, for now,” Hylli instructed Hideko, her own voice a bit shaken, ”don’t move your hands. We will fix you and it will be fine in no time,” Hylli further stated, though she doubted if that would happen. Then Mamoru stated that there was another Red Cloak, which made Hylli throw a glance at the Senju.
”Stay on the lookout. I will try to address Hideko’s wound. Perhaps we got lucky and they ran. Else we can try to dress this wound and try to fall back.” Hylli said as she grabbed the bandage from a pouch.
”Okay, we will do this careful and slow, okay?” Hylli spoke further to Hideko. ”Just focus on me, Hideko. You did great, without you, I would have been split in fucking two. Just focus on me, yeah?”

A sound would likely cause the hairs of the genin to raise near instantly. A low rumbling sound resonated closely with such intensity that it seemed as if the Gods themselves decided to send something terrible forth to end the genin’s suffering.
From the darkness, a large shadow started to move forwards. A pair of eyes, yellow in iris, seemed to observe the genin. The coat of smooth orange and black stripes made it clear what the beast was. However, the prowling tiger was much more massive than any ordinary one. Its upper lip moved, revealing a glimpse of sharp teeth - all meant for ripping flesh asunder.
If any of the genin had the guts or suicidal intent to face the larger creature, the second growl would keep them in place. The seconds that passed by seemed to come to a halt as the beast moved closer - despite the heavy weight and large size, it made barely any sound with its motions.

Out of nowhere, an arrow soared past the genin - narrowingly missing the cheek of Mamoru. The strangest event then seemed to take place as the arrow would seemingly hit an invisible wall. A soft grunt could be detected before the feline charged forwards, ignoring the genin, assaulting a Red Cloak that slowly would become visible. Cries of agony and pain would mix together with the large feline mauling the revealed opponent.

As the carnage would take place, a person would step out of the foliage. Pale blue eyes observed the three genin which seemed to be apathy. Only to glance back at the tiger ripping pieces of the screaming man. Raising a hand, the unknown figure seemed to signal something. Causing more figures to silently come forward out of the foliage. Despite their gear looking heavy and ornate, the figures approached the genin without producing much sounds.
One of the figures would briefly raise their gloved hands as they approached the genin closer. A whisper escaped the cloth that covered the lower part of their face.

“We are friends, no worries.”

The voice spoke Taika but it had a distinct accent to it. The armoured figure then knelt next to Hideko as their eyes seemed to turn red, a distinct pattern visible.
“Just hold still, we will get you in order.” The whisper now made it clear that it was a feminine voice as the woman started to apply a treatment with such confidence that betrayed experience and knowledge.
Other figures that had arrived would briefly scan the battleground between the three genin and the Rongese patrol. The figure that had appeared first would start an exchange with another, their whispers too soft for the genin to hear. But as soon as that exchange was done, one of the figures would whistle softly.
The one that was treating Hideko would briefly glance at Hylli and Mamoru before back at Hideko.
“You guys are coming with us. No worries, we will escort you back to camp. Just stay with us and things will be fine.” The woman explained as she focused most of her attention on Hideko.

As none of the genin seemed to struggle against the group’s guidance, they would be led through the darkness. It was unsure how far they had to walk before they came to a clearing. More figures in the same gear seemed to wait with a good number of horses. The genin would be guided towards the clearing and the other party. There a few of them would mount the horses as others helped the genin to sit with them on the animals.
Though now on horseback and surrounded, the woman of before spoke again with a friendly tone to the genin.
“We will be going at a slow pace. Don’t worry, you three will be fine and enjoy a campfire soon.”
Just as the woman finished her sentence, a soft whistle rang and the small company moved through the night - back to camp.

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The ride back to camp had gone rather fast. The familiar sounds of the war camp, the sight of the soldiers and shinobi that belonged to the 11th Imperial Brigade filled their sight again. None barred the way of the unknown riders and genin as they continued to head to the medic tents.
There the genin would be inspected and treated by a team of various medics. The treatment would go by painless and without any incident following. As the medics left, the canvas was held open by a figure.
”Ah, you guys,” the woman of before with the distinct red eyes gazed upon the genin. This time her features were visible with the dim light, showing that she couldn’t be older than thirty years old. Slowly the odd pupils in her eyes swirled and seemed to phase back to normal.
”Ï brought you guys some food as to answer possible questions,” the armoured woman said as she placed down a tray with bread and what seemed to be a mix of cheese and salted, cold meat.
Taking a step back, the woman gestured to the plate as she then took a seat upon a stool.
”Not very often do we see genin taking down a Red Cloak.” The woman said, the compliment likely just to spark more of an exchange between her and the genin.

How are we alive?

The young Senju kept asking this question in his mind over and over again. He still felt a slight tremble in his fingers as he thought back about the pair of yellow eyes.And that roar, he thought with a shiver running down his spine. He was, without any doubt on his mind, certain that if it weren't for them to be allied units, he would have been dead by now. Or mutilated, captured, perhaps further tortured for Intel on their positions. He forced the thought out of his mind as he was treated, the pain he experienced from the moment the blade struck his face finally being soothed and his mind eased. He was not sure whether he will have a memorabilia from this mission or not, but decided not to ask. As they were approached by another armored figure who brought them something to eat, Mamoru realised that he was almost literally starving, but waited - he found it inappropriate to eat in such a situation. And he was too shy to be the first to grab a bite. As their host sat down and gave them a remark about taking down a Red Cloak, he uneasily squirmed and looked at his teammates. They were all visibly exhausted, but visibly more comfortable - at least heb thought so.

”We - we did it together. I - I'm not sure whether either of us could do it alone. I know I probably couldn't. Hylli and Hideko were - they were amazing. I - I.” He looked at his comrades and nodded his head.”I couldn't ask for finer company on this mission. Thank you.” The last two words were barely audible and he gave a brief smile to their armored host, than looked at the ground.

Hylli remained silent. Grateful for the rescue, she couldn’t help but to look at her hands. The sensation of blood of another person was unreal. And now that she was out of fighting for her life and the adrenaline rush was over, her mind came to the realisation of what they had done.
The arrival of the woman who had been friendly to them when they were out in the dark snapped Hylli briefly of her ponderings.Mamoru was the first to respond. It was all fine to Hylli. Half his words didn’t register. The ponderings of before came back to haunt Hylli’s mind for another brief moment.
”Yeah, thanks, you guys saved us.” Hylli managed to bring out, an apologetic smile flowing on her lips. ”Thanks,” she said as she viewed the food. But her stomach already resisted by the sight of it.
It’d taken a while for Hideko to stop panicking, and unfortunately, it had only gotten worse from there. The moment they ‘released’ the hooked sword from her hand was another point she’d rather forget, but once it was over, and properly bandaged, it was somehow better. She accompanied the group on the long trek back, and was, perhaps due to her bandage slipping, or just her consciousness slipping, not that much there. Being wounded was quite funny, she had decided in hindsight, if it wasn’t for the pain. Oh, man, the pain was not worth it.

But there was the camp and she was led towards a medic’s tent. She formerly had decided that the medic’s tents were scary, but now, she saw their uses. Not everyone died in the hospital. Only some of them did, which made her feel a bit better about seeing a medical nin work on her wounded hand. Oh boy that feels weird! But, now that her mind was almost functioning correctly, so did the confusion she’d felt back from when she was reapproaching the fight appear. She turned into herself for a moment while the medical nin wrapped up his tools, telling her to be careful next time.

When the medics left, they were left alone for a second, before that lady who had rescued them joined them, preventing her from offering her apologies to the team. Nevertheless, the lady with the red eyes had food with her, and suddenly she realised that she was dying for a snack. Or two. She thanked the Gods above and below, and dove into the food. Especially the cheese, uncommon in her hometown, was met with great surprise to the genin. Now if she’d also hidden some fruit juice, then her craving for food a meal would be over as soon as it started.

”Oh.” She remarked as she was gobbling the food. She swallowed first, and then took a moment to take a breath. ”Yeah. Definitely. We would be gone without you.” Hideko said, until a question appeared in her mind.

”Oh, actually. Who are you?”
 
[ Daigo | Dominion of the Lightning ]
[ A Summit between the North, Akino and the Jirian Authority | Written by @Nim , @Aliceee and @Oetje ]
[ As the Chuunin exams in Daigo come to an end, the partaking rulers are invited to a last summit. Instead of the Daimyo, it is his most trusted and powerful advisor: Lord Mareo Hojo. The exchange seems to go in a positive direction, despite the obvious distrusts and wariness. ]

As one would anticipate, the halls were fully decorated in a lavish style. One that tried to provoke awe and showcase a rich history of art and creativity. Servants and guards walked the long halls in a serious, slow and silent fashion. For decades, the castle hadn’t seen such important and prestigious visitors as foreign leaders being invited for a summit.
Within a large room, a circular table was set for the three leaders of the joint-war effort. The furniture couldn’t be finer, with imported silk cushions crafted to provide a near unmatched comfort. Servants were still preparing dishes and appetizers, making sure that nothing in terms of beverages or delights were missing in case the foreign rulers required them.

But instead of the newly crowned Daimyo seated upon one of the chairs, it was Lord Hojo himself. Mareo took a sip and enjoyed the luxuries. He didn’t mind if the other two participants would take longer. The luxuries and comfort were more than enough to keep him happy.

Entering the halls, Jirou took a look around. It was, in his taste, overly decorated and perhaps a bit too luxurious. A lot of money spent on this place could've gone to a lot of other purposes. Following a servant to the room where the meeting would take place, Jirou knew it was a risk to have entered alone to a foreign place such as this, but he still remained certain that in this case, it was likely the right move. Even if the existing relations, outside of the joint effort, were far from being friendly, he believed there wouldn’t be a reason for them to try anything deadly at the current time. If they did, it would serve as a declaration of war against whomever they performed said action, or so Jirou believed.

The door was opened to him, and Jirou stepped into a room that looked very much like the halls that preceded it. Over luxurious to his own taste. As he observed the room around him, he noticed several servants, all seemingly waiting to be given instructions. Turning his gaze to the table, Jirou approached and sat down in one of the free chairs, before offering a respectable nod to the man that sat in the chair across from him. Jirou was far from approving of anyone, but he could still show a bit of manners towards the host.

At several points, Kiyomi stopped. With a curious look she would take in the art and various decorations that were on display. The whole implication and effect of it hadn’t gone lost on her but she could appreciate the effort. As such, she now and then would ask questions to the servants regarding paintings and artifacts that were on display. That and it was mildly fun to make a sudden stop, forcing Katashi to halt as well. Dressed for the matter, Kiyomi was most pleased with the half cloak that matched well with the rest of her garb. She was, at first, a tad worried that her attire seemed a bit too military inspired or too cultural to her origins. Then again, the comfort of wearing pants and boots were enough to not make her worry all too much about it.
As such, she continued on her slow pace towards the meeting area. Her hands folded in front of her stomach, Kiyomi already had questions and ponderings on the other participants. And if anything, she wished that she could rely on Hisoka or Zakito’s advice. But, Katashi had so far not failed her either - so she was quick to dismiss her previous wants.

As the door was opened for them, Kiyomi flashed a small smile before she entered. Her gaze fell on the two older men that had taken a seat in their respective chairs. Most interesting was that the presence of the Lightning Daimyo was missing.
"Gentlemen," Kiyomi said, her tone friendly but yet something playful to it as she neared her seat. Placing herself on it, she didn’t seem to hide that she was impressed by the comfort and quality. Nodding approvingly, Kiyomi leaned forward as she placed her elbows on the table while resting her head on her folded hands. The green eyes of the Empress shifted her gaze to the supposed leader of the Jirou Authority, the dictator himself. Almost as playful as her tone before, an eyebrow rose slightly but no words parted from Kiyomi’s lips.

Mareo took a sip of his drink as the dictator of the Authority arrived first. The respectable nod was answered with a friendly smile but nothing more as Mareo waited for him to sit down. Servants already moved forward with plates to offer the dictator a wide variety of delights and drinks. Mareo seemed far from bothered that it took the Empress and her bodyguard longer from arriving. Much as he had done with Jirou, Mareo would simply return the greeting with a smile.
As the servants offered the Empress the same choices of delights and drinks, the advisor of the Lightning daimyo waited patiently. Taking yet another sip of his drink, he would place the delicate glass on the table before he spoke up.
"Allow me to welcome you both, dictator of the Authority," Mareo began, the friendly tone present, "and Empress of Akino. I humbly state that I am the Lord’s advisor and top confidante. Sadly due to the stress and anxiety, the Lord of the North was in need to recover from the current exchanges and festivities. As such, you can account that I will speak on his behalf."

Leaning slightly back, Mareo took a second to observe both rulers. It was amusing that they were rivals of each other and also appear so vastly different on a lot of aspects. "This summit was organised in order to, hopefully, bring our people closer together. We are already cooperating and fighting together. And I believe it is in the best interest of our people to continue this. For none would profit from another Great War, don’t you agree?"

It took the Empress longer to arrive, and she ended up arriving with a bodyguard from how it seemed. The raised eyebrow would receive no response from Jirou, who proceeded to listen to Mareo who had begun speaking. The information that this was the Lightning Daimyo’s advisor did cause him to raise an eyebrow for a moment. He pondered for a moment, before Mareo continued speaking, explaining his reasoning for arranging this summit. So he was hoping to make them have better relations even after this.

"Having been through the Great War myself, I can say that I definitely do not wish for another to occur. However, we are currently working together due to having a common enemy. The animosity my people have towards the Akinians is still there. We can certainly begin discussing such matters, but to actually put it into action? That will take much, much work." Jirou turned to look at Kiyomi "And I do not see us becoming friendly. Even neutral towards one another would be hard."
Jirou shifted his gaze back to Mareo "But should you have any ideas, I am willing to listen."

Kiyomi took a few delights and seemed to also share some with Katashi. The Scylding shook his head as he focused on the meeting, which caused Kiyomi to lightly shrug. Wanting to taste some beverage, she engaged briefly in a whispering conversation with one of the servants before turning her attention back on the meeting.
Taking a sip of her drink, Kiyomi wasn’t surprised in the least. Her agents had already uncovered the truth of what played in the North. It had all been decided when the succession crisis had played out. Though, she did wonder how the Hojo were intending to play this game.
With Mareo stating that he desired to keep the peace and avoid a Great War, Kiyomi considered her words. But before she could speak, Jirou already spoke. Casually taking another sip of the water, flavoured with a hint of lemon, Kiyomi only visibly responded with both eyebrows perking up.
But the words of Jirou didn’t cause her to lose her composure. Placing the glass down, Kiyomi released a satisified sigh.

"De-li-cious, Lord," Kiyomi began, smiling, as if Jirou wasn’t there for a moment. "I have always liked some sweets but I would love to know what your servants have done with these," holding up a delight to emphasise her words, Kiyomi then placed it in her mouth and enjoyed it. Slowly she turned with a smile towards Jirou.
"Dictator, correct? Interesting titles you Islanders have," she began, friendly and yet playfully, "Anyhow, I am aware of the disdain your people have. Then again, heh," chuckling, Kiyomi winked at the dictator, "your people seem to even dislike themselves. So we can just say that they can’t take a loss well enough, yes? Good." The empress casually continued. "Besides, plenty of my subjects would love to ravage your lands. Much as your people did during the Great War, when you invaded our lands," the playful tone and nature seemed to vanish rapidly. The green eyes becoming darker as Kiyomi locked her gaze upon the dictator.
"Many would love to answer a call to arms. However," suddenly the playfulness returned as Kiyomi tilted her head and continued. "I don’t wish to engage in another Great War. Seeing you are willing to listen, I will make a simple proposal. Oh, wait, Katashi, dear," Kiyomi said, raising her glass as the Sworn Sword removed a sheathed sword from his weapon belt. Only to present it to a servant and nod towards the dictator.
"This is probably one of yours," Kiyomi said, her tone and smile friendly but the dark shadows remaining in her gaze. "I hope this can be a step to ensure that you and your people will not get any… funny ideas."
Raising her glass, she would turn to Mareo as the servant would hand the sheath and sword that belonged to an Oda, judging by the style and few decorations.
"But yes, my good Lord, as the Empress of Akino, I am most eager to keep things from escalating."

Mareo observed the responses of both other participants with great interests. The handing over of a sword was what caught his attention, making him wonder what the meaning was behind it. However, Mareo also had other worries than a perhaps symbolic humiliation.
"Very well," he continued, hiding his amusement at both younger participants showing how they played their cards, for at the moment. "I like to discuss a non-aggression pact. We may not like each other, as the dictator has stated, but there is no need for us to heed elements in our society that desire bloodshed. If we can upkeep a state of truce between ourselves, we have a stepping stone to work from."
Smiling, Mareo paused for a moment, before he continued on. "After all, I like to think that complex deals are just going to make matters worse. If we can already prevent each other from tearing into one another, we can achieve a lot. If anything, I am more than willing to contribute to this agreement by sending a ward to each of you. To assure you that I and my Lord are nothing but honest in our endeavours."

The words of Kiyomi felt less than serious at first, taking throws at Jirou and his country like that. This “Empress” was raised poorly if she had this type of manners. She did seem to understand the harsh reality behind the war somewhat, but Jirou doubted she fully understood it. No one could truly understand a war unless they experienced it first hand.
Yet his attention would be fully caught by her when she presented him with a sword, one that apparently belonged to an Oda, from the looks of it. After giving it a glance, he turned his gaze to Kiyomi for a brief moment. He did not know when this was taken, but it gave him some suspicion, seeing what the Oda’s fate was.
After she was done, Jirou turned his attention to the advisor once more. A simple proposal was given "That is a simple proposal, indeed. It may be possible to pull it through. I imagine many would not be happy with this, but it is likely the smallest step that would have the best chance at the current time." Before turning to look at Kiyomi "That is, as long as others don’t get any funny ideas either, such as this. I do not know if you held it as a trophy of sorts, but it is part of history. The mere suggestion you gave, while presenting this, says plenty." Jirou said, giving Kiyomi a dark glare with his eyes, before returning to look at Mareo.

Chewing on another delight, Kiyomi took in the words of the Hojo. She tried to gauge what his game was. But even with Meisa’s lessons and her own sharp gaze, there was little she could divulge from his body language. Considering his proposal, she was well aware that the Hojo wasn’t without his own schemes. The chaos in the Earth country had exploded and not without some outside influence, which had to be coming from this man. A most intriguing matter, Kiyomi thought to herself.
Jirou spoke again, causing Kiyomi to turn her head and attention to face the man. When he stated it was a trophy of some sort as accompanied with his dark glare said enough. She didn’t need to know the man to gauge he was upset. Perhaps even scared?
"Oh, my good sir," Kiyomi began, "I am a big fan of history. If it ever comes to your desire, you are more than free to witness my other collections. Anyhow," turning her attention to the Hojo, Kiyomi continued. "I would agree to such a treaty. Your wards will be accepted and I will offer two wards in return, should the dictator decide to humour us with going along with sending wards." Kiyomi finished. She felt, honestly, terrific. This summit was, so far, going just as she liked.

"Excellent," Mareo said, lightly and briefly spreading his arms out, a smile accompanying his features. "The details can be handled later. But this is a good thing. My next suggestion might be a bit more," he visibly pondered, looking for a word, "intimate, let us put it like that. I think the best way to keep us connected in an amicable way is through joint-events. How about just a simple festival? To promote and announce our treaty?"

"I shall send a ward to each of your countries." Jirou responded to Kiyomi’s remark without bothering to offer her even a gaze at this point. Keeping his eyes fixed on Mareo, he listened to the next proposal and shook his head slightly "That is a more intimate proposal, and one I will need to decline. I do not believe it would go over too well. We have had this treaty against the eastern threat for a few months now, certainly. Upping it in the way you proposed is certainly something that I believe many could see its benefits, including myself. But to announce it with a festival feels inappropriate. It may cause some to believe we have just forgotten the past. Perhaps, after a few months, we could perform such a festival, but not immediately." Jirou stated his opinion.

"An event like that already takes months to plan and execute," Kiyomi started, "besides, clinging to the past is something that old fools do," the Empress friendly stated as she flashed another smile at Jirou. "Clinging desperately to the past gives the idea that you’re scared of what the future is to bring. Which is fine, change can be scary, dictator," the Empress raised her glass slightly. "That said, I will agree with the festival, lord," Kiyomi reacted to the Hojo. "If it calms down the dictator and his fear for the future, can we even attempt to find a more neutral ground for this?"

Mareo didn’t frown upon hearing the words of the dictator. He could understand the man’s sentiment of not wanting to forget the past. Interestingly enough, it was the young empress that was not afraid to remind the dictator that clinging to the past could be seen as a sign of weakness. Once more, Mareo was amused by what could be seen as a sort of symbolic battle between the youth and elderly.
"I see that we don’t all agree on this. How about we schedule this talk of a festival for later then?” Mareo suggested, "I imagine that both of you have a desire to rest before venturing back to your respective realms. If it pleases you both, I desire to bestow these gifts upon you.”

Raising a hand, Mareo snapped his fingers. Two servants strode forward with a small box each in their hands. Opening, they would reveal a beautiful set of jewelry for Kiyomi while offering Jirou an inscripted leather weapons belt, with a silver decorated blade.
"The North wishes to keep her relations, after all, at a respectable level.”

While the Empress did have a point, he believed there would come a time when she would think about this like he does. For now, he made no indications of wanting to respond to the Empress’s words, instead keeping his focus on Mareo as he spoke next. Nodding slightly, he agreed with the suggestion of having a later meeting for the festival. It would give him a chance to look at things a bit more deeply, without these two staring him down.

As the gifts were presented, Jirou looked over the fine blade and belt he was presented with. He could certainly see the marksmanship in the decor it held, and he raised his glance towards Mareo before offering a nod of gratitude "This is a fine gift indeed. As I do not have anything to offer in return, I will offer to host the next meeting, over in the Authority." He said, finally turning to glance at Kiyomi as well.

Kiyomi was a bit disappointed that the meeting was going to end. She had yet to figure out this Mareo Hojo. The way he conducted the diplomatic game was interesting as she couldn’t find any opening to pry open and throw him off. It was even scarier than Shozo, as she had no idea what his aim or game plan was. Was he genuine? Or was he simply building up to a plan?
Glancing at the jewelry, it was nice but she would have been happier with a sword. Noticing that Jirou was given a blade, Kiyomi snickered. "Seems a lucky day for a dictator. Receiving two swords," she said before turning to Mareo. "Thank you, lord. I will see to it that next time we meet that you’ll be receiving an equally splendid gift in return."

"We will discuss it. No need to change your decisions so fast, dictator," Mareo stated as he would rise up. Placing his hands behind his back, he offered them a wide smile.
"I am glad that we could have this meeting. I bid you both a safe and swift journey home. We will, hopefully, be able to keep conducting our exchanges in peace."
 
Maintaining the balance
[ Mamoru Senju ]
[ Eastern Continent | 11th Imperial Brigade | Operation Bright Fire ]
[ After Operation: Bright Fire ]

[ After Operation: Bright Fire, Mamoru realizes that he forgot to give back to The Great Tree. It proves more difficult than other times. ]


Mamoru only faintly remembered what happened after they were rescued from certain death by friendly units. He hazily remembered making it back to their encampment. Somehow, he managed to take a shower, stumbled back to their tent and he slipped into a deep sleep immediately. He woke up a bit later, their tent empty.I can't seem to recall if they were here when I arrived, he thought to himself. He got up and got ready to go about his daily routine, only this time, he could not force himself to get to the training fields. He opened the chest under his bed and took out his kit to clean Oak. Upon closing the chest, he placed the linen bag, containing the seed given to him by Meilin, on the chest and observed it. The soil in which the seed was resting was slightly moist, so he left it there.

He sat in front of the tent and placed his tools on the table and placed both Oak and Ash on the table. Unsheathing both, he spotted some dried blood on both of them. Pouring the cleaning liquid into a bowl, he soaked the cloth in it and worked on the blade, slowly making the dried blood dissolve.More lifes taken from The Great Tree, he frowned at the thought, pain branching out from under his bandage.Some branches must be cut off for the tree to survive, he thought to himself. He leaned down from the table and placed his palm on the ground. Focusing briefly, the ground made way for a small fissure. He wringed the cloth out into it, but left it there. He soaked the cloth again and repeated the process on Ash, wringing the cloth into the fissure again. Placing his palm onto the ground again, the fissure closed and his palm stayed on the ground for a bit longer.

Straightening

up behind the table, he cleaned both his weapons meticulously, his thoughts wandering away. He felt shook, to his core, by the previous mission. From what he saw right after they were rescued, so were Hylli and Hideko.I hope you two are all right, he thought as he finished cleaning his weapons. He straigthened the cloth out to allow it to dry and created another small fissure, pouring the renaming water into it. He felt some satisfaction from it, a certain ease of mind coming from the action. The cut under the bandage started to itch again and having walked back into the tent and stowing away his weapons and tools, he came out with a fresh bandage. Taking a seat again, he sat down and placed the bandage on the table, staring at it blankly. His thoughts were a swirling mess. He undid the bandage and enjoyed the feeling of fresh air on his wound. He closed his eyes and the events of the mission started to flash in his eyes.

Hearing approaching footstepts, the imagery stopped as he opened his eyes. A single thought replacing every other in his mind.
Thank the Sage it's you, Sensei.
 
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